Michelle Obama visited two elementary schools that grow their own gardens, and got her hands dirty.
Story and editing by Alana Yzola
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Michelle Obama shocked a whole bunch of 5th graders when she showed up in their classroom
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America’s 12 best big cities to live in right now
Big cities aren't for everyone. But America's best metropolises have become magnets for people looking to find a great job and start a new, exciting life.
In its recently released ranking of the best places to live in America, U.S. News & World Report gathered data on the 100 most populous US cities. Among the factors they considered: affordable housing, access to well-paying jobs, a low cost of living, good schools, and quality healthcare (you can read U.S. News' full methodology here).
U.S. News separately ranked the best mega-cities on their list, defined as the major metros with populations above 2.5 million people. Business Insider has included the top-12 big cities from that list.
Scores for "value," a blend of annual household income and cost of living, and "quality of life," which accounts for crime, college readiness, commute, and other factors, are included below on a 10-point scale, as well as the city’s population and median annual salary.
Keep reading to discover America's 12 best big cities to live in right now.
SEE ALSO: The 20 cities where Americans work the hardest
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12. Atlanta, Georgia
Population: 5,455,053
Median annual salary: $48,750
Quality of life: 5.8
Overall value: 7.1
The premier metropolis of southeastern America, Atlanta blends southern charm and big-city hustle and bustle. It offers residents a below-average cost of living and access to major employers like CNN, Delta, The Home Depot, and Coca-Cola.
Parks are plentiful, and other popular attractions include Civil War museums, the Georgia Aquarium, and the city's beloved professional baseball team, the Atlanta Braves.
11. Phoenix, Arizona
Population: 4,337,542
Median annual salary: $45,840
Quality of life: 6.2
Overall value: 6.8
Come for the weather, stay for the city: Phoenix boasts more sunny days per year than any other city in the US, according to a local expert. But it’s the thriving job market, variety of shops and restaurants, and easy access to numerous outdoor activities — think everything from hiking to paddleboarding — that keep residents happy long-term.
10. Tampa, Florida
Population: 2,851,235
Median annual salary: $43,420
Quality of life: 6.7
Overall value: 5.4
Tampa’s laid-back atmosphere, warm weather, and barrage of entertainment options make it feel like a trip to paradise. “Living in the Tampa Bay is like being on vacation all year,” said a local expert.
Tampa hasn’t been overtaken by tourists, however. It retains several niche communities, including a strong Cuban influence in historic Ybor City, formerly known as the “cigar capital of the world.”
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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The world's coolest Starbucks has 2,000 wooden sticks jutting out of the walls
Dazaifu, Japan, is home to a Starbucks that puts your neighborhood coffee shop to shame. The store was designed by renowned architect Kengo Kuma, and incorporates a massive wooden lattice that's made of 2,000 cedar sticks.
Story by Tony Manfred and editing by Kristen Griffin
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This guy rode his snowmobile off a 1,600-foot cliff
Antti Pendikainen, of Finland, rode his snowmobile off a 1,600-foot cliff.
Story and editing by Carl Mueller
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4 great alternatives to the frat-boy favorite boat shoes
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What 7 iconic New York sites looked like in the 1930s — and what they look like today
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The new healthy food trend is meal prepping, and it's blowing up on Instagram
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The incredible rise of billionaire Donald Bren, the richest real estate developer in America
California native Donald Bren is the wealthiest real estate developer in America, according to our list of the 50 richest people on earth, produced in collaboration with Wealth-X.
The mogul has an estimated net worth of $17 billion that comes primarily from his development and property investments in Southern California.
Bren's privately-held real estate investment company, Irvine Company, has aportfolio of properties that exceeds 110 million square feet and includes office buildings, apartments, marinas, and hotels, most of which is located in picturesque Orange County.
At 83 years old, the former US Marine is still running the show as chairman of Irvine Company — here's the story behind his success.
SEE ALSO: The 29 richest people in America
Donald Bren was born in Los Angeles in 1932. His father, a movie producer, and his mother, a patron of the performing arts, divorced when he was 10. His father remarried to an actress and his mother to a well-off industrialist.
Bren and his brother attended Beverly Hills High School and spent their summers working as carpenters for their dad's real estate development business. A key lesson he learned from his father: "When you hold property over the long term, you’re able to create better values and you have something tangible to show for it," Bren told the Los Angeles Times in 2011.
Sources: Fortune, Los Angeles Times
Bren earned a partial athletic scholarship to the University of Washington for skiing. He was reportedly a stylish skier and an avid competitor who was set to go to the 1956 Olympics but couldn't participate because of a broken ankle.
Source: Fortune
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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This is the best pizza place in America, according to Yelp
Yelp recently released its list of the highest-rated restaurants in America, and the best pizza place on there probably isn’t what you expected.
It doesn’t sell deep-dish pies in Chicago, or hawk thin-crust slices in New York.
The highest-rated pizza place in America is actually a quirky cheese shop and bakery in Berkeley, California, called The Cheese Board.
The Pizza
The Cheese Board produces only one type of pizza per day, which rotates depending on fresh ingredients and the whims of the chefs.
Here is one example: Red bell pepper, onion, mozzarella and Valbreso feta cheese, garlic olive oil, Kalamata olive tapenade, and parsley.
And here is another: Roasted eggplant, mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, Cheese Board-made tomato sauce, garlic bread crumbs, and basil.
One thing that remains constant in Cheese Board pizza is its sourdough crust, a staple that fits into the San Francisco Bay Area’s tradition of delicious sourdough, dating back to the California Gold Rush in 1849.
The History
The Cheese Board staff started making pizza just for themselves in the early 1980s, using extra chunks of sourdough-baguette dough to form the crust. In 1985, they decided to start serving it to the public, and the pizza has been a part of Bay Area lore ever since.
But the sourdough pizza is not the only thing that makes The Cheese Board a special and quintessentially Berkeley institution.
While The Cheese Board opened as a cheese shop with a traditional ownership structure in 1967, it converted into a worker-owned co-op in 1971, expanding into a bakery as well. The Cheese Board has stayed committed to the idea of a democratic workplace for almost a half century, and has helped support other collectives in the Bay Area.
“I love saying to people that this seems like an impossible business model, but it works, and it works very well,” a longtime Cheese Board member said.
And if you are in the Bay Area and want to make your own Cheese Board sourdough bread, just ask them nicely for a starter. They’ll give it to you.
SEE ALSO: The top 23 places to eat in the US, according to Yelp
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Miami's Porsche Design Tower is the new destination for billionaires
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Emirates Airlines has one of the most luxurious planes in the world, complete with a full bar
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20 impressive books you should display on your shelf
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‘Mythbusters’ will air its last episode tonight — here’s the toughest myth host Adam Savage ever busted
Adam Savage has been co-hosting "MythBusters" on Discovery for 12 years. While he has learned his share of amazing facts while investigating myths, there have been some challenges along the way. Savage finds this one myth to be particularly challenging.
Produced by Justin Gmoser
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8 astounding facts about a great scientific mystery that affects only 10% of the population
There's a minority that not many people think about and has stumped scientists for decades: lefties.
About 10% of the human population is left-handed, yet no one knows for sure why lefties are so rare.
It's probably due to a mix of factors, including genetics, evolution, and even prenatal hormones. Or it might be the result of something else.
Here are some of the most interesting facts researchers have reported as they attempt to unlock the keys to left-handedness:
SEE ALSO: The 12 most compelling scientific findings that suggest aliens are real
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Twins are more likely to be left-handed, but no one knows why.
Source: Behavior Genetics, 1996
Two left-handed parents have a 26.1% chance of having a left-handed child, whereas two right-handed parents only have a 9.5% chance.
Source: Handbook of Neuropsychology, 1992
Most animals show no bias for handedness, meaning that half of the population are righties and half are lefties. Humans and our closest relatives, chimps, are an exception. About 90% of humans and 70% of chimps are right-handed.
Source: Monitor on Psychology, 2009
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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This map shows you where to find 26 of the best hidden bars in New York City
Hidden bars have been a popular trend in New York City since the Prohibition days.
Today, the city is still home to many incredible bars that are hidden in plain sight.
Thanks to their vintage decor, secret passageways, and complex drinks with top-notch ingredients, these speakeasies remain some of the city's most beloved drinking spots.
To help you scout them out, we've put together a map that shows 26 of the city's top speakeasies.
Behold, your boozy bucket list:
SEE ALSO: Here's how to make the world's first cocktail
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NOW WATCH: We had drinks at Dead Rabbit to find out why it's considered one of the world's best bars
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This Norwegian man makes incredible art just by walking
Norwegian artist Simon Beck has an unconventional way of making art: he walks around in the snow. Beck believes the world is "full of patterns" waiting to be found, and he sure finds some stunning ones.
Check out more of his designs here.
Story by Ian Phillips and editing by A.C. Fowler
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This couple quit their jobs and used their wedding budget to sail the world
Charlie Smith, a 29-year-old model, and her fiancé, "Captain," 34, were renovating homes in the Channel Islands when they decided to give up life as they knew it and sail the high seas instead.
The couple quit their jobs, postponed their wedding, and bought a boat.
Story by Aly Weisman and editing by Kristen Griffin
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14 of the most unusual sports played around the world
Many sports, such as baseball and volleyball, are known around the world. But not many people know about the more unusual sports — like toe wrestling, for example.
Although they may seem bizarre, some of these sports are taken pretty seriously. Some odd sports, such as wife carrying, even have World Championships.
These sports may be strange and hard to believe, but that's what makes them so great and hilarious.
Below are some of the most unusual sports from around the world.
SEE ALSO: It's so warm in Alaska, the famous Iditarod dog-sled race had to ship in snow
Ostrich racing originated in Africa and eventually made its way over to the US. Ostriches can reach a surprising speed of 43 miles an hour, and their legs can reach up to 16 feet in a single stride. During a game of ostrich racing, people sit on ostriches and race them around a track.
As its name might suggest, chessboxing is a combination of two traditional sports: chess and boxing. The game alternates between serious games of chess and intense rounds of boxing.
Underwater hockey is exactly what it sounds like — a game of hockey, but underwater. It was invented in the UK in 1954.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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Here's why it actually matters what you wear to the gym
Conventional wisdom goes like this: When you go to the gym, you're there to work out, not to impress anyone. So you can safely wear that ratty old t-shirt with stains and holes in it. Who cares, right?
Well, wrong. It actually does matter what you wear to the gym when you go for two reasons: one of them is technical and the other is personal.
Technical
This may seems obvious to most, but if you've ever been to the gym, you'd be shocked by how many don't quite "get it".
When you work out, you need to wear clothing that can handle both the movement of your body and the sweat pouring out of you. This means appropriate sneakers and attire should be worn only. An outfit that includes a shirt that can handle sweat, a pair of shorts that hit above your knee, and sneakers that can handle all your movement is the ideal.
If you're really sweaty, we recommend polyester or cotton-poly blend t-shirts — they wick the moisture off your skin, cooling you down faster than a normal cotton t-shirt.
Personal
The other thing you must consider is how you look at the gym. We're not telling you to go crazy here. There's no reason to go out and get a closet full of Lululemon.
Just make sure your gym clothes are appropriately stylish, and the colors match for the most part. It's not too hard these days. Competition between sports apparel makers like Nike, Adidas, Under Armor, and, yes, even Lululemon have churned out increasingly useful technical fabrics in super-cool styles.
A stylish outfit can even motivate you to go to gym sometimes, when you see how great you look in the mirror. After all, we already know that dressing up for work can make you more successful. Why not apply the same logic to the gym? Hey, every little bit helps!
Oh, and also make sure there's no stains, holes, or other unsightly blemishes you would accept in your normal day-to-day outfit. Just because it's the gym doesn't give you license to be a slob.
You never know who may be looking. Who knows, you may even catch the eye of that future special someone.
SEE ALSO: You're probably using your deodorant all wrong
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A CEO says this is the best question you can ask when you meet an influential person
Networking can be awkward.
Of course, you're hoping that your relationships with the people you meet will bolster your career — but you don't want to put them off by soliciting their help right off the bat.
In fact, says Dave Kerpen, you probably shouldn't ask for favors right away.
Kerpen is the founder and CEO of Likeable Local, a social-media software company, and the author of "The Art of People."
In the book, he explains that the first time you meet a prospective client, colleague, or friend, you should not ask "How can you help me?"
Instead, the best question to ask when you meet an influential person is "How can I help you?"
Kerpen writes that offering your help can have one of two results.
Either the person will tell you how you can help them, "after which he will feel indebted to you, connected to you, and appreciative of you and eventually feel compelled to return the favor and help you one day."
Or "the person will decline politely, probably because she doesn't know how you can help her, but will feel that you care and feel connected to you and be much more emotionally invested in helping you eventually."
Indeed, Kerpen tells Business Insider that people take him up on his offer to help them only about 10% of the time, but he believes it still deepens their connection.
Regardless of whether you expect the person to accept your offer, Kerpen says that it has to be genuine — you really need to be in a position to assist the person. And you might want to follow the question with some specific suggestions as to how you can help. For example, maybe you can introduce that person to someone else influential in your network.
Then, the next time you speak with the person, you can request their help and they'll probably be happy to give it.
To explain why this strategy works, Kerpen cites the work of Wharton psychologist Adam Grant, who has found that most people are "matchers." In other words, when you do something or offer to do something for someone, they feel more inclined to help you in return.
In the book, Kerpen describes an interaction in which someone surprised him by asking how they could help. Michael, a financial adviser, once asked Kerpen if he could meet with him for 15 minutes because he had just one question he wanted to ask. After a few minutes of introducing himself and his business, Michael asked: "How can I help you?"
These were the early days of Likeable Local, and Kerpen told Michael that he could benefit from some introductions to technology investors. Sure enough, Michael followed through by making those introductions.
Soon after that meeting, Kerpen realized that he needed a financial adviser, and he started working with Michael.
"He just was insistent upon only being there to help me at first," Kerpen says, "and that's what was so compelling."
The only downside to asking how you can help? "People don't even believe it," Kerpen says.
Once they realize you're serious, however, they'll likely feel warmer toward you and more open to helping you in any way they can.
SEE ALSO: A CEO says this is the single most important and underrated skill in business — and in life
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