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19 Horror Stories About The Brutal Exam Wall Streeters Are Cramming For This Week

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scary, scared, worried

This is a brutal week for those Wall Streeters who are cramming for the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

On Saturday, they'll be taking the Level I exam of the CFA.

The CFA curriculum, which consists of three levels, is considered to be the hardest test on Wall Street. To put it in perspective, fewer than 20% of candidates pass all three on the first try.

The average test-taker also spends a solid five to six months preparing for the CFA.

Of course, every test-taker hopes things go smoothly and according to plan on exam day. But we've heard some crazy horror stories ranging from bathroom disasters to concentration-breaking distractions.

We've included them here.  Make sure this doesn't happen to you. 

Also, if you have a CFA horror story to share, feel free to email jlaroche@businessinsider.com. We'll keep you anonymous. 

CFA test-takers witnessed a girl get locked out of the exam room after the lunch break.

"Between the morning and afternoon sections of the CFA exam, there's a two hour break.  The proctors always warn you to get back to the exam room like 10-15 minutes before the break ends because they start reading instructions for the next part of the exam right when the 2 hours is up.

In the room where I was writing Level 2, the entrance into the test center was in the front of the room, and all the test takers sit facing the entrance. There were about 300 of us.

Just before the 2 hour mark (or maybe it was right at the 2-hour mark), the proctor started reading the instructions over the loudspeakers, but the doors to the entrance were still open.

Then, one girl walks through the door in mid-instruction. She was probably right on time, but late by CFA test standards.

The proctor stops reading, and tells the girl over the loud speaker: "I'm sorry, you have to go back through the doors." The girl stepped back, then the proctor said on the loud speaker "Can someone close that door?"

Everyone watched as the door closed on the girl, who just had this blank stare on her face. You could feel the collective gasp in the room as what just happened weighed down on everyone.

That girl never came back into the room, and wasn't able to take the second part of the exam. Six months of studying and preparation for nothing.

I feel bad for saying this, but it was a distraction feeling pity for the poor girl."

Source: Business Insider



A test-taker couldn't take the exam because his driver's license just expired.

From Analyst Forum: 

I saw him in the distance sitting on one of those portable heaters with his hands in his face, he was clearly upset. I called out to him, and when he moved his hands away from his face, i saw his red and puffy eyes, like he was crying. I thought to myself “alright, he thought it was hard too, so i must have did alight”. I said “don't worry man, I talked to like 6 people in the room after the exam and they all said they did horrible, don't be so upset man, the afternoon wont be as bad”.

I said: "Don't worry man, I talked to like 6 people in the room after the exam and they all said they did horrible, don't be so upset man, the afternoon won't be as bad". 

He said: "I didn't write it, bro."

I said: "What the f*** are you talking about??" 

He said: "My license expired on May 30th!"

They wouldn't let him write because his license was expired. Can you FREAKIN' believe that?! One week expired, and it wasted about a year of his life and 1 month vacation time."

Source: Analyst Forum



There was a regional blackout and the test center went dark. One prepared guy had a flashlight on him and the other test-takers basically wanted to kill him.

From a BI commenter:

When taking L2 in [New Jersey], there was a regional blackout that made the entire convention (testing) center pitch black. Amid the darkness, one very well prepared gentlemen took out a pocket flashlight and continued writing the exam. As you'd expect, this didn't go over well with either the proctors and fellow exam takers (who's exams are graded on a curve). A proctor ran over to take away his flashlight and unwittingly saved his life.





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People With These College Majors Get The Biggest Pay Raises

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college graduate outsideWhen deciding what to study in college, it's important to consider the earning and growth potential for jobs associated with each major.

To help you figure that out, Payscale, the creator of the world's largest compensation database with more than 40 million salary profiles, looked at the difference between starting salary (less than five years of experience) and mid-career pay (10 or more years of experience) by college major, to determined the 13 majors with the largest salary growth.

13. Business & Information Technology (IT)

Common jobs: Information Technology (IT) Manager, Systems Analyst, Systems Administrator

Starting median pay: $56,900

Mid-career median pay: $99,100

Difference: $42,200 / 74.2%

 



12. Computer Science (CS) & Engineering

Common jobs: Information Technology (IT) Architect, Software Developer, Programmer Analyst

Starting median pay: $66,700

Mid-career median pay: $112,600

Difference: $45,900 / 68.8%

 



11. Chemical Engineering

Common jobs: Chemical Engineer, Environmental Engineer, Process Engineer

Starting median pay: $69,600

Mid-career median pay: $116,700

Difference: $47,100 / 67.7%

 



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Go Backstage At This Year's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show

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victoria's secret angels fashion show 2014

The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show taped in London today. 

Before the big show, models such as Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Karlie Kloss prepared to strut the runways. 

The show airs December 9 at 10 p.m. EST on CBS. 

The 47 models featured in the show made a variety of appearances around London yesterday.



Today, the models were focused on getting ready. Here's model Romee Strijd.



Brazlian model Sara Sampaio waits for her finishing touches.



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The 12 Best New Apps You May Have Missed

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Next Glass

With over a million apps out there and more launching every day, it can be tough to keep track of them all.

Luckily, we've collected the best apps of the last month so you can find something new to try out.

From apps that will help you choose your next beer or wine when you grocery shop to a new email app from the Gmail team, you're bound to find something you'll like.

Next Glass scans beer and wine bottles to help you find your favorite drink.

With over 23,000 bottles tested and in its system, Next Glass is a powerful tool for predicting whether you'll like that case of beer or new brand of wine. Once you tell the app what drinks you like, you can scan the label of the bottle and you'll see a personalized score and the nutritional information, including the alcohol by volume.

Price: Free (AndroidiOS)



Shortcut is basically Uber for haircuts.

Shortcut is great for when you need a haircut but don't have time to make it to your local barber. Shortcut's licensed barbers will come to your home, office, or hotel, and you get a discount if your friends get a haircut at the same time. They're open late, too.

Price: Free (haircuts start at $75, but get cheaper for each additional friend who shares the appointment)



Homescreen lets you share what apps you're using.

Everyone likes to know what apps their friends are using. With Homescreen, you can upload a screenshot of your smartphone's homescreen online and see which apps are trending.

Price: Free (iOS)



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Life-Changing Career Advice From LinkedIn's Billionaire Founder Reid Hoffman

11 Wines That Make Great Holiday Gifts For $16 Or Less

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Wine_Gift Guide

The holiday season means holiday parties, and if your schedule is anything like ours, you're going to be buying a lot of wine.

We asked sommelier Jörn Kleinhans, owner of the Wine Elite Sommelier Company, to share some of his favorite affordable picks.

11. Sparkling Wine From Limoux

Such as:2012 Saint-Hilaire Blanquette de Limoux, $9.98

"French champagne may be the original sparkling wine, but the pricing scares many consumers into the more affordable Proseccos from Italy, Cavas from Spain, or American sparkling wines," Kleinhans explains.

"Little do most holiday shoppers know that France has a number of regions that are not Champagne, but make world-class sparkling wine at much more affordable rates," he continues. "Experts can often not tell the difference. The best region that offers this is called Limoux, and is located in the South of France."



10. Zinfandel from California

Such as: 2012 Cline "Ancient Vines" Zinfandel, $14.99

"Nowadays wines under this name are only grown in California and are somewhat of an indigenous representation that doesn't have an equal," says Kleinhans. "One should not underestimate the rich beauty of the Californian wines we have in the US. They should be a clear example of American wine-making."



9. Tempranillo from Spain

Such as: 2010 Finca El Encinal Crianza Ribera del Duero, $14.99

"This is the most important grape of Spain that will give you a good sense for the Spanish style of wines," says Kleinhans. "It should show you silky notes of American oak and dark cherry, which are some of the signature signs of Spanish winemaking." 



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NFL POWER RANKINGS: Where Every Team Stands Going Into Week 14

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aaron rodgers nfl week 13

With a month to go until the playoffs, some potential conference championship games are taking shape at the top of our NFL power rankings.

The Packers are setting the pace in the NFC, with the Seahawks surging behind them.

The Patriots are setting the pace in the AFC, with the Broncos now on their heels.

1. Green Bay Packers (previously: 2nd)

Record: 9-3

Week 13 result: 26-21 win over New England

One thing to know: Aaron Rodgers hasn't thrown an interception at home in two years, and the Packers are undefeated in Lambeau in 2014.



2. New England Patriots (previously: 1st)

Record: 9-3

Week 13 result: 26-21 loss to Green Bay

One thing to know: The LeGarrette Blount signing might turn out to be huge. He has more carries in two games with New England than he did in his final four games with the Steelers.



3. Denver Broncos (previously: 3rd)

Record: 9-3

Week 13 result: 29-16 win over Kansas City

One thing to know: It took injuries to their two best running backs to discover that C.J. Anderson is the best runner on the team.



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Take Our 21-Day Plan For Radical Self-Improvement

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BIBetter

Faced with unlimited career, personal, and health advice and little time to spare, it's hard to know where to start.

#BIBetter is a 21-day self-improvement program designed for the busy professional, featuring a few habits that will make a big difference and a bunch of tasks that most of us have been putting off for too long.

We recommend participating with at least one other person, so you have more fun and keep each other in check. You can start on any Monday and should complete actions on their specified day when possible.

The following slides go through the days and the science behind them in detail, while you can also reference our infographic calendar.

MONDAY, DAY 1: Floss your teeth. Do it every day for the rest of your life.

Believe it or not, as many as 50% of Americans say they don't floss every day. If you are one of those people, then make today the day you start doing it consistently.

How can you get in the habit?

Stanford psychologist B.J. Fogg is one of the foremost researchers on habit formation. The takeaway from all his work: Floss one tooth.

As in, if you're trying to form a habit, it can helpful to start as small as possible, with a minimum viable habit. The point, Fogg emphasizes, is to insert the structure of the activity in your day, rather than doing it perfectly every time. This way of thinking works for all habits, and it works for flossing, too — and if you floss the whole mouth, then you're doing even better.

Indeed, this core dental hygiene technique will clean your teeth and gums of plaque, protecting your teeth as you age and saving you on dental bills. Some studies have even found that flossing is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, and dementia.



TUESDAY, DAY 2: Break a sweat. Do it every day for the rest of your life.

For a wide range of ailments, exercise is an almost magical cure, which "can improve memory and concentration, lessen sleep disorders, aid heart disease by lowering cholesterol and reducing blood pressure, help sexual problems such as erectile dysfunction, and raise low libido," notes Slate.

Just a little bit of exercise has huge benefits. Research shows that running just five to 10 minutes a day can add years to your life, and if you establish that minimum habit now of doing at least that, you can build on it. A seven-minute workout using interval training can make a huge difference.

Longer workouts are obviously great, too.

Think you're too busy to work out? Tell that to GE CEO Jeff Immelt, who gets up at 5:30 every morning for a cardio workout; or Xerox CEO Ursula Burns who has an hour of personal training at 6 a.m. twice a week; or Square CEO Jack Dorsey, who gets up similarly early to take six-mile jogs; or Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, who likes to ride his bike every morning.



WEDNESDAY, DAY 3: Write in a journal. Do it every day for the rest of this program.

Psychologists have been studying "expressive writing," or journaling about difficult moments in your life, for a few decades. They've found that a few minutes journaling improves everything from mood to immune system to sporting performance.

It works for work, too: A Harvard Business School study found that people who wrote about their jobs improved their performance by 23%.

"When people have the opportunity to reflect, they experience a boost in self-efficacy," says HBS professor Francesca Gino. "They feel more confident that they can achieve things. As a result, they put more effort into what they're doing and what they learn."

So as a part of this life-improvement adventure, we're asking you to reflect on your day, plus on whatever journeys we send you on. You should also take the opportunity to look at the tasks that lie ahead and start making plans for the ones that require preparation.

If you find journaling to be useful, then we encourage you to keep it up for the rest of your life.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 10 Hottest Maseratis Of All Time

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Maserati Birdcage 75th

100 years ago this week, the four Maserati brothers opened a small automotive repair shop in the heart of Bologna, Italy.

In the decades since, the Maserati brand has experienced its fair share of trials and tribulations, ranging from War to bankruptcy, from incompetent ownership to quality control problems. Through it all, Maserati has never wavered from its tradition of building stylish, fast, and uniquely Italian sports cars. 

Here are 10 of the hottest cars ever to emerge from Maserati.

In a special ceremony this week, Bologna's City Council and Maserati unveiled a special plaque to commemorate the birthplace of the famed Italian marque.



Present for the event were the sons of two of the Maserati brothers — Ettore and Ernesto.



However, the brother most associated with the Maserati brand is Alfieri — after whom the company named its gorgeous concept in celebration of the 100th anniversary.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The World’s Largest Truffle Discovered In Italy Will Likely Sell For More Than $1 Million

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Sabatino Largest White Truffle

Sabatino Truffles unearthed the world’s largest truffle on record this past week.

Found in central Italy, the massive truffle weighs 4.16 pounds, which is almost twice the size of the current record holder, according to a press release

White truffles are an incredibly sought after ingredient, and one of the rarest and most expensive foods in the world.

Just a few shavings of the coveted ingredient can cost hundreds of dollars in restaurants, according to CBS news

Buyers from Macau, China have already offered $1 million for the massive fungi. But the company will auction off the truffle in New York City this week, "in order to get the highest bid so that they can donate all proceeds to charity," Jane Walsh of Sabatino Truffles told Business Insider. 

This white truffle is an especially rare find, as white truffles are only available for a few months of the year and can cost up to three times more than their black truffle counterpart. They are found in forests around Italy by specially trained truffle-sniffing dogs or pigs during the months of October, November, and December.

One million dollars may seem like a staggering price tag, but these rare fungi usually sell for similar prices.  A pair of white truffles from Alba sold for over $125,000 this past November and Russian oligarch Vladimir Potanin spent $95,000 for four pounds of white truffle in October. 

Here is an image of the massive truffle upon its arrival at JFK airport: 

Sabatino truffle

SEE ALSO: How Incredibly Rare And Expensive White Truffles Go From Italy's Forests To Fine Restaurants Everywhere

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These Are The Best Cheap Smartphones You Can Buy

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oneplus pne

You don't have to spend a lot of money to get a decent phone. There are plenty of options out there for people who want to save a little cash but still need a phone that's fast, can connect to the internet, and looks nice, too.

Here's a look at some of the cheapest phones worth buying.

Motorola's Moto G is one of the best budget phones you can buy.

It's hard to find a phone cheaper than the Moto G. Motorola's second-generation model starts at $179, comes with a clean version of Android, and runs pretty smoothly, even though it's powered by components that are older than those in today's more expensive phones, according to reviews from CNET and Engadget.

In short, it's a nice, compact phone with easy-to-use software that won't cost you more than $200. You can also get the 4G model for $219.



If you want something that costs even less, try the Moto E.

The Moto E is even cheaper than the Moto G at $129 without any carrier subsidies. If you can get by with a basic phone and mostly care about using Android apps, the Moto E is a good choice.

In my review, I found its camera and lack of 4G to be the biggest weak points, but it's exactly what you would expect for a phone so cheap. 



Google's Nexus 5 is a sharp, thin, and fast Android phone that's affordable.

The Nexus 5 starts at $349, which is still much cheaper than most popular phones like the Galaxy S5 or iPhone 6, which cost anywhere between $500 and $800 without a carrier contract.

The best benefit from owning a Nexus phone is that you'll always get the most important Android updates before anyone else does. The Nexus 5 is a slim, attractive phone with a soft-touch back, a thin design, and a 1080p screen.

You can only use it on T-Mobile's network, but it's a great choice if you're on a tight budget. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

How New York City Became Safe Again

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NYC Subway 70s

Over the last 11 months, violent crime in New York City reached a historic low, Mayor Bill de Blasio and his police commissioner William Bratton said Tuesday.

The news is further confirmation that the city is safer than ever, an astounding recovery considering its murder rate peaked only 24 years ago in 1990. By the end of that decade, violent crime had dropped 56%.

Many credit former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and his "broken windows" policing style for the turnaround. And Giuliani doesn't really argue. 

It's more likely, however, that other factors, including more hands-on police work, are what really transformed the crime rate in New York City. In fact, newer research shows broken windows may have done more harm than good.

'Broken Windows' Theory

Giuliani has suggested time and again that his administration saved New York City. In 2007, during a Republican presidential primary debate in Orlando, he even said he "brought down crime more than anyone in this country — maybe in the history of this country" while serving as mayor, according to On The Issues.

The former mayor believes the "broken windows" approach changed New York City's streets for the better. This theory suggests police can make cities safer by cracking down on minor crimes like vandalism — and the Big Apple definitely did this in the 1990s.

The broken windows theory stems from the work of two criminologists, George Kelling and James Wilson, who suggested that minor disorder, like vandalism, acted as a gateway to more serious crime. By focusing on smaller offenses, often referred to as "quality of life" crimes, Kelling and Wilson thought violent crime and other undesirable activity would decrease.

"If the neighborhood cannot keep a bothersome panhandler from annoying passersby, the thief may reason, it is even less likely to call the police to identify a potential mugger or to interfere if the mugging actually takes place," the duo claimed in an Atlantic Monthly piece.

Several academic studies, however, have questioned and even criticized the effectiveness of broken windows.

Brian Watkins murdered New York City

Criticism Of 'Broken Windows'

When University of Chicago professors Bernard Harcourt and Jens Ludwig revisited broken windows, they reported criminologists knew very little about the theory's effectiveness. Moreover, their paper found no evidence outside of Kelling's work to support the notion that cracking down on minor offenses leads to a decrease in more serious crime.

Much of the new research claiming to debunk broken windows has also found that targeting minor crimes harms poor people, as well as blacks and Hispanics.

A later paper, again by Harcourt and Ludwig, found that broken windows, albeit indirectly, led to a disproportionate number of drug arrests for blacks, the New Republic reported. From 1993 (the year that broken windows took hold) to 2000, misdemeanor arrests for smoking marijuana in public jumped from 10 per year to 644. Though they were only 25% of the city's population, blacks accounted for over half of the arrests.

"It is definitely time for law enforcement to stop focusing on minor disorder and to target, instead, serious crimes involving guns and physical injury,"Harcourt wrote in Legal Affairs magazine.

Franklin Zimring, a Berkeley Law School professor and author of "The City That Became Safe: New York's Lessons for Urban Crime and Its Control," only gives "derivative credit" to Giuliani. Instead, he praises the police.

'A Two-Mayor Phenomenon' 

"Years ago, we thought it was a myth that cops prevented crime," Zimring said. In theory, criminals could just commit crimes in corners of the city that cops didn't patrol.

"But crime is a heck of a lot more situational than we thought," Zimring explained. If a criminal wants to rob somebody on 125th and Lexington but sees a cop there, he'll probably just throw in the towel for the night, Zimring says.

Mayor Dinkins and Police Commission KellyWhen former Mayor David Dinkins came into office, he proposed a $1.8 billion plan to "fight fear" in New York and hired 8,000 new officers, the LA Times reported at the time. He also hired an effective new police commissioner, Lee Brown, who supported community policing," the practice of having cops patrol neighborhoods, get to know residents, and help solve problems instead of just answering 911 calls. Crime's hold on the city really started to falter while Dinkins sat in City Hall from 1990 to 1993. Data from NYC.gov shows the murder rate in New York City peaked in 1990 and dropped 30% by 1994.

Giuliani continued Dinkins' hiring spree by bringing on 3,660 new officers once he came into office, On The Issues found.

"The growth in police is a two-mayor phenomenon, and it really was extraordinary," Zimring told BI.

Other Theories

Other factors beyond increased police presence could have caused crime to drop more drastically in New York than in many other parts of America during the 1990s. (The nation as a whole did get a lot safer then, too.)

First of all, unemployment saw a huge drop in New York City: 39%  from 1992 to 1999, according to the National Bureau for Economic Research (NBER). Some researchers have found ties between low unemployment and a drop in violent crime.

Others credit an increased arrest rate for the improvement. Again, NBER reported that felony arrest rates rose 50-70% in the 1990s, which might have taken more criminals off the streets.

Regardless of other explanations on the table, Giuliani has stuck by broken windows policing.

"It worked because we not only got ... an improvement in the quality of life, but massive reductions in homicide,"Giuliani told the Academy of Achievement, "and New York City turned from the crime capital of America to the safest large city in the country." 

Murder in New York City


NOW WATCH — Here's Where New York City's Sewage Really Goes

 

SEE ALSO: New York City Used To Be A Terrifying Place [PHOTOS]

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Haunting Images From One Of America's Dying Shopping Malls

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White Flint Mall - dead mall

During the busiest shopping weekend of the year, White Flint Mall in Bethesda, Md., was eerily quiet. 

The former upscale shopping mecca is one of hundreds of dead or dying malls across the country.

At its height, White Flint Mall was a sprawling 874,000-square-foot shopping hub housing upscale department stores, such as Bloomingdales. I. Magnin and Lord & Taylor.



The shopping mall opened in 1977. "There were dazzling glass elevators and a strip made to look like an Italian streetscape," according to the Washington Post.



There was also a section of the mall made to look like the streets of Georgetown, an upscale neighborhood in Washington, D.C.



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Inside The Homes Of America's Undocumented Immigrants

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Undocumented series

President Obama recently unveiled a massive plan to overhaul immigration policy, which could protect millions of undocumented workers.

But for all the political furor over the proposal, it's easy to forget that these undocumented immigrants are individuals, each with their own hopes, dreams, fears, and families.

This fact is not lost on Rhode Island-based photographer Mary Beth Meehan. Her photo series, "Undocumented," captures scenes inside the homes of people living in the US illegally. The people themselves are conspicuously absent from the photographs to "reflect who these people were — their human-ness and ordinariness, and possibly their motives and intentions — and not endanger their identities here," Meehan tells Business Insider.

Meehan says her work "[parts] a curtain, opening a window into rooms that are already here in our community, rooms that existed whether I photographed them or not, where human beings were living."

Along with the photos, Meehan provides captions to her photographs to further tell the story of the room's inhabitants, which she has shared these with us here. You can see more of Meehan's work on her website.

This young man came from Cape Verde to Rhode Island with his family as a child and attended public school. He had embarked on a life of his own here before being incapacitated by a stroke. He is now back living at home and being cared for by his parents.



A basement laundry room of an apartment building housing undocumented Colombian families is seen below. "In every photograph, there is someone standing just outside the frame, near me," Meehan says.



This Colombian woman's children have begun to question her about why they continue to live in the United States with no clear path open to them. "We try to keep our kids busy and not think about the situation, and try to do the best we can," she says. "Here is a great opportunity for them. They need to work hard, and focus on the future."



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14 Gifts That Teens Will Actually Love

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Teens_Gift Guide

Teens are impossible to shop for — sometimes it seems like no matter what you buy them, it's never quite cool enough.

Luckily, we compiled a list of the gifts teens will actually want this year.

From stylish headphones to cool sneakers, keep reading to see what to get the teen in your life.

Keep him warm all season with the best hoodie on the market.

This may seem like just a run-of-the-mill hoodie, but American Giant is widely believed to have the best hoodies around since they're thick, well-made, and durable.

Your teen will love this fitted sweatshirt so much he may never take it off.

Buy it:$90



Give her a techie throw-back gift to replace the standard Instagram shot.

Even though most teens these days are tech-obsessed, that doesn't mean they won't appreciate a classic Polaroid camera.

This portable Fujifilm Mini camera comes with film and fits easily in your teen's hand or bag. 

Buy it:$100



A backpack will keep him stylish and organized.

Backpacks are not only back in style, but they have the added benefit of carrying around your teen's books, too.

This twill backpack from Everlane is good for boys or girls and is classic enough to always be in fashion.

Buy it:$65



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THE FUTURE OF APPLE (AAPL)

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Gene Munster

Analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray gave a presentation on Apple's future at Business Insider's Ignition conference Tuesday.

Here's the presentation he gave outlining his predictions for what's next from Apple.







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You Can Now Go Inside The Most Exclusive Park In Manhattan Thanks To Google Maps

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gramercy park GIF

Gramercy Park is the most exclusive park in Manhattan.

The two-acre plot may be small, but it’s steeped in history and surrounded by some of the city’s oldest buildings. 

Since it opened in 1831, the park has been off-limits to outsiders and the best-kept secret of its famous residents. Oscar Wilde, the Steinways, and Thomas Edison all had the special keys, and two presidents — Teddy Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy — played behind these wrought iron fences as children.

18 gramercy parkWhat makes it so hard to get into is that only 383 keys for the gates exist, and they’re all owned by the residents of the 39 apartment buildings that border the park.

But now, thanks to an Airbnb user, there’s a Google Maps tour of the exclusive park.

According to The New York Times, Pittsburgh resident Shawn Christopher gained access to the park while renting a Gramercy Park apartment on Airbnb for his honeymoon this year. He took 360-degree panoramas using the app Photo Sphere and uploaded it to Google Maps, unaware that such behavior is expressly forbidden by Gramercy Park Block Association.

gramercy park

Gramercy Park Block Association President Arlene Harrison told the Times that she had no intention of removing the image from Google Maps, though she added that if Google had asked to photograph the park, she would have turned them down.

gramercy park

SEE ALSO: 16 Things You Never Knew About The Most Exclusive Park In Manhattan

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Photos From This Year's Outrageous Victoria's Secret Fashion Show

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Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2014The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show taped in London today, and the multimillion dollar production was as outrageous as ever. 

Famous models Alessandra Ambrosio, Adriana Lima, and Candice Swanepoel were all featured in the show. Taylor Swift also performed. 

The show airs December 9 at 10 p.m. EST on CBS.

Angel Behati Prinsloo opened the show, which was held in London this year.



The "Gilded Wings" segment featured glittery designs.



Here's French model Cindy Bruna.



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The 12 Hottest Housing Markets In America

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small neighborhood houses

The median sale price of a single family home in the US during October was $193,000, according to RealtyTrac.

That's a 16% increase from a year ago – the highest since September 2008.

“While price appreciation has leveled off month to month, home prices have increased significantly from a year ago and we expect this trend to continue,” said Craig King, COO of Chase International, in the report.

RealtyTrac published a list of the 12 cities and metros with the fastest year-on-year Home Price Appreciation (HPA) last month. Prices rose by at least 10% in all of these markets in October. 

Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC

Oct. 2014 Median Sales Price: $164,000

Oct. 2014 Annual HPA: 10%

Oct. 2013 Annual HPA: -1%

Comment: Charlotte, North Carolina, is a major hub of the for financial services and motorsports industries.

Source: RealtyTrac



Honolulu, HI

Oct. 2014 Median Sales Price: $480,000

Oct. 2014 Annual HPA: 10%

Oct. 2013 Annual HPA: -4%

Comment: The median household income in Honolulu is $73,725, versus $51,900 nationally.

Source: RealtyTrac



Tulsa, OK

Oct. 2014 Median Sales Price: $135,000

Oct. 2014 Annual HPA: 11%

Oct. 2013 Annual HPA: -5%

Comment: The cost of living in Tulsa is 4.2% below the national average. 

Source: RealtyTrac



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14 Movies To See This Winter

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tauriel the hobbit

As we roll into the final month of the year, Oscar season is nearly upon us. 

We’ve gathered the winter movies you should see, including blockbuster hopefuls from directors Ridley Scott and Peter Jackson along with award-worthy performances from Matthew McConaughey and rising star Benedict Cumberbatch.

"Whiplash"

Released: Oct. 10

Why to see it: One of the most critically acclaimed movies of the year, the film follows a young musician (Miles Teller) as he trains under his teacher (J.K. Simmons) to do whatever it takes to become a top jazz drummer. Early reviews from Sundance called Simmons' performance the "role of his career." Teller blew audiences away in "The Spectacular Now," and it's refreshing to see him in another meaty role following a string of juvenileromantic comedies

Watch the trailer.



"Interstellar"

Release Date: Nov. 7

Why see it: Director Christopher Nolan's latest is one of the smartest movies of the year — and one of the most ambitious— as it launches audiences through wormholes and black holes with Matthew McConaughey in the driver's seat. Fans were won over by a humorous monolithic robot named TARS and an unexpected cameo from a big star more than halfway through the film. Sure, the space epic came out in November; however, it's playing in IMAX theaters until the release of "The Hobbit" sequel later this month. This is one that will leave you thinking long after you leave the movies.

Good news science lovers: It also pleased critics including popular astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Watch the trailer.



"The Theory of Everything"

Wide release date: Nov. 7

Why to watch: See this for Eddie Redmayne's performance as Stephen Hawking alone. The film will undoubtedly leave you with some questions about Hawking's life; however, Redmayne gives a miraculously moving performance as the theoretical physicist that will move you to tears. Felicity Jones is also exceptional as Hawking's wife Jane.

Watch the trailer.



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