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Nicholas Kristof: We are privileged to live an an age of miracles

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:46:00 GMT

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — One of the misimpressions people have about the world is that it’s going to hell.Perhaps that’s because humanity’s great triumph over the past half-century — huge reductions in poverty, disease and early death — goes largely unacknowledged. Just about the worst thing that can happen to anyone is to lose a child, and historically, almost half of children died before reaching adulthood. We happen to live in a transformational era in which 96% of the world’s children now survive until adulthood.That arc is visible here in Sierra Leone, a country that remains heartbreakingly poor — yet where the risk of a child dying is less than half what it was 20 years ago.You may have heard of Sierra Leone as “the most dangerous place in the world to give birth.” No longer true: Deaths in pregnancy and childbirth have plunged 74% since 2000, according to United Nations figures.In a remote health center, I met Yeabu Kargbo, 19, who had just given birth with the help of a trai...

5 dishes everyone should know how to grill

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:46:00 GMT

Grilling may be the world’s oldest, most universal cooking method, but that doesn’t guarantee automatic success. Just ask the person who routinely burns the burgers or whose fish always sticks to the grate.Suppose you’re a newcomer to the world of grilling or you just want a refresher. You don’t need to start with the thermodynamics of fire, the physics of fuels, the architecture of grills.Focus instead on the basics and a handful of dishes to put into your summer rotation: a tender, juicy steak; grilled chicken breast that actually tastes interesting; pork chops that evoke the spice and smoky flavors of your favorite barbecue joint; juicy burgers safely cooked; and fish that easily release from the grate.There are five methods of live-fire cooking: direct grilling, indirect, smoking, spit-roasting and on the embers, but direct grilling is the most universal. This means cooking tender, small or thin foods, like steaks or chops, directly over a hot fire. Don’t confuse it with barbecu...

Ask Amy: Teenager should learn to be here now

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:46:00 GMT

Dear Amy: I’ll be a junior in high school in the fall.So far, high school has been bland. The only excitement for me is the fact that I’m going to Japan on a school trip soon.I want to attend an out-of-state college because I want to have a fresh start.I want to have some kind of friend group (since I’m an introvert), to have a boyfriend, and to attend parties (but I don’t only want to party in college).I have a hard time making decisions because I’m so worried that whatever I choose will be a bad decision and affect my future.I tend to dwell on the future rather than the present.I tend to be very hard on myself, which makes me feel like I’m my own worst enemy when it comes to this stuff.I’m always worrying about things instead of just relaxing and “being a teenager.”Other times, I feel like I’m behind in everything that should happen to teenagers. Sometimes, I just want to stop trying because nothing is going right for me.But other times, I...

UN chief concerned Russia will quit Black Sea grain deal in July

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:46:00 GMT

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (pictured) said on Monday (12 June) he is concerned that Russia will on 17 July quit a deal allowing the safe wartime export of grain and fertilizers from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports.Moscow has been threatening to walk away from the deal known as the Black Sea grain initiative - brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in July last year - if obstacles to its own grain and fertilizer shipments are not removed."I am concerned and we are working hard in order to make sure that it will be possible to maintain the Black Sea initiative and at the same time that we are able to go on in our work to facilitate Russian exports," Guterres told reporters.To convince Russia to agree to the Black Sea grain deal, a three-year memorandum of understanding was struck at the same time under which UN officials agreed to help Russia with its own food and fertilizer exports.While Russian exports of food and fertilizer are not subject to Western sanct...

Photos: You can lease Walt Disney’s California Storybook Mansion for $40,000 a month

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:46:00 GMT

Timur Bekmambetov, a Russian-Kazakh filmmaker best known for such films as “Wanted,” “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and the 2016 remake of “Ben-Hur,” is renting for $40,000 a month. (Photo by Joel Danto of The Luxury Level)The rotunda entrance. (Photo by Joel Danto of The Luxury Level)The hand-painted ceiling in the rotunda entrtance. (Photo by Joel Danto of The Luxury Level)The living room. (Photo by Joel Danto of The Luxury Level)The kitchen. (Photo by Joel Danto of The Luxury Level)The dining room. (Photo by Joel Danto of The Luxury Level)The theater. (Photo by Joel Danto of The Luxury Level)The former sleep porch. (Photo by Joel Danto of The Luxury Level)The trellis-covered dining patio. (Photo by Joel Danto of The Luxury Level)A view of the house from the back. (Photo by Joel Danto of The Luxury Level)Show Caption of ExpandA hilltop home that Walt Disney built during the Great Depression in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Los Feliz near Griffith ...

Single-family home in Palo Alto sells for $2.8 million

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:46:00 GMT

921 College Avenue – Google Street ViewA 2,038-square-foot house built in 1926 has changed hands. The spacious historic property located in the 900 block of College Avenue in Palo Alto was sold on June 1, 2023. The $2,800,000 purchase price works out to $1,374 per square foot. The property features three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a garage. There’s also a pool in the backyard and two parking spaces. The unit sits on a 5,750-square-foot lot.These nearby houses have also recently changed hands:A 540-square-foot home on the 2100 block of Oberlin Street in Palo Alto sold in July 2022, for $1,680,000, a price per square foot of $3,111. The home has 1 bedroom 1 bathroom.On Dartmouth Street, Palo Alto, in December 2022, a 1,548-square-foot home was sold for $1,715,000, a price per square foot of $1,108. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.In February 2023, a 1,601-square-foot home on Columbia Street in Palo Alto sold for $1,962,500, a price per square foot of $1,226. The home has 3 b...

Horoscopes June 14, 2023: Lucy Hale, accept and adjust

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:46:00 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Lucy Hale, 34; Kevin McHale, 35; Diablo Cody, 45; Boy George, 62.Happy Birthday: Pay attention to what’s going on around you. It will be easy to misinterpret the information you receive and how others feel about you or your decisions. The more aware you are, the easier it will be to bring about good changes for you and everyone your decisions will affect. Face challenges with optimism and an open mind. Accept and adjust. Your numbers are 4, 10, 16, 23, 36, 41, 45.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Challenging yourself physically will ease stress and help you sidestep an argument with someone who doesn’t see things your way. Concentrate on improving what you can contribute and adding features that attract exciting people and offers. Romance is favored. 3 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Simplify your life instead of overextending yourself emotionally or financially. Discipline will help you reach your goal in a timely fashion. Don’t hesitate to a...

Bridge: June 14, 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:46:00 GMT

The loser-on-loser play may be declarer’s most valuable tool, useful in many situations: in establishing a suit, preparing an end play or executing an “avoidance” play.In today’s deal, North’s bid of 2NT would have been an artificial forcing spade raise were he not a passed hand; as it was, his bid was natural and invitational, showing a balanced 11 or 12 points.Against four spades, West leads the jack of hearts: queen, king, three. South wins the heart return with dummy’s ace and counts nine winners: six trumps and three side aces. Where can he get a 10th trick?THIRD TRICKSouth should lead a diamond to his ace at the third trick, lead a trump to dummy’s nine and return the queen of diamonds. When East follows low, South discards his last heart — a loser on a loser.West takes the king, and leads a third heart. South ruffs and reaches dummy with the king of trumps to discard a club on the jack of diamonds. He loses one club at the end b...

Word Game: June 14, 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:46:00 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — INTEGER (INTEGER: IN-tih-jer: A member of the set of whole numbers or their negatives.)Average mark 24 wordsTime limit 40 minutesCan you find 33 or more words in INTEGER? The list will be published tomorrow.YESTERDAY’S WORD — DEMOTES deem deet demo demote does dome dose dote emote meet mete mode modest most mote teed teem toed tome seed seem smote some steed stemTo 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.Contact Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe at [email protected].

Ukraine on the Offensive

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:46:00 GMT

The Ukrainian military’s counteroffensive against Russia is underway. Aided by the U.S. and other Western powers, Ukraine is making a push to expel Russian troops. This week on Intercepted, Jeremy Scahill and Murtaza Hussain are joined by Rajan Menon, the director of the Grand Strategy program at Defense Priorities and author of several books, including “Conflict in Ukraine: The Unwinding of the Post-Cold War Order.” Menon was recently in Ukraine, and he describes the developments in the country, more than one year since the Russian invasion began. Menon breaks down the regional differences in Ukraine and the geopolitical challenges to ending the conflict.Transcript coming soon.The post Ukraine on the Offensive appeared first on The Intercept.