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Liptak: Conservatives need to move forward for ’24

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:27:10 GMT

Former president Donald Trump has proven himself to be enduringly charismatic to many Americans of a conservative political bent and a thorn in the side of many independents and liberal-leaning citizens. The drama he creates can evoke the best and worst in us, but it’s time to move on.I consider myself an independent-moderate-conservative who loves that the former president helped unchain America from the evil of unrestricted abortion. I like that he played hardball with some of our international business competitors to create a more level playing field.But a Trump candidacy is a chain around conservative ideals. His accomplishments were overshadowed by his often unkind, poisonous tongue, irrational behavior, and obsessive lies. When I watched the evening news and heard the latest absurdities flowing from his mouth like a noxious, toxic tirade into our great melting pot, I found little to feel good about.The toxin overflowed when it met several thousand of his followers on January 6...

’80s musical romance ‘Tokyo Pop’ gets new life at Brattle

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:27:10 GMT

It’s been 35 years and now it’s finally time to discover “Tokyo Pop” in a brand-new 4K restoration at the Brattle Theatre this weekend.“Nobody had a chance to see it when it was originally released,” Fran Rubel Kuzui, 75, explained in a phone interview last week.Kuzui would go on to make the 1992 “Buffy the Vampire Killer” movie and serve as executive producer on the “Buffy” series and “Angel,” its spin-off.For “Tokyo Pop” Kuzui, co-writer and director, created an East meets West romance between an aspiring American singer (Carrie Hamilton) in Japan who joins a local rock band led by Hiro (Diamond Yukai). As the band soars, so does their affair.Kuzui was inspired seeing the spectacular results of another woman directing a small indie film, Susan Seidelman with “Desperately Seeking Susan” starring Madonna.“It was a good time for women to be directing movies,” she said, “because you could make an independent film. You didn’t have to get somebody to tell you, you were a director....

Moore: Why has Biden declared war on natural gas?

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:27:10 GMT

Natural gas is the world’s wonder fuel: cheap, abundant, made in America, reliable AND clean burning.So why are the Biden administration and environmental groups against it? There’s really no good answer.What makes the Left’s war against natural gas inexplicable is that the single biggest factor in reducing carbon emissions into the atmosphere has been the increased reliance on natural gas for electric power generation as we transition slowly away from coal. (By the way, emissions from coal plants have been dramatically reduced as well, which is one reason why the air that we breathe today is much cleaner than the air 20 or 50 or 100 years ago.)No country produces more natural gas than America. Latest reserve forecasts predict we have nearly 100 years of natural gas with existing drilling technologies, and hundreds of years of potential supply. We’re not running out. We are the Saudi Arabia of natural gas.The two innovations that spurred the natural gas shale...

Editorial: Retail theft costs billions, it’s time to get tough

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:27:10 GMT

It’s said that a smart man learns from his mistakes, but a wise man learns from the mistakes of others.Massachusetts has had ample opportunities to learn how not to handle crime from bellwether blue states, unfortunately, the lessons were lost, with costly results.As the Herald reported, Retailers Association of Massachusetts President Jon Hurst estimated that local businesses are losing about $2 billion a year to “organized criminal theft activity.”“A number of companies have reported the effect of this organized criminal theft activity on their bottom line,” Hurst added. “We’ve certainly seen more of this organized stealing, and this smash-and-grab.“Stores have actually closed,” he said. “You can only keep a store open for so long when you’re losing money on it.”The bigger picture is worse: a National Retail Federation survey last month showed retail loss is nearly a $100 billion problem around the country.“Criminal gangs prey on stores, going from New York City up the coast...

Dear Abby: BF puts marriage in the ‘maybe’ pile

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:27:10 GMT

Dear Abby: I’m 44, and I have been dating a wonderful man for the last year and a half. He’s 44 as well. He has a nice home and job and has 50/50 custody of his three children, who adore me. I’m good to them, and we all get along well, just like a family.The problem is, he goes back and forth about marriage. I have made it clear that, although I have no desire to pressure him, I do want to be married again one day. I said I’d rather be let go than led on. He said he isn’t sure, and some days he says he may never remarry.The last time we talked about it, he said it’s a “possibility,” but he didn’t want to be pressured — it has to be his idea. How long should I wait until I say enough is enough? I’m not getting any younger. — Fixed on MarriageDear Fixed: When was the last time you had this discussion? You have described a man who is comfortable with things just the way they are. A year and a half is a reasonable a...

Adam Duvall homers in third straight game, leads Red Sox past Astros 7-5 in 10 innings

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:27:10 GMT

For a moment, Adam Duvall could barely stand.The Red Sox slugger had just fouled a 99 mph sinker right off the top of his foot and needed a solid minute to gather himself. It wasn’t clear if Duvall would be able to continue, but with two men on and the game tied in the top of the 10th, the outfielder stepped back into the box and pulled the next pitch he saw 371 feet for the go-ahead three-run home run.Josh Winckowski closed things out for the 7-5 win over the Houston Astros, and though time will tell, it felt in the moment like Duvall may have saved the Red Sox season.“Honestly I don’t know how I hit it after what I did,” Duvall told NESN’s Jahmai Webster afterwards.Coming in the Red Sox had already squandered two games in the Wild Card since arriving in Houston and were facing the prospect of another devastating setback. Worse, closer Kenley Jansen left due to right hamstring tightness after recording one out in the bottom of the ninth, and if he̵...

Four killed at famous Southern California biker bar, including gunman

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:27:10 GMT

At least four people were killed and several more were injured Wednesday evening after shots rang out at a historic and popular Southern California biker bar.Among those killed was the suspected gunman, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.The shooting happened around 7:30 p.m. at Cook’s Corner in Trabuco Canyon in Orange County, according to authorities.Authorities responded after several people were shot at Cook's Corner, a biker bar in Trabuco Canyon on August 23, 2023. (KTLA)Dozens of first responders were called to the popular biker bar, which is located at 19152 Santiago Canyon Rd.Photos posted to social media showed a chaotic and bloody scene inside the historic bar.Around 9 p.m., Sheriff’s Department officials confirmed that four people were dead at the scene and six people were taken to the hospital, with five needing treatment for gunshot wounds.Officials said deputies fired on the suspect, who was struck and killed. No law enforcement officers were injured....

USD investigates alleged hazing involving football team

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:27:10 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The University of San Diego is investigating an alleged hazing incident between members of its football team during pre-season activities, school officials said.USD's football coaching staff learned about the incident on Friday, Lissette Martinez with the University of San Diego told FOX 5 in an email Wednesday."USD has a zero-tolerance policy on hazing and takes reports of inappropriate conduct and violations of the Student Code of Conduct with the utmost seriousness. Expectations of conduct were clearly articulated to players as part of their pre-season onboarding and training," Martinez said. All football activities were suspended by the school while the Department of Athletics and the Department of Public Safety conducted a preliminary investigation. Padres pitcher Robert Suárez ejected after sticky substance check No one was believed to be physically harmed from the alleged hazing, per the university. "Certain members of the team are facing disciplinary action in...

Gunfire at California biker bar kills 4 people, including the shooter, and wounds 5 more

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:27:10 GMT

TRABUCO CANYON, Calif. (AP) — Three people were killed and five others were wounded in a shooting Wednesday at a Southern California biker bar, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said. The shooter also died.The shooting occurred after 7 p.m. at Cook’s Corner in rural Trabuco Canyon in Orange County, a popular longtime watering hole for motorcycle riders and enthusiasts who gather for live music, open-mic nights or just a cold beer after a long ride.Authorities didn’t immediately share details on how the shooting unfolded or about the assailant. Four people, including the shooter, were pronounced dead on scene. Six others were taken to the hospital, five of them with gunshot wounds, the sheriff’s department posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.“Incident scene at Cooks Corner is static,” the department posted several hours after the shooting was first reported.Hours before the shooting, several patrons were stopping by Cook’s Corner for an afternoon...

Petroleum asphalt remains in Yellowstone River, even after cleanup from train derailment

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:27:10 GMT

REED POINT, Mont. (AP) — Two months after a railroad bridge collapse sent carloads of hazardous oil products plunging into Montana’s Yellowstone River, the cleanup workers are gone and a mess remains.Thick mats of tarry petroleum asphalt cover portions of sandbars. Oil-speckled rocks and bushes line the shore along with chunks of yellow sulfur, a component of crude. In the middle of the river downstream of the bridge, a tangle of steel juts out of the water from a ruptured railroad tank car that has not been removed.The railroad, Montana Rail Link, in conjunction with federal and state officials last week halted most cleanup work and stopped actively looking for more contaminated sites. They said dropping river levels that have been exposing more pollution also make it harder to safely operate the large power boats used by cleanup crews.Almost half the estimated 48,000 gallons (180,000 liters) of molten petroleum asphalt that spilled has not been recovered, officials said. That incl...