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Northern Explorer a captivating rail ride through heart of New Zealand (no Wi-Fi needed)

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:07:26 GMT

Mary Ann Anderson | Tribune News ServiceOn a bright, clear fall morning, the train from Wellington to Auckland clatters away from the rail station precisely as scheduled at 7:55. The temperature hovers coolly in the mid-50s, not at all cold, and quite typical for a Southern Hemisphere fall morning.On the 423-mile journey northward through the rural heart of New Zealand’s North Island, the Northern Explorer, as the train is known and which is owned and operated by Great Journeys of New Zealand, will make several stops, including Ohakune, Tongariro National Park, Otorohanga, Hamilton and finally, some 12 hours later, Auckland.The Northern Explorer is New Zealand’s longest-running passenger train, tracing its beginnings to 1883, and one of the world’s greatest rail journeys. The ride is spectacular, simply breathtaking, and arcs across a swatch of one of the world’s most captivating and isolated countries.The spotlight is on flower-filled meadows, fast-running rivers and Tongariro Nati...

TikTok’s COO to step down after nearly 5 years at the popular social media company

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:07:26 GMT

The Associated PressNEW YORK (AP) — TikTok’s Chief Operating Officer, V Pappas, is leaving the popular social media platform after nearly five years at the company.In a note sent to employees Thursday morning and later shared on Twitter, Pappas, who uses plural pronouns, said now that the company has achieved a lot of success, she felt it was the right time to move on and focus on “entrepreneurial passions.”TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said in a note sent to employees that Pappas, one of the company’s most public faces, will continue to serve as a strategic adviser. “I want to take this opportunity to thank V for their many contributions over the years,” Chew wrote. “Throughout their time at TikTok, they have been instrumental in growing the business, advocating for the company, elevating our product offerings and marketing campaigns, and fostering a positive community of creators and users. They have had a significant and lasting impact an...

Buck Showalter’s struggling Mets set for crucial road test against the Phillies

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:07:26 GMT

The Mets will walk into Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Friday night battered and bruised.Buck Showalter’s struggling squad is set to take on the Phillies in a crucial three-game series having lost five of their last six series, owning a record of 34-40 (just 5-13 in the month of June) and sitting seven games back of the final Wild Card spot in the National League.Ironically enough, the last time they won a series was on May 31 with a sweep against these Phillies. However, this is a very different Philadelphia squad from just a few weeks ago. Rob Thomson’s club is winners of 13 of their last 16 games and have heated up putting them right back into the playoff picture just 2.5 games out of a Wild Card spot.The reigning National League champions have an opportunity to extend the Mets’ stunning freefall as they near the halfway mark of the season. The Amazins — who own the largest payroll in baseball by more than $60 million at $344 million — already...

Brad Stevens shows boldness in dealing Marcus Smart, and other thoughts from stunning Celtics trade

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:07:26 GMT

Marcus Smart was upset with the officiating, and then he got upset with his coaches.It was Nov. 7, 2019, during the third quarter of an otherwise ordinary early-season Celtics win over the Hornets, when Smart picked up his fifth foul. He was removed from the game by then-coach Brad Stevens. As he walked off the floor and past the coaching staff, a clearly miffed Smart voiced his displeasure and stopped to clap at them before taking a seat.Stevens didn’t take offense. It was all part of the Smart experience.“This is the part about Marcus that I love,” Stevens said after that game. “His fire, his competitiveness. If there’s a moment where he’s upset with us, that’s all part of it. We move on pretty quickly. We’ve been together a long time. I’ve been yelled at before and that’s OK.“I love him and I trust him.”That final sentence became a rallying cry and motto for a Celtics fanbase that grew to adore Smart, who left it all out on the court with his unique style of play over...

Looking back, sub tourist calls himself ‘naive’ for taking 2021 dive to the Titanic

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:07:26 GMT

By FRANK JORDANS (Associated Press)BERLIN (AP) — As an international search determined the implosion of a vessel setting out for the underwater wreckage of the Titanic, a man who was one of the submersible company’s first customers characterized a dive he made to the site two years ago as a suicide mission.“You have to be a little bit crazy to do this sort of thing,” said Arthur Loibl, a 61-year-old retired businessman and adventurer from Germany.Loibl told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he first had the idea of seeing the Titanic wreckage while on a trip to the South Pole in 2016. At the time, a Russian company was offering dives for half a million dollars. After Washington state-based OceanGate announced its own operation a year later, he jumped at the chance, paying $110,000 for a dive in 2019 that fell through when the first submersible didn’t survive testing. Two years later he went on a voyage that was successful, along with OceanGate CEO ...

Deion Sanders says he will undergo surgery for blood clots in both legs

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:07:26 GMT

By PAT GRAHAM (AP Sports Writer)Deion Sanders is scheduled to undergo surgery Friday for a blood clot in each leg, the University of Colorado football coach revealed in a video he posted.The news of Coach Prime’s impending procedure began to spread Thursday after Pat McAfee discussed what was called an emergency surgery on his podcast with longtime NFL defensive back Adam Jones. Later in the day, Sanders posted a video to clarify: “It’s time for the horse to talk. You heard from everybody else but you hadn’t heard it from me.”Sanders explained in the video on YouTube that his doctor found a blood clot in both legs, including one in his left thigh. He’s struggled with the left foot since having two toes amputated in 2021 due to blood clot issues while at Jackson State.He said that two of his three remaining toes on that foot are what he referred to as “hammer toes,” a condition where there’s an atypical bend in the middle joint.Th...

Child finds parents dead inside East County home

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:07:26 GMT

EL CAJON, Calif. — An investigation is underway after a child found her parents dead Thursday inside their East County home.Around 9:45 a.m., the San Diego County Sheriff's Department received a call from a minor who reported finding their parents dead inside their residence located in the 200 block of East Bradley Avenue in unincorporated El Cajon. Pilot and crew of missing submersible believed to be dead, US Coast Guard says Upon arrival, authorities found the two parents, who were deceased. It is not yet known how they died.The sheriff's department said there is no suspects at this time and there is not an active threat to the community related to this incident.The identity of the two parents have not yet been publicly released and the incident is under investigation by the sheriff's homicide unit.

How much income is required to afford rent in San Diego?

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:07:26 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- As rent prices continue to climb across the country, San Diego appears to be no exception. The question many prospective and current renters may ask themselves in between work, recreational time and rest is: how much money do I need to make in order to afford rent in America's Finest City?The answer to that question may surprise you. This rotating house in San Diego is a spinning spectacle A crew at Chamber of Commerce took a deep dive to analyze median rent for one-bedroom rentals as well as median earnings for full-time, year-round workers in San Diego, along with 119 other highly populated metros, to help determine this number.During their study, a rent-to-income ratio of 30% was used in order to figure out how much Americans would need to earn to afford rent without spending more than 30% of their income on rent. To explain further, a rent-to-income ratio determines the monthly or annual gross income a tenant should earn to afford rent each month.The results are i...

UN puts Russian forces on blacklist for killing children and attacking schools in Ukraine

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:07:26 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations put Russian forces on its annual blacklist of countries that violate children’s rights in conflict for killing boys and girls and attacking schools and hospitals in Ukraine, according to a new report seen Thursday by The Associated Press.Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in the report to the Security Council that he is “appalled” by the high number of “grave violations” against children in Ukraine in 2022, “shocked” at the number of attacks on schools and hospitals, “concerned” by the detention of children, and “troubled” that some Ukrainian children have been transferred to Russia.The U.N. chief did not put Israel on the blacklist for grave violations against 1,139 Palestinian children, including 54 killings last year — as supporters had hoped. Instead, he welcomed Israel’s engagement with the U.N. special envoy for children in armed conflict, Virginia Gamba and its “identification of practical measures including those proposed by the ...

Lives remembered: A list of the 16 seniors killed in Manitoba bus crash

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:07:26 GMT

DAUPHIN, Man. — RCMP have released the names of 16 seniors who died after a fiery bus crash in western Manitoba on June 15. The bus had been taking a group from Dauphin and the surrounding area on a day trip to a casino, when it crashed with a transport truck near the town of Carberry. As of Thursday, nine others on the bus were still in hospital.Here’s a list of those who died:Louis Bretecher, 81 — A family statement says Bretecher was a beloved husband, father and “pepere,” or grandfather.Margaret Furkalo, 82 — A statement says she will be forever in people’s hearts. Vangie Gilchrist, 83 — Gilchrist’s first name was Evangeline, but she went by Vangie. Messages on her obituary page say she was an amazing woman and “true force,” a grandmother who bowled and volunteered for different causes.Ann Hill, 81 — A statement from family says she was a mother, grandma, great-grandmother and sister. Helen Kufley, 88 — A family statement says Kufley was...