Features & Blogs

Shortly before his death, Anthony Bourdain was working on a travel guide with his assistant of nine years, Laurie Woolever—a synthesis of advice from his years of experience crossing the globe, both on his own time and for Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, his critically acclaimed CNN show. Now, People reports that the book, World Travel: An Irreverent Guide, will officially hit stores in October.

Woolever, who also co-wrote Appetites, Bourdain’s final cookbook, talked about the project with Food & Wine senior editor Kat Kinsman when she appeared on our Communal Table podcast last spring. She and Bourdain had sat down one day to discuss what he wanted out of the project, and she used a transcription of that conversation to help bring the book to life. It was meant to be a fun project—”I hope that people will still have fun with it when it comes out, but it has been a very different kind of project,” she told Kinsman.

The Oscars have never been edgy, but this year, the Academy Awards reminded you of how stodgy they could be. After the dust settled on Monday morning from this year’s nominations, it was surprising just how many favorites had been snubbed. No Jennifer Lopez for “Hustlers.” No Awkwafina for “The Farewell.” No Lupita Nyong’o for “Us.” No Adam Sandler for “Uncut Gems.” No Beyonce for best original song from “The Lion King.” And, once again, the race for best director proved to be a boys club, with an all-male slate of nominees that didn’t include Greta Gerwig (“Little Women”), Lulu Wang (“The Farewell”), Lorene Scafaria (“Hustlers”), Melina Matsoukas (“Queen & Slim”) and Marielle Heller (“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”).

There was an odd disconnect watching the nominations unspool, announced by Issa Rae and John Cho, as so many actors of color were left out. But at least it wasn’t another full repeat of #OscarSoWhite. Cynthia Erivo picked up the first acting nomination of her career for “Harriet” (and another one for best song).

(TMU) — India’s population of wild tigers is quickly rising after the government put its efforts behind strong conservationist policies defending the country’s wildlife.

A new census from the Indian government shows that the country’s tiger population has grown by about 33 percent since 2014. At present, the country’s wild Bengal tiger population stands at 2,967—mainly due to a ban on hunting and strict implementation of protections.

The South Asian country can now be proud of its role as one of the largest and most stable habitats for tigers worldwide, according to the Status of Tigers in India – 2018 report by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).