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Editor of Editor
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Welcome to these regular musings, meanderings, wonderings and wanderings by Wendy Priesnitz. Archives - January, 2006 Unschooling
on CNN – January 28. 2006 Expanding the Notion of Feminism – January 22,
2006 So I was pleased to receive an invitation from Albertan unpaid work activist Beverley Smith to join her on March 1 in New York City to argue in favor of the value of unpaid work done in the home. Caregiver Credit, an American organization actively promoting tax recognition for care of the elderly in their own home by family members, has joined the European Federation of Unpaid Parents and Carers at Home, to host a meeting in conjunction with the UN meeting for the Commission on the Status of Women. The meeting, linking women and some men from around the world, has defined a huge goal: to enlarge traditional definitions of “work”, of how an economy works and of how societies can value all the roles men and women have…wherever the work is done. These organizations are not against women’s paid work; they celebrate the advances the women’s movement has made in that area. But they asks for more: for equality for all the roles of women, new and traditional…for inclusiveness, not scornful judgments. They want the balance between career and family to be between two win-win options so that both women and men can make their commitments based on what they believe and on their perceived needs, not only based on money. For more information about Caregiver Credit and
this progressive movement, visit their
website. Gloria Steinem, who is a member of Caregiver Credit’s Board
of Trustees, says “This is the next major phase of the Women’s
Movement.” Finally. What Happened to the Environment? – January 17,
2006 The Conservative Party barely mentions environmental issues in its platform, except to promote the George W Bush voluntary, let’s-not-anger-corporations style of giving lip service to fixing climate change (if they even believe it exists). So in light of polls saying the Conservatives will form Canada’s next government, and that a “green” Conservative is pretty much an oxymoron, it looks like Canada will continue to wallow in its excrement for awhile longer. But if you are a voting Canadian, there may still
be time to change that. There are environmentally aware individuals
running for office again this time and the Sierra Club of Canada has
recently highlighted those candidates. Using the metaphor of the
Olympics, the organization has issued its
list of the top environmentally aware candidates. The symbolic medals have been awarded to over one
hundred candidates. The medal rankings are as follows: Liberal Party –
35, New Democratic Party – 34, Green Party – 23, Conservative Party
– 6, and Bloc Québécois – 4. Election Blues – January 16, 2006 If the Conservative Party wins a majority in next Monday’s election, I fear it will mean privatization and deregulation, and more cuts to social programs; abandonment of new promises to First Nations peoples; the end of Canada’s Kyoto plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; a health care system based on commercialization; the loss of a badly needed “new deal” for big cities like Toronto and money for affordable housing; greater foreign policy integration with the U.S., including participation in foreign conflicts and space-based military systems, which the previous government has avoided; new risks to women’s right to reproductive choice and pay equity, as well as to marriage rights for same sex couples. As reader Robbie Anderman, in a letter to the letter sent to Natural Life magazine, puts it: “With The Economist magazine running a cover photo of a grimacing G.W. Bush under a headline of ‘What’s gone wrong for America’s right?’, as scandal and corruption plagues a government that rose to power on ‘family values’ and ‘doing the right thing’, I can’t help but wonder why there is such interest in Canadians to be like the southern neighbors, and harmonize our health, environmental and safety regulations with their lax ones.” Letters and alarms have recently been circulating by representatives from child care, Aboriginal, women's rights, health care, equality rights, environmental, arts, trade union, and advocacy groups. But it may be too little too late. Unfortunately, the party most involved with
advocating for – and in some instances creating – Canada’s social
programs, the NDP, helped get us into this mess by inexplicably
cooperating with the Conservative Party to defeat the minority Liberal
government last fall…dooming a raft of progressive legislation
they’d fought for during the previous year. This will be one election
where I’ll be holding my nose all the way to the ballot box…once I
figure out who to vote for. Inquiry-Based Learning – January 10, 2006 The Timeline – January 1, 2006 Perhaps to keep me engaged in the project, she recently asked me to construct a timeline of my life to date. So I mounted a long piece of brown wrapping paper on the wall, drew a line down the middle and notched off 55 segments. Then I bought a package of colored markers and began, on one side of the line, to document the events, people, occasions and celebrations of my life. On the other side, I’ve been adding in the context of the times: significant public events and cultural markers that influenced my life along the way. Like a life, the timeline is a work in progress.
Often, as I walk by the sheet of paper, I will pause to add another
small thread to the tapestry. Or just to glimpse one of my previous
notations and smile at the memory. Like the whole life history project,
the timeline is giving me a sense of accomplishment at a time when I’m
often too busy to appreciate what I’ve done (and am doing). While
we’re not all so privileged to have our stories told publicly, we can
all use a tool like the timeline to appreciate where we’ve been and
anticipate where we’re going. The end of one year and the beginning of
another seems like a good time for this sort of reflection! And it seems
to be more productive than making New Years Resolutions that I won’t
keep. Happy
New Year! – January 1, 2006 Return
to current weblog copyright © Wendy Priesnitz 2007 |
Topics & Passions: natural learning ~ What I'm Reading: Goddesses in Older Women -
Archetypes in Women Over Fifty by Jean Shinoda Bolen
(2001, Harper Collins) ~ What
I'm Listening To:
And Still We Sing
by Holly Near (Calico Tracks Music, 2002) ~
Fav
Bookmarks:
Radio Free School ~ Fav Quotes:
Art, Writing, Creativity
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