Sperm start-ups bet on declining male fertility
Start-ups want men to track, improve or freeze their sperm, hoping declining male fertility will become just as big a business opportunity as women struggling to conceive. Legacy and Dadi provide kits for men to send their sperm to labs for testing and freezing. YoSperm and ExSeed use devices attached to smartphones to analyze sperm…
Hot Property Newsletter: Jingle all the way to the bank with a record price
Christmas came early for a few Westside real estate agents this week when the legendary estate known as Chartwell sold for about $150 million, a new California price record. The agents — all eight of them — will split a sizable commission for their efforts. Just how sizable? A 2.5% commission would mean a $3.75…
7 best things to do in L.A. including ABT's 'The Nutcracker' with Misty Copeland
This week’s culture consumption can be laden with seasonal offerings including American Ballet Theatre’s “The Nutcracker,” Pasadena Symphony’s “Holiday Candlelight” and the panto-style show “A Snow White Christmas.” The musical duo She & Him and Patton Oswalt bring good cheer to DTLA, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” returns to the Chance Theatre in Anaheim, and the…
Los Angeles: 25 dazzling facts about what just might be the world’s tallest Christmas tree
Where else but in Los Angeles does holiday cheer come with statues of bizarre winged bulls topped with bearded human heads — and what’s purported to be the world’s tallest cut Christmas tree? The 115-foot tree, more than twice as high as the letters in the Hollywood sign, currently lights up a spot at the…
Cutting-edge fitness gear for the home: 5 pieces we want right now
The ongoing quest for health and fitness produces a constant stream of innovative new workout products, from new takes on old favorites to far-out new creations. Here are a few highlights from the Idea show held in Anaheim this summer, which means you’ll soon be seeing these at gyms, store shelves and smart screens. Cutting-edge…
L.A. diet gurus share 8 secrets for avoiding weight gain during the holidays
Click:Dropper bottles As we head into the final stretch of the holiday season, the pressure to overindulge ramps up along with the seemingly nonstop parade of cookies, candy and comfort food. While a little indulgence is fine, experts say, it’s important to proceed mindfully, tweaking your diet to account for those chocolate tarts or extra…
Far from U.S. epidemic, ‘the other opioid crisis’ rages in vulnerable countries
KAPURTHALA, India — Reports rolled in with escalating urgency — pills seized by the truckload, pills swallowed by schoolchildren, pills in the pockets of dead terrorists. These pills, the world has been told, are safer than the OxyContins, the Vicodins, the fentanyls that have wreaked so much devastation. But now they are the root of what…
North Korea conducts another test at long-range rocket site
SEOUL — North Korea said Saturday that it successfully performed another “crucial test” at its long-range rocket launch site that will further strengthen its nuclear deterrent. The test possibly involved technologies to improve intercontinental ballistic missiles that could potentially reach the continental United States. The announcement comes as North Korea continues to pressure the Trump…
China welcomes preliminary deal in trade war it blames on U.S.
BEIJING — China put a positive face Saturday on a first-step trade agreement that dials down a trade war it blames the U.S. for starting. Chinese experts and news media joined government officials in saying the deal would reduce uncertainty for companies, at least in the short term. But they remained cautious, saying both sides…
Ex-Sudan strongman al-Bashir gets 2 years for corruption
KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — A court in Sudan convicted former President Omar al-Bashir of money laundering and corruption on Saturday, sentencing him to two years in a rehabilitation facility. That’s the first verdict in a series of legal proceedings against al-Bashir, who is also wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes…