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PIMCO: Here are 3 difficult transitions the world will undergo in 2017

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The offices of Pacific Investment Management Co (PIMCO) are shown in Newport Beach, California August 4, 2015.  REUTERS/Mike Blake

PIMCO has offered its outlook for 2017 in an environment of political and market uncertainty across the globe.

In "Cyclical Outlook: Into the Unknown," Joachim Fels and Andrew Balls identified "3 difficult transitions" the world will undergo — namely from monetary to fiscal policy, globalization to deglobalization, and China's currency regime transition — and offered their outlook.

"Who would have thought back in May that within the following six months the UK would vote for Brexit, Donald Trump would be elected president of the United States, Italy would vote 'No' on reform, and that markets would like it?," the duo noted as backdrop to their 2017 outlook.  "Rather than betting big on one direction or the other, investors today should consider a patient approach and aim for capital preservation until the veil of uncertainty over future policies starts to lift," they said.

Below we present the slides from their presentation to fellow PIMCO employees.

SEE ALSO: Here's how a Fed rate hike will impact mortgage payments in 12 major US cities

Post-election, markets have responded with surprising euphoria



The global economy is set to grow in 2017 at the same 2.5%–3% range of the last 5 years



There are 3 difficult transitions the global economy must face in the coming year



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These new electric skateboards use special motors that go further and faster than the others

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acton boards

I'm not a skater, but if I were to own a skateboard, it would be electric.

They give me the control I craved when I first tried skateboarding back in the day, most notably the ability to brake while moving downhill and cruising forward without having to kick.

Earlier this week, a personal transportation company called Acton kicked off an Indiegogo campaign for three new electric skateboards called the Blink S, Blink S2, and the Blink Qu4tro.

At the time of writing, Acton has amassed $1.16 million of its $50,000 goal with three days left to go. So, it's safe to say that people are interested.

Acton's boards use a different kind of motor for its electric skateboards than the other popular name in electric skateboards, Boosted.

Check out Acton's new boards and how its motors are better than others:

SEE ALSO: A non-skater tried the new Boosted Board electric skateboard — and absolutely loved it

Acton recently announced its new Blink Qu4tro longboard on Indiegogo.



Apart from the fact that it's electric, the Qu4tro is different from most longboards, and even most electric skateboards.



For one, it's made of aircraft-grade carbon fiber and aluminum compared to wood used on most skateboards. That helps make the Qu4tro lighter for better battery life and range.

The Qu4tro is rated for a range of 22 miles compared to the 12 miles on the Boosted Board V2 Extended Range Dual+.

Still, despite the Qu4tro's carbon body construction and superior range, its specs says it's 17 lbs versus the Boosted Board V2's maximum weight of 15.5 lbs. 

That's a little worrying considering one of my main concerns about the Boosted Board V2 was that it was fairly heavy to carry around.

At the same time, the carbon fiber does look amazing.



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Here's what you can do to help besieged, war-torn Aleppo, Syria

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The crisis in Syria reached new, heartbreaking heights on Friday as a brokered cease-fire attempted to give tens of thousands of residents the opportunity to escape the besieged city of Aleppo.

aleppo syria

While watching a humanitarian disaster unfold before your eyes across the world may make you feel powerless, there are some things you can do to aid the people still in Syria, and the 4.8 million refugees who have fled since the civil war began nearly six years ago.

Here are some actions you can take to help:

SEE ALSO: For Syrian refugees who supported the opposition, Assad's victory in Aleppo has dashed hopes of ever going home

DON'T MISS: OBAMA: 'I feel responsible' for Syria

Donate to a charity

These 13 organizations received three or four stars (out of four) from Charity Navigator, an independent non-profit that rates charities based on their financial management and accountability. Here are links to their websites, listed in alphabetical order:

American Refugee Committee

CARE

Catholic Relief Services

Global Hope Network International

GlobalGiving

Helping Hand for Relief and Development

International Rescue Committee

Islamic Relief USA

Mercy-USA for Aid and Development

Oxfam America

Palestine Children's Relief Fund

Save the Children

United States Fund for UNICEF



Volunteer

Your time can be even more valuable than your money.

Instead of (or in addition to) donating to a charity helping Syrian refugees, volunteer with them.

Contact any of the charities listed on the previous slide (plus find more from USAID here) and ask them how you can give your time.

You can also join Doctors Without Borders and go to Syria or a European country where refugees have fled to.

If you live in several European countries or Canada, you can also list your home as a place where Syrian refugees can stay (sort of like a free Airbnb).



Educate yourself and others

Learn more about the crisis from official sources, and educate your friends and family about what you discover. The more you know about the crisis, the more you can help.

Here is more information about the situation in Syria from the United Nations Refugee Agency, the US State Department, and the USAID Center For International Disaster Information.

Keep up with the latest news on Business Insider's Syria page.



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The 13 most valuable residences of G20 world leaders

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Ak_Saray Presidential Palace Ankara_2014_002

The G20 summit is an annual display of wealth and power, a meeting at which 20 of the world's most powerful leaders meet to discuss issues of global policy and international financial stability.

Past summits have resulted in high-profile discussions on a wide range of policy areas, from climate change to tax evasion.

Collectively, G20 economies account for approximately 85% of gross world product and two-thirds of the population. But how does the value of their leaders' residences compare?

Property website Hatched took a look at each G20 leaders' residence and created a valuation index based on a wide range of factors. These included the size of the property, any recent published refurbishment costs, and the local city's average property price per square metre. The valuation did not take into account the historical significance of the building.

Take a look at the 13 most valuable G20 leaders' residences.

13. Los Pinos, Mexico City, Mexico

Value: £11,803, 000

Size: 10,000 sq. metres

Value as a % of GDP: 0.0014%

Los Pinos — which translates as "The Pines"— is the official residence and workplace of Mexico's president. It has served as the presidential seat since 1934.



12. Palacio Da Alvorada, Brasilia, Brazil

Value: £15,889,370

Size: 7,000 sq. metres

Value as a % of GDP: 0.0011%

The Palacio da Alvorada is a modernist building located in Brazil's national capital of Brasilia, which serves as the president's official residence. It was built between 1957 and 1958.



11. Quinta de Olivos, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Value: £17,930,122

Size: 8,093 sq. metres

Value as a % of GDP: 0.0041%

Located in the north of Argentina, the Quinta de Olivos is one of the Argentinian president's official homes. The current president is Mauricio Macri.



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13 perfectly-designed small spaces – and how to make the most of yours

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Edinburgh 003

Whether it's due to an uptight landlord, a small budget, or a lack of inspiration, making a small space beautiful – or even comfortable – can be a challenge.

As we get ready to host families and friends this help, or look ahead to a January clearout and fresh start, we asked three highly-rated Airbnb hosts — Tiree, Jonathan, and Alexis— how they make modest rooms look spacious. 

Through their experiences hosting a home in Cartmel, the oddly-shaped "Jack Sparrow House" in Cornwall, and an apartment in Edinburgh respectively, the hosts have learned a lot about decorating to please.

Here are their top tips for making your petite place look like a palace. Their surnames are not given on Airbnb for privacy reasons.

1. Keep clutter to a minimum.

“If you have anything on display, then make sure it really does add value and fits in with the look and feel of your whole scheme,” said Tiree, who hosts a home the Lake District town of Cartmel.

He recommends choosing decorative items that also have a functional value, such as bright vintage coat pegs, a framed map of the local area, or coloured books.



“Plants also give a room life and make the space feel more open and welcoming,” Alexis in Edinburgh said.

A textured item like a shaggy wool rug or a snuggly throw can serve the same purpose. She added that choosing bigger pieces is better than filling your space with smaller accessories.

"It’s much better to draw the eye to one lovely, big vase on a shelf than a row of little vases that confuse the eye and create no real focal point," Alexis added.



"Don’t think that because your space is small that you have to fill it with small furniture,” Alexis said.

"Often one big statement piece of furniture can trick the eye into thinking the space is bigger than it is (just make sure it will fit through the doors!)." She also suggests pulling furniture away from the walls to give the illusion of space.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Shake Shack has one of the best breakfast menus in fast food

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Shake Shack Breakfast Menu 3

Shake Shack knows how to make burgers fairly well, and chicken extremely well, but what about breakfast?

Only six of the chain's 110 locations worldwide serve breakfast — and luckily for Business Insider, four of them are in New York City. 

We went to the closest one at Fulton Center — the others are at JFK Airport, Grand Central Station, and Penn Station — to find out if the famous burger shack knows how to serve up breakfast, too. 

 

SEE ALSO: A definitive ranking of everything on Chick-fil-A's breakfast menu

The Shake Shack breakfast menu is small and simple: sausage, egg and cheese sandwich; bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich; and an egg and cheese sandwich. You can order one or two eggs on each, with two eggs costing a little extra.



First off, the egg and cheese. Perhaps the most humble of all breakfast sandwiches, the egg and cheese holds no pretense or airs — it merely... is. I notice that the bun is just that: a bun. Using the classic potato bun also used on the burgers and chicken sandwiches is an interesting move.



And it ends up being a good move, at that — the soft potato bun translates to breakfast flavors remarkably well. One bite in, and one immediately realizes that this is a step above any normal fast-food breakfast sandwich. The fried egg is real — that's right, a real egg, no glutinous swatch of pale yellow. The yolk reaches the sweet spot between runny and firm, and the cheese is rich and velvety.



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12 TV shows you're not watching that you need to see

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high maintenance_HBO

There are so many factors that go into making a TV show a hit that have little to do with its quality.

It can depend on timing, the size of the network, the size of the network's marketing budget, and whether that show is up against sizable competition. Great shows can get lost in the midst of all these factors.

Some would argue that ratings are an effective way of deciphering quality, but truthfully it's a flawed system at best that overwhelmingly rewards the shows that win the lottery or get caught in a perfect storm.

That's where critics come in. We can advocate for the shows we believe deserve your attention.

Here's a list of the shows you're probably not watching, but we believe you should be:

SEE ALSO: 20 TV shows you're watching that are probably going to be canceled

DON'T MISS: The 17 best TV shows right now, according to critics

"The Exorcist" (Fox)

Yes, there was (and continues to be) a flood of TV remakes. But "The Exorcist" is a standout. It's well-written, well-acted, and it doesn't appear like Fox skimped on the budget. But alas, it's Fox's lowest-rated new show.



"Good Girls Revolt" (Amazon)

Amazon has already canceled feminist drama "Good Girls Revolt," but it's actively looking for a new home. That doesn't mean it's still not worth watching the first season. It's a really compelling look at the role of women in journalism in the late-'60s. It's inspired by the real female employees who took on Newsweek for its unfair hiring practices and promotion practices for women in the newsroom.



"Superstore" (NBC)

Once the home of "Seinfeld,""Friends," and "The Office," NBC hit a comedy dry spell in recent years. But the network has vowed to rebuild its comedy offerings, with big-box-store comedy "Superstore"as its cornerstone. The honor is well-deserved.

"Superstore" stars two talented actors, America Ferrera ("Ugly Betty") and Ben Feldman ("Silicon Valley,""Mad Men"), part of an ensemble cast playing retail employees. The sad part is that NBC is not only in the hole for ratings but it doesn't really have the programming to push "Superstore." But "Superstore" is well worth the visit.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Tips and tricks to master 'Super Mario Run,' the first ever Mario game for iPhone

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Nintendo's first "Super Mario" game for the iPhone is delightfully simple on the surface. Tap the screen! Little Mario will run by himself! He'll even hop over enemies for you! 

What could go wrong?

Super Mario Run

As it turns out, there's a deeper level to "Super Mario Run" that's far more challenging than what the initial game lets on. Everything from the game's five coin system to the Toad Rally mode is secretly aimed at the most dedicated Super Mario players among us.

That could be you too! We put together our best tips and tricks to get you started:

 

SEE ALSO: The first 'Super Mario' game for iPhone is now available — download it here

DON'T MISS: Our review of 'Super Mario Run'!

Let's start with the basics: create or sign in to a Nintendo Account!

If you're not signed in to this, you're missing out on extra goodies — like playing as Toad! With your Nintendo Account signed in, you can complete "missions" which will reward you with points. Those points can then be used for various things, like unlocking Toad as a playable character.

Better yet, the missions are often things you're already doing, like playing Toad Rally or completing sets of levels in World Tour mode.



Having trouble collecting the five coins? Here are some tricks:

Sometimes, the coins are hidden in boxes that you punch (question marks boxes and regular bricks).

Sometimes, the coins are down at the bottom of a pit and it looks like certain death if you jump for them — but all you need to do is slide down the wall, which Mario will automatically do if you fall into a pit. As you collect the coin, tap the screen to hop from wall to wall, until you're out of the pit.

Sometimes, the coins are hidden inside of a Boo (the ghosts!). If you jump backwards over them while they're moving, they'll drop the coin and disappear. Jump backwards by jumping into a wall and wall-jumping off of it.

Sometimes, the coins require you jumping further backwards than it seems possible — if you use Princess Peach, you can float after jumping backwards (which extends the distance traveled). 

Sometimes, you keep missing the last coin on a level and just want another shot. Tap the bubble icon in the top of the screen and you'll use one of your "lives" to enter a bubble. Since you're floated backwards while in the bubble, you can simply rewind part of the level by using one.

Most of the time, though, you just have to time your jumps really carefully and plan a route. And for that, there are no tips or tricks — just practice.



The game's three modes are deeply intertwined — finding the right balance of the three is crucial.

Playing World Tour gets you Toad Rally tickets. Playing Toad Rally gets you new Toad followers for the rebuilding of the Mushroom Kingdom — the more followers, the higher your kingdom "level." The higher your kingdom's level, the larger it becomes. The larger it becomes, the more spaces you have to build things. Building houses for your Toads makes them happy, and they produce coins every day. The more stuff you put in your kingdom, the more stuff you unlock to put in your kingdom.

And so the cycle goes.

Focusing on the kingdom is important because it unlocks playable characters for the World Tour and Toad Rally modes. Want to play through World Tour as Toadette? Keep growing that kingdom (by crushing Toad Rally mode)!



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

31 books successful people read to their kids

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Baby Max lolz

Reading to your children can do wonders for their future success.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, reading aloud to your children and talking about pictures and words in age-appropriate books can strengthen language skills, literacy development, and parent-child relationships.

What's more, a study conducted by a number of pediatricians shows for the first time the positive biological effect reading to your kids has on their brains.

MRIs revealed that children with greater home-reading exposure had greater activity in the parts of the brain that help with mental imagery and narrative comprehension.

So what are the best books to read to your kids? Certain successful people offer their favorites:

SEE ALSO: Parents of successful kids have these 12 things in common

DON'T MISS: 30 scientific ways your childhood affects your success as an adult

Robert Fagles' translation of 'The Odyssey'

"Reading aloud was my favorite part of being a parent to young children, hands down," Anne-Marie Slaughter, mother of two and president and CEO of think tank New America, tells NPR as part of the Storybook Project. "I often hunted up and read them books that my grandmother read to me and that I can still recite together with my father. They are enchanted stories, shared memories, distilled love."

When her sons were younger, Slaughter says they would read simplified versions of the Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Greek myths.

"One day when they must have been about 5 and 7 I brought home the actual Odyssey, in Fagles' wonderful translation, and just read them the first page or two so that they could hear what the real thing sounded like.

"They loved it; we read it slowly, but all the way through," she says.

Find it here »



Rosemary Wells' 'Edward Unready for School'

Slaughter tells NPR that her family members are big Rosemary Wells fans and love all her books.

"But perhaps because my oldest son is named Edward, this one became a particular favorite," she says. "Edward is a young bear who just isn't quite ready to join all the happy, busy kids at school. One look at his face on the cover says it all."

Find it here »



Hollie Hobbie's 'I'll Be Home for Christmas (Toot and Puddle)'

Slaughter tells NPR that this is her family's enduring favorite Christmas book.

"Something about the illustrations so completely capture the anticipation of Christmas — the one that gets us every time is a picture of the jet flying over the Atlantic, with only the lit porthole windows visible, but with 'Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells' sailing out into the night air presumably from Toot's seat."

Find it here »



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The best time to buy almost anything in 2017

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Airline ticket boarding pass and passportTiming is everything, especially for frugal consumers who need to make big purchases. Knowing when to buy something goes a long way toward saving big bucks.

The best time to shop for big-ticket items usually precedes or coincides with new model introductions. The end of a season also brings excellent bargains.

Remember, though, that waiting for a sale has trade-offs. Forget about having the latest and greatest, but revel in the steep discounts to be gained with this month-by-month guide.

 

SEE ALSO: 10 things that will be less expensive in 2017

January

New furniture models come out in February, so bargains arrive in January. Keep an eye on office furniture, as retailers target entrepreneurs launching new ventures in the new tax year. With the holidays over and winter setting in, department stores lure shoppers with "white sales," making this the best time to buy linens.

The annual Consumer Electronics Show spurs price drops on digital cameras, TVs, tablets, and other electronics to clear shelves for new models. Also on sale: holiday items, winter apparel, select toys, and home fitness gear.



February

Stock up on high-end chocolate -- which rarely goes on sale -- after Valentine's Day. Also in February, retailers continue to discount select electronics such as TVs and audio equipment, as well as video games released during the holiday gift-buying frenzy.

Be on the lookout for deals on winter coats and apparel, especially over Presidents' Day weekend, as stores prepare to display spring fashions. Presidents' Day also spurs sales on linens, towels, and bedding. With the winter boat show season in full swing, February is the best time to buy a boat for less. Also on sale: tax-filing software.



March

As temperatures rise and demand cools, sellers are ready to strike deals on winter sporting equipment and apparel. The same goes for that last ski trip of the season.

Updated luggage styles arrive in advance of summer travel, so now's the time to buy last year's suitcases. March is National Frozen Food Month, which prompts related promotions. Stack coupons on top of supermarket sales to fill the freezer for the months ahead.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 10 airports in America people disliked the most

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LaGuardia airport redesign

As Americans take to the skies in record numbers, our nation's airports are bursting at the seams. Released this week, the J.D. Power 2016 North American Airport Satisfaction Study found that America's airports are simply not designed to handle the sheer volume of people and planes they are forced to support. In spite of that, the study found that overall customer satisfaction is actually improving.

According to the J.D. Power study, overall traveler satisfaction increased six points over the past year to 731 out of a possible 1,000 points.

"Many airports, especially the nation’s largest airports, were never built to handle the current volume of traveler traffic, often exceeding their design limits by many millions of travelers," J.D. Power's airport practice director Michael Taylor said in a statement. "Yet airports are overcoming infrastructure limits by affecting the things they can influence."

"Airports are successfully applying technology to improve check-in (+5 points year-over-year), security screening (+3 points) and the food, beverage and retail shopping (+10 points) experiences," Taylor added.

The J.D. Power study, now in its 11th year, measures overall traveler satisfaction with large and medium-sized airports in North America. 

The study takes into consideration six factors — in order of importance — 1) terminal facilities,  2) airport accessibility, 3) security check, 4) baggage claim, 5) check-in/baggage check, and 6) food, beverage and retail.

The rankings are compiled from responses gathered from 38,931 travelers who have flow into or out of a North American airport over the past year. 

In the study, travelers found Portland International and Tampa International to be the two most satisfying large airports in North America with scores of 786 and 775 respectively. 

Las Vegas McCarran International and Orlando International finished third and fourth in the study of large airports with 759 and 751 points respectively. 

With more than 100 million people passing through every year, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International is the busiest airport in the world.  It managed to finish in the middle of the pack with a respectable score of 733.

"If you think about it, that’s putting about one-third of the U.S. population through a few buildings in Georgia over the course of a year," Taylor said. "Yet, everything runs fairly efficiently."

However, some airports didn't fare so well. In fact, 10 of the 31 large airports featured in the study finished below the industry average of 724 points for large airports. 

As expected, these are the some of America's most prominent and busiest airports. 

At the bottom of the list is New York's LaGuardia Airport with a score of 649 points. But, things may be getting better for travelers making their way through LaGuardia.

The facility is undergoing a multi-billion dollar revamp that will see LaGuardia's small, aging terminals replaced with new state-of-the-art buildings. 

"Those current terminals handle more than 13 million travelers a year. They were designed to handle only 8 million travelers," Taylor said. "This improvement has been needed for a long time. The new design is going to create major short-term headaches for LaGuardia travelers, but the results will be worth it. The design solves two major problems for the airport: overcrowding and the ability to move aircraft more efficiently on and off runways."

Unfortunately, the construction process of the new terminals has caused LaGuardia's already poor satisfaction score to fall even further. In 2016, LaGuardia's satisfaction score fell six-points over the previous year.

Close behind LaGuardia, Newark Liberty International also scored poorly on all factors included in the survey including terminal facilities, available shopping, baggage claim, check-in/baggage claim process, security check, and airport accessibility. 

Here's a look at the 10 airports that fared the worst in the J.D. Power 2016 North American Airport Satisfaction Study. 

SEE ALSO: The US government may allow in-flight phone calls, and people are freaking out

10. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport: 721 points.



9. Fort Lauderdale - Hollywood International Airport: 720 points



8. New York John F. Kennedy International Airport: 713 points.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Subaru's 2017 Forester is still one of the best crossover SUVs you can buy

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2017 Subaru Forester

The Subaru Forester may not have made Business Insider's Car of the Year finalists list, but it's still at the top of mine.

After some spirited discussion, my colleagues dubbed the Acura NSX the Car of the Year. Business Insider considered 15 cars total, from the 2016 Ferrari 488 GTB to the 2017 Jaguar F-Pace.

Even though the 2017 Subaru Forester didn't make the cut, it's still one of the best cars you could buy. So here I am, giving it some of the glory it deserves.

I have a lot of experience with the Subaru brand, as my first and only car is the 1998 Subaru Forester.

The Forester is arguably Subaru's most important car. The crossover was Subaru's best-selling vehicle in the US last year and still holds that title in 2016 so far. 

As always with the Forester, the Subaru's main perk is that it's a practical and sturdy ride with all-wheel drive. But the 2017 model comes with some semi-autonomous features that take it to the next level. These kinds of steady improvements are important considering how competitive the crossover segment is, with players like the Honda CR-V and the Toyota RAV4.

Here's what it's like to drive Subaru's latest Forester:

SEE ALSO: Tesla just made it a lot harder to justify buying the Chevy Bolt

Behold, the 2017 Subaru Forester. The car arrived on a relatively rainy weekend, but I had the chance to take it on a longer trip to Fort Lee Historic Park in New Jersey once the sun came out.



At a time when most cars are getting bigger, Subaru still has a loyal following with its small crossover.



Subaru's Forester made its US debut in 1998 with the model pictured here. It was one of the first compact crossover SUVs to hit the market at the time. It's actually pretty remarkable how little the size of of the compact SUV has changed, though it's lost its original boxy shape.



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This beautiful 'Rogue One' concept art shows off early designs for the characters

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rogue one art book

"Rogue One" is now in theaters. The film introduces "Star Wars" fans to a lot of new characters, but that's not how they always looked. 

"The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" goes behind-the-scenes with beautiful illustrations showing off the expanded "Star Wars" universe in great detail.

The 256-page is a perfect companion for any fan who's seeing the movie. Not only is it filled with tons of concept art showcasing the development of locations and characters from Jyn Erso to the many, many designs that imperial droid K-2SO underwent, but there is also a great deal of commentary from the artists and costume designer who worked on the film.

Abrams Books shared several pieces of concept designs from artist and co-costume designer Glyn Dillon with INSIDER from the newly-released book. Keep reading to see some of the early designs for character looks in the movie.

Among the designs for Director Krennic are ones with various hats. This one appears to show him a little roughed up.



Ben Mendelsohn looks much more debonair in the role.



Originally, the story wasn't supposed to be framed so heavily around the Rogue One leader, Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones).



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GUNDLACH: Watch out for a stock market sell-off around inauguration day

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Jeffrey Gundlach, Chief Executive Officer, DoubleLine Capital LP., speaks at the Sohn Investment Conference in New York City, U.S. May 4, 2016.  REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

DoubleLine Funds founder Jeff Gundlach said the stock market could sell-off around inauguration day.

During his final investor webcast for the year on Tuesday, he pointed out that stocks typically rise in the days after an election, just as they have.

But they drop after the president is sworn in, as investors realize that he does not have a magic wand to implement everything they are hopeful for.  

Gundlach's presentation was titled "Drain The Swamp," a reference to President-elect Donald Trump's promise to reform ethics in Washington by not relying on career lobbyists and party insiders. However, Trump's top cabinet picks have included former Goldman Sachs staffers, CEOs, and politicians. 

Gundlach was one of the only strategists to correctly forecast that Trump would win. In a webcast last month, he said Americans' discontent with wage growth, income inequality and Obamacare were among the reasons why Trump unexpectedly won

Here are highlights from his webcast:

This was the phrase that won Trump the presidency.

It's what many people in rural America were looking for when voting for Trump, Gundlach said. 



Why Trump won, in one slide.

The chart shows that the richest have gained a larger share of household wealth at the expense of the bottom 90%.

More here.



Trump borrowed "drain the swamp" from Ronald Reagan.

Inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), is vastly different now compared to when Reagan took office. The Fed Funds rate was much higher then, as well. 

ISM manufacturing was similar, and the unemployment rate adjusted for participation was also similar. 



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Kids around the world reveal their favorite toy

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haiti dollar street

If you live in a place where people get X-Box Ones for Christmas, then spare a thought for the other 5 billion people on earth.

Dollar Street, a new project from the Gapminder Foundation, lets you see favorite toys and other personal items in homes around the world. A few observations:

—In a Haitian home living on $39 per month per adult, a boy’s favorite toy is an old tennis ball. About 15% of the world lives at that level or poorer.

—In a Romanian home living on $163 per month per adult, a girl’s favorite toy is a broken plastic doll. Around 40% of the world lives at that level or poorer.

—You won’t see many new game consoles in homes earning less than $1,500 per month per adult—the top 20% of homes.

Dollar Street is at once a visualization of inequality and a reminder of how much we have in common, including how kids everywhere like toys.

"It's striking to see how similar our lives are," Gapminder co-founder Anna Rosling Rönnlund said. "It makes the world less scary to see that most people struggle with everyday business most of the time and they are not so exotic and it's not so scary."

In an Indian home living on $29/month per adult, the favorite toy is a plastic bottle.



In a Burundian home living on $29/month per adult, the favorite toy is dried maize.



In a Zimbabwean home living on $34/month per adult, the favorite toy is a home-made ball.



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A psychologist says parents of healthy kids have these 10 things in common

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family dad kids baby playing grass home shutterstock_113090740

Parents want their children to develop healthy eating habits, but figuring out how to do that can be a challenge — especially when excessively policing food can lead to dangerous, unhealthy eating.

Dr. Catherine Steiner-Adair is a family and children's clinical psychologist and author of books like "The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age."

She sat down with Allison Benedikt and Dan Kois, hosts of the parenting podcast "Mom and Dad Are Fighting" to discuss how parents can help their kids, and especially their daughters, develop food habits that are both mentally and physically healthy.

Based on that discussion, here are the key things parents of kids with a healthy approach to eating have in common: 

SEE ALSO: Science says parents of successful kids have these 11 things in common

1. They understand how important a role they play in their kids' health.

Steiner-Adair says parents — together with educators and doctors — have a huge impact on how kids think about and treat their bodies.

"My earliest research was first on treating eating disorders," she told Benedikt and Kois. "But then since they were so difficult to treat I moved into the area of primary prevention, which is really what parents and schools can do to help girls in particular but boys as well develop a sense of body acceptance, a body-positive self-image in our media and image-based saturated culture."



2. They don't put down their own bodies in front of their kids.

"Never put your own body down in front of your kids,"Steiner-Adair says.

She gives several examples: "'Oh I hate my butt. Oh darling I hope your eyes don't look like mine as you get older. Oh my thighs.'"

The message that kind of talk sends to kids (and particularly girls), she says, is that their value centers in how they look, which can lead to unhealthy habits around eating and self-care

"If you think those thoughts just keep 'em to yourself."



3. They don't make nasty comments about other people's bodies.

"Never make a nasty comment about somebody else's body," Steiner-Adair told the hosts.

"It's really tricky because that's one of the few kinds of social unkindness as well as comparisons that are really condoned in our culture," she says. But like self-shaming, critiquing others' bodies reinforces bad ideas about what matters in health and eating.



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Uber and Lyft drivers share 14 things that they'd love to tell passengers but can't

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Lyft driver

For whatever reason, whether it's to keep their ratings high or to prevent damage to their cars, there are some things Uber and Lyft drivers won't tell their passengers, even if they'd really love to.

To bridge the divide, we asked Uber and Lyft drivers everywhere to weigh in on the one thing they'd love to tell passengers but can't.

We've anonymously included some of the more constructive thoughts here:

SEE ALSO: Uber and Lyft drivers share the 14 weirdest things they've ever experienced on the job

DON'T MISS: Uber and Lyft drivers share the 17 things they wish passengers would stop doing

'Toes on the curb'

"Don't make us wait the full five minutes that Uber gives you. The app gives you a minute-by-minute update as to when we will be there to pick you up, yet you can't be ready when we get there?"



'The seat you're sitting in was last occupied by the spawn of Satan'

"Seriously, though, it takes a high level of professionalism sometimes to prevent letting a rude passenger's attitude affect your next passenger's experience, especially during a rapid transition where your next ride is booked before the current one ends."



'If you want to gossip, please do'

"I love drama. I want to know 100% of the information, even though I know none of these people. There is no better way to pass the time with a stranger than gossiping about people I'll never see again."



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2016 Car of the Year runner-up: The high-tech Audi A4

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Audi A4 21

Editorial note: Business Insider just named its 2016 Car of the Year, the Acura NSX. This week, we're re-running our reviews of the five cars that almost beat out Acura for the honor.

In the 1980s, the Audi Quattro revolutionized rally racing. In the 1990s, the TT became an instant style icon. In the 2000s, the striking R8 supercar became Iron Man's ride of choice. More recently, the German brand has turned out one industry-leading model after another in the form of stalwarts such as the Q5, the Q7, and RS7, all of which are brilliant vehicles.

This fall, Audi dropped off a brand-new 2017 A4 2.0T quattro S tronic sedan clad in Manhattan Gray Metallic paint for Business Insider to check out. It was our first encounter with the company's new fifth-generation A4 sedan. To call the car impressive would be an understatement.

One thing became crystal clear to Business Insider's transportation team after just a few days with the new A4: The 2017 A4 is the best car Audi has ever made. Yes, it's that good!

No, the new A4 isn't as evocative as the R8. Nor does it have the mind-bending performance of the RS7. The compact luxury sedan certainly doesn't have the vaunted racing pedigree of the Quattro. (The A4 has been known to hold its own as a touring car racer in Europe and the UK.) But what the A4 does have going for it is the ability to do everything Audi and its consumers need it to do with spectacular effectiveness and efficiency.

As my colleague Matt DeBord put it, "The A4 ticks all of the boxes you can tick, but it doesn't create any new ones."

The brand new A4 sedan starts at a competitive $34,900, while our option-laden test car came with an as-tested price tag of $54,275.

Here's a closer look at the 2017 Audi A4.

Photos by Hollis Johnson unless otherwise credited.

SEE ALSO: The Acura NSX is Business Insider's 2016 Car of the Year

For two decades, the A4 has been Audi's answer to ...



... BMW's all-conquering 3-Series and ...



... the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.



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11 TED Talks that will make you smarter about business

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simon sinek

Some of the most compelling TED Talks out there focus on business strategy.

Thought leaders from around the world discuss how to be a more effective leader, how to motivate yourself and your employees, and how to launch a successful business.

Each one challenges conventional notions about the way we work.

We rounded up 11 talks that will make you a smarter, more curious, and more effective businessperson.

SEE ALSO: 11 TED Talks that show how strange and mysterious the human mind really is

Dan Pink: Rewards and punishments aren't always effective in the workplace

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Pink is a motivation expert whose talk focuses on the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. It's the difference between doing something because it matters to you and doing something because you're getting rewarded for it.

According to Pink, there's a ton of scientific evidence suggesting that intrinsic motivators — not rewards and punishments — are the "secret" to stellar performance. But you wouldn't know it from spending time in a typical organization.

"If you look at the science, there is a mismatch between what science knows and what business does," he says. "What's alarming here is that our business operating system — think of the set of assumptions and protocols beneath our businesses, how we motivate people, how we apply our human resources — it's built entirely around these extrinsic motivators, around carrots and sticks."

Pink suggests that organizations give workers significantly more autonomy. He cites Wikipedia, where people contribute information without compensation, as an extreme example of the kind of environment organizations should create. No economist could have predicted Wikipedia's success, Pink says, but it shows the power of that inner drive to create and succeed.



Jason Fried: It's not your fault you're so unproductive at work

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If you’ve ever left the office after a full day at work and realized you got precisely nothing done, you can probably identify with Fried’s argument.

According to Fried, the author of "Rework" and the CEO of Basecamp, a company where everyone is allowed to remotely, modern offices just aren't conducive to optimal performance. That’s because we’re constantly getting distracted — by our boss checking in on us, by pointless meetings, by coworkers with urgent requests, etc.

"You don't have a work day anymore," Fried says in his talk. "You have work moments. It’s like the front door of the office is like a Cuisinart, and you walk in and your day is shredded to bits, because you have 15 minutes here, 30 minutes there."

To remedy this problem, Fried advises organizations to implement half-days (or more) of complete silence, during which employees can work uninterrupted. Moreover, he recommends doing away with most meetings entirely so that people have time to actually think.



Simon Sinek: The key to organizational success is a selfless leader

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In his talk, Sinek, a leadership expert, asks why the modern workplace doesn't look more like the military. The answer, he says, boils down to a difference in management strategy — in the military, leaders put their subordinates first.

"When a leader makes the choice to put the safety and lives of the people inside the organization first," he says, "to sacrifice their comforts and sacrifice the tangible results, so that the people remain and feel safe and feel like they belong, remarkable things happen.”

Sinek argues that the key elements of any successful organization are trust and cooperation. That way, employees spend less time competing with each other and more time collaborating to protect themselves from the potential danger outside. It's the leader's responsibility to create a culture like this, starting by putting the organization's interests above their own.



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This is the best research we've seen on how many Americans are really struggling financially, and it is heartbreaking

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Employers can get ahead by investing in their workers, with higher wages.

A staggering number of Americans aren't making a living wage.

That's the takeaway from a great bit of data from Just Capital, a nonprofit set up by legendary hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones.

The organization has built some interactive maps showing the percentage of Americans making a living wage and the income required to pay for a family's living expenses, by county.

The dark green areas are those where a higher percentage of the population make a living wage, while light green areas are those where a smaller percentage make the living wage.

As you'll see from the interactives below, there are huge swaths of the country where a significant chunk of the local population earns less than the living wage.

SEE ALSO: 22 maps that explain America

A staggering number of Americans aren't making a living wage.

Just Capital defines the living wage thus:

A living wage is defined as the income needed to pay for a family’s living expenses (housing, health care, child care, and transportation) in a given county. JUST Capital uses a Census-based representative family unit consisting of two adults (one working full-time, one working part-time) and one child in its living wage analysis of America’s largest companies.

The interactive graphics show just how many people are failing to make the living wage. 

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Take New Mexico, for example. The percentage of the population making at least the living wage is sub-50% in: Rio Arriba County, Taos County, Mora County, McKinley County, Curry County, De Bacca County, Lincoln County, Catron County, Socorro County, Chaves County, Roosevelt County, and Otero County, among others.

 



The living wage differs from county to county.

The numbers are based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and take into account regional differences in living wages.

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For example, the living wage in Suffolk County, New York, is $21.52 an hour, while in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, it is $15.59



The research is especially damning for the retail industry.

A separate interactive shows the percentage of retail workers making a living wage in each county, and the map of America is almost uniformly light green. 

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The numbers highlight the extent to which regular Americans are struggling financially. It's something we've written about a lot at Business Insider. Close to half (46%) of Americans would struggle to cover an unexpected $400 expense, according to research from the Federal Reserve. 

These interactive graphics put the extent of the problem into perspective. 



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