Fighting & Violence
Cost of virtual violence Part II
Dear Readers: Last week, “Curious Reader” asked if mass shootings are the price of society’s insatiable appetite for media violence. A furious defense ensued from the male panelists (see our column JAN 8), who pointed…
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Imagine there’s no violence. I wonder if you can.
Dear Straight Talk: This generation is not just born and bred on the Internet, but on an insatiable diet of violence in movies, video games and rap. The other thing uniquely part of their world are mass shootings. If these shootings were…
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Safe schools — panel weighs in with solutions
Dear Readers: The best ‘in-school’ solution I know to make schools places where kids are welcomed by their peers, versus places of harm, is the “Safe School Ambassadors” program. The program works with human nature:…
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Mother turns to panel for help with sibling rivalry
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: Help! My first daughter,10, from a previous relationship and four-year-old daughter from my current marriage, fight constantly. This leads to mini arguments with my husband. Why do they fight so much? How can I…
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Cat allergy stirs up pervasive hate
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: Please help me stop wanting to do evil things to my stepsister. I’m 15 and she’s 10. Because of her, I had to find a new home for my cat who I love dearly…
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A bullying solution that really works
DEAR READERS: If your school could have a superpower, what would it be? If it’s an anti-bullying superpower, you’re in luck. I’d like to shout from the rooftops about the “Safe School Ambassadors”…
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Panel weighs in on Arizona shootings
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: I’m curious how young people feel about the shootings in Arizona. Politics has taken on an “us versus them” mentality. Hate and sound bites prevail…
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“Avatar” blues: Fans long for connection to Nature
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: I have a grandnephew, 15, from Kentucky and a grandson, 16, from California. Both say “Avatar” is the best movie they’ve ever seen. When I asked why,…



