JEB BUSH
“Even though he’s a Bush, he’s working harder than anyone else running right now,” said Bloomberg’s Mark Halperin on MSNBC in a discussion of TIME’s March 16 cover story on Jeb’s place in his family legacy and his likely White House run. While Jeb’s intellect and micromanaging style dominated some commentary–former Florida Congressman Joe Scarborough recalled the ex-governor’s reputation for being someone who always “knew more than anyone else in the room”–others were wary. John and Mary Cox of Charlotte, N.C., onetime residents of Florida, offered a “report card” for him: “Secretive. Doesn’t play well with others. Won’t share the sandbox. Holds grudges. Not recommended for promotion to first grade.” And many simply complained of fatigue. “After reading the excellent article ‘Next in Line,’ I must agree with Barbara Bush’s original 2013 statement,” wrote Harry Moskos of Knoxville, Tenn. “We’ve had enough Bushes.”
WEB WINNERS
“There’s a fine line between reality and the Internet,” cautioned the blog NewsFix in a piece on our widely covered list of the 30 most influential people on the Internet, featuring personalities ranging from Kim Kardashian to transgender activist Janet Mock. Readers were not shy about expressing their opinions. Of amateur nutritionist Vani Hari (@thefoodbabe), who publicizes “unsafe” food ingredients, Marjorie Woodruff wrote, “The Food Babe is a huckster and charlatan who peddles information which is ‘gut-based’ rather than ‘science-based.’ She is the Jenny McCarthy of nutrition.” On Facebook, Toni Spring said, “It’s a sad day when Kim Kardashian is named one [of] the most influential people of anything.”
DIPLOMACY WITH IRAN
Joe Klein’s column, about making a deal with Iran on nuclear-weapons development, drew fire from readers who disputed the notion that Iran could be trusted diplomatically. In particular, Klein’s comment that the country was “nowhere near the threat to American security that Sunni radicals like ISIS are” led Jim Montagnino of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., to call Klein “naive.” “Iran is a major nation ruled by a fanatical theocracy and is on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons along with the ICBMs to deliver them,” he wrote. “This is a far greater threat to American security than ISIS, a stateless rabble temporarily filling a power vacuum.”
THE GOP AND MARRIAGE EQUALITY
Zeke J. Miller’s TIME.com piece on 300 prominent Republicans, including former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and GOP megadonor David Koch, calling on the Supreme Court to recognize marriage equality nationally was covered in media outlets from NBC to USA Today and generated some animated commentary. “Next, they’ll even start believing … hurricanes aren’t caused by God’s wrath. Welcome to the 20th century, GOP! You’ve almost caught up to the rest of us in the 21st!” wrote MementoMori on TIME.com. On Twitter, critic Frank Bruni lamented the absence of key GOP leaders on the list. “300+ veteran Repubs file pro-gay-marriage brief w/Supremes. But party’s prez candidates still not there.” And LOLGOP called the petition “the beginning of the ‘Uh, yeah, well, Republicans actually were always for same-sex marriage’ alibi.”
TALKING ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH
Our story “Changing Your Mind,” on the Change Direction campaign–an effort to educate Americans about five key signs of emotional distress and how to recognize and discuss them–drew praise from the American Psychological Association. “Simply put, everyone should be as aware of the signs of emotional distress as they are the signs of a stroke or a heart attack,” wrote APA president Barry Anton and CEO Norman Anderson, adding that coverage of this effort “will help break down two major barriers to better mental health for many Americans: stigma and a lack of information.”
GOOD OLD-FASHIONED FUN
Thanks to MTV and Girls Gone Wild, spring break has become synonymous with out-of-control behavior. But in 1947, when LIFE accompanied 10,000 young people to Balboa Beach in Southern California, the antics (as shown above) were more about delight than debauchery. To see more, visit time.com/springbreak47.
AWARD-WINNING VIDEO
On July 17, 2014, a 22-year-old resident of Staten Island, N.Y., named Ramsey Orta (above) recorded a fatal incident between Eric Garner and NYPD officers on his cell phone. When the video went viral, TIME’s deputy director of photography, Paul Moakley, tracked down Orta and talked to him about the footage and its impact. This month Moakley’s video won a World Press Photo Award, a top achievement for visual journalism. See it at time.com/ericgarner.
SPIRITUAL HEALER
A former male model and horse breeder, Chris Ntombemhlophe Reid (below) is now one of the first white sangomas, or spiritual healers, among the Pondoland people in South Africa. German photojournalist Corinna Kern was given unprecedented access to tell his story. “The most eye-opening thing was the trainees and what they have to go through to become a sangoma,” she recalls. “They can only sleep on the ground or on a thin mat.” For more, visit time.com/sangoma.
NOW ON TIME.COM
A former special agent for the FBI breaks down the ways counterintelligence skills can be applied to parenting. A sampling of the list at time.com/parents:
Create the illusion of control
Kids don’t like to be told what to do, so give them a choice of two things equally satisfactory to you.
Follow the scarcity principle
Telling kids they can’t do something increases interest in the taboo activity. Let them know you trust them.
Ask indirect questions
Replace “Have you been drinking?” with “My friend’s son got caught drinking. What do you think his parents should do?”
Show empathy
Letting your kids know you get it is a powerful way to encourage more open communication.
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