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Column: Chicago Cubs take care of business, completing a sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates before heading to London

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:39:04 GMT

Like any extended family trip, there was a lot of scurrying in the Chicago Cubs clubhouse Wednesday as they prepared for their four-day excursion to London.There were things to be packed, last-minute arrangements to be made and a checklist that traveling secretary Vijay Tekchandani has been working on since his long beard was merely day-old stubble four years ago.Manager David Ross, the designated Clark Griswold of this work-related vacation, heads a group of 197 Cubs employees and family members, nearly triple the usual traveling party, for the London Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Several front-office employees showed up in Pittsburgh to join the flight, since because you never know when a trade might come to fruition.Everyone was eager to sightsee, take a few selfies and maybe enjoy a pint or two on the Cubs’ first outside-the-box trip since last summer’s Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa.“Super excited to go over there and see what it’s al...

Victor Wembanyama embraces megastardom before NBA Draft: ‘I’m trying to be the best’

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:39:04 GMT

The height is real. The hype? Let’s just say Victor Wembanyama has a lot to live up to.Wembanyama, the 7-3 wunderkind, is already such a star that the NBA gave him a separate room and press conference for his pre-draft media session Wednesday. The other 24 prospects were shuttled into a hotel ballroom in groups of eight, representing the far removed supporting cast of Thursday’s draft.This year — and perhaps many more beyond — is all about Wemby.“I’m trying to be the best,” said Wembanyama, a lock to join the Spurs as the first overall pick. “So being the best is not just on the court. There are dimensions in the job of being an NBA player. I want to be the best at the media and the press conferences and all that stuff. I don’t like to do things halfway.”At least based on his words, Wembanyama seems eager to accept the responsibilities and pressures that accompany megastardom. Maturity, after all, is an important trait for ...

Prime cut: Amazon sued over enrollment practices

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:39:04 GMT

NEW YORK — Amazon was sued Wednesday by the Federal Trade Commission for allegedly engaging in a yearslong effort to enroll consumers without consent into Amazon Prime and making it difficult for them to cancel their subscriptions.In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, the agency accused Amazon of using deceptive designs, known as “dark patterns,” to deceive consumers into enrolling in Prime, which provides subscribers with perks such as faster shipping for an fee of $139 annually, or $14.99 a month.The FTC said Amazon made it difficult for customers to purchase an item without also subscribing to Prime. In some cases, consumers were presented with a button to complete their transactions — which didn’t clearly state it would also enroll them in Prime.Getting out of a subscription was often too complicated, and Amazon leadership slowed or rejected changes that would have made canceling easier, the complaint said.Inter...

Celtics set to acquire Kristaps Porzingis in massive three-team trade, per reports

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:39:04 GMT

As the Spurs prepare to likely select athletic freak Victor Wembanyama with the first pick in Thursday’s NBA draft, it appears that the Celtics are set to acquire a unicorn of their own.According to multiple reports on Wednesday, the Celtics are close to completing a deal to land Kristaps Porzingis from the Wizards in a massive three-team trade that also includes the Clippers. In the trade, the Clippers would receive Malcolm Brogdon from the Celtics, while the Wizards would get Marcus Morris and draft compensation.The trade was first reported by The Athletic, which described the deal as a “high possibility” and was close to being completed as of late Wednesday afternoon as the three teams worked through the details of the framework. Porzingis has a $36 million player option for next season that he would need to opt in to by Wednesday’s deadline.Developing…

Tropical Storm Bret grows stronger as eastern Caribbean islands prepare for heavy flooding

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:39:04 GMT

By DÁNICA COTO (Associated Press)SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Tropical Storm Bret grew stronger on Wednesday as it took aim at islands in the eastern Caribbean that braced for torrential rainfall, landslides and flooding.Bret had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 kph) late Wednesday afternoon and was moving westward across the Atlantic Ocean at 15 mph (24 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.The storm was located some 375 miles (605 kilometers) east of Barbados and is expected to grow stronger before lashing several eastern Caribbean islands late Thursday at near hurricane strength. A tropical storm warning was issued for St. Lucia and the French Caribbean island of Martinique as officials in the region urged people to prepare for Bret. A tropical storm watch was in effect for Barbados and Dominica.“We all know the uncertainty with forecasting intensity, movement and impact of weather systems,” said Fitzroy Pascal at Dominica’s ...

ALS research: Omega-3 fatty acids tied to slowing the disease, an ‘intriguing’ link between diet and ALS

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:39:04 GMT

Could omega-3 fatty acids be the secret to slowing down the progression of ALS in patients who face the rare neurodegenerative disease?Local researchers have found that consuming omega-3 fatty acids — particularly alpha-linolenic acid, a nutrient found in flaxseeds, walnuts, and chia, canola, and soybean oils — may help put the brakes on the progression of Lou Gehrig’s Disease.According to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, people living with ALS who had higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood had a slower decline in physical functionality and lower risk of premature death.Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) showed the strongest link to slower disease progression, the researchers found. Those with higher levels of ALA had a 50% lower risk of dying during the 18-month study period compared to those with lower levels of ALA.Previous research had shown that a diet high in ALA and increased blood levels of this fatty acid may decrease the ...

Jill Biden took Indian Prime Minister Modi on field trip ahead of Thursday’s White House visit

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:39:04 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jill Biden took Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a side trip to Virginia on Wednesday, a day before his formal state visit and fancy dinner at the White House.The first lady and the Indian leader visited the National Science Foundation in Alexandria for an event highlighting workforce training programs.“Our universities are partnering together, leading research, creating apprenticeships and internships that span the ocean,” Biden said at the event. “And as we’ve seen here, students from both countries are learning and growing alongside of each other, discovering the people they want to become and building a better world together.”Modi spoke about the emphasis India has placed on education, integrating learning and training. “Our goal is to make this decade a ‘tech decade’ or ‘tech-ade,’” the prime minister said, speaking in Hindi.India’s leader flew in from New York, where earlier Wednesday he performed backbends and corpse poses during a yo...

‘Experimental with no oversight:’ Experts had concerns about OceanGate sub for years

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:39:04 GMT

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — The small submersible missing in the depths of the North Atlantic Ocean has not been subject to industry-standard tests and scrutiny, according to two subsea engineers who flagged concerns about the vessel in 2018.Bart Kemper, principal engineer with Kemper Engineering Services in Louisiana, described the development of OceanGate’s Titan submersible as “experimental with no oversight.” That approach is not at all representative of typical industry practice, Kemper said in an interview Tuesday.He said the Titan’s disappearance Sunday as it descended toward the wreck of the Titanic is “horrible.”“These are literally the things that keep us up at night because we don’t want to be responsible for one of these stories. We take this seriously,” Kemper said of his subsea engineering colleagues. “It’s heartbreaking.”Crews from the United States and Canada raced to find the Titan and the five people inside it Wednesday, as its oxygen reserves deplet...

Stock market today: Drops for tech stocks sap more momentum from Wall Street’s rally

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:39:04 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Drops for technology stocks left Wall Street mixed Wednesday and sapped more momentum from its five-week rally.The S&P 500 fell 23.02, or 0.5%, to 4,365.69. It was a third straight pullback for the index after it rallied last week to its highest level in more than a year.Weakness for high-growth stocks hit the Nasdaq composite in particular, and it lost 165.09, or 1.2%, to 13,502.20. Still, roughly as many stocks rose as fell on Wall Street, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped by a milder 102.35 points, or 0.3%, to 33,951.52.Wall Street had been on a tear this year, with the S&P 500 up nearly 14% amid hopes that inflation is coming down quickly enough for the Federal Reserve to stop hiking interest rates soon. That would take pressure off the economy and could allow it to avoid a recession. Some analysts say the rally ran too far, too fast while inflation has remained stubbornly high, which could force the Fed to keep rates higher for longer.Fed Chai...

Army veteran sentenced to 55 years for road rage shooting death of Muslim man

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:39:04 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A suburban Indianapolis Army veteran was sentenced to 55 years in prison Wednesday for the road rage shooting death of a Muslim man after witnesses said he hurled ethnic and religious insults at the victim.Dustin Passarelli of Plainfield was convicted in May of murder and a felony firearm enhancement in the February 2019 shooting death of 32-year-old Mustafa Ayoubi. Passarelli followed Ayoubi off Interstate 465, and a verbal altercation took place, prosecutors said. Witnesses said Passarelli made several Islamophobic remarks, including “Go back to your country,” and used hate speech before opening fire.Passarelli told police that Ayoubi either threw something at his car or collided with it on the highway and that after he followed Ayoubi to an apartment complex, Ayoubi broke one of Passarelli’s car windows with a punch.The defense argued that Passarelli was within his rights to fire at Ayoubi because it was self-defense.Passarelli was not charged with...