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An inside look at 'The Friends Experience'

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:10 GMT

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Fans of a 90s sitcom that's imprinted the hearts of many will soon have an opportunity to relive those nostalgic moments in a new interactive experience.It all starts at the Central Perk cafe, where "Friends" Rachel Green, Monica Geller, Phoebe Buffay, Joey Tribbiani, Chandler Bing and Ross Geller have spent many hours hanging out with mugs of caffeine in hand.But this coffee shop isn't located at on W86th St. between Columbus Ave. and Broadway in New York City. Instead, this gathering place can be found just north of Long Beach at 4661 Silva St. in Lakewood. This rotating house in San Diego is a spinning spectacle Dubbed "The FRIENDS Experience," fans can immerse themselves in the world of that quirky friend group by exploring interactive set recreations. For instance, there will be a chance to plop down on that iconic orange couch inside Central Perk. After that, fans can head on over to Rachel and Monica's apartment to talk life and love in their kitchen. ...

‘Debris field’ found during search for missing Titanic submersible: U.S. Coast Guard

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:10 GMT

The search for a submersible carrying five people took a grim turn Thursday as the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed that a “debris field” was discovered by a remotely operated vehicle near the wreck of the Titanic.The brief coast guard statement said experts were evaluating the find, but no other details were released.The submersible Titan, operated by U.S.-based OceanGate Expeditions, lost contact with surface vessels on Sunday morning as it was nearing the famous shipwreck during a 3,800-metre dive that usually takes about two hours.Since then, a massive international search effort has been assembling about 700 kilometres southeast of Newfoundland. The search reached a critical stage Thursday as the small vessel’s air supply was believed to be running low, but that looming deadline assumed the submersible was still intact.American authorities have said “banging sounds” were detected in the search area on Tuesday and Wednesday, though the cause was unclear.As the search...

May home sales inch higher with record-few on the market and biggest annual price drop since 2011

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:10 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes edged higher in May and the national median sale price posted its biggest annual drop in more than a decade, even as the supply of available properties sank to an all-time low.Existing home sales rose 0.2% last month from April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.3 million, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday. That’s slightly above what economists were expecting, according to FactSet.Sales sank 20.4% compared with May last year. That marks 10 consecutive months of annual sales declines of 20% or more. The annual drop was steepest in markets across the West and Northeast, where sales slumped more than 25%. The national median home price fell 3.1% from May last year to $396,100, the NAR said. The year-over-year decline is the biggest since December 2011, when the housing market was still on the mend following the mid-2000s housing bust.The latest housing market figures are more evidence that even with pric...

Nearly half of US honeybee colonies died last year. Struggling beekeepers stabilize population

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:10 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s honeybee hives just staggered through the second highest death rate on record, with beekeepers losing nearly half of their managed colonies, an annual bee survey found.But using costly and Herculean measures to create new colonies, beekeepers are somehow keeping afloat. Thursday’s University of Maryland and Auburn University survey found that even though 48% of colonies were lost in the year that ended April 1, the number of United States honeybee colonies “remained relatively stable.”Honeybees are crucial to the food supply, pollinating more than 100 of the crops we eat, including nuts, vegetables, berries, citrus and melons. Scientists said a combination of parasites, pesticides, starvation and climate change keep causing large die-offs.Last year’s 48% annual loss is up from the previous year’s loss of 39% and the 12-year average of 39.6%, but it’s not as high as 2020-2021’s 50.8% mortality rate, the survey found. Beekeepers told the surveying sci...

Fashion, star power and a martial aura fuse at Givenchy’s collection at Paris Fashion Week

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:10 GMT

PARIS (AP) — History, fashion, and star power came together at Givenchy’s latest menswear show at Les Invalides in Paris. Steeped in the martial aura of the former military hospital with its cast iron cannons, the show was the first of its kind across the monument’s sprawling balcony. Film star and musician Jared Leto was among the luminaries who applauded the spectacle.Here are some highlights of Thursday’s spring-summer 2024 menswear collections, including an interview with designer Matthew M. Williams:GIVENCHY GETS CONFIDENTIn recent seasons, the creative heat at Givenchy under Williams had seemed somewhat tepid. However, this latest collection, presented against the backdrop of Les Invalides’ pale stone arches, displayed a new-found creative confidence from him. The designer seems to be settling in to successfully steer the age-old LVMH-owned house into solid sartorial ground.The show commenced with an array of finely tailored couture suits in striking black and whit...

San Francisco displays the largest ever pink triangle for Pride month in a stand against pushback

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:10 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The giant canvas pink triangle that is one of the LGBTQ+ community’s Pride month symbols in San Francisco is bigger than ever this year. Volunteers said they are taking a stand for their rights amid a national pushback from conservative lawmakers. Hundreds of volunteers installed the triangle made out of cloth and canvas on San Francisco’s Twin Peaks viewpoint, one of the city’s most popular tourist spots, as part of the city’s Pride celebrations. At nearly an acre in size and visible from up to 20 miles (32 kilometers) away, this year’s triangle is the largest since the annual tradition started in 1995. “We’ve had a lot of progress in the last decade: marriage equality and getting rid of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’” said Patrick Carney, co-founder of Friends of the Pink Triangle, the group which organizes the installation each year. “Since we had so many victories, people are coming out of the woodwork to push us back,” he added. The pink triangl...

Greek authorities rescue 145 migrants who were found stranded on a river islet on the Turkish border

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:10 GMT

THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities said they rescued 145 migrants found stranded Thursday on an islet on the river that runs along the northeastern land border with Turkey.Police said that the 70 men, 45 women and 30 children were all in good health and identified as Syrians or Kurds. Greek authorities launched the rescue after being alerted to the migrants’ presence by a nongovernmental organization.The Evros River — Meric in Turkish — is a key crossing point for migrants coming through Turkey to seek a better life in the European Union. It’s quite common for smuggling gangs to dump migrants on islets mid-river and flee, to avoid arrest by Greek authorities, and confusion over the precise location and ownership of the islets can lead to delays in their evacuation.Thousands of people also try to enter Greece by sea. On June 14, a battered fishing trawler carrying up to 750 people sank far off southwestern Greece, with only 104 survivors.The ship had left Libya...

Yemen’s warring sides, Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia, exchange 64 bodies of their fallen troops

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:10 GMT

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemen’s warring sides have exchanged 64 bodies of their fallen, local media and tribal leaders said. The handover between the country’s Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia marked the latest in reconciliation efforts amid Yemen’s yearslong conflict. The rare exchange took place on Wednesday near the Saudi border town of Nahran, according to the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV and three tribal leaders. All three tribesmen spoke on condition of anonymity fearing reprisals.The TV reported that remans of 58 rebels were handed over by Riyadh, while the Iran-backed Shiite rebels handed over the bodies of six Saudi soldiers. There was no immediate comment from the kingdom on the exchange. The handover marked the third exchange of bodies between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia since the war began, al-Masirah TV said. The two sides have also exchanged prisoners in organized swaps brokered by the United Nations. Yemen’s civil war erupted in 2014 when the Houthis swept do...

US safety agency to require automatic emergency braking on heavy trucks and buses

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:10 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government will require heavy trucks and buses to include automatic emergency braking equipment within five years, the federal traffic safety agency said Thursday, estimating it will prevent nearly 20,000 crashes save at least 155 lives a year.The announcement by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration follows a similar move last month for all new passenger cars and light trucks. The actions represent the traffic safety agency’s latest efforts to regulate electronic systems that take on certain tasks that drivers themselves have normally handled. NHTSA has been reluctant in the past to impose such regulations, saying the technology would change during the time it took to enact new rules.Ann Carlson, the safety agency’s chief counsel, said Thursday that automatic emergency braking systems will reduce the frequency and severity of rear-end crashes, as well as rollovers and accidents involving loss of driver control.“Advanced driver assistance systems l...

A new Chicago professional team wins a championship in 2023

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:10 GMT

CHICAGO — A professional sports team in Chicago has brought home a championship in 2023 - and they did it in their first year. This title comes from a team in an emerging sport that's been gaining popularity over the last few years.The Chicago Slice, a team in Major League Pickleball, captured the championship in the Challenger League on Monday in San Clemente, California. They defeated the Bay Area Breakers 3-2 in the championship match to come out on top of the league.It came down to the final "Dreambreaker" game which the Slice won 21-17, with Ryler DeHeart getting the championship-clinching point. He joined Emily Ackerman, Connor Garnett, and Susannah Barr on this inaugural team that competed in Mesa, Arizona, Daytona, Florida, and San Clemente. Learn more about the Chicago Slice professional pickleball team This is the second year for the MLP with 24 teams split equally into a Premier and Challenge League in one of the fastest-growing sports in AmericaCreated by Ron Saslow o...