Vol. 2, No. 4
December 2009
An Educational Guide
to Sustainability and Spiritual Well-being
Turquoise: Valued for thousands of years INSIDE: 5 Endangered animal deserves our support 6 Aquaponics: sustainable food production
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10 10 outdoor activities to engage children in nature 13 The beauty of our galaxy through Hubble’s lens
Earth Odyssey—Reaching an educated audience across Arizona and beyond
AshFork
Dewey Humboldt Mayer
Strawberry Pine
Earth Odyssey is available in these towns and communities across the state of Arizona. Earth Odyssey is also available in Bellingham and Prosser in Washington State. Visit www.EarthOdysseyOnline.com for a detailed list of establishments that carry Earth Odyssey.
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Earth Odyssey • www.EarthOdysseyOnline.com
December 2009
Columns Vol. 2, No. 4
December 2009
News and Features
Cover Story: Turquoise: Valued for thousands of years 16
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5 Endangered animal deserves our support 9 Cronkite building gets green certification 10 10 outdoor activities to engage children in nature 10 110th Christmas Bird Count: Citizen science in action
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11 Directions to build your own birdhouse 20 Nature Notes: Nine second graders have a little phenology fun
26 Concert will benefit Sedona Food Bank
By Michael Davis
Page 23 27 Study reveals widespread fish contamination
Movie Reviews
13 The beauty of our galaxy: Hubble
by Jason Allen
Telescope captures amazing images
Movies that won’t make you dumber
Columns and Entertainment 4 12 21 23 24 24 25 26 28 32
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This ’N That by Ann Haver-Allen Sustainable Business of the Month: Payson’s ReStore Tracks Across Your Horizon by Bob Matthews Organized Living by Tanya Allason Staying Healthy the Natural Way by Leilah Breitler Yes! You Can Recycle That by Patricia Melchi Puzzle Page Calendar of Events Holistic Medicine by Timothy A. Patterson Heirloom Garden Seeds & Stories by Cindy and Stephen Scott
By Christine Bollier
Page 30 6 Aquaponics: sustainable food production
ON THE COVER: Marty Colbaugh is the third generation to operate Colbaugh Processing Inc. in Kingman, where some of the world’s best turquoise originates. See story on page 16. Photo by Ann Haver-Allen December 2009
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Look for new format with January issue This ’N That
An educational guide to sustainability and spiritual well-being
Our Mission The mission of Earth Odyssey is to encourage individuals to develop a sustainable lifestyle and healthier well-being by providing educational information needed to make wiser choices. We envision an extended community of individuals who care passionately about their environment and their own spiritual well-being and recognize the symbiotic relationship between the two.
By Ann Haver-Allen Publisher/Editor of Earth Odyssey Inside Earth Odyssey
Magazine Staff
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Publisher/Editor Ann Haver-Allen Photographer, Photo Editor, Web Master and PR Director Pia Wyer Advertising Art Director Distribution Manager Jason Allen Advertising Representatives Bill Allen Jo Ann Johnson Pia Wyer
e have discovered that many or our readers are confused as to how they should classify Earth Odyssey. Although the content is more magazine style, the appearance is more newspaper style. A newspaper is “disposable” content, reporting news that has little value beyond the immediate future. A magazine, however, does not report on news—unless it’s a news magazine. A magazine has an unlimited shelf life and presents information that does not lose its value like news does. A National Geographic magazine from 10 years ago is just as interesting to read today as it was when it was first printed. The newspaper-magazine confusion has lead us to rethink how we present Earth Odyssey. This is how we see our publication: • Earth Odyssey is not a newspaper. We do not report news, except in the Calendar of Events section. Newspapers are temporary publications—the content generally has short-term value. Newspapers are read and recycled. Yesterday’s news has little interest today. • Earth Odyssey’s writers are not reporters. At Earth Odyssey, we strive to present information—information about our environment and how we can live more sustainably and information about our spiritual relationship with our Earth, each other and ourselves. Earth Odyssey has an unlimited shelf-life. Information does not lose value like news does. • Earth Odyssey has a calendar of events section in which to tout forthcoming events. The calendar is your resource for discovering what’s happening, when and where. If you have an event you would like included in the Earth Odyssey calendar, send your information to editor@EarthOdysseyOnline.com. Be sure to put calendar listing in the subject line. Remember, we have a $10 fee for calendar items, which should be five or fewer lines. Granted, we created this newspaper-magazine confusion for our readers. We initially selected the newspaper format because it’s what we could afford. Printing on newsprint is one of the most economical ways to print. Even though we selected the highest quality newsprint available to us, the product still looked and felt like a newspaper. Page 4
Photo by Ann Haver-Allen The retail store operated by Colbaugh can be seen from Hwy. 93 off to the right as you head north toward Las Vegas. Hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The phone number is 866-928-4650.
We always planned to move to a magazine format when the time was right. At only 17 months, it is time to act. Beginning next month Earth Odyssey will be printed in a magazine format. We hope this change will help better define Earth Odyssey in the minds of our readers. Earth Odyssey will be printed by Signature Offset on 100 percent recycled paper. Signature Offset is a certified leader in recycling production materials such as 100 percent aluminum printing plates and soy-based inks, which are not heat-set into the paper making the paper product itself easier to recycle.
Out and About Last month I visited Colbaugh Processing Inc. located outside Kingman, which is the subject of this month’s cover story. It was my first trip to an actual turquoise mine, although I have been an amateur rock hounder for years. Thanks to the generosity of owner Marty Colbaugh and his son Josh, I had an enjoyable and educational visit. Be sure to read the story, beginning on page 16.
Courtesy Rules Computers are wonderful tools that enable us to do our jobs more efficiently—in most instances. Efficiency, however, could be greatly improved by implementing a few courteous practices. Always make good use of the subject line when sending e-mail. Take the time to type the actual subject of your e-mail into the subject line. Things like: press release, reply, or, worst of all, blank subject lines are not sufficient. Instead, be specific, i.e., “Calendar submission,” “Letter to the Editor,” etc. Properly using the e-mail subject line equates to filing items in the file cabinet so that you can quickly locate the material when needed. Always include a phone number in your email. Including your contact information can be easily done by adding a signature to your e-mail. Then, the information is there every time you send an e-mail and you do not have
to worry with it. oo If you insist on using a spam blocker, use it wisely. Figure out how to disable the nonsense when someone is trying to reply to your e-mail. If someone is replying to you, it’s unlikely that they are a spammer. Please, save us from having to navigate through those goofy letters.
My Soapbox What has happened to grammar and proper punctuation? Can we blame e-mail or texting? Are the perceived abuses I see just normal evolution of the language? I hope not, but if that’s the case, I am glad I won’t be actively engaged in the workforce in another 20 years (I hope). Here are two of my pet peeves. Couple—When I studied grammar in elementary school, couple was a collective noun (singular) and took a singular verb: the couple was married. These days, it’s rare to see the singular verb used. Everywhere, it’s “couple were.” Yikes! oo ’—The apostrophe denotes that something has been left out. The tail of the apostrophe points toward the element that is left out, i.e., it’s, don’t, couldn’t. The same applies when shortening a decade from 1990s to ’90s, or until to ’til. In the last few years, apostrophe abuse has been running rampart. The poor apostrophe is blatantly misused as ‘90s and ‘til. The misuse arose from the computer because it takes an extra keystroke to properly position the apostrophe when it’s not located between two elements. But the misuse is now widespread. I have seen “How‘s”—which is actually a challenge to do. The backwards apostrophe plague is even spreading to hand-done work. I have seen the apostrophe misused in lettering on trucks, billboards and signs for weekend car wash fundraisers. Does anyone else care? Your comments and viewpoints are welcome. Send them to editor@EarthOdysseyOnline.com. Put “Letter to the Editor” in the subject line.
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Contributors Tanya Allason Leilah Breitler Michael Davis Tobias Hughes Jo Ann Johnson Bob Matthews Sarah McLean Patricia Melchi
Wes Ozier Kimberley Patterson Timothy A. Patterson Cindy Scott Stephen Scott Dominique Shilling Debra J. White Pia Wyer
Earth Odyssey is published monthly by Pinon Pine Press LLC and is available online at earthodysseyonline.com. Send comments and suggestions to: editor@earthodysseyonline.com OR via U.S. mail to: Editor 1042 Willow Creek Road Ste A101-PMB 486 Prescott, AZ 86301 Phone: (928) 778-1782 The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher or advertisers. Copyright © 2009. Pinon Pine Press LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction, in whole or in part, is prohibited without written permission. For photo reprints, contact Pia Wyer at pia@animistarts.com. Printed by Prescott Newspapers Inc. 8249 East State Rt. 69 Prescott Valley, AZ 86314
Earth Odyssey is printed on recycled paper using soy inks. December 2009
Endangered animal deserves our support By Tobias Hughes Earth Odyssey Youth Reporter
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he black-footed ferret is, in my eyes, an amazing little creature. I don’t know what draws me to them. I was feeling generous one evening and searched endangered animals and the blackfooted ferret popped up. It seemed like a very passed-by animal. It is cute, and is actually needed in wildlife. I looked the animal up online and developed a greater bond. I found a zoo and started a collection to donate to the zoo. It sadly ended too soon and the collection eventually fell to pieces. When I joined Earth Odyssey, one of the first few things that came to my mind was the black-footed ferret. I know that the majority of Earth Odyssey readers are educated, conservation-minded people and that they would be willing to support the endeavor to help the black-footed ferret. I want people to support this greatly overlooked, important, small mammal. Black-footed ferrets are one of North America’s most endangered mammals. They are members of the Mustelidae or weasel family, which also includes otters, badgers and wolverines. Ferrets are 18 to 24 inches long, including a 5-6 inch tail. They weigh up to two and a half pounds. The average lifespan for a ferret is three to five years. Males and females look identical, although males are slightly larger. Black-footed ferrets depend on prairie dogs for food and shelter. More than 90 percent of the ferrets’ diet is made up of prairie dogs. Ferrets and prairie dogs live in prairie dog towns in underground tunnels called burrows. Prairie dogs are considered pests and a national effort to eliminate them in the 1900s had a devastating effect on black-footed ferrets. By late the 1970s, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considered declaring them extinct. Things began to look a lot brighter in 1981 when a colony of more than 100 blackfooted ferrets was discovered in Wyoming. A disease outbreak, however, dropped the
December 2009
Photo by Trisha M. Shears A black-footed ferret curls up and takes a siesta.
number of black-footed ferrets to 18. Seven of those were captured and a successful captive breeding program began. In 1996—after a 60-year absence—the Arizona Game and Fish Department released 35 black-footed ferrets in Aubrey Valley outside of Seligman. That location became the fourth reintroduction site in the United States. With a little help, the black-footed ferrets will begin to thrive again. AZGFD keeps tabs on the black-footed ferret population by conducting two spotlighting efforts annually: One in the spring and one in the fall. The spotlighting effort involves backpack spotlighting from dusk until dawn—the time when black-footed ferrets are most active. Anyone interested in volunteering to participate should contact the black-footed ferret field station at azferret@azgfd.gov to receive more information. For those who wish to contribute funds to help the black-footed cause, here are some World Wide Web sites to check out: • www.ferret.org/read/BFF-Page.html • http://hofa-rescue.org/clover/clover.html • www.worldwildlifefund.org/ogc/species_ SKU.cfm?gid=4&cxs=29 These are just a few of the many organizations that you are able to donate to. Just a quick trip online can make a difference. Save the ferrets NOW! Tobias Hughes is an eighth-grader at Mile High Middle School in Prescott.
Photo courtesy Arizona Game and Fish Department The eyes of the black-footed ferret glow green at night, making them easy to spot.
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Aquaponics
Combination of hydroponics and fish farming produces food, water and a sustainable future By Wes Ozier Earth Odyssey Contributor
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quaculture is the practice of growing fish in a controlled “fish farm,” and is the standard in the fish industry. Many people are also familiar with the concept of hydroponics, growing plants in a controlled greenhouse or other facility. There is a new sustainable option to both of these practices that is widely gaining in usage and it is called aquaponics. In any fish farming operation, the water for the fish must be purified of fish fecal matter, free floating planktons and other “waste” products. In a hydroponics system, nutrient-rich fertilizer for the plants must be added to the water to ensure healthy growth. To quote Dr. John Todd, inventor of “Living Machines” and founder of Ocean Arks International, which pioneered aquaponics, “In nature there is no waste.” In nature, all waste from plants and animals becomes fertilizer and nutrients for plants, which in turn becomes food for animals. The plants and animals can then become food for humans (I apologize to any vegans out there). Starting in 1971, the New Alchemy Institute began experimenting with techniques for recycling the wastewater—called “effluent”—from fish farming systems into hydroponics systems. The effluent from the fish tanks provided all the nutrients the plants of the hydroponics systems required, the process of digesting the nutrients from the effluent had the effect of cleansing the water, and the cleaned water could then be cycled back into the fish farm. Not only that, the hydroponics system could be used to grow plants edible for the fish, meaning the system produced the food for the fish from the fish effluent. This arrangement created a self-sustaining closed loop functioning much in the way nature does. When aquaponics was first introduced by the New Alchemy Institute many skeptics did not believe the system could provide enough food for the fish. They believed the system would be incapable of keeping the water sufficiently clean and would be prone to disease in both the fish and the plants. None of these have been the case. Aquaponics system have been shown to provide clean water without the aid of artificial cleaner systems, they also use far fewer resources in terms of overall water used and they require little to no outside feed to be brought in. They are cheaper, cleaner, more environmentally friendly and healthier than standard aquaculture practices. Not only does the aquaponics system produce fish as an edible product, it can also produce plants edible by humans. The Page 6
Photos by James Rakocy, University of the Virgin Islands The Aquaculture Program at the University of the Virgin Islands, St. Croix, USVI operates six research-scale aquaponic systems. The program annually produces about 20,000 pounds of tilapia and a variety of vegetables.
human diet is very complex and needs to be balanced with many factors of nutrition. By producing fish as a protein source, and plants for other nutrients, a single aquaponics system can provide a completely balanced and healthy diet. Even for vegetarians, the aquaponics system still provides many advantages. The aquaponics systems at the New Alchemy Institute were made with techniques very similar to the design of Living Machines. Living Machines use all-natural processes to clean and recycle water. It was the exact same natural forces at work in a Living Machine that worked for an aquaponics system. An aquaponics system basically takes two tanks, also referred to as ponds. One pond holds the fish, the water flows from that pond into another holding the plants. Both tanks should have a layer of mud at the bottom. To create more robust systems, extra tanks and water features can be added to the system. There are two main tricks that must be See Aquaponics, page 7 Earth Odyssey • www.EarthOdysseyOnline.com
December 2009
Aquaponics course takes place June 2010
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Photos by James Rakocy, University of the Virgin Islands The Aquaculture Program at the University of the Virgin Islands, St. Croix, USVI is planning a week-long course titled The International Aquaponics and Tilapia Aquaculture Course for June 13-19, 2010. See box at right for details.
Aquaponics
continued from page 6
designed into an aquaponics system: flow and aeration. The water must be kept flowing, not necessarily 24 hours a day, but for most of the day. The flow rate needs to exchange all of the water in the fish pond for all of the water in the plant pond about every two to three days. This flow rate can be accomplished with one simple pump, and that pump can even be solar powered. The ponds are connected by pipes (standard PVC pipes will do), water is pumped from the final tank and flows through a trough where it falls into the first tank, which pushes the water from the first tank to the second. Aeration provides oxygen for the fish and helps to maintain the full metabolic efficiency of the plants and microorganisms clean the water and break the effluent down into nutrients. Aeration can be provided by two means. The first is by air pumps placed into the ponds. Aeration can also be provided by “tumbling” water, water that flows and falls in ways similar to small waterfalls or babbling brooks. Tumbling the water not only helps to aerate, but also helps to grind apart solids suspended in the effluent. An aquaponics system should use both methods of aeration for maximum efficiency. Tumbling provides aeration and additional cleaning, and if designed with a keen aesthetic eye and good craftsmanship, it can December 2009
produce fountain-like water features that both look and sound beautiful. Combined with the plants and the ponds, the entire aquaponics system can be a beautiful feature. The water of an aquaponics system must be kept warm, for the health of the fish, the health of the plants and the efficiency of the cleaning. At the New Alchemy Institute they built “solar ponds,” which were heated by passive solar design. Solar ponds were built inside clear fiberglass tanks, positioned so they would be exposed to direct sunlight and the sunlight would heat the water of the tanks without the need for artificial heating elements. Some systems have used artificial heating elements powered by electricity generated from a grid or from photovoltaic panels. Other systems have been built with solar water heaters. Many designs exist for solar water heater systems. Some can be as simple as black rubber tubing exposed to sunlight with water running through the tubes, while others are industrially manufactured solar water heater panels that provide maximum solar heat for the water. The individual designer can choose which system would work best for their system and mesh best with their ecological ethic and resources. Two common questions with aquaponics are: what types of fish? And what types of plants? The most common fish used in aquapon-
ics is the tilapia fish, sometimes called St. Peter’s fish. Many species belong to the genus Tilapia, and some are better for fish farming than others. The species called Tilapia Joka is a common type of tilapia due to their relatively peaceful nature. The genus tilapia has two major characteristics that make it a good fish for farming. First, tilapia are a very hearty fish, able to live in a variety of water conditions and adapt well to changes in those conditions. Secondly, tilapia are omnivorous and they can live off a variety of vegetation. They are also edible and tasty. All these factors combine to make tilapia an excellent choice for aquaponics systems. Of course, you could grow other fish if you wanted, but you would have to make sure your system provided the correct type of environment and provided any necessary dietary needs for the fish of your choice. Meeting these demands may require your system to be more complex and resource consumptive, thereby reducing its “sustainability.” While fish are the main seafood crop, they are not the only option. As long as conditions are right, you could also possibly grow other food animals, such as crayfish, frogs, prawns or river clams. In fact, the more biodiversity, the more robust the system, and the better your diet, so I would encourage seeding your aquaponics system with a veritable
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or Earth Odyssey readers who are interested in learning more about aquaponics, the University of the Virgin Islands in St. Croix has a week-long program scheduled for June 13-19, 2010. The International Aquaponics and Tilapia Aquaculture Course is a seven-day program that will provide in-depth knowledge of the principles and practical application of the aquaponic and biofloc tank culture systems that have been developed at the University of the Virgin Islands. Participants will be introduced to a variety of system designs that maintain water quality by various solids removal techniques and by hydroponic plant culture (aquaponics), a suspended growth process (biofloc tank culture) or fixed-film nitrification. Fish production instruction will be conducted using both the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and red tilapia. Hydroponic plant production will focus on vegetables, culinary herbs and ornamental flowers. Each day will include a half-day of classroom lecture and a half-day of hands-on field work. Participants will learn the technology through presentation of the theory and practical skill development. Each student will be given a notebook of reference materials. Water quality labs will cover the methods of analysis and the use of water quality test kits. Field work will include fish handling, vegetable production and system operation. The Aquaculture Program operates 15 research-scale systems (six aquaponic and nine biofloc) as well as commercial-scale aquaponic and biofloc systems, a biofloc demonstration system with an associated vegetable garden, a fry sex-reversal system, a recirculating system for fingerling rearing and a purge system. The program annually produces about 20,000 pounds of tilapia and a variety of vegetables. For more information, including cost and registration, see www. uvi.edu/sites/uvi/Pages/AES-Aquaculture-International_Aquaponics. aspx?s=RE. Page 7
Photos by James Rakocy, University of the Virgin Islands The Aquaculture Program at the University of the Virgin Islands, St. Croix, USVI operates six research-scale aquaponic systems and produces a variety of vegetables, including lettuce and tomatoes, as well as about 50,000 pounds of tilapia annually.
menagerie of appropriate animals. The question of plants is at the same time a little more complex and a little simpler. There are three things you need plants for: to clean the water, to feed the fish and to feed the humans. For this reason, I recommend your aquaponics system have two ponds for plants. The first pond should be dedicated to cleaning the water. What plant types are best for cleaning? Here the answer is much more simple than people usually think. In nature, bio-diversity is strength, and therefore, the greater the diversity of plants in your system, the better. To seed the cleaning tank, I recommend you collect mud, water and every type of plant you can find from local water sources. Collect the plants and place them in your system, and don’t be afraid to add more plants as time goes on. Second, you need to grow food for the fish. Tilapia can subsist off a diet of duckweed and algae. Duckweed is a simple little plant, sometimes called Water Lentils, which look similar to very small lily pads that float on the water’s surface. Duckweed has two characteristics making it an ideal food source for an aquaponics system. For one, duckweed is a protein-rich nutrient source. Second, they reproduce prodigiously. It is their rate of reproduction that makes them quite a nuisance for many waterways, but excellent in an enclosed aquaponics system. To seed duckweed, all you need to do is find some growing in a natural body of water and dump some of it into your aquaponics system; the duckweed will do the rest. The duckweed will inevitably spread throughout your system and become a prolific food Page 8
source for your tilapia. Although you may have to scoop out duckweed periodically, it is noteworthy that in Southeast Asia, duckweed is also dried out and ground into a protein-rich flour eaten by humans. Be careful the duckweed in your system cannot gain access to local waterways or it could spread and become a nuisance. Tilapia also eat algae, which will grow naturally in the fish pond, but there are structures you can build in the tank that will promote the growth of prolific crops of algae, which can be harvested and fed to the tilapia. Tilapia will also eat bugs and larvae that will inevitably “volunteer” for your system. The cleaned effluent from the third tank can then be plumbed to enter a series of long shallow toughs, or short tanks, filled with a growing medium such as vermiculite or pea gravel. You can then plant various vegetables in the troughs, and design them so that the excess water flows back into the fish pond. If you wish, prunings and clippings from the plants can be simply chopped up and recycled back into the system. A truly progressive aquaponics system can be integrated with other sustainable water systems. Rainwater attachment can help re-charge any lost water in the system, grey water systems can help to bring new nutrients into the system and the aquaponics system could be hooked up to an irrigation system to provide nutrient rich water for permaculture crops planted in the ground, or in container gardens. If integrated into a rigorous “Living Machine,” an aquaponics system can take in greywater, grow fish and plants and eject clean, drinkable water. A truly elegant and well-designed aquaponics system can provide
food and water able to support a person in a healthy and sustainable way. Whenever I see reports of people starving and dying of thirst in Third World Countries, I think of how valuable these systems could be around the world. Even in our country, these systems can provide a panacea of healthy food and water, reducing our resource consumption, bolstering the ecological strength of our infrastructure, providing local healthy food, and beautifying our built environments. When you use the phrase “tanks” many people imagine large, ugly plastic containers. This does not have to be the case. In fact, one who is familiar with the construction and installation of landscaping water features could design an aquaponics system that serves as a piece of landscaping. The beauty of the system is limited only by the imagination and craftsmanship of the designer. In Arizona, I have seen buildings, gated communities and private homes that include ostentatious water features, such as fountains, artificial bodies of water and even fish ponds. When built with conventional techniques here in the arid environment of Arizona, these types of features are an insulting and ethically criminal consumption of water and resources. However, if the desire for pretty water features could be combined with aquaponics systems, then we could actually increase the sustainability and ecological quality of our built environment. When designed at the New Alchemy Institute, the standard pond was a fiberglass tank five feet high, and five feet in diameter, held roughly 700 gallons of water and produced roughly 40 pounds of edible fish annually. Each week, 20 percent of the water had to
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be flushed and replaced. If you can envision the size of this system, you can see it is not very large, and can actually be produced at the “backyard” scale, meaning an ambitious “do-it-yourselfer” could construct one of these systems with relative ease. Across America, and in other countries (notably Australia), many people are creating and experimenting with backyard aquaponics systems. Personally, it is the development of backyard scale systems I find most intriguing as the most powerful application of aquaponics. Yes, one needs to study some design techniques and care/feeding of fish and plants to run a successful aquaponics system, but overall, it is not difficult to learn these techniques. Food production and water reuse are cornerstones of the creation of a sustainable society, and I always say that education and “elbow grease” are the necessary components for a sustainable future. Imagine if the hundreds of millions of homes in America all integrated an elegant aquaponics system, provided food and fresh water for its inhabitants and increased the ecological activity of the structures. With education and a little work, this goal is obtainable. You could study these systems and build your own aquaponics system as a unique and beneficial part of your home’s landscaping. To learn more about aquaponics, visit these Web sites: • oceanarks.org • backyardaquaponics.com • aquaponics.com.au Wes Ozier, LEED-AP, is director of the Camassia Institute at Lost Valley. Feel free to e-mail him at wes@lostvalley.org. December 2009
Cronkite building gets green certification
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he new downtown Phoenix building that houses the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University has earned a silver certification for sustainability from the U.S. Green Building Council. Cronkite Dean Christopher Callahan said the award, which comes more than a year after the new building opened, is a reminder of how special the Cronkite building is. “It’s a place that epitomizes not just the highest standards of journalism but the highest standards of sustainability,” he said. “We’re extremely proud to receive this award.” The Cronkite building was constructed with numerous sustainable features, including an east-west orientation for solar control, exterior overhangs and sunscreens for shading windows, energy-saving materials to help optimize building energy performance, low or no-water landscaping, low-flow plumbing fixtures, building materials that meet LEED low-emitting product requirements and occupancy sensors for lighting control. In addition, more than 10 percent of the total building material content was manufactured using recycled materials, said Howard Shugar, vice president and senior project manager for HDR, the architectural firm for the building. In its report, the U.S. Green Building Council awarded the project 37 points out of 37 submitted for sustainable features, such as being served by 12 bus lines within a quartermile of the site and diverting 79.8 percent of construction waste generated on-site from a landfill and development and implementation of a green housekeeping program. The Cronkite building, which also houses KAET Channel 8, is the result of an innovative partnership between Arizona State University and the city of Phoenix. It was built with revenue from a $223 million bond approved overwhelmingly by Phoenix voters in 2006. The Cronkite building represents the largest single portion of that investment at $71 million. The building, located at the corner of Central Avenue and Taylor Mall, is a six-story structure of glass, steel and concrete built
Courtesy photo The building that houses the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University has earned a silver certification for sustainability from the U.S. Green Building Council.
by Sundt Construction Inc. and designed by Steven Ehrlich Associates in partnership with HDR. Features include the First Amendment Forum, a multi-tiered public space designed for informal daytime gatherings of students and faculty as well as nightly public events; the Cronkite Theater, a 144-seat venue that, along with the Forum, is equipped with ready-for-broadcast high-definition TV cameras; and the Marguerite and Jack Clifford Gallery, a museum-inspired space that displays media artifacts, including several items
from Walter Cronkite, the school’s namesake and legendary CBS News anchor, who passed away earlier this year. Other building features include seven state-of-the-art professional newsrooms and media incubators, seven other digital computer labs, the Sony TV Studio, the Cronkite NewsWatch Studio, two KAET Channel 8 TV studios, KBAQ radio studio, 17 fully mediated classrooms, nearly 1,000 classroom seats and 280 digital workstations for students. The space is about five times the size of the school’s previous home, Stauffer Hall,
on the ASU Tempe campus. LEED is a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. The rating system, created by the U.S. Green Building Council, grades project sustainability based on points awarded for water conservation, energy efficiency and environmental quality, among other things. The more points, the higher the rating, which goes from basic certification up to Silver, Gold and Platinum.
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www.evsolar.com Page 9
10 outdoor activities to engage children in nature
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he average child sits more than six hours a day inside looking at an electronic screen and snacking. As a result, the healthy and decompressing outdoor play experience many adults had as children is becoming a thing of the past. Researchers at University of Illinois report findings that indicate exposure to natural settings in the course of common after-school and weekend activities may be “widely effective” in reducing attention deficit symptoms in children. Lack of unstructured playtime in nature for some leads to: shorter attention spans, increased aggressive behavior, higher stress and depression and nutrition and physical activity implications. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends kids relax and get about an hour per day of unstructured time to kick back and unwind. According to an analysis of federal data representing more than 6,000 children, low vitamin D levels are particularly common among girls, adolescents and people with darker skin. Low levels of this nutrient are blamed on a combination of factors, including a decreased amount of time going outside and getting healthy doses of sunlight. The indoor lifestyle has increased America’s rates of poor fitness and obesity, sunlight and vitamin D deficiencies and nearsightedness.
10 Ways To ‘Be Out There’ 1. Keep a picnic blanket in your car for an
Courtesy photo Spotting shapes in the clouds is a classic childhood activity that can be enjoyed by young and old alike.
impromptu picnic after picking up a fast food dinner on any spot of green you can find. No backyard? Find a local park. 2. Whether you drive or walk to school, or wait with your child by the bus stop, take a moment to notice nature. Make it a game of “I Spy.” 3. Observe the clouds and engage the imagination. Picking out shapes in the clouds is a classic childhood activity and needs no special equipment. To cloud-watch
with older kids, combine technology with the outdoors and go geo-caching or, the lower-tech version, letterboxing. There are about 20,000 letterboxes and 250,000 geocaches hidden in North America. Visit geocaching.com and letterboxing.org. 4. Set up a birdhouse and feeders in the backyard and observe visiting wildlife. Be sure to look for signs of night visitors. See directions on page 11 for building your own birdhouse.
5. Start a small garden. All you need is some bird seed and a sponge. For spongegarden instructions, visit greenhour. org/spongegarden. Next step: check out National Gardening Association’s parents’ primer for gardening with kids at kidsgardening.com/primer.asp. 6. Take homework outside. In school, it’s a treat when the classroom moves outside for the day. Incorporate that treat into the after-school work. 7. For older kids, start stretching your child’s boundaries, allowing them to go for unsupervised walks in the neighborhood with groups of friends. They’ll love the feeling of independence. 8. Have your child make a map of your neighborhood using only natural landmarks. This will heighten his or her observation skills and can be the first step in creating a “field guide” to the nature in your neighborhood. 9. Start a nature table. Set a limit of how many items they can have in the “nature museum” so they’ll keep it to a manageable number. Other ideas: use an old tackle or sewing box, or a hanging shoeorganizer with clear plastic pockets. Have your kids decorate it! 10. Keep flashlights near the door and go for a neighborhood night hike. Kids will love the novelty, and you can challenge them to identify “night sounds.” Learn how to make a moon journal at greenhour. org/moonjournal. For more information, visit BeOutThere.org.
110th Christmas Bird Count: Citizen science in action
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rom Dec. 14, through Jan. 5, tens of thousands of volunteers throughout the Americas take part in an adventure that has become a family tradition among generations. Families and students, birders and scientists, armed with binoculars, bird guides and checklists go out on an annual mission—often before dawn. For more than 100 years, the desire to both make a difference and to experience the beauty of nature has driven dedicated people to leave the comfort of a warm house during the holiday season. Each of the citizen scientists who annually braves snow, wind or rain to take part in the Christmas Bird Count makes an enormous contribution to conservation. Audubon and other organizations use data collected in this longest-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations— and to help guide conservation action. From feeder-watchers and field observers to count compilers and regional editors, everyone who takes part in the Christmas Bird Count does it for love of birds and the excitement of friendly competition—and with the knowledge that their efforts are making a difference for science and bird conservation. For more details about the Christmas Bird Count in your area, contact the appropriate Audubon chapter. Page 10
Huachuca Audubon Society P.O. Box 63 Sierra Vista, AZ 85636 Maricopa Audubon Society PO Box 15451 Phoenix, AZ 85060 480-829-8209 Northern Arizona Audubon Society PO Box 1496 Sedona, AZ 86339 928-522-0375 Prescott Audubon Society PO Box 4156 Prescott, AZ 86302 Sonoran Audubon Society PO Box 8068 Glendale, AZ 85312-8068 Tucson Audubon Society 300 E. University Blvd. #120 Tucson, AZ 85705 Photo by Ann Haver-Allen This Gambel’s Quail is frequently seen forging in the editor’s backyard.
Audubon Arizona 3131 S. Central Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85040 602-468-6470
Desert Rivers Audubon Society 1121 Terrace Road Chandler, AZ 85226 602-388-4072 Earth Odyssey • www.EarthOdysseyOnline.com
White Mountain Audubon Society PO Box 3043 Pinetop, AZ 85935 Yuma Audubon Society PO Box 6395 Yuma, AZ 85366-6395 December 2009
Directions to build your own birdhouse
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shed-roof birdhouse works well for House Wrens, Chickadees and White-breasted Nuthatch. The house can be made inexpensively in about an hour. You will need a saw and a drill. NOTE: Do not include a perch unless you are want to attract sparrows and starlings.
f building a wooden birdhouse is too difficult for the younger children in your life, try this easy “green” birdhouse that can be made from a recycled milk carton. You can use either a paper or plastic milk carton.
Directions 1. Wash milk carton thoroughly. If it’s a paper carton, open the top completely for washing. Then reclose it and staple it shut. 2. Have an adult poke a hole through the top of the paper carton. If it’s a plastic carton, have an adult drill a small hole in the center of the lid. 3. Straighten a metal coat hanger and bend about 1 inch on one end forming a long “L” shape. This will be the birdhouse hanger. 4. Insert the hanger through the top hole with the bottom of the “L” inside the milk carton for support and bend the short leg up. 5. Bend the other end of the hanger to form a large hook. 6. Cut an entrance circle about 2 inches in diameter into one side of the milk carton about three-fourths of the way down. 7. In each corner of the bottom, make a small hole so that any water will drain out. 8. Paint or decorate your bird house. Remember, birds will most likely chose a home the blends into the environment. 9. Hang the birdhouse on a strong tree limb. Make sure it is high enough so that predators cannot reach it easily.
Materials 4 feet of 1x6 lumber 15 1½-inch woodscrews Two eightpenny nails
Directions 1. Cut boards as shown in plan. 2. Drill ¼” holes in the floor piece for ventilation as indicated in the diagram. 3. Stand the side pieces on their 8-inch-long edges, overlay the back flush to the outside and bottom edges of the sides and secure it with three woodscrews per side. 4. Position the floor piece between the sides and secure to the sides and back. 5. On each side piece, mark a point that is 1 inch up from the bottom and ⅜ inch from the front edge. Drill a 1/4-inch hole through each side at this point, insert the front piece between them, and run a screw through each hole into one edge of the front. Check that the front pivots easily on the screws; it will be the door. 6. Position the top so it overhangs the back about ½ inch and the sides evenly. Check that the door clears the overhanging roof. Remove the door and roof. 7. Center and drill a 11/8-inch-diameter hole in the door so the top of the hole is 1 inch from the top of the door. 8. Replace the door and secure roof with four screws. 9. Drill a hole for an eightpenny nail at a downward angle through each side and into the edge of the door. The holes should be slightly wider than the nails, so the nails can be removed easily to open the door for nest cleaning. 10. Paint, stain or decorate the exterior of your birdhouse. Use natural or muted colors because bright colors can attract predators. Don’t paint interiors of houses. 11. Attach your birdhouse to the trunk of a tree or post, or hang it from a tree branch.
Photo by Ann Haver-Allen Summer Allen made a birdhouse out of a milk carton following the directions above. After construction, she painted and decorated the new addition to our backyard bird paradise.
Birdhouse plans courtesy U.S. Dept. of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey
from the
Payson ReStore Staff Special Early Bird Shopping Day Friday, December 11 50-75% off items throughout the store
Doors open at 6 AM
103 E. Hwy. 260, Payson
928-474-4247
December 2009
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,AUGHING "UDDHA #OFFEE "AR "AKERY
#ALL .OW FOR 9OUR #USTOM (OLIDAY /RDERS Page 11
Community support enables ReStore to expand
By Ann Haver-Allen Earth Odyssey Editor
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business knows it’s doing well when it has more customers than space. Until recently, that was the situation for the Payson Area Habitat for Humanity (PAHH) ReStore. The ReStore’s 3,000 square foot space was bursting at the seams with merchandise and customers—and the small parking area posed its own set of challenges. But the problems of space and parking have now been solved. The PAHH ReStore has moved into a new facility of more than 7,700 square feet. And parking is plentiful. A celebratory ribbon cutting and grand opening was held Nov. 11. The new location, in the shopping center at the southeast corner of Highways 260 and 87 in Payson, also houses the PAHH business offices. “We have more than doubled our space and brought in our business offices, said Executive Director, Cristine Royer. “We also have a receiving area in back and space where we can process donations—test and clean items and mark them for sale.” Already, the new store is fully stocked. “You have to wonder where we put it all before,” Royer said. “And all this stuff still has life left in it.” Royer said the Payson ReStore is stocked entirely by donations. “We get help from all the local contractors and that has been a great thing as they try and consolidate to minimize their storage fees,” she said. “And Home Depot is one of our partners. So, when they have a discontinued item, we get the merchandise. Talk about a blessing. Last week they discontinued a line of bath accessories. We had new mirrors and fixtures that were a nice quality. They have been flying out of here.” Royer said the ReStore enjoys support from other businesses and organizations in town, including the Payson Regional Medical Center and the Town of Payson. “The hospital recently did a remodel and they donated cases of flooring to us,” she said. “The town helped us find this space and negotiate a good rate.” Page 12
Photos by Pia Wyer PAHH Executive Director Cristine Royer and ReStore Manager Kathy Bickert celebrate the grand opening of the new, larger ReStore in Payson. Below, the new ReStore already has a wide selection of merchandise.
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And occasionally, Royer said they receive a call from one of the Phoenix ReStores. “If a manufacturer in Phoenix has a big merchandise discontinue, and the quantity is so large that no one store can handle it all, one of the ReStores will give us a call to see if we are interested,” Royer said. “We will send a truck down to pick up a few pallets. But other than situations like that, there is no networking or merchandise exchanging between the ReStores. We really do depend on local donations.” Royer said that when new merchandise comes in that is suitable for the PAHH building program they earmark it and transfer it for construction. “We are able to use some merchandise, like lighting and light bulbs, in our houses,” Royer said. “We don’t have to go out and buy these items, so that saves us a lot of debt.” PAHH dedicated five new homes in Payson just days before the ReStore’s grand opening. Those five homes bring PAHH’s total home construction to 27 since the organization’s official affiliation was granted in 1995—that’s an average of almost two new homes per year. The Payson ReStore has a very large territory, which goes as far north as Heber and as far south as Rye. “We have a pickup scheduled for Happy Jack,” Royer said. “We also go out to Christopher Creek and Heber. We will go to Rye. We try to hit those outskirt areas once a month, or once a quarter depending on the demand. We try to coordinate pickups along the way to make the truck trip worthwhile because we do spend our own money on gas. But, we will pretty much drive anywhere to pick things up.” While there is no charge for picking up donations, Royer said that there is a minimal fee for delivery to help offset costs. To control the amount and variety of merchandise in the store, sales are held. “We are inundated with doors,” Royer said. “So, today we are selling all doors for $10 a piece. Any door in the store is $10.” Sometimes the sale features windows, and occasionally a storewide 50-percent-off sale is held. “The sales are not on any specific schedule, but we try to hold one in the summer and another around the holidays,” she said. “We try to rotate inventory and don’t want to keep anything longer than 60 days.” For the week following our interview, Royer said eight pickups were scheduled. “We need to move items because we are always getting new stuff in,” she said. “Our pricing tells us when an item came in, so we know when to reduce it and move it out.” All proceeds from ReStore sales help build more Habitat homes in the greater Payson area. The ReStore is open Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Donation pick-ups are by appointment only. The telephone number is 928474-4247 and e-mail is paysonrestore@ qwestoffice.net. December 2009
The beauty of our galaxy
Hubble Telescope captures amazing images By Ann Haver-Allen Earth Odyssey Editor
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arlier this year the Hubble Space Telescope received its final “tune-up,” which was more like an extreme makeover that made the telescope more powerful
than ever. The new instruments are more sensitive to light and, therefore, will improve Hubble’s observing efficiency significantly. It is able to complete observations in a fraction of the time that was needed with prior generations of Hubble instruments. Hubble is now expected to perform until at least 2014, when its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), is due to be launched. The Hubble Space Telescope was launched in 1990. Initially, its giant lens was defective, but a Shuttle repair mission corrected the lens and Hubble began returning some of the most stunning images ever captured by science. Ten amazing photographs from Hubble are featured here. These images illustrate the strange beauty of our universe. All images are courtesy of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
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NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has trained its razor-sharp eye on one of the universe’s most stately and photogenic galaxies, the Sombrero galaxy, Messier 104 (M104). The galaxy’s hallmark is a brilliant white, bulbous core encircled by the thick dust lanes comprising the spiral structure of the galaxy. This brilliant galaxy was named the Sombrero because of its resemblance to the broad rim and high-topped Mexican hat. At a relatively bright magnitude of +8, M104 is just beyond the limit of naked-eye visibility and is easily seen through small telescopes. The Sombrero lies at the southern edge of the rich Virgo cluster of galaxies and is one of the most massive objects in that group, equivalent to 800 billion suns. The galaxy is 50,000 light-years across and is located 28 million light-years from Earth. The Hubble Heritage Team took six pictures of the galaxy and then stitched them together to create the final composite image
seen here. Images were taken in three filters (red, green, and blue) to yield a natural-color image, one of the largest Hubble mosaics ever assembled.
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From ground-based telescopes, the so-called “ant nebula” (Menzel 3, or Mz 3) resembles the head and thorax of a garden-variety ant. This dramatic NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image, showing 10 times more detail, reveals the “ant’s” body as a pair of fiery lobes protruding from a dying, Sun-like star. The Hubble images directly challenge old ideas about the last stages in the lives of stars. By observing Sun-like stars as they approach their deaths, the Hubble Heritage image of Mz 3—along with pictures of other planetary nebulae—shows that our Sun’s fate probably will be more interesting, complex and striking than astronomers imagined just a few years ago. Though approaching the violence of an explosion, the ejection of gas from the dying star at the center of Mz 3 has intriguing symmetrical patterns unlike the chaotic patterns
expected from an ordinary explosion. This intriguing composite image was created by the Hubble Heritage Team.
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This stellar relic, first spied by William Herschel in 1787, is nicknamed the “Eskimo” Nebula (NGC 2392) because, when viewed through ground-based telescopes, it resembles a face surrounded by a fur parka. In this Hubble telescope image, the “parka” is really a disk of material embellished with a ring of comet-shaped objects, with their tails streaming away from the central, dying star. The Eskimo’s “face” also contains some
fascinating details. Although this bright central region resembles a ball of twine, it is, in reality, a bubble of material being blown into space by the central star’s intense “wind” of high-speed material. The planetary nebula began forming about 10,000 years ago, when the dying star began flinging material into space. The nebula is composed of two elliptically shaped lobes of matter streaming above and below the dying star. In this photo, one bubble lies in front of the other, obscuring part of the second lobe. Scientists believe that a ring of dense material around the star’s equator, ejected during its red giant phase, created the nebula’s shape.
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This dense waist of material is plodding along at 72,000 miles per hour, preventing high-velocity stellar winds from pushing matter along the equator. The Eskimo Nebula is about 5,000 lightyears from Earth in the constellation Gemini. The picture was taken Jan. 10 and 11, 2000. The nebula’s glowing gases produce the colors in this image: nitrogen (red), hydrogen (green), oxygen (blue) and helium (violet).
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In this detailed view from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, the so-called Cat’s Eye Nebula looks like the penetrating eye of the disembodied sorcerer Sauron from the film adaptation of “The Lord of the Rings.” The nebula, formally cataloged NGC 6543, is every bit as inscrutable as the J.R.R. Tolkien phantom character. Though the Cat’s Eye Nebula was one of the first planetary nebulae to be discovered, it is one of the most complex nebulae seen in space. A planetary nebula forms when Sun-like stars gently eject their outer gaseous layers that form bright nebulae with amazing and confounding shapes. As if the Cat’s Eye itself isn’t spectacular enough, this image reveals the full beauty of a bull’s eye pattern of 11 or even more concentric rings, or shells, around the Cat’s Eye. Each “ring” is actually the edge of a spherical bubble seen projected onto the sky—that’s why it appears bright along its outer edge. Observations suggest the star ejected its mass in a series of pulses at 1,500-year intervals. These convulsions created dust shells, each of which contain as much mass as all of the planets in our solar system combined (still only 1 percent of the Sun’s mass). These concentric shells make a layered, onion-skin structure around the dying star. The view from Hubble is like seeing an onion cut in half, where each skin layer is discernible.
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This is an image of MyCn18, a young planetary nebula located about 8,000 light-years away. This Hubble image reveals Page 14
the true shape of MyCn18 to be an hourglass with an intricate pattern of “etchings” in its walls. This picture is composed of three separate images taken in the light of ionized nitrogen (represented by red), hydrogen (green) and doubly-ionized oxygen (blue). The results are of great interest because they shed new light on the poorly understood ejection of stellar matter that accompanies the slow death of Sun-like stars. In previous ground-based images, MyCn18 appeared to be a pair of large outer rings with a smaller central one, but the fine details cannot be seen. According to one theory for the formation of planetary nebulae, the hourglass shape is produced by the expansion of a fast stellar wind within a slowly expanding cloud that
is more dense near its equator than near its poles. What appears as a bright elliptical ring in the center, and at first sight might be mistaken for an equatorially dense region, is seen on closer inspection to be a potato shaped structure with a symmetry axis dramatically different from that of the larger hourglass. Hubble has revealed other features in MyCn18 which are completely new and unexpected. For example, there is a pair of intersecting elliptical rings in the central region that appear to be the rims of a smaller hourglass. There are the intricate patterns of the etchings on the hourglass walls. The arc-like etchings could be the remnants of discrete shells ejected from the star when it was younger, flow instabilities, or could result from the action of a narrow beam of matter impinging on the hourglass walls. An unseen companion star and accompanying gravitational effects may well be necessary in order
Earth Odyssey • www.EarthOdysseyOnline.com
to explain the structure of MyCn18.
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Resembling a nightmarish beast rearing its head from a crimson sea, this monstrous object is actually an innocuous pillar of gas and dust. Called the Cone Nebula (NGC 2264)—so named because in groundbased images it has a conical shape—this giant pillar resides in a turbulent star-forming region. This picture shows the upper 2.5 lightyears of the nebula, a height that equals 23 million roundtrips to the moon. The entire nebula is 7 light-years long. The Cone Nebula resides 2,500 light-years away in the constellation Monoceros. Radiation from hot, young stars—located beyond the top of the image—has slowly eroded the nebula over millions of years. Ultraviolet light heats the edges of the dark cloud, releasing gas into the relatively empty region of surrounding space. There, additionDecember 2009
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al ultraviolet radiation causes the hydrogen gas to glow, which produces the red halo of light seen around the pillar. The blue-white light from surrounding stars is reflected by dust. Background stars can be seen peeking through the evaporating tendrils of gas, while the turbulent base is pockmarked with stars reddened by dust. Over time, only the densest regions of the Cone will be left. Inside these regions, stars and planets may form. This color image is constructed from three separate images taken in blue, near-infrared and hydrogen-alpha filters.
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Resembling the fury of a raging sea, this image actually shows a bubbly ocean of glowing hydrogen gas and small amounts of other elements such as oxygen and sulfur. The photograph captures a small region within M17, a hotbed of star formation. M17, also known as the Omega or Swan Nebula, is located about 5,500 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius. The wave-like patterns of gas have been sculpted and illuminated by a torrent of ultraviolet radiation from young, massive stars, which lie outside the picture to the upper left. The glow of these patterns accentuates the three-dimensional structure of the gases. The ultraviolet radiation is carving and heating the surfaces of cold hydrogen gas clouds. The warmed surfaces glow orange and red in this photograph. The intense heat and pressure cause some material to stream away from those surfaces, creating the glowing veil of even hotter greenish gas that masks background structures. The pressure on the tips of the waves may trigger new star formation within them. The image, roughly 3 light-years across, was taken May 29-30, 1999. The colors in the image represent various gases. Red represents sulfur; green, hydrogen and blue, oxygen.
Surveys on Feb. 8, 2004. This is a view of an expanding halo of light around a distant star, named V838 Monocerotis (V838 Mon). The illumination of interstellar dust comes from the red supergiant star at the middle of the image. V838 Mon is located about 20,000 light-years away from Earth in the direction of the constellation Monoceros, placing the star at the outer edge of our Milky Way galaxy. Called a light echo, the expanding illumination of a dusty cloud around the star has been revealing remarkable structures. Though Hubble has followed the light echo in several snapshots, this image shows swirls or eddies in the dusty cloud for the first time. These eddies are probably caused by turbulence in the dust and gas around the star as they slowly expand away. The detailed behavior of V838 Mon, in particular its extremely red color, has been completely different from any previously known nova. This structure will continue to change its appearance in coming years as the light from the stellar outburst continues
to propagate outward and bounce off more distant black clouds of dust. Astronomers expect the echoes to remain visible for at least the rest of the current decade.
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This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image of the Trifid Nebula reveals a stellar nursery being torn apart by radiation from a nearby, massive star. The picture also provides a peek at embryonic stars forming within an ill-fated cloud of dust and gas, which is destined to be eaten away by the glare from the massive neighbor. This stellar activity is a beautiful example of how the life cycles of stars like our Sun are intimately connected with their more powerful siblings. A stellar jet—the thin, wispy object pointing to the upper left—protrudes from the head of a dense cloud and extends threequarters of a light-year into the nebula. The jet’s source is a very young stellar object that lies buried within the cloud. Jets such as this are the exhaust gases of star formation. Radiation from the massive star at the center of
the nebula is making the gas in the jet glow, just as it causes the rest of the nebula to glow. The images were taken Sept. 8, 1997, through filters that isolate emission from hydrogen atoms, ionized sulfur atoms and doubly ionized oxygen atoms. The images were combined in a single color composite picture. While the resulting picture is not true color, it is suggestive of what a human eye might see.
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In the direction of the constellation Canis Major, two spiral galaxies pass by each other like majestic ships in the night. The near-collision has been caught in images taken by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and its Wide Field Planetary Camera 2. The larger and more massive galaxy is cataloged as NGC 2207 (on the left) and the smaller one on the right is IC 2163. Strong tidal forces from NGC 2207 have distorted the shape of IC 2163, flinging out stars and gas into long streamers stretching out 100,000 light-years toward the right-hand edge of the image.
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This image, complete with never-before-seen spirals of dust swirling across trillions of miles of interstellar space, was obtained with the Advanced Camera for December 2009
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Turquoise: Valued for thousands of years A stone of the ancient Egyptians, Native Americans and Chinese By Ann Haver-Allen Earth Odyssey Editor any ancient civilizations believed that the power of the Earth’s energies were absorbed by rocks and minerals, which in turn endowed those rocks and minerals with vital healing powers that could then be transferred to the possessor. If so, Arizona must be truly magical because ancient volcanic activity produced a myriad of gems and minerals throughout the state making it a rock hounder’s paradise. The stone most frequently associated with Arizona is turquoise. In fact, turquoise is the official state gemstone. Today, however, only two turquoise mines are operating in the state: Colbaugh Processing Inc. in Kingman and the Sleeping Beauty mine in Globe. The Colbaughs have been mining turquoise in Kingman for four generations now. It all began when S.A. “Chuck” Colbaugh obtained the turquoise mining concession in 1962. The turquoise mining takes place in the tailings area of The Mineral Park Mine. The most famous peaks in the Cerbat Mountains that contain turquoise are Ithaca Peak and Turquoise Mountain, formally called Aztec Mountain or Aztec Peak. Ithaca Peak has fallen victim to copper mining and no longer stands. But Chuck Colbaugh was not the first to mine turquoise in the Cerbat Mountains 14 miles northwest of Kingman. Archaeological evidence, much of it discovered by Colbaugh himself, indicates that prehistoric people mined turquoise here 1,500 years ago. Colbaugh uncovered a cache of more than 10,000 stone hammers in ancient trenches and tunnels. The Hohokam hammers date to 600 A.D., and were used for mining, polishing and finishing turquoise. The hammers are on display at the Mohave Museum of History and Arts and the Arizona State Museum in Phoenix. Colbaugh also found occurrences of charcoal and skin water containers suggesting that the rock was first heated with fire, and then cooled suddenly with water. This would cause fracturing. Using the hammers and picks, the Indians would cut the turquoise from the rock. “Archaeologists found turquoise in burial sites in Mexico,” said Chuck’s grandson, Marty Colbaugh, who now runs Colbaugh Processing Inc. “Chemical analysis proved a 100 percent match to turquoise from our mine. Those burial items were more than 1,500 years old, so turquoise was being
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Photo by Ann Haver-Allen Josh Colbaugh is the fourth generation to operate Colbaugh Processing Inc. in Kingman. Josh explains the mining, cleaning and sorting processes that are involved in producing turquoise.
traded as far south as Mexico City centuries ago. That makes this mine one of the oldest known mining sites in North America.”
About turquoise The name turquoise comes from a French word that means “stone of Turkey,” from where Persian material passed on its way to Europe. The world’s oldest known turquoise mines are in Iran (formerly Persia) and the Sinai Peninsula. In the United States, Arizona is the most important producer of turquoise, although California, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada also produce smaller quantities. People generally think of turquoise as a blue stone, but actually, soil composition determines the stone’s color and specific characteristics. If the soil contains lots of copper, the turquoise is blue. If the soil contains lots of iron, the turquoise is green.
Most mines are known for a certain color of turquoise. Persian turquoise is a natural blue, but turns green when heated due to dehydration. It is mined in the Binalud Mountains in Iran. Sinai turquoise, also called Egyptian turquoise, is green. Under magnification one sees that its surface structure is peppered with dark blue discs not seen in turquoise from other localities. Turquoise from Arizona’s Sleeping Beauty mine is a beautiful robin’s-egg blue. In fact, Tiffany used Sleeping Beauty turquoise as a model for selecting the blue of his packaging. Turquoise from Bisbee’s Lavendar Pit is deep blue with small black veins and turquoise from Morenci contains pyrite occlusions. Marty’s son, Josh, said turquoise actually occurs in 437 shades, ranging from baby blue to deep green and the Kingman mine produces turquoise in the full spectrum of colors. But turquoise is never white or yellow.
Earth Odyssey • www.EarthOdysseyOnline.com
“White buffalo, or white turquoise, is just a marketing name because it is not turquoise,” Marty said. “White turquoise is impossible. It simply cannot happen.” He said the same is true for “yellow turquoise,” a mineral that has a chemical composition similar to turquoise, but is not actually turquoise. “Everyone is trying to play games and it makes it difficult for the industry,” Marty said. “It hurts our industry a lot. Probably the biggest thing that we have to fight is people lying about what the stone really is. When people don’t know how to tell the difference, and once they have been burned, they become afraid to buy anything.” He said the best advice he can offer is to know your jeweler…know who you are buying from. Today, turquoise is mined in the United States, Mexico, China, Chile, Australia, Afghanistan and a few other locales. December 2009
Turquoise history Turquoise has been valued for thousands of years as a gemstone, and not just by people in the Southwest. Turquoise was valued by many ancient cultures. Archeologists found a bracelet in an Egyptian tomb dating back to 5500 B.C. The bracelet, made of gold, had three turquoise stones set in it. That bracelet is the first known jewelry made using a gemstone. A perfect example of ancient turquoise artistry is the iconic gold burial mask of Tutankhamen, which is inlaid with turquoise, lapis lazuli, carnelian and colored glass (see photo at right). The Chinese have used turquoise for 3,000 years or more, at least since the Shang Dynasty. Pre-Columbian Mesoamericans, Persians and Native Americans also used turquoise as an ornamental stone, often used in combination with gold, quartz, malachite, jet, jade coral and shells. Turquoise, however, is generally a “soft” stone, and therefore, most turquoise needs to be stabilized. Marty said only about 3 percent of the turquoise he mines is hard enough to use without stabilization. Stabilization means something has been added to the stone to help it hold together (see page 18 for turquoise facts). Stabilizing turquoise is not new. Historical evidence indicates that ancient Egyptians learned how to stabilize turquoise. An analysis of the stones in the ancient Egyptian bracelet mentioned above indicated that the turquoise had been stabilized using beeswax. Turquoise was placed in a container of beeswax that was boiled to just before its flashpoint. The beeswax developed a very low viscosity and became very thin. Because turquoise is a porous stone, its natural capillary action drew the beeswax throughout the stone. The stones were then removed and cooled. As cooling occurred, the beeswax crystallized. “They were stabilizing turquoise 7,500 years ago,” Marty said. “So we are not doing anything that has never been done.” Native Americans would boil turquoise in animal fat. “Everybody has always tried to impregnate turquoise to strengthen it and bring out its color,” Marty said. “Every culture in the world has done something.” But the secrets of stabilizing turquoise— like the formula for making concrete—was lost for centuries. Until 1948 when Marty’s grandfather “reinvented” the process. Marty said his grandfather was watching a friend make memorabilia using scorpions suspended in acrylic. He started thinking about applying the technique to turquoise. “My grandfather developed the stabilization technique back in 1948,” Marty said. “It was the time when plastics were really starting to come out. Grandfather’s stabilization development changed the entire gemstone world of turquoise.” Stabilization is a big component of Colbaugh Processing Inc.’s business. They process all the turquoise from the Sleeping Beauty mine, as well as from smaller mines in Nevada and around the world. December 2009
“When we stabilize turquoise, we completely dehydrate the stone and replace the water content with an optically clear acrylic plastic,” Marty said. “That hardens and brings out the natural color of the stone so that it can be cut and polished.” Josh said it takes two to three months to complete the stabilization process. “It takes two to three months from the day you dry the stone to the day it’s cured,” he said. “It’s a really involved, lengthy process.” He noted that the processes used by Colbaugh Processing Inc. are all natural. “We are pretty eco friendly,” he said. “We have things tested to make sure we are not polluting the ground. We all work here and we live here, so we want to take care of the environment. We’ve been ‘green’ for years… long before everybody else turned green.”
Myths and legends Turquoise is traditionally considered a stone of spiritual attunement, cleansing, protection and prosperity, and a symbol of the Earth and sky, good fortune and success. Turquoise is credited with having the ability to detect poisons, danger, infidelity or sickness, all of which are indicated by a change in the color from dark to light. It wards off negativity and protects against the evil eye, reptile bites and diseases of the eye. Turquoise is a token of protection for physical and astral travel and vision quests. Its grounding force strengthens the user against fear of the unknown by enhancing feelings of trust, kindness, wisdom and understanding. Turquoise attunes the physical to the higher realms, balances the mind and soul and connects with all life. Some cultures consider it a bridge between heaven and Earth. In ancient Egypt, Hathor was the goddess of sky, love and beauty. She was of the House of Horace and was depicted as a woman with the ears of a cow. She was also the goddess of the desert and the Sinai turquoise mines. Hathor is equated with the Greek goddess Aphrodite and the Roman goddess Venus. The ancient Egyptians mined turquoise in Persia, modern day Iran. Because of its long tradition with turquoise, the region has numerous myths and legends associated with the beautiful blue stone. A few are: Hebrew tradition states that Isaac opened the first turquoise mines in Persia. If a person sees the reflection of a new moon in turquoise, they will soon encounter good luck. Arabian superstition says turquoise is a lucky stone and has good powers of benevolence. Turquoise is also associated with the accumulation of wealth and prosperity in the Middle East. People in Afghanistan, Iran, India and Arabia used to believe that a turquoise stone that changed color was an omen of illnesses or death. Muslim beliefs say that a change in the color of turquoise indicates a woman had been unfaithful. Arab writings from the 12th century warned that a pale turquoise stone meant polluted air or a change in the weather. In this region, it was believed that bladder ailments could be cured by dipping turquoise See Turquoise on page 18
Photo by Ann Haver-Allen Josh Colbaugh shows some turquoise that has been cleaned and sorted.
Photo by Ann Haver-Allen About half of Colbaugh’s turquoise is pulverized, molded and stabilized to make countertops, tiles, mosaics and other products that are sold through a business called Architec Jewel Tile.
Photo by Bjørn Christian Tørrissen Tuthankamen’s famous burial mask is on display in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The gold mask is inlaid with turquoise, lapis lazuli, carnelian and colored glass.
Photo by Ann Haver-Allen Architec Jewel Tile offers unique products, like the basin pictured here, formed from turquoise. Gary Marquart, the general manager of Architec Jewel Tile, can be reached at 928-753-3147.
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Turquoise facts Natural Natural turquoise is that which comes directly from the mine. It is hard enough to be cut, shaped, polished and set into jewelry. Stabilized Turquoise that has been submerged into a stabilizing compound. Turquoise is a porous stone and the natural capillary action draws the stabilizing compound throughout the stone. It is then dried. When thoroughly dried, it can be processed for use in jewelry. The turquoise is not altered during this process. The pores of the stone have been filled with a clear resin that makes the stone usable. This process not only makes the stone stronger, it also it stabilizes the color, which will not change over time. Reconstituted Reconstituted turquoise is man-made from pulverized pieces of turquoise that are stabilized and compressed with plastic resins to which dye is added. It should be sold as “simulated” or “imitation” turquoise. Compressed turquoise Small nuggets are placed in a form and put into a hydraulic press and compressed. It is then stabilized under pressure. Compressed turquoise is still legally turquoise by GIA standards. Colbaugh Processing Inc. calls this turquoise the “boulder look.”
Photo by Ann Haver-Allen Colbaugh Processing Inc. in Kingman is open for retail sales to the public. The hours of operation at 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, or by appointment. For more information, call Marty Colbaugh at 928-565-4650.
Turquoise
continued from page 17 in water and then drinking it. Looking at He guided the Sun god across the sky and was turquoise could cure eye ailments. used as a weapon against the Sun’s underworld Pre-Columbian America is rich with enemies, the stars and the moon. turquoise legends. It is one of the most Xiuhcoatl was associated with three eleimportant holy stones for protection of ments: turquoise, grass and the solar year, the body and soul. Archaeologists have which were all closely identified with fire and recovered turquoise from burial sites in solar heat in central Mexico in the Post clasArgentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Mexico sic period. A turquoise-rimmed mirror has and Central America. been found at the Maya city of Chichen Itza, In Navajo mythology, Estsanatlehi was with four fire serpents circling the rim. the turquoise sky goddess, wife of the sun. European superstitions have long associShe is also known as Changing Woman or ated turquoise with horses. They believed that Turquoise Woman. turquoise could protect horses from danger and The Navajo believed that a piece of illnesses and protect the rider from any fall that turquoise was actually a piece of the sky that might occur while riding. Europeans of the had fallen to Earth and that it had the ability Middle Ages said that turquoise would lose its to connect the Earth and Sky—symbols of color when the wearer contracted an illness and the spirit and the body. Turquoise was used was a gauge of the general health of a person. in Navajo rain ceremonies, which required Most Eastern cultures regard turquoise as the tossing of the stone into a river. a powerful protector, and in general, a very The Apache believed that turquoise lucky stone. The religion of the Hindus said combined the powers of the sky and the sea that it could accumulate wealth and Tibetans to help hunters and warriors aim accurately. believe that while turquoise can ensure good The Zuni believe that blue turquoise is fortune, it can also guard one’s health, and male and of the sky and green turquoise is protect against the evil eye. female and of the Earth and that turquoise can give protection from demons. Pueblo Indians thought that its color was Many ancient civilizations believed that the stolen from the sky. In Hopi legend, the power of the Earth’s energies were absorbed lizard who travels between the above and the below excretes turquoise. The stone can by rocks and minerals, which in turn endowed those rocks and minerals with vital hold back floods. For the Aztec, Xiuhcoatl was the fire deity healing powers that could be used to heal many types of ailments. whose name translates as turquoise Serpent. Turquoise has been considered a stone of Xiuhcoatl was the embodiment of the dry life and good fortune for thousands of years. season and the burning weapon of the sun.
Healing stone
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It was believed to have healing properties, was regarded as a holy stone and a goodluck-charm or a talisman. Persian philosopher Al Kazwini wrote: “The hand wearing a turquoise and using it as a sealing stone, will never be poor.” Turquoise stones were loved as ornaments decorating turbans, often set in a border of pearls, to protect the wearer from the “evil eye.” Many cultures carried a turquoise stone with them at all times and some Native cultures held the belief that by wearing turquoise the human mind became one with the universe. Turquoise helps us communicate clearly what we want, and to then be able to communicate our desires to others in a way they can understand. Turquoise is sacred to many Native Americans and has been used for more than a thousand years for protection and healing. In ancient healing traditions, turquoise has been credited with helping muscle tissue regeneration, alleviating stress and headaches and enhancing immune systems. It was believed to strengthen and tone the body and help improve functions of circulation, lungs and the respiratory system. A turquoise elixir was used to heal sprained or pulled muscles, damaged or cut tissue and to help strengthen the body to fight off viruses and infections. The elixir was made by adding a few turquoise crystals to a container of water and placing it outdoors overnight and the following day, allowing it to bask in moonlight and sunlight. The elixir was then added to bath water
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for a beneficial soaking. Soaking a cloth in the elixir and placing it on the forehead was believed to relieve headaches. Turquoise ground into a powder was mixed in water and drank to cure stomach and gout problems. Editors note: Do not try this. Turquoise contains copper, aluminum, iron and other metals that can be extremely harmful if ingested in even small amounts. Marty cautions about ingesting even small amounts of turquoise. Old miners, he said, used to stick turquoise to their tongue to determine whether it was natural or chalk. If it sticks to the tongue, then it’s chalk; if it doesn’t stick, then it’s natural. “Years ago, a lot of miners were having stomach problems,” Marty said. “All the old miners used to pick up small stones and put them in their pockets. One night, a guy dropped a few pieces into his fish tank. Next morning, all the fish were dead. He had the turquoise analyzed and it contained a lot of arsenic. So, he told all the miners to stop licking their turquoise because it was making them sick.” At Colbaugh Processing Inc., just about everything is done by hand. “A lot of people wonder why turquoise is expensive,” Josh said. “But we do everything by hand—mining, cleaning, sorting, grading and stabilizing. It probably moves through 20 hands from the beginning to the end of the process.” All that just to produce a product with which a jeweler can work. December 2009
Celebrate light by integrating darkness this Solstice
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his is the month of the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere (Dec. 21 at 17h 47m universal–10h 47m Arizona) and, therefore, a natural time to meditate upon light and darkness, and the shadows that fall somewhere in-between. The solstice marks the turning point from the longest night toward the “return” of the sun and lengthening days. Metaphorically, it reminds us that even when times seem the most opaque and cold, hope is waiting in the wings. In celebrating Christ’s birthday on Dec. 25 (not the actual date), Christianity absorbed the pre-existent winter solstice rituals into its liturgical year, and Jesus’ birth became a metaphor for the return of the light. From what we understand of Jesus’ actual teachings, Jesus invited us into higher consciousness and living our full co-creative potential. A difference between indigenous spirituality and contemporary Christianity is that the former is integrative while the latter is largely dualistic. Darkness and light become oppositional, rather than complementary aspects of the greater whole. In reality, darkness is not overcome by the light, they dance and move seamlessly around and through one another. Indigenous spirituality recognizes dawn and dusk as threshold places. These are the times of day when light and darkness are truly integrating. Thus, it is easier for us to perceive the relationship between the seen and unseen (form and spirit). In psychology, Jung illustrated this understanding through the archtype of the human shadow, representing aspects of the individual and collective psyche that appear split, but in reality cannot be truly separated. One exists in and influences the other. Today, his work has become assimilated into the vernacular, and we don’t often think of its origin or deeper meaning. We speak of someone’s shadow when we notice an event, word or behavior that seems incongruous with who we understand the person or organization to be. An unconscious individual (group or nation) projects the disowned aspects of itself onto another as opposed to a conscious individual (group or nation) who is aware of the traits but chooses not to live them out. Thus, we have cults of personality in diverse guises
December 2009
worshipping the perceived and projected “positive” (culturally valued) traits sleeping in the psyche, and start wars to annihilate the “enemy” with projected “negative” traits. Just as much of Christianity seems to have lost touch with Jesus’ essential message, we have lost our awareness of the essential reality of the seasons, and how their turning affects the lives of the Earth and all her creatures. In the Western world, we are accustomed to commanding light, heat and cooling at the flick of a switch, and have our food prepared and delivered to our door from all parts of the globe. In the West, we live the artificial duality of our culture by hoarding resources and pretending we have no responsibility to anyone but ourselves. Or, worse, we claim some sort of “divine mandate” that legitimizes our every whim. Last week I drove by a high-end market and ventured inside for the first time in a long while. Aside from the spectacularly high prices, I found myself astounded by the variety and volume of foods, laid out beautifully and excessively as far as the eye could see. Standing before this bounty, I thought of all the people throughout the world, even in my own small town here in America, who do not have enough money for any food or shelter, and the opulence seemed obscene, even as it was fascinating. In this case, if one chose to see, the dualism of our culture was shockingly apparent. The bounty enjoyed by a fragment of the world’s population casts a long shadow upon those who do not have the financial and technical wherewithal to participate. What
many people fail to realize is that this stark division of power is becoming standard operating reality for the citizens of this country that prides itself on being a world superpower. Perhaps I am hopelessly naive to wish that power might, one day, inform rather than corrupt, that wealth might invoke generosity rather than protectionism and hoarding. Only in the West could the awareness that consumerism is ultimately suicidal on a personal and planetary level, be turned into a consumer-driven “green movement” marketing force of its own, with pretty packaging and celebrity endorsements. In this culture seemingly committed to superficiality, spoonfed propaganda from borderline insane talk show hosts and pseudo news shows, the line between darkness and light, truth and falsehood, is at best blurred and confused. Politicians know that stimulating a population’s fear (flight or fight) response short-circuits more sophisticated skills of reasoning, intuition and compassion, and makes people easier to manipulate. Hence, all the fear mongering over healthcare reform, the need to maintain a warring presence somewhere in the world at all times, the need to distort spiritual truths into religious tribal survivalism rather than inclusive universality. Claiming allegiance to the light, sporting moralistic bumper stickers and self-insulating narcissism, aspects of the culture become a caricature of themselves. Thus, we find the paradox of people claiming to be “pro-life” while simultaneously supporting war, the death penalty and destruction of our planetary ecosystem. We are being told it is socialism, or worse, communism, to care about the welfare of our fellow humans and the environment, to say it is morally wrong for corporations and a very few individuals to bloat themselves with wealth at the expense of others. Are not the elitism and financial exploitation of the many by the few the antithesis of Jesus’ teachings? Teachings the nation claims to espouse? The label we attach to something does not alter its reality any more than a mirror image becomes the object it is reflecting. Corporatism is neither democratic nor just. It is time to reclaim our spirituality, our light and our darkness from the individuals and institutions we projected onto. It is time
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to understand that both light and darkness have generative and regenerative qualities, and both are equally essential to the functioning whole of the planetary system, our individual and collective consciousness. The seasons turn regardless, independent of our control, they call us to remember the Earth, remember our interdependence, remember those outside in the cold while we drink warm chocolate by an open fire. They remind us that the dualities of our culture are artificial, and projecting the positive onto light and the negative onto darkness misses the point. We can flip a switch for electricity, but not to illuminate the contents of our own soul and character. We are back to Jung’s shadow and the awareness that the more we repress something, the more powerful and dangerous it can become. This is true equally of repressing the constructive as the destructive. If we repress and deny our brutality, it will seep out in passive-aggressive (or worse, overtly aggressive) behaviors toward others. If we repress our creativity and generosity, we poison the well of our own psyches and withhold grace and healing from the world. So, as we celebrate the “return” of the light, let us embrace both the light and the darkness, rediscover what is truly sacred to us and live it out, consciously, cooperatively, engaging fully in the wonder of what it means to be born into this deeply beautiful world. We should not allow cynicism, greed, intimidation or fear to rob us of our birthright. Let us truly appreciate all those creatures born of unfathomable universal conscious creativity. Call it God or Goddess, or whatever you choose, but the only truly appropriate response is awe, generosity and deep humility. Pia has been a part of Earth Odyssey since the beginning. She has a Master’s degree in Culture and Spirituality from Holy Names University, Oakland, Calif., and is a recent graduate of the two-year Anamcara apprenticeship program through the Sacred art of Living Center in Bend, Ore. She is a freelance photographer, artist and writer based in Payson, Ariz. She can be reached through her photography and design business, Animist Arts, e-mail pia@animistarts.com, website www. animistarts.com and through Earth Odyssey, e-mail pia@earthodysseyonline.com.
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Nature Notes
Nine second graders have a little phenology fun By Fiona Reid Earth Odyssey Contributor
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ummer comes, summer goes. Sometime toward the end of September or early October we find ourselves digging to the bottom of a drawer in search of a somewhat musty and crumpled sweater, or long-sleeved T-shirt, or lightweight coat for those chilly early morning and evening hours. Thank goodness we have fall to soften the blow between summer heat and winter cold, between tank tops and capris versus turtlenecks and pile jackets. I actually dislike layering on bulky clothing. I love being barefoot, and I love air that is the same temperature as my body. I’ve been in basic denial of winter for the past 23 years, ever since I left the southern hemisphere and landed on Virginian soil. My birthplace is Mombasa, Kenya, right at the edge of the Indian Ocean. Odd to think that where we take our first gasp of breath on this Earth—something over which we have absolutely no control— has such profound consequences for us. Citizenship, for one thing. But I’m thinking more of connection to a place; some kind of innate resonance with climate and weather. I wonder if it’s because my mother ate things like mangoes and papaya and coconuts before I was born, rather than turnips and potatoes. But, as a naturalist I do appreciate the winter months. I do! I appreciate them even more when I pay attention to them, which brings me to the point of my story. I have begun recently to fulfill a lifelong yearning—to pay closer attention to, and to wonder more about, what is really going on in nature during the seasons, during one of Earth’s big spins around the sun. And I have company on this mission. Nine second graders and their teacher want me to join them in their phenology fun. These youngsters will be my charge four times between now and this time next year, and in order to pass down my infinite wisdom on the subject I should at least be one step ahead of them in the study. OK, in my own defense I am not a rookie
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Courtesy photo Fiona Reid, center, is surrounded by children in one of the many education programs she conducts that introduces youngsters to the wonders of nature.
at this. Being outside is my life. I love to notice the spring return of the Turkey Vultures to the skies above my house, or the familiar sound of the White-Crowned Sparrows that find their fall forage and cover in the native shrubs and bushes on our property. And much more. So what the heck is phenology? It’s a fabulous word that simply means looking at and noting down the changes seen in nature during the passing of the seasons. Why bother? Good question. First of all, can you imagine the impact on the life and thinking of an 8-year-old who spends time looking at, and noticing, detail and timing in nature? Imagine an 8-year-old noticing if it was a warm and dry spring or winter; when the cottonwood buds out; when the lemonade berry bush produces its tart, hairy berries
that are so yummy to chew on; when the first hummingbird takes a sip of the first penstemon to bloom. Imagine these kids noticing the first exoskeleton of a cicada on the trunk of a tree, or recording the date they first hear the magical night sounds of a katydid. Imagine these kids playing outside and finding their socks covered with prickly seeds and, although disgruntled at the discomfort, mentally acknowledging the wonder and purpose of a seed and how smart it was to find a way to travel! Secondly, we may not be aware of it, but phenology affects us all in a basic and critical way. Most of the time we coast through this annual rotation of the sun in blissful ignorance. Seasons just happen and we turn on the a/c, or turn up the heat, and shed a few layers of clothing, or put ’em on. We sneeze
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in spring and curse the juniper, then sneeze in late summer and curse the grasses. No matter what time of year, no matter what the season we can tootle on down to the supermarket and buy blueberries from New Zealand, or French beans from Kenya or lamb from Australia. “It’s five o’clock somewhere.” But to those who came before us, who depended on nature’s trail mix, so to speak, for their health and welfare, it mattered. Not only did it matter, it was crucial. And, although I prefer to dwell on delight rather than doom, it will matter to us again. Close monitoring of phenological variations occurring now will inform us about the effects of climate change on native and cultivated plants. Just a quick example: if, as a result of climate change, a particular plant flowers early but its insect pollinator is not yet in its particular state of metamorphosis to do its job, then the plant lies barren, unable to produce the next generation. If that plant doesn’t produce fruit of some kind, let’s say a berry, then the bird that depends on that food for energy during its migration, may simply not make it to its breeding ground where it produces young of its own. And you can bet that wherever that was supposed to take place there was some other creature dependent on those eggs for protein and fat for its own survival. You get the picture, I’m sure. Alas, nature won’t seduce all of these children with whom I will begin to share this adventure, but more than one kind of intelligence is catered for here. Not only do my young phenologists have to spend time outside for this study, they can even satisfy their need to work with technology inside by logging on to a scientist blog, by becoming part of Project Budburst or Journey North, both on-line educational and data-entry programs, contributing the results of their observations to a network of people sharing information on timings and changes in nature. How cool is that? People who have phenology fun could save the world, and the second graders and I have our work cut out for us! Fiona Reid, education director at the Highlands Center for Natural History, is a passionate defender of nature and outdoor time with children.
December 2009
An evening of badger watching with Len
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he greater part of my youth was spent in the county of Sussex in England. To many folks it is strange to think of England as being abundant in wildlife, however, the picture of the English countryside as green and pleasant is not totally misleading. Sussex, as a county, is only one-third developed. The remainder is a blend of woodlands, pastures and extensive open space. These areas are home to a wide variety of animals, reptiles and amphibians. I was far from the average child. Since about the age of 9, my time was spent off in the woods, walking the hills with my dog. I would frequently assist a deer or two to become venison, along with some careless pheasants, luckless rabbits or misled trout. I was not a cruel child—just one who learned to practice the arts of the traditional woodsman. One great lesson I learned was that of sitting still, blending with the natural cover and melting away as the need arose. My teachers were Romany people—in particular a man who had to be in his late 70s but would pass for 40. His name was Len and he was a professor of the woods who’s lessons I still use today. Len may have been the last of a long line, an enigma to many: He had never paid taxes, or rent, and to look at him, you might see a bum, deeply tanned to the color of walnut, with thick black hair hanging over his shoulders. Len never wore new clothing. He usually dressed in a dark grey jacket and old corduroy pants held up by a piece of rope. Len was the person I always looked forward to seeing. He could often be found (if he wanted to) just moving through the woods. On other days, he would be in my father’s pub sitting quietly drinking a beer. He might be discovered inspecting various estates, checking on the game animals. He had more knowledge of every estate than any of the high-paid gamekeepers. It was in April the year of my 12th birthday when I was chatting with Len about this and that, and he asked if I had ever seen a badger “really seen up close.” In England, the badger is one of the most sought after animals by naturalists to see. This animal can weigh as much as 80 pounds and has a thick grey and white coat of lush fur. The most striking aspect of this creature’s appearance is a black and white stripe that runs from the brow to the tip of his snout, much like a runway for eyes to reach out into the dark. In my youth, many badgers still lived in Sussex in ancestral homes known as sets. Documentation shows that the same sets have been occupied for hundreds of years. A very detailed map that includes the sets of certain badger families is included in the Doomsday book, written by William the Conqueror just after 1066 AD. My young heart was pounding like a huge kettle drum at the prospect of badger watching. Many nights out in the woods alone, I December 2009
By Bob Matthews
Courtesy photo In England, the badger is one of the most sought after animals by naturalists to see. This animal can weigh as much as 80 pounds and has a thick grey and white coat of lush fur. The most striking aspect of this creature’s appearance is a black and white stripe that runs from the brow to the tip of his snout, much like a runway for eyes to reach out into the dark.
had spent sleeping under the leaves of the beech trees or in a bivy shelter often hoping to see a member of the true Brock—the real name for badger—clan. I was familiar with some of the set locations: These huge holes with great mounds of debris in front of the entrance. Badgers clean house every few days. It is strange until you realize that hundreds of badgers have used these same sets, generation after generation. The entry can be as much as 50 feet across, even with great trees growing amid the flow, like green fortresses from a stark landscape. The night we were to go and watch was just after a whole day of rain, which made the rich variety of woodland smells burst onto the senses like a crescendo in a sensorial orchestral piece. Len had told me to wear dark clothing, not to wash with soap or shampoo for a day, and to avoid toothpaste like the plague. This was because the badgers have very poor eyes, but their sense of smell would put a bloodhound to shame. We left my father’s pub at 5:30, a good hour and a half before dark. We followed an old footpath to the treeline at the base of the South Downs—a range of low-lying hills, bald on top but with a monkish fringe of original wild beech trees. The woodland edge is interesting in early spring, with many crisp, tasty green plants— a perfect walk-through salad. I loaded my pockets with wild garlic leaves. These also
kept the few mosquitoes away. Len moved like a ghost, even while wearing his Wellington boots. He could glide across dried leaves and twigs with no sound. It was one skill that required hours of practice, but for a clumsy 12-year-old it was a fun challenge. Len never spoke with his mouth, only with shrugs, nods of the head and eyes making gestures to convey his instructions. The destination this night was an old set that had a mound above it as well as the mound in front of it. We were to sit among the blackberry bushes. Without a word, we got comfortable to sit and watch the set entrance some 15 feet in front of us. It was a true grandstand view. How many 12-year-olds get the chance to spend the night in springtime listening to all the vibrant life as the most active season of life’s cycle moves around him? The yipping of foxes as they celebrate a kill, the call of pheasants boasting about the size and splendor of their harems. It was a taste of how much of my life was going to be, but then it was also a time of ancient magic, a time when this young Englishman was able to experience real England—the wild England that many English cannot even imagine. An hour into our sitting, I felt the hair on the nape of my neck tingle with body electrical energy. It felt as though my ears were physically twitching. Down in front of
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me came a sound, much like that of an old man moving around in his study. A grunting started, snuffling and coughing. Mr. Brock was stirring, ever cautious. He was checking out the busy flow of smells in front of his set entry. Unable to see him, I almost wanted to yell and tell him to hurry up. The oldest male is usually the badger to emerge first. After about five more minutes of caution, a nose about six inches in length with a dark black tip emerged from the dark. It was almost too exciting for me, waiting listening, watching, keeping quiet and still. Yet, I was so intent my entire being waited on this wonderful time. A badger snuffling, and grunting, then he was meandering much like an expensive clockwork toy. The badger’s joy at being above ground was tangible in the air. He ran back and forth, rolled on his back and seemed to chuckle in a grunting sort of way. I had been watching Mr. Brock with such attention that I almost jumped physically when a very young badger bowled him over and tumbled down the debris hill, almost out of control. Then came a second, a third, and finally Mrs. Brock, a cumbersome lady of the underworld. Mrs. Brock got busy with her chores, glad to have dad taking care of the kids so that she could clean house. The play and busy scene lasted for about three hours; it had more action and comedy than any television melodrama. The show had a cast of stars: The male lead by an Olivier, the female lead taken by a gray and black fur-covered Hepburn, and, of course, the three children, so full of nocturnal energy and a perfect comedy. I returned home that night wanting to share what I had just experienced with my family. But how could I? It was not until about five years later that this story of my childhood was completed. Len disappeared. For about three weeks, I could not find any sign of him in any of his haunts. Even though I looked, it was as if I knew the truth. The police found his body in the river Arun, weighed down by his 1930’s bike. The coroner said he died from causes unknown. The funeral was held in the quaint old church of our village, overlooking the beech woods. My father was really affected by Len’s death, more than I had ever seen before. A day or two after the funeral my father told me about how, in 1938, Len had taken him to sit and watch the brocks below the fallen tree. My father is now keeping Len company, along with my mother, below the Beechwoods of the South Downs. I often sit alone, but always feel Len’s being in the quiet places of any country to which my feet take me. What of the brocks? I am sure they still are in residence. Will a 12-year-old know to pay a visit in the early nights of spring? Bob Matthews likes to spend time out in wild places. Arizona is his choice for home and the United States is his choice for country of citizenship. He was born in England. “My planet is yours, but my world is what I try to share.” Page 21
Monthly horoscope from Dominique Read your Sun, Ascending and Moon sign. An astrologer can help you find all of the planets places on the day that you were born. i Sagittarius—November 23–December 22 You can make your dreams come true through hard work and perseverance. See yourself in the future with what you want. An opportunity or lucky situation comes to you by mid month. Later on, you have a chance to make someone else happy. Just be yourself. That is all you have to do. j Capricorn—December 23–January 20 You are what you think, so think good things. Later in month you may have an unusual secret to share. Travel could bring you luck or reward. Intuition will help you know what to say to someone close to you. Something changes around your living space. k Aquarius—January 21–February 19 Trust your intuition. Let yourself go and do something fun. Communication will solve a problem. A friend brings something good to you. Pay attention to your health. This is not the time to overdo, work to maintain balance. Change is possible around your value or earnings, keep an open mind. l Pisces—February 20–March 20 Expect the unexpected around your work.
Dominique Shilling, MAFA, is a counselor and astrologer with a practice in the Valley. For an appointment, contact her at Way to the Light Within, (602) 279-2941 or check out her Web site at www.way2light.com. You could be too busy to be bored. Do not deny your creative ability. Look back a few years and see how much you have been changing. Career could get more interesting. It is up to you to focus on where you want to be. a Aries—March 21–April 19 Know your value. Big lessons could come through others this month! Enjoy home and
family. Surprises are possible in the area of romance. Take things slowly. Think of your future. Opportunity for travel is likely. Focus could go from bliss to serious. Trust your feelings and take a step toward making a dream come true. b Taurus—April 20–May 20 Change around home is likely at this time. Your ability to connect with the unknown could be enhanced. It is like knowing someone has a secret, or feeling what those close to you feel. A gift or something good comes to you. This is a very good time for learning something new and/or gathering information. c Gemini—May 22–June 21 Your focus may be on others at this time. Someone loves you, but may not say so. Expect new people to come into your life. Trust intuition about an important issue. Keep a secret. This is also a great time to study. Speak up about something you care about or believe in. d Cancer—June 22–July 23 Others can see an aura of confidence around you. Stay open to unusual opportunities to make money show up. Be open to new ideas. Know your value to yourself as well as others. Now is a good time to make needed improvements around home. e Leo—July 24–August 23
It is easier for you to speak up for something that you want. You could be changing your outlook on life. Physical and/or mental energy comes easier at this time. Creativity, romance and/or children could be occupying your mind. f Virgo—August 24–September 23 Many call themselves your friend. You are changing the way you view your past. Your value is evident to others. You may notice that you are even more practical with money now. Energy around home and family is very positive at this time. Notice the love in your life. g Libra—September 24–October 23 You could have the feeling that you are loved, believe it! Information about money could cause you to take action to bring about change. Over the next few years, Saturn in your sign could help you to get what you want. But this must be done through persistence and hard work. h Scorpio—October 24–November 22 There is useful energy around your career or purpose in life. Whatever you are interested in, you will need to invest time and energy into it if you want to bring it about. You do not have to quit anything that you currently have going on. Think of it like when you get a new friend, you do not have to let go of your old friends.
Dominique takes an in-depth look at the stars
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he constellation of Sagittarius is commonly thought to represent a centaur, a warlike creature with the torso of a man and the body of a horse. This creature was a famed centaur in Greek mythology. Most centaurs were rude, untrustworthy, cheating, violent, deceptive— and they drank too much. But one centaur named Chiron was different. Chiron was educated by the Sun-god Apollo and Diana, Goddess of the Moon and wild animals. He was as kind, gentle and wise as the other centaurs were mean, fierce and unthinking. His many skills and wisdom became so widely known that children of many famous kings were sent to him to be taught all manner of skills. Among his pupils were the mighty Hercules and Aesculapius, who became skilled at medicine. As the story goes, Hercules had traveled far one day and was very thirsty so he asked a friend to open a jar of the excellent wine kept in his house, but belonging jointly to all the centaurs. His friend did, and when the aroma of this fine wine flowed out over the countryside, the centaurs furiously galloped up to the house and demanded to know how he had dared open the wine without consulting them. The centaurs began to attack Hercules and his friend. This was a mistake, because Hercules soon settled matters by killing many of them and driving the rest from the countryside, telling them never to return. Chiron was nearby observing the event, though he had not taken part. Although Hercules knew Chiron, and deeply respected him, he could not recognize his friend from a great distance and accidentally shot him Page 22
with one of his poisoned arrows. Seeing these events and knowing of his son Hercules’ sadness, Zeus gave the good centaur a resting place among the stars as the constellation Sagittarius, the Archer. The Romans named the constellation Sagittarius (“sagitta” is Latin for “arrow”). The constellation was also known to earlier civilizations in the Middle East. Several civilizations in the Mesopotamian area associated the constellation with their god of war, variants of the archergod Nergal. The Arabs named a number of prominent stars in the constellation after parts of a human body and parts of a bow and arrow, indicating that they too associated this constellation with an archer. This month’s Retrograde Planets: Mercury will go into retrograde motion on Sunday the 26th at 21 degrees Capricorn. It will start moving forward again in January on the 14th. Mars goes retro at 19 degrees Leo on the 20th. Its forward motion will resume again on March 10th at zero degrees of Leo. The following report is broken down by weeks. Tuesday the 1st’s Mercury Sagittarius sextile Neptune Aquarius makes this and the next couple of days a good time for imagination and creative endeavors. Some of Neptune’s attributes are spirituality, mystery and compassion. Since Mercury rules communication, we could be hearing about or be drawn to activities of these sorts. It is a good time to enjoy the fanciful or whimsical side of life. Venus moves into Sagittarius. This month’s full moon in Gemini is exact at 31 minutes after midnight on the 2nd. A Gemini full moon quickens the mind and makes this a good time to talk, listen, sing and write.
Friday the 4th’s Venus Sagittarius sextile Saturn Libra could make it easier to study, organize, and in general to be more practical. On Saturday Mercury moves into the sign of Capricorn, also known as the “Sea Goat.” Mercury conjuncts Pluto at 2 degrees Capricorn on Monday the 7th. This connection is positive for intuition, learning and ability to speak up in a compelling manner. Mercury Capricorn squaring Saturn Libra could hinder ability to make decisions or solve problems. One may notice delays with correspondence. On Thursday, Sun Sagittarius trine Mars Leo puts emphasis on physical energy. This is a good time for exercise or getting errands done. On Monday the 14th, Sun Sagittarius square Uranus Pisces could be felt as nervous energy. Find ways to burn it off by doing something physical. We also have Sun Sagittarius sextile Jupiter Aquarius, which can be good for health. This could be an especially lucky time for those with a birthday on or near this date! The 15th’s Sun in Sagittarius sextile to Neptune Aquarius magnifies awareness of higher states of consciousness as well as intuition. Wednesday’s new moon in Sagittarius is exact at 5:02 a.m. Sagittarius energy can get us moving, traveling and out into nature. The next day has Venus Sagittarius trine Mars Leo. This positive pairing can heighten attraction and romance. On Saturday we have Venus Sagittarius square Uranus Pisces. Expect the unexpected, especially in matters of money and love. Mars stations retrograde at 19 Leo on the 20th. This first day of the holiday week also has Venus Sagittarius sextile to Jupiter Aquarius. These two planets are called the benefic planets. This is a wonderful pairing
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that is great for opportunity and abundance. It is easier to find answers to problems at this time. There are so many good things in life and this is the time of the year that we are more likely to notice them. People are usually a little more fair, honorable, loving and generous around the holiday season. Add to that a needed boost of love, beauty, harmony and gifts from Jupiter and Venus this year! Also, on this third Sunday of the month, we have Venus Sagittarius sextile Neptune Aquarius. This is good for inspiration, compassion and creativity. The next day is Yule, which is the celebration of the return of the light at the time of the Winter Solstice. This year Yule falls on Dec. 21, which is also the first day of the Sun moving into the sign of Capricorn. On the same day Jupiter conjunct Neptune Aquarius brings more to make the holidays wonderful. Together they inspire spirituality, universal love and generosity, as well as the enjoyment of music and art. Monday the 21st is also the day that the Sun moves into Capricorn at exactly 11:17 a.m. MST. On the 24th, the Sun joins Pluto in Capricorn. The Sun represents the spark that makes each of us individuals and Pluto is about power. So, no matter which Sun sign you are born under, this energy allows each of us as individuals to know the potential power within us that can be used for constructive change. Friday the 25th Venus moves into the constellation of Capricorn. The Sun in Capricorn square Saturn Libra could make us more aware of limits and delays. Mercury goes retrograde at 7:32 a.m. MST on the See Astrology, page 29 December 2009
Living with vaccinations, swine flu and waterboarding
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ew topics in the news are as controversial as the swine flu vaccination. I became interested after a spirited conversation with some of my nursing faculty colleagues, who claimed only right-wing “crazies” could be against vaccinating for the swine flu. Since I am not a right-winger, I decided to do a bit of research myself. I also am not a medical doctor, nor do I intend to give medical advice. But the issue is important enough, I think, for me to share my findings. What is all the fuss about? Officials from the highest levels of the government—the Food and Drug Administration, the Center for Disease Control, the National Institutes of Health, etc., are all assuring us that the swine flu vaccine is safe and effective. Indeed, we are being warned that failure to vaccinate could result in a pandemic, with thousands of deaths and millions of illnesses. Arthur Caplan, Ph.D., notes in a Nov. 9, 2009, Associated Press article, “to put it bluntly, it makes no sense to be more afraid of the swine flu vaccine than the actual H1N1 flu. No vaccine in the past two decades has killed nearly so many children and adults. Yet, somehow the administration, public health officials and organized medicine and nursing have lost the battle to overcome fear, ignorance and just plain kookiness when it comes to the importance of vaccination for those at greatest risk.” This is bit disingenuous, since the fear of harm from the vaccine is not death, but neurological damage, particularly among children. According to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine, the swine flu vaccination manufactured by CSL Biotherapeutics was only tested for safety for seven days! The authors of the study were ALL employees of the manufacturer and eight had an equity interest in the company (in other words, a direct financial stake). Indeed, more than half of the members of the governmental boards that have approved these vaccines are either employed by the vaccine manufacturers or have direct financial ties. Since the manufacturers of these
By Michael Davis vaccines stand to make billions of dollars in profits, the risk of undue influence is real. But the interesting fact rarely mentioned in the popular press is that the vaccine manufacturers successfully lobbied the government for a total exemption from any liability for harm or death caused by the vaccination. In other words, if you or your child is harmed by the vaccination, you are not allowed to sue for your damages. These are the same people loudly assuring us of the safety of the vaccines. The risk of harm from the vaccination is believed to come from the associated ingredients in the vaccines. A variety of harmful substances and adjuvants are added to the vaccines in order to trigger a very strong immune response from the body. But many of these substances are highly dangerous and there are no human studies that have been done on these risks! Multidose vials of the swine flu contain mercury (single dose vials apparently don’t.) It is unclear whether the final flu vaccine will contain MF-59, an oil-based adjuvant (which includes squalene), but the European vaccines do. And they all contain aluminum adjuvants, as well as formaldehyde and a host of other harmful substances. Although there have been no human studies to assess the risk of
these substances, there have been numerous animal studies, and the results aren’t encouraging. In rats, MF-59 is directly linked to MS, arthritis and lupus. And although not proven, there are strong statistical links in the published research to vaccinations and the staggering increases in autism and other types of neurological damage. The risks of mercury would seem to be obvious. This is what all the fuss is about. Dr. Blaylock, a board-certified neurosurgeon and expert in the area of neurological damage caused by vaccinations, has gathered a great deal of this information on his Web site, as has Dr. Mercola. Dr. Larry Palevsky, a board-certified pediatrician has also written extensively on these dangers. Dr. Blaylock predicts a “disaster” from the neurological damage to our children caused by widespread use of these vaccines. Dr. Larry Wilson in Prescott has also written about these dangers. Last month, I hosted a conference sponsored by the Energy Medicine Foundation in Phoenix. Speakers included a medical doctor, board-certified in pediatrics, a DO who teaches at the local osteopathic school, a chiropractor, a naturopath and acupuncturist, and a leading pioneer from the alternative medicine movement. Not surprising, even though the Conference was about the growing use of energy medicine among conventional doctors, they were all asked about the swine flu vaccination. To my shock, they all publicly recommended against it! It seems there are crazies everywhere. Is there any good news here? First, we really don’t know how many people have been exposed to the swine flu. In an exposé by CBS News, it was revealed that actual testing for the swine flu was suspended on Aug. 30, 2009. When news headlines trumpet the number of people that are sick, they are counting anyone who has “flu-like” symptoms; in other words, the numbers are grossly inflated. In Australia and New Zealand, countries that are just coming out of their flu season, the incidence of flu has actually been less
than in years past. Dr. Blaylock suggests that based on published data, your risk of actually getting the swine flu is less than .01percent; that is 99.99 percent of us will not. The predictions of a pandemic appear to be very fear-based. (An unpublished study of 12 million people from Canada, however, suggests that you double your risk of getting swine flu if you get a regular flu shot; Canada has suspended them because of this.) But Dr. Blaylock suggests that the swine flu is actually one of the more mild flu strains. In every death that has been attributed to the swine flu, the patient has had other serious, underlying health conditions. Drs. Blaylock and Mercola also recommend a variety of immune-enhancing supplements and foods, which, of course, should always be our first line of defense. And Dr. Eaton in Prescott is offering a very inexpensive homeopathic supplement that stimulates an immune response to the swine flu without all the ingredients that have been linked to side effects. Now, I don’t think this article should be the deciding factor in your deliberations. The vast majority of medical authorities recommend the vaccine. I have written this solely to dispel the notion that there is no room for rational discussion here. Do your homework and ask questions. All of us are different. Dr. Blaylock suggests that the risk to pregnant women and fetuses is great, as is the risk to those who are extremely obese, and the very young. Ultimately, the decision to get any vaccination should be yours alone. This is how I have decided. The people in the government urging us to get vaccinated and trumpeting the safety of the vaccine, are the same people, albeit in a different color coat, who told us the dangers we face justified domestic wiretapping and waterboarding. Seems easier now, doesn’t it? Michael Davis is CEO of Energy Medicine Foundation and a member of the Mountain Spirit Co-Op in Prescott. He is the creator of Vibrational Realignment, a unique approach to spiritual healing, and can be reached at 928254-0775 or at VibrationalRealignment.com.
Time to organize your home for the holidays (and beyond)
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rganization is about function, design and balance. Take a good look around your home: Is it cluttered or gloomy? Does it lack energy? How do you feel when you walk into a room? Do you feel overwhelmed, depressed or stressed out? Rejuvenate your space and yourself, with a few simple adjustments. According to Feng Shui, your environment should be welcoming with an equal balance of light/dark, hot/cold, calm/energizing (just to name a few). The first step in Feng Shui-ing your home/office is to organize and remove the clutter. Just this alone will change the way a room feels when you walk in. Our environments have a large impact on our health, emotional well-being and December 2009
productivity. It has been shown that disorganized people have significant levels of stress. Since there is plenty of research that indicates stress is unhealthy, it follows that disorganization = stress = health/relationship issues.
Studies show that colors can affect how you think and feel. Shades of red will energize a room because it stimulates the heart. Green and blue hues are more calming, soothing and relaxing because they lower respiration rate and blood pressure, which in turn, can relieve stress. Walking into a room with clean lines, clutter-free surfaces, comfy furnishings and pleasing art work makes for an enjoyable visit for family and friends or a nice work environment. Every room, drawer, cabinet, container, shelf has a function/purpose. Organization supports you in functioning optimally and being productive. What surface in your home does double duty? Dining table is your desk? Countertops are your filing system? Have only what you need and love, the rest just collects dust and makes a room feel
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closed in and unsettling. Make sure everything you have has a function or purpose. If you’re using your dining table as a desk, have adequate storage containers to put all your paperwork, pens, stapler, etc., away in an organized fashion. Some small, plastic shoe-size containers for pens and staplers would be great (if they have lids, they are stackable which saves horizontal space.) A rectangle flat container for paperwork (bills) is also a good idea in the event you have to clear the table off in a hurry. Make sure you have ample storage space for everything you’re keeping. Take one area back at a time. Breathe! For more information on organizing and “How to organize” eBooks, contact Tanya— The Professional Organizer @ tanya@idealsimplicity.com or www.idealsimplicity.com. Page 23
Smudging—A Native American tradition
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sing the smoke and scent from smoldering aromatic plants for its purifying and healing powers has been known since the beginning of history. People from many different cultures and religions use the smoke from specific burning herbs, roots, resins and barks to cleanse, neutralize or positively change the atmosphere, especially in places where a lot of people gather. That is why so many religious services include the burning of plants, particularly in temples, churches and other holy places. My first experience with the healing powers of smoke was when I was about 4-yearsold. It was Christmas day and my grandmother broke a small twig off our Christmas tree. She lit the twig and blew out the flames immediately. Everyone took a deep breath and I could see how this smoke communicated feelings of joy and peace. Native American healers have always burned specific plants to purify a space of toxic energy, feelings and thoughts, to create a fragrant atmosphere that attracts healing and helping powers. Today, many Native people “smudge” as a daily ritual, or when the need arises, such as during illness or before a ceremony.
When to smudge Smudging can be practiced every day to cleanse the atmosphere in a home and workspace. Moods, thoughts and actions influence the energy in a room; they seem to hang
I always smudge myself whenever I feel upset or after an unpleasant encounter with another person or situation. A good smudge with sage “washes” away any negative feelings and I feel re-balanced.
Most common plants used for smudging
in the air. Have you ever entered a room and can almost immediately sense that the air is thick? The smell of fear, of arguments, of grief and so forth seems to linger in space, but so do the vibrations of these emotions. Nothing neutralizes and changes these vibrations better than a good smudge. You can use the transforming power of smoke in a place where there are a lot of arguments or much grief, before moving into a new apartment or house, inside every type of public place, sick rooms and rooms where people are dying or have died. Smudging can also be performed for healing and well being, to reduce anxiety, stress, fear, to help with insomnia, to stimulate creativity, for problem solving and meditations. You can also smudge objects to neutralize negative and burdensome energies, for example old antiques or pieces of jewelry.
Sage is a purifier, a healer, used to banish all trouble and negativity. California (broad leaves) and desert (smaller leaves) sage has been used by Native Americans to smudge places, people and objects, to heal and cleanse away negativity and any bad feelings or thoughts. Sage is a symbol of cleanliness and purity. Burning sage supports the path to wisdom, brings mental clarity and emotional balance. Cedar provides protection, balance and harmony. Cedar symbolizes abundance and spiritual strength, and can help during times when you are overwhelmed. Cedar is used as a name for a number of different genuses of trees and shrubs. The primary ones are cedrus, thuja, libdocedrus and juniperus. The junipers are not truly cedars (scientifically) but are used as such by many Native American tribes in the Southwest. The smoke of juniper leaves creates a sweet, warm fragrance. Juniper smoke helps to clear away feelings of fear, failure and stagnation. Fresh or dried leaves are tossed onto the hot rocks in the purifying sweat lodge ceremony. Medicine men brush away the disease with a burning/smoking juniper twig
on patients recovering from illness. Use the smoke of juniper and pray for its assistance in overcoming worry and defeatism. Sweet grass is often braided because it signifies the hair of Mother Earth. Sweet Grass’ sacred protective smoke is said to carry prayers and wishes to the heavens to be heard. Sweet grass has purifying properties and encourages positive energies to enter an area.
How to smudge For smudging, you will need the following items that represent the four elements: water, earth, air and fire. A shell (abalone shell is best) to burn the herbs in. The abalone shell represents the element of water and the herbs the element of earth. You will also need matches and a feather or fan of feathers. The feather represents the element of air. The element of fire is introduced when you light the herbs. Wave the smoke over your body with the feather, not forgetting the arms and legs. After you have smudged yourself you can smudge other people or places. When you are done, let the ashes cool down and give them back to the Earth with care. The herbs discussed in this article can be purchased at The Herb Stop located in Pine, 4004 N. Highway 87. If you have any questions, Leilah can be reached at 928-476-4144 or by e-mail at herbstop@gmail.com The FDA has not approved these statements. The information given is not meant to act as a prescription, medical advice or therapeutic advice. Consult your healthcare professional prior to using botanicals discussed in this column.
Resources to aid in your recycling efforts
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Internet. So for your convenience, I thought I would address important information from previous issues to remind you of some really good resources that are available right here in Arizona. If you live in the Rim County, here are some resources for your recycling needs. Andy Pearson has an all-free service that is in a Phase I stage. This stage consists of picking up your scrap metal, aluminum, appliances, car batteries, damaged books, plastic bottles #1-7, cardboard, newspaper and office paper. Phase II is on its way and will consist of picking up TVs, computer monitors, glass, heavy plastics with the symbol Δ. You can reach Andy by calling 928-970-1999. I suggest listening to the Rim Country’s local AM news station, KMOG 1420, for progress with Payson’s recycling efforts. This radio station also offers free radio advertising on their trades and sales program for your old, new or used things. You can call 928 474-2427 Monday through Friday from noon to 1:30 p.m. to advertise for free. You can also find other Page 24
ingmadeeasy.com. On this site you can find very helpful information, books, bins, how to build your own composting bin and more. Since we do live in the Southwestern gardening territory, you can purchase native seeds through Native Seeds/Search a nonprofit organization that has a 60-acre farm in Patagonia, Ariz. This farm is a conservator of native crops, and the mission of this group is to safeguard 1,800 different varieties in a seed bank. The surplus seeds are distributed through their catalog, Web site and retail store located in Tucson. You can learn more about this viable resource by visiting their Web site at www. nativeseeds.org or calling them at 520-6225561.
here are a number of resources for recycling, not only in the Valley, but also in every newspaper, shopper, the yellow pages and everywhere on the
used items on their Web site.
For the gardening buffs I believe multi-family gardening will become a part of our future in sustainable living, as well as the need to create compost to improve our food quality and nutritional value. By practicing today that which will positively impact our future, we can help to instill hope for our children and their children. This is just one more simple way that we can make a difference. To find out more about composting, see www.homecompost-
Freecycle and AZDEQ Here is another growing resource. Check out the Freecycle network at www.freecycle. org. It is a great resource and is available to everyone. One more little bit of information: If you would like to add a little color in your business to encourage your patrons to help recycle, check out www.flexcontainer.com to purchase colored bins. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (www.azdeq.gov) provides waste programs for smaller communities, as well
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as offering assistance and a Waste Reduction Assistance grant each year. The Request for Proposals (RFP) are released around February of each year. AZDEQ also offers a class for grant writing so that you can submit a winning proposal. They also offer high school recycling scholarships, as well as regional assistance. Now, this to me is a win-win situation. For details, check the Web site or call 602-771-2300 or 800-234-5677 or 602771-4829 (for hearing impaired). You can visit them at: Phoenix Main Office 1110 W. Washington St. Phoenix, AZ 85007 Northern Regional Office 1081 W. Route 66, Suite 117 Flagstaff, AZ 86001 Southern Regional Office 400 W. Congress, Suite 433 Tucson, AZ 85701 We all share this sacred ground. Let’s each and every one do our part to make a difference in healing ourselves and our planet today and every day. Happy Holidays and thank you for your recycling efforts. Patricia Melchi is a writer, artist and avid recycler who lives in Strawberry, Ariz. She can be reached via e-mail at patriciamelchi@ yahoo.com. December 2009
Sudoku!
Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains numbers 1 through 9. The puzzle has only one solution. The solution is on page 28.
Rebecca, Benjamin, Makayla, Eric, Sierra and Justin each have their own Christmas tree. Each Christmas tree has a different number of candy canes (25, 23, 22, 20, 16 and 12) and a different number of ornaments (29, 38, 11, 50, 25 and 39). Figure out how many candy canes and ornaments are on each person’s Christmas tree.
Solution on page 28 December 2009
1. The Christmas tree with 38 ornaments is not the tree with 12 candy canes. has 22 candy canes. 2. Makayla’s Christmas tree has more than 10. Justin’s Christmas tree has 25 more 11 ornaments. ornaments than the number of candy 3. Benjamin’s Christmas tree is not the tree canes. with 25 candy canes. His tree is also 11. Justin’s Christmas tree has the most not the one with 20 candy canes. number of ornaments. 4. Justin’s Christmas tree has more than 29 12. Sierra’s Christmas tree has 16 more ornaments. ornaments than the number of candy canes. 5. The Christmas tree with 50 ornaments 13. Justin’s Christmas tree has 25 candy is not the tree with 16 candy canes. canes. 6. There are no more than 49 ornaments 14. Eric’s Christmas tree has 11 more candy on Benjamin’s Christmas tree. canes than the number of ornaments. 7. The Christmas tree with 38 ornaments 15. The Christmas tree with 38 ornaments is not the tree with 25 candy canes. 8. Rebecca’s Christmas tree has the fewest has 20 candy canes. number of candy canes 16. The Christmas tree with 29 ornaments 9. The Christmas tree with 11 ornaments has 16 candy canes. Solutions on page 28 Earth Odyssey • www.EarthOdysseyOnline.com
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Recurring Events Celiac (gluten free) Support Group, Payson—We will provide important resources and information for people on gluten-free diets. Snacks will be provided from Gluten Free creations bakery in Phoenix! Contact Christine for more information 928-595-2379. Monday nights, 7 p.m.—Self Search/Channeled Readings, The Way To The Light Within, Phoenix. This class has been going on for over 12 years now. In the first part of the class, Dominique uses her psychic ability and StarWheel™ tiles to give each participant a mini reading. Bring your questions about anything you want to know, because in the second part of the class Dominique connects to her own as well as your guides, to get answers and guidance for you. Dominique is also a medium and can connect with and give you information from departed loved ones or friends. $20, Call 602-279-2941 to reserve your place. Wednesdays, Dec. 2, 9 and 16, 7 p.m.–8:30 p.m., Tucson—Sacred Drumming for Transformation Workshop Series. This series explores letting go of the past, opening to the magic of the universe, inner knowing and creating your own reality. Learn sacred rhythms that correspond to specific intentions. The workshop is comprised of lecture, learning a rhythm and a ceremony. RSVP required. $50 series or $20 drop in. Ask about our reduced rate referral program. For more info, call or e-mail: 520-245-4547, martin@kalumba.org or www. kalumba.org. Thursdays, Vibrational Realignment, Prescott—A unique form of spiritual healing with Michael Davis at Mountain Spirit Co-Op, 107 N. Cortez St., Suite 100, Prescott. For more info or an appointment, call 928-862-0594. Saturdays, 9 a.m., Cottonwood, Prescott Valley, Scottsdale, Flagstaff and Kingman—Saturday Solar Seminars presented by Arizona Solar Power. Learn about solar energy for your home. Listen to a presentation on the most up-to-date products, how they work, and how they can save homeowners and even businesses money! Question and answer session follows, so you’re sure to leave with a greater knowledge of solar and how it can be one of the smartest investments you’ll make for yourself and the future. Call to reserve your place at either of our great locations: Cottonwood 928-634-7341, Prescott Valley/Dewey 928-632-5525, Scottsdale 480-607-5339, Flagstaff 928-774-0753, Kingman 877-496-0167.
Saturdays, Dec. 5 and 12, 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.—Law of Attraction/Vision Board Workshop with Patti Stanley, Soul Coach®, A Vision board is a road map of the goals you wish to create in your life. Using images and graphics from magazines and photos, you’ll create a personalized collage poster as a constant reminder of your increasing abundance. Participation in this 4½ hour repeating class will change your life. Cost is $45. Contact Patti Stanley, CSC, at 602-568-4458 or Soul2sole.us.
Nonrecurring Events Dec. 1—Six days left to buy raffle tickets for the Disabled Veterans Benefit Raffle sponsored by the Disabled Veterans at Prescott Hospital. Prizes include a Mexican Riviera cruise for two, tickets to the 2010 National Open Golf Tournament in Pebble Beach, Calif., tickets on the Verde Canyon Railroad, the Grand Canyon Railroad and many, many others. The drawing will be help on Pearl Harbor Day, Dec. 7. All proceeds will go to the VA Center in Prescott and will be used for disabled veterans. For more info, contact John Cornelius at 928-284-0603. Dec. 1, 7 p.m.–9 p.m., Apache Junction—Moonlight Hike at Lost Dutchman State Park. A guided 2.5 mile hike at the base of the mysterious Superstition Mountains, starting at sunset and returning by moonlight. Hikers should dress appropriately and wear trail shoes or boots. Some parts of the trail are rocky and uneven with occasional steep grades; participants should be in good health with no walking or night vision difficulties. After the hike, gather round the campfire for a marshmallow roast (marshmallows and sticks provided). All ages welcome. No pets, please. Call 480-982-4485 for more information. Large groups of 25 or more need to call in advance for special arrangements. $5 per vehicle. Pay at drive-up door. Public parking in the Cholla day use area. 6109 N. Apache Trail, Apache Junction. Dec. 5, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Prescott—On The Mesa, 3390 N. Hwy. 89, in the Granite Dells, presents Holiday Local Arts & Crafts Boutique featuring jewelry, arts, crafts, pottery, angels, wind chimes, rugs, crystals, gemstones and much more including handmade fudge, holiday cookies and custom holiday trays. For details and directions, call 928-776-7671. Dec. 8, 5:30 p.m., Prescott—Mountain Spirit Co-Op presents a Free Lecture: Holiday Stress. In the conference room, 107 N. Cortez St., Suite 105. Join Michael
Concert will benefit Sedona Food Bank
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edona rock band 2 SUNS will play a fundraiser for the Sedona Community Food Bank on Saturday, Dec. 12, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The performance, held in association with Verde Food Council, will be at Studio Live, 215 Coffeepot Drive, next to Creative Flooring and Devi Yoga. All profits will be donated to the food bank. Food collection boxes will also be available in the lobby of Studio Live. Honor the holiday spirit by helping support families in our community who need food at this special time of year.
2 SUNS music is socially conscious indie rock. They have recently released their second CD, titled “Love Revolution.” 2 SUNS features Gina Donello on lead vocals, keyboards and bass; Gary Bettum on guitar and vocals; Eva George on bass, background vocals and guitar; and Bill Juharos on drums. Seating is limited, and a sellout is expected. Advance tickets are $15, and are available at Golden Word Books & Music, 1575 W. Hwy 89A, Sedona, (phone 928-282-2688) and $20 at the door the evening of the performance. Cash or check only. Learn about 2 SUNS at 2sunsmusic.com.
Earth Odyssey Send info to: editor@earthodysseyonline.com. Provide a telephone number or other contact information. Put “calendar submission” in the subject line. The deadline is the 15th of the month for publication the following month (Dec. 15 for January publication). Payment, which is due at the time of submission, can be made online using your credit card via PayPal, or mail a check payable to Pinon Pine Press to: Editor, 1042 Willow Creek Road, Ste A101-PMB 486, Prescott, AZ 86301. Page 26
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December 2009
Study reveals widespread fish contamination
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he U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has just released results from the four-year National Study of Chemical Residues in Lake Fish Tissue. EPA collected samples from 500 lakes and reservoirs and tested for mercury and PCBs. The news is not good: Concentrations of mercury and PCBs were found in fish tissue from lakes and reservoirs in nearly all 50 U.S. states. Three Arizona lakes were part of the sampling study: Apache Lake, Lake Havasu and Lake Mohave. The data showed mercury concentrations in game fish exceeding EPA’s recommended levels at 49 percent of lakes and reservoirs nationwide, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in game fish at levels of potential concern at 17 percent of lakes and reservoirs. These findings are based on a comprehensive national study using more data on levels of contamination in fish tissue than any previous study. Burning fossil fuels, primarily coal, accounts for nearly half of mercury air emissions caused by human activity in the United States, and those emissions are a significant contributor to mercury in water bodies. From 1990 through 2005, emissions of mercury into the air decreased by 58 percent. EPA is committed to developing a new rule to substantially reduce mercury emissions from power plants, and the Obama Administration is actively supporting a new interna-
tional agreement that will reduce mercury emissions worldwide. The study also confirms the widespread occurrence of PCBs and dioxins in fish, illustrating the need for federal, state and local government to continue efforts to reduce the presence of these harmful chemicals in our lakes and reservoirs and ensure that fish advisory information is readily available. “These results reinforce Administrator Jackson’s strong call for revitalized protection of our nation’s waterways and long-overdue action to protect the American people,” said Peter S. Silva, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Water. “EPA is aggressively tackling the issues the report highlights. Before the results were even finalized, the agency initiated efforts to further reduce toxic mercury pollution and strengthen enforcement of the Clean Water Act—all part of a renewed effort to protect the nation’s health and environment,” Silva continued. It is important that women of child-bearing age and children continue to follow the advice of EPA and the Food and Drug Administration on fish consumption as it relates to mercury. This study is also a strong message to state and local governments to redouble their efforts in looking for opportunities to reduce mercury discharges, as well as developing fish advisories, especially to reach those in sensitive and vulnerable populations. Because these findings apply to fish caught
Davis to learn some simple energy medicine techniques for dealing with the stress of the holidays. This is self help at its best. Cost: Donation. For more information, call Mike at 928-254-0775.
Books & Music 1575 W. Hwy 89A, Sedona, (phone 282-2688) and at the door $20 the evening of the performance. Cash or check only. For more information, see story on previous page.
Dec. 12, 9 a.m.–11 a.m., Chandler—Organic Gardening. Learn the basics of organic gardening and what it means to be “organic.” City of Chandler Environmental Education Center. For more info, call 480-782-2890, or see www.chandleraz.gov/veterans-oasis.
Dec. 12, 7 p.m., Apache Junction—Starstruck Program (Astronomy) at Lost Dutchman State Park. Learn about the night sky, constellations and planets with local astronomer Bill Dellinges. Free program. For more information, call 480-982-4485. Lost Dutchman State Park, 6109 N. Apache Trail, Apache Junction.
Dec. 12, 11 a.m.–Noon, Chandler—Plant Swap. Garden enthusiasts: Bring plants to trade for plants of a similar size. Find something new for your garden, swap garden tips and meet other green thumbs! For more info, call 480-782-2890, or see www.chandleraz. gov/veterans-oasis. Dec. 12, 1 p.m.–3 p.m., Pine—Creative Christmas Gifts Craft Class by Patricia Melchi. Bring something to recycle. Cost: Donation. For more info, call Crystal Lotus Gallery, 3950 N Hwy. 87, Pine, Ariz. Phone: 928-476-3410.
Dec. 17, 6 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., Prescott—“Stars of the Season,” planetarium program in the lower level Founders Suite of the library at 215 E Goodwin. The best seats are on the floor, so bring pillows and blankets. Because of limited space, free advance reservations are required. Presenter Brian DeWelles is entertaining and informative. He uses a sophisticated miniature planetarium projector and a 15-foot portable planetarium dome. “Stars of the Season” will feature the Prescott night sky. Register online at www.prescottlibrary.info or call 928-777-1526.
Dec. 12, 7 p.m.–9 p.m., Sedona—Sedona rock band 2 SUNS will be playing a fundraiser for the Sedona Community Food Bank in association with Verde Food Council at Studio Live, 215 Coffeepot Drive. All profits will be donated to the Food Bank. Food collection boxes will also be available in the lobby of Studio Live. Advance tickets are $15, and are available at Golden Word
Jan. 5-16, 2010, Entering the Maya Mysteries. Spiritual travel to Mexico and Guatemala visiting hidden sacred places and nearly extinct ceremonies with the last Spirit Keeper of the Lacandón Maya. Hopi elders travel as invited guests. Limited number partial young adult sponsorships. A portion of tuition tax-deductible. For info, go to events page at www.kenosisspiritkeepers.org
December 2009
Graphic courtesy EPA Apache Lake, Lake Havasu and Lake Mohave are among the 500 lakes and reservoirs included in the U.S. EPA’s four-year study: Chemical Residues in Lake Fish Tissue.
in lakes and reservoirs, it is particularly important for recreational and subsistence fishers to follow their state and local fish advisories. EPA is conducting other statistically based national aquatic surveys that include assessment of fish contamination, such as the National Rivers and Streams Assessment and the
National Coastal Assessment. Sampling for the National Rivers and Streams Assessment is under way, and results from this two-year study are expected to be available in 2011. Collection of fish samples for the National Coastal Assessment will begin in 2010. For more information, see www.epa.gov/waterscience/fishstudy.
or call 928-778-1058.
tion to Birdwatching. This class covers the where, when, and how of birding in central AZ, including bird identification, equipment, and birding opportunities. It includes two Saturday field trips with dates and times to be determined in class. Optional guide books will be available at a discounted price. For more info, call 480782-2890, or see www.chandleraz.gov/veterans-oasis.
Jan. 9, Prescott—A day of Healing at On The Mesa, 3390 N. Hwy. 89, in the Granite Dells. Mini sessions: Healings, Lectures and Meditations. Reserve your spot if you are a teacher, healer or student wanting to participate. All services and classes by donation. For more info, call 928-776-7671. Jan. 13, 6 p.m.–7:45 p.m., Chandler—Vegetable Gardening 1-2-3. Students will learn about garden preparation, what, how and when to plant, selection of quality plants, mulching, watering and the basics of composting. For more info, call 480-782-2890, or see www.chandleraz.gov/veterans-oasis. Jan. 20, 6 p.m.–7:45 p.m., Chandler—Vegetable Gardening 1-2-3. Students will learn about garden preparation, what, how and when to plant, selection of quality plants, mulching, watering and the basics of composting. For more info, call 480-782-2890, or see www.chandleraz.gov/veterans-oasis. Jan. 23, 9 a.m.–11 a.m., Chandler—Rainwater Harvesting. This class will introduce you to the principles and techniques of rainwater harvesting. You will be able to apply these principles of water harvesting to your own yard. For more info, call 480-782-2890, or see www. chandleraz.gov/veterans-oasis. Jan. 27, 6:45 p.m.–7:45 p.m., Chandler—Introduc-
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Jan. 30, 9 a.m.–11 a.m., Chandler—Rainwater Harvesting. This class will introduce you to the principles and techniques of rainwater harvesting. You will be able to apply these principles of water harvesting to your own yard. For more info, call 480-782-2890, or see www.chandleraz.gov/veterans-oasis. Feb. 2, 6:15 p.m.–7:45 p.m., Chandler—The Fascinating World of Hummingbirds. Learn how you can entice hummingbirds to come to your yard. We’ll discuss hummingbird feeders, nectar, and plants that you can grow to keep hummingbirds returning. Learn the best hot spots to see hummingbirds in Arizona. For more info, call 480-782-2890, or see www.chandleraz. gov/veterans-oasis. Feb. 10, 6:45 p.m.–7:45 p.m., Chandler—Introduction to Birdwatching. This class covers the where, when, and how of birding in central AZ, including bird identification, equipment, and birding opportunities. It includes two Saturday field trips with dates and times to be determined in class. For more info, call 480-7822890, or see www.chandleraz.gov/veterans-oasis.
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Keep pets safe from Top 10 poisons
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ith various dangers lurking in corners and cabinets, the home can be a minefield of poisons for our pets. In 2008, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) in Urbana, Ill., handled more than 140,000 cases of pets exposed to toxic substances, many of which included everyday household products. Don’t leave it up to Fido or Fluffy to keep themselves safe. Below is a list of the Top 10 pet poisons that affected our furry friends in 2008.
Human medications
Puzzle Solutions
Logic Puzzle Solution
Rebecca’s Christmas tree has 12 candy canes and 25 ornaments. Benjamin’s Christmas tree has 16 candy canes and 29 ornaments. Makayla’s Christmas tree has 20 candy canes and 38 ornaments. Eric’s Christmas tree has 22 candy canes and 11 ornaments. Sierra’s Christmas tree has 23 candy canes and 39 ornaments. Justin’s Christmas tree has 25 candy canes and 50 ornaments.
For several years, human medications have been number one on the ASPCA’s list of common hazards, and 2008 was no exception. Last year, the ASPCA managed more than 50,000 calls involving prescription and over-the-counter drugs, such as painkillers, cold medications, antidepressants and dietary supplements. Pets often snatch pill vials from counters and nightstands or gobble up medications accidentally dropped on the floor, so it’s essential to keep meds tucked away in hardto-reach cabinets. Tylenol is highly toxic to animals and should never be given to them for any reason.
By Timothy A. Patterson, DVM, CVA, VCP pet parents. In 2008, the ASPCA managed nearly 8,000 cases involving animal-related preparations such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, heartworm preventatives, de-wormers, antibiotics, vaccines and nutritional supplements.
Plants Insecticides In our effort to battle home invasions of unwelcome pests, we often unwittingly put our pets at risk. In 2008, our toxicologists fielded more than 31,000 calls related to insecticides. One of the most common incidents involved the misuse of flea and tick products— such as applying the wrong topical treatment to the wrong species. Thus, it’s always important to talk to your pet’s veterinarian before beginning any flea and tick control program.
Common houseplants were the subject of nearly 8,000 calls to the Animal Poison Control Center in 2008. Varieties such as azalea, rhododendron, sago palm, lilies, kalanchoe and schefflera are often found in homes and can be harmful to pets. Lilies are especially toxic to cats, and can cause life-threatening kidney failure even in small amounts. This time of year watch out for Poinsettias, Mistletoe and Philodendron, particularly with cats as they love to chew on these.
Chemical hazards People food People food like grapes, raisins, avocado and certain citrus fruit can seriously harm our furry friends, and accounted for more than 15,000 cases in 2008. One of the worst offenders—chocolate— contains large amounts of methylxanthines, which, if ingested in significant amounts, can cause vomiting, diarrhea, panting, excessive thirst, urination, hyperactivity, and in severe cases, abnormal heart rhythm, tremors and seizures.
Rodenticides Last year, the ASPCA received approximately 8,000 calls about pets who had accidentally ingested rat and mouse poisons. Many baits used to attract rodents contain inactive ingredients that are attractive to pets as well. Depending on the type of rodenticide, ingestions can lead to potentially life-threatening problems for pets, including bleeding, seizures and kidney damage.
In 2008, the Animal Poison Control Center handled approximately 5,500 cases of pet exposure to chemical hazards. A category on the rise, chemical hazards—found in ethylene glycol antifreeze, paint thinner, drain cleaners and pool/spa chemicals—form a substantial danger to pets. Substances in this group can cause gastrointestinal upset, depression, respiratory difficulties and chemical burns.
Household cleaners Everybody knows that household-cleaning supplies can be toxic to adults and children, but few take precautions to protect their pets from common agents such as bleaches, detergents and disinfectants. Last year, the ASPCA received more than 3,200 calls related to household cleaners. These products, when inhaled by our furry friends, can cause serious gastrointestinal distress and irritation to the respiratory tract.
Heavy metals Veterinary medications Even though veterinary medications are intended for pets, they’re often misapplied or improperly dispensed by well-meaning Page 28
It’s not too much loud music that constitutes our next pet poison offender. Instead, it’s heavy metals such as lead, zinc and mercury, which accounted for more than 3,000 cases
Earth Odyssey • www.EarthOdysseyOnline.com
Courtesy photos Avocado, grapes and poinsettias are among the items that will make your pet sick.
of pet poisonings in 2008. Lead is especially pernicious, and pets are exposed to it through many sources, including consumer products, paint chips, linoleum, and lead dust produced when surfaces in older homes are scraped or sanded.
Fertilizer It may keep your grass green, but certain types of fertilizer can cause problems for outdoor cats and dogs. Last year, the ASPCA fielded more than 2,000 calls related to fertilizer exposure. Prevention is really key to avoiding accidental exposure, but if you suspect your pet has ingested something lawn-side, please contact your veterinarian or the Animal Poison Control Center’s 24-hour hotline at (888) 426-4435. Information provided in this article was with permission and courtesy of the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC). Timothy A. Patterson, DVM, CVA, VCP is an independent veterinarian, specializing in holistic and herbal medicine and laser therapy. He offers mobile small animal and equine services and can be reached by phone at 928951-5261. December 2009
Convincing salesman has sinister undertones
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lex Jones is back on the scene with a new film titled “Obama Deception.” I figured I’d give it a view to see if he was just one of those people who just hates Obama, or if it had information that I should not be without. Much to my dismay, it was the latter, which I figured it would be considering how damning Jones’ previous films have been of the Bush administration. If you’re like me, you voted for Obama, hoping for some change—really any change from our status quo of paying ridiculous amounts of money to the rich while we struggle to stay alive. You may have cried a little bit at the thought that we “won” the nation back from the elitists, that government was going to be transparent (not to mention that we finally put some color in the White House). Basically, we could be proud to be Americans once again after a long, dark, shameful near decade. As the months have rolled on, however, we don’t see change. What we see is Democrats folding when it comes to fighting for us, and Obama appointing questionable people to high positions. Once again, if you’re like me, you’ve said “Let’s give the man a chance.” Maybe he’s getting every viewpoint to make informed, intelligent decisions. The time has now come for us to reassess our situation, which is that we have the most extreme Wall Street administration we’ve ever had, and that can’t be good for us. “Obama Deception” doesn’t waste time talking about some stupid birth certificate, or anything else from his past, it focuses on what is happening right now. It covers a long list of questionable appointments he’s made and where they come from. Perhaps most disturbing is the legislation he’s approved, such as voting to reauthorize the Patriot Act, voting to legalize warrantless
Movie Reviews by Jason Allen
Movies that won’t make you dumber wiretapping, and very frightening large steps toward Martial Law, including infringing upon our first two Amendments. Also among the list of shocking actions is the provision in the closing of Guantanamo Bay, which actually expands the practice of rendition (secret, chargeless arrests) and the use of foreign “black sites” to torture prisoners. Obama is an intelligent and apparently compassionate president, whereas Bush wore his wickedness on his sleeve. Bush couldn’t even read a teleprompter well enough to sell us a story, but now we have a very convincing salesman, which has far more sinister undertones. The film runs through a list of failed promises and lies of this very young administration. Most of us don’t really want all this to be true, but the fact is we’ve been had yet again, America. You may have noticed in a few of my previous reviews the mention of a group called Bilderberg, this is a very elite group of about 100 of the planet’s most powerful and rich people. Basically, they are the people from comics and movies in a dark smoky room who control everything on Earth. If you are not familiar with this group, this film is a great crash course on the subject. The theme of the film is how these people control
everything that happens because they give us our puppets to vote for, and whomever we pick, they get their orders from the same source. There’s quite a bit of talk in the film that we the people need to somehow break their hold over our lives, although there are no hints of how to walk away when the strings holding us up are tying us down. I would imagine that a good place to start
would be gaining financial independence through renewable energy, self-sustainable housing and farming in order to eliminate systems of control over our lives one by one. “Obama Deception” stays pretty neutral and sticks to the facts with a diversified sampling of interviews. It is sort of a bummer, because I really do want to like our new chief, but I will not go blind in order to do so. This movie is definitely a “must see.”
Astrology
continued from page 22
Saturday 26th. Sunday the 27th’s Venus conjunct Pluto Capricorn intensifies feelings of love and is very good for issues regarding finances. This would be a good time for re-evaluation. Hard
December 2009
work and patience applied to a sound plan will be rewarded. On the next day, Venus square Saturn could slow down the flow of money. Blocks, or delays of expected rewards are possible.
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Page 29
Not all margarines are created equal
Some may even be worse than butter
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or the last 50 years we have been told margarine tops butter when it comes to heart health. Margarine contains no cholesterol and the oils come from vegetables. Margarine is higher in the “good” fats, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated, than butter is. According to the “experts,” when margarine is substituted for saturated fat, these types of “good” fat help reduce lowdensity lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad,” cholesterol. Butter, on the other hand, is made from animal fat, so it contains cholesterol and high levels of saturated fat. Margarine must be good for us. After all, it does come from vegetables, and we all need to eat more of those. It doesn’t have any of those scary saturated fats or cholesterol that our doctors warn us about. So let’s all go out and buy a tub of…wait a minute what is this stuff exactly? Margarine was created by a Frenchman named Hippolyte Mège-Mouriez in the late 1800s in response to an offer by the Emperor Louis Napoleon III for the production of a satisfactory substitute for butter. Mège-Mouriez then brought his butter substitute to the United States, where he found much opposition in the form of America’s dairy farmers. Margarine was heavily taxed and the yellow food coloring used to make it
By Christine Bollier look like butter was outlawed, so in the early 1900s they decided to color it pink. It wasn’t until World War II that margarine became widely accepted due to the shortage of butter. Most margarine is processed using a method called hydrogenation, which results in unhealthy trans fats. In general, the more solid the margarine, the more trans fats it contains—so stick margarines usually have more trans fats than tub margarines. Like saturated fats, trans fats increase blood cholesterol, the risk of heart disease and type II diabetes. In addition, trans fats can lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good,” cholesterol levels, and isn’t that why you switched to margarine in the first place? So, if I can’t believe it’s not butter, what is
it? I went to a popular margarine brand’s Web site. There I found that their product claimed to contain 70 percent less saturated fat than butter and zero grams of trans fats and cholesterol per serving, but no list of ingredients. Anytime a product bases their claims on per serving that sends up a red flag. Most products base their nutritional information on a much smaller serving size than the average American will consume. These same companies are only required by law to list the amount of sugar, protein, carbohydrate or fats per serving on the nutritional facts label if it equals half a gram or more. Half a gram might not seem like much, but if you use four servings a day, you have reached the American Heart Associations’ recommended daily limit for trans fats (2 grams) without even knowing it. So, what is that popular margarine brand hiding? Their Original spread contains: Vegetable Oil Blend (Liquid Soybean Oil, Liquid Canola Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Liquid Canola Oil), Water, Sweet Cream Buttermilk, Salt, Soy Lecithin, Vegetable Mono- And Diglycerides, (Potassium Sorbate, Calcium Disodium EDTA) Used To Protect Quality, Citric Acid, Natural And Artificial Flavors, Vitamin A (Palmitate), Beta Carotene (For Color). According to an independent laboratory
analysis, the hydrogenated oils in this product add 0.36 grams of trans fat per serving while other brands weighed in at up to 0.47 grams of trans fat per serving. The New England Journal of Medicine published a research review in April 2006 that concluded, near-elimination of industrially produced trans fats could prevent 72,000 to 228,000 heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular complications each year. Trans fats are not only found in margarine but also many baked goods and fried foods as well. In 2007 New York City passed a regulation that any establishment that serves food had to limit the amount of trans fats per serving to 0.5 mg. When you are trying to reduce the amount of saturated fats and cholesterol in your diet there are a few thing to consider. If you are going to use margarine, find one that does not list any hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils or shortening in the ingredients. You can also make your own buttery spread by combining equal parts olive oil with butter, which reduces cholesterol by half and saturated fat by a third. Or you could just cut down on the amount of butter you already consume and not replace it with something that pretends to be what you really wanted in the first place. If you have an issue you would like to see discussed or have a question, send me an e-mail at Greencrusader@thevitamart.com.
Butternut squash and creamed spinach gratin Gratin can be assembled the night before, covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before baking. 3 lbs fresh spinach 5 tbs unsalted butter plus additional for greasing pan ¾ C Finely Chopped Onion (1 small) 3 Garlic Cloves minced 1 ½ tsp sea salt ¾ tsp black pepper ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg 1 C. Heavy Whipping Cream 4 lb butternut squash peeled, quartered and seeded ½ oz finely grated parmigiano-reggiano Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a 6-quart pot over high heat. Add spinach a few handfuls at a time and cook until wilted, about 3 to 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water. Transfer spinach to clean dishtowel and wring out all water from spinach. Then
coarsely chop and transfer to a large bowl. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in an 8-inch skillet over low heat. Add onion and garlic, stirring occasionally till softened about 5 minutes. Add onion, garlic salt pepper nutmeg and cram to chopped spinach and stir to combine. Preheat oven to 400°. Butter a 9x13 cake pan. Cut squash to separate bulb section from neck, then cut pieces lengthwise into 1/8inch slices (if you have a mandolin slicer it makes this step easier). Alternate layers of squash and spinach mixture starting and finishing with squash (if you divide the squash into five portions and spinach into fourths, you get even layers). Sprinkle top layer of squash with cheese and dot with remaining 2 tbs. of butter and cover with foil. Bake until squash is tender and filling is bubbling, about 25 to 30 minutes. Uncover gratin and bake additional 10 to 15 minutes to brown.
All of the ingredients for this recipe can be found at VITA-MART, 512 S. Beeline Hwy., Payson, AZ 85541. Questions can be answered via e-mail: Christine@thevitamart.com; or by calling 928-474-4101. Page 30
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December 2009
Ayurveda: Discover timeless approach to health
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ne Sunday in 1990 while I was living and working in Washington, D.C., I came across a review about a book on natural healing. I’d recently become a vegetarian and had taken a few yoga classes, but knew very little about natural health—I was a real estate agent at the time. The book was about a type of healing called Ayurveda. Although I’d never seen that word before, and probably couldn’t pronounce it, I was immediately attracted to what I was reading. This review was about a book called Perfect Health, written by an east Indian doctor I hadn’t heard of either: Dr. Deepak Chopra. That day, I had a deep sense that I would discover much more about Ayurveda—it was almost a sense of being called by it. Though the story goes on, in short, within seven months I was working in Lancaster, Mass., at the Ayurveda Health Center with Deepak Chopra. I studied and worked with him for more than eight years, becoming a teacher of meditation and Ayurveda, and later, the education director of his center in California. Ayurveda (pronounced eye-yur-vay-dah),
By Sarah McLean
often translated as the “science of life,” was founded in India more than 5,000 years ago. It’s a natural approach for creating balance and strengthening the body’s healing abilities using natural methods such as herbs, meditation, massage, aromatherapy, music therapy, nutrition, daily and seasonal routines, breath exercises and purification therapies. According to Ayurveda, a person is healthy when their appetite and digestion are strong, all organs and tissues are properly functioning, elimination is regular, the senses are acute
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and they are basically blissful. Health isn’t just about being disease free; it’s a sense of complete well being in all areas of life. Ayurveda teaches that each one of us is born with our own natural balance that influences all aspects of our lives, including our body structure, mental and emotional makeup and predisposition to illnesses. According to Ayurveda, disease is primarily the result of imbalances and impurities that accumulate in the mind and body over time. The specialty of Ayurveda is in identifying imbalances at an early stage—before symptoms of disease arise—and eliminating them from the body. While working at the Chopra Center, and throughout my travels in India, I learned how to create balance in my life through Ayurvedic practices. I’ve received regular Ayurvedic treatments and experienced many weeks of purification procedures called panchakarma. And a couple of years ago, I was totally surprised and happy to find world class treatments available here in Sedona at the Authentic Ayurveda center. I met the owner, Avani Sukhadia, a certi-
fied Ayurvedic practitioner who provides soothing, purifying and authentic Ayurvedic treatments with delicious oils. Avani grew up in the Vedic tradition with a family of healers and has been studying, practicing, and teaching Ayurveda since 1998. Perhaps you’d like to study the science of Ayurveda in depth. I am happy to say that Deepak Chopra is coming to Phoenix early next year to present an Ayurvedic Training program, Journey into Healing, Feb. 17 to 21, at The Biltmore Resort & Spa featuring Dr. Chopra and Dr. David Simon. Get a savings when you register with program consultant Libby Carstensen. E-mail Libby@ chopra.com or call 760-494-1629. When you tell her I sent you, you’ll qualify for a discount. It’s an invigorating course, and a prerequisite for those who wish to become Chopra Center Instructors. I’ll be there! Sarah McLean is the director of Sedona Meditation Training & Retreats and is certified and recommended by Dr. Deepak Chopra. She can be reached via e-mail at sarah@sedonameditation.com, phone at 928-204-0067 or fax at 866-654-1705. You can also visit online at www.SedonaMeditation.com.
Fun Fact
Australian scientists have identified some species of baby spiders that bite off the limbs of their mothers and slowly dine on them over a
period of weeks. The researchers hypothesize the maternal sacrifice keeps the young from eating one another.
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Slow Food and The Ark of Taste
Working to keep heirloom varieties alive
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everal organizations are devoted to preserving heirloom varieties of all kinds through promotion. The thought is that if a variety becomes better known and eaten more, it will be preserved through the act of raising and eating it. At first thought this is counter intuitive; but after further examination it begins to make sense. As an obscure variety is grown and eaten, especially through a chef or restaurant network, more people become aware of it and demand for it increases, thus ensuring its survival. Slow Food USA is on the forefront of this type of preservation, as well as a host of other programs devoted to promoting real, local and sustainable food. Slow Food is an idea, a way of living and a way of eating. It is a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members around the world that link the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment. The Slow Food mission “seeks to create dramatic and lasting change in the food system. We reconnect Americans with the people, traditions, plants, animals, fertile soils and waters that produce our food. We work to inspire a transformation in food policy, production practices and market forces so that they ensure equity, sustainability and pleasure in the food we eat.” Slow Food USA is part of Slow Food International, “founded in 1989 to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world.” Some might remember the demonstrations against McDonald’s restaurants trying to establish a foothold in Rome. Slow Food was started as a result of these demonstrations. The Ark of Taste is an international catalog of foods that are threatened by industrial standardization, the regulations of large-scale distribution and environmental damage. In an effort to cultivate consumer demand—key to agricultural conservation—only the besttasting endangered foods make it onto the Ark. Since 1996, more than 800 products from over 50 countries have been added to the international Ark of Taste. The US Ark of Taste profiles more than 200 rare regional foods, and is a tool that helps farmers, ranchers, fishers, chefs, retail grocers, educators and consumers celebrate our country’s diverse biological, cultural and culinary heritage. The wonderful thing about heirlooms are the stories that they carry. Some stories are of the travels and people who saved the seeds along the way. Others are of the flavors that have kept the variety alive. We have six varieties that we are proud to carry that are on the Ark of Taste. Here are their stories.
Aunt Molly’s Ground Cherry Aunt Molly’s Ground Cherry, also known as a husk tomato is a Polish variety that has been known in America since around 1837. Page 32
Heirloom Garden Seeds & Stories by Cindy and Stephen Scott Easily mistaken for a tomatillo, ground cherries have a papery husk or wrapper that encases them and turns brown once the fruits inside are ripe. Another ripeness signal is that they drop off the vine, thus the name “ground cherry.” The fruits are small and golden, about 1/2” to 3/4” in diameter with a clean, sweet-tart, slightly citrus flavor. Some describe the flavor as reminiscent of pineapple and vanilla. They will store up to three months in their husk, and are used in preserves, pies, over ice cream or in fresh fruit salads due to their high pectin content. The plants are extremely productive and have a sprawling habit, again much like tomatillos.
Aunt Ruby’s German Green Tomato Aunt Ruby’s German Green Tomato is a sweet juicy beefsteak tomato from Ruby Arnold in Greenville, Tenn. The flavor is described as sweet, intricate fruity lime with a spicy aftertaste. It is a pale green color with a hint of yellow striping and a slightly pink shade in the center when ripe, often weighing more than a pound each. It is most often used in salads, but is also a wonderful tomato to fry. It is the queen of fried green tomatoes, as the flavor is exceptional—the perfect blend of sweetness and spice! The seed originally came from Ruby Arnold’s German immigrant grandfather, and she grew it for many years while sharing the seeds. It is best picked by feel, not look; as it is ready when soft to the touch.
Courtesy photos Above is the Moon and Stars Watermelon, top right is the Bull Nose Bell Pepper and bottom right is the Amish Paste Tomato.
teristics is it is both sweet and hot, with the flesh being quite sweet and the ribs being quite pungent.
Beaver Dam Pepper Beaver Dam Pepper is a Hungarian heirloom hot pepper brought to Beaver Dam, Wisc., in 1912 by the Joe Hussli family. Florence Hussli recommends adding sliced raw rings to a cheese and bologna sandwich, or for stuffed peppers. The peppers have an excellent flavor and are sturdy enough for stuffing. They are very crunchy and sweet when de-seeded, mildly hot when seeds are present, make an excellent fresh salsa and are great roasted with tomatillos. They ripen from lime-green to deep red, with the flavor deepening as well.
Amish Paste Tomato Amish Paste Tomato is a great tasting Amish heirloom discovered in Wisconsin, though it was originally from Lancaster, Penn. It is famous as a distinctively sweet-tasting sauce tomato, with a balance of acid and sweetness that will easily top one pound in weight. This tomato is well known as one of the largest, meatiest and best-flavored paste tomatoes. Variously called oxheart, teardrop or heart-shaped with a brilliant red orange color, it is exceptional for salsas and sauces, but is equally delicious for fresh slicing and drying.
Moon and Stars Watermelon Bull Nose Bell Pepper Bull Nose Bell Pepper was originally introduced from India in 1759 and grown by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello, where they are still grown today. It is also known as Large Sweet Spanish or Sweet Mountain Pepper. In 1863 Fearing Burr described this bell pepper in his Field and Garden Vegetables of America as “The best and most wholesome of all pickled peppers not only because of its mildness, but for its thick, fleshy, and tender rind.” It was often stuffed with cabbage and pickled. This is an early maturing sweet bell pepper that ripens from a green to a deep scarlet red, and the flavor deepens along with the color. One of its more unusual charac-
Moon and Stars Watermelon has sweet, pinkish red flesh with that old-time watermelon flavor. Large silver-dollar to pea-sized moons on dark green and yellow slightly ridged, thick skin show numerous speckled stars. The leaves have yellow spots as well. Fruits are oblong, up to 2 feet long and larger melons weigh 35 pounds when ripe. When people describe Moon and Stars, the discussion always returns to flavor, given that this pinkish red variant is extraordinarily sweet and flavorful. Introduced to American gardeners sometime before 1900 and prevalent in seed catalogs through the 1920s, it disappeared soon after, and was thought to be lost. Reintroduced by Merle Van Doren, a
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farmer near Macon, Mo., in the 1980s, and later other yellow speckled heirlooms have resurfaced from Cherokee and Amish traditions. This is one of the most popular heirloom watermelons ever. Every year the Ark of Taste boards more food varieties that are disappearing. To qualify, a food must be outstanding in terms of taste, at risk biologically or as culinary traditions, sustainably produced, culturally or historically linked to a specific region, locality, ethnicity or traditional production practice and produced in limited quantities. The Ark is not just for seeds or vegetables either. The categories include vegetables, fruits and berries, nuts, cereals, cheeses, fish, shellfish, game, livestock, poultry, beverages, honey, spices, syrups, vinegars and more. As more people discover this treasure trove of unusual, unknown and rare but delicious foods, they are protecting and sustaining them. Seeds are being planted, animals bred and raised to bring these varieties back. In the process, their unique flavors are being rediscovered, often to the amazement of those tasting them for the first time. People start to realize why certain strains or varieties or breeds were valued, preserved and protected for long periods of time. They see some of what we have lost as a culture and people in the industrialization and commercialization of our food. The realization blooms that food is important, not something just to be eaten with no thought of where it was grown or raised, who grew it and how it came to be on our table. Flavor and taste matter. Stephen and Cindy Scott are the owners of Terroir Seeds LLC, home of Underwood Gardens. They supply the finest heirloom vegetable, flower and herb garden seeds, unique books and great tools. They can be reached at 888-8785247 or www.underwoodgardens.com. December 2009