Progressive Economics Long Live Dutch Disease

Dutch Disease is Dead … Long Live Dutch Disease!!! Posted by Jim Stanford under Dutch disease, energy, exchange rates, manufacturing. March 4th, 2013 Comments: 4 In the hyper-polarized context of Canadian energy policy debates, even suggesting that there might be a downside to the untrammeled energy boom centred in northern Alberta is enough to get you labelled a traitor or an economic illiterate — or both. Conservative political leaders in both Ottawa and Edmonton, backed by energy-friendly think-tanks and the Sun media chain, have tried to paint such thinking as idiotic and dangerous, not deserving of serious consideration. This is a distinctly McCarthyist strategy: it relies on vilifying and marginalizing opposition, rather than debating facts and arguments. http://www.progressive-economics.ca/2013/03/04/dutch-disease-is-dead-long-live-dutch-disease/

Douglas Melton, Co-Director of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, is the Keynote at the Stem Cell Summit 2013

Douglas Melton, Co-Director of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, is the Keynote at the
Stem Cell Summit 2013
April 29-30, 2013 in Boston, MA
Register before February 28th and SAVE up to $375!
Submit an Abstract to participate in our Poster Session

Dear Colleague,

Douglas Melton, Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Thomas Dudley Cabot Professor at Harvard University, and the Co-Director of Harvard's Stem Cell Institute, will be giving the keynote presentation, "How To Make Pancreatic Beta Cells" at GTC's Stem Cell Summit 2013 on April 29-30, 2013 in Boston, MA. 

The Stem Cell Summit 2013 features two concurrent conference tracks:
Track A: Stem Cell Research & Regenerative Medicine
Track B: Stem Cell Commercialization & Partnering

Providing cutting-edge information on the most recent developments in all areas of stem cell research, topics include:

• Advances in iPS & ES Cells
• Advances in Adult Stem Cells
• New Paradigms for Cell Therapy
• Novel Technologies in Stem Cell Research
• Overcoming Challenges in Clinical Development
• Commercialization: Bringing Therapeutics to Market
• Partnerships & Acquisitions
• Funding Opportunities
• Regulatory Guidance & Updates

Sierra Club BC has teamed up with Wilderness Committee and CCPA to urge the candidates in the May general election to put a bold global warming plan in their platforms

Dear friends,

Even as scientists warn that global warming is reaching a catastrophic tipping point that could result in the extinction of up to 50 per cent of all species and the costly destruction of coastal cities, B.C. is blithely pushing through with LNG, coal mines, coal port expansion (Fraser Surrey Docks to Texada), pipelines and tankers.

Sierra Club BC has teamed up with Wilderness Committee and CCPA to urge the candidates in the May general election to put a bold global warming plan in their platforms.

Please take 30 seconds to send a letter to the political parties here: http://www.sierraclub.bc.ca/take-action/global-warming/clear-commitment-for-a-cooler-planet

And spread this message widely to others.

Also have a look at this super-short, super-simple yet hard-hitting video from – of all people - the World Bank which encapsulates the global warming issue in a few soundbites and compelling imagery:

“World could be 4 degrees hotter by the end of this century”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQbOlI0YQNs&feature=player_detailpage

Caspar
 

OvaScience at 33rd Annual Health Care Conference

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., February 28, 2013 - OvaScience^SM, (OTC: OVSC), a life sciences company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of new treatments for infertility, today announced that Michelle Dipp, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of OvaScience, will present at the Cowen and Company 33rd Annual Health Care Conference on Wednesday, March 6 at 10:00 a.m. at the Boston Marriott Copley Place in Boston.

A live audio webcast of the presentation can be accessed by visiting the Investor section of the Company's website at www.ovascience.com.  A replay of the webcast will be archived on the OvaScience website for two weeks following the presentation.    

About OvaScience

OvaScience (OTC: OVSC) is a life sciences company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of new treatments for infertility.  The Company's patented technology is based on the discovery of egg precursor cells (EggPC^SM), which are found in the ovaries.  By applying proprietary technology to identify and purify EggPCs, AUGMENT^SM aims to improve egg quality and increase the success of in vitro fertilization (IVF).  OvaScience's team of scientists, physicians and advisers includes recognized leaders in the field of reproductive medicine. For more information, please visit www.ovascience.com.

precommentary on Charlie Rose Paul Krugman Joe Scarborough

 http://mm4a.org/W0gbfy

Somalia jails rape victim and journalist

http://www.avaaz.org/en/somalie_no_authority_to_rape_feb_s2/?cOUfzbb

Dear friends,

I wrote about a Somali woman brutally gang-raped by government soldiers to bring attention to the awful rape problem there. Instead, the government used my article to jail the rape victim along with another journalist who wrote about it! After international outcry, an appeals court just overturned the victim's conviction, but the journalist is facing a sentence. Only if we all stand together can we end this epidemic of rape by security forces. Click below to join me:

My name is Laila and I'm a journalist. I recently wrote a story about a young woman brutally gang-raped by government soldiers in Somalia, hoping that her bravery in telling such a painful story would bring attention to the awful rape problem there. Instead, the government used my article to jail a rape victim and another journalist covering the story for ‘insulting the state’!

After an international outcry, an appeals court just overturned the woman's conviction, but the journalist is still in jail -- and their case is one of many. Rape is horrific, but to be raped when the only authorities you can turn to for justice are your rapists -- it's the most crushing powerlessness. That's why I started a global petition on the Avaaz site, because Somalia's government depends heavily on financing from other governments, so the international community can press them to stop the cover up and bring real reforms to end the epidemic of rape by security forces.

Our call for change could really work, but it needs to be big. UN envoy Zainab Bangura has told us that she will directly deliver our petition to donor countries and Somalia's President. Help by signing and forwarding this email -- let's show these women that they're not alone, and that no one has the authority to rape them:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/somalie_no_authority_to_rape_feb_s2/?bOUfzbb&v=22572

The brave young woman was accused of fabricating her own rape by government officials before she even got a trial. Then, the judge refused to hear witnesses or accept medical evidence proving that she was raped. Yesterday, an appeals court overturned her sentence, but the journalist who reported on it has been convicted, and it will happen again unless we act -- I’ve interviewed too many women who live in constant fear of getting shot or raped, often by the very people charged with protecting them.

But there is hope for Somalia like never before. In just 18 months, it has approved a new constitution, selected a new president, and is finally winning its war against extremists. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud is in a position to act to protect women from his own armed forces, if we together give him a big reason to crack down on this state violence.

While the global outrage pushed courts to stop the prosecution of this innocent survivor, Abdiaziz Abdinur, the journalist who spoke to her, is still facing jail! Funders hold the key to changing the way Somalia's own soldiers and security forces treat women. Sign now and forward this email to help grow a call big enough to change Somalia forever:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/somalie_no_authority_to_rape_feb_s2/?bOUfzbb&v=22572

The Avaaz community has fought courageously to stop the war on women across the world. Last month, more than 1 million of us signed a petition calling for justice and real change in India after the tragic death of a rape victim in Delhi, and received encouraging signs from top government ministers that they were heeding our call. Now, we can bring that people power to Somalia and set the country on a new course.

WIth hope and determination,

Laila Ali, with the Avaaz team

*Laila is a British-Somali journalist based in Nairobi

PS: This petition was started on Avaaz's new Community Petitions Site. It's quick and easy to start a petition on any issue you care about, click here: http://avaaz.org/en/petition/start_a_petition/?22165

MORE INFORMATION:

Somali woman wins appeal against sentence for claiming soldiers raped her (The Guardian)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/03/somali-woman-soldiers-raped

I'm shocked that my reporting on rape in Somalia has led to the jailing of an alleged victim and a journalist (The Guardian)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/05/jailing-somali-women-rape-affront-justice

Somalia: Woman Alleging Rape, Journalist Convicted (HRW)
http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/02/05/somalia-woman-alleging-rape-journalist-convicted

Journalist arrested for interviewing reported rape victim (CPJ)
http://www.cpj.org/2013/01/journalist-arrested-for-interviewing-reported-rape.php

Somalia: Free journalist, others linked to rape allegation (HRW)
http://www.hrw.org/node/112472

In meeting with Somali President, Clinton should stand up for rape victims (New York Times Blog)
http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/16/in-meeting-with-somali-president-clinton-should-stand-up-for-rape-victims/

Somali government to tackle rape cases (Al Jazeera)
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2013/02/20132315946687205.html

Oxford and Cambridge institutional bias (bring attitudes to Canada?)

Oxford University has been accused of 'institutional bias' following figures obtained from a Freedom of Information Act request by the Guardian.

The report showed that, on average, white applicants are up to twice as likely to be offered a place as their ethnic minority equivalent, despite having earned the same grades at A-level. Applications to the university in 2010 and 2011 revealed that 25.7 per cent of white applicants received an offer for a place at the university, compared to only 17.2 per cent of students from ethnic minorities.
Oxford University has excused previous claims stating that ethnic minority applicants are more likely to apply for competitive courses, such as medicine. However the figures reveal that, while medicine is a highly sought after and prestigious course, white applicants were twice as likely to gain a place over ethnic minority candidates even when the same triple A* grades had been achieved

http://www.independent.co.uk/student/news/oxford-university-accused-of-institutional-bias-against-ethnic-minorities-8513052.html via @Independent

Taxi Driver Syndrome by Jeffrey G. Reitz - The Literary Review of Canada

Taxi Driver Syndrome by Jeffrey G. Reitz - The Literary Review of Canada

Maternal investment

So it is my mother's birthday new week and I hope she thinks she got some return from her investment. I published most of my father's writings. Even if the books do not stay in print one of his stories is in my doctorate thesis and in a published paper and those don't go out of print or disappear. I thought my books would be safe in the Vancouver Public Library (until earmarked for sale) but one has disappeared and I hope it has been reordered. I also published a story by my father in an 2012 Indian publication called "Celebrating India", so at least more people know that the name Lans existed before it became an acronym. My published papers are still in the most downloaded category and my mother ended up paying for those. I could not publish them within the grant period and got no funding afterwards. I guess the funders could not predict that the papers would be popular, or thought that they would be used but not by high ranking people. Speaking of grants this week I was given an opportunity to revise, get reciprocal peer review and resubmit a grant. As commonly happens, the topic for this new grant year includes aspects of the grant that I submitted the year before. So I logged in to participate and I noticed that my grant had no public support the previous year and it was one of those new "popularity" based grants. So I decided not to participate. So there, I am not popular or paid; who knows if my kids would have been popular and successful, or would have survived long enough to make their grandparents proud?

3 grant announcements

Mary Kay Foundation Domestic Violence Shelter Grant Program Posted: 26 Feb 2013 07:19 AM PST Mary Kay Foundation Domestic Violence Shelter Grant Program Every October, The Mary Kay Foundation observes National Domestic Violence Awareness Month by awarding grants to deserving women’s domestic violence shelters across the United States. In 2012, the Foundation awarded $20,000 grants to more than 150 women’s domestic violence shelters across the nation for a total of $3 million. Each year, the Foundation awards a grant to at least one domestic violence shelter in every state. Any remaining funds are distributed based on state population. Grant applications are reviewed by the Domestic Violence Shelter Grant Committee, which makes recommendations to the TMKF Board of Directors. After reviewing these recommendations, the Foundation’s Board of Directors selects the final grant recipients. Mail a cover letter, the signed application, and all required attachments by Tuesday, April 30, 2013 (postmark date). The Mary Kay Foundation P.O. Box 799044 Dallas, Texas 75379-9044 1-877-652-2737 MKCares@marykayfoundation.org Planet Dog Foundation Spring 2013 Grant Cycle Posted: 26 Feb 2013 07:09 AM PST Planet Dog Foundation Spring 2013 Grant Cycle Applications are due by March 1, 2013 The Planet Dog Foundation (PDF) strives to support worthy organizations through a grant-making program designed to financially support 501(c)(3) not-for-profit partners across the U.S. The goal of our grant program is to fund programs that train, place and support dogs helping people in need. Funding is allocated nationwide to promote and financially support service-oriented canine programs such as assistance dogs, therapy dogs, search and rescue programs or police, fire and military dogs. We are looking to support like-minded organizations that will most benefit from our support. As our grants do not currently exceed $7,500, we will be reviewing annual operational and project budgets to fund those organizations best able to maximize a PDF grant. While not a requirement, we seek programs that are able to creatively serve multiple populations or otherwise maximize the value of our modest grants whenever possible. The Planet Dog Foundation only funds organizations classified as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service. Programs we fund include: • Assistance dog programs: These include service dogs, guide dogs, hearing dogs and medical alert dogs. Applicants for an assistance dog grant MUST be an accredited member of Assistance Dogs International. For more information about our eligibility requirements, please contact the Executive Director. • Therapy dog programs: These include animal-assisted physical or emotional therapy, hospital and other facility visitation programs, reader/literacy dogs and psychiatric service dogs. Programs applying for a therapy dog grant MUST require membership of their volunteer teams by the Delta Society, Therapy Dogs International, Therapy Dogs, Inc. or other nationally recognized certification program. • Other canine service programs: These include K-9 search and rescue programs, police, fire and military dogs, wildlife conservation dogs, disease detection dogs or other innovative programs. Grants in these categories WILL fund training or other activities but WILL NOT fund the purchase of any form of equipment. Police and fire dog programs must apply through an eligible 501(c)(3) organization - we cannot fund municipalities with any other status. We do not fund the following. Please do not submit an application if your program falls under one of these categories. • Spay/Neuter Programs • Adoption, Shelter or Rescue Program Operating Expenses • Individuals • Political Groups • Religious Groups (or groups with any religious affiliation) • For-profit Organizations • Scholarship Programs • Government Agencies • Non-profit agencies with any determination other than 501(C)(3) • Programs spending more than 35% of expenses on administrative costs • Any program engaged in animal testing or animal cruelty Letters of intent are due in the Planet Dog office by March 1, 2013. Late proposals will not be accepted. The Grant Committee will review proposals and notify finalists by March 18 for submission of additional materials.Please be sure to thoroughly review the eligibility criteria listed above before submitting an application. Due to our limited budget, our guidelines are very specific and firm. After review, Planet Dog Foundation staff will contact those organizations who are invited to submit additional materials to complete a full proposal. Additional materials will be due within 2 weeks of notification. Those not selected will be notified. M. Louise Carpenter Gloeckner, M.D. Summer Research Fellowship Posted: 26 Feb 2013 06:08 AM PST M. Louise Carpenter Gloeckner, M.D. Summer Research Fellowship NOTE: Deadline has been extended to April 1, 2013. The M. Louise Carpenter Gloeckner, M.D. Summer Research Fellowship is offered annually by the Drexel University College of Medicine Archives and Special Collections on Women in Medicine. A $4,000 stipend is awarded to one applicant for research completed in residence at the Archives and Special Collections. The term of the fellowship is no less than four to six weeks to begin on or after June 1. The deadline for applications is March 1, annually. A short essay summarizing research findings is required upon completion of the fellowship. This essay may be published in a University publication or online via the Archives website. This fellowship was established in memory of M. Louise Carpenter Gloeckner, M.D. by her husband Frederick Gloeckner in recognition of her key leadership role in the medical profession. This is a competitive annual fellowship open to scholars, students and general researchers. In addition to materials related to the history of the Woman's Medical College/Medical College of Pennsylvania, the collections have particular strengths in the history of women in medicine, nursing, medical missionaries, the American Medical Women's Association, American Women's Hospital Service, and other women in medicine organizations. The majority of the collections fall within the period 1850 to the present. For further information, email Joanne Murray at archives@drexelmed.edu

NCCAM Clinical Digest: High Cholesterol and Complementary Health Practices

Announcements NCCAM Clinical Digest: High Cholesterol and Complementary Health Practices Approximately 13 percent of U.S. adults has high total cholesterol. Lowering cholesterol levels can slow down, reduce, or even stop plaque from building up in the walls of arteries and may decrease the chance of having a heart attack. Mainstays in treating high cholesterol include diet, weight loss, physical activity, and when necessary, drug treatment. Read more » Message from the Director: Dealing with High Blood Cholesterol NCCAM Director Dr. Josephine Briggs discusses the prevalence of high blood cholesterol and steps that can be taken to lower cholesterol levels and protect your health. Read more » Twitter Chat: High Cholesterol and Complementary Health Practices The next NCCAM twitter chat will take place on February 28 from 1–2 p.m. ET. The experts for this month are NCCAM program officers D. Craig Hopp, Ph.D. and John S. Williamson, Ph.D. and NHLBI nutritionist Janet de Jesus, M.S., R.D. Drs. Hopp and Williamson oversee the portfolio of grants relating to natural products and ethnomedicine. Ms. de Jesus is an expert in nutrition and obesity for the NHLBI Division for the Application of Research Discoveries. To participate, use the hashtag: #nccamchat. Read more » FDA News: Tainted Weight Loss Supplements Seized from Globe All Wellness, LLC (Globe All) U.S. Marshals, acting on behalf of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, seized tainted dietary supplements from Globe All Wellness, LLC (Globe All), in Hollywood, Fla. The products may be unsafe because they contain an undisclosed active pharmaceutical ingredient. Read more » Resources for Researchers Bullet Program Announcements and Requests for Applications Bullet Mechanisms, Models, Measurement, & Management in Pain Research (R01) Bullet Mechanisms, Models, Measurement, & Management in Pain Research (R21) Bullet NIH Operation Plan in the Event of a Sequestration Upcoming Events Integrative Medicine Research Lectures Date: March 11, 2013 Topic: How Positivity and Positivity Resonance Heal Speaker: Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D., Kenan Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Director of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Lab at the University of North Carolina Read more » NCCAM Exhibits Date: March 14–16, 2013 Meeting: Association of Chiropractic Colleges Research Agenda Conference Location: Washington, DC Read more » Follow NCCAM on: Twitter Twitter at http://twitter.com/NCCAM Facebook Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/nccam YouTube YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/NCCAMgov If a friend or colleague forwarded this message, we encourage you to subscribe directly. You can also unsubscribe from this listserv. NCCAM Update is a service of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It provides timely information on NCCAM news, resources, and events. NCCAM is 1 of 27 institutes and centers at the NIH. The mission of NCCAM is to define, through rigorous scientific investigation, the usefulness and safety of complementary and alternative medicine interventions and their roles in improving health and health care. For additional information, call NCCAM's Clearinghouse toll free at 1-888-644-6226, or visit the NCCAM Web site at nccam.nih.gov.

Linking Couture Across the Years

Linking Couture Across the Years

What happens to clothes when the body that once occupied them has disappeared? An exhibition in Paris, “Paris Haute Couture” explores this question.http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2013/02/28/fashion/20130228-SALLIARD.html?smid=pl-share

Dependents of the State

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/dependents-of-the-state

The Stone: Dependents of the State

Why do we loathe and fear some people's reliance on the government but not others? 

............

The irony isn’t only that the poor are condemned for being dependent on the state while the rich are not. It’s also that the rich get so much more out of their dependence on the state than the poor. Without the support of the state, poor people’s quality of life would certainly drop, but only by degrees: their lives would go from bad to worse. Take the state’s assistance away from the rich, however, and their lives would take a serious plunge in comfort. No wonder rich people are on the whole conservative: the most ferocious defenders of the status quo are usually those who are most dependent on the system

The pact with the devil by Joseph E. Stiglitz

http://www.beppegrillo.it/eng/2007/01/stiglitz.html

The Nobel prize-winner for Economics, Joseph Stiglitz has sent me a letter and given two interviews. One is on globalisation and is published below. The other is on video and is about work and poverty.

"Dear Beppe,
maybe we need a RESET; before that we can try to put a grand of sand in the machine. This is what I'm trying to do as an economist.
For much of the world, globalization as it has been managed seems like a pact with the devil. A few people in the country become wealthier; GDP statistics, for what they are worth, look better, but ways of life and basic values are threatened … This is not how it has to be.
We can make globalization work, not only for the rich and powerful, but for everyone, for those that live in the poorest contries too. The task is difficult and requires time. We waited too much: the time to get working has come.
Greetings.
Joe
"

Richard Wolff on Fighting for Economic Justice and Fair Wages | Moyers & Company | BillMoyers.com

Richard Wolff on Fighting for Economic Justice and Fair Wages | Moyers & Company | BillMoyers.com

High Debt and Falling Demand Trap New Veterinarians.

High Debt and Falling Demand Trap New Vets

The cost of veterinarian school has far outpaced the rate of inflation. Meanwhile, there is a boom in supply (that is, vets), and a decline in demand for services.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/business/high-debt-and-falling-demand-trap-new-veterinarians.html

Stop Fox North

http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_fox_news_north_2013_a/?cOUfzbb

The grasshopper wins - Judge Sotomayor’s spending habits

http://andrewgelman.com/2013/02/19/the-grasshopper-wins-and-greg-mankiws-grandmother-would-be-shocked/

5 Reasons Why the Keystone XL Pipeline is Bad for the Economy

5 Reasons Why the Keystone XL Pipeline is Bad for the Economy

Rosemary Gladstar Receives First-Annual ABC Mark Blumenthal Herbal Community Builder Award

Rosemary Gladstar Receives First-Annual ABC Mark Blumenthal Herbal Community Builder Award (AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 20, 2013) The American Botanical Council (ABC) has announced that its first Mark Blumenthal Herbal Community Builder Award will be given to Rosemary Gladstar, the renowned herbalist, teacher, and author known to many as the Godmother of American Herbalism. Among her many accomplishments and efforts that have helped grow a rich herbal community in the United States, Gladstar founded several schools of herbal education, founded and organizes annual herbal conferences, leads international herb-focused journeys, and has authored or co-authored about a dozen books on topics ranging from herbal medicine recipes to medicinal plant conservation. “I know of no other herbalist who has done more to create a sense of relationship, community, and identity among herbalists and others with a strong interest in herbs and herbal healing than Rosemary,” said ABC Founder and Executive Director Mark Blumenthal. “Her energy, enthusiasm, passion, creativity, love, and generous spirit are bountiful and contagious. There is no one like her." Gladstar, the daughter of Armenian immigrants, first learned plant medicine during informal garden walks with her grandmother, Mary Abelian Egitkanoff. She was instantly interested in the plant world, which was apparent in the middle school projects she chose to do on medicinal herbs. In the early 1970s, Gladstar opened her own herb shop, Rosemary’s Garden, in Sonoma County, California. Then, in 1974, she co-founded the tea company Traditional Medicinals with Drake Sadler and created many of the teas’ original formulations, including the popular Smooth Move®, Throat Coat®, and Mother’s Milk®. In 1978, she founded the California School of Herbal Studies (CSHS), which is still in operation today as the country’s oldest herbal school. In the following years, she founded the Breitenbush Herbal Conference, the International Herb Symposium, and the New England Women’s Herbal Conference — the latter two of which she still directs. “In those early days,” said Gladstar, “when herbalism and herbalists were first peeking up from ‘underground’ — where they had rested quite contentedly, it seems to me, for a number of decades — there really wasn’t very much going on herbally at all. We were rather isolated; there weren’t newsletters, gatherings, or schools that I know of in the US that served to bring us together. [So,] these early gatherings were revolutionary, really, and had a lot to do, I think, with nourishing and creating an herbal community. When I look at plant communities, they thrive together. The greater the diversity in the garden (or meadow or woodland), the better the health of the community. And it’s certainly true of herbalists, as well.” In the 1980s, Gladstar created Sage Mountain Herbal Retreat Center, a 500-acre botanical sanctuary in Vermont where she currently lives and hosts educational events and programs. Additionally, she runs her commended herbal home-study course, “The Science & Art of Herbology,” and has been leading the internationally focused Plant Lovers Journeys since 1986. Gladstar’s several books on herbs — including Herbal Healing for Women, Rosemary Gladstar’s Family Herbal, and the 2012 Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide — regularly sell well and receive glowing reviews from her herbal peers and loyal readers. The United Plant Savers, which Gladstar founded in 1994, remains the project that she is most passionate about due to its focus on preserving and conserving native North American medicinal plants and their habitats from unsustainable wild-collection. She continues to serve on the group’s Board of Directors as founding president. “For Rosemary, the linking of herbs to humans is only a mechanism for people to bring awareness to Mother Earth from whom we all originate,” said ABC Board of Trustees President Steven Foster. “Rosemary laid the foundation for the rise of traditional herbalism, which has blossomed into touching the hearts of and teaching tens of thousands of people. Small gatherings of a couple dozen folks of like mind grew into international conferences, symposia, classes, and retreats that were key to the rise of two generations of practicing herbalists in the modern herbal renaissance.” “Rosemary Gladstar introduced herbalists to each other, and to the world,” said fellow herbalist Cascade Anderson Geller. “She gave herbalism a face, approachable and lovable. She gave a big leg up to herbalists of current renown, helping them to achieve success and grow their reputations. [She also] is a brilliant business woman. All of her businesses, even when she has moved on, continue to flourish in some form. To achieve such success, and to be so well loved by colleagues and students alike, is remarkable. Her trustworthiness shines because it is legitimate emanating from an open heart and mind with roots entwined deep in Mother Earth. By walking her talk, Rosemary’s achieved incredible energy that she has generously shared.” Ever humble and modest, Gladstar gives much credit to her herbal peers. “We help each other grow,” she said, “either by pushing, pulling, encouraging, tugging, or just pure nourishing love. At this point in time, the herbal community is really comprised of many communities, all interlinking through our love of plants. But as extraordinary as the plants that bring us together and unite us as an herbal community, are the people who love plants. They are an amazing group of diverse, bright, eccentric, talented, and amazing individuals. I count my lucky stars to be amongst them…. Again, I am humbled and honored by this award.” Although she is unable to be present in person due to a prior commitment, Gladstar will accept the Mark Blumenthal Herbal Community Builder Award via pre-recorded video at the 8th Annual ABC Botanical Celebration and Awards Ceremony in March in Anaheim, California. The ABC event occurs during the annual Nutracon conference and Natural Products Expo West.