News-Letter

Growing up in Detroit, Professor Melanie Shell-Weiss was surrounded by the diversity she would one day examine with students at Johns Hopkins. The courses she has created, such as "Making America: Immigration, Race, and Citizenship," grew out of her interest in racial dynamics growing up in an urban environment she describes as "having rather awkward race relations, to say the least.… 1 Comment

Parental warning: Please do not read this article near a child, i.e., a person under the age of 23. His or her little head may explode. In the last installment of "Blue Balls," I talked about what it's like to be exposed to porn when you're young. The basic tack of the article was that children inevitably look at porn, so huzzah for a democratic Internet which offers them a multifarious, full-flavored cornucopia thereof.… Post the First Comment

Before 1973, The American Psychiatric Association's (APA's) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, aka the Bible of Psychology, categorized homosexuality as a mental illness. In the early `70s, a group of people successfully petitioned the APA to have homosexuality removed from the list of mental illnesses.… Post the First Comment

Mom Jeans. It's all about Mom Jeans. Laugh as you may, but these much-mocked, high-waisted denim trousers are likely to be part of every stylish girl's wardrobe come fall. Don't believe me? Well, just recall your initial reaction to leggings. "Ew," you balked, when photos circulated of Sienna Miller and Lindsay Lohan donning the kindergarten staples a couple years back.… Post the First Comment