Blog Archives

Good Bye, Good Bayh

3/26/2019

Outside the baseline Stego throws.
It bounces in near Pachy’s toes.
Pachy’s down the court so fast.
Scans her teammates. Needs to pass.
. . .
Behind the foul line Pachy aims.
Two shots. Two points.
Back to the game.
   from Dino Basketball
written by Lisa Wheeler
   illustrated by Barry Gott
   Carolrhoda, 2011
After I split with my baseball-loving high school boyfriend, I tried following basketball. Basketball is the opposite of baseball. Basketball is fast. Baseball is slow. A basketball is large. A baseball is small. Basketball games have high scores. Baseball scores are low. Indoors vs. outdoors. You know. Opposites didn’t attract, that time, though. My next boyfriend liked his car more than he liked me.
   Anyway, girls’ sports were not a “thing” during my high school days. Girls were cheerleaders. I was not, but that’s a different story. Boys played sports.
   It would take an act of Congress, namely Title IX, an amendment to the Federal Civil Rights law, to prohibit gender discrimination in all federally funded education programs. Including sports.
   Signed into law as part of the Education Amendments of 1972, President Richard Nixon assured all girls, starting with the ones who graduated the year after me (whew!), equal access to all kinds of opportunities, including sports.
   Myself excluded, there was lots of pent-up desire on the part of girls and their families for organized sports. In those early days, before 1971, only 1 in 27 high school girls played sports. Now half of all high school girls do. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/birch-bayh-former-indiana-senator-who-authored-title-ix-dead-at-age-91-2019-3-14/
   Even though Title IX’s best known aspect is the inclusion of access to sports, it is not limited to that access.
   The original text reads:
       No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be
   excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be
   subjected to discrimination under any education program or
   activity receiving Federal financial assistance.
   I guess high school and college sports are about the most visible and the most blatantly discriminated aspect. But, unheard of as it was, one of the boys in my class of over 800 students, fought hard and won a place in Home Economics. Before Title IX.
   Senator Birch Bayh, who passed away recently (March 14, 2019), co-wrote and introduced Title IX, and worked hard to get it passed into law. After his co-author, Congressman Patsy Mink, died in 2002, Title IX was officially renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Title_IX Well, she’s a woman, and the amendment protected against gender discrimination, but Senator Bayh was one of the really good guys.
   The P.T.M.E.O. in E.A. (Title IX) might be the most well-known part of his legacy, but not his only impact on all our lives.
   The year before, in 1971, when several of my high school classmates graduated, joined up, and went to Viet Nam, Bayh sponsored the twenty-sixth constitutional amendment lowering the voting age from 21 to 18. It was ratified that same year on July 1, in time for me to request an absentee ballot. I sent it in from college.
   And before that, when John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, the vice presidency remained vacant for over a year. There was no provision for filling the office between elections. Birch Bayh recognized the need to provide for presidential succession and crafted the 25th Amendment. It was ratified in 1967.
   Maybe the person who gained the most from its passage was Gerald Ford. He succeeded Spiro Agnew as Nixon’s VP. (Agnew resigned as the result of a criminal investigation dating back to his time as Governor of Maryland). Then Ford meteored to the White House when Nixon resigned.
   And here we are in the middle of March Madness. Collegiate sports are still segregated by gender. And only the boys compete. I’m not saying we need to integrate boys and girls teams, but maybe the girls could have a little madness of their own!

RIP Senator Birch Bayh
   January 22, 1928 – March 14, 2019

-—stay curious! (have fun)

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Water, Water Everywhere

3/19/2019

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Nya filled the container all the way to the top Then she tied the gourd back in place and took the padded cloth doughnut from her pocket. The doughnut went on her head first, followed by the heavy container of water, which she would hold in place with one hand.
   With the water balanced on her head, and her foot still sore from the thorn, Nya knew that going home would take longer than coming had. But she might reach home by noon, if all went well.
From A Long Walk to Water
   by Linda Sue Park
Clarion Books, 2010
The summer before I turned 12, I went to overnight Girl Scout Camp for two weeks. It was my first experience with an outdoor bathroom. I didn’t like it. It stunk. But it was private. It was far enough away from where we slept and played and learned about nature and how to get along with each other. It was an experience all of us girls shared.
   We carried water in our canteens when we hiked. Mine had a long strap that crossed my body so the canteen could ride on my hip. It was easy to reach whenever I wanted a drink. (Now, I suppose, the ones in charge condone using plastic water bottles!)
   I pay my quarterly water bill to assure water comes into and out of my house whenever I wish. For washing—clothes, dishes, myself. For drinking. For cooking.
   When my husband and I bought our house, all those years ago, there was a working well on the back patio with a working pump. We had the water tested. It’s good water, but tastes a little iron-y. I use it to water the plants around my house. I pump the water into a five-gallon galvanized can. It takes many trips to and from the pump, filling and sprinkling, to satisfy my flowers, tomatoes, and herbs. My house-plants are on their out-of-doors stay-cation and drink their share, too. The water is very cold. I also drink my fair share.
   Not too long ago, (11/20/18) I told you about Sivan Ya’ari, founder and CEO of Innovation: Africa. She almost single-handedly brought solar energy to many remote villages in many countries in Africa. She taught the people how to use it to provide electricity for schools, refrigeration, irrigation, and wells to pump water.
   But over two billion people around the world are still without safe water. Water that it is accessible when it is needed, affordable, and free from contaminants.
   The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution in 2010 stating that “the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation [is] a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights.” http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/64/292 It builds on a previous resolution creating the International Day of Water.
   The United Nations General Assembly officially designated March 22 as World Water Day in 1993, and has been celebrated around the world ever since.
   The day is set aside to highlight the importance of freshwater. According to UNICEF, 800 children die daily from unsafe water. Every 88 seconds, water-borne disease kills a child. Worldwide, 2.1 billion people have no safe drinking water. Smart and caring people are working on the problem, but it is a problem.
   Each person on the planet needs about 2-3 liters (4-6 cups) of clean water to replenish what is lost through respiration, perspiration, and elimination. Each of our cells depends on water to survive. We can't live more than a week without it. And we've got a finite supply -- only a fraction of the water on our planet is drinkable.
   Even though 71% of our Earth is covered in water, less than 2% is fresh water, and most of that is frozen, or found underground.
We all know how to conserve water.
   This Friday, March 22, at least for that one day, I’ll be conscious of my water use. For at least one day, I will use water wisely.

Here are a couple of good places to find more information and join the efforts of the good people trying to solve a big problem, one drop at a time.
   World Water Day Organization: https://www.worldwaterday.org
     http://www.unwater.org/world-water-day-2018-2/
   Greening the Blue http://www.greeningtheblue.org

-—stay curious! (and involved)

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I Pledge Allegiance

3/12/2019

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Indivisible. Indivisible means unbreakable. Our country cannot be split into separate parts. No matter how much we disagree about some things, we’re all agreed about one thing: We are strongest when we stick together and help each other out.
from I Pledge Allegiance
written by Bill Martin, Jr. and Michael Sampson
illustrated by Chris Raschka
Candlewick, 2002

I learned to say “The Pledge” when I was in kindergarten. We all stood next to our tables, put our right hands over our hearts, and recited words we didn’t completely understand. But we did it together, and did it together until we graduated high school. By then most of us did understand, mostly.
   A question has arisen lately: Can a person pledge loyalty to more than one idea, symbol, person, country? The brouhaha, (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brouhaha) ruckus, furor, din stems from a comment spoken not in the Halls of Congress, but at a public coffee shop. When a member of the House of Representatives spoke her mind, it was a voice heard around the country.
   “I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK to push for allegiance to a foreign country,” Ilhan Omar said at an event held this past February 27, at Busboys and Poets, a politically minded coffee shop and restaurant chain in Washington, D.C.            According to https://www.dictionary.com/browse/loyalty, “Allegiance applies particularly to a citizen's duty to his or her country…”
   As we pledge our allegiance to our flag, we demonstrate our loyalty to the rights and freedoms defined in our Constitution. Our country guarantees each citizen freedom of speech. But with freedom, comes responsibility. Ms. Omar’s statement was loaded, maybe unintentionally, but loaded all the same, with implication.
   The implied question has been asked overtly and covertly since at least 1948, the year Israel became its own independent country. So if you’re Jewish, can you really be loyal to the United States?
   It was this implication, perhaps unstated, perhaps understated, perhaps misstated, but certainly understood, that caused the Representatives, Senators, and everyone on social media to express themselves so loudly.
   When I did something wrong, my mom would tell me that she loved me even though she did not love my behavior. As a child, it was hard to understand that separation. It is so packed with emotion, that it is still kinda hard to understand
   The result of all that Twitter chattering, newsfeeds, interviews with politicians and others was the passage of a broad bill condemning all bigotry in an effort “to address remarks made by Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, who suggested last week pro-Israel political organizations ‘push for allegiance to a foreign country.’
   The resolution denounces bigotry towards ‘traditionally persecuted peoples, including African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other people of color, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, the LGBTQ community, immigrants.’” https://www.cbsnews.com/news/house-resolution-would-condemn-anti-semitic-and-anti-muslim-bigotry/
   Some say that the expansive inclusivity of the bill makes it less meaningful. I say, if we need to legislate courtesy, we are in worse shape than I thought.

   -—stay curious! (and err on the side of kindness)

I’m reading The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart. Even though it’s only March, I’m betting on this one for a Newbery. The story is full of wisdom, loss and love, and what it means to be a family.

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Lions and Lambs

3/5/2019

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“I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.”
from The Lorax
written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss
Random House, 1971

March has moved in with the strength of a lion. Roaring winds and a significant snowfall are making a liar of the groundhog. Just one month ago in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, Phil predicted an early Spring. Now it’s cold. Single digit temps overnight only warming into the teens have put a damper on my gardening dreams. Heck, I don’t even want to go outside!
   If it’s so cold, how can anyone talk about Global Warming? Or the more inclusive Climate Change.
   Global Warming refers to the long-term warming of the planet, especially since 1970.
   Climate change refers to a broad range of global phenomena created mostly by burning fossil fuels.
   Burning fossil fuels releases Carbon Dioxide (CO2) into the air we breathe and the atmosphere at large. Fossil fuels are not the only culprit, though and CO2 is not the only greenhouse gas.
   Methane is also part of the problem, and a huge source of methane is cows. Contrary to the popular explanation, it is burping, a by-product of digestion, not flatulence, the other by-product of digestion, that emits most of the methane into the atmosphere.
   Like the water cycle, our earth also relies on the carbon cycle.
   A simple explanation of the carbon cycle describes the steps. Plants absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. Plants are eaten by animals and people who emit it back into the atmosphere (from both ends of our bodies). The plants re-absorb the CO2 to complete the cycle. (Plants, including houseplants and trees, emit oxygen into the air.)
   When we dig up carbon-containing minerals like coal (and oil, not a mineral, but still) and burn it, we add CO2 that was not previously part of the carbon cycle. Now we’ve increased the total amount of CO2 in circulation. We are shifting the balance of nature.
   So the problem is complex, and worth considering. One pretty easy way to lessen the amount of methane pouring into the air we all breathe is to eat less meat, especially cows (beef). The new term is flexitarian.
   Of course, the next question (at least my next question) has to do with the digestion by-product of beans, the alternative protein source. Turns out most human flatulence does not contain methane. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatulence#Environmental_impact (scroll down to the section labeled “Mechanism”)Whew!
   You can find many lists of ways to lower your carbon footprint. I listed some myself not too long ago. (12/18/18 has a list for reducing use of plastic, which is a petroleum product.) Here’s a list from the Huffington Post: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/7-instant-ways-to-reduce-your-carbon-footprint_us_59321992e4b00573ab57a383
   Even though each of us as individuals can make a significant impact and we should do all we can to protect and heal our Earth, working alone doesn’t always work best. Sometimes organizing is helpful, even necessary.
   A group of 21 kids claim the federal government’s promotion of fossil fuel production and its indifference to the risks posed by greenhouse gas emissions have resulted in “a dangerous destabilizing climate system” that threatens the survival of future generations. So they are taking the United States Government to Court. Yep, they’re suing the US Government.
   Last fall, US District Judge Anne Aiken agreed with the kids. She established their right to expect that they could live in a stable climate. It’s been called “the biggest case on the planet” by Mary Wood, a University of Oregon law professor. National Geographic published an interesting article about the case and the concerned kids who dare to dream big. https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/03/kids-sue-us-government-climate-change/
   These kids are not the lambs of that March proverb! But they’re young. They’re enthusiastic! And they’re smart!
   Let’s hope they win.
-—stay curious! (and proactive)

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"Small acts of kindness can change and humanise our world."
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks 1948-2020
Chief Rabbi of Great Britain, 1991-2020
Author, Advocate, Advisor

Good Bye, Good Bayh

Water, Water Everywhere

I Pledge Allegiance

Lions and Lambs

I'm a children's writer and poet intent on observing the world and nurturing those I find in my small space .

Archives

"Small acts of kindness can change and humanise our world." Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks 1948-2020 ​Chief Rabbi of Great Britain, 1991-2020 Author, Advocate, Advisor

Good Bye, Good Bayh

Water, Water Everywhere

I Pledge Allegiance

Lions and Lambs

I'm a children's writer and poet intent on observing the world and nurturing those I find in my small space .

Archives

"Small acts of kindness can change and humanise our world."
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks 1948-2020
Chief Rabbi of Great Britain, 1991-2020
Author, Advocate, Advisor