Author: NY TIMES

He studied law but after school quickly took a job at Sadler’s Wells Theater, before joining Welsh National Opera. He rose to head of artistic administration, then left for a short stint at the record label Philips Classics, where he worked with eminences like Jessye Norman, Colin Davis and John Eliot Gardiner. He returned to Wales as general director, staying for 11 years before moving to Houston in 2006 and Chicago in 2011.The two American companies were both founded in the mid-1950s, but Lyric feels closer to the 141-year-old Metropolitan Opera. “The sense of Lyric being a legacy institution —…

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There are precedents for a forceful response by Iran to the Israeli airstrike in Syria on Monday that killed senior commanders and other officers of Iran’s elite Quds Force.Four years ago, after the United States killed the chief of the Quds Force, Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, Iran fired missiles at U.S. bases in Iraq, injuring more than 100 troops.Though its proxy militias around the Middle East have launched a number of attacks on Israel since the war between Israel and Hamas began on Oct. 7, Iran has taken care to avoid a direct conflict that could lead to full-fledged war.In…

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When Russian tanks first rolled into Ukraine more than two years ago, Artem Vradii was sure his business was bound to suffer.“Who would think about coffee in this situation?” thought Mr. Vradii, the co-founder of a Kyiv coffee roastery named Mad Heads. “Nobody would care.”But over the next few days after the invasion’s start, he started receiving messages from Ukrainian soldiers. One asked for bags of ground coffee because he could not stand the energy drinks supplied by the army. Another simply requested beans: He had brought his own grinder to the front.“I was really shocked,” Mr. Vradii said in…

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With the expansion of the College Football Playoff and $2.4 billion in annual broadcast rights to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, the most marketable player in women’s basketball history — Iowa State’s Kaitlyn Clark — is putting her sport on the line. Driving unprecedented television ratings, college sports appear healthy, vibrant and lucrative. This applies to everyone except participants.University officials and legal scholars have questioned whether athletes should get a cut of postseason earnings. Those discussions have spilled over into athlete rights and employment status, both of which will likely be decided in federal court.NCAA President Charlie Baker gave brief…

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Even if you’re not a big drinker, it’s worth taking the time to set up a home bar.Why? “It shows that you care about people having a good time,” said Jessica Schuster, 38, an interior designer based in New York City. “I’m not a huge drinker myself, but I love to have a home bar, because I love to entertain.”For clients with large homes, Ms. Schuster will often design glamorous built-in bars. But you don’t need a fancy dedicated space: It’s easy to set up a decent bar on just about any flat surface.“You can always create a home bar,…

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Unlike the consumer goods, beverage or retail sectors, the note continued, there are no large consultancies publishing market share data on the Swiss watch sector. “This is due to the impracticality of conducting such surveys and the discreet nature of the Swiss watch industry,” it said.Perhaps no brand is more discreet, nor influential, than Rolex, which continues to dominate the market. According to Morgan Stanley’s seventh annual report, released in February, Rolex’s share is said to have grown — to 30.3 percent — on the strength of its 2023 sales, estimated to have topped 10 billion Swiss francs.Yet, because the…

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Dogs and cats are members of the family. So when they are sick, many pet owners will go to nearly any length to make sure they’re taken care of.That care, however, increasingly comes at an eye-popping cost: Veterinary bills have skyrocketed in recent years. Even routine visits can add up to hundreds of dollars, and a frantic trip to the emergency vet can quickly max out credit cards.And while pet health insurance can help ease the financial strain, it has few of the consumer protections (like coverage of pre-existing conditions) that are required for human insurance.The New York Times is…

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Elad Katzir, the Israeli hostage whose body was recovered and returned to Israel on Saturday, had long felt unprotected living along Israel’s border with Gaza.In an interview with The New York Times in 2009, after Palestinian rocket attacks led to a deadly three-week Israeli offensive against Hamas in Gaza, Mr. Katzir told a reporter that he had a nagging feeling.“I do not feel any victory,” Mr. Katzir said at the time, when the fighting had ended with a shaky cease-fire. “I still do not feel safe.”Mr. Katzir, 47, had deep roots in Nir Oz, the kibbutz in southern Israel where…

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