Stern. Witchy. The ‘b’ word that rhymes with witchy. Shrill. Scolding.

I suspect that few of us would allow our husbands to use those words to describe us (even if they are thinking them on occasion) when they are in front of our children, especially not in the presence of our daughters.

Yet, innumerable journalists, especially men, have found it perfectly OK to describe Hillary Clinton in those words as she runs for president, plus many others that get used to describe powerful and assertive women. Hateful and prejudicial phrases that convey an underlying meanness and insecurity about females who challenge traditional stereotypes about women in our society.

If these men, many of whom undoubtedly have daughters, paid the tiniest bit of attention to what their children are focused on, they might rethink the vocabulary they are using to pillory Hillary. Read the rest of this entry »

“For her, politics wasn’t so much about being inspirational as it was being practical — about getting something specific done.”

“She can be tough, and even a little steely, an attitude that stems, at least in part from wanting to live up to the high expectations her father set for her. ”

“Politics and policy animate her — like her husband, [after attending Ivy League law schools] she turned away from a lucrative law career to work in public service.

Another profile about Hillary Clinton, you say? Read the rest of this entry »

School cafeteria lunches have been the brunt of jokes since we were all in elementary school — tater tots, milk boxes and mystery meat patties were the mainstays of high school meals if you weren’t brown-bagging it.

For the moment, it’s time to take those jokes a lot more seriously.

We trust that if we send our kids off to school with some money for a hot lunch, that while it may not be as nutritious as something we’d cook at home, that a school lunch isn’t going to give them E. coli poisoning. Or mad cow disease. Or salmonella poisoning. This week, a large California meat packing company recalled close to 150 million pounds of beef after an undercover video was disclosed showing sick and downed cows being dragged to the slaughterhouse. Read the rest of this entry »

Last week, I was pondering the apparent recklessness of my early motherhood by allowing PunditGirl (then merely a PunditBaby) to toddle around with water, juice and milk in brightly colored sippy cups.

I didn’t know then what I know now about the possible chemicals that can leech out of the plastic after many uses and washings. But that doesn’t make me feel any better. Granted, there’s nothing I can do about that now, but how can I be more vigilant going forward? Read the rest of this entry »

I may have exposed my now-eight-year-old-daughter to toxic chemicals when she was a baby that could cause her to develop breast cancer or diabetes or a whole host of other bad things as an adult.

Irresponsible mom, you say? I didn’t think so at the time.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that I got sick to my stomach when I read about the latest on baby bottles, water bottles and sippy cups.

A chemical called bisphenol A (BPA) is a synthetic sex hormone that is used to make many hard plastic products like our trusty sippy cups. Read the rest of this entry »

Or, perhaps more appropriately, your chest!

It’s probably no secret that I tend wear my Democratic politics on my sleeve. But with emotions running high for both the Dems and the GOP in this year’s political campaign, it’s not difficult to find those hawking election memorabilia both for and against all the candidates.

But how to choose something that will best represent your feelings and still be relevant after the election? You know how hard it is to get those bumper stickers off the car! Read the rest of this entry »

As I’ve been getting over my disappointment about John Edwards dropping out of the presidential race, I’ve been pondering the other candidates — what do they bring to the table?

One thing that can be telling about a candidate is identifying their other supporters — are those people I can connect with to help figure out who to vote for?

In deciding who to support, I’m not generally swayed by celebrity endorsements. They’re interesting and they sell newspapers, but they don’t influence my vote. But the candidates must think they do. Read the rest of this entry »