How to Bargain Like a Hostage Negotiator
One tip: Keep your cool.
King Charles Hosts a Fashion Show
It’s time to put to bed rumors that King Charles III has died, speculation that has surely been fueled by his recent cancer diagnosis and by the fumbled communications about Catherine, Princess of Wales, as she recovers from a surgery in January. According to Buckingham Palace, the king is alive — and seemingly healthy enough…
Preparing for a Total Solar Eclipse in Northern Maine
For generations, visitors to Maine have flocked east to the rocky coastline, with its lobster boats and crashing waves, or west to ski resorts, peaceful lakes and mountains. Few ever set foot in Aroostook County, a remote northern expanse where residents are prone to suspect — not without reason — that no one south of…
For Easter, Bake This Jamaican Spice Bun
For many Jamaicans, spice bun is a staple of Lent, the 40-day period before Easter marked by prayer, penitence and restraint, for those observing. But there’s nothing restrictive about this baked good, so named for its bold seasonings. Colloquially referred to as “bun,” this quick bread — in the shape of either an oblong loaf…
The 400-Square-Foot NYC Apartment That’s Constant Changing
Once Michael Mance and Shannie Easterby adopted a child, it didn’t take long to realize that a 400-square-foot apartment wasn’t going to work for them anymore. “It was a lovely little apartment,” said Dr. Mance, a clinical psychologist, of the one-bedroom co-op on the Upper East Side of Manhattan that they bought for about $300,000…
As the Rio Grande Dries Up, Canoeing Near Big Bend National Park Gets Harder
I had barely unbuckled my seatbelt and was already wondering if I had driven six hours across Texas for nothing. A once-in-a-lifetime river adventure had seemingly evaporated with some disappointing news. It was the promise of a four-day, 33-mile canoe journey in Big Bend National Park, snaking through awe-inspiring canyons on a mighty river, that…
How an Unexpected DM and a Serendipitous Trip Led to Love
You might say the algorithm made him do it. Norris Ethan White contacted Bianca Alexis Brunette in July 2014 after she appeared on his Instagram feed out of the blue. “It was super random,” said Mr. White, who goes by Ethan. “This pretty girl popped up on my Instagram. We had zero mutual friends, but…
A New Orleans-Themed Wedding and Love Story
After Tiffany Quynhnhu Langlinais and Michael Steven Graves had their first date in central New Orleans, Mr. Graves drove off to Chicago in a green 2008 Kia Sedona minivan to officiate a friend’s wedding. And so, to Ms. Langlinais’s friends, he was known as “minivan Mike.” Ms. Langlinais, 33, wasn’t used to dating a man…
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Kept Them Amused Near and Far
Teodora Maria Bun and Menchilou Deo Antopina began watching “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” like clockwork, together each week after they met in Singapore. For extra oomph, and sometimes with friends, they usually downed shots — including a mystery shot once mixed with durian, the notoriously pungent fruit — each time a drag queen on the reality…
With TikTok Under Fire, Brands That Rely on It Worry
Amid debate in Washington over whether TikTok should be banned if its Chinese owner doesn’t sell it, one group is watching with particular interest: the many brands — particularly in the beauty, skin care, fashion, and health and wellness industries — that have used the video app to boost their sales. Youthforia, a makeup brand…