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HOUSE OF THE DAY: Drew Barrymore Is Selling The Estate Where She Got Married For $7.5 Million

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Drew Barrymore home

Drew Barrymore has listed the California mansion where she married husband Will Kopelman last year for $7.5 million, according to real estate website Trulia.

Barrymore originally bought the home in 2010 for $5.7 million, long before meeting her husband or giving birth to their daughter, Olive.

The Montecito estate has a gorgeous 1937 home built on two acres of property, and is currently listed through Sotheby's International Realty agent Suzanne Perkins.

The two-story mansion has six bedrooms, a separate guest apartment, remote-controlled property gates, and a huge backyard — big enough for Barrymore and Kopelman to hold their star-studded, 190-guest wedding.

Welcome to Drew Barrymore's Montecito mansion in California.



The actress's property sits on two acres of lush land with roses and fruit trees.



The inside foyer isn't too showy, and welcomes guests into the 6,258-square-foot home.



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13 Major Suburbs Where Poverty Is Soaring

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white picket fence

Don't let the white picket fences fool you.

Suburban poverty has grown faster than anywhere else in the country over the last decade, at a rate of 64% since 2000, according to "Confronting Suburban Poverty in America," a new book by the Brookings Institute. 

For the first time ever, the number of poor people in America's largest suburbs outnumbers those in cities. It's a nationwide trend that's left pretty much no region untouched.

Eighty-five of the nation's 95 largest metro areas saw a rise in poor households between 2000 and 2011. 

"As jobs moved into suburbs—particularly lower-paying jobs in sectors like retail and hospitality—poverty did, too," the authors write. "And job losses triggered by the Great Recession in industries like construction, manufacturing, and retail hit hardest in suburban communities and contributed to rising suburban unemployment and poverty."

The number of poor households in the suburbs of Dayton, Ohio increased 109% to 97,581 from 2000 to 2011.

The increase in poverty was tracked by the Brookings Institute in "Confronting Suburban Poverty in America."



The number of poor households in Dallas increased 111% to 474,023 from 2000 to 2011.

Dallas metro area includes Fort Worth and Arlington. The increase in poverty was tracked by the Brookings Institute in "Confronting Suburban Poverty in America."



The number of poor households in Charlotte, N.C. increased 113% to 140,760 from 2000 to 2011.

Charlotte metro area also includes Gastonia and Rock Hill. The increase in poverty was tracked by the Brookings Institute in "Confronting Suburban Poverty in America."



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When To Break It To The Kids That They're Filthy Rich

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petra tamara bernie ecclestoneRich kids usually have a pretty good idea that their families are wealthy.

Maybe the Gulfstream tipped them off.Or the fourth home in Aspen. Or the Elton John performance at their 16th birthday "destination party" held at the Esperanza in Cabos.

But wealthy kids don't learn how wealthy their families are until—well, sometimes after their parents die.

A new study from U.S. Trust suggests that millionaire parents may want to start a little earlier. The study, part of U.S. Trust's Insights on Wealth and Worth series, found that very few parents believe their kids should know about the family's wealthy before the age of 25.

About half say the kids should be told when they're between 25 years old and 34 years old. About one fifth believe the "kids" should wait until they're at least 40 years old to learn the numbers.

The study found that more than half of the parents had disclosed "just a little" about their family wealth to their kids and eight percent have disclosed "nothing at all."

Why are parents so tight-lipped about their money? Most say it's an "overall aversion to the topic, having been taught not to discuss wealth with anyone." The second reason, according to the study, was that they didn't want to deprive their kids of a work ethic.

(Read More: Where the Millionaires Are Might Surprise You)

Keith T. Banks, president of U.S. Trust and Bank of America Wealth Management, said that there is no magic age for telling kids about their wealth. He said the decision of when you tell them—and how much to tell them—should be specific to each family.

"What you disclose and when you disclose it is a very personal decision," he said. "A lot depends on the children. And for some, maybe 40 is the right time."

The more important issue is when to prepare the kids to manage their wealth, he said. The ideal age for starting wealth-education programs for kids is when they turn 20, or just before they graduate college, he added. U.S. Trust runs its own "Financial Empowerment" program to educate inheritors and investors and the program is generally designed for people between the ages of 20 years old to 30 years old.

(Read More: Ralph Lauren's New $700,000 Supercar)

Banks said that age 20 is "the age when they're most receptive and when they're about to go out into the job market."

There's another issue, however, that parents should consider. It's called the Internet. Specifically, Google and Zillow and all the other sites that would allow a kid to piece together a rough picture of the family's net worth or their family's private company. Parents may think they're keeping their kids in the dark. But they're really just practicing a form of family wealth denial. Eventually the kids will find out—and it may not be in the way the parents prefer.

Of course, not all families have obvious trappings of wealth. There are plenty of stories of quiet, simple families having vast amounts of wealth that no one knew about.

Still, even if parents don't give their kids "the number" for their wealth, they should at least give them the skills and the values to manage it well. 

SEE ALSO: The World's Hottest Billionaire Offspring

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Williamsburg Hipsters Are Unhappy With 'Poser Hipsters' From Manhattan Clogging Their Bars

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hipsters williamsburg brooklyn

WILLIAMSBURG — Bridge-and-tunnel traffic has been reversed as less-than-hip Manhattanites now flock to Williamsburg, ruining the scene for locals, residents complain.

Ever since he moved to North Williamsburg a few years ago, Michael Chandler has lost some of his favorite undiscovered bars to hordes of weekend "flipsters."

"They're poser hipsters. They come from the city or from New Jersey to come play hipster for the weekend," said Chandler, 26, of the term. "There's some weird touristy draw... All the cool bars that used to be not crowded are now crowded by weekenders."

The explosive popularity of bars on the Williamsburg waterfront and near McCarren Park — and the opening of higher-end spots targeting tourists and visitors from outside Brooklyn — have spurred such a nightlife shift that many local partiers are avoiding certain blocks altogether when Friday night rolls around.

"You know how it is here — once places become too cool and popular, you ditch them and try to find the next place," laughed Chandler of the local mindset, adding that prices had gone up with the influx of outsiders. "I just like cheap beer."

A two-block strip of Wythe Avenue that features the year-old Wythe Hotel, the 4-month-old nightclub Output Club, the venue Brooklyn Bowl and the bar Kinfolk Studios has transformed so much in the past several months that locals said more visitors than actual Brooklynites were around on the weekends.

"The people who actually live on this block don't go to these places. I don't go to the Wythe, I don't go to Output," said Wythe Avenue resident Kate, 26, who declined to give her last name but said she'd lived on the stretch for the past two years and was dismayed by the changes.

"I have friends who come in from Manhattan to walk around or go to the Brooklyn Flea," she said of the weekly waterfront market. "And I'm like, 'Just because you want your touristy fix one day doesn't mean I can hang out [with you].' I live here all the time."

Meanwhile, a barista at Kinfolk Studios said he and fellow staffers had also seen a shift in recent months that would likely increase with the slated opening of another massive nightclub on the Williamsburg waterfront.

"Especially with Output, the owner wants to keep it underground, so that draws people from the city or people from New Jersey who'd usually go to Manhattan," said the barista, Tom Gastelluh. "It definitely has become a weekender destination...This whole block is bringing more college, fratty guys to the area."

The owner of Output did not immediately respond to calls and emails requesting comment.

But more than just "weekenders," the hotel's opening and the overall publicity about Williamsburg had turned Wythe Avenue into an internationally renowned strip, Gastelluh said, noting an uptick particularly in Spanish and Italian customers at Kinfolk.

Within a few minutes, young Italian and Belgian visitors passed by on Wythe Avenue on a recent afternoon.

"I read Williamsburg is one of the youngest parts of New York," said a 26-year-old Italian, David Barco, "so I came here."

No matter how residents feel about the area's changing demographic, Gastelluh said the "evolution" was inevitable — and mainly positive, particularly for the local economy.

"It's brought more business to us, which is great," said Gastelluh. "So much has happened in the past three months, it'll be interesting to see what happens in the next six."

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The Most Successful People Give Their Best Advice To New Graduates

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Maria Shiver

Right now is not the most promising environment students have ever graduated into. Students fear entering a job market that doesn't want them, and losing vital years of their careers. 

Great advice is needed more than ever. In its latest "Influencers" series, LinkedIn asked 70+ top professionals, from Fortune 500 CEOs to media icons what the class of 2013 needs to succeed.  

Some share their commencement speeches while others share the things that they wish they knew before starting out.

They explain everything from how to create your own company to how to overcome what seems like constant rejection from employers, because they've all done it before, and succeeded wildly.

Jim Kim, President at The World Bank

"I’m sure many of you are more than a little concerned about what the future will bring. I just want to say to you today that not only is your future uncertain, but the overwhelming likelihood is that it’s far more uncertain than you think.

"Uncertainty means that nothing is predetermined. Uncertainty means that the future is yours to shape — with the force of your will, the force of your intellect, and the force of your compassion. Uncertainty is freedom. Take that freedom and run with it. And make sure to fuel up with glucose along the way."

Part of the commencement address delivered at Northeastern University in Boston in May 2013.

Source: LinkedIn



Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group

"The best advice I could give any graduate is to spend your time working on whatever you are passionate about in life. If your degree was focused upon one particular area, don't let that stop you moving in another direction. If college hasn't worked out for you, don't let that put you off.

"You may decide to take a break and consider your options. I would urge you to travel, take on new experiences and draw upon those when it comes to making the decisions that will shape your future. The amount of business ideas that people pick up from traveling the world is enormous."

Source: LinkedIn



Arianna Huffington, president and Editor-in-Chief at The Huffington Post Media Group

"Commencement speakers are traditionally expected to tell graduates how to go out there and climb the ladder of success, but I want to ask you, instead, to redefine success. Because the world you are headed into desperately needs it. And because you are up to it ... what I urge you to do is not just take your place at the top of the world, but to change the world.

"But it's time for a third metric, beyond money and power — one founded on well-being, wisdom, our ability to wonder, and to give back. Money and power by themselves are a two legged stool — you can balance on them for a while, but eventually you're going to topple over. And more and more people, very successful people, are toppling over. Basically, success the way we've defined it is no longer sustainable. It's no longer sustainable for human beings or for societies."

Part of the commencement address delivered at Smith College in May 2013.

Source: LinkedIn



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How Prada Grew Its Brand Value Faster Than Any Other Last Year

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prada ad

Millward Brown and BrandZ just released its list of the most valuable brands in the world, and one of this year's big surprises was how quickly and substantially Prada's value grew.

In 2012, the luxury retailer's brand value skyrocketed 63%, bringing it to $9.5 billion, in the BrandZ calculation. That makes Prada the fourth most valuable luxury brand in the world, but the number one riser in any category. Its value increased more than any other brand on a percentage basis.

Even though Louis Vuitton held its place as the most valuable luxury brand internationally, it still managed to see its valuation fall 12%.

So how did Prada gain so much momentum?

"What Prada has done really well is that it has focused on the right market," Millward Brown VP Oscar Yuan told Business Insider. When Western Europe was struggling in the economic downturn, for example, Prada focused on the Asian markets and Brazil.

"Prada really benefitted from a careful selection of where to focus its resources," Yuan said.

Last year, Prada decided to add 80 stores annually, 30 of which were planned for China.

SEE ALSO: There are the 20 most valuable brands in the world >

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Can You Answer The Question That A 12-Year Old Just Nailed To Win The National Geographic Bee?

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Here's a geography question for you:

What point on earth is the farthest from the center of the earth?

mt everest night full moon

The answer is actually not "the top of Mount Everest"--which was the answer that sprung into the mind of this 47-year old simpleton. I assumed that answer was too obvious to be correct, but I didn't have a better one.

The good news is, if you had been competing in the National Geographic Bee like the 12-year old who just won it, the question would have been phrased in a way that made it clear that the answer wasn't Mount Everest:

Because Earth bulges at the equator, the point that is farthest from Earth's center is the summit of a peak in Ecuador. Name this peak.

Can you name that peak?

Me, neither.

But 12-year old Sathwik Karnik could.

The answer is "Chimborazo."

Chimborazo

By getting that and many other questions right, Sathwik won the Bee, a $25,000 scholarship, a trip to the Galapagos, and a lifetime subscription to National Geographic.

The AP has more >

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Most Americans Think The Middle Class Is The New Face Of Poverty

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1970s familyThe poverty line in the U.S., according to the federal government, is just under $24,000.

But most Americans say even if you make twice that, you won’t be very comfortable in their hometown.

A recent survey by Gallup lays bare this stark financial reality, with the pollsters’ findings headlined: “Americans Say Family of Four Needs Nearly $60K to ‘Get By.’ ”

So is this a question of perception vs. reality, with poll respondents being too materialistic or confusing wants with needs? Or is this really what it means to be “poor” in America in 2013?

A little bit of both.

This week the Brookings Institution released a book titled, Confronting Suburban Poverty in America. It lays out how a push into the suburbs over the last several decades has been ignored by poverty groups that largely focus on the dichotomy of poor urban dwellers and those in need who live far outside the cities in remote rural towns with no support systems at all.

But the suburbs present a new dimension of poverty. In rural areas, the cost of living is dirt cheap even if there is no infrastructure or social support; in urban areas, there are a host of charities and prospective jobs and public transportation that groups can use to fight poverty.

But what if you live in a nice suburb with lots of McMansions but little affordable housing? What if you can’t afford a car but your suburban hamlet has few public transportation options? What if you need work but the only employers within 10 miles of your suburban home are restaurants that pay minimum wage?

This is the new dynamic of poverty in America. While $24,000 may get you by in some communities, in other parts of the nation that money doesn’t go very far at all.

As Lydia Saad of Gallup put it:

“Having enough to get by appears to be particularly challenging in the East, whose residents give a significantly higher average estimate of what it takes to survive. And while people may gravitate to areas that provide the lifestyle they can best afford, suburban life — with its heavy emphasis on single-occupancy detached homes, auto-based transportation, and relatively well-off residents — may also be less hospitable for those whose incomes fall into the $30,000 to $60,000 category.”

For a practical example, imagine you were a head of a household working construction in the early 2000s. You found work in the suburbs building single family homes in a booming bedroom community about 30 minutes outside a major city, and put down roots there. But the Great Recession gutted your business and you were laid off. You don’t have the skills to work in technology or medicine, and even if you wanted to there aren’t any jobs nearby.

What do you do?

The callous answer is to take whatever jobs are left, or to pack up and move. But the high demand for the remaining unskilled jobs means a race to the bottom in salary, and the idea of uprooting their families to chase the hope (and not the guarantee) of work is not appealing to many.

For many families in this scenario, they simply stay in the suburbs which were once thriving and struggle to make ends meet.

Minimum income requirements are certainly a slippery thing, colored by our aspirations for a better life and perhaps an unwillingness to truly confront what’s “necessary” and what’s “nice.”

But there’s a reason why consumer spending remains weak and many investors are very leery about the state of the recovery. Yes, corporate profits are up but a persistently high unemployment rate of 7.6% and a lack of growth in skilled, well-paid jobs is disturbing.

Mid-wage, mid-skill jobs have been eliminated and the workers instead are opting for bartending jobs for a fraction of the pay instead.

I’m not just waxing hyperbole here either. In 2012, the job growth rate for restaurants hit a 17-year high. You think that’s because of booming consumer spending, or simply a massive influx of workers desperate for any kind of employment … even restaurant jobs at minimum wage or less if they are dependent on tips?

This recovery won’t get very far without consumers. And consumers won’t get very far without decent paying jobs.

Just something to consider while the market continues to make new highs.

Jeff Reeves is the editor of InvestorPlace.com and the author of “The Frugal Investor’s Guide to Finding Great Stocks.” Write him at editor@investorplace.com or follow him on Twitter via @JeffReevesIP.

SEE ALSO: 13 Major Suburbs Where Poverty Is Soaring

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The Tragic Demise Of America's Most Ambitious Housing Project

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pruitt igoe implosion

Back in the 1950s, St. Louis commissioned a public housing project unlike any in history.

Designed by Minoru Yamasaki — the architect who would later design the World Trade Center — the Pruitt-Igoe housing project was hailed as "vertical neighborhood for poor people" and named the building of the year by "Architectural Forum."

Things looked great when the building opened in 1956, but within years everything went horribly wrong. For various reasons, Pruitt-Igoe turned into a ghetto, neglected, deteriorating, and dangerous, and by the mid-1970s, the building was demolished.

A 2011 documentary by Chad Friedrichs called "The Pruitt-Igoe Myth" chronicles the rise and fall of the housing project. We've broken out some highlights in the following slideshow. Also check out upcoming screenings in New York, Grand Rapids, Oklahoma City, and Pittsburgh.

Prior to the construction of Pruitt-Igoe, the working class residents of St. Louis were crammed into slums with communal bathrooms (or none at all), unreliable electricity, and streets filled with trash.

Source: The Pruitt-Igoe Myth



Reformers wanted to remove people from the inhumane conditions of the slums, and local politicians thought they were an eyesore. So beginning in the late 1940s, federal and state governments began funding massive public housing projects in inner cities.

Source: The Pruitt-Igoe Myth



Pruitt-Igoe was built with that big federal spending push. It cost around $36 million to construct and was designed by Minoru Yamasaki, who later designed the World Trade Center towers.

Source: The Pruitt-Igoe Myth



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Philly's Trendiest Street Fair Doesn't Hold A Candle To Its Working-Class Neighbor

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IMG_3656When I rolled into Philly last Friday, I only had one end goal in mind:  

To prove that this town has more going for it than cheesesteaks and Ben Franklin impersonators, and to do it with less than a hundred bucks.

Since it was May (i.e.: high outdoor market season), I decided to hit up two of the city's iconic –– and wildly different –– street festivals: The historic Italian Market Festival and the über-trendy Rittenhouse Square Row Festival. 

The two are held only 20 or so blocks apart, but the differences couldn't have been any more stark. 

First, let's set the scene. The festivals are just over a mile apart, with the Italian Market Festival (A) further South and Rittenhouse Square (B) closer to downtown.



They couldn't be more different. The Italian Market is the oldest outdoor market in the country, open 7 days a week, year-round, smack in the middle of Philly's historically Italian (and increasingly hipster) 'hoods, Bella Vista and East Passyunk.



On a normal day, Rittenhouse Square is a quiet residential area. It's been one of the more upscale areas in the city since the mid-19th century, when it was home to Philly's Victorian aristocracy.



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Here's What Happened On The Disastrous 'Kitchen Nightmares' Episode That Went Viral

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Kitchen Nightmares Amy and Samy Bouzaglo

You may have heard of Amy's Baking Company, the Scottsdale, Ariz. restaurant that had a complete social media meltdown after appearing on Fox's "Kitchen Nightmares."

For the first time in the history of the show, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay — who "saves" failing restaurants — told co-owners Amy and Samy Bouzaglo that their restaurant was beyond repair. 

After the episode aired earlier this month, the restaurant had a very public meltdown on Facebook and temporarily shut down. It quietly reopened earlier this week.

Samy may also be facing deportation after authorities learned he was banned in both France and Germany for drug and extortion charges, according to Fox News.

The episode that started it all was truly painful to watch: The explosive owners screamed at customers, kept servers' tips, and insulted employees.

If you haven't had time to watch the 45-minute episode and subsequent drama, keep reading to catch up.

Amy and Samy Bouzaglo are the owners of Amy's Baking Company in Scottsdale, AZ. Samy runs the restaurant while Amy runs the kitchen.



They signed up to participate on Fox's "Kitchen Nightmares" with celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. After negative online reviews, they hoped he would vouch for their business and food.



Everything started well enough — Ramsay liked their desserts (which later turned out to be store-bought) and they chatted politely.



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Take A Private Tour Of The Part Of Ellis Island No One Gets To See [PHOTOS]

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Ellis Island

More than 12 million immigrants, mostly from Eastern and Southern Europe, became American citizens at Ellis Island in New York Harbor between 1892 and 1954.

The 30-acre land mass, just off the New Jersey coast, was known as the "Island of Hope" to most foreigners who arrived on its shores. First- and second-class cabin passengers in good health, especially, were generally welcomed into New York City with relatively few roadblocks.

But for the remaining 20% of immigrants, mainly steerage passengers, the portal to America was dubbed the "Island of Tears," marred by the fear of being detained there due to illness, poverty, racial discrimination, or other legal reasons. At least 2% of immigrants were shipped back to their home countries.

Ian Ference — the same photographer who took us on a tour of an abandoned island next to New York City — highlights the story of these less fortunate travelers on his Kingston Lounge blog in a series of photos from inside Ellis Island's Baggage and Dormitory Building, the depository for detained immigrants.

Because of the building's remote location, it is remarkably undamaged, said Ference. There is a pungent smell of mold, however.

Otherwise, the "building was well-insulated and the windows were very intact," the photographer said of his last visit within the past decade.

He added: "Like most abandoned structures, there's a distinct feeling of solitude."

This is Ellis Island. Its entire 27.5 acres is federal property, though it is within the boundaries of both New York and New Jersey. The Ellis Island Immigration Museum, which was open for tours until last fall when it closed indefinitely due to damage sustained during Hurricane Sandy, is inside the Main Building.



The Baggage and Dormitory Building is located in the back of the Main Building. It is not open to the public, but photographer Ian Ference managed get an inside peek of the decaying structure.




A view of one of the building's many dorm areas is shown here. During its peak, between 1892 and 1924, this area would have been crammed with beds.



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People Are Outraged Over 'Ghetto' Tours In The Bronx

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Bronx

NEW YORK (AP) — A company that promised sightseer tours to the Bronx that included a New York City "ghetto" has stopped the bus rides under protest from an outraged neighborhood.

Real Bronx Tours, which took mostly European tourists from Manhattan to see life in the South Bronx "from a safe distance," issued a statement this week saying it would immediately cease all tours there.

Three times a week, the $45 ride took visitors past food-pantry lines, a housing project and a park a guide described as a pickpocket hangout.

Tourists were told they'd get a look at the Bronx that reflects one of the darkest chapters of the city's history, the 1970s and '80s, when the tour website said "this borough was notorious for drugs, gangs, crime and murders."

The Bronx lost hundreds of buildings to fires intentionally set by landlords to collect insurance money, hence the phrase, "the Bronx is burning."

But residents say the tours are a misrepresentation of the area where former Secretary of State Colin Powell and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor lived in as children.

"Those days are over, the Bronx is being rebuilt, it's rising again," said Bronx resident and Grammy-nominated musician Bobby Sanabria.

On Monday, Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and City Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito sent an open letter to the company owner, Michael Myers, saying they were "sickened by the despicable way" the borough was being portrayed to outsiders.

"We strongly urge you to stop profiting off of a tour that misrepresents the Bronx as a haven for poverty and crime, while mocking everything from our landmarks to the less fortunate members of our community who are availing themselves of food assistance programs."

The tour company did not respond to calls and emails requesting comment. It was not clear whether they would resume any of their tours. And by Thursday, the website of the company was no longer accessible.

Other companies in the city still offer regular guided trips to the Bronx.

Three weeks ago, NYC & Company, the city's tourism bureau, launched a promotion of the South Bronx as "one of our safest, most exciting boroughs," with highlights including Art Deco architecture and the Yankees.

Real Bronx Tours has been booted from the bureau's membership list as a result of the language they've been using, NYC & Company spokeswoman Kimberly Spell said.

Elena Martinez, an anthropologist and Bronx resident, offers visitors walks through the same neighborhood that was on Real Bronx Tours' itinerary.

The human struggles on these still gritty streets have produced urban styles and sounds copied around the world, from hip hop music and outdoor murals to clothing.

"Many young Europeans come here as a pilgrimage," Martinez said. "This was the incubator for hip-hop, salsa, jazz, Afro-Cuban music, R&B."

She points to theaters, lavish dance halls and clubs where salsa came alive, along with some of the biggest names in music. Sanabria, a famed drummer, says he comes from a borough "that has an incredible, majestic music culture."

And although many of the buildings now house stores and offices, or were demolished or burned down, new ones mingle with restored historic ones "and people are helping to bring the neighborhood back," Martinez said.

"We've had enough of the gawkers who come to ghettoize us," says Al Quinones, caretaker of a community park that features a garden with fruit trees and a stone outdoor amphitheater. "Their timing was bad. The Bronx is not burning, not now! Now, it's resurgence."

On the door to his shack on the grounds is a sign that reads: "Don't dump on the Bronx."

Sanabria, Martinez and other Bronx residents are meeting Friday to kick-start a counter-campaign to what they call the Bronx's "negative image."

They've calling their action "Bronx Rising."

SEE ALSO: The Jersey Shore Wants You Back This Summer >

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McDonald's Has Created Its Highest Calorie Menu Item Ever

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French Fries

McDonald's just released its highest calorie item ever in Japan: the Mega Potato. 

The Mega Potato is almost a pound of the brand's famous fries, and contains 1,142 calories, the Consumerist reported, citing Japan Today. 

The Mega Potato will hit Japanese restaurants nationwide this week, according to the site.

"The Mega Potato will set you back 490 yen and also cost you a large chunk of your dignity and possibly a few years of your life," Japan Today wrote

McDonald's latest exercise in caloric excess in Japan is in stark contrast to what its attempting in the U.S. 

The company has recently added a slew of healthy offerings, including a chicken McWrap to compete with Subway and draw in calorie-conscious millennials. 

McDonald's also released the Egg White Delight and added more smoothie flavors with fresh fruit. 

SEE ALSO: The Best Fast Food In America >

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The Best Hangover Foods From Around The World

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Full Irish Breakfast

WORLDWIDE, hangover cures run the gamut from the salty to the spicy to the sour to the wet, but depending on what country you live in, what hangover remedy you reach for might vary. Here, a compilation of hangover foods from around the world. Just in case.

USA

Throughout most of the US, hangover foods owe a lot to the country’s Anglo roots — salty, greasy, fatty foods like bacon, eggs, grilled cheese sandwiches, or anything fried — the notable exception being the parts of the country where Hispanic culture abounds (think menudo, Mexican beef stomach soup).

Fatty foods, though popular, are scientifically proven to be a better preventative than a cure; the grease helps repel the alcohol from the stomach lining but will probably only irritate a hungover person’s stomach further. Eggs, however, contain high amounts of cysteine – the enyzme that breaks down the hangover-causing toxin acetaldehyde. In short, hold the bacon and double up on the eggs.

Guatemala

A hangover is called goma in the Guatemalan dialect of Spanish, and as throughout most of Latin America, something spicy is in order. A loving aunt once served me caldo de pollo (chicken broth) with chopped hot peppers swimming in it while my cousin looked on in jealousy: “All I ever get when I have goma is a lecture. Did it work? Heck yeah. Got to sweat it out, bitch.

Fricase chicken dishBolivia

Fricasé— a spicy yellow chili, garlic, and cumin-infused pork stew, thickened with crumbled bread, hominy, and potato. A typical lunchtime dish, also known as levanta muertos— “raising of the dead.” Find it at markets, served up hot on weekend mornings. Spiciness and porky dead-raising goodness all in one.

Denmark

When feeling rotten, the Danes do as many other cultures in the world and turn to a reparations-bajer (“fix-it brewski”) to help them feel back to normal — that is, a little hair of the dog. A popular remedy, drinking more alcohol might seem to lessen the symptoms at first but is actually more harmful, giving the liver more toxins to deal with. Try telling that to a hungover Dane in need of fast relief — more Fisk, anyone?

Ireland

Months ago, I was researching a “comfort foods around the world” article and couldn’t help but note that my Irish friends all cited “hangovers” as the moments when they needed the most comfort. How do the Irish soothe the morning-after misery? Fried toast, full Irish breakfast. Also, hair of the dog.

Russia

Pickle juice tipped out from the jar is a popular hangover remedy for the manly types. Girlier Russian stomachs might prefer Kefir or Ayran. Fact: Hangovers take longer to leave a woman’s body than a man’s. Just another example of why it’s awesome to be part of the fairer sex.

UK

The usual suspects of the English-speaking world abound here: English breakfasts and things swimming in grease. If Cabaret‘s Sally Bowles is to be believed, a prairie oyster — raw egg whooshed up with Worcestershire sauce — will also help do the trick. Among the Englishfolk polled, Coca-Cola and coffee also came up often as cures.

Italy

Many Italians claim they don’t get hangovers, since drinking is such a natural part of the culture that alcohol abuse is rare. But in the case they do experience postumi della sbornia (the closest translation for “hangover” I can wrest out of my friends), spicy and flavorful foods, espresso, and fruit juice are high up on the list of cures.

Turkey

Once-tipsy Turks reach for turnip juice and more beer to help settle their stomachs or, even more excitingly, kokoreç– a fast food or streetcart dish made of chopped tomato, thyme, pepper, and seasoned offal. The preferred organ meats for this dish are suckling lamb intestines, but sweetbreads, heart, kidneys. and lungs are also popular. They’re served on toasted bread and delicious, I’m sure, even when sober.

Japan

The Japanese word for “hangover” — futsukayoi (二日酔い) — means “second-day drunk.” Drinking Ukon no Chikara (a turmeric-spiked energy drink) on the first day to head off the hangover goblins is popular, but in case the beer, sake, and chuhai proved too tempting, shijimi soup, raw egg, miso soup, and umeboshi (pickled plums) are cited as cures…as is more sake the day after.

Korea

In Korea, where drinking to excess is a big part of the culture, a dish exists especially for the hangover malady: haejangguk— translated literally as “soup to remove a hangover.” Sold out of streetcarts on weekend mornings, this stomach-soothing soup includes coagulated ox blood, cabbage, cow bones, pork spine, and vegetables.

Thailand

Thai hangovers also call for an easily digested soup made with boiled rice, small pork meatballs, garlic, and coriander, or for particularly aggressive cases, phat khii mao— “drunk man’s noodles.” Broad rice noodles, fish sauce, soy sauce, bean sprouts, meat or tofu, and a hefty dose of spice make a great wake up call on those miserable hungover mornings.

SEE ALSO: 22 Amazing Destinations You Can See With Google Street View >

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You Are Less Beautiful Than You Think

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Dove Real Beauty

In April 15, 2013 Dove launched a 3-minute video entitled “Dove Real Beauty Sketches.”

The video achieved instant popularity and has been watched millions of times — a successful viral campaign which has been widely talked about.

In the video, a small group of women are asked to describe their faces to a person whom they cannot see. The person is a forensic artist who is there to draw pictures of the women based on their verbal descriptions. A curtain separates the artist and the women, and they never see each other.

Before all this, each woman is asked to socialize with a stranger, who later separately describes the woman to the forensic artist. In the end, the women are shown the two drawings, one based on their own description, the other based on the stranger’s description.

Much to their amazement and delight, the women realize that the drawings based on strangers’ descriptions depict much more beautiful women. The video ends: “You are more beautiful than you think.”

The idea is quite appealing. Perhaps too many women are unhappy with their looks. It would be a big relief if we all suddenly realized, like Christian Andersen’s ugly duckling, that we are in fact beautiful.

However, what Dove is suggesting is not actually true. The evidence from psychological research suggests instead that we tend to think of our appearance in ways that are more flattering than are warranted.

This seems to be part of a broader human tendency to see ourselves through rose colored glasses. Most of us think that we are better than we actually are — not just physically, but in every way.

The most direct evidence that the Dove commercial is misleading comes from the work of Nicholas Epley of the University of Chicago and Erin Whitchurch of the University of Virginia. In a series of studies, Epley and Whitchurch showed that we see ourselves as better looking than we actually are.

The researchers took pictures of study participants and, using a computerized procedure, produced more attractive and less attractive versions of those pictures. Participants were told that they would be presented with a series of images including their original picture and images modified from that picture.

They were then asked to identify the unmodified picture. They tended to select an attractively enhanced one.

Epley and Whitchurch showed that people display this bias for themselves but not for strangers. The same morphing procedure was applied to a picture of a stranger, whom the study participant met three weeks earlier during an unrelated study. Participants tended to select the unmodified picture of the stranger.

People tend to say that an attractively enhanced picture is their own, but Epley and Whitchurch wanted to be sure that people truly believe what they say. People recognize objects more quickly when those objects match their mental representations. Therefore, if people truly believe that an attractively enhanced picture is their own, they should recognize that picture more quickly, which is exactly what the researchers found.

Inflated perceptions of one’s physical appearance is a manifestation of a general phenomenon psychologists call “self-enhancement.” Researchers have shown that people overestimate the likelihood that they would engage in a desirable behavior, but are remarkably accurate when predicting the behavior of a stranger.

For example, people overestimate the amount of money they would donate to charity while accurately predicting others’ donations. Similarly, people overestimate their likelihood to vote in an upcoming presidential election, while accurately predicting others’ likelihood to vote.

Most people believe that they are above average, a statistical impossibility. Theabove average effects, as they are called, are common. For example, 93 percent ofdrivers rate themselves as better than the median driver. Of college professors, 94 percent say that they do above-average work. People are unrealistically optimistic about their own health risks compared with those of other people.

For example, people think that they are less susceptible to the flu than others. Stock pickers think the stocks they buy are more likely to end up winners than those of the average investor. If you think that self-enhancement biases exist in other people and they do not apply to you, you are not alone. Most people state that they are more likely than others to provide accurate self-assessments.

Why do we have positively enhanced self-views?

The adaptive nature of self-enhancement might be the answer. Conveying the information that one has desirable characteristics is beneficial in a social environment. People may try to deceive others about their characteristics, but deception has two main disadvantages.

First, it is cognitively taxing because the deceiver has to hold two conflicting representations of reality in mind: the true state of affairs and the deception. The resulting cognitive load reduces performance in other cognitive functions. Second, people are good at detecting deception and they show strong negative emotional reactions toward deceivers.

Since in self-enhancement people truly believe that they have desirable characteristics, they can promote themselves without having to lie. Self-enhancement also boosts confidence. Researchers have shown that confidence plays a role in determining whom people choose as leaders and romantic partners. Confident people are believed more and their advice is more likely to be followed.

Dove’s premise is wrong. But thinking we are more beautiful than we really are may not be such a bad thing.

Are you a scientist who specializes in neuroscience, cognitive science, or psychology? And have you read a recent peer-reviewed paper that you would like to write about? Please send suggestions to Mind Matters editor Gareth Cook, a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist at the Boston Globe. He can be reached at garethideas AT gmail.com or Twitter @garethideas.

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Someone Just Bought This Pair Of Soiled Levi's For $36,100

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luke skywalker pants

The pants Mark Hamill wore in the first Star Wars movie just sold for $36,100. 

Auction house Nate D. Sanders sold Luke Skywalker's khaki-colored pants from the 1977 movie in an online sale, Wired reports

According to the online listing, the pants were the ones Luke Skywalker wore "for most of the movie." 

"Sand-colored 'cotton drill' Levi's pants are purposely distressed to display wear, with dirt to back right pocket and in spots to front of pant legs," the listing reads. "Mark Hamill said of the pants, 'By the way, those pants I wore were just bleached Levi's with the tag still in them.'"

While the price tag is hefty, Wired reports that the auction house had originally expected to sell the pants for triple that price. 

SEE ALSO: 16 Small Businesses On The Verge Of A Breakthrough >

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A Teenager Built His Own Working Submarine [PHOTOS]

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Justin's Sub submerging 1

Justin Beckerman, an 18-year-old high school student from New Jersey, built and wired a fully-functional, one-man submarine, mostly made of the lightweight, yet strong, grooved plastic usually used in piping.

The construction feat is less than surprising to those familiar with Beckerman's talent — he's been engineering products out of various building materials since he was two years old, the teenager told Business Insider.

Beckerman salvages every old or broken device he can find, along with donations from friends and neighbors, and occasional trips to electronics recycling facilities with his dad.

He's built remote-controlled vacuums, miniature model jet engines, and headsets that can play DVDs. The submarine is by far the teen's biggest project to date.

Justin's father, Ken Beckerman, says he learned early on to give his son space, support, and freedom to tinker with things: "[Justin] will tell me something is going to work, and to me it doesn't make any sense or its not possible. Instead of telling him that it can't happen or it's not real, I just let it sit ... I'm supportive in letting him do his thing, and letting him dream."

Justin has been building things since he was a young child. His submarine drew on the knowledge he's acquired over the years. Apart from the mechanical and electrical know-how, Justin worked in some of his interest in aeronautics: He modeled some of the components in the sub off things found on airplanes.



Aside from looking up the underwater pressure at his target depth of 30 feet, Beckerman says he did not do much research online.



He set up a workstation in his family's basement, and even custom-built a cart to hold the sub. His many tools included a circular saw, a Sawzall, a voltmeter, and a soldering iron.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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The Muslim Brotherhood Has Turned Cairo Into A Dystopia [PHOTOS]

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Muslim Brotherhood Headquarters Cairo

When Egyptians took to the streets to overthrow an oppressive government in 2011the world was on their side.

But in the two years that followed, as Arab Spring turned to Arab Winter, and Egyptians fell under the rule of the oppressive new government of Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, the world has looked away.

This is what Egyptians told us when we visited Cairo at the end of March 2013.

Many disillusioned Egyptians say things are worse than ever. Thugs often run the streets, crime rates have skyrocketed, and police feel they're outgunned faced with the flood of weapons filling Cairo's streets.

Making matters worse, everything from utilities to gasoline is both more expensive and more difficult to acquire than it was before the Muslim Brotherhood.

This is the headquarters for the Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo, the new ruling party responsible for law and order throughout Egypt.



Crime in Egypt has reached unprecedented highs following the uprising that toppled former president Mubarak from power.



Homicide rates have tripled since 2011.



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10 Money Lies That Could Wreck Your Marriage

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couple staring angry mad fightDespite what tabloids would like you to think, not all marriage problems start in the bedroom.

Financial infidelity is the root cause of many crumbling unions, says family law attorney Steven Mindel. 

"More marriages fall apart for financial reasons than for fidelity reasons," Mindel says. "Fundamentally, marriages are built on trust and anytime you breach the trust of the other party, it damages the relationship. Getting married is like the merging of two enterprises." 

Nearly half of divorced or separated U.S. adults said they regret not discussing their personal finances before taking their vows, according to a survey by Couponcabin.com.

With Mindel's help and a host of other family law and finance experts, we've rounded up a list of some of the most damaging money lies spouses can tell. 

You're heir to a huge fortune but kept it mum.

Mindel says hiding details of an inheritance or trust fund is one of the most common lies he's seen in clients. 

It's not a wise move, especially since it's easy enough for a partner to find out if they pay attention to your tax returns, Mindel points out.

Unless you also plan on also lying to the IRS about the trust fund, you'll have to report your monthly checks with the rest of your taxable income. 

 



You decide to hide your lottery winnings.

A California woman made headlines when her ex-husband sued her over lottery winnings she hid from him while they were still married.

Years later, he took her to court and wound up walking away with 100 percent of her earnings.

"Now, more and more states across the country are imposing penalties for spouses that fail to properly disclose financial information to their spouses," Mindel says.  

 



You keep a secret bank account for yourself.

If you've got money that’s off the books, such as cash you're earning from a freelance or part-time job, it's not OK to stash it in a secret account your partner doesn't know about.

"People get pissed when they find statements about hidden accounts," says family law attorney Jennifer Deniger.

"A lot of married couples don't understand the concept of joint property and they think that if they get divorced, then anything they have in a solo account is theirs to keep. But the joke is on them because the (spouse) still gets half."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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