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Wish Book holiday campaign celebrates 40 years of helping our neighbors

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:08 GMT

When Mercury News readers opened their newspapers on Sunday, Dec. 4, 1983, they were greeted with something beyond the big news of the day — a special section called Holiday Wish Book.Though it was designed like an upscale department store catalog, it didn’t showcase popular gifts like the new VCR or Ewok plush toy of the time. Instead, the inside pages were filled with touching stories about people in the valley who needed help and offered readers a way to make a difference.“This Wish Book is an unusual thing for a newspaper to publish,” then-Publisher Tony Ridder wrote in an introductory letter, “but these times demand that we all do what we can to alleviate suffering and to encourage those who are working in the front lines on the problems of the helpless, the hungry, the lonely and forgotten.”So much has changed in the valley over the past 40 years, but that suffering still lingers — and in some ways has become even more dire, as many struggle to re...

How a Stanford professor aims to organize the hunt for alien life

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:08 GMT

On a cold December night in 1977 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, a mysterious hovering object was reported to be flying overhead. Then a luminous hot molten rock fell to earth.What was it? Where did it come from? No one knows.But Stanford University immunologist Garry Nolan suggests one possible theory: It was a discarded part of a UAP, or “unidentified aerial phenomena,” the formal government name for objects previously called UFOs.Undaunted by the risk of professional stigma, the biotech entrepreneur is urging the creation of a “Stardust Repository,” where this and other pieces of mysterious materials of unknown origin would be stored for analysis.At a first-of-its-kind symposium on Friday and Saturday, hosted by Stanford, Nolan unveiled plans to bring scientific rigor to a realm that has long been home to kooks and wackos.“We’re here to professionalize and normalize this,” Nolan told a standing-room-only crowd of physicists, data scientists, tech entrepreneurs and others, representing s...

DP World Tour Championship Scores

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:08 GMT

SundayAt Earth CourseDubai, United Arab EmiratesPurse: $10 millionYardage: 7,706; Par: 72Final RoundNicolai Hojgaard, Denmark (2000), $2,764,46167-66-70-64—267Tommy Fleetwood, England (896), $838,55369-66-66-68—269Viktor Hovland, Norway (896), $838,55369-66-66-68—269Matt Wallace, England (896), $838,55372-68-60-69—269Thriston Lawrence, South Africa (429), $313,30671-64-70-66—271Matthieu Pavon, France (429), $313,30667-69-68-67—271Jon Rahm, Spain (429), $313,30672-66-67-66—271Victor Perez, France (300), $221,15773-69-64-66—272Ewen Ferguson, Scotland (254), $184,29772-67-64-70—273Jeff Winther, Denmark (254), $184,29772-66-64-71—273Tyrrell Hatton, England (201), $140,98870-67-72-65—274Rasmus Hojgaard, Denmark (201), $140,98874-66-65-69—274Romain Langasque, France (201), $140,98871-68-68-67—274Antoine Rozner, France (201), $140,98868-67-70-69—274Tom Kim, South Korea (173), $108,50569-71-68-67—275Min Woo Lee, Australia (173), $108,50571-70-65-69—275Dan Bradbury, England (162), $101,36470...

Zaïre-Emery set to miss PSG’s last 2 group games in Champions League with ankle injury

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:08 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Teenage midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery looks set to miss Paris Saint-Germain’s last two group games in the Champions League with a right ankle injury.The 17-year-old Zaïre-Emery sustained the injury when he became France’s youngest goal scorer on his international debut, in a record 14-0 rout of Gibraltar in European Championship qualifying on Saturday. A defender trod on his ankle as he was shooting into the top corner.Coach Didier Deschamps said that tests showed no fracture but that Zaïre-Emery will need time to recover.“It’s still a significant injury that will certainly take several weeks (to heal),” Deschamps told French television show Téléfoot on Sunday. “You never want to lose players in matches like this. It could have been more serious.”PSG has lost two of its four Champions League games in Group F and is in second place, one point behind leader Borussia Dortmund and one ahead of AC Milan in third. PSG hosts Newcastle at Parc des Princes on Nov. 28...

DP World Tour Championship Par Scores

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:08 GMT

SundayAt Earth CourseDubai, United Arab EmiratesPurse: $10 millionYardage: 7,706; Par: 72Final RoundNicolai Hojgaard, Denmark (2000), $2,764,46167-66-70-64—267-21Tommy Fleetwood, England (896), $838,55369-66-66-68—269-19Viktor Hovland, Norway (896), $838,55369-66-66-68—269-19Matt Wallace, England (896), $838,55372-68-60-69—269-19Thriston Lawrence, South Africa (429), $313,30671-64-70-66—271-17Matthieu Pavon, France (429), $313,30667-69-68-67—271-17Jon Rahm, Spain (429), $313,30672-66-67-66—271-17Victor Perez, France (300), $221,15773-69-64-66—272-16Ewen Ferguson, Scotland (254), $184,29772-67-64-70—273-15Jeff Winther, Denmark (254), $184,29772-66-64-71—273-15Tyrrell Hatton, England (201), $140,98870-67-72-65—274-14Rasmus Hojgaard, Denmark (201), $140,98874-66-65-69—274-14Romain Langasque, France (201), $140,98871-68-68-67—274-14Antoine Rozner, France (201), $140,98868-67-70-69—274-14Tom Kim, South Korea (173), $108,50569-71-68-67—275-13Min Woo Lee, Australia (173), $108,50571-70-65-...

Health workers evacuate 31 ‘very sick’ babies from Gaza’s largest hospital

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:08 GMT

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Thirty-one premature babies were safely transferred from Gaza’s main hospital to another in the south on Sunday, and will be moved to Egypt, health officials said, as scores of other critically wounded patients remained stranded there days after Israeli forces entered the compound.The fate of the newborns at Shifa Hospital had captured global attention after the release of images showing doctors trying to keep them warm. A power blackout had shut down incubators and other equipment, and food, water and medical supplies ran out as Israeli forces battled Palestinian militants outside the hospital.World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on social media that the “very sick” babies were evacuated, along with six health workers and 10 staff family members. He said they were taken to a hospital in the southern Gaza city of Rafah where they are receiving urgent care.A WHO team that visited the hospital on Saturday said 291 p...

Así es la boleta y la lista completa de Javier Milei para las elecciones generales en Argentina

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:08 GMT

(CNN Español) — El balotaje (segunda vuelta) de las elecciones generales de Argentina tendrá lugar el domingo 19 de noviembre. En estos comicios, los argentinos votarán para definir a los próximos presidente y vicepresidente de la nación.Uno de los candidatos presidenciales es Javier Milei, de La Libertad Avanza, que en las elecciones primarias, abiertas, simultáneas y obligatorias (PASO) de agosto fue el candidato más votado, pero que en la primera vuelta de los comicios quedó en el segundo lugar por detrás de Sergio Massa.Las propuestas de Javier Milei para llegar a la presidencia de ArgentinaAnálisis: ¿Quién ganó el debate electoral entre Massa y Milei?En la boleta de las elecciones del 19 de noviembre, Milei estará acompañado de Victoria Villarruel, quien sería la vicepresidenta en un eventual triunfo electoral.Milei y Villarruel se enfrentarán a la fórmula de Massa y Agustín Rossi. Al tratarse de la segunda vuelta, los ganadores serán quienes tengan más votos.Así es la bo...

Diez cosas que no sabías de la nueva Miss Universo 2023, y dónde se celebrará el certamen en el 2024

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:08 GMT

EL SALVADOR – La representante de Nicaragua, Sheynnis Palacios, se convirtió la noche del sábado en la primera nicaragüense en ganar el concurso Miss Universo en su edición 72, celebrado en El Salvador.Palacios, que dio la sorpresa y se había colocado entre las favoritas del concurso, quedó por delante de la representante de Tailandia, Anntonia Porsild, quien quedó como primera finalista.La ganadora del concurso sucede a la estadounidense R’Bonney Gabriel, Miss Universo 2022.Como segunda finalista del concurso fue elegida Moraya Wilson, de Australia.Estas tres finalistas fueron escogidas de un grupo de cinco, que fue completado por Puerto Rico y Colombia.QUIÉN ES LA NUEVA MISS UNIVERSO 2023, 10 COSAS QUE NO SABÍASNacida un 30 de mayo de 2000, la nicaragüense es la licenciada en comunicación social de la jesuita Universidad Centroamericana (UCA), donde jugó voleibol, es conductora y presentadora del programa “Entiende tu mente”, proyecto social que lanzó tras ...

Nicolai Hojgaard produces big finish to win season-ending World Tour Championship

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:08 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Nicolai Hojgaard claimed the biggest title of his career Sunday after running off five straight birdies down the stretch to overhaul Tommy Fleetwood and win the season-ending World Tour Championship by two strokes on the European tour.The 22-year-old Dane delivered a clinic in iron play to set up close-range birdies from Nos. 13-17, shoot 8-under 64 and finish the tournament on 21-under par.Fleetwood, playing in the final group, bogeyed No. 17 so had to eagle the par-5 last hole. His third shot settled beyond the flag, prompting Hojgaard to celebrate in the scoring hut.He has won a tournament for three consecutive years on the European tour, but this was easily his biggest and earned him $3 million. Coming off the back of being a rookie in the winning European team at the Ryder Cup outside Rome last month, it has been a perfect end to the year to one of the most highly rated young players on the continent.“The only thing missing was a win,” said Ho...

UN health agency says 31 babies have been safely evacuated from Shifa Hospital and moved to another in southern Gaza

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:08 GMT

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — UN health agency says 31 babies have been safely evacuated from Shifa Hospital and moved to another in southern Gaza.Source