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Sound Advice: High-end turntable makes great gift for audiophiles

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:03 GMT

Don Lindich | Tribune News Service (TNS)If you are looking for a turntable for yourself or someone else, you will love this week’s gift recommendation!Cambridge Audio Alva ST turntable, $499: This British belt-drive turntable is incredibly solid and reeks of quality. It weighs 20 pounds with a beautiful brushed aluminum top plate, heavy synthetic base and a high-quality tonearm that is satisfying to use. A phono cartridge comes preinstalled and the Alva ST integrates an excellent, switchable phono preamp. A wired connection is used with your hi-fi system, and the built-in aptX Bluetooth (rare in any turntable) can send music to Bluetooth headphones and speakers.The Alva ST sold for $999 when introduced and back then I thought it was the best turntable available for under $1,000. When Cambridge reduced the price to just $599 earlier this year I was shocked, and it became difficult for me to recommend any other turntable selling between $599 and $1,000. Well, the Alva ST is temporaril...

More than just cold brew: New book serves up coffee cocktails

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:03 GMT

With Thanksgiving looming and winter on the horizon, one great way to stay perked up and cozy is to indulge in one of the Bay Area’s favorite cocktail combos: coffee cocktails.Portland, Oregon-based coffee journalists Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen recently released their second book, “But First, Coffee: A Guide to Brewing from the Kitchen to the Bar” (Union Square & Co., $20) that highlights the best ways to use a bag of coffee beans — including some Bay Area-inspired cocktails. We spoke with Michelman to learn more.Q: How did this cookbook come about?A: My co-author Zachary and I publish a daily coffee news and culture website about everything from cool coffee shops in the Czech Republic to new coffee brewing gear and equipment. In 2018, we did our first book, “Rules of Coffee” with Ten Speed Press, about the history of coffee. At some point, it dawned on us that we may have written the first coffee book ever that never actually told you how to make a cup of coffee.For t...

Bruins notebook: A playoff goalie rotation? Yeah, it could happen

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:03 GMT

The Bruins have their warts, to be sure. But they also possess the league’s best concealers in Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark. If either one of those goalies would have been average to start the season, then it’s a good bet that the B’s 12-1-2 record would look considerably different.They’ve been so good that coach Jim Montgomery plans to continue the goalie rotation for the foreseeable future. And, yes, if the Bruins are fortunate enough to make the playoffs – something that, thanks to the goalies, already seems like a distinct possibility – Montgomery can see that rotation continuing into the post-season.“For sure. Absolutely,” said Montgomery after practice after Friday’s practice at Warrior Ice Arena.That may be easy to say in November, but it could be a lot more difficult when a team is in the heat of a playoff battle in April. Going with a strict rotation in the playoffs would be a bit unorthodox. There are all kinds of scenarios that would test...

Adult children discuss the trials of caring for their aging parents

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:03 GMT

Reed Abelson, The New York Times and Jordan Rau | KFF Health News (TNS)Natasha Lazartes39, Brooklyn, New YorkTherapistI am 39 years old. I had to care for my father, who passed from cancer in 2019; my mother, who passed in November 2021 from cancer; and since my mother’s passing, I have inherited the care of my grandmother. She is 97, diagnosed with moderate dementia, and considered high risk to be left home alone. We had been applying for Medicaid long-term care to receive a home health aide since early November 2021. She finally got a home health aide in January 2022, but it’s been a nightmare. They are so desperate to hire workers that they will take anyone. She was left without an aide on many random days with a late-notice telephone call or text message from the aide needing the day off and the agencies not able to find a replacement in time. I have changed agencies multiple times. My husband has been a great support the entire time. We rely on security cameras we installed in ...

Many Americans facing financial ruin as costs soar for elder care

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:03 GMT

Reed Abelson, The New York Times and Jordan Rau | (TNS) KFF Health NewsMargaret Newcomb, 69, a retired French teacher, is desperately trying to protect her retirement savings by caring for her 82-year-old husband, who has severe dementia, at home in Seattle. She used to fear his disease-induced paranoia, but now he’s so frail and confused that he wanders away with no idea of how to find his way home. He gets lost so often that she attaches a tag to his shoelace with her phone number.Feylyn Lewis, 35, sacrificed a promising career as a research director in England to return home to Nashville after her mother had a debilitating stroke. They ran up $15,000 in medical and credit card debt while she took on the role of caretaker.Sheila Littleton, 30, brought her grandfather with dementia to her family home in Houston, then spent months fruitlessly trying to place him in a nursing home with Medicaid coverage. She eventually abandoned him at a psychiatric hospital to force the system to ac...

Everything you need to know about the Taylor Swift themed cruise

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:03 GMT

By Carolyn Burt, Southern California News GroupAhoy Swifties! If you’ve ever imagined yourself in a picturesque moment, staring out at sea in a nice dress during sunset as the chorus of “Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version)” plays in the background, now’s your chance.A Taylor Swift themed cruise is setting sail in 2024. The fan sponsored event organized by Marvelous Mouse Travels will take Swifties on a Royal Caribbean cruise sailing from the port of Miami to Nassau, Bahamas. According to a post by event organizers in the Facebook group for the Taylor Swift themed cruise, because of limited capacity they are operating on a waitlist model, showcasing the impact a Swift theme can have on businesses.This experience is a chance for Swifties to make the friendship bracelets yet again, connect with other fans and make memories to hold onto.Related: ‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ is one of the greatest concert films of all timeHere’s what you need to know:When is it?The 5 day/4 night cruise de...

Macaulay Culkin competes on 'Celebrity Jeopardy!' for San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:03 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- With the holiday's approaching, seeing the face of "Home Alone" child star Macaulay Culkin is expected. Now, years later, he's making a whole new TV appearance on behalf of a well-known organization in San Diego.Culkin took the digital podium Thursday night to compete in an episode of the popular American game show "Celebrity Jeopardy!"He was joined by comedian and actress Rachel Dratch, who's known for creating the "Saturday Night Live" character Debbie Downer. Also at the podium, was WWE superstar and professional wrestler Becky Lynch. VIDEO: Bioluminescent waves spotted at these San Diego beaches Each of the celebrities were vying to raise money for their respective charities, with Culkin competing for the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. As most San Diegans know, this "not-for-profit" organization operates the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, while also supporting conservation efforts internationally. Meanwhile, Dratch played on behalf of food res...

The Paris Olympics scales back design of a new surf tower in Tahiti after criticism from locals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:03 GMT

LE PECQ, France (AP) — Organizers of next year’s Paris Olympics are scaling back the metal tower they plan to build for judges and television cameras at the picture-perfect surfing venue in Tahiti. They’re bowing to concerns on the French Polynesian island about damage to sea life and its majestic Teahupo’o wave.The tower will still be erected out at sea with aluminum but will be smaller, lighter, hold fewer people and require shallower drilling than originally planned, games organizers announced Friday evening.Critics on the island have voiced fears for coral reefs, fish and other aquatic life when the tower’s foundations are drilled into the seabed and mounted on concrete. Islanders pushed for the Olympics to use a wooden tower on existing foundations that’s long been the set-up for surfing competitions at Teahupo’o. They have collected more than 160,000 signatures with an online petition.Tahitian surfer Matahi Drollet has been among opponents of the metal ...

Police board votes to fire Chicago officer accused of dragging woman by the hair during 2020 unrest

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:03 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Police Board voted to fire an officer accused of dragging a Black woman out of a car by her hair during unrest at a mall in 2020.The board voted unanimously Thursday to fire Officer David Laskus, finding he used excessive force and lied to investigators about the incident, the Chicago Tribune reported.Mia Wright was a passenger in a car that arrived at the Brickyard Mall on May 31, 2020, during a weekend of protests and unrest following the death of George Floyd. Floyd was a Black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck.A federal lawsuit that Wright and four relatives filed states that they drove to the mall to go shopping and didn’t realize it was closed due to the unrest. The lawsuit alleged that officers surrounded their car, broke the windows with their batons and pulled Wright out by her hair. Wright said she was left blind in one eye by flying glass caused by officers breaking the windows. Wright was 25 years old...

More complaints about bathroom contractor accused of cheating customers across the GTA

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:03 GMT

A bathroom reglazing company CityNews told you about back in August is facing more criticism from customers and appears to still be in business.“They just painted our tub, took cash and never responded to our calls anymore after we found out the paint peeled off on the second day,” said Lilia Perevalov, who reached out to us after seeing our initial report.Other people have come to CityNews with the same complaints.The company, once called Shiny Bathtubs and Tile Refinishing, is accused of selling services to reglaze bathrooms. When done correctly, it’s a multi-step process where a special reglazing chemical is used on tubs or tiles to make them look new. It’s a cheaper option for many people compared to a complete bathroom overhaul.“But they’re using paint, not the reglazing chemical they’re selling,” said Jesus Fajardo, who first reached out to CityNews about this contractor. He hired the company last summer and paid them $3,000.“What I was left with was a mess,” he said. “Paint w...