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What’s Merriam-Webster’s word of the year for 2023? Hint: Be true to yourself

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:10:34 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — In an age of deepfakes and post-truth, as artificial intelligence rose and Elon Musk turned Twitter into X, the Merriam-Webster word of the year for 2023 is “authentic.” Authentic cuisine. Authentic voice. Authentic self. Authenticity as artifice. Lookups for the word are routinely heavy on the dictionary company’s site but were boosted to new heights throughout the year, editor at large Peter Sokolowski told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview.“We see in 2023 a kind of crisis of authenticity,” he said ahead of Monday’s announcement of this year’s word. “What we realize is that when we question authenticity, we value it even more.”Sokolowski and his team don’t delve into the reasons people head for dictionaries and websites in search of specific words. Rather, they chase the data on lookup spikes and world events that correlate. This time around, there was no particularly huge boost at any given time but a constancy to the increased...

Still looking for deals on holiday gifts? Retailers are offering discounts on Cyber Monday

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:10:34 GMT

Consumers are scouring the internet for online deals as they begin to cap off the five-day post-Thanksgiving shopping bonanza with Cyber Monday. Even though e-commerce is now part and parcel of our everyday lives and much of the holiday shopping season, Cyber Monday –- a term coined back in 2005 by the National Retail Federation –- continues to be the biggest online shopping day of the year, thanks to the deals and the hype the industry has created to fuel it. For several major retailers, the “Cyber Monday” sale is a days-long event that begins over the weekend. Amazon’s, for example, kicked off on Saturday and runs through Monday. Target’s two-day event began overnight on Sunday, while Arkansas-based Walmart kicked off its most recent discounts Sunday evening. Consumer spending for Cyber Week — the five major shopping days between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday — provides a strong indication on how much shoppers are willing to spend during the holiday season. Shoppers ha...

Police ask for public's help after deadly South L.A. shooting

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:10:34 GMT

L.A. police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a person responsible for shooting a man to death Sunday morning in the South Los Angeles neighborhood of Vermont Vista, authorities announced.  Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Southeast Area responded to calls of the shooting in the 800 block of West 110th Street at around 7 a.m.  By the time police arrived, the victim, described only as a possibly Hispanic male, approximately 30-40 years old, he had already been declared dead at the scene by medical personnel with the Los Angeles Fire Department.  L.A. police on the scene of a fatal shooting in Vermont Vista on Nov. 26, 2023. (KTLA)L.A. police on the scene of a fatal shooting in Vermont Vista on Nov. 26, 2023. (KTLA)L.A. police on the scene of a fatal shooting in Vermont Vista on Nov. 26, 2023. (KTLA)The victim has not yet been identified, nor have police provided any description of a suspect in the deadly shooting.  Anyone with inform...

San Jose fire takes out 3 mobile homes, displaces 2

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:10:34 GMT

(KRON) -- Three mobile structures have been lost, two residents were displaced and a dog is unaccounted for after a fire in San Jose Sunday night, San Jose Fire officials said.The fire was called in at around 7:21 p.m. near Cleaves Avenue. It was upgraded to a second-degree fire around 7:37 p.m. Officials said it started in a motor home between a liquor store and a residential building. Firefighters were able to knock it down by 7:50 p.m.The fire resulted in minor damage to the residential building, but no injuries were reported. The cause is still under investigation.

Connor McDavid has goal and 4 assists in Oilers’ 8-2 victory over Ducks

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:10:34 GMT

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Connor McDavid had a goal and four assists to give him nine points in two games and help the Edmonton Oilers rout the Anaheim Ducks 8-2 on Sunday night.Zach Hyman had two goals and an assist, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Evander Kane, James Hamblin, Leon Draisaitl and Mattias Ekholm also scored and Stuart Skinner stopped 21 shots. The Oilers have won two straight to improve to 7-12-1.Max Jones scored for Anaheim. The Ducks have lost six in a row to fall to 9-12-0.Anaheim starter Lukas Dostal was replaced by John Gibson in the second period after Edmonton scored six goals on 16 shots. Gibson stopped eight of 10 shots.There were three goals on the first five shots on goal and the Oilers led 4-2 after the opening period.The Ducks struck 3 1/2 minutes in when Jones beat Skinner.Edmonton responded just over a minute later on its first shot. Connor Brown sent a backhand pass across to Kane for his 10th of the season. Brown’s point was his first in his 14th game with the O...

Golden Boot winner Denis Bouanga scores only goal as LAFC knocks out Seattle 1-0 in MLS playoffs

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:10:34 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — Denis Bouanga scored his fourth goal of the MLS Cup playoffs in the 30th minute, goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau made seven saves, and defending champion Los Angeles FC advanced to the Western Conference final with a 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders on Sunday night.Bouanga got one chance at goal and didn’t miss, scoring in his sixth straight game and sending LAFC home for the conference championship game against the Houston Dynamo next Saturday.It also kept alive LAFC’s hopes of becoming the first back-to-back champion since the LA Galaxy in 2011-12.Bouanga was the Golden Boot winner during the regular season with 20 goals and he added three more in LAFC’s opening round victory over Vancouver. His goal came despite Seattle controlling play for most of the first half and having two great chances in the opening five minutes that were denied by Crepeau.Bouanga’s shot was the only attempt LAFC put on goal in the first half and it finished with only two shots on target in the m...

Jokic has near triple-double, leads Nuggets over Spurs, 132-120

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:10:34 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had a season-high 39 points to go with 11 rebounds and nine assists, and the Nuggets spoiled the Denver debut of Victor Wembanyama with a 132-120 win over San Antonio on Sunday night, sending the Spurs to their 12th straight loss.Wembanyama, the top pick in the June draft, finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds, six steals and four blocks in 24 minutes to become the first rookie with those stats.“I like bringing something new to the game,” he said. “I’m glad I can already put my name in history a little bit. It’s a good feeling.”Wembanyama’s big night couldn’t stop San Antonio’s slide. It is the third longest losing streak in franchise history. The Spurs lost 13 in a row in the 1988-89 season and 16 in a row last season.Michael Porter Jr. scored 25 points and Reggie Jackson had 20 for Denver, which improved to 8-0 at home. The Nuggets had dropped four of five on their recent road trip, including a loss to Houston on Friday night that eliminated them from the...

‘Get Ready With Me’: Video genre that focuses on everyday life is everywhere — and not slowing down

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:10:34 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — “Get Ready with Me” — to go on a date, go to work or … get fired?“Get Ready with Me” videos are everywhere these days, and they’re as straightforward as the name suggests. Social media users, often influencers, invite viewers to watch them get ready to do something or go somewhere. And embedded in the storyline are the skin care, the makeup, the hairdo and all the glam that goes into looking hot — and, of course, the personal stories about life or love that arrest your attention.GRWM videos, as they’re also known, are part of a trend of “with me” content that has gained popularity over the past decade. Think “Clean with Me” videos where users watch people clean their homes for inspiration or pleasure. Or hours-long “Study with Me” videos for students who want buddies for intense cramming sessions but don’t have any friends nearby. More than a decade after debuting on YouTube in the days when creator content was still relatively new, “Get Ready with ...

What to stream this week: Harrison Ford, Paris Hilton, Peter Gabriel and Robin Hood battles robots

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:10:34 GMT

Super Mario, an Elvis Christmas special and Paris Hilton enjoying motherhood are some of the new television, movies, music and games headed to a device near you.Also among the offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists are Peter Gabriel’s long awaited album, a Robin Hood game with robots and Harrison Ford’s last hurrah as Indiana Jones swings onto Disney+.NEW MOVIES TO STREAM— The biggest box-office hit of the year not named “Barbie” is coming to Netflix. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” hits the streaming service Sunday, Dec. 3, after its previous run on Peacock. The film, which grossed nearly $1.4 billion in theaters, has fared slightly better than the infamous 1993 “Super Mario Bros.” In my review, I praised the primary-color visuals but wrote that “as nice as it is to look at ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie,’ it’s not anywhere near as fun as it would be to play it.”— Todd Haynes’ “May December” is a deliciously disquieting drama loos...

Georgia case over railroad’s use of eminent domain could have property law implications

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:10:34 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — It’s a fight over land in one of rural Georgia’s poorest areas, but it could have implications for property law across the state and nation.A hearing is scheduled to begin Monday to help determine whether a railroad can legally condemn property to build a rail line 4.5 miles (7.25 kilometers) long that would serve a rock quarry and possibly other industries.A hearing officer will take up to three days of testimony, making a recommendation to the five elected members of the Georgia Public Service Commission, who will ultimately decide.The line would be built by the Sandersville Railroad, which is owned by an influential Georgia family. It would connect to the CSX railroad at Sparta, allowing products to be shipped widely. Sparta is about 85 miles (135 kilometers) southeast of Atlanta.People in the rural neighborhood don’t want a train track passing through or near their property, in part because they think it would enable expansion at a quarry owned b...