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<DIV><FONT face="Century Gothic">Hello Peggy</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Century Gothic"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Century Gothic">Sorry for being late to this conversation. I am
a long time Open Spacer and a committed Transition Towns activist...there are
many of us out here. Th is a genuine grassroots leaderless movement where
communities are renewing their sense of their own power, their own joy and their
humanity...making plans and sowing seeds for the new and better world that is
arriving every day...Conversation processes like OS, World Cafe and Ai are the
heart of communication in this movement...Everyone...go and find your local
transition initiative and be part of it...the time is now...we are the people we
have been waiting for...Cliodhna</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Century Gothic"><A
href="http://transitiontowns.org">http://transitiontowns.org</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Century Gothic"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Century Gothic">Cliodhna Mulhern<BR>Flowstone<BR>Mobile :
07929328513<BR>Tel : 01244.312758</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Century Gothic"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Century Gothic">"I slept and dreamed that life was joy. I awoke
and saw that life was service. I acted and learned that service was joy"
<BR>Tagore</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Century Gothic"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><BR> </DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><FONT face="Century Gothic"
size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>2009/1/18 Peggy Holman <SPAN dir=ltr><<A
href="mailto:peggy@opencirclecompany.com">peggy@opencirclecompany.com</A>></SPAN><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=gmail_quote
style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">
<DIV style="WORD-WRAP: break-word">Has anyone been involved with the
Transition Town movement? It is apparently large and growing.
It starts off "when a small collection of motivated
individuals within a community come together with a shared concern: how
can our community<BR>respond to the challenges and opportunities of Peak Oil
and Climate Change? (see Tom Atlee's article below)."
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>And Open Space is a central organizing practice for them.
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>I'm curious whether anyone from this community has been a part of this
remarkable experiment.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>appreciatively,</DIV>
<DIV>Peggy</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Here are some excerpts from <A
href="http://www.transitiontowns.org/"
target=_blank>http://www.transitiontowns.org/</A>:<BR><BR>-----------------------------------------------------------------------<BR><BR><BR> What
is a Transition Town (or village / city / forest / island)?<BR><BR> It
all starts off when a small collection of motivated individuals within<BR>a
community come together with a shared concern: how can our
community<BR>respond to the challenges and opportunities of Peak Oil and
Climate Change?<BR><BR> ... [They embark upon] a process
of:<BR><BR> * awareness raising around Peak Oil, Climate Change and the
need to<BR>undertake a community-led process to rebuild resilience and
reduce carbon<BR>emissions<BR> * connecting with existing groups in the
community<BR> * building bridges to local government<BR> *
connecting with other transition initiatives<BR> * forming groups to
look at all the key areas of life (food, energy,<BR>transport, health, heart
& soul, economics & livelihoods, etc.)<BR> * kicking off
projects aimed at building people's understanding of<BR>resilience and
carbon issues and community engagement<BR> * eventually launching a
community-defined, community-implemented "Energy<BR>Descent Action Plan"
over a 15- to 20-year timescale <BR><BR> ... The community also
recognises two crucial points:<BR><BR> * that we used immense amounts
of creativity, ingenuity and adaptability<BR>on the way up the energy
upslope, and that there's no reason for us not to<BR>do the same on the
downslope<BR><BR> * if we collectively plan and act early enough
there's every likelihood<BR>that we can create a way of living that's
significantly more connected,<BR>more vibrant and more in touch with our
environment than the oil-addicted<BR>treadmill that we find ourselves on
today....<BR></DIV>
<DIV><BR>
<DIV><SPAN
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<DIV style="WORD-WRAP: break-word">
<DIV>______________________________</DIV>
<DIV>Peggy Holman</DIV>
<DIV>The Open Circle Company</DIV>
<DIV>15347 SE 49th Place</DIV>
<DIV>Bellevue, WA 98006</DIV>
<DIV>425-746-6274</DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.opencirclecompany.com/"
target=_blank>www.opencirclecompany.com</A></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>For the new edition of The Change Handbook, go to: <BR><A
href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ChangeHandbook"
target=_blank>www.bkconnection.com/ChangeHandbook</A> <BR> <BR>"An
angel told me that the only way to step into the fire and not get burnt, is
to become <BR>the fire".<BR> -- Drew Dellinger</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV></DIV></SPAN><BR></DIV></SPAN><BR></DIV></SPAN><BR></DIV>
<DIV><BR>
<DIV>Begin forwarded message:</DIV><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE type="cite">
<DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT
style="FONT: 12px Helvetica; COLOR: #000000" face=Helvetica color=#000000
size=3><B>From: </B></FONT><FONT style="FONT: 12px Helvetica"
face=Helvetica size=3>Tom Atlee <<A href="mailto:cii@igc.org"
target=_blank>cii@igc.org</A>></FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT
style="FONT: 12px Helvetica; COLOR: #000000" face=Helvetica color=#000000
size=3><B>Date: </B></FONT><FONT style="FONT: 12px Helvetica"
face=Helvetica size=3>January 11, 2009 2:29:02 PM PST</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT
style="FONT: 12px Helvetica; COLOR: #000000" face=Helvetica color=#000000
size=3><B>To: </B></FONT><FONT style="FONT: 12px Helvetica" face=Helvetica
size=3><A href="mailto:cii@igc.org" target=_blank>cii@igc.org</A>
(undisclosed list)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT
style="FONT: 12px Helvetica; COLOR: #000000" face=Helvetica color=#000000
size=3><B>Subject: </B></FONT><FONT style="FONT: 12px Helvetica"
face=Helvetica size=3><B>A transition effective, delightful,
profound...</B></FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px"><BR></DIV></DIV>
<DIV>++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++<BR><BR> Dec
'08 - Jan '09 CII fundraiser progress
report:<BR><BR> Funds
raised so far: $8192 // Target:
$36,000<BR> Percentage
of needed funds raised so far:
22.8%<BR> People on
List: 1838 // Days left: 20<BR><BR>+++
Thank you to the 55 people who have responded so far!
+++<BR>++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++<BR>If you value
our work, please participate with a donation.<BR>See the end of this
mailing for how to
contribute.<BR>++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++<BR><BR><BR> The
concept of energy descent, and of the
Transition<BR> approach, is a simple one: that the future
with less oil<BR> could be preferable to the present, but
only if sufficient<BR> creativity and imagination are
applied early enough in<BR> the design of this
transition. -- Rob Hopkins<BR><BR><BR>Dear
friends,<BR><BR>I've been hearing more and more about a sustainability
program called Transition Towns in recent months. And it is not just
me: it has gone viral. It is being initiated in communities
around the world at an ever-accelerating rate. At the time of this
writing, there are 126 communities who qualify as Transition Towns (see
<<A
href="http://transitiontowns.org/TransitionNetwork/TransitionCommunities"
target=_blank>http://transitiontowns.org/TransitionNetwork/TransitionCommunities</A>>)
-- despite the considerable criteria involved (see <<A
href="http://transitiontowns.org/TransitionNetwork/Criteria"
target=_blank>http://transitiontowns.org/TransitionNetwork/Criteria</A>>).
Beyond that, there are about 600 more communities seriously
considering it, all laid out on Google Maps <<A
href="http://transitiontowns.org/TransitionNetwork/Mulling"
target=_blank>http://transitiontowns.org/TransitionNetwork/Mulling</A>>
to help everyone find each other and start new groups...<BR><BR>(Note:
The links above are from the excellent Transition Towns wiki, which
is a delightful portal through which to explore this topic.)<BR><BR>First
worked up as a student project in the UK in 2005, Transition Towns has
spread around the world in 3 years, entirely from the grassroots, truly
viral. I feel like a late-comer. It is almost embarrassing to
be writing to you about it now, in 2009, but I figure the world can use
all the help it can get right now, and building resilient communities is a
"the more the merrier" kind of undertaking.<BR><BR>The Transition Town
movement is sometimes called the Transition Initiatives movement because
it has come to include cities, colleges, islands, and all sorts of other
communities in addition to towns.<BR><BR>And it is no surprise why it is
spreading so rapidly. Not only are these folks incredibly pleasant,
upbeat, and savvy about the use of the internet, but the Transition Towns
initiative offers a refreshingly creative channel for people's growing
unease about the slow-motion collapse of the old structures and systems
we've come to depend on. It offers an inspiring, fully adaptable and
evolving positive vision of incremental change toward sustainability that
any community can realistically and pragmatically implement -- one that
can be launched by any group of ordinary citizens. The Transition
Town (TT) approach not only faces global-impact challenges squarely, but
suggests that we can "build ways of living that are more connected, more
enriching and that recognize the biological limits of our
planet."<BR><BR> While Peak Oil and Climate Change are
understandably<BR> profoundly challenging, also inherent
within them is the<BR> potential for an economic,
cultural, and social renaissance<BR> the likes of which
we have never seen. We will see a<BR> flourishing
of local businesses, local skills and solutions,<BR> and
a flowering of ingenuity and creativity. It is
a<BR> Transition in which we will inevitably grow, and in
which<BR> our evolution is a precondition for progress.
Emerging<BR> at the other end, we will not be the
same as we were:<BR> we will have become more humble,
more connected to<BR> the natural world, fitter, leaner,
more skilled, and<BR> ultimately, wiser. --
Transition Towns Handbook<BR><BR>Perhaps most remarkable is that the
Transitions Towns approach engages people NOT by scaring them out of their
wits or telling them what to do, but by providing powerful motivations,
possibilities, and ways for them to explore creative local responses for
and among themselves. There is no blueprint. The guidance
provided involves tools, ways of talking and co-creating together, visons,
and links to other people and resources engaged in this effort. What
we do with all that is up to us.<BR><BR>Transition Town (TT) initiatives
are formally about the "localization" of communities to prepare for
disruptions arising from the twin crises of<BR> (a) PEAK
OIL -- not running out of oil, exactly, but when the world's demand for
oil exceeds its ability to produce it (and the current low price of of oil
will not last long: see <<A
href="http://my.earthlink.net/article/bus?guid=20090106/4962e550_3ca6_15526200901061823557235"
target=_blank>http://my.earthlink.net/article/bus?guid=20090106/4962e550_3ca6_15526200901061823557235</A>>)
and<BR> (b) CLIMATE CHANGE and the extreme weather and
other disruptions that accompany it.<BR><BR>However, there are other
crises that effective localization and community resilience programs like
TT can also prepare us for, from economic depression (which we're already
tasting) to the disappearance of government services in a flood of red ink
(see <<A
href="http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/01/08/deficit-projection-stuns-congress"
target=_blank>http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/01/08/deficit-projection-stuns-congress</A>>
and <<A
href="http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/01/07/in-red-states-seek-tax-hikes/"
target=_blank>http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/01/07/in-red-states-seek-tax-hikes/</A>>)
to solar flares disrupting our power grid and electronic control systems
(an eventuality NASA has deemed possible by 2012 <<A
href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C478024%2C00.html"
target=_blank>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C478024%2C00.html</A>>).
We have gotten ourselves into a kind of addictive dependence on
globally vulnerable systems whose potential (likely? current?) collapse
dictates a prudent (inevitable?) turn towards relocalization and
resilience.<BR><BR>As peak oil expert Richard Heinberg points out, the
sooner we start learning to live without oil and the vast supply networks
it feeds, the easier it will be for us when the current set-up is simply
no longer an option.<BR><BR>So all this community preparation would be a
great idea, regardless -- and I'd want to spread the word for that reason
alone. But when I researched the TT approach, I found something even
more intriguing to me, personally: the Transition Towns process uses
two of my favorite processes -- Open Space and World Cafe. In fact,
I even discovered that the most visible co-founder of this movement, Rob
Hopkins, wrote in his Masters dissertation "Energy Descent Pathways:
Evaluating potential responses to Peak Oil"<BR><<A
href="http://totnes.transitionnetwork.org/system/files/msc-dissertation-publishable-copy.pdf"
target=_blank>http://totnes.transitionnetwork.org/system/files/msc-dissertation-publishable-copy.pdf</A>><BR><BR> "'[F]or
many commentators, the need for engagement<BR> points
inexorably in the direction of new fora, such as
focus<BR> groups, citizens juries or panels, round
tables, "visioning",<BR> and new consensus conferences,
in which, with no technocratic<BR> monopoly of
information, the necessary deliberation can
take<BR> place'. This arises from a growing realisation
that environmental<BR> values are not preformed, rather
that they 'emerge out of<BR> debate, discussion and
challenge, as [people] encounter new<BR> facts, insights
and judgements contributed by
others'."<BR> "[Tom] Atlee's concept of
'co-intelligence' offers a tool for<BR> harnessing the
power of communities to implement change.<BR> He defines
its aim as being 'to increase the capacity of
a<BR> society as a whole to act in a co-intelligent
manner' and<BR> recommends the use of a wide range of
facilitation and<BR> empowerment tools to enable this.
'Our goal...' he writes,<BR> 'can become the creation of
ways in which people can<BR> collaboratively arrive at
solutions to their (and our) collective<BR> problems'.
Some of the mechanisms cited by [Gene] Rowe<BR> and [Lynn
J.] Frewer, most notably Open Space Technology<BR> and
World Café, are also advocated by Atlee, and
are<BR> increasingly being used around the world by
groups working<BR> to initiate relocalisation projects."
(p. 41)<BR><BR>Wow. It made my day to find that my work played
a role in inspiring and informing this intiative that just might make a
decisive difference in how things turn out in our world.<BR><BR>But back
to the Transition Towns movement. It has much to teach us.
Here's my take on one set of its core principles:<BR><BR>The key to
sustainability is RESILIENCE -- resilient communities, resilient people,
resilient cultures, resilient systems. Resilience, TT folks like to
point out, means a community or system can bounce back after challenges
and shocks -- everything from food-supply interruptions to economic
downturns to energy crises. Resilience is in many ways the healthy
counterpoint to obsessive efficiency. Resilience makes healthy
systems in which life-serving productivity arises from their well-being
and responsiveness. Obsessive efficiency, in contrast, makes
productive systems at the expense of well-being, degrading people and
trashing ecosystems to maximize production and monetary profit. When
productivity is defined as units produced and profits made per hour,
rather than as life-value added, it becomes the enemy of life. The
effort to create resilient Transition Towns is an effort to make an
evolutionary leap into a kind of economics that focuses on supporting and
adding value to life, not only in the OUTCOMES of productive activity, but
in the vitality of the activity, itself.<BR><BR>Three requirements for
resilient systems are Diversity, Modularity, and Tightness of
Feedbacks.<BR><BR>DIVERSITY is about the variety of a system's elements
and parts. It shows up in the idea that every vital function should
be performed by more than one entity (redundancy, which is essential for
resilience) and that if a community includes diverse people pursuing many
various approaches to challenges and providing different sources of
resources, it can keep functioning even if some of its parts fail.
And if one approach doesn't work, there's a good chance another
will. When you want to nurture diversity, you help people do what
they are individually and collectively passionate about and good at rather
than formulating and managing master plans into which you engineer human
cogs. This kind of "follow your energy" self-organizing dynamic is
where the Open Space process shines.<BR><BR>MODULARITY means that the
whole scene works largely through groups or communities who
are<BR> (a) able to perform all the needed functions
and<BR> (b) networked so they can share experience and
information.<BR>This is an alternative to having everyone dependent on
centralized governance and vast and vulnerable supply networks that pull
everyone down when they collapse. Modularity enables the system as a
whole to better re-organize in the event of a shock.<BR><BR>TIGHTNESS OF
FEEDBACKS refers to how quickly and strongly one part of the system can
respond to changes (good or bad) in another part. This factor
involves good communication systems and, more importantly, local-ness.
The more local our interactions are, the more the results of our
actions are obvious to ourselves and others, and the more readily
consequences can inform and shape our individual and collective responses
through learning, answerability, corrections, rewards and penalties, and
all the other forms of feedback.<BR><BR>Rob Hopkins stresses that
Transition Towns is about cutting carbon and building resilience.
Cutting carbon and building resilience. They go hand in hand, each
inadequate by itself, each helping the other, each with long- and
short-term implications.<BR><BR>There is MUCH more to the wisdom and
practical know-how contained in the Transition Team materials, but I'll
leave it for you to discover. I've included a number of further
links below -- including links to the basic TT primer and Rob Hopkins'
extensive TRANSITION HANDBOOK -- mostly sent to me by people on this list
(Thank You!).<BR><BR>I have a feeling that in the not too distant future a
majority of folks reading this will be involved, one way or another, in
Transition Towns. The time is very very
ripe.<BR><BR>Coheartedly,<BR>Tom<BR><BR>=======================<BR><BR>For
a quick, clear, and compelling introduction to the Transition Town
movement see this great article from the Christian Science
Monitor*<BR><<A
href="http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2008/09/11/communities-plan-for-a-low-energy-future/"
target=_blank>http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2008/09/11/communities-plan-for-a-low-energy-future/</A>><BR>and
this great introductory talk by TT co-founder Rob Hopkins, about 6 minutes
long<BR><<A href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGHrWPtCvg0"
target=_blank>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGHrWPtCvg0</A>><BR><BR>For
some no-talk inspiration about community engagement for the kind of world
we dream of, here's a wonderful slideshow -- with great music -- about the
many Transition Town communities being formed in New Zealand. It's
about 4 minutes long:<BR><<A
href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APMTXrIL48A"
target=_blank>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APMTXrIL48A</A>><BR><BR>Here's
an excellent talk by Rob Hopkins, about 18 minutes long<BR><<A
href="http://www.ifg.org/programs/Energy/triple_crisis_av/panel5/3rob-v.htm"
target=_blank>http://www.ifg.org/programs/Energy/triple_crisis_av/panel5/3rob-v.htm</A>><BR><BR>Here's
a PDF file about the Transition Network (14 pages), "Who We Are and What
We Do":<BR><<A
href="http://www.transitionnetwork.org/Strategy/TransitionNetwork-WhoWeAreWhatWeDo.pdf"
target=_blank>http://www.transitionnetwork.org/Strategy/TransitionNetwork-WhoWeAreWhatWeDo.pdf</A>><BR><BR>And
here's a PDF file (51 pages) of the Transition Initiatives
Primer:<BR><<A
href="http://transitionnetwork.org/Primer/TransitionInitiativesPrimer.pdf"
target=_blank>http://transitionnetwork.org/Primer/TransitionInitiativesPrimer.pdf</A>><BR><BR>These
PDFs contain information and guidelines that show a lot of wisdom about
the psychology of an enterprise like this, and about connecting and
partnering with different segments of the community, including local
governments.<BR><BR>Here is the Amazon Link for The Transition Handbook by
Rob Hopkins:<BR><<A
href="http://www.amazon.com/Transition-Handbook-Dependency-Local-Resilience/dp/19"
target=_blank>http://www.amazon.com/Transition-Handbook-Dependency-Local-Resilience/dp/19</A><BR>00322188/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227893553&sr=8-1><BR><BR>Rob
Hopkins' blog <A href="http://transitionculture.org/"
target=_blank>http://transitionculture.org/</A> includes, among much else,
an engaging account of his own family's efforts to give up their addiction
to "the car".<BR><BR>Here are a recent set of videos, about ten minutes
each: Rob Hopkins, co-founder of the Transition Towns Movement,
speaking at the Positive Energy Conference in Findhorn this past Spring.
They are short and very enjoyable, instructive, and
inspiring.<BR><BR>First segment<BR><A
href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kizxt14aPM8"
target=_blank>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kizxt14aPM8</A><BR><BR>Second
<A href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbLsmR21gnk"
target=_blank>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbLsmR21gnk</A><BR><BR>Third
<A href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwjGDtHGd9c"
target=_blank>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwjGDtHGd9c</A><BR><BR>Fourth
<A href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciZc5vv5-yY"
target=_blank>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciZc5vv5-yY</A><BR><BR>Fifth
<A href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0GYI5CJTkw"
target=_blank>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0GYI5CJTkw</A><BR><BR>Sixth
<A href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db9KpaELhCg"
target=_blank>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db9KpaELhCg</A><BR><BR><BR>-----------<BR><BR>*
NOTE: I wanted to feature that excellent Christian Science
Monitor article on Transition Towns (ironically dated September 11, 2008)
-- in its entirety -- but the Monitor has done something with its website
that makes it impossible to cut and paste that article (and others?), so
all I can give you is the link and hope that you will take the trouble to
click it. I do highly recommend it.<BR><BR>PS: In researching
this, I ran across this stunning fact: "Americans drove 100 billion fewer
miles in the 12 months ending in October than they had the year before, a
decline of about 3.4%, the Transportation Department reported Friday.
Miles driven fell by 9 billion miles, or 3.5%, to 250 billion miles in
October compared with October 2007. So far in 2008, miles driven have
fallen 3.5% to 2.45 trillion miles."<BR><<A
href="http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/industries/energy/americans-drive--billion-fewer-miles-past-year/"
target=_blank>http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/industries/energy/americans-drive--billion-fewer-miles-past-year/</A>>.
I'm boggled that people can throw around numbers like billions and
trillions when talking about miles driven. I then stumbled on a
chart showing miles driven each month from 1983 to 2007<BR><<A
href="http://paul.kedrosky.com/archives/2008/05/06/nothing_but_flo.html"
target=_blank>http://paul.kedrosky.com/archives/2008/05/06/nothing_but_flo.html</A>>
which shows the yearly average was at 3 trillion miles per year for both
2006 and 2007 and will -- thankfully, painfully, undoubtedly -- be much
lower for 2008. At 20 miles per gallon (about average for the US),
that's 150 billion gallons of gasoline burned by American drivers during
each recent year. If I were the earth, I'd be getting hot under the
collar, too... It is high time to get our act together. And it
adds immense poignancy to Rob Hopkins' blog entry on his own efforts to
give up driving<BR><<A
href="http://transitionculture.org/2009/01/07/five-months-and-counting-the-realities-of-giving-up-driving/"
target=_blank>http://transitionculture.org/2009/01/07/five-months-and-counting-the-realities-of-giving-up-driving/</A>><BR><BR><BR>++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++<BR><BR>TO
SUPPORT THE CO-INTELLIGENCE INSTITUTE & TOM ATLEE'S
WORK...<BR><BR>Please send a donation of any amount -- $25, $50, $100,
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