The New Zealand Herald is bringing back some of the best stories of 2021 from our premium syndicators, including The New York Times, Financial Times, The Times of London and The New Zealand Listener.
Today we look at the benefits of cutting back on alcohol, TV's best comedies, escaping a cult, riding high on Wall St and the appeal of endurance running.
The benefits of taking a break from alcohol
There's plenty of health benefits to cutting – or just curbing – our alcohol intake. From weight loss, to sleeping better, to brighter skin, cutting back on the evening wine can have a big impact on our lives.
But what exactly is it like going teetotal?
ALSO READ:
• Opinion: Why are so many of us hard-wired to drink to excess?
• Excessive drinking rose during the pandemic. Here are ways to cut back
• Spin the bottle: The problem with 'mummy drinking culture'
The 21 best comedies of the 21st century (so far)
What is funny? "Funny" can describe straight-up ha-ha pleasure, like watching Homer Simpson fall into Springfield Gorge, twice. But it can also mean something odd (I have a funny feeling about this) or disconcerting (My stomach feels funny) or suspicious (Are you up to something funny?).
In today's bumper crop of TV comedy, what funny is not is simple or monolithic. What even counts as a comedy in an age of dramedy and comic drama and depressed cartoon horses? How do you account for changing times and mores, jokes that aged badly, stars' less-than-amusing offscreen offenses? Is there more to a great comedy than how many times it makes you laugh?
We have no absolute answers, only the arguments that resulted in this list, arranged in chronological order, which we hope prompt you to have the same arguments and more.
Read the full list from The New York Times here.
How I escaped my father's cult at the age of 30
For the first three decades of her life, Katy Morgan-Davies was trapped in a brutal cult in south London controlled by her father, Aravindan Balakrishnan. Eight years after getting out, she reveals how she's struggled to adapt to her new-found freedom.
ALSO READ:
• Inside the Children of God cult: 'Some girls had to marry their dads'
The king of Wall St: The secrets of America's most powerful banker
The chairman and CEO of JP Morgan Chase is a modern day Midas who thrived through the financial crisis. At 65 is there any stopping him?
ALSO READ:
• The ten trillion dollar man: How Larry Fink became king of Wall St
• How Julian Robertson built a hedge fund dynasty
'Magic in misery': The ultrarunners tackling the world's toughest race
Think a marathon sounds challenging? Earlier this year, 400 athletes embarked on a 246km, 36-hour endurance test in Greece. They told Nick Rufford why they do it.
