An American in Spain, I learned that different cultures and distance could not mask the similar values of my two Moms. María José (L) and Renu when they first met (photo courtesy of Sonia Goyle) Squeezed around the dinner table in a corner of the kitchen, the four of...
Thousands of homeless in Los Angeles are finding it hard to shelter in place during the COVID-19 pandemic despite authorities’ efforts. Camper vans for homeless in Los Angeles County (photo by Sage Silberman) While millions of people in California are sheltering...
Gun violence, racism and mental health are issues we should care about, but they aren’t always easy to discuss. Music can help. Protesters sing as they demonstrate against the presence of federal immigration agents outside a school in New York, 12 March 2019....
Complacency, denial, bigotry: In my journey around the world, I observed scant recognition of the shared danger of COVID-19 until home in China. Passengers from Wuhan, China’s epicenter, together with railway workers wearing full protective gear at the railway...
Plastic pollution hurts humans, animals and the environment. Students from around the world gathered recently to share tactics in tackling the problem. (Photo by Ryan Rothman, Dana Point, California, 29 February 2020) This story was runner-up in News Decoder’s...
Spanish is the language of my roots and family. But when given the chance to learn it, I followed my peers and learned French. I know the taste of regret. By Giavanna Bravo At 10 years old, in the midst of an identity crisis, I was asked to make a decision that would...
Many wealthy New York City residents can ride out the coronavirus crisis in second homes. But needier citizens face a very different reality. A public school in Brooklyn, New York, closes until at least April 20 due to the coronavirus. (EPA-EFE/Alba Vigaray.) This...
I was conceived through in vitro fertilization. My year in Spain has given me a chance to see both sides of this controversial procedure. An Argentinian couple with twins born after the implant of ovarian tissue and in vitro fertilization in Valencia, Spain, 8...
Protesters upset over economic inequalities have thrown free-market darling Chile into disarray, prompting a crackdown decried by rights advocates. Demonstrators protest against the Chilean government, Santiago, Chile, 10 January 2020. (EPA-EFE/ELVIS GONZALEZ) This...
From increased stress to more ticks, global warming is harming human health around the world in insidious ways. Africans are likely to suffer the most. Environmental activists protest in Johannesburg, South Africa, 29 November 2019 (EPA-EFE/KIM LUDBROOK) There is no...