Want a job that pays well and will have plenty of openings in the next decade? Consider one of these occupations.

Business Insider compiled a ranking of the best jobs of the future based on how well they pay and how much they are projected to grow in the coming years.

We took the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' projections for the number of new jobs created between 2012 and 2022 and the 2012 median annual wage for each occupation and ranked them based on a combination (the geometric mean) of the two figures.

To focus this list on higher-quality jobs, we ranked only occupations with median wages higher than the 2012 median wage for all workers, which is $34,750. We used the total number of new jobs projected by 2022 rather than the percent rate of growth for the occupations, since some specialized occupations are expected to see steep growth but will provide a relatively tiny amount of job openings.

20. Construction Managers

78,200 predicted job openings by 2022

$82,790 median annual wage in 2012

What they do: Organize, plan, and supervise construction projects.

Typical Educational Requirements: Bachelor's degree

Why they're thriving: Managers of all kinds tend to have higher wages than those they supervise, and the BLS notes that managers make the highest median salary of any of the large occupational groups it studies. The construction sector was hit especially hard in the Great Recession. However, the BLS projects that over the next decade, construction employment will finally begin to return to pre-recession levels, allowing for impressive growth in the coming years.

19. Medical and Health Services Managers

73,300 predicted job openings by 2022

$88,580 median annual wage in 2012

What They Do: Plan, direct, or coordinate medical and health services in hospitals, clinics, managed care organizations, public health agencies, or similar organizations.

Typical Educational Requirements: Bachelor's degree

Why They're Thriving: As with construction managers, managerial positions tend to do well financially. The BLS projects that, as Baby Boomers get older, and as Obamacare's reforms dramatically change the health insurance market, employment in the health-care sector is primed to take off in the near future.

18. Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing

132,000 predicted job openings by 2022

$54,230 median annual wage in 2012

What They Do: Sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers to businesses or groups of individuals.

Typical Educational Requirements: Bachelor's degree

Why They're Thriving: Salespeople are needed in almost every industry. Any company that makes or sells something will need sales representatives, meaning this already large occupation will continue to grow.

Mohamed El-Erian is resigning from his positions as CEO and Co-CIO of PIMCO, the California-based fund giant with over $1.9 trillion in assets under management.

El-Erian, a Business Insider contributor, is without a doubt one of the sharpest and most influential people in global finance.

But who are his influences?

Back in 2012, Business Insider asked who and what shaped the way he thinks.

From very early on El-Erian learned the value of seeing things from multiple perspectives.  And he spent years questioning his own beliefs while at PIMCO where he experienced a culture of "healthy and constructive paranoia."

Thanks to Mohamed El-Erian for helping us with this feature.

El-Erian's father earned a PhD and stressed to his children the value of education

"It started with my father who, from a very young age, stressed to his children the value of education and multiple perspectives.

"Education had been his passport out of an Egyptian village and to university in Cairo, a PhD from Columbia University, and to a subsequent career as an academic, a diplomat and a judge at the International Court of Justice.

"He was committed to giving his children even greater opportunities. And he did."

His father spent his limited earnings on his children's education

"For example, he spent a large part of his limited academic/civil servant salary on our schooling and our books. He prompted us to frequently read different interpretations of the same set of “facts,” including a range of daily newspapers that covered the political spectrum. He encouraged us to aspire to a doctorate degree and not just a bachelor or masters. And he urged us to never accept conventional wisdom without questioning it first."

At Cambridge, he became familiar with four very different schools of economic thought

"My father’s influence was reinforced by the education I received at Cambridge University, where I did my first university degree, and my subsequent work environments (the IMF, Salomon and, especially, PIMCO).

"Economics at Cambridge in the late 1970s was not about seeing the world in a particular way. Instead, it was about gaining familiarity with four different schools of thought – from neo-classical to Marxist, and for Keynesian to neo-Ricardian."

Storm chasing photographer Mike Hollingshead spends his days traveling up and down the Midwest in search of America’s biggest and baddest storms. 

He’s seen every kind of tornado, supercell, lightning, and thunder storm there is, so when he recently told Business Insider about “one of the wickedest storms” he’s ever chased, we knew it had to be a beast. 

In 2009, Hollingshead tracked a supercell storm from Kadoka, South Dakota to Valentine, Nebraska. At first, it didn’t look like much, but a couple of hours into the chase, Hollingshead realized he might be tracking his “favorite storm.” Here's what it looked like:

Wind speeds reached over 100 miles per hour and the storm showered baseball-sized hailstones everywhere. That wasn’t all. Here’s what Hollingshead wrote on his blog, Extreme Instability, at the time: 

The lightning being produced by this storm at Kadoka and again at Valentine was unlike anything I've seen, especially the surreal display as it neared Kadoka … As evening progressed, inflow winds [wind rushing in and powering the storm] increased, into an increasingly structured supercell. They would get to a point I'm not sure I've seen before on a storm.

SEE ALSO: Storm Chaser Reveals His 16 Most Incredible Photos

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The  56th annual Grammy Awards took place Sunday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Beyoncé and Pink gave performances everyone will be talking about, while Miranda Lambert, Taylor Swift, and many others ruled the red carpet.

See who wore what to music's big show.

BEST: Beyoncé, in a caged two-piece, and Jay-Z opened the show with a performance of "Drunk In Love."

Beyoncé then changed into this Michael Costello show-stopper.

WORST: Katy Perry, who lost Song of the Year to Lorde, in a Valentino gown covered with music notes.

The Opening Ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympic Games is just weeks away.

The competition is hotter than ever. Literally.

From skiing to ice hockey to biathlon, we rounded up the steamiest athletes, listed alphabetically, who are headed to Mother Russia.

Alyson Dudek, Team USA

Age: 23
Sport: Short track speedskating

Dudek finished third in the rankings for all three distances at Olympic Trials, earning her the final spot on the U.S. women's team. The Wisconsin native skated in the Vancouver Games and won bronze with the relay team.

Aksel Lund Svindal, Team Norway

Age: 30
Sports: Alpine skiing

This Norwegian pillar won a medal of every color at the Vancouver Games, and will be the one to beat in the speed discipline events at Sochi. Svindal finished in the top five in his last six World Cup downhill races and in 12 of his last 14 dating back to March 2012.

Ashley Wagner, Team USA

Age: 22
Sport: Figure skating

A two-time U.S. figure skating champion, Wagner snagged one of three tickets to Sochi for women's single skaters despite only placing fourth at the tournament that typically dictates the U.S. Olympic team. She promises to continue speaking out against Russia's anti-gay laws, and is looking into options such as wearing "rainbow nails [and] rainbow earrings" during competition.

North Korea's infamous leader Kim Jong Un recently unveiled his latest project: The Masik Pass Ski Resort.  

The recently opened luxury resort took 10 months to build, a quick turnaround, according to The Irish Independent. It features nine ski runs, with the longest reaching over three miles, which are serviced by Chinese-made lifts (the Europeans reportedly refused to sell their lifts to the communist country). The slopes can accommodate 5,000 visitors a day, but so far only a couple hundred have checked them out.

See the slopes for yourself in the video below produced by Koryo Tours, a British-run, Beijing-based operation that specializes in trips to North Korea.

In a country that struggles to feed its people, some suggest that Kim Jong Un wanted to construct a ski resort that made North Korea look just as capable of hosting the Winter Olympics as South Korea, which will host the 2018 Games.  

SEE ALSO: The Closest Thing To Candid Photos Of North Korea You'll Ever See

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After what some would call a "lost year for tech," which also saw once-great American retailers fall from grace, we're thinking of 2014 as a glass-half-full kind of year.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has promised big reveals, which could include the launch of the iWatch. Google's Larry Page will likely continue to explore the "Internet of Things," scooping up start-ups along the way.

And there's really no telling what's up Elon Musk's sleeve.

Other companies will need saving, such as Eddie Lampert's Sears, which shuttered hundreds of stores and had net losses as high as $1.4 billion last year.

These 23 CEOs are leading companies on the brink of greatness, or extinction, and will be the ones to watch this year.

Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider through his personal investment company Bezos Expeditions.

Mary Barra

General Motors

In December Barra was named Dan Akerson's replacement at the Detroit-based auto company. The 33-year veteran of GM will be the company's first female CEO, a huge leap forward in an industry historically dominated by men.

She already has major influence over the design, engineering, and quality of GM's vehicles, and has made noticeable improvements in both the internal structure of the company as well as its sales growth. With this kind of track record for success, she's likely to continue taking the company in the right direction.

Jeff Bezos

Amazon

There's a lot in store for Amazon this year: Not only is it planning to make deliveries on Sundays, it's also introducing a Netflix rival, Amazon Prime Instant Video, which will be cheaper than Netflix, comparable in terms of selection, and feature its own original programming.

Bezos is continually lauded for his "insane focus on the customer," a primary reason his company was the most highly regarded in 2013, according to the YouGov Brand Index. That, plus his ever-evolving visions for innovation, makes him a frontrunner for CEOs we can expect big things from.

Patrick Byrne

Overstock

Byrne made headlines over the summer by announcing that Overstock would start accepting the much buzzed-about digital currency Bitcoin as a form of payment in 2014, the first major online retailer to do so.

Byrne has already shown great follow-through on his plan to accept Bitcoin: he reached out to a Bitcoin payment processor immediately after the new year, and launched the new payment methods within a week, making good on his promise. More than 100 Bitcoin purchases, including some large ones, were made just two hours after the currency was accepted.

Last May, a Connecticut mansion went on the market for $190 million and became the most expensive home for sale in the U.S.

Now, that price tag has been reduced to $130 million, meaning the property — Greenwich's Copper Beech Farm — no longer holds that title, according to Curbed (an estate in Dallas remains on the market for $135 million).

The 50-acre property dates back to the 1890s, and is currently owned by timber magnate John Rudey. It carries a reported $120 million in debt, likely accounting for the sky-high initial sale price.

The 12-bedroom home has 15,000 square feet of living space, 7,000 square feet of basement and attic space, and an 1,800-foot-long driveway. There's also a grass tennis court, innumerable gardens, apple orchard, greenhouses, 75-foot-long heated pool, and a carriage house.

The estate is currently listed with Christie's International Real Estate and David Ogilvy & Associates.

Timber magnate John Rudey's $130 million, 50-acre estate is known as Copper Beach Farm.

Source: David Ogilvy & Associates Realtors

It has 4,000 feet of waterfront property on Long Island Sound, as well as two offshore islands.

Source: David Ogilvy & Associates Realtors

The gigantic property also has 15,000 square feet of living space, as well as 7,000 square feet of basement and attic space. It's huge.

Source: David Ogilvy & Associates Realtors

Girl Scout cookies are a national icon, making an average of $800 million annually. Last year, troops of green-sashed little girls sold more than 200 million boxes of cookies, Girl Scouts of America told Business Insider.

And because National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend kicks off on February 7th, people around the country can expect to start seeing those colorful boxes in offices and malls in the coming months.

In honor of the cookies' return, we asked Girl Scouts of America which flavors were the most popular.

Here are the top five cookies, along with a rough count of how many boxes were sold last year.

5. Trefoils/Shortbread Cookies

9% of last year's sales came from Trefoils, also known as Shortbread cookies. That means over 18 million boxes of the buttery cookies were sold, which adds up to roughly 720 million Trefoils (40 cookies per box).

4. Do-si-dos/Peanut Butter Sandwiches

Over 22 million boxes of Do-si-dos, were sold last year, accounting for around 11% of sales. At 20 cookies per box, that means we scarfed down more than 440 million of those peanut butter sandwiches.

3. Tagalongs/Peanut Butter Patties

Over 26 million boxes, or 13% of all sales, went to Tagalongs last year. Those chocolate-covered peanut butter treats have an average of 14 patties per box, which equals 364 million cookies.

2. Samoas/Caramel deLites

These delicious combinations of chocolate, cookie, caramel, and toasted coconut accounted for 19% of last year's sales. That's well over 38 million boxes, and roughly 570 million cookies (given that Samoas have an average of 15 cookies per box).

1. Thin Mints

Of course, Thin Mints are the #1-selling Girl Scout cookie in America. The crispy treats merge chocolate and mint for one delicious snack. Girl Scouts of America sold more than 50 million boxes last year, or roughly 1.6 billion cookies (with an average of 32 cookies per box). Thin Mints made up 25% of total cookie sales.

For those keeping track, the remaining 23% of sales were made up collectively by all the other varieties of cookies, including Dulce de Leches, Savannah Smiles, Thank You Berry Munches, Thanks a Lots, Cranberry Citrus Crisps, Lemonades, and Mango Crèmes — basically, all the flavors you judge people for ordering.

It also did not include this year's new flavor, gluten-free Chocolate Chip Shortbread cookies that are making waves among Girl Scout cookie aficionados.

And if you disagree with the ranking and feel really strongly about one of the 12 flavors, you can go to the Girl Scouts website and vote on your favorite cookie. So far, Samoas/Caramel deLites are winning.

SEE ALSO: 12 Baking Hacks That Will Seriously Improve Your Cookies

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Making your own liquor can be dangerous (not to mention illegal).

But we're in something of a craft distilling renaissance these days, and people really want to make their own booze.

For gin enthusiasts, now you can.

We sampled the HomeMade Gin Kit, which provides juniper berries, botanicals, and the necessary flasks and funnels to make it all possible.

All you need is 36 hours and a bottle of vodka (not included).

Our verdict: Gin lovers might find this gin different from what they're used to. Given the strong botanical flavor, mixologists might be wiser to make a cocktail out of it rather than a classic G&T. But for $50, it still makes for a fun novelty gift.

You can read more about the HomeMade Gin Kit here.

The kit includes two flasks, directions, the ingredients, a strainer, and a funnel. We went to our local liquor store and grabbed a bottle of cheap vodka.

The juniper and botanicals are what will turn the vodka into gin.

First up, the juniper berries.

Contently helps freelance writers find work.  It recently raised a $9 million Series B round of financing from Lightbank, ff Venture Capital, and Consigliere Brand Capital. It has raised $12 million to date. 

Co-founder Shane Snow says the fundraising process took two months, but his team networked for a number of months with investors before the round was raised. His advice to other entrepreneurs who are trying to raise money is to focus on telling a story with your pitch deck.

"The story is the most important part [of your pitch]," Snow told Business Insider via email. "We laid out our deck in a way that allowed us to tell a narrative. We started with the context of the market and what was happening and why it was big, which led to the challenge the market was seeing, then we built a little suspense, showed what others had said about how we'd solved the problem, and then dove deep into the solution and our world takeover plans."

Snow's team left the more boring details for an appendix and kept its pitch to Contently's high-level vision. "The idea of this presentation is to gauge whether the investor buys the premise, and then future conversations would be deep dives into our financials, etc," says Snow.

Snow shared the winning pitch deck with Business Insider, minus some financial information.

Start with a opening slide that shows off your brand and states what you're trying to accomplish. Don't be afraid to name-drop some of your partners.

State your mission clearly.

What's the problem you're solving?

If you're heading to Super Bowl XLVIII in New Jersey on Sunday and were planning to grab an Uber or a taxi, think again.

According to the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT), taxicabs and for-hire vehicles will not be allowed to access MetLife stadium:

Please be aware that due to eestricted [sic] access at MetLife Stadium, yellow and green taxicabs as well as any for-hire-vehicles will not have access to the stadium and should not attempt to provide passenger service to the game.

Taking any kind of car from New York to New Jersey for the game seems like a bad idea. The DOT says to "expect increased activity and limited use" around the Lincoln Tunnel and on these streets:

• Ninth Avenue, between West 34th – 65th streets

• Westbound lanes of 42nd Street, river to river

• 57th Street, river to river

• 49th Street, river to river

• 53rd Street, river to river

   

There are, however, plenty of public transportation options to get to the game Sunday. Read about them here.

SEE ALSO: TSA Reveals The Craziest Things It Found In 2013

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Getting fit is one of the most common New Year's resolutions, but the hardest part is getting started.

That's where tech-savvy fitness gadgets can help. Whether it's a portable GPS that helps you train or a wristband that keeps you on track, these new devices will make getting active and shedding pounds in 2014 that much easier.

Keep reading to see seven new gadgets that will up your fitness regimen.

Whithings Smart Body Analyzer ($150)

This smart scale monitors and tracks weight, body fat percentage, heart rate, blood pressure, and even air quality. The scale immediately syncs with an app (compatible with iOS or Android devices) that then shows users their body's overall health and progress, and can even remember multiple profiles for your household.

The Whithings scale will also sync with over 60 apps and devices like the Fitbit, RunKeeper, and Retrofit so users have all the tools you need to reach your goal. To read more about the scale, click here.

TAO WellShell ($200-$300)

Users can do more than 50 isometric exercises with this palm-sized pressure sensor, which can also monitor heart rate, sleep duration, and steps walked/distance traveled. The WellShell provides instructions on how to perform each exercise with a 3D model that demonstrates how it's done.

The WellShell lets users exercise wherever they are (on a plane, sitting in traffic, or at the office) with audio or vibrating feedback, and keeps track of diet and progress through an app. Reports say it will be available by the end of 2014.

Garmin Edge 500 Cycling GPS ($200)

Cyclers will love Garmin's new Edge 500, a lightweight, GPS computer that tracks distance, speed, elevation, and location. The small device easily attaches to handlebars to help performance-driven cyclists navigate their environment as well as monitor their heart rate, track calories burned, and see how long and far they've traveled.

The Edge 500 has an 18-hour battery life, and is easily rechargeable with a USB cord. Once the ride's done, users can sync the device and analyze their performance compared to past workouts.

iriverOn ($200)

The iriverOn is a set of Bluetooth headphones that are connected to a funky looking neck collar that rids runners and weight lifters of tangled cords forever. Users listen to music while the headphones monitor distance, time, calories burned, and heart-rate with a biometric sensor in the right-side earbud.

The collar has a set of controls to pause, play, and control volume, and wearers can also make or answer incoming phone calls. It charges with a micro USB port at the bottom of the collar, and an app immediately syncs with the device to track progress.

Skulpt Aim ($149-$200)

The most frustrating part about getting in shape is not seeing immediate results. Skulpt Aim can help with that. It's a handheld wireless device that can calculate the fat percentage of any body part simply by being pressed against skin. It can provide overall body fat percentage, too.

The way it works is by sending a current through the body, and measuring how quickly it moves (i.e. the faster the current moves, the less fat there is). Skulpt has a long-lasting battery, is portable, and connects to an online dashboard that measures areas of improvement and what still needs work. It's currently available for pre-order until May for $149 (will raise the price to $200 thereafter).

Lumo Lift ($69)

Small changes in posture can make all the difference. This tiny (1 inch wide, 1.75 inches long) wearable device easily clips magnetically to clothing or undergarments, and tracks daily activity to improve posture.

It connects with an app (iOS and Android compatible) that also measures steps and calories. It also discreetly vibrates when the user slouches, sending a reminder to sit or stand tall. The battery lasts 5 days and the Lumo Lift charges in under two hours. Available for pre-order now, and will ship in the spring of this year.

FitBit Force ($130)

FitBit Force is the next generation FitBit, which includes a tiny screen for displaying the time and day's fitness stats. It monitors calorie and water intake (entered manually), as well as how many steps the user has taken, stairs climbed, sleep patterns, and miles traveled on foot.

The comfortable band is light and water resistant, and connects to a smartphone or computer via Bluetooth to keep track of progress (compatible with most iOS and Android devices). To read more about the FitBit Force, click here.

SEE ALSO: 5 Exercise Machines You Should Never Use At The Gym

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The Super Bowl is right around the corner, and if you aren't planning to supply your friends with free-flowing beer, unlimited hot wings, and a big high-def TV to watch the game on, you'd better start scouting the best sports bars in your hometown.

Derek Hembree and Clint Lanier, authors of the book "Bucket List Bars," helped us find some of the best sports bars in big cities around the U.S.

Check out one of these venues for Sunday's big game, or any time you want to cheer on your favorite team.

ATLANTA

Stats
300 Marietta Street NW

What sets Stats apart is the personal beer taps at select tables, which means no need to catch the bartender's attention. The 70+ high-def TVs and $1 cinerator shots on game day? Those are just perks.

Diesel Filling Station
870 Highland Avenue

It may be "a bit divey," but Diesel has everything a sports lover needs, including plenty of TVs, a huge beer selection, darts and arcade games, and great pub food. Bonus: Many of their tables have outlets to charge phones or iPads.

AUSTIN

The Tavern
922 W. 12th Street

Austin residents often say "you're never too far from 12th and Lamar," referring to the location of The Tavern. It's one of the Austin's oldest and best sports bars, with big screens, great drafts, and their must-try specialty: white wings.

Mister Tramps Sports Bar and Cafe
8565 Research Boulevard

Mister Tramps is known for their local and craft beers, and unique drunk foods menu. If you're going with a big group, call ahead and reserve a private space just for you and your friends.

BOSTON

McGreevy's
911 Boylston Street

With an impressive, 220-year history, McGreevy's was THE sports pub at the turn of the century, and that hasn't changed. Professional athletes, politicians, and businessmen often frequent here, mingling with diehard Boston fans alike.

Jerry Remy's
1265 Boylston Street

The first president of Red Sox Nation opened up this sports bar in his own name to give dedicated to Red Sox fans a game-watching haven. With three locations across the city, patrons often boast that "it has more TVs than Best Buy."

Game On!
82 Lansdown Street

Game On! has an expansive layout that features more than 90 HDTVs, private party rooms, and an impressive sound system. If you're feeling lucky, Game On! often holds ticket giveaways to nearly every sporting event in the Greater Boston Area.

Over the last two and half months, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have protested the increasingly authoritarian direction of President Viktor Yanukovych’s government. At the forefront of Ukrainians’ objections to the government are a special police force known as the Berkut, or “Golden Eagle.”

During the Euromaidan Protests, Yanukovych has deployed up to 5,000 members of the Berkut to assist in protest management, including the use of water cannons, tear gas, and rubber bullets. Rather than quelling the disturbances, the Berkut has fanned the flames, using increasingly brutal measures to fight protesters.

The Berkut are a special police force that has had a long history of brutality, abuse, torture, and other measures in service of whatever political regime is in control of Ukraine. The force was first formed in 1988 as part of the Soviet OMON (Special Purpose Police Unit), an elite riot police and paramilitary force.

In 1992, after the fall of the Soviet Union, the force reformed as the Berkut under the Ministry of Internal Affairs and was stationed in every province. Originally established to fight organized crime, the force has been increasingly utilized to maintain law and order and break up “mass events,” such as riots and protests. 

Check out their recruitment video here (It's in Ukrainian):

Since their inception, they have been involved in numerous scandals, including violently dispersing peacefully protesting coal miners in 1998,  violently attacking protesters during the Ukraine Without Kuchma protests in 2001, as well as sadistically attacking protesters during the current Euromaidan protests. 

Berkut members are carefully selected and trained extensively. Prior to joining, Berkut men must have army service, as well as two to three years of law enforcement experience. They are usually paid between one and half to two times more than a regular police officer. 

The semi-autonomous Berkut police often act with impunity for their actions, leading some to call them a “mafia-style organization.” Some efforts have been made over the years to rein in Berkut power, most notably by Yuriy Lutsenko (now an opposition leader) under President Viktor Yushchenko. Lutsenko set up human rights experts and oversight groups to monitor the activities of the Berkut and other members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

When current President Yanukovych came to power, these measures were rolled back. Yanukovych appointed a close ally to run the MIA and, since,  the Berkut has upped its brutality. 

During the current protests, there have been numerous instances of reported Berkut brutality. The most recent reports charge Berkut with firing at protesters and a video has surfaced of Berkut officers parading a naked protester around on a snow-covered street. A Berkut officer grabs the man and kicks him as he is placed on a police bus. You can see the video below (WARNING: It is graphic):

The Euromaidan Protests may have started over a trade agreement dispute, but it's end could hinge on serious reform of the country's most brutal police force. 

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Over the weekend, legendary Valley venture capitalist Tom Perkins caused a firestorm in a letter to the editor to The Wall Street Journal in which he said people who criticized the rich were like Nazis who persecuted the Jews in the 1930s.

The comments caused an outcry in the Valley, with most people condemning them, although one other prominent VC, Tim Draper of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, defended Perkins.

This is far from the first time that the 82-year-old Perkins, often called the "Father of Silicon Valley," has caused controversy.

His life story is a continuous string of over-the-top-ness, filled with luxury excess, boardroom drama, even a conviction of manslaughter in a French court.

Yes, he's rich.

Tom Perkins is rich, though it's not clear exactly how rich.

He's a multi-millionare, he said Monday during an interview on Bloomberg Television. He's not currently on the Forbes list of the 400 richest Americans, nor on Bloomberg's Billionaire index.

"I’m not a billionaire. I’ve created billionaires, but I’m unfortunately am not one," he said.

But he's been rich for decades, and there's no reason to believe that he's in danger of falling from the 1% any time soon, or ever.

His famous mega-yacht: The Maltese Falcon.

Perkins is known for building the mega-yacht, The Maltese Falcon, the subject of a "60 Minutes profile" in 2007.

The Falcon was the world's largest privately owned sailboat of the day, and full of technological breakthroughs.

Someone once called it a "big boatload of ego," and when "60 Minutes'" Lesley Stahl asked him about that, he laughed and said, "Somebody has to have it, right? Why not me?"

The boat cost $130 million to build, had 11,000 square feet of living space, and a crew of 20, including a gourmet chef. He sold it in 2009.

He was once convicted of manslaughter in France.

In 1996, Perkins was racing his yacht in France when he collided with a smaller boat, killing a French doctor on board, he wrote in his 2008 memoir, "Valley Boy: The Education of Tom Perkins."

Perkins was found guilty by a French court. Jail sentences were suspended, and he was ordered to pay a fine of $10,000.

Perkins described it like this:"Arrested and tried in a foreign court in a language you don't understand, by judges indifferent — or worse — to justice, represented by an inappropriate lawyer with the negative outcome preordained."

Non-Russians may not appreciate the significance of the Siege of Leningrad, which ended 70 years ago today, but Michael McFaul, U.S. Ambassador to Russia, hopes to change that.

"As an ambassador and as a university professor, I would like more Americans to learn about this tragic, but heroic chapter in the history of your city," McFaul wrote in an article in Nevskoye Vremya published today, "I want to do all I can to help Americans learn more and I am proud of the fact that I have visited your wonderful history museums with my two sons."

Russians remember the siege with a sad mixture of pride in the city's resilience and horror at what that resilience led to.

The city, now known as St. Petersburg, was of major strategic importance to Nazi Germany. It was not only the former Russian capital and the birthplace of Russian Communism but also the the home of the Soviet Baltic Fleet, a major industrial city, and — just 130 miles away from Finland by road and a major port — was Russia's "window to Europe."

Nazi leader Adolf Hitler reportedly planned to have a big party at Leningrad's Hotel Astoria and to rename the city "Adolfsburg," although he was also considering burning it to the ground.

Caught between German and Finnish troops, the Soviet army in Leningrad was besieged. Over a million citizens in the city were mobilized in June 1941 to help build fortifications. On Sept. 7 all land connections to the city were severed by the Axis front.

Artillery bombing of the city began in September 1941 and continued for 872 days (just short of 2 1/2 years). The destruction wrought on the city has been called the largest loss of life in any modern city. It is thought that 750,000 civilians and the same number of soldiers died during the siege. Books were burned for heat and zoo animals were eaten for meat — some even resorted to cannibalism. 

The siege was finally broken on Jan. 27, 1944, but its legacy went on.

Before the siege, the city contained around 3 million people. It did not reach those levels of population again until the 1960s. Russia President Vladimir Putin, born in 1952, was one of the people who grew up in the shell of the city that had been there before, and his elder brother had died of diphtheria during the siege itself.

"Once [during the Siege], my mother lost consciousness and people around thought that she died," Putin revealed in his book Ot Pervogo Litsa. "She was even put together with dead bodies. It was fortunate that the mother came to her senses in time and moaned. In general, she stayed alive by a miracle."

"Not only the people of Russia, but also the people of the whole world owe a lot to those who stopped and drove away the Nazis," Ambassador McFaul wrote today. "Without your victory in Leningrad and other battles of WWII, world history could have taken a totally different path. Thank you."

You can see more pictures from the siege below:

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As anyone with a pulse is certainly aware, we are inching ever closer to one of the most sacred days on the American calendar: Super Bowl Sunday.

See what advertisers have planned for the Super Bowl >

And just as the NFL Playoffs are whittling down a field of hungry competitors to two lucky participants, advertising agencies across the globe are cutting excess footage and tweaking taglines in preparation for the industry's most prominent showcase.

Though many brands and their agencies will no doubt be frantically piecing together their strategies all the way up to gameday, some have started to give us a taste of what we can expect to see in between the action of Super Bowl XLVIII. They include mainstays like Budweiser and unknown newcomers like Squarespace.

We've summarized everything we've learned here, and we'll continue to add updates as they become available — right on up until kickoff.

Bud Light

This year's Super Bowl is an especially big one for Bud Light, the official beer of the NFL. Amid slipping sales, Bud Light will introduce a new tagline — "The Perfect Beer For Whatever Happens"— in three ads totaling 2 minutes of airtime.

In the coveted A1 spot, the first ad of the first quarter, Bud Light will promote its new reclosable bottle with a 30-second ad, called "So Cool," from the St. Louis agency Cannonball. The ad will feature the world debut of a song from a well-known artist. Bud Light has also said the ad will offer consumers some sort of "digital reward".

Bud Light's other attraction will come later in the form of a 60-second ad and a 30-second ad that together will tell a cohesive story called "Epic Night". The first Super Bowl work from BBDO since it was named Bud Light's agency of record earlier this year, "Epic Night" will seek to win over millennials with surprise celebrity appearances from the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Don Cheadle, and Reggie Watts.

Bud Light has hinted in teaser videos that "Epic Night" will also include reality element involving 412 actors, 58 hidden cameras, and one unsuspecting Average Joe, who will have to decide whether he's "up for whatever happens next" in the wild ride Bud Light has planned.

The campaign will include digital integration from the agency AKQA, and represents Paul Chibe's last Super Bowl as the head of U.S. marketing for Bud Light's parent company, A-B InBev.

Here's one of Bud Light's teaser videos for "Epic Night," starring Don Cheadle and a llama:

Audi

Audi will promote its new 2015 A3 sedan in a 60-second ad during the first in-game break of the third quarter. This year marks Audi's seventh consecutive year advertising at the Super Bowl, all of them with ad agency Venables Bell & Partners.

The star of the upcoming ad will be the demonic Doberman-Chihuahua hybrid, the "Doberhuahua."

The message of the ad is that Audi knows compromise can be scary — as in the case of breeding a Doberman with a Chihuahua — but consumers can rest assured that the luxury car company's entry-level A3 is still up to the brand's standards despite being an affordable option:

Axe

Unilever's Axe brand is starting off the year in a radically different direction from what it is used to. Instead of using a horde of girls in bikinis to get young men to buy the brand's grooming products, Axe is putting a surprisingly cinematic and serious spin on war movie tropes.

BBH London wanted to have the ad, for the new "Peace" fragrance, be the brand's first serious commercial, and one that had an equilibrium between the sexes.

The agency even partnered with the nonprofit Peace One Day for the campaign. The final ad will be a 30-second abridged version of the one below. Watch scenes of warfare and oppression turn to those of love and celebration: 

After nearly a year of waiting, this week I finally got my chance to get Google Glass — the search giant's work-in-progress headset that costs a whopping $1,600 if you include taxes.

About three weeks before, Android Central reported that Google was beginning to send out invitations to buy into its Glass Explorer program to its paid All-Access Music subscribers. I had just finished my free trial and decided to stick with the service, so the news was a welcome surprise.

Weeks went by with nothing from Google in my inbox. I figured that my recent upgrade to the paid tier was holding up the invitation. Finally, it came — and I was given a choice: have it immediately shipped to me, or visit the company's office in San Francisco to have a fitting and assisted setup session. 

Since I had heard that the service given at the live session is comparable to that in Apple's retail stores, I thought it would be worth it to wait a few extra days for the experience, as appointment slots were filled for most of the week.

As it turns out, it was. I've gone through a lot of phones and tablets in my time, and the in-person assistance Google gave me made for one of the best first experiences I've ever had with a gadget — it was even better than my experience getting the iPad Air from an Apple retail store when that launched.

You'd never be able to tell Google's San Francisco offices are residing in this unassuming building on the Embarcadero.

After going up an elevator, a hallway leads you to an open room full of modern furnishings.

A team of Googlers awaits those with appointments. They verify that you've actually been invited to pick up Glass by checking your photo ID.

If you can't make it out to the Meadowlands for Super Bowl XLVIII, don't fret. New York City is transforming itself into football heaven.

Seattle Seahawks diehards will generally want to catch the game on the Upper East Side, while Denver Broncos fans will have the run of Midtown sports bars. But fans of all stripes will find NFL fun along "Super Bowl Boulevard," filling Broadway from 34th to 47th streets. Plus a bunch of sports bars are ready with specials for the big game and Bruno Mars halftime show.

We rounded up some of the best places in New York City to spend your Super Bowl Sunday.  

Amity Hall: Watch the Super Bowl on this downtown bar's 20-foot HD TV. Their tailgate starts at 4 p.m. with games, prizes and specials.

Aviator Sports: Head to Brooklyn to watch the game. Aviator Sports is offering unlimited bottled and tap beer and wine plus a hot and cold buffet at half-time for $50.

Butterfield 8: Broncos fans will be filling this bar on Super Bowl Sunday, and if you're wearing Broncos' apparel, you get half=off bar snacks.  

Carlow East: NYCeahawks meet at Carlow East to cheer on Seattle's team. They're planning a special Seahawk menu and drinks for game day. 

Down the Hatch: For $23 per person, you get three domestic pitchers, all you can eat atomic wings, fries and onion rings.   

Féile: This is a Seahawks bar. The Seahawks of Midtown meet here for every regular season game Seattle plays, and they'll be here in full force on Super Bowl Sunday. 

Hair of the Dog: This bar has half-price beer all day and night on Sundays. 

Mustang Harry's: If you're a Broncos fan, you'll find your brothers-in-arms at this midtown bar. A shot of Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey and a can of PBR will only set you back $7.

Nelly Spillane's: Their NFL specials include pitchers for $15 and 50 cent wings.

Off the Wagon: Not only can you catch the game on a 100-inch screen, you also get $3 mixed drinks, shots, drafts and bottled beer starting at 8 p.m. 

The Sixth Ward: On game day, open bar costs $45. There's also a free buffet at half-time, plus beer, shots and food specials and giveaways.

Stout: This Broncos supporting bar is offering buckets of Bud for $5 or buckets of Colorado brewed beer for $6.

T.G. Whitney's: This bar is part of the NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee. They'll have various specials revealed on game day. 

SEE ALSO: The Best Sports Bars In 13 Big Cities Around The US

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