http://www.progressivekid.com/reader info., ideas, inspiration for raising your progressive kid Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:59:56 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en by Sarah Lane So the City Council of Asheville, North Carolina, wants to keep a man elected to the council, Cecil Bothwell, from being sworn in because he is a nontheist, and the North Carolina Constitution, in direct conflict with the U.S. Constitution, disqualifies for office "First, any person who shall ... http://www.progressivekid.com/reader/index.php/when-less-is-less-universal-exclusion-versus-universal-inclusion/ by Sarah Lane During these two weeks of the Climate Conference in Copenhagen, I think it is time to reach across the great divide between those who believe in climate change and those who don't and link arms. So whether or not you think climate change is happening, whether you believe ... http://www.progressivekid.com/reader/index.php/calling-all-nonbelievers/ by Sarah Lane The Natural Defenses Resource Council, in its article "Bottled Water: Pure Drink or Pure Hype," reports that more than half of all Americans drink bottled water and about one-third of the population drinks it regularly. So Americans are thirsty. Why is this a problem? 1. What's in the ... http://www.progressivekid.com/reader/index.php/the-trouble-with-bottled-water-2/ by Sarah Lane Giving a seasonal gift, whether for Christmas or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, might appropriately be intended for various reasons: to express love, to spread joy, and to share abundance with those in need. It is often, however, done for the following reasons: to fulfill an obligation, to meet an expectation, and to fill a void. In a ... http://www.progressivekid.com/reader/index.php/giving-gifts/ What follows are resources to help you provide a healthier (toxin-free), zero-waste lunch for your child. If you’re just beginning this process, don’t get discouraged. Even by changing a few things you do, you are taking worthwhile steps. As Voltaire says, don’t allow the perfect to be the enemy ... http://www.progressivekid.com/reader/index.php/pack-a-waste-free-lunch/ by Katy Leakey Color and beauty are the thoughts that strike me when I see a Maasai woman. Each morning, as I walk out to greet the women who work with us, I am impressed by their dramatic allure. With their long slender necks, ear and wrists adorned in layers of ... http://www.progressivekid.com/reader/index.php/joy-lives-in-the-sharing/ by Jennifer Calkins Sand colored egg cases litter the Puget Sound Beaches dotting the city of Seattle at low tide.  These cases are produced by Lewis’ moon snails (Polinices lewisii). The mucus emitted to form the egg cases is shaped by the snail’s large foot. If you see the egg cases, ... http://www.progressivekid.com/reader/index.php/interconnections-in-the-intertidal-zone/ by Sarah Townsend I’m scheduled to pick grape leaves tomorrow for a meal that will celebrate locally grown wine and produce. I have been instructed to pick the leaves that are both large enough to stuff and not tough. I know to feel the veins and note the curvature of the ... http://www.progressivekid.com/reader/index.php/individual-ingredients-for-a-community-building-meal/ by Sarah Lane Both President Obama and his former opponent John McCain endorsed "clean coal" as an important element of their energy plans. But "clean coal" is a fairy tale with a very bad ending, as in the Big Bad Wolf eats and digests Little Red Riding Hood and belches out ... http://www.progressivekid.com/reader/index.php/clean-coals-dirty-little-secret/ by Sarah Lane and Julie Hall Our July issue features the dueling and yet associated themes of Independence and Interdependence. As living organisms, we are all more or less independent, able to perform certain functions—swallowing, moving, gripping, looking—on our own, and yet each one of is connected to all others on ... http://www.progressivekid.com/reader/index.php/going-it-alone-together/