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The flu is soaring in seven US states and rising in others, health officials say

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:50 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. flu season is underway, with at least seven states reporting high levels of illnesses and cases rising in other parts of the country, health officials say.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted new flu data on Friday, showing very high activity last week in Louisiana, and high activity in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, New Mexico and South Carolina. It was also high in the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, the U.S. territory where health officials declared an influenza epidemic earlier this month.“We’re off to the races,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University infectious diseases expertTraditionally, the winter flu season ramps up in December or January. But it took off in October last year, and is making a November entrance this year.Flu activity was moderate but rising in New York City, Arkansas, California, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. And while flu activity has bee...

Lights, camera, action: Alamo Drafthouse opens in Seaport

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:50 GMT

Alamo Drafthouse opened in the Seaport district today, bringing the movie theater chain famous for its commitment to both classic film and delicious food and drink to the Bay State for the first time.Unlike traditional theaters, Alamo Drafthouse feature tables at each seat and moviegoers are able to order food and drinks – including beer, wine, and cocktails – to be delivered to them during screenings. Tim League, founder of Alamo Drafthouse, said the Seaport is a great fit for the brand.“I spent a couple days and wandered the streets, went to the restaurants, went to the bars, went to the breweries, and it’s just a vibrant part of the city,” he said. “It just feels like it meshes with what we’re trying to do.”The programming at the theater will feature a mix of first-run films and curated classics.For more information, visit the Alamo Drafthouse website.

Coffee cocktail recipe: Chartreuse Cappuccino

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:50 GMT

Rather than reaching for an espresso martini next time you’re hankering for a caffeinated cocktail, consider mixing up a cozier, more complex alternative: the Chartreuse Cappuccino.This recipe comes from the pages of a new cookbook by the Portland-based all-things-coffee publication Sprudge, called “But First Coffee: A Guide to Brewing from the Kitchen to the Bar” by Sprudge cofounders Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen.They credit this recipe to their friend, Paul Einbund, the San Francisco restaurateur behind the Morris and Maison Nico. Einbund combined his knowledge about coffee with a passion for Chartreuse — an herbal French liqueur made by monks at a single distillery in the French Alps — in this drink, which pairs well with Bay Area fog and cozy sweaters for sophisticated and atmospheric sipping.“Espresso is rude and milk is forgiving,” Einbund says in the cookbook. “When you add a little bit of sugar and Chartreuse into the mix, that’s when things get really interesting.”U...

Where the Ravens turn after injury to TE Mark Andrews on controversial hip-drop tackle

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:50 GMT

There’s a new buzz around the NFL, and it grew louder in front of a prime-time national television audience Thursday night at M&T Bank Stadium.Ravens tight end Mark Andrews is likely out for the season after suffering an ankle injury in the first quarter of Baltimore’s 34-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Linebacker Logan Wilson brought down the 2021 All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowl selection with a controversial hip-drop tackle, which is when a defender encircles a runner and drops his weight on the opponent’s knee or ankle to bring the player to the ground.“When they do it, the runner becomes defenseless,” Rich McKay, chairman of the NFL’s competition committee, said during league meetings in October, adding that the play is a “cousin” of the horse-collar tackle, which was made illegal in 2005. “They can’t kick their way out from under. And that’s the problem. That’s where the injury occurs. You see t...

Cocktail recipes: Mostly Classic Irish Coffee

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:50 GMT

Irish Coffee is “the real coffee cocktail GOAT,” write the co-authors of “But First, Coffee,” a new cookbook about all things coffee.Authors Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen praise San Francisco’s iconic Buena Vista Cafe for popularizing the drink, but note they’ve got a few ideas on how to make an excellent one at home with some small changes.“Our two big departures here are the whiskey and the sugar,” they write.“But First, Coffee: A Guide to Brewing from the Kitchen to the Bar” by Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen (Union Square & Co., $20) offers hands-on how-tos for a range of coffee-based recipes, including cocktails with Bay Area connections, like the Chartreuse cappuccino and Irish Coffee. (Courtesy Union Square & Co.).Mostly Classic Irish CoffeeMakes 1 drinkINGREDIENTSHot water heated to 180 degrees for preheating the glassSplash of Demerara Simple Syrup (recipe below)4 ounces (1/2 cup) hot filter coffee (ideally a daily drinking blend from your favorite roast...

Sound Advice: High-end turntable makes great gift for audiophiles

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:50 GMT

Don Lindich | Tribune News Service (TNS)If you are looking for a turntable for yourself or someone else, you will love this week’s gift recommendation!Cambridge Audio Alva ST turntable, $499: This British belt-drive turntable is incredibly solid and reeks of quality. It weighs 20 pounds with a beautiful brushed aluminum top plate, heavy synthetic base and a high-quality tonearm that is satisfying to use. A phono cartridge comes preinstalled and the Alva ST integrates an excellent, switchable phono preamp. A wired connection is used with your hi-fi system, and the built-in aptX Bluetooth (rare in any turntable) can send music to Bluetooth headphones and speakers.The Alva ST sold for $999 when introduced and back then I thought it was the best turntable available for under $1,000. When Cambridge reduced the price to just $599 earlier this year I was shocked, and it became difficult for me to recommend any other turntable selling between $599 and $1,000. Well, the Alva ST is temporaril...

More than just cold brew: New book serves up coffee cocktails

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:50 GMT

With Thanksgiving looming and winter on the horizon, one great way to stay perked up and cozy is to indulge in one of the Bay Area’s favorite cocktail combos: coffee cocktails.Portland, Oregon-based coffee journalists Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen recently released their second book, “But First, Coffee: A Guide to Brewing from the Kitchen to the Bar” (Union Square & Co., $20) that highlights the best ways to use a bag of coffee beans — including some Bay Area-inspired cocktails. We spoke with Michelman to learn more.Q: How did this cookbook come about?A: My co-author Zachary and I publish a daily coffee news and culture website about everything from cool coffee shops in the Czech Republic to new coffee brewing gear and equipment. In 2018, we did our first book, “Rules of Coffee” with Ten Speed Press, about the history of coffee. At some point, it dawned on us that we may have written the first coffee book ever that never actually told you how to make a cup of coffee.For t...

Bruins notebook: A playoff goalie rotation? Yeah, it could happen

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:50 GMT

The Bruins have their warts, to be sure. But they also possess the league’s best concealers in Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark. If either one of those goalies would have been average to start the season, then it’s a good bet that the B’s 12-1-2 record would look considerably different.They’ve been so good that coach Jim Montgomery plans to continue the goalie rotation for the foreseeable future. And, yes, if the Bruins are fortunate enough to make the playoffs – something that, thanks to the goalies, already seems like a distinct possibility – Montgomery can see that rotation continuing into the post-season.“For sure. Absolutely,” said Montgomery after practice after Friday’s practice at Warrior Ice Arena.That may be easy to say in November, but it could be a lot more difficult when a team is in the heat of a playoff battle in April. Going with a strict rotation in the playoffs would be a bit unorthodox. There are all kinds of scenarios that would test...

Adult children discuss the trials of caring for their aging parents

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:50 GMT

Reed Abelson, The New York Times and Jordan Rau | KFF Health News (TNS)Natasha Lazartes39, Brooklyn, New YorkTherapistI am 39 years old. I had to care for my father, who passed from cancer in 2019; my mother, who passed in November 2021 from cancer; and since my mother’s passing, I have inherited the care of my grandmother. She is 97, diagnosed with moderate dementia, and considered high risk to be left home alone. We had been applying for Medicaid long-term care to receive a home health aide since early November 2021. She finally got a home health aide in January 2022, but it’s been a nightmare. They are so desperate to hire workers that they will take anyone. She was left without an aide on many random days with a late-notice telephone call or text message from the aide needing the day off and the agencies not able to find a replacement in time. I have changed agencies multiple times. My husband has been a great support the entire time. We rely on security cameras we installed in ...

Many Americans facing financial ruin as costs soar for elder care

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:50 GMT

Reed Abelson, The New York Times and Jordan Rau | (TNS) KFF Health NewsMargaret Newcomb, 69, a retired French teacher, is desperately trying to protect her retirement savings by caring for her 82-year-old husband, who has severe dementia, at home in Seattle. She used to fear his disease-induced paranoia, but now he’s so frail and confused that he wanders away with no idea of how to find his way home. He gets lost so often that she attaches a tag to his shoelace with her phone number.Feylyn Lewis, 35, sacrificed a promising career as a research director in England to return home to Nashville after her mother had a debilitating stroke. They ran up $15,000 in medical and credit card debt while she took on the role of caretaker.Sheila Littleton, 30, brought her grandfather with dementia to her family home in Houston, then spent months fruitlessly trying to place him in a nursing home with Medicaid coverage. She eventually abandoned him at a psychiatric hospital to force the system to ac...