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‘Adding some weirdness’ to their day, Vancouver woman surprises drivers with costumes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:36 GMT

VANCOUVER — Some people love golfing, others like to hike, but Anne Bruinn’s hobby is about “adding a little bit of spice” to other people’s day by wearing a costume at the end of her driveway and entertaining passersby.The would-be Mrs. Dressup likes to call herself the “queen of the cosplay corner,” referencing the joy of costume play, a performance art where people dress up as a variety of characters. Bruinn said she has been surprising her drive-by audiences as everything from a “Star Wars” stormtrooper to “Beetlejuice.”“I have a captive audience because there’s nothing else to look at … I am the star of the show even though it’s anonymous attention,” said Bruinn, who regularly dresses up to greet people from a busy corner on South West Marine Drive in Vancouver.“I know it’s boring between here and wherever you’re going. So, hopefully I can make your day a little more interestin...

‘I have no fixed address’: A look at encampments for homeless across Canada

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:36 GMT

Federal housing advocate Marie-Josée Houle has called the spread of homeless encampments in cities across Canada a human rights crisis.“People living in encampments face some of the most vulnerable circumstances of any member of Canadian society … they have experienced a history of human rights violations and are at heightened risk of further violations,” her office wrote in an interim report on encampments published this month.Alexandra Flynn, an associate law professor at the University of British Columbia who researches housing issues, says it’s difficult to pin down how many people have no place to live across Canada and how many of those are left sheltering in tents or sleeping outdoors.But going by reports from those working on the front lines, homelessness is increasing across the country, she said in a recent interview, and so is the number of encampments.“It’s a huge deal,” Flynn said. “What’s also new is the degree to w...

Live updates | Israeli warplanes strike targets ahead of expected ground offensive in Gaza

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:36 GMT

Israeli warplanes are striking targets across Gaza ahead of an expected ground offensive in the besieged Hamas-ruled territory. Fears of a widening war have grown as Israel struck targets in the occupied West Bank, Syria and Lebanon and traded fire with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group.Two aid convoys arrived in the Gaza Strip over the weekend through the Rafah crossing from Egypt. Israel said the trucks carried food, water and medical supplies. Israel has not allowed in fuel, which is critically needed for water and sanitation systems and hospitals.The war, in its 17th day Monday, is the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides. The Palestinian Health Ministry said Sunday that at least 4,651 people have been killed and 14,254 wounded in the territory. In the occupied West Bank, 96 Palestinians have been killed and 1,650 wounded in violence and Israeli raids since Oct. 7.More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, mostly civilians who died in the initial Hamas rampa...

Daily horoscope for October 23, 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:36 GMT

Moon Alert: Caution: Avoid shopping or important decisions after 3 p.m. EDT today (12 noon PDT). The Moon is in Aquarius.Happy Birthday for Monday, Oct. 23, 2023:You are charming, enthusiastic and energetic. You want your life to be interesting! Simplicity is the key to life this year. Take charge of your health. Physical exercise will be important. Focus on work, and at the same time stay grounded and levelheaded. Get stuff done!ARIES(March 21-April 19)★★★Today the Sun moves into Scorpio, ushering in four weeks of increased intensity and secrecy. Specifically, your focus on shared property, inheritances, wills and the wealth and resources of others will become more important. Your sex drive will also be amped. Tonight: New friends.TAURUS(April 20-May 20)★★★★Today the Sun moves opposite your sign to stay for four weeks. This happens only once a year, and when it does, it heightens your focus on partners and close friends. It will give you more objectivity to see your role in your cl...

Commissioner Schmit kicks-off European Vocational Skills Week to raise awareness of the key role of skills in responding to economic and social challenges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:36 GMT

Today (23 October), Jobs and Social Rights Commissioner Nicolas Schmit will be in Seville, Spain, to kick off the European Vocational Skills Week 2023. The Commissioner will open a conference on the automatic mutual recognition of vocational training qualifications, organised by the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU. The event will gather representatives of the Commission, the Spanish government for the presidency, social partners, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the International Labour Organization, as well as other parties interested in vocational education and training (VET).   During the European Vocational Skills Week, partners active in VET organise a series of events across Europe at European, national, regional and local level. The aim is to raise awareness of the key role that VET plays in responding to economic and social challenges, including to accompany the green and digital transitions. This year's Vocational Skills Week...

Miss Manners: The bride’s dress code for wedding guests strikes me as pretentious

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:36 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My husband and I have been invited to the wedding of a couple in their mid-20s. I’m irked at the dress code stated on the details card.Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: I tried to take the edge off her short-notice cancellation, and she blew up at me Advice | Miss Manners: A stranger sent a letter blasting me. Must I respond? Advice | Miss Manners: How do I bring up the problem of the neighbor’s cats? Advice | Miss Manners: The bride hung up on me, and her mother was rude, too. Was I in the wrong? Advice | Miss Manners: This lady at church got stuck, and I accidentally laughed out loud I have no issue with the “semiformal attire” request, but it goes on to say, “neutrals/earth tones encouraged.”The couple has a rather large wedding party, and I’m sure the attendants will all be dressed according to the bride’s preferred color scheme....

Dear Abby: My friend sold my teen a Taylor Swift ticket, and I can’t help resenting her

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:36 GMT

DEAR ABBY: A very good friend and neighbor sold a Taylor Swift ticket to my 15-year-old daughter for $900. I should mention, my daughter would have given her right arm for the chance to go to the show.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: My wife isn’t happy about what I put in my obituary Advice | Dear Abby: I’ve been told to shut up about this sweet woman’s risky behavior Advice | Dear Abby: My neighbor doesn’t know what my camera captures every morning Advice | Dear Abby: I’m hurt he didn’t make time for me amid his family crisis Advice | Dear Abby: She stages these embarrassing displays, and I can’t deal with it anymore The original ticket was purchased for $300, including fees. Initially, my friend wanted to sell it for $1,000, but she offered a “discount” because my daughter’s 16th birthday was coming up.I can appreciate the value of the hot...

Phillies try to clinch NLCS in Game 6 against Diamondbacks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:36 GMT

Arizona Diamondbacks (84-78, second in the NL West during the regular season) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (90-72, second in the NL East during the regular season)Philadelphia; Monday, 5:07 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Diamondbacks: Merrill Kelly (12-8, 3.29 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 187 strikeouts); Phillies: Aaron Nola (12-9, 4.46 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 202 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Phillies -187, Diamondbacks +158; over/under is 8 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Philadelphia Phillies and the Arizona Diamondbacks meet in Game 6 of the NLCS. The Phillies have a 3-2 lead in the series and will advance to the World Series with a victory.Philadelphia is 49-32 at home and 90-72 overall. The Phillies have a 49-16 record in games when they hit two or more home runs.Arizona is 84-78 overall and 41-40 in road games. Diamondbacks pitchers have a collective 4.48 ERA, which ranks 10th in the NL.The teams meet Monday for the 13th time this season. The Phillies lead the season series 7-5.TOP PERFORMERS: Bryce Ha...

‘No place like home’: DC native brings ‘The Wiz’ back to National Theatre with outreach to DC students

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:36 GMT

After traveling to Oz, Dorothy famously clicked her heels together to declare, “There’s no place like home.”A Broadway producer is now saying the same thing as she brings the iconic stage musical “The Wiz” home to the National Theatre in the nation’s capital this Thursday through Sunday.“We are so excited,” co-producer Marjuan Canady told WTOP. “I’m a native Washingtonian. I attended Duke Ellington School of the Arts many years ago. One of the performers in ‘The Wiz’ was my former classmate in the musical theater program, Allyson Kaye Daniel, so this show has really been a reunion for us. We just love seeing each other in rehearsal and all of the shows so far, so it’s been a lot of fun just to reconnect with her.”Tuesday’s opening night falls on the exact 45th anniversary of “The Wiz” opening in movie theaters on Oct. 24, 1978. The stage version premiered in Baltimore on Oct. 21, 19...

Gaza hospitals overwhelmed, doctor trying to get supplies to those in desperate need

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:36 GMT

A Palestinian journalist comfort his niece wounded in an Israeli strike on her family home in Nusseirat refugee camp, in a hospital in Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Ali Mahmoud)As the Israel-Hamas war rages on, one Chicago doctor who has a team working on the ground in Gaza gives WTOP an account of what they are seeing.Dr. Zaher Sahloul, president of U.S.-based MedGlobal, says his team in Gaza is trying to get healthcare supplies to those in desperate need.“One hospital in the United States in Chicago has more ICU beds and more ventilators than the whole Gaza Strip,” said Sahloul on Sunday.“They are piling the dead bodies outside the hospital,” he told WTOP. “They’re worried about contaminating water sources with the decomposing bodies. And I’ve seen videos of emergency rooms full of patients on the floor. They were operating on patients without anesthesia at some major hospitals, and others.”A Palestinian medic carries a b...