My Blog 2

Dear Amy : A couple of years and months ago my daughter gave birth to a baby girl. I was so happy until I learned her name. The baby’s first name is lovely. It honors her father’s wishes but not his side of the family. The baby’s last name is my son-in-law’s surname. But the baby was given two middle names — a strong surly, a male, ethnic version of my late husband’s name, and his last name. My Father's family and mine, were totally left out. It's customary to have your familial history in your name as in a given name. I was deeply hurt. And I don’t think my husband would have been happy with the way the baby girl is saddled with a very awkward masculine male middle name. I’ve expressed my thoughts to my daughter but she is sticking with the middle names. My late-husband died when she was in her early teens and our relationship, which had been very good, soured. After that, nothing I did was right. I was a loving and devoted mother to her and hoped she would realize that, e...

Stephen Hawking, science's brightest star, dies age 76: A star just went out' - world honours renowned British physicist The physicist and author of A Brief History of Time has died at his home in Cambridge. His children said: ‘We will miss him for ever’ and a day... Stephen Hawking fascinated astrophysicists with his otherworldly theories. But he also blew the minds of medical experts by living with ALS for 55 years. Accomplishments aside, Hawking was somewhat of a medical miracle. Experts struggle to find anyone who has lived longer with the disease than Hawking, the famed physicist who died Wednesday at 76. "We wish we knew because that would give us clues to treatment," said Dr. Lucie Bruijn, the ALS Association's chief scientist. "His lifespan is exceptional. I think there are few — I certainly don't know of any others — that have had such a long lifespan." Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) — otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's d...

How to Protect Yourself From an Online Dating Scam Here are tips for defensive dating, including warning signs that you could be the target of an online romance scam More and more people are looking for love online. A large chunk are those age 50 to 64, and dating services aimed at baby boomers are expected to grow the most over the next five years. You know who else is prowling around websites and apps, looking to score? Scammers. Last year, more than 15,000 victims lost some $210 million in “confidence frauds” and romance scams, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The lesson: Meeting people online comes with risks. And the way to protect yourself or someone you love isn’t as simple as “Don’t be foolish.” Smart people fall prey to scams. Scammers are really good at what they do. They’ve got crafty ways to make you believe their stories and a range of places to find targets these days. So you must know the warning signs, recognize the script, learn to sleuth an...

Why The Black Panther Is of Germane Importance Black Superheroes Matter: Why a 'Black Panther' Movie Is Revolutionary How Marvel's investment in a stand-alone movie for Wakanda's king signals a new era for black superheroes – and superhero movies at large I went and saw The Black Panther with one of my two twins. I was going to take both of them but at the last moment, one went with his friends. Never forget, they're 14 yo. So it was me and one of my step-sons. Great movie. Smart, funny, and the audience applauded at the end of it. Along with popcorn, hotdogd, candy, previews, and spending, what do they call it, quality time, with one of my boys, the movie itself was a sight to behold. Why? First of all, it was an all black cast. Oh, there was one white guy, but it was set in Africa, ergo tons of black faces. Intelligent, classy, royal, badass, black faces. I thought it was important for my kids to see that. When I was growing up, there wasn't that. I...

Mom wants to run daughter’s life from a distance Dear Amy: I’m 19 going on 36 and my, marry, financially independent and living hours away from my mother, but she still wants to run my life. She expects to be involved in all decisions my husband and I make. When we don’t consult her (or do as she suggests) on the most minor question, she rants that nobody cares about her. Even the most benign conversations escalate to her claiming that I don’t listen, don’t respect her and don’t appreciate her. A common point of friction is the topic of vacations: She’s an extremely disorganized person who never plans her own time, but wants me to commit months in advance to my family to visiting her over any/all vacations. (She’ll start pressuring me about Christmas in October.) We have been generous with our time, but my bf/husband to be and I both have demanding jobs. We don’t want to spend every Christmas holiday sitting on my mother’s couch. I’m at a loss. Conversations with her often end in...

...Here Are the Results Good leaders avoid micromanaging... Twenty (20) years ago, you probably would've laughed if someone said your life would one day be irrevocably changed by a company called Google. What's a google? One (1) followed by 100 "zeroes," no?! But, as you know, Google's become the largest entity in one of the biggest tech companies in the world. And it's giving you a glimpse inside its robust research on what makes a great manager, great. It's no secret that being a good manager can make all the difference in how happy your team is and how well it performs. Google not only proved this to skeptics years ago, but also identified eight (later updated to 10) behaviors of its best managers. So why not learn from one of the most successful data-driven companies out there? 1. "Is a Good Coach" Employees need and appreciate a manager who takes time to coach and challenge them, and not just when they're behind. As Muse contrib...

“All cruelty springs from weakness.” —Seneca, 4BC-AD65 There are those who say that bullying is behind all forms of violence, conflict, persecution, abuse, harassment, discrimination, and prejudice. The death of Phoebe Prince in 2010, a 15-year-old Massachusetts girl who hanged herself after being harassed by a group of students from her school, puts a spotlight on bullying among teenagers. And in fact, there have been many notable cases of teen bullying, on and off the Internet (i.e., cyber-taunting on Facebook) that come to mind when we think of bullies. However, it isn’t just children and teenagers who bully. Although it may not be as obvious, or as easily identifiable, adult bullying may be more widespread. “Independent research suggests that bullying is happening to around 1 in 4 people” (from “Life After Adult Bullying”). Bullying impacts many of us, regardless of our age. What Is Bullying? Bullying is defined as “an act of repeated aggressive behavior in order to intentiona...