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King: A day to celebrate Irish exceptionalism

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:54:34 GMT

The Irish punch above their weight. That is why worldwide, on March 17, people who don’t have a platelet of Irish blood and who have never thought of visiting the island of Ireland joyously celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.That day may or may not have been when St. Patrick, Ireland’s patron saint, died in the 5th century.The fact is, very little is known about St. Patrick. The broad outline is that he was born in Roman Britain, kidnapped by pirates as a child and taken to Ireland as a slave. He escaped, returned to Ireland as a Christian missionary and became a bishop.To be sure, in the Emerald Isle truth can be augmented with folklore, mysticism, and the great love of a good story.Hence devout Ireland can also believe in fairies and leprechauns, or little people, to this day. Both are quite real to some in Ireland, although, unlike the festival of St. Patrick, they don’t seem to have crossed the Atlantic, or even the Irish Sea, except in movies.When horseback riding with my wife on an a...

Ravens trade starting safety Chuck Clark to New York Jets in cap-clearing move

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:54:34 GMT

The Ravens made their first move to clear salary cap space, agreeing to trade durable safety Chuck Clark to the New York Jets for an undisclosed draft pick, the team announced Wednesday.The move, which ESPN and NFL Network reported is for a 2024 seventh-round selection, saves the Ravens about $4.1 million on their 2023 salary cap. Baltimore needed to clear about $9 million by Wednesday to comply with the cap, and Clark, 27, was entering the last year of his deal.The 2017 sixth-round pick out of Virginia Tech became a starter in 2019 and played almost every defensive snap each of the past three seasons. He made 101 tackles, defended four passes and forced a fumble for a pass defense that ranked 11th in Football Outsiders’ DVOA in 2022.Clark was unhappy when the Ravens signed Marcus Williams in free agency last offseason then used a first-round draft pick on Kyle Hamilton. But coaches praised his professionalism in the wake of those moves, and he ultimately started beside Willia...

Chicago Bulls face a rough final stretch — 15 matchups in 26 days — to earn a postseason spot: ‘Every game is important’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:54:34 GMT

For the last week, the Chicago Bulls have posted the Eastern Conference standings on the board in their locker room. It’s a prominent focal point for a team that barely controls its destiny.The Bulls are teetering on the edge of contention for the last spot in the play-in tournament, sitting 11th in the Eastern Conference after spending recent weeks bobbing between the 10th and 12th slots. The final brutal stretch of the season — 15 games in 26 days entering Wednesday — will be decided by the ninth-hardest schedule in the league as the Bulls face teams with an average winning percentage of .518.And unless the Bulls win all 15 games, their playoff hopes would at least be partially decided by the teams surrounding them in the standings.“They know exactly where we’re at, what’s going on,” coach Billy Donovan said. “But we can’t be a group of guys that sits there and looks at the scoreboard all the time, wanting help from somebody el...

‘Supercell’ whips up good weather-action thrills

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:54:34 GMT

MOVIE REVIEW“Supercell”Rated PG-13. At Gloucester Cinema and on VOD.Grade: B-A sub-Spielbergian throwback, “Supercell” is a drama about a Texas son trying to live up to the legendary status of his father. Set in West Texas “Tornado Alley” country, the film begins with flashbacks to the death of tornado chaser extraordinaire Bill Brody (Richard Gunn), who didn’t need a college degree to follow his dream, that dream being close encounters with life-threatening weather events.Ten years after Brody’s death, his tall, meteorological prodigy son William (Daniel Diemer, TV’s “The Man in the High Castle”) helps his mother Quinn (the late, missing-from-the-Academy-Awards-memorial-segment Anne Heche) with her house-cleaning business. William also learns to drive a manual transmission with the help of his “friend” Harper (Jordan Kristine Seamon, TV’s “We Are Who We Are”) and her vintage, sky-blue Ford Mustang. William also gets into trouble for bringing a device his fat...

Dear Abby: Co-worker insists on grabbing the check

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:54:34 GMT

Dear Abby: I have a colleague who has become an amazing friend over the last few years. We plan dinner dates or work conferences periodically, and we also try to book spa appointments together when we have vacation time.“Sandy” is everything a person would want in a friend. However, when we go out to eat, she usually insists on paying for my meal. She has also prepaid some of my spa appointments. When this pattern first started, I was a little put off, but I appreciated her generosity — maybe a little selfishly — because it saved me money. But now I feel constantly indebted to her because I can never seem to return the favor.When I insist on paying for myself, we argue and bicker. Sandy says she wants to show her appreciation for my partnership at work. She also explains that I have children (who are assumedly expensive) whereas she is childless. She justifies it by rationalizing that her husband makes an impressive salary. They are comfortable, but not extra...

Laugh it up with comedian Ali Wong in San Diego

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:54:34 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Comedian Ali Wong will be wrapping up her 19-city comedy tour in San Diego, according to Live Nation officials.Known for her comedy specials Baby Cobra, Hard Knock Wife and Emmy-nominated Don Wong, the comic is set to make her final stop at the San Diego Civic Theatre on Friday, Sept. 1, at 7 p.m., the press release stated. Dump day: How to dispose of unwanted items for free this week The comedy tour kicks off on Apr. 24 at the Tabernacle in Atlanta and then continues to other California cities including Wheatland, Thousand Oaks and Long Beach.Wong, who has a New York Times Bestselling-book called Dear Girls, is also releasing her next project Beef with A24 on Netflix in April.

Trump’s VP? Some in GOP already jockeying for consideration

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:54:34 GMT

OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — Trips to Mar-a-Lago. Glowing speeches. Front-row seats at major events.The first Republican presidential primaries are nearly a year away and the candidate field is unsettled. But already, a shadow contest of another sort is underway with several Republicans openly jockeying to position themselves as potential running mates to Donald Trump, the early front-runner for the nomination.“A lot of people are right now auditioning,” Trump boasted to supporters in Florida last month.The mere mention of a running mate this early in the process is a departure from the traditional timeline of presidential primaries, where candidates typically spend the opening months of a campaign introducing themselves to voters and sharing their visions for the country. But as a former president, Trump needs no introduction and is eager to project an air of inevitability around his campaign, particularly as attention builds around Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is widely seen as his tou...

With Saudi deals, US, China battle for influence in Mideast

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:54:34 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a matter of days, Saudi Arabia carried out blockbuster agreements with the world’s two leading powers, signing a Chinese-facilitated deal aimed at restoring diplomatic ties with its arch-nemesis Iran and announcing a massive contract to buy commercial planes from U.S. manufacturer Boeing.The two announcements spurred speculation that the Saudis were laying their marker as a dominant economic and geopolitical force with the flexibility to play Beijing and Washington off each other. They also cast China in an unfamiliar leading role in Middle Eastern politics. And they raised questions about whether the U.S.-Saudi relationship — frosty for much of the first two years of President Joe Biden’s term — has reached a détente.But as the Biden administration takes stock of the moment, officials are pushing back against the notion that the developments amount to a shift in the dynamics of the U.S.-China competition in the Middle East. The White House scoffs at the i...

$250,000 reward offered for missing California girl whose mother was found murdered

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:54:34 GMT

Authorities are offering a $250,000 reward for information on a missing girl whose mother was found murdered in San Francisco in 2016.The missing girl, Arianna Fitts, now 9 years old, went missing on April 5, 2016, when she was only 2 years old after her mother, Nicole “Nikki” Fitts was found murdered.An age progression image of how Arianna might look today was released by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).Age progressed photo of how 9-year-old Arianna might look in 2023 from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.Arianna and Nikki Fitts in a photo from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.Arianna Fitts in a photo from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.Arianna Fitts in a photo from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.Arianna Fitts in a photo from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.Nikki Fitts in a photo from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.Arianna a...

Steph Curry drops 50 points but Warriors lose again on the road

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:54:34 GMT

LOS ANGELES — Stephen Curry draped a towel over his head as he sat on the bench with about a minute left of action Wednesday night. His second 50-point performance of the season was spoiled by a 134-126 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. With 12 games and only 3 1/2 weeks remaining in the regular season, the Warriors still don’t have answers for their road issues.Curry went 20 of 28 from the field and 8 of 14 from deep, and Goldne State couldn’t get the job done as it suffered one of their most gut-wrenching defeats yet. Shoddy perimeter defense, surrendering too many second-chance opportunities and committing turnovers (15) led to their demise in Los Angeles, the Warriors’ first stop of this five-city trip.Curry scored 21 of his game-high points in the third quarter to give the Warriors a fighting chance heading into the fourth. Ultimately, however, Golden State couldn’t get stops, and the Clippers, behind Kawhi Leonard, closed the door on the Warriors...