culture
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How to Raise a Financially Responsible Child
Two weeks ago I handed my son his first debit card for his own bank account. Since he’s 15 years old, I figured it was time for him to control his own money. For the past couple of years he’s received a minimal allowance, which he’s never complained about. Most kids would scoff at $20…
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I’m Writing About My Bipolar Disorder While I’m Learning to Live With It
I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2007, but it was just recently that I started a blog, Manic Monique’s Meanderings: My Journey to Wellness. I’m an English teacher at an all-girls school by day, but I am writing in my free time because I plan to publish a memoir about my experience with bipolar…
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LeBron James’ Return: Part Basketball, Part Urban Renewal
The King is back. LeBron James’ shocking announcement, via a letter posted on SI.com, that he will return to Cleveland has turned into a story that transcends sports. Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson identified James as a rare example of an athlete who embraced social responsibility. “I have joy in my heart today because LeBron…
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Ind. Teen Allegedly Slayed Flight Attendant in Grisly Robbery Plot
In an eerie robbery plot that ended in murder near a deserted stretch of road in Gary, Ind., a veteran United Airlines flight attendant was viciously beaten, fatally stabbed and stuffed in her car trunk allegedly by her daughter’s boyfriend, the Daily News reports, citing various news outlets and court documents. Damarius Wren, 18, on…
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WeatherNation Hires Meteorologist Fired for Explaining Black Hair
Rhonda Lee, a meteorologist thrust into the national spotlight in 2012 after she was fired from a TV station for responding to a viewer’s racist remarks about her Afro, has a new gig. The Vane reports that Lee announced Friday that she’s been hired as meteorologist by WeatherNation. Lee was fired from the KTBS-TV, an…
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Moms With Guns Founder Shares Obama Post: ‘Where Is an Assassin When You Need One?’
The founder of the Moms With Guns website is under fire for a Facebook photo that she shared of President Barack Obama’s recent visit to Texas. The uproar is not over the image, but what she wrote in the post: “Where is an assasin (sic) when you need one,” according to Liberaland. The post has…
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Rachel Jeantel Blames Self for George Zimmerman Acquittal
Nearly a year after Rachel Jeantel testified at George Zimmerman’s trial in the death of her friend, Trayvon Martin, she told CNN that she wishes she had acted differently on the witness stand. She made the statement in response to a question about whether she blamed herself for Zimmerman’s acquittal. “A little bit,” she answered.…
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Comic Books and Sexism: A History of the 2nd-Class Caped Crusader
Back in 1975 the Wonder Woman television series gave thousands of imaginative girls and young women a superheroine that was a force to reckon with. She was faster and stronger than most men, more beautiful than most women and wiser than most kings. Though the version of Wonder Woman portrayed by Linda Carter was campy and tongue-in-cheek, it…
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Longer Safe-Haven Times for Moms Might Have Kept Babies Safe From Harm
This week two stories captured headlines and broke hearts across the nation. A 7-month-old baby was abandoned in a New York subway station and another baby died, allegedly suffocated by his mother at just 11 months old. Though the stories had different endings, both are tragedies, and in each case, the babies were being brought…
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Where Are They Now: The People and Events Surrounding the George Zimmerman Verdict
Nearly one year ago an all-female, nearly all-white jury returned a “not guilty” verdict in the George Zimmerman murder trial. Zimmerman had been charged in the February 2012 shooting death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin. Here’s an update on some of the people and correlating events that were part of the critical conversations inspired by…