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Go inside the stunning French bistro that was just named the best new restaurant in America

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The winners of the James Beard Awards were announced this week, crowning the best establishments and biggest players in the restaurant industry. Known as the Oscars of the culinary world, a panel of over 600 judges selected winners in 23 different categories, from "Rising Star Chef" to "Design Icon."  

This year, the title of "Best New Restaurant" went to New York City's Le Coucou. Opened in June 2016, the French restaurant is helmed by Chef Daniel Rose — who also runs the Paris-based Spring — and famed restaurateur Stephen Starr. 

Le Coucou has earned plenty of praise for its delicious dishes as well as its charming dining-room setting. It was given a three-star review by New York Times food critic Pete Wells back in November. Below, take a look inside America's best new restaurant.  

SEE ALSO: We took a helicopter to dinner at the Rockefeller Estate with the most powerful business players you've never heard of

Le Coucou is located in 11 Howard, a boutique hotel in Manhattan's Soho neighborhood.

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The restaurant opened its doors with a dinner menu in June 2016.

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Aside from the beautiful dining room, there's also a gorgeous bar that serves a variety of cocktails, like a pear cider that comes with white vermouth and yellow chartreuse.

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There's new evidence that a 'party drug' is a rapid-fire treatment for depression

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alone sad depressed sea

It's the leading disability worldwide and it can kill.

Yet for decades, physicians and psychiatrists have been doling out the same treatments to people with depression, even though research suggests they don't work that well for everyone. These treatments typically include a combination of talk therapy and antidepressant medication — two approaches that, especially when used in combination, can work wonders for some, but leave others without any benefit.

Scientists who think it's time for a new tactic have found hope in recent months in psychedelics like ayahuasca and magic mushrooms— drugs which appear to reduce depressive symptoms by increasing the connectivity among previously segregated parts of the brain. So it shouldn't come as a complete surprise that they're also exploring the depression-reducing qualities of the quasi-psychedelic drug ketamine as well.

A new study is the first of its kind to show that ketamine, which is illegal recreationally but known for its out-of-body effects and available legally as a pain reliever, appears to provide swift and powerful relief to people suffering from some of the hardest-to-treat forms of depression.

Dozens of previous studies undertaken over the last decade have hinted at this possibility, with some researchers going so far as to describe ketamine as “arguably the most important discovery in half a century." Several pharmaceutical companies, including Allergan, are exploring the idea of a ketamine-like drug as an antidepressant as well.

ketamineBut this paper is the first large-scale study to put ketamine's effectiveness to the test.

For their study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers at the University of California, San Diego turned to a massive FDA database with records from more than 8 million patients. Using this wealth of data, the researchers homed in on patients who'd been given ketamine as a treatment for their chronic pain. Then they looked at their depression symptoms and compared them with the depression symptoms in people who received other pain medications.

Their findings were striking. The patients who took ketamine reported symptoms of depression 50% less frequently than patients given any other combination of drugs for pain.

"This reduction in depression is specific to ketamine and is known to be much more rapid than current antidepressants," the researchers write in their paper. They write that this makes their observations "very promising" for people with serious depression or thoughts of suicide.

"These patients cannot afford to wait up to six weeks for reductions in their depressive symptoms," they add.

Beyond a reduction in their symptoms of depression, the patients on ketamine also reported significantly less pain than those given the other drugs. They were also less likely to experience the unpleasant side-effects that frequently come with other pain medications like constipation, vomiting, and nausea.

Still, like any drug, the ketamine had its own negative side effects, including kidney failure and low blood pressure. For these reasons and others, there's still a lot of research that's needed before psychedelic drugs start to be prescribed for clinical use. But if this study is any indication, there are many reasons to remain hopeful.

SEE ALSO: Why psychedelics like magic mushrooms kill the ego and fundamentally transform the brain

DON'T MISS: I've been on antidepressants for a decade — here's what everyone gets wrong about them

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Walmart is trying to crush Amazon with better deals — here's who's really winning the price war (AMZN, WMT)

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FILE PHOTO: Amazon boxes are seen stacked for delivery in the Manhattan borough of New York City, January 29, 2016.  REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo

Walmart is going after Amazon in a race to offer the lowest prices. 

The brick and mortar retail giant has been on a shopping spree over the past year ramping up its e-commerce business, acquiring Shoebuy, Moosejaw, Modcloth, and most notably Jet.com, which it paid $3 billion for last year. 

Walmart, along with its subsidiary Jet, is taking direct aim at Amazon's booming e-commerce dominance, which is putting many traditional retailers out of business. 

All this competition, in theory, should be good news for shoppers.

But which online retailer really is cheapest? To find out, we did a price check on 25 matching products on Amazon.com, Jet.com, and Walmart.com. 

Amazon was the cheapest overall. It was $423.94 cheaper than Jet and $161.05 cheaper than Walmart.

Jet tended to have a price advantage on household products, while Amazon was generally cheaper on higher value items such as electronics. The biggest price difference, which significantly affected the total numbers, was on the LG Electronics smart HD TV.

Prices don't include shipping fees, which vary across the sites. Walmart, Jet, and Amazon all offer free shipping on orders that cost more than $35.

 Jet.com

Take a look at the full price breakdown below: 

Heinz Tomato Ketchup Squeeze Bottle (32 oz)

Jet: $3.17

Amazon: $2.88

Walmart: $2.88



Tostitos, Original Restaurant Style (13 oz)

Jet: $4.99

Amazon: $2.99

Walmart: $2.98



Oreo Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate (14.3 oz)

Jet: $3.13

Amazon: $2.99

Walmart: $2.98



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A psychologist says blaming your parents for your problems is 'the enemy of what you actually need'

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Blaming your parents for your issues is the kind of thing that's just too easy to be good for you — the psychological equivalent of drinking 12 cups of coffee to stay awake at work.

You know a better solution is to take ownership over your actions/get more sleep, but that seems so, well, hard.

It is hard — and no one's denying that.

I recently spoke with Carl Pickhardt, a psychologist who's written multiple books about parenting, and he said he totally gets why blaming the people who raised you would be your first impulse.

When young adults come in for counseling, he said, they often ask questions like: Why am I the way I am? What are the salient influences on how I've grown?

"Parents light up No. 1," he said. "Parents have a huge amount of influence, whether it's real or perceived."

Yet Pickhardt explained that faulting your parents for your current problems is a little bit of cutting off your nose to spite your face. "At the moment it can feel emotionally satisfying, but it seems to be the enemy of what you actually need, which is acceptance and responsibility," he said.

In the long run, it only serves to victimize and disempower you.

Based on his experience counseling young adults, Pickhardt said:

"If you want to move forward in a way that will free you from some of these influences, you're going to have to take the energy you're investing in blame and shift it to acceptance, and then take a look at what kinds of self-management choices you have."

A better option than blame? Hold your parents accountable for their choices and hold yourself accountable for yours.

Let's say your parents divorced when you were younger and you see that experience as the reason you fear commitment today.

Instead of placing the blame for this issue squarely on your parents, a more healthful strategy is to ask yourself: "Given that my parents divorced, what kind of response did I make to that?" and, "If I find myself believing and behaving in ways that do not make me happy, do I have choices for changing those things?"

In other words, you don't need to pretend that your parents' divorce didn't have an impact on you — of course it did. But it will help you to recognize that you're not doomed to fear commitment because of that experience.

Pickhardt calls it "re-parenting" yourself. Your parents raised you through young adulthood, but probably left you with some flaws and difficulties that it's now up to you to resolve.

As for me personally, my mom was the first to tell me I was a good writer, so if you hate this article, blame her.

Just kidding. Sort of.

SEE ALSO: A psychologist says a simple question can help you figure out if you and your partner can handle having a kid

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Eleven Madison Park is the best restaurant in the world — here’s what the 11-course tasting menu looks like

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New York City is home to the three-Michelin-star establishment Eleven Madison Park. which was recently named the 2017 best restaurant in the world by The World's 50 Best Restaurants. From April 11, 2017 to June 9th, 2017, the restaurant is offering an 11-course retrospective tasting menu highlighting signature dishes from co-owner, Chef Daniel Humm.

Dishes include variations on sea urchin, foie gras, carrot tartare, chicken, chocolate, and milk and honey for dessert. The full 11-course meal is available for $295 a person, but a condensed 5-course meal is available for $145 in the bar section.

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There is a rumor going around that Led Zeppelin may reunite

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Led Zeppelin fans worldwide have been collectively churning a recent mega-rumor: that the band could reunite for a concert, possibly in 2018, and possibly at the Desert Trip festival in California to celebrate the band's 50th anniversary.

Speculation was set off by a cryptic post to lead-singer Robert Plant's website: "Any time now..."

Then the fire was really set by a brief post at Feel Numb.

After a few days of in which Zep enthusiasts checked their bank balances and tried to figure out how to get themselves to Indio, Calif. — fully aware that when the group reunited in 2007 at London's O2 arena, 20 million people tried to buy 20,000 tickets — Billboard appeared to quash the fun.

"[T]here’s no deal in place to get Led Zeppelin’s surviving members -- Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones — back together, sources say, while AEG hasn’t announced another Desert Trip festival for this year," the publication reported. "The promise on Mr. Plant’s website, meanwhile, is more likely a tease to a forthcoming album than to an upcoming performance, sources tell Billboard."

Last year's Desert Trip was classic-rock hootenanny, featuring acts such as Paul McCartney, The Who, Neil Young and Bob Dylan. 

The event was expensive and controversial, but it was a musical festival for everyone who was either too old or too rich to go to Bonnaroo.

The perfect venue

led zeppelin

The apparent negation of the tantalizing Zep rumors notwithstanding, Desert Trip or some kind of stand in the California desert would be perfect for a Zep reunion. The band started out all those years ago playing festivals in Europe, and over its astounding run until drummer John Bonham's death in 1980, decadent journeys to the Golden State were routine. 

Additionally, Zep's final performance by the original foursome — Bonham, Plant, Jimmy Page on guitar and John Paul Jones on bass — was at a festival, Knebworth, in 1979.

Between the 1980s and 2007, there were a few desultory reunions, and Plant and Page teamed up several times to engage in some interesting musical explorations. Plant undertook a successful solo career, Jones became more of a sideman, and Page released a solo record and formed two additional groups, Coverdale Page with Whitensake singer David Coverdale and The Firm with Bad Company's Paul Rodgers.

Robert Plant website

Over the past ten years, Plant really entered some new musical territory, winning a Grammy with bluegrass musician Alison Krauss and touring with some offbeat groups that would cover Zep classics using rootsy or world-music inspired arrangements.

Page devoted himself to remastering the entire Zep catalog to correct what he felt was a desecration of the band's legacy when the original vinyl albums were transferred to CDs. But he also frequently teased fans with the prospects of his own revived solo career, while also grumbling that Plant refused to reunite Zep for extra shows following the O2 "Celebration Day" reboot, with Bonham's son Jason on drums. 

The show is often spoken of as the greatest rock concert of all time, from rock's biggest band.

The last "Whole Lotta Love"

zeppelin final

What knocked Zep fans for a loop was both the rumor and the realization that with Plant nearing 70 and both Page and Jones already there, a California stand in 2018 would perhaps be the last chance to see that band live. 

Obviously, we'll see. If Zep does decide to do something to celebrate the band's formation in 1968 and the release of Led Zeppelin I, its first album, in 1969, it would be huge. The "Celebration Day" film has done nothing but stoke the appetites of fans to witness the mighty Zep give it one last go, a proper "Swan Song," to borrow the name of the band's own briefly lived label.

If form holds, Page would likely be up for the gig, although he's been curiously absent from any live performance at all for some time now. When the band last reunited, it rehearsed for months to deliver a superb show in 2007. Jones would likely join in. Plant has been the holdout, insisting that he doesn't want to revive his 20-something rock-god self and would prefer that his former bandmates at least consider taking Zep in different direction: less loud, less libidinous, in the end maybe less Zep.

Honestly, it seems odd that Plant's website would be the place that an announcement would be made, so Billboard's reporting is probably correct. But the rumors should have reminded everyone that Zep at 50 does loom. Just because the lastest speculation could be baseless, that doesn't mean something isn't in the works. 

SEE ALSO: Everyone thinks 'Coda' is Led Zeppelin's worst album — but it's really surprisingly great

Join the conversation about this story »

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North Korea has been branded as a 'weed-smoker's paradise' — but the truth is more complicated

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un farm

For years, there have been rumors that North Korea is a "weed-smoker's paradise." Cannabis is said to grow wildly there, and people can reportedly buy it in large, bazaar-style marketplaces and smoke it wherever they like.

But marijuana's legal status in North Korea is hazy. An investigation by the Associated Press debunked the myth of the pot-friendly, totalitarian nation — despite numerous reports over the years saying North Korea is exactly that.

Most of what we know about life inside the Hermit Kingdom comes from estimates by outside agencies, as reports from the government are unreliable. The internet does not exist outside a closed domestic network. Without direct access to the law on the books, we're left in a fog on drug policy.

In January, the AP's Eric Talmadge provides some of the most conclusive evidence yet that marijuana is illegal in North Korea.

Torkel Stiernlof, a Swedish diplomat living in North Korea, told the AP that marijuana is a controlled substance in the same category as cocaine and heroin. He rejected the idea that government looks the other way when it comes to drug use, as some online stories suggest.

"There should be no doubt that drugs, including marijuana, are illegal here," Stiernlof said. "One can't buy it legally and it would be a criminal offense to smoke it."

marijuana

Still, first-person accounts and anonymously sourced news articles have flooded the internet in recent years, spreading the idea that marijuana is legal and abundant in North Korea. There is such confusion, Simon Cockerell, the general manager of tourism agency that specializes in North Korean travel, told the AP that prospective visitors often ask what to expect.

"We apologize, but have to inform those inquiring about this that weed is not legal. They are not going to be able to get any there," Cockerell said.

A brief entry on Wikipedia explains the situation best.

"The status of cannabis in North Korea is unclear due to the lack of sources available to the outside world, with some observers stating that cannabis is effectively legal, or at least tolerated, in the country and others arguing that this is a misapprehension and that marijuana is illegal in the country," according to Wikipedia.

In 2013, a 29-year-old freelance writer blogged about his experience rolling "comically oversized joints" in the center of a crowded market on the country's northern tip. "Bizarre as the situation was, it seemed a reasonably safe move," he wrote. No one intervened.

Since then, news outlets as varied as The Huffington Post and High Times have praised the nation's "liberal policy of tolerance" and "dirt-cheap" ganja. Merry Jane, a cannabis-lifestyle blog founded by Snoop Dogg, asked if North Korea could become the next Amsterdam of pot tourism after reports came out of foreigners headed there to buy marijuana at $3 a pound. (The going rate in Colorado, where the drug has been legal since 2012, is about $1,471 per pound.)

industrial hemp t-shirt north korea

Part of the confusion surrounding the legal status of cannabis might come from misunderstandings about what the plant is.

The green, fluffy substance known as hemp is often confused for cannabis (commonly known as marijuana). Unlike cannabis, hemp does not get users high if they smoke it, because the plant contains only trace amounts of a chemical compound known as THC.

Hemp is grown legally with state sanction, according to the AP. It can be used to make consumer goods ranging from cooking oil to towels, as well as military uniforms and belts. On May 3, UPI wrote that North Korea authorities actually encourage hemp cultivation because it can be used for fuel to power the state's military drones. (That report has not been confirmed by any other news outlet.)

It's possible that people who saw or used hemp in North Korea mistook it for cannabis.

Troy Collings, managing director of a travel agency that brings foreign tourists to North Korea, told the AP that he's purchased hemp before as a "cheap substitute for tobacco."

"It grows wild in the mountainous regions of the North and people pick it, dry it, and sell it in the markets," Collings said, "but it doesn't get you high no matter how much you smoke."

SEE ALSO: A powerful drug derived from marijuana may be the first of its kind to get approved by the US federal government

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Trump says there is a chance of a 'major, major conflict with North Korea'


Lawyers for the Fyre Festival sent cease-and-desist letters to people who tweeted about it, lawsuit claims

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Social-media posters who complained about the Fyre Festival online were hit with cease-and-desist letters, according to a new lawsuit filed in Florida against the infamous event's organizers.

The class-action suit, which is seeking $5 million in damages, alleges that Fyre Festival attendees were sent letters requesting that they take their negative social media posts down.

"Specifically, if the social media comments were not taken down, the Defendants claim they could 'incite violence, rioting, or civil unrest,' with the caveat that if 'someone innocent does get hurt as a result ... Fyre Festival will hold you accountable and responsible,'" the complaint reads. 

The complaint also includes screenshots of tweets from Fyre Festival attendees complaining about the lack of proper shelter, food, and organization at the festival. Festivalgoers arrived on the island of Great Exuma on April 27 but found a lack of food, shelter, and organization. As it became clear that the luxury music festival would not happen as planned, efforts to leave were hampered by a lack of infrastructure for getting people off of the island.

 The suit was filed by Greenspoon Marder in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, "a region considered to be the 'hub' for Fyre Festival," according to a press release. It alleges fraudulent misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation, fraud in the inducement, breach of contract, and violation of various state consumer protection laws. 

Fyre Festival organizers Billy McFarland and Ja Rule are facing several other class-action suits, including one seeking $100 million in damages, which was filed earlier this week. 

This new suit also names as defendants two PR firms that were tasked with promoting the event: 42West and Matte Projects. 

"Even with the slightest bit of due diligence, we believe that the PR agencies knew or should have known that what they were promising could never be delivered," Jeffrey Backman, a shareholder at Greenspoon Marder and co-counsel for plaintiffs Kenneth Reel and Emily Reel, said in a press release. 

Fyre

A host of supermodels had promoted the festival on social media, including Kendall Jenner, Hailey Baldwin, Emily Ratajkowski, and Bella Hadid. Blink-182, Major Lazer, Migos, Tyga, and Disclosure were among the artists scheduled to perform, according to the festival's promotions.

Tickets started at $1,200, but reports have said that some attendees paid close to or over $100,000 for the weekend.

SEE ALSO: Comcast nearly invested millions in the doomed Fyre Festival's parent company

DON'T MISS: Here's what Fyre Festival attendees thought they were getting when they bought $1,200 tickets — and here's the nightmarish reality

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Fyre Festival expectations vs. reality — here's what attendees thought they were getting when they bought $12,000 tickets

Here's what Fyre Festival attendees thought they were getting when they bought $1,200 tickets — and here's the nightmarish reality at the center of a legal battle

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Fyre

Fyre Festival organizers Billy McFarland and Ja Rule are facing several major lawsuits after attempting to put on a music festival in the Bahamas only to have it collapse before it began.

The most recent suit, filed in the Southern District of Florida, was brought by two Fyre Festival guests, Emily and Kenneth Reel.

Filed by Greenspoon Marder and seeking $5 million in damages, the suit names Fyre Media, McFarland, Ja Rule (Jeffrey Atkins), and two PR firms that were tasked with handling promotion for the festival, 42West and Matte Projects. 

"Even basic due diligence would have revealed that the Fyre Festival could not possibly live up to the hype, as basic infrastructure was not even in place," the complaint reads. "And, upon information and belief, the PR Defendants did nothing to ensure that what they were marketing, and in turn what people were relying upon in purchasing tickets, was or even could be true."

One shot showing a woman swimming in the sea off Exuma is highlighted, which according to the plaintiff, is incorrect, as one of the employees of the festival was told not to go near the water off Exuma because of "a rampant shark problem," the lawsuit says. 

Here's the full Fyre Festival promo video:

The lawsuit outlines what the expectations were for this supposedly "luxury" festival vs. the realities. Take a look at the pictures below:

SEE ALSO: Lawyers for the Fyre Festival sent cease-and-desist letters to people who tweeted about it, lawsuit claims

The three-day party was supposed to be on a private beach on the island of Great Exuma in the Bahamas.



It was supposed to be over two weekends: April 28-30 and May 5-7.



A host of supermodels had promoted it on social media, including Hailey Baldwin, Emily Ratajkowski, and Bella Hadid.



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27 vintage photos that show the glamorous, 143-year history of the Kentucky Derby

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Linda Medley, left, of Birmingham, Ala., and Joy Ostrowski of Cleveland sport their Derby headgear as they wait for the start of the Kentucky Derby in the paddock area at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., on  Saturday, May 4, 1996.  (AP Photo/Gail Kamenish)

Since the races were first run in 1875, the Kentucky Derby has been drawing thousands of celebrities, politicians, and Louisville locals to the horse track at Churchill Downs.

Started by Louisville Jockey Club founder Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr., the sporting event has a long history tied to horse racing, mint juleps, and, of course, the famous Kentucky Derby hat.

As you prepare to watch the 143rd iteration of the big event Saturday, see an overview of the Derby's history in photos. 

SEE ALSO: Go inside the stunning French bistro that was just named the best new restaurant in America

Though the Kentucky Derby was held for the first time in 1875, photos of it began to appear in the 1920s. It was during this time that the derby began being broadcast on the radio, and five to six million listeners tuned in.



Starting in 1931, the Kentucky Derby was permanently scheduled for the first Sunday of every May.



Even throughout the years of the Great Depression, the race continued, though tickets were priced at 50 cents for a spot in the infield. In 1932, it was broadcast on the radio internationally.



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Here's a simple mint julep recipe for the Kentucky Derby

The largest living thing on Earth is mostly hidden from view

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armillaria ostoyae humungous fungus oregon malheur

The world's largest living thing is even bigger than a blue whale (which happens to be the largest animal living now).

Meet Armillaria ostoyae, or, as it's nicknamed, the Humongous Fungus.

It's an organism that covers 2,385 acres (almost 4 square miles) of the Malheur National Forest in Oregon. 

But it's a lot more harmful than the nickname might suggest: The Amarillia grows by feeding off of tree roots, leaching off of them and actually killing them, causing them to decay. So, in a forest, it has a good shot of  growing to a massive size (at the cost of a few thousand acres of trees). 

The fungus has a huge network of roots, called mycellia, that permeate below the ground of the forest. What shows up above ground are the mushrooms that get produced about once a year, according to the USDA. They usually pop up around the base of infected or newly-killed trees. 

Here's a map showing just how big the Humongous Fungus, highlighted in red, is compared to other, less humongous Armillaria (in yellow). 

Screen Shot 2016 10 06 at 6.04.41 PM

SEE ALSO: 15 of the largest living things on the planet

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The single best type of exercise for your brain, according to scientists

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Want an all-natural way to lift your mood, improve your memory, and protect your brain against age-related cognitive decline?

Get moving.

A wealth of recent research, including two newstudies published this spring, suggests that any type of exercise that raises your heart rate and gets you moving and sweating for a sustained period of time — known as aerobic exercise — has a significant, overwhelmingly beneficial impact on the brain.

"Aerobic exercise is the key for your head, just as it is for your heart," write the authors of a recent article in the Harvard Medical School blog "Mind and Mood."

While some of the benefits — like a lift in mood — can emerge as soon as a few minutes into a sweaty bike ride, others — like improved memory — might take several weeks to crop up. That means that the best type of fitness for your mind is any aerobic exercise that you can do regularly and consistently for at least 45 minutes at a time.

Depending on which benefits you're looking for, you might try adding a brisk walk or a jog to your daily routine. A pilot study in people with severe depression found that just 30 minutes of treadmill walking for 10 consecutive days was "sufficient to produce a clinically relevant and statistically significant reduction in depression." Aerobic workouts can also help people who aren't suffering from clinical depression feel less stressed by helping to reduce levels of the body's natural stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, according to a recent study in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science. 

If you're over 50, a study published last month in the British Journal suggests the best results come from combining aerobic and resistance exercise, which could include anything from high-intensity interval training, like the 7-minute workout, to dynamic flow yoga, which intersperses strength-building poses like planks and push-ups with heart-pumping dance-like moves. Another study published May 3 provides some additional support to that research, finding that in adults aged 60-88, walking for 30 minutes four days a week for 12 weeks appeared to strengthen connectivity in a region of the brain where weakened connections have been linked with memory loss.

Researchers still aren't sure why this type of exercise appears to provide a boost to the brain, but studies suggest it has to do with increased blood flow, which provides our minds with fresh energy and oxygen. And one recent study in older women who displayed potential symptoms of dementia found that aerobic exercise was linked with an increase in the size of the hippocampus, a brain area involved in learning and memory.

Joe Northey, the lead author of the British study and an exercise scientist at the University of Canberra, says his research suggests that anyone in good health over age 50 should do 45 minutes to an hour of aerobic exercise "on as many days of the week as feasible."

SEE ALSO: Scientists have found an exciting new clue about how 'super-agers' stay sharp as they age

DON'T MISS: Certain types of exercise help keep your mind sharp as you get older

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Scientists have a new way to measure health by determining your 'fitness age' — here's how you can calculate it

We went to the best bar in the world to find out what the drink of the summer will be — here's the verdict

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Drink of the Summer 6

Summer is drinking season.

Every year, a new breed of cocktail emerges as the drink du jour. But what is the ultimate summer cocktail? The one you can drink year in and year out, without worrying about frilly, hard-to-follow trends?

That's what we wanted to find out, so we donned our deerstalker hats and made our way downtown.

We call it: "Business Insider and the case of the missing drink of the summer."

SEE ALSO: 14 apps every modern gentleman should have on his phone

We decided to begin our search at the Dead Rabbit, a favorite hangout of Wall Streeters and delicious cocktails. If we could find the drink of the summer anywhere, it would probably be there.



The Dead Rabbit was recently awarded the prestigious "Best Bar in the World" designation by Drinks International magazine. We couldn't think of a better place to search for the drink of the summer.

Source: Business Insider



Our man behind the bar, Long Thai, was more than happy to help us with our search. His advice and expertise would prove invaluable. The drink of the summer would soon reveal itself.



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The best way to politely decline a wedding invitation if you can't afford to go

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wedding guests

From buying a gift and a new outfit to booking travel and accommodations, the average person spends upwards of $600 as a wedding guest today.

If you're attending the engagement party, bridal shower, or bachelor or bachelorette parties — or God forbid, it's a destination wedding — that number could easily balloon into the thousands.

Weddings are, of course, a time to celebrate and maybe even splurge a little, but if your mailbox is packed with invites, it could start to feel like your friends' wedded bliss is breaking your bank.

On a recent episode of her So Money podcast, host and financial expert Farnoosh Torabi spoke with Erin Lowry, a blogger and author of the new book "The Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together" about the best way to decline wedding invitation if you simply can't afford to go.

Lowry's best advice? Be honest.

"I think part of it is you have to be honest and it can be as simple as [saying], 'My boyfriend and I had seven weddings that we got invited to last year, and every single one involved travel. We couldn't do them all,'" she said. "Then, I send a little gift. Nothing major, but something to show that I'm thinking of them and I'm appreciative."

You could also forgo the gift and extend a standing offer to take the bride and groom out for dinner or drinks on you next time they're in town, she said.

Now, if you want to decline an invitation to be part of the wedding party — whether a bridesmaid or groomsman — that may be a tougher and more awkward conversation to have, Lowry said.

"I have had a falling out with a family member, an extended family member, over being in her wedding, because it got to a point where the demands that were being asked of the bridal party financially were in my opinion just egregious... Then, it just got really difficult to navigate," she told Torabi.

"Now, in retrospect, I wish I had just said, 'Oh, I so appreciate it, but, again, I just have a few other weddings this year and I'm certainly going to be there for you on the day and I would love to come to your bachelorette party or your bridal shower, but I just unfortunately can't commit to being in the actual bridal party,' and that would have been less awkward."

The bottom line: You don't need to lay out your financial troubles, if that's the reason you can't make it, but definitely let them know you won't be attending — no one wants to be ghosted by guests on their wedding day.

SEE ALSO: The 10 best places to get married if you don't want to spend a lot of money

DON'T MISS: 6 sneaky tricks to figure out their engagement ring size, without having to ask

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One of the world's best restaurants opened a temporary pop-up in the Mexican jungle — here's what it's like to eat there

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Noma Mexico

Denmark's renowned restaurant Noma, which owned a top spot on the list of "The World's 50 Best" for years, has opened a temporary outpost in Mexico. 

Head chef René Redzepi is know for his love of foraging. He closed the main Noma restaurant in Copenhagen in February 2017 and announced plans to re-open it as an urban farm later in the year. Noma had earned two stars in the prestigious Michelin guide. 

In the interim, Redzepi has headed out to Tulum, on the Caribbean coast of Mexico, to set up a restaurant for seven weeks.

Here's what it's like to eat there:

SEE ALSO: Go inside the stunning French bistro that was just named the best new restaurant in America

The new Noma location is on the edge of the jungle in Tulum, a resort town overlooking the Caribbean in Mexico.

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It's an outdoor, open-air restaurant.

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Chef René Redzepi describes Mexico as being a very sentimental place for him. "I consider it to be my adopted home, one filled with almost a decade of cherished memories from vacations with my family. The place that I dream about," he said on the Noma website.

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 Source: Noma



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

How to clear all your iPhone alarms at one time (AAPL)

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You're not alone if your iPhone alarms look like this:

No more alarms

It's understandable — you don't want to oversleep, so you set multiple alarms. Or you had to wake up really early one time to make a flight, so you created a new alarm for that, too.

After a while, your iPhone alarm clock can get messy with scores of alarms you're no longer using.

The easiest, and to my knowledge, only way to clear them all at once is to use Siri.

Hold down your iPhone's home button, and tell Siri: "Delete all my alarms." It looks like this:

Hey Siri Delete all my alarms

After you press "Confirm," Siri will say, "OK, no more alarms."

Be careful — you'll need to set new alarms if you don't want to oversleep. 

SEE ALSO: The first photo of Amazon's Echo with a touchscreen just leaked

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We tried 8 of the best burritos in San Francisco — here's the champion

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la taqueria burrito

San Franciscans obsess about burritos the way New Yorkers fawn over pizza and bagels.

I recently set out to find the best very burrito in the City by the Bay.

For this list, I analyzed noteworthy burrito rankings from Zagat, FiveThirtyEight, Thrillist, Yelp, FourSquare, The Daily Meal, and local blog SFist. A burrito that placed on three or more rankings made my list of establishments to try. I ordered the closest thing to a "regular" burrito at each restaurant (a "super" burrito gets you cheese, sour cream, and guacamole or sliced avocado for a few bucks more) and picked whatever meat option sounded good to me.

This was not a data-driven review, as FiveThirtyEight did masterfully with its nationwide burrito bracket in 2014. But I listened to my gut. Here are the results.

SEE ALSO: What it's like to attend a $90 'pot brunch' where guests eat gourmet food and get high

San Francisco may not have invented the burrito, but it arguably perfected it.

The burrito was born on the farmlands of Mexico in the 19th century, where workers brought their lunches of beans and salsa in corn tortillas. Over the next 100 years, the gut-busting food made its way north to a Latin neighborhood of San Francisco known as the Mission.

Local restaurateurs riffed on the Mexican food staple, adding extra rice and other ingredients. The burrito got bigger. Its low cost caused it to take off.

Today, you can find what's called the Mission-style burrito in dozens of San Francisco taquerias, as well as over 2,000 Chipotle locations worldwide.



After rounding up a list of the best burritos in San Francisco, I headed to the Mission (and South of Market for one special burrito that made the cut) to find the definitive best.

Here are all the taquerias I visited.



Taqueria Pancho Villa – 3071 16th Street, San Francisco, CA



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

A psychologist explains what too many people get wrong about parenting from the start

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big daddy

If you're not ready to sacrifice time, energy, and a little bit of dignity, you're not ready to have a kid.

Most people know that, simply from observing the way their friends' lives change when they have children.

What's harder to accept is that you shouldn't sacrifice all your time, energy, and dignity when you become a parent.

It's a common mistake many first-time parents make, says Carl Pickhardt, a psychologist who's published multiple books about parenting, including, most recently, "Surviving Your Child's Adolescence."

Here's Pickhardt's view:

"It's really hard for parents to understand this sometimes — particularly with a first child — but that child is a third-order priority.

"They will tell you it's not true — it's a first-order priority. But the problem is if it's the first priority, then two other priorities get neglected.

"One is each parent taking adequate care of themselves, so they have sufficient energy and care available, and [the other is] taking sufficient care of the marriage. And that has to be in place.

"To sacrifice self-care and marriage for the sake of the child makes everybody unhappy sooner or later."

If you're a single parent, the same logic applies — you still need to invest in your friendships and other relationships.

What sometimes happens, Pickhardt said, is that parents self-sacrifice "to the point where they feel the child is tyrannizing their lives." Then the parents wind up angry and resentful toward the kid, "who isn't doing anything, except declaring their wants in one way or another."

Writing on PsychologyToday.com, psychologist Laura Markham recommends that parents practice "radical self-care."

That might mean taking a day off and leaving the dishes in the sink and the laundry unwashed. Or, it might mean taking little steps to address the problems in your life, rather than putting them on hold until your child's needs get met.

At first, this might feel uncomfortable. "Particularly with your first child, you just want to give all you got," Pickhardt said. If you can sit with that discomfort, eventually you may realize that you're a better parent when you've attended to your own needs first.

SEE ALSO: A psychologist says 4 factors determine whether you're ready to have a kid — but most people focus on just one

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