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Ask Amy: A successful survivor is stuck in her past

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 08:00:54 GMT

Dear Amy: I had a fabulous life — a big successful career, handsome husband, and gorgeous kids. I was well-known and acclaimed in my field. I felt I had it all and that I was living the feminist dream.My husband did not work. He had a drinking problem. His behavior became increasingly violent. When he harmed the children, I left him.My life changed radically. As a single working mother of two small boys, I could no longer be a superstar at the office.My special-needs child required frequent hospitalization, which meant hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical debt.Then my father had a lingering death from pancreatic cancer.I couldn’t afford not to work, so I dialed in a very sketchy job performance and my professional reputation suffered.Meanwhile, my ex-husband was committing acts of violence, which meant round after round of restraining orders. It was chaos.Fast-forward 10 years. The boys and I have a loving relationship. Both children excel in college. After many years a...

Highway restrictions in place in Russia's Moscow and Tula regions

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 08:00:54 GMT

Russia's Federal Road Agency urged residents of the Moscow region on Sunday (25 June) to refrain from travelling along the M-4 "Don" major expressway until 10am (0700 GMT).The agency had said earlier in the day on the Telegram messaging app, in a post now deleted, that traffic restrictions on the highway in the Moscow and Tula regions remained.Heavily armed Russian mercenaries who had advanced most of the way to Moscow on Saturday (24 June) then halted their approach, de-escalating a major challenge to President Vladimir Putin's grip on power, in a move their leader said would avoid bloodshed.

19-year-old arrested on manslaughter and DUI charges in California crash

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 08:00:54 GMT

A 19-year-old La Palma man was arrested Thursday on suspicion of DUI and vehicular manslaughter in connection with a Westminster crash that left a woman dead.Jayson Otto was driving a vehicle carrying three passengers when it crashed into concrete barricades at Westminster Boulevard and Rancho Road on Dec. 6, according to a Saturday news release from the Westminster Police Department. Jayda Jean Feeney, an 18-year-old from Huntington Beach, died at the scene; two other passengers, aged 16 and 17, received medical treatment, police said.Drugs or alcohol are thought to have caused the crash, the release said, adding that Otto was taken into custody and booked into Orange County Jail.As of Saturday, Otto had posted in bond and been released from jail. It was not immediately clear when he was next due in court.Jayda Jean Feeney. (Photo courtesy GoFundMe) A GoFundMe page set up for Feeney said she was a senior in high school and had celebrated her 18th birthday less than a month bef...

In California Senate race, what’s the difference among 3 House Democrats?

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 08:00:54 GMT

Adam Schiff, Barbara Lee and Katie Porter are Democratic representatives in Congress. They have similar voting records, boast their progressive bona fides and are running for California’s U.S. Senate seat.When it comes to their voting records, Porter and Schiff agree 98% of the time so far this Congress while Schiff and Lee and Porter and Lee agree 96%, according to a ProPublica analysis of their voting records. In the 2021-22 Congress, Porter and Schiff agreed 99% while the other pairings lined up at 98%.Certainly, even more similarities abound, including biographical — two are lawyers, two represent Southern California in the U.S. House, two are over the age of 60 and none is originally from California.But there are stark differences, too, and with less than a year to go until the primary, how all three candidates are pitching themselves to voters, and highlighting those contrasts, is starting to emerge.“There’s not a great deal of difference between the candidates on the issues,”...

Hairy moles may provide antidote for baldness, UCI researchers find

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 08:00:54 GMT

The guy whose naked skull is pale and shiny — save that discolored mole shaped like Cuba near his ear, which inexplicably bristles with hair — may harbor an antidote to baldness.Researchers at UC Irvine say they’ve zeroed in on the molecule responsible for hair strands sprouting from moles like that. Their peer-reviewed study, published June 21 in the respected scientific journal Nature, is being touted as a major baldness breakthrough.Maksim Plikus is a professor of developmental and cell biology at UCI. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG) “This is a game changer for hair loss for a couple of reasons,” said Maksim Plikus, professor of developmental and cell biology at UCI and study lead.“Instead of studying only mouse fur — research in this area is usually done with mouse fur — we said, ‘Enough of that. Let’s look at human hair. The solution to human hair loss is in humans.’”Millions of people have skin growths — “nevi,” in scientific-speak — with hair...

Sale closed in Oakland: $1.6 million for a two-bedroom home

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 08:00:54 GMT

2734 Carisbrook Drive – Google Street ViewA 1,887-square-foot house built in 1954 has changed hands. The property located in the 2700 block of Carisbrook Drive in Oakland was sold on May 24, 2023, for $1,630,000, or $864 per square foot. The property features two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a garage, and 300 parking spaces. The unit sits on a 5,376-square-foot lot.Additional houses have recently been sold nearby:In August 2022, a 2,534-square-foot home on Chelton Drive in Oakland sold for $1,650,000, a price per square foot of $651. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 2,591-square-foot home on the 6600 block of Chelton Drive in Oakland sold in June 2022, for $1,950,000, a price per square foot of $753. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Burton Drive, Oakland, in August 2022, a 4,023-square-foot home was sold for $2,295,000, a price per square foot of $570. The home has 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. 

Word Game: June 26, 2023

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 08:00:54 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — MUSICAL (MUSICAL: MYOO-zih-kul: Of, related to or capable of producing music.)Average mark 13 wordsTime limit 25 minutesCan you find 17 or more words in MUSICAL? The list will be published tomorrow.SATURDAY’S WORD — NEWSPEAK nape neap news ease wake waken wane wasp weak weaken wean week weep sake sane sank sawn seek seen seep sewn skew snake snap sneak span spank spawn speak spew swan swank swap sweep pane pawn peak peek peen anew apse askew aspen keen keep knee knewTo 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 sexuall...

Horoscopes June 26, 2023: Ariana Grande, refrain from acting in haste

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 08:00:54 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Ariana Grande, 30; Ryan Tedder, 44; Derek Jeter, 49; Chris O’Donnell, 53.Happy Birthday: Take control and simplify your life by decluttering, organizing and replacing bad habits with healthy living. Call the shots and designate time and effort where they count most. Refrain from making unnecessary changes or listening to someone with big ideas with little substance. Stick to what you know and do best. Learn from the experts, but do for yourself and refrain from acting in haste. Your numbers are 4, 17, 21, 28, 30, 33, 42.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Self-improvement will enhance your attitude. Get involved in activities that allow you to show off your attributes. Don’t make a hasty relationship decision. Give yourself time to figure out what’s important to you before you agree to a request someone makes. 3 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Consider every angle before deciding. It’s best not to let your emotions interfere or put you in ...

Bridge: June 26, 2023

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 08:00:54 GMT

The Vanderbilt Knockout Teams, the premier event at the Spring NABC, saw a rash of upsets. Many top-seeded teams were KO’d early. In the quarterfinals, four of the teams were originally seeded 30, 34, 35 and 46.A team of five little-known Chinese-Americans, ZHAO, fought their way to the semifinals where they lost to BERNAL. ZHAO’s stirring run would have ended a match earlier had the result in today’s deal not favored them.WORTHLESSNorth-South for the team led by Sam Dinkin bid too optimistically to six spades; South’s king of clubs was likely to be worthless. (North’s two hearts was a transfer; his four diamonds showed a singleton.) When West led the jack of hearts, South won with dummy’s king — and the slam became unmakeable.Say instead South wins with the ace, runs the spades, leads a diamond to the queen and takes the ace at Trick 10. Dummy has the K-7 of hearts and two clubs. West, with the 10-9 of hearts and the A-Q of clubs, must yiel...

Victor Wembanyama says he won’t play for France’s national team at this year’s World Cup

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 08:00:54 GMT

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Victor Wembanyama has some bad news for France.The No. 1 draft pick told L’Equipe newspaper he won’t play with his national basketball team at this year’s World Cup in order to protect his still developing body, and will instead take that time to continue preparing for his rookie season with the San Antonio Spurs.Wembanyama said it was a “difficult” decision to make, adding that it is “irrevocable.”The top pick in this year’s NBA draft had previously said he wanted to play in the tournament, which runs from Aug. 25 through Sept. 10 and will have France among the medal favorites. But both he and the Spurs suggested in recent days that his participation was no longer certain.Wembanyama said he made the choice “on his own” after consulting with close friends and his medical team. He told the France coach and other players from the team about his decision over the weekend, L’Equipe reported on Monday.Wembanyama said he was not pressured by the Spurs ...