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In The Creator, the Human vs. A.I. War Doesn’t Compute

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:06:19 GMT

A grand, blustery mess of a would-be blockbuster, Gareth Edwards’s The Creator is all premise, all exposition, all the time. And yet you hardly ever know much for certain. It begins in backfill high gear, with a deftly assembled montage of news footage of an alternate history: A.I.-fueled robots became part of global society sometime in the late 20th century, until they somehow caused a nuclear blast that cratered L.A. Now they’re outlawed, and the U.S. has built a vast ship that roams the globe, unilaterally bombing droid enclaves. The last region where droids and people coexist happily, southeast Asia (“New Asia,” we’re told, though it looks like the old Asia), is now the location of a new, A.I.-built weapon that U.S. forces must find and destroy. Or else. Got that?Maybe not a bad set-up for a third-person shooter, which is often what The Creator feels like: a confusing video game you can’t play. The military hard-asses in question (led by Allison Janney) recruit Joshua (John Davi...

Is 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy elite? This six-time Pro Bowler doesn’t think so

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:06:19 GMT

It only took four weeks for the old “elite quarterback” debate to start gaining traction in NFL media circles.With Brock Purdy’s 4-0 start to the season and an NFL-best 115.1 quarterback rating, the question was tossed around between former ESPN personality Rich Eisen and NFL Network analyst Gerald McCoy, a six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle who recently retired: is Purdy an elite quarterback?McCoy started laughing when asked the question.“No,” he said.Eisen asked him why he was laughing.“Brock Purdy is not elite, man, c’mon now,” McCoy said the Rich Eisen Show on Tuesday. “Brock Purdy is playing well, he is, but … that roster is incredible. He’s playing well.”Purdy enters a big Week 5 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys while ranking near the top of the NFL in most passing categories. He’s third in completion percentage (72.3%), eighth in yards (1,019), second in yards per attempt (9.1), tied for 12th in touchdown passes (five) and is one of three quarterbacks (along with C.J. St...

Oakland: CHP to pay $7 million over controversial 2020 fatal shooting by three officers

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:06:19 GMT

OAKLAND — The California Highway Patrol will pay $7 million to settle a civil lawsuit alleging wrongdoing by three officers who in 2020 shot and killed a 23-year-old man and wounded his girlfriend, court records show.The suit, filed by the family of 23-year-old Erik Salgado, sought damages from the CHP over the June 2, 2020 shooting that led to protests and calls for criminal charges against the officers. Salgado’s death was one of two controversial Bay Area police shootings that came in the days after the police murder of George Floyd, when the region erupted with protests, rioting and looting.Salgado and his girlfriend were driving in a Dodge Charger that had been reported stolen from a San Leandro dealership weeks earlier when CHP Sgt. Richard Henderson, and officers Eric Hulbert and Donald Saputa fired a total of 18 shots at the vehicle. The officers, part of an anti-car theft task force, would later claim the Dodge attempted to ram them.Henderson, who used to work i...

“She was unshakable”: Sen. Dianne Feinstein lies in state at San Francisco City Hall

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:06:19 GMT

Under the gilded dome of San Francisco City Hall, Bay Area residents paid their respects Wednesday to Dianne Feinstein, the longest-tenured female U.S. Senator and a towering figure in the city’s politics, having served as mayor through one of its most turbulent decades.Feinstein, who died last week at the age of 90, lay in state as hundreds of mourners lined up throughout the day to view the closed casket draped in an American flag. A public funeral service is set for Thursday at City Hall and is expected to be attended by Feinstein’s close friend and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer.At Wednesday’s viewing, longtime San Francisco resident Florence Bryant remembered Feinstein as a steadying presence as San Francisco’s first female mayor. She credited Feinstein with helping the city heal after fellow Supervisor and gay rights icon Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone were gunned down at City...

Man fires gun to get wedding’s attention, shoots grandson, 12

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:06:19 GMT

By Amy Simonson | CNNA grandfather who was officiating a wedding in Nebraska is facing charges after accidentally shooting his 12-year-old grandson during the ceremony, officials said.Michael Gardner, 62, was officiating the festivities at Hillcrest Events in Denton around 5 p.m. on Saturday when he attempted to shoot a Pietta Model 1860 Snub Nose revolver loaded with a blank into the air to gain the attention of the wedding guests, according to Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Ben Houchin.Gardner “decided to gain everybody’s attention and start the wedding with a bang,” Houchin said during a news conference Monday.“When he decided to cock back the hammer of this revolver, it slipped and it shot his grandson into the left shoulder causing an injury,” Houchin said.The 45 COLT ammunition was a blank, but Gardener “put black powder into the casing and then glued it,” the chief deputy added. “And what we believe, is the glue is what injured the child,” he said.The boy’s in...

Giuliani sues Biden for calling him a ‘Russian pawn’

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:06:19 GMT

By Zachary Cohen and Alison Main | CNNFormer New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani filed a defamation lawsuit Wednesday against President Joe Biden for calling him a “Russian pawn” during a presidential debate nearly three years ago.Giuliani announced the lawsuit at a rambling and sparsely attended news conference outside a courthouse in New Hampshire, where he filed to take advantage of the state’s defamation laws.The former mayor reiterated several familiar attacks against Biden and his son, Hunter, though he only sued the president – despite the high bar for statements by public figures in a political setting to be found defamatory.The move comes as Giuliani is facing his own legal exposure on several fronts and new questions about his ability to pay the lawyers representing him. Wednesday’s news conference took place shortly after news broke that another lawyer, who has been representing Giuliani in the Georgia election subversion case, had withdrawn.Asked if he was concerned about ...

'Miracle' water year in California: Rain, snow put state's reservoirs at 128% of historical average

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:06:19 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California ended its “miracle” water year on Saturday with enough rain and snow to fill the state's reservoirs to 128% of their historical average, making it among the wettest years in recorded state history.That's a welcome boon to a state that has spent much of the past dozen years in a deep drought, forcing state leaders to grapple with how the state should share and manage its water in the future. A series of winter storms in early 2023 busted the state's most recent dry spell.State officials measured 33.56 inches (85.2 centimeters) of precipitation through the end of September. California's “water year” begins annually on Oct. 1 so it can include all of the fall and winter months when California gets the bulk of its rain and snow. The state depends on those wet months to fill its reservoirs that supply water for drinking, farming and environmental uses throughout the state. SF Fleet Week 2023: schedule, events, what you need ...

Suspect who allegedly assaulted multiple people in SF arrested

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:06:19 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A man who assaulted three people in San Francisco's Taraval District last week has been arrested and charged with elder abuse, the San Francisco Police Department said. The incident occurred on Wednesday, Sept. 27 at around 1:42 p.m. SFPD officers from the Taraval District responded to a report of an assault in progress in the 100 block of West Portal Avenue. Police said an initial investigation determined a man assaulted a victim without provocation, causing her to fall to the sidewalk. Thieves targeting drivers at gas stations, East Bay police agency warns The victim's coworker ran to their aid and was also assaulted by the suspect, who pushed her into a retail establishment, police said. Inside the store, the suspect allegedly assaulted an elderly woman, knocking her to the ground.A worker at a nearby business saw the assault unfolding and ran to the victims' aid. The witness, according to police, held the suspect to prevent him from assaulting the victi...

68-year-old SF woman convicted of elderly abuse, domestic violence

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:06:19 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- San Francisco resident Carole Selig, 69, has been convicted of domestic violence and elder abuse, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced on Wednesday. Selig was convicted of two counts of domestic violence, two counts of elder abuse, one count of assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of violating a restraining order.According to the District Attorney’s office, Selig repeatedly beat her 68-year-old boyfriend in their home in Russian Hill.  20,000 Kaiser health care workers on strike in the Bay Area “I would like to thank the jury for their service,” said Jenkins. “This case demonstrates that domestic violence will not be tolerated and be vigorously prosecuted by my office. Survivors are not alone and have an advocate in my office who will stand with them and fight for justice tirelessly in the courtroom.”Selig was in a dating relationship with the victim for a decade, according to testimony and evidence in the trial. On Feb. 25, ...

Conoce a la artista detrás de los vasos latinos de Starbucks y su aporte a la comunidad hispana

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:06:19 GMT

Manuela Guillén, nacida en Miami de padres cubanos y salvadoreños, ha colaborado con grandes empresas como Starbucks y Old Navy, pero una de las cosas que ella considera más importante es el haber podido marcar una diferencia en la vida de niños hispanos.Guillén buscó una carrera artística toda su vida y trabajó como profesora de arte en Estados Unidos y México, donde tuvo la oportunidad de conocer a niños de distintos orígenes.La pandemia del COVID-19 desempeñó un papel transformador en la carrera de Guillén, ya que empezó a recibir más ofertas de trabajo como artista independiente, y dejó su trabajo de profesora a tiempo completo para probar por fin la posibilidad de vivir de su pasión.Érase una vez en el sur de Filadelfia…El diseño de vallas publicitarias es un proyecto inspirado en la campaña Reading Promise.Ubicado en 9th y Washington Avenue.“Al principio tenía mucha ansiedad, no voy a mentir. Yo estaba como, ¿Qué hice? Dejé un trabajo bueno, los estudiantes eran buenos&#...