How to Succeed with the Co-op (by Really really trying) By John Leary From time to time, one or another of the Co-op constitu- ency approaches me, asking if it’s possible to change some aspect of the Co-op’s work- ings. I always welcome this kind of question, because a healthy Co-op should con- stantly be looking for new ways to improve itself. But people are often surprised when I can’t accommodate their ide- as singlehandedly, or immedi- ately, or even at all. Democracy isn’t an easy system, not by any stretch. We use it mainly because eve- ry other system is far worse, far more likely to strip people of their rewards in the name of one person’s arbitrary dictates. The price we pay for removing that arbitrary “one per- son” (whoever they, he or she may be) is that the whole group has to figure out what their common cause is before decisions can be made. Letter from the Manager Food for Thought MARCH ~ APRIL 2013 What’s Inside... 89 Morris St. New Brunswick, NJ 08901 The George Street Co-op, Inc. 10 Weekend Stress Bust- ers 5 Healing Medicine: A Preventive Approach 12 Eat Choco- late 14 Economic ‘Growth’ & Real Estate FREE The Co-op is an ever- evolving structure to empower caring peo- ple to take action on matters they’re invest- ing time to understand. The Tech Committee knows microchips but not potato chips; but vice versa for the Prod- uct Committee. There’s a group of specialists empowered for every aspect of the Co-op, so if you think some- thing should change here, let’s assume you have a point — but there’s some people you’ve got to talk to, because there may be some aspects you’re not yet aware of. Continued on page 4
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Transcript
How to Succeed with the Co-op (by Really really trying) By John Leary
Food for Thought is published monthly by The George
Street Co-op, Inc. It is a communications bulletin, as there
can be no cooperation without communication. Opinions
expressed here do not necessarily reflect official policy of
The George Street Co-op.
Newsletter Staff
Jasmine Burroughs
Marilynn Winston Dean Fredrickson Barbara Glasgow
Editor, Layout /Artwork
Editor
Staff/ Back page Ad Manager
Stop and Breathe With many of us always on the go or busy, we forget to just stop and breathe. We tend to let the week get the best of us and soak up all of our time. We are always working or helping others that we for-get to put ourselves first and do what we love to do. It’s such a great feeling when you are able to do what you love. That feeling is a little bit like the one I have now, as I write my first editor’s note of Food for Thought. I am thrilled to finally be apart of the Food for Thought team as we prepare for big things this year. Thank you Marilynn for allowing me to take on the newsletter! It is a big job, but Marilynn has been helping me put together this issue for our readers. Although I have known Marilynn for only 4 months, she is such a phenomenal woman and a true artist. In this issue we learn about the benefits of consuming chocolate – dark chocolate to be exact. Virginia keeps us educated on how to make use of certain herbs. Morris does a great job at keeping us updated on real estate. And my article will give you great tips to help you relax on the weekend. Food for Thought will launch online March 9. Please check us out at georgestnewsletter.com.
Jasmine ❤❤❤
Advertising Rates (2 months)
Business card (3½″×2″ high) ¼ page (3½″×5″ high) ½ page (3½″×10″ high or 7½″×5″)
$30
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Please submit ads to Barbara Glasgow: 732-422-0221 — [email protected]
This all takes time and patience, for though one person may have a life-time of experience that leads them to a rather well-thought-out opinion, so does everyone else. Even when you and I agree, there’s others who’ve invested just as much love and attention as we have. Those peo-ple deserve to be heard just as much, or we risk losing their investment in the cause. There is an art to disa-greeing with someone while truly listening for those precious places of agreement; to challeng-ing the unclear or con-tradictory parts of someone’s stated point, while giving them gener-ous room to clarify; to
knowing full well what you think, without seeing someone’s different thinking as a repudiation or threat. It’s a difficult art, and I don’t know an-yone who’s completely mastered it, but each minute invested in it gives a lifetime payoff of better outcomes and mutual goodwill. Goodwill and happi-ness are good for you — good for your digestion, good for your heart. Co-operation begets good health, and this is how we succeed and thrive together at the Co-op. And that’s why each of us, members and constituents of a beauti-ful and growing democ-racy, we each owe our-selves the luxury to take
time and listen to each other. We have rich and poor at the Co-op, we have every shade of col-or that skin can come in, we have a smörgåsbord of languages and dia-lects and shibboleths, and yet all of us share the love of good food, a healthier world, and each other’s kind com-pany.
We’re looking for a
few good candi-
dates for the Co-op
board.
Would you like to:
Earn a 15% dis-
count on pur-
chase?
Come to our Board Meetings!
The second Monday
of each month at
the Co-op in our up-
stairs meeting room.
Learn more about
retail cooperatives?
Do something for
your community
owned business?
If you would like to get
involved then contact
John or Marilynn.
Saturday, April 13
4:00 p.m.
Tuesday, April 16
6: 00 p.m.
Sunday, April 28
11: 00 a.m.
May
Saturday, May 11
4:00 p.m.
Thursday, May 16
6 p.m.
March
Saturday, March 9
4:00 p.m.
Wednesday, March 20
6: 00 p.m.
Sunday, March 24
11 a.m.
April
Letter from the manger continued
By Virginia Ahearn
I have exciting news every-
one! In the first week of March I
will be on the East Brunswick lo-
cal TV show called “This Week in
East Brunswick”. It is a short inter-
view, as a lead up to the
presentation I am giving on
Herbal Medicine at the East
Brunswick Library on March 11th,
7pm.
Herbal medicine can feel
both very accessible and mys-
terious. It is accessible in that
every drug store, grocery and
health food store has herbs on
the shelf for sale, and there is a
plethora of information on the
internet. But it can still feel
daunting to take an herb; ques-
tions come up around dosage,
whether studies have been
done on the herb and whether
it matters, how long you are
supposed to take it, when you
should start feeling better.
My passions in my work and
studies in herbal medicine, in-
clude, making it accessible to
people, giving them a starting
point, some guidelines, and
how to prevent information
overload.
Herbal medicine offers both
a preventive approach to
health, and many options for
treating long-term illnesses and
also short term symptoms, such
as tooth aches, sunburn and
the common cold. For exam-
ple, you can take aloe for sun-
burn, hyssop, sage (and a host
of others) for the common
cold, clove tea or oil for tooth
pain.
But there are often dozens of
options, which is both wonderful
and confusing!
One of my herbal medicine
teachers, David Winston says,
“A lot of people know a lot
about herbs, but they don’t re-
ally know about herbal medi-
cine”. Many people hear
about an herb that is ‘good for
them’ and they start taking it.
They have arthritis so they start
taking black cohosh, or they
are depressed so they start tak-
ing St. John’s Wort. It may or
may not help.
That is because this ‘gunshot’
approach does not work for us-
ing herbs for long term condi-
tions. For long-term illnesses, the
ideal approach is to use a
combination of herbs in specif-
ic proportion. Some standard
combinations are available with
names like “Stress Relief Combi-
nation”, and “Aching Joints
Compound”.
Again, these may or may not
relieve your stress or aches,
since everyone is built different-
ly, and you may need a formu-
la specific to your constitution
and symptoms; you may also
need an herbal practitioner to
figure out what is going to help.
Or these standard combina-
tions may help you just fine.
I would like to mention just a
few other herbs that can be fre-
quently helpful for mamas in-
fants and toddlers.
Fennel seed is great for tum-
my upsets, gas, colic, and indi-
gestion.
Herbal Medicine: A Preventive Approach
Continued on page 6
Healing Medicine: A Preventive Approach continued
P A G E 6
If your infant is breast-
feeding, Mom can drink
the tea, and it will pass
through the breast milk
to soothe colic. I have
had one family call me
after their newborn
spent the first two nights
screaming; after the
mom drank 2 cups of
fennel tea and breast-
fed the baby, their third
night there was no
screaming. They de-
clared fennel a
“miracle.”
Chamomile is good for
so many things. We
tend to pass it up, be-
cause it is so ordinary.
Chamomile is an anti-
spasmodic and can be
use for tummy upset,
cranky toddlers and
kids, menstrual or any
other type of stomach
cramps, and stressed
out adults. I have read
that it has a lot of calci-
um and magnesium
but that you must steep
it for at least 45 minutes
in order for the minerals
to infuse into the tea.
Oatstraw, Mother-
wort, catnip and lemon
balm are also for stress
and anxiety, and each
has some slightly differ-
ent attributes.
Motherwort is used for
PMS related stress, and
any stress or anxiety
related to hormonal
upset or imbalance.
Catnip is great for
stress related digestive issues, and great
for insomnia. I think of oatstraw as a
cousin to chamomile, although it is not
anti-spasmodic. These four are all great
additions to a family medicine chest.
Thanks for reading, everyone! Please see
my ad elsewhere in the newsletter for up-
coming classes, and visit my website as
well for more details! I will be teaching a
3 part series at Montclair Baby, although
a bit far to travel you could hop a ride
with me!
P A G E 7
New Members!! Welcome!
Sign up for our book club!! There is a book club in