The largest urban bat colony in North America roosts beneath the Congress Avenue Bridge in the heart of Austin, Texas.
During the summer, more than 1.5 million bats reside under the bridge. We asked one of the area's leading experts about some of the common misconceptions surrounding the species.
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Tech entrepreneur David Spafford and wife Susan are selling their gorgeous, 24,127-square-foot home outside of Salt Lake City, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Spafford co-founded Megahertz Corporation in his basement in 1985, when he was a student at the University of Utah. Megahertz grew to become the leading manufacturer of laptop computer modems, and the company sold to U.S. Robotics in 1995. Nearly 20 years later, Spafford's estate is a huge step up from his company's humble basement beginnings.
The home has five bedrooms and 10 bathrooms, plus an arcade, home theater, indoor jacuzzi, and tennis court. It also happens to have some beautiful decor.
It's listed with Coldwell Banker for $14.9 million, and it's certainly a sight to see.
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It's one thing to imagine what the ruins that now litter parts of Detroit looked like in their heyday. It's another thing to perfectly capture what all those places once were.
Photo project DetroitUrbex has paired photos showing derelict edifices with ones showing what those structures looked like when Detroit was bustling.
The results are haunting. We first saw this at Motor City Muckraker.
Check it out:
You've got to see the whole thing. It will really wreck you »
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Don't be fooled by the term "intern." Our paid interns spend their time doing meaningful work: researching, analyzing, preparing decks and reports, prospecting, and more. Our flagship event, IGNITION, takes place in December and you'll be an integral part of the team that makes it happen, gaining valuable experience on-site.
When it comes to qualifications, an events, digital media, or marketing background helps, as do strong analytic and writing skills. Excel and PPT are a must. Serious interest in the internet, events, social media, marketing, or sales are required. We are looking for someone who is a quick learner and can fit seamlessly into the team.
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Chances are you order a plain coffee or latte in the morning. Maybe you switch it up with a red eye — a coffee with a shot of espresso — once in a while.
Lots of countries have far more interesting and elaborate coffee cultures, however. A new infographic from Cheapflights (first posted on the Daily Mail) illustrates 31 ways to drink coffee in places around the world, be it with ice cream, an egg yolk, or a slice of lemon.
The infographic is filled with cool facts about the 26 countries featured on the list, like how Italy has the largest number of coffee bars per capita and how Turkish law once permitted a wife to divorce her husband for failing to keep the family ibrik (coffeepot) filled.
Keep reading to see how people in Austria, Turkey, Malaysia, Ireland, and other countries take their morning coffee.
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A lot goes into creating an amazing steakhouse experience.
It's not just the cuts that have to be cut above the rest, it's the martinis, the atmosphere, the raw bar... Some places do one thing better than another.
Finding out who does what right is like cracking a code – it's a steakhouse hack.
A month ago we asked our readers to vote for their favorite steakhouses in NYC across ten categories, including best cut of steak, best power lunch, and best overall.
Roughly 650 Business Insider readers took the survey and determined the best of the best.
This decades-old, family owned and operated, no-frills restaurant draws Wall Streeters from FiDi to Brooklyn. Yes, Brooklyn. Only the best meat will do at Peter Luger. Owner Jody Storch said they've canceled reservations when they thought cuts of meat weren't up to snuff. "My mother used to tell me, 'We have the smartest customers in the world.'"
Source: Daniel Goodman/Business Insider
Other contenders included BLT Prime (24%) and The Old Homestead Steakhouse (12%).
Everyone knows that if the sides aren't up to snuff, you can't enjoy the main attraction. And at Del Frisco's, the sides alone could easily be the main attraction. From classics like the baked potato to the more gourmet-looking cauliflower and brie au gratin, your steak will be perfectly complemented.
Source: Facebook/DelFrisco
Other contenders included BLT Prime (24%) and The Old Homestead Steakhouse (13%).
The birthplace of the Delmonico's steak — a juicy cut of rib eye topped with a single, golden onion ring — also serves up a mean raw bar. The chilled shellfish is infused with Japanese cucumber and melon, and topped with candied peanuts for a unique texture.
Source: Instagram/@chefbillyoliva
Other contenders included The Old Homestead Steakhouse (25%) and Gallagher's Steakhouse (22%).
If you live in certain buildings in New York City, you get to know your doorman.
The weekend guy in my building, Gene, knew I was a business reporter, and on Saturday he asked me what his son should study when he starts City College next year.
(City College, by the way, remains the primary option — and a stellar one — for advanced higher ed in New York for the children of what remains of New York's working class.)
Anyway, off the top of my head, I was at a loss. I mostly cover energy, an area that obviously has seen tremendous growth in the past few years, but I doubted his son would be interested in moving to North Dakota or Texas to work on an oil rig.
So I told him I'd look up what the fastest-growing job opportunities were in the country.
Each year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects which occupations it expects will see the greatest growth in the next few years.
The results you get depend on whether you're looking at absolute or percentage growth. But, as I discovered, both tell depressing stories.
First, on a rate basis, there's basically only one sector in the economy in which labor demand is growing at a steady clip: health and medical (21 out of 30 of the occupations listed in the table below are in this field).
Besides that, you can maybe get away with some construction stuff.
But the apparent demand for both physical and mental therapy in the U.S. is enormous:
On an absolute basis, the data is miserable: The table consists of stuff like secretaries, food workers, and caretakers. The median salary for the fastest-growing raw-numbers occupations, shown in the table below, is $30,000. Compare that with the average first-year-out-of-college salary of $45,000.
What's more, most of these jobs don't even require a college degree.
The scene in New York seems, at first glance, a bit better. The institutions with the most job openings — NYU, Columbia, North Shore-ILJ Health System, and Bank of America — have more than 2,000 combined. And a search on jobs site Indeed for entry-level jobs in NYC turns up 1,000 results— in the grand scheme of things, not many, but nothing completely galling.
Overall, this remains an extremely difficult labor market to navigate, especially for someone without a clear idea of what they want to be doing, which probably includes most 18-year-olds.
SEE ALSO: The Most Important Job In Every State
SEE ALSO: We Did The Math: Should You Buy Or Rent In These Major Cities?
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A recent map by Quartz reveals the most popular Starbucks drinks in major American cities. The map is based on hundreds of millions of Starbucks transactions across the country.
Starbucks customers in Phoenix are more likely to buy Iced Caramel Macchiatos than customers in Portland, where the Eggnog Latte is notably popular. Meanwhile, customers in Los Angeles buy more Frappucinos than those in Seattle, who tend to order coffee with an extra shot of espresso.
The most popular drinks nationwide were brewed coffees and lattes. The map lists the drinks that are ordered more often in each city than anywhere else.
The data also revealed that Seattle, Boston and Memphis are among the cities that prefer Starbucks' dark brews, while Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver and Charlotte prefer the chain's light offerings.
Head over to Quartz to find out more about the nation's Starbucks preferences.
SEE ALSO: Starbucks Is Bringing Back Lemon Cake After Customers Complain About 'Fancy' New Menu
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Photographer Kien Lam traveled to 17 countries in 343 days — and documented his entire journey.
He took over 6,000 gorgeous photographs, which he transformed into an incredible time-lapsed video that captures his journey around the world.
Before he took this nearly year-long trip, he worked as a strategist at a financial firm in San Francisco. Instead of coming up with a detailed itinerary, he had a loose idea of where he wanted to go and a goal to stay in warm weather whenever possible.
"I had a direction I wanted to head and a goal of following the sun to get in as many warm days as possible," Lam wrote on his website. "I would usually figure out my next destination when I was ready to leave my current one. Sometimes it was a particular dish, sight or story that brought to the next city and sometimes it was the company I kept and our desire to travel together for just a bit longer."
Lam traveled to Istanbul, Turkey:
And to Machu Picchu in Peru:
Of course Paris is a requisite part of any round-the-world trip:
Lam had some close encounters with elephants in Chiang Mai, Thailand: 
And he took some gorgeous shots in Casablanca, Morocco:
The full video is below:
SEE ALSO: 21 Gorgeous Photographs That Show Why Iran Is A New Tourist Hotspot
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With its beautiful weather and booming entertainment business, Southern California is one the most desirable places to live in the U.S. No surprise, then, that it's home to some of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the country, from Beverly Hills to La Jolla.
Stephen Higley, a professor emeritus of urban social geography at the University of Montevallo, recently ranked the richest neighborhoods in the U.S. based on American Community Survey 2006-2010 data.
He aggregated contiguous block groups (subdivisions of Census tracts) with a mean income over $200,000. You can read his complete methodology here.
These are the wealthiest neighborhoods in Southern California, from the areas in and around Los Angeles to San Diego.
These neighborhoods, while still wealthy, generally ranked lower on an overall list of the richest neighborhoods in the U.S. than the neighborhoods in the suburbs surrounding New York City.
Mean household income: $302,335
318th richest neighborhood in the U.S.
The Pinnacle, The Woods and The Forest are exclusive gated communities in Coto de Caza, Orange County.
The suburb is home to a lot of married couples with kids. Many of the homes are custom-built, with tracts of land still routinely sold for further development.
The Pinnacle-The Woods-The Forest is 84.4% white, 4.8% Asian, 5.3% Latino, 0.7% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
Mean household income: $302,384
317th richest neighborhood in the U.S.
Crystal Cove is on the National Register of Historic Places thanks to 48 cottages that were built between 1920 and 1930. They're examples of Southern California coastal development in the early 20th century.
The cottages have been open to the public since restoration, which is a great tourist spot, along with the area's state park.
Crystal Cove is 64.4% white, 21.3% Asian, 5.5% Latino, 1.3% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
Mean household income: $304,404
300th richest neighborhood in the U.S.
Located in the Palos Verdes Estates suburb of L.A., Lunada Bay has sprawling views of the Pacific Ocean and a reputation as a surfing hotspot.
Most of the homes in the area are single-family, built between 1940 and 1969. Almost two-thirds of the population is married.
Lunada Bay-Honeymoon Cove is 75.8% white, 13.5% Asian, 5.2% Latino, 0.6% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
The mansion where a scene from "The Godfather" was filmed is having a rough time on the real-estate market.
According to real estate blog Curbed, the famous Beverly House in Los Angeles first went on sale back in 2007 for a whopping $165 million. That price was dropped to $95 million in 2010, and was relisted as a rental in February 2013 for a jaw-dropping $600,000 per month, making it the most expensive rental in the U.S. at the time.
Now the New York Daily News is reporting that the extravagant mansion is once again up for grabs, this time for $135 million.
So what makes the high-end home so special? Besides the fact that it's absolutely gorgeous, with 50,000 square feet of living space, 28 bedrooms, 3.7 acres of original landscaping, and an Art Deco nightclub (seriously), the property listing on Hilton & Highland says the house was designed by famed architect Gordon Kaufmann, whose best-known work was the Hoover Dam.
Beverly House was originally built in 1926 for banking executive Milton Getz. Then in 1946, actress Marion Davies bought it for William Randolph Hearst, who lived out the rest of his life here.
Other famous guests have included John F. Kennedy and Jackie O., who stayed at the house on their honeymoon, and the fictional producer Jack Woltz in "The Godfather," who woke up to find the severed head of his horse in his bed — an offer he couldn't refuse. It's currently owned by attorney and investor Leonard M. Ross.
Source: Hilton & Hyland
Source: Hilton & Hyland
Source: Hilton & Hyland
Another week of luxury eye candy has concluded in Basel, Switzerland.
Baselworld, the enormous springtime watch and jewelry trade show, attracted thousands of visitors to ogle and buy the latest generation of luxury accessories.
Ariel Adams, founder and editor of aBlogtoWatch — a website that covers all things timepieces — shared his top picks from the show, focusing on "buyability" over impressive or novel watches. You can see aBlogtoWatch's complete Baselworld 2014 coverage here.
According to aBlogtoWatch, the new Speedmaster Mark II is the best Omega watch for "price, design, and wearing desire."
As a "new vintage" watch, Omega took its historic case design and concept and produced a brand-new collection from modern materials with an automatic movement.
"It is literally like giving people born a few decades too late a chance to enjoy what was one of the most iconic sport chronograph watches of all time," says Adams. He believes the watch is reasonably priced at $6,250.
Bremont is producing an aviation watch in collaboration with Boeing, the iconic plane company.
The Boeing Model 247 Chronograph will come with either a black or white dial, and Bremont promises to produce the watches out of 465 steel, a harder and more resilient alloy made by Boeing.
The chronograph version has a thin rotating bezel with a sapphire crystal overlay at $6,750, according to aBlogtoWatch.
Ever since Rolex upped the ante in affordable watches, Tudor wound up its competitive gears, creating what Adams thinks is the best value in Swiss watches today, with regard to style and quality.
The 42mm-wide case,three-hand watch has a stylized vintage and "tool-like feel." Prices start at $2,700.
When 21-year-old Erik Fritz Unneland opened an old box in his parents’ living room, he had no idea what was inside.
"It was in a glass table in our living room in Norway, I just never bothered to open the box," Unneland told Business Insider. "I did not know it was a shaving kit."
The wooden box contained his Norwegian grandfather’s old shaving kit from the 1940s, complete with backup blades, antique Gillette razors, a shaving brush, compact mirror, and more.
But the coolest part of the discovery was a mechanism that sharpened razor blades so you didn’t have to buy new ones. Unneland and his father opened it up to see how it worked:
Pulling the string makes the gears move.
Here's how it looks from the back.
When a razor blade is placed on the device, the metal rubs against the interior, sharpening the blade.
It could then be popped back into the razor.
It should make us all feel fortunate that cheap packs of fresh razors are at every supermarket instead of having to reuse the same blade over and over again.
Check out more pictures of the shaving kit at Unneland’s Imgur page.
SEE ALSO: The 16 Best Barbershops In America
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In a 2011 New York Times essay, Yale University senior Marina Keegan encouraged her peers not to settle for lucrative Wall Street jobs if their true dreams were elsewhere, because she didn't want them to squander their talent.
“... [S]tudents here have passion. Passion for public service and education policy and painting and engineering and entrepreneurialism,” Keegan wrote. “Standing outside a freshman dorm, I couldn’t find a single student aspiring to be a banker—but at commencement this May, there’s a 50 percent chance I’ll be sitting next to one. This strikes me as incredibly sad.”
Six months later, Keegan died in a car accident when her boyfriend lost control of the car he was driving. She had graduated magna cum laude from Yale days before and was preparing to move for a job at The New Yorker.
According to Keegan’s grieving parents, the world has lost an ambitious and idealistic writer. “By taking her hand and putting her pen to paper, or her fingertips to the computer, she would take things that wouldn’t make sense to her, or that she felt needed attention, and use her beautiful, amazing intellect toward trying to make a difference in the few short years she was here,” Keegan’s mother told The New York Daily News.
Despite her death, Keegan’s inspiring writings will still be able to reach a broader audience. Scribner is publishing a book of her essays and stories, called “The Opposite of Loneliness,” which will be released on Amazon Tuesday, April 8.
Keegan originally wrote the book’s fiction and nonfiction content for writing classes and student publications. The book’s title essay originally appeared in a special edition of Yale Daily News that was distributed after her death.
In that essay, Keegan emphasized that it is never too late for her peers to do the things they love, even if it means starting over to do it. “The notion that it’s too late to do anything is comical. It’s hilarious,” she wrote. “We’re graduating college. We’re so young. We can’t, we MUST not lose this sense of possibility because in the end, it’s all we have.”
In the introduction to “The Opposite of Loneliness,” Yale English professor Anne Fadiman wrote that unlike many students Keegan embraced her youthfulness.
“Marina was twenty-one and sounded twenty-one: a brainy twenty-one, a twenty-one who understood that there were few better subjects than being young and uncertain and starry-eyed and frustrated and hopeful,” Fadiman wrote. “When she read her work aloud around our seminar table, it would make us snort with laughter, and then it would turn on a dime and break our hearts.”
SEE ALSO: This Teacher's Alarming Resignation Letter Shows How Much Schools Have Changed Since You Were A Kid
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More than 200 years after the founding of the United States, its residents are still moving west and its cities are becoming increasingly crowded.
National online real estate brokerage Movoto used Social Explorer to generate population density maps using data from the 1790-2000 decennial censuses and the American Home Community Survey five-year estimate for 2010. The GIF they made using the maps shows how America has become denser over time, particularly on its coasts and near metropolises.
In 1790, only small pockets on the east coast had anything approaching a dense population. California's population only starts to significantly grow in the early 1900s, and the south gets progressively denser over the decades.
The U.S. population was 3.9 million in 1790, compared to 76.2 million in 1900 and 313.9 million today.
SEE ALSO: The 10 Happiest Mid-Sized Cities In America
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Real estate is becoming more and more high-tech these days, with many brokers blogging, tweeting, and posting photos to Instagram to lure in investors.
But, according to NestSeekers agent Ryan Serhant, one of his most recent sales really takes things up a notch.
According to New York Magazine, Serhant said he recently closed a $13 million deal solely using WeChat, a popular Chinese social networking site. Serhant said that an unnamed buyer used the site to message the team, ultimately buying two units at the yet-to-be-completed Baccarat Hotel & Residences on West 53rd Street in New York City.
One unit was a three-bedroom residence costing $10 million; the other was a $3 million one-bedroom apartment, according to Serhant.
"This price for a deal that was done and initiated 100 percent through social media and across the world?" he said to NY Mag. "A complete stranger who learned about us via social media and basically gave us $13 million and change to invest in something that's not even been built yet in a city they've never even been to? I don't think [anyone else has done that]."
Serhant estimated that about 25 of his sales in the last year have come through social media, though the Baccarat sale is the biggest by far.
The hotel and luxury condo building is set to open in the next few months and is one of the most highly anticipated projects of the year. There will be 61 residential units, ranging from one to five bedrooms, in addition to a 115-room hotel. Glittering crystal decorations are a highlight throughout the building, and a five-star restaurant is also in the works.
A representative from Baccarat contacted Business Insider with the comment that no units have been sold through NestSeekers or Serhant. We've reached out to NestSeekers for confirmation.
SEE ALSO: What It's Like To Be One Of Luxury Real Estate's Highest Rollers At Age 27
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We just tested out the 2015 Escalade, and were impressed by all the luxury features Cadillac packed into the latest version of the SUV.
The car is sensible as well as luxurious. The team told us they worked hard to make the new Escalade more practical. One of the most impressive touches is how easy they made it to fold down the second and third rows — all it takes is one finger and about ten seconds. The third row folds flat, and the second row seats tumble forward. That makes a lot extra space for groceries, skis, kayaks, or whatever you like.
The 2015 Escalade starts for $72,690, the power folding seats come standard. Watch:
Here's the Escalade in full:
Full Disclosure: Cadillac paid for travel and accommodations for our trip to South Carolina to test the Escalade.
SEE ALSO: Cadillac's Decision To Make A New Escalade Ignores A Major Auto Industry Trend
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German photographer Frank Herfort became fascinated by the oddly futuristic buildings being built in Moscow shortly after he moved there in 2006.
As he traveled through other parts of Russia and the surrounding countries, he noticed a similar desire to put the Soviet Union in the past by constructing extravagant buildings that defied Communist ideals and signified prestige and status.
Herfort took roughly 300 photos of those buildings, some of which he allowed us to publish. You can check out the entire collection in his book, "Imperial Pomp," which was released last fall.
Over the past 15 years, numerous luxury office and apartment buildings in Moscow have replaced old historic buildings. The Aliye Parusa (or Scarlet Sails), pictured here, has 500 apartments, an indoor amusement park, and a marina for yachts.
The Linkor Tower in Moscow, an office building, also houses the Veteran Palace of Military Intelligence. 
The Mercury City Tower in Moscow began construction in 2009. At 1,112 feet, it is now the tallest building in Europe.
The Legion III Center is a business center located in the central historical district of Moscow.
Since Astana became Kazakhstan's capital city in 1997, the government has commissioned several futuristic buildings.
The Bayterek Tower represents a poplar tree holding a golden egg, which refers to the tree of life in Turkic mythology. The tower is 97 meters tall, corresponding to the year that Astana became the capital.
The Khan Shatyr Entertainment Center is a giant transparent tent in Astana, with a shopping and entertainment complex, a boating river, mini-golf, and an indoor beach resort.
Italian architect Manfredi Nicoletti designed Astana's Kazakhstan Central Concert Hall, which opened in 2009 and is one of the largest halls of its kind.
The Lazurny Kvartal (or Azure Quarter) in Astana is a complex of apartment buildings opened in 2011.
The Ugra Chess Academy in oil boom-town Khanty-Mansiysk was designed by Dutch architect Erick Van Egeraat. It has no sharp edges and was designed to conserve energy.
The Surgut School of Foreign Languages in Surgut, Russia has a clock tower that is nearly identical to London's Big Ben.
SEE ALSO: 19 Photos Of Sochi From 1974, When It Was A Popular Resort
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After this year's horrible winter, the spring travel bug should be biting with a vengeance. But as you plan your getaways, try not to become the stereotypical "Ugly American."
A new Quora thread addresses the issue of travel etiquette, asking people around the world what tourists should absolutely not do when visiting their home countries.
Check out some of the top Quora responses below.
Don't stare at naked people: "People are pretty relaxed about nudity, and both men and women will for example change on public beaches without any attempt at covering themselves up. You are however expected to look away."
Don't unwrap flowers before you give them as a gift: "Germans do this."
Don't ask people about church: "Most attend none, and asking this is seen as intrusive, rude and downright weird."
Don't expect special treatment: "People are very informal here and being on a first-name-basis with anyone short of the King is the norm. Even the prime-minister of Norway is most often referred to by first name."
Answers by Eivind Kjørstad
Don't tip anyone: "Tipping is just not part of the culture. Don't even leave the small change. People will come running after you with it."
Don't wear your shoes in someone's house: "If you see other people taking their shoes off, do the same. (Note: there's a small area right inside the entrance called a 'genkan' which is usually one level below the rest of the house, where you take off your shoes. You don't take them off outside the house!)"
Don't hug people you just met: "Most people don't like it, especially older folk."
Don't stand on the wrong side of the escalator: "In Tokyo you stand on the left. In Osaka you stand on the right. Follow what other people are doing."
Answers by Makiko Itoh
Don't give an even number of flowers as a gift: "That's for dead folks. Proper bouquet will have 1/3/5/7 flowers."
Don't rely on a credit card: "There are lots of places which only accept cash."
Don't assume the people support everything the government does: "Quite often we don't. Don't criticize our government. We do it a lot by ourselves, we don't need your help in that."
Answers by Katherine Makhalova
You can get fined for a lot of things in Singapore, including: feeding the birds, spitting, urinating in public, smoking in public, having your pet in public, eating or drinking on public transportation, and littering, among other things.
Answers by Xu Beixi
Don't disrespect religion: "Almost everyone you meet is religious; religion here is always on fashion, so if someone asks you if you are religious, don't take offense because it is common for everyone to follow a religion, and around 80% of the population are Christians."
Don't be impatient: "Hardly anything runs on time, with an exception of a couple of business meetings and bank closing hours and most other businesses. Everything runs late, don't get pissed off or impatient, learn to go with the flow, things will happen, just not on time."
Don't talk about sex in mixed company: "It is wrong and is frowned upon and people might not want to be in your company after that."
Don't call someone by their first name: "Miss, Mrs, Mr., Dr. and Engineer so and so (mostly the surname) are totally accepted. If you want to call someone whose name you don't know, refer to them as madam or sir. You get quite a lot of bonus points for that. Only refer to someone by their first name if they introduce themselves as such."
Answers by Rose Thuo
Don't confuse New Zealanders with Aussies: "We don't like it!"
Don't expect to see Kiwi birds: "They are almost extinct. Irony!"
Don't make fun of rugby, Lord of the Rings, or the Queen of England: "All Blacks is a rugby team and probably a religion. Haka is a war-cry performed before a war or, nowadays, a rugby match. Do not make fun of it!"
"Kiwis are proud of Lord Of the Rings!"
"The Queen of England is still a big deal here! We still celebrate her birthday and swear allegiance to her."
Don't freak out about people not wearing shoes: "It's perfectly normal to go about in public places without footwear, and in some cases a shirt. You will still be served."
Answers by Mayur Makheri
Don't kiss in public: "In some jurisdictions this can get you into jail under 'public obscenity' (a lot of our laws are stuck in the Victorian era)."
Don't make physical contact with the opposite sex: "Hugging and handshakes are still frowned upon in most parts of the country among members of opposite sex. Unless the local offers to hug or handshake, don't."
Answers by Balaji Viswanathan
Don't expect a huge amount of vegan options: "Notify people you visit and be careful in which restaurants you go. Very few people are vegan in France compared to some other countries, and although the situation is slowly improving, the awareness and acceptance of it are still quite poor. Some older people especially can consider it a 'weird' or even radical behavior."
Don't talk about money: "For example, you can tell you quit a job because you were underpaid, but you should not mention how much exactly. There are old taboos about speaking of money in the French culture, many people consider it a 'dirty' topic."
Don't expect people to speak English: "The French educational system is bad at teaching foreign languages, with an excessive focus on reading and writing compared to conversational skills. Many older people will only know a bit of bad and heavily accented English and/or possibly German or Spanish."
Answers by Alexandre Coninx
Don't do the Nazi salute: "Not even in jest. It's a crime and every year there are tourists arrested for it. Also don't carry any Nazi symbols on you."
Don't stare: "You'd appear either uneducated or mentally ill."
Don't be overly friendly: "Germans like to gradually warm up to people and take time to really get to know them before acting like BFFs."
Don't wish someone a happy birthday before the actual day: "The origin is a superstition that something bad will happen to them (they might die) before their birthday if you do, however this rule is not limited to superstitious people. Even bright, rational Germans will feel uncomfortable because it's just not done."
Answers by Judith Meyer
Don't patronize people: "We're a developing country and we're aware that some stuff is just backwards over here. Don't ever imply that you are 'better' than anyone, especially if that hinges on you being a foreigner."
Don't be easily offended: "We have a huge sense of humor as a culture. Nothing is out of bounds for us! We'll mock, ridicule, insult, pick on and put down just for the fun of it, on a regular basis!"
Don't be afraid to try everything: "We love it when you try to say that ridiculously difficult word in Spanish, and you'll be met with proud cheers if you brave a bite out of that horrifyingly spicy pepper, or down that shot of tequila."
Answers by Alejandro Suárez
Don't cut in line: "Queue jump — this is the only crime that the population would consider bringing back capital punishment for."
Don't ask how much money someone makes: "Instead play a curious guessing game by asking someone what they do, where they live, where they went on holiday, and figure it out by correlating this with their accent."
Don't invite someone to your home: "Unless you know them very very well."
Answers by Thomas Goodwin
Don't say "Top of the morning to you": "I don't know how this phrase became associated with Irish people, perhaps it was used in the distant past. But it's not now, and it's just really irritating."
Don't attempt an Irish accent: "To us there is no Irish accent; there are Cork accents, Dublin accents, Kerry accents etc. For us an accent contains reams of unspoken information about a person (Urban/Rural, social status) aside from the locational information."
Don't be cheap: "The classic is in a rounds situation at a pub. If someone is offering to buy the first round, it is perfectly acceptable to say 'Oh I'm on a budget, I'll get my own.' It is not ok to join the round and then not pay for one."
Don't call the UK the mainland: "As far as we're concerned, France is the mainland."
Answers by Deirdre Beecher
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U.S. airlines are performing better than they have in decades, and Virgin America and JetBlue are leading the way, according to a new ranking.
The 24th annual Airline Quality Rating was produced by researchers at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Wichita State University.
It's based on data from the U.S. Department of Transportation for on-time performance, denied boardings, mishandled baggage, and customer complaints. Each category is weighted to reflect its importance to passengers.
As a whole, the U.S. airline industry posted its best score since 1991, despite losing ground in on-time performance and baggage handling. Only airlines that handled at least 1% of domestic scheduled-service passenger revenues were included.
Here's the final ranking for 2013, with each airline's 2012 rank in parentheses. Most carriers didn't move too far in the past year, though AirTran dropped from third to tenth:
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