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A mysterious 'pain-relief' supplement has been linked to salmonella in 41 states

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tongue pills vitamins supplements mouth

  • Kratom is an opioid derived from a plant native to Southeast Asia. It can be consumed in the form of pills, powder, or tea.
  • The drug, often called an herbal supplement, has been linked to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened 199 people.
  • On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control issued its fifth warning in the last two months about kratom and salmonella.


A supplement with a viral following has been linked to 199 cases of salmonella across 41 states, according to new numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Kratom is derived from a plant native to Southeast Asia and often sold as pills, powder, or tea. It has gained popularity among people who say the supplement helped them step down from powerful painkillers like Vicodin. Kratom taps into some of the same brain receptors as opioids do, which spurred the Food and Drug Administration to classify it as an opioid in February.

On Thursday, the CDC reported 67 additional cases of salmonella linked to kratom, up from the 132 cases reported in April. It was the agency's fifth and final warning about salmonella-tainted kratom in the past two months. The CDC warned people to avoid the pills and powders altogether, since salmonella bacteria can cause diarrhea and abdominal pain lasting up to a week.

Advocates of kratom say it helps curb the symptoms of opioid withdrawal, a conclusion that some scientists say makes sense. But because kratom is classified as a supplement and has not been developed as a drug, it is not subject to much federal regulation. That means tainted kratom pills and powders can easily make their way to store shelves.

The risks of taking kratom

kratom herbal pills

Kratom is increasingly raising eyebrows among several regulatory agencies, including the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration.

On Tuesday, the FDA sent warning letters to kratom sellers in California, Colorado, and Missouri accusing them of health fraud. Some marketers tout kratom as capable of boosting strength, delivering feelings of euphoria, improving focus, and even treating cancer— despite no scientific research supporting those claims.

This is the first time the FDA has cracked down directly on makers of the supplement. In a statement, FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said the three companies were engaged in scams that "pose serious health risks."

The weak regulation of supplements means those who take kratom have no reliable way to determine the proper dose or verify a kratom supplement's full ingredient list. It's also difficult to account for potentially harmful interactions with other drugs or medications.

Kratom is currently banned in Australia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and 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 an outcry from kratom advocates.

'Contaminated products may still be available for purchase'

Since the first kratom-related illnesses were reported in January of last year, the CDC has regularly updated its total case count and conducted interviews with sick people across the US. Thursday's case count, however, was the agency's final update. The investigation is now considered over.

But the CDC warned consumers on Thursday that contaminated kratom products "may still be available for purchase." That's because the investigation was unable to pinpoint a single source of the tainted products.

Out of 103 people the agency interviewed, roughly three quarters said they'd consumed kratom in pills, powder, or tea across 41 states.

"People should be aware that kratom could be contaminated with salmonella and could make people sick," the agency wrote in a statement.

You can find a list of all the kratom products that the FDA has recalled here.

SEE ALSO: The government is cracking down on a mysterious 'pain-relief' supplement that's been linked to salmonella

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NOW WATCH: These are the only vitamins you should be taking — and the ones you should skip


A court has heard how a couple who murdered a young woman and burned her body were afflicted by 'folie à deux' — here's what it means

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  • A London couple have been convicted of killing and burning the body of a woman called Sophie Lionnet.
  • The court heard they had been afflicted with folie à deux, or "madness of two."
  • One of the pair became paranoid that Lionnet had run off with her ex, whom she was obsessed with.
  • It is a rare psychological phenomenon but there have been several cases of shared delusions.
  • Sometimes it can involve more than two people.


On Thursday May 24, a couple were found guilty of murdering their French nanny and burning her body on a bonfire in their London backyard.

After six days of jury deliberation, 35-year-old Sabrina Kouider and 40-year-old Ouissem Medouni were found guilty of killing Sophie Lionnet, a 21-year-old French nanny, after beating, starving, and torturing her over a bizarre paranoid delusion about Mark Walton — Kouider's ex-boyfriend and a founding member of the pop group Boyzone.

The court heard that the couple had been afflicted with a psychosis known as folie à deux, or "madness of two," which is where delusions are shared between people.

Kouider lived in a warped reality, allegedly due to her bipolar disorder and depression, and Medouni was a willing party in it. Kouider was apparently obsessed with her ex-boyfriend, reported him to police over 30 times, and falsely accused him of paedophilia on Facebook.

Other strange accusations included him hiring a helicopter to spy on her, and sexually abusing a cat.

Kouider also reported to the police that Lionnet had run off with Walton, which was the primary reason the couple locked her up. In the final days before she died, Lionnet was subjected to horrific abuse including being hit with an electric cable and being beaten so badly she had five broken ribs and a cracked breast bone.

In court, Kouider and Medouni blamed each other for Lionnet's death, still making accusations against her, which the judge concluded had "no truth whatsoever."

Folie à deux, or Shared Psychotic Disorder, can occasionally involve more people with close bonds known as folie à trois, folie à quatre, or folie en famille (family madness). It was first conceptualised in the 19th century by Charles Lasègue and Jean-Pierre Falret.

It is not listed as a separate disorder in the most recent Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM-5, but is included under the schizophrenic spectrum and other psychotic disorders.

The first known case study appears in Enoch and Ball's "Uncommon Psychiatric Syndromes," which involved a woman called Margaret and her husband Michael in the 19th century. Both were 24 years old, and were found to be sharing paranoid delusions about an intruder. They believed someone was coming into their house, spreading dust, and wearing down their shoes.

Essentially, Margaret and Michael got themselves into a feedback loop where they reinforced each other's delusions.

Folie à deux is most common between romantic couples, but it can also occur with siblings. For example, in one case involving three sisters, two moved into a house near the third to help her care for her children. Over time they all became closer and more heavily involved with religion.

The youngest sister then started thinking the Bible was full of inconsistencies and became determined to correct them. The sisters ended up praying nonstop for three days without sleeping, then were convinced God wanted them to have a particular house in the town that didn't belong to them.

They went round demanding to be let in, breaking down windows and attacking the owner until they police arrived. They were arrested, and put in the same holding cell where they continued to pray and sing while naked, and occasionally attacked the guards.

In 2016, there was a case of a family of five who disappeared on a road trip. Mark and Jacoba Tromp took their three adult children and fled their home, travelling over 1,600 km in a week across the US state of Victoria. They had been suffering from increasing signs of stress and paranoia, and were convinced someone was going to rob and kill them.

One of the sons, Mitchell, was apparently the only one not to succumb to the psychosis. He was the only member of the family to keep ahold of his phone, but as his parents became more delusional, they made him throw it out the window because they thought they were being tracked.

In the case of the sisters, all they needed was separation. Once they had some time away from each other, their psychosis vanished without any need for medication. But in some cases, like that of Kouider and Medouni, delusion can be more heavily imposed by one partner.

According to The Telegraph, Kouider was "the star of her own fantasy film noir — and she cast Sophie Lionnet as the enemy." She was described by ex-partners as manipulative, fickle, and a "lunatic," while Medouni was "weak" and "easily led."

In cases where separation isn't enough, doctors usually treat extreme cases of psychosis with anti-psychotic medications. It is unclear whether Kouider is being given treatment, but she was being held at a medium secure mental hospital before the trial.

SEE ALSO: Sociopaths are hiding in plain sight — so we asked one how he does it

Join the conversation about this story »

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Old interview footage shows Morgan Freeman making creepy comments to female 'Entertainment Tonight' reporters

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  • Video from 2015 and 2016 showing Morgan Freeman commenting on the bodies of reporters has been republished.
  • "Entertainment Tonight" found the clips after CNN published accusations by eight women who said Freeman had harassed them or otherwise behaved inappropriately.
  • One of the "ET" clips shows Freeman asking the reporter Ashley Crossan whether she would "fool around with older guys."
  • In a second, Freeman strikes up a conversation about the correspondent Janet Mock's legs and gestures to them.
  • After the CNN story broke, Freeman issued an apology to "anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected."

Old video footage of Morgan Freeman making suspect comments to reporters has been republished after he was accused of sexual harassment.

"Entertainment Tonight" published footage of Freeman asking one correspondent whether she would "fool around with older guys" and commenting intently on a different interviewer's legs.

Here is a video showing the two encounters, which begin at about the 1-minute, 10-second mark.

Size the Player

CNN on Thursday issued a report in which eight women came forward to accuse Freeman of inappropriate behavior, including sexual harassment. Freeman apologized in a statement, saying: "Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am not someone who would intentionally offend or knowingly make anyone feel uneasy. I apologize to anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected — that was never my intent."

The first "ET" clip features a 2016 interview between the "Entertainment Tonight" reporter Ashley Crossan and Freeman to promote "London Has Fallen."

Morgan Freeman Ashley Crossan ET London Has Fallen

Here is their exchange:

Freeman: My goodness, are you married?

Crossan: No.

Freeman: Fool around with older guys?

[Crossan laughs nervously]

Freeman: I'm just askin'.

As the interview draws to an end they shake hands and Crossan tells him it was a pleasure, to which he says, "Mine. Look at yourself," and watches her from behind as she walks off.

The second clip shows a 2015 encounter in which the author and activist Janet Mock speaks with Freeman ahead of the film "5 Flights Up." In the exchange, Morgan points to her dress and comments about how it looks on her legs.

Morgan Freeman Janet Mock Entertainment Tonight interview

Janet Mock entertainment tonight Morgan Freeman.

Freeman: I don't know how you all manage to do that all the time.

Mock, gesturing to her make-up: All of this?

Freeman: No. You got a dress that's halfway between your knee and your... hips, and you sit down right across from me and you cross your legs ...

[Mock laughs the comment off]

Mock gave a statement to "ET" about the encounter before they republished the video.

It said: "I was deeply disappointed that someone who was seen as America's grandfather was susceptible to such disturbing behavior and felt comfortable enough to do that as cameras were rolling, and that he could take claim of my body and look at it before even looking into my eyes."

SEE ALSO: 8 women accuse Morgan Freeman of inappropriate behavior, including sexual harassment

Join the conversation about this story »

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Harvey Weinstein charged with 4 sex offenses, ordered not to leave New York or Connecticut

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Harvey Weinstein police station Manhattan May 25

  • Harvey Weinstein turned himself in to the New York police on Friday.
  • He has been charged with rape, criminal sex conduct act, sex abuse, and sexual misconduct against two women, the New York Police Department said.
  • A judge has ordered him to pay $1 million in cash, wear a electronic monitor, and surrender his passport.
  • Weinstein appeared to be smiling as he entered and left the police precinct.
  • The Hollywood producer stands accused by more than 70 women of sexual misconduct, including rape, with some of the accusations going back decades.
  • The accusations gave rise to the #MeToo movement in which hundreds of women have publicly accused powerful men of misconduct.

Harvey Weinstein has been charged with at least four sex-related offenses after turning himself in to the New York police on Friday.

The Hollywood producer was charged with rape, criminal sex conduct act, sex abuse, and sexual misconduct in relation to incidents involving two women, a New York Police Department spokesman told Business Insider.

He agreed to pay $1 million in cash as part of a prenegotiated bail package, with a Manhattan judge also ordering him to wear an electronic monitor and surrender his passport. He is allowed only in the states of New York and Connecticut.

He turned himself in at a police precinct in New York City's Tribeca neighborhood in Manhattan early Friday morning, carrying books including "Something Wonderful: Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway Revolution."

He left in handcuffs to go to court about an hour later, appearing to be smiling. He did not respond when a woman shouted: "Why are you smiling, Harvey?"

Weinstein stands accused by more than 70 women of sexual misconduct, including rape, with some of the accusations going back decades.

The accusations, first reported by The New York Times and The New Yorker last year, gave rise to the #MeToo movement in which hundreds of women have publicly accused powerful men in business, government, and entertainment of misconduct.

The New York police said in its statement: "The NYPD thanks these brave survivors for their courage to come forward and seek justice."

This is the first criminal case brought against him since the accusations surfaced in October.

Weinstein has previously denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex. His attorney told reporters outside court that Weinstein intended to plead not guilty to all four charges announced Friday.

Reuters contributed reporting.

SEE ALSO: Gwyneth Paltrow says Brad Pitt threatened to kill Harvey Weinstein after she told him Weinstein sexually harassed her

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All the 'Star Wars' movies, ranked from worst to best

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With "Solo: A Star Wars Story" now in theaters, it's time to see where it stands in the beloved franchise. 

From the recent "The Last Jedi" to those polarizing prequels, here's where the movie that looks at a young Han Solo stands in our list of best to worst in the saga.

SEE ALSO: An inside look at how MoviePass will make money distributing movies, and what will happen if the company goes bust

10. "Attack of the Clones" (2002)

It's a movie I struggle with ranking every year. I watched it again recently and I'm back on the disapprove side. There's a lot to enjoy about the second episode in the prequels — mainly, how Ewan McGregor has fit into the Obi-Wan Kenobi role nicely. The movie focuses heavily on his storyline as he encounters Jango and Boba Fett as well as Count Dooku. From a nostalgic standpoint, the last third of the movie brings to life dreams you've had for decades, as Lucas gives us the start of the Clone Wars as well as Yoda having a lightsaber battle. But the agony of watching the Anakin Skywalker/Padmé Amidala storyline was just too much for me in this latest viewing. (I'm sure I'll change the placement of this title again next year.)



9. "The Phantom Menace" (1999)

George Lucas has said from the beginning that "Star Wars" was made for kids, and he really took that to heart when he unveiled "Episode I: The Phantom Menace," 16 years after finishing the groundbreaking original trilogy. Introducing us to Anakin at the age of 9 as he's plucked by Qui-Gon Jinn as the "chosen one" who will bring balance to the Force, the first prequel gives us a lot of tame action and unlikely scenarios for Anakin to be in, even in a galaxy far, far away.

The best part of the movie is its villain, Darth Maul, who has an incredible duel with the Jedi at the end of the movie. It's one of the only goose-bump moments in the whole movie — heightened by John Williams' score — and, sadly, you have to wait over an hour to get to it.

Yes, this is the movie that introduced us to Jar Jar Binks. That is all I'll say about that.



8. "Revenge of the Sith" (2005)

The conclusion of the prequel trilogy is one of the saga's darkest. A grown Anakin is seduced by the dark side of the Force and wipes out the Jedi, including the younglings (!). Padmé dies, but not before giving birth to their twins, Luke and Leia.

The most agonizing part of this movie to sit through is Hayden Christensen's performance as Skywalker conflicted with the dark side — more a sniveling 20-something than a disillusioned "chosen one." We don't get a good performance of that pull to the dark side until Adam Driver comes along to play Kylo Ren in "The Force Awakens." We can only partly blame Christensen: Lucas was never big on giving actors instructions, which proved here to be costly.

On the bright side: Another excellent performance by McGregor as Kenobi, and the duel at the end of the move between Skywalker and Kenobi is worth the wait.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

We tried to book a last-minute vacation with Airbnb and Hotel Tonight — and one was much easier to use than the other

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arlo hotel soho

  • Airbnb and Hotel Tonight both allow users to book last-minute homes or hotels at low or discounted prices. 
  • The apps have been growing more and more similar, with Hotel Tonight starting to allow users to book farther in advance, and Airbnb rolling out a loyalty program and allowing boutique hotels to list rooms on the platform. 
  • With the apps becoming more competitive, we decided to compare what it's like to book a last-minute room on each platform. We found Hotel Tonight was easier to use.

Airbnb and Hotel Tonight have changed the way we book hotels.

Gone are the days that travelers have to book hotels months in advance to get the best deals. Airbnb and Hotel Tonight allow users to book luxury hotels and private homes just hours before check-in, sometimes at crazy-low prices.

There are some key differences between the two companies. Airbnb has been around for three years longer than Hotel Tonight, with Airbnb launching in 2008 and Hotel Tonight following in 2011. Last spring, Airbnb raised another $1 billion in a funding round that valued the company at $31 billion. Hotel Tonight, for comparison, raised $37 million in a round that valued it at $463 million.

The two apps have gradually become more competitive with each other. While Airbnb has always allowed users to book well in advance of their travels, Hotel Tonight has recently expanded its services to allow users to book hotels up to 100 days in advance. 

Hotel Tonight also previously had a leg up on Airbnb by offering a loyalty program, called HT Perks, that allows frequent users to earn credit towards future bookings. But Airbnb recently unveiled a loyalty program that will rival Hotel Tonight's, as well as a site-inspection program that ensures that homes have been verified as secure by Airbnb. 

We compared what it was like to book a last-minute stay on each of the apps. Here's which we preferred:  

SEE ALSO: Costco will now let you book luxury hotels for discounts of up to 30% — here's how it works

The first app we checked out was Airbnb. In order to view listings, you first had to sign up through Facebook or create an account.

In order to book an Airbnb, you need to fill out at least the basic profile information, including your full name, birthday, and ID verification, meaning a driver's license, passport, or other government-issued ID. It also asks for a phone number and email, and it suggests you provide information about your school and employment status. While this does make the service more secure for hosts and guests, it's a lot to fill out at once. 



Once you're signed in, you can view the homepage. There are featured listings of homes, experiences, and restaurants from around the world, and a new tab promotes Airbnb Plus, which lists homes that are verified by the company.



To compare the app to Hotel Tonight, I looked for a last-minute listing in New York. There was a surprising number of listings still open for that night, ranging from private rooms to entire two-bedroom apartments around New York City. Prices ranged from $50 for the night to over $200 — still definitely cheaper than any hotel you'd find in the city.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

9 terms that define modern dating

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  • Dating these days comes with its own unique terminology.
  • Ghosting, breadcrumbing, and gaslighting are all relationship phenomena people could run into when trying to find their next partner.
  • Here are 9 terms, from a relationship expert, that define modern dating so you can recognize them when they happen.

 

When it comes todating, it seems as though new terminology is constantly being introduced. For instance, talk of ghosts used to be limited to Halloween or reality shows, and now “ghosting” is popular year-round — at least when it comes to dating.

To help clarify “ghosting” and othermodern dating terms, Business Insider reached out to Antonia Hall, a psychologist, relationship expert, and author. From an etiquette standpoint, Hall filled us in on what’s OK and what’s not in terms of new dating trends.

SEE ALSO: The best way to find love in the modern world may be to approach dating like dieting

1. Ghosting

Ghosting is exactly what it sounds like — someone disappears and doesn’t bother to tell the person they’ve been dating. However, are there ever legitimatereasons to ghost?

“If you’re just too scared to be honest with the person, it is a very emotionally immature and selfish tactic,” Hall told Business Insider. She also saidthere are times when ghosting is necessary in order to take care of yourself. “If you’re dating someone who won’t take no for an answer, is emotionally abusive, or makes you feel unsafe, then cutting off all contact can be the best thing to do.”



2. Zombie-ing

Basically, after being ghosted, the ghost may return one day, as a zombie. The best part? They’ll act like nothing’s happened.

“The intention behind someone’s return is the important key to whether or not zombie-ing is OK,” Hall said. “Sometimes, people change and want another chance to make things right, but that should be made clear in their opening recommunication with you.”



3. Caspering

If “ghosting” had a cousin, it would be “caspering,” and the latter is the nicer of the two. Instead of just disappearing,someone who caspers basically tells the person they’re dating that they’re going to disappear in a nice way. “As opposed to ghosting,caspering is a compassionate way to bow out,” Hall said.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

I'm a carnivore who ate vegan for a week, and it changed the way I think about my normal diet

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Vegan

  • Vegan diets are a lifestyle choice that require careful researching and planning.
  • I signed up for a vegan meal delivery service to up my vegetable intake.
  • I'm a total carnivore, but I decided to eat vegan for a week — and I really liked it. 

 

I’m what my travel doctor calls an “adventurous eater.” As a frequent globetrotter, my culinary habits make her nervous. I get it. In my world, very few foods are off-limits.

In an effort to spring clean my eating habits and step up my vegetable intake, I decided to orderHungryroot, a vegan meal delivery service. For $69 per week, I’d get roughly six plant-based meals (two servings of each), such as lemon kale caesar salad, kale pesto sautéed greens, and creamy corn cauliflower risotto.

To be honest, I signed up because the dishes looked tasty and super easy to prepare. Nothing takes more than 15 minutes from start to finish. As a woman who lives alone, simplicity is key to healthy eating. If meal prep takes too long, I automatically default to take-out or going out to eat.

SEE ALSO: 12 of the best vegan products at Trader Joe's

What I expected

I’m an earth and animal lover and see all the compelling ethical and environmental reasons why one may consider a vegan diet. However, it’s never been enough to sway me to the non-meat side. I like meat and have never been able to wrap my mind around meat substitutes.  

I thought for sure I’d break down at some point during the week and have a cheeseburger emergency. I was also convinced that I’d be in a constant state of hunger. There’s no way tofu and veggies could be filling, right?

I assumed I’d feel better health-wise, but wasn’t sure how that would manifest itself.

I tried to keep an open mind and be OK with whatever happened. And if I did have a bacon breakdown, I decided that I wouldn’t beat myself up. Baby steps!

Here’s how the great meat-free experiment went:



I slept better than ever

Sleep isn’t always my friend (although the snooze button sure is). I was able to fall asleep more easily than usual and log eight solid hours of z’s every night.



I had more energy

I tend to have a lot of energy but noticed a definite uptick during my workouts this week. I felt like I got more out my classes and was able to go harder. There were even a few days where I worked out and went for a run. That’s borderline athletic!



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

'Solo' is already breaking records at the box office, but it's nowhere close to previous 'Star Wars' movies (DIS)

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  • "Solo: A Star Wars Story" earned a record-breaking $14.1 million at its Thursday night preview screening.
  • It's projected to earn around $140 million during the Memorial Day weekend, which would also be a record.
  • But that would make "Solo" the lowest-grossing opening ever for a "Star Wars" movie since Disney took over the franchise.
  • Even "Rogue One" had a better opening weekend ($155 million).


"Solo: A Star Wars Story" is starting off strong by breaking the Thursday preview box-office record going into Memorial Day. But it's still up in the air if this latest release in the beloved franchise will perform like the previous titles since Disney took over the reins.

"Solo," which looks at the origin story of Han Solo, took in $14.1 million on Thursday night, according to The Wrap. That beats the previous record holder, 2007's "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," which took in $13.2 million.

With the movie being released on 4,381 screens, Disney is setting the stage for a typical huge release for a "Star Wars" movie. But it's going to be a big test for the franchise. 

"Solo" comes out just five months after "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" opened. So for the first time ever in the storied saga, fans could be suffering franchise fatigue. Also, the movie has received mixed reviews. It's sporting a 70% rating going into the holiday weekend. That is low for "Star Wars" (the lowest since "Attack of the Clones"). And Memorial Day weekend is one of the few holidays when audiences don't flock to the theaters.

Disney is certainly rolling the dice. 

Though industry projections have "Solo" breaking the Memorial Day weekend box-office record ("At World's End," $139.8 million), it still will be the lowest opening ever for a Disney-era "Star Wars" movie. In fact, it probably won't earn as much as the previous "A Star Wars Story" movie, "Rogue One," which had a $155 million opening.

Whether you chalk it up to "Star Wars" fatigue or mistakenly releasing this movie in the summer instead of in December, which has been the home for the franchise since "The Force Awakens," this weekend will be the first time Disney and Lucasfilm executives will feel a little uncomfortable.  

SEE ALSO: All the "Star Wars" movies ranked from worst to best

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: What will probably happen with the North and South Korean peace treaty

How to prevent Amazon's Alexa and Echo devices from accidentally sending private conversations to your contacts (AMZN)

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Amazon Echo

An Amazon Echo device recorded a private conversation between a Portland, Oregon couple recently, and sent the conversation to one of the couple's contacts, according to Washington state news radio station KIRO7.

That's actually a feature in Amazon's smart artificial intelligent assistant, Alexa, which lives inside Amazon Echo devices and several other smart speaker devices. You can call and send messages to your contacts who also have devices powered by Amazon's Alexa. 

The problem in this case is that the Portland couple never meant to send their conversation to their contact. Their Echo device just did it on its own. The error was accredited to so-called false positives – where a user says words that sound similar to commands designed for Alexa, prompting Alexa to wake up and take unintended actions.   

This is the first report of a private conversation being erroneously sent to a contact via an Amazon Echo device, but although rare, it's clearly something that no one wants to happen to them.

The good news is you can turn off the Calling and Messaging feature on your Amazon Echo devices. The not so good news: the process is incredibly convoluted.

Here's how you can turn off the Calling and Messaging feature: 

SEE ALSO: A couple says that Amazon's Alexa recorded a private conversation and randomly sent it to a friend

In a perfect world, you could simply turn off Alexa's Calling and Messaging feature with the flick of a switch. But it turns out that you need to enable something called "Free Time" to turn it off, which is an incredibly convoluted process.



From the Alexa app's home screen, tap the three lines on the top left of the app.



Then tap Alexa Devices.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

You can control this new software with your brain, and it should make Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg nervous

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nuro henry evans

  • Tesla's Elon Musk and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg each aim to create the world's first brain-computer interface — devices that put the functionality of a laptop in your head.
  • But those devices would require invasive brain surgery and are unlikely to become available in the immediate future.
  • In the meantime, a startup called Nuro could beat them to the punch with a simpler piece of software.

Two minds may be better than one, but one mind connected to millions of others would be infinitely superior.

That's the thinking behind several companies that are currently racing to link mind and machine by way of devices called brain-computer interfaces. The first to put the functionality of a laptop in your head would pave the way for people to communicate seamlessly, instantly, and with whomever — or whatever — they want.

So far, two figures are publicly leading that race: Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. Their clandestine projects, known as Neuralink and Building 8, respectively, focus on approaches that will require brain surgery, according to researchers familiar with their efforts.

But there's a less ambitious and less invasive way to tackle the brain-computer interface problem. It involves translating data from brainwaves into simple commands that can be processed in an app or device. A startup called Nuro is taking this route. It hopes its software platform can give the ability to communicate back to people who've lost it as a result of severe injury or disease.

Outside researchers say the approach is simpler and less functional than invasive approaches, but easier to put into practice.

If Nuro's product succeeds in that initial market, the company plans to expand the technology and test it more broadly in cars and homes. As a result, the company could shape the broader future of technologies that link mind and brain.

Communicating with thoughts

nuro home newsIn April, Nuro opened up for the first time about a version of its software called Nuos, which is designed to give a voice to people who've experienced spinal cord injuries or other major illnesses and can't communicate as they once did. 

Nuro CEO and founder Francois Gand envisions the system for use first in a hospital or intensive-care setting. It could allow so-called "locked in" patients to do things like ask for a glass of water or play music on an Amazon Echo smart speaker.

Gand has test-driven his tool in at least one person with a severe brainstem disorder, and recently showed me how a Nuro user could interact with the technology using a tablet. A black and teal screen is divided into tiles with icons and pre-written messages displaying basic commands like “I need water” or “I’m feeling cold." By focusing intently on a given icon or piece of text, a user can select that tile.

It's the same idea used in neurofeedback, a practice in which people use real-time displays of brain activity to do things like play basic video games in order to better regulate their brainwaves.

Nuos users could even use that technique to type custom messages using a keyboard on the screen. 

An OS that runs on brainwaves

Computer interfaces powered by brainwaves aren't completely new.

stephen hawking

Before Stephen Hawking settled on the Intel setup he primarily used to communicate, he tested several EEG-based caps. But because of his age and the severity of his condition, the caps couldn't get a strong enough brain signal to function properly.

Studies suggest that EEG technologies have the potential to help thousands of other disabled people, though. Every year, roughly half a million people across the globe injure their spinal cord, according to the World Health Organization. The authors of a 2018 paper published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience called the use of EEGs for people with disabilities "a novel approach of the 21st century."

"Development of a brain-computer interface technology that does not replace but complement[s] existing therapies is a...promising field," the authors wrote.

But Gand envisions Nuro's technology — which is essentially an operating system, or OS, that runs on brainwaves — extending far beyond a hospital, to people's homes and even cars. That's something automakers are interested in. In January, the Nissan revealed it was working on helping drivers avoid crashes using EEG data.

"Fundamentally, we're an OS company," Gand said. 

Investors see Nuro's potential to expand, too. The company, whose team is based in Waterloo, Canada and San Francisco, California, got a $100,000 grant from Google to build a part of its system in the Google Cloud platform. Nuro also recently got $250,000 in seed funding from Silicon Valley biotech accelerator IndieBio, and $40,000 ($31,000 USD) from Canadian startup hub Waterloo Accelerator Centre. And it won two MIT competitions (Hacking Medicine and the MIT Barracuda Bowl) at the South by Southwest festival, which brought in $7,500.

Karen Moxon, who runs a lab focused on brain-computer interfaces at the University of California, Davis, told Business Insider that she's not surprised by Gand's vision. A less invasive and more user-friendly brain-computer interface is ripe terrain for future advancements.

But Moxon expressed concern about some of the technical and financial roadblocks Gand might face, such as raising and making enough money to stay financially viable over the long term.

"This has been done well by gobs of people — but in a laboratory setting," she said. "Being able to do it isn't surprising; translating it to a company that can be financially viable is another."

The race toward a superpower: Where Neuralink and Facebook are headed

elon muskAs our smartphones grow smaller and more advanced, we grow increasingly dependent upon the services they provide. (Not convinced? Try taking your next trip without opening Google Maps.)

Devices embedded in our bodies and brains are a logical next step.

Zuckerberg said last year that Facebook is working on brain-computer interface technology that "one day will let you communicate using only your mind."

Whether the first brain-computer interface runs on EEG or something harder to access, the first company to nail that technology could rocket decades into the future.

"Just being able to communicate at the speed of a BCI without having to speak or type would have a radical effect," a former Neuralink employee who asked to remain anonymous told Business Insider. "It's not so much a race to a long-term goal as much as it is a race to a near-term goal in which somebody gains a metaphorical superpower that enables them to start accelerating faster than anyone could catch up."

Musk and Zuckerberg have both kept details about their progress toward achieving this superpower under wraps.

But there are some clues. Several former Neuralink employees told Business Insider that they were engaged in building microchips and small electronics that could eventually be tested on animals. They said employees of Neuralink have frequently interacted with people researching the subject of animal testing.

Andy Fell, a communications director at the University of California, Davis, confirmed to Business Insider that several university employees were actively working with Neuralink on research projects using mice. 

Facebook, meanwhile, does not yet seem to have plans to open an animal-testing facility in California, according to a public records request filed by Business Insider with the California Department of Health.

Given how little we know about the brain, experts say it's unlikely that we'll see an invasive, surgery-based BCI used on a person within the next few years.

That's where Nuro comes in.

"We want to be as safe as possible. We’re not inclined to open up the brain. For some people who might ask, 'are we hacking the brain?' doing it non-invasively kind of solves that issue," Gand said.

From hospitals to homes: Bringing apps into the Nuro ecosystem

brain hands illustration

In addition to allowing "locked-in" patients to communicate, Gand's Nuro system is set up to give doctors or physicians access to a separate interface from the one users see. That would allow for remote monitoring of people with a severe injury or those at risk of a stroke.

The software is also capable of passively collecting data on brain activity, including the various levels of brain waves linked with alertness and sleep.

The Nuro system could therefore detect aberrant patterns of brain-wave activity, like those exhibited by people at risk for neurological problems like stroke, Gand said. Health professionals monitoring the situation remotely could use those observations to inform decisions about calling for emergency assistance.

But Gand hopes that if his OS moves beyond the medical setting, people using Nuro within the home would have access to a wider range of EEG-enabled activities than someone in the hospital.

Home users could eventually see features designed to speed up the communication process, such as a faster and more dynamic keyboard that could be used in conjunction with applications like news apps and social-media platforms. In the future, Gand also envisions developers creating versions of their apps that are compatible with the Nuro ecosystem, just as they currently are with Android or iOS.

"We can also give you the ability to have your app controlled neurologically," Gand said.

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3 things you should know if you're considering leaving the city for the suburbs

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suburbs city

  • Moving to the suburbs offers hidden benefits to students and families alike.
  • Studies from the Census Bureau in 2017 revealed that lower-density suburbs have the fastest growth.
  • Suburban life comes with its own obstacles, but understanding the main ones early on allows movers to be better prepared to live and settle in a new environment.

 

I moved to California 10 years ago this year, as a college student.

I didn't relocate to Hollywood, Laguna Beach, or any other place that you would recognize from a pop culture reference. Instead, I lived in a suburban city in Ventura County called Thousand Oaks.

Calling the move a major transition is definitely an understatement. Previously, I lived in Saint Louis, Missouri. My home in Saint Louis was in a busy area, across the street from a Dairy Queen and flanked by a tanning salon, a bank branch, and a Sprint store. Living in Thousand Oaks, or TO as the locals call it, was like being in a little bubble. It was quiet, family-friendly, and relatively free of crime.

During the two years I lived there, I was surprised by the number of obstacles I ran into in my daily life.

Here's are three things I wish somebody had told me before I made the move from the city to the suburbs.

SEE ALSO: 12 books you should read before starting a business

1. Everything closes early

Once I moved to the suburbs, I quickly learned that restaurants, pharmacies, grocery stores, and even Starbucks closed early. It was like being Cinderella at the stroke of midnight; only you needed to leave the ball at 9 p.m.

I had grown up surrounded by stores that operated on a 24-hour basis, and knowing that they were open in case of an emergency was comforting to me.

Rather than complain that I had nothing to do, I embraced the shift. I learned how to shop for groceries and take care of errands in the morning. I'd still go out to late-night restaurants and clubs in other areas, but to this day it's still my preference to start running my errands before 10 a.m. on the weekends.  



2. You may need a car

I've never owned a car. Not when I was living in Saint Louis, and not when I lived in the suburbs in California. I had a lot of friends in college who would kindly let me carpool from place to place with them. Otherwise, I walked or took the bus or city shuttle service.

Of course, this may not work for everyone living in the suburbs. If you live in an area that isn't densely populated, have school-age children, or have a job that isn't within walking distance of your home, getting a car may make more sense.

However, if you're young and moving to the suburbs, don't immediately buy a car. There is a possibility you might not even need one. Rideshares like Uber and Lyft didn't exist when I first moved to the suburbs, but now you can find them in virtually any city. If your area has plenty of drivers in it, you might consider forgoing the expenses that come with a car — including insurance, gas, and repairs — in favor of taking rideshares instead.



3. It's quiet

This year marks my 10-year anniversary living in the state of California. I even got to fulfill my dream of living in Los Angeles proper a few times! A few years ago, I moved to Westwood and was able to reconnect to my city roots. Stores were open late, I didn't need a car to get around, and the sounds of the city's hustle and bustle were all around me.

Even when I was going to sleep at night. Especially when I was going to sleep at night.

The suburban solitude had spoiled me rotten. Why were so many people talking outside of my apartment? It was 3 a.m.! Didn't anyone go home? I missed being able to crack my window open and only hear the sounds of the chirping crickets and lonely coyotes howling on the mountains.

Silence, although I struggled with it when I first moved to the suburbs, really was golden. It wasn't long before I moved back to Los Angeles County (where I still am today) and remembered that peace and quiet may be one of the greatest aspects of suburban life. If nothing else, it'll make sure you get a good night's sleep.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

16 things successful people do over long weekends

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sun tanning man pool summer

• In honor of Memorial Day, some people in the US are enjoying a long weekend.

• Business Insider reached out to some experts on how to set yourself up for success when you have an extra day off.

• Their suggestions focused on prioritizing tasks, setting technology guidelines, and spending time with loved ones.



Memorial Day is here, and that could mean you have an extra day off to add to your normal weekend.

But how should you spend your long weekend?

If you're not sure how to make the most of the next few days, we've got some ideas.

In addition to reflecting on the sacrifice of those who lost their lives while serving in America's military, here are 17 things successful people can do before and over long weekends:

SEE ALSO: 11 things unsuccessful people do over long weekends

DON'T MISS: 14 sleeping habits of unsuccessful people

They plan ahead

Many successful people plan out their activities for the holiday weekend well in advance so that they are not drawn into the temptation of working, said Michael Kerr, an international business speaker and author of "The Humor Advantage." They make reservations, book tee times, or schedule activities with their kids.

"They're strategic enough to have an action plan for the three-day weekend, but flexible enough to tackle any urgent work issues that may arise," said Lynn Taylor, a national workplace expert and the author of "Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant: How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job."



They prepare at work

"Most of what they do happens before they leave for a long weekend so that they are psychologically free to relax and enjoy it," Kerr said.

This includes saying proper goodbyes to colleagues, cleaning up their office, finishing any pressing tasks, and creating a clear plan of action for when they return to the office so they can hit the ground running.



They set technology guidelines

Successful people set email and phone rules for themselves and the people they work with, so that people understand when, if at all, they will be available to respond or pick up.

"This can communicate to employees how critical it is for everyone to take a complete break, and that any and all work can wait," Kerr said. "Although employees may assume this, they often need to hear it from their leader to be able to completely relax over a long weekend."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

'Solo' has exciting thrills and lush photography, but it's the first 'Star Wars' movie to make me worried about franchise fatigue

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han solo trailer

  • "Solo: A Star Wars Story" has some great moments, but as a whole is a flawed movie.
  • The third act of the movie has major problems and feels uninspired.
  • However, Alden Ehrenreich gives a worthy Solo performance, Donald Glover's Lando is fantastic, and the movie beautifully shot. 


Warning: Minor spoilers below.

The moment I realized “Solo: A Star Wars Movie” wasn’t for me was toward the two-hour mark of the movie, when I realized we were nowhere near the end. 

Granted, there was about only 15 minutes left in the movie, but it felt like an eternity. I’ve had that feeling in many movies in my life — when it just won’t end. But never for a “Star Wars” movie. 

“Solo” is not an awful movie, it just has a few awful parts that feel uninspired. This is particularly true in the third act of the movie. 

In “Solo” (opening May 25), we follow the progression of Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) from a small-time hood on his home planet of Corellia, with dreams of being a great pilot cruising through the galaxy, to eventually becoming a space pirate.

There are thrilling action sequences, cinematographer Bradford Young (“Arrival”) gives the movie a beautiful look, there are fantastic performances by Ehrenreich and Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca, and Donald Glover completely knocks it out of the park as Lando Calrissian. 

But the movie crumbles following Han and the gang's thrilling completion of the legendary Kessel Run. The conclusion of the movie is stale, filled with cliches, and tries too hard to set the foundation for future “Solo” movies by featuring one of the most random cameos you’ll ever see in a movie (more on that in a sec, but don’t worry, no spoilers). 

That’s certainly not my only issue with the movie. 

It starts with some really lame opening text that sets the stage. The worst piece is the use of the words “mean streets” in describing the planet Solo grew up on. And the movie at times tries a little too hard to make Han an idealistic jokester. Personally, I think this is less the leftover effect of Chris Miller and Phil Lord’s involvement in the movie as one-time directors, and more on eventual director Ron Howard’s vanilla style.  
 
lando calrissian han solo movieHowever, there are some great elements to the story, as well. 

Young’s photography goes from smoky original “Blade Runner” vibe in the beginning to wide epic shots by the end. Glover’s Calrissian sounds like the actor who originally played him, Billy Dee Williams, and has a flawless style. He’s also paired with a sassy robot co-pilot, L3-37 (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) that is a total scene stealer. And Ehrenreich actually pulls off playing Solo, not so much by doing his best Harrison Ford impression, but instead showing us a different side of the character. This is how Solo was before the galaxy chewed up all the youthful optimism he had about life and spit him back out.

And we see the Millennium Falcon at its one-time pristine condition, which is a thrill to take in.

The biggest issue the movie has is that the screenwriters Lawrence and Jonathan Kasdan try to shoe-horn a plot twist at the end that is so unnecessary. In teasing a potential villain path for Han’s love interest in the movie, Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke), they bring back a character from the “Star Wars” saga that is a fan favorite, but is a bizarre choice to be included in this story. It certainly is going to make an uproar when general audiences see the movie, primarily because it feels so blatantly force fed. 

Like all “Star Wars” movies, there will be those who will absolutely love this movie, and there are certainly things to enjoy about it. The supporting cast — filled with veterans like Woody Harrelson, Paul Bettany, Thandie Newton, and one character voiced by Jon Favreau — are all great and mesh perfectly with the leads.

But my fear is “Solo” shows signs that Disney/Lucasfilm are hitting a point where the beloved “Star Wars” universe could be headed to a watered-down moment. Is there a need to have a “Star Wars” movie released every single year, especially with multiple “Star Wars” series coming to Disney’s streaming service in the coming years?

To this point, all the movies released so far since Disney took over Lucasfilm have been enormous money makers, so obviously the studio won’t want to slow down. But “Solo” may be the first indication that it might be time to pump the brakes and take more time to focus on the stories, and make sure everything is right (especially the creatives involved) before making a movie.

SEE ALSO: "Deadpool 2" is has even more crude jokes and graphic violence than the original, and is a worthy follow-up

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How to ask for time off work and actually get it

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vacation caribbean underwater snorkeling fish

  • You might think it's better to not ask for vacation time, so you can be a better asset to your company and not frustrate your boss and colleagues.
  • But time off is refreshing and restorative, and it benefits your productivity and the company at large.
  • Here's how to ask for time off in a way that respects your boss' and colleagues' schedules. 

 

More than half of Americans don't use all of their vacation days, according to a study by US Travel Association’s Project Time Off.

But taking a break can keep your relationship with your family healthy and flourishing.

And, contrary to what you might think, asking for time off could even impress your boss.

"You don't have to be scared or worry to ask for a week off," career and wellness coach Joanna Echols told Business Insider. 

"When I was still in my corporate leadership roles I would always value the people who could ask for what they needed with a polite confidence," Echols said. "I believe that if you know how to take care of your own needs you will also be able to take good care of the company's needs as well." 

You'll make your boss and colleagues even happier if you ask and prepare for your time off in a way that respects everyone's schedule. Here's how to ask for — and receive — vacation time. 

SEE ALSO: 5 tricks to stop worrying about email while you're on vacation

DON'T MISS: A new study shows saving your vacation time can do more harm than good

SEE ALSO: An American CEO ordered his employees to start vacationing more like the French — and productivity skyrocketed

First, research your company's time off policy

Your company likely has a written policy for taking time off. Follow it. 

Julian Phillippi, a career coach and consultant, said a common mistake in asking for time off is not following the written vacation policy. 

"Your boss will be much more friendly to the request if you present it in accordance with the policy," Phillippi told Business Insider.

No policy? Ask your colleagues what's the best way to submit a time-off request. The key is to make sure you ask in advance and before you book anything. 

 



Plan the best dates and make sure they're a few months from now

Lawrence Hedblom, founder and managing director of executive coaching firm Springboard Unlimited, recommends asking for time off at least two months in advance. 

If you're trying to get time off between Christmas and New Years or another popular period for vacations, you might ask even earlier. Asking months in advance could ensure that you get that time off. 

"With lots of lead time, it's harder for them to say no," Hedblom told Business Insider.

Be sure you don't plan the dates right before major deadlines, Echols said.



Ask your boss in person

The cardinal rule: Do not buy tickets, hotel rooms, or anything else before asking your boss for permission for the dates you planned.

Remember you are asking your boss for vacation time — not informing or demanding them.

"Pick a good time to ask such as when the office is relatively quiet or when you have just delivered a project," Hedblom said.

Don't ask in the midst of a deadline or after your boss just left a stressful meeting with his or her boss.

You could try:

"I would like to take off the second week of July. Does that work for you?"

Instead of:

"I'm going to San Francisco the second week of July. Just wanted to let you know. Thanks!"



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The Victoria's Secret Angels are spending the week at a stunning private Beverly Hills mansion called 'Villa Victoria' — here's what's going down

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Villa Victoria

  • The Victoria's Secret Angels are spending their week at Villa Victoria, a private Beverly Hills mansion.
  • The week has involved parties, yoga, spa treatments, and lots of rosé.
  • Celebrities and bloggers have dropped in throughout the week, while events have been hosted by the likes of VS models Sara Sampaio, Sadie Newman, Jasmine Tookes, and Martha Hunt.
  • Take a look inside the stunning villa.


The Victoria's Secret Angels, the supermodels associated with the lingerie brand, visit some pretty incredible locations for photoshoots and events — and this past week has been no exception.

The Angels have been hanging out at what the brand has called its "private Beverly Hills hotspot" dubbed "Villa Victoria" — and it's pretty stunning.

For starters, the villa's grounds seem to be decked out with loads of flowers.

The video below shows the finishing touches being put on one of the flower displays.

Stunning build out for @victoriassecret #VillaVictoria with the queen @flowergirllosangeles

A post shared by Anthony Maslo (@theboywhocriedflowers) on May 24, 2018 at 5:58pm PDT on

While details from the brand have been minimal, so far, the week at the mansion appears to have been made up of brunches, parties, yoga, and plenty of rosé, with bloggers, influencers, and friends of the models all making appearances.

so excited to be hosting #villavictoria with my best friend. @victoriassecret

A post shared by Sadie Newman 🇬🇧 (@sadienewman) on May 22, 2018 at 7:49pm PDT on

VS models Sara Sampaio and Sadie Newman (pictured above) hosted an event called "Logo-A-Gogo" at the villa on Tuesday, which appears to have been a big party.

Here's Sampaio mingling with guests.

When you meet a super model: act natural 😻💕 @sarasampaio #villavictoria

A post shared by Maria Cort (@mariacortt) on May 23, 2018 at 4:04pm PDT on

The villa's pool was decked out with pink lights...

Villa Victoria

...and the "Bombshell" cocktails were also pink.

villa victoria

"13 Reasons Why" star Ajiona Alexus was one of the celebrities who made an appearance.

Ajiona Alexus at Villa Victoria

There was even a makeup room on site.

villa victoria

Villa guests were treated to a "Spa Day" on Wednesday — click the arrows below to see the luxurious setup.

Spotted poolside today at #VillaVictoria: the new Bombshell Body collection. #SpaDay

A post shared by Victoria's Secret (@victoriassecret) on May 23, 2018 at 7:22pm PDT on

They were dressed in white "Bombshell" robes and enjoyed poolside massages, facials, and manicures.

Being a Bombshell requires quite a bit of upkeep! Getting totally spoiled by all this pampering at the @victoriassecret Bombshell Spa at day 2 of #VillaVictoria 💋

A post shared by Kristi 📍Los Angeles (@thecurrentcrush) on May 23, 2018 at 3:07pm PDT on

On Thursday, Karena Dawn and Katrina Scott, founders of multi-million dollar fitness brand Tone It Up, hosted a "Slay Then Rosé" workout alongside VS model Jasmin Tookes.

About yesterday's day at Villa Victoria. #VictoriasSecrets #VSAngels #JasminTookes #VictoriaSport #JasTookes #VillaVictoria

A post shared by Victoria's Secret Fans (@victoriassecretfas) on May 24, 2018 at 11:22pm PDT on

It looked primarily yoga-based.

Villa Victoria

The morning also involved an impressive-looking brunch spread by the pool...

...Featuring plenty of rosé, of course.

Villa Victoria roseThe table was adorned with pink roses in keeping with the theme.

The evening brought a "Summer Soiree" hosted by VS Angel Martha Hunt.

Martha Hunt Villa Victoria

The dinner table looked incredible...

Villa Victoria

...and was certainly a hit on Instagram.

A dreamy night ahead....Summer Soirée #villavictoria

A post shared by brynnb (@brynnb) on May 24, 2018 at 6:29pm PDT on

Personalised jean jackets were being made on site...

villa victoria

...And the party looked pretty lively.

Villa Victoria

Bachelorette star JoJo Fletcher made an appearance at the villa on Thursday...

...Alongside a number of other celebrities, Instagram stars, and bloggers who appeared throughout the week.

Literally Feeling like an 𝓐𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓵☁️✨ still floating on a cloud • #villavictoria #VSAngelsMX

A post shared by ChantalTru • Fashion Lifestyle (@chantaltru) on May 24, 2018 at 3:04pm PDT on

There was certainly no shortage of photo backdrops...

After hours at #VillaVictoria. @victoriassecret

A post shared by Kirbie Johnson (@kirbiejohnson) on May 24, 2018 at 10:02pm PDT on

...Even inside the villa.

If 90% of success is showing up, you better show up to the right place. #reserved #LA #Cali #VillaVictoria @victoriassecret

A post shared by Dani Huxley (@danihuxley) on May 24, 2018 at 12:34pm PDT on

SEE ALSO: This 26-year-old quit her law degree to start a luxury concierge club for bloggers and students — and now has 500 members paying up to £400 a month

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Jeff Bezos reveals what it's like to build an empire and become the richest man in the world — and why he's willing to spend $1 billion a year to fund the most important mission of his life

One photo shows that China is already in a cashless future

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AliPayWeChatPay China (3 of 3)

  • Mobile payments have become so common in China that paying with cash is practically unheard-of, even with street performers and taxi drivers.
  • The mobile payment market is dominated by two apps, WeChat Pay and AliPay, which have hundreds of millions of active monthly users and make Apple Pay's 127 million global user base look small in comparison.
  • Paying by phone became popular in China in part because credit cards never gained the popularity they see elsewhere in the world, and because the infrastructure for mobile payments was already in place.
  • Phone-scannable QR codes also mean that anyone can become a merchant, since you don't need hardware like a card or chip readers.

Paying with your phone isn't a novelty in China these days. Paying with cash is. 

Over the last 15 years, mobile payments in China have grown into a $16 trillion market dominated by China's two biggest tech giants — Tencent and Alibaba. Mobile payments totaled $9 trillion in 2016, according to iResearch Consulting Group. Meanwhile, the US saw $112 billion in mobile payments in 2016, according to a Forrester Research estimate.

Tencent and Alibaba's competing mobile payment apps — WeChat Pay and AliPay, respectively — are used by just about everyone in China, from fancy restaurants and high-end designer boutiques down to street vendors, taxi drivers, and even panhandlers.

The depth to which the payment method has become part of daily life was driven home for me on a recent visit to the city of Xi'an, a city of 13 million in northwestern China. At the gate of the city's ancient walls, I happened upon a group of Chinese students gathered to listen to a few musicians sing on a Saturday night.

This is not an uncommon sight in New York, where in nearly every metro station, a musician is strumming a guitar with his or her guitar case dotted with dollar bills.  But the musicians in Xi'an had no open guitar case.

At first I wondered how the musicians might receive tips. But every couple of songs, one of their friends held up two cards printed with QR codes — one for Alipay and the other for WeChat Pay. Dozens of the attendees lifted up their phones and, in seconds, had scanned the QR code and sent a few yuan to the performers.

It was genius. 

No more digging around for loose change and finding you only have a $20 bill. No more trying to push your way to the front of the crowd so that you can deposit a few coins in the guitar case. Only a couple of clicks.

In China's major cities, mobile payments are the preferred way to pay for just about everything

AliPayWeChatPay China (1 of 3)

It would be easy to write my anecdote as some particularly tech-savvy millennials, except for the fact that such uses of mobile payments are common, and not just with young people.

Tencent's WeChat Pay has a whopping 900 million monthly active users, while Alipay, from Alibaba affiliate Ant Financial, has over 500 million monthly active users. Almost all of those users are Chinese nationals.

For comparison, Apple Pay has 127 million users globally— and it comes pre-installed on every iPhone. 

Walking through the colorful Muslim Quarter street market in Xi'an the following day, I noticed that all of the food vendors had set out AliPay and WeChat Pay QR codes for tourists to pay for their food. I was the only one paying in cash. 

I saw the same at street-side fruit stands in Shenzhen and Beijing weeks later. One coffee shop in Beijing didn't even have a register, only a QR-code scanner. I had to leave and go to a different cafè because all they accepted was mobile payment. 

Phone-scannable QR codes means that anyone can become a merchant. No one needs hardware like a card or chip readers. All you need is an account and your personal QR code. Print it out on a sheet of paper and anyone passing by can send you money. Or simply scan the QR code of the person trying to pay you.

Ninety-two percent of people in China's top cities said that they use WeChat Pay or AliPay as their primary payment method, according to a 2017 study by Penguin Intelligence. And the amount spent per month through those services keeps going up.

Chinese spending using cash, however, is down around 10% over the last two years, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Young Chinese people I spoke to said they rarely carried a wallet or cash at all. There was no point. Smartphones were the easiest way to pay for things, so why bother? 

Mobile payments have become wildly popular in China for two reasons

AliPayWeChatPay China (2 of 3)

It is clear that mobile payments have taken off in China in a way that they have yet to in the US or Europe. While it is tempting to suggest that this has occurred because China is so far ahead technologically, the reality is that it comes down to existing infrastructure. 

Credit cards were never popular in China, due in large part to poor options, cultural attitudes about debt, and, until recently, the lack of disposable income. China's state-owned banks, meanwhile, are notoriously difficult to deal with.

When AliPay launched in 2004 as an escrow-service between buyers and sellers on Taobao, Alibaba's massively popular consumer-to-consumer e-commerce platform, it provided a much needed layer of security and trust. By the time it evolved in a mobile payment service in recent years, it already had a large user base. And compared to signing up for a credit card or using the state-owned banks, AliPay was infinitely more user-friendly.

Meanwhile, WeChat Pay is a function within WeChat, Tencent's messaging app that is used by more than 1 billion people. It has been China's most popular app for some time.

The payment function was launched in 2014 during Lunar New Year, when it is common in China to give friends and family red envelopes of cash. Tencent drove adoption by allowing WeChat users to gift digital red envelopes of money to groups of friends. Users who opened the packets first — and, in the process, signed up for WeChat Pay — got bigger sums.

WeChat Pay saw 16 million red envelopes get sent in the first 24 hours of launch, according to The Wall Street Journal. Pretty quickly, the app became the primary way for friends to send money to each other or split bills, similar to Venmo in the US.

Alibaba and Tencent are sitting on a treasure trove of consumer data

Mark Zuckerberg Jack Ma

The benefits for Alibaba and Tencent go far beyond the transaction fees collected. The ubiquity with which Chinese people use mobile payments means the companies are sitting on a treasure trove of consumer data.

WeChat and Taobao, Alibaba's primary app, both serve a variety of functions from messaging, social networking, and e-commerce to taxi-hailing, bike-sharing and travel booking. The consumer data from payments is used to build detailed profiles of each user, which can then be monetized for marketing purposes directly within their apps in ways that even Facebook and Google would salivate over.

For example, that baby formula that you bought from the convenience store is telling Taobao to start sending you ads and promotions for other infant products to buy directly in the Taobao app.

Further, both Tencent and Alibaba have credit scoring businesses — Tencent Credit and Zhima Credit, respectively — that heavily factor payment histories into their scores. Both companies are beginning to introduce other financial products, such as loans and money market funds, as well.

In terms of market share, Alipay has 54% compared to 40% for WeChat Pay, according to iResearch Consulting Group. But the battle for who will dominate the mobile payments industry is only just starting to heat up.

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Why 'moist' is one of the most hated words in the English language

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Moist is one of the most disliked words in the world. People compare hearing the word moist to hearing nails on a chalkboard. What is it about this word that causes people to have such a strong reaction? Following is a transcript of the video.

Moist is one of few words in the English language…with the power to make your skin crawl.

And it makes sense — the word sounds…… Kind of disgusting.

But scientists have discovered that… the way it sounds isn’t the biggest problem.

Moist is part of a phenomenon known as word aversion. It refers to words with an inoffensive meaning.

Yet when you hear them — like crevice and phlegm — they have the unique power to disgust people...

But there’s one word we find most disgusting of all. MOIST.

In 2012, for example, Twitter users voted on the word that should be eliminated from the English language. Out of the more than a quarter million words in the English language, moist was the clear winner, or … loser in this case.

In another experiment that polled 400 people … 20% reported that moist gave them the same reaction as fingernails on a chalkboard.

However sound is just part of the problem. In fact, when those same people reported how they felt about similar sounding words like “hoist” and “foist” they didn't have the same negative reaction.

And even when the offending word was provided in context with food like a “moist cake” it still didn’t have the same gut-wrenching affect.

Turns out, the real reason we may hate moist SO much is because it conjures up thoughts of wet … bodily functions  ...wait what .. that’s just… ew, let’s just leave it at that.

Despite our disgust for the word … moist is somewhat of a celebrity.

We’ve been steadily Googling it more often over the years. And maybe moist’s bad rep is just a fad. Like fidget spinners or rainbow bagels.

So does moist make you cringe? Or are people overreacting? Let us know in the comments below.

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Inside the Wild West of a cryptocurrency awards show, where people wondered if they were being scammed and the police kept stopping by

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Cryptocurrency Influencers

  • Last week, an influencer analytics company threw an award ceremony honoring the top influencers in the cryptocurrency community as a part of New York's blockchain week.
  • The event's disorganization led some in attendance to wonder whether it was all a scam, or just a way for the organizing company to promote itself.

"This is the sketchiest thing I've ever been a part of," says YouTuber Siraj Raval, midway through an awards ceremony billed as an event to honor both himself and other online influencers in the cryptocurrency space.  

We're at the Crypto Influencer Awards Summit, which is taking place as a part of New York's blockchain week in lower Manhattan. Some of the most influential cryptocurrency evangelists on the internet have flown in to the city to receive awards in categories like "Best Crypto Musician," "Most Relatable," "Best Video Production," and "Most Funny."

Influencers like writer and producer Taryn Southern, crypto rappers TeamHODL and Coin Daddy, and YouTubers like Crypto Blood, Crypto Bobby, Cryptonauts, and I Love Crypto are all being honored for their efforts in spreading the gospel of the blockchain online.

Everyone is kinda famous — even the people who aren't famous are treated like they might be. One man, who volunteered to help set up the event so that he wouldn't have to pay $600 for a ticket, is handed a medal honoring him for his work in "Best Miscellaneous Category." (Later, he said that the event's host asked him to return the medal because they needed it back.)

When a guest asks me to take his photo with Siraj Raval, I ask if he likes Raval's YouTube videos.

"I've never seen them," the man admits. He then explains that he wants a photo because Raval seems like he might be famous.

I am also momentarily mistaken for an internet celebrity. At one point, a would-be fan approaches me, seemingly star struck: "I absolutely love your channel," he says.

When I tell him that I've never posted a video to YouTube in my life, he shrugs.

"Hm," he says. "I could have sworn it was you."

In the lobby, a crowd of mostly men wearing t-shirts adorned with blockchain start-up logos are chatting excitedly about the technology. Everyone seems to know each other or have heard of each other from the internet. ("This is like a chatroom, but IRL," one influencer observes.)

A beautiful woman shyly approaches a crypto rap artist called Coin Daddy.

"Coin Daddy, I need to talk to you," she says, softly. "I need you to help me make money."

In the cryptocurrency community, online influencers are a sought-after commodity. 

coin daddy

During one panel that takes place early on, Siraj Raval, whose channel has close to 400,000 subscribers, says that he's repeatedly dogged with emails requesting him to feature tokens for upcoming initial coin offerings, or ICOs. Taryn Southern also says that she's constantly asked to promote tokens on her channel. 

For influencers, endorsing ICOs is a lucrative but dicey market. Raval says that he charges around $50,000 to post a 20-minute explainer video on his channel discussing a company's token offering. While marketing ICOs is a profitable business, Raval says he seldom endorses companies that approach him with unsolicited requests.

"There's a lot of fishy ICOs out there," one influencer says. "And if they're not outright scams, then at the very least they're sketchy."

An entire panel at the conference is dedicated to determining whether or not a token offering is a potential scam. 

"If Vitalik [Buterin, the founder of ethereum] is listed as an advisor, that's a white flag," one speaker advises.

Fraud is so endemic within the cryptocurrency community that counterfeit coin offerings are now commonly referred to as "pump and dump schemes," and often involve a few ringleaders who generate interest in a token. Once enough people have bought in, the organizers rapidly sell off their investment and evaporate from the internet with their newfound profits.

Mims

For anyone hosting an ICO — legitimate or otherwise  elevating public awareness is crucial. In the past few months, efforts to crowdsource cryptocurrency capital have ranged from ingenious to bizarre: Some companies have paid people to write token names on their bodies and share the photos online while others have seemingly absconded with their investors' cash, all in the name of raising awareness.

One of the most popular ways to attract public interest in an ICO is through online influencers. In the cryptocurrency community, influencers are regarded by many as having some of the most important opinions in the industry. As public figures, their leverage is considered so invaluable that several of the event's attendees told Business Insider that they paid $5,000 to pitch their company's token in front of the crowd for a few short minutes. (For comparison, a startup employee said that their company paid $10,000 to rent a booth for a full three days at New York's blockchain conference Consensus.)

Endorsement from an influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers can elevate a token's public profile, even if that endorsement is only tacitly implied.

At the Crypto Influencer Awards Summit, one influencer told Business Insider that a fan asked to take her photo. When she agreed, she said that he positioned her in front of his company's logo so that it would appear as though she was a supporter of his product.

Antics like this are fairly common, another influencer said.

The influencer said that he's heard of people putting mining rigs with their company's logos in busy neighborhoods and asking bypassers to pick up the rig so they can guess how much it weighs. When the person complies, they snap a photo of them holding the rig, and use the photo to showcase outside interest in the company.

stroken tokens

Midway through the Crypto Influencer Awards Summit, a strain of skepticism surrounding the event's legitimacy begins to emerge.

So far, the proceedings have been so disorganized that one of the influencers in attendance posted a video of the event entitled "Most Awkward Conference Start Ever" to YouTube.

For an event where the cheapest tickets cost as much as Hamilton seats, I'm not sure what I expected from the awards ceremony, but this certainly isn't it. 

Admittedly, everyone still seems to be having a good time, mostly because no one is really paying attention to the panels taking place at the front of the room. The YouTube stars in attendance have expansive and charismatic personalities, and the expectation that they sit quietly and listen is equal parts ridiculous and impossible. 

Taryn Southern Phu Styles

People are milling about and talking loudly. The host, wearing a foam Statue of Liberty crown, interrupts the panelists again and again to remind people, in increasingly strenuous tones, to please sit down and be quiet. For the most part, her pleas are ignored. 

But despite the amount of fun everyone seems to be having, people are beginning to remark that the event is, to say the least, very weird.

Small, strange incongruities are adding up: A few of the celebrated guests who haven't been alerted to a last-minute change in venue show up nearly an hour late. Even though the event cost hundreds of dollars to attend, no one seems to be checking tickets. (No one checked whether or not I had a press pass, and I simply walked in.)

Miscellaneous suitcases are scattered haphazardly throughout the venue's back rooms, where private meetings are taking place. A guest says that the event's organizer has spent the better part of the evening outside, arguing with the police. Drinks are covertly poured into red plastic SOLO cups from behind a fold-up table throughout most of the night. A hallway bathroom has no mirror, no toilet paper, no paper towels, and somewhat mysteriously, no toilet seat. 

 Adam Charles, the marketing manager of the host company Boosto, later said that the NYPD made four separate visits to the venue, the Hudson Club, due to issues with entertainment and alcohol permits. He said he wasn't aware that the venue may not have had the appropriate licenses to host an event with alcohol and music. 

Cryptocurrency Influencer

When a man wearing a gold plastic crown takes to the stage midway through the proceedings, and shouts that everyone should buy bitcoin, and only bitcoin, he is roundly heckled by the crowd.

"If you don't have bitcoin, you should go," he shouts into the mic. "You should leave here."

He continues: "We organize everyone here, for what? Just so they can buy your coin." 

"Who is that guy?" I ask one heckler in the audience.

"Some Chinese bitcoin whale," he replies. (Later, the event's host, Heidi Yu, identified the man as the prolific Chinese bitcoin miner Chandler Guo, and said that his appearance on the stage was intended to be a joke. She also said that she regretted allowing him to speak. Guo himself did not respond to a request for comment.) 

Some of the influencers wonder aloud whether or not the event has been thrown for the express purpose of raising awareness for the host company's forthcoming ICO.

YouTuber Omar Bham tells me that skepticism surrounding the event began even before the evening's official proceedings kicked off. He points out a tweet posted by the influential entrepreneur and bitcoin advocate Andreas Antonopoulos who, weeks earlier, wrote that people should boycott the event because of its misleading advertising.

The Crypto Influencer Awards prominently displayed the logos of several top influencers on its site, even though they hadn't confirmed their attendance. Boosto also advertised media partnerships with various publications, including Business Insider, on the page's event invitation, even though such a partnership didn't exist. When asked why Boosto advertised Business Insider's logo on its site as a media partnership, the company's marketing manager, Adam Charles, said he thought that anyone attending the event would like what he called "free promotion." 

"If we give out media passes, we put a media partnership on the site," said Charles. "I guess we should maybe ask for clarification in writing in the future. We're still learning."

Cryptocurrency Influencer Awards

Online, other cryptocurrency thought leaders decried the event as "despicable and deceitful."

At one point in the evening, the host, Heidi Yu, took to the stage to address the murmurs within the crowd. With the microphone in hand, Yu announced that the event was not a scam. 

"Let me tell you guys, this is legitimate," she said. 

Phu Styles, founder of the Women in Blockchain Foundation and an active figure in the cryptocurrency community, said that it's not unusual for last-minute changes to take place at cryptocurrency conferences because the industry tends to be incredibly fast-paced. Bigger than expected crowds and changes in the lineup are all par for the course. 

Another influencer who received an award said that the event was weird, but that its strangeness was only to be expected.

"This is the blockchain," he said. "This is why it's called the Wild West, right?"

Team Hodl

The frontman behind the crypto rap group TeamHODL, who performed at the event and goes by the nickname "Hashbrown," said he was pleased that Boosto had paid for his hotel room and plane ticket to New York. Many of the other crypto influencers who attended the event also said that Boosto compensated them for their airfare and lodging costs.

"They could have planned it better," said Hashbrown. "But I think they're genuine. At the heart of it, they're doing right by crypto."

A few days later, I called up Siraj Raval and asked him what he thought about the Crypto Influencer Awards Summit in retrospect.

"Yeah, I think they might have hosted the event just to promote their brand," he said. "If that's what they were doing, then it's a pretty smart idea. It worked, right? I came. You came. At the very least, we all showed up for it."

Cryptocurrency Influencers

Omar Bham posted a video to his channel Cyrpt0 a few days later, saying that he thought the event was misleading. 

"[A lot of people] were saying that this whole conference was a scam," Bham says in the video. "I would argue, you know, you might be right. Some people paid $500 just so they could get into this room...It was an odd event."

He goes on: "It's the question of what do you get out of it? I think that's a lot of what could be a scam, which is something that's misleading in my opinion: Someone promising you something and then giving you something else. I think that's what you can call a scam."

When I asked Adam Charles what he thought about the fact that some at the event suspected it might have been a scam, he said that he was hurt by this assumption and that the event's issues were due to a last-minute change in venue that was beyond his control. He also said that he was actively reaching out to the influencers who attended to see how he might be able to improve Boosto's event participation in the future.

"The ironic thing is that I'm sick of people getting scammed," he said. "I made the cryptocurrency influencer website so that we could point out the influencers people can trust online so that they don't get scammed."

Charles said that many people interested in learning about cryptocurrencies rely exclusively on YouTube influencers for their information. 

"The thing is that crypto is so new, and all of these crypto influencers suddenly popped up out of nowhere and people don't know who to trust," he said. "I hate banks, and I hate scams. That's the whole reason I'm into crypto."

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33 cities around the world where healthcare is good, housing is affordable, and people have the best quality of life

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happy content

  • Wellington, New Zealand, has the best quality of life of any city in the world, according to a report from Deutsche Bank.
  • Measures that went into the bank's quality of life index include quality of healthcare, cost of consumer goods, and housing affordability.
  • Boston has a better quality of life than New York with higher marks for healthcare and affordability.

Life is good Down Under.

A report shows that several of the world cities with the best quality of life are in Australia and New Zealand. Australia has the 7th and 8th best cities and New Zealand has the first and 12th cities for best quality of life, according to a new report by Deutsche Bank Market Research.

Deutsche Bank created their quality of life index for 50 cities with global economies by compiling numerous measures including overall quality of healthcare, cost of consumer goods, and housing affordability.

Prices for consumer goods, groceries, and rent were compared to find each city's cost of living rankHousing affordability is measured by the ratio of property price to income. Other measures that went into the quality of life index include safety, climate, and traffic.

Quality of life map

Four US cities appear on the list, with New York having the lowest quality of life ranking of the group. Chicago and San Francisco are above New York, but below Boston, which the report found to have the best quality of life for an American city.

Each city is ranked on eight measurements that indicate quality of life, with 1 being the highest possible rank and 50 being the lowest.

Below, the world cities with the best quality of life, and how each fares for quality of healthcare, cost of consumer goods, and housing affordability.

SEE ALSO: The states where Americans have the best quality of life, ranked

DON'T MISS: 27 countries around the world where expats have the best job security, safety, and social life — and how much it costs to live there

33. London, United Kingdom

Healthcare: 28

Cost of living: 40

Property to income ratio: 42



32. Paris, France

Healthcare: 11

Cost of living: 42

Property to income ratio: 38



31. New York City, United States

Healthcare: 35

Cost of living: 47

Property to income ratio: 27



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