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Dear Abby: 29-year-old feels useless when compared to others

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:06:48 GMT

Dear Abby: I am a 29-year-old housewife with a loving husband, a caring mother and equally supportive in-laws. I’m writing because I feel useless. I don’t even have a hobby I’m good at. Although I like to play music, draw and play with cats, I don’t think I’m good at any of them, despite others telling me otherwise.My friends and family are better off than I am. My friend is participating in a skating competition, my brother is working toward becoming an electrician, and my husband’s first cousin is an illustrator whose book recently got published. Because of this, I have developed low self-esteem and argue with those around me.I can’t afford college because I have no job. I tried applying for a few only to be turned down. Abby, I haven’t accomplished anything special. All I want is to be good at SOMETHING, but I’m afraid it will blow up in my face. I can’t accept criticism.I’m at a loss about what to do. I’m re...

San Diego gas prices lower ahead of holiday weekend: Auto Club

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:06:48 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- It is fireworks at the pumps for travelers as gas prices are lower ahead of the Fourth of July weekend.As of June 29, the average price of self-serve regular gasoline in San Diego is $4.87, which is three cents lower than last week, two cents lower than last month and $1.39 lower than last year, according to the Auto Club's Weekend Gas Watch.Just north of San Diego, the American Automobile Association report shows Los Angeles-Long Beach area's average price of gas is two cents higher than San Diego while the state as a whole is at $4.83. However, nationally the price of gas is even cheaper at $3.55, which is also three cents lower than a week ago, per AAA. City announces opening of first safe sleeping lot for homeless “Local holiday travelers will be paying nearly $1.50 a gallon less than this time last year as they fill up for their trips,” Auto Club spokesperson Doug Shupe said. “Travelers can make sure they are not overpaying for fuel by using a tool such as t...

EU leaders pause talks as Poland and Hungary’s anti-migrant governments block progress

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:06:48 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders broke off migration talks early Friday as Poland and Hungary blocked progress after they were outvoted earlier this month on a plan to share out refugees arriving in Europe among the 27 member countries.Few leaders spoke to reporters as they left the summit venue after talks long into the night. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander DeCroo put on a brave face after what he described as a “rather difficult” discussion. Poland and Hungary refused to endorse a summit statement, which requires unanimity.“There are two options. Either we continue, or we give up and say there’ll be no summit statement, nothing. But there’s a clear willingness among the great majority of countries to try,” DeCroo said. The talks will resume later Friday.Ahead of the meeting in Brussels, Poland’s prime minister had insisted that the country wouldn’t be forced to accept European Union rules on migration, and he vowed to veto any plan that might force countries to...

UN children’s chief: Youngsters in Haiti need aid and face `staggering levels’ of gender violence

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:06:48 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Close to half of Haiti’s people, 2.2 million adults and 3 million children, need humanitarian aid and thousands of youngsters face “staggering levels” of gender-based violence, the head of the U.N. children’s agency said Thursday.“Haitians and our team, they’re telling me it’s never been worse than it is now — unprecedented hunger and malnutrition, grinding poverty, a crippled economy, resurgence of cholera, and a massive insecurity that creates a deadly downward spiral of violence,” said Catherine Russell, the executive director of UNICEF.Russell said what was clear during her just-completed visit was that the police don’t have the capacity to secure the country and protect the population from violent gangs and “something needs to change.”“We have to, as an international community, say we can’t watch this country completely fall apart,” she said. “And so my job is to try to bring some attention to that problem and to make sure people understand how terri...

Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling leaves colleges looking for new ways to promote diversity

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:06:48 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has sent shockwaves through higher education with a landmark decision that struck down affirmative action and left colleges across the nation searching for new ways to promote student diversity.Leaders of scores of universities said Thursday that they were disappointed by what they see as a blow to diversity. Yet many also voiced optimism that they would find new ways to admit more Black and Hispanic students, despite evidence that eliminating the practice often leads to steep enrollment decreases among them.President Joe Biden said he disagreed with the decision and asked the Education Department to explore policies that could help colleges build diverse student bodies. He also pushed against policies like legacy preferences — admissions boosts given to the children of alumni — that tend to help white, wealthy students.“We should never allow the country to walk away from the dream upon which it was founded,” Biden told reporters. “We need a new p...

Ukraine has an array of new Western weapons. What advantages could they offer in a counteroffensive?

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:06:48 GMT

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Ukraine’s military was largely reliant on Soviet-era weaponry, from tanks to artillery to fighter jets.While that arsenal helped Ukraine fend off an assault on the capital of Kyiv and prevent a total rout in the early weeks of the war, billions of dollars in military assistance has since poured into the country, including more modern Western-made weapons. Ukraine’s counteroffensive, now in its early stages, could offer a glimpse of whether and to what extent the newer weapons systems have strengthened Kyiv’s ability to stand up to Russia.Analysts are cautiously optimistic.“Ukraine is in a much better position to be able to conduct a combined arms warfare than where they were in the beginning of Russia’s full-scale reinvasion of Ukraine,” George Barros, a Russia analyst for the Center for Strategic International Studies said.Here’s a look at some of the Western weapons sent to Ukraine and what advantages they might offer.Striking TargetsO...

Ukraine aims to wear down and outsmart a Russian army distracted by infighting

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:06:48 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The ambush had been postponed three times before Ukrainian commanders decided one recent night that conditions were finally right. Cloaked in darkness, a battalion of Kyiv’s 129th brigade pressed ahead, advancing stealthily on unsuspecting Russian soldiers.By the time the Russians situated along the front line realized they were under attack, it was too late.Ukraine’s recapture of the small village of Neskuchne in the eastern Donetsk region on June 10 encapsulates the opening strategy of a major counteroffensive launched earlier this month. Small platoons bank on the element of surprise and, when successful, make incremental gains in territory and battlefield intelligence.“We had a few scenarios. In the end, I think we chose the best one. To come quietly, unexpectedly,” said Serhii Zherebylo, the 41-year-old deputy commander of the battalion that retook Neskuchne. Across the 1,500-kilometer (930-mile) front line, Ukrainian forces are attempting to wear dow...

Trump, DeSantis among 2024 GOP hopefuls set to appear at Moms for Liberty gathering

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:06:48 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the main rivals for the Republican presidential nomination, are scheduled to speak Friday at the annual gathering of Moms for Liberty, a two-year-old group that has fiercely opposed instruction related to race and gender identity in the nation’s classroom.The group, which has quickly become a force in conservative politics, advocates “ parental rights ” in education, but an anti-hate watchdog has labeled it “ extremist ” for allegedly harassing community members, advancing anti-LGBTQ+ misinformation and fighting to scrub diverse and inclusive material from lesson plans. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and DeSantis’ wife, Casey DeSantis, also are slated to address the group Friday at the downtown Philadelphia hotel hosting the conference. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy are set to give remarks on Saturday.Their attendance underscores the influen...

Rep. George Santos set to appear federal court on fraud and money laundering charges

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:06:48 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. Rep. George Santos is set to return to court Friday for the first time since pleading not guilty last month to charges that he duped donors, stole from his campaign, collected fraudulent unemployment benefits and lied to Congress about being a millionaire.The New York Republican, known for fabricating key parts of his life story, is free awaiting trial. He is scheduled to go before U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert in a Long Island courthouse at noon. The hearing is expected to focus on the timing of future court dates as the case against the Republican congressman moves forward.Federal prosecutors have charged Santos with 13 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to Congress. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Taken together, the allegations suggest Santos relied on “repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself,” according to U.S. Attorney for the Eastern...

EU leaders recommit to support Ukraine as they and NATO see divisions emerging in Russia

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:06:48 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took center stage at a European Union summit, underscoring the importance the 27 EU leaders attach to protecting their eastern flank from Russian aggression and beefing up Ukraine’s defense capabilities.In a statement issued early Friday after the meeting ended, the leaders reaffirmed their willingness “to provide sustainable military support to Ukraine for as long as it takes.”Zelenskyy addressed the gathering by video link and Stoltenberg attended an early lunch for leaders. But the biggest seat at the table was reserved for something that’s not officially on the agenda: the fallout from the stunning weekend mutiny in Russia and the impact it has on the rule of President Vladimir Putin.“The mutiny we saw at the weekend demonstrates that there are cracks and divisions within the Russian system. At the same time, it is important to underline that these are internal Russian matters,” said Stoltenber...