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Qatar Airways is the best airline in the world, and its Boeing Dreamliner looks totally awesome

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qantas boeing dreamliner 787 at paris air show 2013 business class bottle champagne

Qatar Airways was just named the Best Airline in the World by Skytrax.

Back in 2013, at the Paris Air Show, Qatar Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner created a lot of buzz.

The Dreamliner had endured a tough launch, but by 2013, it was getting its footing and Boeing was racking up the orders.

Business Insider took a tour of the brand-new Qatar jet at the time.

We were impressed.

[An earlier version of this post was written by Alex Davies.]

Qatar Airways took delivery of its Dreamliner just a few days before the 2013 Paris Air Show kicked off.



The entrance of the Qatar 787 leads to business class (there's no first class on this plane).



There's room under the seat for passengers to stretch and prop up their legs.



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This is how much the average person spends on a Father's Day gift

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louie dad daughter kids Louis CK

How much do you spend on dear old dad's Father's Day gift? Fifty bucks? A hundo? 

Even if you're spending the latter, your present still falls under the average gift price, which is $115.57, according to a report by the National Retail Federation (NRF). 

The number is actually up a couple of dollars from last year's figure, $113.80, and was determined by a poll of 6,087 consumers. 

More than half (51.8%) of those polled said they were shopping for their father or stepfather, while 27.6% said they were shopping for a spouse and 8.9% said they were buying something for a son. 

Good news for dads who receive a gift bought online: The average cost of a Father's Day gift purchased online is $157. The NRF notes that three in 10 consumers polled will buy dad's gift online this year. 

How do Father's Day gift sales stack up to Mother's Day gift sales? The NRF predicts that consumers will spend approximately $13 billion on 2015 Father's Day gifts, but that pales in comparison to the $21 billion they spent on Mother's Day gifts this May.   

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NOW WATCH: 5 Ways Retailers Trick You Into Spending More Money








This couple says they'll split up if a gay marriage law passes, so thousands of people joined a Facebook event to celebrate their divorce

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A Facebook event created to celebrate the divorce of an Australian couple has over 165,000 enthusiastic attendees.

It sounds harsh, right? Well, the couple — Nick and Sarah Jensen — are making headlines for threatening to split up if the country legalizes gay marriage. So it's not too surprising that the backlash includes a preemptive celebration of the couple's potential divorce.

"My wife and I, as a matter of conscience, refuse to recognize the government’s regulation of marriage if its definition includes the solemnization of same sex couples," Nick told City News. 

People are using the Facebook group to share pictures and messages to support the Jensen's decision to divorce.

nick sarah jensen divorce header

The Telegraph discovered the Facebook page earlier Wednesday. Many users are treating the event as if it would be happening in real life, and not just on the internet.

Several posts involve preparations for the nuptial-ending internet party.

nick sarah jensen cake

Posters are sharing stories about their own marriages and families explaining why they disagree with the Jensen's stance on gay marriage.

"All I can say is I'm a gay father of two and when I told my children what you were planning to do, the first thing out of my daughter's mouth was 'what a nitwit. They deserve a divorce,'" one man wrote.

nick sarah jensen screenshot

Gay (and straight) couples are also sharing pictures of themselves, with captions explaining their beliefs about marriage. All of them include the belief that any two people in love should be able to get married.

nick sarah jensen divorce screen shot

The bulk of the posts are from Australians, but Facebook users around the globe are posting in the group.

This man from Kentucky posted about his marriage to a man named Leigh.

nick sarah jensen screenshotgay couple

 Facebook users are sending the Jensens the same kinds of well-wishes traditionally used for weddings. 

"Happy divorce day to you! I'm sorry our marriage destroyed yours," a woman named Siri wrote, including the photo below.

nick and sarah jensen lesbian couple

 Not all of the posts are as friendly — some Facebook users are openly mocking the Jensens.

nick sarah jensen screent shot facebook

One thing is certain, there will most definitely be cake. 

nick sarah jensen divorce cake

 

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NOW WATCH: 6 scientifically proven features men find attractive in women








12 creative caskets that puts the 'fun' in funeral

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RTXG5FDFor some eccentric souls, traditional caskets and cremation urns just won’t do.

Luckily, for those looking to leave this world on a more outlandish note, there are options out there to help fulfill those somewhat bizarre afterlife requests.

From odes to beloved comic book heroes to soccer ball urns, click ahead to see some truly out-of-the-box options.

Victor Perez Cardona’s last dying wish was to be behind the wheel of his taxi cab. With help from the funeral home and special embalming techniques, Victor’s family was able to fulfill his request.



For his funeral, Renato Garcia was dressed in the costume of his favorite comic book character, the Green Lantern.



Soccer fans can have their ashes kept in a soccer-shaped urn created by Vienna's municipal funeral services.



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Amazing photos show the majesty of our earth from above

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The city of Dubai, known for its high-rise cityscape, is also surrounded by sweeping desert vistas and sparkling turquoise waters.

The time to enter the 2015 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest is nearly up, and so far the showing is impressive.

Photos have been pouring in from across the globe since April, and these top aerial picks gathered by National Geographic are some of the most breathtaking examples. 

The deadline for entry is June 30 - if your photos are up to the challenge, enter here. This year's contest is split into four categories: Outdoor Scenes, Spontaneous Moments, Sense of Place, and Travel Portraits.

The first place winner receives an eight-day expedition along the sunny coast of Panama and Costa Rica complete with instruction from a team of experts plus free airfare for two.

 

Winding irrigation canals cut through miles of tulip fields in Voorhout, the Netherlands. The country produces more than 3 billion tulip bulbs a year.



Rich concentrations of minerals give the water its vibrant coloring in the salt flats of Northern California.



Some describe this as the most dangerous wave in Australia, as it breaks on barnacle-encrusted rocks just feet from a stony cliff edge - despite being in downtown Sydney. Photographer Ian Bird captured a surfer from 300 feet directly above the wave in a helicopter.



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The fascinating ways people around the world count money in 8 mesmerizing GIFs

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If you've ever thought counting money was a tedious task, think again. 

YouTubers are sharing videos of the unique ways people rapidly count piles of money around the world, and viewers can't get enough.

This video of a woman folding Chinese Yuan was uploaded to YouTube last week and it already has over 700,000 views, Buzzfeed reported. She counts her money by folding all the bills in half and then flicking them down in alternating directions.

She moves so quickly the bills seem to blur into one. Take a look:

china money counting gif

Watching people count bills at high speeds is apparently a popular past-time in China. One woman even wowed the judges of a Chinese talent competition with her insanely quick counting skills. We have no idea if she won the competition but it seems she probably had a good shot:

chinese talent show gif

China is not the only place where counting dollars looks more like an art form than a chore.

We went digging through YouTube to find examples of these methods. With the exception of the Korean technique, all of the clips are from a video uploaded by YouTuber Samimy, who attributes each style of counting to a different country or region.

Korea

Here's a a look at how people in Korea count their bills. Don't be confused by the bills themselves — the user notes they are using Canadian currency to demonstrate the technique, which involves bending back the cash and rapidly thumbing through the corners of each bill.

korean cash count 2 gif

 

Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Iran, and India

This video shows a technique used in several Middle Eastern countriesBills are held lengthwise in one hand, while the index finger on the other hand moves back and forth between each bill. 

You can see the demonstration below:

mid east cash count gif

 

Russia, Poland, and Mongolia

Bills are tabulated using the corners, similarly to the Korean counting style. 

eastern europe cash count gif

 

Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkey

In these Middle Eastern countries, bills are counted using what's calling a "piling method." It's an effective practice, though not as transfixing as some of the more fast-paced techniques. 

turkish cash count gif

 

Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Kuwait

Here's a technique where money is held close at the bottom while three fingers are used to swipe each bill down individually. 

arabic coutries cash gif

 

Africa

This technique involves lifting the bottoms of the bills one at a time.  africa cash gif

 

Canada, England, and the United States

This one might look familiar — and a little messy. 

usa cash counting gif

SEE ALSO: This dad quit his job and is still raking in cash for a viral video he made of his son 6 years ago

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NOW WATCH: 5 Ways Retailers Trick You Into Spending More Money








The internet is going wild for this spontaneous dance-off that took place in a high school cafeteria

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On certain rare occasions, high school can a be truly amazing place.

Take, for example, Yorktown High School in New York, where a video of a cafeteria dance-off taken on the last day of school has gone completely viral.

The unofficial winner is a junior named Kevin Carroll, and his dance skills are incredible. So incredible, in fact, that the video of the entire dance has 299,441 views, and a 30 second video has been retweeted over 20,000 times. 

The video begins with a huge crowd of high school students. There's music playing, and the kids are clapping and yelling. The scene basically looks like it was ripped from Step Up 2

Clapping

Carroll told MTV he heard the commotion coming from a nearby hallway as he was leaving the high school's writing center.

“I looked over at the cafeteria and saw this huge crowd of people and thought, oh, they’re watching a flash mob, I want to go," he told MTV. When he got to the edge of the circle, his classmates Josh Grant and Taizhier Green pulled him in.

"Next thing I know everybody’s chanting: 'Kevin! Kevin! Kevin!' Then we started dancing," Carroll explains.

Carroll throws down the first moves, and the crowd goes wild.

He starts

 

Then Carroll's classmates, Grant and Green, issue their first rebuttal. 

Rebuttal

 

They're not bad, but they've got nothing on Carroll.

Rebuttal 2

 

Carroll responds, and the crowd goes wild.

Crowd Insane

 

But Carroll still has a few more tricks up his sleeve.

Up his sleeve

 

Party time is over — what looks like a school admin breaks up the crowd and sends everyone back to class.

Ending

But for Carroll and his classmates, the end of the dance-off marked the beginning of a journey into internet fame. 

“I wasn’t expecting it to go as viral as it did. When I left school 20 minutes after [the dance-off] my whole Instagram, my whole phone [was] blowing up...it’s kind of surprising,” Grant told MTV.

One of the most interesting elements of this whole scenario was that literally everyone in the crowd was taking their own version of the video that ended up going viral. 

Screen Shot 2015 06 18 at 10.28.29 AM

Check out Carroll's most epic dance move from another angle. Tim Miller, the student filming, couldn't contain his excitement. Watch as he turns the camera to show his jaw dropping. 

 

"im in love with kevin carroll," a girl named Gabrielle tweeted. (See more tweets about Carroll here.)

Unfortunately, Carroll hasn't loved all the press coverage the dance has received. Many of the headlines seem to zero in on the fact that Carroll is playing the role of a nerd or a geek, like The Daily Mirror's headline, which read: "Watch teenage geek become high school hero in dramatic dance off video that's gone viral."

"I just see so many people, they think ’the white kid with glasses…,'" Carroll tells MTV. "The assumption is they can’t dance. But no, that’s a wrong assumption. I like how [the video] proves that wrong."

Here's the full video.

 

SEE ALSO: How To Make A Video Go Viral — Based On The Variables In This Algorithm

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Scientists Discovered What Makes Someone A Good Dancer









These 4 men's fragrances were just voted best of the year

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tom ford fragrance

Looking for a new cologne but not sure where to start? Or maybe you need a last-minute Father's Day gift idea? Today is your day.  

The winners of the annual Fragrance Foundation Awards (aka the "Oscars of fragrance") were announced last night, to a fashionable crowd of models, perfumers, sports stars, and one Greek princess at New York's Lincoln Center.  

Here are the men's scents that took top honors:

Fragrance of the Year, Luxury: Tom Ford Mandarino Di Amalfi 

Notes: Capturing the "calm idyll" of Amalfi, this warm weather scent layers herbal notes of tarragon and mint over a citrus heart and musky, woody dry-down.   

Fragrance of the Year, Prestige: Dior Homme Eau for Men  

covers Y0600940

Notes: Another citrus-forward fragrance, Dior Homme mixes grapefruit and bergamot with Tuscan iris and Virginia cedar wood. 

Fragrance of the Year, Popular: Modern Banana Republic Man 

Notes: With sparkling water accord, juniper, and vetiver, Modern has a crisp, chilly effect.

Indie Fragrance of the Year: Intoxicated (by Kilian)

Notes: Redolent of Turkish coffee, green cardamom, and spices, cognac heir and perfumer Kilian Hennessy truly does intoxicate with this cologne, which alson won the Best Packaging award.

 

163 175 840x1110Tom Ford also swept the top spot for women's luxury fragrance of the year with his newly released Velvet Orchid scent. And last year he took the award for best men's luxury fragrance as well. Vive la Ford 

Click here for the complete list of 2015 Fragrance Foundation Awards winners. 

SEE ALSO: Tom Ford wants you to wear the Apple Watch like an old-fashioned pocket watch

SEE ALSO: DON'T FORGET: Businsess Insider: Life is on Facebook

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NOW WATCH: Men Have Been Putting On Cologne All Wrong








This is the minimalist, made-in-America sneaker you'll want to wear all summer

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Rancourt Court Classic

Rancourt & Co. isn't your typical sneaker purveyor. 

Since 1964, the Maine-based company has been hand-stitching moccasins for all of your favorite brands — L.L. Bean, Eastland, and Brooks Brothers among them. 

Now, inspired by heritage classics like Adidas' Stan SmithRancourt has released a line of handcrafted, minimalist kicks.

They're called "Court Classics" and they look a lot like the shoe everyone has been trying to copy, the Common Projects AchillesOne major difference between the two is the price: a pair of Court Classics starts at $250 while the Common Projects sneakers are $400.  

Rancourt & Co.'s new sneakers also seem to be aping the venerable Converse Jack Purcells, which have been plagued by quality issues in recent iterations.

It took two years for the Court Classics to come to market, but, as Rancourt notes, it was important for the company to offer a "simple yet traditional high-quality leather sneaker at an affordable price," something they claim was missing from the US market.

The shoes are crafted with materials from around the world, but Rancourt maintains that they're 100% made in Maine. The uppers are cut from a tannery in Maine and lined with a horsehide from a tannery in Chicago; the soles are from Italy; and the footbeds are made in Germany.  

Currently, you can snag a pair of Court Classics for a "pre-order sale price" of $200 ($215 for mid-tops). After that, the shoes will sell for $250 (low) and $265 (mid).

Rancourt Court Classics

Rancourt Court Classics 

SEE ALSO: These are the only shoes guys need for summer

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NOW WATCH: Forget the Apple Watch — here's the new watch everyone on Wall Street wants








Tom Ford wants you to wear the Apple Watch like an old-fashioned pocket watch

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Tom Ford is betting big on the success of the Apple Watch by putting a new twist on an old affectation.

The most innovative aspect of his new Tom Ford Spring 2016 collection is by far his Apple Watch chain accessory.

Though the gadget is meant to be worn on the wrist, as it has complicated underbody sensors that measure things like your heart rate, Ford has instead stuffed it in the pocket of a waistcoat with a chain extending from it. Hey, no one said fashion had to be practical.

 on

 

New York Times reporter Matthew Schneier first spotted the gadget accessory during the recent London Collections: Men spring 2016 shows. It appears Ford created his own hook that slides into the slot where the watch band usually sits. That's where the chain, which otherwise operates as a traditional pocket watch chain, is attached.

Ford is known for reaching into the depths of menswear history and bringing back souvenirs.

It didn't quite work in the case of his tab collar shirt — which he offered up for James Bond — so it'll be interesting to see if the designer can bring this bygone accessory back in the age of digital wearables.

SEE ALSO: 10 affordable watches that even watch snobs will appreciate

DON'T FORGET: Follow Business Insider's lifestyle page on Facebook!

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NOW WATCH: The 3 best tie knots for the office








32 apps that will make you a better traveler

Guys are no longer ashamed to down a bottle of rosé with their bros

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Rosé

"I like to say that real men drink pink," says Thomas Pastuszak, wine director of the swanky NoMad Hotel in Manhattan.

"There used to be this perception that rosé was a girly drink, but that's just not true."

As Procrustean gender norms fall into the dustbin of history, more menfolk are succumbing to the charms of the Pink Mistress, blithely knocking back rosés ranging in color from onionskin to rare steak.

Like his counterpart, the much-discussed female whiskey drinker, the rosé bro is inaugurating a freer, more egalitarian world of gender-fluid beverage consumption.

On the job, it's not rare for Pastuszak to spot gentlemen in their twenties and thirties imbibing rosé with impunity. "It used to be that a guy would maybe order a glass of rosé on a date. The woman would order a glass, and then he might say, 'I'll have rosé too.' But now I'm seeing groups of men ordering it."

Over in Brooklyn, Rustun Nichols, bar director of the upmarket fauxhemian citadel the Wythe Hotel, has noticed similar phenomena: "You go to a table where people are sitting outside and they're like, 'I'll take a magnum of Bedell,' and maybe it's seven dudes and you're a little surprised. You thought you were going to be talking to them about scotch, but they want some Provence rosé, and that's totally cool."

Believed to be the oldest style of wine in the world, rosé is traditionally dry and crisp and hails originally from the Provence region of France. But in the United States, the pink wine hasn't always garnered respect from oenophiles. "Historically," Pastuszak says, "there was a perception in American culture that rosé was a sweet, low-alcohol wine associated with the White Zinfandel coming out of California." By the seventies, rosé was seen by serious wine drinkers as cloying, mass-produced swill, an object of revulsion and gendered disdain. But as more complex rosés are coming out of the barrel, the conversation around rosé is changing. The once-dismissed and feminized pink drink is now getting guzzled by winos regardless of gender.

Just three guys drinking #brosé #navybeach @kris_carpenter @jaburland

A photo posted by travisrathbone (@travisrathbone) on May 30, 2015 at 11:39am PDT

No longer burdened by the cheap albatross of White Zinfandel, the New Rosé is a finding a hospitable environment in the 21st-century, metroflexible landscape. "I think a lot of stigmas about drinking rosé are definitely gone—I think [that's the case] about beverages across the board," says Nichols, who describes the archetypal male rosé drinker as guy in his mid-thirties who, in his teens, "was probably in a hard-core band that I loved and is now in some electro-clash band . . . and [has] two kids and collects records."

Of course, aging hipsters aren't the only ones pounding pink.

Vince Blais, 26, an e-commerce merch planner, didn't much care for rosé when he spent the summer in France as a teenager. "I didn't get back to it until a couple of years ago," he explains, "when I moved to New York City and discovered that it had become huge here." Now Blais keeps his fridge stocked with From the Tank, a blend of 80 percent Grenache and 20 percent Syrah he describes as "boxed, but excellent."

"I would say that I've noticed an increase in the popularity of rosé over the past two years," says James Gold, 25, who works in fine-art logistics and imbibes blush on the regular with his two male roommates. "Before that, people would drink it, but it was often the butt of jokes, and I wouldn't really consider picking up a bottle at the store. I would definitely not feel self-conscious ordering it or drinking it now."

A photo posted by jordan (@thejordankaye) on May 25, 2015 at 8:26pm PDT

When it comes to beverage choices, financial journalist Felix Salmon, 43, is unfazed by passé gender norms. "Have I ever felt self-conscious about ordering rosé? Hell, no!" he says. "I've always drunk wine, and I guess that once I started realizing that the purpose of wine isn't to be really big and heavy and red and tannic and that you could actually really enjoy light wines was when I discovered rosé. This whole idea of rosé being a woman thing literally never occurred to me." The same goes for attorney and self-described "equal-opportunity rosé drinker" Jeffrey Whyte, 46, who never thought twice about partaking of the pink. "I've been drinking it as long as I have been drinking wine as an adult," he says.

Stigma or no, more people are drinking rosé, and men are undoubtedly a part of the trend. According to a January 2015 Nielsen report, US retail sales of premium imported rosé wines (those priced at or above $12 a bottle) grew by 41 percent on volume and 53 percent on value in 2014. This is compared to growth rates of 1.0 percent on volume and 3.3 percent on value for the total table-wine market.

"We've definitely seen an increase in conversations about rosé—it's in a growth phase," says Paul Mabray, rosé enthusiast and CEO of VinTank, the world's largest software company for wineries. VinTank monitors and analyzes about 2.5 million wine-related social-media conversations per day. Mabray cites the release of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's rosé, Chateau Miraval, in 2012 as the breakthrough moment of brosé culture.

"When certain wines enter the broader consciousness, there's usually a catalyst for it. With Pinot Noir, for example, you have the Sideways effect," he says, referring to the Dionysian bromantic comedy of 2004. There's an "aspirational aspect," he says, to the appeal of Pitt and Jolie's award-winning salmon-colored sauce: "The fact that a man is part of that probably doesn't hurt in the gender transcendence as well."

For the notoriously indecisive millennial generation, rosé offers something even more valuable than aspiration—the luxury of non-choice: "It's the best of both worlds," says actor Sam Daly, 31. "It combines the light, crisp, and refreshing nature of white wine with the bold, daring complexity of red wine."

A photo posted by Brosé Season (@broseseason) on Jun 14, 2015 at 10:02pm PDT

"Rosé is kind of like online dating," Daly says. "What was once a faux pas has become the norm. It's totally become universally accepted among men and women. It's kind of like the beer of wine." Daly even has a buddy who wants to open up a rosé bar, which, he thinks, "would be perfect in Venice or Brooklyn." When Daly and his fiancé get married later this summer, the couple will be drinking Whispering Angel, their favorite rosé, at the wedding. "There's something kind of decadent about drinking rosé," he says. "Like, champagne is great, but it can give you a wicked hangover."

More from Details: 

SEE ALSO: How to get the most out of every glass of wine

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NOW WATCH: Here's How To Order Wine In A Restaurant Without Paying Through The Nose








This hilarious 'angry yoga' teacher says what everyone's really thinking during a workout

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Yoga instructors are supposed to calmly lead you through your workout, leaving you refreshed and ready to take on the world at the end of an hour-long class.

Well, maybe not all yoga instructors. A satirical video called "22 Minutes: Angry Yoga" is an honest and hysterical look at what we've all thought while going through the motions of a workout. 

Headbang

With over 500,000 views, it's seeing a surge of popularity with moms on Facebook recently, even though the video was produced and uploaded last October.

The video opens on a yoga studio, where a seemingly-relaxed yoga instructor looks like she's about to lead a group. 

But as soon as the class assumes the downward dog position, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary yoga class.

Homesless Bun

"Discover the present moment," she yells, "and don't think about this town."

After a few more minutes she adds: "If I see one more man with a bun, not a ponytail, a bun...with an honest-to-God scrunchy...and those Birkenstocks...like he's some kind of homeless samurai."

When the class moves to what's referred to as "tree pose," the angry instructor asks the class to try to be "a tree standing up; not burnt to the ground or clear cut."

Trees

"Just feel the weight of the world on your back, and it's crushing you. But stay in the present because there is no future," she continues. 

World crushing you

The video ends with a narrator's voice: "Sometimes, yoga doesn't cut it. Ask your doctor if marijuana is right for you. A message from Canada's medicinal pot growers." 

End of Angry Yoga

Here's the full video:

 

 

SEE ALSO: India PM Modi's yoga offensive gets Muslims stressed

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NOW WATCH: Yoga for men — or Broga — is so popular even women are doing it








18 pictures that prove LA has the best food truck scene in the US

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LA Food Truck Food

In 2008, chef Roy Choi co-launched Kogi BBQ in Los Angeles, California, a food truck serving up Korean BBQ with a Mexican flair.

Choi jump-started the food truck "new wave" in LA, inspiring others to create the flavorful, eclectic street food that is now found in trucks throughout the city.

To give you an idea of just how tasty LA's food truck dishes are, we collected some drool-worthy photos.

From waffles fries smothered in guacamole and ranch to crepes dripping with Nutella and ice cream, here are some dishes you won't want to miss.

 

 

Kogi BBQ has consistently been ranked among the top food trucks in LA. Known mainly for its Korean tacos — the short rib taco is a favorite — the truck also serves up hot dogs, quesadillas, sliders, and burritos.

Click here for more info on Kogi >



Yes, you can actually get wood-oven fired pizza from a food truck. That's Urban Oven's specialty: serving Napoli-style pizza that's been cooked in a custom-built mobile wood-fired food truck.

For more info on the Urban Oven, click here >



The Lobos Truck refers to its food as "American comfort with a twist." A perfect example are the food truck's mouthwatering wachos — a hybrid dish that features waffle fries with nacho toppings.

Click here for more info on Lobos >



See the rest of the story at Business Insider







A 27-year-old quit her job to make edible cookie dough and now everyone's obsessed with it

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Cookie DO

There's a new Instagram account that has tongues wagging all over New York City and beyond.

It's called @cookieDOnyc and has already garnered 21,000 followers since launching a few months ago. 

The Cookie DŌ feed is filled with delicious-looking personal tubs of edible cookie dough. It can either be baked into cookies or eaten raw, thanks to a substitute pasteurized egg product that's completely safe to eat.

The small containers come in 19 fun flavors, like "confetti," and "chocolate dream"...

Cookie DO... And even grain-free or vegan healthier options.
 Cookie DOAt $14 per container, $40 for a four-pack, or $56 for six-pack, the cutely packaged dough makes a great gift or party favor:

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Behind the colorful containers is 27-year-old Kristen Tomlan, who recently quit her day job at 
Lippincott a brand strategy and design consulting firm in New York City  to pursue baking full-time after spending five years in the corporate world.

Kristen Tomlan

"I was just baking as a hobby and bringing in cookies to the office. It was the one thing I really enjoyed doing and trying to make different flavors," she told Business Insider. "So I would just bring them into co-workers, send them with my husband to work, and everyone would always say, 'Oh you need to sell these, or you need to open a bakery.' And I just kind of laughed it off for the longest time."

But then one day, inspiration hit.

"I made so many cookies and my husband and I would just sit around eating the cookie dough," says Tomlan, who is originally from St. Louis. "And we’re like 'How is this not a thing that somebody has done successfully?'"

From there, Tomlan and her husband started working on a business plan.

"Initially, our concept was to have a storefront," she says. "We started our business plan at the beginning of last year, but when I revisited it a few months later, we thought instead of starting with a retail store from the get-go, if we were to launch an online site and use social media to gain followers, fans, and build up a customer base first, then we could open a store front in Manhattan. We would already know that it’s a concept, and know that people like it, rather than just taking this big, giant chance. So, we decided to take a couple steps back, re-look at things, and launch it online first."

cookie DOSo far, the online business has been successful, with people ordering between $20 and several hundred dollars worth of product.

"Its just really took off from there," Tomlan tells BI. "We launched just to friends, family, and co-workers in the beginning of December. We launched just to people we know before the holidays so that we could work out some of the kinks. And then in the middle of January, it got picked up by people on social media, and the buzz started growing. People really loved sharing it with other people. They found our Instagram account, and everybody just tags other people to look at the account, and then they started following us. It’s taken off way quicker than we could have even hoped for, so it’s been great."

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New Yorkers can currently pick up the dough at the company's midtown headquarters, or have it delivered for $15, but everyone else will have to order online for now.

As for future plans, Tomlan tells us, "In a dream world, I would be in every grocery store. I would definitely have a storefront in the New York City, and I don’t want to just limit myself to the cookie dough. I could see it becoming a much bigger brand than just selling this one product."

In the meantime, says Tomlan, "We’re continuing to build the brand. We’re looking into getting into new markets, getting on shelves, doing more events, pop-up shops, that kind of thing."

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As for if she's tempted to eat cookie dough all day, Tomlan says, "In the beginning, I would have a couple bites and then I would fill an order and I would be a couple bites short and I would be kicking myself because I’d have to make a whole new batch, so I stopped eating it unless I have some sort of leftovers. But then there are some days where literally I have no time to eat anything and my diet consists of coffee and cookie dough."

SEE ALSO: What it's like to use the amazing meal-delivery service that just raised $135 million

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It's time to ban personal cars in New York City

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Citibike

On Thursday, New York City came one step closer to banning cars completely from the city's two major parks.

City Hall reporter Erin Durkin tweeted from a news conference with Mayor Bill de Blasio that Central Park north of 72nd Street and the West Drive of Prospect Park would be car-free starting June 29 and July 6, respectively.

This is great news for those of us who enjoy the park as if it were our backyard (because most of our apartments open up to a trash heap on the sidewalk).

But it's not enough.

Ban personal cars

New York City should ban all personal cars from not just the park, but from most of the city itself.

woman in nyc with a yellow taxi

The city is about people, and cars are a detriment to it. We have so many cars in the city only because we don't fully consider their costs. It's not just about parking, gas, and insurance; it's also about the cost of accidents, pollution, and the opportunity cost of living in a city in which the infrastructure is dominated by gas-guzzling vehicles.

From an economic perspective, it's an easy decision.

Even in one of the most pedestrian-friendly locations in the US, it's impossible to step outside in Manhattan without thinking about cars. There's the honking, the danger of crossing the street, the inability to look anywhere without seeing dozens of vehicles both screaming down the avenues and parked in view, the double-parked delivery vehicles.

And then there are the 269 people who died in New York City as a result of a traffic crash in 2014. How much are those lives worth to us?

Meanwhile, cars are mostly just a drag for people. Jeffrey Gundlach, cofounder of the Los Angeles-based DoubleLine Capital, told Bloomberg's Mary Childs that he "hates the automakers" as an investment idea. Childs writes, "The average car is parked 23 hours a day, which is 'wildly inefficient' and leaves sales vulnerable."

A man walks past a subway stop in ManhattanWhen it comes to thinking about the economics of cars in our cities, America is behind.

When the city of Copenhagen thinks about infrastructure projects, it considers the full costs. For Fast Company, Ben Schiller writes about a new paper calculating these costs in the Danish city: "One kilometer driven by car costs society about 17 cents (15 euro cents), whereas society gains 18 cents (16 euro cents) for each kilometer cycled, the paper finds."

When you actually add up what it costs society, prioritizing other forms of transportation over driving is a no-brainer. But in New York City, you don't even need to think that cycling is the answer. Manhattan has more than a dozen subway lines running through the middle of the city and more bus lines than I care to count. Taking a car on a route that starts or ends below 59th Street on a weekday is almost never significantly faster than taking public transport.

Not all cars

nyc bike laneAnd I'm not proposing riding the city of all cars, just personal vehicles. We'd still have taxis and delivery vehicles, but they'd be few enough that we could significantly cut down the amount of space they need to get around. Imagine streets where the sidewalks are expanded, and cyclists are given a full car lane's worth of space (or more!) to navigate on the avenues.

Plenty of people right now, I'm sure, are reading this and shaking their fist at me ... "Those cyclists are dangerous! They brush by you so fast and don't look where they are going!"

To those people, I say getting rid of cars is the answer. Speaking as a cyclist myself (who has never hit a pedestrian and always stops at traffic lights when there is car or pedestrian traffic to contend with), any time I have a close call, it's because of the infrastructure, not because I'm out to get pesky pedestrians — though if you are one of those people who cross the street without looking which way traffic is coming, I have very little sympathy for you.

This brief video is a good illustration of how this actually works in New York:

Bikes in New York are shoved into barely-there spaces between the sidewalks and car lanes. If a pedestrian drifts off the sidewalk, there's nowhere for a cyclist to go and little time to react. In a perfect world (with fewer cars), bikes would have more space, pedestrians would have more space, and everyone would be happier.

And for those people who live in Manhattan and feel the need to have a car? Find a place elsewhere to keep it. People don't keep cars in Manhattan to get to their office in Midtown; they keep them to get out of the city. Why should your urban neighbors bear the cost of that?

Having a car in New York is a luxury, not a necessity. Car ownership for residents in Manhattan actually increased from 1980 to now, thanks to increasingly wealthy residents. A 2011 study of parking by the city department of transportation:

NYC parking

If you really need a car in this city ... may I introduce you to one of the four other boroughs?

SEE ALSO: Why Uber drivers in California should unionize as soon as possible

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Experienced business travelers reveal their favorite travel tips

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people waiting at the airport

Living on the road can be tough, but business travelers often have traveling down to a science.

From scoring upgrades to the best way to pack a suitcase, anything that can make the hassle of jet-setting a little easier can be a life-saver. 

We reached out to several frequent fliers to find out their favorite travel strategies.

Mandi Woodruff contributed to an earlier version of this post.

Have one go-to piece of luggage that always works, no matter what kind of trip you're taking.

Luxury Link CEO Scott Morrow says that he always takes his Tumi roller bag with him whether he's going on a long trip or short one.

"It doesn't depend on the length of the trip — I've even been to Europe and Africa for 35 days straight and I only take a roller bag," Morrow says. "I never check luggage, ever. It forces me to be efficient with what I pack."

Price: $595



Pack less than you think you need.

Fathom Way To Go founder Pavia Rosati suggests thinking about what you want to bring and then pairing that list down — by a lot. 

"I think about the stuff I want to bring, and then I only bring half," Rosati says. "And you’re still not going to wear a good two thirds of it."



Bring clothes that are dark colors.

Pauline Frommer, editorial director of the Frommer Guide Books and Frommers.com, doesn't put all that much thought into the clothes she brings with her on her travels — besides bringing dark colors that hide stains.

"I am probably the least stylish traveler on the face of the planet," Frommer says.

"To me it's not about how I look, it’s about how the world looks. And if I'm worrying too much about how I look, then I'm missing out on my trip. I wear dark colors that hide stains."



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Yale Club member loses it in dress code complaint letter about T-shirt-wearing law student

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Yale Club

A member at the historic Yale Club of New York City is not happy.

In a memo to the club's staff — which was later obtained by the New York Post — the disgruntled member called out a young man, identified as a Yale Law student, who wore a T-shirt reading "F--- Forever" in the men's locker room.

In the member's words, it was "a horrifying example of this denouement, this sad decline in the atmosphere and spirit of the club."

The member goes on to ask who will be held accountable for upholding the club's standards of dress. 

Assuming that the Yale Club's member dress code is similar to its guest dress code, this type of clothing is not allowed in public areas of the club. The policy states that while traditional business dress is "always welcome," business casual dress is "required in all public rooms except for the athletic facilities at all times." 

So the athletic areas may be a bit of a gray area where the normal dress code (which specifically bans T-shirts) doesn't apply.

Of course, it was more the content than the vehicle that the member took issue with. According to the memo, he told the law student that his shirt was "offensive and inappropriate" and that the facility was "a club for ladies and gentlemen."

The student merely smirked in reply. 

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These 10 restaurant chains you've probably never heard of are taking over America

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Americans are spending more money on dining out than ever before.

The restaurant industry is exploding as a result, with tons of fast-growing newcomers popping up all over the US.

Restaurant Business magazine is out with a list of chains that are poised to dominate the industry. 

The list of "emerging stars" was created by data firm Technomic. It includes the fastest-growing restaurant chains that generate between $25 million and $50 million in sales annually and had store growth of at least 10% last year.

10. Bagger Dave’s Burger Tavern

Screen Shot 2015 06 18 at 2.18.58 PMBased in Southfield, Michigian, Bagger Dave's is a fast-casual burger chain with two dozen restaurants. Customers can order craft beer flights and customize their burgers with a pencil and piece of paper that list tons of toppings, including black-bean chili. Sales totaled $27 million last year, which was an increase of 44% over the previous year, according to Technomic.

9. Paul Martin’s American Grill

Paul Martin'sPaul Martin's was launched by P.F. Chang's co-founder Paul Martin Fleming. Based in Newport Beach, California, it has just eight locations with 2014 sales of $34.5 million, according to Technomic. The menu includes items like cedar plank salmon, chicken tortilla soup, braised short ribs, and a large wine collection.

8. Nando’s Peri-Peri

NandosNando's is known for its spicy, flame-grilled chicken. The chain is wildly popular in the UK and began opening restaurants in the US in 2008. The company's 20 US units generated $32.6 million in sales last year, according to Technomic. 

7. Rock & Brews

Rock & Brews"This rock-and-roll theme casual-dining chain goes out of its way to convey a family-friendly (and dog friendly) concert environment," according to Restaurant Business magazine.

The El Segundo, California chain is three years old and has $32.1 million in annual sales with seven locations in five states and Mexico. The menu includes items like a green chile cheese burger and southwest salmon sandwich. 

6. Salata 

SalataHouston-based Salata calls itself the "next-generation salad bar." It has 41 locations and generated $33.3 million in sales last year, representing growth of 90% over the previous year, according to Technomic.

5. Mod Pizza

Mod PizzaMod Pizza was founded in 2008 by the owners of Seattle Coffee Company, according to Restaurant Business. Founded in 2008, the chain offers customized pizzas in less than three minutes. It has 31 restaurants and $27 million in annual sales.

4. Nékter Juice Bar

NekterThis chain of 46 stores makes cold-pressed juices and smoothies, acai bowls, and salads. It had sales of nearly $27 million last year, according to Technomic, and it was founded by husband-and-wife team Steve and Alexis Schulze.

3. Smallcakes: A Cupcakery

SmallcakesSmallcakes has 88 stores in 19 states, primarily in the Southeast. The chain sells fresh-baked cupcakes and other sweet treats, including ice cream. It generated nearly $39 million in sales last year, according to Technomic.

2. Blaze Pizza

Assembly Line Format blaze pizzaBlaze Pizza cooks customizable pies out of made-from-scratch dough. It has 50 restaurants with sales of $33 million last year, according to Technomic. Celebrities like LeBron James and Maria Shriver have invested in the brand, which is based in Southern California.

1. Pieology Pizzeria 

PieologyLike Blaze Pizza, Pieology offers customizable pies with toppings like pineapple, pepperoni, and cilantro. The chain's sales grew a whopping 230% in 2014 to $44.6 million, according to Technomic. 

SEE ALSO: RANKED: The 9 unhealthiest restaurant dishes in America

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