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The 'digital euro' does not deserve its name!

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:08:50 GMT

Pirate Party MEP and digital freedom fighter Dr Patrick Breyercriticizes yesterday's draft bill by the EU Commission to introduce a"digital euro".The introduction of digital cash would be long overdue in theinformation age. Digital cash could be as anonymous and freely usable onthe internet as notes and coins. However, the 'digital euro' nowproposed by the Commission does not deserve that name. Digitaltechnology is to be misused to monitor, limit and control our financesto an extent never seen with cash.While cash can be accepted and spent anonymously at any time, which isimportant for undocumented refugees, for example, it will only bepossible to receive and spend digital euros with an account againstpresentation of identification. While people are allowed to hold andpass on unlimited amounts of cash, the amount of digital euros in ourhands will be limited in the future. And while with cash even confidential payments and controversial donations have so far beenpossible anonymously ...

Authorities chase stolen van driver in Orange County area

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:08:50 GMT

Police are chasing the driver of a stolen van in the Orange County area Thursday morning. The pursuit apparently began in the Los Angeles Police Department's jurisdiction, but by 9:40 a.m., the driver was speeding on the southbound 405 Freeway in Costa Mesa, aerial video from Sky5 showed. The van, which belongs to Fit For Life 1 in South Gate, was stolen from a repair shop in Los Angeles, the business told KTLA.The driver was soon in Irvine and continued speeding through the 5 Freeway with several California Highway Patrol units in tow. By 9:55 a.m., the driver was in the Mission Viejo area. Check back for updates on this developing story.

Armed thieves steal kids' shoes at Irvine Spectrum mall restroom

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:08:50 GMT

Police asked for the public's help Wednesday in locating two suspects who used a handgun to rob four minors in an Irvine restroom earlier this week. The incident occurred around 9:22 p.m. Monday at the Spectrum Center and was partially captured on surveillance video posted to the Irvine Police Department's Twitter feed.Investigators said the minors were followed into the restroom by two suspects who demanded their shoes.One of the suspects can be seen in the video displaying a black handgun. A robbery suspect is seen carrying a gun in an image posted by the Irvine Police Department on June 28, 2023. The first suspect was described as a male Hispanic between 15 and 20 years old. He stands 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs about 150 pounds. He was wearing a black baseball cap with a red emblem, a black fanny pack, a gray tank top, black pants and white shoes.Police said the suspect was armed with a handgun. The second suspect was also believed to be a male Hispanic between 15...

Actress Haley Pullos Arrested in DUI Crash on 134 Freeway [Pasadena, CA]

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:08:50 GMT

General Hospital Actress Involved in Wrong-Way Collision near Orange Grove BoulevardPASADENA, CA (June 29, 2023) – Wednesday morning, police arrested actress Haley Pullos following a DUI crash on 134 Freeway.The incident occurred on May 17th, around 1:30 a.m. when Pullos, allegedly swerved into opposing lanes near Orange Grove Boulevard and collided head-on with another vehicle.As a result, first responders transported Pullos and the other driver with unspecified injuries to a local hospital.Officers eventually arrested 24-year-old Halley Pullos for DUI and driving the wrong way on a freeway, causing injury. Investigators also revealed her involvement in a previous hit-and-run incident. Pullos’ role in “General Hospital” is being recast indefinitely because she is on medical leave as a result of the accident.At this time, police authorities have not released any further information regarding the wrong-way crash on Interstate 580, but they will release additio...

Aaron David Angeli Hospitalized after Deadly Head-On Crash on State Route 299 [Trinity River, CA]

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:08:50 GMT

Two-Vehicle Collision in Trinity River Area Kills 72-Year-Old ManTRINITY RIVER, CA (June 29, 2023) – Sunday night, a head-on collision on State Route 299 left an elderly man dead and Aaron David Angeli hospitalized.The fatal incident occurred on June 11th, at around 8:19 p.m., just west of Junction City.According to California Highway Patrol, a westbound Ford Ranger driven by a 72-year-old man veered into the double-yellow lines of 299. Consequently, the Ford crashed head-on with a Ford Club Wagon traveling in the eastbound lane.Responding emergency personnel claimed that the Club Wagon driver, 39-year-old Aaron David Angeli, suffered significant injuries from the collision. In addition, Angeli managed to extricate the unconscious Ford Ranger driver before it caught on fire.Despite the life-saving efforts of the first responders, the Ranger driver died at the scene. At this time, his identity remains undisclosed to the public, pending notification from the next of kin.Moreover...

The Age of Aqua

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:08:50 GMT

The Age of Aqua: It seems appropriate that we’re seeing the return of Danish Europe band Aqua at the same time that the Barbie movie has been released. It was they, after all, that had a hit with the quirky, catchy and gloriously silly “Barbie Girl.” “Come on Barbie, let’s go party!” Indeed.Last year, Aqua celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Aquarium! album which featured that “Barbie Girl” smash hit single.“The story of Aqua is the story of a unique moment in Danish music history,” reads the press bio. “Behind the hit-making band are lead vocals Rene Dif, Norwegian-born Lene Nystrøm, and producers Søren Rasted and Claus Noreen. They got together in 1994 under the name ‘Joyspeed.’ Luckily, they quickly changed their name to the iconic Aqua before the release of ‘Aquarium’, which sold more than 17 million copies worldwide and made everyone familiar with the four group members. As Lene Nystrøm puts it herself: “With the release of our debut album, we h...

Will Disneyland’s new Marvel musical be campy, cheesy and silly?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:08:50 GMT

Disneyland and Marvel fans alike have been waiting for months to see if the Avengers musical coming to Disney California Adventure will have the same campy, cheesy and silly tone as the Broadway-style song that the new show is based on.Disneyland will bring “Rogers: The Musical” based on the life story of Captain America to the Hyperion Theater on Friday, June 30 for a limited run.SEE ALSO: Is Disneyland’s Marvel musical part of the MCU?The “Save the City” song that briefly popped up in the “Hawkeye” TV show on the Disney+ streaming service was equal parts campy, irreverent and absurd. The Broadway-style number played at various times like a spoof, satire, parody and joke on Marvel, superheroes and musicals.“It was campy,” Disney Live Entertainment Executive Creative Director Dan Fields said. “It was comic book-inspired as much as anything else. So you’ll see touchstones of that, but that’s not the only flavor at all.”Disney Live Entertainment turned to classic Broadway musicals as ...

Is Disneyland’s Marvel musical part of the MCU?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:08:50 GMT

Explaining the show-about-a-show concept of the new “Rogers: The Musical” that riffs on the Marvel Cinematic Universe with an insider’s knowing smirk can be challenging for even the Disney and Marvel creative teams that collaborated on the project.“It’s the life story of a fictional character being told in a real setting on a fictional TV show and here we are making a real musical based on that fictional setting,” Disney Live Entertainment Executive Creative Director Dan Fields said.If your head is already spinning, then “Rogers: The Musical” might not be for you. But if the high-minded concept sounds intriguing or makes perfect sense, then you’ll probably love the new Broadway-style musical based on the life of Captain America coming to the Hyperion Theater at Disney California Adventure on Friday, June 30 for a limited run.RELATED: Will Disneyland’s new Marvel musical be campy, cheesy and silly?Fields doesn’t think “Rogers: The Musical” is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.“We...

Homeless population rises 9% in Los Angeles County, 10% in Los Angeles City

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:08:50 GMT

The homeless population in Los Angeles County rose by 9% over last year, with double-digit increases reported for those living unsheltered on the street, according to data released Thursday, June 29 by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.A point-in-time count conducted Jan. 24-Jan. 26 this year reported that 75,518 people experience homelessness on any night in L.A. County, with the number of unsheltered individuals rising from 48,548 to 55,155, for a 14% jump. Unsheltered adults made up more than 70% of all the homeless people counted, not including tallies done separately in Glendale, Pasadena and Long Beach.In the city of L.A., homelessness rose by 10% over last year, increasing from 41,980 to 46,260, a steady rise since 2018. The L.A. numbers are included in the total L.A. County figures.The Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, done mostly by volunteers overseen by LAHSA, paints a troubling picture of an intractable problem that persists even after government entities hav...

Mailbag: Chips for the Pac-12’s future, media rights timing, SMU’s value, Colorado replacement options and more

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:08:50 GMT

The Hotline mailbag publishes each week. Send questions to [email protected] and include ‘mailbag’ in the subject line. Or hit me on Twitter: @WilnerHotline.Some questions have been edited for clarity and brevity.What does the Pac-12 need to do in order to survive long term, meaning 20 years into the future? — @josephkirkpatriTo a certain extent, the fate of the conference is tied to the future of the Power Five structure itself. If the Big Ten and SEC opt to become mega-leagues with 20 or more schools, the Pac-12 as we know it will cease to exist.But let’s imagine a scenario in which Big Ten and SEC membership remains fixed through the next two media contract cycles — it’s status quo for both conferences into the late 2030s.How can the Pac-12 ensure competitive success and membership stability (e.g., prevent schools from departing for the Big 12) through the next 15 or 20 years?Obviously, commissioner George Kliavkoff must craft a satisfactor...