Tribune News Service

A school district in Florida has made the bold and bewildering decision to ban dictionaries (dictionaries!) from its libraries on the grounds that allowing children to read them violates a law aimed at protecting children from sexual content. Under HB 1069, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis last May, Florida residents have the right to demand the removal of any library book that “depicts or describes sexual conduct.” “As the world goes mad,” Gov. DeSantis said in a statement announcing the new law, “Florida represents a refuge of sanity and a citadel of normalcy.” Mmmkay. The bill was part of a swee......

Dear Kid Whisperer, I am writing for my dog and my child. My 3-year-old abuses my cocker spaniel. I’m sad for my dog and worried for my kid. My dog doesn’t bite, but I think she might if pushed too far. My son’s specialty is hitting my dog with various objects. We have talked to him over and over and the behavior has not improved. What’s left? Answer: Talking to toddlers about behavior is like barking at dogs about geometry: not a good use of time, and it doesn’t make sense. Toddlers don’t listen to words. They do notice action. Repeatedly using words with toddlers in the form of lectures or w......

The Donald and Bibi are two of a kind. Among the things they have in common is that they are not up to coping with the challenges of today. We are about to see why. The world has been watching as these two men in their mid-70s, with courtroom trials pending, have appeared willing to do whatever it takes to regain or retain the power – and not end up in jail. Even if it meant shattering their nation’s democracy. They have seemed desperate to remain in control. Until things exploded out of control. January 6. October 7. In the runup to America’s Inauguration Day 2021, still-President Donald Trum......

It happens occasionally, but only rarely. All the good options suddenly seem to have failed at once. The only thing left is to just spread your cards across the table – and play this hand faceup. The truth is, this happens far more at a negotiation table than a card table. Another truth is it has just happened to Israel – and Israel’s forever kibitzer and guarantor, the United States – in yet another cruel crisis in Gaza. Israel and its staunchest ally must now show their most convincing visible proof to support their assertions that the devastation Israel inflicted on al-Shifa Hospital patien......

It grew out of something repellent and blossomed into something beautiful, like the flowers that burst through sludge or cracked pavement, so determined to grow and survive. A gunman had just opened fire inside Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colorado, killing five people and injuring 19. The club was a safe haven for LGBTQ folks, and the murders sent all-too familiar waves of horror and grief through the community and its allies. Through a whole nation, really, fed up with gun violence—random, targeted, all of it. That was Nov. 19, 2022. Transgender Day of Remembrance, an annual event commemorati......