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19 stunning photos that show how different weddings are around the world

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gogumastick prague

Wedding traditions vary greatly around the world. In the Czech Republic a tree is planted in the couple's honor, and in India weddings often last for multiple days, with various rituals taking place in the family's home.

Perhaps one of the biggest cultural differences is the amount of money couples spend on their celebrations. According to The Knot's 2015 Real Weddings Study, Americans are spending an average of $32,641 on their weddings, while Europeans spend much less, averaging about $5,000.

But no matter where the celebration occurs, you can usually spot a happy bride and groom beaming at the camera. In celebration of that, the photo-sharing app EyeEm gathered some of their users' best shots of modern weddings all over the world. Keep scrolling to see them.

SEE ALSO: Incredible colorized photographs show the immigrants who passed through Ellis Island 100 years ago

DON'T MISS: A former J.Crew exec just opened a menswear paradise for the modern guy who 'wants to look American'

Hong Kong



Austin, Texas



Prague



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What it's like to attend a $125 marijuana pairing dinner where guests eat and get high

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cultivating spirits marijuana pairing dinner 5

Philip Wolf was sipping wine at a vineyard in Barcelona when the idea struck him: If people can drink and eat in good company, why can't they get high?

In February 2014, one month after Colorado fully legalized marijuana, Wolf launched his company Cultivating Spirits, which hosts marijuana pairing dinners across the state. Like a wine tasting, the events mix gourmet foods and ganja, and cater to a sophisticated audience.

"I knew that cannabis, from a connoisseur's standpoint, had the same qualities as wine," Wolf tells Business Insider. Plus, he says, "you can treat cannabis just like wine. Some people are going to buy boxed wine. But other people like the education and experience behind it."

Here's what it's like to attend one of Cultivating Spirits' events.

SEE ALSO: San Francisco's new workout craze is called 'ganja yoga' — take a look

During a Cultivating Spirits events, the ganja connoisseurs come to you.

Marijuana pairing dinners most often take place in people's homes. That's because Colorado law prohibits marijuana consumption in public, and Cultivating Spirits does not have a permit to sell like a dispensary would. Tourists sometimes hold events in Airbnb rentals. 

Wolf talks to the host before the event to find out the location, how many people will attend (Cultivating Spirits places a cap at 12), and the desired vibe.



Wolf then visits a dispensary in the area and talks to a budtender, who has an intimate knowledge of the inventory, to find out what's good and in stock.

Wolf, who considers himself the world's first pot sommelier, will buy samples of the marijuana strains he likes most based on their smell, taste, strength, and intended effect.

After he samples the strains, Wolf sends descriptions of his top three picks to the chef overseeing the event. The chef will create a menu based on the strain profiles.



An untrained nose might think all marijuana smells like roadkill. But weed, like wine, has a variety of smells. The fragrant oils come from organic compounds, called terpenes.

Terpenes are found in the sticky resin glands that hang on the marijuana bud like crystals. The terpene content differs from one plant to another. When smoked, these organic compounds bind to receptors in the brain and cause different effects, from euphoria to sleepiness.

Understanding those differences is the foundation of being a pot sommelier.

Wolf works with the chef to harmonize the terpenes of selected cannabis strains with the flavor profiles of the food and drink. For example, a whiff of the peppery Power Plant strain might pair well with lemon-pepper chicken, while the citrusy Agent Orange strain complements teriyaki chicken.



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9 weird psychological reasons someone might fall in love with you

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Ryan Gosling

Happy Valentine's Day!

If you're eating heart-shaped chocolates alone in a bathrobe this Tuesday, don't worry: Society doesn't get to tell you the right way to celebrate the life of a martyred third-century Catholic saint — and also, love and attraction are weird and mysterious things.

There's a lot we don't understand about love — to the degree that we're even sure it exists as a meaningful psychological state outside of social constructs. And there's a lot that's idiosyncratic to individual people and couples.

That's why a lot of research into why we mate is bizarre to the point of incoherence — cultural norms as well as oddities in research methods can create a lot of noise. Yet it turns out there is a lot of science about why people fall in love that is at once super strange and actually fairly credible.

Keep in mind that no one study is enough to draw definite, broad conclusions. That's especially true because this research tends to focus on the specific behaviors of heterosexual undergraduate students at the universities where researchers work.

Still, there's a lot of fascinating knowledge out there about our habits of love and attraction.

Here are nine of the most interesting findings:

SEE ALSO: 13 habits science shows will help you fall asleep faster and sleep better

1. People tend to fall in love with other people who are like them. Shared values, life experiences, levels of attractiveness, and age can all make a major difference.

Sources: Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology



2. If you want someone to fall in love with you, then it might help to resemble their opposite-sex parent. That can mean hair and eye color but also age. Children of young parents tend to seek out young partners more often.

Source: Evolution & Human Behavior



3. There's some evidence that scent can play a role in attraction. Ovulating women, for example, may prefer the scents of men with more testosterone. And men may prefer the scents of women at certain times in their menstrual cycles.

Sources: Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Psychological Science, Psychological Science

Also, check out our review of a site that matches people based on how they smell after not showering.



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Apple Watch users have been keeping their fitness New Year's Resolutions, data shows (AAPL)

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Apple Watch

Every year millions of Americans make a New Year's Resolution to start exercising regularly. Three-quarters of them will keep it up for the first week and then every week, more and more give up.

Research shows that only about 9% of people will really stick with their resolutions (whether for fitness or anything else) all year and beyond.

But one set of people more likely to succeed with fitness resolutions could be Apple Watch users, according to the early data analyzed by Brandon Ballinger, co-founder of Apple Watch heart rate monitoring app, Cardiogram.

Cardiogram analyzed the results of 34,369 New Year's fitness resolutions. Of the 66,317 people who had been using the app on a Watch prior to January 1, 34,369 (52%) increased their workout routines in January, mostly by increasing their walking, cycling, running, strength training, or using the elliptical.

And the percentage of people who stuck with those increased workouts has held steady so far through the end of January. Runners, strength trainers, elliptical users, and even walkers "have shown similar consistency," Ballinger says. Research shows that about 80% of people who make resolutions have given up by the second week in February. So the one-month of data is a good sign.

Cardiogram Apple Watch users

This points to a couple of things.

If you measure it, you can track it and that encourages you to stick with it.

A $170+ investment in a piece of technology to support the fitness habit helps provide motivation.

There's still plenty of time left in 2017 to achieve the habit of exercise and fitness, even if you're among the 80% that have stopped working out. You can, perhaps, call that time off a break, treat yourself to a fitness device and try, try again. 

SEE ALSO: A programmer came up with a hilarious way to shut down dangerous Windows scammers

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 7 hidden iPhone tricks that only power users know about

Oprah's 'happiness guru' designed apartments to maximize joy — and they start at $5 million

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PMG SI 03 PH Balcony 02

Happiness guru and alternative health practitioner Deepak Chopra — who gained mainstream attention after his appearance on Oprah in 1993— is now venturing into home design.

Chopra helped design the apartments in a new complex, Muse Residences, in Miami, Florida, and tells Business Insider that the units are made to promote residents' happiness and overall well-being. Each condo will have filtered water, purified air, and lighting that mimics natural sunlight.

"The place that you live in is your extended body," Chopra says. "The air you're breathing is your breath, and the water is your circulation ... So you have to take care of it."

Prices for the units start at $5 million, though the two penthouses are asking $18.5 million and nearly $20 million, according to Forbes. As of late January, 70% have been sold.

Take a look at the renderings of the complex, which will open in early 2018.

SEE ALSO: These 'vertical forests' could transform a Brussels wasteland into luxury apartments

On a beach in northeast Miami, the Muse Residences will include 49 floors and 68 units, seven of which will be designed by Chopra.

Chopra partnered with real estate wellness consultancy Delos and two development companies — S2 Development and Property Markets Group — to create the residences.



Chopra has a holistic view of health, and believes the mind, body, soul, and universe are all connected. He says he tried to bring that philosophy to the new residences.

Some scientists and medical professionals have criticized Chopra's claims, calling his teachings pseudoscience, particularly those related to evolution and medicine.



The units' design concentrates on three core wellness principles: water, air, and light. Chopra says that focusing on these natural elements will connect residents to nature.

Chopra also says the units' state-of-the-art water purification and air filtration systems will boost residents' immune systems.



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The salary you need to earn to buy a home right now in 23 of the most expensive housing markets in America

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housing houses san jose suburbs

In the final quarter of 2016, home prices in the US climbed past expectations as the housing supply reached record lows, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

On average, 87% of the 150 housing markets tracked by NAR experienced rising home prices in 2016, up from an average of 75% in 2014. More than half of the markets (52%) now have a median sale price either at or above their previous record high.

"Buyer interest stayed elevated in most areas thanks to mortgage rates under 4% for most of the year and the creation of 1.7 million new jobs edging the job market closer to full employment," said Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist. "At the same time, the inability for supply to catch up with this demand drove prices higher and continued to put a tight affordability squeeze on those trying to reach the market."

The group reports that while the national median family income rose to $70,831, increasing mortgage rates and home prices will affect Americans' ability to buy a home, specifically in the country's most expensive housing markets.

Using NAR's data on housing affordability, we gathered a list of the US metro areas where the minimum salary required to qualify for a mortgage, with 20% down, is the highest. NAR assumes a mortgage rate of 3.9% for all areas, with the monthly principle and interest payment limited to 25% of income.

For the US as a whole, the average qualifying income is $42,962 and the median home price is $232,200.

Notably, the salary needed to qualify in the top-five metro areas — four of which are located in California — exceeds $100,000.

Below, check out how much you need to earn to buy a home in the most expensive housing markets, and what the median home will cost you.

The following markets are based on metropolitan statistical areas, with the exception of Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, which are metropolitan divisions.

SEE ALSO: The 25 best places to live where the average home costs less than $250,000

DON'T MISS: Home prices are soaring — here's how much the average home costs in the 15 most popular big cities

23. Salt Lake City, Utah

Population: 1,170,266

Median home cost: $282,100

Salary needed to buy: $51,572



22. Austin-Round Rock, Texas

Population: 2,000,860

Median home cost: $287,600

Salary needed to buy: $52,578



21. Burlington-South Burlington, Vermont

Population: 214,363

Median home cost: $291,300

Salary needed to buy: $53,254



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The CEO of eHarmony says there are 9 different senses of humor that determine compatibility

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couple talking laughing

Many people say they want their romantic partner to have a great sense of humor, but eHarmony CEO Grant Langston thinks he can do better: He wants to know exactly which kinds of humor people prefer.

"Human beings think sense of humor matters," Langston tells Business Insider. "We're trying to find out if it does matter. We're trying to type people for humor."

People who can quote every joke in "Airplane!" may not be the same people who laugh at cartoons in the New Yorker or enjoy a good fart joke. To address those comedic nuances, eHarmony is currently conducting research that the company intends to incorporate into its matchmaking algorithm.

That research has identified nine distinct categories of humor: physical, self-deprecating, surreal, improvisational, witty, topical, observational, bodily, and dark. Over the next several months, eHarmony will test the theory that people with similar senses of humor will enjoy richer, stronger relationships.

The company has performed two studies to test that model so far, with three more in the pipeline. In the studies, participants are given a couple dozen video clips to watch, each about 30 seconds long. They include skits from "Whose Line Is It Anyway?", stand-up comedy, viral Internet prank videos, and more. People rate how funny each is along the way.

The final product: an individualized sense of humor web, with each category scored out of five possible points depending on how funny a given person rated each clip.

Langston sent me the test — I scored a 5 on witty, self-deprecating, and bodily, and a 1 on surreal. The others fell somewhere in between.

In the lab studies, participants who'd taken the humor test were then set up on a handful of 10-minute speed dates. At the end, they noted which people they'd like to see again. To figure out what role humor plays in romantic chemistry, Langston and his team will see how much overlap there is between people who matched in humor types and those who matched in the speed dates.

"At this point, it seems very likely that it will be an important way to match people," Langston says, but adds that isn't the final step. "You have to ask yourself, Does it correlate to better relationships?"

That remains to be seen, since eHarmony has yet to roll out the system in its actual service. Langston says he's still figuring out the best way to integrate that video-watching into the existing onboarding process. People may be perfectly happy to take 15 minutes out of their day to watch random Internet videos — or they may not.

At the very least, Langston says, people do want partners who like to laugh, and it's worth seeing whether they'll like them more if they find the same dumb joke or witty retort equally funny.

"It's easy to see that if you're a certain humor profile and this person is a certain humor profile, I want you guys to meet each other," he says. Langston acknowledges, however, that common interests are still important. "If your compatibility is also good, then that is a home run for us."

SEE ALSO: The 3 biggest mistakes people make in online dating, according to the CEO of eHarmony

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: A dating expert reveals the best ways to find a lasting relationship

What 17 successful people wish they'd known about money in their 20s

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Mark Cuban

Your 20s are far from simple ... especially when it comes to your finances. Even the some of the wealthiest, most successful people didn't escape this decade without making one (or several) money mistakes.

We asked a handful of self-made millionaires and billionaires, CEOs and entrepreneurs, and best-selling authors what they wish they'd known about money from the get-go.

Here's what they had to say:

DON'T MISS: An executive who's worked for Microsoft, Yahoo, and SoFi explains why you shouldn't take a job for the money

SEE ALSO: The 11 smartest things to do with your money in your 20s

Learn the concept of delayed gratification

Kat Cole, president of Focus Brands:

"What I wish I would've known is more principles and practices around saving and consciousness about how I was spending my money. And the concept of delayed gratification, which I was really not good at.

"When you're making a bunch of cash you can do whatever you want, whenever you want. ... If I had instilled the practice of 'Yeah, I want something, but do I need it? I'm going to wait,' one of two things is going to happen: Either the desire for it will go away, and now I've saved that money, or when I get it, I'm going to be much more grateful for it — and maybe it's on sale at that point."



Have a cash cushion

John Paul DeJoria, cofounder of John Paul Mitchell Systems and Patrón tequila:

"Before investing or starting a company, make sure you have enough money saved for at least six months to pay bills or anything else that might come up financially. It's important to have a cushion of six months financial back-up before you invest or if something doesn't work out in your favor."



Learn to manage your credit cards

Mark Cuban, billionaire entrepreneur, investor:

"[I wish I knew] that credit cards are the worst investment that you can make. That the money I save on interest by not having debt is better than any return I could possibly get by investing that money in the stock market. I thought I would be a stock-market genius. Until I wasn't.

"I should have paid off my cards every 30 days."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Who you're most likely to marry based on your job

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couple bride groom wedding

Love and work — who knew the two were so intimately connected? Based on research by Bloomberg Business, it turns out that your job could help you predict who you'll end up marrying.

By scanning US Census Bureau data covering 3.5 million households, Bloomberg compiled this interactive chart that shows how people are pairing up by profession.

Here are the most common matchups for 35 jobs (Some opposite-sex matchups weren't common enough to make the list):

DON'T MISS: 10 ways being single affects your success

SEE ALSO: 12 TED Talks that will teach you how to have healthy relationships

Elementary- and middle-school teachers

Female elementary-school teachers are most likely to marry male or female elementary- and middle-school teachers.

Male elementary-school teachers are most likely to marry female elementary- and middle-school teachers or male education administrators.



Financial analysts

Female financial analysts are most likely to marry male financial managers or female retail salespeople.

Male financial analysts are most likely to marry female elementary- and middle-school teachers or male operations research analysts.



Flight attendants

Female flight attendants are most likely to marry male managers or female flight attendants.

Male flight attendants are most likely to marry female flight attendants or male elementary- and middle-school teachers.



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Here's exactly what to do when you're not sure if it's a date

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woman man talking

We'll get straight to the heart of the matter here (pun intended).

If someone invites you to hang out and you're not sure if it's a friend thing or a "more than friends" thing, don't call them out on it. It'll only make the situation more awkward than it needs to be.

That's according to relationship expert Andrea Syrtash, author of "He's Just Not Your Type (And That's A Good Thing): How to Find Love Where You Least Expect It." 

Instead of focusing on what the other person wants this hangout to be, Syrtash said you should ask yourself: What do I want this to be? 

Then, once you get to the date/not-date, focus on two things: picking up on the other person's cues, and sending out the appropriate cues yourself.

So let's say you'd like it to be a date, but you're not sure what the other person is thinking. "Start making it more date-like," Syrtash said.

Order wine; maintain eye contact; be a little flirtatious; touch them lightly. Notice how they respond. 

Now let's say you'd like it to be a friendly hangout, but you're not sure what the other person is thinking. 

In this situation, you might want to talk about your dating life or casually make a comment about how you're not in a place where you're looking for a relationship. Before you leave, consider offering to split the bill

Again, notice how they respond to your behavior.

If at this point, you're still not sure whether you're on a date, it's okay to ask — but do it playfully, Syrtash said. Something like, "Hey, is this a date?" with a laugh should work. 

The bottom line here is that you'll want to keep the awkwardness to a minimum. Try to rely on body language and nonverbal signals of romance or friendship. Don't force anything.

SEE ALSO: Here's exactly what to say when you're not sure who should pay on a first date

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: What you should talk about on a first date, according to research

How a 28-year-old with no political experience found herself in Trump's inner circle

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hope hicks

Hope Hicks, 28, was born in Greenwich, a town of 60,000 on the southwest tip of Connecticut that's a favorite spot for hedge fund headquarters.

She was a model, actress, and lacrosse player as a child, before getting her English degree at Southern Methodist University.

Hicks didn't intend on playing such a large role in a presidential campaign, instead falling into the gig through a job at the Trump Organization.

But she now finds herself as one of President Donald Trump's youngest advisers, serving as assistant to the president and director of strategic communications in the White House.

And Hicks has been with Trump — to use his words — "from the beginning." She stuck on his campaign through multiple staff revamps, including two high-profile changes at the campaign-chair position.

Here's what we know about Hicks.

SEE ALSO: Trump has already signed 25 executive actions — here's what each one does

DON'T MISS: MEET THE NEW EXECUTIVE BRANCH: Here's who Trump has appointed to senior leadership positions

Hicks and her sister, Mary Grace, were successful teen models. Hicks posed for Ralph Lauren and appeared on the cover of "It Girl," a spin-off of the best-selling "Gossip Girl" book and TV series.


Source: New York Times



Hicks' first brush with the Trumps came in 2012 when she was at the public-relations firm Hiltzik Strategies working on Ivanka Trump's fashion line. Trump's eldest daughter hired Hicks away in 2014, and she became an employee of the Trump Organization.

Sources: New York TimesGQNYMag



Hicks met patriarch Donald Trump and quickly "earned his trust," Ivanka Trump told the New York Times for a June 2016 profile on the spokeswoman.

Source: New York Times



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Remarkable photos show crazy micro apartments around the world

This is the best beard style for every face shape

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BI Graphics_Best beard for your face shape 4x3

A full beard is one of the most common looks you'll see on a man these days.

But that doesn't mean it works well for everyone, as some face shapes just don't lend themselves to the style. If you're looking for a change, you might be curious about other styles you can get away with wearing.

Shaving company Braun has done extensive research on beard styles and face shapes to take the guesswork out of switching up your face hair.

The following are their suggestions. (Fair warning: some of them are a little out there, including chin straps).

SEE ALSO: Just for Men released a shampoo that claims to permanently turn gray hair back to its original color







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Photos reveal what Trump's inner circle looked like when they were younger

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Mark Wilson Getty Images

President Donald Trump's three oldest children have always played a role in his business empire, so it was no big surprise when his daughter, Ivanka, made the move to Washington, DC, after the inauguration.

Regardless of their level of involvement, the lives of those closest to President Trump have been forever altered.

Below, take a look at those closest to the president — including his children, the first lady, and a few in key adviser roles — and their lives both before and after Trump's presidential win. 

SEE ALSO: 2 models who worked for Trump's controversial agency tell what it was like for them

Trump spent decades in the business world before getting into politics. However, he did run for president on the Reform Party ticket in 1999. He left the race early because of infighting not "conducive to victory."

Source: The Daily Beast



Along with managing various real estate properties with the Trump Organization, Trump has also played host on NBC's "The Apprentice," opened a modeling agency in his name, and purchased the Miss Universe and Miss USA competitions (which he has since sold).

Source: Business Insider



Donald Trump Jr. is President Trump's oldest son. Born in 1977, he attended boarding school in Pennsylvania and later earned his degree in finance and real estate from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.



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A 29-year-old who's been traveling the world for 4 years explains how he affords it

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tommy walker diving

Tommy Walker always knew he wanted to travel.

Living in a small, working class town in Northeast England, the now 29-year-old remembers dreaming of somewhere exotic, somewhere "far, far away from here" as a child, he told Business Insider.

In his early 20s, he finally got the chance to go. Tired of a 9-5 corporate job at a product management company, he bought a ticket to Sweden, intending to work his way down by the Eurorail to explore the continent.

Then, his dad got sick, and he postponed his trip, settling for shorter-term stays instead.

In 2011, his father died, leaving Walker and his brother an inheritance through his workplace that Walker chose to split into pieces: about 60% on longer-term investments, and 30% on travel, starting with an ambitious trip to Southeast Asia.

He acknowledges that some people might consider his windfall a stroke of luck, but says he wishes some things had turned out differently. "Sure, I got an inheritance," he said, "but at the end of the day it's my father. It's no compensation for what happened, but obviously, it helped me get to where I am today."

His inheritance stopped fully funding his travels — which you can follow via FacebookInstagram, or through his website — before the first of four years was up. Since then, he's been in a cycle of working, saving, and traveling. "I've always been lucky enough to find work and make money," he said, "so once I started this travel journey, I always felt that I'd always find money if I wanted to buy something later on."

Below, Walker explained the gritty reality behind long-term travel, why you don't need a windfall to leave home, and how he now affords to stay on the road.

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

Walker started his adventure with a ticket to Bangkok, to backpack Southeast Asia. He chose his destination in part because his father, a Buddhist, wished later in life that he would have traveled more.

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In Bangkok, Thailand.



"That feeling of being in Asia, I'll never get that back," Walker reflected. "Any traveler who’s been traveling for more than two years will say you can't get that initial feeling back — you're naive and you don't really know a lot, and everything is new and there's no expectation. Southeast Asia is perfect for that, because it's so different to Western culture. It's such an incredible vortex to be pushed into."

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In India.



After 10 months backpacking Southeast Asia, Walker moved to Australia to find a job and shore up his savings again. He ended up in Melbourne with two: a day job working in IT, and a part-time gig as a host at a restaurant.

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In Melbourne, Australia.



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Here's a map of San Francisco in 1769, before Europeans took over

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rebecca solnit infinite cities san francisco

The San Francisco Bay Area used to be a very different place, and we’re not talking about the 60s. As recently as the 1700s, the only people there were Native Americans, living in small tribes and using shells as currency.

A map called "The Names Before The Names" shows the tribes, languages, and terrain in the area in 1769, the year of the first documented European visit to the Bay.

It’s one of many fascinating maps included in "Infinite City: A San Francisco Atlas" by (relatively) longtime Bay Area resident Rebecca Solnit. For this map, cartography was done by Ben Pease.

As Solnit describes it in the book, the old Bay Area sounds pretty nice: "It was the homeland of highly localized people who knew their terrain intimately and invested it with names, stories, memories, and associations that made the place incredibly rich in ways beyond the biotic richness that also existed then, when the Bay Area teemed with salmon, with antelope, with shellfish, with huge flocks of migratory birds that would later be decimated."

As for the perhaps surprising number of tribes who lived there, she writes: "Unlike in the rest of the United States, where large groups of individuals operating as tribes or bands led by chiefs or heads were the norm, in California, small communities numbering from as few as fifty to as many as four hundred possessed regional identities, living together and managing a defined area."

The population of the area back then was about 17,000. Today it’s almost seven million. And, of course, everything looks a lot different.

Solnit has also recently created atlases for New Orleans and New York.

SEE ALSO: Inequality is rising faster in San Francisco than anywhere in America

DON'T MISS: Maps of extreme racial segregation in US cities

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Only in San Francisco — inside the 232-square-foot micro apartment that sold for nearly $425,000

Under Armour's CEO bought a full page newspaper ad to say he didn't mean to praise Trump (UA)

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Kevin Plank

Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank is stepping up the effort to distance himself from comments he made praising President Donald Trump.

Plank published a full page ad in hometown newspaper The Baltimore Sun clarifying his previous remarks. The open letter never mentions President Trump by name, instead stating Under Armour's values in diversity, equal rights, job creation, and opposing Trump's executive order travel ban.

"I personally believe that immigration is the foundation of our country’s exceptionalism," Plank wrote.

Plank also promised in the letter that Under Armour will take "other public positions on legislation around the country in support of the interests of our teammates whenever policy conflicts with human rights."

Plank had originally landed his company in hot water after praising Trump as "an asset" in a CNBC interview on February 7. The letter says that this choice of words did not "accurately reflect" his intent.

After Plank's interview, many customers said they planned to boycott Under Armour, prompting the company to release a pair of statements clarifying its values. Under Armour sponsored athletes, including Steph Curry, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and Misty Copeland also released statements on social media condemning the comments, but emphasizing their commitment to the company.

Read the letter in full:

Under Armour Baltimore Sun Ad

SEE ALSO: UNDER ARMOUR CEO: Trump is 'a real asset for the country'

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NOW WATCH: Here’s why malls across the US are dying

An HGTV star who has invested in more than 100 properties says choosing a fixer-upper is one of the smartest moves you can make when buying a home

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Scott McGillivray

If you're willing to put in some extra legwork when buying a home, choosing a fixer-upper is a great way to cut costs without sacrificing amenities, location, or square footage.

And according to Scott McGillivray, the host of HGTV's "Income Property" and a real-estate expert who has invested in more than 100 properties, going the fixer-upper route is a "win-win."

"You get to customize the renovations to your liking, first of all," he told Business Insider. "You get to renovate it the way want. But secondly, you actually create value in the home when you do those renovations. So, you're building equity into your portfolio."

A new study by the online brokerage site Owners.com found that 51% of homebuyers were indeed willing to purchase a house in need of work. But not all fixer-uppers are created equal. You want to make sure the house doesn't need so much work that it negates the discount.

To figure out whether a fixer-upper is a good deal, McGillivray recommends figuring out how much the property would be worth after the renovation and comparing that to the sale prices of homes of similar size in the area.

"You have to determine what the after-repair value of your home is going to be," he said. "Looking at similar homes that have sold that are in good condition, what are they selling for? What is the actual fixed-up value of that home?"

McGillivray shares an example: If you score a home for $200,000 and comparable properties in the area are going for $300,000, you need to invest less than $100,000 in renovations or you're overpaying.

"Ideally, I would try to make sure there's a really significant margin, like $50,000-plus, that's going to give me equity there," he said.

Fellow HGTV stars Chip and Joanna Gaines of "Fixer Upper" also know a thing or two about updating less-than-perfect homes. For the Gaineses, choosing the right property to flip comes down to one question: "Is this asset going to depreciate in value?"

If that's a yes, it's probably not worth your time. "In the housing universe, if you're confident or nearly positive that these assets are going to appreciate in value, it's a no-brainer to buy," Chip previously told Business Insider. "If you get into complicated markets to where you're not confident, rent for a season, or rent for a year or two, and let the market sort of calm itself down before you jump in with both feet."

SEE ALSO: The 25 best places to live where the average home costs less than $250,000

DON'T MISS: 9 things that crush the value of your home

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These are the wall colors that make you happiest, according to Deepak Chopra

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Deepak Chopra

Deepak Chopra — the wellness guru who rose to fame after his 1993 appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey" show— says that certain colors can elevate or lower your happiness.

Soft shades of cool colors — like blues, greens, and violets — promote calmness and lower stress levels, Chopra tells Business Insider.

"There are colors that are calming, and there are colors that are stimulating," he says.

That's especially true when they cover the walls of your home, so Chopra recommends avoiding warm, bold colors, like bright red or orange.

"When you get into orange and red, those colors excite both mood and biology," he says.

For the past seven years, in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic (a medical center in Ohio), Chopra has studied how people's environments influence their moods. Even the colors you surround yourself with can affect how you feel, he says.

Chopra is designing seven units in a Miami apartment complex, set to open in 2019, with this color philosophy in mind. The condos' walls will feature muted colors, including cream, light blue, and tea green.

Other studies back up Chopra's ideas about the significance of color. Researchers at the University of British Columbia found that shades of blue promote communication, trust, and efficiency. Another study by professors at the University of Rochester suggests that the color green facilitates creativity, positivity, harmony, and balance.

Some research has also shown that bright-colored interiors are harder to sell — so think twice before painting your home's walls a loud orange.

SEE ALSO: Oprah's 'happiness guru' designed apartments to maximize joy — and they start at $5 million

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19 truths about adulthood on Post-its that will make you laugh before you cringe

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Adulthood is hard.

Chaz Hutton, a 32-year-old Australian, knows this all too well. He illustrates the surprises, disappointments, and hard truths of adulthood in stick-figure form through Post-it notes he then Instagrams.

"They started as just a thing I'd send to friends on a group chat, then after a few months those friends convinced me to start an Instagram, which I assured them was a terrible idea, and that nothing would come of it," Hutton told Business Insider in an email.

His insights have been so popular that he's stopped working as an architect to pursue the project full-time.

"Ok, I'm just going to add 'get a dog' and I'll call that done..." @morningshowon7 😉

A post shared by Insta-Chaz (@instachaaz) on Dec 7, 2016 at 2:15pm PST on

"It's been amazing," he said. "The comments are probably the one thing about it, and largely the reason I've bothered keeping it up! Although it's becoming harder to explain to people what exactly it is I do for a living."

Scroll down to check out Hutton's take on everyday life, and see more uncomfortable but funny truths about adulthood on Instagram at @instachaaz. The US version of his book of illustrations, "A Sticky Note Guide to Life," will be published in April.

SEE ALSO: 15 hard truths about adulthood, from a 29-year-old illustrator who tells it like it is

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