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Pope joins shamans, monks and evangelicals to highlight Mongolia’s faith diversity

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:55:41 GMT

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (AP) — With China’s crackdown on religious minorities as a backdrop, Pope Francis joined Mongolian shamans, Buddhist monks and a Russian Orthodox priest Sunday to highlight the role that religions can play in forging world peace, as he presided over an interfaith meeting highlighting Mongolia’s tradition of religious tolerance.Francis listened intently as a dozen faith leaders — Jewish, Muslim, Bahai, Hindu, Shinto and evangelical Christian among them — described their beliefs and their relationship with heaven. Several said the traditional Mongolian ger, or round-shaped yurt, was a potent symbol of harmony with the divine — a warm place of family unity, open to the heavens, where strangers are welcome.“The fact that we are meeting together in one place already sends a message: It shows that the religious traditions, for all their distinctiveness and diversity, have impressive potential for the benefit of society as a whole,” Francis said in remarks that ...

Horoscopes Sept. 3, 2023: Rita Volk, be positive and enjoy the ride

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:55:41 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Rita Volk, 33; Shaun White, 37; Omi, 37; Garrett Hedlund, 39.Happy Birthday: Look at the possibilities and see what piques your imagination and stimulates your mind. Refuse to let negativity set in and discourage your dreams, hopes and wishes. Be true to yourself, and you’ll gain ground and the confidence to reach for the stars. Opportunity is apparent. Be positive and enjoy the ride. Your numbers are 8, 15, 23, 29, 31, 38, 42.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Revamp your routine to satisfy your needs. Take better care of your physical and mental health; you’ll boost confidence and ease stress. Make a point to show enthusiasm for your pursuit, and you’ll gain support from someone you admire. Romance is favored. 3 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Choose the most inviting path. Social events will impact how you think and the changes you make. Don’t let emotions run wild, causing a fallout with someone you love. A physical outlet will ease s...

Four Days a Week: This Labor Day, Let's Talk About Laboring Less

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:55:41 GMT

Two child laborers eat lunch at the Economy Glass Works factory in West Virginia in 1908.Photo: Lewis Hine/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesWhich U.S. vice president said this, and when? “The time is not far distant when the working man can have a four-day week and family life will be even more fully enjoyed by every American. [These are] not dreams or idle boasts, simply projections of the gains we have made in the past four years.”The answer is Richard Nixon, when he and Dwight Eisenhower were running for reelection in 1956.When Nixon advocated for the four-day workweek, the demand to spend less time working had already been central to progressive politics for 90 years. After a long absence, it has finally returned. First and foremost, the United Auto Workers are preparing to strike, calling not just for better pay and benefits, but also a 32-hour, four-day workweek. Join Our Newsletter Original reporting. Fearless ...

Drier and Nicer Weather Pattern Begins to Settle In

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:55:41 GMT

A rather unusual weather pattern of mostly dry conditions will begin this Sunday for South Florida despite it being September in the midst of rainy season.The upcoming week will feature near-normal temperatures hovering near 90F along with lots of sunshine and isolated rain chances.Plumes of drier air behind a weak front that passed through the region Saturday evening will filter through much of this week, dropping our rain risk to a 20-30% chance through at least next Saturday.This is nice and timely for the Labor Day holiday weekend as both Sunday and Monday will feature mostly sunny skies and just a spotty shower chance. It will be breezy, however, with winds out of the northeast behind this front, which will make for hazardous beach and marine conditions.A bonus feature for Sunday will be the slightly less humidity in the air!In the tropics, we’re now down to Tropical Storms Gert and Katia over the open waters of the Atlantic. These should last another day or two before th...

Moscow attacks Ukraine port day before Russia-Turkey talks on grain deal

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:55:41 GMT

Moscow launched a barrage of drone attacks early Sunday at a port in Ukraine’s Odesa region used by Kyiv to export grain, a day ahead of talks between Russia and Turkey where reviving a U.N.-backed grain deal will be high on the agenda.Kyiv’s air defenses shot down 22 out of the 25 Iranian-made drones destined for the Danube River port infrastructure, Ukraine’s air force said on Telegram on Sunday. At least two people were reported injured.The Danube River has become Ukraine’s main route for shipping grain after a deal brokered by Turkey and the U.N. allowing Kyiv to use the Black Sea for exports collapsed in July. Moscow has stepped up its attacks of Danube port infrastructure in recent weeks.Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Russia on Monday, where Turkey is expected to push for the restoration of the Black Sea grain deal.“Russian terrorists continue to attack port infrastructure in the hope of p...

Warmer temperatures next few days

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:55:41 GMT

Good morning! It’s a mild start and it’ll be a warmer day in the upper 80s. Great beach weather! Cape Cod beaches will stay cooler today. Warmer inland tomorrow with relief and cooler temperatures at the coast. The summerlike feel is with us for a few days before high pressure breaks down late week and a front comes through with storms.A disturbance moved through overnight with some showers. You might see some wet pavement early this morning. We have a few leftover clouds but we’ll see a lot of sunshine. High pressure is to our southwest promoting a dry and sunny dat. We’re pulling in more moisture on a southwest wind, making it feel somewhat muggy. Heading to the beaches today? It’ll be coolest on Cape Cod beaches and Cape Ann with a southwest wind.It stays mild tonight and gets warm again tomorrow inland. Temperatures stay cooler along the entire coast with an onshore wind. You’ll see more clouds along the coast too.High pressure over Texas buil...

Ring rallies Austin to 2-2 draw with Revolution

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:55:41 GMT

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Alexander Ring scored in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time, offsetting the first two career goals by New England’s Tomás Chancalay as Austin FC and the Revolution played to a 2-2 draw on Saturday night.New England (13-5-8) saw a six-match win streak at home end, but the club extended its home unbeaten streak to 15 with an 11-0-4 mark. The Revolution’s longest winning streak was a seven-match run spanning the 2004-05 seasons. The Revs have won six in a row at home six different times.Emiliano Rigoni put Austin (8-12-6) on top in the 27th minute, taking a pass from Jon Gallagher and scoring his fourth goal of the season.Chancalay scored the equalizer one minute later for New England. Ian Harkes notched an assist on Chancalay’s first goal in his second start.Chancalay’s second netter came two minutes into the second half with an assist from Nacho Gil.Ring used an assist from Will Bruin to find the net for the first time this...

The Orioles’ trade of Jorge López last year was controversial. It ended up being a steal. | ANALYSIS

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:55:41 GMT

The Orioles’ decision to trade Jorge López at last year’s deadline was heavily criticized.In shipping off López to the Minnesota Twins and Trey Mancini to the Houston Astros, Baltimore was parting ways with two of its most important players — an All-Star closer and a team leader, respectively — in the middle of a wild-card race.Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias knew as much, and he flew to Texas to talk with the team about the moves that were seen to hurt the club’s chances of making the postseason. He then told reporters that those rebuild-focused moves, in which the club acquired prospects for established big leaguers, would be the last of that kind, stating it would be “liftoff from here.”“At times, there are opportunities that feel like a step back,” he said. “But in the big picture, it’s a step forward for the entire organization.”The Orioles claimed López off wa...

Will Johnson: Should we pay to keep the White Sox local? Here’s what polling data says.

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:55:41 GMT

When the owners of the Chicago Bears announced earlier this year that they had purchased 326 acres in Arlington Heights for a new stadium and entertainment district, they did us one favor: They chose to stay within Chicagoland. The Bears would remain the Chicago Bears.That was then. The team and the village haven’t been able to get negotiations over the goal line, and the Bears’ gaze has started wandering again. And now Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf is making noises about moving the team out of Guaranteed Rate Field when their lease expires in 2029 — perhaps to Nashville, Tennessee.The situations highlight a conundrum for public officials: To what extent should taxpayers pony up for new ballparks to keep teams from abandoning metro Chicago?At the risk of mixing sports metaphors, it’s not a slam-dunk question from a public opinion perspective. Nearly 9 in 10 (85%) adult Cook County residents, in the city and suburbs alike, see sports as an important ...

Can Patriots QB Mac Jones rebound in Year 3?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:55:41 GMT

It’s not an exaggeration to call this a career-defining year for Patriots quarterback Mac Jones.Following one of the most efficient seasons by a rookie quarterback in NFL history, Jones — for a multitude of reasons — did not play up to the standards of a starting quarterback last year. If he can replicate or improve upon his rookie season, then the Patriots should pretend last year never happened. They ought to pick up Jones’ fifth-year option and give him job security as their future starter.But if he plays as poorly as he did in 2022, then head coach Bill Belichick should be looking for a new franchise quarterback — stat.There is optimism around the NFL that the rookie quarterback who became a Pro Bowl alternate and led the Patriots to the postseason in 2021 is the real Mac Jones. NFL talent evaluators saw Belichick’s decision to let Matt Patricia and Joe Judge lead the offense torpedo any second-year jump Jones could have made. They also believe bringing aboard Bill O’Brien...