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

UK artist has been making mind-bending optical illusion paintings for over 60 years — take a look inside his London workshop

0
0
  • Patrick Hughes creates paintings which look like they are three dimensional.
  • He calls his technique reverse perspective or "reverspective" and you can see why.
  • Some of his biggest paintings sell for as much as £100,000.

 

London-based artist Patrick Hughes creates incredible paintings which look 3D. 

The paintings are made from big sheets of wood that are sawn into trapeze or pyramid shapes. The pieces are then glued together and painted in white. 2D images are given perspective using software.

"My art is almost now an illusion, an illusion of perspective," the artist told Business Insider. "My subjects are perspective and space. When we are looking at space, we see it in perspective, things get smaller."

Hughes started making art 60 years ago. His first drew were rainbows, which he re-imagined upside down, with a cobweb around them, or crying out of the head of a skull.

"That was what I always wanted to do: something different, original, surreal. I love surrealism," he said.

Hughes works in his Shoreditch studio with 10 other artists.

Some of his biggest paintings sell for as much as £100,000.

His art has been all around the world. Some pieces are on display at Flowers Gallery in London and New York.

 Produced and filmed by Claudia Romeo 

Join the conversation about this story »


Over 60,000 people open a trivia app twice a day for the chance to win hundreds of dollars in minutes — here's how you play

0
0
  • Vine's creators are behind HQ Trivia, a unique trivia-style app that around 60,000 people play twice a day.
  • HQ Trivia is run like a game show, with two live game sessions each day at 3pm ET and 6pm ET. Winners are allotted real cash prizes, and it's free to participate.

HQ Trivia is quickly becoming one of the most buzz-worthy gaming apps on the market: a trivia-styled, fast-paced mashup of 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' and 'Jeopardy' for the internet age.

HQ Trivia doesn't work like other gaming apps you might have played: it's free to play, but hands out real cash prizes if you win. Another big difference from its competition is that you can't play whenever you'd like: You can only play HQ Trivia twice a day, when the app streams a video with a live game show host who rattles off questions in real time against a swirling polka-dot background 

firstimageThe app sends push notifications when the game is about to start; everyday at 3 p.m. ET and 9 p.m ET. There's a countdown, and then the round begins with a series of multiple-choice questions that draw from historical events, literary devices, celebrity knowledge, and more. The few times I played, I wasn't able to get beyond the fifth question, but other players were luckier: one game divvied up $1,000 between 8 winners (that's $125 per person), and the app's co-founder, Rus Yusupov, has plans to up the ante. "I'd love to give away a million dollars someday," Yusupov told Business Insider.

This isn't Yusupov's first foray into video apps ―  he was a key player in the development of Vine in 2012. One of Vine's co-founders, Colin Kroll, also joined Yusupov's venture into gaming, and Yusupov says the hype surrounding HQ Trivia is similar to the success Vine experienced early on. 

You'll typically find about 60,000 players tuning into a single game on HQ Trivia, with varying cash prizes awarded. 

Here's how HQ Trivia works:

All you'll need to sign up for HQ Trivia is a unique username and your phone number. The app will prompt you to allow notifications when you sign up, which is recommended if you don't want to miss out on future games.



Each day at 3pm ET and 9pm ET, there's a notification and a countdown begins. Players can participate in the strolling chat at the bottom of the screen while they wait for the game to begin.



You'll find the number of participants indicated in the upper left of the screen. When the game is about to start, the host welcomes the players Wheel of Fortune-style.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

One of the largest pyramids in the world is a Bass Pro Shops megastore with rumored ties to mythical curses

0
0

MEMPHIS PYRAMID BASS PRO

  • One of the largest pyramids in the world is a Bass Pro Shops megastore in Memphis, Tennessee. 
  • The pyramid also hosts a hotel, indoor swamp, and bowling alley. 
  • However, for roughly a decade, the pyramid was empty — and some believed it was cursed due to a crystal skull installed by the owner of the Rainforest Café. 

 

The pyramid has long captured the human imagination, with people traveling far and wide to view the architectural wonders that spring up from the sands of Egypt. 

But to see one of the biggest pyramids on the planet, Americans don't need to leave the country — they can just travel to Tennessee and visit a Bass Pro Shops. 

In 2015, Memphis' 321-foot-tall "Great American Pyramid" reopened as a Bass Pro Shop megastore after being abandoned for roughly a decade. The 32-floor pyramid contains a hotel, an indoor swamp, and a bowling alley. 

The road to opening a Bass Pro Shop in an enormous pyramid has been a rocky one. Here's the story behind how a hunting and fishing gear store opened up shop in one of the largest pyramids in the world. 

SEE ALSO: A European company you've never heard of has quietly acquired Panera, Au Bon Pain, and Krispy Kreme in its quest to build a coffee empire

Memphis, Tennessee has a sound historical reason to want to build a pyramid. The city was named after Memphis, a city in Egypt, when it was founded in 1819.

Source: Memphis Magazine



Memphis' "Great American Pyramid" opened its doors in 1991, after two years and $68 million spent constructing the building.

Source: The New York Times



At 321 feet, the building is a bit smaller than the Great Pyramid of Giza, which was originally 481 feet tall. It's still pretty massive, typically ranking in the top 10 tallest pyramids in the world (exact ranking varies based on how pyramids' sizes are measured).



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Black Friday workers confess 9 things they'd love to tell shoppers but can't

0
0

Best Buy employees

On Black Friday — the most hectic day in retail — there are plenty of things store associates would love to tell shoppers.

But, whether it's because there's just no time or for fear of repercussions, there are some things they can't tell you.

And some of these things, while perhaps controversial, could end up being a service to shoppers or the workers themselves, if only someone would just say something.

So we asked a number of Black Friday workers to weigh in on the one thing they'd love to tell customers but can't.

We've anonymously included some of the more constructive thoughts here:

SEE ALSO: Here's what it's really like to work retail on Black Friday

DON'T MISS: 19 things bartenders wish people would stop doing

The deals are usually the same all day

"You're stupid if you think waiting in line at midnight means you're going to get a better price than waiting a few hours and coming later." 



And they tend not to be that great

"Honestly, none of the discounts are worthwhile. A majority of the time, sale electronics are last year's or older models."



Consider what your time is worth

"The time you spend waiting in line could have been used to work and pay the extra cash for the item you want."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

7 books that will make you smarter in a single plane ride

0
0

reading in airport

Flying offers the opportunity to disconnect from the internet — unless you pay for it — and turn your mind off from the constant barrage of phone notifications.

Why not spend that time getting smarter on a topic you've always wanted to learn more about.

With that in mind, Business Insider found seven smart books you can finish over the course of a single plane ride. They are short, visually stimulating, or both. For this list we selected an array of lengths, from a 64-page book that's perfect for your hour-long flight, to a 320-page book that would fit the bill if you fly coast-to-coast.

Below we've listed them in order of length, from shortest to longest.

So grab one, or a few, for your next flight, and get smarter by the time you've deplaned.

SEE ALSO: The most exciting city in every state — and the most boring one you can probably skip

'Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words' by Randall Munroe

'Thing Explainer' is intentionally short and simple to understand. The 64-page book uses drawings and the 1,000 most common words to give readers simple explanations for different complicated subjects.

Buy it here »



'We should all be feminists' by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

MacArthur Genius Grant winner Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie expanded on a popular TED talk by the same name to write her 64-page book. She provides a modern-day definition of feminism, and explores the sexual politics at work in society today.

Buy it here »



'The War of Independence' by John Fiske

Originally published in 1890, this 115-page book provides a historical perspective on the American Revolution 100 years following the war, rather than today's more than 230 years. It was written by a historian and scholar who graduated from Harvard Law School.

Buy it here »



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Inside the marriage of LeBron and Savannah James, who met in high school, had their first date at Outback Steakhouse, and are now worth $275 million

0
0

LeBron James Savannah

• LeBron James and his wife Savannah met in high school and have been together ever since.

• They became engaged at a star-studded New Year's Eve bash in 2011, and tied the knot in 2013.

• The couple has three children, and James is the one of the highest-paid athletes in the world.



In 2013, LeBron James married his longtime girlfriend Savannah Brinson. Their lavish wedding included a performance of "Crazy in Love" from Beyonce and Jay-Z, according to Deadspin. The three days of festivities also featured plenty of celebrity cameos, from family friend and fellow NBA star Dwayne Wade to singer Neyo, wrote The Hollywood Reporter.

The couple started off as high school sweethearts, who grabbed dinner at Outback Steakhouse on their first date and stuck together through James' meteoric rise through the NBA.

Today, they have three children and two sprawling mansions: a $21 million mansion in Los Angeles, and a $9.2 million one in Akron, Ohio. The three-time NBA champion is worth $275 million as of 2016 and is one of the highest-paid athletes in the world, according to Forbes.

Here's a look inside their 15-year-relationship:

SEE ALSO: Elon Musk has finally spoken out about his personal life — here's his complicated history of marriages, divorces, and dating

DON'T MISS: LEBRON JAMES: How the king of the NBA spends his millions

James and Savannah both grew up in Akron, Ohio and attended rival high schools. He was a sports prodigy, excelling at basketball and football. She was a cheerleader and softball player.

Source: Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Sports Illustrated



They met at a football game. She told Harper's Bazaar she wasn't aware of his athletic prowess when she accepted his invitation to a basketball game: "I had no idea who he was."

Source: Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Sports Illustrated



Later, Savannah joked to Vogue, "He met me! I didn't meet him!"

Source: Vogue



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Inside the 'Beauty and the Beast' style wedding of Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian, where the bride wore $3.5 million worth of jewelry

0
0

serena alexis

Tennis superstar Serena Williams and Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian wed on November 16, 2017. The couple met about two years ago and have a two-month-old daughter.

The wedding was spectacular — from the guest list (Beyonce and Ciara were in attendance), to the extravagant designer dresses that Williams wore, to the dance performance the couple put on for their guests.

Take a look at the photos below to get a glimpse of the lavish affair.

SEE ALSO: How Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian and tennis superstar Serena Williams met and fell in love

Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian met in May 2015, at the Hotel Cavalieri in Rome. At the time, Williams had never heard of Reddit and Ohanian knew little about tennis. But Ohanian said he knew he wanted to marry Williams by April 2016. He proposed in December.

Instagram Embed:
http://instagram.com/p/BO7GowHgP6_/embed/
Width: 658px

Source: Business Insider



The couple welcomed their daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., in September 2017. Here's Williams holding her before the wedding.

Instagram Embed:
http://instagram.com/p/Bbns0txnejG/embed/
Width: 658px

 Source: Business Insider



"The venue — the Contemporary Arts Center of New Orleans — was a decision we both made," Williams told Vogue. "Painting and art is something I'm really passionate about, so it just felt natural and different to do it at a contemporary art museum."

Source: Vogue



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Inside the New York City offices of $45 billion hedge-fund firm Two Sigma

0
0

Two Sigma offices

What do you picture when you imagine a hedge-fund office? A noisy trading floor full of hedge-fund guys in fleece vests?

Two Sigma, a $45 billion hedge-fund firm that uses advanced technologies to find investment opportunities, is a little different. The firm, which says it has seen head count grow by more than 400% in the past seven years, is as much a technology company as it is a finance company, analyzing over 10,000 data sources to find patterns in markets.

That approach seems to have paid off. Two Sigma ranked as the fifth-biggest hedge fund in the world in Institutional Investor's Alpha's 2017 Hedge Fund 100 list, while cofounders David Siegel and John Overdeck each made $750 million last year, according to the magazine's list of the top-earning hedge-fund managers. The firm also runs an insurance business, Two Sigma Insurance Quantified, a market-making arm called Two Sigma Securities, and a venture-capital arm.

In August, Business Insider took a tour of the firm's two New York offices, which are across the road from each other in the SoHo neighborhood. The offices are stashed with arcade games, computing memorabilia, gyms, a hacker space, and a music room.

SEE ALSO: These before-and-after photos show tech billionaires' dramatic transformations

There was a teach-in on Python for Research when we visited 101 Avenue of the Americas, one of three talks the firm hosts weekly.



The kitchen was well stocked.

You may be able to see a Juicero machine on the left side. Two Sigma Ventures, the venture arm of Two Sigma, is an investor in Juicero, which recently announced a price cut and layoffs.



Across the road at 100 Avenue of the Americas, there's another kitchen, with staff taking time out to play games.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

This is the best way to get revenge on your abusive ex-partner

0
0

woman hood

  • You're likely to feel angry and want revenge when you realise your ex-partner abused you.
  • However, an explosive reaction is playing right into their hands.
  • The best thing you can do is live your best life, and show how much stronger you are without them.


Getting dumped by your partner is painful. It's even more devastating when that partner was abusive.

It can take a while after a break-up to realise the damage your toxic ex-partner was doing to you. However, once you do understand what happened to you, you're likely to be angry, hurt, or even jealous of their new relationships.

As tempting as it might be to try and seek revenge in some way — or warn their future partners of their real personality — the best thing you can do is take care of yourself. After all, if they abused you, they got off on their power over you, so any reaction from you now will be exactly what they want.

According to Perpetua Neo, a doctor of psychology and therapist, any reaction you make will also feed their ego.

"Regardless of whether you react with affection and sentiment, or anger and resentment at your abusive ex-partner, any response is positive for them," she told Business Insider. "Think of it this way — any sort of energy is feeding the trolls. And you want to consciously choose not to do that, knowing they will do anything to get you to respond."

Rather than letting your anger get the better of you by sending angry messages, let it fuel you to do the things that would have otherwise made your ex angry.

Neo said in order to ignore the temptation to react, you should make a conscious effort to live your best life ever.

"I love the quote in 'The Scarlet Letter,' 'She had not known the weight until she felt the freedom,'" she said. "Ask yourself, 'What freedoms was I deprived of?' And revel in them. It could be as simple as wearing mascara again or taking selfies."

Something therapists recommend after a toxic relationship is "no contact." This means no contact at all. No texts, no calls, and certainly no meeting up with your ex. You should also delete them off all social media.

Be prepared for theatrics

Sometimes, the abusive ex might try and get you back by playing the victim, or telling you they will change — be prepared for them to try anything to get a response out of you. If they don't leave you alone, you may need a restraining order — especially if they were physically abusive.

"He may be trying to bait you back that way by posting pictures of other women, posting sentimental 'I am so sorry for what I've done, give me a chance' stuff, or sounding pathetic like the victim drinking his life away so you'll feel bad," Neo said. "Lock those profiles down — block him, delete him, unfriend him. Think about any attention you give him as feeding the trolls — even mentally."

The stronger you get, the less chance there is you'll gravitate back towards the person that hurt you. You might find yourself aching to get back with them, but this will fade in time. It's simply because they gaslighted you into thinking you didn't deserve better.

"Doing is believing," Neo said. "You've shown yourself that no matter what the trauma bonding or Stockholm Syndrome is doing to you, you have busted those patterns and rewired your brain and body towards your new life."

Ultimately, the best "revenge" you can get on your ex who mistreated you is becoming your best self.

"He wanted to see you weak, small, and subordinate; he said you'd be useless without him," Neo said. "Even though he tried to destroy you, you've turned the tables and instead created an awesome life courtesy of the lessons from what he did to you. That will piss him off royally."

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How you should design your home to maximize happiness

The man behind 'Big Shaq' tells the story of his viral freestyle 'Man's Not Hot'

0
0
  • Business Insider spoke with entertainer and viral phenomenon Michael Dapaah, also known as MC BIG SHAQ who performs the song "Man's not hot."
  • BBC's 1xtra Fire in The Booth helped propel Dapaah's popularity after performing on the show. 
  • Dapaah says that some of the Big Shaq lyrics in the rap were made up in the moment.


Read the full transcript below:

The Fire in The Booth exposed me to a wider audience. I had hundreds of thousands of followers, loyal followers before that, that's been following me on the journey. I think with the Fire in The Booth, when I got in there as MC Quakez he already had his bars ready.

Mc Quakez and Shakez - who's played by my younger brother - they already had their bars ready. They were going in there to promote their single "Balance." That's what was out at the moment.

I think with Shaq, in his situation he was just annoyed that Charlie (Sloth) just wasn't giving him the shot. He wasn't respecting him, he wasn't putting respect on his name.

So, when he went in there he had some bars prepared but then he was so deep, deeply hurt and emotionally tainted by man like Charles, that he just went in there and just put everything out.

All his emotions came out and that's when he said: "the ting goes SKRRAHH!" You know what I'm saying? He wanted Charlie to understand that: "bro, get me, I'm meant to be here bruv." You know?

Some of the bars were prepared before and some of the bars were just in the moment of the character. Because if that was me, I wouldn't be saying that. But if that is Shaq, you don't know what the heck is gonna come out of his mouth.

And that's what happened in the Fire in The Booth.

Filmed and Produced by David Ibekwe. Special Thanks to Leon Siciliano.

Join the conversation about this story »

These are the 10 things you should avoid studying at university if you want to be rich

0
0

cambridge

It's tough to make serious life choices at the age of 18, but right now thousands of A-level students across the UK are doing exactly that in their UCAS university applications.

If motivated by money, prospective students ought to think very carefully about the degree they're about to spend at least three years of their lives studying for.

New research carried out by the Institute of Fiscal Studies with the BBC shows that there are huge disparities between the average annual wage of recent grads (five years after graduating) who took different degrees.

The range was from an average salary of a little over £20,000 for students who studied creative arts and design degrees compared to more than double that amount (almost £47,000) for those who read medicine or dentistry.

While it is well known that actors and journalists tend to be underpaid, some of the results are relatively surprising, including the fact that those recent graduates who read history and philosophy are still only earning about £25,000 a year.

Here are the 10 lowest-paying degrees five years on:

10. Historical & philosophical studies — £25,547

9. Social studies (excluding economics) — £24,819

8. Biological sciences — £24,536

7. Combined (joint honours) — £24,520

6. Education — £24,385

5. English studies — £23,906

4. Psychology — £22,399

3. Communications (including media studies, journalism, and publishing) — £22,293

2. Agriculture & related subjects — £21,989

1. Creative arts & design — £20,085

By contrast, the students who studied economics and veterinary science were the second and third highest paid, earning on average £39,963 and £36,007 respectively a year. 

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Anthony Bourdain and Danny Bowien share the best way to cook steak

A self-defense expert reveals how to get out of a choke hold — the #1 way a violent attacker will grab you

0
0

Being in a choke hold is terrifying. We asked Self-Defense Expert Gabrielle Rubin the best ways to fend off an attacker. Her advice could save your life. Following is a transcript of the video:

Gabrielle Rubin: The majority of the time it's going to be a choke hold from behind, ok. And you've seen this in movies and television and hands tend to go where there's pain but this is not doing anything for us.

Jessica Orwig: Yeah.

Gabrielle Rubin: Ok. Never focus on what's grabbed focus on what's free. If someone's arm is up around me I know they're open so I call this one slot machine. I make a tight fist and pull the lever.

Jessica Orwig: Yeah, and that's right on my hip bone.

Gabrielle Rubin: Alright and so … so if I go "boom" and I do make contact and I hit you right in the gut there, I should have a visual to see feet. If I do I can foot stomp right down on the bridge of the foot and get those little bones which hurt.

Jessica Orwig: Yeah.

Gabrielle Rubin: I can also throw back in elbow this way. I can bite right in the crux of the elbow, I can put my chin down and throw my head back. Or what people don’t think about is your legs are completely free. So you can use those. Just kick your own butt, just straight up.

Jessica Orwig: Yeah.

Gabrielle Rubin: It’s not strength, it’s speed that hurts so I’m not going "errr" I’m going "boom." Now bad guys are not going to grab you like "what’s up girl," they’re going to stand like guys ok?

Jessica Orwig: Yeah.

Gabrielle Rubin: And have enough opening that you can easily get right up in there and even if you don’t you're still hitting shin, knee, and hopefully the groin.

Jessica Orwig: Yeah.

Gabrielle Rubin: So you'll think about it next time you're wearing your heels out.

Jessica Orwig: Yeah.

Gabrielle Rubin: That "Oh I can't run in my heels!" We don't need to run. Heels are going to really do some damage in this situation.

Join the conversation about this story »

These 15-year-old twins are the reigning queens of Musical.ly, the Generation Z app that was just bought for ~$1 billion

0
0

lisa lena musical.ly

Lisa and Lena Mantler, 15-year-old twins from Germany, have one of the fastest-growing fan bases on the internet. You've probably never heard of them, but the teen in your life has.

The girls are the reigning queens of Musical.ly, the social-media app of choice for Generation Z. Teens record and post 15-second clips of themselves lip-syncing, dancing to popular music, and pulling stunts. The app launched in 2014 and has racked up over 200 million "musers."

In November, the startup behind Musical.ly was purchased in a deal valued up to $1 billion.

Here's how Lisa and Lena rose to stardom before their braces came off.

SEE ALSO: A lip-syncing app teens are obsessed with just got bought for $1 billion — here's how to use Musical.ly

Lisa and Lena Mantler are Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen for Generation Z.

Instagram Embed:
http://instagram.com/p/BYQEA6jgA8L/embed/
Width: 800px

 

 

 

 



Teens love them, even if they can't tell them apart.



In December 2015, the twins uploaded their first video to Musical.ly — a six-second clip that showed them lip-syncing to Gnash's "i hate u, i love you (feat. Olivia O'Brien)."

Youtube Embed:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/dEMnaiGZG4M
Width: 560px
Height: 315px

 

The girls first spotted a Musical.ly video on their Instagram feed.

"We thought, 'Let's try it, it looks fun,'" Lena told online magazine Dazed.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

How Bill Gates makes and spends his billions

0
0

With a net worth of approximately $89 billion, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is one of the wealthiest men in the world. If he spent $1 million a day, it'd take him 245 years to spend his fortune. Here's how he made all that cash.

In 1975, Gates co-founded Microsoft. At 31, he became the world's youngest billionaire at the time. In 1995, he released Windows 95 and became the world's richest man. He's been at the top of the list ever since. Gates is also a leading philanthropist.

He stepped down as Microsoft CEO to focus on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It has given away $41.3 billion to charity. Gates doesn't forget to splurge on himself, though. He bought a $21 million jet in 1997. He's had tons of luxurious cars over the years. He even once got arrested for speeding in a Porsche 911. Gates has an extensive art collection. In 1988, he spent $36 million on a Winslow Homer painting.

That piece hangs in his $63 million home in Seattle. It has 24 bathrooms, 6 kitchens, a reception hall that holds 200 people, a home theater, and an artificial stream stocked with fish.

In 2010, Bill, Melinda, and Warren Buffett created the "The Giving Pledge." Those who join pledge to give half of their wealth to charity.

Join the conversation about this story »

What no man wants to receive for the holidays — and what to buy him instead, according to the data

0
0

Gift

  • Gift Now is a service that enables customers to give gifts via email from online stores.
  • Men most exchanged candy, dress shirts, and athletic apparel.
  • Most men kept ties, wallets, and anti-aging skincare.


Buying gifts for men can be difficult. Many are demure when asked what they would like to receive, and others offer nothing in the way of hints or suggestions.

Let us help.

To that end, Gift Now— the e-gifting platform by Loop Commerce used by Target, Ralph Lauren, Macy's, Neiman Marcus, and others — shared with us the gifts that were exchanged the most and least often on its platform.

When an e-gift is sent via Gift Now, it is bought and paid for by the giver. The recipient is then notified via email, and they can either accept the gift by entering in their details, or exchange it and receive store credit for the same value instead.'

According to Loop's data — which is based at least thousands of transactions — 54% of gifts are exchanged on the platform. Only 37% of gifts to men are accepted as is with no modifications, exchanges, or returns.

The most commonly exchanged gifts by men were candy, gum, and sweets, dress shirts, and athletic apparel.

Anything edible seems like a particularly strange gift to send via email, and we imagine most men get plenty of sweets during the holidays. They might want to spend the money on a new pair of socks, instead. Dress shirts and athletic apparel are both very size-dependent, and we imagine many of the exchanges were for different sizes, colors, or shapes.

On the other hand, men were particularly fond of ties, wallets, and anti-aging skincare. These items had the highest rate of acceptance.

Despite common wisdom, these make particularly good gifts, as they are one-size-fits-all. Still, we imagine the men who accepted anti-aging skincare asked for it. We worry about the implications it might give if given unprompted.

From this, it's pretty clear what makes a good gift and what a bad one. Give wisely.

SEE ALSO: This is the best year ever to shop online on Black Friday

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The best wines under $25 according to a top sommelier


A professor of medicine explains why eating fat won't make you fat — but sugar will

0
0

AvocadoDicing thumb02

  • Dozens of scientific studies suggest that eating fat isn't linked to weight gain.
  • Aaron Carroll, a pediatrician and professor of pediatrics, says it's perfectly ok to eat butter, cream, nuts, and avocados.
  • Instead of eating low-fat products, Carroll encourages people to eat less sugar, which studies have linked to weight gain and obesity.

 

"Eat fat, get fat" has been the conventional wisdom guiding American diets for the past two decades.

Yet more and more research suggests that thinking is dangerously misguided.

"There is one thing we know about fats,"Aaron Carroll, a professor of pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine, writes in his new book, "The Bad Food Bible: How and Why to Eat Sinfully."

"Fat consumption does not cause weight gain. To the contrary, it might actually help us shed a few pounds."

That means that foods like buttery avocados, rich salmon, and savory nuts should have a place in your diet. If you banned them as part of the low-fat dieting craze of the 1990s, it's time to bring them back.

The evidence lies in studies that have compared people on low-fat, high-carb diets with people on low-carb, high-fat diets. Time and time again, the research reveals that people who restrict their intake of fatty foods do not lose weight or gain other health benefits. In contrast, people who eat diets high in fat but low in refined carbohydrates like white bread and white rice tend to lose weight and see other health benefits as well.

To doctors and dietitians, these findings suggest that the real villain when it comes to weight gain isn't fat, but rather added sugar and refined carbohydrates that get quickly broken down into sugar.

Low-fat diets don't make people thin

granola yogurt cereal snack food healthy fruitA large analysis published in August in the journal The Lancet compared more than 135,000 people on low-fat and low-carb diets across 18 countries. The researchers found that low-fat diets were more likely to be linked with death from all causes, and found a higher likelihood of heart attacks and heart disease as well. People on low-carb diets, on the other hand, had significantly lower risk of both of these outcomes.

"Global dietary guidelines should be reconsidered in light of these findings," the researchers wrote in the paper.

Several other recent studies of people on low-fat eating plans have shown similar results. An eight-year trial involving almost 50,000 women put roughly half of them on a low-fat diet, and found that those women didn't see any decrease in their risk of breast cancer, colorectal cancer, or heart disease. Plus, they didn't lose much weight, if any.

"Bottom line? The evidence in favor of a low-fat diet is very thin, whereas the evidence for the benefits of certain fats is mounting," Carroll writes.

The body needs fat to function

The body requires fat to run properly.

Fat is essential for blood clotting and muscle movement. It's a required ingredient for building cell membranes (the shells that house each of your cells) as well as the protective shields around your nerves. Finally, fat helps us absorb vitamins and minerals from the foods we eat.

When we're not eating fat, we tend to eat more refined carbs and sugar, both of which have been strongly linked to weight gain and obesity.

salmon lunch.JPGA review of 50 studies on diet and weight gain published in the journal Food and Nutrition Research found that on average, the more refined grains someone ate (like white bread and white rice), the more weight they tended to gain over the study period. By contrast, the more whole grain foods someone ate (like whole-wheat bread and brown rice), the less weight they tended to gain.

Part of the problem is that refined carbs and sugar can encourage overeating.

"It's definitely easiest to overdo it with drinks, refined carbs, foods that have added sugar or are highly processed — those are things that we just tend to keep going," Cara Anselmo, a nutritionist and outpatient dietitian at New York's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, told Business Insider.

Eat more fish, avocados, and nuts

Still, some fats may be healthier than others.

For a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers tested what happened when people swapped a small portion of the calories they got from saturated fat (which is most often found in meat and dairy products) with calories from unsaturated fat.

Doing so appeared to be linked with numerous benefits, including a reduction in the risk of death and conditions like heart disease and several neurodegenerative diseases.

"Not all fats are created equal," Harvard nutrition professor Frank B. Hu, a lead author on the study, told The New York Times. "We should eat more good ones from fish and avocados, instead of animal fats," he said.

According to a health blog maintained by the Harvard Medical School, healthy fats include those from nuts, fish, and olive oil — called  mono- and polyunsaturated fats. The unhealthy ones are trans fats found in processed foods, and saturated fats "fall somewhere in between."

Overall, the take-home message is simple: eating fat won't make you fat, but overdoing it on sugar will.

DON'T MISS: Americans have been making a huge diet mistake for 100 years — here's what they should do instead

SEE ALSO: Scientists think they've discovered a fourth type of fuel for humans — beyond carbs, fat, and protein

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 5 'healthy' breakfast foods that have more sugar than a glazed donut

Rich millennials are buying homes where they can live near their parents and grow their own avocados

0
0

Agrihood Esencia

  • A new type of housing community known as an "agrihood" is popping up around the US.
  • Agrihoods combine the amenities of a rural farming community with the convenience of a modern, metropolitan neighborhood.
  • Millennials and active retirees alike are flocking to the agrihood at Rancho Mission Viejo in Orange County, California.

 

Farm life isn't what it used to be.

A new type of housing community called an agrihood— short for "agricultural neighborhood" — is one of the latest real estate trends gaining popularity across the US.

Agrihood developers aim to bring the amenities of a rural farming community, like fresh produce and ample outdoor space, to modern, metropolitan neighborhoods. The homes are typically built to high environmental standards, too — think solar panels and composting.

"With the shifts in how people connect, developers and planners are seeking creative alternatives to create vibrant, engaging ways to create community," said Paul Johnson, senior vice president of community development for Rancho Mission Viejo, a 23,000-acre master-planned community in Orange County, California.

"Where in the past it might have been a retail plaza or community center, now developers are looking at what kinds of places meet the changing needs of how people live," he said.

The Ranch at Rancho Mission Viejo is building its neighborhoods around communal farms. Its agrihoods attract millennials, who represent the largest segment of American homebuyers today, and active retirees alike.

We explored the agrihood on a recent visit to The Ranch — take a look:

SEE ALSO: Rich millennials are ditching the golf communities of their parents for a new kind of neighborhood

DON'T MISS: A developer is building a stunning coastal enclave for rich tech elites who are shunning golf communities — take a look

The Ranch at Rancho Mission Viejo is California's largest new master-planned community. Upon completion, there will be 6,000 acres of homes and nearly 17,000 acres of habitat reserve. To date, The Ranch construction is about 25% complete.



The first two villages, Esencia and Sendero, have a combined 3,411 residences, including townhouses, single-family homes, and apartments.



Newly-built homes range from the low $400,000s to more than $1 million. Both villages also offer homes available exclusively to folks 55 and older to promote intergenerational living.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Trump SoHo has a brand-new restaurant — but the team behind it wants to keep politics out of it

0
0

Trump Soho

  • Since the 2016 presidential election, restaurants inside Trump-branded properties have suffered as chefs have left and business has dwindled.
  • The restaurant Koi, which was located inside the Trump SoHo hotel, closed in April.
  • The space has a new restaurant called Spring & Varick, which opened this month.

 

Operating a business in a Trump-branded property comes with a unique set of challenges in this political era.

Take the Trump SoHo hotel in New York as an example. Once a regular for corporations and pro sports teams, the hotel has lost clients, lowered room rates, and been forced to lay off some staff after a reported decline in business. After the election, a restaurant in the hotel, called Koi, closed after foot traffic declined. Its replacement, Spring & Varick, opened this month, but John Creger, the new restaurant's head chef, isn't worried about filling seats.

"I was looking for [a space] back down lower in the city. I wanted to do something with a different clientele that was looking to spend a little more money," Creger told Business Insider.

When the owners of Trump SoHo got in touch, Creger was eager to get into the space. Still, he said that opening a restaurant associated with the Trump name was a "challenge."

Recent investigative reporting done by ProPublica, WNYC, and the New Yorker revealed the sordid past of the Trump SoHo's development, which involved condo buyers suing the Trump Organization over misleading sales numbers. The Trumps eventually settled the civil suit with the buyers, who had alleged that Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. had lied about the number of units that had sold.

And, post-election, some Trump brands are suffering as negative consumer perception grows.

"We know that it's a challenge absolutely, but that said, everything we do here is a challenge — no matter what kitchen you're in, what building you're in, in a city [where] there's thousands of restaurants and tons of people who don't like this and that," Creger said.

Drawing upon techniques he's learned during his time at restaurants like Le Cirque, Creger has developed an internationally inspired menu that includes edamame falafel, fish and chips, and a house burger served with comté cheese. See a sample of dishes below.

SEE ALSO: Inside one of New York City's oldest and most famous bars, which serves only 2 beers and didn't allow women in until 1970

While Spring & Varick does have its own entrance, the main front door is the Trump SoHo's lobby. The restaurant is named after the intersection where the hotel is located in Downtown Manhattan.



"You come into [Spring & Varick] to have a completely different experience that is not political ... it's just to come in and enjoy food and learn something," Creger said.



Keeping politics out could be easier said than done. Celebrity chef José Andrés, who was going to open a restaurant inside the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC, backed out of the deal in 2015, citing comments by then-candidate Trump that Andrés said were "disparaging immigrants." The two parties have since settled in court.

Source: Business Insider



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here’s how to navigate one of the most epic New York food traditions — ‘Dim Sum’ in Chinatown

0
0

DimSum (5 of 37)

  • Dim sum in New York's Chinatown neighborhoods is a popular tradition among Chinese-Americans, and the larger New York community.
  • It can be a chaotic and intimidating experience for first-timers
  • We went to Jing Fong Restaurant in Manhattan's Chinatown to explain how to do it right

 

Forget brunch. Dim sum in Chinatown is the better New York tradition.

Dim sum is the traditional meal served in Cantonese teahouses and banquet halls on the weekend mornings, where families gather to drink endless amounts of tea and nibble on tons of delicious small plates.

Like many traditions, it can be intimidating to first-timers. Chinatown is a busy place that makes few concessions to first-timers.

My first experiences eating dim sum were inevitably nerve-wracking. You often end up pointing to dishes you don’t want just to get ordering over with — or you're confused as to why you are seated with a family you’ve never met.

I recently went to Jing Fong Restaurant, one of the best dim sum halls in Manhattan’s Chinatown, to relax after a busy weekend, catch up with friends, and chow down.

Here’s how to do dim sum right.

Welcome to Manhattan's Chinatown. It's actually one of nine predominantly Chinese neighborhoods in New York City. It's dwarfed in size by the Chinatown in Flushing, Queens, but Manhattan's still a hub for the Chinese-American community.



Jing Fong Restaurant is one of the most popular dim sum spots in the city. On the weekends, it's crowded and chaotic, with both tourists and locals coming to get their fix.



You enter through the bottom floor. Go up to the hostess to get a card with a number and your party size on it.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

This guy grew up sleeping on a weight bench — now he trains celebrities like Tony Robbins and The Rock

0
0

Tony Robbins is 57 years old but his schedule is as physically grueling as it's ever been. As the world's most famous life coach, Robbins is constantly traveling the world and averages 60 events annually. It's common for him to put in 16-hour workdays during one of his signature seminar events, and much of that time is spent jumping and running around a stage. This is where Billy Beck III comes in.

Robbins hired Beck as his full-time personal trainer four years ago, and Beck has helped him accommodate an increasingly busy schedule as he gets older.

Beck has his own gym in Florida, has twice won the Met-Rx Personal Trainer of the Year competition, and has had clients like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, NHL and NFL athletes, UFC fighters, and boxers.

Most of his time now, though, is spent traveling the world with Robbins to make sure he maintains his energy throughout his relentless schedule. Beck even bought a house near Robbins' main residence in Palm Beach, Florida, and has his own place next to Robbins' Fiji house.

Business Insider recently traveled to Robbins' Fiji resort Namale and spent several days with Robbins and Beck. And even though Robbins is Beck's client, it became obvious that the two are also great friends. Following is a transcript of the video.

Tony Robbins: Wow, look at the kind of animals that we have here in this forest! It's a lion!

[Meet Tony Robbins' personal trainer]

Billy Beck III: I'm Billy Beck III — trainer to a bunch of people, but in this episode, I am the exclusive trainer to Tony Robbins. We're in Namale. This is Tony's resort in the Fiji islands. This is my little sanctuary. This is where he hides me.

I've trained hundreds of professional athletes. When they come to see me, I take every factor that makes someone better physically, mentally, emotionally, and I make them a complete athlete.

[Beck travels the world with Robbins ...]

Beck: No one does more preparation than this man right here.

[... and it's clear they're best buddies]

Robbins: Yeah, Billy has a hard time having a good time. It's his most difficult situation. He was depressed when I met him. It was an amazing thing.

Beck: Yeah, you are amazing! I wasn't feeling good about myself.

Robbins: We have to figure out how to reverse that pattern. It's a little out of control.

Beck: By the time I was 13, I had to make a decision because I grew up in a trailer. I could either have a bed or a weight bench. So, I slept on a weight bench for three years. I didn't confine myself to exercise. I started studying nutrition. Then, I started looking at sports performance.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson – I was very blessed to be able to work with him. Worked for him like seven years or something like that. It was when he was looking to go from wrestling into movies.

Richard Feloni: How long have you been working with Tony?

Beck: Like four years?

Feloni: And you check in how often? A daily basis?

Robbins: Pretty much daily. Yeah. When we're at events, it's every day because he's there with me. When I'm on the road, it's not every day. But, we're dear friends also, so we're always connecting, communicating. But, it's constant. Yeah. He's really there because we're always adjusting things to what the environment demands from me.

Beck: He's on stage 12, 14, 16 hours, and he's completely immersed the entire time. My job is to actually stop him sometimes so I can refuel the tank. The level of technology and science that we employ to make him the best he can be is insane. We'll get an extra room in a hotel and bring a portable hyperbaric chamber. I mean, we do cryotherapy. We'll bring it with us. We do lab testing. I do genetic testing to determine what he actually needs more of, you know, from his DNA. So, we're never guessing. I don't like to guess. There's no reason to guess with the way we have technology now.

He pushed his body so hard for so long, that he got in debt with his body. He expended so much without replenishing it, that his body got really beat up. We've been able to correct a lot of this. In the last four years he's — like, this is the best shape he's ever been in.

Robbins: Billy!

Beck: Teamwork makes the dream work!

I see him do stuff all the time that people don't know about. He just loves people, and he hates to see people suffer, and like, if I wanted to be like anyone in the world, it would be like him.

Join the conversation about this story »

Viewing all 115285 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images