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Ask Amy: Friendship is no “give” and all “take”

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:57 GMT

Dear Amy: My husband and I stumbled into an awesome friendship last year around the holidays, when we met “Chelsea.” (We are all middle-aged.)As the friendship progressed we traded gifts or small favors.Then we came to learn that Chelsea is still living at home with her aging parents, and while she works full time, she is always broke.She asked to send her Amazon packages to our home (claiming she lives in a high traffic area and doesn’t want them stolen), but we were uncomfortable after she did this more than once.We believe it’s largely due to trying to hide her purchases from her parents, as she obviously has out-of-control spending that led to her living with them in the first place.Recently her mother became ill, resulting in a lengthy hospital stay. Chelsea missed work.We were kind enough to wire funds to her for extra food or incidentals but then I saw her posting on Facebook about how broke she is and how she never gets the help she needs when she asks for it.She...

Greek opposition parties unable to form alliance, new election expected 25 June

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:57 GMT

Greece's main opposition parties rejected mandates to form a government coalition on Tuesday, setting up a second vote in June following an inconclusive 21 May vote.The leftist Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras, and the socialist PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis returned to President Katerina Sakalaropoulou separate mandates that were offered separately.KyriakosMitsotakis had previously opted to not form a coalition. His New Democracy party, which won 40% of the vote on Sunday, was beaten by Syriza (20.1%). He has now pushed for another vote, in an attempt to achieve a majority.Tsipras claimed he was unable to form a coalition after many voters had turned away from Syriza’s radical anti-establishment, anti-establishment, style which had brought it to power in the turbulent years during the Greek debt crisis.Tsipras' Syriza, which ruled between 2015 and 2019, told reporters outside the presidential residence: "I don't have any reason to hide the fact that the election result was a painful s...

New construction is great for first-time buyers 

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:57 GMT

They’re ready to start putting their money into an appreciating asset rather than renting. They’re ready to call something their own. They’re ready to build a nest for a growing family. Or they’re ready to start fresh on a whole new lifestyle all their own.They’re first-time homebuyers and they’re ready to make the largest and most important purchase of their lives.That purchase comes with a host of powerful concerns and emotions. But while some new-construction homes may have higher prices than comparable resale homes, the benefits of buying new can be particularly beneficial for first-time homebuyers.In each new phase of a new-home community, for starters, every buyer gets to be part of building the neighborhood’s character. The fact that neighbors form a sense of community based on their shared newness to the area can offer a great deal of comfort to people who are not only new to the area but to homeownership.Meanwhile, builders want to help all homebuyers achieve their dreams. ...

Horoscopes May 25, 2023: Octavia Spencer, put a plan in place

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:57 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Aly Raisman, 29; Steven Krueger, 34; Octavia Spencer, 51; Mike Myers, 60.Aly Raisman (Photo by Michael Short/Getty Images) Happy Birthday: Observe, and you will discover how to get what you want. An enthusiastic approach to life will be met with success. Trust your instincts, not someone trying to take advantage of you. Refuse to let uncertainty hold you back. Talk to experts and discover what’s entailed to make your dreams come true. Put a plan in place, pay attention to detail and prepare to excel. Your numbers are 3, 14, 27, 32, 34, 45, 49.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Keep your plans reasonable. Protect against injury and illness. Straightforward techniques and a lifestyle you can afford will ease stress and move you in a positive direction. Evaluate your spending habits and design a savings plan that works for you. 5 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Handle domestic matters carefully. You’ll face opposition and emotional backlash from so...

Bridge: May 25, 2023

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:57 GMT

The player we call “Secondhand Rose” was at my club today. When the lesson about “second hand low” on defense was taught, Rose must have been out with Jiggs the plumber.Rose was East in a penny game, and West led a low heart against 3NT. South let Rose’s jack win, won the next heart in dummy and led the nine of diamonds. And Secondhand Rose … with the ace!Rose then led her last heart. South took the ace and cashed four clubs and the king of diamonds. When the queen didn’t fall, he lost a spade finesse to Rose’s king and won only eight tricks.THIRD HEARTSouth could always make 3NT with double-dummy play but would surely succeed if Rose played low on the first diamond. South would finesse to the queen. Even if West shifted to the jack of spades, South could put up the ace and lose a diamond to Rose’s ace to set up nine tricks.When your partner leads a long suit against 3NT, try to win an early trick to return his lead. Set up his s...

Word Game: May 25, 2023

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:57 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — GORGEOUS (GORGEOUS: GOR-jus: Brilliant or magnificent.)Average mark 21 wordsTime limit 30 minutesCan you find 28 or more words in GORGEOUS? The list will be published tomorrow.YESTERDAY’S WORD — ZEALOTS zeal zealot zest zeta east aloe also alto lase last late laze least lest lose lost oast osteal tale teal tole sale salt sate seal seat slat slate sloe slot sole stale steal stoleTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.Contact Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe at [email protected].

Jan. 6 Megadonor Helping Ohio GOP Preemptively Overturn Will of the Voters

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:57 GMT

In March, two former Ohio Republican Party leaders were convicted on racketeering and bribery charges in a scheme that federal prosecutors described as the state’s largest-ever corruption case. In total, five Republican operatives were indicted in the plot, which involved a power company bankrolling efforts to elect industry-friendly lawmakers and a new state House speaker who would support a $1.1 billion bailout of a failed nuclear power plant.Now, despite the departure of the convicted Ohio Republican state House speaker and state party chair, the vestiges of Ohio’s GOP are still trying to undermine democracy in the state — and getting help from powerful outside groups. Join Our Newsletter Original reporting. Fearless journalism. Delivered to you. I'm in In November, Ohio voters could decide on ballot measures covering abortion, cannabis legalization, and qualified immu...

Henry Kissinger’s Bloody Legacy

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:57 GMT

An Intercept investigation, years in the making, reveals previously unpublished, unreported, and underappreciated evidence of hundreds of civilian casualties that were kept secret during the conflict in Cambodia and remain almost entirely unknown to the American people. This week on Intercepted, host Murtaza Hussain talks to Nick Turse, an investigative journalist and contributing writer for The Intercept, about his work to uncover the mass violence Kissinger ordered and oversaw in Cambodia while the U.S. carpet-bombed the country between 1969 and 1973. Turse’s investigation, “Kissinger’s Killing Fields,” is based on previously unpublished interviews with more than 75 Cambodian witnesses and survivors of U.S. military attacks in 13 Cambodian villages so remote they couldn’t be found on maps. Their accounts reveal new details of the long-term trauma borne by survivors of the American war.“It was very hands on. Kissinger was picking where bombs would be dropped in Cambodia,” Turse s...

Reportan al menos cuatro heridos en un tiroteo en el centro de Japón

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:57 GMT

(CNN) — Al menos cuatro personas resultaron heridas este jueves después de que un hombre disparara algo parecido a un rifle de caza en la ciudad de Nakano, en la prefectura de Nagano, en el centro de Japón, informó la cadena pública del país NHK.La policía recibió una llamada a última hora de la tarde informando que un “hombre había apuñalado a una mujer”, informó la cadena NHK. Cuando la policía acudió al lugar, el hombre disparó algo parecido a un rifle de caza, hiriendo a cuatro personas antes de huir del lugar y atrincherarse en un edificio, añade NHK.NHK informa de que el sospechoso lleva una gorra, un top y un pantalón de camuflaje, así como gafas de sol y una máscara.Muere un policía por aparente suicidio en la residencia del primer ministro de Japón en TokioLa ciudad de Nakano instó a los ciudadanos a permanecer en interiores en un tuit publicado este jueves.La violencia armada es extremadamente rara en Japón. El país tiene una de las tasas más bajas de del...

Royal Bank: Fiscal Q2 Earnings Snapshot

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:57 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — TORONTO (AP) — Royal Bank Of Canada (RY) on Thursday reported fiscal second-quarter earnings of $2.69 billion.The Toronto-based bank said it had earnings of $1.90 per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to $1.95 per share.The results fell short of Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of four analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $2.07 per share.The bank posted revenue of $20.46 billion in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $9.97 billion, surpassing Street forecasts._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on RY at https://www.zacks.com/ap/RYSource