Archive
A Cleaner Plague
Have you had your daily minimum requirement of triclosan today? How about your dose of triclocarban? Chances are you have, but don't know. These two antimicrobial chemicals disrupt the human body's normal regulatory processes. Animal testing shows that these chemicals...
Seniors of America Unite! You Have Nothing to Lose but Your Chains.
Listen seniors and those disabled The Chained CPI has now been tabled Cost-of-living increases you rely on Were to be replaced with a shoulder to cry on But because conservatives refused to play And end the corporate tax giveaways Obama decided to toss the "Grand...
Crossing a Fine Line
Olympic ski champion Bode Miller's impressive bronze showing in the men's super-G was overshadowed by the interview with him afterward. The race was an historic one for the 36-year-old skier, who became the oldest Alpine medalist in the history of the Olympics. But...
This Week in OtherWords: February 19, 2014
This week in OtherWords, DeNeen L. Brown and Sarah Browning reflect on what the murders of teens like Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis mean for all mothers of African-American sons and Sam Pizzigati weighs in on the fuss over the initial perception that GM CEO Mary...
Learning from the Twin Tragedies of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis
On a cold night this winter, 60 African-American teenagers lined up in a banquet room. Each wore a suit and tie. Each had a straight-A grade point average. "I wish the media were here now," said the president of the organization recognizing the students in one of the...
I Am Not Sybrina Fulton
My 15-year-old son is a hulking 6'6". He wears a hoodie and listens to hip hop. But I've never had to explain to him that his neighbors might find him threatening. I've never told him that police officers might assume that if he's hanging out on the sidewalks of our...
The Fracking War on Coal
When the EPA opened a new comment period on Jan. 8 for the public to weigh in on proposed greenhouse gas limits for new coal-fired power plants, it didn't take long for the overblown rhetoric denouncing President Barack Obama's so-called "War on Coal" to begin. The...
We’ve Got a Long Way to Go, Baby
When General Motors named Mary Barra the company's new CEO in December, the announcement made instant headlines. No woman had ever steered a major global automaker . But the hurrahs for GM's historic hire turned into hoots of derision when a company filing revealed...
Keeping Sludge Away from Your Seedlings Is Harder than You Think
Spring is so close we can almost taste it. If you're a gardener, you've already counted how many weeks until the last frost, ordered your seeds, and perhaps even began starting your seedlings indoors. And if you're like some gardeners, once it's warm enough, you'll...
Buying More Than a Piece of the Rock
One thing about the tea party Republicans in Congress is that they do know who butters their biscuits. Several have recently rushed forward with an anguished plea in defense of Wall Street barons, CEOs, and billionaires: Stop the vilification of wealthy people! I'm...