Poetry Sunday: Selena Anne Shephard
aka Andy Plumb, Four Poems
Bravo to Selena Shephard for these unique, sensitive, and brave poems.
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Social Wealth, Part Two:
The Power of Positive People
Some of us may have lots of connections, but they are the wrong kind.
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Women Behind the Camera: Five New Documentaries
Five new films — all with women at the helm — examine everything from dirty politics to fashion icons, family dynamics, and the lifestyles of the rich and famous.
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August Sun Protection and Skin Care
Now that we’re in August, our sun protection enthusiasm might be declining. Nonetheless, considering that over 70 percent of UV radiation exposure occurs in the summer months, sun protection is as important as ever. Here are important tips on skin care.
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Poetry Sunday:
“Thank You, Vasili Arkhipov, October 27, 1962,” by Nora Hutton Shepard
The poem’s title is, in a way, its redemption. The poet explains that the dreaded nuclear attack did not come during the speaker’s childhood (or yet), and thanks the man she credits with saving the United States from that fate during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.
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Social Wealth — Our Most Precious Commodity
Just because you may be “in touch” with someone doesn’t necessarily mean you are connected to them. Above all, let’s remember to build and guard our social wealth as carefully as we would any precious commodity.
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‘Orange Is The New Black’, Season 6
— Litchfield, Taken to the Max
As in 'OITNB' seasons past, the inherent problems of the nation's correctional system remain front and center: the controversies surrounding privatization, abuse and brutality, inhuman living conditions, and deplorable rates of recidivism.
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The Beauty of Friendships Among Women
[From Our Archives]
Today is International Day of Friendship — a way to honor the invaluable sisterhood in our lives, the community of women who surround us with joy, laughter, friendship, and fellowship.
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Poetry Sunday: Poems by Sandra M. Gilbert
Readers who enjoy the idea of mixing poetry and math will love this book. And those who don’t will appreciate it anyway for the way its poems engage—no, positively grapple—with what some call a patriarchal form, and in so doing manage to express the depth and complexity of human yearning, love, and loss.
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Women of Color: Running for Office and Breaking New Ground
Though all women face daunting challenges when they run for office, whether against an incumbent or for an open seat, women of color often find the road more arduous. And yet, this year, they are running in record numbers.
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Book Review: “How Hard Can It Be?”
by Allison Pearson
Allison Pearson’s knack for finding the humor as well as the pathos in midlife storms is what makes her writing such a pleasure.
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‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’—Seriously Silly and Simply Delightful
Delightful is the perfect way to describe 'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.' And, with everything going on in the world today, you could do worse than devoting two hours to being delighted.
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Developing A Routine to Prevent Lyme Disease
Lyme Disease and other tickborne illnesses are on the rise. Unfortunately, however, the diagnosis is often missed or delayed.
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Poetry Sunday: “Say Grace,” by Emily Jungmin Yoon
I wrote this poem thinking about the hypocrisy of faith—how so often religious tenets are born out of or centered around survivalism but are then spun around to kill and hate—and the need to question our beliefs (religious or not) and where they come from.
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Three Identical Strangers:
A Documentary Examines the Ethics of Psychology Experiments
"Three Identical Strangers" tells the story of how identical triplet babies were placed by an adoption agency in three different homes in the New York area. The boys and their adoptive parents knew nothing of each other.
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“Whitney’: Insights Into Singer’s Too-Short Life
May Be Too Revealing
The "Whitney" documentary is a powerful reminder of Houston's beautiful voice and tragic end.
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Tickscaping: Preventing Lyme Disease
with Landscape Design
Since an estimated three quarters of all Lyme disease cases are acquired from ticks picked up during activities around the home, I learned how to create a safer landscape.
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Poetry Sunday: “Here, Too,” by Jennifer Nelson
“Empire” is such a loaded word today that it is hard not to read it with suspicion and irony in any context, but it strikes me that isolationists and fans of strong government could read “Here, Too”as an anthem to empire and its ability to bulwark against disintegrating change.
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Children and the Trauma of Being Trapped
Two groups of children found themselves trapped and separated from their parents in recent weeks. Both found themselves imprisoned in scary, possibly life-threatening situations, cut off from their families and unable to communicate with them.
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‘Boundaries’: A Multi-Generational Road Trip
The writing is smart and funny, the scenery along the Pacific coast is glorious, and the performances are all topnotch. It was a labor of love for the director, and her close connection to the material is apparent.
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Heart Disease in Women Is Still Under-Diagnosed
Once a woman gets diagnosed with heart disease she will do worse and be more likely to die from it than a man. What is the reason for this large discrepancy?
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Poetry Sunday: “Arthritis,” by Carol Moldaw
The connections that occur during writing are always unexpected and often revelatory.
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Celebrating Independence Day in a Divided Nation
As we think about American values this week, remember that it starts with the individual, with character.
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The Declaration of Independence
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
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