Tag: News

  • I became a widow in my 20s. It taught me to say ‘yes’ more and live every day like it might be my last.

    Powerful rear view shot of a mature woman looking out of her bedroom window
    The author, not pictured, lost her husband in her 20s.

    • My first husband died unexpectedly when we were both in our 20s.
    • Becoming a widower taught me that romantic love is not the only kind of love out there.
    • Getting married again doesn't mean that I will erase my widowhood.

    As I filled out the intake paperwork at my annual physical, I quickly clicked through all the standard demographic information, halting as I reached the marital status question. I hovered over the dropdown menu before clicking "widowed." I realized that next year I would be clicking "married."

    Though I will consider myself both "married" and "widowed" after my coming wedding, the binaries that govern paperwork will not honor this joint identity, erasing a title that I have come to embrace in the past four years since my husband's death.

    I was a widow in my 20s

    Eli died in an accident when he was 25. We were newlyweds, embarking on a life together and humming with excitement for all the future held. Overnight, that future we had spent years discussing and planning evaporated.

    Man hiking in Bulgaria
    The author's first husband died unexpectedly when he was 25.

    Many other young people I know who have lost partners have grappled with the title "widow" or "widower," words that rarely conjure images of people in their 20s with potentially decades of life ahead. But, as I attended dozens of grief groups, sitting among others who had lost loved ones, I realized that partner loss is unusual in having a title I could claim.

    There is no equivalent for someone mourning a sibling, a child, or a friend, no single word to signal the magnitude of that perpetual pain. Grateful for the terminology available to me, I quickly adopted "widow," weaving it into my identity.

    Widowhood has redefined how I live in countless ways, but three lessons have lit my path forward.

    I say 'yes' more now

    First, I have fought (and continue to fight) to let go of the pervasive culture of delayed gratification. I am haunted by the number of times I said "no" to Eli in favor of pursuing a future moment of joy rather than relishing the present.

    I said no to spontaneous weekend trips because I deemed it more responsible to save for a bigger vacation later. I said no to small pleasures, such as theater tickets and late-night snacks at the bodega, because I was budgeting for future milestones and increasing my contributions to retirement accounts. I said no to quiet moments together at the end of long workdays because I was preoccupied with climbing a career ladder.

    Woman hiking Machu Pichu
    The author and her husband always dreamed of hiking the Inca Trail and visiting Machu Picchu. She hiked it by herself, carrying his passport with her.

    Now, rather than living for a future that might or might not come, I try to say yes — to joy, to love, and sometimes to a touch of chaos, even when it feels impractical or risky. Celebrating the present is often a messy endeavor, but it is undoubtedly a way of living.

    There's more than romantic love

    Second, I was raised in a sea of cultural narratives that centered romantic love as the ultimate love. And it was for me. But when it slipped through my fingers, I realized that what I missed most about our partnership was the love that had been nurtured and developed in our friendship.

    After Eli's death, the love that sustained me came from expanding the boundaries of connection — in the friends who could sense how I was doing by the tone of my voice, in the family that welcomed me for weeks on their futons when I couldn't bear to be home alone, and in random strangers who understood my loss through their own experiences. Love is an unlimited resource that doesn't subscribe to any hierarchy. There is so much to go around.

    I live like any day could be my last

    Third, I now live each day knowing it could be my last, or worse, the last for someone I love. Rebuilding my life after loss has meant learning to find peace in uncertainty and to hold both hope and fear simultaneously. Some days, the unknown feels paralyzing, and other days it sharpens my attention and makes the ordinary sparkle. As I look toward a future of getting remarried, the joy is tinged with my awareness of tragedy. Yet that discomfort makes love, in all forms, feel even more urgent.

    I'll be honest, for me, neither time nor new relationships have healed my loss. The grief hasn't softened into something easier to bear. The sadness has shifted as my life has changed, but I don't miss Eli any less than the day he died. If anything, I miss him more, devastated by all that he has missed these last four years.

    I now walk through my life seeing all its fragile edges, the delicate seams that could instantly unravel and swallow me whole. But walking the tightrope, hand in hand with dozens of others, including my exceptional fiancé, has made the balancing act not only bearable but also beautiful.

    Becoming "married" again is not an act of erasure, as I sometimes fear; instead, it's an homage to my widowhood. I now realize that choosing love, living in the present, and acknowledging the magnitude of uncertainty is the truest way to find Eli's wandering spirit in every corner of my life.

    I am beyond grateful to be getting married again. And I am beyond grateful to be a widow for the rest of my life.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • I live in France. This little-known seaside town is as charming as other famous French Riviera spots and less pretentious.

    Author Rachel Hosie in Sanary-sur-Mer
    I've fallen in love with the charm and beauty of Sanary-sur-Mer, a small coastal town in France.

    • Sanary-sur-Mer, a small port town, is one of my favorite places on the French Riviera to visit.
    • I love watching yachts bob in the harbor, and enjoying the beauty of the pastel buildings and shops.
    • It feels authentically French but doesn't seem particularly well known or too crowded.

    Though millions of people visit the French Riviera each year, many travelers set their sights on famous spots like Nice, Cannes, Antibes, and Saint-Tropez.

    But since moving to the Côte d'Azur a few months ago, I've discovered a few lesser-known but, in my opinion, much better spots to visit in the area.

    One of my absolute favorites is a small coastal town called Sanary-sur-Mer. I've been a few times now and have been utterly charmed by it each time.

    Sanary-sur-Mer is a lesser-known gem along France's south coast.
    Boats in harbor at Sanary-sur-Mer
    Some of the smaller boats could be rented.

    Situated between Marseille and Toulon, Sanary-sur-Mer is a port town along the Mediterranean Sea with a population under 20,000.

    Many locals I've spoken to where I live half an hour away have agreed that Sanary is considered the nicest place in the area.

    Though it's popular with the French, it's seemingly not on many international tourists' radars. It can get a bit overshadowed by popular nearby spots like Cannes and Saint-Tropez.

    When my husband and I have visited Sanary-sur-Mer, I didn't hear any language other than French spoken around me, which is rare to find in the south of France during the summer (and a far cry from a September Sunday in Antibes, where I could barely move among British, Irish, and American tourists).

    It's surrounded by beautiful blue waters.
    Boats in waterfront area in Sanary-sur-Mer

    The town is based around a wide, clean-looking harbor full of bobbing yachts and other boats.

    There may not be as many superyachts as you'd find further up the coast, but there are still plenty of huge ones to admire and imagine floating around in.

    Some of the smaller boats are even available for visitors to rent.

    Whenever we visit, the area feels quiet and peaceful.
    View of lighthouse at end of dock in Sanary-sur-Mer

    On one trip, we walked along the port and up to a charming lighthouse and were surprised by how quiet it was despite being a summer Saturday afternoon.

    There were only a few other people and some children splashing in the nearby fountains. It was refreshing compared to the more touristy spots that are always heaving with crowds.

    There are also lovely pedestrian areas.
    Esplanade in Sanary-sur-Mer
    The esplanade in Sanary-sur-Mer felt so clean.

    Lined with cafés and restaurants, the waterfront is so clean I thought I was on a film set when we first visited.

    My husband and I especially enjoy getting ice cream in one of the cafés on the wide esplanade — a wonderful place to sit and watch the world go by.

    I'm also pleased to say that we've found many public toilets in the area that are actually free to use and in decent condition.

    We love taking in the beautiful buildings and boutiques.
    People walking along streets in Sanary-sur-Mer
    The pedestrianized streets were lovely to walk along.

    Narrow cobbled streets full of chic boutiques snake up from the harbor, dotted with tropical palm trees and pastel-colored buildings with blue and green shutters that offer traditional Provençal charm.

    Sanary-sur-Mer is also packed full of little stores selling chic clothes and interesting homewares — I've treated myself to a plant pot in Maman & fiston and some linen trousers in Serendipity.

    There aren't big designer shops like you'd find in Cannes or Nice, but Sanary feels all the more authentic for it. The town is less fussy and certainly not pretentious at all.

    I've already made a mental note to come back here before Christmastime.

    The area is rich with history, too.
    Retro-style light pink and blue cinema in Sanary-sur-Mer

    The "regular" buildings in Sanary-sur-Mer, like most of Provence, are beautiful, but one building that stood out to me was the cinema, Cinéma A.b.c.

    Dating back decades, the building's retro facade features striking and beautiful pastel colors. Although it has been updated to better function as a theater, its exterior has changed very little.

    The town also has walking tours for visitors who want to learn more about the local history. For example, this coastal town was a refuge for German and Austrian authors and artists who fled Nazi Germany in the 1930s.

    Little beaches offer perfect swimming opportunities.
    View of stairs leading into sea at Sanary-sur-Mer
    I loved the stairs that led into the sea.

    You don't have to go far out of Sanary to find large beaches, such as Plage de Portissol, a big white-sand one that curves around the coast.

    I especially enjoy the areas with staircases right by the harbor. I don't love getting sandy, so being able to go straight down some stairs from the rocks and into the clear blue water is my idea of heaven.

    All in all, I already can't wait for my next trip to Sanary-sur-Mer to experience more of it. I'd definitely recommend visiting if you want to authentically experience the south coast of France.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • I’ve traveled to more than 70 countries. Each one helped prepare me for motherhood in a unique way.

    The author with her daughter by Lake Powell, AZ, in 2017.
    The author and her daughter on the shore of Lake Powell in 2017.

    • I spent many years traveling the globe and have been to more than 70 countries.
    • Experiences with wildlife and diverse cultures inspired have inspired my approach to parenting.
    • Motherhood, like adventure travel, requires courage, adaptability, and a sense of wonder.

    I've given baths to elephants in Nepal, played tug-o-war over pancakes with a monkey in Guatemala, and spent sleepless nights on roach-infested buses through Brazil.

    I've been humbled, amazed, and tested on my travels, at times wishing I could just go home and other times feeling more alive and overjoyed than ever before — kind of like a day in the life of a mom. After all, if you are a mother, perhaps you, too, have bathed an unwieldy, toddler-sized elephant, tussled with tiny monkeys over pancakes, and had your share of brutal sleepless nights.

    In my mind, moms and other dedicated caregivers are true adventure travelers, even if they barely leave their neighborhood. I should know. Over the last 27 years, I've traveled through more than 70 countries across five continents, and motherhood is the wildest, most wondrous adventure I've ever known.

    The author with her husband while traveling in Nepal in 2003.
    The author and her husband while traveling in Nepal in 2003.

    I gained inspiration from gorillas

    Before I had my daughter, I worked seasonal jobs in ski towns and national parks to save up for months-long backpacking trips all over the world. This itinerant life led me to a career as a writer and editor for national travel magazines.

    Wild mountain gorilla mama and twins in Rwanda in 2012. Mom's name is Kabatwa and twins are Isangano (meeting place) and Isango (appointment).
    The author said that working at TK gorilla mama and twins in Rwanda in 2012. Mom's name is Kabatwa and twins are Isangano (meeting place) and Isango (appointment).

    Then, the once-in-a-lifetime chance to see a wild mountain gorilla mama and her twins in Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park inspired me to want a different, deeply primal adventure — something that I couldn't get to on a plane, bus, or train. Instead, I longed for the meaningful, internal exploration of life as a parent.

    Good thing my husband, Mike, was also up for the trip.

    There are overlaps between adventure travel and life with a baby

    The first days after my daughter came home from the hospital, the experience of early motherhood felt familiar, but only because I'd been that bleary-eyed, overwhelmed, and at the same time absolutely enthralled before — in India. Riding an old-fashioned yellow taxi through Kolkata on our first day there had exposed me within minutes to more desperate poverty than I'd ever seen, but also more beauty, humanity, and the mind-blowing knowledge that this other, intense way of living went on every day, all the time, despite my ignorance of it. So goes life with a newborn.

    The author at Chichén Itzá in Mexico in 1999.
    The author at Chichén Itzá in Mexico in 1999.

    As I navigated those first months of motherhood, I felt the same sense of adventure, fear, wonder, and excitement I had while traveling alone to the Mayan ruins in Mexico, whitewater rafting amid crocodiles in Zimbabwe, and climbing the cable ladder up Half Dome in Yosemite. It took the same kind of courage and tenacity to get through it as well.

    But the fierce love I felt for my baby journeyed beyond any place in my heart I'd ever known.

    My new travel partner helps me see life with fresh eyes

    By the time my daughter was a toddler, I'd come to see her as my pint-sized travel partner, transforming everyday events into fresh adventures.

    Hunts for ladybugs and snails were our safaris. Chats with the diverse crew of nannies and parents at a local park became intercultural exchanges. Trips to the zoo were rainforest hikes, filled with macaws and monkeys. Wherever we went, she helped me explore the world anew through her eyes.

    Along the way, when things fell apart or I felt like a failure, I remembered how many times I felt the same way on my global journeys.

    There is no way to get an "A" grade in motherhood, just as there is no way to ace traveling through a complex, unfamiliar place. You will get lost and make mistakes. You will also depend on the generosity of strangers and the friendship of fellow travelers or other parents traveling through their own wild, amazing, unmapped terrain. You can only do your best, guided by your own internal compass.

    Now that my daughter is 12, it's clear to me she already possesses a traveler's mindset of courage, curiosity, flexibility, and kindness. Wherever life takes her, she'll be ready for the adventure.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • I was laid off shortly after having a baby. Now I have no choice but to be a stay-at-home mom.

    Woman in homeoffice
    The author was laid off shortly after returing to work from parental leave.

    • I took 12 weeks of parental leave, and months after returning to work, my position was eliminated.
    • It's been almost a year, and I'm still looking for my next full-time role.
    • I can't afford childcare until I have a steady job, so I work from home as a freelancer.

    It's no secret that when you become a parent, a massive shift in identity occurs.

    My whole world had changed, and no matter how much I had prepared for it, I could never truly understand until it happened. Suddenly, you can't take a shower without announcing it.

    When that identity shift for me came with a layoff, I had to reorder my entire life twice within a span of a few months.

    I was laid off months after coming back to work

    I gave birth, and 12 weeks later, I came back to work. A couple of months after my return, I was told my position would no longer be funded at the end of the year. I had three months' notice to find work during the holiday season and an election, but wasn't able to secure a new gig.

    I celebrated the new year knowing that I had no idea what would come next. Still, I remained hopeful. It's been almost a year, and I'm still searching for full-time employment.

    For many people, jobs are just a means to pay the rent, which is a valid and healthy perspective on employment. But my parents are both people whose careers held a lot of personal meaning for them and made up part of their sense of identity, so I don't think it's a coincidence that I sought out work that gave me a sense of purpose as well.

    I always saw myself as a working parent

    When I envisioned myself as a parent, even before I had decided it was right for me, I saw myself as a working parent. There was never a part of that dream that allowed for a version of me that didn't have the financial stability and identity that my work gave me. My mom always emphasized, as well as modeled, financial stability and independence for me, and so did other women in my life who parented their kids as single moms.

    Work allowed me a clear way to see my contribution to the home. I made a higher income than my spouse. Finances were still tight, as they are for so many families, but I knew that even on a day when I didn't do as much laundry as I planned, I still earned a paycheck to help us pay the rent and afford diapers.

    Woman posing for photo
    The author freelances while taking care of her child.

    Now I have to recalibrate my identity outside and as part of my relationship to my child. I can't afford childcare again until I have full-time employment, and although I earn freelance payments, they're not enough to cover the vast majority of our needs.

    There's value in my unpaid work, too

    I choose to understand and value the unpaid work I do as a parent who is home with my toddler most days, even if society largely doesn't, both financially and socially.

    I can't define myself by my smaller paychecks. When I show my child how to say certain words or encourage imaginative play, I'm doing something important for my family. My household labor is essentially 24/7 and allows my spouse to do their paid labor.

    My days are packed with work as a stay-at-home parent, which I didn't fully understand about stay-at-home parents' days before I experienced them. The mental load of fulfilling and adapting to your child's ever-changing needs, while managing housework, freelancing, and searching for full-time employment, is enormous.

    My spouse is a very involved and loving dad, but the practical reality is that I'm the person our kid sees most, and certain responsibilities have fallen to me as a result. We care about resisting strict gender roles in our family, but circumstances have made it so that we have to work extra hard not to fall too deeply into them.

    I have flexibility, but sometimes feel isolated

    Then there is the fact of social isolation. I have to work even harder to find social interactions with adults outside my home. Occasionally, I reach out to parent groups, attend a library story time, or prioritize asking my mother-in-law to watch my toddler so I can get some time away to see friends or try to make new ones. It isn't always enough, but it helps me keep a sense of self, and it gives my child other people, and sometimes kids, to develop strong bonds with, which is good for them.

    Of course, my life isn't all strain and struggle. I have more flexibility to take my toddler to the dentist and play fun games with them between naps. All of those things are magical experiences, and I know that whatever comes next, I'll look back on this time and cherish the memories I shared with them while they were so young. However, I still want my child to know me as someone who loves them dearly but is also independent, with hobbies and a career, so that they understand that such a life is possible for them.

    As a family, we will continue to find ways to see beauty and community in life, despite hardship, and value each other's labor, whether paid or unpaid, and be empathetic toward one another. I also value the work of stay-at-home parents more than ever, and I wish I had understood the load they carry much sooner in life. These lessons will be valuable for me even when financial circumstances — hopefully — change.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • 11 Netflix shows that went on for too long — sorry

    Gaten Matarazzo, Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, and Noah Schnapp as Dustin, Mike, Lucas, and Will in season five of "Stranger Things."
    Dustin, Mike, Lucas, and Will in season five of "Stranger Things."

    • Netflix is known for canceling shows before their time, but some shows overstay their welcome.
    • "House of Cards" started out critically acclaimed, but it quickly fell from grace.
    • It took nearly 10 years to produce five seasons of "Stranger Things."

    Last year alone, Netflix canceled over 20 of its original titles, many of them before their time.

    Still, it doesn't mean Netflix isn't capable of holding on to some of its originals for way too long.

    Did "Fuller House" need to last for more than one season? No. Neither did "13 Reasons Why" nor "Insatiable."

    Keep scrolling to see which 11 Netflix Originals lasted longer than they should have.

    While Claire Underwood deserved her chance at the top, "House of Cards" should have ended much earlier.
    house of cards claire

    "House of Cards," based on a British TV show of the same name, rightfully earned its critical and fan acclaim for the first two or three seasons.

    However, between seasons five and six, Kevin Spacey, who played the diabolical Frank Underwood, was written out of "House of Cards" following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct from various people, including staffers on the set of the show.

    In 2022, he was ordered to pay the show's production company $31 million for his alleged behavior — the company argued his exit had cost them a large sum in lost profits. This was reduced to $1 million in 2024.

    In a UK trial in 2023, Spacey was found not guilty of 12 sexual assault charges against him in relation to accusations brought by four other men.

    But even before the accusations and before Underwood was rightfully killed off, the show was wearing thin. There is only so much backstabbing, murder, and political machinations one can take.

    Though Claire (and Robin Wright) deserved to have her moment in the Oval Office, the season five finale in 2017 was more than enough to show she was officially taking the power back into her own hands.

    "Orange Is the New Black" was, and is, an important show in terms of representation, but after the death of Poussey, it lost its heart.
    Orange is the new black

    "OITNB" began as one of Netflix's first forays into prestige TV back in 2013, and it had a buzzy premise: It was based on a real memoir of Piper Kerman, who spent a year in a women's prison.

    "OITNB" was the first scripted show to really delve into the prison industrial complex inside a female prison, and made strides towards more trans representation on TV and more same-sex relationships on TV. It also helped educate viewers about what life was like inside a prison.

    However, when Black people are disproportionately killed by the police in real life, it seemed almost cruel to viewers to show the murder of Poussey, a Black woman, by a white prison guard during a riot in season four. It also unfortunately played into the "Bury Your Gays" trope, since Poussey identified as a lesbian.

    The first few seasons of "OITNB" should be required viewing, but seven seasons and 91 episodes were just too much.

    And, while some got a "happy" ending, many other characters along the way suffered more injustices and tragedy, like Tiffany, Maritza, and Red.

    With original comedies getting canceled after one or two seasons, there's no reason "Fuller House" should have lasted five seasons.
    fuller house 508

    We'll admit, seeing the entire extended Tanner clan (give or take an Olsen twin) was really fun — for a season in 2016.

    The awkwardness of Aunt Becky's mysterious disappearance aside, it's hard to justify keeping "Fuller House" on the air for five seasons when groundbreaking new content like "One Day at a Time," "I Am Not Okay with This," and "The Get Down" only got a season or two.

    The story of "13 Reasons Why," which was an adaptation of a novel, was over after the first season in 2017.
    Hannah Bakery 13 Reasons Why Netflix season one Katherine Langford

    You might also call this "Big Little Lies" syndrome — that is, when what should have been a limited series based on a novel needlessly drags on the story.

    The Jay Asher novel was the complete story of high school student Clay dealing with the trauma of his high school crush, Hannah Baker, dying by suicide.

    However, the show, in addition to being graphic and problematic in its depiction of suicide and other sensitive subjects, dragged on the story for another three seasons, putting characters through an unbelievable amount of pain and suffering. Hannah didn't stick around past season two, even though the show was ostensibly about her and Clay.

    "The Ranch" lasted for 80 mediocre episodes from 2016 to 2020.
    the ranch netflix

    There was nothing actually wrong with "The Ranch" — at least not after Danny Masterson was written off — but it was just … boring.

    The sitcom about a family living on a cattle ranch in Colorado seemed like it would have been more at home on CBS than Netflix, a platform that prides itself on pushing the limits of television.

    As already stated, it's hard to explain why this show gets four seasons and 80 episodes, when other, more original shows get half that.

    Although "Making a Murderer" was a smash success, the second season was wholly unnecessary.
    making a murderer

    The first season of this true crime series (though at the time, we didn't know there'd be a season two) was a phenomenon when it was released in 2015.

    It was shot over 10 years, and focused on the case against Steven Avery, who first served 18 years in prison due to a wrongful conviction, but was then tried and convicted of a different crime (this time a murder) a few years after he was released. He's currently serving a life sentence.

    If the first season took 10 years to make, and there had been no significant updates on Avery's case, how could a second season three years later be worth 10-plus hours investing in?

    Spoiler: It wasn't, as explained by Vanity Fair.

    While "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life" only got one season, many fans of the original wished it hadn't happened at all.
    gilmore girls year in the life
    "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life" is Netflix's most binge-raced original show.

    "Gilmore Girls" lasted for seven seasons on network TV, though only six were under the stewardship of co-creators Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino. The last season is generally panned by fans, and the Palladinos maintain they've never seen it.

    After the show's end in 2007, Sherman-Palladino said she's always known how the series would end, down to the last four words.

    So, when Netflix announced they'd be reviving the show in 2016, fans were elated.

    But when the four episodes dropped, fans were left disappointed and bewildered due to Rory's apparent turn into an entitled brat who constantly forgot about her boyfriend and believed she deserved every journalism job out there.

    They also weren't happy about the lack of development and communication between Luke and Lorelai almost a decade into their relationship — and don't even get us started on those infamous last four words.

    Now, there are plenty of fans who wish "Gilmore Girls" had stayed in 2007.

    "Insatiable" shouldn't have made it to air, let alone to two seasons.
    insatiable

    When the trailer for "Insatiable" dropped in 2018, it became abundantly clear that Netflix had miscalculated.

    While the show thought it had achieved a black comedy "Heather"-esque tone, it was more mean than biting, more cringe-worthy than funny, and generally fat-phobic. It was surprising when it got renewed, but even just two seasons was more than enough from this crew.

    The lackluster second season proved "Sex/Life" should've been one and done.
    sex/life netflix

    Was "Sex/Life" a good show? No, but when it premiered in 2021, it got people talking about what it's like to balance motherhood with your own personal dreams and a healthy sex life.

    It's unfortunate, then, that it was promoted as what Business Insider's Tamar Barbash called "a show about a horny, unsatisfied wife."

    It wasn't surprising that it got renewed for a second season, but when season two dropped almost two years later to almost zero fanfare, it became clear that this could've been an interesting limited series that had an open-ended finale. 

    Its April 2023 cancellation was almost a given.

    "Emily in Paris" has been on so long that she's not even in Paris anymore.
    emily in paris
    "Emily in Paris" is available to stream on Netflix.

    "Emily in Paris" dropped on Netflix in October 2020. We were all still stuck inside due to the pandemic, and it was fun to have something to all hate-watch together.

    But here we are in 2025, and the cast is gearing up for the release of season five of this preposterous show about Emily (Lily Collins), a marketing savant, apparently, moving to Paris and systematically destroying the lives of those around her.

    Now, Paris isn't enough for her, because she moved to Rome at the end of season four. Please, hasn't Italy been through enough?

    We can only hope that season five will see Emily end her reign of terror and return to Chicago.

    We're never going to be mad about more "Stranger Things," but we are mad it's taken a decade to wrap up.
    eleven stranger things
    "Stranger Things."

    This is more of a calendar problem than a content problem. When this show started, the kids were real pre-teens. But just four seasons — and a whopping nine years — later, these kids are adults. As in, "Millie Bobby Brown is a wife and mother" adults.

    What we mean is: Why did it take nine years to tell a five-season story?

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • A self-made billionaire raised his kids to appreciate money. He fired his son once to get the message through.

    John Morgan and wife standing close with German Shepherd in foreground.
    John Morgan with his wife and one of his two German Shepherds.

    • John Morgan raised his children to value money and self-reliance despite his wealth.
    • Morgan once fired his son from a family business to teach responsibility and earn respect.
    • He plans to leave his fortune in a trust for charitable causes, emphasizing gratitude and giving.

    John Morgan says he tried to raise his kids with the same grit that shaped him when he was young. He is the eldest of five and started working various jobs at a young age to help his financially strapped family.

    Today, his legal firm, Morgan & Morgan, is one of the largest personal-injury law operations in the country, and he has an estimated net worth of $1.5 billion, according to Forbes. He attributes his extreme wealth partly to luck.

    "I think when people start making money, they think they're a lot smarter than they actually are, and that arrogance is how they lose," he recently told Business Insider's Kevin Reilly. "And so I believe luck has had an incredible amount to do with what happened to me."

    See Morgan's full interview below:

    That same mindset is why he tried to raise his kids to be more self-aware than spoiled. "These rich people buy their kids great cars, I never did," he said. "I gave them like an 8-year-old Navigator, and they had to work, and they had to pay for their insurance."

    Morgan has three sons and one daughter. His sons now work at his law firm, but when they were younger, some of them worked at WonderWorks, Morgan's chain of science-focused entertainment centers. That didn't go over so well for one of them.

    Morgan fired his son to teach him responsibility

    Morgan and wife standing in front of WonderWorks entrance.
    Morgan and his wife standing outside a WonderWorks.

    "I had to fire Dan once," said Morgan, who had heard that his son, Daniel Morgan, was slacking off at work. "I said, 'Hey man, you're fired. And you're not going out until you get a new job,'" Morgan recalled.

    Daniel Morgan told BI in a follow-up email that getting fired for showing up late to work at WonderWorks was embarrassing. "But it turned out to be one of the most important lessons of my life," he wrote.

    "The golden rule in our house was that you always had to have a job," wrote Daniel, who said he started working for his dad at age 14.

    After he was fired, Daniel Morgan ventured outside the family business. He landed a new job at Boston Market, but it didn't last long. About a week later, Daniel quit because they had him washing dishes, and it made him vomit, Morgan said.

    "I said, think about that, Dan. They got you doing the worst job in the place. That's what they think of you," Morgan said.

    Morgan with his three sons in suits and ties in a hotel setting.
    Morgan with his three sons. Left to right: Mike, Matt, John, and Dan Morgan.

    For Morgan, firing his son was about teaching him perspective and that his last name couldn't buy him respect. It had to be earned.

    After leaving Boston Market, Dan found a job at Firehouse Subs, where he "excelled," Morgan said.

    Daniel Morgan wrote that working in the fast-food industry taught him "the value of humility and hard work (and showing up on time)." He went on to become a lawyer, along with his two brothers.

    "When I eventually joined Morgan & Morgan, I started in the call center and had to work my way up, earning every opportunity," wrote Daniel, who is now a managing partner at Morgan & Morgan.

    Morgan says his family is his real fortune

    For all the wealth and size of his empire, Morgan's family is what he holds most dear. He built homes for his kids at the beach so they could raise their own families side by side.

    John Morgan with wife, son, and grandchildren in tropical setting.
    Morgan with his wife, son, and grandchildren.

    "I would not understand life without them," Morgan said. "Now I've got all these grandchildren, which is just another huge gift. And three of them live across the street from me."

    While he has ensured his kids are well-off, Morgan says he hopes they appreciate how lucky they are and the value of money. Morgan's mentor once told him, which he's passed down to his children:

    "The money belongs to God," he said. Whatever luck granted them this wealth and fortune, it's simply that — luck. The money doesn't belong to him or his family — it's simply theirs to do the most good with while they can, he added.

    Morgan plans to put all his wealth into a trust that his daughter will manage once he's gone, he said. The trust will be used to fund causes he cares about, which are providing food, water, medicine, shelter, and clothing to those in need.

    He hopes his children will also contribute to those causes after he passes. "What we're now doing is we're taking all of our fortune, and we're going to build a permanent foundation to do just those things, and that hopefully will go on way after my death. So that's the game plan."

    Daniel Morgan said he's proud of the mission he and his family are building. "My siblings and I are living proof that my dad's hard lessons paid off," he said.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • I toured the only remaining German submarine captured by the US during World War II. Take a closer look.

    The U-505 on display outside the museum.
    The U-505 on display outside the museum.

    • The U-505 submarine served 12 patrols and sank eight enemy boats before the US Navy captured it.
    • The U-boat is now on display at Chicago's Griffin Museum of Science and Industry.
    • Visitors can walk through its control room and bunks that held space for its crew of 59 men.

    When the German submarine U-505 was captured by US forces in 1944, the mission was top secret.

    Now, eight decades later, the vessel — the only intact German submarine that was captured by US forces during World War II and salvaged — is open to the public at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

    Built on the docks of Hamburg, the 252-foot-long U-boat was commissioned in August 1941, and, after prepping for combat, was ready for its first mission from January 1942.

    The submarine served 12 patrols and sank eight enemy ships until, on June 4, 1944, it met a similar fate when it was captured by the US Navy.

    After World War II ended, the submarine was taken to Portsmouth Navy Yard in New Hampshire, where it was used for target practice and eventually restored, repainted, and transported across the Great Lakes to its permanent home at the museum in Chicago.

    I visited the museum in January to tour the U-505. Take a look inside.

    The U-505 submarine is open to visitors at Chicago's Griffin Museum of Science and Industry.
    Chicago's Griffin Museum of Science and Industry.
    The U-505 tour at Chicago's Griffin Museum of Science and Industry has four parts. It takes visitors through the history of that era and the events leading up to the German U-boat's capture.

    General admission to the museum costs $25.95. Veterans and active military service members can submit an online entry form for free admission.

    Tickets for the U-505 tour cost an additional $18 for adults and $14 for children, with a $4 discount for active military and veterans.

    Thankfully, I booked my tickets online — other visitors who hadn't secured tickets in advance were unable to see the exhibit because it was fully booked.

    I started my visit to the exhibit by watching footage and reading newspaper clippings to learn some of the historical context. Immersive video experiences then detailed the events leading to the capture of U-505.

    Then, it was time to enter the submarine.

    At 252 feet long, the U-505 is nearly as long as a city block. It is also 31 feet and 6 inches tall.
    The U-505 in The U-505 in Chicago's Griffin Museum of Science and Industry.
    The U-boat's flooring was made from steel, while its deck was lined with pinewood treated with carbolineum.

    The U-boat — short for unterseeboot or "undersea boat" — is divided into three sections: the stern (rear), the amidships (middle), and the bow (front).

    Inside, the floors were crafted from steel, while the top deck was made of pinewood treated with carbolineum, or wood tar, to preserve it and provide black camouflage. This made the sub harder to spot from the air at shallow depths.

    Atop the submarine sits the conning tower, used for navigation, protection, and observation.
    The conning tower of U-505.
    The conning tower, perched atop the submarine, features three guns, which help protect it from attacks by Allied aircraft

    The conning tower, per the Museum of Science and Industry, is a "small yet heavily armored horizontal hull" that sits atop the submarine above its control room.

    It is equipped with three guns, which, when it surfaced, helped protect it from attacks by Allied aircraft.

    The 2-centimeter guns were smaller, rapid-fire weapons designed for close-range defense, capable of shooting 240 rounds per minute.

    The 3.7-centimeter automatic cannon fired fewer rounds — 50 per minute — but was more destructive per shot, making it more effective against tougher targets, such as low-flying aircraft or smaller ships.

    Bullet holes can be seen all over the conning tower.
    Bullet holes.
    Captain Gallery ordered his men to use antipersonnel weapons only, so no major holes were made in the sub's hull.

    On the day of its capture, the U-505 found itself surrounded by US forces, encircled at sea and shadowed from above.

    Three US destroyer escorts launched a series of shots while fighter planes released rounds from their .50-caliber machine guns.

    Under Captain Daniel Gallery's command, only antipersonnel ammunition — designed to incapacitate the crew without causing severe structural damage — was deployed.

    This decision ensured the submarine's hull remained largely intact for potential capture.

    German crewmembers honored their captains by adopting and painting unofficial emblems on the conning tower.
    Bullet holes.
    The Scallop Shell emblem was chosen to represent the sub's last captain, Harald Lange.

    Many U-boat crews embraced unofficial emblems to honor their captains and foster a sense of unity. Although not officially sanctioned, these symbols were typically painted on the conning tower and became a point of pride for the crew.

    The U-505 displayed three emblems during its 400-plus days of operation, one for each of its captains.

    The first emblem, a Rampant Lion wielding an axe, paid tribute to Axel Olaf Löwe, whose surname means "lion." The second, a Greek Axe, honored Captain Peter Zschech. The final emblem, still visible today, is the Scallop Shell, chosen to represent its last captain, Harald Lange.

    The first stop on my tour was the petty officer's quarters.
    The officer's quarters were originally lined with bunks on either side. However, a set of beds on one side were removed to make it easier for visitors.
    The officer's quarters were originally lined with bunks on either side. However, a set of beds on one side were removed to make it easier for visitors.

    It was slightly dark inside, and the lights were dim. The tiny room was packed with four compact bunk beds for mid-ranking men, our tour guide said.

    She stood a few feet from us on what seemed like an elevated floor, but was actually the original height between the submarine's floor and ceiling.

    She explained that after the submarine arrived at the museum, some adjustments were made for visitor comfort. The floor had been lowered to create more space, and some bunks had been removed to allow visitors to move around more freely than the sailors could.

    Still, she said, "It could be worse. You could be one of the enlisted or lowest-ranked men who slept in the forward torpedo room next to active torpedoes."

    In the forward torpedo room, bunk beds flanked a torpedo.
    The forward torpedo room.
    The forward torpedo room.

    For the men who lived in the forward torpedo room, the torpedo would double as a dining table, Wolfgang Schiller, a U-505 crewmember, told the Museum of Science and Industry in an interview in 1999.

    "We sat with our bottom on the bunk and ate on this wooden plank that sat on the torpedo," he said.

    During my tour, I could only see the forward torpedo room through a gated hatch, but it was enough to get a glimpse of how compact life was for sailors aboard.

    The submarine had four 21-inch torpedo tubes in the bow and two in the stern.
    The forward torpedo room featured four torpedos.
    From the archives: the forward torpedo room featuring four torpedos.

    The U-505 carried 22 torpedoes on board.

    One of its torpedo rooms, carrying four 21-inch torpedoes, was at the front of the ship, and the other, with two, was at the back.

    Per museum records, these torpedoes could detect the sound of enemy ships and direct themselves toward their target.

    Once the captain gave the command to fire, depending on the position of the enemy ships, one of the six Acoustic T5 torpedoes was fired offensively or defensively.

    Next, I walked past a narrow hallway and saw the galley sandwiched between other sleeping quarters.
    The galley in U-505.
    The galley in U-505.

    Originally, sailors moved from one part of the submarine to another by passing through hatches. However, to make it easier for visitors, museum staff removed some of the hatches.

    While walking through the hallway, I almost missed the galley because of its tiny size.

    Much like a kitchen in a New York City walk-up apartment, the galley in U-505 could only accommodate one person at a time. Cooks had access to two large hot plates and one small one. There was an additional tabletop hotplate for large pots.

    There was also an oven the size of a tiny air fryer below the hot plates.

    When the U-505 was on patrol, it carried 12 tons of food.
    Food storage in submarine.
    While this isn't the U-505, it depicts how food was carried and stored in U-boats in 1943.

    While patrolling, the U-505 could be on the sea for over 100 days.

    This meant that food for the ship's 59 crew members had to be carried in advance and distributed across the boat to maintain balance.

    Three daily meals were served on U-505, and after each meal, the cooks had to count every pound of food and kitchen supplies consumed and keep a record of where each item was placed.

    Per museum records, crewmembers would consume all the fresh food first and then move to canned items once that was over.

    Items included fresh and cooked meats such as sausages, preserved fish, and potatoes. The food list also included 917 pounds of fresh lemons, which would likely help fight scurvy, a disease caused by a vitamin C deficiency.

    In 1995, 50 years after the U-505 was captured, museum staff found a loaf of canned bread in the submarine.
    A stale bread in a tin from xx and a bowl found in the U-505.
    A piece of stale bread and a bowl were found in the U-505 in 1995 and are now on display at the Museum of Science and Industry.

    Bread — both canned and fresh — was a part of the crew's diet, with museum records indicating that 2,058 pounds of preserved breads were carried on board.

    Museum staff discovered one such loaf of canned bread in 1995. It is now displayed in a glass casing outside the submarine at the museum.

    The crew had to navigate various challenges while underwater, including high temperatures.
    Two bunks on the U-505.
    Given that only 35 bunk beds were on board U-505 and 59 crewmembers, the crew had to take turns sleeping.

    Temperatures could soar above 100 degrees Fahrenheit during warmer months, making life inside the submarine unbearably hot.

    With no air conditioning and limited ventilation, many crew members adapted by wearing only their shoes and underwear to stay cool.

    With just two bathrooms on the entire submarine — one of which was used for food storage — traditional bathing was impossible. Instead, the crew went without showers while on patrol and relied on alcohol wipes to clean themselves.

    In their free time, the crew entertained themselves by listening to records or playing cards.
    Records found on U-505.
    Some of the records found inside U-505 are on display at the Museum of Science and Industry.

    Entertainment on board was limited, but light classical music and, sometimes, popular hits of the day reverberated throughout the sub, according to the museum.

    American forces found 87 records on board upon capture, our tour guide told us.

    Another way the crew kept themselves occupied was by playing a card game called Skat, the national card game of Germany.

    Next, we stopped by the radio room, the U-boat's main connection with the outside world.
    The radio room inside the U-505.
    The radio room inside the U-505.

    The radio room served as the submarine's nerve center for communication.

    This compact space was packed with dials, switches, and wires. There were also several notebooks on display — these were maintained by the crew, who kept detailed records of the boat's activities.

    This is also where the German crew received and deciphered daily messages sent from the main command center.

    The control room had a dizzying number of switches, wires, and valves, which were used to control the ship's direction.
    The control room inside U-505.
    The control room inside U-505.

    The midship compartment, or control room, was packed with crucial controls that kept the submarine running, such as the diving controls for adjusting depth, the gyrocompass for navigation, and the air search radar for detecting threats above.

    All calculations before firing a torpedo were done with pen and paper.
    A torpedo book on display at the Chicago museum.
    A torpedo maintenance log book was found inside the U-505 and displayed at the Museum of Science and Industry.

    Firing a torpedo at the right target at the right moment was a methodical process based on complex mathematical calculations.

    In the 1940s, the four torpedo tubes in the bow were already floated and ready to fire, our guide said, adding that the crew just had to wait for the captain's command.

    Once a torpedo was fired, the crew used a stopwatch to calculate how long it took to hit its target.

    "They are so good at math that they know the exact second the weapon would hit its target," said our tour guide, Elizabeth.

    The US Navy captured the U-505 on June 4, 1944.
    The captured German submarine U-505 alongside the USS Pillsbury after its capture in 1944.
    The captured German submarine U-505 alongside the USS Pillsbury after its capture in 1944.

    Our tour guide explained that while the U-505 was on the hunt for supply ships in 1944, US Task Group 22.3, commanded by Captain Daniel V. Gallery, was looking for the U-505.

    The Task Group included the aircraft carrier USS Guadalcanal and a fleet of destroyer escorts: Pillsbury, Pope, Flaherty, Chatelain, and Jenks.

    Captain Gallery and his men tracked the submarine's signals across the Atlantic for a few months until they finally pinpointed the sub's location.

    Upon detecting the US Navy's presence, the German submarine dove deeper into the ocean.
    USS Guadalcanal's Turboprop Aircraft (TBM) circles overhead alongside the USS Chatelain, whose depth charge attack forced the German crew to surface and abandon their ship.
    USS Guadalcanal's Turboprop Aircraft (TBM) circles overhead alongside the USS Chatelain, whose depth charge attack forced the German crew to surface and abandon their ship.

    The crew members were instructed to prepare for a crash dive — the ship had to get underwater and out of sight as quickly as possible, which meant every person on board, even those off-duty, now had an important job.

    They would have to sprint to the forward torpedo room, dogpile on one another to throw off the weight on the front of the boat, and get it to submerge in just 37 seconds. For context, a regular dive would take about three minutes.

    Once underwater, the crew needed to conserve sound and oxygen.

    The sound of something as simple as a dropped tool could travel for miles and give away the cruise's location.

    Then, a depth charge hit the submarine, spinning it closer to crash depth.
    The USS Murray depth charges the German submarine U-505.
    The USS Murray depth charges the German submarine U-505.

    Depth charges were explosives designed to explode underwater at a predetermined depth.

    Once Captain Lange realized that the boat was sinking, he had a tough choice to make: whether to follow orders that told him to let this boat sink, killing everyone on the board. Or to order a resurface and risk the intelligence of the U-505.

    Captain Lange decided to save his crew.

    Once the sub resurfaced, the crew was out of luck because US forces surrounded them.
    An image of POW Captain Harald Lange captured on the German submarine U505.
    An image of POW Captain Harald Lange captured on the German submarine U505.

    The gunfire on deck went on for six and a half minutes.

    One bullet struck Captain Lange's leg — with the captain down, the crew began to scramble.

    To prevent the U-505's capture, the Germans tried one last trick.
    Water flooded in through a filter that was left open by fleeing German submariners, threatening to sink the vessel.
    Water flooded in through a filter that was left open by fleeing German submariners, threatening to sink the vessel.

    "They tried to sink or scuttle it on their way out," said our tour guide, Elizabeth, which meant that the crew members could either scatter an explosive booby trap called scuttle throughout the sub or open the sea strainer valve, which would flood the sub.

    They decided to open the sea strainer.

    Our last stop on the tour was the electric motor room, with a pit stop to see the sea strainer valve.
    The electric motor room on U-505.
    The electric motor room on U-505 was the last room I saw on the tour.

    Eventually, the Germans were evacuated from the boat, and the American crew, led by Lieutenant (junior grade) Albert L. David and nine other men boarded the sub.

    At first, men from the boarding party started collecting as many intelligence materials as possible. They searched for classified documents, code books, how-to manuals for the U-505 machinery, and anything they could take with them in case the boat sank.

    This is when one of the men found what proved to be more important than classified material at the time: the sea lid for the sea strainer.

    Once the valve had been closed, the Americans felt in control of the boat and were able to tow it to Bermuda.

    At the end of the tour, I learned how the submarine found its way to Chicago.
    Delegates boarding the captured German U505 submarine as it arrives in Chicago and makes its way to the arrival ceremony to be held on the beach outside the Museum of Science and Industry on June 6, 1954.
    Delegates boarding the captured German U505 submarine as it arrives in Chicago and makes its way to the arrival ceremony to be held on the beach outside the Museum of Science and Industry on June 6, 1954.

    Fifty-eight of the 59 German crewmembers on board survived — one was killed by gunfire — and were taken as prisoners of war to Camp Ruston in Louisiana, where they remained until the end of the war.

    The U-505 was painted black to conceal its true identity and kept in Bermuda for the remainder of the war.

    Eventually, the submarine was taken on a publicity tour of the East Coast to fundraise for the ongoing war against Japan. But, once Japan surrendered, the Navy did not have much use for the sub, and they decided to use it for target practice, which would've eventually destroyed the submarine.

    But once again, Daniel Gallery, now an admiral, came to save the ship.

    Since he was from Chicago, he petitioned the authorities to take possession of the boat and display it at the museum.

    The US Navy approved these plans and in 1954, the sub sailed across the Great Lakes and parked on a dry dock at the 57th Street beach in the summer of 1954.

    On September 2, 1954, the submarine was hauled across Lake Shore Drive in Chicago.
    Workers prepare to move the captured German submarine U-505 across Lake Shore Drive in Chicago to its new home at the Museum of Science and Industry.
    Workers prepare to move the captured German submarine U-505 across Lake Shore Drive in Chicago to its new home at the Museum of Science and Industry.

    Lake Shore Drive, a major roadway along Lake Michigan, was shut down at night so the sub could be safely transported to its final destination: the museum.

    Once there, it was declared a war memorial and made a permanent part of the museum's collection.

    At first, the submarine was displayed outside the museum.
    The captured German U505 submarine being moved by engineers to its permanent location inside the museum, April 8, 2003.
    The captured German U505 submarine being moved by engineers to its permanent location inside the museum, April 8, 2003.

    The submarine remained outside the museum for 50 years before staff realized the Chicago weather was causing it to rust and decay.

    So, after years of planning, the sub was moved indoors — to a 35,000-square-foot air-conditioned room.

    Exiting the U-505 exhibit, I was amazed by the life crewmembers had lived on board.
    The captured German submarine U-505.
    The captured German submarine U-505.

    At the end of my tour, a child asked our tour guide, "Why was the U-boat never used again?"

    The guide shrugged and replied, "Likely because of all the damages and how compact it was, it didn't work for the Americans."

    And yet, decades later, here it stands.

    Still imposing, still intact, still capturing the imagination of everyone who walks through its steel-clad past.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • Consider airspace ‘above and surrounding’ Venezuela closed, Trump warns airlines

    President Donald Trump during a call with US service members from his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida on Thanksgiving.
    • President Donald Trump has warned that airspace "above and surrounding" Venezuela should be considered closed.
    • It comes amid mounting tensions between Trump and Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
    • Trump on Thursday said the US would "soon" begin land action against suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers.

    President Donald Trump on Saturday warned airlines to consider airspace "above and surrounding" Venezuela to be closed.

    In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: "To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY."

    The US has repeatedly threatened military action against Venezuela in recent weeks, as tensions between Trump and Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro have mounted over alleged drug trafficking networks in the South American nation.

    Speaking to service members on Thursday, Trump praised the military's work tackling suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers at sea, adding that the US would begin land action "very soon."

    The Federal Aviation Administration had last week warned carriers of a "potentially hazardous situation" when flying over Venezuela.

    The agency said the "worsening security situation" and "heightened military activity" around the country could present risks to aircraft.

    Business Insider has contacted the White House and the Pentagon for comment.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • 11 details and easter eggs in ‘Wicked: For Good’ you may have missed, from musical cues to subtle ‘Wizard of Oz’ nods

    Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero in "Wicked: For Good."
    Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero in "Wicked: For Good."

    • "Wicked: For Good" is adapted from the second act of the Broadway musical.
    • Main characters from "The Wizard of Oz" appear in the film, but other references are more subtle.
    • The list includes familiar musical cues, symbolic costume designs, and visual callbacks.

    Jon M. Chu's "Wicked: For Good" soared into theaters with a $226 million opening weekend at the global box office, beating last year's "Wicked" to become the biggest box-office debut ever for a Broadway adaptation.

    As a sequel, an adaptation, and a revisionist spin-off of century-old material (Frank L. Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" was published in 1900, while its beloved adaptation "The Wizard of Oz" premiered in 1939), the blockbuster features many elements that will feel familiar to viewers.

    All the important characters from its predecessor are back in action: Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), Glinda (Ariana Grande), Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), Nessarose (Marissa Bode), Boq (Ethan Slater), Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), and the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum). Additionally, a gingham-clad Dorothy appears in several scenes, as do the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion.

    Still, some details and references in the film are more subtle. Continue reading for 11 Easter eggs you may have missed.

    Glinda greets the Ozians with a "Popular" reprise.
    Ariana Grande as Glinda in "Wicked: For Good."
    Ariana Grande as Glinda in "Wicked: For Good."

    Shortly after Glinda is reintroduced in "Wicked: For Good," she's shown greeting a crowd of Ozians in Emerald City. As the double doors open, she strides into view singing the memorable "La-la, la-la" refrain from her Act I solo "Popular."

    A behind-the-scenes clip shared on social media seems to reveal that it was Grande's idea to revisit the refrain in this scene.

    Other familiar melodies are woven throughout the sequel's soundtrack, especially in the newly expanded opening number, "Every Day More Wicked," which repurposes the melody from "No One Mourns the Wicked."

    In addition to writing two new songs ("No Place Like Home" and "The Girl in the Bubble"), composer Stephen Schwartz added fresh material to existing songs from the play. "No One Mourns the Wicked" also introduces brief reprises of "The Wizard and I" and "What Is This Feeling?" from Act I.

    Fiyero is captain of the Gale Force, a nod to Dorothy's full name in "The Wizard of Oz."
    Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero and Ariana Grande as Glinda in "Wicked: For Good."
    Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero and Ariana Grande as Glinda in "Wicked: For Good."

    After the time jump between "Wicked" and "Wicked: For Good," Madame Morrible announces that Fiyero has been appointed captain of the Wizard's police force, dubbed the Gale Force.

    In Frank L. Baum's book and its Hollywood adaptation, Dorothy's full name is Dorothy Gale.

    One of the winged monkeys is wearing Glinda's pink jacket.
    Glinda is attacked by a winged monkey in "Wicked."
    Glinda is attacked by a winged monkey in "Wicked."

    In the film's first shot of Madame Morrible, she's addressing a crowd in the Emerald City, flanked by the Wizard's enslaved flying monkeys.

    The monkey to her right is wearing a ripped pink jacket. It's a subtle callback to the scene in "Wicked" when the monkeys are commanded to recapture Elphaba and Glinda. In the ensuing scuffle, one of them rips off Glinda's jacket — and apparently keeps it as a cozy souvenir.

    The Wizard is using pop-up books to turn the Ozians against Elphaba.
    Karis Musongole portrays young Elphaba in "Wicked."
    Karis Musongole portrays young Elphaba in "Wicked."

    In "Wicked," a flashback to Elphaba's childhood reveals how the Wizard uses pop-up books as a form of kid-friendly propaganda.

    Although he has no magical powers, the Wizard has successfully convinced Ozians that he's all-powerful and god-sent, largely due to his knack for imagery and branding. By targeting children with whimsical merchandise, worship is instilled in Ozians from an early age. As a child, Elphaba herself believed wholeheartedly in the Wizard's goodness and power.

    In "Wicked: For Good," the Wizard uses a similar propaganda blitz to sell the "Wicked Witch" narrative, and Ozians are shown hawking a pop-up book in the Emerald City.

    A young Glinda pretends to conjure a rainbow, perhaps as a nod to Dorothy's iconic ballad.
    Ariana Grande as Glinda in "Wicked: For Good."
    Ariana Grande as Glinda in "Wicked: For Good."

    In a flashback to Glinda's childhood, she tries and fails to perform magic in front of her friends. However, at that very moment, a rainbow appears in the sky, and her friends assume it's Glinda's doing. Instead of setting the record straight, she replies evasively, "You know how I love rainbows."

    Of course, rainbow-colored visuals are littered throughout both "Wicked" films, but this moment seems to draw a more explicit connection between Glinda and Dorothy, who performs the iconic ballad "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" in "The Wizard of Oz."

    Elphaba hides from Fiyero in the woods, recalling a funny line from their first meeting.
    Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero in "Wicked: For Good."
    Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero in "Wicked: For Good."

    When Elphaba and Fiyero first meet in "Wicked," he nearly runs her over with his horse. "I'm so sorry, miss, I didn't see you there," he says. "You must've blended with the foliage."

    This cheeky remark about Elphaba's green skin may have actually come in handy. When she hides from Fiyero and the Gale Force in the sequel, she uses foliage and branches in the forest as cover.

    Elphaba's magic turns the famous slippers from silver to ruby.
    Marissa Bode as Nessarose in "Wicked: For Good."
    Marissa Bode as Nessarose in "Wicked: For Good."

    In "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," Dorothy's magic shoes are silver, not ruby red as popularized by Judy Garland in the film version.

    In both the play and the movie versions of "Wicked," the shoes are silver so as to match the original text. (Plus, MGM, which produced and distributed "The Wizard of Oz," reportedly still owns the copyright for the design of the ruby slippers. "Wicked" and "Wicked: For Good" were produced by Universal.)

    However, there's one moment in "Wicked: For Good" when the silver shoes take on a different color. When Elphaba casts a spell to make her sister fly, the jewels briefly turn red and luminous like hot embers; Nessa complains that her newly enchanted shoes are burning her feet.

    Nessa's airborne scene is also notably changed in Chu's version. In the Broadway play, Elphaba's magic allows her sister, a lifelong wheelchair user, to walk for the first time.

    "The old narrative was outdated," Bode told Go Magazine. "Overall, the shift makes a lot of sense to me, considering 'everyone deserves a chance to fly.'"

    "Wonderful" was changed to include Glinda, and the new version reuses dialogue and choreography from the first movie.
    Ariana Grande as Glinda in "Wicked: For Good."
    Ariana Grande as Glinda in "Wicked: For Good."

    Grande's Glinda joins the extended version of "Wonderful," the Wizard's signature song in Act II. The pair teams up to convince Elphaba to abandon her vigilante ways — and they very nearly succeed.

    Thanks to her emotional connection to Elphaba, Glinda's efforts are particularly effective. The movie illustrates this by recalling old cues and touchpoints from their journey in Act I, including choreography from the Ozdust Ballroom scene. Glinda even repeats a few of Elphaba's key lines from "Defying Gravity." ("Think of what we could do. Together.")

    "I don't believe Elphaba would ever be convinced by the Wizard," Chu said of adding Grande to the scene. "To me, that was reason enough that if we were going to be convinced that Elphaba would make that turn, that had to come from Glinda first and foremost."

    Glinda's wedding look was designed to reinforce her reputation in Oz.
    Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero and Ariana Grande as Glinda in "Wicked: For Good."
    Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero and Ariana Grande as Glinda in "Wicked: For Good."

    Glinda is marketed to Ozians as "Glinda the Good," a reputation meant to contrast Elphaba's as the "Wicked Witch."

    As part of this propaganda campaign, the Wizard gifts Glinda a flying vehicle shaped like a bubble. Madame Morrible explains that since Elphaba can fly, it's important for optics that Glinda also be airborne.

    This narrative is reflected in Glinda's elaborate costuming, particularly at her wedding to Fiyero.

    Paul Tazewell, who won best costume design at the 2025 Oscars for his work on the first "Wicked" film, told Bustle that he incorporated butterflies and birds into Glinda's wedding accessories to emphasize her public image.

    "The idea of the butterflies was to capture airborne elements. Butterflies are very delicate and an inspiration of beauty because they come in a variety of colors and qualities, and they also have iridescent versions," Tazewell said. "That reminded me of the swirling iridescence of a bubble and how that relates to Glinda and the gift of the bubble vehicle. It's a propaganda device that Madame Morrible and the Wizard have created to continue to encapsulate her as a figure of good."

    "Also, her necklace is a collection of swallows holding jewels," he added. "Again, things that are delicate, beautiful, and airborne."

    Madame Morrible's costumes also feature character-specific details.
    Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible in "Wicked: For Good."
    Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible in "Wicked: For Good."

    Madame Morrible is a sorceress who specializes in weather control. When she conjures a cyclone to sweep through Oz, the embroidery on her outfit resembles a lightning strike.

    "I was trying to incorporate meteorological images into all of her decorations as we see her evolve into the figurehead that she is in Emerald City," Tazewell told Bustle.

    The film's final shot is a reference to the famous Broadway poster.
    Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda in "Wicked: For Good."
    Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda.

    In the final moments of the film, Elphaba and Glinda are shown in a flashback to their school days. Elphaba is wearing her classic black witch hat, while Glinda is wearing a white hood.

    Glinda turns toward Elphaba and whispers in her ear, mimicking the famous illustration on the Broadway poster.

    Chu told Business Insider's Jason Guerrasio that it was "always the plan" to have the last shot be an homage to the playbill artwork.

    "I was always going to end on the whisper," Chu said. "And do you know how hard it was to force Universal to never use it in any marketing material?"

    In fact, Chu was so determined to keep the last shot a surprise for audiences that he kept the footage hidden from the studio.

    "That poster is one of the most brilliant posters ever made. You don't know what Glinda's saying, because they never actually do that in the musical," he said. "But it's sort of the key to friendship. That we have these secrets. And the girls got to choose what they are actually saying in the scene. I don't even know what they said."

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  • A top Marine shares his secrets to keeping fit at 50

    The US Marine Corps' top enlisted leader, Sergeant Major Carlos Ruiz, plays frisbee with Marines,
    The US Marine Corps' top enlisted leader, Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps Carlos Ruiz, plays frisbee with troops,

    • Sgt. Major Carlos Ruiz shared his fitness routine for longevity at 50.
    • Ruiz balances cardio, resistance training, and recovery to maintain Marine Corps fitness.
    • He emphasizes hydration, proper gear, and adapting routines for sustained health and performance.

    For every military service chief, there's a senior enlisted advisor, the person responsible for what's often the most human side of command, including things like troop welfare and fitness.

    In the Marine Corps, that's Sgt. Maj. Carlos Ruiz — tall, upbeat, and, at 50, still running miles alongside Marines across the globe.

    While generals shape strategy and operations, senior enlisted leaders focus on how those decisions impact the troops who execute them. For Ruiz, that means staying fit and setting the example himself.

    "A little bit of running, a little bit of gym, and a lot of PT with Marines," he told Business Insider of his routine, using the military's acronym for physical training. That "little bit of running" might be an understatement though. He recently completed the Corps's annual marathon in Washington, DC, over 26 miles.

    Here's how the Corps' top enlisted Marine stays in shape.

    Resistance

    These days, Ruiz's priority isn't busting records in the squat rack or leveling up in the Corps' martial arts program. It's longevity, something Ruiz said he's keen to protect while still keeping up with, and often out-performing, Marines half his age.

    Key to longevity is maintaining his natural build, focusing less on heavy weightlifting and more on training that builds strength without risking injury.

    No longer trying to bulk up, he balances cardio and resistance work, trading heavy barbell lifts for dumbbells, kettlebells, and machines that protect his joints.

    Sergeant Major Carlos Ruiz told Business Insider that fitness in the service isn't a hobby, it's a way of life.
    Sergeant Major Carlos Ruiz told Business Insider that fitness in the service isn't a hobby, it's a way of life.

    Even at his rank, Ruiz still takes the Marine Corps' two annual fitness tests, which measure both strength and endurance. The first, held in the year's opening half, includes a three-mile run — his fastest time is about 16:30, or a 5:30-per-mile pace — along with pull-ups and a nearly four-minute plank.

    The top pull-up scores for men and women are usually just over 20 and 10 dead-hang pull-ups, respectively.

    The other annual test, held later in the year, simulates battlefield fitness, with 30-pound "ammo can" presses, an 800-meter sprint, and a timed agility event.

    Ruiz's wife, a retired Marine, puts him through his paces to keep his pull-ups and ammo-can lifts on point. As soon as he comes home after a long work day, he owes her a set of either, depending on which fitness test is around the corner.

    "She holds me accountable at home because she's a Marine of 22 years," he added.

    "When it's over with the Marine Corps, I want to have another career. I'm not looking to retire out of the world," he said, explaining he's not one to sit still at home. "I want to be functional."

    Running

    Ruiz is a religious runner.

    Most days he runs a breezy five miles. On Sundays, when he's home, he goes for a ten-mile run from his home at the Corps' famous 8th and I barracks in Washington, DC, weaving across the National Mall, and over to the Corps' Iwo Jima Memorial. Sometimes he spies Marine groups on the National Mall working out and pops by to say hello.

    His warm-ups, a brisk walk and some stretching, are lengthier these days and an important part of his routine that he says helps to get his mind ready.

    "It takes me a long time to warm up. I love the process of getting ready for a run, being alone in my head."

    Running hasn't always come naturally, he said, and took time for him to develop a deep love for.

    Bad initial experiences can lead many to dislike running, Ruiz lamented — many are thrust into the service with little prior running experience and are forced into mass-unit runs with scores of other people wearing the wrong shoes, with no coaching for form or breathing, and poor diets.

    Ruiz and other Marines did a round of push-ups after a unit run in Japan on Sep. 3, 2025
    Ruiz and other Marines did a round of push-ups after a unit run in Japan on Sep. 3, 2025

    It can easily morph into a short survival test for many and end there, he said. It took years for his own love of running to develop. It is now a sacred part of his daily routine.

    For those looking to get into running — and who can afford new shoes — Ruiz recommends getting fitted for the right pair to maximize comfort and prevent injuries. Make running enjoyable, he said, and give it time. It might take a few months before you start to appreciate the routine that's become therapeutic for him.

    And for anyone in need of maximum Marine Corps motivation, Ruiz recommended his current running playlist of Marine and Army cadence, the songs troops call out for marching ("double time" tempo can equate to that of a leisurely jog).

    Recovery

    For recovery, Ruiz sticks to the basics — good food, hydration, and rest.

    He knows he'll be sluggish on his daily run if he hasn't gotten enough water or electrolytes, or if he's out of balance with his carbohydrate intake. An out-of-whack diet for Ruiz means "it's not going to be a quality and a comfortable run." Instead, he said, it'll be one "where I spend time struggling to get a rhythm, and not relaxing."

    Ruiz is not one for trendy fitness bells and whistles except for one area — tracking his physical data like sleep, heart rate, and run times with a Garmin smart watch. It's something special operations units already do, he said, and an effort he hopes the rest of the military can implement one day for better injury prevention. Such steps could boost retention, he said, mitigating medical issues.

    "Fitness in this service should not be a hobby. It must be a way of life," he said. "And we as a service have to provide the tools necessary for that Marine to continue to grow and get to the better version of themselves faster, and not by accident, but by design."

    Ruiz downs a protein drink after any workout, but stays away from other drinks or powders, like creatine. But especially because of his age, he said he likes to keep an open mind about trying new things when it comes to fitness, like bands for strengthening small but critical muscles that help with overall balance and strength, like hip flexors.

    By 50, people are used to doing things a certain way, he said, acknowledging his own previous stubbornness with trying out new approaches to health and fitness. But now, he said, "it is rewarding to figure out a better way" of maintaining his health.

    Read the original article on Business Insider