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A veterinarian invented this new take on a feeder that entices your cat’s inner lion


Trump confidant and tech billionaire Peter Thiel thinks Silicon Valley has a sex problem

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Peter Thiel

Silicon Valley has a sex problem, according to Peter Thiel, the billionaire investor who is an advisor to President-elect Donald Trump.

In a must-read interview with The New York Times' Maureen Dowd, Thiel points out that techies in Silicon Valley are not having very much sex, and that it was part of the reason why so many people in the region criticized Trump's comment from the Billy Bush tape. 

Here's what he said:

“On the one hand, the tape was clearly offensive and inappropriate. At the same time, I worry there’s a part of Silicon Valley that is hyper-politically correct about sex. One of my friends has a theory that the rest of the country tolerates Silicon Valley because people there just don’t have that much sex. They’re not having that much fun.”

Thiel may have a point.

Silicon Valley has the highest ratio of single men to single women, while the tech industry as a whole has struggled with gender imbalance for decades. (However, it's worth noting that the San Francisco metropolitan area also has the highest ratio of people who identify as LGBT in the US). 

In fact, Dr. Sandra Lindholm, a sex therapist and clinical psychologist in the Bay Area, recently told Forbes that she's now seeing an uptick in young, male clients who complain about a variety of sexual challenges and issues.

"They’re coming to sex therapy because they don’t feel they have time or energy for sex," Lindhold said.

Some of the common issues include low sexual desire, difficulty meeting women, and performance issues. Plus, she points out people in tech generally have a reputation for being introverted. Another particular issue that frequently comes up is what she calls "tech overload": people spend so much time on their gadgets that they "forget about being in the moment."

Although there's no official data on Silicon Valley's sex frequency, a 2012 survey by condom maker Trojan revealed that Bay Area residents had the least amount of sex and the shortest time in bed, in a sample of 10 major US cities including New York, Chicago, Miami, and so on.

Still, even with all the perceived lack of sex in the region, San Francisco and its nearby counties, like Alameda and San Mateo, haven't suffered from birth rate declines. The US Census Bureau estimates the number of babies born in San Francisco and Alameda counties rose from 2010 to 2015, while San Mateo county's birth rate stayed the same, despite early predictions that they would fall.

SEE ALSO: The 7 most revealing quotes from the New York Times' big interview with Peter Thiel, Trump's biggest supporter in Silicon Valley

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Tech billionaire Peter Thiel no longer thinks his dream of a floating libertarian utopia is realistic

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Peter Thiel

Peter Thiel has all but given up on his dream of a libertarian utopia in the middle of the ocean.

In 2008, the billionaire venture capitalist and Trump transition team member launched a group on a mission to develop a floating city, called a seastead, that would serve as a permanent, politically autonomous settlement. He invested some $1.7 million in The Seasteading Institute, and resigned from its board in 2011.

In a new interview with Maureen Dowd of The New York Times, Thiel dismissed floating cities as an improbable architectural feat.

"They're not quite feasible from an engineering perspective," Thiel told The Times. "That's still very far in the future."

During President-elect Donald Trump's roller coaster ride to the White House, Thiel emerged as Trump's most high-profile supporter in Silicon Valley. He gave $1.25 million to the campaign, stirring up controversy in the left-leaning tech capital of the world.

As hints of a new Cold War ramp up, the concept of a seastead — a literal island unto itself — may have new appeal. The Seasteading Institute, at least, is soldiering on without Thiel.

Seasteading institute concept art floating city

Last fall, the group met with officials in French Polynesia, an island chain located in the South Pacific, and discussed plans to develop a seastead off its coast. If things go as planned, the institute might break ground as early as 2017, a spokesperson told Business Insider.

The new city could consist of two or three platforms that each cover half a football field and house 30 people. Should the pilot program prove successful, more platforms would be added.

For years, the Seasteading Institute wanted to set up camp in international waters. Eventually, the group determined the costs of building hundreds of miles from any shoreline, away from an existing nation, were too extravagant. So the Institute decided to team up with a host country.

seasteading institute; french polynesia; floating city

French Polynesia fit the bill. The Seasteading Institute's executive director Randolph Hencken told Business Insider in October he would not expect the island chain to impose a regulatory body on the seastead. Still, residents would be required to obey numerous French Polynesian and French laws, most likely those related to crime and environmental standards.

As Thiel suggested, many challenges remain. Hencken named a few, including developing an island foundation that can withstand seawater for 100 years, and establishing a special economic zone, where business and trade laws on the seastead differ from those in French Polynesia.

Hencken said the starting cost of construction on the seastead could reach $30 million. Each additional platform could set the group back an additional $15 million. The institute hopes to raise money from a handful of investors, whom Hencken declined to name, as well as future residents and interested parties in the maritime industry.

One thing's certain: Thiel isn't moving to a seastead anytime soon.

SEE ALSO: The 7 most revealing quotes from the New York Times' big interview with Peter Thiel, Trump's biggest supporter in Silicon Valley

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The 25 best beaches in the world

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Buzios Brazil

There's never been a better time to head for sunnier climes.

Luckily, Passport Magazine has released its list of the Best Beaches in the World, according to its in-the-know editors.

Whether you're looking for a secluded spot to relax or a lively, swelteringly-hot beach for a daytime party, add these stunning stretches of sand to your bucket list to get rid of the January blues.

From Bora Bora to Wales, here are the 25 best beaches in the world.

Matira Beach, Bora Bora, French Polynesia

Bora Bora is exactly what you'd hope to find in the South Pacific — blue lagoons, calm water, palm trees, dolphins, and volcanoes in the background.

 



Karekare Beach, Auckland, New Zealand

New Zealand’s Karekare Beach is just 20 miles from Auckland, but is packed with natural wonders — think lagoons or a walk through the volcanic cliffs of Waitakere Ranges Regional Park.



L’espiguette Beach, Aigues-Mortes, France

Unlike the stylish beaches found in Cannes, Nice and Saint-Tropez, the remote L’espiguette Beach is known for its natural beauty and spans for six miles, giving you a good shot at finding a quiet area. Only a 40 minute drive from Montpellier, the beach is also close to the town of Aigues-Mortes. 

 



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5 ways to spot a fake diamond

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diamond glowing eye woman reutersOne of the most common questions that gemologists are asked is how to tell the difference between a real diamond and a fake stone.

We spoke with Reyne Hirsch, a 20th-century decorative arts expert and consultant for the global online marketplace Lofty, about how to tell when a diamond is real, and when and why to take it to an expert.

Whether it's with jewelry you inherited or something you found at a garage sale, it's easy to do a few simple DIY tests. That necklace you think is just cheap costume jewelry could end up costing a small fortune.

Here are five easy ways to tell if the stone you have is actually a diamond.

SEE ALSO: 15 essential terms everyone should know before buying their first watch

A loupe is a magnifying glass that you can buy at any jewelry store and will let you take a closer look at your gem and setting. 

"When you're looking at a diamond, there are a few things you'll notice," Hirsch told us. "First, the majority of diamonds are made in nature so that means you're going to see some imperfections in the carbon. A fake stone would be perfect — absolutely perfect."

Hirsch explains that certain lab-grown stones will also look perfect through the loupe, and so you should be cautious before discarding perfect gems. It can be a clue, however, that you should take a closer look or bring the stone to an expert. 

Second, observe the diamond's edges. "When you're taking a look at a diamond through a loupe, a real stone is going to have sharp edges, and a fake stone will have rounded edges," Hirsch explained.

Lastly, look at the mounting and etchings, especially any marks that signify what metal was used. "If the metal is gold-plated or silver, chances are it's not a diamond, because why would you put a nice stone mounted in such a cheap metal?" Hirsch said. "Most diamonds are mounted in gold or set in platinum."

"Also take a look at the mounting itself and how that diamond is set," she added. “If the setting looks like it’s of poor quality, that probably means it’s not going to be a real diamond either.”



This is an easy test, since diamonds are one of the world's hardest materials and won't be scratched by the rough surface. "If it's a diamond, it will remain perfect. If it's a cubic zirconium, it will scratch it up," Hirsch said.



Breathe hot air on your diamond the same way you would if you were fogging up a bathroom mirror. 

"A fake diamond will fog up for a short period of time, whereas a real diamond will not because it won't retain the heat," Hirsch explained. 



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The top 15 American cities for young college grads

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san franciscoAs the semester resumes for college seniors around the US, the next important decision many will make is where they should move after graduation.

A ranking of the best major metropolitan areas from the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER) may help students having trouble making the call.

AIER calculated its list using nine economic, demographic, and quality-of-life factors. AIER defines major metropolitan cities as having over 2.5 million residents.

The report states that the most important factor in determining where recent graduates should relocate is the prevalence of other young recent grads.

"The location you choose to go to college determines where you will likely spend the next four years of your life, and possibly where you will start your career," Amanda Knarr, program coordinator at AIER, said in a press release. "Our ranking reflects the characteristics that make cities attractive to the average college student."

Aside from the overall ranking, we included cities' individual scores for noteworthy metrics including rent, earnings, and bars and restaurants. Of the nine metrics cities were rated based upon, we chose the one for which they scored highest.

Scroll through to find out the 15 best American cities for young college grads.

SEE ALSO: A high school student shared the powerful essay about growing up in one of America's 'snobbiest' cities that got her into Stanford

15. Miami, Florida

Population: 5,930,416

College student population in the metro area: 445,865

#4 Bars and Restaurants



14. St. Louis, Missouri

Population: 2,801,285

College student population in the metro area: 193,985

#1 Rent



13. Atlanta, Georgia

Population: 5,580,601

College student population in the metro area: 407,257

#1 Bars and Restaurants



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Here's the backstory behind Trump's bizarre tweet about L.L. Bean

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Linda Bean

L.L. Bean has said that it aims to stay out of politics. A tweet from President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday morning, however, has further fueled a controversy the Maine-based brand has faced over the last week.

On January 6, it was revealed that Linda Bean, granddaughter of the company's founder, Leon Leonwood Bean, had donated $60,000 to a pro-Trump PAC during the candidate's campaign, according to The Associated Press.

On Thursday morning, Trump published a tweet thanking Linda Bean for her support.

According to the Office of Government Ethics, executive-branch employees are not permitted to "suggest that the agency or any part of the executive branch endorses an organization (including a nonprofit organization), product, service, or person." However, that rule does not apply to the president or the president-elect, the New York Times reported

It was later revealed that the PAC that Bean donated to, Making America Great Again LLC, was not registered to accept individual donations over $5,000 and is currently facing scrutiny from the Federal Election Commission. According to the AP, the PAC opened its books on Thursday to show that Bean had donated only $30,000 to the effort, not $60,000 as it had previously claimed.

The FEC told the group it could face an audit or punitive action if it didn't respond, according to a letter obtained by the AP. In response, the group said it would seek to reregister as a super PAC that is allowed to raise unlimited funds from individual donors. The PAC's chairman, David Jones, told the AP that he thought it was already registered as such.

LL Bean

The incident has subjected the Maine-based L.L. Bean, which is famous for its water-resistant shoes and outdoor gear, to scrutiny. The brand is now facing a boycott by the Grab Your Wallet group, which has advocated avoiding products made by companies that support Trump, companies with owners who have publicly supported Trump, and companies that sell Trump products.

"The reality is that there are serious repercussions for a company's brand and bottom line when consumers learn it does business with the Trump family or helped to fund Donald's rise to political power," Shannon Coulter, cofounder of the Grab Your Wallet movement, told the AP.

Bean responded to the boycott on Thursday in an appearance on Fox Business Network.

"It's bullying me personally," Bean told host Maria Bartiromo. "They want to control how we spend our money, what we buy, where we buy it. That's un-American."

Bean also told Fox Business that she won't resign from L.L. Bean's board and that her son, who serves as vice chairman, has noted an increase in fan letters and a "slight uptick" in business since the reports.

L.L. Bean responded to the boycott on Sunday in a Facebook post written by its executive chairman, Shawn Gorman, who said that Linda Bean is one of more than 50 family members involved in the company.

"No individual alone speaks on behalf of the business or represents the values of the company that L.L. built," Gorman wrote, referring to the company's founder. "L.L. Bean does not endorse political candidates, take positions on political matters, or make political contributions. Simply put, we stay out of politics. To be included in this boycott campaign is simply misguided, and we respectfully request that Grab Your Wallet reverse its position."

Campaign finance reports show that people linked to the company frequently donate to both Democratic and Republican causes, according to the AP.

L.L. Bean did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

SEE ALSO: A look inside the exclusive Washington, DC, neighborhood where the Trumps and Obamas will live as neighbors

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Forget ocean cruises, this 27-day luxury air cruise costs $159,000 per person


The fabulous life of Snap CEO Evan Spiegel, the world's youngest self-made billionaire

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Life is good for Evan Spiegel.

His company, Snap Inc., is preparing for one of the most hotly anticipated initial public offerings of 2017 at a valuation of about $20 billion. The Snapchat app is beloved by teens everywhere, and Snap's recently released Spectacles glasses are one of the most sought-after gadgets.

And with an estimated net worth of $2.1 billion, Spiegel, 26, is the youngest self-made billionaire in the world, according to Forbes.

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Strange things 9 famous people said right before they died

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Winston Churchill victory wwii

People's last words are fascinating.

Some share a nugget of wisdom, while others throw in one last joke. Somehow, these last words end up capturing an essence of the person who uttered them.

In light of that, Business Insider put together a list of the reported last words of 9 famous historical figures.

SEE ALSO: Here's what happens with your stuff after you die

Bob Marley

Source: The Guardian



Charles Darwin

Source: "Famous Last Words" by Laura Ward



King Louis XIV

Source: "The Complete Idiot's Guide to European History (2nd edition)" by Nathan Barber



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Jeff Bezos reportedly just dropped $23 million on the biggest home in Washington, DC — see inside

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Bezos DC house

Jeff Bezos is Washington, DC's newest resident.

The billionaire founder of Amazon and owner of The Washington Post has been revealed as the buyer of a pair of mansions in the Kalorama section of DC, according to the Post, who cited a source familiar with the deal.

The property totals 27,000 square feet, and Bezos reportedly intends to turn it into a single-family home, the largest in Washington, DC. The deal closed for $23 million on October 21, with the buyer named as Cherry Revocable Trust. It was most recently listed for $22 million. 

The homes sit in the Kalorama section of DC, a popular destination for well-heeled Washington residents. The Obamas will move to a house in the neighborhood after the president leaves office on January 20, and Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner's newly purchased DC home sits just a stone's throw away.

Bezos has an estimated net worth of $69.5 billion.

The Post notes that Bezos and his family will likely use the space as a pied à terre, maintaining his primary residence in Washington state. Renovation plans are currently under review by the neighborhood historical commission.

SEE ALSO: A look inside the exclusive Washington, DC, neighborhood where the Trumps and Obamas will live as neighbors

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

The property includes two historic mansions that were sold together in 2015 for $19 million, and then again in 2016 for $23 million, reportedly to Bezos.



The homes were most recently listed together for $22 million.



They were used as part of a textile museum until 2013, when the museum moved to George Washington University's campus in Foggy Bottom.



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Ivanka Trump and Jeff Bezos are turning this exclusive neighborhood into Washington DC's new billionaire's row

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Kalorama

As Trump's administration starts to make its way into Washington, a lot of things are still up in the air. 

And though the chips will fall as they may, a lot of them will probably fall in Kalorama Heights, a small residential enclave in the northwest part of Washington, DC's central urban area.

The small neighborhood will be home to the Obama family, who will move into a $5.3 million home after the president's term ends later this month. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner will also be moving into a $5.5 million home just a few blocks away in the same neighborhood.

Another wealthy new Kalorama resident is Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who reportedly bought a historic 27,000-square-foot mansion in the area for $23 million in October.

But Kalorama's desirability is not a new phenomenon.

"Kalorama Heights ... has always been a very luxury high-end neighborhood," Patrick Chauvin, executive vice president and senior advisor for Compass, told Business Insider. Chauvin is a 25-year veteran in the real estate market, and has sold many of DC's priciest homes. "It was one of the more urban neighborhoods, so to speak, back in the 1800s."

It was also a common area for presidents to live — both William Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson owned homes in Kalorama Heights.

Kalorama

Kalorama is one of the most expensive neighborhoods in DC. According to public data assembled on Trulia, the median sale price for all homes in Kalorama was $1.395 million between October 2016 and January 2017. The median sale price for Washington, DC, as a whole for that period was $635,000. 

Chauvin said that many members of the new Trump administration, many of whom are wealthier than their predecessors in addition to being less entrenched in DC society, are looking in Kalorama as well as the similarly ritzy Massachusetts Avenue Heights neighborhood that borders it. 

Trump's team of top officials and advisers have a combined net worth of at least $10 billion. Some of Trump's wealthiest picks for key positions include Betsy DeVos, his choice for secretary of education, worth $5.1 billion, and Wilbur Ross, the nominated secretary of commerce, who is worth $2.5 billion. Trump has also tapped ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, worth at least $228 million, to be secretary of state. Steve Mnuchin, Trump's pick for Treasury secretary, is worth at least $100 million, according to estimates.

Mnuchin recently purchased a home in Massachusetts Avenue Heights, the Washingtonian reported this week. The homes in Massachusetts Avenue Heights and Kalorama are desirable for different reasons, Chauvin says, but they share the benefit of being very close to Downtown.

"The big difference is that Massachusetts Avenue Heights has larger homes on bigger lots with more green," Chauvin said. "Kalorama Heights has large homes with grand entertaining spaces, as most of the homes were built in the earlier years, but on smaller lots."

Those smaller lots in Kalorama have the advantage of requiring less maintenance, and they have a shorter walking distance to shops and restaurants.

As for the prospect of Secret Service activity disrupting these neighborhoods, Chauvin said that likely won't be any more of an issue than it already is.

"All of the neighborhoods mentioned ... already have some sort of Secret Service in them," Chauvin said, noting that even his own building has a Secret Service presence.

SEE ALSO: See inside the $5.5 million Washington, DC, home where Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are reportedly moving

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A 31-year-old who's been traveling the world for 5 years explains how she affords it

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nina palu sulawesi indonesia

A month before her 26th birthday, Nina Ragusa landed in Bangkok, Thailand.

She had been living in Tampa, Florida, preparing and saving for open-ended travel for the past two years.

During the day, she worked at a foreclosure law firm, and a few nights a week, she moonlighted at bars and promotional events.

About five years later, Ragusa has only been back to the US twice.

In the meantime, she told Business Insider via email from her current home in Darwin, Australia, her adventures have included:

"hiking down through a volcanic crater to see blue flames coming out of the ground in Indonesia, drinking from coconuts and jet skiing at a lagoon in Mozambique, rock climbing on some of the most incredible karsts in Krabi, Thailand, snorkeling with blacktip reef sharks in Malaysia, wandering ancient temples and seeing a friend's father and brother become monks, eating everything as you walk down the chaotic market streets, and hiking with orangutans on Sumatra."

You can follow her adventures on her website, Where in the World Is Nina, or through her Facebook or Instagram.

Below, Ragusa told Business Insider what it's like to stay abroad for five years, what everyone gets wrong about long-term travel, and how she affords it.

SEE ALSO: A couple who ditched their 9-5 jobs years ago to travel the world explain how they afford it

In the two years of working before she left, Ragusa saved $16,000. She used $10,000 of that to pay off credit-card bills and prepay eight months of her ~$30,000 student loans.

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In Chiang Mai, Thailand.



She arrived in Bangkok in May 2011 with $6,000 in her pocket and a newly minted TEFL certification she'd gotten in the US, certifying her to teach English.

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In Mae Hong Son, Thailand.



"I'm not rich, but I definitely want to stay longer than a couple of weeks, longer than a few months," she said she had realized. "I decided to teach English so I could make money while living abroad and traveling."

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With English students in Thailand.



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Read the letter George W. Bush's daughters wrote to Obama's daughters

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barack obama sasha malia turkey

Former President George W. Bush's daughters wrote a letter to President Barack Obama's daughters offering them advice on life after the White House.

In the letter, which was published by Time, Bush's daughters, Barbara and Jenna, congratulated Sasha and Malia Obama on living "through the unbelievable pressure of the White House" and joining the "rarified club" of former first children.

"You will be writing the story of your lives, beyond the shadow of your famous parents, yet you will always carry with you the experiences of the past eight years," the letter read.

The letter encourages the Obama sisters to enjoy college and cherish the moments in the White House that ultimately shaped their lives.

"Take all that you have seen, the people you have met, the lessons you have learned, and let that help guide you in making positive change," the Bush sisters wrote.

After their father's presidency, Jenna Bush Hager became a teacher, writer, and later an NBC News correspondent. Barbara Bush became a healthcare activist.

Malia Obama will attend Harvard University this year. Sasha Obama, who at the start of her father's presidency was the youngest child living in the White House since the Kennedy administration, will finish high school in Washington, DC.

Read the full letter from the Bushes to the Obamas »

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Arianna Huffington's wellness startup launched only 6 weeks ago and has already doubled its revenue targets for 2017

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arianna huffington

In August last year, Arianna Huffington made the surprising announcement that she was leaving the namesake Huffington Post news organization she cofounded in 2005 to launch a new wellness startup called Thrive Global.

Less than six weeks after its official launch, Thrive Global — which comprises corporate training, a consumer media platform, and a commerce business, selling items like pillows, candles, Fitbits, and a $100 smartphone bed— has already surpassed revenue expectations, Huffington told Business Insider.

Huffington said: "We've already doubled our revenue targets for 2017 from what we had initially presented to the board. Another indication of growing much faster than we thought is that we moved into our offices in September, and we already had to take additional space in our building and are looking to move to a new space three times as large."

Thrive's big money spinner is its corporate business

Most of that revenue has been driven by the corporate training partnerships Thrive Global has signed — some of them in the multimillion-dollar range — with companies including Uber (Huffington also sits on the company's board), Under Armour, Accenture, and JPMorgan.

Each partnership is different and tailored to each company, using its internal brand language. Huffington said the reason most corporate training programs don't work is that they are too "cookie cutter" and don't incorporate the individual company's values. Thrive begins by conducting a survey to identify employees' biggest stress points and builds the program from there.

Some companies ask for a 28-day mostly online challenge, training their employees on the small steps they need to take to "thrive" — from removing their smartphones from their bedrooms before they go to sleep to increasing their levels of physical activity or expressing more gratitude. (JPMorgan Chase chief marketing officer Kristin Lemkau wrote about her experience getting started on the program and her initial defensive reaction to being told she needed to carve out more time for herself and to sleep.)

Some partnerships are multiyear, including in-person workshop sessions from Thrive's trainers, influencers, athletes, and business leaders. So far, guest teachers have included Kobe Bryant, Wharton professor Adam Grant, and Warby Parker CEO Dave Gilboa. The online program also includes examples from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, billionaire businessman Mark Cuban, LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner, and Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz.

arianna huffington mark cubanHuffington said: "The connection between well-being and performance: that's the key. That's the entry point to convince people that if they take care of themselves — through sleep, meditation, recharging — they are not sacrificing their work or careers. That's a delusion."

She described most role models in business today as "the super-successful people who burned out along the way," adding that "we feel that's why they succeeded."

"But all the science shows this isn't why they succeeded," she said. "They succeeded despite that."

Using science to prove Thrive works

Huffington, who wrote the book "Thrive" in 2014, has spent the past few years relentlessly campaigning for people to get more sleep, practice mindfulness, and unplug from the digital world every now and then. "Thrive," as well as her 2016 book "The Sleep Revolution," drew on scientific research to make the point that wellness sets people up to be successful. Huffington is determined to use science and data to prove her point.

To that end, Thrive has created a scientific advisory board made up of doctors and professors from universities such as Harvard, Stanford, and Oxford to advise on its training programs and editorial. Alongside that, Dr. David Augus, the professor of medicine and engineering at the University of Southern California who cofounded the genomics company Navigenics, sits on Thrive's board and helped curate many of the products for its store.

Thrive has also enlisted Dr. Adam Grant from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania to measure the impact of its training programs on companies' retention, productivity, and healthcare costs.

Huffington said: "If you look at most health programs, they are interventions after the problem has appeared — weight management, smoking cessation, dealing with heart disease, diabetes. Our interventions are more upstream: What are the stress triggers that lead to this problem? Seventy-five percent of healthcare costs and problems are because of preventable, stress-related diseases. That's huge if you look at the fact that most companies we work with have growing healthcare costs. That's why it's important for us to measure the impact we are having."

Huffington is clinging to her media roots — and she wouldn't have published that Trump dossier

Thrive's revenue today heavily skews toward its corporate business. But Huffington is hoping the media side of the business will grow to be a significant revenue-driver too.

thriveThe media platform offers articles about improving physical performance, mindfulness, and well-being. It has featured articles from business leaders and influencers such as Selena Gomez and Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg.

The Thrive Global website launched with a yearlong advertising deal with Quaker Oats, featuring branded content about the importance of reducing stress in the morning. Quaker Oats has also been running events in partnership with Thrive, including a breakfast at a Thrive pop-up store in New York.

Huffington said: "We expect Thrive Global to become the answer for brands that want to tell their own stories around well-being and performance — in multiple languages, in multiple countries — while providing a platform for the people they touch to also tell their own stories."

It makes sense that Huffington, a career writer and journalist who wrote her first book in 1973 and led The Huffington Post to win a Pulitzer Prize in 2012, would not want to shed her media roots.

When she announced she was leaving The Huffington Post, Huffington said there had been discussions for her to continue in a different role there, alongside running Thrive, but she told The Wall Street Journal that it wasn't an option and that she wasn't prepared to take on a part-time role.

The danger of publishing unsubstantiated allegations is that they obscure real and substantiated issues.

But had it been an option, and Huffington were still at the helm of The Huffington Post when the unverified dossier containing salacious allegations about President-elect Donald Trump landed on her desk, would she have mirrored BuzzFeed (a company cofounded by her Huffington Post cofounder Jonah Peretti) and published the document in full?

Huffington responded: "We would first try to corroborate the allegations. Both CNN and The New York Times tried to independently corroborate the dossier and couldn't, so both decided not to publish. So if we got the dossier, tried to corroborate and failed, we would not publish. The danger of publishing unsubstantiated allegations is that they obscure real and substantiated issues, like those contained in the two-page summary the intelligence chiefs briefed President Obama and President-Elect Trump on last week."

What's next for Thrive

Thrive Global employs 50 people — a mix of engineers, editors, writers, salespeople, commerce staff, people working in operations, and trainers. The company is recruiting for a COO, a head of business development, and a CFO.

Huffington says that it may be a while before Thrive turns a profit and that for the "foreseeable future" the company is focused on expansion, which is why its revenue is being reinvested in the growth of the business. She added that the company did not need additional funding in addition to the $7 million Series A round the company raised last year. (A source told Business Insider in August that Thrive Global was valued at $33 million, post-funding.)

Huffington said: "Right now, growth is our priority and our focus. If opportunities emerge for M&A or for new products that would require significant investment, we are open to an additional funding round, but we don't need it for the day-to-day operation of the business."

arianna huffingtonThe pull of Huffington's celebrity has helped get Thrive off to a strong start, and she will continue to use her media and speaking appearances — such as at this month's World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland — to build the brand. To take it to the next level, globally, the company is expanding its customer base through joint ventures with companies like The Times of India, Gruppo Espresso in Italy, Discovery in South Africa, and the Antenna Group in Eastern Europe.

Aside from that, Thrive is also partnering with IBM to use its Watson technology to create a digital coaching program based on artificial intelligence. Thrive plans to open more pop-up stores, including stores within companies' offices. And Thrive is working on more apps and content around sleep and meditation to be compatible with Amazon's voice-controlled Alexa service — though Huffington jokes that Alexa doesn't yet fully understand her Greek accent.

Huffington says Thrive's most important marketing tool is that it has "tapped into the zeitgeist," which she describes as "the recognition that the old way of doing business, of living and working, is no longer sustainable."

"People are sick and tired of being sick and tired," she says, "and they want to change, so we have the wind at our back."

SEE ALSO: Here's everything you need to know about Arianna Huffington's new company

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How to schedule your day for maximum productivity after a terrible night's sleep

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BI Graphics_Things you're doing wrong when you wake up timeline

We've all been there — tossing and turning all night, counting down the hours until we have to get up for work in the morning. Sleepless nights are no fun.

And the unfortunate reality is that even though you feel like crap the next day, you still have to show up at the office, ready to give 110%.

While the thought of working an eight-hour day may seem impossible, it turns out that there are things you can do to get through it.

Here's how sleep researchers who talked to New York magazine's Melissa Dahl and other experts say you can structure your workday to power through the crankiness and exhaustion: 

DON'T MISS: 11 bad habits that are ruining your sleep

SEE ALSO: 7 bedtime rituals that are hard to adopt, but will pay off forever

7 a.m.: Wake up

Whatever you do, don't hit snooze. It may feel awesome in the moment, but those seven extra minutes won't make you more alert — and they could make you late.



7:05 a.m.: Have a little coffee

Normally you wouldn't want to have your first cup of coffee until an hour or so after waking, but when you're going on little to no sleep, one small cup or mini espresso first thing will help.

It's natural to feel groggy in the first 20 to 30 minutes of waking, so a little jolt in that window can help clear the fog.

Any more than that, NYU School of Medicine sleep-disorders expert Joyce Walsleben tells WebMD, won't make you more alert but will likely give you the jitters.



7:30 a.m.: Eat breakfast

Stick to whole grains, protein, and a little fruit— sugary junk will give you an energy spike, but it will last only about 20 minutes. And don't wait too long — research suggests that eating within an hour of waking boosts your mood and mind.



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The internet is in love with this man who knits spectacular sweaters of all the landmarks he visits

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Sam Barsky stonehenge knit sweater

The INSIDER Summary:

• Sam Barsky and his landmark sweaters went viral.
• He makes them depending on upcoming travel plans, events, and whatever else catches his eye.
 He's been making knitting artwork for nearly two decades.



This week, Sam Barsky went viral when the internet learned that he hand-knitted charming sweaters of landmarks — and then visited their real-life counterparts. The photos of him wearing those sweaters, combined with his endearing dedication to the project, made him an instant internet celebrity.

Barsky, who features his knitwork on a Facebook page, told INSIDER that he decides what to knit "based on where I'll be traveling to next or what event is coming up soon."

"Anything that crosses my eyes is a potential sweater," Barsky wrote in an email.

This results in a variety of different kinds of knitwork. For a trip to Washington, DC, Barsky made sweaters of The White House and of Washington Monument. And for the holiday of Hanukkah (Barskyis Jewish), he knit a sweater depicting a menorah.

sam barsky knit sweater washington monument

Sam Barsky knit sweater hannukah

sam barsky knit sweater playing cards

Barsky is a member of different knitting groups in the Baltimore area. He first learned to knit in 1999.

"I learned to knit from the owners of two local yarn shops," Barsky wrote INSIDER in an email. "I knitted two solid colored jumpers in my first year, then spent the next five months working on a jumper from a pattern."

He wanted to knit something more challenging, and he's since advanced his stitching skills.

"I thought about a jumper with a picture of a nature scene. But no pattern existed," Barsky wrote. "As I tried to design it on graph paper, I realized I could knit the same without a graph. It was a success, and this has been my life ever since."

sam barsky knit sweater times square

sam barsky knit sweater cherry blossom trees

It takes "about a month" to knit each sweater, so Barsky plans in advance. He's working on two different projects right now: depictions of the California Raisins and Martin Luther King Jr.

"After that, I want to knit a jumper for Groundhog Day," Barsky said. And he'll keep on knitting after that.

You can follow his designs on Facebook here.

SEE ALSO: You should wait until holiday 2017 to buy Nintendo's new console — here's why

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This is the final word on whether you can wear a dress shirt without a tie

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collars and ties 2017_3x4

Men's shirt collars have undergone a revolution. The demands of the modern man at the office, as well as after hours, have necessitated this change.

Collars nowadays are typically narrower, shorter, and have a wider spread to allow for the slimmer fits and lapels that are in style these days. It also lets the tie come off after work, which is important in these more casual times.

When it comes to informal business attire, though, there are generally only six types of collars to consider. While the spread collar dominates the space, the more traditional forward point is not too far behind.

Here's how to know which kinds of collared shirts require a tie — and which can go without. 

SEE ALSO: Here are our biggest men's style predictions for 2017

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Can it be worn without a tie? YES

One of the most common collars today is the spread collar, which comes in a variety of angles and points. "Spread" refers to the distance between the collar points.



Can it be worn without a tie? YES

The club collar is a unique style created by an English boarding school that was looking for a way to differentiate its students from the rest. It peaked in the 1930s and has enjoyed a recent revival due to period shows like "Mad Men."



Can it be worn without a tie? YES

Another collar that spent its early day in sport, the button-down collar was first attached to Oxford cloth button-down shirts. Today, the button-down style can even be worn with casual suits.



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The richest residents of New York City are living in multi-million-dollar Frankenmansions

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85 to 89 Jane St. factory

When an apartment or penthouse isn't big enough for wealthy New Yorkers, they get creative.

In recent years, a number of them have combined multiple townhouses or building floors to create supersized homes, or Frankenmansions, as New York magazine's S. Jhoanna Robledocalls them. 

To to construct these Frankenmansions, some prospective buyers purchase multiple buildings at once, while others approach their neighbors to offer multi-million-dollar buyouts. (In either scenario, they need the city's subsequent approval before combining properties.)

Check out these nine Manhattan Frankenmansions owned by big names— including Madonna, Sean Parker, and Sarah Jessica Parker — outlined below in red.

SEE ALSO: 7 billion-dollar mega-projects that will transform New York City by 2035

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Frankenmansion is nearly complete.

Bloomberg has bought five of the six apartment units in the building next to his 7,500-square-foot townhouse over the last two decades. After connecting the floors in 2009, he grew his home to 12,500 square feet, according to The New York Post. The buildings are within steps of Central Park.



A $19.75 million pair of townhouses is currently on the market.

The Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, an NYC-based convent of nuns, acquired the townhome on the right in 1948. Four years later, the group bought the one next door and connected them via a doorway on each floor.

Throughout the years, the order has rented some of the complex's 25 bedrooms to other congregations or young women in need. But the Frankenmansion may soon find a new owner — the 15,600-square-foot space went on the market for $19.75 million in 2016, according to the New York Times.

 

 



Sarah Jessica Parker lives in a pair of twin townhouses worth $34.5 million.

The star of Sex and the City snatched the two brick townhouses above from the nonprofit United Methodist Women, then fused them together. The organization listed the pair of buildings (which were not connected) for $44 million in 2016, but Parker paid $34.5 million, according to The Real Deal. 

The 13,900-square-foot mansion includes nine bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a 2,100-square-foot private garden, and five floors.



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