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☆ ‘Bare-adise’ adventure: This nude cruise is due to set sail from Miami in 2025
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Tamara Hardingham-Gill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —What do you need to pack for a cruise? When it comes to this upcoming cruise from tour and travel company Bare Necessities, the answer appears to be very little. The nudist cruise specialist is teaming up with Norwegian Cruise Line to launch an 11-day voyage from Miami to the Caribbean, scheduled to set sail onboard the 295-meter Norwegian Pearl in February 2025. The “11-Day adventure back to Bare-adise” is scheduled to depart from Miami on February 3 and return on February 14. “Our mission is to provide relaxing, entertaining and health-conscious vacation opportunities that offer non-threatening, natural environments where the appreciation, wonder and compatibility of nature and the unadorned human form can occur,” say Bare Necessities.

Persons: Norwegian Pearl, “ Organizations: CNN, Cruise Line, St Locations: Miami, Caribbean, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Maarten, Norwegian

☆ A boomer who moved to Panama after years as a bartender in the Hamptons and New Mexico outlines the pros and cons of living in Central America
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

George Stumpp, a retired bartender, lives comfortably in Panama after moving from New Mexico. He said Panama has robust infrastructure, a lower cost of living, and many of the same stores as the US. AdvertisementGeorge Stumpp, 65, worked as a bartender and bar supervisor in Long Island and New Mexico for decades. He's enjoying retirement in a country with a lower cost of living and high-quality healthcare, and he said he's enjoyed adapting to Panamanian culture. As his kids got older, he started to vacation in Central America, traveling to Costa Rica, Belize, and Panama.

Persons: George Stumpp, —, he's, we've, Stumpp, it's, Long, there's Organizations: Service, Panama City, Central, Business, Hamptons, Sante Locations: Panama, New Mexico, Long Island, Panamanian, Colombia, Thailand, St, Maarten, Long, Sante Fe, Santa Fe, Central America, Costa Rica, Belize, Ontario, Canada

☆ My first cruise was a 7-day disappointment. Even worse, it left me feeling sick long after touching dry land.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Brittany Vanderbill | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

I had horrible weather and rough seas that left me feeling sick after the cruise. We had unusually rough seas throughout the entire cruiseI had some pretty bad weather throughout my cruise. AdvertisementMy brain knew I was on solid ground, but I felt like I was still on the cruise ship battling rough waves. I'm avoiding cruises from now onRelaxFoto.de/Getty ImagesI had some great laughs with friends on board despite the rough seas and lack of sunshine. One bad experience culminating with motion sickness on dry land is enough to make me want to avoid any cruises in the future.

Persons: —, Thomas, St, Maarten, Brittany VanDerBill, I'd, didn't, I'm, it's Organizations: Service, Royal, Minnesota Locations: Caribbean, Royal Caribbean, St, Bahamas, Brittany

☆ The superyacht world is speculating that Mark Zuckerberg just bought this 118-meter boat
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The 118-meter superyacht Launchpad made her maiden voyage last week. The yacht world is speculating that her owner is Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Yet some in the boat blogging world are speculating that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is the new owner of Launchpad, a megayacht currently moored in Fort Lauderdale, Florida after she made her maiden voyage from Gibraltar to St Maarten last week. Launchpad clocks in at 118 meters long, about nine meters shorter than Jeff Bezos' superyacht Koru.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, —, St Maarten, Jeff Bezos Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Fort Lauderdale , Florida, Gibraltar, St

☆ Windfall taxes will reduce energy investments, says CEPSA CEO
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWindfall taxes will reduce energy investments, says CEPSA CEOMaarten Wetselaar, CEO of Spanish energy company CEPSA, discusses the sustainability agenda at the World Economic Forum, and explains how taxation is impacting the industry.

Persons: Maarten Wetselaar Organizations: Economic Locations: Spanish

NEW YORK (AP) — Palestinian artist Nida Sinnokrot, one of 18 artists receiving the 2023 Soros Arts Fellowships from the Open Society Foundations on Tuesday, says that art provides hope and resilience, even in the midst of war. This year's class of Soros Arts Fellows is the largest since the program launched in 2018. This is the launchpad of something new — a new realm of direct action in the arts.”Molemo Moiloa also plans to incorporate community action in her art project in Johannesburg, South Africa, for her Soros Arts fellowship. “One of the reasons I still feel hope is that there is powerful solidarity around the world that embraces this ethos,” he said. “And that’s what’s so amazing about this year’s (Soros Arts Fellows) and their communities.

Persons: Nida Sinnokrot, “, ”, Sinnokrot, Tatiana Mouarbes, George Soros, Alex — Mouarbes, Jordan Weber, ” “, Weber, ” Molemo Moiloa, Moiloa, Nelson Mandela's, we’ve, it’s, Fellows, Cannupa Hanska Luger, Carolina Caycedo, Chemi, Dalton Paula, Deborah Jack, Kenan Darwich, Sami Rustom, Ixchel Tonāntzin, Martha Atienza, Molemo Moiloa, Mónica de Miranda, Omar Berrada, Rijin Sahakian, Sari Dennise, Yto Barrada Organizations: Open, Massachusetts Institute, Technology’s, Technology, Soros Arts Fellows, Open Society, Culture, Society, Soros Arts, South, Soros, Fehras, Associated, Lilly Endowment Inc, AP Locations: Palestinian, York, ”, Detroit, Johannesburg, South Africa, Israel, Palestine, Guinea, Hidatsa, Lakota, United States, Carolina, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Brazil, St, Maarten, Syria, Germany, Philippines, Portugal, Morocco, Iraq, Mexico

☆ Two childhood friends wanted better, cooler earplugs—their startup brought in $44 million last year
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Maarten Bodewes, left, and Dimitri O are childhood friends and the co-founders of Loop Earplugs. Maarten Bodewes Co-founder, Loop EarplugsEach co-founder spent roughly $40,000 to get Loop off the ground — "as far as I could go on my money," says Bodewes. "[We] 3D printed different prototypes, different shapes, different lengths of canals, sound entries, different filters that we tested," he adds. "The nightlife part is still driving a lot of our sales," Bodewes says. Source: Loop Earplugs

Persons: Maarten Bodewes, Dimitri O, you've, Taylor Swift, They're, ’, ‘, Bodewes, Wired, Loop's earplugs Organizations: CNBC, Microsoft, Saturn, Belgian Locations: Belgian, Brussels, U.S, Europe

☆ She broke up with her boyfriend and moved in with a man she’d known for 3 weeks. Here’s what happened
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +20 min

“As I come into the yard, I get greeted by two beautiful, amazing, fluffy dogs wagging their tails,” recalls Liesbet. “We talked a little bit – and a little bit turned into an hour,” recalls Liesbet. Liesbet Collaert“We went out for drinks,” recalls Liesbet, “Mark was a sailor and took us all out sailing. “I go up to the apartment door and the door was unlocked, which was a little bit odd,” recalls Mark. Liesbet CollaertAbout a month after she’d moved in with Mark, Liesbet flew with him to the East Coast to meet his family.

Persons: Liesbet Collaert, She’d, Karl, Liesbet, Karl’s, Nik, ”, Mark, “ Mark Kilty, “, He’d, –, hadn’t, she’d, he’d, ” Mark, “ Mark, “ Karl, Collaert Karl, – it’d, they’d, Here's, didn’t, you’d, ’, “ I’ll, couldn’t, Here's Liesbet, Liesbet’s, Liesbet Collaert Liesbet, “ You’re, Karl –, ’ ”, they’ve, Mark Kilty, we’ve, She’s, San Francisco – Organizations: CNN, “, CNN Travel, San, ” Locations: San Francisco , California, North America, Australia, Belgium, San Francisco, East Coast, California, Bay, Grenada, Mexico, Martinique, ., Mark’s, East, South America, Costa Rica, Central America, Panama, Texas, Honduras, Austin, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Polynesia, Liesbet, St, Maarten, Tahiti, Cotopaxi, Ecuador

☆ A reporter tried to use Frontier's $1,999 all-you-can-fly pass. It wasn't easy.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The subscription offers unlimited travel throughout Frontier's network, but only if a seat is available. Frontier Airlines' new "all-you-can-fly" GoWild Pass has officially taken off. In June, Wall Street Journal Reporter Dawn Gilbertson used the Colorado-based carrier's new flight subscription, which markets unlimited travel to anywhere in Frontier's network. Moreover, there are several caveats to "unlimited" travel. However, she also realized "unlimited" travel can actually be very limiting.

Persons: isn't, Dawn Gilbertson, Gilbertson, Thomas, St, San Diego, Passholders, Julia Carmel, passholder Jacob Brown Organizations: Frontier Airlines, Wall Street, Delta Air Lines, Walt Disney, Disney, Los Angeles Times, Facebook, LA Times Locations: Colorado, Phoenix, Atlanta, Dominican Republic, Chicago, St, Puerto Rico, Orlando, Maarten, Hartford , Connecticut, Raleigh, San, Newport , Rhode Island, Connecticut

Among methods that produce what is known as green hydrogen are electrolysis to split water into hydrogen and oxygen using power from renewables. The technology for shipping hydrogen is still in early stages of development, said Chevron's vice president of hydrogen Austin Knight. About 30-35% of the total energy system will need hydrogen to decarbonize, he said. NextEra is working with the U.S. Treasury on rules that govern what can be considered green hydrogen, he said. The process is complicated by the variability of renewable power supply from wind and solar, he said.

☆ Google search chief warns AI chatbots can give 'convincing but completely fictitious' answers, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Google's search engine boss said AI chatbots can give "convincing" but "fictitious" answers. Prabhakar Raghavan told Welt am Sonntag it's considering how to integrate Bard with Google search. Prabhakar Raghavan told Welt Am Sonntag on Saturday that they can sometimes give false but convincing answers. However, an ad for Bard showed it giving an inaccurate answer to a question about the James Webb Space Telescope. Maarten Bosma, a former research engineer at Alphabet's AI division Google Brain, tweeted that the presentation showed the company wasn't taking AI seriously enough.

☆ Ex-Google engineer said his former employer isn't taking AI seriously after demoing its new tools in Paris
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Maarten Bosma, an ex-Google Brain engineer, said in a tweet that Alphabet isn't taking AI seriously. Bosma's tweet comes after Google demoed its latest AI tools in Paris, including ChatGPT rival Bard. Some critics called Google's demo "frankly, bad" and a "disaster" amid a growing AI arms race. "I think the Google presentation signaled (rightfully or wrongly) that they are not really taking it seriously," Bosma tweeted. Microsoft' demo "was presented as a revolution," while Google's demo was presented as a "disaster," Marcus wrote.

☆ Europe has a lot of work to do before it becomes energy independent, Cepsa CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailEurope has a lot of work to do before it becomes energy independent, Cepsa CEO saysMaarten Wetselaar, CEO of Cepsa, says the region "wants to become energy independent by producing a lot of green energy," adding that "energy security and energy transition go together."

☆ I'm a cruise ship officer. I love my job, but it's not the constant vacation that people assume.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

I've worked in the oil field, on research vessels, and on small boats, but working on a cruise ship is the most difficult job I've ever had. Working on a cruise ship has also allowed me to meet people that I would have never met otherwise. Cruise ship officers are divided into three different "watch groups" that are assigned two shifts that are four hours long. I'm in charge of the safety of thousands of passengersThe view from the cruise ship of St. Maarten (left)/ Inside the cruise mooring station (right). On the ship, you're always constantly on task and then you come home and you've got nothing to do.

New York CNN —After years of legal battles, pontificating and theorizing, former President Donald Trump’s tax returns from 2015 to 2020 are now part of the public record. However, Trump’s tax returns raise numerous questions about the former president’s finances, his business activities, foreign ties and his charitable donations, among other issues. The tax returns do not show what the bank account was used for or how much money passed through it or to whom. The tax returns don’t say how much he lent them or why he gave them loans in the first place. Since 1977, the Internal Revenue Service has had a policy of auditing every president’s personal tax returns while they are in office.

☆ Dutch leader apologizes for Netherlands’ role in the slave trade, establishes fund to grapple with slavery's legacy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte apologized Monday on behalf of his government for the Netherlands’ role in slavery and the slave trade, in a speech welcomed by activists as historic but lacking in concrete plans for repair and reparations. Ahead of the speech, Waldo Koendjbiharie, a retiree who was born in Suriname but lived for years in the Netherlands, said an apology was not enough. And on how this history still plays a negative role in the lives of many today,” the government says. The Dutch first became involved in the trans-Atlantic slave trade in the late 1500s and became a major trader in the mid-1600s. Eventually, the Dutch West India Company became the largest trans-Atlantic slave trader, said Karwan Fatah-Black, an expert in Dutch colonial history and an assistant professor at Leiden University.

☆ Netherlands PM Rutte apologises for role of Dutch state in slavery
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Tosterling Ank Kuipers | Ank Kuipers | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/8] Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte responds to recommendations from a panel of experts to accept the role of the Netherlands in the history of slavery and its current consequences in The Hague, Netherlands December 19, 2022. "Today I apologise," Rutte said in a nationally televised speech at the Dutch National Archives. "For centuries the Dutch state and its representatives have enabled and stimulated slavery and have profited from it," he added. "It is true that nobody alive today bears any personal guilt for slavery...(however) the Dutch state bears responsibility for the immense suffering that has been done to those that were enslaved and their descendants." The panel said that Dutch participation in slavery had amounted to crimes against humanity and in 2021 recommended an apology and reparations.

Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss, the longtime DJ on Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show, has died, according to his wife. Boss was pronounced dead just before 11:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday in Encino, the medical examiner said. Stephen 'tWitch' Boss in 2018. Holker Boss said her husband valued family, friends and community, adding that "leading with love and light was everything to him." Ellen DeGeneres said she was left “heartbroken” by news of Boss’ death, calling him "pure love and light."

☆ How streetwear brand Unless Collective aims to accomplish what brands like Nike and Adidas haven't — fully sustainable sneakers and apparel
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Unless Collective T-shirts Courtesy Unless CollectiveNo "forever materials"While companies like Adidas and Nike have pledged to use more recycled polyester this decade, Liedtke said Unless Collective doesn't use any polyester in its products. At end-of-life, a tag sewn inside each Unless Collective product gives directions on how to return it. The company's working with an industrial composter in California that can make "nutrient rich soil" out of the company's old hoodies and T-shirts. Like other plant-based apparel companies, Unless Collective has had to completely rethink its supply chain. Instead of relying on factories in Asia, Unless Collective manufactures its jackets in Portugal, T-shirts in the Carolinas in the US, and hoodies in Los Angeles.

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Beyond the headlines from the annual U.N. climate conference, progress in advancing the global climate agenda relies on the behind-the-scenes efforts of technocrats over years. Offsets allow countries or companies to pay others to cut greenhouse gas emissions to make up for their own. But discussions on how to curb those emissions are relatively new within U.N. climate negotiations. The work also deals with food security and the economic impacts of global warming. As the initial mandate expired, countries at COP27 authorised the KJWA work to continue for another four years.

☆ Historic compensation fund approved at U.N. climate talks
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The decision establishes a fund for what negotiators call loss and damage. Early Sunday morning, delegates approved the compensation fund but had not dealt with the contentious issues of an overall temperature goal, emissions cutting and the desire to target all fossil fuels for phase down. This year’s talks “were very focused on the fund and less on the mitigation (cutting emissions) part,” Eide added. However, that fight was overshadowed by the historic compensation fund. But like all climate financials, it is one thing to create a fund, it’s another to get money flowing in and out, she said.

Amid resistance from France, Spain and Italy had previously broached the idea of building an underwater pipeline between the two countries. Iberdrola, which is building Europe's largest green hydrogen plant in Puertollano in central Spain, declined to comment on the pipeline announcement. Cepsa CEO Maarten Wetselsaar told Reuters the agreement put Spain at the heart of Europe's plan to diversify away from Russian energy. As for natural gas, Spain has six terminals allowing it to bring in liquefied natural gas and convert it into its gaseous form, and three storage facilities, while Portugal has one. The United States and Nigeria are among key suppliers of LNG to Spain, which also receives piped gas from Algeria.

☆ Bitcoin is failing to rally with stocks as $940 million in bitcoin is pulled from exchange favored by institutions
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

But an uncertain regulatory environment continues to prove a headwind for bitcoin. On Tuesday some 48,000 bitcoins moved off Coinbase Pro, a favored exchange among institutional investors, according to data provider CryptoQuant. The outflow was the biggest among crypto exchanges since crypto's big crash in June of this year and the second-largest of all time. Exchange outflows suggest investors are withdrawing their crypto from exchanges and shifting from selling mode to accumulating mode. He also said the transactions were likely done in over-the-counter trading desks, and therefore might not affect the price of bitcoin.

☆ Cepsa CEO: EU has a genuine energy crisis likely to last 'a couple of years'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailCepsa CEO: EU has a genuine energy crisis likely to last 'a couple of years'Maarten Wetselaar, CEO at Cepsa, discusses the EU energy crisis and the firm's plans for a green hydrogen corridor linking Spain with the Netherlands.

☆ Adidas' former brand president says streetwear needs a 'Tesla-like moment' to move the industry beyond plastics. His startup now aims to accomplish what brands like Nike haven't.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Liedtke recently cofounded Unless Collective, which makes plant-based streetwear. At end-of-life, a tag sewn inside each Unless Collective product gives directions on how to return it. The company's working with an industrial composter in California that can make "nutrient rich soil" out of the company's old hoodies and T-shirts. Instead of relying on factories in Asia, Unless Collective manufactures its jackets in Portugal, T-shirts in the Carolinas in the US, and hoodies in Los Angeles. In some cases Unless Collective is working to get a "minimum viable product" on the market in order to keep the company moving forward.

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