ETCETERA
Medicine
from page A7
ket it is hard to keep them all straight.
I don’t know what Ginkgo Biloba
does or really how to spell it. I know it
is out there with Ginseng and the like to
help people feel better.
The oldest form of alternative med
icine, herbs are used for their therapeu
tic or medicinal value as an alternative
treatment to conventional practices.
Many herbs produce and contain a
variety of chemical substances that act
beneficially upon the body.
For example, ephedra is an herb used
in traditional Chinese medicine for more
than 2000 years to treat asthma and oth
er respiratory problems. And ephedrine,
the active ingredient in-the aforemen
tioned plant, is used in commercial phar
maceutical preparations for relief of asth
ma symptoms and other respiratory
problems.
On “The Daily Show,” I saw a sto
ry on a man who had developed wrist
bracelets that elongated the human life
span. Granted, “The Daily Show” is not
a mainstream news show, but it does cov
er real stories with added humorous twists.
Nevertheless, this story, being the
first such I had heard, opened my eyes
to this subject.
Now, I see people wearing “prayer
beads” and the like. These beaded
bracelets hold characters representing
money, success, happiness, and other
symbols that help “the ignorant common
mortals advance in their Buddhist prac
tice,” said Reverend Ido Miyahara, the
assistant priest of the Myogyoji Temple.
But if it makes the masses happy, it
can’t be all that bad, right?
For more information on herbal al
ternatives to medicines, visit the Viable
Herbal Solutions’ Wfcb site at www.heibal
solutions.com/herbdesc.htm for a listing
of herbs and what their effects are. For
the origin of prayer beads, see Rev. Ido
Miyahara’s online lecture at www.ee
bunet.com/nst/laimbeads.html.
—
Artist creates millennium stamp
by Daraakiko Williams
Associated Press
CARLSBAD, Cauk — Every day, millions of people see Carl Herman's art work
— and spit on it.
As a designer of at least 250 U.S. postage stamps, he expects it.
Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Barbie — Herman has creat
ed some of the U.S. Postal Service’s most memorable stamps since the agency-moved
away from staid subjects such as flags and eagles.
But it is Herman’s commemorative millennium stamp that may stand the test
of time.
“It’s like a calling card for America,” Herman said. “Three hundred years from
now, someone will see the millennium stamp. It is important that it be done nice
ly.”
The stamp features a baby wearing a black top hat and blowing a horn, with
streamers, confetti and a “2000” banner across the bottom. The design is based on
a drawing by American illustrator J.C. Leyendecker, whose original appeared Jan.
2,1937, on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post.
To entice collectors, the Postal Service is offering a Jan. 1,2000, postmark through
Jan. 26 to people who send self-addressed envelopes with the millennium stamp to
a Washington, D.C., address.
Collectors, however, are divided on the stamp s attractiveness and whether it
appropriately captures the new millennium.
“It very effectively uses the new year theme,” said Peter Martin, editorof Scott
Stamp Monthly. He likes the stamp’s look but says some people find the baby too
chubby.
Michael Schreiber, managing editor of Linn’s Stamp News, doesn’t like it at
all. “It’s a stamp a woman would buy rather than a man,” he said. “It doesn’t ap
peal to me. I don’t think it appeals to most men.”
The criticisms don’t bother Herrman. His greatest challenge, he says, is finding
something different and exciting for such a tiny medium.
Herrman, a graphic artist with extensive experience as a commercial designer,
was approached by a friend in 1992 about a position with the Postal Service.
He designed a four-color Statue of Liberty stamp with a sunset in the background,
and was hooked
He wouldn’t say how lucrative the stamp design business is, but it affords the
Massapequa, N. Y., native a California home, which he shares with his wife, Sharon,
and their 25-pound Scottish terrier, Squiggy, one block from the beach.
Each new stamp must first be approved by the Postal Service’s citizens’ stamp
review committee. Sometimes Herrman is assigned a stamp to design; other times
he offers his own ideas.
A computer chip stamp, for instance, was not his idea and was not “sexy or
colorful” to create, Herrman said. But Marilyn Monroe was difficult because
“how do you do justice” to someone who personifies sexy and colorful, he said.
For the Slinky, he took lots of pictures and played with the wiry toy, observing
it in motion.
He was finally satisfied with a design showing it straddling a step. “Actually,
it’s an adorable stamp.”
For a stamp celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first American submarine,
he spoke with Edward Latimer Beach, who authored “Run Silent, Run Deep” and
was a World War II submarine commander.
“Ideas were just flying off the wall,” Herrman said. “Talking to Capt. Beach, it
was like talking to Lindbergh or somebody.”
Herrman’s stamps featuring the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and a character from
the Broadway show “Cats” were released this month.
They were chosen in nationwide balloting last year as two of 15 commemora
tive stamps saluting the 1980s.
Of all the stamps Herrman has designed, the comics classics are his favorites. “I
probably got into this business because of my admiration for Dick Tracy and Prince
Valiant. Having a chance to do the comic classics was very fun,” he said.
Given the limitless possibilities, there is still one very personal stamp Hermann
longs to do.
“It’d be nice to have Squiggy on a stamp,” he said.
EDITOR’S NOTE: To obtain the Jan. 1,2000, postmark, send a self-addressed en
velope with the Millennium stamp to: Year 2000 Stamp, 900 Brentwood Road NE,
Washington, D.C. 20066-9991. All orders must be postmarked by Jan. 26.
I !
Readership 10/
Do you want to get involved?
Have Fun?
Make New Friends?
Get connected to campus?
And so much more...
then Leadership 101 is for you!!
You are invited to participate in this exciting new opportunity to
develop and enhance your leadership skills.
There is no charge so come check it out!
What is Leadership?
TUesday, January 25,2000
Mike Duncan: Carolina Productions
The Creative Leader
TUesday, February 1,2000
Ellen Parsons: Student Media
The Student Leadership Training Conference
Saturday, February 5,2000
Civic Responsibility
TUesday, February 8,2000
Marguerite O’ Brien: City Year
Finding Purpose, Building Goals
Tuesday, February 15,2000
Carl Johnson: Greek Life
Encouraging Diversity
^Y Tuesday, February 22,2000
JeffTemoney: M^ticultural Affairs
The Balancing Act
^Y Tuesday, February 29,2000
Elise Vaughn: Wellness Programs
All sessions will be held in the Russell House
Room 303 ^.3:30pm - 4:30pm
Sponsored by the Department of Student Life, Division of Student and Alumni Services.
If you have questions, please contact the Office of Leadership Programs at 777-6688.
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