Convocated, certified, and contract signed!

So I convocated yesterday (June 8). It was a fun day. It was so weird to be called up with the words "Bachelor of Education (Distinction)" after my name. I still feel like a kid at heart in a lot of ways. But now I turn the page over to a new chapter in my life... I'm excited for what the future holds!

Canada ranks 8th peaceful country in the world...

This is an interesting study done by Vision of Humanity.

It is the first time that an index has been created that ranks the nations of the world by their peacefulness. 121 countries have been ranked. The countries are ranked from most peaceful to least peaceful, highlighting their ranking as well as their score. You can click on a country to see the details of its peace indicators and drivers.

Canada ranked 8th, while the United States ranked 96th.

Coming in first place was Norway, and the two bottom countries--not surprisingly--are Sudan and Iraq.

The study is interesting. I mean, I have some reservations about placing numbers on peace, but the point is definitely evident. While it may not be 100% accurate, the picture is definitely illustrated as we compare the top half of the countries to the bottom half.

Canada still ranked 8th place, despite the plight of Aboriginal peoples in this this nation, the state of homelessness (namely in East Vancouver, Edmonton's inner city, Calgary, Toronto), our local state of North Central Regina, and the list goes on. My only hope is that albeit Canada is among the top of the list, that it (citizens and government) will work to improve the unpeaceful conditions that still exist in this nation. In addition, I hope Canada will contribute to promoting and improving the peace of those countries on the list below it.

"Peace is not something you wish for; It's something you make, Something you do, Something you are, And something you give away."

Testing and the lengths people will go...

A story that appeared yesterday in the BBC News just floored me. Testing is a pretty hot topic on the education debate market, and this is more fuel for the fire.

Wow... the lengths people will go. Parents are giving their children internet-bought Anti-hyperactivity medicines like Ritalin, to boost their performance on tests.

"We are moving into a phase now where informed parents can by-pass the medical profession, go online and prescribe the drug themselves."

Wow. Think about the health risks, the danger of purchasing drugs over the internet, the disregard for medical expertise, and the growing competitiveness of educational achievement.

"In our culture, educational attainment is valued so highly. People sell their houses to get near a school or lie about where they live to get a child into a school... It's a distorted value in our culture. So anything a parent can do to get some kind of educational advantage - they will do it."

Students and social responsibility...

A story that appeared in Boston.com today is one of the main reasons why being a teacher is--in my opinion--the best profession in the world!

The opportunities that await through the classroom door each year are endless. From my experience, kids become so passionate about social issues--which is something that all of us adults can learn from--and their passion can be transformed into action.

The story is about a seventh grade social studies class. This class took action on the idea that banning school bus idling is a way to save fuel and protect the environment.

They took this idea and passion to their government, and the government pulled through. Gov. Jim Douglas signed into law a bill to ban school buses from idling while parked on school grounds.

"Throughout the legislative session the students argued the merits of banning idling... schools will save over $300,000 that would have been spent on fuel for buses that are idling... [and they] helped the health of 75,000 school-age children"

This is a great story!

Furthermore, "In addition to banning idling, the new law asks the Department of Education to develop a model policy to encourage school districts to restrict idling on school grounds by all vehicles."

I like a quote by JFK and find it suiting to this post: "Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future."

Keep the pressure on...

I received the following e-mail today. As it says, while this is a "positive step, victory will be achieved only when the people of Darfur are safe."

Over the last few weeks, Save Darfur Coalition activists have sent 151,507 emails and faxes to Fidelity Investments, calling on it to cut its ties to companies like PetroChina, that provide financial support to the genocidal Sudanese government.

The result? Fidelity listened!

Last week, Fidelity announced that it had greatly reduced its holdings of PetroChina, one of the "highest offending" companies helping fund the genocide.

This is a truly promising development in the effort to divest for Darfur.

We must keep the pressure on the Chinese government, which is not just the majority shareholder in PetroChina, but also Sudan's largest foreign investor, a major political supporter, and a key arms provider.

In fact, the Chinese government recently demonstrated its support of the Sudanese regime by providing a $13 million loan to build Omar al-Bashir a new presidential palace. Most disturbingly, China sells arms to Sudan, weapons which are used by government forces and the Janjaweed militia to maim and kill innocent Darfuris.

It's time for China to fully invest itself in ending the genocide by using its unmatched influence to convince Sudan to cooperate with international efforts to end the violence and build a lasting peace in Darfur.

While Fidelity's announcement is a positive step, victory will be achieved only when the people of Darfur are safe.

And China has the power and influence to help make that possible.

China must lead the world in pressuring Sudan to follow through on its commitments to cooperate with international efforts to end the violence.

Then please forward this message to your friends and family and ask them to join you in taking action.

Thanks for your continuing support in this movement to bring lasting peace and protection to the people of Darfur.

Best regards, David Rubenstein - Save Darfur Coalition

You can e-mail, snail mail, or fax PM Stephen Harper at:

Office of the Prime Minister

80 Wellington Street

Ottawa, ON

K1A 0A2

Fax: 613-941-6900

E-mail: pm@pm.gc.ca

You can also voice your concerns to your local MPs. Here is a rough template for what you can say.

Take a look at your fingers--apparently they show whether you're better at math or english...

I came across a neat article today in The Daily Mail.

There is a new study that claims to predict ability in the key areas of numeracy and literacy. I am not sure how true this is, but apparently there is quite a bit of research backing up this theoretical prediction.

So here is how it goes: Take a look at your ring finger and index (pointer) finger. Those with longer ring fingers (than their index finger) are said to more likely excel in numeracy, while those with shorter ring fingers (than their index finger) tend to be more adept at literacy.

I may take a look at my students' hands in the fall--just for fun and curiosity's sake--to see how much authenticity this research bears in my classroom.

By the way... my ring finger is shorter than my index finger... which according to this study means that I am more literate than numerate. This is definitely true!

Netiquette #2...

Just a small followup with what I wrote about yesterday, concerning teachers being subjected to libel on the internet... a story appeared today about this subject in the BBC News.

UK Education Secretary, Alan Johnson, has said that, "web publishers have a moral obligation to cut offensive videos of teachers being attacked, harassed or ridiculed."

Some examples of these online attacks, harassment, and ridicule that teachers have faced were outlined in the article:

• One teacher gave the example of pupils who had created a web page on which abuse, intimidation and even death threats were made about school staff.
• Another shared information about a "We Hate Mrs XXX" website created by a pupil after the teacher in question reported them for an incident.
• One teacher claimed she had received 68 malicious mobile phone calls over a three-week period in which she was threatened with rape and murder.

It's a real touchy subject yet again because many of the "bullies"--for lack of a better term--say that they are just expressing their freedom of expression when they make these websites and videos. But again... sometimes it just gets mean, and sometimes it even gets frightening and/or harmful.

The article reads, "The pupils who do this are afforded anonymity. The teachers are named, exposed to ridicule and subjected to false and malicious allegations. Teachers' self-esteem and sometimes their health is seriously affected."

If you are interested, here is the story.

Practicing netiquette...

With the whole Facebook/MySpace/YouTube revolution, there's quite a fine line when to comes to libel and freedom of expression.

Here's an interesting article that appeared in Macleans primarily concerning teachers and students.

One day I did a search on Facebook to see if there were any groups just for teachers--as kind of a networking thing--and the search result was quite frightening. There are groups that promote hate about teachers and the majority of comments left on the walls of those groups are extremely defamatory in nature. Furthermore, many students create groups about their peers at school entitled "I hate so and so", etc.

I am in favour of freedom of expression... but I do think that it crosses the line at times and is just plain mean.

"Students have been disparaging teachers long before the Internet's inception. But placing those comments online turns it into a whole new ball game, said University of Toronto sociology professor Barry Wellman. 'It's one thing saying "The teacher sucks," to your friends over a beer or a cigarette or a Coke,' he said. 'That's slanderous, but nobody really cares about that. When you put it on the web it's libelous because it can be read by anybody and can hurt the person's reputation.'"

Another example of this appeared in Seattlepi.com, where some students made a rude video of their teacher (without her knowledge) and posted it on YouTube for the whole world to see.

6 billion others...

You know, sometimes I reflect on the segregation that exists in our world. The "othering" of people and the creation of "us" and "them". This segregation has a strong tendency to lead towards inequality, inequity, and indifference.

These "others" are often undervalued and forgotten about... i.e. Darfur, Iraq, Afghanistan, Northern Uganda, Eastern Congo, etc...

But as much as we are all unique, there are similarities that exist among and across all human kind, regardless race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age, disability, socio-economic status, and level of suffering.

Looking in the distance
I saw something move
Coming a little closer
I saw an animal
Coming a little closer still
I saw a man
Coming up real close
I saw my brother
-Tibetan tale

I came across this project called 6 Billion Others. It is a growing collection of full-frame up-close videos of people from many different walks of life and creates a unique opportunity for one to identify with people of very different origins. They discuss parenting, joy, family, God, dreams, love, nature, fears, happiness, tears, laughter, children's dreams, and presentation.

The creator of 6 Billion Others, Yann Arthus-Bertrand, describes his developing project (expected to be completed in 2008) by saying, "The confrontation of voices from all over the world underlines both discrepancies and surprising similarities of thought. All of our encounters are linked together by three main human processes: that of testifying, that of feeling, that of thinking."

Arthus-Bertrand presents a compelling and thought-provoking suggestion--one that I see bears much truth. I also recommend reading his linguistic illustrations of testifying, feeling, and thinking.

Visit this site, and see how much we share with all of humanity on parenting, joy, family, God, dreams, love, nature, fears, happiness, tears, laughter, children's dreams, and presentation.

Myrtle McGee & big smile on me...

I received a letter today informing me that I was selected for the Myrtle A. McGee Award. This prestigious award is presented to the most outstanding intern teacher in the University of Regina's Faculty of Education. I'm totally shocked and very humbled.

Child soldiers...

Over 250,000 children are actively serving in armed conflict in TWENTY countries around the world.

Their health, their lives, and their childhoods are sacrificed.

Many female child soldiers are forced to serve as sex slaves of military commanders.

Albeit numerous child soldiers are in non-governmental armed opposition groups… governments in TEN (of these 20 countries) are implicated in child soldier use. “The U.S. government provides military assistance to nine of them… U.S. tax dollars should not be used to support the exploitation of children as soldiers. Moreover, US weapons should not end up in the hands of children.”

There is a very touching video about Ishmael Beah who was one of thousands of children forced to serve as a child soldier in the Sierra Leone Army.

This video calls for the U.S. to use their influence to cut military aid to countries using child soldiers. You can view it at: http://hrw.org/campaigns/crp/child_soldiers/index.htm

To see the countries that child soldiers are currently serving in, visit: http://hrw.org/children/child_soldiers_map.html

The proposed Child Soldier Prevention Act (S1175) is:
"bipartisan legislation… the bill would restrict five categories of US military assistance (International Military Education and Training, Foreign Military Financing, Foreign Military Sales, Direct Commercial Sales, and Excess Defense Articles) to governments… until they end any involvement in the recruitment or use of child soldiers. The bill would not automatically cut off these military assistance programs; governments taking concrete steps to end child recruitment and demobilize child soldiers would remain eligible for assistance directed solely towards the professionalization of their forces for up to two years before any prohibition on assistance would be imposed. This bill will provide clear incentives for governments currently implicated in the recruitment and use of child soldiers to end this practice and demobilize children from their forces. It also encourages the United States to expand funding to rehabilitate former child soldiers and work with the international community to bring to justice rebel armed groups that kidnap children for use as soldiers.”

If you are inspired to take action, you can write or phone government representatives, write your local newspaper, educate yourself, and spread the word to family, friends, classmates, colleagues, etc.

International diplomatic dynamics & Darfur...

A great article, written by activist Mia Farrow, appeared in The Wall Street Journal. It examines China's responsibility in the current ethnic-cleansing genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan, Africa.

"China is pouring billions of dollars into Sudan. Beijing purchases an overwhelming majority of Sudan's annual oil exports and state-owned China National Petroleum Corp. -- an official partner of the upcoming Olympic Games -- owns the largest shares in each of Sudan's two major oil consortia. The Sudanese government uses as much as 80% of proceeds from those sales to fund its brutal Janjaweed proxy militia and purchase their instruments of destruction: bombers, assault helicopters, armored vehicles and small arms, most of them of Chinese manufacture. Airstrips constructed and operated by the Chinese have been used to launch bombing campaigns on villages."

Check out her article here: http://www.miafarrow.org/editorials.html

It may also be a good idea to write to the sponsors of the 2008 Olympics expressing shame and suggesting they withhold cooperation with the Beijing Olympics until the people of Darfur can be safe. The official sponsors are: Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Panasonic, Visa, Swatch, General Electric, Johnson & Johnson, Samsung, Adidas, Volkswagen, Eastman Kodak Company, Eastman Kodak Company, Atos Origin, China Netcom, CNPC/PetroChina, Sinopec, China Mobile, Bank of China, Air China, and Manulife.

Think of how much money will go into the Beijing and greater Chinese economy from the Olympics... and then much of it will go to fund a genocide

This, coupled with the fact that, "After the 9/11 attacks, the Sudan regime--out of fear of reprisals for their earlier support of Osama bin Laden [bin Laden even lived in Sudan from 1991-96] and continuing contacts with other terrorist groups--intensified their counterterrorism cooperation with the U.S. government. President Bush wasn't kidding when he uttered the famous words 'You're either with us or against us.' In this case, Sudan is with us, and that bought the regime breathing room while it unleashed the genocide in Darfur." (Not On Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond) Counterterrorism and combating crimes against humanity do not have to be mutually exclusive.

Tripled with the fact that, "Because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, most of our resources devoted to international military operations are being diverted to these conflicts. Consequently, there is little spare change left over for anything else--the Law of the Tool." (Not On Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond)

Even though these complexities exist... it's not impossible to end this genocide. The famous saying comes to mind: The squeaky wheel gets the grease. If citizens of this world make enough noise... the governments will have to act--they don't want to lose our vote. There will be a cost if they don't listen to us.

Furthermore, a policy of pressure has a proven track record with the Sudanese government. For example, "in the 1990s, the UN Security Council punished the Sudanese government with a series of multilateral UN sanctions for its support of terrorism, and the regime quickly changed its behavior, evicting Osama bin Laden from the country, dismantling the al-Qaeda commercial infrastructure, and cutting its ties with other terrorist organizations." (Not On Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond)

Again, over 400,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced from their homes, and hundreds of thousands of women raped by the Janjaweed militia... when will this stop?

Where does Mothers Day come from?

In today's consumer culture, we have come to know Mothers Day as a day to buy chocolate, cards, flowers, spa gift certificates, etc., for our loving mothers.

Mothers Day is a very important day, and I think it has lost meaning over the years...

"Mother's Day was originally suggested by poet and social activist Julia Ward Howe. In 1870, after witnessing the carnage of the American Civil War and the start of the Franco-Prussian War, she wrote the original Mother's Day Proclamation calling upon the women of the world to unite for peace. This "Mother's Day Proclamation" would plant the seed for what would eventually become a national holiday." (Mothersdayforpeace.com)

Check out this video for a modern version of the Proclamation, which features Felicity Huffman, Vanessa Williams, Christine Lahti, Fatma Saleh, Ashraf Salimian, Gloria Steinem, and Alfre Woodard.

"It is important for each of us to take the time to celebrate and thank our mothers for all that they do." (Mothersdayforpeace.com)

We can add that "meaning" back into Mothers Day by honouring and loving our mothers, promoting peace, and healing the victims of war and injustice.

At http://mothersdayforpeace.com/, you can send an e-cards to your mother, with a donation in her name going to No More Victims, whose aim is to help heal victims of the Iraq War.

FYI: Julia Ward Howe was a poet, writer and activist who fought vigilantly for peace, the abolition of slavery, and women's rights.

Darfur... my venting...

What will you tell your grandchildren some day when they ask you what you did while there was a genocide going on in the world?

We are living on a plant that has a genocide occurring right now.

Hundreds of thousands of innocent human beings are being systematically targeted for extermination. Their only “crime” is that they are of non-Arab ethnicity and deemed to be sympathetic to rebel groups in Darfur.

It frustrates me and angers me that over 400,000 people have already been exterminated, and 2.5 million others displaced from their homes. So why—WHY—does this continue? Why isn’t our government doing more? We’ve surpassed the 200,000 deaths in Bosnia. Are we waiting until the count is 800,000 like that in Rwanda? Six million like the Holocaust?

Well… some of the reasons I think, are that people dismiss the entire continent of Africa as hopeless because all we hear about (in the off occasions when Africa is actually in the news) are the growing epidemics of AIDS, poverty, starvation, and killing. Indifference has swelled: out of sight, out of mind. Perhaps people do not want to get involved with a sovereign country’s matters.

But there is another very important element in this mix of inactivity:

"Sudanese government officials, who were close to Osama bin Laden when he lived in that country from 1991 until 1996, are now cooperating with American counterterrorism authorities. The regime in Khartoum rightly concluded that if they provided nuggets of information about al-Qaeda suspects and detainees to the Americans, the value of this information would outweigh outrage over their state-supported genocide. In other words, when U.S. counterterrorism objectives meet up with anti-genocide objectives, Sudanese officials had a hunch that counterterrorism would win every time. These officials have been right in their calculations so far. As of this writing, near the end of 2006, the United States had done little to seriously confront the Sudanese regime over its policies."

Furthermore…

"In order to win the peace in Sudan, we must first win an ideological battle at home. We must show that combating crimes against humanity is as important as combating terrorism. Often, as in the case of Sudan, the pursuit of both objectives doesn't have to be mutually exclusive. History has demonstrated that Sudanese government officials change their behavior when they face genuine international diplomatic and economic pressure."

In their book, Don Cheadle and John Prendergast take about WHY we should be concerned about the genocide happening in Darfur right now:

1. It’s a moral imperative
2. We have made the promise of “Never Again”
3. Eradicating genocide will make the rest of the world safer (including us in the western world): “History has taught us that regimes that target their own people rarely confine their murderous ambitions within their borders. The victims… tend not to go quietly into the night. Some radicalize, taking up arms… and, eventually, join criminal or even ‘terrorist' networks. The violence spreads; the innocents suffer.”

If “citizens can make enough noise to press their government to do what's right, then we will have saved literally tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of lives in Darfur." John Prendergast.

So, I try as best I can as only one human being on this earth among 6 billion others to do the following: educate myself, blog, raise awareness, raise funds, write letters, sign petitions, call for divestment, join organizations, lobby the government, etc. I would also love to vist this area sometime to offer humanitarian assitance and write.

Here are some good videos on YouTube that illustrate a only a fraction of the devastation that is happening in Darfur right now:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=5q6Ms1vvH6I

http://youtube.com/watch?v=iLZ4ci1c59c

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ttEKMhHRyXk&mode=related&search=

“Throughout American history, social movements have helped shape our government's policy on a variety of issues.”

Preventing disability... or accepting human diversity?

"About 90% of pregnant women who are given a Down syndrome diagnosis have chosen to have an abortion."

This is a very thought-provoking article that touched me. As a special education teacher who works with children from all diverse walks of life, I can truly say that children with special needs have special gifts that are so very valuable to our society. In my humble opinion, I think I have the best career in the world!

Back to the article...

There is broader and increasing prenatal genetic testing that can inform parents that their child will be born with Down Syndrome. While I see that it could be positive that the parents would have time to prepare and become ready for their future family with prenatal genetic testing... using this information to terminate a pregnancy is almost bordering on eugenics. Are we subconsciously sending a message that this type of diversity is not welcome in our world? There are also many families who would be more than happy to welcome this special young child into their home and into their lives.

"A dwindling Down Syndrome population, which now stands at about 350,000, could mean less institutional support and reduced funds for medical research. It could also mean a lonelier world for those who remain."

This article talks about a group of activists who just want to get the word out as to how special and valuable people with Downs Syndrome (and other special needs for that matter) are.

“It isn’t about abortion politics or religion, it’s a pure ethical question.”

Even if one doesn't agree... this is at the very least something to critically think about.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/09/us/09down.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Organ donation...

Interesting article. I don't really have a firm opinion on it, as this is an extremely controversial and complex issue, but it was a good read nonetheless.
http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/news/2007/05/india_transplants_donorpolicy

In any case, with the atrocities that are occurring all over the world when it comes to organ markets and human rights (i.e. body brokers profiting off of human suffering, encouraging impoverished people to sell their organs, governments selling the organs of political prisoners, etc.), coupled with the reality that many people die before receiving the organs they need, definitely calls for some kind of reform of the organ-donor system.

This article is thought-provoking and discusses a variety of opinions.

Also, take a look at the current going prices for organs in different parts of the world:

Kidney
$15,000-40,000 Pakistan $20,000 Iraq $25,000 Russia $35,000-85,000 Philippines $65,000 China $80,000 Colombia $120,000 South Africa $145,000 Turkey
Lung
$150,000-170,000 China $290,000 Singapore $290,000 South Africa $290,000 South Korea $290,000 Taiwan
Liver
$25,000 Egypt $25,000 Pakistan $60,000-130,000 China $100,000 Colombia $100,000 Philippines $290,000 Singapore $290,000 South Africa $290,000 South Korea $290,000 Taiwan
Pancreas
$110,000 China $140,000 Singapore $140,000 South Africa $140,000 South Korea $140,000 Taiwan
Heart
$90,000 Colombia $130,000-160,000 China $290,000 South Africa $290,000 South Korea $290,000 Taiwan $290,000 Singapore

(Prices taken from: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/15.04/start_page7.html)

The iRack...

With all of the new technology coming out from Apple (iPod, iBook, iMac, iPhone, iTunes, etc)... Mad TV introduces the i-Rack.

This is definitely a must-see.

Puts things into perspective (visually) about the current happenings overseas right now... Make sure you check this link out:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=rw2nkoGLhrE

Teachers are held to a higher moral standard #2...

Here's a follow-up video to the post I made last week about the university education student not being given her teaching degree over a myspace photo and its accompanying caption.

http://www.cnn.com/video/player/player.html?url=/video/law/2007/05/06/pkg.pa.degree.lost.myspace.whp

Pretty tricky subject.

How would you spend $456 billion?

I came across a really thought-provoking piece on Boston.com: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/gallery/050207_TheCostofWar/

"[The] total cost of the Iraq war may reach $456 billion in September."

That's almost half a trillion dollars!!!

So... it leads one to wonder: What would $456 billion buy?

(These are in no particular order):

1. Being a new university grad about to pay back a huge loan... this one really irks me... $456 billion could have bought "At published rates for next year, 14.5 million free rides for a year at Harvard... or 44 million at the University of Massachusetts."

2. With gas prices sky-rocketing... $456 billion could have bought "Free gas for everybody for 1.2 years US drivers consume approx. 384.7 million gallons of gasoline a day." (This is problematic in itself...but that's another topic...) "Retail prices averaged $2.64 a gallon in 2006. Breaking it down, $456 billion could buy gasoline for everybody in the United States, for about 449 days.

3. With climate change and environmental sustainability a growing concern, $456 billion could have bought "With just one-sixth of the US money targeted for the Iraq war, you could convert all cars in America to run on ethanol. TheBudgetGraph.com estimates that converting the 136,568,083 registered cars in the United States to ethanol (conversion kits at $500) would cost $68.2 billion."

4. And the one that touches my heart the most... $456 billion could have bought "According to World Bank estimates, $54 billion a year would eliminate starvation and malnutrition globally by 2015, while $30 billion would provide a year of primary education for every child on earth. At the upper range of those estimates, the $456 billion cost of the war could have fed and educated the world's poor for five and a half years."

I guess the way it's spent says something about the priorities of those in power who are spending it.

Of course there are many other ways $456 billion dollars could be spent... what are some of your ideas?

Peeing your pants deserving of national attention?

Wow.

"A sixth-grader who was denied permission to use the restroom while taking a state achievement test this week had an accident in class."

http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/05/04/testing.accident.ap/index.html

Okay, granted the teacher should have had an adult supervisor escort the student to the restroom... but are you serious? This story deserves national attention over the other (what I would argue to be) bigger atrocities taking place in the world? Like my posting below and other newsworthy issues in the world are being shafted because a kid peed their pants.

Like Cheadle said in the posting below, "It's disturbing the mainstream media gives so little attention to the killings in Darfur, while crime stories [and apparently peeing your pants... among other things, like hollywood gossip] in the United States will be reported on ad nauseam."

One question that wasn't raised (maybe fellow educators want to take a stab at this)... What part did the state achievement test play in this incident?

State achievement tests determine school rankings, funding, and the state's annual report cards.

Bought the book...

So I just purchased the book that I was talking about earlier today: Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond.

I've just gotten started and the book is great.

At the beginning, there is a letter of introduction submitted by Senators Obama and Brownback. I also stumbled upon an editorial cartoon (see image to the upper left) that illustrates a segment of their letter...

"Darfur is home to the first genocide of the twenty-first century. After the genocide in Rwanda, in which 800,000 people were killed, the world said we would not tolerate this ever again. Amazingly, the words 'Never Again' have continued to be uttered in the months--and now years--that have passed since 2003, when the killing started in the remote western region of Sudan. We continue to hear people say this genocide cannot continue, but it continues every day. Up to 400,000 have been killed and millions displaced."

Another eye-opening quote in the book is that of Jewish Professor, Elie Wiesel, who says: "Remember: silence helps the killer, never its victims."

Developments with Darfur...

"The atrocities of Darfur [are] this century's first genocide."

Actor Don Cheadle (most recognized for his amazing performance in Hotel Rwanda) is raising awareness about the horrific humanitarian crisis taking place today in Darfur. He has also wrote a book with John Prendergast entitled Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond (just released on May 1st), which has received great reviews. This will definitely be a book I will read during these months off before I begin teaching. A portion of the proceeds from this book are given to http://www.enoughproject.org/, who's mission is to abolish and prevent genocide and mass atrocities. At this website, you can show your support, sign up for e-mail alerts, and speak out to both the President and the Congress (check out the letter, it is really well written). I hope they extend this to Canada (and beyond) so that we can impress upon our governments our concerns about Darfur, Eastern Congo, Northern Uganda, and more.

"Darfur has been embroiled in a deadly conflict for over three years. At least 400,000 people have been killed; more than 2 million innocent civilians have been forced to flee their homes and now live in displaced-persons camps in Sudan or in refugee camps in neighboring Chad; and more than 3.5 million men, women, and children are completely reliant on international aid for survival." (savedarfur.org)

To read the story, visit: http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/books/05/04/darfur.book/index.html

To view (and hopefully purchase) the book, visit: http://www.amazon.ca/Not-Our-Watch-Mission-Genocide/dp/1401303358/ref=sr_1_1/701-5995736-8388341?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1178293159&sr=8-1

Also, to learn more about Darfur online, http://www.savedarfur.org/pages/background is a great resource.

Cutest kid ever...

Oh my gosh, the cutest kid ever was on Oprah... brought tears to my eyes he's SO cute... you just HAVE to check out this clip on youtube: http://youtube.com/watch?v=lOTv0uWd7EY&mode=related&search=

...and check him out 10 years later... http://youtube.com/watch?v=vaQa1Cf4ZSA

The value of a mother...

"Mothers working at home would be earning almost $140,000 a year in the job market."

The value (economic and otherwise) of a mother should never be underestimated. Take a look at this: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/05/02/mothers.worth/index.html

"The typical mother puts in a 92-hour work week... and works at least 10 jobs. In order of hours spent on them per week, these are: housekeeper, day-care center teacher, cook, computer operator, laundry machine operator, janitor, facilities manager, van driver, chief executive officer and psychologist. By figuring out the median salaries for each position, and calculating the average number of hours worked at each, the firm [Salary.com] came up with $138,095."

Something to think about.

Teachers are held to a higher moral standard...

Well, anyone who questions whether teachers are held to a higher moral standard should take a look at this story: http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/04/29/myspace.photo.ap/index.html

A female student was denied her teaching degree from a Pennsylvania university because of a photo that appeared on her MySpace. The picture showed the woman "wearing a pirate hat while drinking from a plastic "Mr. Goodbar" cup... which bore the caption 'Drunken Pirate.'"

I certainly agree that teachers must be held to a higher moral standard because of the "role model" responsibility inherent in the profession of an educator. Certainly it would be inappropriate if students were to stumble upon an inappropriate picture of their teachers for a multitude of reasons.

My only hope is this: if this were a male in this situation, I hope the university would have undertook the exact same actions. I just hope there's no double standard here between the sexes...

Price of prisons...

"There are more people behind bars in the United States today than ever before. Since 1980, the inmate population has more than quadrupled to two million -- an unprecedented explosion that is incurring unprecedented costs to all Americans."

This is on MotherJones.com and is an excellent compilation of articles and facts about prisons. Most definitely worth the read. This is something that both Canada and the United States need to critically examine. Also, take a look at the increasing incarceration rates, the spending, and the unreal racial disparities between the general population and prison populations in the "INCARCERATION ATLAS."

Subjects include:
How We Got to Two Million - How did the Land of the Free become the world's leading jailer?
Incubating Disease - Prisons are ripe with infectious illnesses -- and threaten to spread them to the public.
Bad Investment - Gary Johnson, Republican governor of New Mexico, on why the war on drugs is a waste of money.
What's the Alternative? - Society has to respond to lawbreakers, but it doesn't always have to lock them up.
Breeding Violence - Locking people up is supposed to make our streets safer, but it may be doing the opposite.
Left Behind - Hundreds of thousands of children have a parent behind bars. What are the social costs of their loss? ***Definitely read this one
Liberty and Justice for Some - Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr. on the moral costs of mass incarceration.

Some interesting facts about toilet paper...

I saw this in the Globe and Mail and thought it was kind of interesting:

Average number of sheets per bathroom visit: 8.6
Average squares consumed per person over a year: 20,805
Number of tonnes of facial tissue and toilet paper used by Canadians each year: 700,000
Number of kilograms per Canadian in a year: 22
Number of tonnes of virgin tree fibre used by Kimberly Clark annually, in millions: 3.1
Portion of that tree fibre cut down in Canada: almost one-quarter
Number of trees that would be saved if every Canadian home switched just one roll of toilet paper to a 100 per cent recycled brand: 47,000
Annual value of Canadian toilet paper sales, millions of dollars: 778. 9

Congrats little brother...

I'm so proud of my little brother! Today he graduated with a certificate in Business and a diploma in Financial Services from SIAST. He already has his career in place (starting in May) and everything. Way to go!

Stop domestic abuse...

"The subject of domestic violence has receded from the headlines in recent years, but the numbers suggest it's still a major social problem. While services for battered women—including hot lines and shelter beds—have increased dramatically, there are still not enough; 4,237 adults and children were turned away from domestic violence shelters in Missouri last year because there was not enough space, according to Colleen Coble. Even when services are available, some women are too terrified to use them. Fleeing from a batterer can actually increase the violence a woman faces; many of the 1,202 women killed by their husbands or boy- friends in the U.S. in 2002 were murdered after they'd already escaped from their homes."

Reading this story literally brought tears to my eyes. While I must say that I do not believe in any way that taking another human life is right... you feel the desperation and feel the blatant need for more attention to be focused on the issue of domestic abuse before it swells to a point of no return.

Here is the link: http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2005/07/the_unforgiven.html

There is also an excellent documentary entitled When Women Kill that is directly related to the issue of this story wherein women are subjected to constant and horrific abuse and go to extreme measures. You can get it at most libraries--The Regina Public Library and the U of R have copies.

Apparently I'm a male...

Well, not exactly, but apparently I write like one. I know what you're thinking: "Huh?"

"On the internet, there is a new website that claims to be able to tell you, with 80% accuracy, whether a piece of writing has been done by a man or by a woman. It uses a computer programme developed by a team of Israeli scientists after an exhaustive study of the differences between male and female use of language."

So... I did a little experiment. I went to the site and randomly entered 9 of my blog entries into the "Gender Genie". Here were their assessments:

Using women as scapegoats... writer is male
Having an education is an oppressive factor??? writer is male
A picture is worth 1000 words... writer is male
Boo to political attack ads... writer is male
A purpose defeated? writer is male
Are we serving international students to the best of our ability? writer is male
Al Gore coming to Regina... writer is male
My Junos experience... writer is male
Speak up and Sing writer is male

80% accuracy huh?

Lots of questions surface in my mind about this assessment. What is it about my writing style that the Gender Genie assumes I am male? Is it because I write about social issues? Is it because I write about issues that primarily take place outside of the home? Is it because I write about issues that are considered to be a man's domain? Is it because I don't speak "submissively"? Really, I don't know. Is there really a distinct way males and females are biologically programmed to write, or is it a learned behaviour, or is this whole thing just a load of crap? Who knows...

Anyway, The Guardian wrote a good article on this, which you can visit at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,5673,1079265,00.html

And, if you want to take the assessment yourself to see if you are writing in accordance with your "gender"--test the Gender Genie at: http://bookblog.net/gender/genie.php

By the way, I also tested this blog entry, and the Gender Genie has determined that the writer of this post is... MALE!

Israel’s newest PR ploy: exploiting women…

"David Saranga, the Israeli consular official based in New York, approached Maxim magazine six months ago. His proposal: the government and other pro-Israeli groups would fly a camera crew across the Atlantic in an effort to remake the Jewish state's public image. Israel's reputation had suffered after last summer's war with Lebanon; in a recent BBC poll taken in 27 countries, 56 percent of respondents considered Israel a 'negative influence' in the world, higher than both Iran and the United States. But Israel's real PR problem, according to Saranga, is that Americans--particularly men aged 18 to 35--associate the country with either war or holy relics, if they think of it at all. 'We have to find the right hook,' he says. 'And what's relevant to men under 35? Good-looking women.'"

Wow… I’m almost speechless on this one.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17888451/site/newsweek/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17876106/displaymode/1107//s/2/framenumber/1

Enough said...

I am of the opinion that the broadcasting of Cho's manifesto was not a good idea for a multitude of reasons. This cartoon says a lot.

Gender salary gap continues...

"New data that shows women are already earning less than men before the ink on their college diplomas has dried... The study, which looked at more than 10,000 people who received bachelor's degrees in 1999-2000, found that just one year after graduation, women who are working full time earn only 80% as much as their male counterparts do... Even among co-eds who majored in the same subject in college, men are still earning more money than their female counterparts just 12 months out of the college gate."

Defininitely worth the read. Here's the link:

http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1613829,00.html

Devastating child slavery...

"Around the world, some 218 million children are still bonded, trafficked and exploited."

Newsweek World News has an educational photo gallery on the reality of child slavery occurring in our world today. It's so upsetting. The photo gallery is entitled The Smallest Slaves. This can be viewed at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17724765/displaymode/1107//s/2/framenumber/1

Some of the stats that are included in the photo gallery include:

• Today, there are still millions of men, women and children who have been tricked, coerced or intimidated into prostitution or forced labor, required to work long hours for little or no pay, and subjected to harsh and violent working conditions.
• A new report by Save the Children estimates that some 218 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 are working as modern-day child laborers; of those, 126 million are involved in hazardous work. Many are bought and sold, pushed into bonded labor or sexually exploited to repay debts. Others are trapped in harsh and dangerous conditions as domestic servants, miners or agricultural workers. In some war-torn nations, children are abducted, separated from their families, and forced to work as soldiers in armed and bloody militias.
• Save the Children says that some children have been forced at gunpoint by government troops or rebels to carry loads of extracted minerals.
• Many children in the DRC have been denied education because of the country's six-year civil war, which is believed to have cost some 4 million lives.
• More than 100 million children under the age of 15 work in agriculture, many exposed to pesticides, heavy machinery and dangerous tools.
• There are an estimated 100,000 child domestic workers in Pakistan, many of whom work extremely long hours for little pay and are regularly subjected to harsh punishments by their employers. Many are banned from attending school or have so much work they cannot attend classes.
• Millions of children across the world are forced to work up to 15 hours a day as domestic workers. Many are beaten, starved and sexually abused.
• More than 50,000 children are employed as domestic help in Calcutta households; many are deprived of school, pay and social activities.
• Under international law, it is illegal to recruit and use children under the age of 15 as combatants or in conflicts. Yet today, an estimated 300,000 children under this age are fighting in wars. Children are easy recruitment targets because they are easy to manipulate, and they learn quickly.

Always been a fan of Ashley Judd...

"Malaria is preventable and treatable. We could end this devastation today... Too many people lack access to bed nets and treatments. That's where we all come in. It costs only $10 to buy a bed net, deliver it, and educate a family on proper use."

Actress, Ashley Judd, has taken action on the devastating reality of Malaria in developing countries. It's worth the read.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/04/23/judd.commentary/index.html

Bottled water = bottled problems...

I'm really fascinated by the research my good friend Curtis has done on bottled water. In fact, you can check out his two blog posts that include some startling facts.

http://curt-b.blogspot.com/2007/04/bottled-problems.html

http://curt-b.blogspot.com/2007/04/bottled-problems-deux.html

Think about it.

Using women as scapegoats...

I am horrified by the headline that appeared April 18 in The Daily Telegraph.

The story is entitled: Was gunman crazed over Emily?

The disgusting subheading reads: THIS is the face of the girl who may have sparked the worst school shooting in US history.

Typical, to blame a deceased woman for the tragedies that happened a week ago. Where is the media accountability? No woman deserves Emily Hilscher's fate--no matter what the circumstances.

What a beautiful girl, with so much to live for. Her life was cut short, and the media is subtly (or not-so-subtly) suggesting that she is somehow responsible because she may have "sparked the worst school shooting in US history."

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21576271-5001021,00.html

Shame.

Where could $25 million go?

Apparently, one can have a personal 13-day trip to outer space. http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/04/21/space-simonyi.html

And of course we all know that $25 million for a 13-day trip to outer space is much more important than cancelling international debt, providing more and better aid to developing countries, and providing food, water, shelter and education to the billions all over the world who don't have it.

And to "add a cherry on top", a gourmet six-course meal was enjoyed by Simonyi and his crew, which included: quail roasted in Madrian wine, duck breast ‘confit’ with capers, shredded chicken parmentier, apple fondant pieces, rice pudding with candied fruit, and semolina cake with dried apricots.

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/54/biz_06rich400_Charles-Simonyi_VMOW.html