New England Sun-Times

Father and son meet for the first time: kxan.com Father and son meet for the first time   David Scott BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) - A magical reunion happened this week at a Bastrop horse farm, where Vietnam veteran Mike Gold is getting to know the son he wasn't sure he ever had -- a son born 47 years ago while Mike was overseas. Just before shipping out for Southeast Asia, Gold received a Dear John letter, and told by his fiancee he might be the father of her baby, a child she intended to give up for adoption. "Always in the back of my mind, was there really a child?" he said Thursday after finally meeting his now-grown son. "I  tried numerous times to find out and nothing came of it." The event that would bring the two together occurred two weeks ago. Thanks to the Internet, Jerry Glomboske found dad. He was nervous about emailing. "I said give it a try, see what happens," said Glomboske, who lives in California . "The next day I w...

Reporter: CNN/Marques White A Pennsylvania hospital is expected to begin screening job applicants for signs of nicotine early next year, claiming it will not hire smokers, a hospital spokeswoman said December 31st. Geisinger Health System -- a facility located in the eastern town of Danville -- will institute its no-nicotine policy on February 1, 2012, said Marcy Marshall. Applicants that test positive will be offered help to quit and are encouraged to re-apply after six months, she said. Smoking has been banned on Geisinger hospital grounds since 2007, added Marshall, who said the new program is part of a plan to make the hospital staff smoke free. Secondhand smoke, she noted, will not result in a positive test. Pennsylvania is one of 19 states that allow employers to screen job applicants for signs of smoking, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. The plan, which costs about $47,000 per year, is not retroactive and theref...

KENDALL, Kansas (KSN) -- As blizzard like conditions battered western Kansas, tiny Kendall right along the Kansas/Colorado border was buried. "My husband drives about as far as he could drive, which is about a fourth of a mile, before he hits a big snow drift and comes back and says we're not getting to work." Becky Grusing works as the postmaster.  Her job is to make sure the town's 60 or so residents get their mail through rain, sleet or snow. "Well, the email from the head office says you need to make every effort to get to work." Inspired by the old days of the Pony Express, Becky came up with a plan. In order to make sure the post office opened, Becky saddled up Macho and rode him two miles through the snow. She hitched him up outside the post office. "We rode through some pretty good drifts and around some drifts  It took about 30 minutes I suppose." By next year, Kendall's is one of the post offices up for closing. ...

What a holy mess. Katy Perry reportedly asked Russell Brand to file for divorce so she could avoid upsetting her religious parents. The "Firework" singer didn't want to disappoint her evangelical minister parents by being the one to end her 14-month marriage, TMZ.com reported on Saturday, December 31, 2011. Brand, 36, and Perry, 27, agreed to call it quits weeks ago, according to the gossip website. They had known the relationship was tanking for months, but wanted to try to make things work out before officially parting ways. Brand filed the divorce papers Friday in Los Angeles. "I'll always adore her and I know we'll remain friends," Brand said in a statement. Perry’s parents, Keith and Mary Hudson , were notoriously strict while she was growing up. “I didn’t have a childhood,” the singer told Vanity Fair earlier this year, adding their relationship has become more relaxed with time. “I don’t try to change them anymore, and they d...

Gleeks, remember to take this news with a grain of salt, but what we're about to tell you may be the greatest post-Christmas gift ever -- if it's true. The track list from " Glee's " anticipated Michael Jackson tribute episode has reportedly leaked, and it looks pretty legit. We already know that the cast will perform 12 songs from Jackson's extensive music catalogue, extending back to his time with the Jackson 5 . A few weeks ago, TV Guide magazine reported that the Warblers and Sebastian would also partake in the Jackson tribute , and that Blaine would take on "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin,'" while Finn and Rachel would do a duet of "I Just Can't Stop Loving You." Even though this list has not been confirmed by Fox or anyone over at "Glee," judging from what we already know of the episode, it doesn't sound too far off. However, we're surprised that the show's token Michael Jackson cover crooner...

It is no secret that the shortage of black fathers in America has become a crisis. No matter which way you slice it, mothers who boast about being single parents are stressed out over teenagers who fall into the hands of the justice system. Even worse, most of these children limit their chances of survival in the real world when they choose to drop out of school at early ages, and are left with no job or life skills once they've completed any short or long term stints in jail, youth detention centers or prison. We are raising hardened criminals and it will only get worse if some of today's mothers opt out for he freebies and perks that go with forcing the father out of the house and away from their children. Not all fathers who aren't in their child's lives a part of the deadbeat dad crew. Contrary to popular belief, many fathers - arguably way more than deadbeat dads - are forced out of their children's lives against their will, and the tactic has become a very com...

As with so many things, when it comes to neck pain, an ounce of prevention may be worth a pound of cure. It’s true that some causes of neck pain, such as age-related wear and tear, are not under your control. On the other hand, there are many things you can do to minimize your risk. One place to start is to look at how you sleep and what effect this may have on neck pain. Getting in the best position Two sleeping positions are easiest on the neck: on your side or on your back. If you sleep on your back, choose a rounded pillow to support the natural curve of your neck, with a flatter pillow cushioning your head. This can be achieved by tucking a small neck roll into the pillowcase of a flatter, softer pillow, or by using a special pillow that has a built-in neck support with an indentation for the head to rest in. Here are some additional tips for side- and back-sleepers: Try using a feather pillow, which easily conforms to the shape of the neck. Feather pillows will...

By Michael Gioia - 01 Jan 2012 Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton team up in the film "Joyful Noise," the upcoming gospel movie musical [in theaters January 13, 2012] The movie features Queen Latifah, who starred in the 2002 movie musical "Chicago"; Dolly Parton, who wrote the score of the Broadway musical 9 to 5 ; and Jeremy Jordan , who recently finished his month-long run in Broadway's Bonnie & Clyde . Here, the "Joyful Noise" leading ladies, Latifah and Parton, talk about the upcoming film in the extended trailer. The movie also features Keke Palmer, Kris Kristofferson, Courtney B. Vance, Jesse L. Martin , Chloe Bailey, Judd Lormand, Valencia Barnes, Cait Johnson, Steve Warren, Jilian McLendon, Katie Kneeland and Dexter Darden. The film, from Alcon Entertainment and Warner Bros., “centers on an unlikely friendship that’s the result of a choir director’s death. His widow (Parton) assumes she’s going to be left in charge of the strugg...