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Ask Amy: I have strong opinions about the bride’s demands

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:00 GMT

Dear Amy: We have close friends whose daughter is getting married in Italy.We will be traveling to the wedding, but my husband and I thought about it for a while before responding because, first of all, it’s not the easiest part of Italy to get to.We have to make a stopover, change flights, book the hotel, and rent a car to drive down to the wedding because there is no transportation from the airport.I believe this girl is being a bit selfish, just to be able to say that she got married in Italy. Many from her mother’s side of the family can’t make the trip.Why have a wedding if your family can’t be there?I read that if the couple decides to have a destination wedding, your gift is your presence because of the added expense imposed on you.Do you agree?– Disgruntled GuestDear Disgruntled: Why have a wedding in Italy if your family can’t be there? Well, not having family there is precisely why some couples choose to have destination weddings.Marrying couples are using the expense and ...

Harriette Cole: Why shouldn’t I live with my friend’s ex?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:00 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: I’ve been looking for a roommate for some time now, but it’s been challenging to find someone who fits my criteria.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: Was I rude to this woman I passed in the restaurant? Advice | Harriette Cole: I hoped I was wrong about my son’s girlfriend. I wasn’t. Advice | Harriette Cole: My son needs discipline, and I’m thinking about the military Advice | Harriette Cole: Our marriage is just one long fight. How do I fix this? Advice | Harriette Cole: I let my college-age daughter fly by herself. Was I a bad mom? Recently, a girl who used to date a friend of mine saw my ad on social media and reached out to me. She is also looking for a roommate, and I thought this could be a perfect opportunity. However, when I mentioned it to my friend, he said he’s not comfortable with it.I understand his concern, but he’s not providi...

U.S. Spy Agency Dreams of Surveillance Underwear It’s Calling “SMART ePANTS”

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:00 GMT

The future of wearable technology, beyond now-standard accessories like smartwatches and fitness tracking rings, is ePANTS, according to the intelligence community. The federal government has shelled out at least $22 million in an effort to develop “smart” clothing that spies on the wearer and its surroundings. Similar to previous moonshot projects funded by military and intelligence agencies, the inspiration may have come from science fiction and superpowers, but the basic applications are on brand for the government: surveillance and data collection.Billed as the “largest single investment to develop Active Smart Textiles,” the SMART ePANTS — Smart Electrically Powered and Networked Textile Systems — program aims to develop clothing capable of recording audio, video, and geolocation data, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence announced in an August 22 press release. Garments slated for production include shirts, pants, socks, and underwear, all of which are inte...

Muere Jimmy Buffett, legendario cantante de “Margaritaville”, a sus 76 años

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:00 GMT

El legendario cantante y compositor estadounidense Jimmy Buffett, quien compuso la canción “Margaritaville” y se convirtió en un pionero en la música tropical americana, falleció este viernes a los 76 años.Mediante un comunicado compartido en el sitio oficial de Buffett, se informó que él músico falleció “tranquilo, junto a su familia, perro y su música la noche del 1ro de septiembre”. “Jimmy Buffett vivió su vida como si fuera una canción hasta el último suspiro, y su presencia será profundamente extrañada por muchos”, destacó el comunicado. El comunicado no reveló dónde murió Buffett y su causa de muerte. En mayo, se había informado que una supuesta complicación médica hospitalizó a Buffett y provocó la cancelación de varios conciertos.Nacido en 1946 en Mississippi, Buffett llegó a la fama en 1977 tras lanzar su canción “Margaritaville” el 14 de febrero, lo cual causó que su estilo de vida “tranquilo” y sin preocupaciones se volviera...

Pakistani traders strike countrywide against high inflation and utility bills

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:00 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani traders on Saturday went on strike against the soaring cost of living, including higher fuel and utility bills and record depreciation of the rupee against the dollar, which has led to widespread discontent among the public.The traders pulled their shutters down across the country, while protesters burned tires on roads to express their ange.The strike was called by ex-senator Sirajul Haq, who heads the religious political party Jamaat-e-Islami, and it was largely endorsed by trade and business bodies, market associations, lawyers associations and transporters. The country’s commercial and economic hub, Karachi, was almost completely closed and vehicle traffic was thin on roads, with all markets and shopping centers closed.“We have shut our shops in protest so that our message reaches the ruling class. If they don’t consider our problems, we will devise further strategies, said Fahad Ahmed, a trader in Karachi, adding “If you pay Rs100,000 (330 dollars) in...

18 people have been killed in Iraq after a bus carrying Shiite pilgrims to Karbala overturned

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:00 GMT

BAGHDAD (AP) — A bus carrying pilgrims to the Iraqi city of Karbala overturned north of Baghdad on Saturday, killing 18 people, medical officials said.Millions of believers converge on the city each year for the Shiite pilgrimage of Arbaeen, regarded as the largest annual public gathering in the world. Pilgrims come from various parts of Iraq as well as from Iran and the Gulf countries, with many making their way to Karbala on foot.Two Iraqi medical officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak to the media said that the bus overturned near the town of Balad, about 55 miles (90 kilometers) north of Baghdad.The victims were 15 men and three women. Among them were 10 Iranians, two Iraqis — the bus driver and his son — and six people of unknown nationality, the officials said.Arbaeen marks the anniversary of the 40th day of mourning following the seventh-century death of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Hussein at the hands of the Muslim Um...

A 2nd Tommy John surgery could be tougher for Shohei Ohtani to return from. But it’s not a given

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:00 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — If Shohei Ohtani has a second Tommy John surgery, it’s possible his recovery might be more difficult than the first — but not a given.“My first one, my rehab was pretty tough and I never felt 100%,” Chicago Cubs pitcher Jameson Tallion said. “People would come up to me and ask me, ‘Hey, dude, what should I expect after getting Tommy John?’ I’d be like: to never feel good ever again.“My second one was just like a new arm.”Ohtani tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow while pitching against Cincinnati on Aug. 26. The unprecedented two-way star is continuing to bat as a designated hitter but won’t pitch again this year while considering his medical options.Now 29, Ohtani had Tommy John surgery on Oct. 1, 2018, performed by Los Angeles Dodgers head team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache. He returned to the Angels as a batter the following May 7 and to the mound on July 26, 2020, in a season delayed by the pandemic. He didn’t retire a batter i...

Canada’s envoy to Ukraine says Canadian support will outlast Russian invasion

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:00 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada’s new ambassador to Ukraine had an eerie sense of déjà vu when she reached Kyiv last month.Natalka Cmok saw so many locals with missing limbs that it reminded her of working in Ukraine in the 1990s, when the newly independent country had thousands of soldiers returning from the Soviet Union’s war in Afghanistan.“Ukraine is really close to my heart, and I want Ukraine to succeed,” Cmok said in a Friday interview from Canada’s embassy in Kyiv.She arrived in the city Aug. 15, starting a one-year term in a country she has lived in multiple times since its 1991 independence.In just two weeks, she’s already familiar with the rhythm of air-raid sirens, warning in a videoconference call that she might need to suddenly hunker down. “The last few nights, it’s been more like 4 or 5 in the morning.”Her assignment is two-pronged, with a short-term focus on supporting Ukraine’s immediate defence and security needs while c...

CSIS disinformation campaign leans on Soviet imagery, as Ottawa tracks ‘grey media’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:00 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada’s spy agency is leaning on Soviet imagery to help prime the public against disinformation but experts say Moscow is more likely to use images that make readers think the messaging is coming from North American sources.Last month, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service started posting on social media about its efforts to counteract deliberately misleading information online.The posts feature a font that resembles the Cyrillic alphabet, featuring stars instead of dots and the letter N appearing backwards. One posting features a Russian nesting doll, known as a matryoshka, with the words “Do you know who is behind it? Disinformation is here and hides well.”Another advises Canadians to “be aware of what you share” on social media, citing the risk of trolls.Aaron Erlich, a McGill University political science professor, said it’s important to make people aware of misleading information online. But he said the wording in the CSIS camp...

ThreeSixty Journalism: DHS prioritizes teen mental health 

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:00 GMT

Depression, anxiety, fear: these emotional issues have become commonplace among today’s high school students.   Mental health problems among students have steadily climbed  over the past few years. According to a 2022 statewide survey conducted by the Minnesota Department of Education, almost one third of Minnesota high schoolers are battling mental health issues, an increase of nearly 10 percentage points since 2016. Although many factors play into this mental health crisis – such as lack of family support and the stigma surrounding mental illness – one of the most significant is the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic caused intense social isolation because of widespread school shutdowns and the many challenges of remote learning. Depression, anxiety, fear of getting sick, loss of family members and disconnection from the community weighed heavily on young people.   Because they had never experienced a situation like that before, many students did not recognize the signs of mental hea...