How to Rebrand a Country

Twenty years ago, an opinion writer for The New York Times described Colombia as a country dominated by “drug killings, paramilitary massacres, guerrilla kidnappings, death squad murders and street crime.” Five years before that, a 1994 Washington Post article grappled with the question of whether people would want to visit war-torn Croatia. “Only the more…

Celebrating the Modern Ballroom Scene

ImageContestants at Rashaad Newsome’s Champion Art Ball in PhiladelphiaCredit…Christopher Lee for The New York Times PHILADELPHIA — “Tonight you are in a blended world,” said M.C. Jack Mizrahi, a ballroom veteran and historian, at the Champion Art Ball. “We’re going to take art, we’re going to take vogue, we’re going to take ballroom, and we’re…

A Do-Anywhere Full-Body Workout

How can anybody fit in a simple, quick, full-body workout, anywhere? “Two words: Jump rope,” said Dr. Michael Joyner, an avid exerciser and physiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. In his usage, the phrase is both object and action. “I have a beautiful leather boxers’ jump rope my mother gave me when I…

Roger Federer, Sneakerhead?

If you run into Roger Federer on your way to board a plane, do not be surprised if he looks you up and down, or mostly down. That’s because Mr. Federer has something of a sneaker fixation. The Swiss tennis champion is not an “obsessive,” he said (slightly hard to believe about someone who has…

Fitting in Family Fitness at the Holidays

Milk-gallon dead lifts, shared inchworms, synchronized walking and a little misdirection could be the keys to staying in shape and in harmony with loved ones during the holiday weeks ahead, experts say. While people who regularly exercise often worry about having too little time, willpower or familial good will available for workouts when they visit…

When U.S.C. Plays U.C.L.A., They Play Too

The Look Marching band is a team of its own. Photographs by Jessica Lehrman Text by Arit John Produced by Eve Lyons ImageCollege marching bands start practicing in the preseason, just like the football teams they play alongside.Credit…Jessica Lehrman for The New York Times You know that classic high school movie scene in which the…

The Men’s Cardigan Makes a Comeback

Paternal. Sexless. Infinitely square. The cardigan sweater is generally considered the Mister Rogers of men’s wear, and for good reason: Fred Rogers made sure of it. Over the course of 895 episodes and 33 years of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” Mister Rogers advertised his gentle, nonthreatening nature by slipping from a jacket and tie — symbols…