 ((AP Photo/Evan Vucci)) Obama touts Mandela's message of peace and justice to cheering crowd in rain U.S. President Barack Obama exhorted the world Tuesday to embrace Nelson Mandela's universal message of peace and justice, electrifying tens of thousands of rain-lashed spectators and prompting a standing ovation by scores of heads of state in a South African stadium. |
 Firearms in the family: The role of guns in American lives These are stories of young people and families across America, many of whom share little in common, except that their lives have been changed, for better or worse, by guns. |
 (
Handout
) Review: 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug' 'The Desolation of Smaug,' the second film in Peter Jackson's 'Hobbit' trilogy, runs rings around the first film -- with more focus and fast action that lets fans feel like kids again. |
 (
Nhat V. Meyer
) Legal pot supported by California majority for first time, Field Poll shows  Clear majorities of California voters support marijuana legalization in general and a specific legalization measure at next November's ballot, the Field Poll finds. |
BUSINESS  ((AP Photo/Richard Drew)) Twitter shares climb to roughly double its IPO price Twitter has seen a dramatic rise in recent days, fueled by announcements about new targeted advertising services and a successful campaign to build viewership for a National Geographic TV special. |
SPORTS  San Francisco Giants confident Pablo Sandoval getting in shape The San Francisco Giants believe Pablo Sandoval, who will be eligibility for free agency after this season, is motivated to get in better shape |
LOCAL NEWS  (Anda Chu/Staff) Share the Spirit: Hope 4 the Heart provides food for thousands of families Hope 4 the Heart in Hayward continues family's tradition of generosity. |
 (Thinkstock) Was this child's hand gesture worth a suspension? A Pennsylvania schoolboy was suspended for pretending to shoot an imaginary bow-and-arrow at a classmate after the hand gesture was found to violate the school's zero tolerance policy on weapons. Full Story |
 (
Mark DuFrene
) Holiday cookie boot camp Amp up your holiday baking with these cookie tips from Alice Medrich and other baking pros. |
 (
Chris Pizzello
) How Miley Cyrus landed MTV's Best Artist of 2013 honors Cyrus twerked her way to the top of the music scene this year with the most watched videos of 2013. |
 (
) Bay Area residents live longer; here's why Bay Area residents are among the nation's longest-lived people, surviving on average more than a decade longer than residents of rural Kentucky, West Virginia or Mississippi. |
 (
Jeff Vendsel
) Mi Pueblo files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Mi Pueblo, the festive Bay Area supermarket chain and icon of family-grown Hispanic businesses, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Monday, citing a dispute with its primary lender, Wells Fargo. |
