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George Soros' Ex-Wife Is Selling Her Gorgeous NYC Apartment For $39 Million

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Susan Soros Apartment

George Soros' ex-wife, Susan, is selling her five bedroom apartment on New York's Upper West Side for $39 million, says the Wall Street Journal.

In addition to 6,000-square-feet and a view of Central Park, the apartment comes with an 800-square-foot guest apartment three floors down (the 16th floor). Then there are the 9.5 foot high ceilings, the meditation room, the five bathrooms, the two terraces.

You get the picture, this place is beyond nice.

Patty LaRocco of Town Residential has the listing.


First off, this view is to die for. The Majestic is on Central Park West, of course.



There's a lot of common space in the apartment.



Like this modern living room.



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How Weird Government Regulations Led To Portland's Vegan Strip Club

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casa diablo strip club

Newark Mayor Cory Booker (D) recently exchanged some friendly Twitter messages with Lynsie Lee, a stripper who works at Casa Diablo, a vegan strip club in Portland, Oregon.

The only interesting part of this story (original story here, NSFW) is that Portland has a vegan strip club. How did that happen?

Oregon has a regulatory environment that made the emergence of a vegan strip club essentially inevitable. It's unusually easy to open a strip club. But if you want a liquor license, you have to serve food.

In 2008, what's now Casa Diablo was a vegan restaurant called Pirate's Tavern. Johnny Diablo, the proprietor, told me he was stunned how difficult it is to get people to eat tofu even in vegan-friendly Portland.

So he had an idea:  "I built a stage, I brought in some dancers." Pirate's Tavern became Casa Diablo, combining vegan food with naked women.

Fortunately for Johnny, Oregon has some of the country's loosest regulations on strip clubs. In most states, municipalities have the power to limit where strip clubs can operate and what kind of shows they can offer. But in Oregon, you can open a strip club in most any commercially zoned location, featuring most any kind of show. Or you can take your existing restaurant, install a stage, and start having women take their clothes off.

It seems to have worked. Diablo claims his club is Portland's busiest strip joint. He says bachelor party groups come from as far away as Vancouver, British Columbia to visit.

Even better, though customers come to see the women, he's been getting them to eat vegan food while they're there. "I couldn’t get them to try it until I brought in the women."

In most places, if you were a vegan and wanted to go into the strip club business, you could simply not serve food at all. That's not an option in Oregon: Any establishment with a full liquor license must serve food.

As a result, Portland likely has the country's widest variety of strip club cuisine. Last month, Willamette Week ran a guide to the best steaks at Portland strip clubs. With a club for every 10,000 residents (apparently the highest concentration of strip clubs per capita among America's 50 largest cities) and all of them having to serve food if they want to serve liquor, it's no surprise that there's enough demand to support at least one vegan strip club.

Or maybe two. Diablo says he'll be opening another location, called Johnny Diablo's Black Cauldron, in October.

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Here's What The Average American Man Looks Like Compared To Other Countries

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Artist Nickolay Lamm created illustrations that compare the body measurements of the average middle-aged man from the United States, Japan, France, and the Netherlands.

Not surprisingly, Americans are fat compared to other countries.

An illustration of the average 30- to 39-year-old man from the United States, Japan, the Netherlands, and France are shown from left to right.

All_Countries_FrontThe illustrations were produced using the Body Mass Index (BMI), height, and waist measurements of the average middle-aged male from each country.

Body Mass Index (BMI) is calculated from a person's weight and height, and is a good indicator of body fatness.

See the results below:

United States
BMI: 29
Height: 176.4 cm (69.5 inches)
Waist:99.4 cm waist (39.1 inches)

Japan
BMI: 23.7
Height: 171.4 cm (67.5 inches)
Waist: 82.9 cm (32.6 inches)

France
BMI: 25.55
Height: 174.4 cm (68.7 inches)
Waist: 92.3 cm (36.3 inches)

Netherlands
BMI: 25.2
Height: 183.3 cm (72.2 inches)
Waist: 91 cm  (35.8 inches)

A normal BMI ranges from 18.5 to 24.9. A BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight, and anything over 30 is obese, meaning, the average American male over the age of 30 is overweight. 

Country MeasurementsWhen it comes to height, at least, Americans fare better. American men are shorter than men from the Netherlands but taller than those from France or Japan.

All_Countries_Side

SEE ALSO: These Hybrid Animals Will Be Created Because Of Climate Change

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Why Attractive People Are More Likely To Be Leaders

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Jamie Dimon from ReutersFrom John F. Kennedy to Barack Obama, American presidents have trended toward the handsome and charismatic. Likewise, many business leaders, including Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer and JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon, are beacons of confidence and poise, who flash disarming smiles and dress to impress. 

Studies show that being gifted with beauty and sex appeal may help job candidates land an offer or even a bigger paycheck. Does attractiveness also make people more influential, giving them a direct path to leadership? 

“There is evidence that attractive people are seen as more compelling,” says Matthew Kohut, co-author of new book “Compelling People: The Hidden Qualities That Make Us Influential.” “A person’s looks can have a blinding effect on our perceptions of them.” 

The benefits of winning the genetic lottery seem nearly unlimited. Stanford law professor Deborah Rhode, in research for her book “The Beauty Bias,” found that attractive students are considered smarter, nice-looking teachers get better reviews, appealing workers make more money, and good-looking politicians get more votes. Researchers have even found that when attractive people ask strangers to do them a favor, they are more likely to grant the request. 

This inherent power of persuasion would seem to serve a leader well. According to Kohut, three core things affect our perceptions of an executive: their position, performance, and presence. Most people who have reached the level of CEO have mastered the art of presenting themselves, he says. 

Indeed, research by think tank The Center for Talent Innovation shows that being perceived as leadership material is essential to being promoted into leadership positions. No matter your performance, lacking “executive presence” may ruin your chances at a top job. Executive presence, the study found, is comprised of one’s ability to project gravitas, communication skills, and appearance. 

Of course, what’s considered attractive is in great part socially constructed and easily manipulated. Good grooming, tailoring, and keeping up with the latest fashions go a long way toward enhancing appearance.  

But biological factors can’t be denied, says Kohut. For example, men are paid a premium for height and women for beautiful faces. Tall men are significantly more likely to attain managerial positions, one study shows. Meanwhile, female features associated with attractiveness include large eyes, plump lips, and smooth brows, according to research by Harvard Medical School psychologist Nancy Etcoff. 

Several nonverbal cues may also contribute to attractiveness and, in turn, one’s ability to influence. Confidence makes people more attractive, says Kohut, as people respond favorably to those who seem at ease with themselves. In fact, when study participants were shown silent video clips of unfamiliar political debates, they were able to accurately pick the winning candidate without hearing a word they said. 

While beauty may give you a leg up on the competition, Kohut emphasizes that it’s no silver bullet. “Attractiveness has a very immediate effect, but it will wear off once you start to see the other signals the person gives,” he says. In other words, a nice face will not make up for incompetence.  

Those that have beauty combined with brains and the ability to perform, however, get shot straight to the top.

SEE ALSO: The Sexiest CEOs Alive!

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Christie's Sells $25 Million Worth Of Art, Jewelry, And Wine At Its First-Ever Auction In Mainland China

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christie's auction china

Christie's held its first independent auction in mainland China Thursday with artworks including Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol, marking its full-fledged entry into a market considered a key growth engine for global art sales.

Hundreds of people attended the auction as more than 40 items -- from Western masterworks and Asian contemporary art to jewellery, watches and wine -- went under the hammer to fetch 153 million yuan ($25 million).

Among the highlights, a Picasso painting titled "Homme assis" -- and produced in 1969, one of the legendary artist's most productive years -- fetched 9.6 million yuan.

"I'm very happy with the results, with the right place, with the right people, with the right moment," said chief executive Steven Murphy.

Christie's, which has long operated in Hong Kong, had been organising sales in China since 2005 by authorising a Chinese auction firm to use its international trademark, due to strict regulations on setting up a solely-foreign invested auction house.

But the firm said in April it had become the first international auction house authorised to operate in mainland China without a local partner.

The house now expects "to connect Shanghai and therefore mainland China into Christie's network" which includes New York, London, Paris and Milan, Murphy said on Tuesday as it unveiled a three-day exhibition of the auction items ahead of the sale.

During the two-hour event, a Warhol print, "Diamond Dust Shoes" of 1980-1981, sold for four million yuan. It featured vivid-coloured shoes against a dazzling background in the artist's signature repetition technique.

Another prominent piece, a contemplative 1963 still-life painting by Italian artist Giorgio Morandi, failed to attract any bids.

China emerged as the world's largest art and antiques market with a 30 percent share in 2011, narrowly overtaking the United States for the first time, according to the European Fine Art Foundation.

It reverted to second place in 2012 with a 25 percent global share as the US regained the top spot with 33 percent, the art fair organiser said in a March report.

Christie's, one of numerous business interests of French billionaire Francois Pinault, was at the centre of controversy in 2009 when two bronze animal heads looted from Beijing's Old Summer Palace in 1860 were put up for auction in Paris.

The animal heads were then owned by Pierre Berge, the partner of late French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, until Pinault acquired the two bronzes and handed them back to China in June this year.

 

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The Most Iconic Photographs From National Geographic's 125-Year History

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National Geographic 125th Anniversary issue, October 2013

The journal of the National Geographic Society officially launched in October 1888.

Since then, National Geographic has expanded its global reach to over 60 million readers, a TV channel, and a website. The publication is known for its award-winning nature photography and knack for visual storytelling.

In honor of its 125th birthday, Nat Geo is unveiling its most iconic images in the 2013 October "Power of Photography" anniversary issue, featuring famous images that both shaped the magazine's history and had a profound impact on our global conscious.

"Photography is a powerful tool and form of self-expression," Chris Johns, editor in chief of National Geographic magazine, said in the press release. "Sharing what you see and experience through the camera allows you to connect, move, and inspire people around the world."

National Geographic is also encouraging all photographers — from amateurs to seasoned experts — to submit their own pictures on October 1 as part of the new photosharing platform, "Your Shot." You can find out more information about the Your Shot community platform here.

This 1906 picture was shot by George Shiras, the first nighttime wildlife photographer. Here he's demonstrating his revolving camera tray, mounted jacklight, and handheld flashgun in Whitefish Lake, Michigan.

Source: National Geographic



Hiram Bingham sought an elevated mountain to take this view of Machu Picchu in 1913 Peru. The lost mountaintop city of the Inca was the sight of Bingham's excavations from 1912 to 1915.

Source: National Geographic



A cowgirl drops a nickel in a parking meter to hitch her pony in El Paso, Texas. At the time the photo was taken in 1939, El Paso still had a lot of cattle-ranch residents.

Source: National Geographic



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They've Almost Finished Construction On This Awesome Building That Looks Like A Giant Coin

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coin building

Here's a new building in Guangzhou, China.

Reuters describes it as such:

According to local media, the 33-storey building, which is 138-metre-high (453 feet), was recently named Guangzhou Yuan Building and is about to finish construction. The building is also widely known as the "Copper Coin Building" because of its shape and colour.

Here's a video from a couple years ago on the architectural inspiration for the building.

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20 Personal Appearance Tips For The Modern Workplace

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fashion, boutique, girl, clothesThe way you look plays a significant role in your success.

"The problem with appearance is that it translates to performance," Nicole Williams, career expert at LinkedIn, tells Business Insider. "Even if your boss doesn't think that they're thinking any less of you, they will subconsciously think it."

"When you don't fit in, you're not as accepted and welcomed," says Williams. And at some point, this could hurt your chances of getting a promotion.

In today's workplace, where casual wear is becoming increasingly popular, it can be tricky to understand the rules of appearance. We talked to career and etiquette experts to get a better idea. Below are 20 rules every professional should follow:

1. Understand what’s appropriate in your industry.

"Everyone draws their lines differently," says etiquette coach Barbara Pachter. "For example, you may be able to wear shorts, but not cutoffs. If your company has a dress code, follow it."

2. Make sure your clothes fit.

"If your clothes are too big or too small, they are not going to look good. Ensuring a proper fit applies to everything you are wearing," says Pachter, and that includes clothing, shoes, and accessories. "One interviewer said he was distracted by a man’s short tie."

3. Don't be too sexy.

Not only is wearing inappropriate clothing distracting, it can also give off an inaccurate impression. Avoid too-short hemlines, too-tall heels, plunging necklines, and exposed under garments. 

"A lot of women are oversexualized in the office," says Williams. "You can wear a V-neck shirt, but make sure you keep your legs covered. People end up discrediting themselves by looking too provocative."

Pachter agrees: "What do you want to be remembered for? What you wore or what you said?"

4. Wear glasses that fit.

Make sure your glasses fit properly and aren't sliding down your nose. You don't want to be playing with them all the time, says Pachter. "This becomes distracting."

5. Dry your hair.

Never leave your house with wet hair, warns Williams. It makes you look like you don't have your life together, which translates to not having your career together.

6. Pay attention to your bag.

You don't want your personal things jutting out of your purse or briefcase. Keep your bag clean on the inside, especially if it doesn't have a zipper, which allows others to catch a glimpse inside from time to time.

Williams also advises professionals not to wear knapsacks because it looks "too collegiate."

7. Don't wear strong perfume.

"Anything that anyone else can smell is not good," says Williams. To get an idea of whether someone can smell you or not, ask someone you trust.

8. Wearing nude pantyhose is hip.

Ever since Kate Middleton started wearing pantyhose in public, it quickly became stylish again. "It gives you a more finished look," says Pachter.

9. Wear well-kept, polished shoes.

"One recruiter told me the first thing he notices about a candidate is his or her shoes," says Pachter. "Make sure your shoes are polished and in good condition."

10. Avoid ankle socks with slacks.

When you cross your legs and the pants slightly lift up, no skin should be showing, says Pachter. Your socks need to be an appropriate length.

11. Get regular pedicures.

Williams tells us one of her biggest pet peeves is when women wear open-toed shoes without getting pedicures. "If you're going to show your toes, make sure your toes are well-groomed," she says.

12. Don't over-accessorize.

Accessories are meant to complement your outfit, not overpower it. "I once met a woman who had a ring on every finger," Pachter tells us. "You couldn't look at anything else."

13. Your jewelry shouldn't make noise.

It's really distracting when someone's dangly bangles make noises when they move their arms, says Williams.

14. Pay attention to your watch.

"When I ask the participants in my etiquette classes to name the one accessory that they notice most on both men and women, the watch is the most common answer," says Pachter.

15. Facial hair shouldn't overwhelm your face.

No matter how much you want to grow a full, bushy beard, it just might not work for you. Think about it like a haircut — not every cut is going to look good on every person, says Adam P. Causgrove, CEO of The American Mustache Institute

How do you know what style will look good on you? Determine what kind of face shape and features you have. Then find others with similar features who are already sporting mustaches and beards, and experiment with their cut and style.

16. Grow facial hair on a weekend or vacation.

You want to look like you've grown hair on purpose instead of just being lazy and not shaving, says Causgrove.

Williams advises using a weekend or vacation time to grow beards out, because "spotty beards make men look like 18-year-olds."

17. Trim your beard.

Facial hair needs to be kept trim and tidy to maintain a professional look. Causgrove advises doing some research on the proper device. Electric razors can be good for short, trimmed beards, and scissors are better for mustaches, he says.

18. A goatee is rarely a good idea.

Any hair that's under your lower lip that isn't a beard is not a good idea, says Pachter. "Do you want to be the only person [with it]? It may work for you, it may work against you, but you need to make that decision for yourself," she warns.

19. Wear rich colors to portray authority.

"Pay attention to your color choices," says Pachter. "Darker colors usually convey a stronger impression than lighter ones." If you're giving a presentation, make sure the color you're wearing doesn't blend in with the background behind you.

20. Avoid neon colors and overly flashy clothes.

"Both men and women have to be cautious with bright colors," Patcher says. Clothes that are too flashy can be distracting and the visual equivalent of shouting.

SEE ALSO: 8 Profile Picture Rules Every Professional Should Follow

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The Key To A Beautiful Face May Have Been Accidentally Discovered On A Russian Fur Farm

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domesticated silver fox

BEAUTY, the saying has it, is only skin deep. Not true. Skin is important (the cosmetics industry proves that). But so is what lies under it. In particular, the shape of people's faces, determined by their bone structure, contributes enormously to how beautiful they are. And, since the ultimate point of beauty is to signal who is a good prospect as a mate, what makes a face beautiful is not only an aesthetic matter but also a biological one. How those bone structures arise, and how they communicate desirable traits, are big evolutionary questions.

Until now, experiments to try to determine the biological basis of beauty have been of the please-look-at-these-photographs-and-answer-some-questions variety. Some useful and not necessarily obvious results have emerged, such as that one determinant of beauty is facial symmetry.

But what would really help is a breeding experiment which allowed the shapes of faces to be followed across the generations to see how those shapes relate to variations in things that might be desirable in a mate. These might include fertility, fecundity, social status, present health, and likely resistance to future infection and infestation. Correlations between many of these phenomena and attributes of the body-beautiful have, indeed, been established. But in a pair-forming, highly social species such as Homo sapiens, you also have to live with your co-child-raiser or, at least, collaborate with him or her. So other things may be important in a mate, too, such as an even temper and a friendly outlook.

It would be impossible to do such a breeding experiment on people, of course. But as Irene Elia, a biological anthropologist at Cambridge, realised, it has in fact been done, for the past five decades, on a different species of animal. Dr Elia has published her analysis of this experiment in the Quarterly Review of Biology. The animals in question are foxes.

Foxy ladies, vulpine gents

The story starts in 1959, in Novosibirsk, Russia. That was when Dmitry Belyaev, a geneticist, began an experiment which continues to this day. He tried to breed silver foxes (a melanic colour variant, beloved of furriers, of the familiar red fox) to make them tamer and thus easier for farmers to handle. He found he could, but the process also had other effects: the animals' coats developed patches of colour; their ears became floppy; their skulls became rounded and foreshortened; their faces flattened; their noses got stubbier; and their jaws shortened, thus crowding their teeth.

All told, then, these animals became, to wild foxes, the equivalent of what dogs are to wild wolves. And this was solely the result of selection for what Belyaev called "friendly" behaviour — neither fearful nor aggressive, but calm and eager to interact with people.

The link appears to be hormonal. Hormones such as estradiol and neurotransmitters such as serotonin, which regulate behaviour, also regulate some aspects of development. Change one and you will change the other. So in a species where friendliness is favoured because that species is social and the group members have to get on with each other — a species like Homo sapiens, for example — a "friendly" face is a feature that might actively be sought, both in mates and in children, because it is a marker of desirable social attitudes. And there is abundant evidence, reviewed by Dr Elia, both that it is indeed actively sought by Homo sapiens, and that it is such a reliable marker.

What men look for in the faces of women, and vice versa, is so well known that research might seem superfluous. Suffice to say, then, that features like those seen in Belyaev's foxes (flat faces, small noses, reduced jaws and a large ratio between the height of the cranium and the height of the face) are on the list. People with large craniofacial ratios are, literally, highbrow.

More intriguingly, the presence or absence of such features skews parents' attitudes to their offspring. At least 15 studies have shown that mothers treat attractive children more favourably than unattractive ones, even though they say they don't and may actually believe that. At least one of these studies showed this bias is true from birth.

Some of the details are extraordinary. One researcher, who spent a decade observing how mothers look after young children in supermarkets, found that only 1% of children judged unattractive by independent assessors were safely secured in the seats of grocery carts. In the case of the most attractive the figure was 13%. Another researcher studied police photographs of children who had been abused and found such children had lower craniofacial ratios than those who had not been.

In a state of nature, this sort of behaviour would surely translate into selective death and thus the spread of the facial features humans are pleased to describe as "beautiful". If such features do indicate a propensity to friendly, sociable behaviour, as they do in foxes, then such behaviours will spread too.

Crucially for Dr Elia's hypothesis, they do indeed indicate such a propensity. Even as children, according to 33 separate studies, the attractive are better adjusted and more popular than the ugly (they also have higher intelligence, which assists social skills). And of course, they have less difficulty finding a mate — and as a result have more children themselves. One study found that the most beautiful women in it had up to 16% more offspring than their less-favoured sisters. Conversely, the least attractive men had 13% fewer than their more handsome confrères.

The beholder's eye

An appreciation of what is "beautiful", moreover, seems innate — as Dr Elia's hypothesis requires it should be. Babies a few days old prefer pictures of the faces of people whom their elders would define as beautiful to those they would not, regardless of the sex and race of either the baby or the person in the photo.

People also seem to be more beautiful now than they were in the past — precisely as would be expected if beauty is still evolving. This has been shown by assessing the beauty of reconstructions of the faces of early humans. (Such reconstructions, sometimes used in murder cases where only skeletal remains of the victim are available, produce reliable depictions of recently dead people, so the assumption is that ancients really did look like the reconstructions made of them.)

None of this absolutely proves Dr Elia's hypothesis. But it looks plausible. If she is right, facial beauty ceases to be an arbitrary characteristic and instead becomes a reliable marker of underlying desirable behaviour. It is selected for both in the ways beautiful children are brought up, and in the number of children the beautiful have. Face it.

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SEE ALSO: These Are The World's 12 Ugliest Animals

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How To Grow Old Gracefully

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old elderly man

A meditation on ageing

Out of Time: The Pleasures and the Perils of Ageing. By Lynne Segal. Verso; 320 pages

THE passage of time is inherently traumatic. The shiny promise of youth grows tarnished, the disappointments mount. The future no longer yawns with infinite possibilities. "Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away," sang a nostalgic Paul McCartney in 1965. At the time he was only 23.

If time is a demon, age is a complicated topic--all the more so as one gets older. Attitudes towards old age vary, but are rarely free from dread. "You haven’t changed at all!" is a compliment everyone longs to hear, eager to believe that time has passed stealthily, without a trace.

So what does it mean to age gracefully? How is this done? These questions are at the centre of a thoughtful new book from Lynne Segal, a psychology professor at the University of London. Anxious about her own ageing, and mindful of cultural prejudices against the old ("Few adjectives combine faster than ugly-old-woman"), she mines works of literature, psychology, sociology and poetry in search of ways to "acknowledge the actual vicissitudes of old age while also affirming its dignity and, at times, grace or even joyfulness."

Perhaps the oddest part of getting older is that few ever feel their age--a disconnect that increases with time. Writing in her late-60s, Ms Segal marvels at the way her age feels somehow separate from her core self. She describes "lurching around between the decades, writing the wrong date on cheques", wondering, in essence, how old she is. She is hardly alone. In a 2009 survey of Americans, those over 50 claimed to feel at least ten years younger than their chronological age; many over 65 said they felt up to 20 years younger. "Acting our age", observes Will Self, an English writer, "is something that requires an enormous suspension of disbelief."

This oddity of self-perception now afflicts ever more people. The 20th century added an extra 30 years to life expectancy in the developed world. In America some 40m are over 65, a number that is predicted to double by 2030, accounting for a fifth of the population. This greying of society has only amplified social antipathy towards the elderly, observes Ms Segal. Born when the state was more generous, pensioners are now accused of selfishly hoarding resources that could otherwise go to the young. Politicians such as David Willetts, a Conservative British MP, have blamed the current financial crisis on the "self-interest and electoral dominance" of ageing baby-boomers. This trend towards "generational scapegoating", writes Ms Segal, is a way of distracting voters from the real problems of social policy and deregulated corporate finance.

But this is not a book about policy. Rather, it is a winding, often lyrical and occasionally muddled look at what it feels like to get older. Ms Segal is startled to discover that her feminism did not prepare her better for the dilemmas of ageing. It was easy to disdain the dictates of youthful beauty when she was young herself, she candidly notes. It is rather less so now that she feels more likely to be ignored.

Indeed, the ageing female has long been a figure of scorn, from the hags and harridans of myth to the "witches" (usually older widows living alone) targeted in the Middle Ages. Even now only men appear to be allowed to age on screen; though getting older is no picnic for men either, even if medical remedies such as Viagra have mitigated some anxieties about sexual humiliation. As Philip Larkin wrote in his poem "The Old Fools": "Why aren’t they screaming?"

"The great secret that all old people share," observed Doris Lessing, a Nobel prize-winning author, at 73, is that "your body changes, but you don’t change at all." The effect is confusing, she explained--no less so, surely, now that she is 94. Old age often brings loneliness and sadness, but also a greater appreciation of the transience of all things--a thought that can be moving, not just depressing. In her search for a meaningful way forward, Ms Segal finds inspiration in the words of Simone de Beauvoir. At 55 the French writer complained of feeling marginalised and undesirable, while her frail paramour Jean-Paul Sartre enjoyed the admiration of young, beautiful women. But ten years later she was revived with a new love--for a much younger woman--and a new political vitality. If old age is not to be "an absurd parody of our former life," she wrote, it is essential to "go on pursuing ends that give our existence meaning", such as devotion to other people, causes and creative work. This may well be the secret to enjoying life at any age.

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Naval Officials Investigated In Alleged Plot To Charge Government $1.6 Million For $8,000 In Silencers

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Silencerco_Osprey_9,_SWR_Octane_45,_and_Silencerco_Saker_5.56.JPGThree senior Naval intelligence officials are being investigated by federal authorities for their alleged role in a plot to charge the government $1.6 million for $8,000 in homemade weapons silencers, according to a report by Craig Whitlock with the Washington Post

The officials, all civilians, allegedly arranged for a California mechanic to make $8,000 in unmarked and untraceable weapons silencers and then billed the government for more than 200 times the cost of manufacture.

The only person charged so far in the case is the mechanic, Mark Landersman, who is thought to be the brother of one of the officials.

Mark Landersman commissioned a machinist who used to work for him to build the functioning silencers, based off of blueprints he provided, the report states. He told the man they were mufflers, then allegedly sold the 349 silencers to the Navy for $1.6 million.

After the alleged scam, the recently bankrupt mechanic went on a spending spree:

He bought stock shares in a microbrewery for $100,000, a restored 1988 Porsche 911 for $49,084, an off-road racing vehicle for $15,000, a Ford Ranger for $40,000, a red 2013 Ford F-150 Raptor pickup truck for $59,294 and a $5,760 welder.

This story is just the latest in a string of scandal and corruption among senior military officials. Last week, the Navy stripped two admirals of their access to classified material as part of an investigation into a bribery scandal that involved prostitutes and Lady Gaga tickets. 

SEE ALSO: These 14 Senior Military Officers Screwed Up Big Time

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This Tiny Berry Is Being Called The Next Superfruit

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buffaloberry.JPG

A relatively unknown fruit, called the buffaloberry, could be the world's next big superfruit, according to a new study published in the Journal of Food Science.

Researchers who collected wild buffaloberries in North and South Dakota found the tiny red, slightly sour fruits are rich in lycopene — an antioxidant that appears to lower the risk of certain types of cancers — as well as an acidic compound called methyl-lycopenoate that can be used as a natural food colorant. They are a type of pigment called carotenoids that give fruits and vegetables like tomatoes and carrots their red or orange colors.

The fruits are also a good source of other phenolic antioxidants, the compounds responsible for their tartness and generally thought to play a role in preventing cancer and slowing cellular aging.

According to the study, the lycopene content of buffaloberries tends to be "high in comparison to tomatoes and other commercially available fruit."

The shrub on which the edible berries grow is native to North America and is found growing on many Indian reservations, land that's unsuitable for most other crops. The hardy shrubs can grow pretty much anywhere, even in dry environments with poor soil quality.

These berries have traditionally been eaten by Native American people, but the new findings suggest that it could be a valuable food crop, especially for regions in need of economic development. 

Buffaloberries are high enough in sugar to taste good as a fresh or dried fruit (they have the consistency of a raisin when dried) and its acidity makes it desirable for wine makers.

Although commercial production of these fruits is currently very limited, researchers believe that the "potential for growing, consuming, and marketing buffaloberry fruit on and around Midwestern Native American Reservations provides both and economic and nutritional opportunity that should be exploited."

QUIZ: Which Food Has More Calories?

SEE ALSO: Man Goes On 60-Day Juice Fast To Save His Life

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How To Make A Surprisingly Delicious Grilled Cheese French Toast Ice Cream Sandwich

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Ice Cream Melt 12

While eating my way through New York Magazine's annual Taste event this week, I came across something so glorious, so delicious, creative, and gluttonous that I knew immediately: This spectacular dessert is destined to be the next cronut craze.

Titled "The High Road Vanilla Melt," the dish consists of vanilla Fleur de Sel-flavored ice cream between two cinnamon french toast grilled cheese sandwiches. 

Created by Chef Keith Schroeder using his own new ice cream brand called High Road, it somehow combines everything both wonderful and horrible all at the same time.

"I'm always thinking about pleasant ways to present contrast: hot/cold, crunchy/soft, sweet/sour/salty/savory," Schroeder tells Business Insider of his inspiration for the dessert. "This particular sandwich was a riff on some personal favorite combinations: apple and cheddar, cinnamon and sugar."

The sandwich will be available at Sweet Auburn Market in Atlanta next week and the High Road ice cream is available in high end grocery stores, but in the meantime Schroeder gave us a step-by-step demonstration of how to make your very own "Vanilla Melt" at home.

Here are the ingredients you will need to create the vanilla melt: bread, apple butter, cinnamon, sugar, melted butter, aged cheddar cheese, and vanilla ice cream.



Step 1: Trim the bread crust.



Step 2: Spread one side of each slice with Apple Butter.



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If You Have A Peanut Allergy, Obama Just Signed A Bill That Makes Your Life A Whole Lot Easier

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Peanuts

When I first told my mother about the bill President Barack Obama signed this week to increase the availability of epinephrine in schools, her reaction was one of good-natured cynicism toward politicians in Washington. 

"Nothing changes 'till someone high level gets into office!!" she said.

She was referring to Malia Obama, the president's 15-year-old daughter, who he revealed for the first time at the bill signing is allergic to peanuts.

"I just want to thank all of the outstanding legislators who are here and advocates," Obama said. "This is something that will save children’s lives. Some people may know that Malia actually has a peanut allergy. She doesn’t have asthma, but obviously making sure that EpiPens are available in case of emergency in schools is something that every parent can understand."

Full disclosure: This reporter is deathly allergic to peanuts. And even though my mother is exasperated that it took this long, this law seems like an important change. It would have saved her a lot of stress with me growing up. 

The bill — called the "School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act" — amends the Public Health Service Act and encourages states to maintain a supply of emergency epinephrine and have plans in place for trained personnel to administer it. If states comply, they'll receive additional preference for federal children's asthma-treatment grants.

It's a sign of progress, and probably of the general non-controversial nature of this law, that it passed both chambers of this Congress without any flare-ups. It was sponsored in the Senate by Sens. Dick Durbin, a Democrat, and Mark Kirk, a Republican.

It's also a natural reaction to the fact that, for a variety of speculated reasons, food allergies have become much more common over the past couple of decades. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated in 2008 that the food allergy rate in children under 18 flew up 18% from 1997 to 2007. In 2007, a significant 3.9% of children under 18 had some sort of food allergy. 

I was diagnosed with a severe allergy to peanuts when I was 18 months old. It was one of those things that just popped up — I used to eat peanut butter when I was younger. I don't remember it, but apparently I blew up nearly twice my size. I'm pretty lucky to be alive today.

Since as long as I can remember, I've carried around an EpiPen. Two of them, in fact, in a socket that always elicits a look of surprise from unsuspecting people. 

Mitt RomneySomehow, I've never had to use it. It's probably more luck than anything — and if it is anything it's owed to the vigilance of my aforementioned mother and father when I was younger. 

Schools didn't make it easy. There are the obvious reasons — peanut butter and jelly is probably the most common thing for young kids to eat at lunch. It's hard for schools to really do anything about that, even though some parents have tried.

Then there are the patently ridiculous reasons. One time when I was in pre-school, my teacher (who I will not name, because she did not realize at that point that I would write for a living) flipped out at my mother for even suggesting that, you know, maybe we shouldn't do that project that involved making a bird feeder with peanut butter. It wasn't until middle school — when a family friend was coincidentally the school nurse — that my family felt more comfortable.

Attitudes have gotten better since then, but they're still not perfect. John Lehr, the CEO of the group Food Allergy Research and Education, is right when he says that the bill is important in that it brings "national attention to the need to protect students with food allergies."

It's important for children with other allergies — notably, the eight foods that account for 90% of food allergies, according to the CDC. It also brings more awareness to kids (like me) who have asthma in school. And like Obama said, it undoubtedly has the potential to save a lot of lives. 

Now, let's talk about serving peanuts on airplanes...

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This Family Started A 'No Shave November' Tradition To Honor Their Father, And Has Raised More Than $100,000

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The HIll Family

It’s halfway through November, and if you’re a guy participating in this month’s annual facial hair-growing tradition, that means two weeks until your next shave.

For a long time, this sans-shave month was purposeless and without any particular meaning or online presence. It was just a fun thing for college kids to do.

But for the Hill family, from the Chicago suburbs, the November grooming fad became much more significant.

In November 2007, the eight Hill siblings lost their father to an 18-month battle with colon cancer. As Rebecca, the oldest, and a friend contemplated ways to raise money for cancer research, they decided to give the facial hair fest some meaning.

The family launched No Shave November, an organization dedicated to raising funds and awareness for cancer, and built off a reality many cancer patients face — hair loss following chemotherapy treatment.

The basic premise of donations is this: Instead of dishing over money for fancy razors, shaving cream or expensive salon treatments, No Shave November asks you to donate to the American Cancer Society.

And while monthly grooming funds may not add up to much, “it was a way people who really couldn’t give a lot could still give something to the cause,” said Christine Hill.

Similar organizations, like the moustache-centric “Movember,” exist on the web today, but No Shave November is unique in that it supports the full beard, and encourages both men and women to participate (with donations, if not necessarily beard growth).

In 2009, No Shave November started with 50 Facebook followers — mainly family and friends.

Now, the group has more than 32,000 Facebook followers and has helped to raise well over $100,000 for the American Cancer Society. In this year alone, they've raised $90,000

November is by far the Hill family's busiest time, but during the other 11 months of the year, the siblings, who are between the ages of 14 and 30, maintain the website, manage social media and communications, and discuss new ideas to help growth.

So, how does one family, busy with day jobs and classes, find the time and resources to keep the organization’s momentum going?

Throughout the past four years, all of the siblings have jumped on board to help in different ways. “[We] all have different disciplines that we use together as a team to accomplish what we are doing right now,” said Christine.

Christine, who works in marketing and design in a Northwest suburb of Chicago, tends to take lead on the No Shave November’s social media, while her brother Andrew, a senior at Marquette University, says he takes every chance he can to inform other students of the significance behind their November beards.

They'll be the first to admit the work, school, and No Shave November balance is difficult, but as Christine said, “We’re a family, so we’re a very strong network and support system for each other and we work as a team collaboratively.”

What's next for the Hill siblings?

“The sky is the limit,” Christine said. Their slogan, after all, is “let it grow.”

SEE ALSO: The World's Greatest Facial Hair

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These Charts Show That The Restaurant Industry Is Still A Boys' Club

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time magazine gods of food cover

The November issue of Time magazine has drummed up a lot of controversy over its list, "The Gods of Food."

Out of the 13 food "influencers" included in the magazine, none were female chefs, though four were women in the industry: Aida Batlle, a coffee producer; Amrita Patel, the chairman of India's National Dairy Development Board; Vandana Shiva, an environmental activist and author; and Ertharin Cousin, head of the UN World Food Programme.

But four out of 13 is still quite low.

When asked about the controversy, Eater National associate editor Hillary Dixler was told by Time editor Howard Chua-Eoan that "it reflects one very harsh reality of the current chefs' world…it's still a boys club."

Essentially, he argued, female chefs don't have the same level of "reputation and influence" as their male counterparts.

So Dixler decided to look at key events in the culinary community that affect a chef's clout and image to see how often female chefs were included in the line-up. She focused on festivals, events, and lecture-based conferences, such as the New York City Wine & Food Festival and the Harvard Science & Cooking series.

"The numbers below show that for the most part, women are not as much a staple on the food event circuit," Dixler wrote on Eater National. "Does this data suggest that women are not as easily welcomed into the world of elite food events as men? Take a look and decide."

Eater shared a few of their charts with us. For the most part, the rest are also far more blue than red: See them over at Eater's website.

Harvard Science & Cooking Lecture Series

Hillary Dixler food chef charts
NYC Wine & Food Festival

Hillary Dixler food chef charts

See the full list of charts and read more about women in the food industry over at Eater National >>

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Why Sports Leagues Are The New Social Networks

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Team tag footballThis post is sponsored by Chivas

Let’s face it, the last thing that sounds like fun at the end of a long workday is going into another structured environment with a bunch of people who’ve randomly entered your life. But after-work sports leagues offer a few ancillary benefits that make them a worthwhile way to spend your precious post-job hours. 

In lieu of a happy hour, it’s nice to spend your social time doing something. That’s the idea behind a number of organizations around the country, from the Philadelphia Sports Network on the East Coast to the Xoso Sport & Social League on the West. For members of the Baltimore Sport & Social Club, options run from sports that may be intimidating for non-athletes (flag football and volleyball games will probably include a few people who’ve played seriously before) to those that anybody can jump right into — games like dodgeball, wiffleball, cornhole, and kickball that no one has played since they were in elementary school. 

Baltimore Sport & Social Club partners with a number of organizations that offer advantages to members. Though the games are non-contact, there’s always the risk of injury, but the BSSC’s partnership with MedStar SportsHealth makes it easier to get in touch with a sports medicine specialist. (Other sponsors include local pubs and restaurants, as well as local charities.) 

Partnerships — and charity affiliations — aren’t unusual for after-work sports leagues, which are often civic-minded. And some leagues double as de facto social networking organizations. The Pittsburgh Sports League, for example, is an arm of PUMP (Pittsburgh Urban Magnet Project), a non-profit aimed at bringing together young professionals for civic engagement, community development, and social networking. One of their signature events is the Kickball For Hope tournament, which completed its 11th competition in August to raise money for the non-profit Girls Hope. 

The affiliation with PUMP has helped make the Pittsburgh Sports League one of the most successful leagues in the country. They’ve seen participation spike since their founding in 2000. What began as a co-ed flag football league with 150 participants has grown in the past 14 years into an 18-sport organization with 20,000 members who play year-round. But the leagues are growing around the country, whether they’re private organizations, non-profits, or sponsored by city parks and recreation departments. 

It makes sense, ultimately. In an era in which “social networking” conjures up images of awkward Harvard dropouts in hoodies and endless hashtags, the idea that one could achieve the benefits of interacting with new groups of people — while also getting to play games and exercise — sounds pretty appealing. 

- Written by Dan Solomon

This post is part of "The Honor Code," a sponsor series about about modern men embracing success, honor, and brotherhood. "The Honor Code" is sponsored by Chivas.More in the series »

Find out more about Sponsor Posts

SEE ALSO: How A Bunch Of Guys In Michigan Learned To Make Cocktails And Dress Themselves

SEE ALSO: These Entrepreneurs Have Made Giving Back A Huge Part Of Their Companies' Success

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It's Halfway Through 'Movember,' And Business Insider's Readers And Staff Are Looking Pretty Scruffy [PHOTOS]

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movember mustaches intro 800x600

It's November, which means several of your colleagues have been sporting ... well, interesting-looking facial hair over the past couple of weeks.

No, they didn't forget to shave. They're growing mustaches in support of Movember, the global movement that raises awareness of men's health issues, including prostate and testicular cancer.

We asked Business Insider readers, friends, and staff participating in Movember to share their stories and, most importantly, pictures of their mustaches from last year. Take a look at these mustachioed gents (and one woman) and find out why growing a 'stache this year really matters to them.

If you're participating right now and want to be in the slideshow, it's not too late. Email movember@businessinsider.com with your name, picture, where you live, and why you're doing Movember. Include a link to your Movember fundraising page if you have one. 

Name: Christopher Minck

Location: London, England (participated in Philadelphia last year)

Why he's doing it: "I have always been told when you have the power to help other people, do it. If that means I have to look ridiculous with a hot pink mustache then so be it. Movember has also been one of the most fun charities I have been a part of, and I look forward to shocking London by bringing an American flair to my stache!"

Chris's fundraising page



Name: Dave Nash

Location: Redondo Beach, Calif.

Why he's doing it: "I participated in Movember for the first time last year on (sort of) a drunken challenge on Halloween. I took it very seriously, as evidenced by my picture. My fundraising efforts yielded over $2,000 in donations!! The feeling I got last year from all the fellowship made it my favorite month, by far, of the year. I had so much fun, I have recruited 5 new people to do it with me this year. In the end, a great mustache just can't be ignored and is highly respected, making it a great fundraising tool."

Dave's fundraising page



Name: Kyle Hubert

Location: Old Town, Maine

Why he's doing it: "I enjoy the furry competition."



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15 Awesome Yoga Brands Besides Lululemon

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woman yoga

Lululemon customers are furious since founder Chip Wilson commented last week that his pants don't work for everyone.

The firestorm from the comments, and Wilson's controversial apology, have blown the door wide open for Lululemon's competition, according to a report by Sterne Agee. 

"Based on our checks and retail experience, we believe that the core customer has been alienated and will begin to look for yoga and active-wear pants ... from numerous other brands," the analysts write. 

Fortunately, spurned Lululemon customers have no shortage of options for new yoga-wear brands. 

Some, like Gap's Athleta, are huge. Others are more niche brands that can be ordered online. 

Athleta

Athleta, which is owned by Gap, has been rapidly expanding its store base. Like Lululemon, Athleta puts emphasis on community and in-store events.

There were even rumors that Athleta was poaching yoga instructors from Lululemon. Athleta could be Lululemon's greatest threat because it has the resources to expand quickly and offer similar clothing at lower prices. 



Zella

Zella is Nordstrom's in-house yoga brand. The brand caused a stir with yoga fans in 2009 after it was revealed that Nordstrom had poached one of Lululemon's top designers. 

Zella has the same elite client base as Lululemon, and has received rave reviews among yoga fans. Unlike Lululemon, the brand comes in plus and kid-sizes. 



Calvin Klein

Calvin Klein's yoga brand is carried in major department stores like Macy's.

Its aesthetic is so similar that Lululemon sued the brand for allegedly copying its "Astro" yoga pants. The companies settled out of court. 



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Strangely Beautiful Photographs Of A French Newspaper That Removed All Its Photographs For One Issue

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Liberation French Newspaper

Photography as a profession is in changing times, with the rise of cheap photography technology breaking down the barriers between professional and amateur. Nowhere is this felt harder than in the news industry, where media companies with dwindling profit margins are desperate to cut costs.

Anyone who has spent time with a true photojournalist, however, knows how much skill and passion it takes to be a professional in the field, and anyone who works in media or design knows how much difference there is between a mediocre photograph and a great one.

To publicize just how important photography is, French newspaper Libération yesterday decided to publish an entire issue sans photographs — the first time they had done so since it was founded in 1973. Here's how they justified it:

Libération vows an eternal gratitude to photography, whether produced by photojournalists, fashion photographers, portraitists, or conceptual artists. Our passion for photography has never been questioned - not because it's used to beautify, shock or illustrate, but because photography takes the pulse of our world.

Interestingly, this is the second time this sort of thing has happened recently — Following the Russian detention of a photographer aboard a Greenpeace protest ship in late September, a number of Russian news websites changed all their pictures to black squares in protest.

These strangely beautiful photographs of the Libération edition without photographs are published courtesy of Olivier Laurent, the Acting Deputy Editor of the British Journal of Photography. And yes, it may sound strange to say that images of a newspaper without photographs are beautiful, but remember this — these images were taken by a skilled photographer.

Liberation French Newspaper

Liberation French Newspaper

Liberation French Newspaper

These pages, included at the end of the newspaper, show what photographs had been removed:

Liberation French Newspaper

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