🏖️ Vacation PTO anxiety

Good morning! It’s Sunday, July 30 — people are talking about Ron DeSantis’s comments on Disney World ticket sales, vacation PTO anxiety, and more.

As always, we’ve summarized and organized the different shades of perspective, so you can see the big picture quickly.

🎟️ In the news: Disney World ticket sales

Ron DeSantis said Disney World crowds are dwindling because of wokeism. Some say it’s due to high ticket prices — others say they’re not actually down!

🎟️ Washington Examiner: DeSantis says ticket sales at Disney World are dwindling because of their woke agenda. Parents are fed up!

🎟️ The Street says wait, what? Disney Crowds are normal, and the "reports" used only the lowest attendance days, ignoring busy ones. Shut up, Ron...

🎟️ Spectrum News: Disney agrees — the park is doing fine. Remember that we had a huge pandemic a few years ago! It's taking some time to rebound.

🎟️ CBS News says crowds are down slightly — but it's because of high ticket prices and competition from other theme parks, not a "woke agenda".

🏖️ Cultural trend: Vacation PTO anxiety

Using vacation days and paid time off (PTO) can be daunting — but it doesn't have to be. We collect different takes on how to manage vacation anxiety.

🏖️ Nervous about using vacation days? You’re not alone. The Cut writes that many Americans are afraid they’ll look like slackers if they use PTO.

🏖️ In fact, according to a 2023 Pew research survey, 46% of Americans took less vacation than what their job offered.

🏖️ El País says a little bit of anxiety is normal. But if it’s disrupting your vacation, try staying off of screens and setting a daily routine.

🏖️ But the NYT says some screentime can help. Scheduling short check-ins to your work email can make going back to work less daunting.

🏖️ Vice's take: Even if taking PTO gives you anxiety, take that damn vacation anyway! Acknowledge that you'll be the same anxious person you are at home.

Quick hits from today & yesterday

⛪ Pope Francis asked Russia to rejoin the Black Sea grain deal, an agreement that allowed Ukraine to export grain during wartime. (U.S. News)

🐛 Scientists were able to revive a 46,000-year-old worm that had been preserved in Siberian permafrost. (NYT)

🏎️ Max Verstappen won Saturday’s sprint event at the Belgian Grand Prix. There was a lot of rain and a few collisions. (BBC)

🔥 The U.S. southwest region’s historic heatwave is set to decrease, with monsoon rains forecasted. (NPR)

That’s it for today! Reply at [email protected] with your takes, topic suggestions, or anything at all. Here at Shades we’re trying something new – quick summaries from different points of view. We’d love to hear what you think.