Free Republic

Playlists for Progressives Eagles - Mostly Peaceful Easy Feeling Red Rockers - China 10cc - Reds in My Bed Vicki Lawrence - The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia Television - See No Evil Talking Heads - Burning Down the House The GoGos - Your Lips Are Sealed Elvis Costello - Radio Radio The Beatles - You Can’t Do That Did I miss any?

OAKLAND — The man shot by Oakland police Tuesday evening during a chaotic confrontation with suspected armed robbers died at the scene, authorities said late Wednesday. He was a 20-year-old Oakland resident. Police did not release his name. The shooting happened at around 10:15 p.m. Tuesday when officers interrupted an attempted burglary and robbery of a cannabis grow inside a building in the 1400 block of 92nd Avenue, at Holly Street. The burglary was one of several officers responded to Tuesday evening, as a group police described as a “caravan of armed robbers” robbed or attempted to rob several marijuana...

Way back in time, almost 12,500 years ago, the first canines were becoming domesticated. Through toil and hardship, people had earned the trust of our now beloved best friends. The symbiotic relationship between dog and woman was very groundbreaking, as humans had never been this close to an animal before. Humans would provide shelter and care for the dogs, and in turn, the dogs would hunt and fetch firewood for humans. The reason I am detailing this history for you is so everyone understands the importance of the events that took place all these years ago. According to bio-archaeologist Gregor...

GOJO, the maker of Purell hand sanitizer, is facing two class-action lawsuits accusing it of "misleading claims" that it can prevent "99.9 percent of illness-causing germs." The most recent lawsuit, filed by four people March 13 in federal court for the Northeastern District of Ohio, comes as retailers scramble to keep hand sanitizer in stock amid a coronavirus outbreak that has infected more than 230,000 people around the world and forced millions of Americans to stay at home indefinitely. Purell's label states the product can kill "99.9 percent of illness-causing germs." The suit claims that it's misleading because it implies...

Oakland has followed the lead of Denver to become the second city in the United States to legalize use of “magic mushrooms.” The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to decriminalize adult use and possession of all psychoactive plants and psilocybin fungi. Council member Noel Gallo, who introduced the resolution, said the move will allow the local police force to focus on serious crimes. Some caveats were added to the resolution through amendments, including a warning that the mushrooms “are not for everyone,” and that people “don’t go solo” when trying them out for the first time. “Entheogenic plants and fungi...

“Perhaps the most disappointing finding from our studies — at least from our point of view — is that there are no known fixes to this problem.” The Mueller report was supposed to settle, once and for all, the controversy over whether the Trump team colluded with Russians or obstructed justice. Clearly, it has not. Reactions to the report have ranged from “Total exoneration!” to “Impeach now!” Shouldn’t nearly 700 hundred pages of details, after almost two years of waiting, have helped the nation to achieve a consensus over what happened? Well, no. As Goethe said in the early 1800s,...

I’m at the age where I wish concerts began at 4pm. And The Mavericks are the best band around, IMHO. Valerie June The Mavericks Pere Ubu Randy Newman The Sadies Gospelbeach Jon Langford and 4 Lost Souls2 Dave Alvin

A toll booth attendant at the Bay Bridge was hit by a truck and killed early Saturday morning, said the California Highway Patrol. California Department of Transportation Toll Collector Si Si Han, 46, died after a truck rammed into five vehicles lining up to get through a toll booth just after 5:00 a.m.The truck continued moving and slammed into a booth, killing the cashier on duty CHP arrested the driver, Daniel Berk, 32, of Foster City, for suspicion of driving under the influence and manslaughter. Berk and a passenger in the box truck were ejected from the vehicle, said Officer Vu Williams, CHP. A sig...

Friday fun courtesy of upcoming Dr Demento album release.

As I get older I attend fewer concerts. I wish they began at 4pm instead of 10pm. Here's my list: The Mekons Wynonna and the Big Noise Pere Ubu KT Tunstall Hiss Golden Messenger Kris Kristofferson Valerie June Dry Branch Fire Squad

NBC News paid for a hotel room for the man who ran the Ghost Ship, the Oakland warehouse-turned-artists-collective that burned down Friday night, killing 36 people at an underground electronic music show. Mainstream media outlets frown on paying money to sources. A network spokesman said NBC “absolutely” did not give money to Derick Almena in exchange for a series of exclusive interviews, but bought him a hotel room at the Oakland Marriott City Center for “a couple of nights.” The spokesman described that as “standard TV booking procedure.” Almena, 46, stayed at the hotel with his wife, Micah Allison, and...

This weekend will be spent listening to fantastic musicians in an outdoor setting. And it's all free. Today's agenda includes folk rocking sisters SHEL from Colorado, singer/songwriter Valerie June, Dry Branch Fire Squad, others. For Saturday and Sunday Kris Kristofferson, the Mekons, Vince Gill and the Time Jumpers, Wynonna, John Doe, Hayes Carll all look like good choices. So much to choose from. 2016 Festival Schedule here

A great American songwriter has passed awayLA Freeway

"For rent: Downtown apartment, 2 bedrooms. Includes organic garden space, hot tub, great backyard. You can bring your dogs if they have references as good as yours. If voting for Donald Trump, do not call." This ad appeared in The Nickel, a free paper in Grand Junction — and even before the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel published an article about it on Saturday, landlord Mark Holmes received push-back from fans of Donald Trump by way of ugly voicemail messages. And that's not to mention the comments that have appeared in posts about the ad that have appeared on conservative websites, some of...

The Lin eup for Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2015 is out, and it's another killer array of artists sure to satisfy fans of a wide variety of genres. Seriously, hanging out in Golden Gate Park and seeing Charles Bradley, Neko Case, Angel Olsen, Jessica Pratt, Paul Weller, Robyn Hitchcock doing a million different things, and a special tribute to Big Star's Third, plus locals Fantastic Negrito, Sonny and The Sunsets, The Stone Foxes, and The Brothers Comatose (among many, many other bands)? Count us in. The free fest hits Golden Gate Park on October 2-4. Dig into the full lineup below.

DE BEQUE — Most motorists cruising along Interstate 70 likely don’t realize De Beque has a downtown. To get there from the interstate, drivers follow a winding road over a broad stretch of the Colorado River and under a railroad bridge. A weathered welcome sign currently lists 501 residents, although those numbers have fluctuated over the years. Yet thanks to the 40-foot-high pillar adorned with a gigantic green cross and a yellow smiley face, Exit 62 off the interstate now is the first outpost for eastbound drivers in Colorado to purchase marijuana. The January opening of Kush Gardens, 4550 U.S....

Businesses nix New Belgium in controversy over coal mineSeveral Craig-area businesses cut off New Belgium Brewery’s products after learning the craft beer maker is listed as a supporter of the environmental group that filed suit challenging a Moffat County coal mine. “We no longer carry New Belgium products because of what they stand for,” said Danny Griffith, owner of J.S. Snacks, a Craig restaurant and bar. “We’re not carrying them because of what we stand for. You take the coal out of Craig and you’ve got nothing.” Fort Collins-based New Belgium Brewing was “never aware” of the actions WildEarth Guardians...

He is as popular as any athlete in the United States, and is adored by fans around the world. But one such fan, Matt Amaral -- an English teacher at Mt. Eden High School in Hayward, California -- has conflicting feelings about the superstar point guard. "You see, Steph (I hope you don’t mind if I call you Steph), if you come to my school you will be your usual inspiring, humble, hilarious, kind self and you will say all the right things. But the reason I don’t want you to come has to do with what you won’t say....

OAKLAND — What's one more week compared to a 40-year championship drought? What's one more week when it means a shot at the first title in franchise history? The Warriors eliminated the Rockets with a 104–90 victory in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals on Wednesday, advancing to an NBA Finals date with the Cavaliers. This is a matchup worth waiting for, and a little patience will be required. Because both Golden State and Cleveland made quick work of their conference finals foes, the NBA will hit the pause button for a full week before the championship series opens...

People who are trying to do good for their families and the planet by living a simple life based on traditional skills are facing yet another assault. Artisanal soap makers say new regulations, proposed by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California) and Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), will put them out of business. The view of Sen. Feinstein and her corporate backers (listed below) is that the Personal Care Products Safety Act (Senate Bill S.1014) will make the world a safer place by scrutinizing “everything from shampoo and hair dye to deodorant and lotion.” She says the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act...