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Wearing skinny jeans could be really bad for your health

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skinny jeans

Hipsters take note: Wearing skinny jeans could actually cause bodily harm.

Scientists recently documented a case of a 35-year-old woman whose legs had swelled up so bad — and whose ankles had become so weak as a result — that she couldn't walk. At the hospital, doctors had to cut off her pants to remove them from her distended legs.

Her diagnosis?

Compartment syndrome, a condition that results from increased pressure in a confined body space, like, from wearing skinny jeans.

The study, hilariously titled "Fashion victim: rhabdomyolysis and bilateral peroneal and tibial neuropathies as a result of squatting in 'skinny jeans,'" was published Monday, June 22, in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry.

At the hospital, the woman told doctors she'd spent the day in a pair of extremely tight pants. She'd reportedly been squatting and emptying cupboards while helping a family member who was moving when she began to feel extreme pain and discomfort. A medical exam revealed signs of nerve and muscle damage in her legs.

The injury kept her from being able to walk for days, highlighting the hidden dangers of hipster fashion.

"I would certainly say, be cautious about wearing skinny jeans when doing this sort of activity," study co-author Thomas Kimber, a neurologist at Royal Adelaide Hospital and the University of Adelaide, in Australia, who treated the woman, told Business Insider.

So if your plans include squatting for long periods at a time, maybe consider swapping the skinnies for a pair of equally-fashionable leggings. 

A walk in the park that turned into a hospital trip

The woman told doctors that her jeans began to feel tighter and more uncomfortable as the day went on. By the time she went for a walk in the park that evening, she noticed her feet beginning to feel numb. Soon she had trouble lifting them.

Within a few hours, she collapsed, lying on the ground for several hours before she was able to crawl to the side of the road and hail a taxi to take her to the hospital, Kimber said.

When he and his colleagues examined the woman, they found her lower legs were incrediby swollen, especially below the knees. So swollen, in fact, that hospital staff "had to cut her jeans off her," Kimber said. The woman had severe weakness in her calves and problems moving or feeling her feet, he added.

Medical tests revealed that the woman had abnormally high levels of the enzyme creatine kinase, which can be a sign of muscle damage and can, if left untreated for long periods, harm the kidneys. Luckily, the woman's kidney function was normal. A CT scan revealed she had low muscle mass — worse on the right side — suggesting signs of muscle damage.

Other tests showed that the woman had poor function in the two main nerves in the calf, the common peroneal nerve and the tibial nerve.

Since being treated with fluids and rest, the woman has made a full recovery, said Kimber.

Could this happen to anyone?

This type of lower leg nerve injury is often caused by compression of the nerves near the top of the calf bones, such as from prolonged squatting.

In the woman's case, wearing skinny jeans probably made the problem worse by building up pressure in her legs, the researchers said. 

"If she’d been wearing loose, flowing trousers, the muscles could have swelled outward," Kimber said. But in the skinny jeans, her swollen muscles "had nowhere to go, except down onto the nerves and the blood vessels," he said.

There have been a handful of reports in which wearing tight pants have compressed nerves in the groin and caused numbness in the thigh. But as far as the researchers know, this was the first report that wearing tight jeans caused damage to these particular nerves and muscles. 

There's still no word on the health risks of wearing plaid shirts or thick glasses, however.

READ MORE: There's a single nerve that connects all of your vital organs — and it might just be the future of medicine

SEE ALSO: I tried Fitbit for a month, and taking it off was the best decision I've made

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NOW WATCH: The fashion trick every modern gentleman should know











4 things every guy should tell his barber when he gets a haircut

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barber1

It's really easy to make sure your haircut is perfect every time.

All that's required is a little bit of forethought and a few key facts to remember to tell your barber. 

Good barbers will sometimes ask these questions all on their own, but if not, take a proactive approach. After all, it's your hair.

So the next time your barber asks, "What are we doing today?" this is exactly what you should say:

1. Tell your barber how long it has been since your most recent haircut

Barbers know how long it takes for hair to grow, so if you tell them how long it has been since your hair was last cut, they can imagine what your hair looked like way back when.

From there, you can either tell them you want it to look the same or describe how you want it to be different from last time.

And don't worry — different people's hair doesn't really grow at different rates. That's a myth, Boston-based barber Van Capizzano at Ball and Buck told Business Insider.

2. Tell your barber about your lifestyle

To give you a cut you'll love, your barber needs to know more about you, according to barber Kyle Holbrook of Fellow Barber in San Francisco.

Tell your barber where you work, what you do for fun, where you go on the weekends, how you wear your hair, whether you put product in it every day, and anything else you think might be helpful.

Essentially, you want your barber to give you a cut that will fit seamlessly into your lifestyle and reflect your personality, Holbrook told us.

3. Be specific about how you want your hair to look

This may seem simple, but most guys aren't doing it right. Some aren't even doing it all.

Barbers are experts in their craft, but they aren't mind readers. You can't just expect them to fill in the gaps. Don't just say, "short on the sides, long on the top." That's not enough for them to go on.

Here's some terminology to use to get the haircut you want:

  • When specifying how long you want your hair to be, inches are the best figure (1 inch, 1 1/2 inches, etc.). 

  • It can also be helpful to know the specific number of the clippers you want your barber to use. If you don't know what setting of clippers you prefer, ask your barber to start with a longer setting and progressively get shorter until you find a style you like.

  • Men with longer hair especially need to be clear about how much hair they want cut off. Most will tell the barber just to keep the hair off their collar. This gives a neat, professional look.

  • Men with longer hair might also ask for a layered cut, which gives more movement and dimension to longer hairstyles.

  • If you don't want your sides to be all the same length, ask for a tapered cut, which means your hair gets gradually longer toward the top of your head.

  • Make sure to specify how sharp you want your hair's transition from long to short to be. For no transition, ask for a shaved part (long on top, buzzed on the sides). For a more conservative style, ask for a natural or blended transition.

  • For more manageable hair, ask the barber to add some texture to the top. Texturing will thin out the bulk of your hair and is great for anyone with thicker hair.

  • You can either ask for a tapered (natural) neckline or a squared (block)neckline in the back. A tapered neckline will follow your natural hairline, while a block hairline cuts straight across. Most men opt for the tapered neckline, which usually looks more natural.

  • Tell your barber how long you want your fringe (aka bangs) to be in the front, and if you sweep it to the side or style it in any way. 

The goal is to be specific enough that your barber will know exactly what you're imagining.

4. Bring a picture (but only of your hair)

As Capizzano puts it, "barbers are visual people." Pictures really help barbers visualize what you're looking for in a haircut and serve as a great guide. 

There's a catch though — the best photo you can bring in to show your barber is a picture of yourself after a haircut that you really liked. A picture of someone else's hair doesn't take into account your hair's individual traits, like thickness, texture, and hairline. 

SEE ALSO: Nike wants you to wear sneakers all winter long — here's why you shouldn't

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NOW WATCH: Here's how often you should wash your hair










Arizona just threw mass shade at The New York Times

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I just got back from Thanksgiving vacation in Arizona. While driving I-10 between Tucson and Arizona, I saw this sign several times:

arizona peas guac large

It's a reference to the bizarre New York Times guacamole recipe from last summer, where the writer inexplicably included peas. Since guacamole is Mexican, and Arizona borders Mexico and New York does not, I'm inclined to agree with Arizona on this one. Tomatoes, maybe. Peas, no.

The signs actually went up a few days before Thanksgiving, and the Arizona Department of Transportation tweeted about it as well:

 

 

SEE ALSO: I just spent a day hanging out with teenagers — here are the apps they say are cool now

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Pearl is an iPhone app that shows you the best $1 oyster deals around you

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screen 1In New York City, oyster “happy hours” have become a staple. The standard deal is $1 for any kind of oyster, and the vast majority of the bars and restaurants adhere to this price point.

That doesn’t mean they’re all equal.

Some restaurants (Maison Premiere for example) have a variety of delicious oysters you can mix and match.

But other places offer just one kind, or can leave you with a nasty case of food poisoning. Now there’s an iPhone app called, fittingly, Pearl, that will help you navigate the waters of being an oyster fan in six major cities in the US.

Here’s how it works.

Once you log in, the  app uses your location to tell you all the deals on oysters around you, including price and type, as well as showing you reviews. You can dive deep into particular oysters, seeing information like what farms they come from, and browsing a helpful profile that includes size, brininess, cut depth, and flavor.

App creator Sam Asher told Forbes he hopes this type of information will help people understand what they like about particular oysters — similar to the way people appreciate wine.

And if you want to help out other oyster lovers, you can rate the oysters you’ve had to help the ecosystem nail down a ranking of the best places around you.

Pearl launched in June, and right now operates in New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Chicago, and Boston, but Asher has plans to expand its coverage to areas are far afield as Shanghai (which is crazy about oysters). 

You can check out Pearl for yourself at the App Store (for iOS).

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NOW WATCH: How to grill the perfect steak










Jaguar revealed its first SUV ever — and it's the most beautiful SUV on the planet

This super weird creature's scales are sold for over $300 per pound

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This weird-looking creature is a pangolin.

Often called "scaly anteaters" for their hard, plate-like scales, their population is being decimated by illegal smuggling. 

Found across Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, pangolins are trafficked for medicinal purposes. Demand for their scales has skyrocketed in eastern Asia, where their scales sell for up to $300 per pound. 

All eight pangolin species are protected under international law, and two are considered critically endangered. Smugglers don't seem to care, as almost a million pangolins were trafficked in the last 10 years.

Story and editing by Jeremy Dreyfuss

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I tried In-N-Out and Whataburger side by side — and it's obvious which one is better

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Whataburger, In-N-Out

Whataburger is to Texas what In-N-Out is to California. Both companies are still family-owned, regional chains — an anomaly in a market that's dominated by national multimillion-dollar fast-food companies.

In-N-Outs are scattered throughout the Southwest, while Whataburger locations line the South from New Mexico to Florida.

They meet in the middle, in Dallas, Texas, where I ate both side by side in a taste test.

While Texans swear by Whataburger's more Southern menu items — Texas toast, patty melts, biscuits — Californians rave about In-N-Out's fresh ingredients and "animal-style" burgers. I ordered a burger, large fries, and a chocolate milkshake.

SEE ALSO: I tried the soup Sumo wrestlers eat to bulk up — and it was disgusting

My first stop was Whataburger. The building is outlined in a classic orange trimming, making it hard to miss when you're cruising down a Texas highway at 80 mph.



Part of Whataburger's Southern charm is displayed right on their windows. There's an American flag and posters repping the neighborhood sports teams.



They take pride in their history — found in most Whataburger restaurants is a framed portrait of the chain's founder, Harmon Dobson, and the original location, which opened in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1950 (right).



See the rest of the story at Business Insider








Here's how 12 of the most beloved tech products got their names

Check out how insane surfing looks in stunning slow motion

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Australian filmmaker Chris Bryan practically freezes surfers in time.

Using an $80,000 Phantom camera, Bryan uses slow motion to capture both the incredible power of a wave and the amazing techniques world-class surfers use to dominate those waves. 

Bryan, who built his own waterproof camera case to protect the pricey gadget, has been shooting in the water for 18 years. "No two waves will ever be the same: that makes me so excited to shoot surfing," Bryan told Magic Seaweed.

Find all of his work here.

Story and editing by Jeremy Dreyfuss

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Here's why those three cars in China suddenly started levitating

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A video that went viral over the weekend showed two cars driving towards an intersection in China when they were suddenly jolted into the air by some invisible force. At the same time, a car driving in the opposite direction abruptly stopped dead in its tracks.

The world was baffled, but we now have an explanation for the video.

According to Chinese state television, a passing street-sweeping vehicle got a steel cable tangled in its wheels. The cable ended up getting pulled across the intersection, and the three cars in the video caught in it.

Story by Tony Manfred and editing by Stephen Parkhurst

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SEE ALSO: A teacher perfectly explained what teachers do all day

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17 gifts that teens actually want

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tbt camera gift guide

Teenagers love to feign excitement over a gift and then rush to return it. In turn, they tend to get a lot of gift cards. But where's the fun in that? 

There's an ocean of cool gifts that teens are pining for, plus a few they don't even know they want.

Below, we've found 17 quality presents that adolescents might genuinely want. 

SEE ALSO: 17 gifts any beer geek would love to get

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Feed their sweet tooth.

Treat House is a gourmet bakery in New York City that ships Instagram-worthy treats nationwide.

In addition to its holiday Rice Krispie treat box (pictured), the bakery makes treat pops and marshmallows in a variety of holiday-inspired flavors. 

Price: $36



Snag them a fresh pair of kicks.

Sneakers are a necessity for every teen. These high-top Vans are made of leather, so they won't get destroyed by the elements during winter.

Inspired by the Vans classic Old Skool, they're like the sneaker version of boots. 

Price: $80



This camera was made for #TBT.

Millennials are all about immediacy, so give them a camera that spits out photos the minute they're snapped. 

With a retro-chic design, Lomography's Lomo'Instant Sanremo comes with three different lenses for endless photo possibilities. 

Price: $169



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One of the rarest monkeys in the world just gave birth

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One of the world's rarest monkeys was just born at Sydney's Taronga Zoo.

Meet Nangua, a male Francois' leaf monkey that was named after the Mandarin word for pumpkin, thanks to its bright orange fur.

Francois' leaf monkeys are some of the rarest monkeys in the world: only around 800 are in existence due to poaching and habitat loss.

Story and editing by Alana Yzola

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Here's a look into Amazon's drone delivery program

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Amazon has been playing with the idea of delivering packages via drone for a few years now, but in a video released Sunday the company revealed more details about how the delivery system will work.

The video, narrated by Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson, features actual footage of an Amazon drone in flight and explains just how Amazon Prime Air will work.

Shoppers will be able to select a delivery time of 30 minutes or less when placing an order. The purchased item will then be stowed in the drone, which rises 400 feet in the air before heading towards its destination. Shoppers will get an alert when their package is nearby, and once the drone arrives at its destination it scans for a safe spot to land. A hatch at the bottom of the drone then opens to drop off the package. 

There is no official word about when Amazon Prime Air will be ready for take off.

Story and editing by Andrew Fowler

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Here's exactly how much your stolen credit card info is worth to hackers

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A person wearing a balaclava is silhouetted as he poses with a laptop in front of a screen projected with the word 'cyber' and binary code, in this picture illustration taken in Zenica October 29, 2014. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

The “Dark Web” houses the seedy corner of the internet that few truly understand.

And as a new research report highlights, the Dark Web also contains a growing and sophisticated economy with its own marketplaces where our “information is being openly sold,” including access to stolen financial account and card details.

McAfee Labs recently published its findings after researching these hidden online marketplaces in a document titled, “The Hidden Data Economy,” and it offers a look at how our information is valued after its been stolen.

According to McAfee Labs, the more data a cyber thief can collect — particularly with credit or debit cards — the more it's worth. Along with a credit card number, these are some of the things that increase the value of your information:

  • “CVV” is the industry acronym for card verification value. CVV1 is a unique three-digit value encoded on the magnetic stripe of the card. CVV2 is the three-digit value printed on the back of the card.
  • “Software-generated” is a valid combination of a primary account number (PAN), an expiration date, and a CVV2 number that has been generated by software. Sellers refer to a valid number combination as a “Random.” Valid credit card number generators can be purchased or found for free online.
  • “Fullzinfo” means the seller supplies all of the details about the card and its owner, such as full name, billing address, payment card number, expiration date, PIN number, social security number, mother’s maiden name, date of birth, and CVV2.

McAfee researchers estimate that basic details for Visa, MasterCard, Amex, or Discover cards, which includes the card number and software-generated information, can see an asking price ranging from $5 in the US to $25-30 in Europe.

“Fullzinfo” is considered the most valuable amount of information. In the US, the estimated per card price stands at $30, while in Europe it runs around $40.

Aside from selling their stolen information on different geographical marketplaces, another way hackers can ask for more money is by also providing an account balance. A "dump track" – or “information electronically copied from the magnetic stripe on the back of credit and debit cards” – with a high balance can sell for between $110 and $1190.

Hackers are also able to occasionally get their hands on data that includes COBs, which means the stolen data contains associated login and password information. Once the account credentials are provided to the highest bidder, the buyer can then switch out the shipping or billing address.

Interestingly enough, sellers don't always provide the data to the buyer after the purchase — it would seem there's not always honor among thieves — though McAfee researchers note that “many sellers” do end up following through.

You can read the full McAfee Labs report here.

SEE ALSO: One of the largest dark web drug marketplaces is closing down in a surprisingly professional manner

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NOW WATCH: Gigi Hadid is being blackmailed by hackers who say they have her iCloud photos










Watch the epic haka that accompanied a New Zealand rugby legend's funeral

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A public memorial service was held at Auckland's Eden Park on Monday for Jonah Lomu, a rugby legend who died at age 40, after a years-long battle with kidney disease.

In a fitting send-off, Lomu's former teammates performed a haka as his coffin was carried out of the stadium.

New Zealand traditionally performs the haka before matches to intimidate their opponents, though this one had a very different meaning.

Story by Tony Manfred and editing by Carl Mueller

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The rise of Narendra Modi, India's prolific — and complicated — prime minister

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Narendra Modi

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is one of the most influential people on the planet, ranking sixth on Business Insider's list of the 50 most powerful people in the world.

Now in his second year as leader of the world's largest democracy, Modi has extensive plans to reform both business and government agencies in India, and is implementing a uniform federal government sales tax as early as next year. The 65-year-old is also a champion of technology, enthusiastically working with Western companies to help spur India's technological progress.

Modi is a controversial figure — throughout his career, many have accused him of intentionally stoking sectarian tensions between Hindus and Muslims. But his power is undeniable, as he governs a country of nearly 1.3 billion people. India also possesses the world's fifth-strongest military in the world and seventh-largest economy, with a GDP of $2.3 trillion.

Modi says there are concepts he values more than just power: "If you were to ask me to choose between democratic values and wealth, power, prosperity, and fame, I will very easily and without any doubt choose democratic values," he said in a May 2015 TIME magazine cover story.

Read on to meet the yogi, tech-lover, and politician.

SEE ALSO: The 14 most powerful world leaders

SEE ALSO: 10 unforgettable quotes from the most powerful people in the world

Modi was born into a low caste called Ghanchi — traditionally producers of vegetable oil — on September 17, 1950, three years after India won its independence from Britain. Modi has said Vadnagar, the small town where he was born in North Gujarat’s Mehsana district, was once home to 10,000 Buddhist monks.

Source: Narendramodi.in



As a student Modi was diligent and favored debating and reading, often spending hours in the library. According to Modi's website, he would read the spiritual works of Indian Hindu monk Swami Vivekananda cover to cover and dreamed of becoming a soldier in the Indian army.

Source: Narendramodi.in



From a young age, Modi expressed a desire for service. At 9 years old, he and his friends started a food stall and donated the proceeds to a relief network. At age 15, Modi began serving tea with his father to Indian soldiers at a railway station in Gujarat during the India-Pakistan war of 1965.

Source: Narendramodi.in



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The new tallest building in the world is set to rise in Iraq

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If the plan for a brand-new tower known as "The Bride" is completed as proposed by AMBS Architects, it will be the new tallest building in the world. 

Set to rise in Iraq's oil-rich Basra Province, the complex is actually made up of four conjoined towers, totaling 604 stories and 16.6 million square feet.

They combine to create what the architects are calling the world's first "vertical city."

the bride tallest building

A 616-foot antennae sits on the tallest of the towers, which would soar 3,780 feet into the sky.

This makes it taller that both the current tallest building, Dubai's Burj Khalifa, which rises 2,723 feet, and the future tallest building, Saudi Arabia's Kingdom Tower, which will be 3,307 feet tall when completed.

Render_ground

"The Bride" would have a glazed canopy — or "veil" — cascading down from the towers, which would provide shade for the complex's ground-floor developments. These would include hotels, retail, parks, gardens, and even a rail network just for the complex. 

The plan is to make the development "net-zero," meaning it produces as much energy as it consumes.

Why create the tallest tower in the world in the middle of the desert? Simple — preservation of the fertile farmland which surrounds it, according to the architects.

Locals refer to Basra as "the bride of the gulf," which served as inspiration for the complex's name. The Basra Governorate, who commissioned the project, has an ambitious goal of maximizing the city's capacity by 2025. "The Bride" was designed to reach staggering heights in an effort to avoid urban sprawl. 

Render_general

SEE ALSO: This Singapore apartment complex was just voted the best new building in the world

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The top 20 small cities for American college students

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Pearl Street, Boulder, Colorado

Boulder, Colorado is the top-ranked small city for American college students, according to a new ranking from American Institute for Economic Research (AIER).

Boulder earned the top spot thanks to its prime arts and entertainment scene and city accessibility for its residents.

The rankings are calculated using 11 criteria that included economic vitality, availability of entertainment, and rent. AIER defines small cities as having between 250,000 and 1 million residents.

Scroll through to find out the 20 best small cities for college students.

 

20. Lexington, Kentucky



19. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina



18. Honolulu, Hawaii



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