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Davies: Pols’ oil biz blame game ignores how markets work

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:38:48 GMT

When gas prices rose 150% from June 2020 to June 2023, politicians didn’t hesitate to blame corporate greed. Yet over the last six months, gas prices have fallen 33%. Are politicians congratulating oil companies for displaying altruism? No. Market skeptics only see prices through the eyes of greed. Prices fall because of “market forces” but rise because of “greed.”Consider ExxonMobil, the largest U.S. oil company. From 2010 through 2014, Exxon’s after-tax profit averaged $9.1 billion per quarter. Starting in 2015, its profits fell more than 50%, to an average of $3.9 billion per quarter, yet no politician thanked Exxon for its generosity.Then came COVID. In 2020, the company lost an average of $5.6 billion per quarter, yet no politician applauded Exxon’s selfless magnanimity.And politicians were right not to do so.Exxon was neither generous in the late 2010s nor magnanimous in 2020. Exxon responded to market forces: paying the prices that markets dictated and selling at prices that ...

Lucas: DiZoglio still wins even if she loses Beacon Hill audit

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:38:48 GMT

Fiery State Auditor Diana DiZoglio may lose a skirmish in her battle to audit the Massachusetts Legislature, but she will still win.At least in the court of public opinion.If, over the strenuous objections of the leaders of the Legislature and the Constitution she gets to audit the House and the Senate, she wins.If she is prohibited by law or by the courts from doing so, she also wins.That is because the Massachusetts Legislature is held in such low esteem by the public — fairly or not —that any attack on it and its workings looks like good government even if the attacks are political.This is especially true in DiZoglio’s case. She was practically an outcast in both the House and the Senate during her 10-year tenure in the Legislature after repeatedly challenging the leadership in both branches before being elected auditor in the last election.So, she presumably knows what she is looking for and that is to make herself look good at the expense of House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate...

With 6 games left, where do the Chicago Bulls stand in the NBA play-in tournament?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:38:48 GMT

The Chicago Bulls are fighting for a spot in the NBA play-in tournament, a battle for the last two playoff seeds in each conference. Here’s an explainer about the history of the event and how it works — and where the Bulls stand.When did the play-in begin?The NBA introduced the idea after the restart of the pandemic-delayed 2019-20 season, with a team needing to be within four games of the No. 8 seed to force a play-in for the last playoff spot in the conference.The Memphis Grizzlies finished a half-game behind the No. 8 seed Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference, and the Blazers won the first game of a play-in, thus earning the final playoff spot. In the East, the ninth-place Washington Wizards finished 7½ games behind the eighth-place Orlando Magic, meaning a play-in was unnecessary.How has the tournament evolved?The next year, the NBA expanded its play-in rules, with only the top-six seeds in each conference guaranteed of a playoff spot and the Nos. 7-...

Recapping the Chicago Bulls: Slow start — and Anthony Davis’ big night — leads to a 121-110 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:38:48 GMT

For the first eight minutes of Wednesday’s 121-110 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, it seemed as if Nikola Vučević was the only player in a Chicago Bulls jersey who could land a shot at the United Center.Vučević found nearly every shot in his bag, dancing through post-ups and sinking a 3-pointer from the top of the arc. But the rest of the team couldn’t find a single shot that would fall — not a floater, not a free throw, not a 3-pointer. Vučević went 6-for-9 in the quarter. His teammates combined to go 2-for-15. And the tone for the game was set — or rather, wasn’t established at all — by the end of the opening frame.Coby White finally snapped the streak, landing a layup with 3:12 left in the first. Derrick Jones Jr. was the only other Bulls player to score in the quarter, splashing a 3-pointer in the final minutes as the Bulls were outscored 31-20.And although they would erase that deficit in the second quarter, the ...

‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ rolls the high score

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:38:48 GMT

MOVIE REVIEW“Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves”Rated PG-13. At the AMC Boston Common, AMC South Bay and suburban theaters.Grade: B+If you took heaping handfuls of “Harry Potter,” “Lord of the Rings,” “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” and “Game of Thrones” and shook them up, you might come up with the frothy and entertaining “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” the first in what is surely going to be a series of films based on the beloved table-top role-playing game that emerged in the 1970s. An orc, wizard, zombie, Druid and dragon-laden affair co-directed and co-written (along with Michael Gilio) by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (both screenwriters of “Spider-Man: Homecoming”), the film is steeped in the sounds and sights of the fantasy/sword and sorcery genres.We begin in a frozen world, where our soon-to-be friends Edgin (a charming Chris Pine) and Holga (Michelle Rodriguez, showing us she is so much more than “Fast & Furious”) escape from a pr...

The prettiest looks for your Easter parade

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:38:48 GMT

For those of us who adore spring and all of its bright, lighthearted fashion, Easter is one of the best excuses we have to pull out the stops and don the prettiest dresses and accessories.What’s more, this season’s crop of dresses is vast and lovely. And the accessories out there are equally irresistible. After all, at Easter, hats are as much of a tradition as marshmallow birds. Here are three of my favorite looks right now.Florals are the obvious go-to, and Tuckernuck’s Hydrangea Blooms Faven Dress ($298 on tnuck.com) is a glorious and glam choice. Overlaid onto a subtle leopard print, the watercolor-inspired green blooms are contrasted with a dark green trim on the hem and sleeves, and details like puffy sleeves, a removable waist sash, and back slit. I also love the ruched mock neckline, which adds even more drama.And you’ll need some snazzy green shoes to accompany that. I’m loving Grace’s Perfect Mary Jane Pump 70 ($695 on sarahflint.com) by Sarah Flint. They’re fl...

Dear Abby: Boyfriend’s ultimatum – move in or move on

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:38:48 GMT

Dear Abby: My boyfriend of three years wants me to move in with him. He’s a great guy. He’s loving and affectionate, kind and caring. We want the same things for our kids and have quite a few things in common. We enjoy playing sports, and we’re both foodies. He checks a lot of my boxes, so I know I’m ready for marriage.We both have kids. He has a 10-year-old girl; I have a 4-year-old boy. He has asked me multiple times to move in with him, but I’d like to be engaged or married before doing so. He wants us to live together first because my relationship with his daughter hasn’t flourished. He’d also like to build a trusting relationship with my son, which I understand and find equally important.He says we must live together before he proposes to me because we need to work on our finances and careers, etc. He has now given me an ultimatum — either I move in, or he moves on. What am I to do? Am I asking for too much? — Coerced in Flo...

Tributes pour in for civil-rights leader Mel King, dead at 94

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:38:48 GMT

An outpouring of both sadness and gratitude met the news that longtime civil rights leader Mel King had died after decades of influencing politics, policy and people in his lifelong home city.King, a former state representative and mayoral candidate whose singular impact on Boston politics is difficult to sum up in any concise way, died Tuesday.The 94-year-old was still living in the same South End neighborhood where he grew up and spent his whole life aside from four years down south for college.In Boston particularly starting in the 1960s, the 6-foot-3-plus King would cast a long shadow over local and state politics for the next several decades. He was could be either a soft-voiced rabble-rouser or a larger-than-life statesman when the situation called for it.“He’d say, ‘You’ve gotta take it from the streets to the suites,'” onetime Boston Acting Mayor Kim Janey told the Herald on Wednesday.Janey, who said there’s a “direct line” bet...

Mother, son to celebrate 50th consecutive Padres home opener together

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:38:48 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Thursday will mark the 50th consecutive Padres home opener a San Diego mother and son will attend together. It's a tradition they didn't know they started, but has stood the test of time.The Padres joined Major League Baseball in 1969, and just a few years later, Carole Salazar and her son Vic started a tradition, which will hit a huge milestone at this year's opening day.“The streak started at Opening Day in 1974 and the Padres were under new ownership with Ray Kroc, there were 37,000 people at San Diego Stadium and we were among them," Vic said.They both agree the feeling and energy on opening day is magical.“Everyone has the same hopeful anticipation that this is the year, no matter how bad it was the previous year, and I just feel that every time," Carole said.“We've been through a lot of bad teams over the years, and the greatest thing about opening day is you have that hope that this is going to be the year," Vic said.The mother-son duo has made countless memories...

Harris enters the fray over democracy with visit to Tanzania

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:38:48 GMT

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (AP) — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will step onto the front lines of the battle for democracy in Africa on Thursday, spending time in Tanzania as it makes fragile progress toward restoring its reputation as a more inclusive government.Samia Suluhu Hassan, Tanzania’s first female president, has undone some of the country’s more oppressive policies, such as a ban on opposition rallies, even though she came to power as a member of the ruling party.She’s finishing out the term of President John Magufuli, who died in office and earned a reputation for stamping out dissent, arresting critics and forcing them into exile. Hard-liners have been uncomfortable with some of Hassan’s changes, however, which could cost her in the next election two years from now.Harris, the first woman to serve as U.S. vice president, will meet with Hassan on Thursday, a noteworthy show of support from Washington as the United States deepens its outreach to Africa.“There’s so much ex...