Category: rise up!

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Seriously

So, I was thinking that I would go in a different direction with this blog. Something outside of the realm of citizen action. At the time I made this decision, I believed that we were going to elect our first female POTUS and continue with another 8 years of change for the better. At that time, I did not realize that we would be left with the most horrible man in that position. A man that is the antithesis of positive change. A man that would rather build a wall than build bridges.

With that – I feel that the original focus of rise up buffalo needs to remain. This space needs to be a place that residents can come to see what is happening in the city of Buffalo and the surrounding area. A listing of current and future events. Posts that discuss topics of interest to the activist community. Moving forward I will try to be more prolific in keeping rise up buffalo updated. I will also be looking for assistance in this effort.

Rise up buffalo has been around for quite a while (10 years as of 18 May 2016!), but has not been active for a while now. This is mainly due to my inability to keep things moving on my own. I have been busy with other things, but there are really no excuses. Going forward I promise to be more on top of the goings on in Western New York activism. As I said above, I could really use some help with this. I am always looking for guest posters, so please let me know if you would like to volunteer some of your words to the cause.

We must stay vigilant and continue to be allies to one another. Now, more than ever, it is important to keep our marginalized friends and family members safe. Continuing to be up to date with the activist community is a good step in that direction. Thank you for joining me on this renewed journey. Our new POTUS may end up being a devastating force, but together we can keep ALL of our leaders in check. We can write letters and make phone calls and assemble in the streets to peacefully resist the future direction of the this most wonderful country. At the root of it all, we are a great country, we just need to be sure that every single citizen has an equal voice and equal rights as we move into the future and away from our disgusting past.

Peace and happy organizing!

Chantale (aka hippiegrrl)

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You Better Vote

“I was just a girl, in a room full of women, licking stamps and laughing. I remember the feeling of community brewing, of democracy happening.” – Ani Difranco – Paradigm

The election is in 3 days. As I sit here at the coffeehouse and think about all the years of struggle that women in the United States of America have had to endure just to get to a point of almost being equal to men, I realize that although we have a woman as nominee of a major party for the first time in history, the actual historical moment is being downplayed. It is being under-emphasized. It is being overrun by a man and a party that do not want to let go of their power. They cannot imagine a world in which the United States of America is no longer theirs, alone. No longer the nation of straight, white, wealthy, men. It is a true melting pot. And in 3 days, it will be a nation where anyone – regardless of their sex organs and gender representation – can be the leader. A nation where, only 8 years ago, we finally smashed the restriction of race to this highest post. A nation that can now, finally, continue to smash the white privileged patriarchy that we all suffer under.

The election is in 3 days and although it seems like an eternity to wait it is nothing compared to the 94 years we have waited, since the day that we were given the right to cast our vote. Nothing compared to the 144 years that women had to wait for that right in the first place. Nothing compared to the 72 years that suffragettes waited from the beginning of the movement to the day they were allowed to legally cast a vote. In 3 days, all this waiting will finally be for a reason, rather than always being for naught. We will finally win the highest office in the land. Then, finally, some real shit will get done around here.

The election is in 3 days and Secretary Clinton is already poised to be one of the most effective Presidents in our country’s history. She has already fought for the rights of women and children for decades and she will continue this work in the West Wing. She will continue to ensure that women have the right to reproductive care and autonomy over their bodies. She will continue to fight for the education of our youth and training for those currently in or returning to the workforce. She will continue to keep our country safe and fight for the rights of the disabled, low income families, the lgbtq community, and continue the fight for racial justice. She will fight for the rights of all, regardless of sex, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, ability, or age. This is what we truly need for the next 4 (or 8!) years. Our country needs to be able to continue down the President Obama path. We need to continue to improve our employment numbers and secure the rights of all people. We need Secretary Clinton to be President Clinton.

The election is in 3 days and the future of our country hangs in the balance. If you are thinking about skipping the voting booth, you are making a mistake. If you are thinking about voting for Donald Trump, you are a racist, full stop. Do the right thing. Make your way to the polls and vote for Secretary Clinton. Let’s make this happen, together. The choice is clear. We must let the bigots know that we will not stand for their way of life. We must let them know that the United States of America is no longer for them. It is for those of us that care about each other regardless of what we look like. The United States of America is not for racists or sexists or homophobes or transphobes or xenophobes. It is not for people who cannot see the value of every human being. Or at least, in 3 days, my hope is that we will see that it is not for these people. Let’s make sure that this nation does not turn into a nation of hate, but remains a nation of hope. Let’s make sure we continue to grow and evolve and allow our citizens to dwell in a nation where each of us is free to practice our religion, practice our traditions, and practice our love in peace. That is what the United States of America is all about. Freedom. Let’s keep it that way by voting for Secretary Clinton.

Peace and happy voting!

Chantale (aka hippiegrrl)

Please vote – so much is at stake.

A video for your viewing/listening pleasure:

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Changing Things Up

As you can see, it has been quite a while since the last official post here at Rise Up Buffalo. We have been busy working on other projects and getting locked out of our accounts, but we are ready to pick up where we left off, with a few tweaks to the original theme. Rise Up Buffalo was originally created to be a resource for the Buffalo, NY activist community. Our main goal was to inform the activist community on matters of importance. To spur actions and continue the growth of community building in the city. In the past 5 years, we feel that Twitter has become a major source of this type of community building. The opportunities for activist outreach through Twitter are endless. Coupled with other social media outlets, Twitter has been an excellent resource and continues to move change in Buffalo and across the planet. Humans writing pieces on blogs cannot keep up with the minute to minute nature of actions and Twitter was really made for that type of interaction.

Having said this, it seems that Rise Up Buffalo needs a change of focus. Instead of maintaining a standard of information gathering and dissemination for current actions, we feel that it can be a repository for nostalgia in the Buffalo community. So, as we stated back in March, we want to move forward with the writing series listed on the Series Up pages. This will become the main focus of Rise Up and we hope that you will join us on this new leg of our journey. All submissions are welcome! Please read more about this series and contact us with questions. In the meantime, be on the lookout for the first installment of Buffalo, Then, coming in November.

Peace, love, and activism,
Chantale

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Nice To See You! How Have You Been?

I realize that it has been almost a year since the last update here at rise up buffalo.  To my readers, I am truly sorry.  Life has become chock full of things to be done and this web journal had to be put on the back burner for a bit.  I should have mentioned that, but sometimes life takes off before you have time to give notice.  Anyway – we are back now and hopefully there will be weekly updates of goodness for you to ingest.  

Here are some of the things that have been happening elsewhere, but are, in many ways, connected to rise up buffalo:

For all you gender studies folks, and those of you that could use a couple lessons in gender studies, we present not just girls, a place to learn and pass it on.

Are you interested in wiping out hatred? Squashing bullying? Eliminating racism and discrimination? Join us at Hatred Be Gone where we will attempt to put a positive spin on the negativity that comes from discrimination and hatred. Moving toward a world without hatred. This includes the hatred perpetrated by those that are discriminating in the name of religious beliefs. This is the worst type of hatred, couched in the words of scripture or a system of belief. Hatred Be Gone! Poof!

hippiegrrl explains it all is up and running! We are finally on our own server. All the old posts from Backwash.com are archived here, as well as the new goodness. Please pop by and check it out when you have a moment to spare.

In the future we will have a landing page for all the “hippiegrrl” properties, but for now we are scattered across the interwebs. Safe travels and see you again soon!

Peace,
Chantale

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The Internet and Procrastination

I start off on a good note. Looking things up. Reading articles. Doing schoolwork. And then, all of a sudden, something happens. Like a shiny coin in the corner of a webpage, I see a link that takes me away from my original thought. I follow this link and begin reading other articles. Eventually, an hour later, I realize that I am off on a completely different track than where I began. So is the nature of the Internet. So much stuff, so little time. It would be nice to take it all in and get things accomplished, but I feel like only 30% of my time on the computer is productive. The Internet is the best place for a procrastinator. Even as I am in the middle of doing actual coding homework, I get side tracked and end up doing something other than what I began with. Is this so for others? Or am I just bad at keeping on task? Share with me. Tell me your thoughts…

Peace,
Chantale

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Are you registered?

It is almost time to select our next president. If you are not registered yet, please use this form to do so. We need to band together and keep moving forward.
Our country cannot afford four years of another Republican. We had eight years that got us to where we are and now that we are finally coming out of it, we need to keep going on this better path. Obama will get us further down the road to improvements in our economy while maintaining our rights. Romney, as surrogate for the right wing, crazy conservative, tea party influenced, Republican Party, will take away the rights of women through policies that harm EVERYONE!

Register and then get to the polls! It is your right, your privilege, and your duty to do so.

Peace,
Chantale (aka hippiegrrl)

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Singing as Therapy

Back in the day, when I was in college the first time, I used to be able to work two part time jobs while I was studying. This was partly due to the major that I had chosen. See, even though I loved school, I didn’t really care about going to college. My mother was on my case about it and so I chose the easiest school to get in and the least difficult (for me at least) major. Playing instruments, singing, studying theory, practicing. These were all things that I had been doing since I was 3 years old. Some things (practicing for one) I did grudgingly. My mother had to set the oven timer to thirty minutes in order to keep me seated at the piano for at least that long. This would change in college where, when I was supposed to be practicing my singing, I would sit in the practice room for hours upon hours playing the piano. I guess it was a case of me wanting to do what I wanted to do. Per usual. Just like everything else in my life, if someone said I had to do something, I would choose to do something else. Music was not immune to this attitude.

Something I have come to find out in the past month is that no matter what, music is a saving grace for me. If I feel tired or sad or mad or agitated, I can sit at the piano, play a tune and feel better. It is really the best therapy. I inherited a piano from my maternal grandmother (Nana) that has brought many things to my abode. If I want to have a good cry, all I have to do is sit down at the piano and play “Blue Butterflies” and the waterworks start. I have been able to cry a little less with each rendition, but it still provides a release. I can think about how much I miss my Nana and Papa and the music gives me the push to let it go. After a good cry I like to sing a few tunes, usually of the operatic version, and this perks me up again. The piano also brings with it many memories of lessons (mine and other students) and holidays when the family would want me to play. Of days when I would visit and give in to or deny the request to play. It helps me to remember good times, but also times when I could have been quite a bit nicer. What is one song, really, in the grand scheme of things. Now I wish that I could play one more song on this piano, in the old house. And so it goes.

Music is like a drug. It can be an upper, downer, or maintainer. In college, it served as an escape. Forced rehearsals turned into wonderful occasions when the chorus sounded just right. When everyone was in tune and sounding glorious, it could truly lift ones mood. The addition of massive amounts of caffeine probably also had a lot to do with the up mood, but I am going to give music all the credit. Being in a show or chorus or band is an experience that everyone should be able to partake in at some point in their lives. It is cheaper than therapy and gives one the same outlet. In fact, it is sometimes even better, when you get to play out a “character” that is close to your own personality. Working out your issues on the stage is the ultimate in self absorption and whom but the self absorbed needs therapy? Try it, you will not be disappointed.

Peace,
Chantale

Appropriate links:

music therapy association
why music makes you happy
jamiroquai they always make me happy.

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May Holidays and Changes

This week has been crazy. I began a new job and it has been somewhat overwhelming. I love it, but it is taking me some time to get up to speed. Anyone that knows me knows that I am not good with change or being behind the eight ball. I like to know everything about what I am doing and being “in training” is a very difficult place for me. Pushing through will prove to be rewarding but, in the meantime, it is somewhat disconcerting.

At the same time, mother’s day is hovering. All the commercials are about moms and how much they mean to us. Hallmark, teleflora, pampers, etc. all use the holiday as a marketing scheme. This is not a new phenomenon, but over the past four years this May holiday has become extra sad for me. I still have my mom, but the person whom I saw as a second mom has been gone for four years. It is hard to watch these commercials without getting emotional. And with all the changes, it is even worse. I am hoping that a couple days off from the training, a brunch with my parents and the writer, and some time spent in the library will help me get out of the funk.

One thing to look forward to is the end of the month, Memorial Day, holiday. My local drag club (go go gay rights) holds a white party on the Saturday night before the holiday and I will be there with my friends. Good times and a great way to end the month that started with much change (for the better, but still.)

This post may seem frivolous, compared to my usual banter, but I just felt like posting something about me and stuff that is happening in my life. The blog was down for a few days and this is a resurgence for me. Don’t fret… I will be getting back to the politics and human rights posting soon enough, but for now I will be enjoying the rest of May and hopefully everything will be on an upswing from here on out.

March On!
Chantale aka hippiegrrl

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Slackers Unite!

Troy: what happened to your normal clothes?
Michael: wow! Lelaina, look at you. You look…where’d you get that dress?
Lelaina: Oh, um… I don’t know. I just bought it. But I think I’m gonna go change because…
Michael: No, don’t. You look beautiful. You look like… You look like…
Troy: A doily.
Lelaina: I’m gonna change.
Michael: No, don’t change.
Troy: And don’t go thinking for yourself either, Lainie.

[scene from “Reality Bites”, universal pictures, 1994]

The Art Linklater film “Slacker” has been considered the generation-x answer to “Easy Rider”. Although it is not a road movie, it most definitely defined (or redefined) a generation. If this is truly the case, then we must also consider the movie “Reality Bites” as a defining moment in cinema history for gen-x. Both movies depict a world in which the most intelligent and creative among us become lazy and complacent. In “Reality Bites” the main character, the valedictorian of her graduating class at university, ends up having to work a minimum wage job to be able to make ends meet. Her roommate, who has also completed university, works at the gap and their friend, who has only one class left to finish, would rather loaf on a couch than complete his degree. Philosophically, what is the point of the piece of paper? That is the question asked in these movies and, unfortunately, they were not just defining a generation, but also foreshadowing the future. Smart people with no direction.

How can we better understand our current circumstances through movie depictions of our generation. Of course, we are not characters in a movie, but some movies strike right at the heart of real, living, breathing, humans. The characters in “Reality Bites” are not 2-dimensional caricatures, but fully formed characters. People that we, off the screen, can actually relate to and maybe see in others of our generation. Generation-x, that is. Those of us between the hippies and the hipsters. Those of us born in the 70’s who have really tried to make this country work for us. We are the main demographic for advertising now and we actually have always been. We grew up with MTV, but had to work for our media. We are the generation that was raised with sound bites and short attention spans, but didn’t have ADHD diagnoses to blame for our problems in school or life. We were told to try harder, not take the easy way out by popping a pill. If we wanted to talk on the phone we had to dial a number, but we have also adapted to our current surroundings. Generation-x may be considered a lost generation, now, looking back, but we are still here. We carry with us all the debt the 80’s created and the disillusionment of the 90’s. We carry the weight of the baby boomers as they move into social security years and the burdens of the hipsters who steal away our chances at success in new media industries, even though we were on the forefront of those technologies.

An outcome of slackerdom, or simple complacency, is the pull to stay in one decade. For gen-x, that decade would be the 90’s and, believe me, I have that bug. I would love to wake up at noon each day, go to a coffeehouse, hang out and read a good book, walk back home, stopping along the way to pick up a few items for dinner, and then work, after dinner, on a book or a libretto or something creative that pays the bills. Writing this blog and getting paid for it. Making espresso and getting paid for it. Reading and writing and getting paid for it. But getting paid enough to afford the things I need and want, not scrounging. Back to the days of $1.13 gallons of gas and free meals, 29 cent stamps and Fiona Apple. Back to The Counting Crows and Jewel and Puff Daddy. When Kurt and Left Eye, Biggie and Aaliyah, Tupac and Layne were alive. Back in the day.

So how can we make the 90’s happen in the teens? First things first. Find a job that makes you happy. Never settle for doldrums. If you have to scrimp and save and scrounge for a bit to get to where you want to be professionally it will be more than worth it in the end. Working a job you hate just to pay the bills ends you up a bitter person with a sad life. You will look back and only see the paychecks, not good times. Once you are on the road to a better existence though work happiness everything will look sunnier. Each morning will be one that you want to rise to the occasion for, not a struggle to get out of bed.

Next – stop beating yourself up for the things that you have not done or may not do that others wish you would do. Your life is your own and if you do not live it the way you want you will be unhappy in the end. You are living for you, not anyone else, and you have to put your needs and wants first, not those of others. You cannot take care of others unless you take care of yourself first. You cannot love others unless you love yourself first. This includes having children. Children are a huge responsibility and if you are not personally ready to enter into the realm of parenthood it is never a good idea to move forward. Let go of the things that people say or request of you and move forward with what YOU want. Positivity and moving toward goals will bring you everything you really want in the end and the guilt of children not being in the equation has to be let go of in order to move forward. You only get one life so you should live it how you want and not how others think you should.

Finally – always make time to be creative. If you have a talent, use it. The spent doing the things you love will make you a better person. Time spent alone, concentrating on a creative outlet wil make you a stronger and more well rounded individual. Always keep your mind open to new things and do not dismiss the opinions of others. You do not have to agree, but you should at least listen. From one human to another, this is all we really want from each other. To be heard.

So, maybe being from gen-x is not the worst thing in the world. We have a good handle on the future, based on the past, and we are able to overcome obstacles. Environmental issues? No problem! We will reduce, reuse, and recycle like rock stars. Bad economy? Please! We will downsize until things bounce back. Need a new tech? Of course! We will be working on the future of the tech that was introduced to us as children, because that is what we do. We are problem solvers and we will not quit until we have found solutions for everything. Moving forward, making the future brighter, this is what we slackers are all about. Don’t think that slacker is a negative nickname. It is the fuel that we need to change the world. And, mark my words, we ost certainly will. We should embrace the titles that older generations have given to our generation. Coffeehouses and grunge music were the beginning of our enlightenment. Don’t worry, Eeyore can still be our gen-x mascot. We will just make the Eeyore in each of us see the future in a brighter light. Eeyore can still be a downer and a doer at the same time. It is possible to be a walking contradiction and nobody knows this better than those of us born between 1965 and 1980. Go go gen-x! Rock it out and leave the boomers and the millenials in your dust!

Peace and Happy Fixing!
Chantale aka hippiegrrl

Links apropos
so maybe the slackers had it right after all
how generation x got the shaft but can still keep everything from sucking
eeyore

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Rochester NY or The Place To Be

“I’m a pixie, I’m a paper doll, I’m a cartoon” Ani Difranco

Music has always had an effect on me. It brings memories rushing to the surface, good and bad. When my iPod shuffles to an Ani D song that I have not heard in a while, most likely my thoughts will turn to Rochester, NY.

This past week, there was a flower show in the “flower city” and a few people that I follow on twitter were in attendance. In an attempt to make sure they enjoyed their visit, I suggested a few establishments to peruse while off from the show. Unfortunately, they were unable to visit these places, but I want to highlight them here, for future visitors to one of my favourite cities. Even though I retuned to Buffalo, NY, for work, I still miss Rochester and hope that the writer and I will be able to return some day and make our life work there.

In the meantime, we are only an hours drive away from some great restaurants, art galleries, film houses and cafes. Here is a sampling of some great places to see the next time you visit RaChaCha.

Those of you that know me probably figure that the first place I will talk about is Java’s on Gibbs. This is one of my favourite places to hang out while visiting, but the last time the writer and I were in town we found a place that I enjoyed even more, amazingly enough. That place was Boulder Coffee Company on Alexander Street. The atmosphere was very relaxing and the coffee was wonderful. I did not get that usual acidic reaction, like I do at Javas, where I have to quickly reach for my papaya tablets to fend of agita. I was able to drink the whole cup without incident and the sandwich was extra yum. I did not feel like I was in the way, as I usually do at Java’s, since the tables and chairs were set up in a good proximity to one another.

Let me stop for a moment to talk about this phenomenon of feeling “in the way”. This is something that women have to deal with, on a conscious or unconscious basis, daily. Men do not seem to have this issue, usually. This relates to the power dynamics that still persist in our society. Men are looked upon as being powerful, and this is normalized, by taking up as much space as they need and want. Women, for the most part, often strive to make themselves smaller. Either through the crossing of legs, the squeezing into girdles and spanx, or by not eating to become smaller mass-wise. These are ways in which women have had to live in order to not make a “spectacle” of the themselves. When a woman sits “like a man” with legs uncrossed she is either given dirty looks, in order to make her comply, or she is looked upon as “masculine” as if this is a bad thing. The norm, in American society, is for men to be in power and women to be subordinate. Even in these days of feminism and moving toward equality, these ideals still persist, under the surface. They rise up at times to push women back into their proverbial cubbyholes and, in essence, keep them in line with the norms. Two steps forward, one step back. This is the plight of feminism in the 21st century. I will continue this in my next post, on Ren Faires, so stay tuned. In the meantime, back to Rochester…

A place that the writer and I love to eat is on Park Avenue. Actually, there are two favourite places on Park. The first is Hogan’s Hideaway and the second, Magnolia’s. Hogan’s has the best Reubens and Crabcake sandwiches that we have had and the beer selection is sufficient. We enjoy hanging out in the bar area or sitting in the dining room as the atmosphere of both spaces is very relaxed.

Magnolias has the best paninis and pizzas in town and a great selection of craft beers to drink with lunch or to take home in six pack form. While living in Corn Hill, the writer and I made the effort to visit Magnolias many times. The service there is very homey and the food is fantastic. The seating is not the most comfortable, but the summer months bring one of the best patios in the city, well worth the trip.

If brunch is more your style, Jines is the place to be. Also on Park Avenue, this establishment has the BEST stuffed French toast you will find in the city. A few other diner locations, such as Gitsie’s, Jay’s, or Mark’s all serve awesome breakfasts, but for brunch I would definitely recommend Jine’s. Even if there is a wait to be seated, it is well worth it.

Leaving behind food and drink, let me tell you about a few entertainment venues that are not to be missed while visiting RaChaCha. If you are looking to see a great indie film, the Little Theatre on East Avenue, is the place to be. The Cinema, on South Clinton at South Goodman, offers low prices for second run movies and a great old theatre to view them in. This theatre was, and most likely still is, home to the R.I.T. Film studies program senior project screenings. The writer’s classmates had their senior screenings here and it was the perfect venue for these events.

The George Eastman House is a great tour to take while visiting and if you time it right, you can also partake in a screening of an old or indie film. Just wandering the house and gift shoppe are a great way to spend the afternoon. The second floor has a very interesting, although morbid, case that tells a bit of the George Eastman history that is not to be overlooked. Eccentric and fabulously wealthy, George Eastman was nothing if not ostentatious and this tour proves it.

As museums go, the Memorial Art Gallery has an excellent collection to view. Located on University Avenue, it is connected to the University of Rochester and houses several collections of fine and craft arts. For the kids, the Strong Museum of Play is a great place to spend an afternoon. Many interactive displays are present and will keep the kids and the adults busy.

If walking is what you enjoy, Rochester boasts several parks and recreational areas right in the city limits. A favourite, from my time living in the city, was Highland Park. Movies in the park are put on at the Highland Bowl in the summer months, as well as Shakespeare in the Park. The Lilac Festival is held here in mid-May each year and the lilacs themselves are a wonderful addition to any walk through the park. An afternoon in the park with a journal to write in, a good book to read, or an excellent cup of coffee can make any week more enjoyable.

For live theatre buffs, the best place in the city is the Geva Theatre. Celebrating the 40th season this year, the Geva has been putting on excellent regional theatre productions since 1972. If you are looking for a great performance, look no further than the Geva. For great live bands, the place to visit is the Bug Jar, on Monroe Avenue. This venue hosts dj nights as well and, if nothing else, it is worth a trip for a beer and a gander at the “bug fan”.

I hope that you enjoy your next visit to Rochester. Writing about it has made me want to pack up the car and get away. Maybe next weekend, see you there!

Peace and happy day tripping,
Chantale aka hippiegrrl

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The Girl Scouts Turn 100

This past weekend was highly eventful for me. I participated in a project, that I will discuss in the future, that I hope will finally bring justice and closure to decades old issues in the city of Niagara Falls. It might not be the magic bullet, but it could certainly be the spark that ignites peoples curiosity and unites those that need to be united for the cause. This is cryptic, but I promise to tell everyone about it in more detail, later on. Right now, I want to discuss something that is near and dear to my heart. The Girl Scouts.

In discussing my childhood over the weekend, I realized that there was much turmoil, but there were also a few rays of light that guided me to become a wonderful human being. Girl Scouts was certainly one of those things. Being a troop member and working together with other girls to solve problems and complete badge tasks gave me a greater sense of who I could be in the future. It was a wonderful way to instill confidence and pride in myself through hard work and diligence. Girl Scouts taught me that if I worked hard I could do anything and that nothing in life is beyond reach, no matter what. Being a girl/woman would not, and never should, hold me back from doing anything.

On this 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts, I think it is fitting that we say THANK YOU to the woman who began it all – Juliette Gordon Low. A wonderful lady that saw a need and filled it. Creating the Girl Scouts of America was just the beginning of her fight for the rights of girls and women everywhere. She continued to be a champion for womens issues, and the Girl Scout organization has grown to mammoth proportions, serving not just America, but countries worldwide.

In the latest Girl Scout campaign, the ads talk about ways in which EVERYONE can give girls a chance so that we can make sure that we gain equality. This is a great campaign and hopefully it pushes forward the notion that girls/women really CAN do anything and there should be no obstacles in the path of greatness.

Today, I am wearing my Girl Scout pin, in solidarity with girls across the country and around the world. To show support for one of the best organizations in our country and a great legacy of work for girls. 2012 has been deemed the “year of the girl” by the Girl Scouts of America and we need to keep that up moving in to 2013, 2014, 2015, and beyond!

And for the haters out there, spewing the vile garbage about the Girl Scouts, you can take your rhetoric and stick it where the sun don’t shine. Conservative “christians” can often take a position that is silly in order to further their own agenda. Going after the Girl Scouts is not only humourous, but odd and base. We, as former Girl Scouts, must stand arm and arm with our fellow scouts and say “no!” to these attacks. Show, with confidence and courage, that the Girl Scouts are the best organization for girls in this country and that without this organization we would not have the small bit of equality that we have obtained so far.

So, let us celebrate the good that Girl Scouts have done for girls and women over the years and focus on the future. Equality is out there to be won, we just have to continue struggling toward it!

Peace and Happy Activism!
Chantale aka hippiegrrl

appropriate links:
Women, girls herald Scouting’s 100th anniversary
Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace site
On Monumental 100th Anniversary, Girl Scouts of the USA Commits to Building Girl Leadership in the Next Century

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from the archives – we love coffee! 11 october 2007

coffee is one of the best reasons to get up in the morning. at least that is how i feel about it. it was quite easy for me to become addicted to this liquid while working in a cafe. one free pound of beans per week and as much coffee as i could ingest during my shift was enough to get me hooked. who wouldn’t get addicted?

at that time, in the mid-late 90’s, i must admit that i was pretty much in the dark about coffee. i knew nothing about fair trade, shade grown or bird friendly coffee. i didn’t realize the effect that the coffee i was drinking had on people in hot climates picking beans for less than $1.00 per pound.

then one day the mail came and there was a coffee trade magazine in the mix. since we weren’t that busy i decided to sit and read up on the coffee industry. i came across this great article about an organization called “coffee kids”. their mission was simple –

to help coffee-farming families improve the quality of their lives.

reading on in the article i learned the following –

•Coffee is the second-most traded commodity in the world economy, after oil.
•The global coffee industry $60 billion annually. Coffee farmers earn as little as 4 cents a pound for the coffee they pick by hand.
•For every pound of gourmet coffee sold, small-coffee farmers receive between 12¢ and 25¢.
•25 million families around the world work in the coffee-fields and totally depend on the coffee crop as their only source of income.

these statistics are mind boggling, considering we were selling pounds of coffee at our cafe for anywhere from $9-$15 per pound (and even higher for types such as kenya aa ($25/pound) and jamaica blue mountain ($30/pound). after reading the article, i spoke to our district manager to find out if there was any way that we could start looking into fair trade coffee. i was told to speak to the owner of the cafe i worked for. a few days later i had a conversation with our owner and was told that fair trade coffee was too expensive. this answer coming from a lady that drove around in a bmw and lived in a good size home while paying her own employees well below the standard for baristas in the coffeehouse industry. i’m not sure where i thought i would get with my suggestion, but i had hoped to see a little bit of goodwill on the part of the company i worked for.

needless to say, this was the beginning of the end for me at that particular coffee establishment. it was sort of the last straw to find that my employer wouldn’t even consider something that would make the company better global citizens and, in the long run, help many people in need. fair trade is important. it saves lives and mends families.

if you are a coffee drinker (or tea totaller, cocoa consumer or chocolate fanatic) please consider buying fair trade for these products. whenever you visit your favourite coffeehouse be sure to ask for fair trade products. if each of us does our part to keep up the push on these coffee places, eventually everyone will carry the best and most conscious products available. and believe me, the cup of coffee that you know helped the whole supply chain better their lives is the best cuppa java you will ever sip!

peace – hippiegrrl

links of use for this topic…

frankenbucks campaign from organic consumers
fair trade federation
global exchange
make trade fair from oxfam international

where to find fair trade products in Buffalo and Rochester –
Lexington Co-Operative Market
Abundance Co-Operative Market
One World Goods
The Coffee Connection
Java’s
Lori’s Natural Foods

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If I Were a Roller Disco Queen

I always say that I want to live in the seventies, but I never explain why. There are many reasons, and so I will be sharing a series of pieces on things I love from the seventies. The first of these is the roller rink… Enjoy and please come back soon to see the next installment!

Now, as you know, I was born in 1974, which actually makes me a child of the 80’s. I did most of my roller skating in the 80’s, but wish I could have been around for the roller disco days. I would have loved to be on a roller disco team, skating to hits of the 70’s. I mean, Xanadu was one of my favourite movies as a kid, so you see where this obsession might come from.

When I attended church (way back when) the youth group used to take us to the Rainbow Roller Rink, in Tonawanda, NY, to skate. I had a pair of roller skates that were mine, but they wouldn’t let me use them there so I had to rent with everyone else. A bit like bowling, if only for the shared footwear.

Here were a few key elements of skate night – rolling up to the snack bar to buy french fries with malt vinegar (good thing that writerchaz was not around then, he would have never chatted me up), ladies choice, trying to partner skate but failing miserably, almost making it into a competition but being yanked out by the mini christian coalition that gave us the bus ride to the event, and trying to pee in a bathroom with ceramic tiled floors – what a silly thing to do to the kids with the skates.

If it were the seventies I would have been able to wear awesome skate outfits (covered in rainbows) and skate semi-professionally on a local team. I would have skated to disco hits and won trophies for my efforts. I would have dated a roller disco guy and found secret areas of the roller rink to make out during “all skate” or “ladies choice”. Instead, I had the 80’s, cleancut christian version of roller skating. We could barely hold hands without one of the chaperones skating up and breaking our grasp. The boys were not too good on their feet, so most of the time the girls would skate in groups. It was fun and boring at the same time. The songs were all 80’s hits, since this was after the point at which disco was announced to be dead. I did learn how to skate backwards, so that was cool.

If only I could have been born 10 years earlier, I would have been a roller disco queen.

Peace – Chantale

Something fun:

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from the archives – the holiday spirit – 13 november 2008

Now that my birthday is over (and it was lovely I might add) I am ready to move on to the other November holiday. I bet you thought (judging from the title) that this was going to be a post about the December holiday season. Well – you were wrong! Before we start shopping for Christmas/Chanukah/Kwanzaa we need to celebrate Thanksgiving. I realize that each year the Holiday shopping season begins earlier and earlier, but I like to wait until 1 December to shop. That’s just me. Maybe you are different. Either way – let’s talk turkey instead!

This year we are spending Thanksgiving with my side of the family. My mother will be cooking the bulk of the food, but I will be baking my yearly pumpkin twist cookies. I use a recipe that I have modified from this book – Halloween: 101 Frightfully Fun Ideas. I say modified because I don’t bother with all the additional decorating. They are good with just the pumpkin and vanilla twisted together and don’t really need additional sugar to make them tasty. Although these cookies are a big hit I do like to help in other ways as well.

Last year (when I was working) I ran a turkey drive at my place of business. We raised a bit of money and bought 2 dozen turkeys to give out. Our Helping Hands committee chose two worthy recipient organizations and a couple days before thanksgiving we dropped off the frozen turkeys. It was a great thing to do for the two groups and it also helped us to feel good about the Thanksgiving season.

People tend to gloss over Thanksgiving because it gets in the way of their December Holiday shopping season, but I really feel that we all need to take a moment and think about what Thanksgiving means. What are we thankful for? What we can do to make our world (locally and globally) a better place? What was the original Thanksgiving feast about and how can we carry on a more equal and honest celebration? How do we undo the mistakes of the past and move to a better future? These are things to think about at Thanksgiving and beyond. Before you rush out to the stores to fight with other customers for the “latest holiday item” be sure to reflect on the season and what thankfulness really means.

Peace and Happy Autumn!

Chantale

appropriate links:

– Looking for great baking ideas and recipes? Check out Bakerella or Cakespy or I Heart Cuppycakes!
– How about party planning and/or host(ess)ing? Try Hostess with the Mostess
– Mahalo.com is a good source for How to Cook a Turkey.
– The “mother” of all party planners – Martha Stewart gives ideas for a perfect Thanksgiving!
– Not Martha Stewart, but still interesting and fun – not martha.

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from the archives – eat local – 1 september 2007

rise up buffalo has been looking into the possibility of going completely local with our diet. the 100 mile diet, to be exact. in order to do this though, a few items may need to be given up in the winter months and other items given up altogether. with the help of a few great websites, we are learning more about eating locally and how it can help the environment while keeping our local farms in production.

local harvest is a great resource for finding and maintaining the means to eat locally. you can punch in your personal zip code and the site will show you all the farms in your area. there is also a wonderful section of the site explaining why we should buy locally and the effect it has on our planets and local economies. just in case you needed an explanation or would like to be more informed in discussing this 100 mile option with friends and family.

quoting from the sites about us page – “The Buy Local movement is quickly taking us beyond the promise of environmental responsibility that the organic movement delivered, and awakening the US to the importance of community, variety, humane treatment of farm animals, and social and environmental responsibility in regards to our food economy.”

for an even more in depth explanation about buying local, check out sustainable table.

isn’t this cause to at least give it a try? see what we can do as a community to continue the sustainability of our local farms and, while doing so, help the greater ecological issues we are facing in this current time.

staying on the local topic, but away from food there is a new movement in our buffalo community to buy local goods from retailers in our area. buffalo first “aims to encourage Western New York residents to make purchases at locally-owned independent business whenever possible. We also encourage local “mom and pop” stores to source with Buffalo’s farmers, producers and retailers; and work with local nonprofits, credit unions and other institutions whenever they can.” they are getting in on the movement as well, so isn’t it about time for you?

peace & happy marching!
hippiegrrl

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Technology and Disenfranchishement

When I say I want to go back to the seventies, it has more to do with technology than nostalgia.  Yes, I realize that I am sitting at a computer in a separate room from my husband, listening to a Pandora playlist online, while I type this into a word processing program.  Meanwhile, he sits on the couch in the living room, simultaneously watching television, checking the scores for a Yankees game on his iPod and texting his brother and cousin on his cellphone.  Without technology our lives would be empty.  Or would they?

This is a question I have been pondering for the past couple weeks.  Noticing that since I have left school I have less need for my cellphone, more time to read books, and less pull toward the computer.  If I could find a mid-range typewriter, something from 1985, I would be content to type on that, rather than a word processing program.  Heck, I would be content with an Apple IIe, if I could type my thoughts and then save them to a floppy disc.  I have been writing, by hand, in a journal and I am also content with that.  I do, however, notice that my hand cramps up more easily these days, since I am now more used to typing than writing.

I suppose that it has to start from inside.  This year I will start learning how to devolve back to earlier technology.  Making actual files in an accordion folder, rather than files on a flash drive.  Reading books that I can hold in my hand and turn the pages of, rather than reading articles on a computer screen.  Searching for a typewriter to collect my thoughts that come too quick for me to write in my journal.  These are small changes, but they are good.  That way, when the power goes out or the internet is suddenly unavailable, I have a way to collect my thoughts without relying so heavily on technology.  If I can do it, anyone can.

We have come to rely on this technology to live.  Not to actually exist, but to be.  Without the ability to check twitter and Facebook and the absence of email, the silence of a turned off cellphone becomes dreadfully desperate.  Without text messages to tell me that I am still breathing, however will I know I am still alive?

My iTunes playlist keeps me fully grounded in the decades ranging from the 1960’s to the 1990’s, with the exception of very few recent hit songs or underground artists.  By having the list constantly playing, throughout the course of my workday, I can be transported back to high school, Gords, or Rockwell hall at a moments notice.  As it spins to Alanis Morissette, I am reminded of my prom, not the happiest of memories, but a memory nonetheless.  Spinning to Chaka Kahn takes me back to my parents living room, sitting on the floor, as a ten year old, glued to HBO as Breakin’ is broadcast for the masses.  Trent Reznor oozes out of the speakers and I am transported to St. Catherines on a Friday night in 1995 where my best friend and I are in full Goth mode, on the dance floor, worshiping the gods of industrial music while drinking $2 blues and smoking cloves.  Everything is perfect.  Everything is new or different or just good.

Step right up, march, push, crawl right up on your knees, please, feed, greed, no time to hesitate. Trent Reznor

After reading an essay by Chuck Klosterman about The Empire Strikes Back and Reality Bites, I have suddenly realized why my obsession with the latter movie has been so strong.  I also realize that I am not alone in this obsession.  It is not a particularly good movie, but it certainly hits home.  It signifies everything about my 20’s.  I spent the bulk of that decade (1994-2004) in coffeehouses, either working or hanging out, sometimes both.  The beginning I spent in college and the end I spent in a dead end (although somewhat prestigious, in the IT department of a bank, but in the end, dead end) job.  At the very end (right before turning 30) I got married to someone who was in basically the same situation as me.  We were both in jobs that we knew we were not going to maintain forever, but they paid the bills.  We both hung out in coffeehouses and were disenfranchised, to use a sad, yet true, stereotype.  Or at least we felt disenfranchised, which is actually the same thing as being disenfranchised.  Self inflicted disenfranchisement.  This is a symptom of the Generation X group.  We have this in common, even if we do not want to admit it.  Each time a song from the 90’s is used in a commercial (which is beginning to be more and more prevalent this century) I, along with a whole generation of 30-somethings, cringe.  We are less unambivalent about this happening than our parents were.

I distinctly remember discussing this with my mother at the age of 20, the first time Pontiac used Jimi Hendrix (Fire) to try and sell their cars. I asked her, “isn’t that upsetting?” and she responded “somewhat, but what can you do?”  Well!  I say you can do a lot.  Don’t buy a Pontiac, tell everyone you know not to buy a Pontiac and begin an online campaign to stop using hippie (anti-establishment) music to sell products.  That would be my response, but hey – I’m a disenfranchised slacker – so that’s the way it goes.  I will sit in a coffeehouse and talk about protest, but how often do I get off my ass and follow through.   That was the legacy of my parents generation, so maybe they are a bit too tired to fight the good fight against corporate America.   They were too busy, in their youth, fighting for equal rights and against the war.  Obviously, there is a gulf between us, at least from this standpoint.

Well I used to stand for something, but forgot what that could be, there’s a lot of me inside you, maybe you’re afraid to see. Trent Reznor

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From the archives – back from the big city – 30 june 2007

yes, we have returned!

spending a weekend in toronto (or canada in general) always makes us want to do more for the environment. it also nudges us more in the direction of activism. realizing that toronto is a major metorpolitan area, you would think this wouldn’t be the case, but they are very conscious of usage, recycling, etc. up there.

so – considering the fact that we don’t want to be left behind when it comes to environmental awareness & activism, here are a few links to things happening locally in the western new york community!

re-tree wny – group formed to start the replanting process this coming fall for the trees that were lost during our storm in october 2006.

streets are for people – this group is organized in the toronto gta (mainly the queen west/kensington market neighbourhoods) to take back the streets for people. buffalo could use a little of this.

buffalo blue bicycle – buffalo’s bike sharing program. a great way for citizens to get back into biking without making a large investment in a new bicycle. you can join the club, learn how to repair bikes and share with other like-minded biking citizens! a season membership is only $25 or 6 hours of service helping to repair/maintain bikes. not bad!!!

freegans – As it states on the freegan website – “Freegans are people who employ alternative strategies for living based on limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources. Freegans embrace community, generosity, social concern, freedom, cooperation, and sharing in opposition to a society based on materialism, moral apathy, competition, conformity, and greed.”

push buffalo – helping low income individuals and families turn the page and become homeowners – one house at a time.

massachusetts avenue project – the mission of map is to “nurture the growth of a diverse and equitable community food system to promote local economic opportunities, access to affordable, nutritious food, and social-change education” and they have several ongoing programs to help them accomplish these goals!

queen city farm – a project that is still in the early stages, bringing the ability for fresh food and growing to the east side of buffalo.

i realize that this is quite a bit of information, but we are trying to get back on the right foot with this site. please join us in supporting these amazing groups and give you two cents on the comment board!

peace & happy marching –
hippiegrrl

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Archiving

I was able to recover the old rise up buffalo posts this past week, through a tiresome and timely retrieval process (thanks to the wayback machine) and I am hoping to get the best of the best up on the current version as soon as possible. This week is my vacation, so my hope is that I can get rise up buffalo back to its former glory and move forward in a positive writing direction.

Keep visiting as I create new pages and posts from some of the best of the old material. Thank you for being there, my loyal readers, for without you rise up buffalo would be nothing!

Peace –
Chantale (aka hippiegrrl)

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Is This A Dream?

Sometimes I wonder if my current state is merely a dream and that someday soon I will wake up to a different reality. I will still have the same apartment and the same significant other, but I will be doing something else (something better and more important) with my life. On that day I will rise in the morning, be happy to get out of bed and go to my wonderful job, teaching the future leaders of the world. Until that day, I am living in a haze of good intentions. Until that day, I am applying to PhD programs and attempting to make something of myself. Until that day, I will continue to be a low level employee, working my butt off for very little money, induring great heaping piles of micro-management.

As you may or may not know, I dislike my job. Mostly because it feels like I have taken several steps backward to get to it. At any given time in my past you could have found me managing IT projects for a small community based bank, doing the barista thing, or stocking the shelves at the college bookstore. For a short time I did a stint as a teller, hoping it would evolve into something more. It did not. The only solution is to take a different path. Customer service has been at the root of nearly every job I have had in my life. This has to change. I have finally figured it out. I do not enjoy waiting on people!

So – working from that realization will get me beyond this simple, but tedious and aggravating job set. Moving toward being a professor, working on web design and development as a freelancer, writing articles for hyperlocal media and journals. These are career paths that will lead to somewhere better. Somewhere challenging and fun and not so staunchly conservative or sales based. My dream will come true someday, only this dream will include a classroom and office hours, not a knight in shining armour.

Peace,
Chantale (aka hippiegrrl)

What I’m reading now:
Book: The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
Magazine: Ms.
Online article: The Only Child: Not a Loner?

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“They” as an Obstacle to the Future

Today I feel like getting a little motivational – for my readers and myself. Sometimes one just needs a kick in the behind to see the light. This is me sharing my thoughts with you and hopefully it will benefit both of us!

Over the years, I have worked for many companies that push the idea of loyalty as a core value for employees to abide by. Loyalty can mean many things, and in some cases it is definitely a plus. However, when the idea of loyalty becomes a crutch by which owners and operators rule their roost, it can get sticky.

We have been brainwashed, in this bootstrap, dollar and a dream country, to believe that if we work hard for the corporation we will get something in return. “They” will give us a raise or a promotion or whatever old thing we want for our efforts, down the road. “They” will be upset if we do not achieve. “They” will be hurt if we decide that there is a better opportunity that we want to grab and leave “them” for that brighter future.

Well, “they” are not worth it. “They” are not thinking about our futures, but merely the bottom line. As “they” continue forward the money will roll in or it will not, while opportunities for us will come and go. Living for “they” sometimes hurts us and we need to stand strong in our convictions.

Always remember that “they” are in it for themselves, not the betterment of the community of workers. “They” are not thinking about our family and friends. “They” are not thinking about our growth as human beings as well as career-minded individuals. “They” are always and continuously thinking about the bottom line. People that get in the way of this pursuit for profit will be labeled unloyal or insubordinate. This cannot be a deterrent to continuing on the best path for oneself. “They” will go on surviving (and thriving even) without us if we decide to move on to more important pursuits for ourselves.

So – I propose that each of us begin living and working for “us”, rather than “they”. This change in perspective can you do you well. When faced with a better job opportunity think of how it will better “us” and not how it will hurt “they”. “They” cannot be hurt in the ways that “us” can be, so there should be no feelings of guilt. “They” will continue on without “us” so “we” need to be able to continue on without “them”.

Sometimes the “they” is not a real group of people. Sometimes it is a force that is inside each individual, standing in the way of true growth. “They” is sometimes used as an excuse and this is something that needs to change. Fear of the future can create a “they” in our minds that does not exist in reality. Roadblocks can transform into the “they” that keeps us from making it to the other side of our goals. We need to power through the “they” in each life, real or imagined, and move through to bigger and better things. Without drive and confidence in ourselves, “we” will always be subordinate to “they” and never become the “I” we were each meant to be.

Peace – Chantale aka hippiegrrl

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The Evolution of the Internet or How I Became a Social Media Junkie

It all began in 1984. Orwell could not have predicted it any better. Generation X was truly the cohort that would bring about the ways in which Big Brother could infiltrate every facet of our lives. That story is for another time though, since this story is about me and how I got to where I am on the chronological timeline of electronic history.

When I was ten years old (1984) I was placed in an accelerated grade five class. The acceleration was based on CTBS scores and such and my classmates and I were placed in what would come to be known as the honours track. One of the bonuses of being in the accelerated class for grades five and six was that we had a computer in our classroom. In the late 80’s this was a rarity. Most grammar schools were without a computer lab, let alone a computer in each, individual classroom. We were the lucky ones, or at least it seemed so. The technology was new and we were to be the generation (X) of students that grew up using these technological instruments. Word Processing would not be available for several more years, meaning that we would have to continue typing our term papers on manual typewriters until we reached Freshman and Sophomore years in college. We could never imagine carrying the internet (which was not for public consumption quite yet) around in our back pockets. Yes, the computer industry would grow by leaps and bounds in the following 30 years, but in 1984 we were happy to play lemonade stand and oregon trail in our grade five class.

As you can imagine, I took to the computer like I had been at it for years. Every gift giving holiday for the next 3 or 4 years I would as my parents for an Apple IIe. You see, this was the computer that we were given to use and we all mastered it in a matter of weeks. The computer was freedom and order all in one. There was possibility in the amber screen but also the ability for teachers to keep students interested and focused. It was a mutually beneficial relationship. We all loved the Apple IIe and from the day it rolled into the classroom I was hooked.

Due to the extremely high price of Apple computers at their first introduction to the market, it wasn’t feasible for my family to obtain one. Instead, my parents invested in a Texas Instruments computer, complete with Atari-like cartridges to play games and learn how to type. My favourite program was the typing cloud. At the age of 11 I was typing 75 words per minute and almost beat the program on several occasions. These computers had no means of saving programs or scores (much like my Atari) and so each use meant starting over again. As a child, I had an inordinate amount of patience and it served me well in the first few computer systems my parents obtained.

The next computer we purchased was a Commodore 128. This model came with a separate tape recorder (yes, audio tapes) that one could save programs on. When “playing” back each program it made a horrible high pitched noise, but we suffered through. At least we had the beginnings of being able to save things on our computer system. I had an old black and white television set as a monitor and with the Commodore I began learning how to code in DOS. My mother would bring home computer magazines from work and I would spend hours on the computer typing in lines of code. Typing in ‘run’ at the end of a 500 line code would give an ASCII coded HELLO! back and I was intrigued. That summer, I went to computer camp at the local community college and sealed my fate as the tech guru of the family, at the age of 12.

Around this time my best friends father purchased a Macintosh, the original Mac computer from the Apple company. It was tall and grey and had a slim view screen. Since there were no pictures to view, at the time, the 3 inch wide screen served the purpose of being able to write code quickly and easily. He was extremely protective of the computer (as he should have been for it’s high price on the market) and would not allow us to touch it when he was not supervising. My friend was somewhat uninterested in the computer, but I was obsessed. Going to her house began to be simply to sit and watch her father use the Mac. Sometimes he would let me use the mouse (a mouse on the table, really?) and showed me how to code in this somewhat different environment. My friend began to be jealous of the computer and told me that I could no longer come over unless it was to play with her. No more Mac. I complied, our friendship ended a couple years later when we hit high school.

As we moved through Compaq and HP and other IBM compatible computers, I continued to yearn for the ellusive Mac/Apple that had been my first contact with computers. To this day I am still using an IBM compatible laptop, but someday a Mac will be mine.

Getting back to the history…

When I began my freshman year of college I had moved my computer unit (a Compaq, still using the b&w television as a monitor, but with a floppy disc drive and a rudimentary word processing (in DOS) program) into my bedroom and discovered telnet. At Buffalo State, the professors were starting to use something they called the internet. It pales in comparison the current day Internet, but for the time it was extremely useful. Having been invented by the military to use as a source of intel sharing, it was perfect for professors doing research. Telnet was the system we used to ‘log in’ to the network. At school we also had access to email on amber screened terminal units. My best friend and I would spend hours upon hours in the basement of Chase Hall chatting and mudding on Olohof or IRC. Every Friday from 1993 through 1997 consisted of classes from 9-3, work from 5-10, Gord’s from 11-2, Towne Restaurant from 3-4 and Chase Hall from 5-8 or 9. Sometimes we would skip Towne, stop off at a mini mart for soda and rice krispie treats and head straight for Chase Hall, full goth persona, to login to Olohof until 5 or 6am.

I must stop here again to stress that at this time the internet was still just terminals hooked up to phone lines with people talking. No pictures, no websites, just chat. This was enough to keep us interested. In fact, I had been calling the school telnet line from my home computer for a few months before my mother decided she no longer wanted to see the $500 or $600 phone bills due to the 5 cent per minute charges I accrued. She told me to curb the phone use or get my own phone line. I opted for a personal phone line in my bedroom and continued to pay $500/month phone bills just to get on Olohof. It was an addiction, but not labeled as such, continued on until the World Wide Web appeared.

In 1998, I logged on to a new website called iVillage. On this site they offered free personal websites and I decided to go for it. They had templates that we could use to setup the site and I created my first online persona – bubbles fletcher (my drag name, if you must know). From there I began buying books on HTML and AOL in order to learn how to ‘code’ and ‘surf’ on the Internet. Next up I purchased a domain name, hippiegrrl.com, and started doing all my code from scratch in notepad. Templates were nice and easy, but why would someone with so much computer experience half ass it, right? To this day, I still feel that way and that is why I maintain my sites and blogs with notepad rather than Dreamweaver. Using programs to code is just a crutch. At least that is how I personally feel.

As the Internet grew, I grew with it, joining the Backwash community (in 2002) and becoming an online writer and admin for a site that boasted the tagline ‘Backwash – the Internet organized by personality’. I was in good company and we were trying to make this new phenomenon more user friendly for those who did not grow up with the technology, as most of us did. Writing articles and adding links for more information was the basis for my current day journal, all learned from being a member of the Backwash community. Fellow alum are now doing great things in the Social Media environment and I believe that the bulk of their expertise was driven by being early members of Backwash. We were not only building writing portfolios, but also learning how to manage online communities and comment feeds that would assist us on future sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

As I continue to journey through my life, I obtain more knowledge of computers and the Internet.  When I look back on all the changes over a very short period of time, I find it mind boggling how quickly everything has changed.  I began my computer life learning how to code in DOS and now I can write HTML code from scratch for a website.  I have learned how to maintain a database, how to use content management systems, how to create beautiful sites, with and without tables.  I lived through frames and javascript and flash that was faulty.  My career began in web design the day I started that iVillage page and has not let up since.  I may not always get paid for my designing, but I continue to learn and grow in the field.

Next year I will celebrate 20 years of being online and in 3 years I will celebrate 30 years with computers. I am squarely in the technology generation. Generation X might not be “the greatest generation”, but we are certainly the most malleable and the quickest to learn new things, especially when it comes to new technology. For those of us in our 30’s and 40’s the future looks bright, if we can continue to harness the greatness of the technology that we grew up with. If we can drop the petty arguments on Social Media and make it a place to truly share ideas and problem solve we could really make the future brighter for our generation and those to come after us.

Peace, Chantale (aka hippiegrrl)

appropriate link:
Internet Archive – jump in the wayback machine and take a ride to Internet days gone by.

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Social Construction and Gender

Let me begin this post by saying that, yes, I have completed my second bachelors degree in Sociology.  As of May 2011, I have double degrees, Music (1997) and Sociology (2011), and will hopefully begin a PhD in Sociology and Gender Studies, beginning in 2012.  Along the path to obtaining this degree, I have become a Marxist, Feminist, Social Constructionist.  I am completely on board with what these three designations entail, politically and socially.  Due to this fact, rise up buffalo is going to become much more sociologically centered.  We will still attempt to keep the community updated on activism and volunteerism in the city, but also try to help you, the reader, better understand some key concepts in the struggle.

Sociology is an awesome base from which to create activist campaigns and also a great source for common sense.  I hope you will continue on this journey with us as we delve deeper into the sociological aspects of our lives and communities.  We will attempt to better understand the world around us and that is always a wonderful and challenging thing.  Please, come along on the ride, it may be bumpy, but it is certain to be entertaining and enlightening.

On to today’s topic – Social Construction and Gender –

Let me begin with a quote from one of my favourite feminists – Gloria Steinem

“In a patriarchy, a poor man’s house may be his castle, but a rich woman’s body is not her own.”

I realize that this quote pertains directly to equality issues, but I find that it also has a lot to do with our perceptions of gender and the way in which it is constructed in our society. As you may have guessed, a social construct is a concept that is created by a particular group. This group may be society as a whole (which we must always remember includes each of us as individuals and is not just some alien concept that one can call upon to lay blame in an argument or debate), a particular culture or traditional system or a social or cultural group that is created by individuals to fill a need of the community. All groups have standards for the way that each member should behave. If we begin by looking at these standards as socially constructed we can start to see how our behaviours and perceptions are constructs.

For example – in American society, we still hold fast to a patriarchal system. When children are born, they are usually named after the father, if he is known. Even if the mother is single, she will, oftentimes, be strongly pushed toward this naming convention. Since this “tradition” has been the norm for so many years, we continue to see it as a social standard. In digging a bit deeper we can see the social construction of maintaining this naming convention. Property is divided up based on a patriarchal code and, as such, children must reflect their fathers family in order to partake in the division. With the rates of single motherhood rising, this trend is changing, however there are still many traditionalists who feel it a threat to our society to make this change. Any social construct that is challenged is seen as an attack on society, but as stated earlier, society is you and me, not some outside source that we have to look to for reason and understanding. We make up our society and we can change it. We can go forward naming our children in any way we see fit and our society will not collapse, just as we will survive if baby girls are not dressed in pink or baby boys dressed in blue. Another example of social construction that is taken for granted and made to seem ultra important in the rearing of children. As if dressing a boy in pink will forever stunt his growth or painting a girls room blue will make her less of a woman.

The funny thing about this particular construct is that it has become so commonplace that even women who profess to be feminists have named their children after the father.  It is as if this naming convention is SO normalized that we do not recognize it as such.  This is extremely dangerous territory.  Normalizing constructs is what keeps us down.  Not just as women, but as a human race.  If we cannot rise above these constructs there will continue to be gender equality in our “free and open” society.  Free for whom exactly?  The powerful and elite?  The XY chromosome group?  The pale complexion set?  The historically powerful, that is who.  I say no more!  We need to start dispelling myths and reversing norms.  This is the one and only way to reach full equality of all genders!

Peace – Chantale (aka hippiegrrl)

appropriate links:
Reading Marx’s Capital with David Harvey – the best site to better understand an extremely important read
Gloria Steinem Official Website – my hero and (hopefully!) yours!
Books by Judith Lorber – interested in the social construction of gender? start with this list and work your way forward!

questions?  comments?  like or dislike?  let us know in the comment section below…
please pass this post along to your friends and foes.  we love the attention from both sides!

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Equality Now!

Tomorrow will be the eighth anniversary of the writer and I “tying the knot”.   Luckily, because we are of the opposite sex, we were able to secure a legal marriage with very little effort.   If, in fact, we were of the same sex, we would be celebrating an eight year commitment with no legal rights between us and within our union.

This week, the State Senate of New York is voting to pass a bill that will legalize same-sex marriage and secure a higher level of equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals.   In opposition to this bill is a small group of bigoted but vocal individuals, led by a group called the national organization for marriage (nom).   This group purports to be pro-marriage when, in reality, they are a bigoted group who seek to push their values on the majority of Americans that believe in equal rights.

Legislating from the seat of morality is a very sticky situation.   America is a nation built on the ideals of equality, justice and separation of church and state.   Without these founding positions to ground us, we would be nothing but a nation of religious zealots, no better than those countries that govern their people based on religious fundamentalism.   This seems like a no-brainer really.   What people do in their bedrooms should not be governed by the public.   Laws are meant to protect people, not to restrict rights.

When it really comes down to it we should all have the freedom to do what we personally feel is right. If two people want to get married for love or money or rights, that is their decision. The government should not be in our bedrooms, telling us how to live our lives. The faithful say that they are trying to “protect the sanctity of marriage” by fighting against equality, however they are doing a disservice to the faith that they claim to have. Faith is personal. Faith is a guiding principle in an individual life. Faith is not something that can be legislated or imposed on others. Each of us walks through this world with our own minds and the ability to make decisions about our own lives. If one chooses to be married, that is a personal choice. It should, therefore, not be molded by those with power. It should not be regulated by those in high positions. Morality is something that we each deal with on a personal basis and that is how it should remain. Love is love is love.

Having said that, what can we do to counter the hate filled rhetoric of NOM and move forward with a more equal system for all?

Stand up and be counted
The Human Rights Campaign has been working diligently to get our elected officials to vote yes on the marriage equality bill.   With the “moral” attacks from NOM and other organizations, the efforts of HRC could be thwarted.   We need to stand up as a people and show NOM that the majority believe in equality and acceptance, not bigotry and hatred.   Call or email your senator with your support of this bill today!

Tell a Friend
Share the news that you are part of this fight with your family and friends. Power comes with mass outreach and the struggle cannot be won without an outpouring of support from all people.

Post your support
You know you love to “like” things on Facebook or Tweet about stuff that concerns you. Why not do that for this very worthy cause? Let all those people that follow you know that you will not stand for the inequality that has been the norm for so long.

Let’s go New York! Let’s make this happen in my lifetime. Equality for all is what we were promised in the beginning of this nation and we should make an attempt to see it through. It has taken us long enough, time is up, equality for all, NOW!

Peace,
Chantale (aka hippiegrrl)

Please pass this column along to those you think would be interested, or, even, those who you think need a bit of educating on ideas of equality. Your support is important to the cause.

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The Return

The journal has gone through some changes, yet again.  In the midst of moving servers, all our posts, catgegories, comments, pages and users have vanished.  This is a new beginning (hopefully the last one.)  We will be moving into the future with a clean slate, which may be useful.  We shall see.  Please bear with us as we start a new round of posts and comments.

Peace –

Chantale (aka hippiegrrl)