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What you should know about a severance package

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:05:02 GMT

Q. My boss gave me a heads up. I’m getting laid off. I’ve been expecting it though — what should I know about a severance package?A. I’m sorry to hear this news, especially during the holidays, but sometimes knowing is better so you can get into action mode, rather than having it looming. It doesn’t make the sting any less; again, my condolences as there’s a grieving process to job loss.Don’t sign anything on the spot. You may want to speak to an employment attorney to review the paperwork before you sign it. For instance, there may be a noncompete clause saying you can’t work for a competitor; your attorney will probably advise you to have them delete it. That’s why it’s important to have it reviewed before you agree to anything on the spot.They’ll probably tell you how much money you’ll get as part of your package — this differs by company and is often a formula based on the years of service and their po...

Add these tunes to your Christmas gathering playlist

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:05:02 GMT

It’s Christmas once again, the only time of year when you’ll ever mention Mariah Carey and Shane MacGowan in the same breath. No doubt that “All I Want for Christmas is You” and “Fairytale of New York” will get played everywhere as usual. And while we love those songs (at least the Pogues one), we’re here to add a little spice to your Christmas mix. What follows is a list of less-obvious Christmas classics, including a handful released this year and a few old favorites. And yes, you can find everything with a few YouTube clicks.Smash Mouth: “Christmas Wrapping:” Just released this week, the kings of cover versions strike again with a fresh version of that holiday favorite by the Waitresses. But wait, you say – This song needs a female singer and Smash Mouth doesn’t have one. No problem: They got Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles to do the honors, making the whole thing hard to resist.Bad Religion: “Christmas Songs EP:” Punk rockers doing Christmas carols is a time-honored joke by n...

Bacari is both active & interested in the arts

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:05:02 GMT

Bacari is a healthy and happy young man described as both active and energetic. He enjoys walking, playing basketball, and participating in other outdoor activities. Bacari warms up to people as he gets to know them and he enjoys socializing with peers and adults.Bacari expresses himself through narrative writing and also uses arts and crafts as a creative outlet. One of Bacari’s many interests is space and meteorites; he is able to talk on this topic at great length. People that know Bacari say that he has a great sense of humor. He does well in school, and although he is currently unsure of the type of career he would like to pursue, he enjoys animation and creating cartoons and comics, which may lead to a vocation later in life.In a poem written by Bacari, he describes himself as nice, energetic, and smart. He prides himself on being a brother to his sibling and lists his preferred activities as video games, watching TV, and art.Bacari is looking for a forever family that he hope...

‘Ferrari’ stuck in second gear

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:05:02 GMT

Scripted by the late Troy Kennedy Martin (“The Italian Job”) and Brock Yates (a longtime editor of Car & Driver magazine), director Michael Mann’s “dream project” “Ferrari” arrives at Christmastime with Adam Driver, Penelope Cruz and Shailene Woodley and its pedal not quite to the metal. A biopic about the man who founded the legendary Ferrari Grand Prix racing team and the automotive marque in 1947, this film is the second time Driver has been cast in an iconic Italian role after his turn as Maurizio Gucci in Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci.”My problem with the otherwise highly accomplished and well-acted film is that this is yet another biopic that neglects the thing that made Enzo Ferrari famous. It certainly was not that he cheated on his wife with Lina Lardi (Woodley), who bore him a son after his son Dino with his wife Laura (Cruz) died after a long sickness at age 24.We do get the races, including the disastrous 1957 Mille Miglia race in which a Ferrari car blo...

TV Q&A: Will more brides ‘Say Yes to the Dress?’

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:05:02 GMT

You have questions. I have some answers.Q: Is “Say Yes to the Dress” returning?A: I say yes! New episodes will arrive on TLC April 6. A teaser from the network: “This season, Randy and his team navigate the toughest entourages, new extreme demands and even pull off a surprise wedding in the salon!” Customers include “a non-binary bride looking for two looks in one to a modest bride on the hunt for a perfect gown for her conservative Jewish ceremony and a bald bride ready to prove she is beautiful without a veil.”Q: I remember reading that there would be another season of “The Cleaning Lady.” Has it been delayed because of the strikes, or will there really be another season?A: Yes, it was delayed, and yes, it will be back — on March 5, 2024. Fox says the series “continues to examine the plight of undocumented immigrants and their difficulties accessing necessary healthcare and resources. … It asks us all if the ends justify the means.” And it adding two new cast members, Kate d...

Schoen: For lesson on border policy, look to California

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:05:02 GMT

There is no doubt that immigration is at the top of American voters’ minds heading into a critical election year, and California is no exception. Governor Gavin Newsom made note of this during his debate with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis last month when he called for immigration reform and reminded viewers he was the only border state governor on the stage.The border is a perpetual hot button topic across the country, and on the national level Democrats are struggling to make their case to voters – just one-third (33%) of Americans approve of Biden’s handling of the issue, per Economist/YouGov polling – and Democrats have largely failed to recognize that Americans generally do not share their preference for open borders.Quite simply, with Congressional Republicans linking further aid to Ukraine and Israel, it is time for Democrats to realize that if they want to assist our allies, particularly Ukraine, they must come around to the idea that their preferences for expanded asylum and...

Didn’t plan ahead? You can still hit the slopes during vacation week

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:05:02 GMT

School vacation week is here and you’re the person who forgot to make ski and ride plans for at least one day.You’re no failure, busy person. You can get out and have a great ski day on a whim, even during super busy holiday weeks.The key is understanding the how but also knowing the where. Because there is a pattern to how people ski over vacation weeks. Understanding it and bobbing when the others are weaving can bring you a great day on snow, even in crowded times.This year in the Northeast, some heavy rain has somewhat limited total terrain open (no worries; cold is coming back and our resorts know how to turn things around). But this gives us even more reason to think carefully and plan accordingly.Consider these tips for New Hampshire ski days this holiday week:Ski the smaller spots: It seems counter intuitive: wouldn’t a smaller spot be more crowded? But with the power mega resort season passes have over where folks go now, the bigger spots tend to draw more crowds.The ...

Unwrapping a big box of Christmas conflict

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:05:02 GMT

Q. My co-parent and I are having trouble deciding how to celebrate the Christmas holidays with the children.I would like to exchange the kids on Christmas Day at noon so they can be with us both. She would like to spend the holidays with her parents about 3 hours away, which would require that she take the kids a day before Christmas and return the day after.I know the kids love their grandparents, but I don’t think it’s fair. I asked the kids what they wanted to do, and they said stay with me. She said she also asked the kids, and they said stay with her. What’s good ex-etiquette?A: Even though court ordered parenting plans are supposedly written “in the best interest of the children,” the truth is, parenting plans are written for the parents. It’s difficult for children to do things like get up in the middle of Thanksgiving dinner because they are scheduled to be at the other parent’s home at a specific time.You and mom both committed the No. 1 co-parenting blunder out there: You ...

Clooney mines ‘The Boys in the Boat’ for inspiration

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:05:02 GMT

As a director, George Clooney is fond of period pieces and with the fact-based “The Boys in the Boat,” the Oscar-winning multihyphenate has done something radical.Clooney, 62, has adapted the best-selling Daniel James Brown novel about the University of Washington rowing team that triumphed at Hitler’s 1936 Berlin Olympics by making it as if this is 1930s inspirational tale.“He’s always been a classicist,” noted Variety critic Owen Gleiberman in a rave review, praising “the thrillingly shot races.”Clooney scored a black-and-white hit with “Good Night and Good Luck,” about journalist Edward R. Murrow taking on ‘50s McCarthyism, and had another bullseye with “The Monuments Men” about the American military squad assigned to retrieve stolen Nazi artworks.“We’re just always looking for good stories,” Clooney said in a virtual press conference. “The first one we adapted was ‘Ides of March,’ from a play called ‘Farragut North.’ I think it’s fun when you could see how if they...

Ex waits too long to retrieve property from house

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:05:02 GMT

Q. My divorce was finalized five years ago and I bought out my ex’s interest in our home.  He had 30 days to walk through the home to see if there was anything he had left behind when he moved in with his girlfriend the prior year and take whatever he wanted at that point.  I repeatedly emailed asking him to come for anything he wanted because I just wanted to get it over with. He never did. About a year later, I inherited a significant amount of money and completely gutted / renovated the house. I donated most of the old furniture to charity.Last week I got an email from my ex saying that he had ended his relationship, bought a new house, and wanted to come get his belongings because, among other things, he needs furniture for his place.  I responded that it was too late. He has now sent an email saying that I am in contempt and will have to buy him new furniture if I will not give him half of what was in the house when we divorced.  Does he have some legal ground to stand on here?...