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PLETTENBURG POLO CLUB
Plett Polo Festival
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THE GAUNTLET OF POLO
The U.S. Open Polo Championships
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Bronze Cup
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National 20-Goal
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FORMULA 1
Australian Grand Prix
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Inaugural Women's Polo Nations Cup
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WIMBLEDON
SCOREBOARDS & COCKTAILS
POLO
What eggs think about eggflation, page 67
OLO: The color only scientists can see, page 64
Will air taxi networks deliver as promised? page 100
Deleting yourself from the Internet, page 106
OLO IS THE WORD ON EVERYONE’S LIPS AROUND THE OFFICE. I THOUGHT FOR A MINUTE, EVERYONE WAS SAYING, “YOLO,” YOU KNOW, YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE. BUT, ALAS, NO. OLO – NOT YOLO – IS A “NEW COLOR” DISCOVERED BY SCIENTISTS IN A LAB USING A LASER.
The last time a new color was discovered was in 2009, or 16 years ago. Roughly 20 years before that, I had the highly coveted 64-pack of Crayons in my old-fashioned, sliding top desk (the one that constantly smashed fingers when it dropped close without a moment’s notice) at BL-H Elementary School. Sixty-four shades of rainbow in a box that my Type A personality organized perfectly. I colored carefully to avoid dulling the tip of my Crayons, and even used a pencil sharpener – yes, we had those screwed into the frames of the blackboards in that 100-year-old building – to get the pointy tips back.
A little research on my part revealed that, In the last 35 years, you can now buy a 96-pack or 120-pack of Crayons. Where are all these new colors coming from? Since Olo is only viewable in a lab by scientists, Crayola won’t be adding Olo to its line up any time soon. Scientists who have seen Olo describe it as a bluegreen, of which there are already seven-plus Crayola colors of similar shades (depending on how you see or count some of the bluer blue-greens).
In any case, as with anything scientific, we’re bound to see Olo soon, whether as the Pantone color of the year or in a Crayola box of 120-plus colors. So, here’s to Olo and progress and all the colors of the rainbow.
How people commonly feel various emotions throughout their bodies based on a scientific study led by University in Finland polo_club_gstaad
Rolling sand dunes that look like white waves peek out of crystal blue waters. Villas crafted from weaving, thatching and carpentry
The Hublot Polo Gold Cup Gstaad returns from 21 to 24 August 2025
uspoloassn
When the whole crew meets up for denim day every day all summer
moetchandon
Checkmate, redefined. Atelier @baque_ molinie re-imagined the chessboard through the lens of Moët & Chandon
Chic Eyeshadow Stick adapts to every gaze — whether softly defined or boldly drawn
lucchese
It’s not often we find ourselves in wide open spaces where the roses bloom, but this is pretty close
bergdorfs
Your whole look crystallizes with lightcatching earrings from Swarovski
carolinaherrera
Warm hues of blue with natural woods and cooper pots and pans turn a house into a home
Click and comment on our choices... Tag @pololifestyles . We will share noteworthy comments with you next month.
thebrookecharity
Equine owners at Sitara brick kiln have implemented the knowledge, skills and techniques they learned to improve conditions for their working equines
poloclubmiddennederland
End of the Summer Polo 13-14 September open to spectators, registration for players
A $1 million grant from the USPA is turning a dream into reality for Work to Ride—and building the future of American polo
One month ago today since a memorable final for @mensik.jakub
Bold in blue, built for every road ahead. The #G580 is powered for the future
Or at least it should
both a
and a blessed
Baby's first trophy after La Dolfina Tamera won the U.S. Open Polo Championship
The idea of injecting your own lips or crow’s feet at home sounds terrifying.
The MJS Groupe knows how to wish you
Happy Easter
Passover
The arrival of the polo ponies for the final of the U.S. Open Polo Championship in Wellington, Fla.
LA DOLFINA VS LA DOLFINA IN U.S. OPEN POLO CHAMPIONSHIP
WELLINGTON — ON A DAY FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS, LA DOLFINA-TAMERA WON ITS FIRST $100,000 U.S. OPEN APRIL 20 AT THE NATIONAL POLO CENTER.
In front of a sellout crowd, La DolfinaTamera (Ale Poma, Matt Coppola, Diego Cavanaugh, Adolfo Cambiaso) defeated La Dolfina-Catamount (Scott Devon, Rufino Merlos, Poroto Cambiaso, Jesse Bray), 12-8, for the sport’s most prestigious trophy and crown jewel of U.S. polo on U.S. Polo Assn. Field One.
The game pitted father and teenage son, Adolfo and Poroto Cambiaso. After backto-back runner-up finishes, it was Adolfo Cambiaso, at 50, who won his 10th U.S. Open title. He became the second-winningest player of all time adding to his titles (1999, 2000, 2001, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2015, 2017, 2021) and surpassing Carlos Gracida with nine. Legendary Memo Gracida leads with 16.
THE GAUNTLET OF POLO 2025 U.S. OPEN POLO CHAMPIONSHIP
“I never stop dreaming,” Cambiaso said. “I never thought I would be at 50 winning the U.S. Open and so I’m going to keep dreaming. Being involved in the final was a dream. This is amazing. Whoever won we were going to be happy
anyway. In this case I won so I am happy.”
Patron Alejandro Poma, the lowest-rated player, was his team’s leading scorer, hitting four clutch goals from difficult angles throughout the game and earn-
ing Most Valuable Player honors. He matched his goal total for the season in one game. Poma was overcome with emotion as he and Cambiaso rode off the field together after the game.
THE GAUNTLET OF POLO 2025 U.S. OPEN POLO CHAMPIONSHIP
POLO CLUB DU DOMAINE DE CHANTILLY COUPE D'AUMALE 2025
WORLD POLO LEAGUE
TRIPLE CROWN OF POLO 26-GOAL
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CANDACE FERREIRA / STORY BY SHARON ROBB
WELLINGTON, Fla. –Tonkawa rallied in the sixth chukker to capture the World Polo League season-ending Triple Crown of Polo Saturday at windswept Grand Champions Polo Club.
In front of large festive crowd on a perfect day for polo, Tonkawa (Jeff Hildebrand, 0, Mackie Weisz, 6, Tommy Panelo, 10, Juan Martin Nero, 10) held off Casablanca (Grant Ganzi, 3, Hilario Figueras, 6, Rufino Bensadon, 8, Sapo Caset, 9) for an 11-9 victory.
It was Tonkawa’s second WPL title after winning the Palm Beach Open. Tonkawa finished the tournament 3-1. Casablanca, winners of the first two WPL tournaments, finished 2-2.
WORLD POLO LEAGUE TRIPLE CROWN OF POLO 26-GOAL
Argentine great Juan Martin Nero was the Most Valuable Player.
During the post-game festivities, Daniel A. Hostettler, President and CEO of The Boca Raton, a luxury resort destination, was presented with a framed polo jersey from Grand Champions for his endless support of the club and 26-goal polo.
Three Best Playing Pony blankets were also awarded.
Catwoman, a 9-year-old gray mare played by Nero and bred and owned by Santa Rita Polo Farm, was the American Polo Horse Association BPP.
Oriental Oklahoma, owned and played by Panelo, was the Argentine CCP Best Playing Pony.
Girl Power, a 14-year-old dark bay thoroughbred mare, played by Ganzi and owned by Santa Rita Polo Farm, was the World Polo League Best Playing Pony.
Casablanca handed previously unbeaten Tonkawa its’ first loss of the highly competitive tournament in Thursday’s 12-9 semifinal and came close again in the final.
After a slow start, Casablanca found its momentum and cohesiveness in the sec-
ond half, clawing its way back from a 7-3 halftime deficit and outscoring Tonkawa 6-4, in the final three chukkers.
In the fourth chukker, Sapo scored backto-back goals on penalty conversions to trail, 7-5. Hildebrand converted a 40-yard penalty to extend his team’s lead, 8-5. That goal was selected Goal of the Game.
Casablanca continued its comeback in the fifth chukker finally tying the game at 8-8 with 40 seconds left on Caset’s third goal of the chukker.
Nero opened the sixth chukker with a
quick goal after a long pass from Weisz, who won the throw-in, to regain the lead for Tonkawa, 9-8. After Nero deflected a Casablanca goal out of the air, Caset converted a 30-yard penalty to tie the game, 9-9.
Tonkawa turned it on in the final three minutes with Weisz scoring from a standstill through three defenders for a 10-9 lead. After a missed scoring opportunity by Casablanca, Panelo scored off a broken play, one of five by Casablanca, with 1:25 left for a two-goal cushion and then saved Bensadon’s goal attempt in the closing seconds.
For the game, Tonkawa led shots on goal, 17-15, throw-ins, 12-9, and fouls, 10-6. Casablanca led knock-ins, 6-5.
Tonkawa dominated the first half, transitioning quicker than Casablanca, unable to get a consistent offensive attack going mainly because of Tonkawa’s stingy defense led by Nero. Tonkawa built a 4-1 lead after two chukkers, shutting out Casablanca 2-0 in the second chukker.
Tonkawa took advantage of two change of possessions and three broken plays to take a four-goal lead, 6-2 midway through the third chukker. With 45 seconds left in the half Panelo scored off
a broken play for another four-goal lead and 7-3 advantage going into halftime.
In the first half, Tonkawa outshot Casablanca, 11-5. Tonkawa led throwins, 6-4 and Casablanca led knock-ins, 4-2. The teams combined for five fouls.
Tonkawa got balanced scoring from its lineup. Panelo led with five goals and finished with 18 goals. Weisz had three, Hildebrand had two and Nero one goal.
For Casablanca, Caset scored a gamehigh seven goals, including four penalty conversions. Caset finished with 26 goals. Ganzi and Bensadon each had one goal.
WORLD POLO LEAGUE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CANDACE FERREIRA / STORY BY SHARON ROBB
During the game, fans of all ages were treated to an egg-cellent guest appearance by the Easter Bunny and his Easter egg hunt tradition. There was also a spirited two-chukker Wheelie Polo Exhibition Game featuring Inda Pieres, Santos Valent, Antonio Villamil, Inaki Gonzalez, Florencio Melos and Celestino Merlos. The game ended in a 1-1 tie.
The coveted Triple Crown of Polo trophy is comprised of three separate trophies that fit perfectly together to create an entire polo scene that is breathtaking in sterling silver.
Tonkawa will have its players’ names inscribed on the trophy, adding to an impressive list of teams that feature several top players including Sebastian Merlos, Mike Azzaro, Tommy Biddle, Adam Snow, Nic Roldan, Matias Magrini, Jeff Hall, Mariano Gonzalez, Michel Dorignac, Kris Kampsen, Gringo Colombres and Jeta Castagnola.
The much-anticipated WPL Triple Crown of Polo was the fourth and final tournament of the winter season. The WPL, now ending its seventh season, continues to make history as the only 26-goal tournament polo played outside of Argentina.
In last year’s Triple Crown of Polo, Park Place (Andrey Borodin, 0, Juan Britos, 9, Hilario Ulloa, 10, Joaquin Panelo, 6) held on for a thrilling 12-11 victory over defending champion and previously undefeated Audi (Marc Ganzi, 1, Nacho Figueras, 5, Jeta Castagnola, 10, Pablo MacDonough, 10). Panelo was MVP.
The 2025 WPL tournaments thrilled fans and livestream viewing audience. The WPL kicked off its seventh season on Feb. 16th making history with a first-of-its kind matchup. Casablanca captured the first-ever WPL 32-Goal All-Star Challenge Riemenschneider Memorial.
In front of a packed house, Casablanca (Sapo Caset, 9, Grant Ganzi, 3, Tommy Panelo, 10, Juan Martin Nero, 10) led from start to finish to defeat Santa Rita (Nic Roldan, 7, Tomacho Pieres, 6, Pablo MacDonough, 10, Juan Martin Zubia, 9), 8-5. Caset led Casablanca with a game-high five goals and was named MVP.
Casablanca made it two in a row capturing the Founders Cup with a hard-fought 14-12 win over Alegria (Jason Crowder, 5, Fred Mannix, 7, Nic Roldan, 7, Tommy Collingwood, 5). Caset earned his second MVP award.
Tonkawa (Jeff Hildebrand, 0, Mackie Weisz, 6, Pablo MacDonough, 10, Juan Martin Nero, 10) defeated Travieso (Tony Calle, 3, Pipe Vercellino, 7, Juan Martin Zubia, 9, Fred Mannix, 7), 13-12, to win the Palm Beach Open and finished undefeated at 4-0.
SOTOGRANDE SEMANA SANTA TOURNAMENT 2025
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CANDACE FERREIRA / STORY BY SHARON ROBB
SOTOGRANDE SEMANA SANTA TOURNAMENT 2025
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CANDACE FERREIRA / STORY BY SHARON ROBB
SOTOGRANDE SEMANA SANTA TOURNAMENT 2025
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CANDACE FERREIRA / STORY BY SHARON ROBB
OLO THE NEW COLOR YOU CAN ONLY SEE IN A LAB... FOR NOW
DESCRIBED AS A ‘DEEPLY SATURATED TEAL’ COLOR, HUMANS CAN ONLY SEE IT WITH THE HELP OF LASER TECHNOLOGY.
A team of scientists claims to have discovered a new color that humans cannot see without the help of technology.
The researchers based in the United States said they were able to “experience” the color, which they named “olo”, by firing laser pulses into their eyes using a device named after the Wizard of Oz.
Olo cannot be seen with the naked eye, but the five people who have seen it describe it as being similar to teal.
WHAT HAS THE STUDY FOUND?
Professors from the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Washington School of Medicine published an article in the journal, Science
Advances, on April 18 in which they put forth their discovery of a hue beyond the gamut of human vision.
They explained that they had devised a technique called Oz, which can “trick” the human eye into seeing olo. The technique is named after the Wizard of Oz.
In the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, published in 1900, Frank Baum wrote about a man who uses tricks to fool the residents of the fictional land of Oz into thinking he’s a wizard. For instance, it is believed that the Emerald City, the capital of Oz, is so bright and vibrant that visitors have to wear special glasses to protect their eyes. The glasses are one of the wizard’s tricks, since they make the city appear greener and grander.
HOW DO HUMANS PERCEIVE COLOR?
The human eye perceives color via three types of photoreceptor or “cone cells” in the retina. S cones pick up shorter, blue
wavelengths of light; M cones detect medium, green wavelengths; and L cones detect longer, red wavelengths.
“The signals from these cones are then sent through a complex series of cells in the retina that act to clean up and integrate the signal before passing it down the optic nerve through parts of the brain,” Francis Windram, a research associate at the department of life sciences at Imperial College London, told Al Jazeera.
The part of the brain that the visual information is passed to is the visual cortex.
HOW DID SCIENTISTS FIND THE ‘NEW’ COLOR?
In normal vision, the function of M cones overlaps with the neighboring S and L cones, so any light that stimulates M cones also activates the other two cones. The M cones don’t function alone.
“There’s no wavelength in the world that can stimulate only the M cone,” Ren
SCIENTISTS WHO'VE SEEN OLO DESCRIBE IT AS CLOSE TO TEAL
Ng, a professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences at UC Berkeley, explained in an article published on its website.
“I began wondering what it would look like if you could just stimulate all the M cone cells. Would it be like the greenest green you’ve ever seen?”
So Ng teamed up with Austin Roorda, one of the creators of the Oz technology and a professor of optometry and vision science at UC Berkeley.
Oz, which Roorda described as “a microscope for looking at the retina”, uses tiny micro doses of laser light to target individual photoreceptors in the eye. The equipment, which must be highly stabilized during use, is already being used to study eye disease.
The work using Oz began in 2018 by James Carl Fong, a doctoral student in electrical engineering and computer sciences at UC Berkeley. Hannah Doyle, another doctoral student at Berkeley, ran the experiments through which human subjects were able to see the new color, olo.
IS OLO REALLY A NEW COLOR?
The shade of olo has always existed, it just falls beyond the spectrum of shades visible to the human eye. There are other such shades that we cannot see. Hence, olo is not a new color that has come into existence, from a physical or scientific perspective.
However, “From a sociolinguistic perspective, if people give new names to colors which previously were indistinguishable thanks to this technology, then maybe! It all depends on how you say it,” Windram said.
HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE SEEN OLO?
Five people have seen the “new” color – four men and one woman. All had normal color vision.
Three of the subjects, including Roorda and Ng, are the co-authors of the research paper while the other two are members of the participating lab at the University of Washington and were unaware of the purpose of the study before they took part.
WHAT DOES OLO LOOK LIKE?
Those who have seen olo describe it as a teal or green-blue color – but one they had never seen before.
In the article by UC Berkeley, it is described as a “blue-green color of unparalleled saturation”.
“It was like a profoundly saturated teal … the most saturated natural color was just pale by comparison,” Roorda said.
“I wasn’t a subject for this paper, but I’ve seen olo since, and it’s very striking. You know you’re looking at something very blue-green,” Doyle said.
The researchers said an image of a teal square is the closest color match to olo. However, this square is not an olo-colored square. The naked human eye simply cannot see the shade.
“We’re not going to see olo on any smartphone displays or any TVs any time soon. And this is very, very far beyond VR headset technology,” Ng said, according to a report in the UK’s Guardian newspaper.
COULD THIS TECHNOLOGY HELP PEOPLE WITH COLOR BLINDNESS?
Berkeley researchers are exploring whether the Oz technology could help people with color blindness.
Windram said success would depend on the cause of color blindness in individuals. Deuteranomaly, which causes decreased sensitivity to green light, is the most common form of color blindness.
“In this case, a miniaturized version of this technology could theoretically be used to correct this by directly stimulat-
ing the cones when the correct color of light hits them,” Windram said.
Windram pointed out that publicity materials for the research show images of the Oz experiment on a highly stabilized table.
“This would require a lot of work to miniaturize the technology, and is likely a long way off. Given that the laser must stably hit the correct cones in order to stimulate them, this may not really be feasible as a form of vision correction technologically,” he said.
HOW DO WE KNOW HOW PEOPLE ‘SEE’ COLOR?
The concept of a color has three main components, Windram explained: The physical, which has to do with the wavelengths of light that meet the eye; the neurological, which refers to how humans biologically process these light signals; and the societal or linguistic component, which pertains to how colors are named.
“In the end I may see a color and call it ‘red’, someone else may call it ‘rot’ or ‘rouge’ … but also another may look at it a bit more closely and say ‘well it’s claret’ or ‘crimson’.”
To test this, neuroscience and AI researcher Patrick Mineault developed a website for entertainment purposes in September 2024, on which users can take a test to see how their color perception compares to others.
Humans can also perceive color differently due to differences in factors such as “temperature” of light. This was demonstrated when a photo of a dress went viral in 2015, dividing social media users over whether the dress was white and gold, or blue and black.
Windram explained that people who were deciding what colors the dress was were drawing on preconceived notions of whether the photograph of the dress was taken in warm lighting or cool lighting.
WHAT EGGS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT EGGFLATION
THE SCRAMBLED EGGS AT THE NED NOMAD MAY LOOK THE SAME AS THEY DID LAST YEAR, BUT BEHIND THE SCENES, BREAKFAST SERVICE HAS COMPLETELY CHANGED DUE TO THE RISING PRICE OF EGGS.
Chefs now rely on pasteurized liquid eggs for consistency and cost control, reserving whole eggs for dishes that demand them. “We’ve had to be a bit more strategic,” says Luca Capasso, the hotel’s executive chef. “We continue to use whole fresh eggs where it matters most.” As “eggflation” continues, every change is calculated.
The severe outbreak of bird flu has disrupted commercial poultry farms across the country, prompting largescale culling efforts and straining the egg
supply chain. Egg prices in the United States rose to a record $6.23 per dozen in March, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, representing a 5.6 percent increase from February and an over 60 percent increase from the previous year.
Restaurants known for tasting menus and prix fixe service are feeling the pressure acutely. In fine dining, consistency is paramount, and eggs often serve as a foundational ingredient. Removing or altering them requires more than a simple substitution. “Breakfast was hit the hardest, both in the hotel and at Cecconi’s [at the NoMad],” Capasso says. “We made a conscious decision not to pass the cost on to guests. We didn’t adopt an ‘eggs plus $1’ approach,” a pricing tactic some restaurants have used in recent months, adding a surcharge to compensate for rising costs.
Pricing volatility also results in more
than just higher bills for customers—it affects sourcing, staffing and the pace of recipe development. At Greywind in New York City, chef Dan Kluger says his team didn’t change much, but they can’t innovate much either. “It mostly just slowed me down from adding new egg-heavy dishes, like asparagus with poached egg,” Kluger says. “Prices more than doubled, but aside from a few items like scrambled eggs, we don’t rely heavily on eggs. I wanted to wait it out before raising prices.”
Some restaurants experimented with looking for different local vendors. “We have been actively working with some additional purveyors in order to price match and compare as much as possible,” says Andrew Quinn, chef at The Noortwyck in Manhattan’s West Village neighborhood. “Prices are changing so rapidly that, oftentimes, smaller purveyors operating at lower volume haven’t ad-
justed their pricing to match the current market, which sometimes allows us to find savings. The eggs always seem to be available, it is just the price that makes it difficult to purchase.”
Capasso says the Ned NoMad switched to a different supplier for a month when prices peaked in March. “It’s less about seeking out alternatives and more about staying agile when market conditions shift,” he explained.
Others, like Finch at Stockton Inn in New Jersey, have doubled down on eggs even in the face of rising prices. “We’re always exploring new local purveyors and comparing our options, but ultimately we prioritize quality, even if it means paying a premium,” says chef Bobby Truitt. So far, he has not removed egg dishes from the menu.
“Price fluctuations are common across many products, but seeing it with eggs is a first in my experience,” Truitt adds. “The real work in times like this boils down to sourcing and finding the best ingredients for the most competitive prices.”
Not every kitchen can absorb that hit. Shawn Campbell, director of food and beverage at the Omni Corpus Christi Hotel in Texas, describes a different scenario. “We are experiencing huge back-order delays,” Campbell says. “We have reduced the amount of buffet eggs and have them made to order to save on waste.” To manage the shortage, the Omni now buys eggs from three different vendors instead of one. The hotel also raised egg prices by 50 percent and reprinted menus to reflect the change. “Unfortunately, we had to increase the
prices,” he says. “This moment feels very different.”
At The Knickerbocker Hotel in New York, executive chef Adam Raksin is testing egg substitutes, including in a new vegan-friendly pancake and waffle recipe. “‘Eggflation’ is wreaking havoc across the entire industry, and, unfortunately, there is no end in sight,” Raksin says. “We are continuously experimenting with new and innovative recipes that take into account dietary restrictions, and now, ingredient restrictions.”
Some chefs are turning to dishes that bypass eggs entirely. For example, Lucas Fleming, executive sous chef at Yolan in Nashville, now relies on seasonal vegetable hashes. “Hash is one of those dishes that is so dang versatile it’s hard to mess up,” he says. “When spring and summer rolls around, vegetables are plentiful
here in the south. A great way to make use of them is by throwing them into a hash.” Fleming lists asparagus, snap peas, squash, onions, peppers, cherry tomatoes, and sweet potatoes as ingredients he’s included in the hash. “It wouldn’t be southern without some crispy bacon lardons,” he notes. “An egg would really set it off, but is absolutely not necessary.”
Other kitchens are adjusting how the final products are presented. “Guests haven’t commented or noticed any changes, which is exactly the goal,” Capasso says. “Because we didn’t change the pricing or compromise on key elements, we’ve been able to maintain that sense of luxury and consistency.”
Still, changes continue behind the scenes. At Hotel Per La in Los Angeles, chef Joey Roacho now highlights overnight oats. Roacho builds the dish with oats, chia seeds, soy milk, agave, pears, berries, cocoa nibs, and mint. Pepitas and fresh fruit add texture and sweetness. Then the mix is refrigerated overnight, and easily served straight out of the refrigerator the following morning. “With rising egg prices and limited availability, overnight oats provide a nutrient-dense, protein-packed alternative that is both satisfying and versatile,” Roacho says. “Dishes like this showcase creative ways to maintain a delicious and well-rounded menu without relying on eggs.”
Egg consumption remains high in the United States. Americans went from eating an average of 255 eggs per year in 2012 to 300 in 2019, and demand has not fallen since, according to a January 2025 report from CoBank, an agribusiness-focused credit union. Demand for eggs is usually even higher through Easter Sunday, likely due to fervor around Easter eggs. Economists suggest that so long as the bird flu outbreak doesn’t get worse, it’s likely that egg prices will stabilize later this year.
Until then, as prices rise and supply chains falter, chefs are still facing new limits on already notoriously razor-thin margins in the restaurant industry. “I’ve seen price fluctuations in the past, but not like this,” Capasso says. “The speed and scale of the increase were unlike anything I’ve experienced before.”
BEYOND BOTOX
The most expensive anti-aging treatments that blur the line between skin care and luxury indulgence
FROM STEM CELLS TO GENE THERAPY, THESE ANTI-AGING BEAUTY TREATMENTS REDEFINE LUXURY WELLNESS FOR THOSE WILLING TO PAY THE PRICE
The pursuit of youth has never been more advanced, with scientific breakthroughs offering new ways to slow, reverse, or even prevent signs of aging. From regenerative medicine to DNAbased therapies, innovation is reshaping how we approach growing older. These advancements go beyond aesthetics, promising cellular renewal and extended vitality. While aging is an inevitable
decline for many, high-tech anti-aging solutions that blur the line between medical intervention and luxury indulgence are rewriting the rules.
1. Stem cell therapy
This regenerative treatment uses mesenchymal stem cells, often harvested from umbilical cords or the patient’s own fat, to repair and rejuvenate tissues. Wealthy individuals seek it for its ability to reduce inflammation, boost collagen, and potentially slow cellular aging. Clinics in Switzerland and the United States charge upwards of $50,000 for a single session, with some programs requiring multiple treatments for optimal results.
2. Exosome therapy
Exosomes are microscopic messengers derived from stem cells, carrying proteins and genetic material that promote tissue repair. Used in anti-aging treatments, they help stimulate collagen production, improve skin elasticity, and enhance overall vitality. Unlike traditional fillers or laser treatments, exosomes work at the cellular level, providing longterm regenerative benefits.
3. NAD+ infusions
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is a coenzyme essential for cellular energy and DNA repair. Levels naturally decline with age, but intrave-
Whole-body cryotherapy sessions expose the body to sub-zero temperatures, triggering a response that boosts circulation, reduces inflammation, and stimulates collagen production
nous NAD+ therapy replenishes these stores, reportedly improving cognitive function, metabolism, and skin quality. High-end wellness centers offer personalized IV drips, with some clients undergoing regular infusions as part of their longevity regimen.
4. Whole-body cryotherapy
Originally developed for athletes, cryotherapy has found its place in luxury anti-aging treatments. Sessions expose the body to sub-zero temperatures, triggering a response that boosts circulation, reduces inflammation, and stimulates collagen production. Specialized cryotherapy clinics offer multi-session programs, with enthusiasts swearing by its benefits for both skin and overall well-being.
5. Plasma-rich platelet (PRP) therapy
Often referred to as the “vampire facial,” PRP therapy uses the patient’s own blood, spun to concentrate platelets, and then injected into the skin. This technique promotes tissue repair, stimulates collagen, and improves skin texture. Some clients choose to extend PRP beyond the face, using it for scalp treatments to encourage hair growth and even joint rejuvenation.
6.
Personalized epigenetic therapy
Aging isn’t just about genes but how they’re expressed. Epigenetic treatments analyze an individual’s DNA to customize anti-aging interventions. From tailored supplements to precision skincare,
these programs are designed to influence gene expression for optimal health and longevity. Top-tier clinics offering this bespoke approach charge clients tens of thousands of dollars annually for continuous monitoring and personalized treatment plans.
7. Young blood transfusions
This one may be extreme, but it’s not too far-fetched for anti-aging fans. Among the most controversial anti-aging treatments, plasma transfusions from young donors are believed to improve cognitive function, muscle strength, and overall vitality. Inspired by research into parabiosis, this practice has been met with skepticism but continues to attract interest from bio-hackers, notably tech billionaire Bryan Johnson.
BUZZY EATS OPENING IN NYC THIS SPRING
SPRING HAS SPRUNG— AND SO HAVE A NUMBER OF NEW RESTAURANTS IN NEW YORK CITY. WONDERING WHICH ONES ARE WORTH THE RESY ALERT? WE DECIDED TO GIVE OUR READERS A RUNDOWN.
From a fine dining restaurant inside the just-opened Printemps run by a James Beard Award-winning chef, to an Italian restaurant in Williamsburg by the beloved team behind Kellogg’s Diner, here are the places that very much should be on your radar.
JR & Son
Opening in Williamsburg is JR & Son, a restaurant from the same team behind beloved Kellogg’s Diner. It will be helmed by Chef Patricia Vega, who previously worked at Thai Diner. The menu is Italian inspired: dishes include chicken Parmesan and branzino with brown butter carrot puree and salsa verde.
Maison Passerelle
There are five food and beverage concepts at Printemps (the buzzy financial department store that advertises itself as anything but). Most notable among them? Maison Passerelle, the full service restaurant by James Beard
Award-winning chef Gregory Gourdet. Its dynamic menu, which includes cane syrup glazed duck with pineapple and tamarind jus and a strip steak rubbed in an organic Haitian coffee chili and spice mix, explores that complicated culinary legacy left by French colonialism—and how those colonies influenced French cuisine right back. All of this is served amid a beautiful interior by AD100 designer Laura Gonzalez, which includes a mural by David Roma.
Bar Bianchi
From the restaurant group behind Downtown Manhattan hotspots like The Nines and Le Dive comes Bar Bianchi, a new restaurant inspired by fashionable
Milan cafés like Bar Luce and Bar Basso as well as Italian aperitivo culture. Spaceage style scones pay homage to Italian modernism, whereas a zinc and Formica bar acts as the space’s statement centerpiece. The Italian menu includes veal Milanese and rigatoni with sausage, peas, and pink sauce.
Gitano NYC
Gitano, the Tulum-based restaurant known for its Mexican food and beachmeets-jungle-inspired interiors, has long held pop-ups in New York City. Now,
they’re becoming permanent residents. Recently, they opened a sprawling location on Pier 17 in the South Street Seaport, which boasts waterfront views of the Brooklyn skyline as well as a moody interior complete with chandeliers, towering greenery, and even a disco ball.
Teruko
Hotel Chelsea already has its fair share of beloved food and beverage spaces, from Café Chelsea and its famous ravioli to the century-old El Quijote. This spring, they will welcome one more with the arrival
of Teruko, a Japanese and sushi restaurant. It will feature the original bar from the Orchid Bar at Tokyo’s Hotel Okura, which was recently salvaged.
DEMENTIA AND FORGETFULNESS
How to Tell the Difference & When to Seek Help
SOME MEMORY LAPSES ARE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT, BUT GETTING HELP FOR EARLY WARNING SIGNS CAN REDUCE THE RISK OF THEM PROGRESSING.
You walk into a room and forget why. Someone introduces themselves at a party and within seconds you’ve forgotten their name. You can’t remember where you parked the car. You’ve put your phone in the fridge. You can’t recall your granddaughter’s name. Your best friend dies and you keep forgetting they’re gone.
Is it tiredness, distraction, or is it dementia? Most of us over a certain age will, at least once in our lives, do one of the above and worry we are losing our marbles.
Four dementia and aging experts give their advice about what’s normal, what’s concerning and when to seek medical advice.
How much forgetfulness is part of normal aging?
We all get a little slower and many of us become a little more forgetful as we age, says scientia professor Kaarin Anstey, a psychologist and director of the University of New South Wales Aging Futures Institute in Sydney. It also happens even when we’re young and overtired.
One common complaint is something being “on the tip of the tongue” but you just can’t remember it, she says, such as a person’s name or the name of a movie. Another is temporarily losing something such as a mobile phone or car keys.
“That’s what we call normal experience in aging; having the occasional experience of misplacing something,” she says.
It’s also normal to find it harder to do things or that they take longer than they used to. Amy Brodtmann, a neurologist and head of the Cognitive Health Initiative at Monash University in
Melbourne, says our processing speed can slow with age, which can be particularly frustrating and alarming for people who are used to functioning at a high level. “I do see a lot of quite high-performing people in clinic who come in and say, ‘I can’t do what I used to do, I start doing six tasks at the same time and then I don’t get to the sixth one,’” Brodtmann says. “That is completely normal.”
Should I worry if …
I am always misplacing things?
“If you have occasionally forgotten where you put your keys, or you wake up in the morning and you find that you’ve left the keys in the front door, that’s not necessarily a concern,” says geriatrician and associate professor Michael Woodward, honorary medical adviser at Dementia Australia and head of dementia research at Heidelberg Repatriation hospital in Melbourne. “If it’s happening repeatedly, more frequently, or severe lapses like … leaving the stove on all night, leaving the
kitchen tap running, things like that, they might be a bit more severe.”
I forget a word, accidentally say the wrong one or call someone by someone else’s name?
Problems with language can be an early warning sign of dementia, particularly if your speech starts to sound like “word salad”, says Desmond Graham, a geriatrician and chief medical officer at Geriatric Care Australia in Sydney. “If you’re stumbling over your words or you get word-block or word-finding difficulties, that’s what makes me concerned,” Graham says.
Woodward says mixing up the names of your children and grandchildren is OK, “But if you’re constantly forgetting the names of three of your four grandchildren, that’s a worry.”
I keep getting lost?
“One of the classical features of typical Alzheimer’s disease is people starting to actually get lost,” Brodtmann says. It’s normal to get lost driving somewhere new, but when people repeatedly have trouble navigating to familiar places, that can be a warning sign.
“We call that topographic or geographic disorientation, and that is something that’s new because you should have those representations in your head,” she says.
I forget important information I was recently told?
If something has both valence – it is subjectively, emotionally important – and salience, meaning that we pay it a lot of attention, then forgetting about it can be a warning sign of dementia, Brodtmann says. “If someone’s best friend died two
days ago and they knew about that, and you were having a conversation with them and you said to them, ‘That person’s died, when’s the funeral’, and they have no recollection of that actually occurring, that’s really concerning.”
I repeat the same story to the same person?
Repeating the same story within a single conversation can be an early warning sign, Woodward says. “So even in a single telephone conversation saying, ‘Oh, by the way did I tell you that John across the road has planted a … ’ and then, a few minutes later, ‘By the way, did I tell you that John across the road has planted a … ’ – that’s of concern,” he says.
I walk into a room to do something and forget what it was?
“That happens to everyone, and that can be more of a lapse of attention,” Anstey says. “People who have ADHD have that experience right across the life course.” It happens when you’re “not focusing on what you’re doing and starting on something, and then your mind switches to the next thing before you finish the first thing”.
What else can cause forgetfulness?
There are many reasons why otherwise cognitively healthy people might experience memory lapse, Anstey says. “Mothers with young children who’ve been up all night forget where they park their car … or can’t find their car keys, so those lapses of everyday cognition happen.”
Some people experience “brain fog” after Covid-19 infection, and forgetfulness or memory issues can also be a side effect of chemotherapy or drugs to help sleep or relieve pain. Chronic stress can also have a negative effect particularly on short-term memory.
HAGIA SOPHIA THE WORLD'S FIRST BILLION-DOLLAR BUILD
ISTANBUL, TURKEY — WHETHER YOU’RE A BELIEVER OR NOT, VISITING HAGIA SOPHIA IS A SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE. THE ARCHITECTURAL GENIUS OF THIS PLACE OF WORSHIP — WHICH WAS BUILT AS A CHURCH IN 537 CE BEFORE ITS CONVERSION INTO A MOSQUE IN 1453 — CREATES AN ILLUSION OF VASTNESS.
It feels like the space starts to expand when you enter the building.
Acoustic alchemy transforms visitors’ murmurs into shimmering sounds, suspended weightless in the air, like echoes of a prayer in an ancient language.
The art inside the building is a testament to coexistence. There is no other place on Earth where Christian mosaics of saints and Byzantine rulers are juxtaposed with Islamic calligraphy, also known as Hüsn-i Hat — large roundels displaying the names of Allah (God), the prophet Mohammed and the four caliphs, the leaders of Islam following the death of Mohammed.
Today, Hagia Sophia is one of the world’s most extraordinary mosques — but it’s
more than that. It’s also a symbol, a cultural phenomenon, and a monument.
Naturally, like most monumental structures, Hagia Sophia has its own mythology. Of the many stories about the building, some are true, some are exaggerations, and some are outright fantasies.
BIGGER AND BETTER
The current Hagia Sophia was built in the 6th century when Constantinople — as Istanbul was then called — was the heart of the Orthodox Christian Byzantine Empire that emerged as Ancient Rome’s domination dwindled and ruled swathes
of Europe and northern Africa, as far away as modern-day Spain, Libya, Egypt, and Turkey, until the city fell to the Ottomans in 1453.
The building we see today isn’t original, having been preceded by two earlier churches at the same location — which were themselves built over a pagan temple.
The first was said to have been commissioned by Constantine, the Roman emperor who converted to Christianity and moved the Roman Empire’s center to Constantinople, ushering in the Byzantine era. Enter your email to sign up for the CNN Travel newsletter.
Called “Magna Ecclesia” — Latin for “Great Church” — it was inaugurated by Constantine’s son, Constantius II, in 360 CE. It was later destroyed by followers of Saint John Chrysostom, a former
archbishop of Constantinople who was banished from the city. Its second iteration was inaugurated in 415 CE by the emperor Theodosius II, but was burned down again in 532 CE.
The third church, today’s Hagia Sophia, was built by Justinian I, an ambitious emperor who ordered its construction on 23 February 523 CE.
If an anonymous historical source quoted in the “Istanbul Encyclopedia” by the 20th-century historian Reşad Ekrem Koçu is to be believed, Justinian wanted his church to be larger and more ornate than Jerusalem’s Temple of Solomon, the legendary resting place of the Ark of the Covenant, said to have been built in the 10th century BCE.
During its five-year construction, Justinian instructed his provincial governors to send the most exquisite artifacts
from ancient ruins in their territories to Constantinople for use in Hagia Sophia. This, apparently, did the job. That same anonymous source says Justinian was struck by awe when he first entered. He ran to the altar, looked up to thank God for giving him the chance to build such a wonder — and screamed, “I surpassed you, Solomon!”
It’s a wonderful story — but one that historian and Hagia Sophia expert Sedat Bornovalı says is untrue.
That anonymously sourced intel was written roughly 300 years after Hagia Sophia’s construction. The anecdote never appears in the works of Procopius, Justinian’s official historian, who also wrote a critical book about the emperor, “Secret History.”
“If these claims were true, we would see them either in ‘Buildings’ or in his ‘Secret
History,’” says Bornovalı, who adds that Procopius would have written something stinging like, “The presumptuous man compared himself to the prophet Solomon.”
However, while his “Secret History” shows the historian’s disdain for Justinian and his wife, Procopius still writes about Hagia Sophia with admiration.
A LEGENDARILY EXPENSIVE BUILD
Whatever the motivations behind it, the cost of the project and the hurry to begin the construction of what was one of the mega-structures of its time also have almost mythical status.
The price tag was said to be astronomical. In his book “The Fall of the Roman Empire, A New History of Rome and the Barbarians,” historian Peter Heather said Justinian paid “15-20,000 pounds of gold.” The “Istanbul Encyclopedia” of 1945 puts it at a more modest, but still breathtaking $75 million, equivalent to $1.3 billion today. That’s more than the $1 billion cost to rebuild Notre Dame.
The construction of the church started only weeks after the Nika Revolt, a devastating rebellion against Justinian that destroyed most of Constantinople, including the second Hagia Sophia.
Bornovalı thinks it’s possible that Justinian seized the property of his political opponents and collected a vast amount of taxes to finance the construction. “How it was possible to create such a complex design and resolve the logistical issues within [weeks] remains among the unanswered questions,” he writes in his book, “History’s Longest Poem.”
Not least because, he says, it “would have taken years to deliver the stones and other building materials.”
He thinks the budget and plans were probably ready, and Justinian
took advantage of the aftermath of the Nika Revolt to start building Hagia Sophia where it is now.
“If the previous Hagia Sophia had not been destroyed, Justinian would have ordered a new version to be built elsewhere anyway,” says Bornovalı.
A MOSQUE WITH CHRISTIAN IMAGERY
Under the Byzantines, Hagia Sophia became the hub of Orthodox Christianity and the last standing symbol of their empire. But in 1453, when Ottoman sultan Mehmed II (a.k.a. Mehmed the Conqueror) captured Constantinople, his victory paved the way for the Ottoman Empire, which would last until 1922.
To suggest to the world not only Islam’s superiority but also that the Ottomans were
the true heirs of the Romans, Mehmed converted Hagia Sophia to a mosque — but kept its original name. Although “Hagia Sophia” sounds as if it was named for a Christian saint, it actually means “Holy Wisdom” in Greek.
After conquering Constantinople, the young sultan — he was only 21 — performed his first Friday prayer here, starting a tradition for all subsequent sultans of the Ottoman Empire.
“There were three steps that defined the reign of the sultans,” says Turkish historian A. Çağrı Başkurt. “The first is to take the throne in the palace, the second is to wield a sword in Eyüp [an historic district in Istanbul], and the third is to perform the first Friday prayer in Hagia Sophia.”
Mehmed also claimed the title “Caesar of Rome” (Qaisar-e-Rum or Kaiser-i Rum) upon taking Constantinople. His successors continued to use the title until Mustafa Kemal Atatürk abolished the sultanate in 1922, creating the modern state of Turkey a year later.
PROTECTING A UNIQUE CULTURAL HERITAGE
Hagia Sofia has withstood many revolutions, occupations, riots, plunderings, and natural disasters (its construction on a base of solid rock is said to have helped it survive earthquakes). Few buildings of its age have been preserved as flawlessly and in such a complete state.
The Ottoman dynasty, particularly Mehmed II, played a pivotal role in its preservation. “[Mehmed] told his army that if they conquer the city, the city is theirs for three days with the exception of Hagia Sophia,” says editor and urban researcher Hasan Mert Kaya.
Koçu writes in the “Istanbul Encyclopedia” that Mehmed didn’t order the Christian mosaics to be covered despite the fact that Islam bans figurative art in religious contexts.
However, a century later, sultan Suleiman I had them plastered over.
It’s thanks to the creation of the Turkish
Republic created by Atatürk, a secularist, that we can see them today. In 1926, the authorities undertook a comprehensive renovation after European media claims that Hagia Sophia was in danger of collapsing.
The building was closed to the public in the early 1930s for restorations, then converted into a museum in 1935 as part of a decree by Atatürk. He also commissioned the uncovering and restoration of the Byzantine mosaics.
FROM MOSQUE TO MUSEUM… AND MOSQUE AGAIN
In a controversial move, in 2020, it was converted back into a mosque. The
decision, involving one of the city’s most important landmarks and a UNESCO World Heritage site, was criticized by international religious and political leaders, with UNESCO, the UN’s cultural agency, and the pope among those voicing concern, though the move did not prompt wide opposition within Turkey.
However, the second floor has been serving as a museum since 2024. Tourists can buy tickets to enter the gallery and see the prayer floor from up above. The Byzantine mosaics and images are still visible during visiting hours, and are covered with special lighting effects during worship and prayer hours.
Whether Hagia Sophia should be a mosque or a museum is still debated. While some argue it should be converted back to a museum and never used for worship, others, like urban researcher Kaya, think it should stay as a place of worship — though only up to a point.
“Hagia Sophia should be a building where only Friday prayers, Eid and, perhaps during Ramadan, tarawih prayers are performed — fulfilling its function as a place of worship symbolically, and where limited people are allowed in at once,” he says.
The prayers Kaya mentions are special ones for Muslims that have a greater meaning when performed with the community. Besides all the preservation efforts over the years, it’s said that the Turks came close to completely leveling Hagia Sophia.
During the 1918-1922 occupation of Istanbul by the British, French, Italian and Greek armies who occupied the city after World War I after the Ottomans had sided with the losing German-led alliance — Tevfik Pasha, a Turkish elder statesman, threatened the British with destroy-
ing the building if they tried to convert it back into a church.
HAGIA SOPHIA’S URBAN LEGENDS
Some stories about Hagia Sophia are obviously figments of the imagination, but even they serve a purpose.
One goes that when a catastrophic earthquake in the late 500s cracked the central dome, royal advisors and the clergy told Justinian that they read the stars, checked the prophecies, and that the last messenger of God, a new prophet, had been born in Arabia.
To fix the dome, they should prepare a special mortar. It should include the saliva of the young Prophet, Zamzam water (“holy” water from the Zamzam Well in Mecca), and soil from Mecca. According to the story, this “holy mortar” mix was duly created and the cracks in the Christian church fixed.
“These legends and myths surrounding Hagia Sophia bind people to it; they reinforce the perception that this is their mosque, their temple,” says Hasan Mert Kaya.
Today Hagia Sophia somehow stands in the center of a power struggle, a conflict reflected as much by the stories and legends of its past as its recent re-designation as a mosque
Başkurt says, “When we look at it from the perspective of the [sultan’s] subjects, Hagia Sophia has been defined as an absolute symbol of conquest.” It is still like that in the minds of many Muslim citizens of Turkey.
Today, Hagia Sophia is open to visitors like many other mosques in Istanbul, such as Sülemaniye, the Blue Mosque, and Fatih Mosque. While the 2024 introduction of a 25 euro ticket price may have raised eyebrows, 2025 saw the start of a three-year conservation project, which will restore the central dome — the most comprehensive works in nearly 1,500 years of history.
The works will enhance the building’s earthquake resilience while preserving the mosaics — meaning that visitors from all over the world can continue to flock to the place of “Holy Wisdom.”
Childhood Toxin Exposure
A LIKELY FACTOR OF RISING BOWEL CANCER RATES IN 50-SOMETHINGS
CHILDHOOD EXPOSURE TO A TOXIN PRODUCED BY BACTERIA IN THE BOWEL MAY BE CONTRIBUTING TO THE RISE OF COLORECTAL CANCER IN UNDER-50S AROUND THE WORLD, RESEARCHERS SAY.
Countries, including some in Europe and Oceania, have witnessed an increase in young adults with bowel cancer in recent decades, with some of the steepest increases reported in England, New Zealand, Puerto Rico and Chile.
Doctors have pointed to soaring rates of obesity, widespread junk food and physical inactivity as potential drivers of the disease, but the new study finds that harmful strains of the common gut microbe E coli may be involved.
Prof Ludmil Alexandrov at the University of California, San Diego, said: “We think what we’re seeing is an infection in early life that subsequently increases one’s risk for developing colorectal cancer in the future.”
In an effort to understand the trend, an international team led by the University of California, San Diego analyzed DNA from 981 colorectal tumors from patients in 11 countries in North America, South America, Asia and Europe. The majority of tumors were from older people, but 132 were early-onset bowel cancers.
The scientists found that hallmark genetic mutations caused by colibactin, a toxin secreted by some harmful strains
of E coli, were more than three times as common in tumors removed from patients under the age of 40 than in those from patients over 70. The same signature mutations were also more common in countries with the highest rates of early-onset bowel cancer, according to the study, which has been published in Nature.
The patterns of mutations are thought to arise when children are exposed to colibactin before the age of 10. The mutations disrupt DNA in cells in the colon and may raise the risk of developing bowel cancer before the age of 50.
Global health records show bowel cancer rates increasing in adults under 50 in at least 27 countries, with incidence roughly doubling every decade for the past 20 years. If the trend continues, bowel cancer could become be the leading cause of cancer death in that age group by 2030.
The study does not prove that colibactin drives early-onset bowel cancer, but if harmful strains of E coli are involved, it raises further questions about how they arose, how children are exposed and whether interventions, such as probiotics, can replace the offending microbes. In the US and the UK, about 30 to 40% of children had colibactin-producing E coli in their bowels, Alexandrov said.
One possibility is that the harmful strains of E coli evolved and gained an advantage in the gut by producing colibactin. While the toxin damages the person’s DNA, it may help the microbes
outcompete their neighbors. “This kind of microbial chemical warfare is quite common in evolution, where producing a toxin helps shape the niche or suppress microbial competitors,” Alexandrov said.
According to Cancer Research UK, which funded the research under the Cancer Grand Challenges partnership, more than half of bowel cancers are preventable, with a quarter linked to eating too little fibre, 13% linked to eating processed meat, 11% driven by obesity and 6% caused by alcohol. A further 5% are attributed to inactivity.
“Many early-onset colorectal cancer patients appear to have been exposed to a toxin, called colibactin, produced by some strains of the bacteria E coli in early life,” said Dr David Scott, the director of Cancer Grand Challenges at Cancer Research UK. “It’s unclear how the exposure originates, but we suspect that a combination of factors, including diet, may intersect during a crucial phase in the development of the gut microbiome.
“This study adds an important piece to the puzzle of early-onset cancers, but it isn’t conclusive, and more research will be needed to establish a definitive link between colibactin and an increased risk of early-onset colorectal cancer. Other Cancer Grand Challenges teams are looking deeper into the microbiome and other environmental factors to uncover what’s behind the global rise.”
LENDING A HAND
Saudi Arabia and Qatar to Settle Syria's Debts to World Bank
THE GOVERNMENTS OF SAUDI ARABIA AND QATAR HAVE ANNOUNCED THAT THEY WILL SETTLE SYRIA’S DEBT TO THE WORLD BANK TOTALING ROUGHLY $15M, ACCORDING TO A STATEMENT PUBLISHED BY THE SAUDI PRESS AGENCY, IN THE LATEST EFFORT TO HELP REVERSE THE ECONOMIC FORTUNES OF A NATION BESET BY YEARS OF WAR.
Both Gulf states have played a key role in the diplomatic outreach to Syria’s new interim government since the ouster of longtime leader President Bashar al-Assad in December.
“The ministries of finance in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the state of Qatar jointly announce their commitment to settle Syria’s outstanding arrears
to the World Bank Group, totaling around $15 million,” the statement said on Sunday.
It came just days after Syria’s central bank governor and finance minister attended the International Monetary Fund’s and World Bank’s spring meetings for the first time in more than 20 years.
The World Bank had suspended operations in Syria after the start of the war, which began with a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests during the Arab Spring in 2011. The settlement of the country’s arrears will enable it to resume accessing the bank’s financial support and technical advice.
“This commitment will pave the way for the World Bank Group to resume support and operations in Syria after a suspension of more than 14 years,” the statement said.
“It will also unlock Syria’s access to financial support in the near term for the development of critical sectors.”
Al-Assad was ousted in a lightning offensive by opposition fighters led by the Hay’et Tahrir al-Sham armed group last December.
Syria’s new government has sought to rebuild the country’s diplomatic ties, including with international financial institutions. It also counts on wealthy Gulf Arab states to play a pivotal role in financing the reconstruction of Syria’s war-ravaged infrastructure and reviving its economy.
The government led by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa also wants to transition away from the corrupt system that gave al-Assad loyalists privileged access to government contracts and kept key industries in the hands of the al-Assad family.
Earlier this month, a United Nations official said that Syria’s authorities should begin the process of economic recovery, without waiting for Western sanctions imposed under al-Assad’s rule to be lifted.
WILL A NEW AIR TAXI NETWORK FINALLY DELIVER WHAT THEY'VE PROMISED?
IN 10 TO 20 YEARS, “THERE WILL BE HIGHWAYS IN THE SKY,” SAYS ARCHER’S CEO, AS MULTIPLE BIG APPLE EVTOL ROUTES BETWEEN MANHATTAN AND MAJOR AIRPORTS ARE ANNOUNCED.
“We’ll start really small, with sort of a gradual replacement of helicopters,” Nikhil Goel, Archer’s chief commercial officer, told Robb Report at the press event. “Over time as demand grows and we get more integrated into the community, then we’d expand.” Goel expects that a one-way trip to a major airport will
BY NICOLE HOEY AND MICHAEL VERDON
initially cost $200, but the goal is to get that cost to eventually fall to $100 or less.
Archer CEO Adam Goldstein pointed out that the distance between lower Manhattan and Newark Airport is just a few miles, but that it takes 60 to 90 minutes with existing transportation networks. The company’s goal, he said, is to
get that down to five to 10 minutes. “We will be able to work in the city, live out in upstate New York, and fly in no problem,” Goldstein said.
Archer’s Midnight has been built with multiple redundancies, including 12 motors and propellers, for safety—and also to be very quiet. “If you’re going to
be flying over cities, these things can’t make a lot of noise . . . [and] it has to be very, very safe, as safe as the big commercial airlines. And so that’s the level of safety we’ve built to,” said Goldstein. He acknowledged widespread doubts about the electric air-taxi concept and general safety concerns. “There’s never
been a time when you’ve had a new piece of hardware enter and it wasn’t met with extreme skepticism,” he said.
And the company has an idea of where travel is headed, too: “In 10 years or in 20 years, there will be highways in the sky . . . That is the world that I want to live in, and I think that’s the world all of you
want to live in as well,” Goldstein said.
United Airlines was cited as a valuable partner for the Midnight’s evolution. “They took a huge bet on us,” said Goldstein. The airline put down deposits on Midnight pre-orders and helped to “force this thing into the real world,” he explains. The CEO also said private aviation operators like Signature and Atlantica would assist with developing infrastructure. Archer is building the Midnight at its facilities in San Jose, Calif., and Covington, Ga.
The New York air-taxi network’s start date is still a question mark. Archer is working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Type Certification for the Midnight, which is currently being tested, with the goal of starting sometime after certification. Archer expects to start commercial service in a limited capacity in Dubai by the end of this year. It has previously announced plans for airtaxi networks in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Archer won’t be the only eVTOL manufacturer eyeing the Big Apple. Joby
Aviation flew one of its aircraft over the city in November 2023, with its founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt announcing that it would eventually stake out a presence for its S4 electric aircraft with partner Delta Airlines. It has also slated 2025 for its first year of commercial service.
Delete Yourself from the Internet
IT SOUNDS IMPOSSIBLE AND IT ULTIMATELY IS, BUT YOU CAN GET SURPRISINGLY CLOSE TO DELETING YOURSELF FROM THE INTERNET IN 2025. HERE’S HOW.
There are many reasons you might want to “delete yourself” from the Internet. From receiving frustrating amounts of spam to protecting yourself from carefully crafted scams fueled by the availability of personal data. But it goes much deeper than that.
Having your personal information floating around online leaves you more vulnerable to identity theft, a type of fraud that can lead to criminals opening lines of credit in your name. Stalkers can use location and other data to commit their crimes. Even the seemingly more mundane uses of personal data can be enough to make you want to delete yourself from the Internet.
You might find loan applications being inexplicably rejected, insurance premiums going up or job searches getting drawn out. Companies checking your
credit rating is one thing, but these effects could stem from inaccurate, outdated or irrelevant information being used in decision-making processes that affect you in very real ways.
WHAT IT MEANS TO “DE -
LETE
YOURSELF FROM THE INTERNET”
We’re not talking about completely disappearing from the Internet. For one, this is very difficult if not impossible to do, even if you were to throw near-unlimited resources at the problem. It’s also probably not something you’d want to do even if you could.
There’s a way you can keep making use of all the benefits the Internet has to offer—like the unparalleled shopping, communication and information-sharing opportunities—without leaving yourself needlessly vulnerable to all the downsides.
The key is getting your personal information under control. You don’t need to delete yourself entirely, it’s often enough to remove your personal information from circulation. “Personal information”
includes things like your:
• Current and past names, and any aliases
• Current and past addresses
• Email addresses
• Phone numbers
• Educational background
• Work history
• Income bracket
• Licenses
• Certifications
• Marital status
• Sexual orientation
• Financial information
• Criminal record
• Court records
• And much, much more.
Not exactly the kinds of details you’d want shady companies to package and resell behind your back, or put on Google Search so that anyone can buy access to them for as little as a dollar. There are two ways to tackle this problem, and
you’ll need to do both to see long-term results:
• Figure out how you’re putting personal information online and bring it down to a level with which you’re comfortable
• Put a stop to companies grabbing and publishing or otherwise disseminating what personal data you do end up generating down the line.
• Just going about your day-to-day business generates personal data that can then be scooped up by companies that know how to monetize it at your expense. Everything from doing some online shopping to selling a house or vehicle leaves traces.
• Stop any personal information that’s already out there from being spread around
We’re starting here because you’ve already got personal information doing the rounds online—pretty much everyone does. So the first thing you’ll need to do is interrupt the flow of what’s already out there. There are a couple of things you can do to make this happen.
Stop companies packaging and selling your personal information online and off
There are companies—called data brokers—that specialize in collecting, organizing and selling personal information. They get your personal data by scraping the web, purchasing or otherwise acquiring ready-made profiles, or a combination of the two. The most visible data brokers are commonly known as “people finder” or “people search” sites.
You can see examples of these sites, and the information they have on you, simply by performing a web search for your full name, address or phone number. These sites will likely show you a free “teaser” of your profile, with the full records being locked behind a paywall.
It gets worse: people search sites are just the tip of the data brokerage iceberg. Many data brokers operate in the background, selling personal information to other businesses and organizations rather than putting it on websites aimed at individuals. You won’t find these companies by simply searching for your details, but they’re out there. Hundreds of them.
People search sites sell your data to
anyone who’s willing to pay for access, including unscrupulous landlords, curious neighbors, nosy coworkers, stalkers, even scammers. Other data brokers will sell your data to:
• Advertisers
• Marketers
• Government agencies
• Insurance companies
• Banks
• Employers
• And many more.
Thanks to state privacy laws like the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), you can do something about this. To comply with laws like this, data brokers have to have an opt-out procedure in place to give people caught up in their personal-data dragnets a clear way out.
You can track down these companies one by one and submit an opt-out request to each one. Some are just a matter of a couple of clicks and take 5 minutes to complete, others can be a real nightmare and can take 45 minutes or more. Add
the time it takes to find them in the first place, and you’re looking at hundreds of hours in total.
REMOVE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION FROM GOOGLE SEARCH RESULTS
You’ve seen how a search engine can reveal your personal information to anyone who knows your name, address, email or phone number. With the latest “face-search” technology, they don’t even have to know that much, a surreptitiously taken photo is all it takes.
Google Search, with its monopoly over the search market, is likely the first place most people will look. Google won’t always agree to remove links from its search results and, even if it does, it can only remove links from Google Search: it can’t affect the content itself and it can’t stop that content from showing up on other search engines. To have content taken down at the source, you’ll need to contact the relevant webmaster.
Here’s a quick rundown of your options on Google Search:
• Use this form to remove outdated content
• Use this form to remove harmful or illegal content (as long as it violates Google’s terms of service)
• Finally, use this form to remove content that contains “select personally identifiable information (PII) or doxxing content.”
STOP NEW PERSONAL INFORMATION FROM GETTING OUT INTO THE WILD
Stopping data brokers from buying and selling your data and getting Google Search to remove your personal information from its search results can only do so much if you keep allowing new personal information to appear online. “Allowing” might be a bit harsh, given that you might not be aware of how some of your data is getting out there. We’ll get to that.
STOP PUBLISHING PERSONAL INFORMATION ONLINE
Social media platforms are careful to use words like “share” when encouraging users to publish content, including personal information. “Sharing” makes it sound like you have some control over who sees what you post. But “publishing” is more
accurate: social media posts are public by default.
The best advice is as predictable as it is inconvenient: delete your social media accounts to protect your privacy and delete yourself from the Internet. Short of doing that, here’s a list of things you can do to limit the damage:
• Switch from mainstream social media platforms like Facebook and X (Twitter) to decentralized and opensource platforms like Mastodon.
• Set any social media profiles you decide to keep to private mode, so that only people you know and trust can see your posts.
• Check and double-check anything you decide to post publicly for personal information, this will become second nature sooner than you might think.
• Turn location services off on mobile devices before posting, many social media platforms will grab this information from your device, some will append it to your posts.
• Check photos for anything that
could reveal personal information, look out for reflections, documents, screens (that show private information), and unique identifiers like car registration plates.
• Strip photos of metadata—metadata is text that’s automatically attached to photos and contains a lot of information about the location at which the photo was taken as well as the device on which it was taken.
• Apply the same level of caution when uploading video and audio recordings.
• The same holds true for any blogging or vlogging you do, the comments you leave on various platforms, and anything you post on forums.
• Stop your devices from leaking personal information
The above best practices come into play when you’re actively publishing information online, but a lot of personal data leaves your devices when you’d least suspect it. Here are just some examples:
APPS AND PROGRAMS
Mobile apps and computer programs that have been granted access to location data, device information, microphone and camera inputs, and files (including documents, photos, videos and audio recordings) can leak personal information while you’re not even using them. Such apps and programs might have been set up to “dial home” periodically and upload your data. This might be necessary to support their features, or it might be to harvest data that’s then sold to advertisers in order to generate revenue—free apps are often monetized in this way.
Even apps developed with the most honest of intentions and collecting only the bare minimum of data can be hijacked by malicious actors (think: hackers) and have any data they have access to stolen (“breached”).
Delete any apps and programs you haven’t used in a while. For particularly data-hungry apps like Facebook, Amazon, and so on, consider using the respective websites instead.
WEB BROWSERS
Browsers are a special category of app or program, mainly because we do so much through a browser. They have access not only to hardware (like cameras and microphones), but also information (in the form of files) and—perhaps most importantly—to users’ behavior and movements across the web. And no, “incognito” or “private” mode doesn’t do anything to help you here.
Diligently research any browser you decide to use. Options like Google’s Chrome are very secure but not private, whereas something like Mozilla’s Firefox is both secure and private. Stick to wellknown and trusted browsers, avoid new browsers that don’t have an established track record, and watch out for browsers that had a good reputation in the past but have since changed hands.
BROWSER-BASED GAMES
Games can take a lot of resources to develop and maintain, so you might wonder how so many impressive-looking browser-based games can be offered for free. Often, it’s by collecting and selling or otherwise monetizing personal information. Avoid free online, especially browser-based, games. Be particularly wary of games with development teams from countries like China and Russia.
Again, even games produced by the most trustworthy and well-intentioned developers can be breached by third parties. Any stockpile of personal data is going to be a target for hackers and other bad actors.
OPERATING SYSTEMS
This is one that’s more for the technically minded, but it’s worth keeping in mind for everyone. The operating system on your device (whether Windows, macOS, Android or iOS) has access to everything you do on that device. Both Microsoft and Apple harvest personal data from their users, and both have business interests in protecting that data from competitors and bad actors.
There are two problems here: Microsoft and/or Apple having vast stores of your
personal data is a bad thing in and of itself, and neither company is able to guarantee the security of that data—both have suffered and continue to suffer data breaches.
Alternatives exist, mainly in the form of Linux and the BSDs. These operating systems are open-source, meaning that anyone can review their source code to look for security vulnerabilities and privacy threats. As a result of this transparency, and the general absence of corporate interests, these systems are both more secure and more private.
The catch is that these operating systems are unfamiliar to most people, and can take some getting used to. Although the Linux operating system in particular has many extremely user-friendly “versions” (called distributions) available, and almost all of them are readily given away, free of charge.
STOP YOUR ONLINE ACCOUNTS FROM LEAKING PERSONAL INFORMATION
We covered how publishing personal information online can jeopardize your privacy, but you don’t have to actively post things yourself for the information to get out there. If you’re active online, and especially if you do a lot of online shopping, you can easily have hundreds of online accounts out there. Many of which you probably only used once, to grab that Black Friday deal, for example.
Apart from the fact that you’re effectively trusting dozens if not hundreds of companies to not misuse your data, you’re also trusting that they won’t leave that data unsecured, that they won’t be bought out by less scrupulous companies, and so on.
The solution is simple, but it might require some tedious work: delete any accounts you don’t need anymore. If you’ve been using a password manager (like Bitwarden), this shouldn’t be too difficult. Otherwise, search through your emails for keywords like “welcome” and “verification” to ferret out evidence of old accounts.
MOST EUROPEANS USED
DARK-SKINNED
A new study charts the genetics of skin, hair and eye color in Europe over 45,000 years.
MOST PREHISTORIC EUROPEANS HAD DARK SKIN, HAIR AND EYES WELL INTO THE IRON AGE,
ABOUT 3,000 YEARS AGO, NEW RESEARCH FINDS.
Scientists found that the genes that cause lighter skin, hair and eyes emerged among early Europeans only about 14,000 years ago, during the late stages of the Paleolithic period — also known as the “Old Stone Age.” But these light features were only sporadic until relatively recently, said study senior author Silvia Ghirotto, a geneticist at the University of Ferrara in Italy.
Lighter skin may have carried an evolutionary advantage for Europeans because it enabled people to synthesize more vitamin D — needed for healthy bones, teeth and muscles — in Europe’s weaker sunlight. But lighter eye color — blue or green, for example — does not seem to have had major evolutionary advantages, and so its emergence may have been driven by chance or sexual selection, Ghirotto said.
Ghirotto and her colleagues analyzed 348 samples of ancient DNA from archaeological sites in 34 countries in Western Europe and Asia, according to research published Feb. 12 on the preprint server bioRxiv, which hasn’t been peer-reviewed.
The oldest, from 45,000 years ago, was from the Ust’-Ishim individual discovered in 2008 in the Irtysh River region of western Siberia; and another high-quality DNA sample came from the roughly 9,000-year-old SF12 individual from Sweden.
But many of the older samples were badly degraded, and so the researchers estimated those individual’s pigmentation
using “probabilistic phenotype inference” and the HIrisPlex-S system, which can predict eye, hair, and skin color from an incomplete DNA sample.
OUT OF AFRICA
Palaeoanthropologists think the first Homo sapiens permanently arrived in Europe between 50,000 and 60,000 years ago, which meant they weren›t that far removed from their modern human ancestors in Africa. As a result, early Europeans initially only had genetics for dark skin, hair and eyes, which rely on hundreds of interconnected genes, Ghirotto said.
Even after lighter traits emerged in Europe about 14,000 years ago, however, they only appeared sporadically in individuals until relatively recent times — about 3,000 years ago — when they became widespread, she said.
The new study showed that the frequency of people with dark skin was still high in parts of Europe until the Copper Age (also known as the Chalcolithic period, which started about 5,000 years ago in Europe) and in some areas dark skin appeared frequently until even later, Ghirotto said.
EMERGING TRAITS
The researchers found that light eyes emerged among people in Northern and Western Europe between about 14,000
and 4,000 years ago, although dark hair and dark skin were still dominant at that time. (There are outliers, however. A 2024 genetic analysis showed a 1-yearold boy who lived in Europe about 17,000 years ago had dark skin, dark hair and blue eyes.)
The genetic basis for lighter skin seems to have emerged in Sweden at about the same time as lighter eyes, but initially it remained relatively rare, Ghirotto said.
The researchers also reported a statistical “spike” in the incidence of light eye color at this time, which suggested that blue or green eyes were more prevalent at that time than earlier or later.
Carles Lalueza Fox, a palaeogeneticist at Barcelona’s Institute of Evolutionary Biology, is an expert on early European pigmentation but was not involved in the latest study. It was a “surprise” to learn that some European individuals had inherited genes for darker pigmentation up until the Iron Age, which was relatively recent in genetic terms, he told Live Science in an email.
While the new research charts the emergence of traits like lighter skin, hair and eyes, the reasons these traits could have become an evolutionary advantage are still not well understood, he added.
FASHION & STYLE
RIDING THE PINK WAVE
CHANEL CRUISE 2025 RTW COLLECTION
LOUIS VUITTON OPENS ITALIAN SKY BAR
PINK WAVE
Riding the Pink Wave
It’s been years since Barbiecore swept the cultural stage, but pink is making a return to the runways — this time with far more nuance. Rather than the monolithic impact of a single hot-pink shade, the Fall 2025 season embraced a full spectrum, from soft blush to deep magenta, offering a more dimensional and mature take on the color.
Designers used pink as a vehicle for exploring contemporary femininity, often through the lens of historical references. At Chloé, Miu Miu, and Sandy Liang, the color evoked girlishness with intention, delicacy balanced by depth.
Meanwhile, brands like Courrège and Issey Miyake applied pink in more ab-
stract, minimalist expressions, folding it into their visions of futurism. The result? A hue once seen as simplistic now reads as layered, expressive, and undeniably present.
PINK WAVE
PINK WAVE
PINK WAVE
CHANEL CRUISE 25
CHANEL CRUISE 25
LOUIS VUITTON
OPENS ITALIAN SKY BAR
Perched atop the Louis Vuitton store with sweeping views of the Mediterranean
exceptional escapade, pairing
sophisticated drinks with a new luxury snacking menu inspired by traditional Italian and Sicilian flavors. Locally sourced ingredients and the House’s
creative touch come together in a setting where Louis Vuitton’s distinctive aesthetic meets the timeless charm of Italy.
Sea, Le Bar Louis Vuitton offers an
$15,250,000 USD
OCEANFRONT RESORT LIFESTYLE
Enjoy the ultimate American Riviera lifestyle in this exquisite oceanfront estate resting on a gracious half-acre of prime California coastline. Santa Barbara’s coveted beach community known as “The Mesa” offers easy access to picturesque hiking trails, seaside parks, and pristine beaches in addition to a myriad of dining, shopping and recreational activities. This special enclave provides a rare combination of uncrowded and unpretentious living along with an environment of stunning beauty and an ideal climate.
A MASTERPIECE OF MODERN DESIGN
The inspiring contemporary residence was meticulously designed and crafted by noted architect, Tom Ochsner, four years ago with the goal of creating a sophisticated yet casual resort-style retreat. The interior spaces can best be described as modern elegance with an emphasis on showcasing sublime ocean views while creating an ideal indoor/outdoor lifestyle
that this area is known for. The lightfilled public rooms feature soaring ceilings, designer finishes, wide-plank white oak flooring and a gourmet kitchen/great room all providing seamless access to an irresistible view terrace.
LUXURIOUS LIVING SPACES
The home offers four private bedroom suites highlighted by a romantic master retreat complete with a fireplace, ocean view terrace, and spa-like bathroom.
Additional enticing spaces include a media room, a gallery office and/or hangout space with fabulous views through cascading windows, and a fun game room with a half-bath and stunning wine showcase behind glass doors.
ENCHANTING OUTDOOR OASIS
The private half-acre of grounds features towering palm trees, meandering paths, and exotic plantings providing the ambiance of a tropical resort. The final
element of this enchanting property is the expansive oceanfront deck featuring a bubbling jacuzzi, lounge chairs and al-fresco dining table perfect for relaxing and taking in inspiring sunsets at day’s end. Finally, a secret hideaway below the deck offers an incredible ocean view retreat unlike anything you have ever seen. This extraordinary estate embodies the essence of the American Riviera lifestyle, offering an unparalleled blend of luxurious living and natural beauty in a serene coastal environment.
MANSION OF THE MONTH
MANSION OF THE MONTH
MANSION OF THE MONTH
CHRIS PALME
Chris.Palme@Sothebys.Realty
M: +1 805.448.3066
O: +1 805.969.4755
MANSION OF THE MONTH
FRENCH DESIGN IN D.C.
6431 GEORGETOWN PIKE, MCLEAN, VIRGINIA
$22,500,000 USD | | 10 BEDROOMS | 14 BATHROOMS
22,000 SQ FT.
Timeless architecture, unparalleled scale and one of America’s most prestigious addresses in McLean, Virginia just minutes from Washington, DC. 6431 Georgetown Pike encompasses nearly 4 acres and spans 22,000 square feet across 4 levels with 10 en suite bedrooms.
French design has made a significant impact in the United States, particularly in the Washington D. C. region, Palm Beach, Bel Air and Beverly Hills, reflecting classic elegance and sophistication.
A sweeping private drive leads to stately wrought iron gates revealing a breathtaking approach to the center of the home within a large motor court. Captivating iron work carries through to the double front doors. It’s a first impression that radiates enduring sophistication that transcends trends.
What you’ll find inside this Langley Farms home are interiors designed for modern living at the highest level. A gleaming Italian marble foyer offers front-toback views from the moment you enter. Exquisite floor-to-ceiling millwork, white oak hardwoods and hand forged iron railings are thoughtfully integrated throughout the home, creating a subtle continuity reflecting the highest quality craftsmanship and design.
An oversized living room is tailor made for large scale entertaining as well as intimate gatherings featuring full height windows with panoramic garden views, a wet bar and a trellis plaster ceiling. The graceful moldings are showcased across the main level including the dining room currently set for 12 guests, a handsome paneled fireside library, and a coffered
ceiling in the great room. The principal kitchen features multiple satellite work areas, including an adjacent catering kitchen and butlers pantry.
The second level primary bedroom retreat spans an impressive 3,300 square feet, with it’s own sitting room and a private terrace, each elegantly appointed with fireplaces. The suite features a double vanity bathroom with a standalone soaking tub as a central design component, and a spacious shower, enveloped in beautiful tile work and luxurious fixtures. An extraordinary two-story primary bedroom closet redefines luxury, showcasing top-of-theline Italian cabinetry meticulously crafted to optimize space and style.
Every detail invites homeowners to display their wardrobes and accessories in an elegant, thoughtfully designed environment.
The builders are offering an opportunity to add an additional two-room closet with kitchenette and full bathroom by seamlessly incorporating a passageway from the bathroom into the currently designated separate second-floor apartment.
The second level includes 3 elegantly appointed en suite bedrooms, and the third level also features 3 en suite bedrooms. The lower level offers 2 more en suite bedrooms, ensuring privacy and ample accommodations for large families, guests and staff, with each floor thoughtfully equipped with its own kitchen and
laundry room. The lower level is a spectacular haven for leisure, featuring a tiered screening room, a dedicated spa with dry sauna and steam room, a wellness relaxation room, a massage room, a glam room, a gym, and a stylish lounge with a gracefully contoured wet bar and direct access to a private outdoor area that beautifully mirrors a serene park setting.
The rear grounds are anchored by a swimming pool adorned with elegant waterfall and fountain features, complemented by a floor to ceiling waterfall. This outdoor retreat also features a retractable 200 inch
television, and a covered dining area with a built-in grilling kitchen. Behind the scenes, the entire property is self-sufficient with smart home technology controlling lighting, sound, HVAC and security systems.
The residence includes 5 deep garage bays and enough secure hardscape for 30 cars. Additionally, furnishings can be included in the purchase offering an attractive opportunity for an effortless transition. 6431 Georgetown Pike showcases meticulous craftsmanship, infusing warmth throughout and accentuating its classic beauty.
WEISSENHAUS
SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN, 23758 GERMANY
A85,000,000 EUROS
GERMANY’S MOST EXCLUSIVE PRIVATE COASTAL ESTATE A MASTERPIECE OF HERITAGE
ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY TO OWN ONE OF EUROPE’S MOST EXCLUSIVE PRIVATE ESTATES— WEISSENHAUS, A FULLY GATED, ULTRA-PRIVATE COASTAL SANCTUARY SPANNING 180 ACRES ALONG THE PRISTINE BALTIC SEA.
With over two miles of private beachfront, this historic noble estate has been meticulously re-imagined into a trophy property, world-class resort, and investment opportunity.
The estate features 40 restored historic buildings, 70 exquisite suites, villas, and grand residences, a 27,000 sq. ft. award-winning spa, and four Michelinlevel dining experiences. An exclusive recording studio and event venue comple-
ment its limitless potential—whether as a legacy estate, luxury retreat, or visionary business project.
Weissenhaus is a masterpiece of heritage and innovation, offering unmatched privacy, security, and prestige. A rare asset designed for connoisseurs, creators, and global investors.
In Search of Solace Polo Lifestyles Vine Finds
Two Thirst-Quenching Wines for Summer
In Vine Finds, we bring to Polo Lifestyle’s readers select wines that have recently struck a harmonious cord and imminently impressed us. In a world of innumerable wine producers, we seek to cut through the cacophony and curate wines suitable for both everyday enjoyment and for those special occasions.
WILLIAM SMITH / POLO LIFESTYLES
There's nothing more enjoyable than whites and rosés to usher in warmer weather and alfresco evenings
WILLIAM SMITH @willismith_2000 COPY EDITOR & CONTRIBUTOR
IN THIS MONTH’S VINE FINDS, I DECIDED
TO PROFILE TWO WINES WHOSE PATHS I HAVE BEEN PRIVILEGED TO STUMBLE UPON AND THAT ARE IDEAL FOR THE WARM SPRING AND SUMMER WEATHER AHEAD.
After all, is there anything more perfect than bright, acidic and mineral whites and rosés to usher in the season and to enjoy all summer long? I didn’t think so.
I am currently working on a larger column heaping praise on - and making recommendations for - Sauvignon Blancs for the spring and summer months. And while I have previously written on the subject, this time around, rather than focus on how wonderfully the grape shows up in different places and terroirs, I’ve been inspired through lots of sample tasting to focus exclusively on California bottlings.
Still, there is one particular bottling not from California that has a hold on me
– Italian producer Giacomo Grimaldi’s 2022 Langhe Sauvignon D.O.C.
Italian white wines are having a renais sance, and a well-deserved one at that. This wine is an example of why – it is compelling and insanely priced around $20 USD.
Founded in 1930, the vineyard remains a family-run affair to this day, but it wasn’t until 1996 that they started producing their own wines. Now led by Ferrucio Grimaldi and his son Alberto, the producer has some 18 hectares (about 45 acres) planted to various grape vines. I was grateful to attend a seminar led by Alberto during a recent swing he made through the United States and where I encountered this wine. And perhaps it stuck with me because of its quality, but I also deeply admire these family-run businesses where limited marketing budgets mean that writers like me can amplify the message when we find superior prod ucts not on the typical grocery store shelf and not mass-produced.
The Langhe region of Piedmont includes some of Italy’s most-storied grape-growing regions, including Nebbiolo d’Alba, Barbera d’Alba, Barolo and Barbaresco. Its wine-making traditions are ancient and so culturally significant that, a decade ago, the area was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To the eye, it's ev-
obscure in the region. Clay and limestone soils do their part in adding great depth, minerality and acidity to the fruit. The addition of Sauvignon Gris also creates a lusher wine than one might expect. Seven months of aging occurred with 60 percent in stainless and 40 percent in neutral casks.
Golden straw colored in the glass, on the nose, floral aromas like honeysuckle and ripe melons dominate.
In Search of Solace Polo Lifestyles Vine Finds
In the mouth, surprisingly lush and full-bodied, yet it retains all its bold fruit profiles including nectarine, peach and tropical notes. Just the right acidity and minerality to make this perfectly refreshing and uniquely set apart by a lack of any grassy notes.
This is one of my must-have wines for summer, served well-chilled on a summer evening while dining alfresco over citrusy-spiked, flaky white-fish or grilled lobster tails with drawn butter. Just over 400 cases of this wine was produced, so follow my lead and buy in bulk.
Wente Family Vineyards
2024 Niki’s Rosé wentevineyards.com
The warmer months in the Northern Hemisphere also means stocking up on the perfect, unfussy rosés for simple summer enjoyment. If, like me, you are prioritizing finishing up last year’s vintages and looking for what 2024 has to offer, I found a stunner. I was recently lucky enough to spend some time with Niki Wente at her family’s estate in
California’s Livermore Valley and together we tasted her namesake 2024 Niki’s Rosé.
The Wente family has been growing grapes in the Livermore Valley, about an hour’s drive west of San Francisco, since 1883 and is largely credited with putting California Chardonnay on the map – over 75 percent of all California Chardonnay stems from the clone first established over 100 years ago on the Wente property.
Today the family-run empire produces some 600,000 cases of wine across various labels and is carried in every major market with price-points from budget-friendly bottlings below $15 to showcase reds above $100. Some labels, however, including that under which Niki’s Rosé is released, are only available directly from Wente and from their picture-perfect, Spanishinspired tasting room in Livermore.
Made from 100 percent Pinot Noir (clone 667 to be exact) and grown in the family’s certified-sustainable Arroyo
Secco Vineyard in Monterey County, the current vintage was released in January, and they have been making this wine from select blocks since 2018. Niki, who currently serves as Director of Vineyard Operations, is keen to point out that the cool climate of the Arroyo Secco vineyard is ideal for growing Pinot Noir and its soil imparts lots minerality due to “Arroyo Secco potatoes,” the big rocks that pop up everywhere in the vineyard.
Aromas of fresh strawberries and white flowers emerge from the glass with hints of maritime salinity. Thirst-quenchingly dry with bright acidity, flavors of strawberry and tropical fruits are on full display. This is a wine that drinks exceedingly well on its own or consider a summer picnic pairing with roasted chicken salad sandwiches on sourdough or a traditional shrimp cocktail. Niki shared that she sees this as a perfect pairing to Thanksgiving Day dinner (note to self: save a bottle into fall). A family’s stewardship and care – including Niki’s own attention to each vintage – results in a must-have summer rosé to be added into your rotation.
ASCENSION
HEAL YOURSELF AND HEAL THE WORLD
SPIRITUALITY FAITH
QUESTIONS GROWTH · FOCUS
Protecting the Underwater
Cultural Heritage in Lake Titicaca
“The famed Lake Titicaca is located at 3,810 meter altitude in the Andes Altiplano between Peru and Bolivia, and is the highest navigable lake in the world. It is a place of exceptional beauty and rich cultural traditions surrounding indigenous sites. The waters of Lake Titicaca are said to be the cradle of Andean civilizations, including the Inca and Tiwanaku. The fact that its waters have risen over time, burying many ancient lakeside dwellings under the waves, has driven interest in discovering the lake archaeologically.
In 2017, Bolivia joined UNESCO’s Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (2001), which provides State Parties with a mechanism to protect their submerged heritage, including technical and scientific guidance and good practices. In 2018, a UNESCO workshop brought regional experts to Titicaca Lake to discuss scien-
tific research and the protection of the underwater cultural heritage, its role in sustainable development, and a project for the creation of an underwater museum.
With UNESCO and the Ministry of Culture of Bolivia helping to facilitate, new explorations of Lake Titicaca are now underway by a team of archaeological divers led by Dr. Christophe Delaere from ULB. The team consists of 27 archaeologists, anthropologists, curators, engineers and technicians from Belgium, Bolivia and France. They are cooperating with the local population and are ensuring that all found objects remain in the community.
In parallel, UNESCO, the Bolivian Ministry of Culture, Belgian experts and representatives from local indigenous communities are jointly planning a floating, semi-submerged museum in Lake Titicaca.
Among the aims of the museum are the preservation of both the submerged archaeological structures and those on the lakeshore. The future museum shall allow visitors to see the legacy hidden under the waters through glass walls, as well as exhibitions of objects salvaged from the lake, while providing the historical and anthropological contexts to these remarkable finds. The project will bring new visitor streams to the Bolivian lakeside, employment to the local population, and a new educational component about the incredible history of Titicaca Lake. These initiatives to explore, access and protect the underwater cultural heritage of Lake Titicaca further contribute to the preservation of tangible and living heritage of local communities, as these submerged and excavated traces of the past are closely linked to their cultural practices.”
AWAKE THE SENSES BY EMBRACING UNCERTAINTY
D“Being is the basis of all living, just as without the sap and root there would be no tree. If we can take care of the sap, the whole tree will be taken care of.”
– Maharishi
Mahesh Yogi
AMRITLAL अमृत
SPIRITUALITY
CONTRIBUTOR
@monarch_visionary
O YOU QUESTION YOUR PLACE IN THE WORLD? LOOK FOR A SENSE OF GUIDANCE TO EMPOWER YOU THROUGH THE PAIN AROUND YOU? WITH VISION COMES STRENGTH FOUNDED ON A GUIDING SPARK OF HOPE THAT, LIKE AN ETERNAL EMBER OF MANIFESTATION, CHARGES THE FLESH WITH THE DEPTH OF EACH BREATH.
Every vision needs time to germinate, to gestate in the flames of our inner fire to reveal to our psyche the blockages and resistance that must be overcome for the full sense of love, fulfillment and partnership to be realized from within our traumatized carbon form. It is through the churning of the spiritual fire, in guiding pursuit of our true beingness, that we dissolve the many shades of sep-
aration for the emergence of our unified spirit to experience the sweet nectar of our soul’s infinitely reflected magnetism.
Decoding the power of the subconscious mind requires an unwinding of the conditioned self to naturally restore flow to our inner cosmic consciousness to fulfill its organic, evolutionary pathway to self-revelation. It is the pursuit of a greatness beyond our limitations that the timelessness of our existence becomes radiantly apparent to our awakening senses.
As we ease through our anxieties, frustrations and, potentially, states of panic by embracing the ritualistic rhythms of breath, dance and movement, our soul settles into alignment with the celestial frequencies of harmony pulsed through the Earth’s veins, altering our consciousness to clear a pathway for self-deliverance.
This Ascension issue unites us with the healing of the Earth’s Sacral Chakra, her creative and sensual energy center. Unlocking the gates of our eternal fountains for creative expansion, healing and
purpose crystallize into form as ancient memories are restored. In partnership with Healogy5 and the Agro-ecology Fund, Monarch Visionary is humbled by the potential for planetary regeneration, restoring our connection to the seeds of fulfillment for future generations to decipher our ancient code.
THE SHAMAN’S ROLE TO GUIDE US HOME
“The gardener waters the root and inspires the sap. The sap enlivens the greenness of the leaf, the shape of the leaf, and the hardness of the branches; the colorful tenderness of the flowers and the fruits, and the different tastes of the fruits.”
– Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
It is the star-born duty of every mystic shaman to selflessly serve as a portal of discovery and realization for his lineages. As gatekeepers of sacred wisdom, shamans activate the resonant ancestral memories stored within the depths of the subconscious of the species, the planet, and the cosmos. As bridge builders between man and Earth, spirit and star origins, shamans are revered
ASCENSION
HEAL YOURSELF AND HEAL THE WORLD
SPIRITUALITY FAITH
QUESTIONS GROWTH · FOCUS
for their power to both heal spiritual diseases and deliver depth to our mortal existence, strengthening our emotional, psychic bonds to our ancestors through the creative fire of our universal soul.
Upholding the spiritual practices of our ancient ancestors, shaman elders attune their consciousness to the heartbeat of the Earth to access the will of our celestial guardians, ancient visitors from the Stars, to inspire the unfoldment of a master plan for the birthing of planetary consciousness, resurrecting the power to channel the consciousness stored within the Earth.
Rich in history as an ancient mythical pilgrimage site, Lake Titicaca, both beneath the lake’s waters and in the surrounding basins, is home to ancient temples and unexplainably constructed megaliths, where it is speculated the intention was to achieve collective altered states of consciousness – potential Star Consciousness portals. Archaeological remains found on the summit of dozens of mountains throughout Peru and Bolivia reveal that pre-Columbian people regularly ascended peaks in excess of 18,000 feet to perform ceremonies to enhance the livelihood of the people and agricultural fertility.
The path as a mystic shaman is pursued through inner revelations. Through the death of the lower self to fuel the fire of the soul’s resurrection, the spirit is born. Remembering who we truly are, comes with the excitement of realizing everything we have always been, and clearing the path for others to follow is the role of a mystic shaman.
Remaining detached from the world of mortals, the mystic shaman remembers his ancient soul lineage and devotes his allegiance to the guiding cosmic force of Mother Earth. As such, ancient sites, such as those surrounding Lake Titicaca, directly call out to our awakening consciousness to further expand our vision and potential for service.
LET THE SACRED SACRAL WATERS FLOW
‘The physical sciences are like the sciences of the leaf, of the branches, of the flowers, of the fruits—different stages of the physical expressions of the reality of the sap. The science of consciousness is like a science of the sap.” – Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Lake Titicaca is known as the Sacral Chakra center of the Earth, representing the Water element. Known as Swadisthana, in Sanskrit, a healed Sacral Chakra enables us to shape our desires to liberate our purpose, our Dharma. The center of passion, the Sacral Chakra awakens the dormant sub-conscious power of creation to flow through us.
When our Sacral energy is blocked or diverted in perversions, we lose sight of our mission. As our magnetism diminishes, so too does the nourishing flow of life force that fuels the expansion of our cosmic radiance. As our Dharma withers
within us, we age and lose touch with our immortal sense of self.
A healed Sacral Chakra allows a person to shed insecurities, and embrace vulnerabilities, to discover the power of choice and create intimate relationships where mutual spiritual growth amplifies effortlessly. Motivated by pleasure, the Sacral Chakra promotes emotional well-being and plays an active role in our sexuality and the expression of our emotional needs and desires. A healed Sacral Chakra realigns our priorities with a long-term vision that restores peace to our ancestral lineages.
Within the water element, there is an immense power of flow which must be regulated to avoid destructive consequences. The Sacral Chakra is connected to the gonads, which regulate reproductive functions, including sexual development and fertility. This chakra is associated with the neurotransmitters Dopamine and Serotonin.
The Sacral Chakra is orange-colored; considered to induce creativity and stimulate pleasure. Orange is symbolic of the rising consciousness, embodied fully in the rising Sun. Orange is the color of activity and purity. It is in this chakra that we design the life we want. The qualities that this color unfolds are joy, faith, self-confidence, and balanced energy.
The Sacral Chakra is associated with the planet Mercury. As the Kundalini is associated with Hermes, pure knowledge flows into our being from the Greater Consciousness with this chakra. Mercury serves as a bridge between the spirit, matter and mind. It rules fine arts and science – the core foundation of mysticism.
AGROECOLOGY FUND
“Agroecology is an integrated approach that simultaneously applies ecological and social concepts and principles to the design and management of food and agricultural systems. Within a justice and rights framework, it seeks to minimize external inputs and optimize sustainable interactions between plants, animals, humans and the broader environment.”
– Agroecology Fund
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development calls for a new agricultural approach to ensure sufficient, safe and nutritious food respecting human rights. Agroecology emerged from the Indigenous Peoples’ food systems and has found expression in family farmers’ practices, in grassroots social movements for equity and sustainability and the public policies of various countries around the world. Agroecology is now embraced by many governments, international development agencies and UN institutions.
Fundamentally different from other approaches to sustainable development, Agroecology is based on bottom-up and territorial processes, helping to deliver
ASCENSION
HEAL YOURSELF AND HEAL THE WORLD
SPIRITUALITY FAITH
QUESTIONS GROWTH · FOCUS
contextualized solutions to local problems. Agroecological innovations are based on the co-creation of knowledge, combining science with the traditional, practical and local knowledge of producers. By favoring food sovereignty and adaptive capacity, agroecology empowers producers and communities as key agents of change.
Rather than tweaking the practices of unsustainable agricultural systems, agroecology seeks a system-wide approach to transformation, addressing complex issues such as climate change, poor nutrition and corporate concentration. Agroecology places a strong focus on the rights of women, youth and Indigenous Peoples.
As the planetary Sacral Chakra continues to unravel her healing potential, the consciousness of the planet is seeking to restore honorable relationships between man and seed, family and kin, so that the fountains of ancestral wisdom may flow freely again.
In 2023, Lake Titicaca was named, “The Threatened Lake of the Year,” by the Global Nature Fund. Despite her
many ancient mysteries, Lake Titicaca, her traditions and her natural wildlife are at grave risk. Biologist Dr. Thomas Schaefer, Head of Nature Conservation and Living Lakes at GNF, explains, “In the case of Lake Titicaca, the importance of the water for the people who live with and from it and its ecological exploitation are in a particularly blatant disproportion. Around two million Peruvians and Bolivians live in the catchment area of this giant lake and rely on it as a drinking water reservoir. However, much of the wastewater from the region flows untreated directly into the lake – e.g. from the large cities of Puno and Juliaca in Peru and from El Alto in Bolivia. In addition, there are pesticides from agriculture and wastewater contaminated with heavy metals from illegal mining in the region. The consequences are drastic and everyone can smell them: On some shores of the lake, it stinks – and this is only the most obvious consequence of an impending ecological catastrophe to which a large part of the lake’s biodiversity has already fallen victim. We named Lake Titicaca Threatened Lake of the Year back in 2012.”
The healing of our sacred waters will
require more than funding. It will require an evolution of thought and action that serves our consciousness in fulfilling our sacred role with the Earth and the Cosmos. As we restore honor to the sacred waters, so too shall our ancient healing powers be revealed. Only through Embodied Dharma shall the mind release hold of all that disturbs the sacred frequencies through which we preserve our sacred cosmic life force.
AWAKEN YOUR SENSES WITH AYURVEDA
“One doesn’t see the sap. What one sees is leaves, flowers, fruits, branches—all the expressions are visible to the sensory perception and to the behavior. Everyone is endowed with the five senses through which one gains knowledge and five organs of action through which the knowledge is put to action.” – Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Within and without, it is the garden that we keep which determines the radiant sense of our existence. The ancient Vedic art of healing and service, Ayurveda represents the wisdom embodied as we serve the Goddess, the cosmic Mother of our collective soul, the giver of our
fertility and fruitfulness.
As the planetary shift continues to gain momentum, forcing an equilibrium of divine will with embodied spirit, practices of self-love are absolutely necessary to liberate the forces of cosmic consciousness to restore our ancient cosmic connection. That is, we must gently crack ourselves open to realize our Dharma upon this Earth. Each one of our chakras directly resonate with the health and rituals surrounding the planetary chakras. When these seals of illumination, the seven churches of revelation, are in alignment, the divine life force of the planetary systems completes it circuit, and the eternal fountains of life force flow freely.
As the Sacred Sacral energy is restored, new neural pathways are formed, channeling higher bandwidths of consciousness, inverse in frequency from the perversions of lust, and greed, rape and slaughter. As we unite, in restoration of the Earth, the cosmos guide us through the revelation of our divinity. That is, the creator creates through us, magnetizing the vision from within our genome to radiantly unfold.
As our material lives and values are brought to a crashing end, our deliverance into spiritual illumination is facilitated by harnessing the cosmic magnetism that flows through our skin. The Ayurvedic practice Abhyanga is a powerful self-care ritual that enhances overall well-being by balancing the body’s subtle energies to relieve the stress many of us are experiencing from our expansion into soul purpose, both promoting relaxation and expanding our sense of perception.
Abhyanga is a self-care ritual that can
be done daily and involves a full-body oil massage, cleansing the mental fields of distortions and inviting peace in its place. This practice involves warming and applying oil to the entire body, followed by gentle massage, and then resting to allow the oil to absorb. As we learn to treat ourselves with utmost care, the healing magnetism that flows through our cells to expand our sense and connection to the currents of divine power that circulate through the Earth and her elemental forces.
HEALOGY5 AND THE SEALS OF ILLUMINATION
“From all our personal healing journeys, we at Healogy5 wanted to invent products to help you along your healing process and bring you to a place of peace, relaxation and higher vibrational state of being.” – Tina Pang, CEO Healogy5
Cymatics is a process for making sound waves visible allowing us to perceive the wondrous beauty of our emotional energies. Mediums such as water, sand, or oils are used to deliver see emerging shapes from sound. When we are realized in our Dharma, the emergence of our radiant cosmic soul, each of our chakras purr with a unique frequency that attunes to higher harmonies, allowing us to become the observer and receiver of our cosmic effulgence. That is, we live for the experience of our own cosmic expression as we churn the sacred oil, the golden elixir of the soul. When that view becomes distorted, we grow powerless, depressed and blinded of our true pursuit.
Healogy5 Oil is crafted with intention, care, and ancient wisdom. Each 64 oz batch is handmade in glass jars, blend-
ing organic, high-grade, specialized oils rooted in Chinese medicine, all infused with mantra and focused intent. Each essential oil works to balance, harmonize and activate the chakra, restoring function to the endocrine system and the body’s natural healing abilities.
Inside each jar are placed five crystals, each representing one of the five elements. The jars are then buried in the earth for 28 days to absorb the deep Yin Earth energies and are brought out under the night sky to soak in the Yin Lunar energies. After this grounding process, the oils are briefly exposed to Yang sunlight; balancing the energy, and then further energetic charging with a proprietary process to activate and enhance its potential.
To further activate the healing intention of the soul and the connection with the cosmic Mother, Healogy5 is partnering with Monarch Visionary Ventures Society for the illumination of the planetary seals, as each planetary chakra emits a beacon of celestial radiance that directly resonates with the mass collective at large – a truth we all feel within the depths of our bones. Through this endeavor, Healogy5 is further blessed with the spiritual energy to restore peace and harmony within the soul of the Universe which we all resonate.
When you use the code CHAKRAS at www.Healogy5.com, 40 percent of proceeds from your purchase will be donated to the Agroecology Fund to support the restoration of our spiritual connection to the Earth and establish a spiritual impact that shall be felt by generations to come as seeded mystic shamans are nourished into the calling to serve Dharma.
MOLD YOUR MIND
CONFIDENCE: SHAKE OFF INSECURITIES AND FEARS TO EMBRACE SUCCESS
EXPERIENCES WITH A BOSS OR A COACH WHEN THEY TOLD YOU TO, “BE CONFIDENT.” DURING MY CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE, I REMEMBER THINKING, “OKAY YEAH… BUT HOW?” OFTEN, WE ARE TOLD TO BE CONFIDENT, BUT DO NOT KNOW HOW TO GO ABOUT BUILDING THAT CONFIDENCE.
Obviously, you can look at past experiences to build confidence, but what if you do not have any, or you are on a stretch of failures? You can look at what other people are doing to build confidence, but what if you do not have someone to watch or they are above your skill level?
You can have the right self-talk or the right motivation from another person, but what if neither of those are helpful? The reality is you are not always going to be confident, but that does not mean you do not have what it takes to succeed. It is about learning how to commit to the action of confidence instead of relying on the feeling of confidence.
CONFIDENCE IS HARD
Whether you believe confidence comes from success or vice versa, the common denominator is your mind - and the mind is – maddeningly - great at uncovering reasons why you should not be confident.
One of those reasons is pointing out all the obstacles that might get in the way. When looking at the path ahead, if I see all the roadblocks and difficulties I might face along the way, I will start telling myself, “This is too much,” before I even get started.
Another reason is we tend to be overly critical of ourselves. It is easier for our minds to tell us all the reasons why we do not have what it takes to complete
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the task, even though there is evidence that tells us we can.
More prevalent in team settings or when others are present, the mind loves to compare our situation to others, typically in an unfavorable way. When we see others who seem to do the same job slightly better, have more talent, or have it easier, we feel insecure. Yet, in failing to realize that everyone’s journey is different, we can lose the opportunity to go to that individual to seek help.
Lastly, our minds tend to predict worstcase scenarios like failure and rejection. While those outcomes are possible, they only happen if you try, and if you try, success is another potential outcome, but the mind would rather protect us from failure than guide us to success.
The thoughts you have heading into a performance will exert a major influence over the actions you display. However, the goal is not to change your level of confidence, the goal should be what can I say to myself that will allow me to, at the very least, get out there and perform confidently.
THOUGHTS MATTER
BEING CONFIDENT IN THE FACE OF FEAR
For you to change your relationship with fear so that you can still perform your task, it is important to reflect on how things would change if you were confident. This action may provide the motivation you need to face your fears head on. Some questions you can ask yourself include
• How would you behave differently?
• How would you walk and talk differently?
• How would you play, work and perform differently?
• How would you treat others differently: friends, relatives, partner, parents, children, colleagues
• How would you treat yourself differently? How would you treat your body?
• How would you talk to yourself?
• How would your character change?
• What sort of things would you start doing? What would you stop doing?
• What goals would you work toward?
• What difference would your newfound confidence help you to make in the world?
The answers to these questions may overlap with each other, but the main goal is to provide information towards who you are, who you could be, and assist you with moving forward with actions of confidence instead of waiting for the feeling to overtake your fear.
Another way to maintain confidence in the face of fear is through a variety of diffusion techniques. One technique is to reframe the thoughts you are having to being more objective instead of subjective. When you say something counterproductive to yourself, respond by saying, “I am noticing the thought of..” or, “I am having the thought of…” instead of, “I am…”.
What this does is it changes the undertone to something that is happening instead of something that I am, which may allow you to move on from the thought faster. Another technique involves either singing the counterproductive thoughts to yourself or saying them in a silly voice. Part of this technique provides positive emotion because the statements sound funnier, but they also show their true nature in that these phrases are silly and untrue.
Finally, start by pretending your hands are your thoughts and place them in front of you, palms up, as if they were open pages of a book. Bring your hands toward your face, covering your eyes, and take a look around, notice how hard it is to see. After that, go ahead and lower your hands and take a look around, notice how much more you can see, yet your hands do not go away. Just because the counterproductive thoughts are there, does not mean that you have to lose vision of everything else going on around you. Acknowledge their presence but continue to focus on what is head of you.
FINAL THOUGHTS
You are not always going to feel your most confident self. However, waiting until you feel the most confident may never come, so you must learn to perform your task regardless if you feel confident or not. Genuine confidence is not performing in the absence of fear, it is transforming your relationship with fear so that you can perform alongside your fear.
