As The Belly Rolls....

Restore your core, stand taller, look thinner, improve your dance!

bellydanceyourbliss — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 22:07:21 GMT

An Introduction to Bellates® (Pilates for Bellydancers) A special 2-hour Bellates® workshop in Portland, OR Wednesday, February 18, 2009 6-8 pm This is not just another Pilates class! You will learn: Core Concepts ,The Principles of Pilates, Useful information & ways of training for all bellydance levels, How this mind-body conditioning system can help you to: prevent injuries or heal from previous ones, achieve dance goals, improve your technique & posture, gain strength without bulk. Some bellydance experience is helpful. “Love Your Belly - Do Bellates®!” “I lost 10 inches around my hips in the first 6 weeks and wish I could take this class 2 times a week. If you have the opportunity to take this class, don't miss it. Your core deserves it and this class will produce results.” L.D., Orlando, FL “ I felt great after class. I think the Bellates especially did something positive for my body and mind. It really put me in a different place afterwards. And my chiropractor noticed a positive difference in my spinal health too!” J.S., Portland, OR Where: 2211 NW Front St. 3rd Floor-Suite 303-B. Space is limited. Cost: $25 pre-registered by Feb. 11, $35 if space available after that. BYO Mat or reserve/rent 1 for $2 Please contact to register/register online: BhrighaRaks@Bhrigha.com or 360-686-1707 http://www.bhrigha.com/PDXClasses.html

Join me on Facebook!

bellydanceyourbliss — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 08:48:42 GMT

That's right, I finally gave in to Facebook. If we've communicated here or if we've met in person, please add me: Bhrigha GypsiKelt. So far I'm trying to keep it to just people I know, have met, or have communicated with in some way, shape or form. :-). Don't worry - I'm not abandoning Tribe!

Check out Portland PURE's debút!

bellydanceyourbliss — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 08:29:41 GMT

On You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0djesGMuY8Q We rocked the house at Shimmy Shake & Share, a benefit for a winter homeless shelter in Vancouver, WA! Join our tribe if you like what you see and want to support us or volunteer! http://tribes.tribe.net/pureportland and our website: http://www.pdx-puredance.org

We're performing at Shimmy Shake & Share!

bellydanceyourbliss — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 08:22:26 GMT

In Vancouver, WA this Saturday. Don't miss Greywolf & i doing our Djembelly thing and also the debut of Portland PURE! Greywolf is also vending all day with his new line of Neo-Tribal One-of-a-Kind Handmade Jewelry line: SPANGY BLING! Hope to see you there!

A New Family Member!

bellydanceyourbliss — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 08:19:03 GMT

Greywolf got an 8-week old Malamute puppy! He is so freakin' cute & fuzzy! I'm not sure I'm ready for a puppy after just losing Bella, but hopefully he will help to get Sili to stop pestering Fionn so much and bring Fionn more out of his shell. We introduced them for a brief visit today and Fionn accidentally nipped the puppy too hard and made him cry a little bit, (he was fine!) but then Sili was protecting him and telling Fionn he was too rough witht he puppy! Way too cute, considering Sili is such a goofball. To see her stick up for that little puppy was priceless. All in all, so far so good.

Through the eyes of animals....

bellydanceyourbliss — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:18:23 GMT

This morning I woke up to a massacre. Remains were all over the house, scattered here and there and in piles like some horror movie set. I knew the instant I looked down into a pile what exactly happened. Ra had killed her headless kitty. That's right, she killed a headless kitty - stuffed kitty that is. She had this little black stuffed kitty since she was a small handful of a kitten herself and she LOVED her kitty - played with it, slept with it, kneaded on it. At some point she ripped the head off of it in one of her lethal games while still very young. I took it away from her on several occasions with the intent of sewing it back together for her, but it just got added to a pile of sewing projects and never got done. On occasion, Ra would sneak into my sewing room and miraculously she would find her kitty amid piles of stuff and stalk off with it glaring at me like a ferocious tiger, like i had kidnapped her baby or something. When we moved, the kitty got packed in a box of - guess what? - sewing projects and one day when I was opening that box for the first time in probably a year, Ra dove into the box and out she came with her kitty, growling and hissing at me. Did I mention, she is one of our former ferals and we sometimes live in fear of provoking the Ra Kat? Well, last night, she looked at her kitty with new eyes and decided it was time for a kitty killing and boy was there one! This time she ripped a new hole in her headless kitty's belly, and there were little round white plastic beanie bits all over my house, absolutely everywhere, and I had to clean it up fast. I have Pilates clients today. Yay! What I wouldn't give for a hidden camera version of Ra performing her mercy killing. She must have had a blast! And my lesson in this is that you can always look at old toys in new ways and discover new games to play with them, no matter what your age. Anything can be a toy or a game! I think I'll stick with non-lethal games and leave the lethal ones to the Ra Monster though.

Warm Winter Wishes for a Divine 2009!

bellydanceyourbliss — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 01:34:30 GMT

A little something from one of my oldest friends - thanks Denise! don't know where she got it, but it is a beautiful inspiration for this New Year's Eve: "Remember when you were small and you would make up the rules to a game as it went along? For a while you would be a knight or a princess, and when that role began to pinch you would transform on the spot into a unicorn or pirate. It just didn't make sense to let the rules determine the game. "In that spirit, take a look at the year to come. Knowing that the game can change at any moment, define it now in the best, most joyous, most creative terms you can imagine. "You might begin with work. If work was so satisfying, so fun, so engaging, rewarding, and productive that it brought a silly grin to your face every day, what would that look like? "This is no time to be realistic or humble. In fact, humility in this context is an oxymoron. When we are truly childlike, humility takes care of itself. Dare to dream and let go of the ways and means just for today. "Next, consider your family life. What are the new rules for this game? Remember, your task here is to move toward joy and ease, gratitude and freedom. "Now, finances. Start with the premise that there is plenty. Imagine that you are able to fully endow your dreams, the causes that are dear to your heart, and the adventures you wish to share with others. Simply notice what it takes in your mind's eye to bring this about. "As you continue to dream the year ahead, you may invent games around contribution, spirituality, friendship, or learning. The playing field is wide open. "When you've completed your game preparations, take a few moments to savor your direct encounter with possibility. It's not about making things happen or wresting happiness from difficult times. Instead, as with children who do not consider pretending to be a waste of time, it's about the delight of play. "As this year comes to a close I'll be saying goodbye to old habits of thought and opening my arms to the possible dream. I love that in the game I'm imagining you are all my joyful playmates. "Be well. See you next year.

Happy Everything!

bellydanceyourbliss — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 23:59:41 GMT

Wishing you a Cool Yule, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Everything from the Great White North of Southwest Washington state! (So far about 3 feet of snow!!!) Here's my old Yule poem, I think I posted it last year too, but haven't felt inspired to anything new for Yule, so hope you enjoy this and the new pix I'll post too. Thanks for being part of my tribe! The Longest Night On this, the longest night of the year, May your skies be crystal clear, And when you see that first bright star, May you realize all that you are! As the Lady crosses the sky, When owls call and silently fly, May you feel her soft subtle peace, Like silky velvet against your cheek. During this longest night If you do feel the slightest fright, Know her secret of silence Feel her protective presence. When you see that first ray of dawn, Take a deep breath, stifle that yawn. Another year has just begun, With the birth of the newborn Sun. ~Bhrigha © 2002 Wishing you Bright Blissful Bellydance Blessings and Warm Winter Wishes for a Divine 2009!!!! Bhrigha GypsiKelt

Holy Snow!!

bellydanceyourbliss — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 23:00:02 GMT

Now we have over 2 feet of snow on the ground, with 3-8 more inches expected tomorrow. This is getting a little crazy! I've missed a gig (actually it got cancelled), a couple rehearsals, and classes. :-( I didn't expect to get this much snow here. In fact, this is even more than we got last year all winter and that was a wierd season according to our neighbors. My road and the roads out of here are twisty mountain roads covered in snow & ice - think Mr. Toad's Wild Ride on Ice with nice steep drop-offs on 1 side. :-P Someone in Battle Ground said today there are even a couple inches of snow still on the roads all the way down there! And this is totally new to me: Fondit-like ice as a layer over powder snow! There was a layer of ice about a third of an inch thick on top of powder snow the other morning and it was very wierd ( and loud ) to walk on. I'd take a step and CRUNCH down I sunk up to my knees. It kind of hurt when walking if I wasn't careful to lift my leg up so I didn't bump my shin bone on the ice in front of me. I also never knew there were so many different kinds of snow: wet snow (good for sledding & snowmen because it sticks together), powder snow (not good for snowmen, I'm guessing good for skiing? Never done that, so don't know,) icy snow (what's it good for???), and Ice over snow (good for a few laughs.) We've had many adventures with Fionn & Silverlina on our almost daily walks. Silverlina LOVES snow and Fionn is amused by snow. Silverlina loves to romp in the deep stuff and she takes these big gazelle-like, leaping, arching bounds through it. Fionn didn't like the loudness of the ice-over-snow, and managed to find the best paths to take to avoid it. Today, Silverlina tried her big leaping thing and sunk so deep in the powder that her long legs splayed out, like a belly flop in the snow. It was hysterical!!!! Then she just sat there for a moment, thinking. She got right back up and continued gooning out. More pix coming soon.....

Holy Moly...

bellydanceyourbliss — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 17:31:39 GMT

more snow Batman! We had a foot on the ground last night and about 4 more inches fell overnight for a grand total now of 16 inches!!!!!!! I have never seen anything like this in my life! This is more than we ever got last year. In NC, we would only get a few inches, about enough for a good snowball fight or a decent-sized snowman, but not like this. It sure has turned everything into a winter wonderland though! That's a pic of our back deck yesterday with 12 inches of snow. We took Fionn & Sili out for their first walk without their Nana Bella yesterday in the foot of snow and they loved it. They too have been grieving our loss and kind of came out of themselves a little bit during the walk. Fionn's legs are shorter than Sili's, so he was up to his belly and in one spot he took a step and ended up to his chest - his face was kinda like "Oh, I better get out of this!" Which he did easily. Sili walks on stilts so she is fine even in snow this deep and likes to charge the snow and burrow up to her eyes. She has an amazing ability to find things in deep snow. She tunnels with her pointy nose, which is quite hysterical and why she usually has snow on her nose. Last year we watched her find an old coconut shell under several inches of snow. Yesterday she managed to find the electric cord we had to run out to the well to keep an infra-red light on the pipes so they don't freeze. It was completely buried under a foot of snow, she did her face-dive into the snow and uncovered it! We couldn't believe it. Can she smell it or does she feel the electricity??? Who knows?! Must be puppy magick.

Snow!!

bellydanceyourbliss — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 00:26:04 GMT

so far about 4 inches have stuck. It's been snowing on & off most of the day and we've had probably 5 inches or more, but some melted this afternoon. The forecast is now up to about 8 total this weekend, so we're half the way there. Anyone else??? Silverlina was so happy she was jumping up to catch snowflakes in her mouth! Hysterical!!!!! I got it on video too. :-)

Bush administration guts Endangered Species Act

bellydanceyourbliss — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 02:23:42 GMT

Image Source: Brooks, Tracy - Mission Wolf/USFWS, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. If you have any spare money, please consider contributing to this worthy cause or join their mailing list to show your support: From Defenders of Wildlife: For Immediate Release December 11, 2008 Contact(s) Cat Lazaroff, (202)772-3270 Bush administration takes parting shot at endangered wildlife Last minute Endangered Species Act regulations put nation's wildlife at risk of extinction WASHINGTON—Rushing to put in place changes it failed to secure in the past eight years, the Bush administration has finalized new Endangered Species Act (ESA) regulations today, cutting huge holes in the safety net that protects animals and plants in danger of becoming extinct. First proposed by the Department of the Interior a little over three months ago, the new regulations will eliminate the requirement that agencies seek advice from expert biologists with federal wildlife agencies in decisions about whether dams, towers, highways and other projects will likely harm imperiled species. "This administration’s disdain for wildlife and the environment has never been more clear than it is today," said Jamie Rappaport Clark, executive vice president of Defenders of Wildlife and former director of the Fish and Wildlife Service. "For 35 years, the Endangered Species Act has helped save and recover imperiled wildlife on the brink of extinction. Now, with this administration facing its last days, they are doing everything they can to cement their anti-environmental legacy before the Obama administration takes office." The Bush administration’s last minute rulemaking has drawn heavy criticism from the public, lawmakers, conservation groups and newspaper editorialists around the country. More than 250,000 comments opposing the changes were submitted to the Interior Department in the 60 days it allowed for the public to respond to the changes. But the massive public outcry seems to have fallen on deaf ears. In its push to finalize the rules before President-elect Barack Obama takes office, the department had only 15 people spend only 32 hours reading the comments, averaging mere seconds in reviewing each of the more than 250,000 comments. Department officials then ignored the major concerns raised by the comments, making only cosmetic changes to the original proposals. Both President-elect Obama and key Democratic leaders have signaled that they will oppose the ESA changes. In addition, Defenders intends to take immediate legal action to stop these regulations. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne has argued that the new regulations are needed to keep the ESA from being used to limit emissions from coal power plants and other polluting sources that contribute to global warming. This continues the Bush administration’s failed approach of ignoring the problem. "Global warming presents the greatest threat this generation has seen to ourselves, our wildlife and our environment, and yet the Bush administration has dragged its feet on addressing the impacts of a warming planet for its entire time in office," Clark said. "While the ESA by itself certainly can't provide a comprehensive solution to global warming, its protections will be essential in helping at-risk species survive a changing climate. If allowed to stand, these regulations will deprive the Obama administration of a powerful tool to protect wildlife and ecosystems from the effects of global warming." Many of the ESA regulation changes finalized today were tried before in a failed legislative effort by former Representative Richard Pombo (R-CA), whose anti-environmental record and repeated attacks on the ESA contributed to his defeat in the 2006 elections. "The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service are the keepers of the flame for our threatened and endangered wildlife. They are equipped to make decisions based on looking at the whole picture for a species, on what’s happening to their habitat, their health and other significant impacts," Clark said. "It seems that the Bush administration has prioritized the interests of its industry allies over its responsibility to the public for protecting our nation’s imperiled wildlife. We will work in the courts, with Congress, and with the Obama administration to overturn these damaging regulations, so that we can begin to address the environmental neglect and damage that has been done over the last eight years." ### Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With more than 1 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit www.defenders.org <http://www.defenders.org> . In the latest in a series of parting shots at our imperiled wildlife, officials in the Bush/Cheney Administration today announced that they will deny America’s vanishing polar bears desperately needed protections under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Polar bears are already drowning and starving to death as the sea ice they need to survive disappears. Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey say that polar bears could disappear from Alaska within the next 50 years. The decision by the outgoing Bush/Cheney Administration effectively limits new protections for polar bears from harmful oil and gas drilling in their Alaska home. It also expressly prohibits using the Endangered Species Act to limit greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the planet and driving polar bears to extinction in America. Defenders of Wildlife is committed to protecting these Arctic ice kings and the habitat they need to survive, but we’re going to need your help to do it. Defenders of Wildlife has already filed suit in federal court contesting the legality of a previous, “interim final” version of the Bush/Cheney polar bear rule, and will also challenge this new final rule to ensure that the polar bear, which was listed as “threatened” under the ESA on May 14, 2008, receives the full protections that other species receive under the ESA. We’re fighting attempts to industrialize vital habitat for threatened polar bears with harmful oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Chukchi Sea. And we’re working to prevent trophy hunting of Canadian polar bears by wealthy U.S. trophy hunters.

Pond life

bellydanceyourbliss — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:51:46 GMT

Having an active pond is an awesome thing! I love watching all the life that happens in and around it and taking Sili for walks down there so we can explore. This fall there have been many different kinds of ducks who either stop by or hang for a while. There have been some mallards with their gorgeous green necks & heads who visit on and off. And a kind that is completely new to me: Bufflehead ducks. Yeah, I spelled that right. Funny name huh? First we had 1 male visit one day. Then a few days later, a female visited, and then yesterday, they were both there together, diving and splashing around together. I'm hoping for baby buffleheads in the spring! (That's a pic of one above. I borrowed that from the internet - haven't managed to get a good shot of any of these guys yet.) It also seems that we have a semi-resident Great Blue Heron. He or she (both sexes look alike) comes by around lunch time and stays for a while almost every day. I love it! We had one back in Florida after the 3 hurricanes in a row in 2005 that left us with a pond where there had not been one before. I called that one, "the swamp monster" because we could hear it but not see it and didn't know what it was for a couple of weeks. They are very graceful and quick when hunting and their blue plumage is gorgeous. It seems weird to me that they are resident way up here and in Florida too. One day the Great Blue Heron was there when a small group of mallards was there and it was kinda funny to watch. The Heron seemed a bit perturbed that the ducks were splashing around, mucking up the water while he was trying to hunt. The ducks kind of avoided the Heron and stayed mostly on 1 side of the pond, leaving the Heron his favorite side. The owls finally found me too and I am so happy about that! I've seen Barred owls and a Great Horned Owl, who I had a great, long conversation with one night around Samhain. Owls are my favorite bird and I am always thrilled when they grace me with their presence!

Here comes the snow....

bellydanceyourbliss — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:30:37 GMT

maybe. We'll see. They're saying an inch, but I bet we get more than that up here. I'm ready, are you? (That is a pic of our pond from February this year.)

The fallout of bailouts

bellydanceyourbliss — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 19:17:52 GMT

Red-headed Rant warning! From True Majority: "Last month, Bank of America accepted $25 billion in taxpayer funds as part of the Wall Street Bailout. Now they're refusing to release lines of credit and causing hundreds to lose their jobs. In Chicago, workers making energy efficient windows and doors at the Republic Windows and Doors plant came to work only to be told their factory was shutting down and they would not be receiving the pay owed to them. "Hundreds of these laid-off workers have occupied their factory and are refusing to leave without receiving the benefits they rightly deserve -- they're staying in the office day and night in their quest for justice." We heard about this from relatives in Chicago before receiving the above in email from True Majority. They have been refused severance pay, pay for work that's already been done, no vacation reimbursements, just a whole lot of NOTHING, NOW GET OUT! All I can say is that there has got to be a "special place" for anyone involved in this highly suspect endeavor to do this to people right before the holidays during such a bad economic time! From what we hear, the cops are not doing much about this and letting the workers hold the building because they know what Bank of America is doing is ILLEGAL!!!!! This is your tax dollars at work - can you believe it? My cynical self is not surprised. Did you know that if instead of bailing out the businesses for $700 billion whatever, if the government had just given that to every family in the country, we would have each gotten about $25,000????? (a neighbor did that math - not me!) I don't know about you, but that would have put a HUGE dent in our bills and taken much of the financial stress of the last several months down a bit. I would have paid off bills, (which in turn go to these big mortgage & credit card companies.) I would not have tried to use it to kick other people out of their jobs. Just goes to show you that this is indeed the biggest rip-off, extortion, and pillage in our country's history! They are trying to bleed us dry before Obama gets in office. When are enough people going to say enough is enough and DO something about it?! Oh yeah, and there's another bailout on the way.....:-P

PURE Portland's debut!

bellydanceyourbliss — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:49:29 GMT

We are donating our ritual dance & drum services to the intentional community at Still Meadow for the Winter Solstice! Lots of cool stuff happening that night in this location, see flyer for details! Hope to see you there!

PURE Portland raqs!

bellydanceyourbliss — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:10:47 GMT

Just a couple months into our Portland experiment, we now have dancers coming out of the woodwork to join us! It seems that PURE was really wanted here. We never had this problem back in Orlando, with its theme park mentality and perplexing politics. We had a core group of dancers & drummers who worked really hard to uphold PURE's vision in Mouseland. Out here now, we are about to outgrow our current space and I am meeting lots of great new enthusiastic people! This is a fabulous problem to have and everyone is very excited for our first gig, which will be on Yule/the Solstice. We recently had a photo shoot and I'll be posting those pix soon. There seems to be some misconception of what PURE is and what it isn't though. PURE does not want to be seem as a large group of dancers & drummers who will perform for free. We sometimes perform for free, like in guerilla happenings or for a charity or benefit, but we can also perform for a fee as long as there is a greater cause that we are bringing awareness to. And we must choose what commercial projects we get involved in carefully. Chances are you won't see us at a bellydance festival - which is usually for-profit, unless a portion of the proceeds are donated to an approved cause. PURE strives to raise awareness of peace & healing through music & dance for the greater good, while maintaining professional-standard ethics and a professional quality. In short, so far this experiment is going great and we are having tons of fun!

It's been a while....

bellydanceyourbliss — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:13:02 GMT

since I almost gave up on Tribe. It seems that it was taking so long to log-in, read, post, do just about anything over the last few months; not to mention how many posts or blogs of mine vanished into the ether. So I gave it a rest. Just wanted to say I miss all you tribe friends out there and am thankful that you are still here and thankful to the Tribe Faery or Faeries who keep this thing going with duct tape and bubble gum! :-) So what did you have for Thanksgiving? We had an eggless, wheat-free, dairy-free meal, down to dessert. Yes, hubby is allergic to those things now, (oh yeah, and I don't eat bird or cow or pork), so I did some research and we converted some of our favorite recipes to the above specifications. It was a bit challenging and I wasn't sure how things would come out, but we did it! It was one of the most fantastic meals we've ever had! Our theme was a Cajun Thanksgiving - we're missing Southern food! Seafood Gumbo with King Crab Claws Scallops Ettouffe' (I'm sure that's not spelled right) My homemade stuffing (not out of a box!:-P) Pumpkin Bars with vanilla frosting (yes - egg-free!!!) Praline Sweet Potatoe Pie Oh yeah - and the dogs got raw turkey necks and the kitties got some seafood too, so everyone was a happy stuffed camper! :-P Oh another cool thing about our dinner: We used some sage I've grown here in the stuffing and also some Blewitt mushrooms, which are growing wild here. They are apparently gourmet shrooms, according to a bit of study and expert identification - blessings from the shroom faeries, I guess. :-) They are really yummy and have a citrusy scent, especially when cooking, and they are big & meaty, similar to portabellos.

Hmmm...Last blog posts are missing....

bellydanceyourbliss — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 20:50:04 GMT

Surprise surprise... In case tribe tanks, I'm over here: http://www.myspace.com/bhrigha http://triberfugeebellydancers.ning.com/profile/BhrighaGypsiKelt Join my newsletter list: http://www.bhrigha.com Still hangin on to hope for tribe tho...

PURE Portland

bellydanceyourbliss — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 22:24:47 GMT

is becoming a reality! First rehearsal/informative meeting: Thursday October 9 The Guiding Tree 4831 SE Division St. PDX, OR 97206 7:30-9 pm Monthly dues: $15 Come find out what PURE is all about and start learning the Foundation Choreography & Rhythms! HOpe to see you there!

New classes in Portland!

bellydanceyourbliss — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 19:24:44 GMT

Wednesdays – starts October 1! Doors open by 5:30 pm Portland, OR Location: 2211 NW Front Street (just 1 building east of 17th Street, on the south side of street (in the Carton Service building) 3rd Floor - Suite 303-B - Magidah's Studio! (Very Important: Drop-ins are welcome on a space available basis. Space is limited: 7-9 people max and the building & gates get locked at night – you MUST be on time for classes in order to get in. Please always let me know in advance by phone or email which classes you are attending each week.) 6--6:50 pm : Bellates® (Pilates for Bellydancers) Restore your core, stand taller, look thinner, improve your dance! Bellates™ was created by Bhrigha as a combination of Pilates with bellydance technique in a unique cross-training mat class. It also provides a classical-influenced Pilates mat workout and is open to all levels; some bellydance experience is helpful. "Love Your Belly, Do Bellates!®" 7-8:15 pm: GypsiKelt©/Tribical© Bellydance Fusion 15 minute warm-up & half an hour of each style: GypsiKelt© is Bhrigha’s signature style of dance that combines Middle Eastern, Romany, Bellydance, African, Samba, and Irish techniques. This class will get your hearts pumpin’ and your feet jumpin’ so be prepared for a workout! Tribical© blends the rules of Tribal & Classical Bellydance in an intermediate-advanced class of Bhrigha’s combination of Tribal Improv & Stylings with Classical Egyptian/American Cabaret choreography! More info here: http://www.bhrigha.com/PDX_classes.html

POST TURTLE & other thoughts from a VP candidate.....

bellydanceyourbliss — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 18:45:05 GMT

This is hysterical and scary at the same time! It's a copy of an email I got from a friend and the quotes at the bottom seem to check out. I also heard a great analogy of Palin by Bill Maher on Real Time: "Palin is like Bush in drag"!!!!! with her creationism, extreme right religious views and view on overturning Roe v. Wade, etc. She's like Bush & Cheney rolled into 1 posing as someone like Hillary. Give me a break! Anyway, here's the funny stuff: "While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75-year old Texas rancher whose hand was caught in a gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to Sarah Palin and her bid to be a heartbeat away from being President . The old rancher said, "Well, ya know, Palin is a post turtle." Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a post turtle was. The old rancher said, "When you're driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a post turtle." The old rancher saw a puzzled look on the doctor's face, so he continued to explain. "You know she didn't get up there by herself, she doesn't belong up there, she doesn't know what to do while she is up there, and you just wonder what kind of dumb ass put her up there to begin with." ******************************************************************************************* SARAH PALIN QUOTES During a series of interviews by the Anchorage Daily News in 2006, when she was running for Governor... On Creationism: "The simple yet elegantly awkward moose proves God's creation and not evolution is the source of all life. How could som ething as oddly shaped and silly looking as a moose evolve through so-called 'natural selection?' Is evolution a committee? There is nothing natural about a dorky moose! Only God could have made a moose and given it huge antlers to fight off his predatory enemies. God has a well known se nse of humor, I mean He made the platypus too." On oil exploration and drilling in the ANWR: "God made dinosaurs 4,000 years ago [sic] as ultimately flawed creatures, lizards of Satan really, so when they died and became petroleum products we, made in his perfect image, could use them in our pickup trucks, snow machines and fishing boats." "Now, as to the ANWR, Todd and I often enjoying caribou hunting and one year we shot up a herd big time, I mean I personally slaughtered around 40 of them with my new, at the time, custom Austri hunting rifle. And guess what? That caribou herd is still around and even bigger than ever. Caribou her ds actually need culling, be it by rifles or wolves, or Exxon-Mobil oil rigs, they do just great!" On Alaskans serving overseas in Iraq: "Well, God bless them, and I mean God and Jesus because without Jesus we'd be Muslims too or Jewish, which would be a little better because of the superior Israeli Air Force." Please register to vote so we don't have to deal with this poor excuse in office for 4 years or more!!!!!!!!!

PURE in Portland?

bellydanceyourbliss — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 17:55:12 GMT

Shhh... its a possibility. Anyone interested in joining a potential chapter in Portland? I'm working on details. For more info on PURE see: www.puredance.org and the Orlando chapter: www.go-puredance.com Post your interest here or pm me with your regular email addy if you are an intermediate-advanced level dancer or drummer and want to be involved. Bright blissful bellydance blessings, B

And an interesting view on McCain's character

bellydanceyourbliss — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 17:39:57 GMT

via his first wife. Verified as true by Snopes.com http://www.snopes.com/politics/mccain/carol.asp

Drill, Drill, Drill!

bellydanceyourbliss — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 17:35:57 GMT

'Drill, Drill, Drill' by playwright, Eve Ensler (Wish I had written this, but I totally agree!!!) I am having Sarah Palin nightmares. I dreamt last night that she was a member of a club where they rode snowmobiles and wore the claws of drowned and starved polar bears around their necks. I have a particular thing for Polar Bears. Maybe it's their snowy whiteness or their bigness or the fact that they live in the arctic or that I have never seen one in person or touched one. Maybe it is the fact that they live so comfortably on ice. Whatever it is, I need the polar bears. I don't like raging at women. I am a Feminist and have spent my life trying to build community, help empower women and stop violence against them. It is hard to write about Sarah Palin. This is why the Sarah Palin choice was all the more insidious and cynical. The people who made this choice count on the goodness and solidarity of Feminists. But everything Sarah Palin believes in and practices is antithetical to Feminism which for me is part of one story -- connected to saving the earth, ending racism, empowering women, giving young girls options, opening our minds, deepening tolerance, and ending violence and war. I believe that the McCain/Palin ticket is one of the most dangerous choices of my lifetime, and should this country chose those candidates the fall-out may be so great, the destruction so vast in so many areas that America may never recover. But what is equally disturbing is the impact that duo would have on the rest of the world. Unfortunately, this is not a joke. In my lifetime I have seen the clownish, the inept, the bizarre be elected to the presidency with regularity. Sarah Palin does not believe in evolution. I take this as a metaphor. In her world and the world of Fundamentalists nothing changes or gets better or evolves. She does not believe in global warming. The melting of the arctic, the storms that are destroying our cities, the pollution and rise of cancers, are all part of God's plan. She is fighting to take the polar bears off the endangered species list. The earth, in Palin's view, is here to be taken and plundered. The wolves and the bears are here to be shot and plundered. The oil is here to be taken and plundered. Iraq is here to be taken and plundered. As she said herself of the Iraqi war, 'It was a task from God.' Sarah Palin does not believe in abortion. She does not believe women who are raped and incested and ripped open against their will should have a right to determine whether they have their rapist's baby or not. She obviously does not believe in sex education or birth control. I imagine her daughter was practicing abstinence and we know how many babies that makes. Sarah Palin does not much believe in thinking. From what I gather she has tried to ban books from the library, has a tendency to dispense with people who think independently. She cannot tolerate an environment of ambiguity and difference. This is a woman who could and might very well be the next president of the United States. She would govern one of the most diverse populations on the earth. Sarah believes in guns. She has her own custom Austrian hunting rifle. She has been known to kill 40 caribou at a clip. She has shot hundreds of wolves from the air. Sarah believes in God. That is of course her right, her private right. But when God and Guns come together in the public sector, when war is declared in God's name, when the rights of women are denied in his name, that is the end of separation of church and state and the undoing of everything America has ever tried to be. I write to my sisters. I write because I believe we hold this election in our hands. This vote is a vote that will determine the future not just of the U.S., but of the planet. It will determine whether we create policies to save the earth or make it forever uninhabitable for humans. It will determine whether we move towards dialogue and diplomacy in the world or whether we escalate violence through invasion, undermining and attack. It will determine whether we go for oil, strip mining, coal burning or invest our money in alternatives that will free us from dependency and destruction. It will determine if money gets spent on education and healthcare or whether we build more and more methods of killing. It will determine whether America is a free open tolerant society or a closed place of fear, fundamentalism and aggression. If the Polar Bears don't move you to go and do everything in your power to get Obama elected then consider the chant that filled the hall after Palin spoke at the RNC, 'Drill Drill Drill.' I think of teeth when I think of drills. I think of rape. I think of destruction. I think of domination. I think of military exercises that force mindless repetition, emptying the brain of analysis, doubt, ambiguity or dissent. I think of pain. Do we want a future of drilling? More holes in the ozone, in the floor of the sea, more holes in our thinking, in the trust between nations and peoples, more holes in the fabric of this precious thing we call life? 'Drill, Drill, Drill' by playwright, Eve Ensler