• My Korean grandmother has been a beacon of light and love in my life for as long as I can remember.
• In recent years, political disagreements have only ended in fights and tears.
• Our family has transitioned to a culture of silence when it comes to politics.

Few people in this world make me feel as loved as my halmoni does. In my earliest memories — hazy as they may be — she is there. She swaddles me in the warmest of hugs; she sings to me; she laughs toothily and heartily while conversing with my mother in what they have playfully coined "KorEnglish."

As I grow into adolescence, she is there. She cooks special seaweed soup as I experience my first menstrual cramps. At 13, I contract a viral infection, and a comment from a crush about my rash sends me home in tears. She painstakingly carves garden cucumbers into paper-thin slices and places them gingerly on the backs of my thighs. The sting cools.

At 19, I experience my first heartbreak. Without even trying, she says the perfect thing: "You had a good experience with a person that you loved. But now you have to find yourself. And clear mind. First love is always never work."

At 22, I lament the fact I cannot speak Korean. She institutes weekly phone call lessons and then gives me a Korean name: 만세, Manse. She tells me that Manse means "hooray," but not in a silly way. She shows me how it must be exclaimed — with one's arms outstretched, waving up and down. She tells me it was a very important word when the war ended.

Throughout my life, my grandmother has profoundly cared for me — physically, mentally, and sometimes spiritually. At every juncture, she has nurtured me, protected me, and been a fountain of unconditional, selfless love.

But now, we share very different political views, and for the first time, it's creating a divide in our relationship.

Political conversations are causing strife in our family

When I was in high school and living close to my grandmother, I would try to engage her in political debate, but conversations would all too often turn heated, sour, and sometimes even cruel. I eventually decided that what I most wanted out of our relationship was peace. For that peace to be maintained, politics must forever remain a can of unopened worms.

In my head, I know that such silence is counterproductive. But in my heart, I know that having a close relationship with my Halmoni is profoundly important to me. I feel that her love for her family is boundless, and my love for her is boundless too.

Recently, I asked her if she felt she could speak openly about political issues with her family. Her answer was a resounding no.

"Ah, Bella." She let out an exasperated sigh. "Politics…you cannot talk to people in the family about it. Because it's just fighting. Even in a family, everyone have their own opinion. So they fight. It's not open mind, Bella. Politics is very secret. Right now, so divided. So bad. So it's hard to talk about it."

I also struck a nerve when I asked Halmoni what it's like to engage in political discussions with my mother.

"Whenever I talk with your mother…she say that everything I say wrong. Everything she say right. So I shut my mouth. When your mother gets upset, she yells at me…I don't want to talk to your mother about anything."

Silence is the reigning power in my family when it comes to politics. But it doesn't mean that we don't talk. We just don't talk about things outside our insular familial universe.

"When I call your family — they always call right back," Halmoni tells me earnestly. "I respect about that. That is very good. I think your mother teach the kids good. I think your family is good quality."

I'm struggling to connect with my grandmother on a deeper level

Most of my conversations with Halmoni are relegated to the domestic sphere: relationships, recipes, romantic comedies. I know without reservation that there is a depth to our relationship that I am missing out on.

Often, I feel that I'm being irresponsible by pretending like political conversations don't matter. But it's also comforting to construct a bubble of safety for our relationship and live inside it. To do so, however, I must suspend my beliefs, which often leaves me feeling hollow.

This is not a method I can apply to other relationships in my life, but in the case of my Halmoni, I don't want to squander a single moment with her.

• I made frozen potstickers with my oven, stovetop, and microwave to find the best cooking method.
• If I'm making a big batch, I think the oven probably makes the most sense. 
• But nothing came close to rivaling the hot, crispy pan-fried potstickers. 

As of 2023, the global frozen-food industry was worth nearly $3 billion, and my family has certainly contributed to that. Frozen appetizers, meals, and sides are an easy way to get dinner on the table during the week.

One of our favorite frozen treats is potstickers, so I embarked on delicious hands-on testing to see if the flavorful dumplings are best when I use my oven, microwave, or stovetop.

Here's how the cooking methods stacked up.

If you're short on time, the microwave only takes five minutes.

If you're hungry for dumplings and only have five minutes to spare, the microwave is likely your only option.

To cook the potstickers in the microwave, I placed four dumplings in a standard bowl and poured in a little less than a cup of room-temperature water on top. I then popped the bowl in the microwave for four minutes.

When the timer went off, I retrieved the bowl, poured off the remaining excess water, and transferred the potstickers to a plate.

The microwaved potstickers came out better than I expected — but still not great.

Straight out of the microwave, the potstickers looked … not great. I was met with a damp, rubbery-looking lineup of dumplings I can hardly describe as appetizing.

Nonetheless, I dutifully drizzled some of my beloved Bachan's Japanese barbecue sauce on top and popped a dumpling in my mouth.

Appearances aside, I was pleasantly surprised. They lacked the traditional seared bottoms that give potstickers their winning taste and texture, but they weren't as chewy as I'd feared. In fact, the dumplings had a pleasant firmness.

They were evenly warmed inside — almost too hot, really — making them entirely satisfactory.

Although the potstickers were hardly remarkable, I'd certainly use the microwave again if I was short on time.

Making potstickers in the oven allows me to cook large batches at once.

To make the potstickers in the oven, I first preheated it to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the oven was hot, I thoroughly coated the dumplings in oil — I used a blend of avocado oil and sesame oil — and then lined them up, flat side down, on a baking sheet.

I baked the dumplings for 17 minutes (most recipes I found online called for 16 or 18). Right when my timer went off, I retrieved the potstickers and quickly got them off the baking sheet.

The finished dumplings were a little dry but still exceeded my expectations.

I figured the baked potstickers would be dry and tasteless, but I was happily proven wrong.

Although the ridge formed by the potsticker's seam was a bit dry and browned, the rest retained moisture. There was even a bit of a sear on the bottom.

I drizzled on the barbecue sauce and took a bite.

Aside from that dried-out strip along the top, the oven-baked potstickers were delicious. Plus, I could've cooked two dozen at once, making it ideal for preparing a large batch.

In the future, I'll briefly pull the dumplings out of the oven and mist or brush water over them at about the 12-minute mark to avoid any drying. But overall, I was impressed with how easy and effective this cooking method was.

I had high hopes for the stovetop method.

Potstickers get their name from the fact that they get fried in and stuck to a pan, so I was expecting the stovetop method to wow me.

To pan-fry my dumplings, I poured a generous tablespoon of avocado oil into a 10-inch pan and began to heat it over a medium flame.

Once the oil started simmering, I added the potstickers to the pan, flat side down, and poured about a quarter of a cup of water over them. Just make sure your oil isn't so hot that the water causes a flare-up.

I covered the pan and stood back for eight minutes. Then, I removed the lid and let the dumplings cook for two more minutes. I tried my best not to touch or move them much while they were cooking — it's best just to let the heat do its work.

After 10 minutes on the stove, I popped the pan-fried potstickers on a plate, drizzled some Bachan's sauce, and got to tasting.

The pan-fried dumplings were the clear winners.

The pan-seared dumplings were perfect — they had a tender, almost crunchy bottom, were moist but far from soggy, and were heated through but not too hot to enjoy right away.

The sauce kind of sloughed off the wetter microwaved potstickers, but these dumplings embraced the drizzle, further improving the taste and appearance.

All three cooking methods have their place, but the pan is best when you have the time.

When timing or volume are issues, I'll certainly use my microwave and oven again.

But ultimately, the pan-fried approach is the best method for cooking frozen dumplings.

It only takes about 12 minutes, and the perfectly crispy results are delicious.

Click to check out the other appliances we've put head-to-head so far.

• Shipping lanes off Yemen have seen a spike in successful Houthi attacks lately.
• They've hit several commercial ships in recent weeks and even sank one of them.
• The Iran-backed rebels are also getting their drone boats out to sea more often. 

The Houthis have scored a string of successful hits in recent weeks on commercial vessels — even sinking one of them — and demonstrated their ability to effectively strike targets with drone boats, signaling that they're getting smarter with their attacks.

Experts say these highly destructive achievements show that the Houthis are learning from their many months of regular attacks on shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and continue to receive help from Iran, their main supplier of military and financial assistance.

"They're learning, and they're getting more support," Archer Macy, a retired US Navy admiral, told Business Insider.

'A useful disguise' for the Houthis

Between December and March, Houthi attacks damaged at least 19 commercial ships, according to a June 13 report published by the Defense Intelligence Agency. Nearly all of the vessels were targeted by missiles, though some were struck by one-way attack drones.

The Houthis then lost a critical mission asset. An Iranian cargo ship suspected of providing them with targeting information and intelligence sailed home. MV Behshad spent months lingering in waters near Yemen, but it left the area in mid-April as Tehran braced for Israel to retaliate over its unprecedented attack.

The following weeks saw a decrease in the pace of successful Houthi attacks. In April and May, a total of three commercial vessels reported being struck by anti-ship ballistic missiles launched by the rebels, according to a list of incidents compiled by Military Times.

June, however, has been another story.

The Houthis started the month vowing to escalate their attacks in the wake of American and British strikes in Yemen. The rebels have since struck at least five commercial vessels, finding a level of success in their targeting similar to that of the opening months of their campaign.

Some of the incidents have also revealed dangerous new tactics. Most notably, on June 12, the Houthis struck a commercial vessel in the Red Sea with an explosive-laden drone boat for the first time since they began attacking merchant shipping in November.

Unlike the sophisticated naval drones that have taken center stage in the Ukraine war, devastating the Russian Black Sea Fleet, this crude-looking weapon was little more than a small, slow-moving craft staffed by two dummies that appeared to resemble a common fishing vessel. As such, the vessel managed to travel over 65 nautical miles across shipping lanes without being stopped.

"There's so many small boats in that stretch of water, and that's why, actually, it's so hard to stop the smuggling of missiles and drones to the Houthis as well," Brian Carter, the Salafi-Jihadism team lead and an analyst at the American Enterprise Institute's Critical Threats Project, told BI.

"You can't stop every small boat. So I do think it's a useful disguise for them," he said.

The initial drone boat attack on the commercial bulk carrier MV Tutor caused flooding and damage to the engine room. Hours later, a Houthi missile hit the ship. The double-tap strike forced the crew to abandon the vessel, and it eventually sank, becoming the second ship to do so since attacks began last fall.

The same week, the Houthis fired two anti-ship missiles, hitting the MV Verbena in the Gulf of Aden. Not even 24 hours later, the bulk cargo carrier was struck by another missile, marking the week's second double-tap strike. The ship's crew eventually abandoned the vessel due to the damage sustained by the attacks.

British security firm Ambrey said the attacks on the Tutor and Verbena, in addition to successful strikes on two other vessels in the days prior, were indicative of a "significant increase in effectiveness" of Houthi operations.

"Every single Houthi attack, the Houthis are probably learning something about what works and what doesn't," Carter said. "If you think about how a military organization operates, they're definitely taking away lessons from the different strike packages that they're using."

Double taps and drone boats

Beyond the recent double-tap strikes, the Houthis' ability to learn from past attacks is visible in their drone boat operations.

During the first few months of this year, US forces destroyed Houthi drone boats in Yemen nearly every time the rebels tried to launch them into shipping lanes. In June, though, the rebels managed to get well over a dozen drone boats into the water — far more than they had in any previous month.

And their ability to do so is what ultimately led to the catastrophic attack on the Tutor.

Experts say the uptick in drone boat attacks points to the Houthis' ability to react to US strikes in Yemen and adjust their operations accordingly.

That could mean better hiding them or picking more efficient launch sites. It also suggests that the rebels could now have a larger supply of such weapons, awarding them more opportunities to launch and thus leading to a greater chance that they'll eventually hit something.

"I think it's more likely they've got more of them, so they're more willing to use them," said Macy, now a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Missile Defense Project. "They're not such precious objects, and they've probably just gotten better at it."

It's unclear what all the Houthi drone boats look like, but the small fishing craft that struck the Tutor is an inexpensive, readily available vessel that can be modified into a weapon.

It is difficult to not only prevent the rebels from obtaining their "low-tech, low-cost" means of attack and to deter them from launching attacks, Alex Stark, an associate policy researcher who covers Middle East security at the RAND Corporation, told BI.

These attacks are an "ongoing problem without an obvious or useful solution at hand," she added.

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby acknowledged this week that the Houthis have been more successful in their recent targeting, though he pointed out that a majority of their attacks have still failed.

US and coalition naval forces are routinely tasked with destroying Houthi missiles and drones — both before and after launch — and many of these threats have landed in the water.

"They miss a whole hell of a lot more than they hit," Kirby told reporters on Wednesday.

He said the US will continue to "degrade their capabilities" — which American forces are said to be doing through the consistent strikes in Yemen — but cautioned that the Houthis are still getting supplied and resourced by Iran, which has been the case for years.

"The Houthis, who have no greater or lesser desire than they did six months ago, have been given more capability and are getting more support in doing so," Macy said.

Recent Houthi successes come amid changes in the American naval presence in the region. The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, which spent more than seven months battling the rebels, recently left the Red Sea, but it will soon be replaced by the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group.

US officials have warned that the conflict has no signs of slowing down, and the growing financial toll has raised questions about the long-term sustainability of the counter-Houthi mission.

Experts say that despite the material effects of the Houthi campaign, which has caused disruptions to a key global shipping route, the rebels are still eager to use their attacks to boost their messaging and legitimacy. The Houthis characterize their campaign as a response to the Israel-Hamas war, but they are also attempting to position themselves as a big player in Iran's proxy network.

"I think they have discovered that this tactic is quite successful for them and very difficult to deter," Stark said.

Broader regional de-escalation might be the only way to sustainably address the problem, but that may not permanently solve it, she said. "I don't think the Houthis would be willing to cease these kinds of attacks forever."

• My kids are 6, 4, and 4, and we've been talking about going camping as a family. 
• We decided to start with a pre-set-up camp with a shower and bathroom to get them used to it. 
• Everyone had so much fun, we are starting to plan another camping trip together. 

I'll admit I'm not the most outdoorsy person. I love the beach and can lay on the hot sand for hours on end, but sleeping in a tent and fending off bugs is not my idea of fun.

That said, my husband and I moved our family from Brooklyn to Maine to spend more time outside. Our kids love getting dirty and playing outdoors regardless of the season. We had been talking about taking them camping — something I hadn't done in nine years but that my husband loves doing — but hadn't come around to actually planning a trip yet.

We spent a long weekend at a camping ground in southern Maine, and the kids absolutely loved it. They are already asking to go camping again, and I'm wondering why we didn't do this earlier in their lives.

We went with the easy option

Because our kids are little — they are 6, 4, and 4 — we felt like maybe a good start would be a camping ground that had already been set up. We found a company called Huttopia, which has a location near us. It was close enough to home that the kids wouldn't be stuck in the car for hours on end, and we could also abort the plan if we were all miserable.

There are different kinds of huts, from rustic to more modern, which include a private bathroom and shower. We went with the rustic option, which was a canvas tent with two rooms — one with a bunk bed that fit all three kids and one with a queen bed — as well as a small kitchenette, dining table, and bathroom. 

While some might say this is not technically camping, we still had to zip up our canvas windows at night, and we chased plenty of bugs out of the tent.

It was so family-friendly

I was surprised at how many families were there and how many activities were planned for kids.

The night we arrived, there was a movie night for kids. The next night, there was a concert for the whole family, and on our last night, there was a puppet show. This made navigating going from dinner time at the camp to bedtime easy, because kids had something to do to get their willies out. All these activities happened near the restaurant, where pizzas and smoothies were offered for purchase.

The campground also had tons of activities. There was a huge playset for little kids and all kinds of games, such as ping pong, foosball, and petanque.

There was also a pool and a pond for everyone to enjoy. We went in late May, which is still low season for Maine, and the pond was packed with people. The pool, on the other hand, was practically empty during our entire stay.

The campgrounds are also dog-friendly, although they have strict rules, which initially annoyed me but I came to appreciate during our stay. You can never leave your dogs unattended at your camp, and they are allowed everywhere except for the pool. Our two dogs had a blast walking around the grounds and snoozing at the pond.

We were also close to other towns, so when we needed a break from the campgrounds, we explored new beaches and restaurants.

I'm ready to do it again

This experience was so positive that I'm ready to do it again — as long as I have a shower and bathroom to myself.

That said, if staying again at Huttopia, I would ask to stay in a tent further away from the main reception, where the playground is. Because our kids are little, they went to bed before the "quiet time," which started at 10 p.m. Because of that, we could still hear older kids playing and yelling in the game zone area. Also, because we were so close to the reception and main parking spots, we got woken up several times when people were either checking in late or coming back from an adventure. I felt like not all guests followed the dog rules, and I encountered several tents left with dogs alone barking throughout the day. Thankfully, none of those were near ours.

My kids enjoyed collecting pinecones for our fire pit and building s'mores after dinner. They especially loved spending so much time outside in nature, away from distractions like television and toys. They made up games and played together, and it was truly memorable.

• Job seekers often look for ways to slip past the software many companies use to collect résumés.
• Yet it's often recruiters, not bots, that reject applicants for a role.
• A recruitment firm found that applications lead to "meaningful conversations" only 3% of the time.

Melissa Weaver was recruiting for a tech consulting company when she spotted something promising on a man's résumé: He'd worked at a pizza shop all four years of college.

"He had started as a dishwasher and, by the end, he was a manager," she told Business Insider.

Although the recent grad didn't have tech experience, to Weaver, he'd shown longevity with a company and a desire to take on more responsibility.

"That's definitely worth a conversation," Weaver said. The man eventually got the job and has since been promoted multiple times, she said.

It's the kind of feel-good story that seems impossible to repeat in a job market that can unfold like an obstacle course — one where the hurdles are the technologies that many companies use to filter and reject résumés.

Yet, for all the fear of so-called applicant-tracking systems, often, it's not a bot that's doing the booting — it's still people.

'The ATS doesn't care'

Mark Jensen, a recruiter with Upswing Talent Acquisition, told BI that job seekers often focus too much on sneaking past an ATS to get seen.

"They all think that the applicant-tracking system is some magical technology that screens people out on its own," he said. "The ATS doesn't care. It's just a repository."

Instead, recruiters often filter with keywords and other variables to reduce stacks of résumés, Jensen said. So, it's a good idea to tailor yours and your cover letter to ensure they're a good fit for a job description.

That's because, like many others who feel overworked, recruiters often are, too, he said.

"They don't have time to really parse through a résumé and think if someone may or may not be a fit. They need that résumé to jump off the page," Jensen said.

Weaver agreed. She recommends people list specific achievements and skills and not just focus on key words contained in a job description.

"Put any specific stats that show, 'I know what I'm talking about,'" she said. "That's really important in terms of catching the human eye."

Weaver said taking these steps makes it less likely that a résumé will be set aside when a recruiter sorts for certain attributes.

Don't fear the ether

It's understandable why people would stress over whether an ATS would block their résumé. Nearly all Fortune 500 companies, for example, deploy systems for ingesting résumés.

And the only thing worse than having a recruiter spend only six or seven seconds scanning your résumé is having no one read it. Online, people debate strategies for getting past an ATS. People and companies have even made businesses of creating ATS-friendly résumés.

Weaver sees value in using tech to filter candidates but worries about those who could get overlooked — like the pizza guy — because they don't have the experience that's in direct alignment with a job posting.

"Do they have relevant experience? Not in a way that an applicant-tracking system would tell you that they do. But their experience that may not be related to your field can still apply," she said.

Fear of getting ghosted by an ATS is why some people resort to what recruiters call "spray and pray." It's essentially applying to as many jobs as possible to break through somewhere. Artificial intelligence tools can now also help make you a serial applier.

Firing off as many résumés as possible also might make some job seekers feel better about the fact that not every posting they come across is real. A recent survey by Resume Builder, which offers résumé templates, indicated that three in 10 employers have put up fake job listings.

Often, the goal of bogus jobs is to collect résumés that could fit future openings. Or, the intent can appear somewhat sneaky: to signal that a company is growing or to make overworked employees feel like they'll soon have reinforcements.

One potential upside is that phony listings might lead to real interviews. Resume Builder, which surveyed nearly 650 hiring managers in May, reported that four in 10 said they always contacted workers who applied for fake jobs.

A 3% ROI

So, while it's easier than ever to apply for jobs — real or imaginary — that doesn't mean you should go wild. Applying to more than 1,000 roles, for example, doesn't guarantee success.

Aaron Cleavinger, a managing partner at Murdoch Mason Executive Search Group, told BI that his firm's research shows that when applicants apply for positions, that effort turns into "meaningful conversations" only about 3% of the time. He said that doesn't mean people shouldn't go for jobs, but they likely need to limit how often they focus on clicking that submit button.

"If it's 3% value, perhaps you should only spend 3% of your time doing it," he said.

So, what else should job seekers do? Cleavinger said it's about constantly challenging yourself to appear different from other candidates who are equally or more qualified than you.

"How do you stand out so that when there's a big pile of résumés or a giant list of LinkedIn profiles to look through that you'd be the one to come on top?" he said.

Jensen, the recruiter with Upswing Talent Acquisition, said the power also rests with those doing the hiring to make wise decisions about how to use an ATS.

"It's the recruiter and how they choose to filter to make hopefully the most relevant candidates bubble up to the top, so they don't have to review all 400 or 1,000 résumés," he said.

An earlier version of this story appeared on May 4, 2024.

• Small drones dominate Ukraine's battlefield, but their advantage won't last, France's army chief said.
• Small, relatively cheap drones have been hugely successful weapons in the war so far.
• However, experts told BI that advancing countermeasures would limit small drones' capabilities.

Small aerial drones have dominated the battlefield in Ukraine, but according to French Army Chief of Staff Gen. Pierre Schill, they could soon lose their combat advantage.

Speaking at the Eurosatory defense show in Paris on June 19, Schill said that their advantage represented merely "a moment in history," Defense News reported.

"The life of impunity of small, very simple drones over the battlefield is a snapshot in time," Schill said.

"Right now it's being exploited, that's clear, and we have to protect ourselves. Today, the sword, in the sense of the aerial drone, is powerful, more powerful than the shield. The shield is going to grow," he added.

The use of drones will likely fluctuate

Former British Army officer Christopher Lincoln-Jones told Business Insider that the use of small drones in warfare would likely "ebb and flow."

He said: "What will happen is that, as artificial intelligence becomes better and better and the senses become better, medium-sized drones will dominate rather than the small ones."

"Mini drones are limited by the fact that battery technology is not good enough for them yet. And although they can carry a small charge or weapon, they're not really good against military targets," Lincoln-Jones added.

Greg Bagwell, the UK Royal Air Force's former Deputy Commander, told BI "there is some truth" to Schill's comments about the future of small drones in battle.

"I think to say it's nearly had its day, and it's all over is probably a slight exaggeration. But I think it will get harder for them to operate as people now get wise to this threat. We'll start to see the counters maybe begin to take a higher position," he said.

Small drones are at the forefront of the war in Ukraine

Small drones, particularly first-person view drones (FPVs), have been a trademark of Russia's war in Ukraine, with both sides weaponizing them against each other.

FPV drones have had huge success on the battlefield so far, proving to be cheaper and more accurate than most artillery as they can be guided directly to their target.

A NATO official told Foreign Policy magazine in April that more than two-thirds of the Russian tanks that had been destroyed by Ukraine in recent months had been targeted with FPVs.

Ukraine has also pounded Russian oil refineries and airbases with drones as part of a widespread campaign to disrupt Russian military supplies and hamper the Russian air force.

Drone countermeasures are advancing

But Lincoln-Jones and Bagwell both echoed Gen. Schill's warnings that drone countermeasures are advancing and would increasingly render small drones less effective.

"There will be all sorts of techniques being used to jam the signals, the video, or the GPS signal," Bagwell said.

Schill said that electronic warfare — which uses the electromagnetic spectrum, including signals like radio, infrared, or radar, to disrupt an enemy's ability to use those signals itself — was already neutralizing 75% of drones deployed in Ukraine.

"Unless you can encrypt and use direct line of sight to control your drone, you're very vulnerable to nearly every electronic warfare system," Lincoln-Jones said. "You just need to know what frequency the drone is operating on from the point of view of its commands."

Nevertheless, current electronic warfare systems being used to defend against drone attacks have their limits. The use of such systems risks interfering with other technology, such as radios and cellphones that are in the drone's vicinity.

Drone production also continues to surge in Ukraine in spite of increasing defense systems, with more than 200 companies now producing aerial drones in the country.

Both sides are now also pumping money into developing AI-powered drones that can bypass electronic warfare systems.

It seems that small drone warfare won't be going away just yet.

Gen. Schill declined an interview with BI.

• My name Sara is pretty common, especially spelled with an h. 
• I named my daughter Charissa Anne, giving her an uncommon name first. 
• It was a popular name decades ago, but now it's popularity has dwindled and that's why I chose it. 

I was named after my great grandmother on my father's side and my great-great aunt on my mother's. My name also appeared on the top 10 girls names lists throughout the 80s, so everywhere I went there was another Sara(h). Even in my small high school graduating class of 50, there was another Sarah. I went to college and there were two other Sarahs just on my dorm hallway. At that point, I started being known by a nickname.

Since Sarahs with an h are about three times more common than those without, it is the default spelling. The spelling people even use when replying to emails signed with the correct spelling. I have a friend that I've known for almost 10 years that still spells my name wrong. At some point I just gave up on correcting her.

I married a man with a common name as well. Even worse, he is a junior, so he has the same first and middle name as his father. Childhood family gatherings were even more confusing, because he also had a grandfather, uncle, and cousin who shared his first name. Nicknames were necessary so everyone knew who you were talking to and about.

We wanted to name our child something that wasn't popular

When my husband and I started talking about future children, we knew we wouldn't be naming them either a family name or a popular, common name. We wanted them to have names that felt more special, ones that they wouldn't encounter too many other people with, if at all. But we also didn't want to name them something too unusual, that they could potentially be made fun of for.

When I got pregnant we started brainstorming. I always thought that if I had a girl I would name her after my favorite literary character, Anne of "Anne of Green Gables," a spunky creative who also had to correct people that spelled her name wrong. Anne has been out of vogue as a popular girls name for decades, but it is a classic girls name that already belonged to multiple people we knew, including an extended family member. So it ended up being demoted to a middle name.

I had the gut feeling that the baby was a girl long before we officially found out at the gender scan, just like I had the gut feeling that a name I came across early in the pregnancy was her name: Charissa. It felt even more right when I did an online search and saw it hadn't cracked the top 1,000 since the 1980s. There were three variations on the spelling and my husband and I chose the one that we liked the best.

I didn't realize people don't know how to pronounce Charissa

What we didn't anticipate was that there would be confusion about how to pronounce it. The first visit to the pediatrician's office when her name was called, pronounced incorrectly, was the first time that it occurred to me. I initially dismissed it as one person pronouncing it wrong, but then it seemed like everyone who was encountering her name in written form first was getting it wrong.

It has become a pleasant surprise when someone pronounces it correctly. While anyone that she has regular interaction with knows the correct pronunciation, unfortunately she'll have to constantly correct new people she meets throughout her life. Which is disappointing as someone who has experienced frustration due to her name and its spelling her whole life.

Even so, I wouldn't change her name or its spelling. It is unique and beautiful, just like her.

• Networking is key to finding new job opportunities and advancing your career.
• Make the discussion all about the person you're networking with.
• It takes years to build a rich web of connections but a great network can last a lifetime.

There's no better way to find a new job than through a network. Oftentimes, the best hires and best roles are found through people you know.

With a robust set of connections, when that dream job opening comes up, one of your network friends could say, "Hey, I know a great person for that role." For this reason, people constantly say you need to network to get ahead.

But how exactly do you do that?

In my over 40 years in business, including being the VP of HR at Microsoft, I've seen people truly excel at building career-enhancing networking. Here's what they do.

Connect with coworkers outside your department

The key to success in networking is to expand your visibility beyond the people you work with every day. Get outside your own bubble.

When you get exposure beyond your immediate sphere, you multiply your presence. Those new people introduce you to more new people, and the size of your network expands exponentially.

Yes, it's fun to interact with those who share your interests and skills. But if you stay entirely within your area, your network will never expand beyond it. The trick is to look outside your discipline. If you work in finance, find people in sales, marketing, development, HR, manufacturing, or wherever. Get to know people far and wide.

Learn how every part of the organization works. It will help you perform your job better and build allies across the company. "Yes, I know Anne who works over there, let me talk to her about that."

Step outside your bubble and network with other organizations in your industry

Better yet, get outside your current organization. Look to other companies in your industry that are doing interesting things. Consider organizations that work far differently than your current one.

The value here is in understanding how things work elsewhere. How different companies handle the challenges you see every day. How do they motivate people? Work together across disciplines? Hire great talent? Handle lean times?

Every organization faces many of the same challenges, and it can be incredibly enlightening to see how other people and teams handle them. It makes you smarter and more valuable to your company. You'd want to be able to say, "I've seen how they do it in the sprinkler system industry. They handle it like this."

The best thing is to build a range of options in your career, as you see the broader world around you.

Where do you look?

But where do you find all these people? They're everywhere.

Inside your organization, the people to network with are in your budget meeting, your HR training class, your company all-hands meeting, and that monthly Zoom meeting that you hate but have to attend.

Outside your organization, they're at that conference you went to last year. On social media talking about the frustrating parts of their industry. They're in the Reddit forum for your discipline or on that gaming Discord server.

They're the other parent at your kid's soccer match. The neighbor down the street, or the person across the room at church. The other volunteer at the nonprofit fundraiser. Or the other hiker in the group you occasionally go to.

The right people to network with are literally all around you, you just have to reach out and ask. "Hey, I'd love a coffee or a Zoom to understand more about what you do." Almost no one would refuse that conversation.

Be curious

But I don't know anything about those other disciplines or organizations, you say?

That's the good part. That's what's fun. Meeting people like this is a chance to learn, and to broaden your scope.

The key is to be curious and ask lots of great questions. Not just what do you do, but tell me about how that works. What does a typical day or month look like? What are your biggest challenges?

Also, dig deeper and ask more engaging questions. "Gee, that seems like it would be tough to make progress. How do you keep motivated?" "That sounds like it would be cool, what are some of the big wins you've had?"

The conversation should be about the person you're networking with

Remember in these conversations to make the discussion all about the person you're networking with. Or at least mostly about them. Ask great questions to get them talking about themselves, their job, their challenges, and their successes.

Don't dive into personal things, unless they invite it. There are too many sensitive areas, and it's too easy to step on toes. Just keep it all about work. All about what they do, their role, and their company.

You'd be surprised at the results. People love a good conversation like this, where they get a chance to sit with a good listener and share what they know. Best of all, they'll think you're smart and thoughtful. Just because you showed interest, asked great questions, and listened thoughtfully.

The results take time but can last forever

The results of great networking aren't fast. They don't happen in days or weeks. It takes years to build a rich web of connections.

But a great network can last a lifetime. If you simply keep in touch with the many people you've met, those connections will endure forever. And the payback will be a rich life of options and opportunities.

Networking also builds resilience in your career. If your company is headed into hard times, there's nothing better than a network of people who know you. They will defend you when you need it and be there to help when you need a new job. In conversations they might say, "We should keep them around, let's find them a spot" or "I know they're hiring over there, let me see if I can find a connection for you to talk to."

Make your network a priority. Try to make a new connection each week. Soon, you'll have a rich network as invested in your success as you are.

Chris Williams is the former VP of HR at Microsoft. He's an executive-level advisor and consultant with over 40 years of experience leading and building teams.

• This post originally appeared in the Insider Today newsletter.
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Welcome back to our Saturday edition! Eating healthy just got a lot easier. A longevity expert says two pantry staples are actually the cornerstone of a hearty diet.

On the agenda:

• A 64-year-old says she reversed her biological age with a simple, cheap diet.
• Taylor Swift knew exactly what she was doing bringing Travis Kelce onstage.
• The first-ever Delta One Lounge is just as bougie as you'd expect.
• Summer camps are cracking down on "Sephora Kids."

But first: It's time to talk about work BFFs.

If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. Download Insider's app here.

This week's dispatch

To friend or not to friend — that is the question

Lisa. Nicole. Malorie. Those are the names of my work besties from newsrooms across New York City.

They made the intensity of meeting deadlines bearable, offered great conversation during otherwise monotonous lunch breaks, and gave me much-needed companionship while working well beyond 40 hours a week.

A few years ago, this wouldn't have seemed revelatory. But now, with hybrid work in full swing, having a work best friend has become rarefied air, and there's a growing debate around whether it's even worth it to have work friends at all.

Business Insider's Emily Stewart said it may be a good thing that work friendships are disappearing. She writes, "After years of being told to bring our whole selves to work, many of us could stand to leave a little more at home."

Meanwhile, BI's Madison Hoff and Ayelet Sheffey noted that a lack of work friendships is bad news for not only companies, but employees too. "Humans need each other and collaborate more effectively when they have real relationships," Gallup's director of research Ben Wigert told them.

Personally, I can't help but form friendships at work. Blame my southern upbringing or the fact that I've seen how connection benefits me — and the quality of my work.

So, what do you think? Let me know if you're for or against work friendships.

An age-reversing diet

Amy Hardison, a 64-year-old grandmother of 11, has earned a top spot in the Rejuvenation Olympics. She's even outpaced Bryan Johnson, the tech CEO who spends $2 million a year on his longevity routine.

While Hardison said she spends about $300 a month on supplements, the rest of her longevity routine is cheap or free. She said she does exercises she enjoys, eats homemade bread, and always has dessert.

More longevity tips from the 64-year-old.

Also read:

• A healthy, active 100-year-old shares her 3 science-backed tips for living a long, happy life

A move from the Swiftian playbook

Taylor Swift has practically trained fans to analyze her actions for potential easter eggs. Just like her songs and social media posts, there's a lot to unpack in the decision to bring boyfriend Travis Kelce onstage at the Eras Tour show in London.

The Kelce feature is a callback to the success of Swift's "1989" era, when she basked in the public spotlight. It's also a savvy business move: She's leveraging peak headline dominance with a maximalism true to her brand.

Taylor Swift, business mastermind.

Inside the first Delta One Lounge

Delta Air Lines just unveiled its first-ever business-class lounge, located in New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The highly anticipated lounge — which comes in at nearly 40,000 square feet — offers high-class perks like a wellness center, terrace, and full-service restaurant. BI's reporter got a tour, and says it's the best lounge of its kind.

Check out the new lounge.

Also read:

• Luxury air travel is on the rise. Experts say you don't have to be rich to experience it.

Summer camps crack down on "Sephora kids"

In the past year, beauty influencers on TikTok have helped turn niacinamide serums and eye creams into playground status symbols. But high-end summer camps are drawing a line in the sand.

Some have sent letters to families demanding kids leave their luxury skincare at home. But for every parent relieved by this crackdown, there's a kid who's upset about leaving their mini-fridge full of creams behind.

More on camps' skincare bans.

What we're watching this weekend

• "The Bear": The third season of the critically acclaimed comedy-drama is now on Hulu.
• "I Am: Celine Dion": This intimate new documentary about the iconic singer and her health struggles with stiff-person syndrome serves as a "love letter" to her fans.
• "Owning Manhattan": Netflix's latest reality series centers on the glamorous lives of luxury realtors selling multimillion-dollar properties in New York City.

See the full list.

Deals we love

• Sweet dreams: Heads up hot sleepers — we found the 10 best cooling pillows to help you stay chill at bedtime.
• Independence Day deals: Tons of stores are celebrating the 4th of July with a sale. Here are the best ones from our favorite home, kitchen, and outdoor brands.
• Viral swimsuits for summer: TA3 may not have made it with Shark Tank's investors, but the brand is blowing up on TikTok for its waist-snatching swimsuits that we love.

More of this week's top reads:

• A summer in Europe costs less than sending her kid to camp in the US.
• The Hamptons are back. Here are the hottest places to see and be seen this summer.
• What it's like to move from Colorado to Florida.
• Six places where you can travel in luxury — on a budget.
• A stay in Arizona's top hotels shows why Scottsdale is a luxury travel hotspot.
• You can book free personal-styling appointments at Nordstrom and Saks.
• I went on a trip with my 91-year-old grandmother to her home country.
• Review: Flying 22 hours in Turkish Airlines' business class.
• A couple saved thousands on their wedding by focusing on these details.
• I bid $290 for a premium economy seat on a 10-hour flight. I'm glad I didn't win.

The Insider Today team: Joi-Marie McKenzie, editor in chief of life, in New York. Jordan Parker Erb, editor, in New York. Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York City. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York. Grace Lett, associate editor, in Chicago. Amanda Yen, fellow, in New York.

• Wealthy buyers and celebrities are increasingly choosing Florida for its tax benefits and weather.
• Athletes like Tom Brady and stars like Scott Baio are establishing themselves in the Sunshine State.
• A growing tech population is greatly influencing the housing market down south.

Florida has always been an appealing destination for movers, thanks to its lack of income tax and great weather. Celebrities have always found their way there for vacations or second homes, but in recent years, more high-end buyers are putting down more serious roots in the Sunshine State.

Superstar athlete Lionel Messi, for instance, made his way to Florida after leaving Barcelona. Actors like Sylvester Stallone, one of the many Hollywood stars who've left California, also opted to make Florida his new home base.

And while international celebrity moves aren't all that surprising, there's also been a new crop of mover — ultrawealthy business and tech icons.

During the pandemic, Miami tried to establish itself as the third coast for tech behind San Francisco and New York, and the city was able to lure some large players, from startup founders to investment firm CEOs.

The realignment of wealth has made some regions more popular than they were previously, but Florida, especially, has emerged as a great place to call home for the wealthy.

Business Insider rounded up a list of 14 celebrities and businesspeople who have left various parts of the country to establish themselves — and, in some cases, their businesses — in sunny Florida, presented in alphabetical order by last name.

Scott Baio moved to Florida due to California’s homeless issue.

The "Happy Days" and "Charles in Charge" actor posted on X in May 2023 that he was leaving California after 45 years, citing the homeless issue in LA County.

"Florida is pretty much what America was like 50 years ago," Baio told Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo weeks after the post. "It's just people hanging out. Everything's wide open, it's free, the people that I meet are all just nice."

David Beckham bought a massive condo in Miami after taking ownership of its Major League Soccer team.

Retired soccer great David Beckham is spending more time in Miami these days.

He and his wife, Victoria Beckham, bought a $24 million, five-bedroom condo in 2020 that features a swimming pool and rooftop helipad. The couple moved to Miami after Beckham became co-owner and president of the Major League Soccer team Inter Miami CF.

"Miami is the gateway to the Americas, embracing people from all over the world, and Inter Miami CF was built to bring world-class football to this world-class city," Beckham wrote on his website of his interest in owning Inter Miami.

Jeff Bezos left Seattle's tech hub for a more laid-back city in Miami.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos bought a $68 million mansion in Biscayne Bay in August 2023. Two months later, he bought a seven-bedroom house next door for $79 million. In April, he bought another property in Florida — this time for $90 million.

Bezos said he was leaving Seattle, where his company is headquartered, for Miami to be closer to his parents and to the operations of the aerospace company he also founded, Blue Origin.

"I've lived in Seattle longer than I've lived anywhere else and have so many amazing memories here," Bezos said in an Instagram post. "As exciting as the move is, it's an emotional decision for me."

Tom Brady has lived in Florida since winning a Super Bowl in Tampa Bay.

After signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, and winning a Super Bowl with the team before he retired from the NFL in 2023, Brady has stayed put in Florida.

First, he was living in a 1.2-acre mansion during his time as a Buccaneer while married to Gisele Bündchen (it was once owned by Derek Jeter).

Since his divorce, he's moved to Miami. The bachelor pad features floor-to-ceiling windows and an indoor/outdoor living space with a fireplace and pool, according to snapshots he's shared on Instagram.

"I was a native Californian for a long time in my life, went away from it for about 25 years, and you won't catch me dead living in the Northeast anymore," Brady said in 2020, referencing his time as a New England Patriot. "I'm loving the warm weather, and it's been a great feeling."

Guy Fieri has an estate near West Palm Beach that can dock a 100-foot yacht.

The king of "Flavortown" has spent most of his career on the West Coast, having gone to college in Las Vegas and building his restaurant empire in California. Now, as one of the major food personalities in the world and with his children growing up, he's thinking of the next chapter in his life.

Fieri bought a waterfront home near West Palm Beach in 2023 for $7.3 million, according to The Palm Beach Post.

The estate has five bedrooms, five bathrooms, 6,621 square feet of indoor living space, and a 5-foot infinity pool. Its 230-foot frontage on the Intracostal Waterway has enough room to dock a 100-foot yacht.

"Even a cloudy day in Florida is an awesome day," he said while opening up one of his Chicken Guy chains in Winter Park, Florida in 2023. "I will be in Florida way more than you know."

Citadel CEO Ken Griffin moved his family and his business to South Florida.

Ken Griffin founded the investment firm Citadel in 1990 in Chicago but has since ditched the Windy City for the warmer climate of Miami.

Griffin not only moved his firm — which has about $58 billion in assets managed — to Florida, he moved himself. He plans on building a $1 billion office for the new Citadel headquarters and isn't skimping on his own digs either.

In 2022, Griffin bought a waterfront property for more than $106 million, breaking the previous record (which he set himself the year before, after buying a home on Star Island for $75 million).

Karlie Kloss and Jared Kushner left Manhattan for South Florida.

Josh Kushner, venture capitalist and brother to Jared Kushner, left Manhattan for a $23.5 million property in Miami Beach in 2020.

Kushner and his wife, model Karlie Kloss, moved into an eight-bedroom, 14,000-square-foot mansion on a waterfront lot.

According to Architectural Digest, Kushner and Kloss bought another property in Manhattan in 2021, but property records show they still own their home in Miami Beach.

Lionel Messi enjoys his Fort Lauderdale mansion when he's not playing for Inter Miami CF.

Three years after taking the team, David Beckham acquired arguably the world's greatest soccer player.

Lionel Messi signed on to play for Inter Miami CF in 2023, and when he's not on the pitch, he enjoys his $10.75 million waterfront mansion in Fort Lauderdale.

The 10,500-square-foot two-story house has 10 bedrooms, nine bathrooms, two docks, and 170 feet of water frontage, according to the Miami Herald.

"It has been very easy, very easy," Messi said at a 2023 press conference about adapting to his new surroundings in Miami. "We were convinced we wanted to come here, and the people made it very easy, the people in the club and the people I see day to day in the streets and the amazing city, it makes living here very easy and happy."

Adam Neumann is establishing himself in Florida and has a large footprint to work with.

In 2021, WeWork cofounder Adam Neumann sold his Bay Area compound for $22.4 million and bought two properties in Miami.

Neumann bought two adjacent properties totaling 50,000 square feet for $44 million. The waterfront properties are located on the Bal Harbour marina, an exclusive part of Miami Beach.

Larry Robbins vacated New York to live in Florida, but will still commute for work.

Billionaire and hedge-fund manager Larry Robbins is leaving New York City, but he's not bringing his company with him.

Robbins, the CEO of Glenview Capital Management, bought a home in Palm Beach Gardens for $13.9 million earlier in 2024, according to The Real Deal.

Unlike other bosses who are moving their operations with them, Bloomberg reported that Robbins will keep the fund in New York while he commutes back and forth.

Judge Judy Sheindlin has been a fixture in Florida for years, and even a hurricane won't stop her from living there.

Judge Judy Sheindlin has been enjoying the Sunshine State for some time. For years, she and her husband have lived in Naples.

At one time, they owned an 8,550-square-foot condo with two private elevators and a sauna but put it on the market in 2015.

She then moved into a 10,000-square-foot mansion about a mile away that overlooks a man-made lake.

In 2022, a month after the devastation of Hurricane Ian through Florida, Sheindlin told "Good Morning America" that she lost a couple of cars due to the storm, but that wouldn't stop her from going back to Florida.

"We kissed goodbye a couple of cars, which went floating," she said. "But, generally speaking, we were luckier than most people down in Florida. And we're hoping to get back before the season ends."

Sylvester Stallone is enjoying life as an empty-nester in the Sunshine State.

After decades of living in Los Angeles, the iconic actor packed up for Florida in 2023.

The move was revealed in early 2024, when season two of his reality series, "The Family Stallone," aired.

"After a long, hard consideration, your mother and I have decided, time to move on and leave the state of California permanently, and we're going to go to Florida," Stallone told his kids. "We're going to sell this house."

Stallone and his wife, Jennifer Flavin, gave multiple reasons for the relocation, including the desire for a fresh start after their children moved out of the family home.

Howard Stern is enjoying life on his oceanfront property in Palm Beach.

The legendary shock jock spent decades living it up in the Hamptons, and now he's doing the same in Florida.

Stern bought the massive 20,000-square-foot oceanfront property in Palm Beach in 2013 for a reported $52 million.

The property is so desirable that in April, rumors spread that Jeff Bezos bought Stern's estate for $300 million. However, Page Six later reported that the rumors were false and that Stern even told the billionaire his place wasn't for sale.

"New York is the center of the world," Stern once told listeners of his show in 2015. "Why wouldn't everyone just move to Florida and build a New York there? I don't get it."

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner deserted DC and landed in Miami Beach.

Former president Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka, and her husband, Jared Kushner, reportedly spent $30 million in December 2020 on a waterfront lot on Indian Creek Island — a gated community home to a handful of celebrities.

When they bought the property, the home was billed as a "fixer-upper," and they spent years on renovations.

After leaving Washington, DC, but before moving into their new home, the couple rented a condo tower, Arte Tower, in Surfside, Florida, about a mile from their property.