Monthly Archive for June, 2008

Not mommy material

Published on June 30, 2008 in Environment, Health and Society. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Now that I’m on the downward slide towards thirty, I find that the topic of babies is starting to creep into conversations at networking functions attended by a preponderance of women.  Carrying on the family gene pool is a pretty black and white issue for most, and while women are more than willing to put off having kids in the name of building a career, most that I meet hope to have one or two of their own  some day.

My best friend got married a few years ago.  Cycling served as the common denominator for the couple; not only did they take long bike excursions on weekends, but both taught spinning at area gyms.  In the span of a year, they moved in together, got married, and she got pregnant.  Once Boy 1 was born, their lives were thrown into complete upheaval. Between day care, work commutes and extended family issues, it took 2 years before either of them set foot in a gym again, despite fitness being an integral part of their lives.  Now with Boy 2 in the picture,  my friend looks forward to federal holidays so that she can go to the gym, knowing her kids are attended to at day care.

While my friend wouldn’t trade her kids for her freedom, I’m not willing to make that sacrifice.  I spent my childhood trying to make other people happy, desperate to connect with another human being at some level with a high personal cost:  my passions got lost in the process.  Now that I’m finally figuring out who I am and what I want, I not willing to sideline those interests for anyone again, especially for someone that’s going to require 21+ years of financial (about a quarter of million dollars before college is factored in) and emotional support.  To some that seems selfish.

But I would argue having kids is also selfish.  The world population is growing to a capacity that the planet will not be able to sustain continued exponential growth, and Americans use a disproportionate amount of the planet’s natural resources.  Also, given that half of marriages end in divorce, I have to wonder how often a baby is used as a temporary band aid to obscure deeper issues v. the baby being the issue, since “parents have significantly lower marital satisfaction than nonparents”

Personally, I knew with certainty, on the most primal level, that there was no way I was having kids  after watching a “miracle of birth” video in middle school health class,   Helen Mirren recently echoed my sentiments.

“I swear it traumatised me to this day. I haven’t had children and now I can’t look at anything to do with childbirth. It absolutely disgusts me.”

Since the US is so fond of medicalizing birth, consider the “condition.” If you were not pregnant, such a condition (considerable amount of weight gain;  requisite enhancement of calorie, nutrient and vitamin consumption to compensate for the condition; and a variety of other side effects like hemmorhoids and back pain, all before searing pain as the growth exited your body) would be diagnosed as a parasite.   Pregnancy is not a symbiotic relationship.

I acknowledge that for many women, they can overlook the 36-40 weeks of a medical condition, followed by the searing pain of childbirth (that will eventually fade from memory), because the outcome is a new life they get to nurture.   Me, I don’t want more responsibility than a puppy.

And I’m likely to be happier for it. Lorraine Ali of Newsweek reports:

In Daniel Gilbert’s 2006 book “Stumbling on Happiness,” the Harvard professor of psychology looks at several studies and concludes that marital satisfaction decreases dramatically after the birth of the first child—and increases only when the last child has left home. He also ascertains that parents are happier grocery shopping and even sleeping than spending time with their kids. Other data cited by 2008′s “Gross National Happiness” author, Arthur C. Brooks, finds that parents are about 7 percentage points less likely to report being happy than the childless.

For an interesting read on modern motherhood, I highly recommend Naomi Wolf’s Misconceptions: Truth, Lies, and the Unexpected on the Journey to Motherhood, which addresses the stereotypes and cultural limitations of contemporary pregnancy and motherhood in America.

I’m also looking forward to seeing the documentary, “The Business of Being Born.”

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Are Americans really this dumb? I hope not.

Published on June 30, 2008 in Politics and Society. 0 Comments

Street taped segments always look for the sensational answers, so I’d like to think there are plenty of knowledgeable Americans out there that got cut. . . fingers crossed.

Update: Here’s the latest incarnation of the “would you pass the citizenship test” quiz. I managed a 95%; what about you?

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Part One: Volunteerism making a come back

Published on June 29, 2008 in Gen Y and Society. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

photo by brandejackson

From Obama’s volunteerism platform to California’s Governor creating a State Cabinet position dedicated to volunteerism, the notion of paying it forward seems to have reached critical mass in the United States.

With Obama including civil service requirements among his Presidential platforms, he shows young Americans how charity work could become an integral element in career preparation.  In regards to melding education and service, Obama aims to:

  • Require 100 Hours of Service in College: Obama will establish a new American Opportunity Tax Credit that is worth $4,000 a year in exchange for 100 hours of public service a year.
  • Promote College Serve-Study: Obama will ensure that at least 25 percent of College Work-Study funds are used to support public service opportunities instead of jobs in dining halls and libraries.

This requirement of community work would be a win-win scenario.  A public service requirement would allow undergrads to apply their classroom learning in real life settings, providing resume builders for college students.  Sociology majors would not only learn about the socioeconomic disparities in urban areas, but could turn around and apply that understanding to work with an area non-profit seeking to help the impoverished or underserved.  Marketing majors could help non-profits raise its public and digital profile, build membership, and raise funds.

Since non-profits rely on volunteers to keep the mission alive,  these students would have real world, quantifiable experiences. Imagine helping raise $1 million to fight cancer or doubling membership numbers for an organization before the age of 21.  Accordingly,  it might give college graduates a chance to bypass the entry level grunt work that yields corporate churn and help allay Boomer concerns about inexperienced twenty somethings looking for a fast track to management.

The obvious benefit to non-profits would be the surge in human hours nationwide. Boutique and mainstream charities could expand their work given the increased availability of volunteers.  Already, California is trying to tap into the service spirit of its state residents.

In February, Gov. Schwarzenegger added a Secretary of Service and Volunteering to his State Cabinet, a position meant to better coordinate volunteer efforts related to government initiatives. Given the financial impact of volunteerism, streamlining efficiency and maximizing the output of volunteers will be a boon to a state suffering from severe budgetary cuts.

In 2006, volunteers contributed approximately 858 million hours of service to the California economy—a value of more than $17.4 billion. A one percent increase in the number of Californians who volunteer would equal approximately 365,000 new volunteers contributing 48 million hours—equal to nearly $1 billion in service to the state.

Additionally, if undergraduates are more active in their college towns, these communities may see a decline in the brain drain that occurs when graduates leave the region and often the state. By becoming more invested in the outcomes, students might see their stay in a town or city as more than a passing experience. Pittsburg or Madison or Atlanta could become home, given the inevitable communities ties formed by regular interaction with residents and other volunteers.

Indeed, this increased focus on service brings the best possible outcomes to young adults and the organizations and communities they offer their skills sets to.

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Silver Mercury Dental Amalgams, Part 2

Published on June 29, 2008 in Health. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

photo by alumroot

Earlier this year, I posted about the dangers of silver amalgams (which are almost 50% mercury).  For years, activists have fought to have the dangers acknowledged, while the American Dental Association told people there was nothing to worry about.

It seems the Food & Drug Administration decided there’s enough evidence to warrant some concern about continued use of mercury in dental fillings.

Earlier this month, in an unprecedented U-turn, the FDA dropped much of its reassuring language on the fillings from its website, substituting: “Dental amalgams contain mercury, which may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and foetuses.” It adds that when amalgam fillings are “placed in teeth or removed they release mercury vapour”, and that the same thing happens when chewing.

The FDA is now reviewing its rules and may end up restricting or banning the use of the metal.

I imagine the American Dental Association is not going to be very happy about this out come.  It’s been doing its best to keep a number of mercury studies under wraps for a number of years.

Of course, I read about the US development in a British newspaper, which is another tale for another time.

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QOD: Churchill

Published on June 27, 2008 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

photo by markop

You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give.
–Winston Churchill

Naomi Wolf's The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot

Published on June 27, 2008 in Books and Politics. 0 Comments Tags: , .

If you haven’t read Naomi Wolf’s The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot, you can check out her 48-minute lecture on the 10 steps taken by government officials to turn a democracy into a fascist society.  Awesome awesome lecture.

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Big idea? Start small.

Published on June 26, 2008 in Business. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Photo by xerones

Random reminder of the day: The best ideas grow organically, from small to big.

Think about wildly successful franchises. Out in Los Angeles, Pink Berry started as one small location with horrible parking options in West Hollywood. The “real” frozen yogurt was so desirable, many felt it worthy of the $40 parking tickets and pissed off neighborhood residents awaiting them on the return to their cars. Fast forward 3 years and a $27.5 million investment from (Starbucks founder) Howard Schultz’s people, and the company has nearly 50 Southern California locations.

Same principle applies in other areas of life. Take politics. If you’re thinking about entering politics, regardless of age, running for President is probably not your first stop.  You might run for the Board of Education or mayor of your town.  Perhaps for a state legislature seat.  A few years after that you might take a swing at federal legislature.  But you don’t wake up one morning and run for President.  Even Ross Perot spent a few years on a Texas committee appointed by the Governor before he ran for President.

For those of us with more pedestrian lives, the same rules apply.   A couple of months ago a friend decided she needed to take her  company to the next level.  Having been an independent contractor for several years, she wants to put her name on the map in her profession.  She sees a gap in the professional development programming offered in her field — though it’s dominated by men, there are enough women to warrant a separate conference that blends work-life balance with professional growth.   Over coffee, she  shared her vision of a three day conference with multiple tracks and a gala on the final night.

As I sat listening to her discuss her grand plans, I asked her if she’d ever planned a conference before, let alone one of this magnitude. No. I suggested she might try a one-day, one track event for the first year, which is not only less pressure, but less of a financial risk for her company.  But she insisted bigger is better.

I asked her what she thought would be a fair price to charge for attendance and how she came to that number.  She threw out a low figure that “sounded right.”

After finding out how many people she thought would come, I asked what her event budget was.  Surprise! She hadn’t considered pulling together a business plan breaking down the costs of the various event components.

So she guestimated for the sake of time.  What she thought the event would cost is much much higher than the ticket price she wants to offer for the event.  Even with a higher ticket price, she wasn’t hitting the magic break even number. So I suggested tiered sponsorship packages, providing sponsors with varying degrees of access to attendees, while paying for the expense of coffee breaks and meals.

I recently inquired as to her progress on the event she hoped to have next March.  Turns out after talking with some other business-oriented folks, she was convinced to scale down to a one day event.  After repeatedly hearing the same advice from friends and colleagues, she’s going to start small and add on more programming in 2010 and beyond.  She’s well on the way to developing an annual conference  that could make her firm stand out, because she’s starting with a goal that’s manageable.

We talk about a “germ of an idea” and the “seeds of change” because you need to start small to create something big.

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Think Globally, Act locally

Published on June 26, 2008 in Politics. 0 Comments Tags: , .

I signed up to attend one of Move On‘s Community Council Meetings being held nationwide tonight, mostly out of curiosity.  I left after 90 minutes because I watched them make the bigger is better mistake    Sixty-five people signed up in my town, and 45 or so showed up.  The agenda set by move on included creating the framework for making July 9th Oil-Free President Day. (Note to readers: refill your tank outside the 5-6pm hour on July 9th to avoid the congestion that is sure to ensue that evening).

The group basically needed to pick a gas station in our community to serve as the venue to remind rush hour commuters that McCain is tightly linked to the oil companies, which won’t help the nation solve its energy crisis. It derailed when someone asked, who in this town is voting for McCain? We’d just be preaching to the choir. We need to go somewhere else.

At this point an elderly man noted that congregating in front of Occidental Oil would make much more sense. The location is more symbolic and it’s centrally located in a high-traffic part of Los Angeles (but not in our immediate town.)

Another woman piped up that to be the most effective, we need larger numbers. Thus, we should team with another community. It would be more likely to draw big media attention.

They lost the point of the July 9th event. MoveOn is trying to orchestrate hundreds, if not thousands, of these events nationwide. As attendee Alex pointed out, “we’re a cog in a greater wheel.” MoveOn is going to handle national media attention focused on this massive coordinated event. The individual town councils are meant to draw the attention of local media and local residents. Have you picked up your local paper recently. . . typically it’s full of information that’s only relevant to you if you live within x miles of distribution. The more of these small town papers covering Oil-Free President Day the better.

There’s an old saying, think globally, act locally. It’s a saying because it’s tried and true.

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Audra Mae: The Bottom Side of Up

Published on June 24, 2008 in Entertainment. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Random unsigned artist I saw once 2 years ago at Genghis Cohen’s (Fairfax X Melrose).  Audra Mae’s “The Bottom Side of Up” captures my current sentiment about life, with the exception of the smoking; I’m all about sugar in lieu of nicotine.

“The Pissed Off Song” captures those special moments that just defy words.

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Ms. Pac Man: Feminist Icon

Published on June 23, 2008 in Entertainment and Society. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

I loved Ms. Pac Man as a kid. . . apparently my feminist roots run deep.

Via Feministing

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