If you have people coming over to watch the Oscars on Sundaynight, you're going to want a menu that matches the star power of the people who'll be walking the red carpet. Think: jellied Champagne, dirty martini-inspired small bites, and, if you really want to splurge, maybe even a caviar-topped "pizza." All those recipes and more found here. Happy watching (and eating)!
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Culture
Grief Is the Defining Theme of 2026 Oscar Slate — This Movie Critic Thinks That's a Good Thing
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There's no best tearjerker category at the Academy Awards, but this year's winner would be a no-brainer if there were: Hamnet. Chloé Zhao's adaptation of the novel by Maggie O'Farrell contends that the death of William Shakespeare's son Hamnet inspired Hamlet, the Bard's magnum opus (in addition to the play premiering just a few years after the 11-year-old's untimely passing, the two names were interchangeable at the time). Historians are mostly unconvinced by the theory, but audiences have more than embraced the story's emotional truth. That's especially true of the climactic sequence, in which a heartbroken Agnes Shakespeare (Jessie Buckley) attends the premiere of the play in secret. She and her husband (Paul Mescal) have grown estranged due to their very different reactions to Hamnet's death, and it isn't until seeing Hamlet (which she didn't even know he was writing) that she realizes he's been grieving just as deeply as she has. As the young actor playing Hamlet delivers a monologue, Agnes moves to the front of the crowd and reaches out to him as though grasping at her dearly departed son from beyond the veil. As the rest of the audience does likewise, the Prince of Denmark returns the gesture in a communal act of grief and catharsis. It's at this point in the film that everyone watching has been reduced to a puddle. It's also when it becomes clear, in looking at this year's crop of Oscar nominees in general and best picture contenders in particular, that grief provides a powerful through line in some of 2025's most acclaimed movies. Rather than downers, almost all of these movies provide the kind of uplift that only a good cry can. Read the full article from Michael Nordine, our resident movie critic and publisher of sister brand Movie Brief.
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When Is the Right Time to Retire?
Determining when to retire is one of life's biggest decisions, and the right time depends on your personal vision for the future. Have you considered what your retirement will look like, how long your money needs to last, and what your expenses will be? Answering these questions is the first step toward building a successful retirement plan. Fisher Investments' guide, When to Retire: A Quick and Easy Planning Guide, walks you through these critical steps. Learn ways to define your goals and align your investment strategy to meet them. If you have $1 million or more saved, download your free guide to start planning for the retirement you've worked for.
South Korea's Latest Childcare Effort? Paying Grandparents
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You can't put a price tag on a grandparent's love, but you can provide financial support to recognize their role in raising young children — something South Korea's Jeju Island is now doing through a monthly stipend program for grandparent caregivers. Launched this month, the program provides the equivalent of $200 per month to grandparents caring for one child under age 2, and about $300 for those caring for two children, per The Korea Herald. To qualify, families must earn below 150% of the median income and be facing a "caregiving gap," a designation that includes dual-income couples, single-parent households, and families with multiple young children. It's part of a wider push across South Korea to strengthen family-based support systems and address the country's low (but slowly increasing) birth rate. In 2023, Seoul introduced a similar program that has since earned nearly unanimous public approval, with a 99.2% satisfaction rate among participating families. Other nationwide programs include diaper support, parenting allowances, and childbirth grants. "Beyond easing financial burdens, the grandchild care allowance is also helping children's healthy development and growth by providing emotional stability through family care," Ma Chae-sook, deputy mayor for Seoul's Women and Family Office, told the Korea JoongAng Daily.
Environment
Detector Dogs Are Helping Eradicate Invasive Rodents, Coast to Coast
USDA photo by Marnie A. Pepper
Who's a good wildlife conservationist? In 2014, detector dogs and their handlers joined Maryland's battle against nutria — a destructive invasive rodent species often mistaken for beavers — that were devouring vital plants and turning lush wetlands into barren mud flats. At the USDA National Detector Dog Training Center in Georgia, these elite pups, primarily Labrador retriever mixes, were trained to detect nutria scat, even across dense marshland. By 2022, the dog-human teams had removed more than 14,000 nutria and protected over 250,000 acres of Delmarva Peninsula marshes, helping Maryland become officially nutria-free that year. Now, the canines are taking their role to the West Coast. "Their jobs aren't over yet!" the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently posted on Instagram. The agency is partnering with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to deploy the pups to confirm suspected nutria sightings and determine eradication success following removal efforts. They're also helping detect feral swine, threatened plants, and invasive snakes — see more pics.
Global Good
🇨🇦 Disposable bag use has plummeted by 79% since Edmonton, Canada, enacted a rule against single-use items (read more) 🇮🇹 Italy bought a rare Caravaggio portrait for nearly $35 million, one of its most expensive artwork purchases (read more) 🇲🇼 Malawian farmers are using agroecology to restore soil and cut costs amid climate challenges(read more) 🇬🇧 The British Wildlife Photography Awards revealed its 2026 winners — take a look (read more) 🇳🇱 "Singing circles" in Amsterdam offer healing for people with dementia and other neurological challenges (read more)
Something We Love
Dyson Hairbrush Dyson gets a lot of hype for its powerful cordless vacuums and blow dryers, but I'm here to sing the praise of the company's humble hairbrush. Sure, it's more expensive than the ones you can grab at a drug store, but for something I use every day, it's a major upgrade. My hair feels silky smooth, the bristles navigate knots with ease, and it has that signature sleek Dyson design. – Ally Mauch, Associate Editor
After New Englander Rich McMahon suffered a stroke last year, he began relearning how to speak by practicing his favorite Dunkin' order: a large iced coffee with two creams, two sugars and one jelly stick. His wife Liz documented his journey on social media — and once Dunkin' saw the videos, the company surprised him with a year of free coffee and tickets to opening day at Fenway Park. "It's been a very long and hard journey that is nowhere close to being over," Liz said, "but with a positive outlook and lots of coffee, we are hopeful for the future."
Eyes on Milano Cortina
Marcus Hartmann/Getty Images
Swedish Paralympic alpine skier Ebba Årsjö clinched her third gold medal yesterday in the women's standing giant slalom event — accompanied by a show of support, past and present.
Her sister held a poster with a photo of 8-year-old Årsjö beaming, as a reminder of how far she's come. "I remember feeling like I was able, just like everyone else. I had so much energy, I was so happy all the time, everyone said," Årsjö, who was born with a congenital disorder that affects her muscles and circulation, told Olympics.com. "And I love that mentality and now when I'm older, I try to still be that girl, and I feel like I am." See the sweet poster.
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Up This Weekend
Paralympics Closing Ceremony: Over a month after the Games began, the athletics spectacle in Milan and Cortina, Italy, will come to its close on Sunday with the 2026 Paralympics closing ceremony
Chicago River Goes Green: In advance of St. Patrick's Day, cities around the world are hosting celebrations this weekend, and that includes Chicago's practice of dyeing its titular river green (get the scoop on how the eco-friendly dye works)
The 98th Academy Awards: Putting the cap on awards season, Hollywood's best and brightest will gather for Sunday's Oscars, starting at 7 p.m. ET — but don't forget to tune in early to catch all the red carpet looks
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