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I have kept all the homemade ornaments my kids made since 2010.
I accidentally gave them all away in 2023.
As a mom, I’ve often heard that childhood goes by in a blink. When you’re in the trenches of parenting young children, it’s hard to believe the sleepless nights, diapers, and crying will ever end.
Then, suddenly, you wake up with teenagers and wonder where the time went. I’m fortunate to have a rich digital history of my children and the ability to instantly bring up photos and memories. Social media can be both a sweet reminder of those innocent days and a dagger in the heart, realizing they’re over.
While I love to have digital memories, I am more traditional and like to hold onto things. When my oldest son started preschool in 2010, I kept each homemade Christmas ornament he and his three siblings created. And then, one day, I accidentally threw them out.
I decorated our tree with their stuff
I would decorate my memory tree’s branches with sweet little handprints, photos, and macaroni art annually. I wrote on the container I kept them in, « Under penalty of death, do not stack anything on this box! My entire life is in this box! Love, Mom. »
When I took down my tree in 2023, I realized I had amassed a pretty large collection of homemade treasures and needed a bigger container. I put some in my original red container, but the bulk went into a new tote that I didn’t mark as clearly. That is my most painful parenting regret.
Last Christmas, I went to retrieve my ornaments, and they were gone. I discovered I had accidentally donated the nondescript tote to a thrift store months earlier.
I felt terrible
There are no words to describe how I felt. It was the worst guilt, loss, and frustration I’ve ever felt.
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Foolishly, I thought I could call the place where I took them in the fall, and they’d have saved them for months just waiting for me to retrieve them. Instead, I was greeted by someone who laughed and said they probably tossed the bag thinking it was trash.
I posted my grief on social media, and the kind words from friends helped. They made me realize that I am not the worst mom in the world and helped me give myself grace. I was unbelievably grateful for their love and support, but it was the gesture of someone who never said a word that saved Christmas.
One of my kids’ teacher came to the rescue
My daughter was in second grade, and her teacher, Erin, grew up down the street from me and was my babysitter. It had been more than 30 years since I had seen her when my daughter was placed in her classroom. I loved that she would be cared for by someone from my past.
When Erin read my post, she contacted my mom and asked her permission to help. Unbeknownst to me, my daughter and her teacher spent the last few days before Christmas break creating new ornaments for my memory tree. Erin took pictures from Facebook, and they made new treasures with photos of my children as babies and throughout their childhood.
The moment my daughter presented me with the bag full of ornaments, I crumbled. The amount of love put into creating these keepsakes was equal to, if not more, than the originals.
Kids create without knowing the impact on their mom’s heart. Erin painstakingly chose photos to recreate memories for me because, as a mom, she knew how I felt. As an educator, hundreds of children have been in her classroom. For decades, Erin has imparted wisdom, knowledge, and the importance of being kind. She is the true definition of leading by example.
Christmas will be different this year, but I will decorate my tree with pride and a humble heart. The treasures adorning those branches are the gift of a mother’s love and a teacher’s kindness. I am truly blessed.
For me, there are so many reasons not to have children.
But then my dad suddenly passed away and I started to change my mind.
Despite my fears, I now plan to honor her father’s memory by sharing his legacy with future kids.
« What are some of the fears you have about parenting? » my therapist asked me on a damp February morning, during our weekly session. I sunk deeper into the plush couch, unable to meet her gaze as I spoke. « Um. Well, there’s the lack of a national paid parental leave policy, so we’d have to pay for daycare pretty early on, which is expensive. I’m already struggling to get things done while working full time, so throwing a child in the mix seems like a bad idea, » I said. « Oh. And being pregnant in Texas., » I added.
I watched as she jotted down notes on her yellow legal pad. Meanwhile, the list continued to grow in my head. Bringing a child into our warming world. Living an ocean away from my mother. Transatlantic plane rides with screaming children.
« What about something positive? » she prompted. I cleared my throat before saying meekly, « I hear the love for a child is unlike anything else? »
For as long as I can remember, I didn’t want children. This was partially due to the patriarchal gender roles I saw in my family. I was also unable to envision succeeding in my career while juggling parenthood. Then there were the logistical challenges, like Texas’ dismal maternal mortality rate. And so, after getting married, I would smile and act demur when eager relatives asked about my husband and I’s plans for children.
Then everything changed
A year ago, on a sweltering August morning, days after his 65th birthday, my father collapsed from a heart attack while playing tennis and died on the way to the hospital.
Our lives were completely upended and what followed after his death was unimaginable pain and grief. In those early days of mourning, I sorted through each and every text message, voice memo, and letter we exchanged, to blunt an insatiable craving for his presence.
During this time, I came across an anecdote he’d written in our family’s group chat for my brother’s birthday. In it, he talks about a day he was spearfishing with a friend. The friend, knowing my dad had practiced a variety of sports like diving, sailing, and soccer, asked which was his favorite. My father stopped to think, though he could tell his friend wanted the answer to be spearfishing. Instead, he replied, « The most intense and ardent sport of them all was raising my children. » He added, « I never had a moment of regret. »
The message was sweet, but as I recalled our tumultuous lives, filled with layoffs, medical emergencies, and international moves, I assumed he’d exaggerated for our sake. But my father’s life had never been easy, even before children. I recalled our childhood, watching cartoons on Saturday mornings with us, his squeaky laughter filling the entire room. Then there were the times when he’d weave tall tales, like the deinonychus, a relative of the velociraptor, that (allegedly) scarred his stomach. Or his persistence in teaching me to ride a bicycle, despite my lack of coordination. I finally understood that for him, the joys of fatherhood transcended the adversity he experienced.
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I started to feel differently
After reading about what having children brought to my dad’s life, I realized that I wanted to experience what he had felt too. My husband was supportive, as he had already been feeling ready for parenthood.
Since making this decision, my initial fears have not disappeared. If anything, they’ve multiplied as I worry about the potential of conceiving, miscarrying, and expensive fertility treatments. Rather than focusing on my fears, though, I am trying to keep my dad’s memory alive through this, devising ways to share his writing, his art, and his favorite books and music with any children we may have.
I feel a combination of grief and guilt that he never got to experience being a grandfather. But I know he would be tremendously proud of me for coming to this decision. And he’d probably be a little bit smug that he helped me get here.
I was thrown from a horse and left with multiple broken bones, and my husband became my caretaker.
My recovery was difficult, and he had to help me eat, dress, and bathe.
While it could have put a strain on our relationship, it actually brought us closer together.
When I envisioned my life with my husband, I thought I’d be well into my 80s before I’d need him cutting my food and helping me shower. I had an unwelcome glimpse into my old age when I was in an accident in May while riding a horse that left me with multiple broken bones and unable to walk.
When the accident happened, he was in Canada visiting his family. Upon waking from surgery, the first thing I croaked was to ask where he was. I wanted him for comfort; I had no idea how crucial his presence would be to my recovery.
My husband worked hard to take care of me while I recovered
After getting on the first flight he could once the extent of my injuries was apparent, he arrived back in South Africa, where we live. He stood there in the hospital ward, waiting for visiting hours to officially open, and would only leave my side when the nurses kicked him out. He’d then go home, working until midnight to catch up on the work he’d missed during the day when he was visiting me. He kept our financial burdens light while I was unable to work at all, my right arm rendered useless for months — not an ideal situation when you’re a writer.
If he hadn’t proved himself such a wonderful caretaker, I wouldn’t have been discharged as early as I was, just one week after surgery. Upon returning home, he took over everything: ensuring everything we ate was one-hand friendly, cutting food into bite-size pieces, cleaning my wound dressings, helping me wash and dress, easing me into chairs, and taking me back to the hospital every few days for scans and blood tests.
My recovery was difficult, but it brought us closer together
While he cared for me physically, the way he tended to my mental health became even more important. The trauma of being thrown at top speed from a galloping horse (when I am not a rider) was severe. I oscillated between relief that I didn’t die, a sentiment repeated by every nurse and doctor who expressed disbelief that I survived without permanent paralysis, and utter frustration at my slow recovery. I wanted to be well again quickly, and my body wasn’t playing ball.
He cheered on every minor improvement, whether it was the first day I could hold a cup of water, move my arm, or take a step unaided. He kept cheering me on as I regained most of my abilities, taking hours to walk a couple of yards but getting faster every week. It was easy to berate myself, getting angry when I had a day that, at first glance, appeared to be a regression. He kept my spirits up as best he could, tending to the scars both physically and emotionally.
It would be easy for something like this to strain a relationship, but it made us even stronger. I tend to prize my independence, so this was a huge test for me: relying on someone else, someone I loved, for the simplest of tasks. It was an equally huge test for him, being called on to become a caretaker decades before either of us anticipated anything like this.
When we started dating, I remember sitting with him on a balcony, watching the crashing waves, chatting into the early hours, thinking that this was the first person I’d met whom I could imagine talking to in an old age home one day. This accident may have left permanent physical damage (I still have no nerve sensation on my right hip and thigh), but it also affirmed that I knew exactly what I was doing when I chose my life partner.
Regina Grogan is a tech exec who says high stress once impacted her mental health and relationships.
Grogan has developed nine daily habits that help her reduce stress and increase productivity.
Grogan’s methods include cold plunges, meditation, and gratitude lists for better mood.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Regina Grogan, a Zillennial technology executive, AI founder, and former Google consultant based in Salt Lake City. It’s been edited for length and clarity.
I worked in high-stress Silicon Valley for over 10 years, including as a Google consultant, before transitioning to being an associate security engineerat one of the largest banks.
Working in the tech industry is stressful — it has extreme volatility, which has led me to feel anxious and depressed in the past. I’ve seen tech startups shut down very suddenly with zero discussion. I’ve also worked in big companies undergoing layoffs and wondered, « Am I next? »
High stress also impacted my relationships. My work took up a lot of my personal time, so I wasn’t able to build as many relationships as I wish I had.
Over the years, I’ve discovered hacks to mitigate stress, boost my mood, and increase productivity. These are my favorites.
1. Cold plunge
I take a 15 to 20-minute ice bath or cold shower every morning. The first five minutes are awful and shocking. Then I acclimate to it, and it actually feels really good.
During the plunge, I feel extremely alert, the world looks brighter, and when I emerge, everything feels like a new beginning.
2. Meditation
I was very addicted to my digital devices until I noticed it was severely affecting my mental clarity and focus. Now I try to stay off my phone as much as possible in the morning, and instead, meditate for 25 minutes.
Ever since I made the switch, my mind has become quieter and I feel reset from the attention obsession that my digital devices create.
3. Increase my bodily awareness
I’ve realized I have to create balance in life by tuning into my body and intuition for guidance. I now listen more to my instincts.
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One time, I was working on a partnership and felt physically uneasy while reviewing the terms. Looking back, I realize I was sensing a subconscious resistance in my body about this partnership, which ended up going south.
4. Take a walk without my phone
I often use my phone as an anxiety and comfort tool. The only way I’ve had luck mitigating this anxiety is by leaving my phone at home, coming back, and seeing that nothing horrible has happened.
5. Think about what I can and can’t control
Let’s say a vendor messes up a project, or the intern accidentally gets spam-attacked and is freaked out. Instead of panicking, I use the psychological strategy of the « circle of control, » asking myself, « What can I control in this stressful situation? »
If the answer is nothing, I have to let it go.
6. Ask myself, « How can I help others today? »
Doing small acts of kindness helps me take the focus off of myself and redirect my energy toward helping others. This can be helping someone at work, volunteering, or simply letting someone in front of me in traffic.
At the end of the day, I can say, « Today didn’t go super well, but I did something in my control to improve things. »
7. Make a list of what I’m grateful for
I live a privileged life, and it’s easy to forget how hard life is for many other people. In my case, I used to have depression. I’ve seen bad days, but it’s easier to forget when I make a gratitude list.
When I zoom out, I can see how lucky I am and that I have a lot to be thankful for.
8. Epsom salt bath
Every evening, around 9 p.m., I take a hot Epsom salt bath. Epsom salt regulates the nervous system and also staves off loneliness — or so they found in some studies.
I do this as a « day ender » to help me officially close out the day. Otherwise, I’ll keep working into the night.
9. Write down my worries and wait to review them
Before I go to sleep at 10 p.m., I write down everything I’m worrying about as a « brain dump. » I put it in a box and revisit it a week later to see how many of them came to pass.
Almost none of them do. Over time, I’ve gained more confidence and calmness.
Ever since I started using these hacks, I’ve been in a great mood and more productive than ever
My colleagues always talk about my energy and good mood. These hacks allow me to be creative and productive at work, even in a stressful environment.
If you work in Big Tech and have productivity hacks you’d like to share, please email Tess Martinelli at tmartinelli@businessinsider.com.
As homebuilding trends evolve, buyers and homeowners are also reimagining what they want from their living spaces.
By analyzing hundreds of home features and design styles from millions of for-sale listings in 2024, Zillow has identified the top emerging home trends for the year ahead.
Zillow found that in response to higher living costs and growing concerns about the climate crisis, buyers will want homes that are eco-friendly, resilient to climate disasters, and equipped with smart home technology.
« Technology has empowered homeowners to live more sustainably and affordably, which is increasingly important to prospective buyers, » said Amanda Pendleton, Zillow’s home trends expert. She added that homeowners and buyers are simultaneously « looking to the past » to give their homes character, even in « the most high-tech environments. »
According to Zillow, here are five home trends to watch in 2025, from solar-powered energy systems to vintage-inspired interiors.
His new home, Dawson County, is one of the fastest-growing counties in the US for young people,amid a wave of movers into rural areas that’s reversing a decadeslong trend toward cities.
Voss, a real-estate agent, said many younger and middle-aged families have moved to Dawsonville from out of state for job reasons. Though there aren’t many jobs in Dawsonville itself, which has a population of just over 4,600, some work tourism or nature jobs in the nearby mountains, while others commute the over 50 miles to Atlanta or work remotely.
« Dawsonville is far enough away where they can feel that remoteness but still close enough to the city that they can have access to everything, » Voss said.
Chase Voss moved to Dawson County, Georgia, from Hawaii.
Chase Voss
In recent years, younger professionals have been bucking a longtimetrend of their age group: moving to cities. Now, with flexible work arrangements and high housing costs, many are forgoing more densely populated areas in favor ofrural America. Those areas bring bigger houses, lower prices, and a different pace of life — and their own new challenges.
Where younger people are moving
A recent analysis of Census data by Hamilton Lombard, a demographer at the University of Virginia, found that 63% of rural counties or counties in small metros experienced increases in their populations of 25- to 44-year-olds between 2020 and 2023, compared to 27% between 2010 and 2013.
Northern Georgia, the Mountain West, and New England were rural regions with particularly strong population growth among young Americans. The 10 counties that saw the biggest influxes of younger adults were largely rural; the most populated of all of those areas is Hays County, Texas, in the suburbs of Austin, which had a population of around 280,500 in 2023. Musselshell County, which is the least populous, had just 5,308 people as of 2023.
That’s a big shift from pre-pandemic patterns: From 1980 to 2020, white-collar workers increasingly moved into densely populated areas, per Lombard’s analysis. That trend was expected to continue — until the pandemic and the rise of remote work. Since 2020, Lombard found, rural areas and smaller cities have attracted that younger workforce at the highest rate in nearly a century.
Jeannie Steele, a real-estate broker in Townsend, Montana, has seen an influx of young people. Broadwater County, with about 8,000 residents, was the third-fastest-growing county for Americans ages 25 to 44, Lombard’s analysis found. Townsend is located about 30 miles from Helena, though Steele said many commute to Bozeman or Three Forks.
Steele said she previouslyconsidered her area a retirement hub. However, the construction of a new elementary school starting in 2019 brought many younger families, particularly some working in construction, mining, or medicine. Many are moving from Washington, California, and Minnesota, Steele said.
« We have a lot of people here that come and have this vision of homesteading, » Steele said. « They want to grow their own food. They want to have chickens and gardens. Interestingly enough, though, all those things in our environment are difficult. »
In Custer County, Colorado — the area that’s seen the highest net percent increase of 25 to 44-year-olds — 28-year-old Arrott Smith has seen many more nice cars driving around as younger, well-off remote workers move into town.
« For the most part, that’s kind of a weird juxtaposition because it is a very working-class county, » Smith said.
Smith, the manager and a roaster at local haunt Peregrine Coffee, said that the area has traditionally skewed older — but saw a big influx of younger workers over the last few years. Smith said that the area’s newer residents are buying homes even as costs have gone up.
« To me it’s more like the people that are moving here have a romanticized version of what it is to live up here, » Smith said.
Going rural can be challenging
Economist Jed Kolko said that, with the proliferation of remote work, Americans moved out of bigger urban areas into nearby suburbs or smaller towns. But headwinds in some occupations might slow down the influx of newcomers.
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« If unemployment rises, particularly in the kinds of occupations where remote work is more common, employers might be more able to insist on workers spending more days in the office, » Kolko said. « Even if that doesn’t cause people to reverse the moves that they made during or after the pandemic, it could still slow down that trend in the future. »
Meanwhile, in areas that have seen a rush of new residents like Townsend, Kolko said it’s key for housing to keep up with demand. If not, affordability challenges from big cities could spread out.
New challenges confront the residents reshaping these areas. Steele said many people moved to her part of Montana after the TV series « Yellowstone » aired, though she’s seen many younger people regret their moves. She said many don’t anticipate the challenges of living in a more remote part of the US, such as navigating storms, buying goods in bulk, or dealing with isolation.
Recently, rentals have gone really fast, Steele said, adding that rents, on average, have increased from about $750 in 2019 to well over $1,000 monthly. A more stark comparison is some of the county’s single-family homes, many of which were built in the late 1970s and early 1980s; while they sold for about $100,000 in 2017, they range from $390,000 to $400,000 today, Steele said.
Housing affordability pushed Solitaire Miles, a Gen X musician, to move from Chicago to northwestern Indiana in 2013. Miles and her husband lived in the Chicago area for about 13 years. While they were gainfully employed, she said, they weren’t earning enough to live comfortably while renting. They couldn’t afford a home in Illinois, especially with high property taxes. But in Indiana, they found a home with three-quarters of an acre of land just 50 miles from Chicago for under $200,000.
Miles loves having the space. A quieter pace of living has helped stimulate her creativity and her at-home border collie rescue — they currently have five of their own dogs.
Solitaire Miles and dogs.
Courtesy of Solitaire Miles
But the area has changed over the past few years; the pandemic also fractured her community.
« After Covid, everything just kind of went downhill. So many people died, a lot of elderly died, or they left and they moved south, » Miles said.
She’s glad they ended up buying out there, and if and when they choose to sell, they’ll make a tidy profit. Even so, though, the move came with its own struggles.
« It was hard. I had the gym that I loved and the spas and my beauty salon and the restaurants — all of our friends, » she said. « I mean, I did make friends here, but it took time, and I had to go to places where I knew they would be. »
For Voss, the real-estate agent, it took him time to acclimate to the South. As a gay man, he noticed more hostility toward his community, though he said many in Dawsonville have appreciated his advocacy work. He’s enjoying rural Georgia for the time being but anticipates splitting his time with Hawaii in a few years.
« Georgia is beautiful, I love it. It’s so great for so many people, » Voss said. « But for me, because of the mentality of the people here, I just don’t see myself staying full-time. »
Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg has tapped Joel Seidemann to lead the Luigi Mangione prosecution.
His 40-year career includes prosecuting the Etan Patz murder and Brooke Astor swindle cases.
Colleagues say he’s tenacious and detail-obsessed, with an expertise in fighting psych defenses.
Former colleagues say he’s detail-obsessed and relentless. One calls him « a firecracker. » And they’re hard-pressed to name anyone in the district attorney’s office more capable of crushing a psych defense in a murder case.
Joel Seidemann is the veteran assistant district attorney who will be helming the Manhattan prosecution of 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, charged in last week’s ambush shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Seidemann has been prosecuting high-stakes, high-profile crimes, including homicides, for 42 years.
« I think a great deal of Joel, » said Cyrus Vance, Manhattan District Attorney during Seidemann’s two biggest trial wins, in the Etan Patz murder and Brook Astor swindle cases.
« He’s probably tried more cases than anybody in the DA’s office, » said attorney Daniel Bibb, hired as a prosecutor six months after Seidemann and now in private practice.
« It’s a sign, certainly, that the Manhattan DA’s office is giving this their very highest priority, » said veteran defense lawyer Ron Kuby.
An author and former adjunct law professor at Pace University, Seidemann does not wilt under the national spotlight that has found him and his cases over the decades.
In addressing judges and juries, he readily turns the dry language of police and medical reports into vivid sound bites.
« They didn’t call for an ambulance. They didn’t call for help. Rather, they stood on the street corner and laughed, » he told a judge of the teen suspects in the fatal 2006 mugging of an NYU student.
« She had her hair done while her husband lay in surgery, » he told another judge in 2008, arguing against bail for Barbara Kogan, dubbed the Black Widow for her pricey dark attire. (Kogan soon after pleaded guilty to her husband’s 1990 contract killing.)
More than one former colleague said with affection that Seidemann lands his best lines with seeming self-awareness, sometimes peeking over his shoulder to check the courtroom audience’s reaction.
Meanwhile, defense lawyers described him as a relentless adversary.
One of the few high-profile trials Seidemann has lost was the 2007 acquittal of David Lemus in a fatal 1990 shooting at the Palladium nightclub. The case was featured in a recent NBC documentary, The Sing Sing Chronicles.
Both of Lemus’s lawyers called Seidemann tough but fair.
« Joel tried the best case he could, but David Lemus was innocent, » attorney Jonathan P. Bach told Business Insider.
« He was a consummate professional, extraordinarily talented, » agreed co-counsel Daniel J. Horwitz. « But we had the two actual killers taking the stand, and confessing to pulling the trigger. »
A spokesperson for the Manhattan DA’s office declined to comment on this story. Mangione’s attorney in Pennsylvania, where he is fighting extradition, did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Neither did his New York attorney, Karen Agnifilo.
Luigi Mangione prosecutor Joel Seidemann in court with Stanley Patz at the 2017 trial of a bodega worker convicted of kidnapping and killing his son Etan Patz.
Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images
« Joel is fabulous — he’s as experienced in that office as they go, and I don’t have a bad thing to say about him, » said former prosecutor Joan Illuzzi, also now in private practice.
In 2017, Seidemann and Illuzzi won a kidnapping and murder conviction in a case that held national attention for decades, 1979 disappearance of six-year-old Etan Patz.
« He’s especially skilled at psych cases, » said Illuzzi, noting that the Patz conviction required jurors to believe former bodega worker Pedro Hernandez had confessed to killing Patz because he was guilty, not because he was mentally unsound.
The Mangione case, should it go to trial, may also hinge on a psych defense. Longtime Manhattan attorneys told BI this week that his best hope may be going to trial on what’s called an extreme emotional disturbance defense.
Philanthropist Brooke Astor in 1997.
File/Associated Press
The Brooke Astor swindle
In 2009, Seidemann tried what may be his most high-profile case until now — the $60 million swindling of wealthy philanthropist Brooke Astor by her own son — and he called former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to the witness stand.
The case hinged on Astor’s competency to sign repeated changes to her will. Under Seidemann’s questioning, Kissinger recalled to jurors how Astor, on the brink of turning 100 years old, had been so impacted by Alzheimer’s that she could no longer recognize her dear friend Kofi Annan.
The then-UN Secretary General was sitting beside Astor at a 2002 dinner party at her Park Avenue co-op.
« Who is the black fellow who is sitting on the other side of me? » Kissinger recounted Astor turning to him and asking.
Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger leaving court in Manhattan after testifying on behalf of his friend, the late philanthropist Brooke Astor.
AP Photo/ Louis Lanzano
Seventy prosecution witnesses testified at the seven-month trial, including journalist and editor Graydon Carter, socialite Annette de la Renta, and author Louis Auchincloss. Barbara Walters teared up on the stand as she recalled Brooke’s mental decline.
« He’s brilliant, » said former Manhattan elder-abuse prosecutor Elizabeth Lowey, who teamed up with him to win the case. « He’s a firecracker. »
Seidemann synthesized stacks of financial documents and scores of witness accounts, remembered Lowey, now at the fraud prevention company EverSafe.
Then he’d pluck out the richest details to create a persuasive narrative for the jury, she said.
Among those details: the son, Anthony Marshall, sailed a teak-decked yacht. Meanwhile, he was ignoring requests by his mother’s nurses for no-skid socks and a stairway safety gate.
« The yacht for $920,000? He wasn’t too frugal for that, » Seidemann told jurors at closing arguments. « But the safety gate for two grand? Not going to happen. »
Astor’s nurses called Marshall’s wife, Charlene, « Miss Piggy » behind her back, Lowey remembered, and Seidemann made a point of letting jurors hear that.
« I would tell Joel we can’t call her Miss Piggy, even if it’s in the nurses’ notes, and he would say, ‘Oh yes we can, » Lowey said, laughing.
« He’s not afraid to call it what it is, » she added. « If there’s anyone who can make people understand that even if you have issues with the insurance industry, you can’t be a vigilante, it’s Joel. »
Philip C. Marshall filed the 2006 guardianship petition that led to his father’s prosecution. He told Business Insider that Seidemann kept a box of Kleenex on hand for him during interviews and trial prep.
« I just remember his ability to engage and listen — his calm and intentional nature throughout this ordeal, » said Marshall, founder of the Beyond Brooke campaign against elder abuse.
More than one person interviewed by Business Insider mentioned Seidemann’s height, one saying, « he still has a damn good courtroom presence. » Marshall noted he is not a tall man.
« But any opponent will be dwarfed by the stack of documents and evidence that he’ll bring to this case, » Marshall quipped.
The New York Police Department’s Crime Stoppers program offered a $10,000 reward for information that could lead to the killer’s arrest or conviction. The Federal Bureau of Investigation followed suit, touting a $50,000 reward.
But the tipster who called 911 on Luigi Mangione needs Mangione, who was arrested Monday and accused of the killing, to be convicted before they get the money.
An ordinary Crime Stoppers reward is under $3,500. In those cases, tipsters can be paid upon arrest and indictment.
But when a reward is raised to exceed that amount, the money isn’t disbursed until a conviction, either at trial or through a guilty plea, according to a spokesperson for the New York City Police Foundation, which administers the funds.
Officers in Altoona, Pennsylvania, arrested Mangione at a McDonald’s restaurant, on charges that he lied about his identity and illegally carried a ghost gun police said was assembled from 3D-printed parts.
Mangione will likely be extradited to New York, where a warrant indicates he will be charged with murder, among other crimes. Mangione has not made any public statements since his arrest and has not yet entered a plea for the charges against him.
Thomas Dickey, an Altoona-based defense attorney representing Mangione on his Pennsylvania charges, didn’t immediately return a request for comment from Business Insider.
According to New York Police Department officials, the 911 caller was a fast-food worker who was tipped off about Mangione by a restaurant patron.
Even though that person didn’t call Crime Stoppers directly, they can still potentially receive the reward, according to the foundation spokesperson.
« The individual in Pennsylvania, who called in a tip, is eligible to receive the reward, » the spokesperson told Business Insider.
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More than one person could collect rewards
Crime Stoppers doesn’t always pay out the maximum amount of their rewards. The total is determined by a board overseen by the foundation, which acts upon the recommendation of the commanding officer of the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers unit.
Given the high profile of Thompson’s killing, it’s likely the tipster will be eligible for the full amount, Joe Giacalone, a former New York police officer who oversaw the unit, said.
« Since this was a national manhunt, I would assume they would ask for the highest amount of award, » said Giacalone, now an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
The board would also decide whether the reward would go to either the restaurant patron, who first apparently recognized Mangione, or the employee who called 911, or both. Those details « would be ironed out between Crime Stoppers and the police foundation, » the foundation spokesperson said.
« In the past, on other cases, sometimes they both get their reward, » the spokesperson said. « Sometimes the reward is split half-and-half. »
It’s less clear whether the caller can get a piece of the FBI’s $50,000 award anytime soon.
The language on the FBI poster offered money for « information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual responsible for this crime, » also indicating it wouldn’t pay out unless a conviction is reached.
An FBI representative said tips from the public are among the agency’s « best tools in preventing, detecting, and deterring crime. » It did not answer questions about the Mangione tipster or its reward process.
« The FBI maintains longstanding policy not to confirm the identity of individuals who assist the FBI by providing tips or information, » the representative said in an email. « Additionally, the FBI will not comment on whether reward money has been paid and to whom. The FBI takes this position for privacy protection, and to ensure the public’s continued cooperation and incentivization with any future assistance. »
Reward funds can help ease the financial burden of potential informants, whose lives may be transformed if they become cooperating witnesses or ultimately testify at trial. Former prosecutor Opher Shweiki said they were helpful in capturing and building the case against Ahmed Abu Khatallah, who was involved in the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attack. The case was featured as one of the « Success Stories » from Rewards for Justice, a law enforcement program that works with the FBI to offer rewards.
« They’re sometimes upending their lives, » said Shweiki, now a national security partner at Akin Gump. « And so there’s a lot that goes into that equation. »
A conviction in the Thompson killing could take a long time if it happens at all. As Business Insider’s Laura Italiano reported, a savvy lawyer could delay the Pennsylvania-to-New York extradition for years — and that would be before Mangione would be arraigned on murder charges, kicking off the formal process for the criminal case.
Mangione’s folk hero status has led to a cascade of online threats against the employee who called 911, whose name has not been publicly disclosed. The fast food restaurant location where Mangione was arrested has beefed up security, Newsweek reported.
The ordinary NYPD Crime Stoppers procedure is designed to be completely anonymous to protect tipsters. Callers are given ID numbers, and their identities are not even known to police officers — even when they collect the reward.
Given the threats and heightened emotions surrounding the case, Giacalone said NYPD officials were wrong to disclose identifying information about the tipsters, including the restaurant where the call was made.
A spokesperson for the NYPD didn’t immediately return a request for comment on the disclosure.
« It was a mistake, » Giacalone said. « Because, if you’re watching what people are saying online about this person, they’re in danger. And so is their family. »
In new satellite imagery, Russia’s military appears to be packing up equipment at a key airbase in Syria.
The images show transport aircraft ready to load cargo at the Hmeimim Air Base on Friday.
Russia’s military footprint in Syria fell into uncertainty after rebel forces ousted Bashar Assad.
Russia appears to be packing up military equipment at one of its bases in Syria, new satellite images show. They are the latest indication that Moscow is scaling down, if not withdrawing, its footprint from the country following the stunning collapse of the Assad regime.
Images captured Friday by Maxar Technologies and obtained by Business Insider show two An-124 heavy transport aircraft at Russia’s Hmeimim Air Base. The front of the planes are lifted, indicating that they are ready to load equipment or cargo.
A Russian An-124 heavy transport aircraft, right, preparing to load equipment at Hmeimim on December 13.
In another image of the Hmeimim base, a Russian Ka-52 attack helicopter is seen being taken apart and likely prepared for transport, according to Maxar. The company said elements of an S-400 air-defense unit are also being prepared for departure from the weapon’s previous deployment site near the coastal city of Latakia.
A Ka-52 helicopter, spotted in the center of the image, is seen being disassembled and prepared for transport at Hmeimim on December 13.
Additional imagery collected Friday shows Russia’s warships are still missing from its base in Tartus, a port city south of Hmeimim on the Mediterranean Sea. Several frigates, replenishment oilers, and a submarine could be seen at the facility earlier in the month, but they were all gone by Monday.
Some of the vessels have been spotted several miles off the coast. It’s unclear whether the warships will return to Tartus; their presence at sea could be for safety reasons rather than a full evacuation.
An overview of the naval facility at Tartus on December 13.
The US has not confirmed any major Russian military withdrawal from Syria but has pointed out that some forces are, in fact, departing.
« What we’re seeing is a consolidation of assets, including some Russian forces leaving Syria, » Sabrina Singh, the deputy Pentagon spokesperson, told reporters Wednesday. « What they’re doing with their facilities and bases, that’s for them to speak to. »
Analysts, likewise, have called attention to the latest activity.
« A larger number of Russian transport aircraft can now be seen at Khmeimim, » Michael Kofman, a Russia expert and senior fellow with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said in a social media post.
« The S-400 battery is packing up for transport. While tactical aviation is still there, RF appears to be consolidating at Khmeimim and Tartus, » he said. « In short, a withdrawal is under way. »
Even if Russia is moving forces out of its bases in Syria, it may only be a partial military withdrawal and not a complete evacuation.
A Russian frigate in the Mediterranean near Tartus on December 13.
The new satellite imagery comes a day after Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, known as the HUR, said Moscow was evacuating its bases in Syria and has been flying multiple military transport aircraft between Hmeimim and Russia every day.
BI was unable to independently verify Kyiv’s assessment.
Russia’s military presence in Syria became tenuous last weekend as rebel forces captured Damascus and ousted Bashar Assad, the country’s longtime dictator. Assad has since fled to Moscow with his family.
Russia supported Assad in Syria’s civil war for years, in return securing a foothold in the country, but the rebels now have the upper hand. They control the province where Tartus and Hmeimim are located. The Kremlin is engaging in efforts to ensure the security of its facilities with the new Syrian leadership, but it’s unclear if any arrangements are official.
Losing both Tartus and Hmeimim would be a setback for the Kremlin, which relies heavily on the bases to project its power across the region and beyond. Tartus is Russia’s main naval base overseas, providing the country with critical access to a warm-water port. Moscow uses Hmeimim to move military forces in and out of Africa. That makes these bases strategically valuable.
War analysts at the Institute for the Study of War, a US think tank, wrote on Thursday that Russia « is very likely hesitant to completely evacuate all military assets from Syria in the event that it can establish a relationship with Syrian opposition forces and the transitional government and continue to ensure the security of its basing and personnel in Syria. »
As a personal stylist, I think the quiet-luxury look is easy to achieve.
Look for high-quality pieces in classic silhouettes, which can be found on sale or secondhand.
Accessorize with simple pieces and avoid wearing too many designer logos.
As a personal stylist, I love trends like quiet luxury that encourage people to buy quality pieces that can be worn for years, or even decades.
After all, quiet-luxury style is all about using high-quality, understated pieces to create effortless looks.
Some celebrities have really nailed it. One example that comes to mind is Gwyneth Paltrow and the outfits she wore during her 2023 ski-collision trial.
Her chic, understated looks were covered closely by fashion publications like Vogue and consisted of lush sweaters, fitted blazers, and leather boots in various neutrals. Her classic outfits managed to say, « I’m rich » without screaming it.
Some fictional characters — like many in the final season of HBO’s « Succession » — have also exemplified the quiet-luxury look by mixing quality neutrals and timeless silhouettes.
Fortunately, the quiet-luxury trend is really easy to duplicate. Here are five tips to keep in mind if you want to nail this look.
