Karambu Ringera
Kenya
This is to invite you to the 2009 Women’s International Grassroots Peace organized by International Peace Initiatives (IPI) as a participant and/or workshop facilitator. IPI is hosting our 2nd Women’s International Grassroots Peace Congress in Meru, Kenya, August 20-23rd, 2009, at the Kenya Methodist University. Please plan on getting to the venue on August 19th afternoon. Pick-ups from Nairobi will be arranged.
We held our first Congress in 2005 and hosted 230 women from 14 African countries, with 5 other nations represented. Perhaps the most touching aspect of the Congress …

Commentary by Mary Liston Liepold

Earth Day is still a few weeks away, but it’s officially springtime in Washington, DC. That’s Mother Nature’s time to shine. A number of this week’s news stories suited her flowering mood, starting with coverage of the brand new vegetable garden on the White House lawn.
This garden that belongs to a nation is one conspicuous version of a communal gardening trend that is popping up in France, Canada, and England as well as the US. It’s fun! It’s what women in other parts of the …

Commentary by Mary Liston Liepold
After Thanksgiving, appropriately enough, comes giving. In the US and nations with similar calendars and customs, the harvest festival leads straight into the making of lists and checking them twice. We plan celebrations, send out greetings, and select the perfect gifts for family members, friends, neighbors, and others who have blessed our lives, some of whom we only connect with at this time of year.
Many rightly deplore the frenzy of materialism that grips Americans each December and propose inspired alternatives, including hand-made, simple gifts and …