Two more children dead, another mother on her way to jail. Maybe. Maybe not. But in all likelihood, 29-year-old Shaquan Duley will spend time behind bars. In 1985, if I had followed through with my own plan to drive my car over a hillside, or connect a hose from the Read more…
I’ve been thinking it for several years and now I think it’s time to say it. “It” being what I thought after taking a family friend to the movies today, where we watched a commercial prior to the beginning of what turned out to be five previews for other upcoming Read more…
Okay, my book really is going to happen. It’s not just some pie-in-the-sky dream I’ve had, although some days it does feel that way. Sister of Silence might not land in your local bookstore via a traditional publishing house, but with the industry changes these days that probably isn’t a Read more…
You just never know where life will take you, but 20/10 looks promising. Life is full of exciting possibilities, and every day is a fresh page, waiting to be unfurled. I joined the ranks of the 15.3 million unemployed Americans some time ago, and I remain jobless today. That being Read more…
One of the most serious problems facing the world is the ongoing demise of journalism. As one newspaper after another makes its final print run, and reporters walk away wondering what to do next, a sad fact escapes the masses: If investigative journalism, that traditional method of gathering hard news, Read more…
Why must they return to the scene of the crime? That’s a question I’ve wondered about more times than I count: Rihanna has apparently done it (in the past) with Chris Brown, just as Whitney Houston did with ex-husband Bobby—that other infamous Brown. Ditto for Tina Turner, whose escape took Read more…
The scariest part about mothering several small children simultaneously is the overwhelming sensation of not being able to do enough, to ensure each and every child gets the love, time and attention it needs and deserves. I know this because I turned twenty-one in August 1984, and gave birth to Read more…
In 1999 there were 308 people living in Tanana, Alaska, where the median family income was $29,750 and where they retire on a median income of $10,576. I wonder how many residents from that little tiny town could afford to pay $2,500 for a jacket? One of my favorite family Read more…
I think Alaska Governor Sarah Palin said it best, during the vice-presidential debate. “Say it ain’t so, Joe,” Palin told her opponent, Senator Joe Biden.
But I would direct those words to another Joe: Governor Joe Manchin, who is demanding a Hollywood apology for discrediting the state and its residents by inserting a racially-charged scene between WVU fans and the Syracuse team in the movie, “The Express.” In particular, a hateful audience portrayed as WVU fans in the movie called the black Orangemen “coons” and that other word, the “N” word, which I personally find outrageous and offensive.
Governor Manchin told Universal Studios it was “an unfair portrayal of West Virginians.” I like the governor but with all due respect, I think he’s wrong. That’s because I’ve done some informal polling since I learned about Manchin’s protests. Plus, I’ve seen racism here firsthand.
One of the most poignant pieces of history I recall learning is how people were affected by the1929 stock market crash: Many of them committed suicide. While it was undeniably tragic to learn about the California family who died last weekend, as a result of job loss and related economic Read more…