Different is the New Normal
from TC Jewfolk by Cara Strauss
Most recently, [my daughters have] been asking questions about sexuality. They’re not thinking in sexual terms; just innocent questions about who they can marry, because this is clearly their most pressing concern coming out of toddlerhood! So ready or not, my journey begins.
I needed to figure out how to answer complex questions appropriately, accurately, and in a way that reflects our family’s morals and values. How hard could this be? I mean, it’s easy on TV. The child asks one of life’s hard questions and the parent gives a deeply philosophical, yet appropriate and poignant answer, on the spot. Everyone’s satisfied. Except in real life, I become a blubbering idiot and I’m fairly certain that everyone walks away more confused than when we started!
So when one of my daughters asks me if she can marry a girl when she grows up, my instinctual (and proud) answer is “Yes…if you want to.” But I’m not satisfied with that answer because I feel it implies that being LGBT is a choice, and I don’t believe it is. So the babbling ensues. “You may or may not want to…Yes you can, but only if you want… I mean, not want want, but if you feel…” You get the point. How do I not make it sound like a choice on one hand, or a disease on the other?
Unpacking Minnesota’s (new) best interest factors
from Family-In-Law by Michael Boulette
Tomorrow, August 1, 2015, Minnesota’s child custody laws are about to see their biggest change in a generation.
And no one’s talking about it.
#LionGate: Moral Outrage, Social Media and the Cat’s Paw Theory in P.R.
from Girl Meets Geek by Kate-Madonna Hindes
I was remarking yesterday, that the outrage over #CecilTheLion trumped, (pun gloriously intended) The Donald’s newest attempt to stay relevant by yet another outrageous one-liner. This is exactly why, upon reading the article from PRWeek about Dr. Walter Palmer hiring a well-respected Minneapolis P.R. consultant, John Austin, caught my eye. I can’t imagine being in Mr. Austin’s shoes.
First and foremost, I can’t imagine the P.R. consultant- even as a senior-level and well-established professional, would be able to get a handle on the situation immediately. The playbook couldn’t be made of seeds and allowed to grow- it had to be instantaneously finished- like the little washcloths from the dollar store that just need water. There was almost negative room for error and patience. Whomever took this gig, was going to literally be set-up to fail.
Promoting vehicular cycling is just plain wrong
from Biking in Mpls by Lindsey Wallace
I took the day off work in order to participate in the community bike ride with the Minneapolis chief of police, organized by the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition. Most of the ride was great. I chatted with my Bicycle Advisory Committee compatriots and other people who are active and engaged in the cycling community. Close to the end of the ride I realized I hadn’t spoken with any cops. In light of the hit-and-run, and the fact that this was a bike ride specifically with cops, I thought I should talk to a cop. Big mistake.
Visiting the historic Kettle Falls Hotel
from Squeaky Green Machine by Heidi Van Heel
Tucked in fragrant pine trees on the Minnesota-Canadian border in Voyageurs National Park, the Kettle Falls Hotel is only accessible by boat – just as it was for its earliest visitors a hundred years ago.
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