Latest news with #DanRichards
Spectator
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Spectator
The night has a thousand eyes
From a young age – ten perhaps – the author Dan Richards has had a strained relationship with night-time. Grappling with insomnia, he would take 'the homeopathic approach to [his] waking nightmares', rereading Moominland Midwinter despite its existential terrors. Even now, he writes, he finds it easier to sleep when he is not at home. This has, for better or worse, given him time to think – and lots to think about – while not much else was going on. In the avowed spirit of Auden/Britten's Night Mail, Richards now invites us to follow him across 'an usual threshold at an unusual hour', exploring nocturnal life on the streets of Westminster or on North Sea ferries, meeting wildlife preservationists carving out 'dark corridors' for bats, or investigating the damage done to our 'finely balanced circadian timepieces' by getting just a couple of hours of disturbed sleep. From poorly paid social workers to hand-picked search-and-rescue crews, to Michael Fassbender playing millionaire boy racer, Overnight – to crib from one Night Mail review – creates adventure from things that happen every night of our lives. In this book about 'love, care and service' (with unavoidable pandemic overtones, given its time of writing), some of Richards's subjects live for their work while others are more ambivalent. But all are doing jobs which aren't your normal nine-to-five, often unpaid and rarely – pace Fassbender – with much glamour to them. Richards writes: 'I am moved and comforted to know that people are watching over me during the hours of darkness', or simply doing 'things that need to be done before the rest of us awake'.
Travel Weekly
14-05-2025
- Business
- Travel Weekly
Can travel advisors defy economic gravity?
Arnie Weissmann I cannot remember a time when we've been presented, on an almost daily basis, with credible data that contradicts data from 24 hours earlier. The contradictions can even come in simultaneously from the same source. In the May 13 Bloomberg Morning Briefing, for example, a Goldman Sachs analyst was predicting an 11% gain in the S&P 500 over the next 12 months, while an item just a few inches down cited an assertion that an economic slowdown is likely. The two aren't an apples-to-apples comparison, but it's also impossible that they can both be correct. Reading item after item that yo-yo between optimistic and pessimistic makes planning more than a little difficult; either you revise the trajectory of your business on a daily (hourly?) basis or resign yourself to living with uncertainty and relying on your gut to distinguish signals from static. Most of the incoming information could be categorized as either "sentiment" or "behavior." As examples of sentiment, last month the Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index fell to its lowest level in five years. And its consumer-based Expectations Index, which looks at short-term sentiment about income, business and labor market conditions, fell to its lowest level since October 2011. Those who survey sentiment assume that sentiment drives future behavior and may in fact be more predictive of the future than data that reflects recent past behavior. Global Rescue's recent Traveler Sentiment and Safety Survey found that 72% of its client base believes that Americans will be perceived more negatively abroad due to recent U.S. international policy proposals. The company's CEO, Dan Richards, concluded that "travelers aren't just weighing destinations based on beauty, cost or convenience. Perceived hostility or cultural friction is becoming a deciding factor -- and that creates a challenge for travel professionals, policymakers and tourism boards alike." On the other hand, quarterly earnings reports, though backward-looking, reflect recent behavioral reality and can reveal patterns and expose underlying trends. In travel, however, public companies' earnings reports suggest that there is no one travel trend. (Or, perhaps, even a single travel reality.) Recently, Sabre reported that air bookings declined 3% year over year. For the quarter, Disney parks and experiences went up 13%, and American Express Global Business Travel reported decreased demand. Royal Caribbean Group revenue rose more than 7%, while Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings revenue dropped about 3%. Let me know if you spot a trend there. Of course, neither sentiment nor past behavior can ever be fully predictive; life simply holds too many unknowns. Milan Kundera wrote in a 1995 essay that when looking backward, everything is crystal clear, and progress seems to have taken an obvious path. But the present -- never mind the future -- is shrouded in fog. No one knows what even the next moment might bring. As it turns out, travel companies do have a few more predictive tools than owners in most other business sectors because they have a lens into the future courtesy of their business already on the books. And any shift in booking behavior is easily ascertained by comparing current booking velocity with previous years. Recent stats from Travelsavers, as reported by Travel Weekly's Jamie Biesiada, suggest that new bookings are trending positive: premium ocean cruising is up 21%, river cruising is up 15%, contemporary ocean cruising is up 13%, luxury cruising is up 5%, guided vacations are up 11%, fun-and-sun vacations are up 5% and FIT travel is up 4%. It's likely that there are advisors who are doing better or worse than those affiliated with Travelsavers, but all travel advisors have another advantage over even other players in travel: They have greater insight into their upcoming cash flow. Ironically, one of the most frustrating aspects of the advisor commission payment system -- that advisors mostly get paid after the travel occurs -- also gives them more visibility into their cash flow than companies that operate on a shorter payment cycle. Because travel boomed last year, payments coming in through the rest of this year from those bookings can provide a bridge that may help advisors get past the current climate of uncertainty. The incredible post-pandemic travel boom also seemed to demonstrate that for most people, travel has become a right, not a privilege, and uncertainty has not at this point kept most people from booking vacations. It's very possible that even if other areas of the economy suffer, travel advisors will be able to defy economic gravity. And more than other businesses, travel retailers can tune out a lot of the static that comes in daily. The data they mine from their own businesses is likely more relevant and accurate than any professional forecasters' or pollsters'. All that said, for benchmarking purposes, Travel Weekly is asking readers to share what they're seeing in their businesses. Until those results are in: Onward through the fog!
The Guardian
20-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Overnight: Journeys, Conversations and Stories After Dark by Dan Richards review – night owls of all feathers
As children, we're primed by literature to think of the night as a time for adventure as well as rest, but by early middle age, we've mostly ringfenced its darkness for sleep (or, for the insomniacs among us, anxieties about sleep's absence). Author Dan Richards is no exception, and it took a nuit blanche stranded 3,600 metres up a Swiss mountain to reawaken his sense of night-time's vast and varied potential. Hopelessly lost, he drew comfort from the occasional blips of aircraft in the sky above and from moving lights in the town below: others, too, were out and about, albeit in less of a fix. What could they all be doing? Overnight: Journeys, Conversations and Stories After Dark details his subsequent investigation into 'the who and the how of the nocturnal world'. Its pages, immersive and personal, span encounters with night owls of all feathers, from the heroic (Richards hears tales of medalled RNLI bravery on the high seas) to the stoic (shift patterns leave a crane operator at Southampton docks with scant time to himself); and from the intrepid (amateur chiropterologists) to the trapped (he visits but chooses not to quote rough sleepers in Westminster, deeming it too 'intrusive'). Travelling to Le Mans for France's 24-hour motor race, the writer finds actor Michael Fassbender competing and has a quick chat about night's calm focus. In Finland, he explores the landscape that inspired Moominland Midwinter, Tove Jansson's triumphantly crepuscular evocation of a world made unrecognisably eerie by polar night. Darkness sharpens the senses and, even when closer to home, Richards's observations convey a quality of enhanced reality: the buttery scent of oven-hot croissants fragrant as he joins early rising bakers in Dalston; the sound of a horn immense as he rides beside the driver of a Royal Mail train – 'a shuttered ghost' – haring south. 'While many people experience similar days, almost every night is unique,' he declares – a conviction bolstered by the book's diverse structure as well as the eclectic amble of its scope. A chapter about new mothers, for instance, consists almost entirely of transcripts from conversations and voice notes in which women confide their memories of 'peaceful, panicked, protracted and psychedelic nights'. Shortly after Richards began his research, the Covid pandemic took hold, and it seemed as though one item on his wishlist – visiting a hospital at night – would prove impossible. Then he caught the virus and found himself rushed into intensive care. 'All a bit method,' he joked with medical staff from the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary some months later, but his description of the week he spent there, fearfully drifting in and out of consciousness, is genuinely nightmarish. While the episode leaves Richards with night terrors for a spell, it ultimately fortifies his determination to search for the light, even – especially – in darkness. The pages that follow are suffused with feelings of a type that briefly, back in pandemic times, seemed here to stay: kindness, generosity, an appreciation for the virtues of care and service (he acknowledges it's an old-fashioned concept), enacted while the rest of the world slumbers. This is not a work that claims to be comprehensive, and if the reader finds themselves wondering why, for instance, there's no real acknowledgment of how gender plays into our readiness to embrace the night, Richards's freewheeling approach yields ample charm and intrigue, whether he's gazing up to find 'pipistrelles spinning about our heads like a spout of pencil shavings' or pondering what it's like to actually be a bat. By the book's end, night has grown to seem vibrant and companionable, its darkness as much a state of mind as a physical fact. Overnight: Journeys, Conversations and Stories After Dark by Dan Richards is published by Canongate (£20). To support the Guardian and Observer order your copy from Delivery charges may apply
BBC News
12-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
YouTube's theme park super fans on Universal's UK park
Confirmation that Universal wants to build a theme park in the UK has sent ripples of excitement across Europe and the the most enthusiastic voices have been YouTubers who have made theme parks their niche. A few of them have filmed videos near the former Kempston Hardwick brickworks, south of Bedford, where the US firm plans to build the attraction following government dedicated theme park fans have revealed what has them and their audiences so excited. The view from the brickworks Bedfordshire local Dan Richards has about 111,000 people subscribed to his YouTube channel, grateful for his audience, the 20-year-old admits he finds it "surreal" so many people watch him around the recalls: "I really enjoyed theme parks and wanted to share my reviews and speculation on new rides and theme parks. "A lot of people took theme park vlogging very seriously at the time, so I wanted to create videos that were a laugh and just were fun to watch."Over the last few months, thousands have watched DigitalDan deliver updates while sat on a deckchair close to the former brickworks site Universal plans to build on."'The Field' is a personal favourite series of mine, my good friend Marcus and the viewers. Absolutely love filming it and talking about the project whilst being right there on site," he explains. The theme park fan visits destinations around the country and further afield. In 2018 he took a trip to Universal's park in Florida and is planning a return trip later this friends he has often speculated on what could be included in the park and is hoping for rides based on animated franchise Shrek, but was not surprised by reports Harry Potter might not be included."With Orlando being such a loved place even just for Harry Potter, bringing it here would take visitors away there and from the Studio Tour in Watford."The fact a theme park on this scale and with Universal's quality is coming to Bedford is what excites me the most."We have so many amazing theme parks here in the UK, but to add one that could be seen as one of the best in the world, built by one of the best theme park companies, is super exciting."I think overall it'll benefit the parks all across the country, as everyone will be investing and visitor numbers should increase everywhere." The view from Surrey Jack Silkstone lives in Thorpe, Surrey, almost next door to his favourite site - Thorpe Park - which, like many major UK attractions, is run by Merlin 25-year-old spent three years making YouTube videos documenting his neighbour's construction of Hyperia - the UK's tallest rollercoaster - and he is excited to focus on Universal says: "Tens of thousands of people will tune in to watch a new fence being erected or some concrete blocks being delivered."The theme park fan is hopeful the American giant will bring new fans and healthy competition to parks in this country and around Europe."If they play their cards right they can capitalise on the many overseas visitors coming primarily for Universal," he explains."I think if anyone will likely be worried about this news it will be Disneyland Paris. They've been quite slow with announcements and construction over the past decade, so I can see a lot of UK families choosing a trip to this new Universal park over a trip over to France."Hopefully this also pushes for Merlin to up their UK investments and make the theme park industry in the UK thrive even more." The YouTuber flies to America to visit Universal and Disney parks almost every year, with a tour to see Asia's parks on his bucket compares the new park to Universal's Beijing offering, which is mostly under cover as it does not have the level of sunshine enjoyed by parks in Florida and California."I don't think we should necessarily expect the biggest and most thrilling rides in the country to be built at this Universal park. "Instead, we should expect highly themed, immersive experiences, using the very latest technology to tell stories from the films we know and love."I still need to keep pinching myself to remind me I'm not dreaming. I'm so excited to see construction start and will be making very regular trips to the construction site fences to document this amazing project." The view from the US For 24-year-old Krystal Palace, the new theme park is a littler further to New Yorker is a regular visitor to US theme parks, as seen on her YouTube channel, The Krystal Palace, which is not about the Premier League football new attraction may be enough reason for her to book tickets to Bedford for her first UK visit."I love visiting new places and especially if there is a Universal theme park there, I'll book a trip," she says."I appreciate the location too. It seems easy enough to get to with just a 45-minute train ride outside of London."No matter where Universal opens a new park, I'll always want to be there on opening day to see the magic first-hand." A keen adventurer, the YouTuber says her 57,000 subscribers come to her for authenticity and helpful information about visiting is hoping for new rides not seen at other parks, especially those that invoke nostalgia for her such as Paddington, Lord of the Rings and Back to the Future."I have received so many comments and messages about how guests wish they never removed the Back to the Future ride from Universal Studios Florida."What I admire most is how much Universal Creative seems to value the fan experience."Just look at the detail in Epic Universe - they clearly aren't cutting corners. That same level of care and creativity is what I expect will set Universal UK apart." Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tariffs are slamming financial markets. Mortgage rates won't fall as hard.
Rates for home loans dropped slightly, but may not go much lower as uncertainty from Washington shrouds the housing market. In the week ending April 3, 30-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 6.64%, Freddie Mac announced Thursday. That's down fractionally from 6.65% last week and 6.67% the week before. Those figures don't include fees or points, and rates in some parts of the country may be higher or lower than the national average. Mortgage rates have bounced within a narrow range since the start of the year even as U.S. bond yields have tumbled. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has long moved alongside the 10-year Treasury note, since fixed-income investors see the two as roughly similar. As a reminder, yields (rates) move in the opposite direction from prices. If investors are selling fixed-income products, prices go lower and yields higher. But if there's more demand, prices go higher and yields fall. Here's another way to think of the relationship between yields and prices: if a financial product is seen as riskier, the issuer must pay more – a higher rate – to attract an investor. Anxiety about Washington policy has led investors to sell riskier assets, like stocks, and buy those seen as less risky, like bonds. The S&P 500 is down about 7% since the start of the year, while the 10-year has lost more than 50 basis points – a good chunk of that in the first few days of April, as investors digested the new tariff policies from the White House. But most housing insiders don't expect mortgage rates to fall as far. 'While the 10-year yield may continue to edge lower, mortgage rates are unlikely to fall as quickly, or as much, because the market is navigating a lot of uncertainty,' said Dan Richards, president of Seattle-based Flyhomes Mortgage, naming tariffs as a key source of that uncertainty. 'Despite expectations of rate cuts later this year, the Fed's stance remains cautious, even restrictive,' Richards said in an email. 'That tension between falling yields and lingering risks means mortgage rates may take a more hesitant path downward.' It's a cruel irony that mortgage rates are most likely to hit a bottom when the economy is weak enough that many people won't want to, or won't be able to, buy homes. While recessions often bring economic uncertainty, they can also shift the dynamics of affordability, notes Dale Baker, president of Home Lending at KeyBank. Lower interest rates could improve buying power for well-qualified borrowers, potentially opening doors that were previously out of reach. At the same time, Baker noted, tighter credit conditions and job market instability may widen the gap between those ready to buy and those pushed to the sidelines. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mortgage rates dip, but tariffs will slam these markets harder Sign in to access your portfolio
