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Gimme Gimme Holidays

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:00 GMT

Gimme Gimme Holidays: If December 1 heralds the start of the proper holiday season, then punk rock supergroup Me First & the Gimme Gimmes are the perfect band to ring it in. There’s nothing clever going on here, and they’ll gleefully admit it. “Our running theme is where we’ve taken our live set, which is sort of a weird kind of American schlager direction,” singer Spike Slawson told this writer in 2017. “Because we do trash too. I dare say we do trash better than the Germans, although schlager is definitely a strong entry in the trash field.”“For the uninitiated, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes consist of Lagwagon frontman Joey Cape on the guitar, Chris Shiflett (Foo Fighters) on the other guitar, Lagwagon drummer and Fat Wreck utility superhero Dave Raun on the skins, and are rounded out by Fat Wreck-head-honcho/NOFX main-dude Fat Mike, and incomparable crooner Spike Slawson,” reads the press release. “Together, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes — an outfit that ha...

Best Mobile Blackjack Apps for Real Money – Play Online Blackjack Games on Mobile (2024)

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:00 GMT

Sponsored ContentIf you’ve been eyeing that 21, the good news is – with the best mobile blackjack apps for real money, you can now do it wherever you are.In this guide, we’ll explore the crème de la crème of real money blackjack apps. We’ll navigate you through the trusted platforms, ensuring that every hand you play (whether on the subway or your couch! ) offers both excitement and a fair chance at the pot.Ignition is our number one choice, but there are many other apps to talk about.Ready to shuffle up and deal?Best Mobile Blackjack Apps for Real MoneyIgnition: Best overallSuperSlots: Progressive jackpot blackjackBlack Lotus: Best for live dealer blackjackSlots.lv: Top loyalty programCasino Extreme: 1000% deposit bonusWild Casino: Best for blackjack tournamentsCafe Casino: 350% welcome bonusBovada: 30+ blackjack gamesBitStarz: Best for crypto blackjackSlots of Vegas: Generous bonusesWondering what truly sets these mobile blackjack casinos apart from others? Read ...

Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian to run for Congresswoman Anna Eshoo’s open seat

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:00 GMT

A week after U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo surprisingly announced her retirement from Congress after more than three decades, Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian has officially jumped into what could be one of the most competitive congressional races Silicon Valley has seen in years.Simitian, who has served as supervisor for the northern part of the county and parts of West Valley since 2012, said in a press release announcing his candidacy for the District 16 seat that he will follow Eshoo’s “tradition” while utilizing his “own practice of prioritizing constituent service.”“I will advance the values and issues that are the hallmark of our Valley: innovation, inclusion and fairness,” he said.Before becoming supervisor, Simitian served in both the California state senate and assembly, representing 14 of the 15 cities in the district over the course of his political career. District 16 covers a large swath of the Peninsula and the South Bay, run...

Holiday spirits: Five fancy seasonal cocktails you can make at home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:00 GMT

For the holidays, we asked mixologists at several local hotels and bars to share their recipes for special, festive cocktails, so you can get stirring and mixing at home.The bartenders at Pebble Beach Resorts offered up their new holiday cocktail, the Getting Figgy With It, which features mezcal and fig syrup. Resort spokesperson Julie Thomas called it a “great addition to any holiday gatherings and easy to make.”A classic egg nog recipe with a twist comes from Carlos Cruz, bar manager and co-owner of Churchill, a San Francisco cocktail bar. It’s made with bourbon, allspice liqueur, plus egg, sugar and cream and combines to make a “drink that tastes just like the holidays!” he says.Made with whiskey and walnut liqueur, this toasty Fireplace cocktail comes from Spoonbar, a Healdsburg bar located on the ground floor of the H2Hotel that draws its name from “Spoonfall,” a nearby outdoor sculpture made from 3,500 espresso spoons. Just note that you’ll need t...

SJ man who kidnapped his carjacking victim arrested, police say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:00 GMT

(KRON) -- A 27-year-old San Jose resident who allegedly carjacked and kidnapped a victim in June has been arrested, the San Jose Police Department announced Wednesday.Leie Pomele, 27, of San Jose, was identified as the primary suspect in a carjacking that occurred on June 17 in the 500 block of South Kiely Boulevard, authorities said. During the carjacking, Pomele allegedly threatened a man who was sitting in a vehicle and demanded the victim’s phone and money. After telling the victim multiple times that he would kill him, Pomele forced the victim to the passenger seat, according to SJPD. San Leandro barbershop murder suspect arrested after Maserati chase in Oakland Pomele then drove to a location on Highway 680 near Livermore and told the victim to get out, police said. The suspect then fled with the car and other personal property of the victim. Two days later, the California Highway Patrol recovered the stolen vehicle near Modesto.The San Jose PD Covert Response Unit took Pome...

SF man who illegally sold machine gun to informant gets four years in prison

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:00 GMT

(BCN) -- A San Francisco man was sentenced to 52 months in prison for illegally selling guns, including a machine gun and a stolen pistol, to a confidential informant, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. Trajordon Svarda, 36, pleaded guilty to one count of felon in possession of a firearm and one count of illegal possession of a machinegun on July 12, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California.Based on his plea agreement, Svarda began to sell drugs in February 2021. That month, he sold ecstasy to the CI on two occasions. In March, Svarda also started to sell firearms to the CI, beginning with a pistol, which was later found stolen. Chevron refinery in Richmond issued violation notices for flaring event Later that March, he sold the CI ecstasy, a Smith and Wesson revolver, and a homemade, AR-style, .223 caliber pistol. Prosecutors said it was a "ghost gun" as it did not bear a serial number. Court documents showed Svarda's sales continued througho...

Blackstone acquires pet care app Rover in $2.3 billion all-cash deal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:00 GMT

Private equity giant Blackstone will acquire the pet care app Rover in an all-cash deal valued at $2.3 billion, the companies announced Wednesday.Shares of Rover climbed about 28% on news of the deal, which will pay Rover shareholders $11 per share. Blackstone said that amounts to a 61% premium over the Rover’s average share price during the past 90 trading days. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2024, at which time Rover will no longer be a publicly-traded company. The agreement includes a 30-day period expiring on Dec. 29 in which Rover and its advisors can solicit and negotiate other acquisition offers.Rover’s board of directors have approved the acquisition and recommended that Rover shareholders do the same.Rover shares mostly bounced around under $7 each for most of the year before jumping earlier this month on a strong third-quarter earnings report. Rover earned 5 cents per share last quarter, better than the 3 cents per share analysts were exp...

Court clears France’s justice minister of conflict of interest following an unprecedented trial

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:00 GMT

PARIS (AP) — A special court cleared France’s justice minister of conflict of interest Wednesday, ruling he was not guilty of having used his office to settle personal scores, in the first such trial of a French government minister while still in office.Eric Dupond-Moretti had denied wrongdoing and refused to resign before or during his two-week trial, defying what had been an unwritten rule until recent years that members of government quit when put under investigation.Wednesday’s verdict was a political victory for him and his allies. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said she was happy to say that Dupond-Moretti would stay on in his role.“The justice minister will now be able to continue his work as part of the government team … I am delighted,” she said on X, formerly Twitter.A high-profile lawyer before his time in government, Dupond-Moretti had been accused of abusing his position to order probes targeting magistrates who investigated him, his friends and his former c...

Israel likens Hamas to the Islamic State group. But the comparison misses the mark in key ways

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:00 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — It has become an Israeli mantra throughout the latest war in Gaza: Hamas is ISIS.Since the bloody Hamas attack on Oct. 7 that triggered the conflict, Israeli leaders and commanders have likened the Palestinian militant group to the Islamic State group in virtually every speech and public statement. They point to Hamas’ slaughter of hundreds of civilians and compare their mission to defeat Hamas to the U.S.-led campaign to defeat IS in Iraq and Syria.“Hamas is ISIS,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared just after the attack. “And just as the forces of civilization united to defeat ISIS, the forces of civilization must support Israel in defeating Hamas.”But in many ways, these comparisons miss the mark by ignoring the home-grown origins and base of support for Hamas in Palestinian society and by assuming that this deeply embedded movement can be stamped out like a brush fire.These miscalculations may already have led to unrealistic expectations in Israel for vi...

Rosalynn Carter’s intimate funeral is held in the town where she and her husband were born

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:00 GMT

PLAINS, Ga. (AP) — With her frail husband as a silent witness, Rosalynn Carter was celebrated by her family and closest friends Wednesday at her funeral in the same tiny town where she and Jimmy Carter were born, forever their home base as they climbed to the White House and traveled the world for humanitarian causes.The former first lady, who died Nov. 19 at the age of 96, had her intimate funeral at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, where she and her husband spent decades welcoming guests and where a wooden cross Jimmy Carter fashioned in his woodshop is displayed. Earlier tributes were held in nearby Americus and in Atlanta.The former president was in attendance in his wheelchair, with her one last time in his life.Maranatha Pastor Tony Lowden opened the service with a tribute to “the life and legacy of the greatest first lady.”Rosalynn Carter wasn’t “just the first lady of the White House,” he told the gathering. “She served every nation around the world.”The pasto...