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Selected doin's of well-known MOTHER-types from around the world.

Frank Serpico—the idealistic crusader who received both adulation and life-threatening opposition after he publicly exposed corruption in the New York City police department in the early 1970's—has devoted his energies, over the past several years, to investigating the probable results of our society's "inordinate trust in technology". If humans continue to take from the earth and give nothing back, Serpico says, we'll eventually exhaust the planet's resources ...and he cites the damaging effects of air and water pollution as evidence of the price we'll pay for misusing the earth. "There will be famines," Frank warns, "and you can't eat buildings! "

After leaving the country to recover from the near-fatal gunshot wounds he suffered during a drug raid soon after his controversial testimony against his colleagues on the Manhattan police force, Serpico rambled over much of Europe and Asia, studying a variety of spiritual disciplines and looking for answers to the doubts and fears he still carried with him. Finally, he settled on a small farm in Holland, where he was able to come to terms with himself. There, he began to care for a menagerie of farm animals and to develop a healthful lifestyle based upon simple positive thinking, self-sufficiency, nonviolence, a wholesome diet, and respect for the environment.

As evidence of his commitment to this wholistic way of living, the ex-cop has helped found an alternative university in northern Wales: Orissor College in Corwen, where students of all ages undertake a nontraditional curriculum that includes courses in natural healing, the mind, the environment, and self-reliance skills. Serpico hopes to establish similar institutions in this country as well ...and much of his time is now spent on the lecture circuit, spreading his message of hope to college and TV audiences. —JM.

WLADIMIR JAN KOCHANSKI

A performer's life on the road is usually depicted as being an endless round of parties, fine food, and travel to exotic places. The reality of the profession, however, is more often characterized by late-night plane flights, meals on the run, and stolen catnaps ...but classical pianist Wladimir Jan Kochanski has found a way to cope with the rigors of touring. The Polish-born music maker plays over 100 solo recitals each season, and he recently completed an exhausting concert tour of 40 cities in 40 days. However, Kochanski is able to handle his demanding schedule by exercising regularly and by eating a diet of natural foods (including raw dairy products, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and limited amounts of meat). He also takes daily vitamin supplements, which were prescribed for him by the late Dr. Della Moser Pennington, a noted specialist in natural health care.

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