Anatomy of a Public Pool in a Pandemic

The timeless soundtrack of a public pool in summer is largely silent this summer. No shrieking children, no splashy entrances or periodic whistle blasts and curt admonitions from lifeguards (“Walk! Don’t run!”), little of the buzzy hum of happy people chatting in and around the water. On a recent weekday morning at El Cerrito Swim…

C.D.C. Warns Against Drinking Hand Sanitizer

ImageA funeral attendant providing hand sanitizer to a mourner arriving for a visitation in Elsa, Texas.Credit…Tamir Kalifa for The New York Times Federal health authorities issued a formal warning on Wednesday about the dangers of drinking hand sanitizer and alerted poison control centers across the nation to be on the lookout for cases of methanol…

Five-Minute Coronavirus Stress Resets

In this emotional equivalent to an ultramarathon, it’s key to have some stress-reducing strategies available that work quickly and efficiently to help you hit the reset button. Here’s why: Struggling with chronic worry gets in the way of effectively managing your emotions. Unfortunately, many people who experience distress try to escape their unpleasant emotions by…

Organizing Your Face Masks

Roughly 80 percent of Americans say they wear face masks when they expect to be within 6 feet of other people, according to recent national surveys. That’s a lot of face masks. Disposable masks, of course, just get thrown out. But many people prefer more stylish permanent styles, which has led to a variety of…

White Customers, Black Fabrics

The recent outpouring of support for Black-owned businesses has brought attention to fashion labels that work with African prints. The labels, many of them founded by West African designers living in the United States and Britain, are turning the traditional patterns of West African fabric into contemporary American silhouettes. “May was our biggest month ever,…