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26 Unbelievable Photos From The Heart Of Ukraine

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ukraine

The European Union has called an extraordinary meeting of the bloc's 28 foreign ministers to discuss the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. Sanctions "against those responsible for violence and use of excessive force" are expected.

Anti-government protests in Ukraine reached their most violent point on Tuesday as at least 25 people were killed and hundreds injured amid violent clashes between police and citizens.

The protests have evolved into a full-blown crisis on the ground. What happens now is critical to the geopolitical struggle between Russia and the West.

The crisis began in late November when Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych snubbed a plan to sign an Association Agreement and trade pact with the EU after Russia persuaded the most populous former Soviet republic to stay in the Kremlin's orbit.

Citizens subsequently flooded the streets and made Independence Square, aka Maidan, their base in central Kiev. The confrontations between the opposition and Yanukovych's government have been escalating since.

On Wednesday, people poured back into Maidan to prepare for fresh clashes with police. (Here's a Maidan live stream.)

From riot police using ancient military tactics to defend against attacks to streets engulfed in flames, the photos coming for the heart of the standoff are incredible.

SEE ALSO: Here's What's Happening In Ukraine And Why It Matters

The anti-government protesters remain defiant, with one man telling Reuters: "They can come in their thousands, but we will not give in. ... We will stay until victory and will hold the Maidan until the end."

Source



Kiev streets have been burning throughout the protests. On Tuesday, the Maidan was particularly alight.



Leading to some incredible fireworks amid the violence.



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20 Actors Who Started Their Careers As Models

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Cameron Diaz modeling

It's no secret that Hollywood is filled with attractive people.

But some of today's top actors and actresses are so "ridiculously good looking," as Zoolander would say, that before they were on screen, they were walking catwalks or posing for major brands in magazines and commercials.

While a surprising number of Hollywood stars got their start as Abercrombie & Fitch models, others honed their chops in couture.

Can you recognize these catwalk-turned-Hollywood stars? 

By the age of 10, Katherine Heigl was working with Wilhelmina Models posing on the covers of magazines and for Sears and Lord & Taylor catalogs.



A 14-year-old Heigl hit Hollywood in 1992, going on to star in "Grey's Anatomy,""27 Dresses," and "The Ugly Truth."



A 25-year-old Josh Duhamel was named Male Model of the Year at an International Model and Talent Association competition in 1997.

Check out video of Duhamel strutting his stuff here >

 



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British Flood Victims Reveal What They Would Save First In A Disaster [PHOTOS]

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Violent storms and heavy rain have been setting off floods in in England for the better part of the last month and half, leaving villages like Moorland, in Southwest England, largely deserted. The country’s wettest January in nearly 250 years has damaged homes, businesses, and transportation.

Moorland, on the Somerset Levels (a coastal plain and wetland region), is the epicenter of the incredible flooding. Currently more than 2.3 billion cubic feet of flood water is being pumped out of the village, at a rate of 106 million cubic feet per day. 

Reuters photographer Cathal McNaughton recently went to Moorland to find residents who have yet to leave their homes. He asked them what possession they would save first if they were forced to leave. They had some interesting answers. 

Housewife Jane Clement, 54, and Nuclear Power Station Operations Manager Paul Clement, 57, pose outside their house with one of the photographs they say is the first thing they will save if they must abandon their house to the flood.flood9Sales representative Angela Greenway, 40, poses outside her house with two dogs, which she says are the first things she would take with her if her house floods.flood8Housewife and mother Lesley Haughton, 67, poses outside her house with her daschund dog. flood6Margaret Avery, 71, and her husband, Michael Avery, 76, pose with their grandson, Tom, 21, who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome and epilepsy, who they say they will rescue first if floods overtake the house. flood4Semi-retired Rickie Haughton, 70, poses with his English Mastiff inside his house.flood7Teaching assistant Claire Stanley poses with important photographs of family and friends, which are the first things she would save in a flood.flood3Housewife Jean Gibbons and her husband, salesman John Gibbons, both 64, pose outside their house, holding a USB stick containing family photos, and passports.flood2Angela Tunstall, a retiree, poses with her husband and company director, Stephen, 62, inside their house, with one of their two dogs. flood5Builder Derek Bristow, 64, poses outside his house with one of the photos he will rescue first if the flood waters in his house rise any further.flood1

SEE ALSO: 9 Crazy Pictures Of Flooding In The UK And Ireland

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The Soviets Had Big Plans For This Enormous Nuclear-Equipped Ekranoplane

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Ekranoplane

In the thick of the Cold War, the Soviet Union built a revolutionary transport vessel that was bigger than any plane and faster than any ship. It was also capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

Classified as a ground effect vehicle, the 300-foot-long Lun-class Ekranoplane flew just four meters or so off the surface of water through the ground effect generated by its large wings.

It theoretically represented a new threat against the West, though the ship did not enter wide production and it never saw action.

The only model ever produced, the MD-160, was retired in the late 1990s and now sits rusting at a naval station in Kaspiysk. Aviation blogger Igor113 captured some awesome pictures of the Ekranoplane and shared them here.

At the pinnacle of the Cold War, when the Soviets were realizing they had few options left in defeating the West, the Lun-class Ekranoplane likely held high hopes for many Kremlin officials.



Larger than a football field, the Lun was a technological innovation the likes of which the world had never seen.



Eight powerful turbofans producing 28,600 pounds of thrust apiece — as much as the new F-35 engines — are mounted at the nose of the craft.

Source: BGA Aeroweb



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The 10 Best Islands In The World, According To TripAdvisor Users

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02_Providenciales_Turks and Caicos

It's no surprise that islands in the Caribbean and South Pacific dominated the list of best islands in the world, according to a new list from travel site TripAdvisor.

But Indian Ocean islands had their fair share of representatives on the list as well.

The site ranked islands based on the quality and quantity of the most highly-rated hotels, restaurants, and attractions listed for each location on TripAdvisor gathered during a 12-month period.

10. Ko Tao in Thailand gets its name from the sea turtles that rest on its shores. It has white sand beaches and an average of 300 days of sunshine per year.

Source: TripAdvisor



9. Easter Island sits more than 2,000 miles off the coast of Chile in the South Pacific. Its isolation has helped preserve the 1,500-year-old mysterious statues made of volcanic rock.

Source: TripAdvisor



8. Nosy Be, at the northern tip of Madagascar, has a name that means "big island." You'll find volcanic lakes, rum distilleries, Ylang Ylang plantations and coral reefs here.

Source: TripAdvisor



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The 18 Best Ski Racers On Wall Street

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Hig Roberts

In the spirit of the Winter Olympics, we've decided to track down some of the top ski racers who are now working on Wall Street. 

We've found folks who competed in the Olympics and others who were World Cup medalists. We found many skiers who were captains of their college teams.

We've also found some younger skiers who are heading to Wall Street when they're finished with school.

These alpine skiers have swapped running gates for putting together financial models and analyst reports. They can still hit the slopes on the weekends, though.  One of the skiers on our list happens to own a ski area, too.

If you know of other skiers who should be included, feel free to send an email to jlaroche@businessinsider.com. Please include a photo and a brief bio of ski highlights. 

RBC Capital Markets director Ed Podivinsky won the bronze medal in Lillehammer in 1994.

Finance Job: Ed Podivinsky is a director in the institutional equity division of RBC Capital Markets.

Ski Highlights: He represented Canada in three Olympic games.  He won the bronze medal medal at the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer.



Blackstone exec James 'Jim' Schaefer was captain of University of Vermont's 1990 NCAA Championship team.

Finance Job: He's a Senior Managing Director/Global Head of Energy, Power & Renewables at Blackstone.

Education: University of Vermont

Ski Highlights: James "Jim" Schaefer raced for the University of Vermont from 1986 to 1990. He was captain of the 1990 NCAA National Championship team. Prior to UVM, he was New England prep school champion for Eaglebrook and Deerfield Academy from 1983-1986.  Schaefer raced in regional USSA races, Eastern Cup and NorAm events as well as at US Nationals. Schaefer was Eastern Cup Slalom champion in 1991. He also coached the New Zealand ski team and served as head coach at Mt. Hutt in 1991 and 1992. While at grad school Jim was an All American at the University of Michigan on the NCSA tour in 1994.  Jim raced occasionally until 2005 at regional USSA races in New England. 



UBS managing director Alexander 'Sandy' Williams competed in the 1988 Olympics in Calgary as a member of the U.S. Ski Team.

Finance Job: Williams is a managing director at UBS Private Wealth Management in New York with over 19 years of experience in financial services. Before UBS, he worked at Morgan Stanley's wealth management division. 

Education:  University of Rochester (undergrad), UPenn Wharton (MBA)

Ski Highlights: Williams competed in the 1988 Olympics in Calgary. He was a member of the US Ski Team from 1982 to 1992.  



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HOUSE OF THE DAY: The Biggest Mansion For Sale In America Can Be Yours For A Bargain $13.9 Million

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America's largest listing 7 montagel way

A grand mansion in Alabama is the largest home currently on the market in the U.S., according to Curbed.

A virtual Versailles of the South, the Birmingham home is 54,400 square feet. That would be stunning enough, but when added to the square footage of the estate's "equestrian lounge" and two-bedroom guest house, the entire compound becomes a whopping 62,000 square feet.

The incredible home took four years to complete, with artists and architects from Europe handcrafting the stucco, marble, limestone, and decorative features within the home. It is listed with Hurwitz James Company for $13.9 million, a relative bargain.

The 15-bedroom complex also has a 25-seat movie theater, stables, and a 12-car garage.

Welcome to the mini-Versailles in Birmingham, Ala. It is currently the largest listing in America.

Source: Hurwitz James Company



The entire estate covers 27 acres with stables, an "equestrian lounge," and a two-bedroom guest house. (And yes, the landscaping looks like a guitar.)

Source: Hurwitz James Company



The mansion itself is 54,400 square feet, and combined the entire square footage of the property is 62,000 square feet.

Source: Hurwitz James Company



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How To Use WhatsApp, The Messaging App That Facebook Just Bought For $16 Billion

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WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum

WhatsApp is an instant messaging service based in Santa Clara, Calif., that reached 400 million monthly users.

Facebook just bought the company for $16 billion.

According to The Telegraph, WhatsApp sends 20 billion messages per day — double the size of Facebook's daily messaging traffic, carried by Messenger.

The app was created in 2009 by former Yahoo! employees Brian Acton and Jan Koum. WhatsApp allows you to send text messages, audio, and video to others — as long as you subscribe. But as long as you have a strong internet connection, the app will never add additional roaming charges to your phone.

WhatsApp is available for iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Nokia and Windows. Are you interested in WhatsApp?

After you download WhatsApp, it'll ask for you to enter your phone number.



The app will text you an SMS code to enter in order to verify your account.



You'll get a notification telling you that you'll have one year of free service. Afterwards, it will cost $0.99



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These Charts Perfectly Explain Why Companies Are Going Crazy Spending Billions On Messaging Apps

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Mark ZuckerbergFacebook just bought WhatsApp for $19 billion, which is its biggest competitor in social messaging. WhatsApp is used by 450 million people to send a variety of texts, photos, videos and more to friends all over the world for free.

Messaging apps have become a threat to companies like Facebook since it prevents them from expanding overseas and obtaining access from coveted demographics in emerging markets.

These charts from OnDevice explain why messaging apps have hurt Facebook and why Facebook spent billions buying WhatsApp.

WhatsApp is the leader in social messaging apps.



These stats show that WhatsApp is used all over the world. Facebook buying this app opens up more global markets.



Users share 400 million photos through WhatsApp.



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The Most Amazing Science Discoveries You May Have Missed

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Voyager 1

While these stories may have not made Science's 'Top 10 science stories of the year' list touting the biggest discoveries of the year, many interesting findings made headline in 2013. 

Last year held plenty of off-beat and off-the-beaten-track findings and news: Humans ate the first test-tube hamburger, a plan to capture an asteroid was launched, and a mind-controlled prosthetic leg was made. 

These are the kinds of findings that make science fun, so we decided to ditch the over-hyped stories and make a list of the most remarkable things you might have missed last year. Here are the incredible stories. 

A hydrogen bond was photographed for the first time.

In September, scientists captured the first images of one of the most important physical interactions in the world — the hydrogen bond — which holds DNA together and gives water its unique properties.

These never-before-seen photos are an encouraging advancement in atomic force microscopy, a method of scanning that can see details at the fraction of a nanometer level.

See the world's first images of an actual hydrogen bond »



A skull from Georgia suggests that all early humans were a single species.

The analysis of a 1.8-million-year-old skull found in a region of Georgia suggests that the earliest members of the Homo genus actually belonged to the same species. The skull was discovered alongside the remains of four other early human ancestors, but had different physical features despite being from the same time period and location. 

Researchers have traditionally used variation among Homo fossils to define separate species, but now think that early, diverse Homo fossils from Africa actually represent members of a single, evolving lineage — they just looked different from one another. 

Read more about the discovery of "skull 5"»



For the first time in 35 years, a new carnivorous mammal was discovered in the Americas.

A relative of the raccoon, the olinguito, has been described as looking like a "cross between a house cat and a teddy bear."

The animal's discovery in the forests of Ecuador, confirmed in August, shows that the world is not yet completely explored. It's the first new species of mammal discovered in 35 years.

Read more about this adorable new carnivore »



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

6 Crazy Ways Studios Have Accidentally Spoiled Their Own Movies

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ender's gameEverything about Marvel typically runs like a well-oiled machine. For the past decade or so, the company has churned out hit after hit and enjoyable film after enjoyable film, mirroring the early run of fellow Disney subsidiary Pixar.

This week, however, the studio may have made a horrific blunder when it released an overly honest soundtrack listing. If so, the rookie mistake revealed a major plot point in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" months ahead of its release date. 

It’s not the type of screw-up any of us would have expected from Marvel, but then again, history has shown us even the best companies have given away movies thanks to serious lapses in judgment by the marketing team, the creative team or the studio itself.

From major plot points to gigantic twists to character secret identities, pretty much every type of spoiler possible has leaked out at one point or another, and it has happened through both obvious and not so obvious ways. 

So, in honor of Marvel’s (alleged) big mistake, let’s take a trip back and examine 6 different ways movies have been spoiled ahead of their release dates… 

Warning: This article contains spoilers. Obviously... 

Check out the studio snafus here >

"The Amazing Spider-Man" toys revealed a major fight scene on the box.

Hardcore toy collectors have been on to this glitch in the system for years, but the media and casual fans have only started catching on recently. Basically, in order to sell as many toys related to event films as possible, the studio needs to ensure two things. First, kids need to be able to buy products directly related to the plot, and second, they need to be able to buy them as soon as they’re released. In order to do that properly, Hasbro or whoever needs to be given key details months in advance, and this often creates a very big problem. 

Check out the image at the top of this post. Not only does it tell us a climactic showdown between Spider-Man and Lizard will take place in Oscorp’s Tower, it tells us it will involve a SWAT team being transformed into Lizards. That’s a pretty serious plot point, one director Marc Webb no doubt would have rather remained hidden from fans prior to "The Amazing Spider-Man’s" release date, but that didn’t happen thanks in large part to Mega Bloks and all the furious rumors the pre-release pictures of the box art created. 



The most significant moment of "Ender's Game" was revealed in the tagline on the movie poster.

I don’t know what percentage of the audience at an adaptation the average studio thinks has read the book, but I’m pretty sure it’s a lot lower than they’d guess. How else would you explain so why so many films based on classic novels seem to treat their marketing materials like a spoiler free zone, at least when it comes to major plot events? They straight up show characters getting hit by cars, and they take iconic lines of dialogue and turn them into movie taglines. Take "Ender’s Game" and, yes, spoilers are coming

The biggest single moment in the movie is supposed to be when Ender finds out his war game wasn’t actually a game at all. The shocked look on both his and the audience’s faces is supposed to be the money shot, and yet, there it is in big letters on the poster. I’m sure a very high percentage of non-readers forgot the tagline while they were sitting down and watching the film, but I can guarantee you it still stuck with a healthy number of people, especially as the movie presented them with a final big simulation. 



The "Cast Away" trailer is pretty much a play-by-play of the film.

I love "Cast Away"— like a stupid amount. The runtime flies by which is incredible given the subject matter, and the relationship between Hanks and all of his co-stars, including Wilson, is oddly touching. It’s a great, great movie, but the trailer is basically a blow-by-blow outline of what happens. It’s about to get really specific up in here. So, Spoiler Alert… 

Here’s a list of things we see in the trailer. Hanks leaving for his trip and telling Helen Hunt he’ll be right back. The plane crashing. Hanks learning to feed himself on the island. Hanks learning to make fire and fish. Interacting with Wilson, building a raft, sailing into dangerous seas on that raft and even the reunion with Helen Hunt outside her garage. Why not throw in the plot twist with the dentist while we’re at it? Or God forbid, show Wilson slowly floating off into the distance? Most movies give away way too much information in the trailers, a fact recognized by theater owners, but "Cast Away" takes that common problem to an entirely new level. 



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This Awesome iPhone App Makes Sifting Through Email Way Easier

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Hop Email App Walkthrough

Occasionally, we get bogged down reading every email that comes to our inbox. It can become a laborious task sorting through everything and deciding which one is going to be more important to respond to over others.

Fortunately, Hop has found a way to make this easier. Essentially, Hop morphs your inbox into a messenger tool. You'll quickly be alerted to when you have a new message in your inbox and can even see someone responding to a new email, similar to iMessage.

Push notifications can be customized for different types of messages and contacts, so your phone doesn't alert you to every message that comes in.

Today, Hop launched for the iPad and gained a bunch of new features for the iPhone. You can download it here.

Do you want to know more?

Here's the welcome screen. Click on Add Account.



The app syncs with several different email accounts. I used Gmail.



You'll have to give Hop permission to be used offline.



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7 Exotic Filming Locations In ‘Game of Thrones’

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daenerys game of thrones

The HBO hit show Game of Thrones, based on the epic fantasy novels by George R.R. Martin, captivates audiences with its tales of lust, war and political intrigue.

Most of the show is set in the mystical realm of Westeros, an island continent resembling medieval Britain, while Daenerys goes it on her own in Essos, a continent east of Westeros that has a very distinct Turkish/North African flair.

Because the show is set in another, more magical world, it requires some seriously fantastical filming locations. With season four of the series upon us, let’s take a look at a few of the real-world places that the show’s producers deemed impressive enough to sub for Westeros, Essos and that scary place Beyond the Wall.

Malta as King’s Landing in Season 1.

In the show’s first season, the historic Mediterranean island of Malta was the real-world setting for King’s Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.

The historic settlement of Mdina saw its city gate sub for the gate to King’s Landing and the island’s Fort Ricasoli fronts as the exterior of the show’s Red Keep, the castle home of the king of the Seven Kingdoms. Incredibly historic, Malta has an almost surreal history itself as an island base for the Crusade-era Knights Hospitaller who fought to defend the island from Barbary pirates, the Ottoman Empire and even Napoleon himself.



Gozo, Malta, was the site of the Dothraki Wedding in Season 1.

Gozo, Malta’s smaller sister island, was the setting for the Dothraki Wedding in the show’s first season between protagonist Daenerys Targaryen and the Dothraki king Khal Drogo. The island’s Azure Window, a natural rock arch on the sea, was the spectacular backdrop to the scene.

Part of the reason why Game of Thrones moved production from Malta in its second season was due to controversy over damage to the Azure Window and its ecosystem caused by the show’s contractors. But that aside, rest assured that the Azure Window is still very much a treat for visitors.



Dubrovnik, Croatia, as King’s Landing in Seasons 2-4.

Starting in season two, the Croatian walled city of Dubrovnik became the real-world home to King’s Landing.

One reason behind the set change was the producers’ wish to show more exterior shots of a seaside walled city, and in that regards Dubrovnik was a great move. Once the capital of Ragusa, a historic maritime republic, the old city of Dubrovnik and its walls can be clearly identified in the show, as can several of its historic attractions. 

Fort Lovrijenac is the new substitute for the Red Keep, and the bay just outside its walls was the scene for the naval Battle of Blackwater, in which King Stannis Baratheon attempted to invade King’s Landing and dethrone King Joffrey.

Another must-see GoT filming location is the Trsteno Arboretum, which is the seaside garden in King’s Landing where characters like Tyrion and Varys go to work through their intricate plots of deception.



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18 Incredibly Impressive Students At Penn State

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Christian Hackenberg

With its remarkable professors, unlimited extracurriculars, and spirit-rousing game day traditions, Penn State has a 159-year-long history of excellence.

Its alumni have gone on to become astronauts, Hollywood actors, politicians, and major league athletes, and the school continues to shape future generations of impressive and inspiring individuals.

From leading missions to the moon to directing the largest student-run philanthropy in the world, these 18 students are ... Penn State.

Abe DeHart has been running a successful, sustainable landscaping business since he was 14.

Class of 2014

DeHart was 10 years old when he started cutting grass. By the time he was 14, he was paying taxes on a legitimate landscaping business. Growing up earning a livelihood in the outdoors, DeHart understands how vital sustainability is.

Now with more than 60 lawns mowed each week and three employees working under him, DeHart manages Clean Cut Landscaping from school and is focused on going green-er. He's implemented fuel-saving measures into the business, and eliminated the use of fertilizers. 

He channels his love of working outdoors into studying agriculture as well. In the last 18 months DeHart has toured Pamplona, Spain, to research biomass processing systems, and interviewed small-scale farmers in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. His questionnaires, which he conducted in Urdu and Hindi, addressed agricultural strategies, economics, and resources.

DeHart plans to combine his entrepreneurial skills and technical agriculture knowledge into helping farmers in the developing world escape poverty, and wants to broaden his business analytics experience here in the U.S.



Abu Fofanah came to America when his family won the lottery, and started a motivational t-shirt company.

Class of 2015

In his freshman year Fofanah launched Motivational Apparel, or MoAp, a line of athletic t-shirts displaying inspirational messages.

He used $1,500 of his own money to get it up and running and has since sold almost 500 shirts, donating 10% of proceeds to the Special Olympics. Celebs like John Legend have been seen sporting Fofanah's line, and he's met with representatives from Urban Outfitters about selling in stores.

But success hasn't been easy for Fofanah who, when he was three or four years old, fled war-torn Sierra Leone with his mother and some of his siblings. His older siblings had to remain behind, and it was eight years before he saw them again.

Fofanah hasn't wasted an opportunity since coming to the States. Growing up in extreme poverty outside Philadelphia, he worked hard in school while his mother juggled multiple jobs. He received a full academic scholarship to the honors program at Penn State, and recently interned at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The budding entrepreneur plans to pursue his passion for fashion and retail, and one day run his own business.



Allison Hoover travels the world learning about and teaching agricultural education.

Class of 2014

Allison Hoover got involved with Future Farmers of America (FFA) in high school, and in her sophomore year of college was just one of only two FFA members (out of nearly 580,000 members country-wide) selected to attend the renowned World Food Prize awards conference. The event fosters dialogue of global agriculture and food security, and gave Hoover the opportunity to engage with professionals in her future industry.

After she returned from the conference in 2012, she took it upon herself to facilitate a workshop at the state conference of the Pennsylvania Association for Agricultural Educations, where she led talks of classroom engagement strategies and presented her experiences from World Food Prize.

Hoover travels extensively not just to learn about agricultural education, but to teach it. She is student teaching this semester, and will spend part of the time in Costa Rica teaching, in Spanish, some first-year agricultural courses at a national technical university. Hoover recently returned from Thailand and Cambodia on a two-week class-related trip focused on small farmers and food security in Southeast Asia.

Hoover is still making plans for after graduation, but she knows that another initiative abroad is in her future, possibly through a Fulbright Fellowship or with the agricultural education teaching program AgriCorps, and, eventually, grad school.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Incredible GIFs Show The Gentrification Of New York City

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vacated justin binder street view

It's no secret that New York City — and Brooklyn in particular — is gentrifying rapidly.

New York-based artist and programmer Justin Blinder was commissioned, along with other artists, by More Art for Envision NY 2017 to reflect on how the city changed under Bloomberg.

He came up with the idea of showing abandoned lots or rundown buildings transforming into new developments through GIFs. He calls the project "Vacated."

"I started off by exploring the NYC Department of City Planning's PLUTO dataset, which contains a wealth of tax lot data," Blinder told Business Insider about the project in an email. "I then filtered this dataset to only show new developments in the past 12 years, and wrote custom software that would cycle through each address on Google Street View."

Since Google Street Views cars often captured entire streets but not entire neighborhoods, Blinder realized that there were intersections where one street's imagery was taken in or before 2009, whereas the opposite side of the street was photographed in 2013. "When you simply cross the street you get two different historical versions of the intersection," he said.

"Vacated" is an ongoing project. Check out some of Blinder's completed GIFs below from neighborhoods where housing costs have increased since 2004, and then head over the artist's website to see an interactive map of all the intersections where new buildings were constructed between 2009 and 2013.

India Street and McGuinness Boulevard, Brooklyn, NY

justin blinder vacated street view gif

Bedford and Nassau Avenues, Brooklyn, NY

justin blinder vacated street view gif

2nd Avenue and East 1st Street, New York, NY

justin blinder vacated street view gif

Bowery and Hester Streets, New York, NY

justin blinder vacated street view gif

Eckford Street and Meserole Avenue, Brooklyn, NY

justin blinder vacated street view gif

SEE ALSO: 40 Gorgeous Pictures Of Brooklyn In 1974

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16 Billionaires Who Started With Nothing — Including WhatsApp's Co-Founder

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jan koum whatsapp

The American Dream is alive and well.

Facebook's recent announcement that it would buy messaging app WhatsApp for a staggering $19 billion minted new billionaires, including co-founder and CEO Jan Koum who was once dirt poor. Koum's family immigrated to the U.S. from Ukraine two decades ago and lived on food stamps. Today, he's worth an estimated $6.8 billion.

All from humble beginnings, these 16 people not only climbed to the top of their industries but also became some of the richest people in the world.

These rags-to-riches stories remind us that through determination, grit, and a bit of luck anyone can overcome their circumstances and achieve extraordinary success.

Jan Koum, the CEO and co-founder of WhatsApp, once lived on food stamps before Facebook made him a billionaire.

Net worth: $6.8 billion (according to Forbes)

Koum, 37, came to the U.S. from Ukraine when he was 16 years old. His family, struggling to make ends meet, lived on food stamps that they picked up a couple blocks away from Koum's future WhatsApp offices in Mountain View, Calif. In 2009, he and co-founder Brian Acton launched the real-time messaging app with an aim to connect people around the world. It essentially replaces text messaging.  

Now with 450 million global users, WhatsApp recently agreed to a $19 billion buyout from Facebook. Koum is expected to make the most from the deal. Forbes estimates he has a 45% stake in the company, giving him a net worth of $6.8 billion. He's come a long way from his modest beginnings.



Kenny Troutt, the founder of Excel Communications, paid his way through college by selling life insurance.

Net worth:$1.7 billion (as of Sept. 2013)

Troutt grew up with a bartender dad and paid for his own tuition at Southern Illinois University by selling life insurance. He made most of his money from phone company Excel Communications, which he founded in 1988 and took public in 1996. Two years later, Troutt merged his company with Teleglobe in a $3.5 billion deal.

He's now retired and invests heavily in racehorses.



Starbucks' Howard Schultz grew up in a housing complex for the poor.

Net worth:$2 billion (as of Sept. 2013)

In an interview with British tabloid Mirror, Schultz says: "Growing up I always felt like I was living on the other side of the tracks. I knew the people on the other side had more resources, more money, happier families. And for some reason, I don’t know why or how, I wanted to climb over that fence and achieve something beyond what people were saying was possible. I may have a suit and tie on now but I know where I’m from and I know what it’s like."

Schultz ended up winning a football scholarship to the University of Northern Michigan and went to work for Xerox after graduation. Shortly after, he took over a coffee shop called Starbucks, which at the time had only 60 shops. Schultz became the company's CEO in 1987 and grew the coffee chain to more than 16,000 outlets worldwide.



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The Best- And Worst-Dressed Figure Skaters At The Olympics

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Figure skating is the most popular sport in the Winter Olympics. And it's no surprise why.

From the music, to the jumps, to the lifts, to the costumes, everything is carefully rehearsed and perfected.

But let's talk about the costumes. There's no question about it, they are all outrageous. Sequins, sequins, and more sequins. Some, however, are outrageous and ugly.

BEST: We love everything about Nelli Zhiganshina and Alexander Gazsi's scandalous costume.



WORST: The short skirt and long gloves don't work for Canada's Kaetlyn Osmond.



BEST: Carolina Kostner of Italy in an elegant white dress with a lot of sparkles.



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17 Photos From The Violent Venezuela Protests That Have Inspired A Generation

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Ten days ago, a few hundred students marched into the streets of Caracas, Venezuela to protest against President Nicolas Maduro and the Chavista government. Since then, the protest have grown by the thousands and turned violent.

Sparked by the violent death of actress and former Miss Venezuela Monica Spear, during a roadside robbery, the students have called for Maduro's resignation and an end to the chronic scarcity of basic goods, out of control inflation, and high levels of violence and murder in the country. 

Riot police have been out in force, firing tear gas and buckshot at protesters to disperse the crowds. So far, the protests have claimed six lives.

Below are some pictures from the rapidly unfolding protests. WARNING: Some of these photos are graphic.

Peaceful protests began ten days ago in cities and towns across the country. They are the largest President Maduro has faced in his first year in office. protests17Student leaders met with police officers to try to set rules for the march to avoid violence, but the situation quickly devolved. Police attempted to disperse the crowd with water cannons and tear gas. protests3Despite accusations from the government that extremist protesters caused the violence, protesters have maintained that they are peaceful and unarmed. protests7Unnamed thugs, who many think are Chavista supporters, have begun to claim lives. The Maduro government claims that the shooters are opposition supporters, disguised as Chavistas in order to incite violence.venezuelaIn response, protesters erected and burned garbage barricades to block highways.protests11The police retaliated by beating and arresting protesters and firing rubber bullets into the crowd.protests10They used water cannons to put out the fires and clear protesters from the highway. protests12The response has not deterred the protesters, who are only growing in numbers.protests5At the center of the opposition is the Popular Will (Voluntad Popular) party, headed by former mayor of Caracas Leopoldo Lopez. protests19

Venezuelan special forces broke into the party's headquarters on Monday, demanding the national coordinator for the party, Carlos Vecchio. The Maduro government has begun to crack down on the popular opposition party, whom Maduro calls fascists and terrorists.protests9The Maduro government called for the arrest of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez on charges of terrorism, murder, and conspiracy. On Tuesday, Lopez agreed to turn himself in, after one last rally. The streets filled to hear him speak.protests13While standing on the statue of independence hero Jose Marti, Lopez declared "I am handing myself over to an unfair justice system ... May my imprisonment serve to wake the people up." As he stepped down from the statue, he was taken into custody by police.Protest1Meanwhile, in Valencia, 100 miles from Caracas, Venezuelan beauty queen Genesis Carmona was killed while protesting the government. She is the sixth confirmed death to occur during the protests.protests2At the same time, President Maduro held a pro-government rally that drew massive crowds. Even now, the Venezuelan public is sharply divided between those who support and those who oppose the government. protests15The arrest of Lopez has fueled the protesters, who continue to flood the streets. Hooded extremists have begun to riot and the clashes between protesters and police continue.protests14President Maduro has said that there will be no more anti-government protests. "This is not Ukraine," he told supporters during a rally. Protesters aren't listening. It looks like the situation could deteriorate further.protests16

SEE ALSO: 26 unbelievable photos from the battered heart of Ukraine

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19 Photos Of Sochi From 1974, When It Was A Popular Soviet Resort Town

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We've heard plenty of travel horror stories out of Sochi since the Olympics began, and many have questioned the city's level of preparedness for the Games.  

Despite the controversy, however, Sochi has a long history as a popular resort town for Russians and other eastern Europeans. 

Sochi was first developed in the 1920s under Stalin, who was attracted to the area because of its mineral springs, which helped ease his joint pain. The dacha he built there was his favorite of the seven vacation homes he owned around the country.

Over the next few decades, the city by the Black Sea became a favorite destination among Soviet citizens. 

We got in touch with German Manfred Schammer, who took some beautiful photos during a trip to Sochi in 1974. He gave us permission to use his photos, which paint a beautiful portrait of the city as it was 40 years ago. 

Schammer stayed at the Hotel Leningrad, seen here.



He could catch a glimpse of the Black Sea from the hotel room.



The bridge leading into town was busy with tourists.



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These Incredible Works Of Art Were Saved By The Real-Life 'Monuments Men' Of WWII

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The new George Clooney film "The Monuments Men" movie pales in comparison to the real art historians, architects, curators, and museum directors who saved Europe's finest art during World War II.

These men and women were civilians who were launched into a deadly war and tasked with saving an entire culture.

It was well-known that Adolf Hitler was hoarding Europe's plundered art for his planned Führer Museum in Linz, Austria. In addition to stealing Europe's paintings and sculptures, he also intended to destroy "degenerate" works of art that he despised from both Jewish and modern artists.

So Francis Henry Taylor, the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, lobbied Washington D.C. to protect Europe's museums and art. President Franklin D. Roosevelt agreed, and established the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program in 1943. The goal: to recover and return works of art that had been stolen and hidden by the Nazis.

Despite extraordinary odds, this team of art experts were highly successful. Because of their efforts, more than five million works of art were saved or discovered in Nazi hiding places, many of which are still immensely famous today.

Here are 11 of the most amazing paintings, sculptures, and architecture that were rescued or recovered during history's greatest treasure hunt.

Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa"

Mona LisaIn 1939, prescient Louvre officials bundled the "Mona Lisa" into an ambulance and evacuated it from the Louvre along with 400,000 other works of art. The famous painting was on the go through much of the war, expertly hidden in various homes throughout the French countryside. It avoided capture with the help of the Monuments Men by changing locations more than six times, and was finally returned to the Louvre in 1945.

Jan van Eyck's "Ghent Altarpiece"

ghent altarpiece jan van eyckOne of the most frequently stolen art works in the world, the "Ghent Altarpiece" is ginormous, weighing over a ton. It was coveted by Hitler since it symbolized the ideal of Aryan supremacy, having been painted by a Germanic artist.

monuments men uncovering ghent altarpieceIt was taken by the Germans in 1942 from its hiding place at Chateau de Pau, in the south of France, and found in the Altaussee salt mine by the Monuments Men after the war.

Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper"

The Last SupperIn one of the most amazing stories from WWII, da Vinci’s "Last Supper"was threatened by the Allies bombing Milan in August 1943. The mural is on the refectory wall of the convent at Santa Maria delle Grazie, and was saved by the Monuments Men by jury-rigging a scaffold of steel bars and sandbags around the wall. After the raid, it was the only wall in the refectory still standing.

Michelangelo's "Madonna of Bruges"

Madonna of bruges MichelangeloThe Monuments Men arrived just days after the Nazi's had stolen this two-ton marble Madonna and Child sculpture from the Bruges Notre Dame Cathedrale in Belgium.

madonna bruges recovered by monuments menMichelangelo’s statue was later recovered in the ancient Steinberg salt mine in Altaussee— one of the many underground hiding places used by Hitler and the Nazis to stash art — by the Monuments Men.

Leonardo da Vinci's "Portrait of Cecilia Gallerani (Lady with an Ermine)"

Leonardo da Vinci Portrait of Cecilia Gallerani Lady with an ErmineAnother one of Da Vinci's most famous paintings, "Lady with an Ermine" was almost immediately seized by the Nazis after the German occupation of Poland in 1939. In 1940, Hans Frank, the Governor General of Poland, requested it be returned to Kraków and hung it in his suite of offices. At the end of WWII, it was discovered by the Monuments Men in Frank's country home in Bavaria, and was returned to Poland's Czartoryski Museum in Kraków.

Édouard Manet's "In The Conservatory"

edouard manet in the conservatoryThis huge oil painting was looted from the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin during the Nazi plunder.

Monuments men discovering manet's in the conservatory in the salt minesAmerican soldiers and the Monuments Men later discovered Manet's "In the Conservatory" hidden in Germany's Merkers salt mines along with large amounts of Nazi gold, and many other stolen works of art in 1945.

The Bust of Charlemagne

bust of charlemagneThis bust was donated to the Aachen Cathedral, a Germany church, in 1349 by Charles IV. It is one of the most highly prized Charlemagne relics, and is thought to contain a piece of his skull. Monuments Men George Stout and sculptor Walker Hancock went behind enemy lines while under fire to reach the Aachen treasury hidden in a tunnel. It still can be seen in the church today.

Johannes Vermeer's "The Astronomer"

Johannes Vermee The Astronomer In 1940, this painting was seized from Edouard de Rothschild in Paris by the Nazi's Reichsleiter Rosenberg Task force (essentially the German equivalent of the Monuments Men) after the German invasion of France. A small swastika was stamped on the back in black ink, and the painting was sent to Hitler on one of his personal trains and hidden in the ancient Steinberg salt mine in Altausse.

Vermeer Astronomer monuments menWhen it was discovered after the war, it was returned to the Rothchild collection.

Original manuscript of Ludvig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 6

Beethoven symphony number sixIn the same tunnel that hid the relics of Charlemagne, 600 paintings, and 100 sculptures was the original manuscript of Ludvig van Beethoven's sixth symphony. The tunnel in Siegen, Germany was still behind enemy lines when the Monuments Men went in to try and save the remaining art.

Rembrandt's "Self-portrait, 1645"

rembrandt self portrait oval 1645This Rembrandt self portrait once hung in the museum of Harry Ettlinger's — the last surviving Monuments Men— old home town of Karlsruhe, in the south-west of Germany. In fact, Ettlinger still remembers when he found the painting in the salt mines of Heilbronn after the war.

rembrandt self portrait 1665Today, the World War II veteran now has a print of the painting hanging in his living room. "It reminds me of what we achieved and the sacrifices that people like my buddies made,"he told the Mirror. The real painting has been returned to the Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe is the State Art Gallery in Karlsruhe, Germany.

Florence's Medieval Architecture

Torre degli amideiAfter the liberation of Florence, all of the city's bridges were mined and destroyed by the retreating German forces, including the medieval Ponte alla Carraia and Ponte alle Grazie, as well as the Renaissance era Ponte Santa Trinita.

Ponte Vecchio The only medieval vestiges of the city that survived were the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge (rumored to have been saved by the express wishes of Hitler) as well as the nearby Torre degli Amidei. The medieval tower was shored up, and rubble was cleared away from the Ponte Vecchio. Both stand to this day.

SEE ALSO: 23 Recent Works Of Art That Shook History

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