culture

Some call him “El Maestro” — the master — but his real name is Jorge Tello. It’s a fitting title for a Los Angeles-based tailor known for crafting some of the most intricate suits around, those worn by Mexican mariachis. But Tello isn’t even from Mexico.

Photographer Jodi Hilton visited a Syrian refugee camp last fall. And she came across something unexpected: beauty. Kurdish women there have facial tattoos, also known as “deq.”

Humans speak 6,000 languages, but half of them will disappear within the next 50 years. Even today, some ancient tongues have only one remaining speaker. The new PBS film, “Language Matters,” looks at the languages that are struggling to survive.

A tattoo often comes with a story. And with many American veterans unable or unwilling to tell their stories in words, a pair of veterans have started collecting the stories behind the tattoos to help people understand the wars they fought.

Many young Iranian couples are choosing to live together before marriage, and the rise in such “white marriages” has Iranian officials worried. But there are also some good reasons why young Iranians don’t want to tie the knot.