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In: Gender Bias, Harassment, Unity
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Okay, I admit it, I’ve been stubbornly opposed to changing. I grew up in the mountains of North Carolina and was raised to say, “ma’am” and “sir.” Living in other parts of the country, I’ve been told not use those terms because, “It makes me feel old” or “I work for a living.” I would laugh, and explain that was just the way I was raised and meant it as a form of respect. Of course, I would refrain from using them again in that interaction. I justified retaining those terms with the idea that we need more civility and respect in our day toRead More →

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In: Political Parties, Politics
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The Associated Press, reports that Manafort resigned over his work for the pro-Russian party of the then president of the Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych. It seems that he not only received more than $12 million, but he also tried to influence opinion here at home. Donald Trump’s ties to Russian don’t end with the resignation of his campaign chairperson, Paul Manafort. As outlined by The Washington Post, one of his foreign policy advisers, Carter Page, served as an executive at Merrill Lynch in Moscow and then became an advisor to Gazprom, the Russian state-controlled energy company. Additionally, Trump took Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn to his AugustRead More →

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In: Father's Hood, Humor
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(Editor’s Note: Because the victim is a minor, his name has been changed). It’s official, I have failed as a parent. The other day, I picked up my son, Ethan, and his friend, “Bob”, from summer camp. While we were walking home, Bob was telling us how much he enjoyed playing baseball. “What position do you like to play?” I asked. “Batter,” he said, giving the type of verbose reply preferred by eight-year-olds everywhere. “You like to be a batter?” my son asked, with an evil glint in his eye that made me wary. “Yes.” “Great,” Ethan barely suppressed a grin, “Since you like beingRead More →

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In: Bias
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While reading some comments on social media, it occurred to me that, while one’s sexual preference and ethnicity may be genetic, being bigoted is a lifestyle choice. I believe that bigotry is caused by our natural tendencies to be afraid of things that are different. It’s the same tendency that allowed our ancient ancestors to survive a time when that person who looked different from the tribe could kill them all. Thankfully, despite what the Republican Party would have you believe, life here in the US isn’t nearly as dangerous. One of the best advantages of our country is our diversity and the freedom weRead More →