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Maple syrup water tapped from trees is the next coconut water

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In 2016, coconut water generated $2.3 billion in sales worldwide.

The makers of a new designer brew — a subtly sweet water tapped from maple trees — want to ride the coattails of coconut water's success all the way to the bank.

Maple water has captured a modest following since it debuted in 2013. While coconut water still commands 98% of the global "alternative waters" market (which includes water harvested from bamboo, cactus, and artichokes), maple water has made gains. A recent report from food and drink market researcher Zenith predicts the maple water market will triple in size by 2020. It's unclear how much revenue the category currently drives.

"It's not coconut water, yet, from a category-size. We all like to hope that it gets to be that big at some point in time," Mike Roberts, vice president of sales at Sap on Tap, tells Business Insider. The company, founded in 2015, sources water tapped from maple trees on farms across the Northeast.

Arbeau, a luxury line of maple waters available in tap and sparkling, launched in 2016 in Canada. The brand's creator, Leanne Pawluk, likens the product to wine. Each batch will take on a slightly different flavor profile, just as wines change season to season.

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When I first tried maple water, I expected to taste a sugary syrup similar to what I pour over pancakes. Instead, sipping from a Dixie cup of Sap on Tap water was refreshing. The clear liquid tasted like normal water with a spot of honey — sweet, but not as sugary as a Coca Cola.

Each spring, maple tree farmers tap their trees to catch the maple water, which is also known as sap. That liquid — made up of about 98% water and 2% sugar— gets boiled down until it becomes the sticky-sweet staple of breakfast foods, according to Michael Farrell, a maple specialist at Cornell University. It takes 40 gallons of sap to yield one gallon of maple syrup.

Maple water may be a more sustainable commercial product than syrup. The trees only give about three gallons of sap per year, and farmers could stretch that supply further in its raw form. In order to be sold, the sap must be filtered to separate out bugs and bacteria. Most products have a shelf life of less than one year.

Maple tree sap syrup barn new hampshire

The future of maple water is ambiguous, however, as climate change threatens sap production. Some predict that fewer freeze-thaw cycles during the late winter and early spring could throw the brakes on sap production. Others worry maple trees will die out due to climate change.

Farrell, who directs a maple syrup research station in Lake Placid, New York, has a more optimistic view. In his book, "The Sugarmaker's Companion," he outlines several workarounds, including moving up the harvest as temperatures rise and relocating the industry to mid-Atlantic states.

And if a warm winter leads to a low sap yield, the product becomes more exclusive.

"It's sustainable, it's renewable," Pawluk says. "And it's super cool because it's water from a tree."

SEE ALSO: San Francisco has done it again with the 'sushi croissant' — here's what it's like

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NOW WATCH: Here's why maple syrup jugs have teeny tiny handles


One of the largest sailing yachts in the world is on sale for $59 million

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Athena yacht

One of the largest sailing yachts ever built is up for sale.

At 295-feet-long, the Athena Superyacht is the largest sailing yacht in the world that's currently up for sale. It offers three levels of living space.

Scroll down for a closer look:

SEE ALSO: Take a look inside 10 of the most luxurious superyachts on sale at Miami's premier yacht show

Priced at $59 million, the Athena yacht can sleep 10 guests.



It comes with 5 cabins — a master suite, three double bedrooms, and one twin.



The master suite comes with a giant bathroom with a large Jacuzzi tub.



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Deaths from opioid overdoses have jumped — and one age group is being affected at stark rates

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Black tar heroin Mexico US drugs free base

Deaths from opioid overdoses just jumped again.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which released its latest report on Friday, the most recent tragic increase follows a pattern that's been ongoing since 1999.

However, the new report details some striking changes in two areas: First, the specific drugs involved in the deaths; and second, the age groups of the people most affected.

For example, while fatal overdoses involving so-called "natural," "semi-synthetic," and "synthetic" opioids (morphine, oxycodone, methadone) all fell between 2010 and 2015, the percentage of fatal overdoses involving heroin tripled.

More specifically:

  • In 2010, 29% of fatal overdoses involved so-called "natural" and "semisynthetic" opioids (morphine, oxycodone), while only about 12% involved methadone, a "synthetic" opioid. Five years later, the percentage of fatal overdoses involving these drugs fell to 24% and 6%, respectively.
  • In contrast, fatal overdoses involving heroin skyrocketed from 8% in 2010 to 25% in 2015 — essentially tripling.

opioid drug overdose deaths BY TYPE OF DRUG

Different age groups were also hit far harder by fatal opioid overdose than others. While overdose death rates increased for all age groups, the greatest increase was in adults aged 55-64. Still, the group with the highest overall rates of fatal overdose was slightly younger — adults aged 45-54.

Specifically:

  • The percentage increase of drug overdose deaths among adults aged 55-64 rose from 4.2 per 100,000 in 1999 to 21.8 in 2015.
  • In 2015, adults aged 45-54 had the highest death rate from drug overdose at 30 deaths per 100,000.

opioid drug overdose deaths BY AGE

The trouble with (prescription) painkillers

Heroin and opioid painkillers — including prescription ones — have a problematic relationship: Research suggests that since they act similarly in the brain (opioid painkillers are often referred to by some doctors as "heroin lite"), taking one (even "as directed") can increase one's susceptibility to becoming hooked on the other.

And while the overdose death rate for illicitly-obtained opioids like fentanyl — the drug involved in the death of musician Prince— is skyrocketing (it jumped 73% from 2014 to 2015, according to last year's version of this CDC report), the overdose death rate from many other legal prescription opioids is rising far more slowly (4% over the same period, that report found). That could suggest that recent efforts aimed at curbing widespread over-prescribing practices could be starting to have a positive impact.

Fentanyl is a tricky drug, though: It's available legally (with a prescription) and illegally (on the black market). It's also 50 times stronger than pure heroin.

fentanyl

As a result of these factors, tackling the overdose epidemic will likely require not only curbing doctors' overprescribing practices, but also curbing the manufacture of dangerous illicit drugs, lessening the stigma surrounding drug use and addiction, and beginning to treat addiction as what it is — a learning disorder.

"The prescription opioid and heroin epidemic continues to devastate communities and families across the country," Michael Botticelli, the former White House Director of National Drug Control Policy, said in a statement last year, "in large part because too many people still do not get effective substance use disorder treatment."

SEE ALSO: Researchers finally pinpoint how a single doctor's prescribing habits could impact long-term drug use — and the results are stark

DON'T MISS: The answer to treating drug and alcohol addiction may be far simpler than you think

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Architects sketched their favorite buildings on napkins — here are highlights

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Leadenhall Building The Cheese Grater hlw london winner

Architects and designers at HLW International recently competed in drawing their favorite buildings on cocktail napkins.

Some of the entries are pretty impressive, from a wonderfully detailed look at the "Cheesegrater Building" in London (above) to a dreamy sketch of the Brooklyn Bridge.

We’ve got the winners and the highlights here, courtesy of HLW. (Note: this reporter’s spouse works there.)

SEE ALSO: Le Corbusier's plan to demolish downtown Paris

DON'T MISS: 11 brilliant visualizations that show inside complex things

The California State Capitol. This drawing by Hayley Nevins was the winner in HLW's New York office.



An ancient tower in Shanxi Province of China. This drawing by DaLei Huang was the winner in HLW's Shanghai office.



The Laxmi-Villas Palace Gate in India. This drawing by Khyati Dutt was the winner from HLW's New Jersey office.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Facebook hopes to stop suicides from being live streamed with new tools (FB)

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Facebook

On January 22, a 14-year-old girl named Naika Venant used her phone to go live on Facebook. With the world watching, she then proceeded to hang herself with a scarf in the bathroom of her Miami foster home.

“That was a particularly tragic event," Vanessa Callison-Burch, a Facebook product manager who works on suicide prevention tools, said during a recent interview. "And it touched people on our team very deeply."

Starting Wednesday, Facebook will interrupt a potentially suicidal person during a live video with a message prompting them to chat with support partners like the Crisis Text Line, or seek additional help.

The company said that it's also starting to use artificial intelligence to report and take down content based on posts marked as suicidal in the past. Both updates come after a string of suicides and other deaths, like the shooting of Philando Castile, have been streamed on Facebook since its debut of live video in 2015.

Similar suicide prevention resources were introduced for text posts on Facebook last summer, but this is the first time they've been added for videos.

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In a recently published manifesto about the future of Facebook, CEO Mark Zuckerberg touched on how his company planned to better identify and report abusive or harmful posts.

"Going forward, there are even more cases where our community should be able to identify risks related to mental health, disease or crime," he wrote.

After talking with mental health experts, Facebook realized that immediately cutting a video stream limited the ability for someone to receive support from their friends and loved ones, according to the company's head of suicide prevention research, Jennifer Guadagno. 

"We know that the context really matters," she said. "And friends and family have that context."

When someone who is broadcasting live is reported as suicidal, a member of Facebook's Community Operations team will also review the video to determine whether the authorities should be contacted or if the video should be taken down altogether.

It's not a full-proof system that leaves plenty of room for human error. But for now, the social network is trying to walk a fine line between policing everything that's shared and helping people who may be suicidal find the help they need.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: A Facebook bug was telling people they died

Take a look inside Gwyneth Paltrow's luxe New York loft, on the market for just shy of $10 million

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Pity Gwyneth Paltrow. The Goop founder and Academy Award winner has been trying to sell her Tribeca apartment for almost a year. And now, it’s just been re-listed with a new broker (Jay Glazer of Compass), a new price of $9.995 million and lots and lots of glorious photos.

Paltrow and her ex-husband, Chris Martin, had listed the apartment at 416 Washington Street for $14.25 million last April, and chopped the price to $12.85 million in November. The couple bought it in 2007 for a little more than $5.1 million.

gwyneth apartment

This is not the first time we have seen the interiors of Gwyn’s apartment; she had posted a select few photos on Goop last year. But these photos are more extensive and way more exciting. In them we see a white kitchen for preparing lots of gluten-free snacks, some sort of crouching table where you can eat those snacks, and tons of fluffy white rugs we want to nap on.

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The 3,892-square-foot condo has three bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, 11-foot ceilings, a 500-square-foot decked terrace and French doors. The design duo Roman & Williams designed the apartment, and per the Goop story, the apartment "floats above the cobblestone streets like a pale, dreamy cloud."

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MORE FROM LUXURY LISTINGS:

Eleven Madison Park headed to the Hamptons this summer

Trump’s Mar-A-Lago is getting a helipad

Forget London, Oxford is the UK's most unaffordable city

SEE ALSO: London mansions are selling at a discount after Brexit — and the wealthiest buyers in the world are rushing to cash in

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: This $250M mansion is the most expensive home for sale in the US — complete with a helicopter and a $30M car collection

If you're going to wear jeans this spring, here's the trick you need to know

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Jeans

Something about spring and summer makes men want to show off their ankles.

Without much provocation, as soon as the weather is warm enough the jeans start to roll up as if by magic.

If you're going to jump on the casual-cool bandwagon, we'd like you to at least do it correctly.

Most guys think rolling up their jeans is as simple as folding up the fabric so it lies comfortably above the shoe, but with most pants that will give your silhouette an odd shadow.

The way to fight that is a method called the "pinroll", which ensures that your jean's cuff doesn't flare out in an unsightly way as it sits higher on your leg. Another benefit of the pinroll is that it allows you to show off your sweet spring kicks.

Step by step, here's how it's done:

  • First, unroll your cuff completely.
  • Then, fold the inside of your pant's inseam (that's the inner seam of the pant) on top of itself vertically so you have two layers of pant on top of each other. How much fabric you fold over will dictate how slim the cuff is.
  • Finally, roll up the cuff like you would normally, taking care that the folded-over part stays pinned in place. Voilà.

If you'd rather see it done, here's a video: 

SEE ALSO: The best men's haircut for every face shape

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NOW WATCH: You should never wash your jeans — here's how to clean them

The 'Tesla of cannabis' is opening a massive, custom-built marijuana greenhouse

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A marijuana cultivator that's been called the "Tesla of cannabis" is bringing the industry out of the darkness and into the light — literally.

Tantalus Labs, which could start selling product as early as 2018, has wrapped construction on a state-of-the-art cultivation site designed to give marijuana plants the benefits of indoor and outdoor growing. The greenhouse lets sunlight pour in, enabling the plants to grow fuller buds faster.

Shafin Diamond, a prominent Canadian angel investor, gave Tantalus Labs the moniker "Tesla of cannabis" because of the company's dedication to pioneering new, sustainable technologies. Like the company behind electric cars and aesthetically appealing solar panels, Tantalus Labs optimizes for environmental stewardship.

tantalus labs SunLab

Marijuana grows well in the outdoors. However, the vast majority of legal cannabis cultivation sites grow their marijuana in indoor facilities.

"Why is it that this industry was driven indoors? The core reason was stealth," Dan Sutton, founder and managing director of Tantalus Labs, says. "It's a lot easier to hide plants in basements and in bunkers than to cultivate it in the light, because it is federally illegal."

Medical marijuana has been legal in Canada since 2000, and the country is working to broaden its program to include recreational use by this spring. The legal market is expected to generate $22.6 billion annually after the recreational market opens up.

Tantalus Labs was founded in 2012 in an effort to advance the way marijuana is cultivated. A team of scientists, designers, and engineers spent over two years designing the facility, and another two years constructing it. They looked to the agriculture industry for best practices.

"We take those core concepts and we iterate on them so we can provide consistency, not only in product output, but in [meeting] a pharmacological standard," Sutton said.

tantalus labs CentralBreezeway

The non-artificial sunlight helps the plants turn a rich green color and grow productive — or dense — buds. Plus, it helps Tantalus Labs save on electricity.

The facility cycles its air every seven minutes, which helps get rid of pests and prevents stale air from settling around the leaves of the plants and creating mold.

British Columbia gets lots of rain, so Tantalus Labs created a water recapture system on the facility's 120,000-square-foot roof. The rain is filtered, fed natural fertilizers, and pumped through an irrigation system that waters the plants.

tantalus labs SunLabSign

Sutton describes the future buyer as someone who is likely to shop at Whole Foods.

"Nature has done an excellent job of cultivating plants for the last billions of years. The closest we get to a natural strategy, the more effective we are," Sutton said.

SEE ALSO: The marijuana industry's first $1 billion 'unicorn' is a Canadian company you've probably never heard of

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: This animated map shows where marijuana is legal in the US


12 style upgrades any guy can snag for under $60

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Shoelaces

Spring is almost here, and it's time to take a look at your wardrobe.

Rather than do a massive overhaul, though, there are some small things you can do to give your outfits that fresh spring feel.

From a new watch strap to a fresh pair of white canvas sneakers, here are 12 super-accessible upgrades you can buy to get your closet ready for spring.

They're so cheap, you might as well try it, right?

SEE ALSO: Why guys still hate buying clothes for themselves

A stylish new watch.

 The Timex Weekender Fairfield is the watch to buy this spring. Its simple design and low price make this an easy one to recommend.

Timex Weekender Fairfield, $31



A fresh pair of white sneakers.

White shoes are one of the best new things you should wear for spring. And they can't be had for a better value than the Converse All-Star Monochrome, which perfectly nails that all-white minimalism at a super-low price point.

Converse All-Star Monochrome, $55

 



A watch strap to take your wrist style up a notch.

The easiest thing you can do to refresh your wardrobe for spring is to get a new watch strap.

Easily interchangeable in any watch, a nylon NATO Watch Strap will add a fresh new look for less than $15. They come in a variety of colors, so you can mix and match anything you'd like.

 NATO Watch Strap, $12



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The suit that Trump wore for his address to Congress was a huge step up in his presidential appearance

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He's not much of a sartorial icon or the typical picture of a politician. And yet in his first speech to a joint session of congress Tuesday night, President Trump looked different from his normal self.

He donned a dark navy (possibly even black) suit that appeared tailored to his body, a departure from his notoriously baggy numbers. It's also not quite as shiny as his other suits.

The cuffs are still a tad too long, but there's the right amount of shirt cuff poking out. That is aided by the fact that the jacket is buttoned up — a rarity for Trump.

The tie is a classy blue-striped one worn in place of his usual red "power tie." We didn't get a good look at the lower half, but the part above the lectern is what really matters.

Many on Twitter commented on the president's new look:

Admittedly, the bar for Trump looking presidential is pretty low, but it's still remarkable to see a change where one was not expected. More to that point: Why did Trump wait until now to decide to make the switch? There was little to no change during his campaign, his victory speech, his inauguration, or even his first days in office. 

When the bar is low, it's not always worth praising someone for stepping over it. However, Trump's mini makeover shows the power that a few small changes can have for your overall image. Everyone will notice you look better, even if they can't quite pinpoint why.

SEE ALSO: One of the best-dressed guys at the Oscars broke all of the rules

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The Trump family's lavish lifestyle is costing taxpayers a fortune

A writing coach explains how to properly use em dashes, ellipses, and parentheses

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Writing coach and CUNY Journalism Press editor Timothy Harper tells us how to properly use ellipses, em dashes, and parentheses.

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

The default, typically, when we’re using punctuation is the comma. Sometimes we’ll want to use something else, like an em dash, or parentheses, for a different type of emphasis.

Sometimes in a long piece particularly, where you’re trying to create a more intimate understanding with the reader, you might use parentheses as an aside, as if you’re whispering in the person’s ear.

The em dash is something that really sets off that phrase in the middle and kind of just holds it up like a flashcard here at the side as we’re moving along. “The Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz — always a fan favorite at home — had his best year in 2016.” It’s not going to slow us down, it’s just going to give us a little blast of additional information quickly.

Ellipses are three dots that basically fill in, meaning something has been left out. I really encourage people not to use those because a reader looks at that and thinks, “What was left out?" Sometimes, though, we will do it to really shorten a long quote for example, a quotation, to just get right to the important part of it.

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The most popular way people are using their credit-card rewards

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Rewards are one of the main benefits of using credit cards. And to earn these rewards, people use their cards for everyday purchases, as well as big-ticket items like travel, so they can rack up the most rewards. But do people actually end up using those rewards? A recent Capital One survey asked general rewards cardholders about their views on rewards cards, and how they're benefitting from the points they earn. 

Here's a look at how people are "spending" their rewards.

Capital One chartCapital One chart

 
Learn how Capital One is making rewards redemption easier.

This post is sponsored by Capital One.

Join the conversation about this story »

This hair dye actually changes color based on the temperature

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Have you ever wished you had a different hair color in the middle of the day? This hair dye will do it for you with a little bit of heat. The FIRE hair dye is a concept by Lauren Bowker. When it is hit by heat or cold, it changes its pigment chemistry to adjust its color. Lauren's company, the Unseen, premiered the dye during London Fashion Week.

Director : Christel Chaudet
Hair : Kieran Tudor
Makeup : Mizzie Logan
Model : Jemima Kinsella Storm Models

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Spain just hired someone to solve its growing sex problem

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coupleEdelmira Barreira Diz has a big task ahead of her: As of earlier this year, it is now her job to get Spaniards to have more sex.

In late January, Barreira was hired as a special commissioner in Spain's government to reverse the trend of falling fertility rates in the country. According to CIA data, women have an average of just 1.49 children, well below the replacement fertility rate of 2.2 kids, which demographers say keeps a population steady.

As a result, in 2015 Spain had its first year in decades in which deaths outnumbered births.

Low fertility rates can be both a symptom and cause of larger economic woes. On the one hand, if people aren't reproducing, there are fewer people alive to keep the economy healthy through spending. On the other, low fertility rates can indicate the economy is already weak, and that people don't feel like they have the means to start families.

Barreira, for her part, acknowledged to Spanish press in late February that "it isn't going to be possible to solve the problem overnight." The case in her country is unique in that women in Spain wait longer than most women in Europe to have kids — the average age is over 30 — and that Spaniards live longer, on average, than any other country residents in the European Union.

Over the next several months it'll be Barreira's job to produce a "clear diagnosis" of the problem, according to the Spanish newspaper Faro De Vigo. Already, the unemployment rate stands out as a clear sign the country needs a kickstart, Barreira said. Nearly half of all young people in Spain are jobless.

Similar to how Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has had to address demographic challenges in his home country of Japan, which has young people abandoning their elders outside hospitals because in-home care is too expensive, Barreira will look to develop solutions of her own.

"We have a lot of work ahead of us," Barreira told Faro De Vigo.

She hasn't yet revealed specific plans to combat falling fertility in the face of widespread aging, but other countries may offer some creative ideas.

In Japan, Abe has launched speed dating events and fatherhood classes to get men interested in family life. (Although some scholars argue the real solution involves much more government intervention to change Japan's work-heavy culture.)

In Denmark, TV ads told viewers to "Do it for Denmark." In Singapore, where fertility rates are the lowest in the world, the government held an event in 2012, sponsored by Mentos, that not-so-subtly encouraged people to "let their patriotism explode."

And in Russia, September 12 has been the official Day of Conception since 2007. Women who give birth nine months later, on June 12, win a free refrigerator.

SEE ALSO: Japanese people who can't afford elder care are reviving a practice known as 'granny dumping'

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NOW WATCH: There is a fountain of free flowing wine in Spain

We visited convenience store rivals Wawa and Sheetz to see who does it best — and the winner is clear

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The Capulets versus the Montagues. 

Harvard versus Yale.

Britney versus Christina.

Among history's fabled rivalries, perhaps none is more fiercely contested than Wawa versus Sheetz.

In Pennsylvania and the surrounding states where these premium gas stations dominate highway pit stops, everyone has an opinion as to which is the convenience chain of choice. 

In an effort to definitively settle this age-old schism, we took it upon ourselves to journey to the heartland of the two rivals — the borderlands of Pennsylvania and New Jersey — and see which chain reigns supreme. 

Our quest begins in the parking lot of a Wawa in south Phillipsburg, NJ, off Route 22. The gas pumps are plentiful and bustling with activity, but we're more interested about what's inside.



Wawa, with over 720 locations in six states on the East Coast, is renowned for its high-quality yet inexpensive food. Walking inside, the vibe is clean, professional, yet unassuming. Muted yellows and browns are the key colors, leading to a relaxed yet often bland visual landscape.



It takes a few minutes to even comprehend the array of food options available at Wawa. The pre-packaged section is well stocked, and ambitious and diverse in scope. Even packaged food appears fresh — not as though it has been abandoned on the shelf for untold lengths.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Shave off your goatee, do it today

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chuck todd

Facial hair in all its forms — beards, mustaches etc. — have been coming back with a vengeance for years now, but it's about time we address one form of this trend that is an absolute no-no. The goatee.

If you have one, shave it off. Do it today.

Your goatee says, 'I just time traveled here from an Orlando sales conference sometime in 1991 and I'm here to party to the sweet sounds of Kid Rock and Creed in my sleeveless t-shirt and cargo shorts.'

Maybe that's not what you see when you look in the mirror, but that's what your goatee is saying. Trust us.

You don't have to take our word for it. We talked to stylist Jessica Cadmus, founder of the Wardrobe Whisperer, a firm that specializes in dressing professionals, especially on Wall Street.

"The topic of 'grooming' comes up quite frequently with my male clients," Cadmus told Business Insider. "I'm often asked about facial hair and what's acceptable. I've given dispensations for beards and beard/mustache combos (industry dependent, of course) but when it comes to goatees my boilerplate reads like this: if you are not Idris Elba or Brad Pitt, do not attempt it."

Emphasis ours.

The goatee is a vestige of the 90s that won't seem to loosen its death grip on men around the country. And while we understand that a lot of 90s fashion is back, its facial hair did not come along with it.

"In fact, in the past few decades it has developed many negative connotations," Cadmus said. When it comes to Finance specifically, working at a big bank is like playing ball for the Yanks. You should be clean shaven. It's part of the culture - especially if you are client facing. Back office dudes and those who work for hedge funds have more latitude but I, for one, would not feel warm and fuzzy entrusting great sums of money to someone who erred in judgment so egregiously that he felt a goatee was a good move."

Well put, Jessica.

Now to review: 

This is what you wish you looked like with a goatee.



This is what you actually look like.



Again, this is what you think you look like.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here's how to split the restaurant bill in any situation

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Whether you're taking a client to dinner, grabbing lunch with a new friend, or sharing a meal with your in-laws, awkwardness can immediately settle in when the bill comes and everyone stares, silently wondering, "Who pays?"

Several potential scenarios can play out: Should you split the check evenly? Should everyone pay for their own meal? Is it expected that your father-in-law will pick up the check?

Every dining situation, from a birthday dinner to a double date, commands its own nuances when it comes to handling the check. We spoke with three experts — Diane Gottsman, national etiquette expert and the owner of The Protocol School of Texas, David Weliver, founder of financial advice website Money Under 30, and Patricia Napier-Fitzpatrick, founder and president of The Etiquette School of New York— to definitively decide how to handle the bill in 10 common situations.

"Other than business meals, there are no hard and fast rules for splitting the check," Napier-Fitzpatrick told Business Insider. "In business, it's protocol for the person extending the invitation to pay. In terms of all other different scenarios, I would say there are certain guidelines, things one would do to make sure they didn't feel taken advantage of and that they're being considerate when it comes to paying for meals."

Read on to check out who's turn it is to pick up the bill when, and avoid those awkward "How do you wanna do this?" conversations for good.

SEE ALSO: 13 smart 10-minute money decisions our coworkers wish they'd made sooner

DON'T MISS: A financial planner reveals the best money habit for 30-somethings







See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 15 best US states for first-time homebuyers

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Des Moines Iowa

The narrative that millennials are eschewing all of the traditional habits of their parents is simply a myth, particularly when it comes to homebuying.

In fact, 65% of millennials still consider buying a home part of the American Dream, more than any other generation.

But burdensome student loan debt, high rent prices, and low wages are affecting their ability to save up for a down payment, contributing to the lowest homeownership rate in the US in decades.

Still, these factors vary across cities and states, and there are some places where it's more attainable for first-time buyers to enter the market.

New data from Bankrate discovered how first-time homebuyers fare in all 50 US states considering five factors:

  • Housing affordability: percentage of median household income for 25- to 44-year-olds that goes toward mortgage payments (using the median sale price)
  • Entry-level job market: five-year average unemployment rate for 25- to 34-year-olds
  • Market tightness: growth in housing stock from 2010 to 2015 and the percentage of homes for sale
  • Credit availability: percentage of home loans rejected by credit lenders
  • Millennial homeownership rate: percentage of homeowners under 35

Bankrate weighted each category equally to determine its ranking. States in the Midwest and the non-coastal West proved to be the most accommodating to first-time homebuyers, while California, New York, and Hawaii are the toughest states.

Below, check out the 15 states where it's easiest to become a homeowner.

The metrics included below were all used to calculate Bankrate's ranking, with the exception of median home value, which was sourced independently from Zillow.

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

DON'T MISS: The 10 best cities to buy a rental property if you want to make extra money on the side

15. Alaska

Percent of median income toward mortgage : 20.1%

Unemployment rate: 7.2%

Under 35 homeownership rate: 35.5%

Median home value: $267,000



14. Oklahoma

Percent of median income toward mortgage: 14.6%

Unemployment rate: 5.5%

Under 35 homeownership rate: 37.6%

Median home value: $114,400

 



13. Montana

Percent of median income toward mortgage: 23.5%

Unemployment rate: 5.2%

Under 35 homeownership rate: 34.3%

Median home value: $197,900



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Here's why McDonald's Filet-O-Fish sales skyrocket in March

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McDonald's claims that the Filet-O-Fish sandwich is the most popular menu item during March, and that the company sells nearly a quarter of its total yearly Filet-O-Fish sandwiches this month.

Why? March lines up with Lent, the 40-day-long religious event during which participating Christians don't eat meat on Fridays.

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INSIDE 'JEOPARDY!' — We spent a day on the set with Alex Trebek

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CULVER CITY, CaliforniaWe recently spent a day on the set of the iconic TV game show "Jeopardy!"

Alex Trebek joined the show as its host in 1984. He and his staff invited Business Insider to be a fly on the wall during one of the show's production days. "Jeopardy!" is filmed on a soundstage at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California.

Trebek, 76, said the show is a "well-oiled machine," staffed with loyal writers, producers, researchers, and stage crew, many of whom have been with the show for decades. Five episodes are taped a day, two days a week, three weeks a month.

Trebek reportedly earns an annual salary of $10 million, but a representative from "Jeopardy!" would not confirm this.

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