Death-Defying Adventure Normal for 'Super Repo Man'

Everything that can be gold-plated has been gold-plated

(NEWSER) - If you've never wanted to hear the phrase, "And here we are in Mr. Trump's bedroom," then turn back now. Dropping $100 million to retrofit a 757 jet that used to belong to that pauper Paul Allen apparently wasn't enough for the Donald. He also had to show off said luxurious space by posting this over-the-top video tour on YouTube . Buckle up your 24-karat gold-plated seatbealts and watch. Hat tip to the Atlantic. More»

Forget the station wagon—we've got a Cessna

(NEWSER) - More parents are going to luxurious extremes so their kids can rough it. Wealthy families are increasingly riding private jets to get to and from remote summer camps in Maine, New Hampshire, and upstate New York. Over the past weekend—a common date for camp visiting days—private jets clogged the runways at tiny, rural airports, reports the New York Times . The airport in Augusta, Maine, hosted 51 private planes between Thursday and Saturday, whereas a normal day would see just a few. More»

Come to the Edge by Christina Haag recounts daring adventures

(NEWSER) - Whether flinging Noxzema-filled paper towel bombs from the windows of posh Manhattan high rises, smoking marijuana, or skirting death-by-kayak off the coast of Jamaica, three things were true of JFK, Jr: He loved adventure, hated the sight of blood, and owned at least one tantric sex book. In her memoir, Come to the Edge, one-time girlfriend Christina Haag chronicles the couple's shared experiences during the 1980s, ABC News reports. More»

And this year will be even worse

(NEWSER) - Banks repossessed a little more than a million homes last year, a record high, according to the latest report from RealtyTrac —and that’s despite a sharp drop off in the fourth quarter thanks to the robo-signing scandal . Next year will likely be even worse, one RealtyTrac exec tells NPR , forecasting 1.2 million repossessions. What’s worse, banks are repossessing homes faster than they can sell them, building a backlog that won’t clear until around 2013. More»

In the mood for an adventure? Here are a dozen places to begin your search

(NEWSER) - There are still some places in the world where X marks the spot. The Huffington Post lists a dozen locations ripe for real-life treasure hunting:

1. Superstition Mountains, Ariz.: The Lost Dutchman Gold Mine is supposedly hidden somewhere in these mountains ... and full of ancient Apache treasure.
2. Kaliningrad, Russia: The Amber Room was a chamber decorated completely in amber panels, gold leaf, and mirrors contained within a palace near St. Petersburg—but it was looted by the Nazis and last seen in Kaliningrad in 1943.
3. Cocos Island, Costa Rica: An estimated $60 million worth of church treasure from Lima, Peru, is supposedly buried here—and is rumored to be the inspiration for Treasure Island.