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When decorum goes out the door, the results can make tempers flare

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:40:00 GMT

Question: Regarding your July 15, 2023, column titled “Irate sellers believe business negotiations should be private between agent and client” on The Mercury News and East Bay Times websites:That was a great article in The Mercury News about irate sellers. Out of curiosity: Regarding the buyer’s agent who showed up at the sellers’ door with homebuyers in tow to complain about their rejected higher offer in the multiple-offer situation without the seller’s agent present or advisement  — isn’t that an ethics violation and possibly contractual interference?Answer: It is an ethics violation. According to the attorney in charge of professional standards at the California Association of Realtors (C.A.R.), the behavior violated Article 16 of our 113-year-old National Association of Realtors’ code of ethics:• Standard of Practice 16-13• “All dealings concerning property exclusively listed, or with buyers/tenants who are subject to an exclusive agreement shall be carried on with the client’s...

Horoscopes July 22, 2023: Selena Gomez, step into the spotlight

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:40:00 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Madison Pettis, 25; Selena Gomez, 31; Rufus Wainwright, 50; David Spade, 59.Happy Birthday: The power is in how you do things and handle others. Use your connections to cut corners and to get the most out of whatever you pursue. An opportunity to improve your living space or make a move looks promising. Take a course or sign up for a class that leads to mental, physical or financial improvement. Don’t be afraid to step into the spotlight. Your numbers are 8, 15, 24, 32, 38, 41, 47.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Cut loose and have some fun, but don’t go overboard when it comes to eating, drinking or temptation, especially if you are in an environment that includes professional ties. Live up to your potential through your actions, not empty promises. Personal growth is favored. 3 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Use your energy wisely. Taking on too much will leave you cutting corners and falling short. Plan your actions and execute your intentions ...

Bridge: July 22, 2023

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:40:00 GMT

“Simple Saturday” columns focus on basic technique and logical thinking.“If you can find someone who can cook and do housework, don’t hesitate: Marry him!” — bumper sticker on my club member Wendy’s car. Wendy thinks when God made man, She was only warming up.If you can find a partner who never plays to the first trick without some thought, grab him or her. (Good luck finding such a partner.)In today’s deal, West led a low spade against 3NT, and South impulsively played low from dummy. When East (rather unexpectedly) played the queen, South frowned: If he took the ace, he would have no entry to his diamonds.LOW CLUBSo South let East’s queen win, but then East shifted accurately to a low club: three, king, ace. When West got in with the ace of diamonds, he returned a club, and the defense took three clubs for down one. If South wins the first spade, he goes down two.South should pause before playing to the first trick, then play d...

Word Game: July 22, 2023

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:40:00 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — DESPAIR (DESPAIR: dih-SPARE: To lose all hope.)Average mark 48 wordsTime limit 60 minutesCan you find 60 or more words in DESPAIR? The list will be published Monday.YESTERDAY’S WORD — INFECTED iced infect need nice niece feed feet feint fence fend fete fetid fiend find fine edict edit entice cede cent cite teed teen tend tide tied tine deceit decent defect define deet deft deice dent dice diet dine dintTo 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 Kathle...

Woman dies after striking tree with car in Montgomery Co.

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:40:00 GMT

A woman died after hitting a tree with her car near Poolesville, Maryland, on Thursday, according to Montgomery County police.At about 9:31 p.m., police officers and firefighters arrived at the scene of a collision in the 18900 block of Beallsville Road.The driver was alone in her car, headed southbound on Beallsville Road when she suddenly drove off the road and hit a tree, police said.The woman was transported to a hospital, police said, where she was pronounced dead.She hasn’t been publicly identified.Police are still investigating what caused the crash. Police are asking anyone with information to contact the collision reconstruction unit at 240-773-6620.Here’s a map of where the crash happened. Source

Rain delays start in 4th Ashes test, prospects gloomy for rest of day

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:40:00 GMT

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Rain prevented play from starting on time on Day 4 of the fourth Ashes cricket test between England and Australia on Saturday.The weather forecast is bleak and it is possible that play will be washed out for the rest of the day.Australia was 113-4 in its second innings at the close of play on Friday, trailing England by 162 runs with six wickets remaining.Australia is 2-1 up in the five-match series.___AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Women’s World Cup 2023: Breaking down barriers toward equity

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:40:00 GMT

Patrick Ridge, Virginia Tech associate professor of Spanish, studies the impact of soccer for a living. His connection to the game is strong, having grown up a fan, played himself and even attended World Cup matches in Latin America as part of his research.“Soccer is a cultural phenomenon that is so important,” Ridge told WTOP. “The influence of the women’s game is also growing.”As the 2023 Women’s World Cup kicks off, Ridge says, the world is at a tipping point of sorts.“A lot of the countries have started to more heavily invest into women’s soccer,” he explained, citing immense growth in Mexico, Germany, Spain, Argentina, England and of course — the U.S.“The U.S. does have a leg up on the rest of the world when it comes to women’s soccer,” Ridge said. “Historically, soccer, it’s been seen as ‘a man’s game,’ right? That is changing. Title IX is one of the most important pieces of l...

Unrelenting, Dangerous Heat Continues this Weekend

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:40:00 GMT

The relentless heat wave this July continues into this weekend across South Florida as we mark the 19th consecutive day of Heat Advisories in effect for Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. These advisories will remain in place through Sunday evening for feels-like temperatures up to 109F, but it could be extended into portions of next week, too.The Florida Keys are also under a Heat Advisory for today along for peak heat indicies of up to 112F.The big story this weekend will indeed be the heat courtesy of a heat dome parked right over South Florida, which traps and generates lots of heat, while our wind flow veers out of the southwest. This wind direction is a classic setup for hot temperatures across the metro and could lead to record heat today and tomorrow.This will drive high temperatures up and into the mid to upper 90s across most of South Florida Saturday through Monday. This heat will also be worsened thanks to Saharan dust filling our skies, allowing more sunshine. This dust w...

French rejection of top American economist is a blow to liberal Europe

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:40:00 GMT

Lionel Barber is former editor of the Financial Times (2005-20) and Brussels bureau chief (1992-98)Nobody does “No” better than the French. Charles De Gaulle said “Non” twice to Britain’s bid to join the European Economic Community; Jacques Chirac said “Non” to the Iraq war; and Emmanuel Macron this week gave a thumbs down to Fiona Scott Morton, the American Yale academic selected for the post of top economist at the EU’s powerful competition directorate in Brussels.L’affaire Scott Morton may seem trivial in comparison to the (still unresolved) debate over Britain’s place in Europe or armed conflict in the Middle East, but the French veto of the first foreigner to take up the post says an awful lot about the European Union’s current paranoia about America’s influence and power.As Macron has pushed a vision of Europe that stands up to the U.S., resisting pressure to become “America’s followers,” as he put it in April, such thinking has strengthened in Brussels.The S...

Man dead, four others injured after shooting in North Lawndale

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:40:00 GMT

CHICAGO -- A man is dead and four others are injured after two men opened fire on a group in in North Lawndale overnight. According to police, the men were standing in the 1600 block of North Spaulding Avenue around 12:19 a.m. when two men approached and fired shots at them.Police said a 40-year-old man sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the body and was pronounced dead. 1 in grave condition after being pulled from water at North Avenue Beach in Chicago Another 40-year-old man sustained a gunshot wound to the face and is in good condition. Another man was transported to Stroger Hospital in critical condition with gunshot wounds to the neck and head. A 44-year-old man was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital with gunshot wounds to the body. He is listed in good condition. A 50-year-old man sustained a graze wound to the right arm and refused medical attention.There is currently no one in custody and police are investigating the incident.