One cruise line makes river cruising relevant for Black travellers. But where’s the rest?

Travel

Open this photo in gallery:Writer Heather Greenwood Davis and her mother in Paris, France.Olga in Paris for Flytographer/SuppliedUntil my sixth river cruise I didn’t realize that I hadn’t truly relaxed on the previous five.It’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy them all. River cruising – with its smaller ships and centre-of-town-ports – is one of my favourite ways to explore.But on this, my third trip with AmaWaterways, but my first on the Seine River in France, I achieved a level of ease that I’d never felt before.This was a Soulful Experiences cruise – a sailing dedicated to exploring Black history and culture through lectures, food, music and historical landmarks. And as a result, 99 per cent of my shipmates were Black. I knew when I booked the cruise that it would make the experience different. But somewhere between doing the Electric Slide line dance at the welcome party and joining an excursion to learn about the heartbreaking fate of Senegalese soldiers during the Second World War in Lyon, I realized that it would be transformational as well.Code-switching is when a person, intentionally or not, changes their behaviour to suit their circumstance. Everyone does it. That’s why you probably don’t twerk during a meeting at the office, even though you did it on your vacation booze cruise. For Black people, that shift is often also necessary outside the workplace. Even on vacation, you can find yourself deciding to protect your peace rather than to lash out in response to a passenger’s microaggressions or correcting the tour guide who suggests enslaved people “loved” their owners. (Yes, it’s happened to me.)But on a cruise with predominantly Black travellers, race matters less. And on a cruise with people of various racial backgrounds who all want to learn about Black history, the stress I’ve unknowingly carried can be put down completely.Open this photo in gallery:Soulful Experiences began in August, 2023. The first cruise sold out almost immediately.AMA Waterways/SuppliedThe sailings are the brainchild of Jazzmine Douse, an 11-year AmaWaterways employee and Black woman who heard from Black travel advisers that their luxury-seeking Black clients didn’t feel river cruises wanted them.“Traditionally river cruising has attracted a demographic of more mature, wealthy, retired and typically Caucasian Americans,” Douse says. “There has been a lack of representation in this particular luxury river-cruising space.”In 2019, Douse took her concerns – and the idea that cruises could be more intentional about inclusion – to the cruise line’s owners. And AmaWaterways started diversifying their brochure and online images. Then in August, 2023, Soulful Experiences was born. The first cruise sold out almost immediately.During my voyage, passenger Brenda Moore said that her travel agent showed her photos with “folks that looked like me” and it piqued her interest. On board, she said, the cruise lived up to the hype. “I had so much fun meeting and talking to Black folks from all backgrounds, ages and travel experiences.”Still, as far as river cruises go, there’s no question that Ama’s offering is an outlier.A 2017 Cruise Lines International Association report, one of very few that offers race-based statistics, found that cruisers who identify themselves as Black or African-American overwhelmingly choose ocean sailings.Open this photo in gallery:Herma Greenwood in Marseille, France.The Globe and MailI was unable to find any Canadian race-based surveys on cruising, but travel marketing company MMGY released a report in 2021 based on a survey that canvassed 3,635 Black leisure travellers from the United States, Canada, France, Germany and U.K. They found 40 per cent of Canadians surveyed “are more likely to visit a destination if they see Black representation in travel advertising.” That number jumps to 54 per cent for Americans. Cruising is popular with Black travellers, but it’s usually done in spaces Black people have carved out; they rent the boats and sell the tickets. Radio DJ Tom Joyner’s Fantastic Voyage and travel advisor Patricia Yarbrough’s Festival at Sea are among the long-time, weeklong private cruise charters that are consistently sold out.But the Soulful Experience offering is unique because it is a regularly scheduled sailing, created and sold by the cruise line. They are the only luxury river-cruise company doing this. The “Colors of Provence” itinerary is available throughout the year, but when it operates under the Soulful Experiences name, it overlays a Black history focus on the guided tours. Cruisers still go to Montmartre but examine its connection to the Harlem renaissance. Cruisers still visit Avignon but can choose to see African artists’ works at Fondation Blachère, as well as touring the traditional Papal palace.Open this photo in gallery:Some of the cruisers on board the Soulful Experiences sailing.The Globe and MailLeaning into more of a region’s history means there’s an opportunity to tell harder truths.Near Lyon, my tour group stood in shocked horror on the soil where close to 50 African men were slaughtered as part of the Chasselay massacre in June, 1940. The murdered were all members of an elite squad of Senegalese sharp shooters sent to help France during the Second World War. When captured by the Germans, white soldiers were taken as prisoners of war. But Black soldiers were literally blown apart by German tank fire. (Those who survived the shooting were run over by those same tanks to ensure the deed was done.)“My God,” one cruiser whispers as photos of the young Black men are circulated.Still, the horrors, so hard to hear, are somehow made lighter because we’re carrying them together.On my sailing, all but about six of my fellow cruisers are Black. Prices start at about US$5,400 and at one point, in response to a joke about whether there was a doctor in the house, a quarter of the room raised their hand. This group belies the travel-industry myth that Black travellers can’t afford luxury travel.Douse sails with each Soulful itinerary, acting alongside Ama’s Black South African cruise manager, Crystal August. Chef Bri Bullard, a Black Bahamian chef from Toronto, created several meals for guests, sharing the story of each dish’s Black African culinary roots as she went. Guests murmured in surprise when she mentioned that many of her menu choices were directly linked to enslaved ancestors. Jambalaya, she said, originated as a take on an African stew that combined leftover rice grown on the plantations where enslaved people laboured, with the scraps of leftovers afforded to them. This was a seemingly small touch but it resonated with guests on board.“I have people stopping me every day, multiple times throughout the day to say, ‘I can’t tell you the last time I felt this comfortable on a vacation,’ ” Douse says. “When you hear these things you’re like, ‘Okay, we’ve got to keep going.’ ”Open this photo in gallery:Writer Heather Greenwood Davis and her mother.Olga in Paris for Flytographer/SuppliedBut that could prove challenging. AmaWaterways recently announced four Soulful Experience sailings for 2025, including a new offering in Colombia. However, there is no guarantee that the cruises will continue: Customer demand and corporate satisfaction will determine their fate. Without broader race-based statistics, it’s impossible to make the case that Black travellers are making a direct financial impact on the river-cruising industry. Its success may be evident to those on board, but its survival remains uncertain.“I’m very proud of what we’ve done so far,” Douse says. “In order to protect it, we have to show up.”If you goAmaWaterways Soulful Experience sailings include an 11-night Egypt & the Nile sailing (May, 2025, starting at $7,974 a person, double occupancy), a 10-night Colours of Provence (August, 2025, starting at $7,164 a person, double occupancy), a seven-night Magic of Colombia (October, 2025, starting at $4,393 a person, double occupancy) and a 10-night Enticing Douro (November, 2024, and 2025, starting at $5,234 a person, double occupancy). Trips include all meals and most activities and excursions. amawaterways.ca/soulfulThe writer was a guest of AmaWaterways. It did not review or approve the story before publication.

6 Tips For Packing A More Sustainable Cosmetic Bag For Travel

Travel

Share to FacebookShare to TwitterShare to LinkedinSustainable personal care habits may begin at home—but that doesn’t mean you should forego your earth-friendly routine when you’re out exploring it. While it may seem more difficult to maintain sustainable practices while on the road, it’s actually easier than packing a conventional carry-on—if you know the right tricks.

Most eco-friendly products opt for minimal packaging and fewer ingredients, which means getting creative with the make and medium. This also means that you’ll be able to forego conventional liquid-based personal care products—which can be a hassle at customs—and actually fit more of what you need in your dopp kit or cosmetic bag (or save space for one-of-a-kind souvenirs!).

Here’s how to pack a sustainable cosmetic bag for travel:

Ditch the aerosol sunscreen
No matter where you’re traveling (even if it’s just across town), it’s important to be mindful of the sunscreen you choose to use. Aerosol sunscreen may seem convenient in theory, but the amount of wasted product that flies past your skin and into the air and surrounding grass or sand is astonishing.

Instead, opt for traditional sunscreen. Most modern sunscreens rub in just as easily as an aerosol but instead of floating into the air, will actually make it to your skin. When shopping for sunscreen, read the label, and avoid Oxybenzone and Octinoxate, which causes harm to coral reefs and are banned in many countries.

Skip on mini toothpaste
Mini toothpaste tubes are cute, and, yes, convenient too, but how many brushes do you really get out of that little tube? Maybe a week’s worth before you throw it away? While we’re not suggesting you forego brushing your teeth while on the road, we definitely think there’s a better way to keep up with your oral hygiene without being wasteful.
Toothy Tabs by Lush work exactly the same as toothpaste, but instead come in a compact tablet form—in a glass bottle. Simply pop one of these guys into your mouth before brushing, crush it up (without swallowing), grab your wet toothbrush, and brush as usual.
Reconsider your face wipes
Anyone who has traveled on a long flight will agree: face wipes are the real MVP—but, unfortunately, they’re a straight-to-the-landfill product that isn’t doing the environment any favors. According to the FDA, face wipes are made from things like polyester, polypropylene, cotton, wood pulp, and rayon fibers—many of which are not biodegradable. But don’t worry: these days there are handfuls of eco-friendly options that will work just as well as your beloved one-use wipes. Opt for a cloth made from natural fibers that you can simply wash and reuse instead.
Choose bar soap over liquid
Whether at home or while travelling, stop buying your soap or shampoo in plastic bottles—instead, switch back to old fashioned bar soap and shampoo bars. Not only do bar soaps allow for an easy time going through airport security (they’re not a liquid, gel, or aerosol, and can stay in your bag!), they last longer and come with no packaging so not only are they more sustainable, they’re more economical.
We like the Shampoo Bars from Lush, which are made from essential oils and natural ingredients and are made to fit in a reusable tin carrying case. When shopping for a bar soap, the more natural, the better. Look for ingredients like vegetable oils mixed with aloe and seaweed, which will add moisture back into the skin without making it feel waxy—and don’t forget to pick up a reusable soap case for it while you’re at it.
Invest in a safety razor
Disposable razors are no friend to the environment. Most of the time they last for just one or two shaves before being thrown away—and not in the recycling. Most disposable razors are made of plastic and cannot be recycled as they are because of all the different types of plastics, rubbers and metals used to create the razor.
If you’re still using disposable razors when you travel, consider switching to safety razor. Many people don’t know that reusable razors are allowed to be brought in a carry-on bag, so there’s no need to pick up a pack of disposables once you reach your destination. What’s more, a one-time razor purchase is much more economical than constantly buying packs of disposables. It’s a win-win.
Don’t forget your essential oils
While packing an essential oil may not seem like a necessity, it’s actually a great remedy to have on hand—especially peppermint or eucalyptus. Most people find that a few drops of peppermint essential oil will alleviate headaches and migraines, while eucalyptus will help with any stress or anxiety that can sometimes accompany long travel days. It’s a great alternative to packing a travel-sized container of Advil or Tylenol.

10 ChatGPT Prompts To Create Your Business Plan

Business News

Think a business plan is just paperwork? Think again. It’s essential for making a success of a venture. 70% of businesses that survive beyond 5 years follow a strategic plan. Aspiring entrepreneurs with a plan are 129% more likely to push past the startup phase.

There’s more. Entrepreneurs with a business plan are 260% more likely to launch their business than those without. Once launched, businesses with plans grow 30% faster. But even though it makes sense on paper, only 33% of business owners have a written plan. Don’t be in that group. Be in the group that’s twice as likely to grow their business.

Beat the odds by making your plan right now. Here are 10 ChatGPT prompts to help you create your business plan. Copy and paste the prompts, personalize the square brackets, and get your plan to get started today.

Make your business plan: ChatGPT prompts for a comprehensive document
Get the outline
“Help me outline the key components of a comprehensive business plan for my new business in the [describe your industry/niche] space. [Provide any specifics about your business if available.] Include purpose, target audience, SWOT analysis, marketing plan, sales strategy, offer description, finance projections, operations information and risk mitigation. Add any other areas I should think about. Once you create the outline, await further instructions for each section.”

This sets the foundation. Don’t skip any crucial sections.
Define your purpose

“What are the critical questions I need to answer to define my business’s mission, vision, and values? Guide me through articulating these clearly for my business plan.”
Your ‘why’ matters. Make it crystal clear.

Know your market
“Assist me in detailing my business’s target market and customer segments by asking questions about my ideal customer profile. What specific information should I include to make this section robust and informative?”
If you don’t know who you’re selling to, you’re already in trouble.
Analyze your position
“I want to create a SWOT analysis for my business plan. Guide me through identifying my business’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats by asking probing questions about each area. Finally, present a table showing a SWOT analysis for my startup, with 5 in each category.”
Know yourself and your market. It’s critical.
Plan your marketing
“Using the information you have about my business, the service and the audience, create a detailed marketing strategy for my business plan that covers customer acquisition, engagement, and retention. Before beginning, ask 3 more questions about my business to enable you to complete the plan.”
No customers, no business. Make this section count.
Strategize your sales
“Help me develop a sales strategy for my business plan that aligns with my marketing efforts and targets my ideal customer. Include suggestions for pricing and distribution channels.”
Your roadmap to revenue. Get it right.
Describe your offering
“Assist me in creating a product or service description for my business plan that clearly conveys its value and benefits. Before creating this plan, ask probing questions about my product or service to fill in the gaps.”
What are you selling? Make it irresistible.
Project your finances
“What should I include in the financial projections section of my business plan? Help me outline the key financial statements and assumptions needed for a realistic forecast. I’d like a 12-month projection and then a more top-level 3 year projection. Ask me questions to gather information before creating this forecast.”
Numbers talk. Make sure yours tell a good story.
Plan your operations
“Help me draft the operations and management plan for my business. What should I include to show how my business will be run day-to-day and who will be involved? Tie this in with my growth and financial projections and ask questions to fill in any gaps before completing the plan.”
The nuts and bolts matter. Don’t gloss over this.
Mitigate your risks
“Guide me through identifying the risks to my business and how to include mitigation strategies in my business plan. What common risks should I consider for the type of business I’m starting?”
When you have everything, tie it together.
“Present this business plan in its entirety, so I have it in one place. Going back over our conversation, extract the elements of my final business plan, leaving out our back and forth exchanges. My goal is to paste this information into a new document, in one go.”
Go through the plan line by line. Get a second opinion. Attract customers, secure investors, and have solid foundations from which to begin.
ChatGPT prompts: make your business a success with a robust business plan
Use these prompts to dive deep with ChatGPT and create a business plan that stands up to questioning. Don’t be caught off guard by customers, investors, or not knowing your numbers.
A solid plan doesn’t guarantee success, you still have to do the work. But do the work knowing that the odds are stacked in your favour. Know the lay of the land before you begin your trek. You’ve got this.

Scientists create one-dimensional gas made of light

Science and Health

Physicists from the University of Bonn and the University of Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU) have successfully created a one-dimensional gas using light, allowing them to experimentally test theoretical predictions about this exotic state of matter for the first time.

Their innovative method has the potential to advance the study of quantum effects.

Imagine standing by a swimming pool and wanting to increase the water level. By using a garden hose to produce a high-arching jet of water that falls onto the pool’s surface, you observe a minimal increase in the water level as the falling water quickly disperses. However, if you were to direct the jet into a gutter, the water would create a wave due to the confinement provided by the gutter’s walls.

The physicists from the Institute of Applied Physics (IAP) at the University of Bonn, in collaboration with colleagues at RPTU, have explored whether similar effects of dimensionality can be achieved with gases made out of light particles.

“To create these types of gases, we need to concentrate lots of photons in a confined space and cool them simultaneously,” explains Dr. Frank Vewinger from the IAP, who is also a member of the transdisciplinary research area “Matter” at the University of Bonn.

The polymers applied to the reflective surface – trap the photon gas in a parabola of light. The narrower this parabola is, the more one-dimensionally the gas behaves. Artistic illustration: IAP/Uni Bonn

In their experiment, researchers carefully prepared a minute container filled with a potent dye solution, which they then stimulated using a precise laser. The resulting photons ricocheted between the reflective walls of the container, undergoing a remarkable cooling process whenever they interacted with a dye molecule, ultimately leading to the condensation of the photon gas.

The dimensional properties of the gas were found to be modifiable by altering the surface of the reflective walls. This pioneering study was a result of collaboration between the researchers at the IAP and the esteemed research group led by Prof. Dr. Georg von Freymann from the RPTU. Leveraging a high-resolution structuring method, they successfully applied it to the reflective surfaces of the photon container, marking a significant advancement in this field of study.

“We were able to apply a transparent polymer to the reflective surfaces to create microscopically small protrusions,” explains Julian Schulz from the RPTU. “These protrusions allow us to trap the photons in one or two dimensions and condense them.”

Kirankumar Karkihalli Umesh witht the centerpiece of the experiment – a resonator mirror printed with polymer structures. Credit: Volker Lannert/ Uni Bonn

“These polymers act like a type of gutter, but in this case for light,” says Kirankumar Karkihalli Umesh, lead author of the study. “The narrower this gutter is, the more one-dimensionally the gas behaves.”

In two dimensions, a specific temperature threshold triggers condensation, much like water freezing at exactly zero degrees Celsius. Physicists refer to this as a phase transition.

“However, things are a little different when we create a one-dimensional gas instead of a two-dimensional one,” says Vewinger. “So-called thermal fluctuations take place in photon gases, but they are so small in two dimensions that they have no real impact. However, in one dimension, these fluctuations can – figuratively speaking – make big waves.”

These fluctuations disrupt the uniformity of one-dimensional systems, causing different regions within the gas to behave differently. Consequently, the phase transition, while still precisely defined in two dimensions, becomes increasingly “smeared out” in more one-dimensional systems. Nevertheless, its properties are still governed by quantum physics, similar to the case of two-dimensional gases, which are known as degenerate quantum gases. It’s akin to water transforming into a slushy state at low temperatures without completely freezing.

“We have now been able to investigate this behavior at the transition from a two-dimensional to a one-dimensional photon gas for the first time,” explains Vewinger.

The research teams successfully proved that one-dimensional photon gases lack a precise condensation point. With minor adjustments to polymer structures, a detailed exploration of phenomena at the transition between dimensionalities is now feasible. Although currently classified as basic research, this breakthrough has the potential to unveil new applications for quantum optical effects.

Journal reference:

Kirankumar Karkihalli Umesh, Julian Schulz, Julian Schmitt, Martin Weitz, Georg von Freymann, and Frank Vewinger. Dimensional crossover in a quantum gas of light. Nature Physics, 2024 DOI: 10.1038/s41567-024-02641-7

Mark Cuban Gives Elon Musk Business Advice in Latest Jibe

Business News

Mark Cuban offered Elon Musk some business advice for his platform X in the latest jibe shared between the two entrepreneurs on the social media site.Cuban commented on September 17, “Hey @elonmusk this could make @X profitable,” while sharing a previous post of the patent receipt of a new software Cuban and two others had invented. Cuban appeared to have to turned off the comments of the post.In the original post, Cuban explained the system was designed to “deliver ads, of any media type, from social media or any other software with a user profile.” The screenshot of the receipt was also shared by Cuban on September 17.Cuban added that the system also enabled the owner of the profile, or the platform itself, to sell advertisements in the original post, saying, “If you want to add revenue to your platform, just ask!”The system can be used for a website, marketplace and social media site, which would include Musk’s platform X, formerly Twitter, which has been reported to have seen a substantial drop in revenue since Musk’s takeover.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban at a Mavericks game. Cuban has suggested Elon Musk try out his new tech invention for his platform X to enhance its revenue.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban at a Mavericks game. Cuban has suggested Elon Musk try out his new tech invention for his platform X to enhance its revenue.
David Berding/Getty Images
Cuban and Musk have been contacted by Newsweek for comment.The social media platform taken over by Musk has significantly decreased in value. After after the billionaire bought the platform at $44 billion, profits fell by 54 percent in 2023, according to the tech and design news outlet Fast Company.This is thought to be because previously Twitter generated 92 percent of its revenue by advertising, something which Musk distanced himself from, the outlet added.Musk instead tried to generate revenue from building up X Premium, the equivalent of Twitter Blue, meaning he would collect profit from those willing to pay a subscription of $8 a month for the more advanced version of the platform.
Tech site Mashable reported that X has recorded heavy losses. For example, it said that it lost $456 million in the first quarter of 2023, despite X CEO Linda Yaccarino saying the platform would become profitable in 2024.Cuban has also recently in an interview with Wired said he would buy Fox News “in a heartbeat” if he could afford it, which he admitted he couldn’t, and that he wished he could buy X, but that he knew Musk “wouldn’t sell it,” the business news outlet Fortune reported.Cuban’s jibe at Musk over the profits made by X came as the latest challenge in the back-and-forth the two billionaires have had on X.Earlier this week the Shark Tank investor confronted the Tesla CEO for calling out his support for the Kamala Harris campaign.Cuban congratulated Musk on the successful SpaceX mission that saw the first nonprofessional astronaut perform a spacewalk, and then said to Musk that if he had any questions about Harris’ “policies and approach,” that he’d be happy to “tell you what I know.”Cuban also appeared to turn the comments off on the post, which he shared on September 15.Cuban’s response came after Musk shared a post from the account @amuse saying that Cuban “thinks you should pay more in taxes,” with the comment “Hmm,” but the X owner has not seemed to have posted any other jibes at Cuban since.Do you have a story we should be covering? Do you have any questions about this article? Contact  [email protected].