LOS ANGELES — For a historian who writes about war, Rick Atkinson is surprisingly optimistic. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author and former journalist — who recently released the second volume in a trilogy of books about the American Revolution — believes that the bedrock of American democracy is solid enough to withstand any assaults on ...Read more

Your landscape will strike gold with this year’s new Chicklet Gold Esperanza. Though I am writing about Chicklet Gold, let's spill all the beans and tell you that Chicklet Red will make its debut in 2026.

So, if you think about the Chicklet Esperanza colors Orange, Gold and Red, you get the idea of the Chiclet chewing gum colors that many of ...Read more

I started my freelance career in 1988. Ronald Reagan was still president, the Berlin Wall was still standing, and if you wanted to pitch an editor, you typed a query letter on actual paper and mailed it with a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Thirty-seven years later, I'm still here. Still freelancing. Still adapting. I've survived five major ...Read more

When Jessye Kass Karlin asked for a raise, she didn’t just need one person to say “yes.” She needed eight.

A director of programs at a women’s shelter in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Karlin was in her mid-20s, making around $60,000 per year. She sought a $20,000 salary increase and a new title: executive director. “I sort of had that ...Read more

Dear Anna,

I’m a 28-year-old woman who moved in with my boyfriend (30) after only four months of dating. It wasn't planned — my lease was ending, his roommate moved out and it just made sense financially and logistically. Plus, we were spending every night together anyway, so why pay for two places? We've now been living together for two ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- Sandee Althouse walked into a Silver Lake gift shop dressed in an almost austere, simple black dress, her curly black hair graying at the temples. She carried herself like an older and accomplished, if somewhat serious, woman — but with a twist. Both of her arms were covered in freshly-inked tattoos, her left arm still wrapped ...Read more

Q: We’re two months in. Everything else is great, but he says we have no chemistry. Can it build? Give it more time?

A: I have a genuine question for you: Why would you want to be with someone who tells you that he has "no chemistry" (those are strong words) with you? Don't you think you deserve that, at a minimum?

With men, no, chemistry ...Read more

Dear Kid Whisperer,

After reading your column, my husband and I realized that our 8-year-old was not doing enough chores. She now does the dishes every night after dinner. Now I am second-guessing myself. The problem is that she really, really hates doing it, and gets upset while she’s cleaning up. It takes her a long time. I feel like, as a ...Read more

I married a hottie. He loves the heat and the sun.

When the summer sun is scorching and most people hide inside to keep from flash frying, he goes outside to do yard work.

I tend toward the cool side. Some like it hot, some like it cold, and for some mysterious reason they tend to marry one another.

Our favorite pastime is playing endless ...Read more

As millions of Americans head home for the holidays, Bankrate’s latest survey finds that there’s one dinner topic that will likely generate more heartburn than the typical conversation taboos about politics or religion: it’s money.

The national opinion poll found that about 3 in 5 U.S. adults (61%) said they would be uncomfortable talking...Read more

Q. The kids’ dad has not set up the kids’ rooms in his apartment yet and it’s been 6 months. They are telling me they want to see their dad, but they are tired of sleeping on the floor. I think it’s finances. I don’t want them to stop seeing their dad, but I understand that they want a bed. What’s good ex-etiquette?

A. Most who ...Read more

For a guy who has often been told to take a hike, I am getting nowhere fast. That’s because I have gone back to the gym, after taking a breather for several weeks, only to discover that you need to be a rocket scientist to use the new treadmills.

The old machines were like me: simple, serviceable, a little outdated, nothing fancy, with moving...Read more

BALTIMORE -- Reginald Person II, who has autism, has never been pulled over by police in real life, but a special program held recently allowed him to practice what would happen to put him more at ease.

Person, 39, of Severn, was one of many attendees of Pathways to Autism’s traffic stop practice event in Howard County. He said it helped him ...Read more

At the start of October, Kristen Coe and her husband, Mark, opened their home to friends and family and neighbors for a backyard gathering and neighborhood scavenger hunt.

Their daughter’s second-grade teacher came. Their son’s rowing coach came. The social worker from their kids’ middle school came. The woman who shared fourth-grade room...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- During the pandemic, the rules for school attendance with the sniffles were clear, if a bit draconian: Keep a child home from school at any sign of illness.

Since then, school policies have softened significantly. At L.A. Unified, for example, parents are directed to send their children to school if they have a mild cold or cough...Read more

SEATTLE -- Just after 6 p.m. on a brisk mid-October evening, the hum of conversation filled a physics lab at South Seattle College. Mateo Moreno-McQuarrie leaned over a small whiteboard, debating how to draw an accelerating car.

“It’s gonna be a box on wheels,” he said, grinning to the classmate seated next to him.

It had been a long day...Read more

DENVER -- The Pride Lounge at the University of Denver was a colorful conference room adorned with rainbows, LGBTQ-affirming posters and bookshelves crammed with queer literature.

Students of all backgrounds and beliefs could gather there to chat, study and build community, but the space was particularly affirming and welcoming for the campus�...Read more

Last year, I got turned down for a project I really wanted. The kind that would have been perfect for my schedule, paid well and involved people I genuinely liked working with. The email was polite, professional and yet it felt like a punch in the gut.

If you've been following along, you know I've been writing about life as a gig worker. ...Read more

I thought about titling this column "A Shrub for All Seasons." It would be kind of a verbal take off the "Man for All Seasons." But my shrub goes dormant, so I decided the best description would be "A Shrub for All Reasons." Let me explain.

My sister sent me three photos in early October and asked, "How do you like my Double Play Candy Corn ...Read more

ATLANTA — Philip Wyatt, a Buckhead hairdresser by trade, also has a side interest that is more unusual than, say, knitting or pickleball: He seeks spirit activity as the head of Georgia Paranormal Investigations.

The volunteer group solicits clients via social media and website georgiaparanormalinvestigations.net, though Wyatt isn’t even ...Read more