Month: December 2022

Can a Married Couple Qualify for First-Time Home Benefits Twice?

Purchasing a home is probably the biggest expenditure you’ll ever have. So, of course, trying to save money is a goal many buyers have. That’s why qualifying for first-time home benefits is so important. But what if you’ve taken advantage of this program in the past? Is there a way to take advantage of it…


Shen Yun ‘Brought Tears to My Eyes,’ Says College Dean

SAN JOSE—After seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts for the first time on Dec. 30, Will Reyes-Cubides, the dean of San Jose City College, was overwhelmed with emotions. “The happiness that the dancers radiated truly touched my heart.” “The pieces were so emotional to me. Just the beauty of the dances, the costumes, and the aesthetics…


‘Mind Dominance’: The CCP’s Disinformation War on US Social Media

News Analysis Clusters of new social media profiles emerge and interact with long-dormant accounts, seemingly exchanging viewpoints from across the American political spectrum. Some sport American flags for profile pictures; others have images of beautiful women. Almost all are anonymous, though some impersonate real people. In tweets and posts and messages they spread their views….


Ruins at the Roman Port of Ostia Antica Rival Pompeii’s

Sitting on the top row of the ancient arena, I scan the ruins of Ostia, letting my imagination take me back 2,000 years to the days when this was ancient Rome’s seaport, a thriving commercial center of 60,000 people. I marvel also at how few visitors make the 20-mile trip from downtown Rome to what…


Photographer Salutes Action-Packed Cheetahs With Showstopping Photos to Mark International Cheetah Day

A wildlife photographer has shared some of his favorite pictures to mark International Cheetah Day on Sunday, Dec. 4. Paul Goldstein has been studying the fastest animal on land since he saw his first one almost forty years ago. The Wimbledon-based guide will spend many hours searching for the predators in the conservancies of Kenya….


Movin’ on Up: Trompe L’oeil in ‘Staircase Group’

Perhaps today, you’ve come to admire paintings at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. As you walk down a hallway, you see two boys walking up a stairway, and you want to follow. You take the first step up. Then you realize you’ll get nowhere on this staircase. You almost bump your nose against “Staircase Group…


Mexican Authorities Find Strange Holiday Package: 4 Skulls

MEXICO CITY—Authorities in central Mexico said Friday they found a strange holiday-season package at a local airport: four human skulls being shipped to the United States. Mexico’s National Guard said its officers were called to an airport in the city of Queretaro after an X-ray detected strange shapes in a cardboard box. The box was…


Pelosi Announces One of Her Final Acts as House Speaker

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has boosted the maximum rate that lawmakers can pay House staff, with the move being one of her final acts before having to hand over the speaker’s gavel next week as Republicans take control of the lower chamber of Congress. “It is my privilege as Speaker to announce that the…


Pelosi Raises Salary Cap for House Staff in One of Her Final Acts as Speaker

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has boosted the maximum rate that lawmakers can pay House staff, with the move being one of her final acts before having to hand over the speaker’s gavel next week as Republicans take control of the lower chamber of Congress. “It is my privilege as Speaker to announce that the…


Gaslight (1944)

The accidental death of her aunt leaves a large inheritance to a beautiful, kind-hearted young woman, Paula (Ingrid Bergman), which attracts the covetousness of a young man, Anton (Charles Boyer). After successfully pursuing Paula, the two return to live in the old London house where Paula’s aunt was killed. She hears strange noises, things disappear…