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How America Learned To Make The Right Kind Of Beer

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Greenport Harbor BrewingTo the uninitiated, American beer is fizzy dishwater. The informed tippler knows better.

Walk into any of the thousands of craft-beer bars or brewpubs that have sprung up in recent years across the country and choose from an array of taps, perhaps a hoppy IPA, a delicate lager in the Pilsner style or an imperial stout with a hefty slug of alcohol. America still purveys some of the worst beer in the world, but it also brews much of the best.

The craft-beer explosion is the reason why. In the past three decades a grassroots movement has turned into a big business. Microbreweries have gone from nowhere to slurping 10% of a market worth $100 billion a year, though it is still dominated by two giant companies, Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors. In "The Craft Beer Revolution" Steve Hindy, co-founder and president of the Brooklyn Brewery, one of America's most successful small beermakers, tells of the struggle to "bring down the Goliaths".

Mr Hindy, like many microbrewing pioneers, got a taste for more flavoursome beers while living abroad and then turned his hobby into a business. Favourable legislation helped to turn a tide of consolidation that had left America with under 50 breweries by the 1970s. Today it has 2,500.

The first microbrewers in the 1980s were spurred on by a tax break for small breweries and the lifting of a prohibition-era ban on homebrewing. But turning out a lovingly made and delicious beer was easier than turning a profit.

The forerunner of the new craft-brewers, Fritz Maytag, great-grandson of a washing-machine magnate, bought Anchor Brewery in San Francisco in 1965 and struggled financially for years. New Albion Brewery, another trailblazer and inspiration for the first surge in microbrewing, went out of business in 1982, six years after it rolled out its first barrel.

Microbreweries and brewpubs laid the foundations in the 1980s. A decade ago a new bunch added a more businesslike approach to the idealism and dedication of the first wave, caring as much about margins and distribution deals as hops and malt. They were helped by the emergence of well-heeled, green-tinged consumers wanting local produce from farmers' markets, or indeed small breweries. These new customers were prepared to pay a hefty premium for it.

Technology played a part too. Tiny brewers could ill afford the giants' marketing budgets, but dedicated beer sites on the internet helped to spread the word about the latest tasty tipples. Social media has allowed brewers to talk directly to drinkers. Mr Hindy calls the internet "the greatest ally" of the movement.

The revolution has much further to run, according to Mr Hindy's thorough dissection of the business and portraits of the people at its core. Around 1,500 breweries are in the planning stage in America. But the giants are fighting back. They have invested in craft brewers to learn their tricks if not to make money.

Some beer-lovers fear that large brewers could eventually use their power to beat the microbrewers at their own game. Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors both make successful craft-like brews. Mr Hindy generously calls them gateway beers that will attract more drinkers to hard-core craft brews.

Canny boozers are unlikely to be fooled by mainstream beers masquerading as microbrews. Exclusivity is part of the appeal as much as the beers' complex and sometimes unusual flavours.

And it is a trend that is spreading worldwide. Britain, whose ales inspired many American artisan beermakers, is witnessing a microbrewing boom. Beer buffs can prop up a bar, craft brew in hand, in unlikely outposts such as Azerbaijan and North Korea. As Mr Hindy rightly points out, "Once you taste a craft beer, there is no going back."

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How I Found A Great Hostel In São Paulo For $50 A Night

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How do you find a cheap and safe place to stay in a foreign city where you know no one?

Ahead of my trip to Brazil, I browsed Kayak with a focus on price and location. There are places as cheap as $30 a night, but they involve sharing a room with multiple other travelers without a safe to lock important items. I settled on Pousada e Hostel São Paul, for about $50 per night, because it is within walking distance of the city's main attractions in addition to seeming both friendly and clean.

After a couple of days in the largest city in the Southern Hemisphere, I knew I made the right choice.

DSC01249.JPGThis is Julio, who helps run the place. Whenever I see him, he greets me with a smile and "Bom dia!" before asking me if I need anything.

DSC01252.JPGThe hostel has a common area and a little kitchen, with simple seating areas both inside and outside.

pous4This is Rodrigo, who does most of the handiwork in the building. He doesn't speak English but is happy to work through my broken Portuguese. 

rodrigoMy room has four beds, but I'm the only occupant.

DSC01256.JPGThe best part is that I can walk pretty much everywhere from I want to go.

Nearby is the municipal soccer stadium — I went to the thrilling championship of the state of São Paulo on Sunday — as well as Avenida Paulista, which is where most of the city's financial and cultural institutions are located.

It's a 10 minute stroll to Rua Apiscuelta, where a lot of hip Paulistas hang out on a stretch of restaurants, bars, lounges.

The Bourbon Shopping Mall, home of the ridiculously priced Apple products, is a bit of a hike but manageable. 

Here I am about to head to the streets.

pous7

SEE ALSO: Brazil needs to start growing faster

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This Chart Shows How The Racial Makeup Of America Will Change In The Next 50 Years

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The racial composition of America has been gradually changing over the past several decades, and we're expected to see a major shift in the coming 50 years. 

By 2060, the country will be considerably more diverse, according to this chart from the Pew Research Center:

Pew race chart

Of the more than 40 million immigrants who have come to America since 1965, half of them have been Hispanic and nearly a third of them have been Asian, according to Pew.

As the chart illustrates, the Hispanic population is expected to grow significantly throughout the next five decades, while the white population is expected to decline.

Pew has a new book out called "The Next America" that explores the changing demographics in the U.S.

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REVEALED: The Most Normal States In America

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oakpark illinois bar

The United States is a big, diverse place, with each of the 50 states differing from each other in significant ways.

We wanted to take a big-picture perspective, and try to see how much the states vary from each other and from the country at large.

We were also curious about which states were the most "average" — the most similar to America overall.

We considered 31 indicators from the Census Bureau's 2012 American Community Survey, along with 2012 unemployment rates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The indicators cover different social, economic, housing-related, and demographic characteristics of each state's population and of the population of the U.S. as a whole.

For each of those indicators, we figured out how far each state's level was away from the national level. These were then rescaled and averaged to get a sense of how far each state is from the overall national baseline. The states were then ranked on "normalness" based on how large that average distance was.

Below are the 32 population indicators from the 2012 American Community Survey and Bureau of Labor Statistics we used to compare the states, along with the corresponding national baseline values.

All values (except unemployment) were taken from the 2012 ACS 1 year estimates, downloaded using the Census Bureau's American Factfinder tool.

 indicators with BLS unemployment

11. Michigan

Why it's normal: Michiganders were about as likely as Americans as a whole to stay in their homes — 85.2% of Michigan's residents lived in the same house in 2012 as they had a year before, compared to 85.0% of Americans. Michigan also had about the same gender breakdown as the United States. Women accounted for 50.9% of Michiganders, just a tenth of a percent more than the 50.8% rate for the entire country.

Why it's weird: Michigan was less Hispanic and more white than the rest of America. Only 4.6% of Michiganders identified as Hispanic or Latino of any race, as opposed to 16.9% of Americans. Similarly, 76.1% of Michigan's residents identified as non-Hispanic white, but only 62.8% of Americans identified this way.



10. Georgia

Why it's normal: Georgia was very close to the national norm on a few indicators. Compared to 14.5% of workers in America, 15.5% of workers in Georgia were employed in the public sector. Educational attainment was also fairly close to the U.S. average — 28.2% of Georgians had a bachelor's degree or higher, as did 29.1% of people in the country.

Why it's weird: Georgia is a huge center of African American life, and has a much higher proportion of African Americans than the country as a whole. The percentage of Georgians who identified as black or African American was 30.5% — almost 2 1/2 times the national proportion of 12.3%.



9. Ohio

Why it's normal: Ohio was close to the national average on two of the demographic racial indicators: people identifying as two or more races (Ohio: 2.0%, U.S.: 2.1%), and people identifying as black (Ohio: 12.1%, U.S.: 12.3%). Ohioans of both sexes were also married at very similar rates to Americans at large — 50.0% of Ohio men and 46.2% of Ohio women were married, compared to 49.8% of American men and 46.3% of American women.

Why it's weird: Ohio diverged from the U.S. on two of the other demographic racial indicators — 80.6% of Ohioans were Non-Hispanic white, whereas only 62.8% of Americans identified this way. Conversely, only 3.2% of Ohioans were Hispanic or Latino, as opposed to 16.9% of Americans. More Ohioans also spoke only English at home (93.3%) than did overall Americans (79.0%).



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The 25 Most Popular Travel Destinations In The US

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Chicago Illinois

New York City is always a tourist favorite, but there are some new American hotspots.

Houston, New Orleans, and other southern cities are gaining popularity as hotspots for tourists in the U.S., according to a new TripAdvisor ranking.

Millions of TripAdvisor users voted on their favorite destinations around the U.S., and the south reigned this year. Houston, Texas, jumped 13 spots from last year to number 12, and several new southern cities made the list, including Austin, Atlanta, Phoenix, Branson, St. Louis, and Nashville. New Orleans, La., and Charleston, S.C., also climbed in the rankings.

Award winners were based on millions of TripAdvisor reviews of hotels, attractions and restaurants for different cities over a 12-month period.

25. Miami Beach, Fla.



24. Nashville, Tenn.



23. Saint Louis, Mo.



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Volvo Just Revolutionized The Car Seat In A Way That Parents Are Going To Love

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volvo inflatable car seat 2

Heavy and bulky, today's car seats are a pain to carry around outside the car. Now parents can thank Volvo for making a seat that's safe, light, and easy to pack. The secret? It's inflatable.

Volvo says the new rear-facing seat, which is just a concept for the moment, inflates in 40 seconds using an integrated pump. It comes in at less than 11 pounds, about half the weight of a contemporary car seat. Deflated, it fits neatly into a backpack, especially convenient for parents tired of checking their baby's car seat as luggage when flying.

The seat is made with a fabric that can sustain high internal pressure, originally developed by the military as part of an effort to create an inflatable airplane (that never worked out), now it's used by the boating industry, Volvo says.

There's no word on when the inflatable seat could come to market, but hopefully Volvo moves quickly.

volvo inflatable car baby seat

SEE ALSO: Airlines Are Spending Millions To Win Over Customers With High-Speed WiFi

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Kim Dotcom Threw Another Epic Pool Party This Weekend [PHOTOS]

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Kim Dotcom, founder of defunct file-sharing site Megaupload, is one of the most wanted cyber-fugitives in the world, but that isn't keeping him from throwing a good party. 

This past weekend, Dotcom hosted a pool party and picnic for members of the Internet Party, a political group he founded in the hopes of providing a challenge in New Zealand's September parliamentary elections. Among the Internet Party's main concerns are Internet freedom, social inequality, and tech job creation in New Zealand. 

This weekend's picnic was open to Internet Party members only, who gathered at Dotcom's enormous estate in Coatesville, New Zealand. 

Dotcom sent out an invite via Twitter, saying that more than 1,000 people had registered for tickets. kim dotcom inviteThis isn't the first time Dotcom has opened his mansion to the masses. In 2012, he invited some Twitter followers over for a swim, and later that year he threw a huge press event to launch Megaupload's replacement, Mega. 

His home has also been the site of more controversial activity. In 2012, New Zealand police raided the mansion after U.S. authorities accused Dotcom of media piracy and racketeering. They found a huge amount of loot, including a Rolls-Royce Phantom with the license plate "God," among other luxury cars and gadgets. dotcom mansionAt Sunday's event, he signed autographs and talked policy with hundreds of supporters.kim dotcom pool partyDotcom's criminal charges and extravagant lifestyle have made him a controversial public figure, but he does have a strong fanbase. 

"He's quite a good influence on the public, and I don't understand why he's been treated the way he has been," attendee Erin Pupulu said to the New Zealand Herald.kim dotcom pool partyFans and supporters camped out all over the lawn while he walked around with his wife Mona and son Kimmo. kim dotcom pool partyThere was even a setup where guests could take official photos with Dotcom and leave a personal message. kim dotcom pool partyDotcom took to the stage to talk about his plans for the political party, though the Herald said his talk had more to do with encouraging people to get involved than with concrete policy measures. kim dotcom pool partyHe also took the opportunity to pose in front of letters bearing the name of the company he founded while on bail, which was recently valued at $179 million.kim dotcom pool party

SEE ALSO: Step Inside The Rosewood Sand Hill, The Swanky Hotel Where Tech Billionaires And VCs Go To Socialize

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Running Experts Share Their Best Tips For First-Time Marathoners

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Dallas Marathon

The number of people who run marathons in the U.S. is steadily rising, according to Running USA's annual report. Perhaps you’ve even signed up for a marathon yourself.

But are you really ready to run 26.2 miles?

We spoke with running experts Jenny Hadfield, Matt Fitzgerald, and Jeff Galloway, accomplished runners who teach marathon newbies how to have a successful first race.

These are their top tips for acing your first marathon.

GIVE YOURSELF ENOUGH TIME TO TRAIN

The biggest mistake rookie runners make is starting too fast and with too much mileage. This can inflict high stress on your cardiorespiratory, endocrine, and neuromuscular systems, and lead to injury.

“It's one thing to sign up for a marathon. It's another if you have, like, a four- or six-week window to train,” Jenny Hadfield, an author and frequent columnist for Women’s Running Magazine and RunnersWorld.com, says. “I would recommend a solid 12 to 14 weeks to train for a half, and 18 to 20 weeks for a full marathon. I usually lean toward a longer time frame because life happens, vacations happen, sickness happens, and, if you rush, you end up running with less mileage under you."

FIND A TRAINING PLAN THAT SUITS YOUR NEEDS

There are a ton of training plans out there. If you do a quick Google search, you’ll be up all night checking out the free training plans online.

The key is to think about how training will fit into your current lifestyle so that you stick with it. For instance, is date night usually on Thursday? Do you typically run errands on Sunday? Choose a schedule that syncs well with your routine.

“You want to make sure that the first week of training is close to what you're doing right now,” Hadfield says. “If you're running three to four times a week and anywhere from three to six miles, you want to make sure your training plan begins similarly to that. If you jump into a training plan that has a lot more mileage right away, your risk for injury and burnout is going to be super high.”

Running Runners California Muscular Man Jogging Barefoot SneakersMAKE IT SOCIAL

Marathon training requires long, slow runs, which can become mentally draining. Signing up with a buddy can make it a lot more motivating and fun.

Jeff Galloway, an author and Olympic athlete, warns his clients to choose someone whose pace is similar to theirs. “If you have a fast friend, ask if they can run at your pace. If it’s too slow for them, you want that kind of honesty because you want to run at your own pace so you don’t get injured.”

EASE INTO YOUR TRAINING

It’s important to build up your strength slowly, and not try to run too many miles too quickly.

“The No. 1 mistake people make is running too hard and too often,” author and trainer Matt Fitzgerald says. “You have to ease into any aerobic exercise. Really take your time and take a cautious approach with the running.”

Galloway recommends that beginners start with a combination of running and walking. “Using the very easy patterns of running and walking, the human body can adapt to long-distance running,” he says. “You want to ease up the distance so that two to three weeks before the event, you could cover that distance.”

TRAIN BY YOUR BODY, NOT A PACE

Instead of relying on iPhones or GPS monitors that say how fast you’re going, listen to your body. You will have good days and bad days, but the important thing is to make sure the pace always feels comfortable, even if it’s slower than your last run.

All three coaches recommend using what’s called the talk test. “If you can have a conversation and talk in sentences, you're running at an easy effort, which is great,” Hadfield says. “If you can only talk in one-word responses, you're going too fast. That pace is going to change daily depending on where you're racing, how you’re fueling, and what's going on in your body.”

lifting weights MAKE SURE TO CROSS-TRAIN

You don’t want to run every day; instead, run every other day and fill in the gaps with rest days and cross-training. Choose exercises that make you move in different ways than running to give your joints a break and build strength.

“Cycling or swimming lets you work out aerobically without the added impact,” Fitzgerald says. The coaches say strength training is vital to increasing balance, strength, and endurance.

KNOW WHAT YOU'RE EATING AND WEARING BEFORE THE RACE

Race day is not the time to start a new diet or try on a new running outfit. Practice what works ahead of time. Does your body respond better to Gatorade or gel packets? Do those spandex shorts ride up too much on longer runs? These are things you’ll want to know early on.

Think of your practice runs as rehearsals for the marathon. Try different nutrition and wardrobe options, and figure out what works for you.

Hadfield suggests dressing for 20 degrees warmer than the weather. Fifty degrees may seem chilly if you’re just standing around outside, but it’s better to wear a T-shirt and shorts, because once your body heats up, it’ll feel like it’s 70.

nyc marathonDURING THE RACE

On the day of the race, first-time marathoners tend to make the mistake of starting too quickly. They're refreshed, tapered, and pumped up by the music and crowds.

But don’t! Starting too quickly could cause a drop in energy, and runners may hit a mental wall as their blood sugar drops. Better to run slower than necessary at first, and then pick up the pace during the last leg.

“Hold yourself back,” Hadfield says. “The first half you want to stay at a conversational and easy effort. After that, if you're feeling good, you want to start to pick it up for the last stretch. It's all about conserving that energy early on so you can push when you really need it.”

Also, if you’re running in summer weather, be sure to pace yourself extra thoughtfully because of the added heat. “Those who start their marathon training now are going to be running in hot weather in the summer,” Galloway says. “Be aware that you're probably going to be running 30 seconds more slowly for every 5 degrees above 60.”

AFTER THE RACE

Congratulations! You’ve officially finished your race. But don’t sit down just yet! These are the five things you want to do now that the marathon is over:

  1. Walk around for 10 to 15 minutes to allow your body to come back to reality. “It helps your body to purge that lactic acid and recover, as well as bring your circulation back to normal,” Hadfield says.
  2. Have a protein recovery drink and nibble on some food. “Within the first half hour, you want to eat a snack of 300 calories that is mostly simple carbohydrates, because that will help to reload the muscle glycogen,” Galloway recommends. “It's best to pick something that is going to digest very easily. Even things like gummy bears or cola drinks will often work.”
  3. Sit in an ice bath for five minutes with your sweatshirt on to help with inflammation.
  4. Wait three to four hours before getting a massage, if you decide to get one post-race (otherwise, your massage therapist will be rubbing the lactic acid all over muscles, making you feel worse).
  5. Treat yourself! “Go out for a greasy hamburger, go for a beer,” Fitzgerald says. “None of this is going to help you recover faster, but who cares? There's a time to let your hair down a bit, and just give yourself time to recuperate. If you do everything right after the marathon, you're still not going to be able to run one for another four months. Have the burger.”

SEE ALSO: 10 Awesome Marathons To Sign Up For Right Now

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There's A 'Rent-The-Runway' For Men's Luxury Watches

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The problem with watches is that they evolve into an obsession. You get one, feel the magic, and want another. You get that other one, and while you're buying it you see this other one ... and you want it.

Like most worthy addictions this is very expensive, but no one is alone in it. In fact this monkey has climbed on so many backs that someone created a solution: It's a company called Eleven James.

Basically its a Rent-the-Runway for men's luxury watches with some very sexy added perks.

Founder Randy Brandoff launched the company at the end of last  year, and already it has a couple hundred members perusing the watch selection, borrowing pieces for three- to six-month periods, and attending events.

Brandoff cut his teeth in the luxury sector as the first employee for Marquis Jet. He eventually became Chief Marketing Officer and stayed in that position when the company merged with Net Jets. In other words he saw the whole luxury-share thing unfold before his eyes.

"It got to the point where I was like 'wow this is a trend, and I'm in the front row,'" Brandoff told Business Insider. 

High-end watches, he thought, would be a perfect item for this kind of sharing.

"For the six months you love it, after another six months you like it, after about a year you want to replace it," he said.

So here's how Eleven James works: Go to Eleven James and fill out an application — basically they want to make sure you're not a 15-year-old with impeccable taste and no cash. Once you're accepted you'll get access to their member website.

It looks like this:

eleven james website

From there you'll have a meeting or phone call to welcome you to the club, and then answer a series of questions (as you can see on the bottom left) to "Build Your Watch Profile." That's how Eleven James can send you recommendations for watches as they add to their collection. You can rate watches too, and that gives the company an even better idea of your style.

If you have trouble deciding what you like, or you have questions about watch maintenance, Eleven James also has a concierge service.

The more you borrow, the more points you accrue. You can use those points to borrow more watches or buy ones you really love.

And there are levels to this stuff; think of them as collections. An Eleven James 'Aficionado' selects watches in the $7,000 to $15,000 range. Then there's the 'Connoisseur' — $15,000 to $30,000 range — and the 'Virtuoso' — $30,000 to $50,000 range.

This is what part of the Connoisseur page looks like:

Connoisseur eleven james watches

Eleven James members will also have access to special events: Super Bowl parties, collection changeover parties, Final Four parties ... lots of parties.

And people love parties (and watches) so Brandoff is already seeing that Eleven James is having an impact.

"One guy called us up," said Brandoff, "he's an old friend of mine and he told me: 'First and foremost I was really doing this for you, and now I really love it and I'm addicted because it's like opening a gift for myself six times a year, and I never give myself anything.'"

So give yourself something.

Below are two examples of what's on Eleven James. You're welcome.

Connoisseur Collections (AP Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph)

Aficionado Collection (Rolex GMT Pepsi)

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I Thought Everyone Was Exaggerating About How Great The Airport In Seoul Was Until I Actually Went There

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incheon airport korea

Since I live on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, I try to fly out of New York's LaGuardia Airport whenever I can. It's just a 15-minute cab ride, and I can get through security quickly.

But, boy, is it a dump, especially in the United Airlines terminal. There's an Au Bon Pain, but it's really just a chow line without the regular storefront you see in most airports. That's about it. 

So the bar was set low when I flew to Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea, on a recent business trip. Still, I had a lot of people, including two of my Korean colleagues, tell me it was the best airport in the world (it was ranked the world's second-best airport by Skytrax, a high honor).

I've only been to a handful of international airports — including London's Heathrow, Schiphol in Amsterdam, and El Prat in Barcelona — and they're great, but Incheon is by far the most impressive one I've ever been to.

The building itself is a modern work of art. Everything is in one giant curved terminal instead of separate terminals like most airports. You can see how beautiful it is from the outside:Incheon international airport aerialBut the inside is the real treat. Incheon is essentially a high-class shopping mall with airplane gates in between the stores and restaurants. It goes on seemingly forever.incheon seoul south korea airportThere are a lot of classy stores like Burberry.incheon seoul south korea airport burberryAnd Chanel.incheon seoul south korea airport chanel storeThere was even a drug store.incheon seoul south korea airport pharmacy

I visited one of the food courts, up this escalator. It was 9 a.m., but since Korean breakfast food is the same at all hours of the day, I had to get noodles.

incheon seoul south korea airport food court

The food court was cool. You order at a separate station and wait for your number to be called at the kitchen.

incheon seoul south korea airport food court

But the biggest draw was the duty-free shops. There were several of them and most were selling the same stuff, as far as I could tell. A lot of people walked out with giant shopping bags stuffed with booze, jewelry, and designer perfume.

south korea incheon airport duty free shop

Now compare all that to my typical experience at LaGuardia.

laguardia airport

Disclosure: Samsung paid for a portion of our trip to South Korea for a separate series of stories about the company. It paid for the flight and some meals. Business Insider paid for lodging and all other expenses.

SEE ALSO: The 10 Best Airports In The World

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This Pregnancy App Could Help Choose The Sex Of An Unborn Baby

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StorkDiet pregnancy app

When it comes to getting pregnant, there's an app for that. A bunch of them actually. These help a woman track her body's signals so she knows when the time is ripe to conceive.

Apps like Kindara, founded by a Boulder husband and wife team, and Glow, founded by PayPal co-founder Max Levchin, have been a godsend to over 10,000 couples who were struggling to start a family, according to testimonials from these companies.  Plus, the apps can be used as birth control, to prevent pregnancy, the app makers say.

But, developer Alain Hanash thinks he's got an even better take on the pregnancy app: one that can help you select the baby's gender.

He's about to release an app called StorkDiet, based on research such as a study of 740 first-time mothers done by the Universities of Exeter and Oxford. That study found women who ate more calories, sodium, and calcium were more likely to have boys. Women who ate less of those nutrients were more likely to have girls.

While diet stacked the odds, it wasn't a sure thing: 44% of the women who ate the "boy" diet had girls.

The app prescribes a nine-week diet that suggests foods rich in the appropriate nutrients, based on the research. It also tracks other factors that contribute to conception. It will cost about $10 and will be available for iPhone and Android.

The app's creators make this statement on their website:

"This natural and scientific method consists of a nine-week diet and conception timing program and has shown to achieve a success rate of 81%."

As for an 81% success rate, take that with a grain of salt — or maybe avoid the salt, if you're hoping for a girl.

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Here's A Surefire Way To Check If An Avocado Is Ripe

Why Gold Bulls Care So Much About Chinese Weddings (GLD)

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china wedding

The rise of China has been a major driver of the demand for gold.

While gold has little industrial use, it holds profound cultural significance for the Chinese.

The biggest driver of consumer demand in China is clearly one event: the wedding.

"It is estimated that close to 40% of Chinese 24 carat jewelery consumption is related to weddings," note the analysts at the World Gold Council. "In the third and fourth tier cities this percentage is greater."

24 carat jewelery accounts for 85% of gold jewellery demand in China.

"‘Pure gold’ jewellery is a unique product that fulfills the requirements of both adornment and investment, and research confirms its appeal to young consumers," said the analysts.

Here's some more color:

The growth in the number of people of marriageable age together with, in general, increasing wealth has boosted sales of jewellery for traditional wedding sets and rings. Typically a three-piece wedding set, known in Mandarin Chinese as jiehun san jing might consist of a necklace/ pendant/bracelet, ring and earring combination. Bracelets are especially popular in southern China where wedding sets are also often five- rather than three-piece. The number of marriages, according to the mainland’s official data for China (which includes figures for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) has increased by 60% since the middle of the last decade to 13.2 million at the end of 2012.45 This has undoubtedly made an important contribution to growth in demand for 24 carat gold over the last decade (Chart 12)."

China, however, faces an unusual demographic hurdle that is bad news for weddings.

"Women are bearing only 0.71 girls over their lifetime, well below the replacement figure of just over unity," noted the analysts at Nomura. "In 2010, there were 51m more men than woman in the country. The sex ratio among newborns is 120 boys for every 100 girls, the highest in the world. At this rate, there will not be enough brides for as many as one-fifth of today‟s baby boys when they get to marrying age, heightening the risk of social tensions."

WGC analysts acknowledge this concern, but note that this will be a bigger issue for demand in the 2020s.

For now, expect demand and weddings to continue to rise through at least 2017.

china weddings

SEE ALSO: 6 Facts About China's Love Affair With Gold

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The Incredible Story Of The Emoji — Told Entirely In Emojis

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Sometimes, words just can't express what you're trying to say. That's why emojis are fast becoming the cool new way to text and talk.

Emojis have been around since 1999, but these winky faces and random picture characters just recently caught on in America.

Learn more about the emoji and how these characters are changing the way society communicates.

Produced by Will Wei

NOW WATCH: Things That iPhone Users Say That Drive Android Users Crazy

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Land Rover Threw A Swanky Party On A NYC Aircraft Carrier To Show Off Its New Car

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Land Rover Discovery Vision Concept Reveal Intrepid Virgin Galactic

The New York International Auto Show opens to the press on Wednesday, and automakers have packed this week with events and parties in an effort to secure some publicity.

Land Rover kicked things off with a bang on Monday night with the reveal of its Discovery Vision Concept, a sleek new take on the boxy Discovery SUV that's been around since the late 1980s.

The British luxury brand, owned by India's Tata Motors, went all out for the reveal, hosting an evening event at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, on the retired aircraft carrier permanently docked on the Hudson River.

After drinks, guests were hustled onto the Intrepid's airplane elevators, once used to move planes between the flight deck and hangar deck. With everyone in place, Land Rover cued a light show, projected against the ship, and pulled back the curtain on the Discovery concept.

At the event, Land Rover also announced a partnership with Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson's commercial space venture. The luxury SUVs will be used to shuttle Virgin's customers around its operational base in New Mexico and its test center in California.

For the event, Virgin brought along a full-size replica of SpaceShipTwo VSS Enterprise, the 60-foot spacecraft that will carry two crew members and six passengers out of the atmosphere.

Watch the reveal:

The Discovery concept is pretty slick:

Land Rover Discovery Vision Concept Reveal Intrepid

Waiting for the reveal:

Land Rover Discovery Vision Concept Reveal Intrepid Virgin Galactic

The ensuing rush for photographs:

Land Rover Discovery Vision Concept Reveal Intrepid Virgin Galactic

SEE ALSO: Volvo Just Revolutionized The Car Seat In A Way That Parents Are Going To Love

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13 Cars We Can't Wait To See At The New York Auto Show

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2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 convertible

The New York International Auto Show kicks off next week, and we'll be on the scene for the press-preview days to check out what the world's biggest automakers have been working on.

The show is the most popular car show in North America, and it's open to the public April 19-27.

If you're in the area and want to see the future of the auto industry, it's worth making the trek to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

From the Land Rover concept that's partly "invisible" to the hugely powerful new Corvette Z06 convertible, here are 13 cars you don't want to miss.

The Focus is the best-selling vehicle nameplate on the planet, according to Ford. The automaker is looking to keep that going with the 2015 Focus sedan. We're even more excited for the ST performance version Ford says is coming later this year.



BMW has been the trendsetter in the "sports activity coupe" segment, little cars with the muscular look of an SUV. The new X4 will come with two engine options and start at $45,625.



No auto show is complete with a dash of opulence, so we can thank Rolls-Royce for bringing its latest to American shores after its world debut in Geneva in March. The new Ghost II will be packed with luxuries like on-board WiFi and a satellite-aided transmission that uses GPS to select the perfect gear for every situation.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 50 Best Employers In America

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Best Employers in America Badge_2x1 2014

When faced with the decision of choosing between a job you love and a job that pays well, remember this: You can have your cake and eat it too.

The second annual list of the best employers in America by PayScale and Business Insider evaluates companies by both pay and happiness.

Go straight to the companies »

For the second year, New Jersey biotechnology company Celgene Corporation topped the list as the Best Employer in America. In fact, many of the best companies are in the health-care industry.

The tech industry was booming last year, with typical top companies such as Google and Yahoo taking the second and eighth spots, respectively. This year, however, tech companies took a noticeable tumble: Google dropped to No. 8 this year, Yahoo fell to No. 17, and Microsoft, which ranked No. 14 last year, fell off the map.

In creating this list, companies in the Fortune 500 were ranked using PayScale's salary and survey database. Final scores were determined by multiplying six criteria: high job satisfaction, low job stress, high work-schedule flexibility, high job meaning, experienced median pay, and salary delta (that is, how the median pay compares to other companies in the same industry). Since we think that pay is one of the most important factors, we double-weighted pay in our calculations. Read the full methodology here.

Click here to see the companies »

Click here to see an infographic with data on the 50 best companies »

Click here to see our methodology »

50. Pacific Life

Headquartered in Newport Beach, Calif., this insurance company has 2,700 employees.

Employees report high rates of work schedule flexibility (87%) and job satisfaction (60%).

Median pay is $91,000 after five years and very high compared to industry peers.

This ranking of Fortune 500 companies was created by Business Insider using data gathered and crunched by PayScale. Read the full methodology here. Find out how your salary stacks up on PayScale.



49. Exxon Mobil Corporation

Headquartered in Irving, Texas, this oil and gas company has 75,000 employees. While it claims No. 49 on our list, Exxon Mobil is No. 2 on the 2013 Fortune 500 list.

Employees report high rates of job satisfaction (77%) and work-schedule flexibility (73%).

Median pay is $104,000 after five years and very high compared to industry peers.

This ranking of Fortune 500 companies was created by Business Insider using data gathered and crunched by PayScale. Read the full methodology here. Find out how your salary stacks up on PayScale.



48. Medtronic Inc.

Headquartered in Minneapolis, this medical-device company has 45,000 employees.

Employees report high rates of job meaning (91%) and work-schedule flexibility (81%).

Median pay is $88,500 after five years and high compared to industry peers.

This ranking of Fortune 500 companies was created by Business Insider using data gathered and crunched by PayScale. Read the full methodology here. Find out how your salary stacks up on PayScale.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here's Data On The 50 Best Employers In America

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As the saying goes, do what you love and love what you do ... and make bank while doing it.

For our second annual list of the 50 Best Employers in America, Business Insider used data gathered and crunched by PayScale to evaluate companies on pay and happiness. And for the second year in a row, Celgene Corporation topped the list.

Companies in the 2012 Fortune 500 were ranked using PayScale's salary and survey database. Final scores were determined by multiplying the companies' performance on six criteria: high job satisfaction, low job stress, high work-schedule flexibility, high job meaning, experienced median pay, and salary delta (that is, how the median pay compares to other companies in the same industry).

Since we think that pay is one of the most important factors, we double-weighted pay in our calculations. Read the full methodology here.

Did your employer make the list?

Best Employers In America_03

This ranking of Fortune 500 companies was created by Business Insider using data gathered and crunched by PayScale. Read the full methodology here. Alsofind out how your salary stacks up at PayScale.com.

THE COMPANIES UP CLOSE: The 50 Best Employers In America

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What To Eat To Ease Nearly Every Human Ailment

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An interactive graphic by buyagift.co reminds us that natural remedies to many human ailments like fatigue, the common cold, or constipation, can be found right in your kitchen cupboard or refrigerator.

While changing your diet won't fix major diseases, it can help ease everyday distresses. For major health problems, see your doctor. Hover over the boxes to find out which foods can help whatever might be plaguing you. You can even filter your health issues by type: mind, body, and spirit. 

SEE ALSO: 38 Nutrition Experts Reveal Their Favorite Things To Eat For Breakfast

Stay healthy: Here's What You Should Really Be Eating For Breakfast

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