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Barbie’s latest look is diverse. But is it toying with fans?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:24 GMT

It’s Barbie’s world – and after the first week of the new Barbie movie – it’s clear we’re all just living in it.In its opening weekend, director Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” smashed box office records with a $155 million debut.The star-studded cast features leads Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling — along with an ensemble cast including America Ferrera, Issa Rae and Will Ferrell — whose performances are being praised by critics for transforming a film about a beloved children’s doll franchise into a thought-provoking experience about gender norms, double standards and identity.The diverse film pays homage to Mattel’s efforts to ensure there’s a Barbie and Ken doll that represents different body types, nationalities, looks, and especially careers throughout history, both fans and critics of the franchise say.Cindy Guzman of Irvine, Calif., left, and daughter Livy arrive at the premiere of “Barbie” on Sunday, July 9, 2023, at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pi...

Biden has decided to keep Space Command in Colorado, rejecting move to Alabama, officials tell AP

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:24 GMT

By LOLITA C. BALDOR and TARA COPP (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has decided to keep U.S. Space Command headquarters in Colorado, overturning a last-ditch decision by the Trump administration to move it to Alabama and ending months of politically fueled debate, according to senior U.S. officials.The officials said Biden was convinced by the head of Space Command, Gen. James Dickinson, who argued that moving his headquarters now would jeopardize military readiness. Dickinson’s view, however, was in contrast to Air Force leadership, who studied the issue at length and determined that relocating to Huntsville, Alabama, was the right move.The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the decision ahead of the announcement.The president, they said, believes that keeping the command in Colorado Springs would avoid a disruption in readiness that the move would cause, particularly as the U.S. races to compete with China in space. And they said...

Crews are battling ‘fire whirls’ in California’s Mojave Desert

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:24 GMT

MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE, Calif. (AP) — Crews battled “fire whirls” in California’s Mojave National Preserve this weekend as a massive wildfire crossed into Nevada amid dangerously high temperatures and raging winds.The York Fire was mapped at roughly 120 square miles (284 square kilometers) on Monday with no containment. The blaze erupted Friday near the remote Caruthers Canyon area of the vast wildland preserve, crossed the state line into Nevada on Sunday and sent smoke further east into the Las Vegas Valley.A fire whirl — sometimes called a fire tornado — is a “spinning column of fire” that forms when intense heat and turbulent winds combine, according to the National Park Service.The vortexes — which can be anywhere from a few feet tall to several hundred feet high, with varying rotational speeds — were spotted Sunday on the north end of the York Fire.“While these can be fascinating to observe they are a very dan...

IS claims responsibility for the bombing that killed 54 at a pro-Taliban election rally in Pakistan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:24 GMT

By ANWARULLAH KHAN and RIAZ KHAN (Associated Press)KHAR, Pakistan (AP) — An Afghan branch of Islamic State on Monday claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in Pakistan that killed at least 54 people at a pro-Taliban party’s election rally, in one of the region’s worst attacks in recent years.Islamic State in Khorasan Province made the claim in a statement posted on its Amaq website. It said the attacker detonated an explosive vest, and that the bombing in the northwestern town of Bajur was part of the group’s continuing war against forms of democracy it deems to be against Islam. Hours earlier, hundreds of mourners in Bajur carried caskets draped in colorful cloths to burial sites following the previous day’s attack at the election rally for the Jamiat Ulema Islam party. Officials said Sunday’s bombing killed 54 people, including at least five children, and wounded nearly 200.The attack appeared to reflect divisions between Islamist groups, ...

Quick Fix: Celebrate mango season with this Asian-style salad recipe

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:24 GMT

Linda Gassenheimer | Tribune News Service (TNS)We’re in the middle of mango season. These sweet, juicy fruits are a real treat. I added them to an Asian-style salad for a refreshing summer dinner. It’s a quick vegetarian meal. Crunchy noodles and peanuts add texture and flavor.Here are some tips on how to handle a mango. Mangoes continue to ripen after they are picked. Keep them at room temperature until they yield to gentle pressure. To speed up the ripening, place mangoes in a covered bowl or paper bag.Helpful Hints:— You can use any type of crunchy noodles. Or try fried noodles from a can.— You can use any type of lettuce.— Use both the white and green parts of the scallions for full flavor.Countdown:— Prepare all the ingredients.— Assemble the salad.Shopping List:To buy: 1 bottle sesame oil, 1 bottle rice vinegar, 1 bottle low-sodium soy sauce, 1 small bottle honey, 1 head romaine lettuce, 1 package arugula, 1 bunch cilantro, 1 mango, 1 bottle dry-roasted, no-salt-added peanuts,...

The mystery of a ‘ghost’ author, a prophetic novel and some social media sleuths

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:24 GMT

By Liz Ohanesian, special to Southern California News GroupMargaret O’Donnell couldn’t be found.The author of “The Beehive,” a 1980 novel of speculative fiction dealing with the kind of feminist issues that would later feature in Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” O’Donnell had disappeared from view. And after the folks at Richmond, Virginia-based Valancourt Books spent three months trying to locate the author or her estate in order to reprint the book, whose themes they thought resonated even more in a post-Roe world, they were ready to abandon the search.Hers is a very common name in Ireland. They’d tried public documents in Ireland and the U.K. and probate searches and newspaper archives. They searched using information gleaned from the book’s dust jacket, including her alma mater and the fact that she was involved in Ireland’s movement to legalize contraception.It didn’t help that there was another woman named Margaret O’Donnell, an editor of poetry anthologies, who turned...

16-year-old skateboarder killed in crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:24 GMT

WARNER SPRINGS, Calif. — A teenager was killed Sunday after he was hit by vehicle while riding his skateboard in Warner Springs, the California Highway Patrol said.According to CHP, the incident happened around 8:05 p.m. on southbound State Route 79, North of Peralta Drive.A 70-year-old man was driving a Mitsubishi vehicle southbound on SR-79 and was unable to avoid a skateboarder who was traveling northbound in the southbound lane, CHP Public Information Officer Jared Grieshaber said in a news release. Police to begin enforcement of homeless encampment ban on Monday The skateboarder, a 16-year-old boy, was transported to Inland Valley Hospital where he was later pronounced dead. according to CHP.The driver of the Mitsubishi and a passenger, a 70-year-old woman, were not injured in the crash.The investigation into the incident is still ongoing, but CHP said that alcohol or drugs did not appear to be a factor in the crash.The identity of the teenager was not publicly released.

Second arrest made in connection to deadly shooting; victim identified

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:24 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A second arrest has been made in connection with a deadly shooting near City Heights earlier this month, San Diego police announced.The incident happened around 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 22 near Chollas Parkway and 54th Street in the Redwood Village neighborhood.According to SDPD, officers found a man suffering from at least one gunshot wound in a ravine upon arrival to the scene. The victim, identified by 29-year-old Stephen Toney, was transported to a nearby hospital where he was later pronounced dead.During their initial investigation, SDPD said officers learned that the victim had been involved in an argument with two other men prior to the shooting.Last week, the second of the two suspects was arrested in connection to the deadly shooting, according to SDPD. Family identifies fatal wrong-way crash victim as loving father of six Peter Santiago, 29, was arrested on suspicion of involvement in the shooting on Thursday. He was taken into custody at his residence i...

Alabama health care providers sue over threat of prosecution for abortion help

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:24 GMT

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Health care providers in Alabama, where abortion is almost entirely illegal, filed a lawsuit Monday against the state’s attorney general that seeks to prevent him from prosecuting people who help women travel outside the state to receive an abortion. The providers say Attorney General Steve Marshall has made statements suggesting that anti-conspiracy laws could be used against groups that provide assistance for Alabama women to travel to states where abortion is legal. The lawsuit, filed in federal court by two former abortion clinics and an obstetrician, seeks a legal ruling that state laws can’t be used to prosecute people who provide referrals and appointment help. A similar lawsuit filed Monday by Yellowhammer Fund, a group that once provided financial assistance to women seeking abortions, seeks to clarify it can’t be prosecuted for providing monetary help.“What the attorney general has tried to do via these threats is to effectively extend Alabama’s abo...

Pee-wee Herman actor and creator Paul Reubens dies from cancer at 70

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:24 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Paul Reubens, the actor and comedian whose Pee-wee Herman character — an overgrown child with a tight gray suit and an unforgettable laugh — became a 1980s pop cultural phenomenon, has died at 70.Reubens, who’s character delighted fans in the film “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” and on the TV series “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” died Sunday night after a six-year struggle with cancer that he kept private, his publicist said in a statement.“Please accept my apology for not going public with what I’ve been facing the last six years,” Reubens said in a statement released Monday with the announcement of his death. “I have always felt a huge amount of love and respect from my friends, fans and supporters. I have loved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you.”Created for the stage, Pee-wee with his white chunky loafers and red bow tie would become a cultural constant in both adult and children’s entertainment for much of the 1980s, though an indecent exposure arrest in ...