Category: News
Naperville News Digest: Shopping environmentally, local comedian returns
Local author talks environmentally-minded shopping
Diane Osgood, a local environmental economist and author, will talk about shopping with the environment in mind during a free event at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21 at the McDonald Farm, 10S404 Knoch Knolls Road, Naperville.
Osgood’s presentation, “Your Shopping Superpower,” will explore how purchasing power can work for the environment instead of against it, a news release said.
Osgood, of Oswego, is the author of “Your Shopping Superpower: Follow Your Values and Better Your World One Purchase at a Time,” which offers practical strategies for making environmentally conscious purchases.
Friday’s event is open to the public and will feature interactive demonstrations, light refreshments and ideas for sustainable gift-giving and holiday supplies, the release said.
Registration is recommended at https://bit.ly/4nP58EZ.
For more information, contact the Conservation Foundation at 630-428-4500 or theconservationfoundation.org
Naperville comedian returns home for one-night show
Comedian Chris Ryan, a Naperville native and graduate of Naperville Central High School, will perform in his hometown at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12 at Meiley-Swallow Hall on North Central College’s campus, 31 S. Ellsworth St.
The show, “Nothing Means Anything,” will be performed in Naperville for one night only.
After 20 years away from the stage, Ryan last year performed three runs of his hour-long show, “Thermometer” to sold-out crowds in Indianapolis and Chicago.
His latest set dives into parenting chaos, aging, identity and the absurdity of modern life, a news release said.
Tickets are $25 each and can be bought at www.northcentralcollege.edu.
Park District and YMCA plan annual Christmas luncheon
Naperville senior citizens and families in need have until Monday, Dec. 8 to sign up for the annual Community Christmas Luncheon.
The luncheon, which is co-hosted by the Naperville Park District and the Fry Family YMCA, will be held at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 24 at the Chicago Marriott Naperville, 1801 N. Naper Blvd.
The luncheon has been held for more than 40 years. Seniors and families in need can enjoy the holidays with a complimentary meal, which is made possible by donations.
Anyone wishing to support this initiative can make a monetary donation at www.napervilleparks.org/donate.
Those interested in attending the luncheon must reserve a space by Dec. 8 by contacting Myles Cochran at mcochran@ymcachicago.org or at 630-904-9595. Guests should include their names, phone numbers and the number of people who will be attending.
Naperville residents earn DuPage County scholarships
Two Naperville residents were among those recently awarded college scholarships through DuPage County’s Community Services Block Grant Scholarship program.
DuPage County awarded $54,000 to 10 area residents who demonstrated “inspiring traits and achievements while persevering through significant life experiences,” such as being first-generation college students and single mothers returning to school, a news release from the county said.
The recipients were awarded anywhere from $2,000 to $8,500 each, and scholarships were based on financial need, academic achievement, community and school involvement and interest in high-demand employment sectors, the release said.
Naperville recipients include Francesca Mosley, who is studying to be a certified paralegal assistant at the College of DuPage and Shavonne, whose last name was withheld and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at Lewis University.
“Education has always been a guiding light of hope in my life’s path,” Mosley said in a statement. “I do not view this scholarship solely as just an investment in me, but it is an investment that will be utilized indirectly to pour back into the community I plan to serve with it.”
The scholarships supplement the cost of tuition, books, supplies and other school expenses, the news release said. It is funded and designed in cooperation with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for low-income individuals with high academic potential.
Holanda cede control de empresa china de chips, aliviando enfrentamiento
Por CHAN HO-HIM y KELVIN CHAN
HONG KONG (AP) — Holanda está renunciando al control del fabricante de chips de propiedad china Nexperia, aliviando un enfrentamiento con China que amenazaba el suministro de semiconductores vitales para la fabricación global de automóviles.
El ministro de Asuntos Económicos, Vincent Karremans, manifestó que estaba suspendiendo una orden anterior para tomar el control de Nexperia bajo una ley de la era de la Guerra Fría que rara vez se invoca.
El gobierno holandés había citado preocupaciones de seguridad nacional y “graves deficiencias de gobernanza” cuando tomó el control efectivo de Nexperia, que tiene su sede en la ciudad de Nijmegen pero es propiedad de Wingtech Technology de China. Los funcionarios declararon que estaban tratando de prevenir la pérdida de conocimientos tecnológicos cruciales que podrían amenazar la seguridad económica de Europa.
Los chips de Nexperia son ampliamente utilizados por fabricantes de automóviles en América del Norte, Japón y Corea del Sur. Los fabricantes de automóviles advirtieron en las últimas semanas que estaban quedándose sin chips, y Honda se vio obligada a cerrar una fábrica en México que producía su popular crossover HR-V para los mercados de América del Norte.
Karremans expresó que estaba suspendiendo su orden emitida a finales de septiembre como una “muestra de buena voluntad” en una decisión que se produjo después de “reuniones constructivas” con las autoridades chinas en los últimos días.
“A la luz de los desarrollos recientes, Holanda considera que es el momento adecuado para dar un paso constructivo suspendiendo mi orden bajo la Ley de Disponibilidad de Bienes”, indicó en un comunicado.
“Somos positivos respecto a las medidas ya tomadas por las autoridades chinas para asegurar el suministro de chips a Europa y al resto del mundo”.
El Ministerio de Comercio de China dio la bienvenida a la decisión, pero advirtió que es solo un “primer paso” para resolver el problema.
Una decisión de un tribunal holandés que limita el control de Wingtech sobre Nexperia “sigue siendo un obstáculo clave para resolver el problema”, señaló el ministerio. Añadió que ambos países deberían continuar trabajando juntos en el asunto.
La disputa es un ejemplo de cómo Europa se encuentra atrapada entre Washington y Beijing en su rivalidad sobre comercio y tecnología. Holanda emitió su orden de incautación después de que Estados Unidos el año pasado incluyera a Wingtech en su “lista de entidades” de empresas que enfrentan controles de exportación, y luego la expandió en septiembre para incluir subsidiarias, incluida Nexperia.
La batalla en la sala de juntas incluyó la destitución del CEO chino de Nexperia y fundador de Wingtech, Zhang Xuezheng. Funcionarios estadounidenses habían dicho al gobierno holandés que debería ser reemplazado para evitar restricciones comerciales, según un documento judicial.
Beijing respondió bloqueando la exportación de chips de Nexperia desde su fábrica china a principios de octubre, una prohibición que levantó en los últimos días como parte de una tregua comercial con China tras la reunión del presidente estadounidense Donald Trump con el líder chino Xi Jinping.
Aun así, la unidad china de la empresa y su sede holandesa han continuado enfrentándose por el suministro de obleas desde plantas de fabricación en Europa a su centro de ensamblaje en China.
A pesar del anuncio de Karremans, la disputa aún no está completamente resuelta, según las empresas.
Wingtech sostuvo que si el gobierno holandés tiene “la sinceridad para resolver el problema”, debería presentar un aviso “retirando explícitamente su apoyo” a los procedimientos judiciales que resultaron en la suspensión de Zhang como CEO.
Los procedimientos judiciales son una amenaza para la continuidad de Nexperia y “por lo tanto para la seguridad económica de Holanda y Europa, que es el mismo argumento que el gobierno holandés hizo anteriormente en apoyo de la intervención judicial”.
Wingtech aseguró que rechaza firmemente las acusaciones de Karremans de que Zhang estaba detrás de “varios actos de supuesta mala gestión”, diciendo que no se ha proporcionado ninguna prueba.
Nexperia aseveró que el anuncio del gobierno holandés es una señal de progreso significativo, pero “la restauración completa de la cadena de suministro requiere una cooperación activa adicional de las entidades de Nexperia en China”.
Nexperia fue anteriormente parte del gigante electrónico holandés Philips y finalmente fue comprada por Wingtech en 2018. Fabrica chips básicos y estandarizados esenciales para el funcionamiento de numerosas funciones automotrices, como operar luces, sistemas de airbags o frenos antibloqueo. Los automóviles modernos pueden requerir cientos de estos componentes.
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Kelvin Chan reportó desde Londres.
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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
Aurora Winter Lights Fest to feature parade, tree-lighting, drone show and more
The city of Aurora will officially welcome in the holiday season on Friday with the annual Winter Lights Fest from 6 to 9 p.m. downtown.
A parade led by Santa and Mrs. Claus will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Downer Place and Water Street and head west on Downer Place to River Street. The Christmas tree-lighting ceremony will follow at the GAR Memorial Hall, 23 E. Downer Place, where Mayor John Laesch will join Santa and Mrs. Claus and lead the crowd in a countdown to flip the switch and illuminate the city’s new holiday tree.
“After the tree lighting, the downtown Aurora sky will be brightened by a drone light show along the banks of the Fox River,” a press release from the city about the event said. “After the drone show, Stolp Avenue, between Downer Place and Galena Boulevard, will be filled with food vendors, roaming costumed characters and musical entertainment at Millennium Plaza.”
Sam Loveland, communication coordinator for the city of Aurora, said the Winter Lights Fest has been going on for “at least 15 years and has become an annual tradition.”
“People come to expect the tree lighting, the parade, Santa. Each year the Events Department steps it up,” she said. “We’ve got a drone show, Stolp Avenue is going to be alive with characters and inflatables and there’s going to be a trackless train and photo ops.”
At the GAR Memorial Hall location, free photos with Santa will be available immediately following the drone show.
Loveland said that downtown businesses “would be doing a window decorating contest” adding that “a map for people will be available to kind of go and explore that part of downtown.”
The contest, she said, “fell off for a couple of years and had been headed by the Events Department and has been taken over by the Economic Development Department.”
“More than a handful of businesses are decorating their windows in a snowflake theme and this week … a panel of judges will be walking around and deciding on the winner and that winner will be announced at the Winter Lights Fest parade,” she said. “We also have a handful of city-owned buildings and windows that will be decorated through Aurora Public Art.
“We will put out a map for folks to see where they can go and catch all the decorated windows to sort of guide them through downtown,” Loveland added. “It’s another fun, kind of artistic endeavor to amplify our businesses downtown and hopefully bring people down to see those businesses.”
Businesses with decorations include McCarty Mills Taproom, Offbeat Vintage and Society 57, along with about nine others. Check https://www.aurora.il.us/Recreation-and-Amenities/Events/Special-Events/Winter-Lights for map information.
Loveland said Winter Lights Fest normally draws about 1,000 people and that the good weather predicted for Friday would likely bring more.
“We run between 6 and 9 p.m. and most families arrive early for the tree lighting and parade,” she said. “Then, we spread downtown as the night goes on. We’ve got food trucks and a DJ playing music, and it sort of has the atmosphere of First Fridays – businesses are open and they have specials running and it’s definitely the start of seasonal festivities in Aurora.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
Cloudflare Blames Database Error For Outage That Took Down 20% Of The Web
Cloudflare Blames Database Error For Outage That Took Down 20% Of The Web
Authored by Brayden Lindrea via CoinTelegraph.com,
Internet services provider Cloudflare says that a fault in its bot detection system triggered an outage that took down around 20% of webpages, including several crypto platforms.
Cloudflare said in a post-mortem statement on Tuesday that a “feature file” used by its Bot Management System to fight off cyberattacks grew beyond its normal limit, leading to a failure in Cloudflare’s software.
“We are sorry for the impact to our customers and to the Internet in general. Given Cloudflare’s importance in the Internet ecosystem any outage of any of our systems is unacceptable.”
The company initially suspected the incident was caused by a hyper-scale Distributed Denial of Service attack, but confirmed there was no cyberattack or malicious activity.
Cloudflare handles roughly 20% of internet traffic and powers around one-third of the top 10,000 websites, apps and services.
Its outage took out the websites for Coinbase, Blockchain.com, Ledger, BitMEX, Toncoin, Arbiscan, and DefiLlama, as well as X and ChatGPT, leading some crypto commentators to remark on the crypto industry’s reliance on centralized systems, some of which also went offline when Amazon Web Services suffered a network outage last month.
Source: Nader Dabit
A spokesperson for EthStorage, which offers a product allowing Ethereum to be used as a web server, told Cointelegraph that the AWS and Cloudflare outages show “centralized infrastructure will always create single points of failure.”
“A complete decentralized web stack is needed more than ever,” the company said.
Vitalik Buterin wants decentralization prioritized
Last Wednesday, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin authored a “Trustless Manifesto,” which called on industry builders to never sacrifice decentralization in pursuit of adoption.
Buterin and Ethereum Foundation researchers Yoav Weiss and Marissa Posner, said crypto platforms sacrifice trustlessness from the moment that they integrate a hosted node or centralized relayer, explaining that while it feels harmless, each new checkpoint becomes a potential chokepoint.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 11/19/2025 – 10:45
https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/cloudflare-blames-database-error-outage-took-down-20-web
Lula y Guterres presionan para lograr un acuerdo climático en la COP30
Por SETH BORENSTEIN, MELINA WALLING y ANTON L. DELGADO
BELÉM, Brasil (AP) — Dos poderosos actores globales presionarán el miércoles a los negociadores para que alcancen acuerdos en las conversaciones climáticas de las Naciones Unidas en Belém, Brasil, donde está por cumplirse un plazo autoimpuesto.
El secretario general de la ONU, Antonio Guterres, recorrió las salas de reuniones el martes, mientras que el presidente brasileño Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva se unirá a las conversaciones de la COP30 el miércoles por la mañana.
“La llegada del presidente Lula y Antonio Guterres es enormemente significativa y sugiere que los anfitriones piensan que deberíamos aprobar hoy algún tipo de acuerdo”, indicó Mohamed Adow, de la organización ambiental keniana Power Shift Africa. “No suele ocurrir que el presidente participe en las conversaciones a mitad de la segunda semana sin tener algo que mostrar”.
Aumentando la posibilidad de un resultado histórico, Carolina Pasquali, directora ejecutiva de Greenpeace Brasil, expresó: “La COP se acerca a su fase final y la llegada conjunta de Lula y Guterres envía una clara señal política de que van en serio”.
Temas excluidos que se espera discutir
El miércoles es un día importante en los planes de los brasileños que dirigen la conferencia en los márgenes de Amazonía. Aunque se prevé que las conversaciones continúen al menos hasta el viernes, el presidente de la COP30, André Corrêa do Lago, dio a los negociadores hasta el miércoles para tomar una decisión sobre cuatro temas interconectados que fueron excluidos inicialmente de la agenda oficial: si se debe instar a los países a endurecer sus nuevos planes climáticos, detalles sobre la distribución de 300.000 millones de dólares en ayuda climática prometida, abordar las barreras comerciales relacionadas con el clima y mejorar los informes climáticos sobre transparencia y avances.
Junto con esos cuatro temas, hay un impulso por parte de decenas de países, ricos y pobres, para obtener una hoja de ruta detallada sobre cómo eliminar gradualmente los combustibles fósiles. Y eso es clave para la parte que tiene que ver con endurecer los nuevos planes climáticos con el fin de limitar el calentamiento futuro a 1,5 grados Celsius (2,7 grados Fahrenheit), el objetivo global establecido en el Acuerdo de París de 2015.
Hace dos años, tras varios días de debate contencioso, las conversaciones climáticas acordaron términos en los que se pedía una transición para abandonar gradualmente los combustibles fósiles —carbón, petróleo y gas natural—, pero desde entonces, poco se ha hecho para aclarar o ampliar esa única frase. Los manifestantes dentro y fuera del lugar de la conferencia siguieron presionando por una eliminación gradual.
Lula y los combustibles fósiles
En conversaciones previas con líderes en Belém, Lula impulsó los esfuerzos para dar más detalles sobre cómo alejar al mundo de los combustibles que emiten gases de efecto invernadero, la principal causa del cambio climático.
El presidente brasileño también ha promovido una mayor participación en un nuevo fondo internacional multimillonario financiado por deuda con intereses en lugar de donaciones, llamado Fondo Bosques Tropicales para Siempre. El objetivo es que, para los gobiernos, mantener sus árboles sea más lucrativo que talarlos.
Iskander Erzini Vernoit, director de la Iniciativa IMAL para el Clima y el Desarrollo, un grupo de expertos independiente con sede en Marruecos, señaló que no será fácil que Guterres y Lula encuentren un terreno común entre los negociadores.
“Aún persisten varios estancamientos evidentes, y el principal de ellos, desde un punto de vista africano, es la falta de disposición de la UE y otros países ricos para comprometerse con su obligación de proporcionar financiamiento climático”, manifestó.
La implementación es clave para reducir el calentamiento global
Antes de esta conferencia de dos semanas, los líderes brasileños enfatizaron la importancia de centrarse en la implementación, poniendo en marcha la acción sobre acuerdos, objetivos y compromisos ya hechos, en lugar de establecer nuevos convenios.
Si las naciones cumplieran con los objetivos establecidos en conversaciones climáticas pasadas de triplicar las energías renovables, duplicar la eficiencia energética y reducir el metano para 2030, la tasa de calentamiento global podría reducirse en un tercio dentro de una década y media, es decir, para 2040, según un nuevo informe de Climate Analytics.
Neil Grant, experto en análisis de políticas climáticas y autor principal del informe, dijo que esto podría rescatar el objetivo establecido hace una década en el Acuerdo de París.
Aunque los líderes climáticos han admitido que el mundo está en vías de superar este objetivo climático, Grant expresó: “Tenemos las herramientas para dejar de utilizar los combustibles fósiles. Aunque el momento es oscuro, todavía tenemos capacidad para actuar independientemente”.
“En este momento, en la COP 30 en Belém, lo que estamos viendo desarrollarse es nuestro futuro”, afirmó Dev Karan, un joven activista climático de 17 años. “Las decisiones que se tomen ahora en papel se traducirán en el futuro que experimentaremos algún día”.
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La cobertura climática y ambiental de The Associated Press recibe apoyo financiero de múltiples fundaciones privadas. La AP es la única responsable de todo el contenido. Encuentra los estándares de la AP para trabajar con organizaciones filantrópicas, una lista de las fundaciones y las áreas de cobertura que financian en AP.org.
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Este informe fue producido como parte de la Asociación de Medios sobre el Cambio Climático 2025, una beca de periodismo organizada por la Red de Periodismo Ambiental de Internews y el Centro Stanley para la Paz y la Seguridad.
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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
Surprise Crude Draw Stabilizes Oil Prices After Early Plunge On Russia Peace Talk Headlines
Surprise Crude Draw Stabilizes Oil Prices After Early Plunge On Russia Peace Talk Headlines
Oil prices tumbled overnight following API’s report suggesting a large build in crude inventories, , which would take oil stored in commercial tanks to the highest level in more than five months, if confirmed by official data this morning.
The supply buildup may help cushion the impact of US sanctions against Russian producers Rosneft PJSC and Lukoil PJSC that are set to kick in within days, part of efforts to raise the pressure against Moscow to end the war in Ukraine.
An Axios report that Washington has been working in consultation with the Kremlin to draft a new plan also eased supply concerns, though Moscow denied any talks.
Additionally, Politico reported that the White House is expecting a new peace agreement with Russia by the end of November, which could bring the war with Ukraine to an end.
While on the topic of Russia, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told journalists that while the country has under-utilized its OPEC+ allocation recently, within the coming months, Russia will be able to increase oil production to the level permitted under the OPEC+ agreement, he said.
“I think within the next few months, perhaps by the end of the year, maybe at the beginning of next year, we will see how the companies [respond],” he said.
“In November, production will be higher than in October. I cannot say exactly by how much right now, but there is an increase.”
So will the official data confirm API’s report?
API
Crude +4.4mm
Cushing -800k
Gasoline +1.5mm
Distillates +600k
DOE
Crude -3.426mm
Cushing -698k
Gasoline +2.327mm – first build in seven weeks
Distillates +171k
Shocker: while API reported a big build, the official data showed a large crude inventory drawdown last week. Additionally, Gasoline stocks rose for the first time in seven weeks…
Source: Bloomberg
Cushing stocks are hovering near ‘tank bottoms’ – so much for the SPR rebuild?
Source: Bloomberg
US Crude production remains near record highs…
Source: Bloomberg
WTI fell to around $59 overnight and is stabilizing there after the official data report…
Source: Bloomberg
Finally, Prices were also pressured after failure to break past their 50-day moving average in recent days.
The global benchmark came within two cents of that marker on Tuesday, before retreating sharply on Wednesday.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 11/19/2025 – 10:38
Ford retira más de 200.000 Bronco y Bronco Sport por falla en panel de instrumentos
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ford Motor Co. está retirando del mercado más de 200.000 vehículos Bronco y Bronco Sport debido a que el panel de instrumentos puede fallar, aumentando el riesgo de un accidente.
Los reguladores federales de seguridad automotriz explicaron que el panel de instrumentos puede no mostrarse al encenderse, dejando al conductor sin información de seguridad crítica.
La retirada incluye 128.607 Ford Bronco Sports, años modelo 2025-2026 y 101.002 Ford Broncos, también años modelo 2025-2026, según informó la Administración Nacional de Seguridad del Tráfico en las Carreteras.
Ford no tiene conocimiento de ninguna lesión causada por la falla del panel de instrumentos.
Los propietarios serán notificados por correo a partir del 8 de diciembre y se les indicará que lleven sus vehículos a un concesionario Ford o Lincoln para actualizar el software.
El número de retirada de la NHTSA es 25V540.
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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
Naperville scribes of holiday ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ to host Anderson’s event
Two Naperville authors with stories in the anthology “Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Spirit of Christmas” are set to host a book talk and signing at Anderson’s Bookshop this Sunday. The authors, Carmela Martino and Julie Phend, have been featured in the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series before.
“They get thousands of submissions. And so it’s not that easy to be accepted,” Phend, a retired Naperville middle school teacher now based in Virginia, said. “It really is an exciting thing to write for them.”
“Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Spirit of Christmas” features 101 holiday-themed stories based on real life events from the authors’ lives.
Phend’s story for this year is called “Home for the Holidays” and is a story about one holiday season in 1977 when she was traveling to see family and everything that could have possibly gone wrong went wrong.
Headshot of Julie Phend, a retired Lincoln Junior High School teacher currently based in Virginia. Phend’s story “Home for the Holidays” is featured in the holiday-themed anthology “Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Spirit of Christmas.” (Julie Phend)
“My daughter got sick and she was a baby,” Phend said. “She threw up on the plane. There was a snowstorm in Chicago. The plane got diverted. … We missed our connecting flight. We had this sick baby. It just went on and on.”
That experience was unpleasant to say the least. Yet, Phend said it was also unforgettable.
“It’s the kind of story you tell over and over again,” Phend said. “And so since you tell it, you might as well write it down.”
Martino’s story for this year, titled “Blessing in Disguise,” is based on a more recent experience: waking up on Christmas Day last year and realizing her engagement ring was missing.
“Part of the story about the ring is the fact that I’m a very, very frugal person,” Martino said.
Headshot of Naperville-based writer Carmela Martino, whose story “Blessing in Disguise” is featured in the holiday-themed anthology “Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Spirit of Christmas.” It is the third time Martino has been featured in a “Chicken Soup for the Soul” collection. (Carmela Martino)
When she picked out her engagement ring years ago, she intentionally chose a ring with a small diamond. Martino said her partner was “sweet enough” to ask her if she wanted a ring that was a little bit bigger, but the ring Martino ultimately settled for was only slightly bigger than the one she originally picked out.
“After we got engaged and I had the ring, I realized everybody else has a bigger diamond,” Martino said, which she noted gave her a bit of “diamond envy.”
“My husband, bless his heart, I expressed that to him and he’s like ‘Well, we can get you a bigger diamond,’” she said. “And I’m like ‘No, this is the diamond we picked out together.’”
So when Martino realized that her ring was missing, it helped her find a new sense of appreciation and gratitude not only for the ring itself, but all the memories that accompanied it.
Both Phend and Martino, who have known each other for years, picked up writing after first pursuing other careers. Phend spent nearly 20 years teaching at Lincoln Junior High School. She retired in 2005 and decided to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a writer after that.
The first book she wrote, called “D-Day and Beyond: A True Story of Escape and POW Survival” was based on the story of Stanley Edwards, a World War II veteran who was a pilot on D-Day. Edwards was dropping paratroopers into Normandy when his plane was shot down.
“It’s a story of how he survived,” Phend, who wrote the story with Edwards, said. “And I met him at Lincoln when he came to talk to our students about World War II, so that’s kind of how I got started.”
Martino’s career started out in the computer science industry. She worked in the field of data processing for about five years before switching to write course materials teaching people how to use computers.
“That reminded me how much I love to write,” Martino said.
That led her to being a freelance writer for newspapers and magazines for many years, eventually earning a master’s degree in fine arts. She taught writing classes for 20 years at the College of DuPage.
Martino also has a few books published, including one called “Rosa, Sola,” based off of a moment in her childhood, when her mother gave birth to a stillborn baby boy and nearly died when Martino was 10.
Martino and Phend’s Prior Chicken Soup for the Soul Stories
This is the second time Phend has been featured in the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series. Her first piece was published in 2023 for “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miracles and the Unexplained.”
That story was based off of a bad car accident she got into in Virginia in 2019. In one moment, Phend was exiting a highway. The next moment, she heard a loud bang. Another vehicle struck her and she was flying across multiple lanes of traffic.
“I really thought I was going to die and I heard this voice and it said, ‘Just keep steering.’ And so I did.” Phend said.
As she kept turning her wheel, Phend was able to land her car right next to a concrete barrier on the opposite side of the highway. A man helped her out of car and told her “I’m really glad you’re alright, but I gotta tell you, that was a heck of a piece of driving you did.”
For Martino, this will be her third time appearing in a “Chicken Soup for the Soul” collection. The first time she appeared in “Chicken Soup for the Soul” was in 2008 for a poem she wrote for a collection geared towards teens.
Last year, her story about how her ‘Good Things Jar’ helped her navigate the pandemic was included in the “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Tales of Christmas” anthology.
“I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of a ‘Good Things Jar.’ You keep a jar where you write a note every time something good happens, and you just write a note and put it in the jar,” Martino said. “And by the end of the year, you collect these notes and it’s a fun way to watch for the good in your life.”
But during the pandemic lockdown in 2020, she thought she would never add anything to the jar ever again.
“Having that jar actually helped me get through that difficult time that I was depressed and helped me to see that there were good things happening to me despite the lockdown and not being able to visit family,” Martino said.
Phend and Martino will celebrate the release of “Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Spirit of Christmas” at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 23 at Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville. Tickets to the event can be found online through Anderson’s website. Pre-registration is required.
cstein@chicagotribune.com
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/19/naperville-writers-chicken-soup-for-soul/
Labubu y “KPop Demon Hunters” brillarán en el desfile de Acción de Gracias de Macy’s
Por MARK KENNEDY
NUEVA YORK (AP) — Dos cosas que causaron un gran impacto cultural este año — Labubu y “KPop Demon Hunters” — llenarán el cielo y las calles de Nueva York cuando comience el Desfile del Día de Acción de Gracias de Macy’s este año.
El desfile del 27 de noviembre comienza, llueva o truene, en el Upper West Side de Manhattan y termina en la tienda principal de Macy’s en Herald Square en la Calle 34, que sirve como escenario y telón de fondo para las actuaciones. Contará con 34 globos, cuatro mini-globos, 28 carrozas, 33 grupos de payasos y 11 bandas de música, todos abriendo paso para Santa Claus.
A continuación, información clave sobre el desfile y cómo verlo.
¿A qué hora comienza el Desfile del Día de Acción de Gracias de Macy’s?
Comienza a las 8:30 de la mañana hora del Este (0100 GMT) y se transmite a esa hora en todas las zonas horarias de Estados Unidos.
¿En qué canal se transmite el Desfile del Día de Acción de Gracias de Macy’s?
Estará en NBC, disponible con una antena o a través de proveedores de cable y satélite.
¿Qué pasa si quiero verlo en streaming?
Para los que no tienen cable, el desfile se transmitirá simultáneamente en la plataforma de streaming Peacock y una retransmisión comenzará a las 2:00 p.m. EST/PST. También habrá una transmisión simultánea en español en Telemundo.
El año pasado, más de 31 millones de personas sintonizaron NBC y Peacock, un aumento del 10% respecto al año anterior, marcando la mayor audiencia de la historia para el desfile.
¿Cómo estará el clima?
Weather Channel predice una máxima de 52 °F (11 °C) y un día parcialmente nublado, con vientos de hasta 10 mph (16 kmph). AccuWeather también predice 52 grados con intervalos de nubes y sol, una lluvia pasajera y vientos de seis mph. La ley de la ciudad de Nueva York prohíbe a Macy’s volar los globos de tamaño completo si los vientos sostenidos superan las 23 mph o las ráfagas de viento superan las 35 mph.
¿Quiénes son algunas de las estrellas que actuarán?
La estrella de “Wicked” Cynthia Erivo dará inicio a un espectáculo estelar. Audrey Nuna, EJAE y Rei Ami de HUNTR/X, el grupo de chicas ficticio en el corazón del éxito de Netflix “KPop Demon Hunters”, se presentarán junto a Ciara, Foreigner, Lil Jon, Kool & the Gang, Busta Rhymes, Mickey Guyton y Teyana. Un grupo ecléctico de estrellas — desde la bailarina de ballet Tiler Peck hasta el presentador de “Hot Ones” de YouTube, Sean Evans — se unirá al inicio anual de las festividades.
Broadway estará representado por miembros del elenco de “Buena Vista Social Club”, “Just in Time” y “Ragtime”, mientras que las Rockettes de Radio City estarán presentes junto a algunos atletas destacados — el tres veces campeón nacional de patinaje artístico de Estados Unidos Ilia Malinin y el paralímpico estadounidense Jack Wallace. Alumnos y estudiantes de la Escuela Secundaria LaGuardia en la ciudad de Nueva York — la escuela presentada en la película y serie de televisión “Fame” — ayudarán a celebrar el 50 aniversario de “A Chorus Line”.
Otros presentes serán Jewel, Debbie Gibson, Drew Baldridge, Matteo Bocelli, Colbie Caillat, Gavin DeGraw, Meg Donnelly, Christopher Jackson, Darlene Love, Roman Mejia, Taylor Momsen, Calum Scott, Shaggy, Lauren Spencer Smith y Luísa Sonza.
¿Quién presentará el Desfile del Día de Acción de Gracias de Macy’s?
Para aquellos que lo vean en televisión o computadoras, el trío de presentadores veteranos — Savannah Guthrie y Al Roker de “Today” y su excolega Hoda Kotb. En Telemundo, los presentadores serán Andrea Meza, Aleyda Ortiz y Clovis Nienow.
¿Cuáles son los nuevos globos?
Este año, debutarán cuatro nuevos globos de personajes destacados, incluyendo a Buzz Lightyear, Pac-Man, Mario de Super Mario Bros. y un globo de carroza de cebolla de 32 pies de altura (9,8 metros) con ocho personajes del mundo de “Shrek”. “KPop Demon Hunters” también estará representado en el cielo con los personajes Derpy Tiger y Sussie.
¿Qué hay de las nuevas carrozas?
Varias carrozas nuevas debutarán este año, incluyendo la primera carroza de Pop Mart, con Labubu, Skullpanda, Peach Riot, Dimoo, Molly, Duckoo y Mokoko. También habrá carrozas de Holland America Line, Lego, chocolates Lindt, “Stranger Things” con miembros de Foreigner, y un grupo de ovejas caprichosas tratando de dormir cortesía de Serta. El snack en forma de pez Goldfish regresa al desfile con una pequeña carroza que mide solo 14 galletas Goldfish de largo.
¿Está representado tu estado por alguna de las bandas?
Las bandas de música provendrán de Carolina del Sur, California, Texas, Arizona, Nuevo Hampshire, Misisipi, Alabama, Pensilvania y Santiago, Panamá. La banda de música del Departamento de Policía de Nueva York también se unirá. También habrá bailarines y animadoras de Spirit of America Dance y Spirit of America Cheer.
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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
Rearranging The Chairs
Rearranging The Chairs
By Michael Every of Rabobank
Rearranging the Chairs
Tuesday was another down day for most markets as the US weekly ADP jobs report suggested the labor backdrop is weakening and housing starts sagged. As the FT puts it, ‘Oracle’s astonishing $300bn OpenAI deal is now valued at minus $60bn.’
Here Is The Batshit Insane Chart That Sent Oracle Stock Soaring 25% After Hours https://t.co/Haus5Ueybg
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) September 9, 2025
Wednesday is mixed so far in Asia for bonds: Australia is seeing its 10-year yield down around 2bps and Japan’s equivalent is up 3bp – and neither is what their economies need right now; but there as elsewhere, with K-shapes all over, nasty politics, and worrying geopolitics, what is? That question it tied up with ‘who is?’
Treasury Secretary Bessent just said he doesn’t want to be Fed Chair but that person will hopefully be named by Xmas – Trump thinks he already knows who he wants . Does anybody think it’s going to be a strong, independent, gnostic, hawk deliberately ignorant of geopolitics, who will focus on 2% CPI and clash with the White House and Treasury? I thought not.
Politico reports Spain and Germany are gunning to head the ECB in 2027, with former Bank of Spain governor de Cos, now running the BIS, in a strong position – though moving him could cost Europe its BIS leadership if Trump wants an American to run the central bankers’ central bank. Bundesbank president Nagel is mentioned, as is him recently annoying Chancellor Merz in expressing support for Eurobonds for defence purposes. Germany has more hawkish candidates – or it could support one from elsewhere, such as former president of the Dutch central bank Knot.
Markets will soon focus on this rearranging of Chairs… and that it’s on the Titanic(?) As noted yesterday, the White House sees the neoliberal, central-bank centric, inflation-targeting world no longer exists: so, logically, it won’t exist under the next Fed Chair. Monetary policy and fiscal policy will (further) conjoin, as will FX, trade, defence, industrial, and energy policy – and others to boot. Covering any of those areas will require a real understanding of that connection and the nested hierarchy of national (or bloc) Grand Macro Strategy driving them.
Is that just a US issue? No. The PBOC operates in a similar fashion, so the world’s two largest economies would be outside the neoliberal norm. The Bank of England could follow under Reform. Even Europe will be forced to grapple with serious structural issues, which the Draghi Report argue require bold, original, joined-up thinking – and it’s not as if the ECB hasn’t changed hugely since its inception.
The real issue will be finding someone who can Chair a central bank as it will need to be run when existing candidates have, by default, been trained on how it used to need to be run. That’s not going to be easy. A related issue will be finding financial media and analysts willing to keep up with this dizzying set of conflating changes: that’s also going to be a hard sell when most of the specialised and siloed industry is built around CPI or payrolls higher/lower games.
Meanwhile, in geopolitics and related geoeconomics what the BOJ, Fed, ECB, financial media, and markets are all going to have to grapple is long and growing:
Japan issued a safety alert for its citizens in China as that diplomatic row escalates, with neither side seen willing to back down. Japanese businesses are bunkering down for the expected fallout. That’s as the US Ambassador to Japan publicly reiterated that the US will defend it if needed, in regards to the disputed Senkaku islands, which the Chinese coastguard just sailed past, as the PLA-N’s Fujian aircraft carrier completes its first training exercise after entering service.
Politico argues trench warfare in Ukraine is now far worse as drones create a “hellscape”. The FT underlines it takes 45 days(!) to move a tank from Rotterdam to the EU-Ukraine border due to infrastructure issues: a “military Schengen” is seen needed, alongside vast budgets – as a UK review has found Britain is “not ready to defend itself.”
The structure of the €140bn EU loan to Ukraine secured by Russian assets is seen by critics as deliberately designed to seize the underlying collateral as Ukraine will never be able to repay: how does that help the ‘liberal world order’ or hopes to extend the global reach of the Euro? That’s as President Zelenskyy will today visit Turkey to try to “reinvigorate” US peace talks which are likely to leave the EU holding the can even if they succeed.
In terms of EU ‘strategic autonomy’, Rio Tinto has placed its €3bn lithium project in Serbia on indefinite “care and maintenance”; Norway is furious with after being rejected for an EU metals-trade tariff exemption; and Macron stated the EU refuses to be either a US or China “vassal” in AI. S’il vous plait, use “Europe preference” to build your own system, alienating the US, at a cost of trillions of Euros, while pushing electricity prices even higher, as generals make clear AI is essential for the military, and only one standard can be used, so if the US stays in NATO, it’s from the US.
China’s PLA media accused the US of “gunboat diplomacy” vs Venezuela, as Maduro says he’s “ready to talk” to the White House. That ‘s as the Wall Street Journal notes ‘The ‘JPMorgan Boys’ Behind the U.S. Bailout for Argentina’, where “President Javier Milei’s administration is packed with former Wall Street traders trying to steer market forces.” Forces, certainly: then markets.
Trump designated Saudi Arabia as the latest US major non-NATO ally, saying MBS “knew nothing” about Khashoggi’s murder, and “things happen.” That’s as the Crown Prince pledged to invest $1 trillion in the US, reportedly pressed it to intervene to end the Sudan war and said he wants to join the Abraham Accords, which still requires a path to a Palestinian state. He now gets F-35s (years from now, and over Israeli objections) and US AI chips.
A US report argued the government needs an overhaul to compete with China: logically, yes, as it’s revealed Wright USA, an insurance company that insured FBI and CIA agents, was acquired by China’s Fosun Group, giving it access to the personal data of US secret service employees. Yet a new US body would also be a single-point of failure – and now do everyone else.
In the economy, the FT notes ‘the growing problem with China’s unreliable numbers’ – yes, and now do everywhere else, recalling these are what central-bank technocrats and market analysts are supposed to work with. The Wall Street Journal adds that this is ‘The Most Joyless Tech Revolution Ever: AI Is Making Us Rich and Unhappy.’
In European politics, Germany’s Merz is facing a conservative rebellion over pension reforms, France still doesn’t have a budget, France and Germany are clashing over a controversial EU budget structure, Danish voters are turning on PM Frederiksen over housing costs (says Politico), and Ireland’s Donohoe has resigned as the Eurogroup president to run the World Bank.
In US politics, Congress approved the release of the Epstein files. Once Trump signs, expect a flood of headline-grabbing info, or at least that which is not redacted for legal or national security reasons, which the legislation grants AG Bondi the power to do.
One might think this has nothing to do with markets or Fed Chairs or geopolitics and geoeconomics. Until one sees an already-released Epstein email forced former Treasury Secretary and nearly-Fed Chair and former Harvard President Larry Summers to step away from public life because it revealed he asked Epstein for advice on how to seduce a Chinese economist mentee – who was the daughter of a senior CCP official, a former Vice Minister of Finance, and at that time chairing the World Bank-rival Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank HQ-ed in Beijing.
But let’s all talk about 2% CPI – clearly that’s where all the real action is.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 11/19/2025 – 10:20
