Arun Kristian Das

The coronavirus pandemic triggered many changes in the U.S. economy and the employment landscape. Many U.S. residents lost their jobs, others transitioned into the so-called gig economy, and many others shifted to working from home. Taxpayers may have cashed unemployment checks and/or received money due to the federal pandemic relief packages. And, sadly, many Americans got sick and incurred unforeseen medical bills.

New York state health officials are catching up to other health authorities in the region, country, and the world and now support the wearing of masks in public to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. The specific terminology used is actually "cloth face coverings" because officials stress that medical-grade N95 respirators and surgical masks, which are scarce, should be reserved for health-care workers and first responders.

Costco.com, which, if you haven't really explored, is kind of a bonkers website. Costco is apparently not just for working folk looking for deals on clothes, produce, lightbulbs, and rotisserie chicken. It's a platform for some stuff that's just bananas.

Christopher McDougall is a former foreign correspondent who has reported from warzones. The bestselling author's latest book is called Running with Sherman. Sherman is a donkey. I interviewed Chris about what he learned in writing this delightful book.

This is a review of two products from Manscaped, a brand made famous by Shark Tank and Instagram. The Lawn Mower 2.0 is specifically marketed as a trimmer for a dude’s hair, um, down there.

I have worked for at least three companies that have the word “corporation” in the official name: Plenum Publishing Corporation, News Corporation and now Fox Corporation. So naturally, the companies and most folks will abbreviate the “Corporation” part to just “Corp.”

Singer-songwriter and New York native Ingrid Michaelson is like many fans of pop culture who grew up in the 1980s—she digs nostalgia and found much to love in the hit Netflix series Stranger Things. And she took that passion for the show as inspiration for her new album Stranger Songs, which drops Friday, June 28.

In an effort to help fight a decline in blood donation in the United States, Facebook has launched a feature that helps connect would-be donors to blood centers in need.

Chris Guillebeau is a writer, entrepreneur, and traveler who built a passionate following from his blog The Art of Non-Conformity. His podcast Side Hustle School and his companion books—Side Hustle: From Idea to Income In 27 Days and the just-released 100 Side Hustles: Unexpected Ideas for Making Extra Money Without Quitting Your Day Job—promote the idea that anyone can and should start a side hustle, a.k.a. a scalable service or other small business, in order to thrive both financially and creatively.

A virus causes measles, which is highly contagious and spreads through coughing and sneezing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Navigating Central Park's winding paths can be a challenge. Even seasoned New Yorkers and avid runners sometimes get confused in the 843-acre urban gem and aren't sure if they are heading to the East Side or the West Side or whatnot.

Chief Petty Officer Shannon Kent was 35. I say “was” because she is dead. The Navy cryptologic tech, who grew up in Dutchess County, N.Y., died in a suicide bombing in Syria along with 15 other people. She spoke at least six languages, had deployed overseas several times, earned many Navy commendations, faced numerous combat situations, and much more.

The airline that pioneered tipping your flight attendant for good service is now letting them keep what you give rather than requiring them to share the cash. Frontier Airlines, based in Denver, began allowing flight attendants solicit tips from passengers through a restaurant-style payment tablet three years ago. Whatever attendants collected during a flight was pooled and then shared among the cabin crew.

Chances are that by now most of you have attended various holiday parties where you threw back some bottled suds, mediocre wine, and mixed drinks made from rail liquor and Coke. Well, if you're luckier than that, maybe your office sprung for top-shelf booze.
Either way, I'm back with another seasonal cocktail recipe roundup to inspire you to be creative and make something delicious and fun for whatever gathering you might have lined up for Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year...

Every year, I try to support a few charities, causes, and other nonprofits. Usually, this means figuratively writing a few checks for relatively small amounts of money. I do what I can and am happy to do so.