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☆ Travel chaos as severe weather cancels flights at Iceland’s Keflavík Airport, leaving Americans among those stranded
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Matthew Mulligan | Matthew Mulligan Is A Reporter For Nbc News' Social Newsgathering Team Based In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Heavy snowfall and strong winds have imposed restrictions on operations at Iceland’s Keflavik Airport since the weekend, with a notice on the country’s airport authority Isavia’s website warning passengers of delays due to the weather. The Icelandic Meteorological Office issued a weather warning for the entire country, forecasting poor visibility and dangerous driving conditions. One Icelandic member of parliament tweeted that the country’s branch of the Red Cross had set up shelters for stranded travelers. "Where I feel they failed in their duty was to provide guidance and announcements to those stranded," said Jolene Christensen of Richmond, Virginia. Despite the ordeal, Becky hasn’t let the days of disruption at the end of her first trip abroad deter her.

☆ The Asian nation where 35% of people say they’ll 'never travel' again
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Yet, no country came close to the travel reluctance shown in Japan, where some 35% of respondents said they don't intend to travel again. The survey asked about "any leisure travel" and did not differentiate between domestic or international travel plans, said Lindsey Roeschke, a travel and hospitality analyst at Morning Consult. The number of people who say they'll "never travel" again is nearly six times greater in Japan (35%) than in Germany (6%), according to Morning Consult's "The State of Travel & Hospitality" report. We expect to see a return to the pre-2020 demand for international travel sooner rather than later. The British artist known as Miles Takes told CNBC Travel that "international travel still seems a while away" for him.

☆ How to create some financial freedom to do what matters most to you
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Maybe you want to step out of the workforce for a few years to be home with your kids. “For a lot of people [saving to buy] a first house is a catalyst for getting their whole financial life in order. Setting up your finances to support that goal can transform saving and investing from fulfilling an obligation to creating a financial freedom fund for yourself. Are you making smart decisions to deploy that capital across your financial opportunities?” Benz said. Or do you get satisfaction from cleaning and saving money?

☆ Fighting with someone at home can make you more helpful at work, new study suggests
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Aditi Shrikant | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

In one study of 226 people, employees were asked to recall a recent civil or uncivil interaction. Those who recalled an uncivil one were more depleted or in a worse mood than those who recalled civil ones. Those whose partners started a fight with them that morning reported both being in a bad mood at work and helping others more. This isn't all that surprising, says Brandon Smith, a career coach and founder of The Workplace Therapist. Brandon Smith The Workplace Therapist

☆ Australia FA pledges to "weed out" trouble-makers after violent pitch invasion
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MELBOURNE, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Football Australia (FA) has launched an investigation into the violent pitch invasion that left a player injured during the abandoned A-League derby between Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City. The pitch invasion shocked Australian soccer, with Socceroos goalkeeper Danny Vukovic, who plays for A-League side Central Coast Mariners, describing it as the "darkest day for football in Australia". Melbourne Victory managing director Caroline Carnegie said the club would assist a police investigation into the incident and apologised to Glover, King and the camera operator. "There’s no place at our club, no place in the game, no place in the league for that sort of behaviour." The pitch invasion occurred amid a fan backlash against the A-League's decision to sell its men's and women's title-deciding Grand Final matches to Sydney until 2025.

In this guide, we'll give you a crash course on how to quickly earn credit card rewards and book free travel. If everyone in the world expertly utilized credit card rewards to travel for free, there wouldn't be such amazing travel opportunities out there. Identify your travel goalsBefore you begin collecting credit card rewards, you should first identify your travel goals. Recommended credit card strategies for beginnersThe best practice for anyone new to credit card rewards is to invest in flexible points. You'll need: An annual fee-incurring Hilton credit card One of the greatest deals in credit card rewards is the free night certificate that comes with select American Express Hilton credit cards.

☆ 14 Best Gifts for Dog Lovers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +10 min

Browse the ideas below, and take a look at our roundups of expert-approved products to keep your pet calm and the best gifts for cat lovers too. For the bakerThe Dash Dog Treat Maker—a small waffle iron with bone-shaped plates—lets your pal whip up homemade dog treats. Dockx eased her golden retriever’s separation anxiety while she was at work with a Snuggle Puppy, a plush toy with a battery-powered heartbeat. To brush up on dog speak, DeWillems recommends “Doggie Language: A Dog Lover’s Guide to Understanding Your Best Friend,” which decodes canine body language through illustrations that highlight subtle nuances in their mannerisms. For the devoted dog dadDog Dad Hats Custom Dog Dad Hats $69 at Dog Dad HatsAny proud parent will dig a Dog Dad Hat, with a custom embroidered illustration of their pet’s portrait.

☆ How to manage cash and stay out of debt running a business in a recession
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Eric Rosenbaum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The difference now for all business owners is the need to be mindful of what customers can afford going forward. She has some advice for business owners on how to stay out of bad debt, make the right investments, and keep sales flowing even through a recession. Rethink contractors and extra cashIf business owners stay on top of their financials and avoid the bad debt decisions, they may be fortunate enough to end up with extra cash. She said one of the biggest challenges business owners face is waiting too long to pay themselves. Each month, each quarter, business owners should be considering changes.

☆ Survived the tech layoffs? Congrats, but you're not out of the woods yet.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Tech workers who survived layoffs this year will likely face tougher performance reviews next year. From Meta to Salesforce, tech firms across the board are looking to tighten their belts further in 2023 using a tactic unpopular with workers: stack ranking. Buckley noted that scenarios like this make it easier for companies to offer increasingly vague notions of what counts as low performance. Last week, Insider reported that the number of people finding themselves in the lowest-performance categories come annual performance reviews in January will roughly double. Buckley said those who remain will likely have to meet higher expectations — Salesforce teams, for example, have been given higher sales targets.

☆ Photos show squalid conditions at the Bahamas prison where Sam Bankman-Fried will spend his holidays
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The former FTX CEO will spend the next two months at Fox Hill, the Bahamas' only prison. The Fox Hill correctional center, located in Nassau, is known for its harsh conditions and overcrowding, according to human rights reports. A 2021 human rights report on the Bahamas by the US State Department offered further insight into the squalid conditions at the center. The Fox Hill correctional center, located in Nassau, is known for its harsh conditions and overcrowding, according to human rights reports. ReutersInmates have also said they were subjected to poor nutrition while at Fox Hill, sometimes facing long delays in between meals.

☆ The Bahamian prison where Sam Bankman-Fried is headed is notorious for its harsh conditions, with one report detailing inmates removing human waste by bucket and living with rat infestations
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Fox Hill is known to be overcrowded and have unsanitary conditions, per human rights reports. The sheer number of Bahamian prisoners means Fox Hill is overpopulated, and conditions at the facility suffer as a result. Fox Hill has several different housing facilities, including a female block and sections with varying levels of security. A 2021 human rights report on the Bahamas by the US State Department revealed even more about Fox Hill. Prisoners also said they have been denied prompt medical care, as well as access to psychological care while at Fox Hill.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried tried to use his vegan diet to get released from jail after he was arrested in the Bahamas: reports
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Bahamian judge denied FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried's request to be let out on bail. Bankman-Fried's lawyer argued that he should be released because of his vegan diet and reliance on several medications. His lawyers said Bankman-Fried needed to keep to his vegan diet and had to take a number of medications, including Adderall and Zyrtec, according to reports. Bankman-Fried's lawyer, Jerome Roberts, said the FTX founder is not a flight risk because he owns real estate in the Bahamas, CoinDesk reported. A phone number listed for Bankman-Fried's lawyer in the Bahamas went to voicemail.

The proposals have alarmed voting rights activists and state Democrats, who tried and failed last year to block a GOP-backed overhaul of election laws — a priority of Gov. The 62 voting rights-related bills Texas lawmakers have already prefiled represent nearly all prefiled voting rights legislation across the country, according to a review of prefiled bills by Voting Rights Lab and NBC News. An election police forceRepublican-authored Texas bills, such as HB 549 and SB 220, propose creating a system of state “election marshals,” who would investigate allegations of violations of election and voting laws, and file criminal charges when warranted. Harsher penaltiesLegislation such as HB 39, HB 52, HB 222, HB 397 and SB 166 aims to raise the penalty for election and voting rights crimes to a felony from a misdemeanor. “All my bill does is restore the felony punishment for illegal voting,” Texas Rep. David Spiller, the author of HB 52, said in an interview.

☆ Outgoing LA Mayor Eric Garcetti on why his stalled ambassador nomination was a ‘gift’
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Maeve Reston | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Reston: So, the other half of the equation – as you talked about – is not under your control as the mayor, and that’s the mental health space. Garcetti: This country is experiencing a mental health crisis and addiction crisis. There are not enough professionals who can treat mental health afflictions, and we have no right to mental health care in this country. … Treating trauma and mental health issues is the biggest gap in the American health care system by far. Garcetti: I was working on a musical a long time ago that I thought would be really interesting in LA.

☆ ‘The Whale’ Review: Brendan Fraser for Best Actor? Fat Chance
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Kyle Smith | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

If any movie released this season can be counted upon to reduce your pizza consumption, it’s “The Whale,” in which the title figure is an unfortunate 600-pound writing instructor brought to the edge of death by his own eating habits. He consumes candy by the bag and chicken by the bucket. He is on first-name terms with his pizza-delivery guy. And he’s portrayed by Brendan Fraser , whose triumphant comeback this film is meant to be, in a bid for one of those acting Oscars that really should go to the makeup and prosthetics department. Lots of screen time is spent on voyeuristic fascination with how Charlie manages; he has a handle over his bed to allow him to pull up and out of it, and he takes his shirt off so we can see the sores on his back.

☆ I became an Amazon product manager with no tech experience. Here's how my years as a fitness trainer helped me land the gig.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Perri Ormont Blumberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Ridge Carpenter is a physical trainer and product manager for Halo, Amazon's fitness tracker. When he applied for the position, the only detail he knew was that the job related to fitness. Now he gets to incorporate physical training into his new role and work on cool features every day. Eventually, a colleague and mentor referred me for a job as a fitness consultant at Amazon — which led me to my job today as a product manager at Amazon Halo. Now, as a product manager, I make sure the product team knows what to build based on our overall mission and strategy.

☆ Costco reports mixed quarter, but we see positive catalysts on the horizon
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Margins Reported gross margins fell 45 basis points year-over-year, and 21 basis points excluding gas inflation. Core merchandise margins fell 52 basis points on a reported basis, and 31 basis points excluding gas inflation. Ancillary and other businesses' margins increased 23 basis points on a reported basis, and 30 basis points excluding gas inflation. LIFO — last in, first out — margins increased 3 basis points on a reported basis, and 3 basis points excluding gas. Other margins — a catchall bucket — fell 17 basis points on a reported basis and 18 points excluding gas inflation.

☆ So Hot Right Now: 5 Volcano Vacations to Add to Your Bucket List
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Andrew Nelson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

“FIRE OF LOVE,” the Oscar-nominated 2022 documentary about two star-crossed volcanologists, reflects our fascination with the earth’s eruptions. “Working on the film, I visited two volcanoes—Fagradalsfjall on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula, and Anak Krakatau, off the coast of West Java,” said Sara Dosa, director and producer of the National Geographic documentary. “We were awestruck by the molten rivers pouring down the mountainside—a seemingly surreal color of orange.”Elsewhere, Kilauea’s fireworks on the Big Island of Hawaii kicked off 2023 and, on screens, Sicily’s Mt. Etna loomed as a backdrop for the sexual shenanigans in “The White Lotus.”

☆ Creators are getting whiplash from Instagram's unpredictable changes in how they can make money — and some are leaning away from the platform
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Creators said the many changes have left them exhausted, with some leaning away from the platform. Instagram creators are tired. "As we build a suite of creator monetization tools, we're constantly learning and testing remains crucial in understanding what offers the best experience. Whether or not ad-rev share will come to Instagram Reels (as is the case on Facebook), however, has not been announced. Instagram isn't the only social platform making sweeping changes to creator monetization tools, either.

☆ The 13 Best Winter Hats for Women, According to Style Insiders
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

By Leah Melby ClintonNecessary essential or fashion statement, a winter hat is a wardrobe must, period. Below, a breakdown of the four big winter hat trends this year, with the pros’ specific picks that combine warmth and sartorial elan. The perfect wool beanieAcne Studios Appliquéd Ribbed Wool Beanie $170 at Net-A-PorterA knit beanie is a wardrobe staple, and this 100% wool version from Acne was mentioned by multiple style pros. Retro-modern bucket hatA ’90s throwback moment enveloped the fashion industry this year, with the return of the bucket hat. Chic cashmere beanieThis warm all-cashmere style was a constant in Sanford’s wardrobe when she lived in the Northeast.

☆ The SEC is suing real-estate mogul Kent Swig's shady crypto partner for perpetuating a 'pump-and-dump' scheme with a different gold-backed crypto currency
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Alex Nicoll | Daniel Geiger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Now the SEC is suing the CEO of Swig's company for an earlier, separate gold-backed crypto scam. According to the SEC, Braverman was said to be the chief operating officer of one of two companies the regulator targeted in the complaint. When Swig's company announced Digau, cryptocurrencies were on a sugar high, with bitcoin trading above $60,000. Neither Swig nor Dignity Gold would reveal to Business Insider any of the specific site locations where the company plans to mine. To extract the gold, Swig partnered with a mining company called Apache Mill Tailings.

☆ New Alzheimer’s drug shows promise in slowing disease but may contain significant risks, study shows
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

An experimental Alzheimer’s drug modestly slowed the brain disease’s inevitable worsening, researchers reported Tuesday — but it remains unclear how much difference that might make in people’s lives. Now the companies are providing full results of the study of nearly 1,800 people in the earliest stages of the mind-robbing disease. Also, lecanemab recipients were 31% less likely to advance to the next stage of the disease during the study. The trial is important because it shows a drug that attacks a sticky protein called amyloid — considered one of several culprits behind Alzheimer’s — can delay disease progression, said Maria Carrillo, chief science officer for the Alzheimer’s Association. Eisai said Tuesday the deaths can’t be attributed to the Alzheimer’s drug.

☆ Blended travel lets people switch from work to leisure with ease. Here's how hospitality and travel companies are accommodating this experience.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Crowne Plaza Hotels | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

For business travelers, this means combining work with leisure or blended travel. Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts reimagined its hotel spaces, amenities, and service culture to help travelers flex between work and leisure. "Many other hospitality brands put the blend into bleisure, but at Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, we know the future is about flexibility." Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts"It's vital to provide these transitional moments for the new breed of connected traveler," Taggart said. Book your blended travel experience at Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts.

☆ Myanmar detention was ‘hell,’ says freed Japanese filmmaker
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO — A Japanese filmmaker jailed for nearly four months in Myanmar described some of his detention there as “hell” and called on Tokyo to take a tougher stance against human rights abuses in the military-controlled country. A spokesperson for Myanmar’s junta did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The economic adviser, Sean Turnell, also described filthy cells and having to eat out of a bucket while in a Myanmar jail in an interview with The Australian newspaper on Monday. Vicky Bowman, Britain’s ambassador from 2002 to 2006 who heads a group promoting ethical business in Myanmar, had been jailed for immigration violations. “I would hope the Japanese government would take a much stronger stance towards the Myanmar military,” said Kubota, adding that any funds flowing from Japan to Myanmar should be closely scrutinized.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried's Alameda Research owes more than $50,000 to a Bahamas resort inspired by Jimmy Buffett's 'Margaritaville'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( April Joyner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A filing on Monday shows that Alameda Research owes $55,319 to Margaritaville's Bahamas resort. Alameda Research, Sam Bankman-Fried's trading firm, filed for bankruptcy in November alongside FTX. That's not great news for the Margaritaville Beach Resort in Nassau, Bahamas, to which Bankman-Fried's bankrupt trading firm, Alameda Research, owes more than $50,000. Unlike secured creditors, unsecured creditors do not have access to collateral that they can seize when the money they are owed goes unpaid. Alameda Research and Margaritaville have not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.

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