2015 went by like a speed bump. Is it that I just turned 57, so every year races by faster than the one before it? Is it the dense time suck of social media and the phone addiction I share with millions? The sense that I fell short of the […]
For The Love Of Pets
Recently, the Examiner reported the heartbreaking story of a ten year old pet lab that a family surrendered to a shelter. Thankfully, the press he got meant that a rescue organization took him for placement in a forever home. Many dogs will have anywhere from three to five owners in their […]
The Lure of Comic-Con
Out of my element at Comic-Con 2015, where 250,000 movie fans, comic devotees and techno geeks gather, I had an expectation of being trampled in a sea of humanity. Instead, I found enthusiastic, welcoming people whose entry badges were like a symbol of solidarity. It’s like we were all part […]
Women Are Fundraising Their Way To The Big Political Table
Hillary Clinton’s first quarter fundraising total of $45 million revealed that women comprised more than 60% of her donor base. Regardless of Party, this kind of financial participation is essential if women want to be treated as more than one issue voters or a political football during election season. Politically, […]
Equality and the Destiny of Dissenters
The joy many felt at the SCOTUS’ marriage equality ruling – and the beauty of more than a dozen landmarks that turned rainbow last night – was marred only by diminishing comments from Justices Roberts, Scalia, Thomas and Alito. Their sour dissents were mirrored by some of the Republican Party […]
Working Too Hard May Be Hurting the Economy
The long-term dangers of over-demanding jobs aren’t just to employees. Working too hard maybe hurting the employers too. Americans are working longer hours with fewer vacations and greater stress, but employees are not the only ones who may suffer from those habits. A study examined in the New York Times shows that […]
Some College Professors Among the Working Poor
It was horrifying to learn some college professors among the working poor — approximately 25% of part-time college faculty receives one or more types of public assistance (Medicaid/CHIP, TANF, EITC, and/or SNAP) programs. I have long had a stereotyped view of affluent college professors living in relative comfort, but in a trend reflective of America’s […]
Sharing FEMINIST Stories: An Interview With Jennifer Hall Lee
Feminism is not the “F” word and feminists are not the bearded, Birkenstock wearing sisterhood! Disabusing wrong-headed notions about feminism is vital in understanding its benefits to society as well as the opportunities now available to women as a result. In a special edition of Dare We Say, I had an opportunity to interview […]
Beating Back the Drive-By Media In Politics
As nature abhors a vacuum, so the drive-by media is hungry to control and define any public figure whose impact might supersede their own. How do we beat them? Whether we believe that Hillary Clinton’s “email-gate” is empty click-bait or something substantive, the amount of feverish news coverage generated in advance […]
Patricia Arquette: “It’s Our Time” For Equality
Patricia Arquette’s “it’s our time” appeal on behalf of women’s equality brought excitement to an otherwise lackluster Oscar telecast. Upon accepting the award for Best Supporting Actress, she stood before a worldwide audience of 1 billion and declared: “To every woman who gave birth to every taxpayer and every citizen of […]
Grammys: Another Institution Failure On Domestic Violence
Sunday’s Grammy Awards became the latest institution failure on domestic violence. It featured a PSA by President Obama calling attention to the shocking number of women in America who are raped or suffer domestic violence. “It’s on us,” he said, urging the artistic community to raise awareness to bring a stop to […]
How Long Do You Give a Leader To Succeed?
How long do you give a leader to succeed when it comes to national, state or local government? Is four years in office enough? California’s tax rates are high. When Governor Brown re-took office in the midst of a fiscal crisis in 2010, we were asked to bear “temporary” higher […]
Music: FLY by Maddie and Tae
Teen sensations Maddie and Tae scored a #1 single last year with their brilliant, funny and feminist GIRL IN A COUNTRY SONG. Their new single, FLY is so lovely, the tears were rolling before I heard half the lyrics. FLY is a sweet anthem of encouragement in challenging times. Keep on climbing, […]
Happy Birthday Betty White, I’ll Never Forget Your Kindness
I’ve had the pleasure of working with the hilarious, uber-talented Miss Betty White. No one is more deserving than she of the sweet surprise and outpouring of affection she got, in celebration of her 93rd birthday, from the entire cast and crew of Hot in Cleveland. Enjoy the flash mob celebration, then read about my own […]
Women in Charge At Golden Globes
Women in charge Tina Fey and Amy Poehler skewered power players and stereotypes alike in their swan song as Golden Globe hosts Sunday evening. They killed in their opening monologue, a biting soufflé that was as droll as it was unsparing. They ripped SONY: Fey: “Tonight we celebrate all the […]
Why Kaley Cuoco’s “ Not a Feminist ” Comment Matters
By now, Big Bang Theory actress Kaley Cuoco’s comments that she is not a feminist have gone viral. The online backlash was so fierce that Cuoco has walked back her original statements. Pundits who miss no opportunity to perpetuate feminism’s negative branding have chastised those who criticized Ms. Cuoco for daring to […]
Acting, Hacking and Hollywood
Talking with Jerry Doyle earlier in the week, what started as a tangent to a conversation on terrorism turned into a full blown interview about Hollywood’s underbelly. We discuss the dust-up caused by the Sony Hack and media release of the racially insensitive comments of SONY Exec Amy Pascal and Producer Scott […]
The Terror in the Torture Report
It was several years after 9/11 before I had occasion to once again board a plane. Arriving at airport security, the sight of everyone in line, by rote, yanking off their belts and shoes shocked me enough that tears rolled down my face. That horrible day in September forever changed […]
Will We Ever Bring An End To Domestic Violence?
When Football executive and former NFL player Troy Vincent appeared before a Senate committee examining the NFL’s handling of domestic violence and sexual assault, he became the unexpected face of domestic abuse, if only for a moment. While looking to convince the panel that the NFL was cleaning up its […]
Does Hollywood Reflect Our Struggle With Aging?
I recently asked if we are now a Botox Nation, preferring Barbie and Ken’s wrinkle-free faces, boobs of steel that say Hi! to the ceiling and six pack abs to a less glamorous reality. It was both surprising and encouraging that so many readers voiced their objections to the lack of value […]
Silence Equals A “Yes” Vote
The midterm elections are upon us and famously have lower turnouts, but it’s more important than ever to vote. Midterms may not be as sexy. But they matter. If you get even one person into office who’s better than the suit currently there, you’ve made a difference… So share my […]
Freezing Eggs, A Perk For Female Employees?
When I read the headline that Apple and Facebook are now offering to freeze female employees’ eggs as a perk of employment, I thought I had entered the Twilight Zone! Is that taking progress a bit too far? Is this move a way for companies to push women to push their choice to […]
Movie: Jon Favreau’s CHEF
Though I’m late to the party, I’m thrilled to have discovered Jon Favreau’s fabulous film CHEF. A sleeper hit when it was released in May on a modest budget and with no marketing to speak of, CHEF gained traction solely by word of mouth and social media and is now having a successful second life on […]
Who’s Entertained By Bad Political Stunt Casting?
Jerry Doyle and I discuss my recent post venting about the poor decision by CBS’s THE GOOD WIFE to have presidential advisor Valerie Jarrett appear as herself on the show. It cheapens news, politics and entertainment when each is used as if one is nothing more than an advertisement for the other. We […]
Is It Possible To Legislate Respect?
Kansas City just became the latest in a list of cities considering a law against street harassment that would encompass everything from catcalls to drivers forcing bicyclists off the road. Clearly, harassment is a crime, but is it possible to legislate respect? The abuse discussed in HuffPo’s article Kansas City Might […]