Amelia Earhart most inspires others to step beyond comfort zones
Amelia Earhart, Jessica Ennis-Hill, and Greta Thunberg are the women who have most inspired others to step out of their comfort zones, according to research. Research of 2,000 adults found 20 per cent were encouraged to do something new after learning about the amazing feats of Amelia Earhart, who became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. While 10 per cent decided to step out of their comfort zone following the incredible achievements of Ellen MacArthur, the fastest person to solo circumnavigate the globe by sailboat. Other women recognised for their positive impact include cyclist Laura Kenny (10 per cent), astronaut Sally Ride (10 per cent), and boxer Nicola Adams (nine per cent). The research was commissioned by global technology brand OnePlus, which has teamed up with adventurer Elise Wortley for a historically accurate expedition retracing Dorothy Pilley's footsteps across Corsica, with mountaineer Edurne Pasaban, and former Miss Finland turned explorer Lotta Hintsa.
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Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Yahoo
Las Vegas may still dazzle, but its sparkle is coming at a steeper price
Las Vegas — The "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign is usually the first stop for millions of tourists. But the line to snap a photo is noticeably shorter this spring as inflation, which has brought on higher prices for visitors, has hit "Sin City" hard. "We were here last year, almost exactly the same time," John Fischer, who is visiting from the United Kingdom, told CBS News. "And it was probably 20% more [expensive] this year." U.K. tourist Stuart Woodfall said he was surprised to pay $9 for a coffee. "In the U.K., we pay 4 pounds, 5 pounds for a coffee? So yeah, crazy," Woodfall said. Those higher prices haven't stopped convention traffic, but casual trips are down. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said 3.39 million people visited in March, down 7.8% from the same time last year. April saw a 5.1% drop in visitors from April 2024. Hotel occupancy also slipped, as the average nightly rate on the Las Vegas Strip reached $203 in April, the LVCVA said, up from $194 at the same time last year. The hotel occupancy rate rate in April was 84.5%, down slightly from 85.5% in April of 2024. "I think what's driving that largely now is just a drop in consumer confidence," Steve Hill, CEO and president of the LVCVA, told CBS News. Hill says big resorts can absorb a few empty rooms if the price is right. "The philosophy in Las Vegas prior to the pandemic was, at any cost, fill a room," Hill said. "Now, that has moderated somewhat. And so there is a balance point that they have found that is actually a little bit below the occupancy that we saw at a peak, which was about 88% in 2019. They're comfortable in that 85% range at a little higher price." Another sore spot is that Las Vegas is seeing fewer international visitors, Hill explains. They are the ones who generally tend to stay longer and spend more. "It's an investment in a trip, and we're typically a bucket list," Hill said. "They want to come here, spend more days, really enjoy the experiences that are here. And so when we lose them, we're losing a very valuable customer." Tourists who do roll the dice in Vegas are currently dealing with heavy vehicle traffic. Months of construction and road closures for special events can turn a 10-minute ride into a crawl on the Strip. "We've had so many customers say, 'We're never coming back to this city, you can't get anywhere,'" said Will Tryon, co-owner of Adventure Photo Tours, which he operates with his wife Donna Tryon. Their company does tours in the surrounding region, including the Grand Canyon, Area 51, Zion National Park and Death Valley. The couple said higher fuel and insurance costs leave little room to cut prices. Some tours priced at $75 before the COVID-19 pandemic are now $109. "The economy, the money, they don't have the money to spend," Donna told CBS News. "And the fact is that Las Vegas is no longer a bargain vacation." Even so, plenty of visitors are still shelling out for hot tickets like Dead & Company's residency at the Sphere this spring, and Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter Tour, which is coming to Allegiant Stadium in July. "It's like, you can go for the fancy experience, but then you can find a place that's a pretty good price," said Marc Kutzin, who is visiting from New York. The summer calendar is full of concerts, festivals and sporting events, and Hill believes the city will be resilient. "Las Vegas is gonna respond to this," Hill said. "We are going to have a great summer." California track and field final begins with new rules for transgender athletes Reporter's Notebook: Words of wisdom from college graduation speeches How a toddler's brave walk into the darkness to get help inspired his family
CBS News
25-05-2025
- CBS News
Book excerpt: "The Aviator and the Showman" by Laurie Gwen Shapiro
Viking We may receive an affiliate commission from anything you buy from this article. Everybody knows about Amelia Earhart's mysterious final flight. But what about the years before she disappeared? In "The Aviator and the Showman" (to be published July 15 by Viking), documentary filmmaker and journalist Laurie Gwen Shapiro draws on newly-uncovered sources to explore the famed pilot's life and her marriage to wealthy publisher George Putnam. Theirs was a relationship that lifted love, publicity and especially risk to mythic heights. Read an excerpt below. "The Aviator and the Showman" by Laurie Gwen Shapiro Prefer to listen? Audible has a 30-day free trial available right now. Amelia Earhart was sitting across from George Palmer Putnam. He was on the phone, not acknowledging her, taking his sweet time. He was a flamboyant, career-making publisher who liked to be in the news. Putnam was always photographed with famous people: standing next to Charles Lindbergh, first man to fly solo across the Atlantic; posing with Commander Byrd, the man who conquered the South Pole; smiling with Howard Carter, the man who discovered King Tut. Amelia was thirty-one years old, a Boston social worker. She was not a famous person. But unknown to her that spring of 1928, Putnam had decided he wanted to create a new hero—the first woman to cross the Atlantic in an airplane!—the counterpart to the world's most famous man, Charles Lindbergh. Putnam sent out feelers to find candidates for such a heroine, who merely had to be the first female Atlantic passenger to get famous. The idea was familiar: sponsor the wildly risky adventure, find someone physically attractive and willing to imperil their own life, sign them to an exclusive tell-all deal, publicize the thing to the max, and make a fortune on book sales. Soon word came from Boston: George Putnam's old friend, a PR guy named Colonel Hilton Howell Railey, had found a perfect candidate: Miss Earhart was an experienced flier, she was well spoken, and she had pleasing looks. George's response was swift and decisive: "She must be in my office by the start of the next morning!" When George Palmer Putnam wanted things done, there was no room for argument. Railey told Amelia that someone in New York City wanted to see her about a possible flying venture. She was a committed full-time social worker and only a part-time aviator, but Amelia's heart beat faster at the prospect of sponsored flying, a rarity for any woman, even the most accomplished pilot. She agreed to go to New York. Railey escorted her down from Boston by train. At 2 West Forty-Fifth Street, just off Fifth Avenue, a colossal Putnam banner fluttered from the rooftop. A landmark of New York's Jazz Age publishing district, the Putnam Building reached sixteen stories skyward. An elegant retail bookstore graced its lobby, and its prime location was often touted in newspapers as "just 100 feet off Fifth." Times Square, now ablaze with neon, was just a couple blocks west and had recently eclipsed Herald Square as the energetic heart of Manhattan. On the day of Amelia's arrival, thirty skyscrapers had already reshaped the Midtown skyline, transforming the area into a bustling hub aglow with neon lights. The district housed titans like The New York Times, the city's most respected newspaper, and The New Yorker, a sharp-witted rising star on the media scene that, even in 1928, held outsize influence among the cultural elite. Railey brought Amelia to the elegant reception room of G. P. Putnam's Sons and introduced her to George's neat and professional brunette secretary, Miss Josephine "Jo" Berger. Dressed in the day's standard attire for working women in publishing—back-seamed stockings and practical T-strapped low heels—Jo exuded an air of efficiency, and in her respectable brown day dress, with a powdered nose and a touch of rouge, Amelia, too, seamlessly blended into the office's urbane ambiance. Amelia Earhart and George Putnam's official wedding portrait, 1931. International News Photos/Wikimedia Commons Unbeknownst to her at that moment, Amelia Earhart was poised to become his next great triumph. George, the peacock at the handsome desk, was still conducting his power phone call, his deep voice filling the office. Impeccably dressed in a flawless double-breasted suit, he was well versed in commanding the room—and absorbing the admiring glances that often followed. To kill more minutes, Amelia's eyes might have scanned what the bookcase held: there was Lindbergh's famous G. P. Putnam's Sons book, "WE" (those peculiar quotes around all caps), probably signed by the fabled Lindbergh himself. Should she confess to having a clipped newspaper picture of Lindbergh tacked up in her social worker's bedroom? Would that be seen as genuine admiration or as an overly starry-eyed gesture for a woman her age? At last, the publisher ended his call, allowing dramatic silence before inquiring, "And how about you? Do you consider yourself a risk-taker?" Amelia replied, "It depends. I'm here to learn more." Weighing how much to disclose, and after securing her promise of secrecy, he shared glimpses of the confidential project: he was scouting for a female passenger to be the first across the Atlantic. Years later, when Amelia's name rang louder than even George's, Railey candidly admitted—off the record—that he had been in that very room the day the very married George Palmer Putnam met Amelia Earhart. Thinking back to that significant meeting, Railey would muse all those years later: For George, it was undeniably "love at first sight." From "The Aviator and the Showman," published by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Copyright © 2025 by Laurie Gwen Shapiro. Get the book here: "The Aviator and the Showman" by Laurie Gwen Shapiro Buy locally from For more info:
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Controversial Gondola, Zipline Proposed for North Shore of Oahu
The North Shore of Oahu, aka the world's most coveted surfing zone, is often referred to as 'country.' In contrast, the other side of the island, including the busy streets of Honolulu, is called 'town.' But a developer is looking to, well, develop the scarcely-touched north side of the island, bringing a gondola, zipline, and a café to Mount Kaala, the highest peak on Oahu. And the project proposal is garnering backlash from locals, who support keeping the country country. 'It would significantly impact a sacred and historical space,' North Shore Neighborhood Board Vice-Chair Racquel Achiu-Hill told KHON2. 'Mount Kaala would now be compromised with a proposed gondola, ski lift operation that would lead into a zipline and cafe.' The developer, reportedly a Canadian businessman, had proposed opening the area to the public back in 2018. But local officials had no idea that it would entail the likes of a gondola and zipline. In documents describing the proposal, the traffic for the development was anticipated as 750 cars per day, in addition to: 'Initial visitation is planned for approximately 1,650 people per day to evaluate site capacity, guest experience and to ensure that environmental standards are maintained.'The project has not yet been approved, but local officials are continuing their concerns. 'The impacts of just drilling into the foundation of Mt. Kaala for what a ski lift would need is overwhelming,' Achiu-Hill said. 'It's very overwhelming, you're going to compromise this mountain in a way that should never be thought of.' Additionally, backlash from the surf community echoed on social media. 'We can't let this happen to Mount Kaʻala,' wrote North Shore native and proverbial Queen of Pipeline, Moana Jones Wong. 'Everyone please email the DPP opposing this project.' For comments, the public can email their comments to DPP planner Steve Tagawa at stagawa@ or DPP at dpp@
