Mardi Gras is an entire season, often called Carnival. It begins 12 days after Christmas on Jan. 6 and lasts until Fat Tuesday, or the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras began in medieval Europe, starting in Rome and making its way to France. (Martin, USA Today)
Read MoreLegislation that aimed to bar transgender women and girls nationwide from participating in school athletic competitions designated for female athletes failed to advance Monday night in a divided Senate as Democrats stood united against an issue that Republicans leveraged in last year’s elections. (Groves, AP News)
Read MoreBeth Fabinsky, the deputy project manager for SPHEREx, explained in an interview with NPR's Scott Detrow that this telescope has a unique capability as an, "All-sky survey, [with] a very wide field of view. We're going to see the entire universe four times in our two-year mission. And that means we can draw really grand conclusions from a very large data set about the universe that we see." (Restrepo, NPR)
Read MoreOften labeled as “spa music,” New Age has experienced a resurgence in recent years, gaining popularity alongside the rise of wellness culture and spirituality and a decline in organized religious participation, especially among younger generations. (Murphy, Religion News Service)
Read MoreAdrien Brody took home his second leading man Oscar for “The Brutalist,” Mikey Madison took home the best actress statuette and “Anora” was crowned best picture on its way to five awards Sunday. Kieran Culkin won the Oscar for best supporting actor for his work on “A Real Pain” and Zoe Saldaña won for her work in “Emilia Pérez.” Sean Baker had a stunning night, winning the screenplay, director and editing awards for “Anora.” (AP News)
Read MoreLike a dark horse candidate for the papacy, the movie “Conclave,” a sort of papal procedural drama, has become a late favorite to win the Oscar for Best Picture, possibly outlasting “Emilia Pérez,” a movie musical that ran into a social media scandal, and “Anora,” the comedy-drama about a young sex worker caught up with a Russian oligarch’s family that might be losing pace just before the wire. (Hertzler-McCain, Religion News Service)
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