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A new, strangely morbid video profiles 3 people vying to visit Mars — and they seem completely unprepared for the trip

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mars

Why do you want to die on Mars?

This is the most normal question in the series of totally bizarre topics that three Mars One volunteers are discussing in this latest video titled "If I die on Mars."

Mars One is a not-for-profit organization that, in 2012, announced a plan to launch a one-way manned mission to Mars that would maroon four humans on the red planet to live there and eventually die.

Anyone could volunteer to be a part of the mission, which has been widely criticized by experts. If everything goes according to plan, the mission would land a spacecraft carrying colonists on the red planet in 2025.

Right now, Mars One is whittling down its pool of volunteers who signed up for the mission, and The Guardian recently released a video interview from three of the 660 finalists.

These interviews take an awkward, penetrating look into these people's lives and do nothing to explain why they should be going to Mars — other than their desire to get off this doomed planet, as one of them puts it.

Ryan from the UK

mars oneThe first volunteer introduced in the video, which does not include last names, is a UK-based physics student named Ryan. Ryan has never had sex, has no desire to try it, and wonders if his father — who abandoned his family when he was an infant — cares about him. Some of the memorable quotes from Ryan are:

  • "I know 90 digits of Pi."
  • "I've never actually kissed anyone before."
  • "I think the most important thing to do in life is to leave a legacy....to try and find out if there's life on Mars, to inspire a new generation, to lead to the beginnings of the first civilization on another planet. That is my legacy."

Dina in the US

mars oneThe second volunteer, Dina, is an Iraqi-American woman who has never felt love and believes she never will. She says that going to Mars will be no different than when she left her family in Iraq to go live in America. Dina says:

  • "I don't feel like I need a family to be able to survive and exist."
  • "Love is not something that I need."
  • "It's not a big problem for me not to have sex for...indefinitely."

Jeremias in Mozambique

mars oneFinally, a young doctor in Mozambique says that Earth is no longer a good place to live and the way he plans to see a world better than this one is to start from scratch — presumably he means on Mars. In the video, Jaramias said:

  • "If I die on Mars, that would be great."
  • "We have so many problems that I believe it's not possible to solve."
  • "I'm not afraid of death."

Check out the full video below:

SEE ALSO: Astronaut Chris Hadfield explains the big problem with the Mars One mission

READ MORE: How extreme aliens living on Jupiter's water-rich moon Europa might look

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A master chocolatier reveals the best chocolate for your mind and body

The 11 best dryers on the market right now

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Samsung Dryer

Though often an overlooked appliance, a good dryer can keep your clothes looking their best for longer. 

Our friends at FindTheBest tracked down the best dryers on the market right now using their Smart Rating system, which takes into account individual features, warranty, value, and expert rankings.  

Here are their top 11 picks:

11. Samsung DV50F9A8EVW/A2 ($989)

For under $1,000, the Samsung DV50F9A8EVW/A2 offers 15 preset cycles, NSF sanitation certification, and Steam Drying technology to reduce wrinkles. Its transparent front door also allows users to monitor their clothes throughout the cycle.

10. Samsung DV50F9A7EVW/A2 ($999)

With Steam Dry technology and an adjustable dryer rack, this dryer will keep your clothes looking their best. The Samsung DV50F9A7EVW/A2 is also stackable, making it an ideal choice for apartment living.

9. Samsung DV457EVGSGR/A1 ($1,534)

This sleek silver dryer connects with your smartphone, letting you monitor your laundry from anywhere. The app allows you to control this model remotely as well, so you can start and stop it without ever getting off the couch. Additionally, the Samsung DV457EVGSGR/A1 features 14 preset cycles and five temperature settings. 

8. Samsung DV457EVGSWR/A1 ($1,400)

With a Smart Rating of 97, the Samsung DV457EVGSWR/A1 is equipped with touchscreen controls, 14 preset cycle options, and NSF sanitation certification. It also has an impressive energy factor of 3.51 — the highest available — making it one of the most energy efficient dryers on the market right now.

7. Samsung DV455EVGSGR/AA ($1,472)

This electric Samsung DV455EVGSGR/AA dryer features several of Samsung's top amenities, including wrinkle prevention, delayed start options, and Steam Dry technology. Its Eco Normal feature reduces energy use up to 15%, making it a smart buy for the environmentally-friendly as well.

6. Samsung DV435ETGJRA/A1 ($1,499)

The Samsung DV435ETGJRA/A1's Smart Care feature makes it a great buy for the technology-savvy: it syncs with your smartphone, allowing users to quickly troubleshoot for problems. And with its cherry-red hue, this dryer will add a fun pop of color to any drab laundry room.

5. Samsung DV455EVGSWR ($1,075)

Electrolux dryer

With an energy factor of 3.31, the Samsung DV455EVGSWR dryer is among the most energy-efficient on the market, drying more clothes per kilowatt hour of electricity than most others. It features 13 drying cycles, five different temperature settings, and an average drying time of only 20 minutes. 

4. Samsung DV435ETGJWR/A1 ($1,399)

With a near-perfect Smart Rating of 98, the Samsung DV435ETGJWR/A1 is a solid choice. This dryer offers 16 preset drying cycles, five temperature settings, and five timer settings. Additionally, Steam Dry technology helps remove odors and reduce wrinkling.

3. Samsung DV433ETGJWR/A1 ($1,299)

When it comes to dryers, size matters: The Samsung DV433ETGJWR/A1 fits more clothes at a time than an average dryer, meaning you can do fewer loads — it's even big enough to hold a king size comforter. This dryer can also sense moisture in each load, allowing it to adjust drying time so sensitive clothes aren't over-dried. 

2. Electrolux EWMED70JIW ($1,212)

With Luxury-Quiet technology, the Electrolux EWMED70JIW will run silently in the background without disrupting your entire household. It also features temperature control to protect clothes from heat and fast-dry settings to get loads finished without the wait. 

1. Electrolux EWMED70JSS ($1,300)

With a perfect 100 Smart Rating, this dryer can't be beat. The Electrolux EWMED70JSS is equipped with a whopping 92 preset cycles and seven temperature settings, and takes a mere 14 minutes on average to dry a load. It's also lined with Luxury-Design lighting, making it easy to find and grab a specific article of clothing when you're in a rush.

SEE ALSO: The 10 best dishwashers you can buy

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A new hotel in Australia lets you dine with lions and take a bath next to bears

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Australia Zoo Hotel


If you're bored with the same old hotel experience, a trip to Australia's Jamala Wildlife Lodge may be in order.

The brand-new hotel for thrill seekers, located in the National Zoo and Aquarium in Canberra, Australia, lets you stay as close to the zoo's numerous animals as possible. 

At the lodge, guests will almost be directly sharing a room with live animals. You can take a bath next to brown bears, dine with lions staring at you, and feed giraffes from your balcony — and that's just the start.  Often, the only thing separating guests from the animals is a few millimeters of glass

The suites of the hotel are cleverly incorporated into the enclosures of many of the zoo's animals, including: Bengal tigers, European brown bears, Malayan sun bears, lions, cheetahs, giraffes, black and white colobus monkeys, ring-tailed lemurs, hyenas, and snow leopards. 

The suites are broken into three separate residences: the Giraffe Treehouses, uShaka Lodge, and the Jungle Bungalows. Each has a different group of animals available to stare at.

Giraffe Treehouses 

Australia Zoo HotelThe six suites that make up the treehouses sit higher than the other residences, in a lush giraffe enclosure.

Guests of these suites will have the opportunity to feed Hummer, the resident friendly giraffe, at either their suite's balcony or his enclosure (He gets to choose).

UShaka Lodge

Australia Zoo Hotel

The seven suites in the uShaka Lodge (uShaka is the Zulu word for shark) will have full view of the 52,000 gallon tank full Australian sharks and access to a top terrace packed with "inquisitive monkeys." The suites are attached the aquarium part of the zoo, and have beautiful views of the lake nearby.

It's decorated with a African lodge theme, featuring authentic carvings and artifacts from Africa 

Jungle Bungalows 

Australia Zoo Hotel

Every suite in the Jungle Bungalows have nothing but millimeter-thin glass walls separating you from African lions, cheetahs, or even the rare Malayan sun bear.

Each suite is adjacent to a different animal enclosure, and animals visit you as they please (The bears often take a bath in full view of the rooms.)

Australia Zoo Hotel

Accommodations at the hotel are available for one night only, but includes pre-dinner drinks, an African-inspired dinner in "The Cave" restaurant, and a continental breakfast the next morning.

The mini bar is also complimentary. Guests will also be given access the full zoo both days, as well as an exclusive tour of the zoo each day.

The zoo's hotel has only been open since mid-December, but is already getting rave reviews on travel websites.

The suites and rooms are not cheap, starting at $400 per person, per night, but all profits go back to the zoo in the form of programs aimed at assisting animal reproduction at the zoo.

Check out the photos of the rest of the hotel's rooms below.

Australia Zoo HotelAustralia Zoo Hotel

SEE ALSO: The 20 Best Hotels In America, According To Travelers

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The last village in China that's still allowed to have guns

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Gun china village 10

In nearly all of China it is illegal to own firearms. Punishment for possession ranges from three years in prison to the death penalty. But in the deep mountains of southwestern China there is an exception: the village of Basha.

Basha is the home of an ancient tribe of the Miao ethnic group. Mostly cut off from China’s modernization, the people of Basha live in stilted wooden houses near a river, and they are famed as China’s last tribe of gunmen.

Basha’s history with guns dates back hundreds of years to when the village people used them to guard their land from bears living in the nearby forest. For a long time, the villagers relied on guns to hunt for food in nearby forests.

Today, villagers no longer hunt but continue to practice marksmanship at shooting ranges. About 3,000 people still live in Basha, which comprises 400 wooden houses.

Gun china village 2

 

Tribe members make hunting rifles using materials from nearby cities. Here, Gun Laosheng, a Miao craftsman, makes part of a gun in his workshop.

Gun china village 9

Gun china village 8

 

The people of Basha have become a big attraction for Chinese tourists, who come to see the villagers perform folk shows and demonstrations of marksmanship. The shows, like this one, feature traditional music and dancing.

Gun china village 3

 

Here, Miao men fire their guns during a farewell ceremony for tourists.

Gun china village 1

 

The people of the Basha tribe still wear traditional clothing and unique hairstyles, which date to the Qing dynasty. Men carry seven items at all times: their gun, wine bottle, curved knife, tobacco pipe, gunpowder container, wallet, and flower bag. They wear traditional hair braids, which they believe is a symbol of masculinity.

Often, tourists will go to watch one of the Basha’s traditional ceremonies like the coming-of-age shaving ceremony that young boys partake in. During the ceremony, the tribe leader shaves off all of a boy’s hair with a sickle, leaving only the central part.

Gun china village 6

 

Boys in the village are trained from an early age to use firearms. This 10-year-old uses a knife to tamp down gunpowder before shooting practice. When boys turn 15, they receive a hunting rifle as a sign that they’ve become adults.

Gun china village 4

 

Each man is expected to maintain his gun. Here, Gun Yuangu uses a twig and engine oil to lubricate his gun at his house.

Gun china village 7

 

The villagers worship trees as gods. They believe their hair buns represent trees, while their purple clothes represent bark.

A tree is planted when a baby is born. Often the same tree is cut down when the person dies and is used as their coffin.

Gun china village 5

SEE ALSO: Behind The Borders Of The World's Unrecognized 'Breakaway Nations'

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You might need to book an international flight as much as 10 months in advance to save money

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Booking a flight in your target price range is an art.

Prices may change according to where you're going, at what time, from which airports, and on which day you look — even which hour of the day.

Any guidance to get the lowest price you can, then, is welcome. CheapAir.com analyzed 1.9 million international trips originating in the United States and determined that the most advantageous time to buy varies considerably by destination.

The site found that people traveling to Asia will want to buy furthest in advance: an average of 318 days, or about 10 months. Those traveling to Latin America can procrastinate the longest, securing a cheap flight at 97 days early, or about three months. 

cheapair when_to_buy_international_flights

CheapAir also looked at domestic flights, and, based on an analysis of 4.9 million trips in 2014, found that the best time to buy is 47 days in advance — about seven weeks.

cheapair domestic_airfares

CheapAir has a few words of caution, though, when it comes to the guidelines:

There are a lot of numbers here, and a lot of generalizations. Similar to domestic flight data, to some extent every trip is different and circumstances vary depending on where you’re going and your exact travel dates. The key takeaway, though, is that with international flights you are much more likely to miss out on a good fare by booking too late than for domestic flights — and much less likely to regret booking too early.

The majority of international routes have a relatively small number of flights and, while prices change frequently, the price fluctuations are driven more by availability changes (i.e. flights filling up and getting more expensive because of it) than by sales coming and going (which are common for domestic flights and tend to move fares both up and down). That doesn’t mean that sales and price drops never happen for international flights or that good deals can never be had at the last minute. It just means that those are both less common – especially when you’re flying in the summer.

SEE ALSO: I retired at 50 and spent the last 3 years traveling the world

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15 amazing Airbnb rentals in Paris

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paris airbnb

Renting out someone else's home through Airbnb is a fun alternative to the traditional hotel. 

You can learn a lot from staying with someone from a different culture — especially when traveling to a city in a foreign country.

If you'll be traveling to the City of Light soon and want to try out Airbnb, we've got you covered.

Here are some of the best homes you can rent in Paris using the home-sharing site. 

Go back in time at this 18th-century flat.

This charming apartment has exposed wood beams and vintage tiles. On the upper floor, a beautiful freestanding tub sits directly beneath a skylight.

Cost: $182/night

Accommodates: 3

Neighborhood: Le Marais, 3rd arrondissement

 



Sleep on the Seine in this pleasant houseboat.

This two-bedroom barge is a bit off the beaten track, but you won't soon forget its unique decor and beautiful views.

Cost: $410/night

Accommodates: 6

Neighborhood: Neuilly-sur-Seine



Stay in an airy home close to public transit.

This adorable three-bedroom apartment on the Rue la Fayette is very convenient for train travelers from Gare du Nord.

Cost: $223/night

Accommodates: 8

Neighborhood: Porte Saint-Denis, 10th arrondissement

 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider






21 lottery winners who blew it all

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lottery

As the Powerball jackpot nears $500 million, we're reminded that winning the lottery will not solve all of life's problems.

In fact, many people's lives became notably worse after they got super rich, and they managed to lose it all quite quickly.

Mandi Woodruff contributed to this report.

Lara and Roger Griffiths bought their dream home .. and then life fell apart.

Before they won a $2.76 million lottery jackpot in 2005, Lara and Roger Griffiths hardly ever argued.

Then they won, and bought a million-dollar house and a Porsche.

But six years after their win, Roger drove away in the Porsche after Lara confronted him over emails suggesting he was interested in another woman.

Their 14-year marriage was over, a freak fire gutted their house, and every penny of their fortune was gone.



Bud Post lost $16.2 million within a nightmarish year — his own brother put out a hit on him.

William "Bud" Post won $16.2 million in the Pennsylvania lottery in 1988 but was $1 million in debt within a year.

"I wish it never happened," Post said. "It was totally a nightmare."

A former girlfriend successfully sued him for a share of his winnings and his brother was arrested for hiring a hit man to kill him in the hopes he'd inherit a share of the winnings.

After sinking money into various family businesses, Post sank into debt and spent time in jail for firing a gun over the head of a bill collector.

Bud now lives quietly on $450 a month and food stamps.



Martyn and Kay Tott won a $5 million jackpot, but lost the ticket.

Martyn Tott, 33, and his 24-year-old wife from the UK missed out on a $5 million lottery fortune after losing their ticket.

They were able to convince officials, but since there is a 30-day time limit on reporting lost tickets, the jackpot became the the largest unclaimed amount since the lottery began in 1994.

"Thinking you're going to have all that money is really liberating. Having it taken away has the opposite effect," Kay Tott told The Daily Mail. "It drains the life from you and puts a terrible strain on your marriage. It was the cruelest torture imaginable."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider







Science says people decide these 9 things within seconds of meeting you

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angelina jolie

Psychologists call it "thin slicing." 

Within moments of meeting somebody, you decide all sorts of things about them, from status to intelligence to promiscuity.

If you're trustworthy

People decide on your trustworthiness in a tenth of a second

Princeton researchers found this out by giving one group of university students 100 milliseconds to rate the attractiveness, competence, likeability, aggressiveness, and trustworthiness of actors' faces.

Another group was able to take as long as they wanted. While other traits differed depending on time spent looking, trustworthiness was basically the same.

 



If you're high-status

A Dutch study found that people wearing name-brand clothes — Lacoste and Tommy Hilfiger, to be precise — were seen as higher status than folks wearing non-designer clothes. 

"Perceptions did not differ on any of the other dimensions that might affect the outcome of social interactions," the authors wrote. "There were no differences in perceived attractiveness, kindness, and trustworthiness." 

Just status.



If you're straight or gay

People can read a man's sexual orientation in a twentieth of a second — the minimum amount of time it takes to consciously recognize a face. 

"The rapid and accurate perception of male sexual orientation may be just another symptom of a fast and efficient cognitive mechanism for perceiving the characteristics of others," wrote study authors Nicholas O. Rule and Nalini Ambady.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider






This man will live the life of someone else through a virtual reality headset for 28 days

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"Seeing-I" is a social-artistic experiment that questions how much of the individual is an inherent personality and how large a portion of the individual is a cultural identity.

For 24 hours a day for 28 days, artist Mark Farid will wear a Virtual Reality Headset through which he will experience life through another person’s eyes and ears, this person is known as - the other. The other will wear a pair of glasses that covertly capture audio and video. This footage will then be watched back by Mark, who will be confined to a gallery space. 

Between February 19-21 the Seeing I team will hold a Q&A and demonstration at Imagine Science film festival at NYU, Abu Dhabi. Click here for more information on the event.

Video courtesy of Nimrod Vardi

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How 14 things that happened to you in childhood shape you as an adult

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dad with baby

Tons of research shows that our adult behavior stems from what we experienced as kids. 

If you're extremely sneaky or suffer from obesity, it's probably an issue you can trace back to your younger days.

To help you make connections between now and then, we've compiled 14 childhood experiences that shaped who you are today.

Vivian Giang contributed research to this story.

If your parents didn't let you make decisions, you might be codependent as an adult.

If you had a helicopter parent who didn't allow you to dress yourself or choose your own playmates and food, you may end up as a codependent adult, says mental health counselor Laura JJ Dessauer

As you get older, this means that you'll seek out relationships in which your partner has all the power and control.



If you were close with your dad, you can handle intimacy now.

If you had an emotional connection with your father as a child, you'll be able to enter a healthy, physically intimate relationship with a partner later in life.

"The research found a definitive connection between the quality of the father-child relationship and interpersonal relationships later in life," said lead researcher Dr. Nurit Nahmani.



If your parents were super controlling, you might be a stubborn adult.

Stubbornness is a defense mechanism that children adopt to escape the will of their controlling parents. The children will also likely grow up to inherit this trait.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider






13 ingenious real-estate tips from Zillow’s CEO (Z)

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Most Unusual Homes

Real-estate site Zillow has been collecting information about the residential real-estate market for a decade. It's learned a ton about how houses are priced, bought, and sold.

Now the company has taken what it's learned and put it into a book.

We got a copy of "Zillow Talk: The New Rules of Real Estate" by Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff and chief economist Stan Humphries and scoured it for some of the most useful tips on buying and selling a home.

Buy a home near a Starbucks.

A Starbucks is a great indicator of a neighborhood that is undergoing gentrification, which means rising housing prices.

Zillow looked at a decade's worth of data on home prices versus Starbucks locations, and found an amazingly tight correlation. In the last 17 years, the average American home has appreciated 65%. But properties adjacent to a Starbucks have appreciated 96%. To check the data, it looked at houses near Dunkin Donuts, and found that Starbucks really is different. It also found that houses within a quarter mile of a Starbucks appreciated more in the last five years  (21%) than houses just slightly farther away (17%).



Buy a house right outside of the hip new neighborhood.

Another tactic is to look at neighborhoods that have recently been gentrified, with lots of restaurants, cafes, and parks. Then, don't buy a house there — those houses have already appreciated, and may be out of your price range anyway. Instead, buy a house in the next neighborhood over. 

This "halo effect" has been shown to work in a bunch of cities including New York, Charlotte, and Chicago.



Do NOT buy the worst house in a great neighborhood.

This is one of those real-estate aphorisms that turns out to be wrong. People buy a crummy fixer-upper on a nice street, fix it up, then try to sell it for a profit — but still less than every other house on the street.

But they don't get any bites. Why? Because people looking to live in that neighborhood are not even shopping at the discount prices that the fixer-uppers are asking. In fact, in these neighborhoods, the bottom 10% of houses have the worst chances of appreciating.

Instead, buy the right house in the right neighborhood. That's the most expensive neighborhood where you can afford a house that's not in the bottom 10%.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider






Get yourself organized with the Five-Star Productivity Pack [75% off]

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office space boss

It's 2015 — time for everyone to get organized professionally in a digital fashion.

And good news: the Five-Star Productivity Pack is here to save the day for even the most disorganized person.

The productivity bundle comes with:

  • Pocket Premium (1 year subscription) — so you can save articles, videos, and web pages to view everywhere you go
  • Wunderlist Pro (1 year subscription) — the ultimate to-do list to accomplish more during your day
  • LastPass Premium (1 year subscription) — a great password manager
  • Evernote Premium (1 year subscription) — to organize your notes, lists reminders and more in a single platform
  • Dropbox Pro (3-month trial) — A file sync and sharing solution with 1 terabyte (that's 1,000 GB) of storage.

And bonus: you'll also get a New York Times Digital subscription (8-weeks) for free.

The 75% off deal only lasts through the end of February 12.

The Five-Star Productivity Pack:$182.00$59.99 [75% OFF]

productivity get your life together organization

SEE ALSO: 7 Of The Best Coffee Makers Around

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SEE ALSO: Not all drones are expensive: grab this awesome nano drone for $35 [40% Off]

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Ivanka Trump explains why work-life balance is 'impossible'

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Ivanka Trump

If Ivanka Trump is your role model for "having it all," it might be time to rethink what that means.

The 33-year-old EVP of development and acquisitions for The Trump Organization and mother of two recently said, "You can't have it all." When people ask her how she balances work and life, her response is always: "I don't, and I don't try to." 

In an interview with Business Insider, Trump explained her perspective on work-life balance. 

"People obsess too much about balance," she said. "A scale is only in balance for a brief second. Inevitably the pendulum swings. It's impossible to maintain."

While previous generations may have been able to compartmentalize home life and work life, there's no longer a clear delineation between the two. Rather than strive for perfect balance, Trump said she focuses on her immediate priorities.

In practice, that means she calls to check on her daughter between meetings during the day, comes home to make dinner with her husband and put her children to bed, and signs back on to respond to emails at 11 p.m.

"From a scheduling perspective, if I'm planning a work trip, I know not to book something the night before the trip because I want to be with my family," Trump said. "If I have a deal come up, I might work three weeks straight. Then I have other moments, like if [my daughter] Arabella is sick, which change the dynamic."

At the end of the day, Trump tries to remember, "Life is a marathon, not a sprint. It's about taking a bigger-picture approach."

SEE ALSO: Ivanka Trump Describes What It's Really Like To Be A Woman Who Works

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The best wine to pair with every kind of takeout food

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Most people know that fish dishes pair well with white wine while a classic red will taste delicious with steak.

But what kind of wine should you buy if you're ordering burgers, gyros, or sushi?

We spoke with Jeremy Block, an oenophile and owner of Some Good Wine in New York, about what wines go best with our favorite takeout foods.

Keep reading to never pair your dinner with the wrong wine again. 

If you’re ordering Chinese food, try Vouvray.

Han Dynasty, dry pepper-style chicken, wingsChinese food has a lot of flavors and spices that are not normally seen as "wine friendly." Most people wouldn't reach for a wine at all and instead down their food with a light beer.

But Vouvray is the way to go. This undervalued French white wine comes from the north banks of the Loire Valley and has a little more body than a Riesling, according to Block, which will pair well with meat-heavy Chinese dishes.

"With subtle sweetness that is blissfully honeycombed, you have something to counteract the inevitable umami and hot spice," Block said.

Suggestions: Francois Pinon Vouvray ($24) or Domaine Viking Vouvray Sec Tendre ($24) 

If you’re ordering pizza, drink Frappato.

PizzaBlock said that when it comes to pizza, “there is no right answer.” Really, almost any red will do with this classic dish.

But if you're looking for the perfect complement, Block recommends Frappato, a light-bodied red from Sicily that has just the right fruity notes.

“The fresh raspberries, smoke, and juicy acid elevate tomatoes and mozzarella to new and transcendental heights," Block said.

Suggestions: Valle Dell'Acate Frapatto ($20) or Arianna Occhipinti Frapatto ($40)

If you’re ordering Mexican food, try Barbera d’Asti or Alba.

Los Tacos No. 1 new york cityBecause Mexican food can have a lot of flavors and spices, Block said you need something that cuts through it for a refreshing taste. 

“Barbera with a slight chill has the perfect quenching acidity to counteract the intense and layered spices," Block told us. 

There are two types of Barbera wine: D'Asti or Alba. Both are fruity red wines from the Piedmont region in the eastern US, though some experts believe Asti is a little lighter than the fuller-bodied Alba.

Suggestions: Corino Giovanni Barbera d'Alba ($17) or Ca Biancia Barbera d'Asti ($20)

If you’re ordering burgers, pair them with some Grenache.

Gourmet Burger KitchenBlock said his choice might be controversial in the wine community (or beer community, depending on who you ask), but that Grenache  will complement burgers very well.

It's a medium-bodied fruity red wine with cinnamon notes that brings out the taste of spices, roasted meats, and vegetables.

“With fleshy tannins and austere acidity, a good Cotes du Rhone should elevate the burger but not take over the meal," he told us.

Suggestions: Domaine la Manarine Cotes du Rhone ($18) or Domaine Vindemio Cotes de Ventoux Regain ($17)

If you’re ordering sushi, try it with sparkling wine.

 

sushiSushi is one of those foods that's best served with beer, but if you're a wine drinker, than carbonation is key.

“Something dry and minerally with subtle citrus vibrations that will cut through the intense layers of raw fish, soy, wasabi, ginger, and whatever other toppings your favorite place has to offer," Block said.

He recommends skipping expensive champagne and instead trying a light, sparkling wine.

Suggestions: Szigeti Sparklijg Gruner Veltliner ($20) or Francois Baur Cremant d'Alsace ($20)

If you’re ordering Greek food like gyros, get Carignan.

Gyro rolled up greek foodBlock said Carignan is “one of the least known and least appreciated grapes on the planet."

Carignan has a bad reputation in the wine world as being at best un-distinctive and at worst bitter, boring, and harsh.

But when it's done right, Cariganan is "quite unique with a fine cohesion of tanginess, spice, and acid," Block said, and the red wine will mingle well with the spicy meat, yogurt, and herbs in Greek fare.

Suggestions: Lioco Indica from Monterrey County ($23) or Bonny Doon Contra Carignan ($17)

If you’re ordering chicken wings, try Zweigelt.

chicken wingsLight red wines go well with chicken wings, but Block said that "there is something about this mysterious, Austrian red wine that always makes chicken wings a perfect match.”

Zweigelt is an Austrian red wine that is relatively new (dates back to 1922) and is very light. It will enhance the flavor and the spiciness of your wings without overwhelming your taste buds.

Suggestions: Preisinger Basic Zweigelt ($20) or liter bottles of Brundlmayer Zweigelt ($16)

SEE ALSO: The 20 best wines in the world, according to Wine Spectator

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The 20 best romance novels to spice up Valentine's Day

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fabio romance novel

Sometimes, there's nothing better than to curl up with a good book. And since we're close to Valentine's Day, might as well make it a romance novel.

Amazon released their picks for the 20 best romance novels of the month.

From small town romances to courtly affairs, check them out below.


"One Wish (Thunder Point)" by Robyn Carr

valentine's day romance novelWhy you want to read it:

A champion figure skater escapes the fast live, and moves to a small Oregon town. There, she develops a close relationship with a high school teacher — but things get complicated as her past starts to catch up with her.

Book: from $7.64
Kindle version: $5.69


"The Girls of Mischief Bay" by Susan Mallery

valentine's day romance novelWhy you want to read it: 

Three women living in Mischief Bay face different problems in their domestic and love lives, but they discover that life wouldn't be the same without friends by their side.

Book: $12.29
Kindle version: $6.99


"The Immortal Who Loved Me: An Argeneau Novel" by Lyndsay Sands

valentine's day romance novelWhy you want to read it:

If you haven't gotten your kick of vampires yet, we recommend this one. In another vampires among humans love story, but this time, the love interest is one of the bad guys.

Book: $7.99
Kindle version: $6.64


"Forbidden to Love the Duke: The Fenwick Sisters Affairs" by Jillian Hunter

valentine's day romance novelWhy you want to read it:

Desperate, Lady Ivy Fenwick applies to work as a governess at the Duke of Ellsworth's. There, her employer falls in love with her against all odds.

Book: $7.99
Kindle version: $7.59


"Beyond the Sunrise" by Mary Balogh

valentine's day romance novelWhy you want to read it:

After being separated for eleven years, Jeanne and Robert Blake meet again as spies during the Peninsular Wars. And, sure enough, old passions die hard.

Book: $11.65
Kindle version: $7.99


"Overcome (The Breeds)" by Lora Leigh

valentine's day romance novelWhy you want to read it:

Lora Leigh has put together three of her "Breed" novels into one collection for the first time: "The Breed Next Door," "In a Wolf's Embrace," and "A Jaguar's Kiss."

Book: $12.24
Kindle version: $7.99


"Bridged (Callahan & McLane)" by Kendra Elliot

valentine's day romance novelWhy you want to read it: 

An FBI special agent teams up with police detective (and romantic interest) Mason Callahan rto investigate the murder of an Oregon congressman.

Book: $8.08
Kindle version: $4.99


"The Raven" by Sylvain Reynard

valentine's day romance novelWhy you want to read it:

Raven Wood spends her days restoring art at the Uffizi gallery in Florence. One night she blacks out after intervening in an attack on a homeless man, and wakes up one week later to find out that she has been accused of stealing priceless Botticelli illustrations.

Book: $12.51
Kindle version: $7.99


"Born of Fury (A League Novel)" by Sherrilyn Kenyon

valentine's day romance novelWhy you want to read it:

"Arguably the most in-demand and prolific author in America these days."—Publishers Weekly

Book: $8.99
Kindle version: $8.99


"An Amish Cradle" by Beth Wiseman, Amy Clipston, Kathleen Fuller and Vannetta Chapman

valentine's day romance novelWhy you want to read it:

This book has four short stories in it together dealing with motherhood, pregnancy, and husbands.

Book: $12.23
Kindle version: $8.89


"Hero" by Samantha Young

valentine's day romance novelWhy you want to read it:

Alexa Holland, damaged by her father's other family, meets another man who is just as screwed up from her father's mistakes as she is. She tries to help him, and although he initially pushes away, things start to heat up.

Book: $12.34
Kindle version: $3.99


"New Uses for Old Boyfriends" by Beth Kendrick

valentine's day romance novelWhy you want to read it:

After her happily-ever-after ends, Lila returns to the tiny seaside town where she grew up. There, she starts to fall for a man that she hardly noticed in past when he was just a boy.

Book: $11.95
Kindle version: $9.99


"Angels Walking: A Novel" by Karen Kingsbury

valentine's day romance novelWhy you want to read it:

After baseball star Tyler Ames suffers a career ending injury, he works to put back his life together, and rekindling his lost love.

Book: $11.24
Kindle version: $10.99


"Highland Guard (The Murrays)" by Hannah Howell

valentine's day romance novelWhy you want to read it:

Lady Annys MacQueen has to turn to the one man she could never forget — Sir Harcourt Murray — to keep her lands and son safe.

Book: $7.99
Kindle version: $5.84


 

"Casually Cursed (A Southern Witch Novel)" by Kimberly Frost

valentine's day romance novelWhy you want to read it:

“Nonstop until the final page…a great ride.”—Fresh Fiction

Book: $7.99
Kindle version: $5.99



"The First Kiss (Sweetest Kisses)" by Grace Burrowes

valentine's day romance novelWhy you want to read it:

"The tone of Burrowes' second book in her Sweetest Kisses series is, well, sweet. Featuring precious children, a loving family and country living, the story is a nice mixture of mystery and challenging pasts... a fine read for a little Valentine's Day inspiration." - RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars

Book: $7.99
Kindle version: $6.15


"Jaguar Pride (Heart of the Jaguar)" by Terry Spear

valentine's day romance novelWhy you want to read it:

"This is a very enjoyable and highly entertaining, "Jaguar Pride" won't disappoint the shifter romance fan."Tome Tender

Book: $7.99
Kindle version: $6.15


"Wild Horses (The Montana Hamiltons)" by B. J. Daniels

valentine's day romance novelWhy you want to read it:

"Fans of Western romantic suspense will relish Daniels' tale of clandestine love played out in a small town on the Great Plains." -Booklist on Unforgiven

Book: $6.79
Kindle version: $4.99


"Deadly Echoes (Finding Sanctuary)" by Nancy Mehl

valentine's day romance novelWhy you want to read it:

Sarah Miller works to solve the mystery of her sister's murder, which is eerily similar to her parents' murders, with Deputy Sheriff Paul Gleason.

Book: $12.33
Kindle version: $9.99


"Viper Game: A GhostWalker Novel" by Christine Feehan

valentine's day romance novelWhy you want to watch it: 

“The fastest-paced, most action-packed, gut-wrenching, adrenaline-driven ride I’ve ever experienced.”—Romance Junkies 

Book: $28.79
Kindle version: $5.99

WANT MORE? Click Here To See Our Other Insider Picks

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This massive outdoor escalator in China is 10 stories high

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In the mountainous Chongqing, China, large outdoor escalators have been built on hillsides to provide local commuters with the convenience to travel between a railroad station and several bus stops.

The escalators are believed to help locals avoid a climb roughly equivalent to ten floors of steps.

Produced by Jason Gaines. Video courtesy of Associated Press.

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It may be freezing out now but 2014 was the hottest year in recorded history — and it had devastating effects

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According to NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, 2014 was the hottest year in recorded history, which, for weather, starts in 1880.

The global temperature average has increased by 1.4 degrees F, which may not seem like a lot, but the effects of the increase are being seen and felt globally.

Droughts, wildfires, melting ice caps, and violent thunderstorms can be caused by heightened temperatures, and the wrath of these phenomena can be long lasting.

Water shortages in South America, raging wildfires in California, and shrinking glaciers in the Arctic are just some of the signs of the heat.

2014 saw record-breaking temperatures all over the world. In Europe alone, new record high temperatures were set in 14 countries, making 2014 the hottest year in Europe as a whole in history. Here, people sunbathe on the beach of Wannsee near to Berlin, July 20, 2014.

Source: The Conversation, EURO4M Climate Indicator Bulletin



Heat prevailed elsewhere in the world, too. Here, a woman transports a drum after filling it with free drinking water supplied by a municipal corporation water tanker at a slum on a hot summer day in New Delhi, June 16, 2014. Periods of extreme temperatures have led to thousands of deaths since the 1990s, largely in rural areas where basic infrastructure is poor. In 2014, it was reported that up to 100 people were dying a day because of the heat.

Source: The Times of India



And in Beijing, temperatures hit a record high of about 104 degrees F in May, the highest since 1951. The roasting conditions are exemplified by this man in an opened shirt walking along a street in Beijing, May 30, 2014.



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Here's the atrocious way some villages in the Himalayas treat girls who are menstruating

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CHAUPADI

Every month 14-year-old Uttara Saud leaves her family's home deep in the hills of the Himalayas to sleep by herself in a shed without windows or a door.

Here in the remote villages of Nepal, many believe that women who are menstruating are impure and bring bad luck.

A centuries-old tradition, called chaupadi, banishes them during their period, leaving them vulnerable to animal attacks, freezing temperatures, and other, more horrifying threats.

In February 2014, Reuters photographer Navesh Chitrakar visited Legudsen, a remote village in far western Nepal, to document the dangers of this practice.

In the isolated hills of Legudsen village, in the far western region of Nepal, Reuters photographer Navesh Chitrakar set out to document a tradition that threatens the lives of women and girls.



Each month, menstruating women are exiled from their homes and families, and forced to sleep in sheds, stables, or outhouses, often with little protection from the elements.



This ritual isolation, called chaupadi, stems from a Hindu belief that secretions from menstruation and childbirth are religiously "impure." Others fear that breaking the tradition would bring devastating bad luck, such as failing crops and dying livestock.



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The 15 industries with the most office romances

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Whether or not you think they're a good idea, office romances happen.

You can blame the 'mere exposure effect.'

According to a bunch of psychology studies, people start to like people just by being around them more and more — which is a precisely what happens when you share a workplace with someone. 

Some industries are more incestuous than others, as illustrated by a survey of 1,550 British office workers commisioned by Approved Index

Fashion is the industry with the most office romances, according to the survey. Some surprising areas made the top five as well, like construction and banking. 

Here's the top fifteen, according to their survey:industries with office romances

More common than you might have thought.

But before you dip a toe into a water-cooler romance, ask yourself these questions

SEE ALSO: Barbara Corcoran Explains Why Office Romance Is Fine

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