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☆ A former Air Force pilot who now flies private jets shares what her job is like — it's not as glamorous as people may think
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Jordi Lippe-Mcgraw | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Laura Schmutzer was in the Air Force and worked as a commercial pilot before moving to private jets. But as a private-jet pilot, Laura Schmutzer can attest there's more to it than people might expect. Commercial pilots must live close to or commute to major aviation hubs. Schmutzer said that between her private flights she can sneak in adventures like snorkeling. Laura SchmutzerLast-minute adventures between flights are possibleWhile being a private-jet pilot isn't always glamorous, there's sometimes time for spontaneous adventures.

☆ A JetBlue flight to Fort Lauderdale landed in the Bahamas after the Florida airport closed due to extreme flooding
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Bianca Giacobone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A JetBlue flight from Newark, New Jersey to Fort Lauderdale, Florida was diverted to the Bahamas on April 12. After three hours in Nassau, the plane went back to Newark, some nine hours after it first left the airport. Fort Lauderdale airport had shut down because of heavy rain and flooding. JetBlue flight 205 connecting Newark with Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport was diverted to Nassau Lynden Pindling International Airport on April 12 due to the Florida airport's closure. JetBlue flight 205 was canceled on Thursday but operated normally on Friday.

☆ This leaked Fyre Festival pitch deck shows how Billy McFarland was able to secure millions for the most overhyped festival in history
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Mark Abadi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A leaked sales deck for 2017's Fyre Festival contains the pitch CEO Billy McFarland gave investors ahead of the failed event. The sales deck contains misleading information about Fyre Festival and has been described as "beyond parody." Fyre Festival was advertised an upscale music festival in the Bahamas, complete with luxury beach villas, gourmet food, private jets, and supermodels and influencers galore. The pitch deck was first reported on in 2017 by Vanity Fair's Nick Bilton — who uploaded the full deck online — and recirculated on LinkedIn. Read on to see some of the most shocking, outlandish, and surreal slides from the Fyre Festival pitch deck.

☆ Billy McFarland, a year out of prison, says Fyre Festival II is 'finally happening'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Billy McFarland, creator of the failed Fyre Festival, teased a possible resurgence of the event. In a tweet Sunday, McFarland asked Twitter users why they should be invited to "Fyre Festival II." "Fyre Festival II is finally happening," McFarland said in a tweet on Sunday. McFarland hasn't revealed any further details about a potential follow-up to Fyre Festival, and didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for additional comment ahead of publication. It can't be tomorrow, it can't be in four months, but there's going to be PYRT fest," McFarland told the "Full Send" podcast hosts.

☆ King Charles backs research into monarchy's slave links
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Michael Holden | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Britain's King Charles III arrives on a boat for a trip at the port in Hamburg, Germany, Friday, March 31, 2023. Matthias Schrader/Pool via REUTERSLONDON, April 6 (Reuters) - King Charles has given his support to research that will examine the British monarchy's links to slavery, Buckingham Palace said on Thursday, after a newspaper report said a document showed a historical connection with a transatlantic slave trader. The issue of the British Empire's slavery links and calls for possible reparations from the monarchy has been growing in the Caribbean where Charles remains head of state of a number of countries including Jamaica and the Bahamas. That process had continued with "vigour and determination" since Charles succeeded his mother on the throne last September, it said. "Given the complexities of the issues it is important to explore them as thoroughly as possible," the Palace statement said.

☆ We're paying $1 million to live on a cruise ship and sail around the world while we keep managing our property empire
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Amanda Williams and her boyfriend are spending $1 million to live permanently on a cruise ship. Insider has verified her income and her place on the cruise ship with documentation. So instead, we decided to buy an apartment with a 12-year lease for $1 million on the Storylines' MV Narrative that launches in 2025. Picking living on a cruise ship over a yachtIt was a lot of work taking care of our friend's boat. They're in 23 countries so I'm planning to build out my business when I visit them on the cruise ship.

☆ Margaritaville's cruise company just unveiled a $900 pass for nearly unlimited cruises through the end of the year
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Brittany Chang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Margaritaville at Sea announced a $900 cruise pass that allows travelers to sail on the majority of its 2023 cruises. Margaritaville launched its cruise brand in 2022 with its Margaritaville at Sea Paradise vessel. The cruise line is currently operating nonstop two-night sailings from Florida's Port of Palm Beach to the Bahama's Freeport, Grand Bahama island. But if there's nowhere you'd rather be than on a Margaritaville cruise ship, you could potentially save hundreds of dollars with its newly announced cruise pass. Before its refresh, the ship was known as the Grand Classica, a 30-year-old flagship vessel owned by budget cruise company Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line.

☆ SBF played 'League of Legends' so much he was gaming during pitch meetings. Now his lawyers say there'll be no more online games for the crypto king.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

He's said to have played it at a pitch meeting, and says he's been gaming while under house arrest. The conditions also say Bankman-Fried will be prohibited from accessing any video games or gaming hardware that "permit chat or voice communication." Bankman-Fried, who was arrested in the Bahamas in December, previously touted his penchant for the online game "League of Legends." "I'm (in)famous for playing League of Legends while on calls," Bankman-Fried tweeted. But Bankman-Fried isn't very good at playing "League of Legends," according to billionaire Elon Musk and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

NEW YORK, March 28 (Reuters) - Lawyers for Sam Bankman-Fried said they reached an agreement with U.S. prosecutors on Monday on revised bail conditions, after a judge raised the prospect of sending the indicted FTX cryptocurrency exchange founder to jail pending trial. The laptop will have monitoring software to track user activity and Bankman-Fried won't have administrative access to prevent tampering with the restrictions. In Monday's letter, Bankman-Fried's parents agreed to restrict his access to their devices, while also signing sworn affidavits to not bring prohibited electronic devices into their home. If there's reasonable suspicion of a violation, Bankman-Fried must submit his devices for a search, the letter added. But in January, federal prosecutors in Manhattan said Bankman-Fried attempted to contact current executives at now-bankrupt FTX.

☆ Goldman Sachs scraps plan to buy a third corporate jet amid scrutiny of CEO's plane use and cost-cutting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Dakin Campbell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Goldman Sachs had an option to buy a third Gulfstream when it bought two in 2019. Goldman Sachs has decided to scrap a plan to buy a third corporate jet for the company's use, a move that follows scrutiny of the CEO's plane use and a companywide plan to review expenses. The decision means that the company won't exercise an option it received in 2019, when it purchased two other Gulfstream jets: a G280 and a G650ER. Goldman also received an option to purchase a third jet, according to people briefed on the arrangement. Both of Goldman's planes feature simple paint jobs of thin blue and gray stripes running from nose to tail.

☆ US prosecutors charge crypto Terra founder Do Kwon with fraud following his Montenegro arrest
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Zinya Salfiti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

US fraud prosecutors charged Terraform Labs CEO Do Kwon hours after his arrest in Montenegro. Kwon created two cryptocurrencies TerraUSD and its sister affiliate Luna that lost $40B last year. Prosecutors at the US attorney's office in New York have slapped an eight-count indictment against Kwon, including securities fraud, wire fraud, commodities fraud and conspiracy, according to a Reuters report. The criminal case comes after the US Securities and Exchange Commission charged Kwon and Terraform Labs with alleged fraud last month. The collapse of his Singapore-based Terraform Labs and that of the TerraUSD stablecoin sparked a broader crypto sell-off and wreaked havoc in the digital asset sector.

☆ FTX reaches deal to recover over $400 mln from hedge fund Modulo
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Dietrich Knauth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 22 (Reuters) - Bankrupt crypto exchange FTX has reached a deal to recover more than $400 million in cash from hedge fund Modulo Capital, pulling back 97% of the money that FTX companies sent to the hedge fund in 2022, according to court documents filed on Wednesday. FTX's new CEO, John Ray, has said his top priority was recovering assets to repay FTX customers. Alameda, at the direction of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, had paid $25 million to acquire a stake in Modulo and contributed $450 million to an investment fund managed by Modulo, according to the filings. FTX also agreed to not take further actions against Modulo or its principals Xiaoyun Zhang and Duncan Rheingans-Yoo related to the 2022 payments, according to the filings. FTX has previously recovered more than $5 billion in its quest to repay customers of the bankrupt crypto exchange.

Companies FTX Trading Limited FollowMarch 20 (Reuters) - Bankrupt crypto exchange FTX on Sunday sued the liquidators overseeing the wind-down of its Bahamian affiliate FTX Digital Markets, accusing them of wrongly claiming ownership of the exchange's assets. FTX called FTX DM a "fraudulent enterprise", initially set up only to be a "local service company", which did not own the FTX.com exchange or any of the cryptocurrency seized. FTX has been at odds with Bahamian officials ever since filing for bankruptcy protection on Nov. 11. The Securities Commission of the Bahamas began liquidation proceedings against FTX DM a day before the U.S. bankruptcy filing of FTX Trading and more than 100 affiliates, and the two sides have sparred over ownership of FTX assets and access to company data. FTX reported this month that Bankman-Fried took $2.2 billion in funds from the company during a period when the crypto exchange lost $8 billion of customer money.

☆ I went to Royal Caribbean's $250 million private island in the Bahamas and was shocked by how much I loved it
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Brittany Chang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

And for that reason, I understand why the cruise line has seen high demand for this slice of Royal Caribbean paradise at sea. This was one of the most leisurely afternoons I had in all of 2022. Brittany Chang/Insider

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried's companies racked up a $400,000 DoorDash bill, documents show, after reportedly giving staff $200 a day to spend on food deliveries
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Court documents filed Wednesday show Sam Bankman-Fried's companies spent over $400,000 with DoorDash. FTX US gave employees $200 of DoorDash food credit every day, the FT previously reported. The documents filed in the Delaware bankruptcy court on Wednesday show bills of a combined $403,765 from the food delivery firm to FTX entities. The food delivery company is still owed $46,239 by Alameda, the documents show. Former employees previously told the Financial Times that FTX US gave employees $200 of DoorDash food credits a day.

☆ FTX transferred $2.2 bln to Bankman-Fried via related entities, new managers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 16 (Reuters) - Bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX made transfers of about $2.2 billion to company founder Sam Bankman-Fried through related entities, the company's new management said. Overall more than $3.2 billion was transferred through payments and loans to company founders and key employees, FTX said in a statement on Wednesday. FTX filed for bankruptcy protection in November, saying it was unable to completely repay customers who had deposited funds on its exchange. FTX's new CEO, John Ray, has said his top priority was recovering assets to repay FTX customers. read moreReporting by Shubhendu Deshmukh in Bengaluru; Editing by Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Top Republicans bash DeSantis for calling Ukraine war a territorial dispute: 'Obviously, he doesn't deal with foreign policy'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ron DeSantis called the Ukraine war a "territorial dispute" and said it's not a "vital" US interest. "Obviously, he doesn't deal with foreign policy every day as governor," said Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. His comments quickly elicited pushback from other Republicans, both for his characterization of the conflict as a "territorial dispute" and for suggesting that defending Ukraine is not a vital national interest. Rubio went on to say that "foreign policy is about nuance" while taking pains not to criticize DeSantis directly. And Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas told POLITICO that he was "disturbed" by DeSantis' statement.

☆ Would $650,000 Buy a House in San Diego? One Couple Tested Their Budget.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Debra Kamin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Mr. Toellner, now 32, met Barton Lynch while both were living in Washington, D.C. Mr. Lynch, now 28, is a corporate communications consultant, and Mr. Toellner was serving as an aide to the secretary of the Navy in the Pentagon. Two years later, the Navy reassigned Mr. Toellner to San Diego, allowing the couple to stay put for the remainder of his military career. Mr. Lynch, who grew up in Lexington, Ky., had never even been there. They knew that in San Diego’s heated housing market, that meant a condo rather than a single-family house. “We would go on Zillow to search houses, put in all our filters, and then be like, ‘Oh, one result!’” Mr. Lynch said.

☆ I make 6 figures as an 'undercover guest' who helps resorts with bad reviews improve their game. Here's what I look for and how I stay incognito.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Annie Sherman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

I check in as a guest to enjoy the property, work incognito to evaluate the service, and create a customized training program for improvement. Courtesy of Stephanie LegerI charge a flat fee per service or day depending on the client's needs. Courtesy of Stephanie LegerLeger changing wigs in the bathroom to stay undercover. Courtesy of Stephanie LegerI stay in a secret persona throughout my visit and remember my story, which changes each time. When I got to my room at one hotel, another guest was in itOnce, I checked in to a hotel and the room was occupied.

☆ Hotel-Branded Residences Thrive During Housing Market Downturn
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Kate King | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A rendering of one of the branded residences at Montage Cay in the Bahamas. Higher mortgage rates and recession fears have upended the high-end housing market, but buyers are still paying up for residences affiliated with luxury hotel brands. Even when there is no hotel attached. Construction of branded residences worldwide has boomed over the past dozen years. The U.S. had 38,900 branded residences across more than 200 developments at the end of last year, a 40% increase from 2010, according to real-estate firm Savills PLC.

☆ I'm a cruise director for Holland America. Our crew lives in its own little world that passengers don't see.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Brooke Morton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

As cruise director, Wells often hosts the evening entertainment. I was quickly connected with Holland America, who flew me out to audition for a cruise director role in April 2020. Now, as of 2022, I'm the cruise director for Holland America, working aboard several ships, including most recently on Zuiderdam. A day in my life as a cruise directorAs the cruise director, I'm the first and last face that any guest sees on any sailing. What most people don't realize is that cruise ship workers don't ever have a day off during their contract.

Bankman-Fried, FTX's founder, pleaded not guilty to eight criminal charges filed against him in December. Bankman-Fried now faces 12 criminal charges after prosecutors unsealed a new indictment against him last week. Singh is the third Bankman-Fried close associate to plead guilty and agree to cooperate with prosecutors. Caroline Ellison, who was Alameda's chief executive, and Gary Wang, who was FTX's chief technology officer, pleaded guilty in December to seven and four criminal charges, respectively. Singh was a close friend of Bankman-Fried's younger brother in high school, Bankman-Fried wrote in a deleted blog post.

Travel insurance weekly rates at a glance:Average premium: $336.52Average trip cost: $6,758.36Average trip length: 15 daysWhat is travel insurance? See Insider's picks for the best travel insurance »Some credit cards offer a limited amount of travel insurance annually. Policy type Average days between purchase to trip Average trip length (days) Average trip cost Average cost of travel insurance Cancellation 53 13 $6,758.36 $403.47 Non-cancellation 16 19 N/A $91.33Source: SquareMouthWhen is the best time to travel? When calculating your travel insurance premium, travel insurance providers consider the likelihood of a medical emergency. Travel Insurance Rates FAQsHow much does travel insurance cost?

☆ I asked ChatGPT to help me plan a vacation. Here’s what happened next
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | Chris Dwyer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

So the idea that artificial intelligence chatbots, such as ChatGPT and Bing, can research travel destinations and create itineraries is intriguing. I went to the developer's website, clicked on the word "ChatGPT," registered for an account — and started chatting. "All of the places I recommended have great online reviews," ChatGPT replied, providing ratings from Tripadvisor, Booking.com and Google for each hotel. But ChatGPT couldn't show photographs of the hotels or help book them — although it did provide ample instructions on how to do both. Every city I asked ChatGPT about resulted in the bot praising the local food scene.

☆ DoJ moves to seize 6 luxury properties in New York, the Hamptons, and Florida worth $75 million from sanctioned Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Department of Justice has moved to seize six luxury properties owned by a sanctioned oligarch. Viktor Vekselberg's homes in New York, the Hamptons, and Florida, are worth $75 million. Vekselberg bought the homes via shell companies in Panama and The Bahamas, prosecutors alleged. Court documents show Vekselberg purchased the properties using two shell companies based in Panama, and The Bahamas. Prosecutors say Vekselberg attempted to sell two properties without informing the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

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