Brett Singer
Opinion: Is Being a Wimpy Kid Better Than Being Cool?
That's Entertainment, Opinions
These kids may be wimpy, but they have each other. Credit: Twentieth Century Fox
With the movie version of Jeff Kinney's best selling "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" hitting theaters today, we have to ask: Which would you rather have -- a popular kid or a wimpy one?
In many ways, we don't get to choose. Some of the characteristics that allow a child to climb to the top of the school social ladder are physical, such as athletic ability or great hair. As parents, we try not to be overly concerned with such trivialities because we're all grown up now and realize how inconsequential it all is.
Still, for our kids' sake, it helps to remember how it felt to be told that every seat in the cafeteria is "saved," to recall the daily torture that is P.E. (particularly for those of us who might be lacking in the musculature department) and the never-ending quest for social identity.
Opinion: The Texas Board of Education = Historical Revisionists
In The News, Education, Opinions
On Friday March 12, the Texas Board of Education voted along party lines to make changes to its school curriculum that will reflect conservative values. The problem is that these 10 individuals in Texas are attempting to insert their personal beliefs into what should be a value neutral setting -- the American classroom.
Whether or not you hold the same beliefs as these individuals is irrelevant. Forcing a religious or political agenda onto the teaching of history and economics is not about "adding balance", as board member Dr. Don McLeroy, a dentist, put it. It is an attempt to establish an educational system where students learn what a small group of people want them to learn.
That's not balance.
Opinion: Lesbian Teens Have Every Right to Attend Prom
In Mississippi, the Itawamba County school board told 18-year-old Constance McMillen that she was not allowed to bring her girlfriend to the prom, nor could she wear a tuxedo, only a dress. In doing so, they violated her First-Amendment rights.
This is basic discrimination. There was a time in our nation's history when black people were not allowed to dance in public with whites. Most Americans now see how wrong that was. This case is no different.
Just like when a teacher in New Orleans told a student last month that he was not allowed to wear an Indianapolis Colts jersey to school, Constance McMillen is being told that she may only express herself in a way that is approved by others.
That is the opposite of free speech.
This is basic discrimination. There was a time in our nation's history when black people were not allowed to dance in public with whites. Most Americans now see how wrong that was. This case is no different.
Just like when a teacher in New Orleans told a student last month that he was not allowed to wear an Indianapolis Colts jersey to school, Constance McMillen is being told that she may only express herself in a way that is approved by others.
That is the opposite of free speech.
Barbie Update: Black and White Dolls Now the Same Price
Can't we all just get along? White and black Barbie dolls are now the same price at a Louisiana Walmart. Credit: Michelle Chidoni, Mattel
When Mattel found out a Louisiana Walmart was selling the dark-skinned Ballerina Theresa doll for a lower price than the light-skinned Ballerina Barbie, the company worked with the store to correct what Mattel spokesperson Michelle Chidoni tells ParentDish was an "error in the tagging."
Chidoni provided ParentDish with an image of the two dolls side by side; both now have a price tag that reads $5.93.
The original photo, which showed Ballerina Theresa selling for $3, while Ballerina Barbie sold for almost twice that amount, was first published on the Web site FunnyJunk; the story was picked up by Guanabee and then by ABC News.
Related: Barbie's Malibu Dream House Is Real!
Breaking Barbie News: 'Mad Men' Dolls and Discounted Black Barbie
Sorry, "Mad Men" Barbies will not come with cigarettes or martinis. Credit: Mattel, Inc.
Mattel has announced plans to make dolls based on four characters from AMC's popular 1960s-era show -- Don and Betty Draper, Roger Sterling and Roger's co-worker/sometime mistress Joan Holloway, according to The New York Times.
Although the dolls are being created for the collectors' market, Mattel has said it will not be making adult-themed accessories for the quartet -- no "cigarettes, ashtrays, martini glasses or cocktail shakers," The Times reports. Oh, and curvalicious Joan seems to have lost the full figure that makes her famous.
Basketball Player Suspended After She Throws Punch in Game
Women's college basketball star Brittney Griner has been suspended for two games for punching an opposing player.
Griner, who plays for the Baylor University Bears, punched Jordan Barncastle after the Texas Tech player fouled her. Here's a video of the scuffle.
Opinions online about the incident are mixed. In the Houston Chronicle, Richard Justice writes that "Griner deserves a second chance." Why? Because Griner, who is 6 feet 8 inches tall, "has been a target since the first minute of her first game at Baylor," he writes and "On Wednesday [she] did what a lot of other competitive people would have done. She got tangled up and tossed around one too many times, and after a long, edgy, physical night, she lost her cool."
Little League Rejects Gun Sponsor
Matt Carmel's offer to sponsor a New Jersey youth baseball team was rejected. Credit: Matt Carmel
A licensed gun dealer in New Jersey wants to sponsor a local youth baseball team, but his application was rejected. Now he's going out with a bang,
In October 2009, certified National Rifle Association instructor Matt Carmel -- who owns Constitution Arms -- applied to sponsor a team in the Babe Ruth/Cal Ripken baseball league. In his application to the South Orange-Maplewood Baseball Committee, he included "two letters of justification ... explaining the benefits of firearms, [and] all the sporting activities," such as the recent Winter Olympics.
"A week ago Sunday I received an e-mail from the committee saying that they had voted 8-1 against me and no reason was forthcoming," Carmel tells ParentDish.
When he inquired further, Kate Schmidt, the acting director of the South Orange Department of Recreation and Cultural Affairs, "conveyed a message to me from the committee saying, 'Well, we'll let you sponsor, but you can't use the word arms.' I said, 'OK, how about guns?,'" Carmel added with a laugh.
We were unable to reach Ms. Schmidt for comment.
Free Female Condoms for D.C. High Schoolers
Teens & Tweens, Pregnancy & Birth, In The News
Condoms -- they're not just for guys anymore.
Washington, D.C. officials announced that 500,000 female condoms will be distributed free of charge in areas of the city that have been found to have high rates of HIV. The prophylactics will be distributed at various D.C. locations, including high schools.
Although many cities offer free male condoms, this project will make D.C. the first city to distribute the female version, according to the Washington Post.
Mom, What's Opium? Questions the New 'Alice' Movie Could Inspire
"No, honey, I don't know if Lewis Carroll was a toasted almond when he wrote 'Alice in Wonderland.'" Credit: AP
Tim Burton's new version of "Alice in Wonderland" opens today. Whenever a film based on a classic novel hits theaters, the hope is that it will inspire kids to go back and read the original work, and perhaps find out more about the author. We at ParentDish are wondering what sort of questions the film might inspire among older kids.
To illustrate, let us imagine the following scenario. Follow me, through the looking glass ...
Was Princess Aiko of Japan a Victim of Bullying?
Princess Aiko might be the victim of bullying. Credit: Shuji Kajiyama, AP
The next time your child comes home and complains of being bullied, you can say it happens to everyone. Even a real-life princess.
The BBC reports that 8-year-old Princess Aiko of Japan has been staying home from school because she was "treated harshly" by boys at Gakushuin Primary School in Tokyo, according to royal spokesperson Issei Nomura.
But Japan Today says the real story may be somewhat different from the fairy tale presented by the royal family. At a press conference, school director Motomasa Higashisono said the school was unaware of any "violent behavior targeted at Princess Aiko," adding that the princess "got scared Tuesday when she went by a boy who dashed out of a classroom."
