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THEN & NOW: See What Famous Historical Sites Look Like Today

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Seth Taras, a self-taught American artist, was hired by The History Channel for the campaign, "Know Where You Stand."

His pictures show modern scenes spliced with historical photographs, so that a phantom Adolf Hitler poses next to a young couple and a man talks on his cellphone next to the ghostly Berlin Wall.

Taras traveled around the world shooting the pictures from the exact spot and angle the original was shot, and then used photo editing software to blend them together.

The images earned Taras a Cannes Lion, and the History Channel's 2010 campaign was translated into 30 languages and published in 130 countries, according to Taras' blog.

seth taras_history_know_normandy

 

seth taras history combination photographs

 

seth taras history combination photographs

 

seth taras history combination photographs

DON'T MISS: Stunning Historical Photos Of Vietnam Recreated Today

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How Long Until All Airlines Charge More For Fat People?

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fat obese woman southwest airlines airport plane

Major airlines may consider charging a "fat tax" — an extra fee for overweight passengers who require extra fuel to ferry around the world — but will likely never put the policy into practice.

Samoa Air recently became the world's first airline to institute a "pay-by-weight" system, where the weight of a passenger and his luggage correlates exactly to his fare.

Chief Executive Chris Langton told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat the new approach is not just the "fairest" way to charge travelers, but also addresses the obesity crisis, which is acute in Samoa's Pacific region.

"The industry will start looking at this," he said.

We spoke to aviation experts and the airlines we thought especially likely to try something like this. Bottom line: We don't see it happening. Not yet, anyway.

Why It Works For Samoa

Samoa Air is a minuscule operation that runs very short flights. Its aircraft hold about a dozen passengers, so weighing each person is not a logistical problem.

The weight of its planes' payload is more than a question of savings. One aircraft Samoa Air flies is the Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander, with room for two pilots and nine passengers. Empty, it weighs 3,675 pounds. Its maximum takeoff weight is just 6,600 pounds.

That means that if everyone on a full flight weighed 270 pounds (including their luggage), the plane could not safely take off.

In a region with a severe obesity problem (74.6 percent of American Samoa is obese; 93.5 percent is overweight), that limit can easily be reached. So a pricing system that clearly and directly benefits lightweight passengers is reasonable.

A Tempting Idea

The idea of making overweight passengers cough up extra money has a lot going for it. The heavier a passenger, the more fuel it takes to transport him. High fuel costs are a key factor keeping profit margins slim in the airline industry, and this is a way to recoup some of that cost.

Samoa Air's policy, to weigh every passenger at the airport, would be difficult to replicate on a large scale, but airlines could impose a "fat tax" — an extra fee for passengers over a certain weight threshold.

In a November 2012 paper on the topic, Dr. Bharat P Bhatta from Norway's Sogn og Fjordane University College called it one way to price tickets "correctly." He wrote:

The model can be technically and economically feasible to implement and its proper implementation may provide significant benefits to airlines, passengers and society at large, not just economic transfers.

Southwest Airlines is ahead of the game: Its "Customers of Size" policy requires passengers who do not fit between the armrests to purchase another seat.

George Hobica, the founder of Airfarewatchdog, pointed out the many ways airlines try to cut weight from their planes, including getting rid of magazines and implementing onerous baggage fees.

"Obviously, they care about weight, and it does save money if people are less heavy," Hobica told Business Insider.

There's also the health argument Langton makes: Saving money is an extra incentive for people to lose weight.

Such a policy could "improve our national health profile," Hobica noted.

Makes No Sense For Large Carriers 

Hobica is quick to point out the myriad reasons implementing a pay-by-weight system would be difficult for a large carrier.

“It would just be a nightmare to implement as far as actually weighing people to the pound," he said.

Putting airline baggage fees into place "took years," air travel analyst Rick Seaney told FareCompare. Adding policies that deal with passenger weight would likely take even longer.

Plus, overweight passengers could find ways to escape extra fees, possibly through the Americans with Disabilities Act. Any airline that tried the system “would probably be quickly boycotted and picketed by half a dozen equality organizations,” argued Craig LaRosa, a principal at Continuum, an innovation and design consultancy.

Systems for calculating fares on large carriers like American and United are exceedingly complicated, notes Matthew Klint, who runs the blog Live and Let's Fly on Upgrd.com. Adding passenger weight as a factor would only makes things harder.

Klint acknowledges airlines could make extra cash, though it would be inconvenient to verify passenger weight: "Hiring additional clerks to check weight would presumably be cheaper than the revenue that would be generated, but the lines would be a problem."

Then there's the question of how customers would react to being put on a scale by airlines — an extra indignity on top of the seemingly endless fees and TSA screenings they already endure.

Weight is a sensitive issue, and airlines could be accused of punishing customers for their obesity, which can be caused by a mix of genetic and cultural factors, as well as personal decisions. In Klint's view, "Overweight passengers would be angry — livid, perhaps — particularly when science is not settled on how much control a person actually has over their weight."

It's reasonable to expect that "fat tax" policies would generate more legal issues. In May 2012, Kenlie Tiggeman, an overweight woman who says a Southwest gate agent told her she was "too fat to fly," filed an injunction against the airline.

Coming To The US?

Hobica said that while a pay-by-weight system would not fly for a major airline, something like it might work for smaller and budget operations. "I could see Spirit offering a discount" to low-weight passengers, he said. Spirit did not reply to a request for comment.

LaRosa agreed: "With everything that airlines have done lately to justify additional costs, I would not be surprised if we started seeing more companies testing these waters."

But airfare expert Gary Leff nixed the idea, and questioned how much money airlines would make off of it:

Airfare is based on willingness to pay for a given flight, and how much demand for that flight there is. It isn't based on cost. And heavier passengers don't burn that much incremental fuel anyway ...

Not. Going. To. Happen.

Matthew Klint said the idea of heavier passengers paying more seems fair, but noted, "as a practical matter I maintain this is untenable in the U.S."

To find out if they're right, we contacted the airlines we thought most likely to try it out: budget operations easyJet and RyanAir.

EasyJet's spokesperson left no room for doubt:

This is not something easyJet's considering, nor does it reflect our cause of making travel easy and affordable for all our passengers.

RyanAir had a similar response:

Ryanair has no plans to introduce this measure. Ryanair offers all passengers the lowest fares, which is why we'll carry 80 million passengers this year.

But many travelers remember the days when lots of things — like having a bit of extra leg room, not printing out a ticket ahead of time, and checking a bag or even bringing one into the cabin — didn't cost a dime.

Ten years from now, stepping on a scale before going through security could be just one more indignity central to the flying experience.

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Here's What A Romantic Date Costs In Big Cities Around The World

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couple sitting on a bench

Romance isn't cheap.  But in some places, a night out on the town is a lot more expensive than in others.

Deutsche Bank recently came out with its second "The Random Walk" report, which looks at the changing prices of goods and services around the world. 

We're taking a closer look at how major cities fared on the report's "cheap date" ranking and highlighting a couple of specific items in the index.

SYDNEY: A date will set you back $229.77

Delivery of a dozen roses: $139

2 movie tickets: $35.90

Cab ride (3 km): $11.79

A "cheap date" includes sending a standard bouquet of roses, cab rides, soft drink, pizza, two movie tickets, and a couple of beers.

Source: Deutsche Bank



MELBOURNE: A date will set you back $226.56

Delivery of a dozen roses$139

2 movie tickets: $34.86

Cab ride (3 km): $10.77

A "cheap date" includes sending a standard bouquet of roses, cab rides, soft drink, pizza, two movie tickets, and a couple of beers.

Source: Deutsche Bank



TOKYO: A date will set you back $213.51

Delivery of a dozen roses: $113

2 movie tickets: $42.08

Cab ride (3 km): $12.77

A "cheap date" includes sending a standard bouquet of roses, cab rides, soft drink, pizza, two movie tickets, and a couple of beers.

Source: Deutsche Bank



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A Georgia High School Still Holds Racially Segregated Proms

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prom wilcox county georgia

Four high school seniors from Georgia have gained nation-wide attention for trying to throw an interracial prom in their rural community.

Wilcox County High School has thrown separate proms and homecoming dances for black and white students for as far back as anyone can remember, according to CNN WGXA-affiliate TV.

The events are reportedly private, invitation-only dances that are organized by parents and students, not the school district. And even though schools have been desegregated for decades in Wilcox County, the dances remain divided.

But now four old friends, Quanesha Wallace, Sephanie Sinnot, Mareshia Rucker, and Keela Bloodworth, have decided it's time to change the policy at their 400-student school.

"We are all friends," Sinnot told WGXA-TV. "That's just kind of not right that we can't go to prom together."

They started a Facebook page to help spread the word about the "Integrated Prom," which included a fundraising component to raise money for their "Masquerade Ball in Paris" themed dance. At the time of this post, the page had over 13,000 likes.

The four students also pushed the school board to stop segregated proms altogether, but the school only permitted a resolution for an integrated prom, according to WGXA-TV.

"We support the efforts of these ladies, and we praise their efforts to bring our students together," Superintendent Steve Smith said on the Wilcox County Schools website. "I am pleased to report that WCHS Principal Chad Davis has stated that his Leadership Team will place the 2014 Prom on its agenda for its next meeting."

So far the friends have sold 50 tickets for their prom, though CNN reports that they're hoping to reach 100.

Still, not everyone is a fan of their idea: "I put up posters for the 'Integrated Prom' and we've had people ripping them down at the school," Bloodworth told WGXA-TV.

Wilcox is not the first Georgia county pulled into the spotlight by racially-divided dances. In 2002, Taylor County High School near Columbus, Georgia threw its first integrated prom that was featured on CNN and Good Morning America (though the following year, white students reverted back to a whites-only prom), and in 2009 Montgomery Count High School in Mount Vernon, Georgia also received media attention for holding two separate proms for black and white students

SEE ALSO:  Check Out These 15 Crazy Homemade Prom Dresses

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Architecture Fans Went Crazy Over These 20 Projects

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Oslo Opera HouseAs you might have heard, ArchDaily is celebrating its 5th birthday

We decided it was time to get a bit nostalgic and look back at the projects of yesteryear, the ones that struck a chord with you, our ArchDaily readers, and helped us get to where we are today.

Floating House: Ontario, Canada

Architects: MOS—Michael Meredith, Hilary Sample

Location: Ontario, Canada

Project year: 2005



Vodafone Headquarters: Porto, Portugal

Architects: Barbosa & Guimarães

Location: Porto, Portugal

Project Year: 2006-2008



Reading Between the Lines: Looz, Limburg, Belgium

Architects: Gijs Van Vaerenbergh

Location: Looz, Limburg, Belgium

Project Year: 2011



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Meet The Secret Powerbroker Who Decides The Color Of The Year

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Leatrice Eiseman Headshot

Leatrice Eiseman is somewhere in the world right now looking for the next Color of the Year.

The executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, Eiseman has made this important decision for the past 13 years. It is not taken lightly.

"We deliver the news in a sealed envelope, and we have our representatives go out to [partner companies] in their trench coats with their suitcases," Lisa Herbert, Pantone's Vice President of Consumer Licensing, explained over the phone. "They have to sign a confidentiality agreement and the color cannot be revealed until we say so."

This year's announcement of emerald green swept through the marketing world and into celebrity wardrobes.

Pantone's partner Sephora unveiled its Emerald-hued collection, with competitors like Revlon jostling to compete. Magazines such as Us Weekly, InStyle, Lucky, and Elle Decor began to capitalize on the trend with photo spreads and emerald-hued product features, while the color cropped up in advertising campaigns for Banana Republic and the flash shopping website Gilt.

Banana Republic Ad emerald

"It becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy because people are going into the stores asking for it," Herbert said. "[Retailers] have to have it, even if they have to scramble to do it."

So why does Eiseman get to make this decision?

She's recognized by those in the fashion and marketing communities as an American color specialist, and has authored eight books on the subject of color and consumerism. After graduating from Antioch University and UCLA with degrees in psychology and counseling, Eiseman put her skills as a color consultant to work for major brands like IKEA, Best Buy, and Microsoft.

Eiseman doesn't make the Color of the Year decision alone: Pantone has a committee of color experts searching for the next big thing year-round, and hosts international "colorists" biannually in a pre-planned European city to discuss dominant hues for each season.

 inauguration beyonce Even so, she's the most influential person in the room.

She gave us a little insight into how she helps make the decision.

"It's hard to explain to anyone how you really arrive at the specific color," Eiseman explains. "But it's picking up nuggets of information wherever you travel — and I travel all over the world. If I see that a color is coming into prominence (for instance, if I'm in Asia and I see the same color in Italy and Germany), then I would say that color is on the rise and starts to have a collective impulse."

She and her team also do research on trends in related industries, like high-end jewelry and show business.

"We knew that greens have been big in the last few years, and people are still very much attracted to green and the message that it gives: the whole idea of being connected to the environment, unity, elegance, rejuvenation, and clarity. The color green stands for all of these things, and is universally appealing."

And after Eiseman and her team decided green was trending worldwide, they had to decide the specific shade: "You can't use the same shade that's been out there in the marketplace for three years season after season, because it won't work," she said. "What can you choose that still captures the zeitgeist of the public and yet still offers something new? That's what we ask ourselves."

So the next time you're wondering why emerald green is so prevalent this year, you can thank Leatrice Eiseman.

DON'T MISS: Gorgeous Photos Of Holi, The Hindu Festival Of Colors

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The Sweet Life Of Tiger Woods: How The World's Best Golfer Spends His Millions

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tiger woods 2006 british open

Tiger Woods is finally winning again.

Even though a shocking scandal and a horrible professional slump knocked him off the top of the highest-earning athletes, Tiger is still one of the richest sports figures on the planet.

He rakes in more than $55 million per year, and he spends it on some unreal boats and houses.

Even though he's been down, he's still rolling in money.

First thing's first, let's take a look at where Tiger's money comes from. He has made $104 million on the course in his career

Source: PGA



But the real money comes off the course. Of the $59 million he made last year, $55 million came from endorsements

Source: Forbes



His biggest deal is with Nike. While estimates vary, reports say he gets paid between $10 million and $20 million per year

Source: Fortune



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Egypt After The Revolution: There's Not Much To Sell But Sex

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There's a point when the parents of a country get so desperate they sell whatever they can to make ends meet, including their daughters. 

I was in Cairo, Egypt, last week, and this topic came up when I was talking to some Egyptians at my hotel.

An acquaintance named Ahmed was looking at his Facebook account on a small netbook computer on the check-in desk, when he said, "She's in Africa."

A flurry of Arabic went back and forth between Ahmed and two other men before the story was eventually explained to me. Ahmed had been dating a girl from rural Egypt who came to Cairo after the revolution to earn money to send to her family.

Cairo Escorts and Prostitution 10

The girl fell into prostitution, Ahmed said. And he quickly made it clear she floundered at the job: She was unable to demand payment and allowed men to do whatever they liked. It was an ugly tale.

Even worse, the girl had disappeared and Ahmed hadn't heard from her in months, until that morning on Facebook. That started a conversation about prostitution in Cairo, which they all said blossomed following the revolution.

Prostitution in Egypt is a good indicator of wealth inequality. I found not only has prostitution seemed to expand following the revolution, it seems to have settled into stark social and economic layers.

When young men don't earn enough to get married, physical intimacy is out of reach among their network of friends. If a young man wants to have sex he can go to a prostitute. These days, the least expensive girls are Egyptians, who frequent certain coffee shops and apartments dedicated to their field.

At about 100 EGP ($13), an encounter is something that most employed Cairo men can afford, but it's still very expensive: That's about still half of what many bring home each week.

My friends at the hotel explain that this hotel's selection of prostitutes is far beneath the Marriott's, where foreigners stay and have their pick of beauties within the hotel's casino.

That is indeed what I saw when I went to the Marriott. After about an hour of playing nickel slots, I managed to cash out the twenty bucks I'd put in the machine and leave with a good sense of the place. Running the spectrum of hair color and body-types, a floating array of available females mingled about and seemed available to whoever might be interested.

They would saunter past a man, stop, turn their back to him, and look around their shoulder for eye contact before moving on. Another handful sat at the bar, mostly in pairs before one drifted off to be replaced by another.

Cairo Escorts and Prostitution 9

In a set of chairs off to the side, by the casino entrance, sat a younger, better-dressed pool of girls. They were different: Either they came with men on the casino floor or they simply formed a different price range.

I left and went to the restaurant down the hall to wait for my ride. Inside the Billiard Bar, I thought, was the wife of a gambler or a guest of the hotel. She was the only one in the place aside from the bartender, and it didn't occur to me anyone would be working the empty room. But I was wrong. After a few minutes she was at my table saying yes, she worked for the hotel. "American's always figure that out so fast," she told me.

Over her most recent bottle of Stella, "Megan" asked me how much I'd pay for a night out with an American girl at a nightclub. Looking at my watch and wondering where my driver was, I said, "One hundred dollars."

She threw her arms in the air, brushed black hair from her face and leveled her green eyes at me.

Cairo Escorts and Prostitution 5

"I don't believe you," she said, in a slurry of Arabic flavored English.

I told her it was true, that I was a poor American who wasn't even staying in the hotel. "All Americans are rich," she said. Unsure if I were serious, or simply negotiating, she ordered a shot of tequila and I filled in some blanks.

Megan said her mom left her father when she was 14 and the man wanted nothing to do with her. Alone on the street, she fell in with a man of her own, had a baby, and got married before her man left as well.

This is common enough story in that part of the world, and it was impossible to say if it was true. But she teared up. "My mother cared nothing about me," she said softly.

But then she threw her head back and said she didn't care, didn't want to talk about her life, and only wanted to have fun. She normally received $400 per client, she said, though more was not uncommon.

Only once had she not gotten paid. That night, she gave her last hundred dollars to hotel security, had the man beaten up, and walked home. She had no money for a cab, but she said it was the finest stroll she'd ever taken.

She was sitting in the velvet wallpapered bar, empty but for Frank Sinatra's voice, because as a local she couldn't enter the casino. The girls by the entrance were in fact for high-rollers, she explained with a mix of bitterness and envy. They were there for sheiks who would think nothing of dropping ten grand on a good time.

My borrowed phone lit up. I looked down and explained my ride was waiting out front. After an awkward farewell, she settled back in the booth to finish her drink

Cairo Escorts and Prostitution 8

I went back to my more modest hotel and explained to the guys there that the women of the Marriott were nothing special.

I'd promised I'd stop by the Four Seasons Giza, so the following day I stopped by and talked with the poolside bartender about my Marriott experience. Not to be outdone, he told me how it was handled at the Four Seasons.

Cairo Escorts and Prostitution

He told me to use my Bluetooth to scan other users and see what names came up. The words that came up left little doubt of the owners intent. We found "Sensual," who we watched ride down an elevator, sit with two men and leave. As well as another Arabic phrase indicating lonesomeness and availability, other less conspicuous names lit up and dropped off over the course of 10 minutes or so.

Cairo Escorts and Prostitution 12

With hotel occupancy down to 15 percent since the revolution, bartenders will tell guests they don't even know their hotel's darker secrets. The rooms at the Four Season's start at a couple hundred dollars a night, and I assumed the girls likely charged about the same as Megan. The bartender then gave me directions to another two locations where I'd find different selections at different times.

Cairo Escorts and Prostitution 11

Prostitution is illegal in Eqypt, and charges against women are no joke. The men involved, meanwhile, basically walk away scot-free. 

Back at the hotel, a quick web stats search showed a long list of websites devoted to the selling of sex in the city of Cairo. From about 350 per hour to multiples of thousands for overnight stays or two girl evenings, the demand seems clear.

As unseemly as all of this may be, it's still better than the bogus wedding certificates the country now issues to wealthy Gulf men who "marry" girls as young as 13 straight from their parents homes, and whisk them off for a brief honeymoon before dropping back with a handful of cash.

Called "Summer marriages," those arrangements are merely another way desperate Egyptians are forced into the unthinkable just to get by since the revolution.

DON'T MISS: A Cairo Cop Sold Me Drugs And Explained Why He Doesn't Stop Crime

SEE ALSO: LIVE FROM CAIRO: Things Are Worse Than We Realized

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This Map Of US Female Mortality Will Break Your Heart

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In a speech at the Women In The World summit Friday, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton mentioned a startling fact:

Women in the U.S. are living shorter lives than women in almost every other industrialized country. And worse yet, female mortality rates are actually rising in many parts of the country.

"Think about it for a minute. We are the richest and most powerful country in the world," Clinton said. "Yet many American women today are living shorter lives than their mothers, especially those with the least education. That is a historic reversal that rivals the decline in life expectancy for Russian men after the disintegration of the Soviet Union."

We looked into Clinton's claims, and it appears she is correct.

A study published last month by the Journal of Health Affairs found that between 1992-96 and 2002-06, the number of premature deaths actually rose for women in some parts of the country

The research, conducted by David Kindig and Erika Cheng of the University of Wisconsin, found that nationally the female mortality rate fell from 324 to 318 per 100,000 during that period.

But in 42.3 percent of counties, the female mortality rate rose, from 317 to about 333 per 100,000. Male mortality rates, by contrast, rose in only about 3 percent of counties.

Check out the map below, via Bill Gardner at the Incidental Economist. Red means that mortality worsened.

female mortality maps

As Clinton noted in her speech, the reasons for this trend are varied.

“We did find significant associations between mortality rates and some of these factors, such as smoking rates for both sexes," Kindig and Cheng wrote. "But socioeconomic factors such as the percentage of a county’s population with a college education and the rate of children living in poverty had equally strong or stronger relationships to fluctuations in mortality rates.”

Regardless of the causes, however, there is clearly something very alarming — and tragic — going on with women in America, particularly in the South and the Midwest.

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These 15 Tech Billionaires Are Spending Millions To Save The World

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Thiel Moskovitz Sandberg

With great wealth comes great responsibility.

That's how we judge the tycoons of tech. While many of them spend their money on expensive luxuries, like cars, houses, planes — even islands — they are also expected to use their prosperity to do good works.

That's the implicit demand of the tech industry.

Some are astoundingly generous, giving tens of millions —even hundreds of millions — to their favorite causes. How much they give says a lot about them. Which causes they support does, too.

SEE ALSO: MISSING OUT ON BILLIONS: These 10 People Made Some Of The Saddest Choices In Tech History

Larry Ellison: A cure for aging

Larry Ellison is known for his extravagant lifestyle filled with cars, airplanes, mansions, even a Hawaiian Island. But he's a big philanthropist, too, giving to his own Ellison Medical Foundation.

Ellison jokes about it: "We are focused on diseases related to aging—I mean, for obvious reasons." (He's 69.)

But it's no joke. He's trying to cure diseases like Alzheimer's and arthritis. And he's generous. The foundation awarded 70 new grants, giving away $46.5-million last year alone, reports Philanthropy.com



Bill Gates: Improving life everywhere, especially below the waist

Through a $3.3 billion donation to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Microsoft cofounder is trying to fix lots of the world's problems. He's eradicating polio, trying to end poverty, improving education.

But some of his causes are more fundamental. For instance he's working on better ways to dispose of poop. The foundation sponsored a "Reinvent the Toilet" fair with the winners picked by him.

He's also offering $100,000 to anyone who can make a condom people actually like to use.



Paul Allen: Replicating the human brain

Paul Allen, Microsoft's other billionaire cofounder, is also known for an extravagant lifestyle that includes owning multiple pro sports teams, massive collections, building music museums.

He's invested a half billion dollars into the Allen Institute for Brain Science. It will study how the brain works with a goal of curing diseases like Alzheimer's, an illness his mother suffered from. And ultimately, institute has another goal: to replicate the brain and build machines with human intelligence.



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What You'll See On The New Vice Media HBO Show Everyone's Been Talking About

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HBOVICE_RYAN DUFFY_PHILIPPINES copy

Tonight at 11:00 pm EST, Brooklyn based media company, Vice Media, premiers a half hour documentary show on HBO, and there really isn't anything like it on TV.

That's always been the point.

For years, Vice has been making documentary videos about some of the most dangerous corners of the world. They called them Vice Guides. Think: Liberian slums, long North Korean highways, and lots and lots of guns.

Now the company is teaming up with HBO (the show is produced by Bill Maher and Fareed Zakaria is a consulting producer) to take that world beyond the internet.

Tonight, expect Afghan child suicide bombers, an interview with the Taliban, and yes, definitely some violence. It's a huge part of what everyone's been saying about it.  

The New York Times wrote that at Vice's "ludicrously luxurious" premier party, some of the guests were visibly shaken by the "stomach churning" screening. 

Rolling Stone was even more clear. The magazine wrote, "HBO Courts Danger With Gonzo Vice Show," and said that it still "feels a little like your buddy from the bar just happened to be wandering through eastern Afghanistan with a camera crew."

Perhaps that's true, but it isn't the point. Vice has spent years building a fiercely loyal audience that expects insane access, raw footage, and the persistent threat of danger. It works because no one else has it. 

Or more importantly, because no one else will do it. 

Check out a clip of the show below:

 

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How To Raise Your Kids Entirely Online

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kid on tablet

Technology has dramatically changed the way we live. 

From revitalizing the way we shop to altering the way we interact and keep in touch with people, technology has arguably changed our lives for the better.

And it's also making life much easier for parents. There is an increasing number of startups and companies working on products that are geared toward parents and their children.  

Ubooly for when you want to play with your kids in a digitally interactive way

Ubooly is a Furby-like toy powered by your iPhone or iPod Touch, which fits right inside the stuffed animal. 

The Ubooly iPhone app comes with games, stories, and jokes to help parents entertain their kids.

You might wonder why parents would want to give up their iPhones to their kids, but even with electronic recycling programs and buyback programs like Gazelle, there's a staggering number of people who still hold on to their old electronics. A recent Gazelle survey found that 51 percent of smartphone users keep their old smartphones in a drawer or closet.  

Cost: $29.99 for toy



Wittlebee takes the stress out of shopping for your kids' clothing

Wittlebee is a monthly subscription kids clothing club. Every month, parents receive six brand new items of kid's clothing — a mix of tops and bottoms. Parents can pause or cancel their membership at any time.

Cost: $39.99 per month



Angelcare's baby monitor gives parents peace of mind

Angelcare's baby monitor detects and notifies you if your baby has not moved for more than 20 seconds. 

The baby monitor comes with a mattress pad that senses when your baby moves, so you can easily determine if your baby is sleeping or awake. Like all baby monitors, it also provides two-way communication. It also alerts you if the temperature in the baby's room is too high or too low. 

Cost: $146.87



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Here's Why I Have No Problem Traveling To 'Dangerous' Places For Women

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mandi

One of Business Insider's top trending stories this week was a round up of the 8 Most Dangerous Places For Women To Travel.

I get why it's doing so well. It's provocative and timely. There's been a flood of news recently about sexual violence against foreign tourists and people are constantly looking for tips on where to go and where not to go. Throw in a little dash of danger and you've got an hit. 

But this kind of over-simplification sometimes does more harm to women than good.

Here's why:

It could scare women away from some pretty incredible places.

I am a woman under the age of 30 and I have traveled to at least two countries on this list, with plans to visit another in October. Each time I was alone and had the time of my life. And each time I came home to the U.S. unscathed.

I'm curious and love traveling enough to ignore these kinds of stories, but I know there are women around the country who will read this and use it to justify never leaving the comforts of their all-inclusive resort or, God forbid, their own zip code. Like the writer mentions, so long as women do their homework and prepare themselves for the possible dangers involved in traveling in a foreign country, there's no reason they shouldn't go for it –– no matter how horrible the news makes it seem. 

The women in these countries need us as much as we need them.

There are heartbreaking statistics in this story. But a lot of them focus on crimes against female tourists. I can guarantee that if you do some digging, you'll find it's women native to these countries who are suffering the most. There are a number of women-backed nonprofit organizations that have been born simply out of the need for foreign aid to raise awareness and help prevent crimes against women.

In some cultures, women are too afraid to go for help because men are so prominent in law enforcement and in a lot of cases, these are the very people who are behind the violence in the first place. You have no idea how powerful it is for victims of crime to meet someone who is like them from another country and realize that what they are going through is NOT alright. Women need women, plain and simple, and promoting female tourism will help spread crucial awareness –– and let those in need know that we haven't forgotten them. 

You have more to gain than to lose by traveling in dangerous places

I realize that I am a special case and that not every girl out there thinks bopping around the world on her own sounds like a good time. My boyfriend and parents would probably agree with you. That's OK. But I can tell you one thing for sure: Just about every ounce of knowledge and maturity I've gained in the last decade has come from the time I've spent exploring new places in the U.S. and abroad.

I'm not suggesting every rookie traveler hop a flight to Mumbai or Bogota right out of the gate. Start small. Hop across state lines. Study abroad. Talk to the locals when you travel somewhere new. Then gently start working your way out of your comfort zone. Trust me, as a girl from a small town in the South, visiting Fargo, N.D. for the first time last year was just as fascinating to me as my trip to Rio de Janeiro the month before.

The bottom line: 

Yes, there is indeed danger in each and everyone one of the places on this list, and yes, I have known people who encountered a number of horrific crimes while traveling in some of them (for the record, none of them were spooked enough to quit traveling). 

The point is that women should be educated on ways to protect themselves while traveling abroad, not simply given a map of the world with all the dodgy areas blacked out. This isn't the Lion King. There's still plenty of worthwhile stuff to see where the light doesn't touch. You've just got to get out of your own way first. 

SEE ALSO: I flew to Fargo to see if it's really the best place for young people

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CVS: Employees Must Tell Us Their Weight Or Pay A $600 Fine

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CVSIf you think it's hard losing those last ten pounds by yourself, imagine being a manager and trying to get a whole group of employees in shape.

That's the conundrum facing employers today as they struggle with rising rates of obesity and spiraling health care costs. (A study by Gallup found that absenteeism due to obesity and other chronic health problems costs employers $153 billion per year.)

And with a provision in the Affordable Care Act letting companies use a greater share of their insurance payments on incentive programs, more and are more are dangling money in front of employees to induce them to shape up.

That's all well and good — but making those incentives effective is not so simple. For example, CVS Caremark recently joined the parade of companies tying financial incentives to wellness, telling employees that they need to undergo a "wellness review" or pay an annual penalty of $600. The public reaction was swift — and negative.

"People are going in and just offering theses blanket cash incentives, but they're not really taking a step back and figuring out how to do them in an optimal way," says David Roddenberry, a co-founder of HealthyWage, a company that manages incentive-based weight loss programs for employers.

Roddenberry says CVS is clearly trying to encourage workers to become aware of their health status so they will take steps to improve it, and adds that he has no way to know what impact the program is having. But he warns that while cash incentives work, "you have to be really rigorous about what type of program you're rolling out."

(Read more: CNBC: Getting Corporate Wellness Programs Off the Couch)

A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine offers some pointers. The researchers tried offering a group of individuals five monthly cash payments of $100 each if they met their weight-loss goals each month.

Then they offered groups of five people - none of whom knew the identities of their fellow members — group monthly incentives of $500. Only the people who met their goal would receive a prize, so if only two people succeeded, each would receive $250.

The difference was clear. After six months, people receiving the group incentives lost an average of 4.6 kilograms, versus 1.7 for the individual prizes. The individual prizes were cheaper, kilo for kilo, but less effective.

Clearly the type of financial incentive you are offered will affect how hard you work at weight loss. But other research suggests there is another, cheaper way to slim down: with friends who don't let friends stay overweight. Nicholas Christakis, a professor of health care policy, sociology, and medicine at Harvard, has looked at the effect of social networks on health-related conditions like obesity.

He found that "If your friends are obese, your risk of obesity is 45 percent higher," he said in a TED talk. "If your friends' friends are obese, your risk of obesity is 25 percent higher."

The patterns also hold for weight gain, according to Christakis. "If your friend becomes obese, it increases your risk of obesity by about 57 percent in the same given time period." He has found that weight loss —- and quitting smoking — also tends to spread the same way.

The bottom line: at least when it comes to losing weight, money can't buy everything.

 

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12 Fashion Models Who Fell On The Catwalk

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It has to be incredibly daunting to strut down the catwalk as a fashion model.

All eyes are on you as you stomp in spiky stilettos, showing off the designers' latest collections.

Most of the time, things go smoothly and the models make it down the runway and back in one piece.

But occasionally, things turn disastrous. 

This model took a tumble during the final walkthrough of Sass & Bide's spring 2007 runway show in NYC.



The long dress by designer Miguel Vieira could have tripped this model up in Lisbon.



This model's outfit nearly distracts from her stumble at a show for the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology and Taiwan Shin Chien University Graduates Collection during China Fashion Week in 2011.



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Hiring A Nanny In New York City Is A Full-Time Job

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CARROLL GARDENS — Finding a good nanny in the city can be challenging. From interviews to background checks, the process is not as simple as parents often imagine.

“People underestimate the amount of effort it requires,” said Gregory Solometo, CEO of Nannies of New York, a nanny placement agency.

Every month, the New York-based agency conducts "How to Hire a Nanny," an education seminar for parents looking to hire or replace their nannies, Solometo said. Workshops are held across the city, including at Carroll Gardens baby boutique and maternity store Madison Rose at 313 Court St.

Last year, an Upper West Side nanny was charged with stabbing to death two children in her care. The horrifying incident left parents with a higher level of scrutiny in finding the perfect caregiver for their children, Solometo said.

The workshop also highlights the difference between nannies and babysitters, positions that several parents still mix up, said Solometo, who described a babysitter as part-time help, while a nanny is a full-time career.

In their presentation, Nannies of New York goes over the process of hiring an effective nanny, an eight-step course that requires time, energy and patience.

 ► Start out by writing a job description for the potential nanny. “It’s really helpful  [for parents] to sit down.. and detail what they’re looking for,” Solometo said.

 ► The next step is finding candidates for the position, a task that can be conducted through advertisements, mommyblogs, word-of-mouth or agencies.

 ► Once you have applicants for the job, review their resumes and work history to compile a short-list of potential nannies.

 ► Ask essential and thorough questions during the interview, Solometo said. At the workshop, Nannies of New York talks to parents about key questions they should be asking.

 ► Parents should then whittle down their list to their top two choices.

 ► Rigorous background checks can provide “very valuable information,” Solometo said. Agencies like Nannies of New York hires a private investigator to conduct these checks and parents often use the services to determine their nanny’s past experiences, Solometo said.

 ► Once you choose a candidate, Solometo recommends a trial period for the nanny to see how they relate to the family and home.

 ► Finally, contracts should be drawn up and signed by both parties. Nannies should be treated as full-time employees and have the official formalities that go along with the job.

For future dates of "How to Hire a Nanny" workshops, visit the Nannies of New York Facebook Page.

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The 15 Most Romantic Hotels In The South

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Romantic hotels southSouthern charm is alive and well below the Mason-Dixon line, where romance is nurtured at every twist and turn of our favorite antebellum mansions and cobblestone streets.

Choosing the most romantic spots, then, is quite a difficult task, but we think we're up to the challenge.

From intimate city boutiques to sprawling Lowcountry estates, here are some of our favorite hotels ready for romance in the South.

The Inn at Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton, South Carolina

This "inn" in Carolina Lowcountry, really more akin to a sprawling estate, provides a one-of-a-kind experience that uniquely blends southern history and almost otherworldly natural beauty: rivers, misty marshes, old oaks draped with wispy Spanish moss, and salty breezes. The main hotel building looks like a classic southern mansion, and the 50 Cottages and Cottage Suites are simultaneously homey and utterly luxurious, with working fireplaces, screen porches, and gorgeous bathrooms. Guests can enjoy a range of recreational facilities, including golf, bicycling, tennis, croquet, kayaking, and swimming (in the two pools), and the luxury spa is highly acclaimed. It's not an overstatement to say that the Inn at Palmetto Bluff is one of the most special properties in the entire country.



The Jasmine House Inn, Charleston, South Carolina

Housed in a beautifully renovated mansion dating to 1843, the Jasmine House Inn has all the charm of a B&B and the comfort of an upscale hotel, plus a central location in downtown Charleston. It has 12 large rooms with hardwood floors, 15-foot ceilings, flat-screen TVs and unique decor that might be a bit too much for some (think matching bedspreads and drapes, patterned rugs, and floral wallpaper). There are a bunch of great freebies, including a continental breakfast, Wi-Fi and evening hors d’oeuvres -- but you’ll have to pay for parking.



The Lighthouse Inn at Aransas Bay, Corpus Christi, Texas

The 78-room Lighthouse Inn at Aransas Bay is in a wonderful location right on the water in old Rockport. Rooms are classic -- if slightly outdated, with comforters instead of duvets, and tube TVs -- and offer decent amenities such as microwaves and mini-fridges. Balconies are the most appealing feature here, with two rocking chairs that face either the bay or the pool and gardens. This inn is full of scenic places to relax, including the big outdoor swimming pool surrounded by tropical landscaping and a fishing dock jutting out into the bay.



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The Most Iconic Restaurants In 15 Big Cities Around The US

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alan wongs wong'sWhen traveling to a new city with limited time on your hands - whether it's for a 36-hour business trip or a quick getaway for your cousin’s wedding - you may have only one opportunity to venture to a celebrated local restaurant.

To experience the unique flavor of a city with one meal, consult our list of America’s Most Iconic Restaurants, released today.

Compiled by Zagat editors, this list includes 15 U.S. restaurants that embody the essence of their city.

Read on for some culinary inspiration - and maybe even a local history lesson!

Atlanta: The Colonnade

1879 Cheshire Bridge Rd. NE

Food: 21
Decor: 12
Service: 20
Cost: $22

Most everyone is either “gay or gray” at this “step-back-in-time” Cheshire Bridge “institution” that looks like “God’s waiting room” and dishes out “classic meat-and-two” Southern plates in “dinner-tonight-lunch-tomorrow” portions; sure, it’s “cash-only”, the decor’s right out of the “’70s” and the service skews “sassy”, but compensations include “cheap” tabs, “seriously high-octane potables” and an experience that’s “like nothing else in Atlanta.”




Austin Area: Salt Lick

18300 FM 1826 (FM 967)

Food: 25
Decor: 19
Service: 20
Cost: $24

“Bring your appetite” to this“true Texas” BBQ for a “first-class orgy of meat” via “piles” of pit-smoked, “fork-tender brisket”, “spicy sausage” and “fall-off-the-bone ribs” served “family-style” in a “rustic” atmosphere with “great” live music on weekends; it’s cash only with “looong waits”, and although it’s BYO beer, you can also pick up a bottle of wine from their tasting room to open at the picnic tables.



Boston: Parker’s

60 School St.

Food: 24
Decor: 25
Service: 24
Cost: $47

"The only place to go for Parker House rolls and Boston cream pie” is this “glorious” Downtown Crossing restaurant where “the elegance of another era” thrives via “old-time”, “pricey” New England eats, “beautiful”, “formal” digs and “wonderful service”; “if you’re looking for something innovative, go elsewhere”, but to experience a piece of “incredible history”, this is the spot.




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4 Important Architecture Lessons From Denmark

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havneparken copenhagen denmark urban beach

Last week the UK’s Culture Minister Ed Vaizey announced that he was commissioning a review of the country’s architecture policy, to be led by Sir Terry Farrell along with a number of high profile advisors, including Thomas HeatherwickAlison Brooks and Alain de Botton.

According to Vaizey, the review, expected to be complete by the end of the year, “will be a rallying point for the profession.”

In his article in The Guardian, Olly Wainwright rather hopefully questioned: “might this year-long study result in an innovative new piece of legislative guidance – perhaps along the lines of Denmark’s architecture policy, introduced in 2007?”

While Wainwright somewhat flatly concludes, “somehow, that seems unlikely,” there’s no doubt that the UK could only stand to gain from learning from Denmark’s innovative policy.

So what lessons could the UK (and the world) learn from the Danes? Read on after the break…

 Lesson #1: High Quality Design Makes Economic Sense

A key facet of the Danish Policy is an insistence that high quality design is not only admirable on its own terms, but makes economic sense as well. In a section on public sector construction, the document asserts:

“Public construction development should continue to place major priority on the long term economic gains of high architectural quality – and not the short term financial gains that can be achieved if the owner compromises on demands for architectural quality.”

The Danish Policy also focuses on generating a demand for quality in the private sector. With a much larger private sector than in Denmark, the UK could learn from its aims to encourage an increase in education and awareness of architecture for citizens, thus forcing private developers to up the ante with regards to design quality. This education is spearheaded by the Danish Architecture Centre (DAC), which both runs exhibitions and events at its home in Copenhagen, and maintains an informative online presence.

Lesson #2: Architecture is a Matter of National Pride

This issue is particularly pertinent for the UK at a time when the government is enacting what BD’s Editor-in-Chief Amanda Baillieu called ”an almost McCarthy-like witch-hunt against anyone who believes design can improve people’s lives.” In contrast, the Danish Policy continually stresses pride in the country’s architects, and aims to cultivate an “environment of architectural ambition”.

Lesson #3: Regulation Can Work With, not Against, Architecture

Another keyword for the Danish Policy is ‘innovation’. In the UK it can seem that architectural ideas have stagnated recently, with news such as influential think tank Policy Exchange recommending a return to terraced streets instead of high-rise housing. Proposals like this present a false choice between two set options, whereas in Denmark the emphasis is on developing new ideas and better options.

To achieve innovation, Denmark has actually relaxed building regulations. After ensuring that regulations on sustainability, accessibility and health and safety are kept, a relaxation in other regulations provides architects and construction companies with more flexibility in the design and more room to innovate.

Lesson #4: Architecture is a Collaborative Effort

The final lesson to be taken from the Danish example is that a commitment to improve architecture requires agreement from a number of governmental departments and non-governmental organizations: the policy cites “ministries of Culture, Economic and Business Affairs, Social Affairs, Foreign Affairs, the Environment and Transport and Energy as well as the Danish University and Property Agency, the Danish Defence Estates and Infrastructure Organisation, and the Palaces and Property Agency” as key players in the legislation, with organizations such as the DAC being instrumental to help them engage the public.

Vaizey is similarly aware of the need to engage other departments, pledging to deliver the report to “all four corners of Whitehall.” However, with what appears to be strong opposition from the likes of Michael Gove, and with Communities Secretary Eric Pickles dismissing Vaizey’s request to call in David Chipperfield‘s Elizabeth House design for a public enquiry, Ellis Woodman of BD argued that ”it takes a considerable leap of faith to believe that Ed Vaizey’s latest initiative to elevate the importance of design at government level is going to have any effect.”

The four focus areas of the UK report are certainly enough to successfully cover the same issues as Denmark’s architecture policy, but with the rest of the government seemingly ambivalent towards issues of good design, and Vaizey himself admitting that “I haven’t anticipated that the report will result in any changes to legislation”, it remains to be seen whether the review will generate any noticeable changes at all.

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