3/19/2025
3/16/2025
3/08/2025
Katy Perry - Firework (Official Music Video)
You can also listen to the song by clicking on the Play Button below
Katy Perry on space flight
Pop star Katy Perry will blast off into
space as part of an upcoming all-women flight on Blue Origin's New Shepherd
rocket.
The Firework singer will go into space with
Blue Origin owner Jeff Bezos's fiancee Lauren Sanchez, CBS presenter Gayle
King, former Nasa rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda
Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn.
This is the first all-women space flight to
take place since the Soviet Union's Valentina Tereshkova's solo mission in
1963.
There is no specific date for the launch,
but Blue Origin said it will take place soon.
Katy Perry will be on her Lifetimes Tour
from 23 April until 11 November, so this trip will take place before that.
The NS-31 mission will be the 11th human
spaceflight for the New Shepherd rocket and the 31st in its history. So far,
the programme has launched 52 people into space.
A trip on the New Shepard typically lasts
about 11 minutes, according to Blue Origin. It is fully autonomous - which
means there are no pilots - and takes the passengers past the Karman line,
internationally recognised as the edge of space.
Blue Origin credited Lauren Sanchez for
bringing the mission together, saying in its press release that she is
"honored to lead a team of explorers on a mission that will challenge
their perspectives of Earth, empower them to share their own stories, and
create lasting impact that will inspire generations to come".
Sanchez first announced her plan to fly
with an all-women crew on a Blue Origin rocket in 2023 in an interview with
Vogue, saying they were "paving the way for women".
This is the latest group of celebrities to
embark on a flight to space.
Bezos himself flew on the company's first
manned mission in 2021.
Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin
Galactic, made a trip aboard his company's VSS Unity spacecraft in July 2021.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk, however, is yet
to make a trip.
From BBC (edited)
3/06/2025
How to handle difficult conversations
Handling tough conversations is hard.
But the wrong words can turn a small problem
into a full-blown conflict.
Here are some common phrases that often
make things worse and what to swap it out
with...
❌ “You’re overreacting.”
✅ “I see this is important to you… let’s talk about it.”
❌ “That’s just how it is.”
✅ “I understand your concerns… let’s explore what we can do.”
❌ “You need to calm down.”
✅ “I want to understand… can you help me see your perspective?”
❌ “This isn’t my problem.”
✅ “Let’s find a way forward together… what do you think?”
❌ “I don’t have time for this.”
✅ “I want to give this proper attention… let’s set a time to discuss.”
❌ “That’s not what I meant.”
✅ “Let me rephrase… here’s what I was trying to say.”
❌ “I don’t see the issue.”
✅ “Help me understand why this is a concern for you.”
❌ “You’re taking this too personally.”
✅ “I hear you… let’s work through this together.”
❌ “We don’t need to talk about this.”
✅ “If this is important to you, then it’s worth discussing.”
❌ “Let’s just agree to disagree.”
✅ “We may see things differently… but let’s find common ground.”
We’ve all said these at some point.
But they can shut people down, break trust, and stop progress.
These small changes can:
✅ Build trust.
✅ Open up to honest conversations.
✅ Help you find real solutions.
✅ Strengthen your working relationships.
🧠 Remember; People don’t just remember your words
– they remember how you made them feel.
Next time a tough chat comes up, choose your words wisely.
Which phrase do you think is the hardest to stop saying?
2/16/2025
2/11/2025
Alcohol-Free Drinks
Nearly one-third of Americans plan to drink less alcohol or stop drinking altogether. Many will save money, and some will lose weight. But more and more people will still enjoy drinks that taste like alcohol—just without the alcohol.
People who don’t drink or want to drink less no longer have to stick to soda, juice, or water. The market for alcohol-free drinks—such as beer, wine, and spirits—is growing fast. In 2023, global sales reached $20 billion, double the amount from five years earlier, according to Euromonitor, a research company. Sales increased by about 20% in 2023, much faster than the 8% growth of alcoholic drinks.
Many young people are choosing to stay sober all year. The percentage of Americans aged 18–34 who drink alcohol has fallen to 62%, compared to 72% twenty years ago, according to Gallup, a polling company. Those who still drink often consume less. A new trend called “zebra-striping” means switching between alcoholic and alcohol-free drinks. More people might reduce drinking if the U.S. surgeon-general gets his way—last month, he suggested adding health warning labels to alcohol.
Big alcohol companies are responding to these changes by creating alcohol-free products. Diageo, a major beverage company, spent two years testing 400 recipes to create a non-alcoholic version of its Captain Morgan Spiced Gold rum. It also bought Ritual, a brand that makes alcohol-free drinks. LVMH, which owns Moët & Chandon champagne, has invested in French Bloom, a company that produces alcohol-free sparkling wines.
Nadine Sarwat, an analyst at Bernstein, a brokerage firm, says that making alcohol-free drinks does not hurt alcohol sales. According to Nielsen, a data company, over 94% of Americans who buy alcohol-free drinks still buy alcoholic ones, too. Some people drink alcohol-free options instead of soda rather than as a replacement for alcohol. These drinks also tend to be more profitable because they cost almost as much as alcoholic ones but have lower taxes.
However, making alcohol-free drinks that taste like the original is difficult. The beer industry has been working on this since the 1970s and is the most advanced in this area. Beer accounts for 89% of non-alcoholic drink sales, while wine makes up 7% and spirits 4%, according to Bernstein. Instead of heating beer to remove alcohol—which ruins the flavor—brewers have developed special brewing techniques, which they keep secret. Athletic Brewing, a popular American brand, is even trying to patent parts of its process.
Now, companies are racing to improve alcohol-free wine. Although there are ways to remove alcohol, such as filtration (reverse osmosis) or spinning-cone technology (which uses centrifugal force), these often harm the taste. Alcohol plays a key role in wine’s flavor and texture. “We are 20 years behind beer,” says Moritz Zyrewitz, founder of The Gentle Wine, a German alcohol-free brand.
Expanding the alcohol-free market has other challenges. Some customers think the prices are too high. Alcohol-free aperitifs, which contain spices and botanicals, can cost around $40 a bottle. In a survey by The New Consumer and Coefficient Capital, 38% of Americans said non-alcoholic drinks should be much cheaper than alcoholic ones.
Brands are working to make alcohol-free drinks more appealing. Corona Cero, made by AB InBev, sponsored the 2023 Olympic Games, while Heineken 0.0% sponsors Formula One. Lucky Saint, another alcohol-free beer company, even opened a pub in London that serves both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Celebrities are also launching alcohol-free brands. Actress Blake Lively, singer Katy Perry, and Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton have all created their own non-alcoholic drink companies in recent years.
Despite this trend, alcohol sales remain strong. In 2023, global alcohol sales reached $1.8 trillion. In developing countries, people are spending more on alcohol as incomes rise. In the U.S., about 60% of adults still drink alcohol—a number that has stayed the same for two decades, according to Gallup. Older drinkers are making up for the decline in younger consumers. Sales at American liquor stores continue to grow.
From The Economist
Saudi Arabia's first super-luxury train
Saudi Arabia will soon have the Middle East’s first super-luxury train. The Dream of the Desert train will start running next year, and its first pictures were released yesterday.
The train is a project between Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) and an Italian luxury company, Arsenale S.p.A. The designer is Aline Asmar d’Amman, an architect who works in Paris and Beirut.
The train will be very luxurious and will include parts of Saudi culture in its design. The reception lounges will look like a majlis, the special room in Saudi homes where guests are welcomed. They will have beautiful geometric patterns and hand-carved wooden decorations.
The bedrooms will have an elegant style, with green sofas, wood-paneled walls, and Art Deco decorations. There will also be artworks and photographs of important Saudi places. On the outside, the train will be shiny chrome with violet details.
The train will have 34 suites in 14 carriages. A team of local and international chefs will prepare the food for the restaurant.
The train will travel from Riyadh, using Saudi Arabia Railways’ Northern Railway network. The Saudi Ministry of Culture will organize special cultural programs and unique tourism activities for passengers. However, details about these programs have not been announced yet.
The Dream of the Desert will take passengers on luxury train trips from Riyadh to Qurayyat, near the border with Jordan. The 1,300-kilometer journey will pass through desert landscapes and stop in the city of Hail. Some trips will last one night, while others will last two nights.
Paolo Barletta, the CEO of Arsenale Group, said the train will offer "a unique travel experience" that will be "fully immersive."
The Dream of the Desert will begin operating at the end of the third quarter of 2026. Before that, a similar train, the Dolce Vita Orient Express, will start running in Italy in April.
From CNN (edited)
2/09/2025
2/06/2025
Remote workers
Employers are ordering workers back to the office. In recent weeks Dell, a hardware-maker, and JPMorgan Chase, a bank, have issued such decrees. They join a growing list that includes AT&T, Amazon and even the American government, where Elon Musk—who has called remote work “morally wrong”. Bosses insist that mandates will boost productivity. Workers see them as a way to cut staff without mass firings.
If the goal is to reduce costs, there may be a simpler way: lower pay for remote workers.Zoe Cullen of Harvard Business School, Bobak Pakzad-Hurson of Brown University and Ricardo Perez-Truglia of the University of California, Los Angeles, find that tech workers are willing to accept a pay cut of 25% in return for fully or partly remote jobs.
The authors reached this estimate by analysing real-world job offers and acceptances, controlling for company type, benefits and the local cost of living, so as to isolate the impact of remote work. Their findings contrast with those from a survey by Nicholas Bloom of Stanford University and co-authors, which found that American workers, on average, would accept only an 8% pay cut for a hybrid schedule, with just one in five willing to take a hit of 15% or more. The discrepancy may stem from methodology.
Firms are reluctant to create visible pay gaps between remote and in-office workers. Human-resource policies generally aim for internal equity to prevent resentment. There may be legal risk, too. As women are more likely to work remotely, cutting pay for remote jobs could indirectly lead to a gender wage gap, which firms prefer to avoid.
Another explanation is that remote work has become a bargaining chip. Rather than lowering wages, firms use flexibility to attract and retain top performers. Take an artificial-intelligence specialist earning $250,000 at Amazon. If the tech giant orders them back to the office, a less prestigious rival may not match the salary but could attract them with a remote-work offer. Flexibility also helps with retention. Mr Bloom finds that hybrid policies reduce quit rates among engineers by a third.
But what happens when labour-market conditions worsen? If workers have fewer options, firms may no longer need to compete by offering remote work. Instead, they might begin offering lower salaries for remote roles, knowing that job seekers have fewer alternatives. Some signs of this shift are already evident. Employment rates among middle-aged women and disabled individuals have risen, as many have newly gained access to remote work, yet wages for these roles are falling.
Workers hate return-to-the-office mandates. When JPMorgan announced the shift, it had to disable comments on its online post after a fierce backlash. At Dell nearly half of employees opted to stay remote last year, even when bosses made it clear they would not be promoted if they did so. All the same, workers might like what comes next even less. ■
Adapted from The Economist
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