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Why Is It Only Women Who Need 'Informing' on Reproductive Health?
Tweet Share on Facebook May 24, 2012 CommentLegislators from Arizona to Virginia want women to undergo often invasive procedures before having a legal abortion, since the lawmakers are convinced that the women don't really understand what they are doing. And leaders in the Catholic Church, which opposes contraception, are fighting Obama administration rules requiring employers (including those affiliated with the church, although not the church itself) to include birth control in their healthcare plans. The battles—which many of us thought had been fought and resolved decades ago—have caused dissension over religious freedom versus religious dictate, and on the role of government in people's lives.
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Mitt Romney Brought Bain Capital Criticisms on Himself
Tweet Share on Facebook May 23, 2012 CommentMitt Romney's work at Bain Capital is "fair game," as the Obama administration phrases it. Criticism of Romney's work there is not an assault on capitalism, nor is it "proof" of the absurd contention by foes of the president that he is a socialist (the bigger issue, anyway, is what passes for a liberal in our era of hyper-conservative resurgence).
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Rutgers Bullying Case About Gay Rights, Privacy
Tweet Share on Facebook May 22, 2012 CommentThe relatively brief jail sentence imposed on a Rutgers University student who tormented his gay roommate has caused debate, even within the gay community: Was 30 days too few for Dharun Ravi, who secretly filmed his roommate, Tyler Clementi, in a sexual encounter with another man, then encouraged others to watch the video? Or was Ravi just a basic, immature college kid whose stupid prank should not be blamed for the distress of Clementi, who committed suicide after the episode?
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Facebook's Stock Flop Is an Allegory for Facebook Itself
Tweet Share on Facebook May 21, 2012 CommentFacebook's public debut on the stock market ended up being a financial allegory for the social networking site itself. Buzz-spreaders do not necessarily ended up becoming actual investors. That's not surprising, considering that your Facebook friends are not really your friends.
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FTC's Skechers Case Is a Coup for Women
Tweet Share on Facebook May 17, 2012 Comment (4)American consumers are a pretty savvy bunch, and tend to know that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The Federal Trade Commission took it a step further, accusing the athletic shoemaker Skechers of running misleading ads about what its women's sneakers could do.
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George W. Bush's Mitt Romney Endorsement Doesn't Matter
Tweet Share on Facebook May 16, 2012 Comment (9)At first blush, it looks like yet another indignity for presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney. There was former President George W. Bush, a man who surely understands that Romney is indeed going to be the man who will try to unseat the guy who beat the other guy who wanted Bush's job in 2008. And when Bush was asked whether he would endorse, he said, "I'm for Mitt Romney." Right as the elevator doors closed.
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Why We Care About Mitt Romney's Dog and Bullying
Tweet Share on Facebook May 15, 2012 Comment (58)First, Mitt Romney was mean to a dog. And now, he was a childhood bully.
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Coddling Moms Need to Be Tougher With Their Kids
Tweet Share on Facebook May 14, 2012 Comment (10)In the run-up to Mother's Day, we have been predictably inundated with stories of women who give up everything to make things easier for their children. There's Clueless actor Alicia Silverstone, who chews her child's food and spits it into his mouth, as though he's a baby bird. Then there was the woman who was on the cover of Time, shown breast-feeding a child who looks old enough to chew barbequed ribs. Most of the rest of the stories are less provocative, extolling women who gave up such selfish pursuits as a career and adult personal life to cater to her children.
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Don't Discourage Girls from Soccer to 'Protect' Them
Tweet Share on Facebook May 10, 2012 Comment (7)MSNBC has done a terrific story on the problem of concussions for school-age female soccer players. Girls, the experts the network interviewed, are particularly vulnerable to concussions, second only to football players in terms of risk.
But what's disappointing is the questions the reporters raised to the players and their parents: Why take the risk? Why continue to play the game?
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No, Mitt Romney Didn't Save the Auto Industry
Tweet Share on Facebook May 9, 2012 Comment (18)One might think that presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney would be a little more careful on two fronts: thinking about how his comments will come across before he says them, and being sensitive to concerns about him changing his views on things. So what would lead a smiling Romney to take credit for the resurgence of the automobile industry?
