City Week

Movies and the Mind

When people go to see movies, usually all they expect from the evening is a few hours of unrealistic plotlines and over-priced, soggy theater popcorn--hardly an enlightening experience. However, Dr. Leanna Palermo says that will not be the case when people attend the Spiritual Cinema Circle at the Science of Mind Center on July 17.

The Spiritual Cinema Circle is the brainchild of director/producer Stephen Simon, who produced What Dreams May Come and Somewhere in Time. He puts together a DVD selection of various movies about life, love and spirituality, and people can subscribe to the program and get selected movies every month. Palermo decided to begin showing the movies, along with serving refreshments made from exotic rainforest ingredients, in order to inspire interest in the Science of Mind Center.

Palermo, a spinal-care doctor, got involved with the center because the mission of the group directly relates to the work she does as a physician. The tenets of Science of Mind involve changing the way you think to change your life.

"It's about focusing in on the perfection within us," Palermo said.

This upcoming Sunday, the movie Somewhere in Time will be shown, and refreshments will include healthy chocolate made from rainforest ingredients, as well as herbal teas and cocktails. Utilizing products from the rainforest is another aspect of the Science of Mind belief system. Palermo explained that the rainforests are "the lungs of our planet" and that people don't think about their existence, because they're usually far away from where they are.

"Just because we can't see them doesn't mean they aren't there. We are all one," Palermo said. --S.B.

Painting the Holy Lands

When Howard Salmon went on a nine-day guided tour of Israel, he forgot to pack his camera. Salmon had brought a small watercolor set, though, and he spent the fast-paced trip painting the scenes he saw.

The trip was organized through the Temple Emanu-El, which is where you will find this exhibit of watercolor paintings and pen drawings.

Visitors can see many of the historic sites in Jerusalem through Salmon's paintings, including the Dome of the Rock mosque, the Ben Yuhad Mall and, built more recently, the Israeli parliament building. There are also scenes of prayer and ritual.

"Israel is a very powerful place," Salmon says. "You go there thinking it's a mystical, mythical place, but when you go there, you feel this connection to history and the past."

In addition to the watercolor paintings--34 will be on display--there also are genuine pottery shards from Israel and a selection of pen drawings he made while sitting in an outdoor café.

Salmon was glad that he could capture the scenes in watercolor instead of snapping pictures.

"You point the camera, and then turn away," he says, meaning you may not get the full experience of what you are looking at.

During the trip, his on-the-fly painting piqued the interest of others, resulting in a self-published book of his watercolor work, available through www.howardsalmon.com

To see this free exhibit, Temple Emanu-El asks that you set up an appointment to let them know you are coming. To enter the temple, go to the west entrance. The exhibit is past the main lobby and outside the Carol Fist Gallery of Judaica, located inside the temple. --M.W.

Fun for Young'uns

Little ones can enjoy the dog days of summer with a visit from Spot, the lovable puppy of children's book fame.

He'll be dropping by for story time at the Foothills Mall Barnes and Noble bookstore on Thursday and Saturday. Miss Susie will be reading Spot's Show-and-Tell, Night-Night Spot and Spot Bakes a Cake those days.

"I love children and children's books," she said. At the story times, there will be the chance to hug Spot and color a picture of him.

Spot is a cute yellow dog who "gets into mischief and learns lessons," Miss Susie said. This time around, he will be baking a cake, getting some sleep and figuring out what he should bring to school for show-and-tell.

Spot arrived 25 years ago with Where's Spot?, a book that featured flip-up pages to delight the reader.

The author, Eric Hill, made the first Spot book to entertain his 2-year-old son, Christopher, while living as a freelance advertising artist in London. He noticed that an advertising project he was working on that flipped up to reveal a funny picture gave his son great enjoyment, and that feature is what he added to the Where's Spot? book.

There are more than 50 different Spot books to read, and his adventures also were put into animated form, first televised on the British Broadcasting Corp.

The books are written in plain text that is easy to grasp for very young children.

"I encourage everyone to bring their children," Miss Susie said, who added, "I think it's reassuring when you have children who won't miss a reading."

The readings are free.

The Barnes and Noble bookstore at the Foothills Mall does a regular story time every Saturday at 11 a.m. On July 30, Miss Susie will read two of the Chicka Chicka books by Bill Martin Jr. --M.W.

Battling Cancer With Exercise

When a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, she goes through many emotions. One reaction that is almost universal is the feeling of "being out of control." Breast-cancer patients can regain their sense of control by actively fighting the illness, and the Breast Cancer Boot Camp provides a way to do that.

The boot camp is a fitness-based support system for breast-cancer survivors and their family, friends and supporters. The group has had about 125 people go through the program locally, and participants find that there are many positive results that come from doing the exercises, such as having fewer side effects from their medication and less fatigue. (For more information, see "Cancer Combat," April 21.)

The group will be moving inside to the Park Place Mall for the summer session, because the instructors have found the heat is too much for most people during these ultra-hot months. (Meet outside of in front of Borders, next to Sears.) Plus, there's a lot of room inside to do a variety of different exercises.

Co-founder Patte Lazarus came up with the idea for the group when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was already taking an exercise class, and she her friends encouraged her to stay with it and to just do what amount of exercise she felt comfortable with. Lazarus found the exercises helped her with the fight. Working out helped so much that she decided to start a fitness program for others. Today, with the help of her partner, Anita Kellman, she leads exercise classes for other women with breast cancer.

The classes, which are free in the summer, are composed of light cardio, resistance training, strength training and stretching. --S.B.