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The luxury real-estate market in Vietnam is heating up — and it's luring foreign buyers in with 'sky mansions' at a fraction of what their cost would be in NYC or Hong Kong

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Feliz en Vista

  • Vietnam is the next luxury real-estate hotspot, Bloomberg reported.
  • An explosion of new luxe developments, fueled by a strong economy and legislation that made it easier for foreigners to buy property, is attracting wealthy international buyers.
  • These swanky condos, popping up in Ho Chi Minh City on "Saigon's Wall Street," cost a fraction of what they would in markets like New York City or Hong Kong.

Forget New York City or Hong Kong. The newest hotspot for luxury real estate is Vietnam

The Southeast Asian country has been seeing a surge in luxury real estate development, Bloomberg reported, thanks to a booming economy and laws making it easier for foreign buyers to buy property in Vietnam.

Vietnam is "where southern China was 10 or 15 years ago," Goodwin Gaw, chairman of Hong Kong-based private-equity firm Gaw Capital Partners, told Bloomberg. Prices have been going up over the past year and a half, but investing in real estate in the country is still a good bet in the long-term, Gaw said. Prices for luxury condos in Ho Chi Minh City increased by 17% in 2018, according to Bloomberg.

ho chi minh city vietnam

Vietnam's economy is seeing strong growth, according to Al Jazeera. And in 2015, a legislation change made it easier for international buyers to obtain long-term leases and buy property in Vietnam, Mansion Global reported. 

Ultra-luxury living at a low price point

A luxury apartment in the city center of Ho Chi Minh City can cost upwards of $5,000 per square meter, or $465 per square foot, Sunny Hoang, associate director of International Residential Sales at Savills in Ho Chi Minh City, told Mansion Global. Compared to other cities, that's an absolute bargain.

In Hong Kong, a similar home can easily cost four times more than that, Hoang said.

Average prime home values in Hong Kong are now at $4,660 per square foot, according to a separate Mansion Global report, while Manhattan real estate costs an average of $1,773 per square foot.

Feliz en Vista

At Feliz en Vista, a four-tower luxury condominium development in Ho Chi Minh City's District 2 developed by Singapore-based CapitaLand, buyers can choose from a mix of garden villas, duplex penthouses, and "sky mansions." The property offers ultra-luxe amenities including a swimming pool with hot spring Jacuzzi and water slide, an outdoor movie theater, a treetop adventure walking bridge, a fitness center, sky garden, library, playground, tennis court, and parking.

The condos launched at prices between $232 and $290 per square foot. On the high end, this would come out to $1.56 million for one of the building's 500-square-foot penthouses.

More than 99% of the units at Feliz en Vista were sold by the end of 2018, a representative for the developer told Business Insider.

Feliz en Vista

And at the The Grand Manhattan, a 39-story development that will include apartments, a hotel, and restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City's District 1, known as "Saigon's Wall Street," the New York City-inspired condos start at about $557 per square foot.

Compare that to NYC, where even a tiny penthouse can cost $2,143 per square foot and it's common to see asking prices of $10 million and up. And in Hong Kong, which has one of the most expensive housing markets in the world, a modest house that many would classify as a knockdown is selling for a staggering $446 million.

Not only foreign buyers

International buyers may be jumping to invest in Vietnam real estate, but wealthy locals are giving them competition. 

"We have more and more very rich Vietnamese, particularly entrepreneurs looking for places to put their money," Neil MacGregor, a managing director at Savills Vietnam, told Bloomberg.

Vietnam now has 142 people who are worth more than $30 million, according to a 2019 report from global real estate consultant Knight Frank.

SEE ALSO: An $82 million penthouse in NYC's tallest residential building finally sold after 2 years on the market — but only after it was split in half and got a $21 million price chop

DON'T MISS: What it's like living in Hong Kong as a billionaire, where the ultra-rich live in high-security mansions and spend $16 billion a year betting on horse racing

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Take a look inside a $28.5 million NYC apartment on Billionaires' Row


Stanford scientists just gave us an unprecedented look at how well the Apple Watch detects heart problems (AAPL)

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Apple Watch 5

  • Two months ago, Apple CEO Tim Cook said his company's "greatest contribution to mankind" would be in health.
  • A new study led by Stanford researchers provides a glimpse at how that vision is beginning to take shape.
  • The preliminary analysis suggests that the Apple Watch can accurately detect some heart problems.
  • But there are caveats. For one, the study didn't include the most recent Apple Watch, which has an extra feature that helps detect heart problems.
  • The study looked at whether the watch can detect atrial fibrillation, or afib, a common but potentially serious disorder. Other tech companies like Fitbit are also trying to detect it.

Roughly two months after Apple CEO Tim Cook said his company's "greatest contribution to mankind" would be in health, a new study provides the first glimpse at how that vision is beginning to take shape.

The unprecedented analysis, known as the Apple Heart Study, involved teaming up with cardiologists at Stanford University and studying more than 400,000 people. Their aim was to learn whether the Apple Watch and its heart-rate sensor could properly pick up on irregularities in people's heartbeat.

An early look at the work suggests it can. Of course, there are caveats.

The researchers are scheduled to present a summary of the Apple-sponsored study at the American College of Cardiology's annual meeting on Saturday in New Orleans. The full study has not yet been published.

According to their presentation, the watch appeared capable of picking up on abnormalities linked with a common but serious condition called atrial fibrillation or afib. Afib is an irregular heart beat, and people with the condition can experience shortness of breath and poor blood flow. The condition can also increase the risk of more serious problems like stroke and heart failure.

"The study's findings have the potential to help patients and clinicians understand how devices like the Apple Watch can play a role in detecting conditions such as atrial fibrillation, a deadly and often undiagnosed disease," Mintu Turakhia, the study's lead author and an associate professor of cardiovascular medicine at Stanford, said in a statement.

While the research offers a hopeful glimpse at the power of the Apple Watch to improve people's health, there is also potential for the device to overburden the healthcare system, according to some researchers. That could happen if the device tells too many people that they have a health problem when they actually don't.

Here's what you need to know.

An example for tech giants with their eyes on health

Apple isn't the only Silicon Valley tech giant with its eye on health. In recent years, companies such as Facebook, Google parent company Alphabet, and Fitbit have all made an effort to detect and prevent illness — whether it's picking up on someone who might be at risk of suicide or diagnosing a condition like afib or sleep apnea. Still, ailments like afib — which is equal parts common, serious, and preventable — are a kind of holy grail.

Outside experts who reviewed Apple's latest study see strengths and weaknesses in how it was done. Some major bright spots include the fact that it was done in collaboration with a well-respected university like Stanford, included lots of people, and took place over a fairly long time period. Additionally, the study design was kept separate from Apple, who funded it.

"This study is a great example for tech of how to design future studies," Mohamed Elshazly, an assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College who reviewed the study's design and saw its preliminary results, told Business Insider.

Apple Watch 3

One big caveat: The study did not include the latest Apple Watch with its ECG

Still, Elshazly and other experts warn that the study had some important caveats.

The biggest? It didn't include the most recent Apple Watch, the series 4.

That watch, released after the study began, features a built-in electrocardiogram or ECG, the medical test typically used to detect heart-rhythm problems.

The series 4 was also the source of some controversy: experts worried that the device would over-diagnose irregularities, sending a lot of healthy people running to their doctors.

"Imagine the impact on a health care system as thousands of young, healthy people suddenly want to schedule appointments with cardiologists," Larry Husten, the former editor of TheHeart.Org, wrote in a recent opinion piece for Stat News.

But previous versions of the Apple Watch still have something else that can be used to check on your heart.

The series 1, 2, and 3 versions of the watch contain what are known as optical heart-rate pulse sensors. They use lights to take your pulse. So for the Stanford study, Turakhia and his co-investigators studied 400,000 people with one of these Apple Watches. The researchers also had the participants use a corresponding heart health app on their iPhones.

When people's Apple Watches picked up on an irregularity, they notified the participant with a pop-up and asked them to schedule a video chat with a doctor involved in the study. Then, to check that the irregular readings were correct, the researchers sent those participants ECG patches.

The Apple Watch identified heart problems in a small number of people

The study came away with some positive findings. They suggest that the Apple Watch does a fairly good job of detecting heart problems in people who have them, especially in cases where the problem also happens to be afib. But in some cases, the devices also detect problems when there aren't any.

This phenomenon, known in clinical parlance as a false-positive, is most concerning when it affects a large number of people. At first glance, this doesn't seem to be an issue with Apple's study: out of its more than 400,000 participants, only 0.5% (or 2,000 people) got notifications indicating they had an irregular heart rate. 

However, when you consider that several million people are already wearing Apple Watches, that 0.5% figure could actually be quite troubling, Elshazly said. It's especially troubling when you also consider the fact that sometimes the notifications are wrong.

Apple Watch 2

According to comparisons with ECG patch recordings taken at the same time, the watches were correct in flagging a problem 71% of the time. In other words, in roughly seven out of 10 cases in which the watches told someone they had a problem, that problem turned out to be real. Additionally, in about eight out of every 10 abnormal cases, people were found to have afib at the time of the alert, suggesting that the Apple Watch is good at flagging people with that serious condition.

But those findings also mean that roughly a third of people who got flagged had nothing wrong with their hearts. And some of them still went on to seek medical care.

Those are the people Elshazly and Husten are worried about.

"These are people who are pursuing care when they shouldn’t have," Elshazly said.

Another problem the study doesn't address is what happens to the people with afib whose symptoms are not picked up by the Apple Watch. In contrast to the people without a problem who the Apple Watch flags incorrectly, the people with a problem that get missed by the Apple Watch might never get the care they need.

In other words, they might "feel falsely reassured by the absence of any alert," Husten wrote.

Despite these issues, researchers like Elshazly still think wearables like the Apple Watch could play an important role in helping to predict and prevent serious illnesses like afib — especially if they're provided to populations who are known to face a higher risk of those illnesses. With afib, the risk increases dramatically with age, suggesting to Elshazly that perhaps the watches should be given primarily to older people.

Detecting heart problems is just the start

"Atrial fibrillation is just the beginning," Lloyd Minor, the dean of the Stanford School of Medicine, said in a statement about Apple's study.

"This study opens the door to further research into wearable technologies and how they might be used to prevent disease before it strikes," he said.

Other tech companies are working on similar applications for their devices in healthcare. Fitbit, for example, has been exploring the idea of using its fitness trackers to detect both afib and sleep apnea. Two years ago, the company enrolled in a new precertification program with the Food and Drug Administration that's designed to help speed the approval process for new digital health products.

"The billion dollar question is, does using the Apple Watch — with all its features — actually lead to me living longer and having better health?" Elshazly said. "We don’t know yet. We don't have the data."

SEE ALSO: Fitbit is playing a long game to keep itself relevant, and its latest plans hint at getting into a new, highly lucrative area

DON'T MISS: A little-known technology that Fitbit and Apple are exploring could be the answer to healthy eating and peak performance

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The toilet isn't the dirtiest place in your home

SmileDirectClub's $79 LED whitening kit worked exceptionally well — and it didn't cause me any teeth sensitivity

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Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

product pens 4_135edf6e 469e 470b 8d6b d81c2487c995_1200x1200

  • SmileDirectClub's $79 Teeth Whitening Kit is said to work three times faster than whitening strips. It uses the same safe, effective whitening agent as a dentist's office, but costs much less than a professional treatment.
  • I used it, and after a few applications, my teeth were about three shades whiter — and the formula didn't cause any sensitivity. 
  • For more options to consider, read the Insider Picks Buying Guide to the best teeth whitening kits you can buy

Whether it's coffee, smoking, red wine, soy sauce, or the inexorable compounding of time, your teeth take quite a beating from everyday life. Even if you brush and floss the recommended amount with the aid of whitening toothpaste, the simple act of being alive seems to be in constant opposition to a bright, white smile.

Unfortunately, your smile is one of the first things people notice. In the seconds it takes your brain to assemble its first impression, one's smile often lands the leading role. Thankfully, the availability of cheap, effective whitening kits has made white teeth both more common and more taken for granted. While still semi-cosmetic, the act of whitening has started to blend into a wider definition of oral hygiene. 

Recently, the same startup known for online braces has released an at-home LED teeth whitening kit. Like its 3D-printed clear aligners, SmileDirectClub's $79 kit is supposed to deliver the advantages of a dentist's office at about 60% less cost. The LED kit is estimated to be three times faster than whitening strips.

To see if it's actually effective, I tested the $79 Whitening Kit myself. It comes with nine whitening pens (what the startup estimates as two full whitening treatments) and an LED mouthguard and storing case. It reminded me of the much more expensive but effective $220 Glo Brilliant Whitening Device, which also uses an LED mouthpiece to act as a catalyst for hydrogen peroxide. 

product light 2_2033aaef d31f 4e48 92d1 1081de1ee01b_1200x1200

To use, you twist one of the whitening pens to drive the gel to the applicator, apply it to your teeth evenly (avoiding gums), and pop in the mouthguard with its LED accelerator light. After five minutes, you remove the light and unplug it from your phone. Spit out the excess foam and use lukewarm water to rinse the mouthguard. Do this twice in the morning, and twice at night for a full four sessions. Avoid eating foods that can stain your teeth for 24 hours. According to SmileDirectClub, you should whiten for one week every six months. 

In person, the device is well-designed and easy to use. The LED light mouthguard is hands-free and smart-phone powered (iPhone or Android), so you can be tethered to your phone rather than an outlet. It requires minimal battery power to run, and this solves any issues with needing to charge a device before using — a con of the Glo Brilliant device. SmileDirectClub says the nine whitening pens should equal two full treatments (plus a bonus pen), but I found their estimates to be extremely conservative — even with evenly coating my teeth in gel, I got about four times more use out of the pens than expected. Once you run out, a replacement of whitening pens is $29 for four

You could technically just buy the whitening pens and use them without the mouthpiece to save money initially, but it's the LED light — and how the hydrogen peroxide reacts to it — that is likely to give you the best results. If you're not interested in the LED mouthguard, you may just want to stick to strips. 

SmileDirectClub's formula is the same enamel-safe formula dentists use, but it's supposed to break down to about $40 per treatment (which, in my experience, was closer to $20). It's safe to use on crowns, veneers, and caps, and the formula is lactose-, soy-, and gluten-free, as well as vegan.

In short, SmileDirectClub's Whitening Kit does work. It made my teeth whiter after one day's worth of sessions and continued to make them more even and bright with ongoing use. After continual applications, my teeth were about two to three shades whiter. Since I didn't begin with intense discoloration, I mostly noticed an evening in tone — my teeth are brighter, and the white is more universal and intense. I didn't notice any increased sensitivity, and the process was easy, clean, and relatively intuitive. However, you do have to be willing to use it routinely.

All in all, it's a good option if you're considering it. SmileDirectClub is $79 and white strips are $30 on a good day, but it's far cheaper than another prominent LED system (Glo Science) and you can eek out more uses of the whitening pens than the company estimates. It's also faster to use, as four five minute sessions broken up feel a lot more bearable than one 30-minute session. It's even convenient to multitask with it in so you can fit it into a morning routine without much effort. And, most important to me aside from efficacy, it didn't make my gums tender or my teeth ache. 

If you're looking for fast, noticeable results that are relatively easy to fit into your life, SmileDirectClub's whitening kit is worth checking out.

SmileDirectClub Teeth Whitening Kit, available on Amazon, $79

Join the conversation about this story »

6 incredibly comfortable loungers and joggers we change into the moment we get home

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Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

most comfortable loungers joggers 6

  • Soft, stretchy, and well-fitting loungers are the not-so-secret secret to staying comfortable at home. 
  • The Insider Picks team has a few favorites that are incredibly comfortable and look composed enough to wear outdoors for walks and quick errands. 
  • The brands that make them are Tommy John, MeUndies, Sheex, Under Armour, and Roots
  • These loungers average around $70, but we think they're worth every penny. 

There was a time, a dark time long ago, when I would wear jeans all day — yes, even once I got home and didn't have to. Ever since I realized there are pant options 100 times more comfortable than even my most comfortable pair of jeans, I try not to dwell on this haunted past. 

Having discovered loungers and joggers made from the softest, stretchiest fabrics and realized the error of my ways, I am no longer foolish enough to keep my outdoor pants on after walking through the door. You can bet the moment I change into my smooth and cozy loungers that I will not be going back outside. Or, if I do, I could care less about what other people think. They're probably just jealous that my pants look so comfortable.

My colleagues own comfortable lounge pants that make them feel the same way, a soft-burning appreciation for $70-$100 bottoms that turns into a fiery speech whenever they have to explain that yes, these lounge pants are worth every penny. 

Invest in these 6 incredibly comfortable loungers and joggers to enjoy in your home, and you won't regret it. 

SEE ALSO: 7 super-comfortable, go-to 'travel uniforms' we swear by for planes and trains

Tommy John Lounge Jogger

Women's Lounge Jogger, $78, available in 5 colors at Tommy John

"Does Tommy John ever get it wrong?" That's the question our team is constantly asking ourselves. If its new Women's Lounge Joggers are any indication, though, then no. Tommy John says they're made of an innovative stretch material that always keeps its shape, and so far, I can validate that claim. The fabric is also still super soft after its first washing. Additional details like tapered legs, side pockets, and a tagless label make this pair of lounge pants an instant favorite. I look forward to going home and putting them on. —Ellen Hoffman, Insider Picks senior editor 

As Ellen already hinted, every piece I've ever tried from Tommy John elicits the same bemused chuckle: They've done it again. The company's feather-light, super-soft underwear, camisoles, and tank tops are all standouts in my closet — and these joggers are some of the best. The side pockets, tagless label, and tapered fit are all perks, but the real highlight is the tri-blend fabric — unbelievably soft, airy, and hasn't stretched out yet. It's hard to wear another pair to bed. —Mara Leighton, Insider Picks reporter 

I had never tried anything from Tommy John, but my coworkers had raved about how comfortable all of their Tommy John loungewear is — they were onto something. These joggers are super soft, lightweight, and have a nice, tapered fit. They feel like pajamas, but look presentable enough to wear out of the house, which I did and was pretty happy about. —Remi Rosmarin, Insider Picks reporter 



MeUndies Lounge Pant (Men's)

Men's Lounge Pant, $68, available in 9 colors at MeUndies

MeUndies makes incredibly comfortable loungewear. I'm not even a big lounge pant or pajama bottom guy, but MeUndies' are thin enough that I don't mind walking around in them. And they're stylish enough that I've worn them on quick walks to my local bodega. —Brandt Ranj, Insider Picks associate editor 

 



Sheex Modern Jogger

Sheex 828 Motion Women's Modern Jogger, $64, available in 2 colors at Amazon

I agree that Tommy John's women's joggers are amazing, but you probably already get the idea, so I'll put in a good word for my other favorite pair of joggers, made by a company known for its innovative performance fabric bedding and sleepwear.

The Sheex slim-fit joggers are lighter and thinner than most so you can wear them during warmer days without overheating. If you're prone to overheating regardless of the weather, you're in luck because the fabric is temperature-regulating and moisture-wicking. As you settle into your bed, couch, or giant beanbag chair, both you and your legs can breathe easy. —Connie Chen, Insider Picks reporter 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Inside 'vaccine court,' where the US government pays millions to people who say they were harmed by vaccines

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vaccine court in dc

  • Vaccine court in Washington, DC was established in 1988 after a series of unfounded lawsuits threatened to erase the national supply of diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus (DPT) vaccines.
  • The court is a no-fault system where injured people can have their cases heard, and everyone's attorneys are compensated through a special fund. 
  • A 75¢ cent tax on every childhood vaccine and flu shot in the US pays for the program.
  • But it's extremely difficult to prove that vaccines cause harm. Most successful verdicts in vaccine court are awarded for bad needle jabs that prompt shoulder injuries.
  • Over 80% of vaccine court cases settle without making any scientific conclusions about what caused the injury.

Just a two minute walk from the front door of the White House, on the eastern edge of leafy Lafayette Square, sits the Howard T. Markey National Courts Building, a 9-story red brick structure with dark, narrow windows. Inside, federal judges oversee a mix of cases and appeals involving patent disputes, veteran benefits, oil spills, private claims against the government, and muchmore.

Eight of those judges belong to the Office of Special Masters, a small unit within the much larger Court of Federal Claims. For more than two decades, these legal minds have applied a meticulous understanding of medical science — including neurology, rheumatology, and pediatrics — to one of the most contentious corners of the legal system.

This is vaccine court, whose staff adjudicate cases brought by individuals who claim vaccines harmed them or their children. The tribunal administers the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, which Congress established in 1986 and funded with a 75¢ tax on every childhood vaccine sold in America. Since its inception in 1988, the program has awarded more than $4 billion in damages.

Every year, the court's special masters, who are appointed by the president and approved by the US Senate, receive around 500 petitions for monetary damages. Much like a lawsuit, each petition is a legal accusation from someone who says they've been hurt by a prick in the arm or jab in the thigh. For each one, the special masters must answer a medically tricky, but legally straightforward, question: Was the plaintiff injured by a vaccine?

vaccine_court_lafayette_square

In 2016, vaccine court awarded $230 million to patients who said they were wronged by vaccines, and paid over $22 million in attorney fees. (The courts pays those fees even when the petitioner loses their case — a significant deviation from standard practice that experts believe is unique to vaccine court.) The system has existed for more than three decades to serve a single, and very important, purpose: keeping life-saving vaccines on the market. 

"It is a no-fault compensation program designed to encourage vaccination, encourage vaccine manufacturers to continue making vaccines, and to compensate the small but significant number of people who are injured by a vaccine they receive," the former head of vaccine court, Chief Special Master Denise Vowell, explained in a 2015 video

This doesn't mean that vaccines are inherently dangerous. More than 80% of the claims the court receives are settled, without concluding that a vaccine caused any injury at all. But the existence of the court, and the history behind its creation, illustrate the complicated realities of modern medicine — and the consequences, positive and negative, of its efforts to eradicate disease.

Costly litigation laid the groundwork for vaccine court

measles vaccines 1963

The origins of vaccine court can be traced to the 1970s, when parents began filing lawsuits against doctors and vaccine manufacturers over allegations that vaccines for diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus (DPT shots) posed a dangerous risk to children. One of the first lawsuits to succeed was brought by the parents of Kevin Toner, after he was vaccinated in Idaho in 1979.

"Kevin Toner, then a three-month-old infant, was vaccinated with Tri-Immunol"— a DPT vaccine since discontinued in the US — "and suffered a rare condition of the spine known as transverse myelitis, the cause of which is unknown," court documents state. "As a result of the affliction, Kevin is permanently paralyzed from the waist down." 

Family lawyer Kenneth Pedersen remembers that as a young attorney in his early 30s at the time, winning the case helped launch his own budding legal career. "The argument was that the vaccine could've been safer," he told Business Insider. "It was a scary proposition, taking on a huge drug company. We had to prove that's how he got hurt." 

A jury of six Idahoans awarded the Toners $1.3 million in their case against vaccine maker Lederle Laboratories. Toner later graduated from college and settled down in Salt Lake City with his wife and their children. He currently works for a major bank.   

The Toner verdict arrived amid a national debate over the safety of DPT shots. Shortly before the family's case made its way through the court system, a documentary called "Vaccine Roulette" aired on NBC, scaring parents across the country about the dangers of the vaccine.

The American Academy of Pediatrics denounced NBC, saying the documentary's "total lack of balance of scientific fact [caused] extraordinary anguish and perhaps irreparable harm to the health and welfare of the nation's children."

Still, the number of DPT injury lawsuits skyrocketed, from what had been one single case in 1978 to 73 lawsuits in 1984. The cases got more expensive, too. As Dr. Alan Hinman noted in a 1986 JAMA Pediatrics article, "the average amount claimed per suit has risen from $10 million to $46.5 million."

Pedersen believes it would have become much harder to win tort cases like Toner's once more scientific literature started coming out about vaccine safety. "The medical literature kind of turned on us," he said.

Vaccines are extremely safe, and the evidence continues to grow stronger 

A comprehensive review of DPT shot safety, published in 1991, determined the shots do not cause autism or other dangerous and chronic conditions like attention deficit disorder or juvenile diabetes. The study found a few notable exceptions where children developed allergies or inflammation, and a different study documented a handful of instances in which children were diagnosed with neurological damage after receiving a pertussis shot. But such instances are extremely rare, and it's very difficult to prove the shot was the culprit

These anomalies are best understood in the broader context of vaccine safety. The vast majority of vaccines work as promised and do not cause any serious or permanent side effects. As the 1991 paperput it, "next to clean water, no single intervention has had so profound an effect on reducing mortality from childhood diseases as has the widespread introduction of vaccines." 

Nevertheless, the financial impact of the DPT lawsuits in the 1970s and 80s caused a nationwide vaccine shortage and threatened to shutter the manufacture of DPT vaccines altogether. Before long, doctors, public health experts, and drug companies began lobbying the federal government to do something about the rising costs of litigation.

Jonas Salk, who invented the first polio vaccine, was one of the experts who testified before lawmakers. Before his vaccine went into widespread use in 1955, polio outbreaks caused more than 15,000 cases of paralysis in the US every year.

"The live polio virus vaccine now in general use causes more than the two cases per year of vaccine-associated paralysis," Salk told lawmakers. "Such cases occur to the extent of about 6 to 10 cases per year." He encouraged vaccine-makers to focus on administering more of the killed polio virus vaccine, which did not cause any paralysis.

"In the case of vaccine-associated injuries, it is clear that it would be far more desirable to avoid them," Salk said. "In the event that compensation is necessary, it seems to me that the kind of legislation that you are proposing would be desirable."

Two years later, the House passed the bipartisan National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986. Sen. Edward Kennedy later folded its provisions into a larger health bill already moving through the upper chamber. President Ronald Reagan signed the amended bill into law that November, despite his "mixed feelings" and "reservations" about how the plan might compensate people who wouldn't need to prove any wrongdoing on the part of vaccine-makers.

That made the job of defending lawyers like Pederson much easier. "They got rid of the causation thing, and you didn't have to prove fault," he said. "Overall, I think a lot of people got compensation who wouldn't have ... Congress responded 'let's not go to court, let's take care of these kids.'" 

Today, the special masters hear complaints about alleged injuries from 15 of the most common childhood vaccines, plus the flu shot. "It absorbs vaccine injury controversies and keeps them from becoming lawsuits that could result in large damage awards from juries, which could threaten production and availability of vaccines," legal expert Anna Kirkland, author of "Vaccine Court: The Law and Politics of Injury," told Business Insider in an email. 

Vaccine court exists, in part, to address the fact that research and lawsuits move at different speeds. "We know that the pace of science and publishing is often slower than the pace of litigation," Kirkland said. "Some of those claims could have become massive class-action lawsuits that could have caused manufacturers to exit the vaccine market."

Legitimate scientific studies have never shown a link between vaccines and autism. But it takes a long time to gather and analyze the amount of data those studies require. The latest study refuting the vaccine-autism link, published by the Annals of Internal Medicine in early March, was based on the medical histories of more than 650,000 Danish children collected over a period of 14 years.

At the same time, scientific authority can be exploited by bad actors. The first peer-reviewed paper to indicate a connection between vaccines and autism, published by the medical journal The Lancet in 1998, turned out to be a fraudulent study whose principal author fudged the underlying data.

Yet it wasn't until 2010 that The Lancet completely retracted the paper, after the journalist Brian Deer published a lengthy exposé. In the twelve intervening years, the study sent vaccination rates plunging in the U.S. and U.K., and provided a fertile ground for vaccine-related conspiracy theories.

This dynamic occasionally extends to the vaccine court itself. Anti-vaccine groups have said its very existence shows vaccines are hazardous, and offered the $4 billion in court payouts as proof of widespread harm — even though the majority of the money was awarded in settlements where the court did not determine the precise cause of the plaintiff's injury. The court's relative obscurity, and the understandable difficulty of parsing the dense legal and medical jargon of its proceedings, likely contribute to the inaccurate perception that the federal government considers vaccines a major risk.

News coverage about vaccines hasn't always helped, either. In 1994, the Atlanta Constitution, the New York Times, and the Associated Press all reported that Miss America had gone deaf because of a bad reaction to a DPT shot. It took over a week for the Times to correct the record, pointing out that pageant queen Heather Whitestone was deaf from a case of meningitis, something (ironically) we now have a vaccine for.

Drug companies might not make vaccines if they had to deal with injury lawsuits themselves

Vaccines are not the most profitable things that drug makers can manufacture: estimates suggest it can cost from $135 to $500 million to develop a vaccine, and it takes anywhere from months (in the case of an annual flu vaccine) to well over a decade to perfect a vaccine formula. When it's all over, most vaccines are administered just once or twice, providing a lifetime of protection from debilitating and deadly diseases at a typical price of around $30 per dose (without insurance)

Not vaccinating can be deadly. It can also be costly. One unvaccinated six year old in Oregon recently got tetanus when he cut himself while playing on a farm and had to be airlifted to the hospital. His final medical bill totaled near $1 million. Tetanus vaccines, on the other hand, typically cost less than $30 (without any insurance), and have been around for nearly 100 years.

Flu Shot Vaccine Doctor Influenza

Vaccines are meant to put our bodies on alert by triggering immune reactions to weakened and killed versions of the diseases they protect against. But in extremely rare cases, people can develop allergic reactions or auto-immune responses to vaccines that are dangerous. Guillain-Barré syndrome is a rare but temporary disorder that prompts the immune system to attack the nervous system, resulting in anything from mild to life-threatening paralysis. In rare cases, a flu shot can increase a person's risk of developing GBS, upping a person's odds of developing the syndrome by 1 in 100,000

One such case was that of Wilma Gundy from Colorado. She told Congress that she was vaccinated for swine flu on November 26, 1976. "Three weeks later," she said in her testimony, "my feet, legs, arms, hands and the left side of my f1ce and tongue began to turn numb. I felt as if I had been injected with Novocaine. Besides the numbness, I felt extremely exhausted and weak."

So far this month, the court has decided five different Guillain-Barré cases, all related to the flu vaccine. One was dismissed for insufficient proof, and the other four received lump sum payments in a range from $150,150.58 to $255,829.99. The highest award the court ever gives out for any kind of pain and suffering, including death, is $250,000, but this doesn't include expenses and lost earnings, which means the highest total compensation vaccine court has ever given out amounts to $9.1 million.

The most common reason people go to vaccine court: because someone pricked them the wrong way

Vaccine court

Most legitimate vaccine cases the federal court sees aren't about the extremely minimal risks of vaccines. The vast majority are prompted by people who've been jabbed the wrong way with a needle. The court calls this a Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration (SIRVA), and these claims account for half of all cases vaccine court sees. 

More dubious claims stem from fears that vaccines cause autism— which, to be clear, is false — or result from people who've been injured by something other than a vaccine coming forward to claim cash.

"They’re hard cases to deal with because you are dealing with people who are almost 100% of the time undeniably injured, the issue is just what caused that injury," Vowell said. 

Recently, the court has started cracking down on some of the most egregious complaints. Take autism, for example. Last year, in a decision rejecting an autism-related petition originally filed in 2002, Special Master Brian Corcoran argued that "it is no longer reasonable for Program attorneys to bring such claims. If they do so, they certainly should not expect compensation for work performed on them."

"This matter has required nearly fifteen years to resolve," Corcoran explained. "In that time, no non-Table claims asserting autism as a vaccine injury have succeeded. Absent a shocking and unanticipated scientific research result that upends what is presently understood about the lack of a relationship between vaccines and autism, none are likely to in the future."

Kirkland says the vaccine court continues to fill a vital role: providing both people and vaccine makers with an extra layer of security in a teetering and perilously expensive health care system.

"We otherwise do so little for people with disabilities and those without a safety net for injuries and healthcare costs," Kirkland said. She believes that vaccine court wouldn't be needed if the US had a better health care system, because people with disabilities and injuries would simply receive the care they need, regardless of what caused their injuries in the first place.

"Vaccine court payments," she said, "are an unusual point of generosity in our otherwise very pinched and cruel system."

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NOW WATCH: Watch Jeff Sachs destroy the anti-vaccine movement in under two minutes

These are the 15 hottest destinations billionaires are traveling to in 2019

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luxury travel

Investing in travel is becoming an increasingly popular way for the ultra-rich to signify their status— and they're extending it far beyond the classic idea of a vacation. 

Nowadays, the super-rich are taking months-long, multimillion-dollar trips to recharge or reconnect with family because they're often burnt out, Business Insider's Katie Warren previously reported. That can take shape in the form of extreme adventures, luxurious getaways, and educational excursions.

But just where are these billionaires headed?

Business Insider teamed up with boutique luxury travel agency Original Travel, which plans trips for high-net-worth individuals, to find out the hottest spots the elite are spending their money on in 2019. They based this ranking on the number of bookings and performance; the latter was assessed by feedback, their expertise, and client inquiries.

Turns out, billionaires have a taste for adventure in 2019. While a few classics made the list, such as Britain and France, far-flung countries — from Rwanda to Myanmar — made an appearance on the list, too.

Keep reading to see where the rich are getting their passports stamped this year.

SEE ALSO: What a $1 million vacation looks like in Mykonos, Greece, where you'll fly in on a private jet, sleep in an ocean-view villa, and cruise the seas in a yacht

DON'T MISS: Billionaires' vacation perks range from Ferrari-driving lessons to after-hours tours away from the crowds — here's what it's really like to travel while rich

15. Montenegro

Lesser-known than neighbors Croatia and Greece, the tiny slice of Adriatic coastline that is Montenegro has previously lacked high-quality accommodation (other than the Aman network) to rival its fjord landscapes, Tom Barber, co-founder of Original Travel, told Business Insider.

"Montenegro is set for a luxury upgrade in 2019 with the Chedi Lustica Bay newly opened and One & Only opening its first resort in Europe next year with Portonovi in Boka Bay," he said.



14. Oman

Business Insider previously reported that Oman is the next big destination for luxury travelers. Its peak travel season runs from October to April.

"Luxury brands like Anantara Hotels, which has already opened two resorts there, are claiming the country's culture and unique topography are a huge draw for travelers," reported Sarah Jacobs.



13. France

Champagne, in particular, is France's hottest destination right now, according to Barber. Belmond's new Pivoine Champagne barge launched in 2018, and the recent opening of The Royal Champagne Hotel "injected a much-needed shot of luxury and style to the hotel offerings of the region," he said.

He added: "From barge or hotel, we recommend arranging a private vineyard tour and tastings including a backstage at Bollinger experience, along with a make-your-own Champagne lesson and treehouse Champagne bar experience for a comprehensive immersion in the region."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

This electrolyte powder is a low-sugar way to replenish fluids and prevent dehydration after workouts or long nights out

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Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

hydrant electrolytes

  • Drinking electrolyte water to replenish missing fluids and electrolytes is not a new concept, but many of the current options aren't doing enough and may not be as good for your body as you think.  
  • Hydrant, a powdered electrolyte mix, is an exception. It contains an efficient balance of only the ingredients you need to refuel after you work out, fall sick, or drink alcohol. 
  • They taste good, absorb quickly into your body, and combat the effects of dehydration effectively. 

After working out, falling sick, or a night of drinking, what's the first thing after water you reach for? For many, it's a bottle of Pedialyte, Gatorade, or Vitaminwater.

You understand vaguely that they'll replenish your body with the electrolytes and fluids you've lost. I, for one, grew up drinking a lot of Gatorade after sports games and even up until recently drank it to nurse hangovers. 

However, a closer look at their contents reveals they're filled with artificial ingredients, an excessive amount of sugar, or an improper balance of electrolytes. It's not surprising, then, that after chugging one of these drinks, you only feel minimally better and not as re-energized as you'd expect. 

From using powdered rehydration packets as a child whenever he was sick to revisiting them after rugby games and nights out while attending Oxford University, Hydrant cofounder John Sherwin has also experienced his fair share of dehydration experimentation.

He realized while working alongside constantly tired coworkers that they were chronically dehydrated, but this time around, he wanted to find electrolyte powder packets that were actually good for them. The search for clean electrolytes turned up empty-handed, so in typical startup founder fashion, Sherwin created his own, combining his personal experience with his background in biology. 

hydrant electrolytes 1

Each 8.7-gram packet of Hydrant contains eight ingredients and only what your body needs, including sodium citrate, potassium citrate, salt, magnesium citrate, and zinc gluconate. Its balance of electrolytes are based on the World Health Organization's standard for oral rehydration. 

Hydrant does contain cane sugar, but only just enough to activate the sodium-glucose transport mechanism that gets water and electrolytes into your bloodstream faster. Since it doesn't have too much sugar or any artificial sweeteners, it won't lead to a crash and upset stomach later. 

It also has low osmolarity, which means your body can more easily and quickly absorb the ingredients and feel their effects. 

hydrant electrolytes 2

Because Hydrant is a portable powder, you can drink it anywhere, provided you have a bottle of water to mix it with. Depending on which bulk pack you buy, each packet costs $2 or less, making it less expensive (and less wasteful) than bottled electrolyte drinks. 

It tastes pretty good, like a tangy lime (from lime juice powder) with a hint of salt. Taste is an underrated but important factor considering all the times you'll want to reach for Hydrant: during and after airplane travel, a workout, alcohol consumption, or a stressful work day where you haven't had the time or thought to drink something.

If you notice muscle or brain fatigue, headaches, or nausea, chances are you're experiencing the effects of dehydration. The efficient, clean, and tasty fix to replenish the culprit — those missing fluids and electrolytes — is a packet of Hydrant. 

Shop electrolyte powder packets, available in packs of 10 to 120, at Hydrant here

SEE ALSO: Aaptiv, a $15-per-month fitness app, gets me unlimited access to thousands of audio workout classes

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25 indispensable desk accessories we use to stay focused and comfortable at work

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Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

Desk products 4_3

  • Staying focused at work can help you work smarter, not harder.
  • The right tools can amplify your attention or decrease distractions like clutter while you work.
  • I polled my coworkers to see what tools they keep on their desks to help them stay focused and comfortable in the office, and produce better, faster work. 

The catch-22 of a communal office space lit by fluorescent light bulbs is that, in order to be your most productive, you first need to feel somewhat at home there. Stiff chairs, back pain, clutter — they’re all distractions that contribute to a longer and less enjoyable workday. Staying focused can help you work smarter, not harder, and hopefully compounds into a better position at work, greater job satisfaction, and shorter days. 

The Insider Picks team tests and reviews hundreds of products — many of which are geared towards comfort and productivity. Below, you’ll find the 25 products we personally trust to keep us focused, productive, and comfortable at our desks all day.

A subtle vertical phone charger

Anker PowerWave 7.5 Fast Wireless Charging Stand, available at Amazon, $49.99

I use Anker’s PowerWave wireless charger to charge my iPhone at my desk every day. It holds my phone up vertically, so I can see when notifications pop up even when it’s charging. It’s a great, subtle-looking charger and it doesn’t cost much, so it’s a great addition to any desk, provided your phone charges wirelessly (most of the new ones do). — Malarie Gokey, senior editor



A stainless steel travel mug

Hydro Flask 12 oz Double Wall Travel Coffee Mug, available at Amazon, $29.95

I often end up running around to unexpected meetings and chats in the morning, and sometimes I'm forced to leave my coffee behind — or I just don't have time to drink it immediately. This insulated mug keeps it hot for hours, so even if a meeting runs long or I get so focused on something that I forget to drink it, it always seems to stay nice and steamy. — Sally Kaplan, editor



A posture belt for back pain

BetterBack Support Posture Belt, available at Amazon, $49.99

I swear by the BetterBack for helping me to maintain good posture at my desk and relieving both upper and lower back pain throughout the day. I have a few slipped discs in my spine, so I deal with pretty chronic discomfort. This is the only tool (not counting stretching and acupuncture) that has ever helped mitigate my pain, which helps me focus on my work instead of on my back. You can read my full review of the BetterBack here if you're interested. — Sally Kaplan, editor



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

9 lucrative credit-card deals new cardholders can get this month — including up to 75,000 Delta SkyMiles

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Personal Finance Insider writes about products, strategies, and tips to help you make smart decisions with your money. Business Insider may receive a commission from The Points Guy Affiliate Network, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

Best credit cards March 2019 4x3

  • Credit cards frequently offer large sign-up bonuses to try and entice new customers.
  • Opening a new card and earning these bonuses is the fastest way to build your stocks of credit card rewards, hotel loyalty points, and frequent-flyer miles.
  • Here are the best new-member offers of March 2019, including limited-time deals from Delta, IHG, and Marriott.

The fastest way to earn rewards points, cash back, and frequent-flyer miles is to open a new credit card and earn its sign-up or welcome bonus.

Credit card issuers like Chase and AmEx offer huge bonuses to attract customers, while designing card features with long-term, continuing value in an effort to keep them. This offers consumers a chance to take advantage of these bonuses, perks, and features.

You can read more about earning new card-member bonuses and how that will affect your credit score here, or scroll down to find some of the best offers available this month.

Keep in mind that we're focusing on the rewards and perks that make these credit cards great options, not things like interest rates and late fees, which can far outweigh the value of any rewards.

When you're working to earn credit card rewards, it's important to practice financial discipline, like paying your balances off in full each month, making payments on time, and not spending more than you can afford to pay back. Basically, treat your credit card like a debit card.

1. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card

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Welcome bonus: 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points (after spending $5,000 in the first three months). Offer ends April 24.

Last month, Marriott wrapped up a major rebranding of its loyalty program, combining it with the Starwood Preferred Guest program to create a single entity: Marriott Bonvoy.

The various terms and benefits of the program are virtually unchanged from what took effect in August, when the two separate programs were brought under a new single set of benefits.

The biggest changes under February's rebrand came to the Bonvoy's rewards credit cards, which are issued by American Express and Chase. To mark the occasion, both are offering a big, limited-time promotion on the personal cards they issue.

AmEx issues the premium version of Marriott's credit cards, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card, formerly called the SPG Luxury Card. Until April 24, new cardholders can earn 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when they spend $5,000 on the card in the first three months.

While the card has a high $450 annual fee, it's easy to get much more value from it than you pay for that fee — especially if you stay at Marriott hotels semi-frequently.

Right off the bat, the card offers up to $300 each year in statement credits for purchases at participating Marriott hotels, which can apply to room charges. That effectively brings the fee down to $150.

It also offers a free night award each year on your cardmember anniversary, which can be redeemed at any hotel that costs 50,000 points per night or under. The card also offers complimentary Gold elite status, and comes with a Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership.

The card earns 6x points at Marriott hotels, 3x points at US restaurants and on flights booked directly with the airline, and 2x points on everything else.

Click here to learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card from Insider Picks' partner, The Points Guy.

2. Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card

Sign-up bonus: 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points (after spending $5,000 in the first three months). Only available for a limited time.

Between the yearly $300 of credits, and the annual anniversary free night, the Bonvoy Brilliant card from AmEx tends to represent a better deal for cardholders.

However, the downside to that card is that you'll have to pay a $450 annual fee. Sure, you'll get the value back from the various benefits and rewards, but you'll still have to float that fee at the top of each calendar year.

For people in that camp, Chase offers the mainstream version of the personal card: the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card.

The Bonvoy Boundless currently offers the same sign-up bonus as the Bonvoy Brilliant — unlike with the Brilliant's, we don't know the Boundless offer's end date, but we do know it's only available for a limited time.

Like the Brilliant, the Boundless offers a free night award each year on your cardholder anniversary; the difference is that it's only good on rooms that would cost up to 35,000 points per night, rather than 50,000. Fortunately, that still includes plenty of properties.

The Boundless card comes with complimentary Silver elite status. Silver doesn't get you as much as Gold, but it's still something. You'll get a 10% bonus on points earned, priority for late checkout, access to a dedicated customer service line, free Wi-Fi, and more. While it's not a published benefit, you may also be given preferential rooms. You can get Gold status if you spend $35,000 or more in a calendar year. You'll also get 15 qualifying nights' worth of elite credit each calendar year, making it easier to earn Gold status or higher through hotel stays.

The card earns 6x points per dollar spent at Marriott hotels, and 2x points per dollar on everything else.

Click here to learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card from Insider Picks' partner, The Points Guy.

3. Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express

delta airlines

Welcome offer: 75,000 Delta SkyMiles and 5,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) (after spending $3,000 in the first three months). Ends April 3.

The Delta Platinum SkyMiles card is one of my personal favorites, because even though it has a $195 annual fee, it pays for itself. The first year, you can earn a welcome bonus — right now it's 75,000 SkyMiles when you meet the spending requirement, as opposed to the normal 35,000 miles — which more than makes up for the year.

Every year after that, on your card-member anniversary, you'll get a companion pass good for a domestic round-trip flight in economy (or "Main Cabin" as Delta calls it). The companion pass is essentially a "buy-one-get-one-free" certificate. When you book an economy-class flight for yourself anywhere within the continental US, you can get a second flight for free, other than minimal taxes and fees.

For me, the value of the pass at least cancels out the annual fee, and in some cases offers enough value to mean I'm making a profit. Although I've heard from a few readers before that they felt the companion pass' terms were too restrictive, I respectfully disagree (for what it's worth, I live near a Delta hub). For instance, last year I used my companion pass to book a flight for my wife and I to pick up our new puppy — the tickets were about $225 each, and when I redeemed the pass, we only had to pay $24 of taxes and fees for her ticket.

The card also offers plenty of perks for Delta flyers, including one free checked bag for each person on the cardholder's reservation; priority boarding so that you can settle in sooner and snag space in the overhead compartments; discounted access to Delta Sky Club lounges; a 20% discount in the form of a statement credit on Delta in-flight purchases; and no foreign-transaction fees.

If you aren't interested in the companion pass, you can also consider the Gold version of the card (the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express). The card offers similar benefits, except for the companion pass, and only has a $95 annual fee that is waived the first year. Its limited-time welcome offer is 60,000 SkyMiles when you spend $2,000 in three months — also ending April 3.

You can read more about the limited-time offers and the differences between the two cards here. Even if you've had one of them before, you can still get the bonus on the other one.

The welcome offers on these two cards are tied for the highest-ever made publicly available, in terms of SkyMiles. 

Click here to learn more about the Gold Delta Amex card from Insider Picks' partner: The Points Guy

Click here to learn more about the Platinum Delta Amex card from Insider Picks' partner: The Points Guy

4. IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card

Sign-up bonus: Up to 120,000 points (80,000 points after spending $2,000 in the first three months; an additional 40,000 points after spending a total of $5,000 in the first six months).

IHG is the parent company of a handful of hotel chains, including Holiday Inn. The company has more than 5,600 properties around the world, making it the second-largest hotel brand, behind Marriott. IHG has a wide range of properties from budget options like the Holiday Inn Express, to luxurious Regent and InterContinental hotels and resorts. 

IHG's Rewards Club program is often overlooked— I know I'm guilty of passing it over without a second look in favor of Hilton Honors or Marriott Bonvoy (and back in the day, Starwood Preferred Guest).

However, the program is worth a second look, and a newly increased sign-up bonus on its primary credit card offers a perfect opportunity.

Right now, the IHG Rewards Club Premier card has a sign-up bonus of up to 120,000 points that is broken up into two parts. First, you'll earn 80,000 points if you spend $2,000 in the first three months. Then, you'll earn the remaining 40,000 points when you spend an additional $3,000 within the first six months (for a total of $5,000).

Rooms can cost as little at 10,000 points per night, depending on the property and its location within a city. The bonus is enough to cover almost two weeks' worth of nights at a Holiday Inn Express — even some in prime markets — or two to four nights at top InterContinental locations.

The card earns 10x points per dollar spent at IHG hotels, 2x points per dollar spent at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants, and 1x point on everything else.

It also comes with automatic Platinum elite status, which entitles you to a 50% bonus on points earned during a stay, complimentary room upgrades, late checkout when available, and guaranteed room availability with 72 hours' notice — helpful if you have a last-minute trip.

The Premier card offers an annual anniversary free night certificate that can be used at any category 1-7 hotel (hotels that cost 40,000 points per night or less). While that means that some of IHG's most premium locations are excluded, the certificate is still valid at a ton of locations all around the world.

For instance, I didn't have trouble finding properties in major cities like New York and Chicago during peak travel season — all charging well upward of $200 — that accept the free night certificate. That more than makes up for the card's $89 annual fee.

Click here to learn more about the IHG Rewards Club Premier from Insider Picks' partner: The Points Guy.

5. United Explorer Business Card

Sign-up bonus: 75,000 miles (after spending $5,000 in the first three months). Offer ends March 18.

Following a limited-time offer on their cobranded personal card, United Airlines and Chase have launched an even better promotion on their small-business card. However, there's not much time left to get the deal.

The card offers a free checked bag when you use your card to purchase your tickets, priority boarding as long as you have the open card attached to your MileagePlus account, and more.

The United Explorer Business also has two benefits that are unique among US airline credit cards in the same class. First, you'll get two complimentary one-time United Club lounge passes each year. In the lounges, you can enjoy comfortable seating, WiFi, free food and drinks, and more before your flight. Normally, one-time entry to a United Club would cost $59 if you didn't have a membership.

Second, although this is an unpublished benefit, United cardholders also get access to more saver award space than other United members — that makes it easier to find good flights when it's time to use your miles.

The card has a $95 annual fee, which is waived the first year. You'll earn 2x miles on every dollar spent at restaurants, gas stations, office supply stores, and on United purchases, and 1x mile per dollar on everything else.

Click here to learn more about the United Explorer Business Card from Insider Picks' partner, The Points Guy.

6. Platinum Card® from American Express

amex biz plat

Welcome Offer: 60,000 points (after spending $5,000 in the first three months).

The American Express Platinum card has one of the highest annual fees of any consumer credit or charge card — $550 — but as AmEx's flagship product, this premium credit card offers a tremendous amount of value to offset that fee. For example, I got more than $2,000 worth of value in my first year with the card.

The card earns Membership Rewards points, the currency in AmEx's loyalty program, which can be exchanged for statement credits or cash back, used to book travel through AmEx's travel website, or, to get the most value, transferred to any of 17 airline and three hotel transfer partners (transferable points are among the best). Travel website The Points Guy lists a valuation of 2¢ per membership rewards point; based on that, the welcome offer is worth about $1,200.

The Platinum Card earns an incredible 5x points on airfare purchased directly from the airline, and offers an airline fee credit of up to $200 each calendar year, and up to $200 in Uber credits each card member year.

It also grants the cardholder access to more than 1,200 airport lounges around the world, including Delta Sky Clubs and AmEx's own Centurion Lounges.

Other benefits include automatic Gold elite status in the Marriott and Hilton loyalty programs, a statement credit up to $100 to cover enrollment in Global Entry/TSA PreCheck, concierge service, access to exclusive events, and much more.

If you're an active military servicemember, you can get the AmEx Platinum Card's fee waived.

You can read our complete review of the card here.

Click here to learn more about the American Express Platinum from Insider Picks' partner, The Points Guy.

7. Wells Fargo Propel American Express® Card

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Welcome offer: 30,000 Go Far points (after spending $3,000 in the first three months).

This card from Wells Fargo has one of the more attractive rewards offerings you'll find from a no-annual-fee card. The current Propel card is a relaunch of an old product — Wells Fargo stopped accepting applications for the old card a year ago, before announcing the new product and reopening applications this summer.

The card earns 3x points on all travel, dining, and select streaming services (and 1x point on everything else). If that sounds familiar, it's because it's almost the same as the popular Chase Sapphire Reserve.

There are key differences between the cards. The Propel lets you redeem points for 1¢ each toward cash back, merchandise, travel, or more, while the Sapphire Reserve offers a range of more valuable redemption options — it's easy to get at least 50% more value for Chase points. Plus, the Sapphire Reserve offers a number of premium perks that the Propel doesn't, like airport lounge access, a $300 annual travel credit travel delay insurance, and more.

Of course, the Sapphire Reserve also comes with a $450 annual fee, while the Wells Fargo Propel doesn't have a fee. Between the new member offer, and the solid earning rate on popular spend categories, the Propel makes a decent option for those who don't travel often, or who aren't comfortable floating a large annual fee.

We named the Propel the best no-fee card of 2018.

Click here to learn more about the Wells Fargo Propel card from Insider Picks' partner, The Points Guy.

8. Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

Sign-up bonus: 50,000 points (after spending $4,000 in the first three months).

The Sapphire Preferred is one of the most popular all-around rewards credit cards, and it's easy to see why. This card earns 2x points per dollar spent on just about all travel and dining purchases, and 1x point on everything else. It also comes with a ton of travel and purchase protections, such as rental car insurance, trip delay coverage, and extended warranty.

The sign-up bonus — 50,000 UR points — is worth, at the very least, $500 as cash back or gift cards. However, if you book travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal and use points to pay, you'll get a 25% bonus, making points worth 1.25 cents each. That means that the sign-up bonus would be worth $625.

Even more lucrative — the Chase Sapphire Preferred lets you transfer your UR points to a few different frequent-flyer and hotel-loyalty programs. This comes in handy because in many cases it costs fewer points to book a trip if you go through one of those programs, as opposed to using the points as cash. You can read more about why transferring points to frequent-flyer programs gets you more value here.

This all comes for a fairly standard annual fee of $95, which is waived the first year.

Click here to learn more about the Sapphire Preferred from Insider Picks' partner, The Points Guy.

9. Chase Sapphire Reserve

Card Group — Chase Sapphire Preferred Chase Sapphire Reserve_21 1

Sign-up bonus: 50,000 points (after spending $4,000 in the first three months).

The Sapphire Reserve is basically a beefier version of the Preferred. While the card comes with the same sign-up bonus, it earns points on everyday spending faster, nabbing a higher 3x points per dollar spent on travel and dining purchases, and 1x on everything else. It also offers similar, though in many cases, enhanced travel and purchase protections.

Unlike the Preferred, the Sapphire Reserve comes with a Priority Pass Select membership, which gets you and any travel companions free access to more than 1,000 airport lounges around the world.

You can use points from the Reserve the same ways as with the Preferred, except that you'll get a 50% bonus when booking travel through Chase, making your points worth 1.5¢ each.

The card carries a higher annual fee than the Preferred: $450. However, it also comes with a $300 travel credit each card member year. Each year, you'll get statement credits for the first $300 in travel-related purchases you make, including things like subway fare, taxis, parking, and tolls, as well as airfare and hotels — naturally, you don't earn points on the purchases covered by that credit. When you subtract this credit from the annual fee, the card is effectively only $150 each year.

If you're not sure whether the Preferred or Reserve is the better card for you, take a look at this breakdown. Also keep in mind that you can typically only earn the sign-up bonus for one Sapphire-branded card every two years.

Click here to learn more about the Sapphire Reserve from Insider Picks' partner: The Points Guy.

SEE ALSO: American vs. Delta vs. United — we compared the 3 most popular airline credit cards and named a winner

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The best vegetable peelers you can buy

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The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

best vegetable peelers

  • A sharp, well-designed vegetable peeler can make all the difference when it comes to efficient meal prep.
  • Our top pick, the Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peeler, is overwhelmingly the expert favorite for its easy-to-use shape and ultra-sharp carbon steel blade.

I’m a woman of many talents — accomplishing tasks while reading at the same time, sleeping for 12+ hours, finding new ways to waste time on the Internet. But cooking is not among them. The best I can really do is an elaborate salad and a veggie burger.

For a cooking novice like myself, vegetable prep can be one of the most intimidating aspects. Just looking at an unpeeled, unchopped carrot makes me break into a cold sweat. I’m sure my vegetable peeler is part of the problem. It’s unwieldy, old, and not very sharp.

The good news? An expert-approved vegetable peeler is not difficult to acquire. Most of them are inexpensive and available on Amazon. Maybe I’m just one Amazon Prime order away from getting over my fear of squash that hasn’t been pre-cut.

Here are the best vegetable peelers you can buy:

Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.

The best vegetable peeler overall

Why you'll love it: The Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peeler looks like nothing special, but the carbon steel blade and Y-shaped design can cut through even the toughest veggie skins.

If one vegetable peeler can ever claim a cult following, it’s the Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peeler. This thing is basically the David Lynch of vegetable peelers, only instead of a midnight showing of "Eraserhead," you get a carbon steel blade that slices through veggie skins with the best of ‘em.

The brand claims its carbon steel blade “cuts better that most other peelers and stays sharp.” The Y-shaped design features a comfortable handle designed to be used left- or right-handed, and there’s a potato eye remover next to the blade. You can purchase one peeler for $5 or packs of two or three for only a few dollars more.

Countless experts recommend the Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peeler, including editors at The Wirecutter, Reviewed.com, Foodal, The Spruce Eats, Serious Eats, Best Products, The Strategist, and Bon Appetit.

Reviewers love the sharpness of the blades and their longevity, especially relative to the low price. One thing to note is that these peelers are not dishwasher safe and should be hand-washed and dried after each use to prevent rust build-up. With proper care, the Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peeler should last for years to come.

Pros: Affordable, available in multi-packs, carbon steel blade, potato eye remover

Cons: Hand wash only, rusting possible

Buya 3-pack of the Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peelers on Amazon for $7.99 (originally $12.99)



The best swivel peeler

Why you'll love it: The iconic OXO Good Grips Pro Swivel Peeler is a staple in many a kitchen thanks to quality materials and easy of use.

Chances are you already have an OXO Good Grips Pro Swivel Peeler, but if you don’t, well, what exactly are you waiting for? This peeler is downright iconic — Fast Company called it “the vegetable peeler that changed the world,” and countless other experts and shoppers sing its praises.

Swivel peelers feature blades that rotate, giving you maximum control over the angles. OXO’s signature non-slip, cushioned handle makes this an ergonomic choice. The top portion is made of die-cast zinc and extra-hardened stainless steel. An eye remover helps you pop out potato eyes or soft spots in a pinch.

This peeler is dishwasher safe and blades are sold separately so you don’t need to buy a new handle to replace a dull blade.

The OXO Good Grips Pro Swivel Peeler has earned a 4.7 rating on Amazon based on 518 customer reviews and favorable mentions in The Wirecutter, Foodal, The Spruce Eats, Best Products, and The Kitchn.

Pros: Stainless steel, cushioned handle, eye remover, dishwasher safe, replaceable blade

Cons: None

Buy the OXO Good Grips Pro Swivel Peeler on Amazon for $13.99



The best electric vegetable peeler

Why you'll love it: The Starfrit Rotato Express Electric Peeler makes quick, easy work of peeling a ton of vegetables.

If you’re cooking a big meal and are worried about hand-fatigue, you need an electric peeler. The Starfrit Rotato Express is the most popular option. It sort of looks like a mad scientist’s invention, but it makes quick and easy work of peeling a variety of vegetables.

To use, secure the vegetable on the holders, adjust the height, and turn it on. The vegetable rotates as the flexible cutter arm peels the skin in one fell swoop. It turns off on its own when it reaches the bottom. The device claims to cut just the skin without wasting any of the good, nutritious stuff underneath.

This peeler has been recommended by The Spruce Eats. Amazon shoppers rate it 4.2 stars based on 2,111 reviews.

“I just peeled two bags of apples in mere minutes. With my arthritic hands that project normally takes an hour, but with this it took only five minutes. It does leave a little skin on the top and bottom, but not enough to complain about. Super easy to use and clean which is always a bonus,” writes one customer.

Pros: Hands-free peeler, peels veggies quickly, adjustable cutter arm, cuts down on waste

Cons: Some reviewers complained about the quality of the materials

Buy the Starfrit 93209 Rotato Peeler on Amazon for $19.58 (originally $25)



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5 women put Everlane's new $75 rain boots to the test in New York City — here's how they held up

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0771

  • Everlane just launched $75 rain boots for women in five colors: surplus, black, toffee, pink, and stone.
  • We tested them before the launch to give you an idea of what they're like in person. We found them comfortable, stylish, fairly priced, and easy to clean. We appreciated their traction and being able to wear them at the office.
  • Cons to consider are that they only come in whole sizes and they're fairly short, so you have to judge puddle depth. 
  • Shop them directly here, or find our reviews below. 

Rain boots done the old way conjure up visions of sopranos singing show tunes and tall, oversized polka-dot boots stomping through sunshowers. 

But when it rains in New York City, it doesn't feel like a syrupy postwar musical. It feels like Monday, and you probably don't have the cheerful optimism to drag one clunky rubber boot around all day, let alone two — which means you definitely don't want to schlep a second pair of shoes around to change for the office. What you need is one cushiony pair that magically transitions from gritty rubber rain boot to slick Chelsea without skipping a beat. And preferably one that isn't going to cost more than you'd be willing to spend on either. 

For that tall order, you should check out Everlane's $75 rain boot. It comes in five neutral colors (surplus, black, toffee, pink, and stone), and whole sizes. Currently, they're only available on the women's portion of the site, but men could conceivably get their own pair with a little help from the company's live chat box for size conversion. 

The design team's goal was simple: make the most comfortable rain boot possible. Or, in other words, the rain boot they wished existed. As a result, the $75 rain boot has a versatile ankle height, grippy tread, and a custom-designed cushioned insole for bouncy comfort. The stretch panels and pull tabs make them easier to throw on and off, and the rubber is flexible and easy to clean. They've got plenty of room for thick, wintry socks, and black rubber reinforcements at the front for extra coverage — and some style points. 

3I1A6093 (1)

Before the launch, we tested Everlane's new $75 rain boots in the grimy slush and rain that the 2019 Polar Vortex transmuted to once it touched New York City. We stomped through puddles, ran to catch trains, and rushed through hectic weekdays at the office. Before you buy a pair, we've compiled our thoughts on them below.

All in all, Everlane's team has proven themselves extremely capable in the past at giving shoppers what they want at a price they can afford. Their $68 authentic stretch jeans (which we included in our all-time favorite jeans roundup), Supima cotton underwear (which we included in our Buying Guide on the best women's underwear you can buy), and plenty of other styles we wear every day, are a few examples of this. Their new $75 rain boots fall in line nicely.

We tried Everlane's $75 rain boots. Here's what we thought:

Surplus

Everlane Rain Boot in Surplus, $75

Rain boots are typically so big, clunky, stiff, and ugly that I don’t wear them. I usually just pull on some Doc Martens and try to avoid deep puddles. Everlane’s new rain boots are made of such soft, flexible real rubber that they bend with you and feel like super comfortable shoes. The traction on the bottom sole is fantastic — and key for slippery wet surfaces that can be treacherous like stairs and the subway platform. These boots actually look cool, too, which isn’t something I thought I’d say about a rain boot. I ordered my normal boot size — 8 — and they were slightly big, which I liked because I can wear thick socks with them. The rise of the boot is fairly short, though, so you need to judge puddle depth carefully or risk wet feet. — Malarie Gokey, Buying Guides editor



Toffee

Everlane Rain Boot in Toffee, $75

I have a lot of trouble with rain boots. I’m just over 5-foot-1, so shorter boots tend to make my legs look stubby, and taller boots tend to be totally overwhelming on my frame. Everlane has somehow perfectly mastered the height of their boots, and they cut off in just the right spot to not make my legs look like short little sausages. Thanks to a slit in the rubber that’s covered by elastic panels on the side, the boots have a flexible shaft that doesn’t chafe your legs — an issue I’ve had with every past pair of rain boots I’ve tried. The cushioned insert is also extremely comfy, so I feel like I can actually wear these all day and not just change into backup shoes once I get to the office. Oh, and I recommend sizing up if you're a half size. More room for warm socks! — Sally Kapan, Insider Picks editor



Stone

Everlane Rain Boot in Stone, $75

These rain boots are low, minimalist, and industrial in an avant-garde style that makes people take a second longer to look at them. They're definitely cool enough for daytime wear or keeping on in the office and functional enough to warrant it. In terms of design, they’re a great rain boot. They’re cushiony, the traction on the bottom is trustworthy, and the elasticized strips on the sides circumvent the dreaded chafing rain boots often incur. All in all, they're a good use of $75 if you like the look of them.

They’re only available in whole sizes which wasn’t an issue for me, but should be of note. They’re designed slightly big, so you can easily fit thick socks inside, and a half size down shouldn’t be too noticeable. This means there’s a gap between your ankle and the lip of the boot if you’re wearing leggings or thinner pants, though, which I worried about for downpours — however, most rainy days are accompanied with an umbrella, and, even when they weren’t, my feet stayed dry. But, you may need to watch out for deep puddles before stomping in them. — Mara Leighton, Insider Picks reporter



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How to make sausage with a KitchenAid Stand Mixer

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KitchenAid meat grinder

  • The KitchenAid Stand Mixer is an incredibly useful appliance to have in your kitchen, and when you add attachments, you can do even more.
  • You can make fresh sausage with your stand mixer using an array of attachments from KitchenAid and third-party vendors.
  • If you don't have a sausage-making attachment yet, we recommend the KitchenAid Metal Food Grinder Attachment because it's a breeze to clean, durable, and simple to use.
  • Here's how to make sausage with your KitchenAid Stand Mixer.

There are few kitchen items that are universally considered the best: Vitamix blenders, Le Creuset Dutch ovens, and, of course, when it comes to stand mixers, the experts agree that you can't go wrong with a KitchenAid.

What makes this mixer so special? In addition to its strong track record of durability, you can use your KitchenAid stand mixer for a broad range of tasks from making just about any baked good to crafting homemade ice cream. And, with the right attachment, you can even make sausage. Below, we will explore how to make sausage with any KitchenAid stand mixer.

What You'll Need

A good meat grinder attachment that also has sausage stuffing capabilities is a must-have. KitchenAid and several other manufacturers offer different options, but the relatively new KitchenAid Metal Food Grinder Attachment is my favorite. It cleans up effortlessly and is durable thanks to its steel construction. It also comes with a plastic sausage stuffer plate and two sausage stuffer tubes: large (19 mm) and small (9.5 mm). Before you use it for the first time, make sure you wash the grinder.

Read more: How to grind meat with your KitchenAid

You will also need some ingredients. This is tricky because it's entirely up to personal taste. A good strategy is to do some trial and error. Most sausage recipes call for pork or potentially a pork and beef blend. If you like your sausage juicy, choose cuts of meat that are fattier or you maybe even add fat. Pork shoulder (also called pork butt) is generally a good option. If you want a healthier alternative, you will likely have to sacrifice flavor. Consider turkey, chicken, or leaner cuts of pork and beef. To make it worth my while, I usually start with at least four or five pounds of meat.

Other than the meat, the spices are key to capturing the flavor you want.

Sausages and potatoes

Here are some popular sausages and the ingredients you need to make them:

  • Bratwurst: egg, ground black pepper, nutmeg, salt, sugar, dry mustard, ground ginger, mace, and milk (I like to use beer in place of milk)
  • Kielbasa: garlic powder, salt, sugar, ground black pepper, dried marjoram, cure, and water or milk
  • Italian: salt, fennel seeds, ground black pepper, paprika, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, dried parsley, Italian seasoning, and sugar
  • Chorizo: paprika, dried oregano, ground cinnamon, cumin, cloves, salt, vinegar, chili powder, garlic cloves, bay leaves, ground black pepper, coriander seeds, and dried thyme
  • Breakfast: salt, ground black pepper, dried sage, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, dried thyme, ground nutmeg, and cayenne pepper

To prep the meat, you'll want to cut it into smaller chunks. This requires a cutting board and a sharp knife. One of my favorite knives is the 8-inch Victorinox Fibrox Pro Chef's Knife. Large and small mixing bowls are also helpful. Potentially, you could use the mixing bowl of your KitchenAid for this task, though I generally don't.

If you plan on forming your sausage into links, you'll need sausage casings. Most casings are made from scrubbed and salted pig intestines, though collagen casings are also available. I'd avoid collagen unless you have a specific dietary reason to avoid pork. Collagen casings tend to break more easily than pig intestines. Instead, I use Natural Hog Casings for Sausage by Oversea Casing.

Get Everything Ready

Meat Grinder Attachment

For safety reasons and to aid in the grinding process, it's imperative that you keep everything cold. I store my assembled meat grinder in the freezer when it isn't in use so I can access it easily whenever I want to grind meat. If this isn't practical, pop it in your freezer at least a few hours before you plan on grinding. Make sure the grinding plate you want to use is installed before you do this. I recommend a medium grinding plate with 4.5-millimeter holes.

Half an hour before grinding, put your meat in the freezer. This might keep harmful bacteria from growing, but we mainly do this to make it easier for the grinder since firm meat is easier to grind than mushy meat.

While the meat is firming up, mix your spices together in a small bowl. You don't want your meat sitting out getting warm while you do this. So, it's good to have it ready before you start grinding. Then, once the meat is ground, you can toss the spices in and start mixing right away.

Once the meat is firm but not frozen, take it out and cut it into cubes that are small enough to fit into the feeding tube of your grinder. One-inch cubes should work. If I'm in a rush, I sometimes just cut the meat into long, narrow strips. I have not noticed a difference in grind quality when using strips instead of cubes.

Here's how to make sausage with a KitchenAid

KitchenAid Meat grinder

In our guide "How to use a KitchenAid stand mixer to grind your own meat," you can find a more detailed description of how to grind meat. So, we won't get too into the weeds here, but we strongly recommend checking out our guide.

Attach your cold meat grinder to the KitchenAid stand mixer. Turn the mixer to 4, place a mixing bowl under the grinder to catch the meat, and start feeding the meat cubes into the grinder. Use the food pusher to get it all in.

Once the meat is ground, clean the grinder attachment and put it back in the freezer along with the sausage stuffer you plan to use so it can cool down before the stuffing process if you plan to make links.

Next, mix the ground meat with the spices. I usually use clean hands for this task, but since we are already using your KitchenAid, you might use the flat beater on a low speed to mix the meat and spices. Once, the meat and spices are thoroughly mixed, you may want to let it sit to let the flavors meld, divvy it up into portions for later use, or simply start cooking with it. But, if you want to make sausage links, read on!

How to make sausage links

making sausage links

Depending on the recipe you use, the sausage may need to rest to allow the flavors to meld. For instance, when I make beer brats, the sausage and beer mixture sits covered overnight in the refrigerator. About 30 minutes before you plan on stuffing the sausage, put the mixture in your freezer.

While the mixture is getting colder, immerse the casings in warm water for about 15 minutes. Plan on three or four feet of casings for every pound of meat. So, if you start with four pounds of meat, 16 feet of casings should be enough.

Set up the sausage stuffer on your KitchenAid. The process is the same as meat grinding, only you won't use the blade. Instead, you'll install the sausage stuffer plate and a sausage stuffer tube before tightening the collar. For most sausage types, you will use a larger stuffing tube, but for breakfast sausage links, the smaller tube is ideal. You will need to small casings if you want to use the small sausage stuffer tube.

Run warm water through the length of hog casing. This will loosen it up and make it easier to slide onto the stuffer tube, which is your next step. Starting at one end, slide the casing onto the stuffer tube. It's kind of like pushing knee-high socks down on your leg. You're slowly bunching the casing up. Leave about six inches loose at the end to tie off later.

Read more: The best KitchenAid mixers you can buy

Once the casing is in place, you can start feeding the sausage mixture into the feeding tube with the mixer on Speed 4 and pushing down with the food pusher. Regulating how fast the casing comes off the tube is a bit of an art that will take some practice. Once a fair amount of meat is in the casing, you can tie off the end. Then, continue to feed the meat through while regulating how fast the casing comes off. Try to create one long coil if possible.

Once you've fed all of the mixture through, tie off the other end with a double knot. To make links, pinch the coil at the link length you want, then twist it toward you several times. For the next link, pinch again. Only this time, spin away from you. Keep doing this until the entire coil is a series of links.

At this point, you have sausage links that you can refrigerate, freeze, cook, or explore our "extra tips.”

Extra Tips

You can help the natural enzymes of the meat break down and thus enhance the flavor by hanging the sausage links to dry on racks for a couple of hours. Also, use a sterilized pin to prick holes wherever you see air bubbles.

Occasionally, the casing will break when you are stuffing the sausage. This usually happens when you are just learning how to feed it at the right speed or if you are using bad casings. When this happens, don't panic! Stop feeding the sausage through. Twist the casing just ahead of the tear so you have a coil without any tears. Remove the meat from around the broken casing and put it back with the rest of the mixture. Cut the casing on the broken side a couple of inches from the twist and tie off your good coil. Now, start making a new coil as if you were starting from scratch.

If it's your first time, you might prep a few extra feet of casing just in case you end up with tears. Most importantly, remain patient. Sausage making is an art that takes a little practice. But, over time, you are rewarded with delicious links that perfectly suit your tastes.

Buy the KitchenAid Meat Grinder Attachment on Amazon for $79.99 (originally $129.99)

Buy the Victorinox Fibrox Pro Chef's Knife on Amazon for $43.35

Buy the Cuisinart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl Set on Amazon for $24.98 (originally $64)

Buy the Natural Hog Casings for Sausage by Oversea Casing on Amazon for $9.25

Check out our full guides to the best KitchenAid stand mixers and the best KitchenAid attachments.

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11 pet startups that are taking on traditional brands with more innovative products

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pet startups 6

  • Online startups that make pet products, whether they focus exclusively on pets or make pet versions of popular human products, are thriving in a pet-obsessed economy. 
  • Fresh and healthy food, comfortable memory foam dog beds, and luxe leashes and toys are among the innovative pet products being favored over the products from traditional competitors. 
  • Shop these 11 cool pet startups if you don't like to shop the large, overwhelming aisles of pet specialty stores. 

The American Pet Products Association estimates that US shoppers spent about $72 million on their pets in 2018, up from $69.5 million in 2017 and $66.7 million in 2016. 

Having seen my mom bring home a new outfit for our dog every time she visited Target, I believe in the strength of our obsession with our pets, and these rising spending habits come as no surprise. 

In the era of direct-to-consumer brands, startups making pet products find themselves in the perfect position to compete with traditional pet brands and win over pet parents. 

These startups have more distinct personalities than their traditional competitors and don't compete on the overwhelming, cluttered shelves of pet specialty stores. Living on the internet does bring its own set of challenges, but so far these 11 companies have been faring quite well among animal-loving shoppers. 

For everything your pet needs, you can shop at these 11 startups making innovative pet products:

Fresh pet food delivery: Ollie, PetPlate, The Farmer's Dog, and NomNomNow

Order dog food from Ollie here

Order dog food from PetPlate here

Order dog food from The Farmer's Dog here 

Order dog or cat food from NomNomNow here

As humans become more health-conscious and careful about the food they consume, they're extending the same caution with the food they feed their pets. These pet food delivery startups, which make individual meals from fresh, nutritious ingredients you recognize and probably eat yourself, are underscoring the links between diet and health.

Though our pets have loved all of them, there are some subtle differences. For example, Ollie's meals start at just $3 a day for small dogs, making it one of the cheaper options. The Farmer's Dog also makes fairly affordable meals but they come in flat bags that have to be emptied into a bowl rather than trays. PetPlate's meals are resealable and thus easier to store, and NomNomNow rounds out the pack by offering both dog and cat food. 

Read our full reviews here:



Dog beds: Casper, Parachute, and Purple

The Casper Dog Bed, from $125, available at Casper

The Purple Pet Bed, from $189, available at Purple

Dog Bed, from $129, available at Parachute

Each of these three online startups that humans love, Casper, Purple, and Parachute, sell miniature, pet-approved versions of their best selling sleep products. People who shop with these innovative companies tend to be heavily invested in their overall missions and brands, so it's no surprise that they want matching beds for their pets. 

Casper's dog bed combines pressure-relieving memory foam and durable support foam, while Purple's features its signature Smart Comfort Grid, a polymer design that adapts to your dog's movements. Parachute's favors a polyester filling over a foam one. 

Read our full reviews here:

 



DNA tests: Embark

Dog DNA Test Kit, $199, available at Embark

If humans have their own at-home DNA tests to discover more about themselves, why not dogs? Embark, which partners with Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine, determines your dog's breed and checks for over 175 genetic health conditions and traits. You'll not only satisfy your curiosity about your dog's origins, but also better understand important things about its health. 

Read our full review here: 

 

 



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Capital One is offering a 100% bonus when you transfer miles to Emirates' frequent-flyer program — here's what you need to know

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Emirates 777 First Class fnew suite

The most valuable kind of credit card reward is transferable points— points that can be transferred to hotel and airline partners.

Credit card reward programs generally have set transfer ratios for how many proprietary points are worth a set number of partner miles.

Occasionally, programs will offer transfer bonuses.

For example, while American Express Membership Rewards (MR) normally transfer to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club at a 1:1 ratio — where 1,000 Membership Rewards points equal 1,000 Virgin Atlantic miles — AmEx has offered limited-time bonuses of up to 40%, where 1,000 MR points translate to 1,400 Virgin miles.

Capital One made waves late last year when it began allowing transfers from its mileage program for the first time. The program had 14 airline transfer partners — 12 that transferred at a 2:1.5 ratio, and two, Emirates and Singapore Airlines, that transferred at a less generous 2:1 ratio.

Today, Monday, March 18, Capital One announced its first-ever transfer bonus. From today until March 24 at 11:59 p.m. ET, Capital One Venture cardholders will receive a 100% bonus on miles transferred to the Emirates Skywards frequent-flyer program.

That brings the transfer ratio to that program to effectively 1:1 for the week.

Emirates Skywards isn't the best frequent-flyer program, as it typically has uncompetitive mileage prices and tends to add high taxes and surcharges to award bookings. For example, a round-trip, first-class ticket between New York and Dubai booked with Emirates miles would have over $1,500 in fees.

However, the fees and miles pale in comparison to the cash prices for premium cabin tickets, and the program still has some sweet spots.

For example, round-trip flights between Dubai and Brussels go for just 135,000 miles in Emirates' industry-leading, new first-class suites. The airline also has a handful of partners, such as Korean Air, Japan Airlines, and Alaska Airlines, so there may be decent opportunities to redeem miles on partner flights.

Keep in mind that miles transfers only work one way, so you should generally have a specific redemption in mind before moving miles from Capital One to Emirates Skywards — otherwise, you might end up stuck with Emirates miles you don't plan to use. Be sure to check availability for the flights you want, and check prices with Emirates' Miles Calculator.

As competition in the rewards space continues between major players AmEx and Chase, Capital One has introduced a steady stream of improvements and added benefits to bring itself up as a strong player: a major relaunch of its dining cash-back card, bonus miles on hotel stays, partnerships with Postmates and Resy, and the ability to transfer miles from Venture and Spark Miles lines of cards.

If you're looking to earn more Capital One miles, the Venture currently offers 50,000 bonus miles when you spend $3,000 in the first three months. If you own a small business — or even if you have a solo side gig — the Capital One Spark Miles for Business offers 50,000 miles when you spent $4,500 in the first three months.

Click here to learn more about the Capital One Venture from Insider Picks' partner: The Points Guy.

Click here to learn more about the Capital One Spark Miles from Insider Picks' partner: The Points Guy.

SEE ALSO: The best credit card rewards, bonuses, and perks of 2019

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Everything tennis icon Roger Federer eats and drinks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

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Roger Federer

  • Roger Federer remains an elite competitor at the highest echelons of world tennis.
  • But to stay on top of his game at 37 years old, he has to eat right.
  • For Federer, that means cheese.

Roger Federer remains a fierce competitor at the highest echelons of world tennis.

Though he lost the 2019 Indian Wells Masters final to Dominic Thiem on Sunday, he scooped his 100th career title at the Dubai Tennis Championships just weeks earlier.

He currently has 20 Grand Slam titles on his record and will compete in the clay season so he can attempt to win a 21st at the 2019 French Open in Roland Garros. He will also be one of the favorites at the Wimbledon Championships in the summer.

Even at 37, Federer continues to marvel on the courts. But to maintain his sporting dominance, he has to eat right. So what sort of food does the face of tennis eat?

Here's everything Federer likes to have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

SEE ALSO: People are asking who would win in a match between Roger Federer and Serena Williams — and the winner is clear

DON'T MISS: This is the one record Roger Federer has set that future tennis players will struggle to beat

This is 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer, who is widely considered as the best male tennis player of all time.



To start his day, Federer prefers to go sweet rather than savoury and reportedly enjoys homemade waffles with a fresh fruit compote on the morning of a match.

Source: The Guardian



To wash the waffles down, Federer has fresh juice, coffee, and a vinegar shot.

Source: The Guardian



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Samsung recruited the world's top 'Fortnite' player for a tournament showing off their new smartphones

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Ninja Samsung Galaxy S10 Super League

  • Tyler "Ninja" Blevins, the world's most popular gamer, and iKon, a Korean pop group, helped Samsung celebrate the launch of its Galaxy S10 smartphones at a special event in New York City.
  • At Samsung 837 in Manhattan, fans played in a "Fortnite" tournament using Galaxy S10+ phones and were treated to a special performance by iKon.
  • Samsung is also offering Galaxy S10 owners a special "Fortnite" skin based on iKon member Jung Chanwoo.

To celebrate the launch of their new Galaxy S10 smartphones, Samsung partnered with the world's most popular gamer and a Korean pop supergroup for a special event in New York City called Level Up.

Held at Samsung 837, the company's exclusive Manhattan venue, Level Up included a "Fortnite" tournament run by Super League Gaming with a guest appearance from Tyler "Ninja" Blevins, and a performance by K-pop group iKon.

The tournament was played entirely on the Galaxy S10+, with footage being displayed on a three-story video wall inside Samsung 837; gameplay was also broadcast on Twitch, a video game streaming platform. As a part of the Galaxy S10 launch, Samsung is offering S10 owners an exclusive "Fortnite" skin based on iKon member Jung Chanwoo. The Galaxy S10 officially launched on March 8th with three different models. 

Grand prize winners at Level Up were given new Galaxy S10 phones and the top performing players in the "Fortnite" tournament got to play alongside Ninja and iKon on the Samsung 837 stage. Ninja is the most well-known competitive gamer in the world, having earned more than 13 million followers on Twitch.

Here's quick look at what it was like at Level Up inside Samsung 837:

SEE ALSO: Electronic Arts took a huge gamble by paying Ninja $1 million to play its new game for a day. Here's why it was worth every penny

Samsung 837's three-story video wall showed off the action from the Level Up "Fortnite" tournament.



Tyler "Ninja" Blevins, the world's most popular "Fortnite" player, was in attendance; he helped launch the Galaxy S9 last year too.



The winners of Level Up's "Fortnite" tournament got to meet Ninja and earned Galaxy S10 phones for their efforts.



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The FDA's top leader says anti-vaxxers could bring about a national health crisis

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Scott Gottlieb FDA commissioner

  • We asked the Food and Drug Administration's commissioner, Scott Gottlieb, whether there was one thing someone could do to fix healthcare.
  • Gottlieb quickly indicated vaccines, a crucial scientific advance that protect us from dangerous diseases. They have come under attack from an anti-vaccine movement spreading false claims.
  • Trends suggest the US is approaching a tipping point on vaccines, Gottlieb told Business Insider. If attitudes toward vaccines change completely, "the implications could be quite profound," he said.

The US health system has all kinds of problems.

But when we asked the Food and Drug Administration's commissioner, Scott Gottlieb, whether there was one fix that could significantly improve the system, he quickly pointed to vaccines. He told Business Insider it's important that people get their shots.

Today, "you see complacency around some of the achievements that we've made, and declining willingness, or even confidence in, some of the products that have vanquished a lot of human illness," he said.

Vaccines are a powerful scientific advance that bolster the body's natural defense systems. That can protect an individual from dangerous diseases like smallpox, polio, cholera, and measles and also can prevent those diseases from spreading in a community.

But vaccines have come under attack from a movement of "anti-vaxxers," who use incorrect ideas about vaccines to argue against them. There have been worrisome outbreaks of preventable diseases like measles in the US, including nearly 300 cases across 15 states in 2019.

Gottlieb told Business Insider that the US was approaching a tipping point on vaccines. Once people no longer accept vaccines or are willing to be vaccinated, "the implications could be quite profound," Gottlieb said.

If current trends continue, "it's not going to be a gradual evolution towards the resurgence of certain diseases that were once vanquished," he said. "It's going to be all of a sudden, we're going to see epidemics and maybe worse than that."

Read more:The US plans to restrict sales of candy-flavored e-cigs at convenience stores before the top FDA leader leaves office

What we could do

Experts have become increasingly concerned about anti-vaccine sentiment.

The World Health Organization even added peoples' reluctance or refusal to vaccinate to its list of global public health threats this year, alongside climate change and cancer.

The US doesn't compel everyone to get vaccinated. Instead, vaccines requirements are enforced at a state level, where they are often required for kids to go to school. But states do allow exemptions, including for medical, religious, and philosophical reasons.

One approach may be to look at those state-level exemptions, Gottlieb said.

Gottlieb gave notice earlier this month that he would resign, and he has just weeks left in the job. He told Business Insider last week that he was leaving the post to spend more time with his family, including his three young children.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Elon Musk sent a $100K Tesla Roadster to space a year ago. It has now traveled farther than any other car in history.

Take an extra 30% off Sperry boat shoes — and more of today's best deals from around the web

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Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

Since you don't have all day to scour the web for noteworthy sales and discounts, we rounded up the best bargains for you to shop in one convenient place. For even more deals and savings across the web, check out our coupons page.

Sperry

1. Save an extra 30% on sale styles at Sperry

Sperry boat shoes are perfect for the spring and summer season, and it's about time we all start preparing our closets for the warm weather ahead. Sperry's shoes are comfortable, casual, and go with pretty much any kind of casual outfit — and right now, they're also on sale. For a limited time, you can save an extra 30% on sale styles by using the promo code "SAVE30" at checkout. For more deals and promotions at Sperry, visit Business Insider Coupons here.

Shop the Sperry sale now

Ancestry

2. Save $40 on Ancestry DNA Kits on Amazon

In celebration of St. Patrick's Day, Ancestry.com is helping you discover your family's background with $40 off its DNA kits. After mailing in a DNA sample, the company provides you with an in-depth breakdown of your background and can even link you to relatives you didn't know you had. As the best-selling DNA kit in the world, you can rest assured that the findings will be accurate.

Shop Ancestry DNA Kits on Amazon now.

Backcountry

3. Save up to 60% on winter gear and apparel at Backcountry

With the official start of spring just days away, right now is the very best time to buy discounted winter styles — and Backcountry is where you'll want to shop. The company is having a huge winter sale with up to 60% off gear and apparel. The sale ends tomorrow, so this is your final chance to save on winter parkas, fleeces, boots, and more. For additional deals and savings at Backcountry, visit Business Insider Coupons here.

Shop the Backcountry sale now.

Macbook pro

4. Save up to $500 on Apple MacBook Pro Laptops at Best Buy

Apple's latest MacBook Pros are the company's most powerful laptops to date. In addition to handling everyday tasks like surfing the web and word processing, they're great for photo and video editing, music producing, and other tasks that require strong processing power. Although they're well worth the money, the laptops are undeniably expensive — so to help cut down the cost, Best Buy is having a sale with $400 off 13-inch models and $500 off 15-inch models. You'll also receive a three-month subscription to Trend Micro Internet Security software and three months of Apple Music (new subscribers only) for free. For more deals and savings at Best Buy, visit Business Insider Coupons here.

Shop all MacBook Pro deals at Best Buy now.

Wayfair

5. Save up to 70% on home goods and decor at Wayfair

This past weekend, Wayfair began a three-day clearance sale with up to 70% off furniture, decor, kitchen essentials, and more. Whether you're tackling a home renovation project or you're just doing some spring cleaning, you'll find a ton of useful items at hard-to-beat prices. With less than 24 hours left in the sale, this is your last day to save. For more deals and savings at Wayfair, visit Business Insider Coupons here.

Shop the Wayfair sale now

Brooks Brothers

6. Save an extra 25% on sale styles at Brooks Brothers

If you're in need of new formal and business-casual clothing, Brooks Brothers is always a dependable place to shop — and an ongoing sale is making it more affordable. Now through March 19, you can save an extra 25% on styles that have already been reduced up to 60% off. The sale includes apparel and accessories for men, women, and kids. For more deals and savings at Brooks Brothers, visit Business Insider Coupons here.

Shop the Brooks Brothers sale now.

Brooklinen

7. Save 20% on select Brooklinen sheets

Brooklinen is a popular bedding company (and an Insider Picks favorite) because of its excellent quality and fairly priced sheets. The company rarely has sales, but the Smoke and Reverse Smoke Stripe colors are going away soon, so they're being discounted. Right now, you can save 20% on Luxe Sateen sheets and Classic Percale sheets in both colors. We don't know how soon the sheets will be discontinued, so we recommend taking advantage of the deal sooner than later.

Shop the Brooklinen sale now.

Bear Mattress

8. Save up to $200 on Bear Mattresses and get two free pillows

Bear Mattresses goes far beyond the standard of plush memory foam by incorporating Celliant into its mattresses. The material is designed to convert heat from the body into far infrared — a type of energy that's been proven to help rebuild cells. The technology can help you wake up feeling well-rested and free of aches and pains. Right now, you can save $100 on any purchase of $500 or more by using the promo code "SPRING100" or get $200 off any purchase of $1,200 or more by using the promo code "SPRING200" at checkout. Plus, you'll receive two free pillows.

Shop the Bear Mattress sale now.

Join the conversation about this story »

12 clever products to help you make the most of your under-sink storage space

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Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

Over the door organizer amazon

  • With the spring cleaning season right around the corner, now is the time to start thinking about tackling unusual household projects like organizing the space under your kitchen or bathroom sink. 
  • We rounded up 12 products to help you take on the clutter under your sink, like a $15 file sorting rack that doubles as a way to keep baking sheets and cutting boards upright.
  • Interested in more cleaning and organizing ideas? Check out our list of 25 kitchen organization products from Amazon that are nearly all under $25.

The space under the kitchen or bathroom sink is one of those places that doesn’t get much attention as far as organizing goes. It’s easy to adopt the “out of sight, out of mind” way of thinking — when the cabinet doors are shut, we all tend to convince ourselves that our storage space is under control.

It's a lot easier to just ignore the mess of cleaning supplies, toiletries, and beauty tools cluttering your under-sink areas, but the spring cleaning season is in clear view, and you’re going to need to face that mess at one time or another.

Knowing what my own under-the-sink situation looks like, I understand how daunting it is to figure out where to start, which is why I researched the best hacks and products for taming that beast once and for all.

By using simple household items like typical storage bins and cutlery trays in clever ways, you'll be able to give your space a refresh without having to spend much. With these tricks, there really is no reason not to get the area under your sink in order — as long as you are willing to put in a little time and effort into completing the task.

Below, we put together a list of clever under-the-sink organization hacks and the products you’ll need to tackle the job.

SEE ALSO: 12 home organization products we swear by

A simple file sorter

DecoBros Desk File Sorter, $14.87, available at Amazon

Hack: Use a file sorter to place flat items upright.

Who says file sorters have to be exclusive to the office? This organizer comes in handy when you're looking for a place to store cutting boards, baking sheets, or pans. By placing them upright (versus laying them flat or trying to stack them), you can save a ton of room.



A sliding utility bin

Lynk Slide Out Double Drawer Organizer, $74, available at Amazon

Hack: Buy a utility bin to double as an extra drawer.

If you're looking for an easy way to organize smaller items, set your eyes on this organizer. The Lynk utility bin was made specifically for under-the-sink use and will certainly come in handy for organizing items like cleaning supplies, makeup, or extra toiletries. It includes two drawers that slide outward so that you don't have to reach extra far to find an item in a hurry. The bottom track has to be bolted to the cabinet, so if you're renting, you may want to opt for something similar (like this $15 double drawer) that's a bit less heavy duty.



A sturdy cutlery tray

Zri Bamboo Cutlery Tray, $14.50, available at Amazon

Hack: Find a cutlery tray and use it to sort smaller products like makeup. 

For those who have items that fall through the cracks (literally) of larger organizers, a cutlery tray should do the trick of keeping everything in place. The well-defined departments allow for optimal organization so that no matter how small the object, you can find it fairly quickly. This bamboo organizer tray is especially helpful since it has deep sides and a water-resistant coating. 



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I climbed Vessel, the $200 million, 2,500-step sculpture in Hudson Yards — and the view from the inside blew me away

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vessel hudson yards

  • The Vessel is a brand-new 150-foot-tall climbable sculpture in New York City's new $25 billion Hudson Yards neighborhood.
  • The sculpture cost $200 million to build and features 154 interconnected staircases, nearly 2,500 steps, and 80 landings.
  • I was one of the first to climb the Vessel on Friday, Hudson Yards' opening day, and I found that the view of the inside was way cooler than just seeing the exterior.

The Vessel, a $200 million climbable sculpture in Hudson Yards, is now officially open to the public.

Designed by Thomas Heatherwick, it's the sculptural centerpiece of Manhattan's new $25 billion neighborhood, which includes office buildings, luxurious residential towers, and a seven-story luxury shopping center with stores like Louis Vuitton and Dior.

Read more:I got an inside look at Hudson Yards on opening day. Here's what the glitzy neighborhood is like, from the $200 million climbable sculpture to the 7-story 'vertical shopping experience.'

Called the Vessel, the 150-foot-tall climbable sculpture cost $200 million to build, according to Curbed. It includes 154 interconnected staircases, nearly 2,500 steps, and 80 landings.

The Vessel "is going to be to New York City what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris," Jeff Blau, the CEO of Related Companies, the developer behind Hudson Yards, told CBS.

I was one of the first to climb the Vessel on Friday, Hudson Yards' opening day. Here's what it was like.

SEE ALSO: I got an inside look at Hudson Yards on opening day. Here's what the glitzy neighborhood is like, from the $200 million climbable sculpture to the 7-story 'vertical shopping experience'

DON'T MISS: I got a tour of a $14 million penthouse in NYC's new $25 billion Hudson Yards neighborhood and found that it was perfectly designed to show off its best asset

I was one of the first to climb the Vessel, a $200 million sculpture in Hudson Yards.

Source: Hudson Yards, Curbed



Hudson Yards is New York City's new $25 billion neighborhood, with office buildings, luxury residential towers, a seven-story shopping center, and a performing-arts center. It officially opened to the public on Friday, but it won't be finished until 2025.

Source: Hudson Yards



The Vessel anchors a public plaza ringed by brand-new buildings including the performing-arts center, called the Shed, as well as the luxury shopping center and two residential towers, 15 Hudson Yards and 35 Hudson Yards.

Entering the Vessel is free, but you have to reserve a time slot online. It's open every day from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Source: Hudson Yards



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