First Run News

HARTFORD, Conn. — During Erroll Brantley Jr.’s nearly two years in prison, his girlfriend, Katherine Eaton, visited him three times a week, the maximum allowed. She wrote him letters and spent hundreds of dollars on phone calls, during which the couple spoke of their longing to be back together in her three-bedroom house with the picture window. Amid the I love yous and I miss yous, she promised to help him stay off heroin and readjust to life outside. But when Mr. Brantley was released on parole, he got some bad news: He would not be allowed to live with his beloved Katherine. Or see her.

The sales pitches were filled with urgency and emphasized familiarity. Act now or risk missing out on millions of dollars. Trust us because we are part of the “N.F.L. brotherhood.” “You have nothing to lose,” a former N.F.L. quarterback implored in one, “but money you’re entitled to and that you earned the hard way.” The pleadings are aimed at former N.F.L.

Two very different books about being Roman Catholic and gay were released recently, each with an endorsement from a cardinal who oversees an archdiocese along the Hudson River. Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, the archbishop of Newark, endorsed “Building a Bridge,” calling it “brave, prophetic and inspiring.” The book calls on church leaders to use preferred terms like “gay” instead of “same-sex attraction,” as a sign of respect to gay Catholics. Cardinal Timothy M.

Sign up here to get the Smarter Living newsletter, a weekly roundup of the best advice from The New York Times on living a better, smarter and more fulfilling life. Searching for the right therapist is sort of like dating. To find The One, you need to date around, “swipe” your way through options and get a feel for who’s out there. In my own hunt, I first searched for therapists online, which led me to feel even more confused than when I began. Lost and without any leads, I asked my best friend for a recommendation.