By many indicators, the US economy is miles ahead of the rest of the world.

And while Westwood Capital's Daniel Alpert agrees in his most recent presentation, he says there are some key weaknesses that investors are either missing or overlooking.

For instance, even though the count of nonfarm payrolls has increased, most of the jobs have been created in low-wage sectors.

And the idea that the US economy can really decouple from the world economy? Perhaps not so much.

Thanks to Daniel Alpert and Westwood Capital for letting us run this presentation.

On Sunday, millions of people will be watching as celebrities descend upon Hollywood Boulevard to walk the red carpet before heading into the Dolby Theater for the 87th annual Academy Awards.

We stopped by the Dolby Theater to get a better look at what exactly it takes to prepare for the most-watched red carpet event of the year.

While workmen are quickly trying to transform Los Angeles' Hollywood Boulevard into a red carpet area, the street is anything but glamorous before the Oscars take it over.

This is what the red carpet looks like during arrivals for the Academy Awards.

But before Sunday's big show, the glamorous red carpet area is just a blocked off busy street in the middle of a touristy area in Hollywood.

To the right of the carpet, there is a Forever 21 clothing store and Johnny Depp look-a-like from "Pirates of the Caribbean."

If you're tired of your day job, fear not. We've compiled a list of 11 startups that will make you want to quit your job and bet your career on an exciting new venture.

These companies could make (or break) your whole career.

If you're looking to make a switch, and if you're willing to gamble on some startups disrupting their traditional industry equivalents, look no further than the companies on this list.

FanDuel

Headquarters: New York
Investment raised to date: $86.2 million

FanDuel is a fantasy sports website for busy or casual fans. It lets users participate in one-day leagues, as opposed to having to commit to season-long leagues. The company says it pays out over $10 million in cash payouts weekly, and has paid out $600 million to date.

Founded in 2009, FanDuel is "seriously considering" another round of funding that would give the startup a $1 billion valuation. FanDuel offers leagues for MLB, NFL, NHL, and the NBA.

Magic Leap

Headquarters: Dania, Florida
Investment raised to date: $592 million

Magic Leap is an intentionally vague virtual reality startup that describes itself as a "developer of novel human computing interfaces and software." Rony Abovitz’s stealthy startup could provide a more-realistic kind of proprietary augmented reality than what's currently available on the market, like Oculus VR. He's said Magic Leap is "a new way for humans to interact with computers." 

In October, Magic Leap raised $542 million in a Series B round from Legendary Entertainment, Qualcomm Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, KPCB Holdings, and Google. Sundar Pichai, the man who runs Android, joined the board of Magic Leap after its most recent round of fundraising news.

Shyp

Headquarters: San Francisco
Investment raised to date: $12.1 million

Shyp takes the hassle out of shipping packages. Instead of schlepping your goods to UPS or the post office, all you have to do with Shyp is simply take a picture of whatever it is you want to send. A driver will then pick up the package in minutes, and you're done.

You can track your package's progress and see when it arrives at its destination. Shyp comparison-shops across carriers and charges you the lowest price for shipping, tacking on $5 per package plus the cost of shipping. Unlike Postmates, which delivers packages locally, Shyp delivers your packages anywhere in the world.

Who makes more money, on average, a doctor or a lawyer? A product manager or a tax manager?

And which fields are still hiring like mad?

Those are the questions that job-hunting site Glassdoor set out to answer when it created its latest list of the 25 best-paying jobs in high demand.

No 25: Sales Engineer

Average Base Salary: $90,899

Number of Job Openings: 5,508

A sales engineer is the technical resource for the sales force that helps them make sure bids and contracts meet the customers' technical specifications.

No. 24: Business Development Manager

Average Base Salary: $95,139

Number of Job Openings: 11,037

A business development manager is a sales role that typically involves both sales and marketing.

No. 23: Software Engineer

Average Base Salary: $96,392

Number of Job Openings: 99,055

A software engineer is a software programmer. Every company needs them, from the tech companies building software to sell to others, to the enterprises building apps for internal use.

Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world, measured by area or population, and it's home to one-eighth of the fresh water on the planet, including the Amazon, the mightiest river in the world.

But Brazil's most populous region is facing the worst drought it has encountered in a century and as the New York Times reports, São Paulo, the largest and richest city in the country, is running out of water.

Some residents say their water is already cut off for more than half of every day, and the drastic situation is getting worse, igniting protests in the city and surrounding region.

Fears about what life will be like as water becomes more scarce have kicked off protests in and around the city. In a meeting where someone secretly recorded audio that was leaked to the press, Paulo Massato, the metropolitan director of the São Paulo state-run water utility, said that people might have to flee the city. "There's not enough water, there won't be water to bathe, to clean," says Massato.

SOURCE: The New York Times

So, how did we get here? Well, massive growth over the 20th century built up a metropolitan area of more than 20 million residents that a leaky water system can't adequately serve.

SOURCE: The New York Times

There are serious water shortages in the three most populous states in Brazil — São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Minas Gerais. But São Paulo, both the metropolitan area and the surrounding municipalities, has it the worst so far.

SOURCE: The New York Times

Gallup-Healthways released its Well-Being Index for 2014 on Thursday, and West Virginia is the most miserable state in America for the sixth straight year.

It was followed by Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and Mississippi to round out the bottom five states. 

The Gallup-Healthways data is based on over 176,000 interviews with US adults from January until December 2014. It tests five essential elements of well-being, including motivation to achieve goals (purpose), having positive relationships (social), economic satisfaction (financial), feeling safe and having pride in where you live (community), and taking care of your health (physical). 

Arkansas, Ohio, Mississippi, West Virginia, and Kentucky are the only five states to be in the bottom 10 for well-being since the poll began in 2008, according to Gallup.

West Virginia ranked the lowest in both physical well-being as well as for "purpose" or liking what you do every day. It was the only state to rank dead-last in two of the five categories.

West Virginia's welfare is not new fodder in the media. The state's economy relies heavily on coal production, a dying industry that is rapidly losing jobs and has little career growth. 

Its population is one of the least educated in America and 35.1% of West Virginia's adult population are also obese, according to the nonprofit State of Obesity website, which is the highest rate in the nation.

According to the Gallup-Healthways data, Illinois had the lowest community well-being rating, Rhode Island had the lowest social well-being rating, and Mississippi had the worst financial well-being rating in America.

Check out the full state rankings below.

SEE ALSO: Wait until you see what our coal addiction is doing to West Virginia

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The annual Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition hit newsstands last week, and everyone is talking about the scandalous cover and beautiful models of all sizes inside the issue.

The magazine features 16 veteran models and eight "rookies," all of whom are flawlessly posed against beautiful backdrops.

But to get the lust-worthy shots, the models have the help of makeup artists, hair stylists, lighting experts, staff dedicated solely to bikini adjustment, and later, Photoshop.

The results are stunning photographs of seemingly perfect-looking women.

While the 24 models featured in the issue are all undoubtedly beautiful, they are also human.

Here is a look at what the top models look like off duty.

Model Chrissy Teigen, the 29-year-old wife of singer John Legend, was photographed for Sports Illustrated on the beach in California.

But Teigen's Instagram account is filled with more-natural-looking photos.

She doesn't take herself too seriously.

And she isn't afraid to show the long hair and makeup process she goes through before red-carpet events or swimsuit shoots.

Here's what Teigen looks like in real life compared with her 2014 SI cover.

Model Gigi Hadid, 19, shot her Sports Illustrated editorial on the beaches of Kauai.

In real life, she often goes for a makeup-less look.

She isn't afraid to post a pajama picture to Instagram.

Or less-done-up shots.

Here's the real life Gigi Hadid next to her 2014 Sports Illustrated shoot.

Model Hannah Davis landed the cover of this year's Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. 

Here she is in real life posing with her cover.

Despite her glamorous appearance, Davis — who is dating Derek Jeter — has a sporty side, too.

Model Robyn Lawley made waves this month for being curvier than most of the other models included in the annual issue.

After a weight debate, Lawley told Time: "I don't know if I consider myself as a plus-size model or not. I just consider myself a model because I'm trying to help women in general accept their bodies."

When she's not modeling, Lawley is a DJ who goes by the name "Robelle."

Model Kate Bock shot her Sports Illustrated photos in Tennessee.

In real life, she's often more bundled up.

Here's Bock with last year's editorial.

Model Jessica Gomes posed with her 2014 shoot.

Model Ariel Meredith, who appears in this year's issue, showed off her past shoot in 2012.

Model Irina Shayk has appeared in eight issues of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition.

Chanel Iman, 24, bared all in her 2014 shoot.

Model Hannah Ferguson looks similar in real life to her 2014 SI photo below.

Model Genevieve Morton covered up slightly more in real life.

Model Sara Sampaio showed off her 2014 spread.

And "Blurred Lines" model Emily Ratajkowski has appeared in a few issues of SI.

Basically, all of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit models are equally as gorgeous in real life.

SEE ALSO: 14 photos that prove why Hannah Davis is a perfect choice for Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue cover girl

MORE: People are not happy with the racy Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover

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NOW WATCH: This Sports Illustrated swimsuit rookie could become the next Kate Upton

Remember when your mom told you that if you didn't clean up your room, she was going to throw away all your stuff?

Well, your stubbornness totally cost you, dude, because some of those toys and games are worth major money.

9. Buzz Lightyear 1st Generation: $205

The highest bid on this eBay item — a first-generation Buzz Lightyear action figure with utility belt — is relatively low compared with the final price of other items on this list.

The listing says it comes with a certificate of authenticity and that it is "brand new" in its original box. "Brand new" probably isn't the best phrase to describe it — it is 20 years old, after all — so a better description might be "mint condition" or "factory sealed" if that's the case.

Considering that this toy probably cost about $25 when it was released in 1995 (I'm assuming at the same time as the first "Toy Story" movie), this sale is a decent win for its owner. Any time something increases in value eight times over, you can pat yourself on the back.

8. The Mummy Mystery Game: $888.99

The final sale price of The Mummy Mystery Game from Hasbro might encourage you to hoard all your board games from now on. Perhaps you can retire early on a first-edition Monopoly, or pay off your credit-card debt with a vintage Taboo.

7. GI Joe Air Sea Rescue Set: $909.77

GI Joe isn't just the 1980s icon we've come to know and love. Rather, the line of action figures from Hasbro has been occupying the imaginations of little boys (and girls) for more than 50 years.

Over the past half-decade, Joes have changed — most notably from 12-inch figures in the 1960s to 3-3/4-inch figures when it was relaunched in 1982 — but interest hasn't waned.

The whole gamut is worth a pretty penny these days when in good condition, but if you happen to have an old-school GI Joe Air Sea Rescue set, you're in luck.

This couldn't have cost more than a few bucks at its regular retail price several decades ago, but you can thank inflation, vintage status, rarity, and eBay for its nearly $1,000 price tag today.

The very last thing you do before bed tends to have a significant impact on your mood and energy level the next day, as it often determines how well and how much you sleep.

Successful people understand that their success starts and ends with their mental and physical health, which is almost entirely dependent upon their getting enough sleep.

That is why bedtime routines are a key ritual for so many of them — and why the very last thing most successful people do before bed is read.

1. They read.

Experts agree that reading is the very last thing most successful people do before going to sleep.

Michael Kerr, an international business speaker and author of "You Can't Be Serious! Putting Humor to Work," says he knows numerous business leaders who block off time just before bed for reading, going so far as to schedule it as a "non-negotiable item" on their calendar. "This isn't necessarily reserved just for business reading or inspirational reading. Many successful people find value in being browsers of information from a variety of sources, believing it helps fuel greater creativity and passion in their lives."

For example, while some successful people use this time catch up on news stories from the day, skim tech blogs, or browse Reddit and Twitter, others enjoy reading fiction novels and ancient philosophy just before bed. 

2. They make a to-do list.

"Clearing the mind for a good night sleep is critical for a lot of successful people," Kerr says. "Often they will take this time to write down a list of any unattended items to address the following day, so these thoughts don't end up invading their head space during the night."

3. They spend time with family.

Michael Woodward, Ph.D., organizational psychologist and author of "The YOU Plan," says it's important to make some time to chat with your partner, talk to your kids, or play with your dog.

Laura Vanderkam, author of "What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast," says this is a common practice among the highly successful. "I realize not everyone can go to bed at the same time as his or her partner, but if you can, it's a great way to connect and talk about your days."

In a golden decade for American film, the Oscars encompassed the gritty, unadulterated fun of the 1970s.

The red carpet fashion, the political statements, and the backstage romances stole the spotlight away from the actual Best Picture winners.

C-3PO worked the paparazzi like no other protocol droid could; Marlon Brando rejected a best actor award; and porn star Linda Lovelace walked among Hollywood's top starlets.

As we gear up for the 87th Academy Awards on February 22, let's take a moment to reminisce about a time when black tie attire was incomplete without a mustache.

The red carpet fashion was absurdly hip. The late "Charlie's Angels" actress Farrah Fawcett wore a slinky gold dress and her trademark, feathered "Farrah Fawcett hair." She was a presenter at the 50th Academy Awards.

April 3, 1978

Jack Nicholson, nominated for best actor for "The Last Detail" in '74, arrived at the Los Angeles Music Center rocking a pair of aviators. The following year he wore a beret.

April 2, 1974

In terms of Who Wore It Best, C-3PO blew away the Oscar statue. In '78, "Star Wars" swept the technical categories, snagging six out of its 10 nominations and a Special Achievement for sound effects editing.

April 3, 1978

The world's most powerful woman earned her Ph.D. in quantum physics, presides over the richest economy in Europe, and is the central broker in a massive euro-bailout deal.

Germany's Angela Merkel is the undisputed leader of her political party, and she faces hardly any opposition in her now third parliamentary term as chancellor.

Merkel rose from humble beginnings under an oppressive East German regime, overthrew her political mentor single-handedly, claimed the top spot as Germany's leader much like her late British counterpart Margaret Thatcher, who also had a degree in science.

Angela Kasner was born in Hamburg, West Germany, on July 17, 1954.

Angela Dorothea Kasner was born to Herlind Kasner, an English and Latin teacher, and Horst Kasner, a theologian and Lutheran minister.

A few weeks after she was born, her father moved the family to Templin, in East Germany, about an hour from Berlin.

Merkel's childhood was shaped by the Stasi, or secret police. The Stasi made people paranoid. Merkel learned early on to keep her cards close to her chest.

Source: The Making of Merkel, BBC

A perfectionist by nature, she excelled in her studies.

She excelled in academics, especially math, science, and languages.

In her teenage years, her parents encouraged her to join the Communist youth organization, the Freie Deutsche Jugend, or Free German Youth, to develop skills for a career in politics. 

After flunking a physics course in high school, she decided to pursue a degree from the University of Leipzig in physics to prove her mastery of the subject.

Source: The Making of Merkel, BBC 

She became a physicist.

Popular among her peers, she caught the eye of fellow physics student Ulrich Merkel, whom she met during a Russian exchange trip.

She married him in 1977 and graduated the following year with a degree in physics and physical chemistry.

She continued her academic career and went on to study at the elite German Academy of Sciences, in Berlin, and earned a Ph.D. in quantum chemistry, in 1986.

Source: The Making of Merkel, BBC

With temperatures below freezing in much of the northern hemisphere, it's the perfect time to escape to one of the world’s most beautiful beaches.

TripAdvisor has just released its 2015 Travelers’ Choice Awards, which ranks the best beaches in the world based on millions of reviews from real travelers.

Baia do Sancho, a beach on the remote Brazilian island of Fernando de Noronha, was named the best in the world for the second time in a row.

From the white sands of Turks and Caicos to the crystal clear waters of Italy’s Rabbit Beach, here are the top 10 beaches in the world.

10. Elafonissi Beach, Elafonissi, Greece

9. Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Islands, Australia

8. Flamenco Beach, Culebra, Puerto Rico

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NOW WATCH: The New Mercedes Driverless Car Even Has The Driver's Seat Facing Away From The Road

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The "Fifty Shades of Grey" movie has already made more than $266 million at the box office.

In 2012, the erotica trilogy by E.L James became a phenomenon dubbed "mommy porn."

Women openly read it without shame on the subway and went nuts fan-casting the full-length movie.

The raunchy books follow naive college student Anastasia Steele and her billionaire boyfriend Christian Grey; however, you probably do not know much about series' creator.

E.L. James is just a pen name.

E.L. James' real name is Erika Leonard.

James grew up in Buckinghamshire.

There she was privately educated and took up English literature and history at the University of Kent.

The author now resides in West London with her family.

She's a mom.

James is a 51-year-old British mother of two teenage sons.

She has said in interviews her sons are "mortified" their mother wrote the explicit novels.

Many of America's most successful CEOs started out in the world of sports before entering and dominating the world of business.

See what Jeffrey Immelt, Brian Moynihan, and seven other CEOs were up to as undergrads when they weren't hitting the books. 

GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt played football for Dartmouth

The class of 1978 Dartmouth alum played football for the Ivy League squad, working his way up from co-captain of the JV team to starting offensive tackle his senior year. In the National Football Foundation (NFF) campaign "Football Matters to Me," Immelt reflects on football and life, and talks about the life lessons he learned on the field that he has carried with him through his career:

"It was great to be a part of a team that had wanted to do something very dramatic and wanted to win. Not every play works, not every situation works, but you've got to figure it out, and there's always a next play. And I think all of those things just happen to stick with you for a lot of your life, and in my case for my whole life. This essence of trying to build a culture of excellence that I learned in sports I very much brought to the business world."

IBM CEO Samuel Palmisano walked away from an NFL tryout with the Raiders

Samuel Palmisano was a star offensive center on the Johns Hopkins football team and walked away from a tryout with the NFL's Oakland Raiders to pursue a sales job. The center — one of the least glamorous, yet crucial positions in football — is responsible for handing the ball to the quarterback and getting the play rolling. Palmisano also made moves at IBM and pushed the successful company to continually stay one step ahead of competitors. 

Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman was a four-sport athlete in high school

Whitman carried her passion for sports from high school athletics — she captained the swim team and played lacrosse, tennis, and basketball — to the collegiate stage. The class of 1977 Princeton alum competed on the squash and lacrosse teams. In her book, "The Power of Many," the two-sport collegiate athlete writes: "I liked team sports the best. When I'm pulling a business team together, I still use those basketball aphorisms I learned as a young person: 'Let's pass the ball around a little before game time.' 'Do we need man-to-man or zone defense?'"

The City of Angels is constantly introducing the world to some of the coolest trends.

Ever heard of an urban flour mill? Or how about a company devoted to making the most comfortable underwear ever?

Those are just two of the coolest new small businesses we found in L.A. (We defined "new" as any business that opened in the past five years or so.)

Know a cool small business we missed? Tell us in the comments.

Alimento

1710 Silver Lake Boulevard

What it is: An Italian fusion restaurant.

Why it's cool: The soulful Italian restaurant in the trendy Silver Lake neighborhood offers authentic Italian food, like handmade ravioli, with an eclectic wine selection. 

Chef and owner Zach Pollack creates unique dishes that combine traditional Italian cuisine with contemporary American influences. For example, his version of "pigs in a blanket" is made from mortadella, spelt pastry, brovada, and stracchino. 

"It's Italian as reflected through the lens of LA's multiethnic landscape," Pollack said. "Interesting and innovative, though fun and accessible at the same time."

Better Booch

317 Broadway, Grand Central Market

What it is: A craft-tea brewery that specializes in Kombucha, using 100% organic tea blends for flavor instead of juice.

Why it's cool: Better Booch sells its teas in stores all over Southern California. The company recently opened a retail store and tea bar, Booch Bar in Grand Central Market, which serves Kombucha on tap and growlers of tea.

Booch Bar has become popular with the celebrity set, as well. Leonardo DiCaprio is among those known to drink its  tea.  

Bloom That

Mobile application servicing Los Angeles and San Francisco

What it is: An easy and affordable flower-delivery service.

Why it's cool: Bloom That delivers flower arrangements within 90 minutes of ordering. The app and website make it easy to order with three steps.

It rotates its collection of flowers so that there's always a new choice. Even better, prices start at $25. 

"We're changing the flower game, for good," a representative from Bloom That tells us.

Ashton Kutcher and Joe Montana are investors.

By now, you've probably heard about "Fifty Shades of Grey." 

The film adaptation of the best-selling book series is dominating (sorry for the pun) at theaters. "Fifty Shades" had the highest-grossing Presidents Day weekend ever, making $94 million.

While you may know the basic premise — it's about a virginal college student who falls for a billionaire with a knack for bondage and domination — you may not have read the books nor plan on seeing the movie. 

But we bet you still want to know what it's about. 

We have you covered. 

What is 'Fifty Shades of Grey' about?

E.L. James' erotica novel is written from the perspective of college student Anastasia Steele. Before graduation, she interviews the mysterious and eligible billionaire bachelor Christian Grey for her school's paper. She's not studying journalism. Instead, Anastasia, who goes by Ana, is just conveniently filling in for her sick roommate who was supposed to do the interview.

From the moment the two meet, Ana is pretty smitten with Christian. He makes her flush with nervousness as she fidgets with her tape recorder. She stutters as she speaks, and his calm but stern temperament makes her heartbeat start to race.

Naturally, Christian is actually pretty into Ana, too. It's not really clear why. She's a plain Jane, has no plans for her future after college, and she's clumsy. But for some reason he can't control himself any moment she bites down on her lip. Before you know it, Christian's showing up at Ana's place of employment, sending her expensive presents (first-edition copies of books by her favorite author and a new MacBook), getting jealous of other men in her life, and taking her for helicopter rides. 

Romantic, right?

Well, here's the twist.

It turns out there's a reason Christian is single. He's really into BDSM (bondage, domination, sadism, and masochism) relationships, and he wants Ana to play the submissive to his dominant.

If you've ever seen 2001's "Secretary" with Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader, it's sort of a similar setup. 

Christian has a giant non-disclosure agreement whipped up detailing the specifics of their relationship. It contains safe words and limits, and it details the different sexual acts in which the two will participate.

The entire first book and movie follow Ana's decision whether to sign the lengthy contract.

Oh, yeah. There's more than one book.

If you thought you'd be free after this film, you're wrong! There are two more books in the series called "Fifty Shades Darker" and "Fifty Shades Freed."

You can bet more movies will be on the way. The first film has already made more than $266 million worldwide.

It's based on 'Twilight' 

You can thank "Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer for inspiring "Fifty Shades." The BDSM trilogy started out as "Twilight" fan fiction.

James began writing her series on Fanfiction.net. Early drafts of "Fifty Shades" were referred to as "Masters of the Universe" and were written from the perspective of Bella and Edward from "Twilight."

Steele is Bella, right down to the clumsiness and awkward comments. And just like Bella, she is drawn to a dark man and embarks on a violent relationship. Grey is supposed to be Edward without the immortality, fangs, and sparkly skin. The two later transformed into Ana and Christian.

I don't get it. Why do women love this? It sounds awful.

Oh, the writing's not that great. 

What I've gathered from reading the trilogy when it came out is that "Fifty Shades" is about playing out the fantasies and conversations written on the page in your head. 

That's what women had to do before they knew who were cast as the leads for the film.

In many ways, the film actually takes away from that experience, because there are many more explicit sexual acts in the book than in the film. 

What are some of these conversations and fantasies you're talking about?

Most of the first book's 500-plus pages consist of text messages and email messages that occur between Ana and Christian. While many are flirty with silly email subjects, some are similar to dirty texts sent between teens or young lovers.

Here is an example of an email exchange between the two. Note that they'll change the subject each time they respond to each other.

From: Anastasia Steele
Subject: Chastising ... Me?
Date: May 31 2011 19:22 EST
To: Christian Grey

Dear Sir, 
When have I ever plucked up the nerve to chastise you, Mr. Grey? I think you are mixing me up with someone else ... which is very worrying. I really do have to get ready.

Your Ana

--

From: Christian Grey
Subject: Your Behind
Date: May 31 2011 16:25
To: Anastasia Steele

Dear Miss Steele, 
You do it all the time in print. Can I zip up your dress?

Christian Grey
CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc.

--

From: Anastasia Steele
Subject: NC-17
Date: May 31 2011 19:28 EST
To: Christian Grey

I would rather you unzipped it.

--

From: Christian Grey
Subject: Careful what you wish for ...
Date: May 31 2011 16:25
To: Anastasia Steele

SO WOULD I.

Christian Grey
CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc.

The two also have discussions about the different things Ana wants to consent to including:

Ankles bound
Elbows bound
Hands bound behind back
Knees bound
Binding to fixed items, furniture, etc.
Suspension
Blindfolds
Gags
Bondage with rope
Bondage with leather cuffs
Bondage with handcuffs/shackles/manacles
Clamps
Whipping
Paddling
Vibrators and other sex toys

The list goes on, but you get the idea.

The emails are probably the best part of the book, and that's a shame, because they get very little play in the movie. 

Keertana Sastry contributed to an earlier version of this story.

SEE ALSO: Meet the author behind the "Fifty Shades of Grey" phenomenon

AND: Analysts grossly underestimated the allure of "Fifty Shades" at the box office

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NOW WATCH: Learn what all the fuss is about — here's the regular guy's guide to 'Fifty Shades of Grey'

North Carolina-based hedge fund manager Mark Yusko, the founder of Morgan Creek Capital Management, revealed 10 things that he thinks could surprise the market in 2015.

He shared it in a presentation last week at the Cayman Alternatives Investment Summit on Grand Cayman.

Some of the surprises Yusko highlights are that the Fed will not raise rates in 2015 and that oil prices could go lower. He also thinks that China could enter a new bull market and stocks will rally. 

We've included the presentation in the slides that follow. 

Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One might get more attention, but Nintendo’s little console that could, the Wii U, might end up winning this generation’s console wars.

Sure, the Wii U doesn’t have a typical control setup like the Xbox One or PS4, its innards are not as powerful, and it doesn’t accommodate as many third-party games. But the basic Wii U is $100 cheaper than its Xbox and PlayStation counterparts, and it’s got a growing library of must-play titles that are fun to play solo or with a group of friends.

It’s backward compatible with Wii games

The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are versatile systems, but neither console can play previous-generation titles. Nintendo, on the other hand, offers a full catalogue of Wii U and Wii games, as well as access to even more classic titles available over its online platform, called the Virtual Console.

If you missed out on the Wii the first time around, you'll be able to play all the best titles from the Wii's six-year life, including the "Super Mario Galaxy" series, two new "Legend of Zelda" games, the stunningly beautiful "Okami," the bestselling horror game "Resident Evil 4," and the "Metroid Prime" trilogy. These games are absolutely worth your time.

The GamePad

The Wii U’s primary controller, called the GamePad, is not your traditional controller. It comes with an embedded touchscreen that lets you to play select titles when you can’t play them on the TV. (Not all games require the GamePad’s second-screen functionality, but some portions of games can only be played on the GamePad screen, and not the TV.)

The GamePad features a 6.2-inch screen, which can be controlled with one’s fingers or a stylus, but it also comes with a front-facing camera for video chat and motion control support. Can you take selfies on your Xbox controller? I didn’t think so.

The Homebrew Channel

You might not know it, but the Wii U might be the most hackable game console out there right now. If you have an internet connection and a free SD card, you can activate classic game emulators, cheat engines, DVD players, and even Wii-specific Linux distributions. And if you’ve stored any old games on a USB stick, The Homebrew Channel can help you play those games, too.

These homebrew options are easy to access: With the simple LetterBomb hack that takes only about 10 minutes to complete (HackMii has the full set of instructions), you’ll be able to activate The Homebrew Channel and an application called Homebrew Browser, which acts as an alternative marketplace to download popular apps, games, and emulators.