Sentinel Lifestyle
FDA’s e-cigarette authorization: Fruity vapes not significantly better than tobacco ones
WASHINGTON | Fruit-flavored e-cigarettes recently authorized by the Food and Drug Administration were not significantly better at helping smokers quit than tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes, according to a new memo that’s likely to stir more questions about the agency’s decision. The FDA last month gave its first OK to fruit-flavored vapes — essentially endorsing them as a […]
A blind Ukrainian veteran turns pottery into a business and mentors others
VINNYTSIA, Ukraine | The two burly men stare straight ahead, hands intertwined on a pottery wheel, fingers buried in the clay. They sense each other’s presence through touch alone. One is a veteran who lost his sight in combat and now teaches other blind veterans. Slowly, a piece resembling a cup takes form. The instructor, […]
An ancient whale graveyard in the Indian Ocean teems with life
NEW YORK | Scientists have unearthed communities of marine life — including jellyfish, tubeworms and brittle stars — thriving on a millions-year-old whale graveyard. These graveyards form when whale carcasses fall to the sea floor, becoming a sustaining snack for nearby critters. This one, located up to 23,000 feet (7 kilometers) below the surface of […]
Visa plugs its payment network into ChatGPT, letting AI agents shop and pay for users
SAN FRANCISCO | Betting that people will soon grow more comfortable having artificial intelligence agents shop for groceries, plane tickets or diapers on their behalf, payments giant Visa said Wednesday that it has embedded its payment network inside of ChatGPT, empowering the chatbot to independently shop and complete transactions. It means AI agents can not […]
The skills people still perform better than AI, according to workplace experts
NEW YORK | Many workers fear machines will supplant them as adoption of artificial intelligence accelerates. But what if people have qualities both unmistakably human and essential to career success that AI could not easily replace them? Some workplace experts argue that with more businesses adopting AI tools, soft skills such as empathy, critical thinking […]
The AP’s gardening expert has a list of 10 top-performing new plants for this season
Every spring brings a new growing season and, for me and other garden communicators, dozens of not-yet-available sample plants sent by breeders and growers. To try them out, I squeeze some into my beds and borders, tuck others into containers, and plant the rest in the Maternity Ward, a 3-foot-deep strip of soil along the […]
A government-commissioned study found drinking risks. US guidelines didn’t feature its findings
A study commissioned by President Joe Biden’s administration to investigate alcohol-related health harms was released independently on Tuesday, after President Donald Trump’s administration decided not to feature the researchers’ findings in new dietary guidelines as it faced pushback from the alcohol industry and a congressional committee. The findings of the study, in the Journal of […]
How to grill vegetables and toss them in Isaac Toups’ bacon vinaigrette
Want to make your vegetables taste better and have your friends love you? Char the hell out of some on the grill and then toss them in a bacon vinaigrette, using this recipe from my cookbook “Chasing the Gator: Isaac Toups and the New Cajun Cooking.” These are vegetables so unhealthy a Cajun might actually […]
Broken speaker? Finicky zipper? Anticonsumerist Repair Cafes urge you to fix it instead of pitch it
NEW PALTZ, N.Y. | On a drizzly Saturday morning late last month, the basement of the New Paltz United Methodist Church filled with old lamps, blunt knives, malfunctioning sound mixers and balky zippers. About a dozen volunteers welcomed the broken goods and their owners to a worldwide movement that’s evangelizing new relationships between people and […]
The electric guitar spawned garage bands, rock-god dreams — and generations of popular music
ATLANTA | What is more American than taking a musical instrument with ancient roots and zapping it with electricity? That new creation, the electric guitar, has launched the dreams of millions of teenagers. It turned garages into impromptu rehearsal spaces for would-be rock stars across the American suburbs. For those who couldn’t play, couldn’t try […]