December 2003


Thomas and Aiken: Stepping Up to the Plate There is no road map to follow when striking out for uncharted territory, there’s just a burning need to get the job done. The greatest women have followed a goal, and blazed a new path. For Helen Thomas, that goal was reporting, and the only hub for real news was Washington. "I had wonderful parents who didn’t tell me that it was a man’s world," Thomas says. "Nobody ever told me that I couldn’t go into reporting." Still, the lessons to come were hard ones. "When I came to Washington, every door was closed to women. We had to break down every door one by one." Getting equal access to the news, to the heart of the White House, became her driving goal. "I’ve been very selfishly motivated," she says. "I just wanted to be there." Read the full article: Thomas and Aiken: Stepping Up to the Plate

Caught Between Fast Food and Slow Food The scene is familiar. You see it in magazines, on television, over and over: "Mom, what’s for dinner? What’s for snacks?" A dozen kids pile in from outdoors, appetites worked up. Modern mom looks unflustered. She beams as she sweeps open her cupboard doors, or her refrigerator or freezer, and pulls out something sure to please. Read the full article: Caught Between Fast Food and Slow Food

Hip Hop Hits Vermont Throbbing bassline rhythms, jaw-dropping flips, and driving moves are bringing dance and movement back to the mainstream across Vermont. Examples like the Kingdom’s hip hop collaboration with Philadelphia master Clyde Evans and his troupe Chosen highlight the power of rhythm and movement to cross lines of gender, race, body type, and scoioeconomics to bring an authentic message that is far from the standard media hype. Read the full article: HipHop HIts Vermont

Carlos and the Three Kings As the snow falls and the cold winds blow at the end of December, I'll be on a sun-drenched beach in Puerto Rico with my family. Read the full article: Carlos and the Three Kings

Meaningful Greens and Rituals Since ancient times, evergreens have been used for winter decorations and wreaths, a symbol of life when all other plants appear dead. The evergreen is one of the oldest trees on earth, and has long been a sign of hope during the coldest, grayest days of winter. The Romans decorated their homes with evergreen boughs during the winter festival of Saturnalia, and medieval Christians hung trees with red apples in midwinter. Eventually, evergreens were incorporated into German Christmas celebrations and brought to the British Isles in the late 19th century. From there, they spread to the "New World." Read the full article: Meaningful Greens and Rituals

Peace: More Than A Greeting Card The holiday season is soon upon us. Once again we will scramble to buy gifts for those we love; we will prepare for pageants, festivals, ceremonies, family dinners, and solemn vigils; we will re-immerse ourselves in the spiritual meaning of Solstice, Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa, and the New Year. Read the full article: Peace: More Than A Greeting Card

Publisher's Message The Man in the Bisque Cap Cape Cod in winter has a desolate barren kind of beauty. Year-rounders, abandoned by the fury of summer crowds and out of work, struggle to overcome the weight of isolation and loneliness and poverty. Holidays for many are rugged. Read the full article: The Man in the Bisque Cap

Womb For Discussion Forcing a woman to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term is like forcing her to let someone move into her house, sleep in her bed, and tell her what to wear. To have someone dicatat what she can eat, how long she works, when she can sleep, when and how she can have sex, and how often she must go to the bathroom. Read the full article: Womb For Discussion

Dressing for Dummies Let’s take on the subject of clothing. Up until recently, I never really cared about what I wore. I was usually most comfortable sporting jeans and a sweatshirt. Since I wore a uniform five days a week, I never really had to think about what to wear. Read the full article: Dressing for Dummies

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