If the Starks from the North are the unluckiest family that ever walked a fictional earth, the Benioffs are their polar opposite. Read more.
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NOW WATCH: A psychologist reveals a trick to stop being lazy
If the Starks from the North are the unluckiest family that ever walked a fictional earth, the Benioffs are their polar opposite. Read more.
Join the conversation about this story »
NOW WATCH: A psychologist reveals a trick to stop being lazy
I flew to Brussels for a business trip less than a month after suicide bombers killed 32 people, and even took a bus tour of the neighborhood where all the terrorists hid out.
Here’s what I saw and what I learned.
Story by Nicholas Carlson and editing by A.C. Fowler
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Raclette NYC is serving up plates of potatoes, charcuterie, and pickles — all smothered in gooey, melty cheese. The dish gets its name from a wheel of cheese that is slowly heated until just the top is warm and bubbly, then scraped off onto a variety of offerings of the customer's choosing. Originally of Swiss and French origin, NYC is lining up for a taste of this cheesy dish.
Story and editing by Sydney Kramer and Kristen Griffin
An eating regimen that incorporates foods that are part of the Mediterranean diet just got even more confirmation that it may be good for your health.
In a study published Sunday in the European Heart Journal, researchers found that people with heart disease who ate more food associated with the Mediterranean diet — things like olive oil, fish, whole grains, and nuts — had fewer major heart problems than those who ate fewer of those foods.
To reach that conclusion, the researchers asked 15,000 people what they ate every day, and based on their responses ranked them as either more in line with a Mediterranean diet or a western one. The Mediterranean diet is modeled off of foods commonly eaten in countries on the Mediterranean Sea. It's typically high in fruits and vegetables, fish, and whole grains like whole wheat and brown rice. In contrast, a western diet is characterized as higher in refined grains, sugar, and deep fried foods.
Statistically speaking, people in the study who ate the most Mediterranean-style foods were also the least likely to experience severe heart problems like heart attacks, while people who ate the least of these foods were more likely to experience severe heart problems. However, the opposite conclusion could not be drawn for people with more western diets: People who ate the most western-style foods didn't necessarily have the most severe heart problems.
The researchers' findings suggest that if you want the most heart health benefits, it's best to try increasing your intake of Mediterranean-style foods rather than trying to avoid western ones.
Previous studies have also linked the Mediterranean diet with a reduced risk of heart disease and breast cancer and still others have suggested the diet could have some potential memory-related benefits.
The researchers who worked on the latest study pulled their data from a survey that was part of a drug trial investigating a compound called Darapladib. As part of the study, 15,000 people with coronary heart disease, a narrowing of the small blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the heart, responded to a survey about what they ate every day. (Of those participating, about 97% were on a special type of medication called a statin that aims to lower cholesterol.) Their responses were ranked based on how well they aligned with a Mediterranean diet.
Almost four years later, the same participants took a follow-up survey. Based on their responses, they found that those that most closely followed a Mediterranean diet had fewer "major adverse cardiovascular events," such as a stroke or a heart attack, than those who followed it less closely or had more of a western diet.
There are a few caveats to the study: Because it was self-reported, it's difficult to know if the people ate exactly what they said they did (portion sizes could vary, etc.). Plus, because it was recorded in a survey and not a daily food diary, the responses weren't as comprehensive as they could have been.
NEXT: 3 behaviors are linked to your risk of developing the 5th most common type of cancer
CHECK OUT: RANKED: These are the healthiest grains for you
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NOW WATCH: This longevity-linked simple salad helps people on a Greek island live past 100
Despite its strong fanbase, not a lot of people know about a secret menu at Shake Shack. So we took a shot at ordering a secret menu item the burger chain once experimented with years ago. It's called the Peanut Butter Bacon Burger, and it needs to be brought back to life. Watch and find out why.
Produced by Will Wei. Camera by Jason Gaines.
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You've accumulated plenty of clothes over the years. You may have some favorite pieces, as well as some you'd never let go.
But do you have the right pieces? The essentials? The pieces no wardrobe should be without?
It's probably time to take stock of your wardrobe to make sure.
Don't get caught in the rain without a raincoat (literally).
SEE ALSO: 10 men's style essentials that look expensive but aren't
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A navy and a charcoal suit will take you everywhere you need to go.
The two pictured here are from one of our favorite suit suppliers, SuitSupply, and go for around $500. For the savvy shopper that already knows his sizing, online suit makers like Indochino, Alton Lane, and others make it super easy.
Of course, two is not a limit – just a good base to build a full suit wardrobe.
Suit Supply suits ($499 - $599)
A white shirt is absolutely essential for when you need to look clean and pressed.
The pictured brand is Thomas Pink, but you should find a shirt and fit that works for you. Online services like Stantt, Shirtcycle, and Combatant Gentleman make it super easy to do.
Thomas Pink Quintessential Plain Slim Fit Button Cuff Shirt ($185)
Similar to the white one, this shirt will likely be the workhorse of your weekday wardrobe.
Thomas Pink Quintessential Plain Slim Fit Button Cuff Shirt ($185)
The Wave in Arizona is a surreal sandstone formation, and many hikers wait years for the chance to see it. Due to conservation efforts, only 20 permits per day are available, but the undulating ripples of red, orange, and pink sandstone are worth the wait.
Story by Chloe Miller and editing by Stephen Parkhurst
Finding the right job that will lead to a successful career has a lot to do with how and when you search for employment — but as it turns out, where you look also plays a big role.
According to new data from personal finance website Bankrate.com, young people consider five things when deciding on where to launch their career: social opportunities, job prospects, pay potential, career advancement, and quality of life.
By analyzing these five variables in the top 100 US cities (those with populations above 250,000 and a per capita GDP of above $40,000), Bankrate.com determined which cities most and least ideal for starting a career.
To rank the cities, each of the five variables was scored on a scale of 1 to 100 — 1 being the best and 100 being the worst — considering metrics like employment rates, average salaries, and cost of living. (Read more on the methodology here.)
The following 10 cities are the lowest ranking on the list — the places where it's hardest to launch a career. But, as Bankrate.com banking analyst Claes Bell points out, "not everyone is looking to climb to the top of the corporate ladder, so cities that ranked low on our list may be very desirable to some."
Read on to find out the 10 toughest cities for launching your career.
SEE ALSO: 13 high-paying side jobs for people in their 20s
Social opportunities: 99
Job prospects: 26
Pay potential: 82
Career advancement: 82
Quality of life: 49
Social opportunities: 81
Job prospects: 67
Pay potential: 96
Career advancement: 76
Quality of life: 54
Social opportunities: 72
Job prospects: 79
Pay potential: 77
Career advancement: 96
Quality of life: 55
A woman in the UK sent her dad to the store to buy pads. He struggled to find the right ones, which resulted in a hilarious string of text messages. She posted their conversation to Facebook, where it went viral.
Story and editing by Kristen Griffin
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The late David Bowie and Prince had more in common that just genre-defining music and gender-bending on-stage personas.
They also shared a tailor. Specifically, Sam's Tailor, an unpretentious neon-signed shop in Hong Kong's take on London's famous Savile Row.
Now run by Manu Melwani, the shop has been operating since his father opened it in 1957.
It's an essential stop for everyone visiting the autonomous region, and Melwani counts Queen Elizabeth II, David Bowie, Ronald Reagan, Michael Jackson, Margaret Thatcher, and the late Prince among his clients.
It's no surprise world travelers and foreign dignitaries alike love Sam's. Melwani offers bespoke, custom-fitted suits that cost less than $500 and are made of top-notch quality by a skilled team of tailors in 24 hours.
Melwani outfitted the Purple Rain rocker when he came to the peninsula in 2003 as part of a world tour, according to Time. Prince knew exactly what he wanted: two suits, both in silver with three buttons. They were cut with a silver lining, and made from Italian silk with no back vent on the jacket. He wanted to wear them for upcoming shows, and needed them in 48 hours.
Melwani was happy to oblige, and 15 tailors got to work on the garments. The tailor recounts to Time that the singer was "very skinny" and "spoke very little."
Though Melwani's wall is filled with pictures of the famous people he counts as his customers, Prince's picture is missing.
The notoriously secretive musician "didn’t want a picture,” Melwani told Time.
SEE ALSO: 4 things every guy should know before going to a tailor for the first time
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NOW WATCH: This robotic tailor can put you in the perfect suit in less than 10 seconds
How many days from last year do you remember?
Really stop and think about it.
Now see if you can identify any patterns among those days that stand out. Were they all happy? Upsetting? Relaxing?
According to Jesse Itzler, we're more likely to remember experiences that are unpleasant, at least in the moment.
Itzler is the cofounder of Marquis Jets, owner of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, and a former rapper; he's also married to Spanx founder Sara Blakely. In 2015 he published a book, "Living With a Seal," about his month-long experience training with a Navy Seal.
Itzler recently appeared on The James Altucher Show to discuss everything he's learned about success, failure, mental toughness, and finding meaning.
In order to ensure that he's living a memorable life, Itzler told Altucher that he recently started keeping what he calls a "f--- it list," replacing the "bucket list" that he used to have. The goal of the "f--- it list" is to make a habit of doing things that are painful or uncomfortable, but help him grow.
What's on it?
"Those are things that suck, and those are things that are challenging, and those are things that require preparation, training, planning, maybe failure," he said. "But those are the things that make me feel most alive. And those are the things that teach me the most about me."
Itzler emphasized that everyone's "f--- it list" will be different, and you can start with small steps forward. On his he's included physical feats, like riding his bike cross-country in less than four months and paddling 100 miles. And since he has a hard time with new languages, he also wants to learn the national anthem from 10 different countries.
None of them will be easy, but all of them will make him feel like he's accomplished something and changed his life for the better. As the Navy Seal once told him, "If it doesn't suck, don't do it."
Itzler explained that the point of having a "f--- it list" is to be working your mental toughness "muscle." It's something he learned while training with the Navy Seal, who made him do 100 pull-ups in a row on his first day of training and swim in a frozen lake during a blizzard.
Each one of these experiences further strengthened his mental toughness muscle, he said, and allowed him to push past his limits.
"Once you change your set point, [once] you raise your baseline from wherever it is to a higher level by doing these tough challenges, getting out of your comfort zone, [and] pushing your limits, it never goes back down," Itzler said.
"And all of a sudden you start saying, 'I don't wanna take the easy way. I'm gonna take the hard way.'"
SEE ALSO: 9 things mentally strong people do every day
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NOW WATCH: TONY ROBBINS: What you need to do in your 20s to be more successful in your 30s
Adam Wilber, a magician for Ellusionist, has created a fireball-shooting wrist attachment. Its four barrels can fire fireballs up to 30 feet in different trajectories.
The original PYRO sells for $174, while the PYRO mini costs $147.
Story and editing by Carl Mueller.
Cosmetic surgery is on the rise.
Since 2000, the number of cosmetic procedures performed on Americans has risen 115%, according to the latest data released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Breast augmentation was the most popular form of cosmetic surgery in 2015, not counting "minimally invasive" procedures like Botox.
Plastic surgeons performed a total of 279,143 breast augmentation surgeries in 2015. (They also removed 24,661 breast implants and performed more than 40,000 breast reductions.)
"Following breast augmentation, most women report satisfaction with the aesthetic result and improvements in body image," a team of researchers observed in the journal Plastic Surgical Nursing. "The impact of the procedure on other areas of functioning, such as self-esteem and quality of life, is less clear."
All told, in a single year in the US, there were 1.7 million cosmetic surgeries and 14.2 million "minimally invasive" cosmetic surgeries. Butt implants and butt lifts have had the largest spike in popularity since 2014 (up 36%), though both are still relatively uncommon, with less than 5,000 procedures each.
The graphic below shows the six most popular cosmetic surgeries in 2015, not including minimally invasive procedures.
READ NEXT: Here's how much money doctors actually make
SEE ALSO: Surprising ways alcohol affects your body and brain
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NOW WATCH: A plastic surgeon says that Kylie Jenner led to a boom in lip surgery among teens
Tinder is not a game anymore, you guys.
In its latest update, the popular dating app has changed one of its most iconic phrases:
Instead of prompting users who get a match to either message their prospective partner or "keep playing," Tinder now instructs people to "keep swiping."
It's also eliminated the "Tell Your Friends" sharing button from the bottom of the main match screen.
The phrase "keep playing" was emblematic of the way Tinder has completely "gamified" dating.
Getting started is easy, since Tinder pulls pictures and information from a user's existing Facebook account, and choosing someone — "swiping right" on their profile — is based more on snap judgments about their photos than it is on reading about them.
Using it really does feel like "playing" — the ease of quickly swiping through profiles, the thrill of a match, and the endless flood of options makes Tinder more lighthearted and fun than dating-app alternatives where you have to read through paragraphs of profile information.
And now some users are mourning the carefree days of yore:
Tinder changed from "keep playing" to "keep swiping". Excuse me, but Tinder is definitely a game! Why else would I download it!?
— Matthew Matysik (@MatthewMatysik) April 25, 2016
tinder now says"keep swiping" when u get a match vs."keep playing"shit just got real on tinder & I'm not ready for that level of seriousness
— Caitlyn Murphy (@cai_murph) April 23, 2016
From "Keep playing" to "Keep swiping" Tinder 5.0 just got dead serious guys! - for more -> https://t.co/J5Fd4ZMYkY… pic.twitter.com/S89rqjoBWL
— tinderfails_ (@tinderfails_) April 22, 2016
Tinder changed "keep playing" to "keep swiping" :(
— sugar t (@samm_amberr) April 22, 2016
Tinder may have changed the "keep playing" option to say "keep swiping" but if you think I'm taking it out of my games folder you are WRONG
— hanna (@hgeldss) April 21, 2016
Okay tinder why did you change "keep playing" to "keep swiping" I'm MAD
— rachael (@rachaelspano) April 21, 2016
Of course, there are some people who thought that "keep playing" minimized the weight of their quest for romance, and for them, this change will likely come as a pleasant surprise:
I hate how when you match with someone on tinder it says "keep playing" ... You think me looking for a boyfriend is a game???
— À (@chaoticandrea) April 20, 2016
when you get a match on tinder and it gives you the option to "keep playing." Like is my search for love some type of game???
— madelaine (@maddmoreau) April 13, 2016
A representative tells us that the company is testing this new update with iOS users and that the fresh phrasing hasn't rolled out to all Android smartphone owners yet.
SEE ALSO: One of the guys running Google Chrome just revealed his favorite secret trick
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NOW WATCH: Meet the most desired man on Tinder — in New Jersey
Singapore Changi Airport is using art to make travel more relaxing. A sculpture called Kinetic Rain, the largest free-moving statue in the world, will make international travel feel like less of a hassle.
Story by Ian Phillips and editing by Jeremy Dreyfuss
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Ron Finley, better known as the "Gangsta Gardener," made it his mission for fight the food desert issue which plagues many of America's biggest cities.
Story and editing by David Fang
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The iPod Classic is getting crazy high bids on eBay. But think twice before you take your old iPod out of the sock drawer to sell it. The iPod is still a remarkably useful piece of hardware.
Produced by Justin Gmoser
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Taverna Hofmann's dishes are not as they appear. This restaurant in Barcelona serves gazpacho inside a fake tomato, and a dessert of coconut mouse inside an egg shell.
Story by Eloise Kirn, Editing by Stephen Parkhurst.
Nothing will make you smile quite like this six-layer rainbow cake. The secret to this cake's vibrant color is to use gel food coloring–it really makes each layer pop. For an easy decorating technique, we love the "naked cake" look, which involves gently scraping frosting off of the cake for a rustic, hassle-free result. However you decorate this cake, though, it's sure to turn some heads.
Naked Six-Layer Rainbow Cake
Total Prep and Baking Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Serves: 15-20
For the Cake:
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups butter, room temperature and cubed
3 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
¾ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups whole milk
6 egg whites, whipped separately
Food coloring (six different colors of your choice)
For the Butter cream Frosting:
3 cups unsalted butter
5 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Sprinkles (optional)
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line six 8-inch cake pans. Set aside.
2. Whisk together your flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. Beat together your butter and sugar until creamed, about 3 minutes. Add in your 2 eggs and beat until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add in your vegetable oil and vanilla and beat until combined.
4. Add in ⅓ of your flour and mix until combined, then pour in half of your milk, mixing until combined. Continue with another ⅓ of your flour, followed by the rest of your milk, and then mix in the rest of your flour.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk your egg whites until frothy and fluffy. Fold the egg whites into your batter with a wooden spoon.
6. Divide your batter into six different bowls, then add food coloring to each one until you achieve your desired color. Mix to combine, then pour the batter into your prepared pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until set. Let the cakes cool completely (you can put them in the fridge to speed this up), then run a knife around the outside of the cakes to loosen them and remove them from the cake pans.
7. To make your butter cream, beat together your frosting ingredients until smooth. Taste and add more sugar or vanilla if needed.
8. When you’re ready to decorate, place a dollop of frosting on your work surface to secure your first layer of cake. Level off your first layer with a serrated knife, then spread a layer of your frosting over the cake. Place your next layer on top, press down slightly once it is centered, and repeat, continuing with all of your layers. For the final layer, level off the top and lightly frost the top and sides of the cake with your first layer of frosting, known as a “crumb coat.” You don’t have to worry about crumbs at this point - you’re going to cover them up soon! Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, or up to an hour.
9. When you’re ready, take the cake out again and finish frosting with your final layer - don’t be afraid to lay it on thick. Using a bench scraper or cake leveler, scrape off the frosting you just applied for a flat, "naked" look. Top the cake with sprinkles. This will keep well, in a cake saver, in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Story and editing by Sydney Kramer, Kristen Griffin, and Eloise Kirn
There's a new luxury residential development going up at 626 First Avenue in Manhattan, and it's composed of the two largest copper-clad buildings in the world.
Also unusual is that the buildings' 761 units will only be available to rent, not to buy.
The American Copper Buildings are two "dancing" copper-faced towers, connected 300 feet up by a giant, three-story skybridge. That skybridge is the first of its kind to be built in Manhattan in the last 80 years.
And unlike many skybridges, which generally serve as footpaths between buildings, this one is a destination in and of itself: it houses the bulk of the buildings' 60,000 square feet of super-luxury amenities, which include a lap pool, fitness center, lounge, and climbing wall. Residents will also get double-sided views of the Manhattan skyline to the west and East River and Brooklyn to the east.
But it's the exteriors that will probably draw the most attention.
"It's kind of a performance art piece for the city as a whole," said Gregg Pasquarelli, a principal at SHoP Architects, which designed the project. The distinctive copper facing will soon lose its lucky-penny luster and "turn green before our eyes" over the course of the next 20 to 30 years, Pasquarelli said to Business Insider.
The 761-unit project is being developed and constructed by JDS Development Group. Leasing will open up towards the end of 2016, and although pricing has not yet been released, it's likely to fall in line with Manhattan's other major luxury towers, with units ranging from studios to three-bedrooms.
SEE ALSO: This stunning 1,100-foot skyscraper will be the tallest building on the West Coast
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