Nada Hassanein | (TNS) Stateline.org Before the successful, healthy birth of her son, recalls Germine Awad — an Egyptian American who is a psychologist at the University of Michigan — clinicians told her that her hormone levels were too high and that her pregnancy was in danger. “They don’t know us,” her mother reassured her. Iyman Hamad, a Palestinian American public health graduate student at Wayne State University in Detroit, had to search online to figure out which race or ethnicity box she should check at the doctor’s office and on school forms. And Itedal Shalabi, who runs an Arab Americ ..read more

By Cindy Carcamo, Los Angeles Times LOS ANGELES — Food never happened in a vacuum for Karla Tatiana Vasquez. Stories always followed. Whenever her grandmother or mother cooked, Vasquez knew something special was coming. Their food unlocked memories, especially about El Salvador — the homeland they’d fled in the late 1980s during the country’s civil war. Vasquez was born in the Central American nation but had no memory of it. She was an infant when her family spirited her away to Los Angeles, where many family members ended up settling. As a child, Vasquez had a difficult time saying “Salvadore ..read more

A pair of teenage ghosts solve mysteries for their supernatural clientele in “Dead Boy Detectives” on Netflix, an eight-episode season that sits squarely in the YA genre. Picture something like “The Hardy Boys,” but British. And dead.  Edwin (George Rexstrew) died at his boarding school in 1916 and he is bookish and sensitive. Charles (Jayden Revri) died at the same boarding school in 1987 and he has a bolder streak and a dangly cross for an earring. The actors bear a physical resemblance that goes unremarked upon — thin and lanky, with dark hair and pointy features — but the characters a ..read more

By Scott Hartbeck, TravelPulse France is hot, and we’re not just talking about the catwalks in Paris or the yacht clubs on the Riviera. There is no denying that 2024 will be a huge year for travel in The Hexagon, with so much going on across the country. Plenty has been said and written about the Paris Summer Olympics (and will be in the coming months), but here I will set that massive event to the side and focus instead on other reasons to visit France this year. Some of the events could be perfect bookends to a trip to see the Games or serve as inspiration for a completely different adventur ..read more

By SAMY MAGDY, BASSEM MROUE and DAVID RISING (Associated Press) CAIRO (AP) — Egypt sent a high-level delegation to Israel for talks Friday seeking to push through a cease-fire agreement with Hamas and avert an Israeli offensive on Gaza’s town of Rafah — on the border with Egypt — which it warned could ruin regional stability, officials said. Egypt’s top intelligence official, Abbas Kamel, led the delegation and planned to discuss with Israel a “new vision” for a prolonged cease-fire in Gaza, an Egyptian official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the mission freely. As the war ..read more

To the lady ticked off about her good sandals. You can always do grocery pick up or better yet – go to another store. Or wear weather-appropriate shoes. Just a thought. Where do I start? A neighbor of mine spent one hour blowing the leaves that came from a tree across the street back across the street when he could’ve picked those leaves up in a fraction of the time. Thank goodness he was using a weenie electric blower. I’m still ticked off at Altamonte Springs! Construction on Central Parkway at Centerpoint Circle now extends to Festival Drive.  This has been ongoing for months now.  ..read more

Celebrity Cruises made its first trip to sister cruise line Royal Caribbean’s private Bahamas island CocoCay this week. The popular destination is rife with bells and whistles that cater to the adventuresome set that frequent Royal Caribbean ships, but the island is filled with tastes for all, including a new adults-only beachfront area called Hideaway Beach. Celebrity Reflection was the first ship to visit on April 22 followed by Celebrity Beyond on April 23, both part of five-night western Caribbean sailings departing from Port Everglades, part of new shorter itineraries being offered by the ..read more

By AAMER MADHANI (The Associated Press) NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden said Friday that he is willing to debate his presumptive Republican opponent, Donald Trump, later this fall – his most definitive comment yet on the issue. The comment came during an interview with the Sirius XM radio host Howard Stern, who asked Biden whether he would participate in debates against Trump. “I am, somewhere. I don’t know when,” Biden said. “But I’m happy to debate him.” So far, Biden’s reelection campaign had declined to commit to participating in the debates, a hallmark of every general election presid ..read more

GAINESVILLE — The University of Florida threatened pro-Palestinian student demonstrators with suspension and banishment from campus for three years if they violate a host of rules of behavior over protests that continued for a second day late Thursday. The university said employees or professors caught breaking its rules would be fired. Some of the rules were specific, such as prohibiting protesters from using bullhorns or speakers to amplify their voices, possessing weapons or protesting inside buildings on campus. Other rules were far more vague, such as one that said “no disruption,” or ano ..read more

https://tags.remixd.com/player/v5/index.js?cb=%%CACHEBUSTER%% Which sports gear is best for kids? Engaging in sports as children is astonishingly packed with positives. There are so many that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services had to break them down into four groups: economic and community impact, educational and career success, physical and mental, emotional and social. Plus, engaging in sports as a child can lead to lifelong athletic activity, which sees these results continue to grow more impactful. But, that doesn’t mean it can’t be dangerous. In fact, baby and kids expert Dr ..read more