View time: 2 min 28
Level : Advanced
Author: natixis-ezine
A presidential campaign unlike any other ends on Tuesday. Here’s how we got here
Read time : 3 mins
Level : Advanced
By CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s the election that no one could have foreseen.
Not so long ago, Donald Trump was marinating in self-pity at Mar-a-Lago after being impeached twice and voted out of the White House. Even some of his closest allies were looking forward to a future without the charismatic yet erratic billionaire leading the Republican Party, especially after his failed attempt to overturn an election ended in violence and shame. When Trump announced his comeback bid two years ago, the New York Post buried the article on page 26.
At the same time, Kamala Harris was languishing as a low-profile sidekick to President Joe Biden. Once seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party, she struggled with both her profile and her portfolio, disappointing her supporters and delighting her critics. No one was talking about Harris running for the top job — they were wondering if Biden should replace her as his running mate when he sought a second term. Continue reading
This Halloween, trick-or-treat safely by watching for cars
View time : 1 min 39
Level : Intermediate
Care for a sweet treat during Mexico’s Day of the Dead? Have a bite of ‘pan de muerto’
Read time : 3 mins
Level : Intermediate
By MARÍA TERESA HERNÁNDEZ Associated Press
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The first bite is an assault to the senses. A sugary, citric, fluffy delight.
“Pan de muerto” or “bread of the dead” is baked in Mexico every year, from early October to mid-November, amid Day of the Dead celebrations.
Shaped like a bun, decorated with bone-like bread pieces and sugar on top, pan de muerto can be seen at coffee shops, dinner tables or home-made altars, which Mexicans build to remember their deceased loved ones and welcome them back for a night on Nov. 2.
Its date of origin can’t be specified, but pan de muerto can be thought of as a fusion of Mesoamerican and Spanish traditions, said Andrés Medina, a researcher at the Anthropological Research Institute of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Continue reading
The origins of Halloween, from Jack O’ Lanterns to trick-or-treating
View time: 1 min 30
Level : Advanced
As coal plants shut in Romania, some miners transition to green energy while others are reluctant
Read time : 3 mins
Level : Advanced
By ANCA GURZU, Cipher News undefined
PETRILA, Romania (AP) — For many years, Sebastian Tirinticǎ worked in a coal mine, just like his father and grandfather before him.
These days, Tirinticǎ, now 38, is largely surrounded by solar panels and wind turbines as he travels across Romania to train former coal workers and others for jobs in renewable energies.
It’s been a huge professional shift for a worker from one of the main coal regions of this formerly Communist Eastern European country.
“It’s hard to unglue yourself from something you did your entire life,” said Tirinticǎ, who has a short beard sprinkled with grey hair. “It’s hard to start again from zero, and not everyone has the strength and courage to do it.” Continue reading
King Charles III’s visit rekindles Australia’s debate on ending ties to the British monarchy
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Level : Intermediate
By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrived in Sydney on Friday for the first Australian visit by a reigning monarch in more than a decade, a trip that has restarted debate about the nation’s constitutional links to Britain.
The Sydney Opera House’s iconic sails were illuminated with images of previous royal visits to welcome the couple, whose six-day trip will be brief by royal standards. Charles, 75, is being treated for cancer, which led to the reduced itinerary.
Charles and Camilla were welcomed in light rain at Sydney Airport by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, New South Wales state Premier Chris Minns and the king’s representative in Australia, Governor-General Sam Mostyln.
Charles is only the second reigning British monarch to visit Australia. His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, became the first 70 years ago.
While the welcome has been warm, Australia’s national and state leaders want the royals removed from their constitution. Continue reading
The White House public tour has been upgraded so visitors can see, hear and touch more
View time : 1 min 39
Level : Intermediate
New York Comic Con is drawing cosplayers from galaxies near and far
View time: 1 min 51
Level : Advanced
‘Kindness’ influencers on TikTok give money to strangers. Why is that controversial?
Read time : 3 mins
Level : Advanced
By KAITLYN HUAMANI Associated Press
Every Christmas growing up in Minnesota, Jimmy Darts’ parents gave him $200 in cash: $100 for himself and $100 for a stranger. Now, with over 12 million followers on TikTok and several million more on other platforms, philanthropy is his full-time job.
Darts, whose real surname is Kellogg, is one of the biggest creators of “kindness content,” a subset of social media videos devoted to helping strangers in need, often with cash amassed through GoFundMe and other crowdfunding methods. A growing number of creators like Kellogg give away thousands of dollars – sometimes even more – on camera as they also encourage their large followings to donate.
“The internet is a pretty crazy, pretty nasty place, but there’s still good things happening on there,” Kellogg told The Associated Press.
Not everyone likes these videos, though, with some viewers deeming them, at their best, performative, and at their worst, exploitative. Continue reading