Quantcast
Channel: Business Insider
Viewing all 115285 articles
Browse latest View live

What It's Like To Live On A Tiny British Island In The Middle Of The Pacific

0
0

panorama pitcairn island

Back in 1789, British sailors in the Pacific mutinied on the HMS Bounty and settled on Tahiti and Pitcairn Island. While the mutineers on Tahiti were later arrested by the British, those on Pitcairn were able to start a community with Tahitian companions. In 1838, the Pitcairn Islands officially became a British territory.

Today there are 48 people living on the tiny island, all said to be descendants of the Bounty mutineers.

As the population dwindles, the once stiff residency requirements are becoming increasingly lax in order to attract more residents. Those looking to live permanently on Pitcairn without prior family ties to the island are required to submit an application to the Island Council and the Governor. Your best shot is to offer "skills which will be beneficial to the Pitcairn community," according to their government website. 

tonyprobst

You can also visit — but getting there isn't easy.

One frequent visitor is Scottish-born Tony Probst, 54, who has been an avid explorer since he was a child, spent almost 15 years sailing around the world with his parents.

"I find that I like to go to places that most people have never heard of or care about," he said.

Probst, who has visited four times since 2011, has been dubbed the island's ambassador by the natives. With his permission, we are publishing some of his favorite pictures of Pitcairn.

The British Pitcairn Islands includes four small volcanic islands in the Pacific. Only Pitcairn is inhabited, with around 50 residents.



Much of the Pitcairn terrain is rocky ...



... but that doesn't keep islanders like Brenda from exploring.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider
    







Pictures Of The Most Beautiful Places In The World

0
0

Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

Lonely Planet has published a new book, "Beautiful World," an image collection of the most stunning places on Earth. 

The book showcases 200 photos taken by travelers everywhere from Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah to terraced rice fields in China.

You can see a selection of photos here, and purchase the book for $39.33 at Lonely Planet.

Towering ponderosa pines are seen in Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. Chasms in the rock are formed when water freezes and expands, gradually pushing the rocks apart and creating alleys up to 200 feet deep.



Thousands of lanterns float to the night sky at the Thai festival Loi Krathong, which takes place during a full moon in November.



A panoramic view of The London Parliament, Big Ben, and the Westminster Bridge viewed from across the Thames river at dusk.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider
    






10 Austin Restaurants You Need To Try During South By Southwest

0
0

Franklin BBQIf you're attending South by Southwest in March, you may be wondering which restaurants you should be hitting up during your time in Austin.

From classic Texas BBQ to some out-of-this-world sushi, there's plenty of food worth trying. 

Inspired by Zagat's lists of the most popular and best overall places to eat in Austin, we've compiled a list of the restaurants you shouldn't miss. 

Restaurants were rated on a 30-point scale, in the categories of Food, Decor, and Service. Scores between 26 and 30 are typically reserved for restaurants that are "extraordinary to perfection."

Prices are estimates, reflecting what diners should expect to spend on a single dinner with a drink and tip.

The Salt Lick

18300 FM 1826, Driftwood

3350 Palm Valley Boulevard, Round Rock

3600 Presidential Boulevard, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport

Food: 25

Decor: 19

Service: 20

Cost: $24

You can't go to Texas without getting BBQ, and the Salt Lick is arguably one of the most fun places to do it. Residents and visitors to Austin are crazy about their brisket and ribs, and it's all cooked on the most insane pit you'll ever see. The original location is about 20 miles outside of Austin, in Driftwood, in addition to locations in Round Rock and the airport.  



Uchi

801 South Lamar Boulevard

Food: 29

Decor: 25

Service: 27

Cost: $56

Zagat ranked this longtime sushi favorite as the best overall restaurant in Austin, giving top marks in food quality and popularity with residents.



Uchiko

4200 North Lamar Boulevard

Food: 28

Decor: 26

Service: 27

Cost: $59

Owned by the same group behind Uchi, Uchiko offers some of the same creative dishes that Austin locals have come to love. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider
    






Shocking Opulence Revealed As Ukraine Leader Flees Home

0
0

ukraine protesters Viktor Yanukovych house

A vast country estate, marble-lined mansions, a private golf course and zoo: the unimaginable luxury of the private residence of departed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych flung open for all to see.

As parliament voted to oust Yanukovych Saturday and he fled to a pro-Russian bastion in east Ukraine after months of bloody protest again his rule, thousands of Ukrainians wondered awestruck around the breathtaking luxury of his abandoned property some 15 kilometres (10 miles) from Kiev after it was taken by demonstrators.

"I am in shock," said retired military servicewoman Natalia Rudented, as she looked out over the manicured lawns studded with statues of rabbits and deers.

"In a country with so much poverty how can one person have so much -- he has to be mentally sick.

"The world needs to see this and bring him to justice."

Cars backed up for kilometres and a large crowd queued patiently at the imposing wrought iron front gates to get a glimpse of the former leader's lavish lifestyle -- fit for even the most ostentatious billionaire oligarch.

"Don't worry, everyone will get to go inside -- it is big enough for all of you," an opposition activist standing atop a column shouted through a loudhailer. He warned people to stay off the lawn in case of landmines and to beware of provocateurs trying to damage the place.

"Welcome to Ukraine," he said as people shuffled by.

Guarded just hours before by elite security forces, the property -- the scale of which had been kept a closely guarded secret and appears to confirm suspicions of titanic corruption -- was now under the control of anti-Yanukovych activists, patrolling the area and keeping people out of buldings to avoid looting.

According to official declarations, Yanukovych's salary as president was around $100,000 a year. The luxury of the estate clearly showed wealth far beyond that.

At the entrance a sign was hung reading: "People, do not destroy this evidence of thieving arrogance."

Inside, visitors peered with disbelief through the windows of the palatial main house at the baroque, marble-covered living rooms decorated with gold icons and suits of armour.

A few boxes strewn around on the marble floors hinted at a hurried exit.

Amused or enraged, others posed for photos in font of towering faux-Greek columns and snapped pictures on their mobile phones of the collection of rare pheasants -- imported from as far as Mongolia and Sumatra.

For kilometres, they strolled along the waterfront promenade, up to the helicopter pad or over bridges and past horse paddocks to a vast garage housing a museum of soviet military vehicles.

The complex for staff -- who were nowhere to be seen -- was itself the size of a British stately home.

- 'Where's the golden toilet?' -

"Mum, where's the golden toilet?" five-year old Ross asked as his mother led him around the edge of a floating banquet hall built to look like an Elizabethan galleon.

"I also want a pirate ship like this for myself," he said.

"Don't worry, we've already seized this one," his mother Ivanova replied.

Some of the visitors were still fresh from the violent clashes that left scores dead this week and saw central Kiev turned into a war zone.

"It makes it feel even more worth it," said Bogdan Panchyshin, a hardware store owner from the Western city of Lvov.

"If only the hundred people who died could see it, I think they'd say the same," he said, still wearing a camouflage bullet proof vest.

As they emerged, people struggled to take in the breathtaking scale of Yanukovych's wealth.

"That house, that garden, that luxury," mechanic Viktor Kovalchuk, 59, as his wife shook her head in amazement.

"It should be turned into a hospital or an orphanage or something for the people killed or injured in the protests," Kovalchuk said.

"Whatever happens it needs to be given to the people. It was built with our money after all so it should serve us in the end."

Viktor Yanukovych house luxury

Join the conversation about this story »


    






21 Insane Photos From The President Of Ukraine's Incredible Compound

0
0

Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych fled from Kiev on Saturday as the protest movement against his government continued to gain ground. His departure follows a deal signed yesterday with opposition leaders that dilutes his power, establishes a transitional government, and moves toward early elections, according to Washington Post.

It also left his presidential residence just 12 miles from the city unoccupied, but not for very long.

Thousands of protesters and journalists entered his incredible compound to find that Yanukovych was living in the lap of luxury. Besides his huge mansion, the president had his own private zoo, golf course, helipad, and even a massive boat.

Washington Post has more:

The crowds of ordinary Ukrainians getting their first glimpse of the luxurious estate wandered the grounds taking photos. An elderly pensioner shouted, “What a thief!” as he took in the marble statuary.

There was no looting, no one was allowed to enter the houses or outbuildings, and opposition protesters who had manned the barricades in Independence Square, the epicenter of the anti-government demonstrations, warned visitors to keep off the grass.

Here's what protesters are seeing on the grounds:

ukraine president homeukraine president homeukraine president homeukraine president homeukraine president homeRTX19BYKukraine president homeukraine president homeukraine president homeukraine president homeukraine president homeukraine president homeukraine president homeukraine president homeukraine president homeukraine president homeukraine president homeukraine president homeukraine president homeukraineukraine president home

SEE ALSO: 26 Unbelievable Photos From The Battered Heart Of Ukraine

Join the conversation about this story »


    






69 Years Ago, A Relatively-Unknown Photographer Captured The Most Iconic Photo Of WWII

0
0

Iwo Jima

The raising of the flag at Iwo Jima, 69 years ago, is perhaps the most iconic image of World War Two.

No other picture so succinctly and evocatively captures the triumph of the Allied forces, while also highlighting the critical role that U.S. troops played in the Pacific. The picture has become an enduring symbol of the steadfastness and strength of the Marine Corps.

Joe Rosenthal, at the time an unknown Associated Press photographer, is the man behind the photo. Although it was technically the second flag raising on Iwo Jima, which shows five Marines and a Navy Corpsman, it is no less important. The first flag planted was replaced as it was too small to be seen from the coast.

Rosenthal, in an attempt to position himself properly for the shot, almost actually missed the flag raising. In a desperate attempt to capture the scene, Rosenthal shot the image without the use of his viewfinder. His gut instinct certainly hit the mark; he went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for his image.

Almost immediately, though, the overall quality of the framing led to accusations that Rosenthal had framed the picture.

This controversy still remains. Fortunately, an official video of the flag raising by a Marine photographer shows that the events transpired naturally, and exactly as Rosenthal had claimed.

Rosenthal's photo has gone on to become a deeply ingrained cultural image for America. The U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial, in Washington, D.C., is modeled after this photo. President Roosevelt also used the image to promote war bonds at the end of the war, and it was featured on stamps.

USMC_War_Memorial_Night

It's important to note that, while the image evoked a feeling of American victory, it was shot only five days into the Iwo Jima campaign. The battle went on for many more weeks, and three of the Marines who raised the flag were later killed in action.

Although Rosenthal's image has become synonymous with the courage of the Marines, many still debate the value of invading Iwo Jima.

The battle was particularly bloody, being the only battle in which the U.S. Marine Corps suffered more casualties than the Japanese Army. The Japanese were well entrenched on the island when the U.S. decided to invade. Iwo Jima's topography, being a mountainous island, also proved extremely difficult for U.S. troops.

However, Iwo Jima proved of extreme tactical importance to the U.S. policy of island hopping to the Japanese mainland. For this, the military command decided that the 26,000 American casualties was worth the island.

This cost, and the grand accomplishment, of the campaign is forever immortalized in Rosenthal's photograph.

SEE ALSO: This Collection Of War Photography Holds Some Of The Most Haunting Images You'll Ever See

Join the conversation about this story »


    






Thousands Of Men Are Renting Platonic Internet Girlfriends For Long-Term Relationships

0
0

mygirlfund

"I have two guys that tell me they love me throughout the day. These are the people I can always count on and can talk to about anything," said "Lauraleigh," the assumed name of a full-time "Internet girlfriend," who works on a site called MyGirlFund. "It's hard to explain. One might say [it's dishonest] to go along with it. I like to make people feel good and genuinely care for the ones I get close to. I'll chat for hours, even on days they don't contribute."

And by "contribute," she means financially. Men pay her and many other women for their time and company online. They have never met, and will never meet.

MyGirlFund is a website for men to interact with women via text and video chat. A system is also in place for men to privately pay the women if they want to. After that, it's rather open-ended.

Over the last six years, MyGirlFund has developed into a unique community with its own norms and economy. While there is a "sex cam" aspect to it, the more interesting phenom here is the platonic relationships that men and women form on the site. Money changes hands on the site for any of a number of reasons, even for something as innocent as a guy helping a woman pay her rent that month.

MyGirlFund is host to roughly 8,200 women from all sorts of backgrounds and sees 15,000 new male members signing up each month to chat and spend money. Members buy credits worth $1 apiece, and spend it on whatever they're looking for within the site's rules, which mainly prohibit exchanging personal info and meeting in person.

'People can go there and interact with real people, not porn starlets.'

The lack of physical interaction, coupled with a cash transaction, would seem to perpetuate the most shallow, short-lived exchanges possible. But in many instances it has led to months or years-long relationships that seem to have a degree of genuine emotional investment.

The prospect of a man sending money to a woman he's never met in person is a bit puzzling. Here's how Brian, founder and CEO, explained it: "Guys send girls money whether it's for content or simply to be a nice, generous guy. Some guys want to feel important to these girls ... we've heard of them helping pay for things from tuition to speeding tickets."

He says the site is not only a unique type of social network, but it exists because they are "very serious about empowering young women as autonomous economic agents. People can go there and interact with real people, not porn starlets acting, but real girls being themselves." By and large the site is full of down-to-earth women.

They're not models or "performers." They're the girls next door — literally, as most work from their own homes.

This Army vet is paying for her PhD via MyGirlFund.

mygirlfund"Lauraleigh" has been on MyGirlFund for three years. Prior to joining the site, she was in the Army for two years and worked as a security guard for three years after that. She's recently begun graduate school to pursue a PhD in Human Genome Studies.

Despite the site's ban on in-person meeting, she said it's pretty easy to get friendly with people: "I like to talk and I ramble a lot. I'm also very silly. A lot of girls will chat a guy and just push content. I never mention content unless they bring it up first."

When the women of MyGirlFund refer to "content," by the way, they are talking about videos and photographs that they sell through the site. It's up to the individual to decide how graphically she'd like to represent herself.

The site isn't a one-way system where the men chase the women. The fact that there are far more incoming male customers than females on the site means that the women have to adopt sales skills to generate their own demand. "There are a lot of components to marketing yourself on here. I send out messages to people, post contests, [and] post blogs," says Lauraleigh.

MyGirlFund can net women enough money to constitute a full-time job. It is Lauraleigh's only income right now, and it's enough to support herself and her 6-year-old daughter while living "in one of the more expensive parts of the country." While she wouldn't disclose how much she makes, she said, "Looking at my income history over the years is a classic example of how [putting] time and effort into relationships makes all the difference."

Women can make up to $55,000 — without leaving the house.

It's difficult to pin down consistent financial data on how much money these women make. There are varying levels of involvement to consider — some women may only use the site once in a while, whereas others make it their full-time job. One such full-time user anonymously shared that she makes between $40,000 and $55,000 a year on MyGirlFund.

mygirlfundMyGirlFund user "Kandidreams," 27, has been on the site for three years. She told me about her life outside the site. "I'm a stay-at-home mom with two kids (my first-born [died] in 2008)," she said. "I just run the house while the husband is at his job. Taking care of the kids, house, dog. During the day I am just your typical mom, honestly."

She and her husband met on a different site that she described as being for "pinup nudes, so he kinda knew what he was getting into." She had previously been a body piercer, working out of a tattoo studio for "a number of years." After studying graphic design and "doing a real job for a company," she decided it wasn't for her.

MyGirlFund was "something I was curious about and [my husband] has been nothing but supportive. If I tell him I need to 'work,' he makes sure that he can watch our kids so I can escape for however long is needed to talk to guys on here or make videos and such," she said.

Kandidreams also has her regular visitors. "I certainly have a few [men] I talk to daily but some of them travel a good bit so it's tougher to stay in touch. Some come back randomly throughout the year and pay for certain content and are off again doing who knows what, but others, we have real conversations — 'How was your day?' [or] 'Was so-and-so at work a d-bag again?' etc. Then there are guys that just send you a message to tell you what they would like to get from you and that's that. You never hear from them again. Personally, I love getting to know someone."

Her activity on the site earns real money that improves her family's quality of life. "It certainly helps with bills and such," she said. "I know this past Christmas would have been pretty tight if it weren't for the extra little bit I brought in [on MyGirlFund]."

'We don't need ads or user data.'

mygirlfund"Pixiedoll" is newer to the site, having been a member for just under six months. She graduated from culinary school in 2012 and now uses MyGirlFund to make ends meet while working in a restaurant and paying off her student debt. In general, other women on the site don't seem especially concerned with protecting their private information, but Pixiedoll has blocked all interaction with men in her home state.

"I didn't want to have to worry about accidentally seeing my boyfriend's co-workers," she said. She otherwise engages with the rest of the site's users to chat and sell content.

"I have a couple guys that write me all the time, I have a few guys that ask for custom videos, I chat to well over 15 people regularly. I try to keep up with old friends and make new friends everyday," she said.

The site has a huge advantage when it comes to monetizing as a social network. Stefan, the site's director of business development, said, "No one wants to pay for interaction, so Facebook introduced ads and data sales. But a guy is willing to pay to interact with a girl he likes as long as he gets responses. We don't need ads or user data, so we can leave our network pristine."

The MyGirlFund team maintains that the site is unlike anything else out there. Most adult sites revolve around the sale of specific content, but Stefan and Brian believe that "selling content isn't a good business model." Instead they looked at "what's wrong with the adult world and what's wrong with social networking sites" to build something that revolves around "the relationship that forms between users."

Just as conventional relationships come to their end, not all relationships through MyGirlFund work out. Lauraleigh told us what it was like to break up with a man in England: "It sucks ... I cried my eyes out. It sounds silly, but he was an awesome guy and I could talk to him about anything and everything. All of the sudden he stopped logging on and for months I would continue to send him messages in hopes that he would log in, but it still hasn't happened ... I honestly would have moved to the U.K. for him."

Join the conversation about this story »


    






5 Essential Men's Shoes For Work And Play


This Couple's App Helped 10,000 Women Get Pregnant And They Say It Can Replace Birth Control Too

0
0

Kindara co founders

Want to get pregnant? There's an app for that ... actually a few apps for that. And they are proving to be remarkably helpful.

Want to avoid pregnancy? Kindara, an iPhone app created by a husband and wife team in Boulder, Colo., promises that it can be your birth control, too, letting women get off the pill.

While it's hard to track how many women avoided pregnancy with Kindara, in the last year alone, the app has helped 10,000 women conceive, co-founder William Sacks tells Business Insider.

Users are reporting nearly 500 pregnancies per week, he says.

Kindara pe-dates another app in this category called Glow, built by PayPal co-founder Max Levchin and launched last summer. After its first four months, Glow said it helped 1,000 women get pregnant.

Kindara was released in 2012 to do a similar thing. But, unlike Glow, its founders say this app can now not only help a woman conceive, but also avoid pregnancy while allowing women to get off of hormone-based birth control like the pill, patch or ring.

Women input intimate details about their bodies and the app tells them if they are ovulating.  Have sex around that time to get pregnant. Don't have sex around that time to avoid pregnancy.

Sacks answered a few questions about the app for us:

Business Insider: Did you create this app because you were having trouble starting a family?

William Sacks: We actually founded the company because we were looking for effective birth control that wasn't the pill. Kati had been on the pill for 10 years and she didn't like the side effects. She introduced me to the fertility awareness method and I was blown away by how little I understood about female fertility. I was actually outraged that I had never been taught how reproduction actually works.

Once we started tracking her fertility signs I learned all about how her body worked and also discovered an added intimacy in our relationship. We wanted to share this with other couples, so we started Kindara out of our own desire to give women and men tools that help them take control of their health, understand what's happening with their bodies and meet their fertility goals.

BI: Are you advocating that women who do not want to get pregnant do not use birth control and use fertility awareness instead?

WS: No. We want every woman to use the birth control that is right for her. What we do want is for every woman to know that Fertility Awareness is an effective option whether they are trying to get pregnant, or want to effectively avoid pregnancy. It's really sad that millions of women suffer through the side effects of hormonal contraception or the stress of potential fertility problems and don't even know there are effective alternative options.

Kati and I have been using FA for 4 years now and we love it. And thousands of our users are using it to better understand what's happening with their bodies so they can get pregnant or at least understand why they aren't getting pregnant and share that info with their doctors. We've helped women identify hormone problems, thyroid problems, which in turn has helped them and their doctors figure out next steps.

BI: How do you know that that your app has helped with 10,000 pregnancies?

This stat comes from self-reported data from our community of users over the last 12 months. It's only self-reported pregnancies. Since March 1 2013.

BI: How does the app work?

WS: Currently women input the data themselves. But we're working on connected devices that will make it easier.

Join the conversation about this story »


    






People Leave The Strangest Things On The Train

Meet The People Who Live In Wal-Mart Parking Lots [PHOTOS]

0
0

walmart

There are thousands of Wal-Marts across the U.S. that allow overnight parking for cars RVs. In some cases this had led to the development of whole communities.

Brooklyn writer and photographer Nolan Conway got to know some of these people while living out of his car for 3 weeks in Wal-Mart parking lots across Arizona.

"Within a week of being surrounded by these people I became lonely and unhappy. It’s one thing to stay in the Walmart parking lot, but it’s an entirely different experience living there. You can also feel quite vulnerable sleeping in your vehicle," Nolan wrote via email. 

Nolan plans on showing his series, "Waking Up At Walmart," in galleries soon. We've got the highlights here.

“My wife threw me out, because I’m a drunk," Sal said. “I drink too much vodka.” He currently works odd jobs and lives out of his pickup truck.



This is Caleb Gooker-Craig from Austin, Texas. He is a painter on an 11,000-mile solo bike trip. “I was riding through to check out Walmart, and I met an older guy who invited me for a glass of wine. He let me sleep between the truck and his R.V.," Caleb said.



For the last 7 years, Joe Torpey has lived between Walmart parking lots and the woods. He has had a hard time finding work due to a back injury. “This car saved my life,” he said inside his 1998 Ford Taurus station wagon. His worst fear is that he will have to live on the street if his car breaks down.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider
    






Sorry, Jon Stewart, Some Gay Couples Do Get Their Wedding Cakes At The Supermarket

0
0

barro meme

So, this imgur meme— starring me — is at the top of Reddit as of 10 PM tonight. Here's how that happened.

Nine days ago, I was on MSNBC discussing a bill that would have created special rights for workers in Kansas to discriminate against people on the basis of sexual orientation, even in violation of an employer's policies. I used this example:

If you work for a company and that company has a policy against anti-gay discrimination, you're allowed to say, 'Well, I'm the bakery guy at the national chain supermarket, but I'm not going to make a cake for this gay couple's wedding.'

Last week, Jon Stewart poked fun at me, saying:

Let me stop you right there. You thing a gay wedding is gonna have a supermarket cake? That's what you think? This couple's been waiting their whole lives for the freedom to marry. They're not just gonna swing by the Safeway.

Someone turned this into a meme, it connected, and now Reddit glory of a sort is mine.

Let me just get a few things off my chest:

  1. Stewart's joke, which has turned into righteous umbrage among some of the people sharing the imgur image, works off the stereotype that gays are aesthetes. Gay weddings are supposed to be fancy and highbrow and artisanal. Gay grooms certainly would not deign to buy their cakes at Safeway. I understand where this "Frasier" stereotype comes from and honestly I've done my part to contribute to it — for example, I've literally never eaten at a Taco Bell. But in the real world, same-sex couples are diverse in gender, in socioeconomic status, and in attitudes toward supermarket cake. As with opposite-sex couples, there are gays and lesbians who would never buy a wedding cake at the supermarket, and those who would gladly do so.
  2. In the latter camp is Grant Oberg, who messaged me on Facebook that his husband bought their wedding cake for $14.99 at a Star Market in Watertown, Massachusetts. (Star, a regional New England supermarket chain, is a subsidiary of Albertson's.) Grant and his husband were married in a simple ceremony by a justice of the peace, and then came home to a bottle of champagne and the Oreo cake from Star. Here's what Grant says about it: "Your wedding should be an expression of who you are and who you want to be as a couple. For us, two guys from the Bible Belt who never imagined they'd be able to get married, we went into one wedding expo and came out with hives. We wanted something simple, just for us, and we couldn't have been happier. Though my husband would like to say that if he could do it again he would have planned in advance and ordered a small something from the place where we buy our donuts."
  3. Finally, I should note that Whole Foods sells wedding cakes that start at $3.50 per serving. Filling options include the likes of lemon curd and "swiss meringue buttercream," which sounds delicious, whatever it is. So even when Niles Crane comes out of the closet, it's possible he'll buy his wedding cake at a national chain supermarket, too.

And that's all I have to say about supermarket cake.

Join the conversation about this story »


    






9 McDonald's Menu Items That Flopped

0
0

 

 

McDonald's is a nearly $100 billion company that pulls in more than $27 billion in sales every year. They are a fast food juggernaut, and they've been around awhile.

During all those years they've tried out tons of new stuff. Some worked, but a lot of them crashed and burned. Here's a look back at the top 9 items that never caught on.

SEE ALSO: 9 Crazy Facts About Cheetos

Follow BI Video: On Facebook

Join the conversation about this story »


    






Hedge Funder Chris O'Neill And Princess Madeleine Had Their First Child

0
0

Chris O'Neill

Princess Madeleine of Sweden and her husband, hedge funder Chris O'Neill, welcomed the birth of their first child.

The couple had a baby girl in New York on Friday, February 21.

The grandparents of the baby, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, are expected to announce a name for the child sometime this week, according to Page Six. 

O'Neill, 39, is a partner and head of research at Noster Capital, a value investing hedge fund.

He married Princess Madeleine last summer in Stockholm.  He did not accept a royal title.  

Join the conversation about this story »


    






We Put A GoPro Through The Recycling Process


The 10 Best Islands In The US

0
0

03_Anna Maria Island_Florida

Florida and Hawaii are neck and neck as the states that have the best islands in America, according to a new list from travel site TripAdvisor.

"There is something transporting about an island vacation, and these Travelers’ Choice Islands winners will help travelers find their next escape," TripAdvisor's chief marketing officer Barbara Messing said in a statement.

The site ranked islands based on the quality and quantity of the most highly-rated hotels, restaurants, and attractions listed for each location on TripAdvisor during a 12-month period.

10. Key West in the Florida Keys is known as the “Winter White House” because of its appeal to visiting U.S. presidents. The island has also played home to literary greats like Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams.

Source: TripAdvisor



9. Hilton Head, south of Charleston in South Carolina, has become known as a golfer's paradise. In fact, the island hosts many championship athletic events throughout the year, including for tennis, volleyball and polo.

Source: TripAdvisor



8. Nantucket in Massachusetts has a designation as a National Historic District for having been the world's top whaling port. Now you can explore the old whaling cabins and captains' mansions or go for a swim or surf.

Source: TripAdvisor



See the rest of the story at Business Insider
    






The 10 Most Luxurious Cruise Ships In The World

0
0

Seabourn Sojourn pool

Going on a cruise is a great fix for the winter blues. 

But you shouldn't have to skimp on luxury even when you're in the middle of the ocean. 

The experts at CruiseCompete used their extensive database of traveler reviews to help us compile a list of the most luxurious cruise ships in the world. 

Forget the corny magic shows and nightclubs — these cruise ships offer five-star accommodations for an elite group of travelers. 

10. Silversea: Silver Shadow

Each onboard suite includes butler service, down comforters, and a refrigerator stocked with the snacks and drinks of your choosing. Voyages to Asia and Alaska are highlights on the Silver Shadow's itinerary for 2014. 



9. Seabourn Cruise Line: Seabourn Sojourn

The Sojourn's spa is the largest onboard any luxury cruise ship in the world, taking up 11,400 square feet of indoor and outdoor space over two decks. There are also six jacuzzis and two pools for their 450 guests to enjoy.



8. Crystal Cruises: Crystal Symphony

The 982-square-foot penthouse suite aboard the Crystal Symphony has an elegant dining area, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a pedestal sink made completely out of crystal. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider
    






Selfies Could Be The Culprits Behind A Massive Lice Outbreak In Teens

0
0

Teens Phones

If you ever spent a summer at camp, it's unlikely you made it to September unscathed by head lice. If you were one of the lucky ones, you probably know someone who wasn't as fortunate.

Now, tons of teenagers are getting lice, but it isn't swapping baseball caps at the Fourth of July BBQ that's behind the outbreak.

Blame selfies.

Yes, according to a lice expert located in Scotts Valley named Marcy McQuillan, lice is usually found in elementary aged kids. This year, SFist reports McQuillan has seen a “huge increase” in lice cases in teens.

“Typically it’s younger children I treat, because they’re at higher risk for head-to-head contact. But now, teens are sticking their heads together every day to take cell phone pics,” McQuillan told SFist.

It gets darker, McQuillan reveals, as selfies are now the silent killer:

Every teen I've treated, I ask about selfies, and they admit that they are taking them every day...I think parents need to be aware, and teenagers need to be aware too. Selfies are fun, but the consequences are real.

SEE ALSO: This is how people in different cities pose for selfies.

Join the conversation about this story »


    






A New York City Company Is Charging $24 For A Three-Day Luxury Bathroom Pass

0
0

Posh Stow and Go

Come June, New Yorkers will have access to sound-proofed bathrooms installed along the street, including luxury toilets and showers that attendants clean after each use.

“I always found myself in a situation where I needed a restroom [while out in the city] and I knew I wasn’t alone in placing a high value on privacy and cleanliness,” Wayne Parks, founder of the company rolling out these new toilets, told The Wall Street Journal's Market Watch.

But luxury comes at a price: a $15 annual fee, plus $24 for a three-day pass. That's way more than the $5 you could spend at Starbucks to get their bathroom code, or the 25 cents you pay to use one of the Bloomberg administration's public toilets. 

Parks' New York-based company Posh Stow and Go says the first option lacks privacy and The New York Post points out only three basic facilities — at Madison Square Park in Manhattan, Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn and ­Corona Plaza in Queens — have been constructed since Bloomberg first announced the public restroom initiative in 2005, which called for 20 toilets.  

Posh plans to open its first pay toilets this summer in Midtown between Grand Central and Penn Station. In addition to private bathrooms, the facilities will also feature storage lockers, laundry machines and a place to sit and relax. That's all included in the yearly membership and day-pass price.

If the Midtown location catches on this summer, Posh will open another luxury storage and bathroom facility in lower Manhattan. But the emphasis on exclusive membership-based bathrooms in a city like New York, where wealth inequality is already so present, have some public restroom advocates in a tizzy.

SEE ALSO: 14 Mega Mansions On Sale With Insanely Luxurious Bathrooms

Join the conversation about this story »


    






HOUSE OF THE DAY: Inside the $45 Million Aspen Mansion Where Rihanna Celebrated Her 26th Birthday

0
0

rihanna 26th birthday Aspen Cabin

Grammy award-winning singer Rihanna recently celebrated her birthday at a gorgeous $45 million mansion in Aspen, according to real estate website Trulia.

The home — which is currently on the market with Aspen Homes Realty Group— is within walking distance of downtown Aspen with ski access to Aspen Mountain.

The singer posted ample pictures of herself on Instagram enjoying the slopes, as well as partying at the 18,750-square-foot cabin, which has a pool, movie theater, bowling alley, and seven bedrooms.

The open-air style home is perfect for entertaining, with a 40-foot-high foyer entrance, 5 car turntable garage, and even private elevator access to the master suite.

And if Rihanna's snaps of the weekend are any indication, she had a great time turning 26.

Welcome to 1011 Ute Avenue in Aspen, Colorado — the $45 million mansion where Rihanna celebrated her 26th birthday.

Source: Aspen Homes Realty Group



The home sits on .75 acres in CO, and is the perfect place for entertaining.

Source: Aspen Homes Realty Group



It has ski access to Aspen Mountain, which Rihanna took ample advantage of.

Source: Aspen Homes Realty Group



See the rest of the story at Business Insider
    






Viewing all 115285 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images