summer

All the countries UK holidaymakers can visit this summer

By Gertrude Aziz 23 hours ago

Alcudia beach, Majorca: istock
Alcudia beach, Majorca: istock

The list of countries that Britons can travel to without having to quarantine for 14 days on return is sadly diminishing week by week.

France, Malta and the Netherlands were removed from the exemption list last night, alongside Monaco, Turks & Caicos and Aruba.

They join Andorra, Belgium and the Bahamas, which were removed last week, as well as Spain, Serbia and Luxembourg before that.

All of these destinations were previously given the green light for travel, but have been removed after reporting spikes in coronavirus cases.

To confuse things further, the holidaymakers have to check two different government lists: the Department for Transport’s exemption list (so you don’t have to quarantine on return) and the FCO’s exemption list (so any travel insurance you may have is valid).

While the lists are not the same, there is a significant overlap of countries and the lists are

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John Lewis documentary among high-quality offerings free from PBS this summer

By Gertrude Aziz 5 days ago

When John Lewis died last month and I wanted to find out more about the man and his life, I did all the things I usually do when I want to her media-educated on a topic in a hurry. I watched the cable TV specials, ordered books from Amazon and read online obituaries and profiles. But nowhere did I instantly find more illuminating and powerful content than PBS. And the best thing: It was free.

Not a week goes by that I don’t get emails from readers of The Sun who complain that the best programs air on costly streaming services like Netflix and premium cable channels like HBO. Most of the emails are angry, because the people writing feel the reality of two Americas based on how much money someone has. And when it comes to TV and digital content, they feel like they are suddenly living on the

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Home brewing equipment is flying off the shelves in the summer of coronavirus

By Gertrude Aziz 1 week ago

MILWAUKEE – Jason Rohloff is an avid home brewer, but only COVID-19 can explain his recent output.

Rohloff, a 40-year-old manufacturing manager from Cudahy, has brewed 100 gallons of beer since the pandemic started. That’s more than what he would typically make in eight or nine months.

“I have beer now that I don’t what to do with, I brewed so much,” Rohloff said. “I can’t imagine the circumstance is unique to a lot of people.” 

The Brewers Association, which includes the American Homebrewers Association, counts 1.2 million home brewers in the country, but hasn’t tracked new brewers since the pandemic began.

However, those who sell home-brewing equipment in Milwaukee say there is definitely a surge.

“There’s nothing to do but drink beer and brew beer,” said Ben Caya, owner of Milwaukee-based Spike Brewing.

He’s kidding, but Spike, which makes premium equipment for brewing at home, saw its best two

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Wedding industry predicts a ‘summer of love’ as couples push celebrations to 2021

By Gertrude Aziz 2 weeks ago

Heather Stone and her fiancé had originally planned an October wedding in wine country full of friends and family from New York. When the pandemic descended, little about that idea sounded feasible. Some of Stone’s New York family members worked on the front lines of the coronavirus response. Some didn’t feel safe boarding an airplane. And California banned large gatherings, anyway.

So Stone and her fiancé decided to elope.

“We just knew we wanted to become husband and wife this year,” Stone said.

They will get married in Yosemite this fall with just an officiant to bear witness. Stone bought “an eloping dress,” as she calls it, but she still plans to walk down the aisle in a fancier white gown in the future. The couple hopes to hold a party with all of their friends and family at their original venue next year.

As many couples delay weddings originally

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Heathrow boss calls for airport tests to rescue summer tourism season

By Gertrude Aziz 2 weeks ago

Cartoonist Blower's take on the Government's coronavirus response
Cartoonist Blower’s take on the Government’s coronavirus response

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Heathrow boss calls for airport tests to save summer

The chief executive of Heathrow Airport has urged the Government to allow passengers to be tested for Covid-19 on arrival in a trial to rescue the summer tourism season. John Holland-Kaye told The Telegraph that Heathrow could have a test “up and running” in two weeks, meaning holidaymakers who have just set off for Spain could be checked – at a cost of £150 – when they arrived home. France and Germany are among at least 20 countries already using such tests to cut quarantine for arrivals from countries with high levels of coronavirus. The Telegraph understands that Grant

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7 Growth Stocks Prepared for a Summer Surge

By Gertrude Aziz 3 weeks ago

In terms of market volatility, this year is definitely one for the books. 2020 saw market movements that would normally take decades, compressed into a single year. With unemployment rates at their highest and businesses facing the risk of bankruptcy, the economy hit some new lows this year. However, a period of downturn also presents a unique opportunity for investors to load up on growth stocks to buy at a discounted price.

Historically speaking, a bear market in the S&P 500 was always replaced by a bull market rally in the years before Covid-19.

While it’s hard to remain optimistic in uncertain times, investors need to take a long-term approach when investing in stocks. Some companies are likely to emerge from the pandemic as losers. Others will come out of this stronger than ever.

InvestorPlace – Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips

Here are seven growth stocks that

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Most engaged couples proceed with summer weddings despite pandemic

By Gertrude Aziz 4 weeks ago

Benjamin Romer and Melanie Middleton’s wedding on June 27, 2020, wasn’t the wedding they had planned, but it was the wedding that their guests called “heartfelt” and “how it should be.”  

They didn’t have any of the emblems of modern weddings like bachelor or bachelorette parties, a bridal shower, or rehearsal dinner. Fifty people, mostly family members who live locally, gathered in Middleton’s parents’ backyard in upstate New York and watched the two exchange their handwritten vows. 

“It was absolutely perfect and we wouldn’t have it any other way. COVID-19 may have caused us to change our original plans, but we adapted and pulled it off in style,” the couple said referring to what they call their “dream wedding.”

Romer, 31, and Middleton, 28, represent scores of couples who intended to marry in 2020 and had their milestones interrupted and redesigned by COVID-19. 

Benjamin Romer and Melanie Middleton represent scores

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Here’s how the pandemic is changing summer wedding plans

By Gertrude Aziz 4 weeks ago

Couples that were planning to marry in 2020 have had to contend with a unique type of wedding planning stress.

The coronavirus has derailed plans and forced couples to reimagine their big celebrations. But engaged couples and newlyweds have shown that COVID-19 is no match for love and they are finding creative ways to wed under the constraints of the pandemic.

Scaling down in-person events, bisecting wedding ceremonies from receptions, and incorporating video conferencing so the occasion can be digitally shared to those far and wide are some of the emerging trends from the wedding industry.

Cashay editor Janna Herron sat down with Yahoo Money and Cashay reporter Stephanie Asymkos to discuss the trends and outlook in the latest episode of the Money, Honestly podcast. Their conversation is based on Stephanie’s Yahoo Money and Cashay reporting.

Seventy-six percent of summer weddings in 2020 are still happening in one way or another. (Photo: Getty)
Seventy-six percent of summer weddings in 2020 are still happening in one way or
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7 Things to Do in the Summer for College Students With No Job

By Gertrude Aziz 1 month ago

Are you in college and feeling like you’re stuck in limbo because of the COVID-19 pandemic?

Hiring freezes, canceled internships and stay-at-home orders have thrown a lot of summer 2020 plans out the window.

But you can still make the most of your summer break to further your education, work experience and skill-building — it’ll just take a little flexibility and creativity.

Here are seven productive things to do in the summer for college kids.

7 Ways to Make the Most of Summer Without a Job

Here are some creative ways to make good use of your summer break if a regular job or internship is off the table.

1. Take Free Online Classes

Going to class might not be your first choice for summer break, but this is a smart time to develop valuable career skills.

MOOCs, massive open online courses, let you take classes from real universities —

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I’m running a ‘Common Sense Camp’ for my kids this summer

By Gertrude Aziz 1 month ago

Oona Hanson is an educator based in Los Angeles, California. Her story “I’m Running a ‘Common Sense Camp’ for My Kids This Summer,” was originally published on Forge by Medium in June, and is reprinted here with permission.

One of my favorite single-panel comics from Gary Larson’s “The Far Side” features a boy pushing mightily against a door marked “pull.” Above him, a sign announces the building as a “School for the Gifted.”

It’s an image I’ve thought about more than once since becoming a parent. As my kids — now 12 and 17 — got older, it became clear that they were, let’s say, heavy on the book smarts. Sometimes, when my husband and I would observe our children struggling with ordinary tasks, we’d joke that they could benefit from Common Sense Camp.

The joke was never entirely that funny. In her book “How To Raise an Adult,” a

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