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The 25 Biggest Landowners In The US

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jeff bezos amazon

America's 100 biggest landowners increased their private holdings by 500,000 acres in the past year, according to The Land Report, which just released its annual list of landowners by acreage.

That's slightly down from 2013, when the top 100 added 700,000 acres to their holdings. Even so, it means these land tycoons control more than 30 million acres, or almost 2% of America's land mass.

Media tycoon John Malone, who owns 2.2 million acres — more than twice as much land as the state of Delaware — tops the list for the fourth year running. We're taking a closer look at the top 25 land owners. You can download the full report here.

#25 Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos owns 290,000 acres.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos bought a 290,000-acre ranch in Texas in 2004, and his aerospace firm Blue Origin uses it to test space vehicles.

Data provided by The Land Report.



#24 The Nunley cattle-ranching family owns 301,500 acres.

The Nunley brothers have been in the ranching business for more than 70 years, and specialize in the Santa Gertrudis breed of cow. They own holdings in Texas and New Mexico, including a major cow-calf operation.

Data provided by The Land Report. 

 



#23 The Collins family, who have a forest products company, owns 310,472 acres.

Privately-owned, The Collins Companies runs timber operations from Pennsylvania to Oregon. Since 2010, they've added around 17,000 acres to their holdings.

Data provided by The Land Report.



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The Best 'Cheap Eats' In San Francisco

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4505 meats sfEating amazing food doesn't have to break the bank. 

In San Francisco, there are some amazing restaurants that you can enjoy on any budget. 

We asked our friends at The Infatuation, a restaurant review site, to compile a list of the best "cheap eats" in San Francisco. 

From super burritos to pho, there's plenty of delicious stuff you can get on the cheap.

Ike's Place has an incredible menu of 200 sandwiches.

3489 16th Street

Each of the sandwiches has a funny name, like "Pastrami-Charmed Life,""Nacho Girl," and "Going Home For Thanksgiving."

The original Ike's opened in the Castro in 2007, but they've since expanded to locations in Oakland, Santa Rosa, Salinas, Cupertino, San Jose, Walnut Creek, Monterey, Danville, Santa Clara, Los Angeles, Tempe, and Mesa, Arizona.

Read The Infatuation's review of Ike's Place here » 



Arinell Pizza is as close to New York-style pizza as you'll get in San Francisco.

509 Valencia Street

The restaurant itself is nothing fancy, and it's cash-only, but Mission locals love the pizza's thin, crispy crust.

Plus, the $3-a-slice price tag makes it the perfect late-night indulgence.



Try some amazing pita wraps at Souvla in Hayes Valley.

517 Hayes Street

Pair soft and chewy pita with your choice of either pork, chicken, lamb, or veggie. There's also four types of frozen Greek yogurt, with unconventional flavors like olive oil topped with sea salt and another served with baklava crumbles and honey.

The food is affordable, too, with entrees that range from $9 to $12. 

Read The Infatuation's review of Souvla here »



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Welcome To Lanai, Oracle Billionaire Larry Ellison's $300 Million Hawaiian Paradise

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lanai

In 2012, Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison — who stepped down from his position as CEO on Sept. 18 — bought a 97% stake in the Hawaiian island of Lanai for a reported $300 million. 

His enormous purchase includes pretty much everything on the island — small businesses like local restaurants, shops, and galleries, and large businesses like the two Four Seasons hotels on the island. He owns two golf courses, the community swimming pool, the water company, and a cemetery. He also owns nearly a third of all of the island's housing. 

Ellison's plans for Lanai are still rather mysterious, and the transition of ownership to the Oracle billionaire has been controversial among residents.

Lanai has played a number of roles in a fascinating history stretching hundreds of years, and there's plenty to see here.

Lanai is 140 square miles of land, the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian islands and the smallest that's publicly accessible.



The island has 47 miles of gorgeous, dramatic coastline.



Lanai has some fabulous beaches, like this secluded spot on the northwest shore called Polihua Beach. Located just across the channel from Molokai, this beach is frequented by endangered green sea turtles and humpback whales.

Source: Hawaii Tourism Authority



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New York Is The Snobbiest City In America

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woman in nyc with a yellow taxi

Who says New Yorkers are snobs?

Not Travis Levius, a Big Apple photographer who has found that another city along the Northeast Corridor has more attitude.  

“In D.C., it’s all about what you do,” he says. “You can be among New York City's elite if you're an artist, but in D.C., that might get you, at best, a look of ‘bless your little heart.’”

Snobbery may indeed be in the eye—or ear—of the beholder. In the America’s Favorite Places survey, Travel + Leisure readers rated New Yorkers to be the snobbiest, with D.C. at No. 4 (perhaps they’d accuse Levius of harboring a hometown bias). It’s just one of the categories, including wine bars, museums, and cleanliness, in which voters evaluated 38 major metropolitan areas.

Among the survey's snobbiest cities, some residents—like the hipsters in Boston or Portland, OR—perhaps just came off as intellectually, well, confident. Other cities take their specialties so seriously that it borders on pretension. In Seattle, your choice of coffee speaks volumes, while in San Francisco, someone might look down his nose if you don’t toss your Pellegrino bottle in the right bin.

Certainly, in many top-scoring cities, the snobby label is only skin deep—if that. Phoenix-Scottsdale spa owner Heidi Lamar laughs at her hometown’s nickname of Snottsdale, and knows that even the most ostentatious locals must drop their guard at some point. “Last week I had a Maserati, a Ferrari and a Bentley in my spa parking lot, right next to the VWs, Hondas, and Fords,” she says. “But inside the spa, you couldn't tell which guests were which.”

Find out which other cities make a snobby impression on visitors—and make your opinions heard by voting in the America’s Favorite Places survey.

More on Travel + Leisure:

America's Best Cities for Fall Travel

America's Best Coffee Cities

America's Quirkiest Towns

World's Most Beautiful Cemeteries

Best Countries for Solo Travelers

1. New York City

Is it really snobby if you’re on top of your game and you know it? New York won handily in a lot of survey categories that may feel elitist to some: art scene, theater, and luxury shopping. Plus, it ranks as the least affordable city in the survey. Money can't always buy access, though: The Standard Hotel’s Top of the Standard bar in the Meatpacking District is off-limits to non-guest-list types by 11 p.m. on most nights. And most New Yorkers would also say that some of the greatest features are its affordable luxuries like classic deli sandwiches and don’t-you-dare-use-a-fork pizza.



2. Miami

These Floridians won the survey yet again for being good-looking, and ranked near the top for their velvet-rope-transcending style. To find them in their natural habitat, go to cocktail bars and nightclubs such as Miami Beach’s LIV or Story, which has 60 VIP tables. (If it’s celebrities you’re after, try to snag a reservation at the Browns Hotel’s steakhouse.) To experience another kind of insider’s Miami—the world of its own in Little Havana—go to the Cuba Ocho Art & Research Center, an art gallery that also offers live music, mojitos, and cigars.



3. Los Angeles

In Hollywood, there are those who walk the red carpet, and those who try to get close to it. To feel like you're a little nearer, spend an afternoon on West Hollywood’s Robertson Avenue, where upscale department stores like Kitson and Intermix offer excellent chances to rub shoulders with celebs, who, indeed, shop just like us. Grab a bite at star-magnet The Ivy or at Gjelina over on ever-trendy Abbot Kinney Boulevard.  L.A. also has an everyman sense of fun: the city ranked in the top 10 for its retro-cool diners, burgers, and bakeries (although one in Echo Park is named Donut Snob).



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The Silliest Reason In History To Sell Your Stocks

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dow headlines

Barron's latest cover is looking bullish — and for some that's a sign to sell.

Traders and investors routinely freak out over bullish headlines, convinced they're signs of bullishness going mainstream.

Barron's cover story features a similarly "scary" tale and also the bullish results of the biannual Big Money poll.

"It's going to take a lot more than the past month's 5%-plus sell off in the stocks for America's money managers to change their upbeat tune," writes Barron's Jack Willoughby.

"Based on their mean forecasts in the Big Money poll, the bulls see the Dow Jones industrials topping 18,360 by the middle of 2015, and the Standard & Poors 500 index hitting 2173," Willoughby added.

While this may rattle some nerves, magazine cover risk is total nonsense, as Josh Brown once noted.

Magazine covers are just magazine covers — not economic indicators.

We decided to comb through the history of the Dow and the S&P from the 1960s to today to see exactly what happened in the markets following bold headlines.

Take a look.

(Many thanks to Barry Ritholtz, Invictus, and Josh Brown for digging up some of the older headlines. Editor's Note: Former Business Insider writer Rob Wile contributed to the original version of this feature.)

We've traced the first headline risk debunking to the May 31, 1963 issue of Time, which talked about a rising US economy.



Sure, stocks declined for about two months after that. But then they went up for a good while.



The Dow hit 1,000 for the first time in November 1972.



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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.

 







See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 25 Best College Professors In America

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Christopher Atwater George Mason University Top Professor

A great professor can inspire a student, create a comfortable learning environment, and generally bring a course to life.

RateMyProfessors.com released its annual list of Top University Professors today, charting the best teachers in higher education based on student reviews.

These 25 professors were noted for accessibility, clarity, and ability to cultivate a discussion, among many other traits. They come from a variety of subjects and from schools all over the country. Many students noted that these professors made them thrive in and love a subject they previous struggled with.

Students ranked Indian River State College mathematics professor Pat Fitzsimmons the top professor in the country this year. As one student writes, "Great professor. Very clear, very helpful, very understanding and patience. She is simply a JOY! I am very thankful to be one of her students."

#25 Bonnie Mackey

Education, University of Houston - Clear Lake

What students say:

"ONE of the BEST teachers at UHCL. She is an amazing professor who helps your and teaches you so many things that you will use in the future. She makes class fun and interesting."

"Dr. Mackey is an awesome professor! She is very enthusiastic, and teaches very useful and relevant strategies. There are lots of hands on activities in class, and a few easy projects that are done outside of class. Take this teacher!! She is amazing!"



#24 Rawlslyn Francis

English, Florida State College at Jacksonville

What students say:

"She is my favorite professor. She goes well beyond what she needs to so she can help her students. If you want to get a good foundation for writing I would take her class. She will work with you, just make sure to ask for help and go to her office if need be."

"Prof. Francis will do EVERYTHING in her power to help you pass and succeed in the future. She also uses technology and humor to help liven up the class and keep it fun. Wish more professors were like her. TAKE HER!!"



#23 Kelly Champagne

Mathematics, Nicholls State University

What students say:

"Kelly Champagne is a wonderful instructor! She goes through the lessons quickly and efficiently making sure no one is left behind. I've never been a big fan of math but she makes it really easy and she explains very thoroughly."

"Best teacher I have ever had. If you are struggling at all this is the teacher to take. She will help in anyway possible. As long as you want to learn she will be there to teach you. I have had her answer emails as late as 11:30pm."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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.







See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Step Inside New York's Fancy Denny's, Where You Can Get A $300 Grand Slam With Champagne

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Denny'sEarlier this year, New York's pancake lovers rejoiced as the first Denny's, the restaurant famous for its delicious, quick, and affordable diner food options, finally opened in Manhattan's Financial District

But if you go to the restaurant expecting the usual Denny's dining experience — the kind you might get pulling off the road after a long road trip looking to fuel up on eggs and sausage  you're in for a surprise.

While the tasty food is certainly still available (and at Denny's signature affordable prices), Manhattan's Denny's is a more upscale version of the franchise, complete with a custom craft cocktail menu, swankier decor, and Dom Perignon champagne. 

Since it's quite possibly the most unique Denny's in the world, we had to check it out for ourselves.

The Denny's is located at the corner of Nassau and Spruce Streets in Manhattan's Financial District, in a historical landmark building built by the American Tract Society in 1895. Prior to Denny's moving in, the space was a Taco Bell before sitting empty for 12 years. Franchisee Rahul Marwah searched for a location and designed the space for three years before opening.



When Marwah, whose family has been working with Denny's as franchisees for 25 years, heard that Manhattan had no Denny's, he realized what great potential such a location could have. He also knew that if it was in New York City, it needed to be something special.



Inside, the space is certainly not your average suburban Denny's. Marwah says he wanted the space to "look like it had been there forever," he told Business Insider. It features hardwood floors, brick walls, leather banquets, and pressed copper ceilings. He says that at first, corporate Denny's was a little hesitant, but now, they treat the space as one of their flagship restaurants.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

10 Crazy Meat Dishes I Ate At New York's 'Carnivore's Ball'

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meatopia

This past Sunday, on a pier on Manhattan's West Side Highway, the so called "Woodstock of Edible Animals" celebrated its tenth year. Founded by food writer Josh Ozersky and presented by Creekstone Farms, Meatopia (which is perfectly named) is a celebration of all things carnivorous.

More than 30 restaurants and chefs from all over the US came to cook, assemble, and handout unique and delicious dishes, all heavily featuring a wide variety of animal meat and flesh. Mmmmmm. 

With tickets starting at $200, the event was truly for the die-hard meat eater. But boy, were they in for a treat. Everyone had a great time, getting their money's worth of meat and beer, and dancing surprisingly enthusiastically to the DJ spinning wedding jams.

I was lucky enough to score a press pass and figured this was an event I couldn't pass up. It lived up to the hype and then some, and while I am absolutely no food critic or expert, here are some of the tastiest and strangest meat dishes I've had in a long time.

Garam Masala Quail, Orange Marmalade, Cultured Butter, Pickled Squash and Quinoa Salad, from Chef Francis Derby, The Cannibal, NYC

meatopia

The verdict: I didn't think I'd be eating quail today, let alone twice (see below). Basically, it tasted like a smaller, pinker chicken with more tiny bones. The quinoa salad was delicious, though.

Morcilla y Callos: Tripe and Yellow-eyed Pea Stew with Blood Sausage, from Chef Jamie Bissonnette, Toro, NYC

meatopia

The verdict: This is the kind of meal I would want to eat if I was coming down with some mild black plague, stuck inside my cabin on a snowy day on some tundra, while my eight red-faced children played with wooden toys and sang folk songs by the fire. It was hardy, smokey, and really good. 

Wood-Grilled Spitted Quail “Spiedini,” Fall Bean Ragout, from Chef Michael White, Altamarea Group, NYC

meatopia

The verdict: More quail. I now consider myself a quail connoisseur. This meat was a bit more tender and juicy, and was definitely easier to eat than my previous experience. The vegetables were good, too. I think it was a bit dainty for some of the carnivores around me, but I liked it. Plus, I got a free pointed wooden stick to fight through the lines that were forming.

Pomegranate-Marinated Beef Heart, Anson Mills Grits, from Chef Richard Brown, New York Hilton Midtown, NYC

meatopia

The verdict: Before eating this, I was already feeling a bit full and was worried that I might have to bow out of my odyssey of meat. Then I ate some beef heart. Now that I had the power and stamina of a full grown steer, I felt like I could tackle the rest of the offerings with even more zeal. This dish was actually quite light and tender and the beef heart had an interesting texture, soft but not gross.

Root beer and Tabasco-Glazed Lamb Ribs, from Chef Tim Rattray, The Granary, San Antonio, Texas

meatopia

The verdict: Ah, here's what I came for — some good old fashioned ribs, glazed with things you can buy at a gas station and served to me with a pickle spear. Though I can't say I really tasted the root beer and Tabasco, the meat was tender and delicious and I enjoyed getting my hands messy, a rite of passage I was expecting from Meatopia.

Chirashi: Japanese-Style Marinated Creekstone Ribeye Tartare, Japanese Rice & Pickles, from Chef Harold Moore, Commerce NYC

meatopia

The verdict: You may not believe it from my previous review, but this refined, elegant bite was my favorite of the day. Call me an aesthete, but this gorgeous bite had refreshing Asian flavors and light textures that were a pretty welcome respite from all of the grease-soaked cow parts piling up in my stomach.

Dr. Brown’s Cream-Soda Brined Smoked Short Rib Pastrami with Homemade Rye, Vegetable Pickles, and Mustard Horseradish Sauce, Kale Slaw, from Chef Alex Lee, Glen Oaks Country Club , Old Westbury, NY

meatopia

The verdict: OK, this sandwich ruled. The pastrami was some of the best I've ever had and the mustard horseradish sauce was perfect. If this sandwich is available at the Glen Oaks Country Club all the time, I might just have to take up golf.

Smoked Pork Cheeks with Coriander Chutney and Apple Achar, from Chef Hugh Mangum, Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque NYC

meatopia

The verdict: Coming off my previous pastrami high, I crashed and burned into this thing. Apologies to Chef Hugh and Mighty Quinn, but this was my least favorite dish of the day. Beef cheeks, which I've never had and doubt if I ever will again, are sort of slimy and mushy and the green sauce tasted like thick, bitter beer. The apples were pickled, which I'm not sure apples ever should be, and the little cracker thing tasted like someone has left a church communion wafer in the toaster too long. I dropped most of this in the garbage can.

New England Charcuterie Wood-Smoked, Wood-Grilled “Butcher Bacon,” New England Charcuterie Sampler, from Chef Josh Smith, Moody’s Delicatessen & Provisions Waltham, MA

meatopia

The verdict: Oh, pork belly, you frustrating prince. You taste so delicious, yet as I eat even just one bite of you, I can feel my face growing pudgy, my stomach doubling, and my butt yearning for the couch. This spread, a very carnivoresque version of a charcuterie, was delicious and also included some sausage and sliced meats, as well.

Prosciutto and Cherry Ice Cream, from Sam Mason, Mohan Kumar, and Holiday Kumar of OddFellows Ice Cream Co., NYC

meatopia

The verdict: To round out my afternoon of pure indulgence, I headed to the Odd Fellow's table, where they were serving up Prosciutto and Cherry Ice Cream, salt optional. Imagine vanilla ice cream with a few pieces of prosciutto laid on top, and you pretty much know what this tastes like. It was not bad at all, as both elements were tasty, but the flavors didn't create much fireworks when mixed together. 

Overall, I had a fantastic time at Meatopia. As I waddled home, full of various and intriguing bits of meat, I remembered how much I like my job. I'll be back next year, Meatopia, if you'll have me.

Meatopia

SEE ALSO:  Step Inside New York's Fancy Denny's, Where You Can Get A $300 Grand Slam With Champagne

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Welcome To Ranger School, Where The Army's Toughest Soldiers Are Made

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Rangers

One of the quickest ways to show how tough you are in the Army is to wear a Ranger tab.

In the two months it takes to earn, a soldier's mental and physical endurance is pushed to the absolute limit. He survives on one meal a day and a few hours of sleep per night.

Check out Ranger School >

He arrives at Ft. Benning in the best shape of his life and will lose an average of 20 pounds if he stays the full course.

The Discovery Channel's "Surviving the Cut" shows the 61-day course at Fort Benning and offers a glimpse at some of the toughest military training in the world. The attrition rate at Ranger School is intense and less than one-in-three who start the course achieve the coveted tab.

338 Ranger candidates begin the 61-day course long before the sun's up — and won't stop for another 20 hours



It's a non-stop schedule that includes brutal hand-to-hand combat tests ...



... strength tests where candidates carry another soldier 100-yards, the kind of move that save lives on the battlefield.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Take A Look Inside Virgin Galactic's Massive Hangar In The Desert

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Virgin Galactic Tour

Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic is among a group of companies pioneering private space flight. 

In this effort, the company has a partnership with some spaceship developers, led by designer Burt Rutan. In October of 2004,  they achieved the first successful privately funded space flight, in a craft called "SpaceShipOne."

In doing so, they won the $10-million Ansari X Prize

Branson & Co. recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of the prize win by conducting a tour of Virgin Galactic's Final Assembly Integration Test Hangar in Mojave, Calif.

Sir Richard was on hand.

It was an impressive look inside the operation.

Virgin Galactic opened up its California hangar for a very special tour.



Sir Richard Branson was there, but he stayed out of the way.



Virgin Galactic spacecraft designs have come a long way since 2004. This is SpaceShipTwo.



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Wealthy Older Women Are Hiring Men In Kenya To Romance Them

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Romance_Tourism_020

In 2009, Sofie Amalie Klougart traveled to Mombasa, Kenya with the nonprofit ActionAid. Her day job was to document ActionAid’s numerous efforts to alleviate poverty in the country. Fascinated by the country, Klougart spent her nights and weekends traveling the country in search of stories.

While visiting the country’s numerous beautiful beaches, Ama was struck by the many older European women she saw carousing with young Kenyans. When she inquired with one of the women, she found that she was witnessing what many call “Romance tourism”— lonely men and women who travel to impoverished countries in search of companionship and locals who willingly oblige, in exchange for gifts, free meals, and, sometimes, cold hard cash.

Klougart began documenting the affairs of the many women she met on the beaches of Kenya who introduced her to the sometimes troubling and sometimes empowering world of women who go after exactly what they want and nothing more.

Klougart shared a number of the photos with us here, but you can see the rest at her website.

Klougart first came across "romance tourism" while she was walking along the beaches of Mombasa, Kenya. There she saw older, single, white women, who were often surrounded by young Kenyans. "It was very easy to spot," Klougart told Business Insider.



The hotels in Mombasa were full of European travelers, both male and female, traveling alone. Everyone at the hotels, from the receptionists to the help, was aware of relationships between those in the hotel and the locals, according to Klougart.



Klougart met her first subject, Louise, on the beach. She told Louise that she was doing a story about love. Louise laughed and said, "Love! That doesn't exist here!" Louise was in a relationship with two different Kenyan men and introduced Klougart to many of the women in the area.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

How Peyton Manning Made $230 Million To Become The Highest-Paid Player In NFL History

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Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning just surpassed the NFL record for most touchdown passes in his career.

While it may not matter as much to Manning, there is another huge record he holds. He has been paid more than any other NFL player and it is not even close.

While Manning is one of the best players ever and has an insane work ethic, he has also been a bit lucky to end up with $230 million in career earnings, $75 million more than any other player.

It seems silly in hindsight, but after a successful college career it was not a slam dunk that Peyton Manning was the best player available in the 1998 NFL Draft as some thought Ryan Leaf was the better choice.



In the end, the Indianapolis Colts made the right decision, drafting Manning and signing him to a 6-year, $47.7 million contract with a $11.6 million signing bonus.

SOURCE: Spotrac.com



Ryan Leaf's rookie contract was worth just $13.2 million over 6 years. He made just $12.6 million from that deal and just $13.0 million in his career.

SOURCE: Spotrac.com



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15 Awesome Cars You Can't Buy In America

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Volkswagen Sciroccos

I grew up longing for the wonderfully odd and soulful cars sold overseas — cars like Nissan's fire-breathing Skyline GTR and Mitsubishi's Lancer Evolution (Japan only) or the Ford Escort Cosworth (sold in the UK).

I still can't buy the Cosworth in the US, but I can easily get a GTR or a Lancer Evo.

Blame globalization. Before the planet got smaller, cars were a reflection of regional tastes in design and distinctive national engineering cultures. With globalization and the expansion of multinational car companies, the regionalism that once made cars unique has faded.

But as much as the modern car business has watered down the local character of automobiles, there are still some gems left that we can't buy in America. 

Here's the Volkswagen Scirocco — for most people, VW is synonymous with small, fun cars. However, in America we can't get the company's stylish hot hatchback.



The Scirocco was sold in the US until 1988, then replaced by the VW Corrado coupe — leaving its American fans heartbroken.



Audi has extended its S-Line of high-performance cars down to pint-size A1 with the new S1 hatchback. The tiny Audi packs quite a punch, with a turbocharged 231 hp on tap.



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Meet Millionaire Michelle Phan, The Internet's Favorite Beauty Stylist With Over 1 Billion Video Views

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Michelle Phan, YouTubeMichelle Phan is YouTube's sweetheart.

Her videos — friendly, relatable, hair, makeup, and general beauty tutorials — have earned her millions of subscribers, hundreds of millions of views on her channel's videos, as well as a heap of money from ad revenue.

Along with video game vlogger Pewdiepie and fellow beauty stylist Bethany Mota, Phan is one of the most recognizable YouTube celebrities, and has one of the strongest brands out there.

So how did Michelle, who made this "natural makeup tutorial" in 2007, go from being a regular vlogger...



...to being the creator of one of the most subscribed YouTube channels?



With one billion views?



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Historic Belvedere Manor With Jaw-Dropping Views Is On The Market For $49 Million

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440 Golden Gate

Locksley Hall, originally built in 1904 by banker C.O. Perry, sits on the southern crest of Belvedere Island, and is on the market for $49 million, according to Curbed.

The three-story, 9,235-square-foot estate has six bedrooms, a wraparound veranda, a quiet hydraulic elevator that serves every floor, a pool with imported stone, a rose garden, and a bronze gate designed by the famed architect Julia Morgan.  

Located on an Island about a half hour from San Francisco, the estate has stunning views that extend from Angel Island and the Raccoon Strait, to the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco city skyline.

The home has undergone massive restorations of around $30 million by previous owner and mining mogul Robert Friedland to retain its original architectural detail. The properly last appeared in 2009 for around $70, so the new listing price has be cut by $21 million, according to Curbed

Neal Ward has the listing. 

Welcome to 440 Golden Gate on Belvedere Island.



It sits on southern crest of the Island, which offers incredible unobstructed 270-degree views of San Francisco.



The home is a historical landmark and is covered under the ‘Mills Act,’ so there are significant reductions in property taxes.



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Banksy’s New Street Art In His Hometown Of Bristol Has Already Been Vandalized

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Girl With Pierced Eardrum

The British street artist Banksy has just published a rendition of Vermeer’s famous painting "Girl With a Pearl Earring."

He replaced the earring with an outdoor security alarm for a much more Banksy-esque piece he calls "Girl with a Pierced Eardrum."

The mural in Bristol, UK was vandalized within 24 hours of its first appearance. On Tuesday, the work was found with dark paint thrown across the woman’s face, according to BBC.   

The new street art proves that reports of Banksy’s arrest were a complete hoax.

A false story on Monday claimed that Banksy’s London art studio had been raided and thousands of dollars of counterfeit money and future vandalism projects had been found, according to The Independent

BanskyThis is also not the first time that Banksy’s work has appeared in his hometown of Bristol. His painting Mobile Lovers was seen there earlier this year, which sparked a debated over the ownership of the mural between the youth club whose door it was painted on and the city council. 

The secretive Banksy intervened and sent a letter to the owner of the youth club saying he could use it to raise money. The mural was sold for over over $650,000 to keep the youth club open.

 Banksy

For more of Banksy's work, head over to his artist's website where he posts updates and photos of his street art

SEE ALSO: Banksy Has Triggered A Beautiful And Witty Renaissance In London's Vandalism

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21 Tech Products That Teens Love

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Downtyme app

If you're curious what the next "Snapchat" will be, there's no better place to look than teens and the products they're using.

Luckily, the folks over at Product Hunt have curated a collection of the apps and websites that teens are using, creating a list for teens, by teens.

From little-known wonders like "Detour" and "Downtyme" to a selfie app that can boast Justin Bieber as an angel investor, you're bound to find something surprising and new.

Shots is a photo sharing and social networking app endorsed by Justin Bieber.

Shots is all about sharing selfies. Justin Bieber invested in Shots early on as an angel investor. Shots is incredibly popular with teen girls, with 75% of its users females between the ages of 13 and 24, according to Yahoo.

Price: Free (iOS, Android)



Downtyme plans to make it easier to hang out with your friends.

Downtyme lets you and your friends see each other's availability, making it easy to see who's free and invite them with a single tap to dinner or to study. Downtyme even syncs with your calendar so you don't have to update it. Downtyme is scheduled to launch in 2015.

Price: N/A (sign up)



Detour is a new way to experience location-based storytelling.

Detour is a unique new app that promises to narrate stories to you based on where you're physically walking. The app will guide along while telling you stories about the places you're seeing. The app is launching first in San Francisco, but the Detour team plans on bringing the app to more cities in the future.

Price: N/A (sign up)



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The 11 Most Popular Apps Employees Use At Work

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Woman working on iPad

In the olden days, like in 2006 (before Apple introduced the iPhone), the apps that employees used for work were the apps their companies gave them.

No longer. Today employees and IT departments work together to choose apps.

Sometimes employees simply buy the apps and load them onto their own PCs, tablets, and smartphones themselves.

The apps that employees bring in has been dubbed "shadow IT" and a company called Skyhigh Networks helps IT departments discover these apps to make sure they are licensed properly and are secure.

Skyhigh tracks cloud usage data from over 13 million enterprise employees and 350 companies. It recently dug through its enormous database to see which apps employees use most. It judged this by looking at how much data each generated. More data means more usage.

The results were pretty surprising.

Google Drive: An alternative to Microsoft Office.



Apple iCloud: Automatic backups.



Gmail: Your 'other' email.



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