| Hundreds of Bloggers Join the Celebration for Vegan Month of Food (VeganMoFo)
October 11, 2009 at 8:54 pm
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| | <![CDATA[<p>In a glorious celebration of all things vegan, October has once again been designated <a href="http://theppk.com/blog/2009/09/18/its-veganmofo-the-vegan-month-of-food/">Vegan Month of Food</a> or VeganMoFo. Inspired by National Blog Posting Month, VeganMoFo asks that bloggers commit to writing about vegan food on every weekday throughout of the month.</p><p><a href="http://s193.photobucket.com/albums/z10/kalynskitchen/?action=view¤t=3930562108_f07c8dec17.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z10/kalynskitchen/3930562108_f07c8dec17.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br />VeganMoFo banner image from <a href="http://theppk.com/blog">Post Punk Kitchen</a>.</p><p>I was well aware that there are lots of vegan bloggers in the food blog world, but I was still slightly stunned to see <a href="http://kitteekake.blogspot.com/2009/09/vegan-mofo-iii-2009-edition.html">the huge list of participants for VeganMoFo</a> posted on <a href="http://kitteekake.blogspot.com/">Cake Maker to the Stars</a>, who's hosting the event this year. The deadline to join in was October 2, but if you're looking for vegan recipes, there are several hundred possible sources on that list.</p><p><a href="http://s193.photobucket.com/albums/z10/kalynskitchen/?action=view¤t=logo.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z10/kalynskitchen/logo.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br />Vegan Search Engine Logo from <a href="http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/">Fat Free Vegan Kitchen</a></p><p>You can also find great vegan and vegetarian offerings through a custom google search engine for vegetarian and vegan blogs, maintained by Susan from <a href="http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/">Fat Free Vegan Kitchen</a>. Here is information on <a href="http://vegblogsearch.com/results.htm?cx=012919865523296602436%3Arv-nmmfftus&cof=FORID%3A11&ie=UTF-8&q=&sa.x=57&sa.y=8&sa=Search#19">how to add your blog</a> if you're a vegetarian or vegan blogger.</p><p><a href="http://s193.photobucket.com/albums/z10/kalynskitchen/?action=view¤t=3997142603_47816cc762_o.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z10/kalynskitchen/3997142603_47816cc762_o.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br />Photo of <a href="http://onehotstove.blogspot.com/2009/10/tandoori-style-tofu.html">Tandoori Style Tofu</a><br />from One Hot Stove</p><p>Of course, eating vegan is about much more than how the food tastes, but that doesn't mean you can't find some drool-worthy recipe ideas that are vegan. I'm not even a vegetarian, but I still get delighted when I see an interesting cooking idea that uses food in an unusual way, and vegan cooks are some of the most creative around. I'm talking about things like the <a href="http://veganvisitor.wordpress.com/2009/10/09/crispy-roasted-kale/">Crispy Roasted Kale</a> from Vegan Visitor, <a href="http://onehotstove.blogspot.com/2009/10/tandoori-style-tofu.html">Tandoori Style Tofu</a> from One Hot Stove, or <a href="http://bittersweetblog.wordpress.com/2009/10/11/sweet-and-sour/">Coconut Kefir Cheesecake</a> from Bittersweet. Don't forget that every type of vegetable, fruit, grain, nut, seed, herb, and spice is vegan, which gives a realm of possibility for interesting recipe creations.</p><p><a href="http://s193.photobucket.com/albums/z10/kalynskitchen/?action=view¤t=3998913116_7ddb2d5525.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z10/kalynskitchen/3998913116_7ddb2d5525.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br />Photo of <a href="http://bittersweetblog.wordpress.com/2009/10/11/sweet-and-sour/">Coconut Kefir Cheesecake</a><br />from Bittersweet</p><p>Don't take my word for it though. Go check out some of the blogs that have participated in VeganMoFo over the last three years. You'll see lots of creative recipe ideas that would be right at home in your kitchen, whether or not you're a vegan.</p><p>~<a href="http://kitteekake.blogspot.com/2009/09/vegan-mofo-iii-2009-edition.html">Vegan Month of Food list of participants 2009</a></p><p>~<a href="http://theppk.com/blog/2008/09/16/veganmofo-is-upon-us/">Vegan Month of Food list of participants 2008</a></p><p>~<a href="http://theppk.com/blog/2007/11/02/vegan-mofo/">Vegan Month of Food list of participants 2007</a></p><p>If you have a vegetarian or vegan blog that isn't on one of those lists, we'd love to know about it. Please leave a comment telling us about your blog, and share the link.</p><p>Kalyn Denny also blogs at <a href="http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/">Kalyn's Kitchen</a>, where she's focused on creating low-glycemic recipes using fresh ingredients. Kalyn's blog has a lot of vegan recipes, but her favorite is probably <a href="http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2008/08/vegan-tomato-salad-recipe-with-cucumber.html">Vegan Tomato Salad with Cucumber, Avocado, Cilantro, and Lime</a>.</p> ]]> |
| Obama Administration Support for PATRIOT ACT Renewal Worries Civil Libertarians
October 11, 2009 at 8:14 pm
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| | <![CDATA[<p>Last week, the US Senate Judiciary Committee approved a <a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:S.1692:">bill</a> reauthorizing controversial provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act that, according to civil libertarians, unnecessarily compromise American citizens' privacy rights. What's worse, the legislation reportedly has the support of the Obama administration, despite the fact that its most troubling provisions were opposed by then-Sen. Obama in 2005.</p><p>The PATRIOT ACT (full name: Uniting and Strengthening America By Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001) was <a href="http://epic.org/privacy/terrorism/usapatriot/#introduction">first enacted</a> in the weeks following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. The law gives government unprecedented powers to intercept and monitor American citizens' private communications, often without being required to obtain court approval or disclose the activity to the persons being monitor. Civil liberties advocates sought to check some of the most intrusive provisions by inserting sunset provisions. Three of those provisions were set to expire this year–including the power given to the FBI to obtain our financial records simply by issuing a<a href="http://www.cdt.org/publications/policyposts/2009/15#3"> National Security Letter</a> (NSL) stating that it's relevant to an investigation. </p><p><script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[oc_host_url = "http://www.opencongress.org/";oc_bill_id = "111-s1692";oc_frame_height = "232";oc_bgcolor = "ffffff";oc_textcolor = "333333";oc_bordercolor = "999999";// ]]></script><script src="http://www.opencongress.org/javascripts/bill_status.js" type="text/javascript"></script></p><p>Leslie Harris, who heads the Center for Democracy and Technology, recalls that in 2005, Sen. Obama supported higher standards for issuing NSLs, but Pres. Obama's administration urged the Senate to leave things be:</p><p><blockquote>As a Senator, Obama favored raising the standard for issuing an NSL to require a link between the records sought and a terrorist, spy, or other agent of a foreign power. Yet the Obama Administration opposed an even weaker standard â€" one that would require that the government draft an internal statement of "specific and articulable facts" showing that the information sought was somehow relevant to an investigation. Instead, according to the deliberations of the Judiciary Committee, the Administration favored a mere relevance standard.<br /><br />Read more at: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leslie-harris/obama-versus-obama-on-the_b_315638.html" target="_blank_">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leslie-harris/obama-versus-obama-on-the_b_315638.html</a></blockquote></p><div style="float:left;margin-right:5px;"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/default.aspx?term=PATRIOT ACT&iid=5434782" target="_blank"><img src="http://cdn.picapp.com/ftp/Images/3/2/d/0/Senate_Holds_Hearing_91ce.jpg?adImageId=5159814&imageId=5434782" border="0" alt="Senate Holds Hearing On FBI Misuse Of Patriot Act" width="500" height="335" /></a></div><p><script src="http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/PicAppPIS/JavaScript/PisV4.js" type="text/javascript"></script></p><p>Another expiring provision, known as <a href="http://w2.eff.org/patriot/sunset/215.php">Section 215</a>, allows the FBI to obtain a secret order from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) Court demanding records that are deemed relevant to an investigation. The FBI could get court authorization to demand certain private records before, but Section 215 expanded that power while requiring less in the way of justification. A few years ago, the Electronic Frontier Foundation <a href="http://w2.eff.org/patriot/sunset/215.php">argued</a>:</p><blockquote><p>Section 215 violates your Constitutional right to privacy under the Fourth Amendment, by allowing the FBI to search through your most personal information–including financial records, medical records, student records, even your library records–without ever having to prove that they have probable cause to suspect you of a crime, or even that your records are relevant to an investigation.</p></blockquote><p>The third provision has to do with something called "<a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/pen-register">pen registers</a>" and "<a href="http://itlaw.wikia.com/wiki/Trap_and_trace_device">trap and trace devices</a>. (TATD)" Pen registers record electronic pulses, and are used to collect numbers from outgoing phone calls. TATDs capture "non-content" information from telecommunications systems, such as IP addresses and routing information. Law enforcement officials can get orders for these devices without a warrant under current law.</p><p>Marcy Wheeler <a href="http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/10/10/obamas-bipartisanship-hiding-behind-jeff-sessions-when-eliminating-civil-rights-protections/">reports</a> that the definition of "non-content" is becoming slippery, since it includes, for example, the subject lines of emails.</p><p>Now here is the crazy part of all of this. Wheeler cites <a href="http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/08/judiciary-panel-approves-patriot-act-sections/">reporting</a> by the New York Times that the Obama administration worked with administration critic Jeff Sessions (R-AL) to insert provisions into the Senate bill that limited judges' discretion in evaluating the FBI's justification for installing pen registers and TATD devices. Another Sessions amendment made it harder to protect library records from investigation. Wheeler <a href="http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/10/10/obamas-bipartisanship-hiding-behind-jeff-sessions-when-eliminating-civil-rights-protections/">sounds the alarm</a>:</p><blockquote><p>They absolutely gutted the minimization procedures tied to pen registers! Pen registers are almost certainly the means by which the government is conducting the data mining of American people (using the meta-data from their calls and emails to decide whether to tap them fully). And Jeff Sesssionsâ€"I mean Barack Obamaâ€"simply gutted any requirement that the government get rid of all this meta-data when they’re done with it. They gutted any prohibitions against sharing this information widely. In fact, they’ve specified that judges should only require minimization procedures in extraordinary circumstances. Otherwise, there is very little limiting what they can do with your data and mine once they’ve collected it.</p></blockquote><p>Patrick Leahy, (D-VT) issued a <a href="http://leahy.senate.gov/press/200910/100809a.html">statement</a> calling attention to provisions in the bill that protect civil liberties:</p><blockquote><p>I remain mindful of our responsibility to ensure both security and liberty as we proceed. All of us know that the threats to Americans’ safety are real and continuing. Our bill will provide the tools that are being used to protect us, while increasing the protections of our vital constitutional rights, as well. The bill we consider today will serve to extend the authorization of the three expiring Patriot Act provisions requested by the administration. We also provide for increased Government accountability requiring audits and reviews of how these vast authorities are being used. I will include in the record an outline of the accountability measures we include in the Sunset Extension Act.</p></blockquote><p>But fellow Judiciary Committee member Russ Feingold (D-WI) <a href="http://feingold.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=318804">is disappointed</a>:</p><blockquote><p>“The PATRIOT Act reauthorization bill passed by the Judiciary Committee today falls far short of adequately protecting the rights of innocent Americans. Among the most significant problems is the failure to include an improved standard for Section 215 orders, even though a Republican controlled Judiciary Committee unanimously supported including the same standard in 2005. But what was most upsetting was the apparent willingness of too many members to defer completely to behind the scenes complaints from the FBI and the Justice Department, even though the administration has yet to take a public position on any of the improvements that I and other senators have proposed. We should, of course, carefully consider their perspective, but it is our job to write the law and to exercise independent judgment. After all, it is not the Prosecutors’ Committee; it is the Judiciary Committee. And while I am left scratching my head trying to understand how a committee controlled by a wide Democratic margin could support the bill it approved today, I will continue to work with my colleagues to try to make improvements to this bill.â€</p></blockquote><p>The next step for the reauthorization bill is a vote before the full Senate. You can track the bill's progress at <a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-s1692/show">OpenCongress.org</a>.</p> ]]> |
| Thoughts on Moving Into a New Place
October 11, 2009 at 7:30 pm
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| Moving to a new place is always an interesting proposition. I've been thinking about moving into Washington, DC (from my current location in Alexandria, Va) for quite a while. It's been on my mind for at least a year -- right around this time last October when my roommate and I started talking about whether we were going to re-sign our apartment lease for another year. I gave my roommate the option of moving out with me but she's not ready to leave this area yet. And I certainly have nothing against Alexandria -- in fact, I think it's a great place to live. Beautiful, safe, all that. I just need a change. In addition to needing a change, another factor is my commute -- since I started my new job a few weeks ago, my commute is longer. If I lived in DC, I'd be closer to my workplace. And spending less time traveling is always a good thing. Aside from the shorter commute, a big motivator for finding a new place to live is that I want to see what it's like to actually live in the city. Not just close, or right over the border, and not just working in the city or traveling there on a regular basis. Living there. I've spent some time researching apartment options. I admit that I'm opposed to moving in with someone I don't know (even though it would definitely be cheaper), so I'm looking for a place by myself. My current roommate and I get along pretty well, but I'm looking forward to living by myself again. The only problem is, with the amount I'm willing to spend on rent, my options are pretty much limited to studio apartments. While I know there are plenty of people who live in studios and they like it just fine, and there can be creative ways to hide the bed from the main living area, it's just not my first choice. Even though I'm just one person, and I could do it if I had to, I'd much rather have my bed in a separate room, even if the bedroom was just a tiny, closet-sized space. I've been lucky -- once I started letting my local friends know that I'm apartment searching, I've been receiving all kinds of input and advice. It's great to be able to ask people for their opinion and receive tips on specific apartments in my price range and areas of the city that they think I might like. (I would also like to note that one of those people is a DC police officer, and he's already offered to give me safety/crime-related information about the areas I'm interested in. Gotta love having a wide variety of acquaintances!) But when it comes down to it, I'm the one who will make the final decision. Either it's going to feel right or it won't. I'll know when the time comes. Related Reading: I've been checking out my local Apartment Therapy site for decorating ideas and bookmarking posts that I like. Urban Sardines shared photos of a studio apartment that she admires. At Decor8, a writer shares her need to do some cleaning and organizing in her small apartment. (Contributing editor Zandria blogs at Zandria.us.) |
| Christian Conference features an All-Female Speaking Roster
October 11, 2009 at 10:19 am
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| As I write this is the final day of Christianity 21 – a new kind of conference for A New Kind of Christian. C21 featured an entirely female speaking roster, but was not a women's conference. (I know, shocking!) In fact, it has been reported that the men who are normally the big name speakers at these gigs (Doug Pagitt, Shane Clairborne, etc.) were all happily staffing the welcome tables and passing out the nametags. I know, pinch me, right? I will be the first to admit that one of the reasons I drifted away from the Emergent church movement was because I would meet all these amazing, progressive women at the conferences – and then walk into the main auditorium to watch the men speak. To be fair, there were loads of women presenting in the workshops. There were even some on the main stage. And yet, at every conference the women folk would also sit-in on sessions in which we explained to the men how systemic patriarchy –even within the emerging church – was still marginalizing women. At the last such conference I attended I remember sitting next to the very egalitarian Mark Oestreicher and saying, "I feel really sad, and I think it's because I can't believe I'm still explaining this." Shortly after that event it became clear to me that this was not my work. I began to see that I was called not to reform patriarchal structures from within, but to support women who were doing the reformational work outside of the organized church. So I said a bittersweet goodbye to the Emergent church and waited at a distance to see what happened. Good things, it turns out. My sisters who were called to stay and keep up the good work (and the brothers who "got it" and supported them) have broken some terrific ground. So it is with much pride and admiration that I features some of those women here today. All of these women spoke at Century 21, and all of them are doing innovative, progressive, creative work within church structures and/or within religious publishing. This collection features the handful who blog, and whom I know personally--either in real life or through our virtual connections. At their blogs you will find theology, motherhood, social justice, academic writing, creative writing, knitting…everything about their lives offered in a non-compartmentalized whole. I hope you will find new withmates amongst this circle, and that they will inspire you to live your religious and spiritual beliefs with bravery and gusto. May there be many more such egalitarian conferences in the future! Magpie Girl's Century 21 Round Up: Kelly Bean: author, social justice advocate, and keep of the Third Saturday soultribe in Portland, Oregon. Nadia Bloz-Webber at Sarcastic Lutheran: tattooed lady, pastor of the House for All Saints and Sinners, and author of Salvation on the Small Screen: 24 Hours of Christian Television. Julie Clawson at One Hand Clapping: mom, minister, participant in Emerging Women, and author of Everyday Justice. Makeesha Fisher of Frenetic Peace: graphic designer, co-founder of Generate Magazine, and co-leader of a missional faith community in Fort Collins, Colorado, Revolution. Nanette Sawyer of Perfectly Imperfect: Harvard grad, founding pastor of Wicker Park Grace, and author of Hospitality: Discovering the hidden power of invitation and welcome. Rachelle Mee-Chapman is a soulcare specialist, writer, and mother(ish) to several. Based in Seattle, she's now living the expat life in Copenhagen, Denmark. You can find her at Magpie Girl, follow her on Twitter, or friend her at Facebook. Thanks for being here! |
| The universal design for learning plans for all students
October 10, 2009 at 10:13 pm
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| Teachers have always had students who, for whatever reason, have difficulty participating fully in class. In the past, these students were dismissed as "problem children" or declared unable to learn. Today, however, teachers are increasingly using a set of principles termed the universal design for learning (UDL) to reach all their students. The mainstreaming of students who traditionally would have been placed in self-contained classrooms has led to increasingly diverse classrooms. Among the challenges students and teachers face, according to the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), are these: - Learning disabilities such as dyslexia
- English language barriers
- Emotional or behavioral problems
- Lack of interest or engagement
- Sensory and physical disabilities
Despite the push for national academic standards, classroom instruction cannot be one-size-fits-all. According to CAST, by implementing UDL, teachers provide students with - Multiple means of representation, to give learners various ways of acquiring information and knowledge,
- Multiple means of action and expression, to provide learners alternatives for demonstrating what they know,
- Multiple means of engagement, to tap into learners' interests, offer appropriate challenges, and increase motivation.
You can read the full guidelines, as well as see examples, resources, and research, at the National Center on Universal Design for Learning. The Ohio State University has an excellent definition of UDL as it ought to be applied in higher education: Universal design is an approach to designing course instruction, materials, and content to benefit people of all learning styles without adaptation or retrofitting. Universal design provides equal access to learning, not simply equal access to information. Universal Design allows the student to control the method of accessing information while the teacher monitors the learning process and initiates any beneficial methods. To borrow a phrase from disabilities activists, professors should be "building in" UDL principles rather than "bolting on" accommodations for students who ask for them. Unfortunately, in my experience, this isn't happening as much as it should be, mostly because faculty don't always understand the huge variety of learners in the classroom. Indeed, in a recent survey at my university, faculty expressed a great deal of interest in making all aspects of their courses accessible to students with physical or learning disabilities, but then many said that they had either had one or zero students with disabilities in their classes. Estimates vary, but as much as 10% of the population might have a disability of some kind, so it's unlikely that professors who routinely teach courses of 100 to 300 students would never have had students with disabilities. It's just that those students aren't disclosing their disabilities because in academia, a disability is too often viewed by others as an inability. There are a ton of bloggers, many of them teachers and teachers-in-training, writing about UDL. It's great to see so many people swapping ideas and evidence of learning. Here's a round-up of recent posts: Anita's blog Thinking UDL is packed with interesting posts. I especially enjoyed this piece on ableism and her results on using UDL to help students learn to read. The PATINS Project Rapid Fire blog offers quick tips, tricks, and thoughts on assistive technology. They're building an island in Second Life--go check it out at their open house on October 20. The Assistive Technology Blog from the Virginia Department of Education's Training and Technical Assistance Center offers frequent quick tips and resources on teaching and learning with UDL. Fran Smith's blog Recognizing Differences offers plenty of food for thought regarding technology--assistive or otherwise. Definitely check out her site if you're looking to watch some interesting embedded videos from education and brain research experts. Christine Morano McGee has a thought-provoking post up on Universal Design for Learning and the Arts: Universal Design for Learning offers foundational tenets for truly egalitarian education where no one is marginalized by being labeled as having "special needs or exceptional needs" rather, UDL widens the circle so that every learner is considered unique and has a full compliment of accommodations offered to them to support a holistic educational experience. Accommodations become invisible, embedded in the classroom and integrated into the way we teach and learn. In this same way the art studio classroom allows project based learning and portfolio assessment to be the norm. Students work collaboratively and the teacher becomes a facilitator or guide. Both models move away from lock step "one size fits all" curriculum and instruction mode to a classroom which allows the student to take control of their learning by integrating rich and varied tools that allow for multiple ways of showing knowledge. The studio and UDL embedded technology break down the barrier between teacher and student by making the teacher a facilitator and guide while the student takes active control of their learning. Cynthia Curry has posted at the Maine Learning Technology Initiative about how UDL can serve as a lens for meeting learning needs in the digital age. Dana writes about how assistive technologies are helping new classes of users, including students who are poor readers and writers but who may not have been identified as having a learning disability. Check out the post for a cartoon panel that provides one metaphor for thinking about assistive technologies. What about you? Do you benefit from technologies designed for users with disabilities? (I have a friend, for example, who uses speech-to-text technology to write e-mail or comment on student papers.) What technologies or practices would make it easier for you to learn? And if you teach, how do you make sure you're reaching all students? Leslie Madsen-Brooks develops learning experiences for K-12, university, and museum clients. She blogs at The Clutter Museum, Museum Blogging, and is the founder of Eager Mondays, a consultancy providing unconventional professional development. | | | 
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