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Tony La Russa backs White Sox hitting coaches despite offensive struggles

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The White Sox aren’t walking, they’re chasing bad pitches and they’re not scoring runs.

Other than that, all is well for a team trying to get over the .500 mark with Memorial Day, a traditional first benchmark to the season, fast approaching. A team in the midst of the championship window it spent years building toward.

The Sox ranked fourth in walks, third in on-base percentage and seventh in runs in the majors when they won 93 games and the AL Central last season. They’re last in walks, 29th in on-base percentage and 26th in runs this season entering their game against the Royals Thursday with an 18-19 record.

What gives?

“Every year is different,” Sox outfielder Andrew Vaughn said Thursday. “We did what we did last year, and this year is different. Some guys are chasing. It gets to the point where there is a little press.”

Vaughn said he was pressing last season when he went hitless in his first three games.

“I wanted a hit so bad,” he said. “And finally it’s like, ‘screw it, let’s go out there and play the game.’ ”

A lineup featuring Tim Anderson (.338) at the top but with six batting averages of .215 or less (Yoan Moncada, Jose Abreu, AJ Pollock, Gavin Sheets, Reese McGuire, Josh Harrison) Thursday took on Carlos Hernandez (0-3, 9.11 ERA), who owns a 2.70 ERA in 20 innings against Sox. Sox hitters, like Hernandez, have experienced peaks and valleys.

Mostly valleys in 2022.

“It’s baseball, there are always ups and downs,” Vaughn said. “Right now a lot of guys are on that downfall. We’re not stringing together hits. Yesterday [Wednesday, a 6-2 loss] I had an opportunity with the bases loaded and didn’t get it done. It’s happened this year with a lot of guys.”

Luis Robert, one of the peaking Sox with a recent 14-game hitting streak, struck out three times Wednesday. With Tim Anderson on second and one out in the first Thursday, he struck out on an offspeed Hernandez pitch in the dirt.

A two-run homer by Hunter Dozier against Vince Velasquez in the first and an RBI single by Nicky Lopez in the second against Vince Velasquez put the Sox in a 3-0 hole Thursday as the Royals threatened to take the rubber match of a five-game series.

The Sox appeared to be proactive about taking pitches, and Anderson walked for the second time, stole two bases and scored on Robert’s single to make it 3-1 in the third. Abreu walked twice and Pollock also walked.

After the game Wednesday, manager Tony La Russa huddled with hitting coach Frank Menechino and assistant hitting coach Howie Clark. The Sox were 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position, which was no way to pass the struggling Royals for 25th in runs scored.

La Russa approves of the job the coaches are doing.

“I’m in the cage a lot,” La Russa said. “The players will tell you the messages they’re getting, whether it’s strategy or mechanical, with both those guys it’s sound. We’re just not executing.

“If you coach or manage in the big leagues and if somebody points a finger at you and that bothers you, you’re doing the wrong thing for a living.”

These are challenging times for La Russa, 78, the second-winningest manager ever with a Hall of Fame pedigree hired out of retirement by chairman Jerry Reinsdorf to guide the Sox in this championship window. But they’re not tougher times, he said.

“If we’re struggling, now I have another gear I can go to? That’s bull–,” he said. “All you do is make decisions, so you better give it your same all the time. No, I take every game like it’s the last game of my life.

“This script hasn’t been written. We are in charge of writing it ourselves to the extent that we can improve and play the best baseball we can.”

NOTE: Friday starter Dallas Keuchel, who opens a three-game series in New York, is 4-4 with a 2.06 ERA average over 10 career starts against the Yankees.

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Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher fires back at Nick Saban’s NIL accusations

Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher called Nick Saban a “narcissist” Thursday after the Alabama coach accused the Souheastern Conference rival Aggies of using name, image and likeness deals to land their top-ranked recruiting classes.

Less than 24 hours after Saban said Texas A&M was essentially “buying” players, Fisher called an impromptu news conference in College Station, Texas, and did not hold back in blasting college football’s most accomplished coach, who is also his former boss when the two were at LSU.

“First of all, I’d like to say it’s a shame that we have to do this. It’s really despicable,” Fisher said in a session that lasted about 10 minutes. “We never bought anybody, no rules are broken. Nothing was done wrong.”

Texas A&M had the consensus No. 1 recruiting class in the country for 2022 after beating Alabama during the regular season. The Tide’s class was No. 2.

The Crimson Tide lost to the Aggies last season, but went on to win the Southeastern Conference and play for the national title. The Aggies finished 8-4 in their fourth season under Fisher, who, like Saban, is among the highest-paid coaches in the game.

“It’s despicable that a reputable head coach can come out and say this when he doesn’t get his way or things don’t go his way,” Fisher said. “The narcissist in him doesn’t allow those things to happen — it’s ridiculous — when when he’s not on top. And the parity in college football he’s been talking about. Go talk to coaches who have coached for him. You’ll find out all the parody. Go dig into wherever he’s been.”

While speaking at an event in Birmingham, Alabama, Saban said some schools were spending “tons of money to get players.”

“You read about it, you know who they are,” Saban said Wednesday. “We were second in recruiting last year. A&M was first. A&M bought every player on their team. Made a deal for name, image and likeness. We didn’t buy one player. But I don’t know if we’re going to be able to sustain that in the future, because more and more people are doing it. It’s tough.”

Fisher was an assistant under Saban in the early 2000s at LSU, working as offensive coordinator on the Tigers’ 2003 national title team. That relationship is now badly damaged.

“We’re done,” Fisher said, adding Saban reached out by phone but he did not take the call. “He showed you who he is. He’s the greatest ever, huh? When you got all the advantages, it’s easy.

“There’s a reason I ain’t went back and worked for him, with opportunities. I don’t want to be associated with him,” Fisher added.

He said Saban’s comments were insulting to Texas A&M and the families of the players who signed with the Aggies.

“Some people think they’re God,” Fisher said. “Go dig into how God did His deal. You may find out about a guy, a lot of things you don’t want to know. We build him up to be this czar of football. Go dig into his past or anybody who’s ever coached with him. You can find out anything you want to find out what he does and how he does it.”

Texas A&M plays at Alabama on Oct. 8. The Southeastern Conference holds its spring meetings in Florida the week after Memorial Day, with all football coaches and athletic directors gathering, along with Commissioner Greg Sankey. The event has not been held in person for the last two years.

The 56-year-old Fisher won a national championship in 2013 as head coach at Florida State before receiving a 10-year contract for $75 million to leave Tallahassee and coach Texas A&M in 2017.

“I don’t cheat. I don’t lie. If you did my old man slapped me across the face. Maybe someone should have slapped him (Saban),” Fisher said.

The NCAA lifted most of its rules barring athletes from earning money from sponsorship and endorsement deals last July, but there are concerns among many in college sports that NIL deals are being used to as recruiting inducements and de facto pay-for-play. Last week, the NCAA issued guidance to Division I members to clarify its rules against boosters being involved in recruiting.

This is the second time this year Fisher has publicly defended his program after signing one the highest-rated recruiting classes in the history of rankings.

In February, Fisher went off on competitors who were pushing rumors that Texas A&M had spent $30 million on NIL deals to land its star-studded recruiting class.

“Clown acts,” Fisher said then. “Multiple coaches in our league.”

On Wednesday night, the 70-year-old Saban, who has won six national championships, was more targeted in his critique of the current state of college football then he has been in the past.

Saban also mentioned Jackson State and Miami in his remarks.

Jackson State coach Deion Sanders, an NFL Hall of Famer, landed one of the top recruits in the country in cornerback Travis Hunter, who had been committed to Florida State until a signing day flip in December.

Sanders has denied Jackson State made any impermissible offers to Hunter to get him to sign with the historically black college that competes in the second tier of Division I football.

“You best believe I will address that LIE Coach SABAN told tomorrow,” Sanders tweeted Wednesday night. “We as a PEOPLE don’t have to pay our PEOPLE to play with our PEOPLE.”

Hunter also chimed in on social media Thursday.

“I got A mil? But my mom still stay in a 3 bed room house with five kids,” he tweeted.

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Take a Deep Dive into History Along the Alabama Civil Rights TrailMira Temkinon May 19, 2022 at 7:27 pm

For an authentic experience about U.S. Civil Rights History, plan a trip to Alabama and see where it happened and what resulted.

Follow the Civil Rights Trail in Alabama to experience a piece of American history that may be difficult to fathom. What I learned from this dark story was hard to understand. But it also inspired me when I saw that the U.S. citizens who were treated so poorly finally fought back and earned their equal rights.

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The Alabama Civil Rights Trail was launched in 2004 to highlight the more than 30 churches, schools, museums, and sites that were instrumental in the fight to achieve equal treatment under the law. This inspired the U.S. Civil Rights Trail which began in 2018 and is now run by the National Park Service. It reaches across 14 states with more than one hundred stops; more are added each year. The theme, “What Happened Here Changed the World” because the fight for civil rights in the U.S. positively impacted the rest of the world.

Alabama played a pivotal part in the Civil Rights Movement as many of the events happened there. Although slavery had been abolished, in its place were Jim Crow laws that discriminated in housing, education, voting, employment and medical care. Through it all, you’ll feel the influence of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., listening to his speeches and embracing his leadership of non-violence.

Follow along through these destinations that created an unforgettable emotional connection to the universal struggle for freedom and true democracy.

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Birmingham – Sobering and Reflective
My journey began in Birmingham, also referred to as “Bombing-ham” or “Dynamite Hill” because there were so many explosions that tried to squash the movement. Perhaps the 16th Street Baptist Church was among the most moving of sites. This church served as the headquarters for Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth to organize the campaign and a refuge for the community.

The clock stopped at the moment of the explosion. Photo by Mira Temkin.

On September 15, 1963, the Ku Klux Klan planted 19 sticks of dynamite that exploded, killing four young girls and injuring many others. To quote a song, “In the room where it happened,” we saw where the bombing took place. We learned about the aftermath of this senseless tragedy from Lisa McNair, sister of Denise McNair, who died in the bombing, and talked about her new book, “Dear Denise: Letters to the Sister I Never Knew.”

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Sculpture honoring the children who were arrested and jailed for their role in the protests. The inscription says: “I aint afraid of your jail.”

Across the street, Kelly Ingram Park was the site of many civil rights rallies and demonstrations. Stand in front of these meaningful sculptures and come away with an understanding of the story.

Montgomery – The Boycott that Shut Down the Bus Company

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Early on in the Civil Rights Movement, Rosa Parks stood up to the Jim Crow Laws and refused to give her seat up on the bus for a white man. This led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955, which shut down the bus system for over a year as African Americans chose to walk to work or share rides. It resulted in the end of racial segregation on buses and other mass transportation. I was fascinated with the Rosa Parks Museum on the Troy University campus, which tells Rosa’s story through interactive technology and a bus that recreates the entire event. It showcased how one person CAN make a difference!

Diorama showing how African Americans shared rides rather than take the bus. Photo by Mira Temkin.

Just as powerful is the Equal Justice Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration, which is located in a former cotton warehouse where African-Americans were enslaved. It uses interactive media, sculpture, cutting-edge technology and exhibits to tell the story. To me, the most moving testimonies were the recorded jail conversations I heard from incarcerated people who were either wrongly condemned, unfairly sentenced, or treated unjustly in the American legal system.

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Hear the story of prisoners and their unjust treatment.

It was a thrill to stand in the pulpit of Dr. King at the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, where he served as Senior Pastor. The church was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1974 because of its importance in the civil rights movement.

Dexter Avenue Church. Photo courtesy of Alabama Civil Rights Legacy Trail.

The Freedom Rides Museum is located on the site of the Montgomery Greyhound Bus Station. Follow the story of their journey through the South where riders were violently attacked in the 1961 Freedom Ride during the Civil Rights Movement.

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Greyhound Bus that carried the Freedom Riders in front of the museum. Photo by Mira Temkin.

Selma – Crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge

Edmund Pettis Bridge was the setting of “Bloody Sunday” as protesters tried to cross the bridge on the way to the state capitol. Photo by Mira Temkin.

As I walked across this bridge, I was following in the steps of history. On March 7, 1965, a brave group of 600 young foot soldiers attempted to find their way to the state capital in Montgomery to support voting rights. Police on horseback with clubs beat them back, known forever as “Bloody Sunday.” It took two more tries and five days to complete the 54-mile march to Montgomery, led by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis. But in August, the National Voting Rights Act passed, and they knew their voices had been heard. How fitting that my walk took place on the very same day Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed as the first African American woman to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court!

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Scottsboro Boys Museum – They Served 100 Years in Prison for a Crime that Never Happened

On March 25, 1931, nine young black men were wrongfully accused of raping two white women while traveling on a freight train in Alabama. They were apprehended, convicted and sentenced to death. Following a series of retrials and convictions, the Scottsboro Boys collectively served more than 100 years in prison. Their legal battles entailed some of the most infamous racial injustices and inspired the civil rights movement. You can visit the Scottsboro Museum and learn more about this rush to injustice.

Scottsboro Boys Museum highlights racial injustice. Photo by Mira Temkin.

The Monroeville Courtroom

Annual performance of “To Kill a Mockingbird” on the lawn of the Monroeville Courthouse. Photo courtesy of Alabama Civil Rights Trail.

See a performance of the classic American novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” which takes place in Monroeville every April and May. Author Harper Lee grew up in Monroeville,  and the story was based on an actual event and trial. The Monroeville Courthouse served as the prototype for the eventual movie set. I watched Act One of the novel on the lawn, with Act Two upstairs in the Courtroom. I got to sit in the Grand Jury Box, making me feel like I was actually an actor in the play. Throughout the year, the County Courthouse is open for tours of the most famous courtroom in America.

To learn more about the Alabama Civil Rights Trail and to plan a visit, see the Alabama Tourism Department’s Civil Rights Legacy page.

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Take a Deep Dive into History Along the Alabama Civil Rights TrailMira Temkinon May 19, 2022 at 7:27 pm Read More »

Clouds, then Sun!

Clouds, then Sun!

purple iris flowers

Over 5-1/2 hours more light since the winter solstice, now. These are the longest days. Days of sun and days of rain.

The spring leaves have grown lush and full, the summer canopy, arching over the streets. Lilacs are blooming, and there are buds on the peonies.

This is the season of irises. They come in a wide variety of colors, from deep purple to delicate tints of blue and peach. Is it almost a dream, the sweep of late-spring colors, the irises in the dappled sunlight, the bleeding hearts and columbines blooming under the trees.

This changing weather–Cool and rainy, yesterday. Wet grass, and wet socks. Jackets one day, t-shirts the next. Heat coming on overnight. Then one morning of opening windows. Then, air-conditioning.

The first heat wave of the summer, and people were out everywhere, celebrating like the virus was over. Celebrating like peace in Ukraine. Celebrating like there’s no such things as hate crimes or war crimes, or the crisis of climate change. Or maybe these cares were forgotten, just for a moment.

Was it a dream? What color were the iris flowers?

Filed under:
nature, seasons, weather

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Meet The Blogger

Weather Girl

I am originally a country girl from downstate Illinois. I was a Chicago girl in Rogers Park by the Lake. Now I live in Oak Park, by the Blue Line and the Congress Expressway. I write about the weather and other things.
I hope you enjoy and join in these observations. Welcome to Chicago Weather Watch!

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Find the Chicago Reader in print every other week

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Chicago Reader print issue dates

The Chicago Reader is published in print every other week. Issues are dated Thursday. Distribution usually happens Wednesday morning through Thursday night of the issue date. Upcoming print issue dates through December 2022 are:

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17 Best Sugar Baby Websites and Apps to Meet Sugar Babies (2022)

Are you a would-be sugar baby or sugar daddy? If so, you may have already explored some of the options out there when it comes to sugar sites and apps. But hey, there are a ton! This article is all about helping break them down for you so you can spend less time trying different sites and instead lock down one or two that are best for you.

As you might imagine, sugar sites have gained a ton in popularity in recent years. This is in part because society has become more accepting of sugar relationships, but also simply because of economic factors. There are many wealthy men out there who have gotten wealthier, and there are many young women out there who have taken on student loans or other forms of debt. These circumstances have created a ton of demand for sugar relationships.

Unfortunately, many of the sugar sites that have popped up are not at all worth your time. They’re absolutely full of bots and scammers and may not have any real customer service or support infrastructure to help you out if you have a problem.

So, read on to go through our new 2022 rankings of the very best sites for sugar babies and sugar daddies.

Best Sugar Baby Sites and Apps in 2022

RankSiteBest For1.Seeking ArrangementBest overall2.Ashley MadisonJudgement-free sugar dating3.Secret BenefitsBest gender ratio4.SugarDaddy.comLargest community5.SugarDaddyMeetVerifying someone’s wealth6.SugarDaddyForMeQuick matching7.What’s Your PriceMost transparent8.Sugar SearchBest search function9.R/SugarBabyBest free platform10.Elite SinglesMeet sophisticated babies11.Established MenBest for long-term arrangements12.RichMeetBeautifulMost secure13.Miss TravelBest for traveling14.Wealthy MenBest for rich daddies15.AgeMatchFind younger women16.SudyBest user interface17.SugarBookBest sugar app for babies

1.  Seeking Arrangement – Best and most popular sugar dating platform

Seeking (formerly known as Seeking Arrangement) is likely the most popular and well-known sugar site around. It’s something like the Tinder of sugar dating sites. Seeking has recently tried to go a bit more mainstream, but it remains one of the most popular sugar sites. 

With over 10 million users in more than 130 countries, it’s never been easier to get into the sugar relationship of your dreams. Seeking wins points for having discreet billing and good cybersecurity, though scammers and bots may still manage to slip through the cracks. You can check out our full review here.

From a baby’s perspective:

Sugar babies also appreciate Seeking because it’s made it easier than ever for young people to find a daddy who will spoil them and make them feel like royalty. Seeking has a lot of transparency, so babies can even see the net worth of the various daddies they may be interested in. The site is also free for sugar babies (once again, it’s the daddies who pay!). 

From a daddy’s perspective:

Seeking is definitely a great site for sugar daddies or would-be sugar daddies. That’s because it features a very high female-to-male ratio, meaning that there’s more competition among the females than the males. Sugar daddies love Seeking because they can typically find women there who are totally open for low-key, no-strings-attached relationships. Daddies generally have to pay to use Seeking, like most sugar sites.

2.  Ashley Madison – Judgement-free sugar option

You’ve probably heard of Ashley Madison and maybe seen their ads on *those* sites: “Life is short. Have an affair.” So, right off the bat, you know what you’re getting into with Ashley Madison. It’s full of people who are looking for something casual (and often extra-marital). Although it has its affair angle, many people have begun using Ashley Madison for sugar relationships. It’s a very open-minded community that both sugar babies and daddies tend to love. 

From a baby’s perspective:

Sugar babies like Ashley Madison because there are quite a lot of older, well-to-do men on there. It’s usually not too hard to find a good match. Plus, sugar babies can use Ashley Madison for free, meaning a lot of younger women have already signed up. Want to learn even more about Ashley Madison? Check out our full review.

From a daddy’s perpsective:

There are quite a few sugar daddies on Ashley Madison. As is usually the case with these sites, the daddies will have to sign up in order to communicate with the women they’re interested in. Unfortunately, there’s no filtering on Ashley Madison to home in on sugar babies. So, sgar daddies will have to take their time and do some digging. You can sort by age preference, though, so there’s that. 

3.  Secret Benefits – Best daddy to baby ratio

Secret Benefits is a pretty underrated sugar site. It has a more streamlined and modern look than many of its competitors. Plus, it’s been successful at attracting a large userbase for a relatively newer site. Since it’s popular in the sugar community, there are people constantly signing up, which can be done for free. Unlike Seeking, this site tends to be more of a 50/50 split, meaning it’s equally competitive among daddies and babies. 

From a baby’s perspective:

Sugar babies get to use Secret Benefits for free, as they do with most other sites. One great aspect of Secret Benefits is they have robust security and moderation, which helps keep everything safe and secure. This means fewer bots and less time wasted. You can also verify your profile with a short video, which will also bring many more sugar daddies your way. Lots of babies have gotten the sugar relationship they were hoping to find with Secret Benefits, so it’s worth a shot!

From a daddy’s perspective:

Like most sugar sites, Secret Benefits requires daddies to purchase credits in order to communicate with babies. That said, it’s a really quick and easy sign-up process. You can create a simple profile and use their handy features to find babies right away. One neat feature is that you can hide your profile and browse profiles anonymously. These privacy features are much appreciated by many daddies who may want to be as discreet as possible.  

4. SugarDaddy.com – Largest community

Sugardaddy.com has been around a long time and has earned a reputation as a reliable sugar site. They definitely made a move early to lock down that url! One thing that is appreciated by both daddies and babies is the fact that all members must get verified. With around ten million members, chances are you can find the kind of sugar relationship you’re hoping to find! The site is roughly one-third daddies and two-third babies. 

Sugardaddy.com has a lot of handy features, but memberships are pretty much required to properly use the site. The site is built around a credit system, and each credit costs $0.25. 

From a baby’s perspective:

As one of the biggest sugar sites, sugardaddy.com has attracted plenty of sugar babies. While some sugar sites look kind of sketchy or outdated, sugardaddy.com has kept its site looking sleek and modern. This appeals to the younger generations who tend to be the babies on these sites. The only real downside for would-be sugar babies on sugardaddy.com is that the site is full of competition with about 65% of the membership being sugar babies.

From a daddy’s perspective:

Since roughly two-thirds of the members on sugardaddy.com are sugar babies, this is a great site for daddies as they’ll have more than their pick of would-be babies. Daddies will need to shell out for credits, but they don’t cost a ton—and hey, you’re supposed to be well off anyway. Privacy is important to sugardaddy.com, so daddies can rest well knowing that it’s a relatively safe and secure site when it comes to privacy and scammers and the like. 

5.  SugarDaddyMeet – Best verification of daddies

SugarDaddyMeet is an exclusive sugar site that has been around for a while now. It limits its membership to the twenty wealthiest countries in the world, helping keep its sugar daddies desirable for would-be sugar babies. It also does this by verifying both overall wealth and annual income, helping ensure that sugar babies don’t get duped. 

From a baby’s perspective:

Sugar babies appreciate SugarDaddyMeet because of its rigorous verification of daddies. This helps keep them from being duped by poor guys pretending to be rich. This helps the site feel more safe and secure. It also uses algorithms to help match you up based on the preferences that you provide. Plus, it’s free for sugar babies—what’s not to like?!

From a daddy’s perspective:

Since there’s thorough verification on SugarDaddyMeet, you can’t sign up for this site unless you have the legit qualifications to be a sugar daddy (i.e. be wealthy). The platform is streamlined and has the feel of most social media sites, making it easy to use and familiar even for first-time users. This is another great option for daddies looking for casual arrangements. 

5.  SugarDaddyForMe – Speedy matching process

SugarDaddyForMe, as you might guess from the name, is all about helping sugar babies find sugar daddies. It’s a well-designed site with a variety of useful features. While this site doesn’t quite have the userbase of the big names above, it’s growing fast. 

From a baby’s perspective:

SugarDaddyForMe is yet another sugar site that’s free for sugar babies, making it another nice option to explore. The sign-up process is simple and there’s no need to verify income like the sugar daddies have to do. That means it’s a reliable site, though. You’ll also get to specify your ideal arrangement, meaning less wasted time all the way around.

From a daddy’s perspective:

SugarDaddyForMe has a unique payment system. Instead of paying for access for various things, the different membership tiers give you a certain amount of time. Besides that, you’ll need to verify your income, which is fairly common for the better sugar sites. Once you’re all set up, you’ll be able to browse around right away. 

6.  What’s Your Price – Most transparent

What’s Your Price offers a very unique style of sugar site. As the name suggests, it’s quite transparent about establishing a financial arrangement. On many sugar sites it’s simply left to the sugar daddy and baby how they want to work it out. But on What’s Your Price, the two sides come to a formalized arrangement that can then make the whole question of finances more of a background thing. This site was also established by the people who created Seeking, which means they have plenty of experience in this domain.

From a baby’s perspective:

Sugar babies appreciated What’s Your Price because it lets them set their price—literally—and avoid sugar daddies who might end up wasting their time. The one downside is that there is plenty of competition among babies on What’s Your Price, with around 3 million members and more joining every day.

From a daddy’s perspective:

Depending on the person, sugar daddies may love or hate What’s Your Price. In many ways, it’s almost like online shopping. That sounds weird to say, but it’s true—and, after all, sugar relationships tend to have a prominent financial component. So, sugar daddies get to scroll attractive women and assess the price that they have listed. You can then bid on anyone you like. These bids are sometimes as low as $10, so you don’t necessarily have to be super wealthy or anything. 

8.  Sugar Search – Best search function

Sugar Search functions, as you might expect, as a way to easily search for a local sugar relationship. At the moment, there are only a handful of cities that are eligible, so you’ll have to check. Some of the more prominent cities are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston. Sugar Search verifies accounts, though it’s inevitable that there are some bots and scammers that make their way through. 

From a baby’s perspective:

Sugar Search is a great way for sugar babies to find the sugar daddy they’re looking for wherever they live. Due to the site’s strict verification process, it’s much less likely that babies will end up getting ripped off by some dude pretending to be rich. There are a lot of options here and you’ll be finding someone locally, so there’s a lot to like here.

From a daddy’s perspective:

Sugar daddies will like Sugar Search’s simple sign-up process and the fact that it has a local focus. This greatly increases the chance of being able to meet in person sooner rather than later. There are nice features as well, including an intuitive chat. You can also opt for a pricier membership tier to stand out more when people search. There’s already a good ratio of sugar babies to sugar daddies, though, so competition isn’t too stiff. 

9.  Reddit (r/SugarBaby) – Best free platform

Reddit is one of the internet’s most popular forms of social media not named Instagram, Facebook, or Tiktok, and this is especially the case in North America. Whether you knew it or not, Reddit also has a sugar forum that can be a free way for you to find a sugar relationship. FYI, it tends to be an NSFW page. 

From a baby’s perspective:

Sugar babies can post freely on r/SugarBaby and describe the kind of arrangement they’re looking for. Daddies will message you if they’re interested. There’s a verification process in order to post, but it isn’t that difficult or time-consuming. If you want to explore an alternative to other sugar sites, r/SugarBaby is worth a try.

From a daddy’s perspective:

There are more than 80,000 people on r/SugarBaby. So, while it might not compete with the likes of a Seeking, it can still get the job done. You’re not allowed to post as a sugar daddy, so you’ll have to browse through and DM the babies you’re interested in. One big plus is that it’s completely free to browse and message people, unlike most the sugar sites listed here. 

10.  Elite Singles – Most sophisticated

Elite Singles is not technically a sugar site. Instead, it bills itself as a luxury dating site that focuses on a specific clientele, one that’s educated, successful, and chic. That said, it so happens that many people who are educated and successful are also looking for sugar relationships. So, Elite Singles may be worth a shot for those looking for that kind of arrangement. 

From a baby’s perspective:

Sugar babies may benefit from Elite Singles but it’s important to keep in mind that it isn’t strictly a sugar site. So, well you may be able to find people who are looking for that kind of relationship, it’s no guarantee. Instead, you might find people who are looking for a more serious partner. To fit in on this site, it’s best that you’re educated and somewhat successful (or at least working hard to get there).

From a daddy’s perspective:

Elite Singles is perfect for people who are interested in finding other intelligent and independent people. The people here are not necessarily looking for sugar relationsihps, so you’ll have to keep that in mind. You may come across many people who are looking to find something serious, which means this may or may not be a good fit for you. 

11.  Established Men – Best for long-term arrangements

Established Men isn’t all that different from Elite Singles in that it focuses on a certain kind of clientele. In this case, it’s all about successful men. On the other hand, there are a lot of people interested in sugar relationships, so it’s got that going for it. You may have to get to know a few people to see who works best for you, as there will be people looking for different things here.

From a baby’s perspective:

Sugar babies looking for daddies have a lot to like about Established Men. It does a good job of keeping its clientele to men who are legitimately successful. That said, there’s a fair amount of competition so you’ll have to do your best to stand out from the rest of the crowd.

From a daddy’s perspective:

Sugar daddies have to pay to use Established Men, which is pretty normal for sugar sites. Assuming you are successful, however, it shouldn’t pose any real problem. The site lets you flirt with women and send them gifts. There’s not too much that sets Established Men apart from other sites.

12.  RichMeetBeautiful – Most secure

RichMeetBeautiful has a name that gives away that it’s a sugar site pretty quickly. After all, the stereotype of sugar relationships is a young, beautiful woman and an older, wealthy man. That said, you don’t have to be outrageously wealthy to be a sugar daddy or use a site like RichMeetBeautiful. One big plus that this platform has going for it is its security as it uses top-of-the-line encryption. 

From a baby’s perspective:

RichMeetsBeautiful is not necessarily only a sugar site but it definitely has that vibe. In general, it’s another good option for sugar babies to find sugar daddies, though there may be people who are looking for something more like a traditional relationship.

From a daddy’s perspective:

You can be “rich” in more ways than one on RichMeetBeautiful. For example, your experience, style, passion, romantic sensibilities, etc. all contribute to making you an attractive partner (in addition to your wealth). There are plenty of young women on here, making it a worthy platform for would-be sugar daddies to check out. It also sports an algorithm that does a good job of pairing people up by personal preferences. 

13.  Miss Travel – Best for the adventurous

Miss Travel revolves around a really cool concept. For people with the means and/or time/flexibility, it encourages you to travel to/with people who may be a good match for you. Travel is one of the perks that many sugar babies like best, so Miss Travel is a smart play on that aspect of sugar relationships. 

From a baby’s perspective:

Sugar babies can generally count on a variety of perks: free dinners, gifts, even cash. Yet getting to travel is a unique perk that offers social and cultural opportunities as well. Miss Travel can help you see the world and get spoiled all at the same time by connecting you with a sugar daddy. The “Create a Trip” feature lets you plan everything out with ease. All in all, Miss Travel is definitely worth checking out if you’re a sugar baby who’s excited about travel or simply having sugar daddies come to you. 

From a daddy’s perspective:

Sugar daddies may be fans of Miss Travel if they are looking for relationships with a little bit of distance from their home base. For example, they could use it to check out areas where they will be traveling for business. It’s also possible to pay for women to come to you, making Miss Travel a really cool option that’s worth considering. 

14.  Wealthy Men – Most straightforward

Wealthy Men is just about what it sounds like. It’s a sugar site that features sugar daddies for sugar babies to find. It even has a guarantee for paying members that they will connect with someone within three months. 

From a baby’s perspective:

Wealthy Men is straightforward and lets sugar babies find a sugar daddy near them. Unfortunately, there isn’t a free version for sugar babies like there is with most other sugar sites, so this one might be worth skipping unless you get desperate.

From a daddy’s perspective:

Wealthy Men verifies income ($85k minimum), so that will be your first step. You also have to say how much you’re willing to spend on a given sugar baby, which can be a little awkward if you’re just getting into this or don’t have a ton of money. After that, though, the site is relatively straightforward and there are plenty of sugar babies here. 

15.  AgeMatch – Best for large age gaps

AgeMatch isn’t explicitly a platform for sugar dating. It can easily function this way, however, as it’s specifically about matching people up with a large age gap. As many sugar relationships feature a significant age cap, this means there are plenty of sugar opportunities on AgeMatch if you want to explore that option. 

From a baby’s perspective:

Sugar babies may like AgeMatch if they are generally into older men. The only thing is that it isn’t explicitly about setting up sugar arrangements, so you’ll need to be clear about that if that’s your expectation.

From a daddy’s perspective:

If you want a strictly sugar relationship, AgeMatch may not be the best platform for you as that’s not strictly the idea there. But if you like the idea of spoiling someone who simply likes you for who you are, this could be a great option to check out. 

16.  Sudy – Best sugar mobile app

Sudy is a newer sugar option that mainly focuses on its app. It has slick functionality and everything is set up quite intuitively. It’s straightforward in terms of how you find potential matches and talk with them. It’s toward the bottom of our list simply because it’s new and doesn’t yet have a large userbase. 

From a baby’s perspective:

Sudy is like most sugar sites in that there are more women than men. What that means is that it can be competitive. Sugar babies do benefit from the fact that Sudy verifies the daddies, which helps keep everyone safer and less likely to be wasting their time. 

From a daddy’s perspective:

Sudy verifies income of sugar daddies, and it’s a fairly steep minimum ($200k). There’s a ton of women on Sudy, though, so you should be in good shape so long as you meet that minimum. These women will know that you’re plenty wealthy to satisfy them (at least most of them), meaning that they’ll be looking forward to meeting you. There have been some complaints online about difficulty deleting profiles, so you may want to proceed carefully if privacy is a concern of yours. 

17.  SugarBook – Best for alternative arrangements

SugarBook is yet another sugar site that focuses on pairing up daddies and babies. That said, it recognizes that arrangements don’t have to be purely financial (especially in terms of luxury gifts). There are some babies who may be looking for legitimate connections, business opportunities, help with paying their university tuition, etc. 

From a baby’s perspective:

Sugar babies have to pay up for more access to the site and all its features, but you can get by decently without doing so. You might try it out free and see if you want to continue. After all, there are plenty of other sugar sites that are entirely free for the would-be babies. One plus of SugarBook is that it verifies income of daddies, which helps keep off scammers and fakes.

From a daddy’s perspective:

SugarBook verifies the income of sugar daddies, which is fairly standard of the more legitimate sugar sites. There’s even a free option for men, but, as you might expect, it’s quite limited. You’ll pretty much need to opt for the premium option to fully benefit from the site. 

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Lucas Giolito’s return, new faces highlight Chicago White Sox starting pitching

The Chicago White Sox are wrapping up a five-game series with the Kansas City Royals, splitting the first four meetings. The White Sox notably are seeing their rotation not only return to form but start to see more than enough arms in the rotation.

The White Sox bounced back from a rough weekend against the New York Yankees with back-to-back wins. Moreover, the team received a start from Johnny Cueto, who made his first start of the season and might become a regular on the pitching staff now.

Cueto’s strong start

Johnny Cueto finally made it to the MLB roster and didn’t disappoint. On Monday, Cueto pitched six scoreless innings in a game the White Sox eventually won 5-3 in 10 innings.

What makes Cueto’s outing stand out is how he stepped up on the mound and his approach. At 36-years-old, Cueto isn’t going to overwhelm hitters with his stuff. Instead, the right-handed pitcher has to methodically attack batters, which he did constantly to the Royals lineup.

Cueto heavily relied on his slider and sinker in the game, two pitches that Dallas Keuchel, another veteran in the rotation often uses. However, unlike Keuchel, who has struggled at times this season, Cueto keeps hitters on their heels with his multiple windups, something he’s mastered in his 15 years on the mound. The quick pitch, the shimmy, and everything in-between mess with the batters’ timing.

Johnny Cueto’s Mechanics Isolated (3 consecutive pitches) https://t.co/EVwHuNVq8f

As a result, it’s likely the White Sox will continue to rely on Cueto, especially as the fifth or even sixth pitcher in the starting rotation.

Martin’s debut

Davis Martin was called up to make his debut in the MLB for Tuesday’s second game of a doubleheader. Martin looked nervous and understandably relied on his fastball in his first career start as a result. 44 of the 91 pitches thrown against the Royals were fastballs and they were all over the place, displaying his raw but high caliber talent.

Despite the struggles that many pitchers have in their first start, Martin still put together a strong game for the White Sox. The 25-year-old pitched five innings and allowed only one run while tossing seven strikeouts. It was the type of start that fans wanted to see from their young pitcher.

The offense didn’t help, scoring only one run in the 2-1 loss but the start gave fans a lot to look forward to, especially with the season progressing. Moreover, Martin proved that he has the pitches to become a viable starter in the rotation if he can start locating the strike zone and finding an ideal quadrant for the fastball.

White Sox get Giolito back

Lucas Giolito has had a rough start to the season, to say the least. His performance on the mound has been great but only two months into the season the top of the rotation starter has already gone to the injury list and the COVID-19 list this season. Giolito returned and pitched on Wednesday, leaving a chaotic shuffling of the roster.

Prior to tonight’s game at Kansas City, the #WhiteSox reinstated right-handed pitcher Lucas Giolito from the COVID-19 related injured list, optioned right-hander Davis Martin to Class AAA Charlotte and transferred right-hander Lance Lynn to the 60-day injured list.

While the Royals tacked on two runs, Giolito looked like hadn’t missed a step. In five innings, Giolito had seven strikeouts with his fastball changeup combination leaving the Royals batters guessing throughout the night. The White Sox bullpen, which has been a strength this season, unraveled, allowing four runs in three innings. However, the game again showed the ceiling of the starting rotation, a rotation that helped the team win the division last year.

Giolito might not be the ace of the rotation this year, with Dylan Cease having a breakout season in the rotation. However, Giolito still has ace-caliber stuff and continues to make his mark on the pitching staff. The White Sox didn’t win the series, at least not the way fans hoped against a lowly Royals team, but it’s been that kind of start for this team, one they just have to power through before the wins start to pile in.

Do the White Sox have too many arms in the rotation?

Eventually, Lance Lynn will return to the rotation. Whether it’s late June or even early July, the White Sox will get Lynn back in the rotation, who was their best pitcher last season.

With Lynn back, the White Sox could potentially have a six or even seven-arm rotation, which in today’s game, is a good problem to have. However, the pitching staff at the moment could suffice with six pitchers and help keep every start well-rested.

In addition, the White Sox could use more pitchers on the roster altogether. Martin could by midseason become a starter that carries the backend of the rotation while Cueto could provide solid games once a week. The White Sox pitching staff is fine at the moment and one could argue is only looking more promising each week.

Make sure to check out our WHITE SOX forum for the latest on the team.

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Vangelis dies: ‘Chariots of Fire’ composer was 79

ATHENS, Greece — Vangelis, the Greece-born electronic composer who wrote the Academy Award-winning score for the film “Chariots of Fire” and music for dozens of other movies, documentaries and TV series, has died. He was 79.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and other government officials expressed their condolences Thursday. “Vangelis Papathanassiou is no longer among us,” Mitsotakis tweeted.

Greek media reported that Vangelis died in a French hospital Wednesday.

Born Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou on March 29, 1943 near the city of Volos in central Greece, Vangelis started playing the piano at age 4, although he got no formal training and claimed he never learned to read notes.

He played in several bands and solo, but his huge breakthrough came with the score for “Chariots of Fire,” a 1981 film that told the story of two British runners in the 1920s. Vangelis’ score received one of the four Academy Awards the film won.

The signature piece is one of the hardest-to-forget movie tunes worldwide — and has also served as the musical background to endless slow-motion parodies.

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2022 Chicago Bears Offseason Schedule & Season PredictionsDrew Krieson May 19, 2022 at 4:23 pm

The NFL officially released the 2022 regular season schedules last Thursday, sending fans into a league-wide frenzy. Like most years after the schedule drops, there were plenty of win-loss predictions and strength of schedule rankings that followed. We’ll certainly get into our own prediction for the Bears this year, but first, we’ll dive into the 2022 Chicago Bears offseason.

2022 Chicago Bears Offseason Schedule

From workouts, to minicamps, to preseason games, and more, there’s plenty to fill the 2022 Chicago Bears offseason calendar. Let’s kick things off with the pre-training camp events!

OTA Offseason Workouts: May to June

The first item on the Bears’ offseason schedule is their OTA workouts that are currently taking place at Halas Hall. OTA stands for organized team activities, which means the entire team of veterans and rookies will meet for these practices.

The OTA workouts started this past Monday, on May 16. There were practices on the 17th and 18th as well, and the team plans to hold six more workouts on May 19, 23, 24, and June 6, 7, and 9.

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Mandatory Minicamp: Mid-June

The next event taking place in the 2022 Chicago Bears offseason program is mandatory minicamp. This year, the team’s mandatory minicamp will take place over the course of three days from June 14-16. 

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Earlier in the offseason, the Bears held their Rookie Minicamp from May 6 – 8. Some of the Bears top draft picks appeared to turn some heads, which is a great sign this early on. But, what excites us even more is that there were a few tryout players who performed well. Those guys included names like Christian Albright, a linebacker from Ball State, and Jon Alexandar, a safety from Charlotte. If the front office can find value outside of the draft, there’s no telling where we’ll be in a few years.

Bears Training Camp: Late July

After minicamp, Training Camp is the next thing on the Chicago Bears offseason schedule. Unfortunately, we don’t have any extra details for dates, times, or tickets to share yet as the team hasn’t announced anything thus far. All we know is that Training Camp typically takes place towards the end of July, and that it will be held at Halas Hall.

Fans interested in staying in-the-know can visit the Bears’ website to keep up with any Training Camp schedule releases by signing up for email alerts.

Pre-Season Games: Mid-August

The final set of football activities before the start of the regular season will be three preseason games starting in the middle of August! For a team like the Bears, these preseason games should be incredibly valuable for all the young, developing talent. And that includes second-year play-caller, Justin Fields. Here’s what you can look forward to with the Bears’ preseason schedule:

First game: August 13 – Home matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs at 12:00 PM CST.

Second game: August 18 – Away matchup against the Seattle Seahawks at 7:00 PM CST.

Final game: August 27 – Away matchup against the Cleveland Browns at 6:00 PM CST.

Notice anything interesting about the preseason games? We’ll help you out. Week one against Kansas City. Still can’t think of it? Rhymes with Natt Magy… it’s the return of Matt Nagy to Chi-town!! If you end up at the game, try not to boo him too loudly, Bears fans.

Our Prediction For The Season

Now comes the fun part where we predict the final standings for the Chicago Bears regular season. Like many Bears’ fans, this prediction might be way too overly optimistic and unobtainable. But that’s okay. We’re fans, and we’re going to root for the best.So, with that said, here’s our prediction: the Chicago Bears will finish the season with a 9-8 record!

Don’t believe us? You’ll just have to wait and see how right we are! We’ll end this prediction with a complete breakdown of the wins and losses (don’t hold us to this too much) – 

First Half

Week 1: Bears vs 49ers – WIN

Week 2: Bears @ Packers – LOSS

Week 3: Bears vs Texans – WIN

Week 4: Bears @ Giants – WIN

Week 5: Bears @ Vikings – LOSS

Week 6: Bears vs Commanders – WIN

Week 7: Bears @ Patriots – LOSS

Week 8: Bears @ Cowboys – LOSS

Second Half

Week 9: Bears vs Dolphins – WIN

Week 10: Bears vs Lions – WIN

Week 11: Bears @ Falcons – LOSS

Week 12: Bears @ Jets – WIN

Week 13: Bears vs Packers – LOSS

BYE WEEK 14

Week 15: Bears vs Eagles – LOSS

Week 16: Bears vs Bills – LOSS

Week 17: Bears @ Lions – WIN

Week 18: Bears vs Vikings – WIN

That’s it. Sign it, seal it, deliver it. We’ll see you all at the end of the season!

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2022 Chicago Bears Offseason Schedule & Season PredictionsDrew Krieson May 19, 2022 at 4:23 pm Read More »

On being an Elder: the responsibilities that come with the title

On being an Elder: the responsibilities that come with the title

Elders have the wisdom to shape the world as it can be at its best, not necessarily with new inventions or leading the way to Mars.  But with our attitudes, our moral values and our votes. As elders we have a moral obligation to speak out against discrimination and an elemental responsibility to teach our grand kids what is right and what is morally reprehensible

Our views have weight.  We are the sages, the teachers, the philosophers with the perspective that only comes with age.  But we must speak out.  We can’t sit around grumbling about ‘the good old days. We must weigh in on the public debate on the preservation of the environment, the disparity of wealth, the continuing struggle against racism and the corrosive effects of imprecise scales of justice.

We deal with forgetfulness and have trouble remembering words and names, but we remember when Congress was an employee of the American people rather than the lobbyists.  

Aroused Elders can motivate the four in ten seniors who failed to vote in the last election and motivate a constituency that demands change. 

As our generation matured, there were strong views prevailing and the disputes were bitter.  But there was an underlying sense that both sides of the debate, however rabid and militant, could find common ground in the basic themes that made up ‘the American Way,’ as in Liberty and Justice for All.  Neighbors could declare themselves Republican or Democrat, but they still could borrow the hedge clippers when the hawthorn and blackthorn scrubs between their houses grew too tall.

But today, lamentably and shamefully, the polarized society that exists in America is unprecedented.  Half the population sees the world one way; half sees it another way.  And there is no middle ground.  The hedgerows are impenetrable.

The dilemma we face as Elders is “What to do about it?”  Traditionally, we are the voices of reason, anxious to ‘make peace’ by listening to each point of view and then tactfully finding compromises satisfactory to both sides.  But we should not be satisfied with simply salving umbrage. Human dignity is at stake!  We cannot leave this earth without speaking out and knowing we did the best we could to make our voices heard.

The issues are clear.  We are not being simplistic when we align ourselves on the side of love versus hatred, fear, racism, bigotry and intolerance.  To our dismay, when Americans were asked to cast a ballet in the proposition that all people are equal and deserve a place at the table, half the population said no. That’s why we must speak up. Being heard and taking a stand against injustice is our elemental responsibility. There is no time left for equivocating; no more ‘wait and see.’  We must choose between two existing versions of America and decide, what kind of country do we want to leave behind for our grandchildren?

There is a personal battle to be waged, as well.  The issue of ageism.

I was an old man at the Women’s March on Washington and applauded an alphabet soup of organizations fighting for sanctuary, economic equality, social justice, sexual liberation, the spectrum of causes that have galvanized women.  The common theme: we will not be marginalized; we will be heard; we demand a place in the halls of influence and power.

What impressed me was the tone of the oratory.  It’s not as if they were strident; more like “listen up, because we have a right to be heard.”   They were not asking for permission to speak; they were seizing the dais and carpe diem was the pronouncement.

It was inspiring, but among all the causes represented, one was absent. The issue of ageism had no signs waved in defiance by the marchers.  But surely it fits within the root demand that characterizes what the march was all about: we will not be marginalized; we will be heard; we demand a place in the halls of influence and power.  I can write the signs: “Old enough to know better and experienced enough to do it right.” When you’re over the hill you pick up speed,” “Retired, not expired!” and “Never tease an old dog; he might have one bite left.”

Ageism is a serious issue, but it gets nowhere near the attention focused on racism, or sexism or disability-based discrimination. Which is curious when you consider that by 2050 a fifth of the population, eighty-seven million Americans, will be over age 65 and subject to discrimination in housing, employment and downright disdain.

I’m calling for an Old Folks march!  In keeping with the stereotypes existent in today’s youth dominated society we’ll assemble sometime in late Spring, a half hour before the early bird special at the Pancake House when the weather is in the seventies, and the sun is out.

There’s no time to waste.  The bard reminds us, “Golden lads and girls all must, as chimney-sweepers, come to dust.” When we are reminded that our time is finite, immune to our laughable attempts to prolong it, what we must do is not let it pass us by as we stay idle.

The saying goes, “we die as we have lived.” In our final moments we want to look and be satisfied with the bio we’ve left behind, without being bedeviled by the unanswerable “what might have been.”

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Howard Englander

Howard is the author of “Cheating Death: How to Add Years of Joy and Meaning to Life,” an inspiring series of essays that describe how reframing his attitude toward growing older – the inevitable losses in physicality and social influence – added personal fulfillment to his senior years. The book is available at the Amazon.com/Books web site.
He is the co-author of The In-Sourcing Handbook: Where and How to Find the Happiness You Deserve, a practical guide and instruction manual offering hands-on exercises to help guide readers to experience the transformative shift from simply tolerating life to celebrating life.
Fiction includes “73,” a collection of short stories exposing the social-media culture that regards people in their seventies as if they were old cars ready for the junk heap. The stories are about men and women running the gamut of emotions as they struggle to resist becoming irrelevant in a youth-oriented society.

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