My DD (16yo, Junior in HS) is in the middle of a weeks long project - ending with a historical paper for US History.  They have to ID an event of the late 20th century, research secondary and primary sources, come up with a thesis, and then write a paper defending their thesis.

After much discussion, she has come up with the following thesis:  That radical events and/or radical language that were used early in  the women's movement led to only incremental change; significant changes came when the women's movement used political (legislation and courts) to effect change.

The Executive Board of the Parents Association of DS's school seems obsessed with lice these days.  In the past three days, I have received (no exaggeration) at least 50 emails with the word "lice" in the subject line.  I can't get a handle on how wide-spread a problem it is, because the families who are affected are very upset and vocal.  

Anyway, we are faced with a question of what should we (PA) or the school do, if anything to combat a lice outbreak in the school?

We've all heard Barack Obama's story many times, but I've heard very little about his mother than the (now trite) 'white woman from Kansas' line.  So, I was pleased to see this biographical story in today's NYTimes.  Maybe I"m the only one who was so unaware, but until today, I never even knew her name.

Wow! Anyone else noticing the increase in the cost of baked goods?  Around here, we're seeing an increase in prices in bakeries, pizza places, and (horrors!) bagels!

Seems it's a global shortage of grains.

Anyone reading or want to read Pollan's new book?  I'm about 3/4 through and finding it both enjoyable and provacative.  I'd be happy to host a discussion if others want to read.

Otherwise, I may just wait and share some of my favorite parts with all of you when I finish.

Expat Brit - have you read this - I think you'd find it very affirming!

Taking advantage of my first time "front paging" to share this story from New York Magazine.  It's a very interesting story about how kids learn to lie (did you know it's a sign of intelligence?), why they continue to lie, and what they lie about.

(Unfortunately, the teaser headline - "they're copying their parents" is only a small part of the story - just another stab at parent-guilt)

Anyone else see this article in  Atlantic Monthly this month?  In it, the author makes the argument for "settling" in order to get married.  Parts of the article sound more tongue-in-cheek than real

And all I can say is, if you say you’re not worried, either you’re in denial or you’re lying. In fact, take a good look in the mirror and try to convince yourself that you’re not worried, because you’ll see how silly your face looks when you’re being disingenuous.

 But the overall theme is provacative - can an over-romatic view of love and marriage prevent us from finding life partners?

On another messageboard that I read/write to, there is an intermittent debate about the inevitability of teens drinking, smoking pot, or doing other drugs.  Parents who post that their child is smoking pot are reassured that "most teens do it", and parents (like me) who believe their teens are not are called "naive" and are told they have their heads in the sand.  This is a gut-reaction issue for me on two levels.  First, there's this general belief that in the 60s and 70s "everyone did it" and "we turned out OK".  Since I knew many kids (including me, my DH, and many of my friends) who didn't, I know it wasn't "everyone", even if it was very common.  Second, I have a 16 year old - she's basically a "straight edge".  When she hears "everyone does it", I worry she'll think it's just "the thing to do" and not a choice made by a minority of teens.

Please excuse me a short and shameless brag - my DD16 has made me so proud of her in the past month.  It would be unbelievable hubris to take credit for her achievements, but OTOH seeing her soar is part of the payback for the long days, anxious nights, and long long long discussions.

With all our talk about exposing our kids to the political process....who's taking their children to the polls today?  If you do, post a photo.  Who's got the cutest "pre-voter" out there?  How did the poll workers and other voters treat your little one?  Any reactions from the kids about the voting process?

This is an exciting Super Tuesday - any selection on the Democratic side is a winner, so share the excitement (and the photos) here!

DH and DD recently subscribed to The Economist.  Most of the articles are on the dry side, and some are over my head, but this one caught my eye....or should I say caught my nose!

After 10 years of renting in the same place, 6 years of half-hearted house-hunting, and 9 months of serious searching - we found "our" house!  I don't believe in "fate" or "destiny", but I do believe that persistence and a little bit of luck can work together, and great things can happen!  

We are only moving 6 blocks from where we live now.  We all love our neighborhood, so we only looked in a specific area.  We saw every house for sale or Open House within a mile of our apartment for the past year, so when we saw this house, we knew it was perfect for us!