How to Spot False Claims in Your Wellness Products
Dubious claims in product marketing are everywhere. Don’t fall for them.
A Shoe Entrepreneur’s Globally Inspired Barbecue
Ten years ago, Mickey Ashmore was working in finance when he decided to start a side business selling handmade shoes under the label Sabah, which means “morning” in Turkish. Early on, he convinced a neighbor to let him borrow the parlor floor of her townhouse in the East Village to host Sunday afternoon trunk shows,…
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I Am Estranged From My Toxic Mother. Should I Go on Her Birthday Trip?
A year ago, I cut my toxic mother out of my life. It was a good decision. The problem: My father, whom I still see one on one, is distraught that I skip family events to avoid her. Now, he’s decided to pay for the whole family to go to an expensive resort to celebrate…
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Why Won’t Simon Ateba Stop Shouting?
In the briefing room, Mr. Ateba joined a class of reporters who are allowed on the premises but don’t have permanent seats, often jockeying for back-row seats that stay empty when other journalists don’t show up. These reporters are rarely called upon during briefings. (Mr. Ateba currently has a “hard pass,” which confers regular access…
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Travel 101: Our Favorite Hacks, Hints and How-Tos
Flight delays and cancellations are unfortunate inevitabilities, especially in summer, when more people are flying and severe weather tends to occur more frequently. How can you get your trip back on track when things go frustratingly wrong? Start by reading the fine print before booking, understanding what’s owed to you and being proactive at the…
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Read Your Way Through Maine
Read Your Way Around the World is a series exploring the globe through books. In American fiction, my state is code for outpost. Maine is where you send a character you want to get rid of, someone who goes off to raise goats, farm oysters, prep for the apocalypse — or write a novel. Apart…
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Best Stylish Hand Fans to Stay Cool
In the 19th century, Duvelleroy, a hand fan manufacturer in Paris, published a marketing pamphlet called “The Language of the Fan.” It featured a list of gestures one could make with a fan and the meaning of each. To carry a fan open in your left hand, according to the pamphlet, signaled “come talk to…
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This Hummus Holds Up After 800 Years
You take chickpeas, hard and dry, and boil them until their skins loosen and they reveal themselves, tender little hulks with souls of butter. Maybe you think of the 13th-century Persian poet Rumi’s parable of a chickpea that rises from the pot’s seething depths to accuse the cook of torture — only for the cook…
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Replacing Your Lawn? Try Planting Pawpaw or Persimmon Trees
Your first taste of a ripe pawpaw or persimmon can leave you hungry for more. That’s why Michael Judd is confident that he can persuade you to make room for several of these trees in your front yard — or even to surrender your lawn altogether. Turning your yard into a meadow or blanketing it…
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Hollywood Strike Leaves Influencers Sidelined and Confused
Deanna Giulietti is not in the actors’ union, but she turned down $28,000 last week because of its strike. Ms. Giulietti, a 29-year-old content creator with 1.8 million TikTok followers, had received an offer to promote the new season of Hulu’s hit show “Only Murders in the Building.” But SAG-AFTRA, as the union is known,…
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