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Cat Food, Chewing Gum and Joy
It's an amazing gift, like a crimson sunset. It's an amazing institution, like the public library. And it's an amazing treasure, like Aladdin's cave. Except instead of gold and rubies, there's milk and cat food.
I'm speaking, of course, of the local mini mart: That humble store, often as tall as it is wide, stocked with every item you didn't ...Read more
Family guide to new movie releases
'DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA'
Rated R for pervasive language, some violence, drug use and sexual references.
What it’s about: A sequel to the 2018 heist movie that takes the action to Europe and the world of diamond thieves.
The kid attractor factor: Not much, this is an adult crime thriller.
Good lessons/bad lessons: As always, in crime, ...Read more
New initiative makes 'Room at the Table' for breastfeeding moms at restaurants
CHICAGO -- As a mom of three girls, Khallilah Watkins isn’t new to the process and preparation it takes to breastfeed a baby outside of the house.
One time with her second daughter, she had to hunker down in a restaurant bathroom for a few minutes to pump.
“That was my first experience pumping in a restaurant and inside of a smelly public ...Read more
Ex-etiquette: Meeting someone new
Q.My ex and I split up six months ago and our children go back and forth between our new homes. We don’t have a formal parenting plan -- the split was amicable; we just share the kids every few days. They are 5 and 7. It seems to be working OK, but I have recently met someone new. I am afraid this will complicate things, and their mother will...Read more
Lori Borgman: It's snow problem; new weather terms are chill
"Stay tuned for a weather impact update," says the man on the television.
I have problems with the word impact and not just because it's one of those words that can be both a noun and a verb. Impact always reminds me of when my brother was a toddler and shoved a Red Hot up his nose. The Red Hot was impacted and our mother had to carefully ...Read more
They have one year to pretend … or risk losing everything
The best romance novels often work off the dichotomy between the story’s meant-to-be and can’t-possibly-work elements. Kay Cove’s latest novel, "Snapshot," delivers beautifully on both, with plot twists and outside characters that seriously threaten a happily-ever-after ending. For added depth, Cove intertwines two love stories, one from a...Read more
She solved her heart problem. Then she learned her unborn baby had one
Ashley Boyea had asthma, so she wasn't surprised when she got breathless at work. But when she began gasping for air just walking around, the then-25-year-old sales associate went to her pulmonologist for a checkup.
The doctor had her wear a heart monitor for a few days. It showed her heart was beating too fast. More testing revealed that, in ...Read more
Just minutes of exercise can help women’s hearts, study finds
With only four minutes of exercise a day, middle-age women might reduce their risk of cardiovascular problems by nearly half. It’s the latest discovery from University of Sydney researchers, whose study was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
“We found that a minimum of 1.5 minutes to an average of 4 minutes of daily ...Read more
It's Wise To Have Healthy Boundaries
Q: One of my not-so-distant relatives is an extremely difficult person to be around. "Chris" can spot a flaw from across the room -- and never wastes an opportunity to criticize. I know I shouldn't care what "Chris" thinks, but I do. Help?
Jim: This is something that many of us experience. The closer our relationship with a critical person, the...Read more
When Bad Things Happen to Good Laptops
There wasn't a full moon. I didn't walk under a ladder or break a mirror. No black cats crossed my path. Yet it was undeniably one of those days when I felt cursed. It started with the demise of my coffee maker, followed by the nervous breakdown of my washing machine, and an unfriendly letter calling me for jury duty. I blatantly ignored all ...Read more
My Things Are Making Resolutions Too
New Year's resolutions for my stuff:
-- I, your pillow, will do a better job helping you sleep: by being squishy enough to feel delicious, and hard enough to not feel too squishy. I shall not mention that this is an impossible task, for I am your pillow, and my job is to gently usher you into dreamland, YOU IMPOSSIBLE INSOMNIAC! JUST TAKE A ...Read more
'They just need a home:' Working to find foster care for the neediest children
BALTIMORE -- Laura Hutton has taken in everyone from a baby born weighing a pound and a half to a pregnant teenager, children whose needs ranged from feeding tubes to mental health therapy.
With a background as a special education teacher, Hutton, 55, has become something of a go-to foster parent for children whose medical, emotional or ...Read more
Lead with confidence in the AI era with this ethical toolkit
-- A company uses an AI system to streamline its hiring process, but the system favors certain demographic groups over others.
-- A hospital employs AI to diagnose patients but might miss rare conditions or produce false positives.
-- A bank uses AI to determine loan eligibility, but the system starts denying loans based on certain data ...Read more
Moving literary stories of grief, redemption and community
There’s nothing better than being lost in a book and letting a story overtake you. Some fiction is life-changing and permanently alters your worldview. Other books bring you to tears and consume your thoughts for the subsequent days or weeks. If you’re a reader who seeks out the kinds of books that will have a long-lasting impact on you, ...Read more
What to do when no one can pronounce your child’s name correctly
Navigating the world as the parent of a child with a unique or difficult-to-pronounce name can be a constant source of frustration.
When I named my daughter Chiara, I never considered that people would struggle with its pronunciation. Her name, which means “light” or “clear” in Italian and is deeply rooted in our family’s heritage, is...Read more
Lori Borgman: Red flag warning on kids and smart phones long overdue
We have smoke detectors that warn of fire, dashboard icons that warn of low fuel and dying batteries, and health hazard warnings are printed on every pack of cigarettes.
In 2024 we were given a clear and resounding warning for cell phones. It came in the form of a thick book titled “The Anxious Generation” (How the Great Rewiring of ...Read more
Ex-etiquette: How can you co-parent when you can't agree?
Q. My ex is impossible. Each time we go back to court, I hope for a different outcome, but nothing is ever changed. No one understands! How do you co-parent with someone you cannot agree with? What’s good ex-etiquette?
A. Disagreements don’t stop co-parents from co-parenting well. Conflict is normal, but you do have to create an environment...Read more
Where Do You Find Your Fulfillment?
Q: I'm not much for resolutions, but I do like to take stock occasionally. I've got a good life -- solid career, married well, good kids, nice home. Still, I don't want to miss anything. What's your best "man-to-man" advice for the next, say, 20 years?
Jim: I think the critical key is to ask yourself: Where do you really find your fulfillment? ...Read more
For Haiti's kids, servitude in gangs, death on the streets leave little room for a future
The nine-year-old boys wearing matching knapsacks walk down the street in the morning light, but they are not going to school. In their hands are loaded guns, and the boys know how to use them. One aims his pistol at the Haitian police officers engaging them in a firefight a few hundred yards away. The children are members of one of the gangs ...Read more
Wartime fiction blends history with adventure and mystery
Set against the backdrop of the early 20th century and World War I, "Crossroads of Empire" captures the essence of a world in turmoil. Author Michael Cooper’s diligence and attention to detail bring this period to life, from the smoky trenches of the Western Front to the political maneuvering in Europe.
The protagonist, Evan Sinclair, a 16-...Read more
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