Life Style & Travel

UNITED STATES—It has been argued for years that breakfast is indeed the most important meal of the day. As a youngster, I would argue that was never the case. I couldn’t tell you how often I would skip breakfast as a kid. I just didn’t feel like eating super early in the morning. That might be a direct result...

UNITED STATES—Indian summer is more typical here than not. As usual, the weather cooled somewhat as summer finished, and then warmed again. It is now autumn by date, but still seems to be summer by weather. This might confuse some vegetation, although some is familiar with this pattern. Some vegetation reacts by shedding foliage prematurely, prior to dormancy. Prematurely shedding...

Every year in October, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) promote National Pedestrian Safety Month. The purpose of their campaign is to spread awareness about safety issues involving pedestrians, bicyclists and others who use the nation's public streets, sidewalks and other paths near cars, trucks and other large, motorized vehicles. During this...

Berkeley, CA – A pedestrian was struck and killed early Wednesday morning, October 2, 2024, in the parking lot at Aquatic Park in a collision involving a suspected DUI driver, according to NBC Bay Area. The incident occurred around 4:35 AM in a roundabout within the park. Police reported that the driver remained at the scene and was arrested on...

San Jose, CA – A motorcycle crash early Monday morning, September 30, 2024, on Interstate 880 left one person dead and caused a lengthy closure of the freeway, according to NBC Bay Area. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) reported that the crash occurred around 4:40 AM when a vehicle traveling in the northbound lanes struck the center divider near The...

UNITED STATES—Banana trees, much like palms, arboriform yuccas and cordylines, are herbaceous trees. They develop no secondary xylem, or wood. What seems to be trunks are pseudostems, which are just leaves in very tight bundles. These pseudostems grow from subterranean corms, which can grow rather big. Each pseudostem is monocarpic, so dies after bloom. Although they are very easy to...

UNITED STATES—Palm trees qualify as trees merely because of their size and form. The most familiar sorts here develop trunks, and many grow quite tall. The smallest houseplant palms can grow as tall as dwarf citrus trees. Mexican fan palm can grow almost a 100 feet tall. Palms are monocots, though, so are not actually woody. Technically, they are...

SAN FRANCISCO—Two hit-and-run incidents just hours apart left one person dead in San Francisco and another critically injured in Oakland on September 22, 2024, according to KTVU. The first incident occurred around 11:30 PM at the intersection of Lombard and Gough Streets in San Francisco. Police arrived at the scene to find a man suffering from life-threatening injuries after being...

UNITED STATES—From September 18, 2024, the 10th Anniversary of the HWPL World Peace Summit is being celebrated in South Korea and various locations worldwide reaching 122 countries. Under the theme 'Creating World Peace Community Through Regional Collaboration', this event commemorates global leaders’ and citizens’ commitment to peace that lasted for a decade, with an eye towards future strategies to...

Santa Clara, CA—One person was killed in a single-vehicle crash early Friday morning, September 20, 2024, leading to multiple road closures, according to NBC Bay Area. The accident occurred near Agnew Road, which was shut down in both directions between Harrigan Drive and Garrity Way. Authorities responded to the scene just before dawn, and by 6:20 a.m., they confirmed that one...