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Historically Speaking –

Tuesday, June 1st, 2021

We need to become more knowledgeable about history. What is happening today will make a lot of sense if you know your personal history – the history of your country – the history of your family, etc.

Let’s take a look at what is happening in Texas and put it in a historical context:

What is the history that seems to almost shout at us to – PAY ATTENTION. This is not new what is happening in the Texas Legislature and other places. For example take a look at one of the roles Texas played during the war against Nazi Germany.

Nazi Prisoners of War were held in prison camps in Texas. One reason was because so many Texans spoke German. Their state was settled by Germans.

One result of that, especially because there were many Texans who were “soft” on the Nazi’s – was the fact that on Sundays, some Texas families would go to the prison camps, get a Nazi prisoner out for the afternoon and take them to dinner at a local restaurant.

In those same areas, African American soldiers – either on leave, or home, or passing through to their next assignment – needed to eat. Almost all of the restaurants in Texas were segregated and refused to serve African Americans and other minorities. If they stopped at those same restaurants where Nazi prisoners of war were treated to Sunday dinner by some Texans, those African American soldiers would not be allowed into the restaurant. They would be served the same meals, at the same cost, but they would have to go around to the back door where the trash and other undesirables were kept and that is where they would have to eat their meal.

In that historical context, does what is happening today in Texas and in the Texas Legislature as it attempts to change our democracy into a more controlled, fascist one make any more sense to you? That attempt does not come ‘out of the blue’. IT HAS A HISTORICAL CONTEXT.

A Reader’s Request Re: Rev. Dr. Robert Bennett

Thursday, April 1st, 2021

“I tried to follow the blogs which talked about what happened to Rev. Bennett. I was a student of his and felt great pain reading that. A more gentle caring man you can not find so to read about how he was treated is just horrible.

I have a question, which may make me sound stupid, but could you summarize what happened for me – and maybe others out here feel the same – I had a very difficult time following what happened. Sometimes I got the ugliness of it, but couldn’t follow the story. I have no legal training or any kind of experience with anything legal so I got lost many times”

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Thank you for your concern and interest. When these kind of things happen, folks causing the problem hope most people will have your reaction, back away, forget what happened to another human being. This then allows the people who perpetrated this to move on to the next person. We hope you will continue to follow this. We have a long way to go before this is over and at the same time, there are others who need help for very similar reasons.

I can give you the beginnings of what we believe is a criminal conspiracy and which took away Robert’s freedoms on every level without his having a chance to know about and/or defend himself in violation of state law and probably many other laws.

As we have seen from others, what makes it difficult to follow this is the attorneys involved impound the documents so almost no one can see them. We think it is something called CYA for them. What took us a long time to understand this was the fact of the impoundment. The SCES attorneys asked that all the documents be impounded. Thank God, someone had access and put documents from the case through the mail slot at Robert’s home.

Several other people – all minorities – have come to us asking for help. The problem they were having – besides the ugly of what was done to them or their family – was trying to figure out what happened and why. We had the same problem, but after a bit of help this is what we found. It isn’t the whole story, just the beginning to give you some idea as to what we are up against. We discovered it is also a pattern which other such happenings follow almost to the “T” – as the old folks say.

On March 3, 2020 the Cambridge police rang Rev. Bennett’s door bell. Eight white policemen, five or six EMT’s, two ambulances and a hospital gurney were sitting outside.

The police said they came to get Robert Bennett because of a Court order to pick him up and take him – whether he wants to go or not – to Mount Auburn Hospital.

It was a shock and total disbelief for all in the house. None had ever experienced anything like this. Neighbors came from across the street to see if they could help.

We discovered there had been a Court Order. The police didn’t have a copy and didn’t intend to give Robert or anyone else a copy. Robert was supposed to just go with them without any proof of their right to be at his door demanding he would either go voluntarily or be dragged out.

After some back and forth with the police and all the people in the house, one of the policemen left and returned with a Court Order.

It was a Section 12, taken out by Dr. Rebecca Warner – a psychiatrist. We had never heard of her. Mount Auburn Hospital was the last place any of us would go because we don’t think much of the place. After this, we think it should be one of the hospitals closed. There is no excuse for a hospital not knowing this kind of thing is going on within its buildings.

This “Court Order” said Dr. Warner had never met Robert, never examined him, never been to his house, but she signed this order anyway and added that the house she had never seen was “unsafe.”

This Section 12 is the kind of order taken out to force people into the hospital who are causing trouble publicly and from drug overdoses, alcoholic episodes in public, etc. None of that described Robert on any level – and he was just home from MGH where he had what appeared to be successful brain surgery. Before he was discharged from MGH for brain surgery he was taking care of himself, walking, talking and in good shape. We were all concerned before the surgery, but after we were relieved until the police started appearing.

Having just left MGH why was Mount Auburn Hospital people trying to shove Rev. Dr. Robert Bennett into their psych ward – and without any reason.

If you know Marceline, Robert’s wife, I am sure you know she went ballistic. Robert went instead to MGH. Marceline insisted and that was the only concession the police would make.

Robert was examined by a psychiatrist at MGH who said there was no reason for him to be there, no reason for them to keep him and several people were amazed to see us in an “emergency room” for people having had psychiatric breaks, other mental emergency problems or substance abuse problems.

Marceline and a neighbor stayed the entire time with Robert refusing to leave him alone.

After his exam by a psychiatrist, which is required under a Section 12, the Section 12 was lifted and Robert went home. That was about 3:30am. From mid-day on the 3rd of March until 3:30am on March 4th.

It took that long because there was a long line of people waiting to be seen by the psychiatrists.

Robert was sent home with all vitals normal including blood pressure. No medicines prescribed, etc.

That charade was thanks to Somerville Cambridge Elder and Protective Services. This is a group we are discovering is totally out of control and Protective Services – which serves the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has caused significant and horrible hurt to many people – mostly elderly and mostly all minorities. After their encounter with this group they are decidedly less-well off – their assets, including their insurance has been practically drained. I would classify this as medicare fraud – using medicare to perpetuate what looks like a criminal conspiracy.

On March 6th, the police were back. This time only two police, one ambulance, a couple EMT’s and for the same reason – to take Robert to MGH because the Court ordered such claiming he was in grave danger living with a wife who substantially abused him – physically, mentally, health wise by refusing him medicines prescribed for him and more. The Court Order granted to Somerville Cambridge Elder and Protective Services a Protective Order which had nothing to do with Robert. It read as though it was taken from fiction. The Court also ordered an Independent Psychiatric Exam. The fact that Rev. Bennett had one just two days earlier was not told to the Court. That was March 6th. This Independent Exam was not done for another 10 days after Robert was forced back into the hospital and not until 10 days after he was given a slew of drugs which could have destroyed the success of his brain surgery especially since many were blood thinners or acted by thinning the blood. Who did that “Independent Exam”, Dr. Rebecca Warner, the psychiatrist who signed off on the Section 12 which first allowed the police into Rev. Bennetts life in such a negative way. She signed off on something that serious on a man she didn’t know, never met, never examined. etc.

One thing struck us hard. While these Court hearings were going on with the attorneys explaining to the judge why Robert was indigent and could not be present because he wasn’t physically able to be there – too old and too sick – where was Robert Bennett? He was in a store in Harvard Square he and his wife had walked to from their home to get out for sunshine and to get what happened the day before out of their minds. They met friends, laughed and talked, sat by the river in the sun and then walked home.

We do have proof of that from people who saw them over that day and time gave us statements.

That is quite a contrast to what the SCES, their attorney and the Court Appointed Attorney were trying to picture so they could get from the Court what they wanted and needed for what we believe is a conspiracy to “incapacitate” Rev. Bennett, drain his assets by shoving him into a nursing home, keeping him restrained so he stays “incapacitated”, etc.

This Court Order went on to say Robert had no one else to care for him; he had no place else to go; he was indigent and needed state appointed lawyers; but mostly needed to be immediately extracted from his home, wife and family because of imminent danger to his health that staying in that home would cause. At the time Robert’s adult children were at Robert’s home. That information was kept from the Court.

The police knew Robert Bennett was not alone because as soon as they arrived neighbors started to arrive at the house to see what was wrong and how they could help.

How did it come to that point?

  1. Protective Services went to Court and claimed in Court under oath that Robert was indigent. Step one of the pattern for Protective Services and others to gain control over Robert
  2. The attorney appointed by the Court without Robert or his family’s knowledge or consent was being paid for by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts because SCES claimed Robert was indigent. Step two of the pattern. That gave them control over everything and they clearly abused that control.
  3. That Court appointed attorney submitted a motion to the court which claimed it was from Robert Bennett and in that motion he was swearing that he was indigent and needed State money for an attorney to help him. They also had this fictional Robert swearing to the fact that his wife abused him.
  4. The motion – also claiming at the end to be “Respectfully submitted by Robert Bennett”, in fact was submitted by the Court appointed attorney who had never met Robert, never talked to him, etc. On the line where one would sign such a document, it was blank. Robert Bennett had not signed the document he knew nothing about. The attorney Cheri Myette signed under Robert Bennett’s name. Were they trying to get this through by convincing the Court that Robert Bennett couldn’t read, write, understand anything? That is how he was characterized throughout the Court hearing and the Judge, having much surfacing to cause questions, ignored it all and went with the Protective Services attorneys and the attorney Court appointed to represent Robert Bennett. Since when in this country can a Court appoint an attorney to represent someone who can speak, sign, etc. for themselves and that attorney can run around claiming to represent a person with whom they have no contact.
  5. Neither Somerville Cambridge Elder and Protective Services nor Robert’s Court appointed attorney told the Court they had used the police to extract Robert from his home on March 3rd. They did not tell the Court their effort to take Robert out of his home for Mental Health reasons failed. They claimed then Robert was the problem and he needed psychiatric help. Since that didn’t work for them they decided to slander Robert’s wife and claim she was the reason they had to extract Robert from his home twice within as many days.
  6. Neither Somerville Cambridge Elder and Protective Services nor Robert’s Court appointed attorney told the Court they had been in Court for an emergency motion ex parte on March 5th and had been turned down by the judge who said the other party had to be notified.
  7. Both Somerville Cambridge Elder and Protective Services kept from the Court the fact that they had not notified Robert of the hearing, nor allowed him to be represented by his own attorneys, etc.
  8. They had two hearings with Judge Langlois who turned them down and refused to give them a Protective Order so they found a judge who would work with them to Robert’s detriment.
  9. On March 5th the judge Langlois appointed an attorney for Robert Bennett. Not a particular attorney, but one goes to the state agency that provides such and funds such to get an attorney.
  10. CSCP, The agency that takes money from the state to fund such attorney requests claims that when such happens in the Court they make the next attorney on the list available. When we called to ask about the process we were told that rule was inviolable. They never jump the list. Whoever is next on the list is who serves as the persons attorney. That turned out to be a pile of crap.
  11. On March 5th SCES by-passed protocol and procedures and CSCP and directly contacted Cheri Myette and asked if she would serve as Robert’s attorney. She agreed. So the list was jumped.
  12. On March 5th she submitted her motion to the Court claiming to represent Robert Bennett without contacting Robert Bennett. The judges specifically said Robert Bennett should be contacted to have knowledge of these events. That meant nothing. He was not contacted. He couldn’t be for this conspiracy to work. They appeared and spoke for him in his name and more.
  13. On March 5th there was a hearing during which Robert Bennett was represented as not only being “indigent”, but also not in Court because he was too ill and out of it to be present. The Court appointed attorney for Robert declared to the Court that she had notified him she was his attorney and appeared in Court on his behalf because he was unable to function physically or otherwise. She also filed a motion, heard on March 6th, asking the Court to approve $2,000 for an “Independent Psychiatric Exam” because Robert was indigent and couldn’t afford to pay for one. Again Rev. Bennett’s signature is not on that motion.
  14. As we outlined above, Rev. Bennett, at the same time they were in Court representing him as unable to function, physically or otherwise, he was in Harvard Square with his wife enjoying the day laughing and talking with friends.
  15. The Court gave its permission to forcibly remove Robert Bennett from his home and on March 6th that happened and Robert was kept out of his home for five weeks while his wife hired attorneys and fought what happened to Rev. Bennett. They are still fighting those battles, but at least this time they are fighting it together.
  16. She hired two law firms – one to represent Rev. Bennett and one to represent her. This was done just days after Rev. Bennett was shoved into MGH by the police. SCES claimed Robert was indigent and could not afford to hire lawyers. Isn’t that lying to take State money to pay for an attorney when it is actually to promote and move what we believe is the criminal conspiracy down the road? Aren’t there state penalties for such? Since the state knows about this and has chosen to ignore it – what does that say about Massachusetts and how it treats African Americans, especially the elderly?
  17. The two law firms wound up representing Marceline because they could not represent Robert Bennett. The Court appointed attorney who Robert Bennett did not want and who he never met or talked to even through to the end of this action – stayed. And what is it called to take state money for an Independent Psychiatric Exam just two days after an Independent Exam by reputable people in a reputable institution had already been done? And to have the “Independent Examiner” – Dr. Rebecca Warner – be the person who started this in the first place. And to use that money and the state to perpetrate and move forward what we think has all the signs of a criminal conspiracy. The role state money plays in this is crucial. How it is used to create this travesty through the Court system is horrendous and has been going on for quite some time.
  18. Robert Bennett was forced into MGH against his will; without having had a hearing of which he was notified. He was not allowed to be represented by his own attorneys. He was not even allowed to know there was a hearing going on whose purpose it was to take away his freedom, destroy his health and drain his assets. The ultimate goal was to declare him under the guardianship of the Jewish Agency for Family and Children in which the attorney representing SCES has a major interest. To do that, Robert needed to be declared indigent, ‘incapacitated’, needing care with no one to care for him. They had a way to accomplish that – slick.
  19. SCES carried on this charade of lies before the Court pretending that Robert Bennett had been notified so they could maintain that the ex parte hearing held to get the police to take Robert out of his home was actually a hearing of which Rev. Bennett knew about, agreed to and provided information for the motion Attorney Myette produced within a short time of having been appointed his attorney by SCES after the Court authorized a Court Appointed attorney for a so-called indigent person.
  20. None of these folks were interested in the welfare of Rev. Bennett. Their interests, which unveiled as this went on, were about their careers, their program, the program they were trying to get established in Mount Auburn Hospital apparently using Robert Bennett’s life to help their career and program goals. How do we know this? To do something like this – it is the end of a process where the agency has been involved with the family, etc. SCES did this without ever having met Rev. Bennett; knowing nothing about his family – his history – his home – not even knowing if he had any history of mental illness or anything close. They just pushed into this family and used the Court and the Police to take it over. Whatever human pain and suffering they caused was really not their concern.
  21. While in MGH Rev. Bennett was forced daily to take anti-psychotics, blood thinners (after brain surgery), high blood pressure pills when his blood pressure was normal, hallucinatory drugs, and about 8 to 10 other drugs for five weeks.
  22. Dr. Warner showed up, leaving Mount Auburn Hospital for MGH, after Rev. Bennett was forced onto this drug regimen for 10 days before her visit, to give him an “Independent Psychiatric Exam”.
  23. Rev. Bennett had already been given one at MGH during his first forced visit, but that didn’t matter to Dr. Warner. The state was charged $2,000 which was paid to Dr. Warner for this visit. This visit happened 10 days after Rev. Bennett was shoved into MGH against his will and 10 days after he was started on these medications. If you want a diagnosis of “incapacitated” this is some of what you have to do to get it.
  24. She declared Rev. Bennett “incapacitated” and the description is horrifying – no ability to think for himself, etc. A description we have read which was given to others who were put through the same trauma. Some left the state because they were afraid of being picked up again for no reason and shoved into some other institution. Some died.
  25. Mount Auburn and MGH are not the only hospitals used as such.
  26. The people doing the using aren’t worried about money. They charge all of this to the insurance of the person they are trying to destroy.
  27. How else can you ‘incapacitate someone, especially someone over 80?Rev. Bennett was forced to stay in bed 24/7 in a very small space in the corner of a room with hospital equipment not being used, but stored in his small 7′ by 9’ space with no access to sun, windows, etc. no visitors allowed and no telephone calls allowed.
  28. He could move from his bed to the chair next to his bed but the space was so small the arm of the chair hit the bed on one side with the other arm hitting the wall.
  29. Both his bed and the chair were alarmed so if he moved or tried to get up out of either one, he would be heard and forced back into the bed. That went on for five weeks.
  30. The time over which that went on was COVID-19 time and MGH was closed because of that – and Robert Bennett was closed in with the virus running amuck when he did not have to be and should not have been so incarcerated against his will.
  31. His wife was not allowed to visit. She had to make an appointment – could only visit between 11am and 1:30pm – could only stay 30 minutes – and had to be accompanied by a policeman and hospital security during the entire visit. In actual fact, she was allowed to visit only three times over his stay because he was “busy”; they claimed he “had taken out a restraining order against her and he didn’t want to see her” – that wasn’t true; a Security Guard threatened to physically throw her out of the hospital if she didn’t leave because she wasn’t wanted there – in response to her trying to see her husband.
  32. When they were finally able to get Rev. Bennett released he was forced to be under the care of a Home Health Care Service to maintain the regimen of keeping him in bed on an alarm blanket; forcing him to take the medicines listed above; and much more.
  33. During the process of his release at home he was sexually abused by one of the women who visited – during the pandemic – from the Home Health Care Service, a service neither Robert nor his wife could choose, but was chosen for them by SCES. They had to allow the Home Health Care people into the house daily – more than one person a day during COVID-19 – they had to watch while Robert took the above medicines and a lot more.
  34. Those conditions were dictated by SCES.
  35. Much more happened, but that gives you an idea of what we have been up against. If you have questions, email.

We had no idea the elderly were being so badly treated. It is true in Massachusetts all over the state. It is also true across the country.

This starts by claiming a mental health issue. With that claim the police can be called and the service which takes over takes carte blanche over the patient. The Courts don’t seem interested which makes one wonder if they are also involved in this charade which from our view is a conspiracy. It has happened to more than one person and the people we know about are Jews, African Americans, immigrants, Latina’s and more.

The bigotry is stark. This leads to the assets of the elderly being drained so the next generation inherits nothing and their chances for success are seriously limited.

It is claimed this apparent conspiracy came from people who were concerned about the way immigrants came to this country and in short order took over. Dealing with the ‘undesirables’ to limit them and others like them from having any influence in this country, as the story goes, this criminal conspiracy was developed. It has received quick accceptance because the money and assets one can grift off of these situations is amazingly large.

When Rev. Bennett was finally released from Massachusetts General Hospital he looked as though he had just been released from a Concentration Camp and that is no exaggeration.

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An Offering for black history month from “American Diversity Report”

Thursday, February 11th, 2021

Guardianship is a Civil Rights issue and evil!

Wednesday, September 9th, 2020

As we have moved along trying to understand all that happened with Rev. Dr. Robert Bennett, whose life was almost destroyed by Somerville Cambridge Elder and Protective Services and its hangers on, we have come to realize that RACISM – SEXISM – ANTI-SEMITISM – and more are where the targets are aimed in this new area, discovered by those who are determined to keep bigotry as a part of this United States.

Slavery gave way to Jim Crowism. Jim Crowism gave way to Structural Racism. Structural Racism is giving way to a really vile kind of bigotry in the Health Industry where Guardianship is one of the star performers destined to keep slavery, jim crow and structural racism around for an eternity.

It is within the Health Industry where a person can be picked up by the police for no reason and have their lives ruined because of a number of reasons none related to your health. The kind of police power given to the health industry with no safe-guards is astounding. It is an area rife for the arrival and take-over of that industry and its institutions by a strong mafia.

The way there are no guard rails around Guardianship is unbelievable. The end of many minorities lives has been made a living hell by those who see themselves able to benefit financially from pushing into the lives of strangers and wrecking havoc for a few dollars.

Dr. Rebecca Warner needs to have her license to practice psychiatry seriously investigated and probably revoked.

With no prior psychiatric problems of any kind, Rev. Dr. Robert Bennett found himself in Mass General Hospital being given things like anti-psychotic medications, hallucinatory drugs and a whole lot more on a daily basis. This to a man with no psychiatric problems. The attempt to turn a fairly health man into an incapacitated sub-human was done exquisitely by Dr. Warner.

Remember – Rev. Dr. Bennett was not there for health reasons. The police went to his house and picked him up to incarcerate him in the hospital on a Section 12 – with no reason – except for the paper signed by Dr. Rebecca Warner who made the disclaimer with her signature that she did not know Robert Bennet, had never met him, never examined him, never been to his house and yet she signed for the police to pick him up and force him into the hospital to be psychiatrically examined because under the Section 12 she deemed him a threat to society and/or to himself.

He was supposed to be forced into Mount Auburn Hospital, which is apparently very amenable to and – on information and belief – have been practitioners of this ‘Guardianship Game” for quite some time. Instead, his wife insisted he go to MGH where the Section 12 was lifted because he should not have been so forced into a hospitable on such charges in the first place. So he was sent home.

Two days later the police arrived again at his house, this time to incarcerate him in MGH with the claim that his wife was “medically abusive” to him. This was introduced to the court without telling the court about the discharge of Rev. Dr. Bennett from the hospital just two days prior. This group of criminal conspirators were not to be rejected. They had a pattern to put in place and follow and nothing would deter them. Lying – cheating – trying to steal a man’s life for the financial or career gains that would accrue to them – fair game.

At MGH Dr. Rebecca Warner arrived and did what she was supposed to do at Mount Auburn Hospital, but didn’t have the chance because Dr. Bennett went to MGH and had been discharged with “no medicines prescribed” and all vitals in the normal range including blood pressure.

At Mount Auburn Hospital, they were waiting for the arrival of Dr. Bennett under the Section 12 to consign him to their psychiatric wing. There would be no examination, nothing just send him off. They would not have “lifted” the Section 12 at Mount Auburn Hospital because that was the start of the road to “incapacitating” Dr. Bennett. To drain his assets he had to be incapacitated, sent to a nursing home for the rest of his life as unable to be assisted to live any kind of life except tied to a bed. The court papers all say – not even with the help of all of the new technology

Unfortunately, he is not the only African American who has experienced what he has been forced through over the past several months. There have been many and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts needs to investigate what is going on with its Protective Services people.

Blacks, Jews, Latina’s have all been so incarcerated.

What had Dr. Bennett done wrong? He lived in the wrong neighborhood in the wrong house. A house that had been “red-lined” and we believe still is.

In addition, he and his wife and some in their circle of friends, consultants, business associates have been and still are very outspoken and have consistently and for months published how they see Donald Trump running these United States into the ground.

They have lived in the Harvard Square neighborhood for some 37 years and have had to fight, all of those years, some of their neighbors who wanted that African American couple gone. Interestingly enough, almost no African Americans have moved into their neighborhood in all of that time. When they see someone dark of color they discover they are Harvard related and live in Shaler Lane or in another house owned by Harvard, thus assuring the neighbors they will not be permanent neighbors and will not be involved in whatever decisions and community that happens.

Acceptable as a place to live in the Harvard Square area is on the other side of Harvard Square – Definitely not the Brattle Street side.

They put their house on the market for sale. When they decided against selling and took the house off the market, some folks in their neighborhood went crazy. Finally, they thought, their neighborhood was going to ‘lighten’. Instead the ‘darkness’ stayed.

That is only one reason and one example for Guardianship being a Civil Rights issue. There are many more and unfortunately this is becoming true across the country.

Blacks you cannot touch because they are not criminals, not accused criminally can be brought into the criminal justice system and can be picked up and forced out of their homes by the police with just the signature of a willing psychiatrist and Dr. Rebecca Warner turned out to be such a person for the Donaldson/Bennett’s.

Jews are also targeted in this Guardianship scheme – which we consider a criminal conspiracy. The anti-semitism around Jews has to do with the propaganda that Jews actually rule the world – have all the money – and are constantly grabbing for more. That negative stereotype goes on, but I am sure you are completely aware of it.

Immigrants, especially are becoming targets of these schemes to gain Guardianship over and then deplete and draw down the assets of minorities so their next generation does not have the “push” from being left assets to begin to move ‘Up” financially and otherwise in this society.

The hard work of that first generation of immigrants is well known as the way to the American Dream tor their children, grandchildren and more down the generations. Stop that – with the Guardianship conspiracy which has overtaken and felled many immigrant families.

Las Vegas, Nevada seems to be the headquarters for such evil. But it can be found in many states and spreading fast.

In Massachusetts, the Courts – which we believe is the headquarters these days for the Irish Mafia – has been developing a very sophisticated system to strip families of their future inheritance by incarcerating their parents using “Guardianship”.

MA. Health is a supporter of this scheme and they do a fantastic job of ripping assets from families – are they a health insurer or are they a very vicious bill collector. Whatever, their structure totally supports this Guardianship criminal conspiracy.

And what will the state do about that? DENY? Investigate itself and find itself clean and not involved?

Don’t be ignorant – Don’t go along to get along – know what is happening in your neighborhood and to those you know and love. Take action and demand that those being so discriminated against be listened to and made whole – one day, that could be you.

Bettina Network Lifestyle Members Comments

Tuesday, December 3rd, 2019

ONE MEMBERS COMMENTS:

So much talk about Attorney General Barr. It is clear we give credit to people who have foul ethics and carry them along making excuses for their failings. In the case of Barr it is crystal clear that his family is the reason Jeffrey Epstein was foisted on this society. Epstein was given his start by Barr, Sr. giving him a job teaching young children in an elegant private school where he was served a banquet he could drool over for months and it was a gift because Epstein was totally unqualified for the job. No degree, experience, etc. All the qualifications expected of someone in such a position were missing. So what did he have that qualified him in the eyes of the Barr family?

And now we are lamenting how surprised we are that Attorney General Barr is showing his ethical and moral lacking? Please! Don’t waste my time. I don’t use ugly language often, but this is scum. We talk about WT? Here you have a real WT family going down the generations to maintain their spot at the top of that group!

To be surprised we even have to overlook what Barr did his last times serving as Attorney General. The same thing he is doing now only since he was recently called into action by someone whose ethics are so much more foul than the ethics of those he served before he has to expose himself and move into uglier waters to get results. We are the ones who need to shape up and clean up this society’s ethics and morals.

SECOND MEMBERS COMMENTS:

Questions are periodically raised about the “Christians” who are acting as though their religion is expected to produce great people. We have had so called “Christians” worshipping who they call their god on Sundays and even as far back as slavery and before with the Native Americans, they have been killing, maiming, hanging, oppressing, mutilating and totally destroying the lives of generations of Africans and others. Now we are destroying immigrant children’s lives and futures – that destruction is including murder.

I am just recently “Woke” and realize how much I benefitted from watching and doing nothing. I maintained a sense of myself as “better than” those designated as “less than” and I also had the greatness of designating myself as “much much better than” those doing the dirty work which allowed me to maintain myself above everybody else in this society.

It is an embarrassment and disgrace to have to make such an admission. As a member of Bettina’s I can do this without my name appearing. That is an act of cowardice, however, I am not quite ready to come out publicly. And when and if I do many others will have to come out with me.

THIRD MEMBER COMMENTS:

The presidential primary with Pete Buttigeig involved shows clearly what is happening within the Democrat Party. It has always been a party which recruits from movements. I have seen your comments on this blog about such. It recruited from the KKK in the early and into the mid-1900’s and was quite successful at that. They were involved in the ugliness of those White Nationalist groups.

That began to change in the 1950’s and 1960’s as it became clear that the movements of the day were diametrically opposed to what the Democrat Party was about. As the Black Civil Rights Movement and the Feminist Movement became stronger, it was clear the makeup of the Democrat Party would change and it did. It started recruiting from those movements and backing the people therein and became the party of the civil rights movements which is where it is today.

And now we have another change as the Gay Movement becomes stronger the Democrat Party can’t resist now recruiting in that movement and moving their goals into the Party. So the candidacy of Buttigeig and its success.

It is tragic that the first primary is Iowa – a very white state. Followed by New Hampshire – another very white state. If the Democrat Party is serious about its recruitment and those from whom it is recruiting members – it needs to be flexible with the order of its primaries and start someplace other than what has been their overall sequence. Through the order of their primaries across the country, that seems to be a throwback to their recruitment within the White Nationalist Group. The KKK and others still have an edge when it comes to the Democrat Presidential Primaries. They can’t make major changes, but they can keep their toe in the water through the primary ordering of which states go first and which down the road.

To show clearly and give voice to those being recruited into the Democrat Party they need to clear out the negativity of those they just stopped recruiting.

What a mess. We need a third Party soonest. So far, that has not been possible, the Republicans and Democrats come together on that point and seem to do everything they can to prevent such. It is time for that to stop and for all to see the advantage to this republic of the need to move from a republic to a democracy and that will only happen with the advent of a successful third Party.

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What follows are some of the ways you can support our work:

Learn More About How We Use Your Donation!

Project 1 – Estate Sales after the Sale!*

*This contribution is to the Bettina Network Foundation, inc which is a 501(c)3 organization and tax deductible.

Project 2 – #WellsFargoBoycott*

This contribution is to the Bettina Network Foundation, inc. which is a 501(c)3 organization and tax deductible.

Project 3 – Growing Bettina Network’s Blog

into a major media outlet bringing to the public news, recipes, thoughts, reviews of businesses, etc. from the perspective of those who belong to Bettina Network’s Lifestyle Community. 

Project 4 – Boycott the Twenty Dollar ($20) bill

You can send a check to Bettina Network, inc. P. O. Box 380585 Cambridge, MA. 02238 to support this blog! Please make your check out to “Bettina Network, inc.” since the blog income is not the foundation income.

If you prefer your gift go to the Foundation, make your check payable to Bettina Network Foundation, inc. The money we receive for the Foundation currently is going to support the Wells Fargo Boycott. 

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Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Ed. Note: Members of the Bettina Network Lifestyle Community can contribute to the Bettina Network Blog whenever they have anything they want to say and be heard by this fantastic group of people. Send your blog to bettinanetwork@comcast.net or mail it to us at P. O. Box 380585 Cambridge, MA. 02238 or call us on the telephone at 617-497-9166 to tell us what you want to say and we will write it for you.

Volunteer with Bettina Network Foundation, inc. to work estate sales; to help move items from one home to another; to contribute your ideas on how we can better use our resources in this effort to relieve and eliminate homelessness and poverty. We also need photographers; designers; and more. However much or little time you have, we are grateful.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

This is a curated blog so you cannot write your responses at the end of each entry. TO RESPOND TO THIS BLOG email bettina-network@comcast.net 




U. S. President is Trump or Pence-Koch?

Tuesday, July 25th, 2017

We had an interesting breakfast – one of many, but this one stood out given the current political climate so I am sending you this blog with a bit of a summary.  The talk was mostly about untangling the politics currently on view.  Things are never what they seem on the surface so what is percolating in the background!!??

A couple people agreed with Trump about the press.  Not for the same reasons, nor did they call it or even consider the current reporting “Fake News”.  They called it “Fall in Line behind the Leader News.”  Basically, their impression of the press was that many reporters follow the lead of what is currently being reported by a few strong people and to go out on their own, especially if that differs from the current headlines,  is not what many are able to do.

That’s a shame because that kind of independence is what is needed of a journalist and they should be ready to put down their jobs if they can’t report what they find – or if it is because of a lazy mind, they need another profession.  None require the kind of sharpness of mind; independence of spirit; insatiable curiosity; need to find the truth- that is required of the press.  It is a vocation rather than a job. At least those are my thoughts about it.

The rest of the conversation was around the question as to why with all that is coming out about the Trump Administration there is almost no talk about Pence.  He is carefully being guarded in the background so he can come out as new, untainted, etc.?

What one person wanted to know was if the President of the United States – not the one with the title, but the one calling the shots – was actually Trump or Pence?  This group felt it was Pence who was channeling the wishes of the Koch Brothers and Trump, until now was falling into line and following those wishes also.  Although they saw signs of his beginning to wake up to understand the game.  The game that was about Pence for Vice President because he would never be elected president and then for Pence to move into the presidency after Trump was destroyed and pushed out.

I hadn’t heard that before and it was a bit hard to understand, but as the history came out with the claim that Pence actually was the one who brought Trump to the Koch brothers (or maybe it was the Koch brothers who brought Pence to Trump with the promise of money and their backing) things began to make a bit of sense.

What also clicked for me was the discussion about the upheaval in this current administration.  Starting almost from the beginning the question was asked if the Koch brothers and their minions were active in causing all of this current upheaval so their man could get in early and start working for them in earnest?  A wild conspiracy theory, but a theory nevertheless which had some truth sounds in it for me.  And the next questions – did Trump pick up on this early on, saw how he was deceived and how he had been cuckolded and developed enormous anger at having been so deceived?  After all, that kind of thing was usually what Trump did to others, not what others did to Trump.  Nothing of this has even been hinted at by the media I am reading and listening to and maybe they should take a look.

Needless to say, it was lively with lots of laughter and conjectures that were over the top.  Hope we have another group like this for breakfast soon.  It certainly starts the adrenaline rushing around.  I got more done the rest of that day then I’ve gotten done in weeks.

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Everything talked about in this blog and in any other blog in the Bettina Network, inc. is the opinion of the person who wrote the blog and does not necessarily represent the opinions of Bettina Network, inc. It is the property of Bettina Network, inc. and/or the person who wrote the original blog.

Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Ed. Note: Members of the Bettina Network Lifestyle Community can contribute to the Bettina Network Blog whenever they have anything they want to say and be heard by this fantastic group of people. Send your blog to bettinanetwork@comcast.net or mail it to us at P. O. Box 380585 Cambridge, MA. 02238 or call us on the telephone at 617-497-9166 to tell us what you want to say and we will write it for you.

Volunteer with Bettina Network Foundation, inc. to work estate sales; to help move items from one home to another; to contribute your ideas on how we can better use our resources in this effort to relieve and eliminate homelessness and poverty. We also need photographers; designers; and more. However much or little time you have, we are grateful.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

 

Thank You for Your Support!

Monday, May 8th, 2017

A very big thank you

for all the support we received

as we went about managing

the Bettina Moving Sale

in Watertown, Massachusetts.

So many of you came out and looked and bought and ate cookies – horrible store-bought cookies made without the benefit of organic flour, organic cocoa, etc.  I warned them not to do that, but, next time we will do better!!

We had a few ‘newcomers’ to Bettina Network, inc’s sales, who felt being ugly was the way to go and to get the price and item they wanted, but they ran into our buzz saw called ‘Marceline’ and that was that.  To balance them off we made many new friends who we will look for at future sales.

You all met Frances, who was working her first Bettina Sale and who was a bit nervous at the beginning, but relaxed and by the end of the sale had joined in and did very well.  If you or someone you know would like to work the Bettina Sales, please call and let’s have a conversation.  Toll free at 1-800-347-9166 or 617 497 9166 or email us at bettina-network@comcast.net.

The children who came were the gems – the very young person who looked to be about 8 or 9 years old, and who was with her grandparents, very ably translating for them because they did not speak English.  She did not hesitate to correct Frances when she made a $2 mistake in our favor, making sure her grandparents’ money was correctly handled.  And then there was the pregnant mother with her baby in a sling over her shoulder – with such a presence that you knew the future was secure if there are many more young people building families like theirs. There were many realtors coming and going with their clients looking at the house.  We loved the fact that a couple of the realtors just couldn’t resist and put their business aside to participate in ours. The outstanding buyer was the family who purchased a piece of furniture and found a one ounce gold bar stuck in the back of one of the drawers and brought it to us.  Where else do you find that kind of honesty except at a Bettina Network Sale?

We are so grateful for your friendship, your business, your suggestions,  your warmth and love and look forward to seeing you next time at a Bettina Sale.

We added several new members to Bettina Network’s Lifestyle Community and hope you use your password and join in as we move to grow this organization.

Thank you seems so inadequate, but it is truly and seriously and deeply meant and felt.

From,

All of us at Bettina’s

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Everything talked about in this blog and in any other blog in the Bettina Network, inc. is the opinion of the person who wrote the blog and does not necessarily represent the opinions of Bettina Network, inc. It is the property of Bettina Network, inc. and/or the person who wrote the original blog.

Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Ed. Note: Members of the Bettina Network Lifestyle Community can contribute to the Bettina Network Blog whenever they have anything they want to say and be heard by this fantastic group of people. Send your blog to bettinanetwork@comcast.net or mail it to us at P. O. Box 380585 Cambridge, MA. 02238 or call us on the telephone at 617-497-9166 to tell us what you want to say and we will write it for you.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to bettina-network@comcast.net

Mountain Rose Herbs – Recycles 100%

Sunday, March 5th, 2017

To read more about this story try https://blog.mountainroseherbs.com/zero-waste-certified-blog

It is always exciting to find a company we can recommend without hesitation and this is one.  I don’t know any other company which has reached the ability to recycle 100% of their trash – unused items – excess – you name it what you will – this is an awesome achievement.

We try, but have not reached that yet.  We also encourage all of our homes to do the same.  Hopefully, one day, sharing information, we will also be a company that has no trash, garbage, etc. to put out for pickup.  We will either use or give away what we cannot use – 100%.

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Everything talked about in this blog and in any other blog in the Bettina Network, inc. is the opinion of the person who wrote the blog and does not necessarily represent the opinions of Bettina Network, inc. It is the property of Bettina Network, inc. and/or the person who wrote the original blog.

Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Ed. Note: Members of the Bettina Network Lifestyle Community can contribute to the Bettina Network Blog whenever they have anything they want to say and be heard by this fantastic group of people. Send your blog to bettinanetwork@comcast.net or mail it to us at P. O. Box 380585 Cambridge, MA. 02238 or call us on the telephone at 617-497-9166 to tell us what you want to say and we will write it for you.

Volunteer with Bettina Network Foundation, inc. to work estate sales; to help move items from one home to another; to contribute your ideas on how we can better use our resources in this effort to relieve and eliminate homelessness and poverty. We also need photographers; designers; and more. However much or little time you have, we are grateful

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to                           bettina-network@comcast.net

One Response to Trump’s “Election”

Thursday, November 10th, 2016

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https://www.change.org/p/department-of-justice-investigate-donald-trump-s-election-because-it-was-obtained-by-fraud-and-foreign-intervention?recruiter=168617629&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=share_email_responsive

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I believe this election was carried on and won fraudulently.  So we are asking you to sign the petition asking the Department of Justice to investigate.  We are also asking that if you know anything that happened during this campaign, which is even a little bit spurious you contact us with that information.  I have set up a system to collect all such information.

The petition is being done through www.change.org and can be previewed on my Facebook page.

Please send any information to:

Marceline Donaldson – P. O. Box 380585 – Cambridge, MA. 02238

For example – we received information suggesting that Assange, from Wiki Leaks, may have had an agreement to go after Hillary during the campaign (which his group did – ignoring everyone else) and if Trump won, he would have some kind of asylum in the U. S.

We are also asking that Comey – head of the FBI be investigated because he went out of his authority to announce that Hillary would be considered for re-investigation because of new emails he claimed to have found on someone else’s computer.  We understand the Trump people knew about this several months before from Comey and were waiting for the announcement, which they constantly talked about coming just days before the election.  They said a bombshell would be dropped just days before the election which would destroy Hillary’s chances for election.  We are collecting any and all information which comes our way to put it together for an investigation which first – might put this election on hold, or may be used in some other way to stop this United States from moving more in the direction that Hitler took Germany after his election.

What is clear to us is that Hitler was by no means as far down the road to turning Germany into the Nazi heaven it became as Trump is as he starts claiming what he calls his victory and his ‘election’ as President of the United States.

Thank you for your help and support,

Marceline Donaldson

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Everything talked about in this blog and in any other blog in the Bettina Network, inc. is the opinion of the person who wrote the blog and does not necessarily represent the opinions of Bettina Network, inc. It is the property of Bettina Network, inc. and/or the person who wrote the original blog.

Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Ed. Note: Members of the Bettina Network Lifestyle Community can contribute to the Bettina Network Blog whenever they have anything they want to say and be heard by this fantastic group of people. Send your blog to bettinanetwork@comcast.net or mail it to us at P. O. Box 380585 Cambridge, MA. 02238 or call us on the telephone at 617-497-9166 to tell us what you want to say and we will write it for you.

Volunteer with Bettina Network Foundation, inc. to work estate sales; to help move items from one home to another; to contribute your ideas on how we can better use our resources in this effort to relieve and eliminate homelessness and poverty. We also need photographers; designers; and more. However much or little time you have, we are grateful.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

Ghanaian and Columbian Skin Care

Wednesday, September 21st, 2016

copyright Bettina Network, inc. 2016

We have not had enough time to test this out on several people over a long period of time, however, for a few days on about 3 people it has had stunning results.

A previous blog was about Pineapple Skins for Skin care – an old Ghanaian treatment.  In conversation over breakfast about that blog we had a Columbian guest who made an addition to that recipe.  So, of course, we had to try it and love the results.

In addition to the steam treatment with Pineapple Skins – add Papaya skins to the water before steaming and let the Papaya Skins and the Pineapple Skins simmer together until steam rises.  Follow the same method – put a large towel over your head and your head over the steaming pot of water and skins and let the steam from all of the ingredients get into your skin for several minutes. You can do this however you are most comfortable – either over the stove with the water simmering or move the pot off the stove and put it on a nearby counter.  If you want to continue and the steam dies down -put the pot back on the stove until the steam comes up again and continue.  We chose five minutes because that was all we could handle standing over a steaming pot.  Someone else was able to try 10 minutes.  The results were spectacular.  I would think once or twice a week – depending upon your age and the condition of your skin – would work beautifully.  Once-a-week if you are young and your skin shows no damage from age or the over use of cosmetics.  Twice a week if you are aging and your skin needs work.

Follow this facial steam bath with lots of splashes of cold water on your face and pat dry with a soft towel.

Then – if you are retiring for the night – use nothing.  If you are getting ready for the day out and about, use a capsule of Vitamin A on your skin to add to the results from the Pineapple and Papaya Skin Steam treatment.  Actually, I found it takes four capsules – clipped and used one at a time to cover my face.  I use 25,000 IU’s.  Whatever you use would be up to your judgment.  I use this immediately upon rising in the morning and after at least 20 minutes with the Vitamin A on my face I rinse it again with cold splashes of water, pat dry and I am ready for work.  If I am staying home, I let the Vitamin A stay until I remember to splash the cold water.  Using the Vitamin A, including on my eyelids and under my eyes can cause a bit of a discomfort while it is on.  I ignore it and keep going.  The result seems to be an increase in my ability to see without the use of glasses.  That might be genetic, but everyone before me had glasses by the time they were 55.  I am way past that and only need glasses when I read a lot.  During the day, I can refresh my face with more splashes of cold water when I go to the bathroom for other reasons.  That is such a rejuvenation and a perk-me-up that my face instantly responds and looks as good as it looked with the first splash in the morning.

If you try this, we would appreciate your feedback as to how it worked for you.

We chose the Vitamin A after the facial steam bath because we read the Bettina Network Blog – a long time ago – about the Vitamin A – dry milk – Vitamin E treatment which is also fantastic so we only need to use the steam – probably once a week – maybe not even.

I don’t even use powder on my face anymore.  If I have a grease spot or the weather has caused a particularly greasy face, I simply use powdered milk.  It is super fantastic.

God bless Alicia Keyes.  Hope others will join her in her dedication to no cosmetics.  She simply appears the way God made her and she looks like a fresh flower in the middle of plastic replications.  I hope she is ready for the attacks of jealousy which are definitely coming from this stance.  So many people so very threatened.

Isn’t it great what sharing can do?  The need to be better than has caused us to have to live with cancer, obesity, heart disease, diabetes and all the rest because we can’t give credit to possible cures and improvements that other societies use on a regular basis.  We must be the continuing Colonials whose way is the only and the best way.  I think this collaboration between Ghanaian and Columbian is what it is all about.

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Everything talked about in this blog and in any other blog in the Bettina Network, inc. is the opinion of the person who wrote the blog and does not necessarily represent the opinions of Bettina Network, inc. It is the property of Bettina Network, inc. and/or the person who wrote the original blog.

Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Ed. Note: Members of the Bettina Network Lifestyle Community can contribute to the Bettina Network Blog whenever they have anything they want to say and be heard by this fantastic group of people. Send your blog to bettinanetwork@comcast.net or mail it to us at P. O. Box 380585 Cambridge, MA. 02238 or call us on the telephone at 617-497-9166 to tell us what you want to say and we will write it for you.

Volunteer with Bettina Network Foundation, inc. to work estate sales; to help move items from one home to another; to contribute your ideas on how we can better use our resources in this effort to relieve and eliminate homelessness and poverty. We also need photographers; designers; and more. However much or little time you have, we are grateful.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

CRAFTERS and others – A Way to Share!

Saturday, July 2nd, 2016

Join Bettina Network, inc. and become a member of this great Lifestyle Community.  Join with Musicians, Artists, Theologians, Designers, Nutritionists, Doctors, Lawyers, Business Executives, Philathropists, Nurses, Secretaries, Videographers and others to become one great educational institution – become one of the Bettina Network Hedge Schools (patent pending).

Use your homes to welcome guests who are interested in your art, your craft, your vocation, your lifestyle and who want to learn from you.  Maybe, instead, you want to learn from them.  Tired of being in a society where you are closed in to only those like you – racially, same political beliefs, in the same financial and social class – join us as we work towards a more open, diverse and giving society.

Our guests are in your area for other reasons, but also want to improve their skills; see what others are doing; learn from scratch; be a part of another’s lifestyle for a brief time or some may want to just hang-out to take lessons.  Interested?  Call us at 617 497 9166 or toll free within the U. S. at 1-800-347-9166.  Email us at bettina-network@comcast.net.

P. S.  Our homes also include those who are very wealthy and very poor.  Are you one of the very privileged and want to know what its like to live in a ghetto?  Well, this is your chance.

Share your designs; get ideas from others staying with you; talk your craft, your vocation, your involvements, your ideas, your philosophy over breakfast and expand your involvement in the world.

We are an educational institution without walls.  Learn about the world’s religions from a theologian on the cutting edge or one who is very conservative; sit at the table with master thinkers; learn about technology from those moving the boundaries into unimaginable places.

As a guest in one of our homes – learn about what is coming to make digital communication obsolete.  See exquisite stained glass and see how sculptors work.  Find a piece of clay and try your hand at your own sculpture.  Heard about hot glass?  Stay in one of our homes with a kiln to see the entire process.

Share your craft.  Embroidery?  Clay Pottery?  Silver jewelry? Knitting? There are endless possibilities you can share with others and earn what you need to move your craft even further.

Call us for more information and to put your home and/or studio in Bettina Network, inc. Also, check out bettina-network.com and see what else we have to offer.

For more information about Bettina Network Hedge Schools see https://bettina-network.com/pages/hedge_school/.

Also see https://bettina-network.com/pages/hedge_school_become/

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Everything talked about in this blog and in any other blog in the Bettina Network, inc. is the opinion of the person who wrote the blog and does not necessarily represent the opinions of Bettina Network, inc. It is the property of Bettina Network, inc. and/or the person who wrote the original blog.

Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Ed. Note: Members of the Bettina Network Lifestyle Community can contribute to the Bettina Network Blog whenever they have anything they want to say and be heard by this fantastic group of people. Send your blog to bettinanetwork@comcast.net or mail it to us at P. O. Box 380585 Cambridge, MA. 02238 or call us on the telephone at 617-497-9166 to tell us what you want to say and we will write it for you.

Volunteer with Bettina Network Foundation, inc. to work estate sales; to help move items from one home to another; to contribute your ideas on how we can better use our resources in this effort to relieve and eliminate homelessness and poverty. We also need photographers; designers; and more. However much or little time you have, we are grateful.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

The ‘Sharing’ Community????

Friday, April 29th, 2016

The first thing we note in that name – which has become attached to several kinds of businesses – is the fact that it is an extreme misnomer.  There is nothing “sharing” about that group of businesses.  Unless you call the lower to middle classes sharing their small assets and ideas in ways to make the upper entrepreneurial class extremely wealthy, a “Sharing Community.”

The business titans of the next generation will all come from this extremely wealthy group.  They take into their rather exclusive club those they have identified as ‘like them’.  And we all know our own.

A more accurate name would be the Greedy/ Grasping/ Exclusive and Excluding/ Racist and Sexist Community!

Wow! That sounds angry!  – It is most definitely not a happy frame of mind.

Let’s take a look.  Is it angry or is it accurate.

The ‘Sharing’ Community is the group of entrepreneurs who have taken a funnel; poured into the top all the assets they could not touch and do not own; taken the lions share of those assets – without buying them or putting upfront any kind of money in exchange for those assets; and have come out with multi-billions of dollars while the people who own the assets being used are given a dream that turns into a nightmare as they look at the fact that only a very few realize that dream.  Those that realize the dream are the few used to disprove the rule.

The ‘Sharing Community’ is bringing in racism and classism like no other corporate structure has been able to create, maintain or enforce.  They do it by painting pictures of this wonderful society – the beloved society – which will bring us all together in a very loving and sharing way.

Most of the folks, who have had this imitation stardust thrown into their eyes and who cannot see what is in front of them, but subscribe to the mythology, are the ones who will be hurt the most.

Take a look at the companies who have been most exposed by the media.  The others won’t be far behind.  Not totally exposed, however, because the media realize that while they must tell – at least part of the truth – their owners have to survive and they do that surviving through the advertising dollars of those new “Sharing Community” groups.  It would be so easy if we all took on the responsibility of thinking – carefully thinking of what is presented to us so beautifully gift wrapped.

Take Amazon.  There have been articles written, exposing the warehouse slavery which happens at Amazon – exposing how they treat their employees – not the ones at the top who are now multi-billionaires; nor the ones in the middle who are multi-millionaires; but the ones at the bottom making all of that possible for those top executives and investors.

Amazon has been talked and written about describing its racism and sexism, but we were too busy dreaming to listen.  They have just recently shown clearly, not only their extreme racism but the very arrogant way they assume it is their right to act it out and expect the larger society to not notice and/or to approve.  They don’t notice their own racism because it is totally ingrained in their structure and their corporate culture.

In Boston, they announced one day delivery to all except those who live in Roxbury.  How is that racist?  Roxbury is where most of the African Americans and other minorities live.

They were preceded almost a generation ago by the first company giving you access to the internet with your own personal account.  If you were African American and/or other minorities deemed less than by this society you could not get such an internet account.  It was set up so that you had to have a credit card to have an internet account and your credit card had to be rated above a certain level.  We worked with many minorities who were denied access to the internet.  Not until everything was running smoothly and the majority society was very skilled at the internet; saw its possibilities; started building companies to take advantage of the internet were those barriers relaxed – and other internet companies started to join in the picture.  And at that point groups took on the job of trying to bring the ‘disadvantaged’ into the fold.  Not as equals, but as those less than who didn’t know enough to join this revolution.  Now, the rest of us would have to do our ‘nobles oblige’ and work to bring them up to speed, because they couldn’t do it themselves.  Not totally up to speed, but just enough to maintain our superiority and show what looks like our compassion.

The story given out was that you had to have this kind of credit card because your monthly fee – which at the time was around $12/month – had to be taken out of your credit card each month.  They had to know the money would be there when they automatically withdrew their fee – and other minor embroideries to attempt to justify this racist exclusion.  One of the exclusions was – if you were divorced – and female – you had to be one year out of your divorce before you could get an internet account. How quickly we forget.

As we worked with people trying to get an internet account – they offered to pay their fees one year in advance to avoid the ‘guideline’ set up which excluded them – they had no credit card, couldn’t get a credit card, and the few that had credit cards did not have a high enough rating in their cards to qualify – our ‘forgetfulness’ also extends to the role of the credit cards in the continuing oppression structured into this society.  That offer of cash or check in advance for one years fees was immediately declined by the company.  So much for what the internet provider considered a necessary policy.

If you look closely at the policies and practices of Amazon you will find them riddled with racism and sexism.  We are too far away from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s to think and parallel and see how grossly minorities are treated – and – we are too busy scrambling for something that we feel is important, to stop and take a serious look at what these companies are doing and how they are structuring into our present a more rigid racism and sexism for our children’s generation than that which we have had to face and fight.

Their control will be complete by the time what they are doing is recognized and addressed.  Didn’t Amazon feel free enough to eliminate Roxbury from their one day delivery without expecting any blow back from such a policy and without even realizing the racism of the policy?  Or did they put the policy in place knowing it would negatively  affect African Americans and other minorities in the neighborhood and that was the reason for the policy in the first place, but it went into place anyway because their goal is to benefit their “own” and to eliminate anything they feel might be a ‘danger’ to the development of their business? And, is that ‘danger’ minorities and women?

A corporate structure reflects the times in which it was created and the people who did the creating of the structure.  The racism and sexism of the original founders would be intricately incorporated into the structure they put into place.  Their fears, their identity, their needs would be very much woven into the structure of what they found.  I meant “found” because most of the ideas about which we are discussing were stolen from others without any need to do otherwise.  That spirit would be all through their creation.  They would take someone else’s idea and add their own racism, sexism, insecurities into what they created and continue to create.

And then there is Airbnb!  Found to have racist policies by Harvard Business School Harvard Gazette Article they are still free to exercise them. HBS Article . By the time the rest of us catch up and understand what they have structured, they will have taken us back to the days when African Americans had their own b and b listing of places they could stay because they were closed out completely from the accommodations others could use.  This time, the close-out will be complete because it will be hidden and not many will take on the deconstruction necessary to lay that bare.

Once upon a time during the Civil Rights Movement, colleges and universities used a discrete kind of racism and sexism.  A way to discriminate without saying we have rejected your application because you are too dark; too non-American; too, etc.

One huge way they put in place to enforce that discrimination was to require a picture with your application.

Those minorities who did not have the tell-tale entries in their application – their name; their address; the schools they went to before applying; etc. would be caught in the net of the picture requirement and the schools could then – and they did – reject the applications based on the recognized basis of racism and sexism rather than allowing the application to go ahead and be considered on its merits.  Some colleges and universities didn’t totally reject all minorities, but they had a quota.  Once that quota was reached, all others were rejected and the picture requirement made that possible.

Airbnb started without a picture requirement unless you had an African American sounding name or your application to use their services was picked up with something being not quite right.  What was that?  A possible minority, you say?

To correct that, they have apparently started to require a picture from almost everyone.  Does that sound familiar?  A policy which does the same thing and allows the same kind of discrimination practiced by colleges and universities a generation ago.

Take a look at other companies which are a part of this ‘sharing community’.  Basically, you are allowed to use assets you struggled to acquire for your family, etc. to ‘share’ with others.  You use them sometimes and you rent them out to others at other times.  What happens through this process?  You generally rent them out at a lower rate than an established business offering the same services.  The fact that the people in these other businesses have struggled for more than one generation to get their reimbursement up to a fairly decent amount and are still struggling for things like health insurance, etc. means nothing to those renting out their similar assets for less.  They are thinking of how rich they are going to become and maybe even be able to buy more than one of the same kind of asset or something similar to expand the services offered and they and their friends are going to walk into the very rich sunset together.

Instead, they find they are increasingly pushed against the wall and deprived of much because the reason the other services cost more begins to push into their lives.  The assets experiences wear and tear; they have expenses which were not included in their initial calculation of how much they were going to profit; they gradually start down that slippery slope and lose even that with which they started.  What is also enmeshed into this corporate revolution is the all out hunt for and stealing of the ideas and businesses of others, who do not have access to the investors in this Sharing Community.  I have met more people whose corporations are viable and struggling who have been swamped and destroyed by the greedy grabbing and stealing of their ideas and their decades of work developing a business which is then stolen and put in place as though it came full blown out of the minds and experiences of those claiming it as a part of the “Sharing Community.”  That kind of theft is no less criminal than the kind against which this society has definite criminal laws.

Who is profiting from the use of their assets – the investors in the overarching business which has set itself up to allow this asset use.  They are multi-billionaires in record time – like a few years, if that long.  Where did all of that money come from?  The backs and lives of those who see what is being offered as some pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and the marketing and advertising of the overarching businesses who are very good at painting that picture.

It is time to take a good look at what this society is becoming and how the masses are moving into an indentured servant class while their lives are being taken to make a greedy group wealthy beyond their wildest imaginings.  And they are ‘sharing’ this wealth with who?  Certainly not the people who made it possible.  They are still struggling to just get back to where they were before they took their assets into this conglomeration.

It is time to tell the truth and give correct names to what is around us.  “The Community Indulging in Massive Greed”: “The Community using the assets of the masses in the process of using the Masses to Acquire Billions of dollars without Sharing”.  “The Community of the Greed  which has discovered the way to maintain and grow its outsized Male Ego by insuring the survival of racism and sexism in a virulent form, masked from the society until that society is enmeshed and unable to extricate itself from the tentacles which enslave them and benefit the investors who created what they call “A Sharing Community.”

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Everything talked about in this blog and in any other blog in the Bettina Network, inc. is the opinion of the person who wrote the blog and does not necessarily represent the opinions of Bettina Network, inc.  It is the property of Bettina Network, inc. and/or the person who wrote the original blog.

Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Ed. Note: Members of the Bettina Network Lifestyle Community can contribute to the Bettina Network Blog whenever they have anything they want to say and be heard by this fantastic group of people. Send your blog to bettinanetwork@comcast.net or mail it to us at P. O. Box 380585 Cambridge, MA. 02238 or call us on the telephone at 617-497-9166 to tell us what you want to say and we will write it for you.

Volunteer with Bettina Network Foundation, inc. to work estate sales; to help move items from one home to another; to contribute your ideas on how we can better use our resources in this effort to relieve and eliminate homelessness and poverty. We also need photographers; designers; and more. However much or little time you have, we are grateful.

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Conspiracy Theories?

Wednesday, February 24th, 2016

Breakfast at a Bettina Network Hedge School can be awesome as you talk to so many different people who come from amazing places with experiences that span the globe and includes ideas, history, remembrances and thought processes that sharpen your own.

I would not trade being a part of Bettina Network Hedge Schools for anything.  My intellect is stimulated on a daily basis, let alone my knowledge base.

We had an incredible conversation at breakfast about the Supreme Court nomination and  all of the push back for and against Barack Obama making that appointment.  Basically, I wanted to know what does all of this mess mean?????

What came back to me was awesome!!!!!

First was a question – why would Mitch McConnell and all of those pushing to keep Obama from making this appointment be fighting so hard against that possibility, especially if Hillary is going to be our next president?  I thought, as did others, that Hillary would more than likely make a more liberal appointment than would Obama.  He is and has been a great president, but he is, in many ways, tied to the establishment in ways that Hillary is not.

And, if Hillary is not elected president would Bernie be any more conservative?  He has shown by his Civil Rights involvements early on and his backing away from that commitment as he became more involved in his life’s work that he knows the establishment and he would not have been able to get as far as he has if he had kept his Civil Rights work active and if he had been actively involved bringing about those kind of changes in his environment.  Vermont can handle liberal, progressive, socialist changes, but it is still a very White state.  So, while his appointment to the Supreme Court would be quite liberal, his establishment ties said to some of us that he would be willing to accommodate his friends – especially those he needed to help push his presidency in the direction he wanted it to go.  But that accommodation would not be nearly close to what Mitch McConnell and those fighting with him would be fighting to achieve.  So why would Mitch McConnel and friends, not known for their liberal leanings, be working so hard to stop Obama’s appointment to give Bernie the go ahead to make this appointment?

It seems to me they know something we don’t and what they are working so hard for at the moment is for the appointment to be put on hold until someone more conservative becomes president and they can continue on with business as usual.  And who would that be?  Donald Trump or someone who will soon come out of hiding in the wings onto front stage?

There have been many conspiracy theories floating around this country connected to past presidents and presidential elections.

The one that sticks out in this discussion are the conspiracy theories around how Jack Kennedy was elected president.  Rumor had it that his father made a deal with the mafia to produce the votes needed for his son’s election – especially around the Chicago area – and they did.  Rumor continues that it was Marcello, the southern head of the Mafia in this country at the time,  who put in the demand for Kennedy’s assassination because  while the Mafia did its job for Jack Kennedy and his family, the Kennedy’s turned on the Mafia.  The father – with his Mafia connections – made the deal, but Bobby and Jack went ahead when elected, to move against the Mafia and it does not tolerate those kinds of actions without a particular kind of payback.

Looking at the candidates, it seemed to us that Donald Trump’s business interests are casinos, construction, and gambling with heavy involvements in Las Vegas and New Jersey.  That could be conspiratorialized to produce a Mafia connection linking Donald Trump’s success with the successful backing of his businesses by Mafia interests.  He may even be one of those at the top himself, as this conspiracy theory unrolled itself.

Connect that to the conspiracy theories around Jack Kennedy and you have the new President of the United States elected the way the conspiracy theorists claim Jack Kennedy was elected.  Although, according to those theories, someone intervened on Jack Kennedy’s behalf – he did not have the clout with the Mafia to do those negotiations on his own.  All those trying to understand the Donald Trump phenomenon have apparently either not made this connection or are too young to know this ‘history’.

Is that something Mitch McConnel and his group of friends would know about?  Would this be what they are structuring with this recalcitrance to allow Obama to even nominate a Supreme Court justice?  Do they know something the rest of us don’t and are acting on that knowledge to keep a clear path open for what they know is in our future?

Since we are not a part of that inner circle we can only look on and attempt to interpret what is happening from their public actions and their current public actions say they are expecting a President of these United States to be elected who would push their political and other interests and one of the biggest is who is appointed to the United States Supreme Court.  Who would be that swing vote that would bring the Court either one way or the other.

Given that Obama would probably appoint a more acceptable person to the Court in their eyes than would Hillary Clinton, we are seeing their hand tipped as to the fix that is in and the rest of us are supposed to sit back and be so involved in the fight, in the agenda they have set out for us to engage,  that our minds are engaged in a way that we cannot see and do not realize what the McConnell boys’ actions are telling us as clearly as if they had taken an airplane and done sky writing about what they know is coming down the pike.

For all of those yelling ‘racism’ that is keeping you from seeing what is actually happening here.  Clear your minds and think much more broadly.

All of the above is simply the result of a few people having breakfast together conjecturing, adding bits and pieces of history and bits and pieces of conspiracy theories which have been floating around for decades.  Nothing serious and any similarities to the American Political scene at the moment are strictly coincidental.

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Ed. Note: Members of the Bettina Network Lifestyle Community can contribute to the Bettina Network Blog whenever they have anything they want to say and be heard by this fantastic group of people. Send your blog to bettinanetwork@comcast.net or mail it to us at P. O. Box 380585 Cambridge, MA. 02238 or call us on the telephone at 617-497-9166 to tell us what you want to say and we will write it for you.

Volunteer with Bettina Network Foundation, inc. to work estate sales; to help move items from one home to another; to contribute your ideas on how we can better use our resources in this effort to relieve and eliminate homelessness and poverty. We also need photographers; designers; and more. However much or little time you have, we are grateful.

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Sandra Bland – Strange Fruit

Friday, July 24th, 2015

imagesOnce upon a time, the “Strange Fruit, hanging from the trees” used to be from trees with green leaves, a trunk and branches growing up from the ground splattered with red.

Today, the “Strange Fruit, hanging from the trees” is hanging from man-made trees with blue reflected all around.

But look!  Isn’t that the old white cloth under the blue?

And aren’t those tall pointy white hats pushing out from under the official issued uniform?

Really strange and awful fruit, rapidly spreading the disease of racism all across the country.

Being covered up by fear – that fear keeping those who could act from doing so.

Why!  Oh God, Why!

This strange fruit is is Black and female –

the fear is that riots will invade those lovely, green, middle-class communities.

Rather let the strange fruit multiply and just hang there in silence.  Much better than to act.  The sacrifice of the few for the many.

But doesn’t that spread?  isn’t it happening more rapidly?

Terrorism?

Not from the Middle East!

White – Male – Conservative – with strings into the groups of old

The Klan, the Citizens Council, the neoNazi …………………….why bother with a list, you know the names

This isn’t simply racism – this is Racism and Sexism.

Life is becoming ever more strange and silent.

The silent majority is back and in control!

Let the media slip in little bits and pieces to make it sound less awful; less threatening; let us not place blame where it belongs, but obfuscate.

Won’t that protect those of us who count?

Homicide, murder, reduced to a paid vacation, sometimes called Administrative leave – which happens before exoneration.

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Ed. Note: Members of the Bettina Network Lifestyle Community can contribute to the Bettina Network Blog whenever they have anything they want to say and be heard by this fantastic group of people. Send your blog to bettinanetwork@comcast.net or mail it to us at P. O. Box 380585 Cambridge, MA. 02238 or call us on the telephone at 617-497-9166 to tell us what you want to say and we will write it for you.

Volunteer with Bettina Network Foundation, inc. to work estate sales; to help move items from one home to another; to contribute your ideas on how we can better use our resources in this effort to relieve and eliminate homelessness and poverty. We also need photographers; designers; and more. However much or little time you have, we are grateful.

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Steel Sharpens Steel

Wednesday, December 10th, 2014

Copyright 2014 Bettina Network, inc.

Friends and family!  What good are they!!!!!

This discussion over breakfast  started out with a guest in great emotional distress trying to keep the differences she was having with her mother out of sight, but her mother was at the table and had no interest in keeping anything out of sight.  It was a scene that I am sure is played out many times by many different people, cultures, races.

Her mother’s comment really struck me.  “My daughter doesn’t understand, but one day she will.  By that time I will be dead. — Steel sharpens steel.”

No one at the table understood her comment.  If they did, they certainly didn’t let on to anyone.

After looking at our blank and confused faces she went on and we appreciated her taking the time because it was a point of view and a look at friendship and family relationships we hadn’t considered, hadn’t dissected, hand’t even discussed.  That usually leads to a great breakfast conversation and this one did not disappoint.

“Steel sharpens steel.”  The mother – who I will call Mary – talked about how a child’s future is strongly set by their parental environment growing up.  Once grown, that environment becomes set by friends.  “Mary’ said she realized this when her daughter was about 3 years old.  She wanted her daughter to be a very independent woman.  She knew that somehow that was set during childhood, but she worried she would be one of those leading her daughter into the traditional female stereotype becoming the kind of person she had been – fulfilling every female stereotype – weak, overly emotional, a victim in all things.

Mary knew how hard it had been for her to overcome such home training and she did not want her daughter to have to go through the same heartbreaking rejection of her childhood and upbringing that she had been through.  Mary said she has since recaptured some of her early life and now value much that she initially rejected, but it was such a painful ordeal she just wanted to spare her daughter that grief.

Mary’s daughter was very uncomfortable at the table at this point because she knew her mother was about to reveal family secrets that she wanted kept that way.  And don’t we all!

Ed Note:  The rest of the blog as sent to us has been redacted.  Sorry folks, we know the good gossipy parts are what we all live to hear, but not this time!

The end of the conversation was quite moving.  I realized my own relationship with my family was not what it could have been because I wanted a relationship which wrapped me up all warm and cozy, comforted me, worked out all of my most difficult problems for me and in actuality, kept me in chains.  Instead, I had a relationship with my parents, as Mary had with her daughter, which strengthened all of us.  The problem is, Mary’s daughter does not understand the gift her mother has given her by being the steel which has strengthened and sharpened.  They are both now free to live as independent women because they had each other and maintained that most difficult relationship of all – one that was true, honest, full of mutual respect and which expected the other to be strong enough to withstand their back and forth as steel sharpened steel.

I saw that as an amazing breakfast because I didn’t recognize that gift from my parents either until that breakfast conversation.

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Ed. Note: Members of the Bettina Network Lifestyle Community can contribute to the Bettina Network Blog whenever they have anything they want to say and be heard by this fantastic group of people. Send your blog to bettinanetwork@comcast.net or mail it to us at P. O. Box 380585 Cambridge, MA. 02238 or call us on the telephone at 617-497-9166 to tell us what you want to say and we will write it for you.

Volunteer with Bettina Network Foundation, inc. to work estate sales; to help move items from one home to another; to contribute your ideas on how we can better use our resources in this effort to relieve and eliminate homelessness and poverty. We also need photographers; designers; and more. However much or little time you have, we are grateful.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

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Food and Pharma Connected?

Sunday, June 1st, 2014

copyright 2014 Bettina Network, inc.

We had another one of those breakfasts and we are all still reeling, having put different backgrounds, experience, education, parts of the world together we came up with a startling conclusion:

The discussion centered around Bettina Network’s attempt to keep Bettina Homes as organic as possible – in cleaning, food, and everything else.  We don’t succeed 100%, but it is a constant effort and we think we do a pretty good job – considering all the outside negative influences that press in on us to go in a different direction.

One person brought up the chemicals – especially Potassium Nitrate – in most of the foods being processed and wanted to know more about it.  Another person piped up with the fact that Potassium Nitrate, when he was a boy, was called ‘Salt Peter’ and some private schools used it in the food to keep the young men toned down a bit sexually.  Well, that wasn’t new.  It was something we all had heard from time to time and we all knew the affect “Salt Peter’ has on the body.

Another came up with the connection between the processed food industry and big pharma.  The processed food industry was putting ‘salt peter’ into our food supply to give the foods they process a longer shelf life.  In the meantime, that was dumbing down and destroying the sexual performance ability of many – especially males – since that is what salt peter is supposed to do.

Enter Big Pharma with their development of the block buster drug for men called ‘Viagra” and other names.  Each company which produces it has its own name.

What a pass through.  The food industry creates the dysfunction – big pharma develops and sells the drug to address the dysfunction.  No wonder so much money is going out of the pocket of the middle class into the pockets of both the food industry and the pharmaceutical companies.

Our question was – what else has such a symbiotic relationship?  Was this a deliberate collaboration or accidental?  Some didn’t believe in accidents like this?  Others weren’t so sure! Others felt we needed to step back and take a look to see how we could expose this early on before fortunes were made, peoples health negatively affected for profit, etc.

There wasn’t enough time over breakfast to solve the problem, but we certainly left with something to think about!

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Ed. Note: Members of the Bettina Network Lifestyle Community can contribute to the Bettina Network Blog whenever they have anything they want to say and be heard by this fantastic group of people. Send your blog to bettinanetwork@comcast.net or mail it to us at P. O. Box 380585 Cambridge, MA. 02238 or call us on the telephone at 617-497-9166 to tell us what you want to say and we will write it for you.

Volunteer with Bettina Network Foundation, inc. to work estate sales; to help move items from one home to another; to contribute your ideas on how we can better use our resources in this effort to relieve and eliminate homelessness and poverty. We also need photographers; designers; and more. However much or little time you have, we are grateful.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

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An Intensely Religious Week

Thursday, April 17th, 2014

copyright Bettina Network, inc. 2014

Intensely Religious – how do we turn that into – gloriously  Spiritual!  I hope it is not the intensely religious who have brought about so much bigotry in the world and the gloriously Spiritual who have given us so much freedom!  Maybe my values are a bit screwed.

It is one of those years when the religious celebrations around Spring are shared in close date proximity by several Religious faiths.  That doesn’t always happen.  After the winter we had and after the destructive forces hitting at the economy and the terrorists hitting at all of us it is no surprise that this Spring season finds some of our religions practically intertwined date-wise.

Within all of this hectic ceremonial time – and there is now a lot of ceremony going on all over the place – with its requirement of watching our diets; scheduling around many religious services – there came that still small voice in the form of guests in one of the Bettina Homes.  It was such a reprieve and a taking back to what we are all about and what is really important that we found ourselves being really grateful for the reminder.

A family came from England to America to witness to the life of a friend, and isn’t that what it is all about.  To take time from very busy lives; to spend money traveling to another country for just a few days to say  by your physical presence that this person mattered. He was important to us and our lives and we want to just stand with a group of his friends to give witness to his life.  In that small act – which today isn’t so small when you consider that most of us would be worried that our lives would fall apart if we took time out to do such a thing and we could better spend the money on something for our family – these guests and friends, by their presence and the reason for their visit,  gave me reassurances about the goodness of humans who can still sometimes come through with what is most important in life in still, small ways.

I am now ready for these Spring Religious Holidays.  I can get through all of the trappings because I know there are people who still care and get it right.  I am human and sometimes frail and one day I won’t be here anymore.  Will anyone witness to my life?  Did I reach out and live so that someone will stop and in the silence give thanks that I lived?

We are fast becoming a society where we don’t and won’t take that time away from the hectic busyness in which we constantly involve ourselves to keep from becoming conscious of the fact that we are slowly and sometimes at a faster pace marching to our own deaths.  We go to great lengths to cover-up that fact so we are not conscious of our limits as humans.  We walk across and away from those who have no home; those who are not so successful; those who are not interested in getting caught up in that busy, busy cycle of life.  We can’t after all be around those who would remind us of our own humanness.

I give thanks today for the family that took just a couple days to acknowledge the importance of the life of another human being.

Ed Note:  Members of the Bettina Network Lifestyle Community can contribute to the Bettina Network blog whenever they have anything they want to say and be heard by this fantastic group of people.  Send your blog to bettinanetwork@comcast.net or mail it to us at P. O. Box 380585 Cambridge, MA. 02238 or call us on the telephone at 617-497-9166 to tell us what you want to say and we will write it for you.

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Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Ed. Note: Members of the Bettina Network Lifestyle Community can contribute to the Bettina Network Blog whenever they have anything they want to say and be heard by this fantastic group of people. Send your blog to bettinanetwork@comcast.net or mail it to us at P. O. Box 380585 Cambridge, MA. 02238 or call us on the telephone at 617-497-9166 to tell us what you want to say and we will write it for you.

Volunteer with Bettina Network Foundation, inc. to work estate sales; to help move items from one home to another; to contribute your ideas on how we can better use our resources in this effort to relieve and eliminate homelessness and poverty. We also need photographers; designers; and more. However much or little time you have, we are grateful.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

This is a curated blog so you cannot write your responses at the end of each entry. TO RESPOND TO THIS BLOG email bettina-network@comcast.net or info@bettina-network.com

TO LEARN MORE about Bettina Network, inc. try www.bettina-network.com

IF YOU ENJOY OUR BLOG, USE OUR SERVICES TO BOOK ACCOMODATIONS WHEN YOU TRAVEL!

1-800-347-9166 inside the U. S. or 617 497 9166 outside or inside the U. S.

A Beautiful Meditation and Song

Thursday, March 13th, 2014

For a rare treat, click on the following YouTube recording.

http://I Then Shall Live)

Sometimes you hear a beautiful song with words which bring your life to a standstill and it fills you with beauty, strengthens your faith, and makes your day richer. This hymn created that for several of us.  We shared it back and forth and then decided to share it with you.

Sit in a quiet space and listen carefully the first time you hear it.  It is a prayer, meditation and the photography is breathtaking in how it matches the words.

As you listen to this you will find the events and actions and thoughts you engage in over the day change.

This Hymn with words by Gloria Gaither and music by Sibelius (Finlandia) is that rare musical match which takes place between people separated by a generation living very different lives, but coming together to create a soul stirring event.

If you would like to buy the video you can do so by going to the website www.gaither.com

May it reach into your soul and affect the way you live the rest of your life.

Once the video finishes you will have to click your ‘back’ button to come back to Bettina Network’s Blog.  We would like to do better, but technologically we are not there yet.

To get the full effect of the video, when the youtube comes up, at the bottom right of the picture you will find symbols.  Click on the one which looks like a square with spaces on the sides enclosed at the corners.  It gives you a full screen of the video and it is awesome.

________________________________________________________________

Learn More About How We Use Your Donation!

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______________________________________________________________

Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Ed. Note: Members of the Bettina Network Lifestyle Community can contribute to the Bettina Network Blog whenever they have anything they want to say and be heard by this fantastic group of people. Send your blog to bettinanetwork@comcast.net or mail it to us at P. O. Box 380585 Cambridge, MA. 02238 or call us on the telephone at 617-497-9166 to tell us what you want to say and we will write it for you.

Volunteer with Bettina Network Foundation, inc. to work estate sales; to help move items from one home to another; to contribute your ideas on how we can better use our resources in this effort to relieve and eliminate homelessness and poverty. We also need photographers; designers; and more. However much or little time you have, we are grateful.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

This is a curated blog so you cannot write your responses at the end of each entry. TO RESPOND TO THIS BLOG email bettina-network@comcast.net or info@bettina-network.com

TO LEARN MORE about Bettina Network, inc. try www.bettina-network.com

IF YOU ENJOY OUR BLOG, USE OUR SERVICES TO BOOK ACCOMODATIONS WHEN YOU TRAVEL!

1-800-347-9166 inside the U. S. or 617 497 9166 outside or inside the U. S.

Bettina Network, inc NEWS

Wednesday, February 26th, 2014

copyright 2014 Bettina Network, inc.

Bettina Network, inc. NEWS is a new addition to the Bettina Network Blog.  Appearing periodically, without timetable predictability, this is a way for you to keep up with all that we do – where you will find a Bettina person, event – some definitions and redefinitions of who we are and what we are doing –  updates on past events, activities, and more.

MOST RECENTLY – we infiltrated Harvard Business School Women’s Conference “Let’s Go!”

One of our leaders was the second woman to be accepted into and attend one of Harvard Business School’s Executive Programs and the conference was a part of celebrating fifty years of women at Harvard Business School.

It was a great event with over 1,000 women and a very few very brave men who just couldn’t stay away.   We met one man from Milwaukee, Wisconsin holding up his sex and his company.  His company sounds as though they are doing much to help this world become a more equal place.  We say “sounds as though” because long years of experience tells us not to give kudos for such without much investigation and that we have not done – thus a comment without man or company names.

It was a kind of shock to see the way of the world in large, fairly new companies which are there because of the advent of the internet.  Their representatives talked about “teams”, “mentors”, “sponsors”.  In large multi-national companies with world wide exposure through their life on the internet this, apparently,  is needed to keep you, as one of their employees,  from getting lost and becoming one of the minions instead of one of the management and on-your-way-up-people.

We tweeted, re-tweeted, favorited and more.  It was great fun and much learning.  Although the food wasn’t great.  Not one organic anything from dinner the evening before for the conference speakers and panelists, through breakfast, lunch and by dinner the next evening we declined what was offered and went hunting for organic goats milk yogurt and kefir to make that food pass quickly through the system.

Yes, we did have a presence on a panel on hospitality and technology spreading the Bettina Gospel, during which we met some very impressive and very accomplished women from whom we hope to hear more.  We have started to think on how to get them  involved with Bettina Network, inc.  – Interns, Partners, Consultants?  If you have ideas, please let us know!

WE ARE GETTING FEEDBACK FROM YOU on the recent beginnings of sending out passwords and memberships in Bettina Network’s Lifestyle Community.

Mostly, your questions have been about the password allowing you access to Bettina’s Menu of Events and how much basic influence this gives you.  It is wonderful getting the suggestions.  We hope you will ADD EVENTS and use the Menu when you are looking for ELEGANT, GRACIOUS, WELL ORGANIZED EVENTS WITH SUBSTANTIAL Bettina-style content in which to take part.

We have had many requests for passwords from people who want to be a part of Bettina Network’s Lifestyle Community and how to sign up!  We are sorry to have to tell you, but there is no ‘sign up’ page on our web site or anyplace else for that to happen.  To become a member you have to use the services of Bettina Network, inc. and the people at the point where you use Bettina Network’s services must recommend you for membership.  Act ugly and no amount of money spent will get you that password.

BETTINA HOMES

We have been in conversation over this for a long time.  This Newspage announces that homes which belong to Bettina Network, inc. and those joining in the future are and will be Bettina Homes.  Bed and Breakfast is quite inadequate to describe one of the services we offer. Bed & breakfast has become a term overused, misused, describing everything from a hostel to a five star hotel room and the name carries nothing to begin to describe what you can expect in terms of quality or anything else.

We acknowledge the history of from whence we have come, but moving through the present into the future, Bettina Homes is the creation from that history by Bettina Network, inc.

For us to be able to be more specific and so you will know the basic quality you can expect from just hearing the terms, we have adopted and will use Bettina Homes to describe the places, services offered, etc.  We do stand out and it is time for the name of one of the very particular services we offer to reflect that stand-outness.

The necessary legal trappings to insure that only homes in the Bettina Network, inc. can carry that name -can call themselves a Bettina Home – have been applied for.  While we do not go after people who use our blogs, even though we put a copyright on them, we will go after people who try to call themselves “Bettina Homes” because we do not want to see created the kind of confusion around Bettina Homes which exists today around bed & breakfast or Inns, or Guest Houses, or etc.   When you make a reservation to stay in a Bettina Home we want to insure that you have a good basic idea as to what you can expect.  All of our homes are not exact replicas of one another and they vary and will continue to vary by location, kind of services offered, physical architectural look of the place, price, etc. There are basics which they all share which is why we take one and not another home into Bettina Network, inc. and that quality is what we want you all to know and be able to expect.

So – until the next time we meet in Bettina Network, inc. NEWS, — keep safe, stay human and be responsible for yourself and others.

________________________________________________________________

Learn More About How We Use Your Donation!

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______________________________________________________________

Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Ed. Note: Members of the Bettina Network Lifestyle Community can contribute to the Bettina Network Blog whenever they have anything they want to say and be heard by this fantastic group of people. Send your blog to bettinanetwork@comcast.net or mail it to us at P. O. Box 380585 Cambridge, MA. 02238 or call us on the telephone at 617-497-9166 to tell us what you want to say and we will write it for you.

Volunteer with Bettina Network Foundation, inc. to work estate sales; to help move items from one home to another; to contribute your ideas on how we can better use our resources in this effort to relieve and eliminate homelessness and poverty. We also need photographers; designers; and more. However much or little time you have, we are grateful.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

This is a curated blog so you cannot write your responses at the end of each entry. TO RESPOND TO THIS BLOG email bettina-network@comcast.net or info@bettina-network.com

TO LEARN MORE about Bettina Network, inc. try www.bettina-network.com

IF YOU ENJOY OUR BLOG, USE OUR SERVICES TO BOOK ACCOMODATIONS WHEN YOU TRAVEL!

1-800-347-9166 inside the U. S. or 617 497 9166 outside or inside the U. S.

 

 

UBUNTU – I Am Because You Are

Tuesday, December 10th, 2013

copyright Bettina Network, inc. 2013

“I am not a saint – unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.” – Mandela.

…………………………………….If only that described all of us!

The world is pouring out its grief, celebration, joy, gratitude, love for the life of Nelson Mandela.

………………………………………………………..Which has to make you think and ask – why?

What makes a human being rise to such a level that we are all grateful for his life on earth and come out to celebrate such an exceptional human being. Is it because so few such people have lived on this earth, especially when put in the context of the totality of those who have lived?

While most are celebrating such a great man – in Bettina homes we are asking why so few have risen to this height?  Why so many human beings have been so absorbed with the mundanities of life that keep us busy and distracted so we can keep ourselves unaware of our irrevocable march towards death?  Is it the self-absorption which some of our huge egos demand for their self-gratification? Is it the inconsistencies in values which we carry that keep us from living out our beliefs because we might get hurt – might miss a meal – might not accumulate as much wealth as possible?  Or is it our contradictory ways of thinking and acting which we develop in our striving to create the structures which we think protect us and keep us secure, but which really oppress us?

How long, O Lord, do we have to wait for the many to live life the way Mandela lived his?  Why does he have to be special? Why in our own small parts of the world we insist on living  anti-ubuntu lives?  Haven’t we experienced enough of the misery, poverty, pain, horrors that this causes?  How long will we surround ourselves with “our own kind”?  How long will we live blinded by the fact that we are all included in “our own kind.”

Whatever hurts me hurts thee! Whatever joys I experience grow exponentially when I share them with thee! My freedom totally depends upon your freedom.

One can hear why Mandela was great by just listening to the speeches honoring him.  Some were clear, unobstructed  by play acting, playing to the audience, playing to their own egos, unable to give a great speech honestly honoring Mandela’s life because they have allowed their minds to be clouded by their refusal to accept and act on their own values and take responsibility for their lives.  Some were almost unintelligible and said more negatives about the person giving the speech than positives about the man the speech was supposed to be honoring. True Freedom eliminates that and you could tell whose lives were on track and whose were confused and muddled from listening to those speeches!

Mandela’s memorial services today gave us a stark opportunity to see and hear the differences as men and women gave their speeches of remembrance and the crowd reacted.  Some people don’t have images, reflections, pretenses, – they have a rock solid faith, clear and authentic lives they are living and it is reflected in their very being, the words they use, their demeanor around others – especially their ability to be themselves when greeting strangers.  Some people  first promote their image and then everything else – lets not even begin to be who we really are, that must not show until we know the person better.

Why do so many of us want, protect and pass on to our children, as great gifts, the bondage in which we live?  Why do we give up a beautiful life well lived for an existence that others have told us we must sacrifice ourselves to maintain?  Why are we enslaved to sexual stereotypes – racial stereotypes – national stereotypes – religious stereotypes?  We live out of them.  We live for them and to promote them hoping that in exchange we will be able to live physically comfortable although seriously compromised lives.

FREEDOM will come to this earth when we celebrate lives like Mandela’s many times each day instead of once in a lifetime.

We set up ‘sins’ that we must stay away from and/or avoid the perception of our being involved with because that might handicap our future.  We don’t set up, teach, preach, live authentic lives.  The sins we set up and announce from our own mountain  seem meant to deflect us and allow a few to claim perfection in their life’s story.  Those are very far from the real sins of our lives – the inability to live authentically,  the refusal to feel empathy for those on the street with no shelter from the cold, hunger, dangers of the street.  Our refusal to stand on our own professed faith and most especially to give no room to others to stand on theirs – this seems to be the biggest sin of our creation.  These are  the commandments by which we live and demand that others of “our kind”  also live.  Our need to act to keep from feeling threatened by those we don’t understand; those in whom we see what we don’t like in ourselves – those we scape goat, and see reflected in our own mirror – we act against and break our own mirror.

As we look around at others it hurts the soul to see in them the rejection, mean spirit, and refusal to live truly free lives.  After all, what does it matter in the end?  We all die – and what a horrible death to leave this earth with unrequited dreams, longing, loves because you were trying for things that die with you for which there is no resurrection or redemption and which did nothing to make your life great.  Worse, to die without ever having had dreams, great loves and without having left behind a legacy which helped change this earth for the better.

Isn’t it sad that we choose the fleeting fame and what we call ‘security’ instead of choosing to be about the business of living fully and making sure we are there to help others do the same?

There is no such thing in life as ‘security’, but we are willing to sacrifice much to attain the mirage.

Ecclesiastes comes to mind often – ‘vanity of vanities………’

Oh for a world full of people like Nelson Mandel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

Not only was Nelson Mandela clear as to who he was and whose he was, but he was a man who never met a stranger.  He could reduce you to your real self in front of him in seconds or make it extremely difficult for you to maintain the pretense and image built up over years of living someone else’s imaginary life projected onto your own.

We pray that we all can move away from and cast out the garbage that collects as we live our lives striving for security; putting forth an image of someone we would like to be and who we would like those meeting us to think we are; cast out the values we collect to cover our insecurities and fears; cast out the mean spirit we take on because we need to feel better than other human beings who we describe and see clearly as those less than us helping us to be better than they are.

We pray that we have no more such outpourings as are happening this week for Nelson Mandela.  Not because we don’t appreciate and value his life and work, but because we will be living in a world where there are  so many like him that his life and how he lived it becomes normal and is common all around us.  What a world that would be and what a wonderful place to live, love, work, and just be!

UBUNTU! A future and a word taken into the world’s vocabulary as one of its own no matter what the language.  A word that describes – how we live – who we are!

________________________________________________________________

Learn More About How We Use Your Donation!

[give_form id=”3763″]

______________________________________________________________

Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Ed. Note: Members of the Bettina Network Lifestyle Community can contribute to the Bettina Network Blog whenever they have anything they want to say and be heard by this fantastic group of people. Send your blog to bettinanetwork@comcast.net or mail it to us at P. O. Box 380585 Cambridge, MA. 02238 or call us on the telephone at 617-497-9166 to tell us what you want to say and we will write it for you.

Volunteer with Bettina Network Foundation, inc. to work estate sales; to help move items from one home to another; to contribute your ideas on how we can better use our resources in this effort to relieve and eliminate homelessness and poverty. We also need photographers; designers; and more. However much or little time you have, we are grateful.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

This is a curated blog so you cannot write your responses at the end of each entry. TO RESPOND TO THIS BLOG email bettina-network@comcast.net or info@bettina-network.com

TO LEARN MORE about Bettina Network, inc. try www.bettina-network.com

IF YOU ENJOY OUR BLOG, USE OUR SERVICES TO BOOK ACCOMODATIONS WHEN YOU TRAVEL!

1-800-347-9166 inside the U. S. or 617 497 9166 outside or inside the U. S.


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