Dear Heloise: When traveling, I throw a dryer sheet in the bag that holds my shoes. I also put a dryer sheet in each of my gym shoes at home. To freshen my clothes quickly, I put them in the dryer with a dryer sheet on the air cycle. I reuse ones from the dryer to dust with. My sisters place dryer sheets under their bedsheets. Others rub a dryer sheet on their sofas! I love and use many of the suggestions you and others have printed in your column. -- Jackie, Colorado Springs, Colorado SEND A GREAT HINT TO: Heloise@Heloise.com SHREDDED PAPER Dear Heloise: You're a big fan of recycling items, so I thought you might be interested in what we do with shredded paper in our office. Three of us have family in other countries, so we often have to mail Christmas gifts. We have a paper shredder, and when it comes time to empty it, we dump the paper into large plastic bags and save it in a closet. We later use that paper when we mail gifts for various occasions such as weddings, birthdays and Christmas. The word got out, and now there are a couple of other offices in our building that come down for some "packing material." -- Anne H., Milford, Delaware MICROWAVE FUDGE Dear Heloise: When I lived at home, my mother insisted on doing the cooking. She said I always made a mess of her kitchen. In college, we had our meals in the dining hall, so I never really learned how to cook. But now I have my own place, and I would like to make a recipe I saw in your column a couple of years ago. I don't know the name of it, but it was a fudge recipe where you could microwave the ingredients. It sounded good and so easy to make. Would you reprint this recipe? I want to take it to a family gathering for Thanksgiving. -- Jeffery M., in Boulder, Colorado Jeffery, the recipe you're thinking of was called "Matthews' Microwave Fudge," and it was indeed very easy to make. Here is the recipe: -- 1 pound of powdered sugar -- 1/2 cup cocoa -- 1/4 teaspoon butter or margarine -- 4 tablespoons milk -- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract -- 1 cup chopped pecan or walnuts Combine all the ingredients except the nuts in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high until all the ingredients in the mixture are melted and smooth. Remove and stir periodically. When the mixture is smooth, remove it from the microwave and stir in the nuts. Spread the fudge into a buttered 9-by-5-inch loaf pan and allow it to cool completely before cutting it into bite-sized pieces. -- Heloise REUSING STOCKINGS Dear Heloise: Last week while I was making soup, I wanted to put certain spices in a square of gauze or cheesecloth and found that I had neither in my house. I looked around and finally found a clean nylon stocking I no longer wore or needed. I placed the spices in a square I had cut from the nylon stocking and tied it at the top! It worked very well! -- Louella T., Livingston, MontanaFive killed in two separate accidents in Mandya districtChristmas unwrapped: Where to get your festive fix in Sydney
Stephen Olowoniyi scores 18 as Southern Indiana knocks off Shawnee State 91-56
Saturday citations: The 'donut effect'; basically immortal batteries; Neanderthals and H. sapiensA nine-year-old child who was the subject of an Amber Alert on Wednesday afternoon was found safe and sound. Sûreté du Québec (SQ) posted the update to social media about 40 minutes after the alert was issued. The child was missing from Marieville, in the Montérégie region about 30 kilometres southeast of Montreal, and was found in Montreal. The SQ says the investigation continues and thanks the public for their cooperation. They did not provide further details.
AP Trending SummaryBrief at 3:51 p.m. EST
US agencies should use advanced technology to identify mysterious drones, Schumer saysRoss Barkley’s 85th-minute winner gave them victory after they had twice squandered the lead in Germany. John McGinn and Jhon Duran goals at the start of each half were cancelled out by Lois Openda and Christoph Baumgartner. But Barkley had the final say less than two minutes after coming off the bench as his deflected effort earned the points which sent his side third in the new Champions League league phase. The top eight automatically qualify for the next stage and with games against Monaco and Celtic to come, Unai Emery’s men are a good bet to avoid the need for a play-off round in their first foray in this competition. Leipzig are out, having lost all six of their games. Villa enjoyed a dream start and were ahead with less than three minutes on the clock. Matty Cash, playing in a more advanced position on the right, crossed for Ollie Watkins, who nodded down into the path of McGinn and the skipper made no mistake from close range. That gave the visitors confidence and they had enough chances in the first 15 minutes to have the game wrapped up. Lucas Digne’s cross from the left was begging to be converted but Watkins could not make contact from close range and then Morgan Rogers shot straight at Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi. Then Youri Tielemans found himself with time and space on the edge of the area from Watkins’ tee-up but the Belgium international disappointingly dragged wide. All that good work was undone in the 27th minute, though, as Emiliano Martinez was left red-faced. The Argentinian was too casual waiting to collect Nicolas Seiwald’s long ball and Openda nipped in to get the ball first and tap into an empty net. — Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) Duran was introduced at the break and needed just a couple of minutes to fire a warning when he drilled wide after a loose ball fell to him 14 yards out. But the Colombian got his goal in the 52nd minute, though it was another moment for the goalkeeper to forget. Duran was invited to drive forward and unleashed a 25-yard shot, which was hardly an Exocet, but still was too much for Gulacsi, who barely even jumped. It was his 10th goal of the season and sixth from the bench as he continues his super-sub role. 😍 — Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) The striker was not complaining and he thought he had doubled his tally shortly after when he converted Cash’s centre but the provider was ruled offside by VAR. Five minutes later, Villa found themselves pegged back again with a finish of real quality. Openda was sent clear by another long ball and his cross was perfect for Baumgartner to cushion a far-post volley back across goal and into the corner. Digne brought a save out of Gulacsi and then Openda shot straight at Martinez as both sides pushed for a winner. It was Villa who got it as Barkley saw his deflected effort wrong-foot Gulacsi and hit the back of the net.NEW YORK (AP) — Remember what you searched for in 2024? Google does. Google released its annual “Year in Search” on Tuesday, rounding up the top trending queries entered into its namesake search engine in 2024. The results show terms that saw the highest spike in traffic compared to last year — ranging from key news events, notably global elections , to the most popular songs, athletes and unforgettable pop-culture moments that people looked up worldwide. Sports — particularly soccer and cricket — dominated Google's overall trending searches in 2024. Copa América topped those search trends globally, followed by the UEFA European Championship and ICC Men's T20 World Cup . Meanwhile, the U.S. election led news-specific searches worldwide. Queries about excessive heat and this year's Olympic Games followed. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump topped searches in Google's people category this year — followed by Catherine, Princess of Wales , U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif , who also led athlete-specific searches. Meanwhile, the late Liam Payne , Toby Keith and O.J. Simpson led search trends among notable individuals who died in 2024. In the world of entertainment, Disney and Pixar's “Inside Out 2” was the top trending movie of the year, while Netflix's “Baby Reindeer” led TV show trends. And Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” dominated song trends. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Queries for the Olympic village's chocolate muffin , made famous by Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen over the summer games, led Google's global recipe trends this year. The New York Times' “Connections” puzzle topped game searches. And in the U.S., country-specific data shows, many people asked Google about online trends like the word “demure” and “ mob wife aesthetic .” You can find more country-specific lists, and trends from years past , through Google’s “Year in Search” data published online . The California company said it collected 2024 search results from Jan. 1 through Nov. 23 of this year. Google isn't the only one to publish an annual recap or top trends as 2024 draws to a close. Spotify Wrapped , for example, as well as Collins Dictionary and Merriam-Webster’s words of the year, have offered additional reflections for 2024.
US agencies should use advanced technology to identify mysterious drones, Schumer says
NEW YORK (AP) — Remember what you searched for in 2024? Google does. Google released its annual “Year in Search” on Tuesday, rounding up the top trending queries entered into its namesake search engine in 2024. The results show terms that saw the highest spike in traffic compared to last year — ranging from key news events, notably global elections , to the most popular songs, athletes and unforgettable pop-culture moments that people looked up worldwide. Sports — particularly soccer and cricket — dominated Google's overall trending searches in 2024. Copa América topped those search trends globally, followed by the UEFA European Championship and ICC Men's T20 World Cup . Meanwhile, the U.S. election led news-specific searches worldwide. Queries about excessive heat and this year's Olympic Games followed. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump topped searches in Google's people category this year — followed by Catherine, Princess of Wales , U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif , who also led athlete-specific searches. Meanwhile, the late Liam Payne , Toby Keith and O.J. Simpson led search trends among notable individuals who died in 2024. In the world of entertainment, Disney and Pixar's “Inside Out 2” was the top trending movie of the year, while Netflix's “Baby Reindeer” led TV show trends. And Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” dominated song trends. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Queries for the Olympic village's chocolate muffin , made famous by Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen over the summer games, led Google's global recipe trends this year. The New York Times' “Connections” puzzle topped game searches. And in the U.S., country-specific data shows, many people asked Google about online trends like the word “demure” and “ mob wife aesthetic .” You can find more country-specific lists, and trends from years past , through Google’s “Year in Search” data published online . The California company said it collected 2024 search results from Jan. 1 through Nov. 23 of this year. Google isn't the only one to publish an annual recap or top trends as 2024 draws to a close. Spotify Wrapped , for example, as well as Collins Dictionary and Merriam-Webster’s words of the year, have offered additional reflections for 2024.
The 26-year-old man charged in last week’s killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO appeared in a Pennsylvania courtroom on Tuesday, where he was denied bail and his lawyer said he'd fight extradition to New York City, where the attack happened. Luigi Nicholas Mangione was arrested Monday in last Wednesday's attack on Brian Thompson after they say a worker at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, alerted authorities to a customer who resembled the suspected gunman. When arrested, Mangione had on him a gun that investigators believe was used in the attack and writings expressing anger at corporate America, police said. As Mangione arrived at the courthouse Tuesday, he struggled with officers and shouted something that was partly unintelligible but referred to an “insult to the intelligence of the American people.” Mangione is being held on Pennsylvania charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police. Manhattan prosecutors have charged him with five counts, including murder, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a forged instrument. Here are some of the latest developments: Wearing an orange jumpsuit, Mangione mostly stared straight ahead during the hearing, occasionally consulting papers, rocking in his chair, or looking back at the gallery. At one point, he began to speak to respond to the court discussion but was quieted by his lawyer. Judge David Consiglio denied bail to Mangione, whose attorney, Thomas Dickey, told the court that his client did not agree to extradition and wants a hearing on the matter. Blair County (Pennsylvania) District Attorney Peter Weeks said that although Mangione's fighting extradition will create “extra hoops” for law enforcement to jump through, it won’t be a substantial barrier to sending him to New York. In addition to a three-page, handwritten document that suggests he harbored “ill will toward corporate America,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said Monday that Mangione also had a ghost gun, a type of weapon that can be assembled at home and is difficult to trace. Officers questioned Mangione, who was acting suspiciously and carrying multiple fraudulent IDs, as well as a U.S. passport, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. Officers also found a sound suppressor, or silencer, “consistent with the weapon used in the murder,” she said. He had clothing and a mask similar to those worn by the shooter and a fraudulent New Jersey ID matching one the suspect used to check into a New York City hostel before the shooting, the commissioner said. Kenny said Mangione was born and raised in Maryland, has ties to San Francisco and that his last known address is in Honolulu. Mangione, who was valedictorian of his Maryland prep school, earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science in 2020 from the University of Pennsylvania, a university spokesman told The Associated Press on Monday. Mangione comes from a prominent Maryland family. His grandfather Nick Mangione, who died in 2008, was a successful real estate developer. One of his best-known projects was Turf Valley Resort, a sprawling luxury retreat and conference center outside Baltimore that he purchased in 1978. Mangione likely was motivated by his anger with what he called “parasitic” health insurance companies and a disdain with corporate greed, said a law enforcement bulletin obtained by The Associated Press. He wrote that the U.S. has the most expensive healthcare system in the world and that the profits of major corporations continue to rise while “our life expectancy” does not, according to the bulletin, which was based on a review of the suspect’s hand-written notes and social media postings. The defendant appeared to view the targeted killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO as a symbolic takedown and may have been inspired by “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski, whom he called a “political revolutionary,” the document said. Police said the person who killed Thompson left a hostel on Manhattan's Upper West Side at 5:41 a.m. on Wednesday. Eleven minutes later, he was seen on surveillance video walking back and forth in front of the New York Hilton Midtown, wearing a distinctive backpack. At 6:44 a.m., he shot Thompson at a side entrance to the hotel, fled on foot, then climbed aboard a bicycle and within four minutes had entered Central Park, according to police. Another security camera recorded the gunman leaving the park near the American Museum of Natural History at 6:56 a.m. still on the bicycle but without the backpack, police said. After getting in a taxi, he headed north to a bus terminal near the George Washington Bridge, arriving at around 7:30 a.m. From there, the trail of video evidence runs cold. Police have not located video of the suspect exiting the building, leading them to believe he likely took a bus out of town. Police said they are still investigating the path the suspect took to Pennsylvania. “This just happened this morning," Kenny said. "We’ll be working, backtracking his steps from New York to Altoona, Pennsylvania,” Kenny said. Associated Press reporters Lea Skene, Matt O'Brien, Sean Murphy and Cedar Attanasio contributed to this report.
As Christmas lights shine in the bitter winter cold, a choir of angels spread warmth in the dark. But they do not have halos or wings – instead they’re clad in pink hi-vis jackets and armed with Greggs leftovers to feed the homeless. Wheeling trolleys laden with supplies, the volunteers are from Helping Hands of Birmingham. It’s a tiny but big-hearted charity helping feed – and lift spirits of – the city’s rough sleepers. The Mirror joined volunteers on an evening outing earlier this month. At one point, volunteers pulled goods for the homeless past the city’s top-end Ivy restaurant – the contrast could hardly be more stark. By day the charity’s founder Clare Whitaker is a regional manager for a commercial cleaning firm – but by night the 51-year-old helps feed Birmingham’s homeless. The mum-of-two warned: “Remember, when you see someone that’s homeless, that’s someone’s child, that’s someone’s brother, sister... there still a soul, really. That’s what we’re all about. We’re not just about giving food or whatever, we’ll have a chat with them... we’ll help them if they want to be helped.” She added: “Instead of sitting at home watching the TV and doing what other people do, we just spend a... night a week going out helping people. Because I’d like to think that if I didn’t have anywhere to turn and I had nowhere to sleep that some nice young person would come up and offer me... clean... underwear, and a clean pair of socks and some hot dinner and a drink.” In one desperate scene, we saw a vulnerable woman in the street breakdown when Clare asked her a simple question: “Are you OK?” She wasn’t; and the charity provided her hot food as well as clothing and an email contact. The woman had been homeless since April, Clare explained: “She’s... cold, wet, tired, obviously had a bad day and nobody’s really helped her. “She’d like to get back to where she was, where her support network was. So, obviously, I’ve kitted her out with as much as I can to get through tonight... [and] sent her some details of where she can go in the morning where she can get people that know the system and people know how they can get her inside. And then, hopefully, she gets there at 9am, she will get a hot breakfast and she’ll get the support she needs and hopefully tonight will be her last night on the streets.” Official figures, based on an estimate and count, show 36 people were sleeping rough in Birmingham on a single night in Autumn last year. But the true number is almost certainly higher. Volunteer Katie Webber has been supporting Helping Hands of Birmingham – which had an annual income of just £28,461 in 2023-4 – with her time for over a year. For Katie, a NHS physiotherapist, it is an issue close to her heart. Wheeling a trolley with food – including sweets and chocolate – she told the Mirror: “Obviously Clare is exceptionally well versed in where people can try and get somewhere to sleep. But, unfortunately, sometimes those places are full and so people do still end up sleeping rough. It is very upsetting." As the night draws to a close, word reaches Clare from the woman she helped – thanks to the wonders of modern technology . Clare reads out the woman’s email to her: “Thank you so very much, truly appreciate your help. God bless you.” Asked what it means to her, Clare explained: “It means that we’ve helped somebody, doesn’t it? “She’s going to get somewhere tomorrow, hopefully, and she’ll get inside – fingers crossed. Because you can’t be outside the way she was, can you, really?” The type of immediate feedback is unusual. “Normally you help them and they go and then you never see them again,” Clare said. “Some people will come back and thank you and some people won’t. But some people don’t want to revisit that part of their life anymore.” To donate to Helping Hands of Birmingham, please visit: https://helpinghandsbirmingham.org/
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