Dear Annie: I’ve always disliked house parties. During the first ones I’d been invited to, I had to leave early due to the loud music, vulgar dancing and drunk classmates -- an environment that would only make me feel anxious, disgusted and sick.

Public parks belong to the public, right? A billionaire can’t cordon off an acre of Golden Gate Park for his private party. But can a poor person -- or anyone who claims they can’t afford a home -- take over public spaces where children play and families experience nature?

Author Herman Wouk captured well how to understand heroism. 'Heroes are not supermen; they are good men who embody -- by the cast of destiny -- the virtue of their whole people in a great hour,' observed Wouk.

If the economy is so good, why do small business leaders feel so bad? The latest Small Business Optimism Index from the National Federation of Independent Business could hardly be more depressing. It finds that the men and women who run our 33 million small businesses and hire more than half of American workers are in a somber mood.

Dear Annie: I am a 45-year-old man, and I was married for 17 years to my lovely wife until her untimely death a year ago. My wife and I have three children, one of whom is from her previous relationship. I love her so much, and when she passed, I was heartbroken and severely depressed.

(TNS) BALTIMORE — The owners of the Dali were negligent in sailing an unseaworthy ship out of the Port of Baltimore and should be held fully liable for the Key Bridge collapse that killed six people, the city said Monday in a court filing. “None of this should have happened,” a claim filed by the mayor and City Council in Baltimore’s U.S.

During the week of April 15t, another five bills were axed by the Governor – bringing her 2024 veto total to an even dozen (12). Interestingly, all the new vetoes are House bills, which means any veto override attempt will begin in the House. Some expect additional vetoes over the next few days.

Dear Annie: We have neighbors who reside in a cul-de-sac that is at the rear of our property. Our property is located on a U-shaped half-mile neighborhood, which is ideal for walking. Over time, these neighbors have chosen to repeatedly cut through our property on an almost daily basis to facilitate their walking routine. It's gotten to the point where these neighbors act as if they are 'entitled' to treat our property as a public gateway from their neighborhood to ours.

Professional chefs have sous chefs to do all the hard work and to see that meals get to the table in a timely manner. While I wouldn't characterize myself as a chef, I do have a home kitchen assistant, and quite frankly I just don't know what I'd do without her.

The 2024 World Happiness Report, which is a collaboration with Gallup, the Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre, the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network and the World Happiness Report Editorial Board, found that young Americans under 30 are much more displeased with their lives than adults over 60. The startling fact about this finding for many was that so many U.S. young adults are unhappy that our country dropped out of the top 20 for the happiest nations and currently sits at 23rd, down eight spots from last year. U.S. senior citizens in this study ranked America as the 10th happiest place on earth, but young adults ranked it 63rd, which shows a huge gap in evaluations of contentment.