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Soucheray: What was that mysterious creature outside my door?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:15:02 GMT

Joe SoucherayA shriek. I know a shriek when I hear one, like when the property tax bill arrives in the mail or my car craters into a pothole. But those shrieks come from me.This was female.The CP was at the back door quivering and stammering, “Whhhhat is that?”I joined her at the door.“Whoa!”“What is that?” she said.It was an animal, ugly, fetal in its posture, new to me in the pantheon of urban wildlife.“Go out and check,” I said.“Me?”That never works.“It’s a possum,” I said, having absolutely no idea why that creature sprang to mind. I had never seen one in person. I’ve seen bears. Once I saw a moose standing on the gravel road near my friend Leo’s cabin up north. And here in the city, I’ve seen turkeys, fox, coyotes, deer and once, in civil twilight, I saw a creature so frightening I turned for home.I opened the door and stepped outside. I don’t know why. That’s what men do. They go outside to confront alien creatures and storms and passing fir...

Working Strategies: Getting the write stuff right

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:15:02 GMT

Amy LindgrenAre you a good writer?In my experience, most people are poor judges of their own writing. Some of the most competent writers seem keenly aware that they could be better, while others who self-describe as strong writers consistently send emails with illogical content. Not judging, mind you, just saying.Earlier this week I spent an enjoyable evening at a regional book awards ceremony, watching writers in a variety of genres collect accolades for their hard work. Seeing their genuine delight at being recognized reminded me that writers frequently toil in solitude, perhaps unaware of how much or whether they’re improving at their craft.If you’re writing for work — and especially if the writing itself isn’t your company’s product — you might be in the same boat. When writing is the product, multiple levels of checkpoints tell you how you’re doing. Editors, proofreaders, co-workers and clients are all part of the formal or informal team of critics that let you see ...

Fatal accident on I-170: two pedestrians killed by pickup truck

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:15:02 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- Just after midnight last night, a man and a woman were walking on I-170 northbound when a pickup truck hit both pedestrians. Both were declared dead at the scene. We are working to learn more about this accident and will update as new information becomes available.

Botticelli's Venus is an 'influencer' and Italy is not happy

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:15:02 GMT

The Italian tourism ministry thought it had a sure-fire way to bring travelers into the country: turning a 15th century art icon into a 21st century “virtual influencer.” The digital rendition of Venus, goddess of love, based on Sandro Botticelli’s Renaissance masterpiece “Birth of Venus,” can be seen noshing on pizza and snapping selfies for her Instagram page. Unlike the original, this Venus is fully clothed. The influencer claims to be 30, or “maybe just a wee bit (older) than that.”But the new ad campaign is facing significant backlash — with critics calling it a “new Barbie” that trashes Italy’s cultural heritage.The tourist campaign “trivializes our heritage in the most vulgar way, transforming Botticelli’s Venus into yet another stereotyped female beauty,” Livia Garomersini, an art historian and activist with Mi Riconosci, an art and heritage campaign organization, said in a response to the project last month.The yearlong campaign, produced by national tourism agency ENIT and...

Tropical butterflies on exhibit at South Coast Botanic Garden 

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:15:02 GMT

The SOAR – Tropical Butterflies exhibit has returned to the South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verdes, allowing visitors to immerse themselves amid hundreds of tropical butterflies that aren’t normally seen in Southern California. The exhibit started on May 1 and runs through August 31 at the South Coast Botanic Garden located at 26300 Crenshaw Boulevard. Guests will have the chance to watch a butterfly emerge from its pupa in the Emergence Chamber, and for an extra $6, you can feed the butterflies as you walk through the pavilion. Tickets and more information on the exhibit are available at the South Coast Botanic Garden website. 

Taylor Swift announces release of 'Speak Now (Taylor's Version)' during concert in Nashville

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:15:02 GMT

Taylor Swift is planning to drop her latest re-recorded album — "Speak Now (Taylor's Version" — over the summer, KTLA sister station WATE reports. The "Anti-Hero" singer made the announcement during her "Eras Tour" concert in Nashville on Friday night."I'm not wearing sleeves but I have some tricks up them," she told crowd, before directing their attention to a large screen above the stage to reveal the news."'Speak Now' comes out July 7th," she confirmed for her screaming fans. Cat that loves Taylor Swift music up for adoption Swift has been in the process of re-recording six of her earlier albums, citing her dissatisfaction with former label Big Machine Records and their decision to sell the original master recordings against her wishes. By re-recording the albums, Swift now maintains ownership of the new masters (aka, the "Taylor's Versions") of her older catalog.Taylor Swift performs during "The Eras Tour" on Friday, May 5, 2023, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. (AP ...

Willie Mays at 92: Longtime SF Giants fans share memories of the ‘Say Hey Kid’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:15:02 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO – Willie Mays was approaching the midway point of what would be an illustrious 23-year MLB career in 1962 when Steve Malcoun and his Little League team from Stockton got a chance to see him play live on a trip to Candlestick Park.“He was just a phenomenon beyond his time,” said Malcoun, now 70, said of Mays on Friday at Oracle Park. “He could do anything. He had speed, he had strength, he could catch the ball, he could run faster than anybody. He was a total athlete.”Mays, the oldest living member of the Baseball Hall of Fame and the greatest Giants player of all time, turns 92 today as San Francisco hosts the Milwaukee Brewers. No elaborate ceremony is planned, and it was unclear Friday as to whether Mays would attend the game, a group of singers will perform “Happy Birthday” in his honor, per a team spokesman.Still, 49 years after his retirement, the Say Hey Kid’s feats on the baseball diamond are remembered with awe by those who got to see him play in person, ...

Condoleezza Rice talks leadership — and social media — at Scout breakfast

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:15:02 GMT

Condoleezza Rice knows a thing or two about leadership, and the former U.S. secretary of state and current director at Stanford’s Hoover Institution shared that knowledge Thursday morning with nearly 500 supporters of the Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council of the Boy Scouts of America.“I can’t tell you how many kids come in to me and say, ‘I want to be a leader.’ I say, ‘That’s not a job description, that’s not a destination,’ ” Rice said at the Community Leadership Breakfast held at the Santa Clara Marriott. But organizations such as Scouting, she said, give young people a “pathway to leadership.”“I think Scouting is really built on learning leadership characteristics, not just declaring somebody leaders,” she said. Her wide-ranging conversation with Silicon Valley entrepreneurs touched on a number of topics, including the United States’ international relations with China, Russia and Iran; ca...

Collision affecting traffic at Hwy 1, Hwy 68

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:15:02 GMT

(BCN) -- California Highway Patrol officers responded to a collision near state Highway 1 and state Highway 68, in Monterey County, early Saturday morning. Oakland’s largest homeless encampment razed, 700 tons of trash hauled away Traffic was affected following the 3:44 a.m. wreck and remained slowed in the southbound lanes of state Highway 1 as of 5:30 a.m. according to Caltrans' live map.This is a developing story that will be updated.Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

Dmitri Mehlhorn: The Man Financing a Political Counterrevolution

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:15:02 GMT

This week on Deconstructed, Ryan Grim is joined by Dmitri Mehlhorn, a tech executive who has emerged as one of the most powerful financiers in the Democratic Party and a strategist who often takes direct aim, with millions of dollars, at the party’s left flank. He was in the news this week for helping finance E. Jean Carroll’s defamation suit against Donald Trump. Mehlhorn and Grim discuss their competing views on political strategy, the best way to challenge Republicans, and the way forward for the party.[Deconstructed theme music.]Ryan Grim: I’m Ryan Grim. Welcome back to Deconstructed.First, a big thank you to everybody who gave last week during our little pledge drive; very much appreciated. Today we’re going to be talking about the future of the Democratic Party and competing ideas about how it ought to pitch itself to the country, what it should stand for, and how it can best stand up to Trump and the MAGA movement around him.Now, for that conversation,...