Claude and Medea: Mystery, Adventure and Youth Solutionaries

I’ve written six books. I don’t know if authors always have favorites among their books, but I do: Claude and Medea. I try not to shamelessly plug my books in my blog, but Claude and Medea – which won the Moonbeam gold medal for juvenile fiction last year – is languishing. Hardly anyone knows about it; it’s not in bookstores, and its sales are meager. This makes me sad, because when I wrote the first in what I hoped would be a series, I tried to create a great mystery and adventure that kids would love (they do!) and which would also inspire them to want to make a difference in the world.

In the first book, Claude and Medea: The Hellburn Dogs, the 7th grade protagonists solve the mystery of a rash of Manhattan dog thefts (I won’t tell you more, but there’s an evil vivisector, and intrigue and danger in the mix). I’m eager to write the next book, which will be about infiltrating a New York child slave operation in the garment district of Manhattan, but alas, the first needs to start selling better.

If you know of kids between 9-12, I hope you’ll consider sharing Claude and Medea with them. If you don’t want to purchase the book (you can buy it from Lantern Books, IHE, Amazon.com, and BN.com, among other places), the entire content can be read on the Lantern Books blog.

And if you like the book, please spread the word about it.

Thanks!

~ Zoe Weil

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"100 Heartbeats" Animal Conservation Special on MSNBC November 22

Occasionally, I learn about TV shows that really make me wish I owned a TV again, and "100 Heartbeats" is one of them. MSNBC is planning to air the two-hour special, focused on the plight and promise of endangered animals, on November 22 (8 pm EST).

The special is hosted by Jeff Corwin, who travels around the world -- to seven countries and four continents -- to highlight the devastating destruction and exploitation of endangered animals and their habitats, as well as to feature people and organizations working to protect these fragile animals. As Corwin says, every 20 minutes a species will go extinct, and 20,000 species will be lost this year alone (I'm assuming that's both plant and animal species.) You can see a preview clip and several brief clips from the show here (the brief clips are 1-2 minutes long, & you have to watch a short commercial first for some of them) and a brief interview with Jeff from MotherNatureNetwork.

Even if you don't have a TV, Jeff's experiences have been published in a 100 Heartbeats book, which is already available. I've already put a copy on hold at my local library.

~ Marsha


Thanks to Planetsave for the heads up.


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5 Tips for Teaching About American Indians

As a teacher or parent, you may love reading Native American folktales to your kids, or sharing your favorite books, like Little House on the Prairie or Brother Eagle, Sister Sky. It may be as normal to you as breathing to celebrate Columbus Day and Thanksgiving each year, and your child wants to dress up as “an Indian,” not out of any disrespect, but because she thinks they’re cool. But such inadvertent perpetuation of bias, misinformation and stereotypes can do a lot of harm.

All you have to do is glance at the media to know that racism, stereotypes and bias are alive and well in the U.S. And, while many ethnic groups endure these prejudices and indignities, there’s a special category of oppression for Native peoples of North America. This continent belonged to hundreds of nations before colonialists arrived and, bluntly, stole their lands, freedom, and often, lives from them. And, while there are derogatory terms used for most groups who are oppressed, American Indians are the only ones who still have mascots and sports teams named after them. Many people still dress up as an “Indian” for Halloween or other costumed-events. You’ll still find alphabet books in which “I” is for “Indian” – or that books about Native peoples tend to glom them all together into one mosaic of mishmashed culture. Children study Native peoples in school, but it’s usually a quick skimming through their past (“Each group will choose a tribe to research.”) or surrounding Columbus (who had a significant hand in the enslavement and genocide of Indians) and/or Thanksgiving.

Here are 5 tips to help increase your awareness and improve your teaching (or parenting) regarding the Indigenous peoples of North America:

1. Do your homework. Before you begin teaching about Native peoples, research accurate, appropriate information and resources, so that you can be confident that what you’re sharing isn’t some dehumanized, romanticized or antiquated version of Native life and culture. There are numerous useful resources out there, many created and maintained by American Indians themselves. A couple of examples: the list of Native American websites by created Lisa Mitten, and the National Museum of the American Indian, which has online exhibitions, as well as resources for educators.
   
   
2. Choose books, resources and materials that portray Native peoples accurately. There are a plethora of books, films and other materials that perpetuate negative and/or inaccurate stereotypes and biases about American Indians, and few that portray their lives, voices and cultures with accuracy. One important question to ask yourself is whether the work is from a Native writer or not. Some might think that Native American legends and folklore would be safe, but authors who “retell” these stories aren’t always careful, respectful, or cognizant of Native cultures. There are some good resources available to help you. For example, an article from School Library Journal offers an annotated list of books to choose from, and a longer list of suggested titles comes from the same author of the SLJ article, Debbie Reese, who is an Assistant Professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and who runs the blog American Indians in Children’s Literature (which is itself an excellent resource).
   
   “I is for Inclusion: The Portrayal of Native Americans in Books for Young People,” (PDF) created by the American Indian Library Association, is another useful resource, which offers a brief overview of what to look for in books for young people, provides suggested resources, a few titles to avoid and several to look for.
   
   And, Oyate is a community-based Native organization that provides books, DVDs and other materials and resources about Native peoples.
   
   
3. Watch out for stereotypes and biases. Films like Disney’s Pocahontas. Books like The Indian in the Cupboard. The Redskins. The Tomahawk chop. Halloween costumes. We’re surrounded by stereotypes about Native peoples. Many are less blatant than the above, and we in mainstream culture don’t even give them a second thought. But such biases are a detriment to the well-being of Native peoples and condone and nurture institutional racism on a large but largely unnoticed scale. Just one example: psychologists and justice advocates are supporting a group who is suing to end the Redskins NFL trademark because such perpetuated stereotypes have been shown to “depress the self-esteem and feelings of community worth and limit the aspirations of Native high school and college students.” Additionally, consider, when you’re teaching about whatever topic – science, history, literature, art – are American Indian voices and views represented? Remember that bias is also about who or what is not included. Look for resources such as “Erasing Native American Stereotypes” and the Unlearning Indian Stereotypes DVD from Rethinking Schools to help you with these challenges.
   
   
4. Get out of the past. Many school children (and no few adults) think of Indians as something that existed in the past. When learning about Native peoples, it’s often from an historical perspective and not about their lives today. History is an important part of everyone’s culture, but so is the present. Look for resources and teaching ideas for exploring Native lives and cultures today. When people think about the atrocities perpetrated on American Indians, they also think of the past. But, Indians are still adversely affected by the choices of mainstream culture and government policies. But, avoid the mistake of portraying Native peoples as helpless victims. The hundreds of nations offer rich and varied lives, cultures, issues and leaders to explore.
   
   
5. Dive deeper and broader into resources and issues. Much teaching about Native peoples centers around a cursory exploration as part of Columbus Day or Thanksgiving, or perhaps a “unit” exploring tribes as they lived in the past. Avoid these pitfalls, and look for richer, more meaningful teaching. But, if you are going to teach about Columbus, then use a resource such as Rethinking Schools’s book, Rethinking Columbus, which provides a broader and deeper exploration of the issues. If you are teaching about Thanksgiving, forego the standard “Indians and pilgrims” treatment and look to resources such as American Indian Perspectives on Thanksgiving and resources such as those suggested on Oyate and Debbie Reese’s blog. If you’re required to teach one of the books on the “biased” list, then pair that with an exploration of the stereotypes, biases and misrepresentations present in the book, and then choose an additional book that portrays Native peoples more accurately. And remember that American Indian children are one of many cultures and ethnicities potentially represented in your classroom. Have students learn more and share about their own cultures and traditions with their fellow students. Look at the common challenges they share. Celebrate changemakers and leaders from a variety of cultures, not just the traditional Western perspective.
   
   For additional ideas, check out resources such as:
   
   Debbie Reese’s essay “Teaching Young Children About Native Americans.”
   
   The article “The Voices of Power and the Power of Voices: Teaching with Native American Literature” (PDF) by Marlinda White-Kaulaity.

~ Marsha

Image courtesy of patrickmccully via Creative Commons.


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Is Mindful Choicemaking Burdensome or Liberating?

Some fear that if they look too closely at their choices and discover that those choices have harmful effects on other people, animals, and the environment, they will experience a number of negative emotions. They may worry they’ll feel overwhelmed, despondent, hopeless, conflicted, disempowered, and even bad about themselves if they continue to make choices they know cause suffering or harm. This is why people will sometimes tell me that they don’t want to know about the effects of a certain food or clothing brand or charity (see last blog post). Ignorance is bliss after all.

But ignorance only appears to be bliss. If the world becomes increasingly dangerous, polluted, hot, crowded, conflictual, unequal, susceptible to natural disasters, deforested, desertified, and dramatically loses biodiversity, the ignorant suffer just as much as the informed (and maybe more), as do their unprepared children and grandchildren.

But even though ignorance does not ultimately result in bliss, it can seem “safer” if we think we’ll avoid those potentially negative emotions mentioned above. But is this premise actually true? Is it true that those who expose themselves to knowledge and deeply inquire about the effects of their choices (including food, products, clothing, work, changemaking efforts, and participation in democracy) are less happy and more burdened than those who don’t?

I explore this question in my book Most Good, Least Harm, and from my profiles of people who consistently pursue knowledge to align their choices more deeply with their values, I find that the reverse is true. While these people may say that they occasionally feel overwhelmed, they also report that they feel more empowered and much happier to be living with integrity and creating a better future for themselves and others. In Daniel Goleman’s new book, Ecological Intelligence, he discovers the same thing. He quotes Raina Kelley, a journalist who became a freegan (someone who finds and consumes free and otherwise discarded foods and clothes and products to sustain themselves) as saying, “I really thought that being mindful of my impact on the Earth would drive me crazy but, in the end, it was the most valuable thing I did over the whole thirty days. The more you know about where your food, clothing, entertainment, and shelter comes from, the easier it is to make buying decisions in line with your conscience.” (p. 97)

Goleman’s book is a call for eco-transparency, because when we know, we all become empowered -- not just the consumer, but the producer as well. A new website, www.earthster.com, is helping businesses choose suppliers that make more ecologically friendly and socially just choices. Since most of the things we produce have a huge supply chain attached to them, this is a critical component in creating more sustainable systems and products. Individuals who wish to know more and choose more consciously, can visit sites such as www.goodguide.com and www.responsibleshopper.org.

Knowledge allows us to align our choices more deeply with our values, and doing this feels both good and liberating. When we are true to values we are less susceptible to others’ directives, whether from society, peers, neighbors, advertisers, etc., and more wholly and fully ourselves.

~ Zoe Weil
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, The Power and Promise of Humane Education and Above All, Be Kind

Image courtesy of Joe_Thorn via Creative Commons.

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Improve Your Advocacy Knowledge and Skills with HumaneSpot

Knowing about recent trends, acquiring accurate, credible information and honing skills are all important tools for effective humane educators. For those interested especially in animal and environmental protection issues, HumaneSpot is a useful resource. HumaneSpot, a project of the Humane Research Council, provides access to relevant and credible research, surveys, and other data, as well as information for becoming more effective advocates.

In order to get the most out of HumaneSpot, educators and activists can submit an application (free) that seeks to ensure that users of their research database are sincere about advocacy and animal/environmental protection. Approved applicants then have access to thousands of articles, surveys, studies and more, from a variety of sources.

Since I don't have a lot of time, I find their blog and regular e-news most helpful, as they summarize recent news and additions to the database, and I can pick and choose the ones most relevant to my needs and interests.

Connecting with people is an important part of creating a humane world, but so is being an informed and empowered educator. HumaneSpot offers information and resources to help you in offering accurate information about animal protection and environmental preservation issues, as well as in becoming a more-effective and compassionate advocate.

~ Marsha

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Humane Issues in the News...

Each week we post links to news about humane education & humane living, and items connected to humane issues, from human rights to environmental preservation, to animal protection, to media, consumerism and culture.

Quebec government contemplating banning food & paper waste from landfills - EcoWorldly (11/17/09)
“One of its key targets was to get 60% of the state’s waste food into composting by 2012 has had to be abandoned: the current figure is only 12% and the target just cannot be met. However, rather than just trying to fiddle with green taxes, the state government has gone straight for the jugular and announced plans to make it illegal to dump rubbish and food waste.”

Drug makers increasing drug prices – New York Times (11/16/09)
“But this year’s price increases would effectively cancel out the savings from at least the first year of the Senate Finance agreement. And some critics say the surge in drug prices could change the dynamics of the entire 10-year deal. ‘It makes it much easier for the drug companies to pony up the $80 billion because they’ll be making more money,’ said Steven D. Findlay, senior health care analyst with the advocacy group Consumers Union.”

Boat of recycled plastic set to launch – USA Today (11/16/09)
"’Our project is a catalyst for a global conversation,’ he says. ‘People hear it's a kid from a wealthy European family with a beard who's an environmentalist (and think), 'Surely this must be a stunt.' But I'm not afraid of drawing fire. Our culture has slowly disassociated itself from nature. But that's a model that has failed us. We must rethink it.’"

“Kids aware of racism by age 9, study finds” – Vancouver Sun (11/13/09)
“What’s more, the researchers found that once children understand racism, it affects their achievement. When black and Latino children were given a memory task and told it would measure their abilities, they did more poorly on it than others who were told it was simply a problem-solving exercise, which McKown says is the result of fear that they would live down to stereotypes about the lesser academic abilities of their race."
Thanks, Justice: The People’s News, for the heads up.

Study says investing in natural world now will save trillions in the future – Common Dreams (11/13/09)
"’Recognising and rewarding the value delivered to society by the natural environment must become a policy priority,’ said Pavan Sukhdev, who headed The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) paper released in Brussels….An annual investment of some 45 billion dollars in expanding protected areas -- on land and at sea -- would secure benefits of the order of four or five trillion dollars per year over a period of decades, said Sukhdev.”

Students work together to bring awareness to child abuse - Wicked Local Amesbury (11/12/09)
“’Think Globally, Act Locally,’ is our theme,’ ASL Principal Donna Georges said, ‘and we have concentrated on two areas: environmental protection and child abuse prevention. The billboard project is devoted to the child abuse prevention component. Everybody participated in the research and the artwork for the billboard.’”

Organized crime sparking increase in illegal ivory trade - Treehugger.com (11/12/09)
“The ETIS data shows that the surge in 2009 is the result of, "increased involvement of organized crime syndicates in the trade, connecting African source countries with Asian end-use markets.' Over the past decade these crime syndicates have only grown stronger.”

E-cycling under scrutiny - Truthdig (11/10/09)
“’We may think we are doing the right thing by giving our old electronics to a recycler or a free collection event,’ says Sarah Westerville, BAN’s e-Stewardship program director. ‘But many of those businesses calling themselves recyclers are little more than international waste distributors. They take your electronic items for free, or pocket your recycling fee, and then simply load them onto a sea-going container, and ship them to China, India or Nigeria.’”
Thanks, Good Human, for the heads up.

Kiva, other sites, confusing in where money actually goes - New York Times (11/9/09)
“’There’s a whole new generation of socially connected nonprofits that use the Internet to make the illusion of person-to-person contact much more believable,’ said Timothy Ogden, editor in chief of Philanthropy Action, an online journal for donors. ‘The problem is that they are no more connecting donors to people than the child sponsorship organizations of the past did.’”

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Making Compassion the Center of Our Lives

What if every thought, word and act, from every person on earth, arose from compassion? How might that change the world? How might that change us?

2008 TED winner and religious scholar Karen Armstrong believes that compassion should be the center of "religious, moral and political life." As part of her TED prize "wish" she has established the Charter for Compassion. As the Charter website says:

"Compassion is the principled determination to put ourselves in the shoes of the other, and lies at the heart of all religious and ethical systems. One of the most urgent tasks of our generation is to build a global community where men and women of all races, nations and ideologies can live together in peace. In our globalized world, everybody has become our neighbor, and the Golden Rule has become an urgent necessity."

The Charter website not only asks citizens of the earth to sign and affirm the charter, but it offers ways for those interested in a more compassionate world to connect, to share, and to act -- such as participating in special events or online actions, or sharing and reading acts of compassion.

Here is the text for the Charter for Compassion:

"The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.

"It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others—even our enemies—is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion.

"We therefore call upon all men and women ~ to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies.

"We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensible [sic] to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community."

If you want a truly compassionate, just, sustainable world for all, start by affirming the charter, and then strive to make your every thought, word and action flow from a center of compassion for all people, animals and the earth. Such a world is possible; we just have to make it so.

~ Marsha


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