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Check out some of the insanely fancy cars spotted at Goldman Sachs Asia

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car24

Because my trip through the Goldman Sachs parking garage was so popular last year, I decided to do it again - spending five minutes (literally one lap) driving through the garage at Cheung Kong Center, home of Goldman Sachs Asia.

Bear in mind that most senior bankers in Asia are chauffeur driven, so this isn’t even the most ostentatious reflection of reality.

Wall Street critics might say, “Where are the customers’ cars?” But don’t worry — Jho Low isn’t going hungry either.

John LeFevre is the author of the New York Times bestselling book and Amazon Book of the Month, Straight To Hell: True Tales of Deviance, Debauchery, And Billion-Dollar Deals out this week on paperback.

Here are just a few of the highlights:

Porsche 911

This Porsche 911 GT3 RS starts at US$176,000 in the US, but in Hong Kong, it will set you back HK$3,100,000 or US$400,000.



We got parking problems

A failure to park in between the lines is a common theme.



Tim Leissner

I guess Tim Leissner hasn’t shipped all of his stuff to LA yet?



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This disturbing book teaches kindergarteners how to defend themselves against school shooters

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School shootings are an epidemic in America, and an organization called ALICE teaches students and teachers how to prepare for one.

ALICE — which stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate — offers adults and older children training for handling active shooter situations. During training sessions, one participant is chosen to act as the shooter, while the other participants are taught how to handle the situation.

But kindergarteners can't do that.

For the younger set, ALICE publishes a book titled "I'm Not Scared... I'm Prepared," which is meant to introduce younger kids and their parents to ALICE concepts.

We had a few parents read the book and tell us what they think.

Story by Jacob Shamsian and video by Adam Banicki

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How 6 startup execs dress for success

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Spring app

When you work at a mobile shopping startup, style comes with the territory. Spring is an app that offers fashion-forward goods from over a thousand brands on one sleek, swipe-to-buy platform.

Launched in 2014 by Tisch brothers Alan and David — with backing from major funds like Google Ventures and fashion industry bigwigs like Steven Alan — the app made headlines last month as the partner Facebook chose to pioneer their shopping bot program on Messenger. Spring has raised over $30 million in venture capital so far, positioning itself as a one-stop shop for consumers, and a simple solution for brands seeking better relationships with buyers.

"Brands aren't great technology companies," Marshall Porter, Spring's president, told Business Insider. "And they shouldn't have to be. They should be great product companies; they should be great storytellers. But to take advantage of mobile and direct-to-consumer, they need a technology partner. And we are positioned to be that."

Spring helps you curate a custom feed of brands you like, from American Apparel basics to handmade soaps and high-end Opening Ceremony designs, while providing free shipping and returns on purchases. With a broad array of brands at your fingertips, it also makes it easy to discover unexpected designs.

Curious to get a peek into the operation and the fashionable figures within, Business Insider stopped by their buzzing Manhattan office, where 80-plus employees get perks like cold-brew coffee on tap in a bright, open-plan space. We got a chance to chat with six of the company's top brass to get a sense of what makes Spring tick — and, of course, what they're wearing to work at the intersection of fashion and tech.

SEE ALSO: Here's what the stylish guys of Warby Parker — the $1.2 billion eyewear startup — wear to work

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

Alan Tisch

Role: "I'm the CEO of the company, so a little bit of everything." That covers three main areas: product and design, team development and management, and high-level partnerships.

Before Spring: "I wouldn't say that I was a fashionista by background, but I've always been an e-commerce lover," Tisch said. The entrepreneurial bug bit early: as a devoted Nike sneakerhead in his early teens, he bought limited-edition pairs in bulk and sold them for profit, becoming an eBay power seller by the age of 13. "I would force my mom to drive me to the post office every morning before school to mail out a bunch of boxes," Tisch said. He still has about half of his collection. "They're near and dear to my heart."

How Spring has changed his style: "I definitely dress better today than I did prior to starting Spring, and I think it's just because I'm surrounded by people that are so knowledgeable about what's new, what's on-trend," he said. "But more than anything, from just using the app, there are so many small brands that I've discovered on there and fallen in love with." How do you fall in love with a brand? Part of it is making sure that the digital presence tells a complete story. "We're really focused here on: how do you create a more rich experience online that feels more like walking into a store, and less like just being sold products? I think we're all convinced that online shopping can still be fun, and can be emotional, and can be entertaining in the same way as walking around SoHo on a Saturday."

What he's wearing: John Varvatos shoes, 3x1 jeans, custom-made shirt, Nike socks.

His favorite Spring finds: 3x1 jeans, which he now wears exclusively; also, the Public School brand.



David Tisch

Role: "I'm one of the co-founders and I'm the chairman, so I work with my brother — who's the CEO — and I call myself the 'Chief Distraction Officer.' So anything distracting for the company on a day-to-day basis, I handle. Tech press is a good example of this ... fundraising ... I tend to meet a lot of our senior hires first and do a screening there."

How Spring has changed his style: Although Tisch's wife is a fashion designer and his brother is "fashion-focused", Tisch's background is in tech: he runs a fund called BoxGroup and co-founded Techstars in New York. "I dress more cleanly now than ever," Tisch said. "I think everybody probably ups their game one degree here."

What he's wearing: White & Warren cashmere hoodie, Brunello Cucinelli button-down, Del Toro belt, AG jeans, Nike sneakers.

His favorite Spring find: Burkman Bros. cashmere sweatpants.

 



April Uchitel

Role: "I'm the chief brand officer, which at Spring means that I'm in charge of curating and developing and engaging the brand community. So we launched with 200 brands, and we're now over 1,000 brands. I've probably met with about 2,000 brands myself, so it's quite an endeavor."

How Spring has changed her style: Uchitel is a serious fashion insider, having worked for over 20 years in the industry, including 9 years as global head of sales at Diane von Furstenburg. "You can be a bit more casual," Uchitel says of the Spring approach to dressing. "But obviously we're still representing fashion on the curation side, so we kind of build in an urban uniform in a way — things that can go all day long with different events." As for how her style has changed? "I'm getting more and more into my sneakers," she said. 

What she's wearing: Zero + Maria Cornejo dress, vintage Diane von Furstenberg leather jacket, Lucchese boots, Ryan Porter bracelet.

What she buys on Spring: "What we really set out to do is build a marketplace that has your fast fashion and luxury all in one place," Uchitel said. That means she can order hand soap from The Honest Company, t-shirts from American Apparel, and luxury sneakers with just a few swipes.

 



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The 25 best fast-food chains in America

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best fast food places in america updated

Fast food took root in the US the 1950s and has flourished into a $255 billion industry. These restaurants — globally associated with American culture — evoke surprising passion, with many developing a cult-like loyalty from customers. But which chain is the best?

Business Insider teamed up with Restaurant Business, a food-service industry expert and media outlet, to compile a definitive ranking of the best fast-food restaurants in America. Using proprietary data collected by Restaurant Business and its sister research firm Technomic, we looked at nearly 100 of the largest US chains and rated them on three criteria that we considered the most telling for all-around fast-food excellence: financial performance, customer satisfaction, and overall value. Our calculations accounted for sales growth, average sales at each location, consumer-sentiment ratings, and the average cost of a meal, among other metrics. Read more about the methodology here.

Towering sales figures alone weren't enough to make the cut, as a number of fast-food heavyweights — such as McDonald's and Taco Bell — didn't crack the top 25 in our ranking. Rather, customers tend to gravitate toward more specialized and regional brands that offer a higher-quality experience, including fresh, sustainable ingredients, at an affordable price, according to Restaurant Business.

Keep reading to see the 25 best fast-food chains in America in 2016.

DON'T MISS: I've tried nearly every burger on the market — here's who does it best

AND: 15 of the healthiest fast-food menu items

25. Qdoba Mexican Eats

Headquarters: Lakewood, Colorado

US sales: $745 million

Number of US locations: 670

Financial performance rank: 18

Customer satisfaction rank: 40

Value rank: 73

Qdoba grew sales by 9% in 2015, but it can’t seem to shake constant comparisons to Chipotle, which had nearly the same rate of growth last year. The origins of the burrito behemoths are actually quite similar: Qdoba was founded in 1995 in Colorado, two years after and four miles north of the first location of its now faltering competitor. 

But in an effort to distinguish itself, Qdoba announced last October that it would redesign locations and ramp up its menu — which offers tacos, salads, burritos, and quesadillas — based on a new version of its ideal customer, a woman named Quentessa, who’s “naturally magnetic” and leads “a story-filled life.”



24. Ben & Jerry's

Headquarters: South Burlington, Vermont

US sales: $78 million

Number of US locations: 235

Financial performance rank: 89

Customer satisfaction rank: 4

Value rank: 1

After taking a $5 ice-cream-making course at Penn State, best friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield purchased an old gas station and turned it into a scoop shop. Ben & Jerry’s is now known for inventive ice-cream flavors like Cherry Garcia, Phish Food, and Americone Dream.

Almost 40 years in the business, the ice-cream veterans keep finding new ways to bring its most loved products to customers. In May 2016, the company announced it would start “flipping” three of its classic flavors. For instance, the flavor Half Baked has been changed to Totally Baked — instead of brownies in chocolate ice cream and cookie dough in vanilla, the ice-cream-and-baked-good combos will be swapped.



23. Fuddruckers

Headquarters: Houston, Texas

US sales: $253 million

Number of US locations:173

Financial performance rank: 77

Customer satisfaction rank: 8

Value rank: 25

Since its inception, Fuddruckers has aimed to create the “World’s Greatest Hamburgers.” It prides itself on its never-frozen patties, baked-from-scratch buns, and DIY topping bar, ensuring customers get exactly what they want.

Despite slipping US sales — down 1.2% last year — Fuddruckers has accrued a host of loyal customers who flock to the chain for its juicy hamburgers and crisp sesame buns, earning the restaurant a top-notch customer satisfaction rating on Technomic.

 



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How actor, tech entrepreneur, and 'Shark Tank' investor Ashton Kutcher spends his millions

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Ashton Kutcher

Ashton Kutcher wears many hats.

If you know him primarily from films and television including "Dude, Where's My Car" or "That '70s Show," it may surprise you to hear that the 38-year-old actor has also become an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and successful venture capitalist in the tech space. He's even appeared on "Shark Tank."

Read on to see what else the successful former star of MTVs prank show "Punk'd" is up to — and what he's doing with his millions.

SEE ALSO: Ashton Kutcher says the best investment he's ever made is something anyone can afford

Born in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1978 — minutes ahead of his fraternal twin, Michael — Kutcher comes from humble beginnings. His parents, Larry and Diane, were both factory workers and raised their three kids on a farm.

Source: Biography.com



Kutcher started earning and saving from a young age. His odd jobs ranged from mowing lawns and roofing, to skinning deer at a meat locker and baling hay. "When I was 13, I saved $1,400 for a snowmobile," he tells Grow. "I worked after school and on weekends for one and a half years, and put every cent into a savings account."

Source: Grow



Kutcher continued working a variety of jobs to pay his tuition at University of Iowa, where he enrolled in 1997 and planned to major in biochemical engineering. He dropped out and ended up going the modeling and acting route, but his interest in science and technology would resurface years later when he started investing in tech companies.

Source: TechCrunch and Biography.com



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The most 'addictive' drugs probably aren't the ones you think

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Definitively ranking how addictive various substances are is tough work, even for scientists.

It's well known that drugs like cocaine and heroin come with extreme health risks. But knowing how likely you are to become addicted to one of them is a murky science. In reality, roughly 80-85% of people who try a substance — whether it's alcohol or cocaine — will never become addicted. Unfortunately for the other 15-20%, the data we have on addiction is remarkably incomplete.

Everything from the environment we're raised in to the genes we inherit to the way those genes are expressed can shape our risk of addiction, which may even be unique to each drug.

Although the genetics of addiction remain cloudy, we can tell who is using what and how many of them are getting hooked. And that data may surprise you:

BI_Graphic Drugs people get hooked on

SEE ALSO: The answer to treating drug and alcohol addiction may be far simpler than you think

RELATED: There's one major problem with how most people think about drug addiction

Join the conversation about this story »

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These luxury leather goods are still 'alive'

The 23 neighborhoods in San Francisco where you'd pay $1 million or more for a home

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lombard street san francisco

San Francisco's housing market is, in a word, insane

Thanks to a perfect storm of interrelated factors — from a tangled web of city policies that prevent development to an influx of young tech workers who want to live in trendy areas — San Francisco doesn't have enough housing for everybody.

In fact, despite a dip in prices, the average price of a home in San Francisco in April 2016 was still $1.2 million dollars, says homebuying brokerage Redfin.

But there's a wide variety of neighborhoods in San Francisco, and some are pricier than others. And so, there are neighborhoods where even $1.2 million won't get you much. 

Here are the 23 San Francisco neighborhoods, out of 50 total, where the median home price is $1 million or more, with data taken from Redfin's April 2016 report. Just keep in mind that those averages take homes and condos alike into account, so prices may seem a little lower in areas with lots of little apartments. 

Spoiler alert: The most expensive neighborhood in San Francisco had a median home price of $2,137,500.

SEE ALSO: Here's what it's like to buy a first home in San Francisco, one of the world's most competitive real-estate markets

San Francisco ain't huge — the whole city fits into 49 square miles. But if you squint at this map, you can see that there are lots of little neighborhoods within neighborhoods, all over the city.



San Francisco's Outer Richmond district covers most of the northwest corner of the city, out to the Pacific Ocean. Homes here averaged a cool $1 million.



On the other side of Golden Gate park from the Outer Richmond district is the Outer Sunset, which is similarly quiet, with great access to the rest of the city via streetcar. Homes here had a median price of $1,035,000.



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Mommy blogger confesses that most of her stuff is 'fake nonsense' and the mommy blogging industry is 'b------t'

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josi denise

Josi Denise became a "mommy blogger" in 2013, building up her American Mama blog until it reached "tens of thousands" of monthly readers, generating the mother of three "thousands of dollars" in some months.

But the blog came to an abrupt end late last week, when Denise had a crisis of conscience and quit.

In a splenetic rant on her new namesake blog (which is worth reading in full), Denise said much of the content posted to her mommy blog — and countless like it online — was garbage. She has deleted many of those posts, she said, "Because, like 90% of the fake nonsense I used to share on the internet as a mommy blogger writing about my fake life and oh-so-happy marriage, they are pure b------t."

First, there's the readership. According to Denise, barely anyone is actually reading mommy blogs. The comments, she said, are mostly from other mommy bloggers looking to build up their networks:

Why? Because your shit is boring. Nobody cares about your shampoo you bought at Walmart and how you're so thankful the company decided to work with you. Nobody cares about anything you are saying because you aren't telling an engaging story. You are not giving your readers anything they haven't already heard.

Then there is the relentless fake happiness, signaled with exclamation marks. Denise said the most recent brand she worked with even sent back a draft post "edited with at least half a dozen exclamation points added."

Denise is particularly sick of mommy bloggers' fake endorsements — "sunshine and f---ing daisy reviews" — in which bloggers fail to tell a brand what they really think of their product because of the risk that the brand might not work with them again.

She also opens up about her own experience when her blog was more opaque than it should have been: paying a virtual assistant to post her links over the internet for SEO and back traffic; embellishing her stats in her media kit; and using social-media management services to connect with similar bloggers and then unfollowing those who didn't follow her back on Instagram or Twitter.

Most of the techniques were not effective.

Denise recalls running a prize draw in 2014, offering people the chance to win a KitchenAid mixer if they signed up to her newsletter. She gained hundreds of email subscribers and thousands more on social media and was "invited on an all-expense paid trip to tour a certain chicken corporation's headquarters to hear about how much money they donate to said charity, and then roped into a writing a post about that even though I didn't agree with the ethics of the company at all."

But in reality, she gained nothing.

Bloggers inflating their numbers are "f---ing cheating," Denise said, adding that if they're interesting enough, they shouldn't need to incentivize people to follow. She said her most viral post was an angry open letter directed to an ex she said wasn't paying child support.

"Genuine content, with a genuine voice, is the only way to gain real readers and connect with real people," Denise wrote.

She signed off her blog post with this piece of advice to mommy bloggers:

Just quit. Quit now before you get burnt out and feel guilty. Quit before you realize you wasted years of your life writing bullshit about your kids' childhood and your relationships instead of being actually involved. Quit before you get caught up in some legal mess with a brand contract and your house is cluttered with shit to review that you do not need and nobody else needs either. Quit before you feel like a failure instead of finding the intersection of happy and fulfilled.

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Thousands of people are freaking out about the BBC's plan to shut down its recipes website

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nigella lawson

The BBC announced on Tuesday that it planned to scrap its food website and archive the recipes.

The decision is part of a wider plan to save £15 million ($22 million) from the publicly funded corporation's budget.

But people are questioning the decision to remove the internet resource, which seemingly has few overhead costs.

Twitter users are calling the decision "terrible" and "half-baked."

A Change.org petition to "Save the BBC's recipe archive" has gained more than 70,000 signatures since it was started last week, when it was first reported that the website, called BBC Food, may be cut.

The website holds more than 11,000 recipes submitted by chefs from around the world.

The head of BBC News, James Harding, said the BBC "cannot be all things to all people."

Last July, UK Chancellor George Osborne described the BBC website as becoming "a bit more imperial in its ambitions."

"If you've got a website that's got features and cooking recipes — effectively the BBC website becomes the national newspaper as well as the national broadcaster," he said.

The recipe website closing follows the UK government's raft of proposed changes last Friday to how the BBC is governed.

Many on Twitter said they relied on BBC recipes for their meals:

The former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and a BBC journalist also weighed in:

The BBC said people would still be able to access bookmarked recipes, but new recipes would be tough to find:

BBC GoodFood, which is run separately by BBC Worldwide, will not be affected by the decision.

Also on the chopping block is the BBC's online News Magazine and the Newsbeat website. Newsbeat is the news service for Radio 1 and Radio 1 Extra, which is targeted at people ages 13 to 24.

People are not happy about the demise of Newsbeat's website either:

SEE ALSO: The BBC is about to be governed in a new way

Join the conversation about this story »

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We spent the weekend at one of America's biggest electronic dance parties — here's what happened

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edc nyc 2016

One of the world's biggest electronic dance festivals returned to New York this weekend. A wildly popular experience that started in Los Angeles and then moved to Las Vegas, Electric Daisy Carnival brought in over 79,000 visitors to New York's Citi Field Saturday and Sunday.

EDC is known for its whimsical themes: attendees dressed in bold costumes, rode a brightly-lit Ferris wheel and other carnival rides, and danced underneath a giant, stylized owl face that decorated the main stage. Each of the four stages, in fact, was a veritable light show — and, there were fireworks.

For legendary trance DJ Ferry Corsten, who's been in the business for over two decades and plays over 100 shows a year, EDC is still one of the biggest festivals around. This weekend, he brought his trance project Gouryella to the stage.

"What I like about EDC is that they always put a lot of effort into production," Corsten told Business Insider. "It's quite visual-driven."

Business Insider checked out the sprawling festival, where four stages hosted big-name DJs like Zedd, Kaskade, and Afrojack alongside up-and-comers like Alison Wonderland and Marshmello. As guests of Jägermeister, we got to have the full EDC experience. Tickets started at $119 for one day of access. 

Take a look at the weekend's adventure below.

SEE ALSO: Uber threw a yacht party in Dubai over the weekend — here's what happened

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During the day, the festival was a riot of activity and spectacle.



Face and body painting were popular, and attractions like a ball pit and carnival rides kept partygoers entertained.



As electronic dance music (EDM) and the accompanying festivals have blown up over the past few years, the music has had a tendency to be "very much bro music for the dudes out there," Corsten said.



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A heartbreaking collection of the last messages people received from loved ones

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man sunset

When you are communicating with someone electronically and lose touch, that moment is often crystallized by your phone's memory. The last message sits there, waiting, until the next time you decide to make contact — if you ever do. This can be particularly heartbreaking when someone leaves your life. 

Late last year, Emily Trunko, a teenager from a small town in Ohio, started a blog called "The Last Message Received." The aim was to show these final messages. In the blog's first few weeks, Trunko told The New York Times she received over 2,500 submissions from anonymous strangers.

The posts that appear on the "The Last Message Received" show the final messages before things like breakups, accidents, and suicides. They are a gut-wrenching reminder that time has a cruel way of slipping away when we least expect it.

Here are some of the most poignant examples:

http://thelastmessagereceived.tumblr.com/post/143474511593/july-22nd-2013-my-grandma-and-i-had-one-last


http://thelastmessagereceived.tumblr.com/post/144423286074/from-the-wife-of-the-man-i-had-a-brief-affair


http://thelastmessagereceived.tumblr.com/post/144117691099/i-cried-for-2-hours-straight-after-i-sent-that


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8 packing hacks that make room in your suitcase

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With more and more airlines charging for checked bags and shrinking overhead bin space, getting your luggage to its destination can feel like a major travel hassle. 

The below infographic, provided by Expedia, outlines eight easy ways to more efficiently pack your suitcase. Space-saving measures like folding and rolling will keep your clothes and other belongings compact and organized en route.

Read on to see how to make your next trip smooth sailing.

packing infographic

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The best landmarks in the world, according to TripAdvisor

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Angkor WatTripAdvisor recently revealed the winners of its Travelers' Choice Awards in the landmarks category, highlighting the most iconic structures and attractions around the world. 

The winners were determined based on the quantity and quality of reviews and ratings from travelers over a 12-month period.

TripAdvisor also included the average accommodation rates for summer for each destination, based on all bookable hotels on its site. 

From the world's largest religious structure to the ancient city of Machu Picchu, here are the 10 landmarks travelers have rated most highly. 

SEE ALSO: The 10 most popular summer travel destinations, according to TripAdvisor

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

10. The product of roughly six centuries of work, the Duomo di Milano is the largest Gothic cathedral in Italy, and one of the largest churches in the world. With 135 marble spires and thousands of statues, travelers will be in awe of its impressive design.

Average summer rates in Milan: June — $141, July — $135, August — $151

Click here to learn more about Duomo di Milano »



9. The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC, was designed by Henry Bacon to resemble the canals of Versailles and Fontainebleau. The pool was remodeled back in 2012 to incorporate sustainable water features that draw water from the Tidal Basin into the iconic landmark.

Average summer rates in Washington, DC: June — $307, July — $260, August — $226

Click here to learn more about the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool »



8. The Alhambra in Granada, Spain, is part fortress and part palace. The complex includes various buildings and gardens connected by tree-lined walkways, and its central palace complex has an impeccable design. From here, travelers will get exceptional views of the entire city.

Average summer rates in Granada: June — $83, July — $67, August — $71

Click here to learn more about The Alhambra »



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A large male dancer is changing the shape of ballet

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Pittsburgh-based Erik Cavanaugh doesn't have the typical "lean, long" dancer's body, but that hasn't stopped him from spending the past six years perfecting his art.

The performer, who practices contemporary/modern and ballet, has been posting videos of himself dancing on Instagram, alongside the hashtags "#dancerscomeinallsizes" and #passionoverperception." He told INSIDER that his goal is to transform the idea of the "perfect" dancer's body.

"I want the world to see that dancers are capable of coming in any size," he said.

Cavanaugh practices dance for at least half an hour every day. He is planning to move to Los Angeles by the end of the summer, where he hopes to pursue dance full-time, either as a performer, teacher or a choreographer. "I just want to do anything and everything that I can," Cavanaugh said.

Written by Lisa Ryan and produced by A.C. Fowler

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Scientists think this seemingly unlikely drug might one day be used to help tackle depression

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shrooms blossoming

Magic mushrooms, the illegal drug long touted in popular circles for its "mind-freeing" capabilities, might one day have some real benefits for people with severe depression.

That's at least according to several promising studies, the latest of which — a very small pilot study of just 12 people— suggests that the psychoactive ingredient in magic mushrooms, psilocybin, could help alleviate symptoms of depression when administered alongside other forms of more traditional therapy.

For their small pilot study of just 12 people with severe depression whose illness didn't respond to any other treatments, researchers gave everyone in the group 10 milligrams of psilocybin in capsule form to swallow (during week one) and 25 milligrams (during week two), alongside several other forms of supportive therapy — including being brought into a treatment room and consulting with a psychiatrist.

All of the patients reported some decrease in depressive symptoms for at least three weeks following their treatment. And three months later, seven people continued to see fewer symptoms of depression. Of those seven, five remained in remission — meaning their severe depressive symptoms did not return — after the three months.

Still, given the very small scope of the study and the fact that there was no control group, more research is needed before we start to see any real treatment regimens that include psilocybin.

Nevertheless, the newest research builds on hopeful findings from past studies of the drug, which hasn't been examined exhaustively for decades due to tight US government restrictions on studying psychedelics.

New links across previously disconnected brain regions

In October 2014, an international team of researchers (including two of the authors who led the present study) looked at psilocybin's effect on the brain by comparing fMRI scans of people injected with 2 milligrams of the drug with people injected with 2 milligrams of a placebo.

Typically, brain activity follows specific neural networks, like traffic on congested highway routes. But in the people given the psilocybin injections, cross-brain activity appeared more erratic, as if someone gave all the cars on the highway 4-wheel-drive and let them steer wherever they wanted. 

But looking closer, the researchers found the new activity wasn't chaotic either — it formed distinct patterns, or cycles — new information highways, essentially.

"The brain does not simply become a random system after psilocybin injection," the researchers wrote, "but instead retains some organizational features, albeit different from the normal state."

Here's a visualization of the brain connections in the brain of a normal person (a) next to someone dosed with psilocybin (b):

shrooms brain networks

In essence, the researchers found that the psilocybin appeared to effectively sprout new links across previously disconnected brain regions, temporarily altering the brain's entire organizational framework.

These new connections are likely what allow users to experience things like seeing sounds or hearing colors. And they could also be responsible for giving magic mushrooms some of their antidepressant qualities, the researchers suggested in 2014.

Another study done two years earlier by one of the same neuroscientists who worked on these two papers — Imperial College London neuroscientist David Nutt — helped him draw similar conclusions.

In 2012, Nutt found that in people drugged with psilocybin, brain chatter across traditional areas of the brain was muted, including in a region thought to play a role in maintaining our sense of self.

In depressed people, Nutt believes, the connections between brain circuits in this sense-of-self region may be too strong. "People who get into depressive thinking, their brains are overconnected," Nutt told Psychology Today. This is what allows negative thoughts and feelings of self-criticism to perhaps become obsessive and overwhelming. So loosening those connections and creating new ones, Nutt thinks, could provide intense relief.

And this latest sampling of 12 people lends some credence to that idea. 

The present study involved six men and six women between the ages of 30 and 64, all of whom had been previously diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression. They were given capsules of psilocybin during two dosing sessions, one week apart, and seen by a psychiatrist the day after the first dose, a week after the second dose, and then two- three, and five weeks after that day.

The study author, Imperial College London research fellow Robin Carhart-Harris, said in a press release that he observed no serious side effects during the study, but said all of the volunteers reported feeling slightly anxious before and while they were being given the drug.

"The results of this small-scale feasibility study should help to motivate further research into the efficacy of psilocybin with psychological support for major depression," the authors state in their paper.

SEE ALSO: Mind-blowing new images show how LSD changes the way parts of the brain communicate

READ NEXT: How tripping on mushrooms changes the brain

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Thousands of Olympics tourists will stay in these hostels that were built in the middle of Rio's slums — take a look inside

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Rio's favelas

Plans for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro are still underway, despite political upheaval and growing concern over the spreading Zika virus.

With more tourists than hotel rooms available, visitors are looking for alternative housing options. The hostels and private homes in Rio's favelas — shanty towns within the confines of the city — might hold the answer to a more authentic Brazilian experience.

Ahead, take a look at the various hostels and private homes that are opening their doors for visitors during the Olympic games.  

SEE ALSO: Several American hopefuls discuss their preparations for the Rio Olympics during New York City event

According to Reuters, Rio is expecting upwards of 500,000 tourists during the Olympics. That's much more than the International Olympic Committee-required 40,000 hotel rooms.



Hostels located in neighborhood slums known as favelas — which were once considered too dangerous to visit — are opening their doors to tourists looking for affordable lodging.



Most of these lodges are located in "pacified" favelas, neighborhoods that have been regulated by the Pacifying Police Unit. This unit was specifically created to drive out gangs and crime in 2008.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

What painkillers like Vicodin and OxyContin do to your body and brain

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Despite being legal with a doctor's prescription, opioid painkillers can come with serious health risks.

The drugs belong to a larger class of drugs known as opioids, which includes legal, lab-produced drugs like oxycodone, fentanyl, and morphine as well as illegal drugs like heroin.

Since they slow breathing and act on the same brain systems as heroin, opioid painkillers carry serious risks, from overdose to, in rarer cases, addiction.

bi_graphics_what opioid painkillers do to your body and mind

SEE ALSO: What a legal drug that kills more Americans than heroin does to your body and brain

RELATED: The answer to treating drug and alcohol addiction may be far simpler than you think

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This is the cheapest McLaren you can buy in the United States — and it’s drop-dead gorgeous

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