Month: December 2024

13 Best Electrolyte Powders for Hydration in 2026, According to Experts

13 Best Electrolyte Powders for Hydration in 2026, According to Experts

Published by Sam Flores

Drinking plenty of water is essential to staying hydrated, but sometimes, H20 alone doesn’t cut it, says Dr. Matthew Sedgley, a physician specializing in sports medicine at MedStar Health. Those who do strenuous exercise, have a labor-intensive job or spend long periods in the heat may also need to replenish their electrolytes. “Electrolyte is a fancy word for minerals like sodium, potassium and magnesium, and they’re substances our bodies need to function,” he says. “Your body uses them as you do physical activity, which makes replacing them important.” Mixing electrolyte powder into your water is a fast and convenient way to do that, says Amy Goldsmith, a registered dietitian specializing in sports nutrition who owns Kindred Nutrition & Kinetics. These powders often come in pre-measured packets, so you know exactly how much of each mineral you’re getting, and they’re available in various flavors, so they taste good. I talked to doctors and nutritionists about how to shop for electrolyte powders, as well as who should (and shouldn’t) use them. But remember: Before you take anything, …

Best places to get snacks for a movie in Los Angeles

Best places to get snacks for a movie in Los Angeles

Published by Sam Flores

As a city, Los Angeles is known for being great at (at least) two things: movies and food. Movies are made here, sure, but they’re also watched here — with a significant population of people who work in the industry or just love our hometown’s most celebrated craft. And the local food scene is just as popular, with global options that span street eats, fine dining and everything in between. As a result, you can find a solid independent movie theater in nearly every corner of L.A. County, and about a million fabulous restaurants too. But Alamo Drafthouse aside, these two worlds don’t come together as often as we’d like, with most of the city’s best theater concession stands confining themselves to a standard menu of popcorn and candy. And not to hate on Milk Duds, but sometimes you just need a little something extra. One solution is the fine art of movie theater snacking subterfuge. While each theater has its own rules on outside snacks (more on that below), as long as you keep …

Fernando Valenzuela murals: These walls celebrate the Dodgers great

Fernando Valenzuela murals: These walls celebrate the Dodgers great

Published by Sam Flores

Robert Vargas came up with the idea for his three-panel, six-story mural honoring Fernando Valenzuela in Boyle Heights in early 2024. “The first two panels really represent, I believe, the player,” Vargas said. “And the third panel represents more of the man, as he is looking towards Dodger Stadium and he tips his hat towards Dodger Stadium to say thank you, to say farewell, to say welcome into the neighborhood. That gesture says so much.” Vargas started painting the mural on the morning of Oct. 22. Valenzuela died later that day. Vargas worked diligently over the next 10 days — sometimes not bothering to eat or sleep — to have the first two panels done by the Nov. 3 unveiling. The third panel was finished a week later. “It really became a community mural where people were there, hundreds of people were there every single day if you add them all up as I was painting that mural,” Vargas said. “And it became a real source of comfort, a source of discussion, a source of …

A guide to Beverly Hills: Best things to do, see and eat

A guide to Beverly Hills: Best things to do, see and eat

Published by Sam Flores

It would be hard to find a single building that better embodies all that Beverly Hills is than the Pink Palace just off Sunset Boulevard. Built in 1912, it actually predates the city itself (which was incorporated in 1914) and has loomed large in the public imagination ever since, eventually becoming the stomping grounds for a well-known, well-heeled crowd that over the years has included, to name but a few, Charlie Chaplin, Fred Astaire, Marlene Dietrich, Marilyn Monroe, John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Originally designed by architect Elmer Grey and given a 1940s glow-up (and an additional wing) by Paul Revere Williams, the hotel’s distinctive pink and green exterior and interior banana-leaf wallpaper are nearly as recognizable as the celebrities who have made it famous. So too the Polo Lounge, the epitome of Hollywood see-and-be-seen culture. (One memorable Easter brunch, I watched from afar as Beyoncé and Jay-Z introduced toddler Blue Ivy Carter to the Easter Bunny.) It’s to that restaurant — or the Fountain Coffee Room downstairs — you should venture for a taste …

6 L.A. craft studios to make a DIY gift that’s actually good

6 L.A. craft studios to make a DIY gift that’s actually good

Published by Sam Flores

I already know my cats are spoiled, but spending three hours painstakingly handcrafting a stained glass portrait of them really takes the cake. The popular class, held at Chinatown’s Element Art Center, was my first experience with stained glass and it made an instant fan out of me. Like sewing, there are a series of very different processes that go into completing a stained glass work including design, scoring, cutting, grinding and fitting — and that’s before any soldering even happens. Luckily for us, Element owners Chloe Hess and Justin Steffler design and precut the glass pieces beforehand from a photo that participants are asked to send over before the class. I was charmed — the design actually looked like my cats with all of their notable markings well represented. Our session began with Hess explaining how the glass was prepped before we were tasked with lining the edges of each small piece with copper foil. The process was incredibly tedious but soothing in the way that meditative, repetitive things often are. Next we plugged …

Where to find the best breakfast sandwiches in Los Angeles

Where to find the best breakfast sandwiches in Los Angeles

Published by Sam Flores

I used to make myself grilled cheese sandwiches after soccer practice using whatever white bread was in the freezer, slices of American cheese and lots of butter. I devoured them straight from the pan, bread glistening and fingers burning. Cara Haltiwanger’s breakfast sandwiches are those grilled cheese sandwiches, only much, much better. She cracked the breakfast sandwich code when she decided to start with a really good grilled cheese. There’s a slice of American cheese glued to one side of the white bread and a slice of cheddar fused to the other, a fluffy pillow of egg in the middle, crispy bacon, just enough grilled onion to know it’s there and some avocado. She spreads some of her aioli onto the bread before grilling, ensuring that every inch of surface is toasted. The diagonal cut is meant for dipping, and each sandwich is accompanied by a cup of Haltiwanger’s dipping sauce. It’s the love child of pancake syrup and your favorite vinegar hot sauce. Her biscuit sandwich is made using her Southern grandmother’s buttermilk biscuit …

Most affordable restaurants in Los Angeles from 2024 101 guide

Most affordable restaurants in Los Angeles from 2024 101 guide

Published by Sam Flores

Brick-sized Nicaraguan tamales, known as nacatamal, are superior to just about every other steamed leaf- or husk-wrapped tamale. I’m confident that you’ll reach the same conclusion with your first bite of nacatamal at Las Segovias in Huntington Park. Green olives and raisins peek out from the masa filled with bone-in pork ribs or chops. Once you dig a little deeper into the center, there’s a lump of rice, potato and slivers of tomato. All the components, including the pork bones, take on a decadent, custardy texture and the bittersweet taste of sour orange. The quesillo is served in a plastic bag, similar to the way it’s sometimes packaged on the streets of Nicaragua. The corn tortilla is thick and almost cake-like, blistered and folded around a blob of soft, mild white cheese and crema that oozes out the back. There are bowls of indio viejo, with strands of shredded beef suspended in a thick, savory gravy, and big platters of grilled meats alongside mounds of gallo pinto and triangles of fried cheese. Everything is better …

The winter solstice is here – and this is what you need to know | Science, Climate & Tech News

The winter solstice is here – and this is what you need to know | Science, Climate & Tech News

Published by skeptic

Fed up with it getting dark at 4pm? Well after today, the days will start to get a little longer. The 21 December marks the winter solstice, the shortest day and the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Daylight will last for almost eight hours in London, which is eight hours and 49 minutes shorter than the June solstice – the longest day of the year. The actual moment of the solstice will occur at 3.03pm in the UK, but most people mark the whole day. Solstice is recognised by holidays and festivals in many cultures around the world. Image: People celebrating last year at Newgrange, Co Meath. Pic: PA It also means from Monday 22 December, days will start to get a little bit longer in the Northern Hemisphere, every single day until late June. The increase in daylight will be minuscule at first, just a matter of seconds a day, but will steadily grow until daylight expands by three minutes every day in March, according to weather forecast website Almanac. …

Search your stash: 538 cannabis pesticide tests show what’s in your weed

Search your stash: 538 cannabis pesticide tests show what’s in your weed

Published by Sam Flores

California’s testing requirements for cannabis products contain major gaps. To understand what’s being missed and what consumers are exposed to, the Los Angeles Times bought more than 150 products from licensed stores, as well as from tobacco shops and illicit vendors, and had them tested at three state-licensed labs, Anresco Laboratories, SC Labs and Infinite Chemical Analysis Labs. Those tests were conducted without the labs knowing what brand they tested. Where available, the tests included expanded screening for more than 290 pesticides and checks for other hazardous materials, such as vitamin E acetate or synthetic cannabinoids. The Times also obtained data from private market tests conducted on behalf of vape manufacturer Raw Garden and the March and Ash dispensary chain as well as participating labs. Lab test results Private lab tests show frequent pesticide contamination in cannabis, as well as the presence of synthetic THC and harmful dilution oils ●. Most products listed are vapes bought on the legal market. Pre-rolls, edibles and products bought outside legal venues are noted. Findings are based on California …

These are the 9 coolest dog parks in Southern California — fur real!

These are the 9 coolest dog parks in Southern California — fur real!

Published by Sam Flores

A well-designed dog park offers plenty of opportunities for pups and people alike when it comes to exercising, chatting and sniffing. (OK, maybe that last one is just for the pups.) Hang out at a good dog park for a while, and you’ll see plenty of happy pooches getting some much-needed physical activity, along with humans sharing shaded benches and plastic bags. Dog parks aren’t for everyone. Some dogs — just like some people — don’t get along well with others. Some would rather stay home and curl up on the couch. But others thrive in the sun, and love to socialize and make friends. This list is for you social animals, even though some of the parks, especially Fiesta Island in San Diego, are so big, you might have parts of them all to yourself. I stick to the big parks with my own dog, Cleo, who has back issues and cannot run around with other pups. Cleo’s wiggly little walk is part of her charm, but roughhousing is out of the question, so …