I didn’t know if he had watched it as a kid; we hadn’t grown up with each other because I was our mother’s first child, born when she was 15, and then swept away by a secret adoption. From what I knew of my brother and my family now, I understood James’s traveling couldn’t be … Read more
Minutes later, I swung my leg over the back of Ted’s motorcycle. He had equipped me with a windbreaker, gloves and the assurance I could hold onto him anywhere but his arms and face. After giving him directions to an address that was close to where I actually lived, I braced his midriff and prayed. … Read more
A coalition of groups opposed to work requirements criticized South Carolina on Thursday for becoming “the first state in the nation to exclusively impose the harmful policy of work requirements on low-income parents with children.” The coalition, which includes the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Children’s Defense Fund, the Georgetown University Center for Children and … Read more
SAN FRANCISCO — The Federal Trade Commission is considering seeking a preliminary injunction against Facebook to prevent the social network from integrating several of its messaging services, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. The agency has discussed how the Silicon Valley company is stitching together the technical infrastructure underlying WhatsApp, Instagram and … Read more
Out to lunch It’s lunchtime and you’re out with a co-worker. As she orders the raw oysters, you look at the bottom of the menu and notice a warning: “Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish or eggs may increase your risk of food-borne illness.” That warning is there for a reason. Every year, … Read more
George J. Laurer, whose design of the vertically striped bar code sped supermarket checkout lines, parcel deliveries and assembly lines and even transformed human beings, including airline passengers and hospital patients, into traceable inventory items, died on Dec. 5 at his home in Wendell, N.C., near Raleigh. He was 94. His death was confirmed by … Read more
CHATSWORTH, Calif. — A vintage Fiat 124 Spider — so pretty you could pinch its little orange cheeks — accelerates up a canyon road in the San Fernando Valley. But there’s something strange about this Pininfarina-designed Italian roadster. First, it feels downright peppy as it chugs uphill. And there’s actually no “chugging,” but rather a … Read more
No fun having cancer. Many people have an aversion to posing for a photograph. For years I avoided having my own picture taken in social situations, embarrassed at how unflattering the image always seemed to appear, and maybe in denial at how accurate it actually was. Some of my patients similarly refuse, perhaps because they … Read more
Three minutes into my first half marathon, I thought I would lose my mind. I’d decided to run it with the “2 ½ hours” group, not trusting myself alone to set a steady pace and happy to be among others who, like me, had no loftier goal than finishing alive. Sure, I’d never run in … Read more
Sleeping a lot may increase the risk for stroke, a new study has found. Chinese researchers followed 31,750 men and women whose average age was 62 for an average of six years, using physical examinations and self-reported data on sleep. They found that compared with sleeping (or being in bed trying to sleep) seven to … Read more
The researchers asked these men and women about their knees. At this point, the marathon was still six months distant, and their joints were those of middle-aged adults and not yet those of runners. All of the soon-to-be marathoners responded that the joints were in good shape, with no creaks or pains. The researchers then … Read more
They have their work cut out for them. Tech companies spend tens of millions of dollars on lobbying every year. And antitrust issues hinge on dense questions of law and economics that don’t fit on bumper stickers. “It’s not just about trends and corporate accountability,” said Maria Torres-Springer, the vice president for United States programs … Read more
How do New York Times journalists use technology in their jobs and in their personal lives? Taylor Lorenz, an internet culture reporter, discussed the tech she’s using. You often write about what young people are doing with tech. (O.K. boomer!) What tools do you use to keep your finger on the pulse? I spend a … Read more