It’s the most wonderful time of the year: New York Times Cooking’s cookie week. Each year, the paper enlists bakers to put together a slate of unique cookie recipes for readers to try, and the 2025 lineup is inspired by the team’s favorite “non-cookie things.” That means delectable concoctions like popcorn bucket cookies (think: movie night, packed into one treat), Vietnamese coffee swirl brownies, and, perhaps most interestingly, shortbread that eerily resembles slices of mortadella. Get the recipes.
Early Sleep Apnea Intervention May Significantly Reduce Parkinson’s Risk
AndreyPopov/ iStock
Those with untreated obstructive sleep apnea may be more at risk for developing Parkinson’s disease, according to research published last week. But the study revealed some good news, too: Subjects who began using a CPAP machine within two years of their sleep apnea diagnosis were around 30% less likely to develop the disease. The researchers analyzed health records from over 11 million men and women, all U.S. veterans, from between 1999 and 2002. They found that those diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea — a condition that can block your body from getting enough oxygen during sleep — who did not use a CPAP device were nearly twice as likely to have Parkinson’s disease up to six years later compared to those who did. “If your brain is not getting the right amount of oxygen night in and night out, that could be kind of one hit along the pathway to developing Parkinson’s,” lead author Lee Neilson told ABC News. The CPAP machine, which helps open airways to improve oxygen flow, may “build in some resilience against neurodegenerative conditions” like Parkinson’s, Neilson said in a news release. Co-author Gregory Scott added that many of the veterans he treats love using their machines, and he hopes the new research will encourage more widespread use: “They feel better, they’re less tired. Perhaps if others know about this reduction in risk of Parkinson’s disease, it will further convince people with sleep apnea to give CPAP a try.”
Together With Fold
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Indigenous Tribe Reclaims 900 Acres Near Yosemite National Park
Pacific Forest Trust
An Indigenous tribe in California has reacquired 900 acres of its land nearly two centuries after it was forced off due to settlements and the establishment of Yosemite National Park. The Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation was transferred the land — situated between a part of the park and the Sierra Forest — by conservation org Pacific Forest Trust. “Having this significant piece of our ancestral Yosemite land back will bring our community together to celebrate tradition and provide a healing place for our children and grandchildren,” Tribal Council Chair Sandra Chapman said in a press release. “It will be a sanctuary for our people.” Encompassing the Henness Ridge, a major migration corridor for deer and other animals, the acreage is a key site for the tribe, which cared for the forests and its wildlife for generations. The deal will enable the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation to use traditional practices to reignite biodiversity in the area. “We will be able to harvest and cultivate our traditional foods, fibers, and medicines and steward the land using traditional ecological knowledge,” said Tribal Secretary Tara Fouch-Moore, “strengthening our relationships with plants and wildlife, and benefiting everyone by restoring a more resilient and abundant landscape.”
Culture
100 Years After Photo Booths Were Invented, an NYC Museum Is Keeping Their Magic Alive
Jose carlos Cerdeno/Getty Images
These days, most photo booths are digital, which allows for sharing pics via email and social media — and renders analog booths officially “vintage.” But with fewer than 200 old-school machines currently working globally, one woman is helping to keep them alive. As “one of the last photo booth technicians on Earth,” per ABC News, Breanna Conley Saxon opened a gallery and museum in New York City in October that celebrates the retro machines. Visitors of Autophoto can smile for their pictures in a Model 9 booth, which is nearly 80 years old, a Polaroid booth, which Saxon believes is the only working one left in the world, and more. Museumgoers can also view strips and items from historic and current booths, along with various art and installations. “It’s an ode to a dying art,” Saxon told ABC. Through the end of December, Autophoto is also hosting an exhibit on Anatol Josepho, who invented the photo booth in New York in 1925. It includes one of his original cameras and an authentic photostrip from that year featuring Josepho and his dog — proof that “your photo lasts a lifetime,” Saxon said. “It’s something to cherish and hold onto forever.”
In Other News
“A major win for animals”: Fur will no longer be worn or promoted during New York Fashion Week (read more)
More diabetes patients may forgo finger pricks thanks to a new device that uses lightwaves to monitor glucose (read more)
The 2026 Pro Football Hall of Famefinalists are in — and a big-name head coach made the cut (read more)
Send this to dad: Pet dogs can boost teens’ mental health by altering their microbiomes, a study found(read more)
A new Gilmore Girls book is in the works, cowritten by star Lauren Graham and creator Amy Sherman-Palladino (read more)
Inspiring Story
A bittersweet wave from beyond
James Vaillancourt died in 2000 at age 27, leaving behind his wife and three kids. In the 25 years since his passing, his daughter, Ashleigh Vaillancourt Seegar, thought she’d seen every photo and video that existed of her dad — so when she received three digitized clips she didn’t recognize on his birthday, they brought her to tears in an instant. Watch the sweet footage that reminded Seegar of herself and her brothers.
Photo of the Day
CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP via Getty Images
If you’ve ever felt guilt about your overflowing bookcase, take a page from British artist Es Devlin’s book and instead embrace the many written works that have shaped you. At Art Basel in Miami this week, Devlin debuted “Library of Us,” a 50-foot-wide rotating bookshelf containing 2,500 titles, with additional volumes laid out that visitors can read and reflect on. See more photos of the installment.
TEEFLECTION: The Holiday Gift to Uplift Anyone You Love
A grandfather in his 70s had an idea given the troubled state of the world, and went to work creating TEEFLECTION. These high-quality T-shirts are printed with messages in reverse, so your recipient will see an uplifting message in the mirror when they wake up. It’s a gift that will help provide a positive start to the day for your favorite people. If you order today, Dec. 6, shipping and handling is only $2.99 for any size order — find more discounts at the link below.
