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US threatens ‘appropriate responses’ after Iran-backed assault on commercial ships

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:46:19 GMT

The U.S. warned it was considering “all appropriate responses” after Houthi rebels attacked three commercial vessels in the Red Sea on Sunday, ramping up its rhetoric as Iran-backed militants continue to harass American and international interests in the region.Following the attacks, a U.S. warship operating nearby responded to the distress calls from the commercial ships, shooting down three aerial drones over the course of the day, U.S. Central Command said in a release.While Defense Department officials said they did not believe the militants were targeting the U.S. warship — the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Carney — the string of attacks on the commercial vessels “represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security,” Central Command said.While the attacks were carried out by Houthis, the U.S. has “every reason to believe” they were “fully enabled by Iran,” according to the release. “The United States will consider all appropriate responses in full coor...

Editorial: New electric truck comes with own gas generator

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:46:19 GMT

A new electric truck will come with its own gas generator to improve reliability. That may sound like a headline from The Onion. But it’s no joke.Stellantis makes Ram pickups. Recently, the company announced a new electric version called the Ramcharger. It has an electric battery — and a 27-gallon gas tank. That gas is used to recharge the battery, giving the pickup a range of 690 miles. Of that, only 145 miles comes from the charged electric battery. The rest comes from gasoline recharging the electric battery.Rarely do you get such a perfect visual of the shortcomings of the current electric vehicle market. EVs are dependable — as long as your gas tank is full. Buy an EV to lower emissions and make sure to stop by the gas station. No need to find a charger for your EV on the road, just fill ’er up.The whole thing is even more absurd given that Stellantis is simply responding to government mandates. For almost four decades, the federal government has been telling automakers how man...

Sara Bareilles takes leap with ‘Waitress: The Musical’

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:46:19 GMT

As “Waitress: The Musical” opens nationwide Thursday, Sara Bareilles will not only be celebrating a concluding chapter with the Tony-nominated musical as its composer, lyricist and star.She’ll also be celebrating her 44th birthday.It’s been a decade-long journey for Bareilles who, as a Grammy winning singer, songwriter and pianist selling over 15 million singles, was approached to musicalize Adrienne Shelley’s 2007 hit movie of the same name.“Waitress” is about Jenna Hunterson. Stuck in an abusive marriage and suddenly pregnant, Jenna works in a diner where she excels as a piemaker.  Her life changes with a pie contest, supportive friends and an affair with her (married) gynecologist.The musical ran on Broadway from 2016 to 2020. A year after it opened, Bareilles debuted in the starring role. This week’s “Waitress: The Musical” arrives as filmed during a live Broadway performance.This journey began for Bareilles with meetings with Broadway veterans about composing the score. “I knew...

O’Brien: Leadership broken, not immigration system

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:46:19 GMT

It has become common for elected leaders, political appointees and talking heads to bemoan our “broken” immigration system. Recently, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, in his capacity as Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, published a statement claiming that our broken Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) “harms people” and “reduces growth and competitiveness.”Called before Congress to explain why he’s deliberately thrown open the Southern border, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas blamed his own misfeasance on a broken set of immigration laws. And the Center for American Progress has claimed that, “The immigration debate in America today is nearly as broken as the country’s immigration system itself.”But do we really need to overhaul the rules governing how we admit migrants to the United States? The answer is an emphatic, “No!” If our immigration laws were properly enforced, 95% of our immigration problems would disappear immediately.Those who claim the system is br...

How to make liberal arts degree count in workplace

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:46:19 GMT

Majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) isn’t the only way to land a job that makes college worth it.A liberal arts degree can pay off, too — but you may need to put in more legwork than a STEM major would.“Going to school and being a liberal arts major in and of itself is not going to give you the same outcomes as focusing on your career preparation in tandem with going through your college experience,” says Joshua Kahn, associate director of research and public policy at the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).If you want to major in English, history, sociology or another nontechnical field, here are some expert-approved tips to help make your liberal arts degree pay off.Do your researchBefore deciding on a college or specific degree program, research your post-diploma employment and salary prospects.“Check out the schools that have really good internship rates for liberal arts majors,” Kahn says. “Ask about resources at their career c...

Dear Abby: Man eager to keep GFs from meeting

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:46:19 GMT

Dear Abby: My boyfriend, “Rick,” and I broke up 10 years ago and reunited two years ago. I’m in good health, own my own home, and am financially independent. Rick is nine years older. He owns his own home and is retired. We have been seeing each other every week for the last two years. He has spent many hours painting and doing repairs to my house. I cook for him and give him massages, and we have a fantastic sex life.So, what is the problem? Rick is emotionally involved with another woman. He claims they aren’t in any way sexually involved. Should I tell her about his involvement with me? I have her name, address and phone number. Rick refuses to tell her about me because he says it will “upset her.” I think she ought to know. What do you think I should do? I love him dearly and don’t want to lose him. — Being Played in New Jersey?Dear Being Played: Listen to your intuition. The first thing you should do (if you haven’t) is ask ...

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow jumps bail and moves to Canada

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:46:19 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — One of Hong Kong’s best-known pro-democracy activists, who moved to Canada to pursue further studies, said she would not return to the city to meet her bail conditions, becoming the latest politician to flee Hong Kong under Beijing’s crackdown on dissidents.Agnes Chow, a famous young face in the city’s once-vibrant pro-democracy movement, was arrested in 2020 under a Beijing-imposed national security law that was enacted following 2019 anti-government protests. She was released on bail but also served more than six months in jail for a separate case over her role in the protests.After Chow was released from prison in 2021 for that case, she had to regularly report to the police. She said in an Instagram post on Sunday night that the pressure caused her “mental illnesses” and influenced her decision not to return to the city. Many of her peers have been jailed, arrested, forced into self-exile or silenced after the introduction of the security law in 2020...

Plan to add teaching of Holocaust, genocide to science education draws questions from Maine teachers

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:46:19 GMT

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Teachers and science advocates are voicing skepticism about a Maine proposal to update standards to incorporate teaching about genocide, eugenics and the Holocaust into middle school science education. They argue that teachers need more training before introducing such subjects that are both sensitive and nuanced.While critics of the proposed updates said they are borne of good intentions — the proposal states that science has “sometimes been used by those in power to oppress and abuse others” — they also said that injecting the materials into a middle school science curriculum could distract from conventional scientific principles and could jeopardize science education.The proposal states that science education in the state should reflect that “misinterpretation of fossil observations has led to the false idea of human hierarchies and racial inequality.” The proposal also states that “historically, some people have misused and/or applied the ideas of natural s...

Europe’s world-leading artificial intelligence rules are facing a do-or-die moment

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:46:19 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Hailed as a world first, European Union artificial intelligence rules are facing a make-or-break moment as negotiators try to hammer out the final details this week — talks complicated by the sudden rise of generative AI that produces human-like work.First suggested in 2019, the EU’s AI Act was expected to be the world’s first comprehensive AI regulations, further cementing the 27-nation bloc’s position as a global trendsetter when it comes to reining in the tech industry. But the process has been bogged down by a last-minute battle over how to govern systems that underpin general purpose AI services like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard chatbot. Big tech companies are lobbying against what they see as overregulation that stifles innovation, while European lawmakers want added safeguards for the cutting-edge AI systems those companies are developing. Meanwhile, the U.S., U.K., China and global coalitions like the Group of 7 major democracies h...

Final goodbye: Recalling influential people who died in 2023

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:46:19 GMT

From a hot dog vendor to head of the formidable mercenary army Wagner Group, his rise through Russian society could easily be described as meteoric. But it all came to a sudden end when the plane carrying him and others mysteriously exploded.The Aug. 23 death of Yevgeny Prigozhin put an exclamation point on what had already been an eventful year for the brutal mercenary leader. His Wagner troops brought Russia a rare victory in its grinding war in Ukraine, successfully capturing the city of Bakhmut. But internal friction with Russian military leaders later burst into the open, with Prigozhin briefly mounting an armed rebellion — the most severe challenge yet to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rule.The rebellion was called off and a deal was struck after less than 24 hours. However, just two months later, Prigozhin joined the list of those who have run afoul of the Kremlin and died unnatural deaths.He was just one of many noteworthy people who died in 2023.The world also said good...