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Column: The actors strike and the dystopian potential of AI, now on screen

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 13:16:59 GMT

Nina Metz | Chicago TribuneWhen the union that represents TV and movie actors announced its plans to strike last week, chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland talked about concerns relating to the use of artificial intelligence. This is what the studios proposed, he said: “That our background actors should be able to be scanned, get paid for one day’s pay, and their company should own that scan, their image, their likeness and to be able to use it for the rest of eternity in any project they want with no consent and no compensation.”A studio owning and profiting from a person’s image and likeness for the rest of eternity? It sounds dystopian. Talk about eliminating the need for pesky, annoying, expensive humans altogether, be they actors, writers or anyone else other than C-suite executives.Something like that outcome is mentioned by a fictional studio executive played by Tim Robbins in 1992′s “The Player,” a scathing Hollywood satire from writer Michael Tolkin and director Robert ...

Quick Fix: Basque Cod with Salsa Verde features regional flavors

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 13:16:59 GMT

Linda Gassenheimer | (TNS) Tribune News ServiceI tasted a real Basque country dinner when sommelier Mikel Garaizabal recently visited Miami. He told me that they only serve fresh ingredients with lots of vegetables and rarely add pasta or rice to the meal. He served a typical dish of fresh cooked cod with a salsa verde. It’s a classic Basque sauce made with garlic, white wine, fish stock and lots of parsley. The fish is sauteed and the sauce is made in the same skillet. So there’s only one pan to clean. I created this quick dinner based on the Basque flavors we enjoyed.Romaine lettuce leaves topped with olives and pepperoncini peppers completes the meal.I used bought clam juice from the market as a substitute for fish stock in the recipe.Helpful Hints:— If you prefer to leave the wine out, just add another 1/2 cup clam juice instead.— You can use any type of lettuce.— You can use any type of pickled peppers for the salad.Countdown:— Prepare all ingredients.— Saute the cod, remove fr...

In older adults, a little excess weight isn’t such a bad thing

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 13:16:59 GMT

Judith Graham | (TNS) KFF Health NewsMillions of people enter later life carrying an extra 10 to 15 pounds, weight they’ve gained after having children, developing joint problems, becoming less active or making meals the center of their social lives.Should they lose this modest extra weight to optimize their health? This question has come to the fore with a new category of diabetes and weight loss drugs giving people hope they can shed excess pounds.For years, experts have debated what to advise older adults in this situation. On one hand, weight gain is associated with the accumulation of fat. And that can have serious adverse health consequences, contributing to heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and a host of other medical conditions.On the other hand, numerous studies suggest that carrying some extra weight can sometimes be protective in later life. For people who fall, fat can serve as padding, guarding against fractures. And for people who become seriously ill with conditions...

Existing-home sales fall but prices continue rising

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 13:16:59 GMT

Jeff Ostrowski | (TNS) Bankrate.comThe housing market remained soft in June, a new report by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows. Sales of existing homes — previously occupied properties, rather than newly built homes — resumed their long downward slide, dropping 3.3%. The number of sales in June was off 18.9% compared to June 2022.Home prices, meanwhile, were up from May’s median of $396,100 to reach NAR’s second-highest price of all time: $410,200. That’s less than 1% off from the all-time high of $413,800, recorded one year ago in June 2022. “Limited supply is still leading to multiple-offer situations, with one-third of homes getting sold above the list price in the latest month,” Yun said.“The fate of the housing market in the coming months will be dictated in part by the direction of mortgage rates, as well as the health of the broader economy,” said Mark Hamrick, Bankrate’s senior economic analyst. “The market could benefit from a combination of tailwinds, if the...

Two stabbed in Hillcrest; woman arrested

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 13:16:59 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Two people were injured after being attacked by a woman in Hillcrest Thursday, authorities said.According to the San Diego Police Department, a group of four friends got into a verbal argument shortly before 10 a.m. in a parking lot at 500 Robinson Ave. Carlsbad Unified School District passes ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging’ plan During the argument, police say a 27-year-old woman allegedly cut and stabbed a 29-year-old woman with a broken bottle and knife. A 28-year-old man attempted to break up the fight and was also reportedly stabbed by the woman, according to SDPD.The victims were transported to the hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries.The suspect, identified as Irma Gutierrez, was arrested a short distance away, police confirmed.San Diego Police Western Division Detectives are investigating the suspected stabbing incident.Anyone with information related to the altercation is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

Man who ambushed Fargo officers searched online for ‘kill fast’ and for crowded area events, AG says

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 13:16:59 GMT

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — The man who shot three Fargo police officers and a civilian, killing one of the officers before an officer killed him, searched the internet for terms including “explosive ammo” and “kill fast,” as well as for what crowded area events might be happening in and around North Dakota’s largest city, authorities said Friday.Mohamad Barakat, 37, was apparently driven by hatred and wanting to kill, and he didn’t seem to be particular about which group or individual he might target, state Attorney General Drew Wrigley said at a news conference.On the day of the attack, July 14, Barakat loaded his car with guns, a homemade grenade, gasoline canisters, propane tanks containing improvised explosives, and more than 1,800 rounds of ammunition, authorities said. About 2 miles (3 kilometers) from his home, he came across a fender bender by “happenstance” and pulled over to watch from his parked vehicle, Wrigley said.With police and firefighters busy helping, Barakat ...

Bodies of 4 Pakistanis who perished in massive migrant boat sinking in June off Greece brought home

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 13:16:59 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The bodies of four Pakistanis who were among the hundreds who perished when a migrant vessel sank last month in one of the deadliest shipwrecks in the central Mediterranean Sea were brought home on Friday, officials said. The four were the first Pakistani casualties to be identified through DNA testing from the June 14 sinking off the coast of Greece. The vessel was carrying an estimated 700 migrants, including about 350 Pakistanis. Only 104 people, including 12 Pakistanis, were rescued. Wooden caskets carrying the remains of the four were taken off two flights at the airport in the Pakistani capital on Friday and handed over to their families in Islamabad and the eastern city of Lahore, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told reporters. She said more remains of Pakistanis are expected to follow soon. The tragedy stunned Pakistan, and families and relatives of those who died have since been waiting to receive their bodies to bury them at home. The gov...

Former University of New Mexico athletic director found not guilty of embezzlement charges

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 13:16:59 GMT

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Former University of New Mexico athletic director Paul Krebs has been found not guilty of embezzlement charges that stemmed from accusations that he used public money for a lavish golf trip that he said was meant to strengthen relationships with donors. The verdict was reached just after 10:30 a.m. Friday following a trial in state district court. Krebs raised his head in relief as the verdict was read, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.“We think justice was done. It was a long, slow process, but we’re glad it’s over,” Krebs’ attorney, Paul Kennedy, told The Associated Press in a brief phone call after the verdict. “He’s a good man, and it’s the correct verdict that he should be acquitted.”Krebs left the university in 2017 amid questions over spending and was later indicted by a grand jury on multiple charges. Weeks before the trial, prosecutors dropped all but two of the embezzlement counts following a review of the case.Kennedy told jurors at t...

The Trump Organization and former fixer Michael Cohen settle his lawsuit over unpaid legal bills

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 13:16:59 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s company and his former longtime lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen have settled a lawsuit over Cohen’s claims that he was unfairly stuck with big legal bills after getting entangled in investigations into the former president.Lawyers for the two sides disclosed the settlement during a video conference with the judge Friday, three days before Cohen’s 2019 lawsuit was slated to go to trial in a Manhattan state court. Details of the agreement were not made public.Cohen said Friday the matter “has been resolved in a manner satisfactory to all parties.” Messages seeking comment were left with lawyers for Trump’s company, the Trump Organization.The legal fees lawsuit was one of the more obscure branches of the thicket of legal troubles surrounding Trump and his company. Still, the trial stood to give a platform to Cohen — an ardent Trump loyalist who became an outspoken antagonist — and to put the ex-president’s son Donald Trump Jr. on th...

At UN, Trudeau hails European values as source of global strength in troubled times

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 13:16:59 GMT

WASHINGTON — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is at the United Nations where he is bestowing a special award on the European Commission and its president. Trudeau is presenting the World Peace and Liberty Award to Ursula von der Leyen on the final day of the World Law Congress.He says European values, forged 80 years ago in the cauldron of the Second World War, have never been more important. And he says Canada and Europe are kindred spirits that champion democratic values and understand the power of diversity. Trudeau and von der Leyen have become close allies since she became the commission’s first female president in 2019. He describes her as someone who is principled and formidable, but who drives outcomes through respect and consensus. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 21, 2023. The Canadian Press