People in the US love their pets. Just look at the number of dogs and cats who have their own Instagram account, for instance. In fact, pet owners make up the majority of US households, and according to the American Humane Association, approximately 62% of US homes have at least one pet. For plenty of people, life just isn’t the same without an animal friend at home.

But when it comes to popular US pets, you have to talk about dogs. In fact, an estimated 89.7 million dogs are kept as pets in the US, as further explained by Statista. 

Thanks to Google trends info found by Franchise Opportunity we have some insight into which pooch each state prefers. 

Alabama: Dachshund

This state had a big love for these little dogs.

Alaska: Akita

These dogs were formally known as "snow country dogs," so it makes sense they would find a home in this snowy state. 

Arizona: Pug

Arizona couldn't resist these little guys and their smooshed faces. 

Stephen Hawking, the most famous scientist in living memory, was supposed to die in his early twenties before having the chance to achieve any great distinction, at the hands of motor neurone disease.

Instead, he was awarded a PhD from Cambridge, a series of professorships, met presidents, popes, appeared on "The Simpsons" four times, and travelled to the edges of space.

He died on March 14, 2018, at the age of 76. These photographs give a taste of the incredible life he lived. 

Hawking was diagnosed with motor neurone disease when he was in his 20s, studying physics at Cambridge. Despite predictions that he would die within a few years, he completed his PhD, and kept going for another five decades. Here's a page of his PhD, which was published online last year.

Hawking also gave lectures and presentations that expanded the minds of millions of people. Here he is at the University of Geneva in 2009, explaining the big bang.

Hawking stayed involved in the cutting edge of physics throughout his life. Here he is with CERN's Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland.

Across the country, millions of people are fine-tuning their brackets to find perfection and win their March Madness pool.

But while the NCAA Tournament may be the most significant event of the year for casual gamblers building brackets, it also provides plenty of other exhilarating gambling options for bettors.

Let's face it: most brackets go bust. But thankfully, Las Vegas offers tons of other bets that will keep you on the edge of your seat regardless of how your bracket is doing.

Below are our best bets for the NCAA Tournament to carry your excitement beyond the first weekend of action. All lines come courtesy of the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook.

Over/Under 5.5 wins combined by AAC teams

The teams you get: Cincinnati, Houston, Wichita State

The bet: Over 5.5 combined wins by AAC teams ($200 to win $210)

The logic: The AAC is a perennially overlooked conference come March and always feels like its teams are ready to surprise. Cincinnati has only lost four times all season and has a pretty reasonable path to the Sweet 16 and beyond as a No. 2 seed. Wichita State is a team full of seniors who understand the machinations of the tournament. And Houston is a frisky No. 6 seed that I think could cause some chaos.

Between the three of them, I am pretty confident they can scrounge up six wins. 

Over/Under 14 wins combined by ACC teams

The teams you get: Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech

The bet: Over 14 wins combined by ACC teams ($110 to win $100)

The logic: Whether you want to bet the over or under on this one, I highly recommend putting some money down on this bet before it locks up, as no bet in March Madness will generate more chaos. Personally, I'm taking the over here. I like either Virginia or Duke to win the whole dang tournament, and if that happens, that leaves just eight more wins for the rest of the field to muster to at least get to a push.

One note — if you want to bet this one, you have to get your money down before tip-off on Wednesday, as Syracuse's First Four matchup will count towards your eventual win total.

Over/Under 8 wins combined by Big 10 teams

The teams you get: Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue

The bet: Under 8 wins combined by Big 10 teams ($100 to win $110)

The logic: This group has a No. 2 seed, two No. 3 seeds, and a No. 5 seed. If every team just took care of business and made it through the first weekend of play, they'd at least guarantee you get your money back.

But I'm betting against them. Chaos prospers during March Madness. Betting the under here, and you'll be screaming off your seat should either No. 14 seed underdog be able to take down their Michigan-based opponent in the first round. 

Three years ago, I flew to Lindon, Utah to visit a new company called The Void, which was building attractions for an ambitious virtual reality (VR) theme park.

Here's the idea of The Void: Instead of buying an expensive VR system for your home, you visit a physical location — maybe it's a standalone building, or in a shopping center — and pay a little bit of money to have a totally unique and completely immersive VR experience, with a level of polish that's impossible to replicate in a living room.

The actual experience of The Void consists of walking in a maze-like room with black walls, very similar to a laser tag arena. But when you don The Void's VR headset (with a backpack to power the device), you might think you're walking through Mayan ruins in South America, or an alien laboratory in outer space, or standing atop the Empire State Building

Every experience can look and feel completely different, even though it's using the exact same physical space. The Void uses clever engineering tricks to accomplish this feat, including subtle effects like temperature, wind, humidity, and rain to make you truly believe you're somewhere else.

When I tried The Void back in 2015, it absolutely blew me away. And the company has only gotten better at its craft since then. Over the past three years, The Void has successfully expanded out of Utah: You can now try the company's Ghostbusters VR experience at Madame Tussaud's in New York City, and now, the company has teamed up with ILMxLabs and Lucasfilm to produce a unique Star Wars VR experience for Disney's theme park locations.

That experience — called "Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire"— debuted in early January. I was unfortunately unable to attend the grand opening, but since my older brother Michael lives in the area, The Void was kind enough to let him visit, try the experience himself, and take some pictures.

I'll let Michael take it from here, in his own words and photos (thanks Mike!):

SEE ALSO: Inside The Void: An exclusive look at the future of virtual reality

On the morning of January 5, 2018, I jumped in my car to make the 40-minute drive to Downtown Disney in Anaheim, California. Since the ribbon cutting was at 8 a.m., all press was asked to get there by 7 a.m., which meant I was getting my butt out the door by 6 a.m.

As you can see, the sun hadn’t even risen yet. But I was greeted by a “starry” California night.

Once I arrived at Downtown Disney, press was corralled just outside the security gate. I’ve never been to the Disneyland Resort this early before, and it was surreal to see how empty it was.

• In jail, inmates often rely on secret codes to slip messages past corrections officers.
• Cracking these codes is the specialty of the FBI's cryptanalysis unit.
• We compiled some of the most common jail codes, as well as one the FBI never solved.

In jail, corrections officers are constantly monitoring the mail inmates send and receive.

They're looking for any number of things hidden in the envelopes — drugs, money, or contraband items like cell phones, for example. 

But in many cases, they're looking for something much harder to spot: secret codes.

That was the case last year at Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, when staff intercepted a letter from an inmate that looked innocuous, but actually contained an encoded message ordering a hit on a staff member.

Cracking codes is the specialty of the FBI's Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records Unit, which details on its website the various types of secret codes, or ciphers, used by inmates.

We've compiled some of the most commonly used codes below:

SEE ALSO: An Atlanta jail intercepted a letter from an inmate who was using a secret code to orchestrate a murder

In this basic code, every fifth word spells out a secret message.

In a substitution cipher, one letter of the alphabet is substituted for another one.

Using this basic code, HELLO becomes URYYB.

In a telephone keypad cipher, letters of the alphabet are used to represent numbers as they appear on a common telephone keypad.

The letters Q and Z can represent either 0 or 1, which typically don't have any letters on a phone keypad. With this code, the telephone number (202) 324-5678 can be written any of the following ways:

B Q B D A G K M R V

C Q A F B I J N P X

A Q B E C H L O S T

• American English includes different words and phrases than its British and Commonwealth counterparts.
• Americans have their own system of naming things like school grades, meal courses, and the stories of a building.
• Americans also use unique idioms, such as "brownie points" and "more bang for your buck."

Foreign visitors to the US and expats living stateside are sure to notice that Americans say (and do) things differently. And it's not always a language barrier or an accent that's to blame. 

From vocabulary that separates American English from British English to idioms with ties to sports and military history, here are 20 things only Americans say.

Stateside, people have "bachelor and bachelorette parties" before they get married.

In other English-speaking countries including Canada, the UK, and Ireland, these prenuptial bashes are respectively known as stag parties and hen parties (Canadians also say "stagette"). Aussies and Kiwis use similar terms: buck's parties for men, and hen's parties for women.

In the US, this game is called "soccer."

It's a well-known point of contention among sports fans that what Americans call "soccer" is more commonly known overseas as "football." However, the name "soccer" was actually coined by the British as an abbreviation of "association football."

And if you're wondering about the linguistic origins of American football, the game went by the name "gridiron" in Britain before its title was simplified in the states. 

Americans call the first course of a meal an "appetizer."

Contrary to French etymology, we call the first course, rather than the second, the entrée (French for "entrance"). In the UK, the first course is known as the starter, while the second is the main.

While the news cycle was understandably focused on Rex Tillerson's departure as secretary of state, he wasn't the only person who left President Donald Trump orbit on Tuesday.

The other was a 27-year-old White House aide named John McEntee, who was escorted out of the president's residence amid a financial-crimes investigation.

McEntee served as Trump's longtime personal assistant. After his departure, Trump's 2020 reelection campaign quickly rehired him as the senior adviser for campaign operations.

Here's a young, viral football star ended up next to one of the most powerful men in the world:

SEE ALSO: Latest White House staffer to be fired initially became famous with a trick-shot football video

DON'T MISS: REX TILLERSON IS OUT — here are all the casualties of the Trump administration so far

Born on March 9, 1990, John D. McEntee II grew up in Anaheim, California, which is where his football talents first became apparent. He was a star athlete at Servite High School, where he threw 1,525 yards as a senior.

Source: Max Preps

His father is a successful producer, manager, and agent who books stars from Snoop Dogg to Bette Midler for Vegas casinos and Fortune 500 companies. The family's palatial home reportedly has a painting of McEntee in the billiard room throwing a pass.

Sources: TEI Entertainment, The Orange County Register

McEntee went on to become a starting quarterback at the University of Connecticut, where he continued to make waves. In 2011, he won the Joseph M. Giannelli Unsung Hero Award for his playing.

Sources: People, The Daily Campus, UConn

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

The Insider Pick:

• Hiking socks are a critical part of your outdoor apparel, and should be chosen with the same level of care dedicated to base layers, a shell, and all other garments and gear. The Darn Tough Merino Will Hiker Boot Socks are our top choice because they're comfortable the first time you slip them on and durable enough to last for hundreds of miles of trekking.

When I was sixteen years old, I spent three weeks out of the summer trekking across much of northern Spain. It was a formative experience that cemented a lifelong love for hiking and the outdoors. Among the pearls of wisdom I gained during that long-ago journey was a little gem I'll gladly share with you now: Don't be cheap when it comes to your hiking socks. Within the first few days of that Iberian outing, my feet had multiple blisters caused by the abrasion of my roots rubbing through thin socks. Within a week, my feet were covered in open sores and every step was agonizing.

In the nearly two decades that have elapsed since that wonderful but painful hike, I've logged many miles on many mountains, trails, roadsides, and beyond, and I have bought and tested out many pairs of hiking socks.

Finding the right pair of hiking socks for your feet means, of course, finding a pair that fits properly and that is nice and comfortable, but you also have to consider both the details of the materials and construction and the conditions beyond your feet, too. First some quick notes about materials generally. Avoid 100% cotton socks like the plague, for one thing, but I also advise you to avoid any sock made of one single material. Some people swear by wool, others by acrylic, but I say blends were created for a reason.

In cold weather, a good dose of wool will help keep you warm. In wetter conditions, a good percentage of an acrylic will keep you drier and many artificial fibers, such as PrimaLoft, will keep you warm even when wet. In any conditions, you want something stretchy in there to keep the sock fitting snugly.

Now, how do you choose the best hiking socks for your next adventure? You just read on and see which of these socks fit the conditions.

Read on in the slides below to learn why the Darn Tough Merino Wool Hiker Boot Socks are our top pick and why you might also like the Fox River Cold Weather Explorer Socks, the Bombas Hiking Socks, the Columbia Sportswear Hiking Light Merino Crew Socks, and the ScentLok Elite Sport Crew Sock.

SEE ALSO: The best men's hiking boots you can buy

The best hiking socks overall

Why you'll love them: The Darn Tough Merino Wool Hiker Boot Socks offer unmatched support and cushioning to increase comfort and prevent soreness and injury during long treks.

So you didn't know a pair of socks could offer arch, heel, and shin support and protection, eh? Well, then you've never pulled on a pair of Darn Tough Merino Wool Hiker Boot Socks. These socks were painstakingly designed to stabilize, cushion, and hug all the various parts of your foot, ankle, and shin that are subject to the greatest stresses and strains by the repetitive, often heavy footfalls that come with a good hike.

Taut elastic wraps under your arches, providing support for this sensitive, critical part of the foot. Extra cushioning pads your heels and toes, helping reduce the impact during each part of a step. And a generous ribbing above the ankle provides compression to your shins, reducing the likelihood of painful shin splints.

Made with a blend of wool, nylon, and spandex, these socks are warm and wicking, and as the brand name promises, they are indeed darn tough, lasting for many miles more than most competitors. Which is good, because they cost a good deal more, too.

With more than 1,350 reviews posted on Amazon at the time of this writing, the Darn Tough Merino Wool Hiker Boot Socks have a stellar 4.7-star rating. One thrilled owner named Chris says "these socks are, indeed, very, very much worth the money!" Another gentlemen was impressed both with the socks and with the company's "lifetime guarantee" backing their product.

An Outdoor Gear Lab review said these Darn Tough hiking socks merge "comfort and performance into one award-winning package." A writer with SectionHiker called them "more durable" than any other pair he had tested.

Pros: Excellent support, durable construction, warm and wicking

Cons: Expensive socks

Buy a pair of Men's Darn Tough Merino Wool Hiker Boot Socks on Amazon for $25

Buy a pair of Women's Darn Tough Vermont Hiker Boot Full Cushion Socks on Amazon for $25

The best hiking socks for cold weather

Why you'll love them: The Fox River Cold Weather Explorer Socks are designed to keep your feet warm when the temperature drops.

If you've ever spent hours hiking across the Ingraham Flats glacier while alternately cursing at your frigid feet and your friend Ryan during an ascent of Mt. Rainier, then you must actually be me. From that climb and from many other chilly (e.g. freezing) days and nights spent trekking through the wild, I can tell you this for sure: cold feet suck. Fortunately, with the Fox River Cold Weather Explorer Socks, they can be avoided.

These socks keep your feet warm thanks to a blend of acrylic, wool, nylon, and spandex fabrics, and thanks to the fact that the company uses a generous amount of said fabrics in their construction. The socks are thick, in other words, and feature a "thermalined wool" design that keeps this naturally warm fiber close to your skin.

The lining and the exterior fabric blend also work in concert to draw moisture away from your foot, keeping you drier and therefore warmer, and also less likely to develop blisters.

A buyer named Tom calls the Fox River Cold Weather Explorer Socks the "very best socks [he has] ever owned" and praised their comfort and durability. An owner named Angelie loved that they were "soft and snuggly."

A RunnerClick review noted the "thick cushioning and cozy warmth" of these affordable socks, but did note that they are too bulky for some hikers' preference. And an ArborExplorer writer reminded readers that all Fox River socks are made in America.

Pros: Great for cold weather, wool lining provides comfort, affordable price point

Cons: Too bulky for comfort in some boots

Buy a unisex pair of Fox River Cold Weather Explorer Socks on Amazon for $12

The best stylish hiking socks

Why you'll love them: A pair of Bombas Hiking Socks will keep your feet supported and cool during hours on the trail and look great when you put your feet up back at the lodge.

When it comes to form vs. function, the merits of a pair of hiking socks should be judged entirely by the latter. Frankly, the looks of your hiking socks really shouldn't matter to you at all so long as the things keep your feet warm when it's cold, cool when it's hot, and dry and protected at all times. But if you find a pair of hiking socks that can cover the bases while also being rather fashionable, why not indulge?

Each pair of Bombas Hiking Socks uses a pleasing blend of colors — such as gray, blue, and black — woven into a natural-looking pattern that's subtle enough not to draw attention but handsome enough for admiration when noticed. But of course, these socks wouldn't be on the list if they didn't also perform. The Insider Picks team tested a few pairs out, and by and large, liked them.

Bombas Hiking Socks have a reinforced heel and toe and use a system of honeycomb stitching to add arch support. They allow for decent breathability and will wick away sweat, but note that due to the 62% cotton used in the blend, they will lose much of their thermal properties if soaked through, and they may shrink down some after washing, though the socks will stretch out again after you work them onto your foot.

Still a rather new brand, Bombas has nonetheless already made decent inroads into the outdoor apparel community. A product tester with EatWalkLearn loved the "hive-like arch support" that kept her feet comfortable after many miles of walking, while a Gear Patrol post said they could keep your feet virtually "blister free in both cold and hot weather."

In an in-depth review of Bombas socks, a writer from HighYa.com did point out that plethora of cotton used to make them means "their insulation ability is reduced when wet." 

Pros: Stylish appearance, good arch support, brand makes charitable donation with each sale

Cons: Cotton fibers reduce insulation properties when wet

Buy a pair of Men's Bombas Hiking Socks from Bombas for $18

Buy a pair of Women's Bombas Hiking Socks from Bombas for $18

• While wealth does not guarantee happiness, there are certain methods of spending that can have a positive mental impact.
• Investing in an enriching experience, or buying a gift for a loved one, is likely to bring feelings of joy and contentment.
• Financial instability has negative emotional implications, so it is important to always spend within your means.

You've heard it over and over: Money doesn't buy happiness. Even if people didn't keep telling you that, you might guess from the large number of extremely wealthy people with drug or alcohol addiction, depression, or even suicidal tendencies. You may even have experienced it yourself, when that last raise or bonus didn't increase your own happiness. Neither did the extra money in your bank account or the new gadget or nice piece of clothing you splurged on.

But before you give up on money as a source of pleasure, you should know that there are some times when scientific research shows money truly can buy happiness. Money really can make you happy whenever one or more of the following is true: 

SEE ALSO: How a $500 monthly allowance saved our marriage

1. You spend it on extra time

A fascinating study of 4,400 Americans showed pretty definitively that people who value time over money are happier than those who don't. So go ahead and hire that housekeeper or virtual assistant, and splurge for that grocery delivery service. It's highly likely that you'll be glad you did.

2. You spend it on a great experience

We tend to assume it's wiser to spend money on things — especially things that might appreciate in value — rather than fun. After all, if you spend $300 on a really nice smartphone today, you'll still have that smartphone the next day and the day after. If you spend that $300 on really great seats to see your favorite band, the next day, you'll have nothing.

In fact, the opposite is true, researchers at San Francisco State University discovered. Although people tend to believe that buying physical things will make them happier for longer than spending money on experiences because physical things last longer, in fact as we get used to owning that great new gadget or necklace, the happiness it causes fades into the background. (I experienced this myself when after years of wanting one, I bought an electric car. For the first couple of months, just seeing it sitting out in the yard caused a definite jolt of joy. I still love it, but now I'm used to it and that intense reaction has gone away.)

On the other hand, a great experience such as going to the concert will stay in your memory for a long time, and is likely to cause you enjoyment every time you think back on it, and every time you tell someone else about it. Experiences may not last as long as things, but the pleasure they cause lasts longer.

3. You spend it with someone you care about

Human being are social by nature and there's plenty of evidence that both a healthy relationship with a significant other and feeling part of a community can help you live longer. (Conversely, loneliness can kill you.)

Some social psychologists believe that one reason experiences seem to make us happier than things is that we often share them with a friend, partner, or family member. So if you do decide to get those great concert tickets, make sure to bring someone along whose company you enjoy. And if you really must buy that new phone, bring someone along on your shopping trip.

• Some beauty trends are well worth the risk, but others can end up doing a lot more harm than good.
• If you're going to try Botox, seek out a professional rather than ordering your own online as you never know what you could be getting.
• Using glue to remove blackheads can seriously irritate your skin. 

The #KylieJennerChallenge

When Kylie Jenner, the youngest member of the Kardashian-Jenner clan, denied the use of lip fillers to achieve her ever-expanding pout, and instead attributed her look to the use of suction cup-like devices, the social media world went haywire. Seemingly overnight, impressionable young teens eager to get lips like Kylie started the #KylieJennerChallenge, which involved artificially plumping their lips with the use of a shot glass or 2-liter soda bottleneck. While this method can, indeed, make the lips appear even twice the size, it's seriously dangerous, according to experts.

"The process can cause permanent tissue damage, broken blood vessels, and even numbness or loss of function around the mouth," warns Melanie D. Palm, MD, San Diego-based dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon. "It may seem like a silly and fun prank, but it can have permanent and blatantly visible side effects on your face."  Find out if lip-plumping products actually work.

Using waist trainers to achieve a slim midsection

Attempting to remove a mole at home

• Donald Trump Jr. and his wife, Vanessa Trump, are headed for a divorce, Page Six reported. 
• The businessman (and first son) and the former model have been married since 2005.
• Since President Trump's election, Donald Jr. has faced several high-profile scandals, while Vanessa has kept a lower profile. 

Donald Trump Jr. and his wife, Vanessa Trump, are reportedly headed for divorce. 

The pair are living separate lives and expected to file for divorce soon, according to friends, The New York Post's Page Six reported on Wednesday.

The news comes after a scare in which Vanessa opened an envelope addressed to Donald Jr. that contained a mysterious white powder, which was later determined not to be hazardous. The duo has been married since 2005 and have five children together. 

Here's a look back at the couple's relationship over the years. 

SEE ALSO: Shoppers are complaining that Apple Stores have become a 'hell on earth' like the DMV — and it's a growing crisis for the tech giant

Vanessa and Donald Jr. met in 2003, when President Trump introduced the pair at a fashion show — twice.

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Vanessa told The New York Times in 2006 that Donald Trump had introduced her to his son at a fashion show twice within five minutes. The pair did not hit it off during the awkward interactions. 

Six weeks later, they met again at a mutual friend's party. They didn't recognize each other until after an hour-long conversation.

"Then suddenly, something clicked: Wait, you were at that fashion show. Wait, you're 'the one with the retarded dad!' Vanessa blurted out,"The Times reported. 

Vanessa, formerly Vanessa Haydon, was working as a model at the time. Donald Jr. wasn't her first famous beau — she made headlines after being spotted with Leonardo DiCaprio at a movie premier in 1997.

"In her yearbook, Haydon was voted Most Likely to Wind Up on Ricki Lake," New York Magazine reported in 1998.

"Instead, she made it into 'Page Six,' which reported in May that her handlers were charging Sydney newspapers $15,000 for advance publicity stills while Haydon was Down Under shooting the cover of Australian Harper's Bazaar," New York Magazine continued. "'Vanessa Haydon got game,' says another former schoolmate."

Source: The New York Times, New York Magazine

Don Jr., meanwhile, had at that point been working at the Trump Organization for a few years.

Donald Jr. graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 2000. He spent a few years as a ski bum in Aspen, Colorado before returning to New York City. 

The signing period of NFL free agency hasn't even begun, and already, some of the top players are off the board.

This year's NFL free agency class was highlighted by a star quarterback in Kirk Cousins, and while not overly flashy after him, had some solid players who could be difference-makers on the right team.

So far, 16 of our top 25 free agents have already landed deals with other teams.

Take a look at the top 25 free agents below and where some of them have landed so far.

* Notes a player who has been given the franchise tag. 

Kirk Cousins, QB — SIGNED

Previous team: Washington Redskins

Reported deal: Cousins is reportedly planning on signing a three-year, $84 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings.

Le'Veon Bell, RB*

Previous team: Pittsburgh Steelers

Potential landing spots: Pittsburgh Steelers

One thing to know: The Steelers gave Bell the franchise tag for the second straight season, and he doesn't seem to happy about it. He may threaten to hold out of camp and/or the season until a long-term deal gets done.

Ezekiel Ansah, DE*

Previous team: Detroit Lions

Potential landing spots: Detroit Lions

One thing to know: The Lions applied the franchise tag to Ansah. He had 12.5 sacks in 2017 and could be a nice weapon for new head coach, Matt Patricia.

LONDON — European cities surged to challenge their Asian counterparts as the most expensive places to live in the world, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit's annual Cost of Living ranking, which was released on Thursday.

The report examines the world's most and least expensive cities by comparing factors such as wages and the prices of more than 150 items  — including bread, wine, cigarettes, and unleaded petrol.

The cost of living in each city is ranked in comparison with New York City, where New York receives an index score of 100, and one extra point equates to a 1% increase in living costs. This is called the WCOL (World Cost of Living) Index.

The cost of living in Asia's rapidly expanding cities like Singapore, Hong Kong, and Seoul has surged in recent years, and in the last two rankings Asian cities have dominated. However, in 2018, non-euro zone cities in Western Europe predominate at the top of the EIU's ranking — even though Singapore tops the list for the fifth year in a row.

Check out the world's most expensive cities below.

SEE ALSO: The world's 21 best universities by subject — from biology to business management

9. Tel Aviv, Israel — 103

8. Copenhagen, Denmark — 105

T=6. Seoul, South Korea — 106

Few images are more associated with March Madness than that of Christian Laettner, arms raised triumphantly in the air, ecstatic after hitting a game-winning buzzer beater against Kentucky. It's the sort of dramatic moment that the NCAA tournament was made for. 

It doesn't hurt that those Laettner-led duke teams, love them or hate them, are among the most dominant teams in college basketball history. Those 1992 Duke Blue Devils were back-to-back national champions, were playing in the program's fifth straight Final Four, and capped off their season by thrashing Michigan in the title game. 

Below, we take a look at some of the key contributors to that storied team, as well as where they went after that iconic game.

Christian Laettner was the Blue Devils leading scoring in 1992 as a senior and was the unanimous national player of the year.

Laettner was infamously chosen for the 1992 Olympics Dream Team over Shaquille O'Neal. He entered the NBA in 1992, and played for over 10 seasons in the league and made the 1997 NBA All-Star game. Over 25 years later, he remains one of college basketball fans' favorite players to hate — ESPN even made a documentary called "I Hate Christian Laettner" in 2015. Nowadays, Laettner runs the Christian Laettner Basketball Academy and hosts camps for kids.

Bobby Hurley was the Blue Devils starting point guard and an All-American.

Several companies have said they plan to spend the gains from tax cuts on paying debt, capital investments, dividends, and buying back their stocks. 

In recent years, share buybacks have been a key source of support for the stock market's gains. In 2018, buybacks are on pace to break their previous annual record, adding up to about $800 billion, JPMorgan analysts estimated. 

"Our projection of a notable inflection in buybacks should provide a significant boost to the demand-supply gap and buybacks alone drive price gains of 12% to around our year-end target of 3000 for the S&P 500," said Binky Chadha, Deutsche Bank's chief global strategist, in a note on Tuesday. 

But buybacks won't profit all stocks equally, Chadha added. His note included a list of companies with characteristics that have helped investors predict buyback announcements, and which lead to outperformance afterwards. These are high free-cash-flow yield, low capex relative to sales, high return on equity, low debt leverage, and strong price momentum.

"The basket has historically outperformed the S&P 500 (+4.8pp a year) and other simple buyback strategies (+3pp)," Chadha said.

SEE ALSO: GOLDMAN SACHS: A new 'scenario worth worrying about' could cause the next avalanche of selling in the stock market

General Dynamics Corp.

Ticker: GD

Industry: Aerospace & Defense

Market Cap: $68.28 billion 

Deutsche Bank Rating: N/A

Robert Half International

Ticker: RHI

Industry: Professional Services

Market Cap: $7.52 billion 

Deutsche Bank Rating: Buy

Boeing

Ticker: BA

Industry: Aerospace & Defense

Market Cap: $208.63 billion 

Deutsche Bank Rating: N/A

Whether you're a frequent flier or have only flown a handful of times, chances are you've seen proof of how luxurious an experience in first class can be.

However, on some airlines, business class can provide an equally pampering journey — and a trip doesn't have to break the bank.

On board the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner or newly refitted Boeing 777 from Air Canada, passengers have the option of booking International Business Class "Executive Pods," which have lie-flat beds, a remote that lets you order food and drink directly to your seat, and lighting that claims to help with jet lag.

Zach Honig, Editor of The Points Guy website, flew from London to Toronto in one of the pods in July 2017 and reviewed his experience in a blog post. He paid $2,500 round-trip for the journey.

Scroll down to see what it's like to fly business class on Air Canada, according to both the airline and Honig's experience:

SEE ALSO: Air Canada is offering 'very generous compensation' after bumping a 10-year-old boy from an overbooked flight

SEE ALSO: Here's what it's like to fly business class on the Air India 787 Dreamliner — and for a low-ranking airline, it's pretty luxurious

International Business Class passengers get priority check-in, security clearance, boarding, and baggage delivery. They can also take two checked bags, of up to 32kg each.

They also get access to the Air Canada Concierge Team in person or via the phone for things like restaurant and theatre reservations, special in-flight meals, baggage handling, and chauffeur assistance.

These bookings also give you access to one of the 22 global Maple Leaf Lounges. Here's the entrance to the one at Heathrow, one of the airline's flagship lounges.

The US is a massive, complex economy, and so too are the component economies of the 50 states and Washington, DC, that make up the whole.

Business Insider combined six measures of labor-market and general economic health for all the states and the District of Columbia. They are the unemployment rate, job growth, per-capita GDP, GDP growth, average weekly wages, and wage growth. By putting all those on a common scale and combining them, we came up with an overall score for each state's economy.

Click here to see our detailed sources and methods.

Here's how the economy of each state and DC is doing right now:

51. Alaska

Alaska's economy has historically been largely dependent on its rich oil reserves. Unfortunately, Alaska came in at the bottom of our ranking.

Although the state's Q3 2017 GDP per capita of $70,574 and December 2017 average weekly wage of $1,012.09 were in the top 10 among the states and DC, Alaska's labor market was the weakest in the country, with the highest December 2017 unemployment rate at 7.3%.

The state was only one of two that lost nonfarm payroll jobs between December 2016 and December 2017, with a 0.7% decline in employment.

50. Louisiana

Louisiana scored poorly on several of our metrics.

In particular, Louisiana's Q3 2017 GDP growth of 1.1% was the second worst among the states and DC, and its nonfarm payroll job growth of 0.3% between December 2016 and December 2017 was the fourth worst.

49. New Mexico

New Mexico is home to the Los Alamos National Laboratory, where the atomic bomb was first developed during World War II.

New Mexico's December 2017 average weekly wage of $723.07 was far below the average among the states and DC of $884.93, and its unemployment rate of 6.0% that same month was tied for second lowest in the country.

Athletes are back in Pyeongchang, South Korea as the 2018 Winter Paralympics are well underway.

The Winter Paralympics began on March 9 with a record 650 athletes competing for 80 gold medals in alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, sledge hockey, snowboarding, and wheelchair curling.

To accomodate competitors who sit, stand, or are are visually-impaired, there are three classifications within alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and biathlon.

We've rounded up the most mesmerising photos taken at the games, which come to a close on March 18, so far.

Keep scrolling to check out our top 21.

SEE ALSO: Churros, pranks, and hallway bobsleds: Here's what Winter Olympic athletes get up to when they're not competing

DON'T MISS: The world's first ski tournament for robots was held near the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics — and the pictures are incredible

UP NEXT: North Korea's Winter Olympics cheer squad are being forced into sexual slavery, according to a defector

Like the 2018 Winter Olympics, the Paralympics in Pyeongchang had an opening ceremony where no expense was spared.

The opening ceremony was held on March 9. There were fireworks, choreographed dance routines, and light sculptures.

There was also a 'Parade of Nations' where athletes from all participating nations entered the 35,000 capacity Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium and waved at the crowds.

Some of the highest-earning movies of all time at the box office are also the most hated by critics.

While "Black Panther" has earned its spot among the biggest moneymakers of all time in just a short month (the film hit $1 billion globally and has a 97% on reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes), other films don't have the critical acclaim to match their box office receipts.

To find which movies made boatloads of money but were despised by critics, Business Insider looked at the top 100 highest-grossing movies worldwide of all time, based on unadjusted information from boxofficemojo.com, and compared that with their Rotten Tomatoes scores. We ranked the movies that received "rotten scores," below 60%, from highest to lowest score (the one tie was broken using the RT audience score).

Every movie that made the list is either a franchise sequel or based on pre-existing material. If studios are losing faith in the domestic box office, it might be because American audiences are losing faith in franchises such as "Transformers" and "Pirates of the Caribbean," which are still performing well in foreign markets.

Below are 24 of the top-grossing movies of all time that critics despised: 

SEE ALSO: The 13 movies that made $1 billion at the box office the fastest, including Marvel's 'Black Panther'

24. "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" (2014)

Critic Score: 59%

Original domestic gross: $255,119,788

Adjusted gross: $268,326,452

Original worldwide gross: $956,019,788

Adjusted worldwide gross: $1,005,509,610

"It's adequately visionary, it's routinely spectacular, it breathes fire and yet somehow feels room-temperature."— Kyle Smith, New York Post

23. "Shrek Forever After" (2010)

Critic Score: 58%

Original domestic gross: $238,736,787

Adjusted gross: $272,605,712

Original worldwide gross: $752,600,867

Adjusted worldwide gross: $859,370,264

"By the middle of the second act, Forever After finally finds its groove, becoming mildly amusing (the actors -- Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas -- are in fine form) but never rising to the inspired heights of the original."— Ernest Hardy, L.A. Weekly

22. "Transformers" (2007)

Critic Score: 57%

Original domestic gross: $319,246,193

Adjusted gross: $383,373,502

Original worldwide gross: $709,709,780

Adjusted worldwide gross: $852,269,910

"Transformers delivers on its promise of stunning visuals and well-crafted action sequences, but it's not remotely worth the slog it takes to get there. Once the novelty of the robots wears off it's hopelessly insipid."— Joshua Starnes, ComingSoon.net

• Body language is an important form of communication — even if you're not always aware of it.
• The way you stand and gesture can make you seem more (or less) confident and attractive.
• Some body-language tweaks are easier to make than others.

It's generally easier to plan out exactly what you're going to say than it is to plan out how you're going to stand, what you'll do with your hands, and your facial expression.

And yet your body language — whether during a presentation or in an online dating profile picture — matters a lot. So it's worth paying attention to.

Below, find a series of common body-language mistakes that can make you seem less confident, more nervous, less attractive, and even more vulnerable to crime.

SEE ALSO: 11 horrible body language mistakes that are hard to quit but you'll be glad you did

Your handshake is weak

Your handshake can reveal a lot about you. In a Psychology Today blog post, psychologist John D. Mayer cites two studies that demonstrate how.

A 2000 University of Alabama study found that people could predict the personalities of undergraduates they shook hands with. Specifically, the handshake raters intuited that the students with firm handshakes were more positive, more outgoing, and less socially anxious.

Meanwhile, a 2008 study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that, in mock interviews, students who had a firmer handshake at the beginning of the interview were ultimately perceived as more hireable.

You're curled up in into yourself

Research suggests that we're more attracted to people in expansive — as opposed to contracted — postures, even if we don't consciously realize it. Think arms spread wide as opposed to shoulders hunched or arms crossed.

A 2016 study found that men and women pictured in contractive positions on a dating app were selected less often than the same exact men and women pictured in expansive positions.

You're concealing your hands

When you keep your hands out of sight, according to the book "Crazy Good Interviewing" by John B. Molidor and Barbara Parus, it looks like you have something to hide. This includes keeping your hands in your lap or behind your back.

As Anita Barbee, a professor of social work, told Real Simple, "A person may be telling you one thing, but these cues indicate you're not getting the whole story."