PuertoRico

How 5 Chicago stand-up comics learned to stop worrying and love the Zoom

CHICAGO — When the pandemic first closed comedy clubs many months ago and Zoom was in its ascendancy, a few brave stand-up comics in Chicago and elsewhere tried telling jokes online, to a screen. It was comedy death, was the general consensus. An audience on a laptop screen — or on the other side of the equation, an audience’s favorite comic on a laptop screen — could not replicate the chemistry of what happens at a live show in front of a crowd. When stand-up first went online, “I wanted no part of it, to tell you the truth,” said Chicago comedian Jeanie Doogan. She thought, no way am I doing...

Puerto Rico Votes For Statehood, Will Democrats Have The Votes To Ratify It?

Puerto Ricans voted in favor of the territory applying to be a U.S. state for the sixth time in a nonbinding referendum last month. The U.S. territory voted 52 to 48 percent in favor of making the island commonwealth a state. The referendum marks the sixth time Puerto Ricans have voted on statehood and the third time they voted in favor of it. The last time Puerto Ricans were polled was in 2017 when the measure won by a wide margin, but pro-independence and pro-territory groups had boycotted the vote, leading to an unimpressive 23 percent voter turnout. “There’s no doubt that a majority of peo...

Iguanas may be growing more tolerant to the cold, and that's bad news for Florida

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — When temperatures drop, so do green iguanas — from the trees. But evolution, it seems, could be robbing South Floridians of a tradition as common as checking the heat index on New Year’s Day.Research shows that in recent years, several species of lizards have grown more tolerant of cold temperatures. It’s a discovery with big implications for Florida, where bouts of cool weather keep invasive iguanas contained to the southern regions of the state and helps keep populations under control.It also could mean fewer images on social media and TV news of iguanas lying on thei...