InSpiritry

For two decades, Americans have romanced the idea of money.

First, it was the dot-com boom with twenty-somethings turning into millionaires overnight. Then came the housing bubble with charming neighborhood homes being torn down to build McMansions. Later, morning talk programs were eclipsed by financial news shows with live stock market feeds. Late night television followed with Mad Money’s Kramer becoming a national celebrity.  Year by year, credit cards replaced savings accounts as individual safety nets. Leverage became the new business plan. More and more college students were graduating with enormous school loans. America piously preached democracy and capitalism to other countries, then proved the limits of that system with our own avarice. Washington was no different. To repay campaign donations, politicians owed lobbyists their livelihoods. Even the U.S. government became mired in debt, and, internationally, we earned the label of the biggest debtor nation.

Is it any wonder that the stock market and the American economy are crashing down around us?

But, despite the gloom and doom from Wall Street, despite our own personal crises, despite the political rhetoric, all is not lost.  (more…)

“I suddenly wanted something to read about women,

but I couldn’t find anything.”

Poet Judy Grahn

Sanctuary 

In Austin, Texas, on the corner of 12th and Lamar, there is a small shop that, for years, has been one of the sanctuary places in my life. Its bright storefront display promotes a wide variety of items:  feminist biographies, environmental photojournalism, insightful children’s books, progressive political commentary and gifts promoting peace. Entering customers, especially women, are welcomed home. Behind the counter sits owner, Susan Post, an unassuming woman with eyes as soft as her voice. When asked, she will speak of her unwavering dedication to feminism and her heart for writers. The shop I speak of is Book-woman, one of only a handful of independent feminist bookstores in the country and the only one in Texas.  A store devoted to improving women’s lives–what better way to live out a Passion for the Greater Good? (more…)

          Imagine that the world had invented a new “dream product” to feed and immunize everyone born on Earth. Imagine also that it was available everywhere, required no storage or delivery — and helped mothers to plan their families and reduce the risk of cancer.
Then imagine that the world refused to use it.
Towards the end of this century of unprecedented discovery and invention, even as scientists discover the origins of life itself, this scenario is not, alas, a fiction. The “dream product” is human breast milk, available to us all at birth, and yet we are not using it.– UNICEF

With that thought in mind, this past week, there was a happy bit of medical news : (more…)