“Freckle face.” “Dorkwad.”A blend of childhood curiosity and mean-spiritedness can lead to name-calling. And what if it takes place in your presence? Do parents have an obligation to step in and say something?Absolutely, says Judy Freedman, the Glenview, Ill.-based author of “Easing the Teasing” (McGraw-Hill, $15.95).“Parents need to talk to their kids about right versus […]

Having a baby? Here is some advice on using pacifiers from the book “How to Survive your Baby’s First Year.” (Hundreds of Heads Books, www.hundredsofheads.com, $14.95), straight from people who’ve done it:“Don’t use pacifiers. First off, a little crying never hurt a child. Second, pacifiers are not good for the gums and teeth.”– Jeanne Eckman, […]

Why do men and women in the workplace cover their “neck dimples”?What does it mean when you’re pitching an idea and your listener makes a “tongue show”?How does a gesture traced back to a lizard’s “high stand” find its way into the boardroom?The answers are not in office memos or phone messages, but bodies. And […]

Pat Starr and Lorraine McIntyre decided that their little dog Rocky needed a buddy. They bought Leo, an adorable bunch of poodle fluff.But there was a problem.“We called Leo the piranha mouth,” Starr says. The poodle’s aggressive play irritated Rocky. That eventually led to growls and snarls between the dogs and even a couple of […]

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: David Lascher, 36; Sheena Easton, 49; Ace Frehley, 57; Anouk Aimee, 76Happy Birthday: Minor mishaps and health hazards will plague you this year if you don’t use caution and common sense. A few alterations to your home life and you will have things pretty much the way you want them. […]

Recipes were long a family affair. Mothers would pass down to daughters well-thumbed cookbooks, dog-eared file cards scribbled with faded ink, yellowed newspaper clippings and magazine columns folded just-so to fit snug in a squat wooden box.Today, recipes are still about family, but the definition of family and the form of the recipe have broadened […]

FARMINGTON – The University of Maine at Farmington will present award-winning poet Tryfon Tolides as its Lunchtime Poet for spring 2008. Tolides will read from his work at noon Thursday, May 1, in North Dining Hall in the Olsen Student Center.The reading is free and open to the public. It will be followed by a […]

• Over 80 lanterns were counted by an Auburn man up at Lapham Brook the other evening. When there are usually three men to a lantern, it can readily be seen that the smelt fishers are turning out this year in large numbers.• On Friday, May 1, the Auburn schools will hold a Music Festival […]

AUBURN – The Androscoggin Valley Community Orchestra will present a celebration concert under the direction of Paul Ross at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 4, at the High Street Congregational Church.Natasha Proctor will be the featured soloist in the Concerto for French Horn by Punto.Mozart Serenade No. 12 for woodwinds will highlight the talents that are […]

LEWISTON – The Franco-American Heritage Center in association with Maine Fiddle Camp will present some of Maine’s best traditional old-time fiddlers Sunday, May 4, at the second annual Maine Fiddler’s Showcase.Each fiddler is an accomplished professional practitioner of this time-honored art.The focus of Maine Fiddle Camp and this concert is the Downeast style that characterizes […]