IAT NEWSLETTER
September, 2000
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"IT'S ABOUT TIME WE BEGIN IT,
TO TURN THE WORLD AROUND . . . "
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ORGANIZATION
INFORMATION
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Co-Founder/Former President - Marcelle Orswell
Co-Founder and Secretary -- Theresa Shea (Tree1A@aol.com)
Co-Founder and Webpage Designer -- Sandy Clark (IATMail@aol.com)
Co-Presidents -- Ann Schnitz (aerie01@sprynet.com) and
Mary Ledford (eagleshorses@yahoo.com)
Newsletter Editor -- Marcia C. Porter (mport@netnitco.net)
Web Site -- http://members.aol.com/tybrenn/
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QUOTE OF THE MONTH
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"We look at some people as if they were special, gifted, divine. Nobody is special
and gifted and divine. No more than you are, no more than I am. The only difference,
the very only one, is that they have begun to understand what they really are and
have begun to practice it."
Richard Bach
Author of "Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah"
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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
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Dear Friends,
What a month! Iíve been from the wilds of British Columbia to the wilds of New York
City, all within a few weeks. Talk about culture shock! My friend in BC describes
her home as heaven ñ sheís not far wrong. But heaven is where you find it and where
you make it, and for some, heaven is in New York City too. It all depends on perspective.
And speaking of perspective, a most remarkable event occurred in New York City on
September 19 that many of us participated in in one way or another ñ the Millennium
Day of Peace at the United Nations. Our contribution for that day was a Peace Cloth
dedicated to John Denver, which we have been reporting about in this newsletter for
the past several months. What does this have to do with perspective? Youíll see.
On Sunday, two days before the event, my mother and I hosted a sewing party at her
home in Brooklyn. In attendance were women whom I had only known previously through
the internet. But once they walked through the door, they became my sisters ñ such
is the power of this Cloth and the hearts who wove it. Hearts from Australia, the
United States, Europe, CanadaÖall around the world. All who beat as one. And when
you begin to realize the amount of love and devotion to John and to his vision that
this Cloth symbolizes, you canít help but think that our dream of a world of peace
is possible. If we can come together so magnificently and selflessly and make such
magic, anything is truly possible.
You canít interact with the Cloth without being tremendously moved by the stories
it contains. One piece was from a woman who had met her husband at a John Denver
concert, and the material she sent had been left over from her wedding gown. Another
was a reproduction of John's Peace Poem, made by a lady in the Netherlands whose
arthritis is so bad she could only work on it for mere minutes at a time. Our dear
friend Anna Zapp recreated two shirts and a tuxedo jacket that she had made for John
to wear long long ago, all of which were immediately recognizable to me, as I have
so many photos of him in them. And Johnís wonderful mother sent us a pair of his
jeans, which we cut into small squares and interspersed into the cloth, so that his
energy would be there amongst all of our own. Embroidery. Glitter. Fabric paint.
Shirts obviously worn to many a concert. Photos of John printed onto fabric, drawings,
song lyrics, eagles, mountainsÖit goes on and on to the point of being overwhelming.
And out of this, we fashioned a shawl that was going to be draped around the shoulders
of Johnís brother, Ron. There are simply no words to describe how proud I felt to
be a part of our community, even as I swept up the little threads and bits of love
that the Cloth had left behind on the rug, after the party was over and the seamstresses
had left. How proud I felt to see Ron wearing that shawl after it was presented to
him by Debra Chilton.
And so, thisí my perspective. Much has been made of the lack of media coverage for
this event, or the fact that the day didnít come off quite as planned. But we were
there and we stood together in the United Nations to offer our prayer for Peace to
the world. Isnít that whatís important? Not ego or publicity for us or John or even
recognition for his deeds. The Cloth *is* us. Itís each person who sent in a square
of material or sewed on it or participated in his or her own unique way, with no
one personís contribution being any more important than any other personís, and that
includes John Denver. It is an embodiment of his teachings and the way we have made
them a part of our lives.
Itís very easy to become enraged and upset at what occurred at the UN, and swear
vengeance. But letís not forget -- the world is watching. We are now the bearers
of John's legacy. Our actions, both positive and negative, affect everything we will
try to do in the future and once our credibility is ruined folks, that's it. Game
over. As it is, we have enough hurdles to overcome in achieving that world of peace
-- we don't need to be our own biggest liability.
I'll remind you of one more thing. He didn't do what he did for the furtherance of
"John Denver". Neither should we.
My heart to yours,
Ann
P.S. For those going to Aspen or Pacific Grove...or wherever you're celebrating John's
life this year, we want to hear all about it! So please don't forget to jot down
your memories of the day and send them in!
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A NOTE FROM MARY
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Hi Everyone -
Just a reminder that if you will be attending the auction on 10/14 and wish to be
included in the count for the deli platters, please e-mail me at eagleshorses@yahoo.com no later than October 8, 2000. We will be calling in our order on
10/9 before we leave for Aspen. Thanks!!
Looking forward to seeing you all there!
Peace-Mary
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
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Once every four years athletes gather from around the world to celebrate their talents
and capture our hearts with spirit and soul. I am reminded that for some, it is the
only way they will have ever get to see another part of our beautiful world - by
sitting in their homes to watch the Olympic events on television.
My childhood included exposure to a true stay-at-home, my cousin Mabel. She was paralyzed
from her chest down in a tragic fall from a horse just after her sixteenth birthday.
Mabel was an inspiration to me - and she gave me the vision to see my blessings.
We talked on the telephone every Wednesday evening when Charlie was gone to the firehouse
and my children were tucked into bed. Mabel and I would "chew the fat",
sometimes for hours. I would describe for her the antics of an active family and
alert her to my schedule for the coming week, plans for an interview or a photo shoot,
she would become excited and ask me to "See it for me."
Isn't that what John Denver did for each of us? He soared into the world, lifting
golden wings to enfold humanity with his heart-felt lyrics and his melodies. One
of the loveliest songs John wrote, "Falling Leaves" tells of his heartbreak
in meeting some of the poorest - and perhaps some of the happiest - people of the
world. We are so blessed, are we not?
As I watch fleet-footed runners on the Sydney track, sleek swimmers in the Australian
pool, and the gyrating gymnasts, Mabel's words ring in my ears - and my heart, "See
it for me."
Sending each of you rainbows and hugs,
Marcia
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LETTERS
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Hi all,
We've recently had a problem with folks purchasing numerous Windstar Journals
and Windstar Feast Cookbooks, going to on-line web sites, listing the items as
"collectibles" and auctioning them at ridiculous prices - starting bids
at $24 and $30. Please spread the word to have folks check out Windstar's website
Products section before they get ripped off.
Most recently, the Summer 1987 issue of the Windstar Journal was offered for a minimum
bid of thirty dollars as a "collectible". We have nearly four-hundred (400)
in stock. The Summer 1988 issue was also offered for the same price. We have nearly
two-hundred (200) of these in stock.
The Windstar Feast Cookbook is also available by visiting the Windstar website for
we have over a thousand (1000). This was listed for a minimum bid of twenty-five
dollars.
It truly saddens me to see people who supposedly were fans of John turn around and
be so deceitful. There isn't anything wrong with free enterprise, but there is a
problem with making fraudulent claims. Thank you for helping get the word out - the
publications are available from Windstar and are not in limited quantity.
Sunshine to all,
Jeanie Tomlinson
windstar@ROF.NET
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Hello Everyone!
Finally, I have sent in the donations given for the video of the day at Hawk Mt.
in celebration of John and his music. In addition to the two-thousand-five-hundred
dollars ($2,500) already given to Hawk Mt. from individual donations, I was able
to give Hawk Mt. an additional five-hundred and five dollars ($505) with more coming
in. I also sent The Hunger Project two-hundred dollars ($200) - more coming.
The total to the two groups is seven-hundred-sixty-five ($765.00).
Thank you to everyone for donating for benches placed at Hawk Mt. Thank you, too,
for donating your time and energy and spirit to causes that John Denver loved.
Blessings and Peace To You All,
Judith Gabriel
(flyangel@early.com)
(Wonderful news, Judy! -- AS)
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Hi, Folks,
Wanted to share a JD moment with you.
Recently I called the Social Security Administration (e.g.IRS) in Baltimore. A polished
professional man immediately asked me, "Are you playing John Denver's Calypso;
I've loved his music and messages for years. There's not much of his music I haven't
heard!" Boldly I held the receiver to the speaker playing "For You,"
and asked him if he knew this later one? "Yep, it's a love song called For You.
Told you there's not much I haven't heard."
An instant connection, (!!) and he couldn't have been nicer doing business. I finished
with telling him that the "Legacy Continues...and he told me "John's songs
are too good to let go." Amen.
Peace and Grace
Linda McIntosh
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Greetings, Family~
In catching up on email tonight, I noticed some messages from folks wanting some
additional information about the International Day of Peace. I know that we
all 'know' about this event, but I thought we could use some concrete facts about
the background of this day. The United Nations organization that Debra Chilton has
worked with so closely ...'Pathways to Peace'...is also the one that JOHN DENVER
was scheduled to work with in October of 1997. (It's also affiliated with UNICEF
and UNESCO- two more groups that John represented!) This is a website that leads
to 'Pathways' and gives more info about the Millennium Peace Day. There are additional
links at the bottom of that page.
http://www.worldpeace.org/peaceday/
http://www.people4peace.com/idp/
http://www.people4peace.com/idp/history.htm
http://pathwaystopeace.org/
Enjoy reading about this prestigious event that our JD World Family participated
in!!
My heart to yours~
Linda Wolverton
lindaw@mindspring.com
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Hi everyone! ~ I'm back from the music festival I attended with GREAT NEWS!!!!
Pete Huttlinger WON the national finger-picking championship!!! I was so proud of
him! I missed his first performance in the competition, but was able to talk to him
and wish him luck in placing in the finals! I made sure I was present for naming
of the five finalists and Pete was among them (never a doubt!!).......the five performed
once again and then the top three were chosen and each played again! Contestants
are not allowed to talk to the audience until the top three winners are announced!
Pete gave a touching story of how he attended this festival last year and was lucky
to be alive to do that!......he had heart surgery just prior to the competition.....and
won second last year! He told us his mother died 7 weeks ago and he performed at
her memorial service.....and would like to play the song for us as his tribute to
her!.....a very beautiful gospel song! Pete told me he's looking forward to Aspen
in October!.....so if you talk to him there, congratulate him on his national title!!
As I was walking over to the main stage of the festival to catch Danny Wheetman's
group (Marley's Ghost), I heard a familiar tune coming from the stage......"Sweet,
Sweet Surrender" and the whole audience (10,000 strong) singing along! It sounded
awesome!!....and of course I joined right in!!
Peace !
Kathy Lill
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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Friday, 10/6 - Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 330 Ravenswood Avenue, Menlo
Park, California (near San Jose) - Joe Frazier and Eskaton will be appearing in a
benefit concert for the Stanford Canterbury Club, the university's Episcopalian student
organization. Tickets will be around $20.00, and the concert is scheduled to start
at around 7:30pm.
Feel free to contact me for more information, and I'll do my best to answer all questions.
Regards,
Debra
(PixieDmyr@aol.com)
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SARASOTA GATHERING
A gathering honoring John is being planned for October 12 at the Siesta Key Beach,
Sarasota, FL, from 4:00 - 10:00 p.m., or whenever!
All are welcome. There will be singing, our own Shawn Wells (check his webpage at:
www.shawnwells.tripod.com and Sherry Cook will play. There will be a candlelight vigil at
5:28, followed by a beach clean-up, with more playing and singing afterwards! Bring
your favorite picnic goodies, AND your voice! If you play an instrument, please bring
it and join in the fun.
Contact Sherry at backhomagain@yahoo.com for more information.
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DAVE MALLET CONCERT
Dave Mallett, who wrote several songs recorded by John Denver, will be in concert
on Sunday, October 15 in Aspen at the Aspen School District Theatre, 0199 High School
Road. The benefit concert will open at 7:00 p.m. The concert is sponsored by the
Aspen High School Humanities Class. Advance tickets are $13. Tickets at the door
are $15. For tickets or to secure further information, please call 970-925-2972,
ext 1112. IAT members in Aspen for the John Denver Tribute Concerts at the Wheeler
Opera House on October 13, 14 and 15, are invited to the Mallet concert.
email: kgregory@skiers.ahs.aspen.k12.co.us
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PACIFIC GROVE TRIBUTE WEEKEND EVENTS
Saturday, October 7th, Jim Curry and Friends will be appearing in concert
at
the Universalist Unitarian Church of the Monterey Peninsula, 490 Aguajito
Road, Carmel, California. The concert starts at 7:30pm, and will feature
lots of John Denver songs, plus some originals from members of the band. We
will have a raffle during intermission. All net concert proceeds, and all
raffle proceeds will benefit the Windstar Land Conservancy Endowment Fund,
Friends of the Monarchs and Friends of the Sea Otter. Come early, stay late,
sing the house down!
Sunday, October 8th, 10:30am at Lovers Point Park: the Third Annual John
Denver Memorial Beach Cleanup will start at the park, and proceed 1.2 miles
down Ocean View Blvd. to John Denver Beach (the turnout at Ocean View
between Acropolis and Asilomar). A vehicle will be available to get people
back and forth, if walking is difficult (or the weather turns bad).
Following the cleanup, there will be a singalong/picnic/barbecue in the
Park. Bring your lunch, bring your instruments, this will be an incredible
jam session! We will also have an information table with maps and programs
and information about other John Denver-related things to do in the area
during
your stay.
From about 3:00pm on, at John Denver Beach, Leslie Newman will be on hand
with a section of the UN "Cloth of Many Colors" Peace Cloth, to answer
questions, and to show people part of this incredible effort to inspire
everyone to work for peace in the world.
At 5:00pm, back at John Denver Beach, there will be an informal memorial
tribute, with a moment of silence at 5:28pm.
Thursday, October 12, there will be another memorial tribute at John Denver
Beach, starting at 5:00pm and lasting until about 6:00pm, with a moment of
silence at 5:28pm.
No activities are scheduled for the weekend following the anniversary, to
allow people to attend the events in Aspen.
For directions to the events from wherever you are (in the US), you can go
either to MapQuest.com, or MapBlast.com, and enter in the addresses or
cities to get a map and driving directions.
If anyone needs hotel information, I have a 5 page list of hotels I can send
you. Unfortunately, I've only been in 1 or 2 of the hotels, so I can't
really recommend any one over another. (Note that the one hotel that people
reported to me as being truly unacceptable is NOT on this list!) One hint:
the Monterey area is considered a "resort destination" and so everyone
hikes
up their prices for a holiday weekend, and most places on the Peninsula
require a 2 night (Saturday/Sunday) stay. If you stay a little ways further
out from Pacific Grove/Monterey/Carmel, the rates go down - so try Seaside,
and Salinas if you're on a tight budget.
For further information, please contact Debra at pixiedmyr@aol.com.
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Charlie Zahm in Concert with Special Guest, Mack Bailey
Saturday, Nov 25, 7:30 PM
Salem United Church of Christ, 186 East Court St., Doylestown, PA
Tickets $8 (kids are free), available at the door
Please join us for the Second Annual Evening of Campfire Songs, featuring the music
of John Denver.
Charlie and Mack will be performing about 1/3 John Denver songs, their own original
material and other folk favorites. This promises to be a truly magical night!
Contact either Pat at PAHough@aol.com or Donna at donnapinto@yahoo.com for more information, or see the Events Page at www.john-denver.org
Hope to see you there!
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Hi all,
The "Friends of John Denver" web site at http://www.fojd.org.uk has now been updated with full details of our November gathering
and the long-awaited planting of a Woodland Grove in celebration of John's life.
Click on "Events" at the right-hand side of our Home page to find out about
these exciting events and how to order your tickets. We all look forward to seeing
as many "JD Friends" as possible on 25 and 26 November!
Peace,
Christine
president@fojd.org.uk
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EVENT REVIEWS
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Great pics and info on the Kids Week at Windstar this summer. Isn't it great there
are volunteers willing to put in the time, and expense so a wonderful program like
this can continue. If you haven't seen the pics, here's a link to the site: http://www.wstar.org/kidsweekfollowup.htm
Christie
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ENVIRONMENTAL
AND HUMANITARIAN NEWS
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FREE THE CHILDREN
From: Ellen L. Quinn (Elle_915@pacbell.net)
"BEING TWELVE-YEARS-OLD IS NO EXCUSE..."
Iqbal Masih was a Pakistani boy who had escaped from slavery and became a
spokesperson against child labor. He shared his personal account of child
labor with international audiences, imploring people to take a stand. Then,
at twelve-years-old, he was murdered.
On April 19, 1995, a Canadian boy of twelve, read of Iqbal's murder in the
newspaper. After learning as much as he could about child labor and slavery,
he got a group of friends together and formed "Free the
Children", a youth group dedicated to the elimination of child labor and the
exploitation of children. Now seventeen-years-old, he heads an organization
that is the largest network of children helping children in the world, with
over 100,000 youth members active in 27 countries.
Craig says: "You may be thinking, 'well, you're only twelve, this is a big
problem. What can YOU do to help?'" He continues, "...Being twelve-years-old
is no excuse. NO ONE has a good enough excuse to ignore these child workers'
problems."
Learn more about Craig and Free The Children at www.freethechildren.org.
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The Everglades is one of America's greatest but most imperiled natural
treasures, home to a vast community of wildlife, and a critical water
resource for all of South Florida. Once a healthy eight-million acre "river
of grass," the Everglades has been reduced to half its original size by a
century of agricultural growth, urban sprawl, and unwise water management.
Dikes, levees and dams have fundamentally altered the natural system by
draining billions of gallons of water a day out to sea.
What does that mean for wildlife? The extremely rare Florida panther has
seen its habitat cut into fragments too small to sustain it. Now only about
60-70 remain in the wild. Manatees have suffered as farm runoff creates
algae blooms in Florida Bay and chokes out their food supply. Wood stork
feeding areas are too wet or too dry during critical nesting periods. Humans
"re-engineered" the Everglades system for our benefit, but now we know
the
natural system is dying as a result. We need to put the water back into the
Everglades system where it belongs, and take the steps necessary to restore
it to health.
WHY ACT NOW
Fortunately the federal government, in conjunction with the state of
Florida, has developed a 25-year $8 billion plan to undo its past mistakes
and restore the remaining natural system. Congress now needs to approve the
plan and provide long-term funding so it can be implemented. The Senate
Environment and Public Works Committee approved a bill, S. 2797 by a vote of
17-1 with clear bipartisan support. S. 2797 authorizes $1.3 billion of the
plan and set restoration in progress. While not perfect, S. 2797 is our best
opportunity for permanent Everglades restoration. The full Senate is
expected to vote on and pass the bill in the next several days, but the
House of Representatives has yet to act on Everglades restoration.
Time is running out -- This session of Congress is expected to end October
6. But Congress can still pass an Everglades bill if they hear a strong
message of support from their constituents. We may not see such a favorable
opportunity to pass Everglades legislation for many years, and the
Everglades can't wait until then. That's why we need your help now.
HOW TO HELP
Help save a national treasure -- please tell your Representative TODAY that
you support the passage of comprehensive Everglades restoration legislation
this year. Here are some specific points you can make:
>>I strongly support the restoration of the Everglades. The Everglades are
one of America's greatest but most imperiled natural treasures, home to a
vast community of wildlife, and a critical water resource for all of South
Florida. The Everglades must be restored for people and the 1500 varieties
of plants and wildlife, including wading birds, reptiles, and more than 68
threatened or endangered species.
>>The House of Representatives must act to restore the Everglades through
restoration legislation this year. Time is running out to act in this
congressional session.
Contact your Representative via snail mail at:
The Honorable _______
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121
For more information click on: http://www.nwf.org/everglades.
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CALENDARS AVAILABLE
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From Steve Rafferty <Sraffe8283@btinternet.com>
Steve Rafferty is releasing a John Denver 2001 calendar and all proceeds will go
to Sandy Ostertag to support Long View Media. John and Sandy started the video projects
with the wonderful "Let This Be A Voice". Karen Sable, (krnsable@nb.net) is in charge of ordering, publicity, etc., in the United States.
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INSPIRATIONAL
STORY
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From Jesse (whisperingjesse@aol.com):
"A Sioux Indian Story"
My grandfather took me to the fish pond on the farm when I was about seven, and he
told me to throw a stone into the water. He told me to watch the circles created
by the stone. Then he asked me to think of myself as that stone person.
"You may create lots of splashes in your life but the waves that come from those
splashes will disturb the peace of all your fellow creatures," he said.
"Remember that you are responsible for what you put in your circle and that
circle will also touch many other circles. You will need to live in a way that allows
the good that comes from your circle to send the peace of that goodness to others.
The splash that comes from anger or jealousy will send those feelings to other circles.
You are responsible for both."
That was the first time I realized each person creates the inner peace or discord
that flows out into the world. We cannot create world peace if we are riddled with
inner conflict, hatred, doubt, or anger. We radiate the feelings and thoughts that
we hold inside, whether we speak them or not. Whatever is splashing around inside
of us is spilling out into the world, creating beauty or discord with all other circles
of life.
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NEWSLETTER NEWS
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If you would like to submit articles, news items, stories, poetry, or any other pertinent
information to IT'S ABOUT TIME, please e-mail any of the IAT staff. The submission
deadline for the October edition is October 19, 2000. Please be sure to include any
contact information so that members can email or snail mail for further details.
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The content of this newsletter is entirely at the discretion of the "It's About
Time" staff. Contributions, as always, are welcomed, although inclusion is not
guaranteed.
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". . . IT'S ABOUT TIME WE START TO LIVE IT, THE FAMILY OF MAN,
IT'S ABOUT TIME AND IT'S ABOUT CHANGES . . .
AND IT'S ABOUT TIME."
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