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Step Inside The 10 Most Magnificent Public Bathrooms In America

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The Grove cinta best restroom

We've all experienced the broken stall locks, mysteriously wet floors, and general grossness that plague public restrooms.

However, Cintas Corporation is celebrating the best of the facilities with their 13th annual America's Best Restroom Contest.

A team of editors picked the 10 most creative and clean public restrooms across the country, and are leaving it to the public to determine a winner.

The lucky loo will receive a $2,500 credit to spend on Cintas services like restroom cleaning and supplies.

You can cast a ballot for your favorite restroom online through October 31.

The American Girl store's bathroom in Chicago is perfect for their young visitors with bright pink colors and miniature-sinks.



There are even signature doll holders in each bathroom stall.



"Moms and girls alike are delighted with our restrooms," a spokesman for the company said. "Girls are thrilled that their special doll companions are safely secure and off the floor while they use the facilities."



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We Got A Look Inside One Of The Most Exclusive Hotel Suites In San Francisco

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Located just steps from San Francisco's Union Square, the 36-story high Grand Hyatt offers fantastic views of the city and the greater Bay Area.

But there's one room that literally towers above all the others in every way, from its spectacular views of the city in all directions to its gigantic 2,200 square feet of space.

It's the Presidential Suite located on the 35th floor, and it's so exclusive you can't even reserve it.

The suite is typically booked on a case-by-case basis for "high profile" executives and VIPs, we're told. It's also not cheap. While the rate can fluctuate, one night will cost at least several thousand dollars.

The Grand Hyatt is located at 345 Stockton St. right next to Union Square, a popular spot for tourists with plenty of shops, restaurants, and other attractions close by.



After a quick elevator ride to the 35th floor, we find the front door to the suite.



The first thing you notice once you open the door is a long hallway, which features wood floors and nice artwork along the walls.



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An Australian Firm Has Designed The Scariest House Ever

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modscape cliff house concept victoria australiaFor the discerning millionaire who wants a gorgeous coastal vacation getaway (and has no fear of heights), the Australian real estate firm Modscape has created a dream home.

Spotted by Inhabitat, the aptly named Cliff House quite literally hangs off a cliff face the same way a barnacle hangs off a ship’s hull. The design uses engineered steel pins that drive into the rock, thereby keeping the home attached to the cliff.

modscape cliff house concept victoria australia“The design is a theoretical response to clients who have approached us to explore design options for extreme parcels of coastal land in Australia, Modscape says on its website.

Looking out over the ocean, the five-story home has three bedrooms, a living area, kitchen, and gigantic floor-to-ceiling windows that display a breathtaking (or vertigo-inducing) view of the horizon.

modscape cliff house concept victoria australiaThe top story has a patio and two-car garage, and there’s even an open-air deck area in the bottom with a Jacuzzi and barbecue. All the levels are connected by stairs and an elevator.

modscape cliff house concept victoria australiaAnd though the building looks unsafe, former president of the Royal Institute of British Architects Maxwell Hutchinson assured BBC News that there was no reason why the design wouldn’t be structurally sound.

modscape cliff house concept victoria australiaYou can check out more designs from Modscape here.


NOW WATCH: America's Most Expensive Hotel Room Costs $45,000 A Night — And It's Non-Negotiable

SEE ALSO: An Insane Gothic Castle In Connecticut Can Be Yours For $45 Million

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THE TWILIGHT OF TANGIER: What It's Like To Live On An Island That's Disappearing Because Of Global Warming

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Tangier Island

If you stand at the end of the dock in Crisfield, Maryland, and gaze out over the water, you might not catch the tiny shape of a water tower barely visible on the horizon. And when you look at a map you can just as easily miss the tiny island that the tower sits on, 12 miles from either coast in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay. Largely unknown, Tangier Island, Virginia, is one of the most isolated and extraordinary places in the continental U.S.

It’s also in danger of disappearing. In 50 to 100 years, the water tower in the center of town may be all that’s left of the place.

Many of us have heard about far-off islands, like the Maldives or Kiribati, which are slowly sinking into the ocean because of erosion and rising sea levels. Far fewer know of Tangier, an island right here in the U.S. that's currently only 4 feet or so above sea level at its highest point and that may soon suffer the same fate.Tangier Island

An Island Apart

"Tangier’s laid back," says Ricky Laird, the man who became my surrogate tour guide on a recent visit to the island. "It's a nice place and everything's reasonable here," he says as he paints a newly purchased dingy in the yard of his house.

Laird, 44, was born on Tangier, and, after a stint on a farm in Appalachia, he moved back.

“I don’t care who the president is — I don’t even know who the governor or senator of Virginia is,” Laird says. The isolation of the island, an hour-and-a-half ferry ride from the coast, and largely closed off from the rest of the world, makes it unique. Some islanders go years without seeing the mainland, getting the supplies from the trusty mail boat that arrives in the harbor every day, rain or shine.

The men on the island, virtually all of whom work as commercial crabbers and oyster fishermen, or “watermen,” pack their catch on a separate boat that makes daily trips to the mainland, further reducing the need to leave.map skitchJust 1.2 square miles in all, Tangier Island is home to more than 500 full-time residents whose families have known one another for decades.

“You don't have to worry about traffic jams and murders, child molesters, rapist, and thieves," Laird says. "You can leave your doors open. You don’t have to lock anything.”

Although he knows pretty much everyone, he doesn’t share one of the island's prevalent last names, which include Parks (93 residents had that name in 2009), Pruitt (75), and Crockett (65). Many of these names can be seen on tombstones in the front lawns of the homes on Tangier, placed there out of necessity because of the island's low elevation and lack of space.Tangier Island Laird speaks in a thick accent native to the island, equal parts Southern twang and English brogue. The traces of Elizabethan English still present in the accent may have been influenced by working-class Brits who came to the island early in its settling. Vowels are extended to multiple syllables, making certain words hard to understand to outsiders.

I was confused when Ricky referred to what I heard as “terrorists” visiting the island. I soon realized he was referencing the “tourists” who flock there every summer.

Europeans, led by Captain John Smith, explored Tangier Island in 1608, though it had been a summer camping spot for the Pocomoke Indians long before that. Legend has it that John Crockett, still a common surname on this island, was the first to inhabit Tangier full-time when he and his eight sons arrived in 1686. Tangier IslandIn the 19th century, Tangier became home to annual Methodist tent meetings, and the island has been a stronghold of religion ever since. The island shuts down every Sunday morning, and once denied Hollywood filmmakers permission to shoot the PG-13 Kevin Costner movie “Message in a Bottle” there because of the script’s mentions of swearing, sex, and drinking.

Tangier is dry, with booze unavailable for purchase. But don’t let that fool you. “Everybody drinks, but they do it inside the house,” a man we’ll call Mike tells me as he passes a Sprite bottle filled with vodka from the cup holder of his golf cart, the preferred mode of travel on the island (there are few cars).Tangier IslandStill, while minor transgressions occur behind closed doors, the religious ethos prevails, causing many young people to feel stifled. “When I was a teenager, there was a pool hall, but you had to be 16," Mike says. "Otherwise, they're ain't shit to go on for teenagers. When they graduate, that's why they want to move off.”

After walking the island and reading the historical signs in the streets, one gets the sense that the heyday of Tangier, once home to movie theaters, factories, stores, and an opera house, is long past.  The population has declined from about 1,500 at one point to a third of that today, and the total drops every year.

One of the main reasons for that may be that the island itself is disappearing.

Losing Land And Time

Records indicate that in the mid-1800s, Tangier Island encompassed some 2,062 acres. It was home to watermelon farms, grazing cows, and a variety of plant life. In 1997, the total land mass amounted to just 768 acres, of which just 83 acres are habitable. Today, the island is even smaller.

While Tangier Island has been slowly losing ground to erosion for hundreds of years, the combination of rising sea levels and more devastating weather — both spurred by global warming — have greatly increased the rate of land loss. Until around 1900, sea levels in the Chesapeake Bay rose at an average of three feet per thousand years, geologists calculate. However, the rate greatly increased in the 100 years that followed,  seeing levels already increase by one foot and growing. Research shows that Tangier is now losing nine acres of land a year to erosion and rising tides.6063826912_8409f26530_o“It’ll be gone. If we don’t get a seawall — that’s been in the process for years — it’s just gonna wash away,” Mike tells me when I ask what the island will be like in 50 years.

The proposed seawall, a long rock barricade that would run the length of the eastern shore of the island, is expected to be completed in 2017. A similar seawall to the west was completed in 1990 and now protects that shore, which had previously seen houses falling into the sea.Tangier IslandOne of the most striking signs of the rapidly disappearing island is the Uppards, a beautiful area on Tangier's north end, where multiple families once lived year-round. Today, the Uppards has almost completely succumbed to the rising water levels, turning into a marshy, swampy wetland with major portions of fully submerged. 

I ask Ricky Laird to take me to the area on his skiff, now the only way to reach it. He tells me how he used to play with his friends in the Uppards and hunt ducks with his father. Now the only sign that humans ever lived there is a solitary mobile trailer on the beach, seemingly minutes from being taken completely by the surf.
Tangier Island the UppardsLaird doesn’t seem worried, though. “The island ain’t goin’ nowhere. They talk about erosion, but it’s been here forever and it ain’t gone nowhere in forever,” he says.

But as I walk around the island on my second day and see front yards turned into shallow ponds as high tides come in, I'm not as confident. And neither are most scientists.

"We have a pretty high degree of certainty that things are going to get wetter and wetter," Carlton J. Hershner Jr., a climate-change scientist at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, recently told the AP. "Not to be a bearer of bad news for Tangier, but that would suggest that sometime in the next 50 to 100 years the island would basically be underwater."

Tangier's physical fate may not be the most pressing problem on the island today, however. The more urgent question on the minds of residents seems to be whether anyone will still want to live there in the future, even if the island does survive the next 100 years.

A Different Kind Of Disappearance

“I’d like to be able to do this for the rest of my life," Laird's son, Nick, declares over egg sandwiches in his family's kitchen. "It’s kind of scary to think you might not be able to.” Nick, 24, has decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a waterman. Years ago, this career path was the norm for boys on the island. Nowadays, Nick is in the minority.

"I think the work part deters a lot of people," Nick says. "I don't want to say they're lazy, but there's not much else here to offer young people." Kids are leaving Tangier in droves, some for college, others for the military or elsewhere. Many will never return to the island full-time.

“A lot of kids nowadays, it just doesn’t appeal to them. They see mainstream culture, and they say ‘Hey, I think I’d like to move off, get a car, get a house, go to the mall," Nick says.
Tangier IslandIt certainly doesn’t help that being a waterman is becoming increasingly difficult. For the past 15 years, in an effort to prevent overfishing, Virginia has placed a moratorium on any new crabbing licenses. And other restrictions have greatly reduced the length of fishing seasons.

12700004 copyWith more and more young people moving off the island every year, Tangier Island truly is entering a twilight stage. Nick guesses that about half the island is at or above the age of 60. On an island this small, it’s hard to find a partner and, increasingly, young folks move away for romance as well.

“Some people that are married here today, they’ve been together since the seventh grade. But if you don’t get someone in the seventh or eighth grade, you’re in trouble,” Ricky says, adding that the fourth-grade class at the island's only school has one lone boy. 
burned houseThe once prosperous town now looks a bit beat down and lonely, too. Houses sit abandoned and dilapidated. Ricky tells me that I could buy a house and land on the island for about $7 to $10,000, a steal in any other island community. It sounds tempting until you remember that such an investment might well end up being the equivalent to throwing money in the ocean.

Tangier boy  2Before I leave the island, I stop a boy working to clear water out of his fiberglass dingy. I ask him what he plans to do when he gets older. "They say in about 100 years, this island’s gonna be disappeared, but I'm not going to college. I'm gonna work on the water here," he says. "I'm not gonna be living in another 100 years, either." 

SEE ALSO: Meet 15 People Who Brave Freezing Temperatures To Live In The Arctic Circle

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12 Dalai Lama Quotes That Will Change The Way You Think About Happiness

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The 14th Dalai Lama was born as Lhamo Dondrub in a village in Tibet in 1935. 

He fled his home during the Chinese occupation of Tibet and soon set up a government in exile in India. 

The monk has been the spiritual leader of his people and his religion since he was 15 years old. He's also one of the foremost authors and philosophers within Tibetan Buddhism, having authored books like "The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living,""How To Practice: The Way To A Meaningful Life," and "Beyond Religion: Ethics for the Whole World." 

In 1989 he won the Nobel Peace prize, and he continues to travel the world giving talks on compassion, the nature of truth, and happiness. 

On responsibility



On impact



On necessity



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Apple's Smartwatch Is Cool, But The Classic Wrist Watch Isn't Going Anywhere

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white gold 1981 Patek Philippe watch

Apple has officially unveiled its long-awaited Watch, and while some in the tech and fashion industries are praising the latest gadget, don’t expect it to take over the traditional watch market anytime soon.

Watches have been around for more than 500 years, surviving wars and technological revolutions. We may have advanced past the mechanics of the classic wristwatch, but we're still a long way from trading our Rolexes for smartwatches.

"The Apple Watch ... won't have a dramatic impact on the Swiss watch market at this stage, as the majority of the market is composed of brands at a luxury level, David Sadigh, founder and CEO of the Digital Luxury Group, told Business Insider. "Folks at Vacheron Constantin, Rolex, and Patek Philippe can still sleep well at night."

Here's why we aren't concerned about the fate of classic watches.

Design And Function Fall Short

Although the Watch wasn’t what some in the tech community were expecting, Apple no doubt attempted to appeal to watch purists, the fashion world, and the general public with familiar dials and watch faces (fashion editors were even invited to attend the Apple keynote for the first time).apple watchApple’s Watch is designed to be recognizable as a wristwatch. It's shaped like a traditional timepiece with a square clock face and even a digital crown on the side that can be spun and twisted to control what appears on the touch screen.

Yet the gadget looks first generation, to put it mildly. Clunky and thick, the Watch tries too hard to look analogue, and not hard enough to look like the new-age smartwatch Apple fans were anticipating.

Aside from its appearance, another concern is the battery life.  The Watch must be charged each night, which means you can't sleep with it on your wrist, as Business Insider's Jim Edwards points out.

What the Apple Watch does have going for it is customization. Don’t like your watch face? Tap for a new one. Can’t decide between a leather wrist band or sporty fluoroelastomer band? Get both. This is by far the most customizable product Apple has ever introduced.

Another pro is how sporty the Watch is. It can provide plenty of data for fitness enthusiasts and will compete with the FitBit and Nike FuelBand, as well as wearable devices from tech industry rivals. But the Apple Watch is still not handsome or long-wearing enough to compete with real watches.

Craftsmanship And Nostalgia

Mechanical watches have remained popular through the digital age because of their craftsmanship and superior quality.

"We're all extremely attached to our cameras, our phones, our computers, our iPads, and I think there's something charming about owning something analogue," Stephen Pulvirent, former associate editor of online watch publication HODINKEEtold Business Insider last year"I'm going to replace my iPhone sometime in the next few years. But a really high-quality watch I can wear and enjoy on a daily basis.” 

woman holding a Rolex watchWatch buyers accept that they're paying tens of thousands of dollars for what went into making their watch because they expect it to last.

It takes master watchmakers months and sometimes years to create the elaborate interior mechanisms that make collectors' watches so special, such as a split-second chronograph (two second hands to time different events) and perpetual calendars (which are designed to display the correct date on any given day in the future).

And never underestimate the power of history and nostalgia. Watch brands recognize that even if people aren't necessarily wearing watches to tell time, the watch can still be a symbol of something more personal.

 "I can give my watch to my children and they can give it to one of their children," Pulvirent said. "It's something that works in perpetuity since watches aren't something that needs to be changed constantly."

 On the other hand, if you buy an Apple Watch when it's released next year, it will quickly become obsolete once the next generation of the product is released.

Luxury Smartwatch, Not A Luxury Watch

Apple announced that the watch will be available beginning in 2015, with a base price of $349. 

At that price, the Watch only competes with a small segment of the market. “While the new Apple Watch won’t replace the inherent beauty and elegant utility of a vintage Patek Phillippe, it will disrupt the low-end market for overpriced quartz wristwatches (and maybe even some mechanical watches),” writes Kelly Jasper at HODINKEE.

High-end Swiss watchmakers shouldn't blink an eye at the Watch, but it could compete with mass-market watch brands like Rado, Citizen, and Fossil, which sell timepieces at similar price points. And while Swiss watchmakers now export more than $20 billion worth of watches, growth within the segment has been uneven, Pulvirent, now at Bloomberg Businessweek, writes, noting:

Dollar and unit exports of battery-powered electronic watches have been flat, while the market for luxury mechanical watches has nearly quadrupled. In 2000, mechanical watches accounted for only 8 percent of the watches leaving Switzerland; in 2013 they represented 27 percent. Nearly all this growth is coming from watches priced over 3,000 francs.

Global consumer interest in luxury watches grew 5.7% worldwide in 2013, with China, India, and Russia experiencing the biggest year-over-year increases. And the market for vintage luxury watches remains strong as well.Screen Shot 2014 09 10 at 3.51.44 PM

 

Apple is equipped to handle these challenges down the line. The Watch's design can be made more streamlined, and the battery life can be improved as technology advances.

Designers and celebrities may also start to team up with Apple to make more fashionable versions of the Watch (à la Google Glass and Diane von Furstenberg), giving it more clout and desirability in the marketplace.

The Apple Watch is just the newest player in the game though, and there will always be people who want impeccably made watches that last for decades (and don’t need to be charged every night, or used exclusively with an iPhone). 

The classic wrist watch has lasted this long, and it isn't going anywhere. 

SEE ALSO: 10 Incredible New Watches To Add To Your Collection

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The 25 Most Absurd Photos Of Eccentric Billionaire Richard Branson

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richard branson

Sir Richard Branson is the quintessential self-made, idealistic, and off-the-wall entrepreneur. He's never stopped doing things differently over his 40-plus-year career, from dropping out of high school to run a magazine to buying his own island in the British Virgin Islands — not to mention starting a commercial airline from scratch and kite-surfing across the English Channel in his 60s.

Today he's worth an estimated $5 billion and is the chairman of the eclectic Virgin Group of businesses, which is most recently expanding into the hotel market.

In his new book "The Virgin Way: Everything I Know About Leadership," Branson writes that his love of a crazy marketing stunt or world record attempt is just an extension of the way he runs his businesses. "The problem is that being told 'You'd have to be pretty crazy to even think about doing that' has to me always been like the proverbial red flag to a bull," he writes.

To celebrate his huge personality — and unparalleled marketing savvy — we've collected some of Branson's most outlandish photo ops.

Branson arrived to his 2007 "Rock the Kasbah" benefit for Morocco atop a horse and in traditional Moroccan garb.



Because he lost a bet with Air Asia CEO Tony Fernandes over which of their Formula One teams would beat the other, Branson agreed to dress in drag.



Here he is getting his legs shaved in preparation for his transformation into a stewardess.



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Stunning Portraits Of Europe's Modern Nomads

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The New Gypsies

It's easy to get wrapped up in our modern concerns, from the new iPhone to troubles in the car industry. The world is moving a mile a minute and technology is moving faster. But people all over the world are choosing to abandon the fast pace and opt instead for a simpler way of life. 

Some have become part of a new breed of nomads in Europe. They travel the countryside without modern transportation, stopping for short amounts of time (usually illegally), before saddling up and moving on.

Unrelated to the Roma people, many of these folks have lived in caravans pulled by horses since the 1980s, inspired by the anarchic and punk ethos that flourished in England at that time. In his recent book, "The New Gypsies," veteran photographer Iain McKell presents a beautiful series of photographs documenting this ragtag community.

McKell began photographing the group in 1985 when he saw them on TV participating in a standoff with the police at Stonehenge. He got a press pass and went into the camp, where he spoke with people and took portraits. McKell says he was interested in the juxtaposition of counterculture against a backdrop of beautiful nature.New GypsiesSixteen years later, McKell decided to start documenting them again in an effort to get out of the city and work on something new. "Initially, they thought I was a tourist," he tells Business Insider. But eventually, he won them over with prints of his work and a bottle of Jack Daniels. He would photograph them for the next nine years.The New GypsiesMcKell says that these new-age nomads make money working festivals around Europe. "They're not in your face, there's no posturing. They do their thing quietly, 24/7," McKell explains. "They've fully bought in to being free."The New GypsiesThe nomads especially reject the world's dependency on oil-burning modes of transportation, doing so by traveling by horse only. He tells us that they love the slow lifestyle.

They have a deep respect for their animals. McKell adds that when they are traveling, the horses pull the wagons and the people walk beside them instead of riding them. "They understand that humans are just another animal," McKell says.The New GypsiesAnd they haven't rejected all technology. Many have portable phones and laptops. McKell recalls a time when he sat with a group of the travelers inside a caravan and watched a popular British television show.The New GypsiesThe travelers and the scene they create is so visually striking that, along the way, McKell was commissioned to shoot supermodel Kate Moss hanging out with the travellers for V Magazine.The New GypsiesMcKell says that he is often asked about the children living in these camps. He explains that they have a unique time and learn to work hard, but that they are educated and are never mistreated.

They play chess, read, draw, and create their own games.

McKell recalls a time when he walked with a young girl who listed off all the names of the flowers they encountered on the trail. "They're more connected to nature," McKell says.The New GypsiesFor McKell, the project was a way of looking into another world, or a "tribe" as he puts it, one different from his own. He says he was an observer, "documenting something important."The New Gypsies

"The New Gypsies" is out now on Prestel Publishing. You can see more images of the nomads and McKell's other projects on his website.

SEE ALSO: Meet 15 People Who Brave Freezing Temperatures To Live In The Arctic Circle

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The 27 Most Competitive Countries In The World

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The World Economic Forum has released its annual report of the globe's most competitive economies.

The report ranks these economies on the "12 pillars of competitiveness": institutions, infrastructure, macroeconomic environment, health and primary education, higher education and training, goods market efficiency, labor market efficiency, financial market development, technological readiness, market size, business sophistication, and innovation.

"Smart investment in skills and innovation is key to enhanced productivity and competitiveness," the report said. "It also supports more inclusive growth by allowing everyone to contribute to and benefit from higher levels of prosperity. Economies that consistently rank high in the competitiveness rankings are those that are able to develop, attract and retain talent, and constantly introduce new and higher value-added products and services into the market."

The report adds that "while all of the pillars described above will matter to a certain extent for all economies, it is clear that they will affect different economies in different ways: the best way for Cambodia to improve its competitiveness is not the same as the best way for France to do so" because the two countries are in different stages of development.

The WEF ranked 144 economies.

27. Israel

Israel ranks 3rd in innovation, 15th in technological readiness, and 26th in business sophistication.

The Gaza War has discouraged tourists from visiting and "dented" consumer spending. Israel's economy is "already losing momentum," and now there are fears that the conflict will cause the economy to contract.

Source: World Economic Forum



26. South Korea

South Korea ranked 14th on infrastructure, 7th on macroeconomic environment, and 11th on market size.

South Korea's August exports missed market expectations— they are down 0.1% over the year. Additionally, analysts believe that South Korean export volatility could continue until there is an economic recovery in China.

Source: World Economic Forum



25. Ireland

Ireland ranks 8th on health and primary education, 10th on goods market efficiency, and 12th on technological readiness.

The Irish central bank recently "increased its growth outlook for the country" and analysts said that "faster-than-expected economic growth will allow the government to soften the next round of budget cuts for 2015," according to The Wall Street Journal.

Source: World Economic Forum



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What Happened On 9/11

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9/11 September 11th Attacks

It has been 12 years since September 11, 2001, the date of the deadliest attacks on U.S. soil since the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in World War 2. 

Nearly 3,000 people died in the 9/11 attacks, which The New York Times declared the "worst and most audacious terror attack in American history."

The nation is still working to move past the tragedy.

More than a decade later, New York City is still rebuilding the Financial District skyline. And earlier this year, a piece of one of the planes that crashed into the towers was found wedged between two buildings near Park Place downtown.

These photos tell the story of what happened that morning, much of which was captured on live television.

The morning of Sept. 11, 2001 started off like any other. The Twin Towers stood tall in the Financial District, as they had for more than 30 years.



At 8:46 a.m., American Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. At first, newscasters weren't sure if it was an accident or a deliberate attack.



At 9:03 a.m., United Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower, leaving no doubt that this was an attack. Some news channels captured the traumatic moment on live television.



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One Of The World's Most Infamous Short-Sellers Did An Awesome Presentation On How He Finds His Targets

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carson block

Muddy Waters Research CEO/founder Carson Block spoke to accounting students at Baruch College on Wednesday afternoon about short-selling.

Block is famous for targeting Chinese companies he believes are frauds.

He's best known for his takedown of Sino-Forest, which ultimately led hedge fund billionaire John Paulson to lose millions and eventually sell out of the stock. Sino-Forest, which Block said was overstating its timber holdings, eventually ended up filing for bankruptcy.

Block told students how he got into short-selling. He also shared some tips on how he conducts his research when looking for companies to short. Block said that short-selling was a difficult career right now. 

We've included his deck in the slides that follow.  







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These Photos Show The Harsh Reality Of War In Iraq And Afghanistan

How E-Commerce Is Finally Disrupting The Massive $600 Billion Grocery Industry [SLIDE DECK]

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bii retail sales volume

Since the early days of the internet, entrepreneurs have dreamed of moving grocery shopping online. It's finally starting to happen. 

We've created these slides to preview our report on how e-commerce is finally beginning to carve up the groceries market, the biggest untapped e-commerce opportunity. Americans spend $600 billion a year on groceries, the largest retail category by far. Less than 1% of those sales occur online. Same-day delivery services, specialty grocers, and meal-preparation businesses will drive fast growth in online groceries — much faster rate than offline.  

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







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The 12 Essential Books On Jeff Bezos' Reading List

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jeff bezos

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, despite contributing to the destruction of the physical bookstore, is a man intensely interested in and passionate about books and reading. 

In the appendix of Brad Stone's new book about Amazon, "The Everything Store," there's a list of books called "Jeff's Reading List," highlighted by Shane Parrish at Farnam Street.

"Books have nurtured Amazon since its creation and shaped its culture and strategy," Stone writes. "Here are a dozen books widely read by executives and employees that are integral to understanding the company." 

The list is not just weighty business tomes, though classics like "The Innovator's Dilemma" are there, but includes novels and biographies as well. They help explain some of Bezos' core management philosophies, like "two pizza teams," the Amazon maxim that no team be larger than the number of people that can share two pizzas. It also includes books that helped inspire the creation of Amazon Web Services, the company's highly lucrative cloud business, and the Kindle.

It's an amazing way to get into the mind of Jeff Bezos. 

We've listed the books here, along with Stone's explanation of why each made the list. 

"The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro

"Jeff Bezos’ favorite novel, about a butler who wistfully recalls his career in service during wartime Great Britain. Bezos has said he learns more from novels than nonfiction," Stone writes.

Find "The Remains of the Day"here.

Source: "The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon"



"Sam Walton: Made in America" by Sam Walton

"In his autobiography, Walmart’s founder expounds on the principles of discount retailing and discusses his core values of frugality and a bias for action—a willingness to try a lot of things and make many mistakes. Bezos included both in Amazon’s corporate values," Stone writes.

Find "Made in America"here.

Source: "The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon"



"Memos from the Chairman" by Alan Greenberg

"A collection of memos to employees by the chairman of the now defunct investment bank Bear Stearns. In his memos, Greenberg is constantly restating the bank’s core values, especially modesty and frugality. His repetition of wisdom from a fictional philosopher presages Amazon’s annual recycling of its original 1997 letter to shareholders," Stone writes.

Find "Memos from the Chairman"here.

Source: "The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon"



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These Powerful Photos Depict The Reality Of A Generation Of 'Lost Boys'

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LC 14

After three years in New York City's Pratt Institute, photographer Liz Calvi realized she couldn't afford her final semesters.

Calvi was lucky enough that her parents let her move back in with them at home in Hartford, Connecticut, and attend a local art school to finish her education without having to pay the price of room and board. She soon realized she wasn't the only one back in town.

"I noticed quite a few kids had come back home," she remembers. "This group of boys stuck around the longest, which is how I got the idea for lost boys instead of both genders." 

In her photo series "Lost Boys," the name of which was inspired by the use of "Peter Pan generation" to describe a generation that some believe refuses or postpones adulthood, Calvi mixes portraits of Hartford's 18- to 26-year-old "lost boys" with scenes from her hometown to illustrate the effects of a struggling economy on her peers. 

Here, she has allowed us to republish an excerpt of her project. To see the complete series, visit her website. 

In 2013, about a year after graduating, Calvi started her project. She was inspired in part by her younger brother Nick, pictured here as a junior in high school. "Being around him and watching him grow up, especially over the past two years, influenced me to start looking at other boys as well," Calvi says.



Calvi started with her "good group of guy friends" but eventually branched out to look for more subjects in town. Nolan, pictured here, is currently studying graphics in college, and he lives with his parents for the summer.



The project's subjects are all at home for different reasons. Some have graduated college, hold temporary jobs, are paying student loans, thinking about grad school, or are in school and saving on room and board. Kevin was homeschooled by his grandparents and is studying to be a firefighter instead of attending college.



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What It's Like To Take A $450,000 Cruise Around Antarctica

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antarctic cruiseBespoke tourism is all the rage these days, but Jacada Travel has taken things a step further with its Antarctic yacht tour.

The cruise is nothing short of a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but you'll pay for the privilege; $450,000 to be exact, along with a few days worth of travel via plane or boat (that's not included in the price, though you can use the private jet).

Click here to see the cruise >

More from Condé Nast Traveler:

5 Things Every Smart Traveler Should Be Doing in September 

The Tourist Attractions That Are Actually Worth the Wait 

Trips That Are Best Taken Solo 

The 10 Best Cities in Europe 

You'll set sail on a recently updated M/Y Enigma XK Expedition Yacht, which can accommodate 21 crewmembers and 12 passengers. There are five VIP suites if you're feeling truly fancy.



The most luxurious room on board is the owner's suite, decked out in all white with plenty of swank amenities. It's a fine place to rest your head for the duration.



Over the course of your nearly three-week-long trip, you'll have the option of customizing your activities, rather than sticking to a fixed schedule of events. And the adventures on offer are unlike anything you'll likely experience in your day-to-day life.



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The 20 Colleges That Make The Most Money On Sports

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Texas Longhorns Football

Despite recent struggles on the football field and the basketball court, the University of Texas remains the biggest money-maker in college sports.

In 2013, the Texas Longhorns athletic department generated $165.7 million in revenue, according to data collected by USA Today. Texas is one of only 13 schools with at least $100 million in athletics revenue.

Of revenue generated by Texas, a whopping $58.8 million comes from the rights and licensing. That number has skyrocketed in recent years thanks in part to the introduction of the Longhorn Network. That partnership with ESPN is worth $300 million over 20 years for the school.

The other big sources of revenue for the school are ticket sales ($60.9 million) and contributions to the department ($37.4 million). The latter was down from 2012 ($40.7 million).

As a result, the growth of the school's revenue has slowed in recent years. While revenue is up 84.8% since 2005 ($89.7 million), it is up only 1.5% from 2012 ($163.3 million).

Texas Longhorns revenue

No. 2 Wisconsin — $149.1 Million

Ticket Sales: $27.7 million

Donations: $58.9 million

Media Rights and Merchandising: $48.4 million

2012 Revenue and Rank: $101.5 million (11)



No. 3 Alabama — $143.8 Million

Ticket Sales: $38.9 million

Donations: $34.2 million

Media Rights and Merchandising: $46.0 million

2012 Revenue and rank: $124.9 million (4)



No. 4 Michigan — $143.5 Million

Ticket Sales: $43.1 million

Donations: $31.3 million

Media Rights and Merchandising: $54.0 million

2012 Revenue and Rank: $140.1 million (3)



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Here's What 11 Tech Stars Have On Their Home Screens

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linkedin ceo jeff weiner

What's on your smartphone home screen says a lot about you: How you spend your time online, how you get stuff done, and how you like to have fun.

We asked a mix of CEOs, VCs, and entrepreneurs to share what's on their home screens.

Yext CEO Howard Lerman loaded his screen up with other apps he's involved with — private messaging app Confide and Yo competitor AHOY. He also loves Dropbox so he can pull out financial plans whenever he needs to.



Google Ventures partner MG Siegler is doing an experiment where he replaces one app on his home screen with something new every few days. He's currently using Taptalk, a photo messaging app.



New York Times tech columnist Farhad Manjoo says he doesn't believe in the home screen. Instead, he uses Spotlight search to find the app he wants. He's also way behind on email.



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The 32 Most Trendsetting Looks Of The Year

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 Cara Delevingne cannes earrings

It's only September, but there have already been tons of memorable style moments this year.

Now that the biggest award shows and fashion shows have whizzed by, we took a moment to collect the most buzzworthy and breathtaking fashion looks we've seen so far. 

From Pharrell's hat seen round the world to Lupita Nyongo's fairytale Oscar gown, these are the looks that set the trends for the rest of us.

While murmurs of divorce have swirled around the couple as of late, Jay-Z and Beyonce continue to hold a special place in American hearts by dominating the red carpet, like at the Met Gala this year.



Cara Delevingne is one of the world's most in-demand models, and her personal style and silly persona is what makes her so likable. This Chanel look was a Cannes Film Festival favorite.



Dutch designer Iris Van Herpen was one of the first to use 3D printing techniques in fashion, and in January 2013, she debuted this intricate, lace-like dress that was created with a laser printing technique by Belgian company Materialise.

 



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A Biracial Woman Asked Designers Around The World To Make Her 'Beautiful' Using Photoshop

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original before and after part 2 photoshop

Back in June, freelance journalist Esther Honig had her face Photoshopped by artists in 19 countries, and the results went viral.

Honig had used an online freelancing platform called Fiverr to send her photo to graphic designers all over the world with the simple request to make her look more “beautiful.”

Her close college friend, Priscilla Yuki Wilson, an actor and radio journalist, just released her own set of manipulated images, and they are just as fascinating.

Wilson, who is biracial with a Japanese mother and black father, asked the designers from countries around the world to use Photoshop to make her "beautiful." The portraits were drastically different from Honig’s.

“In contrast to Honig’s results, where her face became a canvas to express more than a dozen contrasting beauty standards, I found that my face actually challenged the application of Photoshop in this instance,” Wilson explained on her personal website. “As a biracial women there is no standard of beauty or mold that can easily fit my face.”

Even so, the 22 portraits she received from countries around the world showcase the differing perspectives of what “beautiful” really means. In some countries, more than one artist submitted a portrait.

Here is Wilson's original image, shot by photographer Che Landon.



Albania



Algeria



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