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Nuggets’ Christian Braun makes convincing case for playing time: “He actually played really good.”

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:04 GMT

The first message that got through to Christian Braun came from DeAndre Jordan, who, until Sunday afternoon, sat alongside Denver’s versatile rookie on the bench.“They just say, ‘Change the game, change the energy,’” Braun said of what he was told before being utilized in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 122-120 loss to Brooklyn, the Nuggets’ third consecutive defeat.Braun, who played meaningful minutes for the first time since Feb. 25th, finished with seven points, three rebounds, and an assist while playing 11:39 of the fourth quarter. Down 11 when the Nuggets entered the fourth quarter, head coach Michael Malone turned to Braun after Denver’s defense collapsed, allowing 37 points in the third quarter. Those minutes, typically allotted for Michael Porter Jr., went to Braun instead.“When you’re down like we were, you’re just looking for a spark, you’re looking for somebody to give you some life,” said Malone. “… “I’m looking for guys that can guard, and Christian has shown all ...

Majority of young Coloradans are rent-burdened and want rent stabilization, new survey shows

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:04 GMT

A new survey details how Colorado’s rent prices keep the state’s young residents from seeking medical care, buying groceries and pursuing a college degree — and it found a majority of young Coloradans support rent stabilization policies.The survey, released Monday by progressive youth advocacy organization New Era Colorado, polled 506 Coloradans between 18 and 34. and was weighted by gender, race, ethnicity, education and voter registration to match the characteristics of Colorado’s 18-to-34-year-old population, based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, according to New Era Colorado.“We’re creating an environment in Colorado where we’re radicalizing young people to get involved in politics because if they can’t afford to live, pay their medical debt, their student loans, then people are going to start getting involved to change that,” said Tash Berwick, New Era Colorado political director.A map produced by New Era Colorado using Census Bure...

Driver runs over fire hose, injures L.A. firefighter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:04 GMT

A firefighter was injured while battling a blaze in Tarzana early Monday when a driver ran over a hose, authorities said.Los Angeles Fire Department crews responded to the fire at Synthetic Grass Depot, located at 19337 Ventura Blvd. around 4:50 a.m. The fire was burning outside and was not threatening any structures.During the battle, a “civilian vehicle” ran over a four-inch supply line which knocked a firefighter to the ground, LAFD said in a news release. The firefighter was transported to a hospital with a non-life-threatening injury.“Due to the location of the nearest fire hydrant to an incident, it is sometimes necessary (we avoid it whenever possible) to cross streets with the large diameter supply line,” LAFD said. "This serves as a reminder to NEVER cross over a fire department hose line.”The eastbound 101 Freeway exit at Tampa Avenue and a section of Ventura Boulevard were closed as crews remained on the scene throughout the morning.The cause of the fire is under investig...

Meet the real voice behind Spotify's first AI DJ

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:04 GMT

Big changes are coming to the Spotify app, including a brand-new home feed that looks a lot more like social media, plus the first AI DJ will be spinning a personalized playlist for you.Spotify announced the changes at a recent event in Downtown Los Angeles called Stream On."It’s a little wild because it’s so big and it’s blowing up, but I’m honored and humbled to be the voice," said Xavier "X" Jernigan, Spotify's Head of Cultural Partnerships and now, the voice of the company's first AI DJ.Xavier "X" Jernigan, Spotify's Head of Cultural Partnerships and AI DJ"I’m giving you fun facts about how the music, I’m giving you fun facts about how you listen, I’m giving you context," said Jernigan, who spent time in an audio booth saying words and phrases in a variety of emotions and emphasis.Now, Spotify writers can simply type what they want him to say, and the AI brings his voice to life."Once my mamma said it sounded like me, I knew it was legit," quipped Jernigan.Spotify is also redesi...

Animal Sex: The Strange, Brutal Reproductive Habits of the Animal World

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:04 GMT

We already know that kink-shaming isn’t a good thing. Even if some forms of eroticism can be questionable, you’d be surprised to know how “vanilla” we, humans still are compared to other animals. Because some animal sex behaviors can be quite — animalistic! From overly clingy guys and crazy girlfriends, you’ll have another reason to say “damn nature, you scary!”Crazy Animal Sex Behaviors and AnatomyCannibal CompanionPerhaps the most widely known practitioner of sexual cannibalism is the animal kingdom’s femme fatale herself, the Black Widow — and they do, in fact, have a knack for wanting to be a widow; as their name suggests, they kill and eat their male counterparts while they’re having sex! But it’s not just the women who do this.There are other murderous male spiders who also kill their lovers — such as a certain type of wolf spider and ant spiders would also eat their female partners. But they typically only murder the older female spiders of their species.“I said ‘send nudes’ ...

The Day the Music Died: The Buddy Holly Legacy Lives on

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:04 GMT

Feb. 3 marked the 24-year anniversary of the Texas singer-songwriter. Today, the Buddy Holly legacy lives on. It typically takes a long, illustrious, and well-documented career for a musician or band to see just how much of an influence they had on the masses. But one person whose life tragically ended in 1959 made quite an impression on those musical legends we admire — and that’s Buddy Holly. The death of Buddy Holly is often referred to as “The Day the Music Died” when he, along with Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper, died in a plane crash in Clear Lake, Iowa.But just how big of an influence was Buddy Holly’s music in the past and present?The Life and Death of Buddy HollyBuddy Holly, or Charles Holley, was born on September 7, 1936 in Lubbock, Texas. Early in his life, he had already been exposed to music and learned to play various musical instruments at a young age along with his siblings. He grew up playing and listening to gospel, folk, and country music. It didn’t take long ...

Meet Colors of Freedom Artist Delbar Shahbaz

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:04 GMT

Painter and mixed media artist Delbar Shahbaz embraces vibrant colors in symphonic palettes as an emblem of freedom and a gesture of courage—like nature emerging from a winter of revolution into a spring of power and liberty. Her lively visual language of abstraction, nature, and the figure grows from a holistic vision of connection, motion, and the world’s constant cyclical process of change. Rivers run, dancers spin, birds fly, light sparkles, fades, and returns; creatures part human and part animal explore the boundaries of our real and poetic dream worlds as symbols and carriers of the spirit; suffering gives way to restoration and power. Much of Shahbaz’s work exists in a place of global feminism, overlapping with her experiences first in Iran and later as an immigrant to America, and focuses on resisting the erosion of women’s rights at home and around the world. At the same time, her symbolism advancing a deeper sense of peace and liberty, often involving literally laying in ...

Persian New Year recipe: Tahchin (Iranian Savory Crispy Saffron Rice “Cake”)

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:04 GMT

If Oakland’s Helia Sadeghi had to eat one dish for the rest of her life, it would be crispy, buttery, comforting tahchin. In Sadeghi’s childhood home in Iran, the golden domed rice “cake” layered with saffron-tinged yogurt and chicken made an appearance for special occasions. Birthdays. Getting good grades. Sometimes, tahchin was the occasion.“My mom worked two jobs, so if she had a day off, she would ask me what I wanted her to make, and I always asked for tahchin,” she says. “Hers was the best.”This recipe, which is featured on Sadeghi’s Big Dill Kitchen website and requires a large nonstick pot with a lid — would be the perfect centerpiece for a Nowruz meal, she says. While the traditional Persian New Year meal is herbed rice with fish to represent rebirth and fertility, Sadeghi says you should make what feels special to you. For her, that’s tahchin.“It is a celebration food, a showstopper,” she says. &...

Top 10 places to see cherry blossoms around the world

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:04 GMT

Sure, tulips are lovely, and roses sublime. But the pale pink froth of sakura — or cherry — blossoms is extraordinary. Tripadvisor recently ranked 13 of the best spots around the world to see these blossoms — and it’s hardly surprising that two Japanese cities top the list. These beautiful cherry trees are native to Japan, where they’ve inspired festivals and celebrations for centuries.Paris and its cherry trees, which are planted throughout the city, from the Champ de Mars to Montmartre, made the list, as did Stockholm, where the King’s Garden is filled with dozens of cherry trees, a gift from Japan to King Carl XVI Gustaf.Of course, you can see beautiful blossoms right here in the Bay Area, too. But if you’re planning a trip to a more far flung location, bear in mind that March and April are peak viewing season for many of these destinations — unless you’re bound for Brazil, where the cherries bloom in July and August. (How did...

Persian New Year Recipe: Homa Dashtaki’s Cake Yazdi

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:04 GMT

In her illuminating debut cookbook, “Yogurt & Whey: Recipes of an Iranian Immigrant Life” (W. W. Norton, $40), Iran-born food writer Homa Dashtaki, co-founder of The White Moustache, tells the story of her Zoroastrian upbringing and American assimilation through the lens, so to speak, of smooth, creamy, Old World yogurt. The 100 recipes, both savory and sweet, range from ancient (see-rogh, a Zoroastrian fry bread) to modern (pineapple ginger whey pops).Cake Yazdi, which comes from her family’s native city in central Iran, is moistened with yogurt and flavored with cardamom and rose water. Dashtaki serves it in the weeks following Nowruz, or Persian New Year, when it is customary to visit as well as host family and friends. The cakes are traditionally baked in fluted muffin tins to make individual tea cakes, but you can use standard muffin tins, she says.Cake YazdiMakes 12 individual cakesINGREDIENTS8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for ...