MONTEREY, Calif. -- If the shark emoji on your phone is anatomically correct, thank Emily Simpson.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s “content strategist” has made it her mission to ensure that emoji, the universal lingo of our digital age, show marine life as nature intended.

After Simpson’s alert, Apple redesigned its squid emoji, banishing...Read more

First of all, immigrants aren’t eating people’s pets in Ohio.

It’s the sort of thing that should go without saying. The sort of thing that makes you wince a little when you say it (or type it) because it breathes fresh oxygen into a lie that dehumanizes us and desensitizes us and should’ve been starved of air long before it entered the ...Read more

BOISE, Idaho — Two archery hunters in East Idaho shot and killed an adult male grizzly bear last Sunday after the animal knocked one of the men down and bit him.

The men were hunting elk on the Caribou-Targhee National Forest near Island Park when they had a “surprise encounter” with the bear, according to a news release from the Idaho ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Keyna Drinks was doing whatever she could in 2011 to draw attention to her husband's murder.

She called on her local state representative, who helped organize a vigil and news conference.

She phoned the police constantly.

In the months-turned-years with no answers, she never let up. She papered the North Philadelphia ...Read more

There is a grand lady who has been gracing my garden the past couple of years. In fact I would say she is definitely Miss America. You know The Garden Guy is having fun, as I am talking about Shadowland Miss America hosta.

The past two summers have to go down as a hosta survivability challenge of sorts. If the hostas are not crying uncle The ...Read more

MIAMI -- Mental health is not easy for anyone to discuss openly. But, in some religious communities, there is an added stigma that may hinder an open dialogue — and that’s particularly true in the Islamic faith.

The South Florida Muslim Federation (SoFlo Muslims), an umbrella organization representing over 40 mosques and Islamic ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- In 2021, Amanda Burrows had an answer to a giant Confederate flag that was erected along a popular route to the Lake of the Ozarks: a billboard with the anti-racist message, “EQUALITY BIGGER THAN HATE.”

She raised money through GoFundMe to lease the billboard so visitors would not leave with the impression that the area...Read more

These days, there's no surer way to start a fight than to talk politics with someone who disagrees with you. And with election day drawing near, political conversations are increasingly difficult to avoid.

You could muddle your way through the next two months and hope for the best. Or you could take Tania Israel's advice and embrace the ...Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Everyone has that one pet in life who they fall in love with at first sight — or first scratch.

For San Francisco resident Wyatt Boumedine, that was Zine, his white cat with a raccoon-like tail who would constantly growl, claw — and probably curse, if he could speak — at his owner. But Boumedine adored him. When Zine ...Read more

Dear Anna,

I'm 26 (F), and my boyfriend (28) and I have been together for almost three years. We moved in together six months ago, and ever since I’ve noticed a pretty big change in our sex life. Before moving in, we used to have sex several times a week, but now it’s once a week, or maybe twice if it’s, like, a special occasion. I didn�...Read more

MIAMI -- Corner Coffee is not your typical coffee shop.

All the the usual suspects are offered: espresso, cold brews, pastries. But the distinct interior design offers some clues as to what is also on the menu: A ceiling mobile made of religious stained glass hangs over a seating area. A bronze sculpture of a life-size Homeless Jesus sleeping ...Read more

Despite the planet’s growing plastic pollution crisis, petroleum-based polymers have become an integral part of modern life. They make cars and airplanes lighter and more energy efficient. They constitute a core material of modern medicine by helping to keep equipment sterile, deliver medicines and build prosthetics, among many other things. ...Read more

I got a text recently from a 40-year-old male client who I’ve been working with on and off over the last few years. It said this: “I’ve been anxious to re-start dating. I just want this process to be done.”

I answered, “When you say that you want the process to be ‘done,’ what do you mean?”

Every week, at least three clients ...Read more

Dear Kid Whisperer,

As a retired elementary school teacher, I enjoy reading your column in the newspaper every weekend. I have noticed a common theme in your responses: Don’t punish students (for example by taking away their recess time) for exhibiting behaviors that are undesirable or attention seeking, but rather suggest replacement ...Read more

ATLANTA -- When my kids were young, I kept a stack of parenting books to consult on teething, toddler tantrums and bedtime routines. More often, however, I took my child-rearing questions to parents I met on the playground or in the neighborhood.

My own mother was no help. She had four children in proximity and always told me our early ...Read more

I am married to Mr. Security. We have an entire plastic tub full of timers. The lights in our house never burn brighter than when we are not home.

I typically spend the day before we go out of town packing. He spends the day setting up timers and reminding me what lights I can and can’t turn on.

The lamp in the family room is off limits. It ...Read more

Q. I served our country, had some serious things happen to me and just could not see through to the other side for years. I did not want to return home and met someone else. I hurt my wife and my family. That is something I live with every day, but I have no desire to reconcile. I try to take an active part in my children’s lives, but my ex ...Read more

MIAMI -- Leeann Parker got three things the moment she left prison after almost 20 years: a cool outfit, a hug from her 3-year-old grandson and a tote bag of new books.

Parker, who was incarcerated when her daughters were 5 and 9, said she entered Homestead Correctional Institution angry and bitter. At the end of August, with the help of a ...Read more

Ever since my wife, Sue, has been out of commission with an injured hand, which required surgery and has prevented her from performing important tasks like keeping me alive, I have had a whole laundry list of things to do.

At the top is — how did you ever guess? — laundry.

For the past 46 years, I have been a basket case when it comes to ...Read more