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Here's A Few Signs That The Hamptons Economy Is Booming Like Crazy

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Jack Nash Hamptons

Rich people. They're doing well these days!

For proof, look no further than the Hamptons, the fancy collection of towns on the Eastern tip of Long Island, where the region's elite spend their summer weekends. Josh Brown points us to a note from Nick Colas of Convergex which lays out a few facts about how well things are going in the area.

Here's a few bullets from Nick:

· The newest and nicest hotel in the Hamptons at the moment is the Topping Rose House, refurbished in 2012 after a long period of disrepair and also substantially expanded. Rooms here during the summer go for $2,000/night and often have a 2-3 night minimum. They are sold out this weekend.

· The most popular aspirational real estate site in New York is www.hreo.com – the common listing service for the Hamptons. A few clicks and you’ll find that there are +2500 entries for houses that will cost you over $1 million. Yes, there are a few dupes, so let’s cut that number in half. That still makes for 1200 houses out there at $1 million and up. Want to live like an old school Wall Street mogul? The original Merrill house (yes, that Merrill) is on the market for $98 million. Bad news – the property abuts a public beach parking lot. For $100 million…. And yes, the place is rock star amazing.

· Pierre’s in Bridgehampton has had its ups and downs in terms of service quality over the past few years, but the food has always been like a quick trip to Antibes or Cannes. They ship their own special rose wine over from France for the summer season – it’s usually all gone by early August. They have availability for dinner at 5:45 or 6:00 pm, which for many French restaurants is almost lunch hours. So book early, book often, order the blue bottle of rose and wait for the rest of the world to shuffle in at 8pm…

· There are a total of 16 houses and apartments available from the Shinnecock Canal to the Montauk town line for less than $325,000 – the average price of a home in America. One is a mobile home. The others are condos or small cottages of 700 square feet or so. There are 3,400 listing over this price point on hreo.com.

Good times!

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BEFORE THE BOOM: 45 Vintage Photos Of Macau Before It Became A Gambling Mecca

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demery macauMacau is home to the biggest, most lavish casinos in the world.

Among the crazier facts about Macau recently: growth has averaged around 19% for a decade; in 2006 Macau’s casino revenues  surpassed those of Las Vegas; and the Sands Macau, opened in 2004, recouped its $265 million construction costs in one year

Today, Macau is in a bit of a crisis. This April, a shareholder in the Kimren Group, one of Macau's top high-roller promoters, took $1.3 billion worth of the company's money and vanished, causing a tidal wave of fear to wash over the Chinese province. Publicly traded junkets, which bankroll gambling rooms, have fallen as much as 11% since the Kimren incident.

That may sound dire. But the story of Macau's boom remains one of the most remarkable economic stories in history.

In the summer of 1980, Leroy W. Demery, Jr., an expert in Asian transportation, visited the country (then still a Portuguese protectorate) and documented his journey. 

He posted his copyrighted photo collection to flickr, and with his kind permission we have reproduced the snapshots here.

Click Here To See The Photos >

Here is his introduction to the collection:

I traveled by overnight ferry from Hong Kong to Macao, spent the day (1980 July 16) in Macao, then returned to Hong Kong by overnight ferry.

"Overnight ferry" for a 60 km distance?

Yes, one boarded the vessel about 10 p.m. The fare included a bunk in an air-conditioned dormitory - "Spartan" but very comfortable. The vessel sailed after midnight and certainly arrived within 3-4 hours. Passengers were awakened at about 6 a.m., as I remember.

Yes, catamarans and jetfoils were much faster, but fares were higher, and the overnight ferry permitted one to save the cost of overnight accommodation.

Macao, in 1980, was quiet. Very quiet. It had a distinct "small town" atmosphere that contrasted sharply with the Central District of nearby Hong Kong. Much has changed since then. Remarkably, the land area has nearly doubled, from about 16 square km to nearly 29 square km. Many of the images in this set are certainly "vanished scenes."

I regret that do not have a 1980 street map of Macao, and so am not able to locate some of these images.

Anyway, read on to take the journey to Old Macau.

Just to get you started, here's what Macau looks like today.



And here's what it looked like back in the day. This is Leal Senado, legislative seat during Portuguese rule, now home to the Institute of Civic and Municipal Affairs.



This section of the harbor is now reclaimed land, Demery says.



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Google Just Released A New Map Trivia Game And It's Really Fun

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Smarty Pants Title

Google has never been a tech company to rest their laurels. They're always pumping out quirky little projects that we can play with.

In this case, they've made a fun little trivia game that I could probably waste an entire weekend playing.

It's called "Smarty Pins," and works inside of Google Maps. The basic premise is that you answer a series of questions based on geography, dropping your pin on the location of your answer.

Smarty Pants Paul SimonEveryone starts with 1,000 miles. You drop your pin where you think the correct answer is. If you're wrong, Google calculates how far away your pin is from the correct answer and subtracts that from your 1,000 miles. You play until you run out.

Smarty Pants GracelandAs soon as you're asked a question, there is also a timer that starts counting down from 15. If you get the question right (Google will tell you that you "nailed it") then you get the number still showing on the timer.

Smarty Pants CategoriesYou can also choose what category you want to play in. Players have the choice of having Google randomly select a category each question, or you can choose from the very start if you want to answer questions about arts, entertainment, sports, etc.

It's actually slick, very well done, and an excellent time-waster. You can play and find out for yourself here.

SEE ALSO: Google Will Make Machines That 'Can Reason, Think, And Do Things Better Than We Can'

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Here's The Original Meaning Of 100 Common English Names

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old map of londonIn "A Dictionary Of First Names," Patrick Hanks, lexicographer, onomastician, and corpus linguist, and a team of authors have identified the origin and meaning of more than 6,000 first names.

We have listed these meanings and origins for the 100 most popular names in the U.S. over the past 100 years. Our list alternates between male and female names with the most popular names appearing first.

The names were selected from Social Security data from 169,233,019 male births and 165,941,917 female births collected between 1914 and 2013. Those with highest number of instances are considered the most popular.

Here are the original meanings of these common names, according to Hanks and his coauthors Hardcastle and Hodges.

1) James
English form of the name in the New Testament of two of Christ’s disciples,
James son of Zebedee and James son of Alphaeus. In Britain, James is a royal name associated with the Scottish house of Stewart: James I of Scotland, a patron of the arts and an energetic ruler.

2) Mary
A New Testament form of Miriam, which St. Jerome derives from elements meaning “drop of the sea’” (Latin “stilla maris"). Mary was the name of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ, who has been an extremely common name among early Christians and several saints among them. 

3) John
Form of the Hebrew name Johanan “God is gracious.” The name is of great importance in early Christianity and was given to John the Baptist, John the Apostle, and the author of the fourth gospel. Many saints and a total of 23 popes also had the name.

4) Patricia
Feminine form of Patricius or Patrick, the apostle and patron saint of Ireland (c.389–461), Gaelic Pádraig. As a young man he was captured and enslaved by raiders from Ireland. He is also credited with codifying the laws of Ireland.

5) Robert
French name of Germanic origin. Derived from the nearly synonymous elements hrōd “fame” + berht “bright, famous.” Two dukes of Normandy in the 11th century had the name: the father of William the Conqueror and his eldest son. The altered short form Bob is very common, but Hob and Dob, which were common in the Middle Ages and gave rise to surnames, are extinct.

6) Jennifer
Of Celtic (Arthurian) origin, a Cornish form of the name of King Arthur’s unfaithful Guinevere. At the beginning of the 20th century, the name was merely a Cornish curiosity, but since then it has become enormously popular all over the English-speaking world.

7) Michael
Form of a common biblical name (meaning ‘“who is like God?” in Hebrew). In the Middle Ages, Michael was regarded as captain of the heavenly host (see Revelation 12:7–9), symbol of the Church Militant, and patron of soldiers. He was often depicted bearing a flaming sword. 

8) Elizabeth
Made popular by Queen Elizabeth I of England (1533–1603). In the 20th century it again became extremely fashionable, partly because it was the name of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (1900–2002), who in 1936 became Queen Elizabeth and achieved great public affection as Queen Mother for nearly half a century. Even more influentially, it is the name of her daughter Queen Elizabeth II (b. 1926).

9) William
Derived from Germanic wil ‘“will, desire” + helm “helmet, protection.” Despite being the name of William the Conqueror, it held favor with the “conquered” population. In the first century after the Conquest it was the most common male name.

10) Linda
It is first recorded in the 19th century and may be a shortened form of Belinda, an adoption of Spanish linda “pretty,” or a Latinate derivative of any of various other Germanic female names ending in -lind meaning “weak, tender, soft.”

11) David
Biblical name, borne by the greatest of all the kings of Israel, whose history is recounted with great vividness in the first and second books of Samuel and elsewhere. As a boy he killed the giant Philistine Goliath with his slingshot.

12) Barbara
Greek for “foreign woman.”

13) Richard
Germanic origin, derived from roc “power” + hard “strong, hardy.”

14) Susan
Vernacular form of Susanna, a New Testament form of the Hebrew name Shoshana (from shoshan “lily,” which in modern Hebrew also means “rose”).

15) Joseph
English form of the biblical Hebrew name Yosef, meaning "(God) shall add (another son)." The favorite son of Jacob had this name, and his brothers became jealous of him and sold him into slavery (Genesis 37). In the New Testament, Joseph is the husband of the Virgin Mary.

16) Margaret
From Hebrew margaron “pearl.” The name was always understood to mean “pearl”’ throughout the Middle Ages. 

17) Charles
From German karl, meaning “free man,” akin to Old English ceorl “man.” The name, Latin form Carolus, owed its popularity in medieval Europe to the Frankish leader Charlemagne, who in 800 established himself as Holy Roman Emperor.

18) Jessica
Apparently of Shakespearean origin. This was the name of the daughter of Shylock in The Merchant of venice (1596). Shakespeare’s source has not been established, but he presumably intended it to pass as a typically Jewish name. It may be from a biblical name that appeared in Shakespeare’s day as Jesca or Iscah (Genesis 11:29).

19) Thomas
New Testament name from one of Christ's twelve apostles, referred to as "Thomas, called Didymus." Didymos is the Greek word for “twin,” and the name is the Greek form of an Aramaic byname meaning “twin.” The given name has always been popular throughout Christendom, in part because St Thomas's doubts have made him seem a very human character.

20) Dorothy
Usual English form of Dorothea. The name was not used in the Middle Ages, but was taken up in the 15th century and became common thereafter.

21) Christopher
From the Greek name Khristophoros, from Khristos "Christ" + pherein "to bear." This was popular among early Christians, conscious of the fact that they were metaphorically bearing Christ in their hearts.

22) Sarah
Biblical name of the wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac. According to the Book of Genesis, she was originally called Sarai (possibly meaning "contentious" in Hebrew) but had her name changed by God to the more auspicious Sarah "princess" in token of a greater blessing.

23) Daniel
Biblical name meaning "God is my judge" in Hebrew. The tale of Daniel was a favorite in the Middle Ages, often represented in miracle plays.

24) Karen
Danish equivalent of Katherine. Katherine is an English form of the name of a saint martyred at Alexandria in 307. The story has it that she was condemned to be broken on the wheel for her Christian belief. From an early date, it was associated with the Greek adjective katharos "pure."

25) Matthew
Form of the name of the Christian evangelist, author of the first gospel in the New Testament. His name is a form of the Hebrew name Mattathia, meaning "gift of God," which is fairly common in the Old Testament.

26) Nancy
Of uncertain origin. From the 18th century it is clearly used as a pet form of Ann (Nan), but it may originally have been from the name Annis, a vernacular form of Agnes. Today it is an independent name, and was especially popular in America in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s.

27) Donald
Anglicized form of Gaelic Domhnall. The final -d of the Anglicized form derives partly from misinterpretation by English speakers of the Gaelic pronunciation, and partly from association with Germanic-origin names such as Ronald.

28) Betty
Pet form of Elizabeth, dating from the 18th century. In the 17th century it is also found occasionally as a pet form of Beatrice. It is now used as a name in its own right.

29) Anthony
Form Antonius, which is of uncertain origin. The spelling with -th- (not normally reflected in the pronunciation) represents a learned but erroneous attempt to associate it with Greek anthos "flower." Various early saints had the name, most notably an Egyptian hermit monk regarded as the founder of Christian monasticism.

30) Lisa
Pet form of Elizabeth.

31) Paul
Originally a nickname meaning "small." Pre-eminently this is the name of the saint who is generally regarded, with St Peter, as co-founder of the Christian Church. He is the author of the fourteen epistles to churches and individuals which form part of the New Testament. 

32) Sandra
Short form of Alessandra, from Alessandro/Alexander. Alexander in Greek means "defender of men."

33) Mark
In Arthurian legend, King Mark is the ruler of Cornwall to whom Isolde is brought as a bride by Tristan; his name was presumably of Celtic origin, perhaps from "horse."

34) Helen
English vernacular form of the name borne in classical legend the wife of Menelaus whose seizure by the Trojan prince Paris sparked off the Trojan War. May be connected with "ray" or "sunbeam"; from Greek helios "sun."

35) George
From the Greek Georgios, a derivative of georgos "farmer," from ge "earth" and ergein "to work." The name wasn’t used widely until George I came to the throne in 1714.

36) Ashley
Originally male but now an increasingly popular given name for girls. Comes from any of numerous places in England named with Old English æsc "ash" + lēah "wood." 

37) Steven
From Stephen, the name of the first Christian martyr whose feast is accordingly celebrated next after Christ's own (26 December). His name is derived from the Greek word stephanos "garland, crown."

38) Donna
Of recent origin (not found as a name before the 1920s). Derived from the Italian vocabulary word donna "lady" and also used as a feminine form of Donald.

39) Kenneth
Anglicized form of Cinaed, probably meaning "born of fire," and Cainnech, a byname meaning "handsome."

40) Kimberly
Thought to come from Kimberley, the town in South Africa that was the scene of fighting during the Boer War, bringing it to public attention at the end of the 19th century.

41) Andrew
Form of the Greek name Andreas, a short form of any of various compound names derived from andr- "man, warrior." In the New Testament this is the name of the first disciple to be called by Jesus.

42) Carol
Not found much before the end of the 19th century. It probably originated as a short form of Caroline. Caroline was used by certain gentry families from the 17th century onwards, no doubt in honor of the Stuart kings named Charles.

43) Edward
Derived from ēad "prosperity, riches" + weard "guard." This has been one of the most successful of all Old English names, in frequent use from before the Conquest to the present day, and even being exported into other European languages.

44) Michelle
Feminine form of Michel, the French form of Michael (meaning "who is like God?" in Hebrew). It was popular in the 1970s and 80s, possibly influenced in part by a Beatles song with this name as its title (1966).

45) Joshua
Meaning "God is salvation" in Hebrew, it is borne in the Bible by the Israelite leader who took command of the Children of Israel after the death of Moses and led them to take possession of the Promised Land. The name enjoyed a surge of popularity in the 1990s.

46) Emily
From the Latin name Aemilia (probably from aemulus "rival"). It was not common in the Middle Ages but revived in the 19th century.

47) Brian
Perhaps from an Old Celtic word meaning "high" or "noble."

48) Amanda
A 17th-century literary coinage from the Latin amanda "lovable, fit to be loved," from amare "to love." The name enjoyed considerable popularity in the mid-20th century.

49) Kevin
From Kelvin, which was first used in the 1920s. Taken from the name of the Scottish river that runs through Glasgow into the Clyde.

50) Melissa
From the Greek word melissa "honey bee." It is the name of the good witch who releases Rogero from the power of the bad witch Alcina in Ariosto's narrative poem Orlando Furioso (1532).

51) Ronald
From Old Norse Rögnvaldr (composed of regin "advice, decision" (also, "the gods") + valdr "ruler"). This name most used where Scandinavian influence was strong.

52) Deborah
Biblical name meaning "bee" in Hebrew. 

53) Timothy
Of the Greek name Timotheos, from timē "honour" + theos "god." This was the name of a companion of St Paul; according to tradition, he was stoned to death for denouncing the worship of Diana.

54) Laura
St. Laura was a 9th-century Spanish nun who met her death in a cauldron of molten lead. Laura is also the name of the woman addressed in the love poetry of the Italian poet Petrarch (Francesco Petrarca, 1304–74) and owes much of its subsequent popularity to this.

55) Jason
English form of the Greek name Iason, the leader of the Argonauts in classical mythology. The sorceress Medea fell in love with him and helped him obtain a Golden Fleece, but Jason fell in love with another woman and deserted Medea. Medea took her revenge by killing her rival, but Jason himself survived to old age.

56) Stephanie
From French Stéphanie, a variant of Stephana, which was in use among early Christians as a feminine form of Stephanus or Stephen (garland, crown).

57) Jeffrey
From Geoffrey, of Germanic origin. Notable bearers include the poet Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400) and the chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth (1155). Some say it's a variant of Godfrey; others say it comes from gawia "territory," walah "stranger," or gisil "pledge."

58) Rebecca
Biblical name. The Hebrew root occurs in the Bible only in the vocabulary word marbek "cattle stall," and its connection with the name is doubtful. In any case, Rebecca was Aramean, and the name probably has a source in Aramaic.

59) Gary
A short form of any of the names beginning with gar "spear." One notable bearer was the American industrialist Elbert Henry Gary (1846-1927), who gave his name to the steel town of Gary, Indiana.

60) Sharon
From the phrase "I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys" (Song of Solomon 2:1). The plant name "rose of Sharon" is used for a shrub of the genus Hypericum with yellow flowers, and also for a species of hibiscus.

61) Ryan
From the Irish surname, Gaelic Ó Riain "descendant of Rian." It began as a boy's name but is also now well established in North America as a girl's name.

62) Cynthia
From Greek Kynthia, an epithet applied to the goddess Artemis, who was supposed to have been born on Mount Kynthos. Cynthia was later used by the Roman poet Propertius as the name of the woman to whom he addressed his love poetry.

63) Nicholas
Form of the post-classical Greek personal name Nikolaos, derived from nikē "victory" + laos "people." The spelling with -ch- first occurred as early as the 12th century.

64) Kathleen
Irish origin; traditional Anglicized form of Caitlin.

65) Eric
Norse origin, from ei "ever, always" (or einn "one, alone") + ríkr "ruler." It was introduced into Britain by Scandinavian settlers before the Norman Conquest.

66) Ruth
Biblical name of a Moabite woman who left her people to be with her mother-in-lawi. It was used among the Puritans in England, partly because of its association with the English vocabulary word ruth meaning "compassion."

67) Jacob
According to Genesis, Jacob was the cunning younger twin of Esau who persuaded his brother to part with his inheritance in exchange for a bowl of soup. The derivation is described as being from Hebrew akev "heel" and to have meant "heel grabber."

68) Anna
From Hebrew: "God has favoured me."

69) Stephen
The name of the first Christian martyr whose feast is accordingly celebrated next after Christ's own (26 December). His name is derived from the Greek word stephanos "garland, crown."

70) Shirley
From Old English scīr "county, shire" or scīr "bright" + lēah "wood, clearing." It was given by Charlotte Brontë to the heroine of her novel Shirley (1849). This literary influence fixed it firmly as a girl's name.

71) Jonathan
Biblical name meaning "God has given." The name is often taken as symbolic of steadfast friendship and loyalty.

72) Amy
Anglicized form of Old French Amee "beloved." It may have had a different, pre-Roman, origin in classical mythology as the name of the mother of the Roman people.

73) Angela
A feminine form of the boy's name Angelus, or Angel. The older form Angelis has been completely superseded by Angela.

74) Frank
German name meaning "free," "trustworthy," or "Frankish."

75) Virginia
It was bestowed on the first American child of English parentage, born at Roanoke, Virginia, in 1587 and has since remained in constant, if modest, use.

76) Scott
Originally a name for a member of the Gaelic-speaking people who came to Scotland from Ireland.

77) Brenda
Probably a short form of names derived from Old Norse brand "sword." Its popularity in Gaelic-speaking countries has no doubt been influenced by its similarity to Brendan.

78) Justin
English form of the Latin name Justinus, a derivative of Justus. Various early saints had the name, notably a 2nd century Christian apologist and a boy martyr of the 3rd century.

79) Pamela
Invented by the Elizabethan pastoral poet Sir Philip Sidney (1554–86). Later taken up by Samuel Richardson for the name of the heroine of his novel Pamela (1740). In Henry Fielding's Joseph Andrews (1742), which started out as a parody of Pamela, Fielding comments that the name is "very strange."

80) Brandon
From Old English brōm "broom, gorse" + dūn "hill." There has perhaps also been some influence from the surname of the Italian American actor Marlon Brando (1924–2004).

81) Catherine
French cognate of Katherine, the English form of the name of a saint martyred at Alexandria in 307. The story has it that she was condemned to be broken on the wheel for her Christian beliefs. However, the wheel fell apart and she was beheaded instead.

82) Raymond
From German ragin "advice, decision" + mund "protector."

83) Nicole
Feminine form of Nicholas, derived from nikē "victory" + laos "people."

84) Gregory
From the post-classical Greek Gregōrios "watchful" (a derivative of gregōrein "to watch, be vigilant"). The name was a very popular one among the early Christians, who were mindful of the injunction "be sober, be vigilant" (1 Peter 5:8).

85) Samuel
Biblical name, possibly meaning "He (God) has hearkened.". It may also be understood as a contracted form of Hebrew sha'ulme'el meaning "asked of God." In the case of Samuel the son of Hannah, this would be more in keeping with his mother's statement "Because I have asked him of the Lord" (1 Samuel 1:20).

86) Christine
A form of the Latin Christianus "follower of Christ." The name of Christ (Greek Khristos) is a translation of the Hebrew term Messiah "anointed."

87) Benjamin
Biblical name. His mother Rachel died in giving birth and in her last moments named him Benoni, "son of my sorrow." His father didn’t want such an ill-omened name and renamed him Benyamin, "son of the right hand" or "son of the south."

88) Janet
Originally a diminutive of Jane. Jane is a feminine form of John. It is not a royal name. The tragic Lady Jane Grey (1537-54) was unwillingly proclaimed queen in 1553, deposed nine days later, and executed the following year.

89) Patrick
From Latin Patricius "patrician," the name of the apostle and patron saint of Ireland (c.389–461) as recorded in his Latin autobiography.

90) Heather
From the word denoting the hardy, brightly coloured plant (Middle English hather).

91) Jack
Originally a pet form of John, but now a well-established name in its own right. It is derived from the Middle English Jankin, later altered to Jackin, from Jan (a form of John) and the diminutive suffix -kin.

92) Samantha
Of problematic and much debated origin. It arose in the United States at the end of the 18th century, possibly as a combination of Sam (from Samuel) + a newly coined feminine suffix -antha (perhaps suggested by Anthea).

93) Dennis
An adjective denoting a devotee of the god Dionysos, a relatively late introduction to the classical pantheon. His orgiastic cult seems to have originated in Persia or elsewhere in Asia.

94) Carolyn
Altered form of Caroline. Caroline was used by certain gentry families from the 17th century onwards, no doubt in honor of the Stuart kings named Charles.

95) Jerry
A pet form of Jeremy or Gerald. Gerald comes from gar, ger "spear" and "rule." As a girl's name it is a variant spelling of Gerry.

96) Rachel
Biblical name (meaning "ewe" in Hebrew).

97) Alexander
From alexein "to defend" + anēr "man, warrior" (genitive andros). Its use as a common given name throughout Europe, however, derives largely from the fame of Alexander the Great.

98) Diane
Form of Diana, who loved hunting and were therefore proud to name their daughters after the classical goddess of the chase. In Greek mythology Diana is equivalent to the Greek Artemis and is characterized as both beautiful and chaste.

99)Henry
From haim "home" + rīc "power, ruler." Eight kings of England have been named Henry. Not until the 17th century did the form Henry (as opposed to Harry) become the standard vernacular form, mainly under the influence of the Latin form Henricus and French Henri.

100) Frances
Feminine form of Francis, originally meaning "French" or "Frenchman."

SEE ALSO: Many English Last Names Began As Nicknames — Here Are Their Original Meanings

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The Best Places In America To Buy Property And Rent To Baby Boomers

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It's often argued that retiring baby boomers, those born between 1945 and 1964, are slated to have a significant impact on the housing market. 

This is because they tend to downsize their homes on retirement. Though the extent of this trend is unclear. 

"Investors leveraging demographic trends will often be able to amplify rental returns and home price appreciation, particularly when it comes to trends in the baby boomer and millennial generations, which combined account for approximately 147 million people — more than 60 percent of the U.S. adult population," RealtyTrac's Daren Blomquist said in a press release.

With that in mind, RealtyTrac identified the best rental markets for baby boomers. 

The markets they identified all had a 10% or more increase in the baby boomer population between 2007 and 2013. And they had a baby boomer population that accounted for 24% of the population. The top 25 baby boomer rental markets saw annual gross rental yields  from 5.50% to 20.93%.

Rental returns were based on gross rental yield: "the average fair market rent of three-bedroom homes in the county, annualized, and divided by the median sales price of residential properties in the county."

The top five markets for boomers based on annual gross rental yield were all located in Florida:
1. Pasco County, Florida: 20.93%
2. Hernando County, Florida: 19.06%
3. Marion County, Florida: 16.96%
4. Citrus County, Florida: 16.43%
5. Polk County, Florida: 14.59%

Here's a great interactive map from RealtyTrac:

 

Note: "For the report RealtyTrac analyzed median sales prices for residential property and average fair market rents for three bedroom properties in 370 U.S. counties with a combined population of 186 million people — 60 percent of the total U.S. population."

SEE ALSO: Here Are The Most Overvalued And Undervalued Housing Markets In America

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19 Pencil Drawings That Trick Your Mind Into Thinking They're 3-D

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BIRD Alessandro Diddi 3D drawing art

Anamorphic drawings are two-dimensional drawings that, when viewed from a single point of view, seem to leap off the page. Graphic artist Alessandro Diddi has mastered them.

Diddi is an Italian designer who began working on the 3D-looking art in 2013. "The first drawings helped me to learn the basics of the technique and, once I got assimilated, I began to catch a glimpse of the expressive possibilities that this [medium] could offer," Diddi told Business Insider via email.

To create the 3-D illusions with just graphite and paper, Diddi says he has to consider practical aspects (design, photography, and lighting) and psychological aspects (what the observer thinks he or she is seeing). His photos of the art often includes a pencil in them to immediately remind viewers that the items are 2-D.

Diddi's drawings will be shown on July 19 at Santa Monica's "Masters of Illusion" exhibit. Here are some of his mind-blowing works of art.

"Door and stair"



"Guitar"



"Ring"



See the rest of the story at Business Insider






Napster Cofounder Sean Parker Just Bought Ellen DeGeneres' House For $55 Million

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Ellen Degeneres House 33

Napster cofounder Sean Parker just paid a whopping $55 million for Ellen DeGeneres' 9-bedroom Los Angeles mansion, according to TMZ.

After only a few months in The Brody House — yep, the house has a name — DeGeneres decided to flip it for $15 million in profit. She reportedly did not intend to flip it, but Parker approached her last month with an offer, and the deal closed in eight days.

DeGeneres, famous for her house-hopping as much as her status as America's nicest funny woman, reportedly laid down $40 million for the house, which is located in the exclusive Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, according to TMZ.

Sitting on 2.25 acres next to the Playboy Mansion, the property was commissioned by philanthropists Sidney and Frances Lasker Brody in 1949. The home was impressive in its own right (TMZ calls it "the best house in L.A.), but its unnamed second owner had it renovated in 2010, ostensibly to flip it.

Designer Stephen Stone increased the size of the kitchen, turned the top floor into a second master suite with a study, updated the pool, and added a koi pond. But he did keep the landscaping intact along with some original parts of the house.

Unfortunately, we only have photos of what the home looked like pre-renovation, since it never officially hit the real estate market. But even so, they are pretty remarkable:

Most of the renovations to the house took place indoors. The entryway and landscaping were left intact, only spruced up.Ellen Degeneres House 2

The home still opens to a spacious living area and slatted stairs.Ellen Degeneres House 4

The sprawling ficus, deemed too invasive, in the atrium was replaced with some rare palms.Ellen Degeneres House 8

All the bathroom fixtures were updated from this pre-renovation photo.Ellen Degeneres House 22

Stone installed a new pool in the same space and style of the old one.Ellen Degeneres House 26

The home comes with tennis courts that received a new fence in the renovations.Ellen Degeneres House 28

SEE ALSO: 13 Recent Home Sales That Show How Crazy San Francisco Real Estate Has Become

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Why TGI Fridays' Endless Appetizer Deal Isn't As Great As It Seems

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TGI Fridays appetizers

TGI Fridays just announced a deal for "endless appetizers." 

The unlimited appetizer deal for just $10 is a first for a major restaurant chain, according to USA Today

But the bargain comes with a big caveat: you can only get refills of the same appetizer, such as potato skins, mozzarella sticks, or Tuscan Spinach Dip.

The deal is ideal for sharing with a big group. 

But Fridays' Chief Marketing Officer Brian Gies told USA Today that the chain discourages sharing appetizers, although he conceded that the guideline wouldn't be enforced. 

"At the end of the day, our servers aren't policemen," Gies said. "We're not going to slap someone's hand if they reach over and share someone else's mozzarella sticks."

The Fridays' promo runs through August 24. 

Casual-dining chains like Fridays and competitor Applebee's have been struggling with competition from brands like Chipotle and Panera Bread. 

SEE ALSO: What Happens When Fast Food Workers Are Tipped $100

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Pick Up A Quaint Italian Village On eBay For Just $333,000

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Calsazio

For only $333,000 (245,000 euros), you can buy a picturesque but run-down Italian village on Ebay, of all places.

The northwestern Italian village of Calsazio includes a total of 50 rooms in 14 homes and is located near Gran Paradiso National Park, just 50 miles from the city of Turin.

And while the identity of the seller is unknown, he is working with Italy's National Union of Mountain Towns and Communities (UNCEM) which suggests turning the derelict Alpine town into a tourist attraction or a residential haven, according to CNBC.Calsazio ItalyThe town needs significant renovation work in order to meet certain architectural and historical standards.

It's a real fixer upper.Calsazio ItalyCalsazio is not the only village to crop up on the real estate market in recent weeks. In late June, the North Dakota town of Swett, which contains several buildings and a bar, was listed for $400,000.

SEE ALSO: $5 Million Connecticut Mansion Completely Destroyed By Massive Fire

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Step Inside Napster Cofounder Sean Parker's New $55 Million Mansion

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sean parker house

Napster cofounder Sean Parker just paid a whopping $55 million for Ellen DeGeneres' nine-bedroom Los Angeles mansion, according to TMZ.

DeGeneres bought the house for $40 million earlier this year, and while she didn't intend to flip it, Parker reportedly approached her with an offer and the deal was inked in just eight days, leaving DeGeneres with a nice $15 million profit.

While we couldn't get our hands on any pictures of the renovated house, we were able to put together a tour of the home, called The Brody House, pre-renovation. We can only imagine what it looks like now if this is what they were starting with.

The house is located in the exclusive Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles.



The property was commissioned by philanthropists Sidney and Frances Lasker Brody in 1949.



It sits on 2.25 acres of land.



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13 Exclusive Clubs For The Next Generation Of New York Socialites

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Soho House NYC

New York's elite have long belonged to exclusive and closely guarded social clubs.

But a new generation of social clubs has cropped up to replace stuffy mainstays like the Metropolitan Club and the University Club, and young people are flocking to them.

From clubs centered on shared interests to social societies, these are the best private clubs in New York City for the young and fabulous. 

Norwood Club is for artsy jet-setters.

If you're a cool, rich, artsy New Yorker, Norwood Club might be for you.

The exclusive club opened its doors in 2007 at 241 West 14th Street. Membership is more based on who you know and how important you are, and attracts an international, art-centric crowd. Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen were rumored to be members.

The clubhouse doubles as a nightclub and houses a restaurant, three lounge bars, a 45-seat screening room and event space, as well as a private dining room for up to 24 people. There's also a walled garden.

If you plan to apply, brush up on your art knowledge. Some questions from the application include, “What is your involvement with the Creative Arts?” and “Who would you most like to collaborate with?"

Cost: $1,000 annually with dues of $750



FoundersCard is for up-and-coming entrepreneurs.

Although not limited to NYC, FoundersCard boasts a global membership of over 15,000 entrepreneurs.

In addition to a shiny card, the club hosts networking events in cities around the globe and offers deals from airlines and hotels like Virgin Atlantic and St. Regis.

FoundersCard says its members range from first-time entrepreneurs to the world's best-known innovators. 

Cost: $495 annually with a $95 one-time fee



The Montauk Club is for quirky Brooklynites.

Unlike most of the other social clubs, Montauk Club doesn't seem to take itself too seriously

The club, which has been around since 1889, is an anti-elitist community that organizes a variety of events including monthly book, beer, and wine clubs, talks by locals authors, jazz shows, and themed cocktail parties.

Members can use the 19th-century Park Slope clubhouse at any time for personal or professional reasons. 

As the club's website says with a wink: "... by far our largest contingent is members under the age of 35. The majority of our under 35s are unmarried – and in keeping with Brooklyn’s reputation – good looking."

Cost: $350 annually if you're under 35



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‘Reverse Perspective’ Painting Appears To Move Before Your Eyes

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reverse perspective painting

A new clip of a "reverse perspective" painting by Brian Williams is making the rounds online, and it will blow your mind.

Currently on display at The Gallery Ice in Windsor, UK (and which we first saw at This Is Colossal), the painting gives the viewer the illusion of peering into an art gallery that shifts as he does.

This Is Colossal points out that the work is inspired by well-known artist Patrick Hughes’s own “reverspective” paintings, which he has been making since the '60s. Both use an optical illusion where the objects or rooms are painted on a big lumps of wood or another material that sticks out from the flat painting.

The artist then paints the objects he or she wants to seem the farthest away from the viewer on top of the blocks of wood. This causes the painting to alter as the audience moves around, and to appear in reverse 3D when viewed head-on. Pretty cool.

Despite the shaky camera movements, you can really see how it’s done in the video below.

And here’s Patrick Hughes explaining his own work from the Flowers Gallery two years prior.

SEE ALSO: This Artist Sold Her Messy Bed For $4.4 Million

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Here Are The Best Places In America To Buy Property And Rent To Millennials

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Millennials, those born between 1982 and 2004, are set to shape the U.S. economy in a big way in coming years.

While Millennials are less likely to form households in their 20s, as the economy recovers many will, inevitably move out of their homes and look to rent.

RealtyTrac found the 50 best markets for renting residential properties to Millennials

"Investors leveraging demographic trends will often be able to amplify rental returns and home price appreciation, particularly when it comes to trends in the baby boomer and millennial generations, which combined account for approximately 147 million people — more than 60 percent of the U.S. adult population," RealtyTrac's Daren Blomquist said in a press release.

To qualify, these markets had  to have 10% in the millennial demographic between 2007 and 2013 and the Millennial population accounted for at least 24% of the total populations in 2013.

Annual gross rental yields for the top 50 millennial rental markets ranged from 5.53% to 21.32%. Rental returns were based on gross rental yield: "the average fair market rent of three-bedroom homes in the county, annualized, and divided by the median sales price of residential properties in the county."

The top five markets based on annual gross rental yield:
1. Baltimore City, Maryland: 21.32%
2. Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania: 20.78%
3. Duval County, Florida: 14.95%
4. Cumberland County, North Carolina: 13.43%
5. Newport News City, Virginia: 13.20%

Here's a great interactive map from RealtyTrac highlighting the 50 best rental markets for Millennials:

Note: For the report RealtyTrac analyzed median sales prices for residential property and average fair market rents for three bedroom properties in 370 U.S. counties with a combined population of 186 million people — 60 percent of the total U.S. population. Rental returns were calculated using annual gross rental yields: the average fair market rent of three-bedroom homes in the county, annualized, and divided by the median sales price of residential properties in the county.

SEE ALSO: Here Are The Most Overvalued And Undervalued Housing Markets In America

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Cuba's New Auto Sales Policy Is A Total Flop

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Cuban Government Car Dealership

In the first six months since the Cuban government implemented a policy that would allow average citizen to buy cars without special permits, the country's 11 million inhabitants bought a grand total of just 50 cars and four motorcycles from government-sanctioned dealerships, reports Reuters

Why? Because cars in Cuba are insanely expensive. While the average Cuban state worker makes roughly $20 a month in salary, one Peugeot dealership in Havana is asking $91,000 for a discontinued 206 economy car and a whopping $262,000 for a new 508 family sedan. 

For perspective, at $262,000, the Havana Peugeot dealer is asking more for a family sedan than its American counterparts are asking for a Bentley Continental GT ($180,000) or Ferrari 458 ($234,000), and a price on par with a new Rolls-Royce Ghost ($263,000). 

In comparison, a new 508 can be had for a little as $29,000 in the UK, with some used 206 models available for little more than $1,000. The new law, implemented as a means to raise funds to bolster the country's antiquated public transportation system, has led to a staggering 400% mark up over prices before it took effect in January.

"We're speechless, it's a big surprise. I don't know what the government's strategy is," Antonio, a Cuban car buyer, told the BBC in January. "Maybe this is just a test phase, but the prices are excessive."

Suzanne, another shopper, remarked to the BBC, "The prices are crazy. No Cuban who works for the state can afford to buy at that price. They have zero chance of getting a car."

Peugeot 508 Saloon (front)So far, the Cuban government has generated $1.28 million in revenue from the sale of cars and motorcycles with an average transaction cost of $23,700. However, it should be noted that a large portion of these sales have been in the form of second-hand ex-rental cars. 

The 508 in question is Peugeot's latest mass market mid-sized model available throughout the world(except the U.S.) in sedan and wagon form. In production since 2010, power for the practical 508 comes from a variety of gasoline and diesel hybrid power plants that range from an economical 1.6 litre four cylinder to the range topping 2.2 turbodiesel. 

SEE ALSO: Dodge Just Revealed The Most Powerful Muscle Car Ever Produced

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A New Dress Shirt Solves The Annoyance Of A Floppy Collar

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million dollar collar kickstarter

A new Kickstarter project claims to solve the biggest problem with men's dress shirts — the floppy collar.

“Everybody always tells me what they hate the most about dress shirts is the part of the shirt that just flops,” Rob Kessler, the project’s co-founder, told Business Insider. “Most collars are just too heavy and the placket can’t support the weight.”

Kessler, who's based in Milwaukee, knew he wanted to fix men’s dress shirts fit after seeing photos from his own wedding, where he wore a shirt with no tie. “I’ve never been a tie guy,” Kessler told us. “On my wedding day, I went casual and my shirt just kept tucking under my lapel the whole day. All I did was lift that thing up and try to make it stand.”million dollar collar kickstarterAfter seeing the photos, he began developing a men’s shirt that would look crisp and polished even without a tie. He realized the best approach would be to create a placket — the part of the shirt that supports the color — that was stiffer.

“I started playing with different materials and cutting up dress shirts,” Kessler said. “I also started doing research online to see if there was anything out there, and everything seemed to be up in the collar and nothing was down in the placket.”million dollar collar kickstarterThe only thing Kessler found was a removable placket stiffener patented in 1888. He changed the design so it would be permanently installed and extended it from the collar down to the third button. The result is the Million Dollar Collar, which Kessler calls the, “biggest advancement in dress shirts since the collar stay was patented in 1953.”

The shirts will come in blue, white, and gray, and are made from long-strand (Egyptian) cotton. The company hopes to raise $40,000 on Kickstarter to get the shirts off the ground.

Read more about the Kickstarter here.

WATCH: The Strange Fashion Choices Of European Men

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The 10 Best Sushi Restaurants In New York City

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sushiWith a Japanese restaurant on practically every street of New York City, it can be hard to navigate between the cheap all-you-can-eat spots and the overpriced yet still sub-par restaurants. 

To help you out, we put together a list of the best sushi restaurants in New York City.

To create this, we combined five notable rankings from food experts and New York publications, including Zagat, the Village Voice, Eater, Time Out New York, and GothamistWe gave each restaurant a numerical ranking based on how many lists it appeared on and how high it appeared on the ranked lists. We only included restaurants that made at least two lists. 

No. 10 Soto

357 6th Avenue

Sea urchin, or "uni," is a delicacy and Soto Japanese does it best. Chef Sotohiro Kosugi proves that the spiky creatures are not just edible, but downright delicious. The two-starred Michelin spot is pricey, so make it worth your while and be adventurous with the wide range of fresh fish. 

 



No. 9 Ushiwakamaru

136 W Houston Street

Located in the West Village, Ushiwakamaru stands out for its very fresh, raw fish selection that's carefully crafted by chef Hideo Kuribara. The restaurant itself is pretty simple and lets the food speak for itself. 



No. 8 15 East

15 E 15th Street

Another Michelin star recipient, 15 East dishes out impressively fresh, seasonal sushi from a chef who really knows his stuff. Masato Shimizu left Jewel Bako to stand behind this restaurant's sushi bar, where he educates diners with charts and books about the fish they're eating. Dine a la carte or try the omakase.



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The 20 Best College Traditions In The US

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Harvard Yale Game

Each college has beloved traditions that students have kept alive through the years.

We've put together a list of the best college traditions from around the country. Some of these—like the Dartmouth Winter Carnival—are loved by students and school officials alike. However, traditions such as the Mirror Lake Jump at Ohio State are enjoyed much more by students than faculty.

Cornell Dragon Day at Cornell University

When: Every March

Year it began: Sometime between 1897 and 1901

The tradition of Dragon Day goes back more than one hundred years. Every March, first-year architecture students band together to build a massive dragon, which they parade across campus. The dragon then "battles" with a large phoenix, built by engineering students.



Spirit Splash at the University of Central Florida

When: End of October

Year it began: 1995

For Spirit Splash, students at the University of Central Florida rush into the campus's Reflecting Pond to celebrate homecoming weekend. The tradition started in 1995 when someone pushed the student body president into the pond. Spirit Splash won the "Best Campus Tradition" award from the National Association for Campus Activities.



THON Weekend at Pennsylvania State University

When: Every February

Year it began: 1973

THON Weekend is 46-hour no-sitting, no-sleeping dance marathon that takes place every February at Penn State. The marathon is for a good cause, with a majority of the proceeds going toward the Four Diamonds Fund to fight pediatric cancer. THON has raised more than $114 million for the cause since the tradition began in 1977.



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This Visionary Article From 1932 Holds An Important Lesson For America's Workaholics

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Bertrand Russell

In 1932, the British philosopher Bertrand Russell wrote an essay called "In Praise of Idleness" which contains a point that's more relevant than ever for America's overworked employees

In an essay we saw on zpub via Longform, Russell argued that people would spend their leisure time doing active things and not passive activities if they only worked fewer hours.

Although TV hadn't been invented yet in 1932, Russell foresaw the wastefulness of idle time spent with television's predecessors — the movies and radio. "The pleasures of urban populations have become mainly passive: seeing cinemas, watching football matches, listening to the radio, and so on," Russell said. "This results from the fact that their active energies are fully taken up with work; if they had more leisure, they would again enjoy pleasures in which they took an active part."

Eighty years later, Russell's insights remain relevant in America.

A startling number of Americans these days work more than they should, even when they're sick or entitled to vacation, to the detriment of their health and overall happiness. A study this year found that 25% of Americans never take the day off when they're sick, and another study found people in the U.S. ended the year with an average of 3.2 days left of unused vacation.

Today, many overworked Americans spend their rare free time watching television, possibly because their brains are too tired for meaningful activities. Recent data shows that Americans watch more TV as they get older, The New York Daily News reports. Children ages 12-17 watch nearly 21 hours of TV per week on average, but that number rises steadily throughout adulthood — 33 hours per week for adults ages 35-49 and nearly 44 hours for the 50-64 age group.

According to Russell's logic, Americans would watch less TV if they could have more time to relax. His essay also argued that it's economically possible for people to work fewer hours. 

For most of history, humans relied on hard work for a subsistence livelihood, Russell wrote. But, he added, technological advancements since the Industrial Revolution have made it possible to produce more with much less work. World War I demonstrated that point because victorious nations maintained tremendous levels of production even though a vast amount of their populations left productive occupations to help fight the war, according to his essay.

But despite modern advances in machinery, we don't work fewer hours because our culture stresses that hard work is an important virtue, according to Russell. "In America men often work long hours even when they are well off; such men, naturally, are indignant at the idea of leisure for wage-earners, except as the grim punishment of unemployment; in fact, they dislike leisure even for their sons," he wrote.

Russell's antidote to this problem would be seen as dramatic in 2014; he proposed work days lasting four hours rather than eight. That would maintain adequate productivity without exhausting people from overwork to the point where they spend their rare free time with lazy activities, he argued. 

As an example, Russell pointed to upper class members of society with plenty of leisure time. Historically, they have used their leisure time to make vital contributions to civilization through scientific discoveries, artistic and literary endeavors, and other influences over policy and social relations.

SEE ALSO: 14 Signs That Americans Are Ridiculously Overworked

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The Beautiful, Ornate Bank Buildings Of Old New York

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In 1784, the Bank of New York became the first bank to open its doors in New York City. Since then, countless banks have come and gone, leaving a trail of history behind.

With the help of the New York Public Library's Digital Archives, we compiled some stereo photos of New York's beautiful old banks. Some of these buildings are still in use, while others are long defunct or demolished.

UNION DIME SAVINGS BANK: The founders chose the name Union Dime Savings Bank because they wanted to remind people that "dimes saved increase to dollars." It was also the first financial institution with the word "dime" in its name.union dime savings bank nycDRY DOCK SAVINGS BANK: This bank was constructed on Bowery and East 3rd Street, but it was eventually knocked down despite its beauty.dry dock savings bank nycGERMAN SAVINGS BANK: This bank was founded by German-Americans in New York, one of whom was the famous businessman William Steinway. The bank continues to operate under the name Apple Bank for Savings.german savings bank 14th st 4th ave NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE: Around when this photo was taken in the late 1800s, the Stock Exchange had just moved to this new building at 10-12 Broad Street. In 1903, it moved to a larger trading floor at 18 Broad Street, which is still in use today.stock exchangeNEW YORK COTTON EXCHANGE: The cotton exchange previously traded futures and options on items such as cotton, potatoes, and frozen orange juice. The exchange merged with the Coffee, Sugar, and Cocoa Exchange in 2004, forming the New York Board of Trade.cotton exchangeNEW YORK BANK FOR SAVINGS (BLEECKER STREET): This bank was charted in 1819 and was New York's oldest savings bank. It later moved to 280 Park Avenue South, and changed its name to Goldome Bank for Savings after merging with Buffalo Savings Bank in 1982. Goldome Bank is now closed as well.Bank for Saving Bleeker StreetMERCHANT'S EXCHANGE: The Merchant's Exchange burned down in the Great Fire of 1835, and a bigger and better building was created at 55 Wall Street.merchant's exchange wall stNEW YORK PRODUCE EXCHANGE: The New York Produce Exchange was the site of the world's largest volume of grain and provisions trading, with 2,140 members representing all major shipping centers in the country.produce exchange

SEE ALSO: The World's 21 Strongest Banks In 2014

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