Many marketers work overtime to confuse us about money.

They take advantage of our misunderstanding of the time value of money, of our aversion to reading the fine print, of our childish need for instant gratification and most of all, our conflicted emotional connection to money.

Confusing customers about money can be quite profitable if that's the sort of work you're willing to do.

A few things to keep in mind:

1. The amount of money you have has nothing to do with whether or not you're a good person. Being good with money is a little like being good with cards. People who are good at playing cards aren't better or worse than anyone else, they're just better at playing crazy eights.
2. Money spent on one thing is still the same as money spent on something else. A $500 needless fee on a million-dollar mortgage closing is just as much money as a $500 tip at McDonald's.
3. If you borrow money to make money, you've done something magical. On the other hand, if you go into debt to pay your bills or buy something you want but don't need, you've done something stupid. Stupid and short-sighted and ultimately life-changing for the worse.
4. To go along with #3: getting out of debt as fast as you possibly can is the smartest thing you can do with your money. If you need proof to confirm this, ask anyone with money to show you the math. Hint: credit card companies make more profit than just about any other companies in the world.
5. There's no difference (in terms of the money you have) between spending money and not earning money, no difference between not-spending money and getting a raise (actually, because of taxes, you're even better off not-spending). If you've got cable TV and a cell phone, you're spending $4,000 a year. $6,000 before taxes.
6. If money is an emotional issue for you, you've just put your finger on a big part of the problem. No one who is good at building houses has an emotional problem with hammers. Place your emotional problems where they belong, and focus on seeing money as a tool.
7. Like many important, professional endeavors, money has its own vocabulary. It won't take you long to learn what opportunity cost, investment, debt, leverage, basis points and sunk costs mean, but it'll be worth your time.
8. Never sign a contract or make an investment that you don't understand at least as well as the person on the other side of the transaction.
9. If you've got a job, a steady day job, now's the time to figure out a way to earn extra income in your spare time. Freelancing, selling items on Etsy, building a side business--two hundred extra dollars every week for the next twenty years can create peace of mind for a lifetime.
10. The chances that a small-time investor will get lucky by timing the stock market or with other opaque investments are slim, fat and none.
11. The way you feel about giving money to good causes has a lot to do with the way you feel about money.
12. Don't get caught confusing money with security. There are lots of ways to build a life that's more secure, starting with the stories you tell yourself, the people you surround yourself with and the cost of living you embrace. Money is one way to feel more secure, but money alone won't deliver this.
13. Rich guys busted for insider trading weren't risking everything to make more money for the security that money can bring. In fact, the very opposite is starkly shown here. The insatiable need for more money is directly (and ironically) related to not being clear about what will ultimately bring security. Like many on this path, now they have neither money nor security.
14. In our culture, making more money feels like winning, and winning feels like the point.
15. Within very wide bands, more money doesn't make people happier. Learning how to think about money, though, usually does.
16. In the long run, doing work that's important leads to more happiness than doing work that's merely profitable.

SEE ALSO: 21 ways rich people think differently

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Buckingham Palace has just given official word declaring Prince William and Kate Middleton's unborn child's royal title.

While the  couple doesn't yet know the baby's sex, their first born — the future  King or Queen of England — shall be called ... drum roll please ...

His or Her Royal Highness the Prince or Princess of Cambridge.

"Considering the fact that dad and mom are the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, it's not exactly a shocker that their little one should take the surname," explains E! Online. "What is unique, though, is that this royal baby will be the first ever Prince or Princess of Cambridge."

The Mayor of Cambridge, Paul Sandars, told the Daily Mail the royal baby's title "a great honour" to the historical university town, which is located about 50 miles north of London.

As for the child's first name, experts are betting that the little royal will be called "George" if a boy and "Alexandra" if a girl.

Other frontrunner female names include Alice, Eleanor, Charlotte and Frances, and James as an additional top pick for a baby boy.

The sex of the baby will be announced on an easel outside of Buckingham Palace after Middleton has successfully given birth.

The baby's name could remain a secret for weeks after that.

While Middleton's reported due date isn't until July 13, the paparazzi have already been camped outside St. Mary's hospital since last week.

SEE ALSO: Prince William And Kate Middleton's Baby Could Have One Of These Names

SEE ALSO: Kate Middleton Is Due To Give Birth Next Week And The Paparazzi Is Already Camped Out

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Where I come from, the Minnesota State Fair is a big deal.

Every August, people from all over the state flock to the St. Paul area for the fair, one of the biggest in the U.S. Visitors can see concerts, ride the rides, and eat some of the most outrageous fried food in the nation.

Naturally, I got a little homesick when my mom emailed to remind me of "everything you'll be missing at the State Fair," with a link to all the new food concoctions being served this year. 

From fried pickles with chocolate sauce to something called "Comet Corn," here's what I'm sad I'm missing out on this year. This year's fair runs from August 22nd to September 2nd, so there's still time to book your plane ticket.

Double Bacon Corndog: "Bacon-wrapped hot dog dipped in a corndog batter blended with real bacon bits then deep fried."

*Campbell's Flavored Corndogs, located on Cosgrove St., across from the Education Building. (New food vendor for 2013)

Grilled Glazed Donut: "Traditional glazed donut grilled and served with a strawberry mint dipping sauce."

Moe & Joe's, located on Judson Ave., next to the CHS Miracle of Birth Center.

Fried Pickles 'n' Chocolate: "Preferred Pickles' popular deep fried pickles dusted with powdered sugar and served with a side of chocolate for dipping."

Preferred Pickles, located on the corner of Dan Patch Ave. and Liggett St.

Buying a home isn’t easy.

The bank watches your credit report like a jewel thief casing a diamond distributor, the seller can’t make up their minds about leaving the dryer behind, and the realtor is taking forever to draw up the paperwork.

Still, your dream home feels just days away, just one more signature to go. Relatives offer advice, tell you to conduct a thorough inspection of the property.

“Don’t get caught with a cracked foundation,” they’ll say. You ask all the right questions, get all the detailed reports. Trouble is, those questions don’t yield the right answers. Two months later, you discover dangerous chemicals seeping out from the walls in your new residence or evidence a violent murder took place in your bedroom months prior.

Angry at the seller? You should be. Want your money back? Good luck – full disclosure is tough to come by, and in some states, lies by omission are perfectly legal.

My Home was a Meth Lab and No One Told Me 

Illegal production of methamphetamine in the United States has reached epidemic proportions. The Office of National Drug Control Policy estimates the economic cost to society of meth use in this country between $16.2 billion and $48.3 billion annually. The burden of addiction, coupled with the cost of finding and shutting down meth labs, is a drag on local economies and the nation as a whole.

There’s also the issue of what to do with homes used for creating meth once the authorities have removed the criminals. Lethal chemicals seep into the walls of these properties, and can leach out over time, sickening anyone living inside. Meth Lab Cleanup, a national training and abatement company, estimates there are currently 2.5 million meth-contaminated homes in the United States. For every 10 homes used for meth production, experts say, authorities uncover just one.

Would you believe realtors are selling these homes at deep discounts to unsuspecting buyers? The signs that properties were former meth labs, particularly residue on walls and flat surfaces, aren’t always apparent. Sadly, the law may exempt realtors from testing a home for the dangerous compounds that can accumulate after meth production.

Cooking methamphetamine requires corrosive chemicals and toxic substances. The degradation the combination of these compounds can cause is extensive.

It happened in Oregon when the Hankins family purchased their dream home for what they thought was a steal at $36,000, according to Yahoo! News. They bought the place “as is,” meaning the home had no safety inspection conducted by a licensed building contractor. Sure, it needed some work, but for a home that cheap who could pass it up?

Symptoms occurred almost immediately with Beth Hankins experiencing breathing problems, Jonathan Hankins suffering migraines and nosebleeds, and the couple’s young son developing mouth sores. Something in the house was making them sick, and it grew worse by the day. A $50 test kit purchased by the family revealed chemical contamination levels more than 80 times those accepted by the Oregon Health Authority. The results confirmed what a neighbor had told them a day prior – the Hankins had unknowingly purchased a former meth lab.

The couple received no warning from their real estate agent or Freddie Mac, the mortgage lender, about drug activity in the home. Many states across the country, including Oregon, require homeowners to disclose if their homes were used as meth labs, but only if the properties appear on a list verified by the Oregon Health Authority. That means authorities have to uncover the labs and prosecute those responsible for creating them. However, the most recent data suggests the majority of labs go undetected. That loophole is big enough for realtors and mortgage lenders to plow dump trucks full of cash through.

How Do I Avoid a Home that Was a Meth Lab?

If the realtor or homeowner won’t tell you the truth, you have to do the research yourself. Finding out if the home you’re considering for purchase was a former meth lab is a multi-part process. Here are the important steps to remember:

• Visit the Drug Enforcement Agency’s National Clandestine Laboratory Register: this list contains the addresses for all homes discovered by authorities to be meth labs. The searchable database has addresses arranged by state and city.
• Talk to the Neighbors: families in the neighborhood know what went on in the creepy house at the end of the street. Talk to them, find out if any strange goings on occurred.
• Reach Out to Local Police: visit local police stations and municipalities and inquire about any arrests or issues involving the property. Arrest records are usually available to the public without a fee.
• Buy a Test Kit for the Property: Meth cleanup can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $150,000. However, the test kit to determine if there are dangerous chemicals from its production runs about $50 – $80 with expedited results. Buy one, and test the property before you buy.

The volatile chemicals involved with meth production can lead to catastrophic fires resulting in total destruction of the property and anything in the immediate vicinity.

Violent Crimes in the Home and Full Disclosure

Ever heard the rumor that a house down the street sits on a Native American burial ground? Urban legends on haunted houses provide the basis for no shortage of scary stories and television shows where ‘experts’ hunt ghosts and conduct séances. Should buyers be aware that a potential home for sale has a haunted history, or serves as the location of a violent crime?

While laws concerning meth production disclosure are somewhat vague, they're outright absent when it comes to informing potential buyers of violent crimes in homes for sale. In January 2013, a Pennsylvania Superior Court ruled that homeowners don’t have to disclose if violent acts, including murders or suicides, have taken place inside the property, according to TribLive News. So-called “psychological defects” of a home are too great a variable from one person to the next to consider them material defects warranting disclosure, the court stated. While one tragic event could give someone pause in buying a given home, another buyer may not care about the circumstances at all.

Janet S. Milliken was just three weeks past the closing date on her $600,000 home when she learned a grisly murder-suicide had taken place there 14 months prior. She sued to get out of the massive mortgage, saying there’s no way she would’ve purchased the home had she known about its history. The court disagreed, and now Milliken is stuck paying the home loan in full. Unless, of course, she chooses to sell the property.

Half of all states have laws requiring homeowners to disclose if violent crimes have occurred in a home for sale, according to the National Association of Realtors. The majority of regulations only require disclosure of crimes within three years of the sale date. If Milliken had purchased her home in California, for example, she would have been able to get out from under her six-figure mortgage because of the homeowner’s failure to disclose the murder-suicide.

Buying a home that used to be a meth lab is like living above a toxic waste dump. Chemical residue from production of the drug seeps into the walls and insulation sickening any who come in contact with it.

Photo Credit: Flickr

What Can I Do to Find Out if a Crime Happened in a Home?

Just ask. A real estate agent who lies to you about a home’s history under your direct questioning is probably committing fraud. Have a frank, ‘cards on the table’ type discussion with the seller and ask them to be fair and honest with you. Intentionally giving misleading answers to facilitate the sale of their home could give you legal recourse to void the sale, if it’s later revealed that a violent murder or other crime happened on the property. You can also pull public arrest records for the home, in the same way you would check for a meth lab, by visiting local authorities. You might also ask around the neighborhood, inquiring if the home you want to buy has a particularly bad reputation.

As a general rule: if you’re not 100 percent certain you’ve found the home you want, don’t sign the mortgage.

Homes with a checkered past may deter some buyers while encouraging others. It all depends on personal taste, though it never hurts to ask the realtor about the property’s history.

Photo Credit: Flickr

What Must a Seller Tell Me About Their Property?

Federal regulations require home sellers to make potential buyers aware of the presence of potentially hazardous materials, including asbestos or lead-based paint, in the property. Some state laws also require sellers to complete home questionnaires that list the potential problems with the home, from structural defects to plumbing issues. Other potential hazards that require disclosure on a seller form:

• Carbon Monoxide – this odorless, tasteless, and colorless gas is toxic to humans. Inhalation of vapors can lead to giddiness, loss of consciousness, and death. A seller may have to disclose any previous problems with carbon monoxide levels, according to MSN Real Estate.
• Formaldehyde – the carcinogenic organic compound is used a preservative agent in some woods, paints, and foam insulation for homes built in 1970s.
• Radon – the radioactive gas seeps up from the ground and can permeate a home for years, resulting in sickness, and cancer growth. If a homeowner has a property tested for radon, they must disclose the results to all potential buyers.

No matter how much you love a home, it’s important to make the buying decision about finances and safety – not emotion. Make sure you have every last drop of information there is about a property: a report from a licensed inspector, disclosure questionnaire from the seller, and a review of any known hazards from the real estate agent. The law may not be on your side with some disclosures, including prior meth labs or violent crimes, but you can reduce the chances of entering into a devil’s agreement for a home that you thought was a dream, but was in reality a nightmare.

SEE ALSO: World Drug Report Reveals The Staggering Extent Of North America's Meth Problem

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The Paula Deen racism scandal seems to have no expiration date.

Ever since the release of a deposition in which the former Food Network star acknowledged using racist epithets, controversy has swelled.

Deen had a very public breakdown on the TODAY show, companies distanced themselves from her brand, and she recently split from longtime agent Barry Weiner.

Given the fallout, it's unlikely the inventor of deep-fried lasagna will make a comeback.

Thankfully, there's a new generation of Southern chefs on the rise, and they don't need a deep fryer to make fantastic food. Sarah Simmons, an acclaimed Southern chef and founder of New York's CITY GRIT Culinary Salon, helped us find 12 promising candidates who could surpass Paula Deen's fame in the Southern cooking arena.

Jeremiah Langhorne

Restaurant:McCrady's Restaurant, Charleston, SC

Jeremiah Langhorne is the executive chef of McCrady's Restaurant in Charleston, SC — a far cry from his first job as a pizza deliveryman in Charlottesville, VA.

Inspired by the staff at that little Italian restaurant, he began cooking and even traveled to famed-restaurant Noma in Denmark to complete a two-month stage.

He describes his food at McCrady's as "modern Southern cuisine with indigenous ingredients" that he either grows or forages.

Stand Out Dish: Pork Belly Lettuce Wraps

Kelly English

Restaurant:Restaurant Iris, Memphis, TN

Kelly English traveled from New Orleans to Memphis and opened Restaurant Iris in 2008.

Since then, English has won numerous awards and accolades. He has appeared on Food Network's "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" as well as been a James Beard Award Semifinalist for Best Chef: Southeast in 2010.

His food is French-Creole and New Orleans-inspired, with local and seasonal ingredients.

Stand Out Dish: Sweet corn griddle cakes with crab ravigot

Ashley Christensen

Restaurant:Ashley Christensen Restaurants, Raleigh, NC

After working at Raleigh's top kitchens, Ashley opened Poole's Diner in 2007 with a chalkboard menu of comfort-food made with locally grown, seasonal ingredients.

Now six years later, she has three other ventures including Chuck's, Beasley's Chicken + Honey, and Fox Liquor Bar, all relying on Southern classics with her French technique.

In 2008, Bon Appétit named her one of its "Female Chefs of the Next Generation" and Christensen is also a three-time James Beard semi-finalist for "Best Chef: Southeast."

Stand Out Dish: Captain Andy's Paleo Burger Platter at Chuck's

Oregon is on its way to becoming the first state to implement a radical new program that would let students attend state schools without taking out a single loan or paying out of pocket.

The "Pay it Forward, Pay it Back" plan lets students enroll with no money down, so long as they agree to pay up to 3% of their future salaries back into a state fund annually for 24 years. 

"If it's done correctly it's essentially creating a social insurance vehicle for enabling access to higher education," said John Burbank, executive director of the Economic Opportunity Institute, the Washington state-based think tank that helped come up with the idea. The EOI passed it on to students from Portland State University, who brought it to the legislature's attention.

Students are clearly driving the push for tuition reform across the country, as the nation grapples with a $1 trillion debt load, state funding for schools has been slashed left and right and more and more students turn to student loans to fill the gap.

In January, students from cash-strapped University of California Riverside proposed the UC Student Investment Proposal, a plan to collect 5% of state school graduates' income annually for 20 years in exchange for allowing them to enroll in school with no upfront fees.

The way both plans work, no payments would be collected from graduates unless they are gainfully employed, which means they'd be off the hook while in graduate school or out of work. It's a lot like the income-based repayment plan that students who take out federal student loans are already entitled to. IBR caps payments at 10-15% of their income over a 25-year period, after which any remaining debt is forgiven.

But there's a huge difference with Oregon's plan that is worth noting. With the federal IBR plan, graduates must pay taxes on the amount of debt forgiven.

Oregon students wouldn't be charged taxes on any remaining debt after the 24-year repayment period expires, which could mean even more savings.

So far, Oregon is the only state to really make moves to put such a plan in place. Lawmakers unanimously approved a committee to develop a pilot program for Pay it Forward, Pay it Back, but it would be at least until 2015 before they decide to move ahead or not.

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The porcelain goddess, the loo, the crapper, the throne, or the john.

We all use the toilet.

In fact, the average person will end up spending 3 years of their life in the restroom.

But the privy we know and love today is far different from the ones our ancestors used.

So, how did it get to where it is now? 

Watch below to find out:

Produced by Daniel Goodman

SEE ALSO: How To Make An American Flag Out Of Bacon

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There's one word you need to know when traveling abroad: Beer.

Reddit user T-Other1 helpfully posted a map created by The Drey onto /r/linguisitcs that shows the various words for beer across Europe.

It's also broken down by common pronunciation, so saying "Beer," Ale, "Pivo," or "Cerveza" will help you get by almost anywhere.

Anywhere, that is, unless you're traveling in one of the outliers — sör, ludi, and jough will work in Hungary, Georgia, and the UK respectively.

SEE ALSO: 10 Awesome Rooftop Bars In Philadelphia

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There's no question the U.S. population is shifting.

With the Senate passing a major immigration reform bill and a U.S. Census report forecasting that white people will become a minority in the US by 2043, we are slowly inching towards a much more diverse future.

NerdWallet, a financial website for consumers, calculated which cities had the most equal distribution of residents across four common ethnic groups: Hispanic/Latino, White, Black, and Asian/Pacific Islander. It looked at Census data from more than 1,900 places. The more equal the percentages, the better their diversity score (with 100 being perfect).

These 20 cities are where you can see what the future of American might look like:

And here's the full list of the least diverse cities:

SEE ALSO: The 15 Healthiest Cities In America

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Switzerland's first caviar, Oona, comes from farmed Siberian sturgeon in the Swiss Alps.

Reuters' Caroline Copley visited the facility in December 2011, during the first harvest.

Employees in white aprons and latex gloves meticulously hand-pick fish eggs to produce some of the world's finest caviar.

Caviar is the unfertilized eggs of fish, also known as roe. Caviar can come from several varieties of fish, but traditionally refers to fish eggs from wild sturgeon in the Caspian Sea. Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan, which border the Caspian sea, are the world's largest producers of caviar.

Sturgeon have been around since before the dinosaurs, but today they are threatened from overfishing. Sturgeon do not reproduce annually — it can take up to 20 years for the fish to mature so they can produce roe — which makes the species especially vulnerable to over-exploitation.

As a result, several species of sturgeon are now farmed.

The first formidable opponent to the Cronut has risen out of Canada: The Crookie.

The Cronut, you may recall, combined the flaky texture of a croissant with the crunch and shape of a donut. 

Now comes the Crookie, which pairs a croissant with an Oreo cookie.

It was invented by Clafouti Patisserie & Cafe in Toronto after local blog The Grid asked local bakeries to come up with inventive hybrid desserts.

The Grid described the concoction as "Part classy French pastry, part trashy American junk food."

Clafouti owner Olivier Jansen-Reynaud told The Grid he chose the Oreo because it is one of his favorite snack foods. 

“We tried several shapes and sizes, and had to be careful combining the different textures and letting the dough rise slowly so the cookies’ cream would not ooze out,” he said.

The Grid called the Crookie "delicious" and ABC News reported the café is fielding calls from customers asking to reserve the pastries, and for large orders on the weekend.

Clafouti is selling about a dozen Crookies per day and demand is reportedly on the rise.

Meanwhile, people are continuing to line up for New York City's cronut. 

SEE ALSO: This Map Shows The Most Famous Brand From Every State

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Selling any home can be challenging, depending on the market. But if you have an old home and want to appeal to young buyers in their 20s and early 30s, you may need to take some extra steps.

First, you'll need to assuage the fears of those young buyers about maintaining a home that was around during the real "Mad Men" days. Second, you'll need to showcase the features that have the most appeal to young couples and families. The following eight tips won't cost a lot of money, and they could reap you an early offer.

Pre-inspect your home

One of the most difficult decisions for home sellers is to figure out how much to spend on home improvements before putting the house on the market.

"I always recommend paying for a home inspection, especially if the owners are elderly and have not had the money or energy to keep the house in good repair," says Lane Tharp, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Dunwoody, Ga. "An inspection will help determine if there's anything that absolutely must be done before putting the house on the market."

In addition to a general home inspection, Debby Strott, manager of Weichert Realtors' Morristown West office in Morristown, N .J., recommends that homeowners get the heating and air-conditioning system cleaned and inspected. She suggests having septic systems pumped.

"This provides peace of mind for buyers," Strott says. "You can put the service contract or reports with your marketing materials."

Buy a home warranty

Strott recommends that sellers buy home warranties that cover repairs for the systems (electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling) and appliances in the home. Most home warranties are available as one-year policies and provide coverage while the property is on the market and after the closing.

A home warranty costs around $300 to $400 and reassures buyers that they won't be faced with a major repair expense in their first year of homeownership, Strott says.

Offer a possible expansion or renovation plan

"Most Realtors know a contractor, so it would be fairly simple for a Realtor to get a ballpark estimate of sample fit-and-finish renovation projects such as replacing the flooring or renovating a bathroom," says Scott Lacey, a renovation specialist with Weichert Financial Services in North Providence, R.I. "Younger buyers don't always realize that everything they see can be changed with a renovation. If they like the home based on the location, the schools and the general style, they can be persuaded to buy if they can see the possibilities that come with a renovation."

Sellers can pay for simple drawings that show some renovation options that would work well with the home's configuration and its lot.

Strott recommends that sellers find out about any permit issues with an expansion such as height or setback restrictions or wetland and to include that information with marketing materials.

Provide renovation loan information

Mortgages are available that allow homebuyers to borrow money to buy the home plus money to pay for renovations. The most popular renovation mortgage program is called the FHA 203(k). The loans are insured by the Federal Housing Administration .

"Younger buyers who are looking at homes that are 20 or 30 years old are likely to look at the kitchen and baths and want to renovate," Lacey says. "A seller can provide information about an FHA 203(k) loan with their marketing materials to show buyers that they can wrap renovation costs into their mortgage."

Lacey says listing agents should prepare a cost analysis of a standard mortgage and an FHA 203(k) loan to demonstrate the availability of the loan program and to show buyers what the mortgage payments would be based on prospective renovation plans at various price points such as $5,000, $25,000 or $50,000.

Offer a credit for repairs

"Sellers don't always have the money or the energy to make repairs themselves, and besides, some buyers will want to do renovations their own way," Strott says. "You can offer a credit back for repairs, and suggest to buyers that your home could be an opportunity for them to make it reflect their own personality."

While repair credits are often part of the negotiating process, if you know some things will need fixing, you can provide information about the credit upfront to prospective buyers, so they know they won't have to pay for a new furnace as soon as they move in.

Lighten and brighten your home

"Homes that were built decades ago are darker with smaller windows, so to compensate for that, you need to remove the heavy window treatments and clean the windows to make sure as much light as possible is coming in," Tharp says. "Use the brightest light bulbs you can and update your light fixtures."

Trim shrubs covering windows, remove old carpet from hardwood floors and remove dark, heavy furniture.

Strott says, "Keep it simple: Get rid of your collections and sentimental things, so buyers can visualize themselves in the home."

Highlight neighborhood amenities

Younger buyers often are interested in schools, even if they don't have children yet, Tharp says.

"Your marketing materials should mention everything that appeals to young couples and families such as the location near commuter routes or public transportation, swimming pools, tennis courts, a gym, or nearby shops and restaurants," Tharp says. "You need to think about what young buyers are most interested in, and then market your house accordingly."

If your home has a great yard or a prime location within a subdivision close to the elementary school or a park, you should make sure that's highlighted in your marketing, Strott says.

Paint your home in neutral colors

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It's summer time. And that means it's time to enjoy delicious, cold, fresh-tasting cocktails.

We decided to visit one of New York City's top bartenders – Thomas Waugh of the newly-opened ZZ's Clam Bar. ZZ's is an upscale cocktail spot and raw bar by the owners of Torrisi and Carbone, two of the city's hottest restaurants.

Waugh creates all of the cocktails for ZZ's and showed us a few of his favorites. One of those is his version of an old Kentucky classic – The Pendennis Club. It's named after a private club in Louisville, Kentucky and his rendition looks and tastes delicious. Watch the video below to learn how to make it yourself:

Produced by Robert Libetti

SEE ALSO: The Secret To Perfectly Deboning And Cooking A Whole Fish

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When he's not starring in action flicks like The Bourne Legacy and The Avengers, actor Jeremy Renner likes to deal in real estate.

According to an August profile in Esquire, Renner has flipped roughly 15 Los Angeles-area homes with his business partner Kristoffer Winters over the past decade.

But this might be his biggest sale yet. A gorgeous Holmby Hills mansion he listed six months ago for $24.95 million has sold, according to Trulia. 

The home is a staggering 10,000-square-foot, single-level mansion sitting on two acres of land. It has six bedrooms, 11 baths, five fireplaces, a theater, and multiple pools and fountains scattered throughout the property.

And although it may be worth the hefty price tag, we won't know the final figure until the house is out of contract.

The estate was last purchased for $7 million back in 2010, and was rebuilt by architect Philip Vertoch and designed by Kristoffer Winters.

Welcome to the Holmby Hills estate.

The sprawling home sits on approximately two acres of land in LA.

Source: The Reserve | Holmby Hills

It has an art deco-theme, and was designed by Architect Phillip Vertoch.

Source: The Reserve | Holmby Hills

Caught a cold but don't want to chafe your face? The two best tissues out there are Puffs Ultra Soft & Strong and Kleenex Lotion Aloe & E, according to Consumer Reports. 

The Puffs & Kleenex "blew away" the competition with an unusual combination of sturdiness and softness. The Puffs received a score of 87 out of 100 on the Consumer Reports scale, and the Kleenex received an 81. The latter was also deemed a Consumer Reports "Best Buy."

CR ran tests on 18 different types of facial tissue to evaluate their overall performance, evaluating both 2 and 3-ply products. Human hands determined the relative softness of each tissue while a machine was used to test tissue strength in terms of flexibility and resistance to tearing or stretching.

Here are the top five tissue brands and scores:

1. Puffs Ultra Soft & Strong: 87/100

2. Kleenex Lotion Aloe & E: 81/100

3. Puffs Plus Lotion: 75/100

4. Kleenex Ultra Soft: 73/100

5. Puffs Basic: 71/100

SEE ALSO: Consumer Reports Says The Best Sunscreens Aren't The Most Expensive Ones

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Instagram users have been able to print their photos in a variety of ways for a while, but a new startup wants to let them turn their pictures into actual oil paintings.

The company, Pixelist, works with a group of Chinese artists living in Xiamen, Fujian, to turn Instagram photos into handcrafted artwork. There are no machines involved, just real painters making real paintings. 

The way it works is simple: Pick an Instagram photo and send it over. The artists paint it and send it back. 

Pixelist recently launched an IndieGoGo campaign to get its initial funding and start selling the product. For $110, you can get a 12"x12" oil painting of an Instagram photo with roughly two main forms (human, animal, object, etc). Painting sizes can get as large as 6'x6' (with up to 10 forms).

Pixelist isn't for every photo, but it's one of the coolest ways to get a physical version of your Instagrams that we've seen in awhile.

This example shows the Instagram on the left and the Pixelist painting on the right with a closeup of the painting underneath.

Founders Will Freeman and Conor Colwell lived in Hong Kong as they developed the concept.

They spent months searching for the right artists to get the right price and quality to appeal to Instagram users.

Legal marijuana is spreading across the country, with Colorado and Washington leading the way with legalizing recreational use.

Though it's a good bet that many "legal" marijuana smokers don't fully understand where that weed comes from, or what business pitfalls come along with crafting the different strains of cannabis featuring varying levels of THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol, the main chemical responsible for the high marijuana produces) potency.

Business Insider was invited to check out the grow operation of a local home medical marijuana producer in Washington State. We'll call him "Will" to protect his identity.

Will, a former welder who jumped into growing last November, is worried about the common grower fears of being shut down by the feds. But he's also concerned that the very same bill that led him to jump into the growing business, could now actually kill his budding operation.

Will is especially concerned at the potential high taxes that could be levied on cannabis in the state, which could hit 75 percent. Washington State hopes to use these taxes to bolster its waning coffers and keep it in the black.

Keeping the state coffers in the black could put Will in the red. To save his business, Will has started trying to grow some of the most THC-potent strains in the world to meet the high demands of the changing consumer base.

Come take a look inside the home grow operation of a man trying to overcome the loss of his wife to cancer last year and who is fighting the daily pain of the disks in his back having almost totally degenerated.

Will's home and grow operation is in the mountains south of Olympic National Park.

It's remote. His only connection to the outside world is this satellite dish.

This is Will. When Washington state voters approved a law allowing recreational marijuana use, he wasted no time finding the best pot in the world to start his business.

Travel + Leisure just released the results of its World's Best Awards, which ranks the world's best hotels, among other categories.

To compile these awards, the magazine asked its readers to vote on the best hotels they've traveled to, factoring in everything from rooms and food to service and location.

This year, Botswana's Mombo Camp and Little Mombo Camp took the top spot, ousting last year's winner, Tanzania's Singita Grumeti Reserves.

#10: Singita Sabi Sand, Kruger National Park Area, South Africa

Score: 95.64

#9: Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve, Kruger National Park Area, South Africa

Score: 95.71

#8: The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur, India

Score: 95.73

Your boss is nagging you — again — wanting to know where the reports are. They were due yesterday. The kids are bored, driving your wife nuts at home all summer. It’ll be months before you get any more time off. But you need it now. Not later.

As the news loops in the background, you start drifting to dreamland… smiling in your mind as you feel the breeze blowing in your face, like you were standing portside on the Carnival Dream.

BUZZZZ! Your alarm yanks you from your fantasy, kicking and screaming.

But, it’s too late; it’s in your mind. You’re going to find a cruise that you and your family can afford to take — if it’s the last thing you do.

There Are Affordable Cruises

No worries. Your dream is about to come true.

Thanks to the accessibility of people booking their own cruise vacations, off-season travel and last minute deals, you’ll be leaning on those boat side rails in no time, without the financial guilt to make your stomach feel like it went overboard.

Cruises that were once only for the rich and famous are priced more affordably than ever, especially if you know what you’re looking for and where to find it.

Tips for Snagging a Cruise for Cheap

1. Book late

The later you book, the harder the cruise liners are pushing to make sure they sell out the available rooms. In most cases, within 60-90 days of departure is when you’ll find the best deals, because that’s the time the current passengers have to finalize their bookings (pony up or lose out). If you want to take a chance (and can), buying tickets the day the vessel leaves port can save you around 80% of the normal ticket price!

2. Be flexible

If you’re fixed to a particular time and departure city, you won’t have as many options. But, if you can let savings dictate departure time, you have the potential to save a lot of money.

3. Look close to home

Go local and save on airfare. You can grab deals like Carnival’s $179 Caribbean cruises. Wow. If you live in or nearby Miami or other ports-of-call, you can snag obscenely amazing savings on four-day cruises to gorgeous destinations. In fact, if you live in any coastal state, you’ll be able to get to a departure port fairly easily. Check Carnival.com for their list of departure ports and find a cruise near you.

4. Be willing to settle for off-peak and repositioning trips

When the seasons change, cruise liners often change homeports. This is called repositioning. If you’re willing to travel during this time, you’ll not only have the benefit of unique ports-of-call, but great savings, as well. Off-peak travel is a bit different than repositioning cruises and may come with the hazard of less appealing weather. But if your goal is to cruise no matter what, off-peak might be perfect.

5. Travel in a group

If you have a special occasion approaching, or some celebration you want your family and friends to join, try a group cruise. When booking as a group, you’ll be able to negotiate lower rates.

6. Bid on it

As with airlines, there are websites like skyauction.com or allcruiseauction.com, where you can bid on your cruise of choice. Again, you’ll have to be flexible with departure times, and possibly, location. Make sure to read the fine print; you don’t want any surprises when it comes to fees associated with your purchase.

7. Sacrifice height or width

If you’re willing to go with lower room height, you’ll save more than those paying for upper deck rooms. The higher you go, the more expensive the rooms get. Also, smaller cabins or cabins without balconies always cost less. Consider where on the ship you need to be before paying for cabin size or locations you don’t need.

Flexibility is your key to an affordable cruise; it will help you take that exotic vacation you’ve always dreamed of.

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Singapore Airlines (SIA) has revealed the latest generation of seats they will be fitting in all new aircraft from September. Passengers on certain flights on the London-Singapore route will be the first to experience them.

Although the new seats are evolutionary, rather than revolutionary, and initially will be fitted to only eight new Boeing 777s, they are significant in some respects.

They reflect the changing demands of passengers, particularly in the way they can use their own electronic devices in conjunction with those of the aircraft, and provide further evidence of the ferocity of competition in the airline business.

Their development also represents the antithesis to the degrading factory farming attitude to passenger wellbeing of Ryanair and its ilk. The seats have been specifically designed to allow greater attention from cabin crew.

SIA is investing nearly US$150 million (£101m) to introduce the seats – ‘cabin products’ in the jargon - on eight Boeing 777-300ER aircraft due for delivery in September.

“It demonstrates our confidence in the future for premium full-service air travel,” said SIA’s Executive Vice President Commercial, Mr Mak Swee Wah.

The new seats will also be installed in the Airbus A350s that SIA expects to be operating from the end of 2015. While the seats could be retro-fitted to existing aircraft in SIA’s fleet there are so far no plans to do so.

The main changes are: in economy, softer, more comfortable chairs, an extra inch of legroom, power sockets and handy USB ports; in business class, more stowage space and better lighting, along with a flat bed 28 inches wide - the industry’s widest, claim SIA. In first class the bed is even bigger – 35 inches wide and 82 inches long. The first class seats, of which there are only eight on the 777 - all upholstered in dark brown leather - offer greater privacy, more cubby holes for stowing personal possessions and more sophisticated lighting.

The Panasonic in-flight entertainment system, controlled with touch-screen handsets, is the same in all three classes, except for the size of the LCD screens. All are bigger.

Those in first have been increased to 24 inches, in business to 18 inches and in economy to 11 inches. With some 230 movies, 340 TV programmes, 80 games, 790 CDs, as well as radio, audio books and Berlitz language lessons, there are more than a thousand options available on demand. Passengers in first and business classes have noise-cancellation headphones.

In-flight connectivity will allow internet surfing, emailing and text-messaging, services that SIA have already introduced to a number of their existing aircraft. All the new seats will have USB ports; in first and business there will also be HDMI ports to allow passengers to view their own video or photos through their seat screens.

One novel feature is that you can send messages to passengers in other parts of the plane, which will be useful for groups. But if Charlize Theron in seat 1A wants to block any billets doux from her admirer in 47D, she can.

Some personal observations from today’s launch – I was interested when James Park, managing director of London-based James Park Associates, who were involved in designing the business class cabin, told me that part of his brief was for all seats to be forward facing. SIA customer research has shown that people don’t like flying backwards.

They have also retained the elaborate bed arrangement in first and business classes which involves a cabin attendant folding down the seat backrest to form the bed platform. Apparently that ‘enhances the interface’ between passenger and crew. Who wouldn’t like to have their bed made for them by a Singapore flight attendant?

The dedicated bed also means you sleep on fresh linen, not on a leather seat. “Who wants to sit on a bed or sleep on a sofa?” as one designed put it to me.

Was it significant that the launch took place within days of BA introducing its A380? If you haven’t got a new aircraft to announce, you might as well invite 100 or so members of the international media to see you unveil a seat.

The new economy chair did seem very comfortable and for me, at 5ft 10ins, legroom would not be a problem. But upper body room would. It will be difficult either to eat or work at the small tray table when the seat in front is fully reclined.

The business class seat is a whopping 28 inches wide, almost 50 per cent wider than those in rival airlines. Some people don’t like it, but who in their right mind ever complained of too much room in an airliner?

PHOTOS: Qatar Airways Made Its Boeing Dreamliner Look Totally Awesome

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