Ask Amy: I want flower gremlins at my wedding, and my family is furious

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:56:04 GMT

Ask Amy: I want flower gremlins at my wedding, and my family is furious Dear Amy: My fiancé and I are planning our wedding and have chosen two of my cousins (ages 8 and 14) to be ushers.Related ArticlesAdvice | Ask Amy: I’m devastated by the wedding snub, and my husband doesn’t have my back Advice | Ask Amy: My sneaky co-workers are stressing me out Advice | Ask Amy: I wake up to a startling noise from my dear old neighbor Advice | Ask Amy: I hate when people say this to make me feel better. Am I too sensitive? Advice | Ask Amy: How do I tell my neighbor I want out of this unpleasant ritual? Instead of having a traditional flower girl, we decided to have my fiancé’s cousins (who range between the ages of 3 to 6) be the “flower gremlins.”My family is very upset by this decision and are on the brink of cutting me out of the family.They really wanted my 8-year-old cousin to serve as a traditional flower girl. That is what they were expecting, but they didn’t realize...

Harriette Cole: Does my husband’s full-time job exempt him from child care?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:56:04 GMT

Harriette Cole: Does my husband’s full-time job exempt him from child care? DEAR HARRIETTE: I am a new parent of a 2-month-old. My husband and I don’t have anyone in our state (Oregon) we are close with because we moved here a year ago for my husband’s job.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: I’m staggered by my boyfriend’s rule for living together Advice | Harriette Cole: How can I extract myself from my teen romance? Advice | Harriette Cole: She told a lie about me that broke our friendship. How do I deal with this? Advice | Harriette Cole: Nobody is doing anything about my abusive boss Advice | Harriette Cole: The trait that got me this far isn’t working anymore It’s been hard because all of our family is back in Ohio, where we are originally from. We have no support system, and my husband has gone back to work, so it’s just been me taking care of our son during the day.When my husband gets home, he barely helps me with the baby; ...

Amphastar: Q3 Earnings Snapshot

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:56:04 GMT

Amphastar: Q3 Earnings Snapshot RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. (AP) — RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. (AP) — Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Inc. (AMPH) on Wednesday reported third-quarter net income of $49.2 million.The Rancho Cucamonga, California-based company said it had net income of 91 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs and stock option expense, came to $1.15 per share.The results topped Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 70 cents per share.The specialty pharmaceutical company posted revenue of $180.6 million in the period.Amphastar shares have risen 62% since the beginning of the year. The stock has increased 66% in the last 12 months._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on AMPH at https://www.zacks.com/ap/AMPHSource

Manuel Neuer hails ‘phenomenon’ Harry Kane for brilliant start with Bayern Munich

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:56:04 GMT

Manuel Neuer hails ‘phenomenon’ Harry Kane for brilliant start with Bayern Munich MUNICH (AP) — England captain Harry Kane has made a brilliant start in Germany, where 15 goals in 10 Bundesliga games have matched another Bayern Munich great’s league record.Gerd Müller is the only other player to have scored so many after the first 10 rounds, a feat he managed in the 1968-69 season.Kane, who joined Bayern in a Bundesliga-record transfer from Tottenham in the offseason, reached Müller’s tally with hat tricks in consecutive games – first against Darmstadt in an 8-0 rout, then against Borussia Dortmund as he helped his team to a 4-0 win in “der Klassiker” last weekend.He also starred in the Champions League, scoring twice Wednesday to shoot Bayern into the next round with a 2-1 win over Galatasaray. “He’s a phenomenon and we’re proud that he’s playing for us in the team,” Bayern captain Manuel Neuer said. The question now is whether Kane can maintain his form and possibly beat Robert Lewandowski’s Bundesliga record of 41 goals in a season. The Polan...

The Hollywood strikes are over. Here’s when you could see your favorite stars and shows return

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:56:04 GMT

The Hollywood strikes are over. Here’s when you could see your favorite stars and shows return Striking SAG-AFTRA members pick out signs for a picket line outside Netflix studios, Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)(Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Striking SAG-AFTRA members pick out signs for a picket line outside Netflix studios, Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)(Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) LOS ANGELES (AP) — Missed your favorite actors? After nearly four months of striking, they’re coming back.Wednesday’s deal between striking actors and studios and streaming services won’t immediately restore filming to its full swing. That will take months.But the tentative agreement — which both sides say include extraordinary provisions — me...

Vatican steps closer to allowing transgender Catholics to be baptized

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:56:04 GMT

Vatican steps closer to allowing transgender Catholics to be baptized In the United States, the national conference of Catholic bishops rejects the concept of gender transition, leaving many transgender Catholics feeling excluded. On Wednesday, the Vatican made public a sharply contrasting statement, saying it’s permissible, under certain circumstances, for trans Catholics to be baptized and serve as godparents.“It is a major step for trans inclusion … it is big and good news,” said Francis DeBernardo, executive director of Maryland-based New Ways Ministry, which advocates for greater LGBTQ acceptance in the church.The document was signed Oct. 21 by Pope Francis and Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, who heads the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. It was posted Wednesday on that office’s website.If it did not cause scandal or “disorientation” among other Catholics, a transgender person “may receive baptism under the same conditions as other faithful,” the document said.Similarly, the document said trans adults — even if they had ...

French President Macron opens Gaza aid conference with appeal to Israel to protect civilians

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:56:04 GMT

French President Macron opens Gaza aid conference with appeal to Israel to protect civilians PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron opened a Gaza aid conference on Thursday with an appeal for Israel to protect civilians as it fights Hamas, saying “all lives have equal worth” and that fighting terrorism “can never be carried out without rules.” The gathering in Paris brought together officials from Western and Arab nations, the United Nations and nongovernmental organizations, with the aim of providing urgent aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip that is being pounded by Israel in its war against Hamas. Israeli authorities weren’t participating in the talks, Macron’s office said. Macron reiterated calls for a humanitarian pause in Israel’s operations. He said that by attacking Israel on Oct. 7, Hamas “shouldered the responsibility for exposing Palestinians to terrible consequences,” and he again defended Israel’s right to defend itself. But Macron also stressed that civilians must be protected. “It’s absolutely essential. It is non-negotiable,” he said....

Live updates | Turkey’s president accuses the West of weakness over Israeli actions in Gaza

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:56:04 GMT

Live updates | Turkey’s president accuses the West of weakness over Israeli actions in Gaza Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan is urging Muslim nations to “raise our voices” over Israel’s actions in Gaza while accusing the West of “weakness” as it bears witness to these “massacres by Israel.” Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s remarks Thursday at a meeting of the 10-member Economic Cooperation Organization in Tashkent, Uzbekistan come as negotiations were underway for a three-day humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza in exchange for the release of about a dozen hostages held by Hamas. That’s according to two officials from Egypt, one from the United Nations and a Western diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic efforts.The deal would enable more aid, including limited amounts of fuel, to enter the besieged territory to alleviate worsening conditions for the 2.3 million Palestinians trapped there. It is being brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, according to the officials and the diplomat.In Paris, officials from Western and Arab n...

Stock market today: World shares advance after China reports that prices fell in October

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:56:04 GMT

Stock market today: World shares advance after China reports that prices fell in October BANGKOK (AP) — Shares opened mostly higher Thursday in Europe after mixed closes in Asia and on Wall Street as markets recalibrated following recent big swings. Germany’s DAX edged 0.2% higher to 15,254.10 and the CAC 40 in Paris advanced 0.4% to 7,060.85. Britain’s FTSE 100 slipped 0.1% to 7,393.42. On Wall Street, the future for the S&P 500 was little changed and that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged 0.1% higher. On Wednesday, the S&P 500 edged up 0.1%, barely managing to extend the index’s winning streak to eight days. That ties its longest such winning streak since a nine-day run 19 years ago. The Dow slipped 0.1% and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.1%.A dearth of fresh economic data has left the markets mostly quiet this week. China reported that its consumer prices fell 0.2% from a year earlier in October while factory-gate prices declined 2.6%, suggesting demand remains slack as the world’s second-largest economy struggles to recover from the e...

El Vaticano dice que, en algunos casos, los transexuales y los bebés de parejas del mismo sexo pueden ser bautizados

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:56:04 GMT

El Vaticano dice que, en algunos casos, los transexuales y los bebés de parejas del mismo sexo pueden ser bautizados (CNN) — Una nueva decisión del departamento de Doctrina del Vaticano abrió la puerta al bautismo católico a las personas transexuales y a los bebés de parejas del mismo sexo —al tiempo que califica de pecado el estilo de vida de las personas homosexuales—. La resolución ha sido bien acogida por las personas LGBTQ, pero despreciada por los conservadores.Las nuevas normas, fechadas el 31 de octubre, proceden de una serie de preguntas o dubia presentadas al Dicasterio para la Doctrina de la Fe por el obispo brasileño Giuseppe Negri. Las respuestas a sus preguntas sobre determinados sacramentos se publicaron en la página web del Vaticano en italiano el miércoles por la noche.¿Cuándo podrían ser bautizadas las personas transexuales y los hijos de parejas homosexuales?En cuanto a los transexuales, el documento dice que una persona que se identifique como transexual puede ser bautizada como cualquier otro adulto, “siempre que no haya riesgo de causar escándalo o desorientación&...