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On Democracy, the People Have the Best Say

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 16:05:42 GMT

Over the years, the United States has claimed to be a "beacon of democracy". But even at best as a "lamp", it has become increasingly dim and could barely shed light on itself. Taking its electoral system as an example, more than US$16.7 billion was spent by both parties in the 2022 midterm elections, dwarfing the 2021 GDPs of more than 70 countries. The top 21 families making political donations contributed at least a million each, totalling US$783 million. Over 90% of those elected as lawmakers won by splurging funds. The so-called American democracy is merely a “game of the rich” founded on capital. Americans’ pride in their democracy has dropped sharply, from 90% in 2002 to 54% in 2022, according to a joint Washington Post-University of Maryland survey.Despite mounting problems at home, the United States continued to behave with a sense of superiority, usurp the role of a “lecturer of democracy”, and organized another edition of the so-called “Summit for Democracy”. The purpose ...

Late-night visit to Van Nuys home results in shooting that leaves 1 dead, 1 wounded

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 16:05:42 GMT

Two men were shot, one of them fatally, by a late-night visitor to a Van Nuys home early Saturday morning, according to officials. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, a man approached at home in the 15100 block of Gilmore Street at about 1:40 a.m. and knocked on the door of a home containing two Armenian men.When one man inside the house opened the door, the visitor spoke to that man and another inside the home in Armenian, then opened fire, striking both men, police said. One victim, believed to be about 50 years old, was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.The other victim, 44, was taken to a local hospital in stable condition.The shooter, who is also Armenian, remains at large, police said. His identity and age remain unknown, though he was last seen wearing a dark sweatshirt and black baseball cap.Investigators said they are unsure of the relationship between the shooter and victims, but the attack was not gang-related."Both victims, they're rela...

Video: Dodgers fan gets demolished by security guard during on-field proposal

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 16:05:42 GMT

A Los Angeles Dodgers fan’s romantic marriage proposal on Opening Day came at a painful price.Cell phone cameras were rolling as a man wearing a Mookie Betts jersey ran onto the field during a break in the game, dropped down to a knee, and held up a ring box for his girlfriend who was seated in the outfield seats.Many in the crowd cheered, but those cheers quickly turned to gasps when, seconds later, a security guard blindsided the proposing fan, brutally tackling him to the ground. A man who rushed the field at Dodger Stadium to propose to his girlfriend was tackled by a security guard. March 30, 2023. (@THEDieselMendez / SPORTS REPORT+ /TMX)Other guards arrived and handcuffed him as he lay face-down.The man, who appeared to be shaken up, was then escorted off the field and play resumed.“She said YES 🙌🏻🙌🏻la amo,” Ricardo Juarez later posted on Instagram. His fiancee, Ramona Saavedra, shared a photo of the ring and the newly-engaged couple.Ramona Saavedra and Ricardo Juarez show off...

Series of 3.2 magnitude earthquakes rattle Oakland Hills, East Bay

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 16:05:42 GMT

A series of three earthquakes — each registering an identical magnitude of 3.2 — struck Saturday morning in the Oakland Hills, beneath the Oakland Zoo, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.The temblors began at 9:24 a.m. Saturday, with the first one occurring at a depth of about 4.3 miles underneath the zoo, nestled in the Oakland Hills just outside of San Leandro and just west of Lake Chabot Regional Park, the agency reported.A second quake happened at 9:43 a.m. at almost the exact same spot. A third followed just 15 seconds later, though it was shallower by about a half-mile, the agency said.There were no immediate reports of damage.Check back for updates to this developing story.

Kurtenbach: Gary Payton II was the one who got away. Thank goodness the Warriors brought him back

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 16:05:42 GMT

The Warriors were wrong this past summer.They knew how they could keep Gary Payton II on the team’s roster. They decided not to do it.Had the Warriors traded center James Wiseman after the team’s title parade, Golden State would have freed enough money to reasonably re-sign Payton to a market-level deal, despite the team’s luxury-tax issues.Important members of the Dubs’ brass were desperate to make the move. It didn’t happen.Pride stood in the way. Enough important people with the Warriors did not want to concede defeat on the failing Wiseman experiment. They fell prey to the sunk-cost fallacy.So instead of keeping the 30-year-old Payton, an undrafted journeyman who became a critical member of the team’s title rotation last season, the Warriors stuck with the former No. 2 overall pick. Payton, in turn, signed his first big NBA deal, a three-year, $26.1 million contract with the Blazers.Thank goodness the Warriors admitted their mistake in Februar...

Preliminary magnitude 3.2 earthquakes hit San Leandro

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 16:05:42 GMT

SAN LEANDRO, Calif. (KRON) -- The residents of San Leandro got a bit of a wake up call on Saturday morning when several preliminary magnitude 3.2 earthquakes struck the area, according to the United States Geological Survey. (Map courtesy of USGS)The first quake hit around 9:24 a.m., and the epicenter was not far from the Oakland Zoo, in the middle of Knowland Park, according to USGS maps. Two more quakes hit, almost back to back, at 9:43 a.m., USGS data shows.

Little Rock mayor says 2,100 homes or businesses were in the path of tornado; unclear how many were damaged or destroyed (CORRECTS: A previous APNewsAlert erroneously reported that 2,100 homes were damaged or destroyed)

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 16:05:42 GMT

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Little Rock mayor says 2,100 homes or businesses were in the path of tornado; unclear how many were damaged or destroyed (CORRECTS: A previous APNewsAlert erroneously reported that 2,100 homes were damaged or destroyed).Source

Local teen wins 7 Mile Bridge Run in Florida Keys

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 16:05:42 GMT

MARATHON, Fla. (AP) — A Florida teenager and an Atlanta woman won the overall men’s and women’s divisions Saturday at a footrace across the longest of 42 highway bridges over water in the Florida Keys.Vaclav “Vance” Bursa, 15, of Big Pine Key, Florida, finished first overall in the annual 7 Mile Bridge Run, posting a time of 41 minutes, 1 second and also claiming the top spot in the men’s division. Bursa, who placed third in the 2022 race, is a student at Marathon High School.Joanna Stephens, 28, of Atlanta, completed the course in 41:12 to win the women’s division title and place second overall. Last year’s winner, Collin Wainwright, 27, of Springfield, Pennsylvania, and Joel Martinez, 31, of Cape Coral, Florida, finished in 41:33 and 41:45, respectively, to take second and third place in the men’s division.Holly Smith, 38, from Key Largo, Florida, posted a women’s division second-place time of 42:10. Key West, Florida, resident Shelby Nowak, 28, placed third with a time of 4...

Bournemouth beats Fulham 2-1, moves out of relegation zone

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 16:05:42 GMT

BOURNEMOUTH, England (AP) — Dominic Solanke scored the winner after teammate Marcus Tavernier’s superb equalizer as Bournemouth moved out of the relegation zone with a 2-1 win over Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday.Bournemouth jumped four places to 15th, two points above 18th-place Leicester.The Cherries looked to be heading for a third defeat in four games when Andreas Pereira gave Fulham a halftime lead. But Tavernier’s stunning solo effort and Solanke’s 79th-minute winner were enough to give the hosts all the points.Fulham was without suspended duo Willian and Aleksandar Mitrovic following their red cards in the FA Cup quarterfinal defeat at Manchester United. But the visitors were comfortably the better team in the first half and took just 16 minutes to open the scoring.Willian’s replacement Manor Solomon broke free down the left before cutting the ball back for Harrison Reed to tee up Pereira, who fired home his first league goal since November.Bournemouth boss Gary O’Ne...

Gabriel Jesus ends drought as Arsenal beats Leeds 4-1 in EPL

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 16:05:42 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Gabriel Jesus ended a six-month scoring drought by netting twice as Premier League leader Arsenal beat Leeds 4-1 on Saturday to maintain some breathing space atop the standings. Jesus converted a first-half penalty for his first goal since Oct. 1 to give Arsenal the lead, and then made it 3-0 with a simple finish from close range in the 55th. The Brazilian striker had played 17 games for club and country without a goal, a stretch that was also interrupted by a lengthy spell on the sidelines after being injured at the World Cup. “I want to score every game,” Jesus said. “But sometimes it can’t happen. I am more happy with the three points than the goals.”Ben White added the second goal shortly after the halftime break and Granit Xhaka headed in a late fourth as Arsenal maintained an eight-point gap over defending champion Manchester City, which has a game in hand. Leeds pulled a goal back with a deflected shot by Rasmus Kristensen to make it 3-1 in the 76th, but the los...