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Ask Amy: Flights to the family cabin become nail-biters

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:32:07 GMT

Dear Amy: My wife and I are lucky in semi-retirement to have a cabin in the mountains, a two-hour flight away. We visit this property about once a month.We also take a two-week vacation in Europe each year.The problem: I like to be at the airport with time to spare, so I don’t mind sitting for even an hour before boarding.My wife, on the other hand, loves to cut it close.It’s like she goes into slow motion at home the day of the flight.She seems to find a million last-minute things to do. I always volunteer to help get them done.We have missed one flight outright and at least three or four others each year are nail biters (we leave the luggage in the car in order to make the flight!).We solved a monthly family gathering issue of how long to stay by taking separate cars. I can leave after two hours, she can stay four or five, but a solution to the flying issue eludes us.One of us can’t really get on a plane without the other.After the missed flight she did better fo...

Bridge: Aug. 5, 2023

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:32:07 GMT

“Simple Saturday” columns focus on basic technique and logical thinking.If you want to procrastinate, there is no time like the present. Drawing all the missing trumps is often a priority for declarer, but many reasons exist to wait — maybe indefinitely.At today’s five clubs, South ruffed West’s second high heart and took the A-K of trumps, hoping to draw all four missing trumps. West failed to cooperate by pitching a diamond, so South shrugged and conceded a trump to East.TOP SPADESSouth won the diamond return and took his A-K-Q of spades, but East discarded. South ruffed a spade with dummy’s last trump, but his fifth spade was a loser. Down one.When a defender remains with a sole outstanding high trump, declarer usually tends to his other business, ignoring that missing trump. After South takes the A-K, he must abandon trumps. He cashes the top spades, ruffs a spade, leads a diamond to his hand and ruffs his last spade. The defense gets one trum...

Horoscopes Aug. 5, 2023: Jesse Williams, set high standards

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:32:07 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Lolo Jones, 41; Jesse Williams, 42; Jonathan Silverman, 57; Maureen McCormick, 67.Happy Birthday: Explore the possibilities, but don’t sign up for something that stresses your budget or interferes with what’s important to you. Balance and integrity will be necessary when faced with peer pressure or unreliable people. Aim to nurture what’s good in your life, and set high standards and goals that help you reach your dreams. Make peace a priority. Your numbers are 8, 15, 21, 29, 33, 38, 44.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Simplify your life, make plans that aren’t taxing, stick to a budget and surround yourself with people you love. Refuse to let anyone complicate your life or coerce you into something you don’t want to pursue. Protect yourself financially, emotionally and physically. 3 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Let your intelligence override temptation. Someone will lure you down a path that can taint your reputation. Control ...

Miyazawa scores her 5th goal of Women’s World Cup as Japan beats Norway 3-1 to reach quarterfinals

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:32:07 GMT

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Japan scored its 14th goal of the Women’s World Cup and conceded its first Saturday, beating Norway 3-1 to reach the quarterfinals for the fourth time.Hinata Miyazawa sealed the win with her fifth goal of the tournament in the 81st minute to remain the leading scorer. Risa Shimizu’s 50th-minute goal followed an Ingrid Syrstad Engen own goal in the first half to help give Japan its fourth straight win of the tournament.Guro Reiten headed a superb goal for Norway in the 21st minute to end Japan’s flawless defensive performance and leave the teams locked 1-1 a halftime.After beating Spain 4-0 with only 23% of possession in its group-stage finale, Japan once again was a tactical chameleon in the round of 16 — playing with more than 60% of possession in a commanding performance. Japan traded its regular blue uniform for pastel colors Saturday, pink and purple. The softer color scheme did nothing to dull its attacking style; it pressed forw...

Japan 3, Norway 1

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:32:07 GMT

Norway10—1Japan12—3First Half_1, Japan, Engen, 15th minute; 2, Norway, Reiten, (Boe Risa), 20th.Second Half_3, Japan, Shimizu, 50th; 4, Japan, Miyazawa, (Fujino), 81st.Goalies_Norway, Aurora Mikalsen, Cecilie Fiskerstrand, Guro Pettersen; Japan, Ayaka Yamashita, Momoko Tanaka, Chika Hirao.Yellow Cards_None.Referee_Edina Alves Batista. Assistant Referees_Neuza Ines Back, Leila Naiara Moreira da Cruz, Daiane Caroline Muniz Dos Santos. 4th Official_Katia García.___Source

Fox and Telemundo see great ratings for American women, but rest of Women’s World Cup struggles

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:32:07 GMT

Fans of the United States women’s soccer team remained faithful viewers no matter what hour the game was on. The Americans three group stage matches at the Women’s World Cup had an average combined English- and Spanish-language audience of of 5,256,000.Trying to replicate that over the next four matches will be a difficult task.With its second-place finish in Group E, the remaining U.S. matches will take place overnight. Had the Americans won the group, its round of 16 and quarterfinal matches would have been in prime time.Australia and New Zealand are 14-16 hours ahead of New York and 17-19 hours ahead of Los Angeles.“We knew that there was no flexibility in making changes to the schedule for the knockout rounds. We had our eyes wide open going in,” Fox EVP, Head of Strategy and Analytics Mike Mulvihill said. “FIFA was really helpful in setting up the schedule for the group state and getting us in position that if the U.S. had won the group, we would have had a couple m...

Working remotely: ‘You can’t put the genie back in the bottle’

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:32:07 GMT

It appears that many people still don’t want to head back to the office, and some employers are losing their workers as a result.A recent survey from Unispace, a company that designs and builds workspaces, found that 42% of companies that implemented return-to-office policies have seen higher levels of employee attrition than they had planned for.“I don’t think we’re ever going back to the way we were,” said Kathleen Quinn Votaw, a recruitment and retention specialist. “You can’t put the genie back in the bottle.”Quinn Votaw literally wrote the book on the issue, called “Dare to Care in the Workplace: A Guide to the New Way We Work.”“This was a problem before the pandemic, but it just got blown way out of the stratosphere when we hit the pandemic because people realized they could have a different kind of life,” Quinn Votaw said.The Unispace survey found that employees put a premium on productivity and personal ...

Police searching for gunmen accused of shooting two Orlando officers

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:32:07 GMT

A manhunt is underway for a gunman accused of shooting two officers in Orlando.Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith said that this all happened during a traffic stop just before 11 p.m. on Friday. Officers stopped a car that was wanted in connection with a homicide in Miami.The suspect then reportedly shot the two officers, then carjacked a driver before taking off.Both officers are listed to be in critical condition, the police department’s spokesperson said they “are currently fighting for their lives and have several units and agencies assisting to find the suspects.”7News is working to learn more about the Miami homicide connected to this investigation.

Moscow says JPMorgan stops processing Russia grain payments

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:32:07 GMT

U.S. bank JPMorgan has stopped processing payments for the Russian Agricultural Bank, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday.The Russian Agricultural Bank, or Rosselkhozbank, was cut off from the SWIFT international payments system by the European Union last year following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. According to Reuters, JPMorgan had been handling some Russian grain export payments in recent months.“The Western capitals and the U.N. tried to present the direct channel established between Rosselkhozbank and American JPMorgan as an alternative to [the SWIFT system], but even this channel was cut off on August 2,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a statement.The U.S. State Department and JPMorgan did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Russia killed off the Black Sea Grain Initiative — a U.N.-brokered accord that had allowed Ukraine to export tens of millions of tons of grains and oilseeds over t...

The third Philippine ferry accident in over a week leaves 1 person dead and about 100 rescued

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:32:07 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — One person died and more than 100 had to be rescued after a ferry in the central Philippines struck floating debris at sea and took on water Saturday, police said. The accident involving the King Sto. Nino 7, which was carrying 117 people, was the third to hit the country in just over a week, police said.All those on board were rescued, except for a female passenger who suffered a heart attack and died during the scramble for safety as water gushed into the wooden-hulled vessel in sunny weather off the island town of Corcuera in Romblon province, officials said.Sea accidents are common in the Philippines because of frequent storms, poorly maintained boats, overcrowding and weak enforcement of safety regulations. After some passengers on the King Sto. Nino 7 managed to call for help, coast guard personnel and nearby ferry boats approached to rescue the 112 passengers and five crew members, who were brought to a nearby village, Corcuera police chief Capt. Ro...