Jack Ma made headlines recently after visiting President Trump and announcing that he would help create a million jobs in the US.

But the Chinese billionaire has not held back voicing scepticism of Trump's protectionist policies, warning "if trade stops, war starts."

When it comes to trade, Ma knows what he's talking about. According to Forbes, he's worth an estimated $29 billion, which includes his 7.8% stake in Alibaba — China's answer to Amazon — and a nearly 50% stake in payment-processing service Alipay.

Ma is a true rags-to-riches story. He grew up poor in communist China, failed his university-entrance exam twice, and was rejected from dozens of jobs, including one at KFC, before finding success with his third internet company, Alibaba.

Jillian D'onfro contributed to an earlier version of this post.

SEE ALSO: How self-made billionaire Jack Ma used charisma and masterful speaking skills to build the Alibaba empire

Jack Ma — born Ma Yun — was born on October 15, 1964, in Hangzhou, located in the southeastern part of China. He has an older brother and a younger sister. He and his siblings grew up at a time when communist China was increasingly isolated from the West, and his family didn't have much money when they were young.

 Source: 60 Minutes, USA Today

Ma was scrawny and often got into fights with classmates. "I was never afraid of opponents who were bigger than I," he recalls in "Alibaba," a book by Liu Shiying and Martha Avery. Still, Ma had hobbies just like any other kid. He liked collecting crickets and making them fight, and was able to distinguish the size and type of cricket just by the sound it made.

Source: USA Today, Business Insider

After President Nixon visited Hangzhou in 1972, Ma's hometown became a tourist mecca. As a teenager, Ma started waking up early to visit the city's main hotel, offering visitors tours of the city in exchange for English lessons. The nickname "Jack" was given to him by a tourist he befriended.

Source: 60 Minutes

Restaurant chain Denny's is the latest brand to jump on the craze of "zoom" memes and created one of the most-shared versions of the new internet fad.

The new mobile-friendly meme asks users to go on a scavenger hunt and zoom into different parts of a picture before ending on a punchline.

With its tweet of the new meme Denny's wasn't pushing a marketing message — tactic that has often led to cringeworthy branded moments in internet culture.

The new meme appears to have first been created on Twitter, when a user posted a picture of a dog asking people to zoom in on its nose.

After the first zoom, users are told to "look in the bottom left corner" then "look in the top right corner" before ending on "you are beautiful."

The idea went viral and people began zooming in on all kinds of images, not just dogs.

Now Denny's has created a popular version of the meme:

The tweet first asks users to look at the syrup:

The punchline:

The tweet has racked up more than 68,000 retweets, nearly 10,000 more than the first zoom meme.

But according to the Reddit community /r/MemeEconomy, which treats memes as if they were commodities, the value of the zoom meme has peaked and reached "sell" status, now that brands are using it.

SEE ALSO: Burger King used photos of real restaurant fires in its latest campaign to show it always flame-grills its burgers

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NOW WATCH: What happens when you eat too much protein

Having the modern conveniences of just running out to the store and picking up whatever you could possibly want to eat has very few drawbacks. However, you never really get to see what goes into making your food or how it's harvested. Many foods look very different before they are harvested — you probably wouldn't even recognize these foods if you walked past them in the forest.

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After the Chernobyl nuclear disaster happened in 1986, 116,000 people in the exclusion area were forced to leave their homes permanently. The empty area has been completely abandoned ever since — with the exception of a somewhat newly developed wildlife population.

Due to the lack of human life in the region, scientists are saying it's possible that the number of animals in the area is now higher than it was 30 years ago. Today you can find elk, deer, wolves, bison, and dozens of other species. On top of that, the growing population of wolves in the area has become a direct threat to nearby livestock. Local farms are paying hunters for each wolf they capture and kill.

Ahead, see images of wildlife that have swarmed the highly toxic area.

Courtney Verrill contributed reporting to a previous version of this article.

SEE ALSO: 33 stunning images shortlisted for the Sony World Photography Awards 2017

Chernobyl is still unsafe for humans due to the high levels of radiation found there.

Despite earlier studies that suggested wildlife in the region could also suffer from radiation, scientists have found no evidence to support these claims.

Source: Independent

Researchers think that wildlife returned to the area because it has been almost completely untouched by humans, which has allowed certain species to thrive.

Source: Live Science

Traveling for business doesn't need to be a chore. 

In light of that, we've come up with a list of apps that could help make your work trip go more smoothly. 

From planning the route, to staying organized while you're away, to keeping in touch with colleagues when you don't have a computer on hand, these apps will help you to have the most stress-free trip possible.

SEE ALSO: We tested the high-tech suitcase meant to make business travel less stressful — here's the verdict

DON'T MISS: This is the best watch to have if you travel often for work

Google Maps

Avoid getting lost en route to a meeting and find your way with Google Maps. Enter the destination before you leave Internet service, and the app will keep your route on screen. 

Available on: Android and iOS.

Cost: Free

Oanda Currency Converter

Currency converter Oanda is a useful tool for international travelers. The app allows you to convert between currencies using up-to-date rates. 

Available on: Android and iOS.

Cost: Free

Hopper

Hopper tells you "when to fly and when to buy." The app will track your route and alert you when the best price becomes available.

Available on: Android and iOS.

Cost: Free

It's generally accepted that with each decade of our lives comes a new visible marker of age.

To combat these tell-tale signs, dozens of "anti-aging" products and routines are marketed at people (mostly women) in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s.

Use anti-wrinkle cream! Sleep with tea bags under your eyes! Avoid stress!, they command.

As it turns out, most of these strategies don't actually do anything to keep your skin or hair healthy, according to experts. More importantly, while most of us assume there's an intrinsic link between the visible signs of aging (like wrinkles and grey hair), this idea is generally misguided.

Here's what you should know about your health and the external markers of the passage of time.

SEE ALSO: Most dietary supplements are useless, but here are the ones you should take

DON'T MISS: Trump said he wants to replace Obamacare with something 'better' — here's what he could learn from the British

1. Anti-wrinkle creams will erase the fine lines that emerge in your 20s.

The myth: Anti-aging creams and lotions will "roll back the clock" and make fine lines disappear.

Why it's bogus: According to the staff at the Mayo Clinic, anti-aging creams and lotions don't do too much for the skin's appearance. "The benefits of these products are usually only modest at best," they write.  

So what's the best thing you can do for your skin? Prevent damage from happening in the first place by keeping skin moisturized (plain old lotion is fine) and wearing sunscreen daily.

2. Dark circles will appear beneath your eyes in your 30s, but you can minimize them with targeted ointments.

Myth: Dark under-eye circles show up in your 30s, but you can prevent them with targeted, vitamin-packed under-eye creams.

Why it's bogus: "Periorbital dark circles," as they are known scientifically, are caused by a variety of factors, of which aging is only one. Everything from your genes to how tired you are can influence the appearance of these areas, as a 2016 review published in The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology found.

The reason aging can contribute to under-eye circles is because skin gets thinner over time, and the area just beneath the eyes is thinner than the skin on other parts of your face. This makes the blood vessels beneath more visible, resulting in a grey or purplish hue.

3. To avoid the grey hairs of your 40s, keep stress levels low.

The myth: Most people start to see grey hairs in their 40s, and the chief cause is stress.

Why it's bogus: Genetic factors — not environmental ones — appear to play the strongest role in determining when your hair begins to lose its color.

"For the vast majority of people, greying hair is not down to something you have done, but to genetic factors beyond your control," Nina Goad of the British Association of Dermatologists told the BBC.

Still, while some limited studies in mice have suggested a link between stress and the appearance of grey hairs, there is little evidence that this is the case in humans, University of Melbourne professor of dermatology Rodney Sinclair points out in The Conversation.

More Americans favor legal marijuana than ever before.

As the $6.9 billion industry steps into the light, a new subculture around pot is taking shape. It shrugs off the stoner stereotypes of the past and brings like-minded people together to enjoy the plant in legal, communal settings. In San Francisco, private events centered on cannabis are gaining popularity, including gourmet "wake and bake" brunches and ganja-fueled yoga.

The latest trendy event series in San Francisco has people getting high on marijuana during painting workshops, much like the paint and wine classes taking America by storm.

We attended a Puff, Pass & Paint class to see what it was like.

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

Puff, Pass & Paint classes got their start in Denver, Colorado, in 2014, shortly after the state legalized recreational marijuana. Founder Heidi Keyes was working as an artist at the time.

"A friend jokingly suggested that I should 'start a wine and painting class — but with weed,'" Keyes says. She's been a cannabis user for over half of her life.

She decided to give it a go, and the class in Denver exploded in popularity. Today, you can find Puff, Pass & Paint classes in six states where recreational marijuana is legal.

Find a Puff, Pass & Paint class near you »

Anyone who saw the documentary or Broadway play would likely balk at living in the actual home that "Grey Gardens" inspired. They would likely balk even more at its price tag: $19.995 million.

But the East Hampton mansion where it all began now looks nothing like it did in the 1975 documentary showcasing the lives of Jackie Kennedy Onassis' ex-socialite relatives. 

Journalist and author Sally Quinn purchased the mansion with her husband, the late Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee, for $220,000 in 1979. They completely rehabilitated it to the current splendor that it now shows, according to The New York Times.

The Corcoran Group has the listing.

SEE ALSO: Ivanka Trump's Manhattan apartment just got a price chop — take a look inside

The home has the slate exterior of a typical Hamptons home.

Walk past the sizable porch ...

... and enter a home of stately beauty.

It's been almost two years since Michael Jackson's famed Neverland Ranch first came onto the market with a hefty $100 million price tag. 

Now it's back with a significantly lower listing price: $67 million. 

Renamed "Sycamore Valley Ranch," the 2,700-acre ranch in Los Olivos, California, was originally bought from Jackson by private investment firm Colony Capital for $23.5 million in 2008. It was subsequently restored and put back on the market, but it still hasn't sold.

Joyce Rey of Coldwell Banker Previews International has the listing this time around.

April Walloga contributed to an earlier version of this story.

SEE ALSO: One of the most infamous homes in the Hamptons is on the market for nearly $20 million — and it's got a brand-new look

Welcome to Neverland Ranch, the famed property that once belonged to the late Michael Jackson.

Passing through the gates into the driveway, visitors will see a bronze statue of children playing in front of the main house.

Here is a full view of the front of the Normandy-style mansion.

CULVER CITY, California — We recently had the opportunity to visit the set of "Jeopardy!" on a taping day and got to talk to the iconic host of the show, Alex Trebek. 

The show records five episodes on a taping day, and during the break between the filming of the third and fourth episodes, Trebek sat down with Business Insider for an interview.

We asked the 76-year-old, Canada-born television icon to reveal his list of the citizens of his native country that he most admires. 

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Sometimes it's worth going far off the beaten path. Photo-sharing app EyeEm recently hosted a contest asking their members to submit shots from their most interesting travel experiences.

The results are stunning views from less obvious — but still very tourist-worthy — stops in Iceland, Myanmar, Canada, and more. Ahead, see 14 amazing destinations that could be your next truly unique getaway. 

SEE ALSO: More than 30 years after the Chernobyl disaster, no people can live in the area — but the animal population is thriving

Visitors can hike along and into the Fjadrárgljúfur Canyon in southern Iceland.

The Royal Angkhang Station Project provides agricultural support to locals in the Chiang Mai province of Thailand.

Here's a shot of a naturally formed cave inside the Athabasca Glacier in Banff National Park, Canada's oldest national park.

Life is good for Evan Spiegel.

His company, Snap Inc., went public on Thursday at a $33 billion valuation. And with a net worth of at least $5 billion, 26-year-old Spiegel is one of the youngest billionaires in the world.

He lives a charmed life and he knows it.

"I am a young, white, educated male," the Snapchat creator once said at a Stanford business conference. "I got really, really lucky. And life isn't fair."

We've pulled the highlights of Spiegel's spectacular life and career from profiles by LA Weekly, Forbes, Business Insider, court documents, and more.

SEE ALSO: 'Right now we're just celebrating': Inside Snap's crazy $33 billion IPO

Spiegel grew up in the Pacific Palisades, a ritzy Los Angeles enclave just east of Malibu. He is the older son of two Ivy League-educated lawyers. His parents divorced when he was in high school.

When Spiegel turned 16 and got his driver's license, he was given a Cadillac Escalade, which he parked in the gated Southern California Edison parking lot next to his school. Spiegel's father represented Edison during the energy crisis.

Source: LA Weekly

Spiegel spent his early years at an ultra-exclusive school called Crossroads in Santa Monica, which costs tens of thousands per academic year. Other notable alumni include Tinder cofounder Sean Rad, Kate Hudson, Jonah Hill, Jack Black, and Gwyneth Paltrow.

In a world where people are busier than they’ve ever been, keeping track of all the credit cards you may have can be rather inconvenient. And if you’ve ever found yourself fishing through your wallet for a specific card, or digging through your bag at the cash register of the grocery store with a long line behind you, you know just how frustrating locating this simple piece of plastic can sometimes be. Fortunately, new technology is making the process of using and managing your credit cards faster, easier, and more satisfying. Here are three time-saving credit card technologies to lower your stress levels.

Mobile wallets

Those looking for even greater convenience should check out mobile wallets, which allow you to make credit card purchases directly from an app on your phone.

Enabled by near field communication (NFC) technology, mobile wallet apps link the secure credit card information stored in your phone to the connected point-of-sale devices used at the register of most retail stores. All you have to do to make a purchase is to open the app containing your credit card information and move it close to the sales terminal. Though mobile wallet apps are frequently provided by your personal bank, many of them are capable of integrating your loyalty cards, as well.

Even better, you can even use the app to manage your finances by tracking your spending and signing up for purchase notifications and digitized receipts. You can also use these apps to store data on your phone, which improves the mobile shopping experience and helps you to make smarter spending decisions. For example, mobile wallets use auto fill to save you the time of punching in your credit card information every time you make an online purchase. 

Internet of Things

Once a novelty, connected devices are everywhere today and being used for almost everything in our daily lives— from entertainment to navigation to task reminders. But now they can also help you keep track of your finances. Capital One has teamed up with Amazon to introduce the Capital One Skill for Alexa, which gives Capital One customers the ability to make payments and get financial information just by speaking to the device. It brings convenience to another level, which is the very purpose of technology.

Fingerprint scanners

This might come as a surprise, but companies are already testing tools that would allow you to make a credit card purchase just by running your hand through a scanner. Using some of the same technology that allows you to open your smartphone without putting in a password, these scanners would tie your fingerprints to the cards registered in your name.

For now, credit card fingerprint scanners remain a long ways away from mass production, but experiments being run today represent an exciting possibility for the future.

In just a few short years, the credit card has gone from a simple piece of plastic to a dynamic, connected technology that has made the shopping experience a whole lot easier. And they're only set to get faster, more intelligent, and more secure.

Learn more about mobile wallets.

This post is sponsored by Capital One.

Join the conversation about this story »

Banksy is back with his latest interactive art installation, and it's sure to ruffle a few feathers.

The anonymous artist has teamed up with local operators to create a working nine-room hotel overlooking the border wall that separates the city of Bethlehem. It's called the Walled Off Hotel, and it's full to the brim with the politically charged artwork Banksy is known for. 

Though Banksy usually leaves it to his viewers to interpret his pieces, this time he ensured onlookers would get the message.

"If we wash our hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless we side with the powerful — we don't remain neutral," he spray painted on the wall.

The wall was built by Israel in the early 2000s to stop Palestinian suicide bombers. In 2004, the International Court of Justice ruled the wall was built illegally, according to the Telegraph.

The hotel will begin accepting reservations this month for both its luxury rooms and dormitory-style rooms. A bed bunk in a dorm runs $30 a night. 

SEE ALSO: 29 photos from Banksy's twisted 'Dismaland' theme park

The hotel is situated on the Palestinian side of the West Bank in Bethlehem. Its proximity to the barrier wall is such that guests and visitors never forget that fact. According to owner Wisam Salsaa, it's the "hotel with the worst view in the world."

A monkey dressed as a porter is the first artwork to greet guests.

The interior was designed to look like a 20th-century British colonial hotel.

First-time parents face a mountain of expenses, from top-of-the-line nursery furniture to dozens of teensy polka-dotted socks.

But filling a nursery isn't the only thing making demands on a new parent's wallet. Unscheduled doctor's visits, utility bill spikes, and the ever-increasing cost of childcare can hit new parents' bank accounts with a variety of unexpected costs. 

While everyone's experience is different, a little foresight can be great for the budget. So we reached out and asked real parents, including our Business Insider colleagues: What costs did you not see coming before your baby was born?

Here's what they said:

SEE ALSO: Why you should start saving up to have kids as soon as you get married

DON'T MISS: 12 things successful married couples do with their money

The cost of convenience

Andrew Key, who runs the website Living Rich Cheaply, didn't expect that he would lose his inclination to comparison shop after his son's birth last July.

"I like to consider myself a savvy shopper, and I always try to find the best price. But when you're sleep deprived and have a crying baby at home, you just buy whatever it is you need at the most convenient place," he explains. "Most times, the closest place doesn't have the lowest price, but it's not worth it to comparison shop when you're short on time."

Bottles

A few bottles aren't so expensive — but what about when you have to buy every kind?

"No one really talks about it, but sometimes babies refuse to drink from the bottle," explains Key. "When my wife returned to work, my son would not drink from the bottle, which was pretty stressful, as he was extra fussy. We bought a bunch of different bottles until we found one that he was willing to drink from."

Utility bills

They say a baby should always wear one more layer than you do, but keeping the house warmer will cost you. 

"The one cost that I didn't even think of was the increase in utilities," says Grayson Bell of Eyes on the Dollar, who had a 15-month-old at the time he spoke with Business Insider. "My wife and I are very hot-natured and love our home cold all year round. Since our son was born after Christmas, our home was cold, but that quickly had to change. We now pay double for our electricity bill and 30% more for our water."

The same holds true for babies born in the summer as well. 

"We had a bag of tricks to get through NYC's muggy summers in our top-floor apartment with nonexistent roof insulation — by turning off the AC units, turning on fans, and sleeping on top of the covers — but this wasn't an option for us with our newborn, who was born right as summer started," said Dave Mosher, science correspondent for Business Insider. "A sleepy baby (and her sleepy parents) kept us anchored at home and using the A/C all of the time." 

Newly confirmed Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross has chopped the price of his Manhattan penthouse to $16.5 million, Curbed NY reported. 

He and wife Hilary Geary Ross had listed the 5,573-square-foot apartment for $21 million in 2015 before lowering it to $18.5 million last year. Located on West 57th Street — a section of New York that's been dubbed "Billionaires' Row" — the duplex penthouse has four bedrooms, five and a half baths, and a terrace with more than 1,800 square feet of space.

Let's take a look inside the billionaire investor's lavish spread.

SEE ALSO: Ivanka Trump's Manhattan apartment just got a price chop — take a look inside

The entrance is decorated with artwork. Forbes has valued Ross' collection at at least $150 million.

Source: Forbes

The home has a very old-school New York feel to it, with ceilings that are as high as 19.5 feet in the living room.

But the kitchen is completely modern, complete with a double refrigerator, wine cooler, and what appears in the listing photo to be three different coffee makers.

With today's wearable gadgets, you can track your fitness, your sleep, and now, even your performance in the bedroom.

Online retailer British Condoms is accepting early-bird registrations for a sex wearable that's being marketed as a "the world's first smart condom." The iCon Smart Condom will retail for about $74 when it launches later this year.

It turns out the device is not a condom at all, but rather, a ring that fits over a boring, standard-issue condom and measures the quality of sex based on several metrics, including speed of thrusts, calories burned, and duration of session.

When we first heard about the so-called smart condom, we had lots of questions. What's it made of? Is it Bluetooth-connected? Does it play mood music? And at $74 a pop, is it reusable?

Well, based on what we know so far, the Fitbit of fornicating seems more like a gimmick than a useful tool.

The rig sits over a condom at the base of the penis shaft and uses "a nano-chip and sensors" to measure and record the specs of your lovemaking session. There are no photos of the device itself yet, so we have no idea how comfortable it is to wear for either partner.

Once the steam clears, the ring bearer can download the data to the i.Con app over a Bluetooth connection. Users have the option to share their metrics with friends or the public, so they can see how their bedroom-skills — and even girth — stacks up against i.Con users worldwide.

The British Condom website proudly declares, "The future of your sex life starts here." It's a definite stretch, considering the wearable makes no attempts to improve pleasure, prevent condom breakages and the passage of sexual diseases, or do anything that is useful.

A company statement says the device can detect sexually transmitted illnesses such as chlamydia and syphilis, but offers no information on how it does so.

In 2016, Swedish intimacy company LELO launched a condom that has a hexagonal pattern etched into the material. It makes it less likely to slip or tear, according to the company. The condom shattered its crowdfunding goal when it raised over $1 million from 30,000 backers through crowdfunding on Indiegogo and its website. It sells for $19.90 for a 12-pack.

The company behind the i.Con is waiting to launch pre-orders until it reaches a hard shipment date, but says it has received over 96,000 "pre-registrations" for the product. While a picture of the i.Con's box shows an Apple App Store logo, there was no sign of the app in the store at the time this was published. And considering Apple's strict and straight-laced standards for apps, it's unclear whether the smart condom app will ever get approved by Apple.

The so-called Smart Condom from i.Con got mixed reactions on Twitter.

Most people poked fun at the goofy device.

Others offered their feedback for how the i.Con Smart Condom can be improved.

And this woman spoke her truth.

SEE ALSO: The (real) condom of the future is here

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here's how Trojan condoms are made

"The Unbanking of America" author Lisa Servon refutes negative stigmas against payday loans and explains how they aren't much different from the credit cards we use everyday.

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In February, Pinterest announced it was rolling out an exciting new feature: Lens. 

The new addition to the app lets you use your camera to identify decor, clothing, and food you see in the real world. By pointing your camera at a pair of shoes, for instance, you'll be able to see similar styles on Pinterest and get ideas for how to wear them.

Lens is still in beta, but I got invited to test it out, probably because I'm an avid Pinterest user (I open the app at least once every day and probably spend more than 30 minutes a day using it). 

It's important to note that because Lens is still in beta, the technology isn't perfect yet, but here's how it works so far.  

SEE ALSO: The best new apps and updates you may have missed in February

First, open up the Pinterest app and look for the spyglass button at the bottom of the screen. This has always been there, but Lens is now hidden inside.

The search page should look the same, except for the addition of a red camera button at the upper right-hand side. This is Lens.

When you click the camera button, you'll be taken to this screen. Lens will politely introduce itself.

Just 16 years ago, Dubai was a sparse desert outpost. Today, it's home to the 2,716-foot Burj Khalifa — the tallest building in the world— as well as the 1,358-foot Princess Tower and more than 150 other towering skyscrapers. Multimillion-dollar apartments and a bustling tourist scene have put Dubai on the radar of the ultra-wealthy.

Some are even calling Dubai "the Manhattan of the Middle East," but its year-round sunshine and warm weather is an advantage that even New York City can't beat. Trendy restaurants and bars, water sports, and other attractions keep both the locals and foreigners happy, and its skyline is a new level of urban beauty.

Ahead, see 17 photos of what life is like in the United Arab Emirates' biggest city.

SEE ALSO: 14 photos of the most beautiful and remote places on earth

The skyscrapers of the Marina and Jumeirah Lake Towers districts have been described as having "Manhattan-style" architecture and amenities.

Always advancing, the city is aiming for 25% of its cars to be driverless by 2030.

Source: Business Insider

Apartment complexes in the Marina generally have luxurious accommodations with skyline pools and concierge services.