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Wild and free in Ireland: A solo trip to Dublin unleashes the primal release of pure, chaotic solitude

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:49:57 GMT

By Joseph HernandezI spent my winter holiday break trying to scream on an Irish cliff. I almost failed.I was wandering the cliffs just outside of the sleepy village of Howth. The sky was a churning, cold tempest; my glasses useless in the hazy mist. Thirty to 40 minutes east of Dublin’s city center by DART train, Howth felt a world away. In the city, it was lightly drizzling, but out here on the coast was a different story.Sea birds — gulls and other unidentifiable species — filled the sky with aggressive dark wings and raucous cawing. The ocean roiled, unbothered by their petty concerns. The wind was a banshee.The picturesque area around the harbor and train station felt asleep, shutting out the cold world even at 2 p.m. The day’s weather had me doubting my judgment — I wanted nothing more than to be cozied up inside. But when would I have a chance to see the cliffs again?I was on day five of a seven-day trip. I’ve been wanting to travel solo, with no agenda, for years. Pandemic lo...

Clemson recruit Dillon Head, an MLB prospect, is ready to dial it up a notch for H-F. ‘There’s just nothing he can’t do.’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:49:57 GMT

Homewood-Flossmoor’s Dillon Head tries not to think too much about this summer’s MLB draft and the big decision he will likely have to make between signing or going to Clemson.But as the senior outfielder continues to skyrocket up various prospect rankings and sees himself mentioned as a first-round pick, it’s hard not to imagine what the future could be.“It’s definitely exciting,” Head said. “From looking at the TV when I was a kid and dreaming I was a big leaguer, and now seeing me get closer to achieving that dream. I’m not too caught up in it, though.“Whether I go to college or to pro ball out of high school, I see myself getting there to the big leagues one day either way. I’m not too stressed about it.”For now, Head — who is ranked as the No. 1 player in Illinois for the 2023 class by Prep Baseball Report — is focused squarely on finishing his high school career in style.After hitting a whopping .467...

Source: Patriots expected to sign Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:49:57 GMT

A day after losing their best receiver, the Patriots have a new No. 1 target.According to a source, free-agent wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster is expected to sign with Patriots. It’s a 3-year, $33 million deal, per the NFL Network.Smith-Schuster, 26, is coming off a rebound season in Kansas City, where he caught 78 passes for 933 yards and three touchdowns last year. His addition will help offset the loss of Jakobi Meyers, who left to sign a 3-year deal with the Raiders on Tuesday. Smith-Schuster would jump to the top of the Pats’ receiver depth chart, joining DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne and Tyquan Thornton.Shortly after the deal was reported, Smith-Schuster tweeted: “Excited for my next chapter in New England! I will give this organization everything I have, thank you for believing in me!”Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots move to retain restricted free agent OT Yodny Cajutse on 1-year deal New England Patriots | Patri...

San Diego rainfall totals: This area received almost 5 inches of rain in two days

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:49:57 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A low pressure system with moisture from an atmospheric river swept over the region this week, dumping rain across the county.Several areas experienced heavy precipitation Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, making the morning commute more challenging for some with flooding and debris affecting roadways. These San Diego County roads are closed due to inclement weather conditions According to data from the National Weather Service San Diego, rainfall levels in some areas surpassed a whopping 4 and a half inches in the last couple of days. Here's a breakdown of accumulating precipitation levels in San Diego's coastal areas, valleys, mountains and desert lands. The data reflects two-day totals as of 10:48 a.m. Wednesday, according to calculations from NWS.*Areas above the freezing level may not show accurate precipitation totals, said NWS.Coastal areasGeneral locationPrecipitation levelSan Onofre3.14 inchesCarlsbad2.70 inchesSan Marcos2.53 inchesOceanside 2.55 inchesEn...

Stormy Daniels meets with prosecutors investigating Trump

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:49:57 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stormy Daniels’ lawyer said the porn actor met with prosecutors Wednesday as former President Donald Trump’s ex-lawyer testified before a grand jury investigating hush money paid to Daniels on Trump’s behalf. Daniels’ attorney, Clark Brewster, tweeted that Daniels met with and answered questions from Manhattan prosecutors and was willing to be a witness. The news came as Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, was giving his second day of testimony before the grand jury. Daniels tweeted her thanks to her attorney for “helping me in our continuing fight for truth and justice.”A message seeking comment was sent to the Manhattan district attorney’s office.“I feel great,” Cohen told reporters as headed into what he expected to be his final day of testimony.In the waning weeks of the 2016 presidential campaign, Cohen said he made a $130,000 payment on Trump’s behalf to Daniels, who at the time had been in negotiations to tell her story on tel...

Markets shudder on fears about a global banking crisis

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:49:57 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Worries about a spreading banking crisis and how badly it will hit the economy sent shudders through markets Wednesday, with stocks and bond yields tumbling on both sides of the Atlantic. The S&P 500 was 1.1% lower in late trading, while markets in Europe fell more sharply as shares of Switzerland’s Credit Suisse dropped to a record low. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 415 points, or 1.3%, at 31,739 as of 3:10 p.m. Eastern time after earlier being down as many as 725 points. The Nasdaq composite was 0.2% lower after trimming a big earlier loss.Credit Suisse has been fighting troubles for years, including losses it took from the 2021 collapse of investment firm Archegos Capital. Its shares in Switzerland sank 24.2% following reports that its top shareholder won’t pump more money into its investment. “They’ve had issues,” said Anthony Saglimbene, chief market strategist at Ameriprise. “It’s just coming at a time when there’s more uncertainty a...

Alabama’s Brandon Miller has security guard due to threats

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:49:57 GMT

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Alabama star Brandon Miller was accompanied by an armed security guard to the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday because of threats directed his way, Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats said. “If you guys saw some of what I’ve seen sent his way, I think you would understand why that’s the case,” Oats said of the extra protection that the school lined up for Miller. “I don’t want to get into all that. The entire situation, as you know, is just a heartbreaking situation on all accounts.”Miller name surfaced last month in court testimony involving the capital murder case of former Alabama player Darius Miles and another man, who are charged in the fatal shooting of 23-year-old Jamea Harris on Jan. 15.A police officer testified that Miles texted Miller asking him to bring Miles’ gun in the early morning hours of the shooting. Fellow freshman starter Jaden Bradley was also at the scene. Neither Miller nor Bradley has been accused of any crime, and the university has described ...

NBA suspends Ja Morant 8 games for having gun in video

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:49:57 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA suspended Memphis Grizzilies guard Ja Morant eight games without pay on Wednesday after determining that his displaying a firearm at a club in suburban Denver earlier this month was “conduct detrimental to the league.”Morant will miss his sixth game when the Grizzlies play in Miami on Wednesday night. He will miss the next two games and be eligible to return on Monday when Memphis plays Dallas.The games he already missed will count toward the suspension, and Morant will forfeit about $669,000 in salary.“Ja’s conduct was irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “It also has serious consequences given his enormous following and influence, particularly among young fans who look up to him.”Silver met with Morant in New York before announcing the league’s decision. The Grizzlies had no immediate comment; coach Taylor Jenkins is scheduled to hold his standard pregame availability Wednesday evening in Mi...

Garcetti confirmed as India ambassador after 20-month fight

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:49:57 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti was confirmed Wednesday by a divided Senate as the nation’s next ambassador to India, 20 months after he was first nominated by President Joe Biden and after weathering doubts about his truthfulness in a sexual harassment scandal involving a top adviser during his time at City Hall.The 52-42 vote gave the administration a long-sought victory in filling one of the country’s highest profile diplomatic posts. The president “believes that we have a crucial and consequential partnership with India and that Mayor Garcetti will make a strong and effective ambassador,” White House spokesperson Olivia Dalton said after the vote.The session began with uncertain prospects for Garcetti, a two-term, progressive Democrat first nominated to the prominent diplomatic post by President Joe Biden in July 2021. With several Democratic defections, Garcetti’s fate rested with enlisting Republicans in a chamber often divided along partisan lin...

Review: Tomlin, Fonda anchor darkly comedic ‘Moving On’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:49:57 GMT

The on-screen pairing of Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin is not exactly a novelty at the moment. Seven seasons of “Grace and Frankie” and the movie “80 for Brady” has, perhaps, spoiled us a little lately. And, unfortunately, second-act movies with Hollywood legends have a very hit or miss track record (sorry “Queen Bees” and “Poms”). But don’t let either of those facts dissuade you from trying out “ Moving On,” which was written and directed by Paul Weitz (“Grandma,” “About a Boy”) and opens in theaters this weekend. This is one of those rare films that balances a darkly comedic conceit with authentic, emotional resonance, allowing Fonda, Tomlin and co-stars Malcolm McDowell and Richard Roundtree to actually act rather than be demeaned by cheap caricatures of senior citizens. It begins with a funeral. We never meet the deceased, but it brings the main characters back together again for the first time in a long time. Fonda is Claire, a devoted dog mom and grandmother to uninterested teens...