Marion Institute Blog
The US Newspaper New York Times released an article about the novel : “Never Fall Down,” by Patricia McCormick based on the story of Arn-Chorn Pond, founder of CLA.
As the ‘Movement with No Name’ gains momentum – thanks in part to the work of Occupy, Slow Food and others – Philip Baldwin reports on the pioneering work of the Marion Institute.
Who are the catalysts for change towards an ecological future? Where does the leadership come from to bring about a transformation of consciousness and behaviour? And how do we even begin to make a transition from fragmentation to holistic living? The answer is almost certainly to be found in the mirror: people like you and me, individuals and groups, wherever we are, taking it upon ourselves to initiate projects and actions that bit by bit become one with a greater movement for sustainable living, social change, and even restoration: giving back to the Earth what we have so casually taken away. The story that follows is one small but vibrant example of just such an undertaking...
To finish reading the article in its entirity and the rest of the wonderful May/June issue you will need to visit the Resurgence website and register as a new user.* While registering please select 'Marion Institute' when prompted by the questions: Where did you hear about Resurgence? A big thank you to the Resurgence team for offering this wonderful opportunity to our members and supporters!
*If you are already registered on the Resurgence website, you will need to send us an email requesting the free copy. Send an email to members@resurgence.org with the word ‘Marion’ in the subject line and your name.
In addition, Satish Kumar, the editor of Resurgence has also offered to donate $7.00 to the Marion Institute for every new member who joins The Resurgence Trust (members receive 6 issues a year of Resurgence magazine, plus a free book).
You can join online at, http://bit.ly/JCOKlj. The code to generate the ‘£5 donation’ to the Marion Institute is: P8319. The code needs to be added once the ‘membership’ has been selected (at the shopping basket stage).
Thank you for your support!
Today is the first day of the Biological Medicine Network (BMN) Seminar and there are practitioners from all over the country, Canada and even South America in attendance.
Dr. James Odell from Kentucky and Dr. Frank Pleus from Switzerland came all the way to New Bedford, Massachusetts, to teach practitioners about Contact Regulation Thermography (CRT), a thermodynamic diagnostic method that utilizes the physiologic behavior of the body's skin temperature when exposed to a cold stimulus in order to determine the functionality and health status of certain organs, glands and tissues.
On Friday and Saturday, they will be joined by Dr. Bradford Harding and Margaret McMorrow to explain the use of food and bee products as medicine, the importance of teeth in the overall health, the biological approaches to tick and mosquito borne infections, the radiation risks of wireless convenience and other topics.
The seminar is being held at the Waypoint Event Center, located in historic downtown New Bedford, in the old Baker-Robinson Whale oil refinery building, constructed in 1839. In its prime, the Baker-Robinson whale oil refinery was a pillar of this port’s reputation as the whaling capital of the world. The factory excelled in using the products taken from sperm whales to produce the finest candles, the best lubricants, and the purest oil for lamps.
BMN is a Program of the Marion Institute and is committed to fostering sustained dialogue and collaborative relationships, and will utilize its resources to expand the concept and precept of Biological Medicine through networking, informational gatherings, comprehensive trainings and educational seminars.
For more information on the Biological Medicine Network visit, http://www.marioninstitute.org/biological-medicine-network
This weekend, seven of our students, two teachers and one monk from Kampong Speu are going to take part in the Create Cambodia Arts Festival at Khmer Arts in Tahkmao. Organised by Peace Corps Volunteers, this Festival brings together students, teachers and professional artists from around Cambodia to celebrate and encourage the creative capacities of Cambodian youth. Our group will perform Smot in front of students from other provinces in order to raise awareness of this traditional art form.
The festival takes place in Kandal Province :
Street 115,
Ta Kdol village, Takmao District,
Kandal Province, Cambodia.
For more information check out the festival's blog.
Please help us to improve our actions and fill out the questionnaire at the link below! It takes only 3min to fill out!
CLA would like to understand your opinion about arts and our actions. This questionnaire is anonymous, individual and reserved to our internal use only.
My journey to Nepal this spring had a slightly different thrust to it. Normally I take a month to trek into extremely remote regions to distribute hundreds of fleece jackets donated by American school children, that I have collected, washed and pack for this annual adventure. However, this winter and spring had me sticking close to “home”, the mountain village of Chaurikharka where I hang my hat. I custom designed a trek for the first 10 days after my arrival for a family of four from Dubai with two boys ages 9 and 12. At first it seemed like quite a challenge to create an adventure that they would walk away from absolutely loving and wanting to return for more so I analyzed all of the tools that are now at my disposal after 12 years' experience......unrivaled scenery, a gaggle of curious village children, access to a school, the adventure of camping out and lots of tall tales told around the campfire with the moonlit silhouette of Mt Everest looming large. I loved the idea of “customizing” this adventure which turned out to be wildly successful and look forward to future requests from clients who may want an “under the radar screen” experience.
After this initial trek, I settled into picking up the threads of village life and work. First on our list was to create a team of willing workers to help with some landscaping projects that have been on my “to do” list. It's always a great reminder for me when I gather people from the village to remember how their lives are so full of contrasts. The desperate poverty juxtaposed against a backdrop of extraordinary beauty.......the unfailing warmth and generosity of the Sherpas and their very difficult day to day lives.....the frustrations that I have in doing basic little things and the stolid patience shown by those who have not come from such hurry up lives. Firstly, we moved into cleaning up and planting around a local “stupa” or Buddhist dome which is a receptacle for offerings. Most stupas have religious relics or ashes of lamas inside of them and are obviously revered by the village community. Secondly, teaching the local school children how to take care of and prune the dozen or so fruit trees that have been planted around the school. I thought this might be a useful skill as the fruit that these trees bear will be used for the boarding students at the school....a yummy treat for all! In the middle of all this we also tackled a “hardscaping” project around a local trekking lodge, hauling boulders and large stones to set for a back stoop and patio area. Let me say right now that I am totally indebted to my great pal John McCormack, a local landscaper and garden designer, who accompanied me to Nepal this year along with his invaluable knowledge! Hauling stones and indigenous shrubs from the jungle which provided us with the bones for our planting projects reminded me again how much I respect the local work ethic.
And so my last item on this years' agenda was to take a handpicked student from the village school and journey to Sikkim in northeastern India to an incredible new boarding school called Taktse International School, also a Serendipity Project for the Marion Institute. Maria Lauenstein, one of the founders of the school 8 years ago, is a great friend of mine and I am such a total admirer of her work with the school. Last year in conversation with her, we both felt it would be fun to “marry” our two efforts of providing an education to populations in the Himalayas and so she suggested that we select a Sherpa student to attend school in Sikkim. Mingma Sona Sherpa is now their first and only Sherpa/Nepali student. I was so privileged to witness this young boy leaving his mountain setting for the first time ever and experiencing the “onslaught” of an urban environment........ANYTHING with wheels (cars, buses, trucks, bicycles, wheelbarrows etc) hot water,, ice cream, proper electricity, you name it! It made me stop midstream and re-evaluate what is REALLY important in my world. A humbling experience to be sure as I watch Mingma's wonderment with all that is new. My heart and my eyes are full. He moves through this new world without guile, without expectation of reciprocity and his heart is open without reserve.....mine too as I take his cue.
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