Activistas

Put toxics on Congress's "to-do" list

2010-03-03T10:46:11-08:00

Ever wonder if you can really, truly make a difference in an effort for national policy reform? I mean, it's a big country, right?

Do policy makers really care that you fervently believe that chemicals should be kid-safe, not hazardous to their health?

YES. YES. YES.

And when we speak together, we're even more effective.

Tell Congress to put toxics on its "to do" list NOW
Join 55,000 other concerned Americans who have already signed this historic petition.

Let's make it crystal clear that you want an effective national chemicals policy that protects human health, especially our children who are most affected by toxic chemicals. We're all frustrated by the current system. So let's change it.

SIGN THE KID-SAFE PETITION TO CONGRESS

Numbers talk: 75,000 signatures is the goal
They want to deliver this petition to key lawmakers on Capitol Hill with 75,000 signatures - including yours - to show them how BIG and PASSIONATE this kid-safe movement has become. Can you help them reach their goal in the next two weeks? It's easy to sign and share - and extremely important to our success.

The time is right now
There is a political window of opportunity to move the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act forward in 2010, but in the current political climate, windows close quickly and unpredictably. If we don't give it our absolute all NOW, when the political momentum is there, we may lose this chance.

Sign it, share it
This issue is far too important to let Congress do nothing. We need your help - by signing and sharing the petition - to get the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act on the Congressional "to-do" list. Preferably at the top.

Inspiring Film in town: One Peace at a Time

2010-03-02T15:46:17-08:00

See it for yourself on Friday, March 5th at the Hollywood Theater in NE Portland (teachers see it free!). But even this short clip will inspire you to be part of the change.

For a better world.

Moms with no commute - One option

2010-02-28T10:20:03-08:00

Planning your work schedule around your family? Sounds dreamy, right? But here's an option that's working for some:

Dads who do things differently - on NBC

2010-02-27T09:05:00-08:00

Dad are struggling with this work-family thing, too, it turns out. But it's different for them, isn't it? Hear more on NBC - where working dads go mainstream.

10 top work-family blog posts in 2009

2010-02-24T23:52:41-08:00

I heart the Sloan Work & Family Research Network because they work on exactly the issues I care about and produce some excellent resources for those of us struggling to make progress on these issues where we live. I'm thrilled to share their top 10 blog posts of 2009.

You can read them on their Work & Family Blog - there's something for everyone (or for you diehards, read 'em all):

Thank you, Sloan, for adding such valuable information to this ongoing conversation. We'll get there yet.

Is it a race to to nowhere?

2010-02-18T22:18:14-08:00

Do you agree with Race to Nowhere Director Vicki Abeles that "...kids everywhere, regardless of their background, are under a new kind of cultural pressure to perform, the kind of pressure that impacts physical and emotional health and development"? My kids are 4 and 7, and our 1st grade has delightfully little homework, so I've not experienced this yet. You?

She claims that:

"Our numbers driven society perpetuates this pressure. High stakes testing has taken the place of meaningful teaching and learning. Teachers express frustration over federal and state curriculum and testing mandates yet are required to teach to a test and cover an unrealistic volume of content. College endowments depend on donations based on the GPA and honors status of their student body. All of which adds to an education system focused on competition, scores and rankings."

Watch the trailer. Schedule a screening. Take action. Or does everything seem fine with our kids' education just the way it is?

Cell towers in Pdx's residential neighborhoods: What gives?

2010-02-16T22:46:38-08:00

Guest post from Caitlin of RespectPDX

RespectPDX is a group of Beaumont Wilshire residents who came together after Clearwire and the owners of the Wilshire Market expressed intent to replace a telephone pole at NE Fremont St. and NE 37^th Ave with a 60-foot combination cell tower/utility pole.

It is the goal of the group to protect all neighborhoods in the face of increasing cell tower encroachment. Reportedly, the city of Portland expects 800 new cell towers in the next few years, many of them on the roofs of schools, churches and water towers.

RespectPDX thinks cell towers are bad for residential neighborhoods for several reasons:

NOISE: Residents living near existing towers have complained that a constant noise can be heard in every room of a house following the installation of a tower in front of the home;
AESTHETICS: Towers are major eye-sores and research shows that installing a cell tower reduces the property values of homes near the tower (Appraisal Journal summer 2005).
HEALTH: There is now mounting evidence concerning the health effects of radio frequency radiation generated by cell towers. Multiple peer-reviewed studies have documented the negative health effects of people living in the immediate vicinity of cell towers (see www.respectpdx.org). The FCC, which licenses cell towers, admits they have not been proven to be safe.

Join RespectPDX on Sunday 2/21 to learn more. RespectPDX is bringing the documentary Full Signal and director Talal Jabari to Portland to raise awareness about the health, legal and financial aspects of wireless technology in our city and surrounding areas. The film will play Sunday Feb. 21st at 4 PM at the Hollywood Theater in NE Portland.

About the film. Filmed in ten countries and six US states, Full Signal talks to scientists who are researching the health effects related to cellular technology; to activists who are fighting to regulate the placement of antennas; and to lawyers and legislators who represent the people wanting those antennas regulated.

Be informed and be prepared to address this critical issue if/when it comes to your neighborhood by attending this important showing of a revealing film. Tickets can be purchased at Hollywood Theater or online.

Watch the trailer:

[Thanks to Flickr & smith for the pic so we know what these babies look like]

Share your childcare story to help work for change

2010-02-16T09:27:54-08:00

Good news! Someone's working on the childcare affordability problem in this country. And you can help by sharing your story. Here's the skinny from the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA).

We're putting together a booklet of parent stories from every state that show challenges parents face in finding or affording quality child care. Particularly in this economy, the current recession continues to impact families in some very difficult ways.

There have been many stories in the media about parents removing their children from organized child care programs, child care programs closing down, parents seeking part-time care rather than full-time care, etc. Families remain concerned about the quality of care and how that may impact their children. We have been receiving many questions about this issue from the media and have heard from many families that the economy continues to cause hardships.

Real stories from American families help illustrate the challenges families face in a way that policymakers and the media can understand. At NACCRRA, we are working hard to make sure that children are safe in child care and that child care settings promote the healthy development of children. We are also working hard to ensure more families have an easier time affording quality care. Your stories will help illustrate the need to strengthen the quality of child care. For more information about NACCRRA's policy proposals, click here: http://www.naccrra.org/policy/policy-agenda.

Stories that involve some of the issues below would be ideal:

Parents who are concerned about the quality of care, difficulty finding quality care, difficulty affording quality care, stories related to quality.
Parents who have had to remove their children from an organized program, had to find a way to provide their own care or had to change their child care arrangements.
Parents who have applied for government subsidies and run into any problems such as affording quality care, or being put on a waiting list.

Email your story to: info@ccaparentnetwork.org by Friday, February 19 with a brief account (just a few sentences, please) about families you may have come across who would help illustrate our policy agenda (need for licensing, background checks, inspections, training, etc). Please mention the ages of the children so we know if the stories relate to infants, preschool-age, or school-age children.

To complete our 50 state list of stories, we are particularly interested in any stories from the following states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

We appreciate your time and effort and look forward to hearing from you.

Chocolate milk in schools, revisited

2010-02-14T21:53:51-08:00

Finally! Someone else joins my rant about chocolate milk in elementary school! And he's a chef, and he's on TED. Ahhhh, credibility. Check it out for yourself:

Creating Change with Family Forward Oregon, part 4: The Change

2010-02-11T12:09:34-08:00

Today’s Family Forward meeting was inspirational. A collection of moms, full and part time workers and SAHM’s, all struggling to make our lives work. Despite our employment differences we were all united in the opinion that things aren’t really what they could be. There’s way too much discrimination felt in the workplace: time off for a sick child, trying to balance work schedules and school closures, impending maternity leave, lack of promotions awarded to parents, lack of flexible work schedules, lack of affordable child care and the myriad of logistical questions a new pregnancy brings. And stay at home moms felt that their work wasn’t ideal due to isolation, lack of public education about parenthood, 24/7 duty, and lack of economic independence.

One thing that we discussed is that families are so busy, it’s hard to realize that the struggles effecting one family are likely effecting most families throughout the city. We talked about making over the image of a parent, so businesses are educated on the day-to-day struggles that parents go through. We talked about concern for our country, how so little seems to get done here, while European, African and other nations have maternity leave, flexible work programs and other family friendly policies that America seems unconcerned with or resistant to. We all desperately want this to change.

The proposed health care bill and national political infighting has shown us that perhaps we need to take matters important to us into our own hands. What can we do locally? How can we turn our experience into action, our voices into a force for change? How can we at least turn our local neighborhoods into places that are family friendly? We brainstormed some great, achievable ideas and look forward to seeing ideas become real.

Family Forward Oregon's Economics of Motherhood Action Groups build on an understanding of the underlying political and economic issues, and generate commitment to action. The groups will explore topics like work, taxes, and child care. The format will combine short readings with an emphasis on ways parents can take action and make a difference.

Previous Blog Posts:

Entry 1: Why join Family Forward
Entry 2: Learning about Motherhood and Poverty
Entry 3: Womenomics