Signs He's Your Work Spouse

LA County employee Rebecca Wells, 51, found dead at desk

(NEWSER) - A Los Angeles County employee lay dead and slumped over her desk in an office cubicle for what could have been as long as a day before anybody noticed, police say. Rebecca Wells, a 51-year-old auditor who had recently become a grandmother, was found by a security guard Saturday afternoon, KTLA reports. She had last been seen alive at 9am Friday morning, say detectives, who suspect she died from a stroke or heart attack. (Click here for another depressing work-related story .) More»

You have no way of knowing what their marriage is like: Frank Bruni

(NEWSER) - Ann Romney has been out on the campaign trail recently, attempting to deflate any flip-flopper accusations directed her husband's way. "You want constancy? They’ve been married since the Mesozoic era," quips Frank Bruni of the New York Times . But he’s not impressed. The candidate’s spouse, he writes is a "tired political fiction," a ritual repeated every campaign. Handlers predictably trot out the spouse (aka "human Downy") to serve as a delightful foil, to round out a candidate, to alter the news coverage. More»

If you want to please your co-workers, stop complaining

(NEWSER) - LinkedIn asked more than 17,000 professionals around the globe to name their biggest workplace pet peeve—and, surprisingly, the top spot went to something a bit more serious than leaving your smelly food in the office fridge. The top five:

1. Those who don’t take ownership of their actions.
2. Co-workers who complain too much.

...and other surprising social network stats

(NEWSER) - Facebook friends aren’t real buddies, right? Wrong, according to a new study. People who use the social network multiple times a day have an average of “9% more close, core ties in their overall social network compared with other internet users,” the Pew study says. And yes, they have actually met almost all their Facebook friends: Only 7% of their friend list consists of people they’ve never spoken to in real life, Mashable reports. More»

Cindy McCain on the job of political spouse

(NEWSER) - When Cindy McCain married John, she expected to have a long life as a Navy wife; instead, her husband entered politics. “Back then, the political spouse was just a supportive role. I was expected to go to dinners, barbecues, rodeos, picnics, and not say too much,” she writes for Newsweek . But “my role started to change” when John ran for Senate, and when he ran for president, it was “like being catapulted off an aircraft carrier: they fling you off and they expect you to fly.” More»