Miscellaneous
What a long, strange trip its been
Frank Ferrante allowed a film crew to record his transformation from obese drug addict to clean, serene grad student. Now he’s coming soon to a theatre near you. Josey Duncan | September 2008 issue One cold, rainy evening in 2006, Frank Ferrante wandered into Café Gratitude in San Francisco Read More...
Burn bright, don't burn out
Four ways to recharge your energy while you're changing the world. Leonard Felder | September 2008 issue When you think of someone standing up to battle the status quo, you probably envision a lonely individual facing insurmountable odds. After all, in films like Norma Rae, Erin Brockovich and To Read More...
Fancy butter
Rediscover our old spreadable friend. Elbrich Fennema | September 2008 issue Photo: Pieter De Swart Fat was once considered evil. Then we learned there were good fats and bad fats. Shortly thereafter, we heard the news that cholesterol was a menace. Now we know there’s good and bad Read More...
Fortune always leaves some door open in misfortune
James Geary | September 2008 issue Doors. What are they but holes with hinges, lidded interstices? They are almost nothing, a frame around empty space, yet everything swings on them. They stand there indifferent, impenetrable, not caring whether we go out or come in. We hurry through them, never Read More...
Toilets can change our lives
While scientists may regard penicillin or vaccinations as the greatest medical breakthroughs of all, Jack Sim claims toilets have done more for our health. Sim, founder of the Singapore-based World Toilet Organization, wants everyone to have access to a clean and safe toilet. Marco Visscher | Read More...
Quiet, please!
Noise pollution can damage your health and shatter your peace of mind. Here’s how to turn it down. Mary Desmond Pinkowish | July 2008 issue A leaf blower, snow blower, lawn mower and two huge dogs—Peter D’Epiro can describe in excruciating detail how his neighbour’s lawn equipment and pets Read More...
Beyond words
Often, simply being there is what really matters. David Servan-Schreiber | July 2008 issue The love we bear for our nearest and dearest is repeatedly put to the test. Tested further than we thought possible. Yet it’s at these extreme moments that love rescues us from the most desperate Read More...
listening is worship
Gordon Hempton is fighting to save the sounds of silence in Washington state’s Olympic National Park — one square inch at a time. Diane Daniel | July 2008 issue Hearing the chirp of a bird in the distance, I expect our unofficial park guide to identify another animal resident here in Read More...
The sound of a Sitka spruce
Audio ecologist Gordon Hempton says Rialto Beach in Washington state is the world’s most musical beach. So Diane Daniel, who writes about his life’s work preserving “One Square Inch of Silence” tried to cipher the symphony by poking her head into the hollowed-out driftwood logs there. What Read More...
Silent spring, again
Speaking up to protect the voices of the wilderness. Amy Domini | July 2008 issue Silence can be a source of healing, a refuge from the stress of modern life, a pathway to enlightenment. Or it can have a more sinister meaning. In 1962, Rachel Carson, an accomplished biologist and popular writer, Read More...