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

Pan de muerto, or “bread of the dead,” traditional for Mexico’s Day of the Dead, sits for sale at a bakery in the San Rafael neighborhood of Mexico City, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

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


King Charles III’s visit rekindles Australia’s debate on ending ties to the British monarchy

Read time : 3 mins

Level : Intermediate

The Sydney Opera House sails show photos of Britain’s King Charles and Queen camilla soon after their arrival in Sydney, Australia, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

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


‘Kindness’ influencers on TikTok give money to strangers. Why is that controversial?

Read time : 3 mins

Level : Advanced

Influencer Jimmy Darts poses for a portrait, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Southern California. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

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


In Senegal, the bastion of the region’s Francophonie, French is giving way to local languages

Read time : 4 mins

Level : Intermediate

A man sits outside a stationary store with French signs in Dakar, Senegal, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Annie Risemberg)

By MONIKA PRONCZUK Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — For decades Senegal, a former French colony in West Africa, has been touted as the bastion of the French language in the region. Leopold Sedar Senghor, the country’s first president and a poet, is considered one of the founding fathers of the concept of Francophonie, a global alliance of French-speaking countries.

But many say a shift is underway. While French remains the country’s official language, inscribed into its constitution, its influence is waning. It is giving way to Wolof, the most widely spoken local language — and not just on the street, where the latter has always been dominant, but in the halls of power: government offices, university corridors and mainstream media. Continue reading


Can a Good Cup of Coffee Turn a Bad Day Around?

Read time : 2 mins

Level : Intermediate

Michael Dinich | Wealth of Geeks undefined

Over half of Americans claim a good cup of coffee can be “so powerful,” it can turn their worst days around into good ones.

On the flip side, in a poll of 2,000 American coffee drinkers, 31% said their entire day can be ruined if their coffee isn’t right. Some are so in-tune with their coffee, they can tell when they’ve received the incorrect order based on if it doesn’t taste right (25%) or doesn’t look right (9%).

Commissioned by La Colombe and Chobani and conducted by Talker Research, the study revealed how both hot coffee and iced coffee drinkers prefer their brews. Continue reading


As theaters struggle, many independent cinemas in Los Angeles are finding their audience

Read time : 3 mins

Level : Advanced

Cinephile Miles Villalon, left, stands underneath the marquee of the New Beverly Cinema revival theater, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

By KRYSTA FAURIA Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — On a hot summer evening, Miles Villalon lined up outside the New Beverly Cinema, hours before showtime.

The 36-year-old already had tickets to the Watergate-themed double feature of 1976’s “All the President’s Men” and 1999’s “Dick.” But Villalon braved Los Angeles’ infamous rush-hour traffic to snag front-row seats at Quentin Tarantino’s historic theater.

This level of dedication is routine for the Starbucks barista and aspiring filmmaker, who typically sees up to six movies a week in theaters, and almost exclusively in independently owned theaters in and around Los Angeles.

“I always say it feels like church,” he said. “When I go to AMC, I just sit there. And I can’t really experience that communal thing that we have here, where we’re all just worshipping at the altar of celluloid.” Continue reading


China is raising its retirement age, now among the youngest in the world’s major economies

Read time : 4 mins

Level : Intermediate

People on their bicycles and electric bikes wait at a traffic lights junction during the morning rush hour in Beijing, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

By HUIZHONG WU and EMILY WANG FUJIYAMA Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) — Starting next year, China will raise its retirement age for workers, which is now among the youngest in the world’s major economies, in an effort to address its shrinking population and aging work force.

The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the country’s legislature, passed the new policy Friday after a sudden announcement earlier in the week that it was reviewing the measure, state broadcaster CCTV announced.

The policy change will be carried out over 15 years, with the retirement age for men raised to 63 years, and for women to 55 or 58 years depending on their jobs. The current retirement age is 60 for men and 50 for women in blue-collar jobs and 55 for women doing white-collar work. Continue reading


Autoworkers learn sign language hoping connection with deaf colleagues improves work and lives

Read time : 2 mins

Level : Intermediate

In this photo provided by Nissan on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, workers of Nissan’s plant’s Paint Shop including John Johnson, foreground right and Michael Connolly, foreground, second left, pose for a photo at the plant, in Sunderland, England. (Matt Walker/Nissan via AP)

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — One doesn’t need to know sign language to understand what Michael Connolly feels about his colleagues’ efforts to break down the barriers posed by his deafness.

When asked what he thought of his teammates’ decision to learn British Sign Language, the 45-year-old autoworker at the Nissan plant in Sunderland, England, grinned and flashed a universal symbol: Two thumbs up.

Connolly loves having the chance to banter with his workmates, to talk about everyday things — the kids, vacation plans, a TV program. And now he can, because the entire 25-member bumper-paint team at Sunderland started learning BSL at the beginning of the year. Continue reading


Interest in Plant-Based Desserts Rises in 2024

Read time : 2 mins

Level : Intermediate

Tara Gerner | Wealth of Geeks undefined

Although classic desserts such as chocolate chip cookies and ice cream never go out of style, interest in vegan desserts continues to rise in 2024. In fact, the latest numbers show The global vegan dessert market is estimated to reach $3.75 billion this year, and it won’t be stopping anytime soon.

Global Growth Insights reports vegan frozen desserts, cakes and pastries, and cookies and biscuits were the most popular plant-based sweet treats last year. While interest grows in other areas, North America remains the dominant region for vegan desserts, despite still be dominated by love for traditional desserts.

Dessert popularity is affected by local traditions, customs, and preferences. Many regions in the United States have a favorite or signature dessert built into their culinary legacy. Continue reading


America’s Favorite Hobbies Revealed: Our Ten Favorite Ways To Spend Free Time

Read time : 2 mins

Level : Intermediate

Melanie Allen | Wealth of Geeks undefined

Americans spend more than five hours every day on leisure activities and hobbies, ranking second only to sleep in the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2023 time use survey.

Though we all love leisure time, we don’t spend it the same way. Some pastimes are far more popular than others.

America’s Favorite Hobbies

A Statista survey of more than 60,000 Americans determined which hobbies we love the most. Discover something new to try as we explore America’s favorite pastimes. Because respondents could choose more than one hobby, reported percentages surpassed 100. Continue reading