Shortly after learning of the news of Margaret Thatcher's passing, I did what many people now do to signify the first official stage of mourning in modern-day America: I tweeted.

I didn't know Thatcher personally, and am not old enough to recall much of her tenure as...

Though I was raised a practicing Christian I often struggle with one of the faith's most well-known tenets: forgiveness. I was reminded of this when I took pleasure in seeing two young people cry. I generally don't enjoy seeing people in pain, but simply couldn't help myself because these two...

I recently heard a crazy rumor about President Obama. According to unnamed sources, he works from home. In fact, these sources claim that throughout his first term most of his time in Washington was spent in his great, big, taxpayer-funded White House, despite the fact that his staff is expected...

I've long believed that people who claim they don't like kids are misguided. It's not that they don't like kids. They just don't like bad parents.

I was reminded of this when I had yet another semi-silly discussion with well-meaning parents (on the fabulous HuffPost Live, no less) who...

Despite the romanticized images portrayed in film, television, and of course books, being a writer actually means spending most of your time doing one of six things: writing, thinking about what you want to write, thinking about what you actually have to write to make money, chasing payment for what...

Just before Christmas I spent some time doing what a number of African American filmgoers have done over the last few weeks: debating the use of the "N-word" in Quentin Tarantino's latest film Django Unchained. In my case, I was not just debating the issue with friends for the sake...

Every now and then there is an embarrassingly backwards judicial ruling so steeped in prejudice that years later it still haunts our collective conscious as a stain on our nation's history. The 1857 Dred Scott ruling in which the Supreme Court found that all people who look...

Just when we all thought Todd Akin was a shoo-in for the award for the dumbest thing said or done in the 2012 election cycle, Richard Mourdock comes out of nowhere to give Akin a run for his money just before Election Day. If only these two could be forced...

There was very little good news for the Romney campaign this week, or frankly this past month. Between Clint Eastwood's performance art at the RNC Convention (which I am convinced he will one day admit really was a piece of experimental theatre inspired by the show Punk'd) and the 47...

The same week that Sarah Palin returned to the headlines for her choice of attire, and glasses, as opposed to the political pronouncements she was making while wearing them, another high profile, high-powered woman also found herself under the media microscope for her appearance as opposed to...

When Logan West, the newly crowned Miss Teen USA, announced that she wanted to use her crown and platform to help end bullying, that wasn't much of a surprise. Some cynics might argue that bullying has replaced environmental activism as the cause du jour among celebrities and politicians alike. What...

Michelle Obama sparked a major media controversy for her choice of attire for an encounter with Queen Elizabeth. The outfit has been dubbed "a disaster," and "a major misstep."

If you think I'm referring to this week's headlines about the First Lady's $6800 jacket,...

Pint-sized gymnastics powerhouse Gabby Douglas stands out for her strength, grace and show stopping routines, particularly on the uneven bars. She also stands out because of her race. The only black gymnast on this year's U.S. women's team, she is one of only a few black gymnasts to ever represent...

Any time politics are mentioned in the same breath as a tragedy, whether it occurred a decade ago like 9/11, or days ago, like the shooting in Aurora, there will be some who view those doing the mentioning as callous, insensitive and self-serving.

Sometimes that view is spot on....

Apparently I struck a nerve with some last week when I dared to mention that the physical appearance of a candidate does impact whom voters choose to vote for. Some found my references to Gov. Chris Christie "fatphobic," even though I made it clear that presidential candidate Gov....

Mitt Romney's had the kind of week that could almost make those who don't care for his politics feel sorry for him -- almost. First there were new revelations regarding offshore accounts. The words "offshore accounts" are usually about as helpful to a rich candidate running for office...

There wasn't a great deal of news to celebrate when the latest jobs numbers were released just after the 4th of July holiday, but for African-Americans the news was particularly grim. While overall unemployment continues to hover around 8.2 percent, among African-Americans the number increased from an already discouraging 13.6...

You know you've reached a new low in terms of reputation when you are named the worst person on reality TV. Not the second worst or third worst, but the very worst. Keep in mind that some of the people who currently have reality shows include women who take pride...

I knew that Anne-Marie Slaughter's essay "Why Women Still Can't Have it All" had officially become a major cultural touchstone not when it was heralded as the most widely read piece in the history of the Atlantic's website, but when my mother, who still occasionally has trouble...

Amid the many inspiring stories of terrific dads and potential "Father of the Year" candidates celebrated in the media this past Father's Day were a few not-so-inspiring contenders for the "Worst Father of the Year" title. Just days ago news outlets reported that the state of Tennessee...