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Trivia nights are helping Bay Area pubs, taprooms recover after COVID

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:22:57 GMT

It’s trivia night at the New Parkway Theater, Oakland’s cult fave pub-meets-theater, and the room is packed. People are dressed in animal costumes. One man wears a shirt reading “The Nineties” in “Simpsons” font. And amid the chaos, a woman spills her drink, lamenting, “Oh no! I got beer in my Birkenstocks.”“Let’s meet our teams!” says theater manager and trivia host J Moses Ceasar, getting the party started. “There’s the Go-Go’s, Trivial Fursuit, Misfits, Stranger Danger, Femme Factales and Don’t Cry Over Spilled Beer. Yeah, I saw that you spilled.”The theme on this particular Thursday is Japan, inspired by the recent G7 summit, and competitors are fielding questions such as “What is Ronald McDonald’s name in Japan?” (Donald McDonald, in case you wondered.) The winner gets a free pitcher of beer or movie tickets.But the real prize is something much more: a sense of community — and an infusion of cash.For the taprooms, pubs and bars that sta...

San Jose’s Fistula Foundation receives $15 million donation from MacKenzie Scott

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:22:57 GMT

Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has done it again, making a game-changing donation of $15 million to the Fistula Foundation, a San Jose-based nonprofit on a mission to eradicate obstetric fistula, a condition that leaves women incontinent after childbirth.Kate Grant, the CEO of the foundation, said the gift is the largest ever received by the foundation and will jumpstart its five-year strategic plan to raise $110 million and provide 80,000 surgeries to women suffering from obstetric fistula in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia — with an ultimate goal of ending fistula within a generation.“I met my first fistula patient in 1994, and am as moved today as I was then by the suffering women with fistula endure before they have surgery,” Grant said. “The treatment is quite miraculous, giving them a new lease on life.”The Fistula Foundation works with a team of partner hospitals in more than 20 countries, Grant said, and it aims to expand to additional countries. Th...

Fire department removes wasp-swarmed spotlight before Dortmund’s title-deciding Bundesliga game

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:22:57 GMT

DORTMUND, Germany (AP) — The fire department had to remove a TV spotlight that was being swarmed by wasps before Borussia Dortmund’s title-deciding game against Mainz in the Bundesliga on Saturday.It’s perhaps a good omen for the “black and yellows” before a match that could see Dortmund crowned German champion on the final day of the season.Dortmund was ahead of Bayern Munich by two points and can clinch the league title with a win, while 10-time defending champion Bayern Munich was hoping for a favor from Mainz as it sought to edge Dortmund to the title with a win in Cologne.The Dortmund players emerged for their pre-game warmup to a pyrotechnic reception from the fans already in the stadium.Bayern, which has won every title since Dortmund last won it in 2012, squandered the league lead last weekend with a 3-1 defeat at home to Leipzig.___More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Ganassi vs. McLaren headlines Indianapolis 500 title fight, some 300,000 fans expected

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:22:57 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Four custom McLaren GTs lined the curb in front of St. Elmo Steak House, the see-and-be-seen spot in downtown Indianapolis, in a massive flex by the race team trying to win the Indianapolis 500.The rebuilt, rebranded and rebounded Arrow McLaren organization has turned the buildup to the Indianapolis 500 into a battle with Chip Ganassi Racing, the reigning winning team, which, like McLaren, has four strong chances to win on Sunday in front of some 300,000 spectators.It has become the best rivalry in IndyCar, the one between Ganassi himself and Zak Brown, the head of McLaren Racing. Their long-running feud is just one of many highlights from an emotional week ahead of the 107th running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”:— The cars of 1986 winner Bobby Rahal have been slow and his son, Graham, failed to make the race. But Graham Rahal received a reprieve when Katherine Legge, the only woman in the race and his teammate, ran into Stefan Wilson during practic...

Caos en los aeropuertos del Reino Unido por una falla en el sistema fronterizo nacional

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:22:57 GMT

(CNN) — Un problema en el sistema fronterizo nacional afectó las puertas electrónicas de los aeropuertos británicos, causando caos entre los turistas y los pasajeros que llegan al país.Las imágenes en las redes sociales mostraban largas colas en los principales aeropuertos, con muchos que buscaban viajar antes de un feriado público este lunes y con las escuelas también en recesos de medio período.La falla significa que los viajeros deben hacer que sus pasaportes sean revisados ​​​​manualmente en lugar de a máquina.“Somos conscientes de un problema del sistema fronterizo a nivel nacional que afecta las llegadas al Reino Unido”, dijo un portavoz del Ministerio del Interior a CNN en un comunicado este sábado.La mitad de los 10 aeropuertos más transitados del mundo en 2022 están en Estados Unidos“Estamos trabajando para resolver el problema lo antes posible y estamos en contacto con los operadores portuarios y las aerolíneas para minimizar las interrupciones para los viajeros”, ag...

From Taipei to Harrisonburg: Dancer shares experience

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:22:57 GMT

HARRISONBURG, Va, (AP) — Harrisonburg-based dancer and teacher Bin-Shin So has quite the story to share, from Taipei, Taiwan to the Shenandoah Valley, via many an international stop, this artist brings decades of skill, experience and passion to the community.Since 2012 Bin-Shin So, along with her husband and two daughters, has made a home in Harrisonburg. After many years of moving around the world, the family is now settled, and So has become a well-respected mover in the dance community — choreographing local musicals, teaching Ballet and Modern to adults and children, and also serving as a member of the Harrisonburg Dance Cooperative — all steps in a long creative journey that began way back in Taiwan in fourth grade.When she was a young child, So’s mother opted for her and her sister to attend a boarding school in Taipei. After auditioning, she was granted a place at an exclusive boarding school for training in Peking Opera, a complex traditional Chinese theatrical form that re...

New exhibit shows how Jim Henson brought Miss Piggy and the Muppets to life

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:22:57 GMT

BALTIMORE (AP) — Who is the baddest pig you’ve ever seen? There’s only one answer: Miss Piggy.Originally named after the iconic actor and singer Peggy Lee, the popular karate-chopping swine was created by Bonnie Erickson in 1974 for a stint on “The Tonight Show.”“I knew she was sassy,” said Erickson, who was a creative designer for “The Muppet Show.” The rest is history.You can see Miss Piggy, Kermit the Frog and their other beloved pals at “The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unleashed,” on display at the Maryland Center for History and Culture through the end of the year. Early iterations of popular characters, storyboards and video clips line the gallery as viewers are taken on a journey through Henson’s extensive career, including fan-favorite films like “Labyrinth” and “The Dark Crystal,” as well as his work on children’s shows such as “Fraggle Rock” and “Sesame Street.”Walking through the exhibit is nostalgic, but Barbara Miller, curator and deputy director of New York’s Mu...

Denver weather: 80s and storm chances this holiday weekend

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:22:57 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Denver’s weather will stay stormy through the holiday weekend with warm temperatures. Weather today: Chance for afternoon storms, some severeSaturday will start with sunshine and then turn to afternoon storms again. As temperatures climb up to 80 degrees, a chance for showers and thunderstorms will increase through the afternoon and evening.There is the chance for some to get to the strong and severe side - hail and gusty winds the main concern. Looking ahead: More of the sameThe Memorial Day weekend will keep a similar theme on Sunday and Monday of morning sunshine, temperatures climbing to around 80 degrees then an afternoon and evening chance for thunderstorms.This pattern will keep going next week. Temperatures will drop off slightly with highs in the 70s Wednesday through Friday alongside a scattered chance for afternoon showers and thunderstorms.

Polish opposition denounces new commission to probe Russian influence

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:22:57 GMT

Poland’s parliament narrowly passed a law setting up a commission to investigate Russian political influence in the country, but the opposition denounces the effort as a political witch hunt aimed at hurting it before this fall’s parliamentary election.After a stormy debate, parliament passed the bill late Friday, overturning the upper house Senate’s rejection of the legislation.The ostensible goal is to examine the Kremlin’s influence from 2007 to 2022 — a period covering the 2007-2015 governments of the Civic Platform party led by Donald Tusk as well as the current Law and Justice (PiS) party government. But the concern is that the current government, embroiled in a battle with the European Commission over accusations that it’s backsliding on rule of law and democracy, will use it as a bludgeon against its political foes.The government insists the legislation has no ulterior motive.“I would like all Poles to be aware that today, at this particul...

Dick Hoyt memorial 5K kicks off in Hopkinton days after Rick Hoyt’s death

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:22:57 GMT

The inaugural Dick Hoyt Memorial “Yes You Can” Run Together is taking place in Hopkinton on Saturday, just days after the death of Rick Hoyt. Rick was part of the father-son duo who were staples of the Boston Marathon for decades, and Team Hoyt is continuing to carry on their legacy.Rick passed away earlier this week at the age of 61 due to complications with his respiratory system. There was some debate on whether the race should go on, as Rick was the race organizer, but the family decided to go forward as planned. Rick wanted to honor his father with this race, race organizers said.Team Hoyt, with Dick pushing son Rick, who lived with cerebral palsy, finished the Boston Marathon 32 times together. They competed in their final marathon in 2014. Dick died at the age of 80 in 2021 of heart failure. The pair inspired others to believe in themselves, set goals and push the limits of what can be done.We’re going to do our best to make him proud of the work he’s done to hono...