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Blinken’s day one in Beijing yields agreement for more meetings

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:06 GMT

Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended his first of two days of meetings in Beijing on Sunday with rhetoric suggesting that the two countries are taking steps to curb the bilateral acrimony that has curdled the U.S.-China relationship.Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang emerged from their meeting with twin readouts describing that encounter as “candid and constructive.” Blinken secured an agreement from Qin to continue their discussions in Washington “at a mutually suitable time.” Both Blinken and Qin stressed the need for the two countries to improve people-to-people contacts that Qin said should include educational exchanges and an expansion of passenger flights between the two countries.That language suggests that both Blinken and Qin are inching toward an off-ramp from months of rancor that Qin said had driven bilateral ties to “their lowest level since the establishment of diplomatic relations” in 1979. The fallout over a Chinese spy balloon found...

Editorial: As China & Cuba get closer, Biden must engage with Havana

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:06 GMT

Few countries in the Western Hemisphere have evoked for Americans the spirit of the Monroe Doctrine as much as has Cuba. For years, the Soviets used the island nation 103 miles off the coast of Florida as a listening post, and, in 1962, they brought the world to the brink of existential conflict by secretly placing nuclear ballistic missiles on the island.Today, America’s most worrisome unwelcome guest in the Caribbean is China. That’s also true elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere.Beijing has been using Cuba as a spy base since 2019, the White House said recently. The Biden administration’s statement was aimed at refuting a Wall Street Journal report that China was planning to build a new listening post in Cuba, though, given the history, it’s anything but comforting to know that Beijing has been eavesdropping on the U.S. from close range for the last four years.Both economically and militarily, China looms as a worrisome threat to U.S. interests. The U.S. can expect China to step u...

Roxbury International Film Festival celebrates a milestone with stellar lineup

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:06 GMT

You must be doing something right to hit a 25th anniversary, as this year’s Roxbury International Film Festival has shown.“It is amazing! Our audience is one of the biggest reasons we’ve lasted,” Roxbury artistic director Lisa Simmons said in a phone interview. “We created this niche for our festival by celebrating filmmakers of color. Our byline is to be fiercely independent.”Among the significant changes over the years, “More films!  We became more international, because so many filmmakers are from around the world. It’s no longer a local festival simply supporting local filmmakers. It’s supporting people from all over.“We’re now known among filmmakers as a festival to come to.”Being larger means this year Rox 25 can screen 84 films in person and online.More than simply showing many varieties of international cinema, “We’re doing workshops, supporting local writers and actors for our script reading program. And we work with Black-owned restaurants to bring filmmakers just to hang ...

How office language — and etiquette around it — has changed

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:06 GMT

“Proud to say we are leveraging core competencies to align with the shift to omnichannel.”Whether this sentence makes you laugh or cringe, it is immediately recognizable for its overuse of corporate buzzwords and jargon.But this isn’t exactly a helpful alternative for an all-hands email or public announcement: “Q1 results just dropped and they’re lit!”For a private Slack message to a co-worker, though? Why not?Casual, digital-influenced language is crashing the old formal structures of workplace communication, thanks in no small part to hybrid office arrangements and the variety of messaging apps now in use. And every new generation of workers brings a new vocabulary.“It has been a concern for employers over the last five to 10 years with new generations coming in with new styles of seeing the world — everything is so casual and quick and instantaneous,” said Karen Burke, HR knowledge adviser at the Society for Human Resource Managemen...

Parker: Wanted – a presidential campaign about vision & principles

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:06 GMT

With the most recent entry of former Vice President Mike Pence and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie into the presidential race, I count now 13 Republican candidates in the field.Former President Donald Trump retains a strong lead in the polls, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis a strong second.But it is still very early in the game, and even the most casual observer of politics knows that the situation is fluid and what will be remains to be seen.What is clear is that in the big picture of things, Americans are not at all happy with the situation in their country.In most recent Gallup polling, only 18% say they are satisfied with the direction of the country.This is not new.Looking at the breakdown by party ID, Gallup shows, as of April, only 4% of Republicans satisfied with the country’s direction, 16% of independents and 29% of Democrats.This tells me there is a big opportunity for change to a Republican presidency.But the question remains: Who and what it will take?More im...

Asante-Muhammad: Baby bonds boldest step to closing racial wealth divide

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:06 GMT

Juneteenth celebrates the end of chattel slavery in the United States. But over 150 years later, discriminatory public policies have prevented African Americans from closing the racial wealth divide in this country they helped build.Policy created that divide — and policy can close it.One state is showing how to move forward in advancing racial economic equality. This year, Connecticut is launching the country’s first “Baby Bond” program.This program will invest $3,200 for every baby born into poverty in the state. The bonds are projected to grow to between $10,000 and $24,000 in value, depending on when they’re used.When they reach an age between 18 and 30, these Connecticut residents will be able to use that money to start a small business, get a higher education or job training, or buy a home.That money goes to poor residents regardless of their race. But because Black and Latino residents of the state are poorer than their white counterparts, the program will significantly addre...

Dear Abby: Readers share ‘tall tales’ about dealing with height

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:06 GMT

Dear Abby: Regarding “Tall Person Sympathizer” (Feb. 28), whose very tall husband and son hate the comments they receive, I am 6 feet, 8 inches tall, so I can relate. One does feel like part of a freak show and have to deal with things most average height people don’t think twice about, like, “Can I fit in that car?” or “Where can I buy clothes that fit?” And that tired basketball question. Yep, even at my age of 64 I still hear it.But the questions don’t bother me much anymore — except for “How’s the weather up there?” Now when someone asks the height question, I quickly respond with the obviously wrong answer of 5 feet 6. It always gets a laugh, and there usually is a little small talk after that, and I may even ask them their height. Then I tell them, I am 80 inches tall, which is true, and let them figure it out.Seriously, though, most people look favorably upon you and wish they themselves were taller. I...

Two minors killed after struck by car on SR-78

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:06 GMT

VISTA, Calif. -- Two minors are dead after being struck by a vehicle in traffic on the eastbound SR-78 Sunday night, the Vista Fire Department said.Fire officials were first alerted about the incident at 6:12 p.m., after receiving a call that the two had been hit on the highway just east of the Mar Vista exit.According to VFD Deputy Chief Brett Davidson, the minors, whose ages have not been disclosed by authorities, got out of the vehicle after the driver, their mom, had pulled onto the shoulder of SR-78. 25 unlicensed drivers cited during checkpoint in Escondido The two were struck by a vehicle in oncoming traffic and were later pronounced dead on the scene by authorities.According to VFD, the exact number of people in the car that had pulled over is not known at this time.Details about what led up to the collision remain under investigation by California Highway Patrol. However, Davidson said a suitcase that had come lose from the top of the car is possibly what prompted the tw...

VIDEO: Baby seal climbs onto Pacific Beach surfers' boards

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:06 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A baby seal was spotted climbing from surfboard to surfboard near Pacific Beach, riding the waves from above water.The pup can be seen wiggling onto the boards of surfers in the Tourmaline - Pump House area of Pacific Beach in drone footage obtained by FOX 5 Saturday. Video of the pup climbing onto a surfboard can be viewed in the player above.SeaWorld, who was notified by the surfers after the seal first surfaced, sent a crew out to evaluate the pup. According to the theme park, the seal appeared healthy and was in the water when their team arrived."There was no need to intervene as the pup also appeared to be old enough to care for itself," SeaWorld said in a statement to FOX 5. VIDEO: Wattled jacana chicks nestle under their father’s wing at San Diego Zoo A seal climbing onto a surfer's board in Pacific Beach. (Courtesy of Edwin D. Hartel/@DroneDudeEd)A seal on a surfer's board in Pacific Beach. (Courtesy of Edwin D. Hartel/@DroneDudeEd)A seal climbing onto a surf...

Japan’s emperor meets with Indonesian president on his first official foreign trip as emperor

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:06 GMT

BOGOR, Indonesia (AP) — Japanese Emperor Naruhito met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Monday, the third day of his first official foreign trip since ascending the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019.Widodo and Indonesia’s first lady, Iriana, welcomed Naruhito and Empress Masako at the Bogor presidential palace, along with greeters wearing Indonesian traditional clothes and a military band that played both national anthems.“I feel very honored because Indonesia is the first destination for the Japanese emperor’s bilateral state visit abroad,” Widodo said.Naruhito is seeking to underline the friendship between Japan and Indonesia during his week-long visit, and officials said the two leaders would talk about cooperation between the countries.The emperor arrived in the capital Saturday and visited some places in the city, including a station of the Jakarta MRT, which is Indonesia’s first subway line and was financed by a loan from the Japan International Cooperation...