U.S.
Nestled in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles, just south of city hall, Little Tokyo is a cultural and civic center for Japanese Americans living in Southern California [1]. Spanning about five city blocks, Little Tokyo is home to anime-themed shops, traditional Japanese restaurants, and the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) — the first museum in the country dedicated to the Japanese A...
U.S.
It is an unfortunate truth that nothing unites a community like tragedy. On the morning of January 7, 2025, the record-breaking Eaton and Palisades fires started their month-long destruction that claimed over 37,000 acres and 18,000 structures [1]. Los Angeles’s unique communities became a united force of nature, fighting the fires and supporting their neighbors. First responders put themselves ...
U.S.
Photographed by: Aimee Friloux
The United States is the only democracy in the world that disenfranchises its citizens on the basis of their residency in its capital city, Washington, D.C. If a Washingtonian were to move to any of the U.S.’ 50 states, they would be afforded the kind of democratic representation they could only dream of having in their home district: 2 senators, 1...
U.S.
Imagine the last time someone bumped into you on the street. Can you remember their face? What about the color or style of their hair? Any tattoos? Piercings? Scars? Was it dark outside? Crowded? How confident are you really that you could identify them if shown pictures of others with similar features? Could you identify them with 99.9 percent confidence? Now, take that level of confidence and im...
U.S.
Introduction
In light of the continuing partisan divide in American politics over recent decades, Americans participating in political discourse have become increasingly polarized. Consequently, nearly all major policy issues, such as abortion, have grown more partisan—aligning strictly with right- or left-wing ideologies. This broader political atmosphere has introduced a new defensive...
World
Regional Economic Outlook: Not very encouraging.
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is one of the poorest regions in the world today, with low rates of economic growth and industrialization relative to emerging markets and developing economies in other regions across the globe. Indeed, it features the largest proportion of people living in poverty in the world [1]. In 2018, the average per capi...
World
In 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed to combat threats from the Soviet Union. While the USSR has since dissolved, the organization has shifted to protecting its members against Russia. NATO’s mission statement is to “safeguard the freedom and security of all its members” through military and political action, and the organization has proven itself rel...
World
In late October 2024, nearly one thousand days after launching the illegal invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin triumphantly welcomed thirty-six heads of state to the annual BRICS summit in Moscow in spite of the concerted attempts by America and its allies to cripple Russia’s economy through sanctions and diminish its military capabilities via aid to Ukraine [1]. BRICS&mdas...
World
Extreme climatic events have long been a defining feature of the Sahel region of Africa. In the past century alone, Sahelian nations—comprising much of Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali, Chad, and Nigeria—have experienced droughts and famines, killing 100,000 civilians just in the 1970s [1]. While horrifying, there is another cause for international concern regarding the Sahel that has not received ad...
World
“Have you ever applied for Chinese citizenship? Have you ever been a member of the Chinese Communist Party? Have you ever been affiliated or associated with the Chinese Communist Party?” The series of questions came from U.S. Senator Tom Cotton’s relentless grilling of ByteDance CEO Shou Zi Chew during a Senate hearing. The series of stark questions, echoing geopolitical distrust...