There’s a conservative streak running through some easy-going American households. The dinner table is the last bastion of civility in a culture that scratches its sweat-panted bum in the mall, pees on the seat, and doesn’t hesitate to hock a loogie on a public sidewalk. Today seems like an apt time to discuss table manners as we are currently in the midst of National Etiquette Week — or were you unaware of that fact, you witless barbarian?

 

by Demetria L. Lucas, Essence

I know you've heard people blaming the bad girls of reality TV for the downfall of civilization, and younger womankind specifically. But every time that argument is made someone inevitably points out that TV characters are not to blame. It's the parents, the culture, the society that we live in that fosters anger and insecurity in women, and a million other reasons, “they” say. And while all those may be true too, the effects of bad-girl reality TV may actually be worse than we thought, according to a recent study.  

To paraphrase a famous old movie line, there are eight million stories in New York City, and this is one of them. It’s one of the good ones, too, underscoring all that is hopeful and possible for an immigrant who left troubled shores yearning to breathe free.

 

When State of the World’s Mothers 2012 was released by Save The Children this week, timed to commemorate Mother’s Day, the American media pounced on one point made in the 70-page report: The U.S. ranked #25 in a tally of which countries were the best and worst places for being a mom.

 

Has the skateboard become the red Corvette for middle-aged guys with a belly and a budget?

 

Updated 5/15/2012

In a statement released to supporters yesterday, Ron Paul announced he would no longer campaign in primaries in states that have not yet voted. His statement is widely being read to mean he is dropping out of the presidential race. However, Paul hastens to clarify that there has always been more to his campaign than winning the 2012 election.

 

by Larry West

“It’s not that easy being green.”

Members of the century-spanning Millennial generation, who were born after 1982 and came (or will come) of age in the 21st century, grew up listening to Kermit the Frog sing his colorful lament on Sesame Street and apparently took it to heart. Despite their reputation as environmentally conscious conservationists, a new research study has found that today’s young Americans are less interested in the environment, and do less to help preserve it, than previous generations of young people.  

by Meredith Turits, Glamour

To-Do List:

• Get soy milk
• Meet with investors
• Finalize business plan
• Pick up Alice+Olivia dress at dry cleaners
• Take on the world

That's the usual for you, right? If you're anything like Natalie MacNeil, your answer is definitely a big, bold yes!