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The 21 most successful Apple alumni of all time

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Dave Morin

Since its inception in 1976, Apple has been known to attract some incredibly smart and talented employees.

We decided to take a look at the some of the company's most successful alumni.

Whether these Apple alums left after a year or a decade, they all went on to do some pretty impressive things.

Tony Fadell served as the senior vice president of the iPod division from 2001-2008, creating the first 18 generations of the iPod. He cofounded Nest Labs in 2010, which was bought by Google in 2014 for $3.2 billion.

Source: Business Insider, Forbes, Nest Labs



The other cofounder of Nest Labs, Matt Rogers worked at Apple from 2007-2010. While at Apple, Rogers was a senior manager of iPod and iPhone software development. He remains vice president of engineering at Nest.

Source: Nest Labs



Bill Campbell joined Apple in 1983 as the VP of marketing, and was promoted up the ranks to group executive of the US. Campbell was CEO of a few companies, most notably Intuit. He served on Apple's board starting in 1997. He is known as "coach" in Silicon Valley for helping numerous technology executives.

Source: Intuit



See the rest of the story at Business Insider







What to do when someone catcalls you on the street

The sturdy High Sierra backpack is perfect for camping, the gym, and more [67% off]

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backpackIf you're looking for a great backpack on sale, you're in luck.

This High Sierra backpack comes with six interior multi-function pockets, three large exterior zipper pockets, and three small exterior zipper pockets. 

The backpack also comes with a tuck-away rain cover, a mesh beverage pocket, and a deluxe media pocket with a headphone port.

"The Access Day Pack by High Sierra is one of the best backpack/day packs I have ever owned," one reviewer noted.

"Very sturdy and well made," another wrote.

The backpack comes in 11 different colors.

High Sierra Access Backpack:$120.00$62.98[48% off]


 

SEE ALSO: Master Excel and more with this course bundle to land your dream job [96% off]

SEE ALSO: These 6 luxury headphone sets are up to 73% off right now

SEE ALSO: The 7 best headphones you can get this week for under $20

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: This is what happens to your brain and body when you check your phone before bed








This woman has worn the same outfit to work every single day for the past 3 years

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matilda kahl one outfit woman

For the past three years, art director Matilda Kahl has been wearing the same outfit to work every single day.

“I just wanted to save some time and energy,” she told Business Insider.

Kahl was tired of running late in the morning, reevaluating her outfits, and stressing about whether her clothes were appropriate for different events or meetings at her creative advertising agency.

For someone in the creative field who has to make a lot of decisions throughout the day, she longed for one less choice to make.

During the weekdays, I have so many creative challenges at work to keep my mind stimulated that I don’t feel an urge to express myself creatively through what I wear,” she said. “I finally had enough.”

After one particularly memorable meeting in which she realized her male work colleagues never face as much sartorial stress as she did, Kahl decided it was time for her own work uniform —something that could look professional, fashionable, and classic when worn every day.

I was looking for something that was simple yet wouldn’t feel too anonymous,” Kahl said. “After a few long days hunting for the right top, I fell in love with the white blouse for its diagonal line of buttons and the cuts in the sleeves. It felt personal but wasn’t too attention-drawing.”

Kahl bought 15 versions of the silk white top as well as six pairs of black pants so she wouldn’t continually have to do laundry. She also included a black leather blow around her neck to add flair to the ensemble.

matilda kahl one outfit womanThe outfit was a success, with hardly any of her coworkers caring what Kahl was wearing. “I’m happy to say we don’t talk about it much, which was the whole idea behind the uniform,” she said. “To take focus away from the wardrobe and lay it on the work instead.”

In April of this year, Kahl wrote an article for Harper’s Bazaar about her decision to implement her work uniform for the past three years. Her story soon went wild online.

The response has been overwhelming since Harper’s posted the article,” Kahl said. “I never thought the public would think it’s such big of a deal, but wearing a uniform as a woman is apparently more provocative than I could ever imagine.”

She also didn’t realize how big a change the outfit would have on her own life as well.

matilda kahl one outfit womanNowadays, I never have to rush through the process of putting together an outfit, so the whole experience has become a lot more enjoyable,” she told Business Insider. “It has really made me more appreciative of the clothes I own — they feel more special now when I don’t wear them every day.”

Kahl has other clothes aside from her black and white weekday wardrobe, and loves to wear her more creative outfits on the weekends and weeknights.

“I still wear all the colorful skirts and patterned sweaters that I own as often as I can,” she said. “I’m also very into dresses, as they are feminine and fit most occasions.”

As for whether she’ll keep doing it, Kahl isn’t sure, but sees no reason to stop yet.

“If I wake up one day and feel like start spending time on picking out an outfit every morning of the week, I’d have no problem with giving it up,” she said. “The uniform is here for me, I’m not here for the uniform.”

SEE ALSO: A new trend has tons of women cleaning out their closets until they're left with only 33 things

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Here's who won this year's Pulitzer Prizes

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Pulitzer

Journalism's most prestigious prize, the Pulitzer, was awarded today to publications and individuals for their outstanding work across 21 different categories, including breaking news, national, and international reporting.

A live stream of the announcement can be seen here.

Among the winners were the Wall Street Journal staff for for excellence in investigative reporting, Diana Marcum of the Los Angeles Times for excellence in feature writing, and Zachary R. Mider of Bloomberg News for excellence in explanatory writing.

Here's a list detailing each category.

And here are the winners with the citations from Pulitzer:

Public Service: The Post and Courier, Charleston, SC

"Awarded to The Post and Courier, Charleston, SC, for "Till Death Do Us Part," a riveting series that probed why South Carolina is among the deadliest states in the union for women and put the issue of what to do about it on the state’s agenda."

Breaking News Reporting: The Seattle Times Staff

"Awarded to The Seattle Times Staff for its digital account of a landslide that killed 43 people and the impressive follow-up reporting that explored whether the calamity could have been avoided."

Investigative Reporting: Eric Lipton of The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal Staff

"Awarded to Eric Lipton of The New York Times for reporting that showed how the influence of lobbyists can sway congressional leaders and state attorneys general, slanting justice toward the wealthy and connected.

Awarded to the The Wall Street Journal Staff for "Medicare Unmasked," a pioneering project that gave Americans unprecedented access to previously confidential data on the motivations and practices of their health care providers."

Explanatory Reporting: Zachary R. Mider of Bloomberg News

"Awarded to Zachary R. Mider of Bloomberg News for a painstaking, clear and entertaining explanation of how so many U.S. corporations dodge taxes and why lawmakers and regulators have a hard time stopping them."

Local Reporting: Rob Kuznia, Rebecca Kimitch and Frank Suraci of the Daily Breeze, Torrance, CA

"Awarded to Rob Kuznia, Rebecca Kimitch and Frank Suraci of the Daily Breeze, Torrance, CA, for their inquiry into widespread corruption in a small, cash-strapped school district, including impressive use of the paper’s website."

National Reporting: Carol D. Leonnig of The Washington Post

"Awarded to Carol D. Leonnig of The Washington Post for her smart, persistent coverage of the Secret Service, its security lapses and the ways in which the agency neglected its vital task: the protection of the President of the United States."

International Reporting: The New York Times Staff 

"Awarded to the The New York Times Staff for courageous front-line reporting and vivid human stories on Ebola in Africa, engaging the public with the scope and details of the outbreak while holding authorities accountable."

Feature Writing: Diana Marcum of the Los Angeles Times

"Awarded to Diana Marcum of the Los Angeles Timesfor her dispatches from California’s Central Valley offering nuanced portraits of lives affected by the state’s drought, bringing an original and empathic perspective to the story."

Commentary: Lisa Falkenberg of the Houston Chronicle

"Awarded to Lisa Falkenberg of the Houston Chronicle for vividly-written, groundbreaking columns about grand jury abuses that led to a wrongful conviction and other egregious problems in the legal and immigration systems."

Criticism: Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times

"Awarded to Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times for savvy criticism that uses shrewdness, humor and an insider’s view to show how both subtle and seismic shifts in the cultural landscape affect television."

Editorial Writing: Kathleen Kingsbury of The Boston Globe

"Awarded to Kathleen Kingsbury of The Boston Globe for taking readers on a tour of restaurant workers’ bank accounts to expose the real price of inexpensive menu items and the human costs of income inequality."

Breaking News Photography: St. Louis Post-Dispatch Photography Staff

"Awarded to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Photography Staff for powerful images of the despair and anger in Ferguson, MO, stunning photojournalism that served the community while informing the country."

Editorial Cartooning: Adam Zyglis of The Buffalo News

"Awarded to Adam Zyglis of The Buffalo News, who used strong images to connect with readers while conveying layers of meaning in a few words."

Feature Photography: Daniel Berehulak, freelance photographer, The New York Times

"Awarded to Daniel Berehulak, freelance photographer, The New York Times, for his gripping, courageous photographs of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa."

Join the conversation about this story »

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33 stunning pictures of US national parks

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horses on Assateague Island National Seashore

With everything from vast deserts and gorgeous beaches to sprawling mountain ranges, America is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful countries in the world — and nowhere is that more evident than in the national parks.

The US National Park Service oversees 401 areas throughout the US and US territories and has nearly 300 million visitors each year.

In honor of National Park Week, which runs through April 26th, we found some spectacular pictures of national parks, monuments, seashores and heritage areas around the country that will make you appreciate how beautiful the US really is. 

Anmargaret Warner contributed to an earlier version of this post.

Visitors come to hike the granite peaks, swim on the beaches, and even get married in Acadia National Park, Maine, the first national park east of the Mississippi River.



Hoodoos, or pillars of weathered rock, fill Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. The area has some of the best air quality in the world, and on a clear day the visibility can exceed 100 miles.



At the Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland and Virginia, wild horses roam freely along the white sand beaches.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider






Contrary to popular belief, kids in America are way safer than they've been in decades

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kid swing awesome

While you'd never guess it from the number of murders, rapes, and kidnappings that are in the news, America is the safest it's ever been

Especially for kids.

The statistics say it all. 

Writing for New York Magazine, Jennifer Senior collected the following data points: 

• The physical abuse of children fell by 55% from 1992 to 2011.

• Sexual abuse fell by 64% from 1992 to 2011.

• Abductions by strangers fell by 51% from 1997 to 2012.

• Motor vehicle deaths for children under 13 years old fell by 43% in the past decade.

The Washington Post came to a similar conclusion, with a headline "There's never been a safer time to be a kid in America." 

As in: 

• In 1935, there were just under 450 deaths for every 100,000 kids between ages 1 and 4. Now there are 30 deaths per 100,000 kids in that age range.

• More than 800 child pedestrians were killed from being hit by a car in 1993. There were fewer than 250 such deaths in 2013.

• Reports on missing persons under age 18 have gone down 40% from 1997 to 2014.

As spotted in the Chicago Tribune, the 2014 National Child and Youth Well-Being Index from Duke University furthered the good news.

As in: 

• The number of young Americans who were the victims of violent crime fell 59% since 1994

• The number of 12th graders reporting binge drinking, smoking, and alcohol use has fallen since 1995.

• In 1991, there were 20 teen births for every thousand females aged 10 to 17. By 2013, that number fell to 6.3.

Senior, the author of "All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood," says that it's "hard to think of a safer time and a better place than the United States of 2015 to raise children — but we act as though the opposite were true."

Thus the rise of "helicopter parenting," a trend where adults are constantly attending to and micromanaging their children, and never allowing them to experience being on their own. 

SEE ALSO: Science says that parents of successful kids have these 7 things in common

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The Biggest Mistakes Parents Make When Raising Siblings








14 money-saving travel hacks from the ‘Man Who Flies For Free’

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Scott KeyesScott Keyes, a reporter for Think Progress and author of the e-books “How To Fly For Free” and “How To Find Cheap Flights,” is an expert at finding affordable airfare. 

Keyes has become so gifted at landing super cheap tickets and getting the most out of his frequent flyer miles that he has booked an epic world trip that spans 13 countries, 20,000 miles, and 21 flights — all free. 

He told Business Insider his process is a “labor of love,” and after spending five years dedicated to finding airline deals, Keyes now knows the best websites, tricks, and tips for getting tickets for dirt cheap prices. 

Keep reading to see his 14 best travel hacks.

Set up a Tweet deck and email alerts

If you’re truly dedicated to finding cheap flights, it has to be a lifestyle. Keyes has alerts and a Tweet deck filled with airlines and websites that he follows to discover affordable tickets.

Your odds of scoring bargain tickets will also skyrocket if you set up newsletter alerts from travel websites like Airfarewatchdog and The Flight Deal. You can even sign up to get emails from Keyes himself when he stumbles across a deal.

Search for flights from all nearby airports

This one might seem obvious, but if you’re flying from a hub like New York City, make sure you’re not only searching flights leaving from JFK or LaGuardia and include the nearby Newark airport, too.

“If you live in an area or are flying somewhere where there are a lot of airports, search them all,” Keyes advised. This could save you hundreds of dollars, even if the airport is a little out of your way. 

Do a ‘month search’ on your itinerary

ITA matrix testWebsites like Kayak and ITA Matrix allow travelers to search their itinerary and destination for an entire month’s worth of travel so you can discover the cheapest possible airfare.

“I flew to Costa Rica once a couple years ago and I did a month search on ITA Matrix,” Keyes told us. “Instead of going in the first week of April, I realized I could go in the second week of April and save over $100.”

If it doesn’t make a difference when you get to your destination (even if it’s a matter of getting in Thursday instead of Friday), searching for an entire month can save you a significant chunk of cash.

Compare prices on Southwest separately

Affordable airline Southwest will not show up in aggregate search engines such as Kayak or Orbitz. 

It’s annoying, but always worth it once you find a decent-priced domestic flight to see if Southwest has something even cheaper. This goes for all budget airlines that may not be showing up in search engines, too.

Always check for “throwaway tickets" 

Throwaway tickets are flights you purchase to an unpopular destination. Let’s say you’re traveling from New York to Chicago — those tickets are going to be quite expensive. But New York to Milwaukee will be less expensive since fewer people will be traveling there. 

A throwaway ticket would be if you found a flight from New York to Milwaukee with a layover in Chicago. Then instead of getting on the plane to go to Milwaukee, you would throw away that leg of the ticket and exit the Chicago airport. 

“This one can be a huge money saver,” Keyes said of the hack. If you want to find throwaway tickets, check one of Keyes’s favorite websites Skiplagged that specifically searches for them (though due to a lawsuit, you currently can’t buy the tickets through Skiplagged, but through a third party site).

Book at the right time 

Airport Travelers Silhouettes“A big mistake that people make is buying either too early or too close to the departure,” Keyes told us. “Wait until between three months to a month out because that’s when you tend to get the best prices for domestic flights.”

That’s for off-peak flights. If you’re hoping to fly home during the holidays, book a trip to Europe, or fly during a time period where a lot of other people will be booking (like for spring break), Keyes suggests  looking at flights about six months out.

Buy the cheapest ticket, no matter when it is 

“The way most people approach airfare, they do it backwards: They decide where they want to go and then try to find the cheapest flight to get there,” Keyes told us. “But if your ultimate goal is to be able to find as cheap a flight as possible and go somewhere cool for not much money, then starting with an open, blank slate and going wherever there's a cheap flight right now is going to be your best bet."

That’s how Keyes wound up flying to Milan for $130, going to Galapagos for $45, and visiting Norway and Belgium for around $350 instead of the typical $1,000.

None of these destinations were necessarily on his ideal travel list, but because Keyes found deals on Twitter or through websites, he decided to buy them right away and ended up saving thousands for being flexible.

Fly on the cheapest possible days

Keyes told us the cheapest days to fly are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday. If you’re going home to visit your parents over a long weekend and were planning to fly in Friday and leave on Sunday, search Thursday to Saturday or even Friday to Monday instead to see if there's a cheaper alternative.

“If you have any flexibility in being able to fly on those days, that’s usually when you’re going to find the best fares,” Keyes said.

Don’t be afraid to complain (politely)

airplane aircanada tv broken seat“One of the things I’ve been able to employ rather effectively is when things go wrong on your flight, you can get compensation for those errors,” Keyes said. “I’ve gotten miles for it and I’ve gotten money for it.”

If something goes wrong — say the TV in your seat isn’t working or there are mechanical issues with the plane — it will never hurt to send an email to the airline politely informing them of the problem. Keyes even created special email templates in his book “How To Fly For Free” that he’ll use if something happens.

The key is to be polite, give the airline all of your information (what seat you were in, the flight number, etc.), and inform them that usually you love flying with them, which is why you were so surprised by the inconvenience.

“As long as your grievance is somewhat legitimate (and not outside the airline’s control like the weather), most of the time you’ll actually get some sort of compensation,” Keyes said.

Be open to getting bumped

One of the most dreaded travel experiences is being bumped from a plane or having a delay. But Keyes insists that this is a fantastic way to earn free money or frequent flyer miles.

If a flight is full and you're not under any tight timeline, take advantage of being bumped and ask the ticketing agent if you can get money or frequent flyer miles instead of flight vouchers for your inconvenience (they'll usually honor your request). 

"I was once given a $500 voucher and a confirmed seat on the next flight — an hour and a half later," Keyes wrote in his e-book "How To Fly For Free." "In other words, I earned $333/hour. Like me, if your goal is to fly for free, you probably don’t make $333/hour. Plus, unlike flights you book using miles, you actually earn miles when you pay using a voucher."

Open credit cards (smartly) to get lots of miles

“If you’re financially smart and responsible, there’s so much opportunity for you,” Keyes told us.

Keyes currently had 25 credit cards that he uses to get hundreds of thousands of miles and points, which ultimately helps him fly for free. He monitors his credit score, always pays off his credit cards in full each month, and keeps track of his miles and cards at websites like AwardWallet.

Though that sounds like a lot of work, it’s a lifestyle that Keyes has built up to.

“Over time, you start to ramp up your credit cards slowly but surely,” Keyes said. “Don’t go open six cards right off the bat, but go at your own comfort level and slowly work your way up.” 

Choose credit cards that give you the best perks

centurion amex lounge airport“I enjoy flying because I can get into these lounges and that just makes the experience a whole lot more pleasurable,” Keyes said. “You can have free beer and free WiFi and get out of the hustle and bustle. They even have perks like showers in here and free spas.”

To access the luxurious world of airport lounges, Keyes uses his credit card perks.

“Every airport has different lounges and it just depends on the credit card whether it will give you access,” he told us. Do some research about what lounges are at your most frequented airports and see if there is a travel credit card you can sign up for to access them.

Get a free stopover trip with your frequent flyer miles 

Airlines charge a set number of frequent flyer miles for certain places around the world, no matter where you go. For instance, an economy ticket from the US to Eastern Asia on United will cost you 65,000 miles, whether you’re traveling to Taipei or Tokyo.

But Keyes said that airlines will let you have a free stopover with your frequent flyer miles – something many people don’t realize. That means you can book a flight from the US to Tokyo, but fly back to the US from Taipei.

You’ll need to book separate travel accommodations to get from Tokyo to Taipei, but the ticket will likely be pretty affordable. “You can add a whole other destination to your trip for almost nothing extra,” Keyes said. 

Make your miles go further with long layovers

Scott KeyesMost frequent flyer users don’t realize that you can take a layover of less than 24 hours for an unlimited amount of flights.

If you’re willing to do the legwork and research, you could see a lot of different countries on your way to a destination with this hack.

“Say you’re flying in the South Pacific and you’re willing to spend less than a day in each place, you can fly from New Zealand to Cook Island to Guam to Singapore to Bangkok and basically do all this for the price of one awards flight,” Keyes said.

You may not be able to soak up the feel of each city for only a day, but it just goes to show that with a little planning, you can see the world.

For more of Scot Keyes’s travel tips and advice, check out his ebooks e-books “How To Fly For Free” and “How To Find Cheap Flights.”

SEE ALSO: This guy has gamed the airline industry so he never has to pay for a flight again

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Beautiful drone video of epic trip across South America









The PR company that helped a controversial eBike raise $5 million on Indiegogo is suing its former customer

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Storm ebike manufacturing

The story of eBike maker Sondors Electric Bike just keeps getting weirder ...  from rumblings that the specs of the promised low-cost bike can't possibly be accurate, to some ads that lambasted a tech journalist who criticized the company.

The first shipment of bikes from the controversial eBike maker, who raised nearly $5.3 million on Indiegogo, aren't supposed to be delivered to the initial investors until May.

Now a lawsuit against the bike maker has been filed. The big surprise is who's suing: The PR company representing Sondors, Agency 2.0.

Agency 2.0 is a PR firm that specializes in crowdsourced funding campaigns and has had a lot of success (for instance GOkey).

Chris Olenik, who runs Agency 2.0,  has been part of the Sondor's story from the beginning. He says that Sondors hasn't paid the PR firm what it's due.

Olenik told CrowdInsider.com (who broke the story) that the Agency waived all up front fees, and spent a lot of money on advertising and PR out of pocket: "At this time we have not been paid for our services per contract relating to the Sondors’ eBike campaign and are now forced to spend even more money on legal. ... Sondors refuses to even acknowledge the money is owed to Agency 2.0 for its services in raising $5.28M."

Given this lawsuit by the PR firm, investors are now concerned that they won't be getting their bikes in May, and may not be getting them ever. For instance, IndieGoGo user, squalz419, writes, "We wont see this bike period…"

(See below for Olenik's full statement.)

We also reached out to Sondors and IndieGoGo for comment and we'll update this story if we hear back.

All in all, this is shaping up to be a crazy story. Here are some more things we've learned since first covering the company's IndieGoGo campaign.

An ad that trashes a tech blogger

This eBike campaign took off when Agency 2.0 and Sondors organized a tour of the bike's prototype to several influential tech bloggers. The campaign was promising to produce a workhorse electric bike with a 50-mile range for under $600.

A story by Dan Tynan on the merits of the bike went viral. Then Tynan heard from competitors that questioned the bike's claims and Tyan wrote a follow up story, "A $500 eBike? Not So Fast."

Tynan then left messages on the IndieGoGo forum asking them to remove a favorable quote from him from his first article and saying he thought the company intentionally mislead him about the price.

By then the bike had garnered nearly $2 million in investment, and that amount was climbing fast.

The company started clarifying its price and its specs and debate was so heated that Electric Bike Review fired up a "Sondors Fact Finding. Due Diligence. Scrutiny" thread in which people could only submit actual evidence of issues with the bike.

The administrator of that thread also showed off a very odd ad that appeared on a YouTube video. The ad skewered Tynan for writing about Sondors and linked to someone's blog post that skewered him some more. 

Who bought the ad? That's not clear.

Storm eBike

A controversial founder

When we first reported a low-cost eBike was raising millions of dollars extremely fast on Indiegogo, we got an outpouring of emails about the bike and its inventor, who calls himself Storm Sondors.

One person that reached out to us was a toy maker named Peter Greenley, who said he knew Sondors since Sondors was an 18-year-old kid, newly arrived in the US from Latvia and going by the name of Ivars.

They worked together at Greenley's former employer, Chicago toymaker Rehkemper, many years ago, Greenley told Business Insider. Years later, Sondors was running his own toy manufacturing business and Greenley worked for him for 11 months, and was "fired" by him, Greenley told us. 

Greenley told us a few stories about Sondors, including one about a previous legal scuffle. Toyjobs, a head hunter for the toy industry, accused Sondors' company of going "behind our backs" to hire candidates that Toyjobs had found, then not paying Toyjobs for its work. 

Tom Keoughan of Toyjobs eventually won a nearly $40,000 judgement against Ivars Sondors in 2011. But the company then had difficulty collecting, according to a statement hosted on the Toyjobs site, which says "we have chased him for over three years across two continents."

We contacted Keoughan, who confirmed the story and told us, "When someone doesn't pay their vendors I always wonder how they'll be able to deliver the goods."

Storm eBike

Some backers are protected

While the lawsuit from the PR company has made wary investors even more worried, some of them should be protected if everyone's worst fears come true.

With IndieGoGo, investors pay up front. In this case, IndieGoGo offered investors insurance. For another $150, backers could get their money back if the bike wasn't delivered as promised in May.

But if this thing actually does go south, and investors don't get the bike they are promised, it will be a black eye for IndieGoGo and for crowdfunding in general.

Here's the full statement sent to us by the PR company, Agency 2.0:

Agency 2.0 wants the backers and everyone involved with the Sondors eBike campaign to get what they signed up for. Agency 2.0 willingly delayed receipt of any and all upfront service fees and invested an immense amount of resources in the Indiegogo campaign. This includes, without limitation, paying out of pocket for an extensive advertising campaign, dealing with graphic design, organizing a bike demo day (city permits, staff, all logistics) paid for out of pocket, responding to thousands of emails and comments, running hundreds of advertisements, and in general having all Agency 2.0 staff engaged in the campaign for months.

At this time we have not been compensated for our services per contract relating to the Sondors’ eBike campaign and are now forced to spend even more money on legal. Our fees owed are well past due and have no bearing on the delivery of the eBikes. The fees were agreed upon in writing prior to the launch of the campaign. Sondors refuses to even acknowledge the money is owed to Agency 2.0 for its services in raising $5.28M. We have made repeated efforts to try to work out our compensation issue with Sondors, to no avail and have been left with no choice but to take legal action. Despite the situation, we at Agency 2.0, like all interested in the Sondors eBike expect and hope for successful delivery of the product.

 

Join the conversation about this story »

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Why smoking pot makes food taste so delicious

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the melt, grilled cheese, mac daddy

Grilled cheese never tasted so good.

Sure, a few minutes ago you might have said you were too full to eat another bite, but a few drags from a joint later and those gooey bites of salty goodness are hitting the spot like no other snack has before.

A case of the munchies is no figment of the imagination — decades of research have found that both casual and heavy marijuana users tend to overeat when they smoke.

But what is it about weed that makes us want to snack?

Marijuana may effectively flip a circuit in the brain that is normally responsible for quelling the appetite, triggering us to eat instead, according to a new study in mice published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

It all comes down to a special group of cells in the brain which normally get activated, or switched on, after we've eaten a big meal to tell us we've had enough. In the brain, though, the psychoactive ingredient in weed appears to activate just one component of those appetite-suppressing cells, known as pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons, making us hungry instead.

"Imagine getting in a car and having the brake pedal suddenly become the accelerator. That’s effectively what’s happening," Yale University School of Medicine professor of neurobiology Tamas Horvath, one of the study authors, told Business Insider.

In their experiments with mice, the researchers found that the animals injected with tetrahydrocannabinol (or THC, weed's main psychoactive ingredient) had higher numbers of active, or "switched on," POMC neurons. You might be thinking, more appetite-suppressing cells, less appetite, right? Wrong. And that's where the findings get interesting.

To find out what was going on, the researchers took a look at the genes that produce these cells, called Pomc (no caps) genes. As it turns out, the genes that produce these cells also churn out two separate proteins — one that tells us that we're full and another that stimulates our appetite.

The THC, the researchers found, effectively turns on the appetite-stimulating protein but has no effect on the appetite-suppressing one.

Simply put, getting stoned makes us want to stuff our faces, whether we're actually hungry or not.

The new study was in mice, and it's possible that this mechanism works differently in humans. But years of research have linked smoking or ingesting weed with eating more, and several studies have documented the role POMC cells play in making us feel full.

A study from way back in 1976, for example, found that both heavy and casual smokers ate significantly more food — and gained an average of three pounds more than non-smokers — just within the first five days of the trial period. Similarly, a 2011 study found that in mice, activated POMC cells appear to block eating.

But this most recent paper is the first to give researchers a closer look into how the cells that influence our appetites actually work.

UP NEXT: Scientists found something strange when they looked at the brains of stoners

SEE ALSO: Two new studies suggest marijuana may reduce brain trauma

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Code your way to a higher paycheck today with these 8 coding courses [94% off]

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hackathon coding computers working

If you want to be a competitive job applicant, or increase your salary in the tech industry, check out this "Complete 2015 Learn to Code Bundle."

This 8-course bundle will teach you the everything from web development, to Python, to Ruby on Rails.

Best of all: you will save nearly $1,000 if you get this incredible deal today. This week it's only $59.

Check out the bundle here, and read about the 7 individual courses below.


The Complete Web Developer Course — build 14 websites

learn to codeThis course will teach you to program from scratch in just six weeks.

Over 236 lectures will teach you how to build responsive websites with advanced techniques such as iQuery PHP, MySQL, and Twitter Bootstrap.

You'll learn how to add dynamic content like APIs to your WordPress blogs and eCommerce sites; learn HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP, and more; and learn to develop a website or engaging mobile app for your business.

$199 value


"Python Training: From Scratch to Penetration Tester" Course

Screen Shot 2015 04 21 at 9.12.14 AMThis course will teach you to make your own penetration testing GUI tools.

In over 100 lectures, you will master the basics of data types, basic operation, conditional programming, loops, and object-oriented concepts. You'll learn how to integrate databases, code graphical user interfaces, understand network socket programming basics, decipher and understand Python scripts, and use scripts to build penetration testing tools.

$199 value


"Node Program: From 0 to Hero with Node.js, MongoDB & Express" Course

learn to codeThis course will teach you to build and deploy Node, MongoDB and Expressjs applications.

In over 47 lectures, you will explore JavaScript concepts, learn enough Nodejs, MongoDB and Expressjs to deploy apps to the cloud, and build Node.js  apps from scratch.

$197 value


"Build a Website from Scratch with HTML & CSS" Course

learn to codeYou'll begin to build and manage your own dynamic webpages with this course. 

In over 77 lectures, you will study theory alongside practical application, gain a thorough understanding of HTML & CSS, code a handful of useful examples, and understand parent/child structure, CSS foundations, ID selectors & styling.

$149 value


"Ruby on Rails: Training & Skills to Build Web Applications" Course

learn to codeThis course will teach you to rapidly implement your ideas on the web with no coding experience.

In over 43 lectures, you will build a complete web app, use Ruby 2 and Rails 4 to rapidly prototype your ideas, learn the basics of front-end web design with Bootstrap 3, work with APIs by using Stripe to implement payments, and implement features such as login, data validations, image uploads and more.

$99 value


PHP "Punch in the Face" Course

learn to codeExplore the basics of PHP and build your first app with this course.

In over 57 lectures, you will understand the fundamentals of the Python language, learn how to use PHP syntax and functions, get the basics of class creation, study MySQL commands, build a PHP application, and create a database driven project.

$79 value


"Become a Heroku Rails Ninja" Course

learn to codeWith this course, you will learn to deploy Ruby on Rails apps to Heroku like a pro.

In over 30 lectures and 8.5 hours of content, you will explore the challenges of deploying your app, optimize your code to get the most out of Heroku and reduce costs, expand features and functionalities with the help of ruby gems and Heroku third-party add-ons, and more.

$75 value


"Mobile & Web Rapid Prototyping — Interaction & Animation" Course

learn to codeLearn to create interactive prototypes and designs with Quartz Composer.

In over 31 lectures, you will create fast, reactive prototypes to better present your app or website, gain skills to optimize your presenting style, understand how to use Quartz Composer to create animations, and speed up the design process.

$39 value


 

SEE ALSO: These 6 luxury headphone sets are up to 73% off right now

SEE ALSO: The 7 best headphones you can get this week for under $20

SEE ALSO: Master Excel and more with this course bundle to land your dream job [96% off]

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4 things single people should know about living alone

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Kate Bolick

Back in the 1920s, only 5% of Americans lived alone. In 1970, it was still less than 6%.

By 2013, it was 23%.

Not getting married is even more widespread. Over 50% of American adults are now single, compared with 37% in 1976

But as as Kate Bolick, the author of "Spinster: Making A Life of One's Own," tells Business Insider, America remains obsessed with coupledom —meaning there's little in the way of advice out there for people who want to be contentedly single. 

"All of us grow up with the expectation that we'll get married," says Bolick, who's a contributing editor for the Atlantic. "Society is organized around marriage, and the expectation is more pronounced for women."

In "Spinster," out in hardcover this week, Bolick weaves together her own adventures in solitude with a history of single women in American culture, notably profiling New Yorker writer Maeve Brennan and the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Edith Wharton. 

Bolick shared with us some of her best advice about being single.

Be intentional.

"Living alone requires really getting to know yourself, figuring out what you need in order to feel strong and healthy and happy," Bolick says. "There's no set prescription for what each of us needs; we have to figure it out. For me, there was a process of learning to be more conscientious with my time, so that I was creating a more purposeful solitude that felt nourishing."

While that figuring it out is a very individual process, the research on well-being suggests two interrelated paths: experimenting with different pursuits and reflecting on what was helpful.  

Accept that there will be loneliness. 

"If you're living alone, loneliness is a real thing," Bolick says. "There's nothing shameful about it — some loneliness can and should be withstood, and it exists within couples as well. It's an emotional state like happiness or fear. It's temporary unless it's not addressed. Don't be afraid of loneliness, but also be mindful of what kind of balance you need between solitude and socializing."

As a Buddhist might say, loneliness is something that will almost certainly surface in your mind when you're living on your own — and will almost certainly depart. The key is to observe it rather than be upset by it

Be in a space that you love.

"For me, it's been so important to find a physical space that I love," Bolick says. "My apartment, I find it to be beautiful, though somebody else might not. It's very old, it doesn't have luxury conveniences, and I would not mind a washer-dryer or a dishwasher — but there is something about the space that is very beautiful and calming to me. It is a haven that I come home to."

In other words, find your own feng shui

Take care of your friendships. 

"The idea of the 'friend tribe' was first written about in the early '90s," Bolick says. "It was shown to us on 'Seinfeld' and 'Sex and the City' — it's the celebration and romanticization of adult friendship."

Social science has found friendship to be crucial for coupled up and single people alike. Everything from our self-reported levels of happiness to the size of our waistlines is associated with the friends we have. Taking care of those friendships requires making people feel like they matter— like by asking them for favors, for instance. 

"Since the age of marriage has been rising, friendship has taken on a more essential role," Bolick says. "Our friends have become a much more integral part of our well-being." 

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here's how much sex happy couples have every month








Here are the 16 best luggage deals this week [up to 82% off]

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Rolls-Royce Bespoke design picnic set luggage

It's hard to find great luggage at an affordable price.

The cheap stuff breaks after one flight, and the expensive stuff — well, it's expensive.

But we found some deals on quality luggage pieces this week, offering up to 82% off.

Whether you're someone who travels often for work, or are just looking for a good piece of luggage — check out these sales below.


Luggage sets

Screen Shot 2015 04 20 at 10.59.46 AM

If you have a family or often travel for longer periods, we recommend getting a luggage set. The suitcases will be easy to keep track of since they're all the same color. (And if you have kids, you definitely know how hard it is to keep track of things.)

If you want something extremely sturdy...
Nautica charter 3-piece set
$1,140.00$209.99[82% off]

If you want something luxurious looking without spending thousands...
Pierre Cardin signature spinner 4-piece set
$1,120.00$279.99[75% off] 

If you want something that can expand for 25% more packing capacity...
Traveler's Choice Tasmania 3-piece set
$899.99$230.30[74% off]

If you want something bright that's easy to find at the baggage carousel...
Samsonite luggage Winfield 3-piece set
$1,000.00$368.61[63% off]


 

Individual suitcases

If you travel every week for work, a sturdy suitcase is an absolute must-have. These are the best options for frequently flyers.

Screen Shot 2015 04 20 at 11.02.37 AM

If you want something bright that you won't lose...
Samsonite luggage flight upright 31 travel bag
$420.00$157.49 [63% off]

If you want four twin spinner wheels for multi-directional rolling...
Delsey luggage helium spinner trolley
$360.00$152.92[58% off]

If you want something classic and sleek looking...
Samsonite luggage Inova spinner
$520.00$260.00 [50% off]

If you want something that expands for added packing capacity...
Samsonite luggage fashion spinner
$340.00$127.49[63% off]


Carry-on luggage

If you're traveling for work, it can be such a pain to check your luggage. Instead, get yourself a bag that fits the carry-on measurement requirement so that you can zip right out of the airport when you land.

Screen Shot 2015 04 20 at 11.07.42 AM

If you want something super small, but super sturdy...
Travelpro luggage rolling tote
$200.00$85.99[57% off]

If you want something with multi-directional spinner weals...
Samsonite luggage spinner
$560.00$169.48 [70% off]

If you want something with two compartments for packing and organization...
Delsey luggage helium aero carry-on
$300.00 $180.01 [60% off]

If you want something with a specific padded laptop compartment...
Samsonite luggage silhouette sphere bag
$400.00$129.99 [68% off]


Travel duffel

Travel duffels are the best option if you're carrying a lot of lightweight items. Think: clothes, sleeping bags, pillows. If your kids will be heading to camp this summer, this is a great choice for them. (After all, no one wants to roll around a suitcase in camp mud.)

Screen Shot 2015 04 20 at 11.11.50 AM

If you want something luxurious looking without breaking the bank...
Rioni signature brown duffel traveler
$278.00$187.50 [33% off]

If you want something bright that won't get lost....
Samsonite tote-a-ton duffel luggage
$78.00

If you want a great sporty option...
Olympia duffel bag
$37.49$30.99[17% off]

If you want a great overnight bag...
Herschel Supply Co. strand satchel
$59.99


 

SEE ALSO: These 6 luxury headphone sets are up to 73% off right now

SEE ALSO: The 7 best headphones you can get this week for under $20

SEE ALSO: Master Excel and more with this course bundle to land your dream job [96% off]

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The 9 most expensive cities in America

The incredible real estate portfolio of Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison

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larry ellison lanaiFormer Oracle CEO Larry Ellison is no stranger to the real estate market — he's been called "the nation's most avid trophy-home buyer" and has all but taken over entire neighborhoods in Malibu and the Lake Tahoe area. 

When asked by CNBC in 2012 why he would buy more homes than he could possibly live in, Ellison referenced his love of art. 

"I'm going to start these art museums that are basically converted homes, and I have one for modern art, and I have one for 19th century European art, and one for French impressionism," Ellison said to CNBC. "I've got Japanese. I own a home in Kyoto, Japan actually on the temple grounds in Nanzenji that is going to become a Japanese art museum. So, a lot of them are museums." 

Though his 2012 purchase of the Hawaiian island of Lanai has been his largest overall investment by far, he's made a number of blockbuster purchases over the last two decades. 

In 1988, Ellison paid $3.9 million for a William Wurster home in San Francisco's swanky Pacific Heights neighborhood, a popular area that's now home to other tech moguls like Mark Pincus, Jony Ive, and Trevor Traina. Several news outlets reported Ellison planned to buy the home next door for $40 million, but the sale never happened.

Source: Curbed SF 

 



His home in Woodside, Calif., modeled after a 16th-century Japanese emperor's palace, is worth an estimated $70 million. The 23-acre estate took nine years to design and build, and it was completed in 2004.

Source: SF Gate

 



He also owns a historic garden villa in Kyoto, Japan, which was reportedly listed for $86 million, though the price he paid is unknown.

Source: SF Gate, Japan Property Central

Pictured: Nanzen-ji Temple, which is right near Ellison's estate



See the rest of the story at Business Insider







The 10 best islands in the world, according to TripAdvisor

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Providenciales, Turks and Caicos

TripAdvisor just announced its Travelers' Choice Awards for the best islands in the world.

To create this list, TripAdvisor looked at millions of traveler reviews from over the past year and created an algorithm that ranked the top islands.

From the rocky beaches of Brazil to the glimmering white-washed homes of Santorini, Greece, here are all 10 real-life paradises you must see.

 

10. Fernando de Noronha, Brazil



9. Bora Bora, French Polynesia



8. Mauritius, Africa



See the rest of the story at Business Insider






The woman accused of glorifying 'trophy hunting' says the only reason she gets hundreds of death threats is because she's a girl

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rebecca francis

The feud between a celebrity huntress and comedian Ricky Gervais is heating up online.

A week ago on Monday, Gervais posted a picture of 41-year-old hunter Rebecca Francis lying next to a giraffe she had killed.

"What must've happened to you in your life to make you want to kill a beautiful animal and then lie next to it smiling?" Gervais commented on the picture.

What must've happened to you in your life to make you want to kill a beautiful animal and then lie next to it smiling?

Posted by Ricky Gervais on Monday, April 13, 2015

His followers both on Twitter and Facebook were outraged. Some began calling for Francis to be hunted or shoot herself:

Giving an exclusive statement to HuntingLife.com, Francis said she was asked to hunt the giraffe after he had been kicked out of his herd by a younger bull giraffe. 

"They asked me if I would preserve this giraffe by providing all the locals with food and other means of survival,” she said to HuntingLife.com. “He was inevitably going to die soon and he could either be wasted or utilized by the local people. I chose to honor his life by providing others with his uses and I do not regret it for one second.”

Gervais and his followers were not deterred by Francis's story of giving the meat to a local village.

After receiving more criticism online, Francis once again gave an exclusive statement to HuntingLife.com where she made the argument that Gervais had specifically targeted her because she was a woman in the hunting industry.

Here’s the full statement [emphasis ours]:

I don’t claim to be a game biologist and do not intend to argue specifics about the undeniable necessity of game management to promote the conservation and preservation of animals. There is no question that hunters contribute the most to the welfare of wildlife. I believe in the right to hunt. I believe that hunters promote wildlife more than any other source. However, whether hunting is right or wrong is no longer the issue at hand. Ricky Gervais has used his power and influence to specifically target women in the hunting industry and has sparked thousands of people to call for my death, the death of my family and many other women who hunt.

This has evolved into an issue about the morality of threatening human lives over disagreeing with someone else’s beliefs. It shocks me that people who claim to be so loving and caring for animals can turn around and threaten to murder and rape my children. Where is the logic in that? In a country that was created on freedom of beliefs, it is hard to comprehend that people are so intolerant of each other that they promote vile, disgusting, and explicit ways to invoke death upon others. 

I am proud to call myself a hunter. I am proud to be a woman in the hunting industry. I am proud to be a mother. I will never apologize for these things. Hunting is a way of life I have known since birth, and I have experienced first hand all of the good that comes from it. Hunters will continue to unite to educate those who do not have a clear understanding of role of hunting in wildlife management. Hunting has been crucial to the balance of nature since the beginning of time, and it is even more crucial today.

Francis is not the first female hunter to be attacked on social media. After pictures of Kendall Jones posing happily with a lion she had hunted went viral in 2014, she received death threats and launched a Change.org petition that attracted more than 168,000 signatures that attempted to petition the American Embassy to bar Jones from hunting in Africa. 

The same backlash also occurred with Eva Shockey and now Anna Voisek.

Female hunters do seem to face more backlash than their male counterparts with their smiling photos going viral online — most likely because it challenges our expectations of both women and hunters. 

Speaking with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Kelly Oliver, a philosophy professor at Vanderbilt University who has studied the “hunting girls” phenomenon, agreed.

"We expect men to be hunters, but we’re surprised when girls are hunting," she told CBC. "Whatever we think about hunting the ‘Big Five’ in Africa, it’s clear that we still have issues with women and girls carrying guns and using them." 

As for Gervais, he insists his attention on Francis's hunting has nothing to do because of her gender:

SEE ALSO: People are outraged and sending death threats after this hunter posted a picture with a dead giraffe

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Segway Polo is a real sport and the world championship just took place in England

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Rugby College in Warwickshire, England hosted the inaugural international Segway Polo Championship on April 18th. 

Segway polo can best be described as a cross between horse polo and hockey, played on a battery-powered scooter. 16 teams from different parts of the world played against each other over the two day tournament.

The sport launched over a decade ago in California, and has been slowly gaining popularity. Segways are becoming increasingly popular in many European and US cities because they offer an invigorating form of sightseeing.

Produced by Jason Gaines. Video courtesy of Associated Press.

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The McLaren 540C is a supercar for the average Joe

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McLaren 540C

The McLaren 540C is the latest offering from the English supercar specialists at McLaren Automotive. It's "affordable." It's "entry-level."

But don't let any of that fool you. At $165,000, the 540C is only bargain-basement when compared to the company's million-dollar $1.3-million P1 hypercar or the $300,000, 640-horsepower 650S.

It's really a budget supercar. Powered by the same 3.8-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 found in the much pricier 650S and and P1. The engine puts out 532 horsepower. Sure, that's slightly less than its siblings. But it's still a supercar number. 

McLaren 540CThe result? 0-60 mph from a standstill in just 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 199 mph. 

So, it's a supercar, despite McLaren's desire to brand it as something else. But it's a supercar for everyday driving. The car's transmission has been re-tuned with that idea in mind, as opposed to mind-bending performance (although specs indicate indicate that the 540C can more than hold its own on a track).

The McLaren's carbon-fiber passenger compartment has also been redesigned to make getting in and out of the low-slung machine a bit less awkward than it is in your average supercar.  

 

McLaren 540C

Inside the cabin, the 540C retains McLaren's smart ergonomics and luxurious appointments. It also keeps the company's floating center console and touchscreen LCD infotainment system.

Overall, the 540C is intended to deliver a more refined experience, something that's important for the customer McLaren is targeting: first-time supercar owners who don't want supercar hassles. 

McLaren 540C

Because let's face it, supercar ownership has over the years earned a reputation for being difficult. The cars are finicky and high-strung. But the user friendly 540C, by eliminating some of those issues, may get potential owners interested in starting a journey with McLaren that ends with a proper supercar.

McLaren expects to deliver the first batch of customer 540Cs early next year. 

SEE ALSO: Meet McLaren's newest answer to Ferrari and Lamborghini — the 570S

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Inside the strange and wonderful world of micronations

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Liberpolis_ _April_15,_2015

Late last week, BBC reported that conservative Party of Free Citizens in the Czech Republic member Vit Jedlicka has declared a 2.7-square-mile "no man's land" between the borders of Serbia and Croatia to be a new sovereign nation.

Naming it "Liberland," Jedlicka appointed himself the president.

Liberland is just the newest in a long history of "micronations," pieces of land that claim to be independent or sovereign nations, but are not recognized by world governments. They are founded for many reasons, some as protests, some to boost tourism, and some just for fun.

Reports put the number of current micronations at over 400Photographer Leó Delafontaine found himself fascinated by these places and began photographing them in 2012, visiting six countries and three continents to capture 12 unique micronations.

Delafontaine shared the following images with us. You can see more on his website or purchase the book of the series, out now on Diaphane Editions.

The first micronation that Delafontaine discovered and photographed was the Principality of Sealand. Located on an abandoned WWII military platform about 8 miles off the coast of Great Britain in international waters, the micronation was first established in 1967 by Paddy Roy Bates in order to emit pirate radio broadcasts.



Prince Michael, seen below, is Paddy Roy Bates's son and took over control of Sealand in 1999. Sealand has its own flag, its own currency, and even issues passports. After an electrical fire damaged the facility in 2006, Prince Michael attempted to sell the platform for $906 million, sources say.



Finding no buyer, Sealand's government and the Bates family have decided to renovate the base and keep it for themselves, making sure the Principality lives on. It currently has a population of four.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider






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