"Hello, my name is." This four letter phrase printer on adhesive name tages brought to mind a title of a similar subject in Miriam Thaggert's "What's In a Name." She writes- "History is inevitably connected to double conciousness, for as the old analogy goes, a person without knowledge of hiimself is like a tree without roots: nothing to draw upon for strength to live." There was an anthropology class, popular with both enrolled students and as a conversation topic over coldcuts in the cafeteria, that explored th metaphor of a tree as the root of civilization. It has been said creation myths in various cultures can trace the beginning of life to the growth of a tree. It's a beautiful concept to delve into- each person bound together in a web of humanity while retaining their individual functions crucial to the life process of the giant. Unfortunately, the tree habitat is never forever immune from storm and disease. If only the human situation were as easy as curing a fungi infested tree with a scoop of Miracle Grow...