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Chicago Tribune
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Amelia Earhart soars back into the headlines in new book ‘The Aviator and the Showman'
Where's Amelia? We're still looking, though recent events seem to offer the possibility, the I emphasize, that we may find out what happened to aviatrix Amelia Earhart, who, along with navigator Fred Noonan, vanished in their twin-engine Lockheed Model 10E Electra as they attempted to fly around the world. Here's a recent report from Travel Noire: 'U.S. researchers have announced a new mission to locate Amelia Earhart's lost plane. … The expedition … follows compelling satellite imagery that potentially shows parts of Earhart's Lockheed Electra 10E protruding from the sand on Nikumaroro, a remote island in Kiribati, approximately 1,000 miles from Fiji.' We shall see. But this 'news' has popped Earhart back into the news. She vanished in 1937, 88 years ago if you're counting, and few mysteries have been as durable, few people as eternally alluring as Earhart. You would be hard-pressed to find a contemporary comparison to match her. She has an official agent and website. Hilary Swank played her in a movie. There have been many books. And there's Amelia Earhart Elementary School at 1710 E. 93rd St. in the city's Calumet Heights neighborhood. Also an exciting new book, 'The Aviator and the Showman: Amelia Earhart, George Putnam, and the Marriage that Made an American Icon' by Laurie Gwen Shapiro. Set for formal publication on July 15, it has already created a buzz, with a lengthy excerpt in The New Yorker magazine and a number of favorable reviews. David Grann, the author of such bestsellers as 'The Wager' and 'Killers of the Flower Moon,' says the book is 'an exhilarating tale of the adventurous life of Amelia Earhart and the remarkable relationship that helped to forge her legend … stripping away the myths and revealing something far more profound and intricate and true.' Publishers Weekly calls it a 'nuanced reprisal of Earhart's life (that) certainly tarnishes her reputation, but thereby makes her saga all the more captivating.' And makes the story of her husband all the more disgusting. His name was George Palmer Putnam, who had published aviator Charles Lindbergh's hugely successful life story before he met Earhart. On the prowl for another such novelty and hero, he glommed onto her, taken by her modest accomplishments but also her physical attractiveness and charisma. He wooed her and he promoted her. He's the one who gave her the 'Lady Lindy' tag and further cemented their relationship by having her write her own book, tour the country in her own plane, give hundreds of interviews, embark on a lecture tour, serve as the 'aviation editor' of Cosmopolitan magazine and endorse all sorts of products, including cigarettes. Smart he was, shrewd too. And a master manipulator who left his own wife to marry Earhart. (And, unusually for the time, Earhart did not adopt Putnam's last name). No question he pushed her but did he push her too far? Read the book. But know that you will find a man about whom writer Gore Vidal, whose father was a partner with Putnam and Earhart in an aviation venture, said, 'I never knew anyone who liked Putnam. It was quite interesting. Everybody who knew him disliked him. Some people disliked him and found him amusing and some people disliked him and found him unamusing.' Certainly, many of you know some basics of Earhart's life and a few know of her local connections, even though she wasn't here long. Born and raised in Kansas in 1897, she and her family moved around a bit before coming here in 1914. Her father, Edwin, was a lawyer with a dangerous relationship with booze, and her mother, also named Amelia but called Amy, was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. So, in 1914, Amy and her two daughters (Amelia and Muriel) came to Chicago at the invitation of friends and lived in the Beverly neighborhood home of their friends. Amelia, soon to begin her senior year, found the chemistry lab at nearby Morgan Park High School looked 'just like a kitchen sink.' So she traveled north to spend her senior year at the highly regarded Hyde Park High School, graduating as a member of the class of 1915. She did little to distinguish herself — no activities noted in the yearbook — and then it was off to college. She worked as a social worker and got hooked on airplanes. She had her first flying lesson early in 1921 and, in six months, bought her first plane. In 1928, she was asked to be a passenger with male aviators on a flight across the Atlantic Ocean, emphasis on . Together with pilot Bill Stultz and co-pilot Louis Gordon, she flew in the airplane Friendship, acting as navigator on the flight. On June 18, after 20 hours of flying, they landed in Wales and she became the first woman to cross the Atlantic by air. Acclaim was fast and furious. After lively visits to New York City and Boston, she came here and the celebrations and events were all but overwhelming. She visited Hyde Park High School, where a band played 'Back in Your Own Back Yard'; spoke at the Union League Club and at Orchestra Hall; was cheered by large crowds as she was paraded through the Loop; heard about Mayor Thompson's idea for a lakefront airport to be named Amelia Earhart Field. Headlines blared: 'Old Hyde Park School Friends Fete Girl Flyer.' Earhart spoke: 'I've always loved Chicago.' Famous forever for being lost, there is no denying that she was an inspiration for self-determined feminists and everyday daredevils, but I now think of her also as shy and vulnerable, a victim of shrewd manipulation by a slick operator. Doris Rich, author of 'Amelia Earhart: A Biography,' published by the Smithsonian Institution in 1989, has said, 'The one thing that she really feared was that nothing would happen. She had to have an important life, and that meant you had to have adventure.' That she did, but at what cost?
CNBC
08-07-2025
- CNBC
Black Americans who moved abroad say they're happier outside the U.S.: 'It is truly a more fulfilling, richer life'
For many Black Americans, moving abroad has been the key to an easier way of life — one where their skin color isn't cause for concern. "[Black expats] really see a kind of oasis for them to really create the life that they dreamed of in a way that's financially feasible, safe and a bit more inclusive than what they found in the United States," says Darcel Duncan, senior brand manager at Travel Noire, a website dedicated to Black travel experiences. While racism still exists in other countries, many of the Black expats CNBC Make It has spoken to report fewer experiences with discrimination while living abroad. "I think I have found and ultimately achieved the American dream outside the U.S.," Adalia Aborisade, who moved to Mexico City in 2017, said in 2023. While the U.S. has made progress toward racial equality since periods like the Jim Crow era, Black Americans still routinely experience racism in social interactions, financial transactions and work environments. But when living abroad, some Black expats say they're seen as simply American, rather than being defined by their skin color. "As I've traveled around the world, I'm typically an American first," Jamal Robinson, who lives in Dubai, said in January 2025. "Quite often people are not as used to Black people traveling and being in whatever the space is. So it's almost like you're celebrated, and people will come up to you and they want to talk and engage with you." In the U.S., Cara West experienced common forms of discrimination, like store owners or associates following her around or keeping a watchful eye as she shopped. But she says that hasn't happened since she left the country. West and her family lived in several different countries before moving to Greece in 2024. "I'm not worried about someone following me around at the store or treating me differently because of my skin color," she told Make It in 2024. "I'm just seen as an American here." Like Robinson, some Black expats also report celebrations of their diversity. "In Costa Rica, I feel that people are treated as humans first, because that's not always been my experience in the United States," Kema Ward-Hopper, who left the U.S. in 2018, said in 2024. "I feel like I'm seen as a Black woman first [in the U.S.] and that doesn't have the positive connotation that it does here in Costa Rica." Many Black expats are also taking advantage of better economic opportunities and work-life balance. "In the U.S., we are thinking that everything is due right now. Everything is urgent. Everything is kind of a house on fire," says Wanida Lewis, who lives in Accra, Ghana. "Here in Ghana it's like, 'OK, you know what? Yes it's important, but also I need to take care of myself and figure out what's more important before I get there.'" Nicholas Hopper, Ward-Hopper's husband, agrees their family is "definitely happier" living in Costa Rica. He owns a logistics business and Ward-Hopper works several part-time jobs, including as an author. They quit their corporate jobs in the States to pursue a life in Costa Rica. Working for themselves has given the couple more flexibility to choose how they spend their time. While they're earning less money, they're "still living pretty comfortably … our money definitely goes further here than in the U.S.," Ward-Hopper said. "I've gained my family back," Hopper said. "I've gained the opportunity to spend time with them and create more freedom in myself, but also freedom within our family to explore our dreams and our passions." In addition to having more time and money, some expats appreciate the ease with which they can see even more of the world. "It is truly such a more fulfilling, richer life abroad," West said. "The experiences that we've been able to have as a family abroad, just being able to see the world, to meet new people, to experience a new language, cultures, traditions, it's just so special and something that we aren't really exposed to enough in the United States."
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Everything We Know About The Chagos Islands Deal Between The UK And Mauritius
The United Kingdom has finalized a historic £3.4 billion agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. The deal allows the UK to secure a 99-year lease and maintain control of the strategically vital Diego Garcia military base. The BBC reports that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced the deal on May 22, 2025. This ends decades of international legal disputes over the remote Indian Ocean archipelago. The controversial agreement will cost British taxpayers approximately £101 million annually. However, it ensures continued access to the joint US-UK military installation that Starmer describes as 'right at the foundation of our safety and security at home.' Mauritius Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam hailed the arrangement as completing 'the total process of decolonization.' At the same time, critics, including some displaced Chagossians, express concerns about their right to return to their ancestral lands. The agreement comes after years of mounting international pressure on Britain to relinquish control of the territory it separated from Mauritius in 1965, before Mauritian independence. The Chagos Islands are about 1,250 miles northeast of Mauritius and nearly 6,000 miles from the UK. The islands became a focal point of controversy when Britain forcibly removed approximately 2,000 islanders between the late 1960s and early 1970s. This deportation occurred to accommodate the construction of a US military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the archipelago. A leaked Foreign Office memo infamously referred to the Chagossians as 'a few Tarzans and Man Fridays,' highlighting the colonial attitudes that facilitated their displacement. Under the new agreement, the UK will pay Mauritius an average of £101 million annually for 99 years to lease Diego Garcia. The payment structure includes £165 million for each of the first three years. This is followed by £120 million annually for years four through thirteen, with subsequent payments indexed to inflation. The deal also establishes a £40 million trust fund to support Chagossian communities. The agreement creates a 24-mile exclusion zone around Diego Garcia where nothing can be built without UK consent. Foreign military and civilian forces are banned from other islands in the archipelago. There are also provisions to prevent Chinese influence in the region. Furthermore, the UK retains veto power over access to the islands. Starmer confirmed that all 'Five Eyes' security alliance partners, the US, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, support the agreement. Meanwhile, Russia, China, and Iran oppose post Everything We Know About The Chagos Islands Deal Between The UK And Mauritius appeared first on Travel Noire.
