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  • Politics Is Like Hiring A Hitman
    by Scott Woods inPolitical on2020-08-13

    For me, politics is like hiring a hitman. I have values and things I care about. I care enough about them to at least bother voting for 5 minutes every year for one issue or another. And because I care at least that much, I vote for people who align with the ability to realize the things I care about.

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  • Punching Above Our Weight
    by Roger Madison Jr. inPolitical on2020-07-24

    I believe our vote is the punctuation of our voice. Without that resounding exclamation mark, I believe our voices are just incoherent noise.

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  • BLACK PROGRESS AMIDST SOCIAL CHAOS
    by Roger Madison Jr. inPolitical on2020-06-16

    Recent events have raised the profile of historical injustice and inequities here in the USA. The entire world has taken note of the fact that BLACK LIVES MATTER.   We invite all of our friends to engage in actions that result in the greatest movement for change in our history. It is imperative that we take advantage of this opportunity to affect a positive change by ACTING IN OUR SELF-INTERESTS.

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  • Living in a Black No-Man's Land
    by Roger Madison Jr. inOur Community on2019-10-28

    There are many narratives that define the Black experience in America in this 2nd decade of the 21st century. Our striving over the centuries of our sojourn in this nation is a tapestry of every human experience -- oppression, enslavement, forced assimilation, dehumanization, exclusion, segregation, isolation, struggle, perseverance, achievement, excellence, celebration, mourning, despair, progress, setbacks, lynching, assassination, genocide, terror, self-hatred, low esteem, pride,...

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  • Fighting Racism
    by Scott Woods inOur Community on2018-10-25

    I had a boss who was racist. Not an outright bigot, of course; her toolbox was more subtle than most. We bumped heads a lot over inconsequential things. She frequently couldn’t keep my name out her mouth. Lot of gaslighting. You know…2018 style. I tried a lot of ways to combat or navigate her issues. None of them worked, and that’s saying a lot because I’m really good at fighting racism. But at the end of the day – every day – she was my boss, I had to deal with her, and that was that. Finally I...

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Are You a Helicopter Parent?

As my daughter prepares for her high school graduation on Monday, I’ve spent a lot of time asking myself what kind of parent I’ve been over the years. 

Was I, what some parenting experts call, a “helicopter parent?”  Apparently this is a term associated with baby boomers---describing us as parents who hover over every aspect of their child’s life and have a hard time letting go.  According to an article in USA Today most helicoptering is by mothers who are hyper-involved with their sons' lives and fathers are more likely to use strong-arm tactics to get results. The article also suggested that as many 70% of parents may be involved in some kind of helicoptering behavior.

OK, so tell me, what good parent isn’t concerned about their child’s welfare?  Don’t we have a right to stick our noses in their business, especially if they need help and don’t know it?  Don’t you agree that some young adults need guidance when it comes to their futures---like choices for college?  As a matter of fact, according to a 2007 study by the National Survey of Student Engagement, students whose parent frequently intervened in problems were more engaged on a number of measures.  Those students report higher satisfaction, more deep learning activities and greater gains on desired outcomes such as learning on their own and learning to work with people from different backgrounds.

So now that you can admit that you might be a helicopter parent, the question is what type are you: 

The Gunship Helicopter: This type of parent swoops down and fights battles for their young adult. This is typically the helicopter parent that school administrators and employers find the least helpful.

The Traffic Helicopter: This parent provides guidance for their young adult, and helps direct them to make appropriate decisions throughout their lives. The difference between this helicopter and the gunship helicopter is that the traffic helicopter ultimately allows the student to drive their own journey.

The Rescue Helicopter: The function of this kind of parent is to either pull their young adult out of a crisis situation and bring them to safety, or bring supplies to help get them back on their feet.