The Great Name Debate Continues
First off, I just want to congratulate you on your new look and name. It is wonderful! I grew up in Vancouver on Commercial Drive so I am very aware of when and where your magazine comes from. I will admit to being a bit of a stubborn mule when it comes to my reading choices: I love Azure magazine, for instance, but I won’t read Common Ground… because I grew up with the “green” message all around me all the time and, for some reason, even though I live and breathe it, I don’t want to “look” like I do.
The green folks have to deal with the wool-socks-and-hemp-pajama-pants stereotype. I used to feel a little like that about SharedVISION as well. I’d pick it up from time to time but it felt a little “crunchy granola” to me.
Well, you’ve got me now! I’m happy to have access to your wealth of information that speaks to my ethics and does not ask me to compromise my aesthetic senses. Thank you for being forward-thinking.
Andrea Dobbs, Vancouver
Congratulations on your transformation! I look forward to reading your future profiles of people and ideas making a difference, and about solutions for living more lightly on the planet.
Larry Kazdan, Vancouver
I’m really not understanding the title change. Do we not want the men with us as we go forward in women’s, environmental, and sustainability issues? So what if your readership is 86 per cent women? We need the men to be right there along with us when green and other issues are being discussed.
Lulla Sierra Johns, via e-mail
I just wanted to say congratulations on the new look of your publication. It looks like a real winner.
Jim Dwight, via e-mail
I loved SharedVISION and have read it since it began publication. I don’t understand the thinking behind changing the name of such a wonderful publication. “Today’s Vancouver Woman” speaks of tabloid magazines for some reason; sorry to say so, but that was my initial reaction, and unfortunately I have not warmed up to the new name.
Of course I still think it’s a wonderful magazine, but I don’t like the new name.
Jana Birkett, via e-mail
This isn’t just a new name, but a new direction. I, for one, will likely stop reading. To me this is sad, because I grew up in Kitsilano and have been reading SharedVISION since the very first publication.
Has it been bought out? There has been a much more marketed, corporate look. It feels like it’s lost its soul.
Matthew Spears, Vancouver
Congratulations on the name change! Great idea! And this is coming from a guy, not a girl.
Deane Rimerman, via e-mail
I recently picked up your latest issue of Today’s Vancouver Woman and was particularly inspired by your lead story of Vancouver’s first lady, Amy Robertson. I also appreciated the fact that a majority of brands featured are sustainable and local. There’s not enough magazines out there like TVW, but I guess that’s what makes your magazine so unique!
Amanda Anderson, via e-mail
Sorry, I don’t like it! Why alienate your 14 per cent male readership? That figure might have eventually grown. But of course I’ll keep reading.
Marlene Macisaac, via mail
In my opinion it has been a mistake to dispense with the wonderful title “SharedVISION,” which was inspiring, uplifting, and creative. Surely the two words, “Shared” and “Vision,” tell it all.
Please reconsider—it’s not too late.
Ralph Chatwin, Delta
I have been reading SharedVISION for as long as it’s been around. I can’t help thinking that you have done a very public closet cleaning and have thrown out your hiking boots and the sweater your Aunt Martha hand-spun and knitted for you. It’s too late for the boots. You will have to get a new pair, I think, but maybe Aunt Martha could help you unravel the old sweater and re-knit it in a new style that works a little bit better.
I am all for feminism and ecology, and what about raising our spiritual consciousness?
Brenda Pulvermacher, North Vancouver
I picked up your magazine today for the first time because of the name! I enjoyed it very much and will look for the next issue.
Jennifer Desloges, via e-mail
I like the new name! You could have called it “Gutsy Woman.” Love the first lady of Vancouver—she’s beautiful.
Virginia Ritchie, Parksville
I am quite disappointed in the name and format change of the magazine. I thought “SharedVISION” was a very inclusive title. There are thousands of women’s magazines in our society and very few enlightened magazines for all to share. I am a single woman and I think it was very good to see men and women reading the same magazine, something to share with my male relationships.
I will likely continue to read the new magazine but will miss the old title, and hope that men will still find the magazine enlightening.
Kelly Buttignol, Vancouver
I feel it’s time to have the boldness to honour women with their own local magazine. I truly like the idea of a magazine created by and for women, honouring women in all aspects with a central theme of holistic health, wellness, and healing. It is really cherished and valued and needed in our times when women really need to be valued, cherished, empowered, and heard.
Nancy Massignani, via e-mail
I like the look of your logo. It catches the eye and says it all: “Today,” “Vancouver,” and the large “Woman,” which is so now, so “new feminine power.”
Julia Crouch, Bellingham, Wash.
I’ve always picked up SharedVISION for the information. Now I can pick it up for its great look and content. I love the new size with the focus on women.
Sharolyn Wandzura, via mail
Correction: Contrary to what was suggested in last month’s Ethical Edibles (“Loco for Cocoa,” p. 27), certification by TransFair Canada does not indicate a product is certified organic.
Mollified?
Miffed?
E-mail mailbox@tvwmag.com
Our name change sparked a huge outpouring of letters. Here’s what some of you had to say.
I have been reading Shared-VISION since I moved here in 2004 (from England). I am very excited that you have gone all-out for your female readership.
I love the new tagline, too. I am passionate about nature and feel strongly about green issues, but I feel there is much that needs to be done about the way we think and feel (the “soulful” and “savvy” part). Buying organic, recycling, driving less are all great, but we need to be savvy to see the bigger picture. I also think we need to have more female energy/skills in the world and workplace—empathy, strategic and big-picture thinking—to balance out all the capitalism and macho power struggles.
So I couldn’t resist writing in and saying “wonderful.” I can’t wait to see what you do with the magazine!
- Emma-Louise Elsey, Salt Spring Island
The recent edition of your magazine looks great. My friends say Vancouver needs a magazine with your competence targeted to women.
That’s very big news for SharedVISION! Congrats on taking a courageous step with the next phase of publishing.
Just wanted to express my disappointment in your choice of a new magazine title. I’ve always enjoyed picking up a copy of SharedVISION while sitting and having a coffee. I can understand why your company might feel the need to evolve and change. However, I’m sure you understand that the new title, “Today’s Vancouver Woman,” will immediately exclude 14 per cent of your readership. I’m a little confused as to why you decided that articles about healthy living should be gender specific. It reinforces traditional gender views, in my opinion, and there is nothing progressive about that. Very unfortunate.
- Eric Desjardins, via e-mail
It is with utter disbelief that I learned of the name change for SharedVISION. I can only hope you know what you are doing. Your magazine will go from 86 per cent woman readership to 100 per cent. I don’t see many men, including myself, continuing reading a magazine catering to women exclusively (if you weren’t exclusive, you would not have changed your name).
- Peter Endisch jr., Coquitlam
Bless your heart for bringing so much love and high vibration to our community. You have my respect and admiration.
Many years ago I picked up SharedVISION as it had a catchy title and I am all about sharing a common vision. It was myself who introduced the magazine to many ladies I know. What are you going to do today for the single young man who walks by the magazine stand next month and passes by your richly interesting magazine? Who is going to be there to say, “It’s called Today’s Vancouver Woman, but it is for men, too.”? Honestly!
I was disappointed to see the magazine name change. I have noticed lately that the emphasis in content is changing to more of a women’s magazine, so I guess it shouldn’t be surprising. I always saw SharedVISION as a balance to the relentlessly gloomy Common Ground. If your decision was based on trying to reach younger women so as to expose them to a different way of living, I hope you are successful. But I think it is a shame that you will be alienating men in the process. They too need, and are interested in, learning about different approaches to life.
- Carolyne Abrams, via e-mail
Today’s Vancouver Woman looks fresh, exciting and promising!
- Regina Kaiser, Port Moody
I am so excited about the new focus moving forward and, as a dedicated reader, I look forward to the new Today’s Vancouver Woman! Much success for an exciting, soulful year ahead!
- Patricia Cosgrave, via e-mail
I like your magazine. The name is even better now that it’s become Today’s Vancouver Woman. I have an idea: why don’t you have a column called “How Can We Have Peace in the World?” asking people for their opinions and ideas?
I just finished reading your transition issue. I love the double cover idea. Keep up the good work. As a very reserved Brit I will have to slip into a Vancity branch in my raincoat to pick up my copy of the new women’s magazine—or perhaps you can deliver it in a brown bag?
- Andrew Crompton, via e-mail
Fabulous! I love it. I know it will speak to even more of the female persuasion—the savvy, green & soulful kind!
- Janette Hunter, via e-mail
What do you think of our new title?
E-mail: mailbox@tvwmag.com
 Fan Mail
I want to express my appreciation and congratulations for that excellent article on Shawn Buckley and the Charter of Health Freedom (“Give This Man a Cape,” October, p. 20 ). Great idea for the cover, too. I am a serious fan of his, and the more I get to know him and this charter, the more I think all is possible. The title, “Give This Man a Cape,” is so right on, too. Couldn’t have said it better. The article is bouncing all over Canada and has created great excitement.
—Lorna Hancock, Health Action Network Society, via e-mail
Increased Circulation
I want to applaud Tamara and all of you who were involved in the wonderful article “Give This Man a Cape.” What a perfect title! The Charter of Health Freedom, and the movement to protect access to natural medicine, is so very important. If Health Canada is left in charge, the future of alternative health care and prevention will be in irreversible trouble. I am a manufacturer of natural health products, and I can attest to the fact that the current 2004 NHP regulations are removing products from shelves at an alarming rate. Articles like this are very encouraging and are a tremendous help in creating awareness. We are circulating this article via e-mail, and there has been a huge, positive response. On behalf of all Canadians, I thank you!
—Jason Mann, Summerland
 Ratted Out
The Integrative Health section of your October magazine (p. 22 ) describes four experiments: two on animals and two on human volunteers. The experiments on animals are cruel and useless i.e. unscientific, since people and animals are not the same. They have no place in an enlightened society. But most people believe in them, thanks to you and the rest of the media. Are you really a “Dialogue for Change”? Animal experiments have totally derailed science and medicine and have corrupted morals. They are a scandal for our race and a crime that serves no good purpose.
—John Pranger, Vancouver
On the Offensive
To state that no one would administer carrot juice to an accident victim (Publisher’s Note, October, p. 3 ) is a very subtle and insulting put-down of the natural health movement and is totally unworthy of a magazine with the title “SharedVision.” No one denies heroic surgical interventions have saved lives. However, modern medicine is still the no. 1 killer in the industrial world, surpassing cardiovascular disease (no. 2) and cancer (no. 3). The time is long overdue for the natural health movement to go on the offensive, big time. Stop buying into the Dr. Andrew Weil seductive labels of complementary, alternative, integrative medicine (or whatever he wishes to call it). There is only one natural health and healing paradigm, and it does not include government-approved and -protected toxic, DNA-manipulated, or otherwise synthetic crap.
—Croft Woodruff, Coquitlam
Fulfilled? Furious? E-mail letters@shared-vision.com.
Correction: Maggie Gold (Visionary, October, p. 14 ) opened Portugal’s first natural health clinic, not Europe’s.
 Brains and Heart
I was pleasantly surprised to see Andrea Reimer grace the front cover of your magazine. I have had the pleasure of working with Andrea and the Wilderness Committee for over a year now in my spare time.
Andrea is one of the most talented, smart, hard-working, and caring people I know. Andrea has the vision, the social astute[ness], and the hefty dose of altruism that we desperately need at city hall. Andrea is capable of addressing the many issues that are challenging this city: sustainable economy, food crisis, social crisis, healthy communities, and much more. Good luck, Andrea, on Nov. 15!
—Peter Endisch, Coquitlam
From One Smart Young Politician to Another
I wanted to thank you for your wonderful article on Andrea. I have worked with her on a number of issues at city hall, and have always been impressed by her ability to listen and then follow through on her commitments. I would be pleased to see her on council. Thanks for sharing Andrea with the wider world.
—Spencer Herbert, park commissioner,
originally sent to TheVancouverObserver.com
Gutsy Essence
Just read your very absorbing article about Andrea. I loved all the quotes [Linda Solomon] used to really capture her gutsy, raw, brilliant, evolved, committed essence. I now feel as if I know her and would feel very, very comfortable supporting her as a city councillor.
—Deborah Buxton,
originally sent to TheVancouverObserver.com
Ugly Side of Beauty
The latest issue is guilty of objectification of women. I refer to the absolutely unnecessary and sexist statement beside the picture of Andrea Reimer on page 20 where you state she is a “self-professed nerd (but we think a pretty one).”
Why the need to comment on the woman’s looks? This kind of objectification is different only in degree to the plethora of mainstream teens’ and women’s magazines that exalt a woman’s beauty and ability to please men above all else, and is responsible for rising levels of depression, suicide, and self-mutilation among girls and young women.
Time to go back to Feminism 100 training, SV, before you lose all your progressive women readers.
—Donna Jean MacKinnon, by e-mail
 More on the Bond Cover
I’m sure I’m not your usual reader demographic, i.e. late 40s (OK, early 50s), male, drives (old) small SUV (can’t afford a hybrid yet), and has to be forced to recycle by my conscientious wife. Nevertheless, I saw the cover in question and thought “hey, that’s pretty clever” and continued on to read your usual interesting articles and features that open my stodgy self to new ideas. Then I saw the responses you got to your August cover! Kudos to your editorial staff for having a sense of humour. I just bought my first bike in years and look forward to jamming around on it!
—Andre Skujins, Burnaby
All in Good Fun
I was astounded at the tone of the letters regarding August’s “Bond” cover. I saw the cover and thought it very clever, and it instilled no negative feelings whatsoever. I think that many women are overly sensitive when it comes to perceived ideas about misogyny and such. The fact that it is women who chose/edited the cover is proof of not only a good sense of humour but enlightenment about the uptightness of our culture when it comes to gender. Let’s loosen up a bit here!
Kudos to you, SharedVISION, for your playfulness and wit. I hope this does not stop you from posting other fun covers!
—M. Codato, formerly from Vancouver, living in the U.S.
Hot at Night
I learned a lot from Donna Barker’s article “Up at Night?” (August, p. 24). Like the fact that I am not alone with my middle-of-the-night wakings.
Perhaps we should start a phone list so those of us who don’t have sleepless partners could find someone to talk to, or a catalogue of undemanding movie recommendations. Because when I wake up at 3 am, not only am I unable to get back to sleep, I can’t do any of the things I wish I could do with that time: read the classics, clean the house, learn to play guitar, send out long-delayed e-mails, pen a letter, RSVP to invitations. Instead I just lie there, helpless.
In fact, unlike Ms. Barker, who is blessed with the fortune of a late-night libido, I have a 5 pm peak. As the sun sinks lower, so does my sex drive. I wonder if there are vegetarian options that would cause me to wake up hot in the night?
—Nola Poirier, by e-mail
Things That Make You Go Hmm…
I’ve been a loyal fan, reader, and even contributor to SharedVision for the better part of 20 years. Needless to say I have always been attracted to, and supported, in your own words, your commitment to “sustainability, integrative health, and personal growth.”
Imagine my surprise when I opened the September issue to find Regency Auto Group advertising their latest contribution to greed, unconscious consumerism, and global warming, the 2008 ES 350 Lexus, on your inside front cover! How does this client, this product, and this ad come anywhere near supporting your stated commitments?
I’ll be keeping my eye on SV from here on in, but you’ve just lost a 20-year track record of credibility with me.
—Dan Rennie, Vancouver
Editor’s Note:
So Dan, why not buy one of Lexus’s hybrid models?
Table Talk
I picked up a copy of your magazine at the McGill Library in Burnaby. It was my first read of SV. I enjoyed “Why Tigers Eat Their Young” (September, p. 26). It’s always nice to read a little positive reassurance and reminding—I’m sure many parents now in the throes of life with teenagers enjoy the reminders that we are all human.
Don Genova’s piece on the kitchen table (“The Demise of the Kitchen Table,” July, p. 31) was good. How about a contest? Send us your images— very old, just old, or new—of time spent at kitchen tables. I have a memory of sitting with my brother at the kitchen table. We are in our pajamas and we are eating our morning toast, with raspberry jam; ending up with raspberry smile moustaches and having a lot of fun. A great way to start the day.
—Deborah McLaughlin, by e-mail
Satisfied? Steamed? E-mail letters@shared-vision.com
Not Newsstand-Worthy
I don’t know who was responsible for approving the image on the front cover, but you should know that it is very offensive and demeaning to women.
That image implies that women are subservient to men. It implies that he is the master and that, just because he may be rich and well-dressed, his woman should grovel at his feet. Women have fought long and hard (and are still fighting) to gain respectability and equality, to not be seen as sex objects, and to be treated with dignity and integrity. That photograph has none of that. This issue does not belong on the newsstands. It is definitely not up to your usual standards.
I sincerely hope that this is not the start of a new trend.
—Donna Rae, Burnaby
Light Porn Scorn
When I looked at the cover of this latest issue of SharedVISION, I was confused and a little weirded out. There is a woman on her knees in front of a guy who is gesturing with his phallic-looking bicycle pump in an “erect” position. The woman is wearing fishnets and displays ample cleavage.
As a mother, I question putting oversexualized images out there in the public domain where young children—perhaps too young to read, but very impressionable and interested in pictures— will see them. I worry about little boys being prematurely exposed to sexual but confusing images like this, but most of all I worry about little girls and how they internalize this kind of submissive-sex-slave-is-just-so-normal image.
I guess SharedVISION doesn’t share my vision anymore. We see enough junk advertising that hypes sex, and I do not wish to support you in churning out more light porn.
—Nicole Becker, by e-mail
Let’s Hop on Our Soapbox
Good grief! SharedVISION’s cover features a woman grovelling and hanging on to Richard’s leg. This image doesn’t evoke a “Let’s hop on our bikes” feeling.
It’s an insulting and misogynistic depiction of women. It’s not cute or artsy.
What were you thinking when you approved this for publication? Here’s what I see: he’s in a tux brandishing a big tool; she’s on the floor scantily clad. He’s got strength and power; she waits for “Macho Man” to acknowledge her presence. Her submissive pose and her facial expression belong on the cover of a porn magazine.
Question: Is there any indication they’ll be cycling soon?
Answer: Absolutely NOT!!!!
Question: Are the publisher and editor of SharedVISION women?
Answer: YES!
Question: Should the publisher and editor be disciplined for their lack of judgment?
Answer: You bet, they should be fired.
Shame on SharedVISION’s lack of vision.
—M. Clancey, Dartmouth, NS
Wearing Thin
Love the article re: Richard Campbell. Some great vision going on there—ideas that most in the cycling community know about—and it’s awesome to see the dream of a cycle-riffic city circulating more widely.
Hate the cover. Yes, I know you’re trying to be funny and I see you’re trying to make the “guy with bike power” as sexy as “Bond with car power” per the theme of the issue. It fails because the cycling movement isn’t built on that kind of sexism, so the joke doesn’t cross over.
You’ve been using “women as sexy object” images on your covers for several months now and it’s wearing thin. The green future is only going to work if everyone participates to build it together as equals.
—Meg Walker, Vancouver
The Final Word
Would love a large-size copy (digital) of the cover if possible. For my desktop. Thanks.
—Carl Stewart, by e-mail
What did you think of our Bond cover? E-mail letters@shared-vision.com.
 I Dream of Kareen
Thank you for highlighting Kareen Zebroff in your July issue. I enjoyed the article, “Laughing All the Way to the Mat”, very much.
I was one of the stay-at-home moms who learned yoga from her daytime TV show. Although I was not depressed, I was searching for a way to get back into shape after the birth of my first child. Kareen’s program aired while my baby took his afternoon nap, so my education began. I ordered her book and began to teach my friends from The ABC of Yoga. I learned to change my diet and improve my health from her book Yoga and Nutrition. She led me down the Royal Path with her beauty and enthusiasm.
Kareen travelled to northern B.C. where I was living and I joined her for three workshops. She encouraged me to pursue a career as a yoga teacher. I did that, and 32 years later, I am blessed with one of the best jobs in the world, sharing my love of yoga with my students.
The photos of Kareen in your magazine captured her natural beauty. She still lights up a room when she enters it.
Thanks for your great publication!
—Margie Hardy, Steveston
What, Me Fragile?
SharedVISION was so wrong about so many things regarding vastu (“A Room with Vastu”) it is hard to know where to begin. For example, in authentic, traditional vastu, you may use any direction in which to face the entrance door. The most crucial element of the entranceway and any opening of any wall, whether it be a door or a window, is that the wall is broken in the proper place. We use the analogy of frets on a musical instrument: if they are spaced and placed properly, harmonious sound is created.
You also used an incorrect word to describe the Brahmasthan of the house, the central core of the room or structure, when you used the word “fragile.”
It is anything but fragile, being the generator of all energy for the house. We don’t use it for any permanent installations because they will distort the energy as it manifests.
—Blaine Watson, Oliver
Material Claims
For a magazine promoting enlightenment and social responsibility, you sure seem to endorse materialism. It’s hard to focus on the articles where one gets the message “gotta buy this, gotta get that.” Consumerism is the bane of not just our society but of this planet. There is a way to live mindfully without the need to purchase new stuff like it was going out of fashion. Seriously, we can do without a Roots athletic locker bag and a Lotus headband too big for a chihuahua.
—Manuella Noriega, by e-mail
Head Over Heels
Thank you so much for the great article (“Taking Yoga Beyond Form”)! I appreciate being in your magazine… the picture is wonderful. It is fun to see myself in a Headstand in SharedVISION, in my street clothes, with my shoes on!
Thanks again.
—Love, Sandra Sammartino
Enthralled? Exasperated? E-mail
letters@shared-vision.com.
Thanks for Sharing
Dear Ms. Barker (“Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’?”, June, p. 27)
I read your article today, with some considerable interest. You see, it’s been something like... six months? longer? since our sex life tapered off. Circumstances for us are rather different, however. You see, we just had a baby. I am truly hoping that sheer horniness will return when the little guy starts sleeping longer at night. After all, he will be wanting a little sister one of these days. Inspired by your story, I am sending SharedVision a haiku that falls in with your theme. It’s called “Haiku for Solitary Pleasures”:
Extreme horniness
Deeply peaceful vibration
Mug falls off table
I shall think of your wonderful story every time I re-read it.
—Russell Collier, Quick, B.C.
The Right Light?
I recently heard that CFLs are a huge source of electromagnetic radiation and are a potential health hazard in this regard. There was no mention of this in the article on CFLs in your May issue (“Blinded by the Light?”). I would think this is important and warrants some investigation.
—Carl Katz, Vancouver
Ground Control to Spaceship Earth…
What would, in my opinion, add to B.C.’s green efforts (Organic Dirt, May) would be wind turbines lined up along our coastline, creating electricity from the wind’s own energy. Our government should, besides complying with the Kyoto Protocol, actually reflect the necessities and requirements of our environment—e.g. the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the electricity we consume—and not big industry’s interests. How much more will it take for us to seriously acknowledge, and take action on that acknowledgement: that spaceship Earth’s life-sustaining environment will tolerate only so much more human-based abuse? Really, all governments should consider the following pertinent question: what good is creating or preserving jobs (e.g. when developing lands, pristine or not) when people are sick, dying, or already dead because of environmental degradation?
—Frank G. Sterle, Jr., White Rock
No Problem at All
Thank you so much for the article you put out on me in your May issue (“A Fashion Grad’s Final Project,”). It was probably one of the most exciting moments of my life since my mother and father both read your magazine and they were both so proud. The article was short and sweet and embodied my line and personality. Again, thank you for this opportunity.
—Araceli Ogrinc, Vancouver
Galled? Gratified? E-mail letters@shared-vision.com.
How Did That Sneak in There?
 I read with great interest the article by Melissa Breyer on plastics (“Attack of the Killer Plastics,” March). However, I am questioning how well this information was researched. At the end of the article was a list of non-plastic alternatives, one of which was the Wrap-N-Mat machine-washable sandwich wrappers.
This seemed like a great idea, but after going to their website, I discovered the Wrap-N-Mat is lined with PVC, which is then wrapped around the food. PVC is one of the plastic items that is believed to leach the most chemicals, and according to the article, is called “the toxic plastic.” Is this really a “safe” alternative, even though it would reduce plastic waste?
—L. Vance, via e-mail
Desperately Seeking Atypical Male
I wanted to comment on the February essay by Rebecca Ephraim, “Couples’ Retreats and Root Canals”. Ms. Ephraim is to be applauded. Getting her significant other to attend a couples’ workshop is a feat in itself. It shows commitment by both individuals to a third entity: The Relationship.
As a young, fairly urban, single female, I have found the largesse of supposed male “sensitivity” in this century to be a bunch of horse crap. The stereotypical male is still alive and well even in our time of evolved consciousness. I say this without bitterness. It is primarily experiential that I am able to state that typically “male” men are making me sick! I wonder what form of nurture-ment goes into creating a guy who is looking for another mother, who is scared of commitment, who is not afraid of using the “love” word freely without any foundation in the true meaning, whose ability to make love and be sensitive to the needs of his partner seem secondary, etc.
I would like to know where Ms. Ephraim found the beacon for her partner’s “emotional spelunking.” I cannot even find a guy with fresh batteries in his flashlight!
Keep up the good work!
—Courtney Schlesinger, Chicago
Shuck Oysters, Not Cows
 I have enjoyed reading SharedVISION for 20 years. I would like to offer some feedback regarding an article on vegetarianism in the February issue (“Confessions of a Meat-Eating Vegetarian,”). The article cites grass-fed beef as the best source of B12 and iron. While grass-fed beef is a good source of these nutrients, the food highest in B12 and iron is shellfish, namely clams and oysters.
Clams and oysters have up to 10 times as much iron and B12 as beef, and much less cholesterol and saturated fats. In addition, clams and oysters have a wide range of other essential nutrients and vitamins that grass-fed beef does not offer, including omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, zinc, magnesium, and iodine.
You can support the local economy, and a greener environment, by choosing shellfish rather than beef. Even if it is grass-fed, eating a cow still leaves a larger footprint than shellfish.
—Mei Leung, Burnaby
 Eating Meat Is Bull
Kathy Sinclair (Confessions of a Meat-Eating Vegetarian) was hoodwinked by people with an agenda to push the meat habit. They shamelessly exploit our deepest held fears and mythological thinking about our health. They bullied Kathy into eating meat when she didn’t even want to.
It’s sad. Any vegetarian knows there are perfectly adequate supplies of iron, vitamin B12, calcium, essential fatty acids, and everything else a healthy body needs, in a diet completely free of animal products. There are many vegetable sources of iron. “We” (but not Kathy, evidently) get our vitamin B12 from a variety of sources including vegetarian yeast, mushrooms, and—duh—daily multivitamin supplement tablets. An annual blood test confirms my B12 is good. Surely you knew that 100 per cent of B12 in meat is in fact from bacteria contaminating the meat?
My EFA intake comes from flax seed, walnuts, soy, various types of beans, topped up with a supplement from vegan-farmed algae. Am I a nut bar? No, I’m a healthy, happy, intelligent vegetarian who won’t take “you must kill and eat animals” as an answer for anything.
—John Burgess, via e-mail
And We Thought We Were Being Clever
Is there such a thing as a meat-eating vegetarian? I don’t believe so because I know of no plant which grows meat. However, everything a body requires for good health is readily available and does not require the death of any creature. Unless we practice compassion, can we expect any?
—Freda Betker, Burnaby
The Science of Climate Change
In the February issue, the Editors’ Picks recommends the book Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years by S. Fred Singer and Dennis T. Avery. The summary for the book maintains that global warming is a natural phenomenon and that humans play no role in it.
S. Fred Singer is a well-known climate change denier. Mr. Singer is a physicist not a climate scientist (many of whom are physicists) and has attacked scientists who are. He built his career in rocket science during the Cold War and became Ronald Reagan’s chief scientist at Transportation. Mr. Singer works with the Washington, DC think tank, the George C. Marshall Institute.
This institute was founded in 1984 by astrophysicist Robert Jastrow and joined by solid-state physicist Frederick Seitz and physicist William Nierenberg. The reason the institute was founded was to support Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI, or “Star Wars,” Missile Defense program) to counter attacks by physicists because it was technically dubious. By 1986, a petition was signed by 6,500 physicists in order to boycott SDI funding. Physicists know pork when they see it.
The George C. Marshall Institute does no scientific research, does not publish in peer-reviewed journals, and does not debate scientists, but does write op-eds in magazines and newspapers. S. Fred Singer went on to challenge the science linking sulfur and nitrogen emissions to acid rain, CFCs to ozone depletion, and tobacco smoke to lung cancer.
Singer, Jastrow, Seitz, and Nierenberg are all scientists of the Cold War, are against government regulation and international treaties, and believe that free-markets and technology are all we need to solve our problems. These men disguise political debates as scientific ones by using scientific uncertainty as a political tactic. Intellectual dishonesty has no place in science.
No scientists deny that the Earth’s climate has warmed and cooled by natural forces over the billions of years of the Earth’s evolution. However, it has been known for 40 years that greenhouse gases emitted by human activities contribute to global warming. An excellent source of information is Real Climate, a blog written and maintained by climate scientists.
For information regarding S. Fred Singer, check out the YouTube presentation, “The American Denial of Global Warming” presented by Naomi Orestes, UC San Diego,
and George Monbiot’s book Heat: How to Stop the Planet From Burning, Chapter 2, “The Denial Industry.” This book also describes how we can reduce our carbon emissions by 90 per cent in five keys areas (energy production, land transport, buildings, retail, and cement) relatively quickly, cheaply, with minimal disruption, and without becoming a poor Third World country.
And yes, this will require government regulation, international treaties, and a great deal of political courage.
—Manon Gartside, Vancouver
Not Man Enough?
I have a little beef with you and your magazine. But first I want to compliment you on putting out a nice, clean, good-looking publication. It is an improvement from two to three years ago. I like the layout, the articles, the contents page is easy to use and intelligently laid out. But one thing I noticed is that of nine articles in the February issue, there are none written by men. How about a little balance?
—Wayne Ross, via snail mail
Editor’s Note: Dear Wayne, we promise you we have nothing against men. We love men! Note that Bruce Skipper provided the art direction for the February cover story as well as laying out all the pages while bringing in new and innovative design concepts. Bruce also wrote the Sadhana CD review for our March Editors’ Picks, and Adrian Mack (if he were a girl he’d be “Adrianne”) penned our March cover story.
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