Category: Rants
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The United States is stealing children and doesn’t give a damn about the lifelong trauma it is causing
NOTE: This post may trigger some people because I share the story of my childhood trauma when one of my parents left in the context of separating children from their families at the Mexican border. I’m not angry about my experience nor am I placing any blame because I fully believe that we are all…
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Blogging isn’t sexy, but I love it and ChicagoNow is my home
I began blogging on July 1, 2007 on Blogger because I wanted to create a place on the internet that celebrated what was good in life and I was curious whether anyone would read the randomness that stumbles out of my brain. Even in the halcyon days of 2007, social media and, more generally, the…
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The “Me Too” posts about sexual harassment and assault upset me at a visceral level
Have you seen the “me too” posts that have appeared all over Facebook in the last 24 hours? The posts started thanks to this tweet from Alyssa Milano. If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet. pic.twitter.com/k2oeCiUf9n — Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) October 15, 2017 //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js I initially…
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Hospital Waiting Room Etiquette 101
Two days ago my mom had gastric bypass surgery and I spent nine hours sitting in the hospital’s waiting room. Spending any time in a hospital waiting room while a loved one is in surgery is stressful at best and life altering when things don’t go as hoped. Everyone in the waiting room is on…
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Fix your mass marketing emails or lose me as a customer
If you’re like me, you receive at least a few mass marketing emails from organizations you enjoy hearing from. These could be emails from clubs or philanthropic organizations, airlines, political groups, educational or business training organizations, etc. For the most part, these are not spam emails because they’re from organizations you want to hear from.…
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When is rape not rape? When it includes BDSM apparently
Unless you’ve been living in a cave over the past few years, you’ve undoubtedly heard of the movie 50 Shades of Grey based on the series of books of the same name. In case you haven’t, it’s a story of a young woman who is seduced by an older, grotesquely wealthy man who is very…
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Jackie Robinson West: Adults and society are to blame, so leave the kids alone
Earlier today, Little League® International released its decision in the alleged Jackie Robinson West cheating scandal in the 2014 season. The decision in part reads: The Charter/Tournament Committee has decided to vacate the league’s wins from the 2014 Little League® International Tournament, including its Great Lakes Regional and United States Championships, and suspend team manager…
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Rape allegations against Bill Cosby have changed his legacy from the one we want to the one we need
A friend of mine posted on Facebook about a conversation she had with her daughter this morning that began with her daughter asking, “Is Bill Cosby a rapist?” This question from her tween, made my friend realize that she could no longer separate Bill Cosby the man, who is accused of sexually abusing at least…
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What Joan Rivers taught us about death and dying
Unless you just arrived here via time travel from the 1980s and in a DeLorean, and if you did, let’s talk ASAP, you know that pioneering comic Joan Rivers died last week. If you did arrive here via time travel, I’m sorry for the spoiler. But seriously, call me ASAP. I want to go back.…
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Dear DMV: Kiss my ass
Dear DMV, Yes, what happened between us today is at least partly my fault. Heck, I’ll own 50% of it, but I really wish you could meet me half way on this one and recognize your responsibility. If you could have done that, our special time together could have been far more pleasant and we’d…
Jessica L Gardner 