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King: Climate change, AI, China disrupt the globe

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:28:27 GMT

The future has arrived. Those things we were warned about for decades are here. They are now palpable.For the world, it will get bumpy for the next decade and beyond as we adjust to three massive, disruptive realities: climate change, artificial intelligence and brutal competition among countries for raw materials for new, carbon-saving technologies like electric vehicles.This summer, with its aberrant weather the world over, is a clear declaration that climate change is upon us. It is no longer hypothetical; it is here.This summer isn’t a template, it is the first manifestation, from wildfires in Hawaii to elevated temperatures in Argentina’s winter to heat in the Middle East that approaches the point after which life becomes impossible to sustain.It isn’t all heat, either.It is storms, deluging rain and previously unexperienced cold. David Naylor, who heads Rayburn Electric, near Dallas, told me what worries him, what keeps him awake at night, is the weather. The cold — new for Te...

Editorial: Term limits on Capitol Hill make sense

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:28:27 GMT

In 1995, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that states could not impose congressional term limits — it would take a constitutional amendment to accomplish the objective. Nearly 30 years later, it may be time to embark down such a path.The high court decision invalidated provisions in 23 states in which voters had approved limitations on how long their senators and representatives could serve in Congress. Term limits had become popular in the early 1990s and were included in the GOP’s 1994 Contract with America, which helped Republicans gain control of the House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years.Currently, 16 states limit how long their state lawmakers may serve. Such restrictions were approved in those states with an average of 66% voter support.Despite the popularity of the concept, proposals to limit congressional terms have languished — largely because such an amendment would require the consent of the very politicians who would suffer the consequences. Yet the nat...

The Hooters bring the hits to Lynn Auditorium

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:28:27 GMT

What’s the Hooters big hit? Turns out the answer is deeply dependent on geography.Most Americans remember the band for 1985 smashes “And We Danced” and “All You Zombies.” But others love the Hooters for songs that missed the charts, well, the American charts.“‘Johnny B’ was the song that broke us in Germany, ‘Satelite’ got us our 15 minutes of fame in the UK, after which we were basically done, and ‘500 Miles’ is really the big one in Sweden and Norway,” band co-founder Eric Bazilian told the Herald.“We kept having bigger hits in smaller countries,” Bazilian added with a laugh.When the band came up with its setlist for its current tour – its first U.S. tour in years – with Rick Springfield, it didn’t even include European hits “Johnny B” or “500 Miles.” The tour, which Springfield specifically recruited the Hooters for, stops at the Lynn Auditorium on Sunday.Now if you’re from Philly, and in your 50s or 60s, you may have a whole other set of favorites.Before going global, the roots ...

Lowry: Pence facing the political fallout of defying Trump

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:28:27 GMT

Mike Pence, after about seven years of campaigning with Donald Trump, serving with Trump, and showing as much deference as could possibly be expected to Trump, is now officially “liddle.”Donald Trump finally issued a complete denunciation of his former vice president, who now has been downgraded all the way to Marco Rubio-circa-2016 territory.Pence becomes the highest official to have disappointed Trump with his supposed poor judgment and low character — a status that Pence will maintain until such time Trump is elected president again and inevitably let down by everyone around him, up to and including his next vice president.The latest Jack Smith indictment has intensified the breach between Pence and Trump created by Jan. 6.Pence got to the crux of the matter in saying that the indictment was a reminder that “anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be president of the United States,” and Trump got to the crux of the matter in saying...

Dear Abby: Six-year widow can’t let go of husband

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:28:27 GMT

DEAR ABBY by Abigail Van BurenDear Abby: I have a dear friend whose husband passed away six years ago. They had a 45-year marriage with plenty of ups and downs. She’s 81 and in excellent health. You would think she was 60 if you met her. She is very youthful and full of energy.The problem is, when I’m with her she constantly talks about her late husband as if he’s still with us: “Oh, Joe would love this,” “Joe always said …,” “Joe would say …,” etc. During one luncheon, she mentioned him 20 times as if he were sitting with us! In retrospect, her marriage now seems to have become the greatest love story ever told, and Joe has risen to sainthood. It’s unnerving.Is this healthy behavior? It seems excessive to me. On the anniversary of his death, she says she’s “going to stay home and be with Joe,” which translates to her being at home, alone, becoming depressed and crying. I hear how sad and emoti...

Family of migrant who died in federal custody suing government for negligence

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:28:27 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The family of a Mexican migrant who died in custody of U.S. Border Patrol last year is suing the federal government for negligence, alleging that the man was denied medical care for fatal injuries sustained during a fall from the Otay Mesa border wall.Joel Reyes Muñoz, 38, died shortly before 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 12, while in custody at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. He was undocumented at the time of his death.In a report the following day, San Diego police said Reyes Muñoz, who had not yet been identified, was stricken by some sort of medical emergency as he was waiting for processing in Customs and Border Patrol custody. Migrant advocacy groups sue DHS over pathways to asylum policy However, the complaint, which was filed with the court last Thursday by Reyes Muñoz's family, alleges that he had sustained "obvious and significant blunt force injuries" in a fall from the high U.S.-Mexico Border barrier prior to his arrest just north of the fence."At the time of the initia...

Torrey Pines State Beach namesake considered rarest pine species in world

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:28:27 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Torrey Pines State Beach is one of the most iconic landmarks in San Diego, with sweeping views of coastal cliffs, sandy beaches and coastal wilderness of pine.Named after the Torrey pine that grows along the hillside on the reserve, it's an unusual evergreen center within the region's desert and urban landscapes.While the Torrey pine is a quintessential feature of the San Diego coast, did you know the tree is actually one of the rarest native pines in the world, as it only grows naturally in two places?According to the National Park Service (NPS), Torrey Pines -- or Pinus torreyana -- can only be found here and on Santa Rosa Island, outside of Santa Barbara. This Anza-Borrego cave system among largest in North America In 1850 -- the year California gained statehood -- botanist Charles Parry identified the pine as a "unique species" and decided to name it after his friend John Torrey, another prominent botanist of the era, California State Parks officials said.Scienti...

San Diego to crack down on illegal sidewalk vending

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:28:27 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- After ongoing complaints from local restaurant owners and street vendors, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria announced the city will start cracking down on illegal sidewalk vending.Frustrated food vendors and restaurant owners say they’re fed up with all the out-of-town street vendors operating illegally in the Gaslamp Quarter and downtown areas.During a news conference Friday, they called on the city to do something about the surge of sidewalk food vendors who come in from Los Angeles and Tijuana, set up their carts without permits and end up cutting into their profits.“We need help, we're seeking help," said Mareuos Sitto, owner of Doner Mediterranean Grill.Last year, the City of San Diego passed a street vending ordinance, giving the city power to cite unlicensed street vendors and enforce “no vending zones.”But that’s been largely ignored by the hundreds of street vendors who come to town, typically at night, Thursday through Sunday.On top of that, there’s growing animosit...

Biden’s reelection bid faces vulnerabilities in wake of special counsel appointment

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:28:27 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — As he gears up for reelection, President Joe Biden is already facing questions about his ability to convince voters that the economy is performing well. There’s skepticism about the 80-year-old president’s ability to manage a second term. And on Friday, Biden faced a fresh setback when Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to probe his son, Hunter.Biden’s challenges pale in comparison to his predecessor and possible future rival, Donald Trump, who is facing three criminal indictments, with additional charges expected soon. But the appointment of the special counsel was nonetheless a reminder of the vulnerabilities facing Biden as he wages another election campaign in a deeply uncertain political climate.There was little immediate sign that Garland’s decision meaningfully changed Biden’s standing within his party. If anything, it underscored the unprecedented nature of the next election. Rather than a battle of idea...

A mudslide kills at least 2 in China while rain from Khanun cancels some trains in the northeast

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:28:27 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — A mudslide caused by torrential rains killed at least two people on the outskirts of Xi’an in western China, an official news agency said Saturday, while some trains in the northeast were canceled as a powerful storm lashed the region.Rescuers were looking for 16 missing people following Friday evening’s mudslide in the village of Luanzhen, the Xinhua News Agency said. It said roads, bridges and power supplies were damaged.Parts of China suffer heavy rains and flooding every summer, but this year has been unusually severe in some areas, while other regions struggle with drought that is damaging crops.Elsewhere, some train services in Shenyang, the biggest city in China’s northeast, and surrounding Liaoning province were suspended starting Saturday evening due to heavy rains caused by the remnants of Khanun, state TV reported. Khanun pummeled parts of Japan as a typhoon before weakening over the Korean Peninsula on its way to China.Some 23,000 people ...