Archive
A New Year’s Resolution: Time to Speak Up
As we go into a new year, I have a resolution. I'm going to speak up more when men do things that make me uneasy. Take the other day, for example. I really like my neighbor. I also have no interest in dating him. It's nothing against him, really. But I don't know him...
America’s Farmworkers Face Poverty, Neglect, and Now Deportation
Every decade or so, America’s mass media are surprised to discover that migrant farmworkers are being miserably paid and despicably treated by the industry that profits from their labor. Stories run, the public is outraged, assorted officials pledge action, then…...
Hurricane #MeToo
In OtherWords: December 27, 2017
Are you struggling to get by on a mere $15 or $20 million? If so, my colleague Chuck Collins has good news for you: Congress is looking out for you and your heirs. Meanwhile, Jill Richardson shares a New Year's resolution: to tell men directly when they're acting...
In OtherWords: December 20, 2017
This week we bring you holiday tidings, warm and grim alike. On the grim end, there's that tax bill that looks likely to pass this week. We've written about that extensively (see a bunch of our pieces here), so we'll give the last word now to cartoonist Khalil Bendib....
When’s the Last Time I’ll Go Home for Christmas?
The time has come again for making spirits bright. Whether we’re singing Merry Christmas or Feliz Navidad, the familiar cheer confirms the holiday season has arrived. Yet amid the illumination and ornamented evergreens, an unsettling anticipation looms. It is the...
Remembering Joseph and Mary on the U.S.-Mexico Border
This weekend in San Diego and Tijuana, I gathered with hundreds at Friendship Park, which spans both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. We came together for the 24th annual Posada Without Borders, to remember those who lost their lives crossing the border, and to call...
Tips Should Go to Workers, Not Their Bosses
Thea Bryan is a single mother putting herself through graduate school. She spends her days at an unpaid internship for her social work program. At nights, she bartends for tips. Sometimes, the pay is lucrative. But around October, her work — and money — started to...
After Moore, the Deluge
The defeat of Roy Moore in the Alabama senate race tells us something about voters. Women — especially black women — made the difference. Some 57 percent of Alabamian women voted against Moore, while 56 percent of mostly white men stuck with him. That also tells us...
Cat’s Pajamas and Other Signs of Holiday Endtimes
Your cat doesn't want to wear pajamas. Really. This shouldn't be a revelation to anyone who's ever seen or met a cat. And yet there are now advertisements for cat pajamas. Apparently, according to the advertiser, you should buy your entire family matching pajamas for...