AT&T and Verizon have long dominated the American cellular landscape, but there’s always been a top dog (more recently, Verizon). In the first quarter of the year, however, something strange happened — the carriers virtually tied each other for…
In Italy and throughout Europe it’s no biggie to let the whole family drink wine, even the kids.
Although Lea Michele grew up in America, her Italian family maintained the same traditions regardless — because really, what’s good Italian food without some good wine? When appearing on “Chelsea Lately” on May 29, the “Glee” star talked about how she began drinking as a toddler, which she first revealed in her book “Brunette Ambition.” “I’m Italian, so at the dinner table it would be like Pellegrino, a jug of soda and a huge thing of wine,” Michele said. “Everyone was just drinking wine, like it was part of what you would have along with your dinner.”
Among other things the actress experienced in her youth, Michele recounted a time she met with a potential manager who wanted her to get a nose job at 15. “Obviously I didn’t get it done,” Michele said. “And wherever she is, she can go f-ck herself,” Michele added, laughing. Watch the full interview with Chelsea Handler above.
The percentage of American workers in unions remained effectively unchanged last year. This marks a departure from the nation’s long-term trend. In the past 30 years, union membership has dropped from 20.1% of the workforce in 1983 to 11.2% last year.
By Rachel W. Miller for Lover.ly
Wedding season is here, and that means many of the brides-to-be in your life are in the home stretch of planning. If you’re chatting with a bride in the last few weeks before the big day, here are ten things you should definitely avoid saying.
1. “It’ll be fine.” Nearly every bride has been told this when she’s stressing out about last-minute logistics. We know you’re trying to help her relax when you say that, but someone does kind of have to sweat the small stuff to make a wedding work, especially with regards to things like transportation or vendor arrival times. So if she’s putting thought into the details or trying to get organized, don’t tell her to relax.
2. “I hope you don’t have [gluten/a DJ/a specific religious tradition/my ex] at your wedding.” It’s never a good idea to make statements like this, but a month before the wedding — when all the details are likely pretty final — this kind of comment is even less appreciated. Similarly, stay away from bashing other weddings you’ve attended; even if the couple isn’t planning to do the thing you didn’t like, it still makes them feel judged and anxious.
3. “Why are you having the wedding there?” We know that traveling to a wedding is often hard on a guest’s budget… but if it’s a pain for you to attend, don’t come, and definitely don’t write on the bride’s Facebook wall, “Why don’t you just have the wedding in ____ so people don’t have to travel?” (True story.)
4. “Are you planning to lose weight?” We actually don’t think you should ever ask a bride-to-be this question but definitely don’t ask it in the weeks leading up to the big day; you’re basically telling her you don’t think she looks good as is.
5. “Can I bring a date?” If you’re wondering whether you can bring a date to the wedding, check your invitation. If the invitation was only addressed to you, and there’s no mention of “and guest,” then your guest is not invited. Similarly, if both the inner and outer envelope of the invite are addressed to “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” your children are most likely not invited.
6. “Where’s ______’s invitation?” Brides hear this a lot from older relatives who want to know why a cousin or sibling didn’t get an invitation. If the invitation was lost in the mail, rest assured that the couple will contact that guest for the RSVP. And if there was never an invitation to begin with…well, it happens. Unless they received a save the date, one shouldn’t necessarily expect a wedding invitation.
7. “I need [a dairy-free meal/to bring my kid/a place to stay/an allergy-free venue].” Don’t go to the couple four weeks before the wedding with your needs; they are worrying about the big picture. If you need to find out if, say, there will be fresh flowers at the wedding because you’re severely allergic, that’s fine. But don’t go to them demanding that they cancel the florist at the last minute.
8. “Don’t be a bridezilla!” No one gets a free pass on acting like a jerk, but you can call out bad behavior without using the b-word (which gets tossed around far too much). If you think the bride is out of line, address the issue directly: “Hey, I think it’s unreasonable to expect us to spend $250 on a dress and to be upset that we can’t all fly to Vegas for your bachelorette.”
9. “Well, that’s…different!” Whether she’s having a brunch wedding or wearing a pink gown, the faux politeness that insults her taste is sure to sting.
10. “It’s just a party!” While this is technically true, it’s a very special party that people put a ton of time and money into, and that comes with a lot of expectations. The fact is, people do judge women for their weddings, and trying to merge families, deal with differing tastes, and manage a budget to pull off an event that is up to everyone’s standards is hard.
So what can you say? Here are three safe bets:
“Wow, you’ve put so much time and thought into this; I’m sure it will all show and be appreciated on your wedding day!”
“Wedding planning isn’t easy but you’re doing a great job!”
“I’m sure you have a lot going on; is there anything I can do to help?”
More from Lover.ly:
Wedding gifts to give to the game night enthusiasts
20 must-haves for a summer wedding
5 easy wedding guest hair tutorials
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By Sophie Rosen for DivorcedMoms.com
My son is nine years old. Since he was four, his father has not consistently lived with him in the same house. When he was six, his father and I separated. At eight, his father and I divorced. Today my son knows more about divorce and infidelity than any kid his age should. Such knowledge troubles me.
The ideas we formulate during childhood are the ones that shape our values and influence our behavior as adults. Only a third-grader, my son is obviously nowhere near marrying age. Heck, he has not even had a girlfriend yet and, for the time being, I remain the most wonderful woman in his life (he tells me so). I am well aware, though, that my days holding such distinction are numbered, as they should be. One day my son will meet the woman he will marry, and I will no longer be his one and only.
Having lived through my husband’s infidelity and a consequent divorce, there are a few words of advice I feel qualified to impart when my son does eventually prepare to walk down the aisle. The concepts are simple, really, but, as I have discovered, not necessarily intuitive. They follow.
1. Treat your wife as your best friend. You knew her way back when, before you both became parents together. And, if you each play your cards right, you will still know her as your wife long after your children are grown and out of the house. Though you do not share the same bloodline as you do with your parents, siblings, and future children, you and your wife share something even more powerful—devotion. After all, you have chosen her, and she you.
Out of everyone in the world, you two have made a commitment to one another to hold each other and your relationship above all else. Treat her accordingly. That means making her your most trusted confidante and priority. Be sure not to violate the privacy you share by betraying confidences, or by disparaging her publicly and affording others such license. She should do the same for you.
2. Be a partner. Closely tied to number one is your willingness to partake equally in your marriage. Being a partner means considering your wife’s feelings, as well as her boundaries. It means listening. It means understanding your wife may sometimes be tired, sick, or upset. Though you may enjoy different roles in your marriage and child-rearing responsibilities, neither position should be considered more important than the other. In order for a marriage to be successful, both husband and wife must respect the value each brings into the relationship, however different.
3. Tell your wife you love and appreciate her often. To keep a marriage, or any romantic relationship for that matter, alive and healthy, it is important to regularly affirm your feelings for one another. It is easy to miscommunicate through action or inaction. Being expressive will not only comfort your wife, it will reassure you, too, that the relationship you desire is on track and that you will not one day be blindsided with marital problems you were unaware existed. By voicing your feelings frequently, you will receive more love in return, bringing you two closer than you would be merely by reading between the lines or by making assumptions that all is well. Everyone wants to be loved and know they matter to someone else. Just a few words could elate your wife, and bring you even more happiness in return as she expresses her own similar sentiment. If she does not, then you know where you stand and can act accordingly and appropriately.
4. Be faithful. If you are not happy, or you feel there are areas lacking in your marriage, approach your wife and talk to her about it. Do not look outside your marriage to self-soothe. The damage to self-esteem for each of you (though you may not see it in yourself initially) and to the trust you once shared will likely be irreparably harmed if you choose to walk down this path. And if it turns out your issues cannot be resolved, or you are simply not happy (yes, you are entitled), walk away with dignity, not as a coward who must lie and sneak around. Remember, the only behavior you can control is your own. Lead by example. Your children are watching.
5. Respect the mother of your children, even if she is one day not your wife. Once the two of you become parents, you are forever tied to each other, like it or not. Regardless of how you grow to feel about your wife, she will still mean the world to the children you share. If you treat her with disrespect, contempt, or an overall lack of regard for her well-being, you will not only hurt the person you once cared about most, but you will damage your children in the process.
Children who witness one parent treating the other badly will not only feel ill will toward the insensitive party, but will also be positioned for their own potential relationship issues in the future. It does not take much to show a little bit of kindness and consideration toward your ex. The reward all around will far surpass any minimal effort expended.
Marriage does not come with a guarantee or a set of instructions. But if we enter into it aware of the effect we have on others, we can better ensure our own happiness, as well as our partner’s. At a minimum, if the relationship does not work out, we will know we tried, and behaved with dignity and respect while doing so.
Should I ever choose to marry again, I intend to live by my own words, knowing the experiences I had during my first marriage changed me for the better and that good can come of all of those years that seemed so tiresome and hopeless at the time. For better or for worse, we only have ourselves to blame. Or applaud. The choice is ours.
More from DivorcedMoms.com
On The Courthouse Steps: The Day I Settled With Myself
A Fair Affair: Why I Like Ashley Madison
5 Top Techniques Of A Master Manipulator: Is Yours Using One Of These On You?
Is Telling The Truth Parental Alienation?
A Single Dad Perspective: “I’m Just Like You”
Keep in touch! Check out HuffPost Divorce on Facebook and Twitter. Sign up for our newsletter here.
PARIS (AP) — Rafael Nadal’s back is giving him more trouble than his opponents so far at the French Open.
After pushing his winning streak at Roland Garros to 31 matches with a 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 victory over 65th-ranked Leonardo Mayer of Argentina in the third round Saturday, eight-time champion Nadal said his bothersome back is forcing him to cut back on the velocity of his serves.
Nadal’s back also acted up in January during his loss to Stan Wawrinka in the Australian Open final.
“During my career, I had (a) few problems. … Hopefully will not be (the) case” the rest of the way in Paris, the No. 1-ranked Nadal said.
“I served more slowly since I started feeling the pain,” he said, noting that he’s worn tape on his back for extra support.
Against Mayer, Nadal averaged only 102 mph (165 kph) on first serves, with a top speed of 114 mph (184 kph). That was down from an average of 111 mph (179 kph) and top of 122 mph (197 kph) in the first round against Robby Ginepri last Monday.
Through six sets across his first two matches, Nadal faced only five break points and lost serve only twice. He needed to deal with eight break points against Mayer, losing two.
Still, Nadal made only 10 unforced errors all match — two in the first set, three in the second, five in the third — and equaled his longest run at Roland Garros.
But the last time Nadal won 31 in a row in Paris, he failed to get No. 32, losing in the fourth round in 2009 to Robin Soderling. That remains the Spaniard’s only defeat in 63 matches at the tournament.
Nadal has dropped 19 games heading into his match against 83rd-ranked Dusan Lajovic of Serbia, who is in the second major of his career and beat Jack Sock of the United States 6-4, 7-5, 6-3. Another American, Donald Young, lost in five sets to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain, leaving No. 10 John Isner as the last U.S. man in the field.
Before this French Open, the 23-year-old Lajovic had a 10-21 career record in tour-level matches, never winning two in a row.
“I saw him play a few times on TV. Sure, it’s great to have new players on tour, young players on the tour that are coming strong. Hopefully not too strong,” Nadal said with a smile. “We’ll see on Monday. I hope to be ready.”
Asked whether he would seek advice from another Serbian, No. 2 Novak Djokovic, before facing Nadal, Lajovic joked: “Yeah, I will try to ask everybody (for) some tips.”
That won’t help if Nadal produces shots of the sort he did when Mayer served at 5-all in the second set — a stretching, scooping backhand lob to break.
As Mayer watched the shot sail overhead, he waved his left hand to signal to the ball to go out, then rolled his eyes when it curled in. At the other end, Nadal pumped his fist, ahead 6-5 and well on his way to reaching the fourth round for the 10th time in 10 trips to Roland Garros. Roger Federer is the only other man to make it to the final 16 in Paris that many years in a row.
The man Nadal beat in last year’s final, No. 5 David Ferrer, defeated No. 32 Andreas Seppi of Italy 6-2, 7-6 (2), 6-3. Ferrer now plays No. 19 Kevin Anderson of South Africa.
No. 23 Gael Monfils of France put together a 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, 0-6, 6-2 win over No. 14 Fabio Fognini of Italy in a wild match that included a point penalty for Fognini when he threw his racket and it landed near a ball boy. Monfils and Fognini combined for more than twice as many unforced errors, 137, as winners, 66.
Earlier Saturday, No. 15 Sloane Stephens moved into the fourth round for the sixth major in a row. The American now meets No. 4 Simona Halep of Romania. Other fourth-round matchups: 2009 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova against No. 23 Lucie Safavora; 2012 runner-up Sara Errani against No. 6 Jelena Jankovic; No. 28 Andrea Petkovic against 148th-ranked qualifier Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands.
As the sun came out and the temperature topped 70 degrees (20 Celsius) after several days of overcast skies and occasional rain, Stephens eliminated No. 22 Ekaterina Makarova of Russia 6-3, 6-4, while Halep beat 55th-ranked Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor of Spain 6-3, 6-0.
Halep is the highest seeded woman left, because of losses by No. 1 Serena Williams, No. 2 Li Na and No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska.
Said Halep: “That’s a surprise for everyone.”
___
Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Police arrested singer Ray J at a Beverly Hills hotel after they say he became belligerent with staff, kicked out a patrol car window and spit at an officer.
A statement from the Beverly Hills Police Department says officers were summoned to the hotel Friday evening to investigate a report that the 33-year-old singer had inappropriately touched a woman at the bar. Officers found the contact was incidental, and the singer agreed to leave.
But police say Ray J, whose legal name is William Ray Norwood, then refused to leave, became unruly and used his feet to shatter a patrol car window after being taken into custody.
He is the brother of singer-actress Brandy Norwood.
The charges include vandalism, resisting arrest and battery on a police officer.
A representative for Ray J declined to comment about the arrest.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has a message for the Republican Party’s “greybeards” — don’t discount the impact of last year’s government shutdown.
Speaking at the 2014 Republican Leadership Conference on Saturday, Cruz insisted that October 2013’s antics are helping the party in its midterm election fights.
“They’re reaping the fruits of the battle, which is perfectly fine,” Cruz said, according to the Washington Post. “But we need to take a moment to acknowledge the lesson of the battle.”
Back in December 2013, Cruz was unapologetic about his role in the 16-day standoff, vowing that he did not make any mistakes. Cruz was credited by several House Republicans as the lead force behind the party’s efforts.
“[He played] an excellent role,” said Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) at the time. “I think what he’s done is strengthened our hand. He’s made the case that we need to act and act decisively, and so I think we have a lot to credit him for.”
At the conclusion of the shutdown, polls showed Americans were mad at everyone, but Republicans faced the brunt of the blame.
At first we can’t name the protagonist in Richard Greenberg’s “Night and Her Stars,” directed with pitch perfect precision by Matt Anderson for The Garage Theatre In Collision With Alive Theatre. It could be Dan Enright (Robert Edward) and Martin Freedman (Joe Howells). They’re co-producers of the real life “Twenty One,” a late-50s quiz show. It could be either of the show’s two best-known contestants. Herbert Stempel (Anthony Galleran) is churlish, savant if not idiotic, and an aspiring actor. Charles Van Doren (Sumner Leveque) is a Columbia professor, scion of a fabled literary family. For various reasons, each in itself fascinating, the four conspire to rig the show.
But no, the protagonist for the show is the medium itself of live TV. Enright says as much at the beginning. He decides that TV, then its baby years, needs a hero. The problem is, TV, unlike live theatre and cinema, doesn’t promote, much less attract, heroes. Nor does it provide a script, literary or otherwise. We see contestants as they sweat, stammer, fidget…and fail. Network executives, advertisers and the public want telegenic, charismatic winners. Enright feeds Sempel with the scripted answers. Soon, ratings level off. Enright replaces him with the more palpable Van Doren. (FYI: if you’ve ever wondered the difference between a nerd and a geek, look no further than Galleran’s Stempel and Leveque’s Van Doren). That requires another rigging. This time Stempel had to lose so that Van Doren can win.
The story, though, is not about the rigging, the cover up, the investigations and indictments. It’s about how TV, small-screen, black and white, peopled with just plain folk and not trained actors, can not be a heroic medium without some kind of doctoring. One could argue that, in the past 60 years, only the TV monitor size, color enhancement, and resolution have changed.
The thing’s well staged. It presents three simultaneous points of view. There’s the boozy and conniving back stage office drama. There’s the polished live TV show. And, projected on the Theatre’s floor, is the video projection of what we see on TV. The video projection makes contestants even more pale, wan, and nervous than they really are.
The performances are grand. You can almost hear Anderson tell the cast to keep it real. The story features some lulus of characters. Any one of them could have been played to comic effect. But the story, if it’s meant to be believed, can’t be played funny. It has to be played for keeps. It’s only when we how serious these characters are that we can laugh at the absurdity of the whole enterprise. Making contestants of a live TV quiz show seem heroic? It’s like putting lipstick on a pig. That, incidentally, provides a nice arc from late 50s quiz shows to, oh, I don’t know, reality shows like “Keeping up with the Kardashians.”
And so, in perfect synch, the ensemble effort rocks. Julian’s Barry fronts an outlandishly, adorably, and extravagantly clueless host. Galleran’s Herbert smolders on the verge of going postal. Leveque’s All American know-it-all Van Doren suffers an existential crisis. Because he’s a Van Doren, it would be a Nietzsche one, not a Reader’s Digest one. And Edward’s Enright is smarmy, Teflonesque, and Machiavellian.
There’s another hint that the production’s about the medium of TV. A chastened Van Doren goes home to visit his Homeric father Mark (Stephen Alkus). They wonder what life was like before TV. The show ends, sweetly if not a little sadly, with the two of them outside, not in front of a miniature, black and white screen. The father teaches the son the names of the trees on his property.
Performances are 8pm, Thursday through Saturday. The show runs until June 28. Tickets are $15 – $18. The Theatre is located at 251 E. Seventh Street, Long Beach, 90802. For more information call (562) 433-8337 or visit thegaragetheatre.org.
Some may think daily parenting tasks like making baby food, changing diapers and reading baby books are mundane, but actually they can totally rock.
Just ask photographer and stay-at-home dad Brian Reda, who posted a photo of him and his son at the zoo to Reddit. In the photo, his son stands looking through a glass partition at a bear as Reda’s hand can be seen in the corner giving the sign of the horns.
After he received some backlash over the “metal hand” zoo photo, Reda decided to share the bigger picture of how he has documented life with his 9-month-old son, Livingston.
“The photos prior to my first ‘Dad Life’ image were cute and served the purpose of capturing him in all his infant glory,” he explained in an email to The Huffington Post. “The self-referential hand gesture, though, makes me part of the story. I know that sounds selfish, especially in our selfie-crazed culture, but the series is about our relationship. It’s about us. It’s about being father and son. We’re a little team. When he glances at the camera he’s connecting with Dad and the audience vicariously experiences our relationship.”
And those experiences are awesome.
“I began noticing that the mundane moments are often the best ones,” Reda said. “That’s where life exists. We always want to photograph the most exciting moments but often forget what life may have been like on a day-to-day basis. I’m just waiting for that perfect moment when he puts up the metal hand.”
Reda also gave a shout-out to the person who helped make “Dad Life” possible.
“There’s nothing more metal than dad life,” he said. “Well, I suppose the most metal award goes to my beautiful wife, Angela, who carried him, birthed him, nurses him, and now supports us.”
All photos below courtesy Brian Reda.
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