I’m kind of an old, so maybe I’m missing something. But A’s behavior seems oddly immature to me. I have watched many acquaintances and friends behave that way, and it never turns out well. She may be attracted to you, but if she is in a bad relationship or just got out of a relationship that means you risk being her…

It’s not that surprising. Hate crime laws in the U.S. didn’t get off the ground until after the major eras of lynching were over. If it’s not in your face nothing gets done. They also tended to be designed to be a more robust charge against crimes that were hard to prove or didn’t have serious penalties. I remember…

I expect this is meant for people who were involved but may not have actively killed the person. More serious than ‘accomplice’ and with stiffer penalties but without the extra burden of proof that comes with a murder charge.

I came here to say this too! (I’m part Swiss but no dual citizenship.) I know Americans are famously bad at geography, but thinking you can toss up a wall in THE ALPS??? This guy needs to get acquainted with Google Earth. 

They are kind of overpriced, but the Wanderer shorts from Anthropologie are good for bigger thighs. They have maybe a 6 or 7 inch inseam but are cut wide enough in the thigh that you can roll them up without them biting into your leg. They look fine either way. 

There is no reason these styles can’t be merged. You can make sure your kid is doing ok in school without initiating parent-led homework time every night or crying foul to the teacher. You can let your 7 year old buy milk alone if you’re in the car watching the door. A preschooler can play in the yard or at the park…

We manage, but it is scary and very lonely. It is you on your own with no support against conflicting information and societal expectations. 

Holy crap! My daughter is 9, so of course most of her friends are too. I am constantly amazed at how their well meaning parents have trained them to be compliant, obey any adult directive and never talk back. They actually look scared whenever she jokes around with me or tries to negotiate a better deal. In 2018!!! I…

WTF? Now I'm curious- what exactly were you planning to do? 

Yeah, my mom still does that reflexively! We need to figure a way to get people to “do the best they can” with tools based on evidence and reality. Of course that’s easier said than done! But the reasoning behind seatbelts has been known since the 17th century, and people went flying out of windshields sans seatbelts…

For all their bleating about “originalism” the GOP sure does like propping up executive authoritah. You know, the kind that leads to one person telling everybody else what to do. It almost seems... deliberate? But what do I know? I have been so busy saying “a plague on both your houses” and worrying about unsecured…

It isn’t necessary. I don’t care if they teach it or not. But if they do it’s not the end of the world, especially since the theme of the book is explicitly anti racist. But literature isn’t about “teaching moral lessons” - although of course the two intersect. That can lead to great discussions - which is what we…

Yeah, Trump is right up there with James Buchanan.  Be best. 

Yeah I agree that it doesn’t need to be read aloud in a class. But it can certainly be read BY a class and then discussed. Or not. Whatever. But I don’t think rejecting the book itself on the basis of “ooh what if somebody gets their feelings hurt” is a sound educational policy. It does people good to feel…

Ma is also presented as a raging bitch with a log up her ass most of the time. Laura makes it a point to tell her hero Pa’s opinion and her own as well. 

I agree that is a pretty weird book to read aloud to a class, especially younger ones. But what on earth is so hard about a teacher leading a discussion about how Huck is torn between what society has taught him to think about Jim and what he knows about Jim from his own experience? And how he struggles to decide…

What’s wrong with just reading them to her anyway? When I read them to my kids they usually commented about “why did they do that” or “that’s not fair”. But if she doesn’t, then you can say something. Since you are sitting right there you can say “well that wasn’t very nice” or something like that. And that applies to…

I get that this is just an award name, blah blah blah. But let’s not pretend this isn’t part of a trend. I think part of it is that people want to shield their kids from the unsavory parts of life. But I think there is also a severe reading comprehension problem in this country that is becoming more prevalent. Too…

Ugh, I forgot about that merger. I feel bad for all the people who are at the mercy of whomever they happen to get at the doctors office or pharmacy or whatever. Unless you live in a large city or suburb where there are options on every corner you are kind of screwed. 

Pretty sure you’re thinking of a different ethnic group there, bud. Although I admit I’m not super well versed in stereotypes. Maybe that’s one I haven’t heard.