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Editorial: Federal spending is unsustainable

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:00 GMT

It’s time to start talking again about the deficit and not dismiss those fretting about the mounting federal debt, now approaching $34 trillion, as Chicken Littles.The yearly deficit has topped $1 trillion — once a nearly unimaginable figure — now for several years running. It was $1.7 trillion in the fiscal year just concluded, and the financial world barely cocked an eyebrow. The federal government has no problem floating debt; the dollar remains strong.This won’t last. Even America, as economically powerful as it is, can’t run on a credit card forever.Without action, U.S. debt eventually will become unappealing to investors. The feds then will need to offer investors ever higher yields, exacerbating the situation.Interest on the federal debt now accounts for about 10% of the budget. To put that in context, expenditures for all nondefense discretionary programs make up 15% of the budget.On the present course, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, interest will ea...

Get flavor fast with Deconstructed Wonton Soup

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:00 GMT

Now that the weather’s turning colder, I’ve been seeing a lot of great-looking soup recipes on my social media feeds.There’s something so instantly heartwarming and wonderfully satisfying about a bowl of hot soup on a dismal day in late fall, or any time, really, when you need a comforting pick-me-up.This super-easy, nutritious and intensely flavored soup made with fresh wontons was inspired by a recipe for Pork Meatball Soup on Cook’s Country Instagram feed. Because they’re simmered in broth instead of fried in oil, the meatballs are super-tender, with a silky, melt-in-your mouth texture.If a prep time of less than a half hour isn’t a big enough seller — no folding or crimping of wontons is required, just slicing into strips — think about that wonderful aroma filling your kitchen. It’s incredibly inviting.If you don’t have wonton wrappers (you’ll find them in the refrigerated section of the produce aisle, next to tofu), substitu...

Shake up sides with blue cornbread

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:00 GMT

Blue cornmeal makes a delicious, exotic cornbread. Ground from whole blue heritage flint corn, the variety is a gorgeous blue-purple color with a sweet, nutty corn flavor. It’s also higher in protein and antioxidants than the more familiar yellow and white varieties, and the grind is a little coarser so it gives the cornbread more texture.Blue cornmeal is perfect for this simple flourless recipe that showcases the unique taste of cornmeal. The cornbread has a light, sweet, crisp, buttery crust thanks to a cast-iron skillet. But any large ovenproof skillet will work, too. Please don’t forget to brown the butter for an extra note of nuttiness.Pouring the batter into the hot pan sears it on contact, ensuring that the edges get brown and crispy. The extra amount of butter gives the cornbread its soft, moist center. Just be careful and pay attention when melting the butter so it browns and doesn’t burn. We’ve mixed frozen corn kernels into the batter and baked the...

Gaskin: Hope amid mourning for peace in Israel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:00 GMT

When I saw the world’s reaction to the massacre in Israel on Oct. 7, I was dumbfounded by the silence of some, the cheering of others, and the excuses and rationalization of many for the crimes Hamas committed against humanity. I couldn’t believe righteous people had lost the ability to condemn sin and evil.A Ukrainian Jew remarked: “When Russia attacked Ukraine, people flew Ukrainian flags. When Hamas attacked Israel, people flew Palestinian flags.”I, like many Jews and Israelis, have no difficulty supporting Palestinian human rights and self-determination while also condemning the actions of Hamas. I’ve been puzzled as to why so many non-Jews can’t.Antisemitism has been on the rise for years, but since Oct. 7, it has spiked alarmingly. As a result, Jews report being more self-conscious about being Jewish than ever before. Many have kept their children home from public school, avoided going to their synagogues, and tried to become less visibly Jewish, e.g., taking off a Star ...

Want to retire and be a writer? Here’s some inspiration

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES — For some people, retirement is a long-awaited chance to sleep late, relax and celebrate the joys of life without pressure or deadlines.For others, it’s an opportunity to finally get to work.Within a span of a few days, I heard about two retirees who had long dreamed of becoming authors, but their jobs kept getting in the way. Then they pulled the cord, hit the keyboard and never looked back.I was on the phone one day with former L.A. Times columnist and editor Bill Boyarsky, and when I asked about his wife, Nancy, he gloated. Her seventh novel had just been published, he said, and she was already working on her eighth.Then I heard from L.A. County Superior Court Judge Kelvin Filer, who was talking up his brother, Duane. “He actually wrote a book documenting his first year of retirement,” the judge said. He added that his brother has since written several other books.I hear fairly often from people who use retirement to chase dreams. Some set out...

This year, slow roast your Thanksgiving turkey

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:00 GMT

Food features prominently in many holiday celebrations, but perhaps no holiday is more closely associated with eating than Thanksgiving. In fact, Thanksgiving and food are so closely connected that many people refer to the holiday as Turkey Day, which is an homage to the popular main course that finds its way to millions of Thanksgiving dinner tables across the country each year.Side dishes abound on Thanksgiving dinner tables, but turkey still takes center stage. That reality can put some pressure on hosts tasked with preparing the meal for their family and friends.Unlike some other dishes that require a laundry list of ingredients and lots of prep work, turkey is a relatively hands-off main course. However, home cooks know a dried out turkey is not on anyone’s holiday wish list. Slow cooking can help to avoid such a result.This recipe for “Holiday Turkey,” courtesy Andrew Schloss’ “Cooking Slow” (Chronicle Books), calls for slow cooking the bird...

Lowry: Trump’s border policy necessary corrective

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:00 GMT

Let the panic over Donald Trump’s immigration policy begin.The New York Times ran a piece the other day headlined, “Sweeping Raids, Giant Camps, and Mass Deportations: Inside Trump’s 2025 Immigration Plans.” The reaction has been shock and outrage.Steve Benen of MSNBC wrote that “Trump envisions a governing model in which the government actually rounds up people and puts them in camps.”It is certainly true that what Trump envisions is sweepingly ambitious to the point of impracticality. The context matters, though.Trump is formulating his plans at a time when we’re experiencing a crisis at the border and witnessing an unprecedented surge of illegal immigrants into the country because the Biden administration refuses to enforce the law.What’s the proper response here? To trim the sails of Biden’s policy, but largely accept it as the new status quo, even though no one in the mainstream would have considered it tolerable a few short...

Dear Abby: Fed up with boundary-pushing BF

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:00 GMT

Dear Abby: I have been with my live-in boyfriend for eight years. During the last five months, he has started staying out until daylight, choosing his friends over me, snapping at me when he talks at all and doesn’t want to be around me. We have always gone everywhere together and shared our friendships with each other. There’s an age gap of 16 years, but it has never been a problem.I left for a month last year when I caught him talking to another woman through messaging (not platonic talk). That month I did a lot of soul-searching and set boundaries I will no longer allow to be broken. Because of past failed relationships, I have learned how to stand up and voice my opinion and care for myself emotionally. I guess my question is, should I be concerned, keep trying to communicate my feelings to him or move on with my life? I always put him ahead of anyone other than my children and God, but he doesn’t give me the same respect. — Lost for Answers in ArkansasDe...

Smart Streetlights, license plate readers coming to San Diego

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:00 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Smart Streetlights and Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) technologies have been approved to be deployed in San Diego, police said.The decision comes after nearly eight months of discussion amongst local leaders about the program aiming to enhance security, Lt. Adam Sharki with the San Diego Police Department said in a news release Tuesday.“Smart Streetlights and ALPRs will make our communities safer," Mayor Todd Gloria said. "They have been proven to help quickly identify and apprehend suspects in deadly crimes and bring them to justice. I want to thank the City Council for recognizing their value for public safety and approving the contract that now will enable us to deploy them.” San Diego police will receive 500 Smart Streetlight cameras, along with Flock Safety's ALPR technology, in a five-year agreement with Ubicquia Inc., per law enforcement officials. The devices are expected to be launched by January. City of San Diego passes plan to reduce fees,...

State-sponsored online spies likely to target Australian submarine program, spy agency says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:00 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s cooperation with the United States and Britain to develop an Australian fleet of submarines powered by U.S. nuclear technology is a likely target of state-sponsored cyberespionage, the nation’s digital spy agency said on Wednesday.The Australian Signals Directorate reported a 23% increase in cybercrimes in the country and a 14% increase in the average cost of each crime in its latest annual online threat assessment for the fiscal year that ended on June 30.The report highlights China’s role in backing a group of hackers, known as Volt Typhoon, that targeted U.S. critical infrastructure including military facilities on Guam. It warns that the same techniques could be used against Australian infrastructure as part of information-gathering or disruptive activities.Potential targets include the AUKUS agreement — an acronym for Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States — under which the U.S. will share its nuclear submarine technology secr...