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Supermodel Coco Rocha Is Still Waiting On A Paycheck From 2006

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Coco_Rocha_at_Louis_Vuitton

It's no secret: Modeling isn't exactly constant jet-setting glamour, parties, and free clothes. From a lack of legal protection to less-than-ideal compensation, it can be a rough gig.

But we always assumed that once you make it big, those problems go away fast — who would dare mess with an industry icon like, say, Coco Rocha? 

Well, we thought wrong.

Rocha is one of the most recognizable names and faces in fashion right now, and she's done everything from couture to reality TV. And best of all, she's an advocate for The Model Alliance, a group fighting for model's rights and educating fresh faces about what they can do to take control of their careers.

While speaking about the modeling business at Columbia Law School on Thursday, Coco explained that despite her pro-status, she's made a lot of the mistakes she warns against — like not having a copy of her own contract until very recently.

But she's stuck to her guns, and even though she's known for having one of the most specific contracts out there, she's made it work: "When I first started modeling, I was told I needed to do pretty much anything to be successful. I had to pick, do I want to be successful? Or do I want to keep to my morals and my values, which, to me, was very important; but I was 14, so I was very easily persuaded." But she eventually told her agent: "This is who I am. Can you work with this? If not, I'll just go back and be an Irish dancing nerd." 

The craziest part of her story? Even Coco has to fight to get paid. She says she's still waiting on a paycheck from 2006. Though she seems to be getting by without it, it's just ridiculous that the players in this industry don't have the same standards that every other business has (though actors frequently experience the same problem both in NYC and in LA).

All we can say is this: Props to Coco for having the guts to stand up for herself and her fellow models, at her own risk. Here's to hoping her influential voice gets heard by the people with the power to change things. 

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Nothing Will Stop The Self-Driving Car From Taking Over The Roads

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audi tt self-drive

SOME inventions, like some species, seem to make periodic leaps in progress.

The car is one of them. Twenty-five years elapsed between Karl Benz beginning small-scale production of his original Motorwagen and the breakthrough, by Henry Ford and his engineers in 1913, that turned the car into the ubiquitous, mass-market item that has defined the modern urban landscape.

By putting production of the Model T on moving assembly lines set into the floor of his factory in Detroit, Ford drastically cut the time needed to build it, and hence its cost. Thus began a revolution in personal mobility.

Almost a billion cars now roll along the world’s highways.

Today the car seems poised for another burst of evolution. One way in which it is changing relates to its emissions. As emerging markets grow richer, legions of new consumers are clamouring for their first set of wheels. For the whole world to catch up with American levels of car ownership, the global fleet would have to quadruple. Even a fraction of that growth would present fearsome challenges, from congestion and the price of fuel to pollution and global warming.

Yet, as our special report this week argues, stricter regulations and smarter technology are making cars cleaner, more fuel-efficient and safer than ever before. China, its cities choked in smog, is following Europe in imposing curbs on emissions of noxious nitrogen oxides and fine soot particles. Regulators in most big car markets are demanding deep cuts in the carbon dioxide emitted from car exhausts. And carmakers are being remarkably inventive in finding ways to comply.

Granted, battery-powered cars have disappointed. They remain expensive, lack range and are sometimes dirtier than they look—for example, if they run on electricity from coal-fired power stations. But car companies are investing heavily in other clean technologies. Future motorists will have a widening choice of super-efficient petrol and diesel cars, hybrids (which switch between batteries and an internal-combustion engine) and models that run on natural gas or hydrogen. As for the purely electric car, its time will doubtless come.

Towards the driverless, near-crashless car

Meanwhile, a variety of “driver assistance” technologies are appearing on new cars, which will not only take a lot of the stress out of driving in traffic but also prevent many accidents. More and more new cars can reverse-park, read traffic signs, maintain a safe distance in steady traffic and brake automatically to avoid crashes. Some carmakers are promising technology that detects pedestrians and cyclists, again overruling the driver and stopping the vehicle before it hits them. A number of firms, including Google, are busy trying to take driver assistance to its logical conclusion by creating cars that drive themselves to a chosen destination without a human at the controls. This is where it gets exciting.

Sergey Brin, a co-founder of Google, predicts that driverless cars will be ready for sale to customers within five years. That may be optimistic, but the prototypes that Google already uses to ferry its staff (and a recent visitor from The Economist) along Californian freeways are impressive. Google is seeking to offer the world a driverless car built from scratch, but it is more likely to evolve, and be accepted by drivers, in stages.

As sensors and assisted-driving software demonstrate their ability to cut accidents, regulators will move to make them compulsory for all new cars. Insurers are already pressing motorists to accept black boxes that measure how carefully they drive: these will provide a mass of data which is likely to show that putting the car on autopilot is often safer than driving it. Computers never drive drunk or while texting.

If and when cars go completely driverless—for those who want this—the benefits will be enormous. Google gave a taste by putting a blind man in a prototype and filming him being driven off to buy takeaway tacos. Huge numbers of elderly and disabled people could regain their personal mobility. The young will not have to pay crippling motor insurance, because their reckless hands and feet will no longer touch the wheel or the accelerator. The colossal toll of deaths and injuries from road accidents—1.2m killed a year worldwide, and 2m hospital visits a year in America alone—should tumble down, along with the costs to health systems and insurers.

Driverless cars should also ease congestion and save fuel. Computers brake faster than humans. And they can sense when cars ahead of them are braking. So driverless cars will be able to drive much closer to each other than humans safely can. On motorways they could form fuel-efficient “road trains”, gliding along in the slipstream of the vehicle in front. People who commute by car will gain hours each day to work, rest or read a newspaper.

Roadblocks Ahead

Some carmakers think this vision of the future is (as Henry Ford once said of history) bunk. People will be too terrified to hurtle down the motorway in a vehicle they do not control: computers crash, don’t they? Carmakers whose self-driving technology is implicated in accidents might face ruinously expensive lawsuits, and be put off continuing to develop it.

Yet many people already travel, unwittingly, on planes and trains that no longer need human drivers. As with those technologies, the shift towards driverless cars is taking place gradually. The cars’ software will learn the tricks that humans use to avoid hazards: for example, braking when a ball bounces into the road, because a child may be chasing it. Google’s self-driving cars have already clocked up over 700,000km, more than many humans ever drive; and everything they learn will become available to every other car using the software. As for the liability issue, the law should be changed to make sure that when cases arise, the courts take into account the overall safety benefits of self-driving technology.

If the notion that the driverless car is round the corner sounds far-fetched, remember that TV and heavier-than-air flying machines once did, too. One day people may wonder why earlier generations ever entrusted machines as dangerous as cars to operators as fallible as humans.

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WANTED: Paid Summer Events Intern

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business insider, bi, dng

Business Insider is looking for an awesome intern to join our events team this summer.

Don't be fooled by the term "intern." Our paid interns spend their time doing meaningful work: researching, analyzing, preparing decks and reports, prospecting, and more.

Working out of our NYC office it's not all work: We have lots of free snacks and a ping-pong table, where interns have been known to give full-timers a run for their money.

When it comes to qualifications, an events, digital media, or marketing background helps, as do strong analytic and writing skills. Excel and PPT are a must. Strong interest in the internet, events, social media, marketing, or sales are required.

From analytics to event logistics and prospecting for sponsorship leads, this internship will teach you how to bring the Business Insider brand to life at events.

Please email your cover letter and resume to Valerie Reimer at vreimer@businessinsider.com.

Interested in a internship but have never heard of Business Insider? Here's some reading on our company and where we're headed

SEE ALSO: Check out Business Insider's Events

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The Giants On These Enormous Billboards Make Real People Look Like Ants

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Natan Dvir Billboard Photo Zara

Israeli photographer Natan Dvir describes the advertising in New York City as a "kaleidoscopic commercial net" that covers and brands the city.

Those larger-than-life billboards are the focus of Dvir's current exhibition, in New York, titled "Coming Soon."

What is likely to be a foreigner's first impression of billboard-plastered New York City has become a facet of the cityscape that goes "virtually unnoticed" to New Yorkers, says Dvir.

The ads in this slideshow are photographed to show their relationship to the city's residents, who are miniaturized by the sheer size of the billboards that tower above them.

"People inhabiting the space underneath are pulled, unaware, into a staged set," says Dvir. He describes it as "the only medium that cannot be turned off" — an intriguing concept for the city that never sleeps.

This massive Zara ad is the title photo of Natan Dvir's upcoming exhibit, "Coming Soon."



The series explores the relationship between New Yorkers and the larger-than-life ads that surround them every day.



Natan Zvir was surprised by the scale and pervasiveness of the "commercial net" that covers New York City.



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Rich Chinese Buyers Customize Their Rolls-Royces In Crazy Ways

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rolls-royce spirt of esctasy hood ornament

From built-in fridges to partition walls, Rolls Royce owners in China are investing a sizable sum of cash to soup up the interiors of their ultra-luxury vehicles, the company's CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos said.

"In China, people are investing quite substantial money in the interior in the cars - not so much flashy colors on exteriors - very much interior driven: fridges, (safe) boxes, humidors, partition walls, are attractive in the market," Muller-Otvos told CNBC on the sidelines of the Shanghai Auto Sow on Friday.

Outside the mainland, he added, some high net worth individuals are going to even greater lengths to embellish their Phantom or Ghost, pointing to extravagances including starlight headliners, customized embroidery of family crests, jewelry boxes and champagne coolers as the most popular.

Muller-Otvos noted that while China - the company's second largest market after the United States - has witnessed a pullback in sales following the government's recent crackdown on conspicuous consumption among government officials, he is not worried about the slowdown in demand.

"We have seen a certain slowdown in demand. It may be a temporary effect, let's wait and see, I'm not really worried," he said.

Taking into account the growth in ultra-high net worth individuals in the world's second largest economy, that should signal a "bright future", he concluded.

China's ultra-high net worth population is expected to increase by 9 percent to 12,250 in 2013, while the combined net worth of these individuals will rise by 8 percent to reach $1.7 trillion, according to data from wealth intelligence firm Wealth X.

SEE ALSO: Go Inside The Plant Where Bombardier Builds Private Jets For The Rich

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It's Ridiculous How Desperate People Are To Keep Their Finances Private

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fan, hidingOne of the reasons financial literacy is so abysmally low among Americans is simply the fact that the subject itself is somewhat of a taboo.

Parents hide their financial woes from children to protect them. Spouses hide their financial mistakes to save face in front of their partners. And children grow up thinking money is a dirty word that parents fight about, that student loan applications are simply too confusing to bother deciphering, and that if they overdraw their bank accounts, then it must be the Big Bad bank's fault. 

It's a vicious cycle, and although the fallout from the Great Recession left most people a little more open to the idea of discussing their money woes, the improvement in the economy may be giving them an excuse to go mum again. 

The latest COUNTRY Financial Security Index® survey shows just how far consumers will go to get around opening up about their finances. 

More than 60% of Americans said they'd rather divulge their weight rather than talk about the state of their wallet. Not surprisingly, men turned out to be more self conscious about money than their pants size. Nearly 70% of the fellows said they'd rather fess up about their weight, compared to just 58% of women. 

But there's more to the picture. Men are more apt to lie about their finances in general –– 22% said they've lied about their money, versus 18% of women. 

The bottom line: It's high time Americans did away with the stigma surrounding personal finance. It's one thing to keep your salary private from coworkers, but the simple act of commiserating over financial strife can help send home to others –– including ourselves –– the most important message of all: We are not alone. We are not all idiots. We are all in this mess together.

Helaine Olen, the author of "Pound Foolish: Exposing the Dark Side of the Personal Finance Industry," says it best in the final paragraph of her book: 

"If honesty about our personal prospects helps us as individuals, imagine what such a thing could do fo us collectively. It could empower us to insist on changes that will benefit us all."

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8 Exceptional Places To Visit In The US For Less

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Skywalk platform at the Grand CanyonWhether you're the type of traveler who loves to plan ahead or someone who prefers more spontaneous adventures, knowing when to visit some of America's most iconic destinations is almost as important as where -- especially if you'd like to get the most for your money.

Simply going in the offseason isn't good enough, especially if you want to enjoy the major highlights that make a city or national park enjoyable, says Anne Banas, executive editor of SmarterTravel.com. For example, while rates for New England's beaches are lower in the winter, many of the crab and fish shacks will be closed, she says -- so no lobster roll for you.

"You want to be able to do all the things you want to do and still get a good deal," she says. "You have to find that right combination."

Read on to get some expert tips about the best times to visit some of the country's top tourist attractions without splurging too much.

1. Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard, Mass.

When to go: Late May/early June

Why visit: Lighthouses, saltwater taffy and fresh sea air: When it comes to finding the perfect stretch of shoreline, it's hard to beat Massachusetts, either on Cape Cod or one of the nearby islands. Travel expert John DiScala, of JohnnyJet.com and host of the Travel Channel's "Hot Spots 2012," visits Nantucket in the early summer, before the masses arrive. "There're no traffic jams, you can get reservations at restaurants, (and) there are discounts on B&Bs and house rentals," he says.

Banas agrees: "Martha's Vineyard has great deals in May and June. Maybe the kids aren't quite out of school yet, but it can be the best time to go and have some awesome weather -- without the horrible crowds." Prices are particularly friendly before Memorial Day. If you visit during the school year, go for stays during the week instead of over the weekend.



2. Hawaii

When to go: Late spring/early fall

Why visit: On a cold winter day, who doesn't dream of the swaying palm trees, ocean beaches and a local "Aloha" that make the islands special? The price of paradise is often punishing, however. "Hawaii doesn't have a true offseason," Banas says, noting that the winter draws sun-seekers while the summer attracts honeymooners and families. "But there is a softer season." April and May, as well as September, October and November, are generally less expensive (but make sure to depart before the holidays begin).

Another tip from Banas: Instead of cramming a bunch of islands into your trip, pick just one or two, so you can "sink in and enjoy everything." On Oahu, she recommends making the drive to the North Shore. "That's where the great surfers are. It's quintessential Hawaii."



3. South Florida

When to go: Early to mid-January

Why visit: From funky art galleries in Key West and the "river of grass" that makes up the Everglades to the art deco architecture of Miami, South Florida offers "something for everyone," DiScala says.

He says that second week of January is traditionally a "dead week" for travel, and people can save big on airfare and hotels while beating the snowbird rush. "It's still freezing cold in the Northeast and Midwest. But during dead week, the hotels are cheaper. You can get reservations at restaurants."

For those who have travel fatigue after the holidays, plan a trip in late March, April or early May, when the temperatures are still pleasant and hotels drop their rates after spring break.



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The 12 Worst Supermarkets In America

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empty grocery store shelves shopping cartNot all supermarkets are created equal. For many Americans, stopping by a chain supermarket has become a major chore, involving long lines, rude employees, unsanitary conditions and poor selection. 

Consumer Reports recently conducted a survey of more than 24,000 shoppers to rank the best and worst out of 52 grocery store chains – and the results show just how disappointing customer experience can be at some megastores.

Back in 1930, King Kullen Grocery Company in New York’s Long Island became the first supermarket (though some have disputed the claim) that offered a one-stop-shopping experience for groceries. Today, Walmart is currently the largest grocer, accounting for 22 percent of American food sales in 2010, followed by Kroger, Costco and Safeway. The portion of the market taken up by the four largest grocers in the U.S. continues to increase – accounting for 37 percent of food sales in 2010, up from less than 4 percent in 1912. 

The consolidation has given consumers fewer shopping options – more than half of those surveyed by Consumer Reports had at least one complaint about their current store, while nearly a third cited two or more issues. The biggest complaint was a lack of open checkouts, followed by crowded or dirty aisles.

More from the Fiscal Times:

12. Stop & Shop

Reader Score: 73

Location: NY, NJ, MA, RI, CT, PA

Year Founded: 1914 as Shopmate, 1947 as Stop & Shop

Despite its slogan “Great Food. Low Prices. Friendly Service,” Stop & Shop received only slightly-above average marks when it came to cleanliness, but mediocre scores on price, the quality of meat and produce, and service, which is to say, they’re not necessarily doing anything wrong, but they’re not doing much right.



11. ACME

Reader Score: 73
Location: PA, NJ, DE, MD
Year Founded: 1891

Acme’s shortcoming was on price, which received a less-than-satisfactory rating, though survey respondents were fairly satisfied with cleanliness, and neutral on food quality and service. Facing increased competition from other supermarkets, Acme laid off 900 part-time workers in 2010, and recently ended their popular “free Thanksgiving turkey” program for loyal customers to cut costs.



10. Ralph's

Reader Score: 73 
Location: Southern CA
Year Founded: 1873

Ralphs, a subsidiary of Cincinnati-based Kroger and the oldest supermarket chain in the west, had similar marks as Stop & Shop – mediocre on everything but cleanliness, which was just above average. Ralphs had a strong presence in Northern California for years, but closed down all of their remaining northern locations in 2006.



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This New Portrait Website Reveals What Total Strangers Think Of You

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selfless portraits main image

While Facebook may connect people across the globe its novelty is starting to wear off. 

Ivan Cash, a freelance interactive artist and Jeff Greenspan, BuzzFeed's chief creative officer, have dreamed dreamed up an amazing concept that builds perfectly on Facebook's ability to bring people together.

What if you could have a complete stranger draw your profile picture based on how they interpreted you?

The duo started a project called Selfless Portraits, a collaborative art initiative that takes advantage of Facebook's 1 billion user audience to bring together random people in a raw, almost vulnerable way, and that's a good thing.

Greenspan explained to Business Insider his inspiration for Selfless Portraits: 

Facebook is such a prominent part of our culture these days and we use it because we want to be more connected with our friends, our acquaintances, and our family. And yet, the reality is that sometimes it’s difficult to really make a meaningful connection with someone through the Facebook platform. It has its limitations. It encourages breath over depth.

Click here to head straight to some of Selfless Portraits most interesting photos >

Selfless Portraits has been live for just two months and its goal is to bridge the gap between technology and humanity.

After signing up, users upload their Facebook profile to be hand drawn by another Facebook user somewhere else in the world. 

selfless portraits facebook merge

But don't worry if you don't have the skills of Picasso. The community includes both amateurs and professionals. In order to receive a finished product both parties must complete and upload the drawing of their randomly-assigned subject. The assigned drawings aren't one on one, meaning you won't necessarily be paired with the same person who draws your photo.

You may be wondering why Selfless Portraits doesn't allow you to chose who you get to draw or why you can't draw your friends, Greenspan explains:

There’s something really exciting about the concept of a stranger that represents the unknown, the mysterious, but also the possibility of a connection, whereas a Facebook friend is already a known connection. While this project admittedly might have been more popular if it was people drawing their friends, there’s something much more powerful and hopefully inspiring about having strangers come together and collaborating remotely.

The response so far has been really positive, after two months they site has amassed over 20,000 drawings from over 115 countries around the world.

"We've been floored by the level of creativity," Cash said. "We thought we had a good handle on how the site was going to be used but the community has found ways of using the platform we never imagined."

For example, users have drawn a leg where an arm was supposed to be or an animals head on a human and vice versa.

selfless portraits

The two don't see the project expanding to platforms like Instagram or Twitter for now.

"What we really like about Facebook is the profile picture aspect," Greenspan said. "It's very different from the type of images that are on Twitter or Instagram like say for instance, one's breakfast. I'm not saying there isn't something to be done with those types of images too but for now Facebook fits perfectly with what we're trying to do." 

Cash and Greenspan stressed that they could not have done this project without the help of their producer, Luis Peña, and development company Rally Interactive.

This portrait of a gentleman from California was beautifully executed by someone from Brazil. " Facebook is such a prominent part of our culture these days and we use it because we want to be more connected with our friends, our acquaintances, and our family. And yet, the reality is that sometimes it’s difficult to really make a meaningful connection with someone through the Facebook platform. It has its limitations. It encourages breath over depth," creator Jeff Greenspan shares.



"The process of drawing a portrait and staring at someone’s face is magical. It’s not just about the final outcome. There’s also something really beautiful about the interaction that takes place in the making of: The artist studying another person’s face and creatively interpreting it," Greenspan says.



This portrait of a UK native was drawn by another user in Brazil. The interpretation is spot on.



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A Photographer Finds Beauty In Decaying Theaters Around The World [PHOTOS]

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Solis Theaters MichiganTheater

Julia Solis is a renowned photographer whose pictures of decaying theaters will be published in her upcoming book "Stages of Decay."

The unsettling images show 100 defunct stages from around the US and Europe. The buildings range from community centers to movie theaters to hospitals, but they all show crumbling edifices that Solis manages to make hauntingly beautiful.

Some of the deteriorating spaces still exist while others have since been destroyed. But either way, Solis makes the viewer feel as though they are the last to witness what was once a grand and glorious stage.

Palace Theatre in Gary, Indiana was built in 1925 and served as a movie theater until it was abandoned in 1972 after the town's US Steel plant went into decline.

Source: Palace Theatre Gary Indiana



Detroit's Eastown Theater was built in 1931, but degenerated in the '60s and '70s into a notorious drug den and rave site. It has stood abandoned since the late 1990s.

Source: Historic Detroit



The Hubert Elementary School building in Brightmoor, Michigan was built in 1921 and shut down in 2005. This is what remains of the kids' theater.

Source: Detroiturbex.com



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The Soviet Union Used These Posters To Stop Spies In The 1950s

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soviet spy poster

The Soviet Union was known for its intense propaganda art.

Messages varied from inspiring photos of space travel to heavy-handed warnings to potential spies.

Retronaut collected and translated a series of Soviet posters from the 1950s aimed at preventing information reaching U.S. spies inside the U.S.S.R.

1958: "Do not talk! Strictly keep the military and state secrets!"



1953: "Vigilance, our weapons!"



1954: "Gossip, gossip - the hands of the enemy!"



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Billionaire Steve Schwarzman Has Donated $100 Million To Start His Own Version Of The Rhodes Scholar

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Steve Schwarzman

Billionaire private equity tycoon Steve Schwarzman has donated $100 million to endow a scholarship program similar to the Rhodes Scholars at Tsinghua University in Beijing, according to a press release. 

Instead of Rhodes Scholars, the students will be called "Schwarzman Scholars." 

According to the release, the program will pay for 200 students every year to study for a one-year Master’s program at Tsinghua University.

Most of the students in the program will come from the U.S. They will also come from Europe, South Korea, Japan, India and other countries.

Schwarzman is seeking a $300 million endowment for the scholarship program. So far, he and other private donors have raised $200 million, the release said.

According to Tsinghua University, they will be constructing the teaching building for the program. It's being designed by Professor Robert Stern, the dean of the School of Architecture at Yale University (Schwarzman's alma mater). 

The building is scheduled to be completed by 2015 and the first class of Schwarzman Scholars is expected to be in 2016. 

Here's the full release

Blackstone founder Stephen A. Schwarzman today announced a $100 million (¥600 million) personal gift to build and endow an elite scholarship program in China inspired by the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship program created in 1902 by British statesman Cecil J. Rhodes. A simultaneous fundraising campaign with a goal of raising $200 million (¥1.2 billion) will make the program the largest charitable effort in China’s history with funds coming largely from outside the country. The “Schwarzman Scholars” program will be housed at Tsinghua University in Beijing, one of China’s most prestigious universities, dedicated to academic excellence and integrity, and the interaction between Chinese and Western cultures.

“Schwarzman Scholars will prepare future leaders to interact in a constructive and collaborative way - learning to balance healthy competition with being able to forge lasting partnerships.”

Said Stephen A. Schwarzman, “When Cecil J. Rhodes created the Rhodes Scholarship program in 1902 to promote international understanding, Europe was at the center of gravity for the world’s economy, and the United States, the British Empire and Germany were the world’s most influential global players. While the 20th century was defined by U.S. ties to Europe, there is no question that the nature of China’s international relationships will play at least as important a role in this century.”

He continued, “China’s economy is growing at three times the rate of the West, and if that growth continues, China will become the largest economy in the world within the next couple of decades. Disproportionate levels of growth often create global imbalances and tensions, which will need to be addressed in the decades ahead. Looking to the future, it is crucial that both countries and others around the world work hard to build on a foundation of interdependence, to foster stronger and deeper relationships, and to develop a real and full understanding of each other’s cultures among the next generations of business and political leaders. In the 21st century, China is no longer an elective course, it’s core curriculum.

“For the West, this means developing a far richer and more nuanced understanding of China’s social, political and economic context. A win-win relationship of mutual respect between the West and China is vital, benefiting Asia and the rest of the world, and enhancing economic ties that could lead to a new era of mutual prosperity.

“Leveraging the world-class resources and talented people at Tsinghua University, one of China’s most prestigious universities, the program will bring together an exceptional group of students who, we hope, will one day have the power to change the course of history.”

Schwarzman Scholars will support 200 students annually for a one-year Master’s program at Tsinghua University under the direction of Dean David Daokui Li, a prominent Chinese economist and former member of China’s currency board. Students will hail predominantly from the U.S., but also from Europe, South Korea, Japan, India and other areas of the globe. Students will live in Beijing for a year of study and cultural immersion, attending lectures by heads of state, traveling throughout the country, and developing a true understanding of China.

The first class of students is slated for 2016, upon the completion of Schwarzman College, a residential building designed specifically for the program. Robert A.M. Stern, Dean of Yale’s School of Architecture, designed the building, which is based on the residential colleges at Harvard, Yale, Oxford and Cambridge. The admissions season will open in 2015.

Schwarzman Scholars has a world-class Advisory Board whose members have unparalleled insight and experience in international policy and diplomatic challenges. Members of the Advisory Board include:

  • Nicolas Sarkozy, Former President of the French Republic (Honorary);
  • Anthony “Tony” Blair, Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (Honorary);
  • Brian Mulroney, Former Prime Minister of Canada (Honorary);
  • Kevin Rudd, Former Prime Minister of Australia (Honorary);
  • Tung CheeHwa, Vice Chairman of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (Honorary);
  • Henry Kissinger, 56th United States Secretary of State (Honorary);
  • Colin Powell, 65th United States Secretary of State (Honorary);
  • Condoleezza Rice, 66th United States Secretary of State (Honorary);
  • Henry “Hank” Paulson, 74th United States Secretary of the Treasury (Honorary);
  • Robert “Bob” Rubin, 70th United States Secretary of the Treasury, Co-Chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations (Honorary);
  • Sir James “Jim” Wolfensohn, 9th President of the World Bank Group (Honorary);
  • Richard Haass, President, Council on Foreign Relations (Honorary);
  • Richard “Rick” Levin, President of Yale University (Honorary);
  • Richard Brodhead, President, Duke University (Honorary);
  • Chen Ning Yang, Nobel Laureate and Honorary Director of the Institute of Advanced Study at Tsinghua University (Honorary);
  • John Thornton, Chairman of the Brookings Institution and Professor and Director of Global Leadership at Tsinghua University (Honorary);
  • Yo-Yo Ma, the renowned American cellist (Honorary); and
  • Iain Conn, Managing Director, BP plc.

Former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair commented: “Schwarzman Scholars will prepare future leaders to interact in a constructive and collaborative way - learning to balance healthy competition with being able to forge lasting partnerships.”

Said Ambassador Gary Locke, U.S. Ambassador to China: The Schwarzman Scholars program will help the United States and China strengthen ties in all aspects of our bilateral relationship by deepening mutual understanding between both countries, and by creating the interpersonal connections from which a shared vision of future engagement and cooperation can emerge.”

Added Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of State: “The rise of China presents both opportunities and challenges. The future of our countries is intertwined both economically and politically. There is no better way than through the development of the next generation of leaders to ensure mutual respect and understanding going forward. That is the critical mission of the Schwarzman Scholars.”

Said Henry Kissinger, former U.S. Secretary of State: “The rise of China is one of the central challenges of our time and as global citizens, we need to forge a deeper understanding between the U.S. and China, and diminish cultural biases to mitigate possible tensions and create opportunities for both countries. Close relationships, cultural understanding and open communication are required to sustain a peaceful world and to avoid conflict. Our hope is that, based on the knowledge, relationships and perspectives gained through this pivotal experience, Schwarzman Scholars will one day help shape the future of international discourse and interaction.”

Said Dr. John Hood, Chair of the Rhodes Trustees: “The Schwarzman Scholars program is visionary, timely and sure to capture the competitive enthusiasm of those who are among the most outstanding international and Chinese graduate students, in the same way as the world's great Scholarship programs have done during the past century.”

Additional endorsements can be found below.

Students will have a choice of four academic disciplines: Public Policy, International Relations, Economics & Business and Engineering. Additional disciplines will be added in future years. The academic program was developed in consultation with an Academic Advisory Council comprised of individuals from prestigious institutions of higher learning such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Duke and Oxford.

Said President Jining Chen of Tsinghua University: “The world is at an important crossroads that calls for institutions of higher education to step forward and play a significant role in shaping the future of international relations. Tsinghua is honored to partner with Mr. Schwarzman to establish a scholarship program that will help educate and prepare the next generation of global leaders.”

Said David Daokui Li, Dean of Schwarzman Scholars: “Constructive cooperation should be a key cornerstone of Sino-U.S. relations for the future, and I am very excited to join President Chen, Mr. Schwarzman and the illustrious Advisory Board of Schwarzman Scholars to build a new center for scholarship and international discourse.”

Members of the Academic Advisory Council are:

  • Mary Brown Bullock, Executive Vice Chancellor, Duke Kunshan University;
  • Dr. Michael Cappello, Professor of Pediatrics, Epidemiology, and Microbial Pathogenesis, Yale Program in International Child Health and Director, Yale World Fellows Program, Yale University;
  • Thomas J. Christensen, William P. Boswell Professor of World Politics of Peace and War and Director, China and the World Program and Faculty Chair, M.P.P. Program, Princeton University and Former Deputy Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs;
  • Jane Edwards, Associate Dean of Yale College, Dean of International and Professional Experience, Yale University;
  • Louis Goodman, Professor and Dean Emeritus, School of International Service, American University;
  • William C. Kirby, Spangler Family Professor of Business Administration, T.M. Chang Professor of China Studies, Harvard;
  • Sir Colin Lucas, Former Vice Chancellor, Oxford University;
  • Edward Macias, Provost, Washington University at St. Louis;
  • F. Warren McFarlan, Albert H. Gordon Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus, Harvard;
  • Jean C. Oi, William Haass Professor in Chinese Politics and a Senior Fellow of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University;
  • Steve Orlins, President, National Committee on U.S.-China Relations;
  • Susanne Weigelin-Schwiedrzik, Professor and Vice-Rector for Research and Career Development, University of Vienna;
  • Dr. Pauline Yu, President, American Council of Learned Societies;
  • Xinsheng Zhang, Former Vice Minister of Education; and
  • Dr. Ji Zhou, Former Minister of Education and President of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

As of April 21, 2013, the Schwarzman Scholars program has achieved $200 million (¥1.2 billion) toward its overall $300 million (¥1.8 billion) capital and endowment campaign goal. In addition to Mr. Schwarzman’s personal gift of $100 million (¥600 million), the program has succeeded in raising $100 million (¥600 million) from private donors over six months.

Cornerstone Partner donors include BP. Founding Partner donors include: Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation; EMC Corporation; and Ray Dalio. Partner donors include: Bank of AmericaMerrill Lynch; The Boeing Company; China Resources (Holdings) Company Ltd.; and GE. Funder donors include: Bloomberg Philanthropies; Digicel; J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.; and Margarita Louis-Dreyfus. Other donors include: Caterpillar; Credit Suisse; Deloitte LLP; Fluor Corporation; and Sun Capital Partners Foundation, Inc. There are numerous donors at various levels that have asked to be anonymous. The Chinese and other international markets will be approached for philanthropic support following the announcement.

Said Iain Conn, Managing Director, BP plc.: “BP is very pleased to be a Cornerstone Partner in the Schwarzman Scholars Program. Enhancing the understanding between China and the World through the development of Chinese and international talent at Tsinghua University will be invaluable over time to all international institutions with Chinese interests, and therefore also to BP. This involvement also deepens BP's long-standing collaboration with Tsinghua University.

“BP is honored to be supporting the Schwarzman Scholars Program, and in doing so deepening our commitment to China's future through the advancement of education and international relationships. Together we hope to build a unique platform for future leaders to gain real-life global experiences and have interaction with political, business and thought leaders, with the vision of fostering greater understanding and more meaningful dialogue between China and the world. Through our involvement, BP will assist in advising the School, support 14 BP Fellows each year as part of the program, and engage with successive cadres of Scholars.”

Said W. James McNerney, Jr, Chairman, President and CEO, The Boeing Company: “Collaboration is a bridge that enables the United States and China to grow and prosper together. Boeing supports the Schwarzman Scholars program because it will help develop future leaders with global sensibilities and further strengthen the ties between our two countries.”

Schwarzman and Chen commented: “We thank our Cornerstone and Founding Partners, and all of our donors for their early support. Their intuitive recognition of the importance of this program and generosity will help ensure the Schwarzman Scholars program is endowed in perpetuity.”

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A Boston-Based Menswear Brand Is Donating 10% Of All Sales To Charity Today

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Ball and Buck store, Boston

In an effort to get Boston back on track, men's clothing shop Ball and Buck is donating 10% of all sales made online and in its Newbury Street store today to victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. They're calling it, 'The Patriot Day Fund.'

"As a brick and mortar retailer located just around the corner from the first blast, it was important for us to do whatever we could to help those affected by this senseless act," said store founder Mark Bollman. "The Pats’ Day Fund was created to help other businesses like Ball and Buck make a meaningful contribution to those affected by this tragedy."

Ball and Buck is known for being 100% made in America, and is named after the musket loading method George Washington recommended his troops use during the American Revolution.

We just thought you should know. Check out Ball and Buck's site here.

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8 Outdoor Bars To Try In New York City This Spring

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hudson terraceBefore you plan your whole summer away make sure to squeeze in some time for what may be the city's best bar hopping season.

While you can always visit your tried and true favorites and local watering holes, there are some outdoor options you should try out this summer- especially since most will be closed come Labor Day.

Here are our picks for the outdoor bars you should keep on your radar for the next three months.

A60

60 Thompson Street

Scoring a spot at this exclusive roof top terrace may be a bit tricky- A60 is only open to hotel guests (at 60 Thompson in SoHo), members and private parties.

If you manage to score an in, you will be rewarded with stunning views of Lower Manhattan and Midtown as well as an extensive cocktail menu and Thai inspired hors d'oeuvres.

The vibe is romantic and dimly lit, making A60 the perfect date spot as well as a great place to meet someone new.



Press Lounge

653 11th Avenue

Located in Hell's Kitchen's Ink48 Hotel, Press Lounge's 16th floor location guarantees unbelievable views of both upper and lower Manhattan.

There is ample outdoor space and the sleek, understated decor lets the breathtaking cityscape take center stage. A glass roof ensures that you can enjoy the lounge regardless of the weather, although it is best to go when you can soak up the summer rays on the rooftop hang out.

A list of seasonal cocktails offers promising and whimsical choices like The Cortland Standard and El Nuevo Dia in addition to the variety of wines and beers offered.



The Mulberry Project

149 Mulberry Street

When the owners resumes include Milk and Honey, Bagatelle, and GoldBar it's not surprising that the Mulberry Project is quickly creating the same kind of super cool atmosphere in the heart of Little Italy.

The master mixologists here craft all sorts of fruit based concoctions like pomelo sours and chipotle cucumber whiskey daiquiris. There is also a menu that includes upscale favorites like crispy pork belly and creme brulee.

While the space is open year round, stopping by in the summer gives you access to the outdoor patio, which is styled after NYC parks and offers about 50 seats at communal wooden booths and more intimate red tables.



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How To Lose 20 Pounds By Drinking Water Before Every Meal

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Beach season is almost here. 

For those looking to lose pounds, Bob Harper, who gained fame as a trainer on NBC's "The Biggest Loser," appeared on the TODAY Show on Monday to promote his new book called "Jumpstart to Skinny."

Harper became a certified fitness instructor after college, but does not hold degree in nutrition. 

The fitness guru claims that his low-calorie diet plan will help adherers shed up to 20 pounds in just three weeks. 

On the extreme regimen, women are limited to just 800 calories per day, while men get a generous 1200. 

Harper says to drink 16 oz of water before every single meal, which makes you feel full. Previous studies have suggested that drinking water 20 to 30 minutes before a meal causes people to eat fewer calories later on, perhaps because they are not confusing hunger with thirst. 

Staying hydrated also means your body is not holding onto liquids since the water is constantly being replenished, Harper explained. 

You cannot eat complex carbohydrates, like grains and breads, after breakfast, or drink booze.

But you can eat as many vegetables as you want. 

"You're never going to get fat eating broccoli," Harper assured TODAY's Savannah Guthrie.

Watch the full clip below:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

SEE ALSO: THE FAST DIET: Get Thin Quick By Starving Yourself Two Days A Week

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Female Education Has Completely Changed Marriage In America

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The days were women got married and stayed married for financial security are coming to an end.

In a working NBER paper, Women's Emancipation Through Education, Fatih Guvenen and Michelle Rendall look at how women's advancement has dramatically affected marriage and divorce rates.

Women are more educated than ever before, earning more college degrees than men annually. They're also slowly closing the wage gap in America. With more earning power, education and stability, women are now waiting later to get married, and they're more likely to get out of a bad marriage.

These trends create an even higher demand for education among women — since education is insurance against divorce risk. According to the researchers: 

"As women further their education, the earnings gap between spouses shrinks, leading to more unstable marriages and, in turn, further increasing demand for education."  

And since the marriage market is filled with more educated women, it's more difficult for uneducated women to find a mate, making the marriage market even more competitive.

This chart shows how marriage rates have steadily declined since the 1950s, as the number of single Americans have increased. However, the divorce rate has gradually fallen since the 1980s:

marriage gapOverall, these trends are great for women, bringing us closer to gender equality.

SEE ALSO: Men And Women Are Getting Married Later, And That's Great For Women

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Was This Past Weekend In Denver A Catastrophe For The Legal Marijuana Movement?

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marijuana denver 420

This weekend was 4/20, which is basically Christmas for users of marijuana.

The largest celebration took place in Denver, where a massive pot convention — including the Cannabis Cup contest — was interrupted by a shooting that wounded two and sent shock waves through the marijuana movement.

Remember that Colorado recently voted to legalize marijuana.

Barry Bard, an editor for WeedMaps.com– a startup that is among the first to capitalize on legalized and medical marijuana — spoke to us about the event. The WeedMaps team was at the Exdo Center, where the Cannabis Cup was being held. At the same time, they had a separate camera crew near the Civic Center. Here's what they heard:

"I was told it was like a wave of people rushing around after 5 shots were heard," Bard said in an email to Business Insider. "It was gang related and a 19 year old, I believe.

So while the shooting wasn't related to marijuana, the main event, or Denver's legalization of pot, it still will have significant downsides for the pro-pot movement. 

As we've argued, the future success of marijuana in the United States is predicated on the success of the dual experiments going on in Colorado — specifically Denver — and Washington. 

Attorney General Eric Holder is the man with the ability to either turn a blind eye or systematically crush the attempt to legalize marijuana in the states. During an Appropriations Committee hearing last week, Holder said that the Justice Department response would depend on "the impact on children" and violence related to organized crime. 

Needless to say, a gang-related shooting in the vicinity of a major marijuana event can be construed as somewhat provocative for the Justice Department, even if the gunshots were altogether unrelated to the core ideas behind legalization. 

Here's how Bard summed up the major downside for the drug reform movement from this shooting: 

The shooting is obviously a blight on the movement, even though it was gang related and had nothing to do with cannabis whatsoever. It will be used by the mainstream media and opponents of legalization as ammo to perpetuate prohibition and negate the benefits of marijuana. It now makes our job as part of the movement to spread awareness and truth even more vital to the long term goal. One bad seed certainly shouldn't spoil what is generally a very peaceful and genial movement, but we'll see what its immediate impact is. I'd be shocked if Denver allows the Civic Center smokeout to occur again, though, that's for sure, and other rallies nationwide of its ilk may be affected. But who knows how opponents of legalization will spin it.

Ethan Nadelmann, the Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance, had this to say about the shooting:

What can one say?  Shootings are bad.  DPA opposes all forms of violence.  One significant benefit of legalizing marijuana, as with repealing alcohol Prohibition [eighty] years ago, is taking the market out of the hands of those who might be more inclined to use violence to steal, extort or resolve disputes in the marijuana industry.

Is it the end of the world for marijuana reform? Probably not. But the pot legalization crowd really needs this to be a single, unrelated and unrepeated incident. 

The success of legal marijuana in America is predicated on the success of two experiments. If one of those experiments begins to go wrong — and if this sort of violence isn't isolated — then it's quite bad.

Still, all evidence seems to point to the contrary here — a single isolated event that happened to take place in proximity of a major marijuana convention — so don't expect a crackdown or a slowdown any time soon. 

SEE ALSO: Meet the entrepreneur who wants to be the country's first marijuana industrialist --->

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The Real Story About Marijuana Legalization According To A Top Insider In The Movement

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ethan nadelmann

We recently had the chance to chat with Ethan Nadelmann, founder and executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, an organization that has been at the forefront of the country's marijuana legalization and decriminalization efforts. 

Here are the most important things he told us about the movement to reform the country's marijuana laws: 

Marijuana legalization activists are not making the same mistakes they did in the 1970s, when they assumed victory was certain but support dropped off unexpectedly:

"Part of what’s important is to remember the lessons of the past. Marijuana is not going to legalize itself. Our opposition is not going to take its current defeats laying down [...]

People believe that a generational shift makes marijuana legalization inevitable [just like] back in the late 1970s.  Notice that support dropped by the late 1980s.

It would be a mistake for the people who advocate for legalizing marijuana to be overconfident, let’s not take success for granted, let’s keep being strategic about how we proceed."

Right now ballot initiatives are the most important strategy. The first victories are always through ballot initiatives, then subsequent victories can come through legislatures:

"As with medical marijuana, the first seven states to legalize medical marijuana [...]  were  done through the initiative process. Then the next ten states since that time, half were more or less through the initiative process and half were through the legislative process."

California and Oregon are probably next, then start watching the polls:

"So it means California in 2016, it means Oregon probably 2016 and maybe sooner. The way to look at this is to look at two things.

First, what were the first states to legalize medical marijuana, because that will give you a good idea of what’s next with full legalization. Those are generally the western states plus Maine.

The second thing to look at is where you see majority support for legalizing marijuana. Keep in mind, you never run a ballot initiative to educate the public. You only run a ballot initiative where a majority agrees with the objective and where the legislature or the governor aren’t willing to take public opinion into public law."

The success of the movement depends on their success in keeping pot away from kids:

"We need to be attentive issue of young people using marijuana  — the issue of young people waking and baking and smoking daily is something that nobody wants. I

That’s why at Drug Policy Alliance we have a major emphasis on young people, the parents, the schools and marijuana use. If you look, we put out these documents called "Safety First." We allied with the California [Parent Teacher Association] around this issue so it’s important that the advocacy for ending marijuana prohibition be combined with a responsible approach  toward marijuana use and especially towards issues of irresponsible use of marijuana by young people."

If tying safety to advocacy sounds a lot like what the NRA does, that's not accidental.

"You see the alcohol industry doing the same thing. Obviously for us, our role models are the most successful advocacy organizations regardless of their issue. It may be Planned Parenthood, it may be the NRA, it may be Human Rights Watch. They all have success in influencing public opinion and legislation. 

What’s important is not the politics of these organizations but their success.  We're using their methodology even though we have dramatically fewer resources."

Finally, the similar trajectory between marijuana legalization and the gay marriage movement should be very encouraging for advocates of drug policy reform. 

"With the marijuana reform movement, we really feel like our big brother is the gay rights movement. The issues are so similar. First of all, if you look at the public opinion polls  Look at the Gallup poll on gay marriage legalization and look at the public opinion poll for marijuana legalization. They line up almost exactly between 2006 and 2011." 

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Stunning Aerial Photos Of Florida's Amusement Parks

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JasonHawkes 4521

It's one thing to experience Florida's amusement parks from the ground  crowds, noise, and all.

Photographer Jason Hawkes gives us another perspective, looking at Universal Studios, Disney's Typhoon Lagoon, Sea World, and other Orlando-area amusement parks from above.

London-based Hawkes, who has specialized in aerial photography for more than 20 years, shared some photos from his collection with us. Photo captions are in his own words.

Seuss Landing forms part of Universal's Islands of Adventure. It includes six attractions based on the famous Dr. Seuss books and like in the books, you will not find a single straight line on this "island."



More of the curvy attractions at Seuss Landing, part of Universal's Islands of Adventure.



Aimed at young children, Seuss Landing has many themed attractions including the 'One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish' ride which has a musical riddle that you can solve to avoid getting wet.



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Here's Where US Citizens Can Travel Without A Visa

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An American passport grants its holder access to nearly every country in the world. In 2012, U.S. citizens and nationals could travel to 166 countries visa-free or with visa on arrival, including most countries in Europe and South America. 

But there are a few big exceptions. Americans need to get advance visas to Brazil, China, Russia, India, Vietnam and most countries on the African continent.

The map below shows exactly where a U.S. passport will let you travel.

Map showing where US passport holders can travel

SEE ALSO: I Spent 5 Hours In The World's Best Airport And Didn't Mind The Wait

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