Being a dominatrix is a job that involves a surprising power paradox: you're the employee, yet you're also the one who's calling the shots over a submissive client. It's you holding up the whips and the chains, even though they're the one who's paying the bill.

It turns out that being a dominatrix is like having a robust human laboratory at your fingertips for understanding the nuances of how people relate to each other in different situations.

"It has to do with attention and power dynamics," former dominatrix Kasia Urbaniak told Business Insider. 

Urbaniak has turned her "dom" skills of perception towards the goal of training a corps of powerful women in new ways of communicating with others, by starting up her own school in New York, a place called The Academy. For the past five years, The Academy's offered a curriculum — designed for anyone who identifies as a woman — to learn new paradigms for speaking, asking questions, and commanding as well as focusing attention in more powerful ways.

Urbaniak said time and time again she's seen her dominatrix-born tools help people get more of what they need at work (things like raises or childcare) while positively transforming their intimate relationships.

Her advice has been resonating with a broader audience than ever before since the Me Too sexual assault movement took off. She even created a class called "Cornering Harvey," after the news of sexual assault allegations against film mogul Harvey Weinstein broke last year. It's based on the ideas she was already teaching her students about how to break out of potentially dangerous patterns of learned silence. 

Here are her top tips for surviving and thriving in all kinds of relationships.

SEE ALSO: A dominatrix reveals a sure-fire way to maintain a lasting, healthy relationship

Urbaniak says people are finally starting to get comfortable with an idea that she has been proselytizing for years: leaving important things unsaid doesn't help men or women.

Urbaniak calls this phenomenon "speechlessness," and she says it shows up in all kinds of interactions: whether it's asking for a raise, talking with a friend, or confronting a sexual predator. 

She says the "invisible" phenomenon often impacts women and minorities in unfair ways. But people are starting to recognize the harmful effects speechlessness can have on their daily lives, as movements like Me Too and Black Lives Matter gain steam.

At Urbaniak's school, she's developed a curriculum full of tools to combat speechlessness in different ways.

At her school, she coaches women in understanding how to ask for things "in a way that men don't have to think about," as she put it.

She said it's unfortunate, but often women have to learn to "bypass a lot of conditions that set off weird vibes," in situations like asking for a raise or extra time off. Often, these kinds of interactions can skew power dynamics in relationships between men and women, and leave the men coming out on top. But Urbaniak isn't OK with that. 

"I'm not waiting until the entire world changes," she said. "We just like to arm women with what to do about it." 

Urbaniak said one of the best ways to combat speechlessness is by taking a more dominant stance in conversations.

That means focusing attention outside of yourself, and talking about something that doesn't include you as the subject.

For example, in a job interview, this might mean talking about your own experiences less, and focusing more on the new company, and what actions need to be taken there. 

• PINK has become one of Victoria's Secret's only areas of growth. 
• But in its parent company's most recent quarterly results, the brand showed signs of slowing and has ramped up its promotions. 
• Jefferies analyst Randal Konik wrote in a note to investors on Monday that PINK is on "the precipice of collapse."

PINK was once Victoria's Secret's saving grace, but now analysts say the brand is showing signs of struggle. 

In recent years, PINK has become one of the most successful parts of the company, reporting stronger sales than other parts of the store.

In parent company L Brands' most recent quarterly results, PINK CEO Denise Landman hinted that the brand might be headed towards stormier waters, describing its performance as "mixed" during the quarter. This was due to "disappointing" sales in parts of its apparel collection, she said.

Over the weekend, Victoria's Secret released promotions offering discounts on PINK products, suggesting that its business could be under pressure. 

We visited one of its stores to see what was happening: 

SEE ALSO: These risqué images in Victoria's Secret stores are infuriating moms of teenagers — and it's threatening the best part of the business

We visited a Victoria's Secret store in Downtown Manhattan, which has a separate PINK section.

As we approached the PINK section, we instantly spotted its loud, 40%-off sale signs, which were tactically positioned to lure customers in to the store.

These promotions are an indicator that the brand is looking to drive traffic to stores.

The promotions were mostly on core products, such as underwear. This was confusing given that in the company's fourth-quarter earnings results, Landman said that intimates, specifically bras and panties, drove the strongest growth for the brand.

Landman said the "Wear Everywhere" collection and sports bras were key sellers during the quarter. Despite this, these bras were all on sale for $20.

With "Billions" back on Showtime and "Homeland" currently airing as well, it's a good time to take stock of all the great TV the premium network has brought us over the years.

Business Insider went back in time to rank all the network's notable original scripted programs from the last 10 years based on how well they did with critics.

Showtime launched in 1976 and is now owned by CBS. Its original programming took off in the 1990s with shows like "Twin Peaks" and "Stargate SG-1." But it really grew into a powerhouse in the late 2000s with shows like "Weeds" and "Dexter." Most recently, "Homeland,""Shameless,""The Affair," and a "Twin Peaks" revival have been prominent on the network.

But which did critics love the most?

To answer that question, we used review aggregator site Metacritic to determine the ranking, excluding variety and sports programs (and shows that didn't get enough reviews to qualify). We calculated the average score for each show based on the scores of the various seasons.  

If any season of the show aired in 2008 and beyond, we counted it. "Twin Peaks" was an unusual case, as the series originally aired in the 1990s but returned for a special third season last year called "Twin Peaks: The Return." With that in mind, we counted the series on the list, and calculated the average score of all three seasons.

Below are the 31 notable Showtime original shows to air in the last decade, ranked from worst to best:

SEE ALSO: 'Billions' creators discuss their charmingly devious characters who have everyone on Wall Street saying, 'You know that was based on me, right?'

31. "Our Cartoon President"

Critics score: 42

Number of seasons: 1

Years aired: 2018

Summary: Based on a character introduced on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," this comedy follows an animated President Trump and his staff through their chaotic White House, but it has failed to land with critics.

30. "Roadies"

Critics score: 47

Number of seasons: 1

Years aired: 2016

Summary: Luke Wilson and Carla Gugino starred as members of a rock band's production crew, and the show followed their lives on the road. 

29. "Happyish"

Critics score: 49

Number of seasons: 1

Years aired: 2015

Summary: A man's life is turned upside down when he's fired from his job, and his anti-depressants fail to make him happy. 

• Scams happen all around the world — and tourists are an especially vulnerable target.
• We compiled a list of some of the most popular travel scams around the world.
• They include dishonest taxi drivers, fake monks, and the classic "lost ring" trick.

Tourists are often a scammer's favorite targets — they're in an unfamiliar area, they don't know the local customs, and they're probably holding a lot of cash.

Even the savviest travelers can wind up victims of a scam from time to time, so it's important to know what type of scams exist around the world.

We looked at travel sites and tourism blogs to find some of the most common scams around the world you'll encounter as a tourist. 

Learn the signs, and make sure you don't fall victim to one of the gambits below.

SEE ALSO: The 25 best places everyone should visit this year, according to travelers who have been there

DON'T MISS: I've stayed in nearly 100 hostels on 4 continents — here are 9 red flags to look for before you unpack your suitcase

Watch out for currency exchange deals that seem too good to be true

In many countries, currency exchange businesses prey on tourists who don't know the local exchange rate.

For one, many businesses will advertise that they take 0% commission on exchanges. That may be true, but they will hide the fact that their exchange rates are several times more than the norm.

If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.

And watch your money when it's behind the counter

Even if a currency exchanger charges you a fair amount, it doesn't mean you're out of the woods yet. Another popular scam occurs when you slide your money under the window — the person behind the counter may hand you back counterfeit currency. Alternatively, they could intentionally short-change you, so make sure to count your bills before you leave the window.

Remember that ATMs and banks generally give better exchange rates than kiosks, so they're usually not worth the hassle.

Always insist on using the meter in a taxi

In some countries, taxi drivers will try to make some extra cash off you if they mark you for a tourist. One popular way is to attempt to negotiate a price before you start your journey. Of course, the price will be much higher than what it would cost ordinarily.

Avoid this scam by insisting the driver use the meter before you go. If they refuse to turn it on, find another cab. 

There are a ton of great phones you can buy right now. But if you're intent on buying an iPhone, don't bother with the new iPhone 8 or the high-end iPhone X.

I've owned an iPhone 7 Plus for over a year, but I've tried the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, and currently own the iPhone X.

I can easily say the iPhone 7 is hands down the best bang for your buck iPhone-wise — aside from the excellent but diminutive iPhone SE. 

Here's why:

SEE ALSO: 9 reasons you should buy an iPhone 8 instead of an iPhone X

1. The iPhone 7 is more affordable than the iPhone 8 and the iPhone X.

The first but most important reason you should consider the iPhone 7 is its price tag relative to the other new iPhones.

The iPhone 8 starts at $700.

The larger iPhone 8 Plus starts at $800.

The high-end iPhone X starts at $1,000.

Meanwhile, the iPhone 7 starts at $550 — roughly half the price of the iPhone X — and the larger iPhone 7 Plus starts at $670. You can even get the iPhone 7 from Apple's Refurbished store for $500. Don't get me wrong, all of these phones are still definitely "expensive," but the price of the iPhone 7 is much more reasonable than those of the iPhone 8 and iPhone X.

2. The iPhone 7 comes in more colors than the iPhone X does.

The iPhone 8 comes in three colors: silver, gold, and space gray.

The iPhone X comes in just two colors: black and white.

The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, meanwhile, come in five colors: jet black, matte black (the best color), silver, gold, and rose gold.

3. The iPhone 8 and the iPhone X have glass backs, making them more fragile and less resistant to smudges.

Apple added glass to the backs of the iPhone 8 and the X so those phones can support Qi wireless charging — but as a side effect, those glass backs made them more susceptible to smudges and fingerprints, as well as fall damage. With the new iPhone 8 and iPhone X, you'll need to worry about both the front and the back of the phone cracking if you drop it.

Meanwhile, the iPhone 7 has the same aluminum unibody frame as the iPhone 6 line, which means you'll need to worry about only the phone's display cracking if you drop it. The metal backs on the iPhone 7 line are also more resistant to smudges and fingerprints compared with the glass backs of the iPhone 8 and the X.

Nintendo is on a roll, with no end in sight.

The company's latest big game — "Super Mario Odyssey"— received near-universal praise, and the Nintendo Switch is beating the competition month after month in sales.

There's a good reason for that: The Nintendo Switch is the best console to buy. Here's why!

SEE ALSO: With over 70 million sold, the PS4 is the most popular game console in the world — these are its 29 best games

1. The Switch has the best lineup of games ...

Since launching in March 2017, the Nintendo Switch has taken the mantle as the must-have console for playing the best games. This is the number one reason to buy the Switch: It's the only place to play the best games available right now.

Yes, there are excellent exclusives on the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. "Horizon Zero Dawn" on PS4 and "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" on Xbox One stick out as strong arguments for each, and that's not wrong.

But let's be clear: The Switch is stacked with huge, new games that can be played only on the Switch.

... like "Super Mario Odyssey" ...

The latest hit that can be played only on the Switch is "Super Mario Odyssey." It has an average score of 97/100 on Metacritic, putting it among the 10 highest-rated games.

It's highly rated because it's an outrageously good game, full of delight and surprise around every turn. "Odyssey" is the latest example of Nintendo's approach to major games of late: Take classic franchises and evolve them to new heights.

It's hard to overstate the quality of "Super Mario Odyssey"; it's clever, and massive, and beautiful, and deeply referential, and so much more. It is, frankly put, one of the best Nintendo games of the past decade — perhaps of all time.

Read our review of "Super Mario Odyssey" right here.

... "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" ...

Whether you've been playing "Mario Kart" games for years or you've never touched one, "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" is a tremendous delight. 

It's the definitive "Mario Kart" experience, with a ridiculous number of courses and playable characters. Best of all, the Switch becomes a portable "Mario Kart" machine if you take the console in portable mode — each Joy-Con becomes a gamepad, and the Switch is the screen. Being able to casually challenge a friend to "Mario Kart" by simply having the Switch with you is pretty incredible.

Crucially, "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" is a perfect game to play alone or with friends. The vast majority of the time I've spent with the game has been sitting next to my wife, playing together online against the world. Since the game came out in late April 2017, it's been a recurring delight in my apartment. 

Read our review of "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" right here.

These days, it can feel like we're constantly bombarded with advertising and messaging about being healthy, which often includes only eating certain foods or following trendy diets that restrict entire food groups.

Traditional advertising paired with social media will have you think that eating a cheeseburger is "sinful" or should only be reserved for a "cheat day," but the reality is that eating "healthy" involves a very wide range of foods … and yes, steaks, cheeseburgers, and even sweets can be a part of a "healthy" diet.

INSIDER spoke with certified dietitian and nutritionist Erica Leon, who specializes in eating disorders, to get the scoop. Leon explained that there are plenty of telltale ways to know that your eating habits are just fine — no matter what size your jeans are or what those social media influencers will tell you.

You eat when you're hungry and stop when you're satisfied.

It sounds almost too simple, but in a world that constantly preaches restrictive diets or cutting out the "food villain" du jour, it can feel like a radical concept to simply listen to our bodies and eat when we're hungry and stop when we're full.

But Leon explains that when we get in touch with our physical sensations again, we can remember how to eat intuitively, and our bodies will know how to take care of the rest.

"As a registered dietitian, I have clients ask me 'what' to eat, and 'how much' to eat all the time," she says. "Often, they have been dieting for so long, they just don't know what 'normal' eating, or what I refer to as 'intuitive eating' looks like. We are all born with 'intuitive eating' skills, which are the ability to feel the signals of our body, such as when we are hungry and when we are full."

You aren't jumping from fad diet to fad diet.

There's a growing body of research to prove that diets don't work, even though it's nearly impossible to go a single day without hearing about the latest and greatest weight loss plan out there.

Sure, it might sound like a surefire way to a "healthy" lifestyle: Cut out a certain food group or restrict eating at certain times, and you'll be the picture of health and happiness.

Unfortunately, restrictive diets often leave your metabolism confused and your body flat-out starving, and nutrition experts see that fad diets come and go simply because they don't actually work. Think about it: If any one diet plan actually worked, wouldn't we all just be "thin" by now?

Leon says, "When a person follows restrictive, prescribed, or 'fad' diets, their bodies lose touch with the ability to sense these intuitive eating cues of hunger and fullness. The good news is, if you do eat to satisfy your body's hunger and if you eat a wide variety of different foods without fear or guilt, you are probably eating more healthfully than you think."

Your diet consists of a wide variety of foods.

A healthy diet includes a wide range of foods … even ones that have been traditionally vilified for their high calorie content, high fat content, or high carb content. Because food shouldn't come with a moral compass, there is no such thing as "good" foods or "bad" foods — all foods can have their place in a "healthy" diet.

According to Leon, "Most people don't realize that the adequacy of our food intake (or our child's!) is determined over the course of a week or two, or month, rather than simply one single day.  There will be days when a person eats no vegetables, for example, yet on another day they find themselves eating a garden's worth of salad. To be a healthy eater, it is important to be flexible with foods, as well as eating a wide variety of foods," including but not limited to fruits and vegetables, grains, calcium-containing dairy or nondairy foods, proteins and fat.

Jorge Guajardo was one of Mexico's longest-serving ambassadors to China, serving from June 2007 to April 2013.

His time there took him each of the country's provinces, witnessing first-hand the country's rapid growth and important transfers of power, as well as visits by two Mexican presidents with two Chinese presidents.

Prior to being appointed to his post in China by President Felipe Calderon of the National Action Party, he was consul general in Austin, Texas, a position for which President Vicente Fox, also of the PAN, selected him in 2005.

From 1997 to 2000, he was press secretary and communications director for Fernando Canales Clariond, then the PAN governor of Nuevo Leon state. In the years between and since he has held government relations and public-affairs positions in the US, including his current work at McLarty Associates, and remains active in Mexico politics.

Business Insider sat down with Guajardo in mid-March to discuss the outlook for the US and China, and how Beijing sees itself and the world. The conversation below has been edited for length and clarity:

SEE ALSO: Countries in Asia are wary of China — and they're 'wondering exactly how far America would go'

'Without a doubt China is rising, but I don't think China is replacing the United States.'

Christopher Woody: The general sense a lot of people have, across the political spectrum, is that the US is maintaining the status quo or declining in relative power while China is rising in relative power, and I wanted to ask you, having spent a lot of time in both countries, do you think that's a fair assessment? Is that the trajectory?

Jorge Guajardo: I don't think the United States is declining. I think without a doubt China is rising, but I don't think China is replacing the United States necessarily. I just think that the United States is losing some of its influence, particularly as it portrays itself abroad through its values.

As it stops doing that, it's losing influence abroad, and ... there is no exodus of countries trying to become more like China the way they aspire to be more like the United States, so in that sense I don't think China is replacing the United States. But certainly it is taking advantage of situations in which the United States would have a certain dominance in the past, and now, as they retreat from the world, China sort of capitalizes [on] those opportunities.

'These countries are less prone to listen to the United States.'

Woody: You say the US is kind of pulling back from projecting its values the way it has in the past, so are other countries embracing China or are they seeing the US back away and looking to make their own path?

Guajardo: I think much of what gave the US sway in the world was its values, what it stood for. It was sort of aspirational, and that in many cases, for instance, that entailed that when a US company was doing business abroad, of course a US company would have certain restraints due to [the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act]. They're not allowed to engage in corrupt acts, and oftentimes they would be put at a disadvantage against European or Chinese competitors who were more lax in their standards, but the United States could always appeal through their embassies or through their diplomats to that higher calling of the United States, in which [there was] merit-based competition, and more often than not, that would be enough to help the United States overcome that handicap, if you will. I mean, I don't think it's a handicap, but that restriction in not being able to engage in corruption.

As the United States stops putting an emphasis [on values], and as the United States embraces more of an American First [policy], or calls other countries by names that we've heard, I think these countries are less prone to listen to the United States and take the United States as the aspirational country, which doesn't mean they're going to go and try to be like China. It just means that when China comes to them, they're not as reluctant to engage as they would've been the past.

'Oftentimes their offers are better than the United States.'

Guajardo: I'll give you an example: telecommunications.

There was, I think for a long time there was sort of a unwritten agreement that countries aligned with the United States, particularly in this hemisphere, would defer to the United States in terms of how to build their telecommunications infrastructure, so Huawei would come to Mexico and want ... to do its infrastructure, and there would be certain pushback on behalf of Mexico, because the agreement was that we could do that in coordination with the United States — not necessarily reserve the sector for a US company, because many of them are European, but it was in essence a US-sanctioned company, if you will ... that is no longer there, as the United States sort of starts pulling away and saying it doesn't care as much about the rest of the world. It gives certain leeway.

So that doesn't mean Mexico's going to align itself with China. That doesn't mean we're going to aspire to be like China. That doesn't mean our future is with China. It just means that when China comes to Mexico, we just say, "OK, fine ... tell us what you're offering," and oftentimes their offers are better than the United States, so that's how China capitalizes where the United States is retreating.

• Costco food court menus tend to be fairly static in terms of offerings and pricing.

• But there are a few international and regional differences.

• From Japanese bulgogi bakes to French ham and cheese croissants, here are menu items you can only order in certain Costco food courts around the world.

Costco food courts have quite a following, and it's pretty obvious why.

SEE ALSO: Costco employees share their best food court secrets and hacks

DON'T MISS: 11 insider facts about shopping at Costco only employees know

In the United States, cheeseburgers are reportedly on the menu at some Costcos in the Chicago area and the state of Georgia.

Source: Food Beast

The food court at France's single Costco warehouse sells "melty ham and cheese croissants with mustard," as well as chicken tenders and fries.

Source: The Kitchn, The Atlantic

In the UK, Costco food courts offer up stuffed baked potatoes — also called jacket potatoes. A Costco in Cardiff, Wales, also offered cottage pies, which are meat pies filled with ground beef with a crust of mashed potato. In terms of pizza, they hawk barbecue chicken, five-cheese, and pepperoni varieties.

Source: The Kitchn, Cruising Costco, Imgur, Reddit

Ri Sol-ju, the wife of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, quickly became a fashion hit in China when the couple paid a surprise visit to Beijing this week to meet with President Xi Jinping.

Social media users praised Ri for her looks and outfits, which they reportedly viewed as old-fashioned, but flattering and polished, nonetheless.

Beyond her taste in fashion, few details are known about Ri, the woman who in 2012 was identified as Kim's wife.

She is thought to be 28 now and a mother to three children, according to South Korean intelligence reports. But the Hermit Kingdom's secretive government has not confirmed that information.

Ri doesn't appear in public very often. She's usually seen when Kim celebrates missile test launches, and is always photographed smiling politely, wearing clean-cut, pastel dresses.

She was reportedly born into an elite family — her father was a professor and her mother a doctor — but little else is known about her life, or how she ultimately became the wife of the world's most notorious living dictator.

Here's everything we know about Ri Sol-ju:

SEE ALSO: Kim Jong Un's secret trip to China was full of gourmet food, wine, and music — take a look inside the lavish visit

DON'T MISS: How North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, 33, became one of the world's scariest dictators

Ri Sol-ju was first identified as the wife of Kim Jong Un in July 2012, when North Korean state media made it official.

An international media frenzy had been mounting for weeks over the "mystery woman" spotted with Kim at a a series of public events, including a theater performance featuring Disney characters, and a tribute to Kim's grandfather on the anniversary of his death.

Source: CNN

Ri's eventual public introduction was underwhelming, to say the least. North Korean media mentioned her almost as an afterthought during coverage of an amusement park opening in Pyongyang.

Source: The New York Times

• Sean Penn's first novel just made its debut and it's getting terrible reviews. 
• "Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff" is a satirical novel that's a comment on the current culture in America.
• One critic called it a "garbage novel" and another called it "a book-shaped thing."
• Penn's been doing press for the book, which included an awkward appearance on Colbert where he smoked and said he was on Ambien. 

"What have you done this time, Sean Penn?"Jeff Giles of The New York Times wrote of Oscar winner Sean Penn's debut novel. 

Penn has been all over the media recently, but he's not promoting a new movie, or an edgy HBO show. He's promoting his debut novel, a satirical book called "Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff,"published on March 27. The book is described on Amazon as a "darkly funny" novel about "a modern American man, entrepreneur, and part-time assassin."

The reviews are terrible and his media appearances have been bizarre. 

On "The Late Show" with Stephen Colbert, a disheveled Penn said he was a bit groggy because he had taken Ambien. He smoked a cigarette throughout the entire interview. Thankfully, Colbert came prepared with an ash tray. 

Penn also made a strange appearance on the podcast "WTF with Marc Maron." When Maron asked him about his relationship with his ex-wife Robin Wright ("House of Cards"), he gave a long, confusing answer about how their views on parenting are different. When Maron asked him to be more specific, he said it was too personal.

Penn's novel ends with a poem about the #MeToo movement that hasn't been well-received, especially because rumors about Penn physically abusing ex-wife Madonna have swirled for years — appearing in the 1991 book, “Madonna Unauthorized,” and being the subject of a 2015 defamation suit Penn brought against Lee Daniels. Both Madonna and Penn have denied that any domestic violence took place.

Here are some of the most scathing things critics and people on Twitter have said about Sean Penn's debut novel:

SEE ALSO: The 'Roseanne' premiere tackles the American political divide over Trump head-on and fans have mixed feelings

"What have you done this time, Sean Penn? What is this book-shaped thing that lies before us? Is it just a lark — a nutty novel you wrote because you’re famous and they let you?"

The New York Times also calls the satirical novel plotless and "conspicuously un-fun."

"Penn delivers prose as if he were gunning for a prize from the American Alliteration Association."

In a review with with "What Is Sean Penn Thinking?" in the headline, The Washington Post points out alliterations in the book including “Dreams died like destiny’s deadwood,” "Spurley sloppily slurps,” and “racial rancor by Ruger in a country rife with rule of law.”

"Scattered throughout is the sort of gleeful racism and misogyny that qualifies Penn’s work as 'darkly comic.'"

HuffPost calls the book a "garbage novel" that is "nonsensical, unpleasant and left me sweaty with mingled horror and confusion."

• There are a multitude of options when it comes to cooking meat at home.
• Grilling works for almost all kinds of meat, while whole chickens and whole fish are great for roasting.
• If you're looking to batch cook meat, try poaching.
• When frying, make sure to use a thermometer to check that your oil temperature stays consistent.
• Don't forget that you can easily broil meat by using your oven's broiler.

So you bought a package of boneless chicken breasts on sale at the supermarket. Now what?

Maybe you're a pro at making sheet pan dinners, or you've only followed a step-by-step Blue Apron recipe.

Before you panic and pass off that raw chicken to a neighbor (or worse, try microwaving it to make a meal), consider one of these easy meat-cooking techniques that can all be achieved via stovetop or oven.

Baking

Baking may be the easiest way to cook a piece of meat or fish. All you do is set the oven to a temperature — usually under 375 — let it preheat, and then set your protein in for a set amount of time, which is typically under an hour.

Baking is the technique you use for sheet pan meals and baking can be also used to cook chicken cutlets, pork chops, or white fish. You can also use baking for ground meats, like turkey or beef, to be baked as meatballs, meatloafs or casseroles and pies. Because baking can dehydrate meats, make sure to marinate them or have a dipping sauce at the ready.

Roasting

Roasted meats are cooked in the oven, at a variety of temperatures. If you're cooking a large roast, go for low to moderate heat (250-375 degrees). For smaller, more tender cuts, high heat (above 400 degrees) is best.

Roasted meats, like a whole chicken, get a glossy, crisp crust on the outside and should have a generally soft, tender texture inside. Large cuts of beef, like chuck, as well as whole fish or fatty fillets, like salmon, are most amenable to roasting.

Sauteing

Sauteing, or stir-frying, meat refers to cooking meat in a skillet using fat. You'll want the fat to be hot when the meat touches the pan (rule number one of saute is no cold pans) so preheat some butter, leftover bacon grease, or vegetable oil before tossing in chunks of chicken breast or shrimp.

Sauteing can also be the first step in browning ground beef, turkey, or pork to make meaty sauces like bolognese or chili.

After five successful seasons of "Fixer Upper" on HGTV, Joanna and Chip Gaines are best known for their show in which they sell houses and style them for lucky clients in Waco, Texas.

But the Gaineses have come a long way from their small business flipping houses. Nowadays, it's safe to say they've built a nationally recognized lifestyle brand.

They opened a bakery, publish a quarterly journal, and have their own home paint and wallpaper line, among other things.

Along the way they've stayed true to their roots in Waco, often lifting up other small business owners with them.

A longtime fan of the show, I decided to get off my couch and head to Waco last June to check out its "Fixer Upper" transformation.

First, I had to get there. I flew into Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, rented a car, and drove about 100 miles north to Waco. It's about equidistant from the Dallas airport.

Back before "Fixer Upper" the TV show, while Chip Gaines was flipping houses, Joanna Gaines had a dream to run a boutique home-goods shop. The original Magnolia store she opened still stands off a busy street, but they recently moved their business to a bigger store. You can drive by, but the store is closed.

Now you can visit the Magnolia Market at the Silos instead. The Silos were an abandoned fixture in Waco until Joanna and Chip bought them and relocated their shop next door.

To read more about the journey from the small Magnolia shop to the Silos, check out "The Magnolia Story," Chip and Joanna's recently released memoir.

Wild Wild Country, the compelling Netflix docuseries produced by Jay and Mark Duplass and directed by Chapman and Maclain Way, unpacks the Byzantine saga of an Indian commune that moved into a rural Oregon town and got caught in all manner of criminal activity.

After you spend six-plus hours watching the surreal true-life narrative, which unfolds largely via decades-old vintage footage that flashes forward to present-day interviews, there’s only one thing left to do: desperately scour the internet to find out what the hell everyone involved is up to now.

We’ve tracked the whereabouts and doings of Wild Wild Country’s eclectic characters best we could, from Sheela the sharp-tongued town leader to the prosecutor who brought her (temporarily) down.

This is Wild Wild Country: Where Are They Now?

SEE ALSO: The story behind Netflix's new docuseries about a 'sex cult' that committed the largest bioterror attack in US history

Sheela Birnstiel (a.k.a. Ma Anand Sheela)

Now living as Sheela Birnstiel (she remarried in 1984, but was widowed nine years later) in a small Swiss village not far from Zurich, the fiery former secretary for Rajneesh commune founder Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (later Osho) made quite the pivot. As revealed at Wild Wild Country’s end, she now runs a caretaking and nursing facility for older individuals dealing with a range of aging-related disorders, a kind of small-scale analog to the sprawling rural ashram she helped erect by Bhagwan’s side. Sheela has also engaged in Dadaisttheater andwritten a memoir of her time with Bhagwan, which is perhaps why she was so worn out from rehashing details by the time the Ways were done filming her.

Jane Stork (a.k.a. Ma Shanti B)

When Stork recalled having initiated the process of breaking the spell upon leaving Rajneeshpuram, she wasn’t simply turning a phrase. She was also subliminally promoting her own tome about those times with Bhagwan, titled — you guessed it — Breaking the Spell. (This also gives context to the recent Australian TV appearance excerpted in Wild Wild Country.) Per herwebsite bio, she now resides in Germany, and strongly encourages people to “meet” her in the Netflix docuseries in which she is so prominently featured.

David Berry Knapp (a.k.a. Krishna Deva)

The once-hubristic mayor of Rajneeshpuram fell hard from grace after flipping on Bhagwan and the commune to cut a deal with law enforcement. And though Wild Wild Country implies that he was swept off into witness protection, Knapp actuallyserved two years in federal prison for his role in the group’s sophisticated immigration fraud. It’s no easy task to track his current residence, but curiously, there was a David Knapp who founded an El Segundo, California-basedmortgage-brokerage firm in 1985 (right around the time he was working with the U.S. Attorneys office toward immunity) called Trust Capital.

And public records show that there is a 69-year-old David Berry Knapp who lives in El Segundo today and was born in 1948. And perFBI records (which also divulge all those beans Knapp spilled on his fellow commune members), Knapp graduated from high school in 1967, which about adds up. Then again, Knapp would have been lucky to survive at all, given that there was allegedly at least one plot to kill him while he was incarcerated.

• Netflix has had its share of controversies and scandals since its rise in popularity.
• Many viewers called for a boycott of original series"13 Reasons Why," claiming that it could trigger at-risk individuals and promote unhealthy behavior.
• When news broke that Claire Foy was paid less than her co-star Matt Smith in "The Crown," fans were furious.

Netflix is the go-to way to watch television and movies. It has taken over the pop-culture world.

Between their original series and original movies, anyone who doesn’t have a subscription is missing out on a lot of content and is most likely confused by a conversation or two throughout the week. It’s important to be in the loop when your coworker is talking about the newest season of "Stranger Things."

While there are certainly other platforms, like Hulu and Amazon, Netflix seems to be the most popular choice.

The streaming service shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon, although it’s definitely hit a few bumps along the way.

Every big company has its secrets and scandals, and Netflix is no different. Whether the original content stirred up controversy or the company found itself in some legal trouble, there are some issues that have made things a bit more complicated for the massive global provider.

Since its launch in 1998, Netflix has seen its fair share of issues. A lot of Netflix users aren’t aware of these past problems because they’re far too busy streaming the latest season of "Jessica Jones." But at one point or another, these scandals have affected the service.

People boycotted original series "13 Reasons Why."

One of the most controversial shows in the past few years is Netflix’s "13 Reasons Why." The series received mixed reviews and was slammed for romanticizing mental illness and the taking of one’s life.

Based on the book by Jay Asher, "13 Reasons Why" is about a teenage girl who ends her own life, but leaves behind cassette tapes that tell thirteen reasons why she did it. The show includes flashbacks to when Hannah was still alive.

While the show attempted to raise awareness of mental health and death, a lot of people believe that the show glamorized it and glossed over issues like depression and post-traumatic stress.

The graphic manner in which they showed her taking her own life also triggered at-risk viewers and reinforced unhealthy ideas. Despite all of this controversy, though, the show was renewed for a second season.

Allegations came out against Kevin Spacey.

There have been a lot of assault scandals in the past year, but Kevin Spacey is one of the most shocking and memorable ones. The actor was involved with a few Netflix originals at the time.

"House of Cards" was one of the service’s most successful dramas. When the news surrounding Spacey broke, fans were left wondering what Netflix would do with the show.

People were calling for Netflix to end their relationship with the actor. Netflix agreed, so the next season will be the show’s last. Although the final season was already shot, they rewrote and reshot it so that Spacey was included as little as possible.

They also had planned to release a movie, "Gore," which starred Spacey, up until the allegations came out. They decided not to move forward with the movie.

Fox slammed Netflix with a lawsuit.

In 2016, 20th Century Fox sued Netflix for supposedly poaching their employees. Netflix defended themselves, saying that they fight for the right to hire great employees no matter where they work.

According to Fox, Netflix illegally hired two of its executives who were still under contact. They claimed that Netflix was warned that they were illegally tampering with their employees and were asked to stop.

The two industry leaders went to court over the dispute, as Fox claimed they suffered “irreparable harm.”

Fox isn’t the only company that Netflix has recruited employees from, however. They’ve hired multiple executives from a lot of major studios.

Netflix’s continued rise within the entertainment industry has certainly caused some tension among studios and networks. They have quickly become a major competitor in Hollywood.

• Sit-ups are one of the first exercises that come to mind when it comes to abdominal training.
• There are many exercises that are safer and more effective that incorporate a variety of equipment, including bodyweight and weighted exercises.
• Planks, barbell rollouts, and swiss ball pikes are a few examples of sit-up alternatives.

If you've been working for six-pack abs, you might be sick of doing the same exercises over and over again. But there are many exercises out there that can help you reach your goals without the boredom, and inessential stress on your spine.

Senior exercise physiologist, Heather Milton told INSIDER,  "We like to try exercises, rather than doing a lot of crunches that will continue to put flex on your spine and that can actually put stress on the vertebrae as well as the discs that are between each vertebrae." She added, "We give exercises like planks to maintain a neutral position and really activate the muscles to support that neutral position and improve it."

As an added bonus, these sit-up alternatives for six-pack abs can be safer and even more effective than your usual go-tos, making them great additions to your current routine.

Forearm Planks

Planks are a functional and effective static, isometric strength exercise.

Place your elbows on the ground right underneath your shoulders and press the palms of your hands into the ground. Place your feet about hip-width apart, digging your toes into the ground, and pressing your heels backwards. Your toes, elbows, and hands should be your only points of contact with the ground. Pull your belly button in towards your spine and hold this position for time.

Dead Bugs

The name of this exercise is one you won't forget. Grab a mat and lie on your back with your hips and knees at right angles. Extend your arms and press your palms into your thighs, right above your knees. Keeping your belly button pulled in towards your spine, extend your right arm and right leg simultaneously, until they're almost touching the ground. Exhale and return to the starting position, then perform the same movement on the left side. Alternate for repetitions.  

Pallof Press

The pallof press is a nontraditional ab and anti-rotation exercise that is effective for every gym-goer. It is one of my absolute favorite core movements.

Begin by setting the cable handle at about shoulder height. Grab the cable handle with your hand closest to the cable tower, and clasp your other hand overtop.  Hold the handle right in front of you against your chest. Place your feet hip-width apart; slightly bend your knees and push your hips backwards a bit so that you are slightly leaning forward.

From this position, press the cable handle straight ahead, and do not let the weight pull you or cause you to rotate whatsoever. Return to your starting position with the handle against your chest and repeat for repetitions. Be sure to turn around and perform the movement on each side of the body.  

• The culture in a Japanese work environment differs greatly from that of an American workplace. 
• While Americans generally have to be self-motivated, Japanese employees embrace a group mentality and look to their superiors for approval before making big decisions.
• However, both cultures work extremely long hours and take little vacation time during the year.

Many major companies, such as Amazon, Alphabet, and Facebook, now have tens of thousands of employees around the world, and there are some lucrative opportunities overseas. Japan, for instance, is accepting more foreign workers.

But before you hop on a plane, know that office culture still varies greatly among countries. How many hours you are expected to work, how you dress, your relationship with your boss and coworkers, and more can vastly change depending on where you are.

I grew up in the U.S. and lived in Tokyo for half a year. These are the biggest differences I noticed between American and Japanese work culture:

SEE ALSO: A Chinese mother raising her son in the US reveals the biggest differences between American and Chinese parenting

Japanese workplaces are more formal

Americans are more casual in the office than in Japan, Noriyuki Matsuda, founder of consumer-facing software publisher SOURCENEXT, previously told Business Insider.

He said Japanese workers would be surprised that everyone calls each other by their first names at work. "This would be considered rude in Japan," he said.

When I was living in Tokyo, I lived just off Kasai Station in Edogawa, an area with a large population of professionals. I noticed that, as far as dress codes go, the idea of "business casual" does not appear to exist in Japan, and seeing commuters in bright colors is rare.

Most businessmen, called "salarymen" in Japan, wear gray, navy, or black suits and are almost always wearing ties, even in the summer. I saw several career women wearing the exact same outfit: a white button-down shirt with a navy or black blazer and a matching skirt, pantyhose, and black kitten heels with their hair tied back in a ponytail.

In Japanese companies, employees must get their superiors' approval whenever they make a decision

Many Japanese companies adhere to a mantra called ho-ren-so, according to a paper from Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan. Ho-ren-so is a mnemonic device that combines the first syllables of three verbs: Houkoku (report), renraku (contact), soudan (consult).

This means that an employee in Japan must always keep their superiors informed about what they are doing. Every decision, no matter how small it may seem, should go through the chain of command and get the stamp of approval from the boss. Employees should immediately report any problems to their bosses before trying to take care of anything on their own.

American workplaces focus on the individual; Japanese workplaces focus on the group

In his book "When Cultures Collide," British linguist Richard Lewis charted the differences among leadership styles around the world. He found that American workplaces generally follow a system of "structured individualism."

"American managers … are capable of teamwork and corporate spirit, but they value individual freedom and their first interest is furthering their own career," he said.

East Asian countries, on the other hand, are more focused on the group. "[They] tend to have a Confucian hierarchy, where the group is sacred and leaders are seen as benevolent," Lewis said.

• Consumer Reports released its rating of America's 11 major commercial airlines.
• The airlines are scored based on survey responses from more than 55,000 travelers who completed domestic flights from July 2016 to June 2017.
• In economy, all airlines received low scores for seat comfort and legroom while also struggling with in-flight entertainment and Wi-Fi connectivity.

The complexities of air travel can be overwhelming these days. Even with fewer airlines to choose from, deciding which one to fly can still be an exercise in frustration.

Well, Consumer Reports is here to help.

The organization, best known for its independent product evaluation and consumer advocacy, has released a comprehensive ranking of America's 11 major commercial airlines using information gathered from a survey of passengers who completed domestic flights from July 2016 to June 2017.

Parameters of the survey included questions on pricing transparency, ease of check-in, information on flight status, seating comfort, legroom, staff service, cabin cleanliness, Wi-Fi connectivity, in-flight entertainment, and the selection of complimentary snacks and paid food and drinks.

The 11 airlines were rated based on a reader score. A score of 100 means respondents are completely satisfied with the airline. A score of 80 means passengers are very satisfied, while a 60 means folks somewhat satisfied.

Consumer Reports broke down their ratings into two segments, business/first class and economy.

Based on replies from 5,059 respondents who made 8,702 flights in business or first class, Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines shared a spot at the top of the premium cabin rankings with a score of 89. The duo was followed closely by Delta with a score of 85. American and United closed out the ranking with scores of 80 and 79.

Since the vast majority of us spend our time back in the economy section, we'll spend more time on this portion of the Consumer Reports ranking.

Here, the publication based its ratings on information from 52,507 respondents who completed 97,765 flights in economy.

According to Consumer Reports, the overall trend in economy-class travel is something with which we're all familiar: It's really uncomfortable back there. Every airline in the survey received low scores for legroom and seat comfort. In addition, most airlines also struggled with in-flight entertainment and Wi-Fi connectivity.

Here's a closer look at how the economy-class offerings of America's 11 major airlines fared, according to Consumer Reports:

SEE ALSO: The next big thing in airplane tech is becoming a nightmare for some airlines

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Spirit Airlines: Reader Score — 62

Frontier Airlines: 63

United Airlines: 67

• Technology and social norms have changed the way people date in the 21st century.
• While technology has made some aspects of dating more convenient, it has also made it a lot less personal.
• Millennials are waiting longer to get married, and are more comfortable with having sex without a long-term commitment.

Dating has gone through some major changes over the years.

The rules regarding how singles meet, where they go, and who foots the bill are a lot more fluid than they were just a generation ago.

Apps and the Internet can expand your dating pool far beyond the boundaries of your immediate neighborhood, and allow you to gather intelligence on a person before you meet face to face.

But there are some aspects of dating in the 21st century that are a lot more complicated and potentially more dangerous than what your parents had to deal with.

Social media can tell you too much about a potential partner, and it can tell others too much about your relationship.

Social media is one of the best ways to get the dirt on a potential partner without having to hire a private investigator. A quick scan through their friend list and photos can give you a closer look at their political views, hobbies, and even what they had for dinner last night.

But all of that information can come at a price. Knowing too much about a potential partner before you even meet them can lead to you walking into a date with a preconceived notion of how that person is going to be. If you already think you have your date all figured out, you might see them only as you want to, as opposed to how they actually are. Plus, a first date is always more fun if you actually have things to talk about that you don't have to pretend you don't already know.

Dating in the age of Facebook and Instagram can also be complicated — especially when you're still trying to decide how to define yourselves. Seemingly simple decisions like posting a picture of the two of you together or changing your relationship status to make your coupling Facebook official can become problematic if you're not ready to share your news with your best friend from third grade and your Great Aunt in Iowa.

The definition of a date has changed.

For your parents, a date may have looked something like this: your father picked your mother up from her home – probably with a bouquet of flowers in hand – escorted her to dinner or a movie, and dropped her off at her door with a polite promise to call her in the morning.

Today, a date can be anything from meeting your partner and a bunch of friends at a bar to Netflix and chillin' at home. And while one could argue that any time together can be quality time, it can be easy to get complacent and let these kinds of less-than-romantic options become the norm.

Figuring out who pays is much more complicated.

As the rules of dating have evolved, so have the rules regarding who foots the bill. Back in the day, it was understood that when a man asked a woman on a date, he was also accepting responsibility for paying.

But today, it's just as likely that either party is doing the asking. Expecting anyone who self identifies as a man to pick up the tab could be perceived as either totally chivalrous or totally sexist. Unless you've both agreed on who's paying ahead of time, you could find yourself doing the awkward paycheck tango at the end of your meal.

When two celebrities hit the red carpet wearing the same outfit, it doesn't have to automatically become a game of "who wore it better." More often than not, both people simply look amazing.

From royals like Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton to Victoria's Secret models like Taylor Hill and Georgia Fowler, keep scrolling to see the different ways celebrities have styled 20 identical outfits.

Ashanti and Kylie Jenner donned the same sparkly gown two years apart.

Jenner first wore the glitzy Balmain number to the 2016 Met Gala.

In March 2018, Ashanti posted several pictures of herself wearing the dress on Instagram. Like Jenner, she wore her hair straight and down, but she styled the dress with large hoop earrings.

Christina Aguilera and Meghan Markle wore the same wrapped coat days apart.

Aguilera wore the Stella McCartney coat — from the designer's fall 2018 collection launch in Los Angeles, California — on January 16. She paired the coat with shiny boots, Kanye West-approved miniature sunglasses, and a throwback hat.

Later that week, Markle went for a more understated look when she wore the coat with a casual bun and mismatched earrings on a royal trip to Cardiff, Wales, on January 18.

Both Kathryn Newton and Jada Pinkett Smith wore this high-low plaid gown.

Newton emphasized the punk vibe of this dress with lots of eyeliner and a thick choker necklace for a Golden Globe Awards after-party in Beverly Hills, California, in January 2017.

Nearly a year later, in December 2017, Smith attended the Jingle Ball in Inglewood, California, and glammed up the dress with big curls and bright pink lipstick.