Positive Activism
My High School boyfriend was a radial activist. One day, my mom (who adored him) said: "We always hear so much about what you're against - no one knows what you're FOR". She also implied that not knowing about alternatives (what someone is FOR) is what causes resistance and close-mindedness.

It really struck him (and me) and I continually remember it as I strive to engender "process education" in my teaching. [In short, in "process education" there is continual assessment that includes the strengths and why something is a strength along with how it could be improved. What happens in education is that very little assessment (instead there's lots of evaluation) and even less reflection occur. OK so I'm straying from my point. Another discussion for another day...perhaps in another community]

So anyway, while not necessarily an activist group, I admire the name/focus of the LJ community

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I don't know
Is it pesticide residues or artifical ingredients and preservatives that sometimes make me feel sick after eating?

When will organic farmers outproduce non-organic farmers? And will the price and availabilty of organic goods outperform those of non-organics?

Can Monsanto just start an integrated pest management system and stop manufacturing all those chemicals?

OK - can we stop making some of the genetically modified food - like roundup ready soybeans and Bt corn? (I'm all for golden rice, though.)

Will someone just give me about 500 million dollars to invest in the Domini 400? And I can use a little on the side for my living expenses?

Will women ever make as much as men and ever be promoted to the same level? And without having to "sleep around the office"?

Will we reach a hydrogen economy (versus an oil economy) before _______ (fill in)

Will I make enough money (very soon)to buy an electric car?

Is it possible to have powerful people who do not abuse (or want to abuse) the power?

When will my broken and twisted ribs heal? (it's been 30 years, now - at least they're better)

...I don't know ...

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A First Post
This Labor Day weekend was my first real Labor Day weekend in 5 years. For the past 5 years I have worked for academic institutions that surprisingly do not take Labor Day Monday off. Finally I am at an institution that is more honorable. I have been looking forward to going out and doing something with friends or going to a weekend celebration or activity and, well, I got to celebrate at home. I dislocated my knee last week so I'm not nearly as mobile as usual. So I finally am posting to LiveJournal and I watched a lot of television.

The Teletubbies episode was fantastic today - and one of the few days where possessive pronouns are used by the narrarator (hence indicating the gender of the Teletubbie). Tinky Winky puts on the ballet skirt (I thought it was LaLa's, since I have only seen her put it on). Then he danced his round and round dance. He exits the house and the skirt gets stuck in the door, ripping off of Tinky Winky (the skirt, like most ballet skirts for small children, is held on via velcro so the skirt is never damaged). Tinky Winky doesn't notice and dances anyway. He notices, stops, and finds it in the door, laughing. He rescues the skirt from the door and puts it back on. He goes outside near some trees and dances his round and round dance. As soon as he starts, the ballet skirt gets caught on an evergreen tree and comes off, creating a tree "skirt". Tinky Winky dances for a while and then notices his skirt has come off on the tree - he laughs even more and retrieves the skirt, putting it back on. He goes home - inside. And dances his round and round dance all over the house. Here, he dances with the skirt for a noticeably much longer time until noonoo (who is vacuuming the house) sucks it up. Tinky Winky views this as no accident and chases noonoo around, laughing, and saying "bad noonoo". He gets the skirt away from noonoo and it lands on his head. He decides he likes this method of wearing the skirt (it looks like a tierra on his little "antenna") and goes outside, dancing his round and round dance for the other Teletubbies, who are coming home. They all laugh and clap at his dance, to which he has added several poses, showing off the "tierra".

What a fascinating analogy.

Tinky Winky is most successful wearing the skirt at home and dances uninterrupted for some time before noonoo "takes" the skirt, apparently by accident or in fun. Outside, Tinky Winky just can't keep the skirt on - the "environment" takes it away so that he looks just like everyone else (like a Teletubbie). Tinky Winky dances his round and round dance, anyway - at least for a while.

Either I read way too much into Teletubbies, or these writers are brilliant. I am reminded of dglenn whose environment keeps wanting to take his skirt away, too! Don't worry, dglenn, you can still dance - even without the appropriate costume and even if you don’t want to dance without your skirt.

Doot dee-doot Deee

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