fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Mamasong’s Diaries: My Dad the Mummy’s Boy
By: Amina Abubkr
Tags: Dads, Wisdom, Life, Parenting, Experience

Mamasong’s Diaries: My Dad the Mummy’s Boy

And just like that, more than six months have passed since my dad passed on, but virtually everything me reminds me of him.

Dates remind me of him,

Tasbeeh beads,

Prayer mats,

The Mushaf,

The scent of musk….

You name them.

I really miss him, that goes without saying I know. I particularly miss our evening gists, my dad, Yaya narrating all the funny stories and I, laughing heartily, chewing away my boiled corn.

Yaya was a Mummy’s boy, and whenever he spoke about his mother, he did it with so much passion and enthusiasm that would lighten up the whole place.

He said to me “There was a day I returned from work a bit late and met a relative waiting for me, astounded, I asked the relative why they were there till that late. “Didn’t Dada A’ee(my dad’s Mum) tell you? I was here since yesterday.” responded the relative. “Alright..you go rest, we’d sort everything out in the morning in sha Allah.” I went straight to Dada Aee’s room, as usual, there were bowls of chilled local drinks, all kinds of food and roasted corn all waiting to give me a warm welcome. That instant, i forgot all my sorrows and reclined on Dada Aee’s 3-seater sofa, my legs crossed nonchalantly, resting on the seater’s back support. I was completely chilled.”

““Dada,” I said to Dada A’ee, “so and so came since yesterday with a dilemma but you didn’t mention, why?” She looked at me hard “Look at you, Baba, would you have been this chilled even in your own room?” then she said “Whoever has an issue should wait until they talk to you, you shouldn’t be burdened in my space.”

“And then it dawned on me, Dade A’ee never demanded anything, not even for herself. She was a very reasonable person, I was always so chilled around her. She was compassionate, yet very practical, her wisdom held the family together. She made sure everyone was satisfied ……..without loosing their sense of discipline off course” he giggled.

Silence…..Then he took a deep breath and looked at me seriously “I see a lot of her in you Dada,……I am glad I named you after her.”

Oh how much I miss those wisdom filled evenings, isn’t it ironic how easily we take these experiences for granted? If only I could get just one more evening, just one more.

May Allah keep my dad in the best of company, in the highest station in heaven. May He make it easy for us, to put his imparted wisdom to good use. Aameen.
Hero.
By: Fitzgerald Afful
Tags: Family, Fathers Day, Dads

“It is better to fail honorably than to pass dishonorably”.

This is one of his favorite sayings. One I have never gone by and don’t think I will ever go by. I’ll tell my kids same though. I mean, come on, fail honorably? What’s that? He’s been repeating it since my BECE. I appreciate it anyway.

You know how phones were banned in schools and yet some students would still bring phones because “hard guys”? And we’d use those phones to call home and ask for provisions and money? I had a friend like that. My Dad would usually call him and ask to speak to me.

Now one dawn around 2:30 am, Kofi (name withheld) comes to wake me with his phone. I pick the call sleepily and I hear my Dad’s voice on the other end. “You are always sleeping. You are always sleeping. Your friends (referring to Kofi) are learning at night. You are always sleeping”. I listened to him blast me over the line and gave Kofi’s phone to him. I actually got mad at Kofi because who mines all the days of the week.

Later after we vacated that term, I got home and asked my mum what happened that dawn. She told me about how he was boiling and it was hilarious.

We reopened the next term and my Dad came to visit me. Our school displays all the results of the previous term on the notice board during visiting days. So I took my Dad to watch my results (It really wasn't necessary. My Dad would come to the school and take my results himself when we reopened. Even though the results got posted to each one). I did that to actually show him Kofi’s results. Yeah, Kofi was 52nd and under the red line. That’s why Kofi mines all through the night every day. You didn't hear that from me though.
Father’s Day 2019
By: Cymberly Pierce
Tags: Dads, Family, Fathers Day, Values, Legacy

It’s Father’s Day. I see all my friends posting pictures of their children, and all I can think is “I’m so grateful I don’t have children”. I was (okay, still am) quite independent, which can be quite stressful for a parent, and I’m really trying to avoid that karma.

My father and I are very similar is some ways and quite different in other aspects. We are both strong-willed, have high expectations, and we give our best effort in everything we do. Mostly, we differ on political ideologies, but we handle that in the most healthy way - just as other families do - and we never discuss it.

One thing I’ve always admired and tried to emulate from my father is his sense of equality. Even though my dad was (and still is) the boss at his company; he doesn’t have a special parking spot, he doesn’t treat himself and/or his “lieutenants” to preferential treatment, and he doesn’t ask anyone to do something that he wouldn’t be willing to do himself. To this day, my dad is still typically the last person in the building and he still goes around to turn off the lights and check all the rooms before he leaves.

I got my work ethic from my dad. I’ve always been a hustler. Since I was a kid, my parents never had to force me to study or do my homework. I did it because I liked it, it was the right thing to do, and it generally came easy to me. My strength and my drive come from my dad.

Damn. That Strength. To endure. To pursue. To keep going. It’s in my blood and it pushes me to achieve greatness.

It’s a silent strength — often unnoticable. But it’s steady. And loving.

My father has shown me how to treat people with kindness and to do the right thing.

I was traveling in Greece with my friends. I saw an elderly woman who appeared to be homeless and I wanted to help her, but we were on a mission to find a club (that turned out to be closed). On our walk back to the house, I saw the woman again. My friends kept walking as I stopped to speak with her and give her some money. She didn’t speak English, but she hugged me multiple times and we gave each other a kiss. It was a brief moment, but it was so human and loving and special. I then ran to catch up with my friends, who I don’t think even noticed the interaction.

That human experience was brought to you by Tim Pierce, who taught me to do the right thing — not for the glory, not for yourself. You do the right thing and you serve others. And when you serve others in a truly selfless way, the return on investment to your own soul is magnified.

Thank you, Pop, for being an amazing father and human begin. You shaped who I am as a person, and I hope I honor you by passing on your legacy of selfless service for others.
I wish
By: Faiz Uninhibited
Tags: Father And Son, Dad, Miss You Dad, Papa

May, 2000. AMU, Aligarh

We have been standing for hours in the long queues for getting the admission process completed. For anyone who studied in AMU, during those times would know how difficult that day is when you have to rush to 8 different admission counters across the huge AMU campus, stand in long lines in the May heat of North India to get your admission process completed. It’s a herculean task and by around 2 pm, personally I was too frustrated to go any further and was pushing him to give up and return to Kanpur.

This was me, who never ventured out of home, always the homely boy till class 12th — being put through the process of getting admitted into a university, where i was supposed to stay away from home — in a hostel with unknown people.

I could see him sweating profusely, bit worried and hassled about the whole process, fearing that if we are late, will we might be late to get the process completed in time.

And that’s when I sensed my opportunity. I asked him to take a lunch break before we go any further.

In the sprawling AMU campus canteen, I told him that it’s high time we let go of this process and go home. I was telling him that if the admission process is so tricky, imagine how bad rest of the things are going to be for me.

He was happily eating and talking and listening to me, but the determined man was clear why he was there and would leave no stone unturned to ensure we get through the process. He found a PCO nearby, made some calls and in no time we had my newly made guardians (2 of my cousins who studied there) up and ready to get us through the process faster.

By the end of the day, i was destined to stay on my own for the next 3 years. A decision that shaped me to who I am today.
Of Angels And Magnolia Leaves
By: Carmel Delshad
Tags: Goodbye, Dads, Death, Death And Dying, Father And Daughter

I got the call on the morning of August 2, 2015. I was laying in bed, sore from my move the day before.

“Hello?” I said groggily, wondering why I was being awoken at the ungodly hour of… 10.a.m. I was not an early riser, and my entire family knew that. This probably wasn’t good.

“Hey Carmel. Are you up?” It was my sister. Only she sounded anxious, and I immediately shot up in bed.

“I am now. What’s wrong?” I asked. My stomach was doing backflips and I felt uneasy. I knew something bad happened.

“Um, listen. Baba fell down yesterday. He’s in the hospital, but he’s being transferred to hospice now.”

“Hospice? What? What happened? How is he going to hospice care so fast from a fall? I don’t understand,” I said. My husband was up and looking at any clues from me as to what was going on.

“Baba has cancer, and…it doesn’t look good. You need to come to Florida right away,” she said.

My brother got on the phone next, and explained everything in a whirlwind few minutes. Baba had lung cancer. Baba didn’t want anyone to know. Baba lived with it for months. Baba’s lung cancer metastasized. Baba didn’t want to treat it; it spread like wildfire.

Baba didn’t have much time left.

I couldn’t believe I moved into a new apartment one day, elated at the new beginnings ahead of me, and found out my dad was dying the next.

“Oh and Carmel.” my sister said, interrupting my train of thought.

“Make sure you bring something black to wear.”
Merge a Laravel Request on the fly
Tags: Request, Laravel, Add, Change, Merge

Merge a Laravel Request on the fly

How to change or add a new value to a Laravel request parameter Panjeh Jan 14·3 min read

The solution is in Part B.

Part A: ( Introduction )

Let’s first see how merge() helper function works in Laravel:

The merge method merges the given array or collection with the original array or collection. If a string key in the given items matches a string key in the original collection, the given items's value will overwrite the value in the original collection:

$collection = collect(['product_id' => 1, 'price' => 100]);

adding or updating the collection:

$merged = $collection->merge(['price' => 200, 'discount' => false]);



The new collection will be:

$merged->all();



// ['product_id' => 1, 'price' => 200, 'discount' => false]

If the given array is not an associative array (the given items’s keys are numeric), the values will be appended to the end of the collection.

$collection = collect(['Desk', 'Chair']);



$merged = $collection->merge(['Bookcase', 'Door']);



$merged->all();



// ['Desk', 'Chair', 'Bookcase', 'Door']

Part B:

B-I: What we are merging is a simple value.

You know that $request is an object and $request->all() is an array and is not a collection. Check it yourself: Reference

Now, suppose there is a request that we are going to add or update its value associated to the “image” key. You can simply do this:

$fileName = “IMAGE_1”

B-II: Sometimes the value (parameter) we are merging (updating or adding) is itself an array:

B-II-adding:

In the case of adding and not updating, just need to follow B-I.

As an example, suppose there is no 'user' key in the $request->all()

You can simply merge $arrayOfUserData

as an array with the $request

B-II-updating:

If 'user' key and its value (that is an array $arrayOfUserData ) is in $request->all() and we want to modify that array $arrayOfUserData , first, we have to modify the array somewhere and then merge the modified array with the current request.

Result:

I started a new journey and spending my time to dive deeply in Laravel. Stay tuned, follow me and learn daily a small but valuable tip from Laravel without spending much time!
Finding innovation and humanity during a pandemic
By: Juan Carlos Garay
Tags: Dads, Stay At Home Dad, Stay At Home, Humanity, Innovation

I thought it would be nice to get curious about innovation and the human spirit. While all our kids are well versed in staying safe and staying at home, I thought it would be nice to show them some of the innovation and uplifting stories happening around the world. Here are some short videos that cover a range of topics that are meant to uplift or spark curiosity.

Science

This is a Bill Nye-type of experiment carried out at a school to show how viruses can spread. It is a fun experiment (unless you’re a germophobe), that tackles a scary subject in a light-hearted way: https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/see-germs-spread-mark-rober (10 minutes)

Question to discuss with the kids: How well do you think your classroom would do if you ran the same experiment?

Humanity

Disclaimer: this one got me teary-eyed. It is a video showing how people rise to the challenge of keeping human connections alive and healthy even when we can’t be close to each other. Italians singing in balconies, people gathering to sing happy birthday to their grandparent or working out on rooftops: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdw7WEMe9AI (4 minutes)

Question to discuss with the kids: What is our community doing to still feel connected?

Technology

I really nerded-out about this one. There is a ton of interesting innovation happening right now in response to the pandemic.

Robots acting like a beehive are packing our groceries

Delivery services using robots to pack food more efficiently: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_psDSX-7P1s (5 minutes)

Question to discuss with the kids: How could robots help us do other tasks that tend to be boring and repetitive?

Chinese robots can detect if you have a temperature

The Chinese are using robots in all sorts of ways to help with the outbreak: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzthGASSxxM (5 minutes)

Question to discuss with the kids: How is the use of robots useful vs how could it also be intrusive?

3D Printers to the rescue

3D printers are printing supplies needed for the front lines of the pandemic:

Printed masks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xL1BUPOA1bg

Question to discuss with the kids: If we all had a 3D printer at home, how could we help our community?

Random

For all the gamers! There was actually a virus outbreak in a multiplayer game that required players to keep social distance within the game. Super interesting!!

World of WarCraft gets a virus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nP0ot-gnso (6 minutes)

I hope this helps to entertain but also makes the kiddos aware that human ingenuity and spirit always rise to the occasion.
Dear Dad,
Tags: Dads, Father And Son, Fathers Love, Fatherhood, Fathers Day

Dear Dad,

Your Love is Loyal,

Your Care is Countless.

Your Support is Special,

Your Possessiveness is Priceless.

You are the closest one to me yet;

You are the farthest to reach out!

I have always had your back

But this time, I need your ear!

Of all the years I have lived for you,

I want to seek a moment for myself.

The moment when I speak my heart out,

And the moment you listen my heart out.

You see what I want to show you inside me,

And you feel what I want you to feel for me.

I have not lived as much as you.

I have not learned as much as you.

So it’s not more or less I am asking for,

It’s about what I could never ask you for!

You never subjectified your sacrifices.

I will never exemplify my expectations.

You be what the Life has made you,

And what I love you for the most.

And let me be what the life wants me to be,

And love me the way I want to be loved!

Looking up to you as my Pillar,

I promise I will be your Roof.

Walking on your footprints,

I want to cast my own shadows.

On the journey towards finding my identity,

I will best protect your respect and dignity.

“It’s only either you cry or be a man”

Is what I have heard the world saying!

So for the very first time,

Giving you a Hug for Life,

Before flying high in the sky,

Before stepping on the hard rocks,

I wonder if you allow me to cry the oceans out,

Before putting on the solid shields of Manhood.

Sha_Feek.In
So You Want To Be An Ironman
By: Daniel Norich
Tags: Accountability, Dads, Ironman, Men, Mental Health

Just wanted to share my experience with training for a Half Ironman. December, 31st, 2018, I decided to do something epic. Train and compete in a half Ironman. A classic New Years goal, right!? Not something I am used to doing but I wanted to do something BIG, physically and mentally challenging that would push me out of my comfort zone.

Here is how I broke it all down:

Step One

FIND A COACH. Pat, was my man and he gave me a weekly program to follow plus expert advice when it came to training, recovery and planning.

Step Two

FIND A COMMUNITY. Through reaching out to some friends, I found a team where we not only trained together but we supported, motivated and lifted each other up. This was essential because I came into the training with no experience, so I definitely needed the encouragement when things got intense!

Step Three

TRAIN! What a lifestyle choice this was! Six days a week, whilst building a business, coaching my clients every day, making time for my six month old daughter Lula and helping my wife out as much as I can.

Everyone kept asking me, “How do you find the time to train?” My answer, “There is always time, you just need to be resourceful and committed and have a very understanding wife!”

Step Four

PROGRAM. Following a bulletproof program that has worked for others and guaranteed to take me from an occasional endurance trainer to a half Ironman, ready in six months.

So, the system was in place, I had a coach, a community, a program and training practices. I set my goal for the half Ironman in Cairns and when I arrived at the start line, I just felt so ready, I knew that I had followed the system that had worked for thousands of others who had successfully completed a half Ironman. Over the last six months I had committed to early nights, early mornings, a healthy eating plan and prioritising the training over many other opportunities. Before even racing I felt like I had already accomplished my goal because I made it to the starting line.

The actual event was a wild experience of excitement, beauty, discomfort, empowerment, struggle, comradery, heat, exhaustion and humidity but most importantly fun!

Result: Completion in 5:59:31, my goal 6:00:00 hours. Boom!
What has COVID taught me about parenting?
By: Rob Stanley
Tags: Dadlife, Dads, Parenting, Covid-19, Kids

What has COVID taught me about parenting?

Well here we are, four months into our second child and in the middle of a global pandemic and we’re still keeping everything together. Our oldest (Miss, 3) has just gone back to daycare which makes working from home just that little easier. I still don’t know when I’ll head back to the office or for how many days a week when we do head back.

It’s strange that despite everything going on in the world and everyone doing it so tough I’ve actually really enjoyed parts of the last few months. We’re lucky that we have a yard, some grass and a good neighbourhood so spending time at home whilst we’ve gotten adjusted to having two young kids has been amazing.

Being able to hold our daughter whilst my wife has a shower and showing her off on Zoom calls to my workmates has been great for all of us. I’ve been more available and hopefully the sum of the micro moments we’ve all spent together is a great base for what’s to come.

We’ve also adjusted to the restrictions pretty easily by visiting our local coffee shops, local parks and generally spending more time local. My weekend rides have become 4 x 9km loops which don’t take me more than 5km for our house at anytime and catch-ups with friends that used to be over a couple of beers are now being down whilst we walk with a latte.

I’ve played more games of Cinderella and Snow White in the saved commute time than I can count and mini breaks during the day for trampoline exercises with Miss 3 have been the new cookie jar trip. Do you think I can convince the office to install a trampoline?

I’ve also made a rule during lockdown of sitting down for family dinner at 5pm each night as a family. Usually I would leave the office at 5pm, be home by 6pm and then have the mad rush to bedtime. The fact that I’ve been available for dinner each night have been a huge shift in my parenting. Whilst it’s important now when the girls are young I can only imagine how important it will be later in life when they’re at school and facing the extra stresses that entails.

Whilst COVID has been challenging, and it’s by no means over, it has definitely helped me think about what type of parent I want to be for my daughters as they grow up.
Gifts Outdoors Dads Want: Father’s Day Gift Guide
By: Carly Brasseux
Tags: Dads, Gift Guide, Gifts, Dads And Daughters, Gift Ideas

Does your dad love adventure? Is he a hunter, fisher, or all-around outdoorsman? Can he be found up early to head out on the boat or grabbing gear for his annual camping trip? If so, we’ve got the best Father’s Day gift ideas!

We always love heading to Bass Pro Shops to grab all of our outdoor gear.

Here are 4 gift ideas for Father’s Day:

1. The Lew’s Mach Pro Baitcast Combo is a great-looking rod and reel combo that is high on performance and comfort. Your dad will definitely appreciate the premium 10-bearing system with double-shielded stainless steel ball bearings and Zero Reverse® one-way clutch bearing. It’s a beauty of a combo; he will be itching to use it as soon as he opens it. Promise.

2. Make sure to update his fishing attire this Father’s Day with the Columbia PFG Slack Tide Camp Short-Sleeve Shirt and World Wide Sportsman Baitcast Shorts. Both are designed to keep him dry and cool while he’s out in the heat. The shirt provides a UPF 50 sun protection and a handy cleaning patch to keep his sunglasses clean. Ummmm…. How awesome!

3. Got a dad that’s always grilling at camp? The Lodge Logic 5-Piece Cast Iron Cookware Set is the gift to get this Father’s Day! Great on the stove and over a campfire, this set delivers a smooth heat distribution, heat retention, and cooking versatility that can’t be matched. It’s a convenient set that’ll give your dad everything he needs for a wide range of cooking outside of the kitchen.

4. If you’re looking for something more traditional this Father’s Day, Bass Pro also has a great collection of watches and wallets. I can forget that Bass Pro has these type items, but the Luminox Colormark EVO Navy SEAL Colormark Series Dive Watch features micro-gas night-vision tubes that glow continually for 25 years, Swiss-made quartz movement in a carbon-reinforced polycarbonate 44 mm case, and is water-resistant to 660′. Wow, right? This is definitely a gift he’ll want to show off to his buddies.

Make Father’s Day extra special this year and show your dad how much you appreciate him with something he’ll truly love.

Miss Pursuit is a participant in the Bass Pro Shops Affiliates Program. Miss Pursuit may earn a small commission for our endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website. Your purchase helps support our work in bringing you real information about hunting and the outdoors.
AT THE GYM PODCAST
By: Seth Ackerman
Tags: Family, Motivation, Dads, Comeback

Speaker 1:

Hey, sorry about that, whoever was watching earlier. I had a connection problem. But yeah, anyways, what I was saying is, is I had a … At the gym this morning I was listening to a podcast by Andy Frisella. He talks about what out of comfort, what in your life has come? What great in your life has come from being comfortable. And I got to thinking and man that hit me hard this morning, because recently I had a pretty major setback in the business that I’m in, where I do a lot of self promotion and stuff like that. And a lot of that got shut down and it set me back and it made me think, that I kind of got caught there. Just, I kind of got caught really.

Speaker 1:

But what I like to say is, it’s like out of that struggle became opportunity. I found other ways to make it even better. And I think anything in life, regardless of what it is, comes from you being uncomfortable and doing something that is out of the norm, putting yourself out there and whatnot.

Speaker 1:

And you know, it’s not like … it’s kind of like what the great Rocky Balboa says, it’s not how hard you hit, but it’s how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. It’s about how hard … it’s about the comeback, it’s not about the setback. It’s what you do with the struggle and the pain. And that’s what creates the greatness. But anyways, I hope this message finds you well, thanks for watching. Have a blessed day.
My Mentor, My Father.
Tags: Peace, Mentor, Dad, Thoughts, Mylove

My Mentor, My Father.

Photo: Phinehas Adams

There was such an indescribable pain in his final moments.

You could just see from the way his eyes no longer sparkled and his smile didn’t reach his eyes - it was like he knew what was coming.

Although, on some other days he was happy with his achievements and happy that he had found peace; peace in his environment, peace with his children and peace with God. He never showed any these emotions though, but someone so connected with him could feel it – so much.

He had started hustling at the age of 20 and achieved a lot by 28 . He wasn’t selfish with the knowledge he had gained on the road to success. By the age of 35, he could proudly count a number of people he had catered for and trained. His house was everyone’s home.

Personally, he taught me about hard work and the importance of having discipline and integrity. Giving up was never an option to him even when things didn’t turn out the way he wanted and so, with this trait, he unconsciously made his children warriors. He taught me about the richness in moderation and decency. Even with his busy schedule, he never neglected Mum, me or my siblings – his plan was to always make sure that we had all the good things in life.

He still saves me in my dreams.

The goal is to make him proud and raise the bar.

Keep on resting Dad, I think of you every day.

From your humble Mentee and Daughter,

Antho.
What your parents didn’t Tell you.
By: Louis Grubb
Tags: Parenting, Dads

DAD CAN DANCE

What your parents didn’t Tell you.

My Five year old Daughter came home from school today and I wanted to know all the gossip. Trying to get your child to summarise what’s happened over the past six hours in your absence is a skill in which I have yet to master. The usual conversation is as follows:

“How was School?”

“GOOD!”

“What did you do today?”

“lots of things!”

“What did you learn today?”

“I didn’t really learn anything, I just did some drawing and cutting and playing.”

This conversation generally leaves me feeling unsatisfied. I have to step up a gear and remember a detail about something that happened jurying the apparent eclipse.

She had been making some weird craft effigies to give as gifts to her friends at school. Her Mum has been pivotal in developing this type of intelligence which apparently I am lacking in. Trying to glue random bits of recycling together excites me as much as sushi does a fish. This is a practice which I don’t really understand but encourage.

On the first day of school she decided to give her friends these glasses made from cupcake wrappers and toothpicks (pictured above).

She was very GGGG’D up and when she got to the classroom. She was putting her bag away when she locked on to the closest child in the room. She got right up in her personal space and instructed with a cascade of words. The girl which I hope she was acquainted with was to give the cupcake goggles to another girl who wasn’t there yet.

I was watching the scene unfold at an arm’s length marvelling the monster I’d created. My daughter had realised she’d come in too hot as her cheeks flushed red she turned to me for reassurance.

I grimaced with my eyes and smiled with my mouth.

Thats the best I could do at that point in time. I had a bittersweet taste in my mouth as I realised once again that my daughter was an oddball. I loved everything thing about this moment and was blessed to witness it. I was too scared to even ask after school how the gift was received by the classmate. The scary part is I was fully responsible for this whole CF, bar the bizarre cupcake goggles.
Ed Sheeran’s Dad
By: Harold Heath
Tags: Dementia, Dads, Family, Alzheimers, Love

My Dad has never met Ed Sheeran’s Dad. Names and faces, events and dates, from last week and from 30 years ago have started to meld together in his mind. The links between faces and names have started to fall into disrepair, and the connections between people and events are becoming unstable as they start to crumble. Identities are swapped and interchanged and the essence of who people are has started to become more fluid to him. We’re watching TV and Dad turns to us and says “That fella with the red hair, what’s his name…wait, its on the tip of my tongue” and boom, right there, his brain decides that todays victory is going to be dredging up Ed Sheeran’s name. Well, you take your victories where you can find them.

I’m pleased for him; he’s managed to escape the cycle of annoyance and self flagellation that he submits himself to when unable to recall a memory, and he’s successfully recalled Ed Sheeran’s name from his memory. Except that Ed Sheeran wasn’t on the TV at all. But Dad’s remembered who he wanted to remember and so that gets a tiny internal cheer from me. The reason he’s recalling Ed Sheeran’s name is that Dad believes he knows Ed’s Dad. Michael Sheeran his name was, they worked together in the 60s in London and Ed’s Dad was always pretty cagey about what his son did for a living back then — now we know why: his son was famous time-travelling pop star Ed Sheeran, already a successful pop singer in the mid-60s yet reaching his early 20s nearly half a century years later.
How to Use Idfix tool for AzureAD Synchronization Error Remediation.
By: Dinusha Tharindu
Tags: Azuread, Idfix, Adds

If you’re admin of a Azure AD / office 365 tenant and if you installed AD sync on your onprem servers, you may be familiar with a notification emails receiving to you with the title of “Sync errors detected on your Azure AD Connect service “.

This happened due to the synchronization errors between on premises server and office 365, usually duplicate entries and formatting errors.

in order to solve this problem Microsoft is suggesting a tool called “IdFix” , which is capable of identifying errors such as duplicates and formatting problems in Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) domain.

IdFix is used to perform discovery and remediation of identity objects and their attributes in an on-premises Active Directory environment in preparation for migration to Azure Active Directory. Below is the link to download the tool.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=36832

Ones you download the tool , here is how you use the tool.

Permissions: The application runs in the context of the authenticated user which means that it will query the authenticated forest and must have rights to read the directory. If you wish to apply changes to the directory the authenticated user needs write permission to the desired objects.

Ones you run the tool , it will be showing various type of the issue such as duplication , invalid characters , format errors, and so on.. so based on the error type you can apply a action on the action section. refer below screenshot.ones selecting the all actions , you can apply changes to the directory by clicking “Apply”

based on the error type you can reduced number sync errors and you verify the changes by re-running the tool. after fixing all the entries , you can run full sync using Azure AD connect which will resolve your AD sync problem.

Please refer below Microsoft article for detailed description about fixing different type attributes and errors using the IdFix tool.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/enterprise/prepare-directory-attributes-for-synch-with-idfix

Happy Fixing 🙂
3 Reasons To Support Fathers’ Rights
By: Cordell
Tags: Dads, Divorce, Children, Fatherhood, Parenting

Cordell & Cordell has advocated for fathers’ rights since its inception in 1990. Ensuring that dads have a voice is central to our mission. The firm’s fathers’ rights attorneys are dedicated to advocating for dads and helping to make sure they still play a central role in their children’s lives after divorce.

The fact is, fathers count on their dads more than ever after divorce.

We believe fathers are essential to healthy families. With that in mind, it’s important to take a step back and consider why dads are so important and why it is necessary to support fathers’ rights.

Children need their father

Of course, the biggest reason to support fathers’ rights is the most obvious. Dads play a distinct, irreplaceable role in raising their kids.

Data shows that children from fatherless homes are more likely to be poor, abuse drugs or alcohol, and suffer health and emotional problems.

Dads find unique ways to bond with their children and that fatherly influence drastically improves their physical and mental well-being.

Modern fathers, in particular, are taking on a much more active role when it comes to parenting with more dads than ever considering fatherhood to be their “most important job.”

Dads are more than just breadwinners

A half century ago, fathers’ biggest contribution to the household was their paycheck. They worked all day while mom stayed home to take care of the household duties and child

Times sure have changed. It is increasingly common for men to be stay-at-home dads as women have staked out a bigger presence in the workplace. Fathers are also splitting more of the household work with mothers.

Most importantly, dads are more emotionally engaged when interacting with their children than ever before. This is significant because research shows that emotionally-involved fathers typically have happier kids.

Anti-dad bias in family law

Another compelling reason to support fathers’ rights is that, in many respects, the deck is still stacked against dads in issues pertaining to family law. Although much progress has been made as the shared parenting movement continues to gain momentum, there are still far too many stereotypes that lead to unfair rulings against fathers.

Consider the fact that only 17.8% of fathers are custodial parents and that 66% of all child support not paid by non-custodial fathers is due to an inability to pay. It is painfully obvious that there is an imbalance in the system that needs corrected.

Things are even worse for unwed fathers as it is shockingly easy for a mother to eliminate the dad from the picture by committing paternity fraud, which often has very few repercussions for the guilty party.
Dear Dad
Tags: Dads, Family, Grateful, Poetry, Daughter

PC : unsplash — Kelly Sikkema

Dear dad,

You were nothing but a familiar stranger

A Voice filled with kindness and love

Over those rare telephone calls.

A photograph of a handsome smile

And that was all I knew of you

My first step, they say was holding your hands dad.

But I missed having pictures of me taken with you,

I missed climbing onto your lap as often as I wished.

I remember

I remember the first time I met you

Hurling myself into your arms like a canon ball

in that crowded airport

Cocooned in your strong arm, I remember running my little hands along your stubbled jaw

And wondering….”why is it so rough?”

I remember you throwing me up in the air

and I remember not being scared.

You weren’t there

To teach me to ride a bicycle

But I recall the day

When you bought me my first

You weren’t there to hold my hand

On the first day of school

But I remember the surprise I felt on seeing that toy train on my bed!

I wasn’t privileged

To share my childhood with you.

I recall waving at every airplane I could see

Thinking you’d be in there, waving back, coming home…

But dad, I am lucky to call you that

I am proud to call myself the daughter of a man

who always put his family first and never himself

and I am thankful for you as I live day by day,

you are my special hero dad

and I just wanted to tell you so.

Love,

your Daughter.

To all those dads who had to leave their families behind and sacrificed their joy to make the lives of their loved ones better.
So, has anyone else ever had the world’s most unlucky Dad?
By: Jennifer A Macmillan
Tags: Badluck, Nodoctor, Dads

So, has anyone else ever had the world’s most unlucky Dad? My Dad had a string of relentlessly stupid accidents and injuries. Here is the short list of the winners:

Fell into the holding tank of raw sewage at the sewage treatment plant when trying to look at a valve. After swimming in 20 feet of crap he lost his hard hat. He realized this after he got himself out. He then jumped back in to get the hard hat so that people would not think someone was still in there. How considerate! I would have left the hat. While standing on a ladder and using a giant drill to make holes in the wood beams in the ceiling, the drill bit broke and smashed through my dad’s lip and broke his bottom 2 teeth. My sister had her grade 12 grad that night so my Dad elected not to go to the doctor til the next day. My Dad was welding and started his pants on fire. My Dad was carrying a steel beam down a hill in the freezing prairie winter. He slipped on ice, fell, and when he landed there just happened to be a board with a nail sticking up. Well that nail went into his ankle. My Dad (poor dumb fella) did not go to the doctor and developed tetanus…so once he realized something was wrong he went in. Well, he got his shots and medication, but he ended up being allergic to the medication and developed hives and non-stop hiccups. My Dad in all of his infinite wisdom decided he was fine, until he wasn’t. My brother happened to be playing hooky from school when my Dad got up to change the tv channel and then promptly fell on his face because his throat swelled up. My brother called our Grandpa who transported my Dad to the hospital.

To say the least, my Dad has given me some great conversation starters!
Welcome to “Do Better, Adam,” a journal where I try to do better.
By: Adam Cronk
Tags: Parenting, Dads

Welcome to “Do Better, Adam,” a journal where I try to do better.

After grad school round 2, I stopped writing for a long time. That’s not a big deal for some people — not everyone likes writing, writing with no purpose in mind can be a trial, and if you write something down it becomes real in a way that if you just say it or think it somehow it doesn’t.

My problem is that I don’t think inside my head very well, and while I talk to myself, it’s much more narrative than analytical.

Anyway, I’m doing better physically, so I’m going to try and do better in other ways too. There are really a lot of ways in which I’ve sucked at things and continue to suck at things. There are also a whole range of things that I’m not as good at as I would like. This last bit is why I decided to write something down.

I realized that a bit of my parenting style is based on a particularly shitty football coach I had in High School. He was abrasive, rude, and I was actually scared of him. He still makes appearances in my nightmares from time to time. And there I was, channeling him at my own kid because it was taking him a long time to clean. Why? Does why even matter?

I’m not a psychologist, and there’s no but here. Probably someone with psychiatric insight would feel comfortable guessing at why, pointing out how impactful negative examples can be, but that’s not what I’m here for. I’m not going to try and justify a damn thing when I know I’m in the wrong. I screwed up. I’ve been screwing up in this particular way for a long time.

So I’m going to do better. Instead of slipping into the easy and damaging persona I seem to have incorporated into my day-to-day dad-ing, I’m going to try being more positive, more like the good coaches who helped me improve at things. Their energy could be contagious, and even as I sucked at things, I learned, improved, and had fun. I can emulate them rather than some asshole who scared me when I was a teen.

That’s going to be challenging, probably for both me and my kids. They’re going to be justifiably suspicious of me, and I’m going to feel like I’m trying too hard. I need to get over the idea that expending any emotional effort is somehow a waste.

I’m going to do better, though.
How to set-up ADDS on a Windows Server 2019
By: Himanshu Rawat
Tags: Microsoft, Windows Server 2019, Aws Ec2, Adds

ADDS or Active Directory Domain Services simply is a distributed database of objects in the network. An object could be a user, a computer, a domain or a tree. It maintains a hierarchical organization of objects which is also known as logical structure.

Broad use cases of ADDS include

Authentication — validates a user or a computer which is trying to access the network is a valid user or not.

— validates a user or a computer which is trying to access the network is a valid user or not. Authorization — used to grant and revoke permissions of the users connected to the network.

— used to grant and revoke permissions of the users connected to the network. High Availability — We know ADDS is like a distributed database service which allows high availability even when some components fail or break.

— We know ADDS is like a distributed database service which allows high availability even when some components fail or break. Storing Information — It stores all the information about objects in the network.

This is a brief overview of ADDS I will link references if you want to dive deep. For now, we will focus on setting up ADDS on a Windows Server.

PS — Read the disclaimer at the end, before proceeding further.

I will be using AWS (Amazon Web Services)for this tutorial. Launch an EC2 instance with AMI of Windows Server 2016 or 2019. This post won’t cover setting up an EC2 instance.

RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) into the instance that you have created, then we will begin setting it as an ADDS. Once you successfully RDP into your instance you will be able to see the desktop for your machine.

Windows Server 2019 Desktop

Steps to Set up Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS) on a Windows Server

Step 1 — Open command prompt type “servermanager” or search from taskbar and search “server manager”. Hit Enter.

CMD “servermanager” Command

Step 2 — Open Server Manager, then Add Role and Feature either from Manage or from Add roles and features.

Server Manager Dashboard

Step 3 — A wizard will pop up that will help in adding the role.
It’s Okay To Have Just One!
By: Deana Elwood, Head Bee
Tags: Moms, Dads, Parents, Parenting, Only Child

I have two sisters and two brothers and although my parents divorced and sisters one side, brothers other, it’s still a lot of planning. You go to this, I’ll go to that. Sorry can’t take you now have to take your sister out. It was a hustle and bustle life with lots of noise, and sometimes very quiet.

They say having one child will make them lonely or bored, but what about when there are a lot of kids to the point where no one can go to your back to school night or dance recital. It wasn’t easy especially as the forever middle child, so when my husband and I made our decision to have one, I can’t begin to tell you how many people decided to voice their opinion as if my ovaries where theirs and the oh you will see, you’ll change your mind only painted red in my mind after they kept saying it.

Stop telling women that they will change their mind or things change!

Anyone ever stop to think maybe it took years to get pregnant and finally you are successful. Or my favorite, he’s only a month!!! Back off!! Why do we feel the need to step so close in, popping personal bubbles and give unwanted opinions. Becoming a parent is hard as it is and coming from a large family I’m okay with one. No, he will not be lonely because I love him so much that he will get to experience whatever he wants and I can offer that because he is only one child. No, he will not become a brat because he’s spoiled. He’s spoiled with love, education, social skills and new adventures. And no, I’m his mother not you, so I’ll tell you he doesn’t NEED a sister or brother!

It’s okay to have just one. It’s okay to work full time outside the home or work full time as a stay at home mom with one kiddo. Mother or father, it’s not easy. We want them to be the best that they can and be able to watch them throw the first pitch at a game, leap at their dance recital, or have their drum solo at their first concert. So as parents that was also equally important to us. We want to be there for his every adventure as a team. We want to cheer him on for the rest of his life so he knows he is doing the best he can. We want this and again, it’s okay to have one.

Some only children say that they wished they had a sibling and hey, I wish for a million bucks but wasn’t dealt those cards. Decisions are made for reasons and young parents, old parents or new parents, let THEM feel confident about their decisions. So you didn’t get a sibling, but you got things that maybe you wouldn’t get if there were more children in the house. I didn’t get a millions bucks, but I sure as heck got a beautiful life and I’ll take that over anything.
A Letter to my Dad
By: Ashwin Suresh
Tags: Dads, Letters, Family, American Dream, Love

My dad lived an amazing life that began nearly 60 years ago and ended last week. After learning of my dad’s passing, I wrote him a letter which I have shared below:

Dear Dad,

There’s so much I wish that I could say to you, but I want to start by thanking you for always having been the dad that I needed. You may not have thought much of it at the time — perhaps you were chasing adventure much the way that I chase it — but you made sacrifices for me even before the 30 years that we knew each other. Spurred by little more than your father’s direction, you left your parents, your country and all of your comforts behind to build the best life that you could build for Mom, Adi and me. You first arrived in Rolla, Missouri with few dollars to your name, some of which you used to buy a beat-up Ford Galaxie 500: a car that you later told Adi and me may have been missing a motor. Much like me — years later — you also found it difficult to acclimate to new settings, but you ultimately worked twice as hard as you needed to work to achieve your goals. After you finished getting your Master’s degree, you moved us to Atlanta — where Adi and I were born. Although we initially enjoyed few of the material comforts that you would later provide us, the small apartments in which we first lived felt so much bigger thanks to all the love you managed to fit into them. I know the first few years of my life mostly through pictures and through stories from your many friends, but our pets would be jealous of the love that you showed me. While I was small enough, it seems that I rather enjoyed jumping on your back and going for rides across the living room. It also seems that I gravitated towards you when you were wearing a certain purple shirt adorning the logo of our favorite basketball team, the LA Lakers. By the way, Dad, the player whose smile and play captivated you and helped you bridge the vast cultural divide both between India and America and between you and me… his name was Magic Johnson — not Magic Jordan or Michael Jackson :)