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Ask Amy: Pot smoking aunt changes her ways

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:49 GMT

Dear Amy: I’m a 35-year-old woman.A few months ago, my brother (age 37) and sister-in-law caught me smoking pot in my home.Now they won’t let their kids (ages 6 and under) come over to my house.We used to have regular sleepovers once or twice a month.We live in a state where marijuana is legal, and I was using it to self-medicate and manage my mental health.After this incident, I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with bipolar 2 disorder, which, as it turns out, I have lived with (undiagnosed and untreated) since childhood.As soon as I started medication, I no longer felt the need to smoke, and all aspects of my life have changed for the better. I feel like I am waking up from a profound disability.I would like to explain all of this to my brother in hopes of reconciling.However, my doctors tell me to stay away from them, as being around their judgmental and self-righteous attitude could trigger a relapse.Should I let my close relationship with a sibling (and even closer rel...

EU sanctions: New law to crack down on violations 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:49 GMT

The law would ensure that EU sanctions are enforced uniformly across member states, with common definitions and dissuasive penalties.MEPs in the Civil Liberties Committee adopted a draft negotiating mandate on violating and circumventing EU sanctions by 36 votes in favour, two against and two abstentions. It would introduce a common definition of violations and minimum penalties to ensure that they are punished as criminal offences everywhere in the EU.EU sanctions can consist of freezing funds and assets, travel bans, arms embargoes and restrictions on business sectors, among other things. According to the proposed law, violations would include not freezing funds or not respecting travel bans as required by sanctions, or doing business with state-owned entities of countries subject to sanctions.Circumventing sanctions would also be punishable and would include practises such as concealing or transferring funds that should be frozen, hiding the true ownership of property, and not re...

Single-family residence sells for $2 million in San Jose

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:49 GMT

1288 Madrona Avenue – Google Street ViewA 1,171-square-foot house built in 1952 has changed hands. The property located in the 1200 block of Madrona Avenue in San Jose was sold on June 23, 2023. The $2,000,000 purchase price works out to $1,708 per square foot. The layout of this single-story house includes three bedrooms and two baths. Inside, a fireplace adds character to the home. Additionally, the house features a two-car garage, providing ample room for vehicles and storage needs. Situated on a spacious 9,000-square-foot lot, the property offers ample outdoor space along with the added bonus of a pool.Additional houses that have recently been sold close by include:A 2,474-square-foot home on the 1200 block of Curtner Avenue in San Jose sold in December 2022, for $2,050,000, a price per square foot of $829. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Newport Avenue, San Jose, in June 2023, a 1,420-square-foot home was sold for $1,700,000, a price per square foot of $1,197. The ho...

Horoscopes July 13, 2023: Harrison Ford, let your actions come from the heart

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:49 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Ken Jeong, 54; Cheech Marin, 77; Harrison Ford, 81; Patrick Stewart, 83.Happy Birthday: Helping others will change your life and perspective on what’s important this year. Look for alternatives that will help you and others, and you’ll gain confidence and support to do something that benefits many. What you do will make a difference. Let your actions come from the heart, and your sincerity will shine through and attract compatible people. Your numbers are 4, 11, 20, 26, 33, 40, 47.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Mix business with pleasure, and something good will transpire. Don’t be afraid to make changes or to ask for something you want. Do your part, and your effort won’t go unnoticed. Share your thoughts and follow through. Personal change will be emotional. 3 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Keep your eyes open. Take care of your responsibilities, regardless of what’s going on around you. Refuse to let anyone play mind games w...

Word Game: July 13, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:49 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — VENDETTA (VENDETTA: ven-DET-uh: A series of retaliatory, vengeful or hostile acts.)Average mark 21 wordsTime limit 35 minutesCan you find 29 or more words in VENDETTA? The list will be published tomorrow.YESTERDAY’S WORD — IMBROGLIO igloo moil moor blog bloom boil bolo boom boor brig brim brio broil broom roil room obligor olio girl glib glob glom gloom grim groom limb limbo limo logo loomTo 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 kzs...

Borrowers advised to plan now for student loan payments to resume in October

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:49 GMT

For borrowers with federal student loan debt, repayments begin Oct. 1, and the D.C. Office of the Attorney General is advising consumers to gather the latest information on the status of their loans to prepare for that first payment date.The federal government paused student loan payments during the COVID-19 emergency, which ended May 11, 2023. There had been proposals to extend the emergency, but those were blocked when Congress passed legislation to prevent further extensions.Efforts to provide debt relief through a plan at the U.S. Department of Education were stymied when the Supreme Court issued a ruling blocking the plan. Under the student relief plan, borrowers would have seen between $10,000 and $20,000 of their debt forgiven.Student borrowers were put on notice about the end of the program that put their payments on pause, but the D.C. Attorney General’s Office notes in an advisory that “borrowers who graduated during the COVID-19 emergency should pay special attention to t...

Women’s tennis tour program provides education, exposure for female coaches

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:49 GMT

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — On a hazy, 80-degree afternoon in April, Australian Open semifinalist Magda Linette practiced with Julia Grabher about 24 hours before each would win a second-round match on the green clay of the WTA’s Charleston Open.While one of Linette’s two coaches, Iain Hughes, offered her instruction, the other, Mark Gellard, stood in a corner, keeping an eye on the workout while chatting with Lan Yao-Gallop. She is one of 10 members of the women’s professional tennis tour’s Coach Inclusion Program, which is in its first full year of trying to help female coaches break into the the top level of the sport.It’s not an easy path.“There are so few female coaches. And so few opportunities. There need to be more opportunities: ‘Hey, we have this. Interested?’ That needs to happen more,” said Yao-Gallop, who works with junior players for the Canadian tennis federation — including, in the past, 2019 U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu and 2021 U.S. Open runner-up Leylah Fernand...

PepsiCo: Q2 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:49 GMT

PURCHASE, N.Y. (AP) — PURCHASE, N.Y. (AP) — PepsiCo Inc. (PEP) on Thursday reported second-quarter profit of $2.75 billion.The Purchase, New York-based company said it had profit of $1.99 per share. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, came to $2.09 per share.The results exceeded Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of seven analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.95 per share.The food and beverage company posted revenue of $22.32 billion in the period, which also topped Street forecasts. Five analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $21.61 billion.PepsiCo expects full-year earnings to be $7.47 per share._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on PEP at https://www.zacks.com/ap/PEPSource

Padel, a rapidly growing racket game, has designs on becoming an Olympic sport

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:49 GMT

ROME (AP) — Record prize money of nearly $1 million at this week’s tournament in Rome.Recent investment from the company that owns the New York Yankees.A successful debut at the European Games with matches played before enthusiastic crowds in Krakow’s central square last month.Padel, the fastest growing racket sport in the world among amateurs, is also making big strides at the professional level.“In Italy — and the world — this sport has no limits,” said Angelo Binaghi, who oversees the sport as president of the Italian tennis and padel federation in a country where it is growing the fastest.The nine medals handed out at the European Games in Poland represented the first time the sport was contested at an event organized under the Olympics umbrella. Teams from Spain — the worldwide leader in padel — won gold in men’s and mixed doubles, while Italy won in women’s doubles.“It was a big step for our sport,” International Padel Federation president Luigi Carraro said. “We showed that w...

Un barco de la armada rusa atraca en Cuba mientras los tiempos difíciles unen a dos viejos amigos de la Guerra Fría

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:49 GMT

(CNN) — Mientras una serie de cañonazos de bienvenida resonaban desde un fuerte colonial cercano, el Perekop, un buque de entrenamiento de la armada rusa, zarpó hacia La Habana este martes.Durante su visita de cuatro días a Cuba, los marineros del Perekop “realizarán una amplia gama de actividades”, según el servicio noticioso estatal cubano Prensa Latina, y miembros del público cubano tendrán la oportunidad de recorrer el barco.Esta es la primera visita oficial de un buque de guerra ruso a Cuba en años, y otra señal de la renovación de la relación entre los dos aliados de la era de la Guerra Fría después de que el colapso de la Unión Soviética (URSS) casi derrumbó la economía cubana.Si bien la invasión rusa de Ucrania ha llevado a su ostracismo generalizado, el gobierno cubano ha defendido cada vez más a Moscú.“Estamos condenando, estamos rechazando la expansión de la OTAN hacia las fronteras de Rusia”, dijo el presidente cubano Miguel Díaz-Canel a la cadena controlada por Ru...