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16 Luxurious Train Trips That Will Make You Swear Off Cars Forever

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Trains may not be the fastest mode of travel, but, they can be the most memorable. From their luxurious interiors to the breathtaking scenery going by outside the window, trains can transform any trip into a nostalgic journey.

As Mark Smith, a British travel writer, told the Herald Sun, “A great train ride is that triple combination of the scenery outside the train, the experience inside the train and the people you meet and things that happen on that specific trip which make it memorable.” 

These 16 train journeys will whisk you away from one country to the next, while you dine on fine meals and watch the countryside roll by. You’ll soon realize why, for many, the only real travel is by train.

The Glacier Express takes passengers across 80 miles in the Swiss Alps at an altitude of 6,670 feet.

The Glacier Express



The train takes travelers from St. Moritz to Zermatt, Switzerland's two most famous ski resorts. The trip is 7 1/2 hours across 291 bridges and through 91 tunnels.



The Trans-Siberian Railway is the longest railway in the world, taking travelers from Moscow all the way to Beijing or Vladivostok. It travels through eight time zones.



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Here's What School Lunch Looks Like In 13 Countries Around The World

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17 Pakistan

As First Lady Michelle Obama continues her mission to make our schools a healthier place, the Associated Press decided to go out and see how school lunches in the U.S. stack up against those served around the world.

The AP sent photographers to Asia, Europe, Africa, and South America to see what kids in different countries ate for lunch this week.

The photographers found that while most schools abroad don't actually sell lunch, the ones that do, put a "premium" on feeding their students healthy meals. Students were more likely to go home for lunch or bring a home-cooked meal.

Obama's campaign aims to have more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables served in school cafeterias.

However, students have not exactly been enthusiastic. Recent backlash has included kids taking photos of their meager school lunches and tweeting them, or just refusing to eat them altogether. 

PARIS, FRANCE: Pike fish, green beans, and Paris mushrooms.



LAMBERSART, FRANCE: Another fancy lunch includes rice, salmon, ratatouille, a slice of bread, a salad with celery and carrots, an orange, and a doughnut.



BAMAKO, MALI: Fried donuts, although most students go home to eat.



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Inside Malaysia's Bizarre Beauty Contests For Chickens [PHOTOS]

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Singaporean photographer Ernest Goh was traveling to a farm in rural Malaysia for a photo expedition when he stumbled across a local and little-documented culture: chicken beauty pageants. The pageants feature the Ayam Serama breed of chicken, which is bred purely for ornamental purposes and is the smallest chicken in the world.

Goh began traveling to the pageants, which occur once a week in different rural Malaysian villages, and he photographed many of the chickens on display. Goh shared some photos from the project here, and you can check out the rest in his new book, "Cocks."

The Serama breed of chicken originated from the crossbreeding of Japanese and Malaysian bantams or small chickens. The name Serama comes from "Rama," which means king in Thailand. Some origin stories of the Serama say the chicken comes from a Thai king who gave them to a Malaysian sultan.228 2_Headshot43Serama breeding has become more popular over the last decade. While the pageants and breeder clubs are most popular in Malaysia, there are now clubs emerging in Indonesia, Thailand, the United States, Britain, and France.ErnestGoh_Cocks_005At the beauty pageants in Malaysia, breeders present their chickens one by one to a panel of judges. The judges inspect the chicken based on the chicken's wings, feathers, tail, color, and comb.2012_002_ErnestGoh_Chicken_ERN1156One of the most important factors in determining a champion is the chicken's "stance" or "spirit." How the chicken walks, puffs out its chest, and struts is very important to the judges.2012_002_ErnestGoh_Chicken_ThewalkSeramas are very particular in that they tend to stand with their heads lifted toward the sky, their wings downward, and then strut. Goh says that many of the breeders describe them as "warriors" or "soldiers ready for battle."ErnestGoh_Cocks_001

Birds that have the potential to be champions can sell for as much as $10,000. Thirty years ago, birds were valued for the beauty of their breasts and their ability to stand still. Today, athletic chickens with S-shaped bodies are highly prized.Cocks_thebookAfter meeting several enthusiasts, Goh was introduced to Tuan Hassan, an expert breeder who has bred many chickens that have gone on to become “Grand Champions.” In the video below, Goh talks about the origins of the project and his experience meeting Hassan.

Ernest Goh - COCKS, Chicken Beauty Pageants from anotherbeautifulstory on Vimeo.

SEE ALSO: This $2,500 Chicken Is The Lamborghini Of Poultry

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The 13 Best BYOB Restaurants In New York City

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The Little OwlPer Se recently announced that it would start allowing diners to bring their own bottles of wine to the 3 Michelin-star restaurant — for a whopping $150 corkage fee. 

This move got people talking, but Per Se is certainly not the first restaurant to allow diners to bring their own bottles. Dozens of other NYC restaurants feature BYOB policies — and it's not just the cheap hole-in-the wall joints that you'd expect. 

Here are 13 great NYC restaurants that offer BYOB policies. We've noted the corking fee for the restaurants that have one.

Agora

1565 2nd Ave.

This Upper East Side Turkish restaurant is a local favorite for its delicious kebabs, wide assortment of hot and cold appetizers, and its BYOB policy. It's tiny, but gets packed. 



Di Fara

1124 Avenue J., Brooklyn, NY

NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio claims that Di Fara serves the best pizza in NYC, and New Yorkers love it so much that they regularly wait in line for two hours just to taste the chewy, delicious pizza.



Eleven Madison Park

11 Madison Ave

The 3-Michelin starred restaurant boasts an incredible wine list to go with its extravagant $225 tasting menu. But just in case they don't have the wine you want, you can pay a corking fee of $65 per bottle, up to four bottles.



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16 Psychological Reasons Good People Do Bad Things

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martha stewart"The line between good and evil is permeable," said psychologist Philip Zimbardo, "and almost anyone can be induced to cross it when pressured by situational forces." 

As Zimbardo and other social scientists have shown in a range of experiments, actions we deem evil — cheating, lying, stealing, and worse — don't spring from people's character, but the situations they find themselves in. 

To better understand why, we examined research from the fields of psychology and ethics. Here's what we found. 

Max Nisen and Aimee Groth contributed to this story. 

When people have an ideology to justify their actions, they'll do bad things.

Philip G. Zimbardo, professor emeritus of psychology at Stanford University, argues that people do evil things when they have an ideology — or system of ideals — to lean on.

He was an expert witness during the trial of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ivan "Chip" Frederick, who was sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to five charges of abusing prisoners in Abu Ghraib.  

"All evil begins with a big ideology," Zimbardo said. "What is the evil ideology about the Iraq war? National security. National security is the ideology that is used to justify torture in Brazil. You always begin with this big, good thing because once you have the big ideology then it’s going to justify all the action."



When people are given power, they may abuse it.

Zimbardo is best-known for leading a jail simulation in 1971, popularly known as the Stanford Prison Experiment.

In the experiment, college students played the roles of "prisoners" or "guards." 

In only six days, the "guards" were so abusive toward their "prisoners" that Zimbardo had to end the experiment early. 

"The experiment showed that institutional forces and peer pressure led normal student volunteer guards to disregard the potential harm of their actions on the other student prisoners," the American Psychological Association reports



If people wear a uniform, hood, or mask, they feel more anonymous — and more comfortable with being cruel.

People can get more aggressive when they feel anonymous, Zimbardo continued.

When identities are concealed, violence increases. "You minimize social responsibility,"Zimbardo said. "Nobody knows who you are, so therefore you are not individually liable. There's also a group effect when all of you are masked. It provides a fear in other people because they can't see you, and you lose your humanity."

Anonymity also contributes to the viciousness of internet commenters, social scientists suggest



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E-COMMERCE AND THE FUTURE OF RETAIL: 2014 [SLIDE DECK]

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BII percent of retail online

The retail industry is undergoing a dramatic shift: E-commerce is capturing a larger share of sales than ever before. 

We've created a slideshow highlighting the retail categories where e-commerce is having the most impact, and where there is still opportunity for disruption. The shift away from physical retail toward digital retail is happening faster than many observers expected. 

BI Intelligence is a research and analysis service focused on mobile computing, digital media, payments, and e-commerce. Only subscribers can download the individual charts and datasets in Excel, along with the PowerPoint and PDF versions of this deck. Please sign up for a free trial here.

 







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The 10 Best Tech Companies To Work For That Are NOT In Silicon Valley

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Happy at work

It's probably fair to call Silicon Valley the center of the tech universe. The Valley is home to more tech companies than any other region, including some of the best companies on the planet to work for (Google, Facebook, Twitter).

But it's also an insanely expensive place to live.

Turns out, you don't have to live there to have a fabulous job at a great tech company. There are awesome companies all over the country.

We asked employee crowdsourcing site Glassdoor.com to tell us which one of these are the best according to their employees.

No. 10, Rackspace: Be treated like family

Company: Rackspace:

Employee rating: 3.6 stars out of 5

Location: Windcrest, Texas (San Antonio area)

About the company: Web hosting and cloud computing infrastructure. Rackspace is going through some challenging times right now, as it faces increased competition from Amazon, Google, Microsoft, HP, and others.

The company's well-liked CEO Lanham Napier surprised the tech world by suddenly resigning in February, when the company announced softer-than-expected growth in its cloud business. Founder and chairman Graham Weston stepped back in as temporary CEO.

An employee says:

"Rackspace is a fantastic company to work for. Everyone is treated like family and loves their job. There are constant development challenges in a growing market and coming to work is a joy."— Rackspace Software Developer II (San Antonio, Texas)



No. 9, Microsoft: Great for talented, ambitious people

Company: Microsoft:

Employee rating: 3.7 out of 5 stars

Location: Redmond, Washington (Seattle area)

About the company:  Microsoft just appointed its third-ever CEO, long-time Microsoftie Satya Nadella. The company is already flourishing under his new leadership as he moves Microsoft into the brave new era of cloud computing and making its own devices with its acquisition of Nokia.

An employee says:

"Really talented, ambitious and driven co-workers - you get to work with the best! Great compensation. Really good work-life balance compared to other tech companies of the same caliber."— Microsoft Program Manager (Redmond, Washington)



No. 8, Texas Instruments: Great coworkers

Company: Texas Instruments

Employee rating: 3.7 out of 5 stars

Location: Dallas

About the company:  TI is a a $12 billion semi-conductor company that consistently lands on the "best places to work" lists. In 2011, it bought its oldest, biggest rival, National Semiconductor.

Today its chips are embedded in countless electronics devices. It is even powering a Kickstarter project that launched a bunch of tiny spacecrafts  into orbit with the last the SpaceX mission, the first so-called "personal spacecrafts."

An employee says:

"Great people, great environment, global exposure. You enjoy every day of work because of the people you work with. The work culture is great too."— Texas Instruments Project Manager (Plano, Texas)



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Here's How 'Thor: The Dark World' Looks Without Visual Effects

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thor loki thor the dark worldAlong with top-grossing animated picture "Frozen,""Thor: The Dark World" just helped Disney have its best quarter at the company ever. 

The film has made more than $644.8 million worldwide and continues 

If you've seen the sequel, you know it's filled with visual effects.

It took a series of VFX companies — Blur Studio, The Third Floor, Luma Pictures, Method Studios, and Double Negative— to bring the film to life. 

Many of the studios have released videosbreaking down exactly how the movie was made.

A lot of blue and green doubles for everything from Thor's beautiful home of Asgard to big-action sequences.

London was perfectly safe ...



... when it looked like a ship was tearing it apart.



A lot of the film's dark scenes ...



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26 Sexist Ads Of The 'Mad Men' Era That Companies Wish We'd Forget

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you mean a woman can open it"Mad Men" is famous for illuminating a bygone era, replete with three-martini lunches, glamorous clothing, and, of course, casual sexism. 

The rampant sexism in "Mad Men" was typical of the 1960s, when the outlook for women in America was just beginning to change. While the "second wave" of feminism began in the '60s, mainstream America was still very much a "man's world."

That attitude carried over into advertising, which did little to advance gender roles and ran ads that implied women were idiots who cared mostly about pleasing their men.

Here are some of advertising's most egregious sexist ads from that era.

1950: The ad begins, "Most husbands, nowadays, have stopped beating their wives ... "



1951: "Show her it's a man's world."



1952: This ad makes light of domestic violence.



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11 Brilliant Ideas For Decorating Your Apartment On The Cheap

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removable wallpaper

Moving into a new apartment can be stressful.

After splurging on essentials like couches and tables, it's daunting to think about how to make a new place feel more like home.

But decorating doesn’t have to be expensive. Here are 11 brilliant ways to decorate your apartment on the cheap.

1. Buy removable wallpaper or decals.

Permanent wallpaper is intimidating because it’s so difficult to remove from walls. For renters or home owners who are design commitment-phobes, removable wallpaper is the perfect solution for adding color and personal style to a room.

It sticks easily to walls and is simple to apply and remove. Tempaper and Chasing Paper are great brands to browse, and Etsy also has a multitude of designs to choose from.

2. Build a DIY bar cart.

A bar cart is a fun design element, but carts from stores like Restoration Hardware and Crate & Barrel can be extremely expensive.

A better option is to find a cheap cart at your local flea market or hardware store (Harbor Freight and Ikea both have affordable utility carts, too). Spray paint the hardware or the entire cart to suit your tastes, and then add your own decorative elements, like tumbler glasses, cocktail recipe books, and bar tools. Use the bar cart to show off your favorite prints, tableware, and expensive bottles of liquor, too.

See this selection of DIY bar carts for inspiration.

3. Make your room seem bigger with a large mirror (or two).

A floor length mirror can make a room appear larger and more open, especially in tiny apartments.

Position the mirror so it reflects a window and catches the most light, adding dimension to the room.

Browse local flea markets or Craigslist to find huge mirrors at affordable prices.

painting desk4. Paint your old furniture.

When you get sick of your bed or other pieces of large furniture, consider painting over the existing finish instead of dumping your stuff. A new coat of paint on an old dresser can drastically change a piece without costing very much.

First, remove all of the hardware and wipe down the piece with a cloth to get rid of any dust. Use sandpaper to lightly buff away the glossy finish, and then either spray paint or add two regular coats of paint. After it dries, add a coat of water-based lacquer, polyurethane, or a thin coat of clear paste wax to make the new finish last.

See how we refurbished a boring Ikea desk here.

5. Hide storage creatively.

restoration hardware scene apartment

Clutter will make your home seem smaller than it is. Get rid of unnecessary room accessories, magazines, and books, and invest in furniture that does double-duty like storage ottomans, chests, or vintage suitcases stacked to look like a table.

Another fine option is placing certain furniture — such as chairs, tables, or cabinets — at an angle in the corner of the room to create a built-in hidden spot for hiding extra stuff.

6. Update lamp shades. 

To keep lighting from looking dated, switch out old lamp shades for new, clean ones. Certain older styles can date a room, and over time, lamp shades attract dust and grime that makes them look dingy. Keep the original lamp base, and buy a new shade that adds a pop of color or a graphic pattern to liven up your space.

dresser knob7. Change hardware on door handles and furniture.

New drawer handles or door knobs can transform old furniture (plus, it’s cheaper than buying something brand-new). Quality stores like Restoration Hardware, Pottery Barn, and Anthropologie all sell fancy and attractive hardware to help even a Wal-Mart dresser look high-end.

8. Swap out existing ceiling fixtures.

Chances are your current ceiling lamp or fan hasn’t been updated for over 20 years. Instead of letting these eyesores ruin your décor, switch them out for more modern lighting options. The effect this minor change will have on your space is amazing. (Just make sure that if you rent, you keep the original fan or light fixture to reinstall before moving out.)

9. Mask grungy counter tops or tile with stickers.

Just like removable wallpaper, there are tile stickers designed to add patterns to existing kitchen and bath tiling, as well as removable granite film or "instant granite" that uses adhesive to stick onto existing counter tops. Both are removed easily, and are relatively affordable, especially if you plan to stay in your place longer than a year.

tile tattoos 2jane

10. Create your own artwork.

You could buy an expensive painting, or troll flea markets and vintage stores until you find something you admire. But an easy way to get art you love is to simply create it.

Amazon sells large pre-stretched canvases for around $20, and you can buy paint and brushes from a local craft store. Search around for works of art online for inspiration, and then make it your own. You may want to opt for a modern-art look, so that your talent (or lack thereof) can be skewed as creative and not child-like.

For those unsure of how to create a certain effect or where to start, head over to a local craft store and ask for advice about recreating a specific painting or design.

11. If all else fails, get a plant.

Plants immediately add life to any room. The easiest options, of course, are self-sufficient plants such as cacti or succulents like aloe vera that not only look nice, but don’t require a lot of maintenance. Find an interesting pot or bowl and go to a local farmer's market to see what flora options are available.

SEE ALSO: The 11 Most Expensive US Homes Ever Sold

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10 Summer Camps Where Your Kid Will Actually Learn Something

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Camp BizSmart

Just because school's out doesn't mean kids can't keep learning during the summer.

From an entrepreneur camp backed by Silicon Valley heavyweights to a whale-watching camp that teaches marine biology, here are 10 camps where your kids will keep using their brains this summer. 

Kids will learn business skills at Camp BizSmart.

Where: Stanford University or Silicon Valley Community Foundation, south of San Francisco, Calif.

When: Four 12-day sessions run between June 16th and Aug. 8th

Cost: $1,590 standard tuition for the camp at Standford, $1,290 for the camp at SVCF

What they'll learn: Camp BizSmart pairs teams of kids between the ages of 11 and 15 with top executive mentors. Each exec gives their team of kids a business problem they must solve, giving them a chance to learn teamwork, financial analysis and negotiation.

Tech entrepreneurs at Google, Microsoft and Cisco have backed the camp.



Concordia Language Villages offers language immersion.

Where: Moorhead, Minn.

When: 1-week to 6-week sessions offered between June 9th and Aug. 30th 

Cost: Between $515 and $5,975

What they'll learn: Kids at Concordia Language Villages aren't called campers, but villagers. They're issued passports and given names in other languages to create an immersive language-learning environment. 

The camp offers courses in 15 modern languages including Arabic, Japanese and Danish. In addition to learning a new language, students also get a cultural experience, participating in a traditional Chinese tea ceremony one day and playing fútbol like they do in Spain the next.



Hawthorne Valley Farm Camp is a working farm.

Where: Columbia County, N.Y.

When: Six sessions up to three weeks long run between June 29th and Aug. 9th

What they'll learn: Hawthorne Valley Farm invites 8-to-15-year-olds to live, work and play on their 400-acre spread. Younger kids go to House Camp, where they live together with staff in a large barn house and learn the basics of farm life. Older kids go to Field Camp, where they actually help do the work of the biodynamic farm.

All campers eat together family-style to emphasize community spirit. Everything eaten is grown or produced on the farm, oftentimes by the kids themselves. Campers also assist in the farm-to-store system of running a profitable farm.



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Where To Eat And Drink In The Hamptons This Summer

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south fork and spoonFine dining and bottle service are things we can't easily leave behind when leaving our Manhattan skyline for the Hamptons beach air. And why would we want to? 

You can continue to enjoy the high life at your favorite go-to Hamptons hot spots, or try out some of our favorite new finds opening this year.

Every summer, we willingly take the LIRR, The Jitney or the Long Island Expressway and head east until we hit sand.

With only a few week to go until Memorial Day  a.k.a. official beach season  click through to find out what's waiting for you in the Hamptons this year.

Click here to see the bars and restaurants >

BOSTWICK’S CLAMBAKES & CATERING CO.

Where:221 Pantigo Road, East Hampton, NY 11937

About: Bostwick's Chowder House is a local favorite. It offers informal roadside dining that draws in quite the star-studded crowd. Known for their famous lobster rolls and lobster entrees, they are now adding a clambake to the menu, plus a catering option to help you take your summer soiree to the next level.



BAY KITCHEN BAR

Where:39 Gann Road, East Hampton, NY 11937 (Situated adjacent to a marina on Three Mile Harbor)

About: Getting out ahead of the Memorial Day crowd, Bay Kitching Bar opened April 17th and offers not only amazing waterfront views, but also sea-to-table cuisine. Chef-owner Eric Miller and co-owner Richard Silver will seduce your palate with their raw bar menu, small plates and well-curated wine list. 



GEORGICA RESTAURANT & LOUNGE

Where:108 Wainscott Stone Rd, Wainscott, NY 11975

About: If you didn't think it was possible for Georgica to turn up with even more events than last summer, then we are here to prove you wrong! That's right - we have it on good authority that one of the Hamptons prime dining and event-hosting restaurants will be partaking in some really exciting events this summer. 



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The 13 Coolest New Hotels In New York City

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The William hotel yellow room

Hotels are so much more than just a place to lay your head at the end of the day.

They've become destinations offering everything from restaurants helmed by celebrity chefs to hot rooftop bars.

We evaluated the New York City hotels that have opened within the last year and looked at hotels that will open later this year, and found the buzziest new offerings. 

Book your room soon — here's where you'll want to stay next time you're in New York City.

Refinery Hotel

Address: 63 West 38th St., Garment District 

Open: May 2013

Price: Starting at $399 per night.

Refinery Hotel lobby

The Refinery Hotel used to be the Colony Arcade Building, a 20th century hat factory. The hotel keeps that rich Garment District history alive with oversized hatpins stacked behind the registration decks and scissor motifs in the rugs. Stonehill & Taylor — the design firm behind the chic NoMad Hotel — took the reins of the Refinery.

It has a prime location, too: Guests can walk to Times Square, the Theater District, Bryant Park and the Empire State Building in 10 minutes. 

But if they decide to stay in, the hotel offers a prime rooftop bar. It's divided into three sections with a retractable glass roof that keeps it a comfortable place to hang out in the snow or sun.  



The Paper Factory Hotel

Address: 37-06 36th St., Long Island City, Queens

Open: Winter 2013

Price: Starting at $145 for a double.

Paper Factory Queens Hotel

Built inside a hundred-year-old paper factory in Long Island City, the Paper Factory Hotel takes its name and aesthetic from the building's history. The old Fourdrinier machine is about to be turned into a restaurant and bar. There's even a spiral staircase held up entirely on a column of books. 

The renovation cost owner Gal Sela $27 million, according to Curbed NY. Although 16o rooms could have fit in the space, Sela opted to only construct 122 to maximize the spaciousness of each room. There's also a communal kitchen for travelers who want to save a buck and enjoy cooking with fellow guests.



NYLO New York

Address: 2178 Broadway, Upper West Side

Open: October 2013

Price: Starting at $259 per night.

Nylo Hotel

NYLO New York plays with the idea of the piano bar, with three restaurants stuffed with Chesterfield sofas and a red lacquered piano. It pays homage to New York City's Jazz Age with Roaring '20s architecture. Rooms from the 14th floor through the top offer balconies that overlook Central Park and the Hudson River from the Upper West Side.

The hotel is great for the cultured traveler who wants to stay within steps of Lincoln Center and the American Museum of Natural History. 



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I Saw Another Side Of North Korea While Traveling Undercover [PHOTOS]

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In June 2013, I traveled to North Korea’s North Hamgyong Province undercover, not disclosing that I was a journalist in order to get a sense of life in areas far from Pyongyang.

north korea anniversary

This was a dangerous proposition. Western journalists are often forbidden from entering the country and can receive harsh treatment if discovered.



For eight days, I lived undercover, hiding the truth from my traveling companions and near-ubiquitous military guards.



Things started out in exciting fashion. I crossed into the North Korean city of Namyang overland from China, across the Tumen Border Bridge. Built in 1941 by the Japanese occupying the area, the bridge measures 1,690 feet in length but is less than 20 feet wide.

During the Korean War, it was one of the border posts from which the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army entered North Korea to help drive out US, South Korean, and UN forces. Though there was lots of security on the Chinese side, the North Korean side was strangely quiet.



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10 Striking Photos Of Identical Twins Show How Time Affects People Differently

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Identical twins are nearly identical at birth. But what happens after birth?

Chinese photographer Gao Rong Guo recently tried to answer that question, traveling across his hometown province of Shandong in search of identical twin pairs in their 50s and ultimately photographing 12 pairs of twins. These subjects have led different lives from their twins and now look undeniably different.

"He/she used to have the same face, living in the same family, but their lives changed due to various reasons after growing up," Gao told The Huffington Post. 

Gao shared some photos with us, and you can check out the rest on his website. We have included information about the pairs from Gao's book, "Identical Twins," which does not appear to be available in the U.S.

Yu Zhe (left) was married to a farmer in her village who has since died. She makes a living by farming and weaving nets by hand. Yu Lan (right) is also married to a farmer. The couple has two daughters and a son and makes a living by farming. Their son has Down syndrome.GAO_Rongguo_Twins_10_2012Guo Yao (left) has two sons. One works on a farm with Yao, while the other moved away after graduating from college. Guo Hui (right) has three children: two sons and a daughter, who are all married. Guo Hui and his family are all cotton planters and must work hard all year.GAO_Rongguo_Twins_11_2012Shou Yi (left) has two daughters, both married, a son, who has divorced twice, and several grandchildren. Shou Li (right) has four daughters, all married, and two granddaughters. Yi's life is more stressful than Li's, according to Gao.GAO_Rongguo_Twins_06_2012Weiai (left) married a local farmer and has a son and two daughters. The son is a student, while the two daughters run a computer company together. Weijing (right) is married to a peasant in the village. The two live by planting and selling trees.GAO_Rongguo_Twins_07_2012Hung Lans (left) has a son and two daughters. Hung Ju (right) has two sons, both married. Ju's husband died of cancer last year.GAO_Rongguo_Twins_09_2012Pei Wen (left) has two sons, who are both married and doing well. Pei Wu has a son and a daughter. His daughter is married, while his son has moved away for work.GAO_Rongguo_Twins_02_2012King (left) and Yun (right) both married farmers in their village. Yun and her husband are still farmers, while King and her husband run a prosperous fishing net factory. GAO_Rongguo_Twins_03_2012Lian Wen (left) has a daughter in junior high school. Lian Wu (right) has a son also in junior high school. Wu is the section chief of the marketing department at his company, but it's not clear what Wen does for a living.GAO_Rongguo_Twins_04_2012Bao Yi (left) broke his neck when he was performing a handstand as a child and has been disabled ever since. He has never married and is a doctor in the village. Bao Ren (right) is a farmer and construction worker. He has a son and daughter, who are also farmers.GAO_Rongguo_Twins_08_2012Wang Cai (left) is married with a son and a daughter. The daughter died from leukemia, while the son has a family. The family has a successful coal business. Yu Xia (right) is married to a farmer and has two sons, both of whom have married and moved away.GAO_Rongguo_Twins_05_2012Zhiguo died when he was 35. His wife has remarried. Zhidong is a local appliances dealer and repairman. He has two daughters and a son, and his business has been very successful.GAO_Rongguo_Twins_12_2012

SEE ALSO: 11 Surreal Photos From A Pagan Festival In Rural China

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The Best Snack Food From Every State

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Arkansas fried dill pickles

New York is well on its way to making yogurt the official state snack

It turns out that several other states have already designated official snack foods: Jell-O was declared the official snack of Utah back in 2001, and Illinois  a top producer of corn  made popcorn its official snack in 2003.

We think every state should have an official snack food, and researched the best snack from every state in the U.S. Disagree with our taste? Let us know in the comments.

ALABAMA: Moon Pies — a treat made of 2 graham crackers with marshmallow filling, coated in chocolate — are so beloved in Alabama that a 12-foot version of the cookie drops from one of Mobile's tallest buildings on New Year's Eve.



ALASKA: The state’s great salmon run is seasonal, but healthy, smoky salmon jerky can be enjoyed year-round.



ARIZONA: Prickly Pear Cactus Candy is chewy, sweet, and made with prickly pears straight from Arizona's arid land.



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Every Pick From The First Round Of The NFL Draft And How The Experts Did

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Jadeveon Clowney

With the first pick of this year's NFL draft, the Houston Texans selected Jadeveon Clowney from the University of South Carolina.

There was some doubt leading up to the draft with some speculating the Texans might trade the pick or possibly draft Khalil Mack. But in the end, most people had Clowney as the best player in the draft.

On the following pages, we'll track each pick of the NFL draft and compare those selections to where some of the top draft experts predicted the player to be picked.

1. Jadeveon Clowney, DE (South Carolina) — Houston Texans

Where the experts projected this player ...

Mel Kiper (ESPN.com): No. 1, Houston

Todd McShay (ESPN.com): No. 1, Houston

Mike Mayock (NFL.com): No. 1, Houston



2. Greg Robinson, OT (Auburn) — St. Louis Rams

Where the experts projected this player ...

Mel Kiper (ESPN.com): No. 2, St. Louis

Todd McShay (ESPN.com): No. 2, St. Louis

Mike Mayock (NFL.com): No. 2, St. Louis



3. Blake Bortles, QB (Central Florida) — Jacksonville Jaguars

Where the experts projected this player ...

Mel Kiper (ESPN.com): No. 20 Arizona

Todd McShay (ESPN.com): No. 11 Tennessee

Mike Mayock (NFL.com): No. 11 Tennessee



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The 10 Worst Selfies Of All Time

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girl taking selfie

Let's be honest: everyone loves to take a good selfie every once in a while.

But part of what makes a selfie great is the timing, your location, and, of course, your facial expression.

From self portraits taken in front of a burning building to selfies-while-driving, here are some of the worst, most poorly timed self-photographs of all time. 

If the cops pull you over, the last thing you should be worried about is taking a selfie.



Few things are more self-absorbed than snapping a selfie while your pregnant teacher is having contractions in the background.



Funerals are supposed to be a time to reflect on your lost love ones, not to take photos of yourself all dressed up.



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Meet The Real-Life Mad Men Who Inspired Don Draper

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jon hamm don draper

As any Mad Man fan knows, Don Draper is truly one of a kind, a man with perfect style and a seemingly infinite number of complexities.

But despite his many distinct traits, fans and critics have spent countless hours over the past seven years trying to figure out which real-life ad men inspired Draper's creation and helped forge his unique personality.

From our research, four candidates have sprung up repeatedly as the advertising executives people think Draper is most likely to be modeled on.

Here's what we know about them.

SEE ALSO: 'MAD MEN' vs. REALITY: Compare Don Draper's Ads With Those That Actually Ran In The 1960s

Draper Daniels

Don Draper gets his name from Draper Daniels, a Chicago advertising executive who created the famous Marlboro Man campaign during the 1950s. Like his namesake Mad Men character, Draper Daniels was something of a smooth operator with the ladies, persuading a female business partner to marry him, even though she was already engaged.

Draper Daniels' wife, Myra, has said her late husband became a one-woman man once they were married, and even quit drinking at her request. It's perhaps for these reasons that Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner told New York Magazine that Daniels was not related to the show. "I just saw the name," Weiner said.

Draper Daniels died of cancer in 1983.



Albert Lasker

Albert Lasker is considered by many to be the "father of modern advertising" because he was one of the first ad men to write copy that persuaded people to buy a product rather than merely informing them of what it did.

As owner of the Chicago ad agency Lord & Thomas during the first half of the 20th century, Lasker helped sell American Tobacco's Lucky Strike brand to women by promoting it as a weight-loss method. He was also at the helm of the account when it began its famous campaign describing its cigarettes as "toasted," an idea Draper is credited with on the show.

Lasker essentially invented several consumer products that have since become household staples, including orange juice (first sold to the public because the California Fruit Growers Exchange were growing more oranges than they could sell) and tissues (which were originally being sold as a cosmetics remover before Lasker started marketing them as disposable handkerchiefs).

Lasker passed away in 1952.



Emerson Foote

Emerson Foote, the "F" in modern-day agency FCB, famously resigned from his post as chairman of McCann-Erickson in 1964 because he didn't want to promote the sale of cigarettes. This bold move was later copied (sort of) in Mad Men's fourth season, when Don Draper took out a full-page ad in the New York Times to explain why Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce would no longer accept clients that sold tobacco.

Of course, Draper's declaration came shortly after his firm lost its big tobacco account, Lucky Strike, while McCann-Erickson was still advertising cigarettes in international markets when Foote decided to step down. Earlier in his career, Foote had worked on the Lucky Strike account, just like Draper.

Foote was also once director of the American Cancer Society, an agency whose fictionalized counterpart began working with Draper's firm after being impressed by his letter in the Times. The show even went so far as to have Draper's secretary let him know "someone named Emerson Foote" had called for him after the letter ran.

Foote passed away of complications related to appendicitis in 1992.



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The Best And Worst Dressed Players At The NFL Draft

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marquise lee

The NFL Draft has become the sports Oscars.

There's a red carpet, and players put tons of time and effort into choosing their suits.

As we saw on Thursday night during round one of the 2014 draft, sometimes they take risks and nail it (Marqise Lee's pink suit!), and sometimes they miss wildly (Ryan Shazier's turquoise suit).

WORST: Bradley Roby's metallic jacket and baggy pants.



BEST: Khalil Mack's light blue suit with the french cuff.



WORST: Ryan Shazier's turquoise suit and tie combo.



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