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By SOPHIE AUSTIN

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California sued the federal government Friday for approving a Texas-based company’s plans to restart two oil pipelines along the state’s coast, escalating a fight over the Trump administration’s removal of regulatory barriers to offshore oil drilling for the first time in decades.

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The administration has hailed the project by Houston-based Sable Offshore Corp. to restart production in waters off Santa Barbara damaged by a 2015 oil spill as the kind of project President Donald Trump wants to increase U.S. energy production.

The state oversees the pipelines that run through Santa Barbara and Kern counties, said Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta.

“The federal administration has no right to usurp California’s regulatory authority,” he said at a news conference. “We’re taking them to court to draw a line in the sand and to protect our coast, beaches and communities from potentially hazardous pipelines.”

But the U.S. Transportation Department agency that approved Sable’s plan pushed back on the lawsuit.

“Restarting the Las Flores Pipeline will bring much needed American energy to a state with the highest gas prices in the country,” said a spokesperson with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

Sable did not respond for comment on the lawsuit.

Trump signed an executive order on the first day of his second term to reverse former President Joe Biden’s ban on future offshore oil drilling on the East and West coasts. A federal court later struck down Biden’s order to withdraw 625 million acres of federal waters from oil development.

The federal administration in November announced plans for new offshore oil drilling off the California and Florida coasts, which the oil industry has backed for years.

But critics say the plans could harm coastal communities and ecosystems.

Bonta said one of the pipelines Sable wants to restart burst in 2015, spilling oil along the Southern California coast. The event was the state’s worst oil spill in decades. More than 140,000 gallons (3,300 barrels) of oil gushed out, blackening beaches for 150 miles from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles. It polluted a biologically rich habitat for endangered whales and sea turtles, killing scores of pelicans, seals and dolphins, and decimating the fishing industry.

FILE – A worker removes oil from sand at Refugio State Beach, north of Goleta, Calif., May 21, 2015. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

The drilling platforms were subsequently shuttered.

Sable has faced a slew of legal challenges but has said it is determined to restart production, even if that means confining it to federal waters, where state regulators have virtually no say. California controls the 3 miles nearest to shore. The platforms are 5 to 9 miles offshore.

“It’s crazy that we are even talking about restarting this pipeline,” said Alex Katz, executive director of the Environmental Defense Center, a Santa Barbara group formed in response to a catastrophic 1969 California oil spill.

The federal government’s approval to restart the pipelines ignores painful lessons the community learned from the 2015 oil spill, said California Assemblymember Gregg Hart, a Democrat representing Santa Barbara.

“California will not allow Trump and his Big Oil friends to bypass our essential environmental laws and threaten our coastline,” he said in a statement.

California has been reducing the state’s production of fossil fuels in favor of clean energy for years. The movement has been spearheaded partly by Santa Barbara County, where elected officials voted in May to begin taking steps to phase out onshore oil and gas operations.

Meta is halting teens’ access to artificial intelligence characters, at least temporarily, the company said in a blog post Friday.

Meta Platforms Inc., which own Instagram and WhatsApp, said that starting in the “coming weeks,” teens will no longer be able to access AI characters “until the updated experience is ready”

This applies to anyone who gave Meta a birthday that makes them a minor, as well as “people who claim to be adults but who we suspect are teens based on our age prediction technology.”

The move comes the week before Meta — along with TikTok and Google’s YouTube — is scheduled to stand trial in Los Angeles over its apps’ harms to children.

Teens will still be able to access Meta’s AI assistant, just not the characters.

Other companies have also banned teens from AI chatbots amid growing concerns about the effects of artificial intelligence conversations on children. Character.AI announced its ban last fall. That company is facing several lawsuits over child safety, including by the mother of a teenager who says the company’s chatbots pushed her teenage son to kill himself.

By JONEL ALECCIA

Powdered whole milk used to make ByHeart infant formula could be a source of contamination that led to an outbreak of botulism that has sickened dozens of babies, U.S. health officials indicated Friday.

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Testing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found the type of bacteria that can cause the illness in two samples linked to the formula, officials said.

The agency found that bacteria in an unopened can of formula matched a sample from a sick baby — and it also matched contamination detected in samples of organic whole milk powder used to make ByHeart formula and collected and tested by the company.

FDA testing also found contamination in a sample of whole milk powder supplied to ByHeart — and it matched the germ in a finished sample of the company’s formula.

The findings are not conclusive, and the investigation continues “to determine the source of the contamination,” the agency said in a statement.

A ByHeart official said the finding helps shed light on what has become a “watershed moment” for the company.

“We are focused on the root cause and our responsibility to act on what we’ve learned to help create a safer future for ByHeart and infant formula,” said Dr. Devon Kuehn, ByHeart’s chief scientific and medical officer.

Neither FDA nor ByHeart named the supplier of the powdered whole milk.

At this time, there is no indication of a broader problem in the infant formula supply, the FDA said.

New York-based ByHeart has been at the center of a food poisoning outbreak that has sickened 51 babies in 19 states since December 2023. The problem was identified in November after officials with the California program that supplies the sole treatment for infant botulism detected a surge in cases in babies who consumed ByHeart formula.

No new cases in the outbreak have been identified since mid-December, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

ByHeart initially recalled two lots of formula, but it expanded the recall to all products days later. Federal health officials later said they could not rule out contamination of all products made since the company launched in March 2022.

That followed company testing, announced in November, that found six of 36 samples of formula from three different lots contained the dangerous type of bacteria that causes infant botulism.

Illnesses caused by botulism bacteria in infant formula are rare, and the size and scope of the ByHeart outbreak is unprecedented, food safety experts said.

Some formula companies do test raw materials and finished formula for evidence of the contamination, but such testing should be required, said Sarah Sorscher, director of regulatory affairs for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, an advocacy group.

“FDA has not announced a plan to do testing, and that’s what we really want to see them do,” she said.

Even if the contamination was traced to a milk supplier, the company remains responsible for the harm caused by its product, said Bill Marler, a Seattle food safety lawyer who represents more than 30 families of babies who fell ill.

“Just because they are able to point the finger at dried powder as the ingredient that may have been contaminated, it doesn’t take any of the legal or moral responsibility away from ByHeart,” Marler said.

ByHeart, which accounted for about 1% of the U.S. infant formula market, previously sold about 200,000 cans of the product per month. It was marketed as an option close to human breast milk, one that used “organic, grass-fed whole milk.” Parents of babies sickened in the outbreak said they chose the formula, which cost about $42 per can, because of its touted health benefits.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

MADRID (AP) — Spanish state prosecutors said Friday they were shelving an initial investigation into accusations of sexual assault by Julio Iglesias in the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic after concluding that Spain’s National Court lacked jurisdiction to judge the matter.

Earlier this month, Spanish prosecutors had opened an investigation studying allegations that the 82-year-old Grammy-winning global singing star had sexually assaulted two former employees at his residences in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas.

Iglesias denied the accusations, writing on social media that: “With deep sorrow, I respond to the accusations made by two people who previously worked at my home. I deny having abused, coerced or disrespected any woman. These accusations are absolutely false and cause me great sadness.”

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An email seeking comment sent to a Florida attorney whose website says Iglesias is among his clients was not immediately answered.

The two women had presented a complaint to the Spanish court earlier this month, according to Women’s Link Worldwide, a nongovernmental organization that represents them. The group said that the women were accusing Iglesias of “crimes against sexual freedom and indemnity such as sexual harassment” and of “human trafficking for the purpose of forced labor and servitude.”

The women also said Iglesias regularly checked their cellphones, barred them from leaving his house and demanded that they work up to 16 hours a day, with no contract or days off.

When the complaint was filed in Spain, the organization said it had not reached out to authorities in the Bahamas or the Dominican Republic and didn’t know whether investigations had begun in those Caribbean nations.

Iglesias has been among the world’s most successful singers in the decades since his 1969 debut album, “Yo Canto.” He has sold more than 300 million records in more than a dozen languages.

After making his start in Spain, Iglesias won immense popularity in the U.S. and wider world in the 1970s and 1980s, partly due to duets with U.S. artists including Willie Nelson and Diana Ross.

He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019 and in 1988 won a Grammy for Best Latin Pop Performance for his album “Un Hombre Solo.”

He’s also the father of pop star Enrique Iglesias.

By MEG KINNARD, Associated Press

Vice President JD Vance on Friday encouraged anti-abortion activists to “take heart in how far we’ve come” on the quest to limit the practice, listing the Trump administration’s accomplishments including an expansion of a ban on U.S. foreign aid for groups supporting abortion services.

“There is still much road ahead to travel together,” Vance told attendees at the annual March for Life demonstration, which draws tens of thousands of people annually to Washington. Attendees rallied on the National Mall before heading to the Supreme Court.

Vance, a Republican, has spent years passionately advocating for Americans to have more children. He repeatedly expressed alarm about declining birth rates as he launched his political career in 2021 with a successful bid for the U.S. Senate in Ohio, and as vice president he has continued on that mission.

“I want more babies in the United States of America,” Vance said in addressing last year’s March for Life.

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Earlier this week, Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, announced in a social media post they are expecting a son, their fourth child, in late July.

“Let the record show, you have a vice president who practices what he preaches,” Vance said Friday.

Vance cited the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade, calling it “the most important Supreme Court decision of my lifetime.” He said President Donald Trump’s leadership and appointment of conservative jurists “put a definitive end to the tyranny of judicial rule on the question of human life.”

He also lauded the “historic expansion of the Mexico City policy,” the broadening of a ban on U.S. foreign aid for groups supporting abortion services, to include assistance going to international and domestic organizations and agencies that promote gender identity as well as diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

“We believe that every country in the world has the duty to protect life,” Vance said, to a sea of supporters waving signs reading “Choose Life,” “Make More Babies” and “I am the Pro-Life Generation.”

“It’s not our job as the United States of America to promote radical gender ideology,” he said. “It’s our job to promote families and human flourishing.”

From the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV — the first U.S.-born pope — sent a message of support to participants in the march.

“I would encourage you, especially the young people, to continue striving to ensure that life is respected in all of its stages,” Leo wrote in a letter shown on a video at the march. “May Jesus, who promised to be with us always, accompany you today as you courageously and peacefully march on behalf of unborn children.”

On Thursday, an official said the Trump administration was implementing new rules, halting foreign assistance from going not only to groups that provide abortion as a method of family planning but also to those that advocate “gender ideology” and DEI. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity ahead of the rules’ publication in the Federal Register on Friday.

First established under President Ronald Reagan, a Republican, the policy was rescinded by subsequent Democratic administrations and was reinstated in Trump’s first term.

With its origins in the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that nationally enshrined federal protection for abortion rights, the March for Life developed an entrenched presence among conservatives arguing against abortion. In 2017, Trump addressed the march by video, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to make live remarks. Three years later, he attended the event in person, further cementing its role in conservative politics.

In a video address to this year’s crowd, Trump recounted his administration’s “unprecedented strides to protect innocent life and support the institution of the family like never before,” enumerating his appointment of “judges and justices who believed in interpreting the Constitution as written” and “reflecting on the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.

Since the June 2022 Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe, the march has become more celebratory, with organizers relishing a state-by-state fight in legislatures around the country and urging a continued fight until abortion is eliminated.

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP.

General Daily Insight for January 24, 2026

Feelings test our plans, but patience helps. With the Moon squaring expansive Jupiter at 4:36 PM EST, impulses could clash with expectations. The morning favors slow starts, nudging us to notice needs early and respond without wasting time. Midday may bring ruffled feelings as we’re forced to adapt to changing circumstances. As long as we keep checking in with each other, we should be able to handle any mismatches. We’re balancing courage with care. Keep progress modest and grounded to let small wins stack up.

Aries

March 21 – April 19

Speak from the heart, but let your brain mull over the exact wording first! The emotional Moon is in your sign, electrifying your intuition. Today, it squares auspicious Jupiter in your 4th House of Family, so big feelings at home may press on your plans. If a relative asks for a favor, name your bandwidth and offer an honest timeline. You’re allowed to help others, but you must respect your own need for rest at home. Aim for transparency, since clear limits invite support.

Taurus

April 20 – May 20

You don’t need to turn up the volume this morning. With the intuitive Moon drifting through your 12th House of Solitude, relaxation and reflection carry extra value. Luna squares jovial Jupiter in your 3rd House of Distractions, so brace for interruptions to your calm. If a neighbor drops by or your phone pings, feel free to wait to return any calls until you feel grounded. These quiet moments strengthen your patience, which helps later talks stay friendly and productive. Get some rest!

Gemini

May 21 – June 20

What turns a chat into shared momentum? The Moon and Jupiter, that’s what! With Luna squaring Jupiter across your aspirational 11th house and your resourceful 2nd house, vague group ideas might actually come to fruition. Keep everyone’s budget in mind — if friends suggest an expensive dinner, you could instead pitch a cozy, low-cost spot. Your natural curiosity becomes leadership when you ask questions and keep everyone focused on what matters: spending time together. Guide the plans gently to keep these connections flowing freely.

Cancer

June 21 – July 22

Recognition grows when your effort stays focused. With Luna highlighting your 10th House of Goals, you’ve got the strength to start building your dreams in reality. The Moon also pokes lucky Jupiter in your very own sign, which pushes you to show up boldly without overextending yourself. If a supervisor adds a new task, negotiate the scope and timeline rather than accepting unnecessary work. Share wins warmly and give credit where it’s due. These small moments all add up to an amazing reputation!

Leo

July 23 – August 22

Big dreams ask for gentle pacing. The moody Moon in your 9th House of Journeys is squaring Jupiter in your quieter 12th house. Even as your mind reaches for bigger ideas and places, the stars are asking you to balance exploration with rest. If you’re studying or planning a trip, schedule regular breaks and protect buffers around bedtime. You shine when you stretch with wisdom, not strain, because an energized mind makes growth joyful. Plan pauses, since pacing keeps your fire bright.

Virgo

August 23 – September 22

This afternoon favors delicate money talks. The temperamental Moon energizes your 8th House of Intimacy, while extravagant Jupiter emboldens your 11th House of Community. Their square today tests how you handle group expenses and promises. When you’re covered by someone else, be sure to show your gratitude. In a similar vein, if a friend owes you for tickets, ask kindly for repayment and suggest a system for next time. Keeping receipts isn’t a bad thing! Unambiguous money talks are a great way to build trust.

Libra

September 23 – October 22

Certain connections may not fit as well as they once did. You’re more equipped to notice these imbalances during this Moon-Jupiter square, especially when it comes to close personal or professional partnerships. There may also be some pressure around public decisions and visible promises. If someone presses for an answer about timing, offer only what you can realistically commit to. Your diplomatic nature brings grace to tough talks because you listen before you decide. Seek fair terms to obtain the most long-term benefits.

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21

Detours, shmetours — you can handle any twist or turn in your path today. You can thank Luna and Jupiter for that! They’re colliding in an energetic square, emphasizing your 6th House of Habits and your 9th House of Learning. Conversely, it also means that big ideas may distract you from everyday necessities. Do your best to work with your brain, not against it. Look for tasks you can do while pondering philosophy or imagining the perfect comeback for potential debates. Thoughtful pacing is everything!

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21

Where are you pouring your heart? The nurturing Moon in your inspired 5th house is nudging upbeat Jupiter in your earnest 8th house, reminding you to nourish your soul, wherever it lives. Look for ways to indulge in joy without splurging. For example, a couple of markers and scratch paper are all you need to draw something, and a phone is all you need to listen to new music. Your optimism shines when you lead with generosity while honoring agreements about money. Express yourself freely!

Capricorn

December 22 – January 19

Home repairs — literal or emotional — are on the table today. The Moon and Jupiter are clashing, which could cause some tension, but could also benefit your energy levels. Family ties may need some mending, and once they’ve been handled, those bonds could be immensely helpful. If a partner or ally needs your time, share your to-do list and agree to meet up when you both have time. Sharing time and effort is currently the best way to improve your time at home.

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

Conversations may seem to move faster than your thoughts. The temperamental Moon is visiting your 3rd House of Neighborhoods, where it squares Jupiter in your 6th House of Practice. Your local environment will probably keep you pretty busy today! If traffic snarls or a sibling vents, slow the pace so you can keep track of the topic without losing your own train of thought. Your innovative mind shines when you reframe delays as chances to improve the system. Ready, set, go!

Pisces

February 19 – March 20

Treat your resources with care. The thoughtful Moon moves through your 2nd House of Values, spotlighting money choices and the worth you assign to your possessions. It squares lucky Jupiter in your 5th House of Originality, asking you to honor a limit and still welcome joy. If an art class or outing would stretch your budget, consider scheduling it for a more affordable future and staying in for the time being. Caring for your wallet is caring for yourself! Today is about lightening burdens.

These are the major things a home inspector checks  MSN

These are the major things a home inspector checks  MSN

These are the major things a home inspector checks  MSN

These are the major things a home inspector checks  MSN

By CLAUDIA LAUER

Data collected from 35 American cities showed a 21% decrease in the homicide rate from 2024 to 2025, translating to about 922 fewer homicides last year, according to a new report from the independent Council on Criminal Justice.

The report, released on Thursday, tracked 13 crimes and recorded drops last year in 11 of those categories including carjackings, shoplifting, aggravated assaults and others. Drug crimes saw a small increase over last year and sexual assaults stayed even between 2024 and 2025, the study found.

Experts said cities and states beyond those surveyed showed similar declines in homicides and other crimes. But they said it’s too early to tell what is prompting the change even as elected officials at all levels — both Democrats and Republicans — have been claiming credit.

Adam Gelb, president and CEO of the council — a nonpartisan think tank for criminal justice policy and research — said that after historic increases in violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, this year brought historic decreases. The study found some cities recorded decades-low numbers, with the overall homicide rate dropping to its lowest in decades

“It’s a dramatic drop to an absolutely astonishing level. As we celebrate it we also need to unpack and try to understand it,” Gelb said. “There’s never one reason crime goes up or down.”

The council collects data from police departments and other law enforcement sources. Some of the report categories included data from as many as 35 cities, while others because of differences in definitions for specific crimes or tracking gaps, include fewer cities in their totals. Many of the property crimes in the report also declined, including a 27% drop in vehicle thefts and 10% drop in shoplifting among the reporting cities.

The council’s report showed a decrease in the homicide rate in 31 of 35 cities including a 40% decrease or more in Denver, Omaha, Nebraska, and Washington. The only city included that reported a double-digit increase was Little Rock, Arkansas, where the rate increased by 16% from 2024.

Gelb said the broad crime rate decreases have made some criminologists question historic understandings of what drives trends in violent crime and how to battle it.

“We want to believe that local factors really matter for crime numbers, that it is fundamentally a neighborhood problem with neighborhood level solutions,” he said. “We’re now seeing that broad, very broad social, cultural and economic forces at the national level can assert huge influence on what happens at the local level.”

Republicans, many of whom called the decrease in violent crime in many cities in 2024 unreliable, have rushed to say that tough-on-crime stances like deploying the National Guard to cities like New Orleans and the nation’s capital, coupled with immigration operation surges, have all played a roll in this year’s drops.

However, cities that saw no surges of either troops or federal agents saw similar historic drops in violent and other crimes, according to the Council’s annual report.

Democratic mayors are also touting their policies as playing roles in the 2025 decreases.

Jens Ludwig, a public policy professor and the Director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab, stressed that many factors can contribute to a reduction in crime, whether that’s increased spending on law enforcement or increased spending on education to improve graduation rates.

“The fact that in any individual city, we are seeing crime drop across so many neighborhoods and in so many categories, means it can’t be any particular pet project in a neighborhood enacted by a mayor,” Ludwig said. And because the decrease is happening in multiple cities, “it’s not like any individual mayor is a genius in figuring this out.”

He said while often nobody knows what drives big swings in crime numbers, the decrease could be in part due to the continued normalization after big spikes in crime for several years during the pandemic. A hypothesis that stresses the declines might not last.

“If you look at violent crime rates in the U.S., it is much more volatile year to year than the poverty rate, or the unemployment rate; It is one of those big social indicators that just swings around a lot year to year,” Ludwig said. “Regardless of credit for these declines, I think it’s too soon for anybody on either side of this to declare mission accomplished.”

Q: I purchased a house with my girlfriend, but because she had better credit, we put it in just her name. Besides splitting the down payment, I’ve been helping pay all the bills, including the mortgage, and I even paid to have the roof repaired. Now, she’s saying it’s her house, and I have no say in it. Is there anything I can do? — Michael

A: Buying a house together can be an exciting milestone, but when the legal ownership is in one person’s name, the situation can become complicated if the relationship takes a turn.

Although you’ve contributed to the mortgage, bills, and repairs, the law prioritizes whose name is on the deed when determining ownership. Still, you do have rights in this situation.

The first step is to gather all your documentation. Make a record of every payment you made, especially those for the mortgage, utilities, and repairs. Receipts, bank statements, and any written agreements and communications, such as texts and emails, that show the expectation that the home was for both of you are very helpful.

Of course, you should speak with your girlfriend and try to work something out. If you and your girlfriend are open to discussing the matter but are having difficulty working through it, consider mediation. A neutral third party can help you both reach an agreement without a lengthy court battle.

However, if she’s unwilling to negotiate, legal action may be your only option.

Courts may recognize your financial contributions under the legal concepts of “constructive trust” or “equitable interest.” This means that even if your name is not on the deed, you may be able to claim a share of the property based on your significant financial contributions.

Even if the court doesn’t award you a share of the property, it might order her to reimburse you for those contributions.

Finally, moving forward, it is important to protect yourself in similar situations. If you find yourself contributing to a property again, make sure your name is on the deed or that you have a written agreement outlining your rights.

While it’s easy to assume that love and trust will carry the day, having legal protections in place can save you a lot of heartache down the road. There’s no reason loving, caring partners cannot have written agreements to help avoid misunderstandings.

Board-certified real estate lawyer Gary Singer writes about industry legal matters and the housing market. To ask him a question, email him at gary@garysingerlaw.com, or go to SunSentinel.com/askpro. 

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Once a month, my grandmother hosts a group of friends at her house for a chat and an afternoon tea.

She loves the company and the catch-up, as they are all older and can’t get out much, especially since COVID.

I noticed one guest is very snippety and degrading to the rest of the group, but my grandmother says it isn’t her place to say anything.

I noticed the group declining in numbers and coming up with reasons not to come. My grandmother is angry at her friends for not coming over. I gently hint that if someone is being rude, and the hostess does not ask them to be more mindful, then yes, people will stop coming.

However, she tells me I am wrong and that a hostess doesn’t tell anyone to, in my generation’s words, “stay in their lane.”

How can I get my grandmother to understand this before she loses the friends altogether?

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GENTLE READER: Forgive this grandmother for not understanding what you are asking yours to do.

Miss Manners hopes it is not to commit the unpardonable rudeness of calling out a guest’s rudeness to her face. (The guest’s face, that is. Once the guest is gone, you are free to try to convince your grandmother that this guest is scaring away her other friends.)

You might be more successful if you say that that person is not to everyone’s taste, and perhaps Grandmama can socialize with her one-on-one and convene a more like-minded group for afternoon teas.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Elevators have been in existence, I believe, for more than 150 years, but there does not seem to be a system of accepted manners related to them.

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It is true that we no longer dance around in the elevator so as to allow all the women to get out before the men. There is, however, pandemonium on first floors, when people wishing to board will not wait for occupants to get off. The expressions on their faces indicate they are astonished to find that the machine contains passengers!

I am going to give you my solution and petition you for approval of my actions, which I believe will correct the problem over time.

I am a 6-foot man, and when I stick out my elbows, I pretty much fill the space between the doors. When the doors open, if I note any inclination for those outside to crowd in, I spread my arms and say in a loud voice, “It is not polite to crowd in when people are coming out.”

Do I have your approval for this behavior, and do you think it will prove to be effective?

GENTLE READER: You do not — firstly, because you are going to elbow some unsuspecting person in the face, and secondly, because it is rude to correct another’s manners.

Both problems can be avoided if you instead say, “Excuse us, people coming out, please.” If the announcement is made in a booming voice, it will be surprising enough to render the physical barrier of sticking out your arms unnecessary.

Even so, Miss Manners does not see this solving the problem everywhere and for all time, unless you plan to spend an awful lot of time in elevators.

Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, gentlereader@missmanners.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

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