Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Now your camping trip doesn't have to end at the water's edge.
The Sealander is a German-designed camping trailer that transforms into a boat, simply by attaching an outboard motor to the stern.
The interior has a table and seating for six people, and the area can be transformed into a large bed. Owners have the option to add other amenities such as a chemical toilet and a sound system.
Like many other small RVs, the Sealander can be pulled by car. To make the transition from land to sea, simply attach the outboard motor and handrails, and then push the vehicle into the water. Once they are floating, passengers can open the sunroof and enjoy the weather. There is also a swim ladder on the backside.
The Sealander measures 12.8 feet by 5.5 feet, with a dry weight of about 882 pounds. It became available in March and is shipped from a distributor in Kiel, Germany.
The Sealander is easily pulled by car.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
To prepare for water usage, just attach the outboard motor.
The annual running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, kicked off today, sending thousands of thrill-seekers from all over the world sprinting down the city's narrow streets, ducking and dodging the horns and bodies of massive bulls running at an average speed of 15 miles an hour.
Many of the participants were likely still feeling the effects of sangria consumed the night before, partying in celebration of the beginning of the 9-day San Fermin Festival, of which the running of the bulls is a central tradition.
Four people were injured in the first run of the festival, the AP reports.
The following photos will either make you want to hop on the next flight to Pamplona, or stay far away from a place where bulls roam the streets.
The 9-day San Fermin festival kicks off at noon on July 6th each year, when tens of thousands of revelers come to see a large firework show, known as the "chupinazo," in front of Pamplona's city hall, signifying the start of the events. That's when the party really begins.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Those who participate in the daily running of the bulls wear white shirts and trousers, along with traditional red waistbands and scarves. Some even bring rolled up copies of the day's newspaper to fend off the bulls.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Sangria is the drink of choice for party-goers, whose traditional white shirts quickly become soaked to a pink color as they sing, dance, and celebrate.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Crumbs Bake Shop — the world's largest cupcake company —is officially closing all of its stores as of Monday night, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Upon hearing the news, a Brooklyn-based Crumbs manager told the Wall Street Journal, "I come into work today, I'm happy, I'm skipping to work, and suddenly I don't have a job."
The once-hot bakery catapulted to fame thanks to a cupcake craze that swept across the U.S. in the early 2000s. Shortly after going public in 2011, however, Crumbs began losing money.
Three years after "Sex and the City" inspired a cupcake craze, Crumbs was born.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
It all started in 2000 when character Carrie Bradshaw ate a cupcake from Magnolia Bakery's West Village location. Tourists began flocking there and a "Sex and the City" tour bus made the location a destination. The cupcake craze had officially begun.
Mia and Jason Bauer, respectively a legislative counsel and a consumer product entrepreneur, were quick to jump on the trend, opening the first Crumbs on the Upper West Side in 2003.
"My expectations were very simple, and they came to fruition immediately," Mia Bauer told New York Family in 2012. "The goal was to have a neighborhood bakery where I knew everybody and their kids, and I made all their birthday cakes."
Crumbs was a huge hit.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
People went crazy for Crumbs' cupcakes, and the company was able to sell its gourmet product for as much as $4.50 a pop.
In an interview with Newsweek, Jason Bauer explained why the cupcakes were such a hit.
"If you rewind to 2002, cupcakes were vanilla, chocolate, lemon, or strawberry, maybe with sprinkles," he said. "When we opened our stores, Mia created three types of cupcakes with cool fillings, frostings, and decorations. Every day they sold out, so we decided to expand that line and continued to grow it. We started making gourmet cupcakes and [that’s] what has now become the industry standard."
Crumbs' cupcakes eventually came in more than 75 flavors and ranged from the 1-inch-tall "Taste" cupcake to the 6.5-inch-tall "Colossal," which could feed up to six people.
Next came a nationwide expansion.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Crumbs started opening more shops in New York and expanded to Philadelphia, D.C., and Beverly Hills, among other cities.
But at the same time, hundreds of other cupcake bakeries opened across the U.S. Among them were Sprinkles Cupcakes, which launched in 2005; Cupcake Nouveau in 2007; and Georgetown Cupcake in 2008.
As the cupcake craze ballooned, television networks began taking notice. The Food Network started airing "Cupcake Wars" and TLC launched "DC Cupcakes," a show about Georgetown Cupcake and its owners.
Seven years after the final Harry Potter book was released, J.K. Rowling has finally written some new material about the famous wizard as an adult.
Rowling published the short story, which is in the form of an article by wizarding world gossip columnist Rita Skeeter, on the game website Pottermore.
Harry and his friends are now in their mid-30s and have families. The story is set during the Quidditch World Cup, the tournament for the magical game played on flying broomsticks.
The ancient Stoic philosophers are often dismissed as joyless and boring intellectuals. But the Stoics were very interested in the pursuit of things like happiness and success; they merely pursued them in different ways than most.
With a few simple changes in perspective and behavior, the Stoics knew that it was possible to achieve a lasting form of personal happiness. Fortunately for us, their techniques remain highly relevant today.
Planes flying into Houston are burning less fuel and making less noise than before, thanks to an FAA project implemented in June. Instead of the conventional descent—leveling out between drops in altitude—pilots will follow a steady path to the ground with the engine throttle near idle.
The shift, along with changes that will ease air congestion around Houston, is part of NextGen, the FAA’s $37 billion program to modernize how American airspace is managed by 2030.
Usually, planes approaching an airport drop altitude in steps, cranking up the engines to level out in between. That makes it easier for pilots to control descents and for air traffic controllers to keep track of everyone and manage spacing between planes. Crews check in with the ground at each interval, making sure they’re clear to drop a few thousand more feet. It’s a safe but inefficient way to get lots of planes on the ground.
Now, planes flying into George Bush Intercontinental and William P. Hobby airports in Houston will follow “optimized profile descents.” Instead of descending in stages, they will steadily drop, keeping the throttle near idle for nearly 100 miles. It’s like sliding down the bannister instead of using the stairs. Less throttle means less wasted fuel and less noise for airport neighbors. Reducing check-ins with ground control reduces opportunities for miscommunication.
The new landing procedure and other changes in Houston, FAA chief Michael Huerta said, will “turn some of the most complex airspace in the country into some of the most efficient.”Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
The shift to optimized profile descents is happening now because better technology has made the inefficient step-by-step process unnecessary, says Jim Davis, a national airspace rep for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, which worked on the project.
Flight management systems, the primary navigation tools on commercial jets, have gotten more sophisticated. New Basic Area Navigation systems can better determine the aircraft’s ideal angle and rate of descent, so pilots don’t have to do the tricky calculations themselves. In August 2013, the FAA started deploying a new time-based flow management system nationwide, so air traffic controllers can track and manage aircraft from farther out, making the arrival process more efficient.
Optimized profile descents were trialled in Anchorage in 2009 and introduced at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in August 2012. FAA data shows that at Reagan, the average distance flown between cruise altitude and the arrival airport dropped from 51.9 nautical miles in 2012 to 50.1 nautical miles in 2013. Over a year’s worth of flights, that saved hundreds of thousands of nautical miles.
New descent routes must be specially calculated for every metroplex. These major metropolitan areas each have specific runway configurations and different relationships between local airports, so you can’t just tell the pilot to take the gradual path down. New routes must be carefully created and vetted by the FAA. With each completed project, the process gets easier. “We’ve developed a playbook that we started with in D.C.,” Davis says, and it’s grown since then.
Plans are underway to use optimized profile descents in metroplexes where a high percentage of aircraft have the necessary equipment, Davis says. Next up is north Texas, where work begins in September. Projects in Atlanta, North and South California, and Charlotte are underway or planned. Each metroplex project will cost $5-$9 million, the FAA says.
The $8 million Houston overhaul also created more efficient routes for departures and flights in bad weather, and added two entry points into the area to reduce congestion. Together, Hobby and Bush airports handle over 750,000 takeoffs and landings annually, so those changes will cut distances flown by nearly 650,000 nautical miles (748,007 miles) annually, and save three million gallons of fuel. At current prices, that adds up to $8.81 million. In an industry with tiny profit margins, that’s a big deal. Airlines will quickly see the benefits, especially Southwest, which used Houston as one of its hub cities.
As better routes are set up around the country, other airlines will reap the rewards, too. Maybe some of that will even trickle down to passengers.
The world’s tallest, fastest, and steepest water slide is finally in its testing stage, and to celebrate, Kansas City’s Schlitterbahn water park has uploaded video footage of the first two riders going down the insane 168-foot-and-7-inch drop.
The video shot with a GoPro will give you vertigo. Check it out: Known as The Verrücktis, this slide is taller than both the Statue of Liberty and Niagara Falls. To get on, park goers must first climb 264 steps, or a whopping 17 stories. They are then get strapped into a four-person raft that takes them down at speeds reaching up to 65 miles per hour.
The first two men to ride down the Verrücktis were water park designer Jeff Henry and ride engineer John Schooley — it's nice to know that they have faith in their terrifying invention. Here’s their POV-only GoPro version of the video, which unfortunately cuts out right before the second jump.
It’s a good thing the test run went well, because io9, who first reported the story, found clips from the Travel Channel of Schlitterbahn park testing the ride — and the rafts were lifting into the air.
There’s no official date set yet for the ride’s premiere, but the website says “opening 2014!” Thrill seekers, get ready.
Do you know what the world really cares about? What celebrities, products, and companies get typed into Google more than the rest? If you do, then you have a valuable intuition that will help you create or tap into viral ideas.
Think you've got what it takes? Now's your chance to prove it.
In the first iteration of Business Insider's Google Popularity Quiz, based on June 2014 search results, we will ask you to answer 13 questions and to keep score yourself. Get all 13 right and you may call yourself a zeitgeist master; get 11 to 12 right and you are a global connoisseur; get 8 to 10 right and you are a culture whiz; anything less and you are out of the loop.
Who is the most-searched-for Jennifer in the world?
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Jennifer Lopez can't be beat.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Who is the most-searched-for Michael in the world?
Since the days of Cain and Abel, sibling rivalries have dotted history in many shapes and forms.
Some siblings sue each other over money or defamation while others live out their days amid a frigid silent treatment. Some sibling rivalries are purely playful, competitive one-upsmanship.
These 16 sibling groups prove that it's impossible to expect brothers and sisters to get along all the time, but they also show that some just simply have it out for one another.
Mukesh and Anil Ambani
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
When Reliance Industries founder Dhirubhai Ambani died in 2002 without a will, his elder son, Mukesh, took over the company as chairman while his younger son, Anil, was made vice-chairman.
Mukesh then reportedly tried to push Anil off the board, and tension between the siblings turned into an ugly legal battle, resulting in a de-merger of the company led by the brothers' mother in 2005. For the next five years the brothers continued to wage war against one another, both in and out of court, until their mother intervened again, this time issuing a noncompete agreement between the two in 2010.
Though the brothers announced soon after that they were no longer feuding, new deals in the telecommunications industry could become a new source of competition for the Ambanis.
LaVerne, Patty, and Maxene Andrews
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Their careers were built on harmonizing together, but the Andrews Sisters weren't always as bright and cheery as their songs. Known for hits like "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," the Andrews Sisters were the most successful female recording group in pop history, according to a 1987 Los Angeles Times article.
So it's strange — or maybe natural — that their success is clouded by a decades-long feud. All three sisters are deceased as of January 2013, but Maxene once chalked their intense loathing for one another up to too many years of working too closely together ... though it may not have helped things that Patty joined another singing group in 1951 without telling her sisters.
But in spite of their sweet trio image, Patty believed that their diehard fans didn't care about the feud at all, telling the LA Times, "When I start singing the Andrews Sisters songs, they don't give a damn whether I talk to my sister or not."
Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergso and Mikkel Borg Bjergso
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Mikkel Borg Bjergso and Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergso have been making beer for years, and while they started out brewing together, the last few years have been spent brewing apart.
The identical twins each own their own beer outfit — Mikkel is the mastermind behind the brewery Mikkeller in Copenhagen while Jeppe runs the now-Brooklyn-based Evil Twin Brewing— but the two haven't spoken to each other in more than a year. The rivalry is clear; after all, each brother runs a business in the same industry, but the Bjergsos say they don't look at one another as competition — or at least, Mikkel doesn't. "I don't see Jeppe as a rival," he told The New York Times' Jonah Weiner in a recent article about the brothers' ongoing love of beer and animosity toward each other.
Weiner makes it clear that, rivalry or not, there's definitely a feud between the two that the brothers even tried to resolve with some couples-type counseling, but to no avail.
A penthouse at Skylofts on Hudson Street in TriBeCa that looks like a glass cube has returned to the market with a $48 million listing price, according to The New York Daily News.
The 4 bedroom, 4.5 bathroom apartment has 360-degree views of Manhattan and the Hudson River. It's being sold by William Duker, a private investor who did a stint in prison for defrauding the government. He's never lived in the stunning condo, according to the NYDN.
We spoke with three foodies who have traveled to the sushi mecca and eaten Chef Jiro Ono’s 20-course omakase menu, which costs around $300, or 30,000 Japanese yen. Here is their best advice on getting a reservation at Sukiyabashi Jiro (all emphasis ours).
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.When I went, booking was not especially difficult as such, but I had to go with a Japanese speaker (a friend who lives in Tokyo came with us, so that was not a problem).
I had my friend who lives in Tokyo call and get some intel. I found out that they start taking reservations the first of the month, the month prior to when you want to go. As I was going to be there in March, I would need to call on February 1st. So on February 1st Tokyo time, I had my native Japanese speaker friends mobilized to call — a couple people in Tokyo, and one in New York. The line was busy for FOUR DAYS. By the time they got through, of course all of March was booked. Of course, this made me even more determined to score a res. After a few other desperate attempts failed, I finally had my hotel concierge in Tokyo call. They got me in, but to the Roppongi branch, not the original one in Ginza.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.For Jiro, the official rule is that you should call in the first day of each month to reserve for next month's seating. However, most people that I know who got reservations are through local Japanese people who know the restaurant well, or they have some industry connections. Concierges from prestigious hotels may be able to help, but not always. Personally, I also have to book through a Japanese friend who is a regular here and so I can't attest to the level of difficulty to book a seat at Jiro as a new customer, especially from overseas.
One thing I do know is that they only take phone reservations. In both of my visits, I had seen people (foreigners and local Japanese) who tried to walk in to grab a seat either on the same day or for future, and they would immediately turn them down and tell them to call instead. So don't bother to think you can just go to the shop and make a reservation in person. They won't allow it to happen.
Adam Goldberg, a food lover who takes incredible pictures of his meals for his blog A Life Worth Eating, ate at Sukiyabashi Jiro in 2008, 2010, and 2012.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.I’ve visited Sukiyabashi Jiro three times. The first time I visited in 2008, I called and made the reservation myself. I spoke to them in Japanese, and explained that I ate everything without exception. I sensed reluctance on the phone. I made the reservation three weeks to the day.
When I tried calling again in 2010 it was more difficult. There “wasn’t any availability.” I had the hotel concierge call and they were able to get three seats at the sushi counter. The same went for 2012. These reservations were made 3-4 weeks to date.
In Short:
Call in on the first day of each month to reserve for next month’s seating
Have a Japanese speaker or you hotel in Japan call to make a reservation
Go with a Japanese friend, or someone who speaks Japanese
Foreigners who don’t speak Japanese are known as gaijin, and may have a hard time getting a reservation at Sukiybashi Jiro or being served once they do. Chef Ono doesn't speak English and his son speaks very little, so bringing along someone who speaks fluent Japanese is not only highly recommended, but often necessary.
Guests should also be aware that the meal may cost $300 (or more, depending on the exchange rate), but will last no more than a half an hour. Chef Ono encourages a fast pace with each bite size piece of fish coming out every minute or so. “My last meal lasted 19 minutes,” Goldberg told us. “The meal never felt rushed, but each slice of fish is bite-sized and as soon as I took a bite there was another piece of fish waiting."
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view."The experience was worth it in 2008, but I no longer think it’s the best sushi in Tokyo," Goldberg added.
Hayler agreed, saying that while his meal at Sukiyabashi Jiro was “objectively good,” it still did not compare to other sushi restaurants in Tokyo such as Sushi Saito, Yoshitake, Mizutani, and Sawada.
And for those who love to Instagram their meals, feel free to bring along a camera. “The restaurant, and chef Ono, have evolved very much from 2008 to 2012,” Goldberg told Business Insider. “In 2008 photography was discouraged. In fact, I remember Chef Ono reminding me to ‘eat quickly’ because it would affect the texture and temperature of the fish and rice. In 2012, Chef Ono encouraged photography — even posing and smiling with guests.”
The Republican National Committee announced Tuesday that it will be hosting its 2016 convention in Cleveland, Ohio.
Cleveland beat out Dallas for the honor, and RNC Chairman Reince Priebus noted that Cleveland is "representative of a city eager to show the country all the fantastic things they have to offer."
Cleveland is great, but Ohio as a whole has a lot to offer, too.
Check out these 11 reasons why Ohio is a shining example of U.S. geography.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.1. Ohioans become president.
Ohio and Virginia like to bicker about which state can claim the most U.S. presidents. If you consider birthplace, Virginia wins with eight. But looking at primary residence, Ohio comes out on top. Childhood is what really counts anyway.
No fewer than seven presidents call Ohio their home state. In chronological order, William Henry Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, William McKinley, William Howard Taft, and Warren G. Harding all grew up or made their lives in the Buckeye State.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.2. And when they don't, Ohio picks the president.
Not unrelated to the last point, Ohio, known as a major swing state, plays an important role in national elections every four years.
Democrats almost always take California and New York, with their 55 and 29 electoral votes, respectively. And, naturally, 38 from Texas go to the Republicans. That's why Florida, 29, and Ohio, 18, matter so much.
According to rigorous analysis of phone calls (probably with cable companies), Ohioans swear more than any other states' residents. Conducted in 2013 by Marchex, the data examined 60,000 recorded phone conversations over 12 months.
So this might not seem like a positive — but it is. Swearing is f---ing good for you. It helps people express pain and frustration, making us healthier and less violent. Dropping an f-bomb here and there could also help you at work. A 2007 study out of the U.K. found that swearing creates solidarity and bonding among coworkers and can signal authenticity and leadership to higher-ups.
4. Ohio always denounced slavery.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
In 1802, 63 years before the 13th Amendment, Ohio's Constitution outlawed slavery. And even when including a clause to allow amendments, the creators specifically wrote Ohio would never, ever allow involuntarily servitude.
On top of that, Ohio acted a crucial catalyst in the abolitionist movement in the North. John Brown, an abolitionist hanged for his radical beliefs, lived in Hudson, Ohio. Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote "Uncle Tom's Cabin," the quintessential novel decrying slavery, resided in Cincinnati.
The state also contains many significant stops on the Underground Railroad, including St. John's Cathedral (shown above), also known as Station Hope, the last stop for fleeing slaves in Cleveland before reaching the ferry to Canada.
Many believe John Mercer Langston, from Oberlin, to be the first publicly elected black official.
5. Pro football was born in Ohio.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Canton, Ohio, is home to the Pro Football Hall of Fame for a reason — the American Professional Football Association, later renamed the National Football League, was founded there in 1920.
Before the NFL, pro football was a bit of a mess. The teams weren't regulated enough and loyalty was lacking because players could jump from team to team based on whoever offered the highest salary.
So a few team representatives got together and held a meeting in a Canton auto showroom to establish the league. The NFL eventually grew to become a multibillion-dollar powerhouse and the most lucrative sports league in the world.
And the Pro Football Hall Of Fame will soon be even bigger and better than it is now. It's undergoing a two-year $27 million expansion and renovation as part of its 50th anniversary celebration.
6. Ohio produces prominent athletes.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
LeBron James is far from the only famous athlete to get his talents from Ohio (even though he rudely took them somewhere else). Two-time World Series champion Roger Clemens was born in Ohio, and NFL quarterback Brady Quinn was one of the top high-school football players the country while he was a student in Dublin, Ohio.
Jack Nicklaus, one of the best golfers of all time, was born in a Columbus suburb and picked up the sport there.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.7. Rock 'n' roll got its name there.
And it makes sense that the Rock Hall would find a home in Cleveland. Without well-known Cleveland DJ Alan Freed, we might not have the term "rock 'n' roll" at all. Freed first coined the phrase as a way to describe the music he started playing on the radio in 1951.
8. Several famous musical acts hail from the Buckeye State.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
If you enjoy listening to the Black Keys, the Isley Brothers, Devo, Kid Cudi, John Legend, or Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, you have Ohio to thank. All these artists either grew up in Ohio or got their starts there.
Ohioans have contributed significantly to U.S. space missions — they've flown aboard most of NASA's major human space flight programs.
John Glenn, the first American to orbit the earth, and Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, were both from Ohio. The first American woman to walk in space, Kathryn D. Sullivan, is from Ohio.
On a related note, Ohio is called the Birthplace of Aviation (as our license plates show) because the Wright brothers grew up in Dayton.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.10. Without Ohio, we wouldn't know the joy of hot dogs.
Many historians credit Niles, Ohio, resident Harry Mosley Stevens with inventing the hot dog, which he called "red hot dachshund sausages." Initially, they weren't even popular because people thought they contained real dog meat. But hot dogs soon became one of America's favorite snacks.
Minor technicality: Stevens may have moved to New York City before actually placing the dog in the bun. But we count him and his delicious creation as Ohio born-and-bred.
11. Speaking of food — Swensons.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
This drive-in burger joint, founded in 1934, has only seven locations across the state. Patrons just have to flash their headlights, and the waiters will run out with a menu, ready to take their order.
Voted as having the best burger in America in 1999 by Forbes, Swensons is a northeast Ohio staple. If you've never had a Galley Boy, the signature menu item, we mourn for you. It's a double cheeseburger with mayo and barbecue sauce — for only $3.15. Potato teasers, essentially tater tots with cheese and jalapeno inside, are worthy of a trip themselves, too.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Call for nominations!
Headlines don't paint a pretty picture of Motor City. Last year, Detroit became the largest U.S. city to file for bankruptcy. Unemployment and crime rates remain unencouraging, and there appears to be a mass exodus of residents fleeing the once prosperous metropolis.
Still, many Detroiters are toughing it out, pouring their resources and their talents into rebuilding the city.
We want to shine a spotlight on the people in Detroit who are making remarkable contributions to the city. We're looking for folks across industries, from finance and automotive to education, sports, and entertainment, who are dedicated to revitalizing the city.
To qualify, nominees must currently live in Detroit, but they don't need to have been born there.
Send your nominations to our Lists & Rankings team at lists@businessinsider.com. Please include the person's name, contact information, employer and job title if appropriate, and a brief description of how he or she has made a positive impact on Detroit.
A penthouse at Skylofts on Hudson Street in TriBeCa that looks like a glass cube has returned to the market with a $48 million listing price, according to The New York Daily News.
The 4 bedroom, 4.5 bathroom apartment has 360-degree views of Manhattan and the Hudson River. It's being sold by William Duker, a private investor who did a stint in prison for defrauding the government. He's never lived in the stunning condo, according to the NYDN.
Central Texas, especially that sweet spot halfway between Dallas and Austin where small swaths of the legendary old prairies remain, is an earthly paradise.
Blowsy live oaks spread their heavy limbs beneath cloud-spattered skies, while creeks and rivers—most prominently the meandering Brazos—ripple alongside gently rolling pastures gilded with waving grasses.
These natural glories are precisely what led Laura and George W. Bush to choose the area for their Prairie Chapel Ranch, the retreat they completed in 2001, just after he became the 43rd president of the United States. Occupying some 1,600 acres near the flyspeck town of Crawford, about 25 miles west of Waco, the property is anchored by a strong but relatively modest home that quietly honors its location.
During the eight years Mr. Bush was in office, the ranch served as the Western White House and welcomed numerous heads of state—from Russian president Vladimir Putin to Saudi king Abdullah bin Abdulaziz—some of whom were coaxed to join the leader of the free world as he raced along the property’s 40-mile network of bike trails. And, of course, there are the well-known stories of the president spending his vacations clearing brush, often in searing heat, sometimes encouraging aides to join him.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.These days the Bushes live in Dallas, also home to the George W. Bush Presidential Center, which opened last year on the campus of Southern Methodist University. But they regularly make the trip south to Crawford, where the former president is just as likely to be found handling a fishing rod or paintbrush as he is a chain saw. The ranch remains an essential getaway for the couple, a place to unwind and spend time with their daughters, Barbara Bush and Jenna Bush Hager, as well as Jenna’s family, and to entertain close friends like Deedie and Rusty Rose, prominent cultural leaders in Dallas.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
In fact, it was Deedie Rose who helped the Bushes find their architect, David Heymann, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Architecture. "Deedie and Rusty love the way David sites buildings," says Mrs. Bush, relaxing on a shady terrace that overlooks a shimmering lake where her husband often casts lines for bass. (The largest caught to date, the former president reports, was a ten-pounder.) "So when we bought this property, Deedie told me, ‘I have your architect,’ and, of course," she jokes, with a slightly arched eyebrow, "I always do what Deedie says." (Rose was a member of the committee that selected Robert A.M. Stern to design the Bush center.)
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.The former first lady notes that when she was growing up in Midland, Texas, her father built spec houses—"one story and low to the ground, a style you saw a lot in the ’50s and ’60s." She and Mr. Bush had a similar type of residence in mind for Crawford, mainly, she explains, "because we wanted the house to fit into the landscape." And she means fit literally. Heymann’s design carefully nestled a single-level, three-bedroom limestone structure and an adjacent two-suite guesthouse into an almost imperceptible rise amid an existing grove of live oaks and cedar elms.
This is up 35% from $68.2 billion for the previous period. And both the volume of sales and prices were up in this period.
International buyers typically buy higher-priced homes according to the report, with the mean purchase price of international clients doing to $396 million. This was up from $354 million in 2013, but down from $405 million in 2012.
“International buying activity apparently was bolstered by continued rising affluence in China, Canada, India, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, according to the report. “In addition, the appreciation of the Chinese yuan and the British pound also made the purchase of U.S. property increasingly affordable for residents of those countries.”
The Chinese and Canadians were the biggest players
Those five countries accounted for 54% of real estate purchases. Canada was the biggest buyer in terms of transaction volume, but China was the biggest buyer in terms of dollar volume.
Sales from Chinese buyers climbed to $22 billion, accounting for a 24% share, up from $12.8 billion (19% share) the previous period. Meanwhile, sales from Canadians accounted for $13.8 billion of 15% share, compared with $11.8 billion (17% share) a year ago.
Chinese buyers also bought properties in more expensive markets like New York, California, and Washington, while Canadians bought homes in lower-priced markets like Florida and Arizona.
For the U.S. which is just starting to see housing supply expand this is a double-edged sword. The report finds that most purchases by foreign buyers tend to be cash purchases, and this can be an obstacle for traditional first time homebuyers. But increased demand could help boost prices and push more homebuilding and prompt more homeowners to list their properties.
Here's a look at which states were most attractive to foreign buyers:
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Here's a look at foreign purchases by country of origin and how the trend has changed since 2010:
Our mobile devices come with us everywhere. We can't get enough of them, and a dead battery can be somewhat of a catastrophe. We are so obsessed in fact, that when you break down the numbers, it's actually kind of scary. Learn what we are actually doing on these things...
The life of American astronaut Buzz Aldrin is marked by major accomplishments. He was the second man to walk on the moon, graduated at the top of his class from West Point, and is the author of numerous books, including his latest, "Mission to Mars," in which the rocket scientist outlines his vision for the future of space travel.
Despite a vast list of achievements and honors, Aldrin says he still regrets not getting the opportunity to perform one specific experiment in space, which the 84-year-old revealed in a reddit AMA on Tuesday.
After joining the space program in 1963, Aldrin pioneered training techniques underwater to prepare for the Gemini missions, which preceded the Apollo missions. "I became the first astronaut to train underwater in neutral buoyancy," he said.
Aldrin was training to use something similar to the jetpack that George Clooney's character used in the movie "Gravity," to move around outside the spacecraft. But the jetpack experiment got canned by NASA before Aldrin could test it in space.
On the Gemini mission in space, on my doctoral thesis at MIT, those techniques were used by Gemini, Apollo and even the space shuttle. But I was very disappointed when it looked like I wouldn't even have a chance to fly in the two-man Gemini program! I was not scheduled to be anything other than the back up crew. A tragedy changed that, and I was a backup pilot on Gemini 9, and then I would be on the primary crew for Gemini 12, the final mission. The #1 air force experiment was on Gemini 9 and 12, but its use was unsuccessful on Gemini 9, and so I became the first astronaut to train underwater in neutral buoyancy. I had been a scuba diver 10 years earlier, and knew that training underwater would be very very effective, and I felt very confident of carrying out the difficult procedures to be able to free-maneuver outside the spacecraft with the equipment (this is what George Clooney's character was doing with the jetpack in Gravity) - unfortunately NASA cancelled that experiment.
Hopefully some of that disappointment was quelled when a few years later, on July 21, 1969, when Aldrin made history by becoming the second person to walk on the surface of moon, following commander Neil Armstrong.
After planting his boots on the moon and looking around the lunar landscape, Aldrin said the first words that came to mind were "magnificent desolation."
The United Arab Emirates is taking up residence on New York's Upper East Side.
According to the Wall Street Journal, The Permanent Mission of the UAE to the United Nations bought a six-story townhouse for $27.25 million, but declined to say what they would use it for.
The country purchased it from Eric J. Gleacher, founder of Gleacher & Company, a Manhattan boutique investment bank, who originally posted it with Corcoran for $30 million in 2013.
Gleacher founded Lehman Brothers' Merger and Acquisitions department in the 1970s, and then headed up global M&A at Morgan Stanley from 1985 to 1990 before founding his own shop.
The brownstone features seven bedrooms, five bathrooms, two half baths, a chef’s kitchen, a formal dining room, a parlor, four working fireplaces, and many outdoor spaces including a roof deck.
Welcome to the UAE's new house.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
The house has been thoroughly renovated since it was bought in 2011.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
In fact, the previous owner, Eric J. Gleacher, even added a floor.
"The new design includes the removal of walls to create a more open and inviting atmosphere; distinctive decor in each dining area for a more homelike feel; a striking, more modern lobby and bar area which encourages guests to gather; flexible seating that better accommodates large parties; and more vibrant colors, fabrics and textures that bring new energy to guests' dining experience."
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
The brand has added 20 new menu items recently, including small plates, dishes with artisanal ingredients like kale, and a burger.
Sales as casual dining chains have been declining amid the popularity of fast-casual chains like Chipotle.
Now your camping trip doesn't have to end at the water's edge. 
