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Opinion: When is hate mail a threat or harassment and when is it free speech?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:57:53 GMT

“Your (sic) an idiot.” That’s often what passes for thoughtful criticism on social media. Occasionally, though, critics’ opprobrium turns menacing. “It would be a shame if something bad happened to you,” and other variations on that theme, was what I received after my column about crossing a picket line ran, along with pictures of dead rats and people getting beaten up.Such vague threats have arrived by snail mail, as well. In one case involving multiple contacts, I had to contact the police. It’s an occupational hazard for any public figure.Prosecuting threatening speech just got a bit more difficult after last week’s Supreme Court ruling in Counterman v Colorado. As a media commentator and as a target of hostile comments, the ruling elicits mixed feelings.Threats can chill free speech by making targets fearful of expressing opinions. Such speech also pollutes social media and drives decent people away from public forums. On the other hand, prosecution of threatening speech can cre...

George Tickner, Journey co-founder and guitarist, dies at 76

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:57:53 GMT

George Tickner, the co-founder of Journey and the band's guitarist, has died. Neal Schon, the rock band's co-founding guitarist, made the announcement on Facebook. “Journey Junkies, I have some very sad news. George Tickner, Journey’s original rhythm guitarist and songwriting contributor on their first three albums, has passed away. He was 76 years old.”Schon then continued saying, “Godspeed, George… thank you for the music. We will be paying tribute to you on this page indefinitely. Our condolences to his family and friends, and to all past and present band members. So heartbreaking. I think we need to do a group hug, JJ’s.”He was a member of the San Francisco psychedelic rock band Frumious Bandersnatch before joining Journey. In February 1973, Tickner co-founded Journey with Ross Valory, Gregg Rolie and Schon in San Francisco. However, Tickner left the band after they released their debut album to attend Stanford Medical School on a full scholarship. Journey's commercial success c...

Earth records back-to-back-to-back hottest days ever: What does it mean?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:57:53 GMT

Earth’s average temperature on Wednesday remained at an unofficial record high set the day before, the latest grim milestone in a week that has seen a series of climate-change-driven extremes.The average global temperature was 17.18 Celsius (62.9 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer, a tool that uses satellite data and computer simulations to measure the world’s condition. That matched a record set Tuesday, and came after a previous record of 17.01 Celsius (62.6 degrees Fahrenheit) was set Monday.While the figures are not an official government record, “this is showing us an indication of where we are right now,” said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief scientist Sarah Kapnick. And NOAA indicated it will take the figures into consideration for its official record calculations.Scientists generally use much longer measurements — months, years, decades — to track the Earth’s warming, but the daily highs are an indication that ...

Over $109M worth of illegal cannabis seized in California

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:57:53 GMT

Over $109 million in illegal cannabis was seized by California authorities during recent a statewide crackdown, authorities said.The operation saw a 104 percent increase in illegal cannabis products seized during the Q2 period of April through June 2023, according to the California Department of Fish and WildlifeIn total, authorities seized:-120,970 illegal cannabis plants-66,315 pounds of cannabis flower-$223,809 in cash-92 search warrants were served-19 firearms were confiscatedThe total retail value of the seized cannabis amounts to $109,277,688.94, officials said. From January through March 2023, officials seized $52 million in unlicensed cannabis and cannabis products.The Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce was created in 2022 and includes more than two dozen local, state, and federal partners working together to “disrupt the illegal cannabis market.”Operation    Q1 2023  Q2 2023 Percent ChangeSearch Warrants Served        21...

Summer Sandwiches At Atrium And Loumar’s In The Red Room – Here’s What’s Popping Up

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:57:53 GMT

Atrium continues its food and beverage promotion for the summer concert series at The Greek Theatre on Sunday, July 9, with the Le Tigre ratatouille “Ratty Pattie” sandwich — a vegan sandwich made out of zucchini, squash, red bell peppers and eggplant. It is crusted in a vegan dredge and deep fried, and topped with house marinara sauce and vegan mozzarella cheese melted on top.Located within walking distance, on nights when bands are playing, Atrium will offer a limited-edition Greek sandwich drop, featuring a rotating selection of dishes that pay tribute to different acts. Specialty sandwiches will be available the day of or until sold out.The Tori Amos — a house-made vegan burger made of quinoa and chickpeas — will take the spotlight on Friday, July 21. It comes on a vegan brioche bun, house-made vegan thousand island, tomatoes, lettuce, and vegan cheese.Atrium will offer its happy hour drink menu nightly from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., which includes signature cocktails like Future Nostal...

Review: Dynamic dancing drives this S.F. ‘Chorus Line’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:57:53 GMT

Who knew a musical about auditioning for a musical would become such a phenomenon? But “A Chorus Line,” the now-classic musical that recently opened at San Francisco Playhouse, is nothing if not a singular sensation.There was nothing like “A Chorus Line” when the musical debuted in 1975. Inspired by taped conversations with actual Broadway dancers, some of whom were in the original cast, the show alternates between terrific synchronized dance numbers, as the dancers learn their steps, and heartfelt confessionals about the cast members’ lives, bizarrely solicited by the director as part of the audition process.Starting at New York’s Public Theater in April 1975, it quickly moved to Broadway, where its original production ran for 15 years. The show won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1976.“A Chorus Line” is indelibly associated with its original director/choreographer, Michael Bennett, who’s also credited with conceiving the play. With a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nich...

Thief breaks into California wine shop through its roof and steals $500,000 worth of rare booze

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:57:53 GMT

By Nadia Bidarian and Travis Caldwell | CNNPolice in Southern California are investigating a theft at a high-end wine shop where, according to the store, a burglar drilled a hole into its roof, descended via rope and stole around 600 bottles of wine and liquor worth over $500,000.After descending into the wine cellar of Lincoln Fine Wines in Los Angeles’ Venice neighborhood at around 12:30 a.m. Friday, the burglar – clad in a mask, black hoodie and red baseball cap – could be seen on surveillance footage covering the lens of the cellar’s security camera, according to store manager Nick Martinelle.“It was like something out of ‘Ocean’s Eleven.’ We just couldn’t believe it,” Martinelle told CNN. The tape from the back of a “Smile: You’re on Camera” sign stuck to the cellar’s door was used to conceal the camera, he said.During the theft, which lasted for an estimated four hours, the thief looted the wine cellar of some of the store’s rarest and most expensive wines and liquors.The owne...

SVB Financial approved to sell investment bank back to founder for $100 million

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:57:53 GMT

By Steven Church | BloombergSVB Financial Group, the bankrupt former owner of Silicon Valley Bank, won court permission to sell its investment banking arm for $100 million, four years after it paid $280 million for the unit.The buyers include Jeff Leerink and his management team. Leerink founded the investment advisory and continued running the unit after the bank holding company bought it. The sale is also backed by Baupost Group.US Bankruptcy Judge Martin Glenn had initially refused to approve the sale because it released too many SVB Financial executives from any potential lawsuits related to the collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank, which was taken over by regulators earlier this year.But after company officials added some restrictions to the legal releases, Glenn signed an order on Wednesday approving the sale.After regulators took over its bank, SVB Financial filed bankruptcy with plans to sell its non-banking assets, including the investment bank, in order to repay bondholders...

Man shot and killed while driving in East Oakland

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:57:53 GMT

EAST OAKLAND — A man was shot and killed while driving a vehicle in East Oakland on Wednesday night, leading them to crash the car with a passenger inside, according to authorities.The victim, a 34-year-old man with an unknown city of residence, was driving a vehicle eastbound on the 7300 block of MacArthur Boulevard with a female passenger when a man began shooting at the car from the sidewalk around 8:25 p.m., police said. The driver was hit by the gunfire, and the vehicle crashed at the intersection of MacArthur and 74th Avenue.The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The female passenger was transported to the hospital with unspecified injuries.The alleged shooter, 29, was identified as a person that knows the victims and was arrested in the area on suspicion of murder. There was no information released regarding a motive.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Grand jury indicts Martinez man, 52, for pair of 2022 killings Crime and Public Safety | ...

Larry Magid: Looking back on 40 years of writing tech columns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:57:53 GMT

This week marks my 40th anniversary as a newspaper columnist. My first tech column, called “The Computer File” ran in the Los Angeles Times starting July 3, 1983. I wrote for the LA Times for the next 20 years and later the New York Times, and since around 1994, the Mercury News and other MediaNews Group papers where I continue to write a weekly tech column.Related ArticlesBusiness | Magid: Buying a large appliance online vs. local store Business | Magid: Could a smartwatch or fitness device save your life? Business | Larry Magid: Using AI and apps for summer travel plans Business | Larry Magid: Apple’s Vision Pro could inspire innovation That first 1983 column, “Learn Buzzwords Before Shopping,” described what were, at the time, unfamiliar terms like computer hardware, software, floppy disc, bite, kilobyte and megabyte. After defining what RAM (random access memory) stood for, I pointed out that computers could h...