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US Catholic leadership foresees challenges after repeated election defeats for abortion opponents

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:42 GMT

By DAVID CRARY (AP National Writer)Repeatedly in recent years, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has stipulated that “the threat of abortion remains our preeminent priority.” In the face of recent election setbacks for abortion opponents, leading bishops and their lay allies are reassessing how to move forward with that stance.The latest rebuff came Nov. 7 in Ohio, when voters decisively approved a constitutional amendment that ensures access to abortion and other forms of reproductive health care. It was the seventh consecutive state where voters decided to protect abortion access since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the nationwide constitutional right to abortion in June 2022.The Ohio result was particularly stinging for abortion opponents, coming in a state where tough anti-abortion measures had been approved by the Republican-controlled legislature.“Today is a tragic day for women, children, and families in Ohio,” the state’s Catholic bisho...

'Humpty Kareem': Abdul-Jabbar pays tribute to band after concert fall

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:42 GMT

NBA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar took to Substack on Monday to offer praise for one of his favorite bands, something he planned to do on Friday before he fell and broke his hip.The Laker great was at Disney Hall in downtown Los Angeles to honor the Manhattan Transfer's final show with a letter from Vice President Kamala Harris and his own remarks when "Humpty Kareem had a great fall," he wrote on Substack."I’d like to say I fell while trying to save a child from plunging over a balcony, but I just tripped," Abdul-Jabbar wrote. "Hard for me to accept that a once world-class athlete just stumbled. But age is the great equalizer and humbles us all."After thanking the Los Angeles Fire Department and the medical staff at UCLA Hospital for treating his injury, Abdul-Jabbar posted Harris' letter, which hailed the Manhattan Transfer's music as "a reflection of the ingenuity of the American people.""As trailblazing artists, each member of The Manhattan Transfer's uplifting and beautiful voice h...

Kanye West lists gutted beachfront Malibu home for $53 million

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:42 GMT

Ye, aka Kanye West, is taking a hefty financial hit in listing a beachfront Malibu home he purchased in 2021 for $57.3 million, according to multiple reports.  The 4,000-square-foot, four-bedroom property was designed by famed Japanese architect Tadao Ando.  While there aren’t a lot of Ando-designed homes in the United States, his name might ring a bell. The Japanese architect designed a house in the Paradise Cove area of Malibu, aptly nicknamed "Billionaires’ Row," that was purchased by Beyoncé and husband Jay-Z for $200 million earlier this year.  That sale was billed as the most expensive home ever sold in California.  But back to Ye’s Malibu home, which he has decided to sell for $53 million after having the property gutted for a remodel.  “What’s missing are the interiors,” celebrity real-estate agent Jason Oppenheim told The Hollywood Reporter. The Selling Sunset real-estate broker is listing West’s house exclusively. He told the entertainmen...

L.A. County hospital locates unidentified patient’s loved ones

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:42 GMT

Family members of a Los Angeles County hospital patient who was found earlier this week have been located, officials said Wednesday.The woman is currently at the St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood and has been there since Dec. 15 after she was found near 68th Street and Converse Avenue in the Florence-Graham area.She did not have any information or belongings to help identify her, hospital staff said.Officials issued an advisory Tuesday in hopes of finding the woman's family and it worked. "Thank you for your assistance. The patient’s family has been found ... We appreciate your help," Marketing and Communications Manager Linda Woo said Wednesday.Anyone who has additional information is asked to call St. Francis Medical Center at 310-728-0714. 

Is CBD Safe On College Campuses?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:42 GMT

View the original article about CBD on College Campuses  at Real Tested CBD.It’s no secret that cannabis has always been around “underground” on college campuses. Watch any film that chronicles college life from the 1960s onward, and you’ll find plenty of references to pot. However, just because cannabis circulated on many American campuses, that never meant it was legal in dorms. Quite the contrary.For most of the 20th century, every US state outlawed pot. Even though some territories have lifted their bans on cannabis, THC remains a federally illegal substance. Plus, the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (DFSCA) enforces all US colleges to put forward preventive info on alcohol and drugs if they want to receive federal funding.While cannabis is a no-no in US colleges, does that mean CBD is also off-limits in college? After all, the 2018 US Farm Bill legalized hemp-derived items like CBD. Also, since CBD is non-psychoactive, it doesn’t carry the “high-inducing” reputation of de...

Somni Weighs In with Gravity

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:42 GMT

Somni Weighs In with Gravity: Somni is the solo project of UK-born, L.A.-based artist Leo Shulman. He first got interested in electronic music when he was in high school.“I’d already been recording my guitar ideas for a few years in an old version of Logic Pro that my dad had on his computer, but started really realizing the possibilities of music software and sampling when I heard stuff like Portishead, Amon Tobin, and then later Flying Lotus with his album Los Angeles,” he says. “I remember it blowing my mind that one person could create such weird, complex music by themselves just on a computer. So I started trying to get weirder with it, using different types of FX, reversing and chopping up different types of samples and it just went from there – I was obsessed.”Somni describes his sound as a blend between the L.A. beat scene sounds that inspired him to start producing seriously (“stuff like Flying Lotus, Shlohmo, Teebs etc”), mixed wit...

Best of the West: Mountain West stands alone as region’s top league after dominating Pac-12

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:42 GMT

With one third of the regular season in books, it’s as easy to identify the best conference in the west as the best team in the west.Just as Arizona rules the region in the latter category, so does the Mountain West in the former.The Mountain West has more teams than the Pac-12 on the top tier of the NET rankings, a better record than the Pac-12 against the Power Six leagues and a better winning percentage than the Pac-12 in non-conference games.Oh, and this: The Mountain West is 5-0 head-to-head against the Pac-12.A few data points, with the West Coast Conference included …— Teams in top 40 of the NET rankings:Mountain West: fourPac-12: threeWCC: one— Non-conference winning percentage:Mountain West: 70.1Pac-12: 64.9WCC: 52.0— Record against Power Six opponentsMountain West: 8-8Pac-12: 12-22WCC: 11-11— Record against each other:Mountain West: 19-5WCC: 12-20Pac-12: 6-12The balance of power could shift before league play begins next week for the Pac...

How ‘hero’ Chris Paul set up Steph Curry for Warriors’ wild game-sealing shot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:42 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — Before there could be a game-winning moonshot from Stephen Curry, there had to be a rocket thrown to him.Chris Paul, the 12-time All-Star, can still launch them. Even as he’s past his prime and even when he’s not feeling 100%, either.When Paul corralled a loose ball along the baseline with the game clock dwindling under 13 seconds, he didn’t panic. Of course he didn’t; the 38-year-old has been in every game situation throughout his 19-year career.Paul collected the 50-50 ball and glanced up at the shot clock in one motion. The Warriors were up 127-126 in overtime, so a 3 would essentially ice out Boston. He locked eyes across the court with Curry, who flashed both hands above his head and relocated from the corner to the wing, creating a sliver of a passing lane for Paul. The point guard took one dribble towards the paint, left his feet and fired a pass right at the letters on Curry’s jersey.There Paul was, creating the shot that won Tuesday night’s game — a vi...

Consistent rain expected throughout Bay Area on Wednesday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:42 GMT

For perhaps the final time until Christmas Day, the Bay Area was expected to receive moderate amounts of rainfall on Wednesday as showers move across the region, according to the National Weather Service.Most population centers throughout the region could see up to one-full inch of rain on Wednesday. Forecasts showed at least one-half of an inch in San Francisco, Half Moon Bay, San Jose, Livermore and Concord.The coastal regions and parts of the Peninsula could be in the upper end of that range, while the inland East Bay and rain-shadowed parts of the South Bay could top out at three-quarters of an inch, according to NWS meteorologist Brayden Murdock.3 AM radar update: Line of moderate to heavy rain showers offshore will soon move onshore in the coming hours as area of low pressure approaches the coast. N Bay getting solid rain over the last few hours, and heavier rain will impact more coastal areas later this morning. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/taUfT58PZp— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayAr...

Top 10 favorite small and big cities in the U.S., according to CN Traveler

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:42 GMT

For the last 36 years, Conde Nast Traveler has invited its readers to vote for their favorite destinations and travel experiences around the world, from the best cruise lines to top resorts and favorite cities. This year, some 526,518 people voted for their faves — and we’re adding some of their picks to our own “where to go in 2024” list.Among other things, readers were wowed by charming small cities across the South, from Charleston in South Carolina to Savannah, Georgia — and St. Augustine in Florida, a town settled in 1565, decades before any pilgrims popped up at Plymouth Rock. It’s the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the U.S. and home to forts, castles and Gilded Age landmarks. The Southwest is represented on the list by Santa Fe and Sedona. And back East, Annapolis and its Chesapeake Bay seafood get a shout out, too.Florida’s historic St. Augustine — and its scenic Bridge of Lions — was recently singled...