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Column: Youth sports are booming, and families are paying the price
MINNEAPOLIS -- As a kid, Kristen Mueller spent her summers playing baseball with friends at a park a couple of blocks away. In high school, she was a three-sport varsity athlete and later played hockey for her college team.
But if her kids join today’s hyper-organized youth sports culture, they will be expected to get serious, not dabble. ...Read more
What's Weird and Wonderful?
Coca-Cola. I think we can all agree that's a pretty good brand name, right?
Ever think about why?
It's not just the billions of ad bucks behind it. It's all the K sounds -- three of them in quick, cute, clever succession -- not to mention two soft A's. In other words, Coca-Cola is a name bubbling over with mnemonic devices: alliteration and ...Read more
New Order/Joy Division alum Peter Hook embraces Rock Hall of Fame induction, but not his former bandmates
SAN DIEGO — It may indeed be divine to forgive. But Peter Hook has absolutely no intention of letting bygones be bygones — even for just one night — when he and his former bandmates in Joy Division and New Order are honored Nov. 14 at the 2026 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater.
“Their behavior...Read more
Family guide to new movie releases
'RESIDENT EVIL'
Rated R for strong bloody violence, gore and language throughout.
What it’s about: This reboot of the video game franchise follows a medical courier on a treacherous journey into a zombie-infested Raccoon City.
The kid attractor factor: This horror survival thriller is ooey, gooey, bloody and intensely violent, not for kids....Read more
Lori Borgman: A tip-ical dilemma when eating out
The question these days is not “Can we afford to eat out?” but “Can we afford to tip?”
If you pay on a screen at a restaurant, the tip choices are 15%, 20%, 30%, and “take my wallet.” The awkward part is thinking it through and doing the math while the server stands there watching you.
We always tip, but sometimes one of us has to ...Read more
Ex-etiquette: Dad dilemma
Q: My 9-year-old has started calling my husband “Dad.” Her father is furious and corrects her every time she does it. He says she already has a dad and allowing this is disrespectful. I understand why it hurts his feelings, but she's very close to her stepfather. This was her choice. What do I tell her?
A: There’s a fine line we walk ...Read more
Books that feature twists of fate
Think about it: Some of the most unforgettable books hinge on a missed opportunity, a chance meeting, or even a random conversation. Such moments end up being the catalyst for life-altering journeys. What’s cool is that these stories can be found in almost all genres – romance, historical fiction, mystery, women’s fiction.
And no matter ...Read more
How do you hide from the worst thing you’ve ever done?
Her memories of that night are never the same. They are both little girls, Unnur and her friend Freyja, alone on a black-sand Icelandic beach, the waves clutching at them. In one memory, Freyja ignores her pleas and walks into the sea. In another, Unnur yanks Freyja’s head underwater until the bubbles stop. Which is true? She’s never known. ...Read more
How To Encourage Child Who Struggles With Math
Q: My daughter generally gets high grades in every subject except math. We're having a hard time understanding why. Could her problems with math be linked to some kind of learning disability?
Jim: This is a complex question. Some learning disabilities do involve difficulty understanding mathematical terms or concepts, decoding written word ...Read more
What Do We Know After 9/11? Little, If Anything
Like most Americans who were adults on Sept. 11, 2001, my life is divided into "before" and "after" 9/11.
I awoke to a phone call from a friend at the airport, where her flight had been canceled, and turned on the TV just a few minutes before the second plane hit the World Trade Center towers.
At some point, I woke up my now-husband, and we ...Read more
Family guide to new movie releases
'THE UPRISING'
Rated R for violence/bloody images
What it’s about: Paul Greengrass imagines the Peasants' Revolt of 1381 in England as an action thriller.
The kid attractor factor: This bloody revolutionary film is not for kids — too violent. For adults only.
Good lessons/bad lessons: Revolution is inevitable under oppression.
Violence:...Read more
Lori Borgman: A 'little' counseling at arm's reach
My new therapist is sitting on the edge of my desk, legs crossed, head slightly bowed. His beady eyes peer at me through his black framed glasses as he holds a pen poised over his clipboard.
He’s three inches tall, made of molded plastic, and looks like a cross between Freud and Dr. Leo Marvin from the movie, “What About Bob?”
The ...Read more
Ex-etiquette: Respecting each other's turf
Q: My ex shows up for everything that involves our daughter, even when it happens during my parenting time. Soccer practices, school events, sometimes even routine appointments. When I say something, she tells me, “I'm her mother. I have every right to be there.” I want us both involved, but sometimes I'd like to just be Dad without my ex ...Read more
Chloe Gong brings 'Flesh and False Gods' series to exhilarating conclusion
(WARNING: Contains spoilers for "Immortal Longings" and "Vilest Things.")
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Explosive. Breathtaking. It all comes down to the wire in the action-packed conclusion to Chloe Gong’s "Flesh and False Gods" trilogy, "Eyes of Kings."
Inspired by Shakespeare’s "Antony and Cleopatra," the trilogy is set within the world of Talin, in which ...Read more
Riley Sager’s 'The Unknown' is his creepiest thriller yet
I was already a huge fan of Riley Sager before "The Unknown." I’ve read all of his previous best-selling thrillers and even got the opportunity to interview him once. So I was pretty sure right from the start this would be a good book. I just didn’t know it was going to be this good.
"The Unknown" is a wonderfully creepy, spooky and ...Read more
Husband Wants To Support Wife
Q: I've been thinking a lot recently about what my wife does as a stay-at-home mom caring for two little kids. I know I'm prone to taking her for granted. I have to work full-time, but how can I help shoulder the load?
Jim: I'll never forget when my two now-adult sons were small. One evening when I got home from work, my frazzled wife, Jean, ...Read more
Approach Today Having Learned the Lessons of the Past
It's a time for fear.
The United States is engaged in an undeclared war -- one of which the public does not understand the true extent. The president has gone in without Congressional approval. Military leaders struggle with cabinet members, politicians and themselves about whether and how to proceed. Weary soldiers, sailors and airmen want ...Read more
Mom 'Guilty' of Letting Son Walk Outside
In a quiet gated community in Virginia, Karyann Parkinson took a little bike ride with her 5-year-old son one morning this summer. They passed the grassy area where the boy loves to pick up goose feathers, next to a pond.
When they got home, the boy asked if he could walk back to get some more feathers. Parkinson, eight months pregnant, said ...Read more
Family guide to new movie releases
'ONSLAUGHT'
Rated R for strong bloody violence, some gore, sexual material/nudity, and language.
What it’s about: A trio of scientifically engineered supersoldiers wreak havoc on a desert trailer park, whose residents fight back.
The kid attractor factor: This bloody horror/action flick does not have any appeal for kids.
Good lessons/bad ...Read more
Commentary: All I wanted was an empty house. Now I want my kids back
My 5-year-old twin boys, Mikey and Charlie, started kindergarten a couple of weeks ago, marking the end of their preschool careers. They walked into class wearing backpacks full of back-to-school supplies, like markers and glue. With their summers in the rearview mirror, they stepped into a world not with circle time or naps, but with desks, ...Read more
Inside Parents
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