 | Editor's Notebook: The Kimchee ChroniclesFriends in the kitchen; and other delights.
by Greta deJong
A few decades ago as a Midwest college kid on a tight budget, while Christmas present shopping for my nieces and nephews, I found a foreign grocery. Chocolate-covered ants, pickled whatnots, an assortment of then-bizarre and unusual fresh and canned fruit, the containers covered with exotic words and images. They loved it (though I don't think David ever did open his can of rattlesnake meat) and got a small dose, hard to come by in those days and that place, of a wider and more diverse world.
From Leonard Cohen's "tea and oranges that came all the way from China" to our favorite French wines, it has been a sign of culture to eat what the world offers. A global economy has made foods unknown to us in our childhood now easily available, and for a good price, too.
But in recent years I've come to appreciate, in a much deeper way than ever before, the beauty of "eating locally." It began, of all places, at the Bayou, where I would always order what to me was the best beer in the world, Unibroue Trois Pistoles, a strong dark Belgian ale. Okay, it comes from Canada, not Belgium. But I got to thinking about what's involved in hauling a glass bottle of (albeit deliciously) flavored water across a continent. How much of the $6 per bottle was going toward transportation? With local breweries making fine beers, could I come to prefer something else?
Now, when I order a beer, I always ask: "What have you got that's local?"
In the early days of CATALYST I was blessed (when the blackberries were on the move, I'd say cursed) with a yard that had every type of fruit tree as well as a 30 x 90-ft. vegetable garden. One summer when the office was in my home, I decided to eat, as much as possible, that which was no more than 20 minutes away from its mother (Earth). It was a weird diet for a few days-mostly I remember radishes. But it was an interesting experiment. I still recall the thrill of eating big black-red cherries directly from the low-hanging branches, and raiding the pea patch, or maybe it was beans.
If my nieces and nephews lived in this neck of the woods now (and two of them do-Kate and Polly, listen up!), I might bring them cheese from Drake Family Farm in West Jordan; lamb from Morgan Valley in Delta; our local and delicious Spotted Dog ice cream. I would tell them about the Eat Local Challenge, a project beginning August 18 instigated and organized by a casual coalition of local friends. It's becoming practically a movement. See Beth Carter's story in this issue. Read it and see what you think. Maybe you should join in, too.
Friends and food have always gone together. In June I experienced that in a new way when Adriane Colvin got together a group of people for a living foods demonstration and dinner party. With a living foods afficionado and neoshaman named Tasi, who was visiting Salt Lake for a few weeks, we gathered in David Allen's kitchen to learn the dietary benefits and culinary how-to of kimchee, a fermented food considered a national treasure in Korea.
Kimchee is supposedly loaded with nutrients and good for digestion. Tastes great, too, if you like salty tart flavors. We put our newfound knowledge to use, chopping head after head of Napa cabbage, a big bag of organic carrots, several large onions and a few heads of garlic, mixing it all with handsful of salt and a variety of spices. We took turns with the wooden pestle, pummeling the veggies till they (and we) were limp. Then we packed them tightly into jars, poured in enough of the salty liquid to cover, screwed the lids on loosely, and took them home to sit on our kitchen counters for the next six days.
Results were good. Other friends heard about the project. More recently, a couple of CATALYST columnists and other friends got together in Tony Guay's kitchen for Round Two of the Kimchee Chronicles. This time we added different spices and a bit of red cabbage. Nine-year-old Ally got in the act, too, tasting and pounding and authoritatively suggesting minor alterations to the seasoning.
This batch is now ready, and is even more beautiful than the first. I've been eating a few forkfuls of kimchee every day-a little bit goes a long way, but it's come to feel essential, like a hot dark drink in the morning.
What surprised us, besides the pleasure of an actual product, was the fun we had in making it: a joint project, visible results, quick completion time. Not unlike barn raisings, quilting bees and other domestic endeavors from days past. We think we're on to something. What next?
One thing that's next, though on a bit grander scale, is raising bees. We have one hive in its first year that we'll be writing about soon. Early signs indicate the lavender-dominant harvest will be plentiful. Lots of people have already expressed interest in our experience. We're eager to share, and help others get started for next season. More about that in a month or so.
It took our whacky Swami Beyondananda, aka Steve Bhaerman, to point out the obvious: If Bush and Cheney are impeached, we get to welcome President Nancy Pelosi. How cool is that? What are we waiting for?
Two new CATALYST columns debut this month: One is "Ask Your Mama," by Brooklyn-based ceremonialist Donna Henes. Longtime readers may remember her from "Celestially Auspicious Occasions," a column that appeared in CATALYST throughout the 1990s. We reconnected last year when Donna visited Salt Lake City on tour for her latest book, "The Queen of My Self."
We've also brought back "NewsNotes: Seen and Heard Around the City," after a long hiatus. Tamara Rowe, who also writes the Comings and Goings column, is tackling that one.
I hope you enjoy them, and the rest of the magazine as well.
Addendum to Carol Koleman's "Parcae: Triple Goddess of Fate" in this issue: A big thanks to Mike Reid for his assistance in this month's photo shoot.
And yes, Carol is the woman appearing, month after month, in all those myriad goddess guises (except, of course, in the months when Tony Guay writes; in which case we're looking at Tony). Carol does all the creative for those photos; we're always eager to see what she comes up with next.
Greta Belanger deJong is the founder, editor and publisher of CATALYST. Contact her at greta@catalystmagazine.net.
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| |  | Don't Get Me Started: Fuel Guarantees?1980: Diesel Mercedes. 2007: Nuke Power.
by John deJong
Fuel Guarantees?
1980:diesel Mercedes
2007: nuke power
When I see "Flexfuel" Suburbans and Escalades these days I'm reminded of the '70s and '80s when the diesel Mercedes was all the rage with the luxury car crowd. While probably not their main reason to choose that car, avoiding the rising cost of gasoline was a nice perc. Diesel, it was thought, would weather the coming storm of high energy prices because it was a by-product of gasoline refining and as a by-product would avoid the market gyrations of gasoline.
Conveniently for them, diesel-fueled vehicles were not subject to mandated emissions controls. So, we still have a few of those dinosaurs around to remind us of the danger of "grandfathering" pollution-belching technologies. As if the hundreds of dirty coal-fired power plants the Bush administration has given new leases on life are not enough of a reminder. The only problem was that diesel prices kept pace with the cost of gasoline-albeit a little lower, because diesel doesn't need to be refined to reduce pollution emissions.
The drivers of those Escalades and Suburbans are looking for a guaranteed source of fuel for their gas guzzlers and the American auto industry is trying to sell as many gas guzzlers as they can before Congress passes really meaningful mileage standards. The point is, those gas guzzlers drive up our prices for gasoline and home heating as well as putting out more pollution per vehicle mile and keeping us in Iraq, and toadying to Saudi Arabia and....
So Utah is now being asked to choose (or rather is being told by a legislative committee) what mix of energy sources will solve its future energy needs. Kinda like Dick Cheney's 2001 secret plan to give the reins of America's energy policy to the energy industry.
And, thanks to generous campaign contributions, nuclear power is now in the mix. Think of it as Inflex Fuel. Once we've sunk $10-20 billion into a nuclear power plant, we're stuck with it for time and eternity (or its radioactive halflife, which is close enough for this plane of existence). That's $10-20 billion that won't be invested in conservation or alternative energy sources.
The nuclear power industry would like Utah to pass a law similar to the ones passed in eight other states, that allows the nuclear power industry to bet that electricity demand will rise to unprecedented levels. The catch is its our money they're betting with. If the projections turn out to be wildly optimistic (or pessimistic depending on your point of view) the rate payers would have to pay fo the excess capacity.
What's for nuclear power industry companies not to like? They're monopolies, under government regulation (or should I say, "under-regulated government-aided monopolies") and they get their capital from rate payers. Imagine Henry Ford pushing to build a new assembly line for Model-Ts so every family can have two Model-Ts in the garage, then getting the legislature to pass a law that has families who choose not to get a second car pay for the assembly line.
Nuclear power is being touted as the carbon dioxide neutral "eco-friendly" source of energy. But even nuclear power has embodied energy. The energy needed to build the plant, mine, transport and refine the fuel and finally bury or reprocess the waste fuel and decommission the plant has to come from some place, whether it's solar, oil, coal or nuclear. Nuclear power plants are currently responsible for one-fifth to one-third of the CO2 produced by a gas-fired power plant, according to a report prepared for the Green parties of the European Parliament, a calculation based on the availability of high-grade ore. When the world's supply of high-grade ore runs out (as it will all too soon if nuclear power lives up to the nuclear power industry's hype) the net release of CO 2 for nuclear power plants will exceed the amount released by gas fired power plants. But who's looking that far ahead?
Kangaroo Diversion
Cops, the courts, and Guantanamo
What little the public has seen of the "legal" proceedings at the Guantanamo Bay detention center have always had a Keystone Cops quality to them. Now Lieutenant Colonel Stephen E. Abraham has stepped forward to confirm that characterization. As reported in the NY Times, Abraham submittted an affidavit in the case of Guantanamo detainees recently decided in the detainee's favor by the Supreme Court. He describes a deeply flawed hearing procedure, used to rubber stamp decisions commanders had already made. Often intelligence reports, he said, relied only on accusations that a detainee had been found in a suspect area or was associated with a suspect organization.
Is it any wonder that the most prominent case to come out of Guantanamo was that against Osama bin Laden's chauffeur? I guess that's aiding and abetting (and cooking for) the enemy, but what's the point? The Bush administration's failure to capture Osama called for a high-profile diversion. The kangaroo court quality of the Guantanamo proceedings has provided that.
Our Spokesperson
Republican Senators, Republican Representatives... Salt Lake needs a Dem mayor
Salt Lake City needs a mayor in the mold of Rocky Anderson. With two Republican Senators and two Republican Representatives in Washington, not to mention the dominance of Republicans at the state level, the voices of progressive Utahns had been muzzled, until Rocky stepped up to the plate. Salt Lake City needs a mayor who will continue in that role.
To my mind the only two candidates who fill the bill are Ralph Becker and Jenny Wilson. We don't need a Republican in the general election because he'll never prevail in Salt Lake City, no matter how much money he's raised.
Of course, we need a mayor who knows how to manage the city, but the city can run itself fairly well. All the capable Chief Assistants to the Assistant Chief and their ilk take care of that. What we need in a mayor is someone who has the vision thing and the skills to make it happen.
Jenny Wilson has the advantage of plenty of name recognition. Her father was Salt Lake's mayor from 1976-1985, and her able service on the Salt Lake County Commission has added to her patrimony. She would make an excellent mayor.
Ralph Becker has worked quietly behind the scenes on your behalf at Republican Central (aka the Utah House of Representatives) for over 10 years. That's the only way a Democrat is going to get anything done up there, where the limelight is reserved for Republicans. His accomplishments, which include successfully sponsoring the Quality Growth Act, Utah's first Energy Policy Act and funding for the LeRay McAllister Critical Lands Fund, have garnered him credit; lesser acknowledged are the many ill-advised bills he has managed to block. He, too, would make an excellent mayor.
The best course for Salt Lake City will be a general election where two viable-and in Salt Lake City, thank God, that means liberal-candidates try to out-vision each other and voters decide which of two grand visions prevail. I want the campaigning in the general election to be a synergistic exercise, not a zero-sum debate.
John deJong is associate publisher of CATALYST.
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Newsnotes: August 2007Seen and heard around town.
by Tamara Rowe
Wasatch Community Gardens in suspense
Earlier this year, Wasatch Community Gardens (WCG) announced that the porperty on which they have operated their 4th East Garden at 400 East 553 South for nearly 25 years had been sold. Emily Aagaard, WCG executive director, learned that the purchaser was another nonprofit organization, Community Development Corporation (CDC), which bought the land to build residential housing units. When CDC made the winning bid, they were unaware that WCG desired to purchase the land. CDC has allowed the approximately 25 WCG gardeners to use the space for one more season. CDC also agreed to look for another piece of land. Meanwhile, WCG is trying to raise the funds necessary to buy the garden if it becomes available.
Mary Younkin, a founding member of the garden, says no one recollects exactly when the garden got started. She believes it might have been more than 30 years ago. It began as a Red Butte Garden & Arboretum protect. "The National Guard helped clear the vacated lot," Younkin remembers. "There were car parts, some sort of a garage where the shed is now, and the soil was so full of clay, I could make balls out of it." Mary lives two blocks from the garden and knows a number of friends who moved into the apartments nearby just because of the access to the garden. "It is a very special place. It attracts birds and beneficial insects. The land is completely toxin-free-no pesticides or herbicides have ever been used [in the history of the garden]. You can't just move a garden like this." Mary says. She also lamented how much the neighborhood needs the garden, "This neighborhood has seen some rough times the past couple of years." She mentions Destiny Norton under her breath. "People need a place to go." People need a sanctuary. "They don't need another highrise apartment building."
Susan Finlayson, community education coordinator and manager of community gardening, agrees with Mary Younkin, "People don't understand what it means to have a garden site built up on 25 years of organic composting." One can't just up and relocate a healthy garden, not to mention perennial plants, and fruit trees.
Indeed this is an extremely important piece of land. As Salt Lake City continues to grow, green space diminishes. More and more of our food must be brought in from outside as we lose all ability to sustain ourselves.
WCGs continues to improve the 400 East garden in hopes of one day owning it. They recently installed a water catchement system, utilizing the flat rooftop and gutter sytems of the apartment building directly south.
Building and gardening in the city can and do work together. They need to. Projections show a net loss of 65,610 acres of agricultural land along the Wasatch Front between 1995 and 2020 and an additional 209,090 acres lost between 2020 and 2050. As Salt Lake City continues to rapidly lose its greenspace to development, yards and gardens are lost, and the need for community gardens, such as the one at 400 East, becomes even greater.
359-2658, www.wasatchgardens.org.
Utah Clean Cities Coalition hires new director
Robin Erickson has been selected as the new director of the Utah Clean Cities Coalition based in Salt Lake City. Prior to joining Utah Clean Cities, she was fleet manager for the Newspaper Agency Corporation where she achieved average annual fuel-cost savings of $329,000 annually over some 12 years and kept 11 tons of particulate matter out of Utah's air by adopting clean, alternative-vehicle fuels such as natural gas.
As an asthma sufferer, Erickson takes the issue of air quality personally. "The future of our air is in our hands, and with strong partnership commitments we can make breathing easier a reality for all Utahns" she says.
Clean Cities, part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office, builds partnerships with industry, stakeholders, fleets, fuel suppliers and business partners with the goal of improving air quality and energy independence by decreasing petroleum use.
535-7736, Robin.ericson@slcgov.com
Taking back the tap
Less than a month after Mayor Anderson, along with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newson and Ann Arbor, Michigan's City Council, banned the use of bottled water funded by the city, many chic restaurants in San Francisco, Boston and New York have eliminated bottled water from their menus. New York City has launched an ad campaign to promote its fabled tap water, long considered the best-tasting in the country.
According to Food and Water Watch, a Washington, D.C. environmental group, Americans drank 37 billion bottles of water in 2005. "Nearly 40% of bottled water is tap water that has been treated and bottled, and yet the federal government requires far more vigorous testing of municipal water than bottled water," said Jennifer Mueller, a spokeswoman for the group. She noted an estimated 47 million gallons of oil are used to produce the bottles that Americans drink from each year. Statistics also show that only one out of five bottles gets recycled.
Salt Lake City named one of 13 cities to share $2.5 million "Solar American Cities" grant
Salt Lake City will receive approximately $200,000 from the U.S. Energy Department to promote solar-power technology over the next two years. The money is primarily for researching what cities and counties can do to implement solar power. The cities were picked based on "high electricity demand, a diverse geography, population, and maturity of solar infrastructure as well as the cities' plan and commitment to a citywide approach to using solar power," according to the department.
How do you dispose of a fluorescent lightbulb?
The federal government reports that if every American replaced one standard incandescent light bulb with a compact flurescent light bulb (CFL), we would save enough energy to power 2.5 million homes for a year. It's also equal to removing the emissions of nearly 800,000 cars.
But unlike traditional bulbs, CFLs-for that matter, all fluorescent light bulbs-contain small amounts of mercury that require a different recycling process.
Salt Lake County drop-off sites for CFLs (fluorescent tubes, too) include all Salt Lake County libraries, as well as the Whitmore Library, Draper Library, C.S. Smith Library, South Jordan Library, R.V. Tyler Library, Bingham Creek Library, Hunter Library, and Magna Library.
Keep in mind, those compact fluorescents last a whole lot longer than incandescents, which require greater efforts from mercury-emitting coal-fired power plants. (The first CFL in the CATALYST office, a gift from Jerry Schmidt back in the '80s, lasted 10 years!)
If a CFL breaks indoors, here's what the EPA says to do: "Open nearby windows to disperse any vapor that may escape, carefully sweep up the fragments (do not use your hands) and wipe the area with a disposable paper towel to remove all glass fragments. Do not use a vacuum. Place in a sealed plastic bag and dispose the same way you would batteries, oil-based paint and motor oil at your local Household Hazardous Waste Collection Site." And yes, it's totally worth making the switch from incandescents to CFLs.
The Salt Lake Valley Health Department Hazardous Waste Facilities at the following locations also accept spent CFLs and tubes:
Salt Lake Valley Solid Waste Facility
6030 W 1300 S. Mon-Sat, 8a-4p
Trans-Jordan Cities Landfill
10873 S 7200 W. Mon-Sat, 8a-4p
University of Utah Environmental News:
U of U cuts water usefor summer
The University of Utah has signed a water conservation pledge from the Utah Rivers Council called "Smart Sprinkling." The idea is to keep lawns green using the least amount of water possible.
The U will update the campus irrigation system. Sprinklers will now go through a shorter 20-minute cycle to allow grass to saturate and prevent runoff. This system also automatically shuts down if a water main breaks. Also, faulty sprinkler heads will be replaced.
The University is one of the biggest water users in the state. They have cut down water use by 15% in the past five years and hope to be good role model as well as continue this trend.
U of U expands recycling program
The U of U is in the process of distributing recycle bins to every classroom in every building on campus. Bins will be used only for collecting mixed paper, which includes newspaper, magazines and office paper. The University has historically only recycled 20% of its waste. Organizers of the new recycle program estimate that number should jump up to 50%.
Intermodal hub bike station
Salt Lake City is still working on the details of this proposed bicycle transit center at 320 S 600 West. $70,000 has been allocated for the project: $17,500 by the Public Services Department, $20,000 by the Utah Department of Transportation, $30,000 by the UtahTransit Authority, and $2,500 by the Mayor's Bicycle Advisory Committee. Utah Transit Authority estimates that 16,000 to 17,000 cyclists would use the hub during the first year of operation. If built, the finished hub would provide indoor parking, a bike rental and repair center, and a changing area (possibly with showers).
Peregrine falcon update
The pair of peregrine falcons which have returned to Salt Lake for their third straight year nested on the northeast corner of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and have hatched and reared four chicks. The young peregrines are currently perfecting their flying skills in downtown Salt Lake. Unfortunately, as of July 9, one of the young birds is missing, and volunteers have been unable to locate it. The three remaining fledglings appear healthy and can be seen flying above the streets of downtown Salt Lake City. The birds are most active during the cooler times of the day - early in the morning or before dusk in the evening. If you are interested in seeing the birds, keep your eye on the sky around the LDS Temple. The temple, with its multiple spires, ledges and rock work, makes a good place for the young birds to land. Volunteers can usually be found in the area to help you spot the birds. -Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
Parley's historic nature park goes to the dogs
Dog lovers and environmentalists alike showed up in record numbers to voice their opinions to the city council on July 17th in regard to the city's most popular off-leash dog park. "This park is being loved to death," stated retired biology professor, Ty Harrison. This same phrase was later echoed by Council Woman Jill Remington Love. She, however, went on to say that we need more off-leash areas where people can recreate with their dogs within the city so that Parley's Historic Nature Park doesn't suffer so much impact.
The park was dedicated in 1986 as a historic nature reserve. Councilman Eric Jergenson recollected the sketchy drug and gang activities that were common in Parley's at the time and gave credit to dog owners for helping clean up the park and make it a safer place for the community. The council decided 6-1 that the park shall remain off-leash but a management plan shall be adopted within a month to address environmental concerns and may lead to more on-leash areas within the park.
Running-er, biking for office
For 11 years Ralph Becker, in his position as state legislator, has tried to minimize billboard use in Salt Lake, so he's not about to buy one to publicize his campaign for Salt Lake City mayor. Instead, check out the lightweight aluminium bicycle trailers he's had made to tow campaign signs about town. Campaign manager David Everitt says the trailers are a fun way to get the word out and to showcase Becker's advocacy for bicycle use in the city, and credits the idea to their "ace team of guerrilla marketers." (Ingrid Price in photo)
www.ralphbecker.com
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| |  | Enviro Update: August 2007Environmental news from around the state and the west.
by Amy Brunvand
Utah's ecological footprint exceeds resources
A new report from the Utah Population and Environment Coalition says that in order to continue current levels of consumption, people in Utah will either need to use up nonrenewable natural resource capital or take the ecological allotment that supports people from other parts of the world. Between 1990 and 2003, the State of Utah went into "ecological overshoot" which means that people in Utah consume more renewable natural resources than the lands and waters in Utah could possibly supply.
Prior to 2003, Utahns were consuming more than the global average, but low population density meant the amount of land was adequate for the people who lived here. The report cites growth in population as the single largest contributor to ecological deficit and says that energy consumption creates the largest environmental impact.
Of course, Utah does not stand alone. In 2003, an area more than double the size of the United States was required to meet the consumption demands of U.S. citizens for that year. Worse, the report notes that there is no longer any global surplus of renewable resources: "We exceeded the biocapacity of the Earth in the late 1980s and have been in ecological overshoot ever since; that is, we use each year all of the Earth's renewable resources and pollution sinks and then draw down on its reserve of natural capital for the remainder of our needs."
To bring Utah back into ecological balance, the report says that we would either need to reduce population (which is not likely) or drastically reduce consumption levels by creating more efficient energy systems, land use patterns and transportation options.
Utah Vital Signs 2007: The Ecological Footprint of Utah http://www.utahpop.org/vitalsigns/
Kane County roads grab foiled by SUWA et al.
An effort by Kane County to undo restrictions on off-road motorized travel in Grand Staircase/Escalante National Monument failed in U.S. District Court on June 29 after National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Sierra Club, the Wilderness Society and the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance asked the court to dismiss a lawsuit. Kane County brought suit claiming that the BLM is required to manage unresolved RS2477 road claims in the monument as if they were county roads until ownership issues are resolved. However, the court disagreed, ruling that Kane County is not allowed to shift the burden of deciding RS2477 claims onto BLM or shortcut the existing processes for determining their unresolved RS2477 claims. Kane and Garfield counties plan to appeal.
RS2477 is part of a repealed Civil War-era law that allowed construction of roads on federal lands in order to access mining claims. The poorly written language of the law has turned it into a loophole for off-road vehicle advocates to block wilderness designation of public lands by claiming that every existing tire track is a "road."
SUWA: www.suwa.org
Mother Jones features Utah roads battle
"The outcome of the RS 2477 cases now cycling through the courts could determine the future of wilderness designation in the United States," says a feature story in the June issue of Mother Jones magazine. "If by history, culture, and predilection any one state in the West was destined to start this fight, it was Utah." The article offers an excellent overview of RS2477 and describes why Utah has become the epicenter of the public lands road controversy.
Ketcham, Christopher. "Off Road Rules." Mother Jones magazine. June 30, 2007 www.motherjones.com/
Utah state fish mysteriously die in Parley's Creek
Utah's state fish, the Bonneville cutthroat trout, became a little more endangered after the mysterious death of over 500 of the rare trout in Parleys Creek in June. Wildlife officials believe that high nitrate levels, possibly from fertilizer, may have killed them.
Bonneville cutthroats are descended from fish that lived in Pleistocene Lake Bonneville. Mountain Dell reservoir on Parleys Creek is the brood source for efforts to restore these native fish, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently drafted a plan to restore native fish to their historic range in southwestern Utah by removing non-native trout from 10 streams and establishing populations of Bonneville cutthroat trout and Colorado River cutthroat trout.
"Draft Environmental Assessment for Native Trout Restoration and Enhancement Projects in Southwestern Utah." www.fws.gov/mountain_2Dprairie/federalassistance/native_trout/Draft_CUTT_EA.pdf
Least Chub may not survive Snake Valley dewatering
In other endangered fish news, the last remaining habitat for the Least Chub in Snake Valley on the Utah-Nevada border could be destroyed if the Southern Nevada Water Authority is allowed to pump groundwater to support runaway growth in Las Vegas. In response, the Utah Chapter of the Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, and Great Basin Chapter of Trout Unlimited filed a petition to list the chub as an endangered species.
A June 20 press release quotes Don Duff, president of the Great Basin Chapter of Trout Unlimited, former federal fisheries biologist, and a landowner in Snake Valley, saying, "Decline of the least chub is an indicator of declining water tables that will also harm farmers, ranchers and dozens of other species that depend on desert streams and springs of the Snake Valley, including the Bonneville cutthroat trout, state fish of Utah."
Utah Chapter Sierra Club: http://utah.sierraclub.org/
Invasive species sets Utah aflame
Non-native cheat grass is the primary culprit behind this summer's range fires that have already burned over 300,000 acres in central Utah. Cheatgrass is an immigrant from the Mediterranean region. It spreads in areas that suffer from overgrazing and outcompetes native grasses after fires. Cheatgrass is also responsible for the decline of the Western sagebrush ecosystem, considered to be one of the most imperiled ecosystems in the U.S. A report from the U.S. Forest Service says that formerly 150 million acres of sagebrush covered over half of the American West, and now only about 10% of the "Sagebrush Ocean" remains unspoiled.
The fire hazard and habitat loss associated with cheatgrass has been a major reason why environmental groups such as the Sierra Club favor reforming, reducing, or, in some cases, eliminating public lands grazing.
Utah DWR, Cheatgrass information: wildlife.utah.gov/watersheds/links/cheatgrass.php
USFS Sagebrush in Western North America: www.fs.fed.us/pnw/sciencef/scifi91.pdf
Celebrate Utah Wilderness Day, August 7, with SUWA, Greg Brown & Kate MacLeod
SUWA will host a Utah Wilderness Day Celebration featuring Greg Brown, a virtuoso singer and songwriter who has a deep affinity for wild lands, and special guest Kate MacLeod. Tuesday, August 7, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Salt Lake City's Gallivan Center. Tickets are $5 at the door or in advance on their website.
www.suwa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=events_UtahWildernessDay
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 | Grist: August 2007Environmental news and commentary.
by Grist.org
We Always Thought It Was Industrial Strength
McDonald's to power U.K. delivery fleet with its own grease
Proving once again that everything's cooler in Europe, McDonald's has announced that it will run all its U.K. delivery vehicles on biodiesel - from its own greasy grills! The chain will convert the 155-lorry fleet to a mix of 85% fry grease and 15% rapeseed oil by next year, and says the switch will cut its U.K. carbon emissions 75%. Mickey D's has already made a similar move in Austria, and is apparently drumming up other plans around packaging and recycling. All this comes on the heels of the late June news that the fast-food giant will buy milk from organic dairies, and a summer push to sell healthier meals to kids. The biodiesel initiative "is a great example of how businesses can work together to help the environment," said Matthew Howe, senior vice president, in what has to be the most nondescript sound bite ever. We prefer Chief Supply Chain Officer Francesca DeBiase, who said European operations serve as an "early warning system" for the U.S. Dum dum DUM.
The Telegraph, Harry Wallop, 02 Jul 2007
That's a Mighty Full Circular File
Faced with rampant pollution, China reports increase in citizen protests
The sorry state of air and water quality in China has led to rising public protests, says a top environment agent there - and citizens and officials alike are urging the country to crack down on polluters. In the first five months of 2007, the State Environmental Protection Administration received 1,814 citizen petitions demanding a cleaner environment, an 8% increase over the same time period last year. The central government talks tough on pollution, but local leaders are said to cater to industry; SEPA officials now say flagrant polluters will be denied bank loans. "Environmental protection offices and enforcement staff must stand up when the time demands," says SEPA's Zhou Shengxian.
Reuters, Chris Buckley, 05 Jul 2007
Who Needs Aspirin?
Study finds organic tomatoes contain more heart-healthy antioxidants
Could organic fruits and veggies be better for you? A study of samples collected over 10 years found that organic tomatoes contained far higher levels of flavonoids - antioxidants that reduce high blood pressure and have also been linked with reduced rates of some cancers and dementia - than conventional varieties. Researchers from the UC-Davis say the boost may be related to nitrogen levels in soil, which are affected by the use of fertilizer. They hasten to point out that there are plenty of variables in this still-growing field. But a rep from Britain's organic certification body, the Soil Association, didn't carrot all about that concern: "These findings ... confirm recent European research, which showed that organic tomatoes, peaches, and processed apples all have higher nutritional quality than non-organic." Just don't tell the kids.
BBC News, 05 Jul 2007
Hope There's a High Ceiling for the Kangaroos
Australia to build 1,740-mile corridor for wildlife affected by climate change
State and federal leaders in Australia have agreed to create a 1,740-mile wildlife corridor spanning the east coast of the continent - in part to allow plants and animals to flee the effects of global warming. "The effects of climate change will likely be less severe in systems that have some resilience and that we haven't gone in and buggered up," says David Lindenmayer, a conservation biology professor at Australian National University. "A lot of that forest and vegetation spine is already there. But there are still blockages." The project will link national parks, state forests, and government land, as well as private property conserved by landowners.
Reuters, Rob Taylor, 09 Jul 2007
Stewards Jolly
Mega-corporations sign U.N.-sponsored climate compact
More than 150 companies, including Ikea, Unilever, and Coca-Cola, have signed a U.N.-sponsored climate declaration that commits them to setting and reporting on emissions-reduction goals, while asking governments to enact a post-Kyoto, market-based plan. OK, it's a voluntary pact with a touchy-feely name - "Caring for Climate: The Business Leadership Platform" - but its very existence speaks volumes about changes in the business world. "Climate change is shaping global markets and global consumer attitudes," says U.N. Environment Program head Achim Steiner. "There will be winners and losers. Companies who... evolve, innovate, and respond to these challenges are likely to be the pioneers and industry leaders of the 21st century." At the head of the wagon train: Coke head Neville Isdell, who took the stage with U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon at last month's Global Compact summit to push corporate responsibility. "In the 21st century," Isdell says, "you're going to have to be seen as a steward of the planet."
Forbes, AFX News, 06 Jul 2007
And the Peanuts Are Free-Range
With fans and fanfare, Boeing unveils new fuel-efficient aircraft
Boeing has unveiled a new fuel-efficient airplane. The 787 Dreamliner - nicknamed the "greenliner" - boasts a body that's half carbon-fiber composite; because the material is lighter than the traditional aluminum, the aircraft will use 20% less fuel than similarly sized planes, says the company. According to Jeff Hawk, who oversees environmental efforts for the model, the 787 consumes about one gallon of fuel per seat per 100 miles of travel - "less than a typical sedan, and a half to a third the fuel consumption of an SUV." Let's see, multiply that by 250 passengers traveling the 787's range of 9,400 miles, and... oh, never mind. Boeing has already received nearly 700 orders for the plane from global airlines eager to green their image.
The Seattle Times, Dominic Gates, 09 Jul 2007
Stick It Where the Sun Do Shine
Groovy new battery could change the way energy is stored
A type of battery created by Ford Motor Co. in the 1960s for use in electric cars could help utilities around the world. Sodium-sulfur batteries provide efficient energy storage, and could reduce the need for new transmission lines, substations, and power plants. The new generation of room-sized, $2.5 million batteries has been in limited use in Japan since the 1990s, and is getting a test run in the U.S.: American Electric Power installed one in West Virginia, and a group of utilities on Long Island, N.Y., will try one this summer. "If you've got these batteries distributed in the neighborhood, you have, in a sense, lots of little power plants," says Stow Walker of Cambridge Energy Research Associates. Because the batteries can be a source of backup power, they reduce the chances of blackouts, proponents say, and could make an irregular source like wind energy more practical. "We'd like to see storage ubiquitous," says Imre Gyuk of the U.S. Department of Energy. "Stick it any place you can stick it."
USA Today, Paul Davidson, 04 Jul 2007
Florida, the Greenest State?
Crist Almighty! Florida governor enacts big energy and emission plans
Republican Gov. Charlie Crist hosted a two-day climate summit in Miami last month, and wrapped up the event by signing three sweeping eco-executive orders. His plans include:
• adopting California's strict vehicle-emissions law, making Florida the first Southeast state to go that route;
• calling for a 40% reduction in statewide greenhouse-gas emissions by 2025;
• requiring state agencies to prioritize fuel efficiency when buying or renting vehicles and to hold events in facilities certified as green by the state Department of Environmental Protection;
• asking state utilities to produce 20% of their power from renewables; and
• creating a Florida Governor's Action Team on Energy and Climate Change.
Whew! "When you look at the southeast of our country, there hasn't been a whole lot of action," Crist says. "Maybe we can be the point of the spear as it relates to making a difference, striving to lead by example."
Palm Beach Post, Kristi E. Swartz, 11 Jul 2007
Think They'll A-Peel?
Latin American banana farmers sue U.S. companies over pesticides
A pesticide designed to eradicate worms from Latin American banana trees may have had a detrimental effect on workers' ... oh, how to put it ... bananas. At least 5,000 agricultural laborers from Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama have filed five lawsuits in the U.S., claiming that exposure to the pesticide DBCP in the 1970s left them sterile. The lawsuit was filed by farmers in 2004 against multinational companies Dole, Dow, and Amvac. The trial, held in Los Angeles, will air claims that the companies knew that long-term exposure could cause problems but not issuing any warnings or protection. While not denying the toxicity of DBCP, a Dow spokesperson responded that frequent turnover among banana workers made prolonged exposure to the chemical unlikely. Guess those 5,000 cases of sterility were just a coincidence.
BusinessWeek, Associated Press, Noaki Schwartz, 08 Jul 2007
Sounds Perfecto to Us
Organic farming can yield more food than conventional ag, says analysis
In developed countries, organic farming can yield nearly as much food as pesticide-heavy agriculture, and in developing countries can produce up to three times as much chow, says a new analysis of 293 published studies on organic yields. "My hope is that we can finally put a nail in the coffin of the idea that you can't produce enough food through organic agriculture," says researcher Ivette Perfecto. Let us get this straight: Organic farming is efficient. Organic food doesn't have poisons on it. Organic fruits and veggies could be more nutritious than conventional ones. So... why doesn't our system favor organic methods? Says Perfecto, whose work was published in the journal Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems: "Corporate interest in agriculture and... a lot of influence by the chemical companies and pesticide companies as well as fertilizer companies all have been playing an important role in convincing the public that you need to have these inputs to produce food." Oh, right. We forgot.
Planet Ark, Reuters, 11 Jul 2007
Second to Naan
A worried India takes steps toward national climate plan
India - home to more than a billion people and a fast-expanding economy - is taking its first steps toward a climate-change plan. Last month, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave a preview of a "Green India" strategy that calls for planting trees on 15 million acres of denuded land. He emphasized the importance of planning for energy efficiency and sustainable development and of helping the country's citizens cope with the effects of global warming, including melting Himalayan glaciers. A draft of the government's climate policy should be completed in October, ahead of a U.N. climate meeting to be held in Bali in December - and that's none too soon for many Indians, who were found in a recent international poll to be more concerned about climate change than the citizens of any other nation, and more optimistic about finding solutions.
The Hindu, 14 Jul 2007Too, Too Sullied Flesh
Meat production spews more greenhouse gases than a three-hour joyride
The next time you chomp a hamburger, think of this: the process of getting that beef to your bun may have spewed more greenhouse-gas emissions than leaving all your house lights blazing while taking a three-hour joyride in your car. Researchers looked at beef production in Japan and its impact on climate, water, and energy, and came up with sobering statistics. Wanna hear more? Not including transportation of meat from farm to store, production of 2.2 pounds of beef (OK, yes, that's a big burger) also spews the same amount of CO2 as an average European car driven 155 miles, and uses enough energy to keep a 100-watt light bulb bright for nearly 20 days. Methane-heavy cow burps and farts comprise most of the greenhouse-gas emissions; two-thirds of the energy used by the industry goes to producing and transporting feed. What could be done? Improve waste management, the study authors say, or shorten the interval between calving. Or, if we may suggest something totally crazy: Stop eating so much meat. (The question remains: Why do cows burp and fart so much?)
New Scientist, Daniele Fanelli, 18 Jul 2007
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| |  | Turban Askew: Swami Calls for ImpeachmentIt's time for We the People to put the "Decider" through the Decider Mill.
by Swami Beyondananda
As a devout FUNdamentalist (accent on "fun") dedicated to bringing about Nonjudgment Day, I try to avoid judging and blame. In fact, I think people who judge are terrible, and those who blame are the cause of all the world's problems. And as a Swami-even a fake one-I feel obliged to be above politics. But no matter how high I try to rise above it on my magic carpet, the smell is unavoidable. The perpetrations of this Administration stink to high heaven.
Now we know the whole idea of impeachment is tinged with partisanship, particularly in the light of the Bill Clinton affair. Indeed, Clinton publicly lied about a private matter and the Republicans gleefully made his privates public. But now even Republicans must face the sad truth that America has traded one lie-about for another who will lie about anything and everything. Not to excuse cheating on Hillary, but our current lie-about has been unfaithful to the Constitution and the rule of law. Bush and Cheney have been cheating on all of us. (And yes, both must be impeached. If we want justice to be done, we have to go right up the Cheney-of-command.)
In addition to producing and directing The Iraqi Horror Picture Show-and using G-rated trailers to hide X-rated content-the Bush-Cheney Administration has instituted a disturbing policy of "ethic cleansing." This cleansing of ethical people from positions of power not only has caused our entire moral compass to go south, but has allowed "psychopathogens" (opportunistic organisms with a poisonality disorder) to infect the body politic and the political discourse. Meanwhile, the "fear-gnomes" -little gnomes of gnawing fear-the Administration injected into the mainstream lowered our resistance to Mad Cowboy Disease, an affliction we're still suffering from.
But, as the saying goes, the truth shall upset you free. George Bush has been an enlightening rod to enlighten and awaken a slumbering body politic to an issue that is bigger than politics -the rule of law vs. the overrule of law. And now after being abused by the abuse of power, the American people are starting to disabuse themselves. They are waking up and wising up, and that's good because we could use a good upwising in this country. Despite a massive media impropaganda machine that feeds the public "babblum" (strained B.S. made digestible for a simple child's mind), more and more Americans are reading between the lyin's and peering behind the Irony Curtain.
We are awakening to realize that we the people are the "deciders," and ultimately we get to decide who our Decider will be ... and who to put through the decider mill. The issue is bigger than Democrats vs. Republicans. The real issue is "buy-partisan." Parties in both parties are being bought, and our public servants are serving up huge chunks of the commonwealth to help gold-collar criminals become uncommonly wealthy.
The good news is, we don't need a revolution in this country. We already had one. Now we need an American Evolution to reconstitute the Constitution from the grassroots up and reestablish the dream of our Founding Fathers-government of the people, by the people and for the people where the government does our bidding, not the bidding of the highest bidder.
How do we start the evolution? By firing the first big shots.
It's time for left and right to come front and center to stand for our highest values instead of falling for the lowest common dominator. It's time to impeach the entire impeachable system where the rule of gold has overruled the Golden Rule. And the time to act is now. Why? Because it is too late to do it sooner.
I have a dream. Imagine going to the voting booth and casting your vote for... the greater of two goods.
Oh, and impeachment has another benefit. If we are successful, we will have a woman President-without having to elect Hillary.
Visit the Swami online at www.wakeuplaughing.com.
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 | Babying the Buddha: Power of PlayOut for a drive in the shoe car?
by Kindra Fehr
While cleaning recently (I was on a mission to get the house in order for what seemed like the hundredth time that day) I found that my gym shoes contained two little dolls, each sitting in her own shoe as if driving a car. I mindlessly reached to pull them out-then stopped. As I stood staring at these two little dolls placed precisely in each shoe, my mind began to wander to all the little surprises that I find throughout my home on a regular basis: stuffed animals lined up with dolls riding on their backs, pillows with a "friend" tucked nicely in the case which makes the perfect bed. A line of animals in a row with washcloths, dish towels, or socks pulled up to their chins to keep them "comfortable and warm" while they sleep. The over-the-door shoe rack doesn't contain just my husband's shoes anymore; each clear plastic pocket has become a special home for favorite books or animal friends. I've often walked into the living room to find an art installation comprised of miniature dishes, books, and other miscellaneous toys. Ah, the beauty and the power of play! I find reminders of it all around me.
The creativity of a three-year-old in inventing games, pretending social interactions, and conceiving magical worlds awes me. My daughter can keep herself busy for hours caring for her "friends," which is what she calls the stuffed animals and dolls overflowing from the toy basket. A few days ago she held a birthday party for Boca, the stuffed cat. She ran to me, jumping up and down in excitement, "Mom, it's Boca's birthday, and we're having a party!" I offered blended mango for ice cream and sweet potato muffins for cake, but she didn't want anything quite so real. My daughter and her "friends" sat in a circle and ate imaginary cake and ice cream.
I listen as she disciplines them and sings to them. Last night when I asked, she told me they were playing games. I asked, "What kind of games?" She told me, "The costume game, the backyard game, and the pirate game."
What I overheard of the games was, "No Boca, you and Tika the toad stay here while Wilbur the pig gets dressed." (This must have been the costume game.) I wasn't able to hear the rest of the interaction because she looked up, saw me observing, and said, "No mom, please, we need some privacy."
Each trip to the car includes a five-minute transition of gathering up everyone for the journey. She marches out the door with her arms so full of stuffed animals that she can barely see over them. I find myself wanting to hurry her and feeling impatient until I pause and marvel at the beauty of this little girl taking responsibility for and caring for her friends.
Looking again at my gym shoes with the little dolls, it dawns on me that maybe I shouldn't be in such a hurry to straighten everything up, maybe I could see all these reminders of her play as a call to sit down myself and engage with my daughter and her "friends" if they'll have me. Maybe I could spend less time straightening, working, and planning. Maybe I could learn to take more time playing.
Kindra Fehr is an artist and mom to toddler Aria Hancock. She co-instructs the Salt Lake Art Center's KidsmART program.
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| | | Shall We Dance: Private LessonsWhat it takes to dance with the stars.
by Amy Brunvand
The 2008 presidential primaries are less than seven months away, and as the overcrowded field of presidential hopefuls scrambles for position, the burning question is, in your opinion which 2008 presidential candidate would be the best contestant on "Dancing with the Stars"? Back in March 2007, a Roper poll determined that the top pick for dancing queen is Hillary Rodham Clinton (she'd look great in sequins, don't you think?) closely followed by Barack "Barry" Obama in second place and John "Breck Girl" Edwards taking bronze. With a nickname like "Slick Dancing Mitt", one might have expected Utah favorite Mitt Romney to have stronger appeal among ballroom dance fans, but he merely managed a tie with Newt "The Grinch" Gingrich and both of them trailed behind Al Gore even though a) Al Gore's most definitive on-stage dancing moment was the distinctively wooden Macarena which he performed at the 1996 Democratic National Convention, and b) Al Gore says he is not running for president.
Now that I think of it, there's a certain compelling appeal to the notion of Al Gore on "Dancing with the Stars." Historically, he has generally been considered to lack the requisite alpha-male body language for a serious presidential contender, and that means of all the candidates, he probably has the most to gain from taking private dance lessons. Think of Sally Potter in "Tango Lesson" or Koji Yakusho in the Japanese (and far superior) version of "Dansu wo shimashô ka?" ("Shall we Dance"). The message in both these movies is, even if you aren't a natural, it is possible with the help of an inspiring teacher to acquire the self-confidence, sex appeal and style of a really good dancer.
And isn't that one reason why 19 million or so people tune in to "Dancing with the Stars" every week? With a competent teacher, a bit of rehearsal time and a fabulous outfit, that could be anybody-even me-dancing like a pro on TV.
Of course, private dance lessons like the ones the contestants get on "Dancing with the Stars" are not cheap. While group lessons or dance workshops usually cost somewhere around $10-20, expect to pay $40 to over $75 per hour to get intensive personal attention. That means it's a luxury I can't afford very often. When I spend money for a lesson, it has to be with a teacher I really admire and want to work with. In fact, choosing a dance teacher can be a bit like accepting a Zen master or a martial arts sensei. Ideally, my dance teachers are people I admire because they can actually do things I want to be able to do. The teacher can help me correct bad habits not only to look good, but so I don't hit a learning plateau because of poor technique. If it's an effective lesson, I come away knowing what it feels like not to be a beginner any more, and that makes it possible to make the leap past being a beginner.
Private lessons have some specific advantages over group lessons: You can ask questions without annoying all the other students. You get personal feedback to avoid encoding bad habits in your muscle memory. If you are learning faster or slower than your usual dance partner, private lessons are an excellent way to get equal again without bickering. If you already know one dance style, a private lesson is a great way to quickly transition into a new style. Private dance lessons are also a way to jump-start your ability for a dance emergency such as an upcoming wedding or the sudden availability of a desirable dance partner who prefers a style you never learned.
But ultimately, private dance lessons aren't about imitating someone who happens to be a better dancer than you. They are about studying with someone who really knows how to project and externalize their internal intentions. If you can learn how to do the same, you won't be trapped forever expressing your inner dancer via a clumsy Macarena.
So if the pollsters ever call me on the phone I think I, too, might pick longshot Al Gore. Ever since his movie-star turn in "An Inconvenient Truth," Gore has started to seem like an everyman with hidden passions, like he could whip off his metaphorical glasses and turn into- well, if not Superman, at least Apolo Ohno.
Amy Brunvand is a dance enthusiast and a librarian at the University of Utah.
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 | Featured Catalyst Events: August 2007Check out our online calendar for complete calendar and continuous updates: Click Here
by Melissa Martin
Get wild with Greg Brown & SUWA
August 7 5:30-9:30p. Gallivan Center. If there is one thing Utahns love, it's their wilderness, so come celebrate the 25th anniversary of SUWA and Utah Wild Lands. Get wild with renowned singer-songwriters Greg Brown and Kate MacLeod, enjoy a cold one from local sponsor Squatters, and help welcome the "Hybrid-pedal" cyclists who have journeyed through Washington, Oregon, and Idaho to help expand awareness regarding wilderness areas. $5 gets you in the door, as well as a membership in the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and entry into a contest for fabulous prizes. Kids free. Order tix online: www.suwa.org.
Hone your garden savvy
Wasatch Community Gardens can turn your black thumb green, remind you that you do like vegetables (especially fresh grown), and teach you to have a blast in the garden. 359-2658. www.wasatchgardens.org.
Utah Community Gardens
Network Potluck Aug 7 6-8p. Meet other community gardeners from the Wasatch Front. Learn about straw bale green houses, bring a dish to share. Grateful Tomato Garden, 600 E 800 S.
2nd Annual Salsa Party
Aug 18 6-8p. Celebrate the season of tomatoes, peppers, and onions at the annual Salsa Party and competition! Sample the entries, or bring your own homemade salsa, enter to win exciting prizes. Free, live music and kids activities. Competition rules and entry forms at www.wasatchgardens.org. Fairpark Garden, 300 N 1037 W.
Bug ID & Organic Pest
Management Workshop Aug 21 6-8p. Good Bug? Bad Bug? Find answers to these questions and more at this interactive workshop. Learn organic methods to rid your garden of bad bugs without harming the good bugs. $5 donation. Call to reserve. Grateful Tomato Garden, 600 E 800 S.
Planting for the Fall & Winter
Aug 29 6-8p. Eat fresh garden salad in January? Learn how to grow cover crops to protect and nourish your garden while you wait out the winter. Now is the time to plant! Join the garden. $5 donation. Call to reserve. Grateful Tomato Garden, 600 E. 800 S.
Silver Lake Nature Center
Instead of turning on your air conditioner, turn to the mountains and learn something new. Join Silver Lake Nature Center for these fun events and escape the heat! Silver Lake Nature Center, Star Route, Brighton, www.cottonwoodcanyons.org, 466-6411. Call to reserve your space. (Remember to dress appropriately and bring water.)
Beaver & Wetland Walk
Aug 11 10a-12p. Learn about one of nature's finest engineers. Beavers play an extremely important role in wetland ecosystems, positively affecting water quality and biodiversity. Moderate walk on unlevel terrain in the mountains.
Pika Hike
Aug 18 10a-12p. What's a pika? Join the Cottonwood Canyons Foundation to find out. Take an easy hike up to an active colony of these alpine farmers to see what they're up to. Moderate walk on uneven terrain in the mountains.
Night Hikes
Aug 10 and17. The world is different at night. Learn about adaptations of night time creatures. View the stars in all their brilliance and learn about the summer constellations.
Timpanogos Storytelling Festival
Aug 30-Sept 1 all day. Imagine sitting under a shady canopy in a beautiful spot at the foot of Mt. Timpanogos, listening to stories of adventure and excitement . A peaceful place where memories and magic are captured and spun into tales that make you laugh and cry. Hear stories that tell of a time that used to be, of folk in distant lands or the people next door. Glimpse into the past and live the imaginary. Learn more about your parents, your children, yourself. Mt.Timpanogos Park, Hwy 189, Provo Canyon, Orem. www.timpfest.org.
Salt Lake American Muslim Cultural Festival
Aug 25-26 3-8p. Diversity is beautiful thing. Come enjoy this family-oriented cultural festival with multi-ethnic, multi-faith activities. See world-class performing artists such as Japanese Taiko Drummers, Sol De Jalisco Mariachi Band, Vietnamese Dragon Dance and more. Donate nonperishable foods to Crossroads Urban Center and receive a festival tee-shirt. Wide variety of ethnic foods, merchandise, and children's activities. Washington Square City & County Building, www.saltlakeamericanmuslim.com.
Art at the Main
Aug 17 4-10p. Whether it's the soaring mountains filled with aspens and evergreens, or an ancient red rock arch in the desert, it's impossible not to have a connection with Utah's wilderness. Come get your fix for your favorite Utah landscape and art, when Art at the Main features water colorist Dana Ballard. "Wish you were here" is Ballard's love letter to this beautifully diverse state. Opening reception at the Main Library.
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| |  | Animals Animals: Symbol of the WestProtecting wild horses on public lands.
by Sunny Branson
I first learned about the Wild Horse and Burro Act during an outing to Ching Farm Animal Sanctuary. Faith Ching introduced me to Vashti, a beautiful six-year-old buckskin mare. Vashti, she explained, had been part of a wild horse roundup and put up for adoption by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) when she was a foal.
In 1971, the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act was made law. During the debate leading to its passage, the public inundated Congress with letters protesting the treatment of wild horses, which until then had been managed by ranchers, hunters and "mustangers" who sometimes used cruel methods to remove the animals from public lands. This protest was one of the largest outcries in American history, second only to Vietnam. As a result, Congress passed the bill promising to protect, manage and control the horses and burros, declaring them "living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West."
Protecting wild horses and burros has allowed their populations to increase. Ranchers who count on public lands for grazing their cattle find this distressing. The BLM, with the task of managing the interests of ranchers, outdoor enthusiasts and wildlife advocates, is equally distressed. It's a big job trying to keep all these groups happy. The BLM monitors land and herds, removes excess horses from difficult to reach areas with dramatic helicopter roundups, prepares animals for adoption, holds adoption events for the general public and completes the paperwork involved for compliance and titling.
In 2004 former Montana Senator Conrad Burns slipped a rider into the bill that lifted the 34-year ban on selling wild horses, which enraged animal rights activists. It gave the BLM permission to sell horses that were 10 years or older, and those that had been passed up for adoption three times. "Selling horses" is a nice way of saying that they send them to the slaughterhouse.
Another of Faith's four wild horses is an aging mare named Mayflower, who was nearly 20 years old when Faith rescued her from slaughter. Now Mayflower is a treasured member of Faith's menagerie and will live out her retirement years having every need fulfilled, except of course the need to be wild and with her herd.
Animal rights activists say that the BLM's judgment on overpopulation of wild horses is swayed by powerful ranchers who need grazing areas for livestock. Wild horse and burro populations are kept to fewer than 35,000, while ranchers are allowed to graze millions of cattle.
The BLM analyzes the animal inventory and monitoring information to determine whether the herds are healthy and the animals are damaging rangelands or depleting food sources for other species. Although the BLM sets limits for the horse and burro populations the environment can sustain, they were not able to provide a sustainable number of cattle.
They argue that cattle graze areas that wild horses wouldn't likely roam, such as near highways or residential areas. The Society for Animal Protective Legislation (SAPL) says that as of March 2007, more wild horses live in BLM holding facilities than roam free on public lands. SAPL Deputy Legislative Director Chris Heyde says of the BLM, "This is a national tragedy being perpetrated by an agency more concerned with catering to special interests than upholding its legal responsibility to protect wild horses." SAPL leads the national campaign to end horse slaughter and restore the language of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act to the 1971 version, before the Burns rider.
Other organizations are stepping forward in support of the horses. Bullfrog Productions, an independent film maker, produced a documentary called "El Caballo" on the history, ecology, and current plight of wild horses in North America. This beautiful presentation of the controversy shows varied views from experts including the BLM, wildlife advocates, wildlife biologists and environmental historians. It gives balanced perspectives of the issues, but some of the quotes are poignant. For example, wildlife biologist Jay Kirkpatrick, PhD, says about the roundup and adoption program: "When you reduce the density [of a breed], reproduction becomes more efficient-animals breed at a younger age and breed more often, and the survival of the young is greater. As we gather these horses and all the young, it's like hitting the on-switch of the mares on the range. They are now going to breed and breed successfully."
So, the adopt-a-wild-horse program, if it's done nothing else, has proven the text books right. There is compensatory reproduction: As population density goes down, reproduction speeds up. The BLM can never stay on top of the problem this way, no matter how many adopters they find.
Kirkpatrick also says he no longer sees any biological issues with the wild-horse population: All the issues are political, economical, social and cultural.
Faith Ching's little farm can save a horse or two. The problem of managing the wild animals-or perhaps managing those who would confine them-is big, however, and big solutions are needed.
Sunny Branson is co-owner of Single Malt Media, volunteers for
Wasatch Animal Rescue, and sponsors two pot-bellied pigs at Ching
Farm Sanctuary.
For more information:
www.hsus.org
www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov
www.saplonline.org
www.bullfrogfilms.com
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 | Profile of a Goddess: Parcae, Triple Goddess of FateSpun, measured, cut: We are each a thread in the fabric of the universe.
-by Carol Koleman
Name: Parcae-Triple Goddess of Fate
Translation: Originally a single goddess named Parca meaning create or give birth, the Goddess of Fate eventually became the triple goddess Parcae, translated as part. The first Triple Goddess Nona, the spinner, means ninth month, the second Decima, translates as measurer, and the third Morta, cutter of the thread of life, means death.
Religion: Roman
AKA: The Three Fates, Tria Fata
AKA in other mythologies: the Moirae (Greek triple goddesses of Fate: Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos); Beten (Lithuanian triple goddesses of Fate: Ambeth, Borbeth, Wilbeth); Norn (Norse triple goddesses of Fate: Verdandi, Skuld, Urd). Single goddesses of fate are frequently found in other religions, but the triple goddesses of fate appears to be a uniquely Indo-European concept.
Symbolism:
Nona spins the thread of life from her distaff onto her spindle; Decima measures it with her rod, and Morta cuts the thread with her shears. The Fates are depicted at times as old hags and at other times as the Maiden, Mother and Crone. The symbol of the three goddesses of fate can be seen in many aspects such as the three phases of the moon, the ancient three seasons (summer, autumn and winter), past, present and future, and the Norse translation of each goddess' name: Become, Becoming and Shall Be.
The symbol of a triple spiral is sometimes associated with the Three Fates. Each spiral represents a singular goddess (and perhaps spinning wheel) while also being intertwined with the other spirals, invoking the inextricability of our fate with the past and present. It's not a stretch to also see a galaxy in this image which suggests that, though individual, we are each part of a whole.
Interpretation:
The Parcae appear in the ninth month of pregnancy to begin the process for deciding our fate. During this month, Nona spins out the thread on her spinning wheel, which is predestined to every child born. At the time of birth, Decima measures the length of the finished thread with her rod and takes it to her sister Morta, who then cuts it with her "terrible" shears and thus seals our fate, deciding how long we will live. Only the Parcae may decide our fate; it cannot be changed. Their decision is unknown to us until it inevitably arrives.
What if you knew the exact time of your death? Would you live each day differently? The Parcae remind us that we are fated to die. We may not know precisely when, but if we remain aware, we may shape our life with greater joy and deeper wisdom.
We are each on an individual journey, but like each spiral that makes up the triple spiral, we are part of a bigger whole; a thread within the universal cloth. Yes, we are alone ...but we are not alone. We are woven into our place within the galaxy, entering and leaving this life at different times and places yet always remaining.
Meditation:
Practice this meditation each morning when you wake. Take a few minutes to sit quietly and consider everything you have to look forward to; find redeeming aspects even in the mundane. Consider the Three Fates and the lesson they bring. We may have no choice or knowledge of our finite existence, but the one thing we can control is how we interpret our daily presence. Celebrate each moment; why would you choose to do otherwise?
Of course, you may spend your limited days complaining about the possible shortness of your thread. That's your choice. But wouldn't it be more exciting and satisfying to acknowledge what an incredible short thread it is? Look at the amazing color, and how well Nona spun it! It's up to you to spin your own present reality.
Consider yourself lucky that you know without a doubt you are going to die. There's nothing vague about this, no mystery...so now, nix the TV (what a waste of your valuable time), get off the couch and be remarkable!
Your challenge each morning is to visualize the day spent living to its fullest capacity...for who knows how long your thread may be?
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today,
To-morrow will be dying.
The glorious lamp of heaven, the Sun,
The higher he's a-getting;
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he's to setting.
From "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" by Robert Herrick (1591-1674)
Questions for the Goddess?
Email: koleman@earthlink.net
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| |  | Genius Catalyst: On Being Self-LedChoose to act "in spite of."
-by Michael Neill
"What you act on grows in power."
-Lyndon Duke
Over the past week, I have been participating in an intensive program called "The Linguistics of Productivity" taught by Leah Be (leah.be/_wsn/page3.html) and based on the adversity research of Dr. Lyndon Duke. Many useful distinctions and models were introduced over the course of the program, but the idea of being "self-led" instead of "problem-led" surprised me by the difference I could make with it in a variety of situations.
Essentially, problem-led behavior arises "because of" internal or external triggers. Self-led behavior occurs "in spite of" those same triggers.
For example, imagine you are driving on the freeway and someone cuts in front of you. What do you do? More importantly, why do you believe you do it?
If you are in a problem-led mode, you might honk at the person, mutter under your breath and roll your eyes in disgust, or even chase the car without any real idea of what you intend to do if you catch it. If someone asked you why you reacted that way, you would tell your story about how you'd had a hard day, and they endangered you, and "because of all that," your response was natural and understandable, if not quite something to be proud of.
But what if you'd made the decision to be self-led in that same situation?
You might still choose to honk at the person, but you also might choose to let it go. You might decide to attribute a positive meaning to their actions ("maybe that was a world-class brain surgeon on the way to the hospital to operate on a blind orphan"), and you might even decide to wish them well and say a little prayer for their safe arrival at wherever it is they were in such a hurry to get to.
You would be unlikely to make any of these decisions "because of" what had happened. But any one of them can be made of "in spite of" your story.
Let's take another example. Perhaps you would like to have a better relationship with your children, or your parents, or your spouse. That voice inside your head points out how futile it is and how hopeless you are and how you've tried in the past and failed. Do you give up because of that, or do you step forward in spite of it?
Have fun and learn heaps, in spite of any reasons the world might give you not to. Worst case, you'll have fun and learn heaps. Best case, you might just change the world!
An experiment
1. Think of a difficult situation in your life.
2. Talk or write for a minute or so about what you are drawn to do "because of" the situation.
3. Now talk or write about what you could do "in spite of" the situation.
4. Decide what you will do and do it. Be sure to acknowledge yourself both for taking the time to think things through and for taking the action you choose
to take.
5. Reflect on these words by educator Kent M. Keith:
People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.
Michael Neill is a life coach and the author of "The Seven Myths of Success," an audio program. Hear him Thursdays at 11am on HayHouse Radio or visit his website, geniuscatalyst.com..
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 | The Happiness Guru: We Can Work It OutThe price of intimacy often means being honest about your deepest fears and desires.
-by Jon Sheffres
As a couples therapist I work with smart, gifted, accomplished people who are having a terrible time living and loving together. What makes this even more poignant is that the "how tos" of a successful relationship are not all that difficult to learn and to master. As a matter of common sense, most of us know how to have relationships that are harmonious and satisfying. Most of us, for example, have a dear friend or two with whom we share hopes and doubts, celebrate life's victories, and commiserate during hard times. It may be easier to cut this friend some slack when he or she does something we don't like than when our intimate partner disappoints us in some way. The plain truth is that we sometimes treat total strangers better than our own beloved.
When I think about this, I hear the optimism of the old Beatles refrain, "We can work it out. We can work it out." and I think, "Can we? Can we really?" I believe the answer is "yes"- but that it often takes a commitment to really knowing ourselves and letting our partner in on our deepest fears, as well as our greatest dreams.
Take as an example the complaint that many couples bring into therapy: "We just don't communicate very well." I find usually that when there is a block in communication it is because the two partners have become stuck in the content of what they have been arguing about. Couples tend to argue about the same things over and over, using mostly the same words and phrases. When a couple argues in my office I will often stop them and ask, "Have you had this argument before?" Both partners usually look at me with their heads bobbing in agreement (it may be the first thing they've agreed on all session). Then they will admit they have actually stopped listening to each other because each knows exactly what the other is going to say.
Therapists sometimes refer to this as being "hypnotized" by the content, because each person believes the fight is only about "my position vs. your position." If I have your position memorized then I really don't have to listen to you- I know what you'll say even before you say it. So instead of listening to you while you are talking, I am busy planning a way of restating my position, preparing to use even stronger language-and in a louder voice.
A conflict that does not work its way beyond content tends to stay stuck in a "right-wrong" orientation with both partners trading accusations and criticisms, getting more and more defensive until one or the other pulls away, disappointed and resentful again that he or she has not been heard or understood.
The problem is that most of us don't really want to make ourselves understood, not completely at least. To be understood we have to take a risk and really be vulnerable, letting the other know what it is we most fear and most want. The noted psychologist and couples therapist researcher John Gottman says that our greatest hopes are often disguised as criticism. Take as an example a man who criticizes his wife for not wanting to have sex with him very often. He may have spent months or years resenting her for being too tired or apathetic to be sexual- "Ever since she had our first child she just hasn't been very interested." She, on the other hand, may criticize him for not being romantic enough: "He used to do things to make me feel special and loved. Now he just wants me to get turned on at the drop of the hat. A woman needs to be wooed."
This is a common dynamic between men and women, especially after the birth of a child. If this man stays focused on the fact that she is no longer very sexual with him, if she stays focused on the fact that he takes her for granted, they will go on having the same argument over and over. The argument will in fact reinforce the behaviors they would like to change: A criticized woman is not likely to feel very sexual; a man who feels blamed and unsuccessful is less likely to be attentive and loving. How do they get beyond this impasse?
First, by noticing that the way in which they are arguing is an extension of their sex life: Neither one is getting naked in front of the other; neither one is really being vulnerable and open; neither one is really sharing from his or her heart. Gottman coaches his couples to move beyond the criticism to what they really desire from one another-and how painful it is when these desires are not met.
We may ask the husband in our couple: "Why is it so important for you to have sex with this woman? Is it only about sex-or is it something deeper? What does it mean to you when she is available to you, when she openly desires you, when she invites you into her body and her world? What is the experience you want to create with her when the two of you make love?" We might also ask him about his fears: "What disturbs you exactly when she does not want to be sexual? How does her apathy worry you, make you anxious, scare you?"
We might ask similar questions of the woman: "What makes his attention in particular so important? What type of attention are you wanting? How does it make you feel when you get it? How is romance part of the vision you have for this relationship?"
In the end, getting real with each other might be the biggest turn-on. Honesty and a heart-to-heart sharing is usually the "foreplay" needed to get a couple's sex life back on the right track.
Jon Scheffres (Guruprasad Singh), MA, LPC is a psychotherapist, lecturer, and a KRI-certified kundalini yoga teacher. Email him at jon@lifecounselingandyoga.com.
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| |  | Good Dog: Come...Again?Training for the real world of distractions.
-by Johanna Teresi
Last month we discussed how to train an Emergency Come (EC) command in simple environments (inside your home and in your backyard). This month we will teach you how to train the EC to work in a world full of distractions. If you haven't completed the homework in last month's article, make sure you do so before proceeding (www.catalystmagazine.net).
First, make a list of as many distractions as you can. Write it in hierarchal order from the easiest distraction for your dog to ignore to the hardest: say, types of food, other animals and toys.
You will need:
• as many of these distractions as you can gather
• two other people
• a large aluminum foil pie pan
• your special chosen treat
Variables you control:
• the distance your dog needs to run to come to you
• the number of distractions
• the type of distractions in the environment
When changing one variable, you will relax the other variables. For example, when using a new distraction, the distance should be relaxed. When increasing the distance, the type of distraction should be easy. Of course, you want to begin training with only one distraction at a time. Only when you get a consistent and reliable EC response to one distraction should you progress to two or more.
Remember to decrease the EC distance when adding more distractions. Increase the distance only when your dog comes well with a specific distraction at a short distance. Start training the EC inside your house rather than outside. Then you will graduate to training the EC in your backyard and finally in other outside environments.
Now let's get training!
Person #1 holds your dog by the collar, and you stand five to 10 feet away. Place the chosen distraction (such as a pig's ear) between you and Person #1, in your dog's predicted path.
Person #2 stands close to the distraction holding the pie pan.
You walk up to Person #1 and blatantly show your dog the special treats. Then you immediately run away from your dog, past the distraction, while simultaneously saying the EC command.
Person #1 lets go of your dog's collar. Stop running when you are about 10 feet away from your dog's starting point. Person #2 should be ready to cover the distraction with the pie pan if your dog attempts to investigate the distraction.
If your dog comes readily and barely pays attention to the distraction, reward him with 20-30 seconds of treats as described in last month's article. You may also let him interact with the distraction briefly. Repeat the exercise five to 10 times.
Now stand five feet away from your dog when you show the treat, and run an extra five to 10 feet. Repeat this increased distance five to 10 times. Finally, stand stationary 10 feet away and use the EC. Repeat this exercise until your dog responds to the EC without paying attention to the completely visible distraction. In other words, Person #2 should no longer need to cover the distraction with a pie pan.
Now you will increase the EC distance with that particular distraction by one to two feet and repeat the exercise. Gradually increase the EC distance in one- to two-foot increments until your dog comes when you are 20 to 50 feet away.
Repeat the entire process with the next distraction on your list, and the next until you have completed the above exercise with all of the distractions on the list. Finally, practice these mastered distractions in your backyard and then in more public environments.
What do you do if your dog just isn't coming with a particular distraction? As emphasized in last month's article, do not repeat the command. Approach your dog and display the special treat, but take the treat and act like you are eating it. If another dog is around, praise that dog while giving him the treat instead. This works particularly well if you own more than one dog or if another dog is readily available. Now start the exercise over and call him again, but make the exercise easier by changing one or more of the variables as described above (say, the distance or the environment). You may also need to prompt your dog by running away or showing the treats before calling.
If you (or you dog) has trouble getting the concept, contact a professional reward-based trainer. Most are listed on APDT.com or ClickerTeachers.net.
Work hard, and soon you will be able to walk your dog off leash with an excellent response to the EC!
Johanna Teresi is a professional dog trainer and owner of Four Legged Scholars LLC. fourleggedscholars.com.
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 | The Aquarium Age: August 2007Do the Saturnian fire walk.
-by Ralfee Finn
It's a planetary fire walk all month long, each and every day until September 2nd. And effectively managing the heat has nothing to do with regulating the temperature of the coals, the thickness of your soles, or even the resilience of your soul. A fierce planetary convergence ignites passions and inflames attitudes, which means even the coolest are sure to overheat. The good news is August's fire is also a purifier, and its ritual heat has the potential to burn away what's superfluous and unnecessary. As deeper layers of reality are exposed, political, philosophical and practical perspectives come into more precise focus, and that clarity sparks movement. This month, it's not enough to realize intellectually what needs to change. August's fire provides the intensity to turn insight into action.
The end of Saturn's transit through Leo is the source of August's passion. Saturn entered Leo in July 2005 and exits Leo on September 2. As it departs, it interacts with Pluto, Mars, Venus, Mercury and the Sun. It's the astro-equivalent of a series of farewell kisses, and whether these pecks are perfunctory or heartfelt depends on how you experienced Saturn's influence during the last two years. Remember, every sign is present in every birth chart, which means each of us experiences the effect of a planetary transit somewhere in our individual lives.
Known as the "Lord of Karma," Saturn is infamous for its critical eye, as well as its ability to set limits, provide structure, and issue a no-frills inventory of reality. Unfortunately, that austere approach clashes with Leo's dramatic flare. Leo is the symbol of royalty, and even when Leo is impoverished, it finds a way to transform the mundane into the special-if just through the sheer force of its creative fire. Leo suffers when Saturn visits its sign, in part because Saturn inhibits the untrammeled flow of Leo's creative power, and in part because Leo chafes at the constriction of Saturnian discipline. The Sun is in the sign of Leo during August, the time of year when the heat of summer intensifies the growing process, and that profusion is reflected in Leo's generous nature. Saturn, on the other hand, tends toward parsimony. So while we love Saturn and consider it our friend, most will experience a deep sense of relief as Saturn moves out of Leo's heat and into Virgo's calm.
Here's the list of Saturn's farewells:
(1) All month long, a Saturn-Pluto trine continues to supply almost superhuman strength, which makes handling its power with skill a must-if you let this trine go to your head, ego inflation is certain, and so are the negative consequences of a narcissistic attitude. Use this positive alliance to bring a discerning eye to the process of transformation, and you'll enter the realm of the adepts, where self-awareness and self-discipline coalesce into wisdom and where spiritual insight inspires positive action.
The timing of the Saturn-Pluto trine is auspicious-it occurs during the final six months of Pluto's full journey through Sagittarius, a twelve-year transit that's focused on issues of spirituality, religion and faith, as well as on ideological and economic globalization. Pluto in Sagittarius has challenged us, both collectively and individually, to witness the damage caused by belief systems that are exclusive and separatist rather than inclusive and diverse. Now, the Saturn-Pluto trine provides the potential to contextualize the experiences of this Plutonian cycle, which means the next few weeks can be utilized to examine and come to terms with your reliance on stereotypes, narrow parameters, or dogma that belittles, ridicules, or dismisses beliefs other than your own. Or, to appreciate the rich texture of a variety of spiritual and religious ideas and the possibility of those diverse ideologies coexisting, peacefully.
(2) The first week of August, a Mars-Saturn square carries over from July and irritates the ethers until August 9. Mars signifies the warrior, and as it clashes with Saturn, rancor, resentment, and animosity (three lesser known dwarves) confront goodwill. This square is prone to obstinate stands based on ego inflation, so please do your best to sidestep any unnecessary scuffles. A small wisecrack could escalate into a large an lasting brouhaha.
(3) A Saturn-Venus conjunction, from the 7th-20th, focuses on relationships, especially close encounters of a romantic kind. When Saturn and Venus share the same space, duty and obligation can turn all social interactions weary with a sense of should rather than want to. But the good news is Venus also trines Pluto, forming a positive pattern that has the potential to not only lift the heaviness, but also to transform it.
Venus began a retrograde phase on July 27 that continues all month long until September 2. Venus is a strong social force, and when she retraces her path, interactions are sure to include old friends, as well as old flames, so be prepared for visitations through letters, email, phone calls or person-to-person tête-à-têtes. Also anticipate that some liaisons will be highly charged.
(4) Adding fuel to the already intense August fire, a Saturn-Sun conjunction trines Pluto from the 14th-29th, amplifying creative urges, as it simultaneously feeds the need to lead. While a Sun-Saturn conjunction tends toward a dour disposition, this inclination is mitigated by the presence of Pluto, which dials up the action. Put this powerful combination to good use tackling situations in need of inspirational leadership.
(5) Mercury conjuncts Saturn briefly from the 15th-21st, and as it does, it also forms a trine to Pluto, as well as a conjunction with the Sun and Venus. Expect daily life to turn into a hot-blooded, hot-headed, nonstop aggregation of astro-intensity, as all these planets cluster around Saturn and simultaneously engage Pluto. The best use of this dynamic alignment is to channel it into creative outlets. But don't limit your definition of creativity-remember, life is the most creative activity any of us will ever participate in. And the more we live life with a creative sensibility, the deeper and richer our lives become.
Royal Leo also signifies leadership, and certainly one of the lessons of the last two years is just how much we need creative leaders to inspire positive, peaceful approaches to the overwhelming problems we face in the future. We need leaders who inspire by example and help us to bring out the best in ourselves and in each other. As the heat builds over the next few weeks, be that kind of leader. Live your truth. Encourage others to do the same. And in the true spirit of Leo, be generous of heart.
If you know your Ascendant and/or your Moon sign, read that too.
Aries March 21-April 19
Saturn's transit through Leo invited you to confront ego inflation through discipline, and grandiosity through self-awareness. While this process hasn't been easy, the last two years have offered opportunities to enhance your creativity. Use these final weeks to tweak what you've set in motion.
Taurus April 20-May 20
Saturn focused on issues of safety, internal and external, placing special emphasis on what it means to really belong and be a part of a family, biological or chosen. Most importantly, Saturn challenged you to feel at home deep within yourself. Before this cycle ends, take a moment to contemplate how comfortable you are in your own skin.
Gemini May 21-June 21
Saturn sent a clear message about the importance of precise communication, but whether or not you received the data was dependent upon so many factors. There's still time to think about the power of words, particularly when they are heartfelt and sincere.
Cancer June 22-July 22
Saturn concentrated on fiscal responsibility, but you may have been so relieved to have it out of your sign, you may not have been paying attention. These next few weeks are about bringing awareness to your money matters. But don't worry-these days are not about losses; they are about consciousness.
Leo July 23-August 22
Saturn's goal was an identity crisis, and you are definitely not who you were two years ago. And while I'm not suggesting you mull over all the details of the past, I am advising you to take a deep breath and contemplate just how much you've changed. Then, as you exhale, allow yourself to feel grounded in who you are now.
Virgo August 23-September 22
Saturn's focus was difficult to discern because it was concentrated in the uncharted waters of the unconscious, making your dreams a more accurate reflection of reality than your waking life. Now, before your attention becomes focused on the external, try to evaluate what, if anything, has changed in your inner terrain.
Libra September 23-October 22
For the last two years, Saturn has attempted to restructure your social milieu, narrowing some bands of experience, and widening others. As each of the planets plants one last kiss, notice how your appreciation of all your relations has reorganized in a more down-to-earth picture of reality.
Scorpio October 23-Nov. 21
Saturn focused on your career, and you did the vast amount of hard work necessary to take advantage of this opportunity to solidify your professional standing. Use this month to refine your goals, and you'll distill the essence of this cycle into concrete results.
Sagittarius Nov. 22-Dec. 21
Saturn examined belief systems, yours as well as those you love, and asked you to evaluate not only what you believe in, but also how you integrate those values into action. Spend the next few weeks considering whether or not your philosophy is congruent with your behavior.
Capricorn Dec. 22-Jan. 19
Whether it was through a surplus or a deficit, Saturn challenged you financially, as it simultaneously examined differences of opinion with significant others regarding issues of ultimate value. While it hasn't been as simple as the one vs. the many, it has been-and still is-a question of who comes first, you or those you love.
Aquarius January 20-Feb. 18
You don't need any reminder that Saturn focused on partnerships, personal and professional, and you also don't need a reminder about how difficult it's been to establish and maintain good boundaries. Now, as this intensive draws to an end, contemplate how it's helped you to create a stronger and wiser approach to all your relations.
Pisces February 19-March 20
It has been two intense years of hard work-literally-as you have wrestled with the demon of service and sacrifice, figuring out how much to give and when to say "no." And despite the struggle, it has been worth it. Now, as Saturn moves into Virgo, there's just a slight possibility the physical workload will lessen.
Visit Ralfee's website at www.aquariumage.com or e-mail her at ralfee@aquariumage.com.
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| | Comings & Goings: August 2007What's new around town.
-by Tamara Rowe
A Taste of Italy without the jetlag
Mark and Elizabeth England have opened a new Italian gelato shop: Dolcetti. The Englands make more than 40 flavors of authentic Italian gelato (half the fat of ice cream) and sorbetto (dairy-free and vegan) every day using all natural, fresh ingredients. They also make paninis and Italian sodas and will soon have Italian pastries. Dolcetti Gelato also offers catering and wholesale.
11:30a-10p weekdays, 11:30a-11p Fri-Sat. 1751 S and 1100 , 485-3254,
www.dolcettigelato.com
"Angels" relocates to North Salt Lake
Debbie Freitas has recently moved her consulting business, Angels on Earth. She offers life and spiritual counseling services including releasing old energy patterns, learning to bring balance and presence to each day, remembering how loved and supported you are, and reconnecting with the magic and wonder of living. As a moving special, Angels on Earth is offering a 30% discount for a 90-minute session.
940 N 400 E in North Salt Lake,
596-2970.
Follow the buzz to Nectar
In June's Comings & Goings, we gave 3955 S. Highland Dr. as the address for Somer Gardiner's new Nectar Boutique. That is actually the address of her other business, Soul Spun Yarn. Nectar is located at 2343 E. 3300 South, Salt Lake City.
Downtown Artopia
Owner Lee Cano recently moved Artopia, her two-year-old gift shop, from Sugar House to 344 S. State St. The new location is bigger and features continuously changing glass and graphic art installations by local artists as well as music and art events.
Mon-Sat 10a-9p, Sun 12-6p. 486-6175, Artopia.gifts@gmail.com.
Spark moves to State Street from Sugar House
Dale Lebaron has moved his six-year-old men's clothing store, Spark, from Sugar House to 629 S. State. The store offers European fashions and two brands of environmentally friendly (and vegan) shoes, Simple's Green ToeTM and EarthTM.
Mon-Sat 11a-9p and Sun 1-6p.
467-1574.
Centered City Yoga expands "West"
D'ana Baptiste, yoga diva of the popular 9th & 9th-area Centered City Yoga studio, recently took over a State St. studio space most recently occupied by the Downtown Yoga.
Located between the Homeless Youth Resource Center and The Bayou, and bordered by an artist's studio on one side and a band whose members live in the apartment on the other, the new West Centered City Yoga studio is positioned to make yoga accessible to everyone in this eclectic community. WCCY offers such classes as yoga for martial artists, and Block Party!-yoga utilizing blocks as props, done to hip hop music-as well as more traditional class fare. See their ad in this issue for special introductory rates.
521-9642, 625 S State, www.centeredcityyoga.com.
Web of Life Wellness Center expands
Family nurse practitioner Amyi Bennhoff has joined Todd Mangum, MD, in his family practice in the 9th & 9th area. Amyi received her training at Columbia and Stony Brook Universities in New York and has studied natural therapies for nearly 20 years.
The focus on integrative medicine combines both Western and traditional medicine with nutrition, supplements and herbal therapies to help patients achieve balance in mind, body and spirit.
Sandra Mingua is opening the Dragon Dreams Boutique on September 1st at the Wellness Center. Dragon Dreams offers meditation books and music, incense, crystals, singing bowls, Native American flutes, and consignment work from local artists. Discussion groups and psychic readings will be offered eventually.
989 E 900 S Ste A1, 531-8340,
509-1043 (Sandra).
Utah Natural Medicine moves downtown
Naturopathic doctors and acupuncturists Rachel and Matthew Burnett have moved their practice, Utah Natural Medicine, to 242 S. 400 East. The new, expanded clinic has five exam rooms, including a full dispensary for natural product formulas, spacious rooms with natural sky lights, and green design. Dr. Rachel Burnett has a family general practice, specializing in guiding men and women through the aging process. Dr. Matthew Burnett, also a family practitioner, specializes in pain management and helping patients with smoking cessation and weight loss.
363-UTAH, info@naturalmedicine.com
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 | The Herbalist Is In: Herbal Sunburn ReliefCalendula, chamomile and aloe soothe and heal.
-by M.L. Harrison
I have just returned from a boat trip and my SPF15 sunscreen was not adequate protection from the sun. I have significant sunburn, especially around the edges of my new bathing suit where the tender skin has not been exposed before. It really hurts. What herbs can help me?
Herbs can definitely help relieve the pain and damage of sunburn and promote fast healing, but just as you use different herbs at different stages of a cold, do the same with herbs for sunburn.
First, get out the aloe vera! Certainly second and third degree burns should be treated by a doctor, but for minor, everyday burns, aloe is the first herb to reach for.
Everyone should have an aloe plant on their kitchen counter for fast and easy access when first burned, whether by the sun or when you are taking cookies out of the oven. To use it, slice off a succulent leaf and slit it down the middle. Put the gel side directly on the affected area or squeeze the gel out of the leaf and apply.
If you do not have a fresh plant, you can purchase a bottle of aloe vera gel from a pharmacy or health food store. Look for the the purest gel you can find, without artificial colorings, additives and especially without alcohol which can burn and dehydrate the skin further.
Apply generous amounts of the fresh or purchased gel frequently, about every 15 minutes at the acute stage when you first realize a sunburn is coming on. The skin absorbs aloe quickly for fast pain relief. Healing begins immediately. I have seen bad burns that are beginning to blister rapidly calm down to just redness.
Lavender also has a reputation for healing burns quickly. The story goes that the therapeutic value of essential oils was discovered by a French perfumer who burned himself in the lab and then thrust his arm into the closest liquid to cool it, which turned out to be essential oil of lavender. The burn healed quickly. Again, to get the therapeutic benefit, make sure to use the real, pure essential oil, not one padded with inferior or less expensive substitutes.
For burns on a camping trip or at the park, look for the common weed plantain. It acts similarly in healing burns, cuts and relieving the sting of insect bites.
Once the first stage of immediate inflammation has calmed down after treatment with the herbs mentioned above, nourish the skin inside and out to give it everything it needs to recover. If the burn is mild and your skin shows redness, drench it in calendula oil. Your skin will absolutely glow with health as the healing properties of pretty calendula flower work to restore it. Bathing right after you burn can dry the already parched skin further. Wait awhile if you can and during the wait drink lots of water or tea of oat straw and horsetail. Both are high in high nourishing minerals and silica (silicic acid) which is what the body uses as a building block to repair itself.
When it is time to bathe, take extra care not to stress your skin further with drying soaps and shower gels. In fact, skip the soap if you can at first and immerse yourself in a tub of warm water to which you have added a gallon or more of an infusion of chamomile flowers and oat straw that will heal, soothe and nourish the skin. Apple cider vinegar in the bathwater is also soothing and helpful. When you get out of the tub, gently pat your skin dry and reapply calendula oil. Give it some time to soak in. For those extra-sensitive areas around your bathing suit line, use the beautiful red healing oil of St. Johns Wort, which is especially good for relieving pain from injury.
Use these herbs in this order at the first sign of sunburn, and you will minimize the damage to your skin.
Merry is an herbalist and longtime creekside resident on Mill Creek in Salt Lake City. Go to www.millcreekherbs.com to learn more about upcoming trips into the wild.
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| |  | Coach Jeannette: Law of Attraction and SafetyWhat is your Personal Protection doing for (or to) you?
-by Jeannette Maw
My favorite aunt, who was a little different than the rest of the family, taught us to imagine a bubble of white light around the car whenever we traveled. The cocoon of energy was supposed to keep us safe from harm. She practiced the white light protection as regularly as she buckled up her seat belt. It was her way of ensuring we avoided accidents and other unwanted experiences.
I wondered whether it worked, but concluded either way it couldn't hurt, right?
Well, maybe. Maybe not.
Many of us don't question various elements of everyday life intended for protection, and simply take for granted things that may not serve us. Including bubbles of white light.
What could possibly be wrong with white light? Well, if you imagine white light to protect you from car wrecks, car jackers, police looking for speeders, automobile malfunctions, or whatever else you think you need protection from, you may actually be calling forth those experiences.
Because we get what we think about. It's like bringing an umbrella along on a picnic. For some it helps us feel better because we know we're covered; for others it's the catalyst of worry. And worry does not serve us well. Bringing the umbrella or leaving it at home; not wearing a bike helmet or donning it regularly; not walking down that dark street or marching down it with confidence - either way can allow us to steer clear of the worry vibe. Each of us needs to reach a vibration that does serve us, and the ways can be as different as each individual.
The point is that as we say a little prayer to keep safe from bogey men, disease, tax audits or whatever else we're afraid of, the fear actually attracts the object of fear. That's why a prayer or intention focused on what you want is much more beneficial than a thought focused on what you don't want.
Question your actions
Which brings us to the variety of daily matters that we don't often stop to question, including health insurance, seat belts, preventive doctor exams, deadbolts, liability insurance, service plans for appliances, daily vitamins, burglar alarms, retirement plans-the list goes on.
Even if you're not protecting your automobile travel with white light, you may be engaging in some other habit that unknowingly hinders your vibrational alignment with what you want. It may actually even align you to what you are wanting protection from.
Example: Last year my girlfriend's next door neighbor was burglarized. Anne was super-sympathetic as the neighbor expressed feelings of victimization and fear. Within a week, Anne herself made arrangements to have additional lighting installed at her own back door, as well as a new set of sturdier locks. And every time the motion detector light would flip on in the backyard, she would jolt awake and have trouble getting back to sleep.
Before long, she was asking friends and even the police to drive over in the middle of the night to make sure no one was lurking around. At one point she came to believe a man was hiding in a crawlspace underneath her hallway. She made her boyfriend drive over at two in the morning to inspect the hideaway with a flashlight (after I told her I wouldn't because she was freaking me out).
It's an extreme example, but it shows how even when we take action that's supposed to help, the action itself can sometimes hijack our attention in the direction of what we don't want.
When we feel the need to protect ourselves from anything, whether it's genetic disease, violence or just random mishap, we may find ourselves mired in the very thing we want protection from. Because what we resist, persists. Form follows thought.
Which doesn't necessarily mean we should give up everything we've put in place to guard against life's big scaries. But it is worth questioning: How does it make you feel?
Since your feelings comprise your vibration, and your vibration rules what you attract, how something feels to you is worth checking in on. If a bone density scan or even a monthly health insurance premium directs your focus on what you don't want rather than what you want, you unwittingly shoot yourself in the foot.
Seat belt connections
For example, I'm old enough to have grown up not wearing seat belts, and to this day if I buckle up it feels like I'm prepping for trouble ahead. I mean, I only wore seat belts in really bad storms or when drunk parents I babysat for drove me home Saturday nights. Basically, I wore a seat belt when I was scared. Even today buckling up inspires minor feelings of fear, which obviously doesn't serve me.
Most people don't have that same reaction. I understand most feel safer wearing a seat belt than not wearing one; they feel naked and unsafe without one. To each his own!
It's the same with preventive doctor visits: mammograms, Pap smears, cancer screenings, breast exams. If it's strongly ingrained in us that we are at risk for certain health problems because of our age or family history, and that we "should" have regular visits so these things can be caught early, what feeling does that inspire within?
It's likely different for each person. For some it might feel like responsible health care, staying on top of things, keeping the body in tip-top shape. They might feel healthier and more protected as a result of regular checkups.
For others, it might invite fear in. "What if they find something? This is how old dad was when he was diagnosed." It could have the potential to put our attention on something completely unwanted.
Whatever we focus on, we manifest.
To insure or not insure
Years ago when I dated a contract furniture mover, I was horrified to learn he didn't have health care coverage. I'd heard of people who couldn't afford medical insurance, but until then I hadn't experienced it up close and personal. The thought of him being seriously injured on the job and not having access to care bothered me so much that I considered marriage just so he could be on my plan.
My boyfriend, on the other hand, had no such concerns. Even while I fretted about it regularly, he just shrugged his shoulders and went on with his business. He was completely comfortable with his situation.
I understand now, because of law of attraction, that what mattered most was that he feel peace, not that he be covered. His best protection was feeling comfortable, whatever allowed him to get there.
Whereas I used to think it a no-brainer that everyone should have insurance, I get now that not everyone feels the same way about insurance. It inspired me to check in on other things I hadn't questioned before.
Like taking daily vitamins. I used to figure that was another given. But here I was, somewhat resentfully swallowing a handful of expensive pills every day, and I had more colds and less energy than my boyfriend who couldn't be cajoled to take even one. I realize now that each morning as I gulped down pills my thoughts were a mixture of "you don't eat healthy enough, no more colds, fight free radicals, try to regain energy." You can imagine the vibration those thoughts created.
Your personal formula
It might sound like I'm opposed to health insurance, seat belts, deadbolts and supplements. I'm not. (In fact, I try not to be opposed to too many things in life, since opposing something calls it forth.) But I do advocate paying attention to how things make us feel and moving in the direction that makes us feel better, if necessary creating a new (or amended) thought or action.
Here's a simple four-step formula to ensure the actions you take to protect you really do:
1. Notice old habits.
2. Question how each one makes you feel.
3. If it feels good, keep it up. If there's room for improvement, consider alternatives.
4. Follow your inner guidance exclusively.
What it comes down to is that we are bright and powerful creators with the enormous advantage of an emotional guidance system that steers us right every time we check in with it. Ask yourself how your actions and habits feel. When you're doing something that doesn't feel good, pay attention. What's the source of it? How can you release it or change it?
For example, I could either rewire my internal programming about what it means to wear a seat belt, or I could not wear it. It's that simple. All that's important is that I find my way to what feels best. For me.
Notice how various measures of protection make you feel. There are no "shoulds" or "no-brainers." Not having an insurance plan may make one person nervous while it liberates another. Some people may feel that skipping the annual exam is asking for trouble, while others love releasing the anxiety of paying a traditionally trained doctor to look for a problem. Notice what you're up to, check in on how it makes you feel, and trust your inner guidance above all else.
Jeannette Maw is an attraction coach and founder of Good Vibe Coaching in Salt Lake City, Utah. Using the law of attraction in the real world is the topic of her blog at www.loaplayground.blogspot.com.
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 | Metaphors for the Month: August 2007Choose movement and growth.
-by Suzanne Wagner
Arthurian Tarot: Evalach's Shield, Wayland
Mayan Oracle: Measure, Dreamer and Dreamed
Aleister Crowley: Abundance, Peace, Pleasure
Medicine Cards: Butterfly, Fox
Osho Zen Tarot: The Source, The Fool
Healing Earth Tarot: Nine of Feathers, Empress
Ancient Egyptian Tarot: King of Wands, Five of Cups
Words of Truth: Humor, Decision, Form, Beginning
August offers choices that could change how you manifest your dreams and goals. With these changes comes an opportunity to let go of old disappointments in mates and family. Life is always about the decisions we make moment by moment. It takes only a moment to decide to forgive and to let past situations and mistakes go.
In life there is only choice and no choice. No choice means that you are unwilling to make a shift which, in itself, is a choice. When you refuse to choose, your inner core contracts and you feel empty, disoriented and panicky. You withdraw, using the old hurts as a weapon and shield to tell others you are wounded. This causes avoidance, self-pity, insecurity and rage. This energy says, "Stay away! I don't want anyone in my space!" Yet when others follow the advice you project, it fans the flames the anger. This pattern causes misery and self-hatred as well as feelings of unworthiness and despair.
The other option is to make a constructive choice. Choosing movement and growth is always preferable to contraction and stasis. The choice opens you to potential failure and the terrible experience of looking bad. But consciously choosing to give yourself an experience makes growth and healing possible. As soon as you choose, you feel freedom, expansion, curiosity and the desire to explore. Hope and passion are rekindled, and you feel your whole body let go. In that moment, we truly love ourselves. We are choosing to love ourselves enough to try new things and experience life as a grand adventure filled with no judgment but a willingness to find out what works and is true for us in that moment.
With our large brains, we humans love to be challenged. The brain does not always want to play it safe. It wants, needs and desires new experiences to create more potential for understanding the complex nature of existence. We have to learn through experiences rather than having someone tell us everything. When we are scared, we often seek information to give us courage and validate our perceptions in that moment. Receiving validation allows the left brain to stop arguing; as it calms down, we find the energy and drive to make informed choices.
If you are unwilling to choose and make changes this month, you will feel trapped, unmotivated and despondent. You may feel unfulfilled, exploited and less productive at work.
Instead, make a change. Begin a new creative endeavor. Allow modest attitudes to rule and enjoy each small accomplishment along the way. Begin a search for what expands ecstasy and gratitude in your life. Cultivate freedom and confidence. Enjoy the beauty all around you. Find new ways to enrich your spirit. Explore the inner balance between attainment and contentment. Above all, have a sense of humor about your own process. The reasons you deny yourself experiences can be quite funny if you listen to them with detachment. Would someone else take the advice your head is fabricating when you are scared? I didn't think so.
Breathe! Find your own center. Let the wildness within have a moment in the sun. That does not mean being irresponsible. It means finding and following the passion inside that wants to experience life to its fullest. If nothing else, you will have stories to tell when you are old. Your experiences will give others confidence to love themselves enough to also try. ®
Suzanne Wagner is the author of numerous books and CDs on the tarot. She lives in Salt Lake City.
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| |  | Urban Almanac: August 2007Day by day in the home, garden and sky.
-by Diane Olson
AUGUST 1 Today is Lughnasadh, or Lammas, the beginning of the pagan harvest festival and the last heyday of the Sun God. It is also Summer Cross Quarter Day, the midpoint between the Summer Solstice and the Autumn Equinox. The Sun rises at 6:22 a.m. today, and sets at 8:44 p.m. August's average maximum temperature is 89°; the average minimum is 61°. It rains an average of .86 inches.
AUGUST 2 The Aztec war god was a hummingbird, Huitzilopochtli, meaning "shining one with weapon like cactus thorn."
AUGUST 3 In some tribal cultures, a bite or sting is viewed as the transmission of knowledge or power from one species to another.
AUGUST 4 You can tell that corn is ripe when the husk is tight and the silk has dried and turned brown.
AUGUST 5 LAST QUARTER MOON. Basil, beans, beets, corn, cucumbers, dill, garlic, melons, onions, peppers, potatoes, shallots, squash and tomatoes are ripening. If you don't have a garden of your own, head to Farmers Market to load up on the bounty of the season. Try a basil, bacon and tomato sandwich-yum.
AUGUST 6 When the male honeybee ejaculates, his body explodes, leaving behind only his genitals, which remain inside the female. Be glad you're not a male honeybee.
AUGUST 7 Ants can hear with their knees (as well as with their ears).
AUGUST 8 Spotted skunks do a handstand before they let loose, to maximize the distance their rancid payload will travel, enabling them to hit targets up to 13 feet away.
AUGUST 9 Top-dress strawberry patches with composted manure.
AUGUST 10 The Perseid meteors, seen now, are the remnants of the Swift-Tuttle comet. It is believed that comets, such as Swift-Tuttle, may have spread the chemical seeds for life through the solar system.
AUGUST 11 The Dog Days of Summer, when the Sun is at its zenith over the northern hemisphere, officially end today. Conditions should be perfect for viewing tonight's Perseid meteor shower, with a new Moon and dark skies (unless it's cloudy). It peaks just after midnight with one meteor per minute lighting up the sky to the northeast.
AUGUST 12 NEW MOON. Now's a good time to fertilize parsnips, potatoes, pumpkins, squash, Swiss chard and watermelons.
AUGUST 13 The largest watermelon on record weighed 268 pounds, 12 ounces.
AUGUST 14 Cooked tomatoes actually offer more nutrients than raw ones. Cooking them concentrates the lycopene, the health-giving antioxidant responsible for making tomatoes red.
AUGUST 15 Now's a good time to prune and mulch spent raspberry bushes.
AUGUST 16 Summer squash are at their peak of flavor and texture when they are four inches long.
AUGUST 17 The next seven nights are the Cat Nights, when Irish legend has it that witches are able to turn themselves into cats and back again.
AUGUST 18 Salamander embryos eat their siblings while still in the womb. Spadefoot toad tadpoles, on the other hand, carry out a quick chemical test to make sure that the fellow tadpole they are about to consume is not a relative. If, by accident, they do swallow a sibling, they quickly recognize the taste and spit it out.
AUGUST 19 It's time again to plant cool weather crops, including beets, beans, carrots, endive, garlic, lettuce, peas, radishes and spinach. Plant peas and greens between or beneath already established crops for shade.
AUGUST 20 FIRST QUARTER MOON. Ragweed launches 1.6 billion pollen grains per hour. Wind-pollinated plants don't have to design alluring colors or create nectar as bait for insects; they just flood the neighborhood with seed.
AUGUST 21 Water striders, also called Jesus bugs, feed on mosquito larvae that float up to the water's surface and on anything that happens to fall into the water. Their stylets secrete an enzyme that dissolves the insides of the victims into a succulent soup, which they then daintily sip.
AUGUST 22 As vegetable beds become empty, plant cover crops like ryegrass, oats, buckwheat or hairy vetch to feed and protect the soil until next spring.
AUGUST 23 Plant autumn crocus now for late fall blooms, and alyssum, English daisy, forget-me-not and pansy for early spring blossoms. Deadhead asters, chrysanthemum, coreopsis, cosmos, marigolds and zinnias.
AUGUST 24 The first eggplants grown in North America were small and white and looked like eggs, hence their name. Eggplant probably originated in India, though the first written record of its use dates to fifth century China.
AUGUST 25 If you like your chili peppers hot, let the ground dry out before you pick them. For milder pods, pick right after you water.
AUGUST 26 Unlike other birds, which are omnivorous, doves and pigeons are vegetarians, eating primarily seeds and fleshy fruits.
AUGUST 27 Venus has transitioned from evening star to morning star, appearing in the east just before sunrise.
AUGUST 28 FULL GREEN CORN MOON. Time to break out "Dark Side of the Moon" again. Tonight's total eclipse of the Moon should be visible throughout most of North America, but you'll have to stay up late to see it. The Moon enters the penumbra at 1:52 a.m. and leaves it at 7:23 a.m.
AUGUST 29 Ants (supposedly) won't cross a chalk line.
AUGUST 30 Stop fertilizing roses and broad-leaved evergreens until next spring. If you shape your evergreens, give them their final shearing.
AUGUST 31 The Sun rises at 6:53 a.m. today and sets at 8 p.m. "Give me a spark of Nature's fire. That's all the learning I desire." - Robert Burns
Diane Olson is a freelance writer, proofreader, and wanna-be fulltime naturalist.
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