Tons of people hate their jobs.

In America, job satisfaction hovers around 45%. In Europe, 60% of workers say they would choose a different career if they could start all over again. A recent global survey found that only 13% of people are actively excited about going to work in the morning. 

With this problem in mind, we put together a list of the best investigations into what makes work work by a range of psychologists, philosophers, venture capitalists, and other deep thinkers. 

We think it will help.

'Crossing the Unknown Sea: Work As A Pilgrimage Of Identity' by David Whyte

David Whyte is a poet turned consultant turned poet-consultant. His book "Crossing the Unknown Sea" is a gorgeously written inquiry into what role our jobs, careers, and overall work should have in our lives. 

The center of Whyte's argument is that your career is in fact a conversation — one that you have with yourself and with society. 

The book is full of sentence-long gems that immediately burrow themselves into your brain.

Such as: 

• "Good work, done well for the right reasons and with an end in mind, has always been a sign … of an inner and outer maturity."
• "Without some kind of fire at the center of the conversation, a sense of journey through work, life becomes just another strategic game plan, a way of pulling wool over the eyes of reality while we get our own way."
• "The genius of an individual lies in the inhabitation of their peculiar and particular spirit in conversation with the world."

Buy it here >

'Give And Take' by Adam Grant

We tend to think that you have to "take" what you need in order to thrive in the workplace. 

But that Darwinian outlook is totally misguided, if the decades of organizational psych research that Wharton professor Adam Grant synthesizes in "Give and Take" are to be trusted. 

It's an intuitive argument: opportunities flow through relationships, and people who genuinely want to benefit others will see the most opportunities over the long run. 

"If you're a giver, then you build quality relationships, and with those relationships you're exposed to opportunity over the long term,"he told Business Insider. "You actually increase your own luck so far as you contribute things to other people." 

Buy it here >

'Daring Greatly' by Brené Brown

In "Daring Greatly," University of Houston sociologist Brené Brown detangles one of the most frowned-upon notions in our culture: vulnerability. 

And if you're in business, Brown says that you're exposed to vulnerability on an hourly basis.  

"Vulnerability is not weakness, and the uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure we face every day are not optional," she writes.

"Our only choice is a question of engagement," she says. "Our willingness to own and engage with our vulnerability determines the depth of our courage and the clarity of our purpose; the level to which we protect ourselves from being vulnerable is a measure of our fear and disconnection." 

Buy it here >

Science shows us the new discoveries that change the world along with the amazing natural phenomena that have amazed humanity for thousands of years.

This year, our observations of the natural world around us were some of the most incredible yet.  

In 2014 we saw volcanoes pouring ash into the sky, forest fires ripping across the landscape, and waterfalls nearly freezing solid.

Mount Sinabung, a large volcano on Sumatra Island in Indonesia, has been erupting on and off since September of 2013, covering the area with ash and forcing thousands of people to flee their homes.

Source: Apocalyptic Photos From The Latest Series Of Eruptions At Mount Sinabung 

In 2015, biologist Alexander Semonov will head up the Aquatilis Expedition, an around-the-world journey documenting never-before-seen marine life. Here's a shot he took of one of two known species of Spirobranchus, a small genus of fanworms.

Source: These Photos Of Mysterious Ocean Creatures Are Creepily Beautiful 

The entire island nation of Kiribati is vanishing because of global warming. On average, land in Kiribati is only six feet above sea level.

Source: An Entire Island Nation Is Vanishing Because Of Global Warming 

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The New Year is just around the corner, which means it's resolution season. 

To help you make the most of the change in calendar, we asked industry leaders and world-changing entrepreneurs, including Arianna Huffington and Mark Cuban, what they're resolved to do in 2015. 

'Shark Tank' investor Daymond John wants to hit the slopes more often.

"New Year's Day is when I like to reset my 10 goals. Let me think of a fun one..." he says. "I'd like to start to snowboard more. I'd like to try to start to do the half pipe."

Drybar founder Alli Webb hopes to spend more time with her children.

"The very first thing that popped into my head was to spend more time with my boys," says Webb. "My older son Grant is almost 10, my youngest, Kit, is 7 — the last few years have been so crazy busy for me, and I don't want to miss this magical time in my kids' lives when they still actually want to hang out with their mom!"

Cofounder and CEO of The Global Poverty Project Hugh Evans is committed to ending extreme poverty.

He says 2015 "is a pivotal year for the movement to end extreme poverty by 2030."

"My resolution is to use Global Citizen's unique mix of disruptive events, grassroots organizing, and digital campaigning to hold our world leaders accountable to create a world where clean water and toilets are taken for granted, where no one goes to bed hungry, children have access to immunizations, and no child is denied an education. I am committed to realizing this world without extreme poverty."

In San Pedro Sula, Honduras last year, 187 were murdered for every 100,000 people. That tragic statistic makes the city the most violent in the world.

The statistic is even more startling when you compare it to Detroit, Michigan, the most dangerous city in the US, which had roughly 48 homicides per 100,000 people last year. 

Gangs, drugs, and poverty plague every day in the South American city of San Pedro Sula. These images show how brutal life there can be.

Drugs have wreaked havoc on Honduras, especially San Pedro Sula. Below, members of Honduras' military police arrange almost 900 pounds of cocaine seized in a container carrying soft drinks coming from Costa Rica in July 2014.

Source: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Roughly 15% of US-bound cocaine lands in Honduras at some point.

Source: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

More than half of all cocaine seizures in Central America occur in El Salvador and Honduras, and Honduras' numbers more than tripled between 2010 and 2011. In 2011, San Pedro Sula police discovered the first Mexican-run cocaine lab, shown below, ever found in Central America.

Source: PolicyMic, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

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At the beginning of the year, not many predicted the stock market would blast to new highs like they did. Almost no one predicted interest rates would stay this low. And few would've guessed oil prices would rally and crash the way they did.

Looking forward, the analysts at Goldman Sachs have been rolling out their 2015 forecasts through a series of notes. They've already offered their top eight trades for the year while forecasting that the S&P 500 would climb modestly to 2,100.

All of their forecasts fit in the context of their "Top Ten Market Themes For 2015."

In a new 23-page report, analysts led by Dominic Wilson predict there will continue to be divergences in central bank policy as the Fed remains likely to raise rates next year while central banks in Japan and Europe loosen policy to stimulate their economies. Major asset classes will see low returns next year, and currency hedging will become an increasingly important component of investing.

We pulled some nuggets from Goldman's report.

1. A broadening recovery

The US will lead the global economic recovery, while growth in developing markets will be boosted by low oil and commodity prices.

"We also have more confidence in our view that the US expansion has several years to run and in the resilience of the US economy to weak overseas demand," the analysts wrote.

Source: Goldman Sachs

2. Developed market divergence lives on

The disparity between both growth and monetary policy around the developed world will continue into next year, with the Fed likely to begin raising rates while the European Central Bank and Bank of Japan keep easing.

The analysts wrote: "This divergence has both an absolute and a relative dimension. In absolute terms, within DM economies, the continuation of softer growth and lower inflation in much of the non-US DM world will continue to keep the US yield structure lower than it would otherwise be. That force is likely to be less intense than it was in 2014, when Bund yields have helped to drag UST yields lower. But it is one reason to be confident that the rise in US yields will continue to be relatively moderate. On a relative basis, we think there is still scope for front-end rate differentials between the US and many others to widen further, which is a key driver of our view of a stronger USD."

Source: Goldman Sachs

3. The new oil order

Lower oil prices (a 5% - 15% deflation) will linger and provide a boost for consumers' disposable income. But this may be a headwind for energy stocks, and commodities like copper and aluminum that use oil in their production.

"The disinflationary impulse from lower commodity prices sweeping across the world is likely to be manifested first in lower headline inflation rates," the analysts explained. "But, by boosting disposable income, there is also likely to be a positive impact on GDP growth in EM and DM oil importers that should become visible as the year progresses."

Source: Goldman Sachs

If you were out partying last night, you're probably feeling at least a little rough today.

Perhaps your head is throbbing, your mouth is dry, and you are craving salt and sugar but aren't certain you can stomach any food. Even worse, if you have to get any work done, your mind is foggy and it's hard to focus.

We get it.

But what is it about veisalgia — the medical term for a hangover, derived from kveis, a Norwegian word that means "uneasiness following debauchery" and -algia, a Greek root that means "pain" — that leaves you feeling that way?

Just a note: We're looking at hangover symptoms specifically here, not the effects of long term alcohol abuse or alcoholism, though frequent hangovers are a sign that you could have a drinking problem. 

Linette Lopez contributed to an earlier version of this article. 

A major component of hangovers has to do with the way our bodies break down alcohol.

Researchers still don't know exactly what causes a hangover, but the way we metabolize alcohol is at least partly responsible, according to Richard Stephens, a psychology professor and member of the Alcohol Hangover Research Group, an organization that's trying to answer questions in what they call the "neglected issue" of hangover studies.

Stephens told The Atlantic that one thing researchers know that our body first metabolizes ethanol, the main alcohol in booze. But after we break that down we start to break down other alcohols, including methanol, which our body turns into formaldehyde and formic acid — toxins that make you hurt.

This process happens about 10 hours after we stop drinking.

There's a biological basis for the idea that "hair of the dog" helps — but that also explains why hangovers are a risk factor for alcoholism.

If someone has a drink the next morning, their body will soon realize that there's more ethanol in their bodies to start breaking down. Since our bodies prefer ethanol, they'll stop breaking down methanol into those toxins at this point, which is why a bit of the "hair of the dog that bit you" can at least temporarily take the pain and sick feeling of a hangover away.

Stephens says that researchers think this is why hangovers may be a risk factor for alcoholism instead of a natural deterrent to becoming an alcoholic. Studies show that alcoholics get some of the most severe hangovers around.

Hangovers actually get less severe as you get older.

This may seem impossible — lots of people recall being able to party AND study back when they were in college. 

But a study in the journal Alcoholism of 51,645 Danish men and women found that the older someone gets, the less likely they are to experience a severe hangover after a binge drinking session — even after controlling for food consumption and quantity and frequency of regular drinking.

Our bet? You might just physically feel worse in general if you are older and less fit than you once were. Plus, you might have more responsibilities that force you to get off the couch.

Advertising is a hotbed of creativity, but it's an industry in which you usually have to put in years and years of hard work in order to become recognized.

That's why each year Business Insider puts out a call for the 30 most creative people in advertising under 30. The people in this year's rankings aren't necessarily household names in the industry yet, but they are rising stars and already have impressive portfolios to help boost themselves up the career ladder.

We constructed our list based on: A combination of agency and peer nominations; our own research into the work and campaigns that supported those nominations; and on their potential to flourish within the industry. Thank you to everyone who submitted a nomination and congratulations to our winners.

30. Will Davie, senior brand strategist at Droga5.

Age: 25

Davie has worked on a number of memorable digital campaigns including creating UNICEF’s Tap Project, a Facebook campaign that prodded users to enlist their friends to make charitable donations. 

He has also worked on major accounts including Prudential, Coke Zero, and Coca-Cola’s energy drink Burn.

Davie’s creativity also extends beyond advertising. Prior to starting his advertising career, he worked as a musician, playing guitar and saxophone.

Most recently Davie worked on the new, emotionally-charged “Home is in the Air” holiday campaign for Air Wick.

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29. Katrina Bekessy, director of technology and design at R/GA.

Age: 29

Bekessy is responsible for leading tech strategy and design across a variety of channels such as social media, mobile, and enterprise systems.

She works on clients including Walmart, L’Oreal, and McCormick.

Last year Bekessy was listed in Forbes’ “30 under 30 in advertising and marketing” and also picked up One Show and Silver Cyber Lion awards.

The eurozone crisis is without question one of the most critical events to happen in the 21st century so far. 

But it can be hard to navigate. To begin with, there's no clear start date. Some people go with early 2010, when the scale of Greece's public finance disaster became obvious, while others start in 2008, when the financial crisis kicked off. 

There's also some dispute over the end date. To some, European Central Bank president Mario Draghi's "whatever it takes speech" marks a rough ending to the crisis. For others, it concludes with the end of the bloc's second recession in 2013. A few think it's still going on.

But one thing is certain: Veteran German Chancellor Angela Merkel has the range of facial expressions to accurately guide anyone through the ups and downs of the past six years.

JANUARY 2008: In many ways, Europe seemed to be in good shape. Sixteen countries were members of what seemed to be a successful currency union. Europe had seen an extended period of growth, and unemployment was at a modern record low.

AUTUMN 2008: The global financial crisis got into full swing. Several European banks, like Belgium's Dexia, had to be bailed out by their national governments.

EARLY 2009: By the beginning of the next year, things were not looking so great. Europe was hit by the global financial crisis with everyone else, and economies went into recession in 2009.

2014 wasn't a great year for movies in general.

Only one movie managed to make $1 billion, "Transformers: Age of Extinction."

A lot of movies underperformed at theaters, resulting in what will be the lowest box office in nine years according to the Hollywood Reporter. 

We've rounded up the biggest flops of the year from a "Hercules" film to Johnny Depp's latest. 

13. "Veronica Mars" (Warner Bros.)

Budget: $6 million
Worldwide gross: $3.5 million
Opening weekend: $1.9 million

This was really a movie made for the fans, by the fans. Reviews for the Kickstarter-funded movie were overall great; however, many noted that unless you were a fan of the series, you may be a bit confused watching the film. That may have led to more fans of the series flocking to theaters. While there are no numbers available for how the movie performed on video on demand (VOD), VOD numbers for the film may not mean much since Warner Bros. issued refunds after difficulties downloading the film via video service Flixster.

Since the movie was funded by Kickstarter, this was more of an exercise in experimentation for the studio.

(Source: Box Office Mojo)

12. "Tyler Perry's The Single Mom's Club" (Lionsgate)

Budget: n/a
Worldwide gross: $16.3 million
Opening weekend: $8.1 million

Tyler Perry's films are usually a guaranteed box-office hit; however, when his latest film debuted in March it became the director's worst-performing movie to date. As a result, Lionsgate shares fell 5%. We don't know the actual budget, but Perry's films usually cost around $20 million to make.

(Source: Box Office Mojo)

11. "Vampire Academy" (The Weinstein Company)

Estimated budget: $30 million+
Worldwide gross: $15.4 million
Opening weekend: $3.9 million 

Vampires just aren't popular anymore in theaters and The Weinstein Company's attempt at jumping on the genre bandwagon proved that. Not even "Modern Family" star Sarah Hyland could save this adaptation of the popular book series.

(Source: Box Office Mojo)

If you love books, libraries are some of the most spectacular buildings in the world.

To celebrate these monumentally important buildings, we’ve complied a list of the most magnificent libraries on the planet.

From a library hidden in the forests of Beijing to one in Egypt that was designed like a sundial, these are the libraries that all book lovers should visit in their lifetime. 

1. The Admont Library in Admont, Austria 

Located in the foothills of the Alps, this beautiful library is the second largest monastery library in the world. The library hall was designed in the late Baroque style by the architect Joseph Hueber in 1776 with a nearly 230-foot-long hall that contains 200,000 volumes.

The ceilings were painted by Bartolomeo Altomonte and show the stages of human knowledge, up to the high point of Divine Revelation. 

2. George Peabody Library in Baltimore, Maryland, USA

The Peabody Library was funded by the the philanthropist George Peabody. Peabody built the library as a gift to the citizens of Baltimore for their kindness and hospitality. 

Designed by 19th-century architect Edmund Lind, Peabody is known for its interior that has a soaring atrium. The five stories of cast-iron balconies are filled to the brim with books, and the skylight roof showers the library in natural light. 

3. The Royal Library Of Copenhagen in Copenhagen, Denmark

Completed in 1999, the ‘Black Diamond’ was built as an extension to the national library of Denmark. The neo-modern library gets its name from its polished black granite and irregular angles. 

The library’s harsh exterior is interrupted by an atrium made from only glass. This glass atrium makes the interior of the building an incredible space that is full of light and views of the water, which makes for a really gorgeous reading environment. 

 4. Musashino Art University Library in Tokyo, Japan 

Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto designed the library to be the simplest library in the world, made from only bookcases and a glass exterior. The 20-foot high walls are made from bookshelves, and are only interrupted by bridge-like reading areas. 

Fujimoto tells arcspace that the only things you need to make a library are “books, shelves, light, and beautiful places.” 

5. Boston Public Library in Boston, Massachusetts, USA

The Boston Public Library contains roughly 23 million items, making it the second-largest public library in the US. The library is known for its incredible courtyard, Italian-inspired architecture, entrance atrium, and its quintessential library reading room: Bates Hall. 

The Bates Hall of the library is named after Joshua Bates, the library’s first benefactor. In 1852, Bates agree to donate a large sum to the building of the library with a few conditions: that the building would be an ornament to the city and that it be perfectly free for everyone. 

6. Stuttgart City Library in Stuttgart, Germany

This cube-shaped, nine-story library takes its design from the Pantheon of ancient Rome, according to Designboom. 

The aim of the library was to create a continuum inside of the room, so the entire room is painted in uniform pure-white. The only color in the building comes from the books themselves. 

7. José Vasconcelos Library in Mexico City, Mexico 

Designed by architect Alberto Kalach, the library is a concrete and glass structure. The bookshelves look as if they are hovering in midair, and a giant whale skeleton hangs in the center of the library. 

The library is named after José Vasconcelos, who was a philosopher and politician. Vasconcelos was an important cultural figure in Mexico and an active promoter of reading.    

8. Liyuan Library in Beijing, China 

Located in a small village outside of Beijing, the single-story library blends into its forest surroundings. The library is made from timber beams and its exterior is covered in sticks, according to dezeen. The light of the library comes from the cracks in the twig frame. 

The building may be covered in firewood but it has a very advanced integrated cooling system that draws in cold air from the lake it sits on. The library is also completely eco-friendly and made from all recyclable material. 

Plus, it looks like an incredibly cozy place to sit and read a book. 

9. Vennesla Library and Cultural Center in Vennesla, Norway 

This library in Norway is made of a series of arcs, or “ribs,” that support the roof. The concept of the building comes from the ribs of a whale skeleton. 

”In this project, we developed a rib concept to create usable hybrid structures that combine a timber construction with all technical devices and the interior,” architects Helen & Hard told ArchDaily. 

10. Beinecke Rare Book Library in New Haven, Connecticut, USA

The Beineck Rare Book & Manuscript Library is the literary archive of the Yale University Library, and is the largest building in the world devoted to the preservation of rare books and documents. The entire library is shaped around the massive display in the center.  

The library’s building is iconic because of its incredible Vermont marble, granite, bronze, and glass ‘windows’ that were designed to filter in enough light so that rare materials can be displayed without damage, according to ArchDaily. From the outside, the building looks as if it is completely solid. 

The Beineck’s vast collection includes a Gutenberg Bible. 

11. Alexandria Library in Alexandria, Egypt 

The original library of Alexandria was established in the third century B.C., and was one of largest and most significant libraries of the ancient world. When it was destroyed in the third century A.D., there were countless scrolls and books that were lost. 

The new library of Alexandria was built in 2002 to pay homage to the openness of the original library. Built by Snøhetta architects, the building is designed like a sundial and tilts towards the Mediterranean Sea. 

12. Central Library in Seattle, Washington, USA

First opened in 2004, the 11-story glass and steel building in downtown Seattle was designed to be a reinvention of the traditional library. The contemporary building is not only a space dedicated to books, but is also an access point for all forms of media. 

Designed by Rem Koolhass, the building combines “futuristic lines with the functionality of a library.” The interior of the building is notable for its large public spaces and natural light. 

13. Trinity College Dublin Library in Dublin, Ireland 

Famed for its ‘Long Room,’ the library of Trinity College library is home to the largest collection of books in Ireland.

The over 200-foot-long main room is covered in marble and dark wood pilasters. When it was first completed, the ‘Long Room’ had a flat ceiling, but the roof was raised to accommodate more books. 

14. Sir Duncan Rice Library in Aberdeen, United Kingdom

The Sir Duncan Rice Library is the new library of the University of Aberdeen. The library incorporates 21st-century design, and has a huge spiraling atrium in its center. 

The library gained a lot of attention for the range of sustainable features that were included in its design. The spiraling atrium lights up all eight floors — the building also has photovoltaic cells on its roof to convert the energy of light directly into electricity. 

15. Sainte-Geneviève Library in Paris, France 

The Sainte-Geneviève library is the main research and reference library for the students of the University of Paris. 

Constructed in the mid-19th century by the famed architect Henri Labrouste, the library is well-known for its cast iron column reading room. The MoMA even described the library as a “temple of knowledge and a space for contemplation.” 

16. New York Public Library in New York, New York, USA

The New York Public Library has nearly 53 million items, and is the third largest library in the world. The incredible Beaux-Arts landmark was one of the largest marble structures in the US when it was built. 

The Rose Main Reading Room of the library stretches nearly two city blocks. The reading room measures 297 feet long by 87 feet wide, and has 42 long oak tables for visitors to sit in. 

17. Kanazawa Umimirai Library in Kanazawa City, Japan 

This three-story library in Japan is designed like a “cake box,” with large white hole-punched windows that light up the space. The library is meant to be a tranquil room, and the “punching walls” are meant to make it look like a forest of books. 

"This environment would allow users to experience the joy of reading while surrounded by a treasure trove of books with a overwhelming physical presence, something that the convenience of electronic and digital books cannot offer," the architects told ArchDaily. 

18. Royal Portuguese Reading Room in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 

Built in the 19th century, this gorgeous rooms is home to over 350,000 works — and the largest collection of Portuguese works outside of Portugal. 

The library is known for its Neo-Manueline design, which “evokes the Gothic-Renaissance style that flourished during the time of the Portuguese Discoveries,” according to My Modern Met. 

The room is completely covered in books, many of them rare works dating back to the 16th century. It's the perfect destination for anyone who loves to be surrounded by beautiful books. 

SEE ALSO: 30 Books That Changed The Course Of History

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Vladimir Putin may be the wild card in world affairs right now, but he didn't gain that influence overnight.

The Russian President's ascension to power is filled with spies, armed conflicts, oligarchs, oil and (of course) judo.

So here's how a onetime "nobody" climbed up the ranks to become the "World's Most Powerful Person."

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is the only child of a decorated war veteran and factory worker in the slums of Leningrad. He grew up in a Soviet Union styled communal apartment with two other families — as was typical at the time.

Source: Encyclopedia, TIME

As a teen Putin worked at his school's radio station, where he reportedly played music by the Beatles and other Western rock bands.

The photographer Platon — who took Putin's infamous Time Magazine cover in 2007 — said that Paul is Putin's favorite Beatle, and "Yesterday" is his favorite song.

However, "by [Putin's] own account, his favorite songs are Soviet standards, not Western rock. He has been deeply conservative his whole life," Karen Dawisha wrote in her new book, "Putin's Kleptocracy." 

Source: Encyclopedia

Early on in life, Putin got into judo. He was his university's judo champion in 1974.

Former deputy finance minister and first deputy chairman of the Central Bank Sergey Alaksashenko believes that Putin's love of judo says something about his foreign policy.

"Unlike chess, a judo fighter should not wait for the opponent's move. His strategy is to wait until he gets a chance to execute a single quick move — and then take a step back. Successful judo fighters must anticipate their opponents' actions, make a decisive, preemptive move and try to disable them," he wrote in the Moscow Times.

Source: Encyclopedia

Did you have a nice holiday season?

Probably not as nice as the infamous "Rich Kids Of Instagram," the offspring of the world's 1% who have no problem bragging on social media about all of their expensive adventures.

An Instagram and Tumblr account curates all of the photos documented by the wealthy few who live life in the lap of luxury, and there was no shortage of snaps from Thanksgiving to New Year's Eve.

From black cards to magnums of champagne, private jets to secluded islands, from Prada bags to Rolex watches, your holiday celebrations will pale in comparison to the fun had by these teenagers.

It was the 12 Days of Prada for this rich teenager.

Why bother bundling up for the winter when you can jet off to an island in the sun?

Oh sure, just your average family home.

Every year, no matter how sophisticated the ad industry thinks it has become, there are still those moments that make us go “Really?! In the 21^st century?” and other examples of classic “badvertising.”

While such howlers are often reserved for small or local businesses with tiny budgets and little creative counsel, our rogues’ gallery also includes major-spending advertisers that are household names.

(If it’s all too much to bear, go back and cheer yourself up with our rankings of the 10 best ads of 2014.)

10. Thorne Travel, "The Advert": We have a suspicion this ad from small independent Scottish travel agent was intended to be a turkey, with its bargain-bucket special effects, cheesy soundtrack and questionable costume choices.

9. FairLife Milk — "Milk That Mooves You". When Coke announced its plans to expand the FairLife milk brand nationwide last month, attention was immediately thrown on a bizarre ad campaign the brand launched back in February when the product first appeared on shelves in Minnesota. The marketing campaign (which was not led by Coke) featured a bevvy of pin-up girls who appear to be having odd, milk-related laxative issues.

8. VIP — "Quality Assured Since 2009". There were high expectations for this spot, the first ad to feature someone "smoking" in an ad on British TV screens since the 1960s, following a rule change regarding e-cigarettes. But the result was somewhat lackluster (and was only a slightly re-worked version of a previous ad for the e-cig brand.)

Tattoos are pretty popular in the NBA. Lots of players have them, and several of them have tattoos covering their arms and chests.

But even the guys who are covered, like Birdman and J.R. Smith were once a clean slate.

Some of the most tatted-up NBA players looked like completely different people early in their careers.

NOW: Chris 'Birdman' Andersen

Chris 'Birdman' Andersen in 2003

NOW: J.R. Smith

Happy 2015! Some of us probably went a little overboard ringing in the new year last night and are suffering from the morning.

To get an idea of where Americans are most likely to be hungover today, we constructed the Business Insider Hangover Index.

Our two main sources were the CDC's 2011 Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), an annual survey of Americans' health habits, and the Census Bureau's 2012 County Business Patterns (CBP) program, which tracks the number and size of businesses in counties and metropolitan areas across the country. A more detailed description of the methodology can be found here.

Once again, the Midwest dominated the list with Ohio and Kansas boasting multiple cities in the top 25. Big cities like San Francisco and Denver also made it onto this year's list. 

#25 Denver, Colo.

Business Insider Hangover Score: 68.66

6.6% admitted to heavy drinking

21% admitted to binge drinking

14.5 bars per 100,000 people

22.4 beer/wine/liquor stores per 100,000 people

1.2 alcoholic beverage producing establishments per 100,000 residents

The CDC defines binge drinking as 5 or more drinks in one sitting for men, and 4 or more drinks in one sitting for women. The Hangover Score is the average of the percentile rankings of the five categories, and has a theoretical range from 0 to 100. Read the complete methodology here. 

#24 St. Louis, Mo.

Business Insider Hangover Score: 68.84

8.8% admitted to heavy drinking

22.9% admitted to binge drinking

19.5 bars per 100,000 people

5.3 beer/wine/liquor stores per 100,000 people

0.9 alcoholic beverage producing establishments per 100,000 residents

The CDC defines binge drinking as 5 or more drinks in one sitting for men, and 4 or more drinks in one sitting for women. The Hangover Score is the average of the percentile rankings of the five categories, and has a theoretical range from 0 to 100.  Read the complete methodology here. 

#23 Billings, Mont.

Business Insider Hangover Score: 68.94

6.9% admitted to heavy drinking

18.8% admitted to binge drinking

44.8 bars per 100,000 people

8 beer/wine/liquor stores per 100,000 people

4.9 alcoholic beverage producing establishments per 100,000 residents

The CDC defines binge drinking as 5 or more drinks in one sitting for men, and 4 or more drinks in one sitting for women. The Hangover Score is the average of the percentile rankings of the five categories, and has a theoretical range from 0 to 100. Read the complete methodology here. 

The storied New York Stock Exchange in Manhattan's Financial District is a beacon of American capitalism.

You've probably seen the facade of the "Big Board" and images of the trading floor on financial television, but there's a lot more to the historic building.

We took an exclusive tour of the parts of the exchange that you won't get to see on TV.

We also got to view the stock exchange's extensive archive collection, which we will share with you soon. 

In the meantime, let's explore the NYSE beyond the trading floor.  

Here we are right outside the historic New York Stock Exchange Building.

So this is what it's like to be on the other side of the fence.

This is the "VIP" entrance to the exchange located at 2 Broad. If you're going to ring the bell, you and your group would probably convene in here. We did back in the fall.

Public speaking is hard enough without shooting yourself in the foot with simple mistakes.

Here are 12 bad public speaking habits to avoid.

SEE ALSO: 10 Things You Should Do In The 15 Minutes Before A Big Presentation

1. Not tailoring your message to your audience.

As Benjamin Disraeli once said, "Talk to a man about himself and he will listen for hours."

On the other hand, if you don't talk to your audience about themselves, they most likely won't listen, says Darlene Price, president of Well Said, Inc. and author of "Well Said! Presentations and Conversations That Get Results.""Speakers frequently fall into the bad habit of giving generic off-the-shelf presentations that are not tailored to address the needs of this particular audience. Listeners know when the speaker has not done their homework, and their response ranges from disappointment and frustration to anger and disengaging."

To avoid this, ask yourself: "Who is my audience? What are their burning issues? How does my message help them? How much do they know about my topic? What will I ask them to do in response to my message? "All the best practices in public speaking depend upon this first tenet: Know Your Audience."

2. Eye dart.

From beginners to veterans, the majority of speakers fail to maintain meaningful, sustained eye contact with their listeners. "Unconsciously, their eyes scurry from person to person, darting around the room, without ever pausing to actually see the recipients of their message," Price says. "A lack of eye contact implies a list of offenses: insincerity, disinterest, detachment, insecurity, shiftiness, and even arrogance."

To visually connect, maintain eye contact for at least two to three seconds per person, or long enough to complete a full phrase or sentence. Effective eye communication is the most important nonverbal skill in a speaker's toolbox.

3. Distracting mannerisms.

There are at least 20 common tics to tackle, including: clenching or wringing your hands, pacing back and forth, keeping your hands in pockets, jingling change or keys, twisting your ring, gripping the lectern, licking your lips, adjusting your hair or clothing, fidgeting with a pen, bobbing your head, placing your arms behind your back, and touching your face. "One or more of these habits can distract the audience from your message and jeopardize your credibility," Price explains.

As a remedy, record yourself speaking and watch the playback. "Practice often to increase your comfort level and reduce anxiety. Take a public speaking class or enlist the help of a local coach to eliminate distracting mannerisms and habituate purposeful movement."

Actress Michelle Williams has sold her gorgeous ivy-covered Brooklyn townhouse for more than one million over the asking price, 6sqft reports. 

Williams bought the property in 2005 with her then-boyfriend Heath Ledger for a mere $3.6 million, according to Curbed. 

The townhouse spent barely four months on the market before being sold for $8.8 million.

Which makes sense because in addition to be an incredibly lovely and inviting home, the townhouse is packed with amazing amenities including a temperature-controlled wine cellar, heated floors, and a rooftop garden with a waterfall. 

Williams is reportedly moving to LA to focus on her career, and leaving this incredible space behind.  

Welcome to 126 Hoyt Street in the popular Brooklyn neighborhood of Boerum Hill. The incredible corner property is covered in lush greenery.

The interior of the home is very spacious, and is centered around a nearly 1,000-square-foot “loft-like parlor floor.”

The home has 12-foot-tall ceilings and huge windows that shower the kitchen with natural light and views of the garden.