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Amazon Vs. Costco: Which Is Better For Buying In Bulk?

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amazon fulfillment centerSaving money is on the minds of most Americans, which is why so many make a special effort to purchase items in bulk and join discount clubs. It’s also the reason so many businesses are creating opportunities for consumers to access those savings.

One program to crop up in recent years is Amazon Subscribe and Save, which touts savings of up to 15 percent to members who meet specific criteria. But is this program as amazing as it seems, or is it possible that subscribers are actually losing dollars by committing to make purchases over the long term?

What Is Amazon Subscribe and Save?

If you are not accustomed to purchasing groceries and other household items online, or simply haven’t heard of this program, you may wonder what is Amazon Subscribe and Save?

Amazon Subscribe and Save is a program launched in 2007 that offers discounts on items typically sold in bulk. In addition to a reduction in costs, the program offers free shipping.

The lower costs are offered in exchange for a subscription agreement that involves having specific items automatically shipped every one, two, three, four, five or six months.

But probably the biggest benefit of joining the program is paying no upfront fees to subscribe. Members only need to pay for items when they are shipped.

You can probably see the similarities between Amazon Subscribe and Save and memberships to wholesale clubs like Costco with one clear exception: Amazon subscribers don’t have to worry about placing orders as they are placed automatically.

With this and other conveniences, one would think there could be no downside to a program like Amazon’s. However, great discount programs are not always as fantastic as they seem.

How Amazon Subscribe and Save Compares to Costco

Individuals trying to decide whether to join Amazon Subscribe and Save or stick with a traditional wholesale membership with a company like Costco have several pros and cons to weigh.

But before getting started, here are a few basics to know about Costco.

Costco is a wholesale store that offers discounts based on individuals buying in bulk. Individuals interested in shopping with the store must pay a membership fee of $55 annually. 

The company not only offers physical locations but allows members to shop for items on Costco.com. Items available online range from food to furniture.

So how does Costco compare to Amazon Subscribe and Save?

Amazon Subscribe and Save

Pros:

  • No upfront fees
  • Benefit of Amazon free shipping
  • 5-percent discount on subscribed purchases
  • Save 15 percent on entire order when you receive five or more subscriptions on monthly delivery day
  • Cancel subscription at any time (no commitments, obligations or fees)

Cons:

  • Price fluctuations possible after acquiring subscription
  • Lose item discount and free shipping when purchasing items prior to scheduled shipment date with “Need more right away” option

Costco Membership

Pros:

  • Option to purchase items in person or online
  • Wider variety of items available
  • No restrictions on purchase dates
  • Highly competitive prices
  • Shipping and handling included in most costs

Cons:

  • Upfront annual membership in addition to item purchase costs

The pros and cons of shopping with both Amazon and Costco show that it pretty much comes down to personal preferences when deciding which is best for you.

But for individuals who have decided that Amazon Subscribe and Save is better because of its discounts or free shipping advantage, it’s best to take a closer look at whether these benefits really make a difference in money spent over the long run.

Is Amazon Subscribe and Save Really Helping Your Savings Account?

After reviewing Amazon forums and reviews of the Amazon Subscribe and Save program, it’s apparent that one of the primary reasons individuals sign up is to gain access to discounts and free shipping.

But some have questioned whether the discounts actually mean paying less for the items purchased in the long run.

To examine whether the program is actually helping people stick to a budget, let’s take a look at the cost of items offered via Costco and Amazon Subscribe and Save.

I first want to say that the two companies rarely offer identical items, making comparisons challenging. While items may be similar, finding identical matches is next to impossible.

For instance, Amazon offers Nature Made Super B-Complex vitamins at 360 count for $13.51 after the discount while Costco offers 460 count for $16.49. To get around the difference in count, I calculated the per-count cost, which for Amazon is $0.037 and Costco is $0.035.

Since shipping is free for both products, Costco comes out slightly on top.

Now, looking at Huggies Snug and Dry diapers (size 4), a 192-count pack from Amazon is $44.83 with the discount while 180-count pack at Costco is on sale for $32.99, but the regular price is $38.99. The per-count cost for Amazon is $0.23 while Costco’s per-count price on sale is $0.18 and regular price is rounded to $0.22.

Again, shipping is free for both products meaning Costco comes out on top again.

Now, before immediately assuming that Costco is always the better deal, keep in mind that Costco members must pay that $55 annual fee while Amazon members have no upfront costs.

But, remember that Costco members do have access to the full catalog of items with their membership, while Amazon Subscribe and Save offers a limited number of products.

It’s important to also note that individuals who are interested in purchasing items with the Amazon Subscribe and Save program outside of the monthly delivery schedule lose their discount and possibly the free shipping for the purchase. Of course, Costco members take advantage of low costs and free shipping on most items at any time.

Another downside some Amazon subscribers have mentioned with the discount program is its fluctuating prices. After subscribing for an item, that item’s costs can fluctuate at any time, however, Costco prices are also capable of changing.

So what’s the verdict? Is Amazon’s Subscribe and Save program actually saving you money on your regular purchases or essentially stealing from your savings account by offering products that come at cheaper prices elsewhere?

On the whole, the program does appear to save money for individuals who are able to find the products they need and who also know they will only purchase these products no more than once a month.

Consumers who don’t fall into the above category, may do better to stick with Costco or other discount programs that don’t place restrictions on purchase frequency and product availability.

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Alex Rodriguez Reportedly Sold His Miami Beach Mansion For A $15 Million Profit

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Alex Rodriguez selling Miami home for $38 million

Alex Rodriguez bought a plot of land in Miami back in 2010 for $7.4 million, and spent another $7.6 million building a giant mansion on the property.

Less than a year later, A-Rod put the house on the market for $38 million, and according to TMZ, he has finally sold it for $30 million, turning a $15 million profit. Not bad, A-Rod.

The mansion is 20,000 square feet and right on the Miami waterfront. There are floor to ceiling windows throughout the house, an elevator, a movie theater, and 'zen garden.'

According to TMZ  "a celebrity who lives in Palm Beach" bought the house.

The view from the outside



Views from every room



Cozy in-home theater



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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British Men Are Going Gray Early, On Purpose

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George clooney

Ladies love an older man. George Clooney, Pierce Brosnan, and heck, even Richard Gere all illustrate that point neatly.

And it’s these dashing silver foxes who are causing young men to worry. Cue the arrival of grey highlights for men. Yes, really.

Okay, so the aim here isn’t to go more grey per se, it's rather to use highlights to enhance and blend those greys that creep in early. A more groomed and even result, à la Edward Lewis, if you will. Sold yet, dudes?

Well, according to Neil Cornelius, of one of London's Bond Street's leading salons, it's totally a thing. “Nearly every male client I have gets their hair coloured". The popular new request? The "tampering" technique. This involves highlighting and tinting the thatch, the beard, and even the eyebrows, for that dapper, au-naturel finish.

These days, the male grooming aisle is almost as packed as women's one. Arguably, it ain't full of dying kits just yet, but surely it's just a matter of time? Though beware. DIY tricks for this particular gray-covering technique have a high failure rate, so may we advise booking in at the salon to avoid any embarrassing "I don't want to talk about it" mishaps. (The Times)

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Locals Are Irate Over Plans To Turn A New York City Art Mecca Into Luxury Apartments

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5Pointz

LONG ISLAND CITY — A plan to replace Queens graffiti mecca 5Pointz with a pair of high-rise luxury apartment towers was blasted by critics at a contentious public hearing Wednesday night, as opponents accused the developers of ripping the iconic art center from the hands of the local creative community.

"5Pointz is an incubator of fresh ideas. It is a creative mecca for unique expression, an irreplaceable New York icon," said Jerry Rotondi, a Queens resident and 5Pointz board member, who accused the developers of trying the replace the street art center with a "cornball glitzy box."

The Wolkoff family, which owns the set of warehouses at Jackson Avenue and Davis Street, is applying for a special permit to demolish 5Pointz by the end of the year to make way for two luxury apartment towers with amenities like a steam room and a rock climbing wall.

The plans call for two buildings — one 47-stories high, the other 41 stories — containing about 1,000 rental apartments, with 50,000 square feet of retail on their first floors and 30,000 square feet of outdoor public landscaped space around them.

David Wolkoff, who's heading up the development, said his family allowed 5Pointz artists to use their property as a canvas for years, free of charge, because they appreciated the work. But he said they always planned to redevelop the site at some point.

"We allowed the art to be programmed in this particular site not because it was a right of the artists, but because we, as the owners, really enjoyed the work that was being done," he said.

"But things do progress…and we are looking toward the future."

Wolkoff said they’re trying to include the art community in their future plans bysetting aside space for art walls, plus seven artists’ working lofts in the base of the building and a gallery to display local artists’ work.

"The building will be an homage to its art and artists past, while creating a new and wonderfully exciting place to live and to play," he said.

But several critics of the plan said they weren't buying his pitch.

"Mr. Wolkoff, you're in real estate. You own a building, you purchased it in 1976, and it's time for you to make money. You want to cash in. We all get that," said Marie Cecile Flageul, an event planner and 5Pointz volunteer.

"So let's call a cat a cat. Stop talking about art studios and the community and accommodating people, because we know it's not going to happen."

Gabriel Roldos, of the arts nonprofit Local Project — one of the Wolkoff's other tenants that will have to vacate before demolition — said he's worried artists are being priced out of Long Island City.

"When the development happens, the neighborhood is going to change, and I'm not sure the local artists are going to be here anymore," he said.

Artists have been using the warehouse on Davis Street for almost two decades, Wolkoff said. 5Pointz took shape more than 10 years ago, when local street artists were looking for space to work where they wouldn't get busted by cops for graffiti.

Kim Luttrell, an artist based in Long Island City for the last 15 years, was one of the few who spoke publicly in the Wolkoff's favor at Wednesday night's hearing, held in the packed lobby of MoMA PS1.

"He’s given you a building that you can paint on freely every single day," Luttrell told the crowd. "We all have known for years that the building was going to come down. At least David is trying to give us something, a little something. Most developers won't even do that."

But others in attendance were less forgiving. A group of protesters rallied outside the building for the duration of the hearing, occasionally holding signs up against the windows that said things like, "For the Good of LIC, or the wealth of the Wolkoffs?"

"It's our building. They can't take our building without our permission," said one speaker, Angel Del Villar, to a round of rousing applause and cheers from the audience.

"I'll be the first one there, and I hope we all make a chain around that building," he said.

But Long Island City resident Kris Schrey, who attended the meeting, said he was "appalled by the sense of entitlement" of the artists who spoke in opposition to the Wolkoffs.

"No sane developer, after this hearing, will ever let artists into a building again," he said.

Community Board 2, which hosted the hearing, will vote on the Wolkoffs' application at their monthly meeting on June 6, the first step in the city's uniform land use review procedure, which requires the approval of several government bodies.

If that happens, Wolkoff said they plan to demolish 5Pointz by the end of the year, and estimates the first of the two planned towers would go up by 2015.

Jonathan Cohen, 5Pointz's founder and curator known widely by his tag name "Meres One," spoke briefly at Wednesday's hearing.

He thanked the Wolkoff family for allowing him to use the site for the last 11 years, which he described as "some of the most memorable moments of my life."

"I will continue to run this program until the end," he said. "My only regret is that the same people who allowed me to, unknowingly, create such a cultural gem don’t see it as I do."

SEE ALSO: We Were Stunned At New York City's Incredible Art Mecca

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CONSUMER REPORTS: The Best Sunscreens Aren't The Most Expensive Ones

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SunburnSkin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the US, which means we should all be slathering on sun protection every day.

But a new rating in Consumer Report reveals that the more expensive sunscreens do not necessarily protect better than cheaper brands.

The publication reviewed 12 popular sunscreen products, looking at SPF accuracy, UVB and UVA protection, scent, and staining.

The researchers tested panelists in a lab with a sun stimulator, and used the Food and Drug Administration's "critical wavelength" test to assess how well UV rays were absorbed by clear plastic plates treated with sunscreen. (Read more on the methodology here.)

All products passed the broad-spectrum test, but the cheaper brands from Target and Walmart actually fared the best overall. Target's UP & UP Sport SPF 50 was the top-rated sunscreen with a score of 80 out of 100 ($6.94). Equate Ultra Protection SPF 50 from Walmart ($7.50) had a score of 77, and Coppertone SPF 50 ($11) was right behind with a rating of 75.

Surprisingly, Badger Unscented SPF ($16) and All Terrain AquaSport ($13) — two of the most expensive brands — fared the worst with "poor" SPF ratings and Zinc Oxide as the only active ingredient.

Consumer Reports advises that if you can't find a recommended sunscreen, buy one that has broad-spectrum protection, is water resistant, and has an SPF of at least 40 — higher than last year's SPF 30 recommendation.

See their top six brands:

  1. UP & UP (Target), Sport SPF 50 ($6.94)

  2. Equate (Walmart), Ultra Protection SPF 50 ($7.50)

  3. Coppertone Water, Babies SPF 50 ($11)

  4. Walgreens Continuous Spray, Sport SPF 50 ($8)

  5. Hawaiian Tropic Sheer Touch, SPF 30 ($11)

  6. Coppertone Sport High Performance, SPF 30 ($10)

DON'T MISS: The 10 Best Infinity Pools In The Caribbean

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Face It –– You're Better Off Buying Life Insurance Than Lotto Tickets

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lottery tickets

You can't beat the return on investment the Powerball jackpot winner got last Saturday -- $590.5 million on a $2 lottery ticket.

But if you're really serious about leveraging dollars for your family, life insurance is a smarter bet than the lottery.

Both are built around the leveraging concept, says Jim Saulnier, a Certified Financial Planner in Fort Collins, Colo. With life insurance, you pay a relatively small premium, and the policy pays a big benefit to your loved ones when you die.

The average cost of a 20-year, $250,000 level-term life policy for a healthy 30-year-old is roughly $150 a year, according to LIMRA and the LIFE Foundation. (See: "How to evaluate term life insurance.")

Sure, the lottery produces a bigger bang for the buck. The latest jackpot, in fact, was the largest in Powerball history. The sheer magnitude brought reporters from around the country to little Zephyrhills, Fla., a town of about 13,000 outside of Tampa, where the winning ticket was purchased last week at a Publix supermarket.

But the odds for winning big with a lottery ticket are infinitesimal. Your chance of winning the Powerball jackpot: 1 in 175 million.

Permanent life insurance, on the other hand, has a guaranteed payout to your beneficiary. And even term life, which covers you for a certain number of years, has far better odds of paying out than the lottery. (See: "5 keys to choosing permanent life insurance.")

The chance of dying after age 25 before reaching normal retirement age is 1 in 6 for men and 1 in 9 for women, a 2007 Milliman Inc. study for the LIFE Foundation found( See: "Understanding life insurance table ratings.")

"To me, life insurance is the Eighth Wonder of the World," Saulnier says. Besides a policy's leveraging capabilities, the proceeds are generally free from estate and income taxes if the policy is structured right.

Lottery winnings face a healthy bite from the tax man. Some states don't tax lottery proceeds, but the IRS does. Twenty-five percent of lottery winnings are held back for federal taxes.

The Powerball winner can take the jackpot as a lump sum of $370.9 million or the full amount in annuity payments. If the winner takes the lump sum, the tax bite up front will reduce the payout to $278 million.

The get-rich-quick aspects of the lottery are tough to resist, especially as the jackpot grows. On the evening of the big Powerball drawing, for instance, the lottery ticket sales pace reached $36,000 a minute in Texas alone.

Philip LeBlanc, principal of Longfellow Benefits in Boston, recalls working two summers in college as a courier for the Massachusetts lottery some 30 years ago. He picked up and delivered tickets and lottery supplies to convenience stores.

"I used to see people lining up to purchase lottery tickets," he says. "They were allured by the thought of a payday."

Many of them didn't have much of a payday on their own.

"Too many people don't think about defensive financial planning," he says. "They're more interested in offensive planning -- stocks, quick riches and immediate impulse thrills like the Powerball."

Life insurance -- if you have financial dependents -- along with at least three to four months of income in savings, disability income insurance and health insurance are musts for a defensive strategy, he says.

Once a defensive strategy is in place, you can look toward the offense.

"Yeah I had $20 of tickets," Saulnier says of last week's Powerball drawing. "I didn't win."

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I Traveled Through Afghanistan And Didn't See Another Tourist

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Mosque in Afghanistan

Afghanistan is the 10th least visited country in the world.

Go figure. Then again, I always thought it would be even less visited. Not because of its beauty, cold mountains and fantastic scenery, but because of regular bombings, terrorist attacks and being the home turf of Taliban. War zone tourism never really did catch on.

I traveled there in 2009 with two friends. Eventually. Getting visas wasn't the easiest of tasks. The friendly people in the Afghan embassy in Oslo made it very clear that tourists were not welcome. Full stop.

We could in other words only get in as journalists or military personnel. The most dangerous weapons I've had my lethal hands on were a 5 millimeter home-made slingshot, a Zulu bow and arrow and my dad's sledge hammer. The army option to get in was in other words quickly ruled out.

Luckily I am originally a journalist. And an owner of a legitimate press card. So is Marius Arnesen, one of the two fearless friends that tagged along. Asbjørn Havnen, the third traveler in war, is not. He is a big guy, is the occasional sparring partner of the Hulk and drinks any man, woman or beast under the table. The latter has given him a nickname. Dr. Vodka. His physical strength and drinking abilities still don't make him a soldier, so he ended up posing as our fixer to be able to get in with a press visa. He should have known better. Signing up as the fixer of two spoiled journalists would give him more of an headache than a couple of bottles of Ukrainian vodka. He sure had to work for his fixer title.

- Asbjørn, can you fix me a beer?

Marius soon picked up on the art of frequent nagging our newly appointed fixer.

- Yes, and don't forget to fix-shine my shoes, fix-iron my war shirt and fix-taste that my food hasn't been poisoned.

Admittedly, I was probably far worse than Marius.

gunnar garfors in AfghanistanEntering Afghanistan

The three of us flew in to Mashad in Iran. Entering via an airport enabled us to get a visa on arrival. A single entry one. Take note, traveling overland into Iran does not give you the same privilege. No visas are issued at land based border posts.

On the plane to Iran, we met a friendly Afghan guy. He was heading our way, to Herat in northern Afghanistan. We shared a car there. Our visas to Afghanistan were safely stamped inside our passports, but we didn't have visas to get back to Iran where we would meet my brother five days later before continuing to Turkmenistan.

The fact that we might end up being stuck in Afghanistan without a visa out of there freaked Marius out. Sort of. Sort of, as in totally, utterly, completely. And then some. I have never seen a man closer to a fit. Surprisingly enough. Marius is among the most adventurous of guys. He eats extreme sports equipment for breakfast. He kites on snow, ice and water. He downs a cocktail a minute, still managing to down a shot of whatever is on hand in between every one of them. He will contagiously laugh you under the table. If his laughter doesn't make you smile or crack up, please cut down on the Botox. But he is not too keen on being stuck in a war-ridden country without the possibility of getting out of there. He first refused to join us across the border but soon realized he'd possibly miss out on the holiday of a lifetime. After some convincing about how easy it would be to get another visa at the Iranian consulate in Herat, he reluctantly joined us into unknown territory. Would he ever forgive us for inhuman amounts of peer pressure from Asbjørn and myself?

Man with donkey in AfghanistanI think he did. Afghanistan is a photographer's paradise. Marius is a photographer. He shot hundreds.

We met Maroof and his brother outside Herat, after having crossed the border. The two locals asked if we needed a ride. They even agreed to drive us around for our entire stay, and we soon realized that they took personal pride in our safety. Much appreciated, although that task must have taken its toll with us exploring various neighborhoods as if there would be no tomorrow.

They showed us various hotels, but we ended up in the only semi-civilized hotel in town. They even had decent Wi-Fi. And good security. Of course, if you are a terrorist, that would be the hotel to blow up. The best and "safest" hotel in town usually is the main target, as we have seen too many times. We still felt safe despite the odd gunshot at night. After all, most of the other guests were hired guns. Or looked like ones. Because in Afghanistan you don't ask other foreigners what they are doing there. It's a rule, we found out. Most of them are there on shade business, or so it seems. Their heavy armored cars in the hotel parking lot didn't do anything to disguise that impression.

What to do in Herat

The third biggest city of Afghanistan has tales to tell. It dates back to ancient times, and feels in part like an old museum. The Herat Citadel is well worth a visit, so is the Friday Mosque of Herat, one of the oldest in the country. We were even given old tiles from the mosque as souvenirs from one of the guys restoring the mosque. He showed us around and told us about their massive work load. They have to make sure that all the millions of tiles look as they did originally. A never ending task, I imagine.

Herat AfghanistanHerat also used to have many minarets, but most of them have fallen thanks to the unstable foundations of the ancient city. A lot of heavy traffic on the circle road around it certainly hasn't helped either, but at least the Fifth Minaret is still standing. It gives you a chance to see such a historic structure in relatively good shape.

There are also mountains outside town, but we were given polite suggestions of not going there. Kidnappings had recently occurred. We listened. Especially Marius. We didn't go.

And of course, the market. Amazing fruit, traditional carpets, cooking utensils, leather shoes, ornaments and burqas. One particular burqa shop, exhibiting nothing but blue burqas, somehow caught our attention.

market in AfghanistanBoth Marius and Asbjørn are bigger than me. They both had girlfriends at the time. Both girlfriends were allegedly my size. For some kinky reason or another they wanted to buy burqas as presents to their girlfriends. Do not ask why. Needless to say, I had to try them on. I have ever since struggled with mental images of what the burqas I wore have since been used for. And as a bonus, a photograph Marius took of me with the burqa on has since appeared on the front page of a French newspaper with the photo caption "Close up of Afghan woman. Photo: Marius Arnesen." Thanks, mate!

At least I am honest about my whereabouts. After having travelled a lot, my family has more or less given up on me. They can't any longer be bothered if I am visiting some place of war, terror or crime. "He will be fine," they think. Or hope. And this is an arrangement to mutual benefit. If they were to worry every time I travelled to such places they'd have monthly heart attacks. Asbjørn and Marius have both travelled a lot too. They still didn't feel comfortable telling their families that they were actually in Afghanistan. Which meant that we were "officially" still in Iran, the country we were hoping we would be able to get back into. They even spoke to their loved ones at home, carefully mumbling the answer of where they were, so that it sounded like "Iran...ish." Hypocrites!

Getting back out

To enter Afghanistan from Iran was not a problem. Getting a visa to reenter Iran turned out to be a major obstacle. Maroof drove us to the consulate the first morning in town. There was a queue of 36 men with beards. Standing next to the wall of the consulate. At the end of the queue, towards the corner of the wall, there was a small window. The first guy in line had bent down and was negotiating with the consulate staff inside. We were in a hurry to get back out to Iran, where we were to meet my brother four days later. I first entered the queue in a very British manner. At the far back, nodding and smiling politely to everyone. Many of them smiled back. After 15 minutes without moving an inch, I realised the British way wasn't working for us. I decided to queue, Norwegian style. Rude, ignorant and with active elbows. It worked. I was bending down to the little window in a matter of minutes. The smiles of my local queue colleagues had disappeared.

- I'm sorry, but this is an emergency. We really need a visa to get back into Iran. My brother is there. It is urgent.

- How soon do you need the visa, sir.

- Tomorrow. Or in maximum two days.

- I am sorry, sir. That is impossible. It will take at least a week.

- A week?

I shouted. I could literally feel Marius panicking a few meters from me. The dialogue continued, and I used the words emergency, disaster and urgent a lot. In the end I got three forms to fill out.

- I really want to help you, sir. Come back when you have completed them, please. I will see what I can do.

We quickly filled out the forms, and I jumped the queue again. Even fewer smiles this time around. A fair amount of the next three days was spent nearby Herat's Iranian consulate. They needed two photographs and a copy of the application form (photographers and copy shops were conveniently located across the street - no discounts were offered). The consulate staff wanted to know about our parents' religious backgrounds. I then had money in cash, but the consulate demanded that it was deposited into its bank account. Which could only be done through a specific bank in town. They later demanded proof of payment. And a negative HIV test. We had to find a clinic to have our HIV tests taken. I will from now on carry a negative HIV test in my pocket for such future instances. The hygiene level of the clinic seemed to be good, and the needles used for the blood tests look reasonably clean.

- If we don't currently have HIV, I am sure that we'll get it here, Asbjørn joked.

Neither Marius nor I laughed.

Interrogation time

I was soon a hated man in the Iranian visa seeking community of Herat. Rarely have one queue member pissed off so many others. Finally, I still received some good news.

- We have what we need. Please come to the entrance door.

Wow, a breakthrough! No more back-busting-tiny-window-in-a-wall correspondence. Marius looked particularly happy. I knocked and stated our names and nationality when asked to do so. A porter let us in to a waiting room. There were 9 people already there. It turned out to be interrogation time. On an individual basis. No chance to make sure our stories matched.

I was first up. I was taken into a big room. There was a desk. Some big man was seated behind it. I tried to shake his hand, but he wasn't having it. He even knew what he was doing or had seen too many shady Russian cop shows. He pointed at a little chair by the opposite wall and touched his well-trimmed moustache.

- What are you doing in Afghanistan?

He asked calmly. We had entered on a journalist visa, but I somehow didn't think that was the right time to reveal that particular technicality.

- We are here as tourists to see the beautiful city of Herat and the scenic surrounding areas. We have heard so much about it. Great place!

He hit his fist on the desk.

- What ARE you doing in Afghanistan?? There are no tourists in Afghanistan!

He clearly wasn't finished despite his two long seconds of silence.

- Are you a spy?

I decided this was not the time for bad jokes, but I stuck to my story and explained that we wanted to explore for ourselves this country we only heard awful things about in western media. As tourists. He probably didn't believe a second of it. Then again, he had two others to interrogate. I still stayed there for another 20 minutes, telling about other trips, and that we had already travelled a lot to a number of unusual destinations.

Marius was next up. He was there for a little shorter. I used the time to coordinate with Asbjørn. I said that it might be a good idea to tell the guy that we were really tourists and that we had already travelled together to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Belarus and other famous tourist destinations. As proof of our genuine interest in the road less travelled.

- And you think that will make us look like anything but spies?

Asbjørn questioned my cunning plan of synchronized stories before he was called in. Having returned from his 15 minutes of Iranian consulate fame, Marius told me that he had received some of the same questions as me and that he too had reassured the Iranian that we were only tourists.

Asbjørn was back five minutes later. With a big smile.

- He shook my hand and just laughed. Are you really here as tourists, he asked me? Before shaking his hand and calling us you crazy, crazy guys!

Just one more wait later, and we had our passports in hand. With the precious Iranian visa in it. Marius looked 10 years younger.

Time to relax

With our return sorted, we had time to properly act as tourists in Herat. We had seen the citadel and the mosque between consulate action earlier, and we decided it was finally time to get postcards. But where do you get postcards in a country without tourists?

We found gold in the fourth shop, a book shop. The three first shop owners didn't even know what postcards were. But here, a few cards were hidden under layers of dust and some ancient looking books. Clearly not their main means of income, even for the sole postcard supplier in town.

Good stuff, but of course the friendly shop owner didn't have stamps.

- Try the post office, he suggested.

A groundbreaking idea. Maroof drove us there. We walked across the big courtyard and into a building. We found a counter in a dark room in the back. No one there spoke English. We showed the postcards, and asked for stamps. Our requests were returned by head shaking. Maroof started translating. He told us that we couldn't send anything without an envelope.

- But they are postcards. They don't need envelopes. They are designed to be envelope independent, I tried to explain.

Maroof did the same to the postal workers. Ten minutes later they had reluctantly agreed to sell us stamps. The postcards arrived safe and unharmed in Europe six weeks later. You know you are in a tourism deprived country when even the concept of postcards is unfamiliar. And that is in Afghanistan. It was one of the most modern countries in the world in the 1970s. Thanks, Taliban! Good job.

May the war end soon and democracy return. A realistic possibility? Probably not, but the people there deserves it. Future travelers also deserve it, in my opinion. Afghanistan is a truly fantastic country. I will be back. Soon, I hope.

And Marius? He has been back to Afghanistan half a dozen times. Well protected by the Norwegian army while filming news reporters and making award winning television documentaries about the Norwegian operations there. On his next visits he had his return visas sorted out in advance.

I don't blame him.

SEE ALSO: The 25 Lease Visited Countries In The World >

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Those Classy, Upscale Pawn Shops May Be Too Good To Be True

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pawn shop

Florida-based dentist Dr. Michael Hammond intended to finance his dental practice using a small business loan from a traditional bank. Given his strong credit and business plan, he assumed he’d have no issues.

But the bank wouldn’t grant the loan he expected, so Dr. Hammond moved on to plan B: selling family jewelry to an online pawn shop for $40,000.

Though the words “pawn shop” tend to evoke thoughts of “Cash 4 Gold,” online pawn shops have taken the strongest part of the business model (fast cash in exchange for your stuff), and revamped it for a higher-end customer. With banks getting loan-shy post-recession, these virtual shops offered consumers another source of funding—which they could procure from their jewelry box or favorite curio drawer.

And many took advantage: According to research out of Vanderbilt University, about 8 million households in the United States have used pawn shops. That rate has risen steadily by about 3-4% per year, before ballooning to a 20% increase starting in 2007, when the recession began.

Could some of these newly revamped sites be a viable way to make extra cash—or are they too good to be true? Read on to find out whether pawning your stuff could be a good choice for you.

How It Works

Pawning, at its core, is a way to borrow money from somewhere other than a bank.  When you need a little extra money but don’t want to outright sell a valuable possession, you “trade” it for a short-term loan from a pawn shop. Once you and the shop agree to a value for your item and loan term, funds can be wired to your bank account in as little as 24 hours. Assuming you honor the terms of your loan and make monthly payments, you’ll get your item back.

One of the major appeals of securing a loan through a pawn shop is that it has no impact on your credit. In order to borrow money from a bank, the bank will check your credit, and if you’re delinquent with payments, it will have a negative impact. If you default on a pawn loan, the shop simply keeps your item.

RELATED: 10 Top Credit Mistakes to Avoid

Unlike traditional pawn shops, which tend to buy anything from stereos to vacuum cleaners and have an average pawn transaction value of $150, online pawn shops deal exclusively in higher-end goods like jewelry, collectibles, designer handbags and expensive electronics. Unlike “Cash 4 Gold” style outfits, online shops aren’t interested in broken gold chains or a late-model television.

Potential sellers send a digital image and description of the item they’re interested in selling or pawning to the site and receive an expert appraisal in a day or less, along with corresponding loan terms like interest rates, fees and loan duration.

Once an agreement is reached, customers ship the items for free—and receive cash in as little as 24 hours. Though the leading industry sites like iPawnUltraPawnPawngoborro and Pawntique vary in exactly which items they’ll accept, all fully insure items for the duration of the loan term.

Dr. Hammond says that the overall loan terms and experience iPawn offered were more competitive than what he found at several banks. “I found low interest rates, a better payment schedule and real customer service that doesn’t treat me like an account number,” he recalls.

What You Need To Know Before Pawning

First, be aware that not every pawn site is the same. There is variation both in the items accepted and the loan terms they’ll offer.

Because the sites deal in higher-end items, there are minimum loan amounts. For example, Pawntique loans start at $100, UltraPawn at $250, Pawngo and iPawn loans begin at $500 and borro loans at $1,000. Items don’t have to be in mint condition, but having original packaging, papers and purchase receipts can boost negotiations, which is par for the pawning course. If you don’t know what your items are worth, do research on eBay or—in the case of jewelry and art—visit an appraiser to get a ballpark figure.

RELATED: How I Made $14,000 as a Mystery Shopper

Just because the site will accept your items doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a great deal, so make sure to comparison shop for offers between sites. Keep in mind that generally, the larger the loan amount, the lower the interest rate. If you’re a reliable customer who pays your loan on time, and there is the potential for repeat business, online pawn shops may even tailor loan terms to your needs. UltraPawn, Pawntique and borro, for example, all include loans designed specifically for small business owners.

Know that online pawn shops involve a leap of faith, especially if you’re parting with a treasured item. Do your research to be sure you understand a shop’s specific policies, like what happens if your item is damaged or lost, you want to pay the loan off early or extend loan terms or you miss a payment. (Most pawn shops have a grace period, which is a number of days you have to catch up on a late payment. Past that point, the item becomes their property and they can sell what you pawned.)

Should You Use A Pawn Site?

There’s a reason traditional pawn shops don’t have a great reputation: Using your possessions as collateral to borrow money isn’t anyone’s first choice. In fact, it may not be the right choice for you.

Before pawning off Grandma’s ring, you might want to do some creative thinking. For example, taking out a pawn loan with 6% interest to pay down a credit card balance with 16% interest can save you money without showing up on your credit report.  But, if you have a 0% balance transfer offer you could use instead, that may be the more cost-effective option. And you do need to consider the consequences, should you default.

RELATED: Create a Plan to Pay Off Debt Today

If there isn’t a better option, you may also want to consider simply selling your items to the shop instead of taking out a loan. Pawngo CEO Todd Hills says that generally, selling items will fetch up to 80% of the retail value (compared to loan amounts more like 50-65% of the retail value). Plus, selling serves a dual purpose: creating cash and decluttering.

If you do decide to pursue a loan, remember that a pawn shop loan is still a debt. If you’ve already gotten in over your head financially, this is one more payment to add to the list. The consequences of unpaid debt are never good: with a credit card, a missed payment leads to fees and credit score damage. With a pawn shop, it could mean losing a treasured item forever.

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We Tried The Half-Doughnut, Half-Croissant Pastry That New Yorkers Are Going Crazy For: Here's The Verdict

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We weren't sure what to think when we first read about the "cronut" — a hybrid croissant-doughnut invented by famed pastry chef Dominique Ansel.

Since Ansel's SoHo, New York bakery introduced the treat earlier this month, it's gone viral in the foodie world, and been covered everywhere from Fox News to the Today show.

People have been waiting on line for more than an hour before the bakery opens just to buy one.

cronut line

This morning's batch sold out in just 20 minutes, a source told us. That's pretty impressive considering the pastries cost $5 each, more than a Crumbs cupcake.

So what is a cronut, exactly?

cronuts

The dessert is made from sheeted pastry dough, like a croissant, and fried like a doughnut. The pastry is then stuffed with vanilla cream, rolled in sugar, and topped with icing.  

It sounds incredible. 

And from Dominique Ansel's website, it looks pretty incredible too. Check out those flaky layers and gooey exterior:

cronut

Needless to say, we were thrilled when a friend offered to deliver a cronut to our office. 

It looked fresh, and gave off a sweet doughnut aroma when we opened the box.

cronut delicious sweet croissant donut

Unfortunately, things went downhill when we tried to cut the cronut in half. Instead of spongy, flaky layers, the whole cronut got squished into a dense lump.* The vanilla cream oozed out the sides.

cronut delicious sweet croissant donut

It may not have been pretty to look at, but we were pumped to dig in.

cronut delicious sweet croissant donut

The verdict?

The cronut is "pretty good." It tastes a lot more like a doughnut than a croissant, though it's got a nice crunchy layer on the outside.

The vanilla cream didn't add much to the pastry, and made the whole thing a little soggy (to be fair, we ate our cronut several hours after it emerged from the oven). We weren't sure how the cream fit in, anyway, since its not a standard ingredient in either croissants or doughnuts.

cronut delicious sweet croissant donut

The bottom line: If a friend offers to deliver a fresh cronut to your office, definitely take her up on it. It's a tasty treat and you can make your friends jealous by instagramming it.

It's probably not worth waiting an hour in line for, unless you're truly crazy about pastries. 

*We've been told that cronuts are much easier to cut with serrated knives. We'll know for next time!

SEE ALSO: We Found The Ultimate Treat For Bacon Lovers

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Women In A Poor West African Country Are Force-Feeding Themselves For Beauty's Sake

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Mauritania gavage overeatingIn Mauritania, a West African country situated in between Western Sahara and Senegal, thin isn't considered beautiful. Skinny women are viewed as poor and not able to afford food.

For women to find husbands in Mauritania, they have to be fat. So they force-feed themselves large quantities of camel milk, bread crumbs soaked in olive oil, and goat meat. This practice is referred to as "gavage" — the same name used to describe the force-feeding of ducks to make foie gras.

HBO's new documentary series Vice calls gavage a self-inflicted obesity epidemic. The show sent correspondent Thomas Morton to Mauritania to experience the tradition for himself — and he gained about 10 pounds in two days.

Mauritania, in West Africa, is one of the poorest nations in the world. The country is "suffering from a worsening food crisis," according to Vice.



Even so, about 20% of females in Mauritania are obese, and more than half are overweight. Comparatively, only about 4% of men are obese and 20% are overweight.

Source: World Health Organization



The number of obese women is striking for a country that struggles with drought.

Source: AP



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HOUSE OF THE DAY: Ellen DeGeneres And Portia De Rossi Bought A Stunning California Mansion For $26.5 Million

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Ellen Degeneres and Portia de Rossi Montecito mansionEllen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi have just bought a $26.5 million estate in seaside Montecito, Calif., according to TMZ.

The 13-acre ocean-view estate has a 10,522-square-foot Italian-style villa that was built in 1929. It has six bedrooms and nine fireplaces — every room in the romantic home oozes Tuscan elegance.

The original price was $24.5 million, but according to both TMZ and celebrity real estate blogger The Real Estalker, DeGeneres and de Rossi shelled out $2 million more than that. It had been listed with Village Properties Realtors agent Mitchell Morehart.

Both DeGeneres and de Rossi are known for buying properties and flipping them, so even though this seems like anyone's dream home, don't be surprised if it's back on the market within the year.

This is the Montecito mansion Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi bought for $26.5 million.



The Tuscan-style estate sits on 13 acres of property.



The mansion at over 10,000 square feet of space.



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The Most Scandalous Gowns On The Cannes Red Carpet

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Irina Shayk Cannes 2013

Celebrities, socialites, filmmakers and models have all descended upon Cannes, France for the 66th annual Cannes Film Festival.

But people aren't just talking about the film premieres and parties, the buzz is all about the red carpet.

While some celebrities have gone classy like Nicole Kidman, others like model Irina Shayk (right) are letting it all hang out. Literally.

Model Cara Delevingne had to do a close wave to fans to ensure her dress stayed in place at the festival's opening ceremony.



Paz Vega attended the opening ceremony in a beige bodysuit with a sheer, beaded overlay.



She later went to a premiere nearly revealing her derriere.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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11 Awesome 'Illegal' Airbnb Apartments You Can Rent In New York Right Now

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mansion on airbnb

Earlier this week, an administrative law judge in New York City ruled that a man renting out his East Village apartment through Airbnb violated the city's law. 

New York City has a law that makes it illegal for people to rent out their homes or apartments for less than 29 days. The law is actionable only as a secondary offense, however. 

Still, a good amount of apartments you find on Airbnb don't require a minimum stay of that long. Instead, some hosts only require you stay for a couple of nights. 

Some of these illegally-listed properties come with outdoor showers, hot tubs, and amazing views of the city skyline. 

Note: Click the link below each image to see the full listing on Airbnb.  

This small, sunny studio in West Village is ideal for one person or couples. Minimum stay: 2 nights.



This three-floor brownstone house is perfect for a family vacation. Minimum stay: 14 nights.



"This gorgeous, luxurious Moroccan-feeling Brownstone basement bedroom is decked out with Turkish rugs, Travertine marble tiles, original artwork, a flat screen TV with surround sound and cable (including HBO and Showtime)." Minimum stay: None listed, but just make sure you don't throw any parties or host photo shoots.



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You Can Already See All Of The Hedge Funders Flying Out To The Hamptons Today [MAP]

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FlightAware

A bunch of hedge funders are already heading out to the Hamptons, but don't expect them to all drive there or take public transportation.  

If you check out the East Hampton airport (KHTO) on FlightAware.com, there's been an uptick in flight traffic today.

We've monitoring this situation all week and have noticed flights departing from Westchester and Danbury landing at KHTO. 

Prolific tweeter/Hamptons native/handyman Joe Schwenk (a.k.a. @hamptonsborn) has also been keeping people up-to-date with the air traffic.

If you want, you can search the tail number (the n-number) of the aircraft to see who it belongs to on the Federal Aviation Administration's database.  Sometimes the owner will appear in the database, other times you might have to look up an address. [via John Carney at NetNet]

For example, FAA records show that one of the helicopters has the address of GTI Capital at 150 East 58th Street (24th floor).  And this fixed-wing single engine, which says it's owned by Flying Phox LLC has the same address as Risk & Insurance Magazine.  

You can see all the action on FlightAware.  Here's a screenshot (Click to enlarge): 

FlightAware

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Here's Your Official Guide To The Las Vegas Pool Scene This Summer


Michael Bloomberg Now Owns More Than A Dozen Different Properties Around The Globe

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Michael Bloomberg

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg now owns 14 properties worldwide after purchasing three Hamptons estates in as many years, Capital New York's Dana Rubinstein reports.

In 2011, he bought a $20 million, 35-acre estate in Ballyshear.

He has since acquired an adjacent home as well as a nearby 4.8 acre vacant plot of land.

Bloomberg also owns property in London, Colorado, Bermuda and Florida.

For the first time ever, he also disclosed that he has personal HSBC bank accounts in London, Paris, Bermuda and Hong Kong, in addition to his accounts in America.

Read the full story at Capital New York >

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A Massive Star Wars Lego X-Wing Has Landed In Times Square [PHOTOS]

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Lego X Wing7

"Star Wars" fans rejoice: A full-size Lego X-Wing has landed in Times Square, New York City.

The life-sized model is actually the largest Lego construction ever. It weighs in at over 23 tons, and is comprised of 5,335,200 bricks. The sculpture is 11 feet tall and 43 feet long, with a 44-foot wingspan. 

It was constructed at the Lego Model Shop in Kladno, Czech Republic before it was shipped out to New York. 

There's also a Lego Chewy, R2D2, C3PO and Porkins on display. 

Of course, we had to see this marvel for ourselves, so we hiked it down to Times Square to snap a few pictures. 

It weighs over 23 tons.



There are 5,335,200 bricks.



The model has a 44-foot wingspan.



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8 Things To Do In New York City On Memorial Day Weekend

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Jones Beach

NEW YORK CITY — The unofficial start of summer is not a weekend to be eaten up by chores, errands and obligations.

Take this three-day weekend as an opportunity to set the tone for your entire summer by attending exciting events that will leave you feeling ready for the hot months to come.

Take the highway to the danger zone

Let’s not lose sight of the fact that this holiday is meant to serve as a remembrance for the veterans who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. All weekend, theIntrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum will celebrate the armed services with a variety of events, starting with the annual free screening of “Top Gun” on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. and culminating with a Memorial Day Commemoration Ceremony at 11 a.m. on Monday.

Follow up those activities with some pomp and circumstance at one of the many Memorial Day parades, all of which start at 11 a.m. on Monday: the Allied Veterans Memorial Day Parade at Cypress Avenue between Myrtle Avenue and Madison Street in Queens, the Memorial Day Parade at Rockaway Beach Boulevard between Beach 130 Street and Beach 94 Street, the Brooklyn Memorial Day Parade at 87th Street and 3rd Avenue in Bay Ridge and in Inwood at Dyckman Street and Broadway.

Stroll a street fair

The weather is just right for a street fair — warm enough to be inviting but not so hot that you’re as cooked as the roasted corn and kebabs. If you’re in Queens, you can hit the Greenpoint Avenue Festival on Saturday, the Flushing Festival on Sunday and the Broadway Astoria Festival on Monday.

Manhattanites can hit up the Annual Murray Hill Neighborhood Festival, the Waverly Place Festival or the Lexington Avenue Spring Festival on Saturday. They can follow it with the Annual Spring Jubilee on Lexington Avenue or the Annual Liveable West Side Festival on Sunday. On Monday the Astor Place Block Party will take place between Broadway and Lafayette Street on Astor Place.

Make a run for it

After indulging in delicious street foods, feel the burn at one of the many organized runs happening in the city. Up in the Bronx, the Van Cortlandt Track Club will have a run on Saturday at 8 a.m. Staten Island’s Memorial Day 4 Mile Run will take place on Monday at 9 a.m. For an admission fee of $20, run or walk from Midland Avenue and Father Capodanno Boulevard and compete to win one of the many age categories. AnIce Cream Social Run will also take place on Monday on Roosevelt Island. A 5 and 10k course run around the island will begin at 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. respectively for an entry fee of $30.

Get Arrested… Development

An extra day off? Big deal. Compare that to the comeback of a beloved Fox sitcom to Netflix that was seven years in the making and you’ll quickly reprioritize. French bistro Three Letters in Clinton Hill will be serving a special “Arrested Development”-themed menu in honor of Sunday’s premiere of all 15 new episodes. Starting at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, a prix-fixe menu begins with the “Lucille Bluth Breakfast” — vodka with a side of toast — followed by cornballs, hot ham water, mayonegg, Chicken Gene Parmesan with club sauce, Carl Weathers Stew and Ike & Tina Tuna. For dessert there's frozen bananas and ice cream sandwiches, of course. Videology in Williamsburg will begin Arrested Development Bingo nights starting Wednesday, May 29. And then you can always throw your own “Arrested Development”-themed party.

Hear the band play

Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery is as gorgeous a burial ground as there ever was, especially in the spring when the towering trees bloom. Enjoy the fauna while being serenaded by works of the cemetery’s “permanent residents” Fred Ebb, Louis Moreau Gottschalk, Leonard Bernstein and many others, performed by the ISO Symphonic Band. Reserve a spot for the cemetery trolley tour that begins right after the 2:30 p.m. concert.

Later on in the day, the New York Philharmonic will perform Bruckner’s Symphony No. 3 in D Minor at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. Tickets are first come, first served and will be handed out at 6 p.m. for the 8 p.m. concert.

Hit the beach

Hurricane Sandy be damned. The city parks department maintains 14 miles of beach property and all of it has been restored and is ready to enjoy on May 25 when they officially reopen to the public.

Take the kids out

If the city's street fairs don't seem as kid-friendly as you'd like, the Memorial Day Fairat Sunnyside Park in Queens should prove to be more suited to your little ones. Carnival games, bouncy houses, face painting and plenty of kid-friendly crafts are available from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday in the park.

Terrified of the day that you'll have to have "the talk" with your little one? Why not give them a few hints about what's to come by taking them to Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center at 9 a.m. on Sunday, where they can observe the annual mating rituals of the local horseshoe crabs. Tour guides will bring guests out to the beach at Broad Channel, where they can watch the crabs lay eggs while a variety of shorebirds swoop in looking for a meal.

Or, just drink

The bar is the perfect place to kick back and revel in your 72 hours of unbridled freedom. Check out our roundup of Williamsburg rooftop bars and the best rooftop bars citywide where you can sip cocktails in the sun, so long as the weather cooperates.

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The Sexiest Chefs Alive!

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Emma Hearst

Behind the scenes of every restaurant, there's a high-pressure kitchen where orders continuously pour in and chefs churn out food.

The best chefs handle a tremendous amount of stress while working in hot kitchens and still create delicious meals. And some of them do it with serious style.

From 5-star restaurants to funky food trucks, we scoured restaurants across the U.S. looking for the best of the best. And we weren't just looking for looks: These chefs and chefs-turned-restaurateurs are talented, ambitious, successful, and stylish.

#30 Lisa Giffen

Restaurant:Maison Premiere

Location: Brooklyn, NY

Executive Chef Lisa Giffen serves carefully curated large and small plates of seafood at her critically-acclaimed Williamsburg restaurant.

Though only 31, she has an impressive resume that includes past jobs at Dan Barber's Blue Hill, Ed Brown's now-closed Eighty One, and Alain Ducasse's Adour. She was recently promoted to executive chef at Maison Premiere.

Giffen sources her ingredients locally, and chooses ingredients based on the seasons.



#29 David Chang

Restaurant: momofuku

Location: New York, NY

David Chang is the chef and owner of the popular momofuku empire, which includes the momofuku noodle bar (opened in 2004), momofuku ssäm bar, booker and dax, momofuku ko, má pêche, and momofuku milk bar.

His cookbook, "Momofuku," was released in 2009.

Chang has won numerous accolades: He was named one of the Time 100 in 2010, GQ's Chef of the Year in 2007, and has personally won four James Beard chef awards, including for Outstanding Chef in 2013.

His noodle bar empire has now spread across the globe.



#28 Shannon Bard

Restaurant: Zapoteca

Location: Portland, ME

Oklahoma-native Shannon Bard runs the kitchen at her Mexican restaurant Zapoteca in Maine.

A mother of four, she attended the Culinary Institute of America in San Antonio with a specialization in Oaxacan cuisine.

She also was the runner up in Eater's "The Hottest Chef in Maine" 2013 poll.



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The 10 Best Beaches In America

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hamoa beach hawaii"Dr. Beach" is out with his 23rd annual list of the best beaches in America.

Last year's #1 beach, Coronado Beach in San Diego, was retired after earning the top spot.

Dr. Beach, better known as Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman, is a coastal expert and professor at Florida International University.

He ranks the beaches on 50 criteria including the local scene, sand quality, water quality, smell, and environmental management.

#10 Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, SC



#9 Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, MA



#8 Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks, NC



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