One Nation, Without a Clue

One Nation, Without a Clue

There was a time when we had a Greatest Generation. That would be my parents’ generation. If you’re a mere stripling of 40 or 50 or so, it probably was your grandparents’ generation. You know the rap: They survived the Great Depression, won World War...
Making Death Less Painful

Making Death Less Painful

Spare me, Lord, From those who say That I need pain, Till my dying day. There’s no quick path to a new personal freedom. Whether it’s civil rights, women’s rights, gay rights, reproductive rights, or the right to die with dignity, winning is not...
Fat Demons

Fat Demons

My grandmother lay in bed at a hospice facility, days away from death. With her loving children by her side, she looked at her belly and — as she had done for all of the years I’d known her — complained that she was too fat. What? What did she think six-pack abs...
Making Caregiving Count in France

Making Caregiving Count in France

Even before the ink dries on the messy budget deal that staved off the “fiscal cliff,” the next fight — over raising the debt ceiling — is shaping up. Republicans say they won’t vote to pay the nation’s bills unless offsetting cuts are made,...
Filling Solis’s Shoes Won’t Be Easy

Filling Solis’s Shoes Won’t Be Easy

As President Barack Obama’s second term begins, change is coming. Change to his cabinet, that is. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis is the latest of the administration’s leaders to announce her resignation. Obama’s cabinet was already becoming more male...