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Former PM Fico wins Slovak election

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:34 GMT

Former Prime Minister Róbert Fico’s leftist-populist Smer party won Saturday’s election in Slovakia after promising to stop sending weapons to Ukraine, to block Kyiv’s potential NATO membership and to oppose sanctions on Russia.With 98 percent of ballots counted in the country of 5.5 million people, Smer had 23.4 percent of the vote, ahead of the liberal, Western-oriented Progressive Slovakia by nearly seven percentage points and almost 200,000 votes.As is political custom in Slovakia, the election winner gets the first chance to form a majority in the 150-seat parliament. Despite the country’s profound polarization, Fico is in a strong position to return to power with the support of Hlas (Voice), a social-democratic party that split from Smer in 2021. Hlas finished third with 15 percent in Saturday’s vote.In 2018, then-Deputy Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini took over from Fico as Slovakia’s leader during the political crisis that followed the murder of investigative jou...

Worried about scabies at dog kennel

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:34 GMT

Dear Dr. John,My dog is kenneled regularly at a local facility. I learned that another regular day boarder was diagnosed with scabies. The kennel plans to clean and disinfect the entire facility. What will they use to disinfect? More importantly, should I be concerned that my dog might contract this disease? The dogs all hang out together in the play yard daily. Should my family be concerned that we might catch something as well? L.B.Dear L.B.,Scabies is a highly contagious and transmissible disease caused by the mange mite Sarcoptes scabiei that burrow into the skin. These parasites can live in the environment and off a host for up to three weeks. They can live on furniture, rugs and more.I would not be surprised if the kennel closed for a day or two to treat the facility with proper disinfectant containing permethrins. However, just because one dog that frequents the kennel was diagnosed with scabies does not mean that the facility is affected depending on when the dog was there p...

Check your deposition transcript before signing

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:34 GMT

Q. My wife’s lawyer took my deposition several weeks ago.  She then wrote me a letter saying I can come to her office to read and sign the deposition transcript. I don’t want to take more time off from work to do this. She won’t give me a copy of the transcript to read at home.  I don’t understand why she wants me to come to her office for this.A. I assume that you are representing yourself right now.  If you had a lawyer, your lawyer would have been given the opportunity to order (i.e. buy) a copy of the transcript from the stenographer and then you could just have a copy and not have to go to her office to read it.  You do have the right, regardless of whether you are represented by counsel or not, to order a copy of your transcript from the stenographer.  You should find out the cost and weigh that against having to take more time off from work.  It might just be better to buy the transcript.Regardless of whether you buy the transcript or not, you have 30 days from the day the tr...

Look for the compromise with kids’ birthday parties

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:34 GMT

Q. My co-parent and I do not agree about who is to host our children’s birthday parties. We both agree it would be nice to have one party with all the friends and family, but she insists on having them all. She tells me I can have my own party for the kids, but if I do, the kids’ relatives and friends won’t want to go to two parties. The kids have asked to have “some parties at Mom’s and some at Dad’s.” How can we resolve this?A. By following the 10 Rules of Good Ex-etiquette — starting with Rule No. 1, “Put the children first” — and progressing through the other nine, which includes No. 5, “Don’t be spiteful,” and No. 7, “Use empathy when problem-solving.” And No. 10, “Look for the compromise.” (Google “Ten Rules of Good Ex-Etiquette for Parents.”)Parents won’t have these problems if they remove the personal concerns that polarize them in one position and use their children’s best interest as the criteria for their decisions.Having two separate parties...

Chicago Cubs are eliminated from playoff contention on the penultimate day of the season: ‘We didn’t win enough ballgames’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:34 GMT

As the Chicago Cubs prepared to hit entering the top of the eighth inning Saturday night, a smattering of cheers among the 42,652 fans spread through American Family Field.The Miami Marlins had just closed out a win in Pittsburgh, triggering the applause from Milwaukee Brewers fans who saw the final score pop up on the left-field out-of-town scoreboard. The Marlins’ victory eliminated the Cubs from postseason contention.“We didn’t win enough ballgames,” manager David Ross said. “I mean, we can point fingers and blame. We’ve got to look inward and see where we’ve got to improve. It’s on each one of us to grow this year. It doesn’t feel like it right now, there’s a lot to be proud of from a lot of different guys and also areas to get better.“That’s the great thing about a baseball season, we have to come back next year and be tested all over again and have to improve in a lot of areas. But right now it...

‘The Changeling’ not your average fairy tale

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:34 GMT

Is “The Changeling” a fairy tale? A horror story? Or maybe both?“It’s taking the oldest form of storytelling in many respects, you know, the fairy tale, the story you tell around the fire, and adapting that to contemporary New York,” answered the AppleTV+ series’ producer and frequent director Jonathan van Tulleken.“Changeling” is from Victor LaValle’s 2017 novel, adapted by Kelly Marcel. We follow Lakeith Stanfield’s Apollo Kagwa, a used book dealer, as he searches for his wife as we see his mother, father and child. LaValle, who was on set, narrates the story.“In terms of adapting it to TV,” van Tulleken said in a joint Zoom interview with director Michael Francis Williams, “it’s a really bold bit of television. Kelly really went out there to try and bring this fairytale quality to the screen, to capture all the nuance and get it all down visually.”“It’s also addressing some really interesting, pertinent themes,” noted Williams.  “Tough things on race, postpartum depre...

‘Ringleader’ turns spotlight back on Bling Ring thefts

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:34 GMT

With “The Ringleader: The Case of the Bling Ring,” Sunday night’s documentary on HBO MAX, Erin Lee Carr takes another look at the notorious California “Bling Ring” burglars of celebrity homes.“I was in college when it was happening, and I just marveled at the insanity it would take for somebody around my age to break into somebody’s home,” Carr, 35, began in a Zoom interview.“It’s one of those cases that stuck with me and as somebody who is largely in the criminal justice space as a film director” — 2021’s “Britney vs Spears” – “it was like, ‘Oh yeah! I want to get involved and see if I can uncover new things and talk to people who have never spoken.”Which is exactly what she did with the first-ever testimony of Rachel Lee, the so-called ringleader of seven celebrity-obsessed teenage and young adult Calabasas kids who used social media to track when they could burgle $3 million in jewels, clothes and accessories from Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, Lindsay Lohan, Mega...

Bright Jayden likes school, construction

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:34 GMT

Jayden is a sweet, funny, and bright child. He enjoys playing educational games with his iPad, grocery shopping, and SpongeBob is one of his favorite shows. He enjoys pretending to work at Home Depot and is interested in construction. Jayden likes running, celebrating other’s people birthdays, and dancing.He is social and enjoys including other people in his activities. Jayden understands the meaning and importance of family and hopes to celebrate the holidays with his own family.Jayden likes attending school. His academic, communication, and socialization skills have improved with the extra support and services he receives there. These include computer skills, reading, and math instruction. He follows directions and he continues working on his Independent Living Skills. Jayden likes to follow a routine, but if a change is necessary, he is flexible and adapts fast. The ideal family would need to ensure that Jayden continues growing academically as well as with his independent ...

Raise a glass to wonderful fall wines

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:34 GMT

Did you know you can drink rosé when it’s cool out? I know, I was also surprised to find this out. Sure, rosé and Sauvignon Blanc scream summer. But they also whisper fall.If you don’t know where to start with fall wines, let us help. Here are five wines at reasonable price points for a bunch of different occasions that taste great when it’s 90 degrees and when it’s 60 degrees.Xanadu Circa 77 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon ($18)Yes, this wine is a mouthful (thankfully in more ways than one). This Australian twist on a favorite French blend is about 60% Savvy B and 40% Semillon. The combination of the two grapes makes for something that’s both laid-back and fruit forward, crisp and clean. The locals call it a Margaret River style wine, a unique mashup you can’t really find outside of the south west coast of Western Australia.Conundrum White Blend ($18)Wild wine blends can freak traditionalists out (even though Europeans have been doing it for generations). When Conundrum started adding a s...

Schoen: What’s Newsom’s strategy for taking White House?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:34 GMT

At present, it certainly seems as if Joe Biden will be his party’s nominee for president. He is the incumbent, leader of his party, and no serious challenger has presented themselves in the Democratic Party.That said, whether due to increasing concerns over Biden’s approval numbers, age, cognitive abilities, and the multiple investigations into his son Hunter, it is increasingly possible that Biden may decide within the next few months not to seek re-election. Were that to happen, Vice President Kamala Harris would likely be the odds on favorite to replace Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket.However, given the way California Gov. Gavin Newsom has sought to aggressively raise his national profile lately – assertively defending Biden’s record, traveling widely to campaign for Democratic candidates, and serving as Biden’s mouthpiece following the GOP debate on Wednesday, there are legitimate questions as to exactly what Newsom is trying to do, and why is he doing it?It must be sa...