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Editor of Editor
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Welcome to these regular musings, meanderings, wonderings and wanderings by Wendy Priesnitz. Archives - December, 2005 The Respect She Deserves – December 23, 2005 Normalizing Military Action – December 22, 2005 Behren’s news release reacts to a NORAD release, which says, “At Santa’s request, millions of curious children will be able to closely follow his progress by viewing digital photographs and technical information compiled by NORAD on their Internet site.” He quotes Santa as saying, “I have made no such request, nor would I. Kids going to this web site are taught to view war and the instruments of war as normal, acceptable, inevitable. When I went to the website, I saw downloadable coloring pages for the most destructive warplanes on the planet, planes whose only purpose is to deliver death and destruction. They describe the technology which is part of the star wars program as ultra-cool, and actually have the gall to say that Rudolph, a lifelong pacifist who is also a vegetarian, has helped them develop their infrared tracking technology!” In the release, which is posted on the Homes Not
Bombs
website, Behrens includes contacts for the Canadian military wings that
have offered press interviews on this topic, as well as NORAD. Just in
case you agree with him. Punishing the Victim
Again – December 15, 2005 The driver’s license deprivation idea is being spun as an incentive rather than a punishment. The Education Minister says, “You stay in school, you enjoy certain privileges.” I wonder if it ever occurred to this politician and his colleagues that there are reasons why kids don’t stay in school, public or otherwise. And they have nothing to do with mobility or other so-called privileges or incentives. They have to do with irrelevant curriculum that is unimaginatively delivered by over-worked and over-stressed teachers; a focus on testing instead of learning; an environment that can be coercive, demeaning, condescending or culturally inappropriate; lack of family and community support; lack of role modeling; the lure of a fast buck in a seemingly exciting street or gang culture; poverty; racial marginalization and so on. Pardon me for seeming glib or simplistic, but the solution, Mr. Minister, is to fix the system, not to bribe them into enduring it for longer or disciplining them if they chose not to stay. Provide educational opportunities that meet their needs and engage their interests – not what adults think is best for them and not what politicians need in order to deliver on election promises – and they’ll be more likely to take advantage of those opportunities. To their credit, the government has already announced new co-op programs, apprenticeships and specialized diplomas in areas like construction and the hospitality industry to encourage more teens to get an education, especially those not interested in the academic stream. That’s the right track; this ageist, punitive and stupid new law, which negates life experience and denies everything we know about how and why people learn, is a dead end. It might work if the goal is to warehouse our youth for a little longer, but its contribution towards learning is doubtful. There are other problems with this narrow-minded and
backwards-looking legislation that are worrying those who choose
alternatives to public school like democratic schools and unschooling…such
as the fact that employers who have students working during school hours
could also be fined $1,000. And then there are the enforcement and
safety issues involved with the young people who surely will
be driving around without licenses.... Another Chance to Get Things Right – December 11,
2005 The conference ended yesterday after an all-night negotiation session. Before that, the U.S. delegation walked out and Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. received a complaint from the apparently thin-skinned Bush administration because of Prime Minister Paul Martin’s comment that countries need to listen to their global conscience and embark on collective resolve, commitment, leadership and action. (It should be noted that Canada’s track record for controlling greenhouse gas emissions is pretty awful; although the government insists its Kyoto reduction commitment will be met, emissions levels have climbed by almost 25 percent in 15 years.) Shortly after that kerfuffel, Bush had to withstand a blistering attack by his predecessor Bill Clinton who said there was no longer any serious doubt that climate change is real and that Bush was wrong in saying emissions reductions would harm the economy. And if that spectacle wasn’t enough, the Russian delegation raised last minute objections and had to be cajoled back into the tent. As Canada’s Environment Minister and conference chair Stephane Dion closed the meeting, he said to delegates, “You have upheld the trust the people of the world have placed in us. Facing the worst ecological threat to humanity, you have said: the world is united and together, step by step, we will win this fight.” Well, almost united. Since the Americans would only agree to informal talks that will not be “open to any discussion leading to new commitments”, there are critics who say the agreement is meaningless. However, others feel there is hope. John Bennett of the Sierra Club of Canada says, “This is a clear message to the United States that the rest of the world wants action on climate change.” And according to Tony Juniper, director of Friends of the Earth, the stage is now set for America to rejoin the climate talks once Bush leaves office in 2008. He says, “America has waged war on the Kyoto treaty using every mean trick in the book but has been forced back into its bunker by the rest of the world.” The time for rhetoric, immature walkouts, rows and
brinkmanship is past. There is a lot of work to be done quickly. Mother
Earth is trying to tell us something. Through Glass Ceilings and Out of Ivory Towers – December
9, 2005 Life Goes On –
December 9, 2005 Return
to current weblog copyright © Wendy Priesnitz 2007 |
Topics & Passions: natural learning ~ What I'm Reading: The Sustainability
Revolution - Portrait of a Paradigm Shift by Andres R. Edwards
(2005, New Society Publishers) ~ What
I'm Listening To:
Christmas Songs by Diana Krall (Verve, 2005) ~
Fav
Bookmarks:
Radio Free School ~ Fav Quotes:
Art, Writing, Creativity
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