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How to tell the boss when you need some help

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:11 GMT

Q. My boss wants me to take on a new project — honestly, I have no idea how to do it. It’s HTML stuff. I’m a creative person, not a techie. Can I push back?A. Yes. Talk to your boss calmly. While it’s great you’re being tasked with this new project (and learning a new skill is always a good thing!), ask for support and/or resources. Will there be an online class you can take? Can you speak to an internal coder or shadow them?You can’t be expected to do something you’ve never done before and do it well — that’s setting you up for failure.Additionally, if you don’t have bandwidth and you’re already swamped with an intense workload, mention this to your boss. Who will support your other work (maybe lean into resources from other departments or hire a temp) so it gets done while you focus on HTML? I’d be curious to hear why you’re being tasked with this since it’s not really adjacent to what you do ̵...

Sweet Damon will thrive with forever family

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:11 GMT

Damon, a sweet young man is known as being very likable and his school and residential staff speak of him kindly. He likes to eat, play with crinkly toys and he loves trying new things.Damon is currently doing well academically with the help of some services put in place for him. He has an educational surrogate parent that helps advocate for his needs. His education is not traditional, but it is well structured and takes place in a small group setting so that he receives individualized attention.Damon requires a family that is knowledgeable about Autism. In the right environment, Damon will thrive and with the love and support of a forever family he will live a good life.Can I Adopt?If you’re at least 18 years old, have a stable source of income, and room in your heart, you may be a perfect match to adopt a waiting child. Adoptive parents can be single, married, or partnered; experienced or not; renters or homeowners; LGBTQ+ singles and couples. As an adoptive parent, you won’t have...

Cape Cod Canal teeming with ways to enjoy a great day trip

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:11 GMT

Last week Boston area news stations shared video of a right whale and her calf meandering along the Cape Cod Canal.Crowds gathered at the sight.But as a regular at the Cape Cod Canal, I can attest that almost every day you visit you’ll see something special.I’d suggest that a day trip to the Canal – for a bike ride, stroll, picnic or just to take it all in – is a must. While you may not see a mama whale and her calf every time, you’ll experience seaside life up close.In my years of regular cycling along the canal pathways, I’ve seen Tall Ships sail past close enough for the crew to look me in the eye and yell hello, yachts so impressive I’ve often Googled the name to see if the owner is someone famous, fishermen and women of all ages pulling in big stripers from their shore perches, and more.Any season at all, it’s worth a trip. With very little planning and some basic information, you can pull of an amazing day along the water. Here are some details.Getting there; parking: Th...

Comic Aida Rodriguez follows HBO special with Boston show

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:11 GMT

There’s a thin line between what’s sad and what’s funny, and Aida Rodriguez knocks it down whenever she performs. As a standup comic she’s delved into family tragedies, cultural stereotypes and her own personal struggles, and made it not just humorous, but surprisingly uplifting.“That’s a coping mechanism I’ve had since I was a kid,” she said by phone this week. “We called it ‘playing the dozens’ when I was a child, and we either cried or laughed. Many people have had children to help escape from the bad things in their life — we’re not psychopaths, we’re just surviving. My comedy became an extension of that I didn’t have a lot of money and couldn’t afford therapy, so that became the place where I could deal.”Born in Boston, she grew up poor in the Dominican Republic, and was kidnapped twice as a child due to family conflicts. When she began performing, she was living homeless in Hollywood after losing a job and being evicted. By then she’d been writing screenplays for a numbe...

Tatyana Ali turns ‘trauma into power’ in ‘Giving Hope’

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:11 GMT

Sunday night brings Lifetime’s latest reality-inspired inspirational story, “Giving Hope: The Ni’Cola Mitchell Story.”The Jamaican-born Mitchell (played by Tatyana Ali) has survived unspeakable sexual abuse and a cancer diagnosis. As a writer, publisher and speaker, she’s used her life’s traumatic events to help others, founding Girls Who Brunch, which are events designed to make young women feel seen and empowered.“The script had me in tears, it was very emotional,” Ali, 44, said at a Zoom press conference.  Inspiring as well were, “The women I got to work with on this — incredibly talented, good, Black women that I got to craft this story with in my part as an actor. That will never leave me.“For me personally,” she continued, “turning trauma into power is one of the themes of this film. That’s important. ‘To love yourself by loving others’ is another theme.”Telling and sharing your story of inspiration, she believes, is very personal, different for each person, but ne...

Court considers previous caregiving status

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:11 GMT

Q. My ex is suing me for full custody of our three kids. She says I am an incompetent parent and does not think I should have time with the kids alone. But, I was a stay-at-home dad before we broke up! How can she get away with something like this? What’s good ex-etiquette?A. When parents reach out with the same fears as you are expressing, the first thing I ask is, “Why do you think a court would make that decision?” Years ago, that might have been true, but years ago, most dads did not stay home with the kids. Now, it’s quite commonplace, and court decisions will probably be different.It has been my experience that judges look at what is in the best interest of the children, and also what the children have been experiencing prior to court.That means if you were a stay-at-home dad and spent most of the time with the kids, it would be improbable that you would receive no custody time at all. Consistency is important, especially in the times of a parental breakup. If you were the pri...

Eco-terrorism & heist thrills meet in ‘How to Blow Up a Pipeline’

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:11 GMT

“How to Blow Up a Pipeline” is exactly that – a movie that charts how a disparate group of young Americans come together to perform what authorities would call an act of domestic terrorism.A hit at Sundance with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, “Pipeline” is very much a product of the pandemic says co-writer and actor Ariela Barer (pronounced Bah-her).“This all came about first because we were deep into lockdown pandemic times, pre-vaccine. Daniel Goldhaber, Jordan Sjol and I were all potted up together in one home,” she began.“One night Daniel and I were having a conversation about how we felt so disempowered in our lives and our careers in the world. We just wanted to make a piece of art with our friends that mattered to us. He thought of the book and immediately proposed a heist film about people who come together to blow up a pipeline. I read the book immediately and became obsessed with it. It was just off to the races from there.”However, the only thing they take from A...

Know when to seek help from a lawyer

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:11 GMT

Situations in which people can benefit from legal advice and representation arise every day. Whether it’s help writing a will or assistance closing a new home purchase, lawyers can provide a host of invaluable services to their clients. Legal representation can be costly, and those costs might compel people to go it alone.However, there are many situations in which hiring a lawyer is the appropriate move.Complex situations: A do-it-yourself approach might work with minor home improvement projects. However, that approach is rarely in a person’s best interest when a legal issue arises. That’s because legal issues are often more complex than they seem due to nuances in laws. Understanding those nuances is the responsibility of a lawyer and requires years of study. When a complex legal situation arises, the abilities of a lawyer can make the difference between a successful outcome and one that puts individuals in jeopardy.The death of a loved one: Lawyers can help the ...

Editorial: Wall Street Journal reporter is not a spy – free him

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:11 GMT

The Wall Street Journal’s Evan Gershkovich is a top-flight journalist, courageously reporting from Vladimir Putin’s Russia at a time when the Russian leader’s illegal invasion of Ukraine has the world’s attention intently trained on virtually every move Moscow makes.He is not a spy.He has, however, become a pawn in Putin’s reckless gambit against the West, a victim of the Kremlin’s willingness to resort to hostage-taking as a bludgeon against America. WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner’s nearly 10-month detention in Russia was hardly an exercise of justice, and neither is Gershkovich’s indefensible arrest on wholly unsubstantiated charges of espionage.To report in Russia, foreign correspondents must get Kremlin permission, via accreditation and visas. In the past, correspondents in Russia have routinely encountered government threats, harassment and surveillance. In rare instances, a correspondent triggering the ire of the Kremlin faced deportation.But, whereas Russian journalists...

Keep Easter lilies away from cats

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:11 GMT

Dear Dr. John,I am an usher at church this Easter Sunday and I seek your counsel on whether I should bring home one or two of the Easter Lily plants after our services. I own two cats that are young and mischievous. They love to get into things, and I understand that these plants can be toxic to cats. What does it do to them?  Also, my house cleaner said that in her home country of Brazil there is a new cat disease going around that is also dangerous to people that she heard about from her relatives. Have you heard anything about this and, if so, what is it? Thanks, and Happy Easter. S.W.Dear S.W.,Easter lilies are indeed highly toxic and dangerous to cats, as are other lily plants. Ingesting even any amount of the plant, and cats are prone to chewing plants and leaves, can lead to renal failure and even death. Cats that do eat the plants can vomit and become weak eventually leading to drinking and urinating more, oral lesions, heavy breathing, and more.If you do intend to bring pla...