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Niles: Can Universal fix its Fast & Furious problem?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:19 GMT

Universal Studios Hollywood is trying to fix one of its biggest recent mistakes. The park confirmed this month that it is building a “Fast & Furious”-themed roller coaster.The new, as-yet-unnamed roller coaster is taking over the space formerly occupied by the Animal Actors and Special Effects Stage theaters. There’s no opening date yet, but plans filed with Los Angeles County suggest that this will be crowd-pleasing Intamin coaster with multiple launches and inversions, like Universal’s recent Jurassic World VelociCoaster in Orlando. Inside sources also have teased that the coaster trains will rotate for a “drifting” effect, like the Vekoma trains on Walt Disney World’s recent Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Rewind at EPCOT in Florida.Say what you will about its outrageous stunts and plot points, but Fast & Furious is one of Universal’s most successful franchises, and Universal Studios Hollywood has offered Fast & Furious attractions for years. Most recently, Fast &...

Taco Bell wants your input on its next hot sauce packets

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:19 GMT

Taco Bell is planning what it calls a full redesign of its hot sauce packets for 2024, and is using its app to get its rewards members in on the act.Beginning Tuesday, July 18, members can go on the app to vote on which sayings they would like to see on Taco Bell’s Mild, Hot, Fire, Diablo and Breakfast sauce packets, according to a news release from the Irvine-based fast food giant.Here are the choices:MildWhat’s your @All love here.Great, good, okay.HotIt’s a secret.Why not?First things first.FireOn the count of three.Don’t think, just do.Entering my ___ era.DiabloYes, and…If you won’t, I will.Immediately, No.BreakfastMorning person.I support it.Rooting for you.Voting will continue through Sunday, July 23, and the winners will be announced July 24, the news release said. Information: tacobell.com/rewardsRelated ArticlesRestaurants, Food and Drink | More great Bay Area pizza: Readers share their favorites Restaurants, Food and Drink | Santa Cruz Mountains ...

More great Bay Area pizza: Readers share their favorites

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:19 GMT

We knew before we published a feature on cool “niche pizza” parlors — chicken curry-topped pizza places, or kid-friendly spots with craft brews for the adults — that readers would chime in, sometimes vociferously, about their favorites. So when you read these recommendations, imagine them all starting with the incredulous words, “You left this one off the list?!”Here’s the roundup of places to try from readers who are passionate about their pizza:Toto’s Restaurant & Pizzeria (San Bruno, Belmont, San Francisco): This Neapolitan classic from the Spadarella family dates to 1932 in Brooklyn and S.F.’s postwar years. San Jose reader Mike Schlimmer is a longtime fan. “When Toto’s San Bruno opened in 1972, my high school buddies and I would take early lunches to walk over to share a No. 2 (salami, mushrooms and sausage) or No. 3 (pepperoni, mushrooms and sausage). Over the next 50 years, our family get-togethers often meant di...

Joe Manchin and Failed Centrists Tout Vapid Manifesto at No Labels Town Hall

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:19 GMT

At the No Labels luncheon at the Puritan Backroom in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Monday, the punchline was hard to miss. A who’s who of failed moderate politicians and politicos, including former Sen. Joe Lieberman, former Govs. Pat McCrory and Jon Huntsman Jr., and former Reps. Fred Upton and Joe Cunningham, gathered alongside U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin. They were assembled to tout their political program in the form of a 73-page centrist manifesto outlining the path forward for a moderate American presidency. Neither press nor clergy were seen entering the private event, where, in a literal backroom, the fading stars of a puritanical third way met to further a plan that they have all but described as political blackmail.  Most Read Today’s Class War Is the 1 Percent Versus the People Just Below Them Jon Schwarz ...

Cleveland Browns swapping their logo-less orange helmets for white ones in three games this season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:19 GMT

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Browns are shelving those classic logo-less orange helmets for three games this season.With a nod to their storied past, the Browns will wear white helmets for the first time since 1951.Cleveland will break out a retro, all-white look — white helmets, jerseys, and pants — Week 2 (Sept. 18) in Pittsburgh, at home in Week 6 (Oct. 15) against San Francisco and again in Week 17 (Dec. 28) against the New York Jets in the regular-season home finale.The new helmets include an orange and brown stripe down the middle.The Browns wore plain white helmets during their first six seasons in the NFL — they merged from the All-America Football Conference in 1950 — before switching to the orange shell for the 1952 season.“We’re super fired up and really excited to have this opportunity to wear an alternate helmet,” said executive vice president JW Johnson. “We decided to go with the white helmet for a couple reasons — it harkens back to our past, and a lot of our great...

Dolphins enter camp confident in QB Tua Tagovailoa and with improvements on defense

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:19 GMT

MIAMI DOLPHINS (9-8)CAMP SITE: Miami Gardens, FloridaKEY ADDITIONS: Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio, CB Jalen Ramsey, LB David Long Jr., WR Braxton Berrios, S DeShon Elliott, QB Mike White, TE Eric Saubert, CB Cam Smith, RB De’Von Achane, LB Malik Reed, P Jake Bailey.KEY LOSSES: TE Mike Gesicki, QB Teddy Bridgewater, P Thomas Morstead, WR Trent Sherfield, LB Elandon Roberts.KEY STORYLINES: Dolphins GM Chris Grier improved the defense by bringing in respected defensive mind Vic Fangio and trading for All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Running backs Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson will be the top ball carriers entering camp after the Dolphins re-signed them earlier this year. But rookie De’Von Achane, the speedy running back out of Texas A&M, impressed during minicamp and OTAs and figures to be a perfect fit in Mike McDaniel’s scheme. The Dolphins made noise in the AFC East last season behind a vastly improved Tua Tagovailoa and picked up the fifth-year option on his roo...

The Titans go to camp with Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry in final year of their deals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:19 GMT

TENNESSEE TITANS (7-10)CAMP SITE: Nashville, TennesseeKEY ADDITIONS: GM Ran Carthon, WR DeAndre Hopkins, OL Andre Dillard, OL Daniel Brunskill, LB Azeez Al-Shaair, DE Arden Key, OL Peter Skoronski, QB Will Levis, offensive coordinator Tim Kelly, pass game coordinator/QB coach Charles London.KEY LOSSES: LT Taylor Lewan, C Ben Jones, RG Nate Davis, LB David Long, WR Robert Woods, DE DeMarcus Walker, offensive coordinator Todd Downing, OLB Bud Dupree.KEY STORYLINES: The Titans have a new GM after ending the 2022 season on a seven-game skid that kept them out of the playoffs for the first time since 2018. Despite a second straight injury-riddled season, the Titans were about three minutes from a third straight AFC South title. Now the franchise is rebuilding as quickly as possible. Carthon spent much of the offseason trying to improve one of the NFL’s worst offenses, focusing on fixing the battered offensive line. Both QB Ryan Tannehill and three-time Pro Bowl RB Derrick Henry are...

Vingegaard closer to Tour victory after sensational time trial extends lead to nearly 2 minutes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:19 GMT

COMBLOUX, France (AP) — Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard may have time-trialed his way to a second straight Tour de France victory.A sensational time trial from Vingegaard on Tuesday saw the overall leader extend his advantage over two-time winner Tadej Pogačar to nearly two minutes with just five stages remaining — including Sunday’s largely ceremonial, final procession to Paris.Vingegaard, who rides for the Jumbo-Visma team, started the day only 10 seconds ahead of Pogačar after little could separate the duo in a fascinating duel over the last two weeks.However, when it came down to a direct head-to-head battle, Vingegaard was in a class of his own.The Danish cyclist finished the 22.4-kilometer (14-mile) hilly route from Passy to Combloux 1 minute, 38 seconds ahead of Pogačar. Wout van Aert was third at the end of the 16th stage, 2:51 behind Vingegaard.The 26-year-old Vingegaard now leads Pogačar by 1:48 overall and it will take something equally sensational from the Slovenian ...

An Egyptian court hands down 3-year prison sentence to rights activist in case that echoed in Italy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:19 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — An Egyptian court sentenced a rights activist on Tuesday to three years in prison over an opinion article he wrote in 2019 in a case that renewed global attention to Egypt’s intolerance of government critics. The case of Patrick George Zaki has also echoed in Italy, where he was a postgraduate student and where many were reminded of the tragic fate of Italian student Giulio Regeni who was abducted and killed in Cairo in 2016. Amnesty International swiftly condemned Egyptian authorities and said that the image of Zaki being dragged out of a courtroom and taken to prison on Tuesday was “terrifying.”The court in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura convicted Zaki of “disseminating false news” related to an article of his about alleged discrimination against the Coptic Christian minority in Egypt, according to the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights. Zaki worked with the group as a gender rights researcher.The group, which represents Zaki before the court, said he was ...

Herbert’s contract, changes to offense by new coordinator Kellen Moore focus of Chargers’ camp

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:19 GMT

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (10-8)CAMP SITE: Costa Mesa, CaliforniaKEY ADDITIONS: Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, LB Eric Kendricks, WR Quentin Johnston.KEY LOSSES: LB Drue Tranquill, CB Bryce Callahan, OG Matt Feiler, LB Kyle Van Noy.KEY STORYLINES: Moore is expected to install an offensive scheme that features more downfield passing and more consistency with the running game. The Chargers were the second-most unbalanced team in the league last season with a 65%-35% pass/run ratio. While coach Brandon Staley still calls the defense, Derrick Ainsley has been promoted to coordinator after Renaldo Hill left for Miami. Despite a plethora of new additions last season, the Bolts were 20th in total defense and continued to struggle against the run. Ainsley stressed better tackling and play on the edges throughout offseason workouts, which will continue to be a point of emphasis during the preseason. The two biggest storylines though aren’t on the field. QB Justin Herbert is due for a l...