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Issue #17:
Fall 2007 — Self-Portrait

A Balance of Health
The Cholesterol Myth, by Dr. David Ramaley
Perhaps one of the biggest health myths propagated in the United States is the correlation between elevated cholesterol and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Our nation has become obsessed with eating foods low in cholesterol and fat. Ask almost anyone, and they can tell you their cholesterol levels. Most likely you have a friend or relative taking a statin drug (Lipitor, Mevecor, Crestor, etc.) to lower cholesterol. Statin medications are the number-one-selling drugs in the world. Unfortunately, despite dozens of studies, cholesterol has not been shown to actually cause CVD. To the contrary, cholesterol is vital to our survival, and trying to artificially lower it can have detrimental effects, particularly as we age... (read the complete article)

Everything Herbal
Motherwort Mothers You, by Kimberly Gallagher
Have you ever looked ahead at your life and wished you had someone to hold your hand through the upcoming days or weeks? As a mother of two small children, this feeling has certainly come up for me - for example, the week they both had the chicken pox and the time Hailey's lower lip was damaged in a sledding accident. Well, now I've discovered something I can do for myself at times like these... (read the complete article)

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Musings
Living with Lateral Purpose, by Sue Norton
I recently read about an artist, Brian Wright, who carves huge, symmetrical Celtic symbols onto sandy beaches. His creations are breathtaking, but gone in a day. Often sooner. The tide rolls in and out again, taking with it his intricate etchings. Why does he do it? I've wondered. Or more important: where does he get the emotional fortitude it must require to see one's creative works disappear far more swiftly than they were produced, possibly before anyone else has seen them? Doesn't he want to leave something behind? Isn't he, like so many of the rest of us, hung up on posterity, on immortality, on leaving a trace? I find myself befuddled...

Life Out Loud
Homework: Lightening the Load, by Patty Wipfler
It's fall, and families everywhere are jostling their way toward some routine that will accommodate school, childcare, work and familial sanity. Humans are inclined toward fun and conviviality. We love to play. We love our free time - the parents no less than the children. But after a bit of summer ease, parents have to find a way to squeeze their little band of loved ones into the strictures of a school- and work-oriented schedule. In many families, the biggest pinch is felt around homework... (read the complete article)

Learning by Living, by David Moskowitz
Some educational theories and methodologies are complex and hard to understand. But others, like this one, are quite simple: To increase your awareness, appreciation and understanding of the natural world, spend time in it doing just about anything. I received this advice from one of my naturalist teachers years ago. As an instructor for Wilderness Awareness School, I have had the opportunity to pass on this important lesson to many students. The value of this practice is clearly illustrated by people whose daily lives keep them intimately connected to the natural world. A fisherman knows the patterns of the waters he fishes. A family farmer knows the weather and soil of her farm. (read the complete article)

Q & A: Kid Connections, by Susanne Wichert
How can we connect with kids in a meaningful way? And how can we make sure we are doing this enough in our busy lives? While looking for the best possible answers to these questions, I came across all manner of statistics and opinions. Most of what I found regarding this subject boils down to the following: Many parents feel that they do not have enough time with their children and are concerned that all their lives are over-scheduled. Additionally, many parents doubt the choices they make when it comes to family time.

Whole Foods
Ubiquitous Modaqqa, by Lisa Tiffin
Hospitality is an important part of my Lebanese heritage. Preparing food has traditionally been a way to honor loved ones and guests, especially since each dish requires many steps and is made from scratch, often taking hours to prepare. My father continued this tradition, while I was growing up, cooking Lebanese dishes at home. What made the meals even more memorable was that he used a mortar and pestle passed down to him from his grandmother... (read the complete article)

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Our Picks
Eco Encore, by Kylie Loynd
Our friend Khris started paring down his belongings years ago - books, music, clothes... stuff. His criteria for keeping something are based on the last time he used it and whether he really believes he'll ever use it again. I love the vision of a more streamlined home space, as well as the thought that I'm giving things to someone who either needs or will enjoy them more than I do. I reflect on all this as I stride past my dust-coated bookshelves, eyes determinedly averted. For me, simply knowing that something is a good idea isn't always enough. It helps tremendously if that knowing is paired with an inspiring and convenient solution. Eco Encore is a nonprofit that collects reusable books, CDs, DVDs and software... (read the complete article)

This Spinning Earth
Septic Solutions, by Marian Wineman
Most of us don't really want to know the story of where refuse goes when it leaves the house. It's easier not to know. We can simply pay the sewer bill and wipe our hands clean. But maybe where it goes and what happens to it after it leaves our houses is important. We want to have healthy water to drink, clean beaches to play on and to know that our kids will be able to enjoy a salmon dinner when they grow up. To understand more about solutions to the problems created by traditional septic systems, let's look at some alternatives that can help protect our estuaries and our larger environment. (read the complete article)

Looking Within
Mountains of Childhood, by Pamela Sonn
One of the greatest childhood gifts my parents ever gave me was the freedom to walk alone in the mountains. Taking a scruffy yard dog and a lunch, I would set off for a whole day up in the hickory and maple forest on the mountainside my uncle owned in the Alleghenies. For water, I drank from any of a plenitude of mountain streams. I climbed in wild grape vines as thick as my arm, swinging like Tarzan until they let go. I tracked deer trails to see if I could find their owners. Grey squirrels scolded, and chipmunks watched me, but I never saw a black bear, despite parental warnings to play dead or climb a tree, depending on whether the dog ran or stayed... (read the complete article)

& Kitty Makes Three, by Marie Richmon
My family never had a bona fide pet when I was growing up. We did have a bird and a hamster. Technically, they were our pets, but the separated nature of their living arrangements didn't encourage any lasting bonds. They lived with us versus amongst us. We were sad when they passed but quickly resumed our lives, pet-less and content. When I began living on my own, I listened politely to my friends when they extolled the virtues of their pets, all the while thinking, never in a million years. I didn't dislike animals; I just didn't understand why someone would deliberately introduce a shedding, pooping creature into their home. Little did I know that, in a few short years, all my barriers against owning a pet would be smashed by something no bigger than my hand.

Treading Lightly
Beautiful Bamboo, based on an interview with Daniel Ehrlich
By now, you have probably seen the explosion in bamboo's popularity and use. Bamboo flooring, in particular, is attracting much attention. One reason for this wood's increased popularity is that it's one of the most easily renewable natural building materials available to us today... (read the complete article)

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In Print & On the Screen
Peace One Day, reviewed by Corinna Frenzl
What would the world be like if for just one day we had a complete ceasefire and no violence? A day of peace. At first thought, it sounds downright impossible. But this is the vision of British filmmaker Jeremy Gilley, who directed a film called Peace One Day to record his journey to establish an annual global day of peace... (read the complete article)

Backing Out
Identifying Self, by Khris Fruits, Managing Editor
Waiting for the rug weaver's study group to start the other day, a woman made a statement that seemed to astonish most everyone there. She said she knitted, but that she was not a knitter. To many of the attendees, this sounded like a riddle... (read the complete article)

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