Artist Molly Crabapple describes 2011 as the year "everyone sat down in the main squares of their cities and said the old machine is broken."

Occupy Wall Street began outside her window, and she began drawing the people that gathered in Zuccotti Park. She then traveled to Greece, London, and Spain to research how people were reacting to the prolonged financial crisis gripping the world.

Her year of work is presented in “Shell Game,” an exhibit that will be open to the public April 17 to 21 from 12 to 6 p.m. at the Smart Clothes Gallery in Manhattan.

Crabapple sat down with Wired to explain how Occupy shaped the works and conversed withwith Paul Mason to describe how she pulled it off.

Crabapple told BI that the paintings "are sort of elegies for something gone" as the romanticism of the protests came back to earth in 2012.

We've gathered Crabapple's pictures and commentary along with some of BI's pictures and observations from the opening.

Called "Dégagé," this painting shows the Tunisian Revolution. "The main figure's face is divided in a reference to Nadia Jelassi. The police dog destroys a fruit stand, like that of Mohammad Bouazizi."

Commentary courtesy of Molly Crabapple (via Wired).

Crabapple told BI that this painting "was a bit sad to me. Of all the rebellions I portrayed, the Tunisian revolution was the only successful one. The only one that had a chance to get dirty."

"Our Lady of Liberty Park" represents "Occupy Wall Street. An anatomy of Zuccotti park, from the free cigarette table to the obnoxious drum circle to the people's library. All signage is authentic, especially 'Shit is Fucked up and bullshit.'"

Commentary courtesy of Molly Crabapple (via Wired).

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Actor and screenwriter Will Ferrell is not generally thought of as a model of sophistication, given his onscreen personas. After all, this is the man who, during his seven-year stint on Saturday Night Live, delighted viewers as a clueless cheerleader, a chronically head-bopping nightclubber, and a cowbell virtuoso.

Since leaving the program in 2002, Ferrell has made a specialty of playing terminally adolescent characters in a long list of blockbuster movies, from a middle-aged frat brother in Old School to a man-child raised by Santa’s helpers in Elf. 

Click here to go inside Will Ferrell's loft >>

That rollicking body of work—which includes cofounding the websitefunnyordie.com and writing his Tony Award–nominated one-man show You’re Welcome America: A Final Night with George W Bush—garnered him the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2011.

But Ferrell’s goofball genius has an urbane flip side. Consider, for instance, the Manhattan pied-à-terre he shares with his Swedish wife, Viveca Paulin-Ferrell—an auctioneer at Los Angeles Modern Auctions—and their three children. Located downtown in a converted Victorian-era printing factory, the nearly 2,800-square-foot loft exudes contemporary refinement, with sleek surfaces and mindfully preserved architectural details serving as a backdrop for 20th-century art and furniture.

Not that the home was always so pristine. When the L.A.–based couple bought the apartment in 2010, the place was in major need of an overhaul. “It was very dark and heavy,” says interior designer Shawn Henderson, whose expertise the pair enlisted even before closing on the property. (Ferrell and his wife had met him through a mutual friend.) Despite the apartment’s obvious flaws—generic cherry built-ins, drab slate wall tiles, glass partitions—everyone saw its potential. “We love history and anything with a good story and good bones,” Paulin-Ferrell says, adding that “it was exciting to think the floors were once covered in ink.” Explains Henderson, “The main task was to brighten up the place as much as possible.”

With that in mind the designer oversaw a dramatic renovation, enhancing the interiors with natural materials and custom finishes. He also replaced the outdated baths and completely redid the kitchen, where fossilized-granite counters and a mottled zinc backsplash now complement satin-finish lacquer cabinetry. The loft’s existing maple floors were whitewashed, a treatment that lends a softly neutral, somewhat Nordic touch.

In many former industrial spaces, structural elements can prove cumbersome, awkwardly interrupting a broad expanse or necessitating clumsy room configurations. Here, Henderson deftly incorporated the original details, such as the exposed-brick arches and the cast-iron columns, one of which helps break up the vast living room, giving the area a more human scale.

For furnishings, the decorator drew largely on the couple’s enviable collection of 1940s and ’50s American and Scandinavian design, much of which Paulin-Ferrell acquired through her work. “Scandinavian design is really moving in its simplicity,” says the auctioneer, who also serves on the board of trustees at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. “Even the parts you don’t see, like the underside of a table or a chair, are thoughtfully conceived.”

Together she and Henderson took inventory of the family’s California home, the designer recalls, “sizing everything up and figuring out what would work in the apartment. It was a real collaboration.” Arranged in front of a minimalist fireplace in the living room are armchairs and ottomans by Hans J. Wegner and Milo Baughman as well as contemporary boulderlike seating by Smarin. Those playful mounds are magnets for the clients’ three young sons—Magnus, age eight, Mattias, six, and Axel, three—and were among Henderson’s new purchases for the residence. Other eye-catching furnishings include modernist sculptures by woodworker Mario Dal Fabbro, whimsical Tejo Remy milk-bottle light fixtures (suspended above a Paul T. Frankl dining table), and a group of graceful walnut counter stools for the open kitchen.

People are always piled up along there,” Henderson says of the kitchen counter, which is a favorite gathering spot not only for the Ferrells’ immediate brood but also for the extended family members who use the apartment. “There are kids everywhere, all the time,” the designer adds. “The idea is, the more the merrier.”

Cheerful accents abound in the home, and the art especially strikes an upbeat tone. Among the array of contemporary works the actor and his wife have accumulated are many brightly colored prints, including depictions of flowers by Donald Sultan, an interior by Roy Lichtenstein, and numerals by Robert Indiana. There’s also an Alexander Calder–inspired weaving splashed with swirling abstract forms in the master bedroom. Echoing the schoolhouse palette of those pieces are nearly a dozen Eames side chairs that artisan Tanya Aguiñiga resurfaced in blue felt and two beds upholstered in a vibrant orange fabric.

“Even though there are these great pops of color, the apartment feels very balanced, very soothing,” Henderson says. And isn’t that, in the end, exactly what a busy Hollywood star would want?

More from Architectural Digest:

• Go Inside Will and Jada Pinkett Smith's Malibu Home
• The Most Innovative Buildings In the World
• Inside the Homes of Hollywood Legends

Entrance Hall: The New York apartment of actor Will Ferrell and his wife, auctioneer Viveca Paulin-Ferrell, was renovated by architect Richard Perry and decorated by Shawn Henderson Interior Design. Scandinavian ceramics from the End of History rest on a vintage Dunbar cabinet from Wyeth in the entrance hall; the FontanaArte mirror dates from 1960.

Living Room: The living room’s boulderlike seating is by Smarin, and the Hans J. Wegner wing chair from 1stdibs and ottoman are covered in a Zimmer + Rohde fabric. The artworks include, from left, a Roy Lichtenstein print, a Mario Dal Fabbro sculpture from Maison Gerard, and two Sol LeWitt woodcuts; the television is by Samsung.

More Of The Living Room: In the living room, Robert Indiana serigraphs are displayed above a Vladimir Kagan sectional sofa clad in a Pollack fabric. Vases designed by Patricia Urquiola for Baccarat glitter on the Milo Baughman cocktail table; the red armchairs and ottoman are midcentury, and the bronze sphere is by Hervé Van der Straeten for Maison Gerard.

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Across New York City, hotels have been popping up like post-recession beacons of an improving economy.

But the area around 29th Street in Manhattan has seen an especially noticeable transformation.

Just a few years ago, the street was mostly limited to retailers selling an inexpensive hodgepodge of goods and discount clothes. Now there are nearly a dozen hotels clustered on and around 29th Street, including the trendy Ace Hotel, which opened in 2009.

It was followed in 2011 by a sister property, the NoMad Hotel. On 29th Street and Park Avenue, the 249-room Gansevoort Park Avenue opened in 2010. The Eventi hotel, at the corner of 29th and Sixth Avenue, launched the same year. And developer John Lam has plans for two more hotels on Broadway between 29th and 30th streets.

Twenty-ninth Street, especially the area between Sixth Avenue and Broadway, “is all high-end boutique hotels,” said Joe Long, chief investment officer for Kimpton Hotels, which manages the Eventi. “They all helped each other and legitimized the neighborhood as a credible hotel destination.”

The area also now has a smattering of lower-priced chain offerings, from a Hilton Garden Inn to a Holiday Inn. And more hotels are on their way.

In the last 14 months, “we’ve probably received a dozen to two dozen requests” for hotel construction financing in Midtown South, said Ayush Kapahi, a partner at HKS Capital Partners.

Ace in the hole

Twenty-Ninth Street has gotten a lot of buzz in the last few years for its trendy transformation. But in many ways, the still-gritty neighborhood is an unlikely place for a hotel hot spot.

As surrounding neighborhoods gentrified in recent decades, the Garment District didn’t see much change, in part because much of the area was zoned for commercial and manufacturing rather than residential, brokers said.

“Because of those limitations on zoning, you didn’t necessarily have the run-up in price that you would have had with residential,” said John Fox, a senior vice president at PKF Consulting USA, which specializes in hospitality. “The area overall had much more of a loft and manufacturing feel to it.”

But especially after the economic crisis depressed prices, the area offered a number of affordable parcels ripe for hotel development, industry insiders said. Plus, there were properties available for developers to snap up. “There were a number of assets in the area and a number of vacant lots and garages that had the ability to be developed at a price basis that allowed the developers to go in and have the economics make sense,” Kapahi said.

For example, Lam closed in November on a $16 million deal to purchase 1227 Broadway, a site with over 50,000 buildable square feet. Lam, who bought 1205 Broadway and 1225 Broadway in 2011 for $72 million, now owns the entire block, where he’s planning to build two hotels with a total of 650 to 700 rooms. The first three floors will be devoted to retail, while the fourth floor will house the lobby, restaurants and an open deck, according to Joseph Yi, vice president at the Lam Group. The company is still in discussions with potential brands to partner with on the hotels, Yi said, but is planning to follow the boutique and lifestyle models of the Ace and the NoMad.

Yi said the firm was interested in the Broadway site because the price — less than $300 per buildable square foot — was about 10 percent lower than in nearby neighborhoods.

“The price point in this area was a little bit better than some of the more highly sought-after markets, like in the Times Square area and in the 40s and 50s,” Yi said. “For the amount of frontage we have on Broadway, I think we executed this well below market.”

Prices have increased somewhat since the Lam Group made its purchases, brokers said: Land in the area now goes for $300 to $400 per buildable square foot, depending on the specific location. Yi said the Lam Group has recently been offered as much as $450 a foot for the Broadway site, but it isn’t interested in selling.

In 2012, land on and around 29th Street sold for an average of $360 per buildable square foot, roughly double 2009’s prices, according to data from investment sales firm Eastern Consolidated.

Meanwhile, hotels on 29th Street can charge guests up to $700 to $800 a night, depending on the season, according to Kapahi. While New Yorkers may not view 29th Street as über-trendy, tourists tend to be less discerning between neighborhoods, industry insiders said, as long as they are centrally located, with easy transit access to city attractions.

“Tourists don’t necessarily know that it’s much different from Madison Square Garden or even Times Square,” said Fox. For them, “Manhattan is Manhattan.”

Plus, when it came to attracting the young and stylish clientele of the Ace Hotel, “it almost helped to have a gritty neighborhood,” said Steven Hurwitz, executive vice president of GFI Development Company, which developed the Ace and the NoMad. “That demographic wants to be in a cool spot and a place that feels undiscovered.”

The landmarked 1904 building that is now the Ace Hotel is owned by LGF Enterprises, part of Lillian Goldman Family Foundation (see related Sol Goldman story). In 2007, GFI paid $40 million for a long-term lease of the building, a price Hurwitz said “was appropriate for an undiscovered neighborhood.”

With laptops in hand, young tech types now flock to the Ace lobby, where it’s often difficult to find a spare seat (or plug) most afternoons. Stumptown Coffee Roasters and the Breslin Bar & Dining Room, which occupy retail space off the lobby, also helped establish the hotel as a destination.

Shifting economics

Now that these hip and stylish hotels have set up shop in the area, they’re driving further development.

The NoMad — which has a higher-end, older clientele than the Ace — has benefited from the Ace’s pioneering efforts, Hurwitz said.

“The NoMad was the right product to open on the heels of change,” said Hurwitz. “It would have been harder to open first.”

Meanwhile, the Eventi opened in the spring of 2010, with an aesthetic Kimpton’s Long calls “playful” and “masculine.” Developer DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners bought the site — formerly a vacant lot — in 2005 for over $132 million, according to city property records. Rates in the nearly 300-room hotel range from $350 to $600 a night, depending on the time of year.

But the economics that helped drive the 29th Street hotel boom are shifting. Now that the area is more established, deals are tougher to come by.

“It’s definitely become pricier; there’s no question,” Hurwitz said.

Yi said the Lam Group is looking for a new site in the area, but only if the price is right.

“I think the market has gone completely upside down in the area now,” said Yi. “A lot of the owners are asking numbers above what [they] should be in that location.”

GFI, too, would build another hotel in the area if it found the right property at the right price, Hurwitz said.

“We’re out looking,” he said, but “we haven’t found anything that makes sense for us.”

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Samantha Cameron, the wife of British Prime Minister David Cameron, has provoked a big reaction with her choice of outfit for the controversial funeral of former PM Margaret Thatcher.

"Sam Cam" is the now top trending topic on Twitter in the United Kingdom, and there is speculation that the outfit is a tribute to Thatcher's own sartorial style.

Here's the outfit:

Is Samantha Cameron's outfit a tribute to Margaret Thatcher?huff.to/172wVq8twitter.com/HuffPostUKPics…

— HuffPostUK Pic Desk (@HuffPostUKPics) April 17, 2013

David and Samantha Cameron arrive for the funeral of Margaret Thatcher twitter.com/Mirror_Picture…

— Mirror Pictures (@Mirror_Pictures) April 17, 2013

Here's some of the (more tasteful) reactions:

Style note: Samantha Cameron has gone for the Mary Poppins look, hair in a bun accessorized with a little black semi-hat

— Sarah Lyall(@sarahlyall) April 17, 2013

Sam Cam appears to wearing a Maggie style bow on her outfit .

— Guido Fawkes (@GuidoFawkes) April 17, 2013

It's Mary Poppins! Oh no, SamCam

— Camilla Long (@camillalong) April 17, 2013

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One photo from the funeral of Margaret Thatcher today stands out from the rest— an aerial shot taken from the dome at London's St Paul's Cathedral.

St Paul's is an enormous building and only a small portion of the guests can be seen — there were 2,300 guests inside the Cathedral, with hundreds watching outside according to the Guardian.

Some guests can be seen clearly in the aerial shot — the two red chairs at the front are for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, for example. UK PM David Cameron and other former British PMs were seated next to the Queen, while Thatcher's family were seated on the front row to the right of the picture.

(Please note: If you click on the image, you can see a larger file)

This photo gives a slightly closer viewpoint from a different angle (it was taken after the first, hence the slightly different location of Thatcher's coffin):

For reference, here's what the dome looks like from outside:

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The European Union bans dozens of airlines it deems "unsafe" from flying in its airspace, saying they operate "in conditions below essential safety levels." 

The blacklist includes all the carriers based in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, Republic of Sudan, and Zambia.

Nearly all of Indonesia's 50-plus carriers are also on the list, including Lion Air. The airline made headlines this week after one of its planes crashed in Bali and split in two. All 108 passengers and crew survived, but the incident highlighted the lackluster safety record of Indonesian airlines.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does not rate, rank, or blacklist airlines, but it does assess whether a country's aviation authorities adhere to safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Those standards measure how the authorities regulate and certify airlines, train their personnel, ensure enforcement of international standards, and document oversight and surveillance. Countries that are deficient in any of these areas do not meet the standards.

Some of the airlines from those countries, which include Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, the Philippines, Serbia, and Ukraine, are allowed to operate in American airspace, "under heightened FAA surveillance."

Here's the full list of airlines banned from European Union airspace as of December 4, 2012:

EU Airlines Not To Fly

And here are the national aviation authorities that the FAA says do not meet international safety standards (category "2"):

FAA Assessment Of National Aviation Authorities

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Dove's new "real beauty" campaign, by Ogilvy, employed an FBI sketch artist to help show women that they are more beautiful than they think.

Without ever seeing the women in question, forensic artist Gil Zamora asked women to describe themselves. He then asked strangers who had previously interacted with the subjects to describe the very women.

While the subjects said things like, "I have a fat, rounder face," "I would say I have a pretty big forehead," the strangers were far more complimentary. Sketches based on the strangers' views were not only more attractive, but more representative of how the women actually looked. 

We've collected the images that show how much women are prone to being overly self critical.

Meet Florence.

This is how she sees herself.

And this is how she is viewed by a stranger.

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If you're living in America, getting an understanding for North Korean tastes is a little difficult. There was one notable North Korean restaurant in the D.C. area where the kitchen was run by a former spy, but it appears to have shut down last year (despite a 4/5 Yelp rating).

However, there is one North Korean beverage you can get your hands on pretty easily. Pyongyang Soju, a 23% strong liquor imported from North Korea, is currently legal for sale in the United States.

That Pyongyang Soju is for sale in the U.S. is unusual, and the entire thing has an odd backstory.

The liquor has been for sale in the country since 2007, the importing group (Korea Pyongyang Trading Inc.) apparently having a license from the Treasury to get around sanctions that prohibit North Korean trade. As Hunter Walker from Talking Point Memo reports, the group is operated by Il Woo Park, a South Korean national who lives in Manhattan.

Park has extensive links to North Korea — for example, he signed a contract to help relaunch the Mount Kumgang resort in 2011 for example — and is a registered U.S. agent of the North Korean government. Incredibly, these links weren't severed after Park became embroiled in a spy drama in 2007, when Park was arrested for lying to the FBI. According to Walker, documents show that Park was "apparently working with a network of spies from North Korea’s sworn enemy, South Korea".

Despite pleading guilty to all charges, Park was only sentenced to probation and his plea agreement remains sealed. Park was allowed to re-enter North Korea during his probation and his liquor business continued, Walker reports.

While the liquor's backstory may be murky, Pyongyang Soju is surprisingly easy to find. Business Insider bought a bottle of Pyongyang Soju at Warehouse and Wines in Greenwich Village, New York, a couple of weeks ago. It appears to be possible to buy the drink online if you wish to taste it yourself.

The soju is inexpensive, and can be bought for just $5.99 for a 375ml bottle — cheaper than many South Korean or Japanese sojus for sale in New York City.

Quality may be an issue, however. Bon Appetit recently said that it "doesn't taste great" and had a "funky, fermenty smell." Others were less kind — one user on the Giant Robot forums wrote in a 2001 discussion about brands of soju: "you ain't had s--- until you've had Pyongyang Soju. Then, and only then, can you say you've had s---..."

Reactions in the Business Insider office were mixed. One reporter grimaced and exclaimed "oh god" as he took a sip, immediately reaching for a beer.

"It smelled and sort of tasted like rubbing alcohol," he said later.

Others were more keen. "It tastes better than it smells," one editor said. "But it's sort of like a b-side saki mixed with well vodka."

"It's so smooth," said one editor more accustomed to drinking soju, adding, "I can't get over how cheap it is."

Ultimately, Pyongyang Soju tastes exactly like what you'd expect — dirt cheap soju.

Perhaps the strangest feeling when drinking Pyongyang Soju is the ethical concerns it brings up. A significant portion of the proceeds of your Pyongyang Soju purchase are likely going to the North Korean government — a government known for its notorious labor camps.

One disturbing report from 2007 on DailyNK (a news website run by opponents of the North Korean government) even suggested that Pyongyang Soju was made using snakes caught in a Yoduk political prison camp grounds by prisoners:

In order to use the snake for brewery, the snake is first starved. Once the poison has risen to the top of the snake, the snake is immersed in alcohol. As the poison is highly dangerous, the job of catching snakes is left for the prisoners of the camps not common citizens. Comparatively, the region surrounding Yoduk is well-known for snakes.

Pyongyang Soju's label, however, says it is made in Pyongyang City (not in a labor camp). Moreover, as snake soju usually keeps the snake in the bottle, it may be logical that the soju being imported is not the same soju as referenced by DailyNK.

Of course, there are a lot of countries with questionable human rights records that we buy from. China, for example, also has a labor camp system and reports suggest prisoners in these camps may face torture.

Also, given the strange backstory behind Pyongyang Soju and the fact that the Treasury is still allowing Il Woo Park to import it, you may be able to take some comfort in the idea that you are playing some small part in some kind top-secret soju-based diplomacy.

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Horse meat is consumed around the world, people are eating more guinea pigs than ever before, and the pork industry is trying to re-market itself— but beef is what's for dinner.

Porterhouses, filet mignon, and strip steaks are staples on restaurant menus and in grocery aisles. But there are some lesser-known cuts that are just as tasty and often less expensive.

The American Angus Association shared this beef breakdown with us. Click through to find out more about the major cuts of beef, and how to cook them.

CHUCK: Blade Steak, Eye Steak, Arm Roast, Blade Roast, Short Ribs, Flatiron Steak, 7-Bone Roast.

The chuck contains connective tissue (including fat and collagen) which partially melts during cooking. The meat is prepared by stewing, slow cooking, braising, or pot roasting to make the meat tender.

Chuck is also commonly made into ground beef (for hamburgers, meatballs, etc.), and is one of the more economical cuts available.

Source: Williams-Sonoma

BRISKET: Whole Brisket, Front Cut, First Cut.

Made from the breast or lower chest of the cow, brisket is a tough beef cut that is prepared by braising or slow smoking.

It is also commonly cured and made into pastrami or corned beef.

Source: Williams-Sonoma

FORE SHANK: Shank Cross Cut.

Taken from the upper leg of cattle, the fore shank is tough, dry, and sinewy. The meat is commonly cooked in moist heat or used to create beef stock.

Since not many people buy beef shank, it's not typically found in stores as anything other than low-fat ground beef. It is fairly cheap in butcher shops though, and an ideal cut for beef bourguignon.

Source: Williams-Sonoma

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Eyeglass company Warby Parker is leading a direct-to-consumer renaissance. 

Empowered by the Internet, Warby and other e-commerce companies have cut out the middleman and offer products that are both premium and affordable. 

In addition to its online presence, the company has a showroom at its headquarters in Soho. Customers can try out their glasses right across the room from the person who will process their order. 

The company's new flagship store in New York, which utilizes Wi-Fi and other technologies, also compliments Warby Parker's e-commerce strategy.

"Warby Parker is building the next generation retail experience for a quantified society, one that marries the digital and the physical, data and emotion," explained Om Malik at GigaOm. 

We took a tour of Warby Parker's showroom. 

The Warby Parker showroom is just south of W. Houston Street on Lafayette in NYC's SoHo neighborhood.

The building has this cool lobby decorated with artwork, and you have to sign in to go upstairs.

Here we are! The 5th floor is Warby's corporate office and showroom.

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Before the funeral of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher today, few people had heard of her 19-year-old American granddaughter — Amanda Thatcher.

Now the Guardian is describing her as the "inadvertent star" of the funeral, and London's Evening Standard says she "captivated 2,500 mourners in St Paul’s and millions more watching on TV". According to the Mirror she sparked a "Twitter frenzy" after her "flawless reading".

It certainly was an impressive performance, given that the high profile of the event and Amanda's young age.

Here's footage of the reading given by Amanda. It was the first reading of the service, a passage from Ephesians:

While she is the granddaughter of an iconic British leader, Amanda is an all-American girl. She studies at the University of Richmond in Virginia, where she is on the Richmond Spiders hurdles/jumps team. Before heading to Virgina she graduated from high school in Dallas.

Amanda is the daughter of Mark Thatcher and his first wife, American Dianne Burgdorf.

Mark Thatcher has had an eventful life — he famously went missing during his mother's first term as Prime Minster, losing his way in the Saharan dessert during the Paris-Dakar Rally. He went on to live in the USA in the 1980s until financial scandals prompted a move to South Africa. In 2004 Mark Thatcher was arrested for his part in a coup d'état attempt in Equatorial Guinea. The following year Burgdorf divorced him and the family (including Amanda) returned to America.

Her father's dark past might not hurt Amanda's future however, as this joke from bookmakers Ladbrokes notes:

Ladbrokes: Amanda Thatcher is 200/1 to be elected President of the United States at any time.

— Ladbrokes Politics (@LadPolitics) April 17, 2013

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Bringing new meaning to the phrase, "this town ain't big enough for the both of us," Bloomberg reports that Goldman Sachs and Google employees are facing off for space at a Tokyo bar.

And it looks like the Googlers are winning.

The bar is called Heartland; it's a brewery, arcade and beer garden located in the super-chic Roppongi neighborhood of Tokyo. CNN called the area "Tokyo's most controversial night spot" — it's loud, it's wild, and it's full of tourists and expats.

Heartland is no exception to all that. In 2008, Gaijin Tonic, a Tokyo drinking blog called it "a notorious pick-up joint where gold-digging 30-something women go to ensnare generous foreign banker boyfriends."

That was just after Lehman Brothers collapsed. The bank's Tokyo office was also very close to Heartland, and you can imagine what happened to the expense accounts that fueled many a drunken night at the "standing room only" bar. Gone.

According to Bloomberg, belt tightening and staff reductions at Goldman have produced a similar result. Luckily for Heartland, techies from Google and companies like Apple and Lenovo have stepped up to fill the void.

That means the vibe in the bar, however, has changed.

From Bloomberg:

The changes are visible at Heartland, located at the street level of the landmark Mori Tower, said Shioya, the manager ... “People used to be drinking more,” she said. “Some customers opened seven bottles of champagne for their birthdays. Some would ask us to prepare 100 champagne glasses for celebrations, and they were offering them to bar staff and strangers.”

With fewer bankers and more patrons from the tech world, the atmosphere has become more laid back, Shioya said. After business declined following the financial crisis, the bar began showing sporting events on its big-screen display to draw customers. Couches where well-dressed men and mini-skirted women once paired up to lounge and drink cocktails were replaced with tables and stools.

What you think of those changes is a matter of taste (we suppose). Either way, it's cool to get an idea of what goes on at Heartland, so we've collected some pictures and video of a night at the bar.

Party on.

This is Roppongi at night, definitely makes you want to walk about.

This is a map of Roppongi, A is Google's office, B is Goldman's office, and C is Heartland. Close.

And here's Heartland. According to Bloomberg, there are 30% fewer potential Goldman customers for this bar since 2008.

Source: Time Out

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177 musical acts gathered last weekend for three days in Indio, California for the annual Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival.

Some musicians are more well known than others, but everyone put on a show for the around 80,000 fans that traveled from near and far to attend the famed festival.

If you didn't get a chance to attend last weekend and won't make it for the upcoming weekend two, we put together the most awesome photos of musical performances we could find so you can live vicariously here.

Singer Natasha Khan of Bat for Lashes performed on Saturday.

Musician Brian King of Japandroids.

Rapper 2 Chainz.

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So you’ve crossed your T’s, dotted your I’s and successfully filed your taxes by the April 15th deadline. If you’re expecting a tax refund, you’ve probably already asked yourself, “What should I do with it?”

A federal tax refund is one of the largest lump sums of money the average American household receives all year, according to a research report from the American Tax & Financial Center at TurboTax.

In 2012, the IRS estimated the average federal tax refund to be about $2,700. That’s equal to more than one month’s worth of income for 66 percent of taxpayers—or more than three months of groceries for an average family of four. Of course, you could adjust your W-4 so you have fewer taxes withheld. However, struggling taxpayers often have a difficult time holding on to that extra money when it’s included in their paycheck instead of receiving it in a lump sum.

Here are eight tips to help you decide—and plan ahead—for what to do with your tax refund:

1. Put money into savings. Forty percent of U.S. households live paycheck to paycheck, and more than one third admit to rarely being able to save money. A tax refund represents a once-a-year financial opportunity for Americans to put money away for a rainy day. Having an emergency fund available will go a long way to ease stress over unforeseen expenses down the road.

2. Pay down high-interest debt. If you have credit card debt, consider using your refund to pay down debt on whichever cards charge the highest interest rates.

3. Increase retirement account contributions. Consider contributing more of your income to a regular or Roth IRA, increasing your contributions to a 401(k) or squirreling away some savings for retirement.

4. Contribute to a Health Savings Account (HSA). HSAs are a great way to set aside money for future medical expenses, as the funds aren’t subject to federal income tax at the time of deposit. Contributing to an HSA isn’t as important as paying down credit card debt or increasing your retirement contributions, but an HSA is still a good way to use your tax refund if you’re eligible to participate in one.

5. Invest. If you’ve avoided debt and have a robust retirement account, consider opening a brokerage account and start investing your refund for the future.

6. Improve the value of your home. Have you been putting off that kitchen remodel or bathroom upgrade? If so, consider applying your tax refund toward home improvements. It will improve the enjoyment of your home and can significantly increase your home’s value.

7. Take a vacation. If you’ve already paid down debt, increasedyour retirement savings and in general been responsible with your money, great—you’ve earned a vacation. It’s always important to reward yourself, especially if you can take a trip without spending more than your tax refund.

8. Start planning for next year. Now that you’ve completed your 2012 tax return, start thinking ahead for next year’s return. Now is a good time to start tracking your tax-related receipts through the year, if you haven’t done so already. This will help reduce your tax liability and put you in an advance position to meet next year’s deadline.

Lisa Greene-Lewis is a CPA and TurboTax Tax Expert. She has more than 15 years of experience in tax preparation, including positions as a public auditor, controller, and operations manager. For more tax-related tips, go to blog.turbotax.intuit.com.

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After the 9/11 attacks in 2001, New York City lost $323.7 million in tourism revenue as visitors avoided the city in fear of another attack. And though tourism to New York City today is higher than it's ever been, it took several years to rebound.

Some fear that the same will happen to Boston now, in the wake of Monday's devastating Boston Marathon explosions that left 3 people dead and hundreds injured.

The attacks seemed to target tourists and civilians, with the bombings taking place at the Marathon finish line—right near several major hotels, including the Lenox Hotel, the Mandarin Oriental, and the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel. The Lenox Hotel and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel were evacuated, but have both since re-opened.

Since then, hotels around Boston — and major U.S. cities — have increased security. 

Marriott released a statement saying that they are monitoring the situation closely and "enhanced security measures at our nearby hotels." There are eight Marriott hotels and a Ritz-Carlton in Boston.

Similarly, Hilton Worldwide also released a statement saying that they've upped security at area hotels, and the Loews Boston Back Bay Hotel said it had increased security measures as well, according to USA Today.

While some streets and sections of Boston still remained closed, most airlines and trains resumed normal service. Even though Boston's Logan Airport was open, many airlines waived fees and several major hotel chains, including Hilton, Marriott and Starwood, will allow travelers to cancel reservations without a penalty, according to USA Today.

While it's still a bit too early to tell, these waivers hint that people may be changing their travel plans and canceling trips to Boston. Some schools have already canceled field trips to Boston, and people have expressed concern about upcoming trips to Boston on TripAdvisor travel forums.

However, rather than deterring travelers, some argue that the attacks bring the entire country together and foster a sense of sympathy for Boston.

"If you were on Facebook or Twitter after the bombing you'll know that hand-in-hand with the anger and outrage at the act was almost universal sympathy for Boston," said Jason Clampet, co-founder of Skift, a travel intelligence media company. "Even in New York, which isn't really so fond of Boston, an art installation in Brooklyn combined the 'I love NY' logo with the Red Sox logo to show support."

Bostonians, too, who are still reeling from the attacks, seem to be eager to welcome visitors and show pride in their city.

"We Bostonians are hardy stock," a commenter wrote on a TripAdvisor forum. "Anyone who is planning a trip here should come as planned and know that they will be welcomed with open arms. The city is safe and open for business for the most part, certainly 100% by another few days or so."

Marie Morris, a local freelance writer who wrote Frommer's Boston, said that though it's still too early to speculate about the motivation or ultimate impact of the attacks, she doesn't think that they will hurt tourism to Boston in the long run.

"If violence and the possibility of terrorism were to dissuade travelers from visiting Boston, that would violate the very spirit of the city and of the independent-minded area it's the unofficial capital of," Morris said. "New Englanders really, really don't like being told what they can and can't do (see, for example, everything from the great Puritan migration to marriage equality). Regardless of what the investigation into [Monday]'s events turns up, I very much doubt that the violence will lead directly to a downturn in local and regional tourism."

Indeed, it seems that the city is eager to get back to business as usual. On Tuesday, two major Boston museums — The Museum of Fine Arts and the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston —waived their admission fees and opened their doors to the public.

The MFA will be free today. We hope the Museum will be a place of respite for our community.

— Museum of Fine Arts (@mfaboston) April 16, 2013

Many Boston restaurants and bars are open for business, and some restaurants even offered free food and Wi-Fi to the public following the attacks.

While the city is definitely still recovering, there's hope that life will return to normal soon. And unlike other regions that have undergone tragic events — say, New Jersey post-Hurricane Sandy, New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina, or New York City post-9/11 — the city of Boston is still mostly physically intact.

"After the crime scene is cleared life will go on, as much as it can there following such a terrible accident," Clampet said. "And when families sit down to plan a summer vacation they're going to have Boston top of mind and little is going to stand in their way from visiting."

SEE ALSO: 13 Examples Of People Being Awesome After The Attack On The Boston Marathon >

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The New York Times calls the Webbys "The Internet's highest honor," so Business Insider is psyched to be nominated for a Webby Award in the "Best Business Blog" category.

The Webbys hands out awards each year to digital ground-breakers in 100 categories at a fancy party in NYC in May. Winners get to deliver one of The Webby Awards' famous 5-Word Speeches. (Don't you wonder what BI's would be? Suggestions welcome in the comments below.)

Webby Winners are chosen by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. But you can play a role in voting for the "Peoples Choice" award. From Activism to Youth, there are hundreds of great sites to discover or celebrate.

Vote here >

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Martin Graham, chairman of London's Oracle Capital Group, knows a thing or two about millionaires.

His wealth consultancy firm manages several billion dollars for about 40 European families, most of whom are self-made entrepreneurs. 

"They're brilliant at running their company, but may not be brilliant at handling their own money," said Graham, who is also a former Director of Markets for the London Stock Exchange. 

The goal of most millionaires is two-fold: to keep getting richer and to protect the riches they've already earned.

The good news for the more modestly-heeled consumers out there is that the super wealthy don't have any secret skills that the rest of us can't imitate.

We asked Graham to share a few guiding principles that anyone –– whether you make $50,000 or $5 million –– can use to better manage their money.

1. Only invest money you have for the long-term. Unless you've got a nice stash of emergency funds on hand first, you have no business meddling in the stock market. Here's the rule of thumb Graham typically goes by: "Don't invest money that you can't lock away for five years." 

2. Don't invest in anything that you don't understand yourself. When it comes to investing, individuals often have an edge over the professionals, Graham said. For example, when famed British retail chain Marks & Spencer brought in new product lines and lost touch with customers in 2012, it wasn't stock analysts who picked up on it first. "The man on the street knew that," Graham said. "You should invest in things you understand because the experts can get things wrong."

3. Don't sit on your investments for too long. We've all heard it before, but Graham emphasized the need to diversify your investments, both by location and industry. It's important to have some downside protection in the markets world, and you probably will need to shift around investments on occasion, he said. That doesn't mean spending hours a day trading obsessively or trying to beat the market. Prepare a plan with a financial advisor on how often you should rock the boat.  "Be prepared to rebalance your portfolio to get the best returns from time to time, " Graham said, especially as you age and are less willing to take risky bets with your nest egg.

4. Go against the crowd. The markets –– and the media that follow them –– aren't always right. Gold was everyone's investment du jour a year ago, and now it's tanking faster than the Titanic. And who could forget the Dot Com boom of the early 00's and 2008's crippling housing crisis. Don't be afraid to buck the trend and invest in things that aren't getting all the attention sometimes. "You need to be brave to buy against market sentiment," Graham said. As always follow the golden rule of buying low and selling high. 

5. Prepare for a rainy day. The no. 1 goal of the rich is to protect their wealth at all cost. "A lot of our clients are interested in preserving wealth for future generations," Graham said. That means making sure that they are prepared for any business or personal circumstances that may pose a threat. For most people, that could be as simple as losing a job or going through a divorce. You could invest all day in the market or buy up a chunk of cheap real estate, but without liquid assets to depend on in leaner times, you won't get far.

SEE ALSO: 10 states where the most people live on the edge of financial ruin >

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Brooks Brothers has just revealed a new "Great Gatsby" collection based on the costumes in Baz Luhrmann's upcoming film adaptation.

The brand is quick to point out that F. Scott Fitzgerald was a lifelong Brooks Brothers customer, and so the clothier's partnership with the filmmakers was ideal.

"Brooks Brothers is mentioned several times in Fitzgerald's writing as a representation of the ultimate gentleman's purveyor of fine clothing to the American man of distinction," Catherine Martin, the Academy Award-winning  costume designer for the film, says on the company's website.

Many of the film's costumes were inspired by 1920s images or products in the company's archives, and Brooks Brothers even manufactured more than 500 outfits for the film.

The new retail collection was adapted from those dapper costumes.

This ivory suit, including a $698 jacket, is made from Irish linen with a herringbone pattern. Everything but the cane is also part of the collection.

Buy the jacket here for $698

This trim-fit jacket, also $698, has a narrow lapel and is made of English wool and linen blend. The model's nifty brown loafers are also sold by Brooks Brothers.

Buy the jacket here for $698

This is the peak lapel tux (jacket $848) that you'll want to wear when you throw your Gatsby-themed party. Pair with the backless vest for a quintessential look.

Buy the tuxedo jacket here for $848

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Brooks Brothers has just revealed a new "Great Gatsby" collection based on the costumes in Baz Luhrmann's upcoming film adaptation.

The brand is quick to point out that F. Scott Fitzgerald was a lifelong Brooks Brothers customer, and so the clothier's partnership with the filmmakers was ideal.

"Brooks Brothers is mentioned several times in Fitzgerald's writing as a representation of the ultimate gentleman's purveyor of fine clothing to the American man of distinction," Catherine Martin, the Academy Award-winning  costume designer for the film, says on the company's website.

Many of the film's costumes were inspired by 1920s images or products in the company's archives, and Brooks Brothers even manufactured more than 500 outfits for the film.

The new retail collection was adapted from those dapper costumes.

This ivory suit, including a $698 jacket, is made from Irish linen with a herringbone pattern. Everything but the cane is also part of the collection.

Buy the jacket here for $698

This trim-fit jacket, also $698, has a narrow lapel and is made of English wool and linen blend. The model's nifty brown loafers are also sold by Brooks Brothers.

Buy the jacket here for $698

This is the peak lapel tux (jacket $848) that you'll want to wear when you throw your Gatsby-themed party. Pair with the backless vest for a quintessential look.

Buy the tuxedo jacket here for $848

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No one is better position to milk travel rewards than business travelers, which makes it especially painful to see people who get paid to travel miss out on easy perks. 

More than 70% of Americans who use frequent flier miles don't know how many they have and nearly as many said they don't even know how the programs work, according to a new study commissioned by Brian Kelly, the voice behind popular travel blog The Points Guy. 

"What doesn’t make sense is why so few people are keeping track of their points and miles when there are such good resources out there to do so easily," Kelly says. "They are worth money. Sometimes they are worth a lot of money – depending on how you redeem them." 

Kelly knows a thing or two about business travel rewards. He used to fly more than 125,000 miles a year as a recruiter for a major investment bank.

We asked him for a few pointers on how business travelers can use travel perks in their favor: 

Build up points outside of the airport: One of the best places to compound your travel points is actually nowhere near airports at all –– it's at the store. "These days with miles the best way to earn them is by shopping with credit cards," Kelly says. "I would say just take out travel rewards cards for everyday spending and when you travel." Just be sure you nab a card that waives foreign transaction fees, which can be a real killer. 

Give your points time to grow: If you want to stretch your dollar furthest, give your miles time to really accrue before you start applying them to travel. You'll make a bigger dent that way. "I buy almost all my domestic tickets," Kelly says. "Then I wait and redeem my miles for international trips in business or first class." 

Don't pass up cheap fares just for the points: Some fliers will do whatever it takes to book flights to earn more points, even if it means passing up cheaper fares on another carrier. That's not always the smartest move, especially when you consider each mile is worth about two cents. "Cash is king and yes, it's good to have a good mileage strategy, but I wouldn't pay a ton extra just to earn miles," Kelly says.

Don't focus solely on airline miles: You can earn points on more than just air travel by using cards that let you use your miles on hotel stays and car rentals as well. 

Don't let them go to waste: We get it. Keeping track of all your travel rewards is a hassle few people have time for. To make matters worse, some frequent flier points disappear if you leave your account inactive for a certain period of time, usually after 18 months. Make your life easier and sign up for a miles tracking site like AwardWallet. It's a one-stop shop for tracking miles from all of your accounts, including your passwords for each. 

SEE ALSO: 13 things every business traveler should pack in their carry-on >

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