Former Wallflowers guitarist opens Japanese barbecue restaurant in Long Beach

• March 24, 2025

As a founding member of alt-rock stars the Wallflowers, guitarist Tobias Miller fulfilled his musical passions as part of one of the seminal bands of the 1990s.

Now decades later, driven by his love of Asian cuisine, he’s making a name for himself through another passion as a rising restaurateur with the opening of his second modern Japanese barbecue and sushi spot in Long Beach, dubbed Sosogu Sushi & Japanese BBQ.

“Sosogu means to pour it up, so that’s sort of celebratory. This is a place to come and celebrate but you don’t necessarily need a celebration. We’re very approachable, we’re not white table cloth. It’s modern, sleek, the music is always on at a pretty good level, especially with my background I make sure the music is always heard,” said Miller, who along with business partner Richard Gottlied held a grand opening on March 22-23 for the new restaurant.

The new, approximately 3,500-square foot restaurant is serving Japanese BBQ using Japanese and American Wagyu meats, as well as skirt steak, rib-eye, brisket, beef tongue and other cuts, plus sushi courses, house-made noodles, and there are 18 unique infrared grills that allow guests to cook their own meats tableside. The menu also offers a large selection of sake.

The Long Beach spot, which is located within the LBX Long Beach Exchange venue, opened three years after the first Sosogu opened in Redlands. However, Miller considers the new place as the flagship restaurant.

“It’s very immersive with the self-cooking barbecues, it’s full service, it’s really an elevated experience,” he said.

Miller formed the Wallflowers in the late 1980s with childhood friend Jakob Dylan, the son of legendary musician Bob Dylan. The band found success with its self-titled 1992 album, but went on to worldwide fame thanks to its second album “Bringing Down the Horse,” which  earned the band a Grammy Award.

Back then, right along with his love for music, Miller developed his love for food, often cooking for the band and discovering new dishes on the road. And after his time with the Wallflowers and other musical projects he decided to transition from making music to running restaurants, which he said wasn’t that big of a stretch.

“They may seem like different worlds at a first glance but I think there’s a lot of connection,” Miller said, referring to running restaurants now instead of writing hits. “They both require creativity, attention to detail and bringing people together to create an experience,” he added.

The food

Besides barbecue, diners at Sosogu can get dishes like the garlic noodles, which are created with house-made noodles and wok-fired with garlic and green onion. Miller also hopes Sosogu becomes known for its sushi as well, since the menu offers nigiri, sashimi, hand cut and roll options as well as a curated sushi coursing.

“You don’t have to think about what goes with what or what to order first, we’ve already planned that out for you. And it starts with the milder fishes first and it gets a little stronger as the course goes on,” Miller said, referring to the curated sushi option.

“Other Japanese barbecue places may or may not have sushi on the menu, but it’s a complete afterthought. You can come here just for sushi and completely ignore the grills and you’re going to have the best sushi you’ve ever had. We play extreme attention to the rice. Our rice is served with the right amount of seasoning and the right temperature,” he said.

While Miller may not be back on the stage anytime soon with the Wallflowers, the rocker turned restaurateur said he’s feeling right at home in his new field.

“For me it’s a continuum of really the same thing. What we’re doing is telling stories just like you do in music, it’s a collaboration. In music every note in a song has to matter, and there’s texture and you’re telling a story and we’re also doing that in the restaurant industry, that’s what a recipe is, that’s what a great restaurant experience is,” Miller said.

Sosogu Sushi & Japanese BBQ is at LBX Long Beach Exchange, 3860 Worsham Ave., Long Beach. 562-421-5166 or sosogu.com.

​ Orange County Register 

Recipe: When life gives you strawberries, makes preserves with balsamic vinegar

• March 24, 2025

When grocery stores offer specials on fresh strawberries this time of year, I jump at the chance to make Strawberry Preserves with Balsamic Vinegar. The balsamic vinegar, aged in special fruitwood barrels, pairs with berries, resulting in a magical dish that balances sweetness, earthiness, and tartness.

Drizzle it over chunks of Parmigiano Reggiano placed in spoons or spread it on rustic toast (or crackers) that are spread with soft goat cheese.

Strawberry Preserves with Balsamic Vinegar

Yield: About 2 1/2 cups

INGREDIENTS

2 cups hulled and quartered fresh strawberries

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons water

For serving: Cubes of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese or toasted rustic bread (or crackers) spread with soft goat cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. In a deep, medium-size heavy-bottomed saucepan bring strawberries, sugar, balsamic vinegar and water to boil on high heat, stirring, and skim surface (watch carefully to prevent a boil-over). Reduce heat to low and simmer mixture, stirring and skimming foam occasionally, 15 minutes, or until slightly thickened and translucent (you may need to add 5 to 10 minutes). The skimming process can be challenging — just get off as much foam as you can without obsessing — a little foam left among the berries won’t matter.

2. Remove pan from heat and cool completely. Preserves keep, covered and chilled, up to 1 month.

3. To serve, place a cube of Parmigiano Reggiano in several spoons placed on a plate or platter (Asian-style soup spoons or tableware teaspoons). Top with about a teaspoon of preserves. Or serve atop toast or crackers spread with soft goat cheese.

Award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, including “50 Best Plants on the Planet.” Follow her at CathyThomasCooks.com.

​ Orange County Register 

UN says it will reduce its footprint in Gaza and blames Israel for staff member’s death

• March 24, 2025

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The United Nations has said it will “reduce its footprint” in the Gaza Strip after an Israeli tank strike hit one of its compounds last week, killing one staffer and wounding five others.

Israel has denied it was behind the March 19 explosion at the U.N. guesthouse in central Gaza. In a statement Monday, U.N. Secretary-General spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said that “based on the information currently available,” the strikes on the site “were caused by an Israeli tank.”

He said the U.N. “has made taken the difficult decision to reduce the Organization’s footprint in Gaza, even as humanitarian needs soar.” He said the U.N. “is not leaving Gaza” but did not give details on the impact of the decision.

​ Orange County Register 

Trump demands his ‘distorted’ portrait in Colorado’s Capitol be taken down

• March 24, 2025

President Donald Trump took to social media Sunday night to complain about what he called a “distorted” portrait of himself hanging in the Colorado State Capitol’s Gallery of Presidents.

“Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves, but the one in Colorado, in the State Capitol, put up by the Governor, along with all other Presidents, was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before,” Trump wrote in his post on Truth Social.

The portrait, commissioned during Trump’s first term, was paid for with a Republican-led fundraising effort and approved by Colorado Republicans before it was put on display in 2019.

Former state Senate President Kevin Grantham, a Republican, raised nearly $11,000 in an online fundraiser for the portrait in the summer of 2018 after he learned no donations had been received to fund the painting more than a year into Trump’s first term.

The unveiling of the portrait on Aug. 1, 2019 — at an event hosted by the Colorado Senate Republicans and artist Sarah Boardman of Colorado Springs — was described as nonpartisan by organizers.

“I would much prefer not having a picture than having this one,” Trump wrote, asking that Gov. Jared Polis “take it down.”

Trump’s social media post complained about Boardman, who also painted former President Barack Obama’s portrait in the Capitol’s Gallery of Presidents.

“The artist also did President Obama, and he looks wonderful, but the one on me is truly the worst,” Trump wrote. “She must have lost her talent as she got older.”

“Gov. Polis was surprised to learn the president of the United States is an aficionado of our Colorado State Capitol and its artwork,” the governor’s press secretary Shelby Wieman said in a statement to The Denver Post on Monday morning. “We appreciate the president and everyone’s interest in our Capitol building and are always looking for any opportunity to improve our visitor experience.”

Boardman previously told The Post it was important to her that both Trump and Obama looked apolitical in their portraits because the gallery is meant to tell the story of the U.S. and not one specific president.

The other 43 presidential portraits in the Colorado gallery were painted by Lawrence Williams. He died before he could continue the collection with Obama’s portrait.

In 2018, after Colorado Citizens for Culture’s initial effort had failed to raise any money for a Trump portrait, an aide to then-House Speaker Crisanta Duran, a Democrat, helped a liberal political group sneak a portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin into the Capitol, where it was displayed on an easel beneath the spot reserved for Trump.

Grantham launched his own fundraising campaign days later.

​ Orange County Register 

Do you eat a meal in 20 minutes or less? It might be time to slow down

• March 24, 2025

By MARIA CHENG, Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — You can have your cake and eat it too — just do it slowly.

Experts tend to focus on the kinds of foods you can eat to improve your health. But the speed at which you devour your dinner matters just as much. There are risks with eating too fast — think stuck food and the potential to overeat before your brain tells you to stop. (Inhaling your food also risks annoying your slower-paced dining companions or the person who took the time to cook your meal.)

Here are some tips from scientists on how to slow down and take a more mindful approach to consuming your diet.

How fast is too fast?

If you’re the kind of person who can regularly polish off breakfast, lunch or dinner in less than 20-30 minutes, you are eating too fast.

“It takes about 20 minutes for the stomach to communicate to the brain via a whole host of hormonal signals that it’s full,” said Leslie Heinberg, at the Center for Behavioral Health at the Cleveland Clinic. “So when people eat rapidly, they can miss these signals and it’s very easy to eat beyond the point of fullness.”

Why is that a problem?

People who eat quickly are likely to swallow more air, Heinberg said, which could lead to bloating or indigestion. Not chewing your food properly can also compromise digestion, meaning you won’t get all of the nutrients from your food. Unchewed pieces of food also could get stuck in your esophagus.

Some previous studies have suggested that people who eat quickly have the highest risk of obesity, while the slowest eaters were the least likely to be obese.

How can you slow down when eating?

For starters, turn off the TV and put down your phone.

“If you’re eating while you watch TV, people tend to eat until there’s a commercial or the show is over,” Heinberg said, adding that people are less inclined to pay attention to the body’s own signals that it’s full. “When we do things while we’re eating, we’re eating less mindfully. And that often causes us to eat more.”

She said that when people focus exclusively on eating, they tend to enjoy the meal more and eat less.

Heinberg also acknowledged the pace at which you eat is often an ingrained habit, but said change is still possible. She suggested things like using your non-dominant hand to eat, trying utensils you might not ordinarily use like chopsticks or taking a deliberate break to drink water when your plate is partially empty.

If you have a busy life, it might be unavoidable to eat lunch at a work meeting or snack while running errands. But Sarah Berry, chief scientist at the British nutritional company ZOE, said when possible, “be mindful of what the food tastes and feels like.”

“If we’re not fully present, it’s very easy to eat more quickly and not notice how much we’ve consumed,” Berry said.

Chew your food, just like mom told you to

One of the simplest things to do is to increase the number of bites you take, said Helen McCarthy, a clinical psychologist with the British Psychological Society.

“If you chew each mouthful a little bit longer, that will slow down your eating,” she said.

The kind of food you eat may also make a difference, pointing out that it’s much easier to eat ultraprocessed or fast foods quicker, because they typically have a softer texture.

“It’s hard to eat vegetables and protein at the same rate as something that’s highly processed and requires less chewing,” McCarthy said.

Some of her patients also reported an unintentional side effect once they began eating more slowly, referencing one woman who often ate a tube of potato chips every evening. When McCarthy told her to slow down and eat every single chip individually, her patient told her “it was like having a mouthful of claggy chemicals.”

“She didn’t find (the chips) enjoyable anymore,” McCarthy said.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

​ Orange County Register 

Finding health advice on social media is easier than knowing which claims to trust

• March 24, 2025

By HALELUYA HADERO, Associated Press

In the corners of social media dominated by wellness content, influencers recommend an assortment of treatments and products to support weight loss, fight exhaustion or promote other desired health outcomes.

Some of the endorsed approaches may be helpful. Many play into fads with scant evidence to back up enthusiasts’ claims, medical experts say.

Some influencers encourage their followers to avoid specific food items, such as seed oils, while others advocate going all in on certain foods, such as the meat-heavy carnivore diet. There are video pitches for berberine, a chemical compound that’s been touted online as “nature’s Ozempic,” and for non-medical IV vitamin therapy, which businesses popularly known as drip bars market as cures for hangovers or fatigue.

To be sure, alternative health practices and cures that lacked the medical establishment’s backing were a part of popular culture long before the internet age. But the plethora of advice shared online has both prompted calls for safeguards and found a measure of mainstream acceptance.

The new U.S. health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., had his Instagram account suspended in 2021 for posting misinformation about vaccine safety and COVID-19, but many of the ideas he champions have a widespread following. Critics of Dr. Mehmet Oz accused him of sometimes making misleading assertions on the talk show he used to host; Oz now is President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services.

A Netflix series released last month explored the story of Belle Gibson, a popular Australian wellness influencer who amassed a following talking about curing her terminal brain cancer with a healthy lifestyle and alternative medicine. In 2015, Gibson admitted to lying about having a cancer diagnosis. Australia’s federal court later fined her for failing to donate money she said would go to charity through sales of her cookbook and app.

With personal wellness remaining a hot topic, here are some tips health experts have for evaluating the material you see online:

Be cautious when an influencer promotes products

Most influencers have or want business relationships with companies that allow them to earn income by promoting products. The arrangements don’t necessarily mean content creators don’t believe in what they’re marketing, but they do have a vested interest in publicizing products that may or may not work.

Creators can get paid for pictures or videos that hype up a product and also earn commissions on sales through features such as affiliate links. Experts note it’s therefore better to proceed with caution when someone inspires you to hit the “buy” button, whether it’s for natural supplements, teas with purported weight loss benefits or any other wellness products that show up in your social media feed.

Research published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed a sizable amount of Instagram and TikTok posts that discussed five popular medical tests mostly came from account holders with “some form of financial interest” in promoting the screenings.

After analyzing roughly 980 posts on the two platforms, researchers said most of the posts they found were misleading and failed to “mention important harms, including overdiagnosis” resulting from health people having full-body MRIs or tests to detect early signs of cancer, evaluate microorganisms in the gut or measure hormone levels.

Promoting dietary supplements has been a particularly lucrative exercise for many influencers, said Timothy Caulfield, a health policy and law professor at the University of Alberta. He views the supplements industry as “the backbone” of health misinformation aimed at consumers and designed to fuel billions of dollars in revenue.

“It’s gotten to the point where if someone is selling a supplement, it’s a red flag,” he said. “I don’t think it was always like that, but it certainly is now.”

Check for expertise

In general, consumers should take all bold claims with a degree of skepticism, said Cedric Bryant, chief executive officer at the nonprofit American Council on Exercise. The goal of creators is to increase engagement with their content, and some influencers may be tempted to make unproven assertions to draw in more viewers.

“If it’s too good to be true, it probably is,” Bryant said.

Some health and wellness influencers have medical training, but many do not. Before taking health tips from someone on social media, it’s a good idea to make sure they have the proper expertise or at least able to share the data that led them to recommend certain products or lifestyle choices.

In the fitness area, Bryant recommends checking to see if a creator holds certification from an accreditation organization and then confirming the information through the U.S. Registry of Exercise Professionals database.

The American Medical Association and The American Board of Medical Specialties maintain searchable databases for medical doctors, which may help verify the qualifications of creators who share their legal names and general locations. States also operate databases that allow users to check if someone is licensed to practice medicine or has been disciplined for misconduct.

If an influencer holding the appropriate credentials pushes certain products, consumers still may want to consider if a brand partnership or other factors are shaping their recommendations.

Federal Trade Commission guidelines that reflected the agency’s interpretation of federal law directed influencers featuring specific products or services to prominently disclose any endorsements. Yet sponsorships and potential conflicts of interest are not always revealed.

In 2023, the year the guidelines were issued, the FTC issued warnings to a dozen online influencers for failing to adequately disclose paid social media posts that promoted “sugar-containing products” and aspartame, a sweetener found in diet soda, ice cream and other foods. Some of the influencers were registered dieticians.

Compare to the prevailing medical consensus

If a creator cites studies to support health and diet claims, it’s best to check and see if what they’re saying aligns with the latest evidence-based medical consensus.

“Just because somebody has an ‘M.D.’ after their name doesn’t make them entirely trustworthy,” said Elias Aboujaoude, a psychiatrist and Stanford University professor who studies the intersection of psychology and technology.

Aboujaoude suggests double-checking health claims with traditionally reputable sources, such as major academic institutions or government health agencies. He also advised looking at studies cited by creators and assessing whether they’ve been published in reputable journals and subjected to peer review.

In some cases, it might be too soon to know if promising results should be trusted or not, said Katherine Zeratsky, a registered dietitian with the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. For example, a study might show the benefits of a specific type of herb. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the findings have been replicated in other research, a requirement for treatment methods to be considered proven effective, she said.

​ Orange County Register 

Andrew and Tristan Tate check in at police station in Romania, complying with judicial measures

• March 24, 2025

By STEPHEN McGRATH

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate checked in at a police station near Romania’s capital on Monday, complying with judicial control requirements in the case in which they are charged with human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.

Outside the police station in Voluntari, self-described misogynist Andrew Tate told reporters, “I’m a free person who has not been convicted of anything,” and said he will “comply with all judicial authorities everywhere around the world because I’m completely innocent.”

The Tates, who are dual U.S. and British citizens, were arrested in Romania in late 2022 and formally indicted last year on charges that they participated in a criminal ring that lured women to Romania, where they were allegedly sexually exploited. Andrew Tate was also charged with rape. They deny all of the allegations against them.

“It doesn’t matter what you’re accused of, it matters what you are proven guilty to have done in a fair court of law,” Andrew Tate said on Monday. “Accusations mean nothing. It doesn’t matter how many times you repeat an accusation on the news. That is garbage.”

Early on Saturday, the Tate brothers returned to Romania on a private flight after spending weeks in the U.S., where they flew after a travel ban imposed on them was lifted last month. They remain under judicial control, which requires them to appear before judicial authorities in Romania when summoned.

Days after they arrived in Florida, on March 4, Florida’s Attorney General James Uthmeier said his office had opened a criminal investigation into Andrew and Tristan Tate. He said in a social media post that he directed his office to work with law enforcement to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the brothers.

Andrew Tate on Monday accused Florida’s governor of being “hijacked by the media” after they arrived in his state. “The media jumped on him and he didn’t realize I was an American citizen,” he said. “And now he understands he made a mistake … there’ve been some conversations and everything has been settled.”

The lifting of their two-year travel ban came after a Bucharest court in December ruled that a case against the brothers could not go to trial because of multiple legal and procedural irregularities on the part of the prosecutors.

That development was a major victory for the Tate brothers and a blow to Romania’s anti-organized crime agency DIICOT. The case, however, remained open.

Last August, DIICOT also launched a second case against the brothers, investigating allegations of human trafficking, the trafficking of minors, sexual intercourse with a minor, influencing statements and money laundering. The Tates have strongly denied those charges as well.

Andrew Tate, 38, a former professional kickboxer who has amassed more than 10 million followers on X, has repeatedly claimed that prosecutors in Romania have no evidence against him and that there is a political conspiracy to silence him.

The Tate brothers’ legal battles are not limited to Romania.

Four British women who accused Andrew Tate of sexual violence and physical abuse are suing him in the U.K. after the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to prosecute him.

In March last year, the Tate brothers appeared at the Bucharest Court of Appeal in a separate case after U.K. authorities issued arrest warrants over allegations of sexual aggression in a case dating back to the period from 2012 to 2015.

The appeals court granted the U.K. request to extradite the Tates, but only after legal proceedings in Romania have concluded.

​ Orange County Register 

Angels 2025 preview: Roster breakdown

• March 24, 2025

STARTING ROTATION

While the Angels believe they have a strong core of young starters who could eventually fill this rotation with homegrown talent, they’ve been assembling a group with enough veterans so the young pitchers have to force their way into the big leagues. Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi signed a three-year, $63 million deal and the Angels put him at the top, with the Opening Day nod. They still have left-hander Tyler Anderson, an All-Star in 2024, and they brought in former Chicago Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks, who is looking for a rebound after a disappointing season. The only homegrown pitcher who was guaranteed a spot in the rotation was right-hander José Soriano, who earned the role with a 3.42 ERA in 20 starts in his first time starting in the majors. After that, the Angels had one spot left, and by the end of camp they had narrowed it down to right-hander Jack Kochanowicz and left-hander Reid Detmers.

BULLPEN

Kenley Jansen signed as a free agent on the eve of the first workout of the spring, bringing 447 career saves and 15 years of experience to the back of the bullpen. As Jansen moves closer to 500 in his bid for the Hall of Fame, the Angels are hoping that he’ll also help mold right-hander Ben Joyce into their closer of the future. Joyce can throw 105 mph, and he developed a nasty sinker last season. He’s still only pitched 44⅔ innings in the majors, so they’re content to have him gain some experience as a setup man. Left-hander Brock Burke, who revived his career with a mechanical change last season with the Angels, also figures to get high-leverage opportunities. Left-hander José Quijada is starting his first full season after returning from Tommy John surgery, so there’s some question about how good he can be. He didn’t have a great spring. Right-hander Ryan Zeferjahn was impressive last season after the Angels acquired him in the Luis Garcia trade, and he had a good spring.

INFIELD

Shortstop Zach Neto – who is the best player of their young core – had shoulder surgery in November, so he’ll miss the start of the season. In the meantime, veteran utilityman Kevin Newman is likely to get the bulk of the starts at the position. Third baseman Yoán Moncada was also a question mark in the final week because of a bruised thumb. If Moncada is not ready for the opener, Luis Rengifo is expected to get the nod at third. Rengifo would otherwise play second. If the opening is at second, it will probably be Tim Anderson, a two-time batting champ who is trying to revive his career after signing a minor-league deal. Amid the uncertainty at the other infield positions, first baseman Nolan Schanuel made it through spring training without an issue. Schanuel was the everyday first baseman as a 22-year-old last year, and the Angels believe he’s poised to take another step forward this season.

OUTFIELD

Three-time American League MVP Mike Trout has missed most of three of the last four seasons with injuries. In order to try to keep Trout on the field, they are moving him to right field. They believe having less ground to cover will ease his workload. Mostly, they just need Trout to be able to stay in the lineup and hit for at least 130 games or so. With Trout moved to right, the Angels had a spring training competition between Jo Adell and Mickey Moniak to see who would take over in center, and that remained in question as camp came to an end. Both players will be on the team, so the issue is likely to linger into the season. Left fielder Taylor Ward is a fixture. Although he’s been on a rollercoaster of performance for the last couple of seasons, by the end he seems to always end up being a slightly above average offensive player, and a solid defender. Newcomer Jorge Soler could see spot duty in the outfield, but the veteran, 33, is penciled in as the primary DH and could have plenty of run-producing opportunities batting cleanup.

CATCHER

Logan O’Hoppe looked like an All-Star-caliber catcher at times last year, but his offense declined late in the season. It might have been the strain of catching so many games – 121 starts, third-most in the majors – or perhaps it was just the normal ups and downs of a 24-year-old. More important than his offense is the way he handles the pitching staff, and that continues to be a work in progress for O’Hoppe.

BENCH

The backup catcher will be veteran Travis d’Arnaud, who signed a two-year deal with the Angels early in the offseason. The Angels expect d’Arnaud to be productive when he plays, and also to be a positive influence on O’Hoppe and the young pitchers. Whoever isn’t in center field each day – Adell or Moniak – will also be on the bench. As camp came to an end, the Angels were still trying to decide if J.D. Davis or Ryan Noda would win the final bench spot. When Neto comes back, the Angels will have Newman on the bench.

MANAGER

Ron Washington is back for his second season. Washington is, at his core, a teacher, and the Angels needed plenty of teaching last season. Now it’s up to the Angels’ young players to take those lessons to heart and perform better. If that happens, it’s likely the Angels will pick up Washington’s option and bring him back for 2026.

​ Orange County Register