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David Brooks: The American Renaissance is already at hand

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:58:14 GMT

Two megatrends have shaped American life since the 1980s: The rise of China and the hollowing out of U.S. industry.China’s economic boom prompted a thousand predictions — that it will soon surpass us as an economic power; that the 21st century is going to be a Chinese century; that America is an aging, decadent nation destined for second place.The hollowing out of U.S. industry fed the sense that capitalism is betraying the middle class. America has a parasitic financial sector, but we don’t make things anymore. Manufacturing jobs got outsourced to China and Mexico, and wages stagnated.These two trends contributed to the sense that America is in decline — to the angry, gloomy pall that has settled over political life.But it’s beginning to look as if those two megatrends are reversing.The ossifying consequences of central controlChina does not look like a growing dynamic power, but a troubled, stagnating one. Growth rates are falling. The unemployment rate for those ages 16 to 24 in ...

Real World Economics: The cost of war? Well, let me tell you

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:58:14 GMT

Edward LottermanRobert E. Lee supposedly once remarked, although he may have been quoting someone else, that “It is well that war is so terrible – otherwise we should grow too fond of it.”And therein lies a terrible paradox. Everyone knows that wars can be terrible in their carnage. They generally are huge wastes of economic resources.Yet nations, including ours, still take actions likely to lead to war. It seems that we are, indeed, “fond of it.” But why? What benefits exist that motivate nations to wage war? Can they possibly outweigh the costs, human and otherwise? Or is either side of the equation overstated?Let me explain why these questions are in my mind. Some 18 months of news from Ukraine plus discussion of China’s threats to seize Taiwan have merged in my mind with seasonal ruminations about my own experience in Vietnam 53 year ago. The result is rueful musing about human cultures and innate human nature. Will rational thought or action ever change anything?Let me st...

Federal inaction contributes to NY migrant issues

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:58:14 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — This week on Empire State Weekly, New York's asylum seeker situation continues to develop. The New York City comptroller rejected the contract the city forged with DocGo to house and transport the incoming asylees. Get the latest news, weather, and sports delivered right to your inbox! Cianna Freeman-Tolbert, a lawyer with Whiteman Osterman & Hanna, explained that the Comptroller's letter on DocGo added to frustrations surrounding the migrant issue. Governor Hochul and City Mayor Eric Adams have called for a federal response to expand work authorizations for asylum seekers. Freeman-Tolbert speculates on why this action has yet to be taken."The fear of the federal government, I believe, is that more people are gonna come because 'oh, we can go to the U.S. and get work authorization and start working,' and you don't want to encourage that. You want to encourage only individuals that are fearing for their life to come to the U.S., so they have to balance t...

Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis apologize for “pain” their letters on behalf of Danny Masterson caused

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:58:14 GMT

LOS ANGELES — Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis apologized Saturday for character letters the celebrity couple wrote on behalf of fellow “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson before he was sentenced for rape this week.A judge in Los Angeles on Thursday sentenced Masterson to 30 years to life in prison for raping two women in 2003.In a video posted on Instagram, Kutcher and Kunis said they were sorry for the pain they may have caused with the letters, which were made public Friday.Kutcher said the letters that asked for leniency “were intended for the judge to read and not to undermine the testimony of the victims or retraumatize them in any way. We would never want to do that and we’re sorry if that has taken place.”Kutcher said Masterson’s family approached them after the actor was convicted in the rapes in May and asked them to write character letters describing “the person that we knew for 25 years.” The letters were posted online by The Hollywood Reporter and other digital pu...

2 LAFD paramedics among 4 hospitalized in overnight crash in Pacoima 

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:58:14 GMT

A crash involving an ambulance and a pickup truck sent four people to the hospital, including two responding paramedics, early Sunday morning. According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, an LAFD Paramedic Rescue ambulance was responding to a medical emergency when it was broadsided by the pickup at the intersection of Van Nuys Boulevard and San Fernando Road around 12:35 a.m. As a result of the collision, the pickup truck careened into a nearby utility pole, trapping two men who were inside the vehicle. A crash involving an ambulance and a pickup truck sent four people to the hospital, including the two responding paramedics. (Citizen App)“The two adult male occupants...were badly trapped in the wreckage of their severely damaged truck before being freed by a team of LAFD responders,” LAFD said in a release.  Escaped murderer on the run in Pennsylvania now spotted nearly a dozen times Both men were transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition. The two LAFD pa...

Meditating man shot on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:58:14 GMT

A man who was meditating on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood was wounded in an apparently random shooting early Sunday morning, authorities said. The victim, only identified as an approximately 44-year-old white man, was meditating just after 3:20 a.m. in the 6300 block of Hollywood Boulevard, according to Los Angeles Police. That’s when another man walked up to him and opened fire, striking him at least once, police said.The victim was taken to a local hospital where he was said to be in stable condition. No suspect description has been released. The victim was not homeless, LAPD said. Alexis Lewis contributed to this report.

League of Women Voters Cupertino-Sunnyvale hosts events

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:58:14 GMT

League of Women Voters eventsThe League of Women Voters Cupertino-Sunnyvale is participating in National Voter Registration Day on Sept. 19, 9:50 a.m.-6 p.m., with a table at the Cupertino Library, 10800 Torre Ave. For more information, email [email protected] league is also hosting its regular Third Thursday Coffee Hour Sept. 21 at 11 a.m. on Zoom, when Marilyn Sherry will explain Club Express. For more information, visit lwvcs.clubexpress.com.Climate change grantsSanta Clara County is awarding up to $80,000 in funding to support community-based climate change mitigation and adaptation activities focused on extreme heat and poor air quality. The funding will help communities that suffer disproportionately because of poorer air quality and extreme heat.Nonprofit organizations can apply for individual grants of up to $8,000, but only one application per organization is allowed. Applicants must be currently based in or primarily serve residents of Santa Clara County.Proposed ...

Downtown Campbell transitioning to new logo

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:58:14 GMT

New logo for downtown CampbellDowntown Campbell is changing its identity, or at least the logo it uses on its identity banners.The new logo is the work of Sally-Anne Peterson, board member for the Downtown Campbell Business Association (DCBA) and owner of Quintessential Real Estate.While the DCBA been searching for a new look for the Downtown Campbell brand for years, the water tower logo designed by Sonya Paz over 15 years ago isn’t going to completely disappear anytime soon. Paz’s logo has been used as the identity banner for downtown Campbell since 2008. The DCBA estimates it’ll be a year or two before the transition is finished, as the website is getting an overhaul sometime in the first half of 2024.YSI gets county grantSanta Clara County recently approved grants for the expansion of two local youth environmental education programs: the Youth Science Institute (YSI) and O’Neill Sea Odyssey (OSO).The nonprofit YSI  provides hands-on learning to 30,000 students annually thr...

EPIC Art Exhibit opens Sept. 17 in Milpitas

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:58:14 GMT

Visitors to Dove Art Gallery in Milpitas will be able to touch actual fragments of the Berlin Wall during the gallery’s EPIC Art Exhibit.The exhibit, opening Sept. 17, features works by professional, emerging and student artists as young as 6.San Jose artist Laurie Barna is exhibiting several works including a watercolor titled “The Price of Liberty,” part of her “Liberty Series” of over 100 artworks depicting the Statue of Liberty. Barna’s work incorporates headstones, flag-draped coffins and a battlefield cross in honor of the fallen.Barna, a graduate of Cupertino’s Homestead High School, is also exhibiting a collage titled “Tribute to the B727” which chronicles the history of one of the world’s most iconic airliners.Milpitas artist Bharti Trivedi is exhibiting a fiber wall hanging titled “The Crest.” Trivedi created a modern minimalistic rendition of a waterfall using cotton and natural fibers. Bharti is known for her large-scale fiber art sculptures, which have been exhibited in...

Whiskies of the World pouring in San Jose Sept. 24

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:58:14 GMT

Whiskies of the WorldWhiskies of the World makes its way to San Jose Sept. 24, when the makers of almost 200 whiskies will be at the Hayes Mansion, 200 Edenvale Ave., to offer tastings. The event runs 4:45-7:30 p.m., with early access at 4 p.m. for VIP ticketholders.In addition to tastings, the event also features food, live entertainment and seminars and masterclasses led by industry experts who will hold forth about the art of whiskey making, the history of their favorite brands and how to properly taste and pair different whiskeys.Tickets are $125 for general admission and $175 for VIPs at https://www.whiskiesoftheworld.com/tour/san-jose.Climate change grantsSanta Clara County is awarding up to $80,000 in funding to support community-based climate change mitigation and adaptation activities focused on extreme heat and poor air quality. The funding will help communities that suffer disproportionately because of poorer air quality and extreme heat.Nonprofit organizations can apply ...