SIPPING a glass of chilled fizz this Christmas morning, I will not only feel full of festive cheer, but also a little bit smug. That’s because this is the 17th time I’ve successfully managed to cut my mother-in-law, Rene, out of our celebrations. While other women will be run ragged, pandering and panicking, I’ll be blissfully relaxed at home, with my husband Brian, 52, our two sons, my parents and my sister Anneliese, 53. I’ll do nothing more strenuous than peel some vegetables, munch chocolate and unwrap presents, free of festive tension. This is the exact opposite of what the day would be like if Rene was on the scene. And it’s the reason why, during 18 years of marriage , my family has spent Christmas Day with her only once. READ MORE IN FABULOUS That was eight years ago and I am still suffering from a mild form of “seasonal PTSD ”. The barbed remarks started early in the day. “Do you often eat chocolate for breakfast?” she scoffed. The slurs didn’t end until we went to bed, when she commented: “That Christmas pudding wasn’t the best”. At the end of the day, close to tears, I swore I would never put myself through the ordeal again. Most read in Fabulous And now, at 51, I certainly won’t be swayed. I know I’m not alone, either. Mumsnet is filled with posts from women my age who are dreading having to deal with the mother-in-law this Christmas. Unsurprisingly, to me, a US study found that both men and women have more conflict with the mother-in-law than with their own mums. I don’t feel an ounce of guilt that my mother-in-law doesn’t get to see her grandchildren on the big day. She’ll see them at some point over the festive period, when we’ll go and stay for a couple of days. During that time, I’ll insist on taking long walks to get rid of those Christmas excesses — when in fact it’s to dodge seeing her. And she will spend Christmas itself with my husband’s brother, his lovely wife Chrissy and their daughters — so it isn’t as though she’ll be alone. I remember the very first Christmas in 1997 after Brian and I started dating . We didn’t spend it together because we had only been seeing each other for six months. But I was horrified when he rang me on Christmas Day to say Rene had prepared roast beef and not a traditional turkey . It’s the one time of year that I’m a stickler for convention and this seemed very wrong. Christmas is all about family and I wish I could see my grandsons I immediately knew that I didn’t want to spend a single Christmas with his family. They don’t really do presents either — most years, they would all give each other Lottery scratch cards — and while I’m not materialistic, I spend hours trawling the shops for the perfect gift for my loved ones. My mother-in-law has only ever bought me one present — a pot of anti-wrinkle cream. This year, I’m bracing myself for hair dye, because she recently asked why I have more grey hairs than Chrissy, her other daughter-in-law, despite being ten years younger. So you can understand why I feel a twinge of terror at the thought of spending Christmas with Rene at the helm. I’ve been with Brian, who works in marketing, for 26 years and festivities aside, my mother-in-law and I are yet to see eye-to-eye on anything. “Highlights” of her behaviour include asking if she could wear black to our wedding and then telling me she didn’t gain a daughter, but lost a son. She has a photo album titled My Family and while my husband and sons, who are 18 and 14, feature, I’m nowhere to be seen. She has even carefully selected wedding photos where I’m missing. For me, Christmas is a special time, not an occasion I want ruined. And Rene has a unique ability to make me feel the size of a gnat. On Christmas morning, we open stockings at my parents’ house in Dorset and have a lovely smoked salmon breakfast, and lots of chocolate, before slowly opening presents. Late afternoon, we’ll have turkey and all the trimmings — including my mother’s bread sauce, best in the world — at my sister’s house. This is followed by quizzes and party games. Brian is lovely about me wanting to be at my parents’. He gets on brilliantly with his in-laws. But eight years ago, Rene, who is a widow, was set to be alone at Christmas. Brian’s brother was away and even I acknowledged that we should go to her house, six hours from ours in London . I even prepared the meal, but the level of interference was off the scale, with petty remarks about timings and how rapidly the water was boiling for the Brussels. Her lips pursed at the taste of the chicken — “too dry” — and stayed that way up until she had eaten her last scrap of Christmas pudding with brandy butter. She made snide comments about what I’d gifted my boys, then aged ten and six. Their noisiness brought nothing but sighs. I felt like I couldn’t do anything right, most of my efforts were followed by a “Chrissy wouldn’t do it like that”. I told Brian never again. It doesn’t cause rows — he loves my family . Des­pite everything, my boys love Granny. She’s wonderful with them and I make sure they see plenty of her. But I worry about karma. I tried hard to do things in a way Mel would appreciate, but it’s never enough If the boys marry, they could assume their partners get to choose where to spend Christmas, as that’s their normal. I suspect it will be with their wives’ mums and it will serve me right. But in the meantime, I’ll enjoy my mother-in-law-free Christmas Day. And I wish all the luck in the world to the women who aren’t as lucky as I am. Rene, 81, says: “Christmas is all about family and I wish I could see my grandsons. The one Christmas I did spend with them was magical. “Mel doesn’t think I thought it was special, but it was. READ MORE SUN STORIES “I tried hard to do things in a way Mel would appreciate, but it’s never enough. “And the only reason I bought her anti-wrinkle cream is because I saw it in her bathroom, so thought she’d like it.”Nonehow to play philboss 。

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Two SAG-AFTRA members filed a class action lawsuit against the union’s health plan, claiming that it failed to make adequate safeguards to prevent a recent data breach . The lawsuit was filed on Dec. 5 by members Matthew Rouillard and Kristy Munden, and seeks class action status. “SAG Health failed to protect the very customer information it was entrusted, compromising the personal information of an undisclosed number of its members,” the lawsuit alleged. It was filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. The data breach was disclosed on Dec. 2 as SAG-AFTRA notified members of an email phishing attack. Read the members’ SAG-AFTRA Health Plan lawsuit . The lawsuit contended that SAG Health “failed to comply with industry standards to protect information systems that contain Private Information, and failed to provide timely and adequate notice to Plaintiffs and other members of the Class that their Private Information had been accessed and compromised.” The suit claimed that members were hit with “out-of-pocket expenses associated with preventing, detecting, and remediating identity theft, social engineering, and other unauthorized use of their Private Information,” as well as other injuries including the increased risk of fraud and identity theft. The lawsuit claimed violation of California’s unfair competition law, the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, deceit by concealment, negligence, breach of express warranty, invasion of privacy and unjust enrichment. The litigation is seeking a slate of remedies, including adequate security protocols and the use of independent third party security auditors, as well as unspecified actual, statutory and punitive damages. A SAG-AFTRA spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Hollywood Reporter first reported on the lawsuit.

Special Counsel Jack Smith on Monday moved to dismiss the case against US President-elect Donald Trump for allegedly conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election he lost to Joe Biden. Smith, in a filing with the judge in Washington presiding over the historic case, said it should be dropped in light of a long-standing Justice Department policy not to prosecute a sitting president. The special counsel asked District Judge Tanya Chutkan to dismiss the case "without prejudice" -- leaving open the possibility it could be revived after Trump leaves office four years from now. Smith paused the election interference case earlier this month after Trump defeated Kamala Harris in the November 5 presidential election. "The Government's position on the merits of the defendant's prosecution has not changed," Smith said in the filing with Chutkan. "But the circumstances have." "It has long been the position of the Department of Justice that the United States Constitution forbids the federal indictment and subsequent criminal prosecution of a sitting President," Smith said. "As a result this prosecution must be dismissed before the defendant is inaugurated." Trump's communications director Steven Cheung welcomed the move to dismiss the case, calling it a "major victory for the rule of law." "The American People and President Trump want an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and we look forward to uniting our country," Cheung said in a statement. Trump is accused of conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding -- the session of Congress called to certify Biden's win, which was violently attacked on January 6, 2021, by a mob of the then-president's supporters. Trump is also accused of seeking to disenfranchise US voters with his false claims that he won the 2020 election. Smith charged Trump with mishandling top secret documents after leaving the White House, but that case was tossed out by a federal judge in Florida, a Trump appointee, on the grounds that Smith was unlawfully appointed. Smith had appealed that dismissal but is now expected to drop the appeal. Trump also faces two state cases -- in New York and Georgia. He was convicted in New York in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels on the eve of the 2016 election to stop her from revealing an alleged 2006 sexual encounter. Judge Juan Merchan has postponed sentencing while he considers a request from Trump's lawyers that the conviction be thrown out in light of the Supreme Court ruling in July that an ex-president has broad immunity from prosecution. In Georgia, Trump faces racketeering charges over his efforts to subvert the 2020 election results in the southern state, but that case will likely be frozen while he is in office under the policy of not prosecuting a sitting president. cl/bgsNone

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NoneStock futures traded flat Tuesday, a day after the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at a new record , as investors assessed the threat of new tariffs from President-elect Donald Trump. Futures tied to the Dow were up 37 points, or 0.1%. S&P 500 futures traded around 0.1% higher along with Nasdaq-100 futures . On Monday evening, Trump called for a 25% tariff on products from Mexico and Canada, as well as an additional 10% levy on Chinese goods. He has already said he would impose a tariff of up to 20% on all imports, and an additional duty of at least 60% on products from China. To be sure, Wall Street appeared to be taking the news in stride, "both because investors don't entirely believe the levies will wind up being implemented and as the headlines are counteracted by favorable year-end seasonality and decent earnings," according to Adam Crisafulli of Vital Knowledge. Stocks are coming off an action-packed session fueled by Trump's new Treasury secretary pick , hedge fund executive Scott Bessent. The gains helped refuel the belief that the postelection rally is back in full gear following a brief breather. The 30-stock Dow popped roughly 440 points, or about 1%, to a new record close during regular trading. The S&P 500 gained 0.3% to notch a new all-time intraday high, while Nasdaq Composite edged up about 0.3%. The Russell 2000 hit a new intraday high — its first record since 2021 — as investors piled into small caps. Meanwhile, Treasury yields fell as traders took a favorable view of Bessent leading the Treasury department. Many investors view the hedge fund manager as a champion of financial markets and the economy given his background, and as someone who could potentially counteract some of Trump's aggressive trade aspirations. "These policies may take more time to play through into the market actually get enacted," NewEdge chief investment officer Cameron Dawson told CNBC's " Closing Bell " on Monday of potential new policies from the Treasury pick. "It's definitely a question mark of how much impact he can have in the short run as we round the year." The U.S. market is closed Thursday for the Thanksgiving holiday and set to close early Friday, with volume expected to remain light. Ahead of the holiday, investors are looking ahead to October's personal consumption expenditure price index. The U.S. dollar hit a high of $1.4177 per Canadian dollar — a level not seen since April 2020 — after President-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on goods coming in from Canada and Mexico. The Mexican peso also hit a low of 20.75 against the greenback and was last down more than 1%. — Fred Imbert, Gina Francolla European stock markets opened broadly lower Tuesday, with the benchmark Stoxx 600 index falling 0.63% in early deals. France's CAC 40 lost 0.78%, while Germany's DAX and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 traded down 0.66% and 0.4%, respectively. — Jenni Reid Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed Tuesday, in contrast to Wall Street, which saw U.S. benchmarks notching record highs following President-elect Donald Trump's choice of Treasury secretary. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.69% to close at 8,359.4 after hitting a new all-time closing high on Monday . Japan's Nikkei 225 shed 0.87% to close at 38,442, while the Topix lost 0.96% to close at 2,689.55. Japan's service PPI rose 2.9% year on year, higher than the 2.8% rise the previous month. The Kospi slid 0.55% to end at 2,520 and the Kosdaq lost 0.53% to close at 693.15. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index traded 0.05% higher in its last hour of trade, while mainland China's CSI 300 added 0.21% to close at 3,840.18. — Lee Ying Shan President-elect Donald Trump plans to raise tariffs by an additional 10% on all Chinese goods coming into the U.S., according to a post Monday on his social media platform Truth Social . The post immediately followed one in which Trump said his first of "many" executive orders on Jan. 20 would impose tariffs of 25% on all products from Mexico and Canada. Trump is set to be inaugurated as the next U.S. president on Jan. 20. Read the full story here. —Evelyn Cheng Gold prices lost about 3% after President-elect Donald Trump picked Scott Bessent as his Treasury secretary , with reports of Israel and Hezbollah nearing a ceasefire deal also eroding the safe-haven metal's appeal. Spot prices of the yellow metal dropped 3.44% to $2,616.80 per ounce, according to data from Factset. Gold futures on the New York Mercantile exchange were trading at $2,628.5. "The ~$100 wipeout in Gold today is as severe in size & pace as the post U.S. election selloff on Nov 6th," MKS Pamp's head of metals strategy, Nicky Shiels said. Read the full story here . — Lee Ying Shan Rumble , a video platform focused on conservatives, said Monday evening that it will begin allocating a portion of its excess cash reserves to bitcoin and making purchases of up to $20 million in the cryptocurrency. Shares rose nearly 4% in extended trading. The move puts Rumble in the same company as MicroStrategy , which began employing an aggressive bitcoin-buying strategy in 2020 and has primarily traded as a proxy for the crypto's price since then. That stock is up more than 500% this year. Meanwhile, bitcoin has gained 118%. For more, read our full story here . — Tanaya Macheel President-elect Donald Trump pledged he would impose a 25% tariff on products coming into the U.S. from Canada and Mexico, according to a Monday post on his social media platform Truth Social. "On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States," Trump said in his Truth Social post. He also pledged "an additional 10% tariff" on Chinese goods. The president-elect has already proposed imposing a duty as high as 20% on all imports, including levies exceeding 60% on products from China. Read more about the tariffs from CNBC's Evelyn Cheng here . — Darla Mercado Here are the stocks on the move in extended trading: Read the full list here. — Samantha Subin Stock futures opened slightly higher Monday. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 45 points, or 0.1%, while S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures each rose about 0.15%. — Samantha Subin

It's the Law: How the Child Protective Act worksMISSION, Kan. , Nov. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- (Family Features) Once your holiday feast comes to pass, you're almost certain to find your refrigerator stuffed with leftovers. However, that doesn't mean you want to eat the same meal again and again in the days that follow. The star of many seasonal celebrations, turkey can be reused in a variety of post-holiday dishes to cut down on food waste and create fresh new meals your whole family can enjoy. Featuring a unique blend of 100% natural chili peppers, lime and sea salt, Tajín pairs perfectly with turkey, making it a go-to for creative leftovers. Gone are the days of simply reheating turkey and stuffing or making a turkey sandwich. Instead, reinvent your holiday extras through fresh takes on classic dishes like this comforting Leftover Holiday Biscuit Pot Pie or spicy Leftover Turkey Carnitas Tacos. For more holiday recipe inspiration, visit tajin.com/us . Leftover Holiday Biscuit Pot Pie Total time: 45 minutes Servings: 4 Biscuits: 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 1/2 teaspoons sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons cream of tartar 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter 2/3 cup buttermilk 1 tablespoon butter, melted Turkey Pot Pie Filling: 1/2 cup turkey fat 1 1/2 cups diced onion 1 1/2 cups diced carrots 1 1/2 cups diced celery 1 bay leaf 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 tablespoon chopped thyme 1 tablespoon diamond crystal coarse salt 1 tablespoon coarse black pepper 1 cup all-purpose flour, divided 8 cups cold turkey stock Tajín Clasico Seasoning , to taste (about 1 tablespoon) 6 cups leftover cooked turkey, chopped To make biscuits: In mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cream of tartar. Grate butter and mix with dry ingredients. Carefully add buttermilk and mix until incorporated. Fold over 5-6 times, roll out and cut into 10-12 rounds. Place cut biscuits on floured surface. Refrigerate 30 minutes. To make turkey pot pie filling: Preheat oven to 375 F. Heat large pot over high heat and add turkey fat. Add onions, carrots, celery, bay leaf, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper; gently sweat. Add 1/2 cup flour and cook 2-3 minutes. Add turkey stock 2 cups at a time, allowing to thicken before adding more. In bowl, mix remaining flour with turkey. Add turkey pot, bring to simmer until thickened. Add seasoning, to taste. Add pot pie filling to casserole dish and gently place biscuits closely together on top. Brush biscuits with melted butter and bake 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 10-15 minutes before serving. Leftover Turkey Carnitas Tacos Total time: 25 minutes Servings: 2 (2-3 tacos each) 4-6 garlic cloves, peeled and separated 1 pinch salt 1⁄2 cup fresh bitter orange juice or fresh lime juice with fresh orange juice combo 1⁄2 cup olive oil 1 teaspoon Tajín Clasico Seasoning 1 cup leftover turkey, shredded 1 cup duck fat, ghee or high smoke point oil of choice 4-6 tortillas Toppings (optional): pico de gallo pickled onions cilantro pomegranate seeds avocado With mortar and pestle, crush together garlic cloves and salt, make paste and place in medium bowl. Stir in juice, olive oil and seasoning. Fold mojo into shredded turkey meat. In large, heavy-bottomed pot over high heat, melt duck fat and wait until it forms a wave. Add turkey, in batches, stirring often, until meat turns light golden brown, then lower heat to medium. Turn off heat. Heat up tortillas, place turkey carnitas on top and add pico de gallo, pickled onions, cilantro, pomegranate seeds or avocado as desired. Note: Once browned in duck fat, carnitas can be stored in the fat overnight and reheated over low heat to melt fat and warm carnitas. Michael French mfrench@familyfeatures.com 1-888-824-3337 editors.familyfeatures.com About Family Features Editorial Syndicate A leading source for high-quality food, lifestyle and home and garden content, Family Features provides readers with topically and seasonally relevant tips, takeaways, information, recipes, videos, infographics and more. Find additional articles and information at Culinary.net and eLivingToday.com . View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/transform-holiday-leftovers-into-vibrant-flavorful-meals-302315651.html SOURCE Family Features Editorial SyndicateThe Liberal government is pulling out the federal wallet to put more money into people’s pockets over the holidays, but its recently announced affordability measures create winners and losers. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Thursday that the federal government will remove the goods and services tax on a slew of items for two months, starting Dec. 14. But in provinces where the provincial and federal sales taxes are blended together into a harmonized sales tax, Canadians will get a larger break. The federal government also plans to send $250 cheques to Canadians who were working in 2023 and earned up to $150,000. That means Canadians who were not working in 2023, including those who were receiving social assistance or were in retirement, will not be sent a cheque in April. In the House of Commons on Friday, NDP MP Peter Julian called the government out for not including Canadians with fixed incomes. “Why are Liberals excluding seniors and people with disabilities from the real help they need this holiday season? Why won’t Liberals help them, too?” Julian asked during question period. At a news conference on Friday, Trudeau said that the federal government has already stepped up to help the most vulnerable Canadians and that it is now time to give a hand to workers. “Over the past number of years, we have been extraordinarily present in helping the most vulnerable Canadians,” Trudeau said, mentioning the boost to old-age security for seniors aged 75 and older and the Canada Child Benefit. “But as I travel across the country, I do regularly hear from working Canadians who are having trouble making ends meet, but saying, ‘look, I don’t have kids. I’m not a senior yet, and I’m facing challenges.’” The GST break, which is expected to cost the federal government $1.6 billion, will apply to a number of items including children’s clothing and shoes, toys, diapers, restaurant meals and beer and wine. It also applies to Christmas trees — both natural and artificial — along with a variety of snack foods and beverages, and video game consoles. Meanwhile, 18.7 million people will receive a check this spring, costing the government about $4.7 billion.Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the victory secured by the BJP and its allies in Maharashtra and substantial victories in bypolls in several States as one for “unity” and the spirit behind the slogan ‘ek hain toh safe hain’ (united we remain safe). The slogan, coined by Prime Minister Modi just before the advent of the Maharashtra Assembly campaign, spoke to the BJP’s call against the fragmentation of votes on the basis of castes, which cost the party heavily, along with the Opposition’s narrative that the BJP wanted a thumping majority in the Lok Sabha polls to make radical changes in the Constitution. Maharashtra election results 2024: LIVE coverage “The people of Maharashtra have loudly affirmed the spirit behind ‘ek hai toh safe hai’ . This slogan has defeated those who sought to divide society into castes, religion, language, and handed out punishment to those who sought to divide society. It is a strong attack on the Congress and its ecosystem that wants to divide society,” he said during an address to BJP workers at the party headquarters after Saturday’s results. “It is a victory of vikasvaad (development), good governance, true social justice and the defeat of lies, cunning and betrayal. Divisive forces, negative politics and dynasticism was defeated,” he further said, attributing the NDA’s victory to the support of women, youth and farmers. In a strong attack on the Congress, he said the Opposition party and the Gandhi family had “in their lust for power” shattered the spirit of panth nirpekshta (treating all denominations as equals) that was enshrined in the Constitution. “They espoused fake secularism, and destroyed the tradition of panth nirpekshta , sowing the seeds of appeasement and a betrayal of the Constituent Assembly of India. They have betrayed the Constitution,” he said. Mr. Modi said the Congress had “betrayed” even the Supreme Court for appeasement politics, and a prime example was the Waqf Act. “The Constitution does not have any place for the Waqf Act, but the Congress enacted this for appeasement to safeguard their vote bank,” he said. The NDA government at the Centre has moved several amendments to the Waqf Act and the Bill is now before a Joint Committee of Parliament. A big part of the Maharashtra campaign had been the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s opposition to several projects in the State and in the capital Mumbai including a project to redevelop Dharavi by the Adani Group. The Prime Minister, without taking names, said the Congress’s “urban naxalism” was “a danger to the country” with “the remote control being outside the country”. Young and professional classes have to understand the reality of the Congress, he said. “The poor and middle classes in urban areas, all have reposed their faith in BJP and given a clear message. They want a modern India of world-class cities, and has rejected those presented roadblocks to development be it metro projects, electric buses, coastal roads, airports, sanitation, etc,” he said. The other big message of the mandate, he said, was that across the country, only one Constitution, that of India, framed by B.R. Ambedkar was acceptable. “Whoever, whether manifestly or covertly, talks of two Constitutions, will be rejected by the people,” he said, in reference to efforts by the newly-sworn in government of Jammu and Kashmir passing a resolution to restore Article 370, terming it “an insult to the Constitution”. “No power on earth can bring back Article 370. This poll in Maharashtra has exposed the hypocrisy of the MVA and INDIA bloc,” he said. He said the people had addressed the “betrayal” of the Shiv Sena (UBT) in breaking its alliance with the BJP in 2019, and that the Congress, the Shiv Sena (UBT) ally, had exposed the alliance’s inorganicness in never praising Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray or RSS ideologue V.D. Savarkar through these years. Published - November 23, 2024 10:30 pm IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 / Maharashtra / Narendra Modi / Bharatiya Janata Party