Hello Monkies,
Did you hear Radiolab's podcast on Prairie dogs? It was really good and it was featured on NPR Morning Edition today. I like to listen to Morning Edition everyday. Anyways, Radiolab is fantastic. Several years ago I had a big sleeping problem, as in I didn't do it. So I would stay up and listen to 88.5 and at around 2am this weird little show out of NYC would come on called Radiolab. It's been one of my favorite storytelling shows ever since.
Edwin Edwards was released from prison a couple days ago. He spent 8 years in federal prison for a the usual Louisiana politician stuff. He is living at his daughter's house instead of the usual half-way house for the remainder of his sentence and just got a job as a consultant to the head of the Louisiana Democratic Party. Don't worry he isn't being paid by the state Democratic Party and he isn't getting the usual amount that they pay consultants doing this type of work. ok.
There are about 30 states that are taking action this year on chemical reform. The Environmental Defense Fund just posted this new blog what states are planning on doing.
Directly from the blog: "A summary of the types of bills introduced or soon to be introduced follows.
Comprehensive State Laws: Nine states, including Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Washington and Vermont, will be introducing or have introduced policies to change the way we regulate chemicals at the state level.
BPA Phase Outs: At least seventeen states will be introducing or have introduced policies to restrict the use of BPA in infant formula cans, receipt paper, baby bottles and/or sippy cups including: Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and the District of Columbia.
State TSCA Resolutions: At least eleven states will be calling on the 112th U.S. Congress to bring our federal chemicals policy into the 21st century: Alaska, California, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin.
Banning Cadmium in Children's Products: At least eight states will be introducing or have introduced policies to ban the use of cadmium in children's products, including: Florida, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey and New York.
Deca BDE (toxic flame retardant) Phase Outs: At least three states will be introducing or have introduced policies to reduce exposure to deca BDE, including: Alaska, Massachusetts, New York and the District of Columbia.
Legislation planned: Chemical safety legislation is also planned in South Dakota."
Ciao,
Renee Claire
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
A Couple Good Listens: Gumbo
I'm one of those social and environmental justice activists who rereads inspiring texts and youtubes great speeches over and over again. It's true. I also like to relisten to good podcasts while baking on Sunday mornings. I bake on Sunday mornings.
This morning I relistened to a KQED Forum podcast from last January 18, when President Obama was receiving his Nobel Peace Prize and our country (most of us anyway) were celebrating the life of Martin Luther King jr. The other day a friend told me that her parents refused to tell her their political affiliations while growing up. When she reached conclusions herself she would share them with her parents and they realized they had all reached similar conclusions.
That was not my house. I watched Jesse Jackson's Democratic national convention speech when I was 8. I ran back and forth between rooms in the house to watch with each of my parents some part of it. I appreciate those discussions in my house growing up. But I'm assuming that kids pick up social cues that turn into political philosophies regardless of these types of thought provoking discussions.
On Monday Robert Kennedy jr posted an editorial about his Uncle's assassination in 1963. His article is obviously in light of the Tucson shooting. There are stories in that writing that I had never heard before though I have read many books and articles about that time period. This morning, after listening to the Forum, I started looking around for more Martin Luther King jr speeches. And I listened again to these songs, really. They are more of song than speech. One that popped up is from Robert Kennedy announcing King's assassination.
I'm one of those Kennedy Democrats, though I'm not actually a big fan of Democrats in general. I do still remember my first time running into Teddy and his dogs in the hallways of Congress during my many years of hill drops as a low level intern/assistant/volunteer. (A hill drop is when groups bring something to raise awareness of an important issue to each member of congress. Many times it is to every single member of Congress and it takes a long time and your back hurts afterwards.) I think most who vote Democratic of my age are inspired by the Kennedys, since we grew up in homes that were filled with stories of that time.
However, without a single Kennedy in Congress at this moment new Kennedy stories aren't as sure to come so easily to mind. Though this week Patrick Kennedy has been outspoken about the need for mental health solutions and compassion. How I wish Caroline would be one of those Kennedy's. A great female progressive orator on the national stage is just what we need, not that Ann Richards wasn't. Ann always sounded like she was speaking just to you. Wait, I'm getting the feeling that the 1988 Democratic convention had a pretty big influence on me.
I've mentioned it before, but I really feel that the conflict surrounding mountaintop removal in Appalachia is similar to the civil rights movement in the South in '60s. One of the great activists in this fight is Judy Bonds. She recently passed away from cancer. Her memorial service was held yesterday. She was a tireless fighter for environmental justice in West Virginia. We need to remember that the people in her community who are fighting to end mountaintop removal are being threatened and assaulted for defending their homes and promoting cleaner energy. A good reminder that there are greater orators in our own communities when we need them.
And for one more good listen,,Lois Gibbs.
Ciao,
Renee Claire
This morning I relistened to a KQED Forum podcast from last January 18, when President Obama was receiving his Nobel Peace Prize and our country (most of us anyway) were celebrating the life of Martin Luther King jr. The other day a friend told me that her parents refused to tell her their political affiliations while growing up. When she reached conclusions herself she would share them with her parents and they realized they had all reached similar conclusions.
That was not my house. I watched Jesse Jackson's Democratic national convention speech when I was 8. I ran back and forth between rooms in the house to watch with each of my parents some part of it. I appreciate those discussions in my house growing up. But I'm assuming that kids pick up social cues that turn into political philosophies regardless of these types of thought provoking discussions.
On Monday Robert Kennedy jr posted an editorial about his Uncle's assassination in 1963. His article is obviously in light of the Tucson shooting. There are stories in that writing that I had never heard before though I have read many books and articles about that time period. This morning, after listening to the Forum, I started looking around for more Martin Luther King jr speeches. And I listened again to these songs, really. They are more of song than speech. One that popped up is from Robert Kennedy announcing King's assassination.
I'm one of those Kennedy Democrats, though I'm not actually a big fan of Democrats in general. I do still remember my first time running into Teddy and his dogs in the hallways of Congress during my many years of hill drops as a low level intern/assistant/volunteer. (A hill drop is when groups bring something to raise awareness of an important issue to each member of congress. Many times it is to every single member of Congress and it takes a long time and your back hurts afterwards.) I think most who vote Democratic of my age are inspired by the Kennedys, since we grew up in homes that were filled with stories of that time.
However, without a single Kennedy in Congress at this moment new Kennedy stories aren't as sure to come so easily to mind. Though this week Patrick Kennedy has been outspoken about the need for mental health solutions and compassion. How I wish Caroline would be one of those Kennedy's. A great female progressive orator on the national stage is just what we need, not that Ann Richards wasn't. Ann always sounded like she was speaking just to you. Wait, I'm getting the feeling that the 1988 Democratic convention had a pretty big influence on me.
I've mentioned it before, but I really feel that the conflict surrounding mountaintop removal in Appalachia is similar to the civil rights movement in the South in '60s. One of the great activists in this fight is Judy Bonds. She recently passed away from cancer. Her memorial service was held yesterday. She was a tireless fighter for environmental justice in West Virginia. We need to remember that the people in her community who are fighting to end mountaintop removal are being threatened and assaulted for defending their homes and promoting cleaner energy. A good reminder that there are greater orators in our own communities when we need them.
And for one more good listen,,Lois Gibbs.
Ciao,
Renee Claire
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Saturday Gumbo
It's a wonderfully beautiful day today in Oakland. No coldness, lots of sunshine. In between packing boxes, I'm taking short bike rides around the area and drinking coffee and snacking on my first crock pot meal. I made beef stew yesterday! It's better today with my homemade bread. Who knew I could do those things.
As I was packing my kitchen gear using old New York Times (such a fucking elitist hippy I am) I saw an ad by BP from June. It was the one with the beach full of cleanup workers and text just below that said "Making Things Right". I threw it into one of the boxes I'm mailing directly to my new apartment. Good visual reminder of what I will be doing starting January 31. Keeping corporations held responsible for poisoning communities.
I've been asked what I really want to do more times than I can count, because that's what older activists like to ask younger activists. "But what do you really want to do?" A pretty terrible question to be asked, when what you really need at the moment (which is why you are having that conversation in the first place) is a fucking job to pay the fucking bills that has something, anything to do with what you really want to do. Hold corporations responsible when they poison communities and try my best to make sure they don't in the first place.
The final Oil Spill Commission report was released last week, which I already sent you the link to. 398 pages. Most community groups think the report is pretty good. It calls for a community body to assess new oil permits, states that there are systemic safety problems within the industry that will lead to other similar disasters, and states that fundamental reform is needed to execute true oversight of the energy industry.
We all heard of the man who got on his knees to beg for the money that BP owes him so that he can pay his bills. We've also heard of the companies from out of state who are putting in claims due to the financial impacts of the spill. What I haven't heard much about are the mental health issues in those that have been impacted. When the disaster first began I saw one news report that talked about mental health clinics opening up around the gulf, but that these were so underfunded that it was unlikely to penetrate deeply into the communities who need the help the most.
I recently met someone who said something of the sort, oh, well the city has recovered from the flooding so the problems aren't compounding. To that I said, no. No, sir, no one has really recovered from Katrina, emotionally or infrastructurely. When I look for articles about mental health issues from the oil spill, the majority of those were written in August of last year. Seems like a few journalists decided it was important then but haven't spoken much about it since. And we wonder why church and carnival are such important cultural cornerstones in the area; distractions on what is good in life, not what has gone wrong.
The Oil Spill Commission also commented on journalists taking advantage of this disaster to create high emotions or stir controversy. Because this didn't actually exist? I'm not sure what the origin of this came from, but it seems that Anderson Cooper was pointed out in particular. He is blamed from searching for angry oil workers to come on his show to be . . . angry at what happened. The one thing that my family and I were able to agree on was how Anderson Cooper was one of the best journalists covering the oil spill. He presented different angles and with the Keeping Them Honest segment held decision makers from all over the spectrum accountable for their actions. I find it hard to believe that finding someone who was impacted by the spill to share their anger with the rest of us who were pretty damn angry as trying to stir controversy. Cooper said the incident never happened.
What I find most terrifying about heading to New Orleans are these things. The compounded traumas of a repeatedly targeted community. Systemic problems within our energy and chemical industries, financial system, and federal and state governments that allow for these traumas to happened over and over again. The men and women who are much stronger than I who continue to live in these communities, fighting to survive and thrive in the homes they built. It's all a bit much. Maybe my awkward laughing in stressful/uncomfortable situations will finally be helpful?
The LA Times published this good article on the creation of a new agency that would focus solely on the safety of offshore drilling.
Save the Gulf Walrus!
Renee Claire
As I was packing my kitchen gear using old New York Times (such a fucking elitist hippy I am) I saw an ad by BP from June. It was the one with the beach full of cleanup workers and text just below that said "Making Things Right". I threw it into one of the boxes I'm mailing directly to my new apartment. Good visual reminder of what I will be doing starting January 31. Keeping corporations held responsible for poisoning communities.
I've been asked what I really want to do more times than I can count, because that's what older activists like to ask younger activists. "But what do you really want to do?" A pretty terrible question to be asked, when what you really need at the moment (which is why you are having that conversation in the first place) is a fucking job to pay the fucking bills that has something, anything to do with what you really want to do. Hold corporations responsible when they poison communities and try my best to make sure they don't in the first place.
The final Oil Spill Commission report was released last week, which I already sent you the link to. 398 pages. Most community groups think the report is pretty good. It calls for a community body to assess new oil permits, states that there are systemic safety problems within the industry that will lead to other similar disasters, and states that fundamental reform is needed to execute true oversight of the energy industry.
We all heard of the man who got on his knees to beg for the money that BP owes him so that he can pay his bills. We've also heard of the companies from out of state who are putting in claims due to the financial impacts of the spill. What I haven't heard much about are the mental health issues in those that have been impacted. When the disaster first began I saw one news report that talked about mental health clinics opening up around the gulf, but that these were so underfunded that it was unlikely to penetrate deeply into the communities who need the help the most.
I recently met someone who said something of the sort, oh, well the city has recovered from the flooding so the problems aren't compounding. To that I said, no. No, sir, no one has really recovered from Katrina, emotionally or infrastructurely. When I look for articles about mental health issues from the oil spill, the majority of those were written in August of last year. Seems like a few journalists decided it was important then but haven't spoken much about it since. And we wonder why church and carnival are such important cultural cornerstones in the area; distractions on what is good in life, not what has gone wrong.
The Oil Spill Commission also commented on journalists taking advantage of this disaster to create high emotions or stir controversy. Because this didn't actually exist? I'm not sure what the origin of this came from, but it seems that Anderson Cooper was pointed out in particular. He is blamed from searching for angry oil workers to come on his show to be . . . angry at what happened. The one thing that my family and I were able to agree on was how Anderson Cooper was one of the best journalists covering the oil spill. He presented different angles and with the Keeping Them Honest segment held decision makers from all over the spectrum accountable for their actions. I find it hard to believe that finding someone who was impacted by the spill to share their anger with the rest of us who were pretty damn angry as trying to stir controversy. Cooper said the incident never happened.
What I find most terrifying about heading to New Orleans are these things. The compounded traumas of a repeatedly targeted community. Systemic problems within our energy and chemical industries, financial system, and federal and state governments that allow for these traumas to happened over and over again. The men and women who are much stronger than I who continue to live in these communities, fighting to survive and thrive in the homes they built. It's all a bit much. Maybe my awkward laughing in stressful/uncomfortable situations will finally be helpful?
The LA Times published this good article on the creation of a new agency that would focus solely on the safety of offshore drilling.
Save the Gulf Walrus!
Renee Claire
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