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Some of the groundwater in China is so polluted, it’s unsafe for humans to touch


The top 15 cities for American college students

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san francisco

As senior year winds down for high school students around the US, hundreds of thousands of them will learn if they've been accepted to the college, or colleges, of their dreams.

The next important decision will be which acceptance they should choose. A ranking from American Institute for Economic Research (AIER) may help students who are having trouble making that decision, as it ranked the best major metropolitan area for college students.

AIER calculated their list using 11 criteria that included economic vitality, availability of entertainment, and rent. AIER defines major metropolitan cities as having over 2.5 million residents.

 

Scroll through to find out the 15 best major cities for college students.

15. Tampa-St. Petersburg, Florida



14. St. Louis, Missouri



13. Atlanta, Georgia



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13 striking photos that show how polluted China's water has become

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china's water pollution

If you woke up tomorrow and suddenly discovered that your local river had turned blood red and that an awful, caustic smell had permeated your air, you would be alarmed, right? For residents of Wenzhou, China, and millions like them in China's rapidly industrializing and growing cities and towns, this has become a reality.

In April 2015, China issued a water pollution and prevention action plan, which outlined how China would improve its water quality by 2020. The plan has proved to be more difficult than the country anticipated, and it is having a hard time stopping the pollution.

The following photos show instances of water pollution around China dating from 2006 to the present.

Christian Storm wrote an earlier version of this story.

SEE ALSO: 17 images showing how countries facing dire water shortages across the globe get this vital resource

The red river in Wenzhou is just one example of the water pollution that has been running rampant in China for years.



More than half of China's population doesn't have access to safe drinking water. Almost two-thirds of China's rural population use water contaminated by human and industrial waste.

 



China is home to 20% of the world's population and contains about 7% of the world's freshwater.

Source: The New York Times



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Uber is working with helicopter startup Blade to fly Californians to Coachella for $700 a seat

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Coachella Heli Pic

Blade, the on-demand transportation startup sometimes called "the Uber for helicopters", is offering a special service for users heading to the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April. 

For $695 a seat, the startup will be shuttling people from Van Nuys Airport to Palm Springs, close to where Coachella will be taking place. Users can also pay $4,170 to book an entire six-seat helicopter. 

The roughly 130-mile journey between Los Angeles and the Palm Springs area can take several hours in a car, depending on the severity of traffic. In 2015, a record-breaking total of 198,000 people attended Coachella, which takes place over two weekends in April.

The helicopter flights, Blade's founder and CEO Rob Wiesenthal says, will take just 55 minutes. 

When guests arrive to Palm Springs, they can relax in Blade's exclusive lounge, where they can enjoy a full bar that includes George Clooney's Casa Amigos Tequila. 

Blade is also partnering with Uber to provide transportation to and from the Blade lounges at Van Nuys Airport and in Palm Springs. The price of the Uber SUV ride will be included in the $695 fee, and Uber drivers can take travelers' bags directly to their hotel if preferred. 

People wanting to try out the service can book their trips on both the Blade and Uber apps. Flights will be available starting March 25 through the end of Coachella April 24. 

This is Blade's first foray on the West Coast.

"We believe that the West Coast is underserved by short-distance aviation — especially helicopter travel," Wiesenthal told Business Insider. "There is no better partner to explore the potential of this market than with Uber."

Blade operates and manages the logistics of the helicopter flights it offers on its app; it doesn't own any aircraft. For Coachella, Blade will be offering seats on Airbus EC-130 helicopters. 

The company started out offering flights between New York City and the Hamptons, and from Manhattan to area airports. It now also offers seats on private jet flights between New York and Miami through a service called BladeOne, as well as helicopter trips to Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and Cape Cod.

blade flight

During the Sundance Film Festival in January, Blade offered helicopter service between Salt Lake City and Park City, but was asked to cease operations over concerns of disturbing the local elk population. The startup also recently helped coordinate speedboat trips between South Beach and the Ultra Music Festival in Miami, helping performers like Tiesto and deadmau5 make it backstage in time.  

Blade has raised venture capital from Google chairman Eric Schmidt, Discover Communications CEO David Zaslav, IAC's Barry Diller, Alex von Furstenberg, Raine Ventures, and iHeart Media chairman Bob Pittman. Both Pittman and Schmidt are licensed to fly helicopters and jets. 

SEE ALSO: We flew to the Hamptons like the 1% with Blade, an 'Uber-for-helicopters' startup — and it was as fabulous as it sounds

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NOW WATCH: The 'Uber of seaplanes' is taking elite New Yorkers to the beach

Before-and-after GIFs reveal how New York City has changed in 100 years

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New York City has transformed dramatically in the last century.

Andrew Farris, a photographer from Vancouver, documents this evolution by snapping photos in 2016 at spots that he's also found in archive photos. He then meshes the archive images with his photos to create mesmerizing GIFs.

Farris has shot photos in more than 25 cities around the world, including Glasgow, Berlin, and London. His newest series is photos from locations around New York City, like Times Square, the Brooklyn Bridge, and Flatiron.

"New York is unlike any other city in the world as it pioneered the science and engineering of skyscrapers over a century ago, and few cities anywhere else caught up until the mid to late 20th century," Farris says. "While preserving this heritage, the city has maintained its lead as a place for cutting edge design."

Keep scrolling to see his incredible mashup GIFs of New York City.

One of the five locations Farris scouted is the Brooklyn Bridge. Here is a view of the promenade during the blizzard of 1888 and today.

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Here's another a decade later, closer to the arches.

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Painters hang from the wires in 1914.

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We got our hands on 'Kinder Surprise Eggs' — the global candy favorite that's still illegal in the US

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Kinder Surprise Eggs are extremely popular around the world, but illegal to sell in the US due to small toy parts which the FDA says could be a choking hazard.

The candy is manufactured by Italian company Ferrero. Originally intended for children, it's also popular with adult collectors and has the form of a chocolate egg containing a small toy, often requiring assembly.

We got a case and unwrapped each one to see what fun surprises were inside!

Produced by Joe Avella

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Here's how to use Bitmoji, the addictive emoji app Snapchat reportedly bought for ~$100 million

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Bitmoji app

Last year, my roommate told me about an app called Bitmoji that lets you personalize a set of emoji to resemble yourself.

Bitmoji, and the company behind it — Bitstrips — has grown in popularity over the past couple of years, and now Snapchat is reportedly buying Bitstrips for ~$100 million.

After my roommate's recommendation, I immediately downloaded Bitmoji to try it out. The app is available for both iPhone and Android.

I was tickled by how much they look like me — and the variety of emotions they represent. 

Creator Jacob "Ba" Blackstock nailed it when he said"I really believe Bitmoji is the next level beyond emoji  and what we're seeing from users is that they're not looking back."

After choosing several options for my appearance (face shape, hair color and texture, even my own virtual ensemble), an army of emoji twins appeared on my iPhone keyboard.



There's one for my boyfriend



And one for making plans with my friends



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17 jobs to avoid if you hate confrontation

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police

Do you avoid conflict at all costs? Would you rather look the other way than having to confront someone? If so, you might want to rethink becoming a police officer or lawyer, where you'd spend your days resolving issues and dealing with conflicts head-on.

We combed through data from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET), a US Department of Labor database that compiles detailed information on hundreds of jobs, to find 17 professions with a high "conflict resolution" score. We then looked at salary data on the US Bureau of Labor Statistics website to see how much each job pays.

 

O*NET ranks how important "resolving conflicts and negotiating with others" is in any occupation by assigning each a "conflict resolution" score between one and 100. High-scoring jobs like lawyers and social workers involve a lot of conflict resolution, while low-scoring positions, such as software developers and equipment technicians, are relatively conflict-free. 

If you're the type of person who loves resolving issues face-to-face, these professions might be a great fit for you. But if you'd rather not devote your workdays to negotiations and conflict resolution, here are 17 jobs you're probably better off avoiding:

SEE ALSO: 21 high-paying jobs for people who love to negotiate

DON'T MISS: 29 jobs to avoid if you hate stress

17. Security manager

Conflict resolution importance: 83

Average annual salary: $110,210

Security managers direct all of an organization's security efforts, including physical security and safety of employees, facilities, and assets. 

*This is the average annual salary for "managers, all other," according to the BLS.



16. Spa manager

Conflict resolution importance: 84

Average annual salary: $38,240

Spa managers plan, direct, and coordinate everything that goes on at a spa facility. Their typical duties include coordinating programs, scheduling and directing staff, and overseeing financial activities. 

*This is the average annual salary for "first-line supervisors of personal service workers," according to the BLS.



15. Correctional officer and jailer

Conflict resolution importance: 84

Average annual salary: $44,910

Correctional officers and jailers guard inmates in penal or rehabilitative institutions according to established rules and procedures. They also may guard prisoners during transportation between jail, courtrooms, prison, and other points. 

 



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The size of an artist's signature can make their work more valuable, a new study shows

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christie's auction picasso

Ready to invest seriously in art? Pro tip: pay attention to the size of the artist's signature. In this case, bigger is better.

That's the takeaway from a new study out in the European Journal of Finance.

"Narcissism measured by the signatures of artists is positively associated with the market performance of artworks," the study found. "The artworks of more narcissistic artists have higher market prices, higher estimates from auction houses, and higher outperformance compared to the art market index." 

In other words: for the most bang for your resale buck, consider the size of the creator's ego right alongside his or skill.

According to the study, psychologists have found that large signatures are an indicator of narcissism. And the more narcissistic, the study shows, the higher the market value. 

To come to this conclusion, Florida State University professor Yi Zhou combed through data from Sotheby's and Christie's modern and contemporary art sales. Using regression formulas, she determined that just one standard deviation increase in narcissism increased the market price of a work by an average of 16%, and increased the auction house estimates by about 19%.

There is, of course, something of a feedback loop: more narcissistic artists tend to receive more solo shows, leading to more attention from art experts, more museum holdings, and ultimately higher art history rankings. So exposure, it seems, is all part of the package.

The era of the artist also has an impact on value; the narcissism of modern artists is more highly prized than that of contemporary artists. In the study, "modern" art was defined as works produced from the late 19th century up through World War II by artists like Van Gogh, Matisse, and Picasso.

"Contemporary" art, meanwhile, includes art produced after the end of World War II up through the late 20th century by names like Rothko and de Kooning.

By this definition, the resale value of modern art jumped 25% with the one standard deviation increase in the artist's narcissism, while the value of contemporary art only went up 13%.

"If I had a large pool of money, I am pretty confident that this result holds strongly," Zhou told Artnet.

Other factors that impact market value include the name recognition of the auction house, the size of the painting (again, bigger is better), the materials used (when in doubt, bid on oils), and even the shape of the canvas (unusual shapes, like ovals, are more valuable than traditional rectangles). And, of course, the signature is key.

SEE ALSO: Go inside the family-owned business where big shots like Frank Sinatra and Rudy Giuliani have gotten their cigars for decades

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NOW WATCH: It took over 100 artists to hand paint this movie about Van Gogh

15 jokes that only smart people will truly appreciate

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silicon valley

There's a special glee that comes from getting a really nerdy joke.

You feel smart both smart and dorky at the same time.

Redditors took turns sharing their own favorite intellectual jokes and we've gathered our favorites here.

From chemistry to art to music, these are the jokes you can pull out at your next dinner party (if you want to hear a bemused groan from the crowd).

Time to test your knowledge — though there's an explanation if you don't get it.

Here are 15 of the best jokes for smart people: 

A photon is going through airport security. The TSA agent asks if he has any luggage. The photon says, "No, I'm traveling light."

It's funny because: "Traveling light" is a turn of phrase used to indicate traveling without much (or any) luggage. In science, a photon is a particle of light (almost always moving).

It's on this list because: Air travel, amirite?!



Pretentious? Moi?

It's funny because: Only a pretentious person whose daily life doesn't require French would actually say "moi" and mean it.

It's in this list because: Clocking in at two words, it's the shortest joke in the English language.



A logician's wife is having a baby. The doctor immediately hands the newborn to the dad. The wife says, "Is it a boy or a girl?" The logician says, "Yes."

It's funny because: Processing that question through Boolean logic, "yes" is technically correct. How would you answer if the question were "Is it a boy AND a girl?"

It's on this list because: Logicians don't get enough love.



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A daredevil skied down an active volcano

What alcohol does to your body and brain

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We know different drugs make us experience the world around us in very different ways — and their aftereffects are often nowhere near as pleasant as the immediate results they produce. Alcohol, which two teams of addiction experts recently ranked as one of the five most addictive substances, can be especially dangerous when consumed in excess.

Like other substances, alcohol achieves its effects by messing with our brain chemistry.

As a depressant, booze makes us feel sluggish by amping up the activity of special chemical messengers that slow things down in our bodies. But alcohol also boosts the levels of another messenger — the infamous feel-good chemical dopamine. This increase happens in our brain's reward center, which is responsible for things like desire and positive reinforcement, so we end up feeling better — at least temporarily.

bi_graphics_what alcohol does to your body and mind

NEXT UP: 11 common myths about the brain

ALSO READ: What marijuana does to your body and brain

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NOW WATCH: UK chief medical officers: No safe level of alcohol consumption — here's how much you should be drinking to minimize your risks

Here's what the stylish guys of Warby Parker — the $1.2 billion eyewear startup — wear to work

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Warby Parker is one of the most talked-about eyewear brands in New York.

And for good reason — it's hard to take a few steps outside Business Insider's Manhattan headquarters without running into someone wearing one of their retro-chic frames.

Warby Parker is one of the first eyeglass makers to be a real competitor to Luxottica, the Italian eyewear company that controls most of the industry. Founded in 2010, Warby Parker's aim is to produce glasses that are a fashionable, cheap alternative to the norm, and its business is valued at $1.2 billion as of 2015. 

But learning about such a trendsetting company got us wondering — does that pioneering style translate to a fashionable workplace culture? We wanted to find out, so we ventured to Warby's headquarters on 6th Avenue to take a look around.

Guys described their office style as "clean," "relaxed," and "individual" — after all, Warby Parker has no stated dress code. Basically, there are "a lot of people exercising a lot of their personality through the clothes that they're wearing". 

Here, 14 guys share their personal office style. 

SEE ALSO: 14 apps every modern gentleman should have on his phone

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Xavier Roberts

Title: Social Media Coordinator

What he's wearing: I Love Ugly pants, Vans shoes, custom painted denim jacket made by a friend, Naval Academy crew neck gifted from a teammate.

His style: "Clean-cut tailored with ... elements of street style for a little more edge."



Nick Kim

Title: Home Try-On Manager

What he's wearing: Bonobos jacket, Oxford, and jeans. "It's about the fit, frankly. I found a fit that works for me, and [Bonobos] has most of the styles I'm looking for." Filmore in Tennessee Whiskey Warby Parker glasses.

His style: "I asked my colleagues to define it and they said things like 'California casual' and 'bookish'. One person said 'bookish goes to a concert'. I think I'm going to go with 'classic but laid-back.'"



Chris Ryan

Title: Product Designer

What he's wearing: Old Navy shirt, J. Crew jeans, Kidd Warby Parker glasses, Casio watch. "I've worn it for seven years, and I buy a new one every time I need to replace it." New Balance sneakers.

His style: "Simple, monochromatic. Minimal. Anything that's simple and looks good and classic."



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A photographer embarked on a mission to document New York City's best street art before it disappeared — here are some of his favorites

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3_Dasic_Fernandez_Rubin415_Greenpoint street art yoav litvin

Street art is, by nature, controversial. To some, it's vandalism and an eyesore. To others, it's a great backdrop for their next Instagram shot. But to the artists themselves, it's their way to broadcast the social and political currents running through a city.

"The street is the common denominator, the bell curve and the barometer of all things," street artists Enzo & Nio write in the new book "Outdoor Gallery - New York City". "You go to the street when there is nowhere else to go. You go to the street to shout at the world... The streets serve as a mirror on society."

"Outdoor Gallery" author Yoav Litvin is a photographer, writer, and doctor of psychology and behavioral neuroscience who has made it his mission to document this ever-shifting conversation in New York's streets.

"There's a raw character to NYC that is unique," Litvin said to Business Insider. "After all, it is the mecca of graffiti and street art and has an interesting and troubling history." In fact, New York City is the birthplace of the graffiti "writing" movement of the 1960s, which evolved into the image-driven street art we see today.

But despite the city's rich past with graffiti, its not a street art free-for-all; Litvin says the authorities are "very strict" compared to other places, and artists caught in the act can be fined up to $350.

Below, a selection of the most noteworthy, provocative, and eye-catching works currently on display in the city, as Litvin sees it. Go now, before they're gone.

SEE ALSO: Meet Hanksy, the viral graffiti artist turning heads with his paintings of Donald Trump and Miley Cyrus

DON'T FORGET: Follow Business Insider's lifestyle page on Facebook!

Thanks to the radical (and often illegal) nature of the medium, street artists tend to be enigmatic characters with provocative perspectives and political messages. This chimney in Long Island City is decorated with an austere, pensive piece by brothers and artists Icy and Sot.

Location: Long Island City, Queens

Artists: Icy and Sot

Story: Since 2006, the two Iranian brothers and stencil artists have contributed to Iranian and international urban art culture through their stencil work, usually depicting human rights, ecological justice, and social and political issues.



Buff Monster's eerie creations, like this eyeball-filled wall, are both creepy and striking. "As the empire city, New York City attracts the best of the best and all eyes are directed here," Litvin said.

Location: Bushwick, Brooklyn

Artist: Buff Monster

Story: Buff Monster is a popular artist famous for his signature use of the color pink. Over the last 15 years, he's crossed over as both a street artist and gallery artist, and his meticulously executed paintings have been shown in galleries around the world.



Brazilian artist Alexandre Keto puts up stylized murals like this one in Long Island City, drawing attention to race and class issues.

Location: Long Island City, Queens

Artist: Alexandre Keto

Story: As an artist and educator, Alexandre Keto uses bold, stylized portraits to highlight contemporary social issues. 



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A 24-year-old Tesla engineer lived in a van for 5 months and paid off his $14,000 of student loans

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A year and a half ago, 24-year-old Jason Roesslein headed from Illinois to the Bay Area to start work as an engineer for Tesla Motors.

He lived with a roommate for a few months, but found it frustrating shelling out $1,250 for rent each month.

"That was supposed to be a temporary situation until I figured out where I really wanted to live," Roesslein told Business Insider. "As I got further and further along in my thinking, I decided that I would try to live in a van, and I eventually pulled the trigger on it."

He lived in his "studio on wheels" — a 2006 Dodge Sprinter van — from October 2014 through March 2015, using Tesla and his gym to shower and eat most of his meals. After five months of van life, he reverted back to a more traditional lifestyle, with nearly $10,000 in extra savings, some of which he diverted toward paying off his student loans in full.

Here's what it was like:

SEE ALSO: A 23-year-old Google employee lives in a truck in the company's parking lot and saves 90% of his income

DON'T MISS: Several Google employees say they've lived in the company parking lot — here's why they did it

Roesslein toyed with the idea of a buying a box truck and turning it into a tiny home. Ultimately, the idea of owning such a big truck was too daunting to proceed.

"At the same time as I was developing those thoughts, I met a guy who works at Tesla, who at the time was living in his Subaru Forester," he says. "He'd been doing it for a year."

One night, that same coworker mentioned replacing his Subaru with a Sprinter van.

"That planted the seed in my head," Roesslein says. "It would be big enough so that you can stand up and have everything you need in there — but it's also not an atrociously large vehicle, and would be fairly maneuverable."



Roesslein thought about what he wanted out of a living situation — his own, affordable space where he could sleep and store his things — and where he wanted to be: close to work, the gym, and the social scene.

"My housing hunt had turned into the desire for a small mobile space to lay my head, cook and eat some food, store a few things, and hang out for a bit each day," he writes on Medium.

This manifested itself in a 2006 Dodge Sprinter, which he bought off eBay for $13,000 and picked up in Houston, Texas. It turned out that flying to Texas and driving the Sprinter back was cheaper than buying a used van in the notoriously pricey Bay Area.



He paid for the van upfront — $500 the night he bought it on eBay, and then the remaining $12,500 when he arrived in Houston — and spent another $1,000 turning the Sprinter into a livable place.



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Going-out shirts and other things men should stop wearing immediately

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Each item on this list has no place in an adult male's wardrobe. Some of these pieces have simply outstayed their welcome; others have been and always will be fashion abominations.

Produced by Jacqui Frank. Original Reporting by Linette Lopez. Graphics by Mike Nudelman.

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