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

20 weird psychological reasons someone might fall in love with you

0
0

young coupleIt's probably not destiny.

According to the research, love and attraction happen thanks to your hormones, your interests, and what your parents look like.

We've scoured the studies and collected some of the weird psychological reasons someone might fall in love with you.

This is an updated version of an article originally written by Maggie Zhang.

If you're really, really alike

Decades of studies have shown that the cliché that "opposites attract" is totally off.

"Partners who are similar in broad dispositions, like personality, are more likely to feel the same way in their day-to-day lives," said Gian Gonzaga, lead author of a study of couples who met on eHarmony. "This may make it easier for partners to understand each other."



If you look like their opposite-sex parent

University of St Andrews psychologist David Perrett and his colleagues found that people are attracted to folks with hair and eye color like their parents— and the age range they saw at birth.  

"We found that women born to 'old' parents (over 30) were less impressed by youth, and more attracted to age cues in male faces than women with 'young' parents (under 30)," the authors wrote. "For men, preferences for female faces were influenced by their mother's age and not their father's age, but only for long-term relationships."



If you smell right

According to a University of Southern California study, when women are ovulating, they prefer the smell of t-shirts worn by men with high levels of testosterone. 

This matched with other hormone-based instincts: Women also preferred men with a strong jaw line when they were ovulating



See the rest of the story at Business Insider







Victoria's Secret is under pressure to offer larger sizes

0
0

victoria's secret show

Consumers are increasingly pressuring the world's most dominant lingerie brand to offer plus-size lingerie. 

Thousands of people have signed petitions in recent weeks for Victoria's Secret to offer larger sizes. 

Victoria's Secret controls a whopping 35% of the lingerie market, far more than any other retailer.

The largest panty size it offers is XL, or equivalent to a size 16. The fashion industry defines plus-size clothing as sizes 12-24, though many retailers offer up to a size 28 to meet demand. 

Bra sizes are inconsistent. Some styles are offered up to a D, while others go up to a DDD. 

Still, many women feel they don't have a good selection at Victoria's Secret. 

The author of one petition, Dana Drew, said she loves her California Victoria's Secret store so much that she has a credit card there. 

She can't, however, buy lingerie there.

"My money and my credit are good enough for them, but the fact that I can only buy items like perfume, lotion, and body spray sends the message that my body is not," Drew says. "Every year I watch the Angel fashion show and would love to purchase the items I see on my screen but can’t because Victoria’s Secret doesn’t sell plus sizes."

Other petitions are encouraging Victoria's Secret to show more diverse body types than the ultra-thin models at its annual fashion show.

Victoria's Secret models like Doutzen Kroes and Lily Aldridge are known to work out for four hours a day in the weeks leading up to the show.

The brand recently ignited controversy with an ad campaign portraying a series of stick-thin models with the tagline "The Perfect 'Body.'" 

While the phrase was a play on the brand's "Body by Victoria" bras, many people were offended by how models were portrayed.

Victoria's Secret under fire

Victoria's Secret eventually ditched the campaign and changed the headline to "A Body For Every Body." 

But a recent petition on Change.org calling for curvier models suggests that the annual fashion show promotes unrealistic expectations for the average woman. 

"Victoria’s Secret should consider their bottom line when making this decision," according to the petition. "There are over 100 million plus size women in the United States and we spent over 17.5 billion dollars on plus-size clothing last year."

We've reached out to Victoria's Secret to ask if they plan to offer more plus sizes in the future.

SEE ALSO: These young models are the future of Victoria's Secret

Follow Us: On Facebook

Join the conversation about this story »








We tried Coca-Cola's new milk that costs twice as much as regular — here's the verdict

0
0

Fairlife

Coca-Cola has launched a new kind of milk nationwide that costs twice the price of regular milk.

The beverage, called Fairlife, doesn't contain lactose and it has 50% more protein, 30% more calcium, and 50% less sugar than regular milk.

Coca-Cola executives believe the new milk will "rain money" for the company.

We decided to try it out.

We tested three kinds of Fairlife: Chocolate, fat free, and 2% reduced fat milk. The company also sells whole milk. 

The chocolate milk was the crowd favorite.

It's very sweet, but not overpowering, and the consistency is creamier and thicker than regular milk.

FairlifeA couple reviewers compared it to Yoo-Hoo chocolate drink.

"It definitely tasted like a treat, not an everyday drink," Business Insider reporter Emmie Martin said.

One cup of the chocolate milk contains 140 calories, 12 grams of sugar, and 13 grams of protein. By comparison, one cup of Nestle's Nesquick chocolate milk contains 150 calories, 24 grams of sugar, and 8 grams of protein.

The photo below shows the nutritional information on the 2% and chocolate versions. The 2% milk has 6 grams of sugar and 13 grams of protein per cup, compared to 12 grams of sugar and 8 grams of protein per cup of regular milk. 

FairlifeNext we tried the fat free and 2% reduced fat milks. 

Most people agreed that the 2% milk tasted similar to whole milk. Many reviewers loved the milky taste, while others thought it was too overpowering. 

FairlifeBusiness Insider video producer Sam Rega said he would find it hard to distinguish between regular milk and Fairlife.

"Both skim and 2% had an after-taste, but otherwise I couldn't tell much of a difference from this and regular milk," he said.

Fairlife milk is made on a dairy farm with "fully sustainable high-care processes with animals" and "has a proprietary milk filtering process" that removes much of the sugar, Coca-Cola's North American chief Sandy Douglas said at Morgan Stanley's Global Consumer Conference in November.

"It's basically the premiumization of milk," Douglas said.

FairlifeThe filtering process removes the lactose and much of the sugar and leaves behind more of the protein and calcium, according to Sue McCloskey, who developed the system used to make Fairlife with her husband Mike McCloskey.

"No protein powders or additional supplements are added," McCloskey said in a phone interview with reporters on Tuesday.

The product also has a shelf life of 90 days, compared to regular milk that typically expires within a couple weeks of purchase.

This is the beginning of a long-term investment in the dairy business for Coca-Cola.

"We’re going to be investing in the milk business for a while to build the brand so it won’t rain money in the early couple of years," Douglas said. "But like Simply [orange juice], when you do it well it rains money later."

Coca-Cola's investment comes at a tough time for the milk industry. Fluid milk sales have been declining for the past four decades.

SEE ALSO: Chipotle founder said McDonald's chicken farm was the most disgusting thing he'd ever seen

Follow us: On Facebook

Join the conversation about this story »








Gleneagles, the luxury resort that just hosted the Ryder Cup, is up for sale for $300 million

0
0

Ryder Cup Gleneagles

This year, the biennial Ryder Cupgolf tournament took place at Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland. It was the first time since 1973 that the Cup took place in Scotland, and only the second time in history. 

Now, Diageo plc, the beverage company that owns Glenagles, has but the resort on the market, asking $300 million for the facility.

No place could be more suited for high pressure golf than the courses at Gleneagles. The grounds, as well as the other hotel facilities, are held to the highest standards of perfection. The entire grounds are quite remarkable.

Gleneagles marked its 90th anniversary by hosting the eagerly awaited biennial Ryder Cup this year.



Gleneagles was named the best golf resort in the world for the third year running at the 2014 ULTRA awards.



Linkman Duncan Hunter, who greets guests on arrival, poses for a photograph outside the hotel, which sits on 850 acres of beautiful land in Perthshire, Scotland.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider






The people on this remote Indonesian island practice rituals to ‘fertilize’ the soil with spilled human blood

0
0

Sumba Pasola 11On Sumba, a remote island in the Indonesian archipelago, natives continue to celebrate their most ancient traditions. The most important of these is the Pasola, an annual festival to celebrate the harvest. 

The Pasola festival is a brutal war ritual that pits two neighboring tribes against each other. Men of age ride on horseback throwing spears, with a deadly intent to spill blood onto the soil. Without blood, the Sumbanese believe, the harvest will be bad. 

Photographer James Morgan recently traveled to Sumba to document the festival. He has shared some of his photos with us here, but you can check out the rest at his website

Editor's Warning: Images in this slideshow may be considered graphic by some readers.

Sumba is a tiny island in Indonesia with a population of about 650,000. Unlike most Indonesian islands, Sumba has indigenous horses, which play an important role in Sumbanese culture.

 

 



Sumba is largely covered in rice paddies. The Sumbanese believe that for the rice to have a good harvest, blood must be spilled on the ground.



To spill the blood, the Sumbanese enact the Pasola. Shamans called "ratus" determine the date of the Pasola based on the appearance of the Nyale sea worms, which show up on the beach once a year.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider






The 20 most popular places to visit this winter

0
0

15. Chamonis:shutterstock

Cold winter months can cause a bit of cabin fever in everyone — but that doesn't mean you can't get away.

Gogobot just released the winners of its 2015 Travelers' Favorites Awards, based on reviews from thousands of travelers as well as destination booking data.

One of the categories assessed the top winter destinations.

From the ski slopes of California's Big Bear mountain to the beaches of Cape Town, here are the top 20 destinations to travel to this winter. 

20. Jackson, Wyoming, USA



19. Montreal, Quebec, Canada



18. Cape Town, South Africa



See the rest of the story at Business Insider






HOUSE OF THE DAY: Lavish Georgia mansion cost $40 million to build but is now on the market for $14 million

0
0

georgia house

A 35,000-square-foot mansion in the Atlanta metro area just went on the market for $13.9 million.

That's $26 million less than the mansion's mysterious current owners spent to build the lavish home — and they never even lived in it.

The gigantic house is currently one of the biggest homes for sale in the US, according to toptenrealestate.com

It features an insane number of ridiculous touches, including five kitchens, 17 bathrooms, eight bedrooms, a home theatre, a gun room, a wine cellar, a saltwater pool, and so much more. 

Atlanta Fine Homes has the listing.

 

The ridiculously lavish Rose Hill Estate is located in Suwanee, Georgia, which is about 35 miles north of Atlanta.



The town of Suwanee is routinely rated as one of the 10 best places to live in the US, appropriate for a house this luxurious.



The main residence is nothing short of huge, with a whopping 35,000 square feet of interior space. It's one of the 25 largest homes currently for sale in the US. All of that space includes...



See the rest of the story at Business Insider






The heartbreaking story of how Harper Lee was allegedly robbed of the copyright to her iconic novel

0
0

Harper Lee

Fifty-five years after its publication, the world is finally getting a sequel to the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird."

While its author, Harper Lee, is notoriously reclusive, the 88-year-old waged a public court battle in recent years claiming her agent essentially stole the copyright for her Pulitzer Prize-winning book about racial injustice in the South.

Her 2013 lawsuit against her former agent, Samuel Pinkus, has since been settled, but the complaint seems relevant today. If the allegations are true, it's a cautionary tale for aging artists whose agents might take advantage of them even though they're supposed to be acting on their behalf.

In her lawsuit, Lee alleged that in 2007 Pinkus took the "extraordinary step" of arranging for Lee to assign the copyright for "To Kill a Mockingbird" to a company he controlled, Veritas Media Inc. (VMI). It's not clear why Lee would assign her lucrative copyright to VMI, and indeed she said she had no recollection of discussing the document or signing it.

The complaint paints Lee and her lawyer, who happened to be her elderly sister, Alice, as incredibly vulnerable. From the complaint:

"For over 15 years, she [Harper Lee] has suffered from increasingly serious deafness and, for 6-7 years, macular degeneration, which makes it difficult for her to read documents not printed in very large type.

In June 2007, she suffered a stroke, making it difficult for her to move around easily, but not affecting her mental capabilities. Until late 2011, Harper Lee's lawyer was her older sister, Alice Lee, now 101 years old. Alice Lee's deafness began about 20 years ago, and she eventually became profoundly deaf; starting around 2006, she relied on lip-reading."

The lawsuit implies Lee's agent took advantage of her frail state to transfer the copyright.

"Pinkus knew that Harper Lee was an elderly woman with physical infirmities that made it difficult for her to read and see. He also knew that Harper Lee and her sister (and lawyer) relied on and trusted him," the lawsuit stated. "Pinkus abused that trust and took advantage of Harper Lee's physical condition ... to engineer the assignment of her copyright in a document that did not even ensure her a contractual right to income."

Harper Lee Young

Eventually, in 2012, her real estate lawyer, Tonja Carter, pressured Pinkus to transfer the copyright back to Lee. However, the copyright reassignment agreement specified that Pinkus and his companies would still be able to get commissions as Lee's agents, according to her complaint.

Her lawsuit sought an order forcing Pinkus and his associated companies to forfeit "whatever rights they own" in the "To Kill a Mockingbird" copyright, as well as forfeit any commissions received since the 2007 reassignment. While the terms of the 2013 settlement weren't made clear, it's likely Pinkus agreed to some of Lee's demands.

This is not the only ugly legal fight the elderly Lee has been involved recently. In 2013, she sued a small museum in Monroeville, Alabama, where she was born and raised, for allegedly exploiting her fame without giving her anything in return.

A childhood friend of Truman Capote, Lee achieved wide fame for her 1960 novel about a 6-year-old girl, Scout, whose lawyer father defends a black man accused of raping a white woman in Alabama. She hammered away at a second novel for years and then started a book about a serial killer in the 1980s, according to The New York Times. Neither book satisfied her, nor was either one published.

The new book that's coming out, "Go Set a Watchman," was actually written in the 1950s before "To Kill a Mockingbird" and focuses on the Scout character as an adult.

We reached out to lawyers for Lee and Pinkus and will update this post if we hear back.

SEE ALSO: How a thoughtful Christmas present helped Harper Lee write "To Kill a Mockingbird"

Join the conversation about this story »









Here's what everyone gets wrong about the WWE being fake

0
0

Through its live shows, television broadcasts and digital network, the WWE entertains thousands of fans every week.

Some people still view the WWE as entertainment for people on the lower end of the intellectual spectrum. One reason for this is the misperception that everyone who watches the product thinks it is actually "real." Of course, many of the children who enjoy WWE programming may indeed think they're seeing actual conflicts being resolved through in-ring combat. The truth is that the majority of adult fans realize that it's all a big production.

In the last few years, WWE co-founder Vince McMahon has loosened his grip on the perception that what you see on TV is "real," as he has recently begun to allow his talent roster to participate in interviews where they break character and discuss the business in a real-world context. 

Produced by Graham Flanagan 

Follow BI Video: On Facebook

Join the conversation about this story »








These are the best credit cards for 2015

0
0

Next Advisor credit card

After a season of extravagant holiday shopping, it might be time to turn your attention to your credit cards.

Maybe you have a balance you can't fully pay off. Perhaps you're looking to earn some extra rewards or save up for your next vacation. Picking the right credit card could easily save you hundreds or thousands of dollars.

With the economy on the upswing, credit-card issuers are offering amazing bonuses, lengthy 0% intro APRs, and generous reward programs.

NextAdvisor.com is a consumer information site that reviews credit cards from all major issuers; its mission is to help consumers save money. According to the company, these are the best credit cards for 2015.

Best cash-back card: Blue Cash Preferred Card From American Express

AMEX Blue Card

Why you should get it: The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express, the winner of NextAdvisor's cash-back-card analysis, combines excellent cash rewards with a 15-month 0% APR period. This is a good option for anyone who spends a lot on groceries and gas, since it can really rack up cash-back rewards. You don't have to sign up quarterly to get the rewards — they're automatic.

What to know:

  • Earn 6% back at supermarkets (on up to $6,000 in purchases annually), 3% at gas stations and select department stores like Sears, JCP, Kohl's, Nordstrom, and Macy's, and 1% cash back on all your other purchases.
  • There's a $150 bonus after spending $1,000 in the first three months.
  • 0% intro APR for the first 15 months on purchases and balance transfers (there is a 3% balance-transfer fee).
  • $75 annual fee, but you should be able to earn this back.

If you want a card with no annual fee, huge cash-back rewards, and a 0% intro APR period, check out its sister card, the Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express, or use NextAdvisor's free Personalized Cash Back Calculator to find out which cash-back card is best for you.

Best balance-transfer card: Chase Slate

chase_slate_new

Why you should get it: You went overboard on holiday shopping and can't fully pay off your balance. This card will help you transfer your balances instead of accumulating huge interest fees. 

What to know:

  • 15-month 0% intro APR on balance transfers and purchases.
  • No balance-transfer fees and no annual fee.
  • Anyone with a credit score above 660 has a chance to be approved.
  • $0 balance transfer fee available only for the first 60 days (but people generally get this card to transfer their balances immediately, so that shouldn't be an issue).
  • If you're looking for a balance-transfer card and aren't sure which one is best for your situation, take a look at NextAdvisor's free Balance Transfer Calculator to determine which card will save you the most.

Best low APR card: Citi Simplicity

Citi simplicity

Why you should get it: This card leads the pack with an outstanding 18-month 0% intro APR and no annual fee or late fees. While it's important to pay your card on time and to maintain a healthy credit score, the extended 0% APR period will let you pay down your balance over time without costing you anything in interest fees. Plus there are no late fees or penalty rates — a huge bonus for anyone who might be late with a payment now and then.

What to know:

  • 0% intro APR period for 18 months on both purchases and balance transfers.
  • No late fees, penalty rates, or annual fee. 
  • 3% balance-transfer fee.

Best travel card: Barclay Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard

Barclay World Elite credit card

Why you should get it: If you're saving up for a big vacation or travel frequently, you should strongly consider the Barclay Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard. The card took first place in NextAdvisor's 2014 Travel Rewards Credit Card Analysis, with a top reward value of $2.20 for every $100 spent in both the flight and hotel categories.

You can travel wherever you'd like, on any airline, at any hotel, and with any car-rental company (or cruise). To use your earned miles, you just book your travel and then redeem your miles as a statement credit against your travel costs. A perk is that when you travel outside the US, you won't have to pay foreign transaction fees. It's also the only card that offers full chip and PIN technology, making it fully compatible with foreign payment systems.

What to know:

  • Start with a 40,000-point bonus — equal to $400 in travel — after you spend $3,000 in the first 90 days.
  • Earn two miles for every dollar you spend. That's 2x miles on every purchase, not just in certain categories or on special deals that you have to sign up for quarterly.
  • Get a 10% bonus on all miles you redeem for travel, so if you were to spend your 40,000-point intro bonus on travel, you'd get 4,000 bonus miles (roughly $440 in travel).
  • The card does have an $89 annual fee, but it's waived the first year, so you'll have a year to figure out if this card is right for you.

Best card for anyone with good (but not great) credit: Chase Freedom

Chase freedom

Why should get it: If you don't have terrific credit, the Chase Freedom might be right up your alley. It was developed for those with "good" credit, or a credit score between 660 and 724, so it has the great features you'd expect for those with great credit, but it's still available to those who might have a hit or two on their credit report. (If you don't know your credit score, get it here free.)

What to know:

  • Start with a $100 intro bonus after spending $500 in the first three months.
  • Earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in purchases in categories that rotate quarterly (you'll need to register each quarter to receive the cash back) and 1% back on everything else you buy.
  • No annual fee.

Best card for students: Discover It For Students

Discover it for studentsWhy you should get it: Your college-bound child needs a new card. The cash-back rewards and 0% APR period of six months will give him or her time to pay for those textbooks.

  • 6-month 0% intro APR on purchases.
  • Earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in purchases in categories that rotate quarterly and 1% cash back on all other purchases.
  • No annual fee and no foreign transaction fees.

Best card for businesses: Ink Cash Business Card

Chase Ink Cash

Why you should get it: This card has great business-oriented features, including generous cash-back rewards, a 0% intro APR, and no annual fee. The 12-month 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers can be helpful to new businesses looking to make big purchases they don't need to pay off for a year, as well as larger businesses that just want to take advantage of paying no interest for a year.

What to know:

  • Get a $200 bonus after spending $3,000 in the first three months.
  • Earn 5% cash back on purchases at office-supply stores and on land-line, cell-phone, internet, and cable TV services (on up to $25,000 in combined purchases).
  • Get 2% cash back on the first $25,000 in combined purchases at restaurants and gas stations and an unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. The 5% and 2% cash-back rewards are issued annually on your account anniversary, but the 1% cash-back rewards are issued monthly.

Other cards you may want to try:

Best card for average credit:Barclay Rewards Mastercard – Average Credit

Best card for rebuilding credit: Capital One Secured Mastercard

This post is based on an article originally published on NextAdvisor.

Learn more about which credit card is right for you.

This post is sponsored by NextAdvisor.

Find out more about Sponsored Content.

Join the conversation about this story »








I tried 'unreal' peanut butter cups, and they tasted better than the real thing

0
0

UNREAL CandyWhen a food startup selling "better for you" candy approached me, I was skeptical.

I grew up in Hershey, Pennsylvania, a town that calls itself "the sweetest place on earth," so UNREAL Candy — a brand touting peanut butter cups and M&M-like sweets made without GMOs, gluten, corn, or soy — had a lot to live up to.

I wasn't disappointed.

UNREAL doesn't use any partially hydrogenated oils, corn syrup, artificial ingredients, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), or preservatives. Instead, the company relies on natural ingredients.

Its sweets are made with 40% less sugar than candies from major brands. It uses sustainably sourced and fair trade ingredients. Its dark chocolate candies are vegan.

UNREAL's candy is made with ingredients like quinoa, palm oil, and organic dairy, and colored with natural ingredients like beet root and carrot juice. So no, it's not "healthy" for you in the way that chomping on an apple would be, but it's certainly less junky.

UNREAL Candy

UNREAL, which has raised $18.7 million in funding from investment firms Khosla Ventures and Raptor Ventures, gave us a bunch of its new products to try, including its milk chocolate crispy quinoa peanut butter cups, dark chocolate coconut peanut butter cups, and its candy-coated milk-chocolate "gems," which are like M&Ms.

We weren't disappointed by the better-for-you candy. In fact, we really liked it.

The coconut dark chocolate peanut butter cups tasted slightly different than the peanut butter cups you're probably familiar with. The chocolate is a bit less sturdy and the peanut butter is a little runnier — one Business Insider reporter described it as "a little mushier than Reese's" — but it's delicious. "I want to be buried with these peanut butter cups," another Business Insider reporter said. 

UNREAL Candy

And its chocolate "gem" candies were pretty good too. One Business Insider editor said, "as a lifetime fan of M&Ms, and someone who, as a kid, wrote countless letters to the company asking for new colors and M&M styles, I can tell you that these healthy M&Ms are legit and almost a little sweeter than the real thing."

What's even more surprising than the fact that UNREAL Candy tastes either similar to or better than normal candy is that its co-founder is a teenager.

After a night of trick-or-treating five years ago, Nicky Bronner, then 13, woke up the day after Halloween to find a big chunk of his candy stash had gone missing.

Bronner knew exactly who to start yelling at. His dad had taken it away and told him "candy isn't good for you."

Outraged, Bronner tried to prove his father otherwise. "It was my first year of being homeschooled, so I said, 'I don't think it's that bad for you.' It's just peanut butter and chocolate — how bad could it possibly be for me? We have peanut butter and chocolate in the house."

But Bronner looked it up, and found out that his dad had a point. 

"It was the only time I ever admitted to my dad that he was right," Bronner told Business Insider. 

nicky bronner

From there, Bronner and his dad set out to find a way to make candy that would still taste good, but be less bad for you. Their journey eventually took them all the way to Europe, where a food scientist helped them develop a formula to make candy taste good, but also be better for you than normal candy.

Bonner is a senior in high school this year, and while he's still helping out with UNREAL, he plans to take a gap year next year and then apply to colleges.

UNREAL is rolling out its revamped products to places like Kroger grocery stores, Whole Foods, and Target's natural food aisles. The company is starting to target more natural foods-oriented demographics, including millennials who are into organic foods.

Instead of simply creating a simpler, better-for-you version of candy you like, the company is reinventing these candies, incorporating trendy ingredients like quinoa in inventive ways. Its bright color scheme is a far cry from its former techy, dark packaging.

While UNREAL is focused on cleaning up candy right now, the company eventually would like to unjunk more of your favorite junk foods. If its current candy is any indication, the company has a pretty good grasp on how to make less-bad-for-you versions of the food you love.

SEE ALSO: A startup founded by a pair of backpackers — selling canvas shoes featuring art from all over the world — just raised $7.5 million

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why Bethany Mota Has A Legion Of 10 Million Fans Waiting For Her Next YouTube Video








Forget 'Fifty Shades' — the 'Magic Mike XXL' trailer is out and it's intense

0
0

Channing Tatum returns in the trailer for "Magic Mike XXL," the sequel to his 2012 box-office smash. The first "Magic Mike" raked in $167 million at the international box office and, according to Box Office Mojo, cost just $7 million to make.

When we last saw Mike, he had gotten out of the exotic dancing world to focus on his dream of becoming a custom-furniture designer. The trailer shows Mike hard at work in his studio, but the funky strains of Ginuwine's R&B classic "Pony" are too much for him and he breaks into an intense dance routine.

For the sequel, the first film's director Steven Soderbergh hands the reins to his longtime producer and first assistant director Gregory Jacobs. However, Soderbergh isn't absent by a long shot. The self-proclaimed "retired" auteur serves as both the director of photography and editor on "Magic Mike XXL."

A notable returning cast member is former WWE superstar Kevin Nash as Tarzan. And the movie's IMDB page also lists pro-wrestling legend Ric Flair as a cast member.

The movie opens in July.

Follow BI Video: On Facebook

Join the conversation about this story »








The 100 most romantic restaurants in the US, according to OpenTable

0
0

Halekulani Hotel

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, romance is on our minds. And what better way to celebrate the holiday than with a romantic dinner?

OpenTable sorted through more than five million restaurant reviews from over 20,000 restaurants across the country to compile their list of the the most romantic restaurants in America

American, French, and Italian spots dominated the list, with fondue restaurants making a strong appearance as well.

Here's the full list, in alphabetical order:

Addison at The Grand Del Mar — San Diego, California

Aerie Restaurant & Lounge — Acme, Michigan

Alizé at the Top of the Palms Casino Resort — Las Vegas, Nevada

Altius — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Ambience — Los Altos, California

Bouchard Restaurant and Inn — Newport, Rhode Island

Briarhurst Manor — Manitou Springs, Colorado

Café La Cave — Des Plaines, Illinois

Café Matisse — Rutherford, New Jersey

Café Monarch — Scottsdale, Arizona

Café Renaissance — Vienna, Virginia

Canlis — Seattle, Washington

Castle Falls — Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

The Cellar — Fullerton, California

The Cellar Restaurant — Daytona Beach, Florida

The Cellars — Virginia Beach, Virginia

The Chateau on the Lake — Bolton Landing, New York

Chez François — Vermilion, Ohio

Chez Loma — Coronado, California

Chez Nous French Restaurant — Humble, Texas

Cite — Chicago, Illinois

Different Pointe of View — Phoenix, Arizona

The Dining Room-Biltmore Estate — Asheville, North Carolina

Dominic’s on the Hill — St. Louis, Missouri

Eagle’s Nest-Hyatt Regency — Indianapolis, Indiana

Eiffel Tower — Las Vegas, Nevada

El Encanto Dining Room — Santa Barbara, California

Erna’s Elderberry House — Oakhurst, California

Europa — Palm Springs, California

The Farmhouse at Turkey Hill — Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania

Fearrington House Restaurant — Pittsboro, North Carolina

The Fig Tree Restaurant — Charlotte, North Carolina

Flagstaff House — Boulder, Colorado

Forepaugh’s — St. Paul, Minnesota

The French Room — Dallas, Texas

Gamba Ristorante — Merrillville, Indiana

Geja’s Café — Chicago, Illinois

Gerard’s Restaurant Maui — Lahaina, Hawaii

The Goodstone Inn & Estate Restaurant — Middleburg, Virginia

Hugo’s Cellar-Four Queens — Las Vegas, Nevada

Il Cielo Gardens Restaurant & Bar — Beverly Hills, California

Iron Gate Tasting Room — Washington, D.C.

Isabela on Grandview — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Joel Robuchon-MGM Grand — Las Vegas, Nevada

L’Auberge Provençale — Boyce, Virginia

L’Auberge Restaurant on Oak Creek — Sedona, Arizona

La Caille Restaurant — Sandy, Utah

La Grenouille — New York, New York

La Mer at Halekulani — Honolulu, Hawaii

La V Restaurant and Wine Bar — Austin, Texas

Latigo — Sisters, Oregon

Latitudes — Key West, Florida

Le Relais — Louisville, Kentucky

Les Nomades — Chicago, Illinois

The Library Restaurant — Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

The Little Door — Los Angeles, California

Log Haven — Salt Lake City, Utah

McNinch House — Charlotte, North Carolina

The Melting Pot — National locations

Michel’s at the Colony Surf — Honolulu, Hawaii

Ocean — Kennebunkport, Maine

OHEKA Bar & Restaurant — Huntington, New York

On The Marsh Bistro — Kennebunkport, Maine

One if by Land, Two if by Sea — New York, New York

The Painted Lady — Newberg, Oregon

Pamplemousse Le Restaurant — Las Vegas, Nevada

Pepper Tree Restaurant — Colorado Springs, Colorado

Peter Shields Inn — Cape May, New Jersey

Red Fish Grill — Miami, Florida

The Refectory Restaurant & Bistro — Columbus, Ohio

Republic of Texas Bar & Grill — Corpus Christi, Texas

Restaurant G at the Gideon Ridge Inn — Blowing Rock, North Carolina

Ristorante Massimo — Portsmouth, New Hampshire

River Café — Brooklyn, New York

Romeo’s Café — Miami, Florida

Rouge — Miami Beach, Florida

Rowland’s Restaurant at Westglow Resort and Spa — Blowing Rock, North Carolina

Rue Franklin Restaurant — Buffalo, New York

Salvatore’s Cucina Italiana — San Diego, California

Scarborough Fair — Sea Girt, New Jersey

Second Empire Restaurant and Tavern — Raleigh, North Carolina

Shadowbrook Restaurant — Capitola, California

Sir Winston’s Aboard The Queen Mary — Long Beach, California

Ski Tip Lodge — Keystone, Colorado

The Sky Room — Long Beach, California

The Spiced Pear — Newport, Rhode Island

Spindletop — Houston, Texas

The Standard at the Smith House — Nashville, Tennessee

Stars — St. Michaels, Maryland

Stonehouse at San Ysidro Ranch — Santa Barbara, California

Studio at Montage Laguna Beach — Laguna Beach, California

Top of the Pontch-Crowne Plaza Detroit Downtown — Detroit, Michigan

Truluck’s Seafood, Steak and Crab House — Austin, Texas

Tulalip Bay at Tulalip Resort Casino — Marysville, Washington

‘Ulu Ocean Grill and Sushi Lounge — Kaupulehu, Hawaii

V.Mertz — Omaha, Nebraska

Vintage House Restaurant at Messina Hof — Bryan, Texas

Water’s Edge — Long Island City, New York

White Barn Inn — Kennebunk, Maine

Zenkichi — Brooklyn, New York

SEE ALSO: The 100 Best Restaurants In America, According To OpenTable

FOLLOW US: Business Insider Is On Pinterest!

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Mark Cuban: Here's The Hardest Part Of Being A Billionaire








The best US mountain for every type of skier

0
0

Corbet's Couloir jackson hole

We recently ranked the best ski resorts in America, but it can be a bit tricky to figure out which one will fit you best.

So we've compiled a list of the best mountains for every type of skier. 

From the adrenaline-inducing Colbert’s Couloir in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to a romantic getaway in the White Mountains, here are the best mountains for every type of traveler. 

Best For Adrenaline Junkies: Jackson Hole Mountain, Teton Village, Wyoming

Jackson Hole has some intense double-diamond runs, but nothing is quite as terrifying as its Colbert's Couloir. 

Named the most intense ski run in the US by Liftopia, the run starts with a massive free fall drop.

Any skier who is willing to attempt the run must start by plunging off of a cliff face onto  55-degree slope, and then immediately turn right to avoid smashing  into the face of Precambrian rock.  

Needless to say, it intimidates even the most advanced skiers — and many will turn around after looking off the edge. 



Best For Millionaires: Snowmass Ski Resort, Aspen, Colorado

Aspen is widely consider to be one of the world's top ski destinations, and it is home to some incredible mountains — but it is also quite expensive, and lift tickets usually cost $129

The city is often reffered to as 'Rocky Mountain playground for the rich and famous,' with its gourmet restaurants, luxurious lodge retreats, and nightlife filled with plenty of celebrity spotting. 



Best For Budget Travelers: Cooper Mountain, Cooper, Colorado

Cooper Mountain has 2,465 skiable acres, 140 trails, and is a great value — season passes are $389, which is 21% less than the US average. 

But its accommodations also help to make it a great destination for budget travelers. 

Hotels near good ski mountains can cost almost $300 a night, but Copper offers Condo-styled accommodations. The condos can sleep plenty of people, and come equipped with kitchens so you won't have the added expense of eating out. It is also easy to walk to the ski lifts. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider






Business Insider is hiring a full-time reporter for its Strategy section

0
0

business insider group shot

Do you have more ideas than time to execute them?

Are you excited to research the psychology of success, ask powerful people how they organize their days, and investigate the management strategies that companies like Google, Apple, and Amazon use for maximum effectiveness?

Business Insider is hiring a full-time reporter for its Strategy vertical, one of the fastest-growing sections of the world's No. 1 digital business publication.

Candidates should be comfortable writing quick, aggregated stories that highlight the most interesting angles of the day's news, while simultaneously working on reported medium-length and long-form features.

Ideal candidates will have:

  • Insatiable curiosity
  • A strong voice and the ability to write with authority
  • Interest in digital media and how readers consume news on the web
  • Previous writing experience, preferably business
  • At least a Bachelor's degree
  • Journalism degree and/or background preferred
  • Copy-editing skills, light HTML and Photoshop experience, and knowledge of social media are also useful

APPLY HERE with a resume and cover letter if interested, and specify why you're interested in working on Strategy. 

Please note that this position requires that you work in our Manhattan office. Business Insider offers competitive compensation packages complete with benefits. 

SEE ALSO: Business Insider Is Hiring Paid Interns For Its Strategy And Careers Sections

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here's How Much Mark Cuban Sleeps To Be On Top Of His Game









The most powerful person in Hollywood at every age

0
0

Most Powerful Person In Hollywood At Every Age beyonce jay z blue ivyIt's not just celebrities who have power in Hollywood: Directors, producers, writers, and agents also command authority in Tinseltown.

We came up with the most powerful person in Hollywood at every age by looking at each person's command, reputation, past and future influence, and wealth.

From Kim and Kanye's 1-year-old baby North West to 100-year-old actor and comedian Irwin Corey, these are the most powerful people in Hollywood from 1 to 100.

AGE 1: North West

Daughter of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian

What makes her powerful: While all of Twitter had an opinion about the bold name that Kimye chose for their first child, North is developing a personality to match. Nori, as she's known, who appears with her family on "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," is halfway potty-trained and loves selfies as much as her mom.

Another powerful 1-year-old: Everest Lucas is the son of "Star Wars" creator and former Lucasfilm CEO George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, chairman of the Dreamworks' board of directors.



AGE 2: Olive Barrymore Kopelman

Daughter of Drew Barrymore and Will Kopelman

What makes her powerful: The famous Hollywood Barrymore dynasty welcomed a new member, Olive, in September 2012. And if Drew's Instagram is any indication, Olive is incredibly gifted. Her mom posted a photo of her daughter at the beach reading. And not just any book — "Bossypants" by Tina Fey.



AGE 3: Blue Ivy

Daughter of Beyoncé and Jay-Z

What makes her powerful: Nothing is too good for this power couple's little girl. Blue Ivy's second birthday was celebrated at the exotic Jungle Island in Miami; for her third, Blue got an ice sculpture with her name carved into it. Gwyneth Paltrow, who is good friends with the Knowles-Carter clan, said of Blue Ivy: "She is a powerhouse. I love her so much."

Another powerful 3-year-old: Haven Warren, daughter of Cash Warren and Jessica Alba, must be getting some great merch from her mom, who cofounded the sustainable baby and toddler product company Honest Company.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider






Learn to build your future website with 60+ themes, 4 plugins and 6 WordPress courses [93% off]

0
0

hackathon coding computers workingAny entrepreneur worth his salt knows that a business needs a website. The obvious next step is to install WordPress.

But instead of fumbling around with a semi-broken free theme, have a look at the WordPress Asset and Course Bundle. It gives you access to 60+ themes, 3 plugins and the know-how to customize your site, at 93% off the standard price.

The headline on this deal is membership to MyThemeShop, a library of over 60 themes that are all fully responsive and retina-ready. All the themes install with a single click, but there are plenty of customization options built in, and unlimited use of the themes is included.

For more customization, the bundle includes the WordPress Massive Visual Builder Plugin, which provides drag-and-drop page design. You also get Soliloquy’s slideshow plugin, and the CommentLuv plugin for improving visitor engagement with your site.

Finally, there are 6 courses on offer, teaching theme and plugin development, with no prior experience required. Together, they total 31 hours of tuition.

Here’s the full line-up:

  • MyThemeShop Membership
  • CommentLuv Premium Plugin
  • Soliloquy Personal Plan
  • WordPress Massive Visual Builder Plugin
  • Intro to WordPress Plugins Course
  • Build a WordPress Theme Course
  • WordPress Pro Customization Course
  • Responsive Website Design Course
  • Advanced WordPress Course
  • Design, Develop and Sell WordPress Themes Course
  • To pick up this bundle at the reduced price, check out the link.

Get 93% off the WordPress Asset and Course Bundle ($49)

 

SEE ALSO:  New iPhone? Grab This Awesome Battery Case For The 6 Or 6+ [33% And 26% Off]

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: What Happened When A Bunch Of Young Boys Were Told To Hit A Girl








Investors are suing billionaire Ira Rennert for looting his own company to build a $110 million mansion

0
0

Ira Rennet Fair Field Sagaponack

Ira Rennert, the hermetic billionaire and former friend of Bernie Madoff who made his fortune raiding companies through junk bonds, is now being sued for funneling money from a mining business to build his 110,000-square-foot Hamptons mansion.

Crains' Aaron Elstein reported that Rennert was in federal court on Tuesday to face the defunct Magnesium Corporation of America's creditors, who claim he siphoned off $100 million from the ailing company.

Renco Group, Rennert's holding company, acquired MagCorp back in 1989 and began issuing millions of dollars worth of bonds. But rather than being invested in the magnesium company, that money went directly to Renco Group, and, allegedly, into Rennert's pocket.

The allegations get messier after that: Rennert then built a new company that bought up land  63 acres, to be exact  for his gargantuan Hamptons home (dubbed Fairfield, it's thought to be one of the largest mansions in America). Shortly afterward, the magnesium market began to crumble and MagCorp filed for bankruptcy.

Creditors are now seeking $118 million, plus interest. Get ready for an entertaining trial.

Read the full story from Crain's >>

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Mark Cuban: Here's The Hardest Part Of Being A Billionaire








The unlikely story of how Marky Ramone joined one of the most successful bands of all time

0
0

marky ramone

The following post is an excerpt from the book Punk Rock Blitzkrieg: My Life as a Ramone by Marky Ramone.

Every time I ran into [my friend] Dee Dee at CBGB in the winter of ’78, he told me I ought to join the Ramones. As if you could just do that, like joining the Y or the ACLU.

He said the band was having trouble with Tommy, their drummer, and I was actually a little upset to hear that. I didn’t want the original lineup of the Ramones to break up. I was a fan. But I didn’t put much stock in what Dee Dee said. He was a nut and known to exaggerate.

It takes a nut to be involved with two psychotic women at once. About a year before, he was living in an apartment with Connie, a violent stalker, prostitute, and drug addict. Dee Dee was also having a fling with Nancy Spungen, the schizophrenic girlfriend of Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious. When she came home to find Dee Dee in bed with Nancy, Connie grabbed an empty beer bottle, smashed it, and stabbed Dee Dee in the ass with the jagged edge.

But when Johnny Ramone asked to meet with me about joining the band, the whole proposition turned real. I arrived at Max’s with Marion, and we took seats across from John and Roxy in a booth up front. I was impressed with John. He seemed to have a handle on the Ramones’ business matters and a vision of how to get the band through this difficult transition. Joey wasn’t exactly up to it, and Dee Dee would have sent the whole thing into the toilet.

John laid down some rules. Maybe they were more like guidelines. 

Whatever they were, the Ramones didn’t get high before playing. Me neither. Dress on and off the stage was leather jackets, jeans, and sneakers. I was already wearing all that and had been forever. Dee Dee always counts off the songs. Definitely. I know. We don’t go away on tour for more than a month. Sounds good. We travel together, and girlfriends are welcome. Marion can come. Thanks.

The only confusing thing was the audition. There would be one at the Ramones’ rehearsal studio. But John discussed the rules and regs like my being a Ramone was already a done deal. Then I thought, Whatever they call it, I’ll blow it away.

The RamonesOn our way out of Max’s, Marion and I put our heads together. We had heard through the grapevine that the Ramones already auditioned several drummers, maybe more. Marion’s take was the Ramones knew from the start that I had the experience they needed, but in the back of their minds they preferred a nobody they could boss around. It was hard to get all that in the same package, so over time they realized I was their man.

From what I had heard, Dee Dee wasn’t the only one rooting for me. Tommy was, too. In fact, Tommy was the one who first suggested me. Beyond whatever had happened between him and the other Ramones, Tommy still loved the band and wanted it to continue. What better way to do it than with an experienced professional drummer who knew the ropes?

When I walked into Performance Studios on East Twentieth Street in Manhattan and sat down, Tommy was sitting at a drum set behind the set I would be using. It was an unusual way to run an audition, a show, or anything musical unless maybe you were in the Grateful Dead. I asked him what all this was about.

“Don’t worry about it,” Tommy said. “Just in case you need a little help.”

“Thanks,” I said. “I got it.”

I shot Tommy a little smile. I really did have it. The songs “I Don’t Care,” “Sheena Is a Punk Rocker,” and “Blitzkrieg Bop” were on the jukebox at CBGB, on my stereo, and in my world. I had listened to them again before coming down, and that was enough. It wasn’t like learning “From a Dry Camel.” But they were great songs, and I was like Sheena and her friends—all hopped up and ready to go. Even so, I appreciated Tommy’s concern. He literally had my back.

Dee Dee counted “One, two, three, four!” and we launched into “I Don’t Care.” It was one of the purest rock-and-roll songs written after the year 1962. With a deliberate, powerful beat underpinning a progression based on E, F, G, A, it was a song a novice could learn on but never tire of playing: not caring about the world or the girl was the entire message served up in two lines, repeated over and over like a punk mantra.

The song clocked in at a minute forty seconds. We were locked in as a band within the first ten of those seconds. Thirty seconds in, the audition—if there ever was one—was over. We were relaxed and smiling. Rehearsal had begun.

I had my work cut out for me. Recording for the new album, Road to Ruin, was set to begin in less than three weeks. We'd be doing shows immediately after. We were scheduled to do fourteen songs for the album, and the Ramones’ live set was twenty-four songs.

So I had almost forty songs to learn, minus the three for the audition, in about the length of a honeymoon. The Ramones handed me a pair of cassette demo tapes with all the songs. I stopped in at Sam Ash on Forty-Eighth Street and picked up a set of drum pads.

ocean avenueWhen I got back to the apartment on Ocean Avenue, I hooked up a pair of headphones to the boom box I had gotten with the Voidoids advance. Right next to it, I set up the pads. And that’s where I spent most of the next eighteen days.

My favorite song on the Road to Ruin demo was “I Wanna Be Sedated.” It was catchy and huge even in stripped-down form on a cheap cassette tape.

It was pop but without sacrificing hardness. Lyrically, being sedated could mean any number of things, but at its simplest level it was about needing a drink. The song captured being on the road just about perfectly. Of course, I had never been on the road with the Ramones, but I would be finding out what that was like soon enough.

I also really liked “I Just Want to Have Something to Do” and “Go Mental.” “Mental” was faster than most Ramones songs—and faster than most songs, period. It felt like what it was about: sitting in a hospital bed and losing your mind. The album’s one cover song, “Needles and Pins,” was written by Jack Nitzsche and Sonny Bono back in 1963.

The original single was done by Jackie DeShannon, but the Searchers had more success with it the following year, giving it an early-Beatles feel. The chord changes and subject matter—heartbreak and holding back tears—were right up the Ramones’ alley.

the ramonesWe recorded at Media Sound in Manhattan. I was prepared, but everyone there totally expected that of me. I understood my role from the get-go. I was not a ringer, mercenary, hired gun, or session player. I was a member of the band who could nonetheless deliver what a ringer, merce- nary, hired gun, or session player could deliver. But I wanted to take it a step further. I wanted to help take the band’s sound to the next level.

There was a lot of heavy competition out there. Not so much from the punk bands. I considered the Ramones the originators of punk, so in that sense there was no one to compete with. But the Ramones were a punk rock band with the emphasis on rock. In rock, there were a lot of big boys with heavy drums: AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, and Van Halen. Van Halen were the new kids on the block, and someone the Ramones might not even have considered. Yet their self-titled album had just come out and it was worth considering.

Van Halen stood out from the corporate rock clones being churned out monthly by the music industry. Eddie Van Halen loved Page, Beck, and Clapton but squeezed his influences out of his black-and-white-striped red Charvel with a new, wild hammer-on style of playing that was melodic, smooth, and raucous all at the same time. Alex Van Halen’s drums were huge, sounded huge, and were locked in perfectly with his brother’s play- ing as well as bassist Michael Anthony’s. The band didn’t take itself very seriously. They were kind of campy, thanks especially to lead singer David Lee Roth, who brought his Las Vegas A-game to the show. The album was a fun listen and made me think.

Mark Ramone

The idea for Road to Ruin, I thought, was not to be Van Halen or anyone else. The idea was to be a heavier Ramones. We had our fans and would keep aiming to please them. And we had our punk/new wave competition—the Clash, the Police, the Cars. But there was no harm in letting the metalheads and all their cousins know that the Ramones could rock a stadium if they needed to.

To begin with, I tuned my snare a lot tighter than Tommy’s and used larger cymbals. I wanted to get more projection and impact from the sound. There were a bunch of other factors involving microphone placement, levels, and even the way I struck the kit that would give the songs a bolder, more muscular feel. The beauty of the situation was that I had a great producer who worked closely with me to get that sound: Tommy. He hadn’t just passed me a golden baton. He was clearing the track for me. Tommy was there alongside me every step of the way.

The very first song we tracked was “Sedated.” I speeded up the tempo a bit from the demo. The song itself didn’t feel right sedated. It had to be manic and in need of sedation. I added a few fills here and there that helped distinguish the parts, plus a critical fill in the break. It sounded nice when we did it. Then it jumped out of the monitors and had all of us smiling.

During recording, I noticed Joey had a funny habit. He would touch a spot somewhere—the mixing console, a chair, a microphone stand—and then touch it again. And again. And again. It didn’t matter. His vocals were great, and he didn’t need to do them again and again and again. It was just a little weird.

Igot to meet and talk to the full Ramones entourage, including Seymour Stein of Sire Records. Seymour was already my boss from the Voidoids, but he especially loved the Ramones. He appreciated the way they took the chord changes and vocal approach of the doo-wop era and spit it back out as their own—harder, faster, and a little warped. Seymour was knowledgeable, easygoing, and quiet.

marky ramone book

His wife made up for the quiet part. Linda Stein was a short, loud, opinionated, outgoing quintessential New Yorker. She started out as a schoolteacher—probably one you would never want to be caught throwing a spitball at. She learned the music business from her husband, and the Ramones were lucky to have her managing their business.

Danny Fields was the other half of the Ramones management team.

Danny had started out doing publicity for the Doors and later was instrumental in signing the Stooges and MC5 to Elektra. In 1975, he brought the Ramones to the attention of Sire. Danny was the hands-on manager for the group, plying connections at rock magazines, booking venues, getting the band radio interviews. Together, the Steins and Danny Fields spearheaded a professional organization behind what looked like four punks in street clothes.

It was this professional team that asked me about changing my name. I was off to a good start, but we weren’t going to be Marc Bell and the Ramones. My new last name was a done deal, but I needed a first name that ended in a long-e sound. Rocky Ramone was either too suggestive of the Sylvester Stallone movie or made me sound like a gangster. Timmy, Jimmy, and Willie Ramone and a dozen others made me puke. And just adding a y to Marc came out to Marcy, which was not only a girl’s name but happened to be the name of the discount store Marcy’s, across the street from Erasmus High School. The fewer reminders of high school, the better.

So I said, “Let’s go with Marky, with a k.” My grandmother called me Marky as a kid, and the name was made famous by Marky Maypo. In the fifties and sixties, Maypo was one of the big three hot cereals, along with Farina and Wheatena. Mickey Mantle was a pitchman for Maypo, literally crying if he didn’t get a bowl of the stuff. Marky Maypo was the goofy, whinny, cartoon mascot wearing a cowboy hat. For the sake of nostalgia, I could live with that. So Marky, like the cereal, stuck.

There was no need to change my name legally. My bills would still come to Marc Bell. And so would my paychecks. The Ramones team let me know that I would be receiving a nice check every week, on time, from our accountant Ira Herzog. The check would come whether we were on the road or off. When we toured, there would be extra per diem payments based on the shows we did. This was all a load off my mind and off Marion’s. Moving into Manhattan was on the horizon.

From PUNK ROCK BLITZKRIEG: MY LIFE AS A RAMONE by Marky Ramone and Richard Herschlag.  Copyright © 2014 by Mark Steven Bell. Published by Touchstone, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Reprinted by permission.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Kanye West explains how marriage has helped him become a better man








A 72-year-old advice columnist launched a matchmaking service out of Stanford's startup accelerator

0
0

tawkify

From the now classic OkCupid to the ultra-exclusive newcomer The League, there are plenty of sites you can use to jumpstart your love life.

But none of that compares to the services of a real-life matchmaker — at least according to the founders of young matchmaking startup Tawkify.

"Human language is incredibly limiting," cofounder E. Jean Carroll said to Business Insider. "People are not always completely honest when describing themselves online. Algorithms don't work. A computer can't match people."

Carroll has written the popular "Ask E. Jean" advice column in Elle magazine since 1993. It's the longest currently running advice column in American publishing, doling out wisdom relating to love, relationships, and general etiquette and professionalism. Carroll has also written for "Saturday Night Live," Esquire, and Outside, and she was the first female contributing editor at Playboy.

Tawkify, however, is her first foray into the startup world. And even this startup takes a more traditional approach to dating than you would find elsewhere. 

Daters are paired with a matchmaker who goes through other daters' Tawkify profiles to find someone he or she thinks would be a good fit. After talking with prospective dates in person or on the phone, the matchmaker then arranges a date for the two of them. Users pay a monthly fee of $599 to be set up with two new people a month, though it's up to the individual if he or she wants to go on a second date with a person they've met through their matchmaker.

Tawkify sees itself as a full concierge service, as opposed to a match generator that relies on algorithms and technology.

"We just bang them together. We have no control over anything," Carroll said. "Even though we’re a matchmaker business and say we have data, data, data, we have no control. Mother nature controls it. We just make sure the matchmaker gets them out and they make good choices."

The dates are always packed with activities — recent planned dates include whiskey crawls and rock and roll tours through New York City.

"We never want people to just be sitting around at dinner. It becomes like an interview, asking things like 'What do you do?' and 'Where do you work?'" cofounder Kenneth Shaw said. "If you’re out doing stuff, you start to see people in a different light and start to learn more about their interests."

tawkify

Shaw and Carroll met more than five years ago, when Elle magazine was looking for an engineer to build its Facebook app. After looking at the top apps on Facebook, they stumbled upon My Purity Test, a quiz-like app that Shaw had built while he was a resident advisor at Stanford.

With more than 6 million users, My Purity Test was going viral on college campuses and had reached Facebook's top 30 most popular apps. Shaw sold My Purity Test to Speeddate.com in November 2007, shortly after finishing his bachelor's degree at Stanford. 

He later went on to work at Microsoft and was the principal imagineer at One Kings Lane before launching Tawkify with Carroll in 2012. 

"We basically started Tawkify because Kenneth needed a girlfriend," Carroll said with a laugh. "And it worked." 

Carroll and Shaw decided to jumpstart their business last summer by applying for StartX, the startup accelerator funded by Stanford. As a company that only minimally uses tech and has a founder in her 70s, Tawkify is not your typical StartX company. 

"The level of brain power at StartX is staggering. People are creating products that will solve global warming and medical crises," Carroll said. "It was brilliant." 

tawkify

Shaw added that the 10-week program helped Tawkify to rearrange its compensation structure as well as its company culture and email marketing strategy. Matchmakers now earn 40% of their clients' monthly fees.

"We learned so much just from being with the other founders," he said. "StartX has a really amazing mentor network."

Tawkify currently has 27 matchmakers in New York City and San Francisco, with "hundreds" of users, and has plans to expand to Boston in March. Anyone not living in those markets can still use Tawkify, though they'll be charged a discounted fee to video chat with their matchmaker. 

SEE ALSO: We tried Keaton Row, the startup that just raised $6 million to make life easier for people who are too busy to shop

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: What Happened When A Bunch Of Young Boys Were Told To Hit A Girl








Viewing all 115285 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images