bereabuzz

Holiday Food and Travel Tips from the ARK in Berea

2011-11-11T09:02:00.000-08:00

1. - Pepperoncini Juice - To add a healthy zing to any food dish instantly, add a couple of tablespoons of juice from a jar of pepperoncini. This is a good thing from soups to salads to main dishes. NOTE: Add the juice to ready-to-eat meals because the enzymes and vinegars from the pepperoncini will react to aluminum and other metal pans.

2. - Turmeric and mustard - Studies show that besides tasting good, turmeric may help fight infections and some cancers, reduce inflammation, and treat digestive problems. TIP: Add about 2 teaspoons of turmeric to your jar of mustard to give you that extra healthy punch.

3. - Super Simple 30 minute Thanksgiving Turkey - This is arguably the easiest Thanksgiving turkey recipe!! Items needed: One fresh or thawed turkey, one disposable aluminum roasting pan and aluminum foil, about 12 oz. of orange juice, 12 oz. of beer, Bragg Liquid Aminos, and olive oil.
First 15 minutes; Before you go to bed, take the turkey out of the wrapper, wash turkey, place in aluminum roaster, add about 12 oz. of orange juice, 12 oz. of beer, about 2 oz. of Bragg Liquid Aminos, add water to fill the aluminum roaster halfway. Rub the turkey with olive oil and cover with aluminum foil. Turn oven on to 325 degrees, place turkey in the oven and go to bed. When you wake up in the morning, uncover the turkey and add more water if necessary for gravy. Let turkey continue roasting until the meat falls away from the bone. Then the turkey is done!
Second 15 minutes; Take turkey outside to a picnic table with two extra bowls. 1. Pour gravy in one bowl and set aside to cool. This allows the fat to arise to the top. Scrape off and feed the solid fat to the birds. 2. With your hands just de-bone the turkey. Put the meat in the second bowl. 3. Put the bones and scraps in the aluminum roasting pan and throw it away (or take indoors and boil for turkey soup).
Super Simple TIP: This turkey can be made a couple days in advance and just heated up for the holiday dinner.

4. - Tartar Jakupca - A truly decadent simple snack! Start with a nice choice piece of lean beef. Cut up into bite size pieces. Season with your favorite spices or add a dollop of mustard to raw onions on the side. Take a piece in your mouth and enjoy. You will find the meat will melt in your mouth like a fine chocolate. TIP: Chew the meat like you would a piece of gum, when the flavor is gone, don't swallow, but as elegantly as possible remove the remaining tid bit from your mouth to your plate. Repeat until everything is gone. Afterwords, put the remaining tid bits in the freezer as a snack for the dog. Is it healthy? Some people think eating any meat is bad for you, some studies show eating red meat is unhealthy and most people will say eating raw meat is dangerous...this makes this taboo forbidden food all the more delectable!

5. - Anbesol - Designed to alleviate toothaches, this over the counter medication has many other advantages. TIP: Can be used to numb burns, scratches and bruises, also used to stop the itching on some rashes and mosquito, bug and bee stings.

6. - ICEAlity Perfume - the Fragrance for the Jet Set - ICEAlity perfume is a must for people trying to get around in this busy season of travel. TSA friendly, this organic unisex solid perfume is great for traveling. There are no spills, its container is unbreakable and is very compact so it will not take up much room in your bag. The safe plastic container will not trigger any security alarms. Most of all, its soft scent appeals to both women and men. If you prefer the convenience and practicality of this eco-friendly fragrance, then ICEAlity is for you! Retail $10 http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/iceality

7. - Granola Bars - Before leaving the house for the airport, take a box of soft baked granola type bars and stuff a few in your pocket, a couple in your purse, some more in your carry on baggage and the rest in your checked luggage. Now, no matter where you are or how long a line you are stuck in, you have a healthy snack to tide you over. The soft granola bars work the best because if they get crushed in your bag, they won't crumble when you open them.

8. - Water Bottle - To keep refreshed, try to keep a plastic bottle of water with you at all times when travelling. TIP: Before you enter any TSA secure area, customs, or any security check point, empty your water bottle. After you go through security, you can then fill it up at any water fountain or bathroom afterwords.

9. - Yogurt - The big mistake people make when traveling is filling up on junk food. The second mistake is totally changing from what they eat at home. That's one of the problems with staying on cruise ships or in a hotel--no food control. So they end up feeling ill, and bloated, and they put on weight, and it spoils their fun. TRY NOT TO DO THAT!! One thing that actually helps is eating natural yogurt. Natural yogurt is the one food that is the same anywhere in the world. TIP: Eat about a cup of non-commercial yogurt everyday while traveling helps to stabilize your system and adjust to different foods and conditions. You feel better and have a better trip.

10.- Holiday Home Spa Treatment - If you can't get away to a professional spa, try this out. TIP: Run a hot bath, add some dish washing liquid (I prefer Lavender Palmolive Dish Soap) to the bottom of a cup and hold under the tap. Repeat as necessary until you have a relaxing bathtub full of bubbles. BONUS TIP: To make a Swiss Herbal Tea, add a couple of Ricola's to any pot of tea to bring a touch of the Alps to your home spa. EXTRA BONUS TIP: Coffee or tea stains in your favorite cup or mug. TIP: Forget about them because life is too short to worry about the small stuff!

Weather Report: Picture of the Week

2011-07-23T06:24:00.000-07:00

ARK in Berea: Workers on the coast-to-coast Great American Peace Trail perserved despite alternating days of record heat and record rain falls that turned the Northern Ohio work area into a sweltering hazardous muddy quagmire.

"When it comes to making Peace, people can become pitiful or they can become powerful, You can't do both." commented Ambassador Renate of the International Center for Environmental Arts (ICEA) Project. (www.wcpm.info)

Family Jakupca Cenotaph

2011-07-06T05:33:00.000-07:00

FAMILY JAKUPCA CENOTAPH
Located on the ARK in BEREA estate: The Cenotaph was built with iceality in mind at the base of the west wall of the commemorative bell tower.

High on a ridge it over looks the historic 'Gaia Spricht' fountain and a has a panoramic view of the the Rocky River Valley.

Celebrities use Their Talents to Help Out for Earth Day in Unique Ways

2011-04-22T12:23:00.000-07:00

Celebrities are doing their part to help the planet for Earth Day in a lot of different creative ways. Here's a look at who is celebrating going green and how they're helping out:

Pharrell Williams
Rapper Pharrell has teamed up with the beauty store Kiehl's to create an "Eco-Tote" bag made with Bionic Yarn, a futuristic-sounding material composed of recycled plastic bottles. Customers that recycle their empty product containers at local Kiehl's stores from now through June will receive one of the complimentary Eco-Totes.
Chloe Sevigny and Michael C. Hall
"Big Love" star Chloe and "Dexter" star Michael are also teaming up with Kiehl's to help the environment in a big way for Earth Day. The actor and actress have lent their images to special packages of the brand's Rare Earth Pore Cleansing Masque, and a whopping 100 percent of the proceeds of the sale of the product will be donated to Waterkeeper Alliance, an organization that fights to keep water clean around the world.
Samuel L. Jackson and Jordin Sparks
Jackson will be lending his very distinctive voice to the upcoming movie "African Cats," which hits theaters on Earth Day (April 22). But parents don't worry -- he won't be using his favorite word while narrating the movie (although it would be rather funny to hear him use "Snakes on a Plane"-esque dialogue in his latest movie starring animals). "African Cats" follows the real-life stories of lions and cheetahs living on the African Savanna, and the movie also features the voice of "American Idol" star Sparks as she sings its anthem, "The World I Knew." In honor of Earth Day, Disneynature will donate portions of the proceeds from the first week of ticket sales to the African Wildlife Foundation, an organization working to protect the savanna where big cats like those in the movie live. It's a great cause, but hopefully Morgan Freeman's narration job isn't endangered with Jackson giving it a go here!
Daryl Hannah
The lovely star of movies like "Blade Runner" and "Kill Bill" will make an appearance at GreenFest in San Diego, where she will get down and dirty to talk environmental activism. In the past the actress has been arrested for fighting for various causes, including protesting coal mining. GreenFest is a week-long event held in honor of Earth Day that promotes environmental awareness while also providing fun and entertainment for the families that attend. Hannah will also be attending a similar Earth Day festival in Santa Barbara, where last year's winner of the event's Environmental Hero award, director James Cameron, will bestow the honor upon her.
Martha Stewart, Tori Spelling and Andy Cohen
Clothing designer Lauren Bush and these three celebrities judged a very cool Earth Day contest sponsored by NBCUniversal and Etsy. For the Art of Reuse competition, contestants designed products by reusing old ones. The winning designs were a messenger bag fashioned from old firefighter coats and a funky flower brooch made from old zippers (who said going green can't be glamorous?).
Ambassador David and Renate Jakupca
At the historic ARK in Berea, Ambassador Renate has focused on providing local Cleveland Children organizations with supplies to clean up the area ravaged by winter storms and also was a organizer for ICEALITY at a Global Youth Day Event at Coe Lake Park to beautify the Worlds Children Peace Monument. EARTH DAY is also the start of ICEA's 2011 Childrens Art and Essay Contest for COASTWEEKS.
Ellen Page
The traveling Whole Foods Market "Do Something Reel Film Festival" features six different movies that focus on food and the environment, and one of them features a pretty big star in actress Page. Ellen will take a page from Samuel L. to narrate "Vanishing of the Bees," which focuses on the real-life mystery of why the important pollinators are suddenly starting to disappear from our planet. Part of the proceeds from the festival will go toward a grant that will encourage more filmmakers to make "green" movies. Whole Foods will also be streaming the documentary "Dig It," which stars the band Pearl Jam planting trees and beautifying cities, on Earth Day (it can be seen on April 22 at dosomethingreel.com).

Of course celebrities like aren't the only ones with the ability to help the planet on Earth Day, so be sure to your part to help make the planet a better place!

By Aida Ekberg

HELEN PRIZE - A Prize in Praise for Woman Warriors.

2011-04-14T06:31:00.000-07:00

The 1999 International Helen Prize Humanitarian Award Recipient Ambassador Renate Jakupca.

ARK in Berea: The Helen Prize is an international award celebrating the accomplishments of women from around the world who have made heroic but unrecognized contributions to their communities....largely unsung heroes, doing traditional as well as non-traditional jobs, in developing countries and industrialized nations. The Helen Prize respects and acknowledges the multitude of women who courageously contribute to making a difference in the world and improving life on this planet. Ambassador Renate, co-founder of the The International Center for Environmental Arts (ICEA), was honored as the recipient of The International Helen Prize Humanitarian Award on March 8th, 1999 at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. Ambassador Renate was also officially recognized at this time by Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich. The International Center for Environmental Arts (ICEA), founded in 1987, is a force for socially responsible activity whose mission is 'ICEAlity', that is to "Assist in understanding of the relationship between Humans and their Environment through the Arts for a sustainable Culture of Peace". American Cultural Ambassadors David and Renate Jakupca founded ICEA to meet the compelling needs of ordinary citizens for access to current, balanced, understandable information about complex global issues. Over the years, ICEA has gained a reputation for excellence based upon a unique library of specialized, current information on global importance and a wide range of imaginative programming and collaborations with other organizations to meet the needs of a broad constituency. With affiliates across the globe, the ICEA supports research, information sharing and effective action promoting a sustainable global culture of Peace. About the International Helen Prize for Women Humanitarian Award: The Helen Prize, as it is known, is the vision of Dr. Akhtar Naraghi, Montreal poet and writer, who named the prize after Dr. Helen Caldicott, founder of Physicians for Social Responsibility, who has devoted years of her life to the cause of peace and passionately spends time and energy in raising the conscience of the world. She inspires all of us to make changes in our everyday lives, to know that every action we take is important. Dr. Helen Caldicott became world-renowned as a fiery antinuclear activist and head of Physicians for Nuclear Responsibility - mostly thanks to ”If you Love This Planet”, the Academy Award-winning documentary by the National Film Board of Canada. In 1985 her group won the Nobel Peace Prize, but by then she had been pushed aside and the award was accepted by an American and a Russian Doctor, both male. Two years later, Dr. Caldicott described what had happened at a women’s conference in Dublin, ending with the reminder: ”That’s my story. Each of you has a story, each of you has been denied something because you are a woman. Akhtar Naraghi heard Helen Caldicott. In 1987 Naraghi brought together a number of prominent activist women from all around the world and established the International Organization of the Helen Prize for Women. It took ten years of hard work to promote the prize around the globe, a prize named for Dr. Caldicott, to honor unknown Helens who, on center stage or in some obscure corner, have given of themselves to create, defend and enchange the beauty and value of life. INVITATION TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE HELEN PRIZE: You are invited to become a member of The Helen Prize by sending a tax-deductible donation to the amount of your choice from 10 $ up (student 5$). This yearly membership donation affords you the privilege of nominating a woman for The Helen Prize as well as giving you a charitable tax deduction receipt. You are also invited to develop teams in your own community/country to discover unknown Helens and to raise money so that significant support may be given to honour women and their work. We hope you will SPREAD THE NEWS by distributing The Helen Prize pamphlets, The Helen Prize book with the nominations of all the women who have been awarded the Helen prize each year, and by other creative ways that acknowledge and encourage women in their contributions to their communities and the world. INVITATION TO NOMINATE A WOMAN FOR THE HELEN PRIZE: Please send biographical information to what extent you know your nominee, in what capacity, for how long, and add any information you deem necessary to know about her , the humanitarian work she has carried out, the causes she believes in, her impact on her society, her merits, devotions, etc.

BOARD OF DIRECTIONS President Arpe Hamalian Professor , Concordia University President of the Quebec Federation of University Professors Olga Huk-Papanstasiou, M.D. Orthopaedic Surgeon McGill University Kaarina Kailo, Ph.D. Professor, Chair of Women’s Studies and Multiculturalism University of Oulu Faculty of Education P.O.BOX 222 FIN-90014 University of Oulu Akhtar Naraghi, Ph.D. Writer Helen Prize Founding President Annette St-Onge President, Opportunity for Women Entrepreneurs OFFICERS Amira Elias Treasurer Dorothy Kozel Secretary Celine Leduc Media Liaison ADVISORY BOARD Pam Barrett, M.L.A. Edmonton Highlands, Canada Kamla Bhasin FFHC/AD program Officer FAO/UN, New Delhi, India Sylvia Kuimba Literacy and popular media specialist, Zimbabwe Sorosh Roshan, M.D., MPH New York University President, Intern. Health Network for Women and Children Jo Vallentine Western Australian Senator for Nuclear Disarmament International Organization of the Helen Prize for Women P.O.BOX 781 Place Du Parc, MONTREAL, QUEBEC H2W 2P3 CANADA Tel. (514) 931-1911 Fax: (514) 931-9536

American Cultural Ambassadors David and Renate Jakupca released the following statement today on the passing of their friend Geraldine Ferraro

2011-04-04T09:45:00.000-07:00

American Cultural Ambassadors David and Renate Jakupca released the following statement today on the passing of their friend and former colleague Geraldine Ferraro: / ARK in Berea / Tuesday, March 29th, 2011 / "We are deeply saddened at the passing of our friend who did so much to advance the issues for womenkind Worldwide. Geraldine Ferraro was a dear friend and former United Nations alumni who accomplishments will be revered by many. Gerry was a brilliant and courageous woman who drive and spirit pioneered a legacy that has inspired us all, especially upcoming women leaders...... For posterity, the best salute we can give to her is to make sure the advances she helped achieve are not rolled back. During the 1993 United Nations Conference on Human Rights held in Vienna, Austria, the UN asked the member Nations how the information generated at the UN Conferences could get down to the people where it would do the most good. Renate and David Jakupca from ICEA, Official UN Observers to the Conference, suggested the information be sent on tour after the Conference closes. With the approval of US Delegates Geraldine Ferraro and Jimmy Carter, ICEA starting promoting iceality and recycling all major UN conferences until 2005..... Everyone owes her a debt of gratitude. We at the International Center for Environmental Arts respected Gerry, and David and I loved her dearly and will miss her personally..... Peace Friend".

The Love Potion / Tales from the ARK in Berea

2010-10-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

Tales from the ARK in Berea

The Love Potion

You mention the juzu-plant, Uncle Paulie said. Oh, yes, everybody knows about the juzu-plant. It grows down in No Bottom Valley in the mystical area, sort of northwest of the ARK in Berea.
I hear tell it was once used by the Cleveland Indian's Native population as a medicinal herb. And some folks say that before Halloween, witches come from far and wide to pick the red berries for their various magic spells, but I don't believe this part. Because by the time the trolls and gnomes get done harvesting the crop you have to be a really beady-eyed witch to find what's been left behind. You can find that it grows high up on the cliffs above the Rocky River, and they say you must pick off one of its little red berries at midnight, under the full moon. Then, if you are a young man, and you are anxious for a girl to fall in love with you, all you have to do is to squeeze the juice of the juzu-berry into her coffee.

They say that after the girl has drunk the juzu-juice she begins to forget all sorts of things. She forgets that your forehead is rather low, and that your ears stick out, and that your mouth is too big. She even forgets having told you, the week before last, that she wouldn't marry you if you were the only man in the whole Western Reserve.

All she knows is that the man she gazes at, over her empty coffee cup, has grown remarkably handsome. You can see from this that the plant must be very potent in its effects. I mean, if you consider what some of the men in town look like.

One young man I knew, however, was not very enthusiastic about juzu-juice. In fact, he always said that before he climbed up the cliffs one night, to pick one of those red berries, he was more popular with the girls than he was afterwards. This young man said that his decline in favor with the girls of the neighborhood might perhaps be due to the fact that, shortly after he had picked the juzu-berry, he lost most of his front teeth.

This happened when the girl's father, who was an irascible sort of fellow, caught the young man in the act of squeezing juzu-juice into his daughter's cup.

And afterwards, while others talked of the magic properties of this love potion, the young man would listen in silence, and his lip would curl in a sneer over the place where his front teeth used to be.

"Yes, Boys," he would lisp at the end, "I suppose I must have picked that juzu-berry at the wrong time. Perhaps the moon wasn't full enough, or something. Or perhaps it was not just exactly midnight. I am only glad now that I didn't pick off two of those red berries while I was about it."

We all felt it was a sad thing what the juzu-plant had done to that young man. But with Dick, the new young policeman, it was different.

One night I was out shooting in the woods with a lamp fastened on my hat. You know that kind of shooting: in the glare of the lamp-light you can see only the eyes of the thing you are aiming at, and you get three months in jail if you are caught. They made it illegal to hunt by lamp-lights since the time a policeman got shot in the foot this way, when he was out tracking cattle rustling on the Olmstead Township border.

The judge in Berea, who did know the ways of the voters, found that the shooting was an accident. This verdict satisfied everybody except the policeman, whose foot was still bandaged when he came into court. But the men in the area, some of whom had been cattle rustlers themselves, knew better than the judge did as to how the policeman came to have a couple of buckshots in the soft part of his foot, and, accordingly, they made this new law. Therefore, I walked very quietly that night in the Woods and it wasn't because of that odd thing with the trolls either.

Frequently, I put out my light and stood very still amongst the trees, and waited long moments to make sure I was not being followed. Ordinarily, there would have been little to fear, but a couple of days before two policemen had been seen disappearing into the bush. By their looks, they seemed young policemen who were anxious for promotion and who didn't know that it is more important to a policeman’s career to have a drink with an honest farmer's homemade plum schnapps than to arrest him for hunting by lamp-light.

As I was saying, I was walking along, turning the light from side to side, when suddenly, about a hundred paces from me, in the full brightness of the lamp, I saw a pair of eyes. When I also saw, above the eyes, a policeman's shining badge, I suddenly remembered that a moonlight night, such as that was, it was not good for finding a deer or a stray cow.

So, I started home. I took the quickest way, too, which was over the side of the Valley - the steep side - and on my way down I lost my footing and slid straight down clutched at a variety of branches, tree-roots, stone ledges and tufts of grass. Later on, at the foot of the cliff, when I came to and was able to sit up, there was that policeman bending over me.

"Uncle Paulie," he said, "I was wondering if you would lend me your lamp."

I looked up. It was Dick, the young policeman who had been stationed for some time in Berea. I had met him on several occasions and had found him very likeable.

"You can have my lamp," I answered, "but you must be careful. It's worse for a policeman to get caught breaking the law than for an ordinary man." Dick shook his head. "No, I don't want to go shooting with the lamp," he said, "I want to....... and then he paused. He laughed nervously.
"It seems silly to say it, Uncle Paulie," he said, "but perhaps you'll understand. I have come to look for a juzu-plant. I need it for my studies. For my third-class sergeant's examination. And it will soon be midnight, and I can't find one of those plants anywhere."

I felt sorry for Dick. It struck me that he would never make a good policeman. If he couldn't find a juzu-plant, of which there were thousands in the woods at this time of the season, it would be much harder for him to find the track of a cattle rustler. So, I handed him my lamp and explained where he had to go and look. Dick thanked me and walked off.

About half an hour later he was back. He took a red berry out of his tunic pocket and showed it to me. For fear he should tell any more lies about needing that juzu-berry for his studies, I spoke first. "Barbara?" I asked. Dick nodded. He was very shy, though, and wouldn’t talk much at the start. But, I guessed long ago that Dick was not calling at Christian's farm house so often just to hear Christian relate the story of his life. Nevertheless, I mentioned Christian's life-story.
"Yes," Dick replied, "Barbara's father has got up to what he was like at the age of seven. It has taken him a month so far." "He must be glad to get you to listen," I said, "the only other man who listened for any length of time was a young soldier. But, he left after a fortnight. By that time Christian had reached to only a little beyond his fifth birthday."

"But, Barbara is wonderful, Uncle Paulie," Dick went on. "I have never spoken more than a dozen words to her. And, of course, it is ridiculous to expect her even to look at a policeman. But, to sit there, in the living room, with her father talking about all the things he could do before he was six and Barbara coming in now and again with more coffee - that is love, Uncle Paulie."
I agreed with him that it must be.

"I have worked it out," Dick explained, "that at the rate he is going now, Barbara's father will have come to the end of his life story in two years' time, and after that I won't have any excuse for going there. That worries me." I said that no doubt it was disconcerting.

"I have tried often to tell Barbara how much I think of her," Dick said, "but every time, as soon as I start, I get a foolish feeling. My uniform begins to look shabby. My boots seem to curl up at the toes. And my voice gets shaky, and all I can say to her is that I will come round again, soon, as I have simply got to hear the rest of her father's life-story."

"Then what is your idea with the juzu-juice?" I asked. "The juzu-juice," Dick said, wistfully, "might make her say something first."

We parted shortly afterwards. I took up my lamp and gun, and as I saw Dick's figure disappear among the trees I thought of what a good fellow he was - and very naive. Still, he was best off as a policeman. I reflected. For if he was a cattle rustler, it seemed to me that he would get arrested every time he tried to cross the border.

Next morning I rode over to Christian's farm to remind him about the fishing trip we had planned later on at Coe Lake. I stayed for only about an hour, I wasn't able to get in a word about the fishing trip, but Christian managed to tell me quite a lot about the things he did at the age of nine. When Barbara came in with the coffee I made a casual remark to her father about Dick.
"Oh, yes, he's an interesting young man," Christian said, "and very intelligent. It is a pleasure for me to relate to him the story of my life. He says the incidents I describe to him are not only thrilling, but very helpful. I can quite understand that. I wouldn't be surprised if he is made a sergeant one of these days. For these reasons I always dwell on the more helpful parts of my story."

I didn't take much notice of Christian's remarks, however. Instead, I looked carefully at Barbara when I mentioned Dick's name. She didn't give much away, but I am quick at these things, and I saw enough. The color that crept into her cheeks. The light that came in her eyes.

On my way back I encountered Barbara. She was standing under an apple tree. With her tanned arms and her sweet, quiet face and her full bosom, she was a very pretty picture. There was no doubt that Barbara would make a fine wife for any man. It wasn't hard to understand Dick's feelings about her. "Barbara, “I asked, "do you love him?" "I love him, Uncle Paulie," she answered. It was as simple as that.

Barbara guessed I meant Dick, without my having spoken his name. Accordingly, it was easy for me to acquaint Barbara with what had happened the night before, in the woods, in the moonlight. At least, I only told her the parts that mattered to her, not such as the way I fell down the cliff, clutching at branches and tree-roots. But, I am different. I told her that it was Dick who fell off the cliff. After all, it was Barbara's and Dick's love affair, and I didn't want to bring myself into it too much.

"Now you'll know what to do, Barbara," I said. "Put your coffee on the table within easy reach of Dick. Then give him what you think is long enough to squeeze the juzu-juice into your cup."
"Perhaps it would be even better," Barbara said, "if I watch through a crack in the door."
I patted her head approvingly. "After that you come into the living room and drink your coffee," I said. "Yes, Uncle Paulie," she answered simply. "And when you have drunk the coffee," I concluded, "you'll know what to do next. Only don't go too far." It was pleasant to see the warm blush mount to her face. As I rode off I said to myself that Dick was a lucky fellow.

There isn't much more to tell about Barbara and Dick.

When I saw Dick some time afterwards, he was very elated, as I had expected he would be.
"So, the juzu-plant worked?" I inquired. "It was wonderful, Uncle Paulie," Dick answered, "and the funny part of it was that Barbara's father was not there, either, when I put the juzu-juice into her coffee. Barbara had brought him a message, just before then, that he was wanted in the corn fields."

"And was the juzu-juice all they claim it is?" I asked. "You'd be surprised how quickly it acted," he said. "Barbara just took one sip at the coffee and then jumped straight on to my lap." But then Dick winked in a way that made me believe that he was not so very simple, after all. "I was pretty certain that the juzu-juice would work, Uncle Paulie," he said, "after Barbara's father told me that you had been there that very morning."

THE END

Under the Buckeye Trees / Tales from the ARK in Berea

2010-10-06T11:55:00.000-07:00

Tales from the ARK in Berea

Under the Buckeye Trees

Bears in Berea? - David Jakupca said - Oh, yes, there are two varieties on this side of the Rocky River. The chief difference between them is that the one kind of bear is a few degrees blacker in color than the other kind. But when you meet a bear in the woods, unexpectedly, you seldom trouble yourself to find out what kind he belongs to. That is unnecessary. Because, whatever kind of bear it is that you run across in this way, you only do one kind of running. And this is the fastest kind.

I remember the occasion that I came across a bear unexpectedly, and to this day I couldn't tell you what color black he was.....whether pitch, lamp or ivory black, even though I am an expert environmental artist and had all the time I needed for studying him! It happened about mid-day, when I was out from The ARK in Berea walking along the path that leads to Rocky River, looking for my dogs Rolfe, Thor and Tanya.
I thought the dogs might be down there because it is cool and shady by the river under those buckeye trees, and there is soft grass that is very pleasant to sit on. After I had looked for the dogs for about an hour in this manner, sitting up against a tree-trunk, it occurred to me that I could look for them just as well, or perhaps even better, if I lay down flat.
For almost every one in Berea knows that Rolfe isn't so small that you have got to get on to stilts and things to see him properly.

So I lay on my back, with my hat tilted over my face, and my legs stretched out, and when I closed my eyes slightly the tip of my boot, sticking up into the air, looked just like Big Rock.

Overhead a lonely hawk wheeled, circling slowly round and round without flapping his wings, and I knew that not even a puppy could pass in any part of the sky between the tip of my toe and that hawk without my observing it immediately. What was more, I could go on lying there under the buckeye trees and looking for the dogs like that all day, if necessary. As you know, I am not the sort of neighbor to loaf about when there is a yard work to be done.

The more I screwed up my eyes and gazed at the toe of my boot, the more it looked like Big Rock. By and by it seemed that it actually was Big Rock, and I could see the stones on top of it, and the bush trying to grow up its sides, and in my ears there was a far-off humming sound, like bees in an orchard on a still day. As I have said, it was all very pleasant.

Then a strange thing happened. It was as though a huge dark storm cloud, shaped like an animal's head, had settled on top of Big Rock. It seemed so funny that I wanted to laugh. But I didn't. Instead, I opened my eyes a little more and felt glad to think that I was only dreaming. Because otherwise I would have to believe that the black cloud on Big Rock was actually a bear, and that he was gazing at my boot. Again I wanted to laugh. But then, suddenly, I knew.

And I didn't feel so glad. For it was a bear, all right - a large-sized, hungry-looking bear, and he was sniffing suspiciously at my feet. I was uncomfortable. I knew that nothing I could do would ever convince that bear that my toe was Big Rock. He was not that sort of bear. I knew that without even knowing what color black he was. Instead, having finished with my feet, he started sniffing higher up. It was the most terrifying moment of my life. I wanted to get up and run for it. But I couldn't. My legs wouldn't work.

Every big game hunter I have come across has told me the same story about how, at one time or another, he has owed his escape from lions and tigers and bears and other wild animals to his cunning in lying down and pretending to be dead, so that the beast of prey loses interest in him and walks off. Now, as I lay there on the grass, with the bear trying to make up his mind about me, I understand why, in such a situation, the hunter doesn't move. It's simply that he can't move. That's all. It's not his cunning that keeps him down. It's his limp legs.

In the meantime, the bear had got up as far as my knees. He was studying my trousers very carefully, and I started getting embarrassed. My trousers were old and rather unfashionable. Also, they were spattered with paint because I had just finished painting The Minstral Boy for the Bermuda Maritime Museum, and I wore them for the whole time I was doing the painting. And possible for a few paintings before that. The bear stared at my spattered trouseres for quite a while, and my embarrassment grew. I felt I wanted to explain about the Bermuda painting. I didn't want the bear to get the impression that I, David Jakupca was the sort of man who didn't care about his personal appearance.

When the bear got as far as my shirt, however, I felt better. It was a good blue flannel shirt that I had bought only a few weeks ago from the Secound Mile shop in Berea, and I didn't care how many strange bears saw it. Nevertheless, I made up my mind that next time I want to lie on the grass under the buckeye trees, looking for Rolfe and the boys, I would first polish up my boots with motor oil, and I would put on my green hat with a feather that I only wear on special occasions. I could not permit the wild animals of the neighborhood to sneer at me.

But when the bear reached my face, I got frightened again. I knew he couldn't take exception to my shirt. But I wasn't so sure about my face. Those were terrible moments. I lay very still, afraid to open my eyes and afraid to breathe. Sniff-sniff, the huge creature went, and his breath
swept over my face in hot grasps. You hear of many frightening experiences that a man has in a life-time. I have also been in quite a few perilous situations. But if you want something to make you suddenly old and to turn your hair white in a few moments, there is nothing to beat a bear - especially when he is standing over you, with his jaws at your throat, trying to find a good place to bite.

The bear gave a deep growl, stepped right over my body, knocked off my hat, and growled again. I opend my eyes and saw the animal moving away clumsily. But my relief didn't last long. The bear didn't move far. Instead, he turned over and lay down next to me.

Yes, there on the grass, in the shade of the buckeye trees, the bear and I lay down together. The bear lay half-curled up, on his side, with his forelegs crossed, like a dog, and whenever I tried to move away he grunted. I am sure that in the whole history of the Western Reserve there have never been two stranger companions engaged in the thankless task of looking for strayed dogs.

Next day, in Berea at Gray's Candy Kitchen, which people used as a meeting place while waiting for the arrival of the daily motor mail truck from Cleveland, I told my story to the farmers and quarrymen of the neighborhood, while they were drinking coffee and caught up on the neighrborhood news.

"And how did you get away from that bear in the end?" Jilliy van Koos asked, trying to be funny, "I suppose you crawled through the grass and frightened the bear off by pretending to be a snake."

"No, I just got up and walked home," I said. "I remembered that Rolfe might have gone home the other way and strayed into your yard. I thought they would be safer with the bear."

"Did the bear tell you what he thought of the President's last speech in Washington on Iceality?" Frank Welman asked, and they all laughed.

I told my story over several times before the mail truck came with our letters at the post office, and although the dozen odd men and women present didn't say much while I was talking, I could see that they listened to me in the same way that they listened when young Walkin Willy talked. And everybody knew that Walkin Willy was the biggest character in the Berea area.

To make matters worse, young Walkin Williy was there, too, and when I got to the part of my story where the bear lay down beside me, Walkin Willy winked at me. You know that kind of wink. It was to let me know that there was now a new understanding between us, and that we could speak in the future as one tall story teller to another. I didn't like that.

"Look Fella's", I said in the end, "I know just what you are thinking. You don't believe me, and you don't want to say so." "But we do believe you," Walkin Willy interrupted me, "very wonderful things happen in the woods. I once had a twenty-foot rattlesnake that I named Hans. This snake was so attached to me that I couldn't go anywhere without him. He would even follow me to church on Sunday, and because he didn't care much for some of the sermons, he would wait for me outside under a tree. Not that Hans was irreligous. But he had a sensitive nature, and the strong line that the preachers took against the serpent in the Garden of Eden always made Hans feel awkward. Yet he didn't go and look for a buckeye tree to lie under, like your bear. He wasn't stand-offish in that way. An ordinary thorn-tree's shade was good enough for Hans. He knew he was only a rattler, and didn't try to give himself airs."

I didn't take any notice of young Walikin Willy's stupid lies, but the upshot of this whole affair was that I also began to have doubts about the existence of that bear. I recalled queer stories I had heard of human beings that could turn themselves into animals, and although I am not a superstitious man I could not shake off the feeling that it was a spook thing that had happened. But when, a few days later, a huge black bear had been seen from the roadside near the quarry, and then again by Suds McGuires on the way to Olmstead Falls, and again the gnomes complained about their honey tree near Nobottom Valley being raided, matters took a different turn.

A first people jested about this bear. They said it wasn't a real bear, but a black bear animal that had walked away out of my dream. They also said that the bear had come to Berea to have a look at young Walkin Willy's twenty-foot rattle snake. But afterwards, when they had found his tracks at several water-holes, they had no more doubt about the bear.

It was dangerous to walk about in the woods. Exciting times followed. There was a great deal of shooting at the bear and a great deal of running away from him. And the amount of running away reminded me of nothing so much as the First Indian War. The amount of musket and rifle fire I heard in the woods reminded me of nothing so much as the Second Indian War.
But always the bear escaped unharmed. Somehow, I felt sorry for him. The way he had first sniffed at me and then lain down beside me that day under the buckeye tree was a strange thing that I couldn't understand. I thought of the Bible, where it is written that the lion shall lie down with the lamb.

But I also wondered if I hadn't dreamt it all. The manner in which those things had befallen me was also unearthly. The bear began to take up a lot of my thoughts. And there was no man to whom I could talk about it who would be able to help me in any way. Even now, as I am telling you this story, I am expecting you to wink at me, like young Walkin Willy did.

Still, I can only tell you the things that happened as I saw them, and what the rest was about only the woods knows. It was some time before I again walked along the path from The ARK in Berea that leads to the river where the buckeye trees are. But I didn't lie down on the grass again. Because when I reached the place, I found that the bear had got there before me. He was lying almost on the same spot, half-curled up in the buckeye tree's shade, and his forepaws were folded as a dog's are, sometimes. But he lay very still. And even from the distance where I stood you didn't have to be an environmental artist to identify the color red splash on his breast where a Musket bullet had gone.

I stayed with the bear for awhile getting used to the fact that he was no more and in the process it seemed to me that the wind that always stirs in the valley blew very quietly and softly that afternoon. Yes, the wind blew very gently.

As it was getting late I knew I couldn't just leave him there by the river bank. I started to walk along the river path into the deeper forest. When I got to the Reap, I made the cut across Urth Island that started me towards the edge of Nobottom Valley. Along the side of the trail there, there is a glen with an opening into it that you don't see unless you know it's there. All year long people pass by this spot and never stop to see what is on the other side. I did exactly that a couple of times myself and would never have found it until Rolfe disappeared into it one day and I had to followed him. He was good at finding out things like that. Nothing ever got past him. He was special that way. In the glen is an ancient tribe of Natives that have lived there as long as Uncle Paulie can remember. They used to be settled up along the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, but as the city grew, they got pushed out further and further until they finally ended up here. The village of these ole Cleveland Indians is where I was headed. I spoke with Chief Ojibway and mentioned about the bear lying by the riverbank under the buckeye trees. He thanked me for telling him about this bounty for his village. We said our good-bye's and I left taking the long slow way back to the ARK in Berea across Lonesome Pine Ridge.

By and by it came towards winter and the Christmas season. That day we finished a Sunday potluck dinner at the ARK in Berea and we had a few over-night visitors who were snuggling into their beds as the cold snowy night set in. As everyone else retired, I stayed up by the campfire alone because there are times when you need some peace and solitude to relax and enjoy life's small pleasures. Of course I am referring to the three s'mores I hid still roasting under a bed of ashes in the campfire.
Yes I was all alone except for Rolfe who had his nose inches from where the s'mores lay hidded. Nothing ever got past Rolfe, as I said he was special that way. I took a stick and uncovered one of the s'mores and knocked it out to cool.

It was then just outside the light of the campfire I thought I heard something moving and even Rolfe pulled his nose away from the s'more and was looking around. At these times in the woods at night you have to be very careful and cautious if you value your life and possessions, and I was taking no chances tonite. I bent down by the fire and picked up a long sturdy stick and quickly covered the last two s'mores with ashes. As just quick as that, appearing in the campfire light was my old neighbor, Chief Ojibway, he said he saw the fire far away and that a friend of mine had left something at his village for me and he that he had come to bring it over to me.
We talked for awhile about his wife and kids, and we had some hot mulled cider with wild cherry schnapps from the pot to warm ourselves. He left the package for me and I gave him Rolfe's s'more for him to enjoy and warm up on the long walk back to the village.

Later, when I unwrapped the package, I found it was the hide of the now infamous bear.
Only, in fact, it was in much better shape than when the bear had had it himself. It was washed shiny and clean, and the thorns and twigs were brushed out of it, the red slash on his breast had been cleaned off and the hole was sewn shut.

That’s the same bear hide that now hangs in the ARK in Berea, in a place of honor, so that everyone can see there were once bears in Berea.

'Gaia Spricht'

2010-06-23T04:58:00.000-07:00

Iceality adds tranquility, distinctiveness to your garden.

Long before you step into the ARK in Berea’s rear garden you hear 'Gaia Spricht' - A cascading fountain covered with fairy land art: unicorns, pixies, gnomes.
'Gaia Spricht' is built into the Walderuin and easily visible from anywhere in the garden. Designed by American Cultural Ambassadors David and Renate themselves, 'Gaia Spricht' is one of just a few fountains in the garden and a source of constant entertainment and pleasure. "I wanted something that brought me something of my homeland of Austria," Renate says. " And I couldn't be happier."
'Gaia Spricht' is German for Gaia Speaks and refers to Gaia as the Spirit personifying Mother Nature. The Ancients believed in the idea that the fertile Mother Earth itself is female, nurturing mankind. 'Gaia Spricht' symbolizes that living organisms and inorganic material through water are part of a dynamic system that shapes the Earth's bioregionalism sphere, and maintains the World in a fit environment for life. At the ARK in Berea, every Earth Day, in a measure to heighten awareness of environmental concerns, the 'Gaia Spricht' water is dyed red to symbolize that water is the lifeblood of the planet. the garden, started in 1976 is an official wildlife habitat and a model and inspiration for future sustainable landscape designs worldwide: According to Natalie Ronayne, executive director of the Botanical Garden, In 2010, The Sustainable Sites Initiative already has the support of the U.S. Green Building Council, the nonprofit trade organization that expects to incorporate the landscape guidelines and performance standards into future updates to the LEED rating system. LEED -- Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design -- is essentially a third-party certification program that has become the nationally accepted standard for design, construction and operation of sustainable buildings.
Bringing art into your garden with Iceality is a perfect way to personalize your outdoor space, whether you buy something that catches your eye, make your own or commission a piece - gardens, art and iceality are natural companions. For the Jakupca’s, connecting with their roots for a major piece in their garden seems fated. Their travels to the olde world bought back many antiques and collectibles that are ideal for an outdoor centerpieces. Renate soon decided to have David create a fountain that would dominate without overwhelming her garden. The Gaia Spricht’s inclusion of a fairyland reflects Renate’s hopes the planted garden would attract the little people as well wildlife from the woods. The piece also has a number of custom-made pieces that David made himself. The artist also included their 6-year-old dog, Mickey, allowing him to help on making some imprints in the path. "I didn't want just anything," Renate says. "I wanted something specific, something personal that made me smile and David did it. It's very peaceful and it makes the garden look bigger than it is."
A quicker way to bring environmental art into your garden is by commissioning a carved wood work. David, a self-taught sculptor whose famous International Center for Environmental Arts (ICEA) “Pieces of Pelee” and “Endangered Spaces” Exhibits have been featured in United Nations Exhibits overseas.
"I just went for it, in the beginning" he says. David uses wood from fallen trees and unusable stumps from seashores and woods to create one of kind outdoor and indoor environmental art. He does commissioned pieces, but this art form is also entertainment to create a sculpture in mere minutes. David often did demonstrations for awed audiences. His pieces are somewhat sentimental, taking you back to those long days of summer on the beach with the family all there. "When you see the works, you kind of remember those days," he says.
Although he uses a variety of wood, David prefers driftwood. He likes the texture and appearance, and there's plenty of it to be found along the Lake Erie shoreline. He starts with a large hunk; the wood's shape dictates the subject. "I'll go in thinking my carving is one thing," David says, "and then something else — will just appear."
He says his work has become more precise in the past seven years that he has been carving Peace Stones for the Worlds Children Peace Monument (WCPM). The Ambassadors are gearing up for a Labor Day weekend trip to participate in the dedication of the Rising Sun, Indiana Peace Stone.
Utilizing iceality, outdoor art has moved far beyond the garden gnomes and the plastic flamingos.

See for yourself visit the ARK in Berea’s website on http://www.theicea.com/

By Bev Miko

David & Renate Jakupca inducted into Universal Circle of the Ambassadors of Peace

2010-06-09T05:41:00.000-07:00

CERCLE UNIVERSEL DES AMBASSADEURS DE LA PAIX
SUISSE / FRANCE
Né le 3 Août 2004 paru au journal Officiel : 28 août 2004 N° 1019
***********
DAVID & RENATE JAKUPCA Ohio USA

Welcome into the Universal Circle of the Ambassadors of Peace !

We are an association with no
Financial goals and that our only objective is :
to create a core of Peace between all the advocates of Peace.
“All those who work for Peace make together a same Spirit,
a same Soul, a same Heart, a same Body, a same Universal Family of Peace”.

Jean-Paul Nouchi Founder Président
In all Univesal Fraternity of Peace

Fait le 09 Juin 2010

Gabrielle Simond Fait
Présidente

Reproduction et Diffusion interdites

Message of "PEACE" carved in stone going to the Children of Seven Hills

2010-06-05T12:02:00.000-07:00

ARK in Berea: The first Worlds Children Peace Monument (WCPM) Peace Stone of the 2010 peace season was unveiled this Memorial Day at the ARK in Berea. Dubbed the Seven Hills Peace Stone, it will be erected in Seven Hills, Ohio by Mayor David Bentkowski later this summer.

Ambassador Renate said "I am enthusiastic as ever about working with Mayor Bentkowski because of the way he has helped his city, but beyond the overall economic impact, he is most fervent about the power of the arts to awaken children's creativity. This works well with International Center for Environmental Arts (ICEA) WCPM goal which aims to make iceality, arts and culture a major component of neighborhood revitalization and urban renewal nationwide. As the WCPM program gains support it will involve many other federal agencies and public and private collaborations".

The Seven Hills Peace Stone still needs the 'special touch of a child' to be completed. This touch will be indelibly made in the lower right part of the stone.

Iceality of Recycling Cleveland, Drew Carey's Favorite Rustbucket

2010-05-27T17:21:00.000-07:00

Regarding Drew Carey's visit to rebuild Cleveland, the Complete 5 step blog by Dracha Arendee entitled "The Iceality of Cleveland, Drew Carey's Favorite Rustbuck" can be found at this link:

http://lists.topica.com/lists/bereabuzz/read/message.html?mid=914813555&sort=d&start=43

Artists and Berea Cat unite for ART AID for HAITI

2010-02-06T09:04:00.000-08:00

'HAITIAN ICEALITY' - is the understanding of the relationship between the Haitian people, their culture and environment while cultivating a sustainable global culture of peace.

-- The brown weave is surrounded by a blue mat as a symbol of isolation in the Caribbean. The natural weave and shells are a representation of the flora and fauna of Haiti.
-- The background is cracked to symbolize the current earthquake as well as a historical statement*
-- The Peace Stone is a representation of the Worlds Children Peace Monument (WCPM).
-- The Peace Stone Colors are Blue and White - the United Nations colors - symbolizing the UN workers who died in the line of duty.
-- White Dove is the universal symbol of Peace.
-- The Dove’s ‘Heart of Gold’ is a symbol of the generosity of all the people of the world helping out in this crisis.
At the core of the heart and artwork is a colorful gem inscribed with a map of the Haitian area.

"The City of Berea is the home of the Environmental Art Movement. And Environmental Art has been recognized as the indigenous art form North East Ohio.
ICEAlity inspires architecture for humanity and can be called a Cleveland artists foundation.....ART AID has the ability to actually help make a difference in the situation in Haiti and I just can't see not using this sustainable initiative to help make a difference in the future of the country”, David Jakupca said.

*When this part was painted at the ARK in Berea, to accelerate the drying process, it was left on the floor near a heater vent to dry while I ran some errands. Later we found Rebel, our adopted cat from Berea Animal Rescue, had climbed into the warm wet paint and made some additions to the painting himself then used it as a catnapping place. He has done this before, and upon review, as Cultural Ambassador, I decided to leave the natural ”corrections” Rebel had made to the final painting.

For more infor mation on ART AID visit:
http://www.americantowns.com/oh/berea/news/cleveland-artists-holding-charity-art-aid-auction-for-haiti-253240

********************************************************
1987 to 2007- Twenty Years of Community Service
"ICEALITY - assisting in the understanding of the relationship between Humans and
their Environment through the Arts to promote a sustainable Culture of Peace"

International Center for Environmental Arts (ICEA)
P. O. Box 81496
Cleveland, Ohio 44181 USA
Phone/fax: 440-891-8376
Email: ICEA2000@sbcglobal.net
http://www.theicea.org

The Living Green Walls at the ARK in Berea

2009-08-07T05:07:00.000-07:00

ARK in Berea - Green architects are now moving into designing living green walls -- think a vertical garden on the wall of a building -- as green roofs become more common stream. The ICEAlity incorporated in these walls help cool the buildings in the summer (reducing solar heat), insulate the building in the winter, water management (reduced storm water runoff for growth), and have the potential for helping feed the people (think vegetables, herbs....).
The living wall offers a real benefit in rain water mitigation, offering the potential for reducing the burden on storm sewers and, down the line, pollution into water systems. And, the green vegetation provide a cooling effect in summer. And, part of the ARK in Berea’s overall environmental impact on climate change -- the 25 year old “living wall” increase greenery while improving the air.

There are two main categories of green walls: green façades and living walls. Green façades are made up of climbing plants either growing directly on a wall or, more recently, specially designed supporting structures. The plant shoot system grows up the side of the building while being rooted to the ground. In a living wall the modular panels are often comprised of polypropylene plastic containers, geotextiles, irrigation systems, a growing medium and vegetation.

As shown in reports from the US Network for EXPO2000, a project of the International Center for Environmental Arts (ICEA), urban population growth is not a sustainable option. Arne Dunker, manager of the Klimahaus in Bremerhaven states, "I remember having a discussion about whether it's a good idea to teach people that mankind is part of the global climate problem....this was way back in 2000 during the EXPO 2000 Worlds Fair in Hanover, Germany, this was a very controversial situation then, but today there’s no question that mankind contributes a lot to the climate problem."

Green buildings are now an essential constituent of urban quality of life. It is noteworthy, however, that some cities have been more successful in implementing a green building policy than others. One concideration is geography, the insulating implications of five or six inches of soil might not be critical in modern super insulated buildings, but most buildings in temperate climates, are unlikely to have R-40 or so in the walls. Thus, an additional factor is the interesting question of back fitting opportunities in soome cities. Vertical walls could be relatively easy retro-fitted onto many buildings and many homes around the world. And they might offer the potential for significant energy savings along with fresh vegetables for the dinner table.

Greener buildings are supposed to revolutionize the way the nation's built environment operates chiefly by using less energy. Seeing as U.S. commercial buildings account for about 30 percent of carbon emissions, according to the U.S. Green Building Council, improving the performance of the built environment is a key focus of all green building rating systems. But the green building industry has a dirty little secret: Until recently, few people really kept track of how so-called "high-performance buildings" were actually performing. The iconic Cleveland architecture of the ARK in Berea pre-dates the U.S. Green Building Council and its LEED certification program.

The main driver for green buildings in the United States is the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (USGBC-LEED) rating system. LEED-certified buildings, at the basic Certified level, are designed to use 30 percent less energy than buildings built to standard code. It would make sense to assume that LEED-certified buildings at all levels do in fact perform as advertised.

"We're not seeing the true performance we might have expected [out of LEED-certified buildings]," says Jared Silliker, owner of Silliker + Partners, a green building-focused consulting firm based in Seattle.

Unfortunately, in practice, incorporating commercial "green roofs" is used by businesses more as a public relations pitch aimed at the general population who don't know any better. "Green" roofs actually require an extraordinary amount of precautionary measures from water proofing to speciaized drainage to additional structural fortification to support the extra loads. By the time any savings from lower cooling costs are finally realized, it's time for some costly roof repair work - which, by the way, may well cost more that the average roof repair/replacement. All for the sake of "giving back" to the environment, or replacing the CO2 that the building's footprint took from the land it sits on. It's the way the world works today; auto, oil, banking, and every other industry, including the green industry, have been spinning their PR magic for years but as long as tax payers are not footing the bill there is no problem.

Similarly, commercial "green walls”, though admirable for the heat gain reductions to the building envelope it will bring, may cost more than the very simple and zero maintenance solution of simply designing buildings with an "outer skin" that "floats" (is suspended) a foot or so away from the face of the building, providing a thermal break. Essentially a giant shade that air can flow behind so that no heat gain is realized by the actual building envelope.

The ARK in BEREA living green wall is a residential example done in a cost effective manner that is a good solution for preventing houses from heating in summer and does not require substantial life-time maintenance costs, and a added incentive is that it is quite attractive.

The plant primarily used in the ARK in Berea living wall is English Ivy and are about 25 years old.
Characteristics of English Ivy Plants: Taxonomy classifies English ivy plants as Hedera helix.
English ivy plants can act as groundcovers, spreading horizontally and reaching 8" in height. But they are also climbers, due to their aerial rootlets, which allow them to climb to heights of 80' or more. They will eventually bear insignificant greenish flowers but are grown primarily for their evergreen foliage.

Simple Care for English Ivy Plants:
Their ability to grow in shade has made English ivy plants a traditional groundcover for problematic areas where most plants do not grow well. Their vigorous, dense grow habit makes them an effective groundcover where the object is to crowd out weeds. On slopes, they can be used for erosion control. The advantage of ivy vines climbing ability makes them excellent for ‘living walls’. In the Christmas carol, "The Holly and The Ivy," we see a symbolism with these two evergreen plants can be cut and used for natural Holiday decorations too.

ICEA Cleveland Ingenuity: Green Walls Would Make Great Highway Sound Barriers.
I think some civil engineers really need to pick up on this. The ICEAlity is that if they incorporated these into the sound barriers that ran between busy highways and city neighborhoods, it would be a beautiful feature that would help clean up the air and cancel out noise quite well. This is really a good idea, sometimes simpler ideas are the most effective.

http://landscaping.about.com/cs/lazylandscaping/g/planttaxonomy.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_wall
http://www.usgbc.org/leed/
http://www.klimahaus-bremerhaven.de/
http://www.TheICEA.Org

Berea Artist's Yard a Work of Art

2009-07-25T04:01:00.000-07:00

ARK in Berea - David and Renate Jakupca's garden designs always incorporates ICEAlity for people, since "that's who home gardens are mainly for," says David, founder of the International Center for Environmental Arts (ICEA) in Cleveland, Ohio. The gardens around the couple's historic ARK in Berea house have been featured in many home and horticulture news stories.

"For us, the plants are the last step," notes David. "ICEAlity is first established using a relationship between a house and its surroundings, creating spaces in which people will want to spend time and relate with those surroundings.

For 35 years, their "people-friendly" designs for outdoor living emphasize views and other pleasing elements, shade, and stress-free maintenance. But they are also friendly to the animals and environment.
The ARK in Berea Garden has an area of plants indigenous to Ohio and is officially designated as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation and the Ohio Division of Wildlife.

Do Try This at Home:
To evaluate your yard, the Jakupcas recommend standing with your back to the door you use most, usually a side or back door.
"Identify existing fixtures that you can use as anchors to link the doors of your house to the surrounding landscape as you develop your garden," says David.
Then take a folding chair and spend time in various places around the yard to see which lend themselves to outdoor living, he says. "Note the feeling and mood of each, its existing trees, views, and sunlight."

Sit and Smell the Roses:
"Why plant perennials only to walk past them?" asks David. Instead, place sitting and other activity areas right in the middle of them. That way, you create an extra "room" where you can eat or read the newspaper, and the plants' appearance and fragrance become part of your experience.

Expanses of field or lawn also qualify for David's "room-with-a-view" effect. He mows a curving, eight-foot-wide swath from their gardens' edge into the woodland that is used as an outdoor art studio. A similair artists refuge is further back where a small circle is mowed out from the woods around a bench shaded by small trees the couple planted. "Instead of spending your time and money cutting grass you can sit and relax and have great place to watch the sunset," he says, "and see lots of bird activity."
Another sitting area is easily sculpted into the wildflowers at the edge of the treelawn." Benches are an easy way to enhance outdoor-living space when their design and materials fit a setting's mood, says David "They draw people to them and emphasize the best views on your property and its surroundings."
"Always provide some kind of external support for all types of seating," reminds Renate, "such as shrubs, or anything that keeps your back from feeling exposed."

Rooms without Walls: The couple's inviting outdoor "living room" nestles under the shade of a circle of trees. After dark, up-lights on the trees accentuate the overarching branches that provide the area's living "ceiling." The "floor" was constructed from a simple two-inch-deep sand foundation overlaid with pebble stone. The Jakupca's reclaimed another area in their garden from space many might never think to use and that is the back of an outdoor sculpture. Using its rustic rock exterior as backdrop, they shaped this east-facing location into a patio sheltered by apple and black walnut trees. There is a concord grape arbor whose simple design includes growing support fashioned from live whute pine trees. They've also used these rough-hewn barn boards for a deer barrier and privacy fence.

The ABC's of Planting:
Once they've built their outdoor-living spaces, the Jakupcas choose all plants according to a property's physical characteristics and a hierarchy that begins with trees and then adds shrubs and perennials.
"Gardens need all three," says David. "Trees provide vertical structure against the sky as well as a 'ceiling.' Shrubs define and enclose space and add fragrance. Perennials, which bring the highest maintenance, are detail plants that provide color and leaf variety, from the smallest, used for edging, to the drama of tall grasses."
"Once you've defined the spaces where people will be, very often, the plantings you want to have there will simply suggest themselves," David says.

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/
http://www.NWF.Org

American Cultural Ambassadors David and Renate Jakupca offers condolences to families of Air France Disaster

2009-06-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

ARK in Berea - (ICEAnews) -American Cultural Ambassadors David and Renate Jakupca on Friday paid tribute to the victims of the Air France jet that crashed over the Atlantic.

"We were deeply saddened to hear of the loss of Air France jst crash with 228 people on board," the Ambassadors wrote. "This accident ended the lives of hundreds of people, crew members and passengers and has led to immeasurable sorrow and loss to their loved ones. Sharing the sorrow and pain of the International Community, we wish strength of spirit to the relatives of the innocent victims.
We would like to send our heartfelt sympathy to the families and friends of those who are involved. At this difficult time, all those affected by this tragedy are in our thoughts and prayers." they said.

An Air France 447, a A330 jet carrying 228 people from Rio de Janeiro to Paris crashed over the Atlantic Ocean on June 1, 2009

The passengers were of 32 different nationalities: 72 French, 59 Brazilians, 26 Germans, 10 Italians, and others from various countries. Among the crew members there were 12 victims: one was from Brazil and 11 were of French nationality.

1987 to 2007- ICEA Celebrating Twenty Years of Community Service
"Assisting in understanding of the relationship between Humans and
their Environment through the Arts"

International Center for Environmental Arts (ICEA)

P. O. Box 81496
Cleveland, Ohio 44181

USAPhone/fax: 440-891-8376

Email: ICEA2000@sbcglobal.net

www.TheICEA.Org

Berea marks International Museum Day

2009-05-18T11:06:00.000-07:00

ARK in BEREA, May 18, 2009 - American Cultural Ambassadors David and Renate Jakupca stressed the importance of preserving and protecting the country’s heritage.
They said history play a significant role for the social, economic and political development of a community as well as a country.
The Ambassadors speaking at a symposium that opened here on Monday in connection with the International Museum Day marked here for under a theme “Museums for Tourism”.
The Ambassadors said museums exhibit the tangible and intangible heritages of humanity thereby preserving and transferring history to the next generation as well us promoting them to tourists.
Accordingly, they said the main aim of celebrating the day is to show the contribution of museums for the development of tourism and raise the awareness of the public on the issue.
Manager of the ARK in Berea, the worlds first Eco-Museum, Edward Gottschick on his part said the museum has been executing activities aiming at the ongoing development activities of the community.
Organizing visits to various historical places and symposiums aiming at raising the awareness of the society about ICEAlity and the community history are among the activities that have been carried out by the museum for the same purpose.
International Museum Day has been celebrated all over the world since 1977.
Each year, a theme is decided on by the ICEA's Advisory Committee.
---END---

http://www.bereahistoricalsociety.org/
http://www.wrhs.org/
http://www.ohiohistory.org/

At the ARK in BEREA Eco-Museum everyday is a green EARTHDAY.

2009-04-17T09:03:00.000-07:00

At the ARK in BEREA, Ohio, the first thing a visitor encounters is a frontal landscape covered in food plants: apple, nut, cherry trees, grapes, raspberries, strawberries with organic vegetables and flowers grown in season. The grounds are an official wildlife habitat of both the Ohio Wildlife and National Wildlife Federations, not only providing food and shelter for all nature’s creatures, but setting an example of urban sustainability - adding Michele Obama in the White House as the newest convert!

On this Earth Day 2009, confronting society are problems of mankind’s own making, solutions to which we, if we are to be responsible citizens of the Earth, must dedicate ourselves to. Humanity is daily destroying its rightful place in God’s universe with industrial pollution and violent acts against itself and its surroundings. Modern technology, more often than not, brings us closer to the assumed facts of these problems, promises to help us figure out solutions to them, yet creates a more complicated network of issues to confront than before.

Since its inception in 1987, the International Center for Environmental Arts (ICEA) has played a pioneering role in finding solutions to issues of contemporary urban life that will enhance our human-made environment, manage our natural resources and create works of art to delight the eye and the mind. Our environmental artists are central to each level of human existence, from the basic provision of food and shelter to issues of community, manufacture and governance. Berea, Ohio is the home of the global Environmental Arts Movement that is indigenous to North East Ohio. ICEAlity defines what it is to be humane in any natural endeavor.

ICEA’s mission statement is: “ ICEAlity….to assist an understanding between humans and their environment through the arts, ultimately supporting a sustainable Culture of Peace“.
This sums up what has been the right catalyst in the past decade for the interaction between technology and human expression to foster. ICEA’s responsible community programs and cultural projects will always be dictated by positive human values, and rooted in people’s sense of place on this Earth Day and the 364 days that follow.
Works of ICEAlity are models for holistic solutions to problems, rich in values, casual relationships between the parts of the composition and the whole, concerns for the quality of the product of the complete life experience.

"It’s possibly one of the most important things we (ICEA) can give to a child - teaching them the impact they have on the environment and the difference they can make just by themselves in the world," said Renate Jakupca, founder of ICEA. The future into which young people today will be launched is already at hand in many respects. We know that it will be technology-driven for communications, visualization and information. We know that resources will be ever more scarce, and the options for using them constrained by the long-term effect of politics. Already the second generation of ICEA students are making use of the knowledge that they have acquired through our annual youth programs:
COASTWEEKS: http://www.coastweeks.com/
Worlds Children Peace Monument: http://www.wcpm.info/

The depth of character, both individually and as a community, is tested not by actions in good times, but by the quality of decisions in difficult times. The Arts will always stand shoulder-to-shoulder with each member and facet of society to face whatever challenges emerge. At ICEA, we will be seeking opportunities to partner with the business community and social agencies, to sustain a high local quality of life for all. We will also work diligently to showcase our local community in attracting cultural tourism and new sustainable business developement.
Communities that pull together in hard times emerge as the future leaders in better times. The investment by ICEA sends a signal to the cultural sector – it is time to lead through these difficult days ahead. In uncertainty, let us all work together to build a community we will be proud to pass on to our children.

Peace Friends,

David and Renate Jakupca
Berea, Ohio

Links:
http://grassrootsonline.org/

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/
http://www.wiserearth.org/

http://greenersearchengine.com/

"Berea Green Movement Edition"

2009-03-28T20:14:00.000-07:00

"Berea Green Movement Edition"for Saturday, March 28, 2009

Berea is participating in the global "Earth Hour" effort tomorrow, Saturday March 28, from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Turn off your lights for this hour. For more info about Earth Hour, check out EarthHour.org ( http://www.earthhour.org/ )

In Berea, local organizations will show support for Earth Hour and encourage green habits with ICEAlity, from 8:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the ARK in BEREA, hosted by American Cultural Ambassadors David and Renate jakupca. When the lights go out, there will be outdoor activities to encourage movement, imagination and recycling fun!

Around the World, lights went out at tourism landmarks and homes across the globe for Earth Hour 2009, a global event designed to highlight the threat from climate change.
From the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge to the Eiffel Tower in Paris and London's Houses of Parliament, lights were dimmed as part of a campaign to encourage people to cut energy use and curb greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels.
Organisers said the action showed millions of people wanted governments to work out a strong new UN deal to fight global warming by the end of 2009, even though the global economic crisis has raised worries about the costs.
"We have been dreaming of a new climate deal for a long time," Kim Carstensen, head of a global climate initiative at the conservation group WWF, said in a candle-lit bar in the German city of Bonn, which hosts UN climate talks between March 29 and April 8.
"Now we're no longer so alone with our dream. We're sharing it with all these people switching off their lights," he said as delegates and activists sipped bluish cocktails.
The UN Climate Panel says greenhouse gas emissions are warming the planet and will lead to more floods, droughts, heatwaves, rising sea levels and animal and plant extinctions.
World emissions have risen by about 70 percent since the 1970s. China has recently overtaken the United States as the top emitter, ahead of the European Union, Russia and India.
BILLION PEOPLE TAKE PART
The UN Climate Panel says rich nations will have to cut their emissions to a level between 25 and 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 to avoid the worst effects of warming. Developing nations will also have to slow the rise of their emissions by 2020, it says.
Australia first held Earth Hour in 2007 and it went global in 2008, attracting 50 million people, organisers say. WWF, which started the event, is hoping one billion people from nearly 90 countries will take part.
"The primary reason we do it is because we want people to think, even if it is for an hour, what they can do to lower their carbon footprint, and ideally take that beyond the hour," Earth Hour executive director Andy Ridley told reporters at Sydney's Bondi Beach.
In Asia, lights at landmarks in China, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines were dimmed as people celebrated with candle-lit picnics and concerts.
Buildings in Singapore's business district went dark along with major landmarks such as the Singapore Flyer, a giant observation wheel.
Other global landmarks that switched off their lights included the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, the Reserve Bank in Mumbai, the dome of St Peter's Basilica in Rome, Egypt's Great Pyramids and the Acropolis in Athens.

To help save energy 24/7/365 check out GreenerSearchEngine.com ( http://www.greenersearchengine.com ) aka "Envirogle" a local-based eco-project.
We BereaBuzz.com ( http://www.Bereabuzz.com ) hopes to see you there!
Nonprofit Newswire 10 Years of Service... http://www.nonprofitnewswire.com/

Bev Miko
International Center for Environmental Arts
http://www.theicea.org/

'REALITY CHILD CHECK' - Should we Limit the Earth's Population?

2009-02-26T06:02:00.000-08:00

...a creatively humorous visual blog by a woman on a taboo subject everyone is thinking about.

Renate Jakupca, Chairwoman of ICEA's Sustainable Development Committee, says limiting the worlds population must be at the head of any policies on global warming and human rights. She states political officers, 'green' organizers and religious leaders must now stop avoiding the issue of the environmental harm caused by an over expanding world population.

“I am not sorry about asking dysfunctional people and teenagers not to have babies with out any regard for the welfare of the children. People who become parents have a moral responsibility for their total family's social and environmental footprint by not producing any disposable children".

ARK in Berea: Peace Friends, I am Renate Jakupca, when I was married 35 years ago, my husband David and I made a conscientious decision not to have children, in part, to be honest, because blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah CHILD BIRTH EDUCATION blah blah blaaaah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah RELIGION blah blah blah MOTHERLY INSTINCTS blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah TEACH YOUR CHILDREN blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blahblah TEACH YOUR CHILD WELL blah blah.

Blah blah blah blah GLOBAL WARMING/BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah MONEY blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah lah blah blah blahblah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah PEACE blah blah blah blah blah SMILING HAPPY PEOPLE blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blahah blah.

Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah OCTOMOM NADYA SULEMAN blah lah blah DR PHIL blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah ANGELINA JOLIE blah. Blah blah ah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah OPRAH yadda yadda blah blah yadda yadda blah yadda yadda blah blah blah blah TYRA blah blah blah blah blah blah blah etc etc etc.

Blah blah SHOCKING GLOBAL SCALE blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah CHINA blah blah blah blah blah bl blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah SLUMDOGS blah blah ah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blahblah blah blah blah blah blah blah WERNER FORNOS, POPULATION INSTITUTE blah blah blah ah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah ah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blahblah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah "ICEALITY" blah blah blah blah blah blaah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.

Blah blah blah blah blaah blah blaah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah PATH WE FOLLOW blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blaah blah blah blaah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah ah blah blah blah blah BOTTOMLINE:
TO SAVE HUMANITY = STOP HAVING EXTRA DISPOSABLE CHILDREN

1987 to 2007- Twenty Years of Community Service
International Center for Environmental Arts (ICEA)
P. O. Box 81496
Cleveland, Ohio 44181 USA
Phone/fax: 440-891-8376
Email: info@TheICEA.Org
www.TheICEA.Org
www.WCPM.Org
www.myspace.com/jakupca

'Hands of Peace' snub for President Obama

2009-02-16T06:36:00.000-08:00

ARK in BEREA - IRAN slapped down US President Barack Obama’s plea for peace yesterday — as experts warned the rogue Gulf state could have a nuclear bomb this year.
Obama offered a hand of friendship if Iran “unclenched its fist”.
But Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad responded with a rant.
He called for an apology for America’s “dark crimes”, and went on to demand troop withdrawals from Muslim lands and a block on US support for Israel.
His response underlined the task facing Obama, who has pledged to make a “once-in-a-generation” bid for peace across the Middle East.
American Cultural and Peace Ambassadors David and Renate Jakupca from the International center for Environmental Arts (ICEA) pointed out: "Shared concerns about ICEAlity and global Peace have sparked an international collaboration between generations of students at the Worlds Children Peace Monument (WCPM). The students from different hemispheres pooled their talents to create a peace pledge to draw attention to the need for peaceful reforms.
During the WCPM project's, students from all countries collaborate on ideas through emails, a project blog and even later a "live" web conference.
While language difficulties sometimes surfaced, good overall communications prevail and the project may yielded "many unexpected and pleasant surprises and an impressive range of approaches," said Renate Jakupca. The WCPM 2009 Peace Child Representative is a good candidate to meet with President Obama and reveal what has transpired in this joint effort of our future leaders and citizens. If President Obama and ICEA's Peace Child would present a gift of a WCPM Peace Stone from the US to Iran may help the boost the peace process.
The International Institute for Strategic Studies estimated that Iran will have enough enriched uranium to make a single nuclear weapon this year.
Iran is also developing long-range missiles capable of strikes as far as Israel and beyond.
Meanwhile, Russia announced it had halted plans to deploy missiles near the Polish border.
It could be a sign that Moscow is seeking better ties with the US, which has plans for a missile shield in eastern Europe.
"The more the WCPM children can help us see different ways of looking at the peace problem the more our elected leaders can learn how to solve it." Renate said. The Jakupca's believes art and culture through ICEAlity can help broaden public awareness of important social issues.
"The more children get involved, the more people will get involved," she said.
"There is an accumlative affect."
The WCPM students work can be viewed online at the website http://www.wcpm.info/

Congress makes ARK in BEREA eligible for Obama's stimulus package

2009-02-15T16:33:00.000-08:00

ARK in BEREA - "None of the amounts appropriated or otherwise made available may be used for any casino or other gambling establishments, aquarium, zoo, golf course, swimming pool, stadium, community park, museum , theater, art center and high beautification project."
It was the president's economic stimulus package that passed Senate approval last week, 73-24, but local nonprofit arts groups and museum directors were none too happy.
However, on Friday, Congress rewrote Section 1604 that now excludes the words "arts center," "theater" and "museum" in entities which will not be funded.
The bill also includes $50 million funding for the National Endowment of the Arts.
American Cultural Ambassadors David and Renate Jakupca of the International Center for Environmental Arts (ICEA) were understandably relieved at the updated bill.
"This gives an insight into their thinking, I believe this is a political give-and-take situation where the lawmakers are using this to validate their 'essentials only' stance and does not necessarily mean that they would cut off all funding to the arts in the future. It is surely tunnel vision and does not recognize the value of the arts in the rehabilitation of the American way of life. Where did all those beautiful historic buildings that we work to preserve have their origins if not in government spending?" argued Ann Hansen and Jim Kern, executive directors for the Benicia Historical and Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum.
Kern said he received an "emergency e-mail" last week from various museum associations.
"There was a very brief window of opportunity for museums to contact their senators and urge them to oppose the amendment," Kern said.
Apparently, it worked.
"Museum supports should be very please that we were able to mobilize a massive field-wide effort to prevent a funding ban," said Ford Bell, president of the American Association of Museums.
"I have no idea yet how much money might be available to museums or what mechanism will be in place to get it out where it will do the most good," said Kern, believing it's a wise decision to assist museums.
"Museums employ more than a quarter-million Americans, spend an estimated $14.5 billion annually, and rank among the top three family vacation destinations," Kern said. "The Vallejo museum alone brought almost 10,000 into downtown Vallejo last year."
The nonprofit sector, Kern noted, "has a proven track record of providing quality services on a limited budget. We know how to get the most 'bang for the buck' when government funds are made available to help us. We also believe in accountability and can show, to the penny, where every last cent of this stimulus money would be spent. That's probably a lot more than can be said for some of the large financial institutions that received billions of dollars with little or no oversight."
Stacey Loew, the Mira Theatre Guild's president and performer, couldn't understand why arts organizations wouldn't be financially bolstered.
"Perhaps it is not thought important to some, but now, more than ever, diversions from the harsh realities of life are greatly needed," Loew said. "I have been witnessing lately far too many theater companies falling by the wayside."
"At a time when people are jobless and the whole economy is hurting, they cannot realize that we are the very sources to which people look for their relaxation and entertainment," Hansen said. "I believe it is a time when we who are in a community role must step up to the plate and provide for the citizens' needs. We are not cutting back on activities. We are increasing them."
Monica Tipton, a Mira board member, believes "the political effort to not have 'fluff' benefit from taxpayer dollars is a result of the Bush Administration and the NCLB (No Child Left Behind), "which have completely negated and devalued the arts in particular, especially in relationship to education."
While she's hopeful the new bill provides some light at the end of the fiscal tunnel, "the grant process will be very competitive," Tipton said.
The arts "are not a luxury, but a necessity that other civilized countries around the world support," said Tim Zumwalt, publicist for the Vallejo Symphony.
During the Great Depression, "a lot of federal money went to the arts -- murals in San Francisco, writers, theater companies, et al" -- said Zumwalt, relaying that maestro David Ramadanoff "keeps saying that in bad times, people need the arts to heal and press on."
Dyanne Vojvoda of the Benicia Old Town Theatre Group said it "is not surprising that the cultural scene is facing economic crisis, our communities are fearing losses of jobs, homes, and a sense of well-being. Though the arts can provide us with great pleasure in sad times, the news of no additional money spent on the arts is not shocking. Thank goodness that, as personal resources permit, thousands of people still find that attending live performances and art galleries are necessary and empowering."
Harry Diavatis, veteran local actor and director, supports the first Economic Recovery Bill.
"The term 'the arts' is so generalized as to almost be vague," he said. "It encompasses every aspect of not for profit groups from regional theater, opera, ballet, symphony orchestras, museums and other art organizations. In the theatre world, that range is as varied as the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco to Vallejo Music Theatre and the Mira Theatre Guild.
Diavatis said, "is that during these hard economic times, all Americans including not for profit arts groups need to tighten their belt and find ways to cut costs while trying to attract more patrons. The Arts, in and of themselves, do not need glitzy palaces such as the Empress Theatre to survive. Not funding the arts will not mean their demise, it just means that they will go through a tough period of adjustment as most other American enterprises are currently suffering through."
The bottom line the Jakupca's said, "is that in depressed area's like Cleveland, stimulus funding for projects using ICEALity causes Positive Cultural Balancing: The essence for “calming” and harmonising the natural energy. It deals with the energetic legacy of discord and strife that has occurred in the past, which has left an negeative energetic imprint. ICEAlity balances and releases this “battle energy”, bringing a positive sense of peace and harmony to the afflicted neighborhood.

Artist calls on Environmental Arts and Culture Sector to Lead Economic Recovery

2009-02-11T07:26:00.000-08:00

ARK in BEREA: The International Center for Environmental Arts (ICEA) enjoyed record-breaking critical success in 2008 as its ICEAlity projects become part of Ohioans every day life. The environmental arts and cultural sector combined with the tourism industry can take the lead in Berea's economic recovery, American Cultural Ambassador David Jakupca insisted.
“With our great cultural heritage, new historic monuments, ability to project culture that's based on ICEAlity, sporting facilities and functions, willingness to be creative and innovative…we have this huge opportunity for the future,” enthused the Cultural Ambassador.
“This is a great industry, millions of jobs depend on it worldwide and it can create a good amount of wealth here for our city. I believe it can be even greater in the future.”

The WCPM Project is welcomed news:
"Gov. Strickland's government’s recognition that culture when used with ICEAlity, is part of the answer to tough economic times is right and very reassuring,” conceded Cultural Ambassador Renate Jakupca. "Berea's WCPM Peace Stone Sculptures in cities across the state play a vital role in communities they are situated".
These historic Peace Stones, their respective collections, and the valuable services they offer to our youth are key to the economic tourism sector but also play an important part of everyone’s daily lives.
“They help bridge the social divide and, particularly in times of recession, are places that offer a sense of well-being - enriching people’s lives, informing, educating and helping people acquire a positive outlook in the youth that will be our Future”
“Regeneration of urban cityscape's, led by ICEAlity and WCPM cultural projects can be the most successful and durable – unlocking investment and stimulating a new creative economy,” Renate said. “This is why it is important to sustain an investment in ICEA.”

About WCPM: Designed at the ARK in Berea as a project of the International Center for Environmental Arts (ICEA) and built at Coe Lake Park in Berea, Ohio. the Worlds Children Peace Monument (WCPM), utilizing the principles of ICEAlity, will become the largest art work dedicated to a sustainable Culture of Peace as Peace Stones are added annually to cities around the World.
The WCPM was officially inaugurated in 2003 at the 3rd World Peace Conference held in Verbania, Italy by American Cultural Ambassadors David and Renate Jakupca, where they received an Italian Medal of Arts.They were also recognized by the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland and in 2006 appointed Universal Peace Ambassadors.The WCPM is organized in support of the UN Decade of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World and the UN Millennium Development Goals.
The Ohio State Department of Tourism under Governor Ted Strickland has listed the Worlds Children Peace Monument as an Official State of Ohio Attraction.
For more information on the project or to have a WCPM Peace Stone in your city visit our website at: http://www.wcpm.info

1987 to 2007- Twenty Years of Community Service
"ICEALITY - assisting in the understanding of the relationship between Humans and their Environment through the Arts to promote a sustainable Culture of Peace"
International Center for Environmental Arts (ICEA)
P. O. Box 81496 Cleveland, Ohio 44181 USA
Phone/fax: 440-891-8376Email:
ICEA2000@sbcglobal.net
www.TheICEA.Org
www.wcpm.info
www.myspace.com/jakupca

Pres. Obama may add more Cultural Ambassadors

2009-02-11T07:08:00.000-08:00

ARK in Berea News and Politics:
A collaborative style is one of the most dramatic changes President Barack Obama has brought to Washington — and it is one that artists here and throughout the country can relate to."That tone he sets of reaching out, of listening, of welcoming diverse ideas — it feels very familiar because artists are collaborators. You make music in an orchestra by being in tune with a lot of other people," said Marc J. Vogl, of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation in Menlo Park and a member of the Obama Arts Policy Committee during the campaign.

Still, there are good signs. Obama, a best-selling author and admirer of poetry, J.S. Bach and Stevie Wonder, has expressed a desire to deepen the federal commitment to arts education and to create an Artist Corps patterned after the Peace Corps, sending artists into low-income schools and communities. Some even predict Obama could establish a Cabinet-level Secretary of the Arts, an idea advanced by Quincy Jones, who has posted an online petition.
The needs are urgent, but there's a "fairly narrow window right now to capture this moment where the new administration in America is focused on public service and the importance of the arts," said Kiff Gallagher, a singer-songwriter and former Clinton administration officer who has established MusicianCorps, a service organization in the Bay Area to bring musicians into schools and after-school programs.
In its $820 billion economic stimulus package, the House of Representatives included $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts to funnel to arts groups to create and save jobs. The Senate over the weekend was hammering out its own version of the economic plan.
Though $50 million is less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the House funding package, national arts leaders say what's significant is that they are being invited to the table — like banking and auto industry leaders — by an administration seeking a new path. As Lisa Mallette, executive artistic director of the scrappy little City Lights Theater Company in downtown San Jose, put it, "There's no way to go but up."
Obama's decision to have an arts policy committee working for a year to develop recommendations during his campaign was unprecedented. Within days of his election, the administration appointed former NEA Chairman Bill Ivey to lead the arts and humanities transition team. Ivey recently convened a meeting of about 20 national arts groups — representing museums, dancers, chamber and orchestral musicians, Latino arts groups and more.
He sees the arts as part of the nation's economic engine — able to deliver jobs, and quite a few. The 100,000 nonprofit arts groups in the United States directly support 1.3 million jobs, said Robert Lynch, president and chief executive officer of the national lobbying group Americans for the Arts. Those numbers may be too big to ignore, and arts groups hope they will translate into greater clout. Ivey believes the administration is "seriously considering" a new position in the West Wing for a senior official with an arts-and-culture portfolio in the President's Domestic Policy Council. That official could have the president's ear and begin to connect the dots between federal arts agencies and programs.
Now, arts groups wait to see if Obama will adopt any of the recommendations made by the Obama Arts Policy Committee during the campaign, such as creating new tax incentives for nonprofit arts groups, and exercising the nation's "soft power" by sending artists around the world to reinvigorate cultural diplomacy.
In 1997 David and Renate Jakupca from the International Center for Environmental Arts (ICEA) were appointed American Cultural Ambassadors to EXPO 2000, the Worlds Fair held in Hanover, Germany. The US Network for EXPO2000 will be celebrating its 10 years of innovation, ingenuity and iceality at the opening of the Expo 2010 held in Shanghai, China.

1987 to 2007- Twenty Years of Community Service

"ICEALITY - assisting in the understanding of the relationship between Humans and their Environment through the Arts to promote a sustainable Culture of Peace"
International Center for Environmental Arts (ICEA)

P. O. Box 81496Cleveland, Ohio

44181 USA

Phone/fax: 440-891-8376

www.TheICEA.Org

GRINDSTONE Magazine Cover Mirrors BereaBuzz Cover Artwork

2009-02-11T06:55:00.000-08:00

GRINDSTONE Magazine Cover Mirrors BereaBuzz Cover Artwork

ARK in BEREA: The Berea Chamber of Commerce have chosen a design by Cleveland artist Hector Vega for the cover of their GRINDSTONE Magazine.
But acclaimed Berea Environmental Artists David Jakupca, used the same basic image called "BEREA BUZZ" in collaboration with fellow photgrapher Denise Andrews for the copyrighted cover photo of the BereaBuzz.com community website.
Mr Jakupca said: "OK, you are required to do some research before you release a Magazine cover". The GRINDSTONE Cover is nearly an exact duplicate of Denise Andrews and my collaboration, which came out a couple of years ago.
"Both covers feature a collage of Berea landmarks. The exception is the Vega's omits in his cover the famous Worlds Childrens Peace Monument (WCPM). "BEREA BUZZ" was created directly in conjunction with the WCPM and its connection to ICEAlity to the International Art Scene, so before people run off about how cool the new Vegas cover is, show them the complete yours/ours "BEREA BUZZ" art work from Berea first."
"Naturally, when something we have slaved over and invested time and resourses (in Berea), fought for recognition over (in Berea), is so easily undone by jobbing out commercially, we feel a bit exploited. And if imitation is the highest form of flattery it is also the cheapest, but we are going to be the bigger man and just say we are proud as an American Cultural Ambassador to inspire other artists with My Original Work".

This claim comes just days after the Associated Press has determined that a image used in the Obama 'Hope' poster that was used everywhere during last year's presidential campaign by Shepard Fairey , is actually an AP photo and that its use required permission.

Related news is that the Irish band U2 was found copying the photo of their newly released No Line on the Horizon Album from Taylor Deupree, a musician from New York, who used the same image for his 2006 CD Specification Fifteen.

For more information on artist rights pertaining to business poaching and the Foundation Syndicate operations in North East Ohio click on: INTERNECINE MATRIX

Yard Work and the ARK in Berea - ICEAlity as viewed from Heaven.

2008-11-24T15:46:00.000-08:00

ICEAlity as viewed from Heaven - Yard Work and the ARK in Berea, a project of the International Center For Environmental Arts (ICEA).

(Rich L. overheard this in a conversation between God and St. Francis)

God: Francis, you know all about gardens and nature; what in the world is going on down there in the U.S.? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistles and the stuff I started eons ago?I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought, and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honeybees, and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of color by now. All I see are patches of green.

St. Francis: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. They are called the Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers "weeds" and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.

God: Grass? But it is so boring, it's not colorful. It doesn't attract butterflies, bees or birds, only grubs and sod worms. It's temperamental with temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want grass growing there?

St. Francis: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it has grown a little, they cut it....sometimes two times a week.

God: They cut it? Do they bale it like hay?

St. Francis: Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.

God: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?

St. Francis: No sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.

God: Now let me get this straight...they fertilize it to make it grow and when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?

St. Francis: Yes, sir.

God: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.

St. Francis: You aren't going to believe this Lord, but when the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.

God: What nonsense! At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep the moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves become compost to enhance the soil. It's a natural circle of life.

St. Francis: You'd better sit down, Lord. As soon as the leaves fall, the Suburbanites rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.

God: No way! What do they do to protect the shrubs and tree roots in the winter to keep the soil moist and loose?

St Francis: After throwing the leaves away, they go out and buy something called mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.

God: And where do they get this mulch?

St. Francis: They cut down the trees and grind them up to make mulch.

God: Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore. Saint Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight?

St. Catherine: "Dumb and Dumber," Lord. It's a really stupid movie about....

God: Never mind--I think I just heard the whole story from Saint Francis!

Fourth of July Peace Message from the ARK in Berea.

2008-07-05T06:50:00.000-07:00

Peace Message on the 4th of July from the ARK in Berea

ARK in Berea News- Two hundred thirty two years ago, 55 men from 13 Colonies signed our "Declaration of Independence" and so began our United States of America. We consider the 4th of July to be one of the most meaningful and significant of American holidays because it celebrates the fundamental principles upon which our nation was founded.
The Declaration begins with the explanation that "When in the Course of human Events...", it becomes necessary for people to separate themselves from despots and declare their independence and freedom, it is necessary to set forth the reasons why they are compelled to take such action. "We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." Those immortal words begin the second paragraph of the Declaration. Equality, Unalienable Rights such as Life , Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness thus became our nation's raison d'etre.
The signers set forth, in 27 separate paragraphs, a long list of grievances against the King of England. Included in the indictment are: obstruction of the Administration of Justice, quartering of armed troops in the colonies without consent, imposing taxes without consent, exciting domestic insurrection and waging war against the colonies.
Reasoning that " in every stage of these Oppressions we have Petitioned for Redress" but to no avail the signers believed they had no choice. As they so eloquently stated: " We, therefore, the Representatives of the United Staes of America, in General Congress, Assembled, ... do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good people of these Colonies, solemnly Publish and Declare, that these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be, free and independant States ; that they are absolved from all Allegiances to the British Crown, and that all political Connection between them and the State of Great-Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independant States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and do all other Acts and Things which independant States may of right do."
On July 4,1776, 232 years ago, the United States of America was born.
On September 17, 1787 our Constitution was approved by a Constitutional Congress made up of representatives of the 13 original colonies of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Four years later, on December 15, 1791, our Bill of Rights –the first ten amendments –became part of the Constitution.
Today, as we approach our 232nd birthday, it is important for all Americans to reflect on our heritage and to appreciate our constitutional system. Although they have some serious flaws, these documents collectively set forth wonderful and fundamental principles and values that our nation needs to adhere to more consistently. Our late mentor, Ione Biggs, a superb civil rights advocate from Cleveland, and a great American always said that if we only adhered to the principles and values in our constitutional system, our nation would be much better. She believed that no matter what problems arose, these American guidelines provided the way for resolving them as a nation. Ione was correct.
This 4th of July, we along with other family's from other civic minded groups will come together and celebrate our American treasures. The celebration will be sponsored by the International Center for Environmental Arts and held at the Worlds Children Peace Monument (WCPM) in Coe Lake Park during the Berea Grindstone Festival, at noon.
I invite you to join us and to share in this wonderful peace experience.
The 4th of July, Grindstone Festival, people celebrating the principles central to free speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, equal protection under the law, due process of the law and other milestones of American values–it will make you feel good. It is a message Americans need to absorb.
Have a Safe and Happy 4th of July.
Peace Friends on Independence Day.
American Cultural Ambassadors,
David & Renate Jakupca

ICEALITY For the Kidz: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/july4/

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2008-03-02T14:15:00.000-08:00

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