• Wawa is a beloved regional convenience store chain, which immediately won our love and appreciation after we visited the first time. 
• While we once believed Wawa to be the best road trip pit stop imaginable, Texans told us that there was one chain that could one-up Wawa: Buc-ee's.
• We visited Buc-ee's and compared the two — and were forced to admit that the Texas chain beats out Wawa in every way. 

In Pennsylvania, travelers worship at the altar of Wawa. 

The chain of convenience stores has a near-mythical quality, with locals magnetically drawn to the promise of cheap gas, coffee, and an incredible array of delicious sandwiches.

We visited the chain in 2017, eager to see what all the fuss is about. We left as Wawa converts, spreading the good word on the chain's superiority to its dreaded rival, Sheetz. 

However, on a recent road trip, we heard murmurs that there may be another convenience-store chain that could measure up to the wonder of Wawa. Buc-ee's, Texans said, was a highway pit stop unlike any other in the world — including Wawa. 

"Better than Wawa?" we scoffed. "Impossible." 

Yet we couldn't shake the vision of a Southern answer to Wawa's glory. So, we stopped by the chain to see how Buc-ee's measured up. 

Here's who comes out on top in a cutthroat battle of two of the most iconic regional pit stop chains in the US. 

SEE ALSO: We visited convenience-store rivals Wawa and Sheetz to see which does it better — and the winner is clear

We visited a Wawa in south Phillipsburg, New Jersey, off Route 22 in early 2017. The gas pumps are plentiful and bustling with activity, but we were more interested in what was inside.

Wawa, with more than 720 locations in six states on the East Coast, is renowned for its high-quality yet inexpensive food. Walking inside, we found the vibe to be clean and professional, yet unassuming. Muted yellows and browns were the key colors, leading to a relaxed but often bland visual landscape.

It took us a few minutes to even comprehend the array of food options available at Wawa. The well-stocked prepackaged section was ambitious and diverse in scope. Even packaged food appeared to be fresh — not as though it has been abandoned on the shelf for untold lengths.

• Some colleges have a pretty decent track record when it comes to producing presidential alumni.
• Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, the College of William & Mary, West Point, and the University of Pennsylvania have all taught more than one student that went on to become president of the United States.
• But plenty of other schools have helped to mold the 44 people who went on to take the White House.

It's a question that any American history buff — or future White House hopeful — is bound to ask. Which college has the distinction of producing the most US presidents?

That'd be Harvard University. It's an unsurprising win, considering Harvard is the oldest school in the country.

But a number of other schools also happened to help shape the minds of the 44 men who served as president of the US. Ivy League institutions, small Christian colleges, and state research universities all made the list.

Keep in mind, these presidents didn't necessarily graduate from all of the schools on this list. A number, like the ever-nomadic William McKinley, John F. Kennedy, and Jimmy Carter, bounced around between a number of institutions due to financial reasons, health difficulties, or changing preferences. But the people who went on to become US presidents did study at an undergraduate level at all of these institutions.

But don't take any of this as an unabashed endorsement of collegiate-level study. Plenty of other presidents, including George Washington, never even attended college.

Here's a look at which undergraduate schools have produced the most US presidents:

SEE ALSO: From spending 7 years in prison to battling a yellow fever epidemic, here's what the Founding Fathers were doing before their act of rebellion made them famous

DON'T MISS: A look at the zodiac signs of all the US presidents

SEE ALSO: The 17 weirdest jobs of US presidents

Fordham University: One president

Donald Trump attended this Bronx-based Jesuit school before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

According to "The Trumps: Three Generations of Builders and a Presidential Candidate," the president's sister Maryanne said that Trump chose to attend the college because "That's where he got in."

Occidental College: One president

Before attending Columbia University, Barack Obama studied for two years at Occidental College in Los Angeles.

Columbia University: One president

Obama transferred to Columbia University as a junior. There, he studied political science with a specialty in international relations, as well as English literature.

• Parties where you know virtually no one can be awkward, especially if you're not sure how to start a conversation.
• You could rely on the classic, "So what do you do for a living?" But then you run the risk of coming off as the least interesting or original person at the party.
• The following icebreakers should help you get an interesting conversation going with ease.

Maybe you're interested in making a new professional contact, or perhaps you simply want to make a good impression on a friend of a friend.

Whatever the reason, busting out the clichés upon the first introduction is never a good idea.

To mix the conversation up a bit, try using one of these 17 icebreakers. They should help ease you into an engaging conversation with people you've never met before.

SEE ALSO: 11 festive things to do in New York City over the holidays that look fun — but aren't

'Hello'

This one may seem simple, but a smile, a name, and a confident handshake can sometimes go a long way, Ariella Coombs wrote for Careerealism.com.

"Sometimes the easiest way to meet someone is to offer a handshake and say 'hi,'" she wrote.

'I'll be honest, the only person I know here is the bartender, and I just met him two minutes ago. Mind if I introduce myself?'

Humor is a good method to put another attendee at ease and jump-start a lighthearted conversation.

'What do you do for fun when you're not working?'

Asking personal questions about people's activities outside of work can help solidify a connection, Shan White, owner of Women's Peak Performance Coaching, told Refinery29.

Asking about someone's after-work hobbies is "semi-personal, yet still professionally acceptable to ask," White said. "This can bring some levity and humor into the conversation while also letting you see what lights them up — what brings them real joy."

• The League is one of the more selective dating apps out there.
• This summer, The League is hosting a cruise in France. About 80 of its users will attend — and hopefully, find love.
• Dating apps are increasingly offering "offline" events.

At least one representative from The League is calling it "the death of the first date."

"A lot of our users on the app are saying that they're really sick of the first date," said Brianna Haag, The League's head of events and partnerships. "People want different types of experiences. They don't want the interview plus cocktail at a bar."

To that end, this August, dating app The League is hosting a weeklong cruise in France, in conjunction with U by Uniworld. About 80 users will mix and mingle in the hopes of finding love; the itinerary includes touring the Palace of Versailles and biking along the Seine (sigh).

So far, nearly 2,600 League users have applied, the company said. Depending on the type of accommodations you choose, the price of a flight and a room is around $3,000.

This isn't The League's first foray into "offline" events. Earlier this year, the company hosted two ski weeks in Telluride and Vail, Colorado. According to The League, two relationships (that are still intact) resulted from each ski trip.

In-person events are becoming a trend among dating apps

The League is known for its selectivity: To join the app, you have to submit your LinkedIn profile for verification and get vetted. (The app's motto is "date intelligently.") As for the cruise, The League says the guest list is carefully curated to maximize the chance of romance blossoming.

Everyone's preferences for a date should be "loosely" met, said Meredith Davis, head of the communications at The League. (Apparently, multiple 21-year-old men applied for the trip, but were turned down because the women attending prefer men who are older than that.) Guests will also have similar interests, as listed on their profiles.

The League isn't the only dating app to expand into offline events. For example, Business Insider's Tanya Dua recently attended a weekend-long "sleep-away camp for singles" hosted by Coffee Meets Bagel. It could be a sign that apps are starting to recognize people's growing fatigue with online dating — and making sure they don't lose their user base.

As for those who don't succeed in finding The One during the week on the boat, fear not. On the last night of the trip, The League is hosting a party to celebrate their plans to launch in Paris in September. Many new League users will be there.

Should the cruise guests be prepared to navigate a long-distance relationship with a Parisian?

As Davis said, "You never know."

SEE ALSO: The cofounder of Coffee Meets Bagel says there's a big difference between how men and women date online

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: We tried a caffeine-free charcoal latte made with ground coconut shells

Transforming into a drag queen is no easy task. It can involve hours of sitting in front of a mirror perfecting your makeup and making sure your wig is securely in place. We sat down with Miz Cracker, one of the contestants from season 10 of "Ru Paul's Drag Race," to find out how she turns into a woman. Following is a transcript of the video.

Miz Cracker: Oh my god, she's a woman!

Hey everybody, I'm Miz Cracker. I'm called that because I'm thin, and I'm very white, and I'm very salty.

I've been doing drag for seven years. Just like everyone in America that is doing makeup today, I learned from YouTube a little bit, I learned from the people around me, and I just brought it all together to be my look.

We're gonna start with my favorite part, the industrial strength chemicals. I'm using the alcohol to remove the oil from my oil-rich skin. This is only something that you should do if you don't care about your body.

Next up, I'm gonna pull my face back. Better to look young than anything else, so we are going to turn back time. I'm gonna take this duct tape, and I'm gonna lay the foundation for a Ace Hardware Facelift. I'm also providing a solid base for me to pin my wig to later on. People are like, "How do you keep the duct tape from pulling out your hair?" You don't.

I always say my face in drag is like a drum, because it is taught and it is beat, girl.

It's time to delete the boy face that you see before you so I have a blank canvas to make a lady upon.

To hide my eyebrows I start with some basic extra-strength Elmer's school glue. I use the clear kind because it's less water soluble. It'll stay on longer when I'm sweating. I'm taking a lice comb and combing my eyebrow directly upward. So many of the products for drag are regular household products.

There's a saying in the drag world that Covergirl does not cover boy, and that means you cannot usually use lady products to do a drag queen's job. That's why I'm using this super-strength, ultra opaque Kryolan TV Paint Stick to cover my face.

Right now I'm color-correcting. The opposite of blue on the color wheel is orange. My beard is blue, hashtag blue beard.

Now I'm using Airspun powder to set my color correction.

The eyebrows, when they're dry, they should just feel bone dry, hard to the touch. If you have any question about their being moist, don't go in there, just leave them alone for a minute.

I'm gonna go in here and cover up my visage. That's French for face. All right, I'm using a expensive but worth it, just like me, beauty blender right now. I used to think that the more, the better when it came to foundation, but really that's not the case. Use as little as you can.

When I paint my face I always follow my bones to orange, cherry, lemon, and lime. So I'm gonna take this, and I'm gonna go right underneath my actual cheekbone, make these nice, ugly marks here right underneath my actual jawline. I'm just feeling along that bone there.

From the front, this contour looks like a shadow, but if you bring it up here, it just looks like a mustache. You're trying to push in here to create a slender, small face and make it look like your cheekbones are out farther. It's like basically taking your jawline and putting a little black dress on it. It's slimming.

I have Eastern European eyebrows. I'm gonna put a couple layers of foundation on here. I'm gonna set this foundation a little bit with powder here.

She's about to go from Frodo to Gollum here. Ready? Sheblam. Giving you "Deep Space Nine" Odo realness.

I have a big dude forehead. Like I have a nine-head, it's not even a forehead. It's huge. So I'm carving it down by putting these shadows here.

Now it is time for me to make myself into a Shiksa by carving this Jew nose down. This is the most important part of the drag process for me, because you're really building a new face. This is your foundation, literally. My nose runs diagonally across my face, so I'm gonna mess with nature a little bit and draw my nose highlight a little off from where it should be, so that it looks like my nose is straight.

Stereotypically, women have more fat tissue beneath the skin of their faces, so I'm giving that illusion by highlighting up here and making it look like my cheekbones, my cheeks, are a little bit fuller.

Alright. Now it's time for the nose contour. We're gonna turn this hot dog into a Vienna sausage. You ready? Then make it a little shorter by putting a shadow at the bottom. Sheblam.

I don't know if this blend delivers food, but she's seamless.

Alright. Here we got it, we got the base, and you know I'm all about that bass.

Next up, we're gonna put on some eyebrows. This is my favorite part. I'm gonna take some dots, map some things out. I want my eyebrow to start right above the inside corner of my eye, and I want it to bend right above the iris. I'm gonna connect the dots.

Then it's time to run them out, because I want my eye socket and my whole eye to look bigger. We wanna go for the Anne Hathaway, Mrs. Potatohead look, you know what I mean?

My favorite kind of makeup is free.

Okay, we're gonna put some texture in here. I wanna give these little eyebrow hairs. I invented this. I'm the only person in America that does this.

We're gonna use an Anastasia Beverly Hills eyebrow palette, because they really just are the best eyebrow colors. I like a nice bold shape. I am not trying to convince you that I am a woman. I'm trying to convince you that I'm a drag queen.

Okay, eyebrows stick out from your face. They're hair, so we're gonna add dimension. The eyebrow is darker at the bottom, and the middle is a little lighter. Just like Cher said in "Burlesque," she was like, "It's like your an artist, expect for instead of painting on a canvas, you're painting your face."

This is called clown white. How appropriate.

The eye is drawn to contrast. So I wanna put the most contrast on my face right around my eyeballs. So we'll go from these highlights here, and then work our way down to the wings. So we're gonna carve down our little eye socket here. The next step is the wings. We're just drawing a line between the corner of our eye and the end of our eyebrow.

When you do your face, just eyeball it. Don't try to use anything to make it actually perfect. She is a paint by numbers queen like Andy Warhol.

Now the most important part of this is for me to just not sneeze.

Okay, we're using Anastasia Beverley Hills contouring kit. I'm using this nice banana yellow highlight.

Oh, she looks like a woman.

My makeup is kind of like Matt Damon's acting career. If you just glance at it, you're like pretty good, If you look closely, you're like hmmm.

Let's give a highlight to the lower lid just to give the sense that the eye's a little bit open, more open. This is just a little liquid white eyeliner.

I got some on my eyeball.

See how the eye, there's more contrast around my eye.

Alright, the lashes are the 3D element that turns your face from a painting into a sculpture.

Some queens use Duo, that's why their lashes fall off their face. I use weave glue, strong enough for a man, made for a woman. The lashes are really the most important part of the face. I make my own Franken-lashes out of a bunch of lashes that have qualities that I like.

Ping, now the lip liner. That's a little line where the fine muscles of your lips meet the fine flat muscles of your face. Can you see that little bump right there? That is where I draw the line.

Nothing a queen likes more than shimmer, maybe a paycheck. Just try to use colors that make the same noise. Don't use a lip liner that's like and a lipstick that's like oh.

Oh, there she is, she's a lady. It's time for me to put on my god damn wig.

Alright, I'm using what's called Mastix P from Kryolan. It is the best spirit gum. I'm gonna prepare the area with some isopropyl, removing the makeup here so that the spirit gum has a nice place to hold on.

This wig is by Wigs and Grace. I usually make my own wigs, but now I'm busy. I'm taking the lace, I'm putting it in the middle of my forehead, and I'm hitching it back over my god damn skull.

Oh my god, she's a woman!

The wig is truly like for me the most wonderful part of being a drag queen. Look at that, she's a woman.

Just a subtle pair of brunch earrings, you know?

Oh my goodness, she looks so good.

I'm Miz Cracker, and I have just given you a tutorial on how to become a real business woman, hashtag Erin Brokovich. Sheblam. Hashtag Erin Brokeovich. Bam.

I'm so glad that I got to do this with you, this is what a real woman looks like everybody, just so you know.

Yes, it is so much fun to do makeup, and it is wonderful to feel beautiful. But remember that that work starts on the inside with joy. If you're not happy, you're not gonna be beautiful. So start with the happiness, then work on the makeup.

And whatever you do, get out of the god damn house and make some people happy. That's your job as a drag queen.

Sheblam.

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What a difference a year makes. This time last summer we were trying to manage through one of the worst movie seasons ever, with disasters like "The Mummy" and "Transformers: The Last Knight." Now, it's as though everything Hollywood puts out is a box-office hit.

The movie business is having a very good year.

With early-year successes like "Black Panther" and "A Quiet Place" matched with the huge performances by "Avengers: Infinity War," "Deadpool 2," and "Incredibles 2," the 2018 box office is up a healthy 8% from last year, and the summer movie season is up more than 15% compared with last year.

Jeff Bock, a senior box-office analyst at Exhibitor Relations, said it's quite simple: This year, the sequels are actually good.

"Cinephiles may not want to hear this, but sequels, spin-offs, and superheroes have been the guiding forces at the box office in 2018," Bock told Business Insider. "The difference between this year and last, Hollywood is offering up more sequels that audiences actually wanted to see."

To look back at how we got here, we've listed the five winners and five losers at the box office so far in 2018:

SEE ALSO: The 39 most anticipated movies for the rest of 2018

WINNER: "Black Panther"

We can no longer say February is the bumping ground for lousy movies. "Black Panther" didn't just shatter box-office records when it did a $202 million opening earlier this year; it proved that audiences wanted diverse stories told to them on the big screen. The film is still the highest-grossing movie of the year in North America so far, with $699.8 million domestically. Worldwide the movie has grossed over $1.3 billion.

LOSER: "Solo: A Star Wars Story"

For any other movie, almost $370 million earned worldwide in just over a month in theaters would be a job well done. But not for a "Star Wars" movie. The standalone young Han Solo movie disappointed the critics and fans, leading to talk that the public had finally hit "Star Wars" fatigue. This was a major blow for Disney/Lucasfilm, which now has to go lick its wounds and rethink how it wants to go forward with telling the beloved saga (and how much content audiences can stomach).

WINNER: "A Quiet Place"

One of the biggest success stories of the year, John Krasinski's $17 million thriller about monsters that attack anything that makes a sound has become an international hit, as it has taken in an astounding $329.8 million to date. It proves that the horror/thriller genre is still one of the most inventive and worthwhile in the industry.

Unpopular opinion: I don't really love dessert. I've been cavity-free since childhood and all the sugary rainbow-colored treats lining the shelves at the grocery store checkouts have never really tempted me. 

But I do really love museums, and when I heard an interactive museum devoted to all things sweet was opening in Australia I was intrigued. 

Taking inspiration from the Museum of Ice Cream in San Francisco and New York, as well as the Color Factory exhibition, Sugar Republic is a sensory experience for all ages. 

The pop-up museum is located in Melbourne's hip enclave of Fitzroy, and offers an oversized Willy Wonka adventure for everyone — complete with a giant bubblegum ball-pit and lined with locally-sourced art and homages to nostalgic Australian treats. 

"I'm a fan of quirky museums, I've traveled around the world visiting the Tapeworm Museum in Japan, Smell Museum in Sweden, Sex Museum in New York City and I loved the idea of them," Sugar Republic owner and creator Allison Jones told Business Insider. "So I got together with some creative friends and said, 'Let's do this in Australia.'"

Jones, who has a background in event management while her husband has experience in art, wanted to create a "museum meets chocolate factory" that could make any adult feel like a kid again.

Sugar Republic runs until August 17, and there are plans to bring the exhibit to Sydney in September. 

Take a tour of the magic below: 

SEE ALSO: What it's like to fly aboard the Blackshape Prime, a private aircraft dubbed the 'Ferrari of the Sky'

Sugar Republic is housed in an unassuming warehouse.

But inside, the rooms are lined with candy colors and sweet decoration that transport you into a sugary fantasy.

The building is actually the site of the former iconic MacRobertson chocolate factory, which used to be one of the largest confectioners in Australia and originator of classic treats like the Cherry Ripe and Freddo Frog.

But inside you'll find homages to iconic Australian candies.

You can also sample a sherbet Wizz Fizz as you make your way through the winding rooms.

Many of the installations were commissioned from local artists.

Jones said she wanted to invite food creatives and artists to come together. 

An artist's rendition of an Iced VoVo, a cookie topped with a strip of pink fondant on either side of a strip of raspberry jam and coconut, hangs on the wall as you enter the space. 

The most common questions most people have about the upcoming iPhone are as follows:

1. When is it coming out?
2. What's going to be new?

Apple doesn't give release dates or details about upcoming products before they're officially announced. The company usually reveals new features as well as when you can a new product at one of its annual launch events.

But based on previous years, you can predict pretty closely when you can buy the latest iPhone model.

And based on analysts and reports, we have an idea what Apple could be launching this fall.

Here's everything you need to know about the 2018 iPhone lineup: 

1. You will almost certainly be able to buy it this September.

Since 2012, Apple has unveiled its latest iPhone in September. Typically, the new iPhone is available to preorder a few days after Apple's announcement. 

Here's the recent history:

2012: iPhone 5 was announced on Wednesday, September 12, and started shipping on Friday, September 21.

2013: iPhone 5S was announced on Wednesday, September 10, and started shipping on Friday, September 20.

2014: iPhone 6 was announced on Tuesday, September 9, and started shipping on Friday, September 19.

2015: iPhone 6S was announced on Wednesday, September 9, and started shipping on Friday, September 25.

2016: iPhone 7 was announced on Wednesday, September 7, and started shipping on September 16. 

2017: iPhone 8 and iPhone X were announced together on Tuesday, September 12. The iPhone 8 started shipping on September 22. In a change from previous years, iPhone X started shipping on November 3, almost two months after the announcement.

2. Reliable analysts and journalists have predicted Apple will release three new iPhones.

The short answer to what to expect from the new iPhones is more Face ID, Apple's facial recognition software that replaced the fingerprint sensor on the iPhone X. Signs are pointing to it becoming a default feature on this year's models. 

Apple watchers are expecting three new iPhones this year: One that looks like the iPhone X but with updated components, a super-sized version of the iPhone X, and a less expensive iPhone with an edge-to-edge LCD screen and facial recognition that costs between $649 and $749.

3. The two higher-end iPhones could be pricey. This year's iPhone X started at $999. A "plus" version could be even more expensive.

• The Embr Wave is a "personal thermostat" — a wearable you strap onto your wrist to help you feel more comfortable indoors.
• Embr Labs says after three minutes of using the device, you can feel up to five degrees warmer or cooler.  
• I tried the Embr Wave for a few days, and found that it helped me feel more comfortable when I was overheated, or shivering in a frigid office. 

Working in an office these days is an exercise in personal temperature control. 

One minute, you're sweating it out after your commute on public transit, or even just the walk into your office. The next minute, you're shivering in the arctic temperatures dictated by the thermostat. 

That struggle is what inspired the team at Embr Labs to create the Embr Wave, a "personal thermostat" you wear on your wrist. 

The Embr Wave works by heating or cooling on its own, depending on your needs. The idea is that, with the press of a button, you can feel more comfortable in your environment — in fact, Embr Labs says after three minutes of using the device, you can feel up to five degrees warmer or cooler.  

"Temperature is as much subjective as it is objective," Sam Shames, CEO of Embr Labs, told Business Insider. "Heating a building is like setting the temperature of a shower for hundreds of people." 

It all comes down to skin temperature. When you're feeling cold, your core body temperature doesn't actually change, but your skin temperature does, Shames said. Putting something warm against your skin will provide some relief and make you feel more comfortable in your environment.

Sweatshirts in the summer

The idea behind the Embr Wave originated in a lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2013. Shames — along with his cofounders, Matthew Smith and David Cohen-Tanugi — were so cold while working in the lab, they were bundled up in sweatshirts in the middle of the summer.

They came up with the idea for Embr Wave and submitted to the Intel Make it Wearable competition that October. From there, their story blew up.

"We started getting emails from people all over the world who said that temperature was the biggest problem in their lives," Shames said.

By 2017, Embr Labs had launched a successful Kickstarter campaign, raising $630,000 — more than six times its $100,000 goal. The company also attracted investors like Intel and Bose.

The Embr Wave officially went on sale in March, and it doesn't come cheap — it costs a whopping $300, nearly as much as an Apple Watch Series 3. 

Aiding the 'thermally underserved'

The Embr Wave is intended for a group of people Shames refers to as the "thermally underserved population" — people who are frequently uncomfortable in their indoor surroundings, either because it's too hot or too cold. 

I happen to be part of that population — I'm almost always way too hot — so I tried out the Embr Wave for a few days to see if it made a difference. 

One of the best features of the Embr Wave is that the temperature sensation comes in waves. When you first put it on, just press the thin light bar on the front of the device, then press and hold on either the left or right side of the button — left for cold, warm for hot.

From there, you'll feel a warming or cooling sensation intermittently for either five minutes or three minutes respectively. If you're not satisfied by the end of a session, just knock on the front of the device and it will restart. The only downside of that design is that if you accidentally set the temperature too hot or too cold, you have to wait for it to be done and try again. 

Embr Labs says the device should last two or three days on a single charge, but I've been using it on and off for about a week and haven't had to charge it yet. 

While the device is heating or cooling, you'll see the light bar glow in waves. Here's the Embr Wave in action:

Shames recommends that you take the Embr Wave on and off as you need it. You don't have to wear it like a standard wearable — instead, just strap it on when you feel uncomfortable. 

This is a good thing, too, because the device is decidedly ... huge. It's nice looking, thanks to its metal mesh band and almost complete lack of buttons, but it certainly isn't subtle. In fact, I often felt like I was wearing a house arrest monitor on my wrist. 

Looks don't really matter, though, because the Embr Wave actually works. I tested it everywhere I could — at my apartment, on the subway, in the office, while walking from the subway to the office, etc. — and truly felt a difference in how comfortable I was.

The Embr Wave certainly isn't a cure-all. In one situation where I was actively sweating on a too-hot subway car, it could only help me so much. But most of the time, it provided me with a pleasant cooling sensation that saved me from feeling warm and irritable. Of course, the same feeling could probably be achieved by running your wrists under cold water, but the Embr Wave can be hidden under a shirt sleeve and worn while you continue to work or sit in a meeting. 

So, do you really need a $300 wearable with only one function? Probably not. But if you're among the thermally underserved, you might want one. 

SEE ALSO: Everything we've heard so far about the Pixel Watch, the rumored Google smartwatch said to be coming later this year

Join the conversation about this story »

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• China's latest pop band is called "Rocket Girls," and is made up of 11 young females chosen from a reality TV contest.
• The path to stardom in the country is not easy, and requires months of intense training and dieting.
• Take a look at what it takes to be a star in China.

China's latest pop band is "Rocket Girls," an all-female, 11-member group that dresses in kitschy outfits and performing carefully choreographed dances in front thousands of screaming fans.

The band is the product of "Produce 101," an X Factor-esque reality TV contest that seeks the perfect candidates to form a new girl band. Out of the show's 101 contestants, all mostly aged between 18 and 22, only eleven were chosen to form the group.

While finding young girls in China with celebrity aspirations may be easy, the path to stardom in China certainly is not.

Even to join "Produce 101," candidates must prove themselves to be exceptional. Many of them would have already trained at elite academies like Banana Entertainment, which selects young men and women from around China and puts them through rigorous training for pop stardom.

Scroll down to learn more.

12 hours of training, monthly exams — and possible expulsion

The Beijing-based Banana Entertainment has been running its year-long pop idol training program, named TRAINEE18, since February 2017. Eighteen boys and girls from around the country are chosen to be part of the program each year, China's Economic Observer newspaper reported.

Training at the academy, which is a full-time endeavor, is a hodgepodge of classes in music, dance, public relations, etiquette, makeup, rhythm, and fitness. Instructors hail from around China, as well as the US and South Korea, which also has an established popstar training industry.

Students have to train for at least 12 hours a day, and getting injured in dance classes is not uncommon, the state-owned Global Times newspaper reported.

Every month, students also have to take exams and produce monthly videos showcasing what they've learned. Executives and teachers at Banana Entertainment then judge, score, and rank the trainees according to their work.

Students who have scored the lowest for two consecutive months are even expelled from the academy, like in a reality TV contest. Four people were eliminated from the program in the cycle starting February 2017, leaving nine boys and five girls.

A grueling diet of fruits for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Trainees are also put on a gruelling diet, and punished further if they put on weight. Most of the trainees said they usually only ate fruit for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day.

Xu Ningna, the director of Banana Entertainment, told the Economic Observer: "Fitness instructors will record trainees' weight and fat content, with a focus on body fat. If a person's puts on weight, it's generally not good for the camera, dressing up, and the body in general."

According to the Global Times, two 19-year-olds at the academy, He Xinyu and Chen Qiuyu, said: "Seeing more and more girls younger than us make their debut really stresses us out." Both of them have been injured in dance class multiple times.

Here's a video of Rocket Girls performing a medley of songs last week.

China's beauty standards: "White, thin, and beautiful"

Banana Entertainment's obsession with diet and exercise shows the country's absurd beauty standards for women: "bai, shou, mei" — Chinese for "white, thin, and beautiful."

Most of the women on "Produce 101" were also pale, slim, and doe-eyed — a beauty standard that many women around the country aspire to.

Cosmetic surgery has become increasingly popular around the country, as women of all ages have been altering their faces to look thinner with more European features, such as the "double eyelid," which creates creases in the eyelids that result in the appearance of bigger and rounder eyes.

Li Jian, a surgeon in Shanghai, told Agence France-Presse last November: "Most Chinese people believe the thinner the face or nose, the more beautiful they look."

The 2003 photo below shows Lucy Hao, a then-24-year-old jewelry trader in Beijing, debuting a thinner nose and double eyelid next to a photo of herself pre-surgery:

Many women in China also undergo bone-shaving operations, which involves narrowing the jawline with a surgical drill. Such an operation comes with complications including infection or even facial paralysis, AFP noted.

One contestant on "Produce 101" sparked national interest after challenging those beauty norms. At just under 5'5 tall and weighing 60 kg (132 lbs), Wang Ju, a tanned 25-year-old model manager was considered too short, too heavy, too dark, and too old to win the contest, The Guardian reported.

The Global Times described her as "a not-so-pretty reality show contestant according to girl-band criteria," as well as "the laughing stock of China." Viewers also called her da ma, Chinese for "old auntie," and refused never to vote for her because she was "chunky and dark," according to The Guardian.

See Wang perform in the video below:

These beauty standards are not limited to China

China's popstar industry is heavily influenced by South Korea, whose lucrative K-pop industry is admired in China as well as the US.

At Def Dance School, located in the ritzy Gangnam district of Seoul, trainees are weighed every morning at night — with their numbers reported to a "master trainer" each time — and their food intake tightly controlled, according to Broadly.

And cosmetic surgery is not only encouraged, but almost considered a way of life there: The country has the most such surgeries per capita in the world, with almost one million procedures every year. One in three South Korean women between 19 and 29 have already undergone cosmetic surgery, Gallup Korea found in 2015.

But despite the gruelling lifestyle, China's aspiring pop idols seem determined to keep going until they make it.

Chen Qiuyu, one of the Banana Entertainment's trainees, said according to the Global Times: "Once you get into this field, you will find it is harder to give up than it is to keep going."

SEE ALSO: The gaokao is China's notoriously tough entrance exam, that can also get you into western universities — check out its punishing questions

Join the conversation about this story »

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Blue skies, sun blazing — not usually words you associate with weather here, but they were the day I rode a private luxury train through the English countryside.

I was aboard the 14-carriage Belmond British Pullman— sister train to the famous Venice Simplon-Orient Express.

Punters can ride the lovingly-restored train around the UK, taking in beautiful scenery and eating delicious food as they go. More adventurous types can opt for murder mystery parties onboard.

Prices start from £203 ($268) per person for a brunch trip and go up to £561 ($741) for their experiences with celebrity chefs including two-star Michelin Raymond Blanc and Michel Roux Jr.

Scroll down to see how a day on the Pullman plays out, from a champagne reception to old-world singers.

SEE ALSO: Japan just unveiled a Hello Kitty-themed bullet train — here's what it's like inside

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I arrived at London Victoria station, where the Belmond British Pullman is based, at 10 a.m. We were due to depart at 10:45 a.m. and return at 4 p.m. I was placed in Zena — the carriages on the Pullman have names, not numbers.

I had some time to kill, so I waited in Belmond's private lounge next to the platform, where travellers can sit with a tea or coffee while they wait for their train.

When the train arrived, it was immediately obvious how much time and money had been spent on its meticulous restoration. It was beautiful and faultless.

• McDonald's jobs — like all jobs — have pros and cons.
• McDonald's crew members shared the best aspects of the work with Business Insider.
• A good number said they enjoyed the discounted meals, while others praised the regular customers and their own colleagues.

McDonald's restaurant gigs — along with all fast food jobs, come to think of it — have a reputation for being tough, poorly-paid, and thankless.

That's almost certainly true for many crew members. Other current and former crew members, however, have spoken to Business Insider about the brighter side of the work.

A number of them cited the people — colleagues and customers alike — as the best aspect of the job.

Here's the best part of working beneath the glow of the Golden Arches, according to crew members:

SEE ALSO: McDonald's employees reveal their 20 favorite menu items — and one bonus secret menu item everyone should try

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The opportunities for advancement

One crew member said that certain franchises offer solid paychecks and plenty of chances to get promoted.

"I worked in New York City, where fast food workers got paid a higher minimum wage than other workers, so that was a plus," a New York-based employee told Business Insider. "If you're a hard-working individual and you work your hardest, you'll get more hours and move up in store pretty quickly."

The friendly regulars

"We had regulars — often seniors — who would come in every day for their meals, which the cashiers memorized," an assistant manager from Georgia told Business Insider. "It was always sweet building relationships like that with customers."

A different Georgia-based employee told Business Insider that they favored their restaurant's "family atmosphere."

And a crew member from Pennsylvania said that "meeting people and making friends through the window" while working at the drive-thru was their favorite aspect of the job.

The free and discounted fast food

Unsurprisingly, the best part of working at McDonald's is the food for a good number of crew members.

One Minnesota-based employee said the "discounts on the food" were the best part of the gig, adding that they often opted to eat the chicken tenders, chicken nuggets, or cheeseburgers while on lunch break.

Another former McDonald's general manager said that "the food" was the best part of the job, adding that they preferred the quarter pounder with cheese, fresh French Fries, and a coke.

Even crew members who aren't fast food fans praised the perk.

A crew member from outside of Chicago said that employees at their location had the opportunity to enjoy "free food" but that it was only a perk until they got "sick of it."

"I hate the food, but I'll eat anything that's free," the employee said.

They added that they favored the McChicken with tomato and bacon.

• Two Chinese startups, SenseTime and Megvii, are becoming the world leaders in real-world deployment of facial recognition software, drawing eye-popping valuations in the billions of dollars.
• The companies primarily have gotten attention due to their use by Chinese police to find criminals, leading some critics to wonder at how the technology is being used to further the country's techno-authoritarian ambitions.
• I recently visited Megvii's offices in Beijing to get an inside look at the company. Its Face++ technology was able to recognize my face instantaneously once it was in their system. The demonstration was futuristic, cool, and unsettling.
• Xie Yinan, Megvii's vice president, told Business Insider that the company sees tons of applications beyond law enforcement, including in financial services, e-commerce, retail, and identity verification.

A computer system that can track and identify any face anywhere may sound like science fiction, but, in China, two such companies are barreling ahead at making such technology an everyday reality.

The two startups, SenseTime and Megvii, are developing competing facial recognition platforms powered by artificial intelligence.

SenseTime became the world's highest valued AI startup after raising $600 million in April at a valuation of $4.5 billion. The company raised another $620 million last month. Megvii isn't far behind. It raised $460 million last November. While the valuation hasn't been disclosed, it's likely that it is close to or tops $2 billion. Two smaller Chinese companies include Yitu Technology, which raised $380 million last year, and DeepGlint.

The eye-popping valuations shouldn't be surprising to anyone paying attention. Last year, the Chinese government unveiled a plan to make the country the world leader in AI and to develop an AI industry worth $150 billion by 2030.

And the Chinese government has big plans to have a ubiquitous surveillance network that can monitor its 1.4 billion citizens. That has lead to China becoming the biggest market in the world for video surveillance — $6.4 billion in 2016 — with expectations that it will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 12.4 percent, according to estimates from IHS Markit Ltd. The US market by comparison is only at $2.9 billion and growing at 0.7% a year.

The government, particularly police departments at the local level, have become major clients of all four of the companies. 

But that's only half the story. For the vast majority of Chinese, privacy is just not as high a priority as it is in the US, so there isn't as much backlash to AI and facial recognition in general. That has lead companies like SenseTime and Megvii to be able to put their technology in any number of real-world applications. 

While government surveillance makes up a significant percentage of all the companies' business, they also sell to tons of other industries. It is already being deployed in China in everything from financial services — where it is used for payments and to prevent fraud — to technology companies like selfie-editing software provider Meitu and ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing.

Unsurprisingly, Alibaba and its affiliate Ant Financial have been one of the primary investors and users of SenseTime and Megvii.

“China is really moving ahead, especially in video and image understanding, because we have the real world problems, we have the real world data, and we also have a stronger talent pool dedicated to those kinds of things,” SenseTime CEO Xu Li told Quartz in April.

I recently visited Megvii's headquarters to get an inside look at one of the major companies driving one of the most interesting and unsettling technologies of the future.

Here's what it was like:

SEE ALSO: Alibaba's futuristic supermarket in China is way ahead of the US, with 30-minute deliveries and facial-recognition payment — and it shows where Amazon is likely to take Whole Foods

Founded in 2011 by three Tsinghua University graduates, Megvii has become one of the world's leaders in facial recognition and AI technology. The Economist described the office as "Big Brother’s engine room." While the office atmosphere was cheery and bright in the optimistic way that all tech startups seem to be, I certainly had that unsettling impression.

Source: The Economist

Its main product is Face++, a platform that can detect faces and confirm people's identities with a high degree of accuracy. Entry to all doors in the office is managed by Face++. In order to enter the office, you have to be scanned into their system. Once you're in, it can identify you nearly instantaneously.

The system can handle multiple faces at once. As employees returned from lunch, each of their faces popped up on the screen. Currently, Face++ is being used in a number of industries in China, according to Xie Yinan, Megvii's vice president. One of the biggest is for private and commercial real estate to manage who is and isn't supposed to be in a particular place.

• Whether it's an internship or your first job, creating a work-appropriate wardrobe can be pricey and time-consuming.
• It doesn't help that most work-friendly clothes can be expensive — and your first gig isn't likely to be particularly lucrative.
• Personal finance experts and stylists told Business Insider what to buy, where to buy it, and how much you can reasonably expect to spend. 
• The major takeaway: Buy a few, high-quality pieces. 

Going from $10 Forever 21 tops and Salvation Army sweaters to the corporate uniform is one of the more jarring aspects of leaving student life and entering the professional world.

The fact that yoga pants and ripped jeans are no longer a key part of one's wardrobe can be an adjustment — and it's also expensive to stock up on sensible button-downs, slacks, and blazers.

"Work appropriate styles do not change much year to year, so provided you remain around the same size, investing now in some basics can sustain your wardrobe for years to come," Lauren Bowling, an editor at the Financial Best Life and author of "The Millennial Homeowner: A Guide to Successfully Navigating Your First Home Purchase," told Business Insider. 

For the best tips on how to make your first "adulting" wardrobe, Business Insider talked to Bowling, image curator Scarlett De Bease, style coach Stasia Savasuk, and Kat Griffin, founder of Corporette, a blog about women’s work clothes.

SEE ALSO: 16 things you should never wear to work — even if you work in a business casual environment

To start off, make a "capsule" wardrobe

To save money, new workers might consider creating a capsule wardrobe. That's a closet with just two or three dozen quality, versatile basics.

Instead of an overflowing closest, say, with polka-dot crop tops, green miniskirts, and four-year-old shirts with stubborn armpit stains, you pare your wardrobe down to a few things that can be mixed and matched.

For women, Savasuk recommended three to five basic bottoms with five to 10 blouses and shirts — or five to 10 dresses. De Bease recommended two to three pants, eight tops, and two casual jackets or cardigans. 

"With the addition of necklaces, earrings, shoes and scarves that suit your character and personality, and you can personalize these professional outfits to reflect your own personal style," Savasuk told Business Insider. 

For men, Savasuk said to purchase three to five pairs of pants with five to 10 high-quality button-downs.

"If ties are required, purchase a few that reflect your character and personality, so you can bring your own flavor to 'business professional,'" Savasuk said. 

And stick to a few colors. Griffin recommended picking a neutral base like black or gray for most of your pieces, and a few articles of clothing in accent colors like blue or red.

"Everything should work together," Griffin told Business Insider. "You shouldn't have any closet singletons."

You may want to consider buying a suit, as well

"The suit is also key as you'll need it for interviews or networking events where you need to make an impact," Bowling told Business Insider. 

As a young professional who has worked in traditional newsrooms, nonprofit media centers, and digital startups, I've personally never needed a suit. But I do have a few nice dresses and suit separates.

Those who work in banking or law might find that they do need a real suit. I would recommend scoping out what your coworkers are wearing before you drop serious coin on one.

"If you need a suit, that will probably be the biggest expenditure," Griffin told Business Insider. "So, make sure you can wear the blazer, skirt, dress, and pants all as separates as well as together as a suit."

Try TJ Maxx and consignment stores for quality, discount basics

Bowling recommends you visit TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and consignment shops where you'll be able to find high-quality products at a discount.

"Many of their items comes new with the tags so don't let the thought of it being 'secondhand' deter you, as savings can be significant," Bowling told Business Insider. 

You might be able to "shop your closet," as well. A backless top might not fly in your office, but paired with a cardigan or blazer it could be the perfect staple.

"Look at your t-shirts or blouses," Griffin told Business Insider. "If any of them are too fancy to work out in, like a polo shirt, polyester floral t-shirt, etc., then you can probably wear them to the office."

• Calories don't tell the full picture when it comes to healthy eating.
• Instead of focusing on a single number, dietitians recommend considering a handful of characteristics about the foods and drinks you're consuming.
• Here are some of the simple tips they've outlined to help you clean up your eating habits.

Calories don't tell the full picture when it comes to healthy eating. In fact, focusing exclusively on a food's calorie count can be pretty misleading. 

The most obvious problem with calories is that they don't tell you how filling a food or drink will be, a factor called satiety that is key to preventing overeating.

Additionally, calorie counts don't reveal whether your afternoon granola bar contains the right blend of protein and carbs to power you through a workout, or whether your morning cereal contains vitamins and minerals that are key to glowing skin and healthy hair.

Instead of relying on a single number, dietitians recommend considering the whole food or drink — including how much protein, fiber, and added sugar it contains, as well as much ingredients were processed before entering your body.

Here are some of the simple tips they've outlined to help us clean up our eating game.

SEE ALSO: What your daily routine should look like, according to science

DON'T MISS: Restaurant chains now put calorie counts on their menus — and it's part of a misleading 100-year-old American obsession

Start eating more vegetables — especially greens.

Author Michael Pollan may have condensed the best nutrition wisdom into one line when he wrote: "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants."

Dozens of scientific studies have tied diets high in vegetables— especially greens— to better health outcomes, including weight loss and a decreased risk of a handful of chronic diseases.

Veggies like watercress, spinach, chives, and collard greens all rank highly on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's list of "powerhouse foods." So find a few you like and start adding them to your plate.

But don't worry: Most research does not suggest a need to slash meat, dairy, or fish from your diet. In fact, the best results typically seem linked with diets that combine high amounts of vegetables with healthy sources of protein, which can include seafood, eggs, and meat. Eating plans like these include the popular Mediterranean diet and MIND diet.

Replace soda or sweet tea with water, unsweetened tea, or other sugar-free drinks.

Sweetened beverages like soda and juice can make up a surprising portion of the calories you consume each day, yet they don't fill you up the same way solid food does.

As part of an eight-year study that included nearly 50,000 women, Harvard researchers tracked what happened when people either slashed their intake of sweetened drinks or started consuming more of them. Not surprisingly, the participants who raised their sugary-drink intake gained weight and increased their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. In fact, the more sweet drinks women consumed, the more weight they gained and the more their disease risk went up.

Those who curbed their intake, on the other hand, did not see those negative results.

So the next time you're looking for something other than water to drink, try seltzer or unsweetened tea. Even diet soda is probably a better choice. Every time you pick one of these over a sweetened beverage, you'll also be cutting anywhere from 150 to 400 calories.

Pay attention to protein.

Protein is a key ingredient that helps fuel our muscles and keep us feeling full. It also slows the breakdown of carbs into sugar, thereby acting as a sort of buffer against sharp dips and spikes in insulin levels. For these reasons, it's a good idea to make sure you're getting enough protein in every meal.

Many Americans whose diets are based around meat actually get too much protein. But there's some evidence that people who try to switch to a more plant-based diet can have a hard time getting enough.

To make sure your protein intake isn't slouching, add items like eggs, beans, tofu, lentils, fish, and dairy products to vegetable- and whole-grain-based meals.

• The first four boys have been rescued from the cave in Thailand where they have been trapped for two weeks.
• Chiang Rai governor and operation chief Narongsak Osottanakorn said the children were healthy and taken to the Chiang Rai hospital.
• The rescue mission has concluded for the night and will resume in 10 to 20 hours because of low oxygen levels.
• The first two boys were extracted from the cave around 5:40 p.m. local time Sunday with the help of divers.

Four boys have been confirmed rescued from the cave in northern Thailand where they have been trapped for two weeks.

The rest of the Thai soccer team and their 25-year-old coach remain inside the Tham Luang Nang cave.

Chiang Rai governor and operation chief Narongsak Osottanakorn said at a press conference Sunday that he had met the children and they were in "perfect" health. He added that the rescue mission today was the "best situation."

He confirmed that four boys have been rescued from the cave and taken to the hospital.

The rescue mission has concluded for the night. Osottanakorn said they will resume in 10 to 20 hours because "we've used all the oxygen."

Fifty foreign divers and 40 Thai divers are currently involved in the rescue operation, The Guardian reported, with teams from Australia, the US, UK, and China aiding in efforts. US President Donald Trump said on Twitter Sunday that his government is working "very closely" with Thai officials.

Elon Musk wrote on Twitter that engineers from two of his companies, the aerospace manufacturer SpaceX and the tunnel-construction company Boring Company, were headed to Thailand to lend their assistance.

Thai Navy SEALS confirmed on Facebook that the fourth boy had made it out at about 7:55 p.m. local time.

Officials said the first two boys had been extracted at 5:40 p.m. local time and traveled 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) underwater.

Media was cleared away from the rescue site on Sunday morning. Several ambulances were seen coming to and from the cavesite.

Helicopters were reported over the Chaing Rai hospital.

One of the boys to emerge was a 13-year-old Mongkol Boonpiem, local media has reported. The other boys have not been identified yet. The two have been airlifted to Chiangrai Prachanukroh Hospital in Chiang Rai for medical treatment, 43 miles (70 kilometers) from the rescue site.

How they are getting out

The Thai government released a graphic showing how the rescue from the Tham Luang cave would occur.

Two divers would accompany each boy, guided by rope. The boys would then walk from Chamber 3 to the mouth of the cave, which has been mostly drained over the last few days of the rescue operation.

The rescue mission began on Sunday morning, nearly a week since the 12 boys, aged 11-16, and their coach had been discovered on an embankment 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) inside the winding tunnels.

Officials said the rescue could take three to four days to complete depending on the rainfall.

Osottanakorn, the head of the rescue mission, told reporters that the team had rehearsed the plan for several days, and had cleared a sizeable amount of the flooding from the cave.

An Australian doctor who was part of the rescue mission assessed the boys' health on Saturday night and cleared them for the rescue mission, Reuters said.

The boys, with the help of divers, have to navigate through flooded passages that are no more than two feet (0.6 meters) wide in some areas.

Officials said Saturday they were aiming to rescue the boys before seasonal monsoon rains hit, which could flood the caves.

On Friday, officials warned that oxygen levels in the cave dropped from 21% to 15%, complicating rescue efforts. A Thai Navy SEAL commander told reporters he believed there was "a limited amount of time" left to rescue the team, who wandered into the caves on June 23 after soccer practice.

Officials worked to supply the 12 boys and their coach with oxygen through a 3 mile (5 kilometer) cable running through the cave's winding chambers on Friday. The plan was to have the boys swim out of the cave with the help of divers.

"Good night everyone. Good night," the Thai Navy SEALs posted on their Facebook page Sunday night. "Hooyah."

SEE ALSO: 'Today is D-Day': A rescue operation is underway to rescue 12 trapped boys and their coach from a Thailand cave

DON'T MISS: 'We are at war with water and time': Officials are rushing to rescue kids trapped in a Thailand cave before rain hits

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Trump pitched peace to Kim Jong Un with this Hollywood-style video starring Kim as the leading man

• In a relationship, some conflict is inevitable. But relationship experts say it's all about how you manage it.
• Their top strategies include listening and reflecting back, displaying some vulnerability, and working on your communication skills.
• This post is part of Relationships 101, a series which aims to help us all be happier and healthier in love — and to stop fighting over who should take out the trash.

Once you've been in a relationship for a while, you start to get comfortable. You're comfortable letting your partner see you without makeup, comfortable snort-laughing in front of them — and comfortable snapping at them the way you wouldn't snap at pretty much anyone else in the world.

Unsurprisingly, that can be a problem. Instead of taking a step back and reflecting on the bigger picture as you would during, say, a conflict at work, the two of you shout. You name-call. You storm off in a huff.

The relationship experts I've interviewed have seen this pattern unfold time and time again. They've also devised several strategies for keeping everyday spats from spiraling out of control.

Below are some of their best, and most practical, tactics.

Just listen

Couples therapist Esther Perel told me about the importance of letting your partner talk and then reflecting back what you heard them say.

That can be as simple as the phrase: "So what I'm hearing you say is…"

Perel said this strategy works because "it forces you to step into the shoes of the other person and then maybe you'll have better empathy and more compassion for what the other person is actually asking."

You may also hear something that (gasp!) changes your mind about the issue at hand.

Show some vulnerability

Your partner has the potential to hurt you like no one else can, largely because they know your weak points and hot buttons.

So when your partner says something hurtful, don't pretend you're made of emotional steel.

According to marriage and family therapist Hal Runkel, there's one word that can defuse a conflict with your partner: "Ouch." As in: "Ouch. That one hurt. I don't know if you were meaning to hurt me; I don't know if that's what you were going for; but that's what you did."

Runkel said, "That conversation —which was a very familiar path, that fight — is now a totally different path because one of you chose to actually get vulnerable." Once you acknowledge that you've wounded each other, you can start to make some progress toward repairing the relationship.

Learn good communication skills sooner rather than later

Couples can fight about the big stuff— whether to get married, what constitutes cheating — and the small stuff — whose turn it is to take out the trash, how often it's OK to check your phone.

But as relationship expert and marriage counselor Rachel Sussman told me, all these conflicts come down to communication.

"If you're someone who has really poor communication skills," she told me, "that might mean that the minute your partner brings something up, you get very defensive, or you start with the 'tit for tat.'" Which means that "no matter what you're arguing about, that could escalate into a really big fight."

Common sources of conflict among the couples she sees include sex, parenting, and finances. But working on your communication skills is a big step toward resolving them all.

"If you can communicate well, you can get through these issues in a way that can actually bring you closer together," she said. "And if you can't communicate well, it makes it so much worse and can actually tear you apart."

SEE ALSO: I asked 3 relationship experts about the biggest mistakes people make on dating apps

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: We tried a caffeine-free charcoal latte made with ground coconut shells

• "Ant-Man and the Wasp" wins the weekend box office with an estimated $76 million.
• Also, "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" is the first non-Disney movie this year to pass the $1 billion worldwide mark.

For Disney/Marvel, it's more of the same this weekend: another release that tops the domestic box office.

"Ant-Man and the Wasp" took in an estimated $76 million over the weekend, which bests the first movie's $57.2 million opening weekend take back in 2015.

The movie landed right on target with its opening weekend industry projection of between $75 million and $85 million.

Director Peyton Reed improved interest in the micro-sized superhero (played by Paul Rudd) through adding The Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) in on the fun and connecting the movie to the dramatics that occurred in "Captain America: Civil War" and "Avengers: Infinity War."

There was also the attraction of a cool, air conditioned, movie theater for those living in Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley, as the region saw over 100 degree temperatures this weekend. But we have a feeling seeing how the movie relates to "Infinity War" was also a draw.

Elsewhere, Universal's "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" powered past $1 billion at the worldwide box office. It's the first non-Disney movie to hit the milestone (Disney titles past $1 billion this year: "Black Panther," "Infinity War").

Annapurna's "Sorry to Bother You" had an impressive $44,000 per screen average on 16 screens ($717,000 total) to open its theatrical run.

Universal/Blumhouse released its latest "Purge" movie, "The First Purge," and took in $17 million ($31 million since its opening day on July 4). It's another successful opening for the low budget horror franchise.

SEE ALSO: The director of "Ant-Man and the Wasp" explains how the ramifications of "Infinity War" affected the making of the movie

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why the World Cup soccer ball looks so different

Right now, all is well in the movie world.

The summer movie season is hitting on all cylinders and looks to be one of the best in history, while as a whole, 2018 is up 8% in ticket sales (which is huge) and could be looking at over $11 billion in revenue by the time the year ends.

That's assuming the good times at the multiplex keep going in the second half of the year.

With big event movies like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's "Skyscraper" and "Aquaman" yet to come, mixed with more dramatic but equally anticipated titles, like "A Star Is Born" and "Creed II," things are looking positive. 

Here are 39 movies coming out before the end of the year that you shouldn't miss:

SEE ALSO: The 16 best TV shows of 2018 so far

“Skyscraper” - July 13

Dwayne Johnson mixes a little "Die Hard" with "The Towering Inferno" for his next thrill ride. Here he plays a family man who has to save that family from the largest building in the world before the bad guys (and the fire raging) gets to them first. Everything you expect from The Rock is in this one — and more. He's sporting a prosthetic leg this time.

“Eighth Grade” - July 13

It doesn't matter if you're 20 years old or 70 years old, there are some things about growing up that are universal, and comic-turned-director Bo Burnham highlights them warts and all in this beautiful movie. We follow teenager Kayla (Elsie Fisher) as she maneuvers transitioning from middle school to high school. Filled with comedic moments, this is also a heartfelt look at the wonder of growing up and how when you're in your teens everything sucks.

“Blindspotting” - July 20

One of the most talked-about movies at Sundance this year thanks to how it looks at race, Black Lives Matter, and the gentrification of Oakland, this is a movie that's very hard to narrow down in a few sentences. You kind of have to trust us that it's worth your time. 

• The first four boys have been rescued from the cave in Thailand where their soccer team has been trapped for two weeks.
• The Thai Navy SEALs, who are leading the rescue mission with divers and help from other countries, are posting encouraging messages on their Facebook page.
• A photo the Thai Navy SEALs posted shows three rescue workers grabbing each other by the arms in a show of unity.

The first four boys who have been stuck in a cave in Thailand for two weeks were heroically rescued on Sunday.

Before, during, and after the rescue, the Thai Navy SEALs leading the rescue mission kept people updated by posting encouraging messages on their Facebook page.

Right before the rescue mission started, the Navy SEALs posted a picture on their Facebook page of three people grabbing each other by the arms. According to the AP, the caption on the photo refers to the name of the boys' soccer team and says "We, the Thai team and the international team, will bring the Wild Boars home."

On Sunday night, the Navy SEALS confirmed on their Facebook page that four of the children had been rescued. They posted that "the 4th Wild Boar is out of the cave" and was rescued at 7:47 p.m. local time. A previous post from a few minutes earlier noted that the 3rd boy had been rescued.

A post following the rescue of the first four boys combined Thai and English. According to Facebook's translation, the post begins by saying "have a good dream tonight." That Thai is followed by, in English, "Hooyah," a morale-boosting word used by the US Navy.

According to the Guardian, the mission includes 40 Thai divers and 50 international divers with teams from Australia, the US, the UK, and China aiding in the efforts.

A former Thai Navy SEAL died on Friday while placing oxygen tanks in the cave in preparation for the rescue.

Officials said the operation would return on Monday to begin rescuing the eight other boys of the Wild Boars soccer team and their 25-year-old coach. Rescuing all 13 members of the soccer team could take days to complete, depending on the rainfall.

SEE ALSO: These photos show the scale and complexity of the efforts to rescue the Thai soccer team stuck in a flooded cave

SEE ALSO: Former Thai navy SEAL working to rescue soccer team trapped in a cave has died

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