A Distinctive Style Summer 2012 with Willie Nelson

FAMILY FARMERS

SPEAK OUT

YoUR RIGHt to HEALtHY FooD IS UnDER AttACK MARILU HEnnER KNOwLEdGE IS POwER

NORAH JONES

WoUnDED EMotIonS

A MoMEnt In tIME

BILLY VERA

MELISSA RYCRoFt’S

REALITY LIFE REALITY An ADVoCAtE FoR AnIMALS

ELAINE HENdRIx

WILLIE NELSON A LIVING HERO

“Your horse is a mirror to your soul, and sometimes you may not like what you see. Sometimes, you will.”

So says Buck Brannaman, a true American cowboy and sage on horseback who travels the country for nine grueling months a year helping horses with people problems.

BUCK, a richly textured and visually stunning film, follows Brannaman from his abusive childhood to his phenomenally successful approach to horses.

A real-life “horse-whisperer,” he eschews the violence of his upbringing and teaches people to communicate with their horses through leadership and sensitivity, not punishment.

Buck possesses near magical abilities as he dramatically transforms horses – and people – with his understanding, compassion and respect.

In this film, the animal-human relationship becomes a metaphor for facing the daily challenges of life.

A truly American story about an unsung hero, BUCK is about an ordinary man who has made an extraordinary life despite tremendous odds.

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all alone in the Night

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Space drum

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Yuki Koshimoto

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are you aware that Natural cures for cancer do exist?

A documentary by MASSIMO MAZZUCCO

Essiac, Hoxsey, Laetrile, Shark Cartilage, Mistletoe, and Bicarbonate of Soda are discussed in this video, with evidence that inexpensive cures for cancer do exist!

Unfortunately they are systematically blocked by Big Pharma because they come from nature and cannot be patented.

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SUMMER 2012 MASTHEAD cover WILLIE NELSON

cover photo photographer cover music editor in chief dallas reporter cinematographer

DANNY CLINCH “JUST BREATHE” PERFORMED

BY WILLIE NELSON AND LUKAS NELSON DENISE MARIE KAREN SOLTERO LUKE ALVEY

photographer

YONY KIM

film editing

LUKE ALVEY

copy editor staff writers

SHELLY GREENHALGH-DAVIS RACHEL SOKOL MATT KRAMER MARLENE CAROSELLI KAREN SOLTERO

contributing writers

SHARYN WYNTERS MIKAELA JONES RITA COOK BRANDON TVEDT

story ideas publisher

SENIOREDITOR@ADISTINCTIVESTYLE.COM PUBLISHER@ADISTINCTIVESTYLE.COM

© COPYRIGHT 2012 A DISTINCTIVE STYLE, LLC

All rights reserved. Registration on or use of this magazine constitutes acceptance of A Distinctive Style’s User Agreement and Privacy Policy.

The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission from A Distinctive Style Magazine.

We welcome your ideas, articles and feedback to editor@adistinctivestyle.com A Distinctive Style magazine does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in the articles and advertisements, nor are we responsible for the products and services advertised.

FASHIon pHotoGRApHER XEVI MUntAnE

pHoto bY DAnnY CLInCH

ADISTINCTIVEStyle CONTENTS

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Addressing Hunger with Josh Wachs

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Jewelry Designs for the Holy Land (Giveaway)

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First Position Dirctor Bess Karman

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Buddy Care Foundation

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Artist Susie MacMurray

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Photographer Spotlight Piper Mackay

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Charley Langer CD Giveaway

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Shine Your Light with Mikaela Jones

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Atrium Founder Josh Young

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“Lost Boy” Salva Dut

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Extreme Athlete Marshall Ulrich

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Christopher Drummond, Cosmetic Industry Pioneer

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GMO’s – What Are They?

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The Big Fix Documentary

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Protecting the Rights of Faramers

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11-Year-Old Environmental Activist

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Your Right to Healthy Food is Under Attack

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Kathleen Barry, Fighting The Sex Slave Trade

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WILLIE NELSON

FAMILY FARMERS SPEAK OUT!

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bILLY vERA

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MARILU HENNER

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NORAH JONES

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MELISSA RYCROFT

AbIgAIL KLEIN

ALEX MUNDT

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ELAINE HENDRIX

CHARLEY LANgER

SHARYN WYNTERS

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T

he music of Billy Vera spans genres and generations.

Raised on the soul of Ray Charles, the jazz of Benny Golson, and the pop of Frankie Lymon, Vera broke color barriers in music in the ‘60s, wrote hit songs for numerous notable singers as well as for himself, and is undoubtedly one of the most knowledgeable ethnomusicologists in the field of blues, soul, and R&B. Jilly Rizzo, famed as Frank Sinatra’s righthand man, was quoted as saying, “Other than Frank, this kid is the best phraser in the business.” While he never met Ol’ Blue Eyes himself, Vera heard from other friends of Sinatra that he was one of his fans.

Vera grew up with music; his mother sang with the Ray Charles Singers on The Perry Como Show; his father was a staff announcer for NBC. Vera’s early exposure to music came from the R&B and jazz records his father would bring home from the station. After experimenting with drums, Vera learned to play the guitar and began writing, recording, and performing. He received regional airplay in the Northeast, Texas, and Louisiana while he was still a teenager. By the mid-‘60s, he was beginning to make his mark in the music business. In our interview for ADS, Vera said, “In those days, I could write a song in the morning and by the afternoon play the song in a publisher’s office and walk out with 50 dollars.”

When Vera was 21, Ricky Nelson charted with his song, “Mean Old World”, which gave Vera his first Billboard hit. A year later his song, “Make Me Belong to You” charted as a hit for Atlantic Records’ vocalist Barbara Lewis. This success brought R&B godfather Jerry Wexler into Vera’s life. Wexler, producer and label exec for Atlantic Records, believed in the hit potential of one of Vera’s love ballads, “Storybook Children” (co-written with Chip Taylor). Written as a duet, numerous vocalists were auditioned for the female part; none of them had the right feeling until Wexler brought in gospel/R&B singer Judy Clay.

Judy’s relatives included Cissy Houston (mother of Whitney) and Dionne Warwick. If you haven’t heard of Judy, she sang with strength, sensitivity, and feeling on a par with any star singer you may care to name.

While there had been a few interracial performances in the Big Band Era, “Storybook Children” broke the interracial barrier in the realm of pop, R&B, and love ballads. However, it was too soon for television; the fear and myopia of the programming executives of the day would not allow the duo to perform on national TV. The song became a hit regionally in many parts of the nation, but it only reached the mid-charts nationwide.

“Storybook Children” opened the door for Vera to achieve one of his lifelong dreams to perform at the famed Apollo Theatre in Harlem; 40 years later, his photo is still displayed in the lobby.

Subsequently such legendary performers as Lou Rawls, Dolly

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Parton, Robert Plant, and Bonnie Raitt recorded Vera’s songs. He hit the charts himself in the '80s singing his songs, "I Can Take Care of Myself" and "At This Moment."

One of those magic moments that make history occurred when Michael J. Fox, the star of the television show Family Ties, brought the show’s producer, Michael Whitehorn, to see Vera perform at At My Place, a small nightclub in Santa Monica.

With the help of Family Ties, “At This Moment” became the number-one hit in the nation in 1987.

By this time, Vera’s talent had expanded beyond the boundaries of music into acting and voiceovers. In his first film in 1984, he played the role of Pinky Carruthers in Buckaroo Banzai. Since then he played a concert promoter in Oliver Stone’s film homage to The Doors, sang three songs in Blind Date, performed in a number of roles as cops and bad guys, and often appeared as himself singing on and off camera. If you’ve heard a car or food commercial or a movie trailer with a “wise guy” doing the talking, odds are the talker is Billy Vera. To get an overview of Vera’s film and television career, check out his filmography page at www.billyvera.com.

After topping the charts, working in film, radio, and television for the past 40 years, and earning a star on Hollywood Boulevard, Vera is about to realize another lifelong dream, singing and recording with a big band. As we go to press, he is putting the finishing touches on an album featuring songs by Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and lesser-known black songwriters of the Golden Age. Vera has provided ADS with two tracks from the new album, If I Could Be With You by James P. Johnson and Henry Creamer, and “When It’s Sleepy Time Down South,” Louis Armstrong’s theme song, written by Clarence Muse, Leon René, and Otis René.

Ever grateful for the legacy that inspired his career, Vera spent 10 years on the board of directors of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, providing a number of services for rhythm and blues artists. Those artists planted the roots and extended the branches of an American art form that has seasoned and sizzled music throughout the world, yet, at the end of their lives, many of them were having a difficult time surviving. Services of the foundation include help with health care, financial assistance, and encouraging record labels and publishers to pay back royalties and rewrite their contracts to provide the artists with a fair compensation for their work. If you would like to learn more about the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, you can visit www.rhythm-n-blues.org.

To learn more about Billy Vera and information about his upcoming album release, please visit his website.

BillY Vera SiNgS Heart, Soul aNd Big BaNd Jazz

By Matt Kramer

VERA.CoM WWW.bILLY

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n Wild Horses & Renegades, Anaquad-Kleinert weaves shocking footage of actual roundups with the story of a horse named Traveler and his journey from a strong stallion on the range to a broken inmate at a Bureau of Land Management processing center in Canon City, Colorado. Shot in high definition, this film's incredible aesthetics contrast with the mismanagement of our last wild public lands.

In the film, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Viggo Mortensen, Raoul Trujillo, Daryl Hannah and Dances with Wolves author Michael Blake join with former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) to highlight how the great symbol of the American West is being purposefully driven to extinction by a corrupt Bureau of Land Management. The documentary captures the corporate benefits of wild horse roundups, including clearing land for Uranium mining claims, oil and gas pipelines and corporate cattle grazing.

Anaquad-Kleinert is offering the film as a tool to spark support for an executive order ending Bureau of Land Management wild horse roundups and an a congressional investigation into the Department of the Interior. "Whereas most Americans would be shocked that the very symbol of the American West is ending

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up being sold for human consumption, the Bureau of Land Management shows very little regard for the life of wild horses," said Director James Anaquad-Kleinert. "The federal attack on the American wild horse is an indicator of what is to come of our public natural resources.

Wild horse advocates are seeking: • A moratorium of roundups in all but verifiable emergency situations while the entire BLM wild horse program undergoes objective and scientific review; • Higher Appropriate Management Levels (AML) for wild horses on rangelands designated for them; • Implementation of in-the-wild management, which would keep wild horses on the range and save taxpayers millions annually by avoiding the mass removal and stockpiling of wild horses in government holding facilities.

"If the public could view what's being done to wild horses, the public would stand up and take action. This is not a film just about America's Wild Horses, this is a film about what is happening to America itself," states Michael Blake, author of Dances with Wolves, in Wild Horses & Renegades.

WILD HoRSES &

REnEGADES With dramatic footage, Wild Horses & Renegades exposes how millions of taxpayer dollars are being used to corral the few remaining american wild horses, which are then underfed, forced into inhumane and diseased living conditions, and sold for adoption or to mexican slaughterhouses for human consumption.the Bureau of land management estimates it has over 40,000 wild horses in holding facilities, costing taxpayers $120,000 a day. www.theamericanwildhorse.com A Distinctive style . com

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For centuries, women in Africa have revered the restorative benefits of Marula Oil...

Now their secret for radiant, glowing skin can be yours. www.marula.com

FooD SAFEtY: It’s about backyard

and community gardens W R I t t E n b Y S H A RY n W Y n t E R S, n D

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he Food Safety and Modernization Act was passed by Congress in a slick political maneuver as the last minutes of 2010 ticked away. It was signed into law in January 2011. Although its name sounds lofty, the Food Safety and Modernization Act has little to do with food safety. It includes regulations that redefine the word, “safe,” when it comes to food.

The Food Safety Act sets the stage for corporate giants to completely control the production of food in America. The Act also makes it impractical for small organic growers to continue to grow and sell their produce. This leaves the production of food in the hands of large food producers whose operations are steeped in pesticides, synthetic fertilizers and soil-depleting practices. The Food Safety Act does absolutely nothing to limit the use of chemical pesticides. According to the FDA, foods with pesticides are perfectly "safe" for human consumption. In fact, to the FDA, the only safe food is dead food—irradiated, pesticided, pasteurized, fumigated, or otherwise stripped of nutritional quality.

While government agencies march ahead with legislation to corporatize farming and to undermine our food supply with genetically modified seeds, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, Michelle Obama quietly grows an organic, sustainable garden, with the help of volunteers and a handful of school children in Washington D.C. Is there a mixed message coming from the White House?

Actually, the message is clear for anyone who is paying attention: No matter what legislation is being passed at the White House, organic gardens grown using sustainable practices that invite community cooperation are the only way to ensure health and well-being on a long term basis.

I have written before, about the return of cooperation, sensitivity, nurturing and “heart.” I have written about the returning feminine influence that has been absent for so many years on the planet. Michelle Obama’s garden is a perfect example of how the feminine influence can bring us back into balance. Her initiative and dedication to an organic, sustainable garden, sets a powerful example—without force, without bullying, without corruption.

The 1,500 square foot garden includes a fully operational composter that returns all table scraps to the soil. It also

includes a beehive. The garden provides food for family meals, for White House luncheons, and for state dinners. About a third of the produce is given to a local food bank. Wow, what a great example!

Backyard and community gardens are the key to our future.

Not only do they provide real food for families and local communities, they give us an opportunity to turn our attention back to the Earth—our source of sustenance.

Commercial agriculture has nearly eliminated the personal connection we have with our food. Rediscovering this sacred relationship is important as we move forward. Below are several ideas that will help you re-connect with your food and re-establish balance in your life.

• Grow your own food to the extent that you can—even if that is a small container garden on an apartment deck or porch. You might be surprised at how this simple process will open your heart to Mother Earth.

• Support local growers or farmer’s markets. Know the people who are growing your food.

• Prepare your own food. Connect with it from your own hands and heart as you mindfully create the meals that will nourish your body, mind, and spirit. Even commercially grown food can be enlivened during mindful preparation.

• Participate in composting—returning usable kitchen waste to the soil. It allows you to give something back as you complete a cycle.

I love my small garden. It is extremely satisfying to be able to pick the greens for a salad or vegetable dish just prior to preparation and to know that they are free from harmful chemicals. I hope you will join me as we step back into balance and harmony on the planet and as we re-connect with things that truly matter.

Sharyn Wynters is a naturopath and author of “The Pure Cure: A Complete Guide to Freeing Your Life From Dangerous Toxins.” Her book can be purchased from her website at: www.wyntersway.com A Distinctive style . com

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“In the world’s wealthiest nation, no child should grow up hungry” ~ JoSH WACHS

By Marlene Caroselli, Ed.D.

E

very year, 15 million children in the world die of hunger.

The World Health Organization offers further sobering statistics about our world: One-third of the people living in it are well-fed; one-third under-fed, and one-third are starving. You've no doubt put America's population in the well-fed third. And yet, one in six Americans go hungry each day.

Finding North is a new documentary produced by Chef Tom Colicchio and directed by his wife Lori Silverbush. It explores the devastating impact of hunger in the U.S. through the lens of people living in Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Mississippi.

However, the film also gives hope for a solution. Finding North highlights the work being done by Share Our Strength®, a non-profit organization aimed at ending child hunger in America. Founder and CEO Billy Shore is featured in the film along with actor Jeff Bridges, national spokesperson for Share Our Strength No Kid Hungry® campaign. The film underscores the fundamental premise of the campaign: that hunger in the United States is a solvable problem.

Josh Wachs, the chief strategy officer for Share Our Strength,® elaborates upon this pressing problem: "In the world’s wealthiest nation, no child should grow up hungry.

Over the course of a year, however, more than 16 million children in America cannot count on having enough nutritious food. That’s nearly one in five kids in America today who struggles with hunger. Share Our Strength, No Kid Hungry® campaign is ending childhood hunger by connecting kids to the healthy food they need, every day.

No Kid Hungry® brings together governors, mayors, businesses, chefs, federal and state agencies, educators and community leaders to connect children at risk of hunger with food and nutrition programs where they live, learn and play.

No Kid Hungry® also teaches families how to cook healthy, affordable meals through Cooking Matters® and invests in community organizations that fight hunger."

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Asked specifically about the work he does, Wachs offers these insights. "My work with No Kid Hungry® is much more than just a job or career—it’s the daily demonstration of an inherent desire to help our nation become stronger and healthier by protecting our most vulnerable citizens, our children."

He adds, "Since joining Share Our Strength,® it’s become clear that while childhood hunger in America is a prevalent problem, it’s also a solvable one. I was surprised at the depth of the problem of childhood hunger in the wealthiest nation.

At the same time, I know we have abundant resources available from federal programs and throughout the private sector, so I know we should be able to solve this problem. It’s about connecting kids with those resources that exist. I firmly believe that the way we’ll solve the most pressing social issues in our nation will be to connect the dots between the private sector (businesses), the government and non-profits, which is what Share Our Strength’s,® strategy is based on."

Astronomer Carl Sagan, paralleling Share our Strength's concerns, once observed, "Recent research shows that many children who do not have enough to eat wind up with diminished capacity to understand and learn. Children don't have to be starving for this to happen. Even mild under nutrition—the kind most common among poor people in America—can do it."

Feeding our children today bespeaks hope for the future as well-nourished children are children more capable of learning. And if school truly is "a building with four walls and tomorrow inside," then Share Our Strength® and its many affiliated bridge-builders are making that tomorrow a much more promising possibility.

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MELISSA RYCRoFt

Television personality, dancer, former ‘Bachelor’ finalist, author, wife, mother

By Rachel Sokol

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M

elissa Rycroft’s debut book My Reality, [Gallery Books, 2012; 256 pages] outlines her heartfelt and honest story about love, loss, reality TV, and redemption.

Here’s the back story. In 2009, Dallas native Rycroft, a sassy brunette with a gorgeous smile, competed on Season 13 of ABC’s guilty pleasure TV show The Bachelor. She won the heart of then-Bachelor Jason Mesnick, and viewers worldwide watched Rycroft, a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, gleefully accept Mesnick's proposal. What happened next?

Mesnick dumped Rycroft on television—and asked the show's runner-up for a second chance. Ouch.

However, that's all in the past, and today, Rycroft has moved on from that whole debacle, first, by snagging a spot on Season 8 of Dancing with the Stars, which led to hosting gigs for Good Morning America and The Insider. The lucky lady also co-hosted Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve in 2009. In other words, Rycroft took the lemons life handed her and made some lemonade—red-carpet style.

Oh, and as for the whole "falling in love" thing, after her breakup with Mesnick, Rycroft reunited with old flame Tye Strickland, an insurance agent also from the Dallas area. They married in December 2009 and have a baby girl named Ava Grace. (As Rycroft explains in her book, The Bachelor 13 aired on television months after she reunited with Strickland, so to viewers their relationship seemed faster than it really was.)

Rycroft never forgot the heartache she went through in her mid-20s. In My Reality, Rycroft shares all the emotional experiences that got her from point A (pre-Bachelor) to point B (marriage and motherhood). Her story is one that many young women can relate to—loving a man who cannot express his feelings, realizing the value of adult friendships, getting yourself out of a rut, finding and embracing your inner goddess, and more.

“The point of the book was to reach out to people and hopefully stop the girls that were dating just like I was,” says Rycroft via a phone interview. Her book highlights her struggles with Strickland before he officially committed, eventually proposing. “Girls who have been through it may reminisce and go ‘Oh my gosh, I completely remember what that was like…’”

Rycroft says on the outside, to some, her life seems “like such a fairytale. Not that things have been horrible for me, but I wanted people to see I did work, I did struggle, and it was hard.” In one chapter, for example, Rycroft talks about crying non-stop on the floor of her cubby at work, unable to focus on anything but, “What do I do wrong? Why won’t he commit? Or call me back?” (Sound familiar, ladies? It does to me!)

Rycroft is striking a chord with young women—not only do many readers thank her on her official Twitter page for writing so candidly about her dating woes, but “a lot of people have told me they've been able to relate to My Reality, so that's good!” Additionally, Rycroft—a “big Nicholas Sparks fan”— writes in a mature voice, in a catchy, girlfriend-to-girlfriend tone.

“You have to own everything that you've been through,” says Rycroft wisely. “What makes you, as a woman, relatable is talking about the hard times. In real life, we're all people, and we all have very similar struggles. I didn’t love the cubicle job I had before The Bachelor, and at that time, I was heartbroken [about Strickland, who was wishy-washy about his feelings for Rycroft early on] and unable to focus on anything.

I’d wonder, ‘How did I get here?’ Many people go through this.”

When I tell Rycroft she seemed poised when Mesnick publicly ended their engagement, she explains, “I wasn’t like that growing up, which was another reason for writing the book.

Continued Next Page

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RYCROFT CONTINUED

To appear on the show, I left my hometown, friends, and everyone to do this by myself, I didn’t know what I was doing, and I did it. What happened after The Bachelor took a lot of soul searching. The moment I said I needed to focus on me and remember who I am and what I like, I gained confidence.

If you see who I am now, and watch me on The Bachelor, it's like two different people,” she says, adding, “I was a lost little girl, but through it I found my confidence and got my independence, and I owe it all to that experience.”

Close friends from Dallas also helped Rycroft bounce back, from her early ups and downs with Strickland to her televised breakup.

Rycroft recently filmed a reality TV show on Country Music Television (CMT) called Melissa and Tye, which chronicled her move from Dallas to Los Angeles to pursue more opportunities. Her genuine fish-out-of-water demeanor is endearing on the show, which also highlights her life as a mom. “Ava is wonderful. She’s 15 months now, running around, walking and talking,” gushes Rycroft. “She looks like daddy and has the exact personality of mom! She's gonna be a little handful, that's for sure!” And, of course, baby Ava “does have a pair of cowboy boots. She's a southern girl at heart.”

Unsure if she’ll tape another season, Rycroft laughs at the screen time her dogs Riley and Max received on Melissa and Tye, laughing when I tell her every time the camera panned to Max, he was humping a toy.

“Riley and Max are great! They got used to a baby around the house; they were our first babies!” Max, a Pomeranian, was a gift from Strickland, and Rycroft “found Riley, a Chihuahua, on the side of the road in college. She's been my buddy; I've had her for a long time.”

An “absolute animal lover,” Rycroft says in college— she’s a University of North Texas graduate—she’d visit a local animal shelter, and if a dog’s cage had “a red sticker indicating they'd only be there for one more day…I’d help get them out of the shelters. I gave dogs to my friends, my mom’s co-workers…at one point, we had a couple of dogs for a while. I like to do stuff with the ASPCA. I can definitely say we're big animal people in this house!”

This summer, Rycroft and Strickland are excited to move back home to Dallas, which Rycroft explains, “always feels like home.” You can catch her and Strickland at their beloved Fuzzy’s Taco Shop or maybe shopping at the Grapevine Mills Mall.

Rycroft’s eager for some summer downtime, but fans can catch her on the TV Guide channel hosting a new show called Fanquest. Rycroft recently traveled to Brazil for the show, calling Parachi, a town south of Rio de Janiero, “the most exotic place I've ever been!”

I asked Rycroft what she learned about herself these past few years, and her message is powerful and clear.

“I learned you need to go through some down times to find yourself again.”

Follow Melissa Rycroft on twitter @MelissaRycroft. My Reality, is available on Amazon and at bookstores nationwide.

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Designs from the Holy Land

Register to win this necklace and earrings set, from Ruth Doron Designs.

See opposite page for details.

By Rachel Sokol

I

t’s common for women to feel a special, personal connection to their jewelry, especially if it’s a precious gift from a significant other, or is intended to be a family heirloom of some sort. But when a necklace, earrings, bracelets or rings have a Biblical connection, the jewelry may feel even more significant.

Ruth Doron is an Israeli designer and a graduate of the Shenkar School of Design. She is the founder of Ruth Doron Designs, which specializes in silver jewelry for women. The company is located in the Holy Land, not far from Mt. Tabor, in Israel.

“Our most popular lines are our sterling silver spinning rings, our sterling silver stack rings, and our biblical jewelry,” explains Ruth, who also spent many years creating silk pictures and scarves before turning to jewelry design.

“Our jewelry is unique. Each piece expresses a spiritual value, and we have a great assortment,” she says. “We design new items and collections all the time.”

Ruth’s biblical jewelry pieces are manufactured under the brand name Bramble Jewelry, named after the bramble tree, “which is very famous in the Bible for the crown of thorns that was made of its branches and for its role in the parable of Jotham. This tree is still very common in our area,” explains Ruth, who has three adult children with her husband Dr. Hagai Doron, a scholar of Bible and history. Ruth’s husband, sons, and daughter all help run Ruth Doron Designs and Bramble Jewelry.

“Gilad is a mechanical engineer and a very skilled goldsmith.

Inbal, who usually represents the company at trade shows, is also a tourist guide in Jerusalem, and Omer is a jewelry photographer,” says their proud mom.

Hagai agrees, saying that, “They are the next generation of

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Ruth Doron Designs and biblical Bramble Jewelry. Working together strengthens the family and teaches good values.”

Hagai draws comparisons between the American work ethic and that of the ancient Hebrews.

“History teaches us that about 90% of the ancient Hebrews made their living from the family business of agriculture. The same is true for Americans since the Mayflower until the 1820s. These two nations gave the world the spirit of freedom and democracy. We believe that these values of the one, the family, and society, are very connected to the family business structure.”

Ruth’s collections are inspired by her delicate style, by modern fashion trends, by biblical ideas, of course, and by the sites of the Holy Land. The company has the flexibility to respond to almost all kinds of clients’ design and color requests.

“The eye can see that the jewelry is handcrafted, which is always more unique than machine-made jewelry,” says Ruth, who likes to “create beautiful things that leave customers satisfied.”

New collections for 2012 include stack rings, additional items with spiritual meaning, vermeil items (silver with elements of gold plate), and more.

For more information, visit www.ruthdorondesigns.com or www.bramble.ruthdorondesigns.com/thedesigners.htm.

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pHoto CREDIt: bESS KARGMAn A SUnDAnCE SELECtS RELEASE

FIRST POSITION DIRECTOR

bESS KARGMAn I

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Every year, thousands of aspiring dancers enter one of the world's most prestigious ballet competitions, the Youth America Grand Prix, where lifelong dreams are at stake.

What do you want audiences to take away from “First Position?”

I think there is a lot of misconception about the ballet world, so I made sure to select subjects that I knew would be able to challenge certain stereotypes. I wanted to show that not all ballet dancers are rich, not all are white, not all male ballet dancers are gay, not all female ballet dancers are anorexic, and not all stage moms are psycho…etc.

Also, few people realize the toll that ballet takes on the body (or that the pain threshold of professional dancers is close to superhuman). I knew that if I could thoroughly document the worlds these dancers inhabit, and the challenges they face on a daily basis, I would be able to craft an extremely unique documentary.

What prompted the idea for your film and how did it evolve?

My entire childhood I danced. I always had this huge love of ballet (even after quitting to play ice hockey).

There are two things that compelled me to direct and produce First Position. I believed that my ballet background was enough of an asset to help me overcome some of the mistakes that I feared making as a first-time director. Secondly, growing up this was a film I wished had existed (or to put it more selfishly, I was tired of waiting for someone else to make the movie).

There were a slew of veteran filmmakers who (in an effort to provide well-intentioned advice) told me I was biting off more than I could chew. They reminded me how few documentaries are released theatrically each year, and how much

work is required to distill hundreds of hours of footage into a 90-minute feature.

These are things I never forgot along the way, but I forced myself to pretend otherwise. Maintaining such an outlook helped me stay focused (and optimistic) during the two years it took to shoot and edit the film.

What was your approach to making the film?

The two most important things that I learned as a student at Columbia Graduate School of Journalism are that a story is only as good as its characters, and that access is everything. These principles hold true no matter what format the story is told (whether it be print, radio or on film).

I knew I would have to convince the competition to grant me exclusive access, and so I put together a detailed proposal that outlined my desire to create an honest portrayal of what it means to have a dream at such a young age, and the sacrifice required to make it as a dancer. I also knew that for some youths (especially in this economic climate), winning a scholarship can mean the difference between making it as a dancer or relinquishing a dream.

Lastly, I feared that if I solely relied on outcome (who wins) I would be risking the entire project on factors I had no control over. So I selected subjects whose personal stories were so compelling that even if everyone tanked, the audience would still leave the theater feeling moved and inspired by a group of extraordinary dancers who, at such a young age, have devoted their lives to ballet.

In the final round, with hundreds competing for only a handful of elite scholarships and contracts, practice and discipline are paramount, and nothing short of perfection is expected.

Bess Kargman's award-winning documentary, First Position, follows six young dancers as they prepare for a chance to enter the world of professional ballet, struggling through bloodied feet, near exhaustion and debilitating injuries, all while navigating the drama of adolescence.

A showcase of awe-inspiring talent, tenacity and passion, FIRST POSITION paints a thrilling and moving portrait of the most gifted young ballet stars of tomorrow.

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For actress and animal rights advocate, Elaine Hendrix, personal success goes hand-in-hand with a daily effort to make a difference in the lives of those that can’t speak for themselves.

“I have two full-time careers and they both feed off and benefit each other. I’m thrilled with that, and I’m doing something daily to propel them both forward in really big ways.”

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ELAInE HEnDRIX

Making a Difference in the World

By Karen Soltero

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ith an acting career that began two decades ago, Tennessee native Hendrix has starred in hit films like The Parent Trap and Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, and her name is on the cast or guest star list of countless hit television shows. New projects coming out include a number of movies in limited release, and an AOL online series called Fetching, written and created by Amy Harris of Gossip Girl and Sex in the City fame. And currently, Hendrix is spending half the summer at the University of Alabama starring in A Streetcar Named Desire.

She talked about what a refreshing change of pace it is to step off the soundstage once in a while. “With TV, film, and all, it goes so quickly and you work in such choppy little moments, so to come do a play, especially for Tennessee Williams, is literary like drinking a long, cold glass of water for me.”

Hendrix is clearly a versatile actress, and she is definitely taking all that the industry has offered her and embracing it.

A successful career is all well and good, but for Hendrix one of the most important aspects, of her job as an actress, is the chance she has been given to make difference in this world.

As her visibility grew and she was invited to attend numerous charity events, she realized quickly that she needed to focus on what was most important to her. “I wanted to have one platform that I could really feel that I was making a difference with,” she says candidly, “and looking back, it should have been obvious because I have always loved animas. It took what I call the fortunate mistake of watching an undercover fur video. I was not expecting to see what I saw, and I was certainly not expecting the reaction I had to it. It was literally as if somebody had kicked me in the stomach— I doubled over because this animal was being skinned alive. I just realized in that moment, oh my God, I have to do something. In that moment, I could no longer ever claim any type of ignorance.”

Watching that video six years ago changed Hendrix’s life.

She removed all products in her home that were tested on animals, traded in her car for one with a cloth interior, rid her wardrobe of all leather, and recommitted to being a vegetarian.

After tackling her own environment, she started contacting organizations to learn what she could about how to make an even greater impact. On the large scale, she helped organize and currently sits on the board of directors for Animal Rescue Corps, which she says is, “An A-to-Z organization servicing

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rescue… A turnkey solution for rescue. We actually physically rescue animals; we provide training for rescuers; we provide assessments for shelters that work with rescue animals; we educate professionals as well as the general public on rescue issues, and that’s really all we do.” Animal Rescue Corps was originally conceived by Scotlund Haisley, who Hendrix calls “the foremost expert on animal rescuing, really, in the world…” They specialize in large numbers and are often helping out local law enforcement organizations with an animal crisis situation, such as a tornado, hurricane, or even the discovery of a puppy mill. “We always work within the legal system to change things for animals in the communities from the inside out.”

On the smaller scale, Hendrix works as much as her busy schedule will allow with local animal shelters, adoption organizations, and different rescue groups. She’s hosted the adoption show Pets 90210 in the past, and wherever she’s at on her travels, she’s in regular contact with local shelters and organizations, asking what she can do to help. Not to mention she’s got an army of rescued animals of her own, and fortunately, good friends to watch over them when she travels. Though on this latest trip to Alabama, her newest addition, five-month-old Ellie, got to come along for the journey.

As we wrapped up our chat, I asked her to tell me what other people could do if they wanted to help out and make a difference in the humane treatment of animals. She had a pretty straightforward prescription for anyone looking to get started in some small, yet significant ways. “There’s a few really basic things…If somebody already has an animal, make sure that they are spayed or neutered. If you’re looking for an animal, adopt. Do not buy from a breeder or, very specifically from a pet store, because 99.9% of the time, all those animals are coming from a puppy mill. And then, get involved.

Certainly check out Animal Rescue Corps…. Go to your local shelter, donate newspapers, blankets, go walk a dog. And then ultimately, I would say to people, the bottom line in our society and really the way to affect change is becoming a consumer advocate. And that’s to buy products and support companies that consider the humane treatment of animals.

There’s true power in the almighty dollar and how you spend it.”

Listening to her, it seems simple, really. “When you go to Target and you buy a cleaning product… you’re gonna find

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the brand called Method. And there will be a few other brands there. They don’t test on animals. And it’s pretty equivalent to the same price point as everything else on the shelves. So pick that. Look for the notices that say, ‘not tested on animals’.” She also says you can try to “give up meat one day

a week. People think, oh that really doesn’t make a difference.

It makes a huge difference. Little steps make a huge difference.”

For more information and volunteer opportunities, visit www.elainehendrix.com and www.animalrescuecorps.com.

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Dog’s Death Inspires New Non-Profit

bUDDY CARE FoUnDAtIon

A Nashville-based, non-profit organization was recently launched, the Buddy Care Foundation, Inc., which will provide financial assistance to dog owners who can’t afford critical medical care for canine companions in need.

“The organization is named after our precious Buddy, who passed away in August at the age of 15,” says founder Brian Mayes, a Nashville-based entertainment publicist. “Buddy suffered from a variety of health challenges throughout his life, including a serious heart condition and kidney issues, which led to five kidney stone operations. Yet until the last week of his life, Buddy remained an active, loving member of the family, and his contribution to our lives was immeasurable.”

“We were fortunate in that we were always able to afford and provide the necessary medical care,” explains Mayes.

“But we also realize that most American families, especially

in today’s economic climate, could not - leaving the family to decide between euthanasia or simply not providing adequate care.”

The goal of the Buddy Care Foundation is to help save the lives of loved and valued canine companions so that no family has to make a decision to end a life due to financial hardship.

Through this program, pet owners can apply for a Buddy Care Grant to help cover the costs of life-saving canine medical care. Grant requests will require the recommendation and cooperation of a licensed veterinarian, the complete diagnosis and recommended course of treatment, a positive prognosis, shared financial responsibility, and financial statements demonstrating hardship.

For more information on the Buddy Care Foundation, please visit www.buddycare.org.

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Making Memories with

MARILU HEnnER

By Rachel Sokol

A

ctress Marilu Henner has graced the Broadway stage, judged pageants, competed on The Celebrity Apprentice and starred in popular TV movies. When she's not performing, being a wife and a mom, or writing, Henner shares health and wellness information with thousands of others via her website Marilu.com, where visitors can participate in her Total Health Makeover® experience.

But there's one thing that truly sets Marilu Henner apart from the rest, and it's not her memorable role as Elaine on the popular 1980s series, Taxi.

Henner is a memory expert. She is only one of 12 documented cases of Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM) in the world. HSAM is a rare, absolutely fascinating ability that allows one to vividly recall every detail of his or her life, since childhood. While most of us would prefer to keep our past in the past— especially the unhappier days, Henner explains how she discovered that by remembering the past, we can change our lives for a better now.

Henner's latest book, Total Memory Makeover (Gallery Books, 2012) includes simple exercises that help readers recall their own memories faster, unlock repressed memories that may be holding them back, and more! And in an exclusive telephone interview, Henner, a Chicago native currently based in Los Angeles, talks about her book tour, health and wellness advice, and upcoming projects.

How is the book tour going?

It’s been incredible! I just taught an online class at Marilu.com and I can’t tell you how much people love this book! Even a simple little exercise, like identifying four different types of weather: rainstorms, cold storms, hottest weather, coldest weather [for an exercise in the book]… the memories just start flooding back for people. They’ll tell me, 'Oh, when I was a kid, there was this rainstorm and it brought back a memory of my Dad, so I called my Dad because I felt so good, I’ve changed so much since that time…' I think people are taking the ride, which is very exciting for me. The floodgates just start to open; it’s like karaoke—they’re reluctant to get up there, but suddenly you then have to take the microphone away from them! Once you tap into this memory bank, you just want more and more and you start connecting other past memories to your present, and it’s an energy that kind of builds on itself. It’s been great.

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People think they’re going in to hear about my memory, but what they’re really realizing is that it’s actually about theirs.

I saw you talking about HSAM on 60 Minutes a few years back. It was incredible. You and others with HSAM revealed exactly how the HSAM mind works...Is it tricky for some people to grasp?

Before the 60 Minutes interview, I wanted to write a book about my memory. It wasn't until 60 Minutes that people really understood was HSAM was and how it works. (Note: Even Marilu's dear friend, reporter Lesley Stahl was skeptical at first about Marilu's memory!)

Are people always tossing dates at you and asking you what happened on that date? (Note: I give Marilu my birthdate, and she tells me what day my 21st birthday fell on— a Saturday. She asks me what I did on my 21st birthday and although it was more than 10 years ago, I slowly connect the dots and remember details...)

People throw dates to me all the time. It’s usually their birthday and I say ‘oh, you were born on a Wednesday or Thursday, you know?’ And then when I turn it around and do the 21st birthday thing and they say, ‘I don’t remember’… I give them the day (of the week) and they say ‘Oh yeah, I remember…’ People are enjoying their own self-exploration. They’re not necessarily an audience, but a participant.

You mention in your book that your father, who was in the automobile business, had a great memory, especially when recalling details about his customers. Are your children showing signs of HASM too?

My father was fascinated by the power of the memory. My second son shows tendency towards HSAM. He's able to recall dates and times from as far back as when he was a child. He backs off a bit from it, but I challenge him sometimes!

Do you ever feel like you're having brain overload from remembering so many details about your life? What do you do to unwind?

I never feel like it's too much for me. We're not using as much [of our brain] as we can. ‘Knowledge is power, once you know, you can’t choose not to know anymore,’ is a quote I say all the time.

So listen carefully to what you're learning! My spare time activities include reading, dancing, walking and driving!

When I mentioned I was born in 1979, you said that year was your health birthday. Can you elaborate?

That was the year I changed my health and adapted a healthier lifestyle. (Henner lost her father is a heart attack and her mother to arthritis). I found a better way to eat, which helped myself and others. I gave up dairy and became dairy-free, I'm vegetarian....I find it interesting that we milk cows but humans are closer to an orangutan than a cow and we don't eat/drink milk from an orangutan.

You love quotes. Can you share some of your favorites?

One of my favorite organization tips is: 'Never leave a room empty-handed.' We say that all the time in this house; take this up the stairs with you! My Mom used to say it all the time and she read that Ingrid Bergman said that. Also: – "The key to life is how well you feel with 'Plan B.' " (Be able to adjust to it.

Maybe Plan B is a better opportunity for you.)

– "Learn to love the foods that love you."

(You might love to eat crap; learn to love things that love you back, i.e., fruits, veggies, beans. You will be much better off.)

– "Five problems can be solved by going vegan: body/ weight, health, pocketbook, animals, the planet."

– "You're never too old or too young to feel better than you do right now."

– "Everything is connected to everything else."

What's next for you, career-wise?

I was just at the Health Freedom Expo where I was a keynote speaker; I go all over the country lecturing. The book tour is ongoing, and I have lots of other appearances lined up. I’m also doing my one-woman show called A Memorable Evening with Marilu Henner, and I’m getting the dates together for that now. I do a kind of a singing/dancing thing, and I’m working on content for the next book, which I’m not allowed to talk about yet!

There’s always a lot going on here! I can get a lot done since I can remember how to take information from one thing to the next! I'm also filming Hallmark movies, High School Christmas Reunion, which has Rachel Boston in it, and she plays my daughter. It’s like ‘Glee’ meets a high school reunion meets a Hallmark Christmas; lots of cross-pollination! And Hitched for the Holiday!

For more about Marilu Henner visit her web site at: www.marilu.com.

PhotograPher PiPer MacKay

INGREDIENTS A D O C U M E N TA R Y F I L M At the focal point of this movement, and of this film, are the farmers and chefs who are creating a truly sustainable food system. Their collaborative work has resulted in great tasting food and an explosion of consumer awareness about the benefits of eating local.

Attention being paid to the local food movement comes at a time when the failings of our current industrialized food system are becoming all too clear. For the first time in history, our children’s generation is expected to have a shorter lifespan than our own. The quality, taste and nutritional value of the food we eat has dropped sharply over the last fifty years. Shipped from ever-greater distances, we have literally lost sight of where our food comes from and in the process we've lost a vital connection to our local community and to our health.

A feature-length documentary, INGREDIENTS illustrates how people around the country are working to revitalize that connection. Narrated by Bebe Neuwirth, the film takes us across the U.S. from the diversified farms of the Hudson River and Willamette Valleys to the urban food deserts of Harlem and to the kitchens of celebrated chefs Alice Waters, Peter Hoffman and Greg Higgins. INGREDIENTS is a journey that reveals the people behind the movement to bring good food back to the table and health back to our communities. www.ingredientsfilm.com A Distinctive style . com

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SUSIE MACMURRAY

Garment sculptor. Artist. Magic-maker.Tale-teller.

Photographer. Classically trained bassoonist.

By Marlene Caroselli, Ed.D.

Kathleen Soriano, Director of Exhibits for the Royal Academy of Arts, finds elements of these personas, as well as a sense of drama, of performance in MacMurray’s work. Asked about the dramatic nature of her work, MacMurray reveals, “Drama and performance are not deliberate strategies, but I can’t help but be aware that they are part of my visual language. Perhaps it’s an inevitable result of how being a musician has conditioned me to respond to the world.

“I think it’s to do with the haptic senses,” she asserts, “sound and touch, being connected through vibration. We experience both through our bodies, and so I am always searching for ways of enveloping the viewer in a sense of the work.

When you are at a concert, be it listening or performing, the vibrations of the music pass through you – your body is permeable and

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the sound is not only around you but also ‘in’ you. In my work I guess I’m always subconsciously looking for that same sense of immersion. In my personal life or in the studio, I’m not particularly dramatic!”

And yet, the drama is evident everywhere, even in her approach to installations. MacMurray assembled a small team of young art students— mostly women— to create “Echo,” a site-specific installation for St. Mary’s Church, commissioned by the York Museums Trust. Ten thousand hairnets embedded with strands of used violin bow hair were used to create the otherworldly hangings that filled the volume of the church’s interior.

In the collective creation, MacMurray feels the work done by such a team reflects the earliest cross-cultural traditions of women who gather to quilt and to weave, to tell stories, share confidences, and speak of remembrances.

Not surprisingly, she views art as “spinning straw into gold.”

photo Susan Crowe Jonathan Swift once defined vision as the art of seeing what is invisible to others. Before MacMurray can see a piece through to completion, she goes through a torturous process of searching and juggling, focusing and refining. Along the way, she takes everyday objects and incorporates them into her work. Rope and feathers, mussel shells, and balloons, gauze, and hairnets—these are not materials typically found in an artist’s studio. But they are found in MacMurray’s work.

She admits to being “a bit of a magpie” and adds, “I am always picking up things that end up living in my studio. Sometimes they sit there for years before I know what they might do in my work. Currently I’m musing over cotton earplugs, fishing weights, silicone bra inserts, and the bandages boxers use under their gloves. Mostly the things that attract me have some kind of direct relationship with the body.”

MacMurray approaches research for her IDEAS “through material exploration combined with a rigorous balancing of the connotations and cultural meanings of objects and site.”

A sense of wonder is evident in her work. No surprise then to hear the importance she gives to play.

“I juggle things about,” she says, “and try to allow materials to show me what they can do, as opposed to trying to force them into some preconceived notion of how I think they should look. Then if I am lucky I sometimes find something unexpected and intriguing.”

Reviewers have said of her work that everything is a contradiction that ultimately makes perfect sense. MacMurray

photos: “Echo” with the vertical hairnet clouds filling the church reinforces this duality when she praises writers who have influenced her.

“I remember Angela Carter having quite an influence when I was at art school,” she recalls. “—her duality and darkness and the visceral energy of her work. People like her and Marina Warner helped me to find a language for my sense of how complex, magical, and precarious existence is and how dangerous and therefore full of wonder it is. The writing of Rebecca Solnit was also quite influential,” MacMurray acknowledges. “Her A Field Guide to Getting Lost, resonated with how my creative process works.”

In reflecting on Stephen Sondheim’s definition of art as “an attempt to bring order out of chaos,” MacMurray agrees. “I guess it’s what artists have always tried to do, to articulate and make sense of ‘the human condition.’ For me I think I’d describe it as trying to find that point just on the cusp, where order is on the verge of falling into chaos. There is a kind of duality and energy there. That is where anything could happen – destruction and creation, fragility and strength. It is an endless journey, of course, because any time you get close, instead of an answer you just find another question to ask.”

Voltaire advised of judging others not by their answers, but by their questions. Fortunately for those who love beauty and are intrigued by visual poetry, Susie MacMurray permits us to serve as ongoing judges of her questions and the wondrously vibrant visions that answer them. www.susie-macmurray.co.uk A Distinctive style . com

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pHoto bY: AnGELo KRItIKoS

Getting a glimpse of diverse cultures and meeting people with so many views, expands my perceptions of life in ways I never could have anticipated. ~Abigail Klein

By Rita Cook

D

allas native Abigail Klein, who stars with Leighton Meester, Andy Samberg, Susan Sarandon and Adam Sandler in “That’s My Boy,” is also the lead in Easton Corbin’s new music video “Lovin’ You is Fun,” tells A Distinctive Style that she is, “just as fun-loving and enthusiastic in real life,” as in her upcoming bridesmaid role, albeit a little more restrained and not quite as expressive as her character in the movie.

Despite working alongside megastars such as Sarandon, Klein says she wasn’t awestruck: “The entire cast of ‘That’s My Boy’ features so many stars with so much experience. My scenes were mostly with Adam, Andy and Leighton. Adam was actually very focused making sure each scene was executed in the most hilarious way possible,” she says.

“Throughout the process he was also laid back and fun, and I admire his ability to maintain a relaxed environment while keeping everyone on task.”

A trained dancer, Klein was a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader for three years, before moving to Los Angeles where she enjoyed roles in “90210,” and “The Young and the Restless.”

“As a cheerleader I learned so much about life in general,” Klein says. “Performing for 85,000 fans at Cowboys Stadium for home games was absolutely insane. But other aspects were more life changing.” Our appearances ranged from opening a WalMart in Arkansas, to a nursing home visit in Texas, USO [United Service Organizations] tours in Southwest Asia, calendar shoots in Mexico and the Bahamas, to events in Japan and even a talk show in China,” she recalls. “Getting a glimpse of such diverse cultures and meeting people with so many different views expanded my perceptions of life in ways I never could have anticipated. Now, when I am in a meeting with a roomful of people ranging from directors and producers to writers, I feel excited and confident.”

On her Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader days Klein says, “I’ll

always remember my 21st birthday overseas on the 2009 USO Tour. Keep in mind I went on this tour with the cliché goal of ‘bringing a piece of home’ to the troops at Christmas. I was so naïve. Our performances and appearances were so tremendously welcomed. It was overwhelming how grateful everyone was.”

While today her film roles keep her busy, Klein has also traveled to Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait performing for the USO in support of American troops and is an active philanthropist supporting The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Children’s Hospital.

“Because my upbringing was positive and accepting, I believe it made me more compassionate,” Klein reveals. “I grew up with the encouragement around me to contribute in some way to anything that is meaningful. Participating in walks for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, visiting a terminally ill child at Children’s Hospital, helping to make a child’s perfect Christmas happen with ‘A Wish With Wings,’ these things leave me with a greater sense of gratitude.”

She tells us that sharing such special moments with these children and admiring their courage to make the best of each day is truly inspiring.

“Three weeks ago in Los Angeles, I participated in a 5k run for the Children’s Cancer Research Fund. I want to stay involved in any way I can to help improve children’s lives. I look forward to many more opportunities in the future.”

Klein says growing up in Dallas helped shape the woman she is today: “Coppell in particular, could be seen as somewhat sheltered,” she says, “I was brought up with Christian, conservative views, which may be thought of as constricting or boring. However, my parents, teachers and dance instructors all contributed to a positive and charmed childhood. I think such strong support made moving to LA to pursue acting a whole lot easier. I was taught that anything is possible.”

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pIpER MACKAY

Creator of Magical Moments Wondrous things happen when Piper Mackay is on African soil

By Marlene Caroselli, Ed.D.

E

dward Lorenz coined the phrase “the butterfly effect” to describe how a seemingly insignificant event (such as the flapping of a butterfly’s wings) can have a substantial effect in some other situation (the formation of a hurricane, for example). Giving credence to the theory is research done by educational psychologist John Krumboltz which found nearly 70% of university graduates revealed their career choices were significantly influenced by an unplanned event (Krumboltz and Levin, 2004).

Now consider one person’s serendipitous career choice.

Imagine, for example, that you work in the fashion industry, dealing with design and textile. You decide to go to Africa on vacation. The trip is organized by the Sierra Club, which sends you a list of what you should bring, including a 300mm lens.

You have never held a camera in your entire life, but you buy it. Those butterfly wings start flapping and the next thing you know, you have a whole new career—wildlife and cultural photography.

Such is the story behind Piper Mackay’s vocation. “The minute I arrived in Africa,” she recalls, “the magic began.”

Within six months, she had returned for two additional safari adventures. Call it “magic” or call it “the butterfly effect,” but wondrous things happen when Mackay is on African soil. For example, on an expedition in the Omo Valley, Mackay handed her business card to one of the women grinding grain under a hand-made canopy. Nearby, a Kara boy named Gele saw it and asked if she knew John Rowe. Rowe, it seems, had personally funded the boy’s education. Rowe and Lale Labuko, a member of the Kara tribe, have joined forces to establish Omo Child (http://omochild.org), an organization dedicated to improving the lives of Kara children.

As it happened, Mackay did know John Rowe — they had met while filming horses in the Wyoming snow four years earlier. Upon her return to the states, she reconnected with him and now has devoted a page on her website to his organization. She explains that photography has enriched her life, has filled her soul, has helped shape the way she views the world. That is why she has the Giving Back page on her blog. Mackay uses it to highlight some of the organizations,

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like Omo Child, that are making a difference in so many lives.

That magic Mackay repeatedly speaks of is passion-based. It is entwined with the purpose behind her magnificent images.

“My love for wildlife and art,” she asserts, “gave me a passion to transform my images into a reckless beauty, using a painterly style.” She strives to create “powerful glimpses of another world,” connecting animals’ personalities to human compassion. Concerned about human, cultural, and environmental extinction on the African continent, Mackay tries to “live the stories” she is trying to tell. She actually participates in the lives of her subjects. And she has them participate in her photographic life. To illustrate, Mackay will often hand her subject the expensive photography equipment she uses, thus allowing them to have a literal “hands-on” experience with the creative process.

Mackay acknowledges that a camera “is really an excuse to hop on a plane and discover a world so different from my own.

When the discoveries lead to powerful and emotional images as a result, that is a bonus,” she affirms. Mackay has learned she was born to take photos. Her images have appeared in inflight magazines, National Geographic, and in various galleries, including the Smithsonian, the Museum of History and Industry in Seattle, and (in June) the G2 Gallery in Los Angeles.

Proceeds from that exhibit will be donated to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (also known as the Elephant Orphanage) in Nairobi. Mackay’s personal “butterfly effect” has benefited several other environmental projects. (Those interested in donating and/or interested in joining Mackay on a safari can visit her web site to learn more.)

Buckminster Fuller once noted that there is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly. There was nothing in Piper Mackay’s first career that spoke of cultural photography. Fortunately for those who love beautiful imagery, the butterfly emerged from the metaphorical caterpillar, flapped its wings, and created powerful and arresting images of faraway places for all of us to enjoy. www.pipermackayphotography.com www.blog.pipermackayphotography.com

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CHARLEY LAnGER

A saxaphonist with a sense of fulfillment and completion.

By Marlene Caroselli, Ed.D.

M

iles Davis was fond of encouraging others to experiment. “Don’t do today,” he urged, “what you did yesterday.” His words come to life in the title of jazz saxophonist Charley Langer’s recent release, “Never the Same.” Describing the process of composing, of creating something that didn’t exist before, Langer says, “Music brings a sense of fulfillment and completion for me. Composing in particular,” he reveals, “does this for me. I can start with just the smallest idea—practically nothing—and it becomes something that expresses what is deep inside of me, and something that can be felt emotionally by someone else.”

This drive to create is evident in Langer’s admission about being compelled to play music. “If I’m not physically playing my horn,” he admits, “I’m often practicing it in my head!”

In his head, he’s also philosophizing—not so rare a combination of talents, it seems. German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once observed that, “Without music, life would be a mistake.” (He also asserted that he would only believe “in a God who knew how to dance.”) Langer, too, compares music to life itself. “All of it has meaning and purpose,” he says. “I want to embrace all of my life, and not just the happy parts.”

He reveals that “Never the Same” taught him this lesson. “It was written,” he shares, “after a difficult time in my life. I hear sadness in the verse, a transition to hope in the pre-chorus, and a full expression of joy in the chorus.”

Listen to the melody and you’ll hear that joy. “The chorus is catchy and fun, and it’s what everyone remembers,” Langer admits, “but it gets its context from the rest of the song.” His balanced view of composition comes through in his assertion that, “The chorus would be boring by itself.”

Not just this song but most of his compositions, Langer shares, come from his life experiences. He acknowledges that he doesn’t really write for the audience. Asked about Aldous Huxley’s assertion that after silence, music is “the thing that comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible,” Langer says what he wants to express changes from song to song. There

is one thing, though, that is constant: “I am not satisfied until I take that seed of inspiration and bring it to completion.” (When stuck, he regards this drive to completion as an annoying part of the composing process.)

Regarding the definition of jazz as “fun found within surprise,” Langer concurs. “The surprise comes from the fact that you’re composing on the fly. You’re never completely sure what is going to come out until it has gone by. The first time you hear your composition,” he confides, “is the first time the audience hears it. That’s usually fun! You’re discovering the music together. It might not be fun on a bad night,” he confesses, but adds, philosophically, “In that case, we’re back to the lesson of ‘embracing all of life and not just the happy parts.’”

Music critics seem to like this embrace. Reviewer Jonathan Widran praises the “many musical muses” that influence Langer. And Langer agrees with the observation about his varying sources of inspiration. “I grew up listening to classical and jazz,” he says, “but there is hardly a musical style I don’t like if it’s performed well.” He cites three specific sources of inspiration: nature, life experiences, and the abstract. “I don’t mean to sound elusive,” he explains, “when I talk about ‘the abstract,’ but there are some songs that are more conceptual in nature.” This former environmental specialist uses his song “Outside In” as an example.

The song began as a question: “What does ‘inside out’ sound like?” he wondered. He reflects further, “It made more musical sense to construct the song as ‘Outside In,’ because the ‘outside’ A section dissonance needed the ‘inside’ B section consonance to follow as a resolution.”

“Gray Skies” is another example. “I’m amused,” Langer confides, “by the fact that people who tend to be saddened by literal gray skies are saddened by that song, and those who find literal gray skies calming hear the song as something more contemplative.” (Langer places himself in the latter category.)

In keeping with Miles Davis’ exhortation to remain curious and explorative, Langer is planning a second album that will be fairly different from the first. “It will not be a departure, though,” he insists, “from my goal to produce ‘intelligent, smooth jazz.’

The music will be authentic. It won’t be boring.

It will be listenable.” Langer inserts some fun inside the promised surprise: “And I’m not going to tell you what it is.”

This intelligent and generous saxophonist makes an offer to the readership of A Distinctive Style: “I’d like to offer readers a free download of some of my music. Three people that sign up for a download, will get a free signed CD!” (ENDS 9/2012) CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

www.charleylanger.com/fr_dl

SHInE YoUR LIGHt

YOUR

Goddess-Led

LIFE

By Mikaela Katherine Jones

C

all it the rising frequency of the planet, sublime astrological influences, or a mass heart awakening, more and more people are holding the intention to live from the Divine Feminine. When we embrace our inner goddess and her balanced feminine and masculine traits, our lives become more on-purpose, more fruitful, and delicious.

You know you’re living your inner goddess when you feel empowered. You are proud but not boastful; you are firm but gentle (with yourself as well as with others). You speak your truth with compassion. You receive guidance from within (not just without) before proceeding with any action. You make it a priority to take pleasure in your life every day because you know it puts you in the flow of the higher frequencies of the universe, which is where the magic happens.

As you strive to consciously live your inner goddess, I find it helps to hold three primary images in mind. The three images for which I used to hold space for living a goddess-led life are the ecstatic dancer, the mother lion, and the priestess/ shaman. Your images may be different. Pick three and place an image of each on your altar or iPhone/iPad, where you will see them daily.

The ecstatic dancer embodies the feminine energy that is open and present to the moment. She flows with beauty and joy. She receives her inspiration (feminine) and moves it through her limbs (masculine). The ecstatic dancer knows the importance of allowing delight to fill her body and her daily activities, like taking some time to be present and play with her child, or simply appreciating a flower. Each can refuel your energy tank and move you back into your heart—where the goddess lives.

The mother lion has mastered the masculine traits of will and persistence. She nurtures and protects her loved ones as

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well as herself. In this energy, you say ‘yes’ when you want to and ‘no’ when you need to. The energy of the mother lion also helps one’s visions to manifest in the world through courage and persistent action. She doesn’t back down in fear when her cub is out on a cliff’s ledge, she finds a way to accomplish her goal.

The priestess/shaman is the Spirit head; the god/goddess energy of Source. She becomes still and closes out the distractions of the outer world in order to receive the jewels that can only be found through inner sight. She trusts and takes action on that which is seen/heard/given.

As you bring these images into your awareness throughout the day, they will remind you to assess whether you’re in your goddess energy or not. You may need to use the goddess's integrated masculine side to redirect your energy back into harmony with her. Take a few deep breaths and call the image’s energy into your heart to return you to center.

The patriarchal image of men leading us into war has proven only to wreak havoc upon the planet. As more women and men tune into and live their goddess energy, we will cocreate a more heart-centered, peaceful, and harmonious world which honors all and excludes none, and what a beautiful world it will be.

–––––––––––– Mikaela Jones is an inspirational writer, and creator of the Delight Frequency® Manifestation Process. Her book, The Little Book of Light: 111 Ways to Bring Light Into Your Life, is being released by Conari Press on Sept. 1. Mikaela's work will help you stay connected with your true self, allowing you to find delight daily… so you can create a fulfilled life. Get her free centering meditation at: www.MikaelaJones.com

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Success When You’re

Young

By Karen Soltero

A

t 32-years-old, Josh Young not only has his finger on the pulse of the music industry, but he’s figured out how to tie a life long love of music with a successful career in the film and television industry in a way that’s innovative, effective and nurtures new and undiscovered talent. And he’s having a blast doing it.

Young remembers as a young kid running down to the movie theater with his best friend to watch movies on the weekend, then he would sit through all the credits. He remembered thinking that one day he wanted his name on that screen.

The dream of a little kid became a reality. But not without a lot of hard work and dedication to the craft that he loves.

Josh found his love of music early, at just five years old, when he learned the saxophone, clarinet, and flute as well as the piano.

Trained at the Citrus College of Music, Josh spent time as a studio musician, in orchestras, and as a band member. All this time his love of film stayed with him. He began working his way up in the film and television business as an editor, cutting together the raw footage to make a cohesive show.

Today he works as a lead or supervising editor on a number of major shows, including Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Big Brother.

Young told us he wanted to make a difference in the world. “I wanted to affect people’s lives in a big way.” Nine years ago, he created a boutique recording studio with producer Darian Cowgill. It was a place for artists and composers to create quality content for the music and film industry.

It was a successful business adventure and a thriving artistic environment. But the main puzzle piece was missing, until three years ago when he had a new business idea,

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one that would bring together his passion for music, movies, and making a difference.

At that time, Young was editing TV shows, recording music, knew a lot of artists and composers, when he realized that there was a real need for high-quality music in the film and telelvision industry. Alias Atrium was born.

The idea was to take creative artists and bridge them with the business side of entertainment. They allowed artists to be creative, do what they do well, and Atrium took care of the business side.

It is clear from the excitement in his voice that Josh loves what he is able to do for both the end users of his system and the creators of the music. “So not only are we licensing and placing music on television and in films,” he elaborates, “but we’re also trying to take artists and give them a leg up by letting them use what we’re doing as a career booster.”

I asked Josh about the issues facing the music industry in the digital age, when everyone has access to the kind of equipment and software that the professionals use. He pointed out that like anything else, there’s an art to this kind of work. “Just because somebody knows how to use Avid or Final Cut or Pro Tools doesn’t make them an engineer, a producer, or an editor.”

He admits that many people are trying to do it on their own, but that quality results really require the kind of knowledge that comes from the heart and soul, not the instruction manual.

Young states “When you become an artist at Atrium, you become part of something larger.” They maintain close relationships with everybody in their group, and once someone becomes part of Atrium, they’re like family.

Josh Young really loves what he does, which is simply the truest measure of happiness.

www.atriummusicgroup.com www.facebook.com/atriummusic twitter.com/#!/atriummusiccues A Distinctive style . com

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WILLIE nELSon American Legend, Planet Defender, Music Ambassador, Caretaker, Advocate

By Brandon Tvedt

W

illie Nelson celebrated his 79th birthday this year and certainly isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. His notoriety paradoxically balances between being one of America’s most beloved yet free-spirited singer/ songwriters, and a prolific author, poet, actor and activist. In 2004, he started the Willie Nelson Biodiesel Company, which produces and markets a substitute for diesel fuel made from vegetable oil and animal oils. Nelson has also been an outspoken proponent for legalization of marijuana, banning the slaughter of horses for meat, and awakening the world to the devastation of the American family farmer by the machinations of agribusiness, government and egregious banking practices.

Nelson was raised by his grandparents in Abbott, Texas, a speck of a farming community between Forth Worth and Waco. Born during the depression of the 1930s, music was a saving grace in his life. He wrote his first song at age seven, and was playing in a band by age nine. With his good friend, Waylon Jennings, Nelson pioneered the genre of outlaw country music, dropping the jaws of his country fans with songs such as “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die” (www.youtu.be/nRH0jhuc1r4) and covering Ned Sublette’s gay cowboy anthem, “Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond Of Each Other: (www.youtu.be/1u4CXlIYjyE).

But as much as some fans may be shocked at how Nelson bursts out of the country music envelope to occasionally write and record with rock, rap and reggae artists, they’ll never forget that he also wrote some of the greatest country crossover songs of all time including “Funny How Time Slips Away” (www.youtu.be/XZCB8v1IKM) for Faron Young and “Crazy” for Patsy Cline (www.youtu.be/K-wJNpWgss8).

Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993, Nelson also received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1998.

Possibly his most meaningful honor was the “Planet Defender” award that he received last year from the National Agricultural Hall of Fame, joining a small group of notable recipients that include George Washington Carver, John Deere and Thomas Jefferson.

While Nelson’s music will never die, his greatest legacy may be how he woke America up to save our family farmers. His interpretation of Coldplay’s "The Scientist" on his new album, Heroes, is a homage to those who support sustainable raised food. Willie Nelson and Farm Aid, undoubtedly, are two sides of the same coin, a coin that represents thousands of other activists committed to aiding the American farmer.

Nelson has truly been a champion in terms of raising both funds and awareness of environmental concerns. Along with his commitment to America’s family farmers, it is hard to say whether he is more beloved for his music and entertainment career, or for his passion for helping others. Nelson does more than show up and sing for farmers; he founded Farm Aid after the first concert in 1985 (with Neil Young and John Mellencamp) to raise awareness of the importance of family farms and provide help so farmers can keep their land.

It is important to understand that this is not a boutique charity for Nelson; the demise of the family farmer can mean that all Americans will lose access to quality food. In addition, there are signs that agribusiness is in collusion with government agencies to do as much as possible to eliminate competition from family farms.

Factory farms skirt and lobby against health laws that are designed to protect consumers; the USDA levies those laws against family farmers with a heavy and often indiscriminate hammer. In an example that was traced to catering to agribusiness, state lawmakers in Michigan committed a “pig genocide” campaign against family farmers informing the farmers they would be considered felons if they did not slaughter their own healthy pigs. In other states, thousands of gallons of good family farm milk has been confiscated and trashed by government officials while the factory dairy farms have not suffered similar treatment.

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WILLIE CONTINUED

Nelson expands his concerns about the plight of our farmers to include wake up calls about the quality of the food we eat.

In his article, “Occupying the Food System,” (a tribute to the Occupy Wall Street movement) Nelson persuasively makes the case about how concentrating food production into the hands of a few key industry players renders the market severely prone to pathological and well as legal abuses.

Of these abuses, Nelson stated, “No one knows this better than family farmers, whose struggle to make a living on the land has gotten far more difficult since corporations came to dominate our farm and food system. We saw signs of it when Farm Aid started in 1985, but corporate control of our food system has since exploded. From seed to plate, our food system is now even more concentrated than our banking system.

Most economic sectors have concentration ratios hovering around 40 percent, meaning that the top four firms in the industry control 40 percent of the market. Anything beyond this level is considered "highly concentrated," where experts believe competition is severely threatened and market abuses are likely to occur.”

Farm Aid executive director Carolyn Mugar noted, “The family farmer has never had a better friend than Willie Nelson; he has worked tirelessly to stand up for family farmers and the good food we all want.”

Spitting in the eye of authority is not limited to the agricultural sector; Nelson is the granddaddy of incorrigible artists who fooled the music industry by writing some of the most memorable and classic songs of all time before jumping the fence to cross-pollinate with any musical style that fancied his muse. Fairly early in his career, he outgrew the phase of bending to the system that feeds the country charts by immigrating non-country elements to stretch and blend artistic explorations with results that could never be defined by any one genre.

One facet of Nelson’s creativity is revealed in the diversity of duet partners who have recorded with him over the years including Wynton Marsalis; Norah Jones; Ziggy Marley; Toots and the Maytals; Irish legends, the Chieftains; Aaron Neville; Keb’ Mo; Julio Iglesias; and B.B. King, just to name a small fraction of his recorded duets.

He continues the duet tradition on his newest album, Heroes. Prominent among the co-singers is his son, Lukas, gracing nine of the album’s tracks with a twangy, edgy voice that blends beautifully with his elder. Sheryl Crow joins the two Nelsons on the Tom Waits/Kathleen Brennan tune, “Come On Up To The House, revealing the comfortable beauty that can be harvested behind Waits’ gravelly voice.

Another son, Micah, joins his older brother and father on a

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nEW ALbUM noW AVAILAbLE Featuring Merle Haggard, Snoop Dogg, Kris Kristofferson, Billy Joe Shaver, Sheryl Crow, Jamey Johnson, Lukas Nelson and Micha Nelson WWW.WILLIEnELSonSHop.CoM

rollicking paean entitled “Come on Back Jesus” with the tongue in cheek refrain, “and pick up John Wayne on the way.” On the album’s most mischievous tune, “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die,” Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Jamey Johnson are joined by rapper Snoop Dogg, showing how a common interest can bridge any musical genre.

“Heroes” is a multi-textured work reflecting a man who enjoys his life, and is comfortably himself inviting the company of family, friends and fans to listen in, sing along and enjoy a taste of artistry untouched by the manipulations of the corporate bankers who run the music industry. The album stands up to multiple listens and has a good chance of becoming another classic chestnut on the fertile tree of Willie Nelson’s legacy.

For more information about how you can join Willie Nelson’s movement to save the American family farmer, and your own health in the process, visit www.FarmAid.org

pHoto bY DAVID MCCLIStER

ALEX MUnDt...

Humanizing Experie

By Marlene Caroselli, Ed.D.

“

Disasters often bring out the best in people,” Alex Mundt believes. He is certainly in a position to know. A previous fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs and a current liaison between the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and the US State Department, stationed in Geneva, Mundt speaks frequently to various groups interested in displacement problems.

In these talks, he aims to humanize the refugee experience.

He wants his audiences to feel it on a visceral level. He rejects the view of refugees as victims in need of charity. When people

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make donations to various aid organizations, Mundt hopes the donations will be accompanied by understanding of the complex circumstances in which the displaced are living. “The suffering, the loss, the separation from family, the uprooting from one’s home, do not spell ‘victim.’ Far from being victims, refugees often emerge from their ordeals as incredibly strong people.”

Mundt, who recently served as head of office for the northeastern region of Afghanistan, believes what the displaced most need, “are the basic protections that we all take for

granted but that they, for different reasons, have lost.”

Understanding the various dimensions of such circumstances will ideally lead to people becoming more involved, more engaged on different levels.

Disasters prompt humanitarian aid from governments and individual aid from those who want to help. But involvement in disaster relief need not simply be the writing of a check to a humanitarian organization.

“There are many ways people can help,” Mundt points out. “Tens of thousands of refugees are resettled around the country every year. They need help to integrate into communities. They need friends, support networks, jobs.

Basically, they need to feel at home in a new and often dramatically different place,” echoing Martin Luther King’s assertion that “anyone can be great because anyone can serve.”

Taking issue with those who believe humanitarian aid is a waste, Mundt encourages those who want to help. “The more that people know about the actual circumstances of people here and overseas, the more inclined they are to become involved, cast intelligent votes, support sound policies, and ultimately make a difference.”

Acknowledging the contributions of celebrities like Angelina Jolie, George Clooney, and the equally important contributions of lesser-known artists, Mundt cites, in particular, those who capture what it means to be a refugee. He uses the example of Tim Hetherington, who died on assignment last year in Libya.

“He took some of the most powerful pictures of people in war

ences

zones—from Liberia to Afghanistan—that I’ve ever seen,” Mundt shares.

He notes author Dave Eggers, who gives us a fictionalized account of the Lost Boys of Sudan in his book The What is the What. Mundt offers his opinion of Eggers’ book: “He captured better than anyone I’ve ever read, what it means to be a refugee.”

He continues, “Khaled Hosseini, the author of The Kite Runner, not only wrote about the displacement experience, but developed a curriculum for schools that includes a focus on refugee issues.”

Unable to isolate a singular aspect of the experience as most compelling, Mundt acknowledges that his interest in history was a factor in his ultimate career choice. “I remember some of the rural villages that remained completely untouched by time.

It was a combination of things—the new and different, the bizarre, the humor, the strength of character of those who had survived some horrible things and were still able to smile and move forward.”

And of course, there were individuals influencing his choices.

Mundt first names his parents, who encouraged both him and his sister to explore the world. “Both of us were exchange students in high school,” he notes. Next he cites both a Ugandan professor who taught him what constitutes good field research, and Gibson Kamau Kuria, a Kenyan human rights activist whom he regards as a hero for opposing then-President Daniel arap Moi. “I traveled to different places with Ethel Kennedy to lobby for human rights. Her strength and courage were (and remain) a big influence on how I see things,” Mundt adds.

One hears in Mundt’s words a profound concern for what has happened and what is happening throughout the world.

He expresses concern about sustaining responses to crises when people grow weary waiting for solutions. “Right now in West Africa, with the drought in the Sahel and the uprising in Mali,one of the worst humanitarian crises in years is unfolding.

Many could be at risk of starvation in the coming months.” He worries the placement of the crises on back pages of the newspaper will prevent the public from understanding and then contributing.

This better angel speaks of helping others find theirs: “Throw your passion into the actual work,” he encourages. “Engage with people and draw out their better angels.” In so doing, he believes, the important humanitarian stories will tell themselves.

For more information about how you can help refugees, visit www.unhcr.org A Distinctive style . com

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By Marlene Caroselli, Ed.D.

SALVA DUt

A “Lost Boy” on a mission to help others D

uring the Sudanese Civil War, which began in 1983 and lasted for 22 years, more than two million people were killed and 20,000 boys were orphaned or displaced. Known as the Lost Boys, they fled from their villages as government savagery was inflicted upon civilians.

Salva Dut was among the younger boys who escaped and walked for years, hoping to find refugee camps to take them in. During those long and dangerous travels, they faced death on a daily basis—vicious animals, brutal soldiers, and possible death from disease, thirst, and starvation. As difficult as the journey was, it afforded hope. Remaining in their villages promised an almost-certain death. All of this was more lifeaffirming than remaining in their villages to be caught in one of the bloodiest wars of the 20th century.

Psychologists subsequently examined the boys who survived one of the bloodiest wars of the last century. They regard these boys as the most badly damaged of all wartraumatized children. And yet, so many of these young men made the best of their circumstances—refusing to give up, to regard themselves as victims.

Nearly 4000 Lost Boys are in the United States. Salva Dut is one of them. Upon his arrival in Penfield, New York, he struggled to learn English, earn his GED, and then an associate’s degree in international business at a local community college. Two days after the bombing of the twin towers, Salva Dut became an American citizen.

Although he was only 11 at the time, the boys with whom Salva traveled nearly 2,000 miles elected him a leader. In that position, he was responsible for the lives of 1500 other boys.

That drive and leadership potential has served him well. Dut has gone on to form a charitable organization, Water for South Sudan, Inc., which is drilling wells so the Sudanese people can drink clean water. www.waterforsouthsudan.org

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“With Little Broken Hearts” noRAH JonES AnD bRIAn bURton’S nEW CD

N

ora Jones had known Danger Mouse, aka Brian Burton, since he called her in 2008 to contribute vocals to ROME, his valentine to classic Italian film score music. “I’ve always known about Norah’s voice,” says Burton, “and it was in my mind when doing the parts for ROME. We didn’t really talk about many people, but Norah was the first person we went to. She’s such a great singer.”

After those sessions Jones asked if they could work together again, and Burton suggested collaborating on something dark and moody someday. “I remember saying to myself that wasn’t necessarily the record I’m trying to make right now,” Jones recalls, laughing. “But I knew I wanted to do something with him – he has this terrific energy in the studio, and I was open to trying anything.”

So when the opportunity to spend a few days writing songs at Burton’s studio arose, Jones said yes right away. “It felt completely easy, not like working at all. We started from scratch and came up with five rough songs. Our goal was to just try things out, and if they didn’t work, cool. No pressure.”

Then reality intruded. Jones was locked into a heavy touring itinerary for her 2009 album The Fall, and Burton was on tour with Broken Bells and recording many other projects. Whenever the two crossed paths, they vowed to follow up on the promise of those initial songs they’d brainstormed. It took several years before their schedules eventually meshed. Jones rented a house in Los Angeles for two months, and the two established a regular work schedule.

Jones arrived empty-handed – no tunes, no arrangements, just a few ideas in a notebook. For her it was a complete change.

Each time she’s entered a studio to record an album – from her debut Come Away With Me through The Fall – she has brought finished songs and at least basic arrangement ideas. Jones says she was initially excited about working in this way, then nervous about coming up with ideas. Once they started, it didn’t take long for her to warm to the challenges of creating on the fly, using whatever resources she and Burton had between them.

It helped that they listened to lots of music, bonding over, among other things, Fleetwood Mac and the Violent Femmes.

“It seems that one trick in the studio has to do with inspiration,” Jones says, “and that’s a great thing about Brian – it was really cool to discover his influences, things I enjoy but am not nearly as influenced by. So he’d play something very innocently but you could tell there was a purpose, too, sort’ve a ‘let’s hear this and see what happens’ mindset. I really responded to that curiosity, because everybody jumps off the diving board and lands in a different spot.”

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In Jones’ case, she landed in many different spots: Little Broken Hearts is a tour of stunningly nuanced environments too expansive to be labeled merely “pop,” each one a showcase for her intimate, seemingly effortless phrasing. While some tracks sound like classic Norah Jones – the contemplative opener “Good Morning” – most of them explore rhythms and textures far from her comfort zone. There are impressionistic forays into ‘70s country (“Travelin’ On”) and lonesome, bittersweet road songs (“Out on the Road”), moments of high-energy groove (“Say Goodbye”) and languid dream-sequence reflections (“After The Fall”).

Because they were writing as a team, Jones and Burton found themselves switching roles and instruments in order to capture what they were hearing. “There was a lot of ‘I might not be a great guitar player, but this works,’” Jones says, noting that many of the final takes are just the duo multitracking multiple parts. (Later, they brought in a band—including drummer Joey Waronker, bassist Gus Seyffert, and guitarist Blake Mills—to bolster many of the tracks.) During the writing phase, Jones and Burton took advantage of the extensive stock of instruments (keyboards, etc.) crammed into his small studio, seeking out specific tones and textures, letting the sounds define the scope of the songs. “I’d been much more literal about recording,” Jones says, “in terms of ‘the piano does this here…’ and so on. With Brian, it’s a lot about atmosphere and vibe.”

The ideas flowed quickly. Near the end of the project, Jones remembers, Burton was flipping through his cell phone and stumbled on a short recording the two did during their original songwriting sessions and had forgotten about. “It was just him playing these chords on guitar, and me singing gibberish. We were listening back, and around three minutes in it hit a melody that really worked.” They then worked on some words, and the next day they recorded the entrancing “Travelin’ On.” That song, like most of the record, is told from the perspective of a wounded lover – in the time between finishing The Fall and beginning this collaboration, Jones went through another breakup. “Guess you could say ‘life happens,’ because even though I thought I was done with that kind of song for a while, it all just seemed to come out as we worked. We’d have these great conversations about love and relationship and the endless attempts to understand that stuff, and somehow they just seeped into what we were doing. That’s one of the great things about music, you can take the anxiety and anguish that you’re living and turn it into something that might really lift up somebody else.”

Jones says Burton was fully engaged with the lyrics as well.

“He’d hear me and could relate, and then where I was stumped

Norah Jones has expanded her sound in thrilling and characteristically subtle ways. twelve little broken hearts. each an exploration of wounded emotions from various perspectives that invariably leads to a place of beauty and uplift.

he’d find a way to say it. I didn’t realize what a completely amazing writer he is. His melodies, his way with words. He has a real gift.”

“Norah and I got very close as friends,” explains Burton.

“When you know somebody really well and you start writing together, we’re able to talk to each other in conversation through lyrics in a way.” Burton’s input lent his perspective to some of the mysteries of male-female relationships that many of the songs explore. “In some ways it’s kind of seeing the other side of it. We’d have hours of conversations about very personal things so a lot of that would wind up in the songs. But the album is definitely from Norah’s perspective.”

“Miriam”—which finds Jones using a spellbindingly calm voice to deliver a not-so-veiled threat—is perhaps the most striking moment on Little Broken Hearts, a chilling flashpoint in a collection otherwise devoted to delicate, carefully shaded emotions from various points on the spectrum of hurt. And though the album has a narrative through-line, it is anything but bleak. There are tunes that tell of lingering bitterness through stirring, almost exuberant melodies. Meanwhile, the languid, misty settings occasionally prompt more philosophical, meditative lyrics, as they do on the title track, which is the story of an army of little broken hearts armed with knives on

their way to attack the beautiful sleeping (unarmed) loves of their past: “When the beautiful awake, and see the sadness in their eyes. Will they want to find a way to make it alright?”

Then there’s “Happy Pills,” a buoyant parade of sunshiny hooks that startled Jones and Burton from the moment they wrote it. “That song came around week 3,” Jones recalls of the sessions, which lasted 6 weeks total. “We both were like “Oh my God, this is awesome” at first, and then went away and listened over the weekend. That’s when the second thoughts started – We didn’t know if it fit on the record. But I couldn’t stop singing it, and neither could Brian. Eventually we decided it was too much fun, it had to be there.”

Jones says that as she worked to fit the songs together into a workable sequence, she was pleasantly surprised to discover that it coalesced into a unified statement – even “Happy Pills,” with its talk of “tryin’ to make it so I never see your face again,” revolves around the overall theme. “I didn’t expect all the lyrics to tie in so well, especially since we wrote in such a spontaneous way. It turns out to be kind of a story.

It has these different dimensions, things sneak up on you.

And even though the record has all these cool sounds and interesting grooves that are Brian’s signature, mostly I’m proud of our writing together. The songs themselves.”

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EXTREME ATHLETE

MARSHALL ULRICH Pushing the Limits of Human Endurance

By Marlene Caroselli, Ed.D.

S

amuel Butler once remarked “Every man’s work is always a portrait of himself.” When Marshall Ulrich, an extreme endurance athlete, was asked about his metaphorical “portrait,” he replied, “It would reveal a landscape, perhaps a desolate desert scene with great expanse.

To a casual observer, it would seem lonely and with little dimension, but someone who looked closely would see richness of color and variations of distance, height and layer upon layer, making it much more than even three-dimensional. It would be a work of art that evokes all of the senses and demands engagement.”

There is both art and science in Ulrich’s commitment to running, mountaineering, and adventure-seeking. Consider just a few of his accomplishments and you’ll see layer upon layer of discoveries and thrills.

• Ulrich has run more than 100 foot races, averaging more than 125 miles each.

• Completed 12 expedition-length adventure races.

• Climbed the Seven Summits, including Mt. Everest—all on his first attempt.

• Ran (at age 57) more than 3000 transcontinental miles, averaging more than 400 miles a week. This feat alone is equal to running two marathons and a 10K every day for 52.5 consecutive days.

Fortunately for athletes and non-athletes alike, Ulrich has done more than put his personal dreams into action. He has created several vehicles for sharing his experiences with audiences in search on inspiration. This Endurance King has attained literal and figurative heights in his 40s and 50s, thereby bringing truth to the phrase that, "It's never too late to set and attain goals." The phrases he regards as being

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without truth include naysaying statements like, "I'm too old," "It's not possible," and "I could never do that."

This acclaimed speaker has spoken to audiences across the country. But, as the author of Running on Empty, Ulrich has reached thousands of other hopefuls wondering where this sexagenarian gets his energy, wondering how this inspiration source finds the strength to continue facing challenges and emerge victorious nearly every time. Even when he acknowledges setbacks, Ulrich still motivates those audiences to endure and to find fulfillment in unexpected places.

So what motivates this uber-motivator? Ulrich recalls, "As a child, I was transfixed by the images of the early Everest mountaineers on our black-and-white TV, their frozen fingers with black nails and the ice clinging to their faces. At the age of five, I dreamed of someday summiting Mt. Everest myself, and since Mom always encouraged us kids that we could do whatever we set out to do, I believed I could do it and held onto that dream until I realized it in my 50s. Those are two of the most profound influences: the Great Mountain and my mother, Clara Ulrich."

After trying his first run, Ulrich asked himself why any sane adult would run if he or she did not have to. Of course, he's undergone a complete transformation in regards to that initial negative impression of running. "Initially," Ulrich confides, "I ran because it was both literally and figuratively a question of life and death. My own blood pressure was out of control, and exercise was a way to bring it back into range, and I also needed it as an emotional outlet because my first wife was dying of breast cancer.

"At 30 years old," he acknowledges, "I wasn't prepared for that kind of psychological beating, and the running served as both an escape and a release valve. As I got a little older, it

Marshall Ulrich at the Mount Everest Base Camp

turned into a proving ground for me as well as a way of punishing myself --kind of working out my survivor's guilt."

Sidonie-Gabrielle Colete once advised being happy as one way of being wise. Ulrich, "more mature and happily married again," echoes the sentiment. "It's about understanding myself," he says, "and continuing to push the limits of human endurance." He tells his huge fan base, "You're wise to discover what you're really made of." And then he adds a ďŹ nal wise inspiration: "It's more than you think."

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Wellness tHE WYntERS WAY

By Karen Soltero

F

requent readers of this publication will know the name Sharyn Wynters. She’s a regular contributing writer for A Distinctive Style magazine, and as a naturopath, she’s been living and teaching about a cleaner, healthier lifestyle for many years. She provides regular information to our readers on how to rid the daily environment and body of the kinds of toxins that can lead to depression, illness, and disease. With the re-release of her book, The Pure Cure, her audience is poised to grow exponentially.

Wynters graciously spent some time talking to us about her story—what drove her to make such a dramatic lifestyle change, how her personal experience has evolved into a successful practice and profession, and for those who might not quite understand what this is all about, how it relates to some of the things we may be practicing every day and how we can incorporate a cleaner way of living into our world.

Sharyn Wynters was working as an actress and model when she was struck down by a grave illness in her mid-20s. After medical doctors said they could no longer help, she was left frustrated and seemingly without options, until she found a man in the small town of Grapevine, Texas. Dr. William Donald Kelley was a dentist,

but he was pioneering a new kind of cancer treatment, one that involved a diet rich in active enzymes.

His program was officially listed with the American Cancer Society as an unproven method in 1971, and for Wynters, the changes he prescribed altered not just her health but also the course of her life’s work. “I became conscious of what I was putting in, on, and around my body, and my life changed,” she explains.

This was a new way of living, removing the toxic chemicals from her environment; a new way of eating, incorporating raw food and adopting a vegan diet. It became a 40-plus-year life journey as well as the self-imposed research that is the basis of her new book, The Pure Cure.

Originally released in 2010 under the selfpublished title Survive! A Family Guide to Thriving in a Toxic World, The Pure Cure is now backed by a professional publishing house and includes a new forward by physician and homeopath Dr. Gabriel Cousens as well as an endorsement by Dr. Brian Clement of the Hippocrates Health Institute.

It is now available on Kindle and in print, making it readily available to a much wider audience. “This book is about being consciously enlightened,” Wynters says. She is passionate about how we can change our world and ourselves. “If we’re going to make a difference on this planet, then we need to become conscious and make some shifts in ourselves, and in making shifts in ourselves, we’ll make a shift in what’s going on on this planet that we’ve so diligently destroyed.”

I asked Wynters to explain more about what it means to be a naturopath and how this kind of practice can make you healthier and happier.

Her succinct explanation makes what might seem like an “out there” concept, imminently relatable. “I believe that for every physical ailment, there’s an emotional attachment. Very simply, a great example of that, when somebody comes to me with a digestive issue, I don’t just say, ‘Okay, take this, this, and this.’ I want to know what’s going on in their life that they can’t digest…It’s addressing the whole.

“We’re not just a pancreas walking around. We’re not just a liver walking around. We’re a whole human, living, breathing being, and we need to treat the whole.

I was reminded of what my yoga teacher says, about how we store emotional issues in the hips, or how we are stressed because we can’t quiet the mind. I asked how the two practices were similar. “Okay, so when you go to yoga,” Wynters explained, “the whole thing about yoga…all about your left foot’s doing this, and your muscle’s doing that, and your right foot is doing this. It’s becoming conscious of what is going on in the body, in the moment, and taking responsibility for it. It’s the same thing with being a naturopath…Be in the present.

Not in the past, not in the future, be here now…The more you can practice and focus on being in the present, the better you will be.”

Wynters not only demystifies this concept of conscious, pure living, she proves that it’s practical and also quite personal. She acknowledges that everybody is different, and what works for one person might not for another. She acknowledges that a vegan, mostly raw diet is her recommendation when possible, and it is also her personal practice, but that it might not be the right answer for everyone, or they just might need some adjustment to the types of foods they are consuming within a particular diet.

In her consultation practice, she deals with each client individually, focusing on his or her needs, and points out that it’s not about perfection, it’s about intention. “We create our illnesses. And just as we create them, we can also un-create them.”

If you want to learn more about Sharyn’s experiences and her expertise, her comprehensive website is a wealth of information, and her new book, The Pure Cure, will help you incorporate what has worked for her into your everyday life and that of your family. A newly launched web site, a partnership with an Indian doctor, gives you open-door access into the world of raw food from an Ayurvedic standpoint.

An online test tells you what dosha you fall into – vata (air and space), pitta (fire and water) or kapha (water and earth).

Weekly menu plans for each dosha make it easy to eat raw right for your body.

It all comes down to a simple concept. “Everything you do in your life is a deposit or a withdrawal. What I’ve learned, what I teach my clients is, okay, you’re making withdrawals, let’s put some deposits in your body to balance out the scales.” www.wyntersway.com www. ahrawveda.com

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High-quality beauty products that are good to your skin!

www.christopherdrummond.com

By Karen Soltero

C

hristopher Drummond has been in the beauty business for over 17 years. What started as a high-fashion modeling career has morphed into a successful celebrity makeup artist and a pioneering entrepreneur in the cosmetics industry.

As a model of bi-racial origin (he’s black and Italian), Drummond found himself frustrated with the cosmetics that were being used on his skin. “I was getting really bad skin because of all of the products makeup artists were constantly putting on my face, and on top of that, a lot of the makeup artists weren’t using the right coloring…” Fed up, Drummond went to Saks to seek out his own makeup. While at Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, a conversation with the counter manager turned into an interview, then a job as a freelance makeup artist.

That job translated into a career as a makeup artist, leading Drummond to several high-end cosmetics companies, including MAC, Clinique, Chanel, Christian Dior, and finally Bare Essentials. The mineral makeup craze was just taking off, when he discovered that many women, particularly women over 35, were complaining that mineral makeup dried out their skin. After doing some research, Drummond found that certain ingredients in mineral makeup were drying and irritating to the skin. When he couldn’t stand behind the product he was selling, he decided to make his own line.

“There’s a great theory of mineral makeup, but it’s not perfect…if you took the titanium dioxide out of the foundation and took out the bismuth oxychloride, which is a known irritant, and replaced it with ingredients that actually helped to hydrate the skin, then you have the perfect makeup. And so that’s what I developed.”

A manufacturer helped Drummond develop his line, including his anchor product, the Veludo Velvet Foundation.

Drummond set out to create a makeup line that was truly special, so all of the products in the Christopher Drummond Beauty line are organic, vegan and 100% cruelty-free. “I’m not vegan, but I like to call myself a beauty vegan. I make sure that the products I use on my clients or that I use on myself, is 100% vegan and does not have animal by-products in it. I think that’s

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really important!”

He continues, “I believe that using animal products, is incredibly unnecessary and in this day and age, we don’t need to do it. Many companies do and most people don’t even know it.”

Noting a number of things that were being done wrong by major cosmetics companies, Drummond worked to build his business the right way, from the ground up.

The majority of the makeup is made in the U.S. in small batches, which means it’s fresh. The products you purchase have been made within the last month or two, a claim the big companies can’t make. You can also find an ingredient list for every cosmetic listed right on the website, as well as on the packaging, so you always know what you’re putting on your skin. “Transparency is very important to us. And what you get is what you see with us.”

While making a difference in the world is clearly important, Drummond notes that he is also dedicated to making his customers and clients beautiful.

Actively involved in product development, he makes sure that the colors work for all women, regardless of age or race.

“It truly looks good on everyone. It was created for and tested on people with light skin and people with dark skin.”

Drummond is known as a celebrity makeup artist, but that takes up less and less of his time. You can often find him attending events at high-end spas and salons where his line is carried.

You can order starter kits and color samples if you aren’t sure where to begin. If there’s not a location in your town that

Christopher Drummond

A Pioneer in the Cosmetic Industry carries this exclusive line, you can find it online.

Drummond notes that his product is different from traditional mineral makeup, something you won’t know until you actually feel it.

He’s right, I had a chance to try some of his products firsthand and immediately, I could feel a difference. The packaging was elegant and well thought out, with twisting covers to keep the powder from coming out during travel.

The Veludo Velvet Foundation is light, airy and easy to build up into either a sheer or full coverage. My skin never felt dry with it on. The Finale Finishing Powder was the lightest I’ve ever tried and it really did make my skin look flawless. The

Creamy Lip Stain is exactly that, it goes on moist and stays on.

The Discovery kit comes with handy instructions on how to apply the products and is a great way to get started.

The bottom line for Christopher Drummond Beauty is that it works for every woman — the woman who lives an organic or vegan lifestyle, the woman who supports efforts to fight against animal cruelty and the woman who just wants a highquality product that is good to her skin and makes her look beautiful.

“I just thought,” Drummond says honestly, “If I can make a quality product, that’s 100% cruelty-free, 100% vegan and really lasts, then so be it.”

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Genetically Modified Foods WHAt ARE tHEY?

G

enetically Modified (GM) is a special set of technologies that alter the genetic makeup of organisms such as animals, plants, or bacteria. Biotechnology, a more general term, refers to using organisms or their components, such as enzymes, to make products that include wine, cheese, beer, and yogurt.

Combining genes from different organisms is known as recombinant DNA technology, and the resulting organism is said to be "genetically modified," "genetically engineered," or "transgenic." GM products (current or those in development) include medicines and vaccines, foods and food ingredients, feeds, and fibers.

Because of the prevalence of soy and corn in processed foods, about 30,000 genetically modified food products sit on US grocery store shelves.

Here are the top 9 Genetically Modified ingredients to watch for: 1. SOY \ GM since: 1996 \ How widespread: 94 percent of the US soybean crop was genetically modified in 2011, according to the USDA. What to watch for: Soybeans, genetically modified for a lower trans-fat content, show up in many traditional (i.e. not organic) soy products, such as tofu, soy milk, soy sauce, miso, and tempeh, as well as any product containing the emulsifier lecithin (often derived from soybean oil), such as ice cream and candy.

2. COTTONSEED \ GM since: 1996 \ How widespread: 90 percent of the US cotton crop was genetically modified in 2011, according to the USDA. What to watch for: The cotton plant, genetically modified to be pest-resistant, produces not only fibers for fabric, but also cottonseed oil, available on US shelves as a standalone product, and also commonly used as an ingredient in margarine, in salad dressings, and as a frying oil for potato chips and other snacks.

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3. CORN \ GM since: 1996 \ How widespread: 88 percent of the US corn crop was genetically modified in 2011, according to the USDA. What to watch for: Corn has been modified for a number of different reasons: to resist herbicides, pesticides, and insects, and also for enrichment of vitamin C, vitamin B9, and beta carotene. GM corn can make its way into hundreds of products: breakfast cereals, corn-flour products (tortillas, chips, etc.), corn oil products (mayonnaise, shortening, etc.), and literally anything sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, which covers sweetened fruit drinks, processed cookies and other snacks, yogurts, soups, condiments, and many other products.

4. CANOLA OIL \ GM since: 1996 \ How widespread: 90 percent of the US canola crop was genetically modified in 2010, according to the New York Times.

What to watch for: Any canola oil made in the USA. This popular cooking oil, originally derived from rapeseed oil by breeders in Canada (the name is a contraction for “Canadian oil, low acid”) comes from a genetically modified plant that is no longer simply cultivated, but grows wild across the Dakotas, Minnesota, and Canada.

5. U.S. PAPAYA \ GM since: 1998 \ How widespread: 80 percent of the US papaya crop was genetically modified in 2010, according to the New York Times.

What to watch for: All papaya grown in the US. Hawaiian papaya was genetically engineered to withstand the ringspot virus in the late 1990s, with the GM version rapidly taking over the industry. In 2009, the USDA rescinded regulations prohibiting GM papaya on the US mainland; they have since been introduced to Florida plantations.

8. MILK \ GM since: 1994 \ How widespread: Recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) is a GM synthetic hormone injected into dairy cows to boost milk production. 17 percent of US cows were injected with rBGH in 2007 (most recent figure). Milk from rBGH-treated cows contains elevated levels of Insulin Growth Factor-1, a hormone linked to increased risks for certain cancers.

What to watch for: No label is required for milk from rBGHtreated cows, though many brands of non-treated milk label their containers as such.

9. ASPARTAME \ Genetically modified since: 1965 \ How widespread: Aspartame, an artificial sweetener, is derived from GM microorganisms. It is found in over 6,000 products, including diet sodas.

What to watch for: Avoid anything labeled as containing Nutrasweet, Equal, or aspartame.

6. ALFALFA \ GM since: In 2005, the USDA deregulated GM alfalfa, though cultivation was later halted in 2007, following lawsuits from the Center for Food Safety and others who demanded a full evaluation of the threats to conventional alfalfa plants, and the emergence of herbicide-resistant weeds. Following a new environmental impact study, the USDA in 2011 again deregulated GM alfalfa, which is grown primarily as feed for dairy and sometimes beef cattle.

How widespread: Data on the re-introduction of GM alfalfa in 2011 will be available from the USDA in July. At present, GM alfalfa is used primarily as hay for cattle. The Monsanto Technology Use Agreement for “Roundup Ready” GM alfalfa forbids its use for sprouts.

What to watch for: It’s difficult to tell from a meat or dairy product whether it is from cows fed GM alfalfa. Look for organic dairy products and organic or 100 percent grassfed meat. An even better option is to go vegetarian or vegan.

7. SUGAR BEETS \ GM since: 2005 \ How widespread: 95 percent of the US sugar-beet crop was genetically modified in 2009, according to the USDA. Around half of the sugar produced in the US comes from sugar beets.

What to watch for: If a non-organic bag of sugar or a product containing conventional sugar as an ingredient does not specify “pure cane sugar,” the sugar is likely a combination of cane sugar and GM sugar beets.

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A Green Planet Production by Josh and Rebecca Tickell

tHE bIGGESt toXIC WAStE CoVERUp In HIStoRY SYnopSIS On April 22, 2010 the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig sank into the Gulf of Mexico creating the worst oil spill in history. Until the oil well was killed on September 19th, 205 million gallons of crude oil and over 1.8 millions gallons of chemical dispersant spread into the sea.

By exposing the root causes of the spill, filmmakers Josh and Rebecca Tickell uncover a vast network of corruption.

The Big Fix is a damning indictment of a system of government led by a powerful oligarchy that puts the pursuit of profit over all other human and environmental

With Peter Fonda, Amy Smart AND JASON MRAZ

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needs.

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FREEDoM oF

CHoICE

The FDA stated that people DO NOT have a fundamental right to the food of their choice.

pRotECtInG tHE RIGHtS oF FARMERS & ConSUMERS FA R M T O c O n S U M E R . O R G

By Marlene Caroselli, Ed.D.

W

hat do Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, Eva Longoria, and a host of other well-known names have in common (beyond their celebrity status)? They are all fighting for the American farmer. "As long as there's a few farmers out there," Willie Nelson asserts, "we'll keep fighting for them."

The sentiment is echoed in the words of folk rocker Neil Young: "Just as rock 'n' roll is loud and proud, so is Farm Aid. Farm Aid's greatest accomplishment," he claims, "is in the spirit. It's the fact that we represent the spirit of the good fight, to keep something good happening. It just keeps getting stronger and stronger," he says.

There's good reason for the ferocity these "fighters" display.

In the mid-’80s, more than a million American farms failed. But the crisis didn't end there. According to the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture, bank consolidations have led to a reduction in the number of small banks. This reduction has led to the reduction of loans to the farming community.

Bankruptcies represent only one possible cause for the decline in the number of farms—from a high of 6.8 million in 1935 to a low of less than one-third that number 77 years later.

Any numbers of forces, unfortunately, are working to put the American farmer in near-crisis mode. Politics, inevitably, rears its controversial head whenever crises arise. And, with recent developments in the status of illegal immigrants, the connection to the farm crisis rises to the forefront. The weather, economic conditions/low prices, fires, floods, agribusinesses that can raise animals without farmers, and even the federal, state and local government—all contribute to the declining numbers of family-owned and operated farms.

Fortunately, farmers can turn to people like attorney Pete Kennedy, president of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF), which protects the right of farmers and consumers to engage in direct commerce without government interference. He believes consumers have the right to obtain the food of their choice from the source of their choice, whether or not that source is licensed by government agencies.

Ask about raw milk enforcement actions of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Kennedy will cite a number of egregious actions the agency has taken. "In Pennsylvania," he notes, "a farmer was delivering milk to members of a private buyers club; the consumption of raw milk is legal in every state. Despite the fact that the farmer had a clean track record, the FDA set up a sting operation and sent an

undercover agent to infiltrate the club. Eventually a court issued an injunction prohibiting the farmer from delivering to club members in the District of Columbia and Maryland."

Cause-specific passion is evident in Kennedy's voice as he speaks of other government actions that are harming, not helping, the small farmer. "The FDA," he continues, "has also been part of raids of other food clubs, including two raids in Los Angeles where thousands of dollars of food products were destroyed and three people affiliated with the club were arrested and charged with felonies connected with selling and distributing raw dairy products. The FDA has also participated in several raids of a Pennsylvania farmer."

Despite ringing phones in the background and a rushed tone to his voice, one senses Kennedy could speak a very long time about other attacks on American farmers. "The FDA took part in a raid in a Cincinnati parking lot where a farmer distributing raw milk to people who had ownership interests in the cows boarded on the farmer's property had raw milk and other products seized by government officials."

Kennedy points to another situation involving a search by an FDA official of a private residence suspected of hosting a drop site for deliveries of raw milk, a product banned in interstate commerce for human consumption. FTCLDF filed a lawsuit in 2010 to challenge the ban imposed by federal regulations; even though the case was dismissed, Kennedy believes some good came from the proceedings.

"The FDA admitted it would not enforce the regulations against consumers crossing state lines to get raw milk for themselves. Further," he acknowledges, "the judge spoke about how the law had never been enforced against people sending agents across state lines and farmers selling to out-ofstate individuals."

The suit also brought to light the FDA's views about freedom of choice. The FDA stated in a document it filed in the case that people do not have a fundamental right to the food of their choice.

Judith Redmond, co-owner of Full Belly Farm, a certified organic farm in Northern California once observed, "We used to be a nation of farmers, but now it's less than two percent of the population in the United States. So a lot of us don't know a lot about what it takes to grow food."

A lot of us, thanks to celebrities, counselors and organizations like FTCLDF, are learning a lot about what it takes to grow food and to protect those who do.

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tA'KAIYA bLAnEY

11-YEAR-oLD 88

EnVIRonMEntAL ACtIVISt A Distinctive style . com

AMERICAnS' RIGHt to ACCESS FRESH, HEALtHY FooD IS UnDER AttACK!

IntERVIEW

Farmageddon is about the struggles for small farms to survive in a system that is designed to benefit large industrial farming KRIStIn CAntY Kristin Canty, Diirector of Farmageddon became interested in healthy food when one of her sons fell sick with multiple allergies. She found that farm fresh grassfed raw milk healed and restored him to perfect health.

In getting the fresh foods from various farms to keep her family healthy, she started learning about numerous issues being posed by local and federal government, along with armed raids on farm buying clubs and health food co-ops across the entire nation.

The food that restored her son back to perfect health was under attack.

Farmageddon encourages action to insure our rights to access food of our choice, along with farmers’ rights to produce foods safely and free from unnecessary government regulations.

We need to use our voting power to protect and preserve the dwindling number of family farms that are struggling to survive.

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LIZ REItZIG IS A CRIMInAL

What is her Crime?

LIZ REItZIG

FoUnDInG MEMbER oF tHE FARM FooD FREEDoM CoALItIon WWW.FARMFooDFREEDoM.oRG InFo@FARMFooDFREEDoM.oRG

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transporting raw milk across State lines!

CLICK FoR

IntERVIEW WItH LIZ REItZIG

We lobby on the national level for food rights including raising awareness of legislation or amendments threatening our access to local foods of our choice.

Planning events focusing on local foods and political awareness of issues surrounding local foods.

We also plan and organize national and local level strategic events to bring greater awareness to the plight of small farmers.

To inspire, empower and facilitate consumers into action until everyone can procure the foods of their choice from the producer of their choice.

A MoDERn DAY WItCH-HUnt bY oUR bIG bRotHER GoVERnMEnt

Forty armed federal agents and uSda officials stormed this farm and seized their beloved flock of healthy sheep, then slaughtered them for a CLICK FoR disease that doesn't exist!

IntERVIEW WItH LInDA FAILLACE

LInDA FAILLACE

The government's own laboratories proved the sheep to be healthy but the USDA has engaged in destroying evidence, hiding evidence from Federal court, ignoring the Freedom of Information Act, putting the Faillaces under months of surveillance, and using an outside laboratory which has been shut down for gross negligence. Linda Faillace has written a critically acclaimed account of the story in her book "Mad Sheep� the true story behind the USDA's War on a Family Farm.

Linda Faillace is a writer, shepherdess, songwriter, and owner of a country store dedicated to supporting local farmers and locally grown food. She has studied mad cow disease since the early 1990s. A champion of organic and sustainable farming, farmer's rights, and strong local communities, Linda lives with her husband, Larry, and their three children in East Warren,Vermont.

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MoRnInGLAnD DAIRY

JoSEpH DIXon

due to unfair and dastardly undermining by missouri State authorities, morningland diary has been forced to cease production and stop selling our cheese

DEnISE DIXon If you are fed up with powerhungry bureaucrats who are making every effort to deny us the right to choose what we feed our families and to destroy small family farms, then please stand with us in this fight. Help our family farm to continue by contacting the following offices, and by financially supporting us, if you can. This is not just about cheese; it’s about freedom under God, and not these bureaucratic wouldbe gods.

MAY tHE onE, tRUE GoD bLESS US In tHIS FIGHt!

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In our 30 yrs. of Morningland Dairy production there have been no complaints or reports of illness connected with eating our raw milk cheeses, yet the FDA and Missouri authorities, using improperly handled and very questionable test results from California, made us recall all cheese sold, embargoed all our remaining cheese, refused to properly test our cheese, denied us a jury trial, judged us—without any proof—to have an unsanitary plant and sick animals, ordered us to make unaffordable changes to our plant that are not required according to regulation as well as to do expensive testing of our cheese that also is not required according to regulation, and have since badgered us with false accusations and demands for information from our new, private membership association, insisting specifically that we include our members’ private information and threatening us with a $100/day fine until we acquiesce to their demands.

SWat team raidS

RAWESoME FooDS

the united States’ government’s War on food continued when rawesome Foods, a private food buying club in Venice, ca, CLICK FoR was invaded by an armed IntERVIEW SWat team.

JAMES StEWARt

WHo WAS ARREStED? – James Stewart, the owner of Rawesome – Sharon Palmer, farmer and owner of Healthy Family Farms, Rawesome’s primary farm supplier Stewart was being held on $125,000 bail, which is more than the bail in LA for a rapist.

WHAt IS tHE CHARGE? CONSPIRACY TO SELL RAW MILK.

JAMES StEWARt During the felony hearing, Stewart was blindsided by a one million dollar arrest warrant issued in Ventura County, then led from the courtroom by agents where he was held for a week in L.A. County's Twin Towers jail. The warrant being issued in Ventura County, however he was detained in L.A. County where the jail is notorious for its deplorable conditions.

In the video, the 65 year old Stewart tells how he was detained and suffered what he termed a “week of torturous hell” in the L.A. jail.

He was even subjected to over 30 hours of raw sewage in his cell room.

Stewart speaks of being identified as a "sovereign" which is a code word for terrorist. Being forced to wear a red armband identifying him as dangerous to other inmates and the guards, his safety was placed at risk amongst the often violent members of the jails central population.

Stewart has no criminal past and Rawesome foods has never had any health issues or complaints filed against them.

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KAtHLEEn bARRY & MELISSA AnDERSon-HInn

Angel Warriors on the Front Lines Fighting the sex slave trade in women and children Female sexual slavery is present in ALL situations where women or girls cannot change the immediate conditions, of their existence; where, regardless of how they got into those conditions they cannot get out; and where they are subject to sexual violence and exploitation – Kathleen Barry, (Female Sexual Slavery, 1979)

By Matt Kramer

I

mpatience and apathy are traits of the news media in the United States especially in regard to chronic humanitarian issues. Current disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes will get attention during their peak and immediate aftermath.

When a toddler falls into a well and is trapped, the nation and the media holds its breath for two days until she is freed. But reports of thousands of children around the world succumbing daily to preventable causes appear to be too routine for the mass media. The subject of modern slavery is also relegated to an occasional story but not often enough to keep the public apprised of the epidemic nature of this horrible crime.

Outside of the attention of activists and government statisticians, few know that current estimates of the number of people living in slavery conditions today (estimated between 12 million and 27 million) outnumbers the entire population of people enslaved during the 350 years of the transatlantic slave trade.

In this two-part series, we profile two women, Melissa Anderson-Hinn and Kathleen Barry, who have made significant inroads working to increase awareness and end slavery of women and children, especially those who have been falsely recruited or kidnapped against their will to work in the sex industries.

inaccurate presumptions of judicial, police, and political figures who had to make decisions on such cases that were uncovered in their jurisdictions.

When asked what motivated Anderson to move beyond the ivory towers of academia to work directly with victims, she replied, “How could I not be motivated to get involved?” As a trauma survivor herself, Anderson knows exactly how it feels to be completely disempowered and exploited and the need to dig deep to find the strength and motivation to be healed.

Growing up in the South, she also knows firsthand the devastating effects of hatred and discrimination in relation to a number of issues, including sexuality, politics, religion, and race. She also noted an overwhelming amount of apathy and ignorance about the nature of the world, observing the

MELISSA AnDERSon-HInn Melissa Anderson-Hinn became aware of the global trafficking in women and children while studying policy design in a political science course. Seeking an obscure example to study, she came across the newly enacted Trafficking Victims Act of 2000. In her research, she became aware of the existence of the sex-trafficking trade and, as Barry had realized three decades earlier, the overwhelming degree of apathy and ignorance of the general public and the inherent biases and

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Melissa Anderson-Hinn

damaging impact “when people root their lives in entitlement and self-preservation rather than empathy and compassion.”

Anderson’s observation of these attitudes combined with her natural sense of empathy helped shape her world view at a young age. The integration of her nature, her awareness of the suffering and oppression in the world, and her leadership skills contributed, in her words, to a “storm of passion for human life and spreading love, empathy, and ideals such as freedom and justice. It is fundamentally impossible for me to ignore my global-social responsibilities in order to be a part of ending modern slavery, helping engage others, and collaboratively imagining and creating a sustainable, more compassionate, and peaceful future for our world.”

Drawing on her background in conflict resolution, including community work in restorative justice, and as a marriage and family therapist, Anderson works with both victims and perpetrators of abuse directly while also engaging politically to improve and educate caregivers, administrators, politicians, and others to better understand the complex nature of the social systems that overlook and sometimes support the mechanisms of the modern slave trade. If you want to know how you can help in this lopsided, complicated battle for human rights, read the sidebar story about “Maria,” one of Anderson’s clients.

KAtHLEEn bARRY Author, sociologist, and academic researcher Kathleen Barry, Professor Emerita at Penn State, is a legendary pioneer who cofounded the United Nations Non-Governmental Organization, The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW). Her landmark book, Female Sexual Slavery, is credited for inspiring an international movement to expose and end the worldwide exploitation of women and children in the sex trade.

Barry is no stranger to controversy. The daughter of bluecollar parents who did not want her to go to college (their expectations were that she should find a good husband and settle down), she put herself through college and became a schoolteacher. During that time, in the early '60s, the civil rights movement came to her hometown of Syracuse and, repelled by the virulence of white attitudes towards the blacks in town, Barry joined the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). Her experience in the field and her interest in becoming better able to be of service led her back to college to earn a degree as a sociologist. By the mid-1960s she was deep into the feminist movement when she discovered a connection between rape, porn, and human trafficking in prostitution that was, as far as she could tell, completely unacknowledged by any government or law agencies. Even the London head of Amnesty International at that time

Kathleen Barry believed that maybe there had been an illegal sex trade in the 1800s but stories of women and children kidnapped or coerced into prostitution was most likely a myth; certainly not a contemporary problem. Barry’s research on what was going to be an article about rape and power surfaced too much information for one document; she used the information to write her first book, Female Sexual Slavery, and to cofound CATW. While there is still a long way to go (estimates range as high as over 100,000 women and children transported illegally annually, with annual revenues estimated as high as $30 billion) as a result of her work and the work of CATW, governments are adopting newer and tougher laws, and some law agencies are reversing the trend of charging the victims as criminals while their clients go free.

Kathleen Barry's most recent book is UNMAKING WAR, REMAKING MEN: How Empathy Can Reshape Our Politics, Our Soldiers and Ourselves. Visit her web site for more information.

WWW.KATHLEENBARRY.NET If you’re interested in helping to end sexual slavery; the first step is to learn about the organizations currently addressing the problem. See the following links for more information: www.soroptimist.org/trafficking/stopping.html www.stopchildslavery.com oprah.com/oprahshow/How-to-Help-End-Sexual-Slavery www.renewamerica.com/columns/kralis/060720

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