Passengers experience anxiety about what they’re going to encounter when they depart the plane in an unfamiliar city, too. These days, if you’re on a Swiss International flight from, say, Zurich to JFK, 40 minutes before the plane lands the captain comes on the loudspeaker. In addition to supplying gate numbers, he tells you how long the wait times are at Customs and Immigration, he gives you a weather report, and he provides an estimate for how long it will take a taxi or car service to reach the city. The airline isn’t responsible for any of these things and has no control over them, but this information helps to reduce your anxiety level. It also suggests that the airline takes your time, your feelings, and your concerns seriously. … [Read more...] about Three shockingly obvious ways to make flying less miserable
Covid 19 impact
You can’t use bleach to sterilize the White House. Here’s what experts recommend instead
Martin Bazant, MIT professor of mathematics, who built an interactive model that predicts the infectiousness of COVID-19 in different environments, suggests “running strong ventilation, ideally with HEPA air filtration, and opening windows with fans for a few hours before resuming normal occupancy without masks,” he says. In other words, strategic use of windows, fans, and HEPA filters could clear the White House air in less than a day. David Edwards, Harvard bioengineering researcher and entrepreneur, adds that, “There will be dead zones where air does not circulate well—desks, seats, couches, bathrooms,” he says. These places should be identified and addressed by circulating and filtering the air. (A portable HEPA filter could handle that.) … [Read more...] about You can’t use bleach to sterilize the White House. Here’s what experts recommend instead
In the face of divisive politics, paid family leave should remain a bipartisan priority
Businesses increasingly recognize the importance of paid leave policies to attract and retain talent, with more and more executives and agencies supportive of national leave policy. Paid leave is critical for businesses to ensure that their workforce can stay home if sick and not risk COVID-19 infections in the workplace. Moreover, paid leave boosts productivity and increases retention; women with paid leave are 93% more likely to be working one year after birth than those with no leave. Seventy-seven percent of workers say paid family leave would sway their choice of employer. Paid leave is critical for businesses to ensure that their workforce can stay home if sick and not risk COVID-19 infections in the workplace. … [Read more...] about In the face of divisive politics, paid family leave should remain a bipartisan priority
Joe Biden picks Rachel Levine, transgender health official, for assistant HHS secretary
Levine was in the national spotlight in August when Jenna Ellis, a campaign advisor for President Donald Trump, referred to her “this guy” on Twitter. The tweet was in response to a news story about Levine telling a Pittsburgh radio journalist to stop misgendering her by repeatedly calling her “sir.” … [Read more...] about Joe Biden picks Rachel Levine, transgender health official, for assistant HHS secretary
Netflix soars to more than 200 million subscribers. What you need to know
On Tuesday, January 19, the company announced that in the last quarter of 2020—i.e., when countries around the world were locking themselves inside again due to winter surges in the virus—it added 8.5 million new, paid subscribers, bringing its cumulative, paid subscription base to over 200 million. Wall Street had anticipated a gain of 6 million. In 2020 overall, Netflix added 37 million paid subscribers, a 31% rise from the previous year, when no one knew what COVID-19 was. … [Read more...] about Netflix soars to more than 200 million subscribers. What you need to know