September / October 2001 - Humor Columns Click on a link below to jump to an article: Nervy: Living a Dream Green Girl: Green Merchandise -- The Whats and Whys Well-Being Page: The Best Medicine Living a Dream by Joanna Present Wolfe We laugh when things don't make sense. When our reason or sense of order is disturbed. Or we cry. Non-sense is painful. We laugh to heal our pain. In medieval Europe, the "world turned upside-down" was a prevalent theme in popular art. Morality was often best illustrated by a picture of its opposite-people doing and saying all the things they weren't supposed to. Now, these were fools! These images were perhaps the earliest comics. Just as humor heals, it teaches. While the graphic depictions of hell on the church walls may have struck the fear of God in people, it was the funny stuff that helped people understand WHY good was good and bad was bad. The following are some exercises to help us access the healing power of the funny bone... To finish reading this article, order this issue of NervyGirl! to be delivered to your door! back to top Green Merchandise -- The Whats and Whys by Allison O'Brien I am a skeptical consumer. I have a keen grasp of the questionable motives behind transparent corporate propaganda, but the wave of 'green' merchandise was so seductive that I initially let my guard down. Then I became wary. Why should I pay more for these items? Does it truly make a difference, or am I falling prey to global guilt-induced spending? What makes something organic and why is it significant? I started researching organic foods, paper products, clothing, and other environmentally conscious goods. I found that this time my skepticism was unwarranted. Green is good and here's why.... To finish reading this article, order this issue of NervyGirl! to be delivered to your door! back to top The Best Medicine by Joanna Present Wolfe The lump in your throat. The butterflies in your stomach. The knot in your chest. Yes, these are responses to stress, but did you ever wonder why you felt these sensations in these particular areas of your body? Why a broken heart feels like a broken heart? Why your stomach feels like it was punched when you get a terrible surprise?... To finish reading this article, order this issue of NervyGirl! to be delivered to your door! back to top Nervy Girl! - P.O.Box 16601 - Portland, OR 97292 - 503-25-NERVY - ISSN 1536-9897 Copyright 2002 by Nervy Girl!, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Web issues contact [email protected]