A cloud of cruelty hangs over so much of our discourse right now, dulling our spirits and conjuring our worst instincts.

I don’t blame anyone for tuning it all out and calling a friend or staring at some art or binge watching something hopeful. (“Shrinking” is fantastic.) Anything that reminds us why we’re here, which is to love and be ...Read more

Agastache, also known as anise hyssop and hummingbird mints, needs to be at the top of your list as we rocket toward planting season. Your trusty friend The Garden Guy is here to give you the long and the short (or to be more specific, the short and tall) of these ever-so-important pollinator plants. You will soon become the "maestro" of your ...Read more

CHICAGO — In Chicago, where competition often reigns in the business world, some women-owned fitness studios are redefining success by prioritizing community over rivalry. For four of these studios, collaboration is the heartbeat of their businesses, proving that growth doesn’t have to come at the expense of connection, or accompanied by ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Airplanes falling out of the sky. A whiplash of headlines detailing the latest developments with federal funding freezes and international tariffs. The spread of bird flu and soaring egg prices. Devastating California wildfires.

If the world feels particularly chaotic right now, that's because it is. And if you're feeling ...Read more

Dear Anna,

I’m a 29-year-old single woman, and lately, dating has become more stressful than exciting. Every day, I’m bombarded with news about global challenges — climate disasters, political unrest and economic uncertainties — which leaves me feeling anxious and overwhelmed. When I go on dates, I often find myself distracted and ...Read more

You may have heard that there’s a generation of older adults in grief because their kids decided against having children of their own. More Americans are opting out of a traditional family path, and in doing so, crushing their parents' desperate wishes for grandchildren.

This topic became a front-page article in the New York Times a few ...Read more

Online dating has come a long, long way since its inception (I’m looking at you Match.com… which came out in the mid-90s!).

The online dating sites have evolved significantly (Tinder, the first major app that you only use on your phone, launched in 2012), offering new features designed with the hope of improving people’s experiences and ...Read more

Dear Kid Whisperer,

How do I keep a kindergartner from running out of the classroom?

Answer: You don’t.

Let me explain.

First, there are many ways to prevent the kid from running out of your room before she tries to run out of the room, and those means of prevention are taught pretty well in college: have an inviting room, have engaging ...Read more

Q. My son’s father has only come back into our son’s life in the last year. Prior to that he lived in another state. Our son likes to talk to his friends in a social media chat room site, but I do not want him online unmonitored. I believe he is too young and when he does go online, I require him to give me all his passwords so I can monitor...Read more

PHILADELPHIA -- Eighteen hours after Jack Sullivan received an Instagram message from a user who called themselves Alice Dave, he was dead.

The 20-year-old Kutztown University sophomore was watching a movie, his father next to him on the couch in their Abington home, when the young, strange woman sparked a flirtatious conversation. The two ...Read more

In case you hadn’t heard, the Pantone color of the year is Mocha Mousse. Mocha Mousse is a scrumptious light milk chocolate. I’m not sure I could have it on the walls and resist a deep dive into my dessert cookbooks.

Mocha Mousse is encouraging because, for years, the chosen colors primarily have been neutrals. There was Drift of Mist (gray...Read more

I have always believed that if you have an appointment with an eye doctor, you should show up late. When the doctor asks why you weren’t on time, you can say, “I couldn’t find you.”

This will let him or her see — with the aid of prescription glasses, because eye doctors invariably wear them — that you are in the right place and will...Read more

CHICAGO — Two competitors sat side-to-side, hands jittering around their equipment as they waited to prove, in the heat of competition, that they were the best fighters. A live audience, cheering and heckling, watched on a giant projected screen above. The sounds of grunts, punches and a little soft jazz ran through the speaker system. Tucked ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA -- A few weeks after Donald Trump won the presidential election, Wesley Hiester and his mom went to see Hiester’s doctor to ask about stockpiling a larger supply of testosterone.

The 17-year-old, who started hormone therapy when he was a high school freshman, was concerned that there could be restrictions placed on the gender-...Read more

When inflation is high, consumers can feel the impact everywhere, from the supermarket to the gas station. Inflation makes it more expensive to buy basic essentials on your grocery list, afford rent, pay utility bills and, well, live.

While we wait for inflation to reach the 2% rate targeted by the Federal Reserve, you can take steps to protect...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Medical marijuana patients and other 21-and-older weed consumers who left behind their pipes, bongs, rolling trays and other pot paraphernalia in the recent wildfires in L.A. County can get new gear — free of charge — at six West Hollywood dispensaries through an accessories drive organized by the local cannabis community.

"...Read more

David Ambroz grew up homeless in New York City. His childhood was violent, hungry and terrifying. He wrote about it all in a 2022 memoir, “A Place Called Home,” which was gorgeous and brave and heartbreaking.

“As a child, if I died and my family died, no one would care,” Ambroz told me at the time. “We were invisible. We were in front...Read more

During my years as executive director of the Columbus Botanical Garden in Georgia, I fell madly in love with the garlic chives in our herb garden. I’m not an herbalist or a culinary artist in the kitchen, but I am a butterfly lover and had just completed a stint as executive director of the National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas.

Who ...Read more