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Engaging robots could be roaming Disney parks in near future

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:52 GMT

Katie Rice | Orlando SentinelA robotic rabbit wearing a helmet and roller skates tumbled out of a crate and got to its feet alone, extending its arms to balance itself on a stage at Disney’s panel at the South by Southwest conference this month.The robot, apparently modeled after the character Judy Hopps from Disney’s 2016 animated film “Zootopia,” then skated across the stage into a somersault and returned to its feet in a triumphant pose, arms raised, as the audience cheered. A nearby Imagineer, Morgan Pope, steadied the robot as it leaned forward and lifted it onto his shoulders to laughter.Though the robot did not speak, its childlike actions charmed the audience, which was exactly Disney’s goal. The panel “Creating Happiness: The Art & Science of Disney Parks Storytelling” showcased the company’s work to inspire human delight using innovative technologies and fan-favorite characters within Disney’s theme parks.“This is our latest effort in making robots that we think can ha...

Home Showcase: Architecture as art in Ashmont Hill

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:52 GMT

It’s perhaps fitting that 3 Ocean Street in Dorchester’s Ashmont Hill neighborhood is home to one of the largest ginkgo biloba trees in Boston.The tree is a symbol for resilience in Asia and is known as a hardy survivor, much like its current real estate steward. It might not be the most ornate shingle-style Victorian in Dorchester, but the lovely single-family has kept up appearances over the years with so much of the intricate interior millwork preserved.According to the Friends of the Public Garden, in autumn, ginkgo tree leaves turn a blazing shade of golden yellow before falling to the ground in one fell swoop. After the first frost, neighbors of 3 Ocean Street have been known to gather to take in this natural phenomenon, so buyers should know they’re not just taking over a corner lot, but a beloved Dorchester friend.Historic details adorn the home throughout, but they’re especially striking in the entrance hall and staircase off the foyer that opens to the living room on one s...

BU coach Jay Pandolfo has the Terriers one win from the Frozen Four

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:52 GMT

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Jay Pandolfo has enjoyed a near unimaginable run in his first season as the head coach of the Boston University Terriers.BU regrouped from getting knocked sideways in the Beanpot to capture the Hockey East regular season and tournament championships. For those achievements, Pandolfo was named the Hockey East Coach of the Year.The Terriers were awarded the No. 2 seed in the Manchester Regional and Pandolfo experienced his first NCAA tournament victory as a coach in the Terriers’ 5-1 thrashing of Western Michigan on Thursday afternoon at SNHU Arena.“I am enjoying it and I feel, number one, very fortunate,” said Pandolfo. “I am grateful to have this opportunity to coach at Boston University and that is where I went and spent four of the best years of my life.“It’s been great and I have a great staff. Obviously. I inherited these players but they have all bought in. I am really happy to be coaching these guys.”BU (28-10-0) will look to secure its first trip to the Fro...

California man pleads guilty to groping 2 women on JetBlue flight to Boston from Los Angeles

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:52 GMT

A California man described as “not all there” by one of his victims has pleaded guilty to groping two female passengers on a redeye flight from Los Angeles to Boston last year.Jairaj Singh Dhillon, 43, of Modesto, Calif., pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston earlier this week to two counts of assault. District Court Magistrate Judge Paul G. Levenson scheduled sentencing — which could be prison for up to six months in prison — for June 14.“This man just groped me,” the first victim said aboard the JetBlue aircraft, Flight 988, not too long after departing L.A. on its flight to Boston on May 31, 2022, according to an affidavit filed in the case.Dhillon was seated in an aisle seat in row 22 next to this unidentified woman, who was sitting in the middle and tending to her infant child sitting in a car seat at the window seat. The victim would later tell police waiting at Boston Logan that Dhillon started by caressing her left upper thigh with the back and palm of his hand, which ca...

A last-minute guide to filing your 2022 return: EV credits, shrinking refunds and the end of pandemic tax relief

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:52 GMT

Robert Channick | (TNS) Chicago TribuneWith less than one month to go before the April 18 deadline, the majority of the nation’s 168 million tax filers are once again scrambling to download software, organize receipts and call their accountants for last-minute help.Procrastinators may find what early filers already know: Tax year 2022 is not producing as many happy returns as in previous years due to a number of changes, including the expiration of some pandemic-era tax breaks.“People will be getting smaller refunds on average because of that,” said Dan Rahill, a longtime Chicago tax partner and past chairman of the Illinois CPA Society, who now serves as a wealth strategist at Wintrust Wealth Management.From a reduced child tax credit to the end of a charitable tax break that allowed for an above-the-line deduction last year, the changes are most likely to erode refunds that have become the norm during the pandemic.For the 63 million people who had already filed their tax returns a...

SDSU vs. Alabama: Watch the Sweet 16 game at these watch parties

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:52 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego State University Men’s Basketball team will faceoff with Alabama in the NCAA Tournament on Friday.Tipoff for the Sweet 16 game is set for 3:30 p.m. PT. The competition will be held at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky. At home in San Diego, fans are riveting and ready to cheer on their team from afar. How to watch San Diego State take on Alabama in Sweet 16 There are a variety of watch parties being held throughout the city, offering those rooting on the Aztecs' a place to rev up their team spirit as they watch college basketball history prevail. Here's a breakdown of SDSU vs. Alabama watch parties near you. -- Viejas Arena: The home arena of the Aztecs, which can seat up to 12,414 fans, will be putting the game up on their big screens. SDSU pride is sure to be felt from home court. Plus, admission to the watch party is free. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. -- Chula Vista Golf Course: Located at 4475 Bonita Road, this South Bay watch party at the golf...

Alpine community calling attention to damage done by draining of Loveland Reservoir

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:52 GMT

ALPINE, Calif. -- East County residents are fired up and passionate about the loss of resources and damage to the environment after the Loveland Reservoir was completely drained last November.On Thursday evening representatives from the Sweetwater Authority came to an Alpine Planning Group meeting to address the concerns in person.The authority serves South Bay communities, however the Loveland Reservoir is located in East County, where it has provided recreation as well as fishing for decades.Since the reservoir was drained, residents expressed the damage that’s been done. San Diego water reservoirs levels at 128% “They’ve taken away a real precious resource. Those fish will never be back, and you killed them,” said one man during public comment.“With the draining to dead pool, that just destroyed much of the surrounding area to erosion,” said field biologist Kim Hales.Sweetwater Authority says the action was taken during drought conditions to provide drinking water and other wat...

Police say it’s ‘improbable’ there are more than seven victims of Old Montreal fire

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:52 GMT

Montreal police said Friday they didn’t think they would find more than seven bodies in the rubble of an Old Montreal building that caught fire eight days ago.Searchers had left open the possibility that unaccounted for tourists or isolated people without family could still be in the burnt-out structure. But Insp. David Shane said police hadn’t received more reports of people missing, adding that it’s “improbable” there were more than seven victims.“It’s always a possibility that we find somebody else, but what we wanted to share with you in total transparency is that we have no information indicating that there could be somebody else,” Shane told reporters.“It’s not impossible, but we feel that it’s improbable at this point.”Searchers have pulled four bodies from the rubble, and only one victim has been identified: 76-year-old Camille Maheux, a renowned photographer whose relatives said had lived in the buildin...

Reports: Islamic State kidnaps dozens in Syria, dead found

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:52 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Members of the Islamic State group have kidnapped dozens of people in a central province and the bodies of some have been found with their throats slits, an opposition war monitor and pro-government media reported Friday. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the extremists kidnapped about 40 people Thursday and killed at least 15 people whose bodies were discovered Friday in the central province of Hama. The Observatory said the dead included seven civilians and eight armed tribesmen.The pro-government Sham FM radio station said the extremists attacked farmers who were collecting truffles in the eastern countryside of Hama province. It added that some of the kidnapped “were martyred” while contact was lost with others. Despite their defeat in Syria in March 2019, the militant group’s sleeper cells still carry out deadly attacks both in Syria and Iraq where they once declared a “caliphate.”Last month, IS sleeper cells attacked workers collecting tr...

Judge slams lawyers for slowing jailed 1/6 defendant’s case

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:52 GMT

A federal judge in Washington is threatening to report two attorneys for possible disciplinary action for delaying the trial of a man waiting in jail on charges that he assaulted police officers during the Capitol riot.U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, questioned in court papers filed Thursday whether attorney Joseph McBride was being sincere when he said last summer that he needed to push Christopher Quaglin’s October trial; McBride said he has chronic Lyme disease and treatment and recovery would take two to three months. At the same time, the judge noted that McBride — who represents several Jan. 6 defendants — continued to do media interviews and spoke in October to a Republican county committee about his fight for the “January 6 political prisoners.” In November, McBride tweeted a picture of himself on the beach at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort and another photo inside Trump’s 2024 campaign announcement party...