The French parliament adopted a new law Thursday that effectively bans excessively thin models as part of a healthcare legislation.

Under this new law, models will need a doctor's note certifying that they're healthy before they can be hired.

The penalty for employers who break this law is a $81,000 fine and six months in jail.

The law also requires advertisers to note when models have been retouched in photos. Failing to do so will result in a $32,000 fine.

The goal is to discourage the dissemination of unhealthy body types in the fashion industry, as up to 40,000 people in France suffer from anorexia, according to the Atlantic.

Story by Tony Manfred and editing by Kristen Griffin

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In 2013, at age 24, Jack McGarry was named International Bartender of the Year by the industry standard-bearer, Tales of the Cocktail. He was the youngest person ever to win the award.

McGarry is co-founder of one of the hottest bars on the global cocktail scene, The Dead Rabbit, in the Wall Street area of New York City.

Here he shares the recipe for his current favorite drink, the Mean Fiddler. 

For our full profile of The Dead Rabbit, watch here.

Producer: Alana Kakoyiannis, Reporter: Andrew Stern, Editor: Josh Wolff

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Berlin's House of One will bring Jews, Christians, and Muslims together. Each religion will have its own special section of the building, and they can come together in a communal room in the middle.

The worship center will be built where Berlin's first church once stood, 800 years ago, and is meant to reflect Berlin's multiculturalism and diversity.

Story by Jacob Shamsian and editing by Alana Yzola

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Gideon Mendel's photography series "Drowning World" captures the human victims of climate change, demonstrating that climate change doesn't just affect distant glaciers, but the lives of human beings around the world.

His photographs put a human face on climate change. Mandel traveled all around the world to take these images, which span a London couple standing on the street in front of their flooded home, to women in East India wading through shoulder-high waters to buy oil.

Footage was provided by The GroundTruth Project. Story by Jacob Shamsian and editing by Adam Banicki

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A video produced by the hostel-booking site Hostelworld shows two parents getting quite the surprise from their son Roger while he was vacationing in Australia.

Roger was one of six people traveling in Sydney to Skype his parents while jumping out of a plane for a marketing stunt. His parents first thought he was calling them from a bus, and were petrified to realize he was falling towards earth for 14,000 feet.

A standalone video of Roger's jump has garnered over 700,000 views on YouTube in two days. While some have questioned whether the video is real, a spokesperson from Bounce Hostel Sydney — where the people in the video were guests — told INSIDER that the calls were legit.

"A representative from Hostelworld came to our hostel and interviewed a large number of guests before picking the chosen few to participate in the video," he said. "The Skype calls were live and in real time."

Story by Tony Manfred and editing by Stephen Parkhurst

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While Marissa Mayer may be under fire for her excessive spending during her tenure as president and CEO of Yahoo, she still has at least one fan at the company.

Yahoo global news anchor Katie Couric tells INSIDER exclusively: "Marissa is in the spotlight. I think every move she makes is dissected, and she seems to just forge ahead and focus on what she's doing, and I think that's a valuable lesson for everybody." 

Couric continued, "When you're a high-profile woman, I think that it can sometimes be uber-challenging, and I think she's putting her head down and trying to do the work, and I know it must be challenging at times for her. I admire her fortitude, and she is certainly a brilliant engineer, and understands many aspects of this whole industry that I don't understand, and I think she appreciates there are things that I can do that she doesn't necessarily understand."

For example, said Couric, "She [Mayer] wouldn't necessarily know how to do a great piece on the tiny house movement. So I think that we each appreciate each other's skill set."

In 2013, after a longstanding career in TV news, Couric signed a reported $6 million contract with Yahoo to become a global news anchor. She has since landed interviews with everyone from Dr. Ben Carson to Ellen Pao, Gloria Steinem, and "Star Wars" actor John Boyega.

In June, Couric renewed her contract with Yahoo, reportedly raising her salary from $6 million a year to $10 million. 

Story by Aly Weisman and editing by Adam Banicki

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Gel polish often gets a bad rap. While it doesn't chip, many believe it’s bad for your nails, and impossible to get off outside of a salon.

Celebrity nail artist Miho "Mei" Kawajiri works mainly with gel polish, and told us how to easily remove it at home.

It’ll take around 25 minutes, and you’ll need aluminum foil, cotton pads and nail polish remover (any kind).

Here's what to do:

1. Cut cotton pads into quarters (or use cotton balls).

2. Cut foil into small squares.

3. Soak cotton in nail polish remover.

4. Place it on the nail.

5. Wrap the cotton ball onto the nail with foil, shiny side facing the nail.

6. Give it a little squeeze to make sure it's on there.

7. Do this for all nails except the thumb on your dominant hand — you'll need it to scrape the gel off.

8. Let each one sit for around 13 minutes.

9. Unwrap one nail at a time and pick at it to see if the gel has loosened.

10. If the gel doesn't lift off easily it’s not ready yet — put the foil packet on for another 3 to 5 minutes.

Story by Sophie-Claire Hoeller and editing by Kristen Griffin

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Headlines inspired by a study from earlier this week boasted that eating a vegetarian diet is actually worse for the planet than sticking to a traditional American (read: meat- and fat-heavy) diet.

That's bogus for several reasons. It also ignores one of the study's biggest findings, which is that transforming how we eat could have a hugely positive impact on the planet.

Here's why:

1. The study didn't actually compare a traditional American diet with a vegetarian one.

What it actually did, in fact, was compare a traditional American diet with two other eating plans:

• One that had the same number of calories as a traditional US diet but meets the USDA's recommendations for adding fruits, veggies, and fish (each of which the average American eats a disturbingly small amount of), and
• One that had a healthy (read: far lower) number of calories and also meets those recommendations.

The first scenario, the researchers found, would increase energy use by 43%, water use by 16%, and emissions by 11%. The second would increase the three by 38%, 10%, and 6%, respectively.

Here's the problem: The USDA recommendations are guidelines. (That's why they're called guidelines.) They're not meant to be taken and transformed into a specific diet, and they're by no means themselves reflective of a perfect picture of health. Instead, they try to combine relevant, recent science into an overview with suggestions for what the average American should either cut back on or add to an existing diet.

"We looked at what Americans eat — we're not trying to change people's preferences — we looked at the USDA guidelines and assumed people would look at them and eat more of what they like," study author Paul Fischbeck, who is a professor of social sciences and engineering and public policy, told Business Insider.

And since they're designed for the average American, they're certainly not designed for vegetarians. For one thing, they're high in seafood (which many vegetarians don't eat), and for another, they're high in dairy (which vegans avoid entirely and vegetarians don't necessarily adore).

2. Using calories as a metric to compare the three diets doesn't make sense here.

"Eating lettuce is over three times worse in greenhouse-gas emissions than eating bacon," Fischbeck is quoted as saying in a press release.

No, it isn't. And that's exactly what he told us.

Sure, perhaps eating 100 calories of lettuce is worse in greenhouse gas emissions than eating 100 calories of bacon.

To get 100 calories of bacon, you'd eat two pieces of it. To get 100 calories of lettuce, you'd need to eat roughly 14 tightly packed cups of the stuff. Fourteen cups! By comparison, there are loads of protein- and calorie-rich foods that have a much lower environmental footprint, like beans and nuts.

"Absolutely beans and nuts and grains are good," Fischbeck said.

Fischbeck later added (emphasis ours): "Lots of common vegetables require more resources per calorie than you would think. Eggplant, celery, and cucumbers look particularly bad when compared to pork or chicken."

Yes. Per calorie. But not overall.

Instead of trying to swap all the chicken in your diet for lettuce, a better idea would be to swap any red meat you eat for a protein- and calorie-rich, less resource-intensive food like nuts or beans.

3. The study found that shifting from the current US diet to a healthier one would help the environment, not hurt it.

On average, Americans are eating far too many calories. The average American consumes a whopping 3,800 calories a day. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization's average minimum daily requirement is 1,800. A piece of toast has 100.

The study acknowledges this: According to the research, transitioning people from a current US diet to one designed for a "normal" body weight would reduce our use of energy, water, and gas by about 9%.

Which means there is a healthier, far simpler alternative: Instead of cutting out meat or amping up our intake of lettuce and fish, we should cut back on the amounts of everything we eat and incorporate foods from a wide variety of sources, whether fruits and veggies or dairy, fish, and nuts.

4. Red meat is still terrible for the environment.

Sorry, meat lovers.

From raising cattle to washing and processing their meat, burgers and steaks require far more water per ounce than almost all other sources of protein, like nuts and beans. Much of our water goes to crops raised exclusively to feed livestock, like alfalfa and forage. Take a look at this chart from a presentation made by professor Blaine Davis of the University of California at Davis:

The red arrows point to "forages" and alfalfa — crops raised almost exclusively for feeding farm animals. Both of these use way more water than the cucumbers, potatoes, tomatoes, beans, almonds, and pistachios shown above and below them.

For example, 106 gallons of water goes into making just an ounce of beef. By comparison, about 23 gallons are needed for an ounce of almonds, even though almonds are portrayed as the sole villain in the California drought.

Compared with the plants humans actually eat, like tomatoes, potatoes, and cucumbers — and even with the protein sources that humans eat, like beans, pistachios, and almonds, raising red meat for human consumption seems to make little environmental sense.

SEE ALSO: One chart sums up the real problem in the California drought — and it isn't almonds

DON'T MISS: Yes, bacon has been linked to cancer — here's how bad processed meats actually are for you

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NOW WATCH: The World Health Organization says there is ‘sufficient evidence’ that bacon causes cancer

Flickr, a social network based on photography, posted stats on Friday showing that more people used iPhones for their Flickr pictures in 2015 than any other smartphone or camera.

The iPhone 6 was the most used camera on Flickr, closely followed by the 5S, 5, 4S, 4, and 6 Plus.

iPhones took the first six spots in front of other smartphones and even DSLR camera. 

The most-used Android smartphone on Flickr's list is Samsung's Galaxy S4 in 11th place, followed by the Galaxy S5 in 13th place.

According to a chart Flickr's report, people have been using iPhones more and more since 2010, which is as far back as the chart goes. iPhone usage surpassed the more professional DSLR cameras around 2014.

The iPhone 6S and 6S Plus aren't on the list because they've only been available since September. Considering their new and improved 12-megapixel camera (over the 8-megapixel shooter in previous models), we're certain those phones will make it high in Flickr's list next year.

In a similar vein, we spoke with some Instagram stars earlier in November, and asked which phone they use for their Instagram pictures and why. It wasn't surprising to find that most of them used iPhones, and just one uses an Android phone (Galaxy S4).

However, many of the stars chose the iPhone for reasons other than its excellent quality camera. Some of them cited things like app choices and the seamless compatibility with their Mac computers as reasons why they chose iPhone.

In addition, the iPhone 6S was ranked as the most-searched gadget in 2015 by Google, showing that it's basically the gadget most people are most interested in. The iPhone's popularity is astounding.

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NOW WATCH: Apple wants to replace the iPhone with this advanced technology

You might know the basics of Apple's voice assistant Siri, but she's actually more capable than you think.

Thanks to Siri, you can check how many calories are in the soda you're drinking and even see how many planes are flying miles above you in the sky.

From productivity life hacks to hidden Easter eggs, we've collected 13 of the most interesting things Siri can do for you. 

Since Siri can tap into information from Wolfram Alpha, say "Wolfram planes overhead" to see what's flying above you

Look up how many calories are in what you're eating by asking, "Siri, how many calories are in a _____?"

[via TUAW]

Need a better password? Siri will give you a secure eight-character password in an instant if you say, "Wolfram, password."

[via iPhoneHacks]

Ōkunoshima Island was the site of Japan's secret chemical-weapons-production factory during World War II.

During the war, the island factory produced more than 6 kilotons of poison gases, which were tested on rabbits.

Today, the island has been reborn as a tourist attraction and is called "Us agi Jima" or "Rabbit Island," thanks to its population of wild rabbits. 

In 2013, Stephanie Broekarts, a 25-year-old environmental-social sciences student at Kyoto University, traveled to "Rabbit Island."

"I was couch surfing with a local girl and she showed me pictures of her visit to Ōkunoshima and I was instantly sold. I've always been a big animal fan, bunnies in particular, so something nicknamed 'the bunny island' was something I couldn't skip," Broekarts wrote. 

Below are some pictures Broekarts shared with us from her trip to Rabbit Island.

SEE ALSO: This Ancient Japanese City Can Only Be Appreciated Through Cat Pictures

The small island of Ōkunoshima is located in the Seto Inland Sea in the Hiroshima Prefecture. The island lies about 2 miles from the mainland and the distance was considered far enough so that if an accident were to occur at the poison-gas facility it would not impact urban centers.

Broekarts said she took a train to Hiro station and then transferred trains to Tadanoumi station. The trip took almost two hours and cost around 1,240 Japanese Yen, or $12. She then took an hourly ferry from Tadanoumi, which brought her to Rabbit Island in about 10 minutes.

The coastline of Rabbit Island is only 1.5 miles long. Here is a picture of the rabbit ear-shaped viewers that line the coast.

Nearly 100 million cats are kept as pets in the US.

My temperamental calico cat, Harlem, is one of them.

And while she's the only one I have, she embodies many of the most common, and most perplexing, cat stereotypes.

So why does she — and the tens of millions of cats like her — act that way?

Here are some explanations, backed by cat researchers, for why our feline friends behave the way they do.

UP NEXT: 5 reasons life is better for cat people

SEE ALSO: 9 science-backed reasons to own a dog

1. Why do cats sometimes suddenly bite or scratch the person who is petting them?

According to cat expert Arden Moore," your cat is trying to say, "kindly stop petting me or I will bite harder."

Dr. John Bradshaw says your cue to stop petting a cat may include tail-lashing, flattened ears, dilated pupils, and tense muscles.

Bradshaw also notes, that most cats like to be stroked on their heads and fewer than one in 10 cats like to be stroked on their belly or around their tail.

Source: Cat Sense, The Cat Behavior Answer Book, Scientific American Special Editions, September 2015

2. Why do cats intentionally knock objects off tables?

While some cats are clumsy, most cats intentionally knock items off of surfaces as a ploy to get their owner's attention.

"Sometimes they seem to do it for their own entertainment or because they have learned that this is a game that their owner seems to enjoy," Bradshaw explained.

Source: Scientific American Special Editions, September 2015

3. Why do cats look you straight in the eye and then slow blink?

Even though cats are considered masters at concealing their thoughts and emotions, they do try to show affection by slow blinking. Researchers call these slow blinks "kitty kisses."

Next time you notice that a cat is giving you this feline eyewink, try and slow blink back. More often than not, a cat will continue to slow blink with you.

 Source: Cat Sense, The Cat Behavior Answer Book, Petful

Like it or not, where you decide to live often says a lot about you.

Of course, you're not totally defined by your ZIP code, but a nifty website first spotted by Reddit seeks to show people what ZIP codes say about the demographics, culture, and lifestyle in one's area.

Here's how it works:

The "Zip Lookup" tool is powered by Esri, a geographic-information firm based in California.

Just head to the website, type in your ZIP code, and you'll be greeted with a breakdown of your ZIP code's demographic characteristics based on Esri's "Tapestry" technology, which consists of 67 unique market-segment classifications.

The percentage breakdown shows you the mixture of different classifications.

Here's an example of the breakdown for Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

By clicking on the different demographics, you can see a summary of the type of person Esri's geographic data says you are.

For Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 60% are labeled as "Trendsetters," who are described as singles "not ready to settle down, unfettered by home and vehicle ownership" and with "good jobs who spend our disposable income on upscale city living and entertainment — mostly on rent."

Here's the breakdown for the other two demographics, "Downtown Melting Pot" and "High Rise Renters."

You can also click on the tabs "Income," "Age," and "Population Density," to learn more about your area's trends.

Here's a look at the average income for Williamsburg.

And here's a look at the age spectrum.

Finally, here's population density.

To look up your ZIP code, head to Esri's website. 

SEE ALSO: Use This Trick To See A Map Of Everywhere Google Knows You've Been

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Congo and Yamikani live at the San Diego Zoo. Since their mothers died, they've been getting extra special care.

"Typically, when we have babies born at the park, we would really like for the mom to be able to raise them," Amanda Lussier, a mammal keeper at the zoo, said. 

Congo is still being bottle-fed, while Yamikani is given small portions of solid food. They've been paired with older giraffes to help them acclimate to their environment. Soon, they'll be joining the rest of the zoo's giraffe herd.

Story by Jacob Shamsian and editing by Stephen Parkhurst

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Where are people going to ring in the New Year? 

Airbnb set out to answer this question by analyzing the growth in reservations for destinations with at least 100 bookings for New Year's Eve. 

They then ranked the destinations according to their increase in popularity over the last year. 

From white-sand beaches in Europe to bustling cities in Asia, here are the up-and-coming destinations travelers are putting on their radar for New Year's Eve.

SEE ALSO: 21 photos that show why a small town in Tennessee was just named America's next hot travel destination

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10. BRITTANY, FRANCE — In the south of Brittany, in the northern part of France, visitors will find delightful towns, upscale resorts, and restaurants that serve incredibly fresh seafood. With glistening beaches and historic Celtic megaliths, there's plenty for travelers to explore.

Click here to learn more about Brittany »

Click here to check out Airbnb listings »

9. GUARUJÁ, BRAZIL — The beach resort of Guarujá is located near São Paulo and is known for its stunning beaches that are ideal for surfers of all types. With a variety of bars and clubs that line its beaches, party lovers will enjoy the atmosphere here.

Click here to learn more about Guarujá »

Click here to check out Airbnb listings »

8. BLACK FOREST, GERMANY — Germany’s Black Forest (or Schwarzwald) is a mountainous area in southwest Germany that is filled with dense evergreen forests and picturesque villages. Said to have inspired some of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales, the Black Forest is the largest designated nature park in Germany.

Click here to learn more about the Black Forest »

Click here to check out Airbnb listings »

On Sunday, my wife and I will be talking our two young sons to see "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens."

I'm completely terrified.

Not because I think the movie will be a disaster — all the advance reviews say that director J.J. Abrams nailed it, that the new characters are exciting and well-drawn, and that the return of the war horses (Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher) actually works.

I'm terrified because I've been faking it with my family when it comes to "Star Wars." 

The problem is that I outgrew "Star Wars" in a furious hurry four decades ago, but with the my kids, I've pretended that the films represent a deep and resonant tapestry of timeless myths. At times, I almost talked myself into believing that. But the truth is that I think all the "Star Wars" movies are pretty bad, as movies. As a 10-year-old boy, I was thrilled beyond words by "Star Wars." But I wasn't planning on remaining a wordless awestruck 10-year-old forever.

It's baaacckkk ...

We are definitely a "Star Wars" family. My two older kids, at 13 and 10, have seen all the movies and watched a lot of the follow-on stuff, like "Clone Wars," and know the ins and outs of what I have to admit has become our modern-day answer to Homer. My five-year-old hasn't seen it all, but he knows enough to get by.

It's all my fault. I inflicted "Star Wars" on them years ago. I felt it was a necessary initiation.

But I also sort of forgot what "Star Wars" actually meant to me.

And now I'm going to relive the whole thing, because my 10-year-old is going to see "The Force Awakens" in a real movie theater, replicating my own "Star Wars" origin story — I saw what was my "Episode 1," later rechristened "Episode IV: A New Hope," in 1977, when I was his age. (My kids have only ever watched the "Star Wars" films on video.)

I can already tell that the "Force Awakens" isn't really Episode VII. It's a reboot of the original film, with Abrams taking a page from his successful "Star Trek" playbook.

This is going to place me in the awkward position of deciding whether to do the fatherly thing and guide my 10-year-old toward what I felt, over 30 years ago, was the correct response to "Star Wars," or just give in and allow "The Force Awakens" to achieve what Disney clearly wants it to achieve: mint a whole bunch of new 10-year-old superfans who can keep "Star Wars" going for at least another three installments and, maybe, forever.

This isn't going to be easy because I've been a total fraud where "Star Wars" is concerned. 

Lies, lies, lies

Here's why. "Star Wars" was indeed exhilarating in 1977. I hadn't really ever seen anything like it. It was spectacular, somewhat gritty, but also utterly simple — an old-school black-and-white epic, pitting good against bad, darkness against light

In the context of the mid-1970s, "Star Wars" was the ultimate cinematic distraction. Because outside the theater, America was in rough shape. The grownups were all freaked out, and the kids could tell. Just two years after "Star Wars" opened, President Jimmy Carter would give his infamous "Malaise" speech, which now serves as shorthand for the grim realities of the '70s: stagflation, the Iran hostage crisis, the collapse of the American middle class, the breakdown of traditional family. The 3 Mile Island nuclear disaster, the long hangover of Watergate and Vietnam and the vanished promise of Woodstock and the counterculture.

"Star Wars" has been derided for being nostalgic, but in those days, when the Cold War was still on and the Detroit auto industry was losing its battle against upstart Japanese car makers, when the US military was still licking its wounds after the debacle in Southeast Asia and inflation was in double-digits, the country was lusting for a throwback mood swing. Ronald Reagan, a creature of Hollywood in the 1950s, arguably rode that desire to the White House in 1980.

"Star Wars" was the turning point. But it did arrive a long time ago in an America that now seems far, far away, indeed.

Although I thought "Star Wars" was very cool when I saw it at age 10, by the time "The Empire Strikes" back landed in 1980, I considered "Star Wars" to be embarrassingly uncool. I was a teenager — "Star Wars" was kid stuff.

This is basically the way my 13-year-old is thinking about "The Force Awakens."

"It's going to be awful," I told her, right after I saw Carrie Fisher as Princess (now "General") Leia on a sign atop a New York taxi (I know far too much about Fisher's post-"Star Wars" life) and before I read some of the early reviews.

My daughter agreed. Not that she isn't going to see it (she'll beat the rest of us by at least a day). But she's got the jaded teenager thing down. Even if it's terrific, it will still be "Star Wars" and vastly less cool that what she really likes these days, which is rock-n-roll and hair dye.

The vast cultural phenomenon that "Star Wars" has become never stopped baffling me, even as I grew to accept it. For starters, I saw many more movies after "Star Wars" and I quite quickly realized how bad "Star Wars" was as cinema. The logical and mature reaction to "Star Wars" was to put it rapidly in its proper place and at the very least move on to "Alien."

But that was a lost bet on a different future. "Star Wars" set us on a course for "The Avengers," inevitably. My adulthood unfortunately developed in the wake of a period of rebellious innovation in moviemaking — and the rejection of that innovation in favor of "Star Wars"-style blockbusters. It didn't take me long to figure out how bad "Star Wars" was. But that coincided with over three decades of fighting the tide.

Giving up

So I gave up and just let "Star Wars" wash over me — my kids have the arsenal of toy light sabers and the Lego sets and action figures to prove it. To borrow a line from the TV reboot of "Star Trek," resistance was futile. I can do a decent impression of Darth Vader informing Luke Skywalker that he's his FAH-ther.

Still, I wasn't wrong in the late '70s. And here I am, with a 10-year-old boy who in the next few years is going to have to make up his own mind about "Star Wars." The guidance that I received when I was in his position was "that's not a real movie."

"The Godfather" was a real movie. "Citizen Kane" was a real movie. "The Graduate" was a real movie. "M*A*S*H" was a real movie. "The 400 Blows" was a real movie. "Blue Velvet" was a real movie. "Lawrence of Arabia" was a real movie.

But everything I've said and done since I introduced "Star Wars" to my kids has suggested that it's actually more than a real movie. It's something that defines us. "You raised me on 'Star Wars'," my daughter said, trying to convince me let go to a midnight showing.

Of course that was a fun angle to take for a while, but it's also something I don't entirely believe. And now I'm at a treacherous impasse: the right thing to do is seize the moment and set him on a path away from superfandom — but he's going to want to know what all the fuss over "Star Wars" since he was five was all about.

The obvious solution here is to simply relax, get some popcorn, sit back, enjoy myself, and let the entertainment value of "The Force Awakens" override the fear. My kids can draw their own conclusions. Life goes on, bra! And who knows, maybe Abrams has found a way to make his 1977 flashback both exuberant and aesthetically magnificent. 

I'll let you know how it goes. Because the truth is, I'm scared to death!

SEE ALSO: BLOWS IT, YODA DOES: Here's what I learned when I watched the original 'Star Wars' movies for the first time in 10 years

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NOW WATCH: Jennifer Lawrence does something other actors won't, and it's why she keeps improving

There's a new most expensive private home in the world. 

A massive, newly built French Château in a 56-acre park near the palace of Versailles has just been purchased by an unnamed Middle Eastern buyer for €275 million (or roughly $299 million), according to Bloomberg.

Though it was built to look like a historic French monument, it's actually a new construction that was heavily inspired by 17th-century French design. The mansion, which is "several thousand square meters," was constructed by ultra-luxury developer Cogemad over three years.

The house, which is officially named Château Louis XIV, has a singular claim to fame: It meets 17th-century rules and standards for proportions and ornaments. 

Inside, all manner of amenities are included, including an elevator, aquarium, cinema with reclining chairs, and a wine cellar. The French gardens flanking the property are highlighted by a gold fountain with equine figures. More, including a figure of C3PO, can seen in a video by Cogemad advertising the home.

The sale was brokered by Christie's International Realty in a private transaction.

SEE ALSO: Construction on this Miami-area condo building hasn't even begun — and a penthouse already sold for $21 million

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It has been unseasonably warm here at Business Insider's global headquarters in New York City, and as such, we've been noticing how a lot of men are rocking their winter clothes, since there's no need for heavy winter coats to hide them.

That means we can see the sweaters — a lot of them, day in and day out — on the street, in the office, and at bars.

It means we can see how boring guys are with their sweaters.

For a refresher on how to get as much as possible out of the sweaters in your collection, we talked to stylist Jessica Cadmus of The Wardrobe Whisperer, and she sent us a few pointers.

"When I first meet them, many of my male clients are in the habit of relegating their sweaters to weekend wear only.  In those cases, their sweaters are being severely underutilized," said Cadmus.

She continued: "As I always say, men's fashion moves in millimeters, and so it's incumbent upon all men to use every resource they have wisely and widely. That means relying on the sweater for more than just a companion to denim."

Let's begin.

Consider wearing your sweater as a blazer.

"This chunky sweater will look superb layered over a patterned button-down and paired back to gray trousers," said Cadmus. "Wear with or without a tie.

This one's at Elie Tahari for $398.

Put it under a blazer or suit jacket.

Throw a white button-down under this and a blazer over it, and you'll look like a bag of money.

Pair with gray trousers, said Cadmus.

You can do better than jeans.

This one's at Human Scales for $141.

If you're going to do that "just make sure the sweater fits close to the body so the proportions look correct," said Cadmus.

Try this one with a gray suit jacket.

Get it at Reiss for $180.

Reddit is notorious for its ability to rally together enormous groups of people on the internet, uniting them around a common cause.

In the case of entrepreneur Sue Sullivan, it ended up saving her business.

Sullivan had started a chipotle-sauce company called "Hot Squeeze" back in 2007, but in the years that followed she realized that it wasn't going to survive if she kept working with middle-men distributors, who quickly scooped up the lion's share of her profits.

But after a friend told her about Reddit, Sullivan decided to host a giveaway on the website. After giving away $8,000 in free samples, she soon found that it was a hit with Redditors, many of whom ended up calling up their local stores to request her hot sauce.

Months later, Sullivan shared a follow-up post with Reddit and Business Insider, detailing in her own words what her journey was like, and it's a powerful reminder of what can happen when those on the internet come together.

Note: All photos and text used with permission.

"Like most entrepreneurs, I kind of stumbled into this business," Sullivan said. "I didn't have a business plan or legal team or any of the luxuries that I think a lot of people think of when you hear the word 'corporation.' But I did have a busy catering business that was driven by this one charismatic sauce, something I would later call 'Hot Squeeze.' I started picking up clients specifically because of the sauce and people began referring to me as 'The Chipotle Lady' and 'The crack sauce lady' — odd titles, I'll admit, but still something of badges of honor to me. And, after years of pestering and requests, in 2007, I decided to give up on my profitable catering business and start doing Hot Squeeze full time."

"In 10 months, I came up with something of a 'beta' design and label and began working with a co-packer — basically, guys who take care of all of the production and packaging stuff for you. I also trademarked the name, bought out UPC codes, went through the business registration loops, and yadda, yadda, ya. I think it was around the time that this picture was taken that the gravity of just what I was doing descended upon me. As that first bottle came down the ramp, I thought, 'Yes, this is my product, my baby.' But then the next 5,999 bottles began queuing up and a more panicked, contemplative voice began nagging: 'What the hell am I going to do with all this product?' If you look closely enough, you can probably see the fear in my face."

"I admit I was pretty naive, but also pretty lucky. A friend of mine with a chip business invited me to share his booth at the Fancy Food Show. So I accepted, not really having any idea what I was doing. I think I was up ironing my logo onto t-shirts the night before flying out to the show. Now, if you're not familiar with the Fancy Food Show, it's a big deal. It's the biggest trade show in the food industry — as in globally. Companies put down small fortunes and hire women in little outfits to woo customers, buyers, retailers, and pretty much anyone else they can get their hands on. I, on the other hand, had something like $23,000 from my savings account and...uh, t-shirts."

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Produced by Justin Gmoser

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