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Category: Life
A Hebrew Birthright
The Israeli-American Council (IAC) has partnered with the Taglit Birthright Israel program to launch a special Hebrew track called IAC Shelanu. The new program offers a 10-day trip to Israel designed specifically for Israeli American young adults, ages 18-26. IAC Shelanu, in partnership with Taglit Birthright Israel and Israel Experience, will be conducted in Hebrew, aiming to engage this group of young leaders and create future Jewish-Israeli community influencers. Registration opens Sept. 9 for the December 2014 program.
According to a recent study commissioned by IAC and conducted by Israeli polling company Midgam, about 17 percent of second-generation Israeli Americans are married to non-Jews and Hebrew fluency drops from 53 percent to 19 percent for those living in the United States more than 10 years.
IAC Shelanu aims to provide an Israel experience that will help these young Israeli Americans and other Hebrew speakers connect on a deeper level with their Jewish-Israeli identity and expand their knowledge of and acquaintance with the state of Israel, its history and culture.
IAC Shelanu provides a unique experience for its participants, including a recruitment process by IAC that focuses on identifying, selecting and encouraging potential leaders. IAC Shelanu will then follow up with participants upon their return to ensure an enduring impact on their lives and further involvement in pro-Israel advocacy. Participants will be encouraged to participate in an IAC Shelanu alumni program, which will develop their connections to one another and to Israel while fortifying them with the network and skills needed to be ambassadors for Israel.
Based in Los Angeles with offices nationwide, IAC serves an estimated 750,000 Israelis in the United States today with a large variety of programs and events for all ages, and supports a wide range of other community nonprofit organizations. For more information about IAC, visit israeliamerican.org. For more information about IAC Shelanu, visit freejourneytoisrael.org/iacbirthrightisrael.
– Courtesy of Israeli-American Council
DNA’s not only factor
Epigenetics: environmental effects influence how genes are turned on or off. (photo by Yuval Robichek via wis-wander.weizmann.ac.il)
Blood stem cells have the potential to turn into any type of blood cell, whether it be the oxygen-carrying red blood cells or the many types of white blood cells of the immune system that help fight infection. How exactly is the fate of these stem cells regulated? Preliminary findings from research conducted by scientists from the Weizmann Institute and the Hebrew University are starting to reshape the conventional understanding of the way blood stem-cell fate decisions are controlled, thanks to a new technique for epigenetic analysis they have developed.
Understanding epigenetic mechanisms (environmental influences other than genetics) of cell fate could lead to the deciphering of the molecular mechanisms of many diseases, including immunological disorders, anemia, leukemia, and many more. It also lends strong support to findings that environmental factors and lifestyle play a more prominent role in shaping our destiny.
The process of differentiation – in which a stem cell becomes a specialized mature blood cell – is controlled by a cascade of events in which specific genes are turned “on” and “off” in a highly regulated and accurate order. The instructions for this process are contained within the DNA itself in short, regulatory sequences. These regulatory regions are normally in a “closed” state masked by special proteins called histones to ensure against unwarranted activation. Therefore, to access and “activate” the instructions, this DNA mask needs to be “opened” by epigenetic modifications of the histones so it can be read by the necessary machinery.
In a paper published in Science, Dr. Ido Amit and David Lara-Astiaso of the Weizmann Institute’s immunology department, together with Prof. Nir Friedman and Assaf Weiner of Hebrew University, charted for the first time histone dynamics during blood development. From the new technique for epigenetic profiling they developed, in which just a handful of cells – as few as 500 – can be sampled and analyzed accurately, they have identified the exact DNA sequences, as well as the various regulatory proteins, that are involved in regulating the process of blood stem-cell fate.
Their research also yielded unexpected results: as many as 50 percent of these regulatory sequences are established and opened during intermediate stages of cell development. This means that epigenetics is active at stages in which it had been thought that cell destiny was already set. “This changes our whole understanding of the process of blood stem-cell fate decisions,” said Lara-Astiaso, “suggesting that the process is more dynamic and flexible than previously thought.”
Although this research was conducted on mouse blood stem cells, the scientists believe that the mechanism may hold true for other types of cells. “This research creates a lot of excitement in the field, as it sets the groundwork to study these regulatory elements in humans,” said Weiner. Discovering the exact regulatory DNA sequence controlling stem-cell fate, as well as understanding its mechanism, holds promise for the future development of diagnostic tools, personalized medicine, potential therapeutic and nutritional interventions, and perhaps even regenerative medicine, in which committed cells could be reprogrammed to their full stem-cell potential.
For more Weizmann Institute news releases, visit wis-wander.weizmann.ac.il.
– Courtesy of Weizmann Institute
This week’s cartoon … Sept. 5/14
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Journey across water, time
Members of the Gitxaala Nation at the 2014 Qatuwas Festival. (photo by Kris Krug)
Vancouver, Erev Tisha b’Av (Aug. 4): As Jews across North America are preparing themselves for the sombre, mournful fast commemorating the destruction of the holy temples in Jerusalem, Jews in Israel and across much of the world have already begun fasting. We fast to mark the calamities that befell our people on the ninth of Av throughout history, and to acknowledge that we are still living in exile, awaiting the building of the third Beit Hamikdash.
For a moment, imagine that we are in Yerushalayim while the Temple stands and hearing news of a siege of the city. Food is growing scarce and we realize that the walls will soon be breached, and destruction leveled upon us and upon our holiest of places. Invasion, murder and desecration are almost certain. If we survive, we will almost certainly be forced into exile, and our city would be burned along with the centre of life for all Jews, the Holy Temple.
As I sit, I reflect upon our history, my history. I reflect upon 2,000 years of exile, upon the Holocaust, upon the war in Gaza. I wonder what may come tomorrow. Exactly three weeks earlier, I was away from the city, visiting my mother on Denny Island, B.C. I went there to spend time with her, to go fishing with my stepfather and to eat Mom’s cooking. I hadn’t planned on meeting people from other nations that have faced destruction, assimilation and exile also, or to learn from their resolve.
Waglisla, Heiltsuk territory, three weeks earlier (July 15): I stand in the grass under the blazing sun, straw hat on, squinting at the dancers. They wear traditional garb: robes, cedar hats, blankets and paint; they sing. Today is the 17th of Tammuz and I haven’t eaten since the night before. I am at the 2014 Qatuwas Festival, an annual gathering of the First Nations of North America’s West Coast – from Alaska to Oregon, where the nations have traveled by glwa (gil-wah, an ocean-going canoe), some for more than 30 days to reach their destination. Qatuwas, the Heiltsuk word for “people gathering together,” has its roots in 1985 in Waglisla (Bella Bella), when a group of local residents built a glwa to paddle 500 kilometres to Vancouver for Expo ’86. They now make a journey each year to a different nation to build connections, morale, identity and community. Nearly 30 years after Qatuwas began, there are hundreds gathered on the grass field in Heiltsuk territory.
My mother moved to Denny Island about two years ago and I’ve taken the 10-minute ferry to Bella Bella to see Qatuwas for myself. I sit in the shade with Jessica Brown, a beaming, bright young woman from Heiltsuk Nation, who is part of the host committee for Qatuwas. She smiles while she speaks about the festival:
“It’s pretty amazing. Last summer, we left Bella Bella and paddled for 32 days on the water, and stopped at every first nation – for a day in the life of each nation. You can be there for a funeral, or you can be there for a lahal tournament or a powwow. It’s a journey of healing, drug and alcohol free, and it’s supposed to be about resurgence, revitalization.
“Young people on the canoe say that the water is a healing process, from the effects of colonization, continuing and ongoing.”
As I contemplate my physical hunger, my fatigue, I feel connected to my spiritual hunger, our collective desire as Jews to return to the Holy Land, a holy time. At least some of my emotions are shared by the nations celebrating at the Qatuwas Festival. Like us, they have suffered innumerable losses. Spirit, though, as it is with knowledge, faith and hope, can never be taken away from one person by another. They can only be given up.
I leave Qatuwas in peace. The days are long here on the central coast in summer, but the sun is slowly burning towards the horizon. Spirits are high on the ferry back to Denny Island.
Vancouver, Erev Tisha b’Av (Aug. 4): The hour of the fast is nearly upon us. Soon I will get into my car and drive to shul to sit and pray on the floor like in a house of mourning, and mark the beginning of the fast of Tisha b’Av. I have a flash from three weeks prior, when I asked Jessica about the land we stood on at Qatuwas.
“We’re not treaty people,” she said, “and that means that we’ve never given up access to our land. We basically consider ourselves the Heiltsuk Nation, a sovereign nation.”
“Am I in Canada?” I asked with an intrigued grin.
“No, you’re in Heiltsuk territory.”
As Jews across Israel and the Diaspora prepare to mourn on Tisha b’Av, I’m inspired by the strength of our people and by that of the First Peoples of Canada.
Despite the destruction, chaos, hatred and exile, we still hope to be free peoples in our own land. For us, the land of Zion, Yerushalayim. Am Yisroel chai.
Benjamin Groberman is a born and raised Vancouverite. He is a freelance writer, and is pursuing a bachelor of education degree, with aspirations to teach in a Jewish high school. He is a resident of Vancouver’s Moishe House.
Importance of prayer
The holy month of Elul has begun, the sixth month in the Hebrew calendar. There is a rabbinic allusion that the month was named from the initial letters of “Ani le dodi v’dodi li” (“I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine”), describing the relationship between G-d and His people. In the Aggadah, we read that Elul has special significance because of Moses’ 40-day stay on Mount Sinai (Exodus 34:28), which was calculated to have begun on the first of Elul and ended on the 10th of Tishrei (Yom Kippur).
Every weekday morning, the shofar is sounded and Psalm 27 recited. Sephardim have already begun saying Selichot, but Ashkenazim recite this only in the last days of the month. The word selichah means forgiveness – it is a plea for forgiveness for sins and, as we approach the time when we know that we will be judged, we practise a kind of spiritual stocktaking. We look inward, trying to assess what happened to last year’s dreams/goals, asking pardon for wrongs committed and hoping, with repentance, charity and prayers, to be written into the Book of Life for another year.
Rav Nachman of Bratslav expressed it beautifully: “Every word of your prayer is like a rose which you pick from its bush. You continue until you have formed a bouquet of blessings, until you have pleated a wreath of glory for the Lord.”
Prayer takes on special meaning in Elul, as we move toward Rosh Hashanah, which celebrates the birth of the world. Then, we will recite the special prayer called Unetenah Tokef (“Let us proclaim the sacred power of this day…”) when we are reminded of our mortality. The translation for part of it reads: “Humanity’s origin is dust, and dust is our end. Each of us is a shattered pot, grass that must wither, a flower that will fade, a shadow moving on, a cloud passing by, a particle of dust on the wind, a dream soon forgotten…. But You are the Ruler, the everlasting G-d.” Legend has it that this prayer was written some 10 centuries ago by Rabbi Amnon of Mainz. Ordered to convert to Christianity by the local bishop, Rabbi Amnon refused. His limbs were amputated and, as his mutilated body lay before the ark as he was dying, he said these words, which are also part of the Yom Kippur liturgy.
When mystics pray, they believe there is an ascent of the soul to upper worlds. Prayers of thanksgiving and praise are deemed worthier than petitionary prayers (when we are asking for things), because they are selfless. Some people believe that the highest form of worship is silence. The Bible tells us that Abraham was the first to utter a true prayer – for his fellow man.
In these times, when we are at war, agonizing over our losses and the many families who have lost loved ones, we in Israel need to have faith more than ever. We pray for all Jews to have a good, safe year. We share a common destiny – Jews in Israel and abroad – and it is this shared destiny that binds us together, no matter how different our ethnic and cultural boundaries may be.
I memorized the following poem when I was a schoolgirl. I never knew the author, and doubt that he was Jewish, but I think it is appropriate now and all the year: “I shall pass through this world but once / Any good therefore that I can do / Or any kindness I can show / To any human being / Let me do it now / Let me not defer it or neglect it / For I shall not pass this way again.”
Dvora Waysman is the author of 13 books, which are available through Amazon, or from the author at [email protected]. Her website is dvorawaysman.com.
Mystery photo … Aug. 29/14
Group in evening dress, State of Israel Bonds, Vancouver, B.C., 1960. (photo from JWB fonds; JMABC L.14505)
If you know someone in this photo, please help the JI fill the gaps of its predecessor’s (the Jewish Western Bulletin’s) collection at the Jewish Museum and Archives of B.C. by contacting [email protected].
A grandmother reflects
On a hot Sunday in June, a grandmother climbs up to a backless seat in the bleachers of a high school gym whose air-conditioning has conked out. Students are handing out water bottles to the sweating crowd. She fans herself with a sun hat and listens to the principal testing the mic. The graduates in their caps and gowns have lined up in the corridor.
The band begins to play and the smiling graduates march in. The grandmother knows that most of them are wearing sneakers or flip-flops (except for a few girls who have saved up to buy Jimmy Choos or Manolo Blahniks). Under their robes, many wear shorts and T-shirts, not the fancy clothes she would have expected.
As the speeches begin, she waves to her grandson, who tips his cap to her. Her daughter and son-in-law hold hands as they watch the ceremony. The grandmother shifts in her uncomfortable seat and remembers the growing-up years of the young man whose achievement she has traveled 1,200 miles to celebrate.
He was such a tiny baby that the rabbi and mohel who officiated at his bris insisted on consulting a pediatrician before going ahead with the event. Now he is six feet tall. He was a friendly child who introduced himself to other kids easily at the playground when he was three or four. On holidays, he loved to lay out cookies on a platter in her kitchen but his nose barely reached the table top. Somebody had to put him on a chair to do the job.
His family moved around a lot and somehow he did not get into a Hebrew school at the right time. His great-grandfather saw to it that he was enrolled in a special program for kids who fell through the cracks and might not otherwise have received a Hebrew education. His bar mitzvah was a gala event and the grandmother remembers unexpectedly weeping with joy.
In high school, this child blossomed like a flower. His grades were excellent and he began to read voraciously, both assigned books and those she often fed him. His grandfather discussed science, astronomy, astrophysics and current events with him. His friends were children of many cultures, races and religions. He got involved in politics when the mother of a friend ran for local office and he volunteered to work on the campaign.
In the summer following his junior year, he won a scholarship to study globalization in the 21st century at Brown University. Now, he knows the facts about the issues of the day and is familiar with the problems affecting other countries. He speaks Spanish and French and is teaching himself Chinese. On a televised program with New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, he asked questions that prompted compliments by the governor. On his feet, the boy thinks fast and is comfortable at a lectern addressing school assemblies of 500 people.
Now, as she watches him stand with his fellow graduates and toss his cap into the air, the grandmother knows that it’s only a few months until he is gone – off to college to study international relations – probably leading to a life among people of other cultures with whom he is already quite comfortable. Undoubtedly, he will do something to make a difference in the world – something meaningful. She is proud of him. Yet, she is concerned about the economy and the job situation he will face. She worries about outside influences in the freedom of a college campus for a child who has never been on his own before. She prays that he will be safe.
Already the grandmother misses him but she has been through this leave-taking with her own three children. She missed her artistically inclined boy who drew pictures on his bedroom wall. She remembers her other little boy who stood on his bed and insisted that he saw elephants when he had a high fever. She thinks of the lovely girl who baked hamantashen from scratch in her kitchen. All three of them are married now and have children of their own, but the grandmother has not forgotten the feelings she had when they went away to college.
She remembers mailing packages of salamis, bagels and cookies. They lived in expensive dorms with cockroaches and bees. She visited them at college in sloppy rooms with all their clothing strewn across futons on the floor.
“How do you know which stuff is clean and which is dirty?” she asked. “Easy,” the boy said. “You pick it up and smell it!” He was straight-faced and serious. Yuck!
Sometimes they came home for holidays. Other times they went on trips or partied in some exotic locale that hosted spring break for young people. The grandmother had gone to college, too, but she had traveled by subway and had worked after school. At that age, she had never been anywhere but the Catskill Mountains.
Now, she looks at her daughter and son-in-law, remembering how it feels when the last child, like her grandson, goes away. There is no point in telling them that, after the child leaves, an emptiness settles on the house. The clock ticks louder. The silence in the mornings and at mealtimes is deafening. You close the door to the child’s room and do not go into it for weeks, even to clean up the mess left behind. You’re all choked up when you finally do it.
The grandmother will not tell her daughter and son-in-law that the hardest part of raising a child is the letting go.
Toby J. Rosenstrauch is an award-winning columnist and a resident of Florida. Her first novel, Knifepoint, was recently published.
Balancing kids high-tech wants with needs
The start of a new school year used to just mean dealing with the end-of-summer blues, figuring out which classes to take and which books to buy, and making sure you had a first-day-of-school outfit. For today’s kids, however, there’s another real challenge: keeping pace with all the other kids your age, from brand-name clothing to expensive gadgets.
Consider this: about one quarter of children aged 12 to 15 in the United Kingdom have their own tablet while, on this side of the pond, there’s been a five-fold increase in tablet ownership among kids. Couple those statistics with other trends, such as the percentage of children and teenagers who have mobile phones (78 percent) and toddlers who have used mobile devices (38 percent), and it’s evident that children growing up today want and have more technological gadgets than ever before – and that comes with a hefty price tag for their parents.
The struggle to keep up – to give your child what “every other” child seems to have, for fear of making them feel left out – can be daunting for parents. After all, buying your child a $100 mobile phone may not seem like much, until you factor in the cost of the monthly plan. The same goes for gaming systems like PS3 and Xbox, for which a couple hundred dollars now may not break the bank but, before you know it, the next version will come out and you’ll be shelling out more cash.
So, how can parents keep up with the demand, provide their children with some fancy gadgets, without breaking the bank and without spoiling their children?
Back to school: lessons at home
In the back-to-school rush, you may be focused on all the new things your child will learn at school this year, but it’s a great time to think about the lessons you can teach your child at home, with the first one being the value of a dollar (or two). If your child sees you spend hundreds on new smartphones and tablets every two years, they get the message that it’s a normal expense and nothing out of the ordinary, like your yearly taxes or other such payments, when these devices are luxuries, not essentials (although that could be debated).
Instead, you want to show your child that you’re happy to provide them with some of the latest trends but not all of them, all the time. Consider saving the bigger-ticket items for special occasions or milestones you want to celebrate. As well, involve your child in the discussion: how much is too much for a kid’s first phone? How long do they think it takes for you to work to earn the price of that phone?
According to Kevin Sylvester, co-author of Follow Your Money: Who Gets It? Who Spends It? Where Does It Go?, parents can and should explain the value of money to children with practical examples. For example, say your son wants the new iPhone. You buy it, but explain that the purchase means no movie tickets or outings for him for the next six months, until he’s helped pay for it. One of the reasons this can be difficult for kids to understand today is because of how little they actually see real, physical money.
“Money has moved away from the physical to the abstract. [Before] kids were forced to deal with the reality of how much something cost (they had to count coins, for example) when we needed actual money to buy things,” he writes. “But with credit cards, debit cards and automatic e-transactions, that tangible relationship with money is almost gone. So, [kids] need to know the underlying ideas about ‘value,’ ‘cost’ and so on to understand what they are spending.”
To do this, he encourages parents to give kids ownership over how much they’re spending and what they’re buying, as well as discussing why saving is important – even if it means waiting until the iPhone 15 comes out.
Quiz time: self-evaluation
Dr. Jim Taylor, author of Raising Generation Tech, reminds readers that kids pick up what they see their parents doing. The average child spends more than seven hours in front of a screen per day. If you think that’s much too high, then it’s time for a back-to-school quiz: are you any better? If you’re spending hours on your phone, computer or tablet – whether it’s watching TV, working or playing games – your child learns it’s OK to spend your day in front of a screen. However, childhood should be a time to explore, imagine and wonder, which gets lost if a child has a computer doing it for them.
“How did your children develop their relationship with technology? In all likelihood, from your relationship with technology. You influence your children’s exposure to technology in two ways,” says Taylor in a blog post about creating a healthy relationship with technology. “First, whether consciously or otherwise, you determine the technology to which your children are exposed and the frequency of its use. You buy it for them, give them permission to use it, and provide them with the time and space for its use.
“Second, and perhaps more importantly, you model the presence and use of technology in your own life. In doing so, you’re constantly sending your children messages about the role that it should play in their lives. Think about how often you, for example, watch television, play video games, surf the internet or check your email, and you’ll probably see the kind of relationship that your children have or will develop with technology.”
It’s too early to tell what impact technology will ultimately have on children who don’t know life without it, but Taylor’s points remain true nonetheless: too often we think of technology as an end itself, a way to pass time, a chance to get the kids to quiet down while we finish our day’s work, but it developed as a means to an end – a way to enhance the quality of life and do more with less.
By reminding your kids and yourself of these origins, you can instil in them the value that technology can bring – efficiency, independence, ingenuity and, perhaps, a better quality of life – while showing that they don’t have to have everything at once. And that there are other ways to work and play.
Vicky Tobianah is a freelance writer and editor based in Toronto. Connect with her on Twitter, @vicktob, or at [email protected].
Travel B.C.: unique places, unique views
A ziplining selfie: Dangling over river gorges in Clayoquot Plateau Provincial Park. (photo by Baila Lazarus)
The mission: to explore British Columbia from as many geographical perspectives as possible. The means: a 10-day road trip on Vancouver Island. The locations: whatever would take us off the city or country roads. The result: eight ways to see the province like you’ve never seen it before.
From the air
1. Nothing says “new perspectives” like sleeping in a ball suspended from three trees about 15 feet in the air. Making Lonely Planet’s 2014 list of top 10 extraordinary places to stay, the Free Spirit Spheres near Horne Lake, about 45 minutes north of Nanaimo, are just that. Designer Tom Chudleigh has built three round wooden “rooms” about 10 feet in diameter, so guests can feel like they’re sleeping in a tree, but with all the amenities of a hotel room. A perfect “glamping” scenario, the rooms have electricity and are outfitted with dishes, a small fridge and a few appliances, and the site has showers, a full kitchen and even a sauna. Prices start at $155 per night. freespiritspheres.com.
2. Search ziplines on Vancouver Island and you’re bound to come up with three: WildPlay, south of Nanaimo; Adrenaline, west of Victoria on the way to Sooke; and West Coast Wild, 45 minutes east of Ucluelet. We chose the latter due to its number of lines (six) and lack of suspension bridges (a request by my co-traveler). The $99 cost was a great deal for two hours of stunning scenery, a guided nature walk and exhilarating zipping. Even for non-risk-takers, this is a great adventure. Sit and hang on for a smooth ride or test your mettle by hanging upside down and striking a pose. wcwild.com.
3. One of the best values of the trip was a floatplane tour from Victoria Harbor with Harbour Air Seaplanes. The $100 30-minute tour takes off from in front of the Empress Hotel and flies over the Capital District, passing over the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Saanich, offering a glimpse of Butchart Gardens from the air. harbourair.com.
From the water
4. Tofino and Ucluelet – indeed, much of coastal British Columbia – are known for their whale-watching excursions. For an alternate option, try a bear-watching trip instead. These boats ply the inlets and shorelines, giving passengers a more varied view of the topography and making it easy to spot and follow wildlife. (Unlike trying to anticipate in which square metre of ocean a whale might breach.) On a tour with Jamie’s Whale Watching, we spotted a mother and two cubs and were able to watch them forage for food right by the water’s edge for about 45 minutes, giving everyone the opportunity to get a good look – and good shots. jamies.com.
5. It’s not often you can get a view of the shoreline from a kilometre out without standing on a boat or floating platform of some kind, but at low tide near Tigh-Na-Mara in Parksville, it’s a mud-walker’s dream. Meander through ankle-deep puddles or stick to the muddy flats, examine tracks left by crabs or other marine life and lose yourself in the vastness. Turn around, and the buildings on the shoreline look like miniatures.
From underground
6. Don a helmet with headlamp, some sturdy shoes and gloves and you’re ready for caving in Horne Lake Provincial Park. About an hour from Nanaimo, these tours – offered through the park – give a glimpse into the world of beautiful crystal and rock formations, and geological history. Tours range from a Family Cavern 1.5-hour tour for $26 to a High Adventure four-hour tour for $125. Note this is not a walk in the park. There is very rough terrain and the caves are very cold. hornelake.com.
From high above
7. If you’re interested in getting a bird’s-eye view, but still want to be standing on terra firma, two locations near Victoria offer outstanding vistas. Driving up the Island Highway about 30 minutes from Victoria, take the turnoff to Whittaker Road and keep right to go up Ebedora Lane. At the top – where the Aerie and Prancing Horse are located – you’ll have stunning views of Saanich Inlet.
8. Across the inlet, stand in the shadow of history as you make your way up Observatory Hill. Built in 1918, the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory was, for a short period, the largest functioning observatory in the world. The road winds up the hill, offering lookouts with views to most of Saanich.
Baila Lazarus is a freelance writer, painter and photographer. Her work can be seen at orchiddesigns.net.