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How a decades-old Holocaust mystery fueled Anne Berest’s ‘The Postcard’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:40 GMT

When Anne Berest began work on “The Postcard,” she didn’t know how the novel would end. In fact, she didn’t know if there was an end to the mystery based on her own family’s investigation into the origin of an unusual postcard.“I was anxious,” the French author confesses over a video call during her recent stay in Los Angeles.“The investigation took me four years,” Berest explains. “In the book, it’s four months, but, in reality, it’s almost four years.”Related: Sign up for our free newsletter about books, authors, reading and moreThe award-winning work of autofiction, originally published in France in 2021 as “La Carte Postale” and recently translated into English by Tina Kover and published via Europa Editions on May 16, begins in 2003 with the arrival of a postcard. On it are the names Ephraïm, Emma, Noémi and Jacques, the parents and siblings of Berest’s maternal grandmother, who were killed during the Holocaust. Years later, Berest and her mother, Lélia, embark on a mission to ...

‘Disney’s Aladdin’ repeats its magic at the Fisher Theatre

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:40 GMT

The show’s called “Aladdin” — “Disney’s Aladdin,” to be precise — but everyone knows it’s all about the Genie.And fortunately the current touring production of the musical, which performed at Detroit’s Fisher Theatre through Sunday, May 14 — has a good one.Robin Williams, of course, established the Genie as an iconic character with his manically nuanced voice performance in the 1992 animated film. He set a high bar but at the same time established a template for the actors who would follow in the Tony Award-winning stage adaptation, which premiered 12 years ago in Seattle and stopped during January of 2018 at the Detroit Opera House. Energy and personality are the keys to a successful Genie, and Marcus M. Martin has both in abundance.Playing Genie as a kind of Oprah/Steve Harvey/Billy Porter hybrid, Martin hits the stage as the curtain lifts like a full blank of Klieg lights — and that’s just his smile. His performances leading ensemble pieces such as “Friend Like Me” and “Prince Al...

What are the drunken driving limits in Massachusetts? .08 gets you arrested

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:40 GMT

If your blood-alcohol level exceeds .08 you are considered drunk in the Bay State. If you’re driving a commercial vehicle, the threshold is .04. Your weight has a lot to do with how many drinks you can consume. Here’s how it breaks down:Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | Charlie Baker’s son pleads ‘not guilty’ to OUI charge after allegedly blowing 0.15 on breath test .06 = Judgement is impaired.08 = Impairment of muscle coordination, driving skills.10 = Deterioration of reaction time and control.12 = Vomiting usually occurs.15 = Balance and movement impaired.20 = Most people begin to experience blackouts.45 = Most people dieSo, how many drinks can I have? Go here to calculate that…Source: Awareawakealive.org; Massachusetts Drunk Driving Laws

Botanical Building moves into next construction phase

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:40 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Renovations to the Balboa Park Botanical Building have been moved into the next part of construction, City of San Diego officials announced last week."Visitors to Balboa Park can expect to see different segments of the building covered like this for at least several months as crews work to bring the iconic building back to its original 1915 look," city officials wrote on social media.In this phase, crews will be sandblasting the steel structure of the building, as well as applying a protective coating and paint. The tent-like cover helps to protect visitors from any debris that might leave the construction zone during this work, according to the city.The outside of the Botanical Building as it moves into the next part of construction work. (Courtesy of the City of San Diego)The building, which is one of the most photographed landmarks in San Diego County, is currently in the midst of a major $21 million renovation project to revitalize the building and the surrounding g...

Police seek suspect in Toronto rental scam

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:40 GMT

Toronto police are trying to track down a man who allegedly defrauded several people in an apartment rental scam.Police say Cem Devrim Turetken, 49, advertised apartments for rent in Toronto on various websites.But investigators say he didn’t own the properties and wasn’t authorized to rent them out.The alleged scam took place between November 2022 and February 2023.Investigators say the suspect used a variety of different aliases and company names online, including Smart Rental Property Management Inc. located in Sudbury and GTA Rentals.Police are asking the public to consider the following when searching for apartment rentals:research the property in persondouble check the address to ensure it isn’t being listed elsewherenever pay with cash, wire transfer or hard-to-trace equivalents, such as MoneyGram or bitcoinbe aware of “too good to be true” rent ratesdo not give a rent or security deposit before signing a leasespeak to Building Property Management and ...

Judge: 29-year-old who posed as teen student because she was lonely can enter pretrial program

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:40 GMT

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) — A 29-year-old woman accused of using false documents to enroll as a New Jersey high school student and attend some classes over a four-day period will be allowed to enter a pretrial intervention program, a state judge ruled Monday.The woman had pleaded not guilty in March to a charge of providing a false government document. Her lawyer has said she did so because she was lonely and longed to return to her days with friends in school but now realizes she made a mistake. She will have to undergo a mental health evaluation and, if she completes the program, the charge against her could eventually be dismissed.The woman is a South Korean citizen who came to the United States by herself when she was 16 to attend a private boarding school, the lawyer said. She later graduated from Rutgers University in 2019.The lawyer said his client had no nefarious intentions when she enrolled at New Brunswick High School in January. She was just seeking to return to “a place ...

English scrap metal recycler sentenced to 9 months in jail for wall collapse that killed 5

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:40 GMT

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — The owner and a manager of an English scrap metal recycling plant were sentenced to nine months in jail Monday for safety lapses after a wall collapsed and killed five migrant workers in 2016, a government workplace safety agency said. Wayne Hawkeswood and Graham Woodhouse were convicted in Birmingham Crown Court of violating the Health and Safety at Work Act, the Health and Safety Executive said.The workers died instantly when the 50-ton (45-metric tonne) wall toppled onto them at the start of their shift at Hawkeswood Metal Recycling on July 7, 2016. They had to be identified by their fingerprints.A breath of wind could have knocked over the wall, the court was told. Investigators found other unstable walls at the site, as well as inadequate training and poor safety records. “Five men lost their lives in the most appalling of circumstances,” inspector Amy Kalay said after the sentencing. “Their deaths should not have happened. They went to work to earn a...

Debt ceiling: McCarthy says ‘no progress’ ahead of talks Tuesday with Biden

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:40 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Monday there’s been “no progress” on debt ceiling talks ahead of a meeting with President Joe Biden and other congressional leaders scheduled for Tuesday at the White House, as the country pushes closer to a crisis over the need to raise its legal borrowing limit.“It’s very concerning to me,” McCarthy, the Republican speaker, told reporters as he opened the House chamber.“There’s no progress that I see,” he said of the staff-level talks that extended through the weekend. “And it really concerns me with the timeline of where we are.”McCarthy confirmed that he and the other congressional leaders are heading back to the White House on Tuesday to meet with Biden. The meeting was initially supposed to be Friday, but was abruptly postponed so staff-level talks could continue through the weekend. Time is narrowing as Biden prepares to depart for the Group of Seven summit in Japan on Wednesday. The standoff comes as the Treasur...

Ghana’s Mahama to run for president again after winning opposition’s ticket

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:40 GMT

ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — Former Ghanian President John Mahama, who has received the main opposition party’s nomination to run for president next year, said Monday that he thinks the current administration has failed citizens of the West African nation.A day after clinching the National Democratic Congress (NDC) ticket in the party’s presidential primary, Mahama accused the administration of incumbent President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of misusing public funds and mismanaging the economy.“The current government has blatantly mismanaged the country’s economy, and we cannot allow them to hold the country’s development in reverse gear,” the ex-president said during his acceptance speech in northern Ghana’s Tamale city. “Corruption and raid on the public purse have reached a crescendo,” Results announced Sunday from the primary showed Mahama received 99% of votes cast by about 335,000 delegates to beat Kojo Bonsu, a former mayor of Kumasi. The outcome shows he still enjoy...

Buona giving away free sandwiches for National Italian Beef Day

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:40 GMT

CHICAGO — Longtime Italian beef chain Buona is giving away free sandwiches to celebrate National Italian Beef Day.The giveaway takes place on May 27, which is National Italian Beef Day.Anyone interested on receiving a free beef, with up to one topping, will need to download the company's "MyBuona" app. Existing users will already get a free sandwich in their reward section. The company is also offering their plant-based beefless sandwich as well. Top 5 Italian beef sandwiches in Chicago area — according to Chicagoans There is a limit to one free sandwich per user.To also celebrate, from May 22 through May 29 — Buona is offering free delivery through the app and 25% off nationwide shipping products online with the code "BuonaDay."