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Schoen: What’s Newsom’s strategy for taking White House?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:00:53 GMT

At present, it certainly seems as if Joe Biden will be his party’s nominee for president. He is the incumbent, leader of his party, and no serious challenger has presented themselves in the Democratic Party.That said, whether due to increasing concerns over Biden’s approval numbers, age, cognitive abilities, and the multiple investigations into his son Hunter, it is increasingly possible that Biden may decide within the next few months not to seek re-election. Were that to happen, Vice President Kamala Harris would likely be the odds on favorite to replace Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket.However, given the way California Gov. Gavin Newsom has sought to aggressively raise his national profile lately – assertively defending Biden’s record, traveling widely to campaign for Democratic candidates, and serving as Biden’s mouthpiece following the GOP debate on Wednesday, there are legitimate questions as to exactly what Newsom is trying to do, and why is he doing it?It must be sa...

Jackson Holliday out to make Orioles’ 2024 opening day roster after year of awards: ‘That’s the goal’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:00:53 GMT

The accolades keep coming in for Jackson Holliday. This one is far from a surprise.Holliday, the No. 1 prospect in baseball, was named the Orioles’ Brooks Robinson Minor League Player of the Year, the club announced Saturday.In his first full professional season, the 19-year-old shortstop became the sport’s best prospect, rose from Low-A Delmarva to Triple-A Norfolk in historic fashion, played in the MLB All-Star Futures Game and was named Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year.Now, he’s got his sights set on Baltimore.“That’s the goal,” Holliday said when asked if he believes he can make the Orioles’ 2024 opening day roster. “If that doesn’t happen, then whatever is the plan, I’ll be ready for it. Hopefully that’s the goal. We’ll see, though.”Holliday said it’s “an honor” to win an award named after Robinson, the legendary third baseman who died earlier...

How do I protect my personal time at work?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:00:53 GMT

Q. This may sound weird, but I don’t know how to handle this. Now that we’re back in the office, my boss demands that I have lunch with everyone in the group. I don’t like them. I feel forced to spend time with them that should be my time. Can I tell him anything?A. This is your personal time and although you feel pressure to eat with your peers and it may even get political (if you don’t join them, it may be like, “Why isn’t so-and-so eating with us?”), the reality is, again this is your time. You may even need a break from them that could serve you well. It could actually be worse if you join them for the sake of joining them and you’re unhappy the entire time.You can politely push back and say something like, “I need to take this time to clear my head, I will try to join them when I can and I participate in the weekly team get togethers, thanks for your concern.”If there’s an underlying reason like maybe your boss ...

NFL picks: Can Pats bring the pain to Jerry World?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:00:53 GMT

NFL Lines Week 4Barry Bruce BillGame 25-18-1 21-22-1 18-25-1Atl @ Jax (UK) -3 Jax Jax AtlMia @ Buff -2.5 Buff Buff MiaDen @ Chi +3.5 Den Chi ChiBalt @ Cle -3 Balt Balt CleCin @ Tenn +2.5 Tenn Tenn TennLAR @ Ind pick ‘em Ind Ind IndTB @ NO -3 NO TB TBWas @ Phil -9 Phil Phil PhilMN @ Car +4 MN Car MNPitt @ Hou +3 Pitt Hou HouLV @ LAC -5 LAC LAC LACNE @ Dal -6.5 Dal Dal NEAZ @ SF -14 AZ AZ AZKC @ NYJ +8.5 NYJ NYJ NYJSea @ NYG +1 NYG NYG SeaLast week 10-5 7-8 9-6Season 25-18-1 21-22-1 18-25-1Bruce: A lot of bubbles are gonna burst this weekend. Like what happened with Dallas last week. Do you really trust Miami at Buffalo?The Cardinals are frauds, but I’ll take you, me and 9 other people with 14 points pretty much every time.The Jets were a Super Bowl contender with Aaron Rodgers, allegedly. Despite how bad Zach WIlson is, and we’re all tired of hearing about it, if he was that bad the Jets would sign Colin Kaepernick. They’ll cover getting 8.5 against the Chieftains.Bill: The Kansas Ci...

Belly full of favorites & new songs for new tour

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:00:53 GMT

It boggles the mind a little that a song as wonderfully offbeat as Belly’s “Feed the Tree” was a hit single. But such was life in the early-90s heyday of alternative rock. “Every time we play it I say ‘How was this a hit?,” says frontwoman Tanya Donelly. “It is the weirdest freaking song, for the subject matter alone. And there so many examples from that era. I think there was a time back then when a bunch of our friends were having the same experience of having these quote-unquote hits with very quirky songs. It felt a little like sliding under the radar, like we were getting away with something. And that was a blast.”And after all these years, she still gets people asking her what the song is about. (It roughly concerns a woman asking respect from her partner, including being there when she’s buried). “This may sound precious but I actually figure songs out years later — ‘Oh, that’s what I meant!’ So I am still figuring it out too. And I like it when people make up their own...

Column: David Ross accepts blame for the Chicago Cubs’ fade down the stretch in a failed quest for an NL wild-card spot

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:00:53 GMT

The arc of the Chicago Cubs season has been amazing to watch unfold because no other season was quite like it.The Cubs were 10 games under .500 on June 8, then got hot and played 22 games over .500 (50-28) from June 9 to Sept. 6, when they had a 92% chance of making the playoffs.But just when it looked as if they could plan their postseason rotation, they faltered down the stretch, going 6-14 from Sept. 7 through Friday’s loss, putting them on the brink of elimination with a 4.7% chance of getting in.“The odds of anything, I don’t kind of buy into that,” manager David Ross said before the game.But the Cubs’ quixotic journey ended Saturday night when the Miami Marlins earned a wild-card berth with a win in Pittsburgh, making the Cubs’ 10-6 win over the Milwaukee Brewers moot.An exhilarating ride through the summer officially crashed and burned on the eve of the final day of the season, leaving the Cubs out of the postseason for the third stra...

Thursday Murder Club back in the game in ‘The Last Devil to Die’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:00:53 GMT

In an early chapter of Richard Osman’s “The Last Devil to Die,” retired nurse and eternal optimist Joyce Meadowcroft writes in her diary on Dec. 26, “I feel like I should drink to something, so I suppose let’s drink to ‘No murders next year.’”Oh, Joyce. You know better by now. And do mind the heroin dealers, dear.Joyce is one of the intrepid quartet of septuagenarians who make up the Thursday Murder Club, the name of Osman’s hugely bestselling mystery series, taken from the first book’s title.“The Last Devil to Die” is the fourth in the series, after “The Man Who Died Twice” and “The Bullet That Missed,” and it delivers the same kind of clever dialogue, colorful characters and corkscrew plotting that made the other books so much fun.The Murder Club members are the heart of the books: widowed, cheerful, chatty Joyce; former union leader turned passionate football fan (West Ham!) Ron Ritchie; and Ibrahim Arif, a thoughtful Egyptian psychiatrist with a tendency to overexplain things.An...

Halloweentown is back with boo-dacious fun & scares for all ages

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:00:53 GMT

Remember those old-school Halloween nights, when you’d wander the neighborhood past decorated yards for treats? These days, that feels like ancient history.But there’s good news for those who love a classic holiday experience: Halloween Town is back.On hiatus since the pandemic, Halloween Town (http://halloweentownnh.thelaurafoundation.org) in East Madison, New Hampshire, returns Oct. 21.Twelve years ago, Stevo Harding, director of Camp Tohkomeupog was looking at the empty cabins post-season. He realized that with the combination of active alumni, the connection their neighbor and owners of Purity Spring Resort had to the Laura Foundation for Autism and Epilepsy (http://thelaurafoundation.org) and the general desire for classic events, they may be just the right spot for Halloween fun.The first year they decorated a handful of cabins for trick or treating, brought in some food and added a few games and activities. About 300 folks attended. But word got out fast and just a few ...

Editorial: High Court to tackle federal bureaucracy in new term

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:00:53 GMT

As the first Monday of October nears, the U.S. Supreme Court prepares for another term. On the docket in coming months are cases touching on a variety of important subjects, including the First Amendment, the separation of powers, immigration, gun rights and the reach of the federal bureaucracy.The justices have thus far agreed to hear 21 cases, the most prominent of which is Lopez Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, which offers the court the opportunity to rein in the nation’s ubiquitous regulatory state. The case involves a rule that the National Marine Fisheries Service imposed on herring fisheries, but the issue touches on the broader question regarding the authority of federal agencies.In 1984, the high court created the “Chevron doctrine,” which holds that the courts should generally defer to regulatory agency interpretations of “ambiguous” congressional statutes. This rule greatly empowered Washington bureaucrats to create and interpret law even if the statute upon which they ac...

Dear Abby: Dad’s fired, the truth stuns family

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:00:53 GMT

Dear Abby: My dad is the breadwinner in our family. A few years ago, he got fired for looking at “inappropriate” material at work. When he told us what happened, he described it as a raunchy comedy special. So, being a good son and thinking Dad was wrongfully terminated, I started calling law firms to see if he had a case. That’s when the truth came out.Not only had he lied, but he also stabbed me in the back when I went to bat for him. His job was tailor-made to suit him. In one stupid act, he managed to get canned. He also lost his excellent health insurance, dental, vision, 401(k), profit sharing, life insurance, the respect of his family and probably his co-workers (who most likely heard through the rumor mill).Dad knows he has health problems, my mother also has several, and I have a chronic condition as well. I no longer trust him. To make matters worse, I have no education beyond a high school diploma and have had no luck finding a job, so there’s no p...