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Thomas Friedman: The Arab oil states won’t rebuild Gaza for free

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:10 GMT

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — I’ve been concerned from the start that Israel launched its invasion of the Gaza Strip to eradicate Hamas with no plan for what to do with the territory and its people in the wake of any victory. Having just spent a week in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates taking the pulse of this important corner of the Arab world, I am now even more worried.Let me summarize my concerns this way: Because Hamas built a vast tunnel network under Gaza, Israeli forces, in their quest to eliminate that vicious terrorist organization, are having to destroy huge numbers of structures. It’s the only way they can kill a lot of Hamas fighters and demilitarize Gaza without losing a lot of their own soldiers in the short window that Israel feels it has in the face of pressure from the U.S. and other allies to wind down the invasion.Israel was justified in hitting back at Hamas for breaking the cease-fire that existed on Oct. 7 and indiscriminately murdering, raping or maiming mo...

The best things to eat and drink at the Denver Christkindlmarket

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:10 GMT

The holiday cup of cheer overfloweth here in the Mile High City. Proof? You could go to a new Christmas pop-up bar in the Denver metro every day between now and Christmas and still not hit them all up.Rosol with a dumpling in it from the Pierogis Factory. (Brittany Anas, Special to The Denver Post)But if you’re hungry, the best place for a holiday food crawl is at the Denver Christkindlmarket in Civic Center, where you can pump applesauce onto your latkes from a condiment dispenser, savor goulash soup in a bread bowl, and devour a platter loaded with pierogi, Polish sausage, a cabbage roll, and sauerkraut salad at Pierogies Factory’s pop-up hut.There are also giant, salted soft pretzels ready to dunk in warm cheese, but if you had your fill of those during Oktoberfest, the cinnamon-dusted sugar ones are nice for this time of year. At Kogler’s Bakery stall, you can pick up quiche and strudel to serve on Christmas morning. And at Knödel Haus by Andy’s Kitchen, pair the boiled du...

Colorado regulators unlikely to ban sales of gas-powered lawn and garden equipment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:10 GMT

A Colorado commission that sets policies designed to control air pollution deferred a decision Friday on how to regulate gas-powered lawn and garden equipment, but it’s unlikely a sales prohibition will be part of the state’s future plan.The Air Quality Control Commission asked staff at the state’s Air Pollution Control Division to draft a new policy for it to consider at its February meeting, and based on members’ instructions, it does not appear the majority is interested in any sale prohibitions.Earlier this week, the commission debated two proposals — one written by the state agency and a more stringent plan submitted by the Regional Air Quality Council, a group with a mission to lower air pollution along the Front Range.Based on instructions to staff, the commission is likely to order state and local governments to stop using gas-powered equipment, which is what the state agency had proposed. But it’s unclear if that ban would be limited to t...

Apple is doing its part to end green bubble shaming. It’s our turn.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:10 GMT

For more than a decade, smartphone users everywhere have faced a major problem in how we communicate: the “green versus blue bubble” disparity.When iPhone users send texts to other iPhones, the messages appear blue and can tap into exclusive perks like fun emojis and animations. But if an iPhone user texts an Android user, the bubble turns green, many features break, and photos and videos deteriorate in quality.Over time, the annoyance and frustration that built up between blue and green bubbles evolved into more than a tech problem. It created a deeper sociological divide between people who judged one another by their phones. The color of a bubble became a symbol that some believe reflects status and wealth, given a perception that only wealthy people buy iPhones.Now part of this problem will soon be addressed.In November, Apple announced that it would improve the technology used to send texts between iPhone and Android users, starting next year, by adopting a standard that Google ...

Colorado Republicans line up for rare shot at an open congressional seat as Ken Buck exits

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:10 GMT

U.S. Rep. Ken Buck’s decision last month not to seek reelection to Congress opened a tantalizingly rare window for Republicans in eastern Colorado: a red seat in one of the state’s few remaining conservative strongholds that, once won, would be tough to ever lose.“If somebody wants to be a congressman who lives in the 4th District, this opportunity rarely comes along — an open seat,” said Dick Wadhams, a Republican political operative and former chair of the Colorado Republican Party. “It basically forces the hand of people who have that ambition.”Colorado’s 4th Congressional District spans much of the eastern part of the state, from the Wyoming state line to the Oklahoma Panhandle, taking in farming communities as well as more urban enclaves, including Loveland and Douglas County, as it wraps around most of metro Denver. It’s the most reliably Republican district in a state that’s turned deeper shades of blue for nearly a ...

Credit For Cannabidiol — Is It Legal To Buy Hemp CBD With Credit Cards?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:10 GMT

View the original article about Using a Credit Card to Purchase Hemp at Real Tested CBD.Paying for cannabis products can be a pain nowadays. Since marijuana remains an illegal substance, the world’s largest card providers block most dispensaries in states with recreational or medical marijuana laws. Given weed’s controversial status in the payment processing space, it’s no wonder many hemp fans express concerns over paying for CBD with credit cards.After all, CBD hemp is a member of the cannabis family. Therefore, some people assume it’s illegal to buy CBD products with a Visa, Mastercard, or AMEX card. So, will buying CBD oils with a credit card get customers in trouble?Can Customers Use Major Credit Cards To Buy CBD Oil?Although hemp is a member of the cannabis family, it doesn’t have the same legal status as THC-containing marijuana. Under federal law, hemp products with ≤ 0.3 percent delta-9 THC are OK to sell in the USA. It’s only high-THC marijuana flowers that the US governme...

Paramedic shortages have some Bay Area residents waiting half an hour or more for an ambulance

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:10 GMT

One morning in September, a Morgan Hill daycare called 911 with a dire situation: A 2-year-old was having a seizure and turning blue. Within two minutes, first responders on the scene confirmed that the toddler needed emergency care. It took 25 minutes for an ambulance to arrive.While the child survived, the delayed response time highlighted a lag in care that could prove deadly for South County residents. A paramedic shortage has led to fewer fully staffed ambulances and longer wait times for ambulances throughout Santa Clara County. In more remote communities such as Morgan Hill and Gilroy, this has led to patients and emergency responders sometimes waiting half an hour or more for an ambulance, even in dire emergencies.The county isn’t alone. Emergency-response services throughout the U.S. are trying to cope with a deepening paramedic shortage. Nationwide, over a quarter of paramedics leave their jobs every year. Many paramedic training programs also shut down during the height o...

Commission hearing retail theft complaints questions link to Prop 47 criminal justice reforms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:10 GMT

A California commission charged with delivering recommendations to the governor and state lawmakers next year on how to curb rampant retail theft, questioned claims that state criminal justice reforms are to blame for the troubling trend.During its second hearing Thursday, the Little Hoover Commission, an independent state watchdog agency, heard testimony from retailers and law enforcement officials about the brazen store thefts and other crimes that have been regularly featured on newscasts and led to calls to reconsider criminal justice reforms.“It’s getting worse,” said Lynn Melillo, vice president for asset management at Bristol Farms, Lazy Acres Natural Market and New Leaf Community Markets. “There is organized retail crime, but it’s also more than that. It’s so-called consumers coming in and loading a grocery cart up and bypassing the register, avoiding the check stands, knowing there’s no consequences.”Republican lawmakers who h...

Bay FC roster breakdown: Where things stand after NWSL expansion draft

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:10 GMT

After completing the National Women’s Soccer League expansion draft on Friday night, Bay FC general manager Lucy Rushton has now successfully participated in expansion drafts in both the men’s and women’s professional soccer leagues in America.Rushton left her job at Reading Football Club in England to help start Atlanta United FC as an expansion team in Major League Soccer in 2016. Atlanta won the MLS Cup the very next season.Friday night was the NWSL expansion draft and Bay FC had the first overall pick, selecting 24-year-old fullback Alyssa Malonson from OL Reign.“We were really delighted when we saw Alyssa’s name on that sheet,” Rushton said. “She’s a young player. She’s so exciting.  Her ability and her ceiling is so high. Most importantly she fits our style of play. She’s a fullback who wants the ball.”Bay FC made five selections in the expansion draft to bring its roster to 12 players. Clubs are allowed to take between 22 and 26 players into the regular season, which begins i...

Editorial: Gavin Newsom owns California’s $68 billion budget deficit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:10 GMT

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s political future could be determined by how he responds to Assembly Republicans’ call for a special legislative session to address California’s staggering budget shortfall.Newsom owns this mess. At the start of last year, he was bragging about the state’s $98 billion budget surplus. Last week, Legislative Analyst Gabriel Petek warned that the state now faces a $68 billion deficit.All Newsom’s galivanting around the country trying to burnish his national reputation, touting California for its progressive policies, serving as a campaign surrogate for President Joe Biden and debate-bashing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for his state’s right-wing policies will be for naught if he fails to get a grip on the fiscal crisis at home.All anyone will remember about Newsom is the soaring state spending under his reign that led to massive red ink. If he has any doubts about that, he should just ask Gray Davis, the recalled governor who presided over the state’s budget crisis when...