By February, 80 percent of people have given up on their New Year's resolution – but there's always that end-of-year hope that your goals for the following year will stick.

This year we went out into the streets of Manhattan to find out what New Yorkers are hoping to accomplish in 2018.  

Below, a selection of our favorites.  

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"Our New Year's resolution is 'sober January,'" said Emily Watson. "Unless it's open bar or someone else is paying paying for our drinks," said Kyle-Christian Sandal.

"I want to take charge of my life and be more direct — do what I want to do, when I want to do it," said Diodra. Skatelinen, who's an artist, mentioned his business as part of his focus for next year, as well as simply be "more true to myself."

Dancer MaryAnne Massa wants to take her health more seriously. "My resolution is to stay fit and healthy. Go to the gym at least once a day, and no ice cream...I eat ice cream everyday, basically," she admitted.

The ketogenic or "keto" diet has been called the holy grail of good health and weight loss by some doctors and bloggers. On the flip side, it's a nutritionist's nightmare.

The keto diet goes against conventional wisdom on health eating. It encourages eating lots of fat and limits carbohydrates to no more than 50 grams a day, the rough equivalent of a plain bagel or a cup of white rice. By comparison, dietary guidelines laid out by the US Department of Agriculture recommend consuming between 225 and 325 grams of fluffy, white carbs a day.

Tech workers from internet entrepreneur Kevin Rose to podcaster Tim Ferriss swear by the keto diet. Some supporters of the diet say it gives them a mental edge in the workplace.

Here's why health nuts in Silicon Valley are saying yes to fat.

SEE ALSO: I went on the Silicon Valley diet craze that encourages butter and bacon for 2 months — and it vastly improved my life

The keto diet reorganizes the building blocks of the food pyramid.

It cuts down carbs to between 20 and 50 grams a day, depending on a person's medical history and insulin sensitivity. There are about 30 grams in an apple, for comparison.

On the diet, healthy fats account for roughly 80% of a person's daily calories, while protein makes up about 20%. On average, Americans get about 50% of their calories from carbs, 30% from fat, and 15% from protein, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The keto diet is like Atkins on steroids. It turns the body into a fat-burning machine.

The human body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose, which is used for energy or stored as glycogen in liver and muscle tissue. But the body has a plan-B fuel supply.

When carbs go missing from a person's diet, the body uses up its glucose reserves and then breaks down stored fat into fatty acids. When fatty acids reach the liver, they're converted into an organic substance called ketones. The brain and other organs feed on ketones in a process called ketosis, which gives the diet its name. Keto-dieters eat lots of fat to maintain this state.

While a doctor might prescribe the diet to patients who have insulin resistance, diabetes, or pre-diabetes, tech workers without these conditions use it to optimize health and wellness.

• Beyoncé and Jay-Z bought an $88 million estate in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles in 2017.
• The architect who designed that home also designed "The One," a mega-mansion set to hit the market this spring for $500 million.
• The 100,000-square-foot home has 360-degree views, a casino, jellyfish tank, beauty salon, and a nightclub with VIP seating.

The most expensive private home in America will hit the market this spring in Los Angeles for a cool $500 million.

The Bel Air mansion was designed by Paul McClean, the same architect who built the $88 million estate Beyoncé and Jay-Z bought in 2017. McClean's contemporary homes have also sold to the Winklevoss twins, Calvin Klein, and Swedish DJ Avicii.

Los Angeles real estate developer Nile Niami bought the hilltop property in 2012 for $28 million and gutted the original 10,000 square-foot house to make room for the mega-mansion, which he dubbed "The One," according to the New York Times.

At 100,000 square-feet, the house will also be one of the largest private residences in the US — but the amenities sound more like a hotel than a home.

Within floor-to-ceiling glass walls, there's a casino, a jellyfish tank, a beauty salon, a nightclub with VIP seating, plus two indoor swimming pools and two spa pools, and an infinity edge moat surrounding the property.

Niami told the Times he included the Gatsby-like amenities "because it's cool."

"Let's say you're a super-wealthy single dude who just sold your company. You've just moved to LA and you don't know anybody, so you hire someone to fill your house with partiers," Niami told the Times. "You want everyone to know who you are, but you don't want to talk to anybody. So you go sit in your VIP room."

Niami expects the eventual buyer will purchase the mansion as a fifth or sixth home and use it like a private hotel when they're in town. The home has 20 bedrooms, seven of which are in a separate building for staff. The master suite measures 5,500 square feet and includes a separate pool, kitchen, and office.

Although McClean is no stranger to designing mansions — over half of his homes are larger than 8,000 square feet — "The One" was a challenge, he told the Orange County Register.

"There are very few homes this size," McClean said. "We had to think of it in a different manner than other homes. We looked at hotels. We even looked at palaces because that's what this is, a modern-day palace."

The most expensive home ever sold to date in the US went for $137 million, while the most expensive home in the world, a chateau in France, sold for $300 million.

Many real estate experts cited by the Times are skeptical Niami will find a buyer willing to shell out anywhere near $500 million for "The One."

But even if the mega-mansion sells for half the listing price, Niami would likely still walk away with a huge profit — and perhaps lifelong bragging rights.

SEE ALSO: Beyoncé and Jay-Z bought an $88 million house — here's why their $52 million mortgage might be a smart business decision

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• Rachel Sussman is a relationship expert and marriage counselor in New York City.
• She says many couples she sees are worried about the decline — or disappearance — of passion in their relationship.
• Sussman says it takes effort and creativity to rekindle that passion. Research-backed strategies include trying something new and laughing together.

"Were we really put on this earth to have a monogamous sex life for 50 years and have passion the entire time for our partner?" says Rachel Sussman. "I don't think so."

Sussman is a relationship expert and marriage counselor in New York City, and she doesn't beat around the bush when she talks about passion — and its inevitable decline — in long-term relationships.

It comes down to human history, she says. "When the human species was created, people weren't mating for 50, 60 years."

Chalk it up to an evolutionary mismatch, increasing stress, or something else: Some therapists and researchers alike have observed that romantic passion does seem to fade like clockwork. One 2003 study of married couples, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, suggests it takes, on average, two years after wedding day. Sussman mentioned it takes about 18 months after a couple starts dating.

So when couples come to see Sussman complaining about the lack of passion in their relationship, she wants them to know: This is normal.

People are worried "that something's wrong with them," she told me. They think "maybe something's wrong with the couple; maybe something's wrong with them individually."

Chances are, there's not. The "problem," if there is one, is the couple's approach to the presence or absence of passion.

"People think, ‘Oh, it should just be there,'" Sussman said. "No! It shouldn't just be there. You have to create it."

One passion-creation strategy Sussman recommends is scheduling sex — like, on the calendar. It's a tip that Bat Sheva Marcus, the sexual dysfunction specialist and clinical director of The Medical Center For Female Sexuality, has also shared with Business Insider. A sex schedule can be especially helpful, Sussman said, if the couple is busy, or has young kids, or if one person goes to bed earlier than the other.

You may just have to be patient while you try to rekindle the passion in your relationship

A 2013 paper published in the Journal of Positive Psychology focuses on countering "hedonic adaptation" in romantic relationships, i.e. gradually getting accustomed to your partner and your relationship until the passion and satisfaction you felt initially wears off.

The authors — Katherine Jacobs Bao and Sonja Lyubomirsky at the University of California, Riverside review several techniques for keeping things fresh. One is making an effort to try new things.

Psychologist Arthur Aron has led multiple studies that find doing something new and exciting— as opposed to routine — can lead to greater relationship satisfaction. Think dancing or hiking, instead of seeing a movie (assuming you go dancing and hiking less often than you see movies).

One of my favorite insights from the Bao and Lyubomirsky paper is that "people can mistake surges in adrenaline for sexual attraction." The authors cite a well-known 1974 study, published in the journal of Personality and Social Psychology, that found men who crossed a shaky bridge were more likely to call up an attractive research assistant (she'd given out her phone number) than men who crossed a more stable bridge.

In other words: It's OK — and sometimes even advisable — to trick yourself into feeling passionate.

Another possibility, based on a 2015 study published in the journal Personal Relationships, is to find opportunities to laugh together.

All that said, one way to supplement your efforts to recreate passion in a long-term relationship is simply to do what Lyubomirsky calls "taking the long view." In a 2012 New York Times op-ed, she wrote: "Research shows that marital happiness reaches one of its highest peaks during the period after offspring have moved out of the family home."

If you've just gotten married, that day may be a long way away. The point isn't necessarily to wait until you have kids and shove them out — it's to be patient. Lyuobomirsky wrote in The Times: "A marriage is likely to change shape multiple times over the course of its lifetime; it must be continually rebuilt if it is to thrive."

SEE ALSO: 5 ways to reignite the passion in a tired relationship

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• Buckingham Palace posted a job listing in December for a new catering chef.
• The position is full-time and pays about $28,000 a year — and even less if you decide to live on-site.
• The chef will prepare food for receptions, state dinners, and staff lunches at Buckingham Palace and other royal residences.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is in search of a new "Demi Chef de Partie" at Buckingham Palace.

Also known as a line cook or station chef in restaurants in the US, the position requires working with a team of staff to prepare large meals at a fast pace, often for catered events.

According to the job listing, Buckingham Palace is offering a salary of about $28,000 a year, plus an employer pension contribution of 15%, daily meals, and 33 vacation days a year. 

That's about $5,000 more than the average salary of a line cook at a restaurant in the US — or $8,300 more than a fast food worker at McDonald's — but the listing says the annual pay will be adjusted if the chef decides to live on-site, though it's not clear by how much. 

While the salary may seem low, what the position lacks in monetary compensation it will likely make up for in experience. 

The listing says an extensive background working as a chef "isn't essential," but qualified candidates will have spent time in a "premier kitchen or volume catering." The new chef will prepare food for receptions, state dinners, and staff lunches at Buckingham Palace and other royal residences.

Ultimately, the Queen is looking for someone with strong communication skills, a passion for food, an eagerness to learn new skills, a clear ability to meet deadlines, and great attention to detail.

That's understandable, considering the Queen is famously particular about her food — no garlic, lots of dark chocolate, and very little red meat, according to an interview with a former Buckingham Palace chef in Town & Country Magazine. 

The public application for the Demi Chef de Partie closed on January 1, but Buckingham Palace is still looking to hire two palace assistants and a handful of seasonal workers for next summer.

With a personal fortune over $500 million, it's unlikely the Queen will ever skimp on staff.

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Socialite and billionaire heiress Paris Hilton is engaged. Her new fiancé, actor Chris Zylka, proposed during a ski trip in Aspen, Colorado over New Year's weekend.

Hilton and Zylka have been together for about two years and they're known for their lovey-dovey Instagram posts and public gushing about their relationship.

Below, check out the highlights of Hilton and Zylka's romance.

SEE ALSO: The fabulous life of Alexa Dell, the 24-year-old billionaire heiress who grew up in 'The Castle,' dated Tinder's CEO, and just got engaged with a million-dollar ring

Paris Hilton, 36, just got engaged to Chris Zylka, 32. Zylka proposed during a weekend ski trip in Aspen, Colorado, with a 20-carat, pear-shaped diamond. The ring's designer told PEOPLE it's worth about $2 million.

Instagram Embed:
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Source: PEOPLE

"I am so excited to be engaged to the love of my life and my best friend," Hilton told PEOPLE. "I have never felt so happy, safe and loved. He is perfect for me in every way and showed me that fairytales really do exist!"

Source: PEOPLE

Zylka is best known for playing Tom Garvey in the television series "The Leftovers."

Source: IMDB

• Detoxing by drinking juices, going on cleanses, or using other formulas is unnecessary and may be dangerous.
• Juicing fresh fruits and vegetables also strips them of some of their most beneficial ingredients.

It's no surprise that detoxes and cleanses are all the rage this January. Who didn't spend the holidays wishing for a way to rid their bodies of some of 2017's toxic content?

The idea of a food or drink that can detoxify the body has a practical ring to it. Plenty of foods and beverages can speed up our digestion. But simply ingesting large amounts of these products — not to mention skipping out on solid foods altogether — doesn't result in a cleaner system.

The original detox diet, called the Master Cleanse, was thought up in the 1940s by Stanley Burroughs as a "natural" way to treat stomach ulcers. It consists of a daily regimen of 6-12 glasses of water mixed with lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and maple syrup, plus a laxative at bedtime. The method was never substantiated by any research.

Still, new versions of the classic cleanse have been popping up since the 1980s. The 2004 book "Take Charge of Your Health with the Master Cleanse," promised dieters that after one week of abstaining from food, they would begin to feel "euphoric" and "serene."

We could think of other words to describe the sensations of incipient starvation.

Other less-extreme alternatives to the Master Cleanse include juicing, but studies suggest that the costly regimen is has not been linked with any significant health outcomes and may instead be bad for you.

Juicing removes some of the healthiest parts of fresh produce

Practices like juicing remove the most nutrient-dense components of fruits and vegetables and may even set some people up for disordered eating habits.

When you turn produce into juice, you remove all of its fiber, the key ingredient that keeps you feeling full and satisfied until your next meal. But you keep the natural sugar — a bottle of one type of bottled green juice has more sugar than a can of Coke.

The effects of a diet that's high in sugar, low in protein, and low in fiber can be felt quickly. You're constantly hungry because there's no fiber to fill you up. Meanwhile, the sugar you're consuming temporarily raises your blood sugar, but with no protein to stabilize it, you wind up on a roller-coaster ride of high and low energy. And since your muscles feed on protein for energy, not ingesting any of it for long periods may cause you to lose muscle, according to an article in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.

Juicing is not cheap

Just a few days' worth of juice on some cleanse plans would have you spending roughly $120 at the grocery store. Take the list of ingredients for this three-day juice cleanse from the "Dr. Oz Show": four carrots, four apples (type not specified), two golden delicious apples, two 1-inch pieces of ginger, three cucumbers, six celery stalks, 14 kale leaves, half a lemon, one lime, four plum tomatoes, two red bell peppers, one-fourth of a small red onion, two cups of parsley, one large sweet potato, two large red beets, one orange, eight Swiss chard leaves, and six clementines.

That's roughly $40 — and it represents just a single day on the three-day plan.

Premade juices cold-pressed juices also exist. They cost up to $8 for a 16-oz serving, putting your daily juice expenditure at $72.

Cleanses can mimic other dangerous eating habits

Another concern with detoxes is the way they can mimic unhealthy eating patterns. Some psychologists and dietitians worry that by having people severely restrict their eating or refrain entirely from some food groups, cleanses and detoxes can set people up for an eating disorder or worsen one that already exists.

"Maybe a patient tried it and became obsessed, or maybe the eating disorder was already there and the juicing became part of it," Debbie Westerling, the director of nutrition services at a New York City eating disorder treatment clinic, told Marie Claire. At least half the patients in her clinic reported having tried a juice cleanse, she said.

Eating nothing but juice for several days may also bring back past eating problems, according to Megan Holt, a registered dietitian who wrote about cleansing in a recent post on her clinic's website.

"I tend to discourage fasting because it can reactivate disordered eating behaviors, whether that's restriction or feeling out of control with food or feeling disconnected from hunger and fullness cues when one does start to eat again," Holt said.

You already have a natural detox system

Fortunately, detoxes and cleanses aren't necessary.

Our kidneys filter our blood and remove waste from our diet. Our liver processes medications and detoxifies any chemicals we ingest. Together, these organs make our bodies natural cleansing powerhouses.

"Unless there's a blockage in one of these organs that do it day and night, there's absolutely no need to help the body get rid of toxins," family physician Ranit Mishori of the Georgetown University School of Medicine told NPR. Mishori has spent years reviewing the medical literature on cleanses.

So in 2018, skip the detox and commit to healthy eating patterns that you can sustain.

READ MORE: 18 'healthy habits' you should give up in 2018

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NOW WATCH: 6 'healthy' eating habits you are better off giving up

President Donald Trump. Hurricanes Harvey, Maria, and Irma. The Russia investigation. The #MeToo movement. Las Vegas.

There were so many huge, consequential stories in 2017, and they all came at a breakneck pace, one after another. The news cycle was so quick that many stories that would have otherwise made a massive impact either were forgotten soon after they broke, or fell by the wayside entirely.

Here are 17 consequential news stories from 2017 that you might have missed, but should definitely remember:

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The Pentagon's $22 million UFO investigation program

From 2007 to 2012, the Pentagon investigated whether UFOs existed, and what threats they posed for the US military.

Initially pushed for by Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, the program interviewed pilots and military officers who had encounters with unexplained objects over the years. Intelligence official Luis Elizondo led it, and told The New York Times that he resigned in October because he said the Defense Department didn't take his findings seriously.

Essentially, the US military was studying whether aliens existed. Aliens!

1 million people contracting cholera in Yemen

Yemen's cholera outbreak, which started in 2016, has grown at an alarming pace amid the country's ongoing civil war.

In December, the Red Cross confirmed that 1 million people in the country have contracted the disease, an astronomical number considering it is treatable and preventable.

But the conflict in Yemen has led to a perfect storm that has allowed the disease to flourish.

Puerto Rico burning the dead after Hurricane Maria

While the official number of deaths in Puerto Rico that have occurred as a result of Hurricane Maria sits only at 64, at least 1,052 people have died in the aftermath of the hurricane.

They weren't included in the official death toll because their bodies were not examined to determine the cause of death. The government had also allowed funeral homes to burn the bodies of the dead to cut down on burial costs.

While Puerto Rico dominated the headlines as the Category 4 storm ravaged the island, the US territory's woes have only grown as the news cycle moved on. As much as half of the island's people remain without power over three months after the disaster.

• The total number of movie tickets sold in 2017 was 1.239 billion.
• That's the lowest total since 1992.
• Many are choosing to stay home and watch streaming content.

The numbers don't lie. No one went to the movies in 2017. 

Sure, you probably went to see "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," "Wonder Woman," or maybe a Marvel movie, but the ticket totals are in and that's the true barometer of the state of the exhibition business. And it's not a pretty picture. 

The total number of tickets sold at the domestic box office in 2017 was 1.239 billion, according to Box Office Mojo. That's a 5.8% drop compared to 2016. But it's also the lowest total since 1992 (1.173 billion).

The domestic box office gross barely crossed the $11 billion mark this year with $11.065 billion (thanks to December releases "The Last Jedi" and "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle"). That doesn't look like a major drop, as it's just 3% lower than the all-time best domestic mark hit last year ($11.377 billion), but that figure gets a lot of help from bloated ticket prices — not just for regular 2D movies (last year the average hovered just under $9), but also the expensive price to see movies on IMAX, RealD, and MX4D screens.

If you look at just the butts in the seats, the movie business needs a revamp. 

"Studios are lagging behind for the very simple reason that they are relying on retreads and reboots, and most of those aren't being well received," Jeff Bock, senior analyst for Exhibitor Relations, told Business Insider.

The top 10 domestic grossers of 2017 were all just that. And there were plenty released this year that underperformed as well ("Alien: Covenant," "Transformers: The Last Knight," "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" — though all three of these titles did much better overseas). Now pile on top of that titles that were supposed to launch new franchises for years to come but ended up being DOA ("The Mummy," "Power Rangers"), and you have a lot of releases in the multiplex this year that were full of empty seats. 

So instead of going to the movies, audiences stayed home and watched what was on streaming services. 

"Audiences are continuing to flock to streaming in droves for challenging content and that doesn't look to change in 2018, or the near future," Bock said. "The studios are up against the wall, and the next few years they'll have to produce a plethora of quality films to win back favor with audiences."

Or they could do what's been common in Hollywood for 100-plus years: "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

With Disney's announcement last summer that it will soon launch its own streaming service, more studios could do the same.

We may truly be at the moment where the moviegoing experience drastically changes forever.

SEE ALSO: The 25 worst movies of 2017, according to critics

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• Terminal B at Mineta San Jose International Airport was evacuated and closed for nearly an hour on Tuesday because of a suspicious package.
• Local authorities determined the package was "non-threatening."
• The contents of the package have not been revealed.

Terminal B at Mineta San Jose International Airport was evacuated Tuesday morning because of a suspicious package. The airport's Twitter account noted that the terminal closed at 11:00 a.m. and reopened at 11:55 a.m.

The package was first noticed around 10 a.m., an airport representative told Business Insider. The San Jose Police Department, San Jose Fire Department, and a bomb squad were on site to investigate the package and decided it was "non-threatening." The contents of the package have not been revealed.

Rather than forcing the passengers in Terminal B to go outside, the airport moved them to Terminal A so they wouldn't have to go through security again. Southwest and Alaska Airlines operate out of Terminal B.

The evacuation was documented on Twitter.

SEE ALSO: A burnt bagel forced an entire terminal at a St. Louis airport to evacuate

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• International tobacco giant Philip Morris International has said its 2018 New Year's resolution is to "give up cigarettes."
• The firm ran full-page adverts in several UK newspapers claiming it aims to help people quit and to replace traditional cigarettes with smoke-free alternatives.
• The firm said it will seek government approval to include information on quitting and on switching in cigarette packets.

LONDON — Global tobacco giant Philip Morris International's New Year's resolution is to give up cigarettes.

In an unusual move, the tobacco company, known for its Marlboro brand, placed full-page adverts in several UK newspapers on Tuesday claiming that the firm's "New Year's resolution" for 2018 is to "stop selling cigarettes in the UK."

"Philip Morris is known for cigarettes. Every year, many smokers give them up. Now it's our turn," reads the advert.

"Our ambition is to stop selling cigarettes in the UK. It won't be easy. But we are determined to turn our vision into reality. There are 7.6 million adults in the UK who smoke. The best action they can take is to quit smoking," it says.

Philip Morris said it aims to replace cigarettes with alternatives such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco, "which are a better choice," and which it is rolling out in countries worldwide. The firm also announced the creation of a new website — www.smokefreefuture.co.uk— that contains information on quitting and on switching.

In addition to new products, Philip Morris said it plans to offer support to local stop-smoking services where smoking rates are highest and said it would seek UK government approval to include information about quitting smoking in cigarette packs.

“We believe we have an important role to play in helping the UK become smoke-free. The commitments announced today are practical steps that could accelerate that goal," said Peter Nixon, managing director of Philip Morris.

"We recognise that never starting to smoke — or quitting altogether — are always the best option. But for those who continue to smoke, there are more alternatives than ever available in the UK."

In September, the World Health Organisation advised governments to reject a plan by Philip Morris to set up a Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, saying the tobacco industry and "front groups" were "misleading" the public about the relative harm of alternative tobacco products.

To date, the firm has invested £2.5 billion into the research and development of smoke-free products to date, it said.

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Anyone who has experienced getting a puppy knows it can be hard work. Owners often refer to their pets as "fur babies," which makes a lot of sense considering how much attention puppies require when you first get them.

Puppies need time to settle into their new home and bond with their owners. They've probably just been taken from their mothers and introduced to a brand new environment, so there's likely to be a lot of crying. And that's before you can even think about house-training.

As it turns out, some companies sympathise with this transition and offer what's known as "pawternity leave." In fact, research from Petplan found that 5% of owners have been offered paid leave from their job to adjust to their pet owning duties.

These are some of the companies which give you a few days off to bond with your new best friend.

Mars Petcare

Mars Petcare was one of the first companies to offer pawternity leave. The company offers its employees ten hours of paid leave when they get a new pet, and they can bring them into the office after that.

Mparticle

The data platform provider Mparticle offers two weeks of paid leave if an employee adopts a rescue dog. According to The Times, the recruiter for the company Laurel Peppino said it's to provide time for training and walks.

"We offer maternity and paternity leave and a pet is just another member of the family," she said. "We don't discriminate just because they aren't human."

BitSol Solutions

A tech company based in Manchester called BitSol Solutions offers its employees a full week of paid leave if they get a new pet. According to the Metro, company owner Greg Buchanan said: "Pets are like babies nowadays, so why shouldn't staff have some time off when they arrive?"

• A London Underground ad for dating website eHarmony has been banned for being "misleading."
• According to the Advertising Standards Authority, the ad suggests it "offers users a significantly greater chance of finding lasting love" by using a scientific algorithm.
• The ASA ruled it must not appear in its current form.
• The complainant called it a "new form of fake news."

An advertisement from dating website eHarmony has been banned by Britain's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for suggesting it "offers users a significantly greater chance of finding lasting love" with a scientific algorithm.

The ad, which appeared on the London Underground, features the text: "Step aside, fate. It's time science had a go at love." It continues:

"Imagine being able to stack the odds of finding lasting love entirely in your favour. eHarmony's scientifically proven matching system decodes the mystery of compatibility and chemistry so you don't have to. Why leave the most important search of your life to chance? Try something different today. Join eharmony.co.uk."

The dating site uses a compatibility matching algorithm in order to match users, taking into account responses to questionnaires on personality traits, values, and interests.

The algorithm — which eHarmony submitted a granted patent for — is based on data collected from "more than 50,000 married couples in 23 different countries, which looked at their core personality traits and key values," according to the company.

It also provided two published studies which reported "higher levels of marital satisfaction for couples who met through eHarmony than any other offline or online sources."

However, the complainant — Lord Lipsey, joint chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Statistics and a former member of the ASA council — believed it "was not possible to hold scientific proof about a dating system" and challenged whether the ad was "misleading," according to the ASA.

According to the BBC, he said the phrase "scientifically proven" should only be used in claims that are "just that" and not "crude puffery designed to lure in those longing for love."

"This is a new form of fake news which the ASA has rightly slapped down," he said.

eHarmony argued that the ad did not "making any specific claims except that their matching system was scientific and could therefore provide an advantage in finding a compatible partner over a purely chance-based system or meeting."

The firm added that it did not make any guarantees about finding lasting love or claim it had a better success rate than any other service.

While the ASA acknowledged that consumers would be unlikely to think eHarmony could guarantee they would find lasting love, the watchdog stated: "We considered that consumers would interpret the claim 'scientifically proven matching system' to mean that scientific studies had demonstrated that the website offered users a significantly greater chance of finding lasting love than what could be achieved if they didn't use the service."

It added that while the research put forward by eHarmony suggested the largest number of respondents who met through online dating had met through the service, "the figure was not higher than other general online and offline sources," such as bars. ASA concluded that the claim "scientifically proven matching system" was "misleading."

The ad has been banned from appearing in its current form. According to the BBC, eHarmony said it "respectfully disagrees" with the ruling but will make its advertising "as clear as possible."

SEE ALSO: 'Fake news' is officially the 2017 word of the year

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LONDON — Iconic party venue Kensington Roof Gardens announced on Tuesday it will close suddenly because it is struggling to remain profitable.

The glamorous rooftop nightclub and restaurant, which is located above Kensington High Street, has been run by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group for 37 years, but will close imminently. 

"In an ever changing London market The Roof Gardens has stood the test of time but in the face of unpredictable market conditions and a challenge to remain profitable, we feel that the time has come for us to close our doors," the Group said in a statement.

"We are certain The Roof Gardens will continue to be one of London's most spectacular and extraordinary landmarks and look forward to seeing what's next for this beautiful venue," it said.

The venue's staff were told on Tuesday they were being made redundant because Virgin was facing rising operating costs, according to The Times.

A spokesperson for Virgin Group told The Times customers who have paid a deposit for a future booking will have their money returned.

Keep scrolling to take a look back at the venue's history:

The Roof Garden was formerly known as Derry and Toms Roof Gardens, since it was on the roof of the former department store Derry & Toms, which opened in 1933.

Here is the Derry & Toms building, in High Street Kensington. The Gardens cannot be seen from street level.

The gardens, which cost £25,000 to build, were opened in 1938 by the Earl of Athlone.

• A new study suggests a man's scent might lead women to drink more.
• Women who smelt male pheromones were more likely to drink more than women who sniffed water.
• The researchers conclude it could be because of the cultural link between drinking and sexual activity.

Dating is nerve-wracking, so it's understandable many people have a few drinks when they're face-to-face with someone completely new.

But it might not all be down to the butterflies. According to a new study published in the journal Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, the way a man smells might have an impact on how much a woman drinks when she is with him.

Researchers from the Department of Psychology at the University of South Florida recruited 103 women from the ages of 21 and 31, and told them they were taking part in a consumer survey for men's cologne and drinks.

In reality, they were trying to do a reverse of an experiment that found the scents given off by women in the fertile phase of their menstrual cycle made men drink more alcohol.

The women were given fragrance strips strayed with either manufactured androstenone — a pheromone found in human sweat— or water. Both groups were told they were sniffing men's cologne. Then, they were given the option to drink two glasses of non-alcoholic beer. (An alcohol free version was used for safety reasons.)

Over the course of 10 minutes, those who smelt the pheremone drank a tenth more than the control group who were given the water "cologne."

The researchers concluded that male scents might instigate drinking because there is a cultural association between drinking alcohol and having sex. Research has shown that alcohol suppresses psychological inhibitions, which may lead to an increased desire for sex.

"Because of the centrality of sexual signaling to fundamental evolutionary/biological forces, these results indicate a potentially powerful influence on alcohol consumption that calls for continued investigation," the study concludes.

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• New York gym chain Hanson Fitness will hold its first naked full body conditioning gym class on January 5.
• Celebrity trainer Harry Hanson, who has trained Rihanna, Sandra Bullock, and Tyra Banks, will lead the sessions.
• Benefits of nude training include greater body awareness and empowerment, as well as unrestricted movement, according to the gym.

With the new year comes plenty of new fitness fads for us to try out — although some are a little more daring than others.

Hanson Fitness, a New York gym chain favoured by celebrities including Rihanna, has launched a new full body conditioning class at its Soho outpost — and it requires participants to be naked.

A spokeswoman for the gym told Business Insider that while the gym is unsure if it's the city's first ever naked exercise class, it's "certainly the first nude class for this type of exercise."

The nude class is designed to be a total body workout in which attendees use their body weight as resistance to work the glute, butt, legs, and core – "making you look and feel good naked."

Sessions begin on Friday January 5, and will be led by celebrity trainer Harry Hanson, who has previously trained Rihanna, Sandra Bullock, and Tyra Banks.

To begin with, there will be three sessions per week held at the Soho gym — one for men, one for women, and one that is mixed. There'll be one on the weekend and two on weekday evenings.

There are also several private sessions booked in, according to the company, the majority of which are couples' sessions.

Here's a look at the Soho gym where the sessions will take place.

The idea for the nude class came as an answer to the gym's clients always wanting new ways to get fit.

Hanson said: "As a forward-thinking fitness centre, we like to make sure we offer our members the very latest in fitness developments. Our approach makes sure our members get and stay in the absolute best shape, and our new naked personal fitness sessions are no exception.

"This new development brings with it a range of fitness and health benefits and allows our members to have a little cheeky fun in the process."

So, what exactly are the benefits of naked training?

According to Hanson Fitness, the advantages of training nude are fourfold:

1. It releases endorphins.

"Sunlight on the exposed skin will lead to the body producing Vitamin D which aids in bone and muscle health," according to the gym. "Vitamin D also leads to serotonin production, the hormone responsible for our mood regulation."

2. It increases body awareness and empowerment.

"While you’re in your birthday suit, you can see every inch of your body which makes it easy to see if you’re cheating on your exercises."

3. It makes for unrestricted movement.

"While naked, there’s nothing at all holding you back. The only limitations are your own, not because you can’t move in a certain angle in your cute workout clothes."

4. Less laundry.

(Pretty self-explanatory).

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• "Jeopardy" contestant Nick Spicher lost out on $3,200 after saying "gangster" instead of "gangsta," in an answer referencing Coolio's 1995 rap hit, "Gangsta's Paradise."
• The "Jeopardy" judges initially gave him points for the answer before taking the money back after reviewing his pronunciation.

A "Jeopardy" contestant lost thousands on Monday after mispronouncing the name of Coolio's 1995 rap hit, "Gangsta's Paradise."

On the show, host Alex Trebek read the following clue from a category in which contestants must combine well-known works of music and literature: "A song by Coolio from 'Dangerous Minds' goes back in time to become a 1667 John Milton classic."

Contestant Nick Spicher correctly identified the substance of the answer by responding, "What is Gangster's Paradise Lost," and took the lead with $11,200.

Moments later, however, Trebek interrupted the game to say that the judges had reviewed Spicher's answer, and decided that it couldn't count.

"You said 'Gangster's' instead of 'Gangsta's' on that song by Coolio," Trebek said. "We take $3,200 away from you so you are now in second place."

"Jeopardy" later wrote a blog post explaining the difference between "gangsta" and "gangster."

"Although Nick's response of 'Gangster's Paradise Lost' was initially accepted, the hard R sound caught the ear of one member of the onstage team, who immediately followed up with a quick check," the blog post reads. "It turns out that 'gangsta' and 'gangster' are both listed separately in the Oxford English Dictionary, each with its own unique definition."

Spicher would nonetheless go on to win the game. 

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• A passenger on a delayed Ryanair flight from London climbed onto a wing in Malaga, Spain.
• The passenger was reportedly frustrated about the delay.
• He was later arrested by Spanish authorities.

A passenger on a delayed Ryanair flight from London became frustrated and climbed onto a wing after opening the emergency exit, according to the Associated Press. The passenger exited the aircraft 30 minutes after the plane had landed in Malaga, Spain, on January 1. 

The plane's passengers were standing in the aisle before the man, whose name has not been disclosed, became impatient, found the emergency exit, and walked onto the plane's wing. After the police were called, the man returned to the plane's cabin. The rest of the passengers waited for another 15 minutes before leaving the plane.

Spanish police arrested the man and have taken over the case, a Ryanair spokesperson told Business Insider. They have opened a complaint against the man for breaching security, according to the Associated Press.

Another passenger filmed the incident.

SEE ALSO: Trump takes credit for the safest year in the history of commercial air travel

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• We visited an Italian mill where they make oil the old-fashioned way
• They use granite wheels to crush the olives and fibre discs to press the oil.
• The most refined olive oil is called 'extra virgin.'
• The olives need to be crushed within 24 hours of harvest.
• Oil needs to be"cold-pressed" mechanically at room temperature.

Olive oil comes in many varieties and flavours that change depending on soil, climate, age, and production.

The most refined olive oil is called 'extra virgin.' To be called so, the olives need to be crushed within 24 hours. They also need to be "cold pressed," meaning the oil is extracted mechanically at room temperature without the use of heat or chemicals.

While modern mills use steel drums to cold-press their olives, some smaller, often family-run mills are still making it the old-fashioned way with giant granite wheels.

The mill we visited in Monopoli, south Italy, produces around 800 litres per day of Extra virgin olive oil, crushing about 5,000 kg of olives.

Harvested olives enter the mill on a conveyor belt, losing around 90% of the leaves. The last 10% is ground into a paste with olives and pits.

The paste then moves into a kneading machine, which helps break the paste down into water and oil. It’s then spread over large fibre discs that are piled up and pressed for around 2.5 hours.

Finally, the oil is separated from water and ready to be sold, or it can be filtered to give it a clearer appearance.  Filtering is done through a funnel and cotton wool. While filtered oil has a longer shelf life, it has less flavour than the unfiltered product.

Produced and filmed by Claudia Romeo

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William Shakespeare wrote a lot of great plays, but he also coined and popularized a lot of words and phrases that we still use to this day.

We put together a list of our 21 favorites. Check them out:

"Puking"

"All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms. ..."

How Shakespeare uses it: "Puking" was first recorded in Shakespeare's "As You Like It." It was likely an English imitation of the German word "spucken," which means to spit, according to Dictionary.com.

Modern definition: A synonym for the verb "to vomit."

Source: "As You Like It," Act 2, Scene 7

"Vanish into thin air"

"Then put up your pipes in your bag, for I'll away. Go; vanish into air; away!" (Othello)

How Shakespeare uses it: The Clown says this to the musicians in "Othello" to make them go away.

But some have also suggested that there is a darker underlying meaning. Act 3 in Othello is the final act that suggests that all of this might have a happy ending. It gets pretty dark starting in Act 4. So the Clown might be symbolically asking musicians and all happy things to "vanish into thin air" because there's no more room for them in the play.

A similar phrase is also found in "The Tempest."

Modern definition: To disappear without a trace.

Sources: "Othello," Act 3, Scene 1, "The Tempest," Act 4, Scene 1

"There's a method to my madness"

"Though this be madness, yet there is method in 't. Will you walk out of the air, my lord?"

How Shakespeare uses it: Polonius says it in "Hamlet," basically suggesting that there is reason behind apparent chaos.

Modern definition: The meaning is the same nowadays, although the language is a bit updated into modern terms. It is also a Bee Gees song.

Source: "Hamlet," Act 2, Scene 2