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Editorial: Hamas attack should be recognized as act of terrorism

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:14 GMT

There should be no debate over the language we use to describe Hamas and its depraved Oct. 7 attack on Israel.Hamas is a terrorist organization, and the acts of its agents on Oct. 7, when they crossed the border into Israel with the express intent of killing and kidnapping civilians, were terrorism.That makes them terrorists.While some have suggested Hamas’ political role in Gaza means it is not a terrorist organization, it is clearly targeting civilians for political ends, which is the very definition of terrorism..The danger in using euphemisms such as “militants” to describe terrorists is that it normalizes heinous acts of terrorism and implies that the deliberate targeting of civilians is a military act and that Hamas at large has some other, less despicable objective.But let’s be clear: Hamas’ stated goal in its founding charter calls for the obliteration of the state of Israel. The United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada have all formally designated Ha...

Graham: UAW chief’s radical ties raise concerns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:14 GMT

An “Eat the Rich” T-shirt is the sort of symbolism most often found at progressive campus protests or rallies of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). So why was it worn at a recent public appearance by Shawn Fain, the head of the United Auto Workers union, and what does that choice tell us about the inner circle of the man leading the most aggressive UAW strike in generations?Those are some of the questions critics are asking as they see continued economic fallout from a strike with no end in sight, seemingly powered by the radicalization of the UAW’s leadership led by Fain and his closest advisers, which contains self-avowed Marxists and ideologues so extreme they are defending Hamas terrorists.Fain has made no secret of his “social justice” politics. Rather than focusing on benefits and pay for his union’s members, he’s pushing his union to enter the broader political fray.“The UAW is back in the fight and we are ready to stand united to win economic and social justice,” Fa...

Real Simple’s luscious Chocolate Fudge Pie

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:14 GMT

Everybody knows that Halloween dishes up sweets galore. Trick-or-treaters come home with bounties of chocolate bars, candy, gum, licorice, and much more inside of their bags and buckets. Even though trick-or-treat treasures are the stars of the show, when hosting Halloween parties, desserts also can be top notch, and guests often look forward to chocolate treats on the dessert table.This year, Halloween hosts can serve up a slice of “Chocolate Fudge Pie” from “Real Simple: Dinner Tonight Done!” (Time Home Entertainment) from the editors of Real Simple.TAG GOES HEREChocolate Fudge PieINGREDIENTS1 pie crust (store-bought or homemade), fitted into a 9-inch pie plate6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped, plus more shaved, for topping1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter3 large eggs1/8 teaspoon kosher salt1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar1 1/2 cups heavy creamDIRECTIONSHeat oven to 375 F. Place the pie plate on a baking sheet. Prick the crust with a fork and...

Lowry: Trump kept America’s enemies guessing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:14 GMT

Luck is the residue of design, they say. Might it also be the residue of frightening and confusing foreign adversaries?Donald Trump’s relatively crisis-free presidency in foreign affairs has created a sense, perhaps an accurate one, that he cowed enemies into not challenging the U.S.As Sen. Tom Cotton has pointed out, Kabul didn’t collapse on Trump’s watch, Russia didn’t invade Ukraine and Hamas didn’t launch a historic terror attack on Israel.Now this may have just been good fortune. Four years isn’t a large sample size. But the argument that adversaries feared him, and therefore acted with a measure of restraint, is quite intuitive.No one is going to mistake Trump for Henry Kissinger. His view of the world was highly personal and reflected a few obsessions, especially the notion that we were getting ripped off by foreigners.Yet, despite the feeling of chaos created by his constant shoot-from-the-hip bombast, things basically stayed on the rails....

Spirited ‘Canterville Ghost’ gets animated remake

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:14 GMT

Producer Robert Chandler’s animated “The Canterville Ghost” arrives this week, the climax of a 10-year struggle to resurrect Oscar Wilde’s 300-year-old Sir Simon de Canterville for the big screen.It’s the Roaring Twenties and Sir Simon (voiced by Wilde aficionado Stephen Fry) has long been haunting the grand Canterville estate — until he meets his match in the brash Americans.“One of the themes of ‘The Canterville Ghost’ is modernity versus the older, classical values and that’s a sort of sliding collision that’s always happening,” Chandler, who also co-directs, said in a Zoom interview from London.“In our film you’ve got the Bostonian American family coming in to buy this big, old, dusty English country house and colliding head on with Simon and his 17th century culture.“The Bostonians are bringing electricity, a motor car and modern ways of thinking. That theme of modernity and the value it has, is always a good thing.“There’s the eldest daughter Virginia (...

Fall in love with an apple salad with maple vinaigrette

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:14 GMT

When it comes to fall fruit, it’s hard to beat the versatility of the humble apple.Gala and the ubiquitous Red Delicious tend to be the most popular for eating out of hand, but sweet-tart cultivars such as Honeycrisp and the bright green, citrusy-tart Granny Smith are also great for a quick after-school or workday snack.They’re also delicious on top of a salad, providing both a satisfying crunch and a fresh fall flavor that speaks to the season.Here, thinly sliced apples add a bright and colorful crunch to a healthful, tossed salad mix of spicy arugula, shredded kale and cabbage. It’s dressed in a sweet and tangy, mustardy vinaigrette sweetened with another fall favorite, local maple syrup.I dressed up the salad with dried cranberries, toasted pecans and a generous crumble of blue cheese on top because that’s both what I had on hand and the flavor combination I love best. But walnuts or cashews would be just as tasty, as would dried dried cherries or raisins ...

Dear Abby: Wife questions her marriage & identity

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:14 GMT

Dear Abby: I’m a lesbian. My wife and I have been married for nine years, but since COVID and my mother’s death, we have had problems. I met a man online; he’s an actor. We grew close via the internet. When my wife found out, we fought, and this man and I haven’t been as close.Although we mended our relationship and I love her, I seem to always wonder. About a year ago, I got hit on by another actor on Instagram, and we also grew close until my wife found out. I stopped, but I still maintain contact with these men, and I’m not sure why.I wonder if I’m happy with my wife or if it would be better with someone else. I wonder if I’m staying with her for love or for comfort. I’m not sure. I keep questioning my identity and my life. Any advice? — Lacking Certainty in CaliforniaDear Lacking Certainty: If you were getting everything you need from your marriage, you wouldn’t be “wondering” and reaching out to members of ...

1 person dead, another wounded in South Bay shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:14 GMT

CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- One person is dead and another person was wounded Tuesday in a shooting in Chula Vista, authorities said. Around 6:33 p.m., SkyFOX was over Palomar Street and Broadway where a large police presence could be seen shutting down multiple roads.Witnesses told FOX 5 the shooting occurred at a mobile home park nearby, prompting the two shooting victims to drive off in a white Jeep. San Diego takes top spot in ranking of most expensive places to live in U.S. The two victims, both males, were traveling along Palomar Street and Broadway, when they flagged down a cop that was driving in the area, the Chula Vista Police Department (CVPD) watch commander told FOX 5. That's where authorities found the Jeep driver and passenger with gunshot wound injuries.Both were taken to the hospital, where the passenger died, per CVPD. The driver did survive their injuries.The victims are in their late teens or early 20s, according to police.Homicide detectives are investigating the i...

Down, but not out: Two Argentine political veterans seek to thwart upstart firebrand

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:14 GMT

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Economy Minister Sergio Massa and former Security Minister Patricia Bullrich adapted shrewdly over their combined seven decades in Argentine politics. It remains to be seen whether experience is an asset or a liability in what has already been an atypical presidential race.Javier Milei, the mop-topped freshman lawmaker who leads most polls ahead of Sunday’s vote, has railed against what he calls the political caste. He points to Massa and Bullrich as embodiments of an entrenched establishment and garnered the most votes in August primaries, sending shockwaves through the South American nation. Massa and Bullrich convey themselves as safer bets to govern the crisis-engulfed country than the firebrand upstart who pledges to abolish the Central Bank, slash public spending and dollarize the economy. Most polls show Massa in second place and Bullrich third. Polls have been notoriously unreliable, however. A few show Massa leading the first round and a...

UN to vote on Gaza resolution that would condemn attack by Hamas and all violence against civilians

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:14 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council scheduled a Wednesday vote on a resolution that initially condemned “the heinous terrorist attacks by Hamas” on Israel as well as all violence against civilians, while calling for “humanitarian pauses” to deliver desperately needed aid to millions in Gaza.Negotiations on wording of the draft resolution sponsored by Brazil continued throughout Tuesday, and the final version to be voted on had not been released by late Tuesday.The vote follows the council’s rejection Monday evening of a Russian-drafted resolution that condemned violence and terrorism against civilians and called for a “humanitarian cease-fire” but made no mention of Hamas.Russia has proposed two amendments to the Brazil resolution that will be voted on first. One calls for a “humanitarian cease-fire.” The other would condemn indiscriminate attacks on civilians and assaults on “civilian objects” in Gaza like hospitals and schools that deprive people of the means to surviv...