Pixar’s “Elemental” is a mediocre but good-hearted romantic comedy | Review

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 02:58:09 GMT

Pixar’s “Elemental” is a mediocre but good-hearted romantic comedy | Review It’s easy to view “Elemental” as a Frankenstein’s monster of recent animated films, considering how instantly and overly familiar its themes, visuals and pace are in its first few minutes.“Elemental,” which releases in theaters on June 16, once again drops us into a world where colorful, talking blobs confront big ideas via comic misadventures in a metropolis that mimics and critiques our own. That more or less describes not only the poignant, likeable 2015 movie “Inside Out” (Pixar), but also 2016’s just-meh “Zootopia” (Disney Animation), the same year’s abysmal “Angry Birds Movie” (Rovio Animation) and 2020’s well-intentioned “Soul” (Pixar).In “Elemental,” the colorful blobs represent the four traditional elements — fire, water, earth and wind — which are all crammed into (what else?) a place called Element City. Fiery protagonist Ember Lumen (Leah Lewis) l...

Denver restaurant group Edible Beats launches hydroponic farm

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 02:58:09 GMT

Denver restaurant group Edible Beats launches hydroponic farm Tucked behind Vital Root restaurant, in a couple of parking spaces, a 320-square-foot shipping container is producing the same amount of veggies as a 2.5-acre farm.It’s not Justin Cucci’s original vision for his vegetarian restaurant that opened in 2016 — which was to build a four-story glass cube with three levels of hydroponic planters and a patio, where people could eat where their food is grown. “But that cost more money than anyone would lend us,” said Cucci, the founder of the Edible Beats group, which also owns popular Denver restaurants El Five, Root Down, Linger and Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox.Instead, Cucci and his employees started a small-scale garden in the restaurant’s backyard, at 3915 Tennyson St., operated a micro-green grow room and rented plots of dirt around town to grow their own herbs and vegetables. In the end, though, “It probably cost us three times more than the market price,” Cucci said. “Arugula was usually $6 a pound and ours probably co...

Meow Wolf will add onsite cocktail bar for thirsty intergalactic travelers

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 02:58:09 GMT

Meow Wolf will add onsite cocktail bar for thirsty intergalactic travelers Visitors to Meow Wolf in Denver will soon be able to order a Cosmo to pair with their journey through the cosmos, when the immersive art installation opens its first full bar onsite.The bar, called Sips (with a Z), will take over about 3,300 square feet of previously unused real estate on Meow Wolf’s second floor – near the music venue and the Hello Cafe – selling primarily cocktails, but also beer, wine and snacks like flatbreads.The concept is a riff on an executive travel lounge, which aligns with the installation’s overall theme, Convergence Station. But like everything else at Meow Wolf, it’s hardly that simple.Related ArticlesRestaurants, Food and Drink | Meow Wolf’s Vortex music festival returns to Denver with GRiZ, Remi Wolf and more Restaurants, Food and Drink | Adults-only nights return monthly to Meow Wolf in Denver Restaurants, Food and Drink | Meow Wolf Denver’s real story is an elaborate scavenger hunt. Is it worth...

Exchange wagering is like a stock market for sports bettors. Colorado could become the second state to allow it.

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 02:58:09 GMT

Exchange wagering is like a stock market for sports bettors. Colorado could become the second state to allow it. A new form of online sports betting that bypasses traditional oddsmakers and allows gamblers to wager against each other could be coming to Colorado by late summer if approved by the state’s regulatory board on Thursday.The Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission will consider new rules at its monthly meeting that would govern exchange wagering, a form of online sports betting. Exchange wagering, for now, is only offered in New Jersey, and Colorado would become the second state in the country where exchanges operate.If the rules are approved by the gaming commission, the first exchange wagering companies could be in business in the state before the Denver Broncos’ home opener on Sept. 10, said Brett Buckingham, the Colorado Department of Revenue’s agent in charge of sports betting and fantasy sports.Under exchange wagering, gamblers can set their own odds on a game in hopes that another gambler takes them up on the bet. Odds are not set by in-house mathematician...

Tentative agreement reached in West Coast ports labor dispute

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 02:58:09 GMT

Tentative agreement reached in West Coast ports labor dispute A tentative agreement was reached with the dockworkers at all 29 West Coast ports, the Pacific Maritime Association announced Thursday.The PMA, representing the port operators and shipping companies, and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, representing the workers, agreed on a tentative 6-year contract.Details about the agreement were not being released at this time, the PMA tweeted.The dispute earlier caused the largest terminal at the Port of Long Beach to be shut down on Monday. Disruptions had also been reported at the Port of Los Angeles last week.The old contract expired July 1, 2022, leading to more than a year of discussions, according to the ILWU.The new agreement is still subject to ratification by both parties.“We are pleased to have reached an agreement that recognizes the heroic efforts and personal sacrifices of the ILWU workforce in keeping our ports operating,” said PMA President James McKenna and ILWU President Willie Adams in a joint statement. “We are...

Man survives lightning strike caught on video in New Jersey

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 02:58:09 GMT

Man survives lightning strike caught on video in New Jersey (WPIX) — A longtime town maintenance worker was struck by lightning on a practice soccer field next to a middle school in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, officials said Wednesday.The strike happened just before 12:30 p.m. across from Iselin Middle School, where 39-year-old Woodbridge Township employee Eric Baumgartner was working. Police officer RJ McPartland was on his way to the middle school for dismissal when the call came over about the lightning strike. Baumgartner didn’t have a pulse when he arrived, McPartland said. They used an automated external defibrillator (AED) to revive him."I saw Eric out on the field, immediately ran up to him and checked for a pulse, and realized he didn't have a pulse," said McPartland. "He was still holding one of the machines. We were able to get that away from him. When more units arrived, we were able to get the AED hooked up to him, and start breathing for him."A doorbell camera in the neighborhood captured the lightning strike and...

How to Consume CBD for Fast-Acting Effects

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 02:58:09 GMT

How to Consume CBD for Fast-Acting Effects To read the original article about How to Consume CBD for Fast-Acting Effects at Real Tested CBD.Many people are looking to CBD these days for its many potentially therapeutic properties. Maybe you have even tried CBD before and enjoyed its effects. But not all forms of CBD are created equally. If you are looking for a fast-acting form of CBD, there are some products that may be better than others.Let’s take a closer look at fast-acting forms of CBD and what product could be best for you.What Is CBD?CBD, also called cannabidiol, is one of many cannabinoids that can be found in hemp and cannabis plants. Unlike another well-known cannabinoid, THC, CBD is not psychoactive and should not create the same intoxicating effects associated with THC and marijuana.CBD-based products in the U.S. are crafted with hemp plants that have a THC threshold of 0.3% or less. Although research to fully understand CBD’s effects on the body are still emerging, there is some evidence and many reports of CBD...

Nick Bosa compares new 49ers teammate Javon Hargrave to Aaron Donald, Chris Jones

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 02:58:09 GMT

Nick Bosa compares new 49ers teammate Javon Hargrave to Aaron Donald, Chris Jones SANTA CLARA — Nick Bosa jumped early.He couldn’t contain his excitement.With the 49ers still a month away from training camp, Bosa and the team have already started making bold statements about how good the defensive line should be this season.Before minicamp ended last week, Bosa compared newly signed defensive tackle Javon Hargrave to two of the game’s best in Aaron Donald and Chris Jones.“People don’t really know how good he is overall,” Bosa said of Hargrave. “He’s not talked about – he might be, I don’t know – but I feel he isn’t quite talked about in the Aaron Donald, top echelon, Chris Jones (tier of player). But I feel he played like that last year and throughout his career. So having him and Arik [Armstead] inside should be pretty fun.”Hargrave, a former Philadelphia Eagle who signed a four-year, $81-million contract to join the 49ers this season, has been consistently improving during his time in the NFL.Last season he had a career-high in most categories, tota...

Editorial: Newsom’s sleazy move to roll back police accountability

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 02:58:09 GMT

Editorial: Newsom’s sleazy move to roll back police accountability When it comes to police reform, Gov. Gavin Newsom is an opportunistic hypocrite.In 2021, the governor with much fanfare signed laws expanding access in California to records of police abuse and establishing a long-overdue process to investigate cops and revoke their certification.Now the governor is trying to slip through without public review changes that would roll back key transparency elements of that legislation he approved less than two years ago.State legislators should not enable this deceit. They should reject Newsom’s attempt to weaken law enforcement accountability just as it’s becoming apparent how widespread police abuse is in California.For example, we’ve learned of rampant racism in the Antioch Police Department, a lack of punishment for San Jose cops who inflicted serious injuries on civilians, and excessive and often reckless use of police dogs in Richmond. Meanwhile, more than 80 law enforcement officers working in California were convicted criminals with rap sheet...

Marin County neighborhood gets rare visit from a black bear

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 02:58:09 GMT

Marin County neighborhood gets rare visit from a black bear Caitlin Estrella was awake in the middle of the night comforting her daughter after a nightmare when she got an phone alert from her home security camera: animal detected.Usually, Estrella said, this meant a squirrel, skunk or the occasional stray cat. This time, she stared in disbelief as a large black bear strolling through her yard filled her phone screen.“I couldn’t even comprehend what I was looking at,” Estrella said. “It was so wild. I had to do a double take.”The bear passed through the Terra Linda neighborhood around 2 a.m. Tuesday. It is the second bear sighting recently, following one a few weeks ago in Larkspur. In 2021, a black bear was spotted in a tree in San Anselmo.Bear encounters are still rare in the area, mostly due to unregulated killing of the Point Reyes population that rendered them extinct by 1901, according to the National Park Service.“It’s still not a ton, and usually it happens in places with more open space … and typically in West Marin,” Marin Humane s...