 | Editor's Notebook: Downtown dreams, fast bikes and the Saab returns.-by Greta Belanger deJong
If you read my column last month, you know that my lovely '87 (which is to say uninsured) Saab was stolen out of my driveway. I did not mourn; I rode my bike. I lusted after a new bike. I had adventures on my old bike.
I acquired the object of my lust: a shiny blue Specialized Sirrus, from Wasatch Touring. Now I dream of flying. I dream of roller-skating fast down dark streets, smiling.
Last night I dreamed of front-end loaders and back hoes on an abandoned Salt Lake City street, storefronts gaping like wounds, like empty eye sockets.
Interpretting dreams is intensely personal and I won't go there now. Dissecting a dream for its source material is something else-it's simply a look at the ingredients: the flour, sugar, milk and eggs, minus the alchemy. In this case, the dream was likely stimulated by a Deseret News story regarding Stephen Goldsmith's Temporary Museum of Permanent Change for downtown's demolition area. Veteran reporter Elaine Jarvik, who always gets the best assignments, painted the dream-inspiring view of the abandoned Crossroads Mall: "...the exposed innards of Mervyn's department store, with its sagging fluorescent light [fixtures] and its jumble of twisted metal." Another ingredient in the mix of this dream: a recent conversation with Ralph Becker regarding the proposed City Creek Center skybridge.
Diesel-fueled, tree-free, grey: The dream was populated with men whose machines churned back and forth, fetching loads of rubble. What had happened? It was clean-up time. Aftermath. Something had run its course. The abandoned space before me had been left so sterile that, though weathered by time, biology could not overtake it.
I feel this inching toward (and aching for) analysis. Back to observing the input.
Main Street. Do you remember it in the late '70s to mid- '80s? My favorite was a little gift shop, The Cat's Meow, where a bank now stands. A block south was Woolworth's, Penney's (where I bought my first couch), a massive music store (which stayed open late), and something-of-everything Keith Warshaw. Parties of renown were held in the photographers' studio lofts above the corner jewelry store at the south end of the block.
Those days and buildings are gone, replaced by the towering Wells Fargo; I'm not here to complain about that. Here's my point: What made downtown once vital is that the ground level was a human level. Shops, restaurants, a variety of services.
Left unchecked, banks, insurance companies and other offices may be all that's left on street-level Main.
And the skybridge?
It's a symptom, not the sickness itself. Why argue about the pro's and cons of cosmetic surgery for someone with a fatal growth? It's not a good thing. But it's not the problem.
I'm all for bargaining, though. And, as Ralph Becker suggested, the skybridge is a big chip. What might be gotten in exchange? What does Main St. really, truly need?
Let's brainstorm about that.
If it doesn't work-I suggest we forget about Main, at least the north end, and move on. Broadway (Third South) already has a lot more activity and subsequent soul.
But I meant to tell you about my car. I thought it would be fun to ask four or five psychics about it, and print their comments. Mary Nickle said, "I see your car with wings, fluttering around you. It's waiting to be called home." I made a flier, distributed it in my neighborhood, and made more of an effort to "call it home." Suzanne Wagner, who writes our "Metaphors" said, "It will come back, in one-something: one month, one year."
A few days later, practically four weeks to the hour after my car disappeared and before I could expand on my clever idea any further, I was awakened in the night by a phone call from a police officer. The Murray City police had my car. It was found by the security guard of a nice-looking condo complex on Vine St., who said it had been in their parking ramp for about three weeks. The battery was dead, stereo gone, dashboard damaged and it sported stolen plates.
Here's what I've pieced together, from evidence found in (and absent from) the car:
I suspect my car was stolen by a gang of teen-aged moms. Everything was sticky; only a bunch of candy-eating toddlers could have made such a mess (to say nothing of the empty cans of diet Pepsi on the floor). Three bags of women's clothes, headed for D.I., were missing. But not the shoes (wrong size?). A big bag of beautiful hollyhock corms was taken. Likewise, the two good dogleashes (with two lesser leashes left behind). An industrial-strength felt blanket and a bag of mysterious looking ground-up herbs (truly, purely medicinal) were also left.
A day at Clark Detailers in Sugar House made it better than before. I'm happy it has come home, and appreciate my car more than ever, for the times I really need it. But its absence was eye-opening. It's possible to drive less than we think we must.
Enough. Now I'm going to go work on that dark, rich dream. Veeerrry interesting. Maybe I'll sleep on it.
Greta deJong is editor and publisher of CATALYST. greta@catalystmagazine.net.
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| |  | Don't Get Me Started: I LIke Mitt...ButSome disadvantages of "Mitt for Prez."
-by John deJong
I like Mitt Romney.
But if there's one thing we should have learned with George W. Bush, it's that cosseted, pampered rich kids make piss-poor presidents. I have no problem with parents cosseting and pampering their children. The problem is that, as presidents, children of the very rich tend to focus on maintaining the advantages their class enjoy - at the expense of the rest of us. I don't think anyone making less than $10 million a year got anything out of Romney's deals at Bain Capital when he worked as a captain of industry. I hesitate to call having some sharp operator turn your ancestral pile of money into an even larger pile, work. Perhaps schemes, manipulation or fraud- but never work.
One advantage the rich enjoy is a special tax break for investments like those that helped Mitt amass his vast fortune at Bain Capital. Most people making millions of dollars a year pay taxes at a rate of 25% or higher. But through the magic of strategic campaign contributions, vulture capitalists such as Mitt's baby Bain Capital and the Blackwell Group pay only 15%- on the premise that such risky investments deserve a tax break. What is so risky about having a bunch of Harvard MBAs invest your money? "Risky" is putting your parents' relatively miniscule inheritance into some tiny start-up. "Risky" is sending your sons and daughters to Iraq because that's the only way they'll get a college education.
On a different tangent: If our stock market system is so great, how come stocks can get so undervalued that the only solution is leveraged buyouts by vulture capitalists? I imagine part of the problem is that there is no such thing as perfect information but the richer you are, the better information you can get. If you can pay financial experts hundreds of thousands of dollars to do research, you can get a lot better information than the average investor has. But what's wrong with our system of business oversight is that good information is so elusive. Our stock markets would be much more efficient if information available to the average investor were more informative. The universal availability of better market information is a mandatory prerequisite to giving individuals access to the stock market for their retirement and health care plans.
One of the reasons for Social Security and, presumably a national health insurance plan is to balance the enormous advantages the rich already enjoy in this country. The richest one million people in America are absolutely drooling over the prospect of the other 299 million of us being forced into the stock market to create our own retirement and health insurance nest eggs. They're not just drooling, they're pulling out their wallets and giving generously to Republican candidates. If either plan succeeds, the term "stock market" will take on a new meaning as the sheep are herded to slaughter.
When Mitt was in Utah last month on a fund-raising trip, he emphasized the importance of strengthening the military, the economy and families-code for "stay in Iraq," "make it easier for vulture capitalists to take the rest of us to the cleaners" and "overturn Roe v Wade," appealing with a perfect campaign hat trick to his main constituencies: energy imperialists, filthy rich campaign contributors and the religious right.
I like Mitt. It's just that he would be no better a president than George, only more closely in cahoots with venture capitalists than George. If that's possible!
John deJong is associate editor of CATALYST.
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 | Enviro Update: July 2007Environmental news from around the state and the west.
-by Amy Brunvand
Candidates for SLC mayor respond to environmental questions
Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson has had an especially strong environmental record, but he's not running for a third term. Will the new mayor carry on his environmental legacy? The Utah Sierra Club Political Committee sent an environmental questionnaire to all of the candidates for Salt Lake City mayor. Their responses are posted on the Web at: http://utah.sierraclub.org/legislative.asp.
Update: America's Redrock Wilderness Act
As of June 14, America's Redrock Wilderness Act had 138 cosponsors in the House and a record 18 in the Senate. The bill would add public lands identified by the Citizens' Proposal for Wilderness in Utah to the national wilderness preservation system.
Utah wilderness Coalition: www.uwcoalition.org/
Vision Dixie releases growth scenarios
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Utah's St. George was the fastest-growing metro area from 2000 to 2006, with a population growth of 39.8% to 126,000 on July 1, 2006. In the next 20 years, Washington County's population is expected to double. Last year's awful (and thankfully, defeated) "Washington County Growth and Conservation Act" proposed to address growth problems by selling off public lands and using the money to finance, among other things, more highways and off-road vehicle trails. Arguing against the bill, conservationists pointed out that the residents of Washington County were already involved in a series of workshops called "Vision Dixie" to develop growth principles that could help guide the future of the county (similar to the "Envision Utah" process on the Wasatch Front). In June, Vision Dixie presented four growth scenarios. The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance has endorsed "Scenario D" which offers ways to cope with growth while preserving public lands, open space, air quality, and quality of life in Utah's Dixie.
Vision Dixie growth scenarios for Washington County: www.visiondixie.org/
Wilderness analysis for Price/Vernal area
In 2005 when the Bureau of Land Management released a draft resource management plan environmental impact statement for the Price/Vernal area, they neglected to include information about and analyses of wilderness characteristics on lands outside of existing wilderness atudy areas. As it happens, the BLM has already received extensive public comments regarding potential wilderness in the planning area, and a court ruling in the 2004 case "Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance et al. v. Gale Norton" requires the BLM to consider such wilderness characteristics when making decisions regarding oil and gas leasing. As a result, on May 24 the BLM announced that they will prepare a supplemental draft resource management plan environmental impact statement that considers how to manage land with wilderness characteristics within the planning area. A public comment period will be provided when the draft is released.
Water conservation tips and free water check from Utah DWR
In Utah, 65% of our home water use goes on the lawn-and about half of that water is waste, says the Utah Division of Water Resources. The DWR website offers tips on proper lawn watering as well as many other ways to save water. Get a free water check to analyze the efficiency of your automated sprinkler system. Call 1-877-728-3420 or sign up online: www.conservewater.utah.gov/
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| |  | To Sum It Up: America Behind BarsNo-so-much the land of the free.
-by Dan Belnap
Americans like to think of themselves as the freest people in the world, but per capita Americans are more likely than anyone else to be in prison.
Currently in the United States, more than 2.2 million people are behind bars. About two-thirds are in state and federal prisons and one-third in local jails. Between June 2004 and June 2005, the nation's jailed population grew by 2.6% - 1,085 new inmates every week. In fact, this increase represents a record 33rd continuous year of annual increases in America's prison population. The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world at one in 136 people, five to eight times higher than in Canada or Western Europe.
This decades-long increase has occurred even though crime rates have steadily fallen since 1991 to levels last seen in the 1960s. This suggests that the increase is due primarily to changes in sentencing policy -measures like "three-strikes," mandatory minimums, and decreasing parole rates. According to the Sentencing Project, a research and reform advocacy group, from 1995 to 2001 the average time served in prison grew by 30%.
If recent rates remain unchanged, 6.6% of all people in this country will spend part of their lives incarcerated. For black males the odds of spending time in jail are much higher at 32%; for Hispanic males the odds are 17%; and for white males 5.9%. African American drug offenders are 20% more likely to be sentenced to prison than white offenders, and Hispanic drug offenders are 40% more likely. African Americans on average serve 57.2 months in prison for drug offenses, almost as much as the 58.8 months the average white prisoner serves for violent offenses.
In the 25-29 years old age group, 8.1% of black men (about 1 in 13) are currently incarcerated, along with 2.6 % of Hispanic men and 1.1% of white men.
Even after prisoners are released after serving their time, their criminal records continue to haunt them. An estimated 5.3 million Americans have currently or permanently lost their right to vote because of a felony conviction. Many former convicts have difficulty finding work or housing because of their records. In many states, persons convicted of drug felonies face lifetime ineligibility for welfare benefits such as cash assistance and food stamps. Federal law forbids any student convicted of a drug-related offense from receiving educational grants or loans. No other offense, including violent crime, results in the automatic denial of financial aid eligibility.
Families also suffer. More than half of the people in prison are parents, and more than 10 million children have a parent who was imprisoned at some point in the child's life. Currently, 1.5 million children have a parent in jail, including 1 in 14 black children.
We need prison reform in this country that respects the rights of individuals, families and communities. "Out of sight, out of mind" is the wrong approach to dealing with criminal behavior.
Dan Belnap is a Utah native who currently works on Medicaid policy for a national healthcare policy think tank in Washington, DC.
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 | Slightly Off Center: Let Sleeping Dogs LieThey know what they're doing.
-by Dennis Hinkamp
There are many reasons you should let a sleeping dog lie, but foremost amongst them is that watching said dog is more instructive than a bushel of self-help books. The wakened dog my bite you but only as a toothy reminder to show more reverence toward sleep.
Riches, sex and chemical mind alterations are fleeting, but sleep is always there waiting to comfort us. Yet, we fight it so. We fleshy bipeds have ruined all the other pleasures with diseases and moral ambiguity. We fight wars and scurry about in clouds of religious yada yada looking for something that dogs do daily.
You can speculate on the joy of winning the lottery or pitching a no-hitter. You can savor a perfectly cooked bratwurst and linger on a luminescent Pacific sunset, but you may never experience the contentment of a sleeping dog. The reason dogs eat so fast is not because they are ravenous brutes, but rather that they are in a hurry to sleep the sleep of warmth and safety.
We have to drink in this behavior and learn to appreciate it lest we go mad with jealousy knowing that our walnut-brained canine charges have already found the bliss we so futilely strive for. Dogs are devoid of that nagging work ethic and need for accomplishment. They know that contentment is an accomplishment in itself. Dogs don't need drugs or Jay Leno to sleep because they know that sleep is itself a drug and that dreams are better than anything you can watch on TV. Dogs don't have to prepare for sleep; they are always dressed and ready for it. You can't whisper to dogs. Dogs are whispering to us, and they are saying "sleep."
We fight sleep. You have to be a morning person or a night person. If you sleep too late, you are lazy. If you go to bed too early, you are boring. Dogs are always ready to sleep because they are not at war with sleep.
Look at all the worthless products we have devoted to sleep that dogs come by naturally. We manufacture voluminous assortments of beds and bedclothes. We need night lights and pajamas and sometimes slinky stuff to differentiate our waking appearance from the sleeping one. We also need little squawking machines to remind us that sleep time is over. It's true that sleep is one-third of our lives, but it is a really simple one-third compared to all that complex waking life stuff. We need cars and clothes and endless streets lined with buildings full of stuff to amuse us until we can sleep again.
I do love my coffee, and my mind has been altered more times than a fat man's suit, but it is a poor substitute for curling up on any available soft surface when you are really tired. Don't wait until it is "time" for bed; just do it, preferably in a spot where the sun comes in and warms the worn cushions on a soft couch.
Dennis Hinkamp would rather be sleeping right now, but his dog reminded him to finish this column first.
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| |  | Good Dog: Huh Come?Yeah right! Train your dog to come when it matters most.
-by Johanna Teresi
One of the most important commands for a dog to obey happens to be one of the most difficult commands to teach. "Come" is a life-saving word. Just think how nice it would be to call your dog back home after he darts out the door. What about when you take a nice off-leash hike and your dog chooses to come back to you rather than chasing that dangerous moose? I bet you think you can only dream of this response. Read on to learn how to make this fantasy a reality!
First let's discuss the common mistakes committed when training "come." The "come" word is often over-used and repeated when your dog does not respond. Many times your dog does not come so it can continue a fun activity such as smelling another dog. When the dog does eventually obey the command, the owner has ended an activity that the dog was enjoying and only doles out some praise but no treats in return. Get the picture? The dog learns that the command is irrelevant and that it is no fun to obey.
Follow the directions below to train the emergency come (EC) command. First, choose a new word such as "here," "pronto," or "now." The command will be saved for emergency use only. Also choose a special treat that your dog loves (cheese, chicken, hotdogs). He will only get this treat for responding to this word. Have a helper gently hold your dog's collar. Put some special treats in your hand. Walk directly to your dog's muzzle and blatantly show him the treats you have. Then run away from your dog. Immediately when you begin running away, say the EC and your helper will let go of your dog's collar. Run 10-20 feet. Then turn around and crouch down (rather than bending over) to grab your dog's collar. While holding your dog's collar, give him 20-30 seconds of the special treat. Make sure the quantity of the special treat given to your dog is low but the duration of the treat giving is high-use crumb-sized pieces and give them to your dog one at a time for the duration of the reward.
Next, stand stationary approximately 10 feet away from your dog and say the EC. Grab the collar and give 20-30 seconds of the special treat. Gradually increase the coming distance to at least 20 feet. Complete the above process inside your house when your dog is not distracted. Make sure you practice in a variety of different rooms. Practice this process for at least a week.
Now practice calling your dog when you and your dog are in different rooms and cannot see each other. Once again make sure you practice in a variety of different rooms. Practice this process for at least another week. For the following week, practice the above steps in a fenced backyard when your dog is not distracted. Switch to occasional rewards when your dog comes reliably without distractions.
Remember, never call your dog unless you are 100% sure that he will come. Do not repeat the EC. If your dog is clicker trained, click when your dog is running toward you or when he reaches you. During this training month do not call your dog when he is distracted. Next month, we will take the next step and show how to train the EC with distractions.
Surprise yourself with a dog that will come to you instantly!
Johanna Teresi is a professional dog trainer and owner of Four Legged Scholars LLC. fourleggedscholars.com.
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 | Animals Animals: When You Find a Baby BirdObserving from a distance may save its life.
-by Sunny Branson
This time of year aviaries and bird rehabilitators are flooded with calls from people who have found wild baby birds seemingly fallen, injured, abandoned or lost. What should people do when faced with helping, or not helping, a baby bird?
According to wild-bird rehabilitator Candy Carlson, the first thing to do is observe from a distance. What seems like a dire situation may simply be a young bird trying out its new wings. Interference by you may be a death sentence for the bird.
But in some cases, the chick does need help. How do you know when to step in and when to keep your distance?
Every bird rescue situation is different, and the best thing to do is call a licensed bird rehabilitator for advice on your specific circumstance. They volunteer their services and are locally found through Tracy Aviary. If you are unable to reach a rehabber, here are some tips for doing the best thing for the chick temporarily.
Is the chick featherless?
A featherless bird is a nestling and has probably fallen from its nest, which should be close by. If you can find the nest, you can return the baby to it by cupping the baby bird gently in your hand and quickly placing it back in the nest. The parents will take over from here.
"The most frequent question we get is whether touching the baby bird will cause the mother to reject it by giving it a human scent," says Candy. "This is a myth. Actually, most birds have a poor sense of smell but highly developed eyesight and hearing."
If the nest is out of reach or destroyed, you can build a makeshift nest out of a basket or margarine tub with holes in the bottom for drainage. Fill the container with paper towels, dried leaves, or pine needles to about an inch from the top, and make an indentation in the center. Then tie or nail it (aluminum nails preferred) to a mature tree, high enough to be safe from predators, and place the nestling in it.
If you don't know which tree the chick's nest is in, watch for a while to see if the mother bird comes to the aid of the chick. If there is no sign of the mother after an hour or so, get the nestling to a licensed bird rehabilitator.
Is the chick feathered?
If the chick is feathered, it is most likely a fledgling - a young bird with newly acquired flight feathers - and leaving the nest to learn to fly is absolutely crucial. A fledgling often looks like it has an injured wing because they aren't very skilled at using them. It usually takes them a few days to get the hang of it, and until then they may end up in unusual and sometimes precarious spots.
If the chick seems healthy and bright-eyed, the best thing to do is to leave it alone and move away from the bird. The mother is usually close by keeping an eye on it and will continue to feed her baby. Eventually the chick will regain its strength and attempt to fly again. If people hover over the bird, the mother won't feel safe enough to approach her baby and the fledgling won't feel secure enough to try to fly away.
If you know the chick is injured, for example if you witnessed an animal attacking it or saw it get hit by a car, get it to a licensed bird rehabilitator right away.
In all cases, it is best to keep pets inside until the bird is safe. If the bird is in danger, such as in the middle of the street or in direct sun, you can gently pick it up and move it to nearby safe shady area or up on a tree branch. Don't move the bird too far because if it's out of eye shot of the mother, she may not find it.
The big "don'ts" with baby birds
Don't delay in calling for help. Some people will attempt to "nurse" the bird for a few days and call for help when it's too late. By the fourth day, injured birds will get blown air sacs from bacteria and infection and will die.
Don't feed the bird. Many people try giving the bird bread, which is harmful for chicks. Adult birds have gravel in their digestive system that allows bread to be broken down. Young babies do not have the benefit of gravel and, as a result, the bread will become compacted. And never offer meat, even for birds of prey.
Don't offer a drink. The baby may be gaping for food or water but putting fluid in a syringe, even a small amount, and squirting it into the mouth can drown the bird. Don't make the mistake of giving milk. Unlike mammals, birds are not built to digest milk.
Don't pet the chick. Handling it any more than absolutely necessary will cause the bird undue stress.
Don't keep any wild birds, especially protected birds. If you find a bird protected under the Endangered Species Act or the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (and most Utah birds are), it is illegal to keep it for any length of time. Notify the local authorities as soon as possible.
Tazia Vickrey, another wild bird rehabilitator, feels strongly about not using a fallen chick or fledgling to educate or entertain a child. The lesson usually turns into a tragedy when the chick dies.
"One man wouldn't bring a duckling to me because he wanted to educate his two young children about caring for animals," says Tazia. "After a couple of weeks, he realized he was in over his head and when he finally brought me the duckling, its bill was deformed because of malnutrition. Ducklings develop very quickly and if they don't have a proper diet during this critical stage of life, they will die."
Keep the bird at the proper temperature. Baby birds depend on their mothers to moderate their body temperature. "They need to have a heat source to keep them at about 100 degrees," says Candy. "People will call me saying they kept the bird warm through the night, when all they did was keep it inside, maybe in a 70-degree house. If you can't get the chick to a rehabber, a desk lamp or heating pad under towels can help keep it warm through the night. A naked bird should feel the same temperature as your hand. You should be able to hold your own head under the heat source the same distance as the bird and not feel too warm."
Why should we save birds?
Many people object to manipulating nature and argue that it's the natural order that some chicks won't make it. This is true except that humans sometimes tip the natural order of things. A high proportion of rehab birds are in need of help because a tree was trimmed or cut down or they had a losing encounter with a window, car or pet.
Young birds are very delicate. You should never attempt long-term care for the bird yourself. Most efforts end up in death for the chick. Call the aviary, zoo, or even a veterinarian office to find a bird rehabilitator near you.
Sunny Branson is co-owner of Single Malt Media, volunteers for Wasatch Animal Rescue, and sponsors two pot-bellied pigs at Ching Farm Sanctuary.
Resources
Candy Carlson, licensed wild bird rehabilitator, tel. 412-7470.
Tracy Aviary: www.tracyaviary.org, tel. 596-8500.
You can learn where licensed rehabilitators are in your area by
contacting the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office (the
offices are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays through Fridays):
Ogden office - (801) 476-2740
Salt Lake City office - (801) 538-4700
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| |  | Swan Song: Mandy Says Good ByeFood writer Mandy Jeppsen reminisces about chefs, restaurants and good food as she says good bye to Utah.
-by Mandy Jeppsen
My relationship to food has been a strange one lately. Another pregnancy has forced me to search beyond taste and texture, beyond my regular comfort foods - instead exploring the realm of "absolutely nothing looks edible, and I might hurl right now if you offer me another french fry." Yippee. As a food-loving person accustomed to eating almost anything that suits my fancy, this is a shock to the system. But, I've decided it's fate.
Last month, my husband accepted a job in northern Maryland at a computer gaming company. We'll be moving at the end of July, and somehow, my pregnancy-induced food sickness has helped lessen the blow. I'm leaving the place where I was born, my hometown. Saying sayonara to the friendly city of salt where I can go to a coffee shop or to the grocery store and expect to see someone I know - sharing a hug and a quick catch-up chat. Yes, leaving friends and family behind will be the worst of it-not to mention that I will lose my status as the Catalyst food writer.
My memory returns to the day I first stepped into the Catalyst office, meeting the vivacious Greta about whom I had heard so many amazing stories already. I was so shy at the time, I couldn't have envisioned that I'd end up working at Catalyst, or being a culinary writer. Over the years, I have met some of Salt Lake's finest and most intriguing chefs and restaurateurs. I have been honored to chat with them and to enjoy their food. Memorable for both the cuisine and their personality are Lucy Cardenas at Red Iguana, Ricc Esparza at Urban Bistro, Takashi Gibo from, of course, Takashi, Ali Sabbah at Mazza, Denise Cerreta and Dan Cantu at One World Cafe, Timothy Garling, former Shallow Shaft executive chef, Doug Nassar of Cafe Med, Therese Martin at Carlucci's, Paul Maurer at Avenues Bakery, Ian Brandt of Sage's Cafe and Vertical Diner, Mark and Kileen Alston at The Bayou-the list goes on and on. As I remember these interviews, I am struck by the quality of Salt Lake's cuisine, and also by the fact that even though I'll be close to a larger metropolitan area, with wonderful new food possibilities to enjoy, I will miss these local restaurants.
Well, I will miss a lot of things about Salt Lake City.
Thank you Greta, thank you Catalyst staff (all of you, current and former, whom I adore-you know who you are). You have nurtured me as a writer, as an artist and as a mother (I will never forget all the love, support and fabulous food you fed me while pregnant with my firstborn, Sam.) But, don't write me off completely. You are all part of my family here. I'll be back to visit-and to take you out for dinner and a toast to friendship and food.
Mandy Jeppsen has been a CATALYST staffer, and then a contributing writer, since 2003. Sam was our fifth office baby. Mandy's "be true" attitude grounded and supported us, and her words delighted us. We will miss you so!
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 | Eco House: Metal Roofs, Insulating PaintLower those A/C bills.
-by James Dulley
I want to install a metal roof with a lifetime warranty, but I worry it will make my house hotter and increase my air-conditioning bills. Does the long life of a metal roof offset such disadvantages?
-Regina H.
You must have talked with an asphalt shingle salesman. Actually, installing a metal roof can lower your air-conditioning costs and improve your comfort. Also, since you will never have to install a roof again, the life-cycle cost of a metal roof is reasonable as compared to other materials.
Metal roofs are becoming a signature of expensive, top-end home builders. They cost more to install than shingle roofs, but the difference is not as great when reroofing. Metal roofs can be applied over several layers of old shingles, so the tear-off expenses are eliminated. They can look like tile or slate but the lighter weight metal will not require roof reinforcement.
The Florida Solar Energy Center built test homes with various roofs. In 90-degree weather, the attic temperature with a simulated cedar shake aluminum roof was almost 30 degrees cooler than one with asphalt shingles. This can result 33% less cooling load on your central air conditioner.
Another major advantage of metal roofs is they are fireproof. Fires are often spread from house to house by glowing embers carried by the wind. If embers settle on a metal roof, they will not start a fire. Houses with metal roofs may receive a discount on the homeowner's (fire) insurance.
The two most common metal roofing materials are painted aluminum (recycled from beverage cans) and steel. Both are strong enough to handle the weight of a person carefully walking on the roof. Copper and stainless steel are durable, but their cost is often outside of the budget of many homeowners.
Aluminum is an excellent material because it is easily formed to perfectly simulate cedar shakes, tiles and slate. Aluminum does not rust, so if there is an imperfection in the paint or it gets scratched, durability is not affected. The irregular surface eliminates noise from rain drops.
Simulated cedar shakes are most popular and are difficult to distinguish from real shakes. They are formed in multishingle panels to install quickly and they interlock to eliminate leaks and high-wind blow off. Many standard colors are available, and some use energy-saving (heat barrier) paint.
Most steel roofing is painted with tough Kynar as is aluminum. For the most authentic appearance, some include real stone granules in the final coat (10-coat process). Powder-coated Kynar, applied after the panels are formed, is most durable and attractive. Standing seam roofing is ideal on contemporary homes and simulated tiles create a "Western" appearance.
Download (from www.dulley.com) Update Bulletin No. 896-buyer's guide of 17 manufacturers of residential aluminum, copper, steel roofing, materials used and finishing methods, profiles and simulated styles, more. $3.
The walls in a few rooms and the exterior of my house need to be painted. I thought about using insulating paint on them to lower my utility bills and for comfort. Are these paints really effective?
-Carlos J.
The special insulating paints really do work and when applied, they resemble any other house or interior wall paint. I rolled insulating paint on the walls in the game room in my house. I did not install temperature sensors, but the room does feel more comfortable year-round.
Most of the insulating paints include a ceramic material similar to the heat shield tiles on the space shuttle. After the recent Columbia disaster, most people are aware of the insulating and heat dissipation properties of ceramic material. With a layer of ceramic powder over your hand, you can point a propane torch flame on your hand and not be burned.
Another advantage of using ceramic insulating paint is the dried paint film on the walls is thicker than with standard non-ceramic paint. This tends to fill tiny cracks and imperfections in the wall surface similar to using a thick primer coat first. Filling all these spots can improve the appearance, reduce air leakage into your home and improve sound-deadening qualities.
Ceramic insulating paint is available in one- and five-gallon cans similar to standard paint. The super-fine ceramic powder is already mixed in. If you already have the paint or like a particular brand, you can purchase a 32-oz. bag of ceramic powder and mix it in a gallon of paint yourself.
Whether you buy premixed insulating paint or stir in ceramic powder yourself, the paint rolls or brushes on thicker, so you need a little more. With its insulation qualities and the longer life of the thicker coating, it may be less expensive in the long run.
The ceramic material in the paint lowers the emissivity of the wall surface similar to efficient low-e window glass. The heat from your body, instead of passing through the wall, radiates back off the walls to your skin. This makes it more comfortable to sit near an outdoor wall during the winter.
During the summer, the greatest benefit is gained from painting the exterior of your house. Although the paint looks normal and is not reflective to visible light, it is highly reflective to sun's intense heat. All of the manufacturers also offer special roof paint that can keep your house cooler. It can be painted over shingles and will increase their life.
Most of the ceramic paints use microscopically tiny hollow ceramic spheres. Some paints also include solid glass spheres or ceramic platelets. As the wet paint dries and shrinks, these form a continuous efficient ceramic layer.
Download (from www.dulley.com) Update Bulletin No. 712-buyer's guide of 11 insulating ceramic and low-emissivity wall, house and roof paint manufacturers, typical application instructions, cleaning and maintenance, painting tips, chart showing the temperature of coatings and other materials in sunlight, more. $3.
Send questions to James Dulley c/o greta@catalystmagazine.net.
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| |  | Babying the Buddha: Elephant Trunk MamaNothing like Kafka.
-by Kindra Fehr
I woke up one morning to find that I had been transformed into "Elephant Trunk Mama." There are many things I thought I would be in my life. As a parent, I knew I would fill the role of comforter, disciplinarian, nurturer, friend, playmate, and guardian. But it never crossed my mind that I would be an "Elephant Trunk Mama."
I don't know how or why this transpired, but my three-year-old daughter Aria decided that we were the Elephant Trunk family. She began to walk on all fours, and we were instructed to make a sound created by pushing out the lips and clenching the teeth while making a jjjhhhhh sound. We decided that the translation of this sound to English was "I love you." She pretended to suck water into her "trunk" and blow it out during bath time. She visited the elephant trunk grandparents and always said goodbye with a jjjjhhh. In the mornings, I would hear a little thud coming down the stairs and a few minutes later my child would come in on all fours. The only appropriate greeting was, "good morning my elephant trunk baby." For over a month, this is what we were.
Then just as suddenly, one morning she came down announcing, "Now we're puppies." (I accidentally made the mistake of referring to her as my elephant trunk baby and was instantly corrected with, "No, no, no! We're not elephants. We're puppies!") The following day I was told, "Now we're birds. Flap your wings, Bird Mama." So we flew around the kitchen together for awhile.
Puppies and birds were short-lived. Soon we returned to our true Elephant Trunk nature. There's nothing quite like a "jjjjjhhhhh" followed by the words, "I sure love you, Elephant Trunk Mama," an extremely special term of endearment.
When this started, I thought that it would be a passing fancy lasting a few days, maybe a week or two. Yet we the transformation held for many months. Then our animal incarnations began to fade.
Phases and fantasies come and go. I miss being an Elephant Trunk Mama and often call her "my elephant trunk baby" just to see if we can relive the magic She simply states, "We're not elephants anymore, Mama."
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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 | Profile of a Goddess: Ix Chel, Goddess of the MoonWe flow in the waters of creation and experience the moon's pull.
-by Carol Koleman
Translation: Lady Rainbow
Religion: Maya; from around 2600 BCE to 900 AD
Form: Ix Chel is a triple goddess, with three forms corresponding to the three phases of the moon. In her first aspect (waxing crescent moon), Ix Chel is the Maiden with flowing hair and full breasts. She holds a rabbit in her arms which symbolizes fertility. In the second (full moon) phase, Ix Chel is depicted as the Mother, a pregnant woman dressed in bright clothes she has woven. Ix Chel's third aspect (waxing moon) is the Crone, wrinkled and hunched, wearing a skirt of crossed bones. She holds an inverted jar from which water pours . A serpent either sits coiled on her head as a headdress or is held in her hand, signifying transformation, just as the snake sheds its skin and emerges renewed.
AKA: Chak Chel, Ixchel, Ixazalvoh, Chibilias, Ix Kanleom (Spider's Web Catching the Morning Dew), the Queen, Our Mother, the White Lady, Goddess of Becoming
AKA in other Mythologies: Approximately 70 moon goddesses exist in 38 religions, ranging from Myesyats (Slavic) to Arebati (Pygmy). Polynesian mythology has nine moon goddesses, Hindu seven, and Greek five. The other 35 religions each have one or two moon goddesses. Some represent different phases of the moon's cycle, some provide an explanation for the moon's purpose and its relation to the sun; most represent woman's creative power and fertility.
Her Story: In the heavens, Ix Chel fell in love with the Sun God, Kinich Ahaum, and followed him as he journeyed through the sky. She won his love by impressing him with beautiful weaving skills she learned by watching a spider. Her possessive grandfather, angered by this union, hurled a lightning bolt at Ix Chel, instantly killing her. Hundreds of dragonflies congregated and sang over her fallen body for 13 days and 13 nights until she emerged from her death-sleep to reunite with Kinich Ahau. The Sun God eventually became jealous of Ix Chel, accusing her of having an affair with his brother, the Morning Star, who was always near by. He banished Ix Chel from the sky and so she took sanctuary with the Vulture Deity. Kinich Ahau soon returned and persuaded Ix Chel to come back with him. She did, but before long he again became jealous, and so Ix Chel left once more, this time of her own accord, taking the form of a sphere of white light that disappears whenever the sun comes near.
Interpretation: Seemingly gentle and unobtrusive, the force of the moon possesses great power. It directs the tides, lights our way in the night and invokes quiet introspection. Observe closely; the moon affects us not only externally; you may feel the moon's pull on your own internal waters.
Ix Chel's triple aspects tell us the story of creative powers and the natural flow of existence through the phases of the moon. The Maiden holds the promise of fertility at the beginning of both the monthly and life cycles. Seen as the waxing moon, she is a vessel filling up-she grows, she changes, and she affects all those around her as she pulls the flow of water.
The Mother is the full moon pregnant with light; round and encompassing like the womb. We flow in the waters of creation, and we experience the moon's pull, yearning for her when she calls. Ix Chel, our Goddess of the Moon, is the life force within and without. She lies within the pregnant moon, flowing through her own transformation, and yet she holds us within her womb as we flow through ours.
The Crone shows us the inevitable end of the cycle as she pours the creative waters from her waning, crescent moon. She rages 'against the dying of the light' (as Dylan Thomas put it). In her fury she empties her vessel into the world through rain, floods and violent storms. Always transforming, ever changing; Ix Chel diminishes in size before her luminescence extinguishes altogether. As always the cycle begins again, whether the ebb and flow of daily creativity or the cycle of a long life.
Meditation: Go to a quiet outdoor place where you can view Ix Chel at night in the aspect you would like to meditate on. In the waxing moon phase, you may want to consider promise of the future, hope, fertility or growth.
The full moon may invoke creative powers, realization of wishes, understanding of the fullness that your life holds now, moments pregnant with possibility. You may want to fully acknowledge the full moon's pull on your body's fluids. This takes some open awareness and focus, but once accomplished, you become so attuned to the moon that you sense when it is full even if you don't actually witness it.
You may want to meditate on the waning moon when you need to focus on the natural process of life and how the passing of one feeds the creation of another. Consider this phase as a legacy of creative forces we share with others. Remember that the crescent moon's beauty is the same whether it's waxing or waning.
Honor whichever phase you choose to meditate upon and all it holds in that moment.
Music to feel Ix Chel by: www.cedarmesa.com/sacreddreams/sombramenu.html 'Sombra de la Luna' by Scott August
References:
Muten, "Goddesses: A world of myth and magic"
Turner and Coulter, "Dictionary of Ancient Dieties"
Answers.com (Oxford Univ. Press)
Crystalinks.com
Questions for the Goddess? Email: koleman@earthlink.net
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| |  | Creekside Observer: InfestationEradicate or tolerate? Responding to bugs and blight.
-by Merry Lycett Harrison
For the second year in a row, the tall trees above the raspberry patch have been infested with pudgy, neon-green worms that eat the leaves of the tree and then dangle down from thick webs. If they are not immediately consumed midair by a dive-bombing bird, they may continue to trapeze their way to the tops of the raspberry plants where they have just enough time for a brief nibble before another bird makes a meal of them. Robins nonchalantly peck at and pluck worms from the newly tilled garden soil while keeping an eye to the ground beneath the affected tree. The instant a worm drops on the mulch, they race each other, scurrying to the landing site to be the first to gobble up the delicious and substantial morsel.
The birds are gluttons for these worms, and their population increases during this annual infestation. During the day I sometimes have to duck to avoid a run in with them because there are so many on the established flyways through the yard. I love all the busy energy they bring to this riparian area. In the morning, the first chirp sounds at around 4:30. Then it is as if the birds agree it is too early and are quiet until an hour later when the sweetest notes and trills fill the dawn, every bit as loud and full as in a tropical rainforest.
Robins and sparrows galore provide the musical treat, but the visual treat is the newly-arrived, gorgeous, golden, orange-hooded western tanager who is attracted by the local menu selection. The other birds wait for the worm meals to present themselves on the web or falling to the ground; tanagers have a different technique. They perch in the branches of the tree and jump from one worm snack to the next. Sometimes I will see a whole limb of a tree shaking when there is no wind, and I can see the large, bright males and duller colored females lunging aggressively after the worms.
I suppose I should be alarmed at the damage these insects cause and should research some way to kill or get rid of the worms, but to be honest, I don't mind. The tree looks like it has weathered a category 4 huricane, but because its leaves have been devoured, more sunlight can shine on the berry patch. The brighter, warmer conditions coax plant starts to grow. All the raspberry leaves are spackled with white bird splatters, which I assume helps to fertilize the plants once I hose them off. Aside from the few leaves that have holes from the worms, the patch looks healthy and lots of blossoms are forming into small white berries, soon to be plump and red.
I called Millcreek Gardens to inquire what these grub-like creatures were that ate the leaves of certain trees. A knowledgeable man asked me lots of questions. He wanted to know what kind of tree was being eaten. I did not know but I told him that last year the worms shredded a box elder tree across the creek. With that he was very certain that the worm was the larvae of the elm leaf beetle. "It isn't dangerous," he said, and he assured me the infestation will run its course.
About three years ago, another bug invasion occurred. I was dismayed to see all the needles on some of our huge old pine trees gradually turn brown and drop off. The barren limbs curled down like an old hag's withered arms. The trees were obviously dying. I called the Forest Service to learn what the problem could be, and a representative came out for a look. She attributed the damage to the IPS beetle or engraver's beetle which eats the tree's cambium, the inner layer of bark that transports the tree's nutrients to stay healthy and grow.
"Your other pines will be vulnerable to this bug, too." she said.
"Is there anything I can do?" I inquired.
"Sure, you can have the trees sprayed. It's pretty expensive but if you want to save your other old pine trees, it's the only answer," she answered.
"How toxic is it?" I asked. She did not have a definitive answer for this question so I asked, "Will any birds die?" "A few." she said. Having a son with asthma, I made my decision on the spot not to pursue the issue further. Thankfully, no more pine trees here died although many in the valley have been stricken with the same killer bug. Gradually, wild plum trees, Oregon grape shrubs, river birch and a new horse chestnut and white-blooming hawthorn tree have filled in the sunny clearings created after the removal of the tall and brittle pine corpses.
So rather than deal with any of these small, opportunistic infesters, I have taken a passive approach and observed the full cycle of their comings and goings. Though the damage is significant, it is no longer worrisome. By biding my time and being willing to take a wait-and-see approach, I find that I and other forms of life have truly benefited in ways I would have never realized if I had chosen to make the effort to eradicate the pests. Just like last year, the infestation is winding down and will soon be over. The large elm tree will recover some of its leaves and the raspberries will ripen nicely. It is already quieter in the yard and there is less avian air traffic. I am certain that the birds have moved on to more delectable territory.
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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 | Aquarium Age: July 2007Potent energies—handle with care!
-by Ralfee Finn
It's hard to know how to describe July 2007. July is traditionally a month of summer fun, but this July is too serious to only be hot fun in the summer time. And it is definitely not the month to take vacation from consciousness. July is the midpoint of another intense year, which makes it the perfect time to take stock, assess the year's trajectory, and if necessary, recalibrate attitudes and actions. It's also the beginning of the end of a 12-year Pluto cycle, which means we're at the start of a complex, six-month process of identifying and redefining the themes of that Plutonian journey. And most important, all through July as its days and nights unfold, a steady current of almost supernatural strength-the kind of planetary muscle that gives birth to superheroes with superpowers-underscores all activities. Pay attention: This dynamic force has the potential to turn mundane tasks into feats of magic. It also supplies extraordinary stamina, but unfortunately, its strength is edgy, so try not to let tenacity turn into a liability-focus is fine; obsession isn't. There's no neat package of advice to offer about how to handle this month's intensity, but making every effort to stay present would certainly be the wisest choice.
July opens with Mercury Retrograde. For those of you new to the retrograde experience, here's the skinny: Mercury symbolizes all things related to communication and travel, and its vast network covers everything from conversations to contracts to the morning commute. Regular, dependable routines run amok during Mercury Retrograde, so expect schedules and appointments to change and change, and then, to change again. Reliable communication devices are likely to be on the fritz, and even smoke signals could be mistaken for fog. Retrogrades are a great time to review and revise. Technically, Mercury goes direct on July 9, but too late in the day to do the world of commerce much good, so use July 10 as the unofficial end; and if you can wait until July 11 to get going on new projects, that would be terrific.
Jumping ahead, and out of the usual sequence, July also ends with a retrograde. Venus begins a retrograde journey on July 27 that continues until September 8. Venus is not only the goddess of love and beauty. Venus is also the goddess of values-what matters most, and how to measure those standards. On one hand, that means money and what it can or can't buy. On the other, Venus measures the immeasurable. She reminds us that true value can never be gauged in dollars, and that some greater standard applies to the endeavors of souls who strive to touch or express the inexpressible. As Venus retrogrades and reviews her recent past, we review ours. Pay attention to financial matters, but also be willing to reflect on issues of ideology, ethics and morality. And don't be surprised if an old flame shows up for a last dance.
Back to a chronological format: From the July 1 11, a Venus-Saturn conjunction in Leo could inhibit romantic longings by encouraging harsh self-judgment. But I wouldn't worry about the shutdown. This conjunction is also trine Pluto, a positive combination that stimulates strong enough feelings to override self-consciousness. Best be prepared for the possibility of intense passions triggering personal or collective chaos.
And chaos, collective or personal, is possible, as a Sun-Uranus trine from July 4-19 disrupts the status quo and promotes a deep need for personal liberation. Don't be surprised if Independence Day is just that. The Sun symbolizes life force, Uranus represents the primal vitality of the imagination, and when they work in unison, emancipation is the word of the day. Anyone enslaved by a relationship mired in or burdened by negative bonds could feel empowered to break free.
But a Saturn-Pluto trine truly supplies the power surge of July. This positive interaction is one of the most powerful combinations possible, and handling it takes a great deal of skill. Saturn facilitates the distillation of wisdom from experience and symbolizes the process of both learning and teaching. It is currently in Leo, the sign of self-expression, and its transit through Leo began in July 2005 and ends on September 2, 2007. Pluto represents procreation and regeneration and symbolizes the process of death and rebirth. It began its transit through Sagittarius, the sign of belief systems, in January 1995. Pluto is nearly at the end of that transit. In January 2008, Pluto enters Capricorn, and while it will move back and forth between Sagittarius and Capricorn during 2008, the next six months are the last uninterrupted months of Pluto's passage through Sagittarius.
When Pluto transits through a sign or forms a relationship with another planet, Pluto probes the shadows, often revealing the underbelly of that sign or planet. Sagittarius is the sign where we quest for existential truth. Over the course of the last 12 years, Pluto's presence in Sagittarius has probed the shadow of religion. As part of that process, Pluto penetrated the core of fundamentalism, making us painfully aware of the cost of religious literalism. At the midpoint of this journey-from August 2001-June 2002 -Saturn opposed Pluto, a pernicious interaction that laid bare the cruelty and the cost of ignorance and prejudice.
Now, as Saturn trines Pluto, we are invited to examine what we've learned over the last several years about religious polarization, the politics of hate, and how fear seduces consciousness, collective and personal, to contract into narrow bands of self-righteousness. Saturn's disciplined and steady hand can also be used as a positive tool for transformation, helping us to extrapolate the essence of this Pluto cycle. It's likely that some realizations of the coming weeks and months will assist us in making crucial choices about the future.
But the power of this Saturn-Pluto trine needs to be handled with care. Particularly July 23-August 8, when a Mars-Saturn square challenges even the best of peaceful, grounded intentions. Mars signifies will; Saturn, discipline; and when they clash, we experience the sort of bitterness that spills over into harsh, blaming words and actions.
It will take both presence and patience to utilize July's potential for transformation. But if you stay focused and concentrate your efforts, the intensity of the month can help you make lasting leaps in awareness and consciousness.
If you know your Ascendant and/or your Moon sign, read that too.
Aries March 21-April 19
Rather than expecting human love to satisfy your spiritual need, open to a higher love, and allow that presence to heal the places of your heart no human hand can ever touch. If you think about it, this just might be the love not only you, but also all of us are actually longing for.
Taurus April 20-May 20
Lead the way-your followers are simply waiting for your cues. Be systematic and direct, and you'll enlist all the assistance and support you need to tackle every task. And if you remember to offer encouragement and thanks, you'll win loyal support that will last forever.
Gemini May 21-June 21
Clear communication with partners offers solutions to several old, seemingly irresolvable situations. There's no need to promise what you can't deliver. Just be realistic about the consequences and benefits, and you'll find all parties receptive to a new arrangement.
Cancer June 22-July 22
There are several solid opportunities for you to improve your financial situation. And while I can't completely advise against the lottery, the greatest probability of increased good fortune will be the result of your willingness to seize the moment and do the necessary hard work.
Leo July 23-August 22
Devote yourself to creativity, dear Leo, and not only will you emerge from your coccoon with golden wings, but you'll also have the attitude to match your transformation. Just keep in mind, there is no need to exaggerate-your accomplishments speak volumes.
Virgo August 23-September 22
While you're still in the surprise zone, you're also standing on much more solid ground this month than the last several months. Allow this internal sense of well-being to fortify your strength and your external world will reflect that inner adjustment.
Libra September 23-October 22
You could be tempted by a variety of opportunities, and while many of these enticements offer the promise of success and increased recognition, they also offer the possibility of spreading yourself too thin. Be cautious about taking on too much, and your reticence will be read as wisdom.
Scorpio October 23-Nov. 21
The stars continue to sign a song of success, and while I realize the repetition may be boring, it's hard to get tired when the music and lyrics are all about making money. You continue to enjoy the probability of financial gain; make the most of it.
Sagittarius Nov. 22-Dec. 21
Your innate generosity of spirit is always glad to share the stage, but this moment-right now-is all about you. So, there's no need to be shy about stepping into the spotlight and basking in the attention; you deserve it.
Capricorn Dec. 22-Jan. 19
While you wouldn't necessarily boast to others about your talents as a magician, you can't fool me. Behind your pragmatic façade lies an adept, able to manifest with intention. Prioritize your goals, and then, aim that laser beam of purpose toward your goals.
Aquarius January 20-Feb. 18
Maintaining healthy boundaries demands a delicate balance. You can't be too needy and you can't be completely self-sufficient. You need to be comfortable giving, as well as receiving. Give yourself permission to ask for help and you'll be pleased with the response.
Pisces February 19-March 20
Great career gains can be made, especially if you're willing to work hard-really, really hard. Just be aware of what you're signing on for, because if it's not what you expected, harsh words could undermine your success.
Visit Ralfee's website at www.aquariumage.com or e-mail her at ralfee@aquariumage.com.
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| | Comings & Goings: July 2007What's new around town.
-by Tamara Rowe
Nectar Boutique opens in Millcreek
Somer Gardiner and her business partner Angela Fortier have opened a boutique offering "clothing with intention." Their yoga and active wear is designed to be hip and earth-friendly, for workout or everyday wear. The boutique also offers sundresses and unique (some handmade) jewelry pieces. Somer hopes her wares will fulfill wardrobe desires in a way that the "black hole, soul sucking shopping mall just can't do."
2343 E 3300 S, 746-5094, nectarboutique@gmail.com.
Office space needed for nonprofits
Two Salt Lake City-based nonprofit environmental groups, Utah Society for Environmental Education and Wasatch Community Gardens, are seeking donated commercial space to house their respective offices. Please contact them if you have extra space.
USEE: 328-1549, www.usee.org. WCG: 359-2658, www.wasatchgardens.org.
Amer Sports Moves to Ogden
The world's largest manufacturer of sports equipment has moved their North American headquarters to Ogden. Fresh from the move, they are showing their support of Ogden mayor Matthew Godfrey's Fresh Air Fridays air pollution reduction program by donating 25 bicycle racks to the city and encouraging its employees to bike to work or ride the bus (and supplying subsidized bus passes).
www.ogdencity.com/mayor.main.html, www.amersports.com
Local First Utah releases its print directory
To strengthen Utah communities and local economies, the Local First Utah directory lists more than 1,100 local businesses
catering to the public and business owners. The directory also includes
loadsof information about buying local, finding local foods, and other
educational resources about the importance of buying local. Pick up a
free copy of the Local First Utah print directory at your favorite
locally owned, independent business. The directory easily fits in your
purse, messenger bag, fanny-pack, or glove box. You can find it at
Catalyst Magazine, The King's English, Carlucci's Bakery, Nostalgia
Coffee and hundreds of other locations throughout Utah.
456-1456, www.localfirst.org.
Volunteer for Park City Kimball Arts Festival
The Park City Kimball Arts Festival is Utah's oldest and longest running. This year's festival, August 3-5, will feature more than 200 nationally acclaimed artists and craftsmen, along with food, live entertainment, and family activities. Volunteers are needed in all areas from face painting to artist registration and ticket taking.
435-649-8882, www.kimball-art.org, volunteers@kimball-art.org.
Zone Azul at SLC International Jazz Fest
Salt Lake's own Zone Azul will take the Yardbird stage of the Salt Lake City International Jazz Festival 4pm Sunday, July 8th. The seven-piece band captures all the musical and rhythmic delights of Brazilian popular music and unites it with the improvisational elements of American jazz. Their repertoire includes arrangements of songs by the some of the best Brazilian composers. But they present an equally captivating range of Brazilian compositions by classical guitarist/composer Alan Sandomir who sings in Portuguese. Dan Chamberland, on keyboards and percussion, has produced thoughtful and exciting arrangements for the band. Other members of Zone Azul include Mark Mottonen (drums), Randy Herbert (percussion), Kevin Johansen (electric guitar), Jim Stout (bass) and Scott Harris (woodwinds).
The festival runs July 6-8. For complete schedule go to www.slcjazzfestival.org.
Volunteer at Women's Art Center
Not exactly the Ladies' Auxiliary. The Women's Art Center on Pierpont is a hip, happening place. And they need help-to tend the gift shop and gallery, distribute flyers, model for life drawing classes. If you have time and an artsy inclination, contact Amie.
wac@mailman.xmission.com
RadioWest launches online conversation board
Are you a fan of KUER's weekday interview show RadioWest? Help test their beta version online conversation board. Simply log on and choose "RadioWest" from the News tab along the top. Click any of the interview titles. Under the interview description, see the "View the Discussion" button. You can participate with other website visitors exploring the issues surrounding the news topic.
www.kuer.org
Williams Fine Art Gallery moves
Williams Fine Art has moved to a new location on South Temple due to construction at the former location. Park for free on the south side of the building (off 2nd East) and walk through the landscaped garden into the custom-designed museum-style gallery specializing in works by early Utah artists as well as many outstanding contemporary painters.
200 E. So. Temple, #100. Noon-5 p.m., Mon.-Fri. info@williamsfineart.com. 534-0332.
New nonprofit: GreenTREE Yoga
GreenTREE Yoga is a new nonprofit organization committed to presenting yoga as a lifelong tool for physical and emotional health. GreenTREE Yoga's mission is to bring the healing and strengthening benefits of yoga to both young people and adults in a variety of settings such as schools, summer camps, senior centers, clubs, prisons, camps for the disabled and shelters.
656-7885, www.greentreeyoga.org.
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 | Coach Jeannette: Where Freedom Truly LivesYou are free when you think what you like.
-by Jeannette Maw
The 4th of July annual celebration reminds us not to take our freedom for granted. We're prompted to consciously acknowledge and appreciate the independence won years ago and to support our government's continuing efforts to maintain our citizen rights.
However, with many citizens at odds with our leaders, feeling misrepresented, unheard and deceived, some feel anything but gratitude for our unperceived freedoms. Frustration and disempowerment are sometimes more typical feelings for those who oppose the leadership of our government.
But true freedom isn't dependent on outside conditions; it doesn't require that particular circumstances be in place for us to feel peace. In fact, if we require certain situations to exist before we acknowledge freedom, we are anything but free.
True freedom lies within. Until we tap into that truth, we're at the mercy of the world around us for our peace of mind, joy and any other emotions we attach to liberty.
What is freedom?
The word "freedom" itself invites the idea of being able to do as we please. The dictionary definition includes "being exempt from external control or interference," "at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint," and "the state of political or national independence."
Many Americans - arguably the most privileged citizens to walk the planet - don't feel strongly connected to independence and liberty in their daily lives. We speak as if we're slaves to a job or life responsibilities or even time. We believe that without an abundance of time, money or health, we aren't free to live the lives we really want. And with those thoughts we would be right; we are enslaved. Not by our job or position in life, but by our thoughts of such.
True freedom lies in our ability to deliberately choose our thoughts and feelings. When we exercise that ability, we no longer require things "out there" to be a certain way to feel peace "in here." Our "feel good" comes from within. And it's there waiting for us whenever we choose to entertain it.
Developing the discipline to choose how we think and feel is where we meet true freedom. When we realize we don't have to have a certain amount of money in the bank, a particular brand of government in office, a certain health status, or whatever else we might condition our "feel good" on, we embrace authentic personal liberty.
Who knows it?
How many of us exercise this power of freedom? And how often? Do you regularly experience liberation from thoughts that otherwise hold you trapped, not just in painful feelings but in the reality created by those thoughts?
Whereas many across the globe consider the U.S. to be the epitome of independence and freedom, as long as we are stuck in fearful, angry thoughts directed toward terrorists, Republicans, environmentalists, corporations, Mormons, immigrants, employers, or whomever, we are anything but free.
Author Victor Frankl practiced his freedom of thought under the particularly challenging conditions of a Nazi concentration camp. In his book, "Man's Search For Meaning," Frankl shared his belief that we each have the freedom to discover what has meaning for us.
His death camp experience offers an extreme example of how it is possible to choose what we think and feel despite the conditions surrounding us. As we break that chain of relying on external circumstances to be happy or at peace, we are truly free.
Last week a friend spent a night in jail for destroying public property, after swatting at a street sign in a late night, Cosmopolitan-induced gleeful moment. Although he briefly argued the ridiculousness of not being free to have a happy moment in public or even to question officers without repercussion, he at least realized his ability to choose personal freedom once he was behind bars.
He could either be in jail as an ornery, insulted miscreant, or he could be in jail as a peaceful, go-with-the-flow cooperative citizen. He chose peaceful. And each time he tells the story, he has another opportunity to choose whether to be indignant and angry or to laugh at himself and consider himself better educated about police protocol.
He is always free to choose his perspective and can exercise or abdicate that power any time. As he does, he dramatically alters his experience and satisfaction with life. The same is true for each of us.
How to be free
Since the foundation of freedom lies in our power to choose thoughts and feelings, we can embrace that power by developing a discipline of conscious choice - releasing knee-jerk reactive thoughts that don't feel good and finding our way, one better-feeling thought after another, to more pleasant feelings.
If Dr. Frankl can do it, so can we.
As we practice conscious choice of thought, we no longer need the boss to acknowledge our contribution to feel good about our job. We don't have to get an anniversary present from our spouse to appreciate the relationship. We don't require six months of living expenses saved up in order to sleep well at night.
The additional beauty of this practice is that once we regularly spend time with more pleasant thoughts, we attract a more pleasant life. One where bosses offer generous acknowledgements, spouses treat us like gold, and money flows in abundance - which just turns out to be icing on the cake, since we didn't need any of that to enjoy life beforehand.
So next time you find yourself in a stressful conversation about the importance of patriotism, evils of terrorism, or whatever topic might inspire your negative feelings, remember your true freedom lies in your ability to choose your thoughts and how you feel. Instead of being stuck in anger or resentment, exercise your liberty to find your way to a better-feeling thought. Be picky about the thoughts you entertain.
Similarly, when you recognize you're resisting a situation or circumstance in life, use it as an opportunity to come back to your personal freedom. Remember you are free to choose how you perceive it and how you feel. As you do so, you'll find your sense of freedom increasing dramatically without anything else around you needing to change.
Our thoughts create our world. Until we consciously choose our thoughts, we are slaves to our perceptions of reality and are abandoning the freedom that is our human birthright. This holiday, celebrate your internal liberty to find your way to thoughts that create the world you want. Namaste.
Jeannette Maw is an Attraction Coach and founder of Good Vibe Coaching in Salt Lake City, with more deliberate creation musings on her blog at www.loaplayground.blogspot.com.
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| | Spiritually Incorrect: Sexual Models of the EroticAspects of rapture.
-by The Lover
The sexual models the erotic. It does not exhaust the erotic. This is the mantra of the esoteric wisdom of the spiritually incorrect.
In learning to live fully -in radical eros-in every arena of your life, sex is your teacher and guide, teaching you how to live erotically in all of the nonsexual arenasof your life.
The last column explored two aspects of erotic being modeled by the sexual in its broadest expression: interiority and presence.
Now we dance deeper and reveal seven more faces of Eros, each of which must be unmasked to grant the aliveness that is our most basic need and precious birthright.
Wholeness
In the erotic sexual, we realize that we are so much more than egos encapsulated in bodies which will one day rot under the earth. Invisible lines of connection weave an awesome and gorgeous tapestry of wholeness - holiness. The wholeness of reality, expressed through interconnected beings, glimmers in the fabric of our sensual couplings with each other and with the world at large. Taken to its fullest, this glimmer expands into knowledge of the oneness of reality. We are no longer "I" alienated from "the rest of the world."
Yearning
Through yearning, the erotic sexual invites, even drives us to taste the sweet nectar of wholeness. We yearn to merge with another knowing that in union rapture and ecstasy wait. Yearning is being seeking to realize itself for the sake of itself.
Pleasure
The erotic sexual invites us to pleasure. It invites us to realize that the world is not indifferent to us but actively and even desperately seeks our deepest pleasure. The erotic sexual reminds us of the infinite pleasure in the truth of all that is.
Pleasure is not comfort. Comfort is pseudo-eros - the houses we hide in and the castles we build on the shifting sands of pain and betrayal. Comfort-seeking arises from fear. We seek comfortable numbness so we can forget our death. The only way to realize pleasure is to let go of comfort and forget fear until you know in your heart that your pleasure is so much larger then your fear. The Buddhists call it Big Mind and Big Heart. The Kabbalists call it Big Pleasure, so big that you cannot even feel where it stops. You need to feel farther then your small pleasure to enter large pleasure. Infinite bliss and grace are already here. The sensual opens us to die in that bliss and live in that grace.
Aimlessness
We need no reason or rationale to reach for the summit of fulfillment. Acting through the erotic sexual, we reach for no prize or goal. An orgasm is for the sake of the orgasm. Means and ends collapse into one when we realize they were actually never distinct at all.
Giving and receiving
Giving and receiving are revealed in all their wondrous glory to be one and the same. The mystics sometimes called this the secret of the kiss, for in the kiss the false dichotomy between giving and receiving, indeed between giver and receiver, is exploded in the rapture of ecstatic union. We kiss too soon and too fast. The slow languorous kiss is heaven's gate, the realization of unity between giver and receiver. The upper lips and lower lips each hold their teaching.
Giving experiences no loss. One candle lights another without losing any of its own light. For the candle of God is the light of Man.
Giving
We learn that love is giving and that flames of passion emerge from the depths of giving. In the original Hebrew the word for love, ahavah, is also the word for ecstatic passion and giving. To be a lover is to be a giver. And being givers turns us into lovers. The great lover is not only one who knows how to receive pleasure but the one who gives radically to the full pleasure and opening of his sexual partner. The gift of the lover-the gift of making love-is to ravish your partner open to God even as your partner does the same to you.
Surrender
In the erotic sexual we not only are aflame and alive with love, but we also understand that to give is to surrender control. We loosen the reins which we once thought would fix everything so painfully broken. We realize that everything is already fixed, that grace is always alive and available and that everyone is doing what they need to do.
You must be willing to open your entire being, to surrender your heart as your entire soul is given over to be ravished by God.
Love is the only way to live that is not insane. It is not enough to be loved by God. God's love still leaves us lonely. Only being lived by God can solve our identity crisis. No place is devoid of the divine. God is this world appearing as all and in all and through all. Anything less then total surrender to it is a painful denial of reality. Refusing to surrender is not only brutally painful, it is insane.
Only if we are willing to open to bliss and infinite pleasure do we find ourselves in the ultimate surrender modeled by the erotic sexual. It is only when you surrender everything that you receive anything. To give it all up to God is to receive it all in return. In Hebrew the word for "intimate" and "sacrifice" are the same. Intimacy, modeled by the sexual, is only realized when you sacrifice yourself to the unlimited, unbounded and infinite. You find personal love only when you give yourself up to the largest of loves.
Are you willing to "die wide open as love"? If you are, then you will be born again and again and again. How do you feel when you die into love? You are alive, shivering and shimmering with pleasure, pulsating with God's heart beating wildly in your breast. You scream to God - take me, take me, take me now.
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 | Metaphors: July's Big DecisionsFirst, decide to be present in your life.
-by Suzanne Wagner
Arthurian Tarot: Camlann, Four of Spears
Mayan Oracle: Universal Movement, Rhythm
Aleister Crowley: Interference, The Magus, Lust
Medicine Cards: Mountain Lion, Otter
Osho Zen Tarot: Postponement, Participation
Healing Earth Tarot: Temperance, Woman of Rainbows, Ten of Pipes
Ancient Egyptian Tarot: The High Priestess, Princess of Cups
Words of Truth: Immortality, Power, Alignment
The heat of July also heats up great conflict within the world arena. Tremendous discontent creates oppositions that divide countries, including our own.
Nothing will be simple about the 2008 election. At home, the political race will challenge each person to find candidates that truly reflect their inner feelings and direction. This oppositional energy continues to fuel an underlying animosity that has the potential to become all-out conflict, spilling into other areas of our lives. So keep your temper in check; listen and think before you speak and act.
Strife and division within communities may make every decision feel as if it has the potential for disaster. Tensions will remain high as the continued clash of ideas breaks down the old order to make way for something new. The old way has exhausted its energy and finally gives way to a new era.
As this past cycle collapses, it may seem at first that recognizable progress is delayed. The continued upset may leave everyone feeling insecure, worried and feeling the financial strain. Yet, diligence and hard work will eventually be rewarded.
The process of life requires us to participate with others in creating something greater and more wonderful than we could alone. When we truly participate in life, it nourishes us and awakens us from selfishness and boredom. We have the opportunity to contribute something of ourself into the greater wholeness that desires to emerge.
Become more aware of those who philosophize about the truth but do not actually participate in creating change. When people get caught up in philosophy, they look only through the eyes of the speculative mind. Only through our own experiences can we understand others and what is important to them.
When you allow yourself to have the full experience of each moment in your life, something amazing happens. You find your own rhythm and passion. Life becomes full. We open to our gifts and abilities, which might have lain dormant for years. Choosing to participate activates our inner child's wonder and enthusiasm for life and the fun that can be contained in each moment.
When you actually participate in your life, there are no delays or postponements. If you are present in the moment and do not allow the mind's criticisms and timetables to interfere with decisions, life is full and colorful in the now.
This month take a look at the decisions you need to make. Do yourself a favor and make them. Delay only creates feelings of incompletion and stuckness. Tomorrow will not be better than today. You will not be stronger or smarter unless you decide to participate and grow into the life that is right there waiting for you to claim.
Make an effort to be present in your body and experience everything around you while on vacation or just in your normal day. Decide to fully engage life. Reclaim the magic and passion that makes life worth living. Align with the power of life itself. In feeling it, you can ultimately find yourself.
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: July 2007Day by day in the home, garden and sky.
-by Diane Olson
JULY 1 The Sun rises at 5:59 a.m. today, and sets at 9:03 p.m. July's average maximum temperature is 82 degrees; the minimum is 63 degrees. Average rainfall is .93 inches; it rains an average of five times.
JULY 2 Organic weed controls: Scald with boiling water; dust weeds between pavers with table salt; sprinkle dandelions and plantains with one teaspoon of baking soda per weed. Reapply if necessary. Make sure not to let the salt or baking soda leach into your garden beds.
JULY 3 Dog Days of Summer. The hottest part of the summer coincides with the heliacal rising of Sirius, the Dog Star, brightest star in the sky. The ancient Egyptians, who believed its appearance caused the Nile to rise and water their crops, venerated Sirius and constructed many of their temples so that its light reached the innermost chambers.
JULY 4 There's still time to plant late summer crops of beans, beets, Chinese cabbage, carrots, collards, cucumbers, kale, lettuce and radishes.
JULY 5 Crickets have supersensitive hairs, called cerci, which allow them to detect minute changes in air current, such as those caused by wasp wings or the movement of a toad's tongue.
JULY 6 Earth reaches aphelion, its farthest distance from the Sun, today.
JULY 7 LAST QUARTER MOON. Now through July 22 is the chieh of the Minor Heat.
JULY 8 Ants rub parts of their hindmost section together to produce vibrations that make their jaws buzz, allowing them to saw their way through tough foodstuffs.
JULY 9 Soil should be slightly moist whenever you work it, otherwise you'll break its structure down into dust.
JULY 10 When attacked, slugs exude a rubbery slime, which effectively muzzles small predators by gluing their mouthparts together.
JULY 11 You can control aphids organically by flattening a square of aluminum foil around the base of plants to bounce light on the undersides of leaves; distracting them with the color yellow - a bright yellow bowl in a strategic spot, filled a third of the way with water, or banana peels placed at the base of the infested plant; or spraying them with a mixture of one tablespoon castile soap to one gallon of water.
JULY 12 The brown spot on the ends of tomatoes-the dread Tomato Blossom End Rot-can be caused by a lack of calcium in your soil or uneven watering. Add gypsum to your soil, water consistently and mulch.
JULY 13 The swarms of buzzing, non-biting insects that you see dancing in waves on warm summer evenings are midges. There may be as many as 50,000,000 midges in a swarm, most of whom are males dancing to attract a mate.
JULY 14 NEW MOON. Porcupines sharpen their teeth on rocks.
JULY 15 Venus, in Leo, is close to Earth tonight. Through binoculars, it looks like a crescent moon.
JULY 16 Dandelions, mullein, sorrel and nettle are indicators of acidic soil, in which hydrangeas, blueberries, rhubarb, potatoes and watermelon also thrive.
JULY 17 Feed potted veggies and ornamentals with liquid organic fertilizer every two weeks, as frequent watering leaches out needed nutrients.
JULY 18 Daddy longlegs, also called harvestmen, are more closely related to scorpions, mites and ticks than spiders. They don't spin webs, but often cruise real spider's webs, tussling for recent captures and snarfing leftovers. Daddy longlegs smell funny, though scientists don't know if the scent they emit is meant to attract their own kind or repel others.
JULY 19 Bindweed seeds remain viable for 50 years and the plant also reproduces from its root system, which can grow 18 feet deep and 10 feet wide. It's impossible to eradicate, but you can (sort of) control it. Bindweed needs lots of sun, so plant alfalfa, rye and other dense cover crops and dig or pull out as much of the root system as you can. Repeated dousing of vinegar might also help, or you can get a goat-they're the only grazing animal that can stomach the damned stuff.
JULY 20 Green lacewings, also known as aphid lions, eat more bad bugs than do ladybugs.
JULY 21 Weed killers such as Roundup and malathion turn male frogs into hermaphrodites and normally hermaphroditic fish into females.
JULY 22 FIRST QUARTER MOON. Fertilize eggplants, peppers, tomatoes and melons with some nice stinky fish emulsion.
JULY 23 Now through August 6 is the chieh of the Major Heat.
JULY 24 Houseflies taste with their feet, which are 10 million times more sensitive than the human tongue.
JULY 25 Pinch back fuchsias, geraniums, cosmos, mums, asters and any other flowers that might be getting leggy.
JULY 26 Katydids were once popular pets: In Germany, through the 18th and 19th centuries, small, colorful katydid houses were sold by street vendors. Both male and female katydids sing, which is uncommon in the insect world. Katydids have ears in their legs, a pair to each set; when they hear something interesting, they raise their forelegs to hear better. A favorite meal of many, their only protection is camouflage-they closely resemble the leaves they eat.
JULY 27 Cover crops, such as oats and clover, planted now beneath and between veggies, will retain moisture, staunch weeds and feed the soil, and can be left in place until next spring. Slugs also love red clover and will feast on it, rather than your veggies.
JULY 28 Time to trim evergreen hedges, prune espaliered fruit trees and fertilize butterfly bushes.
JULY 29 FULL THUNDER MOON. You can start planting fall crops of broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts and peas now.
JULY 31 The Sun rises at 6:24 a.m. today, and sets at 8:45 p.m. Starlings sing less when exposed to insecticides and newts lose their ability to sniff out mates.
Diane Olson is a freelance writer, proofreader, and wanna-be full time naturalist
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 | Turban Askew: Full or EmptyThe Swami runs on.
Dear Swami:
I'm a bit confused. For millennia, the Buddhists have been telling us that the key to enlightenment is achieving emptiness. But physicists now say that empty space isn't empty at all, but instead filled with enormous amounts of energy. So Swami, what is it - fullness or emptiness? And - whatever it is - how does one go about achieving it?
Lou Minocitti,
Grass Valley, CA
Dear Lou,
Let me first say you came to the right Swami with this question. Not to brag, but many times I have been told, "Swami, you are so full of emptiness!" You can only imagine how tempting it is to take on an emptier-than-thou attitude - you know, like those vacuums putting on airs about how vacuous they are. Talk about having nothing to talk about. No wonder nature abhors a vacuum. This also might explain those "Vacuums suck!" bumper stickers I've been seeing lately.
But I digress. As you have suspected, true emptiness is nothing more or less than infinite fullness. The void is so full of everythingness you cannot distinguish anythingness so it might as well be nothingness. The scientist, looking for something, sees fullness. The Buddha, looking for nothing, sees emptiness. Same difference.
But whether you call it the All-That-Is or the All-That-Isn't, this is a very peaceful state because once you are one with everything, there's nowhere to go and nothing to do. Now, that's relaxing. So, how does one achieve this state of full emptiness? By ceasing to identify with the separate identity, or ego.
In this regard, too, you've come to the right Swami. As one who takes great pride in my humility - twice a finalist on America's Most Humble - I will share my secret, a mantra guaranteed to banish the ego in three easy steps: Ego ... egoing ... egone.
Dear Swami:
I have a friend from college who used to be one of the deepest people I knew. He was into philosophy and the arts, and was knowledgeable about everything. Heck, he was the one who first turned me on to Chopra. But right after school, he took a really high-pressure corporate job - and he's a different person. Maybe it's the extreme stress he seems to be under, but now he can barely carry on a conversation. He comes home from work, and sits in front of the TV eating Pop Tarts and drinking bad beer. Last time I visited, I caught him watching re-runs - from the Weather Channel. What's going on, Swami? Is it the pressure? How did someone with such great promise become so shallow?
Chuck Itall,
Columbia, M/issouri
Dear Chuck:
Coincidentally, I was just reading a book about a similar case written by a member of the British upper class named Hugh Mayfair-Badleigh. He started out as a scholar of Ayurvedic medicine, gave that up for rap music, and then finally hit bottom in beer-soaked haze. He wrote a book about his recovery called "From Deepak to Tupac to Six-Pack - and Back," and his message might offer an encouraging note for your friend. For him, it was the pressure of too much doing, and not enough being. After a while he got tired of being a doer, and decided to do a beer instead. One thing led to another, and before long he just went off the shallow end. But his story has a happy ending. He tuned out the static in his head, and attuned in to the ecstatic in his heart, and ended up finding a deep center that is even deeper than Deepak. u
Visit the Swami online at www.wakeuplaughing.com.
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