These women make a big difference

Written by Shelley Plett Wednesday, 27 June 2007 01:28

“This one’s for the girls —Who love without holding back, Who dream with everything they have, All around the world…” —Martina McBride

 

You may have heard the name Mariane Pearl. She has been in the news a lot, again. She is the widow of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was kidnapped and murdered in Pakistan by Islamic terrorists in 2002, when Mariane was five months pregnant. There’s a movie out now based on her memoirs about her husband.

She is also an international reporter and the Global Diary columnist for Glamour magazine. It’s this Global Diary that caught my attention. I stumbled across it when I randomly bought an issue of Glamour. And now I’m hooked.

Her column introduces poor...

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The only way out is to go through it

Written by Shelley Plett Wednesday, 13 June 2007 12:20

“The only way out is through…the only way we’ll feel better…the only way out is through ultimately.”

—Alanis Morisette

 

Sometimes there is too much loss in a short period of time. The abduction and murder of Kelsey Smith in Overland Park is a story that mixes too many emotions in a single pot.

Fear, for our girls, ourselves, and pretty much anyone else going about their daily routines, running errands in deceivingly safe public places.

Anger, at the ability of one person to alter so many lives and taint one of the most basic needs—a sense of security—for the rest of us.

Grief, even if it can only come through empathy.

Sadness, for Kelsey Smith’s family and equally, for the little boy who doesn’t...

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Graduation is a chance to start over

Written by Shelley Plett Wednesday, 23 May 2007 08:55

“A graduation ceremony is an event where the commencement speaker tells thousands of students dressed in identical caps and gowns that ‘individuality’ is the key to success.” —Robert Purvis



Until this weekend, I’ve never deliberately walked into a heightened security area where the single entrance/exit is guarded by fire and police and bordered by two bag check points, scanning purses and diaper bags, faculty and grandmas.

But this was the situation on Sunday at Southwestern College, site for the Winfield High School graduation ceremony. WHS had received bomb threats for several days before graduation, most likely an attempt by bored kids trying to get out of school a few days early.

This kind of joke just isn’t funny...

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'Friendship diet' is a healty strategy

Written by Shelley Plett Wednesday, 09 May 2007 10:55

“When we lose 20 pounds...we may be losing the 20 best pounds we have! We may be losing the pounds that contain our genius, our humanity, our love and honesty.” —Woody Allen

 

Let’s imagine that you’re looking to lose a few pounds. You could (a) belly dance; (b) starve your belly; or (c) belly laugh.

I know, that’s a tough one. But go ahead, choose letter C. You’ll be happy to learn, as I was, that authentic, deep, spontaneous laughter is a legitimate calorie burner. But none of those phony humor-the-manager or shut-up-the-salesman partial chuckles—it has to be the realdeal.

 Could that be?

If you believe—which I choose to and highly recommend that you do, too—the Interna­tional Journal of Obesity’s...

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