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Dear Abby: My friends are going to be angry about what I’ve hidden from them

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:27:18 GMT

DEAR ABBY: I’m a woman in my late 40s, and since coming out of the isolation of the pandemic (the lockdown was strict where we live), I’ve had a hard time rekindling the friendships I valued before — with my two best girlfriends, in particular.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: My parents took in my ex while I had to live in my car Advice | Dear Abby: My friend makes silly excuses for why her husband won’t see me Advice | Dear Abby: Would it be awkward to invite her to my wedding dinner? Advice | Dear Abby: I wasted five years on a man, and I want to start dating efficiently Advice | Ask Amy: My dad’s humiliating tell-all book could affect my job hunt We used to have the type of relationship in which we were very open. We told each other everything and had a lot of fun.The last two years were really hard on me. I faced a series of serious health issues, as did my youngest k...

Johns Hopkins, Inova Fairfax ranked among top DC region hospitals

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:27:18 GMT

Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, is once again near the top of the rankings of the nation’s best hospitals and Inova Fairfax Hospital is ranked the No. 1 hospital in the D.C. area in the annual rankings by U.S. News and World Report.“Our results are intended to be a source of information, a data driven decision guide to patients for them to weigh along with other factors including recommendations from their physician,” said Ben Harder, managing editor and chief of health analysis at U.S. News and World Report.“They should be making this decision in consultation with their physician for sure … but also where their insurance will cover care, what’s convenient to them and to their family and so on.”He added it’s “just one factor in how a patient might make a decision about where to get care.”The rankings evaluate hospitals in 35 medical and surgical services across the country. There are also refinements in this year&#...

Stock market today: Global shares trade mixed after boost from Wall Street rally

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:27:18 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Global shares were trading mixed Tuesday, as market optimism set off by a Wall Street rally was balanced by lingering worries about inflation and regional growth. France’s CAC 40 shed 0.1% to 7,487.17 in early trading, while Germany’s DAX fell 0.2% to 16,408.78. Britain’s FTSE 100 inched up less than 0.1% to 7,701.80. U.S. shares were set to drift lower with Dow futures down nearly 0.1% at 35,662.00. S&P 500 futures fell less than 0.1% to 4,611.25. Investors were also watching for the policy decision by the Reserve Bank of Australia, which kept its rates steady. “With the RBA keen not to overdo the tightening, it seems unnecessary to hike today when in all likelihood the macro signals for hiking will look much stronger at the September meeting,” said Robert Carnell, Asia-Pacific regional head of research. Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.9% to finish at 33,476.58. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.5% to 7,450.70. South Korea’s Kospi j...

Reds play the Cubs leading series 1-0

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:27:18 GMT

Cincinnati Reds (59-49, first in the NL Central) vs. Chicago Cubs (53-53, third in the NL Central)Chicago; Tuesday, 8:05 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Reds: Ben Lively (4-6, 3.76 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 62 strikeouts); Cubs: Justin Steele (11-3, 2.87 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 100 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Cubs -166, Reds +140; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Cincinnati Reds lead 1-0 in a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs.Chicago has a 53-53 record overall and a 27-27 record in home games. The Cubs have the third-ranked team on-base percentage in the NL at .332.Cincinnati is 59-49 overall and 31-23 on the road. Reds hitters have a collective .414 slugging percentage to rank fifth in the NL.The matchup Tuesday is the seventh time these teams match up this season. The Reds have a 5-1 advantage in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Nico Hoerner has 20 doubles, four triples and seven home runs for the Cubs. Yan Gomes is 14-for-38 with six doubles and a home run over the last 10...

Diamondbacks play the Giants with 1-0 series lead

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:27:18 GMT

Arizona Diamondbacks (57-50, third in the NL West) vs. San Francisco Giants (58-49, second in the NL West)San Francisco; Tuesday, 9:45 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Diamondbacks: Zac Gallen (11-5, 3.36 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 143 strikeouts); Giants: Alex Cobb (6-3, 2.97 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 100 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Diamondbacks -121, Giants +101; over/under is 7 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Arizona Diamondbacks lead 1-0 in a four-game series against the San Francisco Giants.San Francisco has a 30-24 record at home and a 58-49 record overall. The Giants have the third-ranked team ERA in the NL at 3.94.Arizona has a 57-50 record overall and a 29-22 record in road games. The Diamondbacks have the fourth-ranked team batting average in the NL at .256.The teams meet Tuesday for the ninth time this season. The Diamondbacks lead the season series 5-3.TOP PERFORMERS: LaMonte Wade Jr has 13 doubles, a triple, nine home runs and 29 RBI for the Giants. Wilmer Flores is 12-for-36 with three doubles...

Phillies face the Marlins leading series 1-0

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:27:18 GMT

Philadelphia Phillies (57-49, second in the NL East) vs. Miami Marlins (57-50, third in the NL East)Miami; Tuesday, 6:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Phillies: Ranger Suarez (2-5, 4.22 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 73 strikeouts); Marlins: Sandy Alcantara (4-9, 4.52 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 113 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Marlins -137, Phillies +116; over/under is 7 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Philadelphia Phillies bring a 1-0 lead into the next game of the series against the Miami Marlins.Miami has gone 33-22 at home and 57-50 overall. Marlins hitters are batting a collective .264, which ranks second in the NL.Philadelphia is 57-49 overall and 29-29 on the road. The Phillies are 21-8 in games when they hit at least two home runs.Tuesday’s game is the eighth time these teams square off this season. The Marlins have a 4-3 advantage in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Bryan De La Cruz has 22 doubles and 14 home runs for the Marlins. Garrett Cooper is 9-for-38 with a double and a home run over...

Un zoológico chino niega que sus osos sean personas disfrazadas

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:27:18 GMT

(CNN) — Un zoológico del este de China desmintió las insinuaciones de que algunos de sus osos son personas disfrazadas, después de que se hicieran virales unos videos de un oso solar malayo que se levantaba sobre sus patas traseras y parecía increíblemente humano, alimentando rumores y teorías conspirativas en las redes sociales chinas.En un comunicado escrito desde la perspectiva de una osa llamada “Ángela”, los responsables del zoológico de Hangzhou afirmaron que la gente “no entendía” a esta especie.“Soy Ángela, una osa de sol. Ayer, después del trabajo, recibí una llamada del director del zoológico preguntándome si estaba siendo perezosa y me había saltado el trabajo hoy para encontrar a un humano que ocupara mi lugar”, decía el comunicado.“Permítanme reiterar de nuevo a todo el mundo que soy un oso solar, no un oso negro, ni un perro: ¡un oso solar!”.En videos compartidos en el popular sitio chino de microblogging Weibo, se ...

Nationals host the Brewers on 3-game home win streak

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:27:18 GMT

Milwaukee Brewers (57-50, second in the NL Central) vs. Washington Nationals (45-62, fifth in the NL East)Washington; Tuesday, 7:05 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Brewers: Freddy Peralta (6-8, 4.38 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 131 strikeouts); Nationals: Josiah Gray (7-8, 3.27 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 102 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Brewers -157, Nationals +132; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Washington Nationals, on a three-game home winning streak, host the Milwaukee Brewers.Washington has a 21-33 record at home and a 45-62 record overall. Nationals hitters have a collective .319 on-base percentage, the 10th-ranked percentage in the NL.Milwaukee has a 57-50 record overall and a 28-26 record in road games. The Brewers have a 20-9 record in games decided by one run.Tuesday’s game is the second time these teams meet this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Lane Thomas has 26 doubles, two triples and 16 home runs while hitting .287 for the Nationals. Joey Meneses is 13-for-40 with three doubles...

British director of ‘Napoleon’ compares French emperor to Hitler, Stalin

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:27:18 GMT

France’s first Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte is like Adolf Hitler, British director Ridley Scott said ahead of the release of his biopic movie on the French military leader in the fall.“I compare him with Alexander the Great. Adolf Hitler. Stalin,” Scott said in the upcoming September edition of the British monthly magazine Empire.Napoleon — who reinstated slavery and whose military campaigns ranged from Spain to Russia and were responsible for tens of thousands of deaths on the battlefield — has got “a lot of bad shit under his belt,” Scott said.“At the same time, he was remarkable with his courage, and in his can-do and in his dominance. He was extraordinary,” Scott added.After first rising to power following a coup in 1799, Corsica-born Napoleon Bonaparte led France through a series of bloody wars to briefly become a hegemonic power in continental Europe, until he was finally defeated by an alliance of European nations led by Britain in the 1815 Battle of Wa...

Biden administration unwilling to call Niger coup a ‘coup’

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:27:18 GMT

The Biden administration is refusing to call the military-backed ouster of Niger’s president a “coup,” knowing that doing so could trigger an end to U.S. security aid to a country that’s key to battling terrorism and curbing Russian influence in Africa.The reluctance is the latest example of President Joe Biden’s struggle to balance a stated reverence for democracy with the harsh reality of geopolitics, especially when it comes to partner nations tackling challenges such as extremism. Niger, one of the world’s poorest countries, just recently transitioned to democracy in a region where coups have become frequent.Pressed on the hesitation to use the label for Niger, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller insisted Monday that the situation is “fluid” and still an “attempt” at removing Niger’s president, Mohamed Bazoum.“We are watching and monitoring the situation and trying to prevent President Bazoum from being removed from office,” Miller said.Over the weekend, Secretary ...