jili k.o

jili k.o I’m not a hoarder. I am a collector and an archivist. There’s a difference. I collect and archive reel-to-reel tapes, cassettes, vinyl. I have a huge collection of books and own many instruments. I need them for my work and have since 1964. Like you, I have a collection of T-shirts with band names and political candidates, slogans and sayings. I have a favorite pair of grey cargo pants that I bought duplicates of. And then, there’s this book bag. Or knapsack, or backpack, whatever the kids are calling theirs now. It’s very ordinary. It’s the same Jansport basic black book bag you see hanging on the hangers in either the side or back aisles at Staples or in the “Back To School” section at Target or TJ Maxx. It has lots of pockets and, at one time, it had wheels. That was when I knew the end might be near. The wheels literally fell off. I would find little chunks of black plastic around the house and wonder “What is this from?” When I finally made the connection, I realized what it meant: my traveling companion was headed down another road. Understand, I am sentimental about many, many things. But, this backpack literally carried my life during two very important stages: one as a teacher, the other as a sound designer. I really feel for kids who have to cart an entire library of school books on their backs every day and wonder if they’ll develop osteoporosis later on in life. Some school districts have switched to iPads, but you can’t dog ear an iPad, or make notes in the margins. You can highlight it, but not with a marker. So many kinesthetic touches vanish with new technology. Anyway, for the last five years of my teaching career, this backpack traveled with me every day. Its contents would change depending on the lessons for that week. Sometimes a book on musical notation, or a photo album of foreign places, sometimes a VHS tape, always my lesson plan book and a bottle of water, plus a three point snack. I carried my lunch in a separate thermal container. It got me through my last three years which were horrible not because of the kids (my last class excluded), but because of the pressure placed on me to resign. That backpack came back when I started to design sound for Seaview Theatre about two years ago. A trusted and already tested companion, I could fit my laptop and all the accompanying wires and adapters into its cavernous folds. Then, I started noticing the missing wheels and all bets were off. I also had to start carrying it or slinging it across my back because i couldn’t wheel it anymore. It’s funny how we hold onto certain things: some things you understand like a musical instrument, a cherished book or a family photo. But, a book bag? A backpack? A whatchamacallit? Why? Convenience. Familiarity. Stinginess. Why buy a new one when the old one works just fine? Until it doesn’t. Joan bought me a new one last December for my birthday/Christmas present. It was more expensive than any other backpack I ever had. It was sleeker, sexier, better insulated. But, it doesn’t have wheels. Which is good, because there’s nothing to fall off, but bad because now, I definitely have to carry it or sling it over my back. Ouch! Call the chiropractor! I’ve had a few trial runs with the new book bag and it seems to do just fine. But, when I placed the older one in a separate garbage bag and put it out for disposal last Monday night, I gave it one last hug and thanked it for its service. And, I suddenly felt a bit relieved. Because, a large part of that book bag’s history had to do with the unhappy final three years of my teaching career. That bag became a symbol for the weight and responsibility I carried to see out my term until I could retire with my pension intact. And now, I was saying goodbye to that memory. And I could breathe again. We hold onto things for a variety of reasons: because they bring joy, because they represent the past or because they are irreplaceable. We hold onto things because the past teaches us how to proceed into the future and as a kind of spiritual mooring to a time when we had more friends to guide us, more mentors to instruct us, more things to learn. RECOMMENDED • silive .com NYPD: Individual sought in connection to alleged robbery at Brooklyn pharmacy Nov. 21, 2024, 10:25 p.m. E. coli in contaminated carrots sicken 5 in New York; 1 dead in U.S. Nov. 17, 2024, 6:00 p.m. It’s not a bad thing to hold onto the past. It’s the reason we love art and food and music from centuries ago. But, it’s also good to, when they have served their purpose, be able to let go and walk away, without remorse or regret. Hang on friends. The best is yet to be. Hold those magnificent grey heads high! Comments may be submitted to “Talk To The Old Guy” on Facebook.

Percentages: FG .409, FT .333. 3-Point Goals: 8-20, .400 (Hutt 3-5, Livingston 3-5, Evely 2-3, Ishibashi 0-1, Paulino 0-1, Ra.Samuels 0-2, Rodriguez 0-3). Team Rebounds: 3. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 6 (Hutt 3, Hartley 2, Rodriguez). Turnovers: 22 (Evely 4, Paulino 4, Livingston 3, Harrigan 2, Hutt 2, Rodriguez 2, Campbell, Hartley, Ishibashi, Matteson, Ra.Samuels). Steals: 2 (Paulino, Rodriguez). Technical Fouls: None. Percentages: FG .493, FT .583. 3-Point Goals: 6-16, .375 (Kelton 3-4, Sanchez 2-5, Williams 1-3, Fitch 0-1, Howell-South 0-1, Ezquerra 0-2). Team Rebounds: 3. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 2 (Fitch, Lewis). Turnovers: 10 (Fitch 3, Greene 3, Ezquerra 2, Howell-South, Sanchez). Steals: 18 (Howell-South 6, Williams 5, Ezquerra 2, Lewis 2, Sanchez 2, Kelton). Technical Fouls: None. A_105 (2,100).

WACO — With a tall task to try and eliminate the No. 1 ranked South Oak Cliff in the area round, Huntsville came up short against last year's state runner-up. The Golden Bears scored 21 points in the third quarter to bust the game open as the Hornet offense was unable to keep up. South Oak Cliff waltzed its way to a 38-7 win to knock out the Hornets and continue their hopes of getting back to a state championship game. Huntsville hung around with South Oak Cliff for the start of the game. The Golden Bears opened play with a 13-play, 64-yard drive, it took nearly eight minutes off the clock and set the tone early. With an opportunity to match it, the Hornets went three-and-out and gave them solid field position after the wind kept the Huntsville punt from traveling very far. After the opening touchdown drive, SOC was held for the remaining two drives before they kicked a field goal to make it a 10-0 game at the half.10-man Barcelona concedes two late goals in draw at Celta Vigo

I Use These Stickers to Block Bothersome LED Lights, and They're 20% Off Right NowTrending News Today Live Updates: In today's fast-paced world, staying informed about the latest developments is more important than ever. Trending News Today brings you the most current and impactful stories from across the globe, covering a wide range of topics including politics, technology, entertainment, sports, and social issues. Whether it's a significant political event, a groundbreaking technological innovation, or the latest in pop culture, we provide you with up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis. Our goal is to ensure that you're always in the loop, aware of the trends that are shaping the world around us. Stay tuned for the latest news that matters. Trends News Today Live: You won’t believe who made a surprise appearance at Kate Middleton’s Christmas Carol ServiceVeteran forward Bruce Brown's return a boost to flagging Toronto Raptors' lineupAfter Matt Gaetz quits, what’s next for Trump’s cabinet picks?

Unhoused people in Los Angeles' Skid Row last month. Ringo Chiu/AP Homelessness in America reached the highest level on record last year, according to new data released by the Department of Housing and Urban Development—and it will likely only get worse, in light of both a Supreme Court decision issued in June and President-elect Donald Trump’s forthcoming presidency. The annual report —which estimates the number of people staying in shelters, temporary housing, and on the streets on a single night—found more than 770,000 people experiencing homelessness on a single night this past January, up 18 percent from a night in January 2023. The increase in the rate of families experiencing homelessness was even steeper, rising 39 percent from 2023 to 2024. And there was a 33 percent increase in children experiencing homelessness, bringing the amount recorded earlier this year to nearly 150,000 kids. (Experts say the numbers are likely an undercount.) HUD attributes this rise to “significant increases in rental costs, as a result of the pandemic and nearly decades of under-building of housing,” as well as natural disasters—such as the deadly August 2023 Maui wildfires —that destroyed housing. Other factors include “rising inflation, stagnating wages among middle- and lower-income households, and the persisting effects of systemic racism [that] have stretched homelessness services systems to their limits,” the report says. (Black people remain overrepresented, accounting for 12 percent of the US population but 32 percent of those experiencing homelessness, according to the report.) California and New York had the highest numbers of people experiencing homelessness. Some of the nationwide increase, the report notes, was also due to “a result of [communities’] work to shelter a rising number of asylum seekers.” In New York City , for example, asylum seekers accounted for almost 88 percent of the increase in sheltered homelessness. HUD points out that the counts were conducted after Republicans in Congress blocked a bipartisan Senate deal that would have funded border security and before President Joe Biden’s border crackdown via executive action—a reference Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) aimed to use to his advantage. Balakrishnan Rajagopal, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, responded on X that this was a “misdiagnosis of its causes,” adding that he has a report forthcoming on “this easy scapegoating of migrants for the homelessness crisis.” Despite the bleakness of the data, there were some signs of progress: Homelessness among veterans dropped to the lowest number on record: 32,882—an 8 percent decrease from 2023. The report also spotlights a few places ( Dallas , Los Angeles , and Chester County, Pennsylvania) that saw significant decreases in people experiencing homelessness thanks to targeted efforts to increase the availability of housing and other supportive services. Still, it’s hard not to see the data as an indictment of one of the world’s wealthiest nations, where basic necessities— housing , food , and healthcare —are out of reach to many low- and middle-income families. And, as the report intimates, it is likely that people experiencing homelessness will face even greater challenges in light of Grants Pass v. Johnson , the June Supreme Court decision that essentially greenlit the criminalization of homelessness. (As I have reported , domestic violence prevention advocates expect the ruling will be catastrophic for survivors, given the role abusive relationships can play in driving victims to homelessness.) Ann Olivia, CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, said in a statement she hopes the data will spur lawmakers “to advance evidence-based solutions to this crisis.” (Vice President Kamala Harris made new housing construction a key part of her campaign.) Some Democrats agree that politicians have to act—and fast: “As housing prices increase, homelessness increases,” Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) posted in response to the same AP article . “Homelessness is a housing problem.” But don’t hold your breath: Trump’s acolytes have signaled their desires to slash the social safety net and enact mass deportations of undocumented people, which experts have said will likely exacerbate the housing crisis given the role immigrants play in the construction industry. The closest his budding administration has come to offering a solution is VP-elect JD Vance’s claim that mass deportations will solve the housing shortage by freeing up units.

Titans return to QB Mason Rudolph after 3-INT performance

California will revive its own subsidy programs for electric vehicles if Donald Trump guts US federal tax breaks for such cars, the state's governor said Monday. The president-elect has said repeatedly he would scrap what he called the "electric vehicle mandate" -- actually a $7,500 federal rebate for anyone who purchases an EV. Gavin Newsom, who heads the solidly Democratic state and has pitched himself as a leader of the anti-Trump political resistance, said Monday California was not "turning back" towards polluting transport. "We will intervene if the Trump Administration eliminates the federal tax credit, doubling down on our commitment to clean air and green jobs in California," Newsom said. "We're not turning back on a clean transportation future -- we're going to make it more affordable for people to drive vehicles that don't pollute," he added. "Consumers continue to prove the skeptics wrong -– zero-emission vehicles are here to stay." If Trump scraps the tax credit, California could revive its own Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, which ran until November 2023, granting rebates of up to $7,500 for people buying battery-powered cars, a press release said. California leads the nation in electric vehicle adoption, and is the single biggest market in the country, representing around a third of all units sold in the United States. State figures show that more than two million so-called "zero emission vehicles" -- which include fully electric vehicles as well as plug-in hybrids -- have now been sold in the state, with one-in-four new cars in that category. More from this section On the campaign trail, Trump was frequently hostile to electric vehicles, which he has linked with what he calls the "hoax" of climate change. He vowed repeatedly that under his watch the United States would become "energy dominant," chiefly through expanded oil and gas extraction. For many in California, such pledges are anathema, with the state frequently battered by the tangible effects of climate change, from huge wildfires to droughts to furious storms. Newsom -- who many believe has White House ambitions of his own -- has positioned himself as a bulwark against the feared excesses of an incoming Trump administration on issues from climate change to immigration, vowing to be a check on its power. With 40 million people, the sheer size of California's market has for a long time helped set the national tone when it comes to pollution standards for automakers. Rather than make two versions of the same vehicles, Detroit giants have willingly adopted California's tougher rules on emissions and efficiency for nationwide sales. That de facto standard-setting power has angered Republicans like Trump, who say -- on this issue -- states should not be allowed to set their own rules. hg/aha