Of her six completed works, Emma was described by famed British writer Ronald Blythe as “the climax of Jane Austen’s genius and the Parthenon of fiction” — and a first edition is currently on the auction block during the author’s 250th birthday week. Part of Bonhams’ Fine Books & Manuscripts Including Americana sale, the copy is expected to fetch up to $60,000 on Thursday.
Last month, we covered this year’s 35th anniversary of Home Alone — and now, we’re spotlighting a talented baker who re-created the house from the holiday movie as a stunning cake.
Every year since 2021, 35-year-old Grace Hunt has made a dessert for a festive window display at Grace Eva Cakes, her store in Beverley, a market town in Yorkshire, England. Previous displays have featured cake versions of a reindeer, Santa Claus, and an igloo with penguins. To commemorate the film, she baked, crafted, and hand-painted the Home Alone mansion, and the confection has proved a big attraction.
A Baker in England Re-Created the Iconic “Home Alone” House out of Cake Continue Reading »
Anyone who’s eagerly tuned in to Architectural Digest’s digital series exploring celebrity homes knows thatthere’s something particularly fascinating about getting a glimpse at how notable people live. And when it comes to the abodes of famous figures from years past, that curiosity can be fairly classified as historical interest. Viewing the homes of people who
Obituaries preserve what families most want remembered about the people they cherish most. Across time, they also reveal the values each era chose to honor. In a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, we analyzed 38 million obituaries of Americans published from 1998 to 2024. We identified the values families most often highlight, and how those values shift across generations, regions and major historical events.
What 38M Obituaries Reveal About How Americans Define a Life Well Lived Continue Reading »
Muriel Baker longed for a garden outside her home near Glastonbury in Somerset, England, but at 94, she couldn’t manage the physical work required to maintain one. So the nonagenarian took a creative approach to the issue: She had an array of trees, roses, and butterflies painted onto her house.
Think about what puts a smile on your face as you anticipate the approaching holidays — chances are that a festive tradition makes the list. Maybe your family watches Adam Sandler play “The Chanukah Song” while making latkes on the seventh night, or you and your cousins host an epic annual gingerbread house building competition
There are countless end-of-year roundups and best-of lists that come along in December, but none are quite as delightful as the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards. This year’s winning photos were announced at a ceremony in London last night, and all the funny finalists will be on display at the city’s OXO Gallery from Dec. 10-14.
Joyful Dancing Gorilla Pic Wins 2025 Comedy Wildlife Awards Continue Reading »
Thanks to local anesthesia, it’s typically not painful to get a cavity filled — but that doesn’t mean the process is stress-free. The loud, shrill whining sound of the dental drill in your mouth can be anxiety-inducing even if you can’t feel the device. What’s more, the fear this noisy tool evokes hinders some people from getting the procedures they need to maintain good dental hygiene.
Quieter, Less Stressful Dental Drills Are in the Works Continue Reading »
This article was written by Emily Ronay Johnston, an assistant teaching professor of global arts, media and writing studies, at the University of California, Merced, for The Conversation — a nonprofit news organization dedicated to sharing the knowledge of researchers and scientists, under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here. Ordinary and universal,
Where some simply see ski slopes as a fun way to zoom down a mountain, others also see a catwalk. And the latter outlook only seems to be growing: Peruse ski outfits on social media, and you’ll find everything from puffy, supersized boots to hot pink one-pieces, along with comments of approval comparing the looks
