Judge should toss case by maskless customer

Re “Woman who refused to wear mask sues man who raised $100K for Starbucks barista” (March 4): Wow. The hypocrisy of Amber Gilles is mind-boggling. She’s suing Matt Cowan (et

al.) for “misappropriation of her name and likeness” and for suffering “public scorn” on his GoFundMe page (wait for it), which he only started after she posted on Facebook the name and likeness of the Starbucks barista who wouldn’t serve her for refusing to wear a mask.

Her actions sure sound like a misappropriation of name and likeness, not to mention an obvious attempt to publicly scorn an employee for doing his job.

Let’s hope the judge in this case handles it in the only appropriate manner: by laughing it straight out of court.

Joe Stagg

CARLSBAD — Paul was born in Chicago, to T.H. and Dorothy Young. He was the second of four boys. His father rejoined the military after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and Paul became a Navy Brat, moving from coast to coast. He spent most of his youth in Norfolk, VA. At 15, he became a resident of San Diego for the third time, attending Lincoln High and San Diego State (BS Electrical Engineering). Paul received an MS-EE from San Jose State and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from LaSalle University. Paul served in the US Navy on the USS Pomodon, a submarine stationed in San Diego, sailing the West Pac for two years.

Paul worked for several years at Cubic Corp. before teaching at City College of San Francisco and Arizona State University. He returned to San Diego County (Carlsbad) to work for a small fiber optic engineering firm. He also taught classes at San Diego State and the University of San Diego.

Paul was a compassionate man who found joy in many things. He played trumpet professionally in a dance band from 1956 - 1965. He loved jazz and continued to entertain himself and his wife with the old standards. If you could hum it, Paul could play it. He enjoyed teaching. He wrote a textbook, Electronic Communication Techniques, that was so well received that the final printing was the fifth edition. He enjoyed running (5 miles every other day) and participated in several marathons, the first at 38. He summitted Mt. Whitney three times. He was an avid golfer, and often went to the driving range during his lunch hour. Paul and his wife, Beryl, traveled extensively, visiting 6 continents. They often bought a car in Europe and traveled to many out of the way places.

Paul, who died of complications from Covid-19, is survived by his wife, Beryl; three children: John (Vancouver, BC), James (Chandler, AZ), and Sara (San Diego, CA); 5 grandchildren, and three brothers. He deeply loved his kids and his wife, and he will be sorely missed by those who loved him.

The family wishes to thank Dr. Jeffrey Newman and the staffs at Somerford and Silverado Hospice (especially Tim and Selena).

In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution to your favorite charity.

The CEO of Ant Group, the Chinese Internet finance giant, has stepped down, the company said Friday — a move that came in the middle of a business overhaul meant to address regulators’ concerns about its rapid growth. Ant said its CEO, Simon Hu, had asked to resign for personal reasons. The company’s chair, Eric Jing, was named as Hu’s replacement, effective immediately. Jing, who will remain Ant’s chair, previously served as CEO until December 2019, when Hu took over the post.

With record low interest rates seen throughout much of 2020, cash-out refinances in the U.S. saw a renewed popularity. According to Freddie Mac, Americans extracted more cash from their homes than at any time since the Great Recession. Homeowners pulled $152.7 billion from their home’s equity in 2020, a 42 percent spike from 2019 and the highest amount since 2007.

For many, utilizing a cash-out refinance was a way to

sustain themselves as the coronavirus pandemic rocked the economy and put millions out of work. For others, the low rates to borrow provided the opportunity to upgrade or remodel their home.

Homeowners were also able to take more cash out of their homes as property values soared.

Meanwhile, conforming nopoint 30-year fixed mortgage rates are averaging 3.0 percent and 15-year rates are near 2.375 percent.

Do you have a question for Real Estate and Mortgage Analyst Mehran Aram? Submit your queries about a home purchase, refinance or reverse mortgage via aramco.biz, social media (#AramcoReport), or over the phone at (866) 381–8888 and your question could be featured in an upcoming article.