Refusal to be promoted no basis for dismissal
Dear PAO, My boss wants to promote me from warehouse helper to supervisor. The supervisor’s job is difficult, and there is no extra pay, so I refused. He threatened to use my refusal as a basis for my dismissal. Is refusal of promotion a basis for an employee’s dismissal from work? Dan Dear Dan, Please […]
How Female Chefs Are Sparkling in Istanbul
No bigger than chickpeas and blanketed with tangy yogurt and sizzling spiced butter, the manti were so good they could be inhaled by the dozen. My partner, Barry, and I devoured these lamb-filled Turkish dumplings, shaped into cute tufted shells, at Hatice Anne Ev Yemekleri, a homey spot in Istanbul’s Kuzguncuk neighborhood. “There are so […]
Creditor’s consent is required in substitution of the debtor
Dear PAO, A few years ago, I obtained a loan from a lending company. I have paid about 80 percent thereof. For the remaining 20 percent, my colleague and I had an agreement that she would be the one to pay it, as her payment for the money she borrowed from me a few months […]
Snow and Rain Disrupt China’s Lunar New Year Travel Rush
Snow and freezing rain in China were disrupting travel on Monday and had already caused hundreds of rail and flight cancellations, as millions of people traveled across the country before lunar new year holiday begins this weekend. For many years, heavy travel within and into China ahead of the holiday, known as Spring Festival in […]
How to Take Better Pictures With a Drone
Before the advent of drones, people had to rely mostly on airplanes or helicopters to take aerial photographs. Now, thanks to increasing availability and decreasing price points of drones, as well as advances in obstacle avoidance technology, GPS navigation, battery life and camera stabilization, it certainly seems easier to take photographs from higher elevations. But […]
Relentless request for personal details may constitute gender-based sexual harassment
Dear PAO, Yesterday, while walking on the sidewalk to work, someone approached me and asked for my name and my contact details. Since he is a stranger, I refused by shaking my head and walked away. Although he kept an appropriate distance, the man did not give up and followed me for several minutes, relentlessly […]
Read Your Way Through Lagos
For a historical overview, I’d recommend “Lagos: A Cultural History,” by Kaye Whiteman. It traces the history of the city from the arrival of Portuguese explorers in 1472 to the British takeover in 1861 and contemporary times. It takes us through the topography of Lagos (the Island-Mainland dichotomy), the streets and their stories, the city’s […]
C.D.C. Investigating Gastrointestinal Illness on Queen Victoria Luxury Cruise Ship
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating an outbreak on a luxury cruise ship after more than 150 people reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness, including diarrhea and vomiting. The ship, the Queen Victoria, operated by Cunard Line, departed Southampton, England, on Jan. 11 on a 107-night cruise that included recent stops in Florida […]
Importance of a DoJ or media representative during drug inventory
Dear PAO, Our neighbor’s son, around 19 years old, along with two of his friends, was arrested for a drug-related violation. From what I have heard, there was neither a representative from the media nor from the fiscal’s office during the inventory of the confiscated drugs. Is the absence of such a representative crucial to […]
Dipping Into the World’s Most Stunning Hot Springs
Some hot springs look like palaces, others like holes in the ground. Some feel like parties, others like prayers. There are hot baths within cities, on remote islands, in the desert, inside thick forests. Thermal water can be green, orange, blue, yellow or turquoise. It can be milky and opaque, silty with sediment or as […]