Activistas

Will You Pay It Forward??

Like a lot of parents, I am totally out of it on the cultural scene (and I mean totally).  I can't even remember what the Schnitz looks like on the inside, and the last time I had beer and pizza while watching a movie was, e-gad, like 2 years ago.  Sort of embarrassing, but at least I know I'm not alone (you know who you are...)!  So when someone used the term Pay It Forward recently, I was confused enough to have to ask what they were talking about.  Pay what forward?  Forward where?

Since I haven't read a book in about 100 years, either, I didn't quite get to the book that inspired this whole phenomenon.  Regardless, I dig the concept.  So..... waddya say, mamas?  Let's Pay It Forward this holiday season.  I already owe one back since a woman I don't know bought me a coffee refill yesterday because my wallet was completely empty (and the guy behind the counter wasn't going for my proposal to come back later with the $.50 - even though I go in there like 1,000 times a week).  But if I return that favor I'm sort of paying it back, not forward.

Of course all this is just a new name for an old, old tradition of being kind to others.  But my take on it for the moment is to do something I wouldn't otherwise do - to push me beyond my normal "helping zone."  So in the next month (and hopefully beyond) when an opportunity presents itself for Paying It Forward, I'm gonna do my best to step up the plate, to be an Activista in a different sense of the word.  You??

All I Want for Christmas is My...

Since there are no kids in our house this year with missing teeth (we're still teething), the list is wide open.  Well, not quite.  If you remove the drum set and pink play fridge, that is.  Anyway.  I hope you'll help me fill in the top five slots on the Activistas wish list this year. 

Try this on: If you could tell Very Important People at the state level just what your family needs for Christmas (from them, claro, not Santa), what would it be?  We've covered a good many topics since Activistas sprang to life this past Spring - which are the standouts?  And remember, we're talking state policy here. 

Think big or small or in between.  If you don't help us, mamas, we might just have to decide for ourselves... But another important thing I learned way back in grad school (through excessive and often painful group projects), is that the more brains working on a problem, the better.  So please, don't make me decide what we all want.  I can ('cause I've got a policy improvement list a mile long...), but it'd be a whole lot better if you weigh in.  Just your tippy top item.  Paid leave?  Health insurance for your whole family that includes dental care?  Affordable day care?  Smaller class size?  What, mamas, what?  Santa is waiting!!  If we don't put it on our list, mamas, the politicelves might just fulfill someone else's list, 'cause as you know, there is no shortage. 

Vocabulary & Rice: Odd Bedfellows?

It's true that tetrus almost prevented me from completing my senior thesis in college.  And it's possible that this little game could prevent me from earning a paycheck.  Forewarned is fairwarned, mamas.  So you can test your vocabulary, learn more vocabulary, and feed the world (albeit slowly) all at once.  Too good to be true?  Nope.  That's the beauty of advertising.  They pay for everything.  You look, they pay.  Simple as that. 

But it's fun...and more than a little addictive.  Got 30 minutes...or more?  Check it out.  Free Rice.  Here's how they describe this, uh, game:

Mercy Kits: The Perfect Gift

My Mom has been gathering holiday gifts since summer. It's just her way.  And as a recipient of her largesse, I'm not complaining.  However.  This having kids thing has brought into question longstanding holiday habits and required me to think about THE MEANING OF IT ALL.  You can thank me now for sparing you the details of that l-o-n-g process.

So, the end result?  Mercy Kits - product of well-known & homegrown Mercy Corps.  True, it's a packagaing thing to help contributors get a sense of what their money is buying.  But it works for me.  We buy a kit on each of our kid's birthday, and now that one is old enough, he will pick the kit he prefers within the given cost range (they are available from under $50 to $500, and you can search by price point or cateogry  - e.g., health, ag, animals). I have asked for these kits as gifts many-a-time form those who ask (in-laws).  It's far better than another scarf I don't want! 

The Gift of Activism

We spend a lot of time here in Activista-land talking about what's wrong in our country, what doesn't work for families, what's better elsewhere.  We do this 'constructive complaining' so that we can figure out what should change and how we can encourage (ok, force) those changes.  But, as in all things, it's important to have context, and to ocassionally stop and be grateful for all the really good stuff we do have - like dependable electricity, clean water in our taps, open access to the internet, excellent libraries, etc... 

So, this Thanksgiving, I am stopping to be thankful for two things related to this Activista forum:

1. The opportunity to be politically active.  While we don't prevail nearly often enough, thanks to the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, we can speak out, up, protest, write letters, e-mail, call, etc... without fear. 

2. The hard work of those advocates and trail blazers who came before us, for they brought us to where we are today.  The working mothers who got no slack from their bosses (plenty still don't), the stay-at-home dads who got no respect and more than a few raised eyebrows, the advocates who passed the FMLA and the breastfeeding laws (among others), and the list goes on.   We have a long road ahead of us, to be sure, mamas, but without the hard work and sacrifice of those who got us as far as we are, it'd be a whole lot longer.

So on this day, Thanksgiving, we'll stop to be thankful.  But tomorrow, mamas, is another day.

PPS wants to hear from YOU about facilities

We want your input! The PPS facilities survey will be available online until Sunday, Nov. 25.

Parents, students, community members, educators and school staff are encouraged to share their opinions about facility needs in Portland Public Schools by completing an online survey at www.reshape.pps.k12.or.us.    The survey is the same one participants filled out during community-wide facility planning sessions on Nov. 6.

The survey asks respondents to rank their priorities for school improvements, ranging from making basic repairs to creating schools that better prepare students for 21st Century jobs.   It seeks opinions on the relative importance of improvements in security, energy efficiency and sustainability, school grounds, technology and other enhancements.    It also asks respondents to discuss their vision for Portland schools, and to rank the importance of sharing school buildings with other community uses.
Input from the Nov. 6 work session and online survey, combined with findings from a facility review currently underway, will be folded into a set of options the district will take back out to the community in January.

Please forward this email to anyone who might be interested in participating in this survey.  We hope to get a wide range of opinions, and we appreciate your time.

OPB PPS Transfer Policy Survey: Make it Official

As you may have noticed, the PPS transfer policy is being reviewed and people have been discussing the issue, at times quite heatedly.  Understandable given what is at stake.  I'll always remember what one of my grad school professors told all of us kidless students about public school policy decisions: there are few more difficult or heated.  Now that I have kids fast approaching public school and have witnessed what is no doubt just the tippy top of the iceberg, I can finally nod my head vigorously to his sage advice. 

Well, after a whole lot of blogging, you can share your opinion in a more 'official' forum - an OPB survey. 

Seeking Members: Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee

I just wanted to drop you a line to let you know that the Multnomah County Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee is searching for a number of new members.  Particularly with the recent bike safety issues, the committee's advisory capacity to the County Commission has gained importance. 

The County is looking for committee members from the entire County, listing a broad geographic and occupational interest on their website.  Some recent issues discussed include bicycle & pedestrian safety, the Burnside Bridge, grant programs, and there have had presenters from the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, various local governments and agencies, and recommendations have been made to the Board of Commissioners. 

Anyone that is interested in Bike, Pedestrian, and Disabled issues can view the announcement and application on the Committee Website: http://www2.co.multnomah.or.us/bikeped   Details about the evenings that the committee meets, how to apply, and further contact information is available on this site.  I believe there will be seven vacancies.

If you're able to pass this information on to anyone interested, that would be great.  The committee is very involved and very proactive.  The time committment for the Multnomah County Bike/Ped CAC would be the second Wednesday of every month, from 7pm to 9pm.  Since the committee covers the entire geography of Multnomah County and each of the incorporated cities (including Portland), the location chosen is fairly central, at the Multnomah Building, at the intersection of Hawthorne & Grand and several bike routes & bus lines!   More info can be found here.

Got enough health care?

I am increasingly grateful for the health coverage my family gets through my work - and increasingly afraid to ever leave my job for fear of losing what is now a privilege in our country.  Yet another reason for this workin' mama to stay at the same desk for 20 years.  I read this horrific story in NYT Op-Ed the other day about a woman with good health insurance whose daughter fell very ill and she hit her max coverage for the year.  Oh, I guess we'll just do that surgery next year when we have coverage again, honey.  Arggghhh. 

Consumer Fast 2007: Will your Friday be black?

It's true I haven't hit the new downtown Macy's yet - despite the fact that it's a mere two blocks from my desk.  Heroic?  No, buy nothing month at our house - again!  But that was October, and this, mamas, is November.  NOT a buy nothing month on the quarterly system of denial at our house.  But this is a special month.  For not only does November bring my birthday, it brings us Black Friday.  A uniquely American kind of (non)event.

Now this might sound surreal, but there are services that will e-mail your mobile phone with the latest sale news.  No joke.  If this makes you even a little queasy, you might just be up for a consumer fast.  A what?  Yup.  A 24-hour buy-nothing day.  If I can survive four months a year, I know you can swing a day, I just know it.  Check out the Adbusters info on Buy Nothing Day.  They've been at it for years - 15, to be exact.  As one Adbuster founder describes it:

Buy Nothing Day isn't just about changing your routine for one day. It’s about starting a lasting lifestyle commitment. With over six billion people on the planet, it is the responsibility of the most affluent – the upper 20% that consumes 80% of the world’s resources – to set out on a new path.

So what about you?  Gonna shop till you drop?  Or set out a new path?  What'll it be, mamas, what'll it be? 

And Then Some.  If you're really into it, Adbusters has an online forum where activists can find each other & coordinate.  Sound familiar?!?  I took a quick look and there's nothing yet for Portland (now's your chance). I was impressed with Bellingham's tagline: Consume This.  Like that.  A lot.

Go forth and buy nothing, mamas.  Staying home and eating leftovers sounds way better, anyway.