The end of 2011 heralds new beginnings for Aggie Perilli Communications International, including this premiere issue of our newsletter. Happy New Year!

Our acclaimed animator and multi-media artist Jeff Bedrick captured the spirit of the season in A Christmas Carol, an oil painting reproduced by Elms Puzzles as a hand-cut wooden puzzle. Jeff’s inspiration came from the classic tale written by Charles Dickens to open the hearts of the fortunate so they’d seize the day and return the love. Dickens’ tale about the redemptive power of the human spirit remains as relevant today as it was in 1843, when the story was first published.

communicating with animals

My husband Michael and I paid $295 to adopt a fifteen-pound bichon poodle from the Last Chance Ranch Animal Rescue in Quakertown Pennsylvania. The cost covered Raphie’s vaccinations, de-worming, neutering, and medication to prevent kennel cough and other infections.

The Last Chance Ranch had rescued Raphie from a “high-kill” shelter in Philadelphia, where he was curled up in a fetal position in the corner of his cage.

Raphie’s previous owner had claimed the dog was too much responsibility.

When Michael and I met Raphie at the Last Chance Ranch, he threw himself belly up at our feet.

communicating with ourselves

At the Pennsylvania Conference for Women in Philadelphia in October, writer, lecturer, feminist and social justice activist Gloria Steinem presented a 5,000-member audience with her list of the top ten ways to live fearlessly. In the style of David Letterman, the legendary Steinem read her list backwards.

10. Take the golden rule and reverse it: treat yourself as well as you treat others. Take the time to nurture your own physical, mental, and spiritual well-being so that you can be and share your best.

Prevent Disasters with Clean Energy Policies
Just Don’t Call me Late for Dinner
Prevent Disasters: Replace Nuclear Power with Clean Energy

In just one month, responses to my opening blog on clean energy have mushroomed from 70 to 865. During this Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I am especially grateful to all those who responded for their enthusiasm: students working on research papers, professionals in the nuclear power industry, concerned parents, and non-English-speaking readers who took valuable time to comment through an online translator.

communicating with the environment

When I posted my first clean energy blog in August, I was dismayed to have to report 14 significant events or near-misses at nuclear reactors in 12 states last year. Near-misses raise the risk of accidents that can have lethal effects on the workers, the public, and the environment.

While writing that blog, I was shaken by an earthquake that drove home the urgency of our need to develop energy sources we can live with healthfully and safely in the short and long term.

what’s in a word?

Exactly one month ago, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill into law that gave gay and lesbian couples the right to marry. I was tickled by a New York Times article entitled “You’re Making Me the Bride? A Hiccup for Gay Unions.” Apparently, a couple from the East Village had tried to apply online for a marriage license early. The form from the city clerk’s office left each male partner only one of two options: “bride” or “groom.” When this was brought to the attention of city and state officials, they quickly scrambled to update their forms.

communicating with the environment

What We Know:

• Ahead of his time, Jimmy Carter had solar panels installed on the roof of the White House. In a speech on his proposed energy policy in 1977, Carter was remarkably prescient: “Unless profound changes are made to lower oil consumption…and to use permanent renewable energy sources, like solar power, we will feel mounting pressure to plunder the environment.” He added: “The energy crisis has not yet overwhelmed us, but it will if we do not act quickly. With the exception of preventing war, this is the greatest challenge that our country will face during our lifetime.”