87 results for author: Virginia Kirsch

ENOUGH

In this busy season, when do we have enough? Do we have enough decorations on the tree? Have we sent out enough cards? Have we included enough people in our holiday parties? Have we bought enough gifts? When have we done enough? For a good perspective on this question, I would like to share Robin Wall Kimmerer’s experience as a teacher. Dr. Kimmerer was telling the Native American story about The Corn Spirit. The people always had enough corn to eat through the year. Then they got complacent and took it easy, neglecting care of the seeds and soil. That resulted in insufficient food to last through the winter. Students in her New York classroom ...

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

A special part of the holidays is being home, being in a safe place with loved ones. We have the choice as to where we will spend our holidays. But what about the 22.5 million refugees across the globe? They have no choice. Millions of people are leaving their homes because of war, armed conflict, violence and other factors that force them to leave. They cannot safely return to their homes and they are not safe on their journey to find safety. Ninety percent of the world’s refugees are being hosted by only 10 countries, and many of these countries do not have adequate resources to keep refugees fed, housed or safe. Some refugees are surviving ...

WORDS OF GRATITUDE

In this season, it is time to stop and give thanks. I would like to share the Thanksgiving Address as presented by Robin Wall Kimmerer in her beautiful book Braiding Sweetgrass (Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants). Today we have gathered and when we look upon the faces around us we see that the cycles of life continue. We have been given the duty to live in balance and harmony with each other and all living things. So now let us bring our minds together as one as we give greetings and thanks to each other as People. Now our minds are one. We are thankful to our Mother the Earth, for she gives us everything that ...

A COMMUNITY CARES FOR ITS CHILDREN

It is deep in our human nature to care for other people. Many years ago that was the only way for people to survive. We humans still come equipped with caring for others or showing empathy. A good example of one community showing empathy for all its children and teachers is Marathon, Wisconsin. Caring citizens in Marathon, Wisconsin established the Marathon School District Endowment Fund. In the years since its beginning, this fund has supported projects throughout the Marathon School District. The Endowment Fund has given tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships to college-bound students. Grants have been given to teachers for projects ...

MORE AND BETTER CHILD CARE IS NEEDED IN MARATHON COUNTY

Recently I heard Julie Burmesch (retired educator) talk about the importance of quality child care. One dollar invested in quality child care produces $4 in stable and healthy adults. Within the first 3 years of a child’s life, 80 per cent of the brain development occurs. By the time a child is 5, 85 per cent of his brain is developed. Environmental triggers can activate certain genetic tendencies. Children need quality child care and enough food and water to fully develop their brain and be ready for school. The first 3 years are very important. It is like growing a tree and nourishing it in the early stages. If the pathways to the brain are ...

CHANGE OF HEART?

The other day I was reading Krista Tippett’s blog ON BEING. I was surprised that she interviewed Glenn Beck who says he has had a change of heart. Beck has acknowledged his role in the damaged state of our nation. Krista Tippett spoke with Glenn on May 11, 2017 as part of her Civil Conversation project. They talked about what it will take to heal the divisions in our nation. Glenn Beck now broadcasts on The Blaze, a multi-platform news and entertainment network that he founded. Beck is concerned that Donald Trump could go totalitarian, but he may be a “decent president.” However, Beck said that no person “should ever make the American ...

MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Many people across our country are organizing to hold on to our democracy and to rebuild our country. Here are some examples. Paula Lugar of Wisconsin writes: “In 2011, I retired from 22 years of working in special education for a metropolitan Minnesota school district, ending my 37 year career as an occupational therapist employed to work with kids and families. I am taking a year to decide what comes next in my life after the August, 2016, death of my husband of 40 years. My exploration is informed by the core ethics of Permaculture: Care of People, Care of Earth and Share the Surplus. The focus of my actions varies from day to day with a ...

ON THE BOOKSHELF

ROUGHNECK GRACE (Farmer Yoga, Creeping Codgerism, Apple Golf, and other Brief Essays from on and Off the Back Forty) was written by Michael Perry. Michael Perry is a New York Timex Bestselling Author. He lives in rural Wisconsin with his wife and daughters. He is a first responder with the local fire department. He can be found online at www.sneezingcow.com ROUGHNECK GRACE is a collection of brief essays from his Sunday Wisconsin State Journal column, “Roughneck Grace.” He writes about everything in his life from his chickens to his book tours, from his neighbors to farmer yoga. Here is what it’s like to be on book tour in a New York ...

ALT-RIGHT….THE WHITE SUPREMACY GROUP BUILDING NEW CONSERVATISM

Alt-Right sounds like “all right.” But it is NOT all right. Not at all. This movement, found in the USA as well as Europe, accuses older conservatives of selling out their countries to foreigners. In 2008 Richard Bertrand Spencer coined the term Alternative Right, based on “white identity and the preservation of “Western Civilization.”  Spencer leads the white nationalist think tank National policy Institute. Alt-Right rejects egalitarianism and universalism. From the National Policy institute column, February 2014, “Immigration is a kind a proxy war---and maybe a last stand—for White Americans, who are undergoing a painful ...

WHAT EXACTLY IS THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE?

My Australian relatives have asked me to define the Electoral College. They are trying to figure out how the USA democracy works. Why doesn’t the popular vote count directly for the president? This is what I told them. The Electoral College is made up of 538 electors who votes for the USA President and Vice-President. Voters on November 8 actually choose their state’s electors. The candidates receiving the majority of electoral votes (270) wins the Presidency. The number 538 is the total of the USA 435 Representatives, 100 Senators and 3 electors for the District of Columbia. In Wisconsin, the candidate receiving the most votes takes all ten ...