Lifestyle
The Surgeon General's parting prescription? Community. Amid the fires, L.A. is filling it
My first news of the Palisades fire came from a message in my neighborhood WhatsApp group. I learned from my neighbors in Del Rey that a blaze had broken out in the hills — above the neighborhood I grew up in, where my parents still live in our family home on the edge of the Palisades.
My own neighborhood of Del Rey was likely out of harm’s way. Yet as we all learned how quickly the fire was spreading, the neighborhood WhatsApp transformed into a mini resource center, sharing tips for staying safe and volunteering spare bedrooms and ADUs. A call for available deep freezer storage for an evacuee’s breast milk was met with offer upon offer. Everyone made space.
Meanwhile, I commiserated with preschool-era friends as our parents fled the Palisades and the institutions that raised us lit up in flames. The library, the grocery store, the coffee shop where I’ll always remember parking on the couch with my best friend discussing “1984” for hours — all gone. Was our synagogue OK? Nobody knew.
My parents evacuated to my mother-in-law’s house, friends scattered around Los Angeles. We all woke up to learn that so many families, dear friends, had lost their homes — each piece of news a gut punch. Even the famous village shopping district at the center of town was ash.
The devastation my community experienced was also being felt across L.A. County. The Eaton fire in Altadena burned tens of thousands of acres, including artist studios, musical havens and important sites of Black Angeleno heritage. The Hurst fire threatening Sylmar. Other fires dotted the L.A. map throughout the week, spurring evacuations and fear for West Hollywood and the West Valley.
Fire had reached into and across the city, taking, at this time of publishing, 28 lives and more than 16,000 structures. Meanwhile, despite heroic firefighting efforts, other government bodies sowed confusion. Our leaders have been playing a political blame-game. Past decisions to deprioritize fire prevention are coming to light. Even our emergency alert system failed, frightening every resident with a smartphone who received an evacuation notification sent in error.
The same day that the fires broke out, outgoing United States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released a parting statement. The nation’s top doctor had spent his two terms interviewing citizens across the country learning about what contributed to and detracted from their mental and physical health. From his research came a prescription: A nation plagued with heart disease, diabetes, depression and an addiction crisis was — more than anything else — in need of community.
“The fracturing of community in America is driving a deeper spiritual crisis that threatens our fundamental well-being,” Murthy wrote, calling for a radical shift “in how we build and prioritize community.”
Witnessing how Los Angeles’ community networks picked up the slack of institutions that failed us illustrated the urgency of Murthy’s message. This prescription needs to be filled.
Disaster throws the need of community into sharp relief, but it is crucial for everyday and lifelong health and well-being too. Murthy explains that the “three pillars” of community — relationships, service and purpose — are scientifically proven to positively impact both life expectancy and life satisfaction.
These pillars, Murthy says, can “significantly influence health outcomes, including premature mortality, heart disease, depression, and anxiety. Community also gives us strength and resilience when facing the big challenges and countless paper cuts that come with moving through the world.”
But, as he sees it, these pillars have crumbled in recent years. An increase in the amount of time people need to spend at work has meant less civic participation and social interaction. The pandemic and social media both led to isolation, with the latter sowing division as discussions moved from in-person to online. Just 30% of people do volunteer work, and over 60% of young people say they feel directionless.
Community is a cornerstone of both individual wellness and collective well-being in the best of times. Now, friends, neighbors and an army of Los Angeles volunteers are proving that community is a powerful tonic in the worst of them.
The path to building community through these three pillars will take both individual effort and government investment, explains Murthy. Deepening relationships requires interactions that go beyond the group-chat, and fostering empathetic schools and workplaces. Providing service means the willingness to lend (and ask) a neighbor for help. Finding purpose means access to education and resources that unlock meaning in addition to a paycheck. The foundation for it all is reinvestment in (gutted) community infrastructure and social services that enable people to do more than simply survive.
Community is a cornerstone of both individual wellness and collective well-being in the best of times. Now, friends, neighbors and an army of Los Angeles volunteers are proving community is a powerful tonic in the worst of them.
After the fires swept through the Palisades we learned that, in some Hanukkah-esque miracle, my family’s Pacific Palisades synagogue, Kehillat Israel, did not burn, even as homes on its block did. In the coming days, KI became a locus of support, both practically and emotionally. It held both in-person services in a space lent by a temple across town, and a Zoom webinar. Local officials and disaster recovery experts gave concrete advice and information, and clergy and congregants gave each other time and space to hold each other’s pain. Even the Early Childhood Center found a temporary space for its toddler Shabbat group, Tot Shabbat, so that the temple’s youngest members could still see and sing with their class while evacuated from their homes. It’s been clear that bearing the grief with lifelong friends and strangers alike is the only real thing we can hold onto for the “strength and resilience” Murthy speaks of at a time like this.
Angelenos throughout the city have leaned on one another for support too. The essential workers who have lost steady employment in Palisades and Altadena homes are finding new opportunities in neighborhoods where residents share the names of those looking for work, like in my neighborhood group chat. A GoFundMe for organizations advocating for essential workers has raised over $90,000. For people seeking ways to help in person, every day, Mutual Aid Los Angeles Network updates a Google spreadsheet of volunteer opportunities that has dozens if not hundreds of viewers at all hours of the day and night; volunteer centers are so busy that they are turning people away. Teenage organizers are full up on beauty supply donations for other teenagers affected by the fires. Real estate agents are providing free house-hunt services, salon workers free haircuts, restaurants free meals and so much more. Celebrities like Beyoncé have given millions toward relief and recovery efforts; the general public has raised $50 million for those affected by fires on GoFundMe alone.
All of these efforts are only possible because Angelenos decided to care about one another. The fires have shown that our city, a patchwork of neighborhoods, is also a collection of neighbors.
This overwhelming community response to a crisis may be helping to cushion the blow for some, to the extent that that’s possible in the face of catastrophic loss. But community cannot only be a reactive value. On a national level, enshrining community as a civic value and way of life must serve as a local bulwark against natural disaster and larger political forces. On an individual level, seeking out community, and inviting others in, can ensure support in the face of both big challenges and “paper cuts.” Whether that’s being part of a faith institution, or participating in or creating a communication hub like a neighborhood chat. Local clubs and volunteer opportunities can help you bond with your neighbors over common interests. In all these cases, community is quite literally a lifeline.
That’s why the fires have made clear that building, investing in and nurturing community is important not just now, but always.
On Wednesday Jan. 8, one of KI’s rabbis, Rabbi Daniel Sher, recorded and posted a video on Instagram after finding out that he had just lost his own Palisades home:
“Our community that we love so dearly is in disarray,” he said. “But I do know that we will care for one another, reach out for one another, and we will rebuild. So many of us are experiencing heartbreak. But when a community experiences heartbreak together, it means that we can mend our hearts together as a community as well.”
As Murthy says, “a community grounded in love is a community that will stand.” It’s that human-to-human connection and compassion that will help us weather the storm. Every text I sent and received to impacted friends I’ve known since our KI preschool days — some of whom I haven’t even talked to in years — contained those words: I love you. Those bonds, and the ones we’ve seen form and tighten throughout the city, give me hope that when it comes to healing from these fires, Los Angeles is poised to administer our former surgeon general’s cure.
Mara is a single mother of two in Minnesota. She and her family have depended on SNAP benefits to make ends meet.
Caroline Yang for NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
Caroline Yang for NPR
Although Mara is unemployed, she is busier than ever.
When she is not taking care of her two children, Mara is at her desk applying for jobs. She is surveying her belongings to see what she can pawn off to buy toiletries. Or she is sifting through bills, calculating which ones can wait and which need to be paid right away.
Soon, Mara, a single mom in Minnesota, may have another task on her busy schedule: figuring out how to afford food for her and her family.
That’s because of new work requirements for people receiving aid from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP or food stamps.
“It would be so beyond hard” to lose SNAP benefits, Mara said. “Without SNAP, there’s no funds for food.” Mara asked for her last name to be withheld given the stigma tied to receiving government assistance. She is also worried that speaking publicly will affect her chances of getting a job.
Previously, SNAP recipients with children under 18 were exempt from work requirements mandating that recipients work, volunteer or participate in job training at least 80 hours a month. But now, under President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, that exemption only applies to those with children under 14 — which is how old Mara’s youngest child turned in December.
“It would be so beyond hard” to lose SNAP benefits, Mara said.
Caroline Yang for NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
Caroline Yang for NPR
The Trump administration has argued that the mission of the nation’s largest anti-hunger program has failed.
“SNAP was intended to be temporary help for those who encounter tough times. Now, it’s become so bloated that it is leaving fewer resources for those who truly need help,” the White House said in a statement in June.
But policy experts say the SNAP changes do not fully take into account the unique challenges faced by single parents like Mara or the sluggish job market in many parts of the country. They argue that losing food assistance will only create more barriers for recipients struggling to find work.
The timeline for implementing the new SNAP policy varies based on state and county. In Mara’s home state of Minnesota, recipients who don’t qualify for an exemption or meet work requirements will be at risk of losing assistance as early as April 1. Others may have more months depending on when they next need to certify they are eligible for benefits.
Over 100 job applications
Mara imagined she would have a job by now.
It was August when she was let go from her part-time administrative assistant role due to her workplace restructuring. Since then, Mara estimates that she has applied for over 100 positions. She has also attended job fairs and taken free workshops on resume writing.
She has been working since high school, she said, but “ I’ve never been out of work for more than one month, so it’s very difficult.”
Mara spends time working at the computer at CareerForce, a resource for job seekers in Minnesota, on March 4.
Caroline Yang for NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
Caroline Yang for NPR
Although she misses her old job, Mara said it didn’t pay enough to support her and her kids, so she relied on SNAP benefits.
Many recipients are part of the low-wage labor market, where job security is often unpredictable and turnover tends to be high, according to Lauren Bauer, a researcher at the Brookings Institution who has studied SNAP extensively.
“SNAP is supposed to be there to help people smooth that and not let the bottom fall out when they experience job loss,” she said. “And this policy doesn’t account for that at all.”
Mara’s lowest point came in November when the government shutdown led to disruptions in SNAP benefits. Not only was she searching for a new job, but she was constantly figuring out where to get her family’s next meal.
“I might be looking for food stuff during the day when I should have been looking for a job,” she said. “Then, I’m trying to make up that time in the evening after my kids go to bed.”
During the pause, Mara turned to food banks, which revealed other challenges. First, food pantries do not always provide enough for an adult and two growing teenagers, she said. Second, they often lack gluten-free foods, which is essential for her daughter who has celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that causes digestive problems if gluten is consumed. Gluten-free products tend to be more expensive.
If Mara loses access to SNAP again because of the new work requirements, she fears another stretch of long days spent looking for the right food and enough to feed her family.
“I would be so reliant on looking for food shelves or food banks,” she said. “There would not be time to even live.”
“We’re going to see increases in poverty. We’re going to see increases in food insecurity”
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that roughly 2.4 million people will lose food benefits in a typical month over the next decade as a result of the new SNAP requirements — including 300,000 parents like Mara with children 14 or older.
Gina Plata-Nino, the SNAP director at the nonprofit Food Research & Action Center, says many of the affected recipients will be single mothers who make up a majority of single parent households in the U.S. She added that the changes target a group that often lacks or struggles to afford a support system to help care for their children.
“How can they have a full-time job when they need to pick up their children [for] various activities?” she said. “And they are working — just not enough hours because they need to be there present for their children.”
Mara shops for groceries at a local discount grocery store.
Caroline Yang for NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
Caroline Yang for NPR
The new law also imposes work requirements on veterans, homeless people, young adults aging out of foster care, and able-bodied adults without dependents from ages 55 to 64.
It also toughened the criteria for waiving work requirements for recipients in areas with high unemployment. Previously, there were multiple ways to determine a weak labor market and secure a waiver. Now, it only applies to places with an unemployment rate above 10%. (Alaska and Hawaii have a different measure.)
For those who fail to meet the work requirement, SNAP provides assistance for up to three months within a three-year span. But Bauer from the Brookings Institution argues that it is not enough and the impact of SNAP changes will be widespread.
“We’re going to see increases in poverty. We’re going to see increases in food insecurity. We’re going to see increasing strain on the charitable food sector,” she said.
Mara holds her favorite anchor ring, which carries the inscription, “God for me provide thee.”
Caroline Yang for NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
Caroline Yang for NPR
As anxiety hangs over her head, Mara tries to put on a brave face for her children. She does not want them to worry, explaining that her recent struggles have reminded her how tough life can get as an adult.
“I remind them it’s not their responsibility and they’re not accountable for me or for what’s happening,” she said. “I say, just know you get to be a kid.”
Dylan Dreyer
Savannah Will Likely Come Back … Just Not Sure When
Published
TMZ.com
Dylan Dreyer is giving a small update on her embattled “Today” co-host, Savannah Guthrie, as the search continues for Savannah’s mom, Nancy — telling TMZ she does believe she’ll likely return to the show at some point.
We caught Dylan leaving NBC Tuesday afternoon, and she said while she thinks Savannah will come back, the timing is totally unclear — adding everyone at the show is simply giving her the space she needs because they care about her so much.
TMZ.com
Dylan also reflected on Savannah’s emotional visit to the “TODAY” studio last Thursday, saying the hug they shared was something they both really needed in that moment.
Catch the full clip — Dylan says the visit was incredibly emotional, adding Savannah clearly wants to get back to some sense of normal life … she just doesn’t quite know how yet.
Still, Savannah managed a few smiles during the brief stop by the studio, doing her best to keep moving forward during an incredibly tough time.
TMZ.com
As we reported, Nancy was taken from her Tucson home in the middle of the night on February 1. She was last seen entering the house just before 10 PM on January 31 after dinner with her daughter Annie and Annie’s husband, Tommaso Cioni.
Kevin Kline plays actor Richard Bean, and Laura Linney is his sister-in-law Kristen, in American Classic.
David Giesbrecht/MGM+
hide caption
toggle caption
David Giesbrecht/MGM+
American Classic is a hidden gem, in more ways than one. It’s hidden because it’s on MGM+, a stand-alone streaming service that, let’s face it, most people don’t have. But MGM+ is available without subscription for a seven-day free trial, on its website or through Prime Video and Roku. And you should find and watch American Classic, because it’s an absolutely charming and wonderful TV jewel.
Charming, in the way it brings small towns and ordinary people to life, as in Northern Exposure. Wonderful, in the way it reflects the joys of local theater productions, as in Slings & Arrows, and the American Playhouse production of Kurt Vonnegut’s Who Am I This Time?
The creators of American Classic are Michael Hoffman and Bob Martin. Martin co-wrote and co-created Slings & Arrows, so that comparison comes easily. And back in the early 1980s, Who Am I This Time? was about people who transformed onstage from ordinary citizens into extraordinary performers. It’s a conceit that works only if you have brilliant actors to bring it to life convincingly. That American Playhouse production had two young actors — Christopher Walken and Susan Sarandon — so yes, it worked. And American Classic, with its mix of veteran and young actors, does, too.
American Classic begins with Kevin Kline, as Shakespearean actor Richard Bean, confronting a New York Times drama critic about his negative opening-night review of Richard’s King Lear. The next day, Richard’s agent, played by Tony Shalhoub, calls Richard in to tell him his tantrum was captured by cellphone and went viral, and that he has to lay low for a while.
Richard returns home to the small town of Millersburg, Pa., where his parents ran a local theater. Almost everyone we meet is a treasure. His father, who has bouts of dementia, is played by Len Cariou, who starred on Broadway in Sweeney Todd. Richard’s brother, Jon, is played by Jon Tenney of The Closer, and his wife, Kristen, is played by the great Laura Linney, from Ozark and John Adams.
Things get even more complicated because the old theater is now a dinner theater, filling its schedule with performances by touring regional companies. Its survival is at risk, so Richard decides to save the theater by mounting a new production of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, casting the local small-town residents to play … local small-town residents.
Miranda, Richard’s college-bound niece, continues the family theatrical tradition — and Nell Verlaque, the young actress who plays her, has a breakout role here. She’s terrific — funny, touching, totally natural. And when she takes the stage as Emily in Our Town, she’s heart-wrenching. Playwright Wilder is served magnificently here — and so is William Shakespeare, whose works and words Kline tackles in more than one inspirational scene in this series.
I don’t want to reveal too much about the conflicts, and surprises, in American Classic, but please trust me: The more episodes you watch, the better it gets. The characters evolve, and go in unexpected directions and pairings. Kline’s Richard starts out thinking about only himself, but ends up just the opposite. And if, as Shakespeare wrote, the play’s the thing, the thing here is, the plays we see, and the soliloquies we hear, are spellbinding.
And there’s plenty of fun to be had outside the classics in American Classic. The table reads are the most delightful since the ones in Only Murders in the Building. The dinner-table arguments are the most explosive since the ones in The Bear. Some scenes are take-your-breath-away dramatic. Others are infectiously silly, as when Richard works with a cast member forced upon him by the angel of this new Our Town production.
Take the effort to find, and watch, American Classic. It’ll remind you why, when it’s this good, it’s easy to love the theater. And television.
See Where U.S. Sites Have Been Damaged in War With Iran
Goodbye, Late-Night Cravings! How To Curb Hunger and Make Weight Loss Easier
Out of work and with 2 teens, this mom may lose food stamps under Trump’s changes
How the spiraling Iran conflict could affect data centers and electricity costs
Rubio designates Afghanistan as ‘state sponsor of wrongful detention’: ‘Despicable tactics’
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
EXCLUSIVE: ICE says El Paso detention facility will stay open under new contractor after $1.2B deal scrapped
Von der Leyen ‘acting outside of competence,’ Araud tells Euronews
Wheelchair curler Steve Emt’s path from drunk driver to three-time Paralympian
Map: 2.3-Magnitude Earthquake Reported North of New York City
Trump stirs GOP primary drama with visit to Massie’s Kentucky home turf
-
Wisconsin1 week agoSetting sail on iceboats across a frozen lake in Wisconsin
-
Massachusetts1 week agoMassachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks
-
Maryland1 week agoAM showers Sunday in Maryland
-
Pennsylvania6 days agoPa. man found guilty of raping teen girl who he took to Mexico
-
Florida1 week agoFlorida man rescued after being stuck in shoulder-deep mud for days
-
Detroit, MI5 days agoU.S. Postal Service could run out of money within a year
-
Miami, FL6 days agoCity of Miami celebrates reopening of Flagler Street as part of beautification project
-
Sports6 days agoKeith Olbermann under fire for calling Lou Holtz a ‘scumbag’ after legendary coach’s death