Content Clips
I have many samples of my writing and other types of content.
These are just some of my favorites in no particular order.
Dear Schools: Draw up Real Reopening Plans, Not COVID-19 Waivers
A rash of schools - primary, secondary, and higher ed institutions - are asking or demanding students sign Coronavirus liability waivers. They are junk legal documents. They're wasting time, money and energy on them. Students and parents should never sign one, and start demanding schools tear these "contracts" up.
What Does the American Dream Mean Anymore?
My dad came from nothing. He had two pairs of pants until the age of 20. After he came to this country, he achieved "the American dream" - a nice house in the suburbs, a well-paying career despite his 8th grade education, paying for his kids' college education. But like many younger Americans, my "American dream" involves travel and work that makes me happy. In this essay, I took a closer look at how the definition of the American Dream has evolved, and if we're better off for it.
Once Upon a Time, It Was Shocking When People Got Fired for their Online Activities
One of the main reasons I loved working at Playboy is that we were champions of privacy. When the Internet first became "a thing," we were shocked to hear people were getting fired from their day jobs for things they posted online in their free time, especially when it was innocuous content. Now I'm shocked how we've all just come to accept that if you want to keep your job, you shouldn't post anything online that's remotely risque, even a photo of you drinking with your buddies.
Forcing Students To Intern is Evil
Most college students take 3 internships before graduating. Some schools require students to intern in order to receive certain degrees. Companies usually don't pay students for their work. Schools still make students pay tuition for an "internship class." There's no hard evidence unpaid internships lead to post graduation employment. Oh, and it's illegal, but the government won't do anything about it because they break the law more than anyone.
I Went to the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast and Had a Killer Good Time
The Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast isn't just full of cool antiques. Guests are treated to a two hour re-enactment of what was once the "crime of the century." My husband played Old Man Borden during the re-enactment, and afterwards, we tried to contact the Borden ghosts during a seance. To me, visiting this place was way cooler than visiting Paris.
Craig Newmark Doesn't Do Craigslist Anymore, but is Still Super Cool
I've been using Craigslist for years to find furniture, sell furniture, sell tickets, buy tickets and so on. Turns out the guy who started Craig's List isn't running day to day operations (for some reason, even though he's really rich, he still works for them as customer service rep). Now he spends his time trying to help good organizations do good things through his new online venture, CraigConnects.
Wait...Can my Boss Really Fire Me For That?
At Latina magazine, I learned that Hispanic women have a whole other desk drawer full of problems to deal with that other female professionals don't have. I wrote an article about what Latinas can legally be given the pink slip for, and what they can't be fired for.
Women Hire PIs to Tempt Their Signficant Others into Cheating
People do strange things in the name of love, including hiring a private eye, revealing everything about his/her significant other, and then making the PI "bump into" the signficant other to see if he/she will cheat. Ummm...isn't it just easier to find someone new on Tinder if you have such serious doubts?
You Don't Need a Stove To Cook, and This Man is Teaching Poor People How to Do It
The subject of this profile is the most interesting man I've ever interviewed in my career. His life started out so rough - internment camps, severe stomach issues from communal toilets, he couldn't even walk until he was seven. Somehow, he made it to the top of the tech world, but has spent his retirement teaching people who are as poor as he once was how to use the sun to cook food and boil water, so that they don't fall prey to the illnesses he suffered from.