Quantcast
Channel: Business Insider
Viewing all 115285 articles
Browse latest View live

Here's exactly how much Super Bowl tickets have cost for the last 5 years

0
0

Super Bowl

  • Super Bowl tickets command a hefty price tag.
  • Super Bowl 2019 will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday, February 3.
  • One month from game day, the average ticket price was $8,000, according to TicketIQ data.

Super Bowl tickets aren't cheap. Football fans across America shell out thousands of dollars to attend the biggest game of the year. 

Super Bowl LIII will take place on February 3 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, one of the swankiest arenas in the entire NFL, reported Business Insider's Cork Gaines and Meredith Cash.

Fans at the stadium — home to the Atlanta Falcons — enjoy a retractable roof, beautiful lounges, a bar the length of a football field, and stunning views of the city's skyline during games. 

One month from Super Bowl 2019, tickets were listed for an average of $8,000, according to TicketIQ data provided to Business Insider.

In the chart below, you can see how that price compares to previous Super Bowl games. In 2017, when the Patriots played the Falcons in Houston, the average ticket price one month out was over $10,000 — the highest average price in the last five years.

average super bowl ticket prices 2015 2019

"Get-in" prices represent the cheapest available Super Bowl tickets offered for a game. The chart below compares get-in Super Bowl ticket prices for the last five years. The 2017 Super Bowl again commanded the highest prices.

"The Super Bowl secondary ticket market since 2017 has been managed more actively, which means less open market supply, less volatility and more predictable consumer pricing, which is what the league is looking for," TicketIQ founder Jesse Lawrence told Business Insider.

"That new management has also greatly reduced practices like speculative selling," he continued, "which led to the 2015 market squeeze that drive prices up 59% and left many fans without tickets."

Get-in prices for the last two Super Bowls were at their peak about a month from game day, ultimately falling off by up to $2,200 from there.

get in super bowl ticket prices 2015 2019

More people bought Super Bowl tickets a month out from game day this year than any other year since 2015. Check out the chart below for a comparison of how many tickets were sold leading up to the Super Bowl over the last five years. 

super bowl ticket quantities sold 2015 2019

Read all of Business Insider's Super Bowl LIII coverage here.

SEE ALSO: The 4 remaining NFL teams have one thing in common and it may be a sign of where the league is headed

DON'T MISS: Here's the full list of all the Super Bowl commercials we know about

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: What will happen when Earth's north and south poles flip


I flew 7 hours in EgyptAir economy class and it showed me even the most basic flag carrier can be better than most American airlines

0
0

Airport staff walk next to an Egyptair aircraft after it landed on the runway at Cairo Airport, Egypt July 13, 2016.  REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

  • EgyptAir is the flag carrier of Egypt and a member of Star Alliance, operating in 75 cities around the world.
  • While EgyptAir isn't known for winning awards and has a spotty history of accidents, I decided to take a chance on the international flag carrier for a recent long-haul flight from Cairo to Morocco. I wanted to test my theory that any flag carrier is better than most US-owned airlines.
  • EgyptAir can't compete with top flag carriers like Etihad, Emirates, or Singapore Air for luxury, but it was certainly in the same class as second-tier flag carriers like Turkish Airlines or Air Astana. The service was excellent, the food was good, free newspapers were distributed, and the plane was clean and new.

EgyptAir wasn't my first choice of airline.

Usually, when looking for airlines to fly, I'm searching up and down the list of consumer-aviation website Skytrax's list of the world's top airlines and cross-referencing that with the best deals.

These days, that list is dominated by international flag carriers — airlines owned or previously owned by a government — like Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Emirates Airlines, and Cathay Pacific, among others. 

But when I was searching for a flight from Egypt to Morocco this winter, there weren't a lot of good deals to be had. I was due to fly right around Christmas, one of the peak times for visiting Morocco. The pickings were slim. 

One could understand why I was a bit nervous when I punched my ticket for an economy-class ticket on EgyptAir. EgyptAir isn't known for winning tons of awards like other flag carriers. Instead, it's probably better known for the various incidents and accidents it's had over its 86-year history, the most recent being a crash in 2016.

Read more:I flew 16 hours nonstop in economy class on one of United Airlines' busiest international routes. Here's what it was like.

I figured that, at the very least, it would test my hypothesis that just about any international flag carrier is better than the biggest US airlines.  

Now, having flown EgyptAir, while I wouldn't say it was the best airline I've ever flown, it was enjoyable, on-time, comfortable, and with no extra fees. Color me pleasantly surprised.

Here's what I thought of my flight on an Etihad Airways Airbus A320, departing from Abu Dhabi International Airport to Cairo International Airport.

SEE ALSO: I flew 13 hours nonstop on the world's biggest passenger plane, the $446 million Airbus superjumbo jet, and it's about as good as economy can get

DON'T MISS: I flew 16 hours nonstop in economy class on one of United Airlines' busiest international routes. Here's what it was like.

My day with EgyptAir started early with a short flight from Sharm El Sheikh to Cairo. That flight, on a 76-passenger Embraer 170, landed on time. After spending a few hours in the Cairo Airport lounge (Thanks, Priority Pass), I went to my flight.



My flight was on a 737-800, otherwise known as the 737-NextGeneration. Despite the Star Trek-esque name, the plane doesn't look too futuristic. There are 24 recliner seats in Business Class. They looked nice and roomy.



Thankfully, my flight was only about half-full, which meant there was plenty of room in the overhead compartments. I had no trouble getting my backpack up there. I checked my suitcase as EgyptAir gives all economy passengers one free checked bag. Business Class gets two.

Source: EgyptAir



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Most Americans would rather spend the $5 billion Trump is demanding for the border wall on infrastructure, education, or healthcare

0
0

donald trump

  • President Donald Trump pushed the US government into a partial shutdown over his demands for border-wall funding.
  • Representative-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez suggested some alternative uses for Trump's demands for $5.7 billion toward the wall.
  • INSIDER polled people on alternative uses of the $5.7 billion in border wall funding, and most preferred other ideas, including infrastructure improvements, covering a half-million Americans' healthcare expenses, and expanded pre-K education.
  • The only group that supported the wall was conservatives, while border money came in last for moderates and liberals.

As the partial government shutdown drags on into its record-shattering 29th day, President Donald Trump has remained steadfast in his demands that $5 billion for a wall along the US-Mexico border be included in any package to funding and reopening the government.

But according to an INSIDER poll, most Americans would prefer to put the $5 billion Trump is demanding toward other policy goals.

At the start of the government shutdown, Representative-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez lamented House Republicans inclusion of $5.7 billion in border-wall money in their doomed funding package.

"And just like that, GOP discovers $5.7 billion for a wall. $5.7 billion," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. "What if we instead added $5.7B in teacher pay? Or replacing water pipes? Or college tuition/prescription refill subsidies? Or green jobs? But notice how no one’s asking the GOP how they’re paying for it."

Read more:The government shutdown is now in day 29 — here's how long previous government shutdowns have lasted

In response to Ocasio-Cortez's tweet, Washington Post writer Jeff Stein suggested a few alternatives for the $5.7 billion in funding, including funding pre-kindergarten education for every child in the US or covering the healthcare expenses for hundreds of thousands of Americans over the course of the year.

INSIDER polled these alternatives against funding for the wall and found that the wall was not a particularly popular option.

Conducted as a SurveyMonkey Audience poll with 1,025 respondents that ran December 21-22, INSIDER asked respondents, "What is the best use of $5.7 billion in federal funding?" and offered four options:

  • "build a portion of a wall along the US-Mexico border"
  • "fund pre-kindergarten programs for every child in the US for a year"
  • "pay the healthcare expenses for roughly 530,000 Americans for a year"
  • "fund infrastructure improvements"

The figures were based on Stein's estimates for the utility of $5.7 billion in different areas of administration and calculations based on the most healthcare spending data.

Only 19% of respondents thought the wall was the best use of that funding.

The best-polling use of funds was paying healthcare expenses for a half-million people, backed by 36% of respondents.

A further 30% thought infrastructure would most benefit from the funding, while 15% would fund pre-K programs.

Only respondents who identified as conservative thought the wall was an important priority.

  • Of those who identified as moderately or very conservative, about 53% wanted the wall, with 22% preferring infrastructure improvements and 16% preferring healthcare.
  • Of those who only slightly leaned liberal or conservative or didn't identify with either political ideology, they vastly preferred healthcare (39%) and infrastructure (32%), then pre-K (16%) and only then the wall (13%).
  • Of those who identified as moderately or very liberal, only 2% want to fund the wall, with 49% preferring that spending go to healthcare, 34% on infrastructure and 14% on pre-K.

Overall, 24% of respondents identified as very or moderately conservative, 28% very or moderately liberal, and 36% as neither or slightly liberal or conservative.

It illustrates a key divide on the shutdown: According to this survey, only the core supporters who comprise Trump's base want the funding for the wall, while the rest of respondents were uninterested in allocating nearly $6 billion to the border partition.

The finding also seems to match up with a previous INSIDER poll, conducted before the start of the shutdown, that found 60% of those surveyed wouldn't tolerate a shutdown over the wall. Other pollsters found similar results.

SurveyMonkey Audience polls from a national sample balanced by census data of age and gender. Respondents are incentivized to complete surveys through charitable contributions. Generally speaking, digital polling tends to skew toward people with access to the internet. SurveyMonkey Audience doesn't try to weight its sample based on race or income. Total 1,025 completed respondents December 21-22, margin of error plus or minus 3.12 percentage points with 95% confidence level.

SEE ALSO: From airport lines to food inspections, here are all the ways the government shutdown is impacting the lives of average Americans

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Meet the woman behind Trump's $20 million merch empire

The government shutdown is now the longest on record and the fight between Trump and Democrats is only getting uglier. Here's everything you missed.

0
0

nancy pelosi donald trump

  • The government shutdown is now in day 29, setting the record for the longest shutdown in the modern era.
  • There appears to be no end in sight as President Donald Trump and Democrats dig in on their border wall stances.
  • As the shutdown drags on, more federal workers and agencies become affected.
  • Here's your rundown on how the government ended up in a shutdown and where we go from here.

President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats seem to be dug in over the government shutdown, and after 22 days without a funding bill, there's no end in sight.

At the heart of the dispute is Trump's demand for just over $5 billion toward a long-promised wall along the US-Mexico border. Democrats insist they will allocate no money toward a wall.

As of Saturday the shutdown is also now the longest of the modern era, breaking the record set by the the 1995-1996 shutdown.

Read more:Here's a history of all the previous shutdowns in the modern era»

The shutdown only affects part of the federal government, as seven of the 12 bills that fund the government were passed in September. But a large number of departments are shuttered, including agriculture, commerce, justice, homeland security, the interior, state, transportation, and housing and urban development.

The problems caused by the shutdown are wide-ranging, from waste piling up in national parks to uncertainty for 800,000 federal workers about when their next paycheck will come. And as the shutdown drags on, the problems caused by the shutdown are expected to keep getting worse.

Read more:Here's what happens to Social Security and disability benefits during a government shutdown»

With all that in mind, here's a rundown of just how we got here:

The pre-shutdown fight

  • December 6: Congress passes a short-term funding bill to delay the shutdown until after the date of President George H.W. Bush's funeral.
  • December 11: Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer meet with President Donald Trump to discuss the funding deadline. Trump demands $5 billion in border-wall funding, Democrats counter with an offer of $1.6 billion in general border-security funding. Trump rejects the idea and offers to take the blame for the shutdown. The president says he would be "proud" to shut down the government.
  • December 19: The Senate passes a clean short-term funding bill, called a continuing resolution (CR), that does not include border-wall funding but will keep the government open until February 8. Trump supported the bill at the time, Senate GOP leaders said.
  • December 20: Trump flip-flops on the clean CR after listening to attacks from conservative TV pundits and the hardline House Freedom Caucus, and he announces that he will not sign a bill with no wall funding. House Republicans then pass a CR that includes $5.7 billion in wall funds.

Shutdown kicks in and the Christmas break

  • December 21: Trump demands the Senate vote for the House version of the CR and tells Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to get rid of the legislative filibuster in order to pass the vote with only GOP lawmakers, but the idea is a nonstarter. The Senate votes down the House version of the bill, and the government moves closer to a shutdown at the midnight deadline.
  • December 22: McConnell announces in the afternoon that lawmakers have not reached a deal, and adjourns the Senate until December 27. Senior Trump administration officials also suggested to reporters that the White House would not back down on the wall, indicating that only Senate Democrats could end the shutdown by caving on the funding.
  • January 1: After a relatively quiet Christmas break, Trump suggests Nancy Pelosi should make a deal. "Border Security and the Wall "thing" and Shutdown is not where Nancy Pelosi wanted to start her tenure as Speaker! Let's make a deal?" Trump tweets.

Democrats take control and the shutdown gets real

  • January 2: Congressional leaders from both parties meet with Trump at the White House, it is the first face-to-face meeting in three weeks. The president enlists Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen to make the case for the border wall. Following the meeting, Democratic leaders reiterate that no money will be allocated for the wall.
  • January 3: Democrats take over control of the House and Pelosi is elected Speaker. Later in the night, the new Democratic majority passes two bills which would both fund the government that do not include funding for the border wall. The bills even earned a handful of GOP votes. Despite the bills being nearly identical to the measures passed by the Senate before the holiday break, Republican Senate leaders reject the idea of taking up the bills.
  • January 4: Congressional leaders meet with Trump at the White House, where the president told Democrats that the shutdown could last for "months or even years" if no border wall money was allocated. Democrats suggested that Trump allow the government to reopen and then fight over the wall.

Shutdown nears history

  • January 5: Representatives from the White House meet with representatives from Schumer and Pelosi's offices, according to reports the talks go poorly. Trump also floats the idea of declaring a national emergency to secure the funds for the wall.
  • January 6: Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney tells NBC's "Meet the Press" that talks between the Trump administration and Democrats were difficult. "I think this is going to drag on a lot longer," Mulvaney said.
  • January 8:Trump addresses the nation from the Oval Office, giving a speech that is carried by all the major networks in primetime. The president largely sticks to previous talking points regarding the situation at the border and does not declare a national emergency. Schumer and Pelosi offer a rebuttal, also sticking to previous talking points.
  • January 9: A White House meeting between congressional leaders and Trump ends abruptly. Schumer claims that Trump "sort of slammed the table" and left the room when Pelosi again rejected border wall funding. Republican leaders dismiss the idea that Trump slammed the table and tell reporters Trump even "passed out candy" to the participants. 
  • January 10:Trump travels to McAllen, Texas to tour the border and meet with local officials. The president once again ignites speculation that he will declare a national emergency to get money for the wall. Pelosi says Trump doesn't really want a wall, just a fight over it because "he loves the distraction that this is from his other problems."
  • January 11: The shutdown ties the record for the longest shutdown of the modern era.
  • January 12: The shutdown sets the record for longest of the modern era as Trump lashes out at Democrats via Twitter. "Democrats should come back to Washington and work to end the Shutdown, while at the same time ending the horrible humanitarian crisis at our Southern Border," the president tweets. "I am in the White House waiting for you!"

Digging in and State of the Union fight

  • January 15: House Democrats continue to offer bills to reopen the government that are guaranteed to fail in the Senate as moderate members of both sides try and find a path to an agreement. Despite the smattering of talks among rank-and-file members, Trump and Democrat leaders keep their distance.
  • January 16: Pelosi sends a letter to Trump suggesting the president postpone the State of the Union address, scheduled for January 29, until after the shutdown is over or submit the speech in writing due to security concerns. The Department of Homeland Security responds with a statement saying that the department can provide the needed security.
  • January 17: In response to Pelosi's State of the Union letter, Trump sends a letter to the Speaker pulling security funds and military plane access for a previously secret congressional delegation trip to Brussels and Afghanistan. Democrats blast the move.
  • January 19: Trump plans to make a "major announcement" about the shutdown and border situations. According to reports, Trump will offer Democrats a limited extension of protections for people living in the US under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration program in exchange for $5.7 billion towards a wall.

SEE ALSO: From airport lines to food inspections, here are all the ways the government shutdown is impacting the lives of average Americans

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: MSNBC host Chris Hayes thinks President Trump's stance on China is 'not at all crazy'

These photos reveal why the 27-year-old organizer of the disastrous Fyre Festival has been sentenced to 6 years in prison

0
0

Fyre

  • Two hotly anticipated TV shows documenting the wild Fyre Festival saga begin streaming this week. Hulu's version debuted on Monday, while Netflix's followed just a few days later. 
  • Billy McFarland, the organizer of the festival, was sentenced to six years in prison in October and ordered to forfeit $26 million.
  • McFarland pleaded guilty in March 2018 to wire-fraud charges in relation to Fyre Festival, which became infamous after hundreds of attendees were left stranded in the Bahamas last year.
  • In June 2018, McFarland was arrested again on charges of selling fake tickets through a different company, called NYC VIP Access, starting in late 2017. He pleaded guilty to those charges in July.
  • Here's a look back at what happened at Fyre Festival.

After much anticipation, two documentaries that give a behind-the-scenes look into 2017's hellish Fyre Festival will finally air on our screens.

Hulu's version launched on Monday, and Netflix's followed just a few days later. 

Billy McFarland, the 27-year-old founder of the company behind the festival, was sentenced to six years in prison in October and faces a $26 million forfeiture order. He is featured in an exclusive interview in the Hulu documentary.

Read more: Fyre Festival founder sentenced to 6 years in prison after pleading guilty to defrauding investors out of millions of dollars in various ticketing schemes

Fyre Festival, which promised a VIP experience on the island of Great Exuma in the Bahamas, turned into a nightmare situation as attendees were stranded with half-built huts to sleep in and cold cheese sandwiches to eat.

Here's what happened:

SEE ALSO: Netflix and Hulu are releasing competing documentaries on the Fyre Festival debacle, but Netflix is dominating Google search interest

The three-day party was supposed to be on a private beach on the island of Great Exuma in the Bahamas.



It was supposed to be over two weekends in 2017: April 28-30 and May 5-7.



It was described as an "immersive music festival."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The top 25 grocery chains with the most loyal shoppers in America

0
0

Kroger

  • Brand-loyal customers can seriously bolster a grocery chain's sales.
  • But which grocers inspire the most loyalty from shoppers?
  • A report from marketing platform inMarket revealed that Fry's Food & Drug Stores enjoy the most frequent monthly visits from returning customers.

What grocery chains inspire the most loyalty from customers?

Advertising platform inMarket decided to find out in its 2018 grocery loyalty report, which Business Insider was able to exclusively review. 

The report measured the average frequency that returning customers visited each chain on a monthly basis. In order to generate this report, inMarket sifted through anonymous location data from 50 million grocery customers. Only chains with at least 50 stores were analyzed.

Read more: The CEO of Kroger, America's largest supermarket chain, explains why the company's merger with the country's 6th-favorite grocer puts them in the perfect position to take on Amazon and Whole Foods

Here's a look at some chains that had no problems getting shoppers to come back again and again:

SEE ALSO: Target is reportedly growing its same-day delivery options as the war for speedy shipping heats up

DON'T MISS: Experts dish on what makes Costco wines such a good deal

25. Big Y Foods

Frequency of returning customers' visits per month: 1.54

Store count: 68



24. Jewel-Osco

Frequency of returning customers' visits per month: 1.56

Store count: 182



23. Giant Food Stores

Frequency of returning customers' visits per month: 1.57

Store count: 142



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The ultimate guide to traveling around the world, from how to pack your suitcase to how much you'll be paying for a beer

0
0

man relaxing vacation

  • Planning to travel to another country, even for a vacation, takes a lot of work.
  • We compiled the ultimate guide to traveling around the world, which can help you in every step of the vacation-planning process.
  • From applying for visas for your trips and finding an affordable flight to navigating the subway system, these 10 graphics have you covered.


Planning to travel to another country takes hard work.

Before you kick off your dream vacation, there's a seemingly endless checklist of things to accomplish, from applying for a visa and finding an affordable flight to figuring out the subway system once you land.

We feel your pain. That's why we created the ultimate guide to planning a vacation around the world.

Use these 10 graphics to help you every step of the planning process. They'll save you money, time, and stress.

SEE ALSO: The most surprising things about America, according to a Silicon Valley engineer who moved from India 7 years ago

DON'T MISS: I've traveled to 25 countries, and here's my checklist for exactly what to do weeks, days, and hours before an international trip

Do you have a US passport? There's a difference between a passport book and a passport card.

For a step-by-step guide on how to apply for a passport, consult the US State Department website.



Many countries offer visas on arrival for US passport holders, while other countries require you to get one in advance.

Not every visa is free — check the US State Department's website to see how much a visa will cost and how long the application process takes for your destination.



Don't wait until the last minute to book your flight. Here's the historically best time to book for the best deals, depending on which region of the world you're visiting.

For travel to much of the world, you're best off booking more than six months in advance.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Trump's State of the Union — whenever it is — won't bail him out of the government-shutdown mess

0
0

trump state of the union

  • House Speaker Nancy Pelosi requested that President Donald Trump delay the State of the Union address until after the government shutdown concludes, whenever that may be, citing security concerns.
  • But the Department of Homeland Security said that the agency will be ready to provide security for the address on January.
  • The State of the Union is a chance for Trump to try and win over the American populace.
  • But according to an INSIDER poll, the platform may not be that useful for Trump.
  • Most Americans that are still undecided on the shutdown fight do not regularly watch the State of the Union.
  • Therefore Trump's speech would likely not reach the desired audience of persuadable Americans.

President Donald Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are fighting over the exact timing of the president's State of the Union address because of the government shutdown, but it may not make a difference either way.

Pelosi requested that Trump delay the State of the Union, scheduled for delivery to a joint session of Congress on January 29, due to security concerns during the record-breaking, ongoing government shutdown.

"Sadly, given the security concerns and unless government re-opens this week, I suggest that we work together to determine another suitable date after government has re-opened for this address or for you to consider delivering your State of the Union address in writing to the Congress on January 29th," Pelosi wrote in a letter to Trump on Wednesday.

Pushing the speech back until after the shutdown would deprive the president of a prime-time spot during which Trump could make his case for a border wall and blast Democrats for allowing the government to remain closed. Given that dynamic, the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement saying the agency would be ready to provide security for the event.

Read more:Nancy Pelosi suggests Trump either postpone his State of the Union address until after the government shutdown ends, or submit it in writing»

While it is unclear if the request will actually result in the speech's delay, there's little chance the change will make much difference.

According to an INSIDER poll, most Americans that are still undecided about Trump's border wall and the shutdown are unlikely to watch the State of the Union anyway. So there is little chance that the platform itself will aid the president in changing the minds of many Americans.

We conducted a SurveyMonkey Audience poll on a national sample from January 15-16. We had 1,095 respondents for a margin of error of about +/-3.11%. 

We asked respondents who they blamed most for the shutdown, and whether they typically watch the State of the Union address. Overall, 54% blamed the president, 17% percent blamed House Democrats, 16% did not know, 9% blamed Senate Democrats, and 5% blamed either Senate Republicans or House Republicans.

Gov shutdown blame

While these numbers have been changing — and no single poll should be construed as the definitive view of who the nation holds responsible — we can use those preferences to figure out if a State of the Union address would actually reach the desired audience of persuadable and undecided Americans.

Gov shutdown blame and SOTU

It's pretty clear it would not.

While the third-most common response among people who took the poll was that they didn't know who to blame, that category of respondent was the least likely to be a regular State of the Union viewer.

Nearly half, or 48 percent, never watched the address, and a total 69% watched it rarely or never. Of the 16 percent who don't have an opinion, only one out of 10 watch the State of the Union "usually" or "always." It's simply not an effective medium to reach out to the voters who may be persuaded to come to the president's point of view.

As it stands, the government is in the 26th day of the partial shutdown and given the political dynamics of the situation, neither side seems ready to back off their position.

As the political fight continues, more and more Americans are starting to feel the burn from the shutdown. What exactly will break the logjam remains to be seen, but it's unlikely to be any speech delivered by Trump.

Overall, 24% identified as very or somewhat conservative, 29% as very or somewhat liberal, with the rest as slightly conservative or liberal, neither conservative nor liberal, or they'd rather not say.

SurveyMonkey Audience polls from a national sample balanced by census data of age and gender. Respondents are incentivized to complete surveys through charitable contributions. Generally speaking, digital polling tends to skew toward people with access to the internet. SurveyMonkey Audience doesn't try to weight its sample based on race or income. Total 1,095 respondents, a margin of error plus or minus 3.11 percentage points with a 95% confidence level.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: MSNBC host Chris Hayes thinks President Trump's stance on China is 'not at all crazy'


Someone in Silicon Valley is renting a studio apartment for $1,500 a month just for his two cats

0
0

Maine Coon cat

  • A Silicon Valley landlord is renting his San Jose studio apartment to a pair of cats, whose owner couldn't keep them in his own apartment, according to a San Jose Mercury News report on Sunday. 
  • Rent for the cats is $1,500 per month. 
  • “Basically I’ve got two renters that don’t have opposable thumbs,” the landlord said. 

Rental prices in Silicon Valley have skyrocketed to some of the highest in the country, as troves of tech workers have made the move with grand dreams of cashing in on the next big thing. Now, prospective renters may have to start competing for the limited amount of housing with our four-legged friends, too. 

On Sunday, the San Jose Mercury News reported that a Silicon Valley landlord is renting his studio apartment to a pair of Maine Coon-mixed cats, whose owner couldn't keep them in his own apartment. 

“Basically I’ve got two renters that don’t have opposable thumbs,” the landlord, David Callisch, told the Mercury. “It’s actually great. They’re very quiet, obviously. The only problem is they stink up the place.”

Rent for the cats — named Tina and Louise, after characters from the animated show Bob's Burgers — is $1,500 per month, according to the report. 

Callisch says the situation happened by chance, as his friend Troy Good — the renter in question, who builds custom phone booths for tech offices with open floor plans — needed a place for his daughter's beloved cats to live while she moved away to college. The felines, apparently, were not getting along with his fiance's terrier dog. 

Read more:Photos show what it's like for Silicon Valley's 'working homeless' who live down the street from tech giants

The situation has struck some as absurd, given Silicon Valley's ongoing housing crisis. 

"Silicon Valley is a place with so much inequality where thousands of people sleep on the streets every night while someone rents a below-market studio for $1,500 a month to two cats," tweeted Seattle Times real estate reporter Mike Rosenberg.

The cats do keep an active Instagram account to show off their apartment living. The account — described as "Two spoiled Maine coon/ Bombay sisters" — can be found here

Read the full San Jose Mercury News report here.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Apple forever changed the biggest tech event of the year by not showing up

No worries, you can still get a passport during the government shutdown

0
0

passport

  • The government shutdown is ongoing, with no end in sight.
  • The State Department does not have funding during the shutdown.
  • But despite the lapse in funding, the State Department's passport functions are still operational.
  • Americans can still apply for and renew passports during the shutdown.
  • The timeframe for receiving a new passport will also remain the same.

While the government shutdown is ongoing and the State Department does not currently have funding, Americans can still apply for and receive a passport during the closure.

According to the State Department, passport services are available during the shutdown and all passport services at post offices, libraries, and other facilities will remain open. Passport renewals are also available in person or by mail.

Additionally the timeframe for receiving a passport remains the same: 4 to 6 weeks for a routine request and 2 to 3 weeks for an expedited request.

While the State Department's passport services remain unaffected by the shutdown, other aspects of the department were impacted by the lapse in funding.

Read more:The government shutdown is in day 29 and has shattered the record for the longest shutdown in history»

23% of the State Department's direct-hire overseas employees and 40% of the department's direct-hire employees in the US were placed on furlough due to the shutdown. But after the department's lawyers found additional sources of funding in the department's budget, many employees were ordered to come back to work.

"Recognizing the increasing hardship to employees caused by the ongoing lapse in appropriations, the Department is taking steps to make additional funds available to pay employee salaries," Bill Todd, the department's deputy under secretary for management, said in a statement on Thursday. "By taking these steps, the Department expects to be able to resume most personnel operations and fund most salaries beginning with Pay Period 2."

While the department was able to find funds for the next pay period, it is unclear whether there is enough money for any additional work beyond two more weeks.

The State Department was one of a handful of agencies to order workers back to the job from furlough this week as the shutdown drags on. But most of the other agencies will be unable to pay the employees coming back to work until the shutdown is over.

Read more:The government shutdown has gotten so bad that agencies are using legal loopholes to restart critical functions»

As it stands, the government shutdown is in its 29th day— a record for the modern era — and shows no signs of ending anytime soon.

SEE ALSO: The government shutdown is now the longest on record and the fight between Trump and Democrats is only getting uglier. Here's everything you missed.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: MSNBC host Chris Hayes thinks President Trump's stance on China is 'not at all crazy'

Trump's strategy for the government shutdown is a mess and most Americans aren't on board

0
0

donald trump

  • President Donald Trump kicked off the government shutdown by refusing to sign any funding bill that did not include money for a wall along the US-Mexico border.
  • But most Americans aren't pleased with Trump using a shutdown as a negotiating tactic.
  • According to an INSIDER poll, 54% of people believe Trump is the most to blame for the shutdown.
  • Additionally 64% of people believed that shutting down the government is an inappropriate negotiating tactic.

President Donald Trump may want to come up with a new strategy in the government shutdown fight, because Americans aren't too pleased with the current tactics, according to a new poll.

The president first forced the government into a partial shutdown in December after suddenly changing his mind on a clean funding bill that did not include money for his long-promised wall along the US-Mexico border. And since the start of the shutdown, Trump has remained steadfast in his unwillingness to alter the demand for $5.7 billion in wall funding.

But according to an INSIDER poll, most Americans are placing the blame for the shutdown at the president's feet and don't appreciate Trump's hardline strategy.

According to a poll, a majority of Americans pin the blame on Trump for the shutdown with 54% saying the president deserves the most blame. Senate and House Democrats received the most blame from just 26% of Americans, getting 17% and 9% respectively.

Senate and House Republicans got just 5% of the blame while 16% of respondents were unsure who to blame.

We conducted a SurveyMonkey Audience poll on a national sample from January 15-16. We had 1,095 respondents for a margin of error of about +/-3.11%.

Gov shutdown blame

The amount of Americans who blame Trump for the shutdown is similar to a slew of other recent polls that showed most respondent pin the blame on the president.

Additionally, many Americans are not particularly pleased with Trump's decision to shut down the government in the first place. While Democrats have consistently demanded that the president reopen the government and then negotiate on wall funding, Trump has been unwilling to approve even a short-term funding bill with no wall money.

A whopping 64% of people surveyed said that shutting down the operation of the government was either an inappropriate or very inappropriate negotiating tactic, while just 15% thought the tactic was appropriate or very appropriate. 12% thought it was neither inappropriate nor appropriate.

Importantly, Trump's biggest platform to try and win over undecided Americans — the State of the Union address scheduled for the end of January — is not likely to be a game changer.

According to the poll, few undecided Americans regularly watch the State of the Union so the president may not be able to use the platform to win over many Americans.

Read more:Trump's State of the Union — whenever it is — won't bail him out of the government-shutdown mess»

Trump's attempt on Saturday to try and reach a compromise with Democrats is likely dead on arrival given the limited scope of the president's concessions, but it may signal that Trump is recognizing the losing position he currently occupies.

The shutdown is in its 29th day and is now by far the longest in the modern budget era. The shutdown is also starting to take its toll on everyday Americans and the 800,000 federal workers going without pay.

Concerns over airport security, food safety, food stamps, and more are starting to build. Federal employees are resorting to unemployment insurance, food banks, and GoFundMe fundraisers to make it through the shutdown.

In the poll, 24% of people identified as very or somewhat conservative, 29% as very or somewhat liberal, with the rest as slightly conservative or liberal, neither conservative nor liberal, or they'd rather not say.

SurveyMonkey Audience polls from a national sample balanced by census data of age and gender. Respondents are incentivized to complete surveys through charitable contributions. Generally speaking, digital polling tends to skew toward people with access to the internet. SurveyMonkey Audience doesn't try to weight its sample based on race or income. Total 1,095 respondents, a margin of error plus or minus 3.11 percentage points with a 95% confidence level.

SEE ALSO: Most Americans would rather spend the $5 billion Trump is demanding for the border wall on infrastructure, education, or healthcare

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: MSNBC host Chris Hayes thinks President Trump's stance on China is 'not at all crazy'

'We are here for all of us': Despite negativity surrounding the Women's March 2019, thousands rallied for unity in DC

0
0

women's march 2019

  • Thousands of people marched in the third Women's March in Washington, DC, despite controversy surrounding the original founders of the movement.
  • Recently, co-chair Tamika Mallory recently came under fire for her relationship with Louis Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam leader, and his anti-Semitic stance, causing a division among key organizers.
  • The Democratic National Convention also pulled its support for the march over Mallory's comments.
  • Several marchers told INSIDER they were aware of the issues surrounding the march but came for the cause, not the controversy.
  • "We are here for all of us," one marcher told INSIDER.

A thick crowd waited in anticipation for the 2019 Women's March in Washington, DC, to begin on January 19.

Marchers danced in place to music playing from several speakers throughout Freedom Plaza, and protest signs filled the sky.

Unified chants of "Hey hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go" echoed off buildings as the crowd began marching towards the US capitol building.

Thousands of people marched in the city's third annual Women's March, despite controversy surrounding the original founders of the movement. Women's March co-chair Tamika Mallory recently came under fire for her relationship with Louis Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam leader, and his anti-Semitic stance.

Additionally, the Democratic National Convention pulled its support for the march over Mallory's comments. The issue caused a division among central organizers of the march and lead to two Women's marches nationwide.

Despite the controversy, the march still had an air of unity. Here's how the day unfolded:

 

 

SEE ALSO: Controversy, winter storms, and a new mission: here's everything you need to know about the 2019 Women's March

DON'T MISS: The Women's March leadership has been accused of anti-Semitism, and many local chapters are disassociating from the national organization

Several marchers told INSIDER they were aware of the issues surrounding the march but came for the cause, not the controversy.



Many said they weren't aware that two marches were occurring and described a feeling of unity, rather than divisiveness.



More than a dozen people told INSIDER why they chose to attend the Women's March on Saturday, and what issues were most important to them.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

I tried Uber’s luxurious London competitor Wheely, and it made me think it's possible for money to buy happiness

0
0

wheely

  • Luxurious Russian chauffeur app Wheely launched into London last year.
  • CEO Anton Chirkunov said that the company is trying to attract drivers in the capital away from Uber.
  • I tried Wheely on two occasions — once from my flat to Gatwick Airport (£75, or $97), and once to Heathrow (£70, or $90).
  • It was more like having a personal driver than being in a taxi.

I've lived in London for more than five years, and getting around is officially becoming exhausting.

Over the last few years I've become relient on Uber for when I've been in a rush, carrying a lot of stuff, or just feeling too tired or lazy to get on public transit (which is almost always).

However, ever since Uber lost (and then regained) its license in London — and drivers started protests demanding better treatment and an upgrade in employment status— the app seems to have turned a bit chaotic. Lately, Uber rides rarely go off without a hitch, whether it's due to a long wait time, a badly-planned route, or even an unfriendly driver.

What's more, when the company won its license back in June, it was only for 15 months with a clear set of conditions – so the future of the app in the capital remains uncertain.

Luxurious Russian chauffeur app Wheely launched into London and Moscow in 2012, but pulled out of the UK capital when it failed to compete against then-giant minicab company Addison Lee.

The company re-launched in London last year with "plans to plough hundreds of thousands of pounds into attracting drivers away from Uber," according to the Financial Times.

Read more:Uber just launched a subscription service for $14.99 a month that allows users to avoid surge pricing

When I heard the news, having long wished for an Uber competitor, I decided to give it a go.

Wheely may not replace Uber like-for-like — it's certainly more expensive than the standard UberX, and has less drivers in the capital.

However, after using the service twice — once in September from my flat in south east London to Gatwick airport, and a second time in December from home to Heathrow — I had a glimpse at how money can, in fact, buy happiness.

Here's what riding with Wheely is like:

Wheely was founded by Swiss/Russian 29-year-old entrepreneur Anton Chirkunov in 2012. The premium ride hailing app is now available in London, Moscow, and other major Russian cities — and it plans to launch in Paris this year.

The FT reported last year that since Wheely's launch, Chirkunov has spent $13 million on the company, adding that the CEO is trying to raise $20 million in investment to expand in London and attract drivers away from Uber.

In April, Wheely paid £150,000 to renew its London license until 2023, while Uber's licencse renewal in June only guaranteed it 15 months.



I decided to try it out. I used the service twice — once in September from my flat in south east London to Gatwick airport, and a second time in December from home to Heathrow. Here's what the booking screen looks like — at the time of writing this, a journey from the Business Insider office to Heathrow would cost a flat rate of £80, and a car would be available within 5 minutes.



When I checked the same trip on Uber, a car was also just 5 minutes away, and the trip was estimated to cost between £42-56 for an UberX — or £78-103 for an Exec "high-end" car, which would likely have been similar to Wheely's offering.

As of April 2018, Wheely only had 150 drivers in London while Uber had 50,000, according to the FT.

Wheely's drivers, however, are all professional chauffeurs.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Shaq is selling his lakeside Florida mansion for $22 million, and it comes with a 17-car garage and a 6,000-square-foot basketball court — here's a look inside

0
0

shaq florida mansion

Retired NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal is selling his lakeside mansion in Florida for $21.9 million.

The 12-bedroom, 35,000-square-foot house sits on three acres in the exclusive, gated golf community of Isleworth, which is about a 30 minute drive from Orlando. 

O'Neal, who retired in 2011 after making more than $286 million over the course of his basketball career, bought the house in 1993 for a little less than $4 million, according to Realtor. He put it on the market in 2018 for $28 million and later dropped the price to $21.9 million.

The Florida home is in the exclusive Isleworth community, a 600-acre golf-club community bordering a lake that's full of grand cypress and oak trees, and lavish estates.

Here's a look at the mansion O'Neal is selling after 26 years.

SEE ALSO: Mark Cuban just bought a $19 million Laguna Beach vacation home that comes with concierge service and walls that open up to views of the Pacific Ocean. Here's a look inside.

DON'T MISS: Jeff Bezos and his family own at least 6 massive properties across the US. Here's a look at the homes, from a sprawling Seattle estate to a set of historic NYC condos

Retired NBA star Shaquille O'Neal is selling his lakeside mansion in Windermere, Florida, for $22 million.

Source: The Agency



Shaq bought the house in 1993 for a little less than $4 million.

Source: Realtor



The house sits on the shores of Lake Butler, in exclusive Isleworth, a gated golf community about a 30-minute drive from Orlando.

Source: Realtor



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 27 best hotels in Europe every traveler should visit in 2019

0
0

The Thief

  • Condé Nast Traveller recently released its 2019 Gold List ranking of the best hotels in the world.
  • Of the 78 hotels selected by the editors, 27 are located in Europe.
  • Italy topped the rankings with eight hotels, followed by France with four.
  • London was the most represented city, with three hotels between the Kensington and Covent Garden areas alone.

This year, Condé Nast Traveller featured 78 hotels on its 2019 Gold List, including 27 European hotels.

The hotels, which the magazine considers the best in Europe, range from a farmhouse in the English countryside to an oceanfront resort with private pools on the Greek islands.

Italy accounts for the biggest chunk of top-ranking hotels, tallying eight. Most of these hotels are on the water, whether lakeside in the Monte Baldo, along a canal in Venice, or seaside along the Amalfi Coast.

Read more: Luxury hotels around the world have private rooms that are so elite they're not even listed online — and some are available only via email booking

The hotels are scattered across Europe and represent a large range of prices, from $250 a night for a hotel in the Spanish island of Mallorca up to $2,600 a night at an exclusive spot in Iceland. Many of these luxury hotels have been Gold List and Readers' Choice winners in the past, such as Sweden's Ett Hem and Italy's Le Sirenuse.

Keep reading to learn more about the best hotels in Europe. We noted prices for rooms booked one month in advance or the first available date.

SEE ALSO: The 13 best hotels in America that every traveler needs to visit in 2019

The Kensington, London

Rates starting at: $270/night



Claridge's, London

Rates starting at$1,340/night



Covent Garden Hotel, London

Rates starting at: $440/night



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The same city has been ranked the most expensive city in the world for 5 years running, and it's partially because of the cost of buying a car

0
0

Singapore

  • In 2018, Singapore was named the world's most expensive city to live in for the fifth consecutive year. That's partially thanks to the cost of buying and running a car in the city.
  • Paris and Zurich are tied for second place in the Economist Intelligence Unit's Worldwide Cost of Living report.
  • Asian and European cities dominate the list; the highest ranking American city is New York City (No. 13).

Singapore has spent five years dominating the list of the world's most expensive cities. 

That's according to the Economist Intelligence Unit's Worldwide Cost of Living report, which compares more than 400 individual prices across 160 products and services including categories like food, drink, clothing, household supplies, rent, transport, and utility bills.

Singapore's placement in rankings comes down, in part, to one specific category: It is the most expensive place in the world to buy and run a car.

As CNN reported, the government regulates car ownership in the city-state by issuing a limited number of permits. Citizens have to purchase these permits, which are valid for 10 years and cost, as of October 2017, as much as $37,000 a piece.

"Vehicles are also subject to huge price markups because of various taxes and import duties, which means a small SUV can set you back more than 100,000 Singapore dollars ($74,000)," the 2017 CNN report continued.

Read more: I stayed in the $6.6 billion mega-hotel in the heart of Singapore, and it wasn't anything like 'Crazy Rich Asians'

Beyond car ownership, the city also ranks among the most expensive places in the world to buy clothes (No. 3).

Singapore is followed by Paris and Zurich in a tie for second place; these three cities lead the way for a list of primarily European and Asian cities.

The highest-ranking American city on the list is New York City in 13th place, followed closely by Los Angeles in 14th. According to the EIU, despite a rise in the cost of living in American cities, both cities fell relative to their 2017 rankings (9th and 11th respectively), largely thanks to the weakening American dollar.

In addition to being the most expensive city in the world, Singapore is one of the most popular cities in the world for tourists: In 2018, it ranked third on Euromonitor International's annual list of the biggest cities for international tourism. With a projected 18.5 million arrivals in 2018, it was outranked only by Bangkok and Hong Kong.

It has also named the best city in the world for expats, most recently in 2018.

But, while the city might be known for its opulence, wealth, and futuristic architecture — as recently depicted in the movie "Crazy Rich Asians," Business Insider's international correspondent Harrison Jacobs found the city to be accessible and fun even without billions of dollars to spend.

"... I found that the city was full of cheap, delicious food, efficient public transportation, top-notch museums, a budding nightlife scene, and beautiful parks," he wrote. "As I quickly learned, if you do as the Singaporeans do, you can easily have a blast in the city without breaking the bank."

SEE ALSO: I visited the No. 1 airport in the world — and it blew me away with a free movie theater, a butterfly garden, and a blazing-fast 15-minute process from check-in to the gate

READ MORE: Singapore is ranked the best place in the world for expats, and after visiting I can understand why

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The surprising reason Americans drop a ball on New Year's Eve

The 33-year-old who crossed Antarctica alone once got horrific burns at a Thai beach party — and he says it's the reason he sets world records today

0
0

Colin O'Brady

  • When explorer Colin O'Brady was 22 years old, a fire severely burned his legs and feet.
  • Doctors said he might never walk normally again, but 18 months later, O'Brady won the amateur division of the Chicago Triathlon.
  • At 33, O'Brady just became the first person to successfully cross Antarctica alone without help from a resupply or a kite. 
  • O'Brady talks about his traumatic burn as a major turning point, and he says it led him to "really understand the power of the mind."

Colin O'Brady knew it in his bones: he was an athlete, a guy who loved to move. 

In high school in Portland, Oregon, O'Brady exercised his athletic abilities in the swimming pool and on the soccer field. He was an MVP, lettered seven times, and took his soccer team to the state championship. He was recruited to swim at Yale, and went on to spend a semester in college climbing mountains "among other outdoor activities," as his college athlete bio reads.

At the time, he never imagined that one day, this physical strength would be ripped from him, his muscle power burned away. 

"I kind of took for granted being athletic," O'Brady told Business Insider, "whether that was competing in sports, or just being able to move my body." 

But when he was 22, a traumatic accident during a trip to Thailand forced O'Brady's body to stop. It happened one night on a darkened beach of Ko Tao, in the light of one of the flaming jump ropes known to dot "full moon" parties on Thai islands.

"Fire dancing is fairly common on the beaches there," O'Brady recounted. 

colin o'brady body burned in fire thailand full moon party

Never one to pass up an athletic challenge, he decided to jump into the flames. How hard could the jump rope trick be for such a fit, athletic guy?

O'Brady approached the rope, wearing shorts and no shoes, his lower legs and feet bare and exposed. 

In an instant, his body caught fire.

"I jumped this rope, and it unfortunately wrapped around my legs, the bottom of my body, lit me on fire," O'Brady said.

In flames, he quickly ran through the dark sand toward the ocean.

"But not before about 25% of my body was severely burned," he said.

Had O'Brady spent longer outside the water, the burns could have been much worse. Fortunately, within about 10 seconds, his body was in the waves.

"I was actually on fire to my neck, but I was wearing a t-shirt and shorts," he said.  

The clothes quickly melted and burned, but they helped save the upper portions of his body from the fire. Meanwhile, the crippling flames dug in to his bare legs and his feet. 

“YOU’ll PROBABLY NEVER WALK AGAIN NORMALLY.” - That’s what the doctors in Thailand told me 11 years ago today after I was severely burned in a fire on a remote beach. The burns covered 25% of my body, predominantly injuring my legs and feet. There was no ambulance ride, just a moped ride down a dirt path taking me to a one room nursing station. I underwent 8 surgeries over the course of the next week, and as I came out of the surgery room each day there was a cat running around my bed in the makeshift ICU. Needless to say I was in a desperate situation flooded with pain, doubt, and deep trauma both mental and physical. However, as I reflect, today I choose to celebrate this anniversary. Because as terrible as this situation was, with hindsight I now see that the pain and ultimate road to recovery taught me some of life’s most valuable lessons about the human spirit and how to access the untapped potential that lives inside all of us. The fact that those same severely burnt legs have now carried me across countless triathlon finish lines, to the summit of Everest, and now across the continent of Antartica is testament to the power of positivity in our minds. It’s been a very long journey to get to where I am now, but it all began with a single moment. My mother arrived in Thailand on day 5 of this ordeal and sat by my bedside each day for months. Instead of leaning into her fear and my dire prognosis, she instead filled my room with smiles and infectious positivity, daring me to dream about the future and set a goal. My goal was to finish my first triathlon race. This seemed impossible given what the doctors were telling us, but the goal was set in my mind and with my mother’s help we did everything possible to make that dream a reality. 18 months later, I not only walked again, but I finished (and won) my first race, The Chicago Triathlon. Even in your darkest moments remember that this too shall pass, and if you embrace the power of a positive mindset and work relentlessly toward achieving your goals, you will find the keys to unlocking the reservoir of untapped potential that lives inside of you. #BePossible #TheImpossibleFirst

A post shared by Colin O'Brady (@colinobrady) on Jan 14, 2019 at 11:28am PST on

O'Brady's doctors suggested he'd never be the same

"The doctors told me, 'look, you'll probably never walk again normally,'" O'Brady said.

That news shook the young man to his core. 

"In that moment my entire identity shifted," O'Brady said. "Who am I if I can't move my body, if I can't train?" 

His mother quickly flew to Thailand and stayed there with O'Brady for months as he recovered. She encouraged him to think and feel out his recovery for himself.

"Don't listen to those doctors — what do you want to do when you get out of here?" O'Brady remembers his mom saying. 

Apparently, they were the right words, because O'Brady knew what he wanted to do. 

"I want to race a triathlon," he remembers saying. "I want to be active." 

O'Brady started setting incremental goals for his recovery with a triathlon in mind. Eventually, he got up and started walking, then running, biking, and swimming.

Eighteen months after the fire, in 2009, the 24-year-old competed in the Olympic-length Chicago Triathlon and won the amateur race. He crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 1 minute, and 58 seconds after swimming, biking, and running over 31 miles across the windy city.

His victory was a shock.

"Surprising the heck out of myself," as O'Brady put it. 

colin south pole training in greenland.JPG

Building resilience 

O'Brady knows he isn't alone in his ability to move forward in the face of adversity. Child-development experts have discovered that human resilience isn’t something innate or special to certain individuals, either —  the skill can build over time as kids and young adults develop coping skills.

"What happens early may matter most, but it is never too late to build resilience," researchers at Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child wrote in a 2015 brief. 

Other research on the science of resilience has found that stable, supportive relationships that provide love and reassurance (like a mom at your bedside) can help people bounce back

After the Chicago Triathlon, O'Brady went on to become the world record holder for the fastest trek up the world's Seven Summits — the highest peaks on all the continents. (That was in 2016, but he's since been dethroned by other hikers.) Last year, O'Brady once again shattered a record for fastest climbs, this time summiting the highest peaks in all 50 states in the US in a mind-bending 21 days, 9 hours, and 54 minutes.

"Here we are, 11 years later, these expeditions," O'Brady said, recalling the fateful Thai fire. "That was a huge turning point in my life, not only my athletic career, but also to really understand the power of the mind, and the power of what I believe we all have inside of us." 

Finally last year, on December 26, 2018, after a grueling 32-and-a-half-hour "ultramarathon," he became the first person to cross Antarctica solo and unassisted. 

"It was a really deep mental journey" O'Brady said. "That allowed me to confront some deep challenging fears and anxiety" and tap into "really amazing inner strength."

gaining weight

He believes everyone has this strength if they can tap into the power of a clear, focused, and determined mind. 

"We really can achieve so much more on the other side of setbacks," O'Brady said. 

SEE ALSO: A fitness guru who goes by 'Iceman' says exposure to extreme temperatures is a lifesaving third pillar of physical health

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How to build a fire — with or without matches

A private island an hour from NYC is for sale for $13 million, and it comes with 2 homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and a private helipad

0
0

petre island

  • A private island in New York is for sale for $12.9 million.
  • Called Petre Island or Petra Island, the property includes two homes designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
  • The island, which sits in Lake Mahopac in Carmel, is only about an hour's drive from New York City.
  • It includes a private helipad and boat dock.

 

You can now buy a private island an hour from New York City for $12.9 million.

Known as Petre Island or Petra Island, the property boasts two homes designed by iconic architect Frank Lloyd Wright. One is a 1950s guest cottage and one is a sprawling, four-bedroom house that juts out over the lake.

The home includes a private rooftop helipad and a boat dock.

Margaret Harrington of Douglas Elliman holds the listing.

Here's a look at the one-of-a-kind property.

SEE ALSO: Muhammad Ali's former Los Angeles mansion is for sale for $17 million, and the opulent home has hosted guests from Sylvester Stallone to Barack Obama

DON'T MISS: A Mega Millions lottery winner is selling his California mountain estate for $26 million — and the massive property comes with a buffalo ranch, steakhouse, and saloon

A private island in New York is for sale for $12.9 million.

Source: Douglas Elliman



The island, called Petre Island, is located in Carmel, New York, a little over an hour's drive from New York City.

Source: Google Maps



Two houses designed by famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright sit on the property.

Source: Douglas Elliman



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Merrill Lynch is creating a guide to help wealthy people choose how to spend their money, and there are only 4 options

0
0

wealthy young guy

  • Wealth and freedom of choice go hand in hand: The more money you have, the more choices you have.
  • But once you've reached a comfortable level of wealth, your spending should align with your end goal, and there are only four options, according to a forthcoming guide from Merrill Lynch.
  • The guide asks people to decide what they want to do with their wealth: Do you want to spend your fortune, maintain the current level, preserve its buying power, or grow it as much as possible?

Wealth is often equated with freedom: The more you have, the more choices you're able to make. 

But even people with high net worths fret about their spending. 

That's according to New York Times writer Paul Sullivan, who, in his latest column, said Merrill Lynch's private banking and investment group is developing a guide to help wealthy clients manage their cash flow.

The guide, which Sullivan said will be released this spring, defines various spending priorities, including mortgage payments, charitable donations, and impulse buys. Understanding all the ways in which money is spent today is an essential step in planning for future wealth. 

Most importantly, it asks people to decide what they want to happen to the wealth they've already built.

"There are only four choices: Spend it down, keep it at the current level, preserve its buying power by having its value keep up with inflation, or spend or invest it to grow as much as possible," Sullivan wrote.

Read more: An early retiree who quizzed 100 millionaires about their money found there's a 4-step process to building wealth

"Deciding how to decide is really important," Valerie Galinskaya, director of the Center for Family Wealth Dynamics and Governance, told the Times.

The guide is handy regardless of your net-worth level. If you're choosing the option to grow your net worth, whether you want to hit the $1 million mark or the $50 million mark, the same principles apply. Aiming for a more precise goal allows you to fix spending habits to make that happen. Even if you can technically afford something, the question becomes whether or not you should be buying it.

As Sullivan wrote, "increasing wealth while spending heavily is difficult without additional sources of income. If a portfolio grows at 5% a year, for example, but inflation is 3% and taxes are 2%, there isn't a lot of room for spending if you want your net worth to grow." It's the people who recognize this simple fact — and adjust their spending accordingly — who become millionaires and billionaires.

Chris Hogan, the author of "Everyday Millionaires: How Ordinary People Built Extraordinary Wealth — and How You Can Too," surveyed 10,000 American millionaires for seven months, and he found many of them live on less than they make and exercise discipline when it comes to budgeting, Business Insider's Hillary Hoffower reported.

Read more:An author who surveyed over 10,000 millionaires found the qualities that make them successful hinge on a distinct behavior

"Millionaires don't accidentally live on less than they make," Hogan wrote. "They do it on purpose, because they have a plan. They're deciding. Living without a budget, though, is the very definition of sliding into misfortune."

It starts with identifying your values: Do you want to set your children up with a seven-figure nest egg? Do you want half of your fortune to go to charity? Do you want to stop working and spend retirement traveling the world?

The answers to these questions will eventually lead one to choosing one of the four options.

As Lee Miller, regional director of the New York office for Glenmede Trust, told the Times, "If there isn't a driver to do something else, you really don't need to make any changes. It's all about learning to make choices."

Read the full New York Times column here »

SEE ALSO: A researcher who studied over 600 millionaires found they do 3 things to forge a clear path to financial independence

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Saturn is officially losing its rings — and they're disappearing much faster than scientists had anticipated

SHUTDOWN DAY 31: Schools worry they won't be able to feed kids; White House thinks GDP growth could fall another 0.13 points this week

0
0

school lunch

  • Schools are worried about the future of children's lunches if the government shutdown continues.
  • At least one school district is already planning to reduce children's lunches, removing bottled water and juice and reducing the fruit and vegetables given to children in a bid to "conserve food and funding."
  • Other school districts say they are concerned about the future, with no clear end to the shutdown in sight.
  • "It's so frustrating and saddening," the food director of a school district in Kansas said. "We just want to be able to feed kids."
  • The White House told INSIDER that it expected the shutdown to deduct 0.13 percentage points from quarterly economic growth for every week the government was closed.

Schools are worried about their ability to provide school lunches during the record partial government shutdown, which on Monday entered its 31st day, and at least one school district is already planning to reduce children's lunches over fears of running out of food.

"Starting the week of January 21, minimum level means: one main dish, bread, two vegetables, one fruit and milk," the Vance County school district, located in North Carolina north of Raleigh, said last week in a Facebook post.

This was necessary to "conserve food and funding" because of the shutdown, the district said.

NEW YORK, Jan. 15, 2019 -- People attend a rally to protest against government shutdown outside a federal government building in New York, the United States, Jan. 15, 2019. Dozens of federal employees and their representatives as well as activists gathered here on Tuesday to protest against the ongoing partial government shutdown, which is now the longest government closure in U.S. history. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) (Xinhua/Wang Ying via Getty Images)

"No fresh produce will be included, except at elementary schools as part of the Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program," it said, referring to the federally assisted program that gives free fresh fruit and vegetables to elementary schools. "This program will be decreased to two days each week."

"No bottled drinks (water and juice) will be available after the current inventory in stock is used. No ice cream will be available," the school system added.

"We hope that normal lunch menus can be resumed as soon as possible once the shutdown has ended."

high school lunch

Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue tweeted on Friday that "child nutrition programs are funded quarterly and are fully funded through the end of March."

But with President Donald Trump claiming that the shutdown could go on for "months or even years," school districts across the country say they are worried about feeding children into the future.

Here's what they are saying:

  • The federal Child Nutrition program "may be in danger if the government shutdown continues," the Bethel School District in Washington state said.
  • New York's Newburgh Enlarged City school district is prioritizing making sure that children get fruit and vegetables and said it might avoid purchasing other equipment to achieve this.
  • Kansas' Prairie Hills school district does not know how it will feed children if the shutdown continues past March, its food service director said.
  • "I really don't know how we'll be able to continue feeding them without the meal reimbursements we get from the federal government, and I don't know many other school food programs that would be able to either," Brook Brubeck told Politico. "It's so frustrating and saddening. We just want to be able to feed kids."
  • Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City said the city was making plans to keep school cafeterias open if the shutdown continued, saying food for children was "the number one thing we're going to try to address" during the shutdown.
  • Tennessee's Dyersburg City school district said it would "keep feeding kids" and they would not "see a difference" because it had enough funds in its budget to make it to the end of the year if necessary.
  • The Edenton-Chowan, Currituck County, and Camden school districts in North Carolina said they were not feeling any immediate impact from the shutdown and had not changed their menus for children, though Camden said it would watch the shutdown "closely."

sonny perdue donald trump

Nutrition programs funded by the Agriculture Department include the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, the Special Milk Program, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, the Summer Food Service Program, and the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program.

29.7 million students participate in the National School Lunch Program, and 22 million were signed up for free or reduced-price meals as of December, according to federal statistics cited by Politico.

Schools are also telling parents that more and more children are qualifying for the programs as federal employees are furloughed and not receiving any paychecks.

Read more: Trump offered Democrats a limited immigration 'compromise' to end the shutdown. Democrats say it's a 'hostage taking.'

Donald Trump

A White House official told INSIDER last week that the administration expected the shutdown to deduct 0.13 percentage points from quarterly economic growth for every week that the government was closed.

This estimate for how much the shutdown is expected to damage the economy is more than double what the White House originally thought.

The White House's original estimate did not take into account the knock-on effects of government contractors not getting paid and instead looked only at the lost productivity from workers directly employed by the federal government.

US government shutdown protest air traffic controllers

An ongoing impasse with Democrats, Secret Service agents struggle without pay, and national parks suffer: Other effects of the shutdown

  • Trump tore into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after congressional Democrats rejected his latest proposal, in which he offered a deal combining temporary protections for the young immigrants known as "Dreamers" and other immigration proposals in exchange for funding for his border wall.
  • Secret Service agents are struggling with no pay, and some say the financial worries could affect performance on the job.
  • National parks are suffering as they face piles of trash and damaged trees.
  • Cybersecurity experts say the shutdown is putting the US is at greater risk of attack. A Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency representative told Business Insider the agency had ceased some "critical" protection operations.
  • The White House says it canceled the US delegation's annual trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, "out of consideration" for the furloughed federal employees.
  • An INSIDER poll indicated that most Americans would rather use the $5 billion Trump is demanding for the wall on other things, like education or healthcare.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: MSNBC host Chris Hayes thinks President Trump's stance on China is 'not at all crazy'

Viewing all 115285 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images