• Kratom is a drug derived from a plant native to Southeast Asia.
• On Tuesday, FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb released a statement officially calling the drug an opioid because of its links to 44 deaths and its molecular structure.
• Still, there is limited available research on kratom, and the FDA's research is largely based on case reports that involved multiple drugs, not just kratom.

A pill that's been credited with delivering super-human strength, feelings of euphoria, powerful pain relief, and better focus has now been linked with 44 deaths.

Kratom, or Mitragyna speciosa, is a plant in the coffee family that's native to Southeast Asia. When ingested, the drug taps into some of the same brain receptors as opioids, which is why the Food and Drug Administration gave kratom a new warning and classification on Tuesday.

"As the scientific data and adverse event reports have clearly revealed, compounds in kratom make it so it isn't just a plant — it's an opioid," FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a statement. "And it’s an opioid that's associated with novel risks."

Despite failing to ever gain FDA approval, kratom has continued to be available for sale online and in stores — including inside a vending machine in Arizona.

In addition to being marketed as a concentration booster and workout enhancer in largely unregulated supplements, kratom has been advertised as a replacement for opioid painkillers. It's also sometimes touted as a way to treat addiction to opioids.

Those two uses are what Gottlieb appears to see as the most troubling.

For their latest report, scientists at the FDA looked at the chemical structures of the 25 most prevalent compounds in kratom. All of those compounds, they discovered, shared structural similarities with opioids like derivatives of morphine.

The researchers also used a computer model to analyze the chemical structure of the compounds and figure out how they were likely to be processed in the body. The model confirmed the researchers' suspicions: Two of the five most prevalent compounds in kratom latch onto the body's opioid receptors, just like other opioid painkillers do.

"The new data provides even stronger evidence of kratom compounds' opioid properties," Gottlieb said on Tuesday.

But the scientific research on kratom remains limited

Between 2010 and 2015, calls about kratom to poison control centers rose 10-fold from 26 to 263, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The FDA "first put kratom on import alert" in 2012, FDA press officer Lyndsay Meyer told Business Insider in November.

Along with its latest statement on kratom, the FDA released details of the case reports in which kratom was implicated in 44 deaths.

But those deaths are not as simple as they may seem.

In all but one case, the people who died were found to have been taking multiple drugs, including other opioids in many cases. That makes definitively labeling kratom as the cause of death impossible.

Still, concern about kratom is mounting, especially because some people appear to be using the supplement as a way to step down from opioid painkillers like heroin and morphine.

"Patients addicted to opioids are using kratom without dependable instructions for use and more importantly, without consultation with a licensed health care provider about the product's dangers, potential side effects or interactions with other drugs," Gottlieb said in a previous statement in November.

While this concern is legitimate, there is no way to know precisely how kratom does — or doesn't — work without rigorous scientific testing, which has not yet been done.

Kratom is banned in Australia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand and in several US states: Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. Across the US, several reports of deaths and addiction led the Drug Enforcement Administration to place kratom on its list of "drugs and chemicals of concern." In 2016, the DEA proposed a ban on kratom but backtracked under pressure from some members of Congress and outcry from kratom advocates who said it could help treat opioid addiction.

"I want to be clear on one fact: there are currently no FDA-approved therapeutic uses of kratom," Gottlieb said.

Nevertheless, the drug has continued to pop up in supplements, despite an FDA health alert about kratom-containing dietary supplements and bulk dietary ingredients.

Kratom's problems point to larger issues with supplements

Kratom is far from the only risky ingredient that has shown up in supplements.

Last November, researchers at Harvard Medical School and independent product testing company NSF International identified four unapproved, unlisted stimulants in six supplements currently marketed for weight loss and fitness. Evidence suggests the stimulants could be similar to ephedrine, a compound derived from ephedra, the dangerous and lethal weight-loss supplement that the FDA banned in 2004.

It wasn't the first time.

A study of product recalls published in 2013 in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that of the 274 supplements recalled by the FDA between 2009 and 2012, all contained banned drugs. A 2014 report found that more than two-thirds of the supplements purchased six months after being recalled still contained banned drugs.

"Consumers should expect nothing from [supplements] because we don't have any clear evidence that they're beneficial, and they should be leery that they could be putting themselves at risk," S. Bryn Austin, a professor of behavioral sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, previously told Business Insider.

"Whether it's on the bottle or not, there can be ingredients in there that can do harm."

SEE ALSO: The $37 billion supplement industry is barely regulated — and it's allowing dangerous products to slip through the cracks

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NOW WATCH: A sleep doctor reveals why melatonin isn't a sustainable, or safer, sleep aid

• Rachel Sussman is a relationship expert and marriage counselor.
• She's seen many couples fighting while renovating their home. It even happened to her.
• Like having children, the home-renovation process may bring to the surface relationship issues that you've pushed under the rug.

Nearly 30 years ago, Rachel Sussman and her husband bought a second home.

During the renovation process, Sussman recalled, they had "one of the biggest fights we ever had."

Sussman isn't alone — one survey found that 12% of couples have considered divorce while renovating a home. But Sussman is a marriage therapist, and even she found that the experience took a terrible toll on her marriage.

"We were shrieking at each other, which we don't usually do," Sussman told me. Fortunately, she added, "a couple days later we were laughing about it." They asked each other: If they'd known then how stressful the renovation process would be, "would we have still done this?"

Sussman told me she sees many couples at each other's throats while doing home renovations. It's not necessarily that the renovation process causes problems; it's more that the process exacerbates whatever issues already exist in the relationship.

In some cases, it can even catalyze the dissolution of a relationship, bringing to the surface issues you might have swept under the rug. A recent installment in The New York Times' "Modern Love" column featured the story of Elaisha Stokes and her ex-husband, who tried to renovate a neglected brownstone and ended up divorcing.

Stokes writes: "I had tracked down old contractors who had worked on the house during its 22-year vacancy. They told me the home was cursed and regaled me with stories of those who had tried to move in over the years, only to watch their lives implode."

Sussman said home renovations can drive couples crazy for a few reasons. When the builder calls and needs an immediate answer, you've got to make a joint decision quickly. And typically, you end up spending more money than you planned to.

She mentioned that some couples take on a home renovation project to "save" their relationship, the way some couples think having a child will revive their relationship. "But in actuality, if a relationship is on thin ice, the more you test it, it's really just going to break."

Looking at different styles of homes together can help you figure out what your partner likes and dislikes

When Sussman works with couples facing this issue, she'll try to dig deeper to "tease out any underlying issues the couples may have." That makes talking about the home renovations easier.

Meanwhile, Dawn Michael, a couples therapist and clinical sexologist who used to teach classes on how to handle a remodeling project as a couple, told Houzz that it helps to sit down together and look at pictures of different homes. That way, you get a sense of what the other person likes and dislikes.

Another exercise that Michael shared with Houzz: Each person writes down 10 home-design ideas and exchanges them with their partner. Then, each partner circles ideas that are similar, checks the ones they can compromise on, and crosses out the ideas they can't stand.

Perhaps the best antidote to home renovation-related strife is simply to prepare for it in advance. Know that the process may contribute to conflict between you and your partner, and think about potential ways to mitigate the stress.

As Sussman put it, "If you're a healthy couple and it's just the stress, you get through it. You apologize. You try to keep your eye on the big picture [and say], 'This is going to be good for us.'"

SEE ALSO: A relationship therapist breaks down the 10 most common fights couples have

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NOW WATCH: A relationship psychologist explains why marriage seems harder now than ever before

• Likability isn't necessarily inherent.

• You can practice certain behaviors in order to appear — and become — more likable.

• Practices range from smiling more to honing your listening skills.

Being likable is entirely under your control.

All it takes is the ability to pick up a few key social skills that build emotional intelligence.

To help you out, we sifted through the Quora thread "What are useful social skills that can be picked up quickly?," talked to an etiquette expert, and looked to some social psychology researchers.

Here are 19 simple ways to start crafting a "million-dollar personality" and become the most likable person in the room:

DON'T MISS: 16 skills that are hard to learn but will pay off forever

SEE ALSO: 15 hobbies highly successful people practice in their spare time

Keep eye contact

As Heidi Grant Halvorson explains in her book "No One Understands You And What To Do About It," the very first thing people will try to decide about you when they meet you is if they can trust you — and it's fairly hard to like someone if you don't trust them.

Their decision is made almost entirely unconsciously, and it usually comes down to how well you can balance conveying two things: warmth and competence.

"Above all else, really focus on what is being said to you — people need to feel that they have been heard, even when you can't give them what they are asking for or can't be of particular help," Halvorson writes. One simple way to show you're paying attention is to make eye contact and hold it.

"It is an idiotically simple thing, but it remains one of the most impactful life hacks around," writes Quora user Brad Porter.

Halvorson says that making eye contact is also an effective way to convey competence, and studies have shown that those who do so are consistently judged as more intelligent.

Start this habit immediately, says Porter. It requires no practice or special skill — just the commitment to meet someone's gaze and look them in the eye while conversing.

Smile

Don't underestimate the power of smiling, another simple and effective way to convey warmth.

Additionally, laugh and tell jokes, recommends Quora user Craig Fraser. People unconsciously mirror the body language of the person they're talking to. If you want to be likable, use positive body language and people will naturally return the favor.

Show enthusiasm

"Along with a smile, show some enthusiasm and energy, also known as charisma," suggests Rosalinda Oropeza Randall, an etiquette and civility expert and the author of "Don't Burp in the Boardroom.

"This not only draws people to you, but it is contagious," she says. "After spending time with you, people will walk away with a warm and fuzzy feeling, which most likely, they'll pass on to someone else."

• Quincy Jones said in an interview with Vulture that Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen can sing and play guitar "just like" rock legend Jimi Hendrix.
• Jones also called The Beatles "the worst musicians in the world."

Legendary producer Quincy Jones unleashed an avalanche of wild answers in an interview with Vulture on Wednesday, including the revelation that he once dated Ivanka Trump.

But perhaps the most surprising statement Jones made in the Q&A is the following claim: that Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen can sing and play guitar "just like" rock legend Jimi Hendrix. 

After calling The Beatles "the worst musicians in the world" in an extended response, Jones singled out Eric Clapton's band 1960s band Cream as a band "that could play."

"But you know who sings and plays just like [Jimi] Hendrix?," Jones continued. "Paul Allen."

"Stop it. The Microsoft guy?," Vulture's David Marchese replied. 

"Yeah, man. I went on a trip on his yacht, and he had David Crosby, Joe Walsh, Sean Lennon — all those crazy motherf-----s," Jones said. "Then on the last two days, Stevie Wonder came on with his band and made Paul come up and play with him — he’s good, man."

Allen is well-known for his expensive possessions. He owns a number of valuable guitars, including one of Hendrix's. He also owns the Seattle Seahawks and has an estimated net worth of $17 billion. 

Vulture linked in Jones' answer to a clip of Allen playing an impressive guitar solo, which you can find below:

SEE ALSO: 84-year-old music legend Quincy Jones says he used to date Ivanka Trump — and that Tommy Hilfiger set them up

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NOW WATCH: What happens to your body when you start exercising regularly

• A new video features a gust of wind ruffling President Donald Trump's carefully placed hair.
• The video seems to displace a flap of hair that covers a bald spot on the back of his head.
• It adds fuel to the theory that Trump had a hair transplant years ago.

Many have wondered, but nobody knows what exactly is going on with President Donald Trump's hair.

We're now closer than ever to the truth, thanks to a new video.

The video captures the president ascending the steps of Air Force One on Friday to head to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for the weekend. It was a windy day, and Trump was positively buffeted by a crosswind that dislodged a flap of hair covering the rear of his head, pushing it forward and revealing a conspicuously bare section.

Jonathan Chait of New York magazine said it revealed Trump's "absurd efforts to conceal his hair loss."

The video — which some have dismissed as fake or doctored — seems to have been taken by Reuters TV and reposted in part on YouTube by The Stranger, a Seattle alternative weekly newspaper.

Pictures taken that day seem to corroborate the video. A tweet from Ashley Feinberg, a journalist, first called attention to the video:

The bare back of Trump's head adds fuel to a longtime rumor.

Many — including a hair-transplant surgeon who spoke with Business Insider in 2015— have speculated that Trump had a hair transplant at some point in his life, most likely in the '80s or '90s.

During a transplant, hair is taken from the sides and back of a person's head to put on the top. For whatever reason, these hairs are more resilient to the hormone that kills hair follicles and causes hair loss.

Surgeons typically use something called FUE, or follicle unit extraction, to transplant individual hair follicles, but it's unclear what technology was available decades ago. It's possible that Trump, if he had a hair transplant, had entire strips of hair taken from the rear of his head and put on top. That could explain the bareness — and why he seems to grow his hair so long.

Trump also takes the hair-loss drug finasteride, often prescribed to patients after a hair transplant to prevent additional hair loss.

So there you have it, the best explanation yet for what exactly is happening with Trump's hair — at least until another gust of wind reveals more.

SEE ALSO: The White House doctor says Trump needs to fix his unhealthy diet and lose weight — and after eating like the president for a week, I completely agree

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NOW WATCH: The healthiest things you can get at McDonald's

While you may assume her Royal Majesty the Queen enjoys fine dining every day, this isn't always the case.

According to The Telegraph, twice a week the head chef to the royal household, Mark Flanagan, provides the Queen with menu suggestion which she can approve by ticking off or crossing out.

However, Darren McGrady, a former chef in the royal kitchens, said that the Queen is "not a foodie. She eats to live, unlike Prince Philip who loves to eat and would stand and talk food all day."

"When she dines on her own," he added, "she's very disciplined. No starch is the rule."

This week marks 66 years since Her Majesty took the throne. In honor of the anniversary,we took a look at the Queen's typical day of eating and drinking, from the tea she drinks and biscuits she eats when she wakes up to her low-carb lunches, her nightly glass of Champagne, and penchant for chocolate.

Scroll down to see what Her Royal Majesty the Queen has for every meal — and in between.

We took a look at what Her Royal Majesty the Queen likes to eat and drink for every meal — and in between.

Deciding what to eat must be tough when you're a royal. Luckily, her Royal Majesty the Queen has a team on hand to help her pick her menu — even when she's shopping at Waitrose.

The Queen starts her day with tea and biscuits.

She has a freshly brewed pot of Earl Grey tea (no milk or sugar) in bone china cup, with a few biscuits, according to BT.

She then moves on to breakfast, which normally involves cereal and fruit.

She's partial to Special K, according to The Telegraph. Kellogg's, Quaker Oats, and Weetabix allhold royal warrants.

However, she likes her cereal to be served from Tupperware, which she believes keeps it fresh.

• Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a non-psychoactive component of cannabis.
• CBD won't get you high; THC is the component of cannabis responsible for that.
• Products made with CBD extract are becoming increasingly popular, but because of limited research, it remains unclear what most of them do.
• Only two CBD-containing medicines have been studied extensively, and neither has yet to get US approval.

I knew I'd arrived in California when a friend offered me an edible — for my dog.

The treat didn't contain THC, the component of marijuana that's responsible for getting you high; just CBD, a non-psychoactive compound in marijuana that can supposedly be used to calm and soothe.

In the Golden State, you can buy CBD in dog treats, vape pens, lotions, lip balms, lozenges, and oils. CBD oil is legal in 43 states, while medical marijuana is legal in only 28. Companies that sell products with the ingredient advertise it for everything from calming your nerves (and those of your pup) to relieving aches and pains. But there may not yet be enough research to say if most of these products do anything.

Only two medicines made with CBD have been studied extensively, and neither of them has gotten US approval yet.

Because of the unclear legal framework surrounding the ingredient, it's important to be cautious when purchasing it. Many products that claim to be made with CBD may not contain it at all, or they may have different amounts or concentration than those they advertise. And many of its advertised benefits may be overstated, exaggerated, or simply untrue.

Cannabis is comprised of nearly 400 compounds

Cannabis (a term many researchers prefer over marijuana because it refers to the actual name of the plant) is comprised of some 400 different compounds. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are only two of them.

"Cannabis contains many constituents. It's not just THC. And whether these have medicinal properties that can be used, the answer is very likely, and they should be studied," Jeffrey Lieberman, the director of the New York State Psychiatric Institute and the chair of Columbia University's department of psychiatry, told Business Insider in 2016.

Cannabidiol or CBD plays no role in getting you high.

On the contrary, it is thought to be responsible for many of marijuana's therapeutic effects, from pain relief to a potential treatment for some rare forms of childhood epilepsy.

Still, the amount and proper dose of CBD responsible for those effects needs more research.

British drug company GW Pharmaceuticals is leading the charge with two medicines containing CBD — Sativex and Epidiolex. The first is a nasal spray that the British government approved last year for severe pain; the second is a syrup that is still being studied in the US for its potential to treat two of the hardest-to-treat forms of childhood epilepsy.

A preliminary 2005 study of 58 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, roughly half of whom were given a placebo and roughly half of whom were given the CBD-containing medicine Sativex, found "statistically significant improvements in pain on movement, pain at rest ... and quality of sleep" in the patients on the drug.

Two large clinical trials released last year of Epidiolex suggested that the drug helped reduce seizures.

While it may seem like a long road to approval for a drug that has no psychoactive properties, it's important to keep in mind that the FDA has already given the green light to two other drugs that contain components of cannabis. Marinol and Syndros, two medicines that are designed to treat anorexia, use dronabinol, a synthetic form of THC.

SEE ALSO: What marijuana really does to your body and brain

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: A sleep expert gives the best tips for falling asleep quicker

• The 2018 Winter Olympics start on Thursday, February 8 and end on Sunday, February 25.
• The Olympic Games will be hosted in PyeongChang, South Korea.
• Winter Olympic sports include ice hockey, cross-country skiing, and bobsled.
• You can see the full schedule of events below.

The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony will kick off at the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium in South Korea on Friday February 9.

The show begins at 8 p.m. local time (11 a.m. GMT or 6 a.m. ET) and will be broadcast in over 200 countries around the world.

However, there are events you can follow and watch even before the opening ceremony hits your screen.

Here's the full Winter Olympics 2018 schedule and event calendar, including qualification rounds and heats:

Wednesday, February 7

Alpine Skiing — Training — 2.00 a.m GMT / 9.00 p.m ET (Tuesday evening)

Curling — Mixed doubles — 4.35 a.m GMT / 11.35 p.m ET (Tuesday evening)

Thursday, February 8

Curling — Mixed doubles round robin — 12.05 a.m GMT / 7.05 p.m ET (Wednesday evening) 

Ski Jumping — Qualification — 2.00 a.m GMT / 9.00 p.m ET (Wednesday evening) 

Friday, February 9

Opening ceremony — 11.00 a.m GMT / 6.00 a.m ET

Curling — Mixed doubles round robin — 11.35 p.m GMT (Thursday evening) / 6.35 p.m ET (Thursday evening)

Figure Skating — Men's and pairs — 1.00 a.m GMT / 8.00 p.m ET (Thursday evening)

Freestyle Skiing — Qualifying, men's and women's moguls — 1.00 a.m GMT / 8.00 p.m ET (Thursday evening)

Saturday, February 10

Biathlon — Women's 7.5km sprint — 12.00 p.m GMT / 7.00 a.m ET

Cross-Country Skiing — Women's 7.5km skiathlon — 7.15 a.m GMT / 2.15 a.m ET 

Curling — Mixed doubles round robin — 12.15 a.m GMT / 7.15 p.m ET (Friday evening) 

Women's Hockey — Preliminary round — 7.40 a.m GMT / 2.40 a.m ET

Luge — Men's heat races — 10.10 a.m GMT / 5.10 a.m ET

Short Track — Qualification: women's 3000m and 500m relay, men's 1500m — 10.00 a.m GMT / 5.00 a.m ET

Ski Jumping — Normal hill — 7.40 a.m GMT / 2.40 a.m ET

Snowboarding — Men's slopestyle qualifying — 1.00 a.m GMT / 8.00 p.m ET (Friday evening)

Speed Skating — Women's 3000m  — 11.00 a.m GMT / 6.00 a.m ET

Sunday, February 11

Alpine Skiing — Men's downhill — 2.00 a.m GMT / 9.00 p.m ET (Saturday evening)

Biathlon — Men's 10km sprint — 11.15 a.m GMT / 6.15 a.m ET

Cross-Country Skiing — Men's 15km skiathlon — 6.15 a.m GMT / 1.15 a.m ET

Curling — Mixed doubles round robin — 12.15 a.m GMT / 7.15 p.m ET (Saturday evening)

Figure Skating — Short dance, ladies short program, pairs free skate — 1.00 a.m GMT / 8.00 p.m ET (Saturday evening)

Freestyle Skiing — Women's moguls — 6.15 a.m GMT / 1.15 a.m ET

Women's Hockey — Preliminary matches — 7.40 a.m GMT / 2.40 a.m ET

Luge — Men's heat races — 11.00 a.m GMT / 6.00 a.m ET

Snowboarding — Men's slopestyle final, women's slopestyle — 1.00 a.m GMT / 8.00 p.m ET (Saturday evening)

Speed Skating — Men's 5000m — 7.00 a.m GMT / 2.00 a.m ET

Monday, February 12

Alpine Skiing — Women's giant slalom

Biathlon — Men's and women's pursuit events

Curling — Mixed doubles semifinals

Figure Skating — Men's and ladies free skate, ice dance free dance

Freestyle Skiing — Men's moguls

Women's Hockey — Preliminary matches

Luge — Women's heat races

Ski Jumping — Women's competition

Snowboarding — Women's slopestyle final, women's halfpipe qualifying

Speed Skating — Women's 1500m

Tuesday, February 13

Alpine Skiing — Men's alpine combined

Cross-Country Skiing — Men's and women's individual sprint finals

Curling — Mixed doubles bronze and gold medal matches

Women's Hockey — Preliminary matches

Luge — Women's heat races

Short Track — Women's 500m final, men's 1000m qualifying, men's 5000m relay qualifying

Snowboarding — Women's halfpipe final, men's halfpipe

Speed Skating — Men's 1500m

Wednesday, February 14

Alpine Skiing — Women's slalom

Biathlon — Women's 15km individual

Curling — Men's and women's round robin

Figure Skating — Pairs short program

Men's Hockey — Preliminary round

Snowboarding — Men's halfpipe final

Speed Skating — Women's 1000m

Thursday, February 15

Alpine Skiing — Men's super-G

Biathlon — Men's 20km individual

Cross-Country Skiing — Women's 10km individual

Curling — Men's and women's round robin

Figure Skating — Pairs free skate

Freestyle skiing — Women's aerials qualifying

Women's hockey — Preliminary matches

Men's hockey — Preliminary matches

Luge — Team relay competition

Skeleton — Men's competition: heat races

Snowboarding — Men's cross

Speed Skating — Men's 10,000m

Friday, February 16

Cross-Country Skiing — Men's 15km individual

Curling — Men's and women's round robin

Figure Skating — Men's short programs

Freestyle Skiing — Women's aerials final

Men's Hockey — Preliminary matches

Ski Jumping — Men's large hill qualifying

Snowboarding — Women's cross

Speed Skating — Women's 5000m

Saturday, February 17

Alpine Skiing — Women's super-G

Biathlon — Women's 12.5km mass start

Cross-Country Skiing — Women's 4x5km relay

Curling — Men's and women's round robin

Figure Skating — Men's short program final

Freestyle Skiing — Women's slopestyle qualifying, final; men's aerials qualifying

Men's Hockey — Preliminary matches

Women's Hockey — Two knockout round matches

Short Track — Men's 1500m, women's 1000m

Skeleton — Women's heat races

Ski Jumping — Men's large hill

Sunday, February 18

Alpine Skiing — Men's giant slalom

Biathlon — Men's 15km mass start

Bobsled — Two-man sled heat races

Cross-Country Skiing — Men's 4x10km relay

Curling — Men's and women's round robin

Freestyle Skiing — Men's slopestyle qualifying, final; men's aerials final

Men's Hockey — Preliminary matches

Women's Hockey — Classification matches

Speed Skating — Women's 500m, men's team pursuit qualifying

Monday, February 19

Bobsled — Two-man heat races

Curling — Men's and women's round robin

Figure Skating — Ice dancers

Freestyle Skiing — Women's halfpipe qualifying

Women's Hockey — Semifinals

Ski Jumping — Team competition

Snowboarding — Women's big air qualifying

Speed Skating — Women's team pursuit qualifying

Tuesday, February 20

Biathlon — Mixed relay

Bobsled — Women's heat races

Curling — Men's and women's round robin

Figure Skating — Ice dance, free dance

Freestyle Skiing — Women's halfpipe final, men's halfpipe qualifying

Men's Hockey — Knockout rounds

Women's Hockey — Classification matches

Nordic Combined — Large hill competition

Short Track — Women's 1000m qualifying, men's 500m qualifying, women's 3000m relay final

Wednesday, February 21

Alpine Skiing — Women's downhill

Bobsled — Women's heat races

Cross-Country Skiing — Men's and women's sprint semifinals

Curling — Men's and women's round robin

Figure Skating — Ladies short program

Freestyle Skiing — Men's cross

Men's Hockey — Quarterfinals

Snowboarding — Men's big air qualifying

Speed Skating — Men's and women's team pursuit finals

Thursday, February 22

Alpine Skiing — Men's slalom

Biathlon — Women's 4x6km relay

Curling — Men's semifinals

Freestyle Skiing — Men's halfpipe final

Women's Hockey — Bronze and gold medal matches

Nordic Combined — Team competition

Short Track — Men's 500m finals, women's 1000m finals, men's 5000m relay

Snowboarding — Men's and women's parallel giant slalom qualifying

Friday, February 23

Alpine Skiing — Women's alpine combined

Biathlon — Men's 4x7.7km relay

Curling — Men's and women's semifinals

Figure Skating — Ladies free skate

Freestyle Skiing — Women's cross

Men's Hockey — Semifinal matches

Snowboarding — Women's big air final

Speed Skating — Men's 1000m final

Saturday, February 24

Alpine Skiing — Team event

Bobsled — Four-man competition heat races

Cross-Country Skiing — Men's 50km mass start

Curling — Men's gold and silver match, women's bronze match

Men's Hockey — Bronze medal match

Snowboarding — Men's big air final, men's and women's giant parallel slalom finals

Speed Skating — Men's and women's mass start

Sunday, February 25

Bobsled — Four-man heat races

Cross-Country Skiing — Women's 30km mass start

Curling — Women's gold medal match

Figure Skating — Exhibition gala

Men's Hockey — Gold medal match

Closing ceremonies

SEE ALSO: The Olympic Village will be stocked with 37 condoms per athlete — and it could be because of Tinder

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: No one wants to host the Olympics anymore — will they go away?

• The 2018 Winter Olympics start on Wednesday but the opening ceremony at the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium does not start until Friday.
• Here's what time the 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony will start depending on where you live.

The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony kicks off on Friday, February 9.

The ceremony will take place at the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium, a 35,000 capacity venue temporarily built for the opening and closing ceremonies at this year's games.

It cost $78 million to build the stadium, but spectators and locals won't be able to enjoy it for long, as it's set to be dismantled soon after the end of the Winter Olympics.

At the opening ceremony, all athletes competing at the games will march into the stadium during an event known as the Parade of Nations.

The ceremony will be a celebration of Korean culture, Korean pop music, and Korean history. One of the goals of the Olympics — peace — has seemingly been brought about if only for Friday, as embattled nations North Korea and South Korea have agreed to parade under one flag.

Here are the opening ceremony start times in major cities across different time zones on Friday, February 9:

• PyeongChang in South Korea (KST): 8 p.m.
• New York (ET): 6 a.m.
• Chicago (CT): 5 a.m.
• Denver (MT): 4 a.m.
• Las Vegas (PT): 3 a.m.
• Los Angeles (PT): 3 a.m.
• Honolulu (HAST): 1 a.m.
• Sydney (AET): 10 p.m.
• Tokyo (JST): 8 p.m.
• Moscow (MSK): 2 p.m.
• Paris (CEST): 12 p.m.
• London (GMT): 11 a.m.

The opening ceremony for the 2018 Winter Olympics will be broadcast in the US on the NBC Olympics website, as well as the NBC Sports app.

BBC One will broadcast the event in the UK from 10.30 a.m. local time. It will also air on Eurosport 1 at 10.30 a.m.

You can see the full schedule of events here.

SEE ALSO: This is the full schedule for the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang

DON'T MISS: The Olympic Village will be stocked with 37 condoms per athlete — and it could be because of Tinder

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why Shaq turned down being on the cover of a Wheaties box twice

• Highly empathetic people may be "caretakers."
• These people have a lot of sympathy for others, but often don't take care of themselves.
• Toxic people like narcissists attract caretakers because they have so much to give.
• One way to stop the cycle is to have a strong support system of people around you.
• This Valentine's Day, make sure you remember to take care of yourself too.

There's no end of different qualities that people find alluring about each other, but some particular types of people are attracted to each other like moths to flames.

If you have very high levels of empathy for others, you might be at risk of attracting somebody toxic.

According to therapist Margalis Fjelstad, sometimes people care about others to the detriment of themselves — she calls these people "caretakers" in her book "Stop Caretaking the Borderline or Narcissist: How to End the Drama and Get On."

"It is a person who is focusing all of their energy to taking care of the emotional needs of someone else," Fjelstad told Business Insider. "And giving up, quite honestly, on their own emotional needs in order to do that."

Someone who is a caretaker is naturally very easy going and flexible, as well as being highly empathetic and caring.

"They're always looking for someone they can help," Fjelstad said. "So that makes them terribly attractive to someone who is emotionally focused on themselves... someone who is so self-focused they don't really have a lot of energy to give someone else, except sporadically."

Fjelstad came up with the term because there is a magnetic attraction between people who are caretakers and those who have a desperate need to be taken care of, such as narcissists.

A caretaker will be willing to put up with the kind of push and pull behaviour of a narcissist, when they have good days and bad days. An empathetic and caring person will think: "I'm so sorry you're having a bad day, let me help you."

It can be exhausting

Caretakers often find themselves exhausted by their relationships, because they over-give all the time, Fjelstad said. You can never give narcissists enough, so they're always asking for more. This triggers caretakers to believe they are selfish, always trying to do more and more, and ending up feeling very depleted.

As for how they got this way, it depends. Some people are born with these traits, and others learn them from their upbringing. For example, some people are raised by parents who are very self-focused — maybe with a substance abuse problem or a mental health issue — and thus they work out they have to take care of their parent to survive.

According to Lisa Aronson Fontes, a psychologist and author of "Invisible Chains: Overcoming Coercive Control in Your Intimate Relationship," most girls are raised to be caretakers.

"Even when we raise our daughters to have a career and strive for economic independence, we typically also raise them to take care of other's needs," she told Business Insider.

"Girls become acutely aware of the moods of those around them, and feel responsible for making others feel happy. Girls feel responsible for meeting others' needs, whereas boys are typically raised to get their own needs met. From the start, this creates a gender imbalance in a relationship, which is one of several reasons why women are much more likely to be abused by their partners than men."

Once they are out of the toxic relationship, one way caretakers can stop the cycle is by making sure they have a strong support system of people around them.

For a long time they may have been isolated from others by their controlling partner, so to avoid getting into this situation again, they need to learn they have a right to be who they are, and have people in their life who care about them.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: I quit social media for a month — and it was the best choice I've ever made

TV host, actress, and socialite Ksenia Sobchak — who some call the "Russian Paris Hilton" — is an unlikely challenger to Russian President Vladimir Putin's tight grip over Russian society.

But Sobchak, whose father Anatoly Sobchak was the first elected mayor of St. Petersburg and one of the framers of Russia's modern constitution, is a nationally recognized figure in the country, and she's already made a name for herself among the country's opposition.

She also attended to the National Prayer Breakfast with President Donald Trump in Washington on February 8 alongside other renowned Russian political figures.

Here's how Sobchak went from pop culture darling to a straight-talking politician taking on Russia's authoritarian president:

SEE ALSO: Meet the 7 candidates running against Vladimir Putin in Russia's presidential election

DON'T MISS: Russian police arrest Alexei Navalny after he calls for a boycott of the upcoming presidential election when Putin's seeking reelection

Ksenia Anatolyevna Sobchak was born into a revered Russian political family on November 5, 1981.

Source: New York Times

Her parents were Anatoly Sobchak and Lyudmila Narusova, both respected liberal St. Petersburg politicians. Ironically, her father was Putin's mentor, and helped him get his start in national politics.

Source: New York Times

Sobchak's childhood was spent attending the famous Heritage Museum art school. She also took ballet classes as the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg.

Source: The Famous People

• Savile Rowe tailors Henry Poole & Co were tasked with dressing Gary Oldman for his role as Winston Churchill in Oscar-nominated film "Darkest Hour."
• The tailors dressed the real Churchill throughout his life.
• They describe him as a "character," who owed money and 'was always having to be looked after.'

Henry Poole & Co., one of the oldest tailors on London's Savile Row, was given just seven weeks to create the suits worn by Gary Oldman in this year's Oscar-nominated film "Darkest Hour," in which Oldman plays former Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

"Normally we're looking at around 12 weeks to do any kind, of suit, so this was a challenge," Poole's managing director, Simon Cundey, told Business Insider.

But if anyone could do it, it's a company that knows Churchill's style inside and out. The tailor, established in 1806, dressed the former PM himself from the age of 35.

"His father, Lord Randolph Churchill, was here as a customer and he had suits made," Cundey said. While Randolph died at a young age, Winston came to Poole in 1905, according to Cundey, and he ordered his first uniform in 1906 — the Trinity Uniform.

You can see his orders in the book below:

Cundey's great-grandfather Howard Cundey initially looked after Churchill, while his grandfather Sam Cundey saw him through his later years.

"We saw him evolve into what was a great Prime Minister, [but] we took him as a young junior with his slim build at the time," Cundey said.

"He had quite a small body for a big head in some respects. We were actually making his shoulders a bit wider, making a bit more chest on him, but of course that all changed later as he changed his shape."

He added that in his prime, Churchill was a "dandy dresser."

According to Cundey, over the years — particularly in his 20s — Churchill was "roaring with his clothing in his wardrobes, ordering absolutely everything from suits to uniforms."

"The only thing we didn’t make was his siren suit, which of course he’s known for as well."

The most iconic Churchill look from Poole by far was his Chalk Stripe flannel, which he's wearing in his famous 1936 Tommy gun photo, shown below.

Cundey even had the image on his teacup when we met.

The company still works with the mills that made that cloth, though it's been made to be a bit lighter — back then it was made with "bulletproof, heavy fabric."

Here's what it looks like today:

A bit like 'The Devil Wears Prada'

Despite his appeal, working with Churchill was far from easy.

"He was always having to be looked after," Cundey said. "A bit like 'The Devil Wears Prada,' he would throw the coat and pass it to somebody. He was that sort of character."

He added: "My grandfather, as much as I know, always had to check the pockets for stubbed cigars in the side pockets — they always were there."

Cundey also said Churchill "wasn't the greatest payer."

"He was a slower payer, shall we say," he said. "There was a point where he did owe quite a bit of money."

He said the company's chief accountant "instead of being diplomatic with his ways of asking for payment... thought it would be upper hand and [get] a quicker response to send [the bill] to Downing Street on the day that he was made Prime Minister.

"So we did, and whilst poor Winston was getting 'congratulations on your new position,' our bill came in and it did not go down too well as you can imagine."

The company received a letter saying "Thank you for your services," but luckily they later made up.

"He came back and we made him more," Cundey said. "We did a lot of little repairs and things, especially for the coronation for Queen Elizabeth. He really wanted to make a big effort for that."

Here's an archive photo of Churchill on the day:

Turning Gary Oldman into Churchill

Despite his quirks, Cundey said Churchill was a "very elegant" and "forward-thinking man," or so he was told by his grandfather — and it was this admiration of his character that led the company to work on "Darkest Hour."

"It's not often that Poole does films," Cundey said — they turned down working with the Kingsman franchise because they didn't want the name in their window. However, he added: "How could you turn down the Prime Minister, or working with him?"

They were approached by Oscar-winning costumer designer Jacqueline Durran — known for "Beauty and the Beast" and "Anna Karenina" — and thought "this must be someone of high calibre," Cundey said.

"When she mentioned [Director] Joe Wright, who gave you 'Pride and Prejudice' and 'Atonement' and all those great films, we thought, 'This is really going to be a good-quality piece.'"

However, with Oldman based in Los Angeles, putting the suits together was almost as difficult as working with Churchill himself.

"The prosthetic body suit [he wore under his clothes] was being made for him in Hollywood, so a Japanese gentleman was measuring him out there for the costume," Cundey said. "We had to go out there to measure him with the [prosthetic] suit on, and then go back and measure him for the first fitting when he was coming over to do his first rehearsals.

"We did it, came back, got the pattern ready, got the cloth ready," he said.

Luckily, it was all worth it — and the film's six Oscar nominations include one for Best Achievement in Costume Design for Durran.

"Instantly, as soon as he put a waistcoat and trousers on, Gary was off," Cundey said. "He was into his role of playing Churchill, and the mannerisms came in. He was walking up and down holding his lapels... that kind of motion was very much how Churchill was when he spoke to you."

Two of the suits worn by Oldman in the film now sit in Poole's show window...

...alongside the Churchill shoes...

...and Homburg hat.

The company, known for dressing Her Majesty the Queen in her ceremonial cloaks, also dressed Ben Mendelsohn, who played King George VI (the Queen's father), shown in the image below.

"To do his naval uniform was an enjoyment too," he said. "This was a warrant we were granted back with Queen Victoria in the day and latterly done with Queen Elizabeth. We're very proud of the fact we do that today."

And it wasn't just Poole the film got on board — according to Cundey, they went to all of the tailors that worked with Churchill.

"There's a great little Churchill walk you can now do, of all the houses he frequented here in Mayfair and St. James's," he said.

"Sadly, poor old Gary didn't get a chance to have the suit at the end of the day, because they didn’t really fit him," he joked. Due to the prosthetic body suit, the cuts were far too big for him.

However, he added: "Ben got himself a lovely Savile Row suit from Henry Poole, so he was a lucky man."

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: This 'Game of Thrones' themed hotel is made entirely of snow and ice

• Airline pilots are trained to be attentive when they're on planes so that they will notice details that slip by most passengers.
• Some of these details have serious safety implications.

For most of us, air travel is an opportunity to sleep, work, read, or watch a movie with fewer distractions than you'd find on the ground.

But for airline pilots and aviation experts, the experience can be different. Pilots and experts are trained to be attentive on planes, so even when they don't have to fly the plane and can sit in the main cabin, they'll notice things that other passengers don't.

We interviewed two airline pilots and collected responses from a Quora thread to find out what pilots notice when they're flying in the main cabin. Here's what they said.

SEE ALSO: The gruesome reason you can't use the bathroom on a plane before takeoff

Ice accumulating

Most passengers are likely to be concerned about turbulence, but according to Tanya Gatlin, a pilot and associate professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver, it's not as bad as most think. "It's not something that's going to cause an accident or is even a factor to safety," she said in a phone interview with Business Insider.

Instead, Gatlin is worried about ice. When necessary, ice and snow are removed from a plane before it takes off, and the plane is coated in materials that will prevent ice from building up while it's in the air — for a limited amount of time.

The difficulty can come when the plane turns down its engine while preparing to land.

"We're coming down in a very short amount of distance and there's no way we can get down that fast without the power being at idle," she said.

This means the engines don't generate as much heat as when they're taking off, which increases the chance that ice will build up on the plane and make a smooth landing difficult.

Suspicious scents

Scents can be one of the strongest indicators that something's wrong on a plane, as they can quickly hint at problems with the engine or fuel-storage systems.

"Sounds are always useful, but a passenger cabin often is pretty isolated from any sounds that might be indicative of a problem.Smells, on the other hand, travel around quite freely, and some (e.g., fuel, hydraulic fluid, superheated bleed air) are pretty distinctive," Tom Farrier, a former director of safety for the Air Transport Association, wrote on Quora.

The angle that light comes in through the window

Experienced pilots know that a sudden change in the angle of the light that comes through a cabin window can be the first sign that the pilot is changing course.

"An unexpected, significant shift in the angle of the Sun can be your first sign that a course change is being made," Farrier wrote.

• A recent study found evidence that a single factor mattered more for a couple's relationship satisfaction than a handful of other considerations, including marriage.
• That factor was whether couples saw their significant other as their best friend.
• "Maybe what is really important [in a relationship] is friendship, and to never forget that in the push and pull of daily life," the researcher said.

Dating is tough. Finding someone you'd call your life partner is even tougher.

If you're unsure of whether or not your significant other is "the one," research suggests that it all comes down to one factor: Do you see that person as your best friend?

In a recent study of thousands of couples on marriage and happiness, John Helliwell, a University of British Columbia economist and the co-author of the United Nations World Happiness Report, found evidence that a strong friendship mattered more for a couple's relationship satisfaction than a handful of other considerations, including whether or not the pair was married.

"Maybe what is really important [in a relationship] is friendship, and to never forget that in the push and pull of daily life," Helliwell told the New York Times.

Helliwell came to this conclusion after he and his research team analyzed data from two large British surveys and the Gallup World Poll. After accounting for the couples' ages, gender, income, and health conditions, they found that the happiest couples all said their significant other was their closest friend.

Co-habitating couples who were best friends were just as happy as couples who were best friends and married, the results suggested.

"What immediately intrigued me about the results was to rethink marriage as a whole," Helliwell said.

The chart below comes from the study and  compares the "life satisfaction" of couples who were married (blue bars) with couples who lived together but were unmarried (red bars). Couples who said their partner was their best friend are on the left.

Helliwell isn't alone in rethinking the value of marriage.

Bella DePaulo, a psychologist at the University of California Santa Barbara, recently looked at a large 2012 review of more than 20 studies of married and divorced couples. She found that marriage didn't seem to make people happier — in fact, it may do the opposite.

"Except for that initial short-lived honeymoon effect for life satisfaction," she wrote in a blog post for Psychology Today about her findings, "getting married did not result in getting happier or more satisfied. In fact, for life satisfaction and relationship satisfaction, the trajectories over time headed in the less satisfied direction."

That idea is supported by a 2011 review of the impact on happiness of major life events, which found that couples who got married generally felt less happy and less satisfied with their lives over time.

But it's not all bad news. Helliwell's study — along with a 2012 survey of American couples— suggests that living with your partner and not getting married to them might be your best bet for a healthy, lasting relationship. The survey found that out of all of the couples, those who lived together but were not married had the highest self-esteem and overall happiness.

SEE ALSO: These are the questions one writer says can make you fall in love with a stranger

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The key to long-lasting relationships is more simple than you think

• Accomplished Russian figure skaters Evgenia Medvedeva and Alina Zagitova both train together under the same coach.

• They're also set to face off at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games.

• Medvedeva has long been a dominant presence in figure skating. However, she was recently hobbled by a broken foot.

• Zagitova is fresh off a victory over Medvedeva at the 2018 European Figure Skating Championships.

An intense showdown is about heat up the world of ice skating at the upcoming Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

This year, the battle for gold may come down to Russian figure skaters and training partners Evgenia Medvedeva and Alina Zagitova.

Medvedeva, 18, has long been regarded as the favorite. She's twice swept the world, European, and Russian championships. The Muscovite was also named one of Business Insider's 50 most dominant athletes.

On the other hand, Zagitova recently spoiled Medvedeva's winning streak at the 2018 European Figure Skating Championships, the Japan Times reported. The 15-year-old also scooped up gold at the last Russian Championships, which Medvedeva missed due to a broken foot.

The two Russians train with the same coach and will compete at this year's Winter Games as neutral athletes. They're two of the 169 Russian athletes who have been cleared to compete in Pyeongchang in the wake of their home country's massive, government-sponsored doping scandal.

By all accounts, the training partners get along, but they're two monster talents from the same country — and therefore a pair to watch at this year's Winter Olympics.

Here's a look at what's shaping up to be one of the most talked-about rivalries of the 2018 Winter Olympics:

SEE ALSO: A look at the career of Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn, who competed just hours after an 'excruciating' crash in 2006 and recently said she doesn't represent Trump

Medvedeva first took to the ice at the age of three. She said her parents encouraged her to continue to pursue the sport in order to improve her figure and posture. The 18-year-old loves K-Pop, "Sailor Moon," and actors Grant Gustin, David Tennant, and Benedict Cumberbatch.

Source: FS Gossip, FS Gossip, ISU Results, FS Russia

The daughter of an ice hockey coach, Zagitova hails from Izhevsk, but lives with her grandmother in Moscow in order to train. She has a pet cat and two chinchillas, enjoys drawing and rhine-stoning, and has expressed interest in one day opening a Japanese restaurant.

Source: Russia Beyond, NBC, R-Sport

Both skaters have a good chance of medaling. Sports Illustrated predicted Zagitova would take home gold, while Medvedeva would snag silver. International Figure Skating Magazine predicted the opposite.

Source: Sports Illustrated, International Figure Skating Magazine

Which is worse for you: weed or whiskey?

It's a tough call, but based on the science, there appears to be a clear answer.

Keep in mind that there are dozens of factors to account for, including how the substances affect your heart, brain, and behavior, and how likely you are to get hooked.

Time is important, too — while some effects are noticeable immediately, others only begin to crop up after months or years of use.

The comparison is slightly unfair for another reason: While scientists have been researching the effects of alcohol for decades, the science of cannabis is a lot murkier because of its mostly illegal status.

SEE ALSO: The nation's top cancer doctors are asking people to drink less in an unprecedented warning

DON'T MISS: What marijuana really does to your body and brain

More than 30,700 Americans died from alcohol-induced causes in 2014. There have been zero documented deaths from marijuana use alone.

In 2014, 30,722 people died from alcohol-induced causes in the US — and that does not count drinking-related accidents or homicides. If those deaths were included, the number would be closer to 90,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Meanwhile, no deaths from marijuana overdoses have been reported, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. A 16-year study of more than 65,000 Americans, published in the American Journal of Public Health, found that healthy marijuana users were not more likely to die earlier than healthy people who did not use cannabis.

Marijuana appears to be significantly less addictive than alcohol.

Close to half of all adults have tried marijuana at least once, making it one of the most widely used illegal drugs — yet research suggests that a relatively small percentage of people become addicted.

For a 1994 survey, epidemiologists at the National Institute on Drug Abuse asked more than 8,000 people from ages 15 to 64 about their drug use. Of those who had tried marijuana at least once, roughly 9% eventually fit a diagnosis of addiction. For alcohol, the figure was about 15%. To put that in perspective, the addiction rate for cocaine was 17%, while heroin was 23% and nicotine was 32%.

Marijuana may be harder on your heart, while moderate drinking could be beneficial.

Unlike alcohol, which slows your heart rate, marijuana speeds it up, which could negatively affect the heart in the short term. Still, the largest-ever report on cannabis from the National Academies of Sciences, released in January, found insufficient evidence to support or refute the idea that cannabis may increase the overall risk of a heart attack.

On the other hand, low to moderate drinking — about one drink a day — has been linked with a lower risk of heart attack and stroke compared with abstention. James Nicholls, a director at Alcohol Research UK, told The Guardian that those findings should be taken with a grain of salt since "any protective effects tend to be canceled out by even occasional bouts of heavier drinking."

Hope Hicks is President Donald Trump's 29-year-old White House communications director. But before joining Trump's 2016 campaign, she had no political experience.

Hicks was born in Greenwich, a town of 60,000 on the southwest tip of Connecticut that's a favorite spot for hedge-fund headquarters.

She was a model, actress, and lacrosse player as a child, before getting her English degree at Southern Methodist University.

Hicks didn't intend on playing such a large role in a presidential campaign, instead falling into the gig through a job at the Trump Organization.

Now she's the youngest White House communications director in history.

And Hicks has been with Trump — to use his words — "from the beginning." White House staffers may even called her his "real daughter."

Recently, Hicks has become ensnared in two high-profile White House controversies: the special counsel's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, and her role in crafting the White House's response to abuse allegations against staff secretary Rob Porter.

Here's what we know about Hicks.

SEE ALSO: Inside the strange relationship between Trump and Hope Hicks, his right-hand woman and the youngest White House communications director in history

DON'T MISS: MEET THE NEW EXECUTIVE BRANCH: Here's who Trump has appointed to senior leadership positions

Hicks and her sister, Mary Grace, were successful teen models. Hicks posed for Ralph Lauren and appeared on the cover of "It Girl," a spin-off of the best-selling "Gossip Girl" book and TV series.

Source: New York Times

Hicks' first brush with the Trumps came in 2012 when she was at the public-relations firm Hiltzik Strategies working on Ivanka Trump's fashion line. Trump's eldest daughter hired Hicks away in 2014 and she became an employee of the Trump Organization.

Tweet Embed:
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/816768567517581312
Congrats to my brilliant, kind & wickedly funny friend Hope Hicks on being named to the @Forbes#30Under30 list! https://t.co/s3YO9Eq83Z

Sources: New York Times, GQ, NYMag

Hicks met patriarch Trump and quickly "earned his trust," Ivanka Trump told The New York Times for a June 2016 profile on the spokeswoman.

Source: New York Times

• Tinder is free to use, but Tinder Plus costs either $10 or $20 depending on which side of 30 users fall on.
• A California court found Tinder's pricing to be a form of age discrimination and the dating app can't charge more to older users.
• Tinder may challenge the ruling in another court or change its price system to be uniform for all users.

"We swipe left."

A California judge was sitting in a courthouse when he made this declaration about Tinder.  No, he wasn't abandoning his duties to secretly search for a match mid-trial. This was the court ruling.

Tinder— the popular mobile dating app where users swipe to find romantic partners — has a pricing strategy that broke California law on age discrimination, according to the court ruling. The appeals court reversed a decision from a lower court with a 3-0 ruling and found Tinder violated the Unruh Civil Rights Act and the Unfair Competition Law. 

Tinder uses the freemium business model — like Spotify and LinkedIn — that allows anyone to use the service for free, but charges for advanced features through an upgraded version called Tinder Plus.

Tinder Plus costs $9.99 a month for users under 30 years old and $19.99 for those 30 and above. 

Tinder Plus has multiple features that non-paying swipers are not entitled to. For the extra cost, users get unlimited swipes, the ability to rewind the last swipe, and access to profiles from all around the world.

On January 29, defendant and Tinder user Allan Candelore brought his case against the app to the appellate court where Judge Brian Currey wrote the ruling. Tinder claimed that their pricing was fair based on market testing they performed, and the fact that older people tend to make more money than 20-somethings.

This discrimination may have created an incentive for those just above the 30 mark to alter their age on their profile. Users can upgrade from Tinder Plus to Tinder Gold for an additional $4.99 a month — regardless of how old a user is. Tinder, despite being available for free, is the highest grossing app in Apple's App Store.

Bumble — the dating app where women have to message a potential match first — has a similar upgrade feature to Tinder Plus. Bumble Boost costs $7.99 per month for users of all ages.

Tinder is owned by Match Group which also owns dating sites OkCupid, PlentyOfFish, and Match.com. The company can appeal the most recent decision and try to get the case in front of the state Supreme Court.

SEE ALSO: There is a secret 'success rate' hidden in all your Tinder photos

DON'T MISS: Relationship experts say these are the 9 signs the person you're dating is right for you — and some are surprisingly simple

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: TINDER COFOUNDER: Why the people you see on Tinder aren't random

• MoviePass said it bought $110 million worth of tickets in 2017.
• The company also boasted that it helped generate close to $130 million in domestic box-office grosses for this year's Oscar-nominated movies.
• Analyst Paul Dergarabedian said if MoviePass subscribers continue to give a bump to arthouse movies, it could lead to the company teaming with theaters and distributors to do dynamic pricing and special promotions.

MoviePass, the movie theater subscription service, announced on Wednesday that it had bought $110 million worth of tickets in 2017. 

It's the latest highlight for the company that has disrupted the movie exhibition industry since it was bought by Helios and Matheson Analytics Inc. last year, and changed its monthly price to $9.95 per month for essentially unlimited theatergoing.

The company also boasted that it had helped generate $128.7 million in domestic box-office grosses for this year's Oscar-nominated movies in 2017 (via a "halo effect"). This includes the $110 million in ticket sales plus the "halo effect" of MoviePass members bringing non-members to those movies, along with friend recommendations, according to MoviePass CEO Mitch Lowe. Roughly half of that boosted revenue went to Oscar-nominated movies.

According to MoviePass, five of the nine best picture Oscar nominees have benefited from its services. They include:

"Call Me by Your Name" at 8.79% of revenue generated
"Lady Bird" at 6.18%
"Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" at 6.89%
"The Shape of Water" at 7.87%
"The Post" at 5.57%

Other Oscar-nominated titles also helped by MoviePass were "I, Tonya" (11.48%) and "The Square" (7.57%).

People in the movie industry told Business Insider that exhibitors, who of late have been unable to attract audiences to movie theaters outside of "Star Wars" and Marvel movies (2017 saw a 25-year low in movie attendance), should consider working with MoviePass. Along with a growing popularity, MoviePass has also generated a wealth of data that can be useful for theaters.

One executive compared what MoviePass is doing now to the early days of Netflix, with the only difference being that MoviePass is looking to sell the data it collects.

And then there's the consumer side: With a MoviePass subscription, someone is more motivated now to go seek out that arthouse movie that's getting all the Oscar buzz because it's "free" to go to the theater to see one extra film.

"With 9 Best Picture nominees all on everyone’s must-see list and seven of those in theaters, any service that can provide a cost effective way for the average moviegoer to indulge in all that moviegoing is going to be a hit with audiences," comScore box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian told Business Insider.

Dergarabedian said if arthouse movies continue to have this kind of business through MoviePass, the sky's the limit in terms of attracting more audiences.

"This may open the door to utilizing new and innovative strategies involving perhaps dynamic pricing along with special promotions to drive more business toward specialized films," he said.

SEE ALSO: The 100 best movies on Amazon Prime right now

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: An exercise scientist explains why you shouldn't do sit-ups or crunches

• On "The Late Show," comedian John Oliver told host Stephen Colbert that he wouldn't be surprised if Meghan Markle backed out of her wedding to Prince Harry at the last minute.
• Oliver suggested that she watch Netflix's "The Crown" to get an idea of what her life will be like in the British royal family.
• Oliver hopes Markle likes it, because it's "going to be weird."

John Oliver has a suggestion for American actress Meghan Markle, who is just a few months away from marrying into British royalty.

On "The Late Show" Wednesday, Oliver told host Stephen Colbert that to properly prepare herself for what her life will be like when she marries Prince Harry, Markle should watch Netflix's "The Crown."

When Colbert asked Oliver if he's excited for the Royal Wedding, Oliver said "no."

"I would not blame her if she pulled out of this at the last minute," Oliver said. "I don't think you need to have just seen the pilot episode of 'The Crown' to get a basic sense of, she might be marrying into a family that could cause her some emotional complications."

"But this generation seems like nice people," Colbert replied. "They're all nice, right?"

After hesitating, Oliver said, "Yeah ... they're an emotionally stunted group of fundamentally flawed people doing a very silly pseudo-job. That's what she's marrying into. So, I hope she likes it. It's going to be weird for her. I would not marry into the royal family," he said. "I'm a commoner. I would not be welcome, especially after what I just said."

Markle and Prince Harry will marry on May 19 at Windsor Castle. 

Watch the full segment below:

SEE ALSO: Female stars of Netflix's 'Altered Carbon' defend its brutal violence against women: 'It's a real thing and not enough people talk about it'

Join the conversation about this story »

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