Last month, China unveiled a mosquito-like spy drone designed for covert military operations.
The drone's size and weight could limit its uses on the battlefield, military analysts told BI.
It could still prove to be an effective new surveillance tool, experts say.
Last month, China's National University of Defense Technology unveiled a new spy drone designed to look like a mosquito.
Showcased on the state-run CCTV-7 military broadcaster, the micro-drone appeared to be roughly the size of a human fingernail and featured tiny, leaf-like wings and thin, wiry legs.
While it may not look as impressive as some of the bigger unmanned systems coming out of Ukraine, its stick-thin body is said to be equipped for a range of covert surveillance and military operations.
"As a drone to surveil buildings, especially on the inside, I can imagine it being quite useful for video feeds," Herb Lin, a senior research scholar at Stanford's Center for International Security and Cooperation, told Business Insider.
But its small size may limit its uses on the battlefield.
"If it's real, and powered conventionally (with a battery), its longevity in the air will be limited by battery capacity," Lin said. "Also, it's very light, and therefore easily buffeted by winds. These factors suggest it isn't particularly useful for wide-area surveillance."
Drones can be highly sensitive to weather, in particular strong winds, rain, snow, cold weather, and fog.
And the smaller an aerial drone is, the more susceptible it is to such conditions, Samuel Bendett, an advisor with the Center for Naval Analyses and drone expert, said. "Even indoors, there can be conditions that could interfere with this drones' performance, such as even a slight breeze, an air flow from an AC, an open window, or other obstacles."
Communications are another issue to consider, Bendett continued, as the drone's size means it's unlikely to be able to carry much advanced equipment.
"While it is technically possible to build a tiny UAV like the one displayed by the Chinese developers, its actual performance is likely to greatly vary," he said.
Others say that the new drone is a sign of China's continuing innovation in the sector.
Michael Horowitz, a senior fellow for technology and innovation at the Council on Foreign Relations, said it showed "Chinese researchers in particular want to push forward technological innovation in drones."
It remains unclear how real the capability is, how soon China could field the tech, or the type of missions it could use them for, he added.
The author (middle) has become close with his younger neighbors.
Courtesy of Chen Yan
After graduating from Yale, I moved back in with my parents in a low-income building in Brooklyn.
When I was growing up, I became close with all my neighbors who struggled with poverty.
Returning home after living on an Ivy League campus has been confusing.
Four years ago, when people asked me which part of college I was most excited for, I always said having my own room.
Yale's dorms were a welcome change from the living conditions in my Brooklyn neighborhood. On the outside, the place my parents rented looked like any other two or three-family house, but inside, every floor was leased out to multiple families.
My upbringing was many things: love and a chorus of voices that included a Vietnam War veteran, four children, and an expert crocheter. They were all my neighbors — many of them low-income. Every evening, we gathered for communal dinners, sharing stories and laughs. But privacy was never part of the equation.
I left that environment for the private world of the Ivy League, living in dorms that radiated privilege.
And then I blinked, and last May, I graduated. After four years, I stepped out of the privilege, access, and relentless ambition that Yale had afforded me and returned to my family's Brooklyn home.
Moving home after college was a jump back to reality
When I arrived at my apartment after graduation, the first thing I did was hug one of the younger tenants, a 10-year-old girl I consider my sister. She waited for me at the door with flowers — a belated graduation present, she said. Later that evening, with her mother's permission, we took the N train to her favorite spot: Coney Island Beach and Boardwalk.
We had to make a pit stop at Coney's Cones, of course. Inside, she stood on her tiptoes, squinting at the selection of gelato and sorbet. "Eyeglasses," I wrote in my notepad of things to buy for her. I leaned down and whispered, "Don't look at the prices. Get anything."
Once we were seated, I asked how things had been. She told me that they were the same. At school, she enjoys math but dislikes writing, and the staircases in the projects still reek of cigarettes, but at least the neighbor's cat comes by once in a while to play with her.
"It's kind of lonely without you here," she suddenly blurted.
I tried to explain that I had to leave for college, that it wasn't about her. I wanted to say something — to fix her loneliness, her abandonment — but my mouth was just a home for my teeth. I reached for her hand, and we exited the café, heading toward the line to purchase Ferris wheel tickets.
I couldn't help grow solemn. The sad reality of building relationships with other tenants is that there is nothing more we wish than to see each other leave the situation we find ourselves in. No one wishes to live in the projects forever. This means saying goodbye at some point — and leaving loved ones behind.
I'm now thinking more about what it meant to be at Yale
An elite education doesn't guarantee stability or a sense of belonging, especially not for first-generation graduates navigating the job market. We often lack a safety net and carry the weight of family responsibilities. What my Ivy League education does offer is a chance: the foundation to build a future for myself and my family.
Still, many of my neighbors and friends remain where they've always been, caught in cycles of poverty, domestic trauma, and systemic injustice. The pandemic only further crippled those living at or under the poverty line.
College was never the finish line. It was the beginning of a more complicated story — one in which I must navigate ambition with memory, privilege with purpose, and personal advancement with a renewed commitment to support others in my community through their struggles, especially those without access to open doors.
But the truth is, it took a village for me to get to Yale, and many of my greatest supporters were not related to me by blood.
I'm trying to reconcile my future with my family's and neighbors'
Inside the Ferris wheel gondola, just as we were about to reach the top, my apartment-mate proudly took out a fluffy purse that I had bought for her 8th birthday. It was heavy, full of coins. She told me that her mother began paying her 50 cents for taking out the trash or washing the dishes, and one of our neighbors occasionally hires her to water his plants.
"Wow, you're rich," I said, nudging her playfully.
We laughed, and the setting sun caught our faces. In the distance, the waves rolled back and forth, and I wondered how many more times I'd get to share these moments with her before the world pulled us apart again. I won't let it.
Rachel Archer shared her journey online, racking up 1.2 million views. She told Newsweek she was motivated to raise awareness and help protect young people.
I wasn't sure what to expect the first time I visited Sierra, but now I'm hooked.
Dominick Reuter/Business Insider
Sierra is TJX's outdoor lifestyle brand, selling apparel, gear, home goods, and pet products.
It's still relatively small, but TJX said the chain could grow to 325 locations.
Business Insider visited a store for a closer look at T.J. Maxx's younger, sportier sibling.
Shopping for outdoor lifestyle stuff is normally a quick way to burn a lot of cash.
Whether at Dick's Sporting Goods or REI, well-made apparel and gear usually come at a premium price — even with the occasional coupon or sale.
My consumer experience with activewear (and inactivewear), shoes, and other accessories led me to believe the relationship between quality and price was somewhat fixed.
That was before I discovered Sierra.
Summer is in full swing at Sierra.
Dominick Reuter/Business Insider
I gave my local store in Madison, Wisconsin, a look for the first time a few years ago.
I've done plenty of shopping at Sierra's more widely known siblings, T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods, and I never really felt the spark that keeps die-hard Maxxinistas coming back. Yes, the discounts at those stores seem large, but I'm not always able to tell if the price is actually a good value — especially if I don't recognize the brand.
Scanning the racks at Sierra was a different story, however. These were brands that I knew and trusted, like Smartwool, Carhartt, and more.
The Sierra store in Madison, Wisconsin, is one Office Depot away from a T.J. Maxx location.
Dominick Reuter/Business Insider
Each time I came back, I wondered why the Sierra brand wasn't more widely known relative to TJX's other brands and even other outdoor retailers.
It turns out, the reason is pretty simple. The brand was, and still is, fairly small and a more recent addition to the TJX portfolio.
Originally called Sierra Trading Post, the company started as a catalog company in 1986 in Reno, Nevada. It later moved to Wyoming and launched its e-commerce business in 1999.
TJX acquired it for $200 million in 2012. The first TJX-owned stores were located in Denver, followed by its first East Coast location in Burlington, Vermont.
Camping, fishing, and fitness supplies are available at Sierra.
Dominick Reuter/Business Insider
In 2018, with a fleet of a few dozen stores, TJX relocated the company's headquarters to its main offices in Framingham, Massachusetts, and dropped the "Trading Post" from the name. The brand has since been on a growth spurt, on track to have 137 US locations by the end of this year.
In the longer term, TJX said it expects the brand to have 325 locations, more than triple the number of stores it had a year ago.
That gives Sierra the fastest growth rate of any brand in the TJX portfolio, though in fairness, T.J. Maxx and Marshalls have more than 2,500 US locations combined, so their growth is slower.
National parks get a lot of love from Sierra.
Dominick Reuter/Business Insider
Sierra's tiny stature means it barely receives individual mention in TJX earnings calls beyond annual announcements of planned store openings, per equity research platform AlphaSense.
Out of the spotlight, Sierra has nevertheless been busy.
Foot traffic data from Placer.ai found that customer visits doubled between 2019 and 2022, driven in part by a pandemic-era rush to spend more time outside. While some of that increase is a result of simply having more stores, visits per store were also up, Placer.ai said.
In one of Sierra's rare mentions, TJX CEO Ernie Herrman characterized the store's assortment as "moderate to very high end " in 2022. My experience certainly supports his assessment.
Sierra snags some niche brands that are a hit with outdoorsy types.
Dominick Reuter/Business Insider
Some recent treasure-hunt finds include the pair of Fjällräven pants I got, the pair of Lodge cast iron enamel dutch ovens in my kitchen, and an ever-expanding collection of insulated drinkware from Yeti, Stanley, and Hydro Flask.
High-quality items from known brands have also given me the confidence to try unfamiliar offerings from the store's assortment, and I am rarely disappointed. Hydrapeak's mugs may not have the current cultural cachet of Stanley's cups, but they do a solid job for a fraction of the price.
Whether it's a Stanley or not, it won't cost $45.
Dominick Reuter/Business Insider
Sierra's selection can be somewhat limited compared to a traditional retailer's, but I almost always find something worthwhile. I now make a point of checking Sierra before or after trips to REI and Dick's.
Neither of those competitors is sleeping on Sierra, though.
In addition to its Public Lands stores, Dick's has recently experimented with clearance stores like the Warehouse Sale and Going Going Gone. And the online REI Outlet offers deep discounts on many of the items the co-op carries in its stores.
Not a bad price for a nice-looking pair of Katin board shorts.
Dominick Reuter/Business Insider
Still, Sierra has been in the game for a long time online, and its physical presence is expanding at a rate that could see it match REI's store count in just a few years.
Another difference is that, unlike other national or regional outdoor lifestyle chains, Sierra's parent company is a powerhouse of off-price retailing.
TJX's fingerprints are all over Sierra's stores, and the combination of its tried-and-tested playbook with this retail category makes the small but mighty brand an exciting one to follow.
Welcome back to our Sunday edition, where we round up some of our top stories and take you inside our newsroom. BI's Jake Epstein spent the night aboard a US Navy destroyer traveling from England to France. He said the space was tight, as he got a taste of what daily life is like.
By the way, you can get the latest on modern warfare, defense tech innovations, and more with BI's new Defense Flash delivered to your inbox every week. Sign up here!
But first: BI has the receipts on the impact of AI data.
If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. Download Business Insider's app here.
This week's dispatch
John-David Richardson for BI
Tallying the full costs of AI
To fulfill the promise of AI, data centers have sprung up around the country, using water, land, and electricity to deliver computing power for the booming tech.
Hannah, Dakin, in a nutshell, how many data centers are there in the United States, and how fast is the boom happening?
There are 1,240 data centers either built or approved for construction in the United States. That's four times as many as there were in 2010.
What is the biggest worry with the spread of data centers — the green space they use, the water, the electricity? And if these concerns are urgent, why aren't towns pushing back?
Electricity and water use are large concerns because they are limited resources. But data centers often bring tax revenue, which towns use to build roads, schools, and fire stations. Public officials have been caught in the middle, with some towns pushing back and others openly welcoming the industry with tax breaks.
Are there benefits to data centers, both for nearby property owners and for the promise of AI?
AI could usher in tremendous benefits, from business savings to life-saving science. Many also argue that a leading AI industry bolsters national security. For nearby property owners, the benefits are typically the tax revenue their towns collect, short-term jobs in construction (which can also bring road congestion), and perhaps a few dozen longer-term tech jobs in their community.
For the future, what are the most important issues about data centers that people should be watching?
The largest tech firms understand that public opinion is mixed about their use of resources like power and water, and they are taking steps to improve their efficiency. It will be critical to see whether they will find ways to use less water and more renewable energy.
Big Tech's winner-take-all era
Getty Images; Ava Horton/BI
In Silicon Valley, companies like Meta and OpenAI are offering eye-popping pay packages to technical hires to secure the best talent in the AI race.
At the same time, however, rank-and-file tech workers are being laid off by the thousands. The result is an uneven shift that's going all-in on AI while squeezing other areas of innovation.
Zillow's new policy blacklists any homes that are shared publicly by an agent without being posted to the local databases that inform the rest of the real estate industry. It's part of Zillow's ongoing battle against big brokerages to crack down on "exclusive inventory" — home listings that are shared in some places but not others.
The fight leaves homebuyers and sellers in a weird spot, but not a powerless one. The rules of the game are changing, and consumers should know exactly what they're getting from their agents and how much they'll be paying them, writes BI's James Rodriguez.
How do you measure culture? That's a question Amazon managers will now have to deal with, thanks to a new performance review process the Big Tech company is instituting.
Starting this mid-year review cycle, Amazon managers will use a three-tier system to rank how employees demonstrate the company's core values, which it calls Leadership Principles, in their work, per an internal memo seen by BI's Eugene Kim.
The Hamptons have long been a favorite summer outpost for Wall Street's bankers and traders. BI spoke to current and former finance industry professionals, as well as some Hamptons locals and business proprietors, to find the buzziest spots out east.
Montauk's Surf Lodge was the most mentioned, but insiders also named scene-y restaurants like Le Bilboquet and low-key sites like Shinnecock, an ultra-exclusive golf club.
The BI Today team: Jamie Heller, editor in chief, in New York. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York.Akin Oyedele, deputy editor, in New York. Grace Lett, editor, in New York. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York.
Aldrich Potgieter unexpectedly withdrew during Round 3 of the John Deere Classic has shocked golf world, especially just days after his Rocket Mortgage win.
Antara Dave, a product designer, got hired at Microsoft after getting rejected the first time she applied a year earlier.
Antara Dave
Antara Dave was hired by Microsoft after initially being rejected a year earlier.
She improved her design skills and gained experience at Home Depot before reapplying.
Dave emphasized critical thinking and AI knowledge for aspiring Microsoft designers.
This is an as-told-to interview based on a conversation with Antara Dave, a senior product designer at Microsoft who leads user experience for AI tools. She's worked at the company since 2022. This story has been edited for length and clarity.
I applied one year before I got this job and was rejected. They gave some basic feedback on what I needed to learn, so I focused on that. I switched jobs at the company I was working, Home Depot, to get more of the real experience in design they were looking for.
When I applied again a year later, I did not have any referrals inside the company. I just applied to the Microsoft portal and got a call and went from there. After an initial job interview with the manager, I was brought in for a full interview day that lasted around five hours.
There was a one-hour interview where I presented my work to a bunch of people on the team, around 20 people. They also asked me questions about my project to understand how I made those design decisions. They wanted to learn how I approach and think about problems. There were a lot of questions on accessibility as well, because inclusivity is a big part of Microsoft, and they want to make sure that all the products that we make are accessible for all types of people.
The other three or four hours were one-on-one interviews with people in various roles. The last interview I had was with the "principal researcher" to make sure I matched up with their expectations. It was very raw and very honest. They want to know your personality and what things you have faced in the past.
They also dug deeper into my core values to ensure that aligned with the company. I've found Microsoft values diversity and inclusion, curiosity, good communication, collaboration, and accountability. Without curiosity, you are not going to learn. You also have to be very collaborative and friendly with each other. And of course, you are going to make mistakes, but you're expected to be humble and accountable.
What I did right during the interview
I actually enjoyed the entire interviewing process with Microsoft, and everyone was really friendly. But I was very nervous at the start because it was my dream company. As the interview process went by, I got more and more comfortable because it was not just them asking me questions. I was also asking them questions to learn about the company, the projects, the people, and the culture of the team.
One thing I did very well was my portfolio presentation because I had a lot of good visuals. There's a very good way to explain your thinking behind your projects with a lot of visual storytelling, starting with what the problem is, then how you tried to solve that problem, and what was the impact of the solution that you brought on. Was there any revenue impact or usability impact that improved? Showing the impact of a project matters more than anything.
I also think showcasing your personality and never hiding who you are helps. I was very authentic to who I am during the interview. They just want to see who you are.
One of my questions was, "Has there been a time where you were given critical feedback?" When I was at Home Depot, I had just joined the corporate world, and I was a little shy in expressing my ideas. After my initial few months, I was told, "You have great inputs, but you never share those. Why don't you share more?" So I told the interviewer at Microsoft how I handled that: I started raising my hand. I had one-on-one meetings with people so that I could be more comfortable sharing my insights and ideas.
They truly wanted to understand whether I'm aware of my strengths and weaknesses and how I'm working towards that, so I told them.
Advice for others who want to work at Microsoft
For others who want to get a job as a designer at Microsoft, develop your critical thinking skills. Design without critical thinking just becomes decoration. Design with critical thinking becomes impact.
I have a master's degree in engineering. Having any higher degree helps you build critical thinking because you are involved in all these complex projects. My ability to question and being OK with complexity, being uncomfortable, all of it is because I have been conditioned that way in my master's, because things were difficult and you had to find solutions and you had to talk with people.
In the era of AI, having knowledge of AI and LLMs is core now. You should also learn to "vibe code," which relies on AI to produce code. You don't necessarily need to know coding, but you need to know how to talk with an AI chatbot and know exactly how to give the right prompt.
The AI world is moving very fast, and everyone who wants to join Microsoft should start playing with all the different AI tools that are out there.
Do you have a story to share about your career or landing your dream job? Contact this reporter at [email protected].
While black beans seem to be great at fighting low-grade chronic inflammation, chickpeas are more of a cholesterol-lowering powerhouse, according to recent research from Illinois Institute of Technology.
In a three-month study, researchers asked a group of roughly 24 prediabetic people to eat a cup of black beans every day, while another group of 24 with prediabetes was given chickpeas. In a third control group, participants cooked white rice.
By the end of just 12 weeks, the researchers noticed significant differences in inflammation levels for the black bean eaters, while chickpea eaters had a greater effect on their total cholesterol, moving from at risk (with an average total cholesterol around 200 mg/dL) into a heart-healthy range (186 mg/dL).
Chickpeas have cholesterol-lowering power
Chickpeas are rich in phytosterols, a cholesterol-lowering plant compound.
margouillatphotos/Getty Images
The reason why different beans house different health benefits probably has to do with the chemicals that color them and make each bean unique.
While the phytochemicals that make black beans black are known to have more anti-inflammatory properties, golden chickpeas have more of other plant chemicals called phytosterols, which are cholesterol-lowering compounds.
This is why nutrition buffs often recommend eating a wide variety of different colored plants, including fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains. By eating a rich diversity of colorful whole foods, you'll enjoy the complex natural "food matrix" found inside each one, lead researcher Indika Edirisinghe told Business Insider.
"It contains protein, it contains lipid, it contains fiber, vitamins, minerals," and different combinations of each from bean to bean, he said. "Somebody can synthesize artificial bean by adding all the nutrients, but I don't think you're going to get the same effect."
Registered dietician Joel Ramdial, who was not involved with this study, is the director of nutrition at Southeast Missouri State University's department of sport sciences. He told BI that beans are one of the most dense and varied sources of dietary fiber you can find, making them a great ingredient to mix into your next meal.
"You can blend them up and mix them into things, you can roast," he said. "You can put them in soups, you can mix them into sauces."
In order to make it easier on research participants to include a cup of chickpeas per day in their diets, Edirisinghe and his team equipped their study volunteers with canned chickpeas, a measuring cup, and several easy recipes.
Here are 5 chickpea recipes scientists recommend to lower cholesterol:
Cool ranch chickpeas
Roasted chickpeas are an easy, healthy snack.
Courtesy of Indika Edirisinghe.
Ingredients:
2 15 oz. cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. of ranch seasoning
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F
Dry chickpeas well with paper towels
Spread onto a large baking sheet in an even layer
Bake until golden and crisp, 30 minutes
In a large bowl, toss the hot chickpeas with oil and seasoning
Spread out onto the baking sheet and bake for five more minutes
Remove from the oven. Chickpeas will continue to crisp as they cool.
Tomato cucumber feta salad with chickpeas
Mixing chickpeas with fresh veggies and cheese crams a lot of different macronutrients into one meal.
Courtesy of Indika Edirisinghe.
Ingredients:
1 15 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 large cucumber, chopped
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, preferably multi-colored, halved
1/2 white onion, chopped
1/2 cup of feta cheese
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. of red wine vinegar
Salt
Pepper
2 tbsp. of fresh cilantro, chopped
Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the cucumber, tomato, chickpeas, and onion
In a small bowl, whisk together the oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Add to the large bowl and toss to combine.
Top with feta and cilantro
Honey sesame chickpeas
This meal only takes about 20 minutes to make.
Courtesy of Indika Edirisinghe.
Ingredients:
1 15 oz. can of chickpeas
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of honey
1/3 cup of soy sauce
2 tbsp. of toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp. of rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp. of vegetable oil
1/4 tsp. of crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. of fresh grated ginger
Cooked rice, for serving
Sesame seeds and sliced scallions, for garnish
Directions:
Put the diced onion, minced garlic, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, vegetable oil, red pepper flakes and ginger in a medium saucepan.
Add some water and bring to a boil
Reduce to simmer and cook for five to 10 minutes, until slightly thick
Add the chickpeas and return to a boil
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, until chickpeas are coated and sauce is thick
Serve over cooked rice, and garnish with the sesame seeds and sliced scallions, if desired
Chickpeas with leeks and lemon
A fresh and vibrant meal for summertime, with lemon zest and rosemary.
Courtesy of Indika Edirisinghe.
Ingredients:
2 cups of chickpeas
4 leeks
1/2 lemon
1 branch of fresh rosemary
1 clove of garlic
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Directions:
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil, garlic, and rosemary over medium heat
Once the garlic turns fragrant and the rosemary starts to sizzle, remove the rosemary and set it aside
Add the leeks to the pan, along with a good pinch of salt
Cook, stirring often, until the leeks are soft and sweet but still green, around five to eight minutes
Add in the chickpeas, and continue to cook, turning the beans in the oil, for five more minutes. The chickpeas should darken slightly in color.
Using a microplane or zester, add a few scrapes of lemon zest into the pan, plus a squeeze of lemon juice
Stir to combine
Season to taste with lemon juice, zest, or salt as needed
Roasted chickpea gyros
A quick meal for busy days.
Courtesy of Indika Edirisinghe.
Ingredients:
1 15 oz. can of chickpeas
4 pita flatbreads
1 cup of tzatziki sauce
2 lettuce leaves, roughly chopped
1 tomato, sliced
1/4 red onion, cut into strips
1 tbsp. of olive oil
1 tbsp. of paprika
1 tsp of black pepper
1/4 tsp of salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F
Pat the chickpeas dry with paper towels, removing any skins that come off
In a large bowl, gently toss the chickpeas with the oil, paprika, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and salt
Spread the chickpeas onto a greased, rimmed baking sheet and roast for roughly 20 minutes, until lightly brown but not hard
Spread tzatziki on one side of the pita bread, then sprinkle in 1/4 of the chickpeas, and add your veggies
The author had her kids Nick (left) and Chloe (right) when she was 37 and 40.
Courtesy of Lorraine C. Ladish
When I was younger, I told myself that if I didn't have kids by 25, I wouldn't have them.
All the women in my life had been young moms, and I wanted to be a young mom, too.
I ended up having my kids at 37 and 40, and I now see the benefits of being an older parent.
From the time I started playing with dolls, I wanted to have babies of my own. By the time I was 15, I knew I wanted to be a young mom. I told myself that if I didn't have babies by the age of 25, I wouldn't have children.
When I was born, my father was a few weeks shy of his 25th birthday. By then, he already had a Ph.D. and a steady job as a college professor. My mother was 20 and a stay-at-home mom. Having children young and the roles they played in our family, as well as my father's professional stability, were not uncommon for their generation.
My parents divorced when I was 5, and my younger sister and I were raised by my dad. Eventually, my father remarried to a woman who was only 10 years older than I am, and they had two more children; my stepmother was also in her early 20s when she had my brother and sister.
My grandmother, who helped raise me, had also been a young mother. So to me, it made sense to follow in all these women's footsteps. Back the, being 30 sounded ancient to me. I didn't want a big generational gap between my children and me.
I was in my early 30s, childless and single, and still pining to be a mom
Through most of my 20s, I was in a long-term relationship with a man 11 years my senior who had two kids of his own. He wasn't partial to having more children, but I was young and naive and, of course, I was sure I could change his mind. Instead, we broke up.
Suddenly, I found myself single and childless in my early 30s. I dated around and had a few short-term relationships, but the desire to have babies did not wane one bit. At one point, I told my grandmother that I didn't care whether I adopted, did IVF, or got pregnant inadvertently. I wanted babies, and I wanted them now.
Then I met a guy four years younger than me who seemed like a breath of fresh air — no ex-wives, no kids, no bitterness. My biological clock was not just ticking; it was ringing the alarm! So, a year late, we got married, and a year after that, we decided to try to conceive.
It took a while, but I finally had my first baby just a few months shy of my 38th birthday. My second came when I was almost 41. Although both pregnancies were considered geriatric, I didn't feel I was "too old" during either pregnancy, and I was perfectly happy chasing toddlers in my 40s.
The author wanted to have kids by the age of 25, but now sees the advantage of being an older parent.
Courtesy of Lorraine C. Ladish
The advantages of being an older parent
Though 25 was my initial cut-off to have kids, I wouldn't have been ready by then. I had been battling bulimia for 10 years and was also suffering from bouts of depression. It took me another decade to sort myself out through therapy, 12-step groups, and medication.
When I started trying to conceive, I was in the best shape of my life, and I took excellent care of myself during both pregnancies. Looking back, I feel I was a much more responsible and aware parent than I would have been in my 20s.
My parents' divorce affected me deeply throughout my life. When I had to make my own tough call of filing for divorce, I did it with the utmost care, keeping our children in mind.
I'm 61 now, and my children are 24 and 21. Although I am much older than they are, I feel the generational gap between us is smaller than what my father and I had. I realize now that he never really had time to be young, while it took me a long time to become a mature, conscious adult.
My only regret is that I may not be around for my children when they're my age, while I still have my dad. He and I now enjoy a close relationship: we talk several times a week and spend quality time together when I come to visit. Then again, my grandmother lived to be 102, so who knows?
Vogue editor Anna Wintour is reportedly known for sometimes sending emails without subject lines.
John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images
Comedian Alison Leiby shared an email she once received from Vogue's Anna Wintour with no subject.
Leiby said the lack of a subject line was stressful, but it was still "the best email" of her life.
You might want to hold off on doing the same in your professional communications, experts told BI.
Alison Leiby remembers feeling her heart beat harder when she saw the email without a subject line appear on her phone.
It was from Anna Wintour, longtime editor of American Vogue.
As Leiby tapped on the message and waited for it to load, she felt a bolt of anxiety and thought, "Oh, God. What is about to happen?"
To her relief, Wintour's two-sentence message offered congratulations on a one-woman, off-Broadway show Leiby created and starred in. Wintour had been in the audience on opening night in May 2022, Leiby told Business Insider.
While she didn't need to worry about the contents of the message, Leiby nevertheless found it unnerving to receive an email sans subject line — especially from the doyen of fashion.
"In a professional context, it's genuinely terrifying because the door is open for it to be anything," said Leiby, a comedian whose writing credits include the TV series "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel."
It's been reported that Wintour, who recently said she would give up her role as editor in chief of the Americanfashion glossy to devote more time to other responsibilities at the magazine and its parent company, sometimes sends emails without subject lines.
Despite Leiby's initial anxiety about the message, she later posted a screenshot of the email on social media, describing it as "the best email of my life."
A representative for Vogue didn't respond to a request for comment from BI about the message to Leiby or Wintour's email practices.
While leaving the subject line blank might work for some leaders —especially busy ones — workplace observers told BI that it's often a good idea to include one in business communications.
Picking the right subject line
Kathleen Schmidt, a publishing consultant in New York City, forces herself to add a subject line to most client emails she sends, even though she "hates" having to summarize a message with a title.
"They're just impossible to come up with sometimes," Schmidt told BI.
So, for less formal communications with colleagues, she'll often omit them. Schmidt sometimes does the same with friends or her husband — a practice that Schmidt said "drives him nuts."
"It's from me. What do you think it's going to say? Like, 'We won a million dollars?'" Schmidt said.
Thinking about your audience
Barring a life-changing financial windfall, including a subject line for work communications is often beneficial because it can help people suss out what's most pressing, Lizzie Post, great-great-granddaughter of etiquette authority Emily Post and coauthor of the book "Emily Post's Business Etiquette," told BI.
Those keywords can help people categorize a message and provide insights into its significance, she said.
"It's really important, I think, for the vast majority of us," Post said. "But I'm also a Vogue devotee. I will not go against the queen."
Kate Walker, a human resources consultant and executive coach in California, offered a similar assessment. Even though the summaries can be annoying, they have a purpose, Walker told BI.
"When I'm writing a subject line, I need to think about my audience," she said. "We're competing for people's time."
Leiby, the comedian, said that working as a performer and writer means she's grown accustomed to getting rejection emails. Even seeing an email from someone she'd interviewed with for a job can be nerve-racking, Leiby said.
Yet, when a message arrives without a subject, "your heart stops for a minute," she said.
"You're like, 'Oh, God, is this about to change my life in a good way or a bad way?'" Leiby said.
The author frequently goes on hikes with new friends.
Courtesy of Melissa Noble
I'm 40, and I'll never stop making new friends.
I have friends of all ages and with different interests, and I cherish them all.
I've realized that authenticity is the key to forming genuine relationships.
At 40, I have a beautiful circle of friends who range in age from their early 30s to 97, and I don't feel like I'll ever be done making new connections.
Meeting new people and being exposed to different viewpoints and experiences is something I live for. Maybe it's the journalist in me, but I've always been interested in other people's stories. I enjoy nothing more than getting to know someone and seeing what I can learn from them.
I've gotten better at making friends over the years
Looking back, I wasn't always like this. In high school, I was a bit of a loner. I had one close friend whom I tended to stick with. Later, in college, I made a small group of girlfriends whom I adored, but I was never rolling in it in terms of friendships.
Living and working overseas in my 20s helped build my confidence in meeting new people. I interacted with travelers from all over the globe and quickly learned how to find common ground with people from different walks of life.
But I think the real turning point was moving from Melbourne, Australia, to country Victoria three years ago. The town where we live has a population of less than 3,000 people, and I vowed not to be lonely after relocating to such a small community.
So, I made it my mission to put myself out there. Whenever I met someone I had something in common with, I'd initiate a catch-up. Even if I didn't have much in common with them, if I thought they could be fun or interesting, I'd put the offer on the table.
"Hey, would you like to go for a coffee or a hike?" I'd ask. Internally, often those earlier fears of mine would emerge. What if they thought I was weird or too forthcoming? However, more often than not, I found their answer was resoundingly 'yes.'
With time, I became more blatant about it. I remember meeting one of my husband's clients and instantly feeling a connection with his wife. "I really like you," I said. "Let's be friends." She laughed, and that was it. We've been buddies ever since.
The author, second from right, enjoys going out with her friends.
Courtesy of Melissa Noble
I'm intentional about keeping my old connections strong as I form new ones
Most of my friendships are with other parents from the school or daycare community — having that common denominator of kids makes it easy to build rapport. But I also have friends outside that group. I have friends I hike or travel with, and I have single and child-free friends who are in a completely different phase of life.
As my friendship circle has grown, I try to remember to foster my old friendships, too. I have some special long-time friends who mean the world to me, and I regularly check in on them. Sometimes, we'll talk for hours over the phone, and it feels like no time has passed between catch-ups.
One thing I've realized is that authenticity is key to forming genuine connections. If you don't let down your walls, it's harder to connect with others on a deeper level.
In that spirit, earlier this year I decided to do something a little out there. I hosted a ladies' night at my place and called it 'Dessert with a side of woo-woo.' I wasn't sure how it would go, and I know that some of the women who were invited were wondering what the hell was in store for them.
On the big night, I asked everyone to select a talking point card from a jar. The questions ranged from playful to really deep, and sometimes painful. There were tears and plenty of laughter. Later that night, we all made dream boards with our goals and aspirations for the year.
Afterward, many of the women told me how much the evening had meant to them. I think people are frequently sick of the small talk and are seeking deeper, more meaningful conversations that are raw and real.
I know that making friends isn't easy for everyone — I used to feel that way, too. But if you are open to it, I challenge you to put yourself out there and ask the question. "How about a coffee?" You might be pleasantly surprised, just as I was.
