Times editors have handpicked 11 stories for you to enjoy. Welcome to The Weekender.
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Can He Condemn the Killings Without Causing More Pain?
Chris George has lived in Israel and Gaza, where he was once held hostage. As his employees ask him to speak out on the latest war, he is torn.
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Cats Filled the Prison. Then the Inmates Fell in Love.
In Chile’s oldest and most overcrowded prison, the inmates have found solace in hundreds of stray cats.
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‘World’s Oldest Pyramid’ in Indonesia? A Study Draws Skepticism.
The study has fueled a dispute over the age of a partially excavated site and prompted warnings about the dangers of nationalist mythmaking.
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The People Who Brought You Travis Kelce
A plan was hatched to make the football player “as famous as the Rock.” It began long before you might guess.
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Jelly Roll, an Unlikely New Star, on the Grammys and His Rap Past
An interview with one of the year’s surprise success stories in the music industry, who’s become known as much for emotional openness as for hit songs.
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They Can’t All Be Nominated for Best Picture, Can They?
It’s a very competitive year for the top Oscar. Here’s what may make the cut.
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A Pilgrimage to Verdi-land
A critic whose love of the operas of Giuseppe Verdi goes back nearly 60 years traveled to northern Italy to visit the places that shaped the man and his music.
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What’s in a Name? The Battle of Baby T. Rex and Nanotyrannus.
A dinosaur fossil listed for sale in London for $20 million embodies one of the most heated debates in paleontology.
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Need a Home for 80,000 Puzzles? Try an Italian Castle.
George and Roxanne Miller relocated the world’s largest collection of mechanical puzzles from their home in Florida. But first they took a road trip.
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Sign Up for Well’s 6-Day Energy Challenge
Set yourself up for an invigorating new year.
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Thanks for reading. I’ll see you next weekend.
This edition of The Weekender was edited by Jonathan Wolfe.