Activistas

Cross the Finish Line!

Enjoy this video - released by the Obama/Biden campaign.

And remember, Al Gore was up in the polls by double digits in the October before the election in 2000....

If you're anxious like me, you might enjoy this article by the NY Times.  Looks like we're not alone.

Green Halloween Ideas..and Other Scary Stories

Maybe you've seen the recent recall information about candy, made in China, and tainted with melamine (the same stuff that killed some people after it made it's way into milk and toothpaste recently).  The FDA now says we should not eat White Rabbit Creamy Candy or Koala's March Crème-filled Cookies. The Canadian Government is warning the public not to consume Sherwood Brands Pirate's Gold Milk Chocolate Coins - also contaminated.

I mentioned these things to my husband, who usually reacts less insanely to this kind of news than I do, and he suggested we toss all candy made in China.  Is that going too far?  Also, who knows where these individually-wrapped little candies are made anyway?  I believe that information is reserved for the big bag and not the tiny wrappings.  He suggests tossing anything we don't recognize and then researching the rest to see where it's made.  Aack!  Now the kids impending sugar-rush and inevitable breakdown seems like a small concern compared to toxic candy and all this research.   

First the toys, now the candy.  It's definitely got me thinking about non-candy alternatives. Green Halloween offers ideas for non-food treasures like: stickers, polished rocks, seashells, beads, soy crayons, and others.  Or non-candy treats like: juice boxes, honey sticks, fruit leather, boxes of raisins, and more.  The site also has some great tips for "green" costumes, Halloween parties, and Halloween-specific energy-saving tips. 

Non-candy alternatives seem like a win-win to me.  Better for the kids, better for the earth, no safety risk.  Plus, my kids are still at an age where a box of raisins and a rock would *thrill* them.  But I can see some sideways glances from more experienced trick-or-treaters out there. 

What are you handing out?  Are any candy-safety standards being implemented at your house?

Obama in Primetime: Did You See it?

The Obama Campaign bought 30 minutes of prime-time tv on CBS, NBC and FOX tonight.  Unprecedented move, which is kind of amazing given how much tv Americans watch these days.  What aired is a documentary-style campaign ad full of American stories interwoven with his platform.  In case you missed it, here it is:

I've found myself daydreaming lately.  I've been dreaming about waking up on November 5th to the reality that Barack Obama is our President-elect.  Being able to relax knowing that maybe, just maybe, we're on a path to a different future.  Dreaming forward to Inauguration Day, and the statement...or apology... we will make to the world as they watch our bi-racial, multi-cultural President take his oath of office.  Dreaming about having a President who, having taken no money from corporate lobbyist in his campaign, might actually be able to end corporate welfare.  I've been dreaming about having a President who believes that government can be good, providing better health care, supporting education, and developing policies that improve the lives of children *and* their parents.  But one who doesn't support the kind of huge government that starts unnecessary wars, listens to our phone calls, interferes with our right to choose what we do with our bodies, and treats our Constitution like a mere suggestion. 

Plastic-free week: Can I do it??

I work for an environmental advocacy group that focuses a whole lot on toxics and human health, which these days translates to plastic consumer products.  So, it only makes sense to ponder the garbage piece of it all, too.  I mean, by trashing my Nalgene water bottles and buying all-new BPA-free sippy cups we're less toxic at our house, but also adding to the amazing amounts of plastic waste littering the globe. If you didn't catch Andrea's piece on the great Pacific garbage patch a few days ago, have a look, it might land you right where it landed me: in the midst of a plastic-free week. Now don't get me wrong, I can use plastic (thank god), just can't buy the stuff. 

Read all about it.  Shoot, why not try it yourself?  I figure even if it lasts only for a week and makes no lasting impression on me whatsoever, the world will still be an ever-so-slightly better place.

[Image courtesy of the ever-useful and generous WikiCommons]

Trick or Vote? Unicef? Or fair-trade candy?

Last year we talked about Unicef as a way to inject some altruism into Halloween, but not everyone loves Unicef (live and learn).  This year there's the election, of course, so naturally you can get all kinds of political on Halloween (Yes We Carve being an excellent example). 

So are you going to tie a little campaigning in with the family traipse up and down the block, trick or vote? Killing two birds with one stone, I guess.  You give me candy, I give you election info.  Hmmm.  You willing?  Here's how they describe it:

Trick or Vote is a nationwide nonpartisan costume canvass taking place on Halloween in a city near you. A spooky crew of monsters will be out in full force to remind young folks to vote, and you can be spooky too.

Studies show that the most effective way to get young people to vote before an election is to knock on their doors and encourage them to. And what's the one day when we're all culturally ready for a knock on the door? Halloween! Just 5 days before the general Election.

So while you might be too old to trick or treat, you're never too old to Trick or Vote!

My issue with this is that we mainly trick or treat in our very small neighborhood and I tend to keep my politics and my neighbors separate - call me crazy.  Plus, there aren't exactly a slew of young folk in my neck of the woods.  But hey, the stakes are high so maybe it's the year.  Like no other, some might say. 

PS - The Bus Project is running this one locally, so visit their site to sign up.

A health policy proposal: The Gilbert Plan

I was buzzing on Twitter about my health insurance quandary. Mostly I'm peeved that, in our system, I have to pay thousands of dollars a year to protect my family from the very real possibility of bankruptcy -- and lack of care -- if there is, God forbid, a terrible accident or sudden illness among us. Not that I'm special: all underemployed, freelance, unemployed, and hourly workers without health care plans have the same problem.

I got angry, but then I also got thinking. How could this be better? Even Obama's plan doesn't satisfy me. So I wrote my idea for policy, "The Gilbert Plan," on WalletPop. Here's a summary of my plan:

• Mandate one rate for everyone. It doesn't cost hospitals and doctors less to provide care to insured patients; uninsured shouldn't have to pay more. The mind boggles.
• All payment for care for catastrophic accidents, serious illnesses, births, vaccinations and preventative care / physical exams should be paid for by our income taxes.
• Insurance could pay for routine, elective and supplemental care. Got a cold? Insurance would pay for the visit. Got cancer? Government pays.
• Farm subsidies and all support for unhealthy food should be erased. No more government payout for unhealthy food (high fructose corn syrup is cheap thanks to Uncle Sam and your taxes); this will improve Americans' health and save money to pay for health care.
• Gardens and cooking programs in all schools as part of curriculum. Feed the kids food cooked and, where possible, grown on campus. Health will improve.
• Malpractice payouts should be severely limited everywhere. We shouldn't all have to pay because a few doctors made a mistake. And money won't bring your loved one back.

Please Support Portland's Children's Levy!

We don't make a habit of endorsing candidates or ballot measures, but we're making a special exception for the Portland Children's Levy.  The Levy (Measure 26-94), is up for renewal this year.  It's the very last thing on the ballot and likely to get overlooked, which would be too bad because it's just one of those things we can feel proud our hard-earned tax dollars are supporting. Please, please take a minute to find it and vote YES. 

The levy funds the Children's Investment Fund, a wonderful, cost-effective program that, since 2002, has been supporting programs that:

• help children who have been abused,
• help kids in foster care to succeed,
• provide early childhood education and
• after school/mentoring support   

This levy has supported amazing programs like the Children's Relief Nursery, the Children's Receiving Center, the Salvation Army's Shelter for Women & Children, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Head Start, Portland Impact, the Peninsula Child Center, and a bunch of other programs with proven positive impacts for our city's most at-risk kids. 

Get Out the Mom Vote!

Our voter registration deadline has come and gone.  The ballots are out and there are only 15 days until our election deadline.   We know how much our vote matters - we make up more than half of the electorate, after all.  We've talked before about how it will be women who decide the outcome of this election.  So, it is time mamas, to get out the vote.  Not just ours.  Every mama's. 

Wonder what you can do?  MomsRising has some great suggestions - all very mom-friendly (because they know how busy we are!).  Do them with your kids - or after they're asleep.  Just get them ready or tuck them in, and let's get busy! 

Our (Depressing) Present = Their Future

I spend a lot of time thinking about my kids' future.  All moms do.  What kind of people will they become?  How can I help them become responsible citizens and all-around happy people?   But I'm not sure I spend enough time thinking about how the choices we make impact the world they will inherit from us, and how to change the course. 

These very disturbing photos show a plastic soup - 100 tons of non-biodegradable plastic detritus that has been dumped into the Pacific Ocean, covering 500 nautical miles.  To put that in perspective, two large floating plastic masses span from California, past Hawaii, and then all the way to Japan.  This.is.crazy.  Not only are the household plastics we use on a daily basis potentially hazardous to our health, they are taking over our oceans, entering the food chain, killing sea life, disfiguring animals and otherwise wreaking havoc.   

Get yer knives out, mamas, we're carvin' for change

No way. That's what I said when I saw this Yes We Carve thing.  Might this be better than the Stumptown apple pie?  Hard to beat, but some of these Obama pumpkins are pretty impressive.  And seeing the carvers with their pumpkins makes me feel as much American community as I felt when the MoveOn volunteer from New Jersey called me from his bed, laptop on belly, at midnight his time. 

So of course we'll be Obamazing our pumkins in the coming weeks, but since I'm far from an artist I was thrilled to see you can download stencils and, for the especially challenged, follow step-by-step instructions.  And of course, enter a contest to win an ipod nano (whatever that is).  Sounds fancy. 

As the creators of this contest dreamed up this little affair, they discarded a few (pretty funny) names, here's a personal fave: Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For Your Pumpkin.

Go forth and carve, mamas.  Whatever. it. takes.