LISA LEFF

A Hello Kitty figure welcomes visitors at Sanrio Puroland during her 50th birth anniversary celebrations in Tama, a western suburb of Tokyo, Japan, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
At 50, Hello Kitty is as ‘kawaii’ and lucrative as ever
Hello Kitty turns 50 on Friday. Befitting a pop icon at midlife, the bow-wearing character’s fictional birthday has brought museum exhibits, a theme park spectacle and accolades.
 
Taylor Swift performs at Wembley Stadium as part of her Eras Tour on Friday, June 21, 2024 in London. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
Taylor Swift kicks off UK Eras shows as some fans wonder if singer is ready to say ‘So long, London’
Taylor Swift fans enjoy parsing the singer-songwriter’s lyrics for references to her romantic life and insights into her state of her mind.
 
In this image taken from video, fans pose with a life-size image of Taylor Swift at a club that plays only Swift's music in Gothenburg, Sweden, on Tuesday, April 30th, 2024. Swift is scheduled to kick off the 18-city Europe leg of her record-setting Eras Tour on Thursday, May 9, 2024. There will be three shows in Stockholm. (AP Photo/Chisato Tanaka)
Fans are following Taylor Swift to Europe after finding Eras Tour tickets less costly there
Thousands of Taylor Swift fans are following her across the pond after missing out on her U.S. concert tour last year or being put off by marked-up ticket prices. Swift is kicking off the 18-city Europe leg of her Eras Tour on Thursday.
 
Campaign to remove judge in Stanford rape case gains steam
A fledgling campaign to recall the judge who sentenced the former Stanford University swimmer to six months in jail for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman has gained momentum as three prominent political consultants joined the effort.
 
Schools offer lessons on accommodating transgender students
From locker rooms and sex education classes to dress codes and overnight field trips, many U.S. public schools already are balancing the civil rights of transgender students with any concerns that classmates, parents and community members might have.
 
Career education making a comeback in US high schools
Decades after the proverbial “shop class” became synonymous with dumping grounds for children deemed unlikely to cut it in college, vocational education is making a comeback in U.S. high schools.
 
High school Sex Ed teaching ‘Yes means yes’ rape prevention
BELMONT, Calif. (AP) — This is the new look of high school sex ed: A roomful of teens, 14-year-olds mostly, is told that a girl and boy meet at a school dance. The boy drives her home. They kiss.
 
California high schools to learn ‘yes means yes’ sex policy
Last year, California became the first to require colleges and universities to apply an “affirmative consent” or “yes means yes” standard when investigating campus sexual assault claims. That policy says sexual activity is only considered consensual when both partners clearly state their willingness
 
Grateful Dead enthrall faithful in first of 5 final shows
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The songs still ran long. To the uninitiated, the communal rituals of the faithful fans probably looked strange. Was it trippy?
 
Estimated 6,500 injured in deck collapses since 2003
One of the worst collapses occurred in 2003, when a porch fell in Chicago and killed 13 people. The commission identified just 10 fatalities that occurred since then — until Tuesday.
 
Judge OKs punitive damages in California gender bias case
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Harold Kahn denied a request by lawyers for Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers to have Ellen Pao’s demand for unspecified punitive damages thrown out. Pao, the interim CEO of the news and social networking site Reddit, claims she was passed over for a promotion at th
 
College students report more stress, less time to socialize
The findings rang true to Isabella Galeazi, 18, who is juggling a job at McDonald’s and a musical production internship along with a full-time course load at California State University, Fullerton. Balancing her professional and academic responsibilities with her desire for a thriving social life ha
 
Passenger heard popping noises from outside plane
Flight 2293 departed from the San Francisco airport shortly before 1 p.m. and landed without incident at about 2:15 p.m. No one on the plane carrying 184 passengers and six crew members was hurt, he said.
 
Schools work to help transgender students fit in
Another 13 states prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity in schools. Dozens of districts, from Salt Lake City and Kansas City to Knoxville, Tennessee, and Decatur, Georgia, have adopted similar protections.
 
Transgender woman sues CrossFit over competition
Jonsson’s complaint says she was born male but has been living as a woman since she was a teenager and underwent sex reassignment surgery eight years ago. The surgery, coupled with the female hormones she takes, satisfied the state’s requirements for her to be recognized as female on her birth certi
 
Russian anti-gay laws impact Olympics, vodka sales
At many gay bars across North America, owners have joined a campaign to stop selling Russian vodka — notably the popular brand Stolichnaya. Activists also are pressing the International Olympic Committee and NBC, which holds U.S. broadcasting rights for Sochi, to be more aggressive in criticizing ne
 
Gay marriages resume in Calif. with a flurry
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Same-sex marriages that were outlawed in California 4 1/2 years ago resumed in a rush after a federal appeals court took the “unusual, but not unprecedented,” step of freeing couples to obtain marriage licenses, before the U.S.