
Escaping Trouble With a Blowpipe and a Plan
Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream, a stealth-adventure game, caters to the basic pleasure of seeing a carefully considered plan snap together. Owing to a personal matter, the game's main character, Hanna, has taken it upon herself to bring down a powerful politician who presides over her native city of Eriksholm. Assisting in her vendetta are Alva, the head of a gang that Hanna and her brother used to run with, and Sebastian, a tough and loyal friend.
When we're introduced to Hanna, she has just recovered from a serious illness. The hours of the day give way to the next when an insistent knocking on the door is followed by a police officer barging into the apartment. Casting a quick glance around the small room, the officer asks Hanna where her brother is; after she says she doesn't know, he insists that she come to the station. When Hanna walks behind a folding screen under the pretext of retrieving her bag, a clicking sound arouses the officer's suspicion. She has used a vent along the wall to give him the slip.
It doesn't take long for Hanna to realize she is a target for the police, who have stationed officers around the city's transportation hubs. Eventually, she makes her way to Alva in a more rundown area of town filled with shacklike structures crowned by corrugated metal roofs.
There, Hanna retrieves her trusty blowpipe, enabling her to shoot sleeping darts into unsuspecting guards. She must be careful, though, to hide any slumbering working stiffs lest they attract their colleagues' attention. Sebastian then helps them secure safe passage into the ritzy areas of the city.
Naturally, Alva and Sebastian also have their own abilities that players will have to strategically cycle through. Alva can climb up pipes to reach rooftops and other elevated areas; she can also use a slingshot to knock out lights and distract guards. Sebastian can swim and put guards to sleep with a chokehold.
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Business Insider
11 hours ago
- Business Insider
A guide to every historical figure who's been on 'The Gilded Age'
"The Gilded Age" was renewed for a fourth season ahead of the season three finale. While some of its characters are fictional, the show is populated with real people from the era. Oscar Wilde, Booker T. Washington, and J. P. Morgan have all popped up on the show. There are few eras that have captivated people more than the Gilded Age, a period in the late 19th century characterized by extreme wealth (and wealth inequality), progress, immigration, and a certain ruthlessness from the businessmen of the age. And now, any history buff can tune into HBO's " The Gilded Age," which concludes its third season on August 10, to see this iconic time period brought to life. The show is populated by a mix of real-life historical figures, completely fictional creations, and a few characters who differ in name only from real people of the time. Here's a guide to every real person who made the jump from history books to HBO in "The Gilded Age." Carrie Coon plays Bertha Russell, who's based on Alva Vanderbilt. Alva Vanderbilt Belmont was a Gilded Age socialite who married a Vanderbilt railroad heir, William K. Vanderbilt. In 1882, the couple built a mansion that took up a whole city block on Fifth Avenue in New York City — much like the mansion the Russells move into in the series premiere. Bertha isn't exactly Alva, but the similarities are there, including Alva's hunger and determination to be accepted by the upper crust of New York society, her strong personality, and love of the opera. Vera Farmiga plays Bertha's daughter Gladys, based on Alva's daughter Consuelo. If there was any doubt that Bertha and Gladys were based on Alva and Consuelo, that ended when Gladys married off to a British duke against her will, in order to bring her family status and credibility. If you don't want to know what could happen to Gladys, skip ahead. 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After deciding not to take her name off her writing to be published in white newspapers, Peggy meets Fortune, the real publisher of The New York Age, a leading Black newspaper of the day (called The New York Globe in the show). In both the show and reality, Fortune was married by the time of "The Gilded Age," but it didn't stop Peggy and Fortune from developing a relationship during season two. John Sanders plays the famous (and problematic) architect, Stanford White. If you've ever walked around Washington Square Park in Manhattan, you've seen one of White's most renowned pieces of work: the Washington Square Arch. In the show, White is also responsible for designing the Russells' behemoth of a townhouse on Fifth Avenue. In real life, White was involved in one of the era's biggest scandals. When he was 48, he was accused of drugging and sexually assaulting 16-year-old Evelyn Nesbit, a model and actor. In 1905, when Nesbit was 21, she married another prominent New York figure, Henry Kendall Thaw. When Thaw learned what White had done to his wife, he murdered him during a performance at Madison Square Garden (a building he designed). The subsequent trial was a media circus and was even dubbed the trial of the century. Public opinion of White plummeted during the trial when the public learned about his private life. According to The New York Times, Vanity Fair even ran this headline: "Stanford White, Voluptuary and Pervert, Dies the Death of a Dog." Clara Barton, as played by Linda Emond, appeared in the first season. In season one, Marian (Louisa Jacobson) takes her aunts to a talk being given by Barton, a Civil War nurse, voting rights and equal rights activist, and key member of the American Red Cross. J. P. Morgan, as played by Bill Camp, joined the cast in season three. The real Morgan was considered the greatest banker who ever lived, so it shouldn't be surprising that George, in need of capital, would turn to him for help. Jordan Waller played Oscar Wilde in a season two episode. The famous playwright and author of "The Portrait of Dorian Gray" popped up in season two while his play "Vera; or, The Nihilists" premiered in New York. Of course, he found time to hit on John Adams (Claybourne Elder), as well. Emily Warren Roebling, one of the engineers of the Brooklyn Bridge, was played by Liz Wisan in season two. Roebling essentially took over for her husband, Washington Roebling, as chief engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge after he developed decompression sickness and became bedridden. The Brooklyn Bridge is unveiled during a season two episode, and George sends his son, Larry (Harry Richardson), to represent him at a trustees meeting, when he discovers that Emily is the one running the show. Suffragist Sarah J. Garnet, as played by Melanie Nicholls-King, appears in season two as well. Nicholls-King appeared in three episodes of season two as Garnet, a landmark figure in Black history, as she was a principal, the founder of the Equal Suffrage League, and owned her own seamstress shop. Booker T. Washington, played by Michael Braugher, also appeared in two episodes of season two. Washington is known for his work in advancing the education of Black Americans in a post-Civil War America, including as the first leader of the Tuskegee Institute, which is now the HBCU (Historically Black College or University), Tuskegee University. Washington is in two episodes of the second season, when Peggy and Fortune make their way to Tuskegee to report on it for the newspaper. Gladys gets her portrait done by artist John Singer Sargent (played by Bobby Steggert). 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Harper was one of the first Black female authors to be published — and left behind a large body of work — and also was an activist for suffrage, temperance, and abolition. Russell Risley Sage, played by Peter McRobbie, joined the show in season three. When George is summoned to a meeting by J. P. Morgan, he meets other financiers, including Sage. Sage, in real life, worked closely with Jay Gould (if you'll recall, the basis for George's character). The two managed railroads together. However, in "The Gilded Age," the two have a much more adversarial relationship. Sage is perhaps most famous for surviving an assassination attempt at his office by using one of his employees, William R. Laidlaw Jr., as a human shield. Laidlaw survived but sued Sage after he was permanently disabled. As The New York Times put it, Sage was found to owe him $25,000, "simply because he used William R. Laidlaw, Jr., as a shield to save his gray hairs from being brought prematurely to the grave."

Condé Nast Traveler
14 hours ago
- Condé Nast Traveler
12 Fantastic Indian Restaurants in NYC
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The Third Avenue façade doesn't begin to prepare you for what lies within: My jaw hit the floor when I walked into the unexpectedly cavernous dining room modeled after a traditional Gujarati village, complete with faux trees, thatched-roof booths, murals of pastoral Indian vignettes, and a massive Ganesh statue presiding over it all. Make sure you get comfortable in your booth because you're unlikely to leave anytime soon: Vatan's prix-fixe $45 vegetarian menu is an all-you-can eat bonanza. A massive thali is regularly refreshed with samosas, sev puris, bhaji, daal, chole, and much more on demand, plus endless ice cream and gulab jamun if you make it that far. Between the endless food and the quirky interiors, this is a place you'll want to settle into for a while. Dhamaka means explosion, and that's exactly how this colorful Lower East Side spot landed in New York in 2021. The Unapologetic Foods takeover of New York's Indian restaurant scene may have begun with Adda (originally in Long Island City and recently transplanted to the East Village) and cemented with Semma, but it's when Dhamaka opened that I first realized that Indian food enthusiasts in the city were in the throes of a culinary zeitgeist. Restaurateur Roni Mazumdar and chef Chintan Pandya were the first team brazen enough to make food exactly how they wanted it, without dialing back ingredients (goat kidney and testicles, anyone?) or spice levels to cater to Western palates. The result was an instant hit with Indian diners eager for authentic flavors beyond butter chicken, and guided everyone else to push their boundaries and expectations of what Indian flavors could taste like. It may have inspired a legion of other restaurants to follow in its footsteps, but Dhamaka, with its colorful interiors and banging Bollywood soundtrack, is always a winner. Brooklyn I'm not sure why Lore isn't one of the hardest-to-get reservations in New York, but at least that means chef Jayesh Kumar's Park Slope spot has managed to retain its neighborhood charm—for now. Get there ASAP to try Kumar's inventive menu, that leans on his South Indian roots and European training (he spent decades in Switzerland before opening Lore in 2022), and like me, you'll be wondering what kind of a mad genius thought up unlikely mash-ups like roti ravioli, kimchi uttapam, and a steak au poivre with masala butter and fries. Kumar also recently launched a dosa stand at Smorgasburg, and will be opening a bar called Folk (get it?) in Park Slope later this summer—with creative globally inspired cocktails and clever small plates like biryani arancini on the menu. Lore in Park Slope straddles leans chef Jayesh Kumar's South Indian roots and European training. Sukhbir Channa/Lore The sea bream at Lore is coated with malabar spices and served with hot red chutney. Sukhbir Channa/Lore With its distinctive tangy flavor profiles and heady Portuguese influence, the cuisine of the tiny western state of Goa is unlike any other in India—but it can be hard to come by in the city, aside from appearances by vindaloos or the occasional poee bread on menus. But when I'm missing Goa's famous susegad—laid-back—way of life, I make my way to Cobble Hill's Indian Table, where Goan chef Eric McCarthy guides diners through a deep dive through classics from his home state: think chicken cafreal, ros omelette, and pork sorpotel, and plenty of coastal classics like the kalchi kodi fish curry and crab cutlets. The dining room, clad in Portuguese-style tiles, is cozy, but when the weather is sultry you'll want to grab a seat on the back patio stung with fairy lights and feel transported to a veranda in Assagao. Queens It's hard to play favorites in Jackson Heights—you could eat well in this multicultural hub brimming with Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Nepali restaurants for weeks without ever going back to the same spot twice. Angel, however, merits many a return. It's been a local hit ever since it opened in 2019 (Bungalow chef Vikas Khanna is a big fan), with everything from a standout take on the all-too-familiar butter chicken to dishes like lotus root kofta that are rarer to spot on New York menus, plus plush naans you'll want to swathe yourself in. But the star here is the dum biryani—in vegetarian, chicken, and goat varieties—that comes shrouded beneath a crust of bread. When the server carves it open to mix the layers together and releases wisps of steam that linger over your table, that's your signal to feast. Note: The space may feel a bit snug, but the owners just opened a second, sleeker location not too far away from the original. Feeling snack-y? This Jackson Heights vegetarian joint is something of an institution for its dizzying array of fried treats and chaat, those textural flavor bombs that are the perfect union of savory, sweet, crunchy, and tangy. Start with some samosas and pakoras, then chase orders of sev puri, papri chaat, and aloo bhatura with refreshing mango lassi and lemon soda water. But if you're thinking about satisfying your chaat cravings during a heat wave like I did recently, calibrate your order based on how much spice you can handle under a handful of lazily whirring fans. You'd never guess from the outside that the majestic Ganesh Temple in Queens houses a basement canteen serving some of the city's most authentic South Indian cuisine. Since 1993, the Temple Canteen has perfected South Indian staples like pillowy idlis, crispy dosas, and thick, buttery uttapams—all best dunked in a silky coconut chutney. The ghee pongal (rice and lentils with clarified butter) is gentle and hearty, a regular on my takeaway rotation. It's a no-frills spot where bustling aunties keep the weekend crowds flowing efficiently while massive dosas sail past, stuffed with everything from classic potato masala to more adventurous paneer fillings. My weakness? The Pondicherry dosa—a triangular beauty spread with spicy chutney and a savory mixture that delivers serious heat. Paired with piping hot Madras tea, sweetened with enough sugar to temper the spice in the best possible way. —Pallavi Kumar
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Chiefs' Chris Jones reveals updated love life amid cheating allegations
Kansas City Chiefs' Chris Jones is sharing an update about his love life after he allegedly cheated on his ex-girlfriend, Sheawna Weathersby. The couple had been dating for nine years, and Weathersby announced that they had split "months ago" back in April. 'I just wanna be married, I just wanna be loved,' Jones said in a TikTok shared this week by the Chiefs' official account. At the time, Weathersby accused Jones of cheating after the three-time Super Bowl champion shared a photo with an unidentified woman. "I'm choosing to focus on the positive as I close this chapter on a 9-year relationship," Weathersby wrote. "Unfortunately, Chris' infidelity with the woman he's recently been pictured with, led to my decision to end our relationship months ago." "I'm proud to say I chose to prioritize my own wellbeing and healing journey," she added. "As I embark on this new chapter, I'm excited for the opportunities and growth that await me. I trust that God will transform the pain into something beautiful." Fans believed that the couple broke up after the NFL star tweeted a meme that read, "I'm like 106% single." A fan reacted to the meme saying that he wasn't single but the NFL star responded, "I am." The couple who began dating in 2016, share two children together: Christopher Jones II, born in 2018, and Carson Dakota Jones, born in 2022. It's unclear if both of them are single at this time, but their Instagram accounts do not have posts with new partners. MORE LIFESTYLE NEWS Brooke Hogan shares new career desire following Hulk Hogan's death Serena Williams 'feels good' with body transformation following criticism BIG3 trolls controversial Sydney Sweeney commercial Larsa Pippen reveals if Kim Kardashian is still daughter's godmother Aaron Rodgers reveals wife's role in Steelers signing