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Today: April 04, 2025
Today: April 04, 2025
The Los Angeles Post

The Los Angeles Post

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Arts

Street scrolls: The beats, rhymes and spirituality of Latin hip-hop

Puerto Rican singer Residente performs in Havana in 2010. His back reads, ‘We receive flowers and bullets in the very same heart.’ STR/AFP via Getty Images As a first-generation college graduate and a Latino from a family that constantly scrambled to make ends meet, there was very little in my upbringing that foreshadowed my current life as a religion professor and scholar. I didn’t grow up surrounded by books, and I spent many more hours in childhood dissecting hip-hop and shooting hoops than doing schoolwork. It wasn’t until late in college, when a couple of teachers lit a fire in

Street scrolls: The beats, rhymes and spirituality of Latin hip-hop
Arts

'Across the Spider-Verse' and the Latino legacy of Spider-Man

Spider-Man Miguel O’Hara, who first appeared in the 1992 comic series ‘Spider-Man 2099,’ was the first Latino superhero to assume a starring role. Marvel Database As a Latino literature and media scholar, a lifelong gamer and a Guatemalan-American girl whose dad read her comics every night, I quickly became a fan and then scholar of Miles Morales, the Afro-Puerto Rican Spider-Man who first appeared in comic book form in 2011’s “Ultimate Fallout #4.” Just seven years after his introduction, Morales swung into theaters in “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” a visually stunning, 3D-animated film that won an Academy Award for best

'Across the Spider-Verse' and the Latino legacy of Spider-Man
Health

Drugs that melt away pounds still present more questions than answers, but Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro could be key tools in reducing the obesity epidemic

Despite the promise of drugs that can help people shed pounds, healthy lifestyle choices are still key to overall health. Zing Images / DigitalVision via Getty Images In the past five years, several new drugs have been brought to market that could lead to a profound, if not revolutionary, change in how health care providers – and the public – view weight loss. Three drugs in particular – sold under the brand names Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro – have shown remarkable effects on weight loss in clinical trials. While Wegovy is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for weight

Drugs that melt away pounds still present more questions than answers, but Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro could be key tools in reducing the obesity epidemic
Environment

Invasive lionfish have spread south from the Caribbean to Brazil, threatening ecosystems and livelihoods

An invasive lionfish at Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico. G. P. Schmahl/NOAA, CC BY Brazil’s coastal waters teem with a rich array of species that paint a living tapestry beneath the waves. This underwater world is particularly special because many of its species are endemic – they are found nowhere else on Earth. The southwestern Atlantic is home to 111 endemic reef fish species, each of which plays a crucial role in the intricate web of marine life. An uninvited guest has arrived in these tropical waters: the Pacific red lionfish (Pterois volitans). Renowned

Invasive lionfish have spread south from the Caribbean to Brazil, threatening ecosystems and livelihoods
Economy

War in Ukraine might give the Chinese yuan the boost it needs to become a major global currency -- and be a serious contender against the US dollar

China and the U.S. compete to be the world’s largest economy, but the dollar dominates the yuan as a currency. peng song/Moment Collection/Getty Images The Chinese economy’s sheer size and rapid growth are impressive. China maintained one of the highest economic growth rates in the world for more than a quarter of a century, helping lift over 800 million people out of poverty in just a few decades. The country is the largest exporter in the world and the most important trading partner of Japan, Germany, Brazil and many other countries. It has the second-largest economy after the U.S., based

War in Ukraine might give the Chinese yuan the boost it needs to become a major global currency -- and be a serious contender against the US dollar
Economy

Getting Social Security on a more stable path is hard but essential – 2 experts suggest a way forward

No big Social Security reforms have taken effect since the Reagan administration. David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images Social Security is in trouble. The retirement and disability program has been running a cash-flow deficit since 2010. Its trust fund, which holds US$2.7 trillion, is rapidly diminishing. Social Security’s trustees, a group that includes the secretaries of the departments of Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services, as well as the Social Security commissioner, project that the trust fund will be completely drained by 2033. Under current law, when that trust fund is empty, Social Security can pay benefits only from dedicated tax

Getting Social Security on a more stable path is hard but essential – 2 experts suggest a way forward
Environment

Governments and environmental groups are turning to international courts to address the impacts of climate change — podcast

Can international courts help address the costs and causes of climate change? (Shutterstock), Author provided This year, the United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ) — the world’s highest court — is hearing its first argument about climate commitments. In an effort to make sure countries and corporations follow existing laws and agreements relating to climate change and environmental protection, groups have started pushing for legal action at the international scale. Research shows that the current climate agreements won’t stave off the worst harms of climate change — and many countries are failing to meet their own commitments. A number

Governments and environmental groups are turning to international courts to address the impacts of climate change — podcast
World

NBA mock draft: No Wembanyama for Hornets, but Miller or Henderson has Charlotte buzzing

Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson have made their cases to be the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft. With Victor Wembanyama long expected to be chosen first by the San Antonio Spurs, the first bit of uncertainty on June 22 could arrive once the Charlotte Hornets are on the clock. The Hornets have now taken a look at both players. Henderson worked out for Charlotte on Sunday and Miller visited two days later, according to a person with knowledge of the details. The person spoke with the AP on condition anonymity because neither workout was publicly announced, and neither

NBA mock draft: No Wembanyama for Hornets, but Miller or Henderson has Charlotte buzzing
Arts

The allure of the ad-lib: New research identifies why people prefer spontaneity in entertainment

What makes improvised stage patter more appealing than a canned script? FangXiaNuo/E+ via Getty Images The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Audiences love to see athletes and entertainers behaving spontaneously, according to our recent research, because ad-libbed lines, spectacular catches, improvised set lists and the like make performers seem more authentic and genuine. We observed a preference for spontaneity in entertainment across several studies. First, we examined dozens of Buzzfeed articles from the past several years about spontaneity in film and TV, like “Here Are 21 TV Moments You Probably Didn’t Know

The allure of the ad-lib: New research identifies why people prefer spontaneity in entertainment
Arts

The allure of the ad-lib: New research identifies why people prefer spontaneity in entertainment

What makes improvised stage patter more appealing than a canned script? FangXiaNuo/E+ via Getty Images The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Audiences love to see athletes and entertainers behaving spontaneously, according to our recent research, because ad-libbed lines, spectacular catches, improvised set lists and the like make performers seem more authentic and genuine. We observed a preference for spontaneity in entertainment across several studies. First, we examined dozens of Buzzfeed articles from the past several years about spontaneity in film and TV, like “Here Are 21 TV Moments You Probably Didn’t Know

The allure of the ad-lib: New research identifies why people prefer spontaneity in entertainment
Economy

Work requirements don't work for domestic violence survivors – but Michigan data shows they rarely get waivers they should receive for cash assistance

Denying waivers to survivors of domestic violence can hinder their independence from their abusers. Alvaro Medina Jurado/Moment via Getty Images The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Very few people who have survived domestic violence are getting Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) waivers from the work requirements and time limits tied to those benefits – even though they’re eligible for them, according to our new research. State governments administer the federal TANF program, commonly known as welfare or cash assistance, in accordance with their own guidelines. Federal law allows states to grant

Work requirements don't work for domestic violence survivors – but Michigan data shows they rarely get waivers they should receive for cash assistance
Economy

Work requirements don't work for domestic violence survivors – but Michigan data shows they rarely get waivers they should receive for cash assistance

Denying waivers to survivors of domestic violence can hinder their independence from their abusers. Alvaro Medina Jurado/Moment via Getty Images The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Very few people who have survived domestic violence are getting Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) waivers from the work requirements and time limits tied to those benefits – even though they’re eligible for them, according to our new research. State governments administer the federal TANF program, commonly known as welfare or cash assistance, in accordance with their own guidelines. Federal law allows states to grant

Work requirements don't work for domestic violence survivors – but Michigan data shows they rarely get waivers they should receive for cash assistance
World

Protests, poisoning and prison: The life of Kremlin opposition leader Alexei Navalny

In a span of a decade, Alexei Navalny has gone from the Kremlin’s biggest foe to Russia’s most prominent political prisoner. Already serving two convictions that have landed him in prison for at least nine years, he faces a new trial that could keep him behind for two more decades. The first court hearing occurred Monday in Penal Colony No. 6, where Navalny is being held, in the town of Melekhovo, about 230 kilometers (over 140 miles) east of Moscow. A look at Navalny’s life, political activism and the charges he has faced through the years: June

Protests, poisoning and prison: The life of Kremlin opposition leader Alexei Navalny
Environment

Arsenic contamination of food and water is a global public health concern – researchers are studying how it causes cancer

One symptom of arsenic poisoning is the growth of plaques on the skin called arsenical keratosis. Anita Ghosh/REACH via Flickr, CC BY Arsenic is a naturally occurring element found in the Earth’s crust. Exposure to arsenic, often through contaminated food and water, is associated with various negative health effects, including cancer. Arsenic exposure is a global public health issue. A 2020 study estimated that up to 200 million people wordwide are exposed to arsenic-contaminated drinking water at levels above the legal limit of 10 parts per billion set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and World Health Organization. More than

Arsenic contamination of food and water is a global public health concern – researchers are studying how it causes cancer
Health

Birth of a story: How new parents find meaning after childbirth hints at how they will adjust

Having a new baby can upend everything about your old life. Cavan Images/Cavan via Getty Images Gather a group of new parents and the conversation will likely turn to their childbirth stories – ranging from the joyful to the gnarly to the positively traumatic. Birth story podcasts and websites feature a curated range of birth experiences, and you can buy embossed leather “birth story” journals as a baby shower gift. People are fascinated by this pivotal, emotionally complex and literally life-and-death experience. Birth narratives might also contain clues about how the adjustment to parenthood will go. People have long used

Birth of a story: How new parents find meaning after childbirth hints at how they will adjust
Environment

Is there life in the sea that hasn't been discovered?

The Rose-veiled fairy wrasse, a small reef fish discovered in 2022. Luiz A. Rocha/Wikimedia Commons Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. Is there life in the sea that hasn’t been discovered? – Haven W., age 12, McKinney, Texas Imagine going to a place on Earth where no one has ever been. There are many locations like that in the ocean, which covers more than 70% of our planet. In the ocean, creatures live at many different depths, just as animals and

Is there life in the sea that hasn't been discovered?
Arts

How building more backyard homes, granny flats and in-law suites can help alleviate the housing crisis

A newly built accessory dwelling unit in Los Angeles. Alisha Jucevic/The Washington Post via Getty Images To many people, the image of a nuclear family in a stand-alone house with a green lawn and white picket fence still represents a fulfillment of the American dream. However, this ideal is relatively new within a broader history of housing and development in the U.S. It’s also a goal that has become increasingly unattainable. As professors of architecture, we explore how cities change over time, and how certain building trends become commonplace through cultural, political, technological and economic shifts. Over the past century,

How building more backyard homes, granny flats and in-law suites can help alleviate the housing crisis
World

FIFA Women’s World Cup Guide: How to watch, schedule and betting favorites

The United States will be playing for an unprecedented three-peat at the Women’s World Cup this summer. It won’t be easy for the world’s No. 1 team. Co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, the quadrennial tournament for international soccer’s most coveted trophy kicks off July 20 and features an expanded field of 32 teams, up from 24. There are 64 total matches during the tournament. That means more competition for the two-time defending World Cup champion U.S., which won the 2015 event in Canada and the 2019 tournament in France. The Americans have won four titles overall, most of any

FIFA Women’s World Cup Guide: How to watch, schedule and betting favorites
Arts

A community can gentrify without losing its identity -- examples from Pittsburgh, Boston and Newark of what works

A street mural by Manuel Acevedo at Halsey Place in Newark, N.J. Anthony Alvarez, CC BY-NC-ND How can neighborhoods gentrify without erasing their heart and voice? It’s an important question to ask now, I’d suggest, since many communities across the U.S. are at risk of losing their historical identities as new people and businesses move in, displacing residents and affecting the fabric of the community. This process is known as gentrification, and while a neighborhood “upgrade” can bring new vitality, diversity and opportunity, that is a win only if existing residents and businesses are not forced or priced out. How

A community can gentrify without losing its identity -- examples from Pittsburgh, Boston and Newark of what works
Arts

Historians are learning more about how the Nazis targeted trans people

Patrons at the Eldorado, a popular LGBTQ cabaret in Berlin during the Weimar years. Herbert Hoffmann/ullstein bild via Getty Images In the fall of 2022, a German court heard an unusual case. It was a civil lawsuit that grew out of a feud on Twitter about whether transgender people were victims of the Holocaust. Though there is no longer much debate about whether gay men and lesbians were persecuted, there’s been very little scholarship on trans people during this period. The court took expert statements from historians, including myself, before finding that the historical evidence shows that trans people were,

Historians are learning more about how the Nazis targeted trans people
Political

Political compromises – like the debt-limit deal – have never been substitutes for lasting solutions

Will the debt ceiling bill negotiated by President Joe Biden, left, and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy be a lasting solution? AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite The compromise to avoid default on the U.S. debt passed muster, eventually. President Joe Biden and Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy pulled it off. The nation can breathe, at least for the next two years. And yet, the far right is unhappy, many Democrats from the progressive wing are similarly annoyed, and the gnawing problem – the ballooning national debt – that is at the bottom of this compromise hasn’t gone away. But isn’t this

Political compromises – like the debt-limit deal – have never been substitutes for lasting solutions
Political

US, Chinese warships' near miss in Taiwan Strait hints at ongoing troubled diplomatic waters, despite chatter about talks

The USS Chung-Hoon observes a Chinese navy ship cross into its path. Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Andre T. Richard/U.S. Navy via AP An encounter in which a Chinese naval ship cut across the path of a U.S. destroyer in the Taiwan Strait on June 3, 2023, has both Beijing and Washington pointing fingers at each other. It was the second near miss in the space of just a few weeks; in late May a Chinese plane crossed in front of an American surveillance aircraft above the South China Sea. Meredith Oyen, an expert on China-U.S. relations at the University

US, Chinese warships' near miss in Taiwan Strait hints at ongoing troubled diplomatic waters, despite chatter about talks
Economy

UK PM Sunak visits Washington to strengthen ties, watch baseball – having already struck out on trade deal

‘I don’t drink coffee, I take tea’ — the quintessential Englishman in, well, D.C. Paul Faith/WPA Pool/Getty Images Alongside meetings with President Joe Biden, U.S. business leaders and members of Congress, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will take in a baseball game during a Washington trip that starts June 7, 2023. He may be given the honor of throwing out the first pitch; many at home will be hoping he doesn’t drop the ball. It is a high-stakes visit for Sunak, his first to Washington since becoming prime minister in October 2022. The British leader will be keen to showcase

UK PM Sunak visits Washington to strengthen ties, watch baseball – having already struck out on trade deal
Political

Kakhovka dam breach: 3 essential reads on what it means for Ukraine's infrastructure, beleaguered nuclear plant and future war plans

The breach of the Kakhovka dam in Ukraine could have lasting ecological and health impacts. Ukrainian Presidential Office via AP A dam that supplies drinking water to thousands of Ukrainians as well as cooling water for reactors at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station was ruptured on June 6, 2023. Kyiv blamed the destruction on Moscow, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy slamming “Russian terrorists” for destroying the Kakhovka dam and the adjacent hydroelectric power station on the Dnieper River. Meanwhile, the Kremlin accused Ukraine of “deliberate sabotage,” noting that the reservoir is a crucial resource for the people of Crimea, a Ukrainian

Kakhovka dam breach: 3 essential reads on what it means for Ukraine's infrastructure, beleaguered nuclear plant and future war plans
World

Student loan payments start again soon. Supreme Court’s ruling means higher bills for many

In a good month, Celina Chanthanouvong has about $200 left after rent, groceries and car insurance. That doesn’t factor in her student loans, which have been on hold since the start of the pandemic and are estimated to cost $300 a month. The pause in repayment has been a lifeline keeping the 25-year-old afloat. “I don’t even know where I would begin to budget that money,” said Chanthanouvong, who works in marketing in San Francisco. Now, after more than three years, the lifeline is being pulled away. More than 40 million Americans will be on the hook

Student loan payments start again soon. Supreme Court’s ruling means higher bills for many

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