CNN travel | She got the last seat on a flight next to a stranger. They’ve been married for 40 years

(CNN) — Vickie Moretz had never left the southern United States, let alone traveled abroad. The prospect of flying across the Atlantic was equal parts exhilarating and terrifying.

It was February 1982. Vickie was 22, a recent graduate from the University of Tennessee, en route to London to participate in a work study program.

She was traveling with one of her best friends, Sandra. The two young women packed enormous suitcases (“We bought everything in our wardrobe, two great big ones, each of us”) and lugged the bags from Ohio, via New Orleans to what was then called Washington National Airport.  –read more–

CNN Entertainment | Malcolm-Jamal Warner, actor who starred as Theo in ‘The Cosby Show,’ dead at 54

(CNN) — Malcolm-Jamal Warner, an actor and artist who rose to fame as a child as Theodore Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” has died, according to a source close to the actor.

He was 54.

Warner died in a drowning accident in Costa Rica, where he was on vacation with his family, the source said.  –read more–

CNN Entertainment | Why Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s death has hit the Black community so deeply

CNN Tennis/SportsVenus  | Williams wishes sister Serena would come out of retirement to join her in competition

(CNN) — As Venus Williams prepares to make her tennis comeback at the DC Open after more than a year away from the sport, she has unsurprisingly fielded questions from reporters on a video her sister, Serena, recently posted on social media.

In the video, the younger Williams sister looks as athletic as she did during her career, crushing huge groundstrokes that were such a nightmare for her opponents.

So, is there a Serena comeback on the cards, too?  –read more–

CNN underscored Gifts | The 36 best 50th birthday gifts that are truly milestone-worthy

Technically, every birthday is special. That said, anyone who has made it to 50 deserves a gift that’s extra noteworthy. It is half a century, after all! But that doesn’t mean the thing you buy them needs to highlight all of the years they’ve lived. Personally, I associate one’s fifties with luxury. In other words, it’s a good time to upgrade the things one already loves and also a time to indulge in new experiences.

Additionally, the fifties are generally when people begin to prioritize their health more than ever. They might also have more free time (even if they’re not retired yet) to expand their current interests, look into new hobbies and go on more trips.

No matter who you’re shopping for — whether it’s a sibling, parent or friend — the gifts on this list will make them feel appreciated and ready to take on another 50 years. Many of the picks are editor favorites too, so you can count on the recipient’s long-term satisfaction.  –read more–

CNN Climate | This is the summer of flooding across the US, and scientists know why

Once synonymous with leisure and reprieve, summer has increasingly become a season marked by anxiety and disruption. Fossil fuel pollution — alongside other compounding factors — has transformed these months into a time of mounting peril, punctuated by relentless heat waves, rampant wildfires and catastrophic flooding.

This summer, in particular, has been defined by a tragic surge in deadly flash floods across the United States, underscoring the escalating volatility of our warming world.

It’s no accident this is the summer of flooding, climate scientists say, with 100-year to 1,000-year deluges happening nearly simultaneously in multiple states on multiple days.  –read more–

 Joel Osteen |  T.D. Jakes LIVE 🔴 | Lakewood Church Service | Sunday 11am

–watch, pray, praise–

WY Music ’95 | Bishop T.D. Jakes – Divine Strategies (AZUSA ’97)

–listen/praise/–

Joel Osteen |  T.D. Jakes LIVE 🔴 | Lakewood Church Service | Sunday 11am

David Sanborn – Topic | David Sandborn – Chicago Song

–listen–

Related: David Sanborn – Chicago Song – 8/16/1998 – Newport Jazz Festival (Official) | Jazz on MV

CNN underscored | The 45 best cooling products to fend off the summer heat

When the temperature starts to climb, the best cooling products help keep you comfortable both indoors and outdoors. From neck fans to cooling blankets, a variety of gadgets and home products can make all the difference in being a sweaty mess or staying cool.

We’ve crafted a list of our best-tested cooling fans, cooling apparel, cooling pillows and beyond for a much more tolerable summer. There are even some cooling beauty products that can help calm your skin after scorching-hot days.  –read more–

CNN style | The women artists who were way ahead of their time

(CNN) — Visitors to European galleries with an interest in pioneering women artists will have plenty of choice this summer, with a series of new exhibitions featuring some of the biggest names in 20th century art.

Fantastical sculptures and dreamlike drawings by the late French artist Louise Bourgeois, famed for her towering spiders, are on display at the Courtauld Gallery in London. Elsewhere in Spain, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is hosting a solo exhibition of American collagist and conceptual artist Barbara Kruger. And fellow American artist Cindy Sherman, known for her chameleonic self-portraiture, is the focus of a solo show at Hauser & Wirth Menorca, on the picturesque Balearic Islands.  –read more–