Jeremy T. Ringfield's Blog, page 327

On Nov. ballot, Marina to decide Measure U, District 3 council member

MARINA – On the November ballot, Marina residents will be asked to approve up to $50 million in general obligation bonds, and those in District 3 will be choosing one of two candidates to represent them.

The funds raised through Measure U bonds would finance the construction of a new Marina fire station, police station and community center with associated community rooms.

A “yes” vote would authorize the issuance and sale of general obligation bonds in the amount up to $50 million to provide for the construction to be secured by property taxes on property located within the city of Marina. A “no” vote would not authorize the issuance and sale of the bonds.

Measure U would allow an increase in the property tax rate to pay debt service on the bonds. The city estimates that the tax rate required to pay for the bonds will be $54.74 per $100,000 of assessed value of taxable property.

Measure U must receive approval from at least two-thirds of Marina voters, but if California Proposition 5 is approved on the same ballot, the approval threshold would be reduced to 55%.

The race for Marina District 3 is the only contested position for representation on the Marina City Council and pits incumbent Jenny McAdams against challenger Mike Moeller.

McAdams, 49, currently serves on the Marina City Council as the District 3 representative having been appointed earlier this year to fill the seat left vacant by the resignation of the previous council member. McAdams served on the Pacific Grove City Council from 2018 to 2022. She actively serves on boards and committees, including the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council, Palenke Arts, Central Coast Energy Services and the Cal State Monterey Bay Otter Student Union.

McAdams is the current director of operations at the Monterey County Business Council, and has also worked in the offices of former District 4 Monterey County Supervisor Jane Parker and current District 4 Supervisor Wendy Root Askew.

McAdams said the most pressing issue facing Marina is ensuring that the city’s infrastructure and services keep pace with its growth while meeting the needs of all residents, no matter where they live in Marina.

McAdams

“As our city evolves, it’s critical to maintain sufficient staffing and facilities to provide essential services. This will be a key focus of mine in the upcoming budget cycle, making sure Marina continues to serve its community effectively,” said McAdams. “On the dais, I will continue to advocate for funding capital improvement projects across all areas of the city, investing equitably in our neighborhoods and parks. I am committed to supporting policies that prioritize the long-term maintenance of recent investments, ensuring all residents, regardless of where they live, receive the same high level of services and neighborhood upkeep. My commitment to equity, sustainability and infrastructure is essential for Marina’s future.”

Mike Moeller, 51, who is also running to represent District 3 on the Marina City Council, is an SEIU 521 union member and a respiratory care practitioner with a large public healthcare system. Moeller said he has training as a union steward and experience in staff management as well as policy review and quality improvement committees. He is currently active in the Friends of Marina Parks, an organization that works with the city of Marina to help maintain and improve its parks.

Moeller

“We have recently begun working with California State Parks to ensure Marina State Beach and Fort Ord Dunes State Park is cared for and envisioned with the public input,” said Moeller. “We are also paying close attention to Locke-Paddon Park which is owned by (Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District) but is supposed to be maintained by the city. There is a disconnect in this current agreement and we are remaining closely engaged to ensure that agreement is restored and the deferred maintenance is going to be completed soon.”

“We have a lot of issues that are high priorities though. I feel the most important and highly controversial issue facing Marina at the moment is the public safety facilities and community center buildings that the city has outgrown,” said Moeller. “Though I am not in favor of Measure U, I would like to see these facilities updated immediately. I’m sure the city has the ability to build them through current funds and financing without a bond. The city is finally doing much better after many years of financial struggles. Based on projected growth from business and property taxes, it will only get better.”

49ers’ Ricky Pearsall practices for first time since San Francisco shooting

SANTA CLARA – Ricky Pearsall danced to the music, sprinted through warmups, and officially resumed practicing Monday for the first time since being shot through his chest Aug. 31 in an attempted robbery in San Francisco.

“I saw him warming up and I just started smiling, because I know how big of a factor he can be to this team,” right guard Dominick Puni said of his fellow rookie. “But more important, for his health and everything, it’s just awesome to see him out there after going through what he went through.”

The 49ers, five minutes before this brief practice, opened Pearsall’s three-week evaluation window to determine when and whether to activate him off the reserve/non-football injury list.

That off-roster designation is where he was stashed ahead of the Sept. 9 season opener, and after missing four games, he was eligible to return, but the 49ers were not compelled to rush his recovery from a death-defying gunshot wound through his upper-right chest outside a Union Square store.

San Francisco 49ers’ Ricky Pearsall (14) high-fives teammates during warmups during practice at the Levi’s Stadium practice facility in Santa Clara, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

As teammates circled around Fred Warner for a pre-practice message, Pearsall was summoned to break down their huddle, and coach Kyle Shanahan had Pearsall do the same once he concluded Monday’s one-hour session back on the field. Pearsall embraced his heralded return rather than linger any longer in the shadows.

“He’s never embarrassed. He’s just taking in the moment again,” Puni said. “It was cool to see him back there with the ones (first string) offense running routes. He adds another element to the offense.”

While that offense continues to await the season debut of running back Christian McCaffrey (Achilles; injured reserve), Brock Purdy is able to target Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Jauan Jennings, so there is no immediate urgency to rush in Pearsall, who’s spent the past six weeks observing practice with a football in his hands or doing individual conditioning on the side with a trainer.

The 49ers (3-3) can activate Pearsall onto the 53-man roster and suit him up in his No. 14 jersey for Sunday’s visit to Levi’s Stadium by the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs (3-3).

Pearsall has not formally spoken to the media since being shot, nor was he made available after Monday’s practice when the locker room opened to reporters. Teammates gladly spoke on his behalf.

“We want to get him adjusted and hopefully he can make some plays for us,” rookie safety Malik Mustapha said. “… He’s very detailed, he can run after the catch and he’s a playmaker. To see him do that to the other teams that we face is going to be a good thing for us.”

“One thing I notice about Ricky is he has a high energy about him, where he just likes to be around people, likes to have fun, likes to compete and to push others,” rookie wide receiver Jacob Cowing said. “He just has that ‘It’ factor about him where he comes in every day and grinds hard.”

Pearsall, 24, was the 49ers’ first-round draft pick in April. He missed significant action in training camp due to injuries preceding the Aug. 31 shooting.

A hamstring issue, which occurred while training on his own this summer, kept him out of the first four practices. He missed an ensuing three weeks after partially separating his left shoulder for the third time in the past few years, including once this past spring toward the end of the 49ers’ offseason program.

Pearsall appeared to have on a left-shoulder harness for support under his red, No. 14 jersey Monday, complemented by white gloves and white leggings underneath black shorts.

San Francisco 49ers’ Ricky Pearsall (14) high-fives Robert Beal Jr. (51) during warmups during practice at the Levi’s Stadium practice facility in Santa Clara, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

The bullet that pierced Pearsall’s chest went through his back without striking any vital organs, and he was discharged from San Francisco General Hospital after an overnight stay. The suspect, a 17-year-old from Tracy, was charged with attempted murder and two other felonies from the incident in which he was shot in his arm upon struggling with Pearsall.

Said Puni: “He was real cool when I met him the first time, and he’s still the same person. Now the only difference is he’s just real grateful for everything.”

The 49ers have preached patience for his comeback both from a physical and mental standpoint.

For comparison’s sake, Washington running back Brian Robinson was shot in the leg just days ahead of the 2022 opener as a rookie, and after missing four games, he was eased back into action with nine carries (22 yards) in 18 snaps in his Week 5 debut. He’s started 29 games since then for the Commanders.

San Francisco 49ers’ Ricky Pearsall (14) walks on the field during warmups during practice at the Levi’s Stadium practice facility in Santa Clara, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

Monday’s “bonus” practice was intended to wake up the 49ers’ bodies after a three-day break, having beaten the Seattle Seahawks 36-24 on Thursday night.

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Running back Jordan Mason suited up in a no-contact jersey Monday in the wake of his left-shoulder sprain in that win. Also participating Monday was cornerback Charvarius Ward, who was a pregame scratch because of a knee injury. Tight end George Kittle (ribs) and linebackers Fred Warner (ankle) and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (calf) also were participating.

Mustapha (ankle) and defensive tackle Jordan Elliott (knee) did conditioning on the side; not seen were kickers Jake Moody (ankle) or Matthew Wright (shoulder). Safety Talanoa Hufanga was spotted with a cast on his right wrist and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave had his right elbow in a brace; both are on Injured Reserve.

Family travel 5: Explore the US on a scenic, educational road trip

Lynn O’Rourke Hayes | (TNS) FamilyTravel.com

The classic road trip remains a popular way to explore. Here are five ways to hit the open road while learning along the way.

Colo-Road Trips (Colorado)

The Colorado Tourism Office makes it easy for road-trippers to explore the state’s 26 Scenic & Historic Byways. Their microsite includes an interactive map that enables travelers to explore options by region, interest or season. Travelers seeking inspiration can also access insider tips, music playlists and side-trip suggestions within more than 150 Colo-Road Trip itineraries, making multi-day adventures easy to plan. The flexible itineraries offer suggestions for historic attractions, active adventures and cultural opportunities. Visitors to the site can also peruse for picnic, dining, hiking and lodging suggestions.

For more: www.colorado.com

California dreaming

For majestic coastal scenery and seaside breezes, pile in the car for a trip up (or down) California’s western shore. Begin in ultra-hip Santa Monica and wind your way north past the Hearst Castle. Push farther north to Carmel and then on to the storied city by the bay, San Francisco. Other road trip options in this sun-drenched state include a taco tour and an itinerary that features the best surf spots. Or, uncover the bizarre attractions you’ll find in the California desert by following the state’s Amazing Desert Oddities itinerary.

For more: www.visitcalifornia.com

The Beartooth Highway (Montana and Wyoming)

Related ArticlesTravel | Gender plays significant role in selecting travel destinations, study shows Travel | Pickleball travel destinations to dink away from home Travel | A guide to airline companion passes Travel | Exploring Taiwan’s hot springs: A blend of relaxation and culinary delight Travel | What’s the cheapest day to book flights? Visitors who travel this extraordinary byway experience the visual trifecta of Montana, Wyoming and Yellowstone Park, home to the Absaroka and Beartooth mountains. The windy, cliff-hugging 68-mile stretch introduces road explorers to one of the most diverse ecosystems accessible by auto. It’s also the highest elevation highway in the Northern Rockies. Stunningly beautiful, the All-American Road showcases wide, high alpine plateaus painted with patches of ice blue glacial lakes, forested valleys, waterfalls and wildlife. Plan for many stops so the driver can take in the long views, too!

For more: www.redlodge.com

Seward Highway (Alaska)

The road that connects Anchorage to Seward is a 127-mile treasure trove of natural beauty, wildlife and stories of adventure, endurance and rugged ingenuity. Take a day or several to explore the region that has earned three-fold recognition as a Forest Service Scenic Byway, an Alaskan Scenic Byway and an All-American Road. The drive begins at the base of the Chugach Mountains, hugs the scenic shores of Turnagain Arm and winds through mining towns, national forests and fishing villages as you imagine how explorers, fur traders and gold prospectors might have fared back in the day. Expect waterfalls, glaciers, eagles, moose and some good bear stories. Download the Alaska app to browse points of interest on a map and access a collection of audio guides.

For more: www.alaska.org

Route 66Cafe sign along historic Route 66 in Texas.(Andrey Bayda/Dreamstime/TNS)

The western half of historic Route 66 makes for an iconic road trip. Travel from the seaside city of Santa Monica, California, to Williams, Arizona – the Gateway to the Grand Canyon – and on to Adrian, Texas, the midpoint on the famous route. (The full itinerary stretches 2,400 miles across two-thirds of the continent, ending in Chicago.) More than 250 Route 66 buildings, districts and road segments are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Along the way, you and your family will marvel at the wide-open spaces, the changing landscape and the rich history to be found as you follow the path of the original Mother Road.

For more: www.nps.gov

(Lynn O’Rourke Hayes (LOHayes.com) is an author, family travel expert and enthusiastic explorer.  Gather more travel intel on Twitter @lohayes, Facebook, or via FamilyTravel.com)

©2024 FamilyTravel.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

‘NCIS: Origins’ review: Call this new prequel series on CBS ‘Young Gibbs’

In an era when few streaming shows last beyond a single season, over on network TV, sturdy if faintly overheated procedurals like “NCIS” are still going strong. The first 18-plus of its 22 seasons were led by Mark Harmon as Leroy Jethro Gibbs, the impassive Special Agent in Charge and boss extraordinaire who liked to build boats in his basement in his spare time. “How did he ever get that way?” said nobody ever. But CBS is taking a page from “Young Sheldon” with its latest spinoff “NCIS: Origins.” Or as audiences will be tempted to call it, “Young Gibbs.”

Harmon (who is an executive producer here) makes a brief return on screen to set the stage for a TV series that functions as one long flashback to 1991 when Gibbs joined the Naval Investigation Service (NIS as it was known back then) fresh out of the Marines and shortly after the murder of his wife and child. Austin Stowell is appropriately stoic as Gibbs, but he’s stuck playing a character who doesn’t have many layers beyond his trauma, and the show more or less hopes his tragic loss will do most of the characterization work instead. Spoiler: It doesn’t. He failed his psych eval! He’s wound tight and suppressing grief! Well, that will have to suffice.

TV and film love nothing more than a strong silent type who has lost a wife or child, or both. That way, he can be endlessly sympathetic without having to actually be an emotionally present spouse or parent — or hear about it when he’s not. At least for a few years over on “Law & Order: SVU,” they gave Elliot Stabler a family he could constantly disappoint. But I digress.

Does a weekly procedural need lore? No! But lore you will be served. The show is solidly made and if you’re a dedicated viewer of “NCIS,” maybe there’s something satisfying in the premise. It does try to emulate the original’s sensibility, tempering a super-seriousness with a modicum of comic relief and quirky side characters. And wow, there are a lot of side characters here — as if show creators Gina Monreal and David J. North were throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks — but at least they’re interesting enough, what we see of them, anyway. I especially like what Michael J. Harney does with a brief appearance in Episode 3 as the kind of unflappable, seen-it-all guy who’s been around forever running things in evidence storage. He underplays it just so (and will be a recurring character).

The group of primary investigators is small, if not particularly interesting. Mariel Molino plays the sole woman on the team and she’s a rebel because she wears her NIS-issued baseball cap backward, or something. She and Gibbs have a tense dynamic, but chances are that will thaw into something more. Or not. Just seems like things are headed that way.

NCIS: ORIGINS follows a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Austin Stowell) in 1991, years prior to the events of NCIS, and is narrated by Mark Harmon. Flagship series star Mark Harmon will narrate and executive produce. In addition to Harmon, Sean Harmon, David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal will executive produce, with North and Monreal co-writing the premiere episode and serving as co-showrunners. Niels Arden Oplev will executive produce and direct the pilot. (Handout/CBS Entertainment/TNS)

There’s Caleb Foote as the nerdy, overeager colleague who befriends Gibbs instantly, Tyla Abercrumbie as the maternal desk jockey who handles unspecified administrative tasks and Patrick Fischler as the besuited boss they all answer to. Australian actor Robert Taylor (“Longmire”) also shows up as Gibbs’ father (who was played by Ralph Waite in the original “NCIS”).

But the real breakout is Kyle Schmid as the cowboy who runs this ragtag team of NIS investigators. He’s got a Marlboro Man mustache and a big swinging … ego. This character trope shouldn’t work, but it really does. There’s not much in Schmid’s resume up to this point that stands out, but he is making a meal out of the role and his performance might be the best thing “NCIS: Origins” has going for it. “I’m thinking somebody wanted her dead,” he opines at one point about a case. That’s your theory, his boss asks annoyed? “It’s what we got, ’til we got more.” It’s a great line reading and it doesn’t hurt that Schmid has one of the better voices (twang included) on TV at the moment, marbled one supposes by cigarettes and whiskey and nights by the campfire telling stories about bar fights and his old mare Bessie.

The cases are barely compelling and I’m always reminded how difficult it is to do this kind of economical storytelling well. What about the 1991 of it all? At first glance, the show doesn’t look like a period piece and I’m guessing that’s due to budget. The music does much of the heavy lifting, but there are other details that show up: Beepers, pay phones, microfilm, an overhead projector. It doesn’t feel conspicuous until you really pay attention (or maybe I’m just old) but analog technology is also just more interesting, prop-wise, than endless footage of dossiers and ballistic analysis pulled up on one computer screen or another.

There’s even an extended sequence that takes place at the mall, a place where the average person used to blow hours of their day in a consumerist fog. Somehow the mall might be the most significant throwback of them all and it was smart to think of ways to build a story around it.

“NCIS: Origins” — 2 stars (out of 4)

Where to watch: The two-hour premiere airs 8 p.m. Monday on CBS before moving to its regular time slot at 9 p.m. Mondays (streaming on Paramount+)

Nina Metz is a Tribune critic.

Warriors’ Brandin Podziemski has broken nose

SAN FRANCISCO — Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski broke his nose on Sunday night, Steve Kerr said. He’ll miss Tuesday night’s preseason matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers in Las Vegas.

Podziemski was a limited participant in the team’s brief practice and he also got fitted for a mask on Monday, Kerr said. The mask won’t be ready for Tuesday’s game, ruling him out. But after that, he’s considered day-to-day.

“He’ll be fine,” Kerr said.

Podziemski has broken his nose once before, he said, while he was at Santa Clara. That injury was worse because he also got a concussion on the collision.

But the experience is helpful because he is already used to wearing a protective mask. He’ll use a clear one so as to not impact his peripheral vision as much as a black one would, and he doesn’t expect to miss much time at all.

“Just excited that I can still play,” Podziemski said.

Podziemski, 21, averaged 9.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game last year, earning a First-Team All-Rookie selection. He led the NBA in charges drawn and was a constant in many of Golden State’s most productive lineup combinations.

Podziemski is Golden State’s best option as a backup point guard, but he also fits well next to Steph Curry in the starting lineup. Whether he starts or comes off the bench, Podziemski is expected to be among the Warriors’ leaders in minutes per game.

“I’m not a big fan of a minutes restriction,” Podziemski said. “If I’m healthy to play, I want to play as much as I can. I just always want to be available, so not being able to play tomorrow kind of sucks. Even though it’s preseason. But yeah, I definitely take pride — I want to always lead the team in minutes, games played, stuff like that.”

This offseason, Podziemski prioritized creating his own shot more, including off-the-dribble jumpers. He wants to cut out the floaters and hook shots from his game, emphasizing the more efficient shots on the court.

Podziemski said he feels like he’s improved, and has experienced that sensation while on the court this preseason. The game has slowed down for him, he said, and reads in the pick-and-roll are becoming easier.

On two separate occasions this preseason, Podziemski tossed over-the-head advance passes in transition that led to easy fast-break buckets. The Warriors want to play with more pace, and he has a knack for the run-and-gun style.

This preseason hasn’t been all smooth for the guard, though. He got a shoulder stinger in practice and got hit in the mouth against the Kings, causing him to leave last Wednesday’s game briefly. His broken nose came on friendly fire, when he tried to curl around Trayce Jackson-Davis for a handoff but ended up running into his elbow.

Sometimes, players can get thrown off by head injuries, particularly while wearing a protective mask. But Kerr isn’t concerned about that with Podziemski.

“He led the league in charges drawn last year for a reason,” Kerr said of Podziemski. “He literally sticks his nose in there. He’s just physically a really tough player. I talked to him, and he said he’s not worried. The mask thing, that takes some adjusting, to play with a mask. So we’ll see how that goes. But he’s not afraid of anything, he’ll be out there as soon as they allow him to be.”

Notable

— Andrew Wiggins is expected to return to the lineup on Tuesday for his first preseason action. The Warriors wing was under the weather during training camp in Hawaii and has since worked his way back to game-condition.

— Lindy Waters III, one of a handful of Native American NBA players, celebrated Indigenous Peoples Day on Monday.

“Me, Marjon (Beauchamp) and Kyrie (Irving), I would say, are the three main ones in the NBA that really carry that heritage with us. We take it upon ourselves to have that responsibility, to be there for our community. so, getting to celebrate that with everyone around us is amazing.”

Review: Expect this history of trail-blazing Black communities to be in the hunt for big prizes

Hamilton Cain | (TNS) The Minnesota Star Tribune

Painter Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000) chronicled the Black Migration out of the South in a series of 60 panels whose tempera colors and spiked diagonals depict fear and resolve. Aaron Robertson revisits that demographic surge in his elegant, vigorous debut, “The Black Utopians.”

Tackling the challenges of racial empowerment from the angle of Black communities that withdrew from the burdens of integration, weaving memoir with accounts of both self-determination and political machinations, showcasing obscure figures and celebrating their legacies, Robertson’s work arrives just in time for book prize season!

Robertson’s linchpin is the hamlet of Promise Land, Tenn., founded amid the hopeful upswell of Reconstruction. As a child he joined his grandparents on summer vacations there, driving from Detroit for a couple of weeks with extended relations, a pocket of black tranquility somehow beyond the wingspan of white America.

From personal recollections, he segues to the history of other utopias, from Beulah Land in South Carolina to activist congregations in Detroit and Houston. He bridges his chapters with tender letters from his father, Doe, a former ex-con who was often walled off (literally) from his son. Raw yet poetic, these letters evoke the plights and alienation of the incarcerated. The author dodges the pitfalls of nostalgia and sentimentality; his anecdotes crackle with immediacy.

His eye on pacing and detail, he charts the intellectual odysseys of his cast, upending our expectations. The fiery scion of a prominent African American family in Detroit, Albert Cleage Jr. took a more militant stance than his elders, building the Shrine of the Black Madonna and expanding into bookstores and various businesses with the flair of a born entrepreneur. He eventually changed his name to Jaramogi Abebe Agyeman in the 1970s, a dash of radical chic that fuels the middle of “Utopians.” We glimpse the rise of Islamism within urban neighborhoods, as Malcolm X demands bloody confrontation.

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“He and the other black boys watched the hustlers at Eastern Market ply their trade and became their informal apprentices,” Robertson writes. “They carried grocery bags, cleaned around the stands, loaded produce and scrapped with immigrant boys over turf..” A manslaughter charge sent him to the big house, where he funneled his despair into art that lent gravitas to his people’s suffering. Robinson’s portrait of Dowdell is a revelation unto itself.

Jaramogi (as Robertson calls him) recognized that Black Nationalism was fomenting its own institutions and hierarchies, taking on the contours of an industry. He embraced the shift, investing in Beulah Land, an idyllic farm. Robertson walks a tightrope here: His heart belongs to the white-hot entropy of the movement while his skeptic’s head questions the efficacy of separatism, such as the Shrine’s communal mandates.

“In the Shrine, renegade desires always flowered,” he opines. “The safeguarding of the individual was sacred and necessary, too. It was the individual who stood discretely on the riverbank, watching the baptism of others from afar.”

It’s easy to imagine the author as that riverbank observer, of the flow but not in it. Layered and probing, studded with germane autobiography, “The Black Utopians” is an extraordinary achievement in narrative nonfiction.

____

The Black Utopians: Searching for Paradise and the Promised Land in America

By: Aaron Robertson.

Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 382 pages, $30.

©2024 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Visit at startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Pipe it, dip it — just do it! Cannoli filling is an easy one to master

“Leave the gun, take the cannoli.”

The line, reportedly ad-libbed by actor Richard Castellano, delivers levity into the backwater mob hit that precedes it, and is probably “The Godfather’s” most beloved. And quoted.

Seems fitting, because cannoli are among Italy’s most beloved desserts. And, of course, they are highly portable.

Crisp tubes of pastry dough filled with creamy-sweet cheese that tempts as it peeks from either end, cannoli are oft-adorned with nuts, chocolate and candied fruits. They come in adorable minis and hefty XL varieties. In fact, the 2022 world record-holder was a stunner — nearly 70 feet long — crafted by chefs in the Sicilian city of Caltanissetta, considered by many to be the dessert’s birthplace.

“Italian Tupperware” for cream storage. Chilling the filling for at least two hours is a must. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)

Cannoli’s also got a legendary rep as a phallic symbol, with origin stories rooted in the cozy kitchens where the Moorish ruler’s concubines created sweet tributes to their Emir and also in the convents. Some say the recipe was passed from one to the other.

In this story, sort of, I’m passing one to you.

The shells of the cannoli are where they took their name. The root, canna, means reed, around which the dough would be wrapped, then fried — creating the little tube into which the filling is piped. These days, metal rods generally do the job, which, in my opinion, is pretty labor-intensive on the home-cooking scale.

Do not let anyone convince you that you need a purpose-made pastry bag or fancy tip to fill these things. You don’t. Don’t try to fill it from one end. Pipe into one side first, then the other. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)

Conversely, the cream is easy. Like, really, really easy. This is why when I make cannoli (the singular, by the way is cannolo), it’s really only semi-homemade.

This time around, I got my shells at D’Amico & Sons Italian Market and Bakery in Oviedo, Florida.

I picked these up at D’Amico & Sons Italian Market and Bakery in Oviedo. It’s also where I bought the mini-cannoli shells for 75 cents a pop. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)

Once here, you might leave the mission and take the cannoli because they sell ’em. In fact, they make most of the cakes, pastries and cookies you’ll see (the St. Joseph’s pastry with the cannoli filling is divine), including the cannoli shells. But, if you remain undeterred after seeing what’s available, they’ll sell you the miniature ones for 75 cents apiece.

Plan to spend more, though. You will not be leaving this place without at least a few things in your basket.

Cannoli dip is a decadent and fun way to serve the cream. I just fold in some extra whipped cream to make it a little lighter, more “dip”-like. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)

I absconded with a slice of pizza, a sausage and broccoli rabe hero, seafood, olives and other goodies from the self-serve bar and an absolutely gorgeous bastone. And a clamshell full of “Angel Wings,” a fried pastry dough cookie that became the chips to my alternative presentation: cannoli dip.

It’s a fun and even easier way to showcase the cannoli cream, which I make just a tad lighter and creamier (and thus, dip- and scoopable) by adding a tad more whipped cream to the filling mixture you’ll find below.

Naked cannoli: a nice option if you’re watching your sugar. The cream has far less than you’d imagine. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)

Cannoli dip needs no piping. Serve it as you would any dip, garnished with goodies — Sugar wafers! Fruit! Pizelle! Waffle cone! Broken cannoli shells! — and watch the party happen.

Cannoli filling can be made with ricotta or mascarpone or a combination thereof. I’m keeping it simple here with ricotta. Many, many recipes will tell you to strain it, which would likely be necessary for some cheese. If your ricotta is of the loose and watery variety, let it strain for at least a couple of hours in the fridge before you start. In my experience with simple, store-bought ricotta (this time around, it was Polly-O), I have never found it necessary.

I call this pistachio-crushing technique “the nonna method.” If you know, you know. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)

It’s a versatile cream to which flavors like lemon, chocolate and pumpkin spice can be added, as well. Make it once, and you may be tempted to play. The ease of it may see you making it a regular in your dessert rotation as you revel in both the simplicity — and the adoration of your delighted friends and family.

I will always take the cannoli over the gun. Possibly all the cannoli, so don’t sleep on them. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)Homemade Cannoli Cream

Most cannoli-filling recipes are very similar. This one comes courtesy of FoodFolksandFun.net. (foodfolksandfun.net/how-to-make-cannoli-cream). Some notes: Piping the cream is easy using a Ziploc-style bag with the corner cut off. Pipe from one end, then the other, to fill your cannoli shell completely. Also, the ends can be finished in “traditional” toppings, like mini chocolate chips or crushed pistachios, but it’s a blank canvas. Crushed Oreos, Fruity Pebbles, whatever you like.

Buon appetito!

Find me on Facebook, X or Instagram  (@amydroo) or on the OSFoodie Instagram account  @orlando.foodie . Email:  amthompson@orlandosentinel.com . For more fun, join the  Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group .

I went traditional with toppings on this assignment, but feel free to be creative. Crushed Ferrero Rocher? Rainbow sprinkles? You do you. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)Ingredients1/2 cup whipping cream15-ounce container whole milk ricotta cheese, strained1/2 cup powdered sugar1/2 teaspoon vanilla1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/3 cup mini dark chocolate chipDirectionsUsing a mixer, whip cream until stiff peaks form. Place cream into a small bowl and set aside.In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta, powdered sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix on medium until well combined (about a minute).Fold in whipped cream and, if you’re using them, chocolate chips.Chill the filling in fridge for at least two hours before piping into cannoli shells.NotesThis recipe makes about 2 1/2 cups of cannoli filling. You will need about 2 tablespoons of cannoli filling to fill each small cannoli.This will make enough filling to fill 20 small and 12 large cannoli.This recipe calls for strained ricotta cheese.

Your guide to the presidential candidates’ views on foreign policy

By Tracy Wilkinson, Laura King, Kate Linthicum, Stephanie Yang and Max Kim, Los Angeles Times

Their views of the world, and how to handle its troubles and challenges, paint a sharp contrast between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

Harris hews largely to traditional Democratic Party values but with a modern touch. She favors multilateralism and embraces strong U.S. alliances while shining new light on global issues such as climate change, women’s rights and food insecurity.

Trump, who eschews much of the Republican Party’s orthodoxy, promotes an“America First” approach that often translates into “America Alone.” As president, he rejected many traditional allies and flattered some of the world’s strongmen and autocrats. He deemphasized social issues such as human rights while relying heavily on punitive measures including economic sanctions and tariffs to confront rivals and allies alike, including China and Mexico.

Here is a look at several of the world’s regions and what policies each presidential candidate might pursue there.

Israel-Hamas and the Gaza war

Nearly a year after Hamas poured into southern Israel, killed about 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostage, unleashing Israel’s brutal war in the Gaza Strip, a cease-fire remains elusive. The U.S., Egypt and Qatar have labored exhaustively and unsuccessfully to bring Hamas and the Israeli government to terms that would end fighting and free the hostages, as well as release hundreds of Palestinians in Israeli jails.

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Harris and Trump agree that the Israel-Hamas war, which Gaza health officials say has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians in the territory, must come to an end. But they differ on how that should happen and what the future of Gaza should look like.

Harris supports President Biden’s ongoing cease-fire talks, which envision Israel withdrawing from the coastal enclave and a “clear pathway” to the formation of an independent Palestinian state. She has also led the administration in voicing support for the Palestinian people of Gaza, who face starvation, disease and widespread destruction of homes and livelihoods. However, she does not support any effort to stop shipping weapons to Israel.

Trump has said he would not oppose an Israeli military victory in Gaza and has not ruled out some form of Israeli rule or occupation of the enclave. When he was president, he did not actively support a Palestinian state. In fact, he granted Israel a long list of concessions, including transfer of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to the disputed holy city of Jerusalem and recognition of Israeli control of the Golan Heights, seized from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War.

One of Trump’s signature foreign policy achievements was the 2020 Abraham Accords, in which the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain recognized Israel and opened diplomatic ties, the first countries in the Arab world to do so since Egypt and Jordan decades ago. But powerhouse Saudi Arabia, considered the crowning jewel of regional normalization, has not followed suit and is demanding such a step be contingent on a Palestinian state. The Biden-Harris administration advocates for that, but Trump has not announced an opinion.

The Israel-Hamas war has intensified other conflicts in the Middle East, including attacks on international shipping lanes by Yemen’s Houthi rebels and between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah. Both the Houthis and Hezbollah are backed by Iran.

Lebanon, Hezbollah and Iran

As president, Trump jettisoned the landmark Iran nuclear deal, signed in 2015 by President Barack Obama and five other world powers. It had successfully curbed Iran’s nuclear program, but Trump claimed it did not go far enough in stopping other Iranian “malign behavior,” such as support for regional militias like Hezbollah in Lebanon, which in turn pose a threat to Israel.

With the U.S. pulling out of the deal, Iran went on a spree of enriching uranium, a key ingredient in the making of a nuclear bomb. This continued after Biden took office, and his efforts to revive the deal failed. Today, Iran is believed to be on the cusp of being able to produce a nuclear weapon. Trump’s policy of “maximum pressure” on Iran, which also included numerous economic sanctions, never altered the Islamic Republic’s pattern of support for militant groups. Repression in Iran, especially of women and dissidents, only grew.

Neither candidate is likely to make substantial changes in Iran policy for the foreseeable future — unless Israel’s fight with Hezbollah in Lebanon turns into a wider war.

Harris has condemned Iran’s support for Hezbollah and Hamas and its threats to Israel. And she helped push for Iran’s removal from the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

Ukraine and Russia

Nearly three years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the war is a sharp point of disagreement between Harris and Trump.

While Harris has repeatedly pledged support for the government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump refused during the Sept. 10 presidential debate to say whether he even wanted Ukraine to win.

Trump has said, while offering no details, that he would quickly bring the conflict to an end. Ukraine interprets that as meaning he might try to use a potential cutoff of U.S. military aid as a way of coercing Ukraine into a resolution with terms highly favorable to Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Trump shocked U.S. officials and allies in 2018 when he stood next to Putin in Finland and questioned U.S. intelligence showing Russia had interfered in the 2016 U.S. election. And Trump was impeached in 2019 for withholding military aid from Ukraine while calling on Zelenskyy to investigate Hunter Biden.)

Harris said in the debate that if Trump had been president when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, “Putin would be sitting in Kyiv right now.” And she declared that Trump’s affinity for strongmen was actually a display of weakness. The Russian leader, she told him, “would eat you for lunch.”

More recently, Trump has sharpened his personal attacks on Ukraine’s leader, depicted Ukraine as broken and defeated, and repeated without explanation his assertion that under his own leadership, the war would never have taken place.

In a speech in North Carolina, he accused Zelenskyy of “making little nasty aspersions toward your favorite president — me,” and declared that except for the capital, Kyiv, Ukraine is “in rubble.” (While Russia holds about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory and has launched air attacks against most major population centers, the country has a number of regional metropolises where bomb damage is localized and municipal services still function relatively normally.)

As the election nears, Trump has continued to describe his own relationship with Putin as favorable. Even while portraying the Russian leader as “no angel,” as he did in the North Carolina speech, Trump’s tone tends to be admiring, in line with his depiction of other authoritarian figures.

Latin America

Except for when it comes up in immigration discussions, Latin America has largely been absent from the foreign policy debate during the presidential race.

Neither candidate knows Latin America well, although Harris spent several years as vice president seeking to address the root causes of migration from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, and Trump has forged relationships with far-right leaders from the region including Argentine President Javier Milei and former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

Trump and Harris align in their opposition to the autocratic governments in Venezuela and Nicaragua. They diverge when it comes to trade with the region.

As president, Trump renegotiated the North American Free Trade Agreement, which helped elevate Mexico to become the United States’ top trading partner. He has been critical of the U.S. trade deficit with Mexico and Canada, and has shown an eagerness to enact tariffs to try to leverage foreign policy goals. In 2018, he taxed imports of steel and aluminum from Mexico and Canada, and briefly threatened to impose tariffs on all Mexican imports to punish the country for what he said was its inaction on migration. Trump says that if he is elected to a second term, he will impose a blanket tariff of up to 20% on all global imports.

Harris warns that the blanket tariff would drive up consumer prices and hurt the American economy. But that does not mean she supports unbridled free trade. As a senator in 2020, Harris voted against passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which replaced NAFTA, saying it did not include enough worker and environmental protections.

Both candidates have vowed to take a hard stance on criminal groups from Latin America, although their approaches might differ. As California attorney general, Harris prosecuted cartel members and expanded a task force focused on cross-border crimes. Trump has said he would support airstrikes against gangs in Mexico and proposed sending special ops into the country to kill drug kingpins.

Europe and NATO

European allies still consider Kamala Harris somewhat of an unknown quality — she has been a familiar figure as vice president, but there’s wide recognition that her role was to give advice to the president, not make decisions. But Harris has spoken repeatedly of the importance of nurturing alliances.

Trump, on the other hand, has repeatedly denigrated the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union. NATO allies openly fear that a second Trump term would result in the United States pulling out of the alliance altogether.

And Trump left some Western leaders nonplussed when he offered up Hungary’s Viktor Orban — who has worked systematically to undermine his own country’s democracy and is a major irritant to almost every other member of the EU — as a character reference. In the debate, Trump cited the support of the “smart prime minister of Hungary” as proof that world leaders respect him.

China

Trump and Harris have taken tough stances on China, one of America’s biggest rivals in trade, defense and geopolitical alliances. The candidates have criticized China for intellectual property theft and unfair subsidization in tech and manufacturing that put U.S. businesses at a disadvantage.

In 2018, then-President Trump launched a trade war with China by imposing tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of Chinese imports, and he has vowed to increase those substantially if elected. At the same time, Trump has praised Chinese President Xi Jinping — who has near absolute power — as “brilliant” and strong, saying he rules China’s population “with an iron fist.” In 2020, Trump said of his relationship with Xi: “He’s for China, I’m for the U.S., but other than that, we love each other.”

Harris is largely expected to maintain Biden’s approach on trade restrictions — Biden kept Trump tariffs and raised some this year, including 100% on electric vehicles, 50% on solar cells and 25% on EV batteries and materials. Harris has called Trump’s plans to greatly expand tariffs a tax on consumers, who economists say bear the cost of such policies. She is also expected to strengthen diplomatic ties in the Asia-Pacific region to combat growing Chinese influence there, and she has expressed support for maintaining the status quo on Taiwan — one of the flashpoints in U.S.-China relations.

Trump’s less predictable approach to foreign policy may alienate U.S. allies in Asia. How he will handle relations with Taiwan is also unclear. Under Trump, the U.S. increased arms sales and security cooperation with the democratic island that China claims as its territory. However, Trump has said Taiwan should pay the U.S. for military protection.

North Korea and South Korea

During Trump’s first term, he and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un went from exchanging insults and threats of military action on Twitter to sending each other what Trump called “love letters,” in which Kim emphasized their “deep and special friendship.”

And although Trump’s 2018 and 2019 summits with Kim ended without a denuclearization deal — and prompted criticisms they were little more than glorified photo-ops — questions now hang over whether a second-term Trump would try to pick up where they left off.

Unlike the first try, which was made possible by a pro-engagement South Korean president, a second attempt would likely run into resistance from today’s hardline South Korean administration.

A Harris presidency, on the other hand, would likely see an extension of the Biden administration’s approach: sanctions and increased military deterrence.

Unlike Harris, who reaffirmed Washington’s “extended deterrence commitment” to Seoul after visiting the Korean Demilitarized Zone in 2022, Trump has advocated ending joint military drills with South Korea — and hinted he might withdraw U.S. troops from the peninsula if Seoul doesn’t pay more for their upkeep. After Trump’s first summit with Kim, in 2018, he shocked allies with an announcement that the U.S. would halt the joint large-scale military drills with South Korea, describing them as “provocative,” echoing North Korea’s language. The massive exercises resumed in 2022.

Wilkinson reported from Washington, King from Berlin and Jerusalem, Linthicum from Mexico City, Yang from Taipei and Kim from Seoul.

©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Your guide to the presidential candidates’ views on tax policy

By Don Lee, Los Angeles Times

Though sparse on details, the broad outlines of what Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump want to do on taxes are clear — and they are very different.

Trump’s tax proposals are tilted to benefit wealthy Americans and large corporations. Under Harris, the bulk of personal gains would come to those with lower and lower-middle incomes, according to the Penn Wharton Budget Model.

“Harris has a more ‘coherent’ plan because she’s essentially got [President] Biden’s budget proposals, which are fairly scored, scrubbed and all that stuff,” said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the conservative-leaning American Action Forum and former director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. “We know that agenda — enhance the child tax credit, raise the corporate rate, tax high-income people.”

Trump, he said, “has got a more tax cut orientation. He’s talked about a 15% corporate rate” — down from the current 21% — “and now he’s walking around and offering a handout at every rally on what he’s not going to tax next — tips, Social Security, overtime. It looks to me he’s just trying to match her on middle-class tax cuts.”

To extend or not extend

Trump’s approach is to double down on what he did in his four years in the White House: first, make permanent the expiring provisions in his signature tax-cut package that passed in 2017.

Key elements of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act were written to expire at the end of 2025. That includes higher standard deductions, a lower top marginal tax rate, bigger child tax credits, lower estate taxes and certain deductions tailored for small businesses.

The most expensive part of Harris’ tax plan would be an expansion of the child tax credit, to $3,000 per child — $3,600 for those under 5 years of age — and $6,000 for the first year. Harris also wants to exempt tip income and expand housing tax credits, including down-payment support for first-time homebuyers.

Harris has been silent about the expiring provisions, but it’s possible she would extend them, but only for individuals making less than $400,000, a threshold the Biden administration has previously suggested.

How to pay for tax cuts

Harris would look to offset the loss of tax revenue by raising the corporate income tax rate to 28% and increasing the long-term capital gains and the net investment income tax for high earners.

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The Democrat has also proposed enacting a billionaire minimum tax and quadrupling the tax on stock buybacks — something corporations did a lot of with their windfalls from the 2017 tax cuts.

As president, Trump referred to himself as the Tariff Man, and tariffs are at the heart of his plan to generate additional tax dollars. The Republican has talked about levying a 10% tax on all imports to the U.S., and an eye-popping 60% tariff rate on all goods coming from China.

Deficits and growth

Would Trump’s tariffs be enough to balance the budget? No one can say for sure, but a lot of that would probably come out of the pockets of consumers, costing the typical middle-income household about $1,700 a year, according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

Budget experts say that based on what’s known today, both candidates’ plans are likely to increase the federal deficit by trillions of dollars over the next 10 years.

Interest payment on U.S. Treasury debt this year hit $1 trillion for the first time ever, even more than the federal defense budget. Analysts are divided on which plan will generate more economic growth, but one thing is clear: More and more public debts will increasingly crowd out investment and accumulation of private productive capacity.

“We’re giving up little pieces of our standard of living every year,” said Holtz-Eakin.

©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Your guide to the presidential candidates’ views on housing

By Liam Dillon, Los Angeles Times

Harris is calling for a rapid increase in home construction, $25,000 in down-payment assistance for first-time homebuyers and restrictions on corporate landlords.Trump is relying on elements of his immigration and economic agenda to affect the housing market.

With would-be first-time homebuyers struggling to afford a mortgage and tens of millions of tenants across the country facing high rents, housing affordability is becoming prominent in a U.S. presidential campaign for the first time in decades.

Vice President Kamala Harris has released a series of housing proposals and has consistently mentioned housing on the campaign trail, in advertisements and in the debate with former President Donald Trump. For his part, Trump has linked housing with other parts of his agenda, most prominently his promise to quickly deport millions of immigrants who are in the country illegally.

Harris

The Democratic nominee aims to address affordability from multiple angles. She says that the country’s cost problems stem from a housing shortage and is calling for the construction of 3 million homes over four years beyond existing levels of production. Doing so would increase annual homebuilding by more than 50% from recent averages. Additional supply would satisfy demand and therefore reduce costs under her logic.

Housing production results from a complex mix of private and public factors, including material and labor costs, and land-use regulations that are chiefly governed at the local and state levels. Jenny Schuetz, an economist and senior fellow at Brookings Metro, a Washington-based think tank, said she was skeptical that Harris could achieve her goal.

“The federal government doesn’t really build any homes,” Schuetz said. Still, she said the idea had value both as recognition of a housing shortage and as an aspirational effort. To support construction, Harris is calling for an increase in the tax credit that’s the main driver of low-income housing production nationwide and a $40-billion “innovation fund” to finance alternative models of construction and bolster local supply efforts.

For first-time homebuyers, Harris wants to provide a $25,000 tax credit for down-payment assistance. The campaign estimates this could help more than 4 million households. Some economists have questioned the idea, saying it could further inflate housing prices. Harris’ campaign has asserted it would roll out the tax credit, which would require congressional approval, gradually and in line with the increase in production.

Harris is targeting corporate practices in rental housing. Though large institutional investors own a small percentage of single-family home rentals — just over 3% nationwide, according to a Brookings Institution estimate — the number is larger and increasing in certain markets. Harris wants to curtail the practice. Citing a recent U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit against a major real estate firm alleging collusion in setting prices, Harris is calling for the passage of legislation that would ban property owners from coordinating price, supply and other rental housing information.

Trump

Trump, a real estate developer, has fewer specifics than his opponent in addressing housing affordability. Most significantly, he has tied his plan for mass deportations to housing.

The Republican nominee said his administration would remove 11 million immigrants living in the country illegally by having the National Guard, local police forces in cooperative states and the military go door-to-door in a process that he said recently would be a “bloody story.” The effort would cause widespread disruption to families, including those having a mix of U.S. citizens and those living in the country illegally, and to the economy.

Trump’s campaign has said the reduction in the population would lessen demand for housing and therefore lower costs. Some research has shown that immigration in general — not limited to those living in the country illegally — can increase housing prices and rents in U.S. cities that have been destinations for migrants.

But the picture is more complicated. Migrants living in the country illegally have been more likely to live in overcrowded conditions, meaning their departure would leave fewer units available. Undocumented laborers make up a significant portion of the construction workforce. A recent paper from researchers at the University of Utah and University of Wisconsin found that greater immigration enforcement led to less homebuilding, higher home prices and fewer jobs for domestic construction workers.

Aside from immigration, Trump has called for cutting regulations that make it more difficult to build housing. At the same time, he wants to preserve local zoning regulations that prohibit the construction of affordable housing in areas set aside for single-family homes. On the latter point, Trump has said he would reverse Biden administration efforts to integrate wealthy communities with lower-cost housing, policies that the former president called “Joe Biden’s sinister plan to abolish the suburbs.” As a landlord in the 1970s, Trump settled a Justice Department lawsuit in New York that accused his family’s company of discriminating against Black tenants.

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Trump has pointed to lowering interest rates to help with affordability. To combat inflation in recent years, the Federal Reserve raised rates, which led to a dramatic increase in mortgage costs and a chill on homebuying. Trump’s pledge to bring them down conflicts with the historical independence of the Federal Reserve in rate setting, which is supposed to guard against prioritizing political over economic concerns.

Harris and Trump share one idea for housing affordability, though they’re both light on details: making more federally owned land available for housing development.

Trump’s campaign said that housing affordability worsened during Biden and Harris’ time in office and that the former president would improve the situation.

“He will rein in federal spending, stop the unsustainable invasion of illegal aliens which is driving up housing costs, cut taxes for American families, eliminate costly regulations and free up appropriate portions of federal land for housing,” said Karoline Leavitt, a Trump campaign spokesperson, in a statement.

©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.