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World

How to get home if I test positive for Covid while traveling?

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When Ken McElroy decided to go to Belize after a business trip to Miami last June, he wasn’t worried about contracting Covid-19, he said.

The real estate investment company CEO was flying privately to both places — plus, he’s vaccinated.

“I was like, there’s no way I’ll get it,” he told CNBC.

His fiancee, Danille Underwood, wasn’t as confident, said McElroy.

After 10 days in Belize, the couple took Covid tests the day before their flight back to Arizona. Though he was feeling tired and she had a cough, both were surprised when their tests came back positive.   

“Within an hour, we were out of our room,” said McElroy. “Things got pretty real at that point.”

Assisted by people in hazmat suits, the couple was quarantined in another part of the hotel, he said.

“We weren’t sure what was going to happen … if they were going to separate us or put us in a hospital,” said McElroy. “I didn’t know if I was going to need a respirator.”  

None of that happened. Within 72 hours, the couple was on a Learjet back to Arizona.

‘Then delta showed up’

Before they left, Underwood purchased memberships with Covac Global, a medical evacuation company launched by the crisis response firm HRI in the spring of 2020. It meant the couple didn’t pay a dime for their repatriation, said McElroy.  

Commercial airlines and private jets can’t fly travelers with Covid-19 home, but certified air ambulances staffed with medical teams can.

Covid was starting to be more in the rearview mirror, but then delta showed up.

Ross Thompson

CEO, Covac Global

While some companies evacuate travelers who require hospitalization, Covac Global retrieves travelers who test positive for Covid-19 and have one self-reported symptom. About 85% of evacuees are returned home, while the rest need hospital attention, said CEO Ross Thompson.

When CNBC first spoke with the company in March, it was performing about two to three medical evacuations every month. Now, that number has climbed to about 12 to 20.

“Unfortunately, business is booming,” said Thompson. “Covid was starting to be more in the rearview mirror, but then delta showed up — and it threw everybody for a loop.”

Covac Global memberships have increased 500% this year, with a 250% increase in the last month alone, he said.

So-called “breakthrough infections” caused by the highly contagious delta variant mean vaccinated people, too, can find themselves sick — or stuck — far from home. About 60% of current evacuees are vaccinated, said Thompson, because “they are the ones that feel most comfortable to travel now.”

Ken McElroy and Danille Underwood boarding a helicopter to fly to Belize City.

Courtesy of Ken McElroy

Many countries require negative tests to return home, which is detecting mild cases of Covid-19 in travelers who didn’t know they were infected.   

“We find that between 30% to 40% of members test positive toward the end of their trip,” said Thompson. “We also see it with the unvaccinated younger children of vaccinated travelers.”

Medjet, another medical evacuation company, is reporting a record-setting summer, announcing that sales of MedjetHorizon memberships — its highest tier of coverage — were at an all-time high in July. The company just posted its highest month-over-month net gains in memberships in more than a decade, it said.

Calls for assistance are above pre-pandemic levels, said Medjet CEO John Gobbels, though they aren’t all related to the pandemic.

“Some are for Covid, but the majority are still the same old things that have never gone away,” he said.  

‘Literally door to door’

After flying via helicopter to the mainland of Belize and transferring to a Learjet (“we didn’t have to go into the terminal”), McElroy and Underwood flew to Phoenix where a limo bus was waiting on the tarmac.

Service “was literally door to door,” said McElroy.

This isn’t about five-star service though, said Thompson. Certified air ambulances are required to get Covid-positive patients to either hospitals or in the case of Covac Global, their homes, he said.

Medical evacuation flights, like the one here that McElroy and Underwood used to fly home, are like a private jet and hospital emergency room in one, said Ross Thompson.

Courtesy of Ken McElroy

Otherwise, situations arise where nonmembers ask to be evacuated to the closest city in their country, so they can drive to their homes to save money, he said. Instead of driving, they may hop on a commercial flight, which Thompson said is “a big no-no.”

McElroy called his fiancee “the hero of the story,” since she had pushed for and eventually purchased their evacuation policies.

‘Astronomically expensive’

Other travelers aren’t as lucky.

CNBC spoke with a 43-year-old Singaporean man who attempted to move from India back to Singapore last April to start a new job. The journey — which can be a mere six-hour flight — turned into a six-week saga. The man requested anonymity for this report.

Singapore was limiting travelers from India, so the man and his family scheduled a two-week trip to Nepal, after which they could fly directly to Singapore. While there, the delta variant exploded in the region, and all flights from Nepal to Singapore were canceled.

Within days, the man, his wife, three kids and his 85-year-old mother all tested positive for Covid, he said. By that time, Nepal had imposed a strict lockdown — petrol stations and public transportation had closed, he said, and the family struggled to find food and medicine.

Due to lack of space, Covid-19 patients spill into the hallways of a hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal on May 11, 2021.

Prabin Ranabhat | SOPA Images | LightRocket | Getty Images

“We knew nobody,” he said. “We knew nothing of the medical system, and people are dying, left, right and center without beds and without oxygen.”

The family was evicted from their serviced apartment when management learned of their health conditions, he said. Weeks passed and the family fully recovered, but they were prevented from taking the once-weekly flight back to Delhi because they continued to test positive for Covid-19.

“The RT-PCR [test] basically looks for the DNA of the virus, it doesn’t distinguish between dead and live cells,” he said.

He looked into medical evacuations, but was told by a friend who was similarly stuck in the Philippines that such flights are “astronomically expensive.”

Eventually, the family tested negative and made it back to Delhi. In the 20 days that followed his recovery, the man told CNBC that he slept in 12 different locations. He is now in Singapore, but some of his family members remain in India.

Members vs. nonmembers

Medical evacuations are costly. Thompson said evacuations from Singapore to New York can cost upward of $300,000. Still, 70% of Covac Global’s evacuations are nonmembers who are paying out-of-pocket to be flown home from places like the Bahamas, Mexico, South Africa and Dubai.

Since memberships opened to all nationalities on July 15, the company is evacuating more people within Europe, especially from Spain to the United Kingdom.  

Comparing Covid evacuation memberships

Medjet Assist Global Rescue Covac Global
Trigger Hospitalized 150+ miles from home Hospitalized more than 100 miles from home Positive PCR test + 1 symptom
Returned Hospital of choice Hospital of choice Home or hospital
Covers other medical issues Yes Yes Optional add-on
Availability U.S., Mexico and Canada residents All nationalities All nationalities
Cruise coverage Yes Yes No
Starting rates $99 $119 $675
Source: Medjet, Global Rescue and Covac Global

So far, Thompson said, no foreign government has turned down his company’s request to evacuate a Covid-positive traveler from its territory. They are usually happy to let them leave, he said.

“They don’t want a news story of some foreigner dying of delta in their hospitals,” he said, nor do they “want to lose one of their beds to a foreigner.”

The only time trouble may arise is when a hospital has already started treatment. “That’s when governments really start to be a little weird about it,” he said.

The cruise conundrum

Memberships with companies such as Medjet and Global Rescue cover cruise passengers, but Covac Global does not.

“Cruises are doing really well with their protocols and policies,” said Thompson. “But the problem is … every time, whether it’s reported or not, there are people that are sick.”

Covac Global has evacuated Covid-positive travelers who aren’t members from cruises, though these cases aren’t making the news, he said.

Thompson said that service isn’t expensive for price-conscious cruisers.

“The cruise lines,” he said, “are just quietly paying for it out of pocket.”

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Business

Southwest pilots’ union considers picketing to protest lack of hotels, fatigue

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Southwest Airlines pilots union is considering picketing at U.S. airports over Thanksgiving and Christmas to protest what it described as a frenetic increase in schedules, among other complaints, its president told CNBC.

The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association told members in a video late Wednesday that it was weighing pickets and demanded the company address scheduling and fatigue. Casey Murray, president of the pilots union, said the company schedule means pilots are working additional shifts with little notice.

Southwest didn’t immediately comment.

The message highlights the increasing tensions between Southwest’s pilots as well its flight attendants over the company’s push to ramp up flying to meet a revival in travel demand following the pandemic slump. American Airlines pilot and flight attendant unions have also complained this summer about alack of food and hotels and poor scheduling.

Staffing shortages this summer have exacerbated flight disruptions for tens of thousands of travelers. Southwest this week started offering referral bonuses worth $300 to staff because it’s struggling to hire new employees, CNBC reported Wednesday.

“We have experienced technology failures, severe understaffing and operational failures that are completely out of our control, yet we suffer the sometimes violent frustration of our customers as the face of Southwest Airlines,” wrote the executive board of the flight attendants’ union, TWU Local 556, to Southwest CEO Gary Kelly on Tuesday.

Southwest’s said it was aware of the flight attendants’ concerns.

“The safety of our Employees and Customers comes first, at all times, and that continues to be the priority in everything that we do,” Sonya Lacore, the airline’s vice president of inflight operations, said in a statement. “We are aware of the concerns the TWU 556 raised in their letter, and there is much work already underway to address many of the issues this summer.”

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Health

Food: Eating a hot dog could cost you 36 minutes of healthy LIFE, study claims 

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A fresh bun, that juicy meat, a dash of onions and slathering of mustard — it makes the mouth water. But is a hot dog really worth losing 36 minutes of healthy living?

This is the question posed by experts led from the University of Michigan, who have evaluated more than 5,000 foods by how much they affect your healthiness.

They say that chicken wings can cost you 3.3 minutes of robust living whereas salted peanuts and baked salmon gain you some 26 and 16 minutes, respectively.

Alongside the health costs, the team also examined the life-cycle of each food from production to consumption and waste to determine their environmental impacts.

Based on their findings, the team has developed some simple, minor dietary substitutions that could help people eat more healthily — and sustainably. 

They suggest switching 10 per cent of your daily caloric intake from beef and processed meats to a mix of fruits, legumes, nuts, select seafoods and vegetables.

This, they explained, could allow you to gain an extra 48 minutes of healthy living per day, while also slashing your dietary carbon footprint by around a third.

A fresh bun, that juicy meat, a dash of onions and slathering of mustard — it makes the mouth water. But is a hot dog (pictured) really worth losing 36 minutes of healthy living? 

The impact of 5,800 popular US foods on human health — in terms of the cost or gain in minutes of healthy living — was evaluated by researchers from the University of Michigan. Pictured: hot dogs were among the worst offenders, while nuts and baked salmon present much more of a healthy option

HEALTHY EATING TIPS FROM THE EXPERTS 

Based on their analysis, Professor Jolliet and colleagues have some recommendation as to how to tweak your diet for a more healthy life.

These include reducing consumption of the most unhealthy and environmentally-costly foodstuffs, such as highly processed meat, beef, and shrimp and, to a lesser extent, pork, lamb and greenhouse-grown vegetables.

To replace these, the team recommend more nutritious foods — produce such as legumes, field-grown fruits and vegetables, low-environmental impact seafood and nuts. 

The study was undertaken by environmental health expert Olivier Jolliet of the University of Michigan and colleagues.

‘The urgency of dietary changes to improve human health and the environment is clear,’ said Professor Jolliet.

‘Our findings demonstrate that small targeted substitutions offer a feasible and powerful strategy to achieve significant health and environmental benefits — without requiring dramatic dietary shifts.’ 

In their study, the researchers considered 5,800 different foods including hot dogs, pizzas, yoghurts and cheeses in terms of both their impact on human health as well as on the environment.

For the former, the team developed a new, epidemiology-based rating dubbed the ‘Health Nutritional Index’, which calculates the health burden of given servings of food in terms of the minutes of healthy living lost or gained from eating them.

The new index was developed from the Global Burden of Disease study, in which the total incidence of and mortality from given illnesses were linked to single food choices by individuals.

The researchers took 15 dietary risk factors and disease burden estimates from the  Global Burden of Disease database and combined these with the nutritional profiles of foods commonly consumed in the US.

Information on US dietary habits was sourced from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey’s ‘What We Eat in America’ database. 

The experts also considered the environmental impacts of these popular foods using a methodology called IMPACT World+, which was designed to considered the the life cycle of food from production and processing through to cooking, eating and waste.

To this measure, the team also added a refined assessment of the water use required for making different foods, as well as the health costs of processes that formed atmospheric aerosols — tiny particles of pollution which can get into your lungs.  

In total, the study scored each popular food against 18 environmental indicators. 

Pictured: succulent barbequed chicken wings aren’t the best for you, the researchers warned, finding that a serving can cut your healthy life by some 3.3 minutes on average

Once both analyses were complete, the researchers categories the different foods into a red–green–yellow traffic light system based on their combined nutritional and environmental performances.

‘Green’ foods like field-grown vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, certain types of seafood and whole grains were both nutritionally beneficial and come with low environmental impacts. The researchers recommend eating more of this.

In contrast, the team advised cutting down on ‘red’ foods, such as processed meats, beef, pork and lamb, which tended to have either nutritional drawbacks (primarily the processed meat) or came with large environmental costs. 

In their study, the team considered 5,800 different foods — from hot dogs and pizzas to yoghurts and cheeses — in terms of both their impact on human health as well as on the environment. Pictured: a chart showing how servings of different foods (along the bottom axis) affects one’s healthy living (vertical axis, shown in minutes of healthy life gained or lost)

‘Generally, dietary recommendations lack specific and actionable direction to motivate people to change their behaviour,’ said paper author and environmental health expert Katerina Stylianou, who now works for the Detroit Health Department.

‘And rarely do dietary recommendations address environmental impacts.’

The team cautioned, however, that there are some foods that are nutritionally beneficial yet harmful to the environment — and vice versa.

‘Previous studies have often reduced their findings to a plant vs. animal-based foods discussion,’ noted Dr Stylianou. 

‘Although we find that plant-based foods generally perform better, there are considerable variations within both plant-based and animal-based foods.’

With their initial, US-targeted study complete, the researchers are now collaborating with partners in Brazil, Switzerland and Singapore to develop similar evaluation systems better tailored to these countries.

The full findings of the study were published in the journal Nature Food.

WHY ARE COWS BAD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT?

The livestock animals are notorious for creating large amounts of the gas, which is a major contributor to global warming.

Each of the farm animals produces the equivalent of three tonnes of carbon dioxide per year and the amount of the animals is increasing with the growing need to feed a booming population.

Methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gases, trapping 30 times more heat than the same amount of carbon dioxide. 

Scientists are investigating how feeding them various diets can make cattle more climate-friendly.

They believe feeding seaweed to dairy cows may help and are also using a herb-rich foodstuff called the Lindhof sample.  

Researchers found a cow’s methane emissions were reduced by more than 30 per cent when they ate ocean algae.

In research conducted by the University of California, in August, small amounts of it were mixed into the animals’ feed and sweetened with molasses to disguise the salty taste.

As a result, methane emissions dropped by almost a third. 

‘I was extremely surprised when I saw the results,’ said Professor Ermias Kebreab, the animal scientist who led the study.

‘I wasn’t expecting it to be that dramatic with a small amount of seaweed.’

The team now plans to conduct a further six-month study of a seaweed-infused diet in beef cattle, starting this month.

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Entertainment

Lil Wayne offers financial support to New Orleans cop who saved his life during his suicide attempt

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Lil Wayne has offered financial help to the police officer who saved him from suicide.

The rapper, 38, recently opened up about trying to kill himself in New Orleans when he was just 12 and praised police officer Robert Hoobler, who he refers to as Uncle Bob, for getting him to the hospital and saving his life.

Robert has revealed that when they met in 2019, Lil Wayne offered to provide financial support if he ever needed it, telling him ‘all he has to do is say the word’.

Financial support: Lil Wayne, 38, has offered financial help to the New Orleans police officer, Robert Hoobler, who saved him from suicide when he tried to take his own life aged 12

Robert told TMZ that he has not taken the rapper up on his generous offer but they have had discussions about him joining Lil Wayne’s team in ‘some sort of administrative capacity’.

Lil Wayne – whose full name is Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. – spoke candidly about his mental health issues and the devastating day he used his mother’s gun to try to end his life earlier this month.

He attempted to take his own life when he was just a boy following a phone call with his aunt who said he wouldn’t be allowed to pursue music after ditching class.    

The musician also described the series of events leading up to his attempt where his mother found out he had been truant from school and was on her way home to punish him for his actions.

Meeting: Robert (pictured in 2020) has revealed that when they met in 2019, Lil Wayne offered to provide financial support if he ever needed it, telling him ‘all he has to do is say the word’

Speaking on an August episode of Uncomfortable Conversations podcast with Emmanuel Acho, Wayne revealed: ‘I picked up the phone, I called the police. Yes, I knew where she put her gun and it was in her bedroom. And so I went in her bedroom, grabbed the gun. I already made the phone call, looked in the mirror.  

‘I pulled the trigger. [I shot] in my chest. I aimed for my heart, didn’t feel a thing though. So I wasn’t going through any pain, it was the shock. I woke up to the police knocking, that’s what woke me up. It took too long to die.’  

He added: ‘The blood was pouring out of my chest so much that it made it easy for me to slide with my shirt on the wood across the floor. I made it all the way there. All the energy I had left was to kick the door.’

Devastating: Lil Wayne – whose full name is Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. – spoke candidly about his mental health issues and the devastating day he used his mother’s gun to try to end his life

Law enforcement officials found his body, but instead of administering medical attention, they searched the home for drugs and other weapons.

Uncle Bob ran up the steps and immediately helped Wayne, with the rapper recalling: ‘I was spitting all in his face, blood and everything and all I was trying to tell was I’m not a baby. He kept saying, ”Do you not see the f***ing baby on the ground with a hole in his chest?”’

‘He was screaming at them… and he must’ve been the boss because they all came in the room and was like, ”Oh sorry boss, we called the ambulance” and he was like, ”I don’t give a f**k.”’

Candid: Speaking on an August episode of Uncomfortable Conversations podcast with Emmanuel Acho , Wayne revealed: ‘I knew where she put her gun and it was in her bedroom’

Wayne credited God with saving his life that day and added he was never truly able to discuss his mental health with his mother.

‘When you have no one to vent to, no one to get this out to, you can’t bring it to your friends at school because you’re still trying to be cool to them, you’re not tryna let them know, ”I got something going on at home,”’ he said.

‘Also, what I never said was… the mom that I knew before that day, on my life, and everyone’s life. I have never met, or seen, or heard that lady again in my life.’

‘So I didn’t die that day, but somebody was gone. She’s never been that way ever again,’ he continued. ‘As far as the parents out there, obviously that was an eye-opener for her. And what she decided to do was, I let my flower grow.’

Wayne also shared that he met Bob again years later.

‘I met him years later and he said to me, ”I’m just happy to see I saved a life that mattered”.’

In his 2015 track London Road, Lil Wayne suggested that Bob had died, rapping: ‘I remember goin’ in your gun drawer, puttin’ it to my chest and missin’ my heart by centimetres, I remember dyin’ on her room floor and wakin’ up in some police’s arms, he died recent, so I hope heaven made more room for him.’

However Bob got in touch with Wayne after the track’s release to confirm that he was in fact alive and that the rapper would not need to cover his funeral costs, which Wayne reportedly offered to do.

Credit: Wayne credited God with saving his life that day and added he was never truly able to discuss his mental health with his mother

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Entertainment

Lil Wayne Offered to Financially Take Care of Ex-Cop Who Saved His Life

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Lil Wayne‘s never forgotten “Uncle Bob” — the former New Orleans police officer who saved his life when he attempted suicide at age 12 — and he’s told him he’s got his back for life if he ever needs anything.

“Uncle Bob,” whose real name is Robert Hoobler, tells TMZ … he saw Lil Wayne in 2019 when the rapper was in NOLA for a radio show, and that’s when Wayne offered to provide Bob with financial support if he ever needed it, telling Bob all he has to do is say the word.

Bob says he hasn’t taken up Weezy on the generous offer, but there have been talks about him joining Weezy’s team in some sort of administrative capacity … it’s still TBD.

If you don’t know … Lil Wayne recently opened up about his mental health struggles as a kid and the incident with “Uncle Bob” when he was 12.

Lil Wayne now admits he intentionally shot himself in the chest — for years, it was believed to be an accidental shooting — and Bob was the cop who came to his rescue, refusing to let him die.

Now, all these years later, Wayne’s still trying to pay back Bob. It’s not the first time he’s tried either — you may recall his 2015 track “London Roads” in which he rapped about Bob saving him, and suggested the ex-cop had died.

But, Bob was still alive … and says he got in touch with Wayne to let him know all reports or rumors of his death were greatly exaggerated.

Uncle Bob says Wayne was actually ready to pay for his funeral. Thankfully, that wasn’t necessary.

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Sports

Barcelona starts life without Lionel Messi with a thrilling win

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It was the first time in 18 years that the club had started a campaign without the Argentine, who joined Paris Saint-Germain on a two-year deal on August 10.

Many fans wore Messi shirts and sang songs about the club’s greatest ever player as they watched an entertaining match at the Camp Nou.

Long-time Barça servant Gerard Piqué headed his team in front before Martin Braithwaite scored either side of half-time to put Barcelona in seemingly total control.

But two late goals from Real Sociedad’s Julen Lobete and Mikel Oyarzabal cut the deficit to just one goal, setting up a tense final few minutes.

With the visitors pushing for an equalizer, Sergi Roberto finished off a sweeping counter attack in added time to ensure Barcelona took all three points in the side’s first fixture of the new La Liga season.

“We made things complicated for ourselves, but we played a great game,” Piqué said after the match.

READ: $138m transfer shows it’s business as usual for English Premier League’s elite

‘It was a gesture I had to make’

Fans were allowed back into the stadium for the first time in 526 days on Sunday, and 20,000 supporters watched as this young Barcelona side tried to establish itself without Messi.

There were certainly promising signs that this team could still produce on the highest level despite the crippling financial situation that the club finds itself in.

It dominated large periods of the match and showed it was still capable of exciting attacking football.

It was also fitting that Piqué opened the scoring, with the club announcing that the central defender had taken a pay cut to relieve some of the financial pressure.

“I grew up here, I’ve played almost all my life here, and it was a gesture I had to make and I’ve been speaking to the other captains and they’re going to do the same too,” added Piqué, who celebrated his goal by kissing the badge on his shirt.

READ: Ditching Manchester United to support my local team. Now they’re in the Premier League

Elsewhere in La Liga, Real Madrid started with an opening day win over Alavés.

A brace from Karim Benzema and goals from Nacho and Vinícius ensured Carlo Ancelotti started his new chapter at the club with a 4-1 victory.

Meanwhile, Atlético Madrid began its title defense with a feisty 2-1 win against Celta Vigo.

Both sides were reduced to ten men after Hugo Mallo and Mario Hermoso were sent off for an incident in the closing stages. Eight yellow cards were also shown throughout the bad tempered affair.

But a brace from Argentine forward Ángel Correa fired the champion to victory, despite Iago Aspas initially equalizing from the penalty spot.

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World

The 40-Hour Work Week Is, in Fact, Life

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I am a staff member at a predominantly white institution. The other week my colleague asked me to welcome a new employee to our university even though we’re working remotely and I do not work with this new person’s team. This employee is a person of color, and the colleague who asked for my help is a white woman. In the email, my colleague apologized for “singling out my identity.” Still, she thought I would be a great person to welcome the employee to the team and “spill the tea” about our university. She said maybe I could suggest a church or a place to get a haircut. A close work friend said I should’ve clapped back. I regret not speaking on the issue. I’m not a confrontational person, and I assumed this colleague was operating in good faith, despite the questionable language. I’m wondering how you would have responded and what you would say to the employee of color. I’m planning to reach out to this employee and share my honest experience, which has been a mixed bag.

— Anonymous, Kansas

Most of us who have worked at predominantly white institutions have been forced into this position of Minority Ambassador and navigating these inane microaggressions. It’s tokenizing at best, though like you I assume your colleague was operating in something resembling good faith. I don’t know what I would have done in your position. We’re not always able to clap back; it depends on power dynamics. Now that I’m tenured, I would have written back and said, “You are, indeed, singling out my identity,” with a snappy retort clarifying where the person went wrong.

Before that, I probably would have said nothing and taken my frustrations to the group chat. Regardless, I would also, on my own, reach out to the new employee to introduce myself and be collegial, offering any assistance they might need joining a new community. At every institution I’ve joined, I’ve been incredibly grateful to the Black staff and faculty who welcomed me, gave me the lay of the land, and, yes, let me know where I could get my hair done. Wherever I am, I try to do the same for others who join a community I’m part of.

I took a new job right before the pandemic and my boss is a complete dingus. He’s a nice enough man and good at the high-level parts of his job but he’s disorganized and a poor communicator. This makes a job I otherwise love very challenging in stupid ways. We are scheduled to return to the office soon and I have no idea how I am going to control my facial expressions around him. Working from home, I got used to rolling my eyes and cursing aloud at him. Any tips on how re-up that “work filter”?

— Anonymous

This situation calls for maturity. We all work with people who are incompetent or infuriating or otherwise intolerable. But we can’t go around emoting our displeasure at them. It’s unkind and it can, indeed, jeopardize your career. What matters more: rolling your eyes or receiving your paycheck? Ask yourself this question every time your boss does something ridiculous and grit your teeth accordingly. That said, perhaps you’re asking the wrong question. Might it be possible to gently approach your boss about these organization and communication issues? If he’s nice and good at some of his job, he may well be open to constructive, considerate feedback. I don’t think this is an all-or-nothing situation.

My company is requiring that employees return to the office after Labor Day. Three days a week in the office, two days a week at home. I would normally be OK with this but I have a child who is too young to be vaccinated. With cases surging again, I’m likely pulling her out of preschool until she is eligible for a shot. I’ll have to home-school her in the meantime. And that seems incompatible with working in an office. My partner also works full time, and child care is a burden we will share until we can vaccinate our child. Any advice on how I should approach this issue with my employer?

— Anonymous, Austin

So many parents are facing this untenable situation. I’m sorry you must make these impossible decisions. Ask your employer if you can work from home until a children’s vaccine is available. Explain your reasoning as it is entirely reasonable. If that isn’t possible, can you and your partner trade days at home and in the office? Given the way things are going with the Delta variant, I imagine your employer might be changing plans to return to the office.

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Business

Where to rent treehouses in U.S., Japan, Australia and Costa Rica

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Travelers looking for a vacation in the great outdoors are turning to a nostalgic source of comfort and solitude: treehouses.

But these aren’t the treehouses of their childhood. Like the travelers who are booking them, the treehouses have matured too.

Modern treehouses are more luxury homes than kid hangouts — with a price to match. Treehouses constructed by professionals can easily cost six figures to build.

“A fully appointed treehouse with kitchen, bathroom, heat and air conditioning … we’re building those around $200,000,” Pete Nelson, the star of Animal Planet’s TV show “Treehouse Masters,” told CNBC in 2014.

Treehouses that are built for people to live in now average around $240,000, according to HomeAdvisor, a website that connects homeowners with home services.

Since then, prices have risen along with demand, a situation further propelled by the global pandemic and a desire for offbeat, outdoor accommodations.

Grand entrances

Aside from a worn-out patch of grass in the backyard, old-school treehouses didn’t typically incorporate much of an entrance. Modern ones do, some with gated walkways, stone staircases and ramps built for wheelchairs and pets.

The Chez’ Tree Rest treehouse is near New York’s Finger Lakes’ region.

Anthony Costello | Bluenose Studios

One such treehouse is the Chez’ Tree Rest Treehouse in upstate New York, which is accessible via a 60-foot footbridge that begins at a heart-shaped gate. Another 30-foot-long cable bridge connects the treehouse to a separate relaxation deck.

Owner Tom Wallace discusses the treehouse’s construction in a video tour of the treehouse where he also provides tips for a comfortable stay.

Rates start at $285 per night.

New heights

Treehouses for children should be between six and 12-feet tall with railings that are at least 36 inches high, according to Tree Top Builders, a custom builder based in Exton, Pennsylvania. Those heights also assume a mulch or wood chips are placed below the treehouse to soften a potential fall.  

Treehouses built for big people aren’t constrained by these standards, as evidenced by the three-story Punta Jaguar jungle treehouse in Matapalo, Costa Rica.

The Punta Jaguar treehouse has three open-design elevated levels, plus a ground-level bungalow.

Courtesy of Punta Jaguar

What the house lacks in walls, it makes up in style. Sinks and water faucets are made of seashells, and a separate ground-level bungalow comes with colorful swivel windows and electric drawbridge-style dropdown decks. It has a caretaker and private path to the beach, according to the website. Guests are encouraged to be 7 years old and above.

Rates start at $255 per night.

Guests at Peru’s Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica treehouse sleep 70 feet above the rainforest floor.

Courtesy of Inkaterra Hotels

Thrill-seekers can sleep in the Amazon rainforest at Peru’s Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica ecolodge. The lodge’s sole treehouse is located more than 70 feet above the rainforest floor at the end of a series of seven suspended bridges.

Programs start from $492 for a two-night stay, plus an additional $660 to sleep in the treehouse.

Fabulous views

Childhood treehouses may have granted views of neighbors’ backyards, but nothing as spectacular as Australia’s Blue Mountains.

In a twist on childhood clubhouse rules, this treehouse in Australia’s Blue Mountains can accommodate two adults, but no kids or pets.

Jochen Spenser

A tongue-in-cheek sign on the Secret Treehouse’s door may say that no grown-ups are allowed, but in reality, it’s the kids who can’t come along. This treehouse is built on tall stilts at a high elevation and has a combination bridge and ladder entrance.

Rates start at 1,095 Australian dollars ($804) for a one-night stay.

Sophisticated decor

Sports pennants and sticker-adorned walls have been sidelined for plush interiors that resemble modern homes.

The Aerohouse at the Treeful Treehouse Sustainable Resort in Okinawa, Japan.

Courtesy of the Treeful Treehouse Sustainable Resort

This is evident at the Treeful Treehouse Sustainable Resort in Okinawa, Japan. All bookings include two treehouses: the earthy Spiral Treehouse which comes with hammocks and yoga mats, and the luxurious Aerohouse, which has the look and feel of a five-star hotel suite. Its muted, sophisticated décor comes with creature comforts such as an espresso machine and wine cellar, according to the website.

The treehouse resort has been open for less than a month. Guests can currently book two-night stays — no more, no less — and all travelers must be 10 years old and above.

The interior of Okinawa’s Aerohouse.

Courtesy of Treeful Treehouse Sustainable Resort

Rates are 100,000 Japanese yen ($905) per night for up to three people; a fourth person is an extra $225 per night. Bookings are currently 33% off the regular rates. 

Kitted out kitchens

While cooking and treehouses once rarely meshed, treehouses now come with full kitchens outfitted with Nespresso coffee machines and kitchen islands.

The contemporary kitchen in Trinity Treehouse, outside of Atlanta, has a wine rack and bar area.

Courtesy of Dickersonarts.com

The two-bedroom Trinity Treehouse near Atlanta has a kitchen that travelers may envy for their homes, let alone their yards. Three sizable windows enlarge the space, which includes an L-shaped countertop, wine rack and breakfast counter for coffee or quick meals. A decorative backsplash sits above the kitchen cabinets, which were made in the host’s woodworking shop, according to the website listing.

Trinity Treehouse is next to the hiking and bike trails of Georgia’s 2,500-acre Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve. 

Rates start at $289 per night.

Features to stoke the imagination

Luxury treehouses needn’t be too serious — that’s what log cabins are for. What distinguishes a treehouse from an elevated house in the woods can be the latter’s dedication to whimsy and childlike fun.

To enter one tropical treehouse on Hawaii’s Big Island, guests climb a ladder to a trapdoor that opens to the second story. Bags and suitcases take a different route; they’re hoisted up via a pulley system.

Though it doesn’t allow kids, the Wanderlust Treehouse incorporates imaginative features into its design.

Levi Kelly

The Wanderlust Treehouse in Crane Hill, Alabama, doesn’t allow kids, but that didn’t stop its owner from installing a playground-style suspension bridge to connect two parts of the house. The treehouse, which has received perfect scores in all of its 85 Airbnb reviews, has outdoor side-by-side showers, a swinging bed and a fire pit.

Rates start at $350 per night.

Want to build your own modern treehouse?

Item Cost
Vacation rental treehouse From $30,000
Bathroom $4,500
Zipline $2,200
Spiral staircase $5,900
Suspended bridge $2,900
Trapdoor $500
Classic slide $1,200
Fireman’s pole $575
Source: Treehouse Experts

Gourmet food

Guest who stay at the Loire Valley Lodges have daily breakfast baskets delivered to their doors. They also have access to an onsite restaurant and room service.

Loire Valley Lodges leans heavily upon local produce and grows herbs and fruit on-site, according to its website.

Courtesy of Loire Valley Lodges

The French treehouse hotel opened in July 2020, with the interiors of each of its 18 structures designed by a different contemporary artist.

Rates start at 395 euros ($428) per night.

*Rates are accurate as of publication date.

 

 

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Entertainment

Disney CEO on talent compensation after Scarlett Johansson lawsuit

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Bob Chapek

Jeff Gritchen | MediaNews Group | Orange County Register via Getty Images

The Walt Disney Company has “figured out ways to fairly compensate” talent regardless of its film release method, CEO Bob Chapek said during an earnings call Thursday.

Chapek’s comments, which were prompted during analyst Q&A, come just two weeks after Marvel star Scarlett Johansson filed a lawsuit against the company, alleging it breached her contract by releasing “Black Widow” on Disney+.

“Since Covid has begun, we’ve entered hundreds of talent arrangements with our talent and by and large, they’ve gone very very smoothly, so we expect that that would be the case going forward,” he said.

Chapek did not directly address the ongoing lawsuit with Johansson, but said the company is “trying to do the best thing for all our constituents and make sure that everybody whose in the value chain … feels like they’re having their contractual commitments honored both from a distribution and a compensation standpoint.”

Johansson’s lawsuit stems from Disney’s new hybrid release strategy, which was also used for “Mulan” and “Raya and the Last Dragon.” It was utilized at a time of uncertainty in the theatrical market to bring movies to cinemas and to home audiences for a $30 fee.

It was clear that streaming cannibalized box office receipts. Since it’s July release, “Black Widow” has tallied $185.4 million domestically and nearly $359 million globally. Disney reported “Black Widow” garnered $60 million from sales on Disney+ during its opening weekend, but has not shared additional information about its digital performance.

Previous Marvel films have averaged more than $100 million in ticket sales during their opening weekends and nearly $1 billion over the course of their theatrical runs.

Typically, companies do not comment ongoing lawsuits, but Disney responded to Johansson’s lawsuit with a scathing public statement that suggested the star had a “callous disregard” for the coronavirus and revealed it had paid her $20 million so far.

The statement drew the ire of Johansson’s famed Hollywood agent, Bryan Lourd, as well as the Screen Actors Guild.

The development also raised questions about how other actors, who had similar contracts that guaranteed bonuses for box office performance, may respond to having their own films released on Disney+ and in theaters.

“Certainly this is a time of anxiety in the marketplace, as a lot has changed recently and, again, these films that we’re releasing right now were imagined under a completely different environment than unfortunately the fate has delivered us,” Chapek said.

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Entertainment

Theme park division posts first profit since Covid struck in 2020

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A masked couple poses for photos in front of a statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse, with Sleeping Beauty Castle behind, at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA, as visitors return to the park with covid-safety restrictions in place, including the park only being at 25% capacity, Monday, May 3, 2021.

Jay L. Clendenin | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images

Disney said Thursday its parks, experiences and products division returned to profitability for the first time since the pandemic began, as losses at its theme parks narrowed and merchandise sales soared.

Revenue at Disney’s parks, experiences and products segment jumped 307.6% to $4.3 billion, up from $1.06 billion during the same period last year.

In each of the previous five quarters, Disney has reported a loss in operating income in the segment because of the Covid-19 outbreak. During the third quarter, the company’s operating income from parks, experiences and products reached $356 million, compared with a loss of $1.87 billion during the same quarter last year.

Much of this profitability is attributable to the segment’s consumer products business, which saw operating income reach $564 million, up 290% compared with the same period last year. During the quarter, Disney garnered higher revenue from merchandise based on Mickey and Minnie, Star Wars, Disney princesses and Spider-Man.

Domestic theme parks, resorts and experiences reported positive operating income of $2 million, while international posted a loss of $210 million.

The resurrection of the theme park industry is critical to Disney’s bottom line. After all, in 2019, the segment, which includes cruises and hotels, accounted for 37% of the company’s $69.6 billion in total revenue. Typically, theme parks account for the majority of this revenue.

Disney’s domestic parks eased restrictions in April, which led to a boost in attendance. While guest capacity hasn’t returned to pre-pandemic levels, it improved as mask mandates were loosened during the quarter.

Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida and Shanghai Disney Resort were open for the entire quarter. Last year, during the same period, Disney World was shuttered entirely and the Shanghai location was only open for 48 days. Hong Kong Disneyland was open for 72 days this quarter, compared to 10 days during the same period last year.

Disneyland in California was open 65 days during the quarter and Disneyland Paris was open for 19 days during the third quarter. Both parks were closed for the entirety of the third quarter last year.

However, a surge in Covid, particularly delta variant cases, has led many local governments to reestablish health and safety measures. There are fears that consumers could dial back spending at movie theaters and theme parks and that gains from the first half of the year could dissipate.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

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