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<title><![CDATA[washingtonpost.com - Donna Britt (washingtonpost.com)]]></title>
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<title><![CDATA[To Have and to Hold, but With Higher Standards]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/08/AR2006060801967.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/08/AR2006060801967.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 09 Jun 2006 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ On Saturday, Laurel resident Audene Harvey did something reckless and hopelessly retro. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[To]]></category><category><![CDATA[Have]]></category><category><![CDATA[and]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[Hold,]]></category><category><![CDATA[but]]></category><category><![CDATA[With]]></category><category><![CDATA[Higher]]></category><category><![CDATA[Standards]]></category>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[No One Is Immune From Problems]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/12/AR2006011202266.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/12/AR2006011202266.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 13 Jan 2006 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Most people have an immunity problem. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[No]]></category><category><![CDATA[One]]></category><category><![CDATA[Is]]></category><category><![CDATA[Immune]]></category><category><![CDATA[From]]></category><category><![CDATA[Problems]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[A Pair of Terrific Romances, Just Not the Kind Some Filmgoers Long For]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/29/AR2005122901341.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 30 Dec 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ This holiday season, the two most heartfelt romances in movie theaters are between a couple of hunky cowpokes and a big ape and a blonde. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[A]]></category><category><![CDATA[Pair]]></category><category><![CDATA[of]]></category><category><![CDATA[Terrific]]></category><category><![CDATA[Romances,]]></category><category><![CDATA[Just]]></category><category><![CDATA[Not]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[Kind]]></category><category><![CDATA[Some]]></category><category><![CDATA[Filmgoers]]></category><category><![CDATA[Long]]></category><category><![CDATA[For]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Finding Love in Furry, Doggone Places]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/22/AR2005122202017.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 23 Dec 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Christmas is no time for your dog to die.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=456105901841" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=456105901841" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Finding]]></category><category><![CDATA[Love]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[Furry,]]></category><category><![CDATA[Doggone]]></category><category><![CDATA[Places]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[A Woman Of Courage Rises Above The Pain]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/08/AR2005120802150.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/08/AR2005120802150.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 09 Dec 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Two months after Yvette Cade's estranged husband allegedly filled a 20-ounce Sprite bottle with gasoline, walked into the bustling cell phone store where she worked and doused her before lighting a match, Cade lies in a bed at the Washington Hospital Center burn unit. Through excruciating pain, endless operations and bitter memories of cavalier comments made by the Prince George's County judge who dismissed the restraining order she hoped would protect her, the Suitland resident quietly endures. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[A]]></category><category><![CDATA[Woman]]></category><category><![CDATA[Of]]></category><category><![CDATA[Courage]]></category><category><![CDATA[Rises]]></category><category><![CDATA[Above]]></category><category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[Pain]]></category>
</item>
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<title><![CDATA[I'm Ready For My Close-Up, Ms. Winfrey]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/17/AR2005111702043.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/17/AR2005111702043.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 18 Nov 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ On Monday, Oprah Winfrey celebrated 20 years on the nation's airwaves with a special episode featuring the best and worst moments of her gargantuanly popular talkfest. The next day, she released "The Oprah Winfrey Show: 20th Anniversary Collection," a six-disk DVD on which she highlights favorite interviews and tells viewers "what I was really thinking." ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[I'm]]></category><category><![CDATA[Ready]]></category><category><![CDATA[For]]></category><category><![CDATA[My]]></category><category><![CDATA[Close-Up,]]></category><category><![CDATA[Ms.]]></category><category><![CDATA[Winfrey]]></category>
</item>
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<title><![CDATA[Don't Let Poverty Numbers Obscure the Kids]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/10/AR2005111002243.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/10/AR2005111002243.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 11 Nov 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Three days ago, before House Republican leaders were forced to scuttle a vote yesterday on a $54 billion budget-cutting bill that would have scaled back Medicaid, food stamp and student loan programs, I stood in line at the Nashville airport, wondering why so few Americans seemed outraged by this threat to some of our nation's poorest children. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Don't]]></category><category><![CDATA[Let]]></category><category><![CDATA[Poverty]]></category><category><![CDATA[Numbers]]></category><category><![CDATA[Obscure]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[Kids]]></category>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[To Honor Parks, Stand Up, Demand More of America]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/03/AR2005110302419.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/03/AR2005110302419.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 04 Nov 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ When it comes to activism, some of us are sitters.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=456105903975" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=456105903975" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[To]]></category><category><![CDATA[Honor]]></category><category><![CDATA[Parks,]]></category><category><![CDATA[Stand]]></category><category><![CDATA[Up,]]></category><category><![CDATA[Demand]]></category><category><![CDATA[More]]></category><category><![CDATA[of]]></category><category><![CDATA[America]]></category>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Leaving Girls Exposed to Hip-Hop's Sins]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/27/AR2005102702270.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/27/AR2005102702270.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 28 Oct 2005 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Awa Nur, 18, loves rap music's seductive rhythms and irresistible beats. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Leaving]]></category><category><![CDATA[Girls]]></category><category><![CDATA[Exposed]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[Hip-Hop's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sins]]></category>
</item>
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<title><![CDATA[When Homicide Comes Close, Life Is Rewritten]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/20/AR2005102002108.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/20/AR2005102002108.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 21 Oct 2005 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ You know when you hear stifled tears in the voice of your son -- the mellow, easygoing one who takes most stuff in stride -- something horrible has happened. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[When]]></category><category><![CDATA[Homicide]]></category><category><![CDATA[Comes]]></category><category><![CDATA[Close,]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life]]></category><category><![CDATA[Is]]></category><category><![CDATA[Rewritten]]></category>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Seeking Validation After Abuse's Scars]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/06/AR2005100602050.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/06/AR2005100602050.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 07 Oct 2005 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ On Wednesday, Burke software sales executive Rita Etter and a pal were in the middle of a night of chicken fajitas and chitchat when Etter's friend lifted a crimson-filled wineglass to her lips. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Seeking]]></category><category><![CDATA[Validation]]></category><category><![CDATA[After]]></category><category><![CDATA[Abuse's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Scars]]></category>
</item>
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<title><![CDATA[In Katrina's Wake,  Inaccurate Rumors Sullied Victims]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/29/AR2005092902360.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/29/AR2005092902360.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 30 Sep 2005 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Most people learn the recipe for rumor in grade school:<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=456105906507" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=456105906507" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[In]]></category><category><![CDATA[Katrina's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Wake,]]></category><category><![CDATA[]]></category><category><![CDATA[Inaccurate]]></category><category><![CDATA[Rumors]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sullied]]></category><category><![CDATA[Victims]]></category>
</item>
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<title><![CDATA[Every Day, We Ignore the Everyday Poor]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/15/AR2005091502355.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/15/AR2005091502355.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 Sep 2005 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ God help the run-of-the-mill poor. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Every]]></category><category><![CDATA[Day,]]></category><category><![CDATA[We]]></category><category><![CDATA[Ignore]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[Everyday]]></category><category><![CDATA[Poor]]></category>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Choosing to Care And Comfort in Katrina's Wake]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/08/AR2005090802066.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/08/AR2005090802066.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 09 Sep 2005 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Washington is a thousand miles from New Orleans, but most of us have at least one post-hurricane "memory," one scene that plays and replays in our minds. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Choosing]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[Care]]></category><category><![CDATA[And]]></category><category><![CDATA[Comfort]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[Katrina's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Wake]]></category>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[From a Dorm, Life Lessons in Surreal Tragedy]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/03/AR2005090301453.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/03/AR2005090301453.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 04 Sep 2005 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Life, Xavier University freshman Keisha Rogers has discovered, can be strange. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[From]]></category><category><![CDATA[a]]></category><category><![CDATA[Dorm,]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life]]></category><category><![CDATA[Lessons]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[Surreal]]></category><category><![CDATA[Tragedy]]></category>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Parent's Plight Causes Katrina To Hit Home]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/01/AR2005090102231.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/01/AR2005090102231.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 02 Sep 2005 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ When it happens to you, you have to bear witness.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=456105910247" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=456105910247" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Parent's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Plight]]></category><category><![CDATA[Causes]]></category><category><![CDATA[Katrina]]></category><category><![CDATA[To]]></category><category><![CDATA[Hit]]></category><category><![CDATA[Home]]></category>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[The Struggle To Think Outside The 'Black' Box]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/11/AR2005081102060.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/11/AR2005081102060.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Aug 2005 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Admittedly, a hotel lobby packed with people attending last week's National Association of Black Journalists conference in Atlanta is an odd place for two African American writers to discover a surprising, shared secret: ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[Struggle]]></category><category><![CDATA[To]]></category><category><![CDATA[Think]]></category><category><![CDATA[Outside]]></category><category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA['Black']]></category><category><![CDATA[Box]]></category>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Vixen' Sends Girls the Latest Mixed Messages]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/28/AR2005072802136.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/28/AR2005072802136.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 29 Jul 2005 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Even in a hypocrisy-steeped culture, some things stand out. The cover of a book purportedly designed to boost girls' self-esteem and convince them that dressing like sexy pop icons and sleeping around to get ahead are questionable choices features this: ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA['Vixen']]></category><category><![CDATA[Sends]]></category><category><![CDATA[Girls]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[Latest]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mixed]]></category><category><![CDATA[Messages]]></category>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[From Prosaic Arises Life's Sudden Poetry]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/21/AR2005072102317.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/21/AR2005072102317.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 22 Jul 2005 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Warning: No heart-stopping news or ire-producing opinions about "important" issues will be found in this column. It's about real life, which is -- surprise! -- boring. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[From]]></category><category><![CDATA[Prosaic]]></category><category><![CDATA[Arises]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sudden]]></category><category><![CDATA[Poetry]]></category>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Here and Now, Luther Resonates In Fan's Heart]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/14/AR2005071401981.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/14/AR2005071401981.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 15 Jul 2005 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Talk about the "Power of Love."<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=456105913393" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=456105913393" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Here]]></category><category><![CDATA[and]]></category><category><![CDATA[Now,]]></category><category><![CDATA[Luther]]></category><category><![CDATA[Resonates]]></category><category><![CDATA[In]]></category><category><![CDATA[Fan's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Heart]]></category>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[From the Many  With U.S.-Africa Ties, Oneness]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/07/AR2005070702148.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/07/AR2005070702148.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 08 Jul 2005 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Three weeks ago at the town hall meeting for the "Africans in America" national conference on African refugees, local black leaders spoke movingly about the sometimes powerful, sometimes hair-slim ties that bind black Africans to their American brothers and sisters. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[From]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[Many]]></category><category><![CDATA[]]></category><category><![CDATA[With]]></category><category><![CDATA[U.S.-Africa]]></category><category><![CDATA[Ties,]]></category><category><![CDATA[Oneness]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[When Fathers  Refuse to Be in Family Picture]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/23/AR2005062301973.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/23/AR2005062301973.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 24 Jun 2005 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ The thirtysomething woman complaining at the beauty shop was gorgeous and eloquent, the type that folks once called "a catch." Yet her words suggested that all she's caught recently is hell. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[When]]></category><category><![CDATA[Fathers]]></category><category><![CDATA[]]></category><category><![CDATA[Refuse]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[Be]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[Family]]></category><category><![CDATA[Picture]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Jackson Perhaps Free to Redeem Himself]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/16/AR2005061601535.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/16/AR2005061601535.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 17 Jun 2005 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ I thought I'd heard every possible take on Michael Jackson's surprising-but-not-really acquittal -- until I asked a no-nonsense friend her opinion. Not missing a beat, she said, "I wondered why he was spared." ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Jackson]]></category><category><![CDATA[Perhaps]]></category><category><![CDATA[Free]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[Redeem]]></category><category><![CDATA[Himself]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Through Bonding, The Foreign Becomes Familial]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/09/AR2005060901972.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/09/AR2005060901972.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 10 Jun 2005 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ The two young women sitting inches from each other in a Silver Spring living room grew up half a world apart. The French girl, an exchange student studying at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, and her Costa Rican guest, a former exchange student who'd recently returned to the United States, had just met.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=456105918730" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=456105918730" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Through]]></category><category><![CDATA[Bonding,]]></category><category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[Foreign]]></category><category><![CDATA[Becomes]]></category><category><![CDATA[Familial]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Even Deepest Of Throats  Can't Keep Mum]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/02/AR2005060202036.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/02/AR2005060202036.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Jun 2005 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ What do you get the moment a long-provocative question is answered? ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Even]]></category><category><![CDATA[Deepest]]></category><category><![CDATA[Of]]></category><category><![CDATA[Throats]]></category><category><![CDATA[]]></category><category><![CDATA[Can't]]></category><category><![CDATA[Keep]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mum]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[An Entitled Path From 'Laugh-In' To Break-In]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/19/AR2005051901749.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/19/AR2005051901749.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 20 May 2005 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ You've had a long day at work, a hellish commute and finally have arrived home. Stepping inside, you notice instantly that a previously closed window is ajar. You know: ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[An]]></category><category><![CDATA[Entitled]]></category><category><![CDATA[Path]]></category><category><![CDATA[From]]></category><category><![CDATA['Laugh-In']]></category><category><![CDATA[To]]></category><category><![CDATA[Break-In]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Mortals Shared Stars' Galaxy in Black Hollywood]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/12/AR2005051202053.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/12/AR2005051202053.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 13 May 2005 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Before we get to black Hollywood of yesteryear, let's acknowledge a question on the lips of millions of today's movie fans: ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Mortals]]></category><category><![CDATA[Shared]]></category><category><![CDATA[Stars']]></category><category><![CDATA[Galaxy]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[Black]]></category><category><![CDATA[Hollywood]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Hard Lessons For a Mother To Pass On]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/05/AR2005050501778.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/05/AR2005050501778.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 06 May 2005 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Eight decades ago -- before I existed or had any idea of what a mother was -- there was a little girl.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=456105923209" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=456105923209" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Hard]]></category><category><![CDATA[Lessons]]></category><category><![CDATA[For]]></category><category><![CDATA[a]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mother]]></category><category><![CDATA[To]]></category><category><![CDATA[Pass]]></category><category><![CDATA[On]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Social Fabric Needs Stories Woven by Elders]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/21/AR2005042101368.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/21/AR2005042101368.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 22 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ As human beings, we are our stories. So I'll start with this one: ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Social]]></category><category><![CDATA[Fabric]]></category><category><![CDATA[Needs]]></category><category><![CDATA[Stories]]></category><category><![CDATA[Woven]]></category><category><![CDATA[by]]></category><category><![CDATA[Elders]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[In Another Era, Teen Mom Was Cautionary Tale]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/14/AR2005041402826.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/14/AR2005041402826.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 15 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Every high school, I bet, has at least one Cheryl Saunders. A girl who isn't just one of the prettiest around, but one who has the nerve to be smart, popular and even nice. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[In]]></category><category><![CDATA[Another]]></category><category><![CDATA[Era,]]></category><category><![CDATA[Teen]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mom]]></category><category><![CDATA[Was]]></category><category><![CDATA[Cautionary]]></category><category><![CDATA[Tale]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[A Chorus Of Empathy for Baby Mamas]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/03/31/AR2005033118752.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/03/31/AR2005033118752.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 01 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Shopping at Hecht's recently, I overheard a snatch of conversation that I couldn't ignore. A young female voice was saying how painful childbirth is "supposed" to be, but that somehow "it wasn't that bad." Looking up, I saw a pretty, wide-eyed woman, who continued, "My boyfriend and his mother were there, and . . . " ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[A]]></category><category><![CDATA[Chorus]]></category><category><![CDATA[Of]]></category><category><![CDATA[Empathy]]></category><category><![CDATA[for]]></category><category><![CDATA[Baby]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mamas]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Prayer Rising,  Even If Many Eschew the Pews]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/03/30/AR2005033001272.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/03/30/AR2005033001272.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 25 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ "L et us pray."<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=456105929064" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=456105929064" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Prayer]]></category><category><![CDATA[Rising,]]></category><category><![CDATA[]]></category><category><![CDATA[Even]]></category><category><![CDATA[If]]></category><category><![CDATA[Many]]></category><category><![CDATA[Eschew]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[Pews]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Prayer Rising, Even If Many Eschew the Pews]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/03/25/AR2005041902131.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/03/25/AR2005041902131.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 25 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[   "Let us pray." ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Prayer]]></category><category><![CDATA[Rising,]]></category><category><![CDATA[Even]]></category><category><![CDATA[If]]></category><category><![CDATA[Many]]></category><category><![CDATA[Eschew]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[Pews]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[The Short Trip From Mother To Martyr]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/03/25/AR2005032506721.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/03/25/AR2005032506721.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 11 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ I am the mother of a 9-year-old boy. The other night, I went out to dinner with my husband. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[Short]]></category><category><![CDATA[Trip]]></category><category><![CDATA[From]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mother]]></category><category><![CDATA[To]]></category><category><![CDATA[Martyr]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Domestic Abuse Recognizes No Social Barriers]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/03/25/AR2005032501131.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/03/25/AR2005032501131.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 04 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ A twentysomething man wearing neat dreadlocks, work boots and a huge parka is standing at the front desk of the Domestic Violence Intake Center at the D.C. Superior Court. His words to the receptionist dispel any impression of hip-hop bravado that his appearance suggests: "I had to put my car in the garage so [my girlfriend] wouldn't do anything to it." ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Domestic]]></category><category><![CDATA[Abuse]]></category><category><![CDATA[Recognizes]]></category><category><![CDATA[No]]></category><category><![CDATA[Social]]></category><category><![CDATA[Barriers]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Love Stories That Transcend Bonds Of Slavery, Time]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/02/11/AR2005040201509.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/02/11/AR2005040201509.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 11 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[  The love stories recounted in author Betty DeRamus's new book, "Forbidden Fruit: Love Stories From the Underground Railroad," are more than a century old. But they still have the power to make listeners' hearts race, break -- or sing.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=456105933393" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=456105933393" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Love]]></category><category><![CDATA[Stories]]></category><category><![CDATA[That]]></category><category><![CDATA[Transcend]]></category><category><![CDATA[Bonds]]></category><category><![CDATA[Of]]></category><category><![CDATA[Slavery,]]></category><category><![CDATA[Time]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Honest Look Reveals There Are No 'Others']]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/12/31/AR2005032403826.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/12/31/AR2005032403826.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 31 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[   It's hard enough finding compassion for certain people. But during a conversation about diets, my friend Denise actually asked me: ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Honest]]></category><category><![CDATA[Look]]></category><category><![CDATA[Reveals]]></category><category><![CDATA[There]]></category><category><![CDATA[Are]]></category><category><![CDATA[No]]></category><category><![CDATA['Others']]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Self-Service Helps Serve Thyself]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/12/17/AR2005032403829.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/12/17/AR2005032403829.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 17 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[  It was in a newly remodeled Giant supermarket that I realized the insidiousness of the "you do it" culture. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Self-Service]]></category><category><![CDATA[Helps]]></category><category><![CDATA[Serve]]></category><category><![CDATA[Thyself]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Without Water, Desperation Runs Deep]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/12/10/AR2005032403830.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/12/10/AR2005032403830.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 10 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[  "M om, we may need to stay at your place tonight. The well ran dry." ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Without]]></category><category><![CDATA[Water,]]></category><category><![CDATA[Desperation]]></category><category><![CDATA[Runs]]></category><category><![CDATA[Deep]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Parents Hold The Key to Safe Driving]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/12/03/AR2005032304710.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/12/03/AR2005032304710.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[   Now that the painful subject of teenage traffic fatalities is back in the news, Phil Berardelli wants moms and dads to consider the obvious:<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=456105937729" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=456105937729" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Parents]]></category><category><![CDATA[Hold]]></category><category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[Key]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[Safe]]></category><category><![CDATA[Driving]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Cosby Becomes The Grandpa Of Tough Love]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/11/19/AR2005032403843.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/11/19/AR2005032403843.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 19 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[   There are many reasons to love Bill Cosby. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Cosby]]></category><category><![CDATA[Becomes]]></category><category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[Grandpa]]></category><category><![CDATA[Of]]></category><category><![CDATA[Tough]]></category><category><![CDATA[Love]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Worst Voter Error Is Apathy Toward Irregularities]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/11/12/AR2005032403837.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/11/12/AR2005032403837.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[  Is anyone surprised that accusations of voter disenfranchisement and irregularities  abound after the most passionately contested presidential campaign in memory? Is anybody stunned that the mainstream media appear largely unconcerned? ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Worst]]></category><category><![CDATA[Voter]]></category><category><![CDATA[Error]]></category><category><![CDATA[Is]]></category><category><![CDATA[Apathy]]></category><category><![CDATA[Toward]]></category><category><![CDATA[Irregularities]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Gay Unions Put  Kerry Campaign Asunder]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/11/05/AR2005032403834.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/11/05/AR2005032403834.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 05 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[   I had just finished speaking at a Northern Virginia church when an attractive young woman with a pixie haircut introduced herself, saying she'd just moved here from Boston. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Gay]]></category><category><![CDATA[Unions]]></category><category><![CDATA[Put]]></category><category><![CDATA[]]></category><category><![CDATA[Kerry]]></category><category><![CDATA[Campaign]]></category><category><![CDATA[Asunder]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Election Spins Not Only Facts, But Faith]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/11/01/AR2005032403835.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 01 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ As this maddening presidential election whirls toward its conclusion, our ever-spinning candidates -- and the dizzy media tracking them -- have put God on the agenda.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=456105941732" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=456105941732" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Election]]></category><category><![CDATA[Spins]]></category><category><![CDATA[Not]]></category><category><![CDATA[Only]]></category><category><![CDATA[Facts,]]></category><category><![CDATA[But]]></category><category><![CDATA[Faith]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Make No Mistake: Politicians Love Preying on Fear]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/10/22/AR2005032403836.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 22 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[   President Bush is so certain of his course that in the second debate, he couldn't conjure a single mistake he's made as president. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Make]]></category><category><![CDATA[No]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mistake:]]></category><category><![CDATA[Politicians]]></category><category><![CDATA[Love]]></category><category><![CDATA[Preying]]></category><category><![CDATA[on]]></category><category><![CDATA[Fear]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[In This Election, Anxiety Is The Front-Runner]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/10/08/AR2005032403847.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/10/08/AR2005032403847.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 08 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[  Last week, after days of going back and forth over whether to watch the first presidential campaign debate, I sat before the TV at the appointed time and turned to a favorite channel. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[In]]></category><category><![CDATA[This]]></category><category><![CDATA[Election,]]></category><category><![CDATA[Anxiety]]></category><category><![CDATA[Is]]></category><category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[Front-Runner]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Ensuring That Voting's Sanctity  Wins Out]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/10/01/AR2005032403844.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/10/01/AR2005032403844.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 01 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[   Cuddling her fluffy white Maltese dog in her Silver Spring living room, Joan Biren explains why on Election Day, she and five friends will be in Philadelphia doing something that most Americans believe happens only in corrupt foreign governments: ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Ensuring]]></category><category><![CDATA[That]]></category><category><![CDATA[Voting's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sanctity]]></category><category><![CDATA[]]></category><category><![CDATA[Wins]]></category><category><![CDATA[Out]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Pop Culture Slowly Moves  Into the Pew]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/09/24/AR2005032403839.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/09/24/AR2005032403839.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 24 Sep 2004 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[   Some people might see the new movie "Woman, Thou Art Loosed" because -- for their own cathartic reasons -- they want to see a victim of child sexual abuse exact revenge on her abuser before she starts healing her psychic and spiritual wounds.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=456105946784" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=456105946784" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Pop]]></category><category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category><category><![CDATA[Slowly]]></category><category><![CDATA[Moves]]></category><category><![CDATA[]]></category><category><![CDATA[Into]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[Pew]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Ward 8 Votes With Its Heart --  And Barry's]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/09/17/AR2005032403841.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/09/17/AR2005032403841.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 17 Sep 2004 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[   So tell me: If you were a resident of Ward 8 -- a section inevitably described as the District's poorest despite having its share of tax-paying homeowners -- whom would you want to represent you on the D.C. Council? ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Ward]]></category><category><![CDATA[8]]></category><category><![CDATA[Votes]]></category><category><![CDATA[With]]></category><category><![CDATA[Its]]></category><category><![CDATA[Heart]]></category><category><![CDATA[--]]></category><category><![CDATA[]]></category><category><![CDATA[And]]></category><category><![CDATA[Barry's]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[On Life's Menu, Savor Option of Overcoming Limits]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/09/10/AR2005032403842.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/09/10/AR2005032403842.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 10 Sep 2004 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[   Recently, a dear friend -- we're godparents to each other's elementary-age kids -- treated my son and me to dinner. With school expenses looming, we decided that dinner should be inexpensive. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[On]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Menu,]]></category><category><![CDATA[Savor]]></category><category><![CDATA[Option]]></category><category><![CDATA[of]]></category><category><![CDATA[Overcoming]]></category><category><![CDATA[Limits]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[In Shining Eyes, A Parent's Vision For Her Life]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/09/03/AR2005032403853.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/09/03/AR2005032403853.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Sep 2004 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[  Everybody has a story. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[In]]></category><category><![CDATA[Shining]]></category><category><![CDATA[Eyes,]]></category><category><![CDATA[A]]></category><category><![CDATA[Parent's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Vision]]></category><category><![CDATA[For]]></category><category><![CDATA[Her]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Size Aside, A Couple Of Magnitude]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/08/13/AR2005032403848.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/08/13/AR2005032403848.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 13 Aug 2004 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[   Appearance-wise, many, if not most, couples look like they're a match. Like they belong together.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=456105951114" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=456105951114" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Size]]></category><category><![CDATA[Aside,]]></category><category><![CDATA[A]]></category><category><![CDATA[Couple]]></category><category><![CDATA[Of]]></category><category><![CDATA[Magnitude]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Seeing Strength in the Face of Unity]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/08/06/AR2005032403845.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/08/06/AR2005032403845.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 06 Aug 2004 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[   I'm unsure exactly what made my eyes moisten, suddenly and unexpectedly, at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Detroit back in 1982. I was so new in the business, so unsure of my talents, that any colleague's "You can make it!" speech could have dissolved me. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Seeing]]></category><category><![CDATA[Strength]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[Face]]></category><category><![CDATA[of]]></category><category><![CDATA[Unity]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Able to Aid Needy People In Single Bound]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/07/30/AR2005032403846.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/07/30/AR2005032403846.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 30 Jul 2004 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[    Suddenly, we're awash in heroes. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Able]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[Aid]]></category><category><![CDATA[Needy]]></category><category><![CDATA[People]]></category><category><![CDATA[In]]></category><category><![CDATA[Single]]></category><category><![CDATA[Bound]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Man in Crisis Sure to Stand By Her Hand]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/07/16/AR2005032403849.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/07/16/AR2005032403849.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 Jul 2004 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[  We never know how we appear. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Man]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[Crisis]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sure]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[Stand]]></category><category><![CDATA[By]]></category><category><![CDATA[Her]]></category><category><![CDATA[Hand]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Stem Cell Effort Fueled by Bonds Of Blood, Faith]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/07/09/AR2005032403859.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/07/09/AR2005032403859.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 09 Jul 2004 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[   District resident Lewis Geer is 97 and has lost most of his hearing. But he knows plenty.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=456105956302" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=456105956302" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Stem]]></category><category><![CDATA[Cell]]></category><category><![CDATA[Effort]]></category><category><![CDATA[Fueled]]></category><category><![CDATA[by]]></category><category><![CDATA[Bonds]]></category><category><![CDATA[Of]]></category><category><![CDATA[Blood,]]></category><category><![CDATA[Faith]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Finding Our Way To Love in Our World of Rage]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/06/18/AR2005032403852.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/06/18/AR2005032403852.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 18 Jun 2004 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[   Recently, I noticed that an upbeat friend seemed off her game. Asked why she appeared sad, she answered with a jumble of words: the war in Iraq, innocent kids getting shot, the world having gone crazy. But she'd be fine, she said.  ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Finding]]></category><category><![CDATA[Our]]></category><category><![CDATA[Way]]></category><category><![CDATA[To]]></category><category><![CDATA[Love]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[Our]]></category><category><![CDATA[World]]></category><category><![CDATA[of]]></category><category><![CDATA[Rage]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Tears for Reagan Obscure His Complexities]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/06/13/AR2005032403850.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/06/13/AR2005032403850.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 13 Jun 2004 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[   The ritual is familiar: A larger-than-life figure dies. Shocked, we mull the many ways that person touched us, how he or she evolved: Princess Diana from vulnerable bride into sophisticated do-gooder; JFK Jr. from saluting toddler into graceful hunk. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Tears]]></category><category><![CDATA[for]]></category><category><![CDATA[Reagan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Obscure]]></category><category><![CDATA[His]]></category><category><![CDATA[Complexities]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[It's Not The Setting That's Sinister]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/06/04/AR2005032403851.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/06/04/AR2005032403851.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 04 Jun 2004 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[   The 7-Eleven on Silver Hill Road in Suitland is, well, a 7-Eleven. Like every other one. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[It's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Not]]></category><category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[Setting]]></category><category><![CDATA[That's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sinister]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[All Grown Up And Through The Gantlet]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/05/30/AR2005032403854.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/05/30/AR2005032403854.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 30 May 2004 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[   We didn't know that Bill Cosby was speaking at our son's graduation. And we had no idea about the <em>magna cum laude </em>thing, either.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=45611000602" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=45611000602" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[All]]></category><category><![CDATA[Grown]]></category><category><![CDATA[Up]]></category><category><![CDATA[And]]></category><category><![CDATA[Through]]></category><category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[Gantlet]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Feeling Good About Leaving Our Comfort Zone]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/05/21/AR2005032403864.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/05/21/AR2005032403864.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 21 May 2004 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[   When Francine Ward told me that self-esteem isn't achieved through contemplation or self-directed pep talks but by walking through our fears, I did what many people would do: reflected upon some things of which I'm proud. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Feeling]]></category><category><![CDATA[Good]]></category><category><![CDATA[About]]></category><category><![CDATA[Leaving]]></category><category><![CDATA[Our]]></category><category><![CDATA[Comfort]]></category><category><![CDATA[Zone]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Looking Away From War, and  Our Own Hearts]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/05/14/AR2005032403857.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/05/14/AR2005032403857.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 14 May 2004 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[   The nation is at war. But you could almost forget it when the arrival of cicadas is hyped as being slightly less momentous than the Second Coming, and the finales of "Friends" and "Frasier" are treated like the deaths of beloved companions. As one who will miss "Frasier" and who's grossed out by the popeyed bugs on my screened porch, I understand. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Looking]]></category><category><![CDATA[Away]]></category><category><![CDATA[From]]></category><category><![CDATA[War,]]></category><category><![CDATA[and]]></category><category><![CDATA[]]></category><category><![CDATA[Our]]></category><category><![CDATA[Own]]></category><category><![CDATA[Hearts]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Athena in Iraq: Women at War Air Evil Truth]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/05/07/AR2005032403855.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/05/07/AR2005032403855.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 07 May 2004 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[   Just in time for Mother's Day, the world has been treated to photos of a petite young woman in fashionably baggy pants holding a leash. Attached to it is neither a cute poodle nor a frisky terrier but a man lying naked on a prison floor. In another photo, the female soldier grins as she offers a thumbs-up with one hand while pointing the other at the genitals of a man wearing only a black hood. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Athena]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[Iraq:]]></category><category><![CDATA[Women]]></category><category><![CDATA[at]]></category><category><![CDATA[War]]></category><category><![CDATA[Air]]></category><category><![CDATA[Evil]]></category><category><![CDATA[Truth]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[They Don't Call It La-La Land For Nothing]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/04/23/AR2005032403856.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/04/23/AR2005032403856.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 23 Apr 2004 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[   Whenever I visit languorous Los Angeles, it's tempting to wonder:<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=45611006671" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=45611006671" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[They]]></category><category><![CDATA[Don't]]></category><category><![CDATA[Call]]></category><category><![CDATA[It]]></category><category><![CDATA[La-La]]></category><category><![CDATA[Land]]></category><category><![CDATA[For]]></category><category><![CDATA[Nothing]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[No Nap Time? Educators Are Dreaming]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/03/19/AR2005032403862.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 19 Mar 2004 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[  Some ideas, you're unsure of. You listen to them, weigh them and, even if you're unconvinced, you think, "Maybe that makes <em>some</em> sense." ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[No]]></category><category><![CDATA[Nap]]></category><category><![CDATA[Time?]]></category><category><![CDATA[Educators]]></category><category><![CDATA[Are]]></category><category><![CDATA[Dreaming]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Getting The Skinny On Nutrition]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/03/12/AR2005032403858.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/03/12/AR2005032403858.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Mar 2004 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[  Those of us who've never smoked can only imagine the pull of cigarettes on people for whom smoking is a hated habit. We'd be tempted to feel superior to them -- if we'd never eaten. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Getting]]></category><category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[Skinny]]></category><category><![CDATA[On]]></category><category><![CDATA[Nutrition]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[For Haiti, A Want Of Concern]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/03/05/AR2005032403861.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/03/05/AR2005032403861.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 05 Mar 2004 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[   Why don't we care more about Haiti?  ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[For]]></category><category><![CDATA[Haiti,]]></category><category><![CDATA[A]]></category><category><![CDATA[Want]]></category><category><![CDATA[Of]]></category><category><![CDATA[Concern]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Turning A Long Shot Into a Close-up]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/02/27/AR2005032403860.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/02/27/AR2005032403860.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 27 Feb 2004 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[   <em>"This is the hotel business. People come to hotels to do dirty things. It's our job to make them pretty again."</em><br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=45611013048" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=45611013048" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Turning]]></category><category><![CDATA[A]]></category><category><![CDATA[Long]]></category><category><![CDATA[Shot]]></category><category><![CDATA[Into]]></category><category><![CDATA[a]]></category><category><![CDATA[Close-up]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[A Devastating Loss of Self-Esteem]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/02/13/AR2005032403868.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/02/13/AR2005032403868.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 13 Feb 2004 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[   In a recent column about a new report on urban teenagers' sexual attitudes, I purposely left out the finding that most surprised researchers: ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[A]]></category><category><![CDATA[Devastating]]></category><category><![CDATA[Loss]]></category><category><![CDATA[of]]></category><category><![CDATA[Self-Esteem]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Heading Off 'Bad Hair' Thoughts]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/02/06/AR2005032403867.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/02/06/AR2005032403867.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 06 Feb 2004 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[  What is "good hair"? ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Heading]]></category><category><![CDATA[Off]]></category><category><![CDATA['Bad]]></category><category><![CDATA[Hair']]></category><category><![CDATA[Thoughts]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Janet's 'Reveal' Lays Bare An Insidious Trend]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/02/04/AR2005032403863.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/02/04/AR2005032403863.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 04 Feb 2004 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[   So I was sitting at my desk Monday, studying an Internet photo enlargement of Janet Jackson's breast. Wondering whether its superstar owner was the innocent victim of a "wardrobe malfunction" or had conspired with rumored ex-beau Justin Timberlake to flash The Breast -- and its metal, nipple-encircling starburst -- to 90 million stunned Super Bowl viewers. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Janet's]]></category><category><![CDATA['Reveal']]></category><category><![CDATA[Lays]]></category><category><![CDATA[Bare]]></category><category><![CDATA[An]]></category><category><![CDATA[Insidious]]></category><category><![CDATA[Trend]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Even for Oscar, With Age Comes Wisdom]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/01/30/AR2005032403866.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/01/30/AR2005032403866.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 30 Jan 2004 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[   Oscar, bless him, is sneaking up on 80. So were you surprised that Sofia Coppola's Best Director nomination for "Lost in Translation" was the old boy's first-ever directing nod to an American woman?<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=45611016570" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=45611016570" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Even]]></category><category><![CDATA[for]]></category><category><![CDATA[Oscar,]]></category><category><![CDATA[With]]></category><category><![CDATA[Age]]></category><category><![CDATA[Comes]]></category><category><![CDATA[Wisdom]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Stats on Teens Don't Tell The Whole Story]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/01/23/AR2005032403865.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/01/23/AR2005032403865.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 23 Jan 2004 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[   Why is it that when good news surfaces, bad news often lurks close behind? Why is it that what we "know" -- about people, events, our own kids -- is so often wrong? ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[Stats]]></category><category><![CDATA[on]]></category><category><![CDATA[Teens]]></category><category><![CDATA[Don't]]></category><category><![CDATA[Tell]]></category><category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[Whole]]></category><category><![CDATA[Story]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[A Life That's Worth Another Look]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/01/16/AR2005032403874.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/01/16/AR2005032403874.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 Jan 2004 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[   We don't always rush toward what's good for us. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[A]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life]]></category><category><![CDATA[That's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Worth]]></category><category><![CDATA[Another]]></category><category><![CDATA[Look]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[As Year Turns, We Reflect on Life's Twists]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/01/02/AR2005032403872.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/01/02/AR2005032403872.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2004 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[  Just before Christmas at Montgomery Mall, I was making a hurried pit stop in the Nordstrom ladies' room when I was confronted by something no woman expects -- or wants -- to see in a women's restroom: ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Britt]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinion/index.html">Opinions</category>
<category><![CDATA[As]]></category><category><![CDATA[Year]]></category><category><![CDATA[Turns,]]></category><category><![CDATA[We]]></category><category><![CDATA[Reflect]]></category><category><![CDATA[on]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Twists]]></category>
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