Jennifer Ludden

Stay-At-Home Dads, Breadwinner Moms and Making It All Work

Jennifer Ludden — Wed, 15 May 2013 10:04:00 +0000

The next time you see a father out shopping with his kids, you might need to check your assumptions.

"I'll get the, 'Oh, look, it's a dad! That's so sweet!' "says Jonathan Heisey-Grove, a stay-at-home father of two young boys in Alexandria, Va., who is pretty sure the other person assumes he's just giving Mom a break for the day.

Attorney For Notorious Clients A Quiet Defender

Jennifer Ludden — Sun, 12 May 2013 09:34:00 +0000

Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui and Arizona mass shooter Jared Loughner all have one thing in common: defense attorney Judy Clarke. With her help, all three avoided the death penalty.

Clarke routinely faces an enraged public, top-notch prosecutors and difficult, often disturbed clients.

Filling In The Gap On Climate Education In Classrooms

Jennifer Ludden — Tue, 07 May 2013 20:35:00 +0000

The auditorium at James Blake High School in Silver Spring, Md., is packed when Cy Maramangalam strolls onstage, sporting jeans and a shaved head.

"All right, how's everyone doing today?" he says to rousing cheers. It feels as if he's about to introduce a hot new band, but Maramangalam is with the Alliance for Climate Education, or ACE, and he's here to talk climate change. In the past few years, the nonprofit has put on multimedia presentations for more than 1 million students across the country.

Moving Out And Buying In: Single Ladies Emerge As Homeowners

Jennifer Ludden — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:29:00 +0000

It's hard to remember that just a few decades ago it was difficult, if not impossible, for a woman alone to take out a mortgage. Federal legislation changed that.

And yet, it's still surprising to learn how dominant single women have become in the housing market today: Their share is second only to married couples, and twice that of single men.

In Washington, D.C., Amanda Cowley lives in her dream home — a century-old rowhouse in a gentrifying part of the city. The 37-year-old and her boisterous dog, Sadie, moved in at the end of last year.

A Hot Topic: Climate Change Coming To Classrooms

Jennifer Ludden — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 07:31:00 +0000

By the time today's K-12 students grow up, the challenges posed by climate change are expected to be severe and sweeping. Now, for the first time, new nationwide science standards due out soon will recommend that U.S.

Modern Parenthood: More Equal, More Stressed

Jennifer Ludden — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 16:27:00 +0000

If you've ever had a spousal spat over who logs more time on housework, child care, or at the office, you might want to see how you stack up against other couples.

A new survey by the Pew Research Center finds fathers spend three times as many hours a week on child care, and twice as much on housework, as they did in the 1960s.

Stay-At-Home Workers Defend Choice After Yahoo Ban

Jennifer Ludden — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 07:59:00 +0000

Yahoo's sweeping edict against telecommuting has been felt as a personal attack by some of the two-thirds of Americans who regularly work from home.

Lawyer Shannan Higgins of Washington, D.C., finds one line of the company memo outlining the policy change particularly offensive: "Speed and quality are often sacrificed when we work from home."

For nearly a decade, Higgins has worked one day a week from the basement office in her rowhouse, where she takes pride in her work and is obsessed with efficiency.

"It's a huge morale booster to be given that flexibility," she says.

Forecasting Climate With A Chance Of Backlash

Jennifer Ludden — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 08:14:00 +0000

When it comes to climate change, Americans place great trust in their local TV weathercaster, which has led climate experts to see huge potential for public education.

The only problem? Polls show most weather presenters don't know much about climate science, and many who do are fearful of talking about something so polarizing.

In fact, if you have heard a weathercaster speak on climate change, it's likely been to deny it.

FMLA Not Really Working For Many Employees

Jennifer Ludden — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 08:24:00 +0000

Twenty years after President Bill Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act, workers' rights groups say many employees still must choose between their family or their job.

They're marking the anniversary with calls to expand the law, and for Congress to pass a new one that would provide paid leave.

What Falls Under The FMLA?

FMLA provides up to 12 weeks per year of unpaid leave if an employee has a new baby or a serious illness in the family.

Debate Over Rebuilding Beaches Post-Sandy Creates Waves

Jennifer Ludden — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 21:21:00 +0000

For a half-century, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been in the beach business, dredging up new sand as shorelines wash away. Federal disaster aid for Superstorm Sandy could provide billions more for beach rebuilding, and that has revived an old debate: Is this an effective way to protect against storms, or a counterproductive waste of tax dollars?

On a recent blustery day at Virginia Beach, the latest beach nourishment project is in full swing.