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Ask Amy: Old friends only connect over kids

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:12 GMT

Dear Amy: I’m part of a group of women friends who met in college, 50 years ago.We got back in touch 20 years ago, and now meet a few times a year.At first, conversation was varied, with personal updates, talk about current events, shared book recommendations, etc.Very quickly, this changed to conversation that is nearly 100 percent about children.I’m an independent gal with no children.It’s not what I anticipated, but I’m happy with my life, especially with my fulfilling career.The other women have little interest in my profession, and have even poo-pooed what I do.I’ve tried to add different and relevant topics to conversations.The responses are either “I let (inject husband’s name) handle that,” or simply blank stares.They are all nice women, but these get-togethers with hours of conversation limited to children, children’s spouses, in-laws, relocations, etc., are unsatisfying and somewhat hurtful.I need a way to politely decl...

France accused of 'delaying' EU shells for Ukraine

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:12 GMT

France was accused by the European Union of slowing down a €2 billion euro ($2.12 billion), package to purchase weapons for Ukraine. The Telegraph reported that France demanded that the munitions are made within the bloc.According to European sources, Paris wanted assurances that a deal to jointly procure arms would only benefit firms located in the EU.

Jury finds accused ringleader of brazen 2016 California jailbreak guilty

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:12 GMT

An Orange County Superior Court jury has determined that the accused mastermind of a daring 2016 jailbreak in Santa Ana that grabbed national headlines was guilty of the escape and stealing a van but not of kidnapping a taxi driver while on the lam.Hossein Nayeri, 44, already had publicly admitted to taking part in the brazen break-out from the Central Jail Complex and even recorded the escape on a smuggled-in cellphone. An intense week-long manhunt ended with Nayeri and his two accused fellow escapees back in custody.Nayeri, however, had denied abducting the taxi driver, instead alleging that the driver agreed to help Nayeri and his fellow escapees elude the massive law enforcement dragnet in return for a $10,000 payout.The jury deliberated for less than four hours before reaching its verdict on Thursday afternoon. Nayeri appeared to tear up as the verdict was read, and wiped his eyes as he watched the jurors leave the courtroom.Nayeri now faces up to an additional two years and ei...

Newport Beach house red-tagged after landslide is demolished as soil continues to move

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:12 GMT

A cliffside home in Newport Beach’s Dover Shores neighborhood was torn down Thursday, March 16, two weeks after being red-tagged when the land it was built on became unstable, causing its patio to slide down the hillside over Back Bay.In just a few hours Thursday afternoon, work crews had at least half the home demolished, Councilmember Erik Weigand said. “I was right there, and it was heartbreaking.A home along the 1900 block of Galaxy Drive is demolished in Newport Beach, CA, on Thursday, March 16, 2023. The Dover Shores house was red-tagged after its back patio, along with some of the bluff it overlooked, collapsed and slid down the hill near the Back Bay on March 3. It was red tagged by officials and the homeowner pulled a demolition permit with the city. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)A home along the 1900 block of Galaxy Drive is demolished in Newport Beach, CA, on Thursday, March 16, 2023. The Dover Shores house was red-tagged after its back patio, along...

Five-bedroom home sells in Piedmont for $4.9 million

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:12 GMT

14 Muir Avenue – Google Street ViewA spacious historic house built in 1925 located in the first block of Muir Avenue in Piedmont has a new owner. The 3,900-square-foot property was sold on Feb. 1, 2023. The $4,925,000 purchase price works out to $1,263 per square foot. The property features five bedrooms, four baths, and a garage. It sits on a 0.3-acre lot.Additional houses have recently been sold nearby:On Crocker Avenue, Piedmont, in November 2022, a 2,127-square-foot home was sold for $2,750,000, a price per square foot of $1,293. The home has 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.A 6,750-square-foot home on the 200 block of Crocker Avenue in Piedmont sold in November 2022 for $7,250,000, a price per square foot of $1,074. The home has 6 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms.In February 2023, a 3,774-square-foot home on La Salle Avenue in Piedmont sold for $2,500,000, a price per square foot of $662. The home has 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. 

Horoscopes March 17, 2023: Rob Lowe, explore what’s possible

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:12 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Mia Hamm, 51; Rob Lowe, 59; Gary Sinise, 68; Kurt Russell, 72.Happy Birthday: A call for help will reunite you with someone facing similar struggles. Together you can accomplish things if you join forces and push what drives you the most. It’s time to turn a dream into something concrete and lucrative. Explore what’s possible this year and make things happen. Stop talking and start doing, and your reputation will get a boost. Your numbers are 7, 12, 18, 26, 34, 39, 43.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Sharing secrets will backfire. Be discreet and focus on staying in shape instead of trying to outmaneuver someone looking for an argument or trying to oust you from your position. Take what’s yours and go about your business; opportunities will unfold. 2 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Spice things up and enjoy the company of someone who shares your interests. A chance to test your physical skills will boost your ego and give you the confidence t...

Word Game: March 17, 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:12 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — REPOSED (REPOSED: rih-POZ’D: Rested or relaxed.)Average mark 30 wordsTime limit 40 minutesCan you find 37 or more words in REPOSED? The list will be published tomorrow.YESTERDAY’S WORD — AGROUND adorn argon around gnar goad gonad gourd grad grand groan ground guar guard radon rang road roan round rung orang organ undo darn dour drag dragon drug dungTo 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].

Bridge: March 17, 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:12 GMT

This week’s deals have treated good timing as declarer: playing the cards in the best sequence. Cover today’s East-West cards. Decide how to proceed at four hearts when West leads the queen of spades. (North-South’s auction was old-fashioned but not necessarily ineffective.)When I watched the deal, South didn’t concern himself with timing: He took the ace of spades and let the ten of trumps ride. West won, and the defense cashed two spades and the ace of clubs for down one.FIRST SPADESouth’s best approach, which offers an extra chance, is to duck the first spade, win the second and take the A-K of trumps. If the queen fell, South would have 10 tricks.When East-West play low trumps, South starts the diamonds. West, with the missing queen of trumps, must follow three times, so South discards dummy’s last spade on the fourth diamond. He ruffs his last spade with dummy’s ten of trumps, losing one trump, one spade and one club.Did you find the wa...

Understanding the Silicon Valley Bank Run

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:12 GMT

In a matter of a few days, Silicon Valley Bank collapsed when a panic set in, causing a run on deposits. “The blue chip VCs suggested something, then that leaked to other ones, then other ones — we had all our investors calling us and basically demanding we pull our cash,” one source told Ryan Grim. This week on Deconstructed, Grim is joined by Damon Silvers, who has been involved in trying to prevent financial fraud and crisis for more than 20 years. He was the deputy chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, the 2008 bank bailout, and was formerly the policy director of the AFL-CIO.Grim and Silver discuss what led to a rush of Silicon Valley Bank depositors withdrawing all at once, the subsequent fallout, how the weakening of Dodd–Frank in 2018 paved the way for the current banking crisis, and what reforms are needed to prevent a future and even bigger economic catastrophe.Transcript coming soon.The post Understanding the Silicon Valley Bank...

Miller, transfers lead Maryland women in March Madness

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:12 GMT

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Brenda Frese used the transfer portal to overhaul her roster.The result is a Maryland team very much to the coach’s liking — a group that can press, force turnovers and score.The second-seeded Terrapins open the women’s NCAA Tournament on Friday against 15th-seeded Holy Cross, and what they lack in size, they can make up for with skill and athleticism. The winner of that game faces either seventh-seeded Arizona or 10th-seeded West Virginia in the second round.Injuries and inconsistency plagued Maryland in 2021-22, and although the Terps ultimately reached the Sweet 16, a couple significant players transferred out after the season. Angel Reese became a first-team All-American this year at LSU, and Ashley Owusu went to Virginia Tech.Frese reloaded with transfers Abby Meyers (Princeton), Lavender Briggs (Florida), Elisa Pinzan (South Florida) and Brinae Alexander (Vanderbilt). Meyers is the team’s second-leading scorer, and Briggs is shooting ...