Welcome the 111th Congress with a card....

On November 18th, mothers and others across the country will be delivering "welcome" cards to their local Congressional offices, reminding their elected officials that they voted on November 4th to make climate change a priority. Tackling climate change is not only a priority for us, but has more significant implications in terms of the world that our children will inherit.

Gather up your kids, friends and family and join 1Sky and others or organize your own visit to your Members' offices. While you're there, leave behind information about the Mother Agenda and a plate of cookies (always welcomed by the staff!). Click here to sign-up and get all the necessary information.

Say NO to Violence Against Women

Did you know that 1 out of 3 women may suffer from abuse or violence in her lifetime? Click here to watch UN Goodwill Ambassador Nicole Kidman talk about the Say NO to Violence Against Women campaign in a series of three short videos.

Then, join with the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) as they collect 1 million signatures representing people saying “No” to violence against women. On November 25, UNIFEM and Goodwill Ambassador Nicole Kidman will present these signatures to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Take a stand. Add your name and email to the box on the left hand side by November 24. To learn more about the campaign and solutions to the problem, click here.

Raise Your Voice Against Poverty

October 17 is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Add your voice to the chorus calling for the end to global poverty. Take action with:

CARE's National Day of Action: Join CARE and send a strong message to the next President of the United States that Americans care deeply about the plight of the world’s poor. Then, host a National Day of Action event to explore concrete actions we can all take to advance U.S. policies to empower women and end poverty and injustice in one community after another. CARE's website has the resources you need to make your National Day of Action event a resounding success! CARE is hosting events around the world on Oct. 17. To host your own event, view a listing of events or to take action online, click here.

Stand Up: Stand Up with your community – family, friends, coworkers, teammates, classmates, those at your house of worship – along with millions of others around the world against poverty. Stand Up is a global mobilization to end poverty and inequality. Last year, 43.7 million people joined Stand Up worldwide, setting a new world record. This year, we are asking people to Stand Up and Take Action on October 17 through October 19 to ensure governments worldwide hear our demands to end poverty.

We are the first generation to have the tools and resources to end extreme poverty. Let's create true security for our global family and make poverty history!

Knit One, Save One

October is here and there is a briskness to the air. As we start to add layers and hats to keep warm, join Save the Children's Knit One, Save One campaign.

60% of newborn deaths in developing countries can be prevented through some basic health measures, such as keeping a baby warm. That's where the Knit One, Save One campaign comes in. Click here to read more...

Back to School

It's September and children of all ages are back to school. However, there are 72 million children not in school around the world, and the majority of these children are girls.

Join CARE in their Back to School Campaign called Ignite the Girl Effect. Investing in girls' education pays off in so many ways. When girls gain basic skills like reading and writing, they grow up to earn twice as much money as their peers without education. They have fewer and healthier children. And they are more likely to reinvest their earnings in their families and communities. That's the power of education!

Watch a short video called the Girl Effect and then take action. Ask your Member of Congress to pass the Education for All Act.

Click here to watch the movie
Click here to take action

Sign the ONE petition asking party platforms to tackle global poverty!

Senators Daschle and Frist just returned from a trip to Rwanda where they learned some very encouraging things -- due to in large part an increase in bed net and anti-malarial medicine, there has been a 66% drop in deaths from malaria. But there is still much to be done.

In a couple of weeks, Senator Daschle and Frist will be meeting their parties' leaders as they write the policy agenda that will presented at the party conventions in Denver and Minneapolis. Tackling global poverty must be part of these policy priorities.

Sign the ONE petition seen below, and the Senators will deliver your signature when they meet with representatives from the Democratic Republican Parties to ask these political leaders to include extreme poverty and global disease in their 2008 platforms.

The petition: As a proud American, I urge you to make ending extreme poverty and global disease in the developing world a core part of your 2008 platform by including commitments to:

Fight AIDS, TB and malaria and improve basic health services, particularly for mothers and young children

Ensure access to clean water, basic sanitation and sufficient food supplies

Spur economic growth through equitable trade and investment policies

Modernize and increase development assistance, focusing on partnership, transparency and accountability

Achieve universal primary education

As Sen. Daschle says: "My late friend Paul Wellstone was fond of saying that, “The poor don’t have a lobbyist. That’s why I went to Washington.” The hope for a better future that Senator Frist and I saw in Rwanda shows what’s possible when two million of us “go to Washington” on behalf of the world’s poorest people. This summer, together, we have the chance to go to Denver and Minneapolis and show that ending global poverty is a priority for both political parties."

Sign the petition at ONE.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A MINDFUL MAMA?

Check out this exclusive interview with Ani Difranco!

This interview kicks-off the Mindful Mama photo/art/essay contest, inviting moms across the country to speak their mind - and heart - about parenting in today’s world. Over $10,000 in baby gear and eco-friendly prizes will be awarded to top submissions.

Ani DiFranco is a pioneer of women’s music. Nominated for several Grammys, Ani owns her own record label - Righteous Babe Records-and now her own performance venue in her home State, New York. She was recently on NPR’s World Café, Jay Leno, and the cover of Mothering Magazine. Ani is a self-proclaimed feminist, participated in the march for women’s lives in Washington DC in 2004 and was the first musician to be honored with the “Woman of Courage Award” by the National Organization of Women in 2006. Ani’s daughter, Petah, is 18 months old and was born at home.

The grand prize winner of the Mindful Mama contest will be awarded an all expense paid trip to see Ani DiFranco perform in NYC. Two nights at the Westin New York at Times Square, spa package and babysitter included. The runner-up will win a Green Nursery, including stylish furniture, organic crib bedding, a natural crib mattress, non-toxic paint and window coverings.

Category winners will receive top-of-the-line gifts for mom, baby and home.

Prize sponsors of the contest include over 20 companies that are leading the way in health and sustainability for families: BabyBjorn, Baby Planet, Baby Star, Bebe au Lait, Be Present, Britax Bumkins, Ellie’s Homestore by Eco Products, Dansko, Evenflo, Green Nest, Happy Baby, Hunter Douglas, Kushies, Kuster, Lansinoh, Maggie’s Organics, Medela, Moby Wrap, Natracare, Natural Mat, New Chapter, Nordic Naturals, Pangea Organics, RW Knudsen Family, Scandanavian Child, Summer Infant, Traditional Medicinals and World of Good.

For more details on the contest visit www.mindfulmamamagazine.com.

Send submissions to editor@mindfulmamamagazine.com

President Bush urges Congress to pass AIDS funding

This just in from Reuters via our friends at the Global AIDS Alliance.....

WASHINGTON, July 2 (Reuters) - President George W. Bush urged Congress on Wednesday to approve funds to fight AIDS in Africa and other countries, and said the issue was high on his agenda for a Group of Eight summit in Japan next week.

Members of the U.S. Senate sought last week to pass legislation to more than triple funds to fight AIDS, but some Republicans vowed to block it because of its cost.

The House of Representatives has approved its version of the measure which proposes $50 billion in U.S. funds over five years to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

"It's very important that Congress reauthorize this plan," Bush said to reporters ahead of the trip to the July 7-9 G8 summit.

Bush, who has been praised for leading efforts on funding for fighting AIDS in the developing world, said he would press G8 countries as well.

"One of my really important agenda items is going to ... rally our partners to make commitments and meet commitments," Bush said.

"We'll also discuss additional steps to confront some other challenges, such as the need to train health care workers in G8 partners countries in Africa," Bush said.

Bush's President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief or PEPFAR is supplying HIV drugs to 1.73 million people worldwide, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa.

The program, which also includes Vietnam and Haiti, is considered one of Bush's foreign policy successes.

More than 25 million people have died of AIDS since it was first recognized more than a quarter century ago. About 33 million people are infected with HIV, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa where it is spread primarily through heterosexual sex.

(Reporting by Tabassum Zakaria; Editing by Maggie Fox and David Wiessler)

Add your voice in asking the G8 to keep their promise to fight extreme poverty

From our friends at the ONE Campaign....

The Financial Times ran an article yesterday [June 30, 2008] with a lead that could hardly be more alarming: "Leaders of the Group of Eight rich nations are set to backtrack on their landmark pledge at the Gleneagles summit in 2005 to increase development aid to Africa to $25bn a year."

It is astonishing that there is even debate within the G8 as to whether or not they should keep their promises. But the fact that there is a debate adds urgency to our call to the G8 to deliver on their commitments.

Tell the G8 to follow through on their promises -- click here to sign our petition

Petition text:

We call upon you to build on recent success in fighting extreme poverty by delivering your commitments on healthcare, agriculture and education and by helping citizens in developing countries in their efforts to improve governance and fight corruption.

This potential reversal comes at a time when we are seeing results from investments in development. For example, thanks to distribution of bed nets and increased access to anti-malarial drugs, in Rwanda both deaths and cases of malaria have dropped by two-thirds since mid-2006.

As malaria still kills around one million people a year, it is clear that we must replicate success stories like this. But it won’t happen if the G8 backtrack on their commitments.

Please tell the G8 leaders that aid works and is desperately needed.

Thank you for your voice,
Josh Peck, ONE.org

Violence Against Women and Girls Recognized as a Threat to Nations' Security

On Friday, June 20, the UN Security Council approved a resolution (UNSCR 1820) that demands warring governments and factions act to halt violence against women and girls. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who chaired part of the Security Council session, said the world had now recognized that such violence was a threat to nations' security.

"This world body now acknowledges that sexual violence [against women and girls] in conflict zones is indeed a security concern," Rice said. "We affirm that sexual violence profoundly affects not only the health and safety of women but the economic and social stability of their nations."

Violence against women and girls reinforces social and economic barriers that drive poverty -- having experienced sexual violence, women and girls are further marginalized by their communities, are unable to work, complete their education and are put at risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases like HIV/AIDS.

The U.S. Congress is currently considering legislation that would take a more integrated and proactive approach in combating violence against women -- the International Violence Against Women Act. Call your Senators and Representative to urge their co-sponsorship of S. 2279 (introduced by Senators Biden and Lugar) and H.R. 5927 (introduced by Rep. Berman) and their support it when it comes to a vote.

Walking Lightly... A Portrait of Einstein

Join Len Barron and MAU on Saturday, June 21 at 8pm at a performance of Walking Lightly... A Portrait of Einstein at the Boulder High School Auditorium.

Boulder, CO, May 30, 2008 – In honor of his 75th birthday, long time Boulder resident Len Barron will perform his legendary play Walking Lightly … A Portrait of Einstein at Boulder High School Auditorium on Saturday, June 21 at 8 pm. This event will be a fundraiser for Mothers Acting Up, a national organization he has supported and volunteered with since it was launched in Boulder in 2002.

“Walking Lightly” explores both the genius and the humanity of the illustrious physicist, Albert Einstein, whose work reshaped our understanding of space, time and gravity. This 80-minute, one-man performance receives high praise for its lighthearted, informative and human story of one of the great men of the twentieth century. Since 1989, Barron’s portrayal of Time magazine’s “Man of the Century” has continued to delight a wide range of audiences throughout the country. Barron believes, "The root of Einstein’s character was a childlike quality he maintained for all his years."

Mothers Acting Up was started by four mothers in Boulder and has spread to all fifty states and twenty-three countries. MAU inspires and mobilizes mothers to advocate on behalf of the world’s children.

For more information about Walking Lightly... A Portrait of Einstein, read the article that appeared in Friday's Daily Camera. Read about Len in Sunday's Colorado Daily.

Boulder High School Auditorium, Saturday, June 21, 8:00 pm
Tickets Available in Boulder at:
Jacque Michelle, 2670 Broadway
Boulder Bookstore, 1107 Pearl St
In Denver: Hermitage Antiquarian Bookshop, 290 Fillmore
Cost: $20 & $15 seniors/students
For more information, contact: Joellen Raderstorf, joellen@mothersactingup.org, 303-474-1286.

Generously sponsored by: Diane Israel, Dave Query, Polly and Mark Addison and Roche Colorado

Len Barron embodies the characteristics of an individual who lives a life of integrity and imagination. He presents a model of living for all of us to follow, one that emphasizes the importance of fairness, beauty, and playfulness… he reminds us that community, joy and connections to one another and to our place are what matters.
- Dr. Rebecca Lucas, Maryville College

The response of Len Barron’s audience was extraordinary. All ages were entranced by his style and wit and educated by his information.
- Michael Alexander, Boston Science Museum

Your “Walking Lightly … A Portrait of Einstein” theatre performance brought out the warmth, humor, and depth of character of Einstein. So much so that the audience could believe he was right there in person.
- Roberta Depp, Mamie Dowd Eisenhower Public Library

Principles In Practice.

Go green by making your own household cleaners.

Raiding the Pantry to Add Sparkle and Shine

Hiroko Masuike for The New York Times

NO MORE MYSTERY Danielle Hughes, center, holds a party at her brokerage firm to make cleaning products because she thinks store-bought ones triggered her asthma and eczema.

By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.

Published: May 22, 2008

“MICHELLE, would you like to head up the creamy soft-scrub team?”

Skip to next paragraph

Related

Whipping Up a Batch of Furniture Polish (May 22, 2008)

Lars Klove for The New York Times

With that call to arms, the women in Laura Gosa’s kitchen in Jersey City fell to, blending the ingredients spread out on her counters like so many blasts from Grandma’s preindustrial past: baking soda, borax, Castile soap, lemon oil, vinegar, glycerin and other staples of the all-natural armamentarium.

These women weren’t interested in buying green products....(more)

Mother's Day wrap up!

Dearest Joy Warriors & Apron String Revolutionaries; The MAU Mother's Day stories and photographs keep rolling in! Thousands of mothers acting up gathered in cities and hamlets across the nation to celebrate the day in the spirit of Julia Ward Howe: advocating for the world's children. We've gone public with press aplenty, witnesses to the powerful force that is mother leadership! And in a year when many events partnered with 1Sky on their collective Mother's Day Action, it's no surprise that the weather played a large role in the festivities. Here are a few reports: From Teresa in Snohomish, WA: Our Mother's Day Gathering for Peace was a huge success! We had well over 125 people and it didn't rain! Our tradition is to have a girl/woman from every decade read a portion of the Mother's Day Proclamation by stepping up onto a tree stump. We even had our spry, mid-70s grandmother step proudly up on the stump! From Kate in Northern Michigan: A great group of area women came together to celebrate and collaborate during our annual Northern Michigan MAU Mother's Day event. This year, we focused on a simple recipe for success with our theme, "Just Add Water." We honored five local women who have been passionate advocates for our lakes and rivers, and were fortunate enough to hear their inspiring stories of activism. Our bazaar brought in $8,000 -- a fantastic kick off toward our $14,000 goal to bring a PlayPump well system to a village in Tanzania. From Paige in Nashville: Gale force winds (up to 30 miles per hour) radically altered our plans for our 3rd Annual Peace Parade. Two trees fell while we were at the park to set up. Mother Nature was to be respected and lived with in all her wonder. We opted to go out for coffee instead of setting up, then gathered for our parade and cake and a spirited reading of the proclamation. We had a surprisingly large crowd, given the weather. It was wild and great and we went from one stilt walker last year to two this year. We nearly blew away. But didn't. From Juliana in Boulder: Mother's Day began the week before in Boulder with Girlcotts celebrating local fair trade stores, a performance of (M)other and Janna on TV! Then on Sunday, the Raging Grannies led a parade of stilt-walkers and strollers to gather for music, kids activities, cake and a thousand fair trade roses from Transfair/USA. Eight other organizations joined MAU in the celebration; talking with participants and hearing the eloquent words of MAU Co-founder Erica Shafroth and Jen Parsons. The entire crowd enjoyed stirring music from Danea Shanti and Ancestral Voices, including a troop of belly dancers! A festival atmosphere prevailed, culminating in an hour-long interview with Dr. Daddio! From Kate in Bend, OR: I am very inspired and unbelievably satisfied: we had a splendid Reclaiming Mother's Day event. Our first annual MAU celebration of Julia Ward Howe's original vision started off with gusts of wind, snow and chilly temps. No matter though: families still came to picnic, play and participate in the movement. David in Oklahoma City: In the midst of a rainy month we were blessed with an absolutely beautiful sunny afternoon and had a crowd of 75-100 people -- women, men and children -- who enjoyed being on the grass and even under a large shade tree, so everyone stayed comfortable. [We had] a wonderful speech by State Senator Connie Johnson, whose birthday it also happened to be. Our two elementary-school essay contest winners read what they had written on the subject, "I Want To Live In a World In Which . . . " and they each received $40 in gift certificates for their efforts. Laura in Austin, TX: Adorned in colorful tutus, feathers, and flowers, Austin mamas marched across the pedestrian bridge, which spans our beautiful Town Lake, declaring, "There ain't no power like the power of the mama, and the power of the mama don't stop!" Cheers to mamas, papas, mini-MAUs and all who answered Julia's call to "Arise!" Yours for the JOYFUL revolution, The Mavens at MAU Central P.S. MAU Central gives a huge shout out to Paige for all the encouragement, support and guidance she dispatched along the planning route to Reclaiming Mother's Day. On June 1 MAU Central will say goodbye to Paige as Outreach Coordinator, sending love and blessings to her next adventure. On behalf of all MAUs who have been touched by her spirit, we thank Paige for her incredible leadership, passion, exuberance and her wonderful laugh! We hope to hear it often in the years to come...

Barack Obama sits down with BlogHer....

In breaking news over the weekend, presidential candidate Barack Obama is the first and only of all invited candidates to sit down on camera to answer policy questions from BlogHer, a growing force of women / mama power on the internet.

Northern Michigan MAUs purchase Play Pump.

From Kate & Copland, Northern Michigan MAU community organizers:

We did it!

Congratulations MAU supporters! Thanks to your dedication to the health and welfare of the world's children, we can celebrate reaching our $14,000 goal to purchase an entire PlayPump well system for a village in South Africa. Thanks to the compassion of our community, we are able to give 2,500 people safe water, and as a result, we are helping girls get the most valuable gift-- an opportunity for education (because they will no longer need to spend a large portion of their day traveling to gather water).


We are so grateful to our volunteers and everyone who attended the tea or donated to the PlayPumps initiative. Remember to check our website for updates, information and other good stuff from Mothers Acting Up: www.nmmothersactingup.com (you can also subscribe to our blog, and will get email notification when we update it)!

In spirited partnership,
Kate and Copland

Boulder MAU on tee vee!!

Boulder MAU Maven Janna Vance and Lillian appear on 7News, KMGH Denver channel 7.

Portland, OR MAUs and Hip Mamas on Mother's Day.

Healthy Child, Healthy World.

No one organization will make the changes we need to be and see in order to have the world's children best cared for. That's why it's so very important to know the truth of We're all in this together! It will take all hands on deck from domestic to international efforts, sometimes one baby step at a time, to co-create the kind of world and social environment that we want for our children. ALL our children.

Here's but just one such domestic organization's message of hope.

The moms came marching one by one....

Publish Date: 5/12/2008

Jennifer Parsons of Longmont helps her daughter Sedona, 1, wipe her eye Sunday before the start of the seventh annual Mothers Acting Up parade in downtown Boulder. Janna Vance of Longmont, right, and Parsons are members of Longmont Moms Go Green. Lewis Geyer/Times-Call

Mom Movement
125 gather in Boulder to march for a better future

By Scott Rochat
Longmont Times-Call

BOULDER — The moms came marching one by one — and then some.

About 125 people paraded through Boulder on Sunday, from moms on stilts to kids in strollers. It was Mother’s Day and that meant it was time for Mothers Acting Up to go on the march.

“We’re just having a lot of fun out here, while doing something worthwhile for everyone,” said Isabel Cousins of Boulder, wearing a bike helmet that had been turned into a crown of flowers, with bright purple and orange blooms.

Mothers Acting Up got its start seven years ago...(more)