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Miss Manners: She claimed she was just kidding. How do I express my displeasure?

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:14:50 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Is there a proper reaction to people who brutally insult or criticize you but immediately follow it up with “just kidding”?Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: My friend claims not to have heard these insulting comments Advice | Miss Manners: We’d go to the wedding but we’re obviously on the bride’s B-list Advice | Miss Manners: I unintentionally insulted a stranger in the store Advice | Miss Manners: I was berated by the mothers of the rude sing-along girls Advice | Miss Manners: It was awkward to see her after this emotional episode My wife’s sister uses the phrase constantly. On a recent visit, she disapproved of the meal, noted my recent 10-pound weight gain and disliked our new sofa — she wasn’t asked for her opinion on any of these things — and then said she was joking. I don’t find it funny.GENTLE READER: Justifying r...

Dear Abby: I shouldn’t have to compete with my son’s clingy girlfriends

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:14:50 GMT

DEAR ABBY: My son’s former wife was difficult — manipulative, spoiled and possessive. I tried to get along with her, but no matter what I did, she gave me no respect and turned my son against me. They have been divorced for six years.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: Everyone heard him call his co-worker baby, and I was humiliated Advice | Dear Abby: He never wants to see me again, but we may be thrown together Advice | Dear Abby: How can I break my wife of her rude obsession? Advice | Dear Abby: I take all these tests, and I still don’t know what I’m good at Advice | Dear Abby: She was offended that I called her son’s behavior creepy He began dating a few years ago, and each woman is a carbon copy of the ex-wife. He falls right back into the same pattern of ignoring me and letting his girlfriends “possess” him.I’m deeply hurt. I don’t understand wh...

Loudoun Co. parents meet and greet new school superintendent, hope to ‘restore the trust’

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:14:50 GMT

Loudoun County Public School parents in Virginia got the chance Wednesday night to meet and greet the new school Superintendent Aaron Spence, who has been on the job for three weeks.Spence launched his countywide “listening tour,” with a visit to Broad Run High School, the first of 18 planned sessions over the next few weeks, in which he plans to meet with both staff and public members.Spence landed in Loudoun after a lengthy stewardship of the Virginia Beach Public School system and he arrives to lead a school district that has been roiled by controversy, including issues of LGBTQ+ students’ rights and the role of critical race theory in curriculum. The school system was also harshly criticized over its response to multiple sexual assaults, failing to notify the community and transferring the student responsible to another high school where they sexually assaulted a second student.“Loudon County is coming back from a place where trusts were broken. So I̵...

Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals meet in game 4 of series

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:14:50 GMT

Milwaukee Brewers (86-66, first in the NL Central) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (67-85, fifth in the NL Central)St. Louis; Thursday, 1:15 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Brewers: Wade Miley (8-4, 3.38 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 70 strikeouts); Cardinals: Miles Mikolas (7-12, 4.84 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 118 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Cardinals -114, Brewers -106; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Milwaukee Brewers play the St. Louis Cardinals with a 2-1 series lead.St. Louis has a 67-85 record overall and a 33-44 record in home games. The Cardinals are 40-15 in games when they have more hits than their opponents.Milwaukee has gone 41-36 on the road and 86-66 overall. The Brewers have a 55-19 record in games when they record eight or more hits.The teams match up Thursday for the 10th time this season. The Brewers lead the season series 5-4.TOP PERFORMERS: Lars Nootbaar has 23 doubles, a triple and 13 home runs for the Cardinals. Willson Contreras is 13-for-34 with a double and four home runs...

Giants visit the Dodgers to start 4-game series

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:14:50 GMT

San Francisco Giants (76-76, third in the NL West) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (93-58, first in the NL West)Los Angeles; Thursday, 10:10 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Giants: Kyle Harrison (1-1, 5.18 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 29 strikeouts); Dodgers: Emmet Sheehan (3-1, 5.44 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 45 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Dodgers -185, Giants +156; over/under is 9 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Los Angeles Dodgers host the San Francisco Giants to open a four-game series.Los Angeles is 50-27 in home games and 93-58 overall. The Dodgers are 75-20 in games when they scored at least five runs.San Francisco has a 76-76 record overall and a 33-44 record on the road. The Giants are 57-23 in games when they record at least eight hits.Thursday’s game is the seventh time these teams square off this season. The Giants are ahead 4-2 in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Mookie Betts is second on the Dodgers with 78 extra base hits (38 doubles, a triple and 39 home runs). Max Muncy is 12-for-40 with a dou...

Phillies host the Mets to open 4-game series

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:14:50 GMT

New York Mets (71-81, fourth in the NL East) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (83-69, second in the NL East)Philadelphia; Thursday, 7:15 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Mets: David Peterson (3-8, 5.22 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 113 strikeouts); Phillies: Ranger Suarez (3-6, 3.80 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 109 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Phillies -173, Mets +146; over/under is 9 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Philadelphia Phillies host the New York Mets on Thursday to begin a four-game series.Philadelphia is 83-69 overall and 43-31 in home games. The Phillies have a 29-11 record in games when they did not give up a home run.New York is 71-81 overall and 32-45 in road games. Mets hitters have a collective .318 on-base percentage, the ninth-ranked percentage in the NL.The matchup Thursday is the seventh meeting between these teams this season. The Mets have a 4-2 advantage in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Schwarber has 17 doubles, a triple, 45 home runs and 99 RBI for the Phillies. Nicholas Castellanos is 1...

Cubs square off against the Pirates in series rubber match

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:14:50 GMT

Pittsburgh Pirates (71-81, fourth in the NL Central) vs. Chicago Cubs (79-73, second in the NL Central)Chicago; Thursday, 7:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Pirates: Johan Oviedo (8-14, 4.27 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 147 strikeouts); Cubs: Kyle Hendricks (6-7, 3.91 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 86 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Cubs -169, Pirates +142; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates play on Thursday with the three-game series tied 1-1.Chicago has a 79-73 record overall and a 42-35 record at home. Cubs hitters have a collective .329 on-base percentage, the sixth-best percentage in MLB play.Pittsburgh is 71-81 overall and 33-41 on the road. The Pirates have a 53-6 record in games when they have more hits than their opponents.Thursday’s game is the 13th time these teams meet this season. The Cubs are up 10-2 in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Cody Bellinger has 27 doubles, a triple and 26 home runs for the Cubs. Dansby Swanson is 13-for-45 with thre...

Nationals begin 4-game series at home against the Braves

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:14:50 GMT

Atlanta Braves (97-55, first in the NL East) vs. Washington Nationals (68-85, fifth in the NL East)Washington; Thursday, 7:05 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Braves: Max Fried (7-1, 2.64 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 73 strikeouts); Nationals: Jake Irvin (3-6, 4.41 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 98 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Braves -265, Nationals +215; over/under is 9 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Washington Nationals host the Atlanta Braves on Thursday to begin a four-game series.Washington has a 68-85 record overall and a 33-44 record at home. The Nationals are 25-14 in games when they hit at least two home runs.Atlanta is 49-28 on the road and 97-55 overall. The Braves have gone 77-18 in games when they scored at least five runs.The teams match up Thursday for the seventh time this season. The Braves are up 4-2 in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Lane Thomas has 34 doubles, three triples and 26 home runs for the Nationals. Dominic Smith is 8-for-36 with two doubles, four home runs and six RBI over the past...

Thousands of DC renters spend more than half their income on rent, report finds

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:14:50 GMT

Over 50% of renters in D.C. use more than half their paychecks on rent and utilities, according to a new analysis from United Planning Organization, a nonprofit community development group that said it helps D.C. residents lift themselves out of poverty.The report found more than 44,000 renter households were spending their income this way in 2022, compared to 36,000 in 2010.Many of the homes that allocate a significant portion of their incomes toward housing make less than $50,000 annually, the report said.“There is such a high number and an increasing number of people who are paying over half of their income to housing,” said Andrea Thomas, UPO’s president and CEO, adding that this then leads to disparities in terms of food access, health needs and education.Broadly, the report suggests D.C. isn’t doing enough to create affordable housing for people suffering the most from expensive rents across the city.For one, Thomas said the city isn’t spending en...

The secret, slipshod evidence the EU uses to sanction Russian oligarchs

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:14:50 GMT

Hastily compiled dossiers leave the bloc vulnerable to legal challenges.By LEONIE KIJEWSKIIllustration by Anson Chan for POLITICOIT WAS AN UNUSUAL APOLOGY: from the office of the president of the European Council to a sanctioned Russian oligarch.In a confidential evidence packet used by the European Union to justify freezing his assets, Viatsheslav Moshe Kantor’s nationality had been listed as “Jewish/Russian.” A 70-year-old billionaire who once headed the Russian fertilizer giant Acron, Kantor stepped down as president of the European Jewish Congress after being sanctioned by the EU and the United Kingdom in April 2022. He holds Russian, U.K. and Israeli citizenship.The designation “Jewish/Russian” could be a mistaken reference to a Soviet-era ethnic classification, but several scholars commissioned by Kantor’s lawyers found it to be an antisemitic description that should not have been included in an official document.“We sincerely regret the error,” reads a July 2022 letter s...