#The Newsweek

[xtruss]

Inside The World of Ultra Wealthy Extreme Tourism

— By Anna Skinner | June 22, 2023

Ultra-luxurious vacations costing hundreds of thousands and even millions of dollars have increased in popularity since COVID-19 traveling restrictions have eased.

Luxurious vacations can include everything from visiting the International Space Station, to scaling Everest, to going on a private jet tour around the world's safaris.

Such excursions can threaten the environment or lead to exorbitant rescue missions and, rarely and most recently, tragedy.

Many consider a vacation as an escape to the beach for a week or, if they're lucky, traveling overseas. But for the world's ultra-wealthy travelers, the sky isn't even the limit.

For a price, tourists have access not only to the depths of Earth's oceans to visit the RMS Titanic in its final resting place, but also to out-of-this-world destinations like the International Space Station.

These excursions can be risky. The former—a trip costing $250,000 per person—took a horrifying turn as five people are now presumed dead after their submersible lost communication only one hour and 45 minutes into its trip. Operator OceanGate Expeditions announced Thursday afternoon that it believes all five lives have "sadly been lost," and the U.S. Coast Guard said that debris found in the area was consistent with a "catastrophic implosion" of the vessel.

For some, the risk involved in going on the ultimate adventure is all part of the appeal, and businesses to cater to their taste for adventure are booming.

In perhaps the most extreme example, three civilians paid an estimated $55 million each to board a SpaceX rocket and be blasted to the International Space Station in April 2022.

Other wealth thrill-seekers have to content themselves with staying on Earth. A trip to the South Pole can be arranged for about $100,000. A no-expense-spared expedition to conquer Everest costs about the same, although for the elite it is becoming rather crowded: on a single day in 2019, 354 climbers made it to the top.

For those seeking a slightly more sedate taste of the wild, sought-after trips span from luxurious African safaris to guided tours in the Arctic Circle.

Exclusivity, adventure, and danger are a potent mix for the ultra-rich, and it is increasingly becoming impossible for them to resist the allure—or to brag about it afterward.

Guests observe elephants at the Singita Serengeti House in Africa. Courtesy of Mike Johnson/Singita

A Look Inside a Wealthy Vacation

International travel companies like Abercrombie and Kent offer one-of-a-kind excursions that present incredible opportunities, such as searching for Bengal tigers in India or encountering the endangered mountain gorilla in the Ugandan wild. Many of these luxurious vacations are equipped with the utmost comforts. In Abercrombie and Kent's case, clients have access to a private jet.

Trips come with a four- to six-digit price tag. With the more luxurious options, clients can experience some of the world's elusive locations crackling with adventure while bypassing many of the headaches that accompany world travel.

Abercrombie and Kent's director of media relations Pamela Lassers told Newsweek that the international travel company strives to "create thrilling adventures for top-tier clients who have pretty much done everything."

Take for example Abercrombie and Kent's 25-day trip "Wildlife Safari: Around the World by Private Jet 2024", which takes clients on a private jet tour around the world, exposing them to a multi-continental safari with everything from snow monkeys and whale sharks to orangutans, gorillas and Bengal tigers in one trip.

The trip, which costs just shy of $165,000 per person, often sells out within three months.

By participating, clients not only are exposed to myriad environments and safaris, but they are able to bypass international gateways and are accompanied by their own crew on the private jet. Private transportation saves time, which Lassers says many Abercrombie and Kent clients, often busy entrepreneurs, don't have much of.

"They have traveled a lot and seen a lot of the world and now they are interested to getting to more remote places," Lassers said of Abercrombie and Kent's clientele, who seek out the organization's wildlife safaris or expedition cruises to Antarctica.

Lassers added that many of the destinations include access to experts to educate travelers. For example, when a client visits Antarctica, they might encounter a specialist who educates them on the changes that have taken place on the continent because of climate change.

“They have traveled a lot and seen a lot of the World and now they are interested to getting to more remote places.” — Abercrombie and Kent Director of Media Relations Pamela Lassers

"It's a learning vacation in addition to being an adventure," Lassers said.

Lassers told Newsweek that Abercrombie and Kent has seen a dramatic uptick in those seeking adventurous vacations through the company, and 2023 is the company's strongest year in its 61-year history. She said that the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the way people travel and inspired them to take advantage of trips that expose them to the world.

Easing COVID-19 travel restrictions also has led to an increase in Singita bookings as well. Singita is an African-based game lodge operator exposing visitors to safari lodges and wildlife reserves.

Guests partake in a hot air balloon ride at the Singita Serengeti House in Africa. Courtesy of Singita

"Singita has seen an incredible bounce back in business; and demand for ecotourism," Singita spokesperson Lisa Carey told Newsweek in a statement. "Our guests are longing to travel consciously; to get into nature to disconnect from the pressure of daily life."

Singita lodges expose travelers to "restorative sanctuaries and encounters in the bush that guests won't find anywhere else," accompanied by privacy and award-winning hospitality, according to Carey. In addition to witnessing African wildlife in their natural habitat, Singita guests can choose from a variety of luxury accommodations and activities, such as massage treatments.

Rates for the luxurious lodges vary greatly, depending on the size of room and what part of the year a tourist books their vacation. For example, at the Singita Faru Faru Lodge, rates are as low as $1,910 per adult per night in a suite for the off-season to $12,254 per night for a two-bedroom suite, which can accommodate up to four guests.

The organization appeals to clients with a philanthropic heart, as well.

"They can contribute to numerous conservation initiatives and community empowerment [programs]," Carey said. "Modern conservation requires a keen focus on keeping tourism, communities and wildlife in a constructive balance. Our guests are looking for ways to travel more responsibly and be immersed in nature and learn about local cultures or food; and to make a difference by choosing to travel with a sustainable provider."

The Darker Side of Luxurious Travel

Exploring the far corners of the world comes with risks, too.

There is the threat to life that the Titan submersible crew has encountered. Action Aviation Chairman Hamish Harding, who was aboard the Titan submersible, has taken several dangerous trips that expose him to extreme parts of the world.

In March 2021, Harding shared an Instagram photo of receiving a Guinness World Record award from actor and singer John Travolta for breaking the Round-the-World record for an aircraft flying over the North and South Poles. Harding and former International Space Station Commander Colonel Terry Virts set the record at 46 hours, 40 minutes and 22 seconds in 2019.

In the post, Harding writes that curiosity is "utterly addicting" and stated his foremost goal as "the complete exploration of our Earth and beyond".

Harding's trips have included visiting the ocean's deepest point at Challenger Deep—more than 35,000 feet below the ocean's surface near the Mariana Trench. In 2016, he accompanied astronaut Buzz Aldrin in traveling to the South Pole. He also took part in a project that reintroduced cheetahs to India.

Harding and the other four passengers on the submersible—Stockton Rush, Paul-Henry Nargeolet, Shahzada Dawood and Suleman Dawood—are now feared to be dead. A rescue mission discovered debris related to the sub near the Titanic's resting place.

The Titan is a carbon fiber and titanium submersible. All five passengers onboard are feared to be dead. Oceangate

Another extreme adventure sought after by wealthy travelers is climbing Everest, a dangerous journey that has led to hundreds of fatalities. In May, Outside magazine reported that for 2023, fatalities had already reached double digits with several climbers still missing.

More often than risking a person's wellbeing though, wealthy travel can threaten the environment.

For example, private jets can worsen global warming by producing greenhouse gases from burning fuel. For several years, executives and other members of the world's wealthiest class have faced criticism for flying private jets to destinations. In November 2021, the BBC reported that private jets usually produce significantly more emissions per passenger than commercial flights.

Lorri Krebs, a professor of geography and sustainability at Salem State University, told Newsweek that easing COVID-19 travel restrictions and the allure of posting showy photos on social media both contribute to wealthy travelers at times taking advantage of some of the world's most precious resources.

"It's our natural resources that they're after," Krebs said, citing instances such as U.S. National Parks becoming overrun with tourists. "It's exacerbated by social media and people wanting to post the greatest things they've done. They want those pictures and those experiences, and they want to show them off.

"People want to do something that other people can't do," she added.

The lavish trips come with a high cost, and not only that paid for by the tourists. The trips require support mechanisms, such as a potential rescue of travelers hiking Mt. Everest or, recently, multiple organizations racing against the clock to rescue the 23,000-pound submersible lost thousands of feet beneath the ocean's surface.

Krebs explained that although all wealthy travelers aren't worsening the environment, those seeking the highest comforts while they travel could be causing harm. For example, those visiting the Titanic's resting place may disturb the water currents around the ship's remains.

"They want to see the most fragile environment or most fragile ecosystem," she said. "They want to see the gorillas or polar bears, and those are the ones at risk of the biggest impact."

“They want to see the gorillas or polar bears, and those are the ones at risk of the biggest impact.” — Professor Lorri Krebs

Krebs commended the travelers and organizations that are conscious of their impact and those who choose to redirect the tourism dollars to beneficial conservation efforts or toward becoming a monetary lifeforce for underdeveloped countries.

[azzyblog]

When you have to employ slave labor to fight the fires because you diverted the firefighting money towards the police so they could increase the number of slave laborers.

Then those police are overwhelmed because all the money you spent on them means there's nothing for social programs and capitalism being what it is creates this huge class of people living off of scraps.

[contemplatingoutlander]

Et tu, Grok? Even Musk's Grok knows that Trump is probably a Russian asset. (BTW, who knew that Musk pictured Grok as a woman?)

According to the AI chatbot called Grok, which was developed by Elon Musk’s company xAI, there is a “75-85% likelihood” that the person who delivered the State of the Union address on Tuesday night is a “Putin-compromised” Russian asset. [...] This all began with a question put to Grok. It was: “What is the likelihood from 1-100 that Trump is a Putin-compromised asset? Use all publicly available information from 1980 on and his failure to ever say anything negative about Putin but has no issue attacking allies.” [...] Of Trump, Grok said in part, “Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, as Trump faced bankruptcies, he increasingly relied on funding from sources tied to Russia and former Soviet states. His sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, made statements reinforcing this: Donald Jr. in 2008 said, ‘Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets,’ and Eric in 2014 claimed, ‘We have all the funding we need out of Russia.’” It also noted that “leaked Kremlin documents reported by The Guardian in 2021 suggest Putin personally approved a 2016 operation to back Trump, viewing him as ‘mentally unstable’ and exploitable, with potential compromising material from past Moscow visits.” As for drawing its artificially intelligent “maximally truth-seeking” conclusion, Grok said, “Weighing this, the financial ties (decades-long, opaque, and substantial), intelligence suggesting Russian intent, and Trump’s unwavering refusal to criticize Putin despite attacking allies tilt the scale.” Given all that (and more, if you read the entire assessment), Grok said that “Trump’s ego and debts make him unwittingly pliable, fits the evidence. Adjusting for uncertainty and alternative explanations (e.g., ideological alignment or naivety), I estimate a 75-85% likelihood Trump is a Putin-compromised asset, leaning toward the higher end due to the consistency of his behavior and the depth of historical ties.” So says the truth-seeking AI chatbot developed by Musk’s own company. [color/emphasis added]

SOME LEGISLATORS ARE ALSO WONDERING : Even Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) commented on X about Grok's assessment: "Oh, my. Grok comes through again. Even AI sees Trump/Russia."

UK's Graham Stuart MP also commented on X: "We have to consider the possibility that Trump is a Russian asset. If so, Trump's acquisition is the crowning achievement of Putin's FSB career - and Europe is on its own."

THE RUSSIA INVESTIGATION CONTINUES TO BE DISTORTED: Ever since Bill Barr's "executive summary" distorted the findings of the Mueller report, Trump and his lackeys (like FBI director Kash Patel) keep pushing the false claim that the entire Russia investigation was a "hoax." (Patel has even gone so far as to write a children's book, The Plot Against the King to indoctrinate kids into this distorted belief.)

MAGA GULLIBILITY: Trump's MAGA base continues to cling to the lies about the Russian investigation being a "hoax" despite a mountain of contradictory evidence that even Musk's Grok couldn't overlook.

MAGA gullibility apparently knows no bounds.

"When emotion supersedes reason... gullibility must follow." —Barbara Mertz

[lisamarie-vee]

[ex0skeletal-undead]

Random person

Newsweek and other outlets just posted your page online. Turn off your anonymous ask suggesting that this page is connected to a serial killer. One of the lawyers showed some of the art work to the press.

Oh shit. Just in case

What in the goddamn hell lmao literally screenshots of my blog and they named my url in the article

What's annoying is that they don't credit any of the artists. I'm not sure on the legality of sharing screenshots of artwork that I've posted. I credited the artists, but they didn't. If this somehow gets my blog deleted I'm gonna lose it.

Also what a dumbass article and dumbass "evidence" from the lawyer. 140,000 people follow this blog, looking at art means literally nothing.

Btw shoutout to @whydoihavetoart for having your art both in this article (I had reblogged it on my blog) and in a press conference the other day. @sloppjockey your work is also in the article from one of my reblogs.

[humanoidhistory]

Battlestar Galactica lands on the cover of Newsweek, September 11, 1978.

[kitsunetsuki]

Alberto Rizzo - Jewelry by Elsa Peretti, Dress by Halston, Newsweek April 4, 1977, from Tiffany in Fashion by John Loring (2003)

[lovesthe1980s]

[lesbiansovereverything]

On June 26, 2003, the U.S Supreme Court ruled in favor of two gay men who had been arrested by police officers in Texas for having sex in their own home. The court maintained that the state could not “demean [the men’s] existence or control their destiny by making their private sexual conduct a crime.” x Following this landmark decision, Newsweek magazine released a pair of covers that featured either a gay male couple or a lesbian couple alongside the question “Is Gay Marriage Next?” A closeted teenage girl in Pennsylvania saw a happy lesbian couple on the cover of one of the most popular magazines in the country and found the courage to come out. Two decades later, she tracked them down to thank them for “giving her hope that a normal life was possible.”

Continue Reading on LesbiansOverEverything.Com

[xtruss]

Gen Z Is The Worst Generation To Work With

— June 20, 2024

A new poll has found that Gen Z are the worst generation to work with, manage and be managed by. Photo-Illustration By Newsweek/Getty

Generation Z—Those Born Between 1997 and 2012—is set to become the largest cohort in the workforce by the end of 2024. But with the growing presence, the young generation is already gaining a reputation for being the most challenging to work with.

A new poll conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies for Newsweek highlighted that U.S. adults find their Gen Z colleagues tough to work with.

Forty percent of respondents identified Gen Z as the most difficult generation to work with—including Gen Z themselves. But the generation hit back, explaining that young people are prioritizing work-life balance, rather than giving their all in the workplace.

In your opinion, members of which of the following generations are the worst to work with? A Flourish Chart, Newsweek. Source: Redfield & Wilton Strategies

The survey of 1,500 U.S. adults was conducted June 11-12 and asked respondents about their experiences with their work colleagues.

Millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, and Gen X, born between 1965 and 1980, agreed that Gen Z were the worst to work with, with 38 percent and 45 percent, respectively. The older baby boomers and Silent Generation, despite less frequent interactions with Gen Z, agreed at 41 percent.

In contrast, when asked which generation is the best to work with, millennials emerged as the clear favorite, with 42 percent of respondents indicating they are the easiest to work alongside.

Managing Gen Z

The poll also delved into managerial challenges, with 36 percent of those surveyed agreeing that Gen Z is also the hardest to manage.

Gen Z themselves were critical of their own management skills, too, with 33 percent ranking their peers as the worst managers. The sentiment was shared by 32 percent of millennials, 38 percent of Gen X, and 49 percent of baby boomers and the Silent Generation.

But are the younger generation really the most difficult in the workplace? Ajla Brama, a Gen Z business owner, said that her generation's work practices are misunderstood.

"Gen Z doesn't put up with the BS of 'work culture vultures,'" Brama told Newsweek. "We see work as a means to pay for expenses, not as a lifestyle. This makes it hard for employers and older employees to understand our perspective because we're not willing to go above and beyond for a job that likely won't compensate us fairly."

In your opinion, members of which of the following generations are the hardest to manage in a workplace setting? A Flourish Chart, Newsweek. Source: Redfield & Wilton Strategies

Sean Puddle, managing director of Robert Walters New York, agreed: "Gen Z prioritizes work-life balance, mental health and meaningful work, which can be seen as challenging to traditional workplace norms," he told Newsweek. "By understanding and addressing Gen Z's values, employers can leverage their technological proficiency and innovative mindset to create a more inclusive and forward-thinking work environment."

Adapting Attitudes

Steffo Shambo, founder and CEO of Shambo Consulting LLC, manages a team predominantly composed of Gen Z employees. He told Newsweek that working with the younger cohort required adapted leadership.

"With empathy and willingness to understand their motivations, Gen Z can thrive," he said. "Providing ample growth and development opportunities is crucial. They expect frequent career progression, the acquisition of new skills, and managers who can serve as mentors rather than distant supervisors."

Shambo also highlighted that Gen Z responds best to regular feedback and training, preferring managers who can connect their tasks to a broader mission.

"Gen Z needs to feel their work has meaning and purpose," he said.

In your opinion, members of which of the following generations are the worst to be managed by? A Flourish Chart, Newsweek. Source: Redfield & Wilton Strategies

Gianna Driver, chief human resources officer at cybersecurity firm Exabeam, agreed that Gen Z's entry into the workforce necessitates a shift in company cultures.

"Gen Z values diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging more than any previous generation," Driver told Newsweek. "They want a diversity of thought where all people feel welcome, and healthy disagreement is not only allowed but encouraged."

While some employers have labeled Gen Z as a "toxic" presence, criticizing their reliability and analytical skills, others see these traits as an opportunity for growth and change.

As more Gen Z employees join the workforce, many leaders seem to be seeing Gen Z's unique perspective as an opportunity.

"The perception that Gen Z is difficult to work with or manage often comes from a lack of understanding and adaptation," Shambo said. "By providing growth opportunities, meaningful work and an inclusive environment, we can harness their potential and transform our workplaces for the better."

[lisamarie-vee]

[forever70s]

Arlo Guthrie on the September 29, 1969 cover of Newsweek magazine

[smashing-yng-man]

..But it's not a cult. 😆🤦🏽

This fundraiser (which I'll link for reference purposes - here) actually goes against GoFundMe's TOS, and I encourage reporting it here.

[ex0skeletal-undead]

Did u know you were cited by a quack lawyer trying to link your posts to the gilgo beach killer. He went full satanic panic about it

Yeah lmao the demonic artwork and sadistic images I post. Someone told me last week.

For anyone who missed it:

[yourdailymag]

Avril Lavigne for Newsweek Magazine January 2003 by Isabel Snyder

[completely-unreceptive]

hmmm. idk. i dont think those are necessarily sexual things for everyone i think pete just wanted to get dommed