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Declassified Photos Show The US's Final Preparations For The Nuclear Attacks On Hiroshima And Nagasaki

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atomic bomb

On August 6th and 9th of 1945, the United States dropped atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, causing significant death and destruction in both areas. To this day, the bombings remain history's only acts of nuclear warfare.

Many things are known about the sequence of events leading up to the dropping of the bombs, known as "Little Boy" and "Fat Man," which were loaded onto airplanes on the North Field airbase on Tinian Island, part of the Northern Mariana Islands to the south of Japan.

Until recently, though, few photographs were available documenting the final preparations before the bombings. But newly declassified pictures shed additional light on the hours leading up to the nuclear attacks, showing how and where the bombs were loaded.

These chilling photos show us what it was like to prepare for one of the most important moments in modern history.

(First seen on AlternativeWars.com)

Soldiers check the casings on the "Fat Man" atomic bomb. Multiple test bombs were created on Tinian Island. All were roughly identical to an operational bomb, even though they lacked the necessary equipment to detonate.



On the left, geophysicist and Manhattan Project participant Francis Birch marks the bomb unit that would become "Little Boy" while Norman Ramsey, who would later win the Nobel Prize in Physics, looks on.



A technician applies sealant and putty to the crevices of "Fat Man," a final preparation to make sure the environment inside the bomb would be stable enough to create a full impact once it detonated.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 20 Best College Towns In America

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ithaca cornell

When picking a college, location can sometimes be just as important as academics.

The American Institute of Economic Research has released its latest College Destination Index, which compared college towns across the country based on their academic environment, quality of life, and professional opportunity.

The index separated the destinations by population size. Here we have rounded up the best of the small college towns, all with populations under 250,000.

We have included select statistics about each town; click here to see the full report.

No. 20 Logan, Utah

This mountain town, site of Utah State University, has the lowest average rent of all the college towns on this list. Its 3.6% unemployment rate is also one of America's lowest.

Student concentration: 153.6 college students per 1,000 people

Average rent for 2-bedroom apartment: $637

Median earnings: $19,389

Source: American Institute for Economic Research



No. 19 Mankato, Minnesota

Minnesota State University Mankato is the second-largest public university in the state, and the surrounding town has a high number of new residents with college degrees.

Student concentration: 197.6 college students per 1,000 people

Average rent for 2-bedroom apartment: $704

Median earnings: $24,737

Source: American Institute for Economic Research



No. 18 Binghamton, New York

The upstate New York home of Binghamton University is a new addition to this list, and it has a high number of international students.

Student concentration: 102.8 college students per 1,000 people

Average rent for 2-bedroom apartment: $692

Median earnings: $26,188

Source: American Institute for Economic Research



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

WALTER ZIMMERMAN: The Stock Market Roller Coaster Has Been Released From The Fed's Lift Chain

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walter zimmerman

Last week's stock market sell-off put the Dow Jones Industrial Average in the red for the year.

"What strikes me most about all this is the sheer complacency," said Walter Zimmerman, chief technical analyst for United-ICAP. "The most pervasive reaction to the recent sharp drops in the equity indices seems to be ‘What is this doing here? I thought we were finally done with stock market declines.’"

As a technical analyst, Zimmerman pays a lot of attention to chart patterns and the statistics behind them.

However, his current concerns about the stock market are echoed by those who focus on fundamentals. These concerns include deflation and the discontinuance of the Federal Reserve's monetary stimulus.

"I was wondering when the equity markets would start playing catch-up to the great asset deflation that has been the scourge of the commodity markets since May 2011," Zimmerman said in an email to Business Insider. "Looks like we can now add the global equity markets to the great asset deflation parade."

Indeed, even gold— considered a safe haven asset class by some — has been getting punished.

Zimmerman sent Business Insider two sets of slides. The first set features the Russell 2000, an index of small and mid-cap stocks, and the DAX, an index of German stocks. The second puts the global markets into context characterizing it like a roller coaster with the Federal Reserve at the control panel.

"This widespread reaction tells me that everyone is long and un-hedged," he said. "Of course this decline is so sweeping in its extent that it seems quite likely the only effective hedge will be the side-lines."

'This widespread reaction tells me that everyone is long and un-hedged.'



Small and mid-cap stocks have further to fall.



'You know it is a global debacle when both the Russell 2000 and the DAX break down at the same time from virtually identical and massive peaking patterns'



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

9 Books Billionaire Warren Buffett Thinks Everyone Should Read

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warren buffett

When Warren Buffett started his investing career, he would read 600, 750, or 1,000 pages a day.

Even now, he still spends about 80% of his day reading. 

"Look, my job is essentially just corralling more and more and more facts and information, and occasionally seeing whether that leads to some action," he once said in an interview

"We don't read other people's opinions,"he says. "We want to get the facts, and then think."

To help you get into the mind of the billionaire investor, we've rounded up his book recommendations over 20 years of interviews and shareholder letters. 

"The Intelligent Investor" by Benjamin Graham

When Buffett was 19 years old, he picked up a copy of legendary Wall Streeter Benjamin Graham's "Intelligent Investor." 

It was the one of the luckiest moments of his life, he said, because it gave him the intellectual framework for investing. 

"To invest successfully over a lifetime does not require a stratospheric IQ, unusual business insights, or inside information,"Buffett said."What's needed is a sound intellectual framework for making decisions and the ability to keep emotions from corroding that framework. This book precisely and clearly prescribes the proper framework. You must provide the emotional discipline."

Buy it here >>



"Security Analysis" by Benjamin Graham

Buffett said that"Security Analysis,"another groundbreaking work of Graham's, had given him "a road map for investing that I have now been following for 57 years."

The book's core insight: If your analysis is thorough enough, you can figure out the value of a company — and if the market knows the same. 

Buffett has said that Graham was the second-most influential figure in his life, after only his father. 

"Ben was this incredible teacher; I mean he was a natural,"he said

Buy it here >>



"Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits" by Philip Fisher

While investor Philip Fisher— who specialized in investing in innovative companies — didn't shape Buffett in quite the same way as Graham did, he still holds him in the highest regard. 

"I am an eager reader of whatever Phil has to say, and I recommend him to you,"Buffett said

In "Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits," Fisher emphasizes that fixating on financial statements isn't enough — you also need to evaluate a company's management.

Buy it here >>



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A Street Artist in Michigan Creates Whimsical Charcoal Cartoons That Rival Banksy

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Since 1987, self-taught artist David Zinn's playful chalk drawings have been popping up around Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Sluggo

In his "Lost and Unfounded" street art series, he creates playful characters and temporary illustrations on the fly using chalk, charcoal, and found objects.

Sluggo and Philomena

Zinn told Business Insider that he chooses locations that are either unimpressive or easily ignored (cracks, curbs, or pipe covers), and invents interesting ways to incorporate his imaginary friends into the landscape. 

The majority of his work is a playful trompe-l'œil effect that uses the surroundings to make the cartoons appear 3D and as if they're coming to life.

The creatures that show up most often in his work are a green monster named "Sluggo" and a flying pig named "Philomena." All of Zinn's drawings usually feature some sort of cartoon animal and are a big hit with the children in Ann Arbor.

Sluggo

"Philomena was first requested by a young girl I met while drawing in front of a market," Zinn told Business Insider. "Since then, I have found that flying pigs have a strong positive effect on many people."

David Zinn

"I think it's because the phrase 'that will happen when pigs fly' is such an inherently glum and discouraging phrase, and so any demonstration of porcine aviation is seen as a symbol of encouragement," he added. 

David Zinn's street art

Sluggo, the green monster, was inspired by a series and cracks in the sidewalks and now shows up in drawings, “whenever he feels like it."

David Zinn

As for using chalk as his medium, Zinn enjoys the freedom that comes from the fact that his drawings are ephemeral.

“Knowing that the art will wash away in the rain makes it easier to enjoy the process of creating it," Zinn told us. "There is nothing that needs to be framed or sold or stored away after the drawing is done, and very little planning beforehand to make the art suitable as a permanent presence in the community."

David Zinn

"Since the installations are so fleeting, the experience of seeing one in real life is both more surprising and more exceptional," he said.

For more of David Zinn’s work you can check out his Facebook page, and keep scrolling to see more of our favorite designs.

A fish peeks out from its shallow basin in the sidewalk.

David Zinn

An octopus climbs out of an imaginary pool as people walk by.

David Zinn

A rabbit looks forlornly out of its window in the brick wall.

David Zinn

A cat wails against its imaginary imprisonment as a mouse sits guard.

David Zinn

SEE ALSO: This Street Art Animation Is Completely Mesmerizing

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An Awe-Inspiring Tour Of The Navy's Most Important Submarine Base

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Naval Submarine Base New London

Naval Submarine Base New London is one of the US Navy's most important and fascinating facilities.

Located along the eastern bank of the Thames River in eastern Connecticut, New London serves as the home of fifteen attack-class submarines, the largest single contingent of subs in the US Navy. The submarines serve throughout the world, including beneath the polar ice cap.

Almost every sailor serving aboard a submarine will pass through New London for some kind of training. The base is known as "home of the submarine force," although personnel at the base like to call New London the "submarine capital of the world."

Steeped in history, Submarine Base New London was the first port to host US submarines in 1915, prior to the country's entrance into World War I. Since then, the base has continuously expanded as the US has grown into the world's largest naval power, with the most advanced submarine fleet of any country.

In October, Business Insider was given an all-encompassing tour of the base and its operations.

Naval Submarine Base New London started as a Naval Yard and Storage Depot in 1868 but didn't host submarines until 1915, two years before the US entered World War I.



Since its founding, New London has continuously grown. In the 1960s, the base had expanded beyond the waterfront and into the surrounding hills.



Today the base is the home port of fifteen attack subs, and its ten piers allow it to berth 18 subs. Even so, the base has plans to expand over the next two decades.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here's Everything We Know About Apple's Next iPad (APPL)

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iPadAir2

Apple is just days away from holding its next major press event, where it will presumably unveil its next iPad.

Apple typically reveals its new tablets in October, so there's a strong chance we'll be seeing an updated edition of the iPad Air on Oct. 16.

Judging by the rumors and reports that have been floating around the web, it seems like the next iPad iteration will look almost identical to Apple's current iPad Air. 

The biggest changes will be under-the-hood improvements, such as the addition of a new Apple-made processor, and Touch ID in the home button.

Here's a look at everything we know about the next iPad Air ahead of Apple's big event. 

The next iPad may be even thinner than the current iPad Air.

The iPad Air is already pretty thin, but the second-generation model may be even slimmer. Specifically, it's rumored to be 0.5mm thinner than the model Apple sells today. 



We'll probably see Touch ID in the home button.

It seems likely that Apple will put the Touch ID fingerprint sensor it introduced on the iPhone 5s in its new line of iPads. Various leaks from the past few months have made this claim, including a recent report from French blog Nowhereelse.fr. This is the same blog that leaked a ton of photos of the iPhone 6 before it was released, which turned out to be accurate. 



And it'll likely be available in gold, too.

Apple is likely to add a gold color option to its like of iPads just like it has done with the iPhone. Bloomberg reported this earlier in October, saying it spoke with three people familiar with Apple's plans. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who is probably the most accurate Apple analyst out there, also predicts the same. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

What It's Like To Drive A Yellow Taxi In New York City

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Samyukta_Lakshmi_Taxi 32

Over the past several years, all the news out of the taxi industry has been doom and gloom. An industry that once seemed impervious to competition or risk has been upended. Smartphone apps like Uber and Lyft have opened the floodgates to amateur drivers and new Green taxis have added thousands of cars to the mix.

The price of a New York medallion — which licenses taxis to pick up passengers — remains above $1 million, by far the most expensive in the country

Amid all the hype about Uber, the taxi drivers whose livelihoods depend on the stability of the taxi business get lost in the shuffle. But not for photographer Samyukta Lakshmi, who grew up in Bangalore, India, watching TV shows and movies set in New York. For her, the relationship between yellow cabs and Manhattan was so strong that she couldn't think about one without the other.

When Lakshmi moved to New York to study at the International Center of Photography, she decided that photographing taxis and the drivers behind them —many of which are from India — was a perfect way for her to explore New York.

Lakshmi's work documents an industry in crisis even as the drivers keep on moving forward. She shared some photos from the project with us here, and you can check out more on her website

There are about 14,000 yellow cabs in New York City and more than 50,000 drivers.



To meet taxi drivers, Lakshmi would take taxis often and ask the drivers if she could photograph them. Sometimes they said yes, but most often they would say no.



The airports turned out to be a great place to meet taxi drivers, because so many have to stand around and wait in a queue for passengers. Here, a man prays during a break.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Private Equity Chairman Is Selling His Massive Time Warner Center Condo For $35 Million

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25 Columbus Circle

Roy Furman, chairman of private equity firm Jefferies Capital Partners is selling his nine-room condominium on top of the south tower of Time Warner Center for $35 million, according to The Real Deal.

He bought the unit for $9.7 million back in 2005.

The condo includes three bedrooms and three bathrooms.

And if that's not enough, the views from the apartment are killer: you can see the Hudson River, and Central Park's pond and reservoir to the north.

One bright red wall spices up the otherwise classic looking interior.



Here's the view you'd have sitting on one of the couches.



Dining would be incomplete without a small statue and a collection of great literature.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

432 Park Is Officially New York City's Tallest Apartment Building

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432 park ave

On Friday, construction topped out at 432 Park, a luxury condominium that's now arguably the tallest building in New York City. It even has the new One World Trade Center beat, not counting that building's spire.

At 1,396 feet, 432 Park towers above a row of super-tall buildings rising on the southern end of Central Park, an area that's already earned its "Billionaires' Belt" nickname. These skyscrapers are so tall they needed approval from the Federal Aviation Administration before construction could start.  

“It’s almost like the Mona Lisa,” developer Harry B. Macklowe said Friday, The New York Times reported“Except instead of it looking at you, you’re looking at it wherever you are. You can’t escape it.” 

The building, which cost $1.3 billion to construct, has two penthouses, one on the 96th floor that sold for $95 million and another on the 95th, currently priced at $85 million. 

The building's architect Rafael Viñoly made news back in September 2013 when his Walkie Talkie building wreaked havoc on London's streets, emitting a reflection so hot it melted cars and literally fried eggs on the sidewalk. But if these renderings are any indication, this building should be more of a success. 

We recently saw renderings of the apartment building's interiors, and the designs are magnificent.

Designer Deborah Berke says her focus was to make the most of the apartments' perch above the city. Double-height ceilings and beautiful oak flooring are highlights, while huge square windows provide an unparalleled view.  

432 Park contains 104 apartments, which start at $7 million.

From the outside, rows of six 100-square-foot windows give the building the square look of a waffle iron. 

432 Park aveInside, Berke's design is just as geometric. The huge windows are in a straight line from the front door, making the most of the apartment's perch above the city. 

432 park aveAccording to Berke, the oak herringbone floors are a take on Park Avenue's more traditional apartment buildings.

432 park aveThe kitchens will be outfitted with sleek marble countertops and stainless steel appliances. 

432 park aveBut the kitchen's best feature has to be this 10-foot-long marble breakfast bar framed against the window. Just imagine enjoying your morning coffee here, with all of Manhattan sprawled out below you. 

432 park aveThe master suite's floor plan was designed so that the bed would be perfectly aligned with the window, offering the best views possible first thing in the morning. 

432 park aveThe master suite has separated his and hers bathrooms. Looking north from the marble-covered shower, you'll get a peek of Central Park and the Upper East Side. 432 park aveAnd to the south, views of the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building, and the Freedom Tower can all be enjoyed from this free-standing tub. 

432 park ave432 Park will dramatically change the skyline around Central Park once it's completed in 2015. 

432 park aveListen to designer Deborah Berke discuss her renderings and concept below.

SEE ALSO:  THE NEW BILLIONAIRES' ROW: See The Incredible Transformation Of New York's 57th Street

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Chicago Bulls Center Joakim Noah Bought A Fancy New Home In Chicago For $2.9 Million

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Joakim Noah Rooftop Cover PhotoChicago Bulls center Joakim Noah can officially say he lives in Chicago.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Noah bought a new home in Lincoln Park for $2.85 million. The house is fancy and combines both modern and classical looks into the 7-bedroom, 7,500 square-foot home.

It's a fairly new home, built in 2009, and has custom millwork, a finely trimmed backyard and a rooftop patio above the garage.

The outside of the house is gated and shows off lovely brick and stone.



The neatly trimmed backyard has a small patio and grill.



The backyard leads up to a lounge-y rooftop patio (which won't get much use in Chicago's frigid winters).



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Customers Are Claiming Their $20,000 Hermés Bags Smell Like Skunk

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Birkin Bag

Customers of high-end leather goods peddler Hermès are returning their expensive leather bags because they have a distinct skunk or marijuana smell. 

Iconic bags such as the Birkin and Kelly — which can cost up to $20,000 and have numerous celebrity admirers like Kim Kardashian and Victoria Beckham — are supposedly emitting the smell whenever exposed to warmer temperatures or direct sunlight, The New York Post's Page Six is reporting.

The smelly problem seems to stem from a large batch of poorly tanned leather supplied to Hermès, a source told Page Six. It doesn't affect all Hermés bags and colors or specialty leathers like crocodile.

Hermès only offers its bags in limited quantities and the painstaking process to acquire one often calls for a wait time of months to years, so the stinky defect must be widespread.

Unhappy customers are taking to the messaging boards of websites like PurseBlog.com to voice their frustrations with claims of what they call the "Skunk Stinky Syndrome" stretching all the way back to late last year.

Other purse-buyers are using Yelp to vent, leaving bad reviews on the company's ritzy individual boutique locations. 

Customers report that Hermès is taking steps to remedy the situation by taking the bags back and sending them off to Paris to be rebuilt and have the offensive leather panels removed. 

Considering how expensive these handbags are, hopefully the problem will be solved soon.

SEE ALSO: 8 Men’s Fashion Trends You'll See This Fall

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9 Books That Steve Jobs Thought Everybody Should Read

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Steve Jobs Commencement HD

Why did Apple think different? 

Because, Steve Jobs said while introducing the iPad, the Mac maker was never just a tech company. 

"The reason that Apple is able to create products like the iPad is because we've always tried to be at the intersection of technology and the liberal arts," he said.

Jobs' lifelong interest in the humanities gave Apple a human touch.

By combining tech and the liberal arts, Jobs said that Apple was able to "to make extremely advanced products from a technology point of view, but also have them be intuitive, easy-to-use, fun-to-use, so that they really fit the users." 

Jobs arrived at that perspective through a lifetime of reading, as reviewed in Walter Isaacson's biography and other places. We've put together a list of the books that most affected him. 

'King Lear' by William Shakespeare

Jobs really began his literary bent in the last two years of high school. 

"I started to listen to music a whole lot,"he tells Isaacson, "and I started to read more outside of just science and technology — Shakespeare, Plato. I loved 'King Lear.'" 

The tragedy may have provided a cautionary tale to a young Jobs, since it's the story of an aged monarch going crazy trying to divide up his kingdom. 

"'King Lear' offers a vivid depiction of what can go wrong if you lose your grip on your empire, a story surely fascinating to any aspiring CEO," says Daniel Smith, author of "How to Think Like Steve Jobs." 

Buy it here >>



'Moby Dick' by Herman Melville

Another epic story colored Jobs' outlook in his adolescence: "Moby Dick," the deeply American novel by Herman Melville. 

Isaacson draws a connection between Captain Ahab, who's one of the most driven and willful characters in literature, and Jobs. 

Ahab, like Jobs, did lots of his learning from direct experience, rather than relying on institutions. 

"I prospectively ascribe all the honour and the glory to whaling,"the captain writes early in the story, "for a whale-ship was my Yale College and my Harvard."

Buy it here >>



'The Collected Poems of Dylan Thomas' by Dylan Thomas

But the intellectual flowering that Jobs had in late high school wasn't confined to hard-charging megalomaniacs — he also discovered a love for verse, particularly Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. 

"How To Think Like Steve Jobs" author Daniel Smith says that Thomas' poems "drew him in with its striking new forms and unerringly popular touch."

"Do not go gentle" became a reported favorite:  

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Buy it here >>



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

25 Amazing Dishes Being Served At Apple's Campus Cafeterias

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apple cafeApple is a brand that's known for its high-quality design and attention to detail.

Luckily for Apple employees, that commitment to quality extends to on-campus food offerings as well. 

Employees can take advantage of some amazing dishes at the company's main cafeteria, Caffè Macs, at its Infinite Loop headquarters in Cupertino, California. From paella to ramen burgers, there's a huge variety of food to be had here every single day. 

There are a few smaller Apple cafeterias in Cupertino as well, including a stunning new building that was designed by Foster + Partners, the firm behind the company's future "spaceship" headquarters.

The food is also pretty cheap, though ironically enough employees can get fresh apples for free.  

There are plenty of options for breakfast, like this amazing looking $4 French toast with strawberries.

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Or for $3.75, try this breakfast scramble with cheese, eggs, bacon, and potatoes.

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Or there's a poached egg served with a quinoa hash.

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Today Is The US Navy's 239th Birthday — Here's What The Branch Was Like In 1898

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Navy Officers Spanish American War

A series of recently uploaded photos from Naval History and Heritage Command reveal what life was like in the U.S. Navy over 100 years ago.

The photos are being released to coincide with the official 116 year anniversary of the start of the Spanish-American War on April 25.

The war, which only lasted for four months, is seen as one of the most important events in the structuring of the U.S. Navy. A resounding success for America, the war also began the process of the U.S. taking a more active role in international affairs.

The official cause of the war was the destruction of the USS Maine outside Cuba. The U.S. blamed the sinking of the ship on a Spanish mine.



In response, the U.S. declared war against Spain on April 25, 1898.



Admiral George Dewey, based in Hong Kong, was given the order to engage the Spanish fleet at Manila in the Philippines.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

HOUSE OF THE DAY: Hedge-Fund Tycoon Finally Sells His Oceanfront Hamptons Estate For $16 Million

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Gin Lane

Hedge-fund manager Scott Bommer (who is known for flipping homes in the Hamptons) has finally sold his historic oceanfront estate in Southampton for $16 million, according to Curbed Hamptons

Bommer originally put the house on the market in September of 2013 for $25 million, but has since had to lower the price multiple times. According to Southampton Village Real Estate, the final price was $16 million — a staggering $9 million and 20% below Bommer's asking price.

The historic beach house, known as the Halcyon Lodge, was once a part of the Henry Ford estate.

In 1946, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Ford II commissioned the famous architect Phillip Johnson — known for building The Glass House— to build a one story glass wing addition to the estate.

The home sits on 1.5 acres of land with 142 feet of oceanfront. Inside there are eight bedrooms, six baths, a heated pool, and even has a three-bedroom carriage house for guests. 

Built in the early 1900s, this historic beach house is one of Southampton’s original cottage colony homes.



It has beautiful hardwood floors and a fireplace for cozy lounging.



The oceanfront home also has beautiful artwork on the walls.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

JPMorgan's Complete Guide To Everything Happening In The Markets

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jpm funds

It's been a tough few weeks for the stock market. 

Over the last three months, each of the major averages has lost ground, and as of Friday's close, the Dow turned negative for the year. Additionally, the Federal Reserve is set to wind down its quantitative easing program at end of the month, after which investors will prepare for the Fed's first interest rate increase since 2006. 

Also in the background are continued indications that Europe's economy is slowing down, as well as unrest in the Middle East and Ukraine. 

Here to help investors navigate these market factors is JPMorgan's quarterly market guide, compiled by David Kelly and the Global Market Insights Strategy Team. 

This 67-slide presentation gives investors an overview of what to watch out for in stocks, bonds, real estate, and the rest of the investable universe. 

Thanks to JPMorgan Asset Management for giving us permission to feature this presentation.

JPMorgan's Q4 Guide To The Markets



JPMorgan's Q4 Guide To The Markets



JPMorgan's Q4 Guide To The Markets



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A New Footbridge In London Opens Like A 70-Foot Fan

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footbridge1

London's canal ways are a little more artistic with the recent opening of the Merchant Square footbridge.

Stretching over the Paddington Basin and located in the district of the same name, the bridge is designed by Knight Architects as a part of the Merchant Square redevelopment.

Six days out of the week, the footbridge is merely that, allowing pedestrians to cross the murky canal ways without so much as getting their Wellingtons wet.

footbridge3Every Friday afternoon, however, the bridge reveals its structure and the five steel beams lift upwards toward the sky to create a stunning fan-like effect. The opening also creates plenty of room for boats to pass under and turn around in the basin.

The bridge was designed to be sculptural as well as low maintenance. The beams open in sequence, with the first one opening up to a 70 degree angle. They range in weight from six to seven tons and are balanced out by a 40-ton counterweight made of concrete and steel to ensure the bridge opens and closes smoothly.

smallfootbridgegif

The counterweight also provides assistance for the hydraulic mechanism by lessening the amount of energy required to lift the structure.

Knight Architects, the firm behind the bridge, call it a "kinetic sculpture." They won a limited contest to design the bridge in 2012, which called on them to create the bridge at the spot to replace the old one as well as create "visual drama."

It joins another artsy bridge in the neighborhood called the Rolling Bridge that can curl up on itself, creating a mini sculpture park along the basin.

SEE ALSO: The Best New Buildings On The Planet

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Go Aboard A Fleet Of Military Ghost Ships Decaying Off The Coast Of San Francisco

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mothball fleet

Since 1946, the United States' government has maintained fleets of various "mothballed" ships, which can be readied and used in case of a crisis.

These boats, some of which are very old, include military ships that served in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and Desert Storm, as well as civilian merchant ships from previous decades. The fleets sit, mostly untouched and off-limits, in the coastal waters of California, Texas, and Mississippi, as well as North Carolina and New Jersey.

One of the fleets, located off the coast of San Francisco in Suisun Bay, once counted as many as 340 ships in its ranks. Today, 10 ships remain, rusting in the California sun, leaving toxic chemicals in the water. Because of this, the Maritime Administration has mandated their scrapping. By 2017, they will all be gone

Boarding these ships is strictly prohibited to the general public — getting onto one at all is a tall task. However, photographer Amy Heiden gained access to the decaying ships before some of them were scrapped, shooting on their decks as well as inside the vessels.

The "Mothball Fleet" is about a mile off the coast of Suisan Bay, a body of water Northwest of San Francisco, near the town of Benicia.



Many of the ships were former military vessels. The USS Nereus, a submarine tender, joined the fleet in 1971 and didn't move until 2012, when it was sent to Texas to be scrapped.



The ships pose an environmental threat, as they have already dropped around 20 tons of barium, copper, lead, and zinc into the bay.



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Frank Gehry's New Paris Museum Looks Like A Glass Sailboat

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Frank Gehry Fondation Louis Vuitton

Prolific architect Frank Gehry is known for his impressive portfolio, and now he has added to it with a new museum in France.

The cultural institute, Fondation Louis Vuitton, was commissioned by LVMH Group CEO Bernard Arnault and designed by Gehry himself. 

It's located in the Jardin d’Acclimatation at the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, which was once a royal hunting ground and is now a public park and zoological garden. 

The glass building will house 11 galleries, and was designed to look like a sailboat opening up in the wind. 

Iwan Baan for Fondation Louis VuittonThe center will open with an exhibit called "Voyage of Creation," which will be dedicated to understanding the architecture of the building, according to the press release.

The exhibit will be presented at the same time as an exhibition of Gehry’s work that will be on display at the Centre Pompidou. The Fondation will also have an auditorium to host musical guests, the first being the famous pianist Lang Lang. 

Frank GehryThe new museum will host two temporary exhibits every year, with the next one being planned for December 2014. 

Construction for the 126,000-square-foot building began in March 2008. It took a team of 5,000 to construct the building. 

Frank Gehry Fondation Louis VuittonThe glass "sails" are made of 3,600 glass panels, each uniquely designed by the star architect. 

Frank Gehry The building is entirely transparent and plays with notions of inside and outside, according to the website

Frank Gehry15,000 tons of steel form the building’s main structure — twice the amount used for the Eiffel Tower.

Frank Gehry Fondation Louis Vuitton“I simply look at what is in front of my eyes. Then all I do is react. Drawing makes me happy,"Frank Gehry said of his creation via Fondation Louis Vuitton

The center for contemporary art and culture will officially open to the public on Monday October 27. 

Fondation Louis VuittonFor more information visit the Fondation Louis Vuitton's website here

SEE ALSO: The Best New Buildings On The Planet

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