Whether you're moving somewhere new or are just looking for one particular item, Black Friday is a great time to stock up on home goods. This year, Target will be offering a ton of discounted housewares during its annual Black Friday sale.

Shoppers can head to Target stores across the country to shop the sale from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. on Thanksgiving night. Then, on the morning of Black Friday, stores will reopen for a full day of shopping at 6 a.m. And if you just can't wait for Cyber Monday, "most deals" will be available online.

To help you navigate crowded stores with ease, INSIDER has rounded up the top home items on sale at Target this Black Friday. From a Keurig coffee maker to a Google Home, keep scrolling to see our 10 picks.

Queen-Size Bedding Sets

Cost: $35 (reduced from $79.99)

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Sharper Image Himalayan Salt Lamp

Cost: $13 (reduced from $19.99)

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KitchenAid Stand Mixer

Cost: $249.99 (reduced from $349.99)

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President Donald Trump's 12-day, 5-country trip in Asia has only just crossed its halfway mark.

Although many diplomatic challenges still await him, there have already been numerous memorable, quirky, awkward, and heart-warming moments during his time in South Korea, Japan, and China.

Here are 12 of the best photos to emerge from the president's Asia trip so far:

SEE ALSO: China has welcomed Trump with the most spectacular display of diplomacy in the country’s history

DON'T MISS: The internet flipped out after Trump dumped a box of fish food into a koi pond with Japan's prime minister

Soon after arriving in Japan from Hawaii on Sunday, Trump met up with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for a game of golf. Here they are fist-bumping on the course.

Abe even received a customized piece of Trump campaign merchandise to commemorate the US-Japan alliance. The hats say, "Donald and Shinzo Make Alliance Even Greater."

First Lady Melania Trump visited children at Kyobashi Tsukiji Elementary School in Tokyo, where she joined students in a calligraphy class.

Source: CNN

• Facebook's careers page and Glassdoor reviews break down the tech company's top benefits in North America.

• Some perks include free meals, ample time for vacation, and lots of support for new parents.

• Facebook's benefits received a 4.7 out of 5 stars on Glassdoor.

It's well-known that big tech companies tend to offer lots of tempting perks.

And Facebook is no different. A quick glance at its careers page— along with its Glassdoor reviews— reveals a whole slew of enviable benefits. So does reporting from the Guardian's Julia Carrie Wong, whose recent article highlighted the inequality between Facebook staffers and contractors.

On its jobs site, Facebook advocates for a "holistic approach to benefits and perks," and focuses on several different spheres, including health, family, community, finance, and convenience.

Here's a look at some of the perks Facebook offers employees in North America.

SEE ALSO: 11 insane perks Amazon is offering its newest employees

Four months of paid time off for new mothers and fathers — within the first year of a child's birth or adoption

A bike repair shop for Menlo Park employees

A wellness allowance to finance gym membership or other healthy activities

The famous brother and sister duos of Hollywood prove that, in some cases, talent does run in the family. Many of these celebrity siblings have starred alongside each other in movies and TV shows, but whether on or off the screen, these famous pairs will always have a place in our hearts.

Keep reading for a look at 13 sibling pairs who are each a star in their own right.

Danielle Jackson contributed to a previous version of this article.

Julianne and Derek Hough

This dancing duo is best known for their time spent on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," though they've both appeared in other notable projects. Julianne Hough starred in the 2011 remake of "Footloose," while Derek has appeared on multiple episodes of ABC's "Nashville," and has guest-starred on "Jane the Virgin."

Jussie and Jurnee Smollett

Both of these siblings' acting careers go way back, but you most likely recognize Jussie Smollett from his role as Jamal Lyon on Fox's hit series "Empire," and Jurnee Smollett from "Friday Night Lights." She's also known for sitcoms like "Full House" and "Hangin' With Mr. Cooper." Jussie and Jurnee appeared on the WGN's "Underground" together last year.

Shirley Maclaine and Warren Beatty

Shirley Maclaine is a six-time Academy Award nominee who won best actress for 1984's "Terms of Endearment." Once she got into acting her younger brother, Warren Beatty, quickly followed in her footsteps.

Beatty has been nominated for 14 Academy Awards — four for best actor, four for best picture, two for best director, three for original screenplay, and one for adapted screenplay — winning best director for "Reds" in 1981. He's also been nominated for 18 Golden Globe Awards, of which he won six.

• At the Carpigiani Gelato University near Bologna, Italy you can take a 4-week course to become a "Master Gelatiere."
• Gelato students from all over the world study in classrooms, get first-hand crafting experience, and learn how to open and operate their own gelato shop.
• We spoke with Samuel Kelerstein, who opened his own gelateria in Florida less than two years after he graduated from Carpigiani's classrooms.

Forget liberal arts college: We want to go to ice cream university. The tiny municipality of Anzola dell'Emilia in Bologna, Italy, is home to Carpigiani Gelato University, where — after a four-week intensive training program — you can become a gelato master. 

From learning the difference between ice cream and gelato in the university classroom (more milk and less cream) to to getting first-hand experience making fluffy mounds of Nutella,pistachio, and stracciatella (plain milk flavor with chocolate shavings) gelato, students leave the university with a "Master Gelatiere" certificate. Many alums even open their own gelato shops. 

Carpigiani Gelato University was founded in 2003 as an "educational arm" of Carpigiani: an Italian corporation best-known for making gelato machines for restaurants and gelaterias. In 2013, the university launched its first four-week training program called "Become a Gelatiere," which includes three weeks of training with a one-week internship at a gelato shop in Italy. 

We had the chance to speak with Samuel Kelerstein, who attended the Gelato University in 2014 and opened his own gelato shop called Glyk Gelato in Parkland, Florida 18 months after graduation, and Kaori Ito, Director of the Carpigiani Gelato University.

At Gelato University, you don't just sit in the back of the classroom: You have plenty of trial and error experience.

"The entire course allows a person to understand and to dive in to what the Italian way of making gelato is," Kelerstein said. "They helped me a lot in terms of understanding the process, how it's made, the type of equipment used, and what the difference is between gelato and regular ice cream."

Classes range in size from 10 to 30 students, and more than half of students come from outside Italy.

Kelerstein said that he began his intensive gelato-making course in the summer of 2014. He comes from a family of ice cream-makers in Mexico, and had always wanted to open his own shop in South Florida. Cartigiani was the next step toward achieving that goal.

"It's set up like a summer study-abroad program," Kelerstein said. "They get you into a nice hotel with accommodations, pick you up every morning, and take you to the university. You're there for eight hours a day, five days a week. I was in the same room as an 18-year-old kid who had just graduated from high school and a 65-year-old entrepreneur from Australia."

Students like Kellerstein learn how to appreciate the sometimes temperamental art of gelato-making.

"Italian gelato is an artisanal product," Kelerstein said. "It's handmade, and doesn't just come out of a factory. You have to take into consideration, temperature variations, humidity, and much more. All will affect the quality. Gelato is the way ice cream should be made and enjoyed."

• Lonely Planet named Seville, Spain, the best city to travel to in 2018.
• It has a lot to offer, from Gothic palaces to food markets with fresh churros.
• Flamenco dancing at festivals and tapa bars are also popular attractions.

Lonely Planet's Best in Travel ranked the 10 cities that everyone will be dying to visit in 2018.

Occupying the coveted number one spot is a Spanish city abundant in flamenco dancing, Gothic architecture, and mouth-watering churros.

Here's why you should add Seville, Spain, to your travel plans next year.

You can see the full list of top 10 cities to travel to in 2018 here.

Seville is the capital of the Andalusia region of Spain.

It's already a popular destination where tour buses circulate among its most famous sites.

Horse-drawn carriages are a whimsical alternative.

Gambling is a grind.

Week in and week out, it's a bettor's job to watch every game they can, keep an eye on weather reports, injury reports, and athletes' social media posts for any piece of information that might give them an edge. If things go well, you might only lose half of your bets.

After our worst gambling day of the season in Week 8, we bounced back a little bit last week, but still posted a losing record. Let's get straight to the lines and do our best to end this cold streak.

LAST WEEK: 5-7-1
OVERALL: 66-61-5

Seattle Seahawks (-6.5) at Arizona Cardinals (Thursday, 8:25 p.m. ET)

The pick: Seahawks -6.5

The logic: Seattle on "Thursday Night Football" means one important thing — Lime Green Seahawks Color Rush jerseys. The Seahawks embarrassed themselves at home last week, falling to the Redskins after I had picked them to cover a touchdown. Meanwhile, Drew Stanton laughed in my face after picking the winless Niners as my lock of the week.

We're doubling down against Drew Stanton, praying that Adrian Peterson is a little bit tired from putting the team on his back last week, and picking the Seahawks to get back into fighting shape after a few off weeks. 

New Orleans Saints (-3) at Buffalo Bills (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET)

The pick: Bills +3

The logic: The Saints have won six straight and are arguably the hottest team in football, but this one has "trap game" written all over it. Give me the home dogs and an offensive attack of Tyrod Taylor and LeSean McCoy to remind us what the Saints defense can look like when they run into a talented, multi-threat team.

Green Bay Packers (+5.5) at Chicago Bears (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET)

The pick: Bears -5.5

The logic: The Packers quarterback situation is... not great. After a somewhat promising first drive, Brett Hundley settled into form, throwing four interceptions on the way to the Packers home loss to the Lions. The team wasn't much to look at already, and has now released veteran tight end Martellus Bennett in a move that signals to me that they're calling it quits on the year. The Bears love to play well at home, sport a ferocious defense, and are not yet totally eliminated from the NFC playoff picture. This is just a matter of who wants it more.

The team at Business Insider writes about and tests out products we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we may get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

Whether you like to have your shopping done by December 1 or you spread your purchases out to make the most of the season of lights, decorations, and leisurely browsing, it's never too early to get some Christmas gift inspiration.

And, if you get your shopping list right, the season doesn't have to mean going into debt or blowing your entire paycheque.

Our advice: Go for quality over quantity, and look for meaningful, personal gifts that are perfectly suited for each person on your list, whether you're shopping for a mum, a brother, a colleague, a son, or your in-laws.

In order to suit every budget — and save you some time — we've put together a comprehensive guide of the best gifts your money can buy under £100.

They are carefully arranged in ascending price order, so you can start at the cheapest and work your way up. Scroll on to see our top picks for under £20, £50, and £100.

Star Wars Light-up Toothbrush — £4

A budget-friendly way to satisfy the Star Wars fan on your list, complete with light-up effects and Kylo Ren's voice from the film.

Buy it here.

Fidget Spinners — £4 each

Available in six different colours, fidget spinners are perfect for relieving stress — or simply for fun.

Buy it here.

Eco-campaigners have published a slew of grisly photographs showing whales and dolphins being hunted in the Faroe Islands.

The group Sea Shepherd, which campaigns against fishing practices it considers barbaric, recorded the images over a period of months. The Faroe Islands are a Danish territory in the North Atlantic, some 200 miles north of Scotland.

They documented a series of so-called whale drives, in which the Faroese government says around 1,200 whales and 500 dolphins were killed. The Government of the Faroe Islands vigorously defendsed the centuries-old practice.

Read on the see what the controversial hunting practice looks like, and learn more about its history.

This is the scene after a whale hunt, or grindadráp, in the Faroe Islands.

The Faroe Islands are formally part of the Kingdom of Denmark, but have significant autonomy.

Unlike Denmark, the islands are not part of the European Union.

EU law (this one) bans "deliberate capture or killing" of any dolphins or whales, but since the Faroe Islands are not part of the union they do not have to abide by the rules.

The process involves boats heading out to find pods of whales and dolphins, and rounding them up into shallow waters, where they are killed by hand.

Washington has just made it tougher for Americans to visit or do business in Cuba. 

The US has rolled back on some of the historic normalization efforts put in place by former President Barack Obama towards Cuba by imposing new travel and business restrictions. Plans to implement new travel restraints were announced back in June and are went into effect Thursday.

Although Congress hasn't formally lifted the economic embargo imposed on Cuba since 1962, Obama's policies allowed for increased travel, trade, and communication between US citizens and Cuba. US citizens are still able to travel to Cuba, although tourist trips are heavily regulated by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and may require a license. 

The State Department has published a comprehensive list of Cuban entities now banned from doing business with US citizens. From rum distilleries to shopping malls, here are some of the most interesting places listed. 

1. The Hotel Ambos Mundos in Havana, Cuba

The Hotel Ambos Mundos is a popular hotel in the nation's capital, and has seen the likes of Ernest Hemingway and former US president Jimmy Carter.

2. Marina Gaviota Cabo de San Antonio in the Pinar del Rio province

It's been a wild year for tech in San Francisco.

Some of the city's tech stalwarts, like Twitter and Uber, have been rocked by controversy and competition, while buzzy startups like Jawbone, Luxe and Juicero shut down their services. 

Yet even amidst the turmoil, tech continues to reach new heights, with Salesforce tower now dominating the San Francisco skyline. 

San Francisco remains America's breeding ground for innovative startups, with an ever-growing flock of entrepreneurs busily at work creating the next big thing.

We've compiled a list of 19 hot San Francisco startups to watch in the coming year by talking to venture capitalists, active members of the San Francisco tech scene, and looking at fundraising data from PitchBook. To narrow the list down, we kept it to companies headquartered in San Francisco, excluding Palo Alto, Mountain View, and San Jose-based ventures. 

The coming year is sure to be a telling one for the San Francisco tech world, here are the hottest startups to watch out for:

SEE ALSO: The 15 hottest New York City startups you need to watch

Motiv wants to be the future of fitness trackers.

What it is: Motiv makes the Motiv ring, a fitness, heart rate, and sleep tracker in the shape of an attractive metal ring. It's designed for 24/7 use with an inconspicuous design, a battery that lasts for three days, and waterproofing.

Its on-board memory sets it apart from other fitness wearables, as the ring can be separated from a phone for up to five days, and still store all activity data. The company wants to be the simple answer for people looking to improve their health. 

Founded: 2013 by Michael Strasser, Eric Strasser, Curt von Badinski, and Peter Twins

Funding: $20.18 million from Granite Ventures, Soda Rock Partners, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and others. 

Nurx wants to give more women easy access to birth control.

What it is: Nurx is basically the "Uber for birth control." Its service eliminates a trip to the doctors office, and allows women to get a birth control prescription by simply putting in their information into the Nurx app and having a doctor review it. Delivery doesn't cost extra, and for the uninsured, Nurx helps customers choose and sign up for a provider. It's available in 16 states right now, and has plans to expand nationwide. 

Founded: 2015 by Hans Gangeskar and Edvard Engesaeth.

Funding: $8 million from Lowercase Capital, Y Combinator, Union Square Ventures and others. 

Virta Health is on a mission to reverse Type 2 diabetes.

What it is: An online medical company focused on creating individualized diabetes treatments.

The latest venture from Sami Inkinen, who co-founded Trulia, was inspired by his personal life. Virta Health hopes to tackle Type 2 diabetes, which Inkinen himself was diagnosed with in 2004.

Aided by physicians, coaches and algorithms, each regimen Virta designs for its clients "addresses the underlying biochemistry of diabetes and shifts the paradigm from management to reversal," Virta says. The aim is to do all that without medications or surgery.

Founded: 2014 by Sami Inkinen, Jeff Volek, Stephen Phinney.

Funding: $36.7 million from Venrock,  Allen & Company, Obvious Ventures, and others.

• Almost 300,000 people around the world work for Deloitte— the biggest accounting firm in the world with a consulting arm that is considered one of the best in the US.

• Business Insider spoke with two Deloitte execs to get a sense of how to get a job at the "Big Four" accounting firm.

• They said common interview mistakes include not doing enough research and being too inflexible.

Deloitte is the biggest accounting firm in the US.

According to the Telegraph, the firm was the globe's biggest accounting firm based on revenue, as of 2016. Around the world, 263,900 people work for the professional services firm, which also offers auditing, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services. For it's consulting work, the firm was also named one of the best management consulting firms in the US.

Business Insider spoke with chief talent officer Mike Preston and Deloitte University and talent evolving workforce managing director Heidi Soltis-Berner about how to land a job at the "Big Four" accounting firm.

Here are the four biggest mistakes you should avoid in an interview:

SEE ALSO: How to get a job at 'Big Four' accounting firm PwC, according to a recruiter who's interviewed 5,000 people

1. You forget to do your homework

Preston said he's often asked to meet up with people interested in landing a job or internship.

"The thing that stands out the most for me in a positive way is someone who has done their homework about Deloitte and all the different services we offer," Preston told Business Insider. "They come in with a little bit of an education or an educated guess about who we are and what we do."

Failing to do so will sound some alarm bells.

"If you ramble and start to talk about services or things we don't even do or offer then obviously I'm not as interested," he said. "And some people do that. They have a perception of who we are and what we do but it's not very well-defined."

If you're going to interview at a firm like Deloitte — which offers a wide range of services from consulting to auditing to enterprise risk management — it's best to make sure you know what they're all about.

Otherwise, you could end up sabotaging yourself in an interview or preliminary conversation.

2. You present yourself as inflexible — or too malleable

Preston said he likes to meet with candidates who are open to new experiences — even relocation.

At the same time, a candidate shouldn't be flexible to the point they seem unfocused — or even ambivalent. He said candidates can walk the line by expressing an interest in career development along with a real enthusiasm for Deloitte's mission.

"Everything's got kind of a balance," he said. "You want them to show a flexibility to be developed more broadly through their experiences and exposures."

3. You pretend to be something you're not

Soltis-Berner said she specifically looks out for people who let their true personalities shine and don't "shift or change because they think they have to."

Stiffness or phoniness are major red flags during the interview process.

"Being who you are is really important to us because diversity of thought makes us better," she told Business Insider. "We don't want you to fake it through the interview. So if someone can articulate for me who they are, what they stand for, and why they think that matches with Deloitte, that's a home run for me."

• Facebook and Google are considered some of the best places to work.
• Employees at both companies report they're extremely satisfied working there — and the great perks don't hurt, either.
• But one company truly dominates as a best place to work in a head-to-head comparison: Facebook.

If you're faced with the decision of whether you should accept a job at Facebook or Google, consider yourself one of the privileged few.

Both tech giants are extremely competitive in their quest to hire the best and the brightest talent, earning them reputations as best places to work.

Once you've passed theintense interview process at each respective company, a number of awesome perks, great compensation, and most likely extreme contentment in your new job await you.

For years, Facebook and Google have duked it out on Business Insider's and Glassdoor's annual lists of the best places to work in the US. Both employers ranked in the top five on this year's Glassdoor list.

But while both tech giants are considered to be great companies to work for, Facebook edges out Google in a number of head-to-head comparisons.

SEE ALSO: The 50 best places to work in 2017, according to employees

DON'T MISS: 25 tricky job-interview questions the best companies in America are asking

Facebookers are happier to be there

Employees from both tech companies are pretty happy to be there, but Facebook has the edge over Google.

To find the companies with the most satisfied workers for its annual Employees' Choice Awards, Glassdoor scanned its massive database of company reviews and ratings from current and former employees.

Reviews include employees' opinions on some of the best reasons to work for their employer, any downsides, advice to management, and whether they'd recommend their employer to a friend, as well as ratings on how satisfied they are with their employer overall, their CEO, and key workplace attributes like career opportunities, compensation and benefits, culture, and values.

Based on employees' reviews, companies received overall ratings on a scale of one to five, with five representing the most satisfied employees.

Facebook scored 4.5 out of 5, while Google scored 4.4.

"Every morning when I go in, I feel like the luckiest guy on earth for ever landing a job here," writes a Facebook data scientist in Menlo Park, California, on Glassdoor.

"From its openness to its diversity, Facebook has truly surpassed all tech companies in terms of culture, perks, and employee lifestyle," a software engineer at Facebook in Menlo Park writes.

Possibly because they get more freedom

Facebook trusts its people.

Don Faul, a former Facebook executive, told The Wall Street Journal that, compared to Google, which he says is more structured and places more importance on "manager" titles, Facebook employees are often placed in roles that cater to their strengths and are encouraged to question and criticize their managers.

And this kind of freedom is perhaps one of the best drivers for employee engagement.

"You get zero credit for your title," he said. "It's all about the quality of the work, the power of your conviction, and the ability to influence people."

They make more money than their Google counterparts

We know money isn't everything when it comes to job satisfaction — but it certainly helps.

In fact, while a higher salary won't necessarily boost your happiness, researchers from the University of British Columbia and Michigan State University found that people with higher incomes reported feeling less sad, something Facebook employees surely know well.

According to data gathered by Glassdoor, a software engineer at Facebook makes about $126,780 per year, while a software engineer at Google makes $126,733 per year.

On the lower end of the spectrum, a software engineering intern at Facebook makes about $7,080 a month, whereas a software engineering intern at Google makes $6,634.

Today's traders are spoiled by their Bloomberg terminals.

Back in the day, before broadband fired live quotes and analysis straight to our smartphones, people used to read bid-ask spreads off of chalkboards and historical data off of miles of ticker tape.

We decided to go back in time to see how trading was done in the pre-Bloomberg terminal era. Even before ticker tape was a thing.

With the help of images from the Museum of American Finance in New York, we put together a brief visual history of trading technology, from ticker tape to the present. 

Editor's Note: Former Business Insider writer Rob Wile contributed to the original version of this feature.

Brokers used to call the main trading room in downtown New York "The Curb Exchange." This was before it became the American Stock Exchange.

Photo from 1915.

Most of the time, deals would be conducted out of windows to traders on curbs via hand signals.

The traders were hardcore. Here they are on the Curb Exchange in the middle of a snowstorm.

As we wrote about in “China’s Strategy,” East Asia is split into four parts: The Pacific archipelago, the Chinese mainland, the Korean Peninsula, and Indochina. East Asia holds the second and third largest world economies: China and Japan.

The relationship between them and the US define modern East Asian geopolitics.

East Asia is the world’s most dynamic economic region. Strong countries surround bodies of water over which there is competition. These are some of the world’s most important sea lanes. Japan and China (in that order) are the region’s two most significant powers.

But as we wrote about last year, the most powerful country in the Pacific, the US, is far away. Its Navy patrols and keeps freedom of movement across the Pacific. At the center of this power struggle is China. China’s struggle against its domestic and geographic constraints is the key to understanding the future of this region.

(Download my FREE e-book, The World Explained in Maps, to get more insight into the forces shaping our physical and financial worlds.)

China’s Power Can Be Seen from Outer Space

The above map shows the countries of East Asia lit up at night. It reveals much about the power dynamics in this region. The centers of Chinese wealth and power—including Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong—all hug China’s long coastline. Geographic features in the interior divide the country. The rest of the country is in darkness.

Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan are major industrial powers that border these waters along China’s coast. Much of the rest of East Asia is in darkness. North Korea’s darkness is particularly striking.

But relative to the bright lights of China’s coast and Japan, much of Indochina and inner China are also undeveloped.

Western China Is Nearly Uninhabitable

The above map shows population density in China with the 15-inch isohyet overlaid on top.

The area of China from this line to the coast gets enough rain to support a large population. North and west of the 15-inch isohyet, China is less populated and undeveloped.

Geography Limits China’s Expansion

The distance from Beijing to Kazakhstan is almost 2,500 miles through desert and mountains. The Himalayas box China in on the southwest. They also stop conflict between India and China.

Jungles on the border with Myanmar, Vietnam, and Thailand have always limited Chinese growth south.

It is hard for China to grow westward. When China’s power is ascendant, it can grow north, south, or east toward the Pacific. This is easier said than done. Japan continues to be the major regional power. China would still face certain defeat against Japan, especially with US support of the Japanese. 

So, China is mainly focused on two things. Controlling its chaotic domestic political and economic situation as growth rates have slowed. And building its military. First for resistance and then for offensive action in the region.

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has been portrayed as an increasingly aggressive country prepared to challenge the United States.

At the same time, aside from relatively minor forays into the South and East China Seas, China has avoided significant involvement in the troubles roiling in the rest of Eurasia.

There is a gap between what is generally expected of China and what China actually does. To understand what China’s actual national strategy is, it is helpful to follow the logic inherent in the following five maps. 

This post was originally written in January 2016.

Ethnolinguistic groups

Let’s begin by defining what we mean by China. First, there is the China we see on maps. But there is also the China inhabited by the Han Chinese, the main Chinese ethnic group. Maps of the Chinese state and the ethnic group would look very different.

Han China is surrounded within China by regions populated by what are essentially other nations. The four most significant are Tibet in the southwest, Xinjiang in the northwest, Inner Mongolia in the north, and Manchuria in the northeast. The first three are recognized by Beijing as autonomous regions while Manchuria is a larger region made up of three northeastern provinces. Obviously, there are Mongolians who live in Han China and Han Chinese who live in Inner Mongolia. No region is homogeneous, but these four regions, with the limited exception of Manchuria, are not dominated by ethnic Han Chinese. About half the territory of what we consider China actually consists of Han Chinese people.

These four regions are a buffer around China, providing strategic depth to repel invaders. All four, at one time or another, resisted Chinese domination, as Tibet and Xinjiang still do today. Xinjiang is predominantly Muslim, and an insurgency and terrorist movement is particularly active there. Tibet is less active but no less opposed to Chinese domination. Inner Mongolia and Manchuria are generally content at the moment. The mood in these regions varies, but China must always be concerned to maintain control.

15-inch Isoyet and China population density

Not incidentally, a very similar geography emerges when we look at rainfall patterns. Roughly 15 inches of annual rainfall is needed to maintain an agricultural economy. This line, called the 15-inch Isohyet, is shown in the next map along with areas of population density in the People’s Republic of China.

The area east of the 15-inch Isohyet is Han China plus parts of Manchuria. The area to the west and north are the buffers along with some Han Chinese regions that are lightly populated. So one of the reasons Han China can dominate the buffer states is its relative population advantage. But this also means that the population of China, totaling 1.4 billion people, is crowded into a much smaller area than an ordinary map would show and much farther from most neighbors of the PRC. But for now, the rainfall line roughly defines the limits of what we think of as the Chinese.

Income by province

The next map adds to this picture. It is a map of annual per capita income by province. It shows an underlying division in China east of the 15-inch Isohyet. First, the economic difference between Han China and the rest of the PRC is striking. Per capita income in the western buffers is between 30 and 50 percent lower than the median income in the rest of China. And the area in China that is above the median—some more than 100 percent above the median—is a thin strip of provinces along the coast. The interior of Han China is not as bad off as the western buffers, but is still well below conditions along the coast. Economically, only the coast is above the median. Every other area is below it. And this defines a division in Han China itself.

However, per capita income is not a measure of economic well-being since it doesn’t tell us anything about the distribution of wealth. A better measure is household income. According to World Bank data, over 650 million Chinese citizens live in households earning less than $4 a day. Just under half of those live in households earning less than $3.10 a day—or about $1,000 a year.

This alone doesn't capture the true reality. Obviously, the overwhelming majority of these people live outside the coastal region since the coastal region is much wealthier. Put another way, most Chinese wealth is concentrated 200 miles from the coast. The next 500–1,000 miles west is a land of Han Chinese living in Third World poverty. The China that most Westerners think about is the thin strip along the coast. The fact is that China is an overwhelmingly poor country with a thin veneer of prosperity.

We can already see some strategic realities emerging, but before we turn to that, we need to consider the next map—a terrain map of the areas surrounding China.

• There's a Quora thread where users share common signs of high intelligence. Some of those signs are supported by scientific research.
• They include curiosity, adaptability, and even a tendency to procrastinate.
• We rounded up some of those signs below — so you can see which ones describe you.

Everyone wants to be humble. Who me, smart? Nah, I'm just a good test-taker.

And anyway, it's kind of crass to go around proclaiming to everyone who'll listen that you're a genius.

But now that it's just the two of us, we can be honest. If you really are a genius — or at least smarter than average — you deserve to find out.

Below, we've rounded up 13 common signs of high intelligence, drawn largely from a Quora thread and supported by scientific evidence. Read on and see which describe you.

SEE ALSO: 13 science-backed signs that you're smarter than average

You're not easily distracted

Frank Zhu says"people who can focus for long stretches at a time and tune out distractions" are highly intelligent. As evidence, he points to a 2013 paper published in the journal Current Biology.

The paper describes two small studies that found people with higher scores on an IQ test were slower to recognize large background movements in an image. That's likely because they focus on the most important information and filter out the rest.

You're a night owl

The smarter you are, the more you're inclined to stay up into the wee hours of the morning, according to research.

One study, published in 2009 in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, looked at the link between childhood IQ and sleep habits among thousands of young adults. Sure enough, smarter individuals said they stayed up later and woke up later on both weekdays and weekends.

Another study, published in 1999 in the same journal, looked at about 400 US air force recruits and yielded similar findings.

You're highly adaptable

Several Quora users noted that intelligent people are flexible and able to thrive in different settings. As Donna F Hammett writes, intelligent people adapt by "showing what can be done regardless of the complications or restrictions placed upon them."

Recent psychological research supports this idea. Intelligence depends on being able to change your own behaviors in order to cope more effectively with your environment, or make changes to the environment you're in.

Two tech companies and a consulting firm make an unusual trio, but according to the employer review site Glassdoor they share one key distinction.

Google, Facebook, and Bain & Company are the three best workplaces in the US.

Since 2009, when Glassdoor began collecting data for its Best Places to Work ranking, the three companies have consistently made the list, and lately they've stayed ins the top 10. Bain & Co. was ranked the best workplace of 2017, Google the best of 2015, and Facebook the best of 2014.

There are a number of ways to explain what makes the companies great. Here are the biggest factors.

SEE ALSO: What it's like to work at Bain & Company, the best workplace of 2017

They support open cultures.

Great workplaces demonstrate transparency between leadership and fellow staff. 

At Google, cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin routinely hold company-wide meetings on Friday, called TGIF, where employees can ask any question of the company they want.

"It's truly fair game to ask anything, no matter how controversial, and frequently the executives will be responsive," one employee wrote on Glassdoor.

Offices are designed to maximize productivity.

To help people reach peak productivity, the best companies provide a range of rooms, nooks, and workspaces. 

At Bain and Co., employees can steal away into one-person quiet spaces, camp out in private, high-back chairs, or mingle in the open office with others. 

Facebook and Google make similar design choices in their offices, outfitting them with large and small conference rooms and breakout areas for quick, private chats.

They pay people well.

Still, it doesn't hurt to make a lot of money.

The typical consultant and Bain and Co. makes $140,000 plus $30,000 in bonuses, stock options, and profit sharing. Google employees make about the same.

At Facebook, the starting engineer typically makes $142,000 a year. Including bonuses and equity, the average market salary climbs to $258,000.

• It's not that hard to make your boss like you.
• We rounded up a series of tricks — based on research and expert opinion — that can help you win your boss' favor today.
• The goal is to make your boss' work life as easy as possible.

Your goal as an employee should be to make your boss' life easier. If you can help your manager look good to their manager, you're in good shape.

It's simple logic; it's less simple to put into action.

To help you out, we've rounded up nine ways you can take the hard stuff off your boss' plate — starting today. Read on to find out how you can quickly become a star in your boss' estimation.

SEE ALSO: 16 easy ways to make a great first impression on your new boss

Send your boss an email recapping what you've accomplished this week

National workplace expert Lynn Taylor previously told Business Insider that when you start a new job, you should ask your boss how often they'd like you to check in. But you should still err on the side of over-communicating, so they know exactly what you're working on and how much you've accomplished.

In fact, Eric Barker, author of "Barking Up the Wrong Tree," recommends that you send your boss an email every week that sums up what you've accomplished.

If your boss asks for feedback, give it to them — politely

Kim Scott, a former Google and Apple exec and the author of "Radical Candor," recommends that every manager ask their team for feedback on a regular basis. She told Business Insider it's so important to get an honest answer that managers should sit in silence for six seconds until their employee comes up with something.

If you want to make your boss' life easier, don't make them wait in silence. Think of an area where they can improve and offer some constructive criticism.

Be open about your professional ambitions with your boss

According to Toni Thompson, the head of human resources and talent at The Muse, one of the best ways to get ahead in your career is to "make sure that they [your boss] know what salary you want eventually and the title you want or more opportunities that you want."

This has obvious benefits for you — you probably won't get the promotion or compensation you'd like if your boss doesn't know you want it. But it also helps your boss, so they don't have to guess which roles or challenges you want to take on, and so they can build the best team possible.

• Business Insider interviewed a number of veterans from several branches of the military.

• They told us about everything they wished civilians understood about the service.

• Based on those conversations, here are some things you should refrain from saying to veterans.

Most of the time, people have the best intentions when they're talking to a veteran.

"By and large, at this stage in history, the American people are very, very supportive of veterans,"Brandon Trama, a former US Army Special Operations Detachment Commander, CivCom grad, and associate at Castleton Commodities International, told Business Insider.

Indeed, according to Gallup, the majority of civilians view each of the four branches either very or somewhat favorably.

"I've encountered numerous people when I transitioned who were willing to help me out, whether it was buy me a cup of coffee, give me thoughts on their career path, or put me in front of other people who may be able to point me in the direction of other opportunities," Trama said.

But, according to the Pew Research Center, fewer Americans now have family ties to those who served.

And despite the good intentions of many civilians, there's still a growing gap between the militiary and civilian worlds. So it's important for civilians to remember that there's a difference between reverence and understanding.

Business Insider spoke with veterans from several different branches of the military about transitioning back to civilian careers.

Here's what they said they wished civilians would understand — and, in some cases, refrain from saying:

SEE ALSO: 10 former Navy SEALs, Green Berets, and other veterans share their best advice for leaving the military and transitioning to civilian work

DON'T MISS: Inside the 11-week, intensive tech boot camp that helps vets get hired

'We all owe you'

The military is widely held in esteem in the US. A whopping 72% of Americans have confidence in the institution, according to Gallup— compare that with the 16% of folks who have confidence in Congress.

But quite a few of the veterans Business Insider spoke with asserted that well-intentioned adulation can go too far.

Some advised civilians against overdoing it when thanking veterans for their service. These veterans also warned fellow ex-service members from letting any praise go to their heads.

"Stop thinking people owe you something,"Omari Broussard, who spent 20 years in the Navy, told Business Insider. "Nobody owes you anything."

The New York Times reported that some veterans view being thanked for their service as "shallow, disconnected, a reflexive offering from people who, while meaning well, have no clue what soldiers did over there or what motivated them to go."

According to Broussard, it's best for veterans — especially those who recently left the service — to not take the praise to heart, especially at work.

"When you get out, you've got to compete with the best," the founder of counter-ambush training class 10X Defense and author of "Immediate Action Marketing" said. "Go get it. That may require you doing a lot more work than you think you need to do."

'Do you have any friends that died?'

Probing and ill-advised questions from civilians can make many veterans feel dehumanized and othered.

"People will ask me plainly, 'Do you have any friends that died?'" Garrett Unclebach, who served as a Navy SEAL for six years, told Business Insider. "And then the second question they'll ask me is, 'You ever kill anybody?' Two super inappropriate questions to ask people."

Unclebach said people should remember they don't necessarily have a full grasp on the issues an individual veteran is facing.

"People talk about PTSD and they don't really understand it so I would tell you that some guys who have it are embarrassed by it," the VP of business development at construction firm Bellator Construction said. "Everyone needs an opportunity to be human and be vulnerable.

'I don't really understand how your ability to go fight is going to add value to my organization'

Edelman Intelligence's study of 1,000 employers found that 76% want to hire more veterans— but only 38% said veterans obtain skills in the military that "are easily transferable to the private or public sector."

Phil Gilreath, who served as a Marine officer for nearly 10 years, said this is a potential "stigma" veterans face in the business world.

"In reality over 95% of what we do is kind of planning and operations and logistics," he told Business Insider. "That absolutely translates to the corporate world, not to mention the things that aren't necessarily quantitative, such as your leadership experience, your ability to operate in a dynamic, stressful environment that's ever-changing."

Gilreath is now director of operations at storage space startup Clutter and was previously a fellow at the Honor Foundation, a group that specifically helps Navy SEALs transition to civilian life.

He said veterans must enter the civilian world prepared to explain and demonstrate how exactly their skills cross over.

Evan Roth, an HBX CORe alum and former US Air Force captain who now works for GE Aviation, agrees.

"Not only does this involve creating a résumé that has readable — no strange acronyms — skill sets and experience, but also learning how to talk to companies in a way that demonstrates value," Roth said. "Many members never practice how to give a 15-second 'elevator pitch' about how they can be valuable to a company, or in an interview they'll tell a three minute 'war story' without tying it back to how this could be useful in the civilian world."