10.12 Our BerkshireTimes Magazine

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Contents
October - November 2012
About Us
R
1
Our BerkshireTimes
Honey, by Shawn Fields
Shawn Fields was born in 1973 in Columbus,
Ohio. He received a BFA in illustration at The
School of Visual Arts of New York, and went
on to study fgurative drawing and painting
at the Water Street Atelier. After working as a
portrait painter and exhibiting landscapes and
still life for several years, he enrolled at The New
York Academy of Art and earned an MFA in
painting. At this point he began to combine his
interest for painting the fgure and still life with
his love of innovative storytelling creating
large-scale narrative oil paintings.
After painting in New York City for 15
years, he moved his home and studio to New
Marlborough, MA, where he and his wife, Kenzie,
and their children, Odie, Honey, and Peter, are
living happily. www.shawnfeldsart.com,
shawngfelds@gmail.com

3 Art, Culture & Entertainment
Event Sampler
4 Food & Drink
We Eat by the Grace of Nature
6 Home, Garden & Landscape
Fireflies and Sheep Eyes
8 Education & Workshops
The Darrow STEM Center
10 Reviews
Laughing All the Way to the Polls
11 Our Berkshire Marketplace
Local Product Sampler
11 Berkshire Bargains
Coupons! Discounts! Savings!
12 Animal Talk
Feeding Your Pet a Healthy Diet
14 Community Spotlight
Pittsfield, MA
17 Health & Wellness
The Gentle Power of EFT
The Healing Power of Ginger
Does Your Body Feel Your Thoughts?
22 Mind & Spirit
Who Do I Say That I Am?
23 In Business
GoodWorks Transforms Insurance
16 Fashion & Beauty
Shop Local Fashion Sampler
PUBLI SHER
Kathy I. Regan
publisher@ourberkshiregreen.com
_______________
EDI TORI AL
Kathy I. Regan
editor@ourberkshiregreen.com
Rodelinde Albrecht
rodelinde@ourberkshiregreen.com
Copyedi t or s/ Pr oof r eader s
Rodelinde Albrecht
Patty Strauch
_______________
DESI GN
Magazi ne Desi gn/ Layout
Kathy I. Regan
AdsI ndependent Desi gner s
Katharine Adams, Rural Ethic Studio
katmail@ruralethicstudio.com
Christine Dupre
cedupre@msn.com
Elisa Jones, Berkshire Design Studio
elisa@berkshiredesignstudio.com
Shirley Sparks, Graphic Design on a Dime
sms234@aol.com
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ADVERTI SI NG ACCOUNT MANAGER
Patty Strauch
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EVENT COORDI NATOR
Patty Strauch
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CONTACT
Our Ber kshi r eGr een, I nc.
P.O. Box 133, Housatonic, MA 01236
Phone: (413) 274-1122, Fax: (413) 541-8000
www.OurBerkshireGreen.com
www.OurBerkshireTimes.com
www.OurBerkshireCalendar.com
COVER I LLUSTRATI ON
2 Good Tidings
Empower Yourself with Holistic Health
13 Back to Nature
The Berkshires' Best-Kept Secret
24 Directory
Directory of Advertisers
NEW! Follow Us On
Our BerkshireTimes
is an Our BerkshireGreen
publication. We are dedicated

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H
olistic (wholistic) health is harmony
and balance within all aspects of self
mind, body, spirit, and emotions.
Taking a holistic approach to your life helps to
create a balance in your personal life, family rela-
tionships, community activities, and work envi-
ronment. A holistic approach brings an aware-
ness and respect for the infuence each aspect
of a persons life has on all others. The whole
lifestyle of the person is addressed, taking into
consideration diet, exercise, the mind and emo-
tions, ones spiritual outlook, and the interac-
tion between family, friends, co-workers, society,
and nature. In this issue, Good Tidings offers
four interesting pathways for optimizing holistic
health. As the seasons change, fnd wholeness
through acknowledging, honoring, and healing
all your individual parts mind, body, spirit, and
emotions! May good bless you!

M
any of my yoga students and holistic cli-
ents talk about the increase in tension they
are feeling in their day-to-day lives, in the air.
So many unknowns coming so fast with news
of earth changes, unrest in many pockets of
the world, monetary fuctuation, etc. How can
we in our fast-paced society settle into a more
grateful, relaxed space? I fnd the key is through
our breath! When we take the time to stop and
breathe, slowly and deeply through the nose, our
anxiety response shifts to relaxation response
and we begin to feel more gratitude for what
we have rather than anxiety for what we dont.
In this relaxed space our inner knowing comes
in and guides us to the actions, diets, holistic
care which can help make huge shifts for better
health and vitality in our lives . . . enjoy your link
to life, your breath! ~ Jeff Migdow, MD, Lenox, MA,
(413) 637-1513, horus888@aol.com.
N
aturopathic primary care medicine is
now accessible for people in southwest-
ern VT, eastern NY, and western MA. I take
a whole-person approach to diagnostic testing
and rely mostly on natural treatments and nu-
trition. Conditions such as obesity, high cho-
lesterol, high blood pressure, hypothyroidism,
diabetes, and gastrointestinal issues are ex-
tremely common. My patients have been able
to reduce many of the signs and symptoms of
these conditions, often with minimal use of
medications. Natural therapies include clinical
nutrition, herbal medicine, and nutrient and
vitamin supplementation. ~ Korey DiRoma, ND,
Stram Center for Integrative Medicine, Bennington,
VT, (802) 445-3152, akdiroma@stramcenter.com.
B
ased on more than 20 years of practice
in subtle energy healing as an acupunc-
turist, I began to look more deeply into the
root cause of illnesses that were chronic or
reoccurring and were frequently inaccessible
through acupuncture and herbs. The concept
is simple; ask the body it doesnt lie and
it holds the whole story. The tool (Clearing
Energy Blocks) is simple: access the auto-
nomic regulatory system via a challenge to a
muscle together with the intention to get the
answer directly. The body, via a muscle chal-
lenge, will give a strong to weak response.
I am allowed, along with the patient, to ac-
cess the nature of how a problem is held as a
block; including when it began and whether
the ailment has emotional, belief system, or
spiritual roots. I am guided how to proceed
directly with the healing by the inherent and
creative intelligence within and around the
patient. ~ Mayer R. Kirkpatrick, Licensed Acu-
puncturist, Lenox and Northampton, MA, (413)
822-5337, mayerkirkpatrick@gmail.com.
O
steopathic Manual Medicine (OMM)
is a gentle hands-on approach to the
evaluation and treatment of all medical con-
ditions in all age groups. Osteopathic edu-
cation includes an in-depth understanding
of physiology recognizing that all the body
systems are interconnected and how dys-
function in one system can affect another.
Osteopathic medicine recognizes the bodys
natural tendency to strive toward a state of
health and homeostasis, and takes great care
to look at the whole person, instead of just
treating specifc symptoms. In order to assist
this inherent healing process, the Osteopath
is trained to palpate tissue texture changes
and to restore normal body structure to allow
for more normal function in areas impaired
by trauma, chronic illness, acute health prob-
lems, etc. ~Stephen Kisiel, DO, Joshua Krembs,
DO, Berkshire Osteopathic Health, LLC, Pittsfeld,
MA, (413) 442-0085.
~ Susan Jameson is the
founder of Humanity in
Concert, and the co-founder
of Healing Winds and
the Rock, Rattle & Drum
Pow Wow. She is an inter-
faith minister, dancer, and
passionate metaphysician
committed to her work
in spiritual development.
www.HealingWinds.net
Good Tidings
Empower Yourself with Holistic Health

By Susan Jameson
=

www.OurBerkshireTimes.com October / November 2012 3
Art, Culture & Entertainment
Annual Literacy Network Gala:
An Italian Farmers Market
Date: Sat, Oct 13, 2012, 5:30-10:30pm
Place: Fitzpatrick Hall at Berkshire Country
Day School, Lenox, MA - (413) 243-0471
Price: by ticket
Annual Gala: An Italian Farmers Market
honoring Matt & Chris of Guidos and Paul
of Baba Louies and three generations of
the Masiero family for their contribution
to our community. Cocktails, Italian buffet,
dancing. www.litnetsb.org
LYA Fall/Winter Childrens
Consignment Sale
Date: Sat, Oct 13, 9am-4pm, and
Sun, Oct 14, 2012, 9-12pm
Place: Lee Corporate Center, 480 Pleasant
Street, Lee MA - (413) 464-2372
Price: Free.
We sell gently used childrens (newborn
to size 16) and maternity clothes, baby
equipment (high chairs, strollers, swings,
etc.), books, and toys. All items are for the
Fall/Winter season. Consigners receive
70% of their total sales, with the rest to
benefit the Lee Youth Association. Volun-
teers who work at this event will get a pass
to our exclusive Preview Sale Friday night!
Contact Dawn at LYAConsignmentSale@
live.com or call (413) 464-2372
www.LeeYouthAssociation.com
Festival of Trees Opening Night Party
Date: Fri, Nov 16, 2012, 5:30pm
Place: Berkshire Museum, 39 South Street,
Pittsfield, MA - (413) 443-7171
Price: Call (413) 443-7171 ext. 45
Visit a wondrous world of enchantment at
Myths and Magic: Festival of Trees 2012.
The 28th annual holiday event will feature
nearly 200 twinkling holiday trees, decked
in richly colorful ornaments representing
the mythical, magical realms of legend and
lore, arranged throughout the Museums
galleries. The opening night party is a fam-
ily friendly event with the theme Myths and
Magic, with hors doeuvres, beverages, and
entertainment throughout the Museum.
www.berkshiremuseum.org
Alchemy Initiative Fifth Annual
Handmade Holiday Festival
Date: Sat, Dec 1, 2012, 10am-5pm, and Sun,
Dec 2, 2012, 10am-5pm.
Place: Masonic Temple, 116 South Street,
Pittsfeld, MA - (413) 394-9942
Price: $4.00/children under 12 free
Over 30 juried artists, traditional to cutting
edge ranging from jewelry, ceramics, and sta-
tionery, silk-screened t-shirts, wreaths, and
more! Local musicians will keep the festive
spirit high and local food vendors will be on-
site to keep up the shoppers stamina.
November 2, Festival Preview Exhibit
and Reception, featuring work by partici-
pating vendors, at Gallery 25 (25 Union St,
Pittsfeld), part of Novembers First Fridays
Artswalk, 5-8pm. Partnering with the Berk-
shire Museum, each weekend in November
the Museum will host pop-up trunk shows
featuring artists from the Handmade Holiday
Festival; check www.berkshiremuseum.org for
dates and times. During the Handmade Holi-
day Festival, children will be able to participate
in special ornament-making workshops to
create decorations for the Alchemy Initiative
tree at The Festival of Trees 2012: Myths and
Magic, held November 17 through January 2
at the Museum. www.alchemyinitiative.org
October - November Event Sampler
To see more events or to post your event for free go to
www.OurBerkshireCalendar.com
Acoustic guitar, a keen lyrical
ear, intimate and honest vocals...
delight your guests with a personal
and memorable musical experience.
Available for house concerts and
intimate gatherings. Call to discuss
how to host a House Concert ! Visit:
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or call
413.269.7229
S
sometimes
when driving through the fog
we think the sun has gone
from all the earth
and fog goes on forever
but steadfast hopeful brave we
keep on keep on keep on
going
knowing
soon or late
the fog will lift
the sun will shine
and skies be blue again
By Rodelinde Albrecht, Concerned Singles,
www.concernedsingles.com. See ad on page 22.
October / November 2012 www.OurBerkshireTimes.com

4
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Food & Drink
Organic, schmorganic, fumes
New York Times columnist Roger Cohen sar-
castically in an article entitled The Organic Fable.
He bases his sweeping dismissal of the organic
foods movement on a new Stanford University
study claiming that fruits and vegetables labeled
organic are, on average, no more nutritious than
their cheaper conventional counterparts.
Cohen does grant that organic farming
is probably better for the environment because
less soil, fora, and fauna are contaminated by
chemicals . . . So this is food that is better eco-
logically even if it is not better nutritionally.
But he goes on to smear the organic
movement as an elitist, pseudoscientifc in-
dulgence shot through with hype.
To feed a planet of 9 billion people, he
says, we are going to need high yields not low
yields; we are going to need genetically modi-
fed crops; we are going to need pesticides and
fertilizers and other elements of the industri-
alized food processes that have led mankind
to be better fed and live longer than at any
time in history. Id rather be against nature
and have more people better fed. Id rather be
serious about the worlds needs. And I trust
the monitoring agencies that ensure pesticides
are used at safe levels a trust the Stanford
study found to be justifed.
Cohen ends by calling the organic move-
ment a fable of the pampered parts of the
planet romantic and comforting. But the
truth is that his own, science-driven Industrial
Agriculture mythology is far more delusional.
Let me count the ways that his take on the
organic foods movement is off the mark:
1) Organic food may not be more nutritious,
but it is healthier because it is not saturated with
pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and preserva-
tives, not to mention antibiotics, growth hor-
mones, and who knows what other chemicals.
There are obvious health advantages in this,
since we know though Cohen doesnt mention
that synthetic chemicals and poor health, from
asthma to cancer, go hand in hand.
2) Organic food is only elitist if it comes
from Whole Foods the one source Co-
hen mentions. I grow organic vegetables in
my backyard, and they save me money every
summer. We dont need the corporatization
of organic foods, we need local cooperatives
(like the CSAs in my region) to provide af-
fordable organic produce that doesnt require
expensive and wasteful transport thousands
of miles from feld to table.
3) About feeding 9 billion people: frst of
all, we should be working hard to curb
population growth, for all kinds of good
reasons. We know weve gone beyond the car-
rying capacity of our planet, and we shouldnt
be deluding ourselves that we can techno-fx
our way out of the basic laws of geophysics
and biology. Industrial agriculture is a big part
of the problem. It will never be part of the
solution. Agriculture must be relocalized and
brought back into harmony with the natural,
organic cycles of the planet. If this doesnt
happen, and soon, all the GMO seed and fer-
tilizers in the world wont help us survive the
climate cataclysm that awaits.
4) Mankind is better fed and longer lived
now than any time in history? Here Cohen
reveals his own elitist, Whole-Foods myopia.
Surely he must know that some billion people
We Eat by the Grace of Nature, Not by the Grace of Monsanto
By Jennifer Browdy de Hernandez

Food & Drink
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Come to our
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Visit our historic landmark
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Vegan, Gluten-free, Vegetarian upon request
S
go to bed hungry every night, with no relief in
sight? Mortality statistics are also skewed heav-
ily in favor of wealthy countries. So yes, those
of us in the industrialized nations are again,
depending on our class standing living longer
and eating better than in the past, but only at the
cost of tremendous draining of resources from
other parts of the world, and at increasing costs
in terms of our own health. Just as HIV/AIDS
is the scourge of the less developed world, can-
cer, asthma, heart disease, and diabetes are the
bane of the developed world, and all are related
to the toxic chemicals we ingest, along with too
much highly processed, sugary, fatty foods.
5) For someone who is calling the organic
movement romantic, Cohen seems to have
an almost childlike confdence in authority
fgures. He says he trusts the monitoring agen-
cies that ensure pesticides are used at safe levels
a trust the Stanford study found to be justi-
fed. And I suppose he also still believes in Santa
Claus? We cannot trust that the safe levels es-
tablished by the EPA or the FDA are in fact safe,
given the fact that we operate in an environment
where thousands of chemicals enter the market
without suffcient testing, presumed innocent un-
less proven guilty but to win the case against
them, frst people must get sick and die.
6) Cohens zinger, Id rather be against
nature and have more people better fed,
displays his own breathtaking blind spot as re-
gards the human relation to the natural world.
Human beings cannot be against nature with-
out being against ourselves. We are a part of the
natural world just like every other life form on
this planet. Our fantasy that we can use our
technological prowess to divorce ourselves
completely from our material, physical reality
is just that a fantasy. We eat by the grace of
nature, not by the grace of Monsanto.
For the entire history of homo sapiens, we have
always eaten organic. Its only been in the last
50-odd years, post World War II, that wartime
chemicals and technologies have found new
uses in agriculture. The result has been the rapid
and wholesale devastation of vast swaths of our
planet biodiversity giving way to monoculture,
killer weeds, and pesticide-resistant superbugs
going wild, the weakening and sickening of ev-
ery strand of the ecological web of our planet.
If Cohen wants to talk fairytales, the rel-
evant fable to invoke might be the legend of
Jack and the Beanstalk. We might be able to
grow a fantastically huge beanstalk if we fed
it with enough chemical fertilizers, and we
might even be able to climb it and bring back
a goose that lays golden eggs.
But in the end, that beanstalk will prove
to be more dangerous to us than its worth
well have to chop it down, and go back to the
slow but solid organic way of life that has sus-
tained us unfailingly for thousands of years.
~ Dr. Jennifer Browdy de Hernandez is Asso-
ciate Professor of Comparative Literature and Media
Studies at Bard College at Simons Rock. She directs
the annual Berkshire Festi-
val of Women Writers and
the Simons Rock Summer
Enrichment Camp for
Teens. She blogs about en-
vironmental, political, edu-
cational, and social issues at
Transition Times (http://
bethechange2012.word
press.com).
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We Eat by the Grace of Nature, Not by the Grace of Monsanto
By Jennifer Browdy de Hernandez

6
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Fireflies and Sheep Eyes

By Schuyler Gail
O
ur farm is on a dirt road, and some-
times you can count the number
of cars that pass in a day on one
hand. Though our rural setting makes for
a very disappointing lemonade stand, it is
perfect for watching frefies. At our house,
the frst warm day of spring brings anticipa-
tion of frefies to our fve-year-old. We wait
months for them to begin fashing. The frst
few sparkly fies bring great joy, and hours of
chasing in order to make a frefy jar to bring
inside for the night. As summer really kicks
in, so many frefies blink and sparkle in the
deep black sky that it is hard to tell where
the stars end and the pasture begins. Sum-
mer nights here are louder and busier than
the days, full of life, as millions of bugs sing
and hum and fash.
It is fall now, but it hasnt yet frosted. Its
getting darker earlier, and last night I moved
the sheep to new pasture in the dark. When
the days get shorter we rely on headlamps
to extend our working hours on the farm.
While I worked I noticed that the bugs are
still singing and humming as in summer, but
the felds are conspicuously dark and feel
lonely, empty, with our friends the frefies no
longer fashing, mixing pasture and stars.
Weve become so used to the frefies that
weve forgotten the joy that they brought in
the early summer, and no longer catch them
for night lights. As I worked, the headlamp
cutting blue paths through the dark, I saw
them, pairs of lights bobbing up and down
in the pasture. The refection from my head-
lamp shone in dozens of sheep eyes, light-
ing up the feld just like the summer frefies.
There arent so many fashes in the fall feld,
they move more slowly, and with measure,
but they are there. They bring life and the
stars and the night sky right down into our
pasture. Its almost as though our sheep have
gobbled up the feel of summer along with
its lush grass, preserving it for winter nights
when the felds would otherwise be lonely
and conspicuously dark.
~ Schuyler Gail and her husband, Colby, own and
run Climbing Tree Farm in New Lebanon, NY. They
raise pork, lamb, poul-
try, eggs, and two small
children on pasture.
Read more about their
farm at ClimbingTree
Farm.blogspot.com.
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8
Education & Workshops
An Education for Life. Toddler Early Childhood Elementary Adolescent Summer Program
Expect more.
The Montessori School of the Berkshires
Independence
Innovation
Intellect
Lenox Dale, MA (413) 637-3662 BerkshireMontessori.org
Where you belong.
Mom, Im taking Latin
next year. BCD is where I
need to be! Sam, age 11
You expect success,
we make it happen.
Preschool through Grade 9
55 Interlaken Rd Stockbridge 413 637 0755

berkshirecountryday.org
HANDS-ON SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION
Sustainability tours by appointment:
Ecological wastewater treatment
Wind and solar energy
Organic gardening
Composting & recycling
Sustainability Education Experience
Days (SEEDs) for grades 7-12
Fourth Annual Sustainability Symposium:
April 23, 2013
Darrow is a college-preparatory, coed,
boarding and day school for grades 912
located on the MassachusettsNew York border.
518-794-6000 www.darrowschool.org
Limited openings
available for Fall 2012!
HANDS-ON SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION
Sustainability tours by appointment:
Ecological wastewater treatment
Wind and solar energy
Organic gardening
Composting & recycling
Sustainability Education Experience
Days (SEEDs) for grades 7-12
Fourth Annual Sustainability Symposium:
April 23, 2013
Darrow is a college-preparatory, coed,
boarding and day school for grades 912
located on the MassachusettsNew York border.
518-794-6000 www.darrowschool.org
Limited openings
available for Fall 2012!
On Friday, September 14, Darrow School
opened its newly renovated science building,
now called the STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Math) Center. The grand
opening represents the culmination of three
months of construction work to renovate, re-
furbish, and repair the building. The designs
for the project were created by architect and
Darrow alumnus Mike Hardiman, Class of
1975, and the construction project was com-
pleted by BBL Construction.
The building, originally constructed in the
1960s, had no insulation, and its siding and roof-
ing had succumbed to the elements over the
years. The interior of the building, because of
the lack of insulation, was frequently cold and
expensive to heat. The renovation stripped the
building down to the concrete blocks, added
new rigid foam core insulation, double-paned
windows, impermeable membrane roofng, drip
edges, doors, soffts, lighting, heating system,
and entryways. The Darrow STEM Center is
attached to the Samson Environmental Center,
which houses the well-known Living Machine
wastewater treatment facility and is powered
partially by solar panels and wind turbines.
The project was paid for largely by Dar-
rows growing-greener initiative, which has
raised almost 2 million of its 2.5-million-dollar
goal since its inception in May 2010, and has
also helped fund other human, economic, and
environmental sustainability projects around
the campus. In June, the campaign won a gold
award in the Council for the Advancement
and Support of Educations recent Circle of
Excellence competition, in competition with
schools nationally and internationally. Dar-
rows curriculum emphasizes environmental
sustainability and stewardship, and the school
has been recognized nationally and internation-
ally as a pioneer in integrating these topics into
a college-preparatory curriculum.
In early September, Darrow opened its
doors for its 81st year and welcomed 116
students. Eighty percent of the students are
boarders and 20 percent day students; 70 per-
cent come from the United States and 30 per-
cent are international students representing
ten countries, including China, Jamaica, Japan,
Ghana, Russia, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey,
the United Kingdom, and Vietnam.
To learn more about Darrow School, a
coed boarding and day school for grades 9
through 12, visit www.darrowschool.org.
The Darrow STEM Center
By Steve Ricci

10 October / November 2012 www.OurBerkshireTimes.com
Education & Workshops Reviews
The
Arts at
HotcHkiss
hotchkiss.org/arts
(860) 435 - 4423
GUEST CONCERT SERIES ~ TREMAINE GALLERY ~ FILM SCREENINGS
DANCE ~ HOTCHKISS DRAMATIC ASSOCIATION ~ SUMMER PORTALS
PROGRAMS SEPTEMBER THROUGH JULY
ALL ARE WELCOME
The Hotchkiss School, Lakeville, CT
Great Barrington Rudolph Steiner School
Parent-Child Garden
Classes for babies,
toddlers and
pre-nursery children
with a parent
or caregiver
Weekly, teacher-led
classesflled with song,
movement and support
are designed to nurture
both parent and child
and to honor the childs
blooming capacities.
Eight week sessions begin this October.
To learn more or to register visit www.gbrss.org
Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School
35 West Plain Road, Great Barrington, MA 01230
admissions@gbrss.org (413) 528-4015, ext.106
See how our garden grows!
Montessori In-School Open House
Date: Wednesday, November 7, 2012, at 9am
Place: The Montessori School of the Berkshires
21 Patterson Road, Lenox Dale, MA - (413) 637-3662
9-9:30 Toddler; 9:45-10:15 Childrens House
10:30-11:00 Elementary; 11:15-11:45 Adolescent
Open House is a parents chance to tour the campus
and observe classes in session.
Politics is no laughing matter . . . which may
explain why flmmakers make comedies about
it. We laugh to keep from crying; we also laugh
to keep from being consumed by anger. This
election time, I want to make sure you didnt
miss the following antidotes to frustration.
Dave. This 1993 movie explores the ever-
popular theme of the insignifcant but honest
man chosen by fate to become a force for good
against a corrupt system. A dead ringer for the
president, Dave Kovic (Kevin Kline) is asked
by the Secret Service to be his decoy. When
the president suffers a stroke, Dave is stuck in
the White House until its decided what to do.
Dave gets into the part, even passing legisla-
tion. Also stars Ben Kingsley, Frank Langella,
and Sigourney Weaver.
Primary Colors. In 1998, that peerless pair
Mike Nichols (director) and Elaine May (writer)
brought to the screen Joe Kleins fctionalized tale
of Bill Clintons campaign for the 1992 Demo-
cratic nomination. John Travolta stars as the candi-
date bedeviled by sex scandals; Emma Thompson
plays his forbearing wife. Costars Billy Bob Thorn-
ton, Kathy Bates, James Earl Jones, and more.
Man of the Year. This 2006 satire stars
Robin Williams as a talk show host who de-
cides to run for president in order to expose
corruption in Washington. To everyones sur-
prise, including his own, he wins. Was this fuke
the result of a computer glitch? If so, will it
be revealed? Laura Linney, Jeff Goldblum, and
Christopher Walken costar.
Swing Vote. Think your vote doesnt
count? Think again. In this quirky 2008 flm,
Kevin Costner plays Bud Johnson, a divorced
neer-do-well who, through a bizarre twist of
fate, holds in his hand the outcome of the pres-
idential election. Madeline Carroll debuts as his
precocious 12-year-old
daughter. Be prepared
to suspend disbelief in
order to enjoy the feel-
good payoff.
~ Rodelinde is the di-
rector of Concerned Singles,
www.ConcernedSingles.com.
See ad on page 22.
Laughing All the Way to the Polls
By Rodelinde Albrecht
~ Jim Misseldine lives in the Berkshires with his wife, Holly. He enjoys writing and playing music, and
recently joined Our BerkshireGreen Publishing as an Independent Account Representative.
The Apple and The Way
By Jim Misseldine
Holly is the name of one that I did chance to meet
Drifting down the trail of life just following my feet
I met her where the apples fall sweetly back to earth
Unless of course an apple picker falls upon them frst
An apple picker such was I or so I did become
And every day Id climb the trees for apple picking fun
But Holly had a different job a job like golden yarn
Sorting apples all day long inside the apple barn
Now apples when at frst you look may seem so uninvolved
No mystery in cryptic verse no puzzle to be solved
But close your eyes and look again and see what is unseen
Apples hide the way of life inside their every seed
Holly found this way one day what many others miss
And just when I was strong enough she told me it was bliss
Apples come she said to me in many shapes and kind
Some are large and some are small some coarse and some are fne
Apples can look strong and brave unbroken full of shine
While others carry bruises from the wounds they hold inside
But though the fruit may come and go below as up above
The surface is deceiving for the core is purely love
Apples are the human race a-hanging from a tree
Each a story to be told the tale of you and me
So if youre ever wandering and wondering what to do
Seek the joy thats deep inside the apple that is you
S
Save 10% off Martial Arts Tuition
Martial Arts Institute of the Berkshires in Great Barrington,
MA, is offering 10% off tuition when you present their adver-
tisement from this issue. See ad on page 17.
Free Medical Hypnosis Consultation
Susan Spiegel Solovay is offering a free medical hypno-
sis consultation (quit smoking, lose weight, pain relief, or
stress/sleep issues) at her offce in Hillsdale, NY, or Great
Barrington, MA, when you present her advertisement (from
page 19 of this issue).
Free Wine Tasting
Hillltop Orchards in Richmond, MA, is offering a free wine
tasting. Try their award-winning Furnace Brook Wines, produced
at Hilltop Orchards. Stop by their Farm Winery Store. Open Daily
9am-5pm. See their ad on page 13.
Free Initial Pet Health Exam
VCA All Caring Animal Hospital is offering a coupon through
their website for a free initial health exam for new clients. Good
for up to two pets (dogs or cats only) per household. Check with
your nearest VCA hospital for other types of pets. See ad on
page 12, and their website for more information.
Berkshire Bargains Our Berkshire Marketplace
Traumeel
Traumeel
is a combination
of twelve natural active
homeopathic ingredients that work together, complementing the bodys natural
processes to reduce muscular and joint pain, arthritis, bruising, inflammation, and sports
injuries, and may lead to improved mobility. Traumeel
is available in multiple dosage forms

such as an odorless topical ointment and gel for on the spot relief and as tablets and oral drops
for systemic pain relief throughout the body. Traumeel can be found at the Berkshire Co-op
Market in Great Barrington and at Guido's Fresh Marketplace in Great Barrington and Pittsfield,
MA, and at the Hawthorne Valley Farm Store in Ghent, NY, among others. www. traumeel.us
Save $5 on Groceries
LaBonnes Markets in Salisbury, CT, is offering $5 off the
purchase of $20 or more when you present their advertise-
ment, from page 5 of this issue, at checkout.
Save $1 on Any Kitchen Item
Berkshire Organics is offering $1 off any kitchen item. See
ad on page 4.
Free Opportunity for Advertisers
Our BerkshireTimes magazine is offering advertisers a free
3-month website and eNewsletter advertising package with the
purchase of any 6-issue (1 year) print advertising contract, now
through December 31, 2012. Sign up now! Email advertise@
OurBerkshireGreen.com for more information.
Free Coaching Consultation
Kenly Brozman, Certified Health and Wellness Coach, of
Wellness Bound Coaching is offering a free initial consulta-
tion. See her ad on page 20.
10% off Sun Pure Air Purifier
Kathleen Edelman of BLEND Solution is offering 10%
off the purchase of a Sun Pure Air Purifer through Novem-
ber 30, 2012. See her ad on page 24.
The Music of Bruce Mandel
Bruce Mandel, contemporary Folk/
Americana singer-songwriter, recently
returned from his "Barnstorming
Troubadour" Summer 2012 tour in
support of his new CD "Sketches." Bruce
offers lyric-driven acoustic music on
three CDs and a Limited Edition CD
created for the Otis, MA, Bicentennial
(portion of proceeds to benefit the Otis
Free Public Library). Great for holiday
gifts or your own music collection. For
information about Bruce, house con-
certs, and performance schedule, and
to purchase CDs and T-shirts ($10-$15),
go to www.brucemandel.com.
Vases from the Infnite Earth Series - Elaine Hoffman, of Hoffman
Pottery, has been making pottery since the 1960s. Her work takes a variety of forms,
from vases, pitchers, and soap dishes to giant garden frogs and funky heads that
keep evil spirits away. She uses brightly colored glazes and often overlays
them with a network of delicate black lines that form
symmetrical patterns and accentuate the
shape of the piece. The overall effect is
what she calls sunshine
daydream infused
with positive energy, the
kind you want to bring
into your home.
Mosaic hobbyists
might be interested to
know that broken pieces
of Hoffmans colorful
pottery are free. To see
more of Elaine's work
and to join her mailing
list, go to www.EHoffman
Pottery.com.
Infinite Earth Series - $195 each
Approx. 15" High
Free Memory Screening
Are you concerned about your memory or the memory of a
loved one? The Memory Clinic is offering a free memory
screening. Contact them today for more information. See
ad on page 21.
Amazing Dental Plan
Livingston Dental is offering new patients in-house dental
benefts and care for only $25 per month, as well as free,
friendly phone advice. See ad on page 18.
U
nderstanding what constitutes a
healthy diet for our pets frst requires
an understanding of how the bio-
chemistry of domestic dogs and cats dictates
what they need to consume to thrive. With
lips on the side of the face, no fat-crowned
teeth, and no enzymes in their saliva for di-
gesting carbohydrates, their heads alone tell us
that our domestic dogs and cats are carnivo-
rous mammals. Their period of coexistence
with humans has not changed their normal
biochemistry as carnivorous mammals, nor
has it changed the fundamental nutritional
requirements associated with that biochemis-
try. Even when an anatomic, physiologic, or
metabolic defect limits the range of accept-
able diet options for meeting the nutritional
needs of a pet cat or dog, the fundamental
nutritional requirements of the pet as a car-
nivorous mammal must be met in order for
the pet to thrive.
The life-sustaining proteins and fats that
are the most bio-available to carnivorous
mammals are the proteins and fats in animal
muscle meats, organ meats, whole eggs, and
fsh. The metabolism of those fats is a car-
nivorous mammals most bio-available source
of calories for the energy to run its body, and
those proteins are a carnivorous mammals
most bio-available source of tissue-building
nutrients for maintenance of organ size and
muscle mass, and as well for hormone, en-
zyme, and other biochemical substance re-
placement. Carnivorous mammals require
very little dietary carbohydrate to satisfy their
metabolic needs; starchy carbohydrates in the
diet eventually deposit themselves in the body
as visible, hard-to-utilize fat.
Below are the frst 6 ingredients (by
weight) of two very different commercially
available dog foods. As species-appropriate
diets for feeding carnivorous mammals, these
two diets sit at opposite ends of the species-
appropriate spectrum. Many different types
of commercially available foods fall healthfully
in between. Visit www.dogfoodadvisor.com for
more information.
Diet #1 is a dry kibble diet. Its frst ingredient
by weight, corn, is among the top three aller-
gens for dogs (corn, wheat, soy). Its second
ingredient by weight, powdered cellulose, is a
compressed fber of no nutritional value, and,
inasmuch as compressed fbers are very light
in weight, the 16% fbrous fllers in this diet
(powdered cellulose, soybean mill run, dried
beet pulp) may well comprise more than half
the volume of what arrives in the food bowl.
This diet is very low in animal protein, the
quality of which cannot be judged with the
generic description of the third ingredient as
chicken by-product meal. The balance of
the listed ingredients offers nothing to redeem
this diet as a species-appropriate diet for any
carnivorous mammal. Diet #1 is a veterinary
prescription diet.
Diet #2 is a ready-to-serve raw prey-model
diet. Prey-model diets do not contain any
fruits, vegetables, or greens as do many raw
food diets. As obligate carnivores, cats may
occasionally chew on grasses as a digestive
aid, but have no nutritional need for fruits
or vegetables and often fnd their inclusion
in raw food diets to be off-putting. As scav-
enging carnivores, dogs may well seek out
naturally occurring above-ground fruits,
vegetables, and greens; therefore, many who
feed a prey-model diet provide their dogs the
opportunity to scavenge for those fruits,
vegetables, and greens by offering them as
treats and rewards. Although this diet and the
other meat varieties available from the manu-
facturer are each formulated to meet AAF-
CO (Association of American Feed Control
Offcials) nutritional standards, those who
feed a prey-model diet typically believe that
a complete diet is not truly balanced un-
less a rotation of meat varieties is fed. This
diet fed alone, or in a rotation with other
meat varieties, is the epitome of a species-
appropriate diet for a normal carnivorous
mammal. Diet #2 is natures prescription for
health and vitality.
Did you know that when a cat or dog
consumes a species-appropriate raw meat
diet, the stomach frst releases a thick layer
of mucus to protect the stomach lining,
followed by a release of hydrochloric acid,
which establishes a gut pH that is suffciently
acidic to kill any bacteria that may be present
and, as well, to dissolve raw bones?
Did you know that raw meats manu-
factured for pet consumption are held to
stricter standards for pathogen control than
Animal Talk
Our Cat
Champion-
Buddy!
440 Stockbridge Road Gt. Barrington, MA
413-528-8020
www.vcaallcaring.com
Please visit our website for current promotions and discounts,
such as the Free First Exam for New Clients.

A Wise Old Veterinarian Once Told Me
Feeding Your Pet a Healthy Diet / By Kristina Dow

940 MAIN STREET, GREAT BARRINGTON, MA 01230

CARING FOR PETS SINCE 1957

BENSDOTTERS PET 413-528-4940

Your trusted source
for quality foods
and supplies.
Your trusted resource
for raw-feeding
information
and advice.

www.bensdotters.com

Convenient Location with Ample Parking
on route 7 less than a minute south of Guidos
Monday-Friday 10-6
Saturday-Sunday 10-4

Diet #1 - Whole Grain Corn, Powdered
Cellulose, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn
Gluten Meal, Chicken Liver Flavor, Soy-
bean Mill Run
Diet #2 - Ground Chicken with Bone,
Chicken Heart, Chicken Liver, Herring Oil,
d-Alpha Tocopherol, Mixed Tocopherols

Animal Talk
Hilltop Orchards, home of Furnace Brook Winery
Open daily: 9am-5pm (413) 698-3301
508 Canaan Rd / Rt 295 Richmond, MA 01254
hilltoporchards.com furnacebrookwinery.com
Beautiful vistas, heritage apples,
award-winning wines
Apple picking Free wine tasting Hiking Fresh baked goods
All Your Pets Needs!
413-637-0800 www.chezpet.com
55 Pittsfield Rd., Lenox, MA 01240
Mon.-Fri. 10AM to 5:30PM Sat. 10AM to 5PM
NOW AT LENOX COMMONS!
Natural Foods & Treats
Toys Supplies Gifts
Lots of fun stu!
Catering to the needs of the well loved
pet since 1993. Premium foods. Quality
toys, treats, bedding and accessories
for your furry friends!
333 Main St., LakeviLLe, Ct (860)435-8833
Back to Nature
are raw meats for human consumption? Raw meats for hu-
man consumption are manufactured under USDA guidelines
allowing managed risk for pathogens; raw food diets for
pets are manufactured under FDA guidelines allowing zero
tolerance for pathogens.
Cheers to your healthy pet!
~ Kristina Tina Dow is a retired col-
lege administrator, former veterinary
assistant, and self-described Born-
Again Raw-Feeder. Tinas shop, Bens-
Dotters Pet, is located in Great Bar-
rington, MA. The shop carries a wide
array of supplies and natural treats, and
specializes in raw-food diets. www.
bensdotters.com. See ads on pages 12
and 25 and on back cover.
S
Back to Nature
H
ere we are. Were at the girls camp
now, and the boys camp is right down
the road over there, Sarah Strull says
as she points to a series of quaint red cottages
nestled in the woods. You should see it here in
the spring, its really beautiful then.
The Program Director for the Berkshire
Outdoor Center, Strull is giving a quick
tour of a place that might just be one of the
Berkshires best-kept secrets.
A Rich History
Just off Route 8 in the sleepy town of Becket,
MA, the center is part of Becket-Chimney Cor-
ners YMCAs sprawling 1,400-acre campus.
Originally built as a set of privately-run
camps one for boys and one for girls, estab-
lished in 1903 and 1931, respectively the prop-
erties were acquired by the YMCA in 1972.
Since then, Becket-Chimney Corners
YMCA has been offering an outdoor recre-
ational outlet for area residents hoping to em-
brace the beauty of their natural surroundings.
While the YMCA has been a strong fxture in
a tiny town mostly known as the home of
Jacobs Pillow, its been the Outdoor Center
that has really left an indelible mark, extend-
ing its reach far beyond the Berkshires.
Founded a little over 20 years ago, the cen-
ter was designated as a home for year-round
outdoor recreational, leadership, and educa-
tional programs for all ages. About 12,000
guests enjoy the centers programs each year,
fnding a haven where they can relax, learn
new outdoor skills, or even take on what is
billed as the most comprehensive challenge
course in the Northeast, complete with more
than 50 low and high rope challenges.
A Wide Scope of Programs
This really is a place that is all about instilling
confdence in its guests as they participate in a
wide scope of programs, Strull said.
The center applies user fees, alumni dona-
tions, and grant funding to fuel its programs,
which include everything from outdoor lead-
ership and team-building exercises for adults
to environmental education lessons for ele-
mentary school students. The center has even
hosted weddings.
One thing that is really helpful for us
is the fact that we get feedback from every
group that comes here, Strull said. They sig-
nify what they didnt like, as well as what was
most meaningful for them.
Surprisingly, few from the area take advan-
tage of the centers offerings. Some of the people
who beneft most from the programs are inner-city
youth from places like Boston and New York.
For these students, used to hearing sirens
and honking cars into the late hours of the
night, the chance to fall asleep to the sound
of fying bats and coyotes yelping off in the
distance is truly eye-opening.
Trained staff members lead each of their
programs activities. The center employs four
full-time staff members in charge of year-round
administrative duties, and a team of seasonal em-
ployees a group as large as forty in the Spring
and as few as six in the less-busy winter season.
Natural Connection
The center is split into two separate camps, di-
vided by gender for the visiting school groups,
but both are nearly identical in their layouts.
Each cluster of red cabins has a centralized wash
house surely something that some of the cen-
ters more metropolitan visitors are not used to.
Some of the structures are still under
construction and unfnished. Strull says, The
centers alumni are very involved, we polled
them to see what they most wanted changed,
and the majority wanted to have porches at-
tached to the cabins, as well as skylights.
As the tour continues, Strull drives further
and passes by stables that house horses and oth-
er animals leased to the center by local farmers
during the summer. She heads by other points
of interest, from the new dining hall that can
ft up to 600 people, to Brewster House the
frst two-level home in Becket that is used for
the centers Colonial Living program where
guests simulate a Colonial lifestyle.
After the tour winds through the boys
camp, its time to head back. Before reaching
the YMCAs central offce, she slows down
as a group of crows quickly scatter, fying up
from the middle of the road, apparently scav-
enging for their days meal. Its a reminder of
just how closely connected the camp is with
the natural world around it.
Our goal is to help people connect with one
another and to connect with the natural world dur-
ing their time here, Strull says as she parks the car.
Everything we do here fts under that banner.
~ Brian Mastroianni grew up in the Berkshires and
is a 2011 Brown University graduate. His work has been
seen on Yahoo! News and CBSNews.com, read on-air
at NECN, and printed in The Advocate Weekly, The
Berkshire Eagle, Edible Berkshires, and Brown Medicine
Magazine. He was the press agent for Berkshire Actors
Theatres 2012 season. www.brianmastroianni.com,
brian.mastroianni@gmail.com, or tweet @brimastroianni.
The Berkshires' Best-Kept Secret
By Brian Mastroianni
circa
Mid-Century Modern Vintage & Antiques
436 North Street Pittsfield, MA 01201
www.circaberkshires.com
circaberkshires@hotmail.com
413-445-7200
Open: Mon-SAt 10-5
Community Spotlight: Pittsfeld
Inn
Berkshire
An Inn for All Seasons
Inn
800-443-0633
413-443-3000 / Fax 413-443-3549
www.theberkshireinn.com
reservations@berkshireinn-ma.com
150 West Housatonic Street (Route 20)
Pittsfield, MA 01201
American/Filipino owned & operated
by the Perrin Family
within walking distance
to downtown Pittsfield

Traditional Acupuncture
Jeffrey Gordon, M.Ac., L.Ac.
Elle Day Spa at the Crowne Plaza One West St., Pittsfield, MA 01201
Appointments: 413.445.5600 www.jgordonacupuncture.com
Live with Calmness, Balance and Vitality
Pittsfield, MA
By Pamela Tobin
L
eaf-peepers on parade in the Berkshires
admiring the beautiful fall foliage, we ask
you to pull over in downtown Pittsfeld
and park the car (perhaps a few will paahk the
caah) and take a stroll along North and South
Streets. Its easy to spend several hours to an en-
tire weekend here with so much that downtown
has to offer. Did you know that we have a hotel
with a pool and sauna right here in downtown?
Visitors and residents alike can enjoy warm
sunny days and cool brisk nights with plenty to
keep busy from morning into the evening with
quaint cafs, lunchtime landmarks, elegant din-
ing, and shopping for him and her or for spe-
cialty toys and gifts. To top it off, downtown
Pittsfeld has been awarded one of fve cultural
arts district designations in the state with award-
winning theatres, galleries, museums, live music
venues, and more. Downtown Pittsfeld its
where to go when youre in the Berkshires. We
have plenty of trees with leaves for peeping too.
At night, they even sparkle.
Downtown Pittsfeld is not a destination, its an
experience. There are more than 90 boutique-
style shops, 45 restaurants, numerous places
to get pampered, and a variety of events to
attend. You can even get your shoes repaired,
prepare your taxes, buy car parts, and have
your favorite family photos framed. With the
increased activity, small and large businesses
alike are choosing a downtown Pittsfeld lo-
cation to open their doors and make their
dreams of owning or growing their business
come true. Long-standing successful business
owners recognize the vibrancy of downtown
by reinvesting and expanding. Patricks Pub
owner, David Powell, is opening a second
location at 41 North Street called J. Allens
Clubhouse Grille, and Deidres relocated to a
highly visible location on Park Square.
Partnerships and collaborations have been the
central theme behind the success of what is
happening in downtown Pittsfeld. First Fridays
Artswalk showcases the beautiful marriage
between the artistic and business communi-
ties. Every frst Friday of the month, each
participating venue, including shops, restau-
rants, traditional galleries, and more, hosts an
opening artist reception and the art remains
on display all month long to enjoy and pur-
chase. Downtown Pittsfeld, Inc. (DPI), the
recognized leader, facilitator, and principal
advocate for downtown since 1983, is host-
ing Dr. Leon Nesis, a retired surgeon who
paints lively landscapes, seascapes, and fow-
ers, through October.
Sustaining the arts today is critical to the suc-
cess of a thriving, growing arts district, said
Henry Holt, upon visiting Leons show. I have
been in the art business all my life and the First
Fridays Artswalk is a wonderful initiative
bringing exposure to the artists through ev-
eryday venues like retailers, restaurants, and
offce spaces, added Holt. During the month
of October, Berkshire Money Management will
be giving out $100 Artsbucks for the purchase
of original art valued over $200. The Artsbuck
program is designed to encourage consumers to
purchase art they may not necessarily do other-
wise, stated Allan Harris of BMM. I under-
stand incenting the consumer goes a long way.
Downtown Pittsfeld, Inc., has developed
strategies and programs, mobilizing resources
resulting in a creative, lively, sustainable down-
town environment to support its membership.
Take time to create your personal downtown
experience. Whether youre a visitor, a resident,
a business owner, or a corporation interested in
supporting DPIs mission to foster the ongoing
growth and vitality of downtown through
vision, leadership, and advocacy and to posi-
tion downtown as the creative and business hub
of the Berkshires for the beneft of all, please
contact Downtown Pittsfeld, Inc. at (413) 443-
6501 or visit downtownpittsfeld.com.
~ Pamela M. Tobin, Executive Director,
Downtown Pittsfeld, Inc.
Community Spotlight: Pittsfeld
Pittsfield
70 South St.
(413) 447-7304
110 Dalton Ave.
(413) 395-9626
Dalton
488 Main St.
(413) 684-1551
Gt. Barrington
325 Main St.
(413) 528-2840
www.pittsfieldcoop.com
Member FDIC Member SIF Equal Housing Lender
The Communitys Bank
Since 1889
High dose iv vitamin c infusion therapy
Physician suPervision
Breast tHermograpHy
early risk assessment
Integrative Health Solutions
42 Summer Street Suite 308 Pittsfeld, MA 01201
Call 413-637-8921 for more information.
H
ave you been to Pittsfeld lately? Its buzzing
with creative energy in this bustling hub of
the Berkshires, with a vibrant revitalized downtown
recently designated as the frst cultural district west
of Boston, gorgeous parks and recreational areas,
welcoming neighborhoods, theatre, music, history,
and art galore.
Now there is a new website to showcase
everything Pittsfield has to offer. DiscoverPitts-
field.com is your guide to the citys restaurants,
shops, and cultural hotspots, as well as sports,
recreation, and the great outdoors. Did you know
Pittsfield is home to the Pittsfield State Forest,
Canoe Meadows Audubon Sanctuary, a ski resort,
and dozens of neighborhood parks all within its
borders?
The citys Offce of Cultural Development also
sends out a weekly email newsletter called Cultural
Pittsfeld This Week, which features a wide range of
performances, openings, classes, and more, for all
ages and tastes. The newsletter is free and you can
sign up for it at DiscoverPittsfeld.com.
Fall is a busy time in Pittsfield. Along with
glorious autumn foliage, the city features the
Pittsfield CityJazz Festival, the Made in the
Berkshires Festival, the last 3rd.Thursday of the
season (on October 18, with a costume theme
of Hometown Heroes and Superheroes), and
the year-round First Fridays Artswalk.
Come shop, play, dine, and enjoy!
~ Contributed by Megan Whilden, City of Pittsfeld
Director of Cultural Development
DISCOVERPITTSFIELD.COM
SHOP
DINE
PLAY
ENJOY
Pittsfield, MA
By Pamela Tobin
...the farm store off the farm
Experience the Exquisite Luxury of Alpaca
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Handcrafted soaps, jewelry, knits &
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Shop Local
Vlada Boutique is an intriguing shop full of
fabulous clothing, jewelry, accessories, and
other fun fnds! Retail Therapy for the
Responsible Woman. (413) 298-3656
17 Elm Street, Stockbridge, MA.
See them on Facebook.
Fashion Sampler
Fashion & Beauty

Nature's Closet is an an outdoor specialty retailer that
carries only the highest quality brands designed to make the
most of every minute you spend outdoors. They select products
based not only on performance but also on the impact their
production has on the environment and their ultimate
end-of-life impact on the planet. (413) 458-7909
61 Spring Street, Williamstown, MA. www.naturescloset.net
Peter Becks Village Store, located in
Salisbury, CT, is Litchfeld County's leading
destination for outdoor apparel, lifestyle
clothing, and community-focused outdoor
education. (860) 596-4217
19 Main Street, Salisbury, CT.
www.peterbecks.com
the bee's knees is a children's store in
Hudson, NY, supporting natural parenting,
imaginative kids, and a healthy environment.
(518) 697-0888, 302 Warren Street, Hudson, NY.
www.thebeeskneeshudson.com
"Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world."
~ Marilyn Monroe

Health & Wellness
Dr. Goldman, a leading international fgure in the
practice and continuing education of Osteopathy,
has been in practice in Sharon, CT since 1992. He
now brings his extensive healthcare experience to
Great Barrington and the surrounding communities.
As a certifed specialist in Osteopathic Manipulative
Medicine and fully licensed physician, Dr. Goldman
treats the whole person not just the symptoms by
emphasizing the interrelationships of structure,
function, and the ability of the body to heal itself.
call for appointment and information
concerning treatment protocol
and insurance eligibility
Great Barrington, ma 413-528-3334 | Sharon, ct 860-364-5990
The Gentle Power of EFT

By Heather Ambler, MA, CBP
T
heres a relatively new healing tech-
nique that is growing in popular-
ity with remarkable speed. Its called
EFT, which stands for Emotional Freedom
Technique. If you havent already heard of
it, EFT is a safe and gentle form of energy
medicine that is now being recommended by
the American Psychiatric Association, and is
widely used in VA hospitals in the treatment
of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Like acupuncture, EFT is a meridian-based
therapy, but with EFT, no needles are used.
Instead, the EFT practitioner (or the client)
taps on various acupuncture points on the cli-
ents face, body, and hands, while the client
focuses on the issue that needs to be healed
by repeating phrases about it, for example:
Heartbroken because my husband passed
away. The combination of focusing on the
issue while tapping spontaneously, perma-
nently releases it from the body-mind.
EFT has been successfully used to treat doz-
ens of issues and conditions, including: grief,
trauma (including PTSD), fears and phobias,
obsessive compulsive disorder, relationship
issues, hormonal imbalances, ADD/ADHD,
dyslexia, insomnia, depression, anxiety, aller-
gies, migraines, chronic pain, and more.
Sound too good to be true? When I frst heard
about EFT, I certainly thought so.
Until I tried it.
The results I got were so powerful and re-
peatable that within a week, I had dropped
the other healing techniques Id been using
in my private practice for four years and was
exclusively using EFT. Since then, Ive used
it to help my clients heal from myriad issues,
including everything listed above. The EFT
motto is: Try it on everything. The reason
for this is that no matter what the problem
is, if you do EFT on it, more often than not,
youre going to see improvements, and usually
dramatic ones.
Developed in 1993 by Gary Craig, EFT has
been spreading across the globe ever since.
Google Emotional Freedom Techniques
(with the quotes, to keep results to that exact
phrase), and youll get more than 4.5 million
hits. Enter the same phrase into the Ama-
zon search bar, and youll have your choice
of more than 200 books. Its being used by
physicians, psychotherapists, nurses, chiro-
practors, coaches, sports psychologists, and
teachers all over the world, on everything
from PTSD to sports performance (its very
popular on the pro golf circuit). Psychiatrist
Curtis Steele has said EFT is the single most
effective tool Ive learned in forty years of
being a therapist, and Candace Pert, PhD,
former Chief of Brain Biochemistry at the
National Institutes of Health says, EFT is
the most important development in medi-
cine since antibiotics.
Since I learned EFT, it has completely trans-
formed my life, both personally and profes-
sionally. If I had only one tool for living to
give my daughter, it would be EFT. Shes
known how to do it since she was ten years
old, and she uses it whenever shes worried,
sad, scared, or feeling sick. In fact, if I had
only one tool for living to give anyone, it
would be this incredible tapping cure that
heals broken hearts, releases long-held trau-
ma, catalyzes spontaneous forgiveness, and
sets people free from the prison of suffering.
~ Heather Ambler, MA,
CBP, uses EFT to help
people heal from grief
and trauma. In private
practice since 2004, she
works with adults and
children, both in person
and by phone. In addition
to her private practice,
Heather also teaches EFT
to individuals and groups, and blogs about EFT at
www.efttappingtips.blogspot.com. To learn more
about Heather and her work, visit her website at
www.heatherambler.com.
that a study published by
Swiss scientists found that bisphenol A (BPA),
a powerful hormone disrupter that increases
your risk of cancer and heart disease, trans-
fers readily from many thermal cash register
receipts to skin in only fve seconds, to such a
depth that it cannot be washed off. Missouri
scientists found that the total mass of BPA
on a receipt is 250 to 1,000 times greater than
the amount of BPA typically found in a can
of food. BPA in receipts has also contami-
nated paper money worldwide.
Did You Know
S

18
Health & Wellness
The Healing Power of Ginger

Ginger is a herbaceous, perennial plant
native to southeastern Asia. It is com-
monly called ginger root but it's actually
a rhizome, or a horizontal underground
stem that gives rise to shoots above the
ground.
This gift of nature can be used inter-
nally or externally with similar effects
of warming the body and improving cir-
culation. It also helps digestive problems
resulting from the consumption of too
much fat, protein, or oily foods.
Twelve separate antiviral agents have been identi-
fed in ginger proving its powerful antiviral action. It
is a great remedy for colds and fu as it stimulates
the circulation and lymph system. Additionally, its
gentle sedative effects help patients rest, while its
pain-relieving action helps to alleviate symptoms like
sore throats and headaches.
Ginger tea can help with nausea and vomiting
from motion sickness, pregnancy, and postopera-
tive nausea. It also acts as an anti-inflammatory
agent, easing symptoms of arthritis and other
joint conditions.
An ancient Japanese healing modality, hot ginger
compresses can be used externally to relieve tension
and stagnation in different areas of the body.
Its effectiveness lies in its ability to strengthen and
tonify the internal organs. The heat activity, com-
bined with the powerful therapeutic effect of gin-
ger, regenerates the blood and tissue circulation in
the area being treated, facilitating the dispersion of
toxins and blocked energy in the body.
Many types of acute or chronic pains can be relieved
with ginger compresses such as rheumatism, arthritis,
asthma, backaches, intestinal and menstrual cramps,
stiff neck, and similar problems. Ginger compresses
can speed up the improvement of a variety of infam-
matory conditions such as bronchitis, liver, bladder,
and intestinal infammation.
Ginger compresses are also very useful in drawing toxins out of the kidney
area, increasing the blood circulation and helping to dissolve hardened masses
such as kidney and gallbladder stones as well as cysts, uterine fbroids, and
benign tumors. Release of these toxins and blocked energy can bring a deep
and soothing feeling to the body as a result of endorphin release. Ginger is
truly an amazing gift from nature!
By Veronique Rignault
~ Born in Paris, France, Veronique moved to the United States 30 years ago to study the Chinese
and Japanese approach to healing. She has been practicing the Healing Art of Ginger Compresses
for the last 18 years in Boston and at various yoga retreats around the world. She recently extended
her practice to the Berkshire area. www.ragasha.com/naitea. See ad on page 19.
Healing Rhythms, Lenox Commons
(413) 684-4888 | marion@fverhythms.com
Japanese Style Acupuncture Eden Energy Medicine Practitioner
Second Degree Reiki Master Cupping
Whole Body
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Graceful, fluid movement,
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Increase and sustain
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Williamstown, MA movingandhealingarts.com
Ming Lash, rsmt
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413-458-6100
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Phoebe Williams, Certied Professional Coach
413.232.7018 | www.BerkshireLifeCoaching.com
Align with your inner wisdom.
Set the course of your life.
Eileen Lawlor, LICSW
3EMDR 3 Hypnosis
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42 Summer Street Suite 308 Pittsfeld, MA 01201
Call 413-637-8921 for more information.
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Movement for renewed energy, health and well-being. Focus on
alignment, back care, sports performance; special needs welcome.
Private sessions or small group classes in a beautifully equipped studio.
Catherine Brumley West Stockbridge, MA 413-232-7838
Jacqueline
Nicholas
413.446.0691
413.298.7025
dreamcatchertree
@gmail.com
C
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f
i
e
d

N
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r
s
i
n
g

C
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r
e
M
a
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Health & Wellness
S
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20
A
s an acupuncturist, these are common
themes I hear from clients. Do you iden-
tify with them? A lot of us feel this way,
and without caffeine, pain medications, and TV,
you may feel that you cannot make it through the
day. We seek many ways to make pain or tension
go away: visiting specialists, trying to stretch and
exercise differently, and various not so healthy
behaviors in an attempt to calm ourselves down
when we are stressed. Some of it may help, and
some not. But the most
important question of
all is one that we may
have never considered.
What thoughts do I
create the instant I feel
sensations of pain, ten-
sion, or unease?
In response to sensa-
tions of discomfort,
it is natural that your
mind may react with
frustration, concern, or
confusion. Try taking
a calm breath and us-
ing the healing power
of your own thoughts.
Ask yourself, Is this
the only way to think
towards my body? Is
frustration and despair
the mindset that will
allow me to heal?
If you want to understand how your body re-
sponds to your thoughts, look no further than
how you respond to interactions with other
people. How do you feel when you are around
someone who continually gets angry or disre-
spectful toward you? It is likely that you will
want to shut down, fght back, or simply lose
any interest in being around that person. You
probably would not want to waste your time
sharing any of your warm, friendly, positive
qualities with them. It is diffcult to be with
someone who continually fnds reasons to get
upset with you. Chances are you wont feel
like your best self around that person. You
will not feel open or free to live happily.
This principle demonstrates how your body feels
when you respond to pain or stress with thoughts
of frustration, resentment, or fear. Your body is
a sensitive, living being. It has keenly felt every
single thought and experience you have ever
had. It has been working twenty-four hours
a day, seven days a week since you were born,
without even a fve-minute vacation! And sadly,
it is likely that most of those days have passed
without your body receiving thoughts from you
such as, Thank you so
much for all you do.
I love you for do-
ing your best for me.
What an incredible
job you are doing!
Your body may feel
like a totally unap-
preciated employee,
nervous that its next
mistake or shortcom-
ing will bring on an-
other lashing out or
critique by its employ-
er you. Your body
has no choice but to
put up with the effects
of all your stressful
thoughts, just like an
employee who hears
little from his boss ex-
cept complaints when
he is not performing
perfectly. Your body
feels like a dumping ground when your mind is
flled with stress and restlessness.

It is not a surprise, then, that there are more
stress- and pain-related prescriptions being
handed out than ever before. Rather than
taking more medications to try to overpower
your bodys natural response to imbalance,
why not correct the situation by living more
naturally and thinking calm and positive
thoughts? Medical studies are proving the
powerful, immediate, and long-term effects
of thoughts on body physiology. Positive,
warm, appreciative thoughts promote better
blood circulation, heart and brain function,
Health & Wellness
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530 Main Street, Bennington, VT 05201 802-445-3152
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Ronald Stram, M.D. Founder and Medical Director
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Does Your Body Feel Your Thoughts?
My body is so out of whack.
My mind is constantly running with
responsibilities and stress!
I am in pain, I feel tired.
I cant stand this stiff neck.
By Jeffrey Gordon
Health & Wellness
Are You Concerned About
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energy level, digestion, and sleep. Short-tempered
and unappreciative thoughts instantly close off cir-
culation, weaken brain activity, create physical ten-
sion, obstruct breathing, and cause your body to
move in a more rigid and erratic manner. Closely
observe your mental response to pain and stressful
situations. Holding onto negative thought patterns
about pain and your bodys function interferes with
your bodys healing mechanisms and keeps you
from feeling fully alive and happy. Would you rather
feel that you are living in a constricting cage or in a
miraculous and precious temple?

So what thoughts should you get in the habit of ex-
pressing to your body? It is as simple as can be. Just
ask yourself, What type of expressions do other
people respond well to? Here are examples of ide-
al thought-messages you can send to your body on
a daily basis to create an optimal environment for
healing and well-being:
Encouragement: You have been working
your best to help me all my life. My goodness, you
have done an incredible job, nothing short of a
miracle! I will do everything I can to help you en-
joy your task of keeping me alive and well, by eat-
ing natural foods, getting outdoors daily, breath-
ing more deeply, smiling and laughing more, and
thinking more positively.
Love: Every meaningful, positive, and heartfelt
experience Ive ever had in life is because of your
tireless work to keep me alive. I love you for that,
and I always will.
Smiles: I will send smiles to all sensations you
give to me, whether pleasurable or painful. That
will let you know I am appreciative and happy with
you. I understand that you have quite a lot to take
care of every second!
Laughter: I will laugh with my whole being and
let my body shake with merriment from head to
foot several times a day. That way, all the rigid knots
and nervous tension in my body will be loosened.
True, heartfelt laughter is better for my body than
forcing it to relax with medication or alcohol.
Gratitude: The only thoughts I will give you
from now on are thoughts of gratitude. You never
stop working for me, even when I sleep. You deserve
nothing but appreciation, even when I am in pain.
Thinking this way toward your body, and weed-
ing out criticisms of it, will change your life. You
will fnd that you want to do nothing but good for
your body, because it wants only the best for you. A
happy and loving relationship with your body is the
only one that you should have. The time will come
when you feel your body has changed for the better,

because it knows you have love and appreciation
for its monumental task of keeping you alive.

If you have a stiff neck, try giving it love and ap-
preciation rather than frustration. Put your hand on
that tight spot, smile warmly, and think, Youve
dealt with all my frustrations and stress, no wonder
you are tight. I love you nonetheless, and you can
soften now. I am happy for all your effort to hold
my head up all these years.

If you do this with every pain or discomfort, you will
soon fnd that they go away more quickly and dont
bother you nearly as much as they used to. A tense
response to pain will either keep it the same or make
it worse. A loving response to pain will either make it
more tolerable or make it disappear. Your thoughts are
a more permanent and powerful healing tool than any
medication or therapy on the planet today, and they
dont cost you a penny to use!
~ Jeffrey Gordon is a licensed
Five-Element Acupuncturist. He
was born and raised in Pittsfeld
and received his master's degree in
acupuncture from the Tai Sophia
Institute in 2007. (413) 446-6231,
jgordonacupuncture@live.com,
www.jgordonacupuncture.com

Mind & Spirit
your soul path
www.yoursoulpath.com | 917-748-8463
AnnE ONeil | Spiritual Direction | Energy Healing
Intuitive Counselor
SHEILAAs accuracy rate is 95-100%.
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Who Do I Say That I Am? / By Phoebe Williams
O
ne of the formative questions of the
Christian faith was Jesus question, Who do
you say that I am? In this time of global crisis
and cultural upheaval, the question put before each of
us likewise bears a formative challenge that we each
must answer independently: Who do I say that I am?
The question heralds a transition in spirituality
that I believe is the bedrock of the growth demand-
ed of us if we are to become whole enough and
responsible enough to face and address the crises
that threaten the continuation of life on this planet.
This is a shift from locating spiritual authority out-
side of ourselves, whether in a religious tradition or
practice, or a revered text or leader, to recognizing
and learning to open to and express the spiritual
authority that dwells within our own being.
Spiritually, we have more freedom than ever.
We have access to the wisdom of all the worlds
religions and we can try on new beliefs and age-old
practices as we might try on clothing, to see what
fts, what suits our needs in the moment, what is
fun or inspiring or simply novel.
The freedom to pick and choose ways to ex-
plore spirituality has opened up worlds of discov-
ery for seekers east and west, but it is not the whole
story. We have learned to shop, so to speak, and to
wear beautiful new clothes. However, for the most
part, our choices are bound by what is already avail-
able. In a subtle and mostly invisible way, spiritual
authority still resides in the practices and traditions
that have been established by others.
Recently I spoke with a very accomplished mod-
ern woman who is juggling an exciting but over-
whelming number of engagements. I asked her about
her spirituality, thinking that if she were to ground her
life in her fullest sense of aliveness, she might fnd a
perspective from which to navigate the overwhelm
she was experiencing. She lit up talking about how she
fnds herself in nature. When I asked her about adopt-
ing a spiritual practice that might support her, she said,
I should meditate more. I felt a slight clunk as she
said this. The light got a bit dull, and I saw another to
do in an already overfull schedule.
What about her connection to nature? How might
a practice of feeling her aliveness in relation to the nat-
ural world help her order her busy life? The opening
and possibility I saw in her face when she spoke of her
connection to nature seemed to get lost as she shifted
into a more traditional concept of spiritual practice.
This is my own subjective impression, and I could be
mistaken. She may have a wonderful relationship with
meditation that she feels called to reignite. My impres-
sion, however, the clunk I sensed, seemed to me to be
like the shifting of an automatic gear in a car.
The automatic gear is familiar. It gets us moving.
And we learn quite a bit as we adapt to practices that
are well established. This is an essential way that we
grow beyond the limits of our understanding. What
I am interested in is how do we learn to listen to our
own aliveness? How do we learn to trust our unique
and immediate connection to the fullness of being?
Perhaps this womans use of the word should is a clue.
It indicates the reliance upon an external source of
acceleration. How do we shift gears altogether and
learn to follow the momentum of our inner life?
What are the practices that can help us discover and
develop an internal spiritual authority? How do we
develop the skill and competency to address the
compelling question, Who do I say that I am? I invite
you to join me in this exciting quest for new ways of
becoming more fully aware and alive.
~ Phoebe is a Certifed Life
Coach who helps people assem-
ble their own operating manual
for living an authentic, inspired,
and spiritually attuned life. Clients
learn to clarify their core beliefs
and take action that is aligned
with their deepest sense of self.
www.BerkshireLifeCoaching.com.
See ad on page 19.
Meet & Greet
Mind
and
Spirit

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CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT
Business & Personal Accounting
P.O. Box 599, Hinsdale, Massachusetts

Ph: (413) 655-8548, Fax: (413) 655-2059
Email: genne.levasseurcpa@gmail.com
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Management
Inger Pause, BA
Health and Wellness Coach
Transformation from Within
Cheshire, MA | 413-822-3302
pausehouse@verizon.net
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uying the right insurance is a crucial
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fast-growing, local agency, however, is fnding
new ways to take the pain out of the process.
GoodWorks Insurance is making a name for
itself in the Berkshires and beyond with a re-
freshing new approach to insurance that pow-
ers an engine of donations to local charities.
Customers of the full-service, independent
agency, which has an offce on Main Street in
Great Barrington, MA, say the frm has a win-
ning formula for helping people navigate the
daunting complexities of risk
management with confdence
and clarity.
GoodWorks has provided our
company outstanding service
and consistent due diligence,
said Mark Bram, president of
Eljen Corporation, a manufac-
turer of prefabricated drainage
systems for foundation drain-
age and erosion control appli-
cations used by contractors na-
tionwide. They have worked
closely with Eljen in cost con-
tainment, policies, and procedures and because
of this I would highly recommend them as an
independent insurance agency.
GoodWorks has fve locations in Massa-
chusetts and Connecticut staffed by a team
of seasoned, dedicated professionals with a
wide range of expertise in covering all kinds
of risks facing businesses large and small, as
well as individuals and families. And as one
of the strongest agencies in the Northeast, its
agents directly represent more than 40 of the
nations leading insurance companies, giving
them a free hand to offer the best coverages
available at extremely competitive prices. In
addition to commercial lines, GoodWorks
offers a full spectrum of personal insurance
solutions for everyone from the new hom-
eowner and car purchaser to high-net worth
individuals with multiple vacation homes and
extensive art collections.
As for charitable donations, GoodWorks has
set a new standard in the insurance and f-
nancial world by pledging to give back half its
operating profts every year to local nonproft
organizations that are tackling important issues
like education, health care, and public safety. In
an era when many of the worlds leading fnan-
cial institutions have sullied their reputations by
shirking their responsibility to serve the public
interest, GoodWorks is shaking up the industry
with a bold commitment that its competition
has not been able to match.
Our commitment to give back is not only the
right thing to do its also great for business,
said GoodWorks Chairman Chad Yonker, a
resident of Litchfeld, CT. It creates a com-
mon purpose between GoodWorks, members
of the community, and the nonprofts that serve
the community. When we grow, our commu-
nities win, and this gives our
frm and its employees a larger
sense of purpose and pride in
their work.
In the last several years, Good-
Works has donated hundreds
of thousands of dollars to doz-
ens of local charities and non-
profts, including the likes of
Berkshire Community College,
Berkshire Taconic Commu-
nity Foundation, Community
Health Programs, and frst re-
sponder teams throughout the
region such as the Otis Rescue Squad, Sheffeld
Fire Department, and South Berkshire Ambu-
lance. At the same time, sales volume at its offce
on Main Street in the center of Great Barrington,
MA, has increased by 20 to 30 percent every year,
which is much faster growth than most insur-
ance agencies are able to enjoy. This has pushed
its customer base to more than 10,000 customers
throughout the Northeast and beyond.
Yonker, who took over the reins at the company
last year, is investing more capital with ambitions
to accelerate that growth possibly through ac-
quisitions of other insurance agencies, but also
by expanding the frms roster of insurance and
investment professionals and adding to its suite
of products and its range of expertise.
I think weve fgured out a new paradigm for
insurance that could transform the industry
nationwide and beyond, he said.
~ GoodWorks can be reached at (413) 528-5509.
GoodWorks Transforms Insurance
With a Purpose Beyond Profits

Our BerkshireTimes
Magazine
NEW!
Follow us on
(413) 274-1122
OurBerkshireTimes.com
Our commitment
to give back
is not only the
right thing to
do its also
great for business.

24
Directory of Advertisers
Animals
BensDotters Pet ..................................................12, 25, back cover
Chez Pet ...........................................................................................13
Petpourri, Inc. ..................................................................................13
VCA All Caring Animal Hospital ................................................12
Art, Culture & Entertainment
Alchemy Initiative .............................................................................3
Community Access to the Arts (CATA) ........................................2
First Fridays Artswalk .................................................................3, 14
Bruce Mandel, Performing Songwriter ....................................3, 25
Hotchkiss Mobiles Gallery ...............................................................3
Toonerville Trolley Records .............................................................3
Business Services
Geiger Computers ...........................................................................23
Genne M. LeVasseur, CPA ............................................................23
GoodWorks Insurance ....................................................................25
Inger Management ..........................................................................23
Pittsfeld Cooperative Bank, The .................................................15
Berkshire Country Day School .....................................................9
Darrow School .................................................................................9
Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School .....................................10
Hotchkiss School .............................................................................10
Indian Mountain School ....................................................................9
Montessori School of the Berkshires, The .....................................8
Fashion & Beauty
Copper Star Alpaca Farm Store ....................................................16
Kelly & Company Hair Salon ........................................................16
Shear Illusions, LLC ........................................................................16
Stella & Dot ......................................................................................16

Food & Drink
Barlow Farm Fresh Fruit & Dairy ...................................................4
Berkshire Co-op Market .......................................inside front cover
Berkshire Organics ............................................................................4
Chez Nous Bistro ..............................................................................5
Guidos Fresh Marketplace ...........................................................15
Hilltop Orchards - Furnace Brook Winery .................................13
Kosmic Kitchen .................................................................................4
LaBonnes Markets ...........................................................................5
Pastorale Bistro & Bar ......................................................................4
Public eat+drink ................................................................................4
Starving Artist Creperie & Cafe ......................................................4
Sullivan Station Restaurant ...............................................................5
Wild Oats Market ..............................................................................5
Gift & Specialty Shops
Hotchkiss Mobiles Gallery .............................................................3
Health & Wellness
Andrew M. Goldman, DO ..........................................................17
BLEND Solution ............................................................................24
Calm Therapeutic Massage ............................................................19
Dr Jerome F. Errico, Bd Cert Chiro Phys ....................................19
Health & Wellness (continued)
Eileen Lawlor, LICSW ....................................................................19
Energy in Motion Studio, Catherine Brumley ............................19
Integrative Health Solutions ....................................................15, 19
Jacqueline Nicholas, Healer ...........................................................19
Lenox Village Integrative Pharmacy ...........................................21
Livingstone Dental Excellence ......................................................18
Marion Bergan Irwin, Licensed Acupuncturist ...........................19
Martial Arts Institute of the Berkshires ........................................17
Matt Albert, Bodywork ..................................................................15
Memory Clinic, The .......................................................................21
Mikka Barkman, Native American Bodywork .............................19
Ming Lash, Somatic Movement Therapist ..................................19
Naomi Alson, Acupuncturist & Herbalist ..................................19
NordiCare Physical Therapy, PC .................................................20
Phoebe Williams, Life Coach .......................................................19
Sruti Yoga Center .............................................................................19
Stram Center for Integrative Medicine .........................................20
Susan Spiegel Solovay, Certifed Medical Hypnotist ...............19
Traditional Acupuncture, Jeffrey Gordon, M.Ac., Lic.Ac. ........14
TriYoga Berkshire ............................................................................20
Veronique Rignault, Healing Ginger Therapy .............................19
Wellness Bound Coaching, Kenly Brozman ............................20
Wendy Mae Nunnally Massage Therapist ...................................19
WholePerson Movement, Sharon True .......................................20
Berkshire Fabric & Wallpaper Outlet ...........................................14
Berkshire Photovoltaic Services (BPVS) .......................................7
Bodhi Tree Gallery ............................................................................7
Brown Oil & Propane - Cesco Plumbing & Heating ..................6
circa ....................................................................................................14
Countrytown Marble & Tile ............................................................7
Dana Bixby Architecture ..................................................................7
George Yonnone Restorations ........................................................7
Hartsville Design .....................................inside front cover, 24, 25
Herringtons .......................................................................................6
Lenox Dale Service Station, Inc. .....................................................7
Martha Flood Design ........................................................................6
Okerstrom Lang, Ltd. .......................................................................7
Young Feng Shui ................................................................................6
Lodging
Berkshire Inn ....................................................................................14
Mind & Spirit
AzureGreen ......................................................................................22
Psychic Studio ..................................................................................14
Sheilaa Hite, Intuitive Counseling .................................................22
your soul path ..................................................................................22
Nature
Hilltop Orchards - Furnace Brook Winery .................................13
Real Estate
Kinderhook Group, Inc., Real Estate ..............................................7
Social Networking
Concerned Singles ...........................................................................22
World's Most Powerful
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using a Six Step process to achieve
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Call (860) 397-5181
kathleen@blendsolution.com
www.blendsolution.com
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Special Thanks to Our Featured Advertisers

Convenient Location with Ample Parking
on Route 7 less than a minute south of Guidos
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BENSDOTTERS PET 413-528-4940
940 MAIN STREET, GREAT BARRINGTON, MA

A Little Bit Conventional. A Little Bit Alternative.
A Whole Lot Different!

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Acoustic guitar, a keen lyrical
ear, intimate and honest vocals...
delight your guests with a personal
and memorable musical experience.
Available for house concerts and
intimate gatherings. Call to discuss
how to host a House Concert ! Visit:
www.brucemandel.com
413.269.7229
or call
photo courtesy of:
Michael Lavin Flower
www.HartsvilleDesign.com
Do you want the kitchen that
youve always dreamed o?

Hartsville Design
Woodworking
(413) 528-6133
FSC Certified Wood Upon Request
Kevin@HartsvilleDesign.com
Call today.
It's time.
Kitchens Baths Entertainment Centers Home Offices
The Socially Responsible Insurance Choice!
Did you know that GoodWorks donates 50% of its profts to
local charities? And its customers like you that made
possible the hundreds of thousands of dollars weve donated
over the last several years in support of your local communities.
As one of the strongest insurance agencies in the North-
east, GoodWorks delivers unsurpassed expertise and service
through an outstanding team of seasoned veterans that truly
care about your business and your community.
Let us earn your business and do more for your community.
413-528-5509
www.GoodWorksInsurance.com
Great Barrington Worcester Canaan Glastonbury New Milford
sM
BensDot t er's Pet
A Lit t le Bit Convent ional. A Lit t le Bit Alt ernat ive.
A Whole Lot Different !
940 Main St reet , Great Barringt on, MA 413-528-4940
www.BensDot t ers.com
painting by Ann Getsinger

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Oct - Nov 2012, vol 4 Take One, It 's Free!

Community News | Local Events | Personal Growth | Vibrant Living

publication. We are dedicated

Hot, Frozen & Iced

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Gallery of Fine Crafts

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