Gasping for air, breathing treatments, congestion, coughing and exhaustion is how I spent most of my childhood. The countless birthdays, holidays and special occasions as a regular visitor of the emergency room, or admitted with pneumonia framed the majority of my childhood. I did not have the...

I am not a scientist. I am not a politician. I am a mom. I am a teacher. I am a writer. I am an environmentalist. I want to protect my family. I care about the planet. When I became increasingly concerned about the food my family eats, the oceans we swim in, the cars we drive and the air we breathe...

After years of gains and setbacks, the national movement for same-sex marriage is enjoying a period of remarkable success. Massachusetts and Connecticut became first adopters in 2004 and 2005 and that came after twenty years of advocacy. Turmoil followed, especially in California. But in 2009 three...

As a nurse with decades of hospital experience, I've sat through nights with patients dying of respiratory failure, and calmed frightened parents as their children struggled to breathe during asthma attacks. These experiences caused me to focus my work on preventing illness instead of waiting until...