US west coast

August 15, 2017

The impact, devastation and cost of forest fires in America’s West have multiplied in recent decades. Wildfires are stronger than ever, tearing through communities and overwhelming the forest service budget.

Food

Travel the world on an ice cream tour in Los Angeles

The World

August 11, 2017

“We love vanilla, chocolate ... but you still have that memory of what you ate back home,” says Smita Vasant, who left her corporate job to open Saffron Spot in Los Angeles.

Justice

US law students, driven by their own family stories, are helping asylum-seekers

The World

April 20, 2017

At the University of California, Davis, law students take on immigrant cases, with guidance, and double as cultural navigators too.

Health

Globe-trotting pollutants pose a larger threat to public health than previously thought

Living on Earth

April 02, 2017

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, toxic air pollutants produced by combustion, are linked to lung cancer and other serious health problems. Recent findings suggest that these tiny particles travel long distances and significantly increase overall health risks.

Books

The novel ‘Lucky Boy’ and a timely story of immigration and motherhood

The World

March 22, 2017

Shanthi Sekaran’s novel, a Global Nation Book Club pick, delves into privilege, motherhood and immigration, legal and not.

Global Politics

The leader of the California independence movement lives in Russia

The World

March 07, 2017

A once fringe idea, some Californians are now seriously contemplating Calexit.

Environment

When it comes to climate, California pursues its own foreign policy

Living on Earth

November 06, 2013

Officials in California are partnering with their Canadian neighbors in British Columbia, as well as officials in Washington and Oregon, to try and reduce their production of climate change-inducing gases. While the announcement last week was met with much fanfare, the details remain to be seen.