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The Empire Strikes Back: Just Like Heaven returns to the Rose Bowl

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:00 GMT

The Empire Strikes Back: The Just Like Heaven festival takes place at the Rose Bowl this weekend, and it’s described as “featuring your favorite era-defining indie artists from the 2000s.” This year, that means headliners the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, plus the likes of MGMT, Future Islands and Hot Chip.It would be easy to think of Just Like Heaven as a contemporary version of Cruel World, so soaked in nostalgia is the latter. But M83, for example, has been around since 1999. Empire of the Sun since 2006. They’re relatively fresh, but not exactly brand new in the ever-changing popular music landscape.Both of those have had their ups and downs in this millennium. EOTS haven’t released an album since 2016.“It’s been quite a while now,” says EOTS’s Luke Steele. “I just figured the other day I think it was 2016, the last record, and that’s getting a bit too long now. Just before the pandemic, the band just felt so tired. We’d been to Japan a couple of times, we’d been recording a lot of stuff. An...

Find Your “Rhythm” With Ringo’s Gift — A Review Of The Ringo’s Gift Hemp Hybrid 

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:00 GMT

Not long ago, it was rare to find cannabis cultivars with over one percent of CBD. Indeed, many tokers probably weren’t aware their cannabis strains had any CBD, nor the potential benefits associated with this non-psychoactive cannabinoid. It wasn’t until the 2018 US Farm Bill passed that more cultivators and customers became interested in high-CBD strains. Now that people know more about CBD’s effects, there’s a greater demand for high-quality hemp strains and pre-rolls.Ringo’s Gift is one CBD-rich strain that has become a staple in the hemp industry. Although this strain started as a 1:1 CBD-to-THC cannabis hybrid, it has become increasingly common in the smokable hemp market. People looking for a non-psychoactive “head buzz” sensation may find a lot to admire with a batch of Ringo’s Gift nugs.What’s The Deal With Ringo’s Gift Hemp Flower?Unlike other renowned CBD strains like Cannatonic, we don’t know much about where Ringo’s Gift originated. To this day, there’s debate over what...

‘Mr. Saratoga’ honored with plaque at building he helped save

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:00 GMT

Saying it was too soon after his death to name a building after him, the Saratoga City Council opted instead to honor Jack Mallory with a plaque at a building he helped save.Mallory, better known as Mr. Saratoga, spearheaded the initiative to save the North Campus and help turn it into the Prospect Center in 2009. The city-owned facility at at 19848 Prospect Road is rented out for events.Mallory passed away on March 4 at age 86. He had served as a Saratoga City Council member and founded the city’s annual Fourth of July celebration.The council voted at its May 3 meeting to install a plaque in memory of Mallory in the center’s Friendship Hall later this year.“He had contributed a lot to our community,” Vice Mayor Yan Zhao said. “I know he will be remembered by all in our community.”The council fell short of naming Friendship Hall after Mallory, which was Mayor Kookie Fitzsimmons’ initial request, because councilmembers felt it was too soon after Mallory’s death to do so.C...

We Believe? Fans gauge Warriors’ chances vs. LeBron, Lakers in do-or-die Game 6

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:00 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO – Golden State Warriors fans – both excited and perhaps a little bit relieved — began pouring out of Chase Center with about two minutes left in the fourth quarter Wednesday, confident that their favorite team’s season wasn’t going to end that night.Outside, though, the party had already started. A “Beat L.A.” chant broke out from those watching the game on the huge, high-definition screen outside of the arena and soon after the final horn sounded, a DJ began to crank out beats in front of a couple hundred energetic fans.Nearby, a certain aroma familiar to most concertgoers wafted through the air.“I think they just went with a faster, smarter lineup, and they really took their time,” said Warriors fan and Benicia resident Seandale Turner, who stood well away from the proceedings on the 3rd Street sidewalk. “They were patient today.”The question now is whether the scene outside the arena can be repeated this year.The Warriors staved off elimination with a 121-106 ...

49ers schedule: Cowboys coming for Week 5 prime-time show

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:00 GMT

SANTA CLARA — The next edition of the 49ers-Cowboys rivalry will come under the Levi’s Stadium lights Oct. 8, some nine months after a playoff duel won there be the home team.This season’s Week 5 matchup, on NBC’s Sunday Night Football, was unveiled this morning by the NFL, which will reveal its full schedule come 5 p.m.Another marquee matchup is already known: the 49ers at the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 3, a NFC Championship Game rematch that the NFL — and 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan — began promoting Wednesday night.“I am glad we’re not playing Philly Week 1,” Shanahan said at the Dwight Clark Legacy Series at the California Theatre. “I want to play them at a better time. I want to make sure our whole team is right there.”That late-season meeting affords Brock Purdy extra time to recover from his right-elbow surgery, which was required March 10 after his injury left the 49ers shorthanded in that 31-7 defeat at Philadelphia in late January.Purdy won his eighth straight game when the...

7 incredible Bay Area things to do this weekend, May 12-14

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:00 GMT

Got your weekend plans? We have something for just about everyone this week, from amazing concerts and movies to recipes for mouthwatering cookies. So let’s get to it, shall we?As with everything these days, be sure to double check websites for any last-minute changes in health guidelines. Meanwhile, if you’d like to have this Weekender lineup delivered to your inbox every Thursday morning for free, just sign up at www.mercurynews.com/newsletters or www.eastbaytimes.com/newsletters.1 SEE & HEAR: Amazing shows are going on all overFrom a cool concert in honor of Stevie Wonder to the Mill Valley Music Fest to the return of “Riverdance,” there are a ton of great shows to see this weekend.2 EAT: Perfectly decadent piesThe Bay Area has a plethora a great pie shops, so we scouted out 12 of the very best (we know, it’s a tough job but somebody has to do it).From left, Mary Steenburgen, Candice Bergen, Diane Keaton and Jane Fonda head to Italy for “Bo...

Taste-Off: The best bottled balsamic vinaigrettes — and the worst offenders

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:00 GMT

There are few things more annoying to salad lovers than bad bottled dressing. Whether it’s a perfect avocado, a plate of tomatoes or a bowl of greens, herbs and veggies, a sad dressing simply ruins everything.On the hunt for a versatile — and delicious — salad dressing that’s up to the task of ushering in the bounty of summer produce headed our way, we decided to focus on bottled balsamic vinaigrette. A great balsamic dressing can be splashed into spinach salad, drizzled on crostini, dribbled on pizza or used as a marinade.You’ll find two styles of balsamic dressing on store shelves. One is a classic vinaigrette that separates, with oil on top and vinegar and other ingredients on the bottom. The other is a thick emulsion stabilized with gums or mustard. It’s worth noting that both styles can be quite good.The best dressings are delicious blends that highlight the complex, fruity flavor and mellow acidity of good quality balsamic vinegar. They can be peppery or herby, sweet or ...

Indian bar snacks and TV cricket come to a San Ramon sports lounge

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:00 GMT

The Bay Area has thousands of cricket players bowling on pitches from Dublin to Fremont and Sunnyvale. Now all those sportos have a new place to drink and watch even more cricket on TV, thanks to an Indian sports-lounge concept in San Ramon run by the folks at Curry Up Now.It’s a “concept” because the Mortar & Pestle Sports Lounge is a revamp of an existing Mortar & Pestle Bar (of which Curry Up Now has a few) with a menu inspired by Indian street-food carts and a focus on TV sports, from soccer and rugby to the hottest matches in international cricket. (This Sunday’s Rajasthan Royals versus Royal Challengers Bangalore is bound to be a nail-biter.) If you haven’t visited this location before, it’s in the City Center Bishop Ranch shopping mall which – you learn something every day – was designed by Renzo Piano.Related ArticlesRestaurants, Food and Drink | 7 incredible Bay Area things to do this weekend Restaurants, Food and ...

Westbound Hwy 12 in Santa Rosa closed due to overturned big rig

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:00 GMT

(BCN) -- Police in Santa Rosa have extended by two hours until 8:30 a.m. their estimate for when westbound state Highway 12 will reopen. The roadway was closed about 4 a.m. Thursday between Brush Creek Road and Farmers Lane on the city's east side after a big-rig overturned. Police had initially estimated the roadway would open about 6:30 a.m. They urged motorists to use alternate routes in the meantime. This is a developing story and more details will be shared when they become available. Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

Biden Is Selling Weapons to the Majority of the World’s Autocracies

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:00 GMT

Since President Joe Biden came into office in 2021, he has described a “battle between democracies and autocracies” in which the U.S. and other democracies strive to create a peaceful world. The reality, however, is that the Biden administration has helped increase the military power of a large number of authoritarian countries. According to an Intercept review of recently released government data, the U.S. sold weapons to at least 57 percent of the world’s autocratic countries in 2022.Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has been the world’s biggest weapons dealer, accounting for about 40 percent of all arms exports in a given year. In general, these exports are funded through grants or sales. There are two pathways for the latter category: foreign military sales and direct commercial sales.The U.S. government acts as an intermediary for FMS acquisitions: It buys the materiel from a company first and then delivers the goods to the foreign recipient. DCS acqu...