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Hong Kong Billionaire Offers $65 Million To Any Man Who Can Woo His Gay Daughter

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Hong Kong street

One of Hong Kong's wealthiest men has placed a "marriage bounty" on his lesbian daughter's head, offering nearly £40 million to the man who successfully woos her.

Property magnate Cecil Chao Sze-tsung announced the HK$500 million reward this week after reports that his 33-year-old daughter Gigi Chao, a University of Manchester graduate, had married her long-term female partner in France.

"I don't mind whether he is rich or poor. The important thing is that he is generous and kind-hearted," Mr Chao told the South China Morning Post, describing reports about his daughter's marriage as "false".

The extravagant tycoon's offer blended Blind Date and The Apprentice with Mr Chao claiming he hoped to help the successful suitor kick-start a business.

He told the South China Morning Post the prize money was "an inducement to attract someone who has the talent but not the capital to start his own business".

"Gigi is a very good woman with both talents and looks. She is devoted to her parents, is generous and does volunteer work," he added.

According to the report however, Ms Chao married Sean Eav, her girlfriend of seven years, in France on April 4.

A photograph posted on Ms Chao's public Facebook page confirmed that she and her partner were Paris-bound in April this year. "Going to Paris to buy a few businesses," read the caption to a picture apparently taken in the first class section of a plane.

The Facebook profile of Ms Chao, who is a University of Manchester architecture graduate, reads: "Helicopter Pilot. Social entrepreneur. Creator of expressions in colour and emotion."

It also describes her as an executive director at her father's Hong Kong-based property firm, Cheuk Nang.

Ms Chao's LinkedIn profile says she worked with British architect Sir Terry Farrell for two years.

Mr Chao's controversial move to recruit a husband for his lesbian daughter appeared to contradict a description Ms Chao gave of her father in a 2007 interview.

"My father took a hands-off approach in parenting. I see him as a friend more than a father," she told HK Magazine. "My parents never pressure me with high expectations."

Speaking to the South China Morning Post, Mr Chao denied he would force his daughter to marry a man against her will.

But comments posted on the website of the Hong Kong newspaper were widely hostile to his "marriage bounty".

"How humiliating for this poor girl," wrote one reader. "Mr Chao needs to come out of denial and just be happy that he has such a beautiful daughter who appears to have found happiness with a partner whom she loves.

"Cecil, you sound like you're selling your daughter," commented another.

"Get with the times."

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Can You Have A Girlfriend And A New Startup At The Same Time?

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Priscilla Chan Mark Zuckerberg Beast

Starting a new company is brutal. It's time consuming; you become dead to your friends for weeks at a time, and it can be so grueling that you forget to eat or shower.

So one Quora user asked the logical question:

Can (or should) you have a girlfriend and start a company at the same time?

Most of the top responders thought you could do both.

The highest voted response stated that yes, if you date someone who is supportive, you can have a boyfriend or girlfriend in your startup's infancy. Depending on your significant other's job and connections, he or she may even be able to make valuable introductions for you and your startup.

If you don't have a supportive significant other, you probably shouldn't be dating that person, startup or not.

Other responders were skeptical:

"My own experience of being a former girlfriend of a guy who joined a Start-up was not-so-great," one wrote. "It meant less time together, not receiving emotional support (even when it was directly sought), listening to negativity all the time...sometimes I felt like I was his plaything, that he would only pay attention to me when it suited his needs."

Head over to Quora for the full debate >

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Why Italy, My Adopted Home, Is Destined For Failure

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rome marketFrustrations with tax and bureaucracy have led Gary Jones to the conclusion that the country he loves is destined to fail,

Italy, in my view, is undoubtedly the best country in the world to be a consumer. As long as one is prepared to pick up the bill, it has the most diverse variety of Mediterranean cuisine, the weather is unbeatable and the nation’s history and culture is a window on to the past two millennia in Europe. Caesar comes alive in Rome while the legacy of Lorenzo il Magnifico remains on display in Florence. The list is endless.

If one can afford it, living in Italy is a very satisfactory way to enjoy la dolce vita with all its trappings. There is however a less appealing side to Italian life that I have encountered over the past 20 years that I have been happily married to an Italian woman. It was during the early 1990s that I had the good fortune to marry a Venetian before embarking on a career that has taken me to a number of countries around the world.

I no longer work the long corporate hours that I had grown accustomed to and instead for the past five years have been living in northern Italy in the foothills of the Alps which I find profoundly beautiful. Our children are now fluent in both my native English and in Italian. They move easily and comfortably between the two cultures.

I deliberately used the word 'consumer’ in the first paragraph to emphasize the difference between a transitory foreign visitor in Italy who, in short, consumes, pays and ultimately leaves and a permanent foreign resident like myself who needs to engage and get on with life.

Engaging with the Italian system with all its foibles has led me to see a social fabric that is at best frayed and at worst doomed. We own our home in northern Italy and a summer house on the Ligurian coast close to the Cinque Terre. I have very little to complain about as both my wife and I enjoy the best of the Italian and Anglo-Saxon worlds. But it is the daily interaction with the civil service, the tax system and the local bureaucracy in Italy that infuriates and frustrates in equal measure.

Enjoying a good meal at our local trattoria is always a cash affair where receipts and invoices are only for wimps. As Italy struggled with its debt obligations, the then prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and his minister of finance, Giulio Tremonti, went on the offensive and in a television advertisement described tax evaders as worms and cockroaches. The image is a powerful one and under most circumstances an appropriate one.

I looked to the UK where MPs have gone to prison for a few thousand pounds of illegal expense claims. Equally, I looked to Mr Tremonti who had been living in a former aide’s Rome apartment for which he was paying cash. “I will make alternative arrangements,” Mr Tremonti cried as he stood his ground.

My wife likes to tell me that in Italy the law is not an absolute, it is just a guideline. Initially I found that amusing. Today I cannot help but think that the country is destined to fail. Some years ago an Italian friend registered a company in Italy that would allow him to trade goods he wished to import. The registration and opening of the company cost him the better part of €10,000 between professional and administrative fees. By contrast, I consider the £100 or so that I would pay in the UK to open a company.

Over the longer term compared with its UK equivalent, I suspect that the Italian company would be more profitable as an active participant in the informal sector where tax payable is merely a guideline.

I do not know precisely what an MP’s pension arrangements are in the UK but I look at the generous provisions for an Italian MP and I wonder whether there is hope for the young Italians of today. A three-year stint as a vocal participant in the Italian parliament ensures the Italian MP an automatic right to a lifelong claim to an approximate €10,000 (£8,000) monthly pension. Considering the longevity of Italians raised on olive oil and fresh vegetables I do understand Angela Merkel’s despair as the stock markets head south.

A round trip from my home in Piedmont to my summer home in Liguria, amounting to approximately 400km (250 miles), requires an autostrada (motorway) charge of almost €50 (£40). Considering that the autostrada are owned by a publicly listed company, I can’t help wondering how appropriate this charge is. It is possibly a snip at the price considering the quality of lifestyle we enjoy by the sea and under the sun. It remains a far cry however from the toll-free roads to Cornwall’s sandy beaches.

From time to time we, like others, receive an outrageous tax claim or council tax demand (often a retrospective claim on what has already been paid). While I seethe at the injustice of it all, my wife patronises me and treats it as a challenge. Wearing a well-worn coat, her fingers and ears deprived of jewellery, my wife will visit the Turin tax office telling tales to a sympathetic tax assessor of her absent English husband and how she is left to look after two children relying on the benevolence of her extended family.

Although I have grown accustomed to these vagaries of Italian bureaucratic protocol, I do not entirely understand them. However as the HSBC advertisement likes to say, “we never underestimate the importance of local knowledge”.

I would not change anything about my life in Italy. It is satisfying and it is fulfilling. Overall I would not trade the net benefits of being both a consumer and a local. But what about young Italians trying to make their way in their own country? If I were a young, educated and ambitious Italian, I would head straight for Malpensa airport to seek pastures anew.

On the other hand, who am I to suggest that the work ethic that I am accustomed to is the best way to run a business and to accumulate capital? After all, Italians have been doing things their way for centuries.

This article was originally published in the Telegraph Weekly World Edition .

Have you got an expat tale to share? Email submissions to weeklyt@telegraph.co.uk

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The Best Pizza Pies In America

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redd wood pizza napa california

Top chefs and legendary bakers are among the new breed of pizzaiolo who are just as fanatical about the temperature of their ovens as they are about the provenance of their ingredients.

See the best pizza places in America >

Here, F&W names the best places for pizza around the country from these new guard spots—including a Bay Area pizzeria that uses locally-milled flour—to century old East Coast institutions.

More From Food & Wine:

America's Best Bars

Best Burgers In The US

America's Best Beer Bars

Best Fried Chicken In The US

Ultimate Tailgating Recipes

Louisville, KY: Garage Bar

Chef Michael Paley, owner of local favorite Proof on Main, serves Italian-meets-Southern pizzas—like Margherita topped with country ham—inside a renovated auto-repair garage.

garageonmarket.com



Ann Arbor, MI: Mani Osteria

Adam Baru worked under restaurateur Danny Meyer before returning to his hometown to open his first restaurant. Wood-fired ovens turn out pies like the Farmers’ Market, loaded with local vegetables.

maniosteria.com



Yountville, CA: Redd Wood

Richard Reddington, who runs the elegant Redd down the street, goes casual at this industrial-chic Napa trattoria. The focus is on salumi, antipasti, well-priced wines and rustic pizzas with crispy, ultra-thin crusts. “It’s a place for an impromptu meal or a reprieve from wine tasting,” says Reddington.

redd-wood.com



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10 Ridiculous Ways Companies Are Cashing In On The Election

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Companies Cashing In

Companies looking for a boost in sales during election season are rolling out a bevy of marketing schemes.

Promotions designed to appeal to both sides of the aisle are cropping up the closer we get to November 6. Not only do these tactics reach a greater number of potential customers, but the company's marketing ploys inevitably lead to higher media coverage and free advertising as well.

Whether it's election-themed ads, products, or promotions, everyone is lining up to take advantage of your political leanings.

Mayflower Renaissance D.C. Hotel is offering a "Pick Your Party" suite package.

The package, which includes a champagne limo moonlight tour of the monuments and a "political swag bag," costs $5,000 per night. You can choose between the Republican or Democrat suite, and partake in the election-themed cocktail menu, which includes the Balanced Budget and Interns And Scandals.



California Tortilla is asking customers to choose between two presidential tortilla bowls to "accurately predict the election."

Obama's bowl is the Chicken Teriyaki Luau Bowl while Romney's is called the Mexican Mitt-Loaf Bowl. Both are $7.29, and the company keeps track of how many "votes" (tortilla bowls) each candidate has (are sold), according to Eater.

But California Tortilla isn't the only food chain to have this idea: Boston Market is also getting in on the action by predicting election results by having customers choose between a "left-wing chicken" or "right-wing turkey" bowl.



Cheetos commissioned two portraits of Obama and Romney made entirely of Cheetos pieces.

To drum up some publicity, PepsiCo's Frito-Lay brand commissioned artist Jason Baalman to create four-foot tall portraits of the candidates.

Cheetos then invited fans to vote on Facebook for who they think should be the next "Big Cheese."



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Now You Can Pick Up Fine Art At Costco

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costco art

Costco, best known for selling bulk toilet paper and bargain electronics, has started selling fine art again after a six-year break.

The discount retailer currently has 10 pieces of art listed on its website, although all are out of stock.

They range from an oil painting called "Flowers in a Pot" by R. Cot, for $779.99 to "Nonpareil Bunting" by California-based artist Heather Robinson, for $1,699.99.

It's not the first time Costco has delved into the art world. It sold fine art until about six years ago, when questions were raised about the authenticity of two Picasso drawings sold online, according to The New York Times.

Greg Moors, a San Francisco art dealer, is supplying the company with stock, and working primarily with living artists to avoid any suspicion of forged signatures, he told the NYT.

SEE ALSO: There Was Some Awesome Contemporary Art At This Belgian Festival >

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A Portfolio Of Erotic Drawings By Late Designer Yves Saint Laurent Has Gone Missing

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yves saint laurentPierre Bergé, the former partner of Yves Saint Laurent, claims that a portfolio of works by the designer was stolen by one of his former lovers.

It seems the house of Yves Saint Laurent can’t keep itself out of the headlines.

Following the seemingly never-ending feud between journalist Cathy Horyn and YSL’s new creative director Hedi Slimane, Pierre Bergé, the long-term business partner of the house’s eponymous founder, has now claimed that a 400-item portfolio of works by the late designer was unlawfully taken by one of Saint Laurent’s former lovers.

The portfolio includes some 290 sketches - some of which are erotic - a journal, personal letters, a self portrait, a painting by Andy Warhol of YSL’s dogs and a Helmut Newton photograph, and is said to be worth up to €12 million.

Bergé claims that Fabrice Thomas, who worked as the designer’s driver before later becoming his lover, stole the collection of works from Saint Laurent’s Paris apartment in the Nineties, later part-gifting, part-selling it to an unidentified German businessman who gave him “a job, a car and a new life” following the end of his relationship with YSL. The German businessman now wants to exhibit or sell the works, to which Bergé objects.

READ: Hedi Slimane's Saint Laurent debut

Thomas, the accused, says that when he and Saint Laurent ended their relationship, Saint Laurent told him he could keep the works as long as they were no longer needed be the atelier.

Bergé does not believe this explanation. “Believe me, it would have been impossible for Yves to have given someone 300 sketches. Maybe one or two, but 300? Surely not,” Bergé told WWD . “The point is, they were stolen.”

Ludwig Geiger, a Swiss-based representative for the German businessman who claims to be the collection’s current owner, insists that Thomas legally transferred all rights and ownership to his client and that everything was done above board. “The collection was not stolen. Pierre Bergé told that story, but it is absolute nonsense. He knows very well it was not stolen,” Geiger said. “It’s bad theater, what they do.”

Bergé filed a police report last November claiming that the portfolio was stolen. He has allegedly been approached a number of times by a number of different parties - including Fabrice Thomas - about buying the works, but refuses to do so. “I am not willing to pay for something that was stolen. But I intend to empty every possibility I have to avoid any exhibitions and publication of the sketches,” he said.

SEE ALSO: The 15 Wealthiest People In Fashion >

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HOUSE OF THE DAY: The Most Expensive Home In New Jersey Is Back On The Market For $56 Million

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frick

After taking it off the market last spring, the owner of the Frick Mansion in exclusive Alpine, New Jersey has relisted the property for $56 million, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Buyers looking for more space can also pick up an adjacent 6 acres for $12 million, or $68 million in total.

Owner Richard Kurtz said he decided to put the estate back on sale after seeing the high-end market pick up in New York City.

Just eight miles from New York, the Alpine zip code is one of the most expensive in the country. And Frick Drive, where this mansion is located, is completely gated for privacy.

With 30,000 square feet of space, the estate features a private gym, library, movie theater, elevator, wine cellar, a pool and pool house, and rare woods, stones, and marble throughout.

The estate is also a "smart house;" it can be controlled from anywhere in the world with an iPhone.

The home has 30,000 square feet of space



Frick Drive is completely gated



Huge driveway with a fountain



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Here Are The Coolest Attractions At The 'World Of Coca-Cola'

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coke

As a kid growing up in Atlanta in the early 90s, you could hardly get through a school year without taking a tour of the epic World of Coca-Cola Museum.

I was six the first time I was dragged there against my will by visiting relatives, and I've always wanted to return as an adult. 

Since then, the museum has been entirely rebuilt and moved a few blocks away into the heart of the city's Centennial Olympic Park.

It's huge and attracts more than a million visitors each year, according to Seen Magazine.

I had the chance to check it out last month, and I can safely say it's worth a visit if you're passing through.

The new World of Coca-Cola museum has only been around for about five years. It's located in the heart of Atlanta, at Pemberton Place––just steps from CNN World Headquarters.



It's also just a stone's throw away from the massive Georgia Aquarium.



The line for tickets was packed when we visited on a Friday afternoon.



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Why There Are Strippers At Some Taiwanese Funerals

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taiwan showgirls

Dressed in mini skirts barely covering their hips, the two girls took to the neon-lit stage and moved vigorously to the loud pumping pop music. Their job: to appease the wandering spirits.

As the temple facade in the background changed colour from the fireworks lighting up the Taiwanese night sky, the show climaxed with pole-dancing and striptease in front of an audience consisting of men, women and children.

"This is hard work but I need to make a living," said 18-year-old En En, out of breath after stripping for the crowd during the recent religious festival.

En En had just earned Tw$3,000 ($100) for her act, which began on stage, but ended as she mingled with the audience, letting men touch her for tips.

Folk religion in Taiwan is a unique mixture of the spiritual and the earthly, and one of its most remarkable manifestations is the practice of hiring showgirls to perform at festivals, weddings, and even funerals.

The girls work on "electronic flower cars" -- specially designed trucks equipped with light and sound equipment that can become a stage, allowing them to travel to performances often held in smaller cities and rural areas.

"The groups attract crowds to our events and they perform for the gods and the spirits to seek blessings," said Chen Chung-hsien, an official at Wu Fu Temple, a Taoist landmark in north Taiwan's Taoyuan county.

"They have become part of our religion and folk culture."

At 26, Chiang Pei-ying is already a veteran performer with nearly 20 years of experience, travelling across Taiwan with her father and two sisters for their family business to entertain audiences -- both alive and dead.

Chiang made her debut when she was in kindergarten because she liked singing and dancing on stage and has become a celebrity performer with her sisters, charging up to Tw$80,000 for a 20-minute show.

She said she enjoys her line of work, even if she has to deal with some odd requests from customers such as walking around coffins and singing for the deceased at funerals.

"I've watched this since I was little so it's nothing peculiar for me. Performing for the dead is just like performing for the living people," she said.

"They liked to sing when they were alive and their relatives thought they would have liked to have somebody sing for them in the end. For me, I get good tips and I hope I am accumulating good karma too."

Other performers, however, make much less money and tend to be more discreet about their job, especially those who still do striptease despite risking arrest.

Stripping nude is rarely seen in public now because it is a criminal offence, but partial stripping is still performed at festivals, private parties and funerals, people in the business say.

"Some people like going to hostess clubs, so when they pass away their relatives arrange striptease to reflect their interests while they were alive," said Chiang Wan-yuan, Pei-ying's father and a 30-year veteran in the business.

It is difficult to imagine a similar show going on outside a European village church, and some local critics have dismissed the practice, which emerged in the 1970s, as shocking and vulgar.

Others, however, see it as a natural extension of a traditional folk culture lacking in the sharp separation of sex and religion often seen in other parts of the world.

Marc Moskowitz, an anthropologist at the University of South Carolina, said the practice evolved out of the special Chinese concept of "hot and noisy", which brims with positive connotations.

"In traditional Chinese and contemporary Taiwanese culture this signifies that for an event to be fun or noteworthy it must be full of noise and crowds," said Moskowitz, who shot a documentary "Dancing for the Dead" in 2011.

He added most people who watched his work appeared to enjoy it and recognise this practice as an "interesting and unique cultural phenomenon," which to his knowledge is only found in Taiwan.

"As I watched these performances I came to appreciate the idea of celebrating someone's life to help assuage the feelings of grief," he said.

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We're Giving Away A Ticket To IGNITION!

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You have a chance to win a ticket to Business Insider's IGNITION. Any newsletter subscriber is eligible. Become one now and you'll have a chance to be there when we bring together key stakeholders and executives to discuss what's happening now and what's coming next.  The conference is produced by Business Insider, and hosted by Henry Blodget, Business Insider's Editor-in-Chief and CEO.ignition

Entry deadline is October 31

As a newsletter subscriber, you'll get daily updates and alerts on topics that matter most to you. You must subscribe to at least one newsletter to be eligible, so if you have not already, be sure to choose one or more newsletters before submitting your entry.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

On or before November 5, 2012 we'll announce the lucky winner.

You must be a legal resident of the U.S. and a newsletter subscriber to win.

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Elderly British Couple Carefully Tends To Enormous Pot Plant They Thought Was A Shrub

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pot plantLONDON (AP) — British police say an elderly couple unwittingly grew a monstrous cannabis plant in their yard after buying what they thought was an innocuous green bush at a flea market.

Police in Bedford, a commuter town 90 kilometers (55 miles) from central London, posted a picture of a luxuriant cannabis plant growing as tall as the fence in what appeared to be someone's back yard.

In a message posted to Twitter Friday the force said the plant had been "seized today."

"Elderly couple bought shrub at car boot sale, tended carefully-biggest cannabis plant we had seen!!" the message exclaimed.

Further details about the couple — or how either it or police got wise to the plant's true nature — weren't immediately available late Monday.

Copyright (2012) Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

SEE ALSO: The 20 Cheapest Countries For Vice

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5 Adorable Photos Of Bo Obama

12 Stunning American Landscapes That Could Disappear Forever

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Fern Dell, Griffith Park

The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) has unveiled a new list of the 12 most at-risk estates, plazas, parks, and other civic amenities across the country.

Most of these sites face a lack of maintenance that could cause them to be partially—if not wholly—eradicated, despite their national significance.

TCLF is co-sponsoring project Landslide 2012 to help bring attention to and preserve these significant American landmarks.

From a Japanese garden in California to Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C., these are some of the national public spaces that could be lost for good.

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Burlington, VT: Construction of a proposed bus terminal would mar the grid of 123 uniformly spaced locust trees that screens the cathedral from the city.

Source: The Cultural Landscape Foundation



Fern Dell, Griffith Park, Los Angeles, CA: Regularly scheduled maintenance of this 20-acre landscape and public fern garden ended in the 1970s, resulting in its steady deterioration.

Source: The Cultural Landscape Foundation



Garland Farm, Mount Desert, ME: Though a partial restoration was undertaken between 2007 and 2011 of the property to honor the late architect Beatrix Farrand, financial difficulties threaten the completion of the project.

Source: The Cultural Landscape Foundation



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Beijing Is Building An Airport That's Bigger Than JFK, LaGuardia, And Newark Combined

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beijing daxing airport master plan competition

In 2008, the Beijing Capital International Airport opened Terminal 3, an enormous addition that made the airport the world's busiest. Just a few years later, the airport's 75 million annual passenger capacity is about to be surpassed, and China is already building another airport.

The Beijing Daxing International Airport, to be built outside the capital city, will have room for 130 million passengers each year. In comparison, New York's three airports (LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark) have a combined capacity of 110 million, according to NJ.com.

Dutch airport consulting firm NACO won a competition to design the airport's master plan, and provided us the images.

Other design firms are currently competing to design the new terminal building.

The airport is expected to be the world's busiest, with capacity for 130 million annual passengers.



The planned opening is for 2017.



The plan includes an emphasis on public transportation.



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Horrible Yelp Reviews Of New York's Michelin-Starred Restaurants

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Corton restaurant nyc

Not even the best restaurants in NYC are immune to a scathing Yelp review.

The 2013 listing of Michelin-starred restaurants in New York City was recently announced, and perhaps unsurprisingly, even these top restaurants have a few negative critiques under their belts. Complaints range from the quality of the food, to the outrageous tab, to slow and insulting service.

Even though all of these Michelin 2- and 3-star joints have a majority of stellar reviews, we did some digging for the real antagonistic gems. 

It's always more fun to read the negative feedback.

Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare (3 Michelin Stars): "The chef chased us down the street to expound on our 'rudeness.'"

Rating: 1/5

S.S.: "We had been waiting for five months to go here and were crazy excited. A number of the canapes were quite good—but after we finished our canapes the chef asked to speak with my friend in order to tell her that we were being too loud—we have fun and laugh and have a good time—he suggested for a good time we should try a bar! This made us so uncomfortable—I love food and well prepared food more than anything it is my religion I worship food—and I could not enjoy anything after this. We stayed for uncomfortable mains with the chef always avoiding our glance and then left after dessert. Incredibly, the chef chased us down the street to expound on our "rudeness" and tell us how the place was not in fact a restaurant? We would never have returned (honestly on the weakness of the mains—despite the social shaming I really liked a number of the canapes, but nothing interested me with the mains) but he told us not to come back and crazily continued to denigrate our manners as customers (at his non-restaurant restaurant)! Listen go to momofuku ko—go to jean georges—go to 11 madison—there are so many options with ethereal food where they treat you lovingly and encourage you to have a good time."

Source: Yelp



Daniel (3 Michelin Stars): "The restaurant is ornate and stuffy. Kind of looks like a Harem."

Rating: 2/5

Jaimee A.: "I am surprised at all the good reviews. I don't know anyone who had a good meal here. The restaurant is ornate and stuffy. Kind of looks like a Harem. The food is all show no go and I have eaten at some of the best places in the world.

As far as Daniel, Don't believe the hype!!!"

Source: Yelp



Eleven Madison Park (3 Michelin Stars): "I wish I had stayed home and cooked a little plain pasta."

Rating: 2/5

Daniel S.: "I was expecting a sublime experience with the finest quality of restaurant food in NYC, after reading Bruni's glowing review awhile back in the Times. I went with my father, a lifelong cook with a great sense of taste. We both had identical reactions—surprised and disappointed by the lack of flavor. Everything else was terrific—the place, the staff, the feeling of being cared for generously—but real flavor was missing amid all the visual presentations. Even the little butters, cow and goat, were bland. The venison, the crab cake, even the amuse bouche left me scratching my head. Maybe it was an off night in the kitchen? Hard to believe with such a well-oiled machine. All I can say is that I wish I had stayed home and cooked a little plain pasta or thrown some chicken in the oven instead of all that rich (and expensive) colorful little food."

Source: Yelp



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Moshi Moshi Wireless Handset And iPhone Dock

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Here is the Moshi Moshi 03i Curve Wireless Handset and iPhone Dock from Native Union.

Why We Love It: The Moshi Moshi handset is the winner of the Design Plus 2012 Award and Good Design Award in 2011. It can sync with all Bluetooth-enabled phones, computers, iPads, and tablets.

It also has multiple one-touch buttons to help control phone settings, such as answering and terminating calls, adjusting volume, muting a call, dialing the previous number, and switching between conversations. The handset can be charged from your computer using a USB cable or by plugging the base into a main outlet, and has a battery life of six hours of talk time (120 hours of standby time).

The weighted base also allows iPhone 3GS, 4, and 4S owners (sorry iPhone 5 users—the Moshi Moshi dock hasn't been updated for you yet) to charge their phone, and is fitted with an auto-reconnect function that senses and reconnects with any paired device within range.

Moshi Moshi Wireless Headset


Moshi Moshi Wireless Headset

Cost: Currently on sale from $149.99 to $87.69.

Where To Buy: Available through Amazon.

Want to nominate a cool product for Stuff We Love? Send an email to Megan Willett at mwillett@businessinsider.com with "Stuff We Love" in the subject line.

See Also: A Wireless Floating Pool Speaker

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Native Union Curve Bluetooth iDock

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Here is the Curve Bluetooth iDock from Native Union.

Why We Love It: The Curve Bluetooth iDock is the winner of the Design Plus 2012 Award and Good Design Award in 2011. It can sync with all Bluetooth-enabled phones, computers, iPads, and tablets.

It also has multiple one-touch buttons to help control phone settings, such as answering and terminating calls, adjusting volume, muting a call, dialing the previous number, and switching between conversations. The handset can be charged from your computer using a USB cable or by plugging the base into a main outlet, and has a battery life of six hours of talk time (120 hours of standby time).

The weighted base also allows iPhone 3GS, 4, and 4S owners (sorry iPhone 5 users—the Curve dock hasn't been updated for you yet) to charge their phone, and is fitted with an auto-reconnect function that senses and reconnects with any paired device within range.

Moshi Moshi Wireless Headset


Moshi Moshi Wireless Headset

Cost: Currently on sale from $149.99 to $87.69.

Where To Buy: Available through Amazon or through Native Union's website.

Want to nominate a cool product for Stuff We Love? Send an email to Megan Willett at mwillett@businessinsider.com with "Stuff We Love" in the subject line.

See Also: A Wireless Floating Pool Speaker

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Vanity Phone Numbers Could Be The Way Of The Future

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victoria beckham gold cell phone

Tired of your regular old seven-digit phone number?

Feel like its cold, numerical nature doesn't adequately convey your personality? Well, if you're a Sprint customer, get ready to express yourself.

The provider now allows users the option of creating their own vanity phone numbers — for a small fee, of course.

Here, a guide:  

How do these vanity phone numbers work? 
Sprint has teamed up with Zoove Corp., which has a program known as StarStar Me (watch a video below) that lets users create their own custom numbers. Users can choose a name, nickname, or any other available word, as long as it is between five and 10 characters long. For example, a user named Jessica might choose "**Jessica." To reach her, callers press the star key twice, then dial the numbers corresponding to the characters in the word "Jessica."

Is this just for Sprint customers?
For now, yes. But Zoove plans to offer the service to all major U.S. phone carriers "by the first quarter of 2013, if not by the end of year,” CEO Joe Gillespie saysCallers on AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile can reach StarStar Me numbers on Sprint's system without incurring any extra charge.

What's the down side? 
For starters, it's not free. Users will pay $2.99 per month per vanity number (each phone can register up to two numbers). Also StarStar Me numbers can't receive text messages. And if you have a fairly common name, you might need to get creative with your vanity number. The Sprint website recommends customers get their StarStar Me numbers as soon as possible, "before someone else does!" 

Will this catch on? 
Sprint expects the program to be most successful with professionals, students, and families, says Kevin McGinnis, vice president of product and technology development, in a press release. A vanity phone number might sound appealing, says Terrence O'Brien at Engadget, but in the age of smartphones no one memorizes phone numbers anymore, so your clever, $3-a-month new number "will never be recognized by anyone." Plus, mobile giants like Apple and Google want to own identity, not outsource it to a small mobile marketing company, says Jon Koetsier at Venture Beat"StarStar Me is an innovative service and a step in the right direction," but it will definitely be tough to get off the ground.

DON'T MISS: 21 Ways Rich People Think Differently >

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See Why Modern Istanbul Is The Coolest City In Europe

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Outdoor cafe Istanbul

Located at the point where Europe meets Asia, Istanbul spans both continents and is the place where cultures mix and mingle: where east meets west and ancient meets modern.

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And though the city is traditionally known for its mosque-dotted skyline and its spectacular historic monuments and palaces like the Aya Sofya and Topkapi Palace, today Istanbul is taking on a new role as hipsters, foodies, artists and fashionistas are quickly transforming the city into a bastion of cool.

Perhaps it began to truly morph into its current shape around 2010, when Istanbul was designated as the European Capital of Culture and it underwent drastic renovations to prepare for the year it hosted a series of cultural events. Since then, the city has become a playground for the young and hip.

Today all around the district of Beyoglu, on the European side, once-crumbling buildings have been renovated and turned into fancy boutique hotels, designer shops and trendy restaurants. The neighborhood of Ortaköy, which was once a small fishing village, is now home to sophisticated nightclubs and restaurants right on the Bosphorus. And entire swaths of the city which were once run-down and neglected, given over to prostitution and other illicit activities—like the leafy neighborhood of Cihangir—are now gentrified hotspots.

And there's so much ongoing construction—the city is constantly buzzing with the sounds of jackhammers and machinery—that the face of Istanbul will continue to be transformed.

Located in a former warehouse on the Bosphorus, the Istanbul Modern showcases cutting-edge contemporary art from Turkish artists.



The restaurant at the Istanbul Modern serves modern international cuisine in a sleek design-conscious setting.



Nearby, the neighborhood of Cihangir is quickly becoming one of the coolest areas in Istanbul, attracting hipsters and artists with its Bohemian chic vibe and its cafes, shops and galleries.



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