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The real story behind the Detroit-made watch Obama just gave to David Cameron

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Obama Shinola

During a recent visit to the UK, President Barack Obama gave British Prime Minister David Cameron a gift: a custom-made Shinola watch with the presidential seal engraved on the back.

It's no surprise that Obama would give Cameron a Shinola — after all, he's a known fan of the company, and has declared it a symbol of American manufacturing bringing jobs back to the US.

And it's true: Shinola makes a high-quality, handsome watch, and it's one of only a few companies currently assembling watches in the US. 

The Detroit-based brand has cultivated a cachet among consumers who are looking for a nice watch, but who aren't willing or able to shell out the coin required for a high-end Swiss brand like Rolex. 

Shinola CMO Bridget Russo told NewCo that the company generated $100 million in revenue in 2015, up from $20 million in 2013 and $60 million in 2014. 

Despite the fact that the brand has built a large following across the country, there's a little more to that story.

A Detroit-raised company

Shinola

Launched in 2011 by Tom Kartsotis of Bedrock Brands (who also own Fossil, Filson, and Swiss watch brands Ronda and Skagen, in addition to minority stakes in several other brands), the name was purchased from an early 1900s shoe polish brand called Shinola. The shoe polish brand is where the famous 20th-century phrase "You don't know s--- from Shinola" came from, according to Adweek.

Though the company is not as old as its name and marketing might suggest, that's not necessarily a bad thing — plenty of companies revive old trademarks in the hopes of cashing in on nostalgic cachet.

Shinola moved into a former General Motors design lab in Detroit to build its watches. It proudly stamps "Detroit" — the city in which Shinola's headquarters and main factory lies — on all of its products, even a shoeshine that the company makes in Chicago, according to The Washington Post.

Kartsotis and the other early members of Shinola had no previous ties to Detroit prior to starting the company there, but the company says it is committed to the city, providing well-paying manufacturing jobs to its citizens and investing in its infrastructure. It sponsored the creation of a dog park in Midtown Detroit in 2014.

"Shinola is, and always has been, a job creation vehicle and our intention is to create jobs in this city we now call home," Shinola President Jacques Panis told Business Insider.

Shinola hired more than 300 people for its Detroit factory and headquarters, and it employs about 200 more worldwide. Shinola trumpets the fact that they are providing jobs to an economically depressed city in desperate need of them. This lends a philanthropic air to the company that customers and employees can buy into, similar to the Toms Shoes' giveback and Warby Parker's "buy a pair, give a pair" program.

Detroit is also associated with quality American manufacturing in many people's minds, and customers respond strongly to it when used in marketing materials.

An unnamed employee told Crain's about a focus group Kartsotis had commissioned before choosing the brand's home base. The focus group was given a choice between a $5 Chinese-made pen, a $10 US-made pen, and a $15 Detroit-made men. People consistently chose the Detroit-made pen over the other options, which suggested others might be more inclined to pay a premium for products stamped with the authentic Detroit name. 

"There's really nothing else like Shinola. It's a brilliant thing they did, this association with Detroit, a very authentic look and this authentic story," Northwestern University marketing professor Timothy Calkins told the Washington Post. "This is a very carefully constructed brand done by very savvy brand builders."

Quartz watches

Shinola

The watches made in Shinola's factory are hand-assembled using techniques from Swiss sister brand Ronda, which came to Detroit in the early days to train the workers in the new workshop.

Some criticize Shinola for the fact that they emphasize craftsmanship and engineering in their products, but they still use quartz movements and charge a premium for it. Quartz movements are relatively cheap and easy to produce compared with mechanical watches, since they have far fewer moving parts and require less watchmaking expertise.

Shinola watches retail between $475 and $1,125, while quartz watches made by Skagen and Fossil (Bedrock's other watch brands) hover around $100. It's likely that some of the higher costs of manufacturing in America are baked into that premium, as well as the high-quality materials Shinola uses, but "compared to some of the other products out there, they're definitely charging a premium," Ariel Adams, founder of undefined, told the Detroit Free Press

A Shinola spokesperson told Business Insider that, in order to produce watches at scale and be the job creation vehicle it hopes to be, its watches must be made with quartz movements, as they require much less detailed work. Shinola does hope to one day create a mechanical watch, however.

Some have also questioned Shinola's stated commitment to Detroit, since the product's prices are out of the range of many people who live there. 

"The thought of a company selling such luxuriously priced goods in a city that, according to the 2010 Census, has a per capita income of $14,000 is downright laughable," writes Jon Moy at Complex

Indeed, the company's first retail store outside of Detroit was built in the trendy, wealthy Manhattan neighborhood of Tribeca, inside a townhouse Shinola purchased for $14.5 million, according to The New York Times. Shinola has since opened stores everywhere from London to Miami and Los Angeles, and the watches are stocked in almost 1,000 stores worldwide, according to the company's website.

"Made" vs. "Built" 

Shinola

Shinola's tagline is "Built in Detroit." The company builds all of their watches and bicycles in the 30,000-square-foot Detroit factory. However, the company has received some flak for assembling these watches and bicycles using imported parts, like Ronda quartz movements that are made in Switzerland and Thailand. (The bicycle frames are made in Wisconsin.)

Recently, the Federal Trade Commission has taken issue with a Kansas City-based watchmaker, Niall Luxury Goods, for making a "made in US" claim. The FTC requires products labeled "Made in USA" to be composed of "all or virtually all" US-origin parts, but their watches used Swiss-made movements, which the FTC found violated that requirement.

Shinola does not make the same "Made in USA" claim as Niall, but that may not matter to the FTC.

"It seems likely – without consumer perception evidence showing otherwise – that consumers would interpret a 'Built in' claim as equivalent to a 'Made in' claim, and a 'Built in [city]' as equivalent to a 'Made in USA' claim," FTC spokeswoman Elizabeth Lorden told The Detroit Free Press, while not speaking specifically about Shinola. "Therefore, the same 'all or virtually all' standard ... would apply."

Shinola disagrees with this characterization, and claims that "Built in Detroit" is accurate and not duping the customer.

"We have been transparent as to the origin of the parts of our watches and do not claim to be qualified to say 'Made in the USA' on our watches," Panis told Business Insider. "For watches to be considered 'Made in the USA,' virtually all parts would have to be manufactured in the US and unfortunately the supply chain does not exist, at scale, in the USA today." 

SEE ALSO: How Rolex became the king of watches

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NOW WATCH: These are the watches worn by the smartest and most powerful men in the world


Here's what it's like to eat a $245 meal at one of New York City's finest restaurants

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daniel

My food-loving mom recently flew in from North Carolina to spend Mother's Day weekend in New York City with me.

We did a lot of exploring — and even more eating.

As a Mother's Day treat, my incredibly generous grandpa, who happens to be a restaurant connoisseur and former food critic, treated us to an experience of of a lifetime: brunch at Chef Daniel Boulud's renowned restaurant, Daniel.

The experience was thrilling, educational, humbling, and at times, confusing (which of the three forks do I use?); the food was beautiful, complex, mouth-watering, and at times, perplexing (do I eat that small appetizer in one bite?); and, yes, the portions were small ... but we were somehow incredibly full afterwards.

Here's a closer look at the two and a half hour marathon meal:

SEE ALSO: I research restaurants at every price point before my mom visits NYC — here are 15 we've gone to so far

SEE ALSO: The 50 best restaurants in America

Daniel is tucked away on the Upper East Side, on 60th street between Park and Madison.



The revolving doors led us to a reception area, where we were greeted by the hostess. She checked our coats (and my mom's suitcase), and despite arriving 15 minutes early, we were escorted to our table immediately.

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When we made our reservation, we had the option of sitting in the main dining room (pictured) or the lounge. We went with the smaller lounge area — it seemed like the less intimidating, more casual option at the time — but if we were to do it all over, we'd like to be in the heart of the action.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Help! My company's team-building retreats are ruining my life

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ashley lutz ask the insider

Ask the Insider columnist Ashley Lutz answers all of your work-related questions, including the awkward, sensitive, and real-world ones. Have a question? Email asktheinsider@businessinsider.com.

Dear Insider,

I work at a startup and I love it — the people are great and there are a lot of cool perks. Free food, free snacks, free booze, cool trips — in fact, lots of cool trips and events.

But I’ve been finding that these cool "bonding" and "team building" trips are starting to become too frequent. I don’t want to be the odd one out who doesn’t go to the beach house (I definitely don’t want to be left out), but there’s starting to be no line between my work life and my personal life. I’m not saying I don’t like hanging out with them, but I have a boyfriend, friends, and family. 

These "perks" are so much a part of our company’s culture that I’m worried I’ll seem like I’m no longer a cultural fit if I turn down any of these events, but my life is starting to suffer. I love my job and don’t want to lose it, but I also don’t want to grow apart from my boyfriend and friends. 

Sincerely,

No Work-Life Balance

***

Dear Work-Life Balance,

Your dilemma is an increasingly common one, as evidenced by this recent article in the Wall Street Journal which asks, "how many team-building hiking trips can your marriage take?" 

I don't see a way out of the team-building retreats unless you have a major conflict (like a family wedding). If you want to stay at the company, you're going to have to accept that this is part of the job. Consistently not going would probably result in your coworkers thinking you aren't invested. 

If the retreats are a deal breaker for you, it's probably time to think about new opportunities. 

There are a couple of ways you can feel less stressed in the day-to-day, however. 

Start by taking stock of your day-to-day and cutting where you can. Are you doing daily happy hours? Nightly dinners? Don't be afraid to scale back on these.

Your coworkers shouldn't be offended if you say "I have plans tonight so I'm sitting this one out." If anything, making yourself a little scarce will help them appreciate your company even more. You'll feel more recharged and will work harder after skipping happy hour. 

***

Ashley Lutz is a senior editor at Business Insider answering all of your questions about the workplace. Send your queries to asktheinsider@businessinsider.com for publication on Business Insider. Requests for anonymity will be granted, and questions may be edited.

SEE ALSO: Help! My coworkers' eating habits are driving me insane

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NOW WATCH: Arianna Huffington’s advice to Hillary Clinton

American restaurants are wasting an incredible amount of food — here's the proof

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Food, restaurant, waste, 4

The American restaurant industry has a big food waste problem. A 2014 study by the Food Waste Reduction Alliance found that 84.3% of unused food in American restaurants ends up being disposed of, while 14.3% is recycled, and only 1.4% is donated.

Many restaurants and organizations have adopted the mission to end food waste, especially since so many people across the country suffer from a lack of access to high-quality food. One of those is Feedback, an environmental organization that has planned a number of campaigns to bring about global awareness of the issue. 

On May 10, Feedback hosted a food festival called "Feeding the 5,000", where executive chefs from three notable New York-based restaurants gave away 5,000 free meals made from leftover food. All of the ingredients used in the meals would have been tossed out otherwise. 

We got a chance to chat with Dan Barber, executive chef and co-owner of Michelin-starred restaurant Blue Hill, about his partnership with Feedback and Feeding the 5,000.

SEE ALSO: A professional chef hosted us for a gourmet meal in her own home — here's what it was like

According to an analysis by the Green Restaurant Association, a single restaurant can produce approximately 25,000 to 75,000 pounds of food waste in one year. Here, a Feedback volunteer plates a meal during the Feeding the 5,000 festival in New York City's Union Square.

Source: EndFoodWasteNow, Green Restaurant Association



A 2012 study by the Natural Resources Defense Council found that Americans throw away almost half of their food, amounting to $165 billion wasted annually.

Source: Huffington Post



Food waste is not just a problem in America, but across the globe. About 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted globally each year, and around 40% of that comes from restaurants.

Source: Restaurants.com



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I tried the skincare line made by shaving startup Harry's, and it's the only thing I want to put on my face

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New York City-based Harry's has acquired 1 million customers and a valuation of $750 million by offering high-quality razor subscriptions at an affordable price. 

The shaving startup isn't really known for its skincare line. But maybe it should be, if my recent experience with its products is anything to go by.

I've used Harry's two skincare products — the Daily Face Wash and Daily Face lotion — for a few months and a few weeks, respectively. I'd recommend them more highly than most things I've used on my face.

Daily Face Wash

Harry's

Put simply, Harry's Daily Face Wash is everything I want in a face wash. It's both slightly exfoliating (it counts volcanic rock among its ingredients) and cooling, with hints of eucalyptus and peppermint. The exfoliation is great if you have a short beard, as it can reach down and get rid of the dead skin cells underneath.

It leaves my skin feeling fresh and clean without drying it out, making it suitable for everyday use. It has become my go-to for my dermatologist-recommended twice-daily washings.

In my experience, it's not quite so easy to rinse off, but I remedy this by using it in the shower instead of trying to wash my face at the sink. 

As for the price, Harry's charges $7 for a 5-ounce bottle of face wash. This is slightly more expensive than some drug store brands like Dove ($4.50), Nivea ($4), and Neutrogena ($4.80), but much cheaper than department store brands like Jack Black ($19), Kiehl's ($20), and Kyoku ($18).

I'm more than willing to pay a little extra for the experience.

Daily Face Lotion

Harry's

Even better than the face wash is Harry's Daily Face Lotion. It can't be overstated: Harry's has created something very special here.

We at Business Insider have gone on and on about how every guy needs to use moisturizer and sunscreen every single day. So we're going to assume you're already doing that. You are, right? OK, good.

Many men who don't say they don't like the way moisturizer feels on their face. That's part of what makes Harry's Face Lotion great: you can't feel it. Like, at all. It immediately disappears on your face like nothing I've ever tested before.

That's especially impressive for a moisturizer with sunscreen, even if it's only SPF 15 and not the SPF 30 most dermatologists recommend.

The lotion has a light scent and moisturizes effectively as far as I can tell, but it's definitely not quite as hydrating as some more powerful moisturizers I've used. It hasn't clogged my pores, either.

At $8 for a 1.7-ounce bottle, I would consider it a steal. I often find myself reaching for this bottle instead of my much more expensive Kiehl's moisturizer ($25 for a 2.5-ounce bottle), especially when I'm in the mood for something only lightly moisturizing that won't wear heavily on my face.

Note: Harry's provided samples of the Daily Face Lotion and Daily Face Wash to Business Insider for the purposes of review.

SEE ALSO: Wall Street's favorite shirt startup just unveiled a dress shoe at a shockingly low price

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NOW WATCH: A 21-year-old who was bullied for her skin condition is taking over the fashion industry

Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen threw a fabulous party on his superyacht during the Cannes Film Festival

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paul allen octopus

It may still be spring, but for A-List attendees at the star-studded Cannes Film Festival in France, last night was actually a midsummer night's dream.

Paul Allen, Microsoft co-founder and current-day philanthropist, is a regular at the Cannes Film Festival. One of the most hotly anticipated parties each year is the exclusive yacht party he holds on his 414-foot superyacht, "Octopus". Each year has a different elaborate theme: last year, it was Bollywood. This time, it was a riff on Shakespeare's classic comedy of romantic errors.

Lucky guests reportedly included Mick Jagger, Mischa Barton, and Chloe Sevigny, who got to spend the evening sipping champagne aboard Octopus. They were even treated to a live rendition of a Led Zeppelin song that was performed by Allen himself.

Step inside the enchanted garden, below.

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

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The Port de Cannes — seen here from above — is packed with superyachts this week, but Allen's Octopus is one of the world's largest and most recognizable boats.

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It's a 414-foot monster, with two helicopter pads, a glass-bottomed pool, and two submarines. Reports suggest it cost over $200 million to build.

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 Source: Business Insider



Guests got to the party by boat.

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Everything that movie stars get in the $70,000 swag bag at the Cannes Film Festival

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blake lively corey stoll

It pays to be a movie star — quite literally.

At the ultra-swanky Cannes Film Festival this week, stars like George Clooney and Blake Lively are lining up on the red carpet for their movies and attending parties on the French Riviera.

But they can also stop by the Cannes Celebrity Gift Lounge, where on Sunday and Monday GBK Productions — the company that puts together the lounge — was handing out swag bags to select attendees worth about $69,000, all told.

The free items from sponsors include trips to Caribbean resorts, solar power for your home, and expert advice on how to handle your estate.

See everything the celebrities get in their $70,000 gift bag below:

Antiaging products from LifeCell, $100

LifeCell is also the title sponsor of the lounge.



A four-night stay at Bay Gardens Beach Resort & Spa in St. Lucia, $1,475



A three-night stay at Belmond La Samanna in St. Martin, $8,000



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A favorite way of cooking meat in the summer might be bad for you — here's how to do it right

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barbecue hotdogs chicken burgers

The weather is getting warmer, and the smell of people grilling is starting to fill the evening air.

And while that cooking method does produce a delicious, smoky flavor for the meat, it's also potentially increasing your risk of certain kinds of cancer.

On the heels of its April report with the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) that looked at factors that have a relationship to stomach cancer, the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) has come out with guidelines about grilling. 

In that report, they found in particular that three factors were linked with a higher-than-average risk of developing stomach cancer: a high body fat percentage, a high alcohol intake, and a high intake of processed meats. That means that while the average risk for stomach cancer for most people remains fairly low, it may be somewhat higher in people who can check off all of these factors. 

And while the evidence is still limited, some research suggests that grilled or barbecued meats may be especially unhealthy. One reason?

Cooking meat at high temperatures, which is what you do when you grill something, can lead to the formation of substances called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute, these substances may be carcinogenic; severalstudies have documented this link. 

"Smoking or charring meat also contributes to the formation of PAHs," AICR's head of nutrition Alice Bender said in a release.

That's not to say though that you have to ditch grilling entirely, just that there are some steps you can take to avoid having your meat on high temperatures for such a long time.

Instead, the AICR suggests:

  1. Marinading your meat, which has been linked to less HCA formation during the cooking process.
  2. Pre-cooking in the oven or stovetop first before exposing it to flames of the grill.
  3. Going lean to avoid charring and flare-ups that occur as the fire burns up fat.
  4. Mixing in veggies with smaller cuts of meat for a shorter cooking time.
  5. Sticking to grilling fruits and vegetables (those don't produce HCAs). 

RELATED: Yes, bacon has been linked to cancer AGAIN — here's how bad processed meats actually are for you

NEXT: 3 behaviors are linked to your risk of developing the 5th most common type of cancer

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: These are the foods a food-poisoning attorney refuses to eat


You're more likely to order a pricey Uber ride if your phone is about to die

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Low battery

Uber can tell when your phone is running out of juice — and it has figured out that a low battery is a strong indicator as to whether you're likely to accept surge pricing. 

In an interview with NPR's Hidden Brain podcast, Uber's head of economic research, Keith Chen, explained how Uber's data team can find weird patterns in its user behavior. 

"...One of the strongest predictors of whether or not you are going to be sensitive to surge — in other words, whether or not you are going to kind of say, oh, 2.2, 2.3, I'll give it a 10 to 15 minutes to see if surge goes away — is how much battery you have left on your cell phone," Chen said.

Uber has found that those with a low battery tend to accept the surge price regardless because they need a ride home that minute, instead of waiting an extra 15 for the surge to possibly go down, Chen explains.

And before you think Uber is spying on you, the app can tell when a phone's battery is running low so that it knows when to go into power saving mode, according to NPR.

Chen, however, swears that the company never artificially inflates that surge pricing, even if it knows you're more likely to accept a premium. It's simply an interesting human behavior that the company has seen in its data. 

"And we absolutely don't use that to kind of like push you a higher surge price, but it's an interesting kind of psychological fact of human behavior," Chen said. 

SEE ALSO: The driver who sued Uber slams 'offensive' settlement that pays drivers 'less than a tank of gas'

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Uber is making customers pay for having drivers wait

This is Pinterest's first ever TV ad

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Pinterest aired its first ever TV ad on Monday.

The spot ran on Channel 4, the UK TV commercial broadcaster.

Created by ad agency Stinkdigital and brokered by media agency MediaCom, the commercial forms part of a seven-month campaign that will pick up lines from the shows the ads ais around in the creative.

Monday's short ad used a line from "Eating Well with Hemsley + Hemsley," about a "one pot meal," and showed viewers how they can use Pinterest to search for recipe ideas.

Overall, the TV, outdoor, and digital campaign will include more than 100 different creative executions.

Pinterest cofounder Evan Sharp told Business Insider in April that the aim of the campaign is to build on the relatively high awareness of the Pinterest brand and convert that into a great level of understanding about what the platform can actually be used for.

"What's different about Pinterest is that it's not a social service," Sharp said. "It's not really about sharing with friends at all. It's a personal service. It's about ideas for your future. What do you want to eat? Where do you want to travel? What do I want to do in my life?"

SEE ALSO: Pinterest's plans for world domination

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NOW WATCH: Humans are finally starting to understand the octopus, and it’s mind-boggling

Turns out a presidential candidate could win the election with just 22% of the popular vote

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Not all votes are equal when it comes to electing the president of the United States. Because of the electoral college system, votes cast in smaller states weigh more heavily than those cast in larger states. The difference is so significant that it's possible to win the election with a surprisingly low percentage of the popular vote.

Produced by Alex Kuzoian

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The biggest box-office hit the year you were born

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Back to the Future

Moviegoing has long been one of America's favorite pastimes, with blockbuster box-office earnings serving as a reliable predictor of cultural staying power.

Using both IMDb's and Box Office Mojo's lists of the highest-grossing films by year, Business Insider has compiled a chronology of the biggest box-office hits every year since 1975.

We adjusted global box-office receipts for inflation through 2016 using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' inflation calculator. We've also included critic ratings from Metacritic (on a scale of one to 100) and fan ratings from IMDb (on a scale of 1 to 10) for each film.

Several franchises are represented — "Star Wars," "Harry Potter," and "Pirates of the Caribbean" each make multiple appearances — as are Academy Award nominees and winners such as "Titanic" and "Rocky."

We used '75 as the cutoff because we found that worldwide figures before then were spotty and inconsistent.

Read on to find out the highest-grossing movie released the year you were born:

DON'T MISS: The 30 most expensive movies ever made

AND: RANKED: The 10 movies most likely to dominate this summer

2015: "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens"

Adjusted gross: $2.07 billion

Unadjusted gross: $2.07 billion

Critic rating: 81

Fan rating: 8.3

Plot summary"Three decades after the defeat of the Galactic Empire, a new threat arises. The First Order attempts to rule the galaxy and only a ragtag group of heroes can stop them, along with the help of the Resistance." 



2014: "Transformers: Age of Extinction"

Adjusted gross: $1.12 billion

Unadjusted gross: $1.1 billion

Critic rating: 32

Fan rating: 5.7

Plot summary"Autobots must escape sight from a bounty hunter who has taken control of the human serendipity: Unexpectedly, Optimus Prime and his remaining gang turn to a mechanic, his daughter, and her back street racing boyfriend for help."



2013: "Frozen"

Adjusted gross: $1.31 billion

Unadjusted gross: $1.28 billion

Critic rating: 74

Fan rating: 7.6

Plot summary"When the newly crowned Queen Elsa accidentally uses her power to turn things into ice to curse her home in infinite winter, her sister, Anna, teams up with a mountain man, his playful reindeer, and a snowman to change the weather condition."



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This is the best way to look good in photos

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Graduation selfie

There's a lot of advice out there about how to look good in photos — I've written a fair amount of it myself. Hold your chin like this, the camera like this. Smize.

But in the end a photograph is just a recording of how light hit a camera sensor (or strip of film) at a particular moment in time. And if you want to control your photography so the images look as good as possible, you're going to want to control that light.

There are a few ways to do this: Shoot in a bright room, shoot using natural light, shoot outdoors. Photographers resort to crazy tricks to mimic all these effects in fancy studios

But increasingly I'm convinced that the best way to look good in a photo is to find a single, warm, directional source of light. Ninety-nine percent of the time that's going to be a single window in a dark room. In my studio I use a reflective umbrella to create the same effect.

Here's how it works, and why it's usually the best option for your pictures.

SEE ALSO: This guy took a selfie every day for 8 years

When light comes from directly overhead, like at noon on a sunny day or indoors, it can cast weird shadows across your face. This isn't a flattering situation for anyone.



Indoor light is usually pretty terrible as well.



Light in the shade on a sunny day is a much better option, but because it can hit you from so many directions it will flatten your features a bit.



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The 10 best US cities for the class of 2016 to start their lives

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madison wisconsin

What comes after you receive the diploma and toss the graduation cap?

To help the class of 2016 with that decision, real-estate marketplace Zumper analyzed and ranked the 260 largest metro regions in the US across six main factors: millennial population, young professional income, access to amenities and nightlife, employment rate, population of unmarried inhabitants, and rent prices.

Madison, Wisconsin — with its vibrant economy and moderate rent prices — topped Zumper's list of best US cities for recent grads.

Read on to see what other spots cracked the top 10. We also included the percentage of millennials in each metro area (from the US Census Bureau), the gross income of those between age 20 and 29 (from the US Census Bureau), and the median rent of a one-bedroom apartment (from Zumper).

Still unsure where to move? The American Institute for Economic Research (AIER) put out a similar report that may help students make the call.

SEE ALSO: Here's the income you need to comfortably pay rent on a 2-bedroom apartment in 15 of the largest US cities

10. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Percentage of millennials: 15.5%

Median income (20 to 29 years old): $44,677 

Median rent (1-bedroom): $641 per month



9. Washington, DC

Percentage of millennials: 14.3%

Median income (20 to 29 years old): $72,737

Median rent (1-bedroom): $2,203 per month



8. Omaha, Nebraska

Percentage of millennials: 14.2%

Median income (20 to 29 years old): $50,102

Median rent (1-bedroom): $769 per month



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Dangerous, winding stairs take you super close to a massive waterfall in Ecuador

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El Pailon del Diablo, aka the Devil's Cauldron, is a massive waterfall in Ecuador that you can get super close to. All you have to do is pony up $1.50, and climb a winding staircase right up to it.

Written and produced by Jeremy Dreyfuss

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14 gorgeous photos that will make you want to travel to Thailand

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hommali

With its bustling cities, gorgeous beaches, and rich cultural history, Thailand is a hot spot for tourists. In 2014, more than 24 million visitors traveled there to experience its unique sites first-hand.

Photo-sharing app EyeEm recently hosted a Thailand-centric contest that asked photographers to submit their best shots from the streets of this photogenic country.

The results were stunning images that provide a glimpse into what Thailand has to offer.

SEE ALSO: A longtime Google employee took a trip to North Korea and captured these scenes of everyday life

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The months of November through March are Thailand's cooler, dryer season, and it's generally the best time to visit.



There are more than 30 airports across the country, but Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport serves the most international travelers.



On May 11, 1949, the country was officially renamed Thailand, which means "land of the free". The country was formerly known as Siam.

Source: History Today



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Here's what fruits and vegetables looked like before we domesticated them

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teosinte

Next time you pop an ear of juicy sweet corn on the grill, remember this: Your summertime favorite wasn't always so tasty.

In fact, its predecessor, a wild grass called teosinte, barely resembles the sweet, crunchy vegetable we're now familiar with. And this was the case for many of our fruits and veggies.

So how did we get the produce we have today?

Turns out we've been tweaking their genetics for hundreds of years via selective breeding, whereby farmers select and grow crops with the traits they desire, like juicer fruit, over time.

GMOs involve a similar process, though it's more exact and rapid. Instead of hand-picking these genes over hundreds of years, scientists splice in genes from another organism. And despite all the vitriol they've inspired, the science on GMOs has never been clearer. A new report released Wednesday looking at three decades of research on GE crops found "no evidence" that they "are less safe to eat than conventional food."

Here are some of the foods that looked totally different before we first started growing them to eat:

RELATED: 15 products you probably thought were healthier than they actually are

SEE ALSO: 7 everyday items that wouldn't exist as we know them without GMOs

Wild corn

Roughly 10,000 years ago, farmers in what is now Mexico noticed that not all of their maize plants were the same. Some were bigger; some tasted better. So they started saving kernels from the plants they favored and planted them for the next season. Thanks to what we now call selective breeding, cobs of maize grew bigger and sweeter over time. 

Natural corn, shown above, was first domesticated in 7,000 BC and was dry like a raw potato, according to an infographic by chemistry teacher James Kennedy.



Modern corn

Today, corn is 1,000 times larger than it was 9,000 years ago and much easier to peel and grow. Also, a whopping 6.6% of the vegetable is made up of sugar, compared with just 1.9% in natural corn, according to Kennedy. About half of these changes occurred since the 15th century, when European settlers began cultivating the crop.



Wild eggplant

Eggplants also weren't always the large, deep purple veggie we know them to be today. Once upon a time, they were white. Some were bright blue. Still others (like those in the photo) were yellow and round. Some of the earliest eggplants were cultivated in China. And early versions of the veggie once had spines where the plant's stem now connects to its flowers.



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This one ingredient is making a lot of Americans fat

The company that created the 'greatest hoodie ever made' just released a $35 T-shirt that took a year to make

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american giant

American Giant is on a mission to bring manufacturing back to the US, one clothing item at a time.

The apparel company that created what New York Times technology columnist Farhad Manjoo once dubbed the "greatest hoodie ever made" has now created a T-shirt. 

In calling it a premium T-shirt, American Giant is asking customers to expect a lot from it. 

The company told Business Insider it is looking to deliver on that promise by using a unique cotton blend that took over a year to develop. It's a cotton slub blend (a fabric with an intentionally uneven thickness) that is substantial enough to avoid becoming transparent or twisting from shrinkage in the wash — both common drawbacks for many other slub-style shirts.

This makes the shirt both durable and heavyweight, but it won't weigh you down while you wear it. The men's version is a little heavier than the women's.

As for construction, the company added a seam on the back of the women's shirt to ensure it keeps its shape and drapes correctly. For the men's version, the company took great pains to ensure a tailored fit. Many different prototypes were created until each of these tailored versions emerged, American Giant said.

The shirts are sewn in American Giant's North Carolina factory, and each are available in a variety of colors for $35. 

american giant

$35 is a lot to ask for a T-shirt, especially when suitable shirts can be had from other companies in the $15-$20 dollar range. J.Crew's T-shirts sell for $25, and Uniqlo's premium T's go for $10. None of these are manufactured in the United States, however.

For its part, American Giant has a guarantee where customers can ask for a refund if the T-shirt
"doesn't live up to your highest standard." The company also sells a $25 classic T-shirt, without the benefits of construction and material found in the premium version.

SEE ALSO: This startup's new boat shoes are the perfect replacement for your sweaty Sperrys

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NOW WATCH: This t-shirt lets you see inside the human body

15 photos that show what the streets of New York City looked like in the 1980s

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NYC in the 80's

From a young age, Carrie Boretz was fascinated with photographing everyday life on city streets. From 1975 to 1998, she shot the streets of New York City, finding inspiration in each scene she photographed. 

"I was never drawn to photographing my friends or family, but more often strangers," Boretz told Business Insider.

She compiled the photos she took over three decades — the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s — and is publishing them in an upcoming book called "Street". Boretz is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to finance its publication. Below, see her favorite selection of photos from the 1980s, an interesting time in New York City's history.

SEE ALSO: What 7 iconic New York sites looked like in the 1930s — and what they look like today

Boretz began shooting the streets of New York City during a photography internship with the Village Voice in 1975.



"[Photography was] a way of life for me," Boretz said. "Often no specific story, no angle, just walking down a street and tripping over the extraordinary moment within the ordinary scene."



Boretz has always been drawn to the natural behavior of ordinary people.



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