• Primark, a low-cost, European apparel chain, is the fastest-growing retailer in the United States, according to a report from the National Retail Federation's Stores magazine, which used sales data from Kantar Consulting.
• The ranking is based on year-over-year domestic sales growth. In 2017, Primark pulled in $9.875 billion in sales worldwide. Its US sales are up 103% year-over-year as the company continues to expand along the East Coast. 
• Primark has opened nine stores in the US since 2015 and has plans to open more. 

Primark has already invaded Europe, and now, it has its sights set on the United States. 

The low-cost, European clothing chain was ranked in the top spot on a list of the 100 fastest-growing retailers in America by the National Retail Federation's Stores magazine, which used sales data from Kantar Consulting.

The ranking is based on year-over-year domestic sales growth. In 2017, Primark pulled in $9.875 billion in sales worldwide, and in the US specifically, sales are up 103% year-over-year.

Primark is making a slow and steady expansion in the US. It has opened nine stores in the country since 2015 and has plans to open more. 

Its expansion is timed well to take advantage of an explosion in value-oriented stores in the US. While department stores have suffered, off-price and dollar stores have experienced somewhat of a boom in recent times, enabling them to grow and add new locations across the country. 

Experts say that the success of value-oriented stores can be attributed to larger social changes.

"The middle is disappearing — low and middle-income customers increasingly shop at discounters and dollar stores, forcing retailers that once served these customers to close shop," analysts from intelligence firm Gartner L2 wrote in a recent report on department stores.

Find out more about the company below:

SEE ALSO: This cheap European clothing chain is coming for H&M and Forever 21 in America. Here's what it's like to shop there.

Primark originates from Dublin, Ireland, where the store has a completely different name: Penneys. It first opened in 1969.

When the company expanded to the UK in 1973, it was forced to change its name as the US department store, JCPenney, was already registered there. 

The name Primark was born, and from then on, it was used for any of its stores that opened outside of Ireland. 

Between 2006 and 2013, the company grew at a rapid rate, opening stores across Europe, in Spain, The Netherlands, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, Austria, and France. Sales rose by 150% between 2009 and 2014.

Source: Primark and The Economist

In 2015, it opened its first store in the US, in Boston, Massachusetts.

At the time, analysts expected the store to pose a threat to rival US apparel stores such as Gap and Abercrombie, by undercutting them on price and offering a constant turnover of new styles. 

A study done by Morgan Stanley in 2016 found that prices at Primark were, on average, 202% lower than average US apparel prices. 

• Many travelers believe the most beautiful McDonald's in the world is in Porto, a coastal city in northwest Portugal.
• Opened in 1995, the restaurant is located in a renovated space previously occupied by Cafe Imperial, a famous coffee shop open in the city since the 1930s.
• I stopped by "the McDonald's Imperial" to see if it truly is the "World's Most Beautiful McDonald's."

You've probably eaten a Big Mac or McNuggets at dozens of McDonald's restaurants throughout your life, but have you ever stopped to think which of the chain's 36,899 locations is the most beautiful?

Many travelers believe the most beautiful McDonald's in the world is in Porto, an age-old coastal city in northwest Portugal known for its gorgeous cobblestone streets and historic medieval city center.

Opened in 1995, the restaurant is located in a renovated space previously occupied by Cafe Imperial, a famous coffee shop open in the city since the 1930s. The coffee shop was seen as a prime example of Art Deco architecture of the period and, thus, McDonald's retained most of the main architectural features when it took over the location.

One of my favorite things to do when traveling is to visit American fast food joints in other countries — you never know how much companies cater to local tastes. When I visited China in April, I found that KFC is by far the most popular American fast food chain there and it is far better than in the US.

When I got to Porto earlier this week, I decided that I had to check out the McDonald's Imperial — as it is called by locals — to see if it lived up to the hype as the "World's Most Beautiful McDonald's."

Here's what it was like:

SEE ALSO: KFC is by far the most popular fast food chain in China and it's nothing like the US brand — here's what it's like

DON'T MISS: One of the best airlines in the world is one you've probably never heard of — here's what it's like to fly Air Astana

The McDonald's was pretty busy when I stopped by for a late afternoon lunch one day this past week. It being summer in Portugal, there were tons of tourists dining al fresco. The restaurant is located in Liberdade Square in the center of the city and near many attractions.

The first thing you notice upon approaching the McDonald's is the giant bronze eagle by Portuguese sculptor Henrique Moreira. When Cafe Imperial opened in 1936, the entrance had a revolving door, but that is long gone.

Source: Hard Musica Portugal

When you first enter the restaurant, you notice the hallmarks of the Art Deco style (think Empire State Building-style): the ornate friezes along the ceiling, the crystal chandeliers, and, most famously, the massive stained glass window behind the counter.

Source: Hard Musica Portugal

• The US dollar has been surprisingly strong this year amid Federal Reserve tightening and escalating global trade tensions, but Goldman Sachs says it's due for a big reversal.
• The firm identified 14 companies it expects to outperform the broader market as this shift gets underway.

The US dollar surprised everyone this year.

Most of Wall Street expected it to be weaker versus its global counterparts, but it has instead surged 7.4% since January, according to the Federal Reserve's trade-weighted measure.

A big part of that is the Fed's monetary tightening, which comes at a time when other global central banks are still employing far looser policies. And any chances for a reversal have been thwarted in recent months amid mounting trade tensions.

A strong dollar is problematic for multinational companies that rely heavily on exports. But by that same token, there's great value in knowing which companies fall into that category, in the event of a dollar reversal. If and when the greenback heads lower, the stocks of those firms could get a big boost.

That's where Goldman Sachs comes in. They maintain an index of companies who get a large percentage of their sales internationally.

And wouldn't you know it, Goldman is also forecasting a 7% decline in the trade-weighted dollar over the next 12 months — suggesting that the components of that index are about to get a whole lot more attractive.

Below is a list of the top 14 internationally dependent stocks, which should theoretically offer outsized returns if the greenback does, in fact, reverse its recent trend. They're arranged by increasing order of non-US sales.

14. KLA-Tencor

Ticker: KLAC

Industry: Information technology

Market cap: $18 billion

% of non-US sales: 86%

Source: Goldman Sachs

13. Micron Technology

Ticker: MU

Industry: Information technology

Market cap: $59 billion

% of non-US sales: 86%

Source: Goldman Sachs

12. Nvidia

Ticker: NVDA

Industry: Information technology

Market cap: $159 billion

% of non-US sales: 87%

Source: Goldman Sachs

• Airline passengers tend to notice factors that impact comfort — like seat size, the behavior of nearby passengers, and turbulence.
• Airline pilots are trained to be attentive to small details that slip by most passengers.
• Some of these details have serious safety implications.

For most of us, air travel is an opportunity to sleep, work, read, or watch a movie with fewer distractions than you'd find on the ground.

When we do notice our surroundings, we tend to focus on factors that impact our comfort — seat size, the behavior of nearby passengers, turbulence — but for airline pilots and aviation experts, the experience can be different. Pilots and experts are trained to be attentive to small details on planes, so even when they don't have to fly the plane and can sit in the main cabin, they'll notice things that other passengers don't.

We interviewed two airline pilots and collected responses from a Quora thread to find out what pilots notice when they're flying in the main cabin. Here's what they said.

SEE ALSO: Passengers reveal the most annoying things people commonly do on planes

Ice accumulating

Most passengers are likely to be concerned about turbulence, but according to Tanya Gatlin, a pilot and associate professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver, it's not as bad as most think. "It's not something that's going to cause an accident or is even a factor to safety," she said in a phone interview with Business Insider.

Instead, Gatlin is worried about ice. When necessary, ice and snow are removed from a plane before it takes off, and the plane is coated in materials that will prevent ice from building up while it's in the air — for a limited amount of time.

The difficulty can come when the plane turns down its engine while preparing to land.

"We're coming down in a very short amount of distance and there's no way we can get down that fast without the power being at idle," she said.

This means the engines don't generate as much heat as when they're taking off, which increases the chance that ice will build up on the plane and make a smooth landing difficult.

Suspicious scents

Scents can be one of the strongest indicators that something's wrong on a plane, as they can quickly hint at problems with the engine or fuel-storage systems.

"Sounds are always useful, but a passenger cabin often is pretty isolated from any sounds that might be indicative of a problem.Smells, on the other hand, travel around quite freely, and some (e.g., fuel, hydraulic fluid, superheated bleed air) are pretty distinctive," Tom Farrier, a former director of safety for the Air Transport Association, wrote on Quora.

The angle that light comes in through the window

Experienced pilots know that a sudden change in the angle of the light that comes through a cabin window can be the first sign that the pilot is changing course.

"An unexpected, significant shift in the angle of the Sun can be your first sign that a course change is being made," Farrier wrote.

• The Economist Intelligence Unit released its annual Global Liveability Index, measuring the most livable cities in the world.
• For the first time in eight years, Melbourne, Australia, did not finish in the No. 1 spot.
• The cities were judged by metrics like crime rates, healthcare quality, infrastructure, and levels of corruption. 
• The US had several cities on the list, but none in the top 20.

When it comes to choosing a place to live, there are several factors to consider — climate, transportation options, and crime rates, to name a few.

Although it's hard to find a perfect match, a few select cities have the perfect combination of factors that make them the most livable in the world. 

The Economist Intelligence Unit released its annual Global Liveability Index, and for the first time in eight years, Melbourne, Australia, did not take the top spot on the list.

The Economist ranked 140 major cities by averaging the results of five metrics:

• Stability, including the prevalence of petty and violent crime, the threat of terror, and the threat of military conflict
• Healthcare, including the availability and quality of healthcare, both public and private
• Culture and environment, including climate, level of corruption, level of censorship, and sporting availability
• Education, including the availability and quality of private education
• Infrastructure, including the quality of road networks and public transport, the availability of good quality housing, the quality of telecommunications, and the quality of water and energy provisions

If you're looking for an American city, you won't find one near the top — Honolulu was the highest American city on the list at 23, and the next one on the list was Pittsburgh at 32.

Read on to see the 50 most livable cities in the world for 2018.

SEE ALSO: The 50 best places to live in America for 2018

DON'T MISS: The most surprising things about America, according to a Silicon Valley engineer who moved from India 7 years ago

T-50. Los Angeles, USA

Overall rating (out of 100): 88.6

Stability: 75.0

Healthcare: 91.7

Culture and environment: 94.4

Education: 100.0

Infrastructure: 89.3

T-50. Atlanta, USA

Overall rating (out of 100): 88.6

Stability: 75.0

Healthcare: 91.7

Culture and environment: 91.7

Education: 100.0

Infrastructure: 92.9

49. San Francisco, USA

Overall rating (out of 100): 88.7

Stability: 85.0

Healthcare: 91.7

Culture and environment: 94.4

Education: 83.3

Infrastructure: 85.7

• While electric vehicles aren't posting big sales numbers yet, auto companies are making significant investments in them.
• Both new and traditional car manufacturers plan to release electric vehicles in the coming years.
• Some of the vehicles have specs and tech features that exceed most gas-powered cars.

While electric vehicles still represent a very small percentage of global car sales, automotive companies have made significant investments in them. As governments move to increase emissions standards, even traditional manufacturers anticipate electric vehicles playing a big role in the near future.

These are 30 electric cars you can expect to see by 2025:

SEE ALSO: These are the 15 most reliable car brands of 2018

1. Porsche Taycan

Porsche will begin production on the Taycan, which is expected to start around $75,000, in 2019.

Porsche says it will have over 300 miles of range.

Porsche has said the Taycan will have a range of over 300 miles per charge, over 600 horsepower, and the ability to accelerate from 0-60 mph in less than 3.5 seconds.

2. Volkswagen I.D. Buzz

Volkswagen is revamping its iconic minibus with the I.D. Buzz, which will hit dealerships in 2022.

College football is nearly back and, as usual, a ton of teams will have changes to their uniforms.

The changes range from minor tweaks to full uniform makeovers as teams seek new excitement on the field. The big winner appears to be Adidas who added a bunch of FBS schools to their program.

Here is a rundown of the changes we have seen so far, with a lot of assistance from the invaluable Uni-Watch.

AIR FORCE — The Falcons have a new alternate uniform honoring the AC-130 aircraft.

ARIZONA STATE — The Sun Devils have a new head coach in Herm Edwards, and it appears they are going with a cleaner jersey. The sleeve stripes are gone, as well as the wordmark on the chest. Like several other schools, ASU has added a sublimated pattern as a reference to the state flag. Not seen here is white pants that can be worn with the white jersey and a dark grey jersey.

ARKANSAS — Some minor changes for the Razorbacks, and it appears they no longer have a matte helmet.

Sen. John McCain, who has served in the Senate since 1987, has died at 81.

Here are 10 of the Arizona senator and former Republican presidential candidate's best quotes on courage, happiness, and character.

SEE ALSO: A full breakdown of the dramatic 19 seconds when McCain killed the GOP's healthcare bill

DON'T MISS: John McCain's recovery could take longer than we thin

John McCain on fighting for a cause

John McCain on the nature of Americans

John McCain on glory

Republican Sen. John McCain, 81, has died after a long battle with brain cancer.

The Arizona senator was diagnosed with an aggressive form of glioblastoma and began treatment for the disease in July 2017.

McCain appeared to be undeterred for several months after his diagnosis was made public.

He was seen back at work on Capitol Hill last fall and weighed in on major legislative policies, including the annual defense authorization bill and efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

"I don't mean to be repetitious, but to my Democrat friends and some of my Republican friends: I'm coming back," McCain said during a Facebook Live event in August last year.

McCain made headlines upon his return — including when he dramatically voted no on the Republican version of a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

His career as a public servant spanned decades of honorable service, and despite some challenges along the way, McCain established himself as a key figurehead of the Republican Party. Few lawmakers on Capitol Hill will match the legacy he leaves behind.

Here's a look back at John McCain's incredible life:

SEE ALSO: John McCain, war hero and longtime senator, dead at 81

McCain graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1958 and served as a pilot.

Early in his career in naval aviation, McCain's flying ability and judgment were questioned after he crashed three planes. His commanders were said to have sarcastically called him "Ace McCain" because of his record.

"John was what you called a push-the-envelope guy," Sam Hawkins, who flew in McCain's squadron in the 1960s, told the Los Angeles Times. "There are some naval aviators who are on the cautious side. They don't get out on the edges, but the edges are where you get the maximum out of yourself and out of your plane. That's where John operated."

On October 26, 1967, during the Vietnam War, McCain was flying over Hanoi when a surface-to-air missile hit his plane's wing, forcing him to eject.

"Some North Vietnamese swam out and pulled me to the side of the lake and immediately started stripping me, which is their standard procedure," McCain wrote in USA Today.

"Of course, this being in the center of town, a huge crowd of people gathered, and they were all hollering and screaming and cursing and spitting and kicking at me."

McCain broke both of his arms and his right knee. He had lost consciousness until he hit the water after ejecting from the plane.

McCain was held as a prisoner of the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) for five and a half years. He was subjected to torture and solitary confinement in a Vietnamese prison nicknamed the "Hanoi Hilton."

Upon learning that McCain's father was an admiral in the Navy, who would eventually command all US forces in the Pacific, NVA forces provided medical care to McCain. Doctors performed surgery on his leg, according to McCain, but made incorrect incisions on one side and cut all the ligaments.

McCain would spend the rest of his life walking with a noticeable limp.

• Mutual funds are pulling money out of financials and rotating into healthcare stocks, according to equity strategists at Goldman Sachs.
• Goldman examined 499 mutual funds with $2 trillion in assets under management.
• The share of funds beating their benchmarks has recently weakened, making their stock picking even more crucial.

The year is getting tougher for mutual funds, according to Goldman Sachs.

That's judging by one of their most ubiquitous mandates: beat the market. The share of large-cap funds outperforming their benchmarks stands at 41%, down from a peak of 62% in April, David Kostin, the head of US equity strategy, said in a note on Wednesday.

Against this backdrop, it's more crucial that funds are picking the stocks that will help them beat the market.

Below is the list of their most important holdings among core, growth, and value mutual funds as of June 30. It is ranked from the funds with the least overweight positions versus their benchmarks to the greatest.

Goldman examined 499 mutual funds that collectively manage $2 trillion in assets.

SEE ALSO: MOODY'S WARNS: Mutual funds are bleeding cash at an unprecedented rate, and they're increasingly vulnerable to the next market meltdown

Discover Financial Services

Ticker: DFS

Sector: Services

YTD return: -1%

Overweight: 8 bp

Source: Goldman Sachs

Humana

Ticker: HUM

Sector: Healthcare

YTD return: 33%

Overweight: 8 bp

Source: Goldman Sachs

Estée Lauder

Ticker: EL

Sector: Consumer staples

YTD return: 5%

Overweight: 9 bp

Source: Goldman Sachs

• Welcoming a new puppy into your home isn't always easy.
• It can be time consuming getting your new furry friend to settle in.
• Luckily, a few companies offer "pawternity leave" so you can spend some time together.
• Happy National Puppy Day!

Anyone who has experienced getting a puppy knows it can be hard work. Owners often refer to their pets as "fur babies," which makes a lot of sense considering how much attention puppies require when you first get them.

Puppies need time to settle into their new home and bond with their owners. They've probably just been taken from their mothers and introduced to a brand new environment, so there's likely to be a lot of crying. And that's before you can even think about house-training.

As it turns out, some companies sympathise with this transition and offer what's known as "pawternity leave."In fact, research from Petplan found that 5% of owners have been offered paid leave from their job to adjust to their pet owning duties.

These are some of the companies which give you a few days off to bond with your new best friend.

Mars Petcare

Mars Petcare was one of the first companies to offer pawternity leave. The company offers its employees ten hours of paid leave when they get a new pet, and they can bring them into the office after that.

Mparticle

The data platform provider Mparticle offers two weeks of paid leave if an employee adopts a rescue dog. According to The Times, the recruiter for the company Laurel Peppino said it's to provide time for training and walks.

"We offer maternity and paternity leave and a pet is just another member of the family," she said. "We don't discriminate just because they aren't human."

BitSol Solutions

A tech company based in Manchester called BitSol Solutions offers its employees a full week of paid leave if they get a new pet. According to the Metro, company owner Greg Buchanan said: "Pets are like babies nowadays, so why shouldn't staff have some time off when they arrive?"

• Rapper Azealia Banks and Tesla CEO Elon Musk's lives have become entangled after Banks spent the weekend at one of Musk's properties earlier in August and made a series of claims about the billionaire on social media. 
• Banks claimed Musk ignored her when she visited his house, misrepresented their interaction, and has taken control of her phone. 
• "I'm like in tears right now,"Banks told Business Insider on Monday evening. "This has nothing to do with me."
• Here's a timeline of the Banks-versus-Musk battle, as decoded via Business Insider exclusives, social media, and more.

Azealia Banks and Elon Musk are an unlikely pair.

However, in some of the most high-pressure weeks in the Tesla's CEO's career, the rapper has become an unexpected source of complications for the billionaire. 

Banks has publicly claimed on social media that Musk avoided her after inviting her to his home, misrepresented the situation to the media, and — most recently — took possession of her phone. Musk, meanwhile, has denied many of Banks' claims and apparently deleted his Instagram account, following her most recent call out. 

The interactions between the two typically outspoken celebrities can be difficult to untangle. Here's everything we know about the timeline of how things have gone down between Banks and Musk. 

SEE ALSO: Internal documents reveal the grueling way Tesla hit its 5,000 Model 3 target

July 30: Grimes announces on Twitter she plans to collaborate with Banks.

Grimes, whose real name is Claire Boucher, is a Canadian musician and producer. 

Boucher attended the Met Gala in early May with Musk. At the time, Page 6 reported the pair had met on Twitter and been "quietly dating" for the past few weeks. 

While Boucher was fated to bring Musk and Banks together, her relationship with the rapper goes back significantly longer than her romance with Musk. Back in 2014, Boucher tweeted a heart emoji at Banks' now-deactivated Twitter account. 

In summer 2018, Boucher and Banks confirmed plans to collaborate. In July, Boucher tweeted she had started a number of beats for Banks and just needed the rapper to visit Los Angeles to finish the work. 

August 7: 'Funding secured.'

"Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured,"Musk tweeted on August 7, before issuing a formal statement on the company's website. 

Tesla shares skyrocketed following the tweet, rising by as much as 12%, to over $381. 

However, the tweet also plunged Tesla into intensified scrutiny. The Wall Street Journal reported on August 8 that the SEC had made an inquiry into Tesla regarding the truthfulness and motivation of Musk's tweets.

August 10: Banks arrives at one of Musk's Los Angeles properties and crosses paths with the CEO.

Banks told Business Insider she arrived early on Friday morning, with The New York Times confirming last week that she arrived at one of Musk's Los Angeles properties in the predawn hours. 

Banks said in an Instagram DM to Business Insider on August 13 Musk seemed distracted over the weekend. 

"I saw him in the kitchen tucking his tail in between his legs scrounging for investors to cover his ass after that tweet," she said. "He was stressed and red in the face."

Banks added: "He's not cute at all in person."

Banks also said that she was not trying to eavesdrop but that Musk seemed to be scrambling.

• Saving enough money for a down payment to buy a home isn't easy these days.
• In fact, 39% of millennial homebuyers find it difficult to save for a down payment, according to Zillow Group's Housing Trends Report.
• RealEstate.com found the places where first-time home buyers can save for a down payment the fastest based on average income and savings rates.
• There are only six cities where it takes the average person less than four years to save for a down payment.

Saving for a down payment can be tough, especially when it's your first home.

The price of housing has become so high that it can take nearly a decade to save for a 20% down payment on a house, according to a SmartAsset report released earlier this year. And 39% of millennial homebuyers find it difficult to save for a down payment, according to Zillow Group's Housing Trends Report.

But in some places it's easier to save for a down payment than others.

RealEstate.com recently took a look at the 35 biggest metro areas in the US to see where first-time homebuyers can save for a down payment the fastest. Analyzing data from the US Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics, they factored in the median household income among buyers aged 24 to 36, as well as the annual savings rates for renters, using data from the March 2018 Zillow Group Housing Aspirations Report.

Assuming the buyer was looking for an entry-level valued home, RealEstate.com determined how much money they would need to save for a 20% down payment for the median home value in that range — the standard, but not required, down payment to buy a home. More than one-third of millennial homebuyers put down 20%, according to the Zillow Group's Housing Trends Report.

They then calculated how long it would take the buyer to save for the down payment based on their income and annual savings rates. These calculations did not factor in any windfalls or gifts millennials received from family, though many do — one-third of millennials anticipate they'll receive family support for at least 30% of their down payment, revealed a study by Apartment List.

Turns out, first-time homebuyers can save for a down payment in less than four years in six cities, including Detroit and Chicago. In eight cities, including Atlanta and Boston, it can take them more than five years to save for a down payment.

Below, see the top 20 cities where first-time homebuyers can save for a down payment the fastest, ranked from longest time to shortest time.

SEE ALSO: The most expensive and affordable states to buy a house, ranked

DON'T MISS: The 25 best places to live if you want to save a lot of money

20. Boston, Massachusetts

Annual income: $58,600

Annual savings: $12,557

Median home value: $394,300

20% down payment for median home: $78,860

Years to save for down payment: 6.28

19. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Annual income:  $46,900

Annual savings:  $5,862

Median home value:  $174,200

20% down payment for median home:  $34,840

Years to save for down payment: 5.94

18. Charlotte, North Carolina

Annual income:  $42,800

Annual savings:  $5,350

Median home value:  $156,700

20% down payment for median home:  $31,340

Years to save for down payment: 5.86

• A person's body language can reveal a lot about what they're thinking and feeling.
• That's especially true if their nonverbal displays don't match what they're saying out loud.
• For example, a pointed finger with a closed hand can be an attempt at showing dominance and someone who repeatedly touches their face is probably nervous.

Reading other people's body language is tricky business.

If someone's crossing his arms, for example, you could assume that he's closed off, when in fact he's just cold.

That said, when you notice that a person's nonverbal displays don't quite match up with what she's telling you out loud, it's worth paying extra attention.

Below, we've rounded up 19 scientific insights into the significance of body language, pulled from Psychology Today, research journals, and a few awesome books.

SEE ALSO: 8 body language tricks to instantly appear more confident

The shoulder shrug is a universal signal of not knowing what's going on

According to Barbara Pease and Allan Pease, authors of "The Definitive Book of Body Language," everybody does the shoulder shrug. 

The shrug is a "good example of a universal gesture that is used to show that a person doesn't know or doesn't understand what you are saying," they write.

"It's a multiple gesture that has three main parts," they continue. "Exposed palms to show nothing is being concealed in the hands, hunched shoulders to protect the throat from attack, and raised brow, which is a universal, submissive greeting." 

Open palms are an ancient display of honesty

When someone swears to tell the truth in a court of law, they put one hand on a religious text and raise their other hand into the air, palm facing whoever they're speaking to.

That's because, the Peases write in "The Definitive Book of Body Language," an open palm has been associated with "truth, honesty, allegiance, and submission" throughout Western history. 

"Just as a dog will expose its throat to show submission or surrender to the victor," they write, "humans use their palms to show that they are unarmed and therefore not a threat." 

A lack of crinkles around the eyes suggests a potentially fake smile

The jury is still out on whether we can tell when someone is faking what scientists call a Duchenne smile. It's the expression we make when we're genuinely experiencing positive emotion.

At one point, researchers believed that making a genuine smile was nearly impossible to do on command. The smile, they said, was all about the crow's-feet around your eyes. When you're smiling joyfully, they crinkle. When you're faking it, they don't. 

If someone's trying to look happy but really isn't, you won't see the wrinkles.

More recently, a study from Northeastern University researchers found that people could do a pretty good job of faking a Duchenne smile, even when they weren't feeling especially happy.

It seems safe to say that if the crinkles aren't there, the person's probably not genuinely happy. But just because the crinkles are there doesn't necessarily mean they're elated.

Astronauts may be exceptionally brave, intelligent, and accomplished, but they're not superhuman: they still have to poop and pee when they leave Earth.

But as NASA was working to get the first humans into space in the early 60s, the agency didn't focus much on how astronauts would empty their bladders and evacuate their bowels once they were up there.

Then in 1961, astronaut Alan Shepard — the first person in space — was forced to pee his pants on the launchpad. NASA quickly realized that the lack of planning presented a rather messy problem.

The agency needed a more serious bathroom-break plan, but solutions weren't easy. After the Apollo missions ended in 1975, engineers described defecation and urination as the "bothersome aspects of space travel." 

A variety of makeshift solutions have been sent into space, including pee bags, roll on "cuffs," diapers, strappy toilet seats, and $19 million commodes. Contraptions for "going" while weightless have gotten a little more comfortable, and astronauts are now generally good at keeping waste from floating around.

But retired astronaut Peggy Whitson, who logged a record-breaking 665 days in space for NASA, recently said that going to the bathroom in space was her least favorite part of working in zero gravity. 

Here's the full story of how astronauts have relieved themselves in space, from 1961 to now:

SEE ALSO: A NASA astronaut who spent 665 days circling the planet reveals the misery of going to the bathroom in space

On May 5, 1961, when Alan Shepard piloted the first human space flight for the US, there was no pee plan. The flight was only supposed to last for around 15 minutes. But the engineers didn’t consider how long Shepard might have to sit on the launchpad first.

Shepard sat inside the nosecone for some time, then realized his bladder was getting uncomfortably full. The crew insisted he stay put, so Shepard let them know he was going to go in his seat.  

"Of course with a cotton undergarment, which we had on, it soaked up immediately,"he later said. "I was totally dry by the time we launched."

After that, NASA started giving astronauts some urination equipment.

Some of the first pee-catchers looked like urine condoms and came in three sizes. NASA called them roll-on cuffs, and they were not designed to be used by women.

The latex cuff was connected to a plastic tube, valve, clamp, and a collection bag. It wasn't a great system, and sometimes leaked. 

The cuffs were what John Glenn used on his Mercury Atlas 6 mission — the first time a human went into orbit for NASA. The flight lasted 4 hours and 55 minutes.

Source: NASA

Twitch — a subsidiary of Amazon — has become synonymous with the boom in video game livestreaming. Tyler "Ninja" Blevins, the most popular "Fortnite" player in the world makes Twitch his virtual home, as do eSports heavyweights like the Overwatch League and Tencent.

However, there's a growing community of streamers on Twitch who don't post gaming content at all: They broadcast their real lives, including their weekends spent painting landscapes, their amateur comedy, and their budding skills as musicians. 

Twitch has been making moves to embrace this kind of content, dubbed IRL streaming (internet slang for "in real life). 

IRL has become a catch-all term for any kind of streaming that isn't gaming. But it's led the site to become home to an expanding population of artists, comedians, podcasters, musicians, athletes, cooks and social media influencers, all looking to make a living through live-streaming — right alongside Twitch's usual blend of "Fortnite" and other games.

Here's what it's like to live-stream professionally:

SEE ALSO: We talked to YouTubers about why they keep making videos about their breakups — and a relationship expert who says it may not be a great idea

Today, Twitch has roughly 2.2 million unique monthly broadcasters competing for the attention of the site's 15 million daily users.

"People go to Twitch to be anyone they want to be, to go wherever they want to go," said Twitch streamer thaButtress, who asked not to be identified by her real name in order to protect her privacy.

She makes her living by building scale models of the giant robots from the "Gundam" anime franchise, broadcasting the process to her audience of about 19,000 followers. 

"My coworkers were watching Twitch all the time, and saying I should try it out, but they were watching big-time gamers," she says. "I liked gaming, but I was never going to be like that. When Twitch started opening it up to creatives, I really found my niche and my community."

She says that as IRL streaming has expanded on Twitch, she and other streamers have really found their audience — even for relatively niche hobbies like model building. 

"The stream teaches me so much about the hobby that I love, and I teach them, too. It’s this great little community of builders that support each other and take care of each other. That's definitely the best part: The community," she said in an interview with Business Insider.

Because Twitch was created with gamers in mind, it can be difficult for creatives like thaButtress to stand out against the many hundreds or thousands of video game streams going on at any given moment.

Generally, Twitch is organized around the game that's being played: When you first visit the site, you might click on "Fortnite" or "League of Legends," and find a stream to watch from there. 

Those who aren't playing a game, though, tend to be grouped into categories like "IRL" and "Creative"— categories that have been criticized as being too broad. 

For thaButtress, this means her stream is often found next to those of painters, musicians, and makeup gurus. In other words, you have to navigate around a lot of streams that have little to do with hers in order to find her model-building channel.

Plus, non-gaming streamers sometimes get a bad rap among the Twitch community, says so-called "Twitchhiker" Trevor Daneliuk.

• The average cost of a wedding in America is $33,391, according to The Knot.
• More than half of couples go into debt to pay for their wedding— so how much are couples actually spending on their wedding?
• We talked to seven former brides to see how much they spent on their wedding, and the majority spent less than the national average.

Modern-day weddings have a notorious reputation for being pricey. On average, Americans spend roughly $33,391 on their weddings, according to The Knot's 2017 Real Weddings Study.

But that doesn't mean they can afford it. More than 74% of couples will go into debt for wedding costs, reports Student Loan Hero. 

But, of course, how much you spend on your wedding depends on several factors, such as where you live, what season you're getting married in, what type of wedding you have (big or small), and what details are important to you.

So, Business Insider talked to seven former brides who shared their wedding budget details. They shared their original budget, how much their wedding actually cost, and a breakdown of main wedding category expenses, from the dress to food and bar costs to photography. Note that the total wedding cost for each wedding includes other expenses beyond what is listed.

Whether they spent half the national average on a rural farm in Minnesota or roughly four times the average in a dreamy New York City wedding, there was one thing they all had in common: the money was worth the memories.

SEE ALSO: The average wedding cost in America is over $30,000 — but here's where couples spend way more than that

DON'T MISS: Here's how much it costs to get married at 9 of the most glamorous wedding venues in New York City

Ashley and her wife spent $10,000 for a country club wedding in Andover, Massachusetts, with 110 guests.

Original budget: $12,000

Ashley, who married at age 25, told Business Insider she was very lucky to have talented friends and family pitch in for her wedding day, which helped keep her budget below her original estimation. 

"The bulk of our budget was focused on the place and the food," she said. "We loved the garden we used for our ceremony and the terrace attached to our reception space that allowed for an indoor/outdoor experience."

The venue, Andover Country Club, was the most cost-effective venue she and her wife looked at, she said. The venue provided a coordinator in the package, so they didn't need to allocate funds to pay for it. They also used a relative for a DJ at a discount.

"Overall, we wanted a classy, fun experience that wouldn't be impossible to pull off!" she said.

Flowers and decor: $500

Wedding planner/coordinator: $0 (included in venue package)

Venue: $7,500

Invitations and paper goods: $300

Wedding dress: $500

Food and drinks: $1,300 (most of the catering was included in the venue package)

Photography: $0 (sister-in-law is a photographer who offered her services for free)

Music: $300

Beth and Matthew Hebert's destination wedding at a diner in Chicago, Illinois, with 36 guests cost $12,125.

Original budget: $10,000

Beth Hebert and her husband were paying for their wedding on their own, so they settled on a budget of $10,000 for entire wedding weekend festivities. Based in Houston, they decided to have an out-of-town wedding in Chicago — you'd think a destination wedding would be hard to pull off on a small budget, but they managed to come in under budget for personal out-of-pocket expenses.

They also had a bit of help as someone unexpectedly picked up their $2,300 bar bill as a wedding gift — had that not happened, they would have gone slightly over budget. Their venue at the Little Goat Diner was free as long as they met the $1,000 minimum, and it included a wedding coordinator in the venue fee. 

"We are such foodies that we knew [that] even with a smaller budget, the food and beverage options had to be amazing — which is why we went with a brunch option," Beth told Business Insider. "It hadn't been done in our friend group, and Girl & the Goat is iconic to the Chicago food scene so everyone was excited to have that food."

She also wanted live music and found an acoustic guitarist, but wasn't willing to splurge on an expensive dress and getting her makeup done.

Flowers and decor: $450

Wedding planner/coordinator: $0 (included in venue fee)

Venue: $0 (free if they met a $1,000 minimum)

Invitations and paper goods: $350

Wedding dress: $800

Food and drinks: $6,700 (including a welcome dinner and the gifted bar bill)

Photography: $1,000

Music: $500

Anna and her husband's 195-person wedding in rural Minnesota cost $15,406.

Original budget: $15,000

Anna originally set a $10,000 budget for her ceremony on her parent's farm in rural Minnesota and reception at a reception hall, but after amended the number to $15,000 after she realized it was unrealistic.

"Photography was a significant part of the budget as that's the part of the wedding that lasts forever and we wanted to find a photographer that fit us and our wedding," Anna, who was 25 when she married, told Business Insider. "Food was also important and, while we were constrained by budget there and had a basic meat and potatoes buffet, the cheap caterer we found was actually really good."

"Being in a rural area helped keep some of the costs down, but there were certainly other little ways we did so," she added. For example, she purchased her wedding dress at a bridal consignment store and family members helped with day-of coordination, so they didn't need to hire a wedding planner.

The budget was her biggest concern when planning her wedding, as she and her husband paid for 70% to 80% of it on their own, with her parents covering catering, ceremony seating, and a back-up tent, and the groom's parents covering the rehearsal dinner.

"It's hard to say a single day is ever really worth $15,000, but I'd absolutely do it again with a similar budget and, while it was a large chunk of change, we save enough and have no debt so it didn't set us back too much," she said. 

Flowers and decor: $1,312

Wedding planner/coordinator: $0 (did not use)

Venue: $1,400

Invitations and paper goods: $532

Wedding dress: $589

Food and drinks: $2,995

Photography: $1,983

DJ: $925

It seems like there are so many rules about what you can and can't or should and shouldn't eat.

Nutrition doesn't have to be so complicated. Plenty of foods that people think of as unhealthy really aren't that bad, and can even be good for you.

As a general rule, food — real food, with as little processing or packaging as possible — is not bad for you. You can eat too much of many foods, especially foods that aren't vegetables, and most of us could improve our diets by eating more plant-based foods.

But that doesn't mean eating carbs or fatty foods are off-limits. Many foods that have been demonized, like those containing gluten or dairy, can be important parts of a healthy diet for most people.

Here's what the science actually says about ingredients like salt, caffeine, and fat — and why you shouldn't worry about eating them, as long as it's in moderation.

SEE ALSO: Sleep deprivation can kill you — here's what sleeping less than 7 hours per night does to your body and brain

Let's get straight to the good stuff — cheese can be part of a healthy diet.

Sure, cheese is often packed with saturated fat. It can be full of sodium too, and shouldn't make up the majority of your plate. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't eat one of the most delightful foods on the planet.

Cheese is nutrient-packed. It's also a good source of protein, calcium, vitamin B12, and healthy fatty acids that may lower diabetes risk. As a fermented food, it may help boost levels of good gut bacteria that are essential for health. Studies also indicate that cheese intake seems to be associated with a lower risk for heart disease and it may even lower levels of bad cholesterol, though more research is needed.

Eggs are excellent sources of protein and won't raise your cholesterol.

Eggs are fantastic sources of protein and they are full of other nutrients, including choline, a nutrient that's essential for brain development.

But eggs are also full of cholesterol, which for many years led researchers to encourage people to limit egg intake. Fortunately, that dietary recommendation has changed.

It turns out that for the vast majority of people, dietary cholesterol (from foods you eat) doesn't really have much of an effect on blood cholesterol.

Coffee — and caffeine in general — may provide significant health benefits and reduce cancer and liver disease risk.

You'll often hear people say that they're trying to limit themselves to one cup of coffee a day or to cut it out entirely.

But when you look at the health benefits associated with coffee consumption, you might wonder why. A significant body of research shows that drinking coffee is associated with a longer life. People who drink more coffee tend to have lower risk for heart disease, various cancers, liver conditions, and degenerative brain diseases.

It's possible to overdo it with caffeine, as too much at once can trigger anxiety or even be deadly. People usually need to consume it in a concentrated form to get that much into their bodies. But caffeine itself, even from non-coffee sources, is also associated with good health.

The Premier League is awash in money. The league signed a massive new television deal a few years ago, far and away the richest in Europe. Throw in a club like Manchester City, with an ownership group with such deep pockets, and it is no surprise that players in the English top flight are well compensated. 

Thanks to data from Spotrac, we took a look at the 25 highest-paid players in the English Premier League. Of that group, Manchester City claims the most players, with six. Manchester United and Arsenal have four each, with United boasting three of the five highest-paid players in the league. Chelsea and Liverpool have two players each, while Tottenham Hotspur and, interestingly, West Ham United, have a solitary representative on the list. 

Note: all the figures below have been converted from English pounds into American dollars. 

25. Fabinho Tavares — £130,000 weekly ($8.9 million annually)

Team: Liverpool

Position: defensive midfielder

Age: 24

Contract: In the first year of a 5-year, £33.8 million ($44.5 million) contract

Country: Brazil

One thing to know: When Fabinho signed his contract in front of the media, it turns out it was a fake contract that was just a news story copied from the Liverpool website.

t23. Chicharito — £140,000 weekly ($9.6 million annually)

Club: West Ham United 

Position: Forward 

Age: 30

Contract: Heading into the second year of a 3-year, £21.8 million ($28.5 million) contract. 

Country: Mexico 

One thing to know: His name, Chicharito, stands for "little pea." His father, also a professional soccer player, was nicknamed "pea." 

t23. Ilkay Gundogan — £140,000 weekly ($9.6 million annually)

Club: Manchester City

Position: Midfielder

Age: 27

Contract: Heading into the third year of a 4-year, £29.1 million ($38.0 million) contract. 

Country: Germany 

One thing to know: Gundogan spent several seasons with Borussia Dortmund in Germany before coming to the Premier League. 

• If you plan to retire early, there are 17 simple things you can do before and during retirement.
• For example, it's beneficial to have a back up plan in case you go through a period of financial strain.
• Pick up a hobby to focus your time in retirement and maintain your sense of accomplishment.
• Be optimistic and enjoy the present. 

Last week, I published my first major listicle. Honestly, it was fun. It's a massive collection of tips to build your blog, and today, I'm publishing a similar monster. This one is about 17 stupid simple ways to make early retirement easier. 

SEE ALSO: 5 easy habits of early retirees that anyone can learn

1. Focus on the goal, but appreciate the present

In the early retirement community, we tend to get caught up on the future goal of quitting our jobs and living out the rest of our lives in jobless bliss. And truthfully, that's good. We SHOULD be focused on the end goal. After all, anything that we can do now to better position us for early retirement will come back to us in spades after we finally cut the cord.

But, that also doesn't mean we need to completely ignore our present selves. Sacrifice is necessary to retire early, but it's not all we do, either.

It is important to treat and reward ourselves along the way by celebrating those smaller achievements. Early retirement might be years away, but these small victories are achievable throughout the years, and we need to take a step back, relax, and pat ourselves on the back every once in a while. Trust me, it'll make the march toward early retirement much easier!

2. Get excited about the smaller things in life

Similar to rewarding yourself along the way, appreciating the small gifts in life helps relieve stress and keep us focused.

I approach my life's "spice" a little different than what tradition might tell me to do.  I look for things to get excited about — anything.  Then, I make myself excited for them.  Usually, it's something small, maybe even inconsequential.  But, it gives me something to look forward to, something to say "I can't wait for the game on Sunday — I think my team can pull out a victory in this one!"

Whether they actually can or not is completely beside the point (I'm looking at you, Cleveland Browns fans).  You are wiring yourself up to show some emotion.  Yell or curse at the TV, who cares.  The point is, get yourself into it and have some bloody fun!

I live in Arizona and follow the Arizona Cardinals pretty closely.  During football season, I don't just watch their football games.  I get downright giddy about them.  I plan my day around these games.  For three hours on Sundays, my life is completely consumed by one thing and one thing only — Arizona Cardinals football.  Everything else waits until the game is over.

And I kinda have a man crush on Larry Fitzgerald.

3. Maintain relentless optimism

If you're looking to retire early and enjoy a life outside of the office, you gotta be pretty damn optimistic about the future. The thought that your stash will last you 30, 40 or even 50 years or more without having to work means you're generally positive about the future and believe that things will work out.

This level of optimism applies to everything in life, not just early retirement. Early retirees take a glass half full approach to most things, from making life-altering decisions about work to picking the right wine to sip on during dinner — and everything in-between. They expect things to go well, and as we know from the powerful placebo effect, this phenomenon is very real.

Except when it comes to my fantasy football team, I'm a damn positive person. So is my wife. We believe in the general goodness of the world and don't let the evening news cloud our outlook on life. Over the years, we have realized that attitude is an important key to keeping your head on straight, and our positive attitudes help to bring us through each and every day as we work towards financial independence and early retirement (achieved in 2016).