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I was frustrated today to be reminded of how much the Eurocentric/"Western" viewpoint still dominates American education. I subbed for a social studies teacher last week, and again today, and as she laid out the plan for the class for me we were commiserating over how her students didn't know or care about why the History of the middle East and Israel is important, and then she said something I thought about for the rest of the day. Speaking of Egypt, Jerusalem, and the events she was having them study between 3000 and 200 B.C., in three different parts of the Mediterranean, she described it as "The beginning of religion." The religions of the Book, I clarified, and she agreed, but I didn't contradict her overall thesis. Meanwhile, at another point in the conversation she had indicated that she would love to just teach European History, like especially World War I, that era.
And I think, honestly, that she has probably never deeply thought about the fact that people had spread out across India and Asia, and even to the Americas, thousands of years before 3000 BC. And that those people developed their own religions and beliefs without having any connection to the culture of what Western history calls "The cradle of civilization." She might not even know that many world scholars would consider Hinduism to be the world's "oldest" major living religion of which we have historical record.
Or that, written history or not, as Jill Lepore puts it in These Truths, "People order their worlds with tales of their dead and of their gods and of the origins of their laws."
People populated the Americas about 20,000 years ago across the land bridge, and then the water rose again, cutting Asia and North America apart from one another. This was about 18,000 BC. By 1000 A.D, the great city Cahokia, on the Mississippi floodplains, had been built, housed over ten thousand people, and been abandoned. The Aztec city of Tenochtítlan, with a population of over a quarter million people, was founded in 1325. By 1492 when Columbus landed in Haiti, there were an estimated 75 million people living in the Americas--15 million more than in Europe. And even the fairly simple Taíno villagers of Haiti had their own religion. which did not begin, in any way shape or form, in the Mediterranean post 3,000 BC.
(in case you're wondering, in 1500 AD there were approximately 125 million people in China, in the Ming Dynasty, many of whom were Taoist, Buddhist, etc, but some of whom were also Christian or Islamic. There was trade between China and Europe overland, which is how the Europeans came to possess gunpowder and the Compass, both first established in China during the Song Dynasty, before the Mongol-led regimes took over around 1271.)
I believe religion begins in the natural tendencies of human being to a) wonder about the nature of the universe and b) create stories that explain our world. this is also, in fact the origin of science. Both science and religion arose in various forms around the world. They did not "begin" in the Mediterranean any more than did music or dance or other elements of culture, and I hope that future course materials will make that more clear to teachers and students alike.
(as a side note, if you are interested in this sort of thing, look up the recent discussion between Stephen Colbert and Neil Degrasse Tyson.)
And I think, honestly, that she has probably never deeply thought about the fact that people had spread out across India and Asia, and even to the Americas, thousands of years before 3000 BC. And that those people developed their own religions and beliefs without having any connection to the culture of what Western history calls "The cradle of civilization." She might not even know that many world scholars would consider Hinduism to be the world's "oldest" major living religion of which we have historical record.
Or that, written history or not, as Jill Lepore puts it in These Truths, "People order their worlds with tales of their dead and of their gods and of the origins of their laws."
People populated the Americas about 20,000 years ago across the land bridge, and then the water rose again, cutting Asia and North America apart from one another. This was about 18,000 BC. By 1000 A.D, the great city Cahokia, on the Mississippi floodplains, had been built, housed over ten thousand people, and been abandoned. The Aztec city of Tenochtítlan, with a population of over a quarter million people, was founded in 1325. By 1492 when Columbus landed in Haiti, there were an estimated 75 million people living in the Americas--15 million more than in Europe. And even the fairly simple Taíno villagers of Haiti had their own religion. which did not begin, in any way shape or form, in the Mediterranean post 3,000 BC.
(in case you're wondering, in 1500 AD there were approximately 125 million people in China, in the Ming Dynasty, many of whom were Taoist, Buddhist, etc, but some of whom were also Christian or Islamic. There was trade between China and Europe overland, which is how the Europeans came to possess gunpowder and the Compass, both first established in China during the Song Dynasty, before the Mongol-led regimes took over around 1271.)
I believe religion begins in the natural tendencies of human being to a) wonder about the nature of the universe and b) create stories that explain our world. this is also, in fact the origin of science. Both science and religion arose in various forms around the world. They did not "begin" in the Mediterranean any more than did music or dance or other elements of culture, and I hope that future course materials will make that more clear to teachers and students alike.
(as a side note, if you are interested in this sort of thing, look up the recent discussion between Stephen Colbert and Neil Degrasse Tyson.)
I have been substitute teaching in the same school one day a week this Fall in a long term assignment. This is an urban school where 100 % of the kids get free breakfast and lunch and those might be their only meals that day. Where 56% of the students who start the school year there will be someplace else by the end of the year, because the lives of many of the poor are not stable. There are lots of challenges these kids face. Multi-generational patterns of trauma, discrimination, and displacement. Can't fix it all.
But I was thinking maybe some of you who do not have children in elementary school right now might help make up for one of the key things these kids are lacking: parents with the time and connections to raise money for their school supplies. I talked to their art teacher about making up a list of supplies, and doing some crowd-funding. That same week, Facebook suggested I do a fundraiser for my birthday. Huh, I thought. Well, I could just do that.
This article on Medium has the text of that fundraiser, as well as info on how to just paypal me money in case you are FB averse.
If we raise enough money, I will arrange for the 7th and 8th graders at the school to get an extra workshop to make durable 3D art they can put in their school garden. I hope we get that far. I know a terrific artist named Tomak who is ready and willing to do that workshop with them. I just spoke to him today. :)
If you can, please help. Even a little bit would be great. Thank you!
But I was thinking maybe some of you who do not have children in elementary school right now might help make up for one of the key things these kids are lacking: parents with the time and connections to raise money for their school supplies. I talked to their art teacher about making up a list of supplies, and doing some crowd-funding. That same week, Facebook suggested I do a fundraiser for my birthday. Huh, I thought. Well, I could just do that.
This article on Medium has the text of that fundraiser, as well as info on how to just paypal me money in case you are FB averse.
If we raise enough money, I will arrange for the 7th and 8th graders at the school to get an extra workshop to make durable 3D art they can put in their school garden. I hope we get that far. I know a terrific artist named Tomak who is ready and willing to do that workshop with them. I just spoke to him today. :)
If you can, please help. Even a little bit would be great. Thank you!
Written to the Then-President of Grinnell College on the subject of alumni volunteering:
Feb 20, 2011
I have in the past done a couple of things for GRASP but have otherwise not volunteered as a Grinnell Alum. I wanted to write to say that one thing I would love to do would be to coordinate with students on projects that would benefit the community. Whether that's an ongoing research project I could advise or consult on from a distance, or a spring break or similar short-term project in my local area that students came to participate in, I think it would be great to get alumni and students together to help make a difference in serving society.
While I was a master's student at the University of Waterloo, I saw how their partnerships between industry and students in the engineering program inspired students to tackle real, practical problems in school projects. I can only imagine that all kinds of alumni are in a good position to help Grinnell students identify and understand interesting questions and challenges in their fields of study, even as students are looking for topics to tackle for papers and projects.
For me, for instance, I would love to work with students who are interested in better understanding the history of the country's prison situation, and how many people have lost years of their freedom and in many cases their right to vote and their ability to pursue work in a career field based on convictions early in their lives, often related to the so-called War on Drugs. Alternatively, if any journalism or pre-law students are interested in documenting current conditions or cases, that would also be something I'd be interested in encouraging and being involved with. Similarly it would be good to document and understand conditions in our inner city communities and schools, for instance, and there might be ways we could set up spring or fall break projects to help address those by canvassing suburb library sales to build inner city school libraries or get books to kids a la the RIF program.
I would find collaborations like that really inspiring. If there's anything like that coming to Michigan, I haven't heard of it, but with Flint and Detroit being some of the poorest cities in the country, if I can bring attention and energy here I will.
Thank you for inviting ideas, and I hope you are enjoying your presidency.
Best wishes,
Anne (Gay) Gray, '96
Feb 20, 2011
I have in the past done a couple of things for GRASP but have otherwise not volunteered as a Grinnell Alum. I wanted to write to say that one thing I would love to do would be to coordinate with students on projects that would benefit the community. Whether that's an ongoing research project I could advise or consult on from a distance, or a spring break or similar short-term project in my local area that students came to participate in, I think it would be great to get alumni and students together to help make a difference in serving society.
While I was a master's student at the University of Waterloo, I saw how their partnerships between industry and students in the engineering program inspired students to tackle real, practical problems in school projects. I can only imagine that all kinds of alumni are in a good position to help Grinnell students identify and understand interesting questions and challenges in their fields of study, even as students are looking for topics to tackle for papers and projects.
For me, for instance, I would love to work with students who are interested in better understanding the history of the country's prison situation, and how many people have lost years of their freedom and in many cases their right to vote and their ability to pursue work in a career field based on convictions early in their lives, often related to the so-called War on Drugs. Alternatively, if any journalism or pre-law students are interested in documenting current conditions or cases, that would also be something I'd be interested in encouraging and being involved with. Similarly it would be good to document and understand conditions in our inner city communities and schools, for instance, and there might be ways we could set up spring or fall break projects to help address those by canvassing suburb library sales to build inner city school libraries or get books to kids a la the RIF program.
I would find collaborations like that really inspiring. If there's anything like that coming to Michigan, I haven't heard of it, but with Flint and Detroit being some of the poorest cities in the country, if I can bring attention and energy here I will.
Thank you for inviting ideas, and I hope you are enjoying your presidency.
Best wishes,
Anne (Gay) Gray, '96
Substitute teaching the other day, I had a moment with a couple 7th graders looking at a political globe of the earth. I went over to share with them how I'd recently learned there's a stripe of desert from Africa all the way to the mongolian Steppes in Asia.
We turned the globe to Africa to find the left side of the stripe. Student 1, on my left, said he didn't know how to find things on a globe. He pointed to Niger and asked how you pronounce that. "Nigh-jer," I told him. "Oh," he said. "But where's Africa?" He asked.
I gestured at the continent with my hand while the other student chimed in, "It's right there! That's Africa."
Pause. Student 1 studied what was before him.
"But where's Africa?" He asked again.
"Africa is a continent, not a country," I explained further. "It has many countries, and over 300 languages are spoken there."
"Oooooh." Was his response.
"What's the largest desert in the world?" I asked. Student 2 had it. "The Sahara!"
"Where is it?" He pointed to Niger.
World geography is clearly lacking. It's throughout. Rosie recently came home from a second grade segment of learning to make and paint clay beads, "Like they do in Africa, because they are very poor there and all they have is mud."
(I made sure to share her takeaway with her teacher later. She was clearly embarrassed.)
I reminded her Africa is a continent, not a country, and that they have a wide range of rich and poor people there, like we do here.
Stereotypes are so easily formed.
We turned the globe to Africa to find the left side of the stripe. Student 1, on my left, said he didn't know how to find things on a globe. He pointed to Niger and asked how you pronounce that. "Nigh-jer," I told him. "Oh," he said. "But where's Africa?" He asked.
I gestured at the continent with my hand while the other student chimed in, "It's right there! That's Africa."
Pause. Student 1 studied what was before him.
"But where's Africa?" He asked again.
"Africa is a continent, not a country," I explained further. "It has many countries, and over 300 languages are spoken there."
"Oooooh." Was his response.
"What's the largest desert in the world?" I asked. Student 2 had it. "The Sahara!"
"Where is it?" He pointed to Niger.
World geography is clearly lacking. It's throughout. Rosie recently came home from a second grade segment of learning to make and paint clay beads, "Like they do in Africa, because they are very poor there and all they have is mud."
(I made sure to share her takeaway with her teacher later. She was clearly embarrassed.)
I reminded her Africa is a continent, not a country, and that they have a wide range of rich and poor people there, like we do here.
Stereotypes are so easily formed.
(no subject)
Oct. 22nd, 2017 05:55 pmSo... this past week while I was watching my Facebook fill with posts of "Me too" and "I believe you," I was also reading The Round House, by Louise Erdrich. It's not an easy novel to read, but it is an important one. Told from the point of view of an adolescent boy in North Dakota, the novel chronicles the impact on him and his family of the rape of his mom by someone who calculatedly did it in a location that makes it hard to prosecute, because they live on Tribal land, but the attack might have happened within state or even Federal jurisdiction. Because of that and other circumstances, this story has the basis for powerfully expressing the difference between the relief felt when an abuser is locked up and the paralysing fear and powerlessness of trying to continue living while they are free and around in the same town. Erdrich is exposing the continuing barriers to justice in reservation life while also bring us along on a coming of age journey for the narrator. I highly recommend this book to everyone 14 or older.
Note: while there is a rape in this book and some details of the attack come to light, there are no graphic details of sexual violence. However, there are other scenes and conversations that have to do with sex, sexuality, body parts, and violence. In fact the intergenerational dialogue (both spoken and acted out) about sexuality, drinking, violence, and how to treat each other is one of the most fascinating aspects of the book.
Note: while there is a rape in this book and some details of the attack come to light, there are no graphic details of sexual violence. However, there are other scenes and conversations that have to do with sex, sexuality, body parts, and violence. In fact the intergenerational dialogue (both spoken and acted out) about sexuality, drinking, violence, and how to treat each other is one of the most fascinating aspects of the book.
Reading comments about the white woman who was recently lambasted for darkening her face to cosplay Whoopi Goldberg's character Guinan from Star Trek, I feel like there is an underbelly of the issue that is being missed by many of the white people in the discussion, and not necessarily brought up by the people of color, either.
I appreciate comments saying that someone's race is not something you should put on as a costume when depicting characters they played - that in and of itself is a good point, and an interesting one.
But I feel that simply calling what the woman did "blackface" fails to really connect most people to some of the wounds that are at play here.
Largely because current/younger generations, especially white people, have little-to-no awareness or concept about how pervasive blackface minstrelcy was, to what purpose it was used, and how it has continued to influence how characters of color are depicted in theater and the media, and also how people of color are perceived on the street.
If you are confused by the level of emotion invested in the backlash directed at this white cosplayer, I encourage you to read Let Black Kids Just Be Kids, a recent and very relevant New York Times Op-Ed by Robin Bernstein.
Berstein draws a very credible connection between the practice of blackface minstrelcy and the current patterns of perception that contribute to tragedies like the death of Trayvon Martin and the daily overpolicing and underprotecting of black kids in America.
Bernstein goes on to explain, "only white kids were allowed to be innocent. The more that popular writers, playwrights, actors and visual artists created images of innocent white children, the more they depicted children of color, especially black children, as unconstrained imps. Over time, this resulted in them being defined as nonchildren."
Other Blackface Minstrel characters created or perpetuated equally damaging stereotypes of black people, almost all of which were used only as comic relief, and young white people today are largely ignorant about those characters and performances, which continued into the 1970s in some places.
Heck, most of us don't even know or think about where the term "Jim Crow" came from.
Sometime around 1830, a white NYC ctor named Thomas D. Rice learned a popular African-American song-and-dance routine, based on the myth of a trickster figure, an escaped, possibly physically disabled slave named Jim Crow, who would dance and boast. His face blacked out with burnt cork, Rice perfected the act and sparked the tradition of the minstrel act. At first the blackface character was actually a smart and sympathetic one. But as time went on, the minstrel show took on a more racist tone.
Blackface Minstrelcy was very popular in the US in the 1830s and 1840s, but it continued to be practiced well into the 1900s and its legacy continues in the lack of African American characters of content who have primary roles in mainstream US media (books, film, plays, tv shows, etc). This legacy has caused an implicit bias in almost all of us, too little acknowledged, and is very hard to address with counter-cultural re-programming, especially while white people continue to dominate the production fields of those media.
If you think people are over-reacting to white people who darken their faces to portray people of color, please take a step back and learn more about why they are reacting the way they are.
On the topic of depictions in film and theater, btw, I highly recommend you read the historical fantasy novel Redwood and Wildfire, by playwright Andrea Hairston.
Thank you.
I appreciate comments saying that someone's race is not something you should put on as a costume when depicting characters they played - that in and of itself is a good point, and an interesting one.
But I feel that simply calling what the woman did "blackface" fails to really connect most people to some of the wounds that are at play here.
Largely because current/younger generations, especially white people, have little-to-no awareness or concept about how pervasive blackface minstrelcy was, to what purpose it was used, and how it has continued to influence how characters of color are depicted in theater and the media, and also how people of color are perceived on the street.
If you are confused by the level of emotion invested in the backlash directed at this white cosplayer, I encourage you to read Let Black Kids Just Be Kids, a recent and very relevant New York Times Op-Ed by Robin Bernstein.
Berstein draws a very credible connection between the practice of blackface minstrelcy and the current patterns of perception that contribute to tragedies like the death of Trayvon Martin and the daily overpolicing and underprotecting of black kids in America.
Bernstein goes on to explain, "only white kids were allowed to be innocent. The more that popular writers, playwrights, actors and visual artists created images of innocent white children, the more they depicted children of color, especially black children, as unconstrained imps. Over time, this resulted in them being defined as nonchildren."
“Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” one of the most influential books of the 19th century, was pivotal to this process. When Harriet Beecher Stowe published her novel in 1852, she created the angelic white Eva, who contrasted with Topsy, the mischievous black girl.
Stowe carefully showed, however, that Topsy was at heart an innocent child who misbehaved because she had been traumatized, “hardened,” by slavery’s violence. Topsy’s bad behavior implicated slavery, not her or black children in general.
The novel’s success prompted theatrical troupes across the country to adapt “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” into what became one of the most popular stage shows of all time. But to attract the biggest audiences, these productions combined Stowe’s story with the era’s other hugely popular entertainment: minstrelsy.Topsys onstage, often played by white women in blackface, were adultlike, cartoonish characters who laughed as they were beaten, and who invited audiences to laugh, too. In these shows, Topsy’s innocence and vulnerability vanished. The violence that Stowe condemned became a source of delight for white theater audiences.
This minstrel version of Topsy turned into the pickaninny, one of the most damaging racist images ever created. This dehumanized black juvenile character was comically impervious to pain and never needed protection or tenderness.
Other Blackface Minstrel characters created or perpetuated equally damaging stereotypes of black people, almost all of which were used only as comic relief, and young white people today are largely ignorant about those characters and performances, which continued into the 1970s in some places.
Heck, most of us don't even know or think about where the term "Jim Crow" came from.
Sometime around 1830, a white NYC ctor named Thomas D. Rice learned a popular African-American song-and-dance routine, based on the myth of a trickster figure, an escaped, possibly physically disabled slave named Jim Crow, who would dance and boast. His face blacked out with burnt cork, Rice perfected the act and sparked the tradition of the minstrel act. At first the blackface character was actually a smart and sympathetic one. But as time went on, the minstrel show took on a more racist tone.
Blackface Minstrelcy was very popular in the US in the 1830s and 1840s, but it continued to be practiced well into the 1900s and its legacy continues in the lack of African American characters of content who have primary roles in mainstream US media (books, film, plays, tv shows, etc). This legacy has caused an implicit bias in almost all of us, too little acknowledged, and is very hard to address with counter-cultural re-programming, especially while white people continue to dominate the production fields of those media.
If you think people are over-reacting to white people who darken their faces to portray people of color, please take a step back and learn more about why they are reacting the way they are.
On the topic of depictions in film and theater, btw, I highly recommend you read the historical fantasy novel Redwood and Wildfire, by playwright Andrea Hairston.
Thank you.
It's all about Turmeric -- in FOOD
Jun. 27th, 2017 08:45 amWhen a cousin of mine found out I have a type of cancer, he sent me a note that said "It's all about Turmeric." I did some research on turmeric supplements, and found myself skeptical about that as a delivery system. Now, reading Anticancer, by David Servan-schreiber, I find my skepticism confirmed -- what is best is to COOK with Turmeric, especially combined with ginger or pepper. It is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent, due to the component curcumin, but not when isolated. Servan-Schreiber writes:
"Turmeric magnificently illustrates the benefit of the great culinary traditions, in comparison to the consumption of isolated substances. When researcher in Taiwan tried treating cancerous tumors with turmeric delivered in capsules, they discovered that it was very poorly absorbed by the digestive system. In fact, when it is not mixed with pepper or ginger -- as it always has been in curry -- turmeric does not pass the intestinal barrier. Pepper increases the body's absorption of Turmeric by 2,000 percent. Indian wisdom has thus been far ahead of modern science in the discovery of natural affinities between foods.
"When I was researching information on my own cancer, I was astonished to find out that even brain tumors such as glioblastomas were more sensitive to chemotherapy when curcumin was prescribed at the same time.
"According to the Aggarwal team in Houston, turmeric's extraordinary effect seems to be due in large part to its capacity to interfere directly with the black knight of cancer we identified in chapter 4, NF-Kappa B, which protects cancer cells against the body's defense mechanisms. The entire pharmaceutical industry is looking for new, nontoxic molecules capable of fighting this mechanism of cancer promotion. It is now known that curcumin is a powerful NF-kappa B antagonist, while over two thousand years of daily use in indian cooking has proved that it is totally innocuous. Turmeric can also be eaten with soy products that replace animal proteins and provide the genistein mentioned above, which detoxifies and helps check angiogenesis. Add a cup of gree tea and imagine the powerful cocktail that, with no side effects, keeps in check three of the principal mechanisms of cancer growth."
- References:
- Servan-schreiber, D., Anticancer: A New Way of Life. Viking (2009).
- Carter, A., " "Curry Compound Fights Cncer in the Clinic," Journal of the National Cancer Institute (2008). p. djn141.
- Cheng, A.L., C. H. Hsu, J. K. Lin, et al., "Phase I Clinical Trial of Curcumin, a Chemoprotective Agent, in Patients with High-Risk or Pre-Malignant Lesions," Ancitcancer Research 21, no. 4B (2001): 2895-900
- Shoba, G., D. Joy, T. Joseph, et al., "Influence of Piperine on the Pharmacokinetics of Curcumin in Animals and Human Volunteers," Planta Medica 64, no. 4 (1998): 353-56.
- Gao, X., D. Deeb, H. Jiang, et. al., "Curcumin Differentially Sensitizes Malignant Glioma Cells to TRAIL/Apo2L-Mediated Apoptis Through Activation of Prospases and Release of Cytochrome c from Mitichondria," Journal of Experimental Therapeutics & Oncology 5, no. 1 (2005): 39-48.
Sustainability is Personal.
Jun. 16th, 2017 08:05 amIn my discussions and reading in the past year, I note that a lot of society's problems revolve around:
* How to achieve knowledge transfer to the next generation(s) while still allowing room for/encouraging new ideas and innovation.
* How to help people develop lasting connections to other people
* How to connect people to services and activities that can help them live a healthy and rewarding life.
* How to connect people with the time, energy, and will to serve to opportunities for them to do so that fit their skills, abilities, preferences, and availability profile.
* How to build a dependable funding stream/business model as needed, as part of:
* How to help make those services / organizations be sustainable over time
(which circles around to)
* How to capture and retain knowledge of how to create and sustain an effective organization.
In my observation, organizational effectiveness tends to be closely linked to specific people, and their personal investment or dependability, as well as their connections to others. And not necessarily people with "leadership" skills, but with people who have whatever are the specific skills and interests or enthusiasm and connections needed to play their part in the organization.
And when the people who created an organization grow old and die, all too often, the history of how the organization actually came to be is lost with them, because they themselves were to busy to actually reflect upon it and capture it, and because it was so long ago no one can for sure remember, and because we as humans are not always sure how something came together - often the origin of something is as much based on friendships and other social connections as it is on a common purpose or intent.
Mentoring can ameliorate these problems, but in this case I mean mentoring with organizational intent or purpose - not mentoring just in order to serve/guide the mentee, but in order to serve the organization by facilitating the education of individuals as to how the organization actually works, in the hope that those individuals will continue with the organization and sustain it.
When funding that was previously available dries up, or a wealthy donor or organizer dies or has to retire, or there is other significant organizational change/turnover, the outside community/people who were "customers" or volunteers with that organization often have no idea what is going on, and little-to-no ability to revive or preserve whatever aspect of that organization they were attached to/benefited from.
All of this contributes to people feeling helpless or hopeless about their own community, even in a community where there is plenty of desire to *build* community. Without knowing how, people are lost, or isolated.
* How to achieve knowledge transfer to the next generation(s) while still allowing room for/encouraging new ideas and innovation.
* How to help people develop lasting connections to other people
* How to connect people to services and activities that can help them live a healthy and rewarding life.
* How to connect people with the time, energy, and will to serve to opportunities for them to do so that fit their skills, abilities, preferences, and availability profile.
* How to build a dependable funding stream/business model as needed, as part of:
* How to help make those services / organizations be sustainable over time
(which circles around to)
* How to capture and retain knowledge of how to create and sustain an effective organization.
In my observation, organizational effectiveness tends to be closely linked to specific people, and their personal investment or dependability, as well as their connections to others. And not necessarily people with "leadership" skills, but with people who have whatever are the specific skills and interests or enthusiasm and connections needed to play their part in the organization.
And when the people who created an organization grow old and die, all too often, the history of how the organization actually came to be is lost with them, because they themselves were to busy to actually reflect upon it and capture it, and because it was so long ago no one can for sure remember, and because we as humans are not always sure how something came together - often the origin of something is as much based on friendships and other social connections as it is on a common purpose or intent.
Mentoring can ameliorate these problems, but in this case I mean mentoring with organizational intent or purpose - not mentoring just in order to serve/guide the mentee, but in order to serve the organization by facilitating the education of individuals as to how the organization actually works, in the hope that those individuals will continue with the organization and sustain it.
When funding that was previously available dries up, or a wealthy donor or organizer dies or has to retire, or there is other significant organizational change/turnover, the outside community/people who were "customers" or volunteers with that organization often have no idea what is going on, and little-to-no ability to revive or preserve whatever aspect of that organization they were attached to/benefited from.
All of this contributes to people feeling helpless or hopeless about their own community, even in a community where there is plenty of desire to *build* community. Without knowing how, people are lost, or isolated.
Rising 2nd Grader
Jun. 7th, 2017 10:31 pm
Here is Rosie on her last day of first grade. There was a ceremony for the lower school end of year, with singing and gratitude to teachers and the kids receiving their Summer Book, and lots of fuss for the 5th graders, who are moving up to Middle School. I never had such fuss when I was a kid. Not until High School graduation. There was just school and then no school.
Now we face the long summer. We have projects around the house, a little bit of local travel planned for hiking and sight-seeing, possibly some slightly longer trips to see relatives and friends, do some camping. Rosie will have some day camps, including ice skating camp, but mostly we can't afford those this year, so it'll be the free Tennis for Kids program, Get Outdoors York, Summer Reading Program, and whatever else we come up with, ending with a trip to Michigan in August for Rosie's 7th birthday, as she requested, to be with her cousins, grandparents, and Ann Arbor friends. What an amazing kiddo.
I told her earlier this week I think becoming her mom was the best thing I ever decided to do. It hasn't been easy, and I know there's no guarantee for how long life will last, but it's already been amazing, and I have high hopes for this one.
Those percentiles
May. 14th, 2017 08:03 amLooking for my college transcript in my files, I just ran across the printed report of my 1996 General GRE results. Verbal 740, Analytical 750, and Quantitative 690. (All my standardized test scores are also online, here.)
I was reminded that being better than 98-99% of other test takers in my verbal score has simply been a fact of life since... whenever it was that I first started taking them. Third grade, I think (at which point I tested at a high school graduate level) And I am remembering a conversation, walking across the Grinnell Campus, about these GRE test scores.
I was disappointed that my Quantitative score was only 690.
My boyfriend couldn't understand my disappointment. He pointed out that my Quantitative score was better than 79% percent of other people who took the GRE, which is all people applying for grad school. That was an achievement, was his point, and he wasn't wrong. I cheered up a little at the time, but I still can't shake the overall sense that I am (comparatively) weak in math.
I honestly wonder if this is an overlooked component to why perfectly smart middle school girls tend to self-evaluate as "not that good in math" at the same ability level where boys are more likely to be proud of their math skills. Boy are less likely to have had strong linguistic skills from an early age, so they don't have that portion of their own skill set and self-confidence to compare their math skills to.
Last week I traveled to DC on a group excursion I arranged with timed passes to see the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Our timed Entry was 12:45 and we toured the Capitol building first so we were a bit rushed with lunch and getting there on time. Our group was part people from the NAACP exec, part people from Crispus Attucks Association and the Goodridge Freedom Center, and then also two local museum members, who had arranged the capital tour and also for us to tour the NMAAHC with the head of Collections, who apparently doesn't actually give tours, so it was a very special opportunity.
I'm still processing my reaction to the museum. The outside is gorgeous. The inner lobby had a couple art pieces installed in it that just left me feeling puzzled as to their point or connection to anything else, and in talking to other members of the group, that reaction seemed shared. We spent a bunch of time on the bottom floor, which has to do with the beginning of the colonies and slave trade. I feel like I could have taken a full day to go through each floor, and still not have seen and heard all there was to see and hear. They have a couple of whole cabins that have been relocated into the museum. They have a Tuskegee airplane. There is so much. A lot of it I have already studied in the past 6 years, but some of it was still new.
My friend Serena and I spent some time in the gift shop. Lots of books. Some odd things. Like, they have a book of paper dolls of Michelle Obama and her clothes, but the representations of her and her fashion do not do either justice. I commented on that to Serena, and she agreed and felt it was clearly not the work of an African American artist. There were several odd notes like that. There were places in the historical displays were I was sorry they left things out. Only so much space, right?
I will have to go back a few times to take it all in, and plus it is going to change. There was a whole exhibit hall that's not open yet. Lots to see.
Speaking of seeing, Here are some pictures from the trip
I'm still processing my reaction to the museum. The outside is gorgeous. The inner lobby had a couple art pieces installed in it that just left me feeling puzzled as to their point or connection to anything else, and in talking to other members of the group, that reaction seemed shared. We spent a bunch of time on the bottom floor, which has to do with the beginning of the colonies and slave trade. I feel like I could have taken a full day to go through each floor, and still not have seen and heard all there was to see and hear. They have a couple of whole cabins that have been relocated into the museum. They have a Tuskegee airplane. There is so much. A lot of it I have already studied in the past 6 years, but some of it was still new.
My friend Serena and I spent some time in the gift shop. Lots of books. Some odd things. Like, they have a book of paper dolls of Michelle Obama and her clothes, but the representations of her and her fashion do not do either justice. I commented on that to Serena, and she agreed and felt it was clearly not the work of an African American artist. There were several odd notes like that. There were places in the historical displays were I was sorry they left things out. Only so much space, right?
I will have to go back a few times to take it all in, and plus it is going to change. There was a whole exhibit hall that's not open yet. Lots to see.
Speaking of seeing, Here are some pictures from the trip
Showered with love and understanding
May. 4th, 2017 12:38 pmIn June of 2001 I was married. I had two bridal showers - one formal, with relatives, and one less formal, with only chosen family besides my mother. I have recently been going back through pictures from the wedding as well as my journal from that time period (written on paper, all old-fashioned, like), and I wanted to share this with people who know me:
[click on the picture to see the rest of the album]
On Sunday, June 10, 2001, I was the special guest at a brunch bridal shower hosted by some of my mom's best friends, at the home of Michael and Lucy Miller, in Ann Arbor. Then and now, I was struck by how amazing these women were, and how lucky I've been, to have had them in my life since I was little. They were not surrogate mothers, nor did I think of them as Aunts. They were, and are, the central network of my lifelong extended family, our closest friends. As long as I can remember, their homes and hearts have been open to me, and I have learned how to treat and get along with others, how to joke, play, dance, discuss, and live life, by their example almost as much as from my own parents.
(Other women who played that role in my life but were not present were Sue Downey, Gena Lovett, Martha McClatchey, Ina [Keyes] Wesenberg, Jane [Goldman] McGehee, Pat Hackley, and Ellen MacDonald. And I shall never forget Marci Gersh, who died some years ago.)
According to my journal, the hostesses were Lucy Miller, Cathie Dries, and Edi Bletcher, and guests present included myself, my mom, Anna Miller, Sandy and Anna Krecic, Penny McDonald, Tanja Vandervoo, Noel Winkler, and Suzanne Taylor. My friend Ann Cheng also attended, who had driven over for the weekend with me from Waterloo, Ontario, where I was still finishing my master's degree.
My journal also makes note of the food: Cheese and bread and wine and water, and then a delicious lunch of pasta (angel hair, w/pinenuts, artichoke hearts, garlic, mini zuchini slices, fresh dill w/oil & vinegar & lemon juice), grilled turkey breast (marinated in Montreal steak sauce, grilled by Tom Bletcher over hickory & cedar chips), fancy breads, and a dark greens salad. Lucy also put out a plate of pea pods and cherries, which looked pretty, with sesame seeds scattered over the peas and the cherries around the outside. And for dessert Cathie had made a cheesecake. That was served with fresh blueberries and raspberries and kiwi on top and on the side with optional raspberry sauce.
After lunch was presents, and they had me tell everyone how I knew the person whose gift I was opening. After general presents I got a recipe book, which included recipes from people who couldn't come, like Pat Hackley. Aimee McDonald was "reportedly in Chicago at the gala opening of Davy Rothbart's new magazine and couldn't come, but she sent a card which I'll have to re-read later 'cause it made me cry."
I have been through a divorce and many moves since that lovely Sunday, and let stuff go with each of those events as well as when I merged my life with Brian's. I no longer have all of the gifts from this event, but I still have that recipe book. Including a very spicy recipe from Aimee that warns the cook to be careful not to catch the kitchen on fire with the spicy hot oil. :) As you can tell from that book, and from what I wrote in my journal, they also helped teach me a love of food, and of sharing it with others.
I am so very thankful to have all these women in my life. I simply cannot express how much it means to me.
[click on the picture to see the rest of the album]
On Sunday, June 10, 2001, I was the special guest at a brunch bridal shower hosted by some of my mom's best friends, at the home of Michael and Lucy Miller, in Ann Arbor. Then and now, I was struck by how amazing these women were, and how lucky I've been, to have had them in my life since I was little. They were not surrogate mothers, nor did I think of them as Aunts. They were, and are, the central network of my lifelong extended family, our closest friends. As long as I can remember, their homes and hearts have been open to me, and I have learned how to treat and get along with others, how to joke, play, dance, discuss, and live life, by their example almost as much as from my own parents.
(Other women who played that role in my life but were not present were Sue Downey, Gena Lovett, Martha McClatchey, Ina [Keyes] Wesenberg, Jane [Goldman] McGehee, Pat Hackley, and Ellen MacDonald. And I shall never forget Marci Gersh, who died some years ago.)
According to my journal, the hostesses were Lucy Miller, Cathie Dries, and Edi Bletcher, and guests present included myself, my mom, Anna Miller, Sandy and Anna Krecic, Penny McDonald, Tanja Vandervoo, Noel Winkler, and Suzanne Taylor. My friend Ann Cheng also attended, who had driven over for the weekend with me from Waterloo, Ontario, where I was still finishing my master's degree.
My journal also makes note of the food: Cheese and bread and wine and water, and then a delicious lunch of pasta (angel hair, w/pinenuts, artichoke hearts, garlic, mini zuchini slices, fresh dill w/oil & vinegar & lemon juice), grilled turkey breast (marinated in Montreal steak sauce, grilled by Tom Bletcher over hickory & cedar chips), fancy breads, and a dark greens salad. Lucy also put out a plate of pea pods and cherries, which looked pretty, with sesame seeds scattered over the peas and the cherries around the outside. And for dessert Cathie had made a cheesecake. That was served with fresh blueberries and raspberries and kiwi on top and on the side with optional raspberry sauce.
After lunch was presents, and they had me tell everyone how I knew the person whose gift I was opening. After general presents I got a recipe book, which included recipes from people who couldn't come, like Pat Hackley. Aimee McDonald was "reportedly in Chicago at the gala opening of Davy Rothbart's new magazine and couldn't come, but she sent a card which I'll have to re-read later 'cause it made me cry."
I have been through a divorce and many moves since that lovely Sunday, and let stuff go with each of those events as well as when I merged my life with Brian's. I no longer have all of the gifts from this event, but I still have that recipe book. Including a very spicy recipe from Aimee that warns the cook to be careful not to catch the kitchen on fire with the spicy hot oil. :) As you can tell from that book, and from what I wrote in my journal, they also helped teach me a love of food, and of sharing it with others.
I am so very thankful to have all these women in my life. I simply cannot express how much it means to me.
(no subject)
May. 2nd, 2017 04:12 pmI didn't realize the footers with the links to dreamwidth were not showing up on posts crossposted to LJ. This should be corrected now.
Updating my Website at Netmouse.com
May. 2nd, 2017 12:40 pmI just applied for a job, and as part of that, updated my website at netmouse.com.
While doing that, I updated a sort of ongoing log of my major activities, which is over at this page on how I've spent my time.
I also changed references to livejournal so they now refer here to netmouse.dreamwidth.org
If you are curious about me, because I am new to you or just in general, that page has a lot in it about who I am and what I have done.
I am actively looking for short term freelance work, part-time work, or possibly full time work. If you have any opportunities you think I should consider, please reach out. Thanks!
While doing that, I updated a sort of ongoing log of my major activities, which is over at this page on how I've spent my time.
I also changed references to livejournal so they now refer here to netmouse.dreamwidth.org
If you are curious about me, because I am new to you or just in general, that page has a lot in it about who I am and what I have done.
I am actively looking for short term freelance work, part-time work, or possibly full time work. If you have any opportunities you think I should consider, please reach out. Thanks!
Testing - moving to Dreamwidth
Apr. 25th, 2017 02:11 pmHello folks at Dreamwidth! I am switching my posting to here.
This is due to the recent change in terms of service at Livejournal. I have had this account here on DW for a long time, but I haven't really used it much. I am hoping there will be a resurgence of use and enough of a community here to support my being active on Dreamwidth.
I have imported my content from LJ (in DW, under Organize->Import Content) and will be cross-posting to LJ from DW automagically.
This post is partly to see if that is working.
This is due to the recent change in terms of service at Livejournal. I have had this account here on DW for a long time, but I haven't really used it much. I am hoping there will be a resurgence of use and enough of a community here to support my being active on Dreamwidth.
I have imported my content from LJ (in DW, under Organize->Import Content) and will be cross-posting to LJ from DW automagically.
This post is partly to see if that is working.
