I wrote a long post about the current lack of nutrition in today's food. As part of that I said that crops were not being nourished because of the prevalent use of chemical fertilizers instead of manure.
The NPR program Radiolab did a 20 minutes segment on water treatment in New York City. One part of it considered what to do with the poop -- uh, biosolids -- that is left over after treatment. At one time it was shipped to Colorado, by what were called poop trains. It was spread on fields to great effect. Alas, other disposal methods were slightly cheaper. Wouldn't it be worth the extra expense (and it wasn't much per person) to revitalize our food?
For most of the 1960s and 70s the minimum wage was enough to keep a two-person family above the poverty line and in 1968 was enough for a three-person family to stay out of poverty. Since the early 80s a worker can earn minimum wage and still be poor. It is good to hear Obama calling attention to the working poor and to know Sen. Tom Harkin is proposing a raise in the minimum wage -- this time indexed to inflation.
A really cool work of art has been created to honor Nelson Mandela.
Showing posts with label Nelson Mandela. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nelson Mandela. Show all posts
Monday, December 9, 2013
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Both oppressed and oppressor are robbed of humanity
All human rights are linked. As Nelson Mandela said:
* The African National Congress, with Mandela as president, added an LGBT-rights plank to its platform in 1993.
* Also in 1993 the interim constitution included a ban on discrimination because of sexual orientation. South Africa was the first in the world to put our rights in its constitution.
* In 1994 Mandela appointed an openly gay, HIV-positive judge to the High Court of Appeals. That led to marriage equality. South Africa is the only nation in Africa that provides equality.
* In 1996 the permanent constitution was adopted and the ban on discrimination was kept.
I am not truly free if I am taking away someone else’s freedom, just as surely as I am not free when my freedom is taken from me. The oppressed and the oppressor alike are robbed of their humanity.Which is why Mandela was a champion of our rights. Jim Borroway of Box Turtle Bulletin provides a few details.
* The African National Congress, with Mandela as president, added an LGBT-rights plank to its platform in 1993.
* Also in 1993 the interim constitution included a ban on discrimination because of sexual orientation. South Africa was the first in the world to put our rights in its constitution.
* In 1994 Mandela appointed an openly gay, HIV-positive judge to the High Court of Appeals. That led to marriage equality. South Africa is the only nation in Africa that provides equality.
* In 1996 the permanent constitution was adopted and the ban on discrimination was kept.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Change it just a little bit more
Today's musings are written to the filmscore of the movie Cry Freedom in honor of the life of Nelson Mandela, who died today. The movie is about those who battled for the end of Apartheid, though I haven't seen it. You can probably find the soundtrack on YouTube to accompany your reading.
Robert Julian lived through the AIDS crisis, when friends were dying around him. In honor of World AIDS Day (which was Sunday), Julian wrote about what his life at that time was like.
About a month ago Duncan McAlpine Sennett celebrated his Bar Mitzvah. As part of that he read a passage from the Torah, Genesis 29, and spoke about what he learned from it. That chapter in Genesis is about how Jacob worked for his uncle Laban for seven years to take Laban's daughter Rachel as his wife. But at the wedding Laban substituted older daughter Leah. Jacob worked for Laban another seven years in order to also marry Rachel.
From that Sennett learned that traditional marriage has changed over time. It is no longer a business deal between groom and father. It doesn't involve two sisters and usually doesn't involve first cousins. Sennett then mentions the gay couples who are family friends. He concludes by saying:
The Australian Capital Territory (equivalent to America's District of Columbia) declared they would offer same-sex marriages. The national government said they can't do that. The issue is now before Australia's High Court. The ACT reasoning is interesting and maybe entertaining.
ACT said yeah, the national gov't declared they are the only ones who can define "marriage". And we agree that they defined it as "between an man and a woman." But our new legal contract, which we've labeled "same-sex marriage" isn't a "marriage" by the national definition. It's something else, so the national gov't can't control it. Timothy Kincaid of Box Turtle Bulletin sums it up this way:
Oliver White, pastor of Grace Community United Church of Christ in St. Paul, MN, voted in 2005 at the national UCC conference for a resolution to recognize marriage equality within the denomination. His congregation, mostly African American, didn't take too kindly to his position. Membership dropped from 320 to 100. Last July, the church closed. What to do with the remaining members of the congregation?
He teamed up with Clark Memorial UCC in South St. Paul. That congregation was old and white, also in favor of marriage equality, and was faced with closing its own doors. The combined congregation is now an advocate for bringing all kinds of people together.
Robert Julian lived through the AIDS crisis, when friends were dying around him. In honor of World AIDS Day (which was Sunday), Julian wrote about what his life at that time was like.
About a month ago Duncan McAlpine Sennett celebrated his Bar Mitzvah. As part of that he read a passage from the Torah, Genesis 29, and spoke about what he learned from it. That chapter in Genesis is about how Jacob worked for his uncle Laban for seven years to take Laban's daughter Rachel as his wife. But at the wedding Laban substituted older daughter Leah. Jacob worked for Laban another seven years in order to also marry Rachel.
From that Sennett learned that traditional marriage has changed over time. It is no longer a business deal between groom and father. It doesn't involve two sisters and usually doesn't involve first cousins. Sennett then mentions the gay couples who are family friends. He concludes by saying:
My Torah portion taught me that the definition of traditional marriage has changed a lot since the days of Torah. So why can't it change just a little bit more so everybody can marry who they love? And now that I'm a Bar Mitzvah, I will not only continue to support but encourage other people to support equal marriage rights. Shabbot shalom.
The Australian Capital Territory (equivalent to America's District of Columbia) declared they would offer same-sex marriages. The national government said they can't do that. The issue is now before Australia's High Court. The ACT reasoning is interesting and maybe entertaining.
ACT said yeah, the national gov't declared they are the only ones who can define "marriage". And we agree that they defined it as "between an man and a woman." But our new legal contract, which we've labeled "same-sex marriage" isn't a "marriage" by the national definition. It's something else, so the national gov't can't control it. Timothy Kincaid of Box Turtle Bulletin sums it up this way:
It’s a rather fun Catch 22. If they are real marriages, then what business has the Commonwealth [national gov't] in engaging in bigoted discrimination. And if they are not real marriages, then bugger off and leave the ACT alone.
Oliver White, pastor of Grace Community United Church of Christ in St. Paul, MN, voted in 2005 at the national UCC conference for a resolution to recognize marriage equality within the denomination. His congregation, mostly African American, didn't take too kindly to his position. Membership dropped from 320 to 100. Last July, the church closed. What to do with the remaining members of the congregation?
He teamed up with Clark Memorial UCC in South St. Paul. That congregation was old and white, also in favor of marriage equality, and was faced with closing its own doors. The combined congregation is now an advocate for bringing all kinds of people together.
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