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New York Times
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
The Quintessential Urban Design of Sesame Street
Apart from the giant yellow bird, the red furry monster and the blue Muppet with an insatiable appetite for cookies, 'Sesame Street' appears as real as the New York City streets that inspired it. Metal trash cans, a brownstone and rickety fire escapes. When it first aired in November 1969, viewers were shocked. Supported by At the time, the New York depicted in the media wasn't glamorous — it was frightening. Crime, riots, filthy streets. So a city street was far from the obvious choice for the setting of a children's show. But the perceived seediness of New York emboldened the television producer Jon Stone as he was conceptualizing 'Sesame Street.' 'For a preschool child in Harlem, the street is where the action is,' Mr. Stone said in the book 'Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street' by Michael Davis. 'Outside there are kids hollering, jumping double Dutch, running through the open hydrants, playing stickball. Our set had to be an inner-city street.' Embracing the grit, Sesame Street would become one of the most recognizable blocks in the world. More than 50 years old, 'Sesame Street' has endured, in part, because it is both realistic and idealistic at once. Through its aesthetics, the show is grounded in reality; and through its messaging, it portrays a vision of how urban life can be. It's a block where residents of all backgrounds and varying income levels exist together harmoniously and where local businesses thrive. But the block has changed over the decades — it's noticeably cleaner and brighter now. New York has also changed — housing affordability, community spaces and walkability have been at risk. And from time to time, relentlessly, 'Sesame Street' seems to face an existential threat. This month, Republican lawmakers voted to cut all federal funding for PBS, which is home to the show. And earlier this year, after the Trump administration announced that it would cut millions of dollars in federal funding for Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind the show, the organization announced that it would lay off 20 percent of its staff. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Axios
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Trump's visa pause and travel ban leave Colorado international students in limbo
Thousands of international students at Colorado universities face new threats from the federal government. State of play: The Trump administration is halting student visa interviews and revoking visas for Chinese students — part of a broader effort to pressure U.S. universities and tighten immigration rules. It also issued a travel ban, effective Monday, citing national security concerns. The order fully restricts and limits entry from 12 countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. The Trump administration also partially restricted and limited entry of nationals from seven countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. By the numbers: About 10,000 international students were enrolled at Colorado colleges during the 2023–24 academic year, per NAFSA figures. The University of Colorado system counted 3,792 international students — including more than 500 from China — last fall across its four campuses, per CU data provided to Axios Denver. The University of Denver estimates it will sponsor more than 100 international students over the next academic year, spokesperson Jon Stone tells Axios Denver. Driving the news: On June 4, CU leaders issued guidance to international students and scholars from the 19 countries impacted by the new travel ban. "Given the rapid nature of changes in U.S. entry and travel restrictions, foreign nationals from one of the designated countries should exercise caution and seriously consider potential risks when deciding to travel outside of the United States." What they're saying: "We are monitoring closely the ongoing developments" at the federal level, CU spokesperson Michele Ames tells Axios Denver, noting how "difficult" it is to know how the visa changes and travel ban will affect current and prospective students. "Due to this uncertainty, we are focusing our efforts on supporting international students across all of our campuses as we all navigate these unknown waters together," Ames added. Meanwhile, DU is staying "in contact with all current and future students" about policy changes and has "also been in contact with our Colorado delegation about any potential impacts to the university," Stone tells Axios Denver. The big picture: International students are a major economic engine for college towns nationwide, including in Colorado.
Los Angeles Times
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Estancia baseball walks off against Pacifica Christian, advances to CIF semifinals
Estancia High baseball senior Jake Humphries is the last remaining player on the roster from the Eagles' 2022 CIF championship team. Humphries was a bench guy as a freshman on that squad; his older brother Tyler playing a bigger role. Still, there is something to be said for having that kind of experience when making one last run. When he saw a 2-and-0 hanging curveball in the bottom of the ninth inning Friday, Humphries knew exactly what to do with it. 'You've got runners at the corners,' he said after the game. 'All you've got to do is just poke something, get something to the outfield, allow your team to have a fighting chance really.' Humphries laced a single over the shortstop and into the outfield, scoring junior teammate Sawyer Atkinson from third base and starting a wild celebration on the Estancia baseball diamond. The Eagles had rallied for a 4-3 win over next-door neighbor Pacifica Christian Orange County in the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 6 playoffs. Estancia (18-13) will stay at home to face Rancho Mirage in a Division 6 semifinal game on Tuesday. The team graduated a senior-laden squad a year ago, and Humphries is one of just four seniors this year, but Estancia again finds itself in the final four. 'We're not going to rebuild,' said Eagles coach Nate Goellrich, whose team finished second in the Coast League. 'People were saying that around us, but we were just saying that we were retooling all year. So for us to qualify for playoffs and now being in the semifinals, credit to the seniors, credit to the kids for just buying in. Our expectation is that we're going to win, and we've been fortunate to do that so far.' Pacifica Christian (14-12), in just its fourth varsity year, has also gotten used to winning. The Tritons made the Division 8 title game a year ago. They were close to knocking out the Eagles on Friday. The visitors took a 3-0 lead in the third inning, with Taisen Morishita, Blake Hayes and Scout Escobedo all crossing the plate. Morishita scored on a wild pitch, while John Coopman's sacrifice fly and a single to center by Luke Miller plated the other runs. Tritons starting pitcher Jon Stone was cruising, but Estancia answered with a pair of unearned runs in the fourth, as Atkinson and Nico Viramontes both walked to lead off the inning and came around to score. Jon Stone went four innings for Pacifica Christian, allowing just one hit, and he was followed by Josiah Miller and Carter Canada on the mound. 'Josiah hasn't pitched in weeks, and he came out and battled for us,' said first-year Pacifica Christian head coach Beau Amaral, a former Huntington Beach High and UCLA standout who played six seasons in the Cincinnati Reds organization. 'I was really proud of him for that. Carter coming in, he's a freshman. I couldn't be more proud of our guys. It's not the outcome we wanted, but they battled.' Amaral's father Rich went to Estancia before a 10-year career in Major League Baseball. He had his Estancia jersey retired and currently works as a scout for the Baltimore Orioles. 'He couldn't make it today,' Beau Amaral said. 'He's out in North Carolina right now.' Dad's alma mater ended up with the victory. Down to its last out, Estancia evened the score at 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh, with Atkinson's two-out double off the left-field wall scoring Athan Perez. Goellrich said as Atkinson goes, so Estancia's offense goes. 'I thought it was out,' the Eagles junior said of the seventh-inning smash. 'I was seeing the ball well all day long, I just was having trouble sitting back on my back leg. I was kind of lunging forward. The pitcher had some [velocity] on him, so I was just thinking sit back and drive from there.' The clutch hit set the stage for the ninth inning heroics for Estancia. Senior pitcher Vaughn McCrea went eight innings for the Eagles before junior Lincoln Silva got the win in relief, throwing a scoreless ninth inning. Humphries said he's glad Estancia will be back at home Tuesday for the semifinals. 'We grew up our whole life in Costa Mesa, and we didn't transfer out or go to any special school,' he said of himself and his teammates. 'We stayed at our hometown school, and it's really cool to see everyone who watched us from T-ball all the way up just stay in the same environment. I feel like it's just a really cool thing to see the community come together.' Fountain Valley 5, Torrance 2: Senior Logan Hunt pitched five shutout innings for the Barons in Friday's Division 2 playoff quarterfinal game on the road. Tyler Peshke, Drake Robinson and Josh Grack each had a pair of hits for Fountain Valley (18-13), which took a 5-0 lead into the seventh inning. Anthony Zamora and Isaac Lomeli each drove in a run. Fountain Valley will play at Mater Dei in a Division 2 semifinal game Tuesday. The Barons will be attempting to advance to their first CIF title game since 1996. Glendora 2, Costa Mesa 1: The Mustangs' season ended in the quarterfinals of the Division 3 playoffs Friday at Costa Mesa High. Pitchers Troy Simmonds and Will Morales combined to yield no earned runs for Costa Mesa, while Wylan Rottschafer was one for three with a double and run batted in. Golden West League champion Costa Mesa finished the season 24-7, the 24 wins representing a single-season program record.
