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This map tells you the best places to eat after you cast your vote on Election Day

A new site is making it easy to send pizza to voters trapped in long lines

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Pizza Hut Grilled Cheese Crust Pizza 3

On this election eve, the lines outside polling places across America are already making us want to tear our hair out. From Chicago to LA, eager voters have been waiting hours to cast their ballots.

The good news: a grassroots initiative called Pizza to the Polls aims to make voting less miserable with pizza. The nonpartisan site has been taking in reports of long lines at polling places and reportedly delivering free pizzas to hungry Americans.

"Americans are hungry for democracy and are turning out in record numbers to vote," the Pizza to the Polls website says. "But that means long lines and sometimes empty stomachs, which might discourage these brave patriots from performing their civic duty."

Voters can hop over to the website, submit a link from Twitter or Instagram that verifies the insanity and location of a polling place, and hit send. Those wishing to make a contribution to the cause can donate $10 for one pizza and up to $100 for 10 pizzas.

So far, the group claims to have sent pizza to Cincinnati, Miami, Chicago, and other US cities.

Two web developers living in Portland, Oregon, are behind the giveaway. Scott Duncombe and Noah Manger spun the initiative out of the unusually-named political action committee Americans Against Insecure Billionaires With Tiny Hands PAC.

They used leftover funds and new donations to order pizzas from local delivery places across the US and put pies in the hands of voters, The Huffington Post reports.

"I had access to that fund, and we didn't have any plans for it," Duncombe, a software engineer for a financial tech company and treasurer of the anti-Trump super-PAC, told The Huffington Post. "This felt like a good way to make sure that money went to a good cause."

SEE ALSO: 3 countries that are inviting Americans to move after the election

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NOW WATCH: Animated map reveals who would win the election if only certain demographics voted

The internet tracked down this guy's stolen car and returned it to him in less than a day

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Internet stolen car

Here's a feel-good story to restore your confidence in humanity and the possibility that the internet can be used to help people, not just troll people. It comes courtesy of the users of Reddit, with a supporting role played by users of Facebook. 

On Saturday night Reddit user theytookmahcurr logged onto Reddit to tell folks in his local city's subreddit that his car had been stolen, on the slim hope that someone had seen it.  

"While all thoughts/suggestions are appreciated, the purpose of this post is to ask if anyone has seen a White 2010 Toyota 4-runner lingering around somewhere? ... My favorite jacket was in that car. That's the part that hurts the worst."

It turns out, within a few hours, a Reddit user named "u/sportytx" was able to help. He had just seen a post in his home association's Facebook page, where another resident was complaining about some unknown car parked in her parking spot. Sure enough, it was a white Toyota Forerunner.  U/sportytx explained:

"Here is how it went down from my perspective: 1) A resident posts pic of the car parked in her spot to our community FB page. Not an unusual post. 2) I see reddit post from u/theytookmahcurr with last known location of car. 3) I put two and two together and confirm plate number with OP. 4) Called the cops and they rolled three squad cars. The internet is crazy."

Soon after, the victim recovered his car and his favorite jacket (although the thief had busted his bluetooth system, he said). He posted a picture to Reddit for proof. The person who stolen the car has not yet been found, he told Business Insider.

As usual, the comments on the situation were as great as the story. As Reddit user "autobahn" replied [edited to remove salty language]: Nice work /u/sportytx. I know we all like to be [jerks] to each other on here and troll the [sh*t] out of everyone, but it's nice to see that we can come together when it counts to help each other out."

SEE ALSO: These guys built a $273 million startup from discarded computers and an almost secret source of seed money

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NOW WATCH: How to choose the best cut of steak — according to Anthony Bourdain

24 of the strangest places Americans have voted on Election Day

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Jim Young

At least 42 million people have voted early for the 2016 presidential election, and on November 8, millions more will be showing up at the polls. While voting is an inalienable right in the United States, not every town or city has a local elementary school to host people.

As a result, some places have to get creative. Some visit their local car mechanic, laundromat, or pool hall in a testament to the strength of their civic-mindedness.

Here, we've rounded up some of the most interesting polling places from past election years.

Christian Storm contributed reporting on a previous version of this article.

SEE ALSO: 24 photos that show why Michelle Obama will be remembered as the most stylish first lady of all time

DON'T MISS: Inside the $200 million, presidential-themed hotel Donald Trump just opened a mile away from the White House

A cook prepares food orders in a kitchen as voters cast their ballots for the US midterm elections at a restaurant used as a polling station in Chicago, Illinois.



A woman votes at a polling station inside a local grocery store in National City, California.



A voter exits the booth after casting her ballot at the Kimble Funeral Home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

This couple has disagreed politically for more than 30 years — except this year

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His wife's ardent support for abortion rights didn't matter when a doctor told Richard Brookhiser that, at age 37, he had a particularly dangerous type of testicular cancer.

Her husband's impassioned support for the Second Amendment didn't matter when a doctor told Jeanne Safer that, at age 64, she had breast cancer.

She votes down the Democratic line each election; he's a committed conservative. But that still didn't matter when, a year later, Safer learned she also had a rare form of leukemia.

The two have been a political odd couple since they were married in 1980. She's a liberal psychoanalyst. He hails from a right-wing family in Rochester, New York, and became a writer for National Review, the influential conservative magazine founded by William Buckley, who was also Brookhiser's mentor.

Their friends thought their marriage was an oddity. His family rejected it outright.

For Richard and Jeanne, it worked.

"We knew what matters, or we wouldn't have married each other," Safer said in her Manhattan apartment.

But for two people whose polarized politics are so core to their beings, it was when Brookhiser got sick 12 years into marriage that they realized how little politics mattered.

After major surgery to remove a tumor from his abdomen, Brookhiser spent four weeks in the hospital. The nausea was unrelenting, and little relief was available at the time — so it was up to Safer to find some marijuana for her conservative husband.

"I'm not a pothead, but I had a trainer who had a lot of pot and taught me how to roll joints," Safer said.

She was a novice, and Brookhiser said he could always tell her joints from the ones the trainer rolled. "We found things to laugh about," she said.

She especially liked that he, of all people, became a poster boy for medical marijuana.

As he underwent treatment, his colleagues from National Review came to the hospital and helped the couple financially.

"It was really quite something," Safer said. "I never had friends from the right wing, and these people really came through and I never forgot it."

Brookhiser survived and thrived. Now 61, he's thought to be cured.

But at the time, Safer said, his family wasn't as supportive.

As she tells it, their marriage was too much for his parents. They objected to her age — she's eight years his senior. They didn't like that she's Jewish. And, yes, they objected to her liberal politics. In the end, he had to defy his family to marry her.

His relationship with his family became increasingly strained, and "they ended up losing him because of it," she said.

Musical chemistry

But somehow Jeanne and Richard's relationship worked.

They had met in a Renaissance music singing group. To Richard, Jeanne was "cute, and she sang pretty."

The man she saw was "tall, clever, with intense blue eyes" and a "lyrical baritone." She recounts their meeting in a collection of essays titled "The Golden Condom." She liked that he was a writer — until she learned he wrote for such a conservative publication.

Yet it was Brookhiser who had been more willing to cross ideologies in relationships. A previous girlfriend had been a Communist. Safer's exes ranged from a liberal monk to a nuclear physicist, whom she accompanied to canvass for anti-Vietnam War presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy.

The wedding of Jeanne Safer and Richard Brookhiser had a dramatically bipartisan guest list. Walking her down the aisle was her mentor, a victim of Joseph McCarthy's anti-Communist purges. Richard's mentor — a big supporter of McCarthy — also attended.

A friend there coined a phrase that became a theme of their marriage: "Bedfellows make strange politics."

The two never compromised their beliefs and values, and they say their differences rarely got in the way. They've learned how to censor themselves to avoid blowup fights over whatever issue is top of mind. In their New York apartment, which is covered nearly wall to wall with overlapping rugs and where they both work feet from each other each day, she's figured out how to limit her own "freedom of expression" when they talk.

It's a price she's willing to pay, she writes in her book, "because the companionship of the other resident is the greatest joy in my life."

'This is true love'

That companionship was tested again when Safer was diagnosed with two different cancers in two years.

"You need your spouse," she said. "Just for getting through the day and the night."

First there was the breast cancer. She had a lumpectomy, then six weeks of radiation and a prescription for a powerful drug she's still taking.

Then came what she calls "the second one" — a rare, curable form of leukemia. But the cure wasn't easy. She was hospitalized for a month, or as she puts it, "incarcerated at New York Hospital."

Doctors gave her high doses of steroids, which made her hysterical. Richard sat by her side, reading her Jane Austen novels to calm her down. The food was inedible, she said, so every night he brought her dinner from outside and they'd sit together, sharing a meal.

When she'd get scared, he'd sleep on the floor of her hospital room.

"This is true love. This is it," she said. It doesn't matter if a partner doesn't do the dishes or doesn't like some of her friends, or if he doesn't vote a Democratic ticket. "If a person comes through for you at a situation like that, what else in the world matters?"

Beliefs vs. character

Good statistics on mixed-politics couples are hard to come by. One 2016 study found that only 3% of Democratic men married Republican women, and 6% of Republican men married Democratic women. Another study from 2014 found that 9% of marriages are mixed politically. It's hard to say how that has changed over time, especially as the US becomes more politically polarized and Americans increasingly live near like-minded people.

As a psychotherapist, though, Safer thinks a lot about relationships — both her own and those of her patients. She laments modern dating, which so often uses apps and websites that make it easy to screen out those with differing viewpoints. Of those who list compatible politics as a top priority in a relationship, she says "they haven't lived. They don't know what real loyalty and fidelity means."

In her experience, a person's beliefs can be totally different than their character. She had a patient who she said called himself a "strong feminist" but was seeking treatment for a porn addiction.

And then there are the men in her own past who seemed so right on paper but proved so disappointing.

That long-ago monk turned out to be selfish. Another ex told her he didn't like an outfit she was wearing. "It was a little thing," she said. "But I remember it because it was mean."

They're "small cruelties," she said.

One ex asked her to marry him in college. They matched fine politically, but one day she said he told her "the things that are most important to you are the things I want to push under the rug."

She learned she'd rather have a conservative Republican who wouldn't want to push things under the rug than a liberal who did.

"It's a minority opinion," she said.

This year, they agree

After 36 years of marriage, this year Richard and Jeanne, who've disagreed — happily — on so much finally have something in common politically: They're united in opposition to Donald Trump.

To her, agreeing on the election "feels like a delicious vacation," she said.

To him, "It's terrible. This is the worst election in American history," he said.

She plans to vote for Hillary Clinton. He's going to leave his presidential choice blank.

And then they'll go back to bonding over everything but politics.

SEE ALSO: How to read election polls

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 'America has lost': The Philippines president just announced that he's allying with China, wants to talk to Putin

23 fascinating photos that show how presidential elections have changed since the 1960s

Here's why a ton of people are wearing white on this historic Election Day

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If you noticed an abundance of people wearing white on Election Day this year, you aren't imagining things.

There has been a movement to don the color to celebrate that, for the first time ever, a woman is a major party’s candidate for president — and, among Hillary Clinton supporters, to express hope that this election could result in the first female US president. 

The connection between the color white and women's political empowerment has its roots in the suffrage movement.

In 1908, according to History.com, the Women’s Social and Political Union picked three colors to represent the movement for women's suffrage: white for purity, purple for dignity, and green for hope. Women dressed in white became a symbol for the suffrage movement, as they rallied and protested for the right to vote.  

Suffrage_Believe powerball

Since then, white clothing has reemerged as a symbol again and again as women have broken through the glass ceiling in politics on many fronts.

Shirley Chisholm wore white when she became the first African American woman elected to Congress, as well as in her 1972 presidential campaign. When Geraldine Ferraro delivered her acceptance speech as the first female vice president candidate for a major ticket in 1984, she also wore white. 

Clinton herself donned a white pantsuit (another sartorial choice highly associated with the candidate) for the third presidential debate. 

On social media, the #wearwhitetovote hashtag has been picking up momentum as Election Day has drawn closer. 

 

Today, the hashtag has been flooded with voters wearing white to the polls.  

 

 

It looks like Clinton wore greige (off-white?) to cast her vote on Election Day in Chappaqua, New York. 

Hillary Clinton

 

SEE ALSO: Trump hotel union says he's 'breaking the law' and isn't the great negotiator he claims to be

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NOW WATCH: Watch Hillary Clinton vote in New York


Hillary Clinton supporters are wearing pantsuits to the polls because of a viral Facebook group

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hillary clinton

It's no secret that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton loves pantsuits.

They've been her outfit of choice for decades, and while at times in the past the press has mocked her for her apparent lack of style, the pantsuit has eventually grown to become a meme beloved by her own supporters.

Thousands of Americans have joined in support of the pantsuit and Clinton by wearing one of their own pantsuits on Election Day.

The push to don pantsuits — which, of course, can be worn by both men and women — started with a private Facebook group created by Maine resident Libby Chamberlain after the presidential debates.

Dubbed "Pantsuit Nation," it began as a place for friends and fellow Clinton supporters to share their stories. But in the weeks since the debates, the page has swelled in popularity, reaching two million members and growing into a fundraising platform for the Democratic candidate. It has spawned a public Facebook page (though it has much fewer members than the private one), plus a Twitter and Instagram profile.

"We talked about how beautifully and stoically Hillary embodies women's fight for equality, and how the pantsuit is an emblem of that struggle," Chamberlain recently told CNN. "It's a symbol that might be lost on younger women, and so I wanted to do something to re-appropriate that symbol and everything that it means to me as a feminist and Clinton supporter."

Many of those supporters are sharing their getup with the hashtag #pantsuitnation on Twitter. Many are also wearing white in a nod to the 20th-century suffragette movement.

 

 

 

The group has been active on Instagram as well:

#Repost @conz with @repostapp ・・・ Pantsuits all day

A photo posted by Pantsuit Nation (@pantsuitnation) on Nov 8, 2016 at 7:58am PST on

 

Pantsuit Nation isn't the only social media entity using the pantsuit as its mode of support for Clinton. Another Instagram account, @hillarystreetstyle is posting photos of a pantsuit-wearing Clinton next to celebrities and style icons.

 

 

Tomorrow’s birthday girl, HRC, is pretty in pink along with Amal Clooney and Charli XCX 🎂 #hillaryclinton #amalclooney #prettyinpink #charlixcx #streetstyle #lookoftheday #hillarystreetstyle

A photo posted by What's ur Hillarystreetstyle? (@hillarystreetstyle) on Oct 25, 2016 at 2:09pm PDT on

 

SEE ALSO: LIVE BLOG: 2016 presidential election

DON'T MISS: Here's why a ton of people are wearing white on this historic Election Day

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NOW WATCH: Here are the times polls close around the country

What 20-somethings wish they had known about money before entering the real world after college

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We don't always make the right choices when we're young.

It's especially true with our money, since we probably don't think about how our split-second decisions can impact our lives later on. 

I am guilty of these kinds of mistakes myself — wasting money on things I had no use for, not taking advantage of all the "free" stuff my school offered, and ultimately not thinking about life after college — which led to some poor habits that kept me from building wealth in the year I've spent post-grad.

But, I'm not alone.

I reached out to my friends to see if they had any money mistakes they wanted to share, and what they would have done differently. Just like me, many of peers weren't always as financially savvy as they wanted to be in the years after college, and have also made some poor money decisions. 

Looking back, here's some advice they would have given their younger selves about money before they entered the real world:

SEE ALSO: 7 things I wish I had known about money before I graduated from college

Be smarter with the college courses you choose

"I wish I took an intro to economics course or a class to familiarize myself with the money market instead of those easy A's in sociology class. Learn about investments, especially retirement, so when you get your first job you know where/how to allocate your money when you're offered a 403b or 401k. You'll get a head start." — Jenny Ha



Don't get ahead of yourself

"Don't let material things, or the lavish lifestyle your peers seem to have, blind you from your ultimate goal.

"Your responsibility right now is to prepare yourself to find a job to make the money that will allow you to enjoy the kind of lifestyle that you want for yourself, not to live it while studying." — Derek Wong



Steer clear of credit cards until you can handle them

"I REALLY wish I had told myself to stay away from credit cards. At the time I thought it was so great ... four years later I still can't get rid of the damn credit balance because I kept paying the minimum for so long.

"And then when I paid some down finally, I had to charge more on the card, so I was back to being super in debt." — Krysten Massa

 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

9 proven strategies to become more charismatic

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lead_How to be more charismatic copyFor those of us who are introverted or have trouble communicating with others, there's hope. 

Charisma is not something you're born with; it is the result of learned behaviors. 

Here are a few simple ways to become more charismatic.

Drake Baer contributed to an earlier version of this article.

SEE ALSO: 6 ways to use charisma to be a stronger leader in your everyday life

In his book “Why Presidents Succeed,” University of California at Davis psychologist Dean Keith Simonton argues that the most effective communicators use concrete — rather than abstract — language.

“‘I feel your pain’ has association,” he tells the APA Monitor,“but ‘I can relate to your viewpoint’ doesn’t. The most charismatic presidents reached an emotional connection with people talking not to their brains but to their gut.”



“Charismatic individuals express their feelings spontaneously and genuinely,” Claremont McKenna College psychologist Ronald E. Riggio says.“This allows them to affect the moods and emotions of others.”

It's called emotional contagion, or “the tendency to automatically mimic and synchronize expressions.” So if you’re really excited about something, other people will “catch” that excitement, too.



A Stanford-Harvard study suggests that accomplishments aren’t what capture people’s attention — rather, it’s a person’s perceived potential.

“This uncertainty [that comes with potential] appears to be more cognitively engaging than reflecting on what is already known to be true,” the authors write.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here’s the big problem with legalizing marijuana

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In the past few years, four states have legalized recreational marijuana with the measure on the ballot box in five more states this November. Addiction specialist Dr. Samuel Ball explains the big problems these new laws could have on our country.

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15 relationship facts everybody should know before getting married

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romeo juliet

You can drive yourself crazy deciding whether to marry your partner.

Can you two really survive a lifetime together?

I mean, you adore them — but they constantly leave hair in the shower. They tell the worst jokes — but they're always there to comfort you after a hard day.

Perhaps it would help to turn to the scientific research, which has pinpointed specific factors that can make or break a romantic relationship.

Below, we've rounded up 15 nontrivial things you might want to keep in mind before hiring a wedding planner.

This is an update of an article originally posted by Drake Baer.

SEE ALSO: 10 myths about dating too many people believe

If you wait until you're 23 to commit, you're less likely to get divorced.

A 2014 University of North Carolina at Greensboro study found that American women who cohabitate or get married at age 18 have a 60% divorce rate, but women who wait until 23 to make either of those commitments have a divorce rate around 30%.

"The longer couples waited to make that first serious commitment [cohabitation or marriage], the better their chances for marital success," The Atlantic reported.



The 'in love' phase lasts about a year.

The honeymoon phase doesn't go on forever.

According to a 2005 study by the University of Pavia in Italy, it lasts about a year. After that, levels of a chemical called "nerve growth factor," which is associated with intense romantic feelings, start to fall.

Helen Fisher, a psychologist and relationship expert, told Business Insider that it's unclear when exactly the "in love" feeling starts to fade, but it does so "for good evolutionary reasons," she said, because "it's very metabolically expensive to spend an awful lot of time just focusing on just one person in that high-anxiety state."



Two people can be compatible — or incompatible — on multiple levels.

Back in the 1950s and '60s, Canadian psychologist Eric Berne introduced a three-tiered model for understanding a person's identity. He found that each of us have three "ego states" operating at once:

• The parent: What you've been taught

• The child: What you have felt

• The adult: What you have learned

When you're in a relationship, you relate on each of those levels:

• The parent: Do you have similar values and beliefs about the world?

• The child: Do you have fun together? Can you be spontaneous? Do you think your partner's hot? Do you like to travel together?

• The adult: Does each person think the other is bright? Are you good at solving problems together?

While having symmetry across all three is ideal, people often get together to "balance each other." For instance, one may be nurturing and the other playful.



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Recreational marijuana is now legal in California

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Voters in California passed a ballot initiative on Election Day to legalize marijuana for recreational use, ending the prohibition on pot in the Golden State.

Proposition 64 allows adults over the age of 21 to use, possess, and transport up to an ounce of marijuana for non-medical purposes, and grow as many as six plants at home.

The bill also imposes a 15% tax on sales of the drug, generating up to $1 billion in new tax revenue annually, according to the state's nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office.

Voters said yes to legal weed in a big way on Tuesday.

The decisive victory comes 20 years after California became the first state to legalize and regulate the medical use of marijuana under Proposition 215, a 1996 voter initiative.

Those in favor of the decision owe a big thanks to billionaire Silicon Valley fixture Sean Parker. The former Facebook president and founder of Napster contributed $8.5 million to the effort, making him the single biggest donor of the initiative, according to The Los Angeles Times.

All said, Proposition 64 raised close to $16 million, about four times the amount spent on a failed effort to legalize recreational weed in California in 2010.

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The bill builds on its predecessor's shortcomings by creating clearer standards around the sale and distribution of marijuana and disincentivizing black-market operators from continuing, according to Richard Miadich, a Sacramento attorney and a co-author of Proposition 64.

"If you accept the principle that what we're doing today isn't working [in the war on drugs] and you're looking for an alternative, I feel very comfortable saying this is an alternative — this is more than a viable alternative, this is an outstanding alternative," Miadich told Business Insider on Tuesday night, hours before the final tally was announced.

As the governor of Colorado said at the time his state legalized recreational marijuana in 2012, users shouldn't "break out the Cheetos" just yet. Nonmedical sales are still a ways away. California marijuana consumers will not have a place to buy their bud legally until retailers are issue licenses to sell. The state has until January 1, 2018, to begin that process.

Californians are free to possess and grow marijuana immediately.

sparc proposition 64 california marijuana legalization 1321

Business Insider spoke to voters outside San Francisco's City Hall on Tuesday afternoon, where people expressed overwhelming support for Proposition 64.

"I don't smoke weed or marijuana or nothing like that, but it's better than alcohol," said Jeffrey Chapman, an independent contractor who voted in favor of the bill. "It's for helping people."

"It just seems like a no-brainer to me," said Byron Weiss, assistant stores manager of 826 Valencia, a Bay Area nonprofit that helps underprivileged children build writing skills.

Weiss, a California native, told Business Insider he followed the 2010 ballot initiative more closely than Proposition 64 and was disappointed when it failed to pass. But as the stigma against marijuana dropped, legalization in California was "only a matter of time."

An immigration attorney, who asked to remain anonymous given marijuana's federal status, hopes legalization puts a chokehold on the black market. Her clients come from outside the US and sometimes fall into situations where they become drug mules, she said.

"Bringing [marijuana] more to light, I feel, will hopefully decrease the drug trafficking and illegal markets for it," she said, adding that regulation will make the drug safer for all involved.

sparc proposition 64 california marijuana legalization 1323

There is a catch. Marijuana remains a Schedule 1 drug, which makes it illegal in the eyes of the federal government. But how will marijuana fare under president-elect Donald Trump?

Trump has flip-flopped on the issue throughout his public life. The Manhattan billionaire supported state's rights to choose how to legislate medical marijuana, but has not expressly called for legalization. His campaign hasn't yet taken adefinitive stanceon the issue.

Many industry insiders hope California becomes a "tipping point" toward ending prohibition nationally. Ben Larson is cofounder and managing partner of the Oakland-based startup accelerator Gateway, one of the first incubators for pot-focused entrepreneurs.

"This will be a significant driving force in pushing legalization to other states, at the federal level, and beyond," Larson said. "Tonight is the tipping point."

Miadich, the bill's co-author, spent a year drafting the bill while working as managing partner of law firm Olson Hagel & Fishburn LLP. He knows firsthand the work that went into it.

"I believe this is a good, comprehensive approach to a problem that everybody should acknowledge exists today," Miadich said. "If other states look at this and they're interested in [legalization], I think they ought to pay pretty close attention to what we do here in California."

sparc proposition 64 california marijuana legalization 1316

Experts within the industry stressed the "historic" nature of the vote.

"This is a historic day for the cannabis movement as California officially legalizes marijuana for the adult market," Max Simon, of Green Flower Media, told Business Insider. "Not only will this stop tens of thousands of people from getting arrested each year just for using an all-natural substance that's much safer than alcohol, but it will also create hundreds of thousands of new jobs and give millions of people safe access to a medicine they desperately need."

Kyle Sherman, the CEO of Flowhub, a seed-to-sale tracker for the marijuana industry, reflected Simon's thoughts.

"It's fantastic news for the health of this country that California has legalized cannabis for adult-use," Sherman said. "Not only are tens of thousands of jobs going to be created but cannabis will be regulated in a system built to keep consumers safe from pesticides and other additives."

The night's victory was largely overshadowed by the nail-biting presidential race. Business Insider stopped by an election night viewing party at Sparc, a dispensary located in the heart of San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood, attended by industry entrepreneurs.

Attendees cheered, hugged, and threw high-fives upon hearing the news that Proposition 64 passed, then quickly turned their eyes back to the television screens.

SEE ALSO: Here's when you can start legally buying weed in California

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NOW WATCH: Billionaires Sean Parker and George Soros have given millions to support marijuana legalization

Here's when you can start legally buying weed in California

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Californians voted to legalize the recreational use of marijuana on Election Day.

But nonmedical sales are still a ways away.

Proposition 64 provides for over a dozen types of licenses issued to marijuana-selling dispensaries that allows them to cultivate, test, distribute, and sell bud. The Bureau of Marijuana Control has until January 1, 2018, to begin issuing those licenses.

It creates a Catch-22. Though it's legal for Californians over the age of 21 (and adults visiting the state) to possess and grow marijuana starting immediately, there's no place to buy it legally.

Those eager to light up before 2018 can still do so by becoming a medical marijuana patient. And if you happen to find yourself in possession of a friend's bud, that's cool, too. Proposition 64 allows adults to walk around in public with up to an ounce of marijuana, enough to fill a sandwich baggy. They can also "gift" an ounce to another adult 21 years of age or older.

Marijuana users will need to find a private place to toke, however. It remains illegal to smoke or eat edibles in public, unless allowed by a local ordinance, or within 1,000 feet of schools, day care centers, and other places where children gather. Driving under the influence is prohibited.

People caught smoking a joint in public can expect to face a fine around $100.

SEE ALSO: Recreational marijuana is now legal in California

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NOW WATCH: Legal marijuana may have several health benefits


Here are the top 25 most expensive US cities for owning a home

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Hawaii, California, and Washington, DC, reign as the most expensive places to put down roots.

That's according to a new study out from online loan broker LendingTree, which compiled data from 250,000 home loan requests between January and October of 2016. The study revealed the most expensive cities and states for mortgages based on average monthly loan payments and average total loan amounts. 

The study revealed that Kentucky is the least expensive place to take out a mortgage, while DC tops the list. Hawaii unsurprisingly comes in second place as the priciest monthly payment. 

But when it comes to cities, several small or midsize cities placed unexpectedly high on the list for most expensive mortgages and loan payments, like Bend, Oregon, and Butte-Bozeman, Montana. Syracuse, New York, was the cheapest city for taking out a mortgage. 

Listed below are the top 25 most expensive cities for owning a home. 

SEE ALSO: Manhattan's housing market is slowing down

25. Chico-Redding, California

Average monthly payment: $1,261.86

Average loan amount: $221,996.08

 



24. Portland, Oregon

Average monthly payment: $1,254.57

Average loan amount: $219,193.83

 



23. West Palm Beach, Florida

Average monthly payment: $1,276.05

Average loan amount: $226,421.56



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Americans overwhelmingly said yes to marijuana on Election Day

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california proposition 64 passage

The war on drugs took a decisive turn on Election Day.

So far, California, Massachusetts, and Nevada have voted to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. Voters in Arkansas, Florida, and North Dakota also passed ballot initiatives legalizing medical marijuana.

The results continue to roll in, and it's looking likely that at least a few of the remaining states will join the legalization movement.

Massachusetts became the first state in the Northeast to legalize marijuana. Legalization is currently leading by a slim margin in Maine as well.

"This is really day one of a decade-or-more-long process of bringing this industry into the light and getting rid of the illicit market," Richard Miadich, one of the authors of California's Proposition 64, told Business Insider on Tuesday.

The results are unprecedented, though not all that surprising. More Americans favor outright marijuana legalization than ever before. A recent Gallop Poll data showed an increase in support from 35% of US adults in favor of legalization in 2005, to 60% in 2016.

Nearly half of Americans say they have tried marijuana at least once in their life.

"This is the most momentous Election Day in history for the movement to end marijuana prohibition," Rob Kampia, the executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project, said. "From Los Angeles to Boston, voters are casting their ballots in favor of sensible marijuana policy reforms. Today's results are right in line with national polls showing record-high support for making marijuana legal."

sparc san francisco california proposition 64

Experts also stressed how marijuana is now going "bicoastal."

"Western states have led the way on legalizing marijuana but the victory in Massachusetts powerfully demonstrates that this movement is now bicoastal and soon to be national," Ethan Nadelmann, the executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, said. "Indeed, I'd wager that the next states to legalize marijuana will also be in the Northeast."

California, however, became the heaviest domino yet to fall in the nationwide push to legalize marijuana. The state's economy is the sixth largest in the world, in terms of GDP, and the success of Proposition 64 sends a clear signal to the federal government.

The decision comes 20 years after California became the first state to legalize and regulate the medicinal use of marijuana under Proposition 215, a 1996 voter initiative.

Proposition 64 allows adults over the age of 21 to use, possess, and transport up to an ounce of marijuana for nonmedical purposes, and grow as many as six plants. It becomes effective immediately. The bill also imposes a 15% tax on sales of the drug, generating up to $1 billion in new tax revenue annually, according to the state's nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office.

marijuana cannabis

Some are calling California a "tipping point" in the battle to end the prohibition on pot.

"Marijuana reforms in the US could reach a tipping point, accelerating the acceptance of marijuana in both medical and social settings and fueling the growth of an industry that is already expanding rapidly," Peter Murphy, an attorney that works on marijuana issues, said.

The result in California and Massachusetts is an "epic outcome," Todd Palmieri, the CEO of Tradiv, a wholesale website for cannabis, told Business Insider.

"And really, we should honor the people that have fought long and hard, for decades – the California cultivators, brokers, dispensary owners, budtenders – everyone that risked life and liberty when cannabis was vilified," Palmieri said.

Still, marijuana remains a Schedule 1 drug, which makes it illegal in the eyes of the federal government. How will the plant fare under president-elect Donald Trump?

Trump has flip-flopped on the issue throughout his public life. The Manhattan billionaire supported state's rights to choose how to legislate medical marijuana, but has not expressly called for legalization. His campaign hasn't yet taken a definitive stance on the issue.

We'll continue to update this post as more state results are announced.

SEE ALSO: Recreational marijuana is now legal in California

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Legal marijuana may have several health benefits

5 countries where it's relatively easy for Americans to become expats

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toronto

Lots of people are talking about leaving the US now that Donald Trump has become the next president-elect.

With that in mind, we've looked into some of the easiest countries to immigrate to as an American. While actually moving to a new country is never a simple process, it does help if you're a skilled worker with some disposable income.

See below for our top five picks.  

Canada

Canada is one of the most welcoming countries for immigrants in the world. More than 20% of Canadians were foreign-born as of 2011, the highest proportion among all G8 countries.

While the election results rolled in last night, Canada's immigration website crashed. Unsurprising when you consider that the top story on Business Insider has been "How to move to Canada and become a Canadian citizen."

For skilled immigrants, Canada has an express entry program. Simply fill out the form online, and you'll see how many points you have. Points are awarded based on your skills, education, languages you speak, and whether you have a job offer waiting for you in Canada.

Candidates with the most points are invited to apply for permanent residence. Applying for a permanent residence will set you back $490 CAD ($365 USD). 

Beyond a seamless immigration process, Canada also ranks highly for expat quality-of-life



Mexico

More American expats call Mexico home than any other country in the world, according to the Migration Policy Institute

Many of these American expats are retirees who go to Mexico for the warm weather, as The Washington Post's Adam Taylor has noted.  

Though Mexico is not without its problems, due to narcotics-related violence, it ranks highly for expat quality-of-life, likely due to the delicious food and beautiful beaches. 

If you want to move to Mexico, the first step is buying an FMM visa for only $21 USD, which you can do upon arrival. The FMM visa — only valid if you don't intend to work — works for up to six months, and you can renew it indefinitely. 

Trump's wall, if it gets built, might end up serving a dual purpose. 

 



Svalbard

If the thought of President Trump scares you so much that you're willing to permanently relocate to a tiny archipelago north of the Arctic Circle, look no further than Svalbard.

While technically part of Norway, Svalbard's 2,642 residents are largely self-governed. And unlike the rest of Norway, the Immigration Act doesn't apply to Svalbard — meaning that no residence permit or visa is required to settle in Svalbard. You just need to buy a plane ticket.

While Svalbard is probably the easiest place to immigrate to in the world, living there is tough. The average temperature in the winter ranges from -12 to -16 Farenheit, and you won't see the sun between October and mid-February. And don't mind the polar bears



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A psychologist says parents should do these 18 things to raise a more confident child

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Jacob Tremblay

Confidence is one of the greatest gifts a parent can give their child. 

Carl Pickhardt, a psychologist and author of 15 parenting books, says a kid who lacks confidence will be reluctant to try new or challenging things because they're scared of failing or disappointing others.

This can end up holding them back later in life and prevent them from having a successful career.

"The enemies of confidence are discouragement and fear," he says. So, as a parent, it's your job to encourage and support your child as they attempt to tackle difficult tasks.

Here are 17 more tips for raising a confident child: 

1. Appreciate effort no matter if they win or lose

When you're growing up, the journey is more important than the destination. 

So whether your child makes the winning goal for his team or accidentally kicks it out of bounds, applaud their effort, Pickhardt says. They should never feel embarrassed for trying.

"Over the long haul, consistently trying hard builds more confidence than intermittently doing well," he explains. 

2. Encourage practice to build competence

Encourage your child to practice whatever it is they're interested in — but do so without putting too much pressure on them.

Harmony Shu, a piano prodigy, told Ellen DeGeneres that she started practicing when she was just 3 years old.

"Practice invests effort in the confident expectation that improvement will follow," Pickhardt explains. 

3. Let them figure out problems by themselves

If you do the hard work for your child then they'll never develop the abilities or the confidence to figure out problems on their own.

"Parental help can prevent confidence derived from self-help and figuring out on the child's own," Pickhardt explains. 

In other words, better that your child gets a few B's and C's rather than straight A's, so long as they are actually learning how to solve the problems and do the work. 

4. Let them act their age

Don't expect your child to act like an adult. "When a child feels that only performing as well as parents is good enough, that unrealistic standard may discourage effort," he says. "Striving to meet advanced age expectations can reduce confidence."

5. Encourage curiosity

Sometimes a child's endless stream of questions can be tiresome, but it should be encouraged.

Paul Harris of Harvard University told The Guardian that asking questions is a helpful exercise for a child's development because it means they realize that "there are things they don't know ... that there are invisible worlds of knowledge they have never visited."

When children start school, those from households that encouraged curious questions have an edge over the rest of their classmates because they've had practice taking in information from their parents, The Guardian reported, and that translates to taking in information from their teacher. In other words, they know how to learn better and faster.

6. Give them new challenges

Show your child that they can make and accomplish small goals to reach a big accomplishment — like riding a bike without training wheels. 

"Parents can nurture confidence by increasing responsibilities that must be met," Pickhardt explains. 

7. Avoid creating short cuts or making exceptions for your child

Special treatment can communicate a lack of confidence, Pickhardt says. "Entitlement is no substitute for confidence."

8. Never criticize their performance

Nothing will discourage your child more than criticizing his or her efforts. Giving useful feedback and making suggestions is fine — but never tell them they're doing a bad job.

If your kid is scared to fail because they worry you'll be angry or disappointed, they'll never try new things.

"More often than not, parental criticism reduces the child's self-valuing and motivation," says Pickhardt.

9. Treat mistakes as building blocks for learning

"Learning from mistakes builds confidence," he says. But this only happens when you, as a parent, treat mistakes as an opportunity to learn and grow. 

Don't be over-protective of your child. Allow them to mess up every now and then, and help them understand how they can better approach the task next time. 

Pickhardt says parents should see "uh-oh" moments as an opportunity to teach their kids not to fear failure.

10. Open the door to new experiences

Pickhardt says you, as a parent, have a responsibility to "increase life exposures and experiences so the child can develop confidence in coping with a larger world." 

Exposing children to new things teaches them that no matter how scary and different something seems, they can conquer it.

11. Teach them what you know how to do

You are your child's hero — at least until they're a teenager. 

Use that power to teach them what you know about how to think, act, and speak. Set a good example, and be a role model.

Pickhardt says watching you succeed will help your child be more confident that they can do the same.

12. Don't tell them when you're worried about them

Parental worry can often be interpreted by the child as a vote of no confidence, he says. "Expressing parental confidence engenders the child's confidence."

13. Praise them when they deal with adversity

Life is not fair. It's hard, and every child will have to learn that at some point. 

When they do encounter hardships, Pickhardt says parents should point out how enduring these challenges will increase their resilience.

It's important to remind your child that every road to success is filled with setbacks, he adds.

14. Offer your help and support, but not too much of it

Giving too much assistance too soon can reduce the child's ability for self-help, says Pickhardt.

"Making parental help contingent on the child's self-help first can build confidence."

15. Applaud their courage to try something new

Whether it's trying out for the travel basketball team or going on their first roller coaster, Pickhardt says parents should praise their kids for trying new things. He suggests saying something as simple as, "You are brave to try this!"

"Comfort comes from sticking to the familiar; courage is required to dare the new and different," he says. 

16. Celebrate the excitement of learning

When you're growing up, the journey is more important than the destination. 

So whether your child makes the winning goal for his team or accidentally kicks it out of bounds, applaud their effort, Pickhardt says. They should never feel embarrassed for trying.

"Over the long haul, consistently trying hard builds more confidence than intermittently doing well," he explains. 

17. Don't allow them to escape reality by spending all their time on the internet

Don't allow your kid to hide behind a computer screen. Instead, encourage them to engage with real people in the real world.

"Confidence in the virtual world (although important) is not the same as real world confidence that offline effectiveness brings," Pickhardt says.

18. Be authoritative, but not too forceful or strict

When parents are too strict or demanding, the child's confidence to self-direct can be reduced.

"Dependence on being told can keep the child from acting bold," he says.

Natalie Walters contributed to a previous version of this article.

SEE ALSO: Science says parents of successful kids have these 11 things in common

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Shake Shack founder Danny Meyer explains the 3 keys to building a powerful brand

3 states just voted to make marijuana completely legal — here's what it does to your body and brain

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marijuana

Marijuana's official designation as a Schedule 1 drug— something with "no accepted medical use" — means it is pretty tough to study.

While nearly half of the US has legalized the drug in some form, its national status has made comprehensive research into the drug's potential benefits (as well as its risks) has been all but impossible.

On November 8, three more states voted to make marijuana completely legal. California, Nevada, and Massachusetts all voted to support the legal use and sale of recreational marijuana. Here's what we know about how marijuana affects the brain and body:

DON'T MISS: Here's how different drugs change your brain

SEE ALSO: 3 states voted to make marijuana legal, and Maine is on the verge — here's what we know

Marijuana can make us feel good.

One of weed's active ingredients, called tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, interacts with our brain's reward system, the part that has been primed to respond to things that make us feel good, like eating and sex.

When overexcited by drugs, the reward system creates feelings of euphoria. This is also why some studies have suggested that excessive use can be a problem in some people: The more often you trigger that euphoria, the less you may feel for other rewarding experiences.



It can make your heart race.

Within a few minutes of inhaling marijuana, your heart rate can increase by 20 to 50 beats a minute. This can last anywhere from 20 minutes to three hours, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.



Weed may help relieve some types of pain ...

Pot also contains cannabidiol, and this chemical — while not responsible for getting you high — is thought to be responsible for many of marijuana's therapeutic effects, from pain relief to a potential treatment for certain kinds of childhood epilepsy.

Still, while we have a lot of anecdotal reports from individual users who claim that marijuana has helped relieve their symptoms, few controlled scientific studies exist to support these claims, since the drug is still illegal in most of the US. 



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