Beauty of Spirit and the Spirit of Age

This YouTube video of an 80-year-old woman dancing shows an incredible beauty of spirit, while also showing the spirit of age. Aging doesn't have to mean sitting back in your rocking chair, watching life pass you by, or worse, giving up on life. Spirit can also be shown in many more ways than dancing. As we age, it is up to each one of us to discover or create ways to allow our own spirits to dance.

Pay Equity for Women - Lillian Ledbetter Makes History!

In his first legislative act as the 44th President of the United States, President Barack Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act on January 29, 2009. After decades of being paid less than men, with women now earning only approximately 78 cents to a male-earned dollar on average, American women can now more easily file suit for equal pay.

Although Lilly Ledbetter cannot benefit from this legislation to reclaim the lost $200,000 in lifetime earnings due to discriminatory pay practices at the Alabama Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, her persistence in getting this legislation passed and signed into law enables women now and in the future to sue their employers for pay equity. Lillian Ledbetter has positively changed the financial future for all American working women and their families. The Fair Pay Act is non-discriminatory, so if a man is not being paid equally, he can also sue for pay equity under this law.

As a woman who experienced both sexual discrimination and harassment (one of my bosses had the nerve to try to kiss me - yuk! and, how dare he!) in her earlier working life, and who earned less than a man for doing the exact same work (I was actually told by my boss it was because the man had to support his family), I commend Lillian Ledbetter for valiantly fighting for passage of this landmark federal legislation.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1874954,00.html

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/equalpayact1.html

President Obama, a Third Culture and Cross-Cultural Adult, is Changing the World!

Our society, our economy, and our future are all changing rapidly. The fluidity of the global economy and the continuous, extensive migration of people around the world have blurred cultural lines, creating a new type of citizen. Their numbers are exponentially increasing, so they are rapidly becoming the norm. These people significantly impact the educational systems of the country in which they are growing up and, as adults, the business, political, cultural, and economic structure of the country in which they choose to live and work. They are changing the world, since they live in almost every country on our planet.

President Barack Obama is probably the most famous Third Culture Kid (TCK)/Cross-Cultural Kid (CCK); and he grew up as both. TCK's are children who spend a large amount of their formative years growing up outside of their parents' culture. These kids have also been known as Army Brats, Missionary Kids, Cross-Cultural Kids, global nomads, or children of expatriates. Their birth culture is their first culture; their second is their new culture; and their third is the combined culture they create by integrating the first two cultures, forming something completely new and different. TCK's have different relationships with each of their cultures than would someone who has only lived in one culture. Many TCK's grow up never having a feeling of home, or belonging, anywhere they live because they are not from just one culture. Some TCK's make the world their home and flourish, as has President Obama.

"A Cross-Cultural Kid (CCK) is a person who has lived in—or meaningfully interacted with—two or more cultural environments for a significant period of time during developmental years.” - CCK definition and subgroups by Ruth E. Van Reken, co-author Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds. There are many sub-types of CCK, including children of immigrants, minorities and refugees, so I'm including this link for you to check them out and learn more:
http://www.tckid.com/crossculturalkid.html

The majority of students in my own classroom are TCK, CCK or both. In fact, I lovingly call my class a mini-United Nations. My students hail from Eastern Europe, Central and South America, Asia, and the Pacific Islands. I, myself, am an adult TCK/CCK with many friends who are also members of this diverse group, so I understand many of my student's issues and how they may feel.

Growing up as a CCK/Domestic TCK, I experienced differences in language, accents and dialect, climate, geography, educational curriculum within the same grade level, and culture. Whenever I opened my mouth to speak, I was easily identified as other than a local. I also have a completely different life experience and survival skill set than do others who were born and raised in one place and culture. As a result of my childhood experiences, I never feel totally at home, because I'm not from any one place, often feel restless to move again, and tend to feel more comfortable in the company of other other "travelers." I resist the idea of moving because I know that I'll experience the same restless feeling wherever I go, as well. I've learned that home is where you currently live, wherever that may be, not where you're from. Another benefit of my experience is that I love to travel, meet new people, and learn about and experience other cultures.

Political, business and educational leaders should learn as much as they can about TCK/CCK folks like us, as we often think and learn differently, and have different social and cultural issues than do those in the traditional "monoculture" of the country in which we live, and we will affect the culture and climate of your society, office and classroom.

For more information on TCK's, please check out this link:
http://www.tckworld.com/

To better understand a TCK/CCK, please read The Story of Mr. Roundhead:
http://www.tckworld.com/rndhead/home.html

Here is a link to a TIME article about another influential TCK, Kevin Conrad, who stood up to the United States during the Dec. 2007 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia, saying, "If, for some reason, you're not willing to lead, leave it to the rest of us. Please, get out of the way!" The US backed down, opening the way for creation of the new Bali Action Plan.
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1841778_1841779_1841795,00.html

Arrogance, Greed and Excess

Arrogance, greed and excess abound in America. Let's see...

Exxon made, once again, record-breaking profits in 2008, while we were struggling to pay $4.30/gallon for regular, unleaded gas

Nearly $20 billion in Wall Street bonuses were paid out (don't forget that the average Wall Street employee makes 3-4x the salary of the average American worker), as they laughed all the way to their banks while they took billions in bail-out money out of taxpayers' pockets

Citigroup picked up a new, multi-million dollar corporate jet, while taking billions in bail-out money out of taxpayer's pockets

A single mother of six children, who lives with her parents, just gave birth to octuplets, implanted via IVF for who knows what reason. Who will pay for the hospital bills, health care, clothing, food, daycare, etc. for all 14 children? The taxpayers???

The CEO of Morgan Stanley used $1.2 million of shareholder money to redecorate his office, including an approximately $34,000 toilet

The crippled mortgage industry, high foreclosure rates, bank failures, business closures, lay-offs, unemployment, higher food and energy prices, inability to get new loans due to bailout money-hoarding by banks and financial institutions...

and the list just keeps on growing!

I'm thankful to have my job, a place to live, and food on my table. I pray for those who are victims of all of this arrogance, greed and excess, and hope they have the courage and fortitude to survive this Depression.

Nevada State Governor Wants to Cut County Teacher Salaries

I'm thinking of submitting a Letter to the Editor of my local paper. What follows is what I'm considering sending to the paper. Please let me know what you think.

I am an employee of a County School District, and am a certified, Highly Qualified teacher with over 32 credits above my Master's Degree. Many of my professional colleagues also have a Master's Degree; some more than one. We're mandated by the federal government's No Child Left Behind Act to complete a high level of educational attainment to meet and maintain our Highly Qualified status, yet are required to pay for this training out of our own pockets. We are required by our State and our County School District to complete continuing education courses to meet and maintain our licensing requirements, and to qualify for step increases, all also out of our own pockets. Yet, our Governor Jim Gibbons is calling for a freeze in step increases, as well as a 6% "temporary" (yeah, right) decrease in our salaries.

So, are the Federal, State or County governments going to reimburse us for our mandated educational expenses, now that we can no longer benefit from them? Are they going to pay off our school loans? What about teachers who are married to teachers? These couples will lose 6% of their entire family income, while still trying to pay off their school loans. Former President Bush and Congress never funded the No Child Left Behind Act. They created the current state of our economy through rampant deregulation and lack of oversight of banks and businesses. Our State Governor has relied on county and local governments to repair problems at the state level. Now, he expects teachers to pay for problems largely created by an incompetent government.

Most state employees, once they are hired, are not required by Nevada State to continue their education in order keep their jobs or to maintain a license. Teachers are not state employees, yet Governor Gibbons is erroneously considering teachers as state employees and is demanding that we pay a significant penalty for teaching in the State of Nevada. How teaching is funded in this state should not enable a State Governor to dictate the salaries of County School District employees. Now, not only are Nevada's children being left behind by their Federal and State governments, so are their teachers!

Check out these YouTube videos of Nevada System of Higher Education Chancellor Jim Rogers giving the State of the System address:

Part 1


Part 2

Poisoned Peanuts + Lack of Oversight = Questionable Food Security

Shame on corporations who place greed and profit over the health, safety and security of everyday people all around the world. Corporations and small businesses, including those who produce our nation's food supply, are a part of a cadre of business people who each bear significant responsibility for the security, economy and reputation of our nation.

Over the past 2 years, the Peanut Corporation of America repeatedly found salmonella in its product. When salmonella was found, the company went lab shopping for a conflicting opinion. Then, they purposefully chose not to report positive test results showing salmonella contamination to the FDA because they are unethical and it was not legally required. They also chose to repeatedly ignore their responsibility to immediately remedy the contamination problem in their manufacturing plants. Finally, the Peanut Corporation of America continued with business as usual in complete disregard for the health, safety and lives of the consumers who trusted in them, while banking their profits on the deaths of (so far) eight of their trusting consumers.

The people involved in this scandal should be arrested, held and tried on innumerable charges. These charges should include premeditated murder - they knew the likely outcome of a salmonella outbreak - death - yet chose to do nothing. Business people should be held accountable and a message should be sent to all: you WILL be held accountable for your wrongdoings. Your free ride is finally over!!! You are here to serve your consumers, your country, and only after that, you may make a reasonable profit.

The next problem in this fiasco that has killed eight people, is a criminal lack of oversight. This is yet another prominent example of the Bush/Republican push towards deregulation. Helloooooo. Is anybody our there? Since when do people, especially business people focused on profit, have enough integrity to do the right thing? This is why regulations were instituted in the first place. Hellooooo! People will do whatever they "can get away with." So, of course, it makes perfect sense to extensively deregulate all markets and expect people to do the right thing.

I could go on (and on), however I think that the current condition of our economy, the mortgage industry, etc. very effusively illustrate my point. We need to come to a more balanced view of regulation, where our country, security, food supply, infrastructure, environment, and the heath and welfare of all citizens actually are all taken into account when (de-) regulating a "free" economy. News Flash: Nothing in life is free. When people die because they cannot safely purchase and eat peanut products, deregulation should be thrown out the window.

ADDENDUM
Related to food security, the high fructose corn syrup found in over 80% of our foods, contains mercury. Check out this link:
http://crunchydomesticgoddess.com/

KBR, US Contractor in Iraq Charged with Negligent Homicide

There are now 18 US soldiers who are dead because they were electrocuted on American bases, many of them built by KBR. KBR is a Houston-based American company contracted by our government to provide shelter, food, and basic services for our troops. KBR, once a division of Halliburton, has been charged with negligent homicide in the death of only one of these soldiers, so far. The company was notified about faulty wiring and grounding problems many times over, over a period of months, beforehand, and did nothing!

Until this past May, KBR had a monopoly on the food facilities and basic services contract, earning $24 billion since the Iraq war began. Consider how much wealth KBR, which had already been accused of mismanagement, has now amassed since it acquired the huge no-bid, cost-plus contract through its political ties to now former Vice President Cheney. If KBR and its employees are found guilty in the negligent homicide of even one of these soldiers, they should be required to serve prison time, surrender the remaining monies awarded them in their contract, and be required to leave Iraq.

The past 8 years have been replete with extensive greed and corruption, lack of oversight, complete deregulation favoring corporations over citizens, and political power plays. There was never any Congressional oversight on dollar amounts less than $1 million because this was stipulated in the contracts proferred to Bush and Cheney's political and business allies. When our government uses our hard-earned money, it has an obligation to monitor how every penny is spent and the quality control of the work performed on each and every contract. As I've stated before, cost-plus, no-bid contracts should be illegal.

The Power of Hope and Persistence to Create and Sustain Change

I was reading a post by blogger No Impact Man at http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/2009/01/can-a-renewed-presidency-alone-make-a-renewed-planet.html
in which he asked a question about the naivety of attempting to make enormous changes in the world. Here is my reply to his post entitled Can a renewed presidency alone make a renewed planet?

First of all, congratulations on the film showing at Sundance! As for the part of your comment, "Does this sound naive? ... Because a search for a better way of life that also saves our habitat can engender more public support than a geeky-sounding thing like a renewable energy grid ever would." I don't think this is naive at all. I absolutely believe that we need to change the focus of our economy from one of consumption to an economy of service and sustainablity. It is a major paradigm shift that rejects the excesses of Milton Friedman's consumer-based economy for a new way of life.

I've been aware of Global Warming since the early 1980's, as I used to work for Dr. James Hansen at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies. I was there when, then Senator Al Gore invited Dr. Hansen to speak in front of a Congressional subcommittee about the results obtained from his global climate model. It was at this meeting that Dr. Hansen stated that Global Warming is happening now. Then, I watched all the naysayers and product defense teams hired by Big Oil attempt to shoot him down. I saw his funding dry up due to this controversy. I read the reports about how he and other scientists were, essentially, muzzled so that a powerful political, energy and economic agenda could be maintained, instead of challenged. In the past 25 years, I've seen most of the world come around to see the truth in his independent, academic, juried research.

So, when you asked if your idea was naive, I thought of this rocky journey that Dr. Hansen has been through and where we stand today. Are you naive? No. Hopeful? Yes! For without hope and persistance in the face of great odds, defeat is certain. Change is only possible when we overcome obstacles with hope and persistance. If people throughout history believed their ideas and aspirations were naive and stopped working toward those dreams, our world would be an incredibly different place. So, in honor of our new President, let's all understand that we can make the necessary changes to save our planet, and our country. Yes We Can!!!