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The 21 actors who have gotten the most Oscar nominations without winning one

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amy adams the master

Each year, deserving actors and actresses lose out in the Oscars' best acting categories.

But there are a handful of great actors that the Academy has repeatedly nominated and proceeded to repeatedly neglect. 

Amy Adams has lost five times at the Oscars for five captivating roles, most recently with her first best actress nomination for 2013's "American Hustle."

But some all-time greats like Glenn Close, Richard Burton, and Peter O'Toole have had it even worse.

Here are the 21 actors who have been nominated for at least four Oscars without winning once:

SEE ALSO: The 40 actors who have won multiple Oscars, and who has won the most

Michelle Williams — 4 nominations

Best actress nominations: "Blue Valentine" (2010), "My Week with Marilyn" (2011)

Best supporting actress nominations: "Brokeback Mountain" (2005), "Manchester by the Sea" (2016)



Barbara Stanwyck — 4 nominations

Best actress nominations: "Stella Dallas" (1937), "Ball of Fire" (1941), "Double Indemnity" (1944), "Sorry, Wrong Number" (1948)

Stanwyck received the Academy Honorary Award for lifetime achievement in 1981.



Rosalind Russell — 4 nominations

Best actress nominations: "My Sister Eileen" (1942), "Sister Kenny" (1946), "Mourning Becomes Electra" (1947), "Auntie Mame" (1958)



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

San Francisco's downtown area is more contaminated with drug needles, garbage, and feces than some of the world's poorest slums

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dirty streets of san francisco 3956

San Francisco is one of the most exciting, dynamic, and richest cities in the world.

But it's far from being the cleanest.

In February, the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit spent three days surveying 153 blocks of downtown San Francisco to see what they would find. Their search turned up drug needles, garbage, and feces in concentrations comparable to some of the world's poorest slums.

On a recent commute to Business Insider's office in San Francisco, I took a detour through the Tenderloin neighborhood, where NBC conducted its survey, to see how the claim held up.

SEE ALSO: San Francisco's homeless are getting six-figure jobs in a gritty neighborhood that's been overrun by tech companies

NBC Bay Area hit the streets of the Tenderloin and the surrounding Mid-Market area — a neighborhood known for its mix of high-powered tech companies and homeless people.

Read the full report from the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit.



There, the city's chronically homeless denizens sleep outside the offices of Uber, Microsoft, Twitter, and Square. Almost half of the 7,500 homeless people in San Francisco live nearby.

See more: A formerly homeless man gave us a tour of the gritty San Francisco neighborhood that's been overrun by tech companies

Source: San Francisco Chronicle



NBC Bay Area surveyed the area bordered by Van Ness Avenue, Market Street, Post Street, and Grant Avenue in search of drug needles, trash, and feces. It kept track of the findings.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

We drove a $246,000 Bentley Bentayga SUV to see if it's worth the money — here's the verdict

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Bentley Bentayga

  • The Bentley Bentayga debuted in 2016.
  • The Bentayga is powered by a 600 horsepower, twin-turbocharged W12 engine.
  • The Bentley SUV can hit 60 mph in 4.0 seconds and reach a top speed of 187 mph.
  • The 2018 Bentley Bentayga starts at $195,000. 



The Bentley Bentayga is one of the most talked-about cars in recent memory that doesn't carry Ferrari's prancing stallion or one of Tesla's battery packs.

With global demand for SUVs unyielding, it was only a matter of time before the world's most exclusive automakers joined in on the action.  

High-end luxury SUVs have been on the market for as longs there's been luxury cars and SUVs. These days, Range Rover is an unstoppable sales juggernaut, while the Mercedes-Benz G-Class has long shed its utilitarian upbringing to become a status symbol for world's well-heeled elite. 

But it wasn't until the Bentayga's debut in 2016 that the era of the ultra-luxury SUV began. By the end of 2018, the Bentley SUV will be joined by both the Rolls-Royce Cullinan and the Lamborghini Urus.

In late 2016, Bentley dropped off a white Bentayga for Business Insider to check out.  Even though we were able to shoot photos, scheduling restraints did not afford us enough driving time to properly evaluate the vehicle. So Bentley gave us another bite at the apple a couple of months ago when it loaned us another Bentayga — a 2018 model in Rubino Red.

But this time around, we were able to spend nearly a week with the Bentayga. The 2018 Bentley Bentayga starts at $195,000 but $48,120 in options and a $2,725 destination fee pushed the as-tested price to $245,845. 

Here's a closer look at the Bentley Bentayga:

SEE ALSO: We drove the $136,000 Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon and finally understand why it's an automotive legend

FOLLOW US: on Facebook for more car and transportation content!

Here it is! Our 2018 Bentley Bentayga test car. A freak snow storm the night before left the road and our Rubino Red Bentayga covered in a thick layer of salt residue.



For an unobstructed view of the Bentayga, here's the test car we checked out in late 2016. And it's obvious this thing is a Bentley, You couldn't possibly confuse it with anything else. The front fascia is punctuated by Bentley's corporate mesh grille and spherical headlights.



The production Bentayga's styling is the work of former Bentley design boss Luc Donckerwolke and head of exterior design Sangyap Lee. Both have since been poached by Hyundai's new Genesis luxury brand.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Jennifer Lawrence's 'Red Sparrow' director addresses the love-hate reaction from movie critics: 'It's hard for me to tell quite yet what it is people hate about it'

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Red Sparrow Fox final

  • "Red Sparrow" director Francis Lawrence reacts to the love-hate response critics have had to the movie.
  • Despite some saying that the movie glorifies rape and violence, he said, "I don't think it's gratuitous in any way."

 
Jennifer Lawrence's latest movie "Red Sparrow" opens in theaters on Friday, and depending who you believe in the film criticism world, the 20th Century Fox release is either a unique spy thriller rarely made by a Hollywood studio, or a dull pretentious work that glorifies rape and violence. 

With a current rating of 60% on Rotten Tomatoes, the love-hate reaction for the movie is one that its director, Francis Lawrence ("Hunger Games: Catching Fire" and "Hunger Games: Mockingjay" 1 and 2), is still trying to wrap his head around.

"I haven't read too many reviews yet but I'm starting to get that sense," Lawrence told Business Insider on Wednesday about the polarizing reaction to the movie. "It's hard for me to tell quite yet what it is people hate about it."

Red Sparrow Francis Lawrence Fox finalBased on the 2013 Jason Matthews novel of the same name, "Red Sparrow" follows a famed Russian ballerina named Dominika (Jennifer Lawrence) who is recruited to become a "Sparrow," part of a Russian intelligence unit that trains its agents to use seduction and manipulation to get what they want.

The movie is violent and sexually graphic — in one scene Jennifer Lawrence is nude and uses her sexuality to intimidate a man who attempted to rape her in a previous scene — which has thrown off many who were expecting Fox to release a more traditional action-packed spy thriller.

Lawrence said this might be part of the reason for the split reception.

"I certainly knew that taking on this kind of content would turn some people off," he said. "There's just some people who don't want to watch tough movies and movies with brutality. I don't think it's gratuitous in any way or that I went too far or too gory or anything like that, I wasn't interested in that, I was interested in intensity. Some of it may be in preconceived ideas of who Jen is, what they think a spy thriller should be, people may also have a hard time with this kind of content in the world now."

Much of the focus of the film's publicity has been on why Jennifer Lawrence took the role, which she she said "empowered" her following being the victim of a hack that led to nude photos of her being leaked online in 2014. But some critics don't see it that way. New York Post film critic Sara Stewart described the movie as "a throwback to old Hollywood in its belief that gratuitous rape and violence are the best way to create a heroine with backbone."

"Eventually I will read reviews," Lawrence said. "But listen, I would rather people love it or hate it than think it's mediocre."

 

SEE ALSO: Our predictions of who will win at the 2018 Oscars on Sunday night — and who really should win

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: You can connect all 9 Best Picture Oscar nominees with actors they have in common — here's how

Rapper Lupe Fiasco explains why he's obsessed with Reddit and using it as the exclusive forum for news about his upcoming album

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lupe fiasco

  • Lupe Fiasco spoke with Business Insider after attending a technology summit at the headquarters of Autodesk with the Society of Spoken Art (SOSA), his educational guild for rappers.
  • Fiasco touched on his work with SOSA, using blockchain technology to "revolutionize music," and choosing Reddit as the exclusive forum of news for his upcoming album, "DROGAS Wave."

 

Lupe Fiasco has made a career of releasing intricate and innovative rap albums, but his interests have never been limited to music. 

In 2015, Fiasco founded the Society of Spoken Art (SOSA), an educational guild with the mission of introducing established rappers and aspiring artists to a slate of academic concepts. 

Business Insider spoke on the phone with Fiasco last week, after he and a group of SOSA members participated in a two-day technology summit with the architect and lecturer Michael Ford at the San Francisco headquarters of Autodesk

Fiasco, newly independent from his contentious contract with Atlantic Records, touched on his work with SOSA, using blockchain technology to "revolutionize music," and choosing Reddit as the exclusive forum of news for his upcoming concept album, "DROGAS Wave."

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

Lynch: In this post-Atlantic phase of your career, how has having a greater level of creative control changed your approach to the craft, or has it?

Fiasco: No, I mean, it hasn't necessarily changed. It's just what I show to the world is different, if that makes any sense.

Lynch: Going off that, from what you've said about "DROGAS Wave," your next album, the working concept of it sounds like it's about to be incredible. How has greater creative control informed your work there?

Fiasco: You're gonna have to sign up to the Reddit. I made a promise to my little Reddit community that I'll only discuss "DROGAS: Wave" on Reddit [laughs]. To the chagrin of Twitter, and Instagram, and all the publicity folks, I kind of save it for the fans. You know, I think that one of the reactions, outside of music, has just been: focus on the fans. Let them be the first to crack things, or get the exclusive or the insight. And I've made a deal with them that I wouldn't talk about the album except on Reddit. I kind of broke it a little bit on Twitter, but it was things that we had already discussed prior. But in terms of anything that wasn't on Twitter, I just want people to democratize that process. It's like, hey, follow the Reddit page, subscribe to the sites, and I'll give you all the Easter eggs and the ideation and how the process grew and where it's going, and things you can expect from the album. I might even do some special previews of certain things on there. But I just wanted to isolate the process, really focus on the core, which is my fans. And I think that's something that, over the years, I've been more focused on what the press thinks, or what the label thinks, or what I think. And I think now that I have opportunity, let me just focus on the fans and give them the scoops, you know what I'm saying?

Lynch: I understand that, but why Reddit in particular, as a forum? What drew you to that?

Fiasco: I was watching [laughs]... There's this podcast. What's it called? "Stuff They Don't Want You To Know." And it was like this super interesting topic they were talking about, like assassins, or something like that, and Lake City Quiet Pills. And it was like, "Yeah, this came out on Reddit." And I'm thinking, what is this Reddit thing? You know, it just seemed like a place where if I wasn't a rapper, I'd probably be on Reddit 24 hours a day. You know what I'm saying? Like that's just the person that I am. But nah, it was a message-board space that I'd never really went into, and it wasn't like super fanned out. It wasn't like a bunch of fans posting up every little tidbit about my life. It just seemed like it was a little bit more serious, in terms of the conversation. It wasn't just like a bunch of fan boys, and stuff like that, or fan girls. And it was something that was direct, like you had to be on there. And people were pretty cool with when I just told them, "Look, if y'all can just keep everything that I do here on Reddit, and not go to different message boards or go to the press, or put it on a blog or something like that." And I mean, people kind of abided by that, which has never happened anywhere else that I've tried to do something fan-direct. So I just felt like, I have their trust, they have my trust now, so it just seemed like the right community to do it in.

Lynch: On a sort of similar topic, Michael Ford talked a bit about Genius as a forum that's at the intersection of a lot of the things he's preoccupied with. The Genius page for your song "Mural" — it's a lyrical masterpiece, and seeing how people break it down is compelling. But I wonder what you think of that sort of crowd-sourced dissection of songs. Do you find that productive?

Fiasco: I think it's good in terms of its inception and what it was meant to do. I think sometimes it spoils too much. But then, at the other side, they get a lot of stuff wrong. So I'll go in there and look at the annotations like, "That's wrong." But I won't fix it [laughs]. And I've always promised that I would never fix it, right? Just kinda let it rock. But I think some people don't want to be spoiled. You know, they don't want to get it first. They want to take their time with it. They don't want to be told the end of every movie, every time, just for the sake of a dope review that you put out first, or something like that. So, especially for rappers like myself, where a part of what I do is this puzzle-rap kind of thing, to get you to think about certain things, or listen to something four or five times, where you really may not get it until three years later. I think, when I came up listening to rap, that was exciting to me. That journey or that kind of puzzle aspect of it was exciting, and I think to spoil that sometimes can be a little funky. But at the same time, too, there's a plus to it because people can maybe relate to the raps a little bit more, or really kind of get it. But, just to be up front, some of that stuff is just wrong [laughs]. I'll let you find out what it is, on the next episode of Lupe Fiasco. But overall, I like it, man. I remember when they first started and it was a super cool idea. So, I'm all for it.

lupe fiasco

Lynch: To touch on SOSA for a bit, the stated mission behind that, what do you think rappers or lyricists in general can learn from the study of semiotics and linguistics?

Fiasco: With SOSA, our main goal is to introduce or make rappers aware of those fields, of linguistics, of semiotics, and then all of these other things that we kind of get into, all these other rabbit holes. It comes into communication theory, literary criticism, etcetera, etcetera. And it's more to introduce it to them in a very high-end kind of way, meaning that the information is not dumbed down. It's not like "hip-hop-ified" or "rap-ified." We don't teach you how to rap. We teach you how to hopefully become a linguistics professor, or what have you. So the curriculum is really intense in that aspect of it, but we deal with really high minds. We're really selective about who we choose to be a part of SOSA. People that not only want to expand what they do as rappers, but also expand and venture out into other opportunities. Similar to, in staying with Autodesk and Michael Ford, exploring these new territories, but exploring it in a very meaningful, articulate way. Leaving open the wild creativity of rap, and other things that we do to create what we do, but putting that kind of intellectual or academic backbone there as well. So to sum it up, the question that we answer at SOSA is, "Rappers know how to do it. But we don't necessarily know what we're doing." SOSA wants to answer that "what," or help rappers answer that "what" for themselves. What they choose to do with it, how they choose to do it is kind of up to them, but SOSA just wants to be that support group and that place where they can go if they're interested in expanding beyond entertainment, when it comes to rap.

Lynch: I've just got a few state of the industry questions. In popular music recently, there's been a trend of sort of overlong albums. Do you think that's something that is compromising artistry at all, or is it strictly a commercial thing? How do you view that topic, maybe in respect to your own work?

Fiasco: You said "overlong albums"? What do you mean?

Lynch: Yeah like album length, 24 tracks. Migos had 24 tracks, that's like an hour, 40 minutes [laughs]— that's crazy.

Fiasco: I mean, I think that's dope. "Doctor Zhivago" is like six days long. I think it's dope! My only issue with that is that, when I was in the industry, I got demonized for trying to do that. The labels and the publishing companies, everybody was like, "No, you can't do that. Your album has to be 12 songs. Anything over 14 songs you actually lose money when you sell the album." So I got hit with everything under the sun to get me to keep albums under 12 songs. And now to see people like Drake or Migos, or — yeah, I looked at Migos album, "Culture II" was like a double CD, and I was like, "Man, I wanted to do a double CD and they wouldn't even let me" [laughs]. So I mean, it's dope. It's good to see that there's an avenue. I'm sure that has to do with the digital space, streaming having something to say about the length of an album. So that's kind of one of the pluses, where if you have a really dense, extended idea, that there is a place for it to be commercially released and commercially accepted. I look at it as a positive. 

Lynch: What about personally, in the age of streaming, has the prospect of knowing that that's how people are consuming music changed your process at all, or your approach to album-making?

Fiasco: No, not really. No.

Lynch: Do you have any thoughts on cryptocurrency, if you have it or don't have it?

Fiasco: It's a sham, baby! It's a sham! [laughs] No, I have somewhat of a close compatriot who's on the forefront of blockchain, and the implementation of blockchain, on a very high level. And I've had a candid conversation with her about what is the real fruit when it comes to that whole kind of piece, and it's the blockchain side of it, as opposed to the crypto side of it. I mean, the crypto is gonna have a place the same way that, what were they called, what were those flowers called? No, no, remember Trolls back in the '90s? Like "Oh, these trolls are worth 20 million dollars now." People are gonna find a way to speculate and value things no matter what it is. I mean, whether it was troll kids, or flowers, or baseball cards, or it's digital currency, you're always going to have that regardless. And I think there's going to be a time to win in that and then a time to lose in that, but I think the difference between those things and the cryptocurrency, specifically bitcoin now, is that the technology and the implications and applications for that blockchain side of it is going to be so massive.

And I think that is what is interesting to watch, as opposed to trying to make money off cryptocurrency. Specifically for music, like hopefully blockchain will revolutionize music. It's a disagreement that I've always had with Spotify, which was, they're saying, you can never get rid of piracy. And that was the reason we can charge .00000 nothing for a song, and completely devalue music. But then you have blockchain technology coming around, where you say, "Ah, now we're able to kind of reverse that process," by implementing kind of blockchain strategy when it comes to licensing music. So I think that aspect of is super interesting on a professional side, a personal side, intellectually, I think it's also interesting. But in terms of thoughts on crypto, I think it's like any other kind of speculative commodity, if you got in early enough, you're a genius or you're lucky, and you're just going to kind of rid the wave until something else comes along and pushes that out the way.

SEE ALSO: 

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: You can connect all 9 Best Picture Oscar nominees with actors they have in common — here's how

The exclusive no-men-allowed club that raised $32 million from investors like WeWork just opened a brand new location — take a look inside

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The Wing, Dumbo location

  • The Wing is a women-only coworking space and club with two locations in Manhattan, and a brand new space in Brooklyn's Dumbo neighborhood, which opened this February.
  • In November The Wing raised $32 million in a Series B funding round led by WeWork.
  • Its new Dumbo location provides its members with a podcast recording studio, a mini-studio for private yoga and barre classes, and a vintage photo-booth. 
  • Over 13,000 women have applied for membership to The Wing since its launch in 2016.


When The Wing, a coworking space and social club for women, launched in October 2016, founders Audrey Gelman and Lauren Kassan didn't realize how large the demand for membership would be or exactly the type of comfort it would provide its members. In the months before the 2016 presidential election, Gelman, who has experience working in politics, said she believed Hillary Clinton would win.

"This was going to be the golden age of women in power, so women could have rooms like this," she told Business Insider in October of last year. "It was sort of a triumphant concept. Obviously that's not what happened."

Overnight, after Donald Trump's victory, The Wing was inundated with calls from members and people on the waitlist, who, according to Kassan, were saying, "I didn't realize how much I wanted or needed a space like this."

Now, the club has over 1,500 members and also plans to launch a fourth location in Washington, DC this spring.

In November, The Wing raised $32 million in a Series B funding round led by WeWork, bringing its total investment to $42 million, according to Forbes. NEA also contributed to the funding round.

The Wing's prices, which vary between $2,350 to $2,700 a year, offer members access to a variety of perks. With a focus on growing a community for its members, the club provides more than a place to set up your laptop. Speaking events, community volunteer opportunities, movie screenings, and happy hours provide a home base for its members to build relationships.

The Wing is serious about its no-men-allowed rule. On the day we got a tour of the new Dumbo space — we were told not to bring along any male coworkers. See below for photos of both the Dumbo and SoHo locations.

SEE ALSO: We went inside 3 of the most beautiful bars in New York City — and the winner was clear

Gelman realized she needed a space like The Wing while working a job that always had her on the go. Instead of changing outfits for events and meetings in "random bathrooms around the city," she envisioned a space designed with her needs in mind.



The spacious bathrooms, showers, lockers, and beauty room provide women with a safe space to prep and primp for their day.



Inside the new Dumbo location, perks such as a recording studio for members and their guests is available to rent out.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The tale of two exes whose intense work schedules contributed to their divorce is a cautionary tale for any modern couple

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  • Two exes who own a bakery together were interviewed by The New York Times about their divorce.
  • The ex-husband said the "extreme" demands of running a bakery may have contributed to their split.
  • Research suggests outside stress — including work stress — can negatively affect a relationship.
  • Being stressed out general may contribute to divorce.

The New York Times has a column called "Unhitched," in which a divorced couple is interviewed about their marriage, what led to their split, and what life is like now.

The most recent installment features a couple who started a bakery together and subsequently divorced. One part of the interview jumped out at me.

The ex-husband said, "The demands of running a bakery are extreme. If we had opened a children's shoe store — another idea we had — there's a chance we might be married today." The ex-wife agreed.

The couple explained that the ex-wife's mother would help out with their kids so they could both work long hours. The ex-husband would start work at 1 a.m. and work up to 14-hour days.

Still, I was surprised by the ex-husband's admission that the marriage might have survived if they'd worked in a different industry. The marriage didn't end because they fell out of love, or grew apart — it ended at least partly because of how they handled daily work stress.

But the bakers are hardly the only couple to see stress take a toll on their marriage.

Stress may contribute to relationship problems, and even divorce

A 2009 paper published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that spouses who experienced greater stress outside of the relationship — e.g. related to work or friendships — perceived their relationship more negatively. Results showed they were less close with their partners, less comfortable depending on them, and more anxious about the relationship.

Another paper, published 2007 in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, looked at the factors that led to divorce in European couples and found that daily stress (not necessarily specific to work) was an important reason behind the decision to divorce in many couples.

Perhaps surprisingly, the authors found that "participants reported the accumulation of everyday stress as a more relevant divorce trigger than falling in love with another person, partner violence, or even a specific major life event that would have instigated changes in their private life."

It's always hard to pinpoint the specific reason(s) why a couple divorced, and we can't speculate beyond what the bakers said in their interview with The Times. Still, it's worth being aware of the way outside stress can spill over into a relationship.

That could, but doesn't necessarily, mean choosing a different, less stressful career. Instead, it's important to recognize when you're frazzled and when it's starting to affect your relationship. From there, you can take steps to reduce the stress, either individually or together.

Read the full "Unhitched" interview here »

SEE ALSO: There's one big reason to break up with someone, even if you love them

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: One type of marriage that's most likely to end in divorce — according to a relationship scientist

I'm British and can't stand American chocolate — and it's Hershey's fault

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Dairy Milk

  • The Hershey Company own the rights to manufacture Cadbury's chocolate in the US.
  • It banned imports of British-made Cadbury chocolate in 2015.
  • Americans are therefore deprived of good chocolate.

There's nothing that makes you feel more homesick as a Brit living in the US than when you're shopping for chocolate. 

And it turns out that Hershey is to blame for this — because it's not only making bad chocolate, but also depriving us of access to better chocolate in the US.

In 1988, Hershey paid $300 million for the US operations of the British candymaker Cadbury, which included Mounds, Almond Joy, and York Peppermint Patties, as well as Cadbury products such as Dairy Milk and Carmello. At the time, Cadbury used this as a way to enter the US market, which was dominated by Mars and Hershey.

In 2015, Hershey took legal action to ban US imports of Cadbury products that had been manufactured in the UK. This also included non-Cadbury products such as British Kit Kat bars, Toffee Crisps, and Yorkie chocolate bars, which resembled other Hershey products. 

The Cadbury Dairy Milk bar that you'll find in the US today tastes almost nothing like its British counterpart, and this comes down to the difference in ingredients. 

According to The New York Times, the British version has a higher fat content as its main ingredient is milk. In an American-made Cadbury bar, the first ingredient is sugar.

Without the heavy milk content, you lose the creamy texture, which leaves you with the chalky, seemingly stale bar that you buy in the US. These bars are not only an insult to their British creator, but are misleading to Cadbury chocolate fans in the US, who see the familiar packaging and are full of hope, only to realize they've fallen into a massive trap. 

Hershey did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment. 

SEE ALSO: We compared grocery shopping at stores in the US and the UK — and it was shockingly clear which country does it better

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: What it's really like inside Amazon's new no-line grocery store.


These amazing color photos of the Hindenburg Zeppelin show what luxury flying was like 80 years ago

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Hindenburg Color Interior

  • Before the rise of the modern airliner, the Zeppelin was the standard-bearer for luxury air travel.
  • The most famous of the Zeppelins was the Hindenburg.
  • The Hindenburg entered service in 1936 and could carry 50 passengers across the Atlantic Ocean.

Before the modern jumbo jet and its first class suites, the biggest and grandest thing in luxury air travel was the German Zeppelin Airship.

Of all the massive Zeppelin's constructed, the most famous was the Hindenburg. The Hindenburg was designed to ferry passengers across the Atlantic in serenity, with the dirigible floating smoothly through the clouds.

The Hindenburg was the first of two "Hindenburg" Class airships constructed by the Zeppelin Company. Construction of the airship began in 1931 and was completed in 1936. The Hindenburg, along with its highly successful predecessor, the Graf Zeppelin, made numerous trans-Atlantic crossings in their brief but illustrious careers.

Constructed out of an aluminum alloy called duralumin, the Hindenburg's massive framework was filled with seven tons of hydrogen. Hydrogen is much lighter than air and allows the massive Zeppelin to carry more people in greater levels of luxury. However, with an ignition source, an oxidizer, and right concentration, hydrogen can also be incredibly flammable.

The Hindenburg entered passenger service in May of 1936 and carrier up 50 passengers in luxury across the Atlantic.

The legend of the Hindenburg's luxurious amenities are well known, but most have not seen them in living color. So take the opportunity to check out these wonderful photos of the Zeppelin's passengers spaces courtesy of airships.net and the German Federal Archive.

SEE ALSO: Trump strikes $3.9 billion deal for two presidential Boeing 747s — here's a look back at the incredible history of Air Force One

FOLLOW US: on Facebook for more car and transportation content!

Prior to the age of the airliner, Zeppelin airships ruled the skies over the north Atlantic — connecting cities like New York with Western Europe. Zeppelin's fleet of airships included such colossal creations like the Graf Zeppelin and the Hindenburg (seen here) along with the less famous Graf Zeppelin II.



In fact, here's a photo of Business Insider's former world headquarters taken from the Graf Zeppelin in 1929.



The most well known of the Zeppelin airships was named after former German President Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here is the perfect way to end an email — and 26 sign-offs you should usually avoid

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coder laptop computer code work

  • The perfect way to end an email, especially when you're writing to a stranger, is to keep it simple.
  • Email sign-offs you should avoid are ones that could be construed as too casual, too formal, and even insulting.
  • Here's how to end an email the right way.

 

Writing the body of an email is the easy part. The hard part is signing off.

Is "cheers" too casual? Too pretentious? Too British? Is "sincerely" timeless and professional, or stodgy and overly formal? "Best" seems fail safe — unless it's too bland?

As anyone who has sat staring blankly at a screen, weighing "best" versus "all best" versus "all the best" knows, not signing off doesn't feel quite right either — especially if the context is professional.

"Not closing seems way too abrupt," business etiquette expert Barbara Pachter told Business Insider. "If you have a salutation, you should have a closing to balance it out."

Will Schwalbe, one of the authors "SEND: Why People Email So Badly and How to Do it Better," agrees, pointing out that "we don't go around in life barking orders at one another and we shouldn't on email either."

Manners aside, the email close serves a practical function. It helps "define the personality of the email's content," says Aliza Licht, SVP of Global Communications for Donna Karan International and author of the career guide "Leave Your Mark."

It's also an opportunity to define or redefine your relationship to your correspondent, Schwalbe adds. (A shift from "love" to "best," for example, indicates you may have a problem.)

If we accept — at least for the moment — that email sign-offs are here to stay, the question becomes which one to use, and in what contexts to use it.

We had Pachter, Schwalbe, and Licht weigh in on 27 common email closings. Here are the ones they say to avoid in most situations — and which one to use when you're just not sure.

SEE ALSO: Here is the perfect way to start an email — and 20 greetings you should usually avoid

DON'T MISS: 22 email-etiquette rules every professional should know

WINNER: 'Best'

All three experts agree that "best" is among the safest possible choices, inoffensive, and almost universally appropriate.

So when in doubt, go with "best."



SIGN-OFFS TO AVOID: 'Thanks'

"Thanks" is "fine if it's for a favor the person has done, but obnoxious if it's a command disguised as premature gratitude," Schwalbe says.

Licht agrees. It "comes off as not really that thankful," she says. While it doesn't particularly bother Pachter, the consensus is that you can probably do better. Skip.



'Thanks again'

Again, Schwalbe and Licht aren't fans.

It's "even worse then 'thanks' if it's a command and not genuine gratitude," he says.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Jay Z is the richest hip-hop artist in the world but he'd be nothing without Beyoncé — here are the 7 richest power couples

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Beyonce Jay-Z

  • Jay Z is the richest hip-hop artist in the world, according to a new ranking from Forbes.
  • Alongside his wife Beyoncé, they're one of the world's richest power couples.
  • From entertainment to politics to tech, these happily married pairs span many industries and have a combined fortune of over $260 billion.

 

Some people seem to have it all.

Juggling a successful career or marriage has its challenges, but doing both well can quickly launch you into power couple status.

Devoting time to the relationship may be harder for power couples. But across many industries, from entertainment to politics to tech, these duos have managed to stay happily married while building empires together. And they're not just powerful — they also have a combined fortune of over $260 billion.

Scroll through to see seven of the richest power couples in the world.

SEE ALSO: Mark Zuckerberg and his college-sweetheart wife, Priscilla Chan, are worth $74 billion — see their houses, cars, and travels

DON'T MISS: Inside the decade-long relationship of Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, who met at a networking lunch and once broke up because of religious differences

Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen

Combined net worth: $540 million

Both halves of this tanned and toned power couple, who have been married for eight years, are in the top earners of their respective industries. Supermodel Gisele Bündchen is the highest-paid model in the world, raking in $30.5 million in 2016, and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is the third-highest paid player in NFL history. His endorsement deals earn him about $8 million annually.

Perhaps the most telling example of their wide-ranging influence is the viral news of their insane diet, which is composed of 80% vegetables and 20% lean meats.



Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner

Combined net worth: Between $207 million and $762 million

The eldest daughter of President Donald Trump and unpaid adviser in the White House, Ivanka Trump just celebrated her eighth wedding anniversary with husband Jared Kushner, a senior adviser to the president and owner of a real-estate empire.

Their estimated net worth was revealed earlier this year in public filings that document the couple's assets, including a $25 million art collection, and income from the Ivanka Trump lifestyle brand and various investments.

Kushner suggests the couple, who are parents to three children, have their roles figured out: "I would say she is definitely the CEO of our household, whereas I’m more on the board of directors."



Beyoncé and Jay-Z

Combined net worth: $1.16 billion

Beyoncé and Jay-Z are entertainment royalty. The couple — who has been married since 2008 and have three children — earn their wealth primarily from music producing credits, album sales, live performances, and worldwide tours, as well as stakes in streaming service Tidal, a private jet company, and a luxury champagne brand.

This summer, they bought an $88 million mansion in Los Angeles — for which they took out a $59 million mortgage — making it the sixth priciest home purchase in LA history. Not bad for the highest-paid celebrity couple in the world.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

How to shop at Costco without a membership

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Costco membership shopping cart

  • Costco is known for its bulk products and huge savings, but it's a members-only store that costs at least $60 a year to join.
  • You don't need to have a membership to make use of some of Costco's services, like eye exams and the pharmacy.
  • Sites and apps like Instacart and Google Express have also made it easier to shop at Costco without a membership.

Warehouse clubs like Costco are known for their huge savings and the variety of items you can buy in bulk.

To access all of the savings, you typically need to become a Costco member. The annual fee is $60 for "gold star" or business memberships and $120 for each of the two executive plans, which include extra savings and benefits like 2% back on purchases.

But there are ways to get around spending that extra $60 or $120 a year, including using a Costco Cash Card, buying nonmember items like alcohol, and eating at the food court.

Here are more ways to shop at Costco without a membership.

Use Instacart ...

Grocery-delivery services like Instacart make it easy to shop at Costco without a membership. The first order through it is free, and each shipment after that is a flat $5.99.



... or shop through Google Express.

Google Express is similar to Instacart, but it offers free delivery if you spend over $35.

You don't need a Costco membership to use either grocery-delivery service.



Go with a member.

Members are allowed to bring up to two guests with them when they go to Costco. Only members can make purchases, however, so you'd have to pay them back for whatever you buy on your trip.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

We compared salads from McDonald's, Burger King, Chick-fil-A, and Wendy's — and the results were shocking (MCD, QSR)

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Fast Food Salads 24

  • Fast-food salads are often looked down upon as menu afterthoughts best avoided, but many chains have seriously improved their salad offerings lately.
  • We tried salads from several major national fast-food chains — Burger King, Chick-fil-A, McDonald's, and Wendy's
  • McDonald's and Chick-fil-A's salads are shockingly good, while others miss the mark. 


The fast-food salad: an oxymoron? A pointless exercise in trying to be healthy? A grave mistake to be avoided? Fast-food salads have a bad reputation — the afterthoughts of the chain menus, half-heartedly made and forgotten amidst the glistening burgers and fries. 

But somehow, these grab-and-go containers of lettuce have improved vastly over the years.

While they started off as a weak olive branch in the 2000s, aimed at placating health nuts who complained about chains' glut of fats and dearth of healthy choices, many chains have seriously stepped up their salad game.

Gone are the days of iceberg lettuce and goopy ranch — think fruits, beans, mesclun, cabbage, and pomegranate vinaigrettes.

We decided to try salads from several major national fast-food chains — Burger King, Chick-fil-A, McDonald's, and Wendy's — to see how far they've come, and to find out who makes the best salads around:

SEE ALSO: We tried Olive Garden's most confusing take on Italian food yet — here's the verdict

DON'T MISS: We ranked everything on McDonald's All Day Breakfast menu from worst to best — here's the final verdict

Interestingly, all of the salads offered from these chains are centered around chicken. Some chains, like McDonald's and Burger King, allow you to choose which kind of chicken to add — be it grilled or fried — while others don't ask.



Burger King's Chicken Club Salad

Burger King used to be my favorite chain as a kid, but in my aged wisdom I have come to find that the quality is severely lacking on the whole. This sentiment extends to its salads.

The grilled chicken is bland, stringy, and boring. The quality isn't awful otherwise — there's romaine lettuce, the Ken’s Steakhouse ranch dressing is solid, and the tomatoes seem … decent. But it's lackluster. If "decent" is the best thing to be said, there may be an issue. 



There's nothing exciting about this salad. And sure, I realize salads aren't expected to be the Carnivale of meals, but a little pizzazz would be appreciated. The extremely salty bacon is a footnote at best, and the chicken is simply ... there. It's boring. The fact that I paid $7.49 for this feels a little insulting. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here's a big sign the Oscars are out of touch with audiences — the acting performances everyone's talking about probably won't win

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CMBYN

  • Twitter released a list of the most-tweeted Oscar nominees.
  • None of them are favorites to win.
  • This shows a huge discrepancy between what audiences see and what Academy voters see.

Despite a slew of more diverse voters, Academy voters still appear to be out of touch with what audiences like.

Twitter released a list of the most-tweeted Oscar nominees in 2018, and none are favorites to win. Most of them are underdogs, or complete longshots.

Here are the most tweeted 2018 acting nominees:

  1. Daniel Kaluuya ("Get Out," nominated for best actor)
  2. Timothée Chalamet ("Call Me by Your Name," nominated for best actor)
  3. Saoirse Ronan ("Lady Bird," nominated for best actress)
  4. Mary J. Blige, ("Mudbound," nominated for best supporting actress)
  5. Margot Robbie ("I, Tonya," nominated for best actress) 

None of these performers are expected to win.

Gary Oldman is the favorite for best actor for his role as Winston Churchill in "Darkest Hour," which will be a controversial win considering he was accused of domestic abuse by his ex-wife. If he wins, the reaction will likely be negative, if Casey Affleck's win last year for "Manchester by the Sea" is any indication. 

In the best actress category, Ronan and Robbie will probably lose to favorite Frances McDormand for her work in "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," a movie that's stirred controversy for its empathetic portrayal of racist characters. 

Although Blige and fellow nominee Laurie Metcalf ("Lady Bird") have a lot of support from fans, Allison Janney is expected to win for "I, Tonya."

Despite admirable and important efforts to finally diversify its voters, it seems like the Academy is still a bit out of touch with popular culture when it comes to picking the winners. This year, all the expected winners are white and straight characters, although plenty of the nominees that are people of color (Blige, Kaluuya) or portrayed gay characters (Chalamet) are just as deserving (or more) of a win.

Perhaps this is because Academy voters are in the industry, or used to be, so their perspective on what's fresh differs from what regular audiences see. But this could also mean that despite a wider range of voters, the older, more expected votes still dominate the Oscars.

And even though some actors are frontrunners, that doesn't mean they'll win. The Academy could still surprise us!

SEE ALSO: Here are the 17 biggest Oscar snubs of 2018

Join the conversation about this story »

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The Amazon and Whole Foods marriage comes with huge questions about what you'll be able to buy there (AMZN)

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Whole Foods

  • Amazon is considering adding popular consumer packaged goods like Coca-Cola to Whole Foods stores, Yahoo Finance reports.
  • The change would go against Whole Foods' ban on food containing artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, sweeteners, and hydrogenated fats.
  • Whole Foods told Business Insider that its culture will "naturally evolve" under Amazon, but it will maintain high-quality standards.
  • Whole Foods could alienate core customers as a result of the potential changes, but it could also attract new customers.

Amazon is considering stocking Whole Foods stores with popular consumer packaged goods like Coca-Cola that don't meet the grocery chain's current quality standards, Yahoo Finance reports.

The potential change could alienate customers who are passionate supporters of Whole Foods' ban against food containing artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, sweeteners, and hydrogenated fats. 

But it could also help Whole Foods attract new customers who might not have shopped there otherwise because the retailer didn't stock their favorite brands.

Whole Foods spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan acknowledged the potential changes in an email to Business Insider. She said that the company's culture will "naturally evolve" under Amazon.

"Working together with Amazon has allowed us to lower some prices and bring our natural and organic food to more people, without compromising our industry-leading quality standards," Buchanan said.

"While our culture will naturally evolve, the fundamentals of Whole Foods Market — our high-quality standards and our team members’ passion, spirit of innovation, philanthropy and commitment to exceptional customer experience — will always be part of who we are and how we do business," she added. Amazon did not respond to a request for comment.

Adding items like Coca-Cola would bring Whole Foods' assortment more in line with traditional grocers like Kroger and Walmart, which in recent years have ramped up their organic offerings to become more competitive with Whole Foods.

Whole Foods has already shown a willingness to feature more conventional, non-organic products near store entrances in some of its locations, according to Barclays analysts, who have regularly visited Whole Foods stores to track changes since Amazon's takeover. 

This suggests that the company is actively trying to lure more conventional customers and is experimenting with influencing shopping patterns, the analysts said in a research note.

But the strategy could backfire by alienating some of its most loyal shoppers, they said.

"On one hand, having conventional products more accessible makes a statement on pricing – since these lower-price items are more easily seen – but at the same time, this may come at the expense of the brand being seen as less relevant or authentic to some customers that value organic produce," the analysts wrote.

If Whole Foods can avoid a customer backlash, however, a shift to more conventional products — as well as popular packaged goods like Coca-Cola — could make it more competitive with Walmart, Kroger, and other traditional grocers.

"To the extent that this change were to alter price perception of the store and not alienate its core customer, this could eventually pressure competing conventional grocers," the analysts said.

SEE ALSO: 'Entire aisles are empty': Whole Foods employees reveal why stores are facing a crisis of food shortages

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: What it's really like inside Amazon's new no-line grocery store.


United has made a stunning turnaround a year after it dragged a passenger off a plane (UAL)

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United Airlines

  • United Airlines' reputation is surging after it ended a discount program for NRA members, according to a new study.
  • The increase in positive sentiment comes after a difficult year for the airline, which struggled with its response to an incident in which it dragged a passenger off an overbooked flight.
  • Overall, the study found that consumer sentiment was largely unchanged for most brands that announced an end to their NRA partnerships.

Eleven months ago, United Airlines was in the middle of a colossal PR crisis after dragging a passenger off an overbooked flight. The airline dug itself into a deeper hole with its response to the incident, which many perceived as being insensitive. 

Now, United's reputation is surging after it announced it was ending a discount program for NRA members on Saturday. A study released by YouGov BrandIndex on Thursday, which measured consumer responses to brands that cut ties with the NRA, found that United received one of the biggest reputational bumps. 

The study included two surveys labeled "word of mouth" and "buzz," which asked respondents whether they had talked about a brand with friends or family members and if they'd noticed more positive or negative sentiments around a brand in the past two weeks, respectively. United received a larger increase in its "buzz" score than any of the 16 other brands that were measured, and the sixth largest increase in its "word of mouth" score. Delta Air Lines received the largest increase in its "word of mouth" score.

Overall, the study found that the sentiment around most brands was largely unchanged after announcing an end to their NRA partnerships. Respondents who identified as Democrats tended to like the brands more, while those who identified as Republicans didn't show a significant change in opinion.

That result is surprising, given the increasingly divisive nature of the debate around gun ownership. While most Americans, Democratic lawmakers, and President Donald Trump have shown support for increased gun control measures like more thorough background checks, many Republican lawmakers continue to oppose any new gun regulations.

SEE ALSO: Inside the world's largest plane, which has a wingspan longer than a football field and will debut in 2019

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: We asked Jamie Dimon why JPMorgan is forming a new healthcare company with Amazon and Berkshire Hathaway — here's what he said

The digital camera industry saw growth in 2017 for the first time in nearly a decade

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More and more people are opting to use their smartphone cameras in lieu of bulky digital SLRs. While the camera technology in phones still isn't up to par with professional cameras, it's improving all the time.

This chart by Statista, based on data from the Camera & Imaging Products Association, shows just how dramatic of a decline the camera industry has experienced since 2010. The decline coincides with the growing ubiquity of smartphones. 
But last year's results may show that digital camera sales have bottomed out: for the first time in close to a decade, camera sales are on the rise again, if only slightly.

Chart of the Day

SEE ALSO: Parents in the US are worried about their children's use of smartphones Parents in the US are worried about their children's use of smartphones

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The Trump wax figure at Madame Tussauds is eerily lifelike

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trump wax

Wax figures of our favorite celebrities and politicians are usually a hit or miss. But Madame Tussauds portrayal of President Donald Trump may just be a little too real.

The Trump wax figure was unveiled last year in Washington, DC, days before the real Trump's inauguration. It has since been relocated to Tussauds' museum in London, where it is now permanently based.

Take a look at how real the faux Trump looks for yourself.

SEE ALSO: Step inside the brand new $1 billion US embassy in London — which Trump says is worse than the old one and refuses to visit

DON'T MISS: Inside the marriage of Donald and Melania Trump, who broke up once before, reportedly sleep in different bedrooms, and are weathering rumors of his affairs

Madame Tussauds is famous for its wax figure approximations of a wide range of celebrities and world leaders.



On January 18, 2017, Tussauds' designers unveiled their version of Trump.



The figure was met enthusiasm and awe.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

17 amazing photos show London transformed into a winter wonderland by the 'Beast from the East' snowstorm

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household cavalry horseguards parade

Britain has been brought to a standstill.

An icy Siberian weather system nicknamed the "Beast from the East" has collided with Storm Emma — plunging the nation into some of its worst winter weather in years.

At least ten people have died, thousands of schools have been closed, and the country is beginning to run low on gas. 

But it's not all bad: The country has turned into a stunning winter wonderland, and even London (where it rarely snows) is no exception. The iconic capital's landmarks and monuments have been carpeted in thick snow.

London has been momentarily transformed — and it's beautiful. Here are 17 of the best photos of the city right now.

SEE ALSO: Europe's most famous monuments have been covered by a blanket of snow — and they look amazing

London's most iconic landmarks have been covered in a thick blanket of snow.



The pond in Regents Park has frozen solid.



And the iconic fountains in Trafalgar Square in the centre of the capital are turning to ice.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are inviting more than 2,000 ordinary people to their wedding

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prince harry meghan markle

  • Kensington Palace has announced that over 2,000 members of the public will get to be part of the next royal wedding.
  • They will be invited into the grounds of Windsor Castle to watch the arrival of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on their wedding day on May 19.
  • A selection of people from across the UK, local schoolkids, and charity workers will be invited into the grounds.
  • The couple apparently want to allow members of the public to feel part of the celebrations too.


Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have announced that they will be inviting over 2,000 members of the public into the grounds of Windsor Castle to watch part of their wedding.

Kensington Palace announced this morning that Harry and Meghan said that they "want their wedding day to be shaped so as to allow members of the public to feel part of the celebrations too.

"This wedding, like all weddings, will be a moment of fun and joy that will reflect the characters and values of the bride and groom."

The people chosen will be invited into the castle ground to watch the couple and their guests arrive. They'll also be able to watch the carriage procession as it departs from the castle.

The ceremony itself, inside the castle's St George's Chapel, will have a more exclusive guestlist.

Here's how the extra invitees will be chosen:

  • 1,200 members of the public from all over the UK will be nominated to attend by nine regional Lord Lieutenant offices. There will be people chosen from a broad range of backgrounds and ages, including young people who have shown strong leadership, and those who have served their communities.
  •  200 people from a range of charities and organisations which Prince Harry and Markle have a close association with, including those which Prince Harry serves as Patron.
  • 100 pupils from two local schools: The Royal School, Great Park, Windsor and St George's School, Windsor Castle – both of which have a strong affiliation with the Windsor Castle community.
  • 610 Windsor Castle community members, including residents of Windsor Castle and members of the St George's Chapel community.

In total 2,640 people will be invited into the grounds to watch the arrivals, this will include 530 members of The Royal Households and Crown Estate. 

The couple will marry on May 19 at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: You can connect all 9 Best Picture Oscar nominees with actors they have in common — here's how

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