Sentinel Lifestyle
In a post-pandemic world, job candidates feel caught between suits and hoodies
NEW YORK | The matching blazer and pants Dani McEwen wore to a job interview at an insurance company felt like a smart choice, until she noticed most of the employees had on T-shirts and jeans. “The first thing that went through my mind was that I probably looked like I was trying way too […]
Some US adults are using AI for financial guidance but few trust it, Gallup poll finds
NEW YORK | Some U.S. adults are using artificial intelligence for financial guidance, but it’s far from the most trusted source of advice, according to a new Gallup survey conducted in partnership with Edward Jones, a financial services firm. About 1 in 5 Americans who have sought financial advice in the past year turned to […]
Blossom of snow: A starry symbol of the Alps makes an unusual addition to rock gardens
If you’re looking to plant a rare flower with a storied past that’s had a well-known song written about it, edelweiss will check all your boxes. My mother grew up in northeastern Italy, just over the Austrian border near the Alps, where edelweiss grow wild along steep rocky ledges. When I was a child, she […]
School backpack overload: Heavy bags can strain kids’ bodies
Backpacks can be fashionable and functional, but they can also be too heavy — weighed down by digital devices, musical instruments, sports equipment and more. Some kids carry home a laptop or tablet and textbooks, too. It’s good to be prepared, but kids who walk to school or participate in extracurricular activities may be lugging […]
Oystercatchers, known for sharp bills and beady eyes, are making a comeback thanks to conservation
SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. | On a pristine Rhode Island beach teeming with noisy seabirds, a group of biologists armed with nets sneak up on a pair of American oystercatcher chicks. But just as they move in to capture them, one of the football-size birds, with bright-orange bills and long legs, scampers into a coastal salt […]
Fishing closures are becoming routine as record heat warms rivers in the US West
LIVINGSTON, Mont. | Trout need cool water to survive, but record heat this summer has driven water temperatures to lethal levels for fish. Wildlife officials are banning fishing during certain hours on rivers and streams across the U.S. West, following an exceptionally dry winter and amid widespread drought. Lower water levels mean rivers can heat […]
At colleges, the AI boom means everyone wants to dabble in computer science
With no background in coding, Faith Maeba, a psychology major, was reluctant when her mother first suggested she enroll in classes on artificial intelligence. But the senior at Virginia Commonwealth University began to see it differently as she looked into graduate psychology programs that explore human behavior in the workplace, which is quickly being upended […]
At creative reuse centers, old art supplies get a new life at a fraction of the cost
NEW YORK | Charlene Catalano was looking for a ball of green-and-white yarn to crochet this year’s winter scarf. Instead of going to a big-box retail store, she found what she needed at Brooklyn Creative Reuse, along with gently used crochet kits, hooks, labels and other bits. It all cost just $6. “Nowadays, art is […]
Of thee I sing: A guide to US patriotic songs, from ‘The Liberty Song’ to Jay-Z and Kanye West
NEW YORK | The history of American patriotic songs offers a lesson about the different ways you can say you love your country. Composers have celebrated endurance under fire ( “The Star-Spangled Banner” ) and invoked divine approval (“God Bless America”). While Toby Keith’s “Made in America” dares anyone to question American eminence, Woody Guthrie’s […]
Malls, once symbols of American consumer culture, are splitting. Some are dying as others thrive
LIVINGSTON, N.J. | I wasn’t a mall rat. Growing up in the 1970s, I didn’t hang out much with my friends at my local mall in New Jersey. The Livingston Mall, which opened in 1972 with stores including Bamberger’s, Sears and Hahne & Co., may have been a bustling social scene for my peers. But […]