Latest news with #MelissaKirsch
New York Times
a day ago
- General
- New York Times
Israel and Iran's Escalation
Good morning. Here's the news you need to start your day: Middle East: Israel and Iran exchanged a new wave of attacks, striking one another with missiles and drones. Military parade: Tanks and troops will make their way through the streets of Washington, D.C., today. 'No Kings': Today is also expected to be the broadest day of demonstrations against President Trump's second term, with protests in all 50 states. We have more on these stories below. But first, Melissa Kirsch writes about staying centered when the world feels chaotic. Breathing room By Melissa Kirsch Last week, a friend read my tarot cards. It was a lark — neither of us had much experience with the occult, but it seemed a diverting enough way to spend an evening, to engage with the messiness of our lives in a way that might offer some clarity. We drew the cards, then used the book that came with the tarot deck to interpret them. I made a note of one passage that seemed to invite further consideration: 'Practice being present in the here and now. It's all we have, and it's a lot.' I read this two ways. On the one hand, the present moment contains a rich bounty of content. No need to trouble yourself with the past or the future, there's abundance right here. On the other hand, I hear that understated response we often give these days when asked how we're handling a particularly stressful moment: 'It's a lot.' In modern parlance, 'It's a lot' says a lot without saying anything specific. It encapsulates a general feeling of being overwhelmed without getting into all the reasons why. I noticed people saying 'It's a lot' early in the Covid pandemic, a slightly deadpan assertion that captured the experience of feeling swamped by a deluge of information. There's been an uptick in 'It's a lot' in my conversations and group chats and self-reflection recently. The quantity of news we're trying to process, and the pace at which that news seems to break, seems to require constant vigilance just to keep up. Refresh, refresh, what's happening, what's new. Or there are those who avoid the news altogether — it's not just a lot, it's too much, and they're opting out. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
01-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Oscars 2025 Predictions: Who Will (and Should) Win?
The 97th Academy Awards are on Sunday, bringing an end to an awards season that has been full of twists and turns. After some nominees picked up unexpected wins at previous ceremonies and others became ensnarled in online controversies, many races are still up in the air. Melissa Kirsch, The New York Times's deputy editor of Culture and Lifestyle, talks with Kyle Buchanan, our awards season columnist, and Manohla Dargis, our chief film critic, about some of the key races to watch — and who they think deserves to take a golden statuette home. The New York Times Audio app is home to journalism and storytelling, and provides news, depth and serendipity. If you haven't already, download it here — available to Times news subscribers on iOS — and sign up for our weekly newsletter.
