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Editorial: John Kerry should be fired [+video]

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:58 GMT

John Kerry just told taxpayers to go to hell.That’s ironic because he’s the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate who is supposedly the nation’s champion for the planet. But while he’s trying to turn down the heat, he’s firing up the secrecy.History will remember that the nation’s first global warming warrior was the least transparent official in the Biden administration. That’s not an enviable distinction.The globetrotting former Bay State senator and failed presidential candidate is basically kicking sand in everyone’s face.Kerry testified before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability Thursday that his post is unlike any other special envoy before him. We agree, wholeheartedly.Wildfires, floods, record temperatures, pollution, and all related worries must be examined if we’re going to preserve the only home we have. But, and here’s where Kerry is “stupid” — to use his own...

Keep co-parent in the loop about new partner

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:58 GMT

Q. My ex and I broke up three years ago. I have been dating when the kids are with their father, never mentioning anyone because I’ve never been serious until now. I would like to date someone exclusively. Actually, more than exclusively. We are planning a life together. My kids are young, 8 and 9, and know him as a friend. He has been at our home for dinner quite a few times over the last six months, but my co-parent has no idea. I’m trying to get the timing right. Who do I tell first that we are a couple? The kids or their dad? What’s good ex-etiquette?A. I’m sticking my neck out here, but if he’s has been to your home for dinner “quite a few times” over the last six months, I venture to think both your kids and their dad already know he’s someone special.If your kids have kept it a secret that he’s been to dinner, then your kids are the only ones I have met who don’t pass on information to their other home.So that means daddy probably already knows you have “a friend.” He probabl...

‘Anything is possible’ for Annie Murphy in voicing ‘Praise Petey’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:58 GMT

For Annie Murphy, being heard but not seen in the wild, weirdly outrageous and dementedly funny Freeform animated series “Praise Petey” is a little bit of creative heaven.“Weird’s the word that I use about ‘Petey,’” the “Schitt’s Creek” Emmy winner began.  “It’s an incredibly hilarious, incredibly bizarre trip into the mind of Anna Drezen who in my opinion is the funniest woman on the face of the earth.”An actress and comedian, Drezen is best known as the head writer for “Saturday Night Live.”“I knew this was the job for me,” Murphy, 36, continued, “when I read that Petey, my character, was dating a literal plank of wood. It’s that kind of bizarre. Since anything is possible when you have animation, they really went for it.”Murphy discovered it’s in the recording booth that “Praise Petey” really takes shape.  “We do all the recording and then they animate according to what we’ve recorded. It’s such a strange, new world for me, voice acting.  What’s grea...

Many health benefits to neutering your dog

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:58 GMT

Dear Dr. John,My boyfriend and I share in the ownership of a nine-month-old Brittany Spaniel. He is slightly hyperactive to say the least. Our difference in opinion comes down to whether we should neuter our dog. Are there any negative side effects? My boyfriend is convinced that this would make our dog lazier and fatter and take away his high level of energy. Frankly, slowing him down some might not be such a bad idea. I have always heard and believed that it was advisable to neuter male dogs much like it is important to spay a female dog. I’m convinced that this is a bit of a macho thing. Lastly, how soon should we have this done if we are to go forward in agreement on the subject? B.V.Dear B.V.,For a very long time, the benefits of neutering male dogs have been well understood. I list the following in no specific order of importance. The benefits include eliminating the risk of testicular cancer, greatly reducing any chance of prostatic disease such as hypertrophy or neoplasia, p...

Greedy ex puts child support before educational goals

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:58 GMT

Q. When my ex and I got divorced several years ago, I moved to Virginia.  My youngest child is heading to college in the fall, having chosen to attend a state school in Virginia.  She can get in-state tuition by transferring her residence to mine without waiting a full year and proving residency.My ex does not agree to this because she wants me to continue paying child support.  I pay $250 per week.  Our break on tuition is $15,000 for in-state students and we are obligated to equally share the cost of college once the 529 money is gone.  I’ve tried to explain the math to her but the more I talk the angrier she becomes.  Our daughter wants to go to medical school and wants to preserve as much of her 529 as possible to use toward medical school.  If she is an in-state student, her 529 will cover all of undergraduate expenses and there will be significant funds left over for her later use.  If she is an out- of- state student, she is likely to run out of money in her senior year.What ...

TV Q&A: Why are scenes missing from old reruns?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:58 GMT

You have questions. I have some answers.Q: I watch the original “Perry Mason” on MeTV. I like the early episodes where they often show Perry, Della Street and Paul Drake at home, and other scenes that aren’t there anymore. Do you know why these scenes disappeared?A: You have touched on a dilemma for viewers of older television shows: the adding of more commercial time than the shows originally held.The amount of content in commercial shows has shrunk steadily from more than 50 minutes an hour to about 40, with the remaining space filled with ads. When older shows are replayed today, content is often cut or sped up to make room for more advertising.MeTV’s statement on its content policy calls for “preserving the original viewing experience for all our series as best we can. For example, this is why we air the original opening and closing credits full screen. We also don’t add intrusive banner animations over shows. Additionally, MeTV airs significantly less commercials pe...

Talented Jer’Nyia wants to be a lawyer

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:58 GMT

Jer’Nyia is a very talented and creative young woman. She is funny with a dry sense of humor. Jer’Nyia loves art and enjoys creating art through painting. She also enjoys listening to music, singing, and dancing.Jer’Nyia takes pride in her appearance and loves painting her nails and those of her peers, watching make up tutorials, and going shopping. Her favorite sport is volleyball. Jer’Nyia likes to journal in her spare time. She describes herself as being a good advocate and her long-term goal is to be lawyer.Jer’Nyia is in high school and her teachers describe her as intelligent and admire her ability to complete her homework and assignments without issue. Jer’Nyia loves her culinary arts class and enjoys cooking dinner for her peers and caretakers. She loves to engage with both peers and adults. Jer’Nyia thrives with encouragement and compliments.Jer’Nyia’s is a wonderful self-advocate and will use that skill as she moves through this process. She is look...

Giancarlo Stanton, Clarke Schmidt carry Yankees in much-needed rebound win over Rockies

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:58 GMT

DENVER — The Yankees didn’t start the second half or their series against the basemen-dwelling Rockies the way they wanted to on Friday, but the team bounced back with a 6-3 win on Saturday at Coors Field.For the second night in a row, Giancarlo Stanton found himself at the center of the Yankees’ offense. After smoking a two-run home run on Friday — the Yanks’ only runs of the game — Stanton forced a three-run shot the other way off Connor Seabold in the second inning. The ball traveled 398 feet and over the right field fence, giving Stanton a four-game homer streak and 11 longballs for the season.Stanton, who also drove in a run with a first-inning groundout, reached 1,000 RBI for his career with the dinger.While Stanton didn’t have any help in the scoring department on Friday, that wasn’t the case on Saturday. Kyle Higashioka picked up an RBI sac fly in the second, while Gleyber Torres added an RBI single before Stanton’s blast...

Dear Abby: Family ignores relative with Alzheimer’s

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:58 GMT

Dear Abby: Is it normal for people to ignore relatives who have Alzheimer’s? My father spent more than two years in a veteran’s hospital before his death. During that time, he was visited regularly by his children (including me) and my aunt (his sister). His grandchildren and another aunt visited a few times. Two of my uncles saw him once.None of his other relatives — nephews, nieces, cousins — ever went to visit him. If they did, they never mentioned it to me, nor did any of the staff in my father’s dementia ward, leaving me 99% certain that no one else came.There are no conflicts going on in my extended family. Dad got along with everyone and never spoke ill about anyone. So I’m left with the conclusion that either no one cared, or they were for some reason afraid to see someone with Alzheimer’s. Maybe the thinking was that Dad wouldn’t remember the visit, so why bother? None of those alternatives are comforting, and I’m findin...

7 bodies pulled from flooded road tunnel in South Korea as rains cause flash floods and landslides

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:58 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean rescue workers pulled seven bodies from a flooded tunnel where around 15 vehicles were trapped in muddy water, as days of heavy rain triggered flash floods and landslides and destroyed homes, leaving at least 33 people dead and forcing thousands to evacuate, officials said Sunday.Nearly 400 rescue workers, including divers, were searching the tunnel in the central city of Cheongju, where the vehicles, including a bus, were swamped by a flash flood Saturday evening, Seo Jeong-il, chief of the city’s fire department, said in a briefing.Photos and video from the scene showed rescue workers establishing a perimeter and pumping brown water out of the tunnel as divers used rubber boats to move in and out of the area.Yang Chan-mo, an official from the North Chungcheong provincial fire department, said it could take several hours to pump out all the water from the tunnel, which was still filled with 4 to 5 meters (13 to 16.4 feet) of water dense with m...