The New York Times’ Post

In Opinion "It’s not just that I worry that there are fewer opportunities today, whether through college or work, for the million-plus kids out there with no high school diploma or GED (and that the Pell Grants that made it possible for me to go to college and once covered more than three-quarters of the cost of attending a four-year public college now cover roughly 30 percent). I worry that there are fewer adults willing to take those all-important chances on those of us the world today seems to have so little time and attention for. College is hard. And expensive. And what university wants to accept a kid like me who might bring down its all-important rankings?" Rachel Louise Snyder writes in her essay, "Notes From a Formerly Unpromising Young Person."

A reader asked: “I strongly suspect that my husband is developing dementia. Our fighting has stopped, but it’s a lonely place to be. I’m not thrilled about spending my retirement years as a caregiver. It’s a huge sacrifice that will narrow my own life significantly. Do we both need to go down with the ship? Can I leave now (and let his family deal with this)? Or am I obligated to stay and care for him?”

Breaking News: The parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue, HBC, is said to have agreed to a $2.65 billion deal to buy Neiman Marcus, further consolidating luxury retail.

A reader asked: “A month before I sold my Upper Manhattan co-op, I discovered that I would have to pay a flip tax of 2 percent of the sale price at the closing. It’s a significant amount! When my wife and I bought the apartment in 2013, the seller paid $20 per co-op share for the flip tax. I asked the co-op board for evidence that they have the right to collect this tax. The board sent me documents about how the co-op operates, which included nothing about the flip tax. Are they allowed by law to demand this tax? Can I fight it?”

Benjamin Bolger has been to Harvard and Stanford and Yale. He has been to Columbia and Dartmouth and Oxford, and Cambridge, Brandeis and Brown. Over all, Bolger has 14 advanced degrees, plus an associate’s and a bachelor’s. “I believe that people are like trees,” he said. “I hope I am a sequoia. I want to grow for as long as possible and reach toward the highest level of the sky.”

Artificial intelligence tools can create lifelike faces and realistic photographs — and they are getting better all the time. Can you tell the difference between what’s real and what’s fake? Take our quiz. https://nyti.ms/3zm5pMg

A reader asked Work Friend: "I work in a high school where two teachers receive a stipend for supervising the entrance at the beginning of the day. Both teachers sit behind a table facing the entrance, by which all teachers and students must pass, but they never say hello to the students or staff. If I say hello they sometimes respond, but other times nothing. I have stopped saying 'good morning' but find it terribly uncomfortable to walk past in silence. Other times of day these same teachers try to engage in conversation, but I harbor resentment from the morning. Shouldn’t greeters say hello?"

We asked 43 highly sociable people for tips on how to be a stellar guest and a gracious host. Read this before you say yes to the next invitation.

California lawmakers reached a deal to close a state deficit estimated at $47 billion, paving the way for a nearly $300 billion budget next year.