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Issue #8: September 2005, Eye of the Storm
Covering It:
Eye of the Storm, by Kylie Loynd
Many of us spend our lives either controlling our emotions or being controlled by them. In moments of intense emotion, disconnecting through clear, cold "reason" can seem like a refuge. Often we ping-pong between the two extremes - stone and fire, fire and stone - neither one satisfying for long. I've found a third solution, which neither dams the flow of emotion nor allows me to drown in it: I call it entering the eye of the storm.
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Whole Foods:
Crazy for Crepes, by Alexa Robbins
Whenever I land in Paris, the first thing I do is visit the nearest creperie. Standing at a tiny crepe stand on a Left Bank street, I watch the crepe-maker drop a dollop of batter on a big, round griddle. As the batter hits the heat, a sweet scent fills the air. As I walk down the streets, nibbling my crepe and enjoying the sights and sounds of Paris, I think about how every food in France comes from a different region. From its cheeses to its grapes, its vegetables to its crepes, each food has its own unique history and place of origin.
Life, Love and Baklava, by Lisa Tiffin
Two years ago, my father died. The loss, though not unexpected (he had been fighting heart disease for nearly 15 years), was more difficult to deal with than I had imagined it would be. My dad had always been involved in my and my three siblings' lives, from coaching our soccer teams to watching our homemade commercials and after-dinner skits to loaning us tools for our own houses when we were grown.(read the complete article)
Sweeteners: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, by Lee Revere
I didn't like sweets until I was about five years old - but it was all over after that. Throughout school, I was so involved in sports that even eating a bag of candy on the way home from practice didn't make me gain weight. And I wasn't the only kid eating sweets. It wasn't until many years later that my sugar consumption began to catch up with me: I had a child, my metabolism slowed, I exercised less frequently and I began to see how sugar toyed with my mood. Begrudgingly, I admitted that I needed to eat fewer sweets, and apparently I'm in good company…(read the complete article)
Musings:
Runner's Mind, by Kerstin Barker
I used to think running just to run was a unique form of torture. I figured the taskmaster who invented math story problems must have devised it. How uncomfortable. How pointless, like the hamster on the wheel. Then I fell in love with a runner.
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From the Ground Up:
Fall Harvest, by Marian Wineman
As summer winds down, most people want a break from gardening; they do a bit of fall cleanup and call it a season. I feel that way, too, but can't seem to stop. There is something almost sneaky about bringing in fresh produce in October and November. In most climates, you can find a sheltered, sunny bed or grow herbs in a south-facing window box. The cool-to-frosty nights of fall add enough zip to veggies to spruce up any meal.
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Everything Herbal:
Rebuilding with Burdock, by Kylie Loynd
When you feel disconnected, distracted, less grounded than you'd like to be, there is a deep-rooted plant ready to offer its slow, steady care. Burdock brings you superb nutrition, rejuvenation and immune strength. It's a head start on fall health that's well worth exploring. (read the complete article)
Website only: Eaglesong's Burdock Pickles Recipe
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A Balance of Health:
Vitamin D Delivers, by Dr. David Ramaley
Every few months, I pick one health issue that stands out from everything else. As I sit down and reflect on what I've learned from different seminars, journals and books that I've read, I realize that for 2005, that one issue has to be the role of vitamin D. (read the complete article)
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Treading Lightly:
In-Home Water Filtration: part 2 of a 2-part series, by Kylie Loynd
Water filtration can be as simple or as complex as you want to make it. If you're just looking for a bit of backup for the purification your municipal water supply already provides, you might be satisfied with a simple pour-through pitcher. Or it may make sense to remove certain contaminants throughout your house. Perhaps you're considering whether you want to install and maintain a system yourself. Chris Lee says that "budget and logistics" drive most in-home water purification decisions. (read the complete article)
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This Spinning Earth:
Running Clean with Biodiesel, by Kerstin Barker
Until recently, I had no idea that vegetable-based biodiesel was a viable option for car fuel. Then to my astonishment, I overheard a lively conversation at a birthday party about how well it was working in a friend's new Volkswagen - without any conversion. She had joined a biodiesel co-op where she pre-buys a number of gallons to receive a discount, putting it at about the same price as diesel. All I knew about biodiesel was that it was a much cleaner-burning fuel, and since the petroleum my car burns is the skeleton in my environmentalist closet, I wanted to learn more.
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Looking Within:
In the Minority, by Lee Revere
I'm fairly optimistic about humanity - at least most of the time. That is, until I have the sort of day that feels particularly foreign and conspiring. I had one of those days recently when I felt like an alien trying to keep myself from assimilating to the ways of a strange culture.
Ceasing Self-Sabotage, by Alexa Robbins
I heard an odd thumping against the courtyard windows of my house. Going to investigate, I found a robin hitting herself against the glass. She believed her reflection to be another bird, intruding on the nest she'd built in a nearby tree. Day after day, I encouraged her back to her nest only to find she'd abandoned her eggs to fight her reflection in the many panes of glass. As I watched, feeling helpless, I thought about how we humans display similar behavior when we sabotage ourselves.
Hopeless in a Hardware Store, by Marie Nelson
For me, the phrase "hardware store" brings two things to mind. First, the smell of dirt mixed with paint fumes and second, the fact that no matter how careful I am while in a store, I always seem to walk away with the dust of some mysterious gray substance on my hands. My fiancé, however, loves hardware stores. Recently, Craig asked if I wanted to accompany him to a small, independently-owned store that he'd never visited. Temporarily forgetting my distaste of such things, I agreed. (read the complete article)
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In Print:
Jitterbug Jam, reviewed by Helen Landalf
Since 9/11, I've found that I'm a little less open, a little less trusting of anyone different from myself. As a parent and teacher, the last thing I want is to pass on my feelings of fear and distrust to the children around me. Thankfully, I've discovered the perfect antidote to the post-9/11 jitters: a wonderful new children's book called Jitterbug Jam.
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Backing Out:
Worshipping the Expert, by Kylie Loynd
Are credentials king? Do formal fields of study and professional titles authenticity make? Is the information more valid if it references specific names and dates, exact percentages and the latest scientific source material? My senses numbed and my energy dropped just typing that… As a society, we've come to rely on our "experts" and their statistics to excess. And to what effect? I don't really notice them spurring our populace on to greater action.
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