Worried About Swine Flu? Wash Your Hands!

From Reuters:

Worried about swine flu? There is one easy way to protect against infection, health experts agree -- handwashing.

What a novel concept!

Little can be done to prevent an outbreak of flu from spreading, health experts caution, but they say common sense measures can help individuals protect themselves.

Number one is hand-washing, they say -- a surprisingly effective way to prevent all sorts of diseases, including ordinary influenza and the new and mysterious swine flu virus.

"Cover your cough or your sneeze, wash your hands frequently," advised Dr. Richard Besser, acting CDC director.

Hmm. Sounds a lot like the Regular Flu, which was a pandemic in my playgroup earlier this year.

Back at the Emergency Women's Shelter

Yesterday I came back to the land of "Three Hots and a Cot."

I used to be an AmeriCorps*VISTA with the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (NEOCH). For almost two years I was an official advocate for homeless individuals. I would go to shelters and organize resident council meetings where concerned shelter residents would tell us their grievances. We would hear everything from how the food sucks and the place is infested with bed bugs to complaints of assault and sexual harassment.

I was involved with resident councils at both the largest women's and men's shelters, but I was especially passionate about the one at the women's shelter. This particular shelter was even referred to as "Guantanamo Cleveland" at one time. (I was actually involved with the very first women's resident council. The shelter had banned NEOCH for some time and we were allowed back in when I became a VISTA.)

I got to know many of the women at this shelter and took their plight seriously. Yesterday I went back to co-run the resident council meeting for the first time in over a year.

This meeting was my baby. We fought some major battles in that rundown building and, while I wish I didn't have to go back there to ensure women's rights, it feels good to be continuing the good fight.

Brief timeline from before I got pregnant: Residents who came to the meetings were being targeted by staff and faced staff retaliation simply for telling us their troubles. We repeatedly met with the shelter director and he gave us a slew of empty promises. Eventually, we got him kicked out (though not fired from the organization that runs the shelter--he was merely transferred to do something else) and several of the problem staff members got the boot.

Anyways, I was gone for this drama. Around this time I had Milo and was staying home with him. The shelter got a new director and new staff. Yesterday I did notice some changes (residents now got to watch TV) but too much stayed the same. I even recognized many of the women--not a good sign. I wish they had moved on to better things. I wish they were able to.

--
"Three Hots and a Cot" was the saying for this shelter. One of the staff members (a notorious bitch) would keep reminding residents to shut up and stop complaining because all the shelter promises is "three hots and a cot." No more, no less. The women yesterday informed me they don't even get that--they get "three colds and a cot," referring to the cold food being served.

I always thought this was horrible. Residents don't get any help? No case management? No job training? How will three hots and a cot work to stop the cycle of homelessness?

How Do You Create Lasting Social Change?

People involved in social justice movements always want to know the answer to this Big Question: How do we get x (them) to change their ways and become y (like us)?

x = meat-eaters; y = vegan
x = Republicans; y = Democrats
x = war mongers; y = tree huggers

...and etc.

I've been involved with many social justice movements and have always wondered if what I'm doing is making a difference. Or rather, is it even possible to "make a difference?"

So many things are wrong with the city, the country and the world that's it's easy to be overwhelmed with all the injustices and sob stories. I can buy organic food, I can be vegan, I can buy fair-trade, I can bike instead of drive. But is this the change I'm looking for?

What is the best way to create a lasting social change? Many people want universal health care in the US but how do we get it? By holding signs and surrounding ourselves with people that agree with us? Writing letters? It all seems so trivial for such a big issue. Many people want to stop factory farming... stop the war... stop the presses... but how is it done?

Obviously, I don't know so I'm asking for ideas.

--

I think about these kinds of things when I nurse Milo to sleep. It's dark and I have nothing to do but lie there and think. In college people seemed to have all the answers. Yes to this. No to that.

Basically I'm wondering how to best affect the world. There are many political people who are what I call "anti-kid." They are so wrapped up in being more socially-conscious than other people that they denounce anyone who breeds (kids waste resources and overpopulate the earth). There was a time when I didn't want kids because of the population issue. Then I got pregnant. But now I see that I'm raising a kid in a radical way and even though he's entitled to his own opinion, he's going to be shaped by two vegan, political parents. And he is the next generation.

I really think many social justice advocates need to re-evaulate their stance on having kids. Maybe all we can do for the world is to rear the next generation as we wished we'd been raised.

Hey, Let's Feed Babies Rocket Fuel!

From the Environmental Working Group (whom I love, btw!):

Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have reported that 15 brands of powdered infant formula are contaminated with perchlorate, a rocket fuel component detected in drinking water in 28 states and territories.

"Whoops! Sorry about that, babies! Didn't mean to push our poisoned products on you... or did we?"

First, there was melamine (among other contaminants before that), now there's rocket fuel. Couple that with the fact that major formula companies (NESTLE! Nestle! Nestle!!!) openly shove their products on new moms while at the same time discouraging breastfeeding (which only a handful of moms can successfully do, according to them) and you have one evil product. I swear that they hate babies.

Rocket fuel! Damn, formula companies aren't even trying to hide their evil side now.

Another Way Is Possible: Unschooling and Homeschooling

I am currently reading "Teach Your Own" by John Holt after having recently read "Learning All the Time" by the same author.

These books are amazing.

Holt is a pioneer of "unschooling," a type of homeschooling that is child-led. Parents take cues from their kids and teach them whatever they (the kids) are into. If the kids are into dinosaurs then parents take them to museums and learn everything they can about these prehistoric reptiles. The theory is that people learn best when they're receptive and genuinely interested in a subject.

Anyways, these books talk about the different ways to teach children by using the world around them. Holt also blasts public/private schools for being the sham that they are.

Public schools... If you ever want to get me angry then ask me about public schools. Ever since first grade I viewed school as a complete injustice and a total waste. At a very young age I asked myself, "What did I do to deserve this?" What did I do to deserve being locked up for six hours a day to go over useless information taught by a bitter, child-loathing tyrant? I can go on and on (and I will in another post!).

Schools do not equal learning.

In fact, I think public schools are the antithesis to learning for many children. Once you start reading about unschooling, you realize just how bizarre the whole mandatory schooling/compulsory education process really is. It's an injustice to so many children. It kills their spunk, their desire to learn. It's stupid.

A few of my friends unschool their children. They meet up in groups a few times a week for socilization and to have some fun. (Homeschooling is not about sitting alone with your child and doing workbooks for six hours a day!) I met the group at the Metroparks where the kids went exploring for fossils and crayfish. It was amazing. This was the type of life I wish I had as a child. I always loved to learn so naturally I was offended by being locked up in school.

Unschooling is a life of learning through play and learning by doing. As parents, it's our job to expose our kids to as many aspects of life as possible. Unschooling makes learning real. It makes it fun... no grades attached.

More on this later. I cannot say how excited I am by this concept. I've never felt so free...