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Trends in Luxury Jewelry and Lab Grown Diamond Engagement Rings: Liori Diamonds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:14 GMT

3 Carat Round Brilliant Petite 6 Prong Micropavé LVMH, the European luxury conglomerate, has achieved a significant milestone by becoming one of the top 10 companies in the world by market capitalization. Following its strong first-quarter sales, LVMH’s share price surged by 5%, leading to a 29% increase in its stock value this year. Investors are increasingly drawn to LVMH and its French luxury rivals as their growth remains robust even during economic downturns. Luxury investments, like designer jewelry and real estate, have long been seen as a safe haven during economic uncertainty. This trend has continued, with robust sales driving LVMH’s stock price to new heights.LVMH, Hermes International, and Kering have all seen average returns of over 16% annually over the past decade, while the Stoxx Europe 600 Index lags at 8.3%. LVMH’s recent market success is a testament to the growth of luxury investments and the increasing demand for high-priced goods. Specifically, Tiffany &a...

The Lake in the Sky, a short film by 14-Year-Old Award-Winning Filmmaker Caleb Reese Paul

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:14 GMT

Caleb Reese Paul, a 14-year-old award-winning filmmaker & actor has just launched a Kickstarter campaign for his latest and most ambitious film, The Lake in the Sky.The Lake in the Sky is a Coming-Of-Age/Drama short film: Warren’s 16th birthday is rapidly approaching. In a final attempt to grasp onto his fading childhood, he sets out to create a “memory movie” of his late father. His comatose mother, obsession with the past, and haunting invention all come to a critical head on his birthday weekend.What if you could relive any memory? What if you had all your memories at your fingertips, all organized and at the ready, and it was as simple as just a press of a button to relive them? The Lake in the Sky explores these questions with heart and grit through the lenses of childhood, grief, nostalgia, and memory with energetic, high-concept, and (at times) dark sequences rooted in character.Caleb says “The idea for the film started with a feeling that I think a lot of people can rela...

CHP Officer Hurt in Suspected DUI Crash on State Route 242 [Contra Costa County, CA]

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:14 GMT

DUI Driver Injures CHP Officer in Crash Near State Route 4CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (April 24, 2023) – Saturday night, a CHP officer sustained injuries in a suspected DUI Crash on State Route 242.Initially, an officer conducted a traffic stop around 8:22 pm., on a Chevrolet. The Chevrolet pulled over on the right shoulder of southbound SR-242, south of State Route 4.Then a Mercedes veered off the road and rear-ended the parked Chevrolet, causing it to move forward and strike the officer. The impact of the strike left her with serious injuries.Emergency crews arrived to the site of the collision shortly after. Medics then transported the officer to a local hospital for treatment of her injuries.Meanwhile, authorities arrested the uninjured Mercedes driver under suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs.At this time, Contra Costa County officials continue to investigate the State Route 242 DUI crash.Never drive while impaired as the consequences can be devastating. When bu...

Warriors: Klay Thompson shows ‘vintage two-way’ performance in Game 4 win

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:14 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO – Klay Thompson hopped on one leg and flashed three fingers.Players from both the Warriors and Kings had already started to head toward their benches for the intermission before the fourth quarter. But Thompson was savoring his buzzer-beating corner 3 that gave Golden State a 10-point lead heading into the final quarter.Thompson had longed for moments like the ones he had sprinkled in Sunday’s 126-125 series-tying win as he labored through back-to-back rehabilitation journeys from major leg injuries.Thompson ended the afternoon with 26 points on an efficient 9-of-15 shooting. He also tallied three assists and two rebounds in 39 minutes of action.“Klay was amazing, hit some huge shots, but also his defense, that was vintage two-way Klay,” coach Steve Kerr said. “Just both ends of the floor, making one big play after another, playing 39 minutes that, was really, really something.”KLAY AT THE BUZZER Corner three as Q3 expires… get to ABC for Q4! pic.twitter.com/kAn3...

Here are the hot chefs for 2023’s ‘BBQ Without Borders’ in Oakland

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:14 GMT

Love barbecue or, even better, love eating barbecue while supporting a good cause? Then grab your tickets now for May’s “BBQ Without Borders,” where Bay Area chefs will cook internationally inspired barbecue with proceeds supporting local immigrant communities.Rounak Dumra of Wah Jee Wah, a Hayward restaurant specializing in Indian open-flame cooking, Lilian Duran of Cuban soul-food popup Clandestina Cocina and Tadayuki Furui of San Francisco’s dear, departed Family Cafe will prepare their versions of barbecue – tandoori, lechon and yakitori, with vegan options all around – from 5 to 9 p.m. May 13 at the Oakland Museum of California. Adult-admission tickets are $60 for dinner, dessert and a (boozy or virgin) drink and are available until May 12 at Eventbrite.This iteration of “BBQ Without Borders,” the second in Oakland since one in 2019, is raising $30,000 for microgrants to distribute to Bay Area folks whose immigration status has cut them off f...

How Elon Musk transformed Twitter’s blue check from status symbol into a badge of shame

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:14 GMT

Days after Elon Musk’s Twitter purged blue check marks from VIP users and prominent organizations, the checks reappeared on the accounts of a number of high-profile figures, many of whom promptly stressed they did not ask for or did not want the new verification badge.Those in the latter camp include the rapper Lil Nas X, The New York Times, the scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson, the journalist Kara Swisher, and even the legendary satirical account @dril, to name a few.Even the accounts of public figures known to be deceased, including Bob Saget, Kirstie Alley and Barbara Walters, have had their verification restored, and it is unclear how many of those badges Twitter may be handing out at no charge.The spectacle only added to mounting chaos at Twitter and highlighted how Musk has helped erode the value of the blue check at precisely the moment he’s betting on it to help drive subscription revenue for his company after a massive drop in its core advertising business.Once a recognizable ...

GOP rivals once again failing to wrest party from Trump’s grip

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:14 GMT

By Gregory KRieg and Eric Bradner | CNNThe question put to South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, hours after he announced plans to run for the Republican presidential nomination, was a simple one: How do you plan to defeat Donald Trump?Scott spoke for nearly a minute, discussing his mother, his belief in the power of prayer and his “faith in God and faith in our future.” When Fox and Friends co-host Steve Doocy lightly pressed for a more direct answer, Scott shook him off again.“As opposed to trying to have a conversation about how to beat a Republican,” he said, “I think we’re better off having a conversation about beating Joe Biden.”Scott, like his fellow GOP presidential contenders, is itching to take on the Democratic president, who is now poised to officially launch his reelection bid. But their first challenge will be getting through the Republican primary — and unseating Trump as the party’s standard bearer.Even with Trump facing...

Jeff Liu picked as new East Palo Alto police chief

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:14 GMT

(KRON) -- East Palo Alto has a new top cop. City officials announced Monday that a veteran member of the East Palo Alto Police Department, Jeff Liu, was picked and appointed as Chief of Police. "Mr. Liu was selected after an extensive recruitment and selection process involving community members, city staff, and the City Council," city leaders wrote. "He is best known for 'leading from the heart,' and is passionate about the East Palo Alto community, which he refers to as his family."Liu has served his entire law enforcement career battling crime in East Palo Alto.Liu began his career more than two decades ago as a rookie EPAPD police officer in 2000. His assignments included patrol and investigations until his promotion to the rank of sergeant in 2009. Over the next six years, Liu supervised patrol teams.In 2015, Liu was promoted to commander, and in January 2021, he was promoted again as Interim Chief of Police. Vice Mayor Antonio Lopez said, "With over 20 years of experience work...

2.8-magnitude earthquake hits Antioch

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:14 GMT

(KRON) -- A 2.8-magnitude earthquake struck in Antioch on Sunday afternoon, according to the United States Geological Survey. The USGS had initially reported the quake as a magnitude 3.1, and was later revised to 2.8. A 2.5-magnitude earthquake preceded the larger shake and there was a 2.7-magnitude aftershock. Group of students targeted in smash and grab at San Leandro In-N-Out The main quake struck at 1:20 p.m. and was about 17 miles below the survey, according to data shared by USGS.

Monte Schulz pens new book ‘Metropolis,’ sets record straight about his ‘Peanuts’ father, Charles M. Schulz

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:14 GMT

Hear our full chat on my podcast “Beyond the Fame with Jason Fraley.” toggle audio on and off change volume download audio WTOP's Jason Fraley chats with Monte Schulz (Part 1) $(function () { $('.wtop-audio-container .fa-play').on('click', function(){ var audio_filename = $('div.wtop-audio-file').data("mp3-url"); ga('send', 'event', 'Audio', 'play', audio_filename); }); }); Monte Schulz wants to set the record straight about his father, the late “Peanuts” creator Charles M. Schulz.He said that David Michaelis’ 2007 biography “Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography” was largely a work of fiction.“...