Whole Flight Spent Reading ‘War And Peace' Over Shoulder Of Passenger Ahead
CHICAGO—After forgetting to bring sufficient entertainment for the two-hour flight from Atlanta to O'Hare Airport, area man Kenneth Vargas reportedly spent his entire time aboard a plane Thursday reading War And Peace over the shoulder of the passenger seated in the row ahead of him. 'I felt like an idiot for not downloading any books on my Kindle, but when I noticed the guy in front of me was reading something, I figured I could just look off of his,' Vargas said of the man's print copy of Leo Tolstoy's roughly 1,300-page seminal Russian epic. 'While I really didn't know who all the characters were, I think I mostly got the gist of it. At first I was just casually reading to amuse myself, but now I'm honestly kind of invested. During drink service I missed a couple pages, so I'm not exactly sure what happened with Natasha Rostova. I think I can pretty much fill in the blanks, though.' As he exited the aircraft, Vargas confirmed he was disappointed the flight had ended before he had time to finish the novel.
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Los Angeles Times
6 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Travel disruptions fueled by Trump policies may culminate at peak summer season
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration invited travel industry executives to the White House in May for a meeting on federal plans for the 2026 World Cup, a landmark event that under normal circumstances would draw massive international tourism to the United States. It was a welcome gathering by President Trump and his team for an industry eager to capitalize on a rare opportunity and capture tourism dollars. Welcome, at least, until Vice President JD Vance cracked a joke. 'We'll have visitors from close to 100 countries — we want them to come, we want them to celebrate, we want them to watch the games. But when the time is up, they'll have to go home. Otherwise, they'll have to talk to Secretary Noem,' Vance said, referring to the Homeland Security secretary and head of border enforcement. Vance's remarks, while taken in jest, fell flat in a room filled with experts more keenly aware than most of the challenges facing travel in the Trump era. 'It's one of those moments where you're almost, like, stop helping us,' one participant in the meeting told The Times, granted anonymity to speak candidly. Stories are flooding media overseas of capricious denials and detentions at U.S. border crossings, raising concern among international tourists over spending top dollar on vacations to America that may end up disrupted, or never materialize. Erratic tariff policies out of the White House have shaken consumer confidence that experts say reliably tracks with discretionary spending on travel. And a series of scares in U.S. aviation, coupled with cuts to the National Park Service and the National Weather Service, have made planning trips to some of the country's top destinations less reliable. In California, the nation's No. 1 tourist destination, international visits are expected to drop by 9.2% through the year, with international spending anticipated to drop 4.2%, according to a forecast published last month by Visit California and Tourism Economics. Around Yosemite National Park, one of the nation's most popular attractions, reported bookings were down 'as much as 50% going into Memorial Day weekend,' Caroline Beteta, president and chief executive of Visit California, told The Times. Narratives of travel disruptions under the Trump administration have given pause to U.S. officials and industry experts concerned not only with the immediate economic consequences of a slower summer season, but with the prospects of anemic attendance at World Cup games next year and, beyond, for the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028. 'Consumer confidence certainly matters,' said Geoff Freeman, president and chief executive of the U.S. Travel Assn. 'It creates a degree of uncertainty.' Unlike much of the rest of the country, California is particularly susceptible to shifting trends among tourists from Asia, where tourism has yet to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic as robustly as it has in the Americas and Europe. Commercial flight restrictions over Russian airspace and the strength of the U.S. dollar haven't helped, Freeman said. On the other hand, California benefits from a tourism industry that relies more heavily on domestic travelers, the source of 80% of tourism dollars spent in the state, Beteta noted. 'There's no question that there are widespread misperceptions about impacts to the travel experience, from reports about staff cuts to detentions at the border,' Beteta said. 'Cuts at the National Park Service, for example, don't affect the park concessionaires — and those companies run most of the visitor-facing services, such as lodging, dining, shuttle services and much more. The misperception of chaos at the parks is a PR issue that can have real consequences.' But Cassidy Jones, senior visitation program manager at the National Parks Conservation Assn., said that cuts to the parks are tangible and will directly affect visitors' experience over the coming months, despite efforts by leadership at the Department of the Interior to paper over the cracks. 'There may be fewer entrance gates open,' Jones said. 'People should plan ahead and remember to be helpful park visitors. Take the optional shuttle. Come with supplies with you, as some facilities may be closed at hours you're not expecting, because they don't have the staff to keep them open. Toilets may not be unwinterized yet if they're in cold places.' In April, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum issued an order directing that national parks be 'open and accessible' through the summer season, as fears grew that staffing cuts implemented by the administration could become apparent. Still, the White House cuts and hiring freezes severely disrupted a seasonal hiring and training cadence for park rangers that usually begins around Christmas, Jones said. 'Some parks may not feel like a lot of changes are evident, but there's a lot of work that is not being done in the background,' Jones added. 'The order basically demanded that even though parks have experienced devastating staffing cuts, they are to put on a sort of public appearance that everything is business as usual. That means pulling superintendents to work in visitor centers, science and research management staff to make sure facilities are clean — biologists cleaning toilets, that sort of thing.' Twenty years ago, roughly half of flight delays were caused by uncertainty over the weather — a number that has dropped to 33% in recent years thanks to improved forecast quality. That progress is starting to reverse due to widespread cuts in talent, and will be felt by travelers sooner rather than later, said Rick Spinrad, who served as administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under President Biden. Trump's government efficiency program, known as DOGE, has eliminated hundreds of positions at NOAA, including at the National Weather Service, and is proposing a 25% cut in the agency's budget. 'In the short term, this summer, when people are doing longer traveling, we may see a degradation of services. You may see more delayed flights, more weather-impacted flights,' Spinrad said. But Spinrad's concern is that the cuts to NOAA will soon be felt much more deeply, at the local level, among the emergency managers, local transportation departments and public health centers that count on reliable forecasts to map out their work. 'What we're going to start to see, I think, is the erosion of the capability of NOAA to provide services to the degree that people had become accustomed to,' he said. Spinrad visited Southern California in late May and was taken aback by the number of people raising concern over the agency's ability to continue predicting atmospheric river events, with all of their implications on public safety, reservoir operations and hydro power. Those forecasts rely heavily on the work of a satellite operations facility that was gutted by the Trump administration. And the capabilities of the National Weather Service to predict phenomena like Santa Ana winds, which fueled devastating fires in Los Angeles in January, are at risk, with 30 of the agency's 122 weather forecast offices operating without meteorologists and with technicians cut throughout, he said. 'I know it will degrade, just by definition. Everything's going to degrade,' Spinrad added. 'All of NOAA's predictive capabilities will degrade as a result of these cuts.' Mark Spalding, president of the Ocean Foundation, warned the aviation industry would soon face disruptions as NOAA's capabilities continue to diminish. 'We will see effects this summer, because they've fired so many people and shut down so much activity,' Spalding said. 'There are a lot of services that a lot of people rely on that NOAA provides — weather prediction, ocean observing, tsunami early warning, hurricane center monitoring,' he added. 'There's a lot this summer that could be affected in ways that are akin to what we're seeing in air traffic control due to the sudden loss of personnel there.' Still, Freeman, of the U.S. Travel Assn., expressed optimism for the U.S. tourism sector going forward, noting he and his counterparts are in 'regular communication' with the Trump administration over headwinds facing the multitrillion-dollar industry. 'We have no shortage of challenges in the travel industry,' he said. 'I think the picture right now for travel is uncertain, at worst.' 'For every challenge you see, there is an opportunity on the other side,' he added.
New York Post
21 hours ago
- New York Post
Keri Russell admits she's ‘still not sure' she wants to be an actress but ‘really loves' her job right now
Keri Russell creates magic on ordinary days. But that doesn't mean she's too tethered to the job title actress. In fact, Russell, 49, recently revealed how she views her career in Hollywood. 'I didn't grow up desperate to be an actress,' the star said while at the Hollywood Reporter's Drama Actress Roundtable. 'I'm still not sure I want to be. But I really love my job right now. There are a lot of things that are still embarrassing to me. I'm not a performer at ease.' Advertisement 8 Dame Helen Mirren, Kathy Bates, Niecy Nash-Betts, Parker Posey, Keri Russell and Cristin Milioti. Beau Grealy for 'The Hollywood Reporter' 8 Keri Russell for The Hollywood Reporter. Beau Grealy @beaugrealy However, when it comes to Russell's partner of nine years, Matthew Rhys, he's all in for his craft. Advertisement '[With] Matthew, for instance, I'll say, 'What are you doing this week?' And he'll go, 'Oh, I'm just going to do this play reading. I haven't done a German or Russian accent in a while and I just want to try it out,'' she revealed. 'That's my nightmare! I would f–king die. I don't want to f–king do that in front of strangers! For me, there's a real push-pull. I still have to overcome the obstacle of being nervous, but this version of TV that we're in works for me.' Russell rose to fame while starring in the drama series 'Felicity' from 1998 to 2002. 8 The Hollywood Reporter shoot. Beau Grealy @beaugrealy 8 Keri Russell in 'The Diplomat.' ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection Advertisement On the show, the actress played Felicity Porter, who discovers what life is really like after graduating high school, opposite Scott Speedman and Scott Foley. When the series wrapped, Russell left Los Angeles for New York and never moved back. 'I like my regular life,' she confessed at the roundtable. 'It's always such a funny thing when you see any big, super famous movie star. We've all worked with those people. I think [about how] they can't even go outside. They don't know what it's like to be a real person. They don't get their own coffee. They don't do their own laundry.' 'How do they play a real person? I don't want to talk shit too much about acting. I am completely married to the adventure of it, and that's what I'm in it for,' Russell added. 'I love to [shoot] in some strange city — it could be Paris or some little Southern town — and learn the city, meet new people and find my little thing.' 8 Keri Russell in 'August Rush' in 2007. ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection Advertisement 8 Keri Russell in 'Cocaine Bear.' ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection 'Felicity' went on to win her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in 1999. Over the years, the 'Waitress' alum has had a slew of iconic roles. From 2013 to 2018, Russell played KGB spy Elizabeth Jennings opposite Rhys, 50, as her on-screen husband and fellow KGB spy, Phillip on the FX series 'The Americans.' It was also on that drama, that her romance with the 'Burnt' actor began. 8 Keri Russell, Edward Norton in the 2009 film 'Leaves of Grass.' First Look International/Courtesy Everett Collection Now Russell stars on Netflix's 'The Diplomat,' with its third season set to premiere in the fall. Although she's worked in a variety of genres over the years, the Hollywood vet can't help but look back at typecasting that went on in the early days. As she put it, 'I went through a phase where it was just a nice pregnant mom. That was a Keri Russell type.' Advertisement 8 Keri Russell attends the European premiere of 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.'for Disney Which felt like almost every other role for Russell. 'A lot of times,' she reiterated. 'A lot.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Beluga Lentil Caviar Is A Luxurious Snack On A Picnic Budget
To understand exactly why comedian Mamrie Hart's recipe for beluga lentil caviar is so fun, it helps to clarify a few things. First off, there are no beluga whales involved in the making of beluga caviar. The fish eggs that are harvested from beluga sturgeon to make this particularly fine and expensive variety of caviar are so named for the white markings and belly of that species of fish. The word 'beluga' shares a root with the Russian word for white. Second, beluga lentils have nothing to do with fish eggs, or fish in general, aside from the fact that the plump, black legumes look a little like a giant lump of caviar. Hart's recipe - which takes the luxurious presentation of caviar and applies it to the humble black lentil - is like a telephone game of culinary associations that happens to result in a lovely snack for a dinner party or a summer picnic. On a fundamental level, caviar is just a dip. These lentils, seasoned with dashi and caper brine to give a hint of the ocean, are a dip, too. They just happen to be quite a bit more affordable. (MORE: On The French Riviera, Gazpacho Tastes Like Summer) By my calculations, a pound of beluga caviar costs roughly one thousand times more than a pound of beluga lentils. 'Feel free to use the real stuff if you married rich and love it, but in this case . . . we are using lentils!' Hart writes. The recipe comes from her irreverent cookbook All I Think About Is Food, published in April by W.W. Norton & Co., which channels the comedian's warm personality into a decadent but uncomplicated approach to vegetarian cooking. Hart explains that the cookbook was born of her own culinary obsession, 'You could be having a very serious conversation with me, and I'll look fully immersed. I could be nodding along and even reaching over to hold your hand in support, but, mentally, I'm deciding what soup to make tomorrow.' Beluga Lentil Caviar Ingredients 1 cup dried black beluga lentils 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 garlic cloves, minced 3 cups water 1 tablespoon vegan dashi powder 1 tablespoon capers, chopped 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon caper brine A few dashes of your favorite hot sauce, I prefer Cholula with this Salt Pepper Pringles for serving Instructions Rinse the lentils thoroughly. In a medium pot, add a tablespoon or so of olive oil and sauté the garlic for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the water to the pot and bring to a boil. If you're going for full ocean flavor, add your dashi here. Once the water is bubbling, add the lentils and turn down the heat to a simmer. Cover for 15 to 20 minutes. Once the lentils are tender but holding their shape, drain any remaining water and mix in the capers, soy sauce, brine, and hot sauce. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve in your fanciest dish with your finest Pringles and start talking in a pompous accent. Excerpted from ALL I THINK ABOUT IS FOOD by Mamrie Hart, copyright © 2025, reprinted by permission of Countryman Press, an imprint of W. W. Norton & Co., Inc. All rights reservedMORE ON - Think Spring With This Pasta Primavera - Feeling Spicy? Make This Thai Chili Oil - Refreshing Spring Sips
