Category: Travel

  • Q&A: Greg Norman on LIV Golf, PGA Tour ‘firestorm,’ and more

    WEST PALM BEACH — About 18 months ago, Greg Norman sold his home on Jupiter Island and ranch in northwest Colorado and was headed back to his native Australia.That’s when he was presented with a business model for a new golf league.Norman then took a few months to look it over, tweak it, and decided he was not leaving the United States. The only problem …“My wife Kiki said to me, ‘You know we’re homeless,’” he said.So Norman got on Zillow and looked at homes in Old Palm in Palm Beach Gardens.“We walk around the house, my wife is walking around like this,” Norman said giving a thumbs up sign. “I said to the owner ‘How much do you want for the house?’ I offered him more than his asking price. I said, ‘Close the deal. Close it right now. Cash.’ ”Minutes later Norman was on the steps of his private plane, headed to Colorado, negotiating the final deal. He paid $12.2 million for his new home after pocketing $55.1 million for the Jupiter Island home and $52 million for the ranch in Meeker, Colo.“It’s crazy, you can’t make this s— up,” he said.Norman, who successfully developed golf courses around the world after a Hall of Fame playing career in which he won more than 90 tournaments worldwide, including two Open Championships, is now on a new adventure — the controversial LIV Golf Series.Norman established LIV’s U.S. headquarters in a high rise in downtown West Palm Beach, settling into an office on the 14th floor with a view of the Intracoastal, Palm Beach and the Atlantic Ocean.

    Source: Q&A: Greg Norman on LIV Golf, PGA Tour ‘firestorm,’ and more

  • Mentorship as a talent retention stategy.

    The stakes for recruiting and retaining talent right now feels higher than before.With the onset of the Great Resignation, many leaders were forced to reflect and recognize the value of holding on to great employees.One of the best ways to do that is by incorporating mentorship programs in your company. In my experience, they allow team members to access growth opportunities—one of the driving motivations behind why people quit in 2021, according to the Pew Research Center.

    Source: Mentorship as a talent retention stategy.

  • Telling lies has become the norm for today’s Republicans – CNNPolitics

    (CNN)To assume lies would sink House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is to misunderstand the nature of today’s Republican Party: They actually demonstrate his credentials to lead it.That’s not merely because Donald Trump remains the dominant GOP figure. The former President lies incessantly, and his aberrant behavior compels fellow Republicans to lie about him.The problem runs deeper than one man. For a minority party joining blue-collar voters driven by cultural resentment with affluent donors fixed on the bottom line, gaining and wielding power requires dissembling beyond the conventional equivocation that politicians in all parties have always used to amass popular support.One of the GOP’s most successful political consultants of recent decades issued that judgment in a confessional 2020 memoir. Stuart Stevens titled his book: “It Was All a Lie.”One clear policy example is tax cuts. Like other GOP candidates in 2016, Trump promised that his tax plan would benefit the middle class, not the rich.”It’s going to cost me a fortune,” the billionaire candidate said.That no-tax-cut-for-the-rich pledge was crafted so as not to alienate his working-class supporters. But it was false. As originally proposed and ultimately passed by Republican lawmakers, Trump’s plan provided the largest tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.Lately, Republicans have handled this problem by keeping their objectives quiet. They adopted no platform at their 2020 national convention. To avoid a forum where the party’s nominee would be pressed to speak honestly, the Republican National Committee recently abandoned cooperation with the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates.Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, the wealthy former health care executive heading the party campaign to recapture the Senate, recently suggested new taxes on Americans with modest incomes. Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell disavowed the idea; asked about the party’s agenda if it regains control of the chamber, the Kentucky Republican said recently, “I’ll let you know when we take it back.”

    Source: Telling lies has become the norm for today’s Republicans – CNNPolitics

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  • Book Publishing today

    Not sure if it’d make the cut for a John Grisham legal thriller, but a spicy court battle in the world of book publishing is going down today—and it’s a major test for the Biden administration’s competition crackdown.

    A trial will begin Monday over the proposed $2.2 billion merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster. The DOJ has sued to block it on antitrust grounds, arguing that the deal would not only raise book prices for consumers, it would also disadvantage authors by reducing their bargaining power for advances of more than $250,000. Even Stephen King will leave his writing dungeon to testify as a witness for the government.

    Big picture: The publishing world is more exclusive than your roommate’s book club. Five publishers account for 90% of the market for anticipated top-selling books, and a combined Penguin Random House–Simon & Schuster would reduce that number to four, with the new company being the clear leader.

    • Among its roster of celeb authors, Penguin Random House has the Obamas, Bill Clinton, and novelist John Grisham.
    • Simon & Schuster has Hillary Clinton, journalist Bob Woodward, and prolific biographer Walter Isaacson.

    Combined, the two publishers made up 49% of the top 100 best-selling print books last year, per NPD BookScan.

    The other side: The publishers want you to think of all the ~synergies~ that would be unleashed when combining Simon & Schuster’s powerhouse authors with Penguin Random House’s expertise in getting books on shelves. They reject the government’s accusations that their merger would reduce competition and argue that the book publishing world is far more vast than just the “Big Five,” pointing to Amazon and Disney as influential publishers in their own right.

    Why this matters: On the surface, a $2.2 billion merger in the obscure world of book publishing may not seem like it would draw the attention of the government’s antitrust act. But Biden has made fighting corporate consolidation a major focus of his economic policy, and the contention that mergers could harm workers, and not just consumers, represents a new front in this crusade. A decision in the publishing case could inform other ongoing legal battles, such as mixed martial artists who’ve sued the UFC for allegedly using its market power to depress wages.

  • First Drive: BMW’s 2022 Alpina B8 Delivers 612 hp With Uncommon Ease – Robb Report

    In San Francisco, the general attitude toward cars is somewhat apathetic. This may have something to do with the fact that the local tech industry has seemed intent on disrupting our relationship with the automobile, doing so by way of ubiquitous ride-sharing apps and electric scooter–sharing programs, not to mention the promise of self-driving cars and flying taxis. It has begun to affect the collective mentality. Yet cruising around the city in a green metallic 2022 BMW Alpina B8 Gran Coupé, I sense the automotive indifference of my fellow San Franciscans melting away.

    Source: First Drive: BMW’s 2022 Alpina B8 Delivers 612 hp With Uncommon Ease – Robb Report

  • 130-Year-Old Menus Show How Climate Change Is Already Changing What We Eat – Gastro Obscura

    VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, IS NOTHING short of a seafood paradise. Situated at the mouth of the formerly salmon-rich Fraser River, the city overlooks Vancouver Island to the west, and beyond that, the open Pacific Ocean. Long before it had a skyline or a deepwater port, this was a bountiful fishing ground for the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples, who still depend on its waters for cultural and spiritual sustenance as much as for food. Today, tourists come from all over the world to taste local favorites such as salmon and halibut fresh from the water. But beneath these waves, things are changing.Climate change is an intensifying reality for the marine species that live near Vancouver and for the people who depend on them. In a new study, a team from the University of British Columbia (UBC) shows one unexpected way that climate effects are already manifesting in our daily lives. To find it, they looked not at thermometers or ice cores, but at restaurant menus.

    Source: 130-Year-Old Menus Show How Climate Change Is Already Changing What We Eat – Gastro Obscura

  • London’s Best Oldest Pubs – Fodor’s Travel Guide

    A pint in a London pub isn’t just a drink. It’s an experience. Londoners take their sipping seriously, paying homage to their historical city one fizzing glass at a time. You’ll find inns of impressive architecture throughout the city with original period features, from Victorian to Art-Nouveau; pubs so beloved they’re Grade II listed or National Trust owned.Expect historical tales, former visitors like literary legends and famous artists, and even the odd spooky story. As if that’s not enough, these humble pubs offer superb city views, brilliant British grub, and fantastic locations to help you make the most of your trip to this curious city, where history and modern movements fit together as perfectly as a pint with fish and chips.

    Source: London’s Best Oldest Pubs – Fodor’s Travel Guide

  • Paul Allen’s ‘Octopus’ Megayacht Is Available for Antarctica Charter – Robb Report

    Paul Allen’s megayacht Octopus created serious waves when it was launched back in 2003. It’s one of the world’s largest vessels, after all. Now, for the first time, the epic 414-footer will be available for exclusive charter in Antarctica.The late Microsoft co-founder’s beautiful behemoth, which was added to the Camper & Nicholsons charter fleet back in 2021, will spend the summer in Central America, Northern Europe and the Pacific, before journeying to the Earth’s southernmost continent in late 2022. From here, the UK-based yachting company’s seven-day Antarctica tour will allow intrepid explorers to come face to face with some of the most breathtaking natural wonders.

    Source: Paul Allen’s ‘Octopus’ Megayacht Is Available for Antarctica Charter – Robb Report

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  • Climate-Change Thriller — Premised on Real Science that Imagines a Scenario Using Nuclear Weapons to Combat Climate Change — Releases July 19, 2022 – Black Chateau Enterprises

    Washington DC— Climate-change fiction (cli-fi) thriller novel The Silent Count, based on a potentially real scenario involving the use of nuclear weapons to change weather patterns and fight climate change, releases July 19, 2022. Nuclear engineer and musician E.A. Smiroldo weaves the science she’s learned and the political divide she’s seen with music and technology to deliver a satirical thrill ride ripe for our current times. The Silent Count is E.A. Smiroldo’s first novel. It’s a cli-fi thriller inspired by her own observations as a nuclear engineer and singer-songwriter. The story follows a cast who are a part of each industry and explores the impact their professions have on them and the world. The book centers around Dara Bouldin and her promising, yet risky, plan to reverse climate change. There’s just one problem: no one at the government agency where she works knows she exists. She’s reeling from a broken engagement to her musician ex Jericho, who’s rapidly rising up the charts with his new single, while she’s stuck paying off student loans and her dad’s gambling debts. Dmitri, her attractive coworker, won’t give her the time of day. It doesn’t help that Dara has barely made any strides in her nuclear engineering career. When she finally gets the professional recognition she craves so deeply, with kudos from Congress and even the President himself, Dara is elated. Little does she know, behind the scenes her stroke of luck has thrown her into the middle of a global conflict where her innovations will prove dire, in ways she never anticipated. It’s up to Dara to set things right, before it’s too late.

    Source: Climate-Change Thriller — Premised on Real Science that Imagines a Scenario Using Nuclear Weapons to Combat Climate Change — Releases July 19, 2022 – Black Chateau Enterprises

  • 8 Reasons to Take Your Vacation in Newport, Rhode Island, This Summer – Robb Report

    The self-proclaimed sailing capital of the world, yacht-filled Newport, Rhode Island, proves a perennially popular summertime destination. It got its sybaritic start a couple centuries ago as a relatively easy, and relatively cool, seaside escape for American aristocrats seeking a break from stifling Northeastern and Southern city summers. And it quickly became the destination for fine-weather Gilded Age fun. The boldest of bold-faced names, from Astors to Vanderbilts, built seasonal coastal “cottages” (read: palatial mansions) here, the better to enjoy the boating, beaches and glam balls of the social scene.

    Source: 8 Reasons to Take Your Vacation in Newport, Rhode Island, This Summer – Robb Report