How Mother Figures Impact Our Lives

When her children were toddlers, Sara Walcott lived far away from her parents. But a couple from her church helped fill the gap, watching the children so she could enjoy a few minutes of calm every week. “They became Sunday grandmas,” said Ms. Walcott, 53, who lives in Macon, Ga. After one “grandma” passed away,…

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Embrace the Hot Restaurant Dupe

Many years ago a crowd-averse friend taught me a valuable lesson: Why wait hours to get into a hot restaurant when you could walk right into a less popular restaurant of roughly equal value? This is how I came to love Pizza Moto. Pizza Moto, now a mobile pizza caterer, turns out incredible Neapolitan pies…

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A Beginner’s Guide to a Spicy Pantry

The spring-cleaning itch has hit me nearly as hard as the pollen has. In the kitchen, that often looks like a pantry and freezer clean-out — and a restock. Every time I take an inventory of my spice rack, I’m gobsmacked by the sheer volume of chile products I’ve accumulated. But here’s the thing: They…

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Artificial Intelligence ‘Friends’ – The New York Times

By Kevin Roose Technology columnist and co-host of the Times podcast “Hard Fork” Artificial intelligence, we are told, is a transformative economic force; it will change workers’ jobs, boost corporate profits and reshape industries. But for the last month, I’ve been investigating its social side — by making more than a dozen A.I. “friends.” I…

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How Loneliness Affects the Brain

Everyone feels lonely from time to time — after, say, a move to a new school or city, when a child leaves for college, or following the loss of a spouse. Some people, though, experience loneliness not just transiently but chronically. It becomes “a personality trait, something that’s pretty sticky,” said Dr. Ellen Lee, an…

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