ArcaMax

Q: What is umami?

A: Umami is the fifth flavor (in addition to sweet, salty, sour and bitter), discovered in Japan over 100 years ago. The term, umami, meaning “delicious,” encompasses a flavor profile of savory, ...Read more

Q: My mother suffers from MS and now needs daily help. I’m starting to look into programs that will pay me to be a caregiver. Am I allowed to keep my regular job or will I be forced to quit? I’m a freelance consultant ...Read more

After a year of using a GLP-1 medication to lose weight, Abby was ecstatic to have shed more than 100 pounds. But she grew uneasy as she approached her target, wondering what happens when you stop a GLP-1 drug and how she ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — Is Little Feat the most influential American rock band that never achieved mainstream success, in large part because its music was simply too diverse and good to make major commercial inroads?

“I think ...Read more

MEXICO CITY — Mexico has been a major oil producer for more than a century, but its lack of refining capacity creates a quandary: The country must import much of its gasoline and diesel from the United States.

That's a...Read more

It’s not a stretch to say that 2001’s “Halo: Combat Evolved” was a game-changer. A launch title for the original Xbox developed by Bellevue-based Bungie and published by Redmond-based Microsoft Game Studios, “...Read more

Sony’s decision to stop physical disc production caused an uproar among gamers. It marks a sea change for the industry as PlayStation shifts to an all-digital future. For collectors, it’s a devastating end. Physical ...Read more

The Ibreo 4-in-1 Foot 3 mini foot massager is heaven -- so much so that I’m sitting at my desk writing this column as my feet are being massaged.

That's what you get with the spa-grade portable mini foot massager that...Read more

We’ve all been there.

You’re out at the mall or shopping at the grocery store or at a hotel and your phone offers to join an open Wi-Fi network.

Should you do it? Is public Wi-Fi safe to use?

Yes…and no.

Public...Read more

LOS ANGELES — In Orange County, California, an email landed in attorney Sabrina Rivera's inbox in April, from a Colorado man panicked about the status of his immigration case.

He told Rivera that she was his lawyer. But...Read more

OAKLAND, Calif. — The criminal case involving Sheng Thao has extended through the former mayor’s entire orbit, leading federal prosecutors to name 68 witnesses who are expected to testify in the corruption case ...Read more

WASHINGTON — In a Pennsylvania election where a few thousand votes could make all the difference, the last-minute entrance of a Green Party candidate with a background in Republican politics has sparked the second ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Chinatown has always been a North Star in Jessica Wang's life. Growing up in the San Gabriel Valley with her parents, both Taiwanese immigrants, Wang remembers regularly attending First Chinese Baptist ...Read more

DENVER — In January, Brea C. Burgie told an Aurora courtroom that an official in Washington, D.C., had emailed her and the rest of the nation’s immigration judges.

The judges weren’t bound, the email said, by a ...Read more

In the final season of HBO’s Hacks," Hannah Einbinder’s character, Ava, goes ballistic on an AI developer. When her boss and best friend, Deborah, played by Jean Smart, contemplates inputting a career’s worth of ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Declining enrollment in California public schools is spawning a new and growing partnership that is helping to keep childcare centers in business — vacant classrooms are being filled with toddlers and ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — What started as a little tailored vintage clothing store on La Brea Avenue blossomed into a billion-dollar company.

Reformation, the women's clothing company, is known for its sustainable mission and ...Read more

If you build a house in the United States today, there’s a good chance you’ll be living under the dictates of a neighborhood homeowners association. Roughly two out of every three new homes are in an HOA, as are a ...Read more

There’s no disputing that the cost of consumer goods has soared. Even though the U.S. inflation rate has cooled somewhat as of July 2025, prices are still slow to fall in many sectors. Since what was once economical may ...Read more

It’s back to school time, and if you’ve got kids in high school or you’re sending them off to college, they’ll need some technology. Everyone should have their own laptop, and along with it, they’ll need some ...Read more