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Some major brands are giving up on Threads as engagement craters

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:36 GMT

Hello. Is there anybody in there?While Pink Floyd could not have envisioned the internet, let alone social media, when they released Comfortably Numb in 1979, the lyrics might as well apply to Meta's wannabe "Twitter Killer," Threads.After quickly amassing over 100 million users during its initial launch in early July, engagement has bottomed out.Very little has been reported on this topic lately, however, the most recent data from Sensor Tower showed an 82% drop in Threads’ active daily users with only eight million accessing the app at the end of July.This is not to say many major brands and celebrities aren’t still sharing content on Threads. You don’t want to fall behind if or when Meta finally gets it right.Today, however, is painfully clear that posting to Threads is more of an exercise and a hope than a realistic expectation of engagement.For example, the Los Angeles Dodgers have 2.5 million followers on X, formerly Twitter, and 269K on Threads. This amusing tweet showing the...

KTLA 5's Sam Rubin reviews U2's show inside the Las Vegas Sphere

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:36 GMT

The stars flocked to Sin City this weekend to attend the opening night of the Sphere and that included KTLA 5's Sam Rubin.This new completely round venue cost over $2 billion to build and is the latest and greatest in the Las Vegas showplace.People arrive for the opening night of the Sphere and U2'S “UV Achtung Baby" show, FSept. 29, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)"Welcome to the potential and the reality of every single technical bell and whistle imaginable under one roof," Sam explained Monday morning on the KTLA 5 Morning News.U2 marked the official opening of the cutting-edge venue on Friday night. The band currently has a residency there called UV Achtung Baby, which consists of about two dozen shows between now and December. U2 performs the first show of their UV Achtung Baby residency at the Sphere venue in Las Vegas on Sept. 29, 2023. "(It) is so new and so gee-whiz, that whatever budget level you meet, maybe this is something to take in," he continued.Sitting rig...

LAPD Shuts Down Destroy Lonely’s Explosive Fairfax Pop-Up Event

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:36 GMT

In the world of music, few rising artists have made as big a splash as Destroy Lonely. Hailing from Atlanta, this exciting artist quickly gained recognition in 2022 with the release of the mixtape “NO STYLIST,” showcasing his dexterous flows and superstar potential. His subsequent project, “NS+ (ULTRA),” earned critical acclaim and secured him a spot on numerous “Artists to Watch” lists for 2023. Following this success, Destroy Lonely released his highly anticipated debut album, “If Looks Could Kill,” which skyrocketed to No. 1 on Apple Music within 24 hours. He was also featured on Spotify’s Top 20 chart and made a name for himself on the Billboard 200. With an impressive festival lineup and an upcoming tour supporting Playboi Carti, Destroy Lonely is undoubtedly a leading figure in rap’s next generation.To celebrate the release of the deluxe version of “If Looks Could Kill” (Director’s Cut), Destroy Lone...

Letters: Feinstein’s graciousness | Wise choices | District 6 | Shelter critics | Small step

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:36 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Remembering Feinsteinfor her graciousnessRe: “California trailblazer was ‘a political giant’” (Page A1, Sept. 30).I will miss Sen. Dianne Feinstein. She was nice enough to extend me, a freshman Republican member of Congress, courtesies. As San Francisco mayor she invited me in 1987 to represent the California congressional delegation to officially greet Pope John Paul II on his visit to San Francisco. My wife treasures the picture of her shaking hands with the pope. In the Senate office building the senator personally invited me to join her in the Senate private elevator to go to her office on a higher floor. She was even sweet enough to invite my wife and me to dinner with her and her husband although we did not take advantage of that opportunity.She overlooked the ideological divide between us and reached out to us to join her in leading America. Senator, thank you for your serv...

Southeast Asia’s first high speed railway, ‘Woosh,’ launches

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:36 GMT

By Achmad Ibrahim and Niniek Karmini | Associated PressJAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesian President Joko Widodo inaugurated Southeast Asia’s first high-speed railway on Monday as it was set to begin commercial operations, a key project under China’s Belt and Road infrastructure initiative that will drastically reduce the travel time between two key cities.The project has been beset with delays and increasing costs, and some observers doubt its commercial benefits. But Widodo has championed the 142-kilometer (88-mile) railway, which was issued its official operating license from the Transportation Ministry on Sunday.The $7.3 billion project, largely funded by China, was constructed by PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China, known as PT KCIC, a joint venture between an Indonesian consortium of four state-owned companies and China Railway International Co. Ltd.The railway connects Jakarta with Bandung, the heavily populated capital of West Java province, and will cut travel time betw...

UN approves Kenya-led force to help bring calm to Haiti

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:36 GMT

By Danica Coto | Associated PressSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The U.N. Security Council voted Monday to send a multinational force to Haiti led by Kenya to help combat violent gangs in the troubled Caribbean country.The resolution drafted by the U.S. was approved with 13 votes in favor and two abstentions from China and the Russia Federation.The resolution authorizes the force to deploy for one year, with a review after nine months. It comes nearly a year after Haiti’s prime minister requested the immediate deployment of an armed force and would mark the first time a force is deployed to Haiti since a U.N.-approved mission nearly 20 years ago.“More than just a simple vote, this is in fact an expression of solidarity with a population in distress,” said Jean Victor Généus, Haiti’s foreign affairs minister. “It’s a glimmer of hope for the people who have been suffering for too long.”A deployment date has not been set, although U.S. Secretary of Sta...

Can San Jose speed up quick-build homeless sites? Mayor says emergency declaration will do the trick

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:36 GMT

Standing just yards away from one of San Jose’s numerous homeless encampments on the edge of Willow Glen under a Highway 87 overpass, Mayor Matt Mahan on Monday announced plans to reduce the time it takes to get an interim shelter up and running by cutting through the city’s bureaucratic red tape.The strategy will require the city to declare a shelter crisis emergency declaration, allowing certain land use provisions, building codes and procurement decisions to be bypassed — laws that elected officials say drag out the development of tiny home sites and safe parking locations to nearly two years. The mayor hopes to slash that time frame to less than a year.Mahan said he’s convinced the country’s 12th largest city must act as if it is responding to a widespread natural disaster, drawing parallels to San Francisco’s 1906 earthquake when a quarter of a million people were left homeless. In response, 5,300 “earthquake cottages” were built....

Laphonza Butler: At 44, California’s newly appointed senator is less than half Dianne Feinstein’s age, but can she make close to half the impact?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:36 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — Laphonza Butler, the former head of California’s largest workers’ union who leads the powerful EMILY’s List and is a confidante to Vice President Kamala Harris, is being praised by supporters as a “smart and savvy” progressive activist and respectable choice by Gov. Gavin Newsom to fill the remaining term of the late U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein.Butler, 44, will become the first Black Lesbian to hold a seat in Congress. But she remains largely unknown to most Californians and is already coming under scrutiny for her limited Golden State credentials. A Mississippi native, she spent little more than a decade here before moving to Washington, D.C., two years ago to lead the non-profit that works to elect women to political office.She will be sworn in by Harris on Tuesday in Washington. In an online post Monday morning, Butler said she was honored to accept the role.“No one will ever measure up to the legacy of Sen. Dianne Feinstein,&...

‘Long overdue’: Large indoor sports complex breaks ground in the East Bay

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:36 GMT

Basketball and volleyball enthusiasts will likely be happy to know that Pittsburg has broken ground on what is being billed as the largest indoor recreational gymnasium in the region.The city, in partnership with Discovery Homes, marked the event with a celebration last week at John Henry Johnson Park on West Leland Road where the new 45,000-square-foot multi-court sports complex will be constructed. Dubbed “Dream Courts,” it’s the first public facility of its kind to be built in many decades in the city.“I am thrilled to see the construction of the Dream Courts begin,” said Pittsburg Mayor Shanelle Scales-Preston. “This project headlines the immense efforts of my colleagues on the City Council and I to bring new opportunities to the youth and young adults in our Pittsburg community.”The mayor said the center will be “capable of serving the recreation needs of all of Pittsburg, with the ability to host basketball leagues and tournaments, volleyball, dance, cheer, pickleball, camps, ...

California governor chooses labor leader and Democratic insider to fill Feinstein's Senate seat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:36 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — When California Gov. Gavin Newsom needed to fill the U.S. Senate seat of his late mentor Dianne Feinstein, he could have turned to a big-city mayor, a member of Congress or a powerful legislator.Instead, he chose Laphonza Butler, a former union leader and Democratic insider who heads a national organization that raises money for women candidates who support abortion rights. She offered a familiar face who shares his vision for a progressive California. In choosing Butler, he also elevated someone who could become an important ally for a potential national campaign that many see in his future.Once she is sworn in, Butler will be the only Black woman in the Senate and the first openly LGBTQ+ California senator. That, alongside her background in the labor and women's rights movements, helps harden Newsom’s ties to important national Democratic constituencies.Speaking to reporters Monday in San Francisco, Newsom praised Butler's “deep knowledge” of the legislative pro...