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The relationship expert at one of the most popular affair websites says there are 2 distinct types of cheating among modern couples

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couple kissing bedroom

  • Ashley Madison is a website for married people seeking affairs. Their resident relationship expert is sex therapist Tammy Nelson.
  • Nelson said there are, generally speaking, two types of affairs: those in which people want to leave their primary relationship and those in which they don't.
  • Other experts say people in the second category are sometimes more dissatisfied with themselves than they are with their primary relationship.


There are tons of reasons why people cheat on their partners, and tons of ways to do it.

But generally speaking, you can boil down all these affairs into two discrete categories.

That's according to Tammy Nelson, a sex and relationship therapist and the resident relationship expert at Ashley Madison, one of the most popular websites for people seeking affairs. Nelson has been in practice for about three decades, and she joined Ashley Madison recently as an outside consultant.

When I spoke with Nelson by phone, she told me that people who stray typically either want to leave their primary relationship or don't.

People in the first category wind up in what Nelson calls a "can-opener" affair. "That's when you have an affair because you want out," she said, "and you don't know how to end it."

In Nelson's experience, women are more likely than men to have can-opener affairs. "It's kind of a passive-aggressive way of saying, ‘I want out,' even before I know I want out."

Other people having affairs don't necessarily want to leave their primary relationship. Instead, Nelson said, "it's a way of filling that one part of their life that their marriage doesn't. And then they feel like they have everything."

She shared a hypothetical example: "Maybe their marriage gives them physical and emotional validation, but they're not getting the sexual risk-taking that they would want. So they get that from the affair."

Interestingly, Nelson said some people may only see their affair partner a couple times a year — "but when they do, it's like a full blowout, and then they come back to their marriage and they're perfectly happy."

Relationship experts say an affair doesn't always suggest that the person is dissatisfied with their marriage

A (non-scientific) study supports Nelson's observations. HuffPost reported that Victoria Milan, another site for married people seeking affairs, surveyed 4,658 members and found that 69% said they don't think about leaving their significant others.

Meanwhile, couples therapist Esther Perel previously told Business Insider that, oftentimes, an affair has little to do with a person's satisfaction or dissatisfaction with their relationship. Instead, the person may be unhappy with themselves. (Nelson also suggested that some people who have affairs are simply bored with themselves.)

When Nelson sees clients who are having an affair but don't want to leave their marriage, she often hears them say things like, "My husband would never do that" — "that" being some kind of sexual behavior.

"That may or may not be true," Nelson said of the client's rationale. "It might just be a story that they make up to justify it." On the other hand, she mused, maybe the client is right. "Maybe we can't get everything we need from one person."

SEE ALSO: The very traits that make you good at your job can also make you terrible in relationships

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NOW WATCH: We tried a £250 LED mask beauty treatment that's popular with celebrities such as Jessica Alba and Chrissy Teigen


Business Insider is hiring a paid graphic design intern

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Business Insider is looking for a Graphic Design Intern to join the newsroom's graphics team.

Daily assignments include maps, charts, infographics, data visualizations, illustrations, and story art that is both informative and engaging to our readers. To get a sense of the range of work, check out our Pinterest page.

As an intern here, you'll gain valuable experience collaborating with journalists and designers in a fast-paced and fun work environment. You will have the creative freedom to pitch and develop your own ideas, and your work will be published on a daily basis to our large audience.

The ideal intern will be a super-creative team player with amazing attention to detail. Other desired skills include:

  • Expert knowledge of Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop
  • Mac proficiency
  • Experience with data visualization, illustration, infographics, and typography
  • Experience with animation, interactive graphics, basic HTML and CSS not a requirement, but a plus
  • You know how to work under a deadline and juggle multiple projects at a time
  • Social media savvy — we make a lot of content specifically for Instagram (posts and stories)
  • You're a confident designer comfortable pitching and defending your work

To see more examples of our work click here.

Please note: This internship requires that you work in our Manhattan office, preferably full-time at 40 hours a week, for six months. This position might also require early morning hours.

APPLY HERE with a portfolio, resume, and cover letter if this sounds like your dream job, and specify why you're interested in working on our graphics team.

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NOW WATCH: 5 uber-wealthy Middle Eastern countries won't take any refugees from their war-torn neighbors

7 of the worst things McDonald's employees have seen on the job

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mcdonald's cat flying

  • McDonald's restaurant crew members have seen it all.
  • Business Insider spoke with a number of current and former McDonald's employees about the worst things they've seen on the job.
  • They shared their horror stories with us, from early morning soda runs to oatmeal-throwing drive-thru customers.


McDonald's crew members have a few horror stories to share.

Sometimes, customers can be pretty mean. Other times, things just get weird.

Take, for instance, the time performance artists stormed a Moscow McDonald's in 2007 and threw a cat across the counter. "The idea, they said, was to help snap the workers out of the dull routine of menial labor," Reuters reported.

Business Insider spoke with several current and former crew members and heard some of their worst, grossest, and strangest stories about working at the fast food giant.

Here's what they had to say:

SEE ALSO: McDonald's employees share the 4 things they wish they could tell management

DON'T MISS: McDonald's employees reveal their 20 favorite menu items — and one bonus secret menu item everyone should try

SEE ALSO: McDonald's employees share the 6 menu items they'd never eat

Emergency Walmart runs

McDonald's and Coca-Cola are quite a pair.

McDonald's is actually the soda brand's biggest restaurant customer, according to The New York Times, and customers expect to be able to order a soda drink with their McDonald's meal.

So issues with a McDonald's soda machine are a big deal.

One McDonald's crew member of two years told Business Insider how their restaurant dealt with a broken soda dispenser.

"I had to drive to Walmart at 4:00 a.m. to buy 30 two-liter bottles of soda until we could fix the issue," the crew member said.



Barking, disruptive dogs

One McDonald's crew member of seven years complained about encountering customers who bring in "annoying" dogs that "bark in my ear when I'm trying to take your order."



Customers keeping money in their bras

A crew member from Pennsylvania told Business Insider that they hated to see "people that take money out their bras."

They added that they didn't want to have to touch "bra money."

"I don't want to touch what was just touching your flesh," the crew member said.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Some of the same divers who pulled the first 4 boys out of the Thai cave went back to rescue the 2nd group of 4 — traversing 10 miles to do so

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thai cave rescue divers

  • Rescuers have evacuated eight boys from a cave in northern Thailand. Divers guided the boys more than 2 miles back to the cave's entrance.
  • The rescue on Monday was the second trip for some of the mission's members, who would have traversed about 10 miles total in the past two days.
  • The rescue effort, led by the Royal Thai Navy's SEAL unit, has been working in shifts, bringing four boys back at a time.
  • The last four boys and their coach are still trapped inside, waiting for rescuers to bring them out. 

Some divers rescuing the boys trapped in a cave in northern Thailand have traversed about 10 miles over the past two days.

The second shift of the rescue effort to evacuate the trapped soccer team saw a team of 18 Thai and international divers guide four boys about 2 1/2 miles to the cave's entrance using a 3-mile rope on Monday.

It was the second trip down the dark and narrow passageways for some of the rescue team members, according to The Guardian.

"The factors are as good as yesterday, and the rescue team is the same team with a few replacements for those exhausted," Narongsak Osatanakorn, the governor of Chiang Rai province who's leading the operation, said Monday, The Guardian reported.

For the first four rescues on Sunday, two divers accompanied each boy, one from the side and one from behind. In total, 13 foreign cave divers and five Thai navy SEALs participated in Sunday's rescue, according to Reuters.

Dozens of other medical professionals and rescuers were at the cave entrance to assist the divers when they emerged with the boys. On Monday, at least 80 other rescue workers from several countries were there to help.

thai soccer team cave rescue

The rescue effort, headed by the Royal Thai Navy's SEAL unit, have evacuated eight of the 12 boys, 11- to 16-year-old members of a Thai soccer team. Four boys and their 25-year-old coach remain in the cave.

The rescue workers need 20 hours before the third operation, Osatanakorn said Monday afternoon, according to a Guardian reporter. But weather and water levels will also affect plans for the final rescue.

About 0.6 miles of the journey on Sunday was believed to be underwater, requiring the boys to wear full face masks, Business Insider's Alexandra Ma reported.

Headcam footage posted by The Guardian shows the divers' journey through the dark, wet passages, where a diver died early Friday while delivering oxygen tanks to the cave.

Ben Reymenants, one of the divers who first found the boys a week ago, described to The New York Times the strength of the current inside the cave.

"You're literally pulling yourself, hand over hand, in zero visibility," he said. "You can't read your depth gauge, you can't read the time, so you're basically flying blind in a direction you don't know."

The boys and their coach have been trapped inside the Tham Luang cave for over two weeks because of monsoon flooding.

SEE ALSO: The Thai Navy SEALs are posting heartwarming Facebook updates as they race to save the boys from the cave

DON'T MISS: It looks like the 5 people still stuck in the Thai caves will have to wait at least one more day for rescue

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why the North Korea summit mattered even if it was 'mostly a photo op'

THE FINAL FOUR: Get to know the finalists for Trump's Supreme Court pick, and where they stand on key issues

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President Donald Trump will announce his nominee to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by Justice Anthony Kennedy's retirement in primetime on Monday.

He started with a list of 25 potential nominees, but has since narrowed it down to four finalists: Brett Kavanaugh, Raymond Kethledge, Thomas Hardiman, and Amy Coney Barrett.

Reports have surfaced that Kavanaugh and Hardiman were the final two finalists, but the nation won't officially know until Trump makes his big announcement at 9 p.m. ET.

All four nominees are current federal appeals court judges and are all under the age of 55, meaning they would have the opportunity to shape the nation's highest court for decades to come.

Here's what you need to know about the backgrounds and legal careers of the final four:

SEE ALSO: This judge was the runner-up to Neil Gorsuch when Trump made his 1st Supreme Court pick — now he has new momentum

DON'T MISS: A top Republican senator might have just offered a massive clue about the identity of Trump's Supreme Court pick

Brett Kavanaugh

Age: 53

Alma maters: BA Yale University '87, JD Yale Law School '90

Clerked for: Judge Walter Stapleton of the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Judge Alex Kosinski of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy of the US Supreme Court

Past positions:

  • Associate Counsel in the Office of Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr, the special prosecutor who investigated former President Bill Clinton's extra-marital affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Kavanaugh helped draft the Starr report urging Clinton's impeachment, and led the investigation into the suicide of Clinton aide Vince Foster
  • Partner at the law firm Kirkland & Ellis in Washington, DC
  • Senior associate counsel, associate counsel, assistant to the president, and staff secretary to former President George W. Bush

Current court: US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit since 2006

Rulings and writings on key issues:

  • Criminal investigations of presidents: After serving alongside Starr, Kavanaugh wrote in 1998 that "Congress should establish that the President can be indicted only after he leaves office voluntarily or is impeached by the House of Representatives and convicted and removed by the Senate." In 2009, he argued the president shouldn't be criminally prosecuted or civilly sued while in office. Given that Trump is currently being investigated by the special counsel Robert Mueller and is the subject of multiple civil suits, these thoughts will likely be of interest to both Democrats and Republicans.
  • Abortion: In Garza v. Hargan, Kavanaugh authored a three-judge panel decision overruling a previous decision from a federal judge who ordered that an undocumented and unaccompanied teenager in Texas could leave government custody to get an abortion. The panel gave the government more time to find a sponsor for the teen, as minors must have the consent of a parent or guardian to undergo an abortion in Texas. When the appeals court for the DC circuit then reversed that decision to allow the teen to get an abortion, Kavanaugh dissented, writing that it was not a constitutional right for "unlawful immigrant minors in US Government detention to obtain immediate abortion on demand."

Sources: DC Court of AppealsLos Angeles Times, Vox, SCOTUSBlog, Business Insider



Thomas Hardiman

Age: 53

Alma maters: BA University of Notre Dame '87, JD Georgetown University Law School '90.

Clerked for: No one

Past positions: 

  • Litigation associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher, and Florn in Washington, DC
  • Associate and partner at Titus & McConomy in Pittsburgh, PA
  • Partner at Reed Smith also in Pittsburgh, where he mainly practiced white-collar and civil litigation
  • Judge at the US District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania

Current court: US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit since 2007

Rulings and writings on second amendment rights: In several of his decisions on the appeals court, he has taken an expansive and originalist view of the second amendment and gun rights. His dissenting opinion in the case Drake v. Filo over a New Jersey law requiring gun permits said "the Second Amendment extends beyond the home.” Last year, he sided with two men appealing their respective convictions for carrying a firearm without a license and corrupting a minor, writing that “dangerous persons likely to use firearms for illicit purposes were not understood to be protected by the Second Amendment."

Sources: Federal Judicial CenterLos Angeles Times, SCOTUSBlog



Amy Coney Barrett

Age: 46

Alma maters: BA Rhodes College '94, JD University of Notre Dame Law School '97

Clerked for: Judge Laurence Silberman of the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, Associate Justice Antonin Scalia of the US Supreme Court

Past positions: 

  • Associate at law firm Miller, Cassidy, Larocca, and Lewin in Washington, DC
  • Professor at Notre Dame Law School, where she teaches constitutional law, federal courts, and statutory interpretation

Current court: United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit since 2017

Rulings and writings on abortion: A devout Catholic, Barrett has been on the bench for less than a year, but she's written extensively on abortion. In a 1998 law review article, she and a co-author argued Catholic judges should be allowed to recuse themselves from cases involving abortion or the death penalty. Barrett has also said she believes it highly unlikely for the landmark case Roe v. Wade to be overturned, but doesn’t see it as a “super-precedent" case, like Marbury v. Madison, that no court would overturn. She advocated in a 2003 article for a more "flexible" application of stare decisis, or the principle of respecting precedent in court cases. Those writings combined with her personal belief that life begins at conception have some critics concerned about what her presence on the court could mean for future abortion rights cases.

Sources: Federal Judicial CenterChicago Sun TimesLos Angeles Times, Washington PostNotre Dame Law School, Kresge Law Library



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Strange things keep happening in ‘Fortnite’ and events in the video game have started to invade the real world

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Fortnite at E3 2018

The creators of "Fortnite: Battle Royale" are known for keeping players on their toes with weekly — and sometimes daily — additions to the game, including new items, limited-time game modes, and fun and interesting challenges.

In lieu of simply announcing what the newest addition to the game will be, the developers will often leave cryptic hints and easter eggs scattered across the island (or in the game's code) for the most dedicated fans to decode ahead of time. 

In Fortnite, there is no more hotly-anticipated change than the transitioning of Seasons, which brings a new theme to the game's Battle Pass, and often many cosmetic changes to the map. For example, in the days leading up to the beginning of Season 4, the game hinted that a meteor shower would change the island forever. When the meteor did hit, it caused a large crater in the enter of the map, turning Dusty Depot into the craterous Dusty Divot.

Now, Season 5 is only three days away and Epic Games' clues are only getting weirder and more mysterious. In addition to the in-game easter eggs that we've come to expect from Epic, hints toward the future of the game have also started to appear in the real world. 

Here's an overview of all the biggest changes to Fortnite ahead of Season 5:

SEE ALSO: 'Fortnite: Battle Royale' just got a huge new update — here's the new mode and weapons

Two weekends ago, a one-time in-game event featured a rocket launch and rifts in the space-time continuum, and nothing has been the same on the island since.

The huge rocket embedded into the side of the mountain just northeast of Snobby Shores — which many, including this reporter, previously believed to be a missile — launched into the sky last Saturday, and nearly obliterated Tilted Towers before a crack in the space-time continuum swallowed it up.

After traveling in and out through a few more inter-dimensional "rifts," the rocket eventually careened into an invisible dome above the center of the map, causing a large crack to form in the sky. The sun rose shortly afterward, and the rocket was gone.

You can watch a full cinematic-style recording of the launch, recorded and edited by YouTube filmmaker Enzait Films here:

Youtube Embed:
//www.youtube.com/embed/EhadQB8a8qc
Width: 560px
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Since the launch, rifts have been spotted all over the map, and a few of the map's landmarks have disappeared through them.

One player managed to capture a video of the goofy-faced burger sign disappearing into a rift from atop the Durr Burger restraunt:

The signs welcoming players to Lonely Lodge and the motel in Anarchy Acres have also mysteriously disappeared in the same way since the rocket launch. 



Then, a landmark from the game resurfaced...in the real world.

On Friday last week, a photographer from Los Angeles spotted the Durr Burger statue in the California desert. 

 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

This 24-karat gold bike sold for $327,970 — here's how it was made

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  • 24-karat gold bike was sold for £250,000 ($327,970).
  • The bike frame is made of aluminium and it is gold-plated.
  • The bike was customized by Goldgenie through a process called electroplating.

 

A London based gold-plating company has made a 24-karat gold bike that was sold for £250,000 ($327,970).

Goldgenie gold-plated an aluminium bike frame using a process called electroplating.

The company also gold-plates other things including rose bouquets. 

Produced by Amanda Villa-Lobos.

SEE ALSO: Inside the UK’s only gold refinery where over 10 tons of 99.99% pure gold is refined every year

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Justin Timberlake just announced his support for England at the World Cup and Twitter is going wild

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Justin Timberlake

  • Justin Timberlake sent Twitter into meltdown when he leant his support to the England national soccer team ahead of a crucial World Cup semifinal match on Wednesday.
  • During his performance at London's iconic 02 Arena, Timberlake screamed "It's coming home!" into the microphone — much to the delight of the tens of thousands in attendance.
  • Timberlake is currently performing across England as part of his "The Man of the Woods" tour and returns to the 02 Arena on Wednesday — the same night England plays its semifinal match against Croatia.
  • Read all of Business Insider's World Cup coverage here.

 

Football's coming home, people. It's official. Why? Because the king of pop, Justin Timberlake, said so.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup has captivated the attention of soccer fans all over the planet. Not least because of the stunning eliminations of pre-tournament favourites like Germany and Brazil, but also because of the emergence of new superpowers like Croatia and Belgium.

World Cup excitement has reached fever pitch in England. Fans have taken to the streets to celebrate the national team's performances in Russia, where England has reached a World Cup semifinal for only the third time in the country's history.

And, ahead of the crucial clash against Croatia on Wednesday, Justin Timberlake offered his support to the national team.

During a performance at London's iconic 02 Arena, Timberlake whipped his audience into a frenzy by bellowing "It's… coming… home!" into the microphone.

Watch Justin Timberlake get behind England's team below:

Timberlake's support for England's team saw Twitter go wild, and the social media giant even turned it into a moment.

The three words have became synonymous with England's participation in tournament soccer since the UEFA European Championship in 1996, which was held in England accompanied by the tagline: "Football Comes Home."

British comedy duo Frank Skinner and David Baddiel teamed up with the Lightning Seeds to sing "Three Lions / It's Coming Home," a song dedicated to the sport returning to its country of origin.

The song is now used whenever England competes in a European Championship or a World Cup, but has become an oft-used saying this summer as the national team is doing far better than previously expected.

Timberlake is performing across England as part of his "The Man of the Woods" tour.

He returns to London's 02 Arena on Wednesday — the same evening England plays Croatia in Moscow.

SEE ALSO: Against my better judgement, I am now utterly convinced that England will win the World Cup

DON'T MISS: The 23 best World Cup players so far — Harry Kane kicked off top spot

UP NEXT: Diego Maradona raged against the American referee and accused England of 'theft' after Colombia crashed out of the World Cup

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here's why the US Men's team sucks at soccer


China's 'Big Brother' surveillance technology is impressive and chilling — but it's not nearly as all-seeing as the government wants you to think

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  • The Chinese government is working to combine its 170+ million security cameras with artificial intelligence and facial recognition technology to create a vast surveillance state.
  • The government isn't quiet about its efforts, often playing up technological successes in state media to convince the populace of its impressive capabilities.
  • But recent reports suggest that the technology is not as ubiquitous or useful as the government wants its citizens to believe.
  • For example, an exec at one of the main Chinese artificial intelligence startups powering the surveillance technology told Business Insider that its platform cannot handle searching for more than 1,000 people at a time due to technological limitations.

The Chinese government is working to create a techno-authoritarian state powered by artificial intelligence and facial recognition to track and monitor its 1.4 billion citizens.

The government has big plans to have a ubiquitous surveillance network, leading the country to becoming the biggest market in the world for video surveillance — $6.4 billion in 2016, according to estimates from IHS Markit Ltd. China already has 170 million security cameras in use for its so-called Skynet surveillance system, with 400 million more on the way in the coming years.

Far from hiding its wide-reaching abilities from the public, the government has frequently touted its high-tech surveillance successes in recent months.

GettyImages 915205044

Last September, English-language state newspaper China Daily touted how police in Qingdao used facial recognition technology to catch 25 would-be criminals. In March, Beijing police began using facial recognition and AI-powered glasses to catch criminals — just a couple months after police in Henan and Zhengzhou began testing the glasses at train stations.

In Xiangyang, a giant screen was set up over a crosswalk to display the names and faces of jaywalkers and other lawbreakers that cameras caught at the intersection. And in December, China demonstrated its sophisticated "Skynet" system by having it track down a BBC reporter in just 7 minutes.

But all of these successes belie a simple reality: the surveillance tech is not nearly as pervasive or effective as the government or the media purports it to be.

Face++ isn't all-powerful yet

China FacialRecognition Megvii FacePlusPlus (20 of 27)

On a recent visit to the offices of Megvii, a leading artificial intelligence startup and one of the main providers behind the facial recognition tech used by Chinese police, I met with Xie Yinan, the company's vice president.

Despite notions that Chinese police's facial recognition capabilities can track down anyone, anywhere, that's simply not what the technology is capable of, according to Xie.

He said Megvii's Face++ platform, which numerous police departments in China have used to help them arrest 4,000 people since 2016, has serious technological limitations.

For example, even if China had facial scans of every one of its citizens uploaded to its system, it would be impossible to identify everyone passing in front of a Face++-linked camera. While the Face++ algorithm is more than 97% accurate, it can only search a limited number of faces at a time.

In order to work, police would have to upload the faces they want to track to a local server at the train station or command center where they intend to look. Face++ would then use its algorithm to match those faces to the ones it encounters in the real world.

China FacialRecognition Megvii FacePlusPlus (17 of 27)

Xie said it wouldn't be feasible to have the system search for more than 1,000 faces at a time — the data and processing power required for an operation larger than that would require a supercomputer. Plus, Xie said they can't run the system 24/7 today. It's the kind of thing police will have to activate proactively when a situation is underway.

While it is possible that the system could be connected to a supercomputer over the cloud to amplify computing power, it would be too dangerous from a security perspective. The system has to stay offline and local.

When I asked whether Xie or the company have any concerns over how police could misuse the Face++ platform, he essentially said it's up to the government to write the legal framework on when and how law enforcement can use it.

"We don't have access to the data," he said. "What we do is sell them a server [loaded with Face++]. That's all."

Exaggerating technological advancements

Facial recognition isn't the only area where China's techno-authoritarian capabilities have been exaggerated, by both the media and the government.

At the crosswalk in Xiangyang, there is a 5- to 6-day delay between when someone commits crime and when their face appears on the billboard. Local officials told The New York Times that humans, not an algorithm, look through the photos the crosswalk camera captures to match them with people's identities.

Meanwhile, the smart glasses police are using in Beijing and Zhengzhou only work if a target stands still for several seconds. It's less being used to spot criminals than to verify travelers' identifications.

GettyImages 102576641

But, in some ways, it hardly matters. Those nuances are often lost on the public, particularly when state media has gone to such lengths to convince its populace of its technological prowess.

In Zhengzhou, a heroin smuggler confessed after police showed the suspect their smart glasses and said it could incriminate him, The Times recently reported.

"The whole point is that people don't know if they're being monitored, and that uncertainty makes people more obedient," Martin Chorzempa, a fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, told The Times.

Of course, it's likely only a matter of time before the technology gets better. The Chinese government and the country's tech investors are pouring money into facial recognition startups like Megvii.

Megvii raised $460 million last November, much of which came from a state-owned venture fund. While the valuation hasn't been disclosed, it's likely that it is close to or tops $2 billion. Two smaller Chinese companies include DeepGlint, and Yitu Technology, which raised $380 million last year.

SenseTime, a competitor, became the world's highest valued AI startup after raising $600 million in April and $620 million in June. It now has a valuation of $4.5 billion.

SEE ALSO: Inside the creepy and impressive startup funded by the Chinese government that is developing AI that can recognize anyone, anywhere

DON'T MISS: 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

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: What it means to be 'fearless' at work and how you can get over your fear

The Rock uses dizzying heights and dad strength in 'Skyscraper' to give audiences a thrilling ride

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  • Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson gives one of his most thrilling performances in "Skyscraper."
  • He plays a father who has to save his family from a burning building.


Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson might be up against his toughest adversary yet: summer sequels.

Johnson jumps into the already crowded 2018 summer movie season with one of the few non-sequel movies released by a studio this year.

Universal’s “Skyscraper” (opening Friday) is an “original” movie in the sense that it doesn’t feature one of Johnson’s hulking characters we’ve already seen him play. But you’ve certainly seen the movie before.

Taking its inspiration from movies like “Die Hard,” “The Towering Inferno,” and “The Fugitive,” this Johnson blockbuster, directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber (“Central Intelligence”), has our hero playing a man who will stop at nothing to save his family from a burning building.

Johnson is former FBI agent Will Sawyer who now assesses security for skyscrapers. His latest job is looking over the tallest building in the world, The Pearl, in Hong Kong. Though the building’s lower floor commercial spaces have been open for some time, Will and his family are the first people ever to live in the residence part of the towering skyscraper while Will does his assessment. The residence is located in the upper levels of this 240-floor structure.

Right out of the gate the movie shows us that Will is going to be a more mellow character than we are used to Johnson playing. He’s sporting some gray in his beard and has a professional look with a dress shirt and slacks (that’s right, no khakis or showing off his massive physique). Oh, and did we mention that Will is also an amputee? “Skyscraper” takes place 10 years after his leg was blown off following a raid on a house in which the suspect detonated a bomb in front of Will and his team. Will has since become a dedicated family man with two children and his wife, Sarah (Neve Campbell), who was his nurse the night he was brought to the hospital after the explosion.

skyscraper 3The Pearl is owned and designed by billionaire Zhao Long Ji (Chin Han from "The Dark Knight") and he's got a few enemies: namely a terrorist group who wants to take control of The Pearl. And you guessed it, Will is the only one who can stop them.

But director Thurber, who also has the lone screenwriting credit, humanizes the story. He makes it more about Will's drive to save his family first. It just so happens he also has to kill the bad guys to do it. Will racing to save his family after the terrorists set The Pearl on fire makes for a thrilling movie to catch on a summer evening.

Is the movie completely unrealistic and full of cliches and head-scratching plot points? Of course. But like "Rampage" earlier this year, you're paying your hard-earned money to see The Rock do some crazy stuff, and you won't be disappointed.

He's one of the few actors these days that can get mass audiences to come to the movie just because he's on the poster. And "Skyscraper" is going to be the ultimate test of his popularity because there's no seasoned franchises ("Fast and the Furious") or IPs ("Rampage," "Jumanji") for him to stand on. This one is 100% The Rock and he will rise or fall at the box office because of himself.

For me, Johnson is as thrilling in this as anything he's done. It's not his most entertaining work, but the cliffhanger thriller matched with his ability to keep you glued to the screen is perfectly done.

In this movie, he's hanging off a building with just duct tape keeping him from falling, he's jumping off a crane into the building (you may have seen him do that in the movie's poster), and he shows off the ultimate example of dad strength when he holds detached wires in place so his family can get across a wobbly bridge. His prosthetic leg helps him out a few times, too.

"Skyscraper" certainly has a more serious tone than most of what Johnson and Thurber do, which might throw some audiences off. However, if you're looking for something that will keep you on the edge of your seat and might get you a little choked up by the end, this is the summer movie for you.

SEE ALSO: "Ant-Man and the Wasp" breaks Marvel's villain win streak with disappointing antagonists

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

An odds-defying biotech startup made a free test that tells you your chances of getting pregnant this year

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pregnant couple



Want to know your chances of getting pregnant this year?

There's now an online test for that — and you can take it for free. The tool uses your age and 14 questions about your health to give you a snapshot of your chances of having a baby on your own or with a doctor's help.

Created by a woman-run genetics and reproduction startup called Celmatix, the new tool relies on peer-reviewed scientific research about fertility. It also uses the same predictive models that inform the company's data analytics platform, called Polaris, which has been used by thousands of physicians and more than 90,000 patients to track people's reproduction journeys.

You need a doctor to use Polaris, but all you need to take the new test, called My Fertility Compass, is a computer.

"It's an education tool; a companion," Piraye Yurttas Beim, the founder and CEO of Celmatix, told Business Insider.

How to take the test

To use My Fertility Compass, go to Celmatix's new site, enter your age, height, weight, and information about how long (and how frequently) you've been trying to conceive. You'll also be prompted to answer several questions about lifestyle factors that affect your fertility, such as how often you drink or smoke.

Then you'll get two percentages. The first shows your chances are of getting pregnant by the end of one year of trying; the second shows your chances by the end of two years of trying.

MyFertility Compass

Based on those numbers, the tool will either tell you to keep doing what you're doing (meaning you're on the right track with your current behavior) or it'll suggest you see a doctor to get some extra help.

Dozens of factors can affect your fertility, from a family history of genetic conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) to lifestyle factors like smoking.

Women under 35 who've been trying to get pregnant for a year or longer and women over 35 who've been trying for at least 6 months will be advised to consult a physician.

That doesn't necessarily mean there's something wrong, it just means that it's time to loop in an expert who can make sure everything is running as it should and provide guidance if it isn't.

Making the black box of fertility clearer

Piraye Beim CelmatixFor Beim, Celmatix's new tool is part of a broader goal. She wants to bring the advances we've seen in areas like cancer — such as precision medicine and other tools to better diagnose and treat the disease — to fertility.

"Fertility is still very much a black box," Beim said. "The scientific playbook that's being applied to cancer is not being applied here."

We know, for example, that mutations on two genes play a role in the risk of developing breast cancer, but we're just now learning how genetics and other factors influence the chances of getting pregnant.

As part of the effort to bring the latest cutting-edge science to fertility, Celmatix also offers the only spit-in-a-tube genetics testing kit for fertility.

While that kit is useful for women who are already thinking about family planning, it doesn't help those who haven't yet considered what they might do if they were to have trouble conceiving. Beim pointed out that by the time many women start thinking about ways to raise their chances of getting pregnant, they're already beyond the ideal fertility window.

As Beim knows firsthand after struggling to to get pregnant herself, a big part of family planning is taking action early, when there's plenty of time to get additional support. That support could include diagnostic testing or interventions like IVF. That's why the new tool is free and easily accessible

"This is an area where early interventions really matter," Beim said.

The new test is designed to get more women thinking about fertility earlier, and have more options as a result.

"Having this as a companion — that's the future," Beim said.

SEE ALSO: The founder of a woman-led biotech startup explains how she raised $60 million when 98% of venture capital dollars go to men

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NOW WATCH: The world is running out of sand — and there's a black market for it now

Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's stance on Roe v. Wade could be hinted at in an undocumented teen's abortion case

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Brett Kavanaugh

  • Brett Kavanaugh has been nominated to succeed Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court. Kennedy was a swing vote in favor of abortion rights but it's unclear what Kavanaugh's stance on Roe v. Wade actually is.
  • Kennedy's retirement has sparked fears that the Supreme Court would roll back abortion rights for women in the US.
  • Kavanaugh has never publicly mentioned his opinions on abortion, but he recently wrote against a decision to let an undocumented teenager seek an abortion while in custody.


Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh previously voted against giving an undocumented teen access to abortion in a key case, which may provide insight into his opinions of abortion rights in the US.

In a high-profile case involving abortion late last year, Kavanaugh wrote in dissent of a decision from the DC Circuit's full bench to permit a 17-year-old undocumented immigrant to seek an abortion while in federal custody.

The Trump administration had denied the teen's request, saying it did not want to be "facilitating" abortions for unaccompanied minors. Kavanaugh argued that the majority "badly erred" in their decision to allow the process anyway.Brett Kavanaugh

He characterized the ruling as creating a new right for undocumented immigrant minors in US custody to receive "immediate abortion on demand."

Kavanaugh, along with two GOP-appointed colleagues wrote: "The Government has permissible interests in favoring fetal life, protecting the best interests of a minor, and refraining from facilitating abortion," adding that the decision was "a radical extension of the Supreme Court’s abortion jurisprudence."

This previous case may indicate how he could rule in future cases involving abortion.

Supreme Court Where they stand Roe v Wade marriage

The retirement of Anthony Kennedy, the justice whom Kavanaugh was chosen to replace, has prompted speculation that the Supreme Court could roll back abortion rights under the Trump administration.

Kennedy has long been a swing vote to in favour of abortion rights. Trump has said he would appoint a justice who would reverse Roe v Wade, a landmark 1973 case that granted women in the US the right to have abortions across the country.

During a hearing on his nomination to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, Kavanaugh declined to give his personal opinion on Roe v Wade, saying only that he would uphold the Supreme Court's current decision on the case.

Watch the exchange below:

In October 2016, then-candidate Trump said when asked about whether he would overturn Roe v Wade: "If we put another two or perhaps three justices on, that's really what's going to be — that will happen.

"And that'll happen automatically, in my opinion, because I am putting pro-life justices on the court. I will say this: It will go back to the states, and the states will then make a determination."

Trump Roe V Wade_2x1

Kennedy's retirement paves the way for Trump's second Supreme Court appointment. Last year the president appointed Neil Gorsuch after the Senate refused to consider Barack Obama's nomination, Merrick Garland, to replace the late Antonin Scalia.

According to the Judicial Common Space, which scores US justices and judges on their ideology, Kavanaugh's ideology falls to the right of Justices Gorsuch and Samuel Alito, but to the left of Clarence Thomas.

SEE ALSO: Donald Trump nominates Brett Kavanaugh to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court

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NOW WATCH: Why the North Korea summit mattered even if it was 'mostly a photo op'

The 15 movies that made $1 billion at the box office the fastest, including 'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom'

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jurassic world fallen kingdom

On Friday, "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" passed several films on this list to become one of the fastest movies to earn $1 billion at the global box office.

The "Jurassic World" sequel accomplished this feat in well under a month, which only 14 other films have ever done, including 2015's "Jurassic World."

Universal's "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" is one of three movies to cross the $1 billion mark just this year. Disney's "Black Panther" and "Avengers: Infinity War" both stormed on to this list earlier this year.

We ranked these movies by the days it took each film to gross $1 billion worldwide, and we used each film's gross on the day it passed $1 billion to break any ties. 

Here are the 15 movies that made $1 billion at the global box office in less than a month:

SEE ALSO: 'Sorry to Bother You' is a wild ride that critics are calling one of 2018's best comedy movies

15. "Beauty and the Beast" — 29 days

Release date: March 17, 2017

Date it crossed $1 billion:April 12, 2017

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



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

Release date: April 27, 2016

Date it crossed $1 billion: May 20, 2016

Box office total: $1,153,304,495
 



13. "Black Panther" — 24 days

Release date: February 16, 2018

Date it crossed $1 billion:March 11, 2018

Box office total: $1,346,529,123
 
 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

People with autoimmune diseases may be more likely to develop psychosis, according to new research

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woman scared hiding

  • Psychotic disorders are mental disorders that cause abnormal thinking and perceptions, such as schizophrenia.
  • According to new research, people with autoimmune disorders, like type 1 diabetes, could be at a higher risk of developing psychosis.
  • There are a few possible reasons why this could be, including inflammation and genetic factors.
  • The study is important because it provides further evidence there is a link, so doctors can be more vigilant about looking out for psychotic symptoms.


What exactly causes autoimmune diseases — where the body mistakenly targets and attacks its own tissues — is a bit of a mystery. But what is known is that if you have one autoimmune disorder, such as type 1 diabetes, an overactive or underactive thyroid, or multiple sclerosis, your chances of developing another one are higher.

The reasons for why this could be are murky, but studies have shown it could be because "people with several autoimmune diseases have a particularly susceptible gene pool," according to Chaim Putterman, an immunology researcher in an article for U.S. News & World Report.

According to the research of Alexis E Cullen, a postdoctoral fellow in the department of psychosis studies at King's College London, people with autoimmune diseases are also more likely to develop psychosis.

In an article for The Conversation, Cullen wrote about previous research that has been inconclusive about whether there is a relationship between autoimmune disorders and psychosis. So in a new study, published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, she and her team decided to conduct a meta-analysis of several studies to see if they could get a clearer picture. They looked at 30 different studies, containing data on 25 million people overall.

The team were particularly interested in autoimmune diseases that target the body as opposed to the brain, so they gathered data from all non-neurological autoimmune disorders. Overall, people with any autoimmune disorder were 40% more likely to have a psychotic disorder, like schizophrenia.

Rheumatoid arthritis date was omitted from the first part of the study because previous research has found there is a negative association, meaning the rates of rheumatoid arthritis are lower in people with psychosis than in the rest of the general population.

When looking at specific disorders in the second part of the study, psychosis was more prevalent in people who had pernicious anaemia (a vitamin B12 deficiency), pemphigoid (a blistering disease), psoriasis (a skin disorder), coeliac disease (gluten allergy), and Graves' disease (a thyroid problem).

In comparison, psychosis was less likely in those who had rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis (arthritis of the spine), giving further evidence that these disorders could protect against psychosis.

Cullen said there are a range of possibilities for the connection, including inflammation. But this wouldn't explain why certain types of arthritis are negatively associated with psychosis.

"Although all autoimmune disorders activate the body's immune system, the exact response differs depending on the disorder," she wrote. "This might go some way to explaining why we found different relationships for individual autoimmune disorders, and suggests that inflammation cannot be the only mechanism."

There may also be a genetic factor. Or there could be involvement from newly discovered antibodies that attack brain cells.

The reasons people develop psychotic disorders is already complicated — researchers don't yet fully understand what causes schizophrenia, for example. There's also evidence of people experiencing psychosis at very high altitudes, such as when climbing Mount Everest.

Whatever the causes, Cullen said the new study provides stronger evidence that a relationship between autoimmune diseases and psychosis does exist. She added that the results will help gain a better understanding of the risk of psychosis because then doctors can monitor people closer for certain symptoms.

"This is important because early intervention has been shown to improve long-term outcomes for people in the initial stages of a psychotic disorder," she said.

SEE ALSO: Being schizophrenic doesn't mean you have multiple personalities — here's how to tell the difference

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NOW WATCH: Super-Earths are real and they could be an even better place for life than Earth

I visited Whataburger, a Texas chain with a cult following, for the first time. Here's what it's like.

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Whataburger

  • Whataburger is a Texas burger chain with a cult following.
  • As an East Coaster, I'd never visited Whataburger — until a recent road trip.
  • After eating at Whataburger, I understood why Texans are obsessed with the chain. 

The legend of Whataburger has spread far beyond Texas.

Whataburger has a larger-than-life presence in the Lone Star State. It's a regional burger chain that shines bright as a point of pride in a region that's better known for its Tex-Mex cuisine. Even first lady Melania Trump had to stop by Whataburger when she visited Texas in December.

However, as a New York City dweller, I had never visited Whataburger. Sure, I've tried almost every burger chain in the business — Shake Shack, Five Guys, even In-N-Out — but Whataburger had remained a mystery.

So on a recent road trip that started in Dallas, I decided it was time to find out what I was missing.

Here's a coastal elite's take on a Texas chain that has the grit to take on any burger chain on either side of the Mississippi:

SEE ALSO: IHOP has officially changed its name back from IHOb and is slashing the price of pancakes

The first thing that catches my eye at Whataburger is the variety on the menu. What burger should I get? Do I need to try some chicken? Fries or onion rings? I'm overwhelmed — and according to my editor, I make a fatal mistake by failing to order taquitos, a rare find at a burger chain.



Fortunately, Whataburger's service has a soothing quality. The workers give me a number to take to my table and promise that food will follow.



An employee even brings over ketchup options for me! Honestly, I'm not sure if they're this nice to everyone or they can tell I'm flustered from driving through Dallas' maze of highways after five years of traveling exclusively via public transportation, but it's appreciated either way. The spicy ketchup is also very good — a classic with a kick.



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Elon Musk celebrates completed rescue mission of Thai boys soccer team from flooded cave

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  • Elon Musk said it was "great news" that the soccer team that has been trapped in caves in Thailand had been rescued on Tuesday.
  • His tweet comes after he posted photos from inside the Tham Luang Cave in Chiang Rai.
  • Musk had previously said he wanted to help with the rescue mission in any way he could.
  • The Thai boys soccer team and their coach spent more than two weeks in the cave before being rescued.
  • SEE ALSO: Meet the 25-year-old coach of the Thai soccer team who was trapped in a cave for 17 days

Billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk applauded the rescue of a Thai boys soccer team and their coach after they were saved from a flooded cave in northern Thailand.

"Great news that they made it out safely. Congratulations to an outstanding rescue team!" he tweeted Tuesday morning. "The team did extremely well. Sub will be useful in future operations."

It comes after he posted photos from inside the Tham Luang Cave in Chiang Rai on the final day of rescue operations.

He shared images and video as four members of the soccer team, as well as their coach, were still trapped inside.

He also shared video on Instagram, showing people wearing headlamps wading through water and guided by ropes.

Musk had been posting about wanting to help the rescue efforts in Thailand in days prior, and he traveled to the Southeast Asian country as the mission was underway.

"Elon and the team visited the tunnel last night to assess the conditions and get further feedback on the mini-submarine, in case it was used as a backup option," SpaceX told Business Insider on Tuesday.

Musk had said that his mini submarine could be put to use during the rescue mission if necessary.

Divers, however, rescued the remaining boys and their 25-year-old coach without the help of Musk's submarine.

The 12-boy soccer team and their coach were rescued after surviving 17 days inside the flooded cave in northern Thailand.

The final boy and the team's coach were brought out of the cave at 6:50 p.m. local time on Tuesday.

The Thai navy celebrated the completed mission on Facebook with their slogan "Hooyah!", adding that it was a "miraculous" rescue.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Learning to celebrate failure at a young age led to this billionaire's success

Coffee cocktails, bottomless Champagne, and lunch with Andre Agassi: Here's what it's like to attend Wimbledon as a VIP

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Rafa Nadal wins at Wimbledon

Watching the Wimbledon Championships live is an experience like no other in sport.

Wimbledon is the oldest of the tennis majors and takes place at the prestigious All England Club every summer — usually for a two week period from late June to early July.

There are multiple matches going on at the same time, so fans who arrive early can enjoy tennis from 11 a.m. onwards.

However, the traditions at the tournament are what really makes it — from white outfits to Pimms to strawberries and cream.

Nowhere is this more apparently than in the VIP area, which adds a whole new element of grandeur to the sporting festivities — free Champagne included.

As Business Insider UK's Sports Reporter, I attended Wimbledon in the VIP area. Keep scrolling to see what it was like.

SEE ALSO: 'Beer everywhere': World Cup fever has gripped the Wimbledon locker room as players watch penalty shootouts in local bars

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Welcome to the Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the most prestigious sports venues in England. As Business Insider UK's Sports Reporter, I was invited to a VIP day at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London, so I decided to detail the experience from beginning to end.



I alighted at Southfields underground train station, which is on the District Line network and is approximately 45 minutes south-west of Business Insider's bureau in London. As soon as you get off the train, you immediately get caught up in the Wimbledon spirit as the station is decorated with themed advertisements.



Just outside the station there is a black cab taxi service that can shuttle fans to the Wimbledon gates, at a cost of £2.50 ($3.31) for a single trip. Not bad, to be fair.



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Meet the 25-year-old coach of the Thai soccer team who was trapped in a cave for 17 days — here's what could happen to him now that they've all been rescued

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Thai cave boys

  • Ekapol Chanthawong, 25, is the coach of the Thai soccer team who was trapped in the Tham Luang cave for 17 days.
  • Parents are not likely to sue Chanthawong over his leading their children into the cave, Thai lawyers told Business Insider. But one local authority suggested they may seek a lawsuit.
  • Chanthawong spent a decade in a Buddhist monastery, and parents are crediting him for keeping their children calm and safe during the two-week ordeal. 

For 17 days, 12 Thai boys, ages 11 to 16, were trapped in a cave in northern Thailand. They were there with Ekapol Chanthawong, 25, the assistant coach of the boys' soccer team.

Chanthawong took the boys about 2 1/2 miles into the cave after a soccer game on June 23 for an initiation ritual in which they would write their names on the cave wall, a rescue diver said.

But heavy rains fell, trapping the team in the cave for about two weeks. On Tuesday, all 12 of the boys and Chanthawong were finally freed from the cave after several days of rescue operations.

Despite the dangerous situation the boys were in, lawyers from Thailand have told Business Insider they doubt that Chanthawong will face charges.

"I personally believe that the coach would not face criminal charges," said Chatnarin Bumpenwattana, an associate lawyer at JTJB International Lawyers, a law firm based in Bangkok.

"All parents would be very likely to forgive the coach for this action," another Bangkok-based lawyer said.

Thai law also takes a defendant's intent into consideration, a criminal-law attorney named Ananchai Chaiyadech told the Thai newspaper Khao Sod last week. And the coach doesn't appear to have intended to put the boys in danger.

"The mood in Thailand is very protective towards the assistant coach," a US-based lawyer who worked in Thailand for an international development organization told Business Insider. "Instead of the parents and the public going to a place of finding someone to blame, they might support and appreciate the assistant coach in an equally unreserved way."

Charges are still possible, but unlikely

Thailand cave rescue onlookersThe chief of the police station whose jurisdiction includes the cave said he hadn't ruled out charging the coach, Khao Sod reported.

"We have to study the matter carefully first," Col. Komsan Saard-an, the chief of Mae Sai Police Station, told Khao Sod.

Reuters reported that many Thais had been critical of the coach and what they say was he and the boys' recklessness — particularly as international volunteers were involved in the rescue.

"There was a big sign outside the cave but they still went in," one person wrote on the Thai website Pantip, according to Reuters. "They should be scolded."

Thailand's prime minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, told Thai media the emphasis should be on a safe rescue and ensuring the team's psychological recovery, USA Today reported.

As for the parents, the coach's care of the children is a key reason they may not press charges. He's said to have given the boys part of his limited food rations and had taught them how to meditate.

"At first, he got lots of blame," Bumpenwattana told Business Insider. "But the news appeared that he properly took care of the children and ... that he gave his food to the children, so there is not much anger against him right now."

Videos captured by Thai navy SEAL divers and disseminated to the media last week show the boys in good spirits after rescuers found them in the cave, though they appeared weak. Some parents have told news outlets that they attributed the children's calmness to the coach.

"If he didn't go with them, what would have happened to my child?" one mother told Thai television, as reported by News Corp Australia. "When he comes out, we have to heal his heart.

"My dear Ek," she said, using Chanthawong's nickname, "I would never blame you."

'He loves those boys very much'

coach

Chanthawong had a harrowing childhood — when he was 10, an illness swept his hometown in northern Thailand, leaving his 7-year-old brother, mother, and father dead, News Corp Australia reported.

Umporn Sriwichai, his aunt, told The Australian that Chanthawong was "a sad and lonely little boy" after the death of his parents and brother, according to News Corp Australia. He lived in a Buddhist monastery, keeping to Thai tradition, for 10 years, starting from age 12.

"He taught the boys in the cave to do their meditation," Sriwichai told The Australian. "The first time the English divers found them, the boys were meditating. The students told the rescuers that Akeake" — another of Chanthawong's nicknames — "taught them how to do meditation to preserve the energy in their bodies."

She continued: "I know he would be keeping the boys calm and happy. He loves those boys very much because he lost his father when he was very young."

SEE ALSO: ALIVE: All 12 boys and their coach are safely out of the Thai caves after a 17-day ordeal that gripped the world

DON'T MISS: This diagram shows exactly how the Thai soccer team were rescued from the caves

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NOW WATCH: One of your most important career decisions is who you have kids with

An airline passenger was caught trying to smuggle a python on a plane by hiding it inside a hard drive at Miami International Airport

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TSA Snake

  • TSA agents in Miami stopped a traveler from smuggling a snake onto a plane bound for Barbados on Monday. 
  • A TSA spokeswoman said, "the 'good catch' elucidates that we are skilled at finding even hidden threats." 
  • Neither the snake nor traveler boarded the plane. 

TSA agents at Miami International Airport found a slithery surprise when they checked one passenger's external hard drive, where they found a live python hidden away inside the interior. The Transportation Security Agency (TSA) announced on Monday that a passenger flying from Miami to the Grantly Adams International Airport in Barbados tried to sneak a snake on the plane through her checked luggage.

In a public social media post, the TSA wrote, "While the python itself posed no danger to anyone on the aircraft, an organic item concealed inside electronics raises security concerns, which is why our officers took a closer look."

It is not clear yet why the passenger tried to smuggle the snake on board or if she was aware this violated safety protocols. 

"The snake, that didn’t get on a plane thanks to our officers' diligent screening, had been artfully concealed inside the electronics of a hard drive and placed in a checked bag headed for a flight to Barbados," TSA southeastern regional spokeswoman, Sari Koshetz, told Business Insider in a statement. 

"Upon a TSA officer’s discovery of the organic mass, one of our TSA bomb experts was called into the baggage screening room to investigate the innards of the hard drive and that is when he discovered the mass was a live snake," Koshetz said.

Koshetz said that even though the snake inside the electronic device "was obviously not an imminent terrorist threat to the traveling public," its interception helped stop a potential wildlife threat. 

"Animals of many species have been known to escape and chew through wires with fatal results," Koshetz said.

The TSA confirmed that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service was notified, who appeared on the scene and took possession of both the snake and the passenger. The traveler was fined an undisclosed amount and did not end up making the flight

Neither officials at Miami International Airport nor at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service responded to Business Insider when asked for a comment.

On Tuesday, the TSA posted a shot on Instagram of the snake inside the portable hard drive. Alongside the photograph was a playful and highly sarcastic message referencing TSA Agent Neville Flynn, a fictional character played by Samuel L. Jackson in the 2006 smash-hit "Snakes on a Plane." 

Agent Neville Flynn would be extremely proud of our officers at the Miami International Airport (MIA). You see, Agent Flynn has HAD IT with snakes on planes, and our officers prevented a young Ball Python from flying the friendly skies this past Sunday. ... A traveler on her way to the Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI) in Barbados attempted to smuggle the snakelet inside of an external hard drive packed in her checked bag. If you think airplane seats can feel constricting, imagine how this little guy felt! Talk about bad memories! … While the python itself posed no danger to anyone on the aircraft, an organic item concealed inside electronics raises security concerns, which is why our officers took a closer look. … The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service ( @USFWS ) was notified. They responded and took possession of the snake and cited the traveler. Both the traveler and the snake missed their flight. … Conversationally, this python had not gone full monty. It was wearing a nylon stocking. … #SnakesOnPlane #SnakesAlmostOnAPlane #MIA #BGI #Miami #Barbados

A post shared by TSA (@tsa) on Jul 9, 2018 at 3:25pm PDT on

 

SEE ALSO: A man tried to sneak a knife through airport security by hiding it in a shampoo bottle

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NOW WATCH: Expanding Warren Buffett’s value investing approach to the socially responsible sector

I tried an app that lets you order birth control pills online for free — and it's a game-changer

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erin brodwin

Getting birth control pills is no easy task. 

But a handful of apps is hoping to change that. They're designed to let you order birth control from your smartphone or computer in just a few minutes — no doctor's visit required.

Having been on birth control for a decade, I decided to try out one of the apps, called Nurx, for myself. 

On Tuesday, Nurx announced it raised $36 million with help from some top Silicon Valley venture capital firms including Kleiner Perkins, Union Square Ventures, and the tech startup accelerator Y Combinator. Chelsea Clinton also joined the company's board of directors.

Here's how my Nurx experience went.

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I've been taking "the pill" for a decade. This popular type of birth control, which involves a daily pill, works by keeping eggs (or "ova") from leaving the ovaries.



Birth control is important for many reasons — first and foremost for preventing unwanted pregnancies — but I was prescribed it for a slightly atypical reason: Shortly after starting my period for the first time, I stopped menstruating for five months.



This phenomenon, known as amenorrhea, has a variety of causes, but my doctors chalked it up to the fact that I was (and still am) highly physically active and below-average weight.

Sources: University of Southern California Fertility InstituteMayo Clinic



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