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Book Review: Benjamin Taylor’s brief new biography of Willa Cather displays the devotion of a fan

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:02:39 GMT

Benjamin Taylor has a thing for Willa Cather. This year, the 150th anniversary of her birth, he has written a passionate love letter to her in the form of a brief but illuminating biography. “Chasing Bright Medusas” clocks in at just over 150 pages but it offers a fine introduction to one of the leading novelists of the American frontier.Taylor, a prize-winning author who also penned short books about Philip Roth and Marcel Proust, argues that Cather’s move at age 9 from Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley to Red Cloud, Nebraska, where for the first time she encountered Jews, Norwegians, Mexicans and immigrants of all kinds, was a foundational event that “made her a cosmopolitan while she was still a provincial.”He also demonstrates how, as she matured as a writer, she differed sharply from her younger contemporaries in the literary world, including Hemingway, Faulkner, Fitzgerald and Dos Passos, in her “unironic” idealism about America’s possibility.His other major themes include her comp...

EU struggles to produce and send the ammunition it promised to Ukraine

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:02:39 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union nations acknowledged on Tuesday that they risk failing to provide Ukraine with the ammunition they pledged to help Kyiv stave off the Russian invasion and win back its territory.Early this year, EU leaders promised to provide 1 million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine’s front line by spring next year in what would have amounted to a serious ramp-up of production. But the 27-nation bloc, for over half a century steeped in a “peace, not war” message and sheltering under a U.S. military umbrella, is finding it tough to come up with the goods. “The 1 million will not be reached, you have to assume that,” said German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, ahead of a meeting of EU defense and foreign affairs ministers in Brussels. Estonia’s defense minister, Hanno Pevkur, said it was crucial to ramp up supply of the ammunition.“Look at Russia. They are producing today more than ever. They are getting shells from North Korea. Europe cannot say that R...

A rights group accuses UNESCO of turning a blind eye to forcible evictions at Cambodia’s Angkor Wat

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:02:39 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — The human rights group Amnesty International has strongly criticized UNESCO and its World Heritage program for failing to challenge the Cambodian government’s ongoing mass evictions at the famous centuries-old Angkor Wat temple complex.The London-based organization in a report released Tuesday charged that the evictions of an estimated 10,000 families by Cambodian authorities violated international and national law. It said the evicted people have received little or no compensation and the government’s two main resettlement sites have inadequate facilities in terms of roads, water and electricity supplies and sanitation.The report accused UNESCO of disregarding U.N. guidelines in failing in its obligation to intervene and promote the human right to housing. UNESCO should take a stand especially because its designation of Angkor Wat as a World Heritage site needing protection from damage was reportedly used by Cambodia’s government as an excuse for moving people ...

Man in critical condition following downtown Toronto hit-and-run

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:02:39 GMT

A man is fighting for his life in hospital after being struck by an SUV in downtown Toronto on Tuesday morning.Emergency crews were called to Wellington Street East and Scott Street, just east of Yonge Street, around 6:45 a.m. after getting reports a person was struck by a vehicle.A man was found at the scene with life-threatening injuries. Paramedics say he was rushed to hospital in critical condition.Police say the driver involved in the crash fled the area before officers arrived. Police tell CityNews they are looking for a large black SUV that will likely have front end damage.Road are closed in the area for the investigation.

Millennial Money: These Airbnb horror stories can teach you what to watch for

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:02:39 GMT

Many frequent travelers carry tales of delayed flights and disappointing hotel rooms. Yet Airbnb “horror stories” are a genre all their own.Videos with the tag #AirbnbHorrorStory have more than 63 million views on TikTok, featuring guests venting about unclean properties and last-minute cancellations leaving them stranded. The website Airbnbhell features hundreds of similar accounts, where things do not go as expected for short-term renters.While many of these stories offer little more than schadenfreude, others can act as instructive lessons for travelers looking to avoid similar pitfalls. While there’s no way to avoid short-term rental surprises outright, many guests who have experienced them say there were warning signs they wished they had watched out for.LOOK FOR REVIEWSJack Epner, a marketing consultant and digital nomad, has lived out of Airbnbs for more than four years. Of the many difficult stays in that time, one rental — a house in Ecuador — stands out.“It wasn’t clean, d...

Leaked memo reveals mooted changes to EU sustainability law critics say would make it unenforceable

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:02:39 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A flagship EU law intended to push European companies toward net zero faces being seriously weakened by member states, a confidential document passed to The Associated Press reveals, with firms seemingly no longer forced to implement Paris Agreement goals.The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive was designed to make companies eliminate environmental and human rights violations throughout all areas of their business. The legislation was meant to ensure firms’ operations were aligned with a global rise in temperatures of no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit). But a Nov. 9 briefing obtained by The AP details a watered-down proposal that would drop the entire financial sector from the initial law. Banks and insurers are among Europe’s biggest contributors to global warming, by financing or insuring new oil and gas projects, or agribusinesses that chop down tropical rainforests. Nonprofits also warn the new proposal would mean firms merely need to ha...

Tuesday Forecast: Temps in low 60s with sunny conditions

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:02:39 GMT

CHICAGO — Temperatures in low 60s with sunny conditions. Winds: SW 10-15 G20. High: 61. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storms here Partly cloudy tonight with decreasing clouds late. Winds: SW 10-15 G20. Low: 40.Wednesday Forecast: Mostly sunny, SW 10-15. High: 64.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

Sunshine and warmer weather returns midweek

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:02:39 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Today will kick off a nice stretch of weather that'll hold through the end of the work week.Mainly cloudy skies this morning will partially clear to allow some sunshine this afternoon. Temperatures will return to the upper 60s and low 70s areawide today - near normal for this time of year.Afternoon highs will warm a few degrees each day with plenty of sunshine in the mix. A dry cold front brings breezy north winds and a slight cool down Friday into Saturday, but we'll hold off on adding in rain chances until Sunday when our next storm is set to arrive.Early indications are that this will bring another round of welcome, but mainly light, rainfall to the area along with cooler temperatures. BLOG: Peak fall foliage in Central Texas coming soon Winter Weather Outlook: What a strong El Niño could mean for rainfall and ice risk Austin Interactive Weather Stats (2023) FIRST WARNING WEATHER: Stay up to date with your Central Texas forecast, sign up for our weather n...

Austin takes No. 1 festive city honors, home improvement company says

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:02:39 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KXAN) – Austin has been named the Most Festive City in the United States based on data from home improvement projects, according to a home improvement company.Thumbtack released its list of cities “with the most holiday spirit based on holiday light decorations, and adjusted for the population of each metropolitan area”.Austin, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, Seattle and San Antonio took the top five spots in the list, the company said in a Nov. 7 press release. 37th Street lights tradition dazzles in Austin “Whether you’re looking to make your home a brightly lit winter wonderland or simply looking to add a few festive touches to your home’s exterior — sprucing up your home’s exterior with lights is an exciting part of getting into the holiday spirit,” said Morgan Olsen, Design Expert at Thumbtack in the release.The company also said homeowners like to place their holiday lights in the following areas of the home:Along the roofHome’s exterior (ground floor)Front yardHom...

Two lanes blocked after crash on I-90 NYS Thruway

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:02:39 GMT

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- According to 511 NY, a crash has blocked the right and center lanes on I-90 NYS Thruway eastbound after Exit 25 in Schenectady. Drivers in the area should expect delays. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Check out NEWS10's traffic tracker. You can plan your route and see traffic delays in real-time!Information on this crash is limited at this time. Stick with NEWS10 as more information becomes available.