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'Refreshing and beautiful' new TV show 'Vida' premiered to a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes

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vida starz

  • Critics are raving about the new Starz drama series "Vida."
  • "Vida" premiered on Sunday to a 100% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
  • The series follows two Mexican-American sisters who return home to the Latinx community of East Los Angeles following the death of their mother.
  • Critics have praised the series for its portrayal of gentrification and its representation of queer communities of color.

Critics are universally praising the new Starz series "Vida," a half-hour drama set in the Latinx community of East Los Angeles.

"Vida," which premiered on Sunday to a 100% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, follows two Mexican-American sisters who return home to L.A. following the sudden death of their mother, Vida.

The series' first season was written by creator Tanya Saracho, premium cable's first Latina showrunner, and a writers room of all Latinx writers. 

Critics have commended the show for its nuanced portrayal of gentrification in the city, specifically in the Boyle Heights neighborhood, and for its representation of queer communities of color. 

Rachael Vaughan Clemmons for Metro called the show "a refreshing and beautiful series that feels both current and seriously overdue."

Vulture's Jen Chaney praised the show's approach to gentrication in her review, writing, "'Vida' doesn't address gentrification through a single story line, episode, or a few lines of dialogue; it's embedded in the premise of the whole series and in the identities of the characters it thoughtfully portrays."

Lorraine Ali wrote in her review for the Los Angeles Times that "sexual identity, and plenty of graphic sex, are a big part of the picture here, but the more interesting subplots are in Vida's depiction of the Boyle Heights resistance."

The first episode of the show's six-episode, debut season premiered Sunday on Starz. 

"Vida" airs Sundays on Starz at 8:30 pm ET.

Watch the NSFW trailer for the first season below:

SEE ALSO: The 50 best TV show seasons of all time, according to critics

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Jeff Bezos on breaking up and regulating Amazon


A ticket to the Met Gala is around $30,000, but that's only a fraction of what it costs for a night at 'the Super Bowl of fashion'

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blake lively met gala 2017

  • The Met Gala 2018 theme is "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination."
  • It reportedly costs $30,000 for a ticket to attend the Met Gala.
  • However, that's just the beginning of all the costs associated with the $3.5 million event.

 

The first Monday in May hosts the party of the year in the fashion world.

Dubbed the Oscars of the East, the annual Met Gala is back on May 7, themed "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination" to celebrate the Metropolitan Museum of Art's newest exhibition at the Costume Institute.

With 180 pieces on display, featuring high-end, expensive designers from Versace and Valentino to Dolce & Gabbana and Chanel, the exhibition will focus on the "dialogue between fashion and the masterworks of religious art."

Helmed by Vogue's Anna Wintour (and co-chaired this year by Rihanna, Donatella Versace, and Amal Clooney), the Met Gala is known for its best-dressed and worst-dressed celebrities, socialites, and businesspeople who walk the red carpet in their interpretation of the theme.

Anyone who is anyone is there, at least according to Wintour's handpicked and closely scrutinized guest list

But the cost to make an appearance during fashion's biggest night out is a steep one, and the cost to make the event happen is even bigger. For $30,000 a ticket, those who passed Wintour's approval can attend the $3.5 million event.

And that's just the beginning of all the money that goes into — and comes out of — what André Leon Talley refers to as "the Super Bowl of fashion."

Take an inside look at the money behind the Met Gala.

SEE ALSO: This $59 million penthouse in New York City's priciest zip code has a living room the size of a museum and perfect views of the Empire State Building and One World Trade

SEE ALSO: Meghan Markle could wear a custom-designed tiara worth nearly $700,000 on her wedding day — here's how much the tiaras of other British royal brides are worth

It cost $3.5 million to produce the Met Gala 2016.

Source: The Wall Street Journal



Tickets for the Met Gala 2017, which 550 people attended, cost $30,000 — that's enough to put a family of four over the poverty line. Some sources say tickets can even cost up to $50,000.

Source: Fortune, Page Six



Tables go for $275,000, but can go for up to $500,000. They cost even more if they're paid for by sponsors. Yahoo sponsored the Met Gala 2015 and reportedly paid $3 million for two tables.

Source: Fortune, Page Six



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 14 movies that made $1 billion at the box office the fastest, including a new record by 'Avengers: Infinity War'

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avengers infinity war

This weekend, "Avengers: Infinity War" passed "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" to become the fastest movie to earn $1 billion at the global box office.

"Infinity War" accomplished this feat in well under a month, which only 13 other films have ever done. 

This huge year for Disney has already seen "Infinity War" and "Black Panther" join several other Marvel films on this list, which we ranked by the days it took each film to gross $1 billion worldwide.

We used each film's gross on the day it passed $1 billion to break any ties. 

Here are the 14 movies that made $1 billion at the global box office in less than a month:

SEE ALSO: The 50 Disney movies that made the most money at the US box office

14. "Beauty and the Beast" — 29 days

Release date: March 17, 2017

Date it crossed $1 billion:April 12, 2017

Box office total: $1,263,521,126



13. "Captain America: Civil War" — 24 days

Release date: April 27, 2016

Date it crossed $1 billion: May 20, 2016

Box office total: $1,153,304,495
 



12. "Black Panther" — 24 days

Release date: February 16, 2018

Date it crossed $1 billion:March 11, 2018

Box office total (so far): $1,338,430,475
 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

We shopped at Costco and Sam's Club to see which is better — and there's a clear reason why you should join one over the other

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SamsClub 6836

  • Costco and Sam's Club are similar membership-based warehouse stores that offer a wide variety of products and services, from eye exams to photo printing.
  • The only significant difference between the stores is the cost of membership, with Sam's Club costing $15 less annually than Costco.
  • I went to a Costco and Sam's Club in New York and found that the cost and quality were comparable enough that the deciding factor between the two stores might just be how close you live to each one.

Costco and Sam's Club are membership-based warehouse stores selling groceries, clothing, furniture, and, well, lots of other stuff. Both stores offer eye and ear exams, a pharmacy, one-hour photo services, and a food court at affordable prices. Even the return policies are similar, with bothstores accepting most items with or without a receipt.

After visiting both stores in succession, I found there was really only one major difference between them: the cost of membership. Costco charges $60 annually for a basic membership and $120 for an executive membership, while Sam's Club charges $45 annually for a basic membership and $100 for a premium membership.

According to a grocery-store ranking from Consumer Reports, the higher membership costs at Costco might be worth it — it ranked higher than Sam's Club in cleanliness, meat and produce quality, customer service, store-brand quality, and prices of organic items.

To see for myself which store offers a better deal, I went to Costco and Sam's Club stores in Westchester County, New York. This is what I found:

SEE ALSO: How to shop at Costco without a membership

First, I went to Costco. I got there about five minutes after it opened, and I was surprised by how many people were there so early. Even though it's a members-only store, no one was at the door checking for memberships.



At the front of the store was a one-hour photo station.



There were rows of TVs ranging in price from $500 to $2,000.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Americans got 3.4 billion spam calls in April — here's why so many come from your area code

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broken iphone what happens to old phones

The unfortunate reality about spam calls — a common practice among criminals and unsavory marketers — is that it still works, given how so many people still fall victim these days.

Indeed, about 3.4 billion Americans received spam calls in April alone, according to The New York Times, which cites a recent study by spam call blocking company YouMail.

After all, when you see an incoming phone call from a number you don't know, but has the same area code as you, it's understandable why you would drop your guard and pick up the phone.

Spam callers can make it seem like they're calling from your hometown's area code with a tactic called caller ID "spoofing." The word "spoof" means both to imitate something, as well as to trick someone. 

The most popular way that miscreants spoof their caller ID is with voice-over-IP (VoIP) services. Some of these VoIP services let spam callers choose what number they want their victims to see on their phone's caller ID.

All the spammer needs to do is pick an area code, find every number with that area code in a directory — like a phone book — use the VoIP service to set their own caller ID with the same area code, and call every number in the list.

Meticulous spammers can even change their caller ID so they have the same area code and the same three to six numbers after your area code as your own phone number — so that their number looks especially local, as if a neighbor or nearby business was calling. So if your phone number was 111-222-3333 — a spammer can set their caller ID to show up as 111-222-3334.

The best way to handle an unknown caller, even if the number looks similar to your own phone number, is simply to let the call go unanswered, and let the caller leave a voicemail. If there's no voicemail, either the call was spam, or the message wasn't that important to begin with. If the caller does leave a voicemail, you can decide for yourself whether the call was legitimate or not — but if the voicemail asks for personal information like credit card numbers or social security numbers, it's almost certainly a scam.

You could always add your phone number to the FTC's "Do not call" registry, but it doesn't always work. Despite adding my phone number to the registry, I keep getting suspected spam calls that I usually let go to voicemail. One of the most common voicemails I get is from "Rachel" about a $250,000 line of credit I never applied for. I suspect I'll keep getting spam calls from "Rachel."

David Cogen from the The Unlockr YouTube channel also posted an interesting — yet somewhat drastic — method of dealing with spam calls that could help take your number off spammer call lists. It involves tricking the spam caller into hearing a message that your phone number is not active, but it also involves you carrying around a tiny speaker around with you for a couple weeks, so it's not a solution that will work for most people.

Cogen says he's received fewer spam calls after trying his method. Perhaps it can work for you. 

SEE ALSO: These 5 apps make better phone calls than your phone app — and you probably already have them

Join the conversation about this story »

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Meghan Markle's wedding dress could cost more than $135,000 — and she'll probably be the one paying for it

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meghan markle ralph & russo engagement gown

  • Meghan Markle's wedding dress is expected to cost roughly $135,584 (£100,000), according to sources who spoke to the Daily Mail.
  • The same sources have said that Markle's wedding dress designer is Ralph & Russo, the same designer she wore for her engagement gown.
  • Princess Diana's wedding dress was estimated to cost $115,000, and Kate Middleton's wedding dress reportedly cost $434,000.

 

The world is waiting with bated breath to see which designer Meghan Markle will wear when she marries Prince Harry on May 19 — and how much the The Dress will cost.

Rumors have been flying that designers Roland Mouret, Inbal Dror, and Burberry's Christopher Bailey are in the running to dress the future royal for her big day.

Dan O'Neill, creative director of bridal, bridesmaids, and evening wear brand THEIA, told Business Insider last week he predicted Canadian designer Erdem Moralıoğlu, whose ERDEM brand has a "modern Victorian with a quirky edge" aesthetic, to design the royal wedding dress since Markle has been wearing clothes by Canadian designers or brands as of late.

But this weekend, the Daily Mail shut all that down by reporting that Markle will wear a creation by Ralph & Russo— the designer behind the black masterpiece of a gown she wore during her engagement photos with Prince Harry.

And while the wedding dress has been rumored to come with a six-figure price tag, specifically $550,000, it may not be as high as we've been led to believe. According to the Daily Mail, the dress is only $135,584 (£100,000). Markle will probably pay for the dress herself, while the other wedding costs will be covered by the royal family, keeping in tradition with Kate Middleton's 2011 wedding.

Either way, it's cry from the wedding dress Markle wore during her first wedding to Trevor Engelson in Jamaica, a white strapless column gown with an embellished belt.

But that's not the only time we've seen her in a wedding dress pre-royal wedding.

In the season seven finale of Suits, her character, Rachel Zane, wore an Anne Barge V-neck wedding gown with beading and delicate embroidery that retails for $6,800.

But neither of those gowns will hold a candle to the dress she wears on May 19 — and she certainly has big shoes to fill when it comes to royal wedding gowns.

princess diana wedding

Princess Diana's wedding dress, designed by husband-and-wife team David and Elizabeth Emanuel, featured sequins, lace, 10,000 pearls, and a 25-foot train. It was estimated to cost $115,000. Years later, Kate Middleton donned a queenly and iconic Victorian inspired long-sleeved lace Alexander McQueen wedding dress, which reportedly cost $434,000, during her wedding to Prince William.

While the Daily Mail describes Markle's gown as a "hand-stitched, heavily beaded design," there's no official word yet on what her wedding dress will look like — but that hasn't prevented the world from speculating.

"Meghan is sleek and modern, and her sartorial choices of late have been guided by her best friend, Canadian stylist Jessica Mulroney," O'Neill said.

"My bet would be that Meghan will go modern and sleek, the silhouette will be form fitting and veer away from the traditional ball gowns that have swept into cathedrals and royal chapels. The gown will be sleeved as protocol dictates, which is perfect timing as bridal fashion is enjoying a sleeve moment. There will be a dramatic train flaring out from behind the knee."

However, he doesn't think the gown will be as expensive as the rumors claim it to be, saying it definitely won't be a six-figure gown, maybe even less than five figures.

"Meghan is very much an everyday girl and believes in wearing affordably priced clothes," O'Neill said. "Her wedding gown will be priced in the realm of accessible gowns. This beautiful, young, dynamic woman may surprise us all as she is making up her own rules in her new world every day."

SEE ALSO: Meghan Markle's engagement ring has a diamond from the second biggest supplier of conflict-free diamonds — here are the best countries to buy diamonds from

DON'T MISS: People are hoping Meghan Markle's wedding dress could include pieces of Princess Diana's dress from 1981 — here's what that could look like

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why the Saudi crown prince met with Trump, Oprah, Bill Gates, and Jeff Bezos

We checked out JFK International and Heathrow Airport to see which offers a better travel experience — and the winner was clear

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JFK

  • In the American Society of Civil Engineers' 2017 Infrastructure Report Card, the US infrastructure received a D+ grade, which equates to it being "in poor to fair condition and mostly below standard."
  • US airports were highlighted as one of the areas in need. Despite this, when Trump laid out his much-anticipated infrastructure plan in February, airports barely got a mention. 
  • Local governors are taking matters into their own hands. In 2017, New York's Governor Cuomo proposed a $10 billion renovation of John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. This is currently being negotiated.
  • We compared the experience of flying in and out of New York's JFK airport and London's Heathrow airport and found that Heathrow was the clear winner.

The US has an infrastructure problem. 

In the American Society of Civil Engineers' 2017 Infrastructure Report Card, which is published every four years, the US infrastructure received a D+ grade, which equates to it being "in poor to fair condition and mostly below standard, with many elements approaching the end of their service life," according to its guide online.

In the study, the ASCE estimated that the country needs to spend around $4.5 trillion improving the state of its infrastructure, including airports. Despite this, when Trump laid out his much-anticipated infrastructure plan in February, airports barely got a mention. 

As one of the US's most important business hubs, New York's airports frequently come under scrutiny for not cutting it.

In 2017, New York's Governor Cuomo and the Port Authority proposed a $10 billion plan to completely overhaul the city's main airport, John F. Kennedy, this is currently being negotiated. The Port Authority has budgeted $1 billion towards this airport expansion and is banking on the fact that the private sector will provide the remaining $9 billion.

"This is a race, my friends," Cuomo said in 2017, comparing New York to other international cities such as London and Dubai, who have launched major infrastructure developments in the past few years. "We sat on our laurels for too long."

With this in mind, we decided to compare the experience of flying and landing at JFK versus London Heathrow.

Here's how they stack up:

SEE ALSO: An architect who's helped design more than 60 airports around the world explains why America's are so terrible

One of the biggest downsides of flying out of New York on British Airways is having to go to terminal 7 at JFK. On this occasion, we got lucky and flew with one of its partners – American Airlines, which departs from the more glitzy terminal 8 at JFK.

British Airways is currently refurbishing terminal 7 at JFK and has put $65 million towards this. 

We can expect to see a complete overhaul of this terminal with a new food court, seating areas, and a slicker check-in and security area to reduce the amount of queues.



Terminal 8 is the largest passenger terminal in the airport. It is twice the size of Madison Square Garden.

Source: Non-official airport website

The check-in area was massive and there were no queues. Self-check-in machines were there to take the pressure off the main desks at busier times. 



The experience of queuing for security was hassle free, there was a ton of space and lots of staff to help.

The queuing area was large. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

People are going viral by making McDonald's menu items like the Big Mac, McRib, and McNuggets at home — and the dishes look even better than the originals (MCD)

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Trump McDonald's

  • A Facebook group dedicated to re-creating McDonald's menu items at home is going viral.
  • Home cooks have made their own versions of dishes like the Big Mac, McRib, and McNuggets.
  • People around the world are sharing recipes and photos of their attempts at making some of McDonald's most iconic items in their own kitchens.

 

People around the world are challenging themselves to re-create homemade versions of some of McDonald's most iconic menu items.

The Facebook group Homemade McDonald's has exploded in recent months. In the group, which has more than 7,000 members, home cooks share their attempts at making McDonald's menu items in their own kitchens.

"I used to make 'McDonald's' food for friends at barbecues," Joel Cornell, who started the group earlier this year, told the Mirror.

Cornell continued: "It was just a bit of fun, but people said, 'Hey, this is really good', so I shared some photos of my food online and people were interested. I started the group and it went from there."

Here are some of the best photos from Homemade McDonald's, from the Big Mac to the McRib:

SEE ALSO: Fast food is on the verge of a crisis — and not every chain will survive

One of the biggest goals of Homemade McDonald's is to re-create the menu items to be as close to the original as possible.

Instagram Embed:
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All creations must be current or former McDonald's menu items.

Instagram Embed:
//instagram.com/p/BiT0J3vDvRW/embed
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Some of the most popular creations are Big Macs and other burgers.

Instagram Embed:
//instagram.com/p/Bg-k8MlAcCg/embed
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If you loved 'Karate Kid' you need to watch 'Cobra Kai' on YouTube Red — which has a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes

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cobra kai youtube

  • The classic 1980s movie, "The Karate Kid," gets a reboot with the original cast members in the YouTube Red series, "Cobra Kai."
  • If you were a fan of the movie you really need to see this.


YouTube Red has been trying to get into the original content space with something that would grab a big audience, and may have finally got it with "Cobra Kai."

The 10-episode series dusts off the classic 1984 movie, "The Karate Kid," and brings it to the present day by looking at where the characters ended up after the movie.

If you've never seen "The Karate Kid" — first, how dare you, go watch it right now on Hulu or iTunes — the movie is the definition of a kid overcoming the bully. Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) moves out to Los Angeles from Newark and has a tough time fitting in at his new high school. And things get really bad when he falls for Ali, who happens to be the ex-girlfriend of the top student at the Cobra Kai dojo, Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). This leads to Lawrence and his friends constantly kicking the crap of and tormenting LaRusso. LaRusso befriends the maintenance man in his building, Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), who teaches him karate. This leads to LaRusso and Lawrence facing off in a karate tournament at the end of the movie. Of course, LaRusso defeats the odds to beat the big bully Lawrence.

"Cobra Kai" takes place in the present day. The tournament looks to have shattered Lawrence's life as he lives a sloppy existence trying to get by doing maintenance work (which he soon gets fired from doing). LaRusso, on the other hand, owns a car dealership that is thriving with multiple locations. This is a fact Lawrence can never escape because he constantly sees LaRusso commercials and billboards.

karate kid columbia picturesThe pilot episode focuses on Lawrence's down-and-out life. But it's also filled with tons of "Karate Kid" references, including many clips from the movie and 1980s needle drops. There's even a "Rocky IV"-like montage where Lawrence drives his broken-down Firebird while clips from Lawrence in "Karate Kid" flash on screen.

One of the best moments of the first episode is when Lawrence has to show off his long-ignored karate skills.

When a kid from his building is bullied by a group of kids, Lawrence steps in (well, when the kid is thrown into his precious Firebird). The group of kids then tries to take on Lawrence and he shows no mercy, even letting out the familiar high-pitched grunts that anyone who loved "The Karate Kid" will remember him doing in the movie.

By the end of the episode, the seeds are planted for a potentially great season. Lawrence and LaRusso meet after Lawrence's Firebird is crashed into and gets hauled to LaRusso's dealership. They kind of act cordial to one another, but you can tell they generally don't care for each other. But the encounter gives Lawrence a light-bulb moment: He's going to relaunch the Cobra Kai dojo. 

"Cobra Kai" (which currently has a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes) is extremely entertaining, but even more so if you loved "The Karate Kid" (and its sequels) growing up. Zabka and Macchio are all in with the reprisal of their iconic roles and that's really the hook. Some of the stuff will certainly go over your head if you weren't into the movie, but YouTube is hoping that the popularity of the movie over decades has enough passionate fans to launch this series (and YouTube) into the streaming zeitgeist.

 

SEE ALSO: The sad ending of "infinity War" has inspired a hilarious meme

Join the conversation about this story »

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These are the 15 best airports in the world

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vertical garden and Green wall at Singapore airport

  • Skytrax released its annual list of the best airports in the world at the Passenger Terminal Expo in Stockholm, Sweden.
  • Singapore's Changi International Airport took the top spot for the sixth year in a row.
  • Airports from Asia swept the top five spots.
  • No US airport placed in the top 25.

The consumer-aviation website Skytrax held its annual World Airport Awards ceremony in March at the Passenger Terminal Expo in Stockholm, Sweden.

For the sixth consecutive year, Singapore Changi International Airport took home the crown as the world's best airport. The facility is one of Southeast Asia's largest transit hubs and is a major cog in the city-state's bustling economy.

Airports from Asia dominated the top of the Skytrax rankings, sweeping the first five spots. European airports also performed well, with four in the top 10. Only one North American airport made it into the top 15. No US Airports made it into the top 25 with Denver International being the highest-ranked at 29. 

The Skytrax annual rankings are based on the impressions of nearly 14 million flyers from over 100 countries. More than 550 airports were included in the survey, which covers 39 service and performance parameters, including facility comfort, the location of bathrooms, and the language skills of the airport staff.

Here's a closer look at the other airports that made it to the top of the prestigious Skytrax list:

SEE ALSO: The 11 best and worst airlines in America

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15. Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE)

Yearly passengers: 34 million

Previous rank: 21

Why it's awesome: Located just outside of the Taiwanese capital of Taipei, Taoyuan International is the largest airport in Taiwan. The airport is the home base for both China Airlines and EVA Air.

Skytrax reviewers praised the airport for its polite service, clean environment, and speedy immigration lines. Taoyuan was also once home to Taiwan's aviation museum, but the museum was shut down earlier this year to make way for further airport expansion.

Source: Skytrax World Airport Awards. Yearly passenger figure is for 2014, provided by Taoyuan International Airport.



14. Vancouver International Airport (YVR)

Yearly passengers: 24.2 million

Previous rank: 13

Why it's great: Vancouver takes home the prize as the top-ranked airport in North America for the eighth year in a row, and for good reason. Customer reviewers on Skytrax cited YVR's friendly staff, high level of organization, and easy access to downtown Vancouver as some of the best things about the airport.

Vancouver International also boasts a floatplane terminal, as well as a sizable collection of art from the Pacific Northwest.

Source: Skytrax World Airport Awards. Yearly passenger figure is for 2017, provided by Vancouver International Airport.



13. Kansai International Airport (KIX)

Yearly passengers: 25.2 million

Previous rank: 12

Why it's awesome: Located on an artificial island in the Osaka Bay, Kansai International is a major hub for ANA and Japan Airlines.

Reviewers on Skytrax praised Kansai for its modern architecture, clean facilities, and helpful staff. The airport also boasts a Sky View observation deck that affords passengers spectacular views of incoming and outgoing flights.

Source: Skytrax World Airport Awards. Yearly passenger figure is for 2016, provided by Kansai International Airport.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Restaurants are listing calories on menus starting today — but a registered dietitian says there's a better way to size up your food

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woman eating

  • Chain restaurants are required to post calorie counts on their menus as of Monday.
  • The rules — put in place as part of the 2010 Affordable Care Act — require chains with more than 20 stores to list calories, fat, and sodium levels on all menus.
  • While calories are an important tool for healthy eating, they aren't a panacea, according to a registered dietitian.
  • It's also important look at levels of sugar and protein.

In glaring black-and-white block letters on the side of your favorite cereal, they vie for your attention: calories.

Starting Monday, chain restaurants are required to print calorie totals on menus as part of the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

Yet while they're the most prominent part of a nutrition label, calories don't tell the full story, according to Nichola Whitehead, a registered dietitian and nutritionist.

"It's what you're putting into your body that counts," Whitehead says.

While calories can provide a rough estimate of how healthy something might be, they leave out several important factors. Calories don't tell you, for example, how satiated or full something will make you feel, how beneficial a food is for your digestion, or whether it contains the vitamins and minerals you need for healthy skin, hair, and nails.

For guidance about those things, you should look at two key things, Whitehead says: sugar and protein. An item that's high in sugar and low in protein likely won't keep you feeling full for very long. What you want instead is something low in sugar and high in protein.

Fewer than 10 grams of sugar and more than 10 grams of protein is a good starting place — whether it's a processed food or a whole meal.

Take the following two breakfasts as an example. The meal on the left consists of a piece of wheat toast with butter, a couple of scrambled eggs, and a coffee. Meal two includes a bowl of frosted cereal in low-fat milk, a glass of orange juice, and a coffee.

The two meals have almost the same number of calories, but they are far from equal.

nutriotinal value 2000 calorie diet breakfast

The cereal-and-juice meal is based around sugar and refined carbohydrates, which the body breaks down quickly. That leads you to feel a constant need to refuel with caffeine or a snack. The eggs-and-toast meal, on the other hand, is what Whitehead would call "balanced" — it contains a good mix of proteins and complex carbohydrates to keep your body properly fueled in the long term.

Foods like processed cereals, white bread, and white rice fall into a category known as "empty calories" because they score high on something nutritionists refer to as the glycemic index — essentially a measure of how a food will affect your blood-sugar levels. Foods in that group will "give you a rapid amount of sugar, but you're going to feel hungry shortly afterwards," Whitehead said.

That's why noting ingredients, not just a calorie total, is key when sizing up what you're eating. When you see things like sugar, corn syrup, fructose, or white flour listed as the first ingredients on a food, that can be a good indicator that it will not keep you full or energized in the long term. Instead, look for things like whole grains, lean proteins (chickpeas, beans, or chicken breast), and vegetables.

"It's what kinds of foods you eat that matters when it comes to how healthy your body is, how satiated you're feeling, and how much energy you've got," Whitehead said. "Calories are just a tool."

SEE ALSO: Our obsession with calories can be traced back 100 years — and it hides a much bigger problem

DON'T MISS: The best thing to eat before and after you exercise, according to the physiologist behind the viral 7-minute workout

Join the conversation about this story »

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All the TV shows that have been canceled in 2018

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Everything Sucks!

As the year flies by, the list of canceled TV shows is piles up.

Networks haven't announced many cancellations yet, except for ABC, which canceled its freshman sitcom "The Mayor" and "Once Upon a Time," once a ratings hit. And in March, TNT announced the cancellation of its original series "The Librarians."

On the streaming side, things are a bit different.

Amazon kicked off the year with a slew of cancellations, announcing the end of three quirky comedies, including the Golden Globe nominee "I Love Dick" and the comedian Tig Notaro's semi-autobiographical show, "One Mississippi." It canceled Golden Globe nominee "Mozart in the Jungle" in April, after four seasons, and recently canceled "Transparent," which will end after the upcoming fifth season.

Also in April, Netflix canceled the 90s coming-of-age comedy, "Everything Sucks," which came to the streaming service in February. 

There are many more cancellations to come, especially since networks haven't announced the fate of their fall shows.

We'll update this list as more are announced.

Here are all the shows that have been canceled this year, including those from networks and Netflix:

SEE ALSO: The worst TV show of every year since 2000, according to critics

"The Mayor" — ABC, one season



"Chance" — Hulu, two seasons



"Lady Dynamite" — Netflix, two seasons



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

10 military spouses who have made a difference

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Beside most members of the military is a spouse who keeps life going while a husband or wife serves.

While every military family serves their country with pride, some military spouses go above and beyond to help their communities.

Meet 10 inspiring military spouses are making a difference:

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Taya Kyle

Taya Kyle, the widow of Navy SEAL and most lethal sniper in US history Chris Kyle, has been an advocate since her husband was killed in 2013.

In 2014, she started the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation with the goal of connecting military families and veterans, and providing interactive experiences to enrich family relationships.

Kyle and her husband's story became the subject of the Academy Award-nominated film "American Sniper".



Tiffany Smiley

Tiffany Smiley's husband, Army Major Scott Smiley, served in Iraq for six months until a car bomb in Mosul sent shrapnel into his eyes that would leave him blind for the rest of his life.

As an advocate for the power of military spouses, Tiffany speaks around the country to raise awareness about issues surrounding military members and their spouses.

In 2010, Tiffany and her husband published a book, "Hope Unseen," based on their experiences as a military family. She has met with Ivanka Trump to push for legislation supporting military families and spoke at a bank-run event about how and why companies should recruit veterans.



Krystel Spell

As the wife of an enlisted member of the Army, Kyrstel Spell had always wanted to share her experiences as a military spouse with others. Now, she has become a popular voice in the military blogging world.

Spell launched three sites: Army Wife 101, to cover military lifestyle, travel, and parenting; Retail Salute, to gather military discounts in one place; and SoFluential, to connect influencers from military families with businesses looking to hire them.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

McDonald's just made a massive change to its burgers — here's the verdict (MCD)

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mcdonalds fresh beef

  • McDonald's announced on Monday that it had completed its rollout of quarter-pounder burgers made with fresh — not frozen — beef across the US. 
  • Business Insider tried the new fresh-beef burger in March and found it to be an impressive improvement on the old-school Quarter Pounder. 
  • The fresh beef burger is juicier and has more depth of flavor, giving McDonald's a distinct leg up on the competition.

McDonald's just took a huge step to boost its reputation. 

On Monday, the fast-food giant announced it had completed its rollout of fresh-beef Quarter Pounders across the US. Now, every Quarter Pounder order at American McDonald's is made with fresh — not frozen — beef. 

Fresh beef has long been the calling card of McDonald's fast-food rival, Wendy's. It took years of effort for McDonald's find a way to add a fresh-beef burger to the menu without sacrificing on speed and improving upon flavor. 

Earlier this year, Business Insider had the opportunity to taste test the new fresh-beef burger. Here's how the new Quarter Pounder matches up to its predecessor — and why the fresh beef swap is the best idea McDonald's has had in years. 

SEE ALSO: 'We cracked that code': McDonald's is making a massive change to its burgers — and Burger King and Wendy's should be terrified

McDonald's decided to test a Quarter Pounder made with fresh beef as part of what executives call the chain's "journey" to modernize and improve menu quality.

"Those who are seeking a larger burger ... this is what they were looking for," Linda VanGosen, McDonald's vice president of menu innovation, told Business Insider.

"It was hotter, juicier, more flavorful," VanGosen. "This is addressing what they're looking for."



The Quarter Pounder itself doesn't look that different — which makes sense.

Other than the beef, the recipe is exactly the same, right down to the burger preparation. McDonald's beef prep simply requires slapping the patty on the grill and adding a bit of pepper. 

One positive of fresh beef: it cooks faster than frozen, which means that the new preparation style isn't going to slow down McDonald's workers. 



However, the difference is immediately clear after a single bite.

McDonald's beef has always been one of the chain's weaknesses. It can have a dry, cardboard-esque, almost mulch-y texture that leeches the flavor away from the meat. I'll personally pick a McNugget over a McDonald's burger any day. 

However, the fresh-beef Quarter Pounder could change my mind on that — at least some of the time. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

New research shows Netflix's big bet on the future is working, as it continues to outpace its competition (NFLX)

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  • Netflix's investment in original content appears to be paying off more and more in the eyes of consumers, according to research from Morgan Stanley.
  • In an annual survey from the firm, respondents have increasingly viewed Netflix as having the "best original programming," compared to premium cable outlets and other streaming services.

Netflix has been making a massive bet on its future for years now, and it's paying off.

This year, the streaming service is expecting to spend an estimated $8 billion on content. An increasing amount of that will go toward original TV shows and movies, which Netflix has been betting heavily on in preparation for a future when other media companies are less willing to license their content. (See Disney's Netflix competitor, which will debut in 2019.)

While it wasn't always clear that Netflix would be able to make the transition from licensing cheap back catalogs to producing its own hits, according to research from Morgan Stanley and AlphaWise, the streaming giant is well on its way.

In a survey of 3,100 US residents this year, the firms found that 39% of respondents viewed Netflix as having the "best original programming," compared to the offerings from premium cable outlets (like HBO) and other streaming services (like Amazon Prime Video and Hulu).

Perhaps more encouraging for Netflix investors is that the company has also increased the share of consumers who think it has the "best original programming" every year since 2014.

Here's the chart that shows Netflix's progress:

morgan stanley netflix

Netflix has seen a steady increase in favorability in this particular survey since 2014, when the streaming service was in just its second year of producing original programming.

Netflix released its first original show, "House of Cards," in 2013, and it expects to release around 700 shows and movies this year. 

Further illustrating consumer perception of Netflix's prevalence in the field, over half of Netflix users in the survey cited "good original programming" as their reason for subscribing to Netflix. 

Morgan Stanley also found that Netflix is nearing a mass-market hold of the age 18-29 demographic, as 70% of people in that age group reported using the service. 

SEE ALSO: All 65 of Netflix's notable original shows, ranked from worst to best

Join the conversation about this story »

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A little-known venture fund has raised $36 million to invest exclusively in black female founders, and the head of the firm is calling it the 'About Damn Time fund'

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  • Arlan Hamilton's firm Backstage Capital invests in underrepresented founders such as people of color, women, and members of the LGBTQ community.
  • The firm just announced a new $36 million fund that will invest exclusively in black female founders, who earn less than 1% of all venture capital funding.
  • Hamilton said black women can no longer "be expected to accept scraps."

 

Backstage Capital, a venture-capital firm that backs underrepresented founders including people of color, women, and members of the LGBTQ community, revealed over the weekend it's launching a new $36 million fund that will invest exclusively in black female founders.

"They're calling it a 'diversity fund.' I'm calling it an IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME fund," the firm's founder and managing partner Arlan Hamilton said in a tweet.

The new fund will award black female entrepreneurs $1 million at a time, Hamilton announced at the United State of Women 2018 Summit in Los Angeles on Saturday. The goal is to bridge the funding divide between investors and black women in the male-dominated VC landscape.

In 2017, female founders received only 2.2% of the $85 billion invested by venture capitalists, according to PitchBook data. The prospects are even worse for women of color: A study by First Round Capital suggested that in 2015, a mere 0.2% of all funding went to companies run by women of color.

For Hamilton, an early trip to Silicon Valley sparked the idea of starting a fund.

"I noticed it was the land of opportunity, but not for everyone," Hamilton told TechCrunch's Megan Rose Dickey in 2017. "It just dawned on me one day: If I can't get these investors to take some of the founders seriously just because they don't look like the last person they invested in, then maybe I should just try to put together some money and make those decisions myself."

After spending years in the music industry, Hamilton relocated to Silicon Valley in 2015 to pursue her dream. She lived off her savings and slept on couches, in motels, and out of cars, while also pitching any investor or tech influencer who would listen. She received her first check from angel investor Susan Kimberlin later that year and got Backstage Capital started. 

Based in West Hollywood, Backstage Capital plans to invest the new $36 million fund into 15 to 20 companies over the next three years, with approximately half of the fund reserved for future financing. Hamilton told Business Insider the first two to three invesments will come in 2018.

"Black women have had to make due with far less for centuries," Hamilton said.

She added, "We cannot continue to be expected to accept scraps."

SEE ALSO: High schoolers across America will start playing video games for sport this fall — meet the 25-year-old Detroit native who made it happen

Join the conversation about this story »

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Meghan Markle's whirlwind romance is the opposite of Kate Middleton's 10-year courtship — and it shows how different their marriages will be

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Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle

  • Meghan Markle's relationship with Prince Harry looks a lot different than Kate Middleton's relationship with Prince William.
  • For example, Middleton and Prince William knew each other for longer before getting engaged. And their wedding was much more traditional than Markle and Prince William's will be.
  • We asked relationship experts to weigh in on what these differences might mean for the two marriages.


It's hard not to compare Meghan Markle— Prince Harry's fianceé — to Prince William's wife Kate Middleton.

At least on the surface, the two royal courtships couldn't appear more different. Most notably, Markle and Prince Harry met in 2016, when they were both in their 30s. Just about a year later, they announced their engagement.

Middleton and Prince William, on the other hand, met in college. They didn't get engaged until 2010, five years after they graduated.

What's more, while Middleton is British, Prince Harry broke with tradition in some ways by choosing to spend his life with an American.

Finally, Prince Harry and Markle's pending nuptials will hew less closely to tradition than Prince William and Middleton's did, according to Vanity Fair.

We asked two relationship experts to explain what these differences might mean for the two marriages, and for the two women's lives. Andrea Syrtash is a relationship expert and the author of "He's Just Not Your Type (And That's A Good Thing)." Rachel Sussman is a relationship therapist in New York City.

There's no saying what will transpire over the course of either relationship. But as Sussman said, "When you're aware of potential pitfalls, you can really work on the relationship and try to make sure that those don't happen."

SEE ALSO: Meghan Markle has proved her dominance over the 'Kate effect' — and it's worth $677 million

Prince William and Middleton have built a life together, having known each other since college. 'What's wonderful is that they have a history,' Syrtash said.



'They know so much about each other,' Sussman said of couples who met when they were young. 'They have a lot of the same friends. They have shared cultural references and memories.'



Prince Harry and Markle, on the other hand, met in their 30s, meaning they brought more wisdom and self-knowledge to their relationship. In fact, Markle has been married before.

 

 



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There's a conspiracy theory that Melania Trump lives at a separate house in DC with her parents and her son, Barron

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melania trump white house state dinner

  • A conspiracy theory has been floating around Washington that first lady Melania Trump lives in a separate house in DC with her parents and son.
  • Her staff told The Washington Post on Sunday this rumor is "1,000% false."
  • Trump moved to the White House in June 2017.


There's a "persistent" rumor that Melania Trump lives in a separate house in DC with her parents and son, Barron Trump.

In a Washington Post story on Sunday about the first lady's private life inside the White House, her office refuted the rumor as "1,000% false."

Trump's spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said, "We laugh at it all the time." White House social secretary Rickie Niceta Lloyd called the rumor "an urban legend."

During the press briefing on Monday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders called the rumor "ridiculous."

"Just when you think the Washington Post can't get things any more wrong, they do," she said. "The first lady lives here at the White House. We see her here regularly."

melania trump macron state dinner white house red room

Trump took longer than usual to move to the White House after her husband took office, spending the first five months of his presidency in New York City while Barron finished school in Manhattan.

In June 2017, the mother and son finally moved to the White House, and Barron started attending St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Potomac, Maryland, in the fall.

Multiple news reports have said the first lady's parents, Viktor and Amalija Knavs, live with the Trumps. The White House previously didn't confirm to Business Insider whether the Knavs lived in the US permanently or just visited frequently, and wouldn't tell the Post where they live.

While The Post report said the first couple doesn't often dine together or sleep in the same room, it also quoted White House staff saying Trump does spend a lot of time at the "People's House," and that she has a great relationship with the 100 or so butlers, chefs, and other staff who keep the residence running.

Most recently, Trump shared a video and photos of her coordinating the many details for the French state dinner she and her husband hosted at the White House.

Friends told The Post that when the "full-time mom" is not fulfilling her official duties as first lady, Trump is with her family.

SEE ALSO: Report claims Melania and Trump spend 'little to no time together' as she shoots down rumors that she doesn't actually live in the White House

DON'T MISS: It looks as if Melania Trump's parents relied on the same immigration process that Donald Trump desperately wants to end

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Tina Brown: Why Melania Trump is the best aspect of the Trump presidency

Wendy's is slamming McDonald's as a new weapon emerges in the fast-food wars — and it's clear whose burger is better (MCD, WEN)

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McDonald's and Wendy's have a beef over fresh beef.

On Monday, McDonald's announced it had completed its rollout of fresh beef Quarter Pounders across the US.

Wendy's, long the fast-food king of fresh-beef burgers, fired back at its rival soon after McDonald's announced its plans to debut fresh beef, posting a string of tweets highlighting the fact that McDonald's didn't say it planned to switch to fresh beef for all its burgers.

Kurt Kane, Wendy's head of concept and marketing, told Business Insider that "you shouldn't have to use a decoder ring to figure out what quality you're going to get" when you order a burger.

Kane also said that having tried one of McDonald's new burgers, he wasn't worried about Wendy's customers ditching the chain for McDonald's new Quarter Pounders.

So we decided to conduct a taste test of our own.

Here's how McDonald's fresh-beef Quarter Pounder matches up against Wendy's Dave's Single, made with fresh — never frozen — beef.

SEE ALSO: Wendy's slams McDonald's as a new weapon emerges in the fast-food burger battles

Up first: McDonald's. I was able to try the new fast-food burger during a media event — and I was impressed by what I found.

"Those who are seeking a larger burger ... this is what they were looking for," Linda VanGosen, McDonald's vice president of menu innovation, told Business Insider.

"It was hotter, juicier, more flavorful," VanGosen said. "This is addressing what they're looking for."



The only change in the burger, according to executives, is the fresh beef. Everything else is exactly the same.

McDonald's says its beef prep simply requires slapping the patty on the grill and adding a bit of pepper.

One advantage of fresh beef is that it cooks faster than frozen beef, meaning the new preparation style isn't likely to slow down McDonald's workers.



Taking a bite, I immediately noticed the difference that fresh beef makes. Hotter, juicier, and finally freed of its mulch-like texture, the fresh-beef burger is a vast improvement over the old-school Quarter Pounder.

I hadn't realized how much of a handicap the texture of McDonald's patties was to the chain's hamburgers until I had a fresh-beef burger.

While the dryness of the burgers can be ignored on a Big Mac as other elements take the forefront, the Quarter Pounder is improved vastly by the beef upgrade.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Americans received a record-breaking 3.4 billion robocalls last month — here are some ways to stop them

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In April alone, Americans received an estimated 3.4 billion scam calls from automated machines — more than any month on record, according to The New York Times.

The spike didn't come out of nowhere. That number was about 2.5 billion in the same month last year, and consumer advocates worry that the number will only continue to increase now that the FCC has removed an Obama-era definition of auto-dialers that the agency thought was too broad.

Federal agencies are taking action, holding robocallers accountable and searching for new ways to regulate as robocallers continue to become more sophisticated with their tactics. Policies are in the works to address "neighborhood spoofing," which is the extremely effective tactic used by robocallers to make the calls look like they're coming from your own area code so that recipients are more willing to answer. So far, no policy has been successful in preventing those. 

Even when consumers don't fall for the scam and share personal information, being inundated with robocalls can be a liability: there's no way to know when the unknown number dialing you is a time-wasting scam or a real-life emergency. So while lawmakers and regulators work to figure out the best way to subside the number of outgoing scam calls, agencies and companies have come up with solutions to block the ones that get through. 

It's nearly impossible to be 100% robocall-free, so adopt a few (if not all) of these tactics to see results:

Add your name to the FTC's "Do not call" registry, and report the calls you get anyway.

Registration for the service began in 2003 and sign-ups don't expire, yet the FTC reported receiving 4. 5 million complaints in 2017, at "an average of more than 375,000 robocall complaints per month," compared to 2013's 2.18 million.

It it isn't completely effective, but the people who signed up probably get fewer calls than they would have if they hadn't. 



Use your phone's Do Not Disturb mode so that you only get calls from people in your contact list.

This way you don't have to see the calls come through or have to ignore them. Keep in mind this strategy won't work for any professional hoping to hear from new clients or those who receive regular calls from unknown numbers are part of their job, but it's a great option if you have a separate, non-work phone.

 



If you don't want to block all new numbers, block them as they come by going into the callers' contact information in your phone.

This is especially helpful if there are a few numbers you get calls from frequently. If you choose the route of answering unknown numbers instead of waiting for a voicemail, keep a couple of things in mind: 

Don't engage by speaking OR by pressing a number even to be taken off a list, according to the FTC: "Doing so will probably lead to more unwanted calls. Instead, hang up and file a complaint with the FTC." 

Train yourself to answer questions by repeating them instead of saying "yes," because that can be used as a vocal signature to make unauthorized credit card charges. For example, the answer to "Can you hear me?" should be "I can hear you," instead of "Yes."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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