How to make clear ice spheres

Imagine walking into a party where you know almost no one (pathetic) — a party at which I, a stranger to you (probably), have arrived well before you (sorry). Should this occur in real life, it is inevitable that shortly after your entrance, as you are tentatively probing the scene in search of safe ingress into social traffic, I will yank you, abruptly, into the middle of a conversation. I will turn to you and start talking as if you’d been involved in the discussion for an hour. I will lob questions at you that are tailored so that any answer you give can be right. Soon, you will forget I dragged you into this interaction; your easy popularity will seem, in retrospect, inevitable. You will most likely feel at least vaguely friendly toward me, because I so clearly want to be your friend. And the whole time I am doing this — because, despite your rewritten recollections, I am the one doing all of this — I will be thinking: Oh, my God, I’m doing it again. I hate this. I hate this. Why … [Read more...] about 13 Women, 30 Activities and One Goal: Make Friends

Good morning. It’s Monday. We’ll get a preview of a new campaign to boost New York that has a back-to-the-future ring. I ♥ NY caught on as an icon and a catchphrase in the late 1970s, when New York seemed to be descending to new depths. The city had scraped through a fiscal crisis — barely. The “Son of Sam” killer had terrified New Yorkers. The sentence “ Ladies and gentlemen, the Bronx is burning ” had disturbed them. This morning, a coalition of elected officials and “community partners” will introduce a new campaign with the mark (as such things are called in advertising and marketing) We ♥ NYC. The people who came up with We ♥ NYC say it is a mark for a different time. But they see parallels to the troubled era that gave rise to I ♥ NY. “We’re hopefully going to be able to cut through divisiveness and negativity” that accompanied the pandemic, said Kathryn Wylde, the president and chief executive of the Partnership for New York City , a consortium of … [Read more...] about A Campaign to Remind Us That We Love New York (City)

The patient was elderly and lived alone. She was showing signs of depression, but it was clear that something more was amiss. She insisted she was trapped in the wrong timeline. The ward to which she’d been committed was unstuck in time, she told her doctors. Outside, the future had already arrived, and it was not a good one. “She described then that the world outside the ward had been destroyed,” reported the doctors in Exeter, England, who wrote a report about the case in a 2019 issue of the journal Neurology and Neurosurgery. The woman was diagnosed with a variation of Capgras syndrome. First defined a century ago, Capgras typically describes a person’s belief that someone close to him or her — a spouse or a child — has been replaced with a duplicate impostor. But in this case, the patient believed that the whole world — everything she could observe of it — was a duplicate, a fake. I know a little bit how that feels. So do you, probably. It seems many of us have come to … [Read more...] about Our Obsession With Multiple Timelines Is Ruining the One We’re In

close Video Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines of the week Fox News Flash top entertainment and celebrity headlines are here. Gwyneth Paltrow is set to take the stand in a civil case regarding a 2016 ski accident, a source confirmed to Fox News Digital. Paltrow has been sued for $300,000 by a retired optometrist, who claims the actress skied into him from behind at the Deer Valley resort. Terry Sanderson accused the Goop founder of skiing off after the accident – which left him with a "permanent traumatic brain injury, 4 broken ribs, pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life," along with emotional distress and disfigurement, according to the lawsuit obtained by Fox News Digital. "Paltrow got up, turned and skied away, leaving Sanderson stunned, lying in the snow, seriously injured," according to the complaint, which was filed in 2019. "A Deer Valley ski instructor, who had been training Ms. Paltrow, but who did not see the … [Read more...] about Gwyneth Paltrow’s Utah ski accident: Actress set to take stand in $300,000 civil case

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 2 On a recent trip to Vietnam, I’m pretty sure I found one key to a happy and harmonious urban life. During the drippy, languid hours of mid-day heat in Ho Chi Minh City, which many also call Saigon, I frequently ducked into every hẻm, or alleyway, that I saw for a little bit of shade. They quickly became my favorite places in the city. Lined with homes and storefronts that opened up directly into the street, these alleyways were filled with scooter parking, lush potted trees, craft workshops, shrines wafting with incense smoke, and baskets of various things for sale. Cars, still a rarity in this city, occasionally snagged parking at alley entrances when they could. In these alleyways, where the vast majority of residents live, the division between one’s own property and the street is more of a suggestion rather than a rule. Life spills out of the home and onto the streets, where … [Read more...] about What Vietnam’s alleyways can teach the Bay Area about bureaucracy and community

Chinese tourists take pictures in the Champs Elysees Avenue near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, March 14, 2023. REUTERS ZURICH/BERLIN/LONDON — Urs Kessler, who runs Jungfrau Railways, a train that takes tourists up the highest mountain in Switzerland, was excited for the return of Chinese tourists after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted late last year. But barring one small group in February and a few larger ones expected in May, few have materialized. Many tour operators like Kessler are disappointed by lower-than-expected bookings from high-spending Chinese travelers who before the pandemic would typically splash between 1,500 and 3,000 euros per person, according to the Global Times newspaper. Chinese outbound flight bookings to Europe during March and August are only 32% that of pre-pandemic levels, according to travel data firm ForwardKeys. The travel industry is also grappling with cash-strapped domestic holidaymakers looking for cheaper vacations as energy and … [Read more...] about Europe’s hopes for busy post-COVID summer dim as Chinese tourists stay away

Jump to: Tricky Clues | Today’s Theme MONDAY PUZZLE — When people first start solving crosswords, their goal tends to be simple: Most just want to understand the clue and to have a decent chance at coming up with the correct answer. And that’s understandable. Everyone has to start somewhere. But there is so much more to enjoy inside a puzzle — even on a Monday, long considered to be the “easiest” crossword of the week — than just maintaining a rote tempo of clue, answer, clue, answer. I encourage solvers to stop and smell the cruciverbal roses whenever possible. Notice the wordplay in the clues and marvel at the minds that come up with these punny delights. I also like to watch a good theme develop as I solve. To some, the theme is one of the building blocks of the grid. To me, it’s the cherry on the sundae, because I get to enjoy some bonus wordplay. Just because a puzzle is said to be “easy” doesn’t mean it lacks challenge or fun. The theme of today’s puzzle, by Adam … [Read more...] about What the Fish Said

Ask a longtime Disneyland fan, and they’ll likely tell you that Disneyland can still be enjoyable on rainy days. So many people decide to stay home and wait for better weather, the general thinking goes, that ride queues clear out. For those who brave the elements, it can be a better, if not wetter, park experience. But does that thinking hold up now that so many things have changed at Disneyland ? Here’s everything you need to know about going to Disneyland in the rain. Does Disneyland close in the rain? Only in cases of extreme weather or public safety events. Walt Disney World closed twice in 2022 because of hurricanes, but Disneyland has shut down only six times in its history, including the day after John F. Kennedy was assassinated, on 9/11 and during the pandemic. Essentially, there’s almost no chance Disneyland will close because of a rain storm. Can I cancel/change my reservation if it looks too rainy? You can cancel a reservation up until 11:59 p.m. the night … [Read more...] about What happens when it rains at Disneyland and why some rides shut down

Xbox Game Pass – The cost of Microsoft’s Game Pass service is definitely justified. Many people may object to the idea of having your video game collection locked behind a subscription service. But the truth is that users have access to an astounding range of games, from triple-A blockbusters to indie darlings, for a fairly low monthly charge. Choosing which excellent games are worth a player’s time can be a difficult chore with such a bewildering selection available. The most urgent issue is figuring out how to use your hard drive space most because the monthly charge covers the cost of entry. Fortunately, this collection’s gems are clear to see. Below is a list of the top titles available through Xbox Game Pass. The choices presented here will include games that are accessible through EA Play, which is a perk of a Game Pass Ultimate membership. Atomic Heart Release Date February 21, 2023 Genre First-person shooter Developer … [Read more...] about Xbox Game Pass’s Best Games (March 2023)

Fans have been left fuming at the fact Bruno Fernandes escaped a red card for shoving an official unlike Aleksandar Mitrovic. The Serbian striker was sent off during Fulham's 3-1 loss to Manchester United in the FA Cup on Sunday after pushing the arm of referee Chris Kavanagh . His dismissal came during an eventful few minutes which saw the Red Devils awarded a penalty as well as manager Marco Silva and Willian also being shown red card. However, fans have been quick to point out that Fernandes avoided a red card for a similar incident against Liverpool earlier this month. READ MORE: Fans fear 'heart attack' at prospect of first-ever Manchester derby FA Cup final A clip from the 7-0 loss at Anfield shows the United midfielder shoving the assistant referee in the back on the touchline in an action not too dissimilar to Mitrovic pushing Kavanagh's arm during his protests at Old Trafford. Reacting to the two incidents, one fan tweeted: "Just seen the Mitrovic red … [Read more...] about Fans fume at Bruno Fernandes escaping red for shoving official unlike Aleksandar Mitrovic