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- No flour? No problem. How to bake with workarounds.Here鈥檚 what you can do when the urge to bake hits, but you can鈥檛 find flour and yeast on the shelves.
- A listless lifeI鈥檓 not going to be sure I鈥檝e seen a 鈥渓ife list鈥 bird until it鈥檚 10 feet away and looks like a Victorian lady鈥檚 hat. But I鈥檓 OK with that.
- Another effect of the coronavirus crisis: ForgivenessFor some people, this has become a time to forgive and reconcile with estranged family members.
- FocusFor Native Americans, coronavirus looks heartbreakingly familiarThe coronavirus pandemic is threatening vulnerable Native American communities. Now, they are turning to resilience forged over generations.
- Home theater: See the world through the eyes of director Satyajit RayFor international fare during lockdown, start with Indian director Satyajit Ray, whose films, our critic says, express 鈥渨hat it means to be alive.鈥澛犅
- In a WordSelf-isolation has its roots in ancient timesPeople have been using various kinds of isolation to protect themselves and others, and to inspire moral and spiritual growth, for centuries.
- Home theater: Escape into the joyous world of musicalsAudiences have often turned to musicals when times are especially tough. Here are three classics to try during lockdown.
- Aunt Ruth鈥檚 photo philosophyMy aunt would return from trips abroad with a carousel of slides that captured the towns, countrysides, and especially animals she encountered.
- Isolated from peers, teens find new paths to community amid pandemicTeens鈥 lives have been turned upside down by the coronavirus lockdown just as they are seeking autonomy and creating their own identity.
- In a WordSayings that uncover the silver liningsIn English we say 鈥淎pril showers bring May flowers鈥 or 鈥淚f life gives you lemons, make lemonade.鈥 How are these ideas expressed in other languages?
- Home theater: Spend quality time with the elegant Sidney PoitierFilm critic Peter Rainer notes that Hollywood great Sidney Poitier brought dignity and grace to virtually all of his roles.聽
- What if curators were teens? Museums try it.As museums look ahead, incorporating a wide range of views 鈥 especially those of young curators 鈥 is becoming more of a priority.聽
- World music: From a globetrotter鈥檚 Queens apartment to your earsThrough his MoonJune Records, upbeat owner Leonardo Pavkovic wants to introduce more listeners to the music of less heard from countries.
- In a WordA(n) historical take on the evolving use of a/anEnglish speakers disagree 鈥 sometimes vehemently 鈥 about how to use 鈥渉istoric鈥 and 鈥渉istorical鈥 with the indefinite articles聽a/an.聽
- Home theater: Hunker down with films starring Humphrey BogartThe Monitor鈥檚 film critic suggests Humphrey Bogart films for some much-needed movie balm.聽
- Why Canadians see themselves in 鈥楽chitt鈥檚 Creek鈥Fans are heartbroken by the finale of the sitcom that, beneath its double-entendre title,聽embraces tolerance and community.聽聽
- Hung up on timeOur daughter was constantly checking her clock. Ironically, the pandemic brought peace after we took her timepiece away.
- Say cheese! Families commemorate their isolation with 鈥榩orchraits鈥One of the ironies of social distancing is that this time of isolation is fostering other kinds of togetherness. #PORCHRAITS capture that duality.
- Home theater: For diverting films while housebound, try HitchcockHitchcock鈥檚 Hollywood movies, including 鈥淣orth by Northwest,鈥 are among those the Monitor鈥檚 film critic recommends for your shut-in playlist.聽
- In a WordUgly-sounding words can describe beautiful thingsThe meanings and negative associations of moist make it ugly, just as positive associations can make other words seem lovely.