The two most sensational New York City attractions of the moment have been combined in one of the most annoying tweets we've ever seen.

Dominique Ansel of pastry fame went to the Museum of Modern Art's Rain Room exhibit and took a picture of a cronut — his donut/croissant hybrid pastry that has New Yorkers going insane— in his outstretched hand.

Some people wait in line three hours for a cronut. Meanwhile, New Yorkers have been lining up at least three hours in advance to experience the Rain Room at the MoMA. Sometimes, the line for the Rain Room can even last as long as seven to eight hours.

That means to do what Dominique Ansel did, you'd have to wait almost half a day in line. As Grub Street notes of the photo, "this is what dreams are made of."

#Cronut meets the #MOMA#RainRoompic.twitter.com/WhWN0ZLUY9

— Dominique Ansel (@DominiqueAnsel) July 18, 2013

SEE ALSO: 34 Things Every New Yorker Should Do This Summer

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For most of this month, I'm working from Business Insider's beach office, which is located on a small island off the coast of Massachusetts (Nantucket).

It's hot here, which means it must be absolutely miserable back at BI headquarters in New York City. So my gratitude and sympathy goes out to my colleagues and tens of millions of other folks who are working in the city and stifling mainland instead of here.

(There's no air conditioning here, if that's any consolation. At least not at the BI office.)

There has been some local news here that I figured you might find interesting.

For example, the beach erosion on a small section of the island, which many people assume is exacerbated by climate change, has become so severe that a bunch of $5-$10 million houses are about to fall into the Atlantic.

The folks who own these houses, who are mostly summer residents who draw their salaries from the global economy, have been begging the town to let them spend millions of dollars of their own money to build a "hard armor" seawall on the beach to slow or stop the erosion. But year-round residents, who draw their salaries from the local economy, are opposed to that idea, in part, some suspect, because the year-round residents are quietly enjoying the spectacle of the well-off folks who invade their island every summer finally being confronted with something that they can't buy or control.

Vanity Fair's William Cohan, who lives on the affected bluff, and whose own house will soon plunge into the Atlantic if the erosion isn't stopped, wrote an impressively restrained story about this confrontation in this month's issue. If you're interested, you can check that out here.

Another thing that happened here recently is that, during a community beach potluck a couple of nights ago, a seal hopped up out of the surf.

It was a grey seal, Google said. 

The seal pulled itself up out of the waves, flopped down on the dry sand above the water line, and then began to stretch and yawn.

Naturally, a crowd of adults and kids immediately gathered around the seal. The seal looked at several faces in the crowd, stretched and yawned some more, and then began rubbing its face with its absurdly dexterous, anthropomorphic, and charismatic flippers. If you've ever stopped by the Central Park Zoo and watched the sea lion show, you'll know exactly what the seal was doing. And you'll also know how cute the seal was.

Someone soon spoiled the moment by theorizing that the seal was obviously sick or dying--why else would it crawl up on to a beach full of people and seem unperturbed by them?

So someone else called a seal expert on a cell phone.

No, the seal expert said, the seal probably just wanted to take a nap.

That mollified the concerned crowd for a while, but after another hour went by, and the seal's fur dried out, and the seal still seemed listless and unbothered by the people around it, some of the kids at the potluck got anxious again. This time, the seal expert could not be located to reassure the kids that the seal wasn't about to die. In the end, one of the kids couldn't bear to watch anymore and went home in tears.

In any event...

This seal thing has exploded into another major controversy on the island, one that represents another hurdle in the ongoing interaction between man and nature.

Thirty years ago, there were no seals on Nantucket. There were just waves and fish.

The seals came back a decade or two ago. And now, on some parts of the island, if you watch the ocean carefully, you'll see one float by every once in a while, with its head sticking out of the water like a dog's.

If you go to a remote section of the island called "Great Point," meanwhile, you'll see hundreds of seals. The seals love Great Point, because there's a huge rip-tide that attracts and traps fish, making the surf off the point a veritable cafeteria.

When they're not wolfing down fish in the rip, the seals at Great Point are napping on the beach. And, of course, these seals are cute--the very definition of "charismatic mega-fauna" whose prosperity and freedom armchair environmentalists everywhere love to champion.  But there are hundreds of them now--in a small, popular location.  And, of course, they're peeing and crapping all over the place.

Great Point also used to be one of the most popular human-fishing spots on the island. But now that the seals have taken over, the fish are scarcer and hard to catch. And when you do hook one, frequent fisherman say, you'd better hope a seal isn't floating nearby. Because there's no easier meal for a seal than gulping down a striped bass or bluefish that a fisherman has distracted by trying to haul it up on the beach.

And, of course, the proliferation of seals in the waters around the island has also attracted the attention of the next rung of the aquatic food chain--namely, Great White Sharks. And human swimmers on the island aren't wild about that.

So now there's this big fight going on about the seals.

Some commercial fishermen and others regard them as a polluting, dangerous menace.

Others think they're a sign that man and nature are once again living in greater harmony.

It's not clear what will happen to the seals.

Or the houses on the bluff.

I am happy to report, however, that the seal that flopped up on the sand during the beach potluck the other night did not expire in the middle of it.

A couple of hours after he (she?) showed up, he/she flopped back down to the waves, hesitated for a moment (the water's cold!), and then plunged back in.

The seal expert, it appears, was right.

That particular grey seal, who has apparently gotten used to being the center of attention, just wanted to take a nap.

So this one small interaction between man and nature, at least, turned out okay.

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Ever since financier Sandy Weill’s apartment at 15 Central Park West hit the market — and quickly sold — for a record-breaking $88 million in December 2011, a $90 million New York City listing no longer comes as a shock.

In fact, some 16 New York City homes in the $90 million-plus range — including 10 penthouses at new construction condo 432 Park — are now on the market or in contract.

“What the 15 Central Park West sale did was catapult the market into uncharted territory,” said Nick Jabbour, a broker at Nest Seekers International. “[It’s] a market where anything is possible.”

Just what qualities does a NYC home need to justify a $90 million-plus price tag? For starters, brokers recommended proximity to Central Park, more than 10,000 square feet of space, and a prestigious address, such as Park Avenue or Central Park West.

We asked a panel of experts to weigh in on the city’s recent high eight-figure listings and tried to find out (when brokers were forthcoming) what they might sell for.

The Pierre Hotel

795 Fifth Avenue, PHE – PHW

Asking price: $125 million

Status: Listed in April with Elizabeth Sample, Brenda Powers and Serena Boardman of Sotheby’s International Realty

Square footage: Undisclosed

Current owner: The estate of financial expert Martin Zweig

Features: Co-op units at the Pierre offer residents a 24/7 on-call physician, twice-daily maid service and elevator attendants. This triplex penthouse, once the ballroom of the hotel, features 360-degree views of Manhattan.

Expert opinions: Part of the unit’s value is its “iconic” location inside an internationally recognized luxury hotel, said Stan Ponte, a luxury broker at Sotheby’s.

Plus, “anyone who looks at those pictures and looks at that space — if you could afford that, you would buy it,” he said.

But would-be buyers have to get past the stringent co-op board, and that shrinks the pool of potential purchasers, explained Max Dobens, a broker at Douglas Elliman. “It’s not [just] a matter of having the money,” he explained. “Co-ops are like country clubs. They’re exclusive and prestigious. Not everybody will get in.”

One Beacon Court

151 East 58th Street, PH51W

Asking price: $115 million

Status: Listed in April with Deborah Grubman of the Corcoran Group

Square footage: 9,000

Current owner: Hedge fund founder 
Steven Cohen

Features: This duplex penthouse features 24-foot ceilings, two walls of windows, Venetian plaster, maple floors and a security system, according to the listing. One Beacon Court, also known as the Bloomberg Tower, offers concierge services, a children’s playroom, and business and fitness centers.

Expert opinions: Several brokers told TRD that they are skeptical that this apartment will fetch its hefty asking price. “I would be very surprised if it sold for that price,” said Richard Steinberg, a broker at Warburg Realty, who estimated that the unit will eventually trade for $75 to $80 million. “Nothing in the building has even rivaled that [$115 million sum]. The location is not prime — it’s not on Fifth; it’s not on Park.”

CitySpire

150 West 56th Street, PH

Asking price: $100 million

Status: Listed July 2012 with Raphael De Niro of Douglas Elliman; taken off the market in January 2013; relisted in May with Colleen Brooks of Klar Realty.

Square footage: 8,000

Current owner: Real estate developer Steven Klar

Features: This triplex penthouse has the highest terrace in the U.S., some 73 to 75 stories up. The 3,000 feet of exterior space has 360-degree views of the city. The apartment also includes a private elevator, a wine cellar and separate maid’s quarters. The CitySpire condominium, built in 1987, has a 50-foot pool and a parking garage.

Expert opinions: This apartment “definitely is not worth” $100 million, said Frank Ragusa, an independent broker who has had listings in the building. Based on the unit’s 8,000 square feet and CitySpire’s amenities and age, he predicted the unit will sell for $30 to $40 million.

Klar told TRD: “I will admit it’s not a new building like One57, and it may not have the cachet of 15 Central Park [West], but what it has, which they don’t have, is the outdoor experience. I can walk outside and I can see every part of New York City.”

But he added: “Will I say it’s going to be $100 million or nothing? No.”

Two penthouses at One57

157 West 57th Street

Price: $90 million to $100 million each

Status: In contract

Square footage: 10,923 and 13,554

Features: When complete, Extell Development’s 1,000-foot-plus One57 condominium, above a Park Hyatt hotel, will include an indoor pool, a fitness center, a performance room, a private dining area and a library. These two duplex penthouses are each in contract for more than $90 million (although Extell declined to give the exact pricing). The 13,554-square-foot “Winter Garden” penthouse is on the 75th and 76th floors, while the 10,923-square-foot unit is on the 89th and 90th floors.

Expert opinions: The “worldwide renown that Extell was able to create [around One57] was very effective in making it a brag-worthy acquisition,” Nest Seeker’s Jabbour said.

Sources have said One57’s one-of-a-kind Central park views — due to its height — contribute to the building’s cachet. “When you’re in the building and you see the views, you get a sense of ownership of the city,” Sotheby’s Ponte said. “That’s what people are buying. And they’re also buying an asset to protect their wealth.”

Keep reading at The Real Deal >

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As summer heats up, your idea of the perfect getaway is probably pretty straightforward: anywhere that’s not your desk.

But once you look past the need to just turn off your phone and stop answering emails … try closing your eyes and imagining the magical word “vacation.” What image pops into your head?

Whether it's filled with palm trees or winding, cobblestone streets in Europe, travel styles say a lot about a person’s personality and priorities. In fact, we might even go so far as to say that your idea of the perfect vacation reveals a little something about the way you manage your money.

SEE ALSO: 11 Outrageous Things People Did To Save Money

Your Ideal Vacation: Relaxing on an Exotic Beach

Your Money Type: The Savvy Saver

The most exhausting aspect of your vacation is getting to that remote island. Once you arrive, the most taxing activity on your to-do list will be, "Apply more sunscreen." And, when it comes to saving money, you're also likely to be the slow and steady type.

That's the good thing: putting in the initial effort—then laying low while your money grows—is something financial experts recommend all the time. For example, setting up automatic deposits from your checking account to your savings or retirement accounts is the best way to make sure you actually get your goals—one of which just may be vacation, or retirement, on that exotic isle.

RELATED: Need Financial Motivation? Try a "Phrase to Save"

Your Ideal Vacation: A Whirlwind Trip to Europe

Your Money Type: The Smart Spender

If your perfect trip includes a jam-packed itinerary with six European cities and 42 museums, then odds are you also own a few dog-eared guidebooks you've read cover to cover. And it's also no surprise that you'd be an information hound when it comes to your money.

Why is being this type helpful? Your very un-laissez-faire approach to your finances means you're more likely to be on top of your saving and spending. (See why LearnVest C.E.O. Alexa von Tobel takes a Money Minute every morning.) Doing hardcore research into important financial decisions will definitely benefit your bottom line, especially if you take the time to keep a close eye on your credit score, shop for the right credit card or land the best mortgage lender.

In fact, if you make sure to max out your reward points, like the guy in the story below, you just might be able to take a seventh country on to your itinerary!

RELATED: How I Pay for My Life With Credit Card Points

Your Ideal Vacation: Backpacking Around the World

Your Money Type: The Balanced Budgeter

If the idea of backpacking excites you, you’re probably happy with just a roof over your head and someplace safe to store your passport.

The ability to live with only a few essentials on your back says that you have the valuable ability to distinguish between what’s a necessity--and what’s simply a fun extra. Drawing this line means you'll always know which expenses come first, and which can wait until you have some extra cash to spare. Keeping that line in mind, make sure your budget aligns with your values with LearnVest’s 50/20/30 rule.

By making sure your “must-haves” fall under 50% of your net income, you’ll be able to achieve your financial goals more quickly … like buying flights to South America for your next backpacking excursion.

RELATED: I Sold Everything to Travel for 5 Years

Ask anyone who drives a car in the United States, and they’ll tell you that getting traffic tickets is not only the quickest way to ruin your day, it’s also one of the easiest ways to drain your savings account.

Earlier this year in Florida, yellow traffic lights were shortened by fractions of a second — and this potentially doubled the number of red light citations issued to drivers. As both parking tickets and moving violations get more and more expensive, you might start to wonder if your bank account simply has a big target sign on it.

We recently examined five different traffic laws that have some of the largest associated fines. While some traffic tickets immediately empty your wallet, others have longer-lasting and more expensive repercussions.

1. Driving Under the Influence

Michael Cicero, a prosecutor with Nicola, Gudbranson & Cooper, noted that fines for drunk driving can reach $1,000 on first offense. Along with the initial fine, Cicero said, DUIs can rack up a number of additional penalties, such as insurance rate hikes and limited driving privileges.

David Bakke, editor at Money Crashers Personal Finance, explained that various costs — such as towing, bail, legal fees and an increase in the price of auto insurance — could easily cost drivers more than $10,000 for driving under the influence.

2. Speeding Tickets

Many drivers have received a speeding ticket at one point or another. Although most drivers are aware of how expensive speeding tickets can be, penalties for these violations vary from state to state. Drivers in Virginia can be fined as much as $1,350 for their first speeding offenses, Bakke said.

There are ways to avoid paying a speeding ticket, Bakke said, such as requesting alternative punishment (e.g. community service) or asking for a meeting with the officer who issued you the ticket.

Speeding tickets can also wreak some serious, long-lasting havoc on your insurance. Charlie Gilchrist of SouthWest Ford estimated an average rate increase of 12 percent for a speeding violation 15-29 mph over the speeding limit. If you speed 30 mph over the limit, your insurance will receive an average 15 percent rate increase, Gilchrist said.

3. Parking Tickets

Drivers in crowded cities such as Los Angeles or Manhattan can easily be penalized more than $100 per parking violation. In San Francisco, Bakke said, drivers can be fined as much as $1,000 for blocking traffic without a permit.

Crowded streets and obscured parking signs create the ideal conditions for receiving one of these traffic tickets. The only way to avoid paying them off? “Pay attention to all parking signs and abide by them,” Bakke advised.

And don’t try to cut corners by parking in a handicap spot — that can carry a fine of up to $120.

4. Driving Through Construction Zones

Violating traffic laws in construction zones can result in considerable fines, and even cost you your license. For instance, in Beaver County, Penn., motorists caught driving 11 mph or more above the posted speed limit in an active work zone will automatically lose their license for 15 days. 

Because construction lanes are often narrower and traffic patterns are different, drivers passing through construction zones need to remain focused and prepared for any unexpected obstacles.

Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia double the costs of traffic tickets when they are violated by drivers in construction zones. That said, 24 states as well as D.C. do require workers to be present in the construction zone for the increased penalties to take effect.

Drivers interested in avoiding fines should do research on each state’s rules. “Once you find out how expensive it is when you’re caught violating these laws,” Bakke said, “you’ll be less likely to break them.”

If you’re not looking to lose a chunk of change on these violations, be on the lookout for work-zone speed limits as well as other signs and flaggers. Maintain a safe distance from other vehicles, and avoid speeding at all costs.

5. Carpool Violations

Drivers can receive carpool lane violations for a number of reasons. Usually, a police officer will pull a car over if he believes it contains only one person, instead of two or three individuals necessary to earn the benefits of carpooling. A cop can also issue a traffic ticket if a driver uses the carpool lane to move in and out of his current lane, or if the driver is accused of illegal movement in or out of the carpool lane.

Most carpool violations have a minimum fine of more than $300, in addition to penalty assessment fees. If a driver’s carpool lane violation is classified as a moving violation, points can potentially be placed on the driver’s license and in turn increase insurance premiums.

While driving in the carpool lane to bypass traffic or gridlock can be enticing, make sure you have enough passengers in your vehicle and enter the carpool lane legally in order to avoid expensive traffic tickets.

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It’s been a long time since I’ve been broke, but I can still remember exactly what it felt like.

I can picture all the ugly details of the way I used to struggle; the empty bank account, the awkward moments, the feelings of despair…. And honestly, one particularly awkward conversation with my sister still plays clearly in my mind to this day:

“Hey sis, I’m coming into town this weekend,” she said innocently. “Maybe we could go grab dinner.”

“Ummm, let me think about that for a second.” I struggled to find a tactful way to tell her that I couldn’t afford it.

It’s been about ten years since then, but at the time I was 22 years old and flat broke. A series of bad decisions meant that I was trapped in a desperate situation that felt nearly impossible to get out of. And although I was going to school part time, I was living off a full-time job that only paid a whopping $9.15 an hour. Oh, and it gets worse.

Bad decisions have consequences

Have I ever mentioned that I once bought a $22,000 car while making just a little over minimum wage? The resulting $500 monthly car payment meant that almost half of my take home pay was being spent on transportation. And by the time I realized what I had done, it was much, much too late. Since I had always had wonderful credit, I refused to let a car repossession ruin everything in one fell swoop. I was (and still am) stubborn. So, instead of letting the car go, I struggled. This often meant that I didn’t have the money to put gas in my car or to go to the doctor. And I certainly didn’t have the money to go out to eat with my sister.

“Sorry, I don’t have the money to go out to dinner,” I said with shame and emotion I may never forget.

“You can’t afford to go to Applebees?!”

<insert awkward silence here>

I could tell by my sister’s tone that she thought it was ridiculous that I couldn’t afford to eat at the cheesy neighborhood bar & grill. And honestly, I thought it was ridiculous too. Living so close to my means meant that I was always just one step away from disaster. One day off work, one prolonged sickness, or one unfortunate incident had the potential to leave me completely desolate. I knew that I had to change something. Unfortunately, I struggled to figure out where to start.

The truth about being broke

Shortly after realizing I couldn’t afford to eat at Applebee’s, I learned the truth about being broke. As much as I didn’t like it, I was going to have to make some drastic changes in order to improve my situation. So, I sucked it up and moved back in with my parents. As sad and pathetic as that must’ve looked to outsiders, I knew that this was my chance to get on solid financial footing. Since I no longer had to pay for living expenses, I used the opportunity to start paying additional car payments. I also began cleaning houses on the side while I went to school. I would often make $1000 or even $1500 payments on that stupid car, and I felt a sense of victory each and every time. It became a matter of principle. Every inch of my being wanted to pay off the darn thing, and I was itching to mail in that last and final payment. Fortunately, it was only a matter of time.

After a year or so at home, my car was completely paid off, and I pledged to drive it into the ground. Well, I ended up owning it for seven years before the events of getting married and having my first child necessitated a family-friendly (used) minivan. However, I still learned an important lesson from the whole ordeal. When I finally sold it, I was shocked to learn that it was only worth $2,500. I couldn’t believe it! I cringed at the thought of all I had given up for that car. After all, I had just spent several years of my life living like a pauper to own a car that lost 90 percent of its value in seven years. And, for what? The unfortunate truth is that I did it for no reason at all, except perhaps the opportunity to learn a lesson that I may never have learned otherwise.

What I learned from being broke

Being broke gave me an entirely different perspective on cash flow, debt and my own financial well-being. I learned that there was a big difference between looking like you have money and actually having money. I also learned about living within my means and the real-life consequences of unplanned purchases. And most importantly, I became willing to do anything and everything to make sure that I was never broke again. Once I was out of debt, I pledged to never let that happen again. I promised to rise above my situation and start with a clean slate. And I did.

Of course, things haven’t gone perfectly since then. As I’ve written about many times before, my husband and I took the concept of lifestyle inflation to a whole new level in the early years of our marriage. Fortunately, we’ve reigned things in over the past few year years, and we’re now building wealth like never before. We’re debt-free aside from a small mortgage and we’re hell-bent on staying that way for eternity. And even though I’ve strayed several times since becoming an adult, some of the lessons from that part of my life have stuck with me. Here’s what I learned from being broke:

• Don’t rely on one income stream. I was never going to get ahead while relying on one full-time job for my entire livelihood. In fact, I never really started making progress against my debt until I started picking up cleaning jobs on the side. Sure, cleaning houses wasn’t much fun. But the truth is, the extra income that it brought in completely altered my financial situation over the course of a few years. Now that I’m older, I still strive to have several streams of income coming in. I started a profitable blog with my husband and have secured a multitude of part-time jobs that create a full-time living. I’ve also diversified my investments as much as possible including the acquisition of rental properties. I’ve learned that having one “job” means that you’re only one step away from not having a job at all.
• Only you can solve your problems. As I look back, I realize that I would probably be much better off if I had filed bankruptcy and taken the car back to the dealership. I could’ve easily bought an old beater to drive around. It would’ve taken time, but I would have eventually restored my credit rating back to its former glory. Although that sounds tempting, I know that I wouldn’t be where I am now if I had chosen that path.
• Live below your means. In retrospect, I now realize that spending half of my income on transportation is absolutely ridiculous. What was I thinking? Unfortunately,I wasn’t. Amazingly, I never once crunched the numbers to see what the real cost of buying that vehicle would be. Now that I’ve been broke, I realize how important it is to live below my means. And now that I make more money, I choose to live much further below my means that I really need to.

Life after broke

The truth about being broke is that it can be exhausting and demoralizing. And although that part of my life caused a lot of heartache and embarrassment, I’m so glad that I was able to learn all of those lessons firsthand. Now that I’m on the other side, I use those experiences as motivation to continue my quest for financial independence and security. And now when someone calls to ask me to dinner, I have a choice.And when I say no, it’s not because I don’t have ten dollars in my bank account or because I’m saving to pay my electric bill. It’s because I’ve been broke and I want to make sure that I’m never broke again.

Have you ever been flat broke? If so, what did you learn from it?

Join the conversation about this story »

SEE ALSO: Korea's Obsession With Plastic Surgery

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The University of Virginia is notifying 18,700 students that their Social Security numbers were accidentally printed on address labels of health insurance brochures, U.Va. spokesman McGregor McCance said.

"The university certainly regrets that this exposure occurred," McCance told The Daily Progress ((http://bit.ly/15necUW)V ) in an email.

Aetna Health Care sent the open-enrollment brochures to students' homes through a third-party mail vendor. The university provided the Social Security numbers and other information to Aetna, which provides student health insurance at U.Va. and more than 190 other schools across the nation.

Aetna spokeswoman Cynthia Michener said the insurer learned of the security breach earlier this week. She said the mail vendor is one of several used by Aetna but declined to identify it.

"We are working with UVa helping to notify the students," Michener told the newspaper. "We are trying to do the right thing."

The student newspaper, the Cavalier Daily, first reported the breach. One of the editors, Andrew Elliott, was among the students who received a brochure.

"It's definitely easily visible if you know what you're looking for," Elliott told The Daily Progress. "It isn't separated by the little dashes, but it still looks like a Social Security number."

Affected students will be provided free credit monitoring services, McCance said.

"Our focus is on notifying those affected, providing them information regarding credit monitoring and assistance and ensuring that such an incident will not occur again," McCance said.

There have been several previous security breaches at the university, including the disappearance of a hand-held device from the University of Virginia Medical Center last December. The device, which is similar to a smartphone, contained medical and personal information of patients treated by Continuum Home Infusion between August 2007 and last September.

Another incident occurred in June 2012, when up to 350 students' transcripts were accidentally posted to a U.Va. website. Some of the transcripts contained Social Security numbers.

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Summer brings a bounty of mouthwatering fruits, including juicy peaches, plump blueberries, and sweet cherries. 

And while fruit may seem sweetest during the summer, you can enjoy a variety of ripe produce throughout the entire year.

So when is the best time to load up on melons and when should you avoid pears?

These handy "produce posters" by food photographer Russell Van Kraayenburg provide the ultimate map to buying seasonal fruits and veggies.  

The artist has a bunch of other helpful cooking posters, including a guide to basic cooking methods, on his site Chasing Delicious.

The month and the seasons are in the center. The colored bars represent each fruit or vegetable. The length of the bar shows when each is at peak flavor. Avocados are ripe from March through September, for example.

Post this in your kitchen or take it on your next grocery trip.   

SEE ALSO: 10 Common Foods That Are Proven To Reduce Stress

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You've probably heard of a Black and Tan. But have you had a Black and Black, or a Shandy?

If you've never tried the classic Irish Pub beer combinations, you should. They're often a great option when you can decide if you want a heavy stout or a light lager.

To give you a repertoire of these handy combinations we put together this short video guide. Have a look and revisit some old favorites or learn some new ones.

Produced by Robert Libetti

SEE ALSO: Top New York Bartender Shows Us Why This Strawberry-Gin Cocktail Costs $20

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The Versace mansion will go to bankruptcy auction on Sept. 17, listing broker Jill Eber told The Real Deal.

Bidders will need to deposit $3 million into escrow and show proof of funds of $40 million, confirmed Eber, of the Coldwell Banker team The Jills. The estate, where fashion Gianni Versace was gunned down in 1997, has been listed for $75 million; the property had an original listing price of $125 million.

Fisher Auction Co. will handle the sale along with The Jills, according to Eber, confirming information first reported by the South Florida Business Journal.

The sale will take place at 10 a.m. at the storied mansion where Madonna was a frequent guest, now known as the Casa Casuarina.

The majority owner, telecom mogul Peter Loftin, has battled a foreclosure action by a company owned by the Nakash family, the founders of Jordache jeans.

Convicted Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein admitted to funneling millions through his firm to acquire a 9.99 percent stake in the 19,000-square-foot property in 2009 and more to later keep the property running, wiring the money to Loftin’s Luxury Resorts LLC.

Nakash family investment vehicle VM South Beach bought a note from Loftin’s original lender, which makes them the stalking horse at the upcoming auction. They will be entitled to a credit bid of $32.7 million, Eber said, or whatever the value of the existing mortgage as determined by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Laurel Isicoff.

More from The Real Deal:

1. Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway expands real estate arm through Florida brokerage
2. Echo Brickell land nears $25M sale
3. Related unveils rendering for Zaha Hadid’s spacy High Line condo development

SEE ALSO: Tour The Legendary Versace Mansion In South Beach

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Time to tee off! 

AD rounds up the most significant structures around the world—from the United Kingdom's stately stone piles to cutting-edge designs in Sweden, New Zealand, and beyond.

Click here to see the clubhouses >>

More From Architectural Digest:

• Discover the adventurous designs of treehouse architecture
• 
  
• Enjoy a cocktail while taking in incredible views at these extraordinary places around the world
• Tour extraordinary waterfront estates for sale around the world, handpicked by AD editors

Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in New Songdo City, South Korea

Iranian architect Mehrdad Yazdani’s clubhouse vision for South Korea’s first Jack Nicklaus golf development, which opened in 2010, is about as chic as golf gets. Fitted with curved zinc roofs, the pavilions sit on neutral-color stone plinths and feature pilasters made from local Merbau wood that minimize glare and heat gain. Inside, it’s all marble floors, bead-blasted stainless-steel columns, and limestone wall panels. The combined effect is, as Nicklaus says, “Something very unique and very special.”

Loch Lomond Golf Club in Dunbartonshire, Scotland

Situated on a lakeside estate that used to be home to the Colquhouns, a Highland Scottish clan, Loch Lomond’s clubhouse is built of local pink and yellow sandstones—some of which had been salvaged from the clan’s 18th-century Georgian-style Rossdhu Mansion. To keep their spirit alive, the Colquhouns, who lived on the 660-acre estate throughout the 1970s, lent original artwork and furniture to the estate after it was reimagined as a golf course in 1994.

The Bridge in Bridgehampton, New York

Constructed on the site of a former racetrack in 2010, the boldly modernist 40,000-square-foot glass-walled clubhouse at the Bridge boasts unparalleled views of the Rees Jones–designed course—through louvered and sustainably sourced cypress shutters. The interiors of the turbine-bladed Roger Ferris + Partners–designed two-story structure are equally stunning, showcasing works from such blue-chip artists as Richard Prince and Tom Sachs (both of whom are members of the club).

Real estate brokers say millennials are buying homes— and expensive homes — like never before thanks to wealthy parents and the tech boom, Wall Street Journal's Lauren Schuker Blum reports. The younger generation also thinks houses are a safer investment than the stock market.

"In the last two months, half the folks I sold homes to were young entrepreneurial types — and they were all buying homes for over a million dollars," Washington D.C.'s Michael Rankin of TTR Sotheby's International Realty tells WSJ. He says those kinds of buyers didn't exist a few years ago. 

Rankin and other real estate professionals are seeing more clients skipping starter homes and condos altogether for sprawling houses. The tech boom is largely to thank. "Brokers say many of the young buyers today have made money during the IPOs of technology companies such as Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, or they have profited by starting their own companies," Blum writes. She cites one Facebook employee who moved from a rented 800-square-foot apartment to a $7 million 9,000 square-foot-home. A former Facebooker, Rick Armbruso, who is now 33, purchased a $1.2 million, 2,000-square foot home 2.5 years ago.

For those who aren't independently wealthy, parents are stepping up to the plate. A luxury broker in Los Angeles tells WSJ she's seen "more parents buy home for their children in the last year than in [her] whole career."

The reason: There's a generation of wealth that didn't exist before in America. Baby Boomers made more money as a whole than their parents.

"For the first time since the pre-Depression, Gatsby era, we have a generation of kids whose parents made a great deal of money and are giving a great deal of it to their children," Harrson Group's Jim Taylor tells WSJ. He recently conducted a study about wealth in America with American Express Publishing. "Prior to this, very few families had money through inheritance. There is a living wealth transfer currently taking place that this country hasn't seen in decades."

SEE ALSO: What It Feels Like To Be Ridiculously Wealthy By Age 25

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As the UK continues to sizzle, more and more Brits are heading to the coast.

New data released today from Expedia.co.uk shows a rise in domestic beach bookings during this current heat wave.

Bournemouth tops the list of UK escapes, according to the travel company, showing a 119% increase in bookings in the last 28 days, compared with the same time last year. Eastbourne follows with a 100% rise, and Torquay in Devon's is also high on the list, with an 81% rise in bookings.

Brighton, Blackpool, Southampton, Plymouth, St Helier and Southport all feature in the top 10 beach breaks booked during the last 28 days.

If you're heading south to enjoy Bournemouth's seven miles of golden sand – which last year was controversially named one of the finest beaches anywhere in Europe– then check out Tony Naylor's guide to where to eat on a budget in the town.

There are more tasty seaside treats in this round-up of the best chippies, ice-cream parlours and tearooms around the UK.

Elsewhere in Dorset, we've rounded-up the best days out in east and west of the county; and the best campsites, many of which overlook the Jurassic coast.

Heading further south-west, we have found the best days out in north and south Cornwall, and the best days out in north and south Devon.

Families across the nation are dusting down their tents to make the most of the freakishly dry weather (July 2013 has been declared the driest in 250 years), check out our top 10 Cornish campsites, all of which are either on or near the coast, and this guide to Devon's finest campgrounds, which includes a quiet farm site with staggering sea views.

On the east coast, Mablethorpe in Lincolnshire has all the essentials for a fun day out: golden sandy beach, donkey rides, funfair, paddleboating, crazy golf, even a sand train. Read all about it and four other particularly child-friendly beaches. And Patrick Barkham finds beachside perfection in a refurbished 1950s cabin on the Lincolnshire coast.

If you want to do more than build sandcastles take a look at our suggestions for fun things to do by the seaside– and try your hand at kayaking in Cornwall, horseriding in Northumberland or compare your sandcastle building efforts with the masters at a sand sculpture festival in Brighton.

And for some good old-fashioned fun, check out our suggestions for Britain's more traditional resorts, from Bridlington to the Isle of Wight.

If you've scheduled in a last-minute Friday or Monday off work, make the most of it with one of these five great weekend beaches, including Sandsend in North Yorkshire.

In east Yorkshire, Kevin Rushby enjoys the world-class coastal scenery around Flamborough Head, while across the Dales, kayaking is a great way to enjoy the vast tidal sands of the Cumbrian coast.

Wales is blessed with some spectacular coastline. In between the sweeping sands of popular beaches, such as Barafundle, are some gorgeous hidden coves and bays. Read our pick of some of best of them by the author of Secret Beaches Wales.

We also round-up the best walks in Pembrokeshire, many of which take in stunning beaches and clifftops.

Scotland's gorgeous beaches often appear in "Where in the world?" quizzes, thanks to their exotic-looking white sands and turquoise waters. Check out some of them in this round-up of days out in Lochalsh, including trips to beaches by kayak.

And if you really want to make the most of the balmy nights, now's the time to wild camp. In Scotland there are no restrictions, so head to Sandwood Bay in the remote Wester Ross region, and wake up to the sound of the waves as Phoebe Smith does in this feature about the joys of extreme camping.

And if all gets too much, here are our suggestions for the best ways to cool off.

This article originally appeared on guardian.co.uk

SEE ALSO: 35 Beaches You Should Visit In Your Lifetime

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John Stage, the founder and owner of Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, has been satisfying Americans' insatiable appetite for slow cooked meat since 1983.

He honed his skills on the road, along with his two partners, using a makeshift bbq to cater to motorcycle shows, fairs, and festivals across the country.  Eventually settling in Syracuse, his hard earned recipes transformed into the menu for the original Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. Over the last twenty plus years, he's built a small empire, which includes seven outposts.

We caught up with him in the recently opened Brooklyn location to find out his secret for fall off the bone St. Louis style ribs.  Stage says  it's all about the right balance of "smoke, spice, sauce and pure pork."

Produced by Alana Kakoyiannis and Justin Gmoser

SEE ALSO: Top NYC Chef Explains How To Cook A Perfect Steak

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An extraordinary essay on sexual assault written by an anonymous Boston University student has caused BU's student newspaper to completely rework its longstanding "Crime Logs" section.

The paper's editorial board acknowledged that the section, an attempt to "satirize" crimes, "has repeatedly published callous sub-headlines making light of serious issues and inadvertently exploiting victims of crime for humor."

On Thursday, xoJane published an essay titled "It Happened To Me: I Was Raped At Boston University And The Student Newspaper Made A Joke Of It," a student's reaction to how her sexual assault was reported in the BU newspaper, the Daily Free Press.

According to the author, the Free Press' Campus Crime Logs "regularly makes light of crimes like rape, sexual harassment and assault by prefacing the paragraph-long descriptions of the incidents with jokey, pun-ridden titles."

Of seeing her own experience of sexual assault in the newspaper, she wrote:

I felt less-than-human. The day in my life that I was sexually assaulted marked a before-and-after divider in how I felt about myself as a human being and as a woman, and this thoughtless, demeaning description of it by somebody who is a fellow student and supposed "journalist" minimized it to a f***ing RAP PUN. 

While the author declined to identify how her assault was reported in the Free Press, she wrote that the paper used "a pun involving a popular rap song that describes the sexual appeal of a woman’s body."

She gave other examples from the Crime Logs that she noted "downplay the severity of the incidents [and] in some cases even make fun of the victims." For instance, a report on a man who had his head stomped on until he was unconscious and bleeding was labeled "Stomp the yard" and a report on a female BU student who was chocked by her boyfriend fell under the headline "Choked up."

In a statement from the Free Press' Board of Directors released Thursday, the paper apologized and took full responsibility for the offensive headlines. The Board wrote that "Though Crime Logs have traditionally aimed to satirize harmless, victimless crimes, these examples demonstrate a lack of sensitivity and empathy on the part of several editors." The paper said it would now only use serious headlines in their Crime Logs, change offensive past headlines, and require all new editors to attend mandatory sensitivity training sessions.

But at the time of writing this post, it appeared that only the examples noted in xoJane had been changed. While one headline noted by the BU student had been changed to "Assault and battery," a separate headline describing an assault on a BU Dining Services manager read "A-salt and butter-y."

Similarly, a report on a female student who called the police after waking up to find an unknown man in her house was labeled "Who are you?" A separate Crime Log not noted in the xoJane essay included an account of domestic violence at a Romeo Santos concert under the headline "He’s no Romeo."

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An Amesbury, Mass. donut shop was the site of an inspiring 55-customer "pay it forward" chain last weekend.

Eileen Taylor told CBS Boston affiliate WBZ that she was making her usual trip to the Heav'nly Donuts drive-thru last week when she learned that someone ahead of her had paid for her order.

“There was a woman ahead of me and she paid for my drinks, and I thought that was really cool. I thought it was really nice, it was unexpected,” said Taylor.

In the wake of losing her job, the gesture brightened her morning and Taylor decided to "pay it forward."

The next day she began what turned into a 55-person chain. 

WBZ reported that employees were shocked by the consecutive number of participants. The gesture isn't uncommon amongst regulars, but the length of this chain was surprising. 

Taylor said jobless or not, she won't hesitate to pay for a fellow customer again.

"It was worth it. It was the best $12 I've ever spent," Taylor said.

The chain ended at 55 only because there were no cars behind the 55th person at the drive-thru.

SEE ALSO: Chipotle Says You Can Order 65,000 Menu Combinations — We Put That Claim To The Test

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Half of the United States of America feels like its melting.

The National Weather Service says that heat advisories and warnings will remain in effect from the Midwest and Ohio River Valley through the Northeast for the remainder of this week.

Many Northeastern states logged temperatures in the triple digits over the last five days, and things won't cool down until thunderstorms roll through this weekend.

So naturally, people and animals are trying to stay cool anyway they can in America's biggest cities.

Seek inspiration from these geniuses on how to beat the heat.

Sun too glaring for you? Break out your umbrella while strolling the streets like these ladies in NYC's China Town.

Grab a rag and soak it in ice cold water, like this vendor in New York City.

There are plenty of fountains in Washington D.C. — take a break and ease in your feet like these friends did.

The absolute coldest water is always the melted ice at the bottom of the bucket. This woman in Harlem knows what's up.

Send your kids out to play under the spray of an open fire hydrant. Look at how cool these kids in the Washington Heights section of upper Manhattan look.

They even have them in Brooklyn!

These girls in our nation's capital city dance under a fountain of water in one of the parks.

This shirtless man wades into a fountain in NYC's Columbus circle.

And don't forget about your pets! Stay cool, little guy.

SEE ALSO: The Most Elaborate Ice Hotels Around The Globe

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Nothing burns calories like a nice monetary incentive. 

At least that's the theory being tested in Dubai, where the city is offering residents 2 grams of solid gold if they lose at least 2 kg (4.4 lbs) within 30 days, Emirates 24/7 reports.

It's all part of a contest called "Your Weight In Gold," which has been billed by the city government as a way to promote healthy living and raise awareness about sporting activities.

The deal gets sweeter with every pound people drop. Once they hit the 2 kg weight loss mark, participants are guaranteed to earn 1 extra gram of gold for each additional kilo they drop.

At today's rate, a gram (.03 oz) of gold is worth about $45, which means you'd earn $90 for dropping the initial 2 kg of weight, plus another $45 for every kg thereafter. 

There's no limit to how much gold you can earn, but doctors recommend losing about 4 to 8 pounds per month (1-2 lbs/week) to stay healthy. At that rate, you could pocket $180 - $360. 

It's not exactly enough to buy a new treadmill, but you could probably get all the skinny jeans you could want. 

Participants can sign up at local parks and will weigh in at public scales manned by trained dietitians. 

Obesity is cause for major concern in the United Arab Emirates, where it's on track to surpass smoking as the leading cause of preventable death. More than two-thirds of men and nearly three-fourths of women are considered overweight.

"When people come here they become obese," Dr Fuad Ahmed, a consultant specializing in obesity surgery, told The National. "The curse of this civilization is that we have stopped using our bodies and we eat too much."

The contest begins July 19 and runs through Aug. 16.

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The internet is abuzz with reports that the royal baby is finally on its way.

"Kate Middleton was reportedly just picked up from her parents' home in a helicopter and is currently en route to the hospital where her royal loins will produce THE ROYAL BABY," reports Jezebel.

"After about a week away in the comfort of the Middleton family home in the English countryside, pregnant Kate Middleton — plus husband Prince William — abruptly departed Bucklebury with police escorts around 3 p.m. local time Friday, July 19," Us Weekly reports. "The expectant royal couple are bound for London, and all royal protection officers have since departed the Bucklebury area."

As previously reported by the Sunday People, the Queen "has put a high-speed helicopter on standby to whisk Prince William to Kate’s bedside when she goes into labour."

And if the Queen has her way, she recently told a young schoolgirl, "I'd very much like it to arrive ... I'm going on holiday (soon)."

But whether teh helicopter is taking the couple straight to St. Mary's hospital so Middleton can give birth or back home to Kensington Palace — remains to be seen.

Says a Palace rep: "We wouldn't comment on the exact whereabouts of the Duke and Duchess – we wouldn't normally do so in their private time."

In the meantime, you can watch the livestreams from outside of the hospital.

Below are some recent tweets with some new clues on #RoyalBabyWatch:

Is Kate in labour? Windsor friend just saw a military helicopter fly overhead. Oooo! #RoyalBaby#KateMiddleton#RoyalBabyWatch

— Ooh la wawa (@Ooh_La_Wawa) July 15, 2013

#baby#PrinceWilliam#KateMiddleton rare looking white helicopter just flew over stanmore north west london in the direction of paddington..

— Rishi Lakhani (@rishilakhani) July 18, 2013

NEW: Sky News: Kate Middleton has left her parents home for London in a helicopter. Sky reporting it appears #RoyalBaby on the way! #wbz

— Paula Ebben (@PaulaEbben) July 19, 2013

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have left her family home in Bucklebury but not seen yet at Kensington Palace or St Mary's #Royalbaby

— David Brown (@DavidhBrown) July 19, 2013

SEE ALSO: Prince William And Kate Middleton's Baby Could Have One Of These Names

SEE ALSO: Paparazzi Have Been Camped Outside Of Kate Middleton's Hospital For Weeks

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