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‘Billion Dollar Babies’ explores Cabbage Patch craze

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:16:50 GMT

Forty years ago a toy baby doll prompted a nationwide fad. Which prompted a Black Friday riot like no one had ever seen.Over, yes, a doll.“Billion Dollar Babies: The True Story of the Cabbage Patch Kids” is an engrossing 40th anniversary documentary that gets the complicated history and puts the aftermath in perspective.Toys fads are eternal, from ‘30s Shirley Temple dolls to Barbie, Ken and GI Joe. Where do the Cabbage Patch Kids stand in toy history?“At the top. I mean there’s no question they are at the top of the toy fad phenomenon,” said toy historian Jonathan Alexandratos in a Zoom interview.“What Cabbage Patch managed to do is they took a really old idea — the baby doll in the US goes back to 1850 — and basically promised so much more than a doll.  Cabbage Patch hit at a certain intersection of American history where their success is extreme, but also, entirely understandable. On top of that, you’ve got camcorder footage of people wielding baseball bat...

Dear Abby: Widow wants to cut ties with former BIL

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:16:50 GMT

Dear Abby: My husband passed away four years ago. I started dating my current beau two years ago. We are great friends. We are supportive of each other and enjoy our new life together.I have drifted apart from my late husband’s side of the family. We’re still friendly but don’t have as frequent contact as we used to because we all live great distances apart. I care a lot for my former sister-in-law, but my brother-in-law was rude and distant to my beau when they visited me. It rubbed me the wrong way. I never liked him anyway, and neither did my husband. The only reason we spent time with them is because of his wife.Now that I’m moving forward with my new life, I no longer want them staying with me on visits and vice versa. I plan to continue phone contact with my sister-in-law and other family members from time to time. Am I handling this properly? I feel guilty sometimes, but I’ve never experienced anything like this before because my husband and I we...

Dead, wounded or AWOL: The voices of desperate Russian soldiers trying to get out of the Ukraine war

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:16:50 GMT

In audio intercepts from the front lines in Ukraine, Russian soldiers speak in shorthand of 200s to mean dead, 300s to mean wounded. The urge to flee has become common enough that they also talk of 500s — people who refuse to fight.As the war grinds into its second winter, a growing number of Russian soldiers want out, as suggested in secret recordings obtained by The Associated Press of Russian soldiers calling home from the battlefields of the Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk regions in Ukraine.The calls offer a rare glimpse of the war as it looked through Russian eyes — a point of view that seldom makes its way into Western media, largely because Russia has made it a crime to speak honestly about the conflict in Ukraine. They also show clearly how the war has progressed, from the professional soldiers who initially powered Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion to men from all walks of life compelled to serve in grueling conditions.“There’s no f—— ‘dying the death of the br...

With antisemitism rising as the Israel-Hamas war rages, Europe’s Jews worry

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:16:50 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — As he sits in Geneva, Michel Dreifuss does not feel all that far away from the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel’s subsequent bombardment of Gaza. The ripples are rolling through Europe and upending assumptions both global and intimate — including those about his personal safety as a Jew.“Yesterday I bought a tear-gas spray canister at a military-equipment surplus store,” the 64-year-old retired tech sector worker said recently at a rally to mark a month since the Hamas killings. The choice, he says, is a “precaution,” driven by a surge of antisemitism in Europe.Last month’s slayings of about 1,200 people in Israel by armed Palestinian militants represented the biggest killing of Jews since the Holocaust. The fallout from it, and from Israel’s intense military response that health officials in Hamas-controlled Gaza say has killed at least 13,300 Palestinians, has extended to Europe. In doing so, it has shaken a continent all too familiar wit...

Skyscraper-studded Dubai has flourished during regional crises. Could it benefit from hosting COP28?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:16:50 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — In a city known for its excesses, whether reaching toward the sky with the world’s tallest building or hard partying at its beach resorts and bars, Dubai has pulled off another record-breaking feat in the rolling dunes of its desert outskirts. Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, named for the ruling sheikh of Dubai, stretches across some 122 square kilometers (47 square miles) and represents a pledge of billions of dollars by this city-state to reach its goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050. It’s a solar-paneled gamble in a city where casinos have yet to arrive — though it always seems to be betting big no matter the risk. Rising rapidly from a creek-bound pearling village to a city associated with international glamor, Dubai has a long history of finding economic success amid the war-ravaged woes of the wider Middle East. Its ruling family likely views the upcoming United Nations COP28 climate talks as another such opportunity, though it...

Winter Weather Advisory in effect for western counties through 2 p.m. Sunday; slick roads Bridges, overpasses and untreated roads are most likely to become slippery

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:16:50 GMT

Accumulating snow could cause hazardous conditions on Chicago area roadways, especially through Sunday morningBridges, overpasses and untreated roads are most likely to become slippery, especially in areas west and northwest of the Chicago metro.  The snow is expected to taper in the afternoon, providing some relief for holiday travelers around the region.  It's the first widespread accumulating snowfall of the season, so it's a good time to review winter driving tips.

Austin Police investigating east Austin homicide Saturday

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:16:50 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department said it is investigating a homicide late Saturday. Police said the homicide happened near 2500 Sol Wilson Avenue, which is in east Austin. MAP: Where have Austin’s homicides occurred in 2023? APD said it will share more information at a media briefing. This is a developing story and will be updated.

Texas wins bracket at Paradise Jam with 76-44 blowout over South Florida

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:16:50 GMT

ST. THOMAS, Virgin Islands (AP) — Taylor Jones and Rori Harmon scored 15 points apiece as unbeaten and 12th-ranked Texas routed South Florida 76-44 on Saturday night to win a Paradise Jam championship game.Texas (7-0) held South Florida to single digits in the first three quarters to win the Reef Division after also beating Arizona State 84-42 and posting a 62-point win against High Point in earlier tournament games.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersJones and Harmon were a combined 12-of-20 shooting from the field. Madison Booker added 12 points and reserve Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda had 10.Five players scored for Texas in the opening quarter, led by Booker's six points, as the Longhorns jumped out to a 21-6 lead and led 39-13 at halftime. The Longhorns outscored USF 26-7 in the third quarter, while the Bulls had a 24-12 advantage in the fourth.Freshman Vittoria Blasigh and...

She said 'yes'! Meet the couple behind the Troy Turkey Trot proposal

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:16:50 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) - Love was in the air at the Troy Turkey Trot! The first-ever marriage proposal took place at the starting line of the beloved Thanksgiving event. Congratulations to Noor Khan and Lisa Church! NEWS10's Cassie Hudson sat down with the couple to hear all about the big moment. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! "I was quite nervous because I've never spoken in front of that many people before, but it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! I knew I had to seize it," said Khan.The couple says they're in no rush to start planning the wedding.

Avalanche keeps rolling with workmanlike 3-1 win against Flames

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:16:50 GMT

It felt like a “take care of business and move on” kind of Saturday night for the Colorado Avalanche, but who scored was as significant as how and when.One key player broke a scoring drought. Another continued to cement his place on the top power-play unit. And another collected a goal for a recently-formed line that the club needs more production from.The end result was a 3-1 victory against the Calgary Flames, and that scoreline was flattering for the visiting team. Ivan Prosvetov made 30 saves to win for the second time in three starts with the Avalanche. He wasn’t tested with many quality chances until later in this contest, but he certainly outplayed his adversary at the other end of the ice.Colorado won its first six games of the season, but the Avalanche is currently in the midst of its best stretch of hockey during this campaign. The Avs are one bad minute in Nashville from seven consecutive victories, but more importantly they have found a more consistentl...