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Anthony Bourdain Gave Some Very Candid Answers In His Reddit 'Ask Me Anything'

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anthony bourdain reddit

Restaurateur, chef, and TV personality Anthony Bourdain answered questions in a Reddit "Ask Me Anything" session earlier today.

The notoriously forthright "No Reservations" host, who will host a show on CNN starting this spring, offered up some fantastic responses to fans' questions on everything from his favorite foods to his past drug use.

Here are a couple of highlights from the conversation.

What prompted the move to CNN? Was it issues with Travel Channel a la the Cadillac product integration debacle, or simply a chance to do something in a different vain than "No Reservations"?

CNN is letting me and my crew make smarter TV in places that Travel never would have allowed. Also--the new regime at Travel were a pretty unpleasant, uninspiring bunch. I saw the writing on the wall.

What was your favorite episode of "No Reservations" you ever did?

I'm proudest of Rome. Because everybody said it was the stupidest idea ever--to make food porn in black and white.

Which was harder to master? The art of cooking or the art of writing?

Cooking professionally is hard work. Writing is a privilege and a luxury. Anybody who whines about writers block should be forced to clean squid all day.

What is something you never want to taste again?

Methadone

If you had to have one last drink in this lifetime, what would it be, where would it be, and who would you share it with?

I'd like to have a beer and a meat pie with Keith Richards.

How did you manage to get Alton Brown to a strip club, and then make him say "Make it rain"?

My proudest accomplishment. Watching Alton Brown at the Clermont. Im sure the people at Food Net were browning their shorts.

You openly admit to being an ex-addict. Plenty of ex-addicts can't drink at all, because if they do it tumbles into drugs again. How are you able to still drink and continue to live your lifestyle without slipping?

I am a VERY unusual case. You are correct. Most people who kick heroin and cocaine have to give up on everything. Maybe cause my experiences were so awful in the end, I've never been tempted to relapse.

SEE ALSO: What It's Like To Eat A $445-Per-Person, 5-Hour Dinner At The French Laundry In Napa Valley

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Alfa Romeo's Breathtaking 4C Concept Is About To Debut As A Production Car

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alfa romeo 4c

It was at the Geneva Motor Show just two years ago where Alfa Romeo first unveiled its stunning 4C concept car.

Now, just a week out from this year’s show, Alfa Romeo has revealed full specifications for the production 4C, which heralds the return of the illustrious Italian brand on U.S. soil when it lands in showrooms later this year.

The production 4C, which will arrive as a 2014 model, looks every bit as breathtaking as the original concept, right down to its mid-engine layout and jet fighter-style cockpit.

It also maintains most of the concept’s drool-worthy specs, including the turbocharged four-cylinder engine, 13-foot length and full carbon fiber monocoque chassis.

Power comes from a direct-injected and turbocharged 1.75-liter four-cylinder engine, which rates at 240 horsepower. That may not seem like a lot but each of those horses has just 8.8 pounds to carry, which equates to a final curb weight of roughly 2,100 pounds.

The engine features an aluminum block and special intakes designed to deliver a sporty note and good throttle response. Alfa Romeo also boasts that the engine features a ‘scavenging control system’ that said to get rid of any turbo lag.

Drive is sent to the rear wheels only, with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission used to swap gears. The transmission offers full automatic mode as well as a manual mode that relies on paddle shifters located behind the steering wheel.

Performance estimates include a 0-60 time of around 4.5 seconds and a limited top speed of 155 mph.

The handling, meanwhile, is taken care of thanks to lightweight aluminum suspension frames that get mounted to the car’s carbon tub. These feature double-wishbone and MacPherson strut designs. The 4C also comes with a driving ‘DNA’ selector, which will allow the driver to select from Dynamic, Natural and All Weather modes, plus a special Race mode.

Inside, the 4C has two seats and a somewhat minimalist look for the dash. The design is driver focused and is accented by carbon fiber and aluminum. The center column, which is actually part of the carbon structure, has been left in full view to enhance the sense of uniqueness, technology and light weight.

Overall length is just over 13 feet, while the wheelbase measures in at just under 8 feet, the width at 6.5 feet and the height at 3.9 feet.

As previously reported, production will take place at a Maserati plant in Modena, Italy. Numbers will be limited, which means pricing could be set higher than the original estimates of around $45k. The good news is that a 4C convertible is also planned and should arrive next year.

With the 2013 Geneva Motor Show kicking off on March 5, we'll have more details and live photos of the 2014 Alfa Romeo 4C soon.

For our up-to-the-minute coverage of the event, click here.


alfa romeo 4c

 

alfa romeo 4c

 

alfa romeo 4c

SEE ALSO:  Another Test Drive Of The Tesla Model S Is Going Badly

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Andy Murray Bought A $3 Million Hotel In Dunblane

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Andy Murray beat Novak Djokovic 2012 London Olympic semifinal

The US Open and Olympic champion is the new owner of Cromlix House Hotel in Stirlingshire.

The hotel currently has 14 bedroom suites, a chapel, reception hall, two drawing rooms, conservatory, dining room, library and meeting rooms.

It is set in 50 acres of woodlands and garden with a trout loch.

Murray plans to transform the Victorian mansion, where brother Jamie married Colombian bride Alejandra Gutierrez in 2010, into a five-star venue and attract more visitors to the area.

The tennis star said he was "pleased to be able to give something back" to his home town.

The refurbished hotel is scheduled to reopen next spring ahead of the 2014 Ryder Cup, which is being staged a short drive away at Gleneagles.

Murray said in a statement: "I am pleased to have acquired Cromlix House and look forward to securing its future as a successful business.

"By re-establishing Cromlix as a leading luxury hotel at the heart of the Dunblane community we will be able to attract new visitors to the area, create a number of new jobs and focus on supporting other local businesses.

"I'm pleased to be able to give something back to the community I grew up in."

Its previous owners of more than 30 years, the Eden family, said they were happy the venue was staying in local hands.

The hotel will boast a Chez Roux restaurant. Renowned chef Albert Roux, owner of Le Gavroche in London, is one of a group of industry experts consulted by Inverlochy Castle Management International (ICMI) which will manage Cromlix House on behalf of Murray.

ICMI managing director Norbert Lieder said: "Our team of experts has experience in every aspect of the hospitality industry and specialise in working with independent properties and transforming them into luxurious destinations.

"I am confident that, with Andy, we can create a very special hotel in his home community.

"While we aim to create a destination that attracts visitors from around the world we are also determined to ensure it remains a venue of choice for local people."

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Wealthy Russian Tourists Are Flocking To Spain In Droves

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tourists in spain

Big-spending Russian tourists are flocking to Spain's beaches and famous landmarks in ever greater numbers, providing a much-needed boost to the recession-hit country's key tourism industry.

They are drawn by the country's mix of pleasant weather, sandy beaches, historic monuments and cultural attractions such as the Prado museum in Madrid and Antoni Gaudi's Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona.

Roman Gavrilenko, a 26-year-old elementary school psychologist from Murom in western Russia, visited Barcelona, Valencia, Toledo and Madrid with 11 other Russians during a one week tour of Spain.

Spain was the Western European nation he had ever visited and said he now plans to return to the country with his grandmother.

"People are very friendly. The Sagrada Familia was really, really impressive. It was psychedelic, it made my head spin," he said as he sat in the lobby of Hotel Florida Norte near Madrid's royal palace after completing a tour of the city.

The number of visitors from Russia surpassed one million last year for the first time, totalling 1,206,227, a 39.8 percent jump over 2011 and double the amount that arrived in 2010, according to tourism ministry figures.

Tourism officials credit a rise in the number of direct flights to Spain, easier visa rules, and the growing appetite of Russia's rapidly expanding middle class for foreign travel.

The Arab Spring uprisings have also played a role as Russian holidaymakers are shunning cheaper rival sunshine destinations in Egypt and Tunisia.

Spain is also reaping the rewards of having been one of the first countries to energetically target the new Russian market that emerged after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, said Igor Rotenshteyn, president of the Terramar Group tourist operator which last year brought about 100,000 Russians to Spain.

"During the Soviet era very few Russians had the privilege of travelling abroad. When Russia opened up to the world, Russians did not have any experience of travel and Spain was one of the countries that was most active in trying to capture clients," he said.

Over half of all Russian visitors to Spain head to Catalonia.

During the peak summer season Russians are now the most numerous tourist contingent in many resort towns in the northeastern region, knocking the British from the top spot.

"This was unthinkable a few years ago," said Salou's town councillor for tourism, Benet Presas.

The surge in Russian visitors offset a fall in the number of visitors from Italy and the Netherlands last year and has helped fill hotel rooms at a time when Spaniards are cutting back on travel due to a recession that has driven the unemployment rate to a record 26 percent.

While Russians accounted for just 2.1 percent of the 57.7 million foreigners who visited Spain last year, they spent more than any other nationality.

Russians spent an average of 159 euros ($214) per day in Spain, 47 percent more than the average of 108 euros spent by all foreign visitors and far more than the 93 euros per day spent by visitors from Britain, Spain's main source of tourists.

"They are the tourists that spend the most so it is not just a question of the number of visitors, but also of their purchasing power," said Jose Luis Zoreda, the vice-president of Exceltur, Spain's main travel industry body.

Day trips to Barcelona to go shopping in the city's high-end stores are popular with Russians staying at Catalan beach resorts.

"Good brands are cheaper here and there is more variety," said Irina Belgova, a 36-year-old office worker from Moscow before heading to a flamenco show with her husband while on a recent visit to Madrid. She bought several handbags and dresses during her vacation in Spain.

Menus and signs in Cyrillic letters are common sites at Spanish tourist resorts alongside those in English, and hotels are teaching staff Russian.

"All our employees in all sectors, reception workers, waiters, maids, speak a bit of Russian. It's obligatory," said Bruno Lopez, the commercial director of the Gran Palas hotel in La Pineda, near Salou, whose clients are now mostly Russians.

"National tourism is really hurting due to the crisis and we are taking this opportunity to compensate for the fall with these tourists," he added.

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HOUSE OF THE DAY: Tommy Lee Jones Is Selling His Giant Florida Polo Farm For $26.75 Million

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tommy lee jones polo ranch

Actor Tommy Lee Jones has just listed the 50-acre polo farm he owns in Wellington, Fla. for $26.75 million, according to a South Florida gossip blog (via Zillow).

Jones bought the property a decade ago and built the equestrian center himself. The Lincoln star is a known polo lover who also owns a ranch in Texas.

In addition to recreational facilities and miles of horse trails, there's a four-bedroom, two-bathroom house on the property.

The 50-acre ranch is a half-mile from the International Polo Club.



The main house is 11,000 square feet.



Inside, it's pretty simple.



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13 Essential Rules Of Airplane Etiquette

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airplane kids in overhead bin compartment

The reality of air travel in the 21st century is that flying economy is unpleasant.

Airlines are cutting service and packing planes to improve razor thin profit margins, while flights aren't getting any shorter.

If you don't have the cash or the points to secure an upgrade, there are ways to make flying more pleasant, but they depend on everyone's cooperation.

To play your part, here are 13 basic rules of etiquette, for everything from how to get through security, to whether or not you should recline your seat, to getting off the plane politely and efficiently.

Follow them, and your flight might just be bearable — along as everyone else does, too.

#1 Remember how security works.

This is all about thinking a few steps ahead, so you get through the screening process as quickly as possible.

Before you get to the x-ray machine, take everything out of your pockets. Put it all in your bag, or the pocket of a coat that you'll put through the machine.

When you belongings come out, collect them quickly and move to a spot where you’re not blocking anyone. Then you can put your shoes and belt on.



#2 Don't hog the overhead bin.

In the era of checked bag fees, carry-on space is at a premium. If you have two carry-on bags, keep the smaller one at your feet.

And, as the flight attendants will likely remind you, don't take up someone else's space by putting your bag in the bin horizontally.



#3 Don’t fight the flight attendants over electronics.

The ban on the use of electronic devices during takeoff and landing may be absurd (and soon to be done away with) but that doesn't mean it's not a rule.

Furthermore, the flight attendants didn't create it. Giving them a hard time is obnoxious, and just delays the plane getting to cruising altitude, when you can finally get back to Words with Friends.



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The Vanity Fair After-Party Was Even More Star-Studded Than The Oscars [Photos]

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Jennifer Lawrence Vanity Fair Oscar Party 2013

The Vanity Fair Oscar's after-party at Sunset Tower hotel in West Hollywood was even more star-studded than the Academy Awards.

Hosted by VF editor Graydon Carter, this year's attendees included everyone from Rupert Murdoch and Harvey Weinstein to Chelsea Handler and Victoria's Secret model Alessandra Ambrosio.

Those lucky enough to get an invite to the super exclusive affair walked a black and white carpet before heading inside to dance the night away -- and chow down on In-N-Out burgers.

After the Oscar show, celebrities braved traffic on Sunset Boulevard to attend the Vanity Fair after party at Sunset Tower hotel.



Stars walked a black and white carpet and smiled for tons of cameras.



Model Chrissy Teigen tweeted a picture of the exclusive invite. Arrival times were stacked and set before the event.



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12 Frugal Tips From A Military Family That Lives On Just $14,000 Per Year

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wagasky

In the years since the recession, the median household income in the U.S. has dropped to just over $50,000, while fixed costs like health care, higher education, and housing have only soared. 

Now imagine trying to support a family of four on a fraction of that income. 

It's a reality that stay-at-home wife and mother of two Danielle Wagasky has lived for the last four years. 

And, perhaps a little surprisingly, she wouldn't have it any other way.

 Wagasky, 28, lives with her her husband, Jason, 31, and their two young children in a three-bedroom family home in Las Vegas, Nevada. While Jason, a member of the U.S. Army, completes his undergraduate studies, the family's only source of income is the $14,000 annual cost of living allowance he receives under the G.I. Bill. 

Despite all odds, the family has barely any credit debt, no car payment, and no mortgage speak of. 

Wagasky has been sharing her journey to living meaningfully and frugally on her blog, Blissful and Domesticated, since 2009. 

She was kind enough to chat with BI and tell us how she makes it work.

Wagasky finds inspiration everywhere from the library to tips from readers on her blog.

"My husband told me he'd heard about this book, ["America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money]," she said. "We talked about it over the phone and I read it and thought how it could apply to us." 

The couple had a single savings goal in mind –– scraping together $30,000 for a downpayment on their home in their native Henderson, Nevada. 

The mindless spending was out, and Wagasky came up with a budget she could make work. 

"I changed the way I was grocery shopping and started working my way up, " she said. 



She stopped eating out and learned how to cook.

Wagasky barely knew her way around a kitchen when she started her money makeover.

Now she's an avid cookbook collector (she checks them out from libraries or asks for them as gifts to save), and it's one of the simplest ways she's managed to cutback on spending. 

With a $7 bread-maker she scored at a local thrift shop, she never spends on store bought slices. She's not shy about professing her love for wholesale stores like Costco, which is her go-to source for baking ingredients. 



Everything in the home is either hand-sewn and or made from scratch.

"Everything must be budgeted," Wagasky wrote in a June entry on her blog. "From family outings, to toiletries to clothes purchases. It must be budgeted."

And she takes Do-It-Yourself to the extreme. Everything from laundry soap and clothing to the kitchen her husband installed in their new home was either crafted by hand or thrifted.

She swears by this home-made laundry detergent recipe



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How This Military Family Manages To Scrape By On $14,000 Per Year

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wagasky

In the years since the recession, the median household income in the U.S. has dropped to just over $50,000, while fixed costs like health care, higher education, and housing have only soared. 

Now imagine trying to support a family of four on a fraction of that income. 

It's a reality that stay-at-home wife and mother of two Danielle Wagasky and her family have lived for the last four years. 

And, perhaps a little surprisingly, they wouldn't have it any other way.

Click here to see how they do it >

Wagasky, 28, lives with her her husband, Jason, 31, and their two young children in a three-bedroom family home in Las Vegas, Nevada. While Jason, a member of the U.S. Army, completes his undergraduate studies, the family's only source of income is the $14,000 annual cost of living allowance he receives under the G.I. Bill. 

Despite all odds, the family has barely any credit debt, no car payment, and no mortgage speak of. 

Wagasky has been sharing her journey to living meaningfully and frugally on her blog, Blissful and Domesticated, since 2009. 

She was kind enough to chat with BI and tell us how she makes it work.

She was in in for a rude awakening when she took over the family's finances in 2008. 

In her mid-twenties and with two small children to care for (she also home schools), Wagasky was hardly prepared when Jason was unexpectedly deployed for a second tour in Iraq in 2008. 

"I had no clue," she said. "I wouldn't say I went crazy, but there really wasn't a plan [for managing our finances alone]. My husband would call me from Iraq and be like, what is going on?"

Their bills were repeatedly late, Wagasky often overdrew her bank account, and she treated the clearance racks at Target like an emergency source of therapy.

She often hung up the phone in tears after speaking with Jason.

"Then he told me he'd heard about this book, ["America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money]," she said. "We talked about it over the phone and I read it and thought how it could apply to us." 

It was exactly the simple stepping stone she needed to take control over her situation

First thing was first: The mindless spending was out. The couple was determined to save $30,000 for a downpayment on a home when Jason returned from deployment. 

"I changed the way I was grocery shopping and started working my way up, " she said. 

She researched savings strategies wherever possible –– from the library and Google, to Pinterest and her mother-in-law. 

With a single source of fixed income, there was no room for impulse purchases in the Wagasky household.

Wagasky barely knew her way around a kitchen when she started her money makeover.

Now she's an avid cookbook collector (she checks them out from libraries or asks for them as gifts to save), and it's one of the simplest ways she's managed to cutback on spending. 

Her prize possession is a $7 bread-maker she scored at a local thrift shop, which she uses to make homemade breads and save on store-bought slices. 

She skips all kiddie snacks in favor of healthier, cheaper DIY options like homemade granola, and chops vegetables and fruits to freeze them for a month. She gives dairy products like milk, cheese, butter and yogurt the same treatment. 

"Everything must be budgeted," Wagasky wrote in a June entry on her blog. "From family outings, to toiletries to clothes purchases. It must be budgeted."

And she takes Do-It-Yourself to the extreme. Everything from home-made laundry soap and clothing to the kitchen her husband installed in their new home was either crafted by hand or thrifted.

They also did away with cable (they invest $14.99/mo in a Netflix plan) and limited grocery shopping to once per month. 

"Once that $400 [we budget for groceries] s gone, it is gone," she says. "There are no extra shopping trips made because there is no more money."

How they manage to stay credit-debt free: 

After Wagasky's husband left active duty and started school, the couple knew they would only have $14,000 per year to live on –– and that didn't cover summer months, when he wasn't paid while on vacation from classes. 

They learned to attack debt head-on and as early as possible. 

Both of their cars were paid off by setting aside a little savings each month until they could afford it –– that included $8,000 for Jason's truck and $22,000 for a new van. 

Credit cards are always reserved for medical emergencies only. 

"We recently had some medical bills we had to pay, and we were able to take our savings and pay those down as fast as we could," she said. 

Their proudest achievement: Purchasing a home in cash. 

By the time Jason came home from Iraq in 2009, thanks to her keen budgeting skills, the couple had managed to scrape together the $30,000 they needed for a downpayment on a home. 

There was just one problem: Nevada's job market was weak. Rather than take out a loan on a home they likely couldn't afford, they figured it was wiser to downsize their ambitions a little. 

"We decided the best option would be not to have a mortgage payment at all," she said. "We found a fixer-upper that didn't have a kitchen ... and we paid cash." 

Price tag: $28,000. With the leftover cash, they were able to finish the kitchen and install wood flooring throughout the house. 

"I don't feel like we're missing out on anything." 

Even after Jason completes his degree later this year and gets for a full-time job, Wagasky says they still plan on keeping their $14,000 budget in tact. 

They have reason to be cautious.

She admits they haven't been able to save for anything other than immediate needs –– that means a practically nonexistent retirement fund. Once their income grows, they hope sticking to a shoestring budget in order to save more will help make up for lost time.

"I don't feel like we're missing out on anything," she said. "I feel like in our society now we focus on the tings we feel like we need. For me, I have my family and we have food and we have a place to live and to me that's the most important. 

SEE ALSO: Click here to see 12 ways they manage to save >

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China's 'Dubai' Has Turned Into A Deserted Island

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phoenix island

It was billed as China's Dubai: a cluster of sail-shaped skyscrapers on a man-made island surrounded by tropical sea, the epitome of an unprecedented property boom that transformed skylines across the country.

But prices on Phoenix Island, off the palm-tree lined streets of the resort city of Sanya, have plummeted in recent months, exposing the hidden fragilities of China's growing but sometimes unbalanced economy.

A "seven star" hotel is under construction on the wave-lapped oval, which the provincial tourism authority proclaims as a "fierce competitor" for the title of "eighth wonder of the modern world".

But the island stands quiet aside from a few orange-jacketed cleaning staff, with undisturbed seaside swimming pools reflecting rows of pristine white towers, and a row of Porsches one of the few signs of habitation.

Chinese manufacturers once snapped up its luxury apartments, but with profits falling as a result of the global downturn many owners need to offload properties urgently and raise cash to repay business loans, estate agents said.

Now apartments on Phoenix Island which reached the dizzying heights of 150,000 yuan per square metre ($2,200 per square foot) in 2010 are on offer for just 70,000 yuan, said Sun Zhe, a local estate agent.

"I just got a call from a businessman desperate to sell," Sun told AFP, brandishing his mobile phone as he whizzed over a bridge to the futuristic development on a electric golf cart.

"Whether it's toys or clothes, the export market is bad... property owners need capital quickly, and want to sell their apartments right away," he said. "They are really feeling the effect of the financial crisis."

Official figures showed an almost eight percent increase in China's total exports last year, but sales to Europe fell by almost four percent with the continent mired in a debt crisis and recession.

At the same time rising wages in China mean that producers of clothes, toys and other low-end goods are seeing their margins squeezed as other emerging economies compete to become the world's centre for cheap manufacturing.

For years Chinese business owners, faced with limited investment options and low returns from deposits in state-run banks, have used property as a store of value, pushing prices up even higher in the good times but creating the risk of a crash in the bad.

"China had a lending boom... and so if people are using property as a place to stash their cash, they had more cash to stash," said Patrick Chanovec, a professor at Beijing's Tsinghua university.

"At some point they want to get their money out, then you find out if there are really people who are willing to pay those high prices."

Phoenix Island is part of Hainan, a Belgium-sized province in the South China Sea that saw the biggest property price increases in China after a 2008 government stimulus flooded the economy with credit.

Eager buyers camped out in tents on city streets as prices shot up by more than 50 percent in one year.

But tightened policies on access to credit and multiple house purchases have since knocked values in favoured second home locations, even while prices in major cities they have rallied in recent months.

Real estate is a pillar of the Chinese economy, accounting for almost 14 percent of GDP last year and supporting the massive construction sector, making policy makers anxious to avoid a major collapse of the property bubble.

At the same time ordinary Chinese who cannot afford to buy a home have been frustrated by high housing costs for years.

With anger over graft also mounting state media have carried several reports in recent weeks about corrupt officials' property holdings, including a policeman who used a fake identity card to buy at least 192 dwellings.

Hainan's tropical shores are said to be a hotspot for purchases by well-connected bureaucrats, but estate agents denied they were rushing to sell off apartments for fear of a crackdown.

Officials only account for around 20 percent of owners, they said -- while doubting any new regulations would be properly enforced. "There are always different rules for people with connections," said one agent, asking to remain anonymous.

It is an example of the multiple competing interests the authorities have to balance, leaving them treading a difficult line, with sometimes unforeseen consequences.

On the other side of Hainan, the Seaview Auspicious Gardens, boasts beachside villas accessed by artificial rivers and a private library containing 100,000 books, prices have fallen by a third from a high of 12,000 yuan per square metre in the last year, and a third of the flats remain unsold.

Yang Qiong has a thankless task as one of its saleswomen.

"Before the government restrictions we would sell out a development like this in just five months," she lamented.

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Nobody Gets Divorced At The Right Time

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louis ckA standup routine by the comedian Louis C.K. observes that nobody gets divorced at the right time:

"When you get divorced, you don't get divorced right on time. Nobody says ... 'It just went bad just now. Let's stop!' That's not what happens. You get divorced after just being in a s--- marriage for several years and you're only aware of it for one."

It's funny because it's true.

A 2008 study in The Economic Journal measured happiness before and after major life events. Four years before a divorce, a guy is relatively unhappy. Three years before a divorce, he is even less happy. Two years before a divorce, it gets worse. One year before a divorce, he is miserable.

These conclusions were drawn from 20 years of survey data in Germany.

Check out a chart of male happiness going into a divorce:

divorce happiness

In an ideal world, the guy would have gotten divorced in one, two, three, or four years earlier. By the time the actual divorce comes rolling around, however, he's feeling pretty happy with his life.

Women exhibit their own strange emotional pattern, in which unhappiness peaks two years before the divorce and improves in the following year. This trend may reflect the fact that most divorces are initiated by the woman, according to the study. 

Check out the chart for women:

women happiness divorce

 

Although divorces tend to make people happier, that happiness may not last. The study concluded that people psychologically adjust to almost all major life events and return to a personal emotional baseline within years.

SEE ALSO: A Simple Formula That Predicts The Success Of Marriages

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19 Killed In Hot Air Balloon Crash Over Egypt

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egypt luxor hot air balloon crash wreckage

At least 19 foreign tourists, including two Britons, have been killed in Egypt after a hot air balloon crashed near Luxor.

Officials said that there was a fire and an explosion causing the balloon to plunge several hundred feet from the sky and crashed into sugar cane fields west of Luxor, about 320 miles south of Cairo, the Egyptian capital.

Two British were said to be among among those killed, with nine Chinese citizens from Hong Kong, including five men and four women from three families, four Japanese, two French, one from Korea and a local Egyptian female.

The two survivors, including the pilot were rushed to hospital suffering up to 70 per cent burns to their bodies.

Witnesses described hearing a loud explosion, which shook homes, and thick black smoke, with some passengers jumping for their lives from the equivalent height of an seven-storey building.

It has been suggested that a gas cylinder exploded mid-air just after 7am local time.

Twitter: Breaking News - Of 19 killed in balloon crash 9 are Chinese citizens from Hong Kong, 4 Japanese, 2 British, 2 French and 2 remain unidentified - @NBCNews

Witnesses counted eight bodies as they were put into body bags and taken away.

Freelance photographer Christopher Michel, 45, from San Fransisco, said he heard a loud explosion from his balloon a short distance away.

Mr Michel, who had been in Egypt for about eight days on a photography assignment, told The Daily Telegraph that they did not receive any safety briefings.

He said: "I heard a loud explosion and turned around and saw black smoke coming from a balloon behind us. Out pilot then became very disturbed. He said 'this has not happened in a very long time'.

"I wasn't sure what had happened and it became clear when we landed. There was a general feeling of shock and sadness. You can't imagine how the other people in that balloon must have been feeling.

"We had no safety briefing and it seemed a bit rough but I did not feel any safety concerns."

Cherry Tohamy's balloon saw flames from a balloon above when she landed.

"Our pilot told us that the balloon had hit a high pressure electrical cable and a cylinder on board exploded," said Ms Tohamy, an Egyptian living in Kuwait who was on holiday in Luxor.

Konny Matthews, assistant manager of a Luxor's Al Moudira hotel, said she heard a boom around 7 am local time.

She said: "It was a huge bang. It was a frightening bang, even though it was several kilometers away from the hotel.

"Some of my employees said that their homes were shaking."

Ahmed Aboud, a spokesman for companies that operate balloon flights in the area, added that one tourist and the balloon pilot had survived the accident, which happened after a gas explosion at 1,000 feet. He said the tourists were from a variety of countries but did not immediately have information on their nationalities.

Twitter: christopher michel - More photos from tragic balloon flight in Luxor. #luxor#ballooncrashhttp://t.co/jJdiTyevKl

"There were 20 passengers aboard. An explosion happened and 19 passengers died. One tourist and the pilot survived," said Mr Aboud a representative of eight companies that operate balloons in Luxor.

"People were jumping out of the balloon from about the height of a seven-storey building."

General Mamdough Khale, director of security for Luxor Governate, said that Luxor International Hospital had received 19 badly burnt bodies.

An employee of the company operating the tragic flight said that an Egyptian was also among the dead.

The tearful employee, who declined to be named, said the circumstances were unclear.

“This is terrible, just terrible,” she said. “We don’t yet know what happened exactly or what went wrong."

A crash eyewitness and employee for sky cruise told France24 that the pilot was good and the crash would not be his fault.

Ezzat Saad, the governor of Luxor, told Nile News that the Egyptian pilot of the balloon was in the hospital with 70 percent burns.

Twitter: clovis casali - Egypt #balloon crash eyewitness and sky cruise employee told me pilot was good not his fault,foreign passengers jumping off #luxor@FRANCE24

Luxor, which lies on the banks of the Nile, is home to some of the country's most famous ruins, frequently dubed the "world's greatest open air museum", with the ruins of the temple complexes at Karnak and Luxor within the modern city. Hot air ballooning at dawn is popular with tourists who go to Luxor to visit its pharaonic temples and the tombs of the Valley of the Kings, including in Tutankhamen's.

Twitter: Jonathan Aspinwall - Been on a similar hot air balloon trip in Luxor a few weeks ago. Very popular with UK tourists who get up at dawn.

A Foreign Office spokesman said they were aware of the reports and were making urgent inquiries but could not immediately confirm the number of Britons involved.

In 2009, a hot air balloon carrying British tourists over Luxor careened out of control and into a mobile phone mast, ripping through the fabric, before crashing some 30 feet to the ground. Sixteen tourists were injured, some of them seriously, as they were thrown from the wreckage. It led to flights over the Valley of the Kings being suspended for six months while safety measures were tightened.

The crash comes amid widespread anger over safety standards in Egypt following several deadly transport and construction accidents.

Here's footage from the scene:

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Why Don't Americans Eat Horse?

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Racing Horse

With much of the country and world still recoiling at the horror of having horse meat discovered in their "beef," cries for closer monitoring of our food production are deafening.

And to the extent that the flesh of animals that aren't cows is finding its way into food advertised as cow, that's fine.

It's fair to want to know what we're eating.

But there's a larger question here.

Why don't Americans eat horses?

Americans eat cows.

We eat chickens.

We eat buffaloes.

We eat pigs, which are supposedly smarter than dogs (another animal we don't eat).

We eat ducks.

We eat fish.

We eat squirrels.

We eat all sorts of other animals.

basashi horse meatSo why are we so horrified by the idea of eating horses?

Is it because we have horses as pets?

French people, who are known around the world for being uber-civilized, have horses as pets--and they still eat horses. In fact, the recent horse meat scandal has reminded a lot of French folks that horse meat is delicious, so they're lining up to buy it.

Is it because we have pastimes like thoroughbred racing (Seabiscuit, Secretariat), equestrian events, etc.?

Certainly possible. But don't other countries have those?

Is it because the horse is an iconic American animal, having helped the iconic American marlboro man conquer the wild west and starred in books like Flicka and Black Beauty?

Didn't horses help out folks in other countries? Don't other countries have books like that?

I've never intentionally eaten horse, but I gather some folks consider it delicious.

So why don't we eat horses? Should we?

Please share thoughts, insights, and links below. We'll get to the bottom of this!

SEE ALSO: People Are Lining Up To Buy Horse Meat In France

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Chinese Fraudsters Are Reportedly Selling Walnuts Filled With Cement

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In the past few days, a number of sites, including Shanghaiist and Rocket News, have reported on a strange phenomenon — Chinese fraudsters filling walnut shells with rocks and cement and selling them as fresh walnuts.

This video, which explains how to spot a fake walnut, has also been doing the rounds:

The trade in fake walnuts may sound ridiculous, but there is some more evidence to support the stories.

For example, last year Chinese news site Netease reported that a man in Zhengzhou city, Henan province, had bought 2.5 kilos of walnut from a street vendor only to find they were full of concrete chips.

The scam goes like this — the walnut husk had been emptied of its nutmeat, filled with concrete and paper and then glued shut again. For the fraudsters, they can almost double their profits with the trick, selling both the nutmeat and the fake nuts.

Such a trade makes sense in China, where walnuts have become ridiculously expensive over the last few years— from 350 yuan 10 years ago, to as much as 3,500 yuan, or 20,000 - 30,000 yuan (almost $5,000) last year.

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Drive Safer With The 16-Inch 'No Blind Spot' Rear View Mirror

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This is The No Blind Spot Rear View Mirror.

Why We Love It: This 16-inch mirror eliminates your blind spots with a 180-degree field of view — for reference, your ordinary car mirror only gives you 52 degrees. The size of the mirror allows you to see adjacent vehicles until they are visible in your peripheral vision, and it also reduces headlight glare by 50 percent.

The No Blind Spot Rear View Mirror is used by police officers and professional racecar drivers to eliminate blind spots, and offers a distortion-free reflection across a five-lane highway. It attaches easily by clamping to your existing rear view mirror, and weighs only 10 ounces.

The No Blind Spot Rear View Mirror

Where To Buy: Available through Amazon and Hammacher Schlemmer.

Cost: $49.95.

Want to nominate a cool product for Stuff We Love? Send an email to Megan Willett at mwillett@businessinsider.com with "Stuff We Love" in the subject line.

DON'T MISS: Keep Your Pooch Dry With The 'Dogbrella'

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26 Ways To Save On Spring Break Travel

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florida spring break

Spring break is around the corner and you’re ready to chill. But while you’ve been slaving away to pass your midterms, you haven’t made any plans – and you don’t have much money.

Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

A good spring break doesn’t require a ton of cash: a place to go, a way to get there, somewhere to stay, cheap food, and – for those of proper age – perhaps a drink or two.

1. Plan ahead.

Depending on your spring break dates, it might already be too late for thorough planning and advance ticket purchasing. But plan what you can.

Knowing where you’re going, how you’re getting there, and what you’ll need means less stress and less likelihood of extra expenses and last-minute rate hikes. Developing a budget now will help you save on staples so you can splurge where it counts.

2. Check with your school. Many colleges have on-campus travel agents who can help plan your vacation and find the best rates; your school might even get special discounts.

And campus organizations might be planning trips of their own, so you can get in on good deals there or find people to split costs with.



3. Look for deals everywhere.

Find Groupon and LivingSocial deals for areas you’re heading to or through – these sites serve travelers well, because deals frequently pop up for food and hotels.

When booking or buying anything, look for online promotional codes and discounts too. When you’re in a hotel or all-night diner, grab one of those deal books from the corner stuffed with tourist brochures – they’ve got maps and coupons.



4. Be outgoing.

When you’re traveling, don’t be shy about talking to the locals – first, because meeting new people is what travel is all about, but just as important, locals can tell you what’s worth checking out and what’s an overpriced tourist trap. They’ll save you time and money.

5. Don’t buy stupid souvenirs. Most of us cut loose on vacation, including with our wallets. While it’s fun to be impulsive about what you do and where you go, don’t succumb to impulse buys of tourist junk. You can find that stuff cheaper online anyway.

6. Know the local laws. Speed limits are obvious, but some states – and certainly foreign countries – have different rules about driving and what could get you pulled over, including driving while on the phone. The last thing you need on a trip is a brush with the law, which could mean hefty fines or worse. There may also be noise ordinances, or restrictions on what you can have at the beach.



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Feds Shut Down The Fung Wah 'Chinatown' Bus Over Safety Issues

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Fung Wah

The federal government has shut down Fung Wah Bus Transportation, Inc. more commonly known as the "Chinatown" bus after a number of its vehicles failed safety inspections, according toCBS in Boston.

The company, known for its cut-rate bus rides between New York City's Chinatown and Boston's Chinatown, came under fire earlier this month when Massachusetts inspectors found cracked frames, oil leaks, and other hazards on many of Fung Wah's buses, according to CBS.

But now the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has stepped in, demanding that the operator cease using its 28 buses and conduct thorough safety inspections.

The FMCSA said in a statement:

(The FMCSA) has ordered Fung Wah Bus Transportation, Inc., to immediately cease passenger service and provide its entire fleet of 28 motorcoaches for thorough and detailed safety inspections by qualified inspectors ... FMCSA’s safety investigators are continuing their examination of Fung Wah’s operations, including examining the safety records of its vehicles, drivers and other company safety performance requirements prescribed by federal regulations, and may consider additional actions against the company if warranted.

No word yet on what the "additional actions" could be, but the operator could be out of commission for awhile.

Fung Wah and other Chinatown bus operators have faced safety concerns in the past. In May, federal regulators shut down three bus lines that run out of Chinatown over safety issues.

According to the company's website, it is the largest bus service provider between New York and Boston, and has operated for more than 10 years. One-way tickets on the Fung Wah run around $15.

NOW READ: A True Chinatown Bus Horror Story

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Gangnam, South Korea Is Becoming The Plastic Surgery Capital Of Asia

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psy gangnam style

A crowd of young women wait nervously in the lobby of a popular plastic surgery clinic in Apgujeong, the affluent neighborhood at the heart of Gangnam.

Photographs of Korean pop singers and actresses line the walls, winsome customers who smile next to their cosmetic surgeons.

“It’s painful, but I really want a face like those Korean actress girls,” says a Chinese patient leaving a check-up — with her nose wrapped in a surgical bandage.

Many customers have traveled to this neighborhood — home to some 400 cosmetic surgery hospitals — all the way from China, Japan and Southeast Asia. They’re hoping to take home a little “Gangnam style” for themselves.

That isn’t just a Psy reference. Gangnam is popular from an Asia-wide trend made famous over the past decade: the popularity of Korean television shows and pop singers known as the “Korean Wave.”

Plastic surgery is a lucrative trade in South Korea, with citizens edging out Greece, Italy and the US as the most cosmetically enhanced people in the world.

It’s also attracting a torrent of medical tourists. In 2011, the country’s income from medical tourism income reached $116 million, double from five years earlier, according to government statistics.

At the Grand Plastic Surgery Clinic, surgeons offer procedures for the rounded eyes and pointy nose — just a few examples — that are a standard of beauty in Asia.

The Grand Clinic is one of many of Gangnam’s most successful ventures, attracting celebrity customers and offering regular tours to Korean television crews. “A lot of people want to be like they are in Hollywood,” said Huh Chul, a cosmetic surgeon. “There is glamour to it.”

For a neighborhood that amounts to the Beverly Hills of Seoul, the prices aren’t ghastly. An eyelift costs around $1,500 to $2,000, while a nose job, hovers around $3,000 to $4,000 depending on the hospital.

But don’t be mistaken. In South Korea, this is no longer a woman’s pastime. Men are getting their faces restructured in big numbers, too.

The tourism factor

In 1996, South Korea joined the club of developed countries, the OECD. It was the first major landmark that signified the country was gathering the expertise and technology to build a plastic surgery industry.

In the mid-2000s, as the Korean Wave picked up momentum, the nation saw a corresponding boom of travelers seeking medical procedures in Seoul. Grand Plastic Surgery Clinic started out with a single doctor working in a subway station, but grew to include some 30 doctors during those years, said Huh Chul, the doctor.

More recently, South Korea has been trying to appeal to medical tourists. Seoul is setting itself up as a hub competing with Thailand and India, but offering more reliable medical expertise and higher quality facilities.

For tourists, plastic surgery is the second most popular procedure behind internal medicine.

But the Korean Wave is only one factor boosting plastic surgery.

“Korea also offers price competitiveness and quality,” said Jiyun Yu, a senior researcher at the Korea Tourism and Culture Institute, a policy think-tank in Seoul. “We are not behind the American doctors in terms of expertise.”

Celebrity underworld

The booming plastic surgery industry comes with a shady side. In late January, Seoul prosecutors announced they were launching a wide-reaching investigation into celebrities who abuse Propofol — a powerful anesthetic used in the operations.

The intravenously injected drug quickly puts patients to sleep after exhausting days of rehearsals, performances, and fan pressure. Addiction contributed to the death of Michael Jackson, who was addicted.

In December, police raided seven hospitals in Gangnam, alleging that several clinics have been prescribing Propofol illegally to celebrities for non-medical purposes. Bringing in celebrities is good for advertising.

So far, prosecutors have called in two prominent Korean actresses for questioning over their supposed abuse of the narcotic.

Even though one in five South Korean women admits to going under the knife, the practice hasn’t entirely shed its stigma.

South Korean men — especially older ones — revile the idea of dating or marrying a "sung-gui," slang for “plastic surgery monster.” The lewd term refers to a person who has lost natural beauty to inappropriate botox injections and surgical treatments, giving off a fake and sometimes bloated appearance.

But given the pressures of this fiercely competitive society, others say an eye-tuck and facelift are prerequisites to getting ahead.

“You don’t understand!” exclaimed a university student at a pub, who asked not to be named after she went through three operations. “To be Korean is to get plastic surgery. You must do it, or young people will think you’re weird.”

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25 Regular People Who Married Royalty

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Kate MiddletonFrom the media circus of Kate Middleton and Prince William's wedding to the marriage of a Ugandan Princess and an American businessman, the general public is obsessed with royal romance.

And that goes double when a member of the monarchy is marrying a commoner.

We have rounded up 25 commoners who have married into monarchies from all around the globe.

Jetsun Pema became the Queen of Bhutan.

Official Title: Her Majesty The Queen of Bhutan

The Prince first met Jetsun when she was 7 years old and he was 17 at a family picnic. He told her that if she was still single and he was still single when she grew up, they would marry.

He was true to his word. On October 13, 2011, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck Bhutanese married his 20-year-old bride in a traditional Buddhist ceremony.



Grace Kelly became the Princess of Monaco.

Official Title:Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco

The movie star met Rainier, The Sovereign Prince of Monaco, on a photo shoot that she almost skipped. Their courtship was hurried along by American priest Father Francis Tucker, Rainier's aide and advisor.

They were marriedon April 19, 1956, but the marriage was cut short on September 14, 1982 by Grace Kelly's car accident and untimely death. They had three children together.



Christopher Thomas became the Prince of Uganda.

Official Title: Prince Christopher Thomas

Princess Ruth Komuntale of Uganda was studying at American University in Washington DC when she met Christopher Thomas, an accountant working at Discovery Channel in Silver Spring. They started dating, and Christopher proposed at a local Ruth's Chris Steak House.

But it wasn't until after their engagement that Christopher realized how integral Ruth was in Uganda's Toro Kingdom. Christopher was officially accepted into the royal family, and the couple was married on November 17, 2012 in Uganda.



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MY ADVENTURE TO THE VATICAN: Inside The City Where The Next Huge Election Is About To Occur

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It's my last full day here in Italy, where I've come to cover the parliamentary election, which has ended in chaos.

The global media was watching Italy, because of the significant ramifications on financial markets, which we explained here.

And though it's not clear who is going to be the next Prime Minister of Italy yet, the world's attention turns to a much bigger election, that starts within a matter of days: The election of the next Pope.

And so on my last day here, I figured I'd do some sightseeing and check out what I could of the Vatican.

Actually, my adventure first started at the Colosseum, probably one of the most famous ruins in the entire world.



The sun was rapidly setting, so I was eager to get inside.



You can see here how low the sun was already in the sky.



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