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Ask Amy: Employee exclusion makes boss miserable

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:25 GMT

Dear Amy: I am incredibly hurt by not being invited to either of my two employees’ baby showers. It’s just the three of us in this office. Because of my choice to provide growth and creative opportunities for these employees, as well as flexibility and generous compensation and benefits — my life is pretty miserable.They are flourishing while I am left with a hugely complicated list of administrative tasks, including being a one-person HR department.This is in addition to managing the many other responsibilities essential to the existence of the organization.It is very hard to find someone willing and able to handle these essential but extremely boring tasks, although I keep trying, while I chip away.We all know a lot about each other’s personal lives, which are entwined in various ways (through relatives and friends), and I care about them very much.This feels like a personal rejection. Do you think I am overreacting?— Hurt BossDear Hurt Boss: I don’t think you are over...

MEPs back plans for a more affordable and consumer-friendly electricity market

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:25 GMT

The reform of the electricity market, to make it more stable, affordable and sustainable, received the support of the Energy Committee on Wednesday.Stronger consumer protection against volatile prices Special contracts, long-term purchase agreements to help encourage energy investments More protection to stop vulnerable households from having their electricity cut off  In their amendments to the draft legislation, MEPs propose to further strengthen consumer protection against volatile prices. Consumers should have the right to fixed-price contracts, dynamic price contracts, as well as more key information on the options they sign up to, banning suppliers from being able to unilaterally change the terms of a contract. The aim is to ensure that all consumers, as well as small businesses, would benefit from long-term, affordable and stable prices and to mitigate the impact of sudden price shocks.MEPs also advocate that EU countries prohibit suppliers from cutting the ele...

Horoscopes July 28, 2023: Dustin Milligan, trust and believe in yourself

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:25 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Dustin Milligan, 38; Sally Struthers, 76; Jim Davis, 78; Peter Cullen, 82.Happy Birthday: Discipline is a prerequisite to achieving what you set out to do this year, so take your time and do things right the first time. Refuse to let outside interference shred your confidence or allow others to take advantage of you. Trust in your intelligence and know what’s best for you; your year will unfold just how you want. Trust and believe in yourself. Your numbers are 5, 19, 24, 28, 31, 39, 43.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Plan something entertaining or physically challenging and give it your all. Get in the groove and mastermind what brings you closer to your happy place. Make decisions based on your needs, not what someone pressures you to pursue. Romance is favored. 5 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Choose personal growth over changing others. Consistency will win over those who have yet to decide. Let your actions speak for you; the results will be your c...

Word Game: July 28, 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:25 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — SERIOCOMIC (SERIOCOMIC: seer-ee-oh-KOM-ik: Having a mixture of the serious and the comic.)Average mark 31 wordsTime limit 45 minutesCan you find 41 or more words in SERIOCOMIC? The list will be published tomorrow.YESTERDAY’S WORD — POPULACE pace pale palp papule peal pepo place plea plop pole pope puce pule pulp pupa pupal opal lace leap lope loupe aloe apple cape capo clap clop clue coal cola cole cope copula coup coupe couple cupolaTo 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” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed....

Bridge: July 28, 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:25 GMT

I saw Cy the Cynic in the club lounge, sitting at a far-corner table. He looked glum.“Minnie’s glasses got him again,” Rose told me. “Don’t let Cy fool you. Minnie is 82, and deep down, he admires her.”Minnie Bottoms, our senior member, wears old bifocals that make her mix up kings and jacks, often to her opponents’ dismay. Cy has been Minnie’s chief victim. He declared today’s 3NT in a duplicate, and West led a low heart.“Minnie was East,” Rose said, “and played the jack! Cy took his king and led the ten of diamonds — and Minnie said it was her lead.”“She thought her jack had been the king,” I smiled.SECOND HEART“Cy let the ten ride,” Rose said. “Minnie won and led the ace and another heart, and down the Cynic went. He should have led the jack of diamonds; it might have won the trick!”Minnie’s play was correct; Cy needed the king of hearts to have 16 points ...

Sinema Bill on Firefighter Pay Is “Slap in the Face” to Workers Battling Blazes

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:25 GMT

At the height of fire season and amid record shattering temperatures, a bipartisan group of senators led by Kyrsten Sinema, I-Az., has framed a new bill related to firefighter pay as a boon for the wildland workforce. In reality, the bill would result in a major pay cut to federal firefighters who saw their wages increase under President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill. The 2021 law included a temporary but significant increase in firefighters’ take-home pay: 50 percent or $20,000, depending on a worker’s pay grade. That boost is set to lapse in September, and lawmakers have introduced the Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act to soften the blow. The bill would split the difference between the pay wildland firefighters received prior to 2021 and their increased wages of the last two years. There are tens of thousands of federal firefighters spread across the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Nati...

Meet the Man Driving the Right’s Culture War Panic

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:25 GMT

The Republican Party’s full embrace of the culture war as a political tactic — from drag queen story hour to critical race theory and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives — has been chiefly guided by activist and polemicist Christopher Rufo, author of the new book “America’s Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything.” But is the effort fundamentally nihilistic? And is it overly obsessed with sex while claiming to uncover pedophiles everywhere in our midst? This week on Deconstructed, Rufo joins Ryan Grim to defend his approach and his philosophy.Transcript coming soon.The post Meet the Man Driving the Right’s Culture War Panic appeared first on The Intercept.

UEFA says Italy and Turkey have teamed up for bid to co-host 2032 European Championship

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:25 GMT

NYON, Switzerland (AP) — Italy and Turkey have asked to co-host soccer’s 2032 European Championship for which they are the only bidders, UEFA said Friday.The two soccer federations were competing in the bidding contest that is scheduled for an Oct. 10 vote by UEFA executive committee members.UEFA said it will now work with the two federations to ensure their joint bid meets all the requirements for the 24-team tournament.Turkey is also bidding to host the 2028 edition though that has long been expected to go to the joint bid by the four United Kingdom federations and Ireland.Both hosting awards are due to be made on Oct. 10.___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Walsh’s injury against Denmark could further deplete England’s Women’s World Cup roster

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:25 GMT

SYDNEY (AP) — European champion England lost another key player to injury in its match Friday against Denmark at the Women’s World Cup.Midfielder Keira Walsh, playing in her second Women’s World Cup, went down in the 35th minute while the Lionesses led 1-0 at halftime after an early goal by Lauren James. Walsh held her right leg and was carried off the field on a stretcher.Walsh won player of the match honors in the 2022 Euros final, which England won 2-1 over Germany.Injuries were a concern for England entering the tournament. Beth Mead, who won the Golden Boot at the 2022 Euros, suffered an ACL injury when playing for Arsenal in December. Leah Williamson, also playing for Arsenal, tore an ACL during a match in April, causing her to miss the Women’s World Cup as well.___Anna Ruth Riggins is a student at the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.—-AP Women’s World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Chevron: Q2 Earnings Snapshot

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:25 GMT

SAN RAMON, Calif. (AP) — SAN RAMON, Calif. (AP) — Chevron Corp. (CVX) on Friday reported second-quarter profit of $6.01 billion.The San Ramon, California-based company said it had profit of $3.20 per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring gains, were $3.08 per share.The results surpassed Wall Street expectations, but Chevron does not adjust its reported results based on one-time events such as asset sales. The average estimate of seven analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $2.95 per share.The oil company posted revenue of $48.9 billion in the period, which did not meet Street forecasts. Five analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $51.42 billion._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on CVX at https://www.zacks.com/ap/CVXSource