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Column: White Sox stasis continues while Cubs move on from another failed pursuit of Shohei Ohtani

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:35:12 GMT

The Chicago White Sox acquired veteran catcher Max Stassi shortly after the news of Shohei Ohtani’s record $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers was released.Suffice to say there were no Stassi-related celebrations on the South Side posted on Instagram.The domino effect of the Ohtani signing means free agency should pick up. The Cubs will now turn to their lesser-priced targets, but whether the Sox plan to fully participate remains to be seen.The acquisition of a 32-year-old, defensive-minded catcher who hasn’t played since 2022 provides the Sox with a veteran to handle what should be a very young pitching staff, albeit at the expense of providing any offense.But the unintentional timing of the move, coming on the heels of the Dodgers’ gargantuan expenditure, only magnified the apparent direction (or misdirection) of the Sox. The offseason stasis adds to the litany of Sox lowlights, from the unsolved gunshots at Guaranteed Rate Field to the end of the ...

BlackBerry names new CEO, calls off plans for IPO of Internet of Things business

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:35:12 GMT

WATERLOO, ONT. — BlackBerry Ltd. has promoted John Giamatteo to the job of chief executive and called off plans for an initial public offering of its Internet of Things business, but still plans to split its operations.Giamatteo, who was president of BlackBerry’s cybersecurity business unit, takes over the job after the retirement of John Chen as chief executive and executive chairman earlier this year.Richard Lynch, who has served as interim chief executive since Nov. 4, will continue as board chair. The company also says it will no longer pursue a subsidiary initial public offering of its Internet of Things business unit.Instead, BlackBerry says the board has decided to establish its Internet of Things and cybersecurity businesses as stand-alone divisions. It says the plan includes the separation and streamlining of its centralized corporate functions into business-unit specific teams, with a view to each division operating independently.“The board, with input from its...

Celine Song nabs Golden Globe noms for best film direction, screenplay

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:35:12 GMT

Korean-Canadian filmmaker Celine Song has snagged Golden Globe nominations for best film direction and screenplay for her debut feature, “Past Lives.”The movie has also been nominated in the best drama category. The movie is about two childhood sweethearts who contemplate the nature of their relationship as they grow apart over the course of 24 years.  Song, 34, was born in South Korea and her parents moved to Markham, Ont., when she was 12. She now lives in New York. Other Canadian nominees this year include Ryan Gosling, for his supporting acting role in the blockbuster “Barbie.”This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 11, 2023.The Canadian Press

Putin visits a shipyard to oversee the commissioning of new Russian nuclear submarines

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:35:12 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday traveled to a shipyard to attend the commissioning of new nuclear submarines, a visit that showcased the country’s nuclear might amid the fighting in Ukraine.Putin’s trip to the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk in Russia’s northwestern Archangelsk region comes three days after he declared his intention to seek another six-year term.Putin announced his decision to run in the March 17 presidential election, which he is all but certain to win, while speaking to soldiers who fought in Ukraine after a Kremlin award ceremony — a setting that underlined his focus on the military action in Ukraine.Monday’s visit to Sevmash, where Putin oversaw raising the navy’s flag on the newly built Emperor Alexander III and the Krasnoyarsk nuclear submarines, also appeared to emphasize his focus on bolstering Russia’s nuclear forces amid the tensions with the U.S. and other NATO allies over Ukraine. Putin has ca...

Is climate-friendly beef even a possibility?

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:35:12 GMT

In today’s Big Story Podcast, if you know one food that’s bad for the planet, it’s probably beef. It’s one of the worst polluters in the entire food industry, and its popularity means the scale of the beef industry is enormous. So much so that convincing people to give up beef has been a staple of the climate movement.But people who like beef don’t want to forego their steaks and hamburgers, so one of the world’s largest producers is now selling “climate-friendly” beef, and it’s been USDA approved.Kenny Torrella is a staff reporter at Vox. In the United States, Torrella said the carbon footprint per pound of beef is lower due to improvements made in the supply chain.“Even though we’ve taken those efforts and made those strides, you could still argue that beef is essentially the coal of the food sector,” said Torrella. So how “friendly” is it? Is it enough to offset the damage? And will we ever be able to enjoy both pr...

Rohingya Muslims in Indonesia struggle to find shelter. President says government will help for now

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:35:12 GMT

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) — His face showed exhaustion, restlessness, and confusion. It has been more than 36 hours since Muhammad Amin landed in Indonesia. He arrived in a wooden boat with 136 other Rohingya Muslims who left their refugee camp in Bangladesh. Their boat had been at sea for nearly 1 1/2 months, with no water or food for days.Amin, 27, wore a Paris Saint-Germain soccer jersey that bore the marks of being worn for days. He, together with his wife, his children and hundreds of other Rohingya refugees tried to get some rest as they waited at a skateboard park in the city of Banda Aceh, next to the governor’s office. They have been relocated five times in less than two days and are yet to find shelter. Two boats carrying two groups of more than 300 Rohingya Muslims, including emaciated women and children, reached Indonesia’s northernmost Aceh province on Sunday. A third boat, carrying more refugees, remains missing. The U.N. refugee agency warned that people onboard coul...

Allies of imprisoned Kremlin foe Navalny sound the alarm, say they haven’t heard from him in 6 days

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:35:12 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Allies of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny sounded the alarm on Monday, saying that neither they nor the politician’s lawyers have heard from him in six days.Navalny, who is serving a 19-year term on charges of extremism, was due to appear in court Monday via video link but didn’t, spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said. She said prison officials cited electricity problems. Lawyers in recent days also haven’t been able to access Navalny, according to Yarmysh.“It is already the sixth straight day that we don’t know where Alexei is and what is happening to him,” Yarmysh wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.Navalny, 47, has been behind bars since January 2021. As President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe, he campaigned against official corruption and organized major anti-Kremlin protests. His arrest came upon his return to Moscow from Germany, where he recuperated from nerve agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin.Navalny h...

Rare Raymond Chandler poem is a tribute to his late wife, with a surprising twist

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:35:12 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Near the end of 1954, the wife of Raymond Chandler died after a long battle with lung disease. The famed crime novelist fell into near-suicidal depression from which he never recovered. He drank heavily and died just five years later, at age 70. Chandler completed no major books after the death of Cissy Pascal Chandler, but he did summon a brief, unpublished work, in a format he was not known for mastering: poetry. Written during the year following Cissy’s death, the 27-line “Requiem” is a grieving fatalist’s tribute to his longtime spouse, with opening lines that have the aura of a crime scene — and of a final glance at the victim. There is a moment after death when the face is beautifulWhen the soft, tired eyes are closed and the pain is over,And the long, long innocence of love comes gently inFor a moment more, in quiet to hover.Chandler’s poem appears in the winter edition of Strand Magazine, which has published rare pieces by William Faulkner, ...

Golden Globe nominations announced, with 'Barbie' leading the way. Here's everything to know

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:35:12 GMT

After scandal and several troubled years, the Golden Globes are ready for a comeback.The revamped group, now a for-profit endeavor with a larger and more diverse voting body, announced its nominations Monday for its January awards show.FULL LIST OF 2024 NOMINEES HEREWHO'S NOMINATED FOR THE 2024 GOLDEN GLOBES“Barbie” tops all nominees with nine, while “Oppenheimer” followed closely behind with eight.Here are a selection of other nominees: Best drama movie: “Anatomy of a Fall”; “Killers of the Flower Moon”; “Maestro”; “Oppenheimer”; “Past Lives”; “The Zone of Interest.”Best actor in a television drama: Brian Cox, “Succession”; Kieran Culkin, “Succession”; Gary Oldman, “Slow Horses”; Pedro Pascal, “The Last of Us”; Jeremy Strong, “Succession”; Dominic West, “The Crown.”Female actor in a television comedy: Rachel Brosnahan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”; Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”; Ayo Edebiri, “The Bear”; Elle Fanning, “The Great”; Selena Gomez, “Only Murders in the Building”; N...

Alderman turned FBI mole Danny Solis to testify in Ed-Burke trial

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:35:12 GMT

CHICAGO -- Prosecutors are using recordings made by ex-alderman turned FBI mole Danny Solis to make their case against the once powerful Ed Burke.Prosecutors decided months ago to not to put Solis on the stand. Burke's attorneys told THE judge they will call Solis to the stand and plan to question him for hours about the recordings alone.In the recording Solis says, "I think I've got some good news. I talked to Skydell today. Burke responded saying "So, did we, uh, land the tuna?" "If we land the tuna, there certainly will be a day of accounting, you can count on that," Burke continued.Jurors have heard the conversation between Burke and Solis from the spring of 2017.Prosecutors say "tuna" was business for Burke's private law firm from developers of the Old Post Office. Solis, an alderman for more than two decades and chair of the city council zoning committee, retired in 2018. He agreed to record Burke as a part of a deal made with the Feds.Burke faces 14 counts of racketeering, br...