Food, shelter and clothing
I have been fortunate enough to travel to many places and I understand culture and identity. When I was younger, I was sometimes ashamed to wear traditional clothes, but wore them out of respect for my parents and our culture. Today I am not embarrassed, as I am proud of my culture. I am also proud of other cultures and love learning more about everyone I meet.
When I was in India I met a little girl; she was twelve years old and very bright. Her name was Karin, and she was always smiling. Her mother was a servant and the little girl helped her mom when she didn’t have school. One day, I was naïve enough to ask her to play cards with me. She couldn’t because she had to work. I asked her how much she got paid – I was planning on paying her to play cards with me. Her answer left me speechless, and reminded me of the importance of the little things. They didn’t go to school when it rained because their classrooms were the grass fields outside. Each item they owned was cherished as if it were gold. They were the happiest people I ever met and I believed then they had nothing, but what they had was life. They were all so full of life. I promised to return and I will one day, one day soon, but for now I share her answer with you.
“We don’t get paid, we work for food.”
We encourage you to help others and work together because together we can do great things.
We would like to thank our many partners, readers, and advertisers for your continued support. When you advertise in Alternative Trends you are more than just an advertiser – you are a partner in our success. We encourage you to support our advertisers.
We introduce to you, our readers, a directory of our partners on page 52. We hope this brings you added value as we shift our thinking and spending in support of local business. November has been officially declared “Shop Local” month in the City of Edmonton by the Honourable Mayor Stephen Mandel. Thanks to “Keep Edmonton Original” and all the independent business owners out there who want to see a change in the way consumers think and spend.
This shopping season, think before you spend. Instead of just looking at the price, think about where it was produced. Sometimes the price will surprise you too! Independent business doesn’t need to mean small business. Help your local merchants grow their businesses – be supportive of the ones that provide jobs to local residents and shape our communities.
Alternative Trends is proud to be 100% independently owned and operated out of Edmonton.
Regardless of where you live, and your role in this life, we encourage you to support your local merchants. Remember this when travelling too.
This year the Italian Centre Shop celebrated fifty years of service. Teresa Spinelli is a woman of vision and has not only continued the business and her father’s legacy but has opened a second store, introduced Bar Italia, and continues to grow the business. Today they are excited to introduce their seventeen different kinds of bread, baked fresh daily. A coincidence she shares her birthday with her father? Learn more about Frank Spinelli and the Italian Centre Shop on page 13.
2010 is a milestone year for Alternative Trends – AT will celebrate its 5th anniversary. It has been a journey worth sharing and we would like to thank our advertisers and readers for all your continued support over the years. Quarterly Connections has taken us to various venues – thank you for always attending. Our attendance has grown from hundreds to thousands, and we share photos from our summer connections on page 6.
Alternative Trends is here to discuss and explore the latest trends we encounter in life, the art that brings us inspiration, and the questions we all have about the little (and big) things that make living interesting and exciting. In our pages you will find fresh ideas – for your health and wellness, your pet, your home, your relationship, and life in general. We are a consumer magazine with a special interest in the arts.
In our special feature on page 31, we discuss loss, as remembrance shouldn’t be confined to one day.
You have heard many stories of troubled times. In Money Matters we review the opposite – how would you handle sudden wealth?
In Road to Success we highlight artists and their stories. We want to find the emerging artists – the unknowns who should be known. Bonnie-Jean traveled to Italy with Debbie Travis this past summer, and she shares her bittersweet summer with you. Imagine an opportunity of a lifetime happening at the same time as the most significant loss.
Enjoy one of our Tasty Treats just like mom used to make on page 20. Renee shares her recipes – enjoy!
On page 23 we share stories from Writers Beyond Borders, a multilingual writers group. We held a contest in the summer and the theme was home – we share Natalia’s story with you.
The responses we received for our regular feature Lessons Learned were overwhelming; thank you for noticing and for sharing your stories. I invite you to visit page 66 to read more lessons learned and remember money is not your biggest obstacle.
We look forward to continue being involved in the community – our involvement contributes to our success. If you have an event you would like us to participate in, please let us know via email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Pardee, Publisher
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