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Powerful Ideas, Practical Actions         December 2010  The “What Happy Families Know” issue :: WEB SPECIAL: just $15 SUBSCRIBE TODAY! :: PEEK INSIDE THE NEW ISSUE Dear Reader, I’m reminded every holiday season that family is a messy business. Some winters, my husband and I travel to the East Coast to visit a motley group of people who are related to us by blood or by the years of care that make somebody family even if you don't share genetics. From Massachusetts to Virginia, our family includes a former cop and his Puerto Rican wife, a libertarian, an adopted Brazilian woman and her blond part-Icelandic siblings, two toddler cousins, a one-year-old baby niece, my retired-professor father, and my husband’s progressive-activist parents. Marriage and family values are among America's most polarizing political issues. But when we get down to the personal, we find that real family is mostly about taking care of each other, despite our differences. This issue of YES! Magazine takes an honest look at family and celebrates the values and choices that help us support and look after each other. It’s a big claim to offer you “What Happy Families Know” but the stories inside the issue speak for themselves. There are personal journeys of joy, recovery, loss, and negotiation. Experts reveal years of research on what makes a happy couple (gay or straight). And, in our lead article, a stay-at-home dad tells us how fathers, mothers, gay couples, grandparents, neighbors, and multiethnic families are remaking America. See what’s inside the issue, and if you’re not already a subscriber, make this issue the first in your subscription with this special introductory $15 offer. :: SHARE WITH YOUR NETWORKS Best, Madeline Ostrander Senior Editor, YES! Magazine   Highlights from the New Issue of YES! Magazine…   Today’s Families: Freer, Messier, Happier These days, moms, dads, kids, grandmas—even neighbors—are sharing the work of family. Learn how families are getting flexible to deal with a less stable world. And are richer for it.   MORE … Humanity, in Photos A celebration of friendship, family, love, and laughter in this YES! Photo Essay. Just the Facts :: Who Is Family Now? Mixed-race couples, single parents—they’re all part of the new “normal.”   Our Family Stories …   8 personal essays on what family is today How I Fight For My Family Celeste Addai had never given much thought to immigration issues—until her Ghanaian husband had to flee in the middle of the night. Two Dads, Many Roots In the years since 16-year-old Rafael Regan was adopted, he’s learned a lot about what makes unique families “normal.” My New Sisters Rona Fernandez expected to be nervous the first time she met her father, but she didn’t expect the comfortable bond she would find with her new sisters. The Child We Never Had Co-parenting lets friends and community share the load and rewards of raising children. Becoming Abuelita We must claim the families we choose, especially when they go beyond blood. Did I Ever Tell You the Story? As our families grow older, it’s the stories we share that bind us together. Returning Grandpa’s Love A family economy that doesn’t outsource care—at either end of life. Sex Without Jealousy, Love Without Ownership Exploring open relationships can change our assumptions about intimacy and empowerment.   Ready to go low-impact … ?   You’re invited to a one-week carbon cleanse that could change the way you think about your life—and the planet, too… Join YES! for No Impact Week Start the New Year right: Join YES! Magazine readers and staff, and the No Impact Project for a week-long experiment with a radically greener way of life. The No Impact Experiment is partnering with YES! Magazine for a one-week carbon cleanse to kick off the new year. It’s a chance for you to see what a difference no-impact living can have on your quality of life. It’s not about giving up creature comforts but an opportunity for you to test whether the modern conveniences you take for granted are actually making you happier or just eating away at your time and money. Joining is simple! Click here to learn more about the experiment, starting January 2, and watch Colin Beavan’s video introduction. :: 10 Ways to Change Your Life No Impact Man’s picks for getting started on a climate-friendly life. :: Christmas with No Presents? One family’s daring experiment: Christmas without all the stuff.   What’s New Online…   The Road to Real Health Health care’s just part of the picture. Five policies that would be good for our health, happiness, and wallets. Hands-on Research: The Science of Touch How everyday forms of touch can bring us emotional balance and better health. The World’s First Living Buildings Once deemed too ambitious, the next generation of green building is now a reality. Cycle City, USA How Portland plans to become the first world-class bike city in America.   Did you miss…   Highlights from the last newsletter: :: You Are Who You Eat With    Why hectic times call for a return to the family meal. :: A World of Grace   Artist Nikki McClure adds her touch to our collection of mealtime prayers from around the world. :: Building Community: An Economic Approach   David Korten: What economic transformation has to do with building stronger, happier communities.   How to Get More YES!  JOIN ANNIE: SUBSCRIBE TO YES! TODAY A year of YES! Magazine for just $15. Plus a bonus issue. GIVE THE GIFT OF YES! to a friend… or two, with our new 2 for 1 gift offer. YES! KLEAN KANTEEN® Instant inspiration* (*Just add water) Support our work and support the planet too with the healthiest, safest bottle you can get. GREETING CARDS from the Americans Who Tell the Truth series. Set of 8 beautiful cards highlighting Americans past and present whose dignity, courage, and honesty have shaped this country.   Quote  “It is the absurdity of family life, the raggedness of it, that is at once its redemption and its true nobility.” —James McBride, author and musician :: DOWNLOAD: QUOTE PAGE   Getting to the Core …  VIDEO Preserving the story of the American experience The StoryCorps formula is simple: two people who care about each other asking sometimes difficult questions—in an honest exploration of intimacy, identity, and what it means to live in relationship with one another. The Tough Questions A 12-year-old boy with Asperger’s syndrome interviews his mother about the challenges—and joys—of raising him. The Icing on the Cake A mother-daughter interview about one family’s immigration to the United States. Danny and Annie: A Love Story From a single-date courtship to a struggle with cancer, Danny and Annie narrate a long romance lived with truth, beauty, and humor.   Facts that tell a story…  The Page That Counts Number of billionaires in the world: 1,011; Percentage of billionaires living in the U.S.: 40; Number of U.S. billionaires and near-billionaires pledging at least 50 percent of their wealth to charity: 40.    MORE…   Arts  We’re Still Writing “For Colored Girls” Why Tyler Perry’s adaptation of the classic play matters. “It’s a choreopoem, a work of art that relies equally on poetry, color, and movement to convey the complicated reality of life inside a black woman’s body.”

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