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From Afghanistan to downtown St. Paul, a young reporter who fled the Taliban launches news-you-can-use for his people

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:00 GMT

It was 2 p.m. on a weekday when the Taliban’s national defense secretary entered the Kabul newspaper office of 8am.media with three armed guards, mincing no words: “If you write anything against us again, we’ll use the gun.”Reporter and editor Hussain Ali Haidari recalled the tension in the room, and the fear in his chest, as his country’s new leadership exerted its influence against his newsroom. It wouldn’t be the last time that the Taliban — whose fundamentalist forces took over Afghanistan’s central government in August 2021 — made an appearance in the halls of the nation’s leading weekly print journal. The then-27-year-old newsman, a former radio reporter and presidential aide, soon realized his time at the paper, and in his country, was over.“Many Afghan journalists were tortured by the Taliban. The Taliban controlled all things,” said Haidari, recalling how the press could publish “nothing against the Taliban, nothin...

Readers and writers: A cozy mystery, the lure of fish, and a tale of a female Viking’s grave

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:00 GMT

Murder, fishing, and old Viking bones. Here’s a varied offering of good books for spring reading on the deck (if spring ever comes).Gerry Schmitt (Jean Pieri /(Pioneer Press)“Lemon Curd Killer”: by Laura Childs (Berkley Prime Crime, $28)And the very last thing Nadine was cognizant of before she winked out for good, for all eternity, was being dragged … dragged into a place that was cold and dark and sticky.Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop in Charleston, S.C., is catering an event during the old city’s Fashion Week when she steps into the cooler. Since this is Theo, it’s not surprising she finds the body of a woman, face down in a bowl of lemon curd.So begins the 25th installment of this popular cozy series by Minnesotan Gerry Schmitt, writing as Childs. This plot is a little more complicated than previous books in the series, with all kinds of suspects. Nadine, the corpse, is the sister of Theo’s sort-of friend Delaine, owner...

Registration open: Free fishing adventure for kids with special needs

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:00 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) - C.A.S.T. for Kids invites Capital Region families with special needs children to set sail on a new adventure. Registration is open for participants and volunteers for the Striper Run at Henry Hudson Park in Selkirk on May 7.Link to Register: https://castforkids.org/event/striperrun/?fbclid=IwAR1KEQNNQhGJmLVvzgpWH2KSrgVLllwG03OtJHY5G2xlkIX4Dtlh58oM1TI

Ask Amy: A gentleman ponders gender salutations

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:00 GMT

Dear Amy: I have an etiquette question.Is it still acceptable to refer to men as “gentlemen” and women as “ladies?”I have read that some people may take offense to the use of those words.At baseball games that I attend, the team used to be introduced on the field by the announcer saying, “And now, ladies and gentlemen, here are your Pittsburgh Pirates!”Now, most announcers at the ballpark simply say, “And now, here are your Pittsburgh Pirates!”I would be interested to know your position on this.— Polite GentlemanDear Gentleman: I didn’t realize that I needed to have a “position” on this. (Nor is this really an etiquette question.) But let me take a swing at it.I am female, and although perhaps I can’t really claim to be a “lady,” I am not personally bothered at all by being politely referred to in this way.However, there are fellow human beings who do not identify along a binary gender line as either female or male, and one would assum...

Bridge: April 30, 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:00 GMT

“What did you do on board 16?” Unlucky Louie asked me.Some of us had repaired to the club lounge after a duplicate. Aspiring players can benefit from discussing the deals after a session, learning from their good and poor results and digesting the comments of experienced players.“North-South played at three diamonds, plus 110,” I replied. “I opened one heart as East, South doubled, my partner bid two hearts and North tried three diamonds, passed out. We couldn’t beat it. I might have made three hearts with good guessing.”“We played at three clubs,” Louie said. “I overcalled two clubs as South; I wanted better spade support to double. When West raised to two hearts, my partner competed with three clubs. He expected me to have a six-card suit for a two-level overcall.”Against three clubs, West led the deuce of hearts, and East won and returned a low heart. Louie ruffed and drew trumps, but then he had none left. When We...

Horoscopes April 30, 2023: Kirsten Dunst, look forward to what lies ahead

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:00 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Dianna Agron, 37; Kirsten Dunst, 41; Kunal Nayyar, 42; Johnny Galecki, 48.Happy Birthday: Engage in the activities and pastimes that make you happy. Take charge of your life and change what is no longer working for you. By helping yourself, you’ll be setting an example for others. Trust and believe in yourself and your ability to initiate what needs to happen to feel good about yourself and look forward to what lies ahead. Your numbers are 5, 11, 23, 26, 33, 42, 49.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Anger isn’t becoming. Channel your energy into something meaningful. Take the initiative and make home improvements that will improve your living arrangements. Invest more time and money in yourself and what you have to offer. Make healthy living a priority. 3 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Relax and enjoy friends and family. Someone you respect will offer a different perspective regarding something that interests you. Stick to a budget, and you’ll...

Word Game: April 30, 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:00 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — DELICIOUS (DELICIOUS: dih-LISH-us: Appealing to the sense of taste or smell; delightful.)Average mark 50 wordsTime limit 60 minutesCan you find 65 or more words in DELICIOUS?TODAY’S WORD — DELICIOUS deli dice diel disc disco docile does doilies dole dose douse duel dues dulse lice lido lied lieu locus lode lose loud louse lucid ludic lues iced ides idle idol isle clod close cloud clue code coed coil cold cole coleus could cued oiled oldie used scold scud side sidle silo sled slice slid slide sloe slue sluice sodic soil sold sole solid soul suedTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake”...

I Really Think You Should Read Tucker Carlson’s Last Speech Before Fox Fired Him

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:00 GMT

Tucker Carlson gives a speech at the Heritage Foundation’s 50th anniversary gala in National Harbor, Md., on April 21, 2023.Photo: Leigh Vogel/The New York Times/ReduxSoon the quadrillion online takes on Tucker Carlson’s firing by Fox News will be forgotten. Someday, Carlson himself will fade from human memory. Eventually people will think about cable news as much as they today ponder semaphore.Yet I believe that one act of Carlson’s — his last pre-termination appearance, an April 21 speech at the Heritage Foundation’s 50th anniversary gala — will endure for millennia. It is a gargantuan achievement and will abide like a pyramid in the sand, an eternal monument to humanity’s infinite vanity, self-deception, and self-congratulation.I’ve found it difficult to choose snippets of Carlson’s words to quote. It’s like trying to explain the perfection of Michelangelo’s David to someone, but being only able to show them its fingers, nipples, and wrinkly foreskin. You need the whole experienc...

Napoli fans already celebrating in anticipation of title

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:00 GMT

NAPLES, Italy (AP) — Napoli fans are already celebrating in anticipation of sealing the club’s first Italian league title since the days when Diego Maradona played for the club.Hours before Napoli’s match against Salernitana later Sunday, fans waved flags in Italy’s green, white and red colors that featured a “3” on them to signify what would be the team’s third Serie A championship after Maradona led the Partenopei to their first two titles in 1987 and 1990.Napoli needs to hope that second-place Lazio doesn’t win at Inter Milan in an earlier match and then it needs to beat Salernitana to clinch with six rounds to spare.Napoli entered the day with a 17-point advantage over Lazio.Napoli Mayor Gaetano Manfredi told The Associated Press in a recent interview that there will be “a big earthquake of joy” when Napoli seals the title.Napoli’s game against Salernitana at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona was moved from Saturday to Sunday following requests from local authorities in or...

Larrazábal edges Helligkilde to win Korea Championship

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:00 GMT

INCHEON, South Korea (AP) — Pablo Larrazábal shot a tidy 5-under 67 in the final round of the Korea Championship to complete a two-shot victory over Marcus Helligkilde on Sunday.The Spaniard’s 12-under 276 at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea was good enough to secure his eighth European tour title after starting his last round one shot back.Larrazábal then closed to a five-way share of the lead at the turn on 9-under and pulled away with four birdies in the next five holes to open a three-shot lead that he never relinquished.“I love to compete, I love to fly out here, to see all these young guys hitting it miles and try to beat them,” said Larrazábal. “And that’s what makes me the happiest guy in the world.”Denmark’s Helligkilde finished his fourth round with a 68 to take second place, holding off a four-strong chasing pack that included home favourite Park Sanghyun.Scotland’s Scott Jamieson joined Park in third place along with Spaniard Jorge Campillo and Dutchma...