Herbert Fingarette, a contrarian philosopher who, while plumbing the perplexities of personal responsibility, defined heavy drinking as willful behavior rather than as a potential disease, died on Nov. 2 at his home in Berkeley, Calif. He was 97. His daughter, Ann Fingarette Hasse, said the cause was heart failure. Professor Fingarette challenged the theory that…
The term “electronic cigarette” refers to a battery-powered device that heats a tank or cartridge of liquid usually containing nicotine, flavorings and other chemicals, but not the cancer-causing tar found in tobacco cigarettes. Users inhale and exhale the vapor. The devices come in numerous shapes, including ones that look like pens, flash drives and hookahs.…
Ah, the holidays. They’re full of food, family, and explaining to distant relatives what exactly it is that you do and why exactly it is that you’re still single (hi, Grandma!). But before the familial chaos commences this holiday season, don’t forget that you’re *also* supposed to panic-purchase everyone’s gifts on two blackout-inducing days: Black…
Frenchette TriBeCa, Manhattan Image CreditCole Wilson for The New York Times While its approach to French cuisine can be novel (snails with soft scrambled eggs), Frenchette’s setting, menu structure and portion sizes are formidably traditional. Reservations at night are scarcer than Burgundy truffles, but they are easier to find for lunch, which the restaurant began…
I was watching my boyfriend’s two children (ages 7 and 9). My mom was there to help. She started referring to me as “mommy” to them. (“Mommy’s making you a snack now.”) I’ve only known these kids for a year, since dating their father. They like me, but their mother is very much alive; they…
Send questions about the office, money, careers and work-life balance to workfriend@nytimes.com. Include your name and location, even if you want them withheld. Letters may be edited. Be the Hero Two people in my office are egregious slurpers of their foods and beverages. One of them is my idol and I think her slurping is…
Getty ImagesDesiree Navarro Ralph Lauren will be the first American fashion designer to ever be honored as Honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) for his services to fashion and philanthropy. The prize will be presented to Lauren by a representative of Queen Elizabeth II at a ceremony next…
Image Wendy MacNaughton is a graphic journalist based in San Francisco. You can find her via website and Instagram. More “Meanwhile” Wendy MacNaughton’s illustrated column about the big implications of seemingly small things. The 16-oz. Beer Can: A Cold One That’s a Hot One Something nebulous about the slightly larger size signals high quality and…
The villains in Megan Abbott’s twisted crime novels are often combative, hypercompetitive women and girls: elite cheerleaders; perfectionist gymnasts and their drill-sergeant moms; a cunning crime boss and her back-stabbing, power-hungry underling. Ms. Abbott’s most recent novel, “Give Me Your Hand,” features rival postdoctoral researchers who are studying “premenstrual dysphoric disorder,” a particularly nasty form…
Stopping short of its threatened ban on flavored e-cigarettes, the Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday that it would allow stores to continue selling the products, but only from closed-off areas that are inaccessible to minors. At the same time, the agency moved to outlaw two traditional tobacco products that disproportionately harm African Americans:…