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10 best books for 2023: Or make that 12, if you include a trio that shouldn’t work at all

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:04:13 GMT

Christopher Borrelli | Chicago Tribune (TNS)Imagine a holiday party, attended only by books. If it helps, give them little arms and legs. That’s the way to think about the best books of the year. You’ve invited a bunch of books that you can’t get out of your head to a Christmas blowout, and there were so many, it’s crowded and loud. Some guests are wild and drunk off their asses; some are formal; some are thick and popular. A few guests corner you and insist that you love them; they chew up more time than you like. You glance past them, you scan the room.You spot themes. You notice our future squashed tightly against our past — and everyone mingling with our nervous present. You see a lot of Chicago guests; it’s been one of the best years for local authors in a while. You see many good books on climate change. You see history and 2023 huddled in a heated conversation that never ends.Anyway, that’s what I see.And by the end of the night, when I’ve kicked everyone out, 10 books linger...

A holiday weekend getaway to Sausalito

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:04:13 GMT

Craving an escape from the holiday hoopla — the hustle, the bustle, the endless to-do lists? Just over the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito may just be the most charming village on San Francisco Bay, and the perfect destination for a holiday day trip, winter weekend jaunt or destination for out-of-town guests.With its distinctive Mediterranean flair and famous panoramic views of the Bay and San Francisco’s city skyline, Sausalito is also known for its elegant, Victorian-era homes, rising up woodsy, steep-sided hills, and historic storefronts, many dating to a more rough-and-tumble era in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Massive marinas crowded with sailboats, yachts and colorful houseboats line the town’s waterfront, and a grand promenade with renowned seafood restaurants perched on piers beckon day-trippers with fancy food and sublime views.It’s this charming storybook setting that has made Sausalito world famous over the years, drawing throngs of weekend tourists, who crowd th...

Bruins notebook: Undermanned B’s set to face high-octane Devils

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:04:13 GMT

Different challenges present themselves throughout the NHL season. Headed into Wednesday’s game against the Devils in New Jersey, the Bruins have themselves a whopper.The B’s will be without a good chunk of their team defense – top six center Pavel Zacha and No. 1 defenseman Charlie McAvoy when they take on the speedy, young Devils, who have climbed to fourth in the league in goal scoring at 3.54 per game.All hands will be required to be on deck to slow down the Jersey offense.“You don’t replace one of your top two centers and you don’t replace you’re top D-man with an individual,” said coach Jim Montgomery. “It’s got to be a concerted effort by everyone eating more minutes and they’ve got to do the job.”One player who will be asked to do more is Morgan Geekie. He’ll be bumping up to top six duty, skating between David Pastrnak and Jake DeBrusk, and taking over Zacha’s bumper spot on the first power play unit.He played on t...

Ex-SDSU punter Matt Araiza's accuser to drop him from lawsuit alleging rape

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:04:13 GMT

SAN DIEGO — Lawsuits tied to accusations of sexual assault levied at Matt Araiza will be dropped after the former San Diego State and Buffalo Bills punter reached an agreement with his accuser earlier this week, attorneys representing both parties confirmed to FOX 5."This week marks the end of the August 2022 civil lawsuit filed against our client," Araiza's attorneys, Dick Semerdjian and Kristen Bush, said in a joint statement on Tuesday. According to the lawyers, the allegations in the complaint against Araiza will be dismissed without a monetary settlement. The 23-year-old will also be dismissing his counter defamation suit against young woman, known as Jane Doe, which was filed earlier in July."While we are here celebrating this victory with Matt and his family, the win is bittersweet," the statement continued. "Matt has been forced to defend himself for the last sixteen months against false accusations and a campaign to ruin his career in the NFL. He will never get this time in...

WATCH LIVE: Zelenskyy meets with Biden, visits Capitol Hill seeking more US aid for Ukraine

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:04:13 GMT

President Zelenskyy and President Biden are scheduled to hold a joint press conference beginning at approximately 4:10 p.m. ET following their meeting. Nexstar Media plans to livestream that press conference within this story once it begins.WASHINGTON (AP) — His country's future at stake, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy used inspirational words, resolve and a nod to Christmas in appealing Tuesday to leaders in Congress for U.S. aid for his fighters in the war with Russia.But as he arrived next at the White House, additional American support was in grave doubt.Zelenskyy's visit to Washington came at a grim time, much changed from the hero's welcome he received last year. President Joe Biden's request for an additional $110 billion U.S. aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other national security needs is at serious risk of collapse in Congress as Republicans are insisting on linking it to strict U.S.-Mexico border security changes that Democr...

Canada votes in favour of UN resolution calling for Israel-Hamas ceasefire

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:04:13 GMT

Canada was among 153 nations voting in favour of the non-binding United Nations resolution pushing for “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.There were 23 abstentions and 10 votes against the resolution.In favour: 153Against: 10Abstentions: 23UN General Assembly adopts resolution on the Middle East demanding a humanitarian ceasefire, the protection of civilians, the immediate, unconditional release of all hostages and humanitarian access. pic.twitter.com/0szWbQQJVb— United Nations (@UN) December 12, 2023Canada’s vote represents a major shift in its long-standing position of voting with Israel on major resolutions at the international body.This comes after the prime ministers of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand called for “international efforts towards a sustainable ceasefire” in a joint statement.More to come.

US to spend $700M on new embassy in Ireland, breaks ground on new embassy in Saudi Arabia

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:04:13 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has notified Congress that it intends to spend nearly $700 million to buy a former Dublin hotel, demolish it and construct new buildings to turn the site into the new U.S. Embassy in Ireland. The State Department also announced that it had broken ground on a new embassy complex in Saudi Arabia as part of a revamp of its diplomatic facilities in the Gulf.The department informed lawmakers late Monday that it plans to buy the former Jury’s Hotel in Dublin’s upscale Ballsbridge neighborhood for $171 million. Associated costs, including the design and construction of the new chancery and furnishing it, will bring the total to $688.8 million, according to a notice sent to Congress.The 4.2 acre (1.7 hectare) property is located just a block from the existing U.S. embassy in the Irish capital, which dates to the 1960s and the State Department said “is well beyond its useful life, is too small for our operational needs, and is not functional in its ...

Bank regulator maintains uninsured mortgage stress test rate

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:04:13 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s banking regulator says it has left the stress test rate for uninsured mortgages unchanged.The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions says the minimum qualifying rate for uninsured residential mortgages will remain the greater of 5.25 per cent, or the mortgage contract rate plus two per cent.Uninsured mortgages are generally residential mortgages with a down payment of 20 per cent or more.Superintendent Peter Routledge says holding the minimum rate helps ensure lenders and borrowers manage risk associated with residential mortgages.He says the stress test has produced a more resilient residential mortgage financing system.OSFI sets the stress test for uninsured mortgages, while the finance department sets the rate for insured mortgages.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 12, 2023.The Canadian Press

Man wanted for spraying anti-Semitic graffiti at TTC subway stations

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:04:13 GMT

Toronto police are searching for a suspect believed to be behind two acts of hate-motivated graffiti at TTC subway stations.Officers were called to Finch Subway Station just after 12:30 a.m. on Oct. 28 for reports of mischief. Police determined that a man had spray-painted anti-Semitic graffiti on a wall near the bus loop.Minutes later, police were notified of a similar mischief incident at York Mills Subway Station. It’s alleged a man spray-painted anti-Semitic graffiti on a wall at the TTC station.No injuries were reported.The male suspect is described as 20-25 years old. He was last seen wearing glasses, a black face mask, a black Carhartt hooded sweater with white lettering on the left sleeve, a black baseball hat, black pants, black shoes, and a grey backpack.Police said the investigation is being treated as a suspected hate-motivated offence. Photos of the man have been released.

Man arrested in Washington state after detective made false statements gets $225,000 settlement

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:04:13 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — King County will pay $225,000 to settle a civil rights lawsuit brought by a Black man who was arrested on drug charges after a veteran detective made false statements to obtain a search warrant, including misidentifying him in a photo.Detective Kathleen Decker, a now-retired 33-year veteran of the King County Sheriff’s Office, was looking for a murder weapon when she asked a Washington state judge for a warrant to search the car and apartment of Seattle resident Gizachew Wondie in 2018. At the time, federal agents were separately looking into Wondie’s possible involvement in selling drugs.Wondie was not a suspect in the homicide, but Decker’s search warrant application said a gun he owned was the same weapon that had been used to kill a 22-year-old woman a few months earlier.In reality, the gun was only a potential match and further testing was required to prove it. Further, Decker, who is white, falsely claimed that a different Black man pictured in an Instagram phot...