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A beautiful, potentially toxic event is 'carpeting' the Baltic Sea

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This striking green-blue image isn't a lost work of Van Gogh — it's a giant, growing bloom of microscopic plants and animals in the Baltic Sea, which NASA photographed from space on August 11.

But don't let its beauty fool you.

NASA suggests the bloom might contain cyanobacteria. The marine bacteria are big oxygen producers but can threaten wildlife if they grow out of control. Some species can also be toxic and threaten the food supply. What's more, cruise ships full of summer tourists might be inadvertently feeding the blooms.

Keep scrolling to see some incredible views of the bloom (shown in false color), including ships cutting through the biological "carpet" that's coating a popular vacation spot.

NASA's Landsat 8 satellite constantly photographs the Earth. On August 11, 2015, it captured this section of the Baltic Sea.



Researchers saw what they think is a beautiful bloom of phytoplankton, made mostly of microscopic plants.



It stretches for hundreds of miles across the sea.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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Sufferers of ‘invisible illnesses’ came up with a powerful way to speak out together

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After years of struggling with Lyme disease, Allie Cashel wrote her college thesis about her experiences with chronic illness. Today, Cashel's thesis has grown into a book and a web community where chronic illness and disease sufferers are coming together to find support.

Following her graduation from Bard College in 2013, Cashel was offered a book deal for her Lyme disease thesis. While she worked on the book, which will be available in September, Cashel, along with friend and fellow chronic illness sufferer Erica Lupinacci, started online community Suffering the Silence to connect people living with chronic illnesses. 

The site features a portrait series where people are photographed with the names of their chronic, "invisible" illnesses and diseases written on their arms. They series also includes stories about what life is like with these conditions. 

"I can’t join the military and I can’t tour as a musician because I can’t get a cold place to store my medicine. It’s a humbling experience," explains Evan, who has Crohn's disease.

"I think in their heads they think I’m lazy or making it up. If I could choose to be stronger, I would love to be stronger," says Vivian, who lives with scoliosis. 

Chronic illness sufferers are also invited to share their own portraits and stories on Instagram and Twitter, using the hashtag #SufferingTheSilence. 

"It's a place where people can be honest about their illnesses," Lupinacci told TI of the online community. "It's a place where people don't have to put on a brave face and act like nothing is wrong."

Keep reading to learn more about life with chronic illness and the Suffering the Silence project. 

Allie Cashel was diagnosed with Lyme disease when she was 7. "I struggled for years with the disease, but before starting my senior thesis at Bard, I hadn't really been able to talk about it," Cashel told Tech Insider. "I was very private about it and terrified that if I shared my experiences, people wouldn't believe me and even call me crazy."

 

 



Erica Lupinacci has also spent years living with chronic illness, she was diagnosed with lupus in 2010. "The frustrating thing about so many of these diseases is that they are invisible illnesses. You can look at either of us and think we are completely healthy," Lupinacci said.

 

 

 



Even though the pair had been close childhood friends, they never discussed their mutual struggles with chronic illness growing up.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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10 beautiful structures that have breathed new life into New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina

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In the decade since Hurricane Katrina, the Big Easy has maintained its status as an architectural powerhouse. Here are some of the most incredible new and restored buildings that have breathed new life into New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina.

SEE ALSO: A photographer returned to New Orleans a decade after Hurricane Katrina to see what's changed

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James M. Singleton Head Start Center

Nestled in the New Orleans East community of Little Woods, this 13,000-square-foot child-care center won a 2013 AIA New Orleans Merit Award for its design by Trapolin-Peer Architects.

Run by the nonprofit group Total Community Action, the center provides social services for children with disabilities.



Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life

Just 14 months after Tulane’s campus flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the university debuted this 142,000-square-foot student center designed by Vincent James Associates Architects.

An existing two-story, concrete-framed building was enlarged to include a 300-seat auditorium, a bookstore, a dining hall, and study facilities.  



St. Katharine Drexel Chapel

Completed in 2012, the Drexel Chapel is the first house of worship designed by the celebrated architecture firm Pelli Clarke Pelli.

Topped with a copper roof and clad in Portuguese limestone, the octagonal structure visually rhymes with the other buildings on the campus of Xavier University, which commissioned the church.

The foundation was built four feet above sea level, to comply with flood-mitigating regulations.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

7 cognitive biases that screw up your interviews

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Man and Woman Job Interview

A job interview is ultimately an interaction between two (or more) human beings.

So while we'd like to believe that our interviewers are immune to the psychological pitfalls that could cause them to misjudge us, they're probably not.

Instead, they're prone to do things like predict our professional performance based on the performance of similar people they know.

Here, we've rounded up seven cognitive biases that affect how your interviewer perceives you — and how likely you are to land the job.

SEE ALSO: 3 unconscious biases that affect whether you get hired

Affect heuristic

The way you feel affects the way you interpret the world, which can be to your detriment if the interviewer projects negative feelings onto you.

As Jim Saksa points out on Slate, the affect heuristic helps explain why some people loathe cyclists. If an uncautious cyclist slams into your car, you might be so angry that you'll decide all cyclists are idiots, even though statistics suggest otherwise.

The same logic could presumably apply to any group of people — writers, lawyers, or people who wear red shirts — if you've had a bad experience with them.

 



Anchoring bias

People are overreliant on the first piece of information they hear. 

In a salary negotiation, for instance, whoever makes the first offer establishes a range of reasonable possibilities in each person's mind.

Any counteroffer will naturally be anchored by that opening offer. 



Availability heuristic

When people overestimate the importance of information that is easy to remember.

In one experiment, a professor asked students to list either two or 10 ways to improve his class. Students that had to come up with 10 ways gave the class much higher ratings, likely because they had a harder time thinking about what was wrong with the class.

This phenomenon could easily apply in the case of job interviews. If you have a hard time recalling what a candidate did wrong during an interview, you'll likely rate him higher than if you can recall those things easily.

 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

9 photos of completely deserted and utterly creepy Chinese amusement parks

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Chinese Amusement Park During Off Season

Photographer Stefano Cerio generally splits his time between Rome, Italy and Paris, France —  but this past year he journeyed through China to explore its many and wildly popular amusement parks.

Cerio was curious about what these parks had to offer, but not in the way most visitors are.

Fascinated by the idea of "absence," he headed to the highest populated country in the world to document these parks when they were completely empty.  

His new book, "Chinese Fun," offers a rare and desolate look at various Chinese amusement parks. 

The results are both creepy and serene. See for yourself below.

SEE ALSO: An eerie tour of the abandoned chinese amusement park that's finally being torn down

Five major themes recur in Cerio's work: representation, illusion, vision, expectations, and reality. Here, he questions whether rides, and the parks they reside in, are symbols of happiness, or merely an illusion.



Those five themes are explored through recreational areas generally visited by the public for holidays and vacations. What these spaces look like when they're completely empty allows us to see them in a new light — and to question their existence.



General images of amusement rides and carnival food stands usually trigger nostalgic, happy memories. But through Cerio's washed-out, muted color palette — and especially without people around — the spaces verge on depressing.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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25 quotes that take you inside Albert Einstein's revolutionary mind

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Over the years, Albert Einstein's name has become synonymous with genius.

In his lifetime, Einstein changed the world, describing the workings of reality better than anyone since Isaac Newton and revealing the capabilities of the atom bomb. In 1999, TIME named him Person of the Century.

Here are 25 of Einstein's most telling quotes; each will take you inside the mind of the legend. 

 

SEE ALSO: 25 quotes from legendary CEOs that can make you more successful

On authority

"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth."

["The Curious History of Relativity"]



On scope

"Nature shows us only the tail of the lion. But there is no doubt in my mind that the lion belongs with it even if he cannot reveal himself to the eye all at once because of his huge dimension."

[Smithsonian, February 1979]



On politics

"I am by heritage a Jew, by citizenship a Swiss, and by makeup a human being, and only a human being, without any special attachment to any state or national entity whatsoever."

["The Yale Book of Quotations"]



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

20 popular tourist sites you should see before they disappear

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Some of the world's most stunning natural sites and iconic, man-made structures might not be around in the future.

Thanks to a combination of factors like climate change and increased development project proposals in their areas, some of these popular tourist attractions are starting to shrink in size, sink, or erode.

From the breathtaking Alps to the iconic Taj Mahal, we've put together a list of some of the most famous sites you should see before it's too late.

SEE ALSO: 20 places you should visit before they disappear

FOLLOW US! Business Insider Travel is on Twitter

Nearly two-thirds of the Great Wall of China has been damaged or destroyed by over-farming, natural erosion, and the selling of bricks that have historic engravings on them.

Read more about how the Great Wall of China is falling apart »

Sources: The IndependentCNN



The iconic Taj Mahal, in Agra, India, has been facing years of pollution and erosion that some experts believe could lead to its collapse.

See rare aerial photos of the Taj Mahal »

Sources: The Daily MailThe Wall Street Journal



Known for its romantic gondola rides, the city of Venice, Italy, has been sinking for years with severe floods becoming more common over the last few years.

See a satellite map that shows how Venice is sinking »

Source: Time



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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America's 20 most expensive colleges

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In many of America's top colleges, the total cost for the academic year tops $60,000 and is getting more expensive every year.

We've compiled a list of the colleges that are charging the most for the 2015-16 academic year — breaking down how much students pay in tuition and required fees, as well as room and board. These numbers are solely what students would pay directly to the school, so they're still going to have to cover books, travel, a healthcare plan, and possibly beer.

Colleges present their fees in different ways; some offer one total price, some pair tuition and fees together, and some list every charge individually. For schools that didn't offer a flat total on their website, we added up the fees that a typical first year student would incur.

Here's what the most expensive colleges in America are charging their students:

SEE ALSO: The most expensive college in every state

#20 — Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, Maryland

Total Cost: $63,750

Tuition and Fees: $49,210

Room and Board: $14,540

2014 BI Rank: 12



#19 — Amherst College

Amherst, Massachusetts

Total Cost: $63,772

2014 BI Rank: 25



#18 — Southern Methodist University

Dallas, Texas

Total Cost: $63,840

Tuition and Fees: $48,190

Room and Board: $15,650

2014 BI Rank: 39



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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The YouTube stars behind Disney's brilliant plan to unleash new 'Star Wars' toys into the wild

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In honor of the new "Star Wars" movies coming out over the next several years, a new series of "Star Wars" toys are being released in stores on September 4, a day that is being called Force Friday.

While Disney has been keeping the toys, for themost part, under lock and key, fans will be able to get a sneak peek at some of the new products that will be in stores starting September 2.

Disney announced Wednesday it will host live toy unboxings from 15 cities worldwide over the course of 18 hours on the “Star Wars” YouTube channel.

A mix of popular toy unboxers, gamers, and “Star Wars” fans from Maker Studios, the company which Disney purchased in 2014, will host the unboxing sessions beginning at 5:30 p.m. EDT in Sydney, Australia 9/2 before ending in San Francisco, USA 9/3 at 11:00 a.m. EDT.

Disney hasn't announced which toys fans will get to see yet.

For now, check out the lucky YouTubers who will be unveiling the new "Star Wars" toys to the world. 

Vlogging family "Bratayley" will kick off the unboxing in Sydney, Australia at 5:45 p.m. EDT on September 2.

Starring three American siblings, Annie, Haley, and Caleb, the Braytayley YouTube channel has gained over 1 million subscribers since joining the platform in 2010. The family regularly posts videos of their day to day lives, including the girls practicing gymnastics and all kinds of fun antics, like this "Whip Cream Fight." Past unboxing videos have included "Disney Mystery Minis," toys from 2013 animated film "Legends of Oz," and the "American Girl Doll of the Year."



Next up, YouTuber Einshine will be unboxing from Tokyo, Japan, at 10:00 p.m. EDT on September 2.

This 18-year-old YouTuber lives in Tokyo and started sharing gaming videos in 2012. Since then, he's gained over 500,000 subscribers and his videos have been collectively viewed over 83 million times. Some of Einshine's most popular uploads include a Minecraft music video and prank call to a fellow Minecraft YouTuber



Dollastic will begin her unboxing from Seoul, Korea, at 11:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, September 2.

"I am a huge child at heart,"explains YouTuber Dollastic in the description of her toy-devoted channelWith over 30 million video views, it seems like she's found a few others who enjoy playing with toys just as much as she does. She regularly posts unboxing videos, like this "Disney Mystery Minis" video, so we're excited to see what Dollastic will be opening before Force Friday. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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14 perfect photos from the track and field World Championships

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For the first time, it feels like momentum is building toward the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

US swimming phenom Katie Ledecky has announced herself as the next big thing, Usain Bolt is back, and we're getting our first batch of "WILL BRAZIL BE READY?" articles.

This week's athletics World Championships in Beijing feels like the unofficial of the Olympic cycle. It's also getting us pumped for one of the best parts of the Olympics: awesome photography.

Whether it's the unusual sight lines, unfamiliar sports, or emotionally expressive athletes, our best, most creative sports photography tends to come out of the Olympics.

Some of our favorite pictures from Beijing show you why.

Swedish long jumper Michel Torneus leaps in his qualifying heat.



Chinese hurdler Honglin Zhang is devastated after tripping on a hurdle in the 110meters.



The field passes Zhang by.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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Here's the Chinese factory where Airbus assembles its most popular plane

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Jetblue Airbus A320The Airbus A320 aircraft has been the most successful product in the history of the airplane maker. Since its first deliveries to Air France in 1988, almost 7,000 versions of that model have been built.

The French company maintains a final assembly line in Tianjin, China to keep up with growing demand from Chinese airlines. Other A320s are assembled at Airbus’ headquarters in Toulouse, France, as well as Hamburg, Germany and Mobile, Alabama. The Tianjin plant is a joint venture between Airbus and a Chinese consortium consisting of the Tianjin Free Trade Zone and China Aviation Industry Corporation. 

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond recently toured the Tianjin assembly plant. Photographers shadowing the diplomat give an inside look into how Airbus produces planes astonishingly quickly.

SEE ALSO: Check out the factory where Boeing is building the last of its legendary 747s

With over 1,150 Airbus planes operating in China, it only made sense for the French aerospace conglomerate to have a presence in the country.



Airbus' first factory outside of Europe, the Tianjin assembly plant opened in 2008.



Like most of the Tianjin Free Trade Zone, just outside Beijing, large factories and warehouses are prevalent.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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Meet the notorious Australian king of Instagram who's about to get his own reality show

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It looks like courting controversy has worked out for Travers Beynon, the wealthy playboy who's Australia's answer to "King of Instagram"Dan Bilzerian. "The Candyman," as Beynon's known, confirmed today that he's filming a reality show.

Frequently accused of disrespecting women, Beynon has worked as a model and a professional soccer player in the past. He's also an heir to an Australian tobacco fortune. But he's most famous for his notorious Instagram feed,where he posts photos of parties at his "Candyshop Mansion" as well as models in bikinis. He's accumulated 362,000 followers on the platform.

You might remember him from the time he "walked" his wife and her friend, pretending their bikini straps were leashes. Even Bilzerian himself questioned that stunt.

Both the Daily Mail and a German news site called Bild have the details on Beynon's reality show. Currently, not much is known, but the show's working title is "The Candyman Can." It's expected to shoot throughout Europe and in Australia. We've reached out to Beynon's camp for more details but have yet to hear back.

Keep reading for more details on Beynon's ridiculous life.

Travers Beynon is the heir to an Australian tobacco fortune. He calls his six-bedroom home the "Candyshop Mansion" and calls women like the ones in this photo his "Candyshop Goddesses."

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His wife Taesha, pictured on the left, reportedly doesn't mind the company.

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In addition to playing in the Australian Football League, he modeled in his younger days.

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See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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We checked out the 'Coachella for dogs' in Brooklyn — and it was beyond adorable

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There's no doubt outdoor festivals are all the rage. Coachella, for one, experienced record-high ticket sales this year, drawing more than 500,000 people. Bonnaroo, another music festival, had a 41% increase in ticket sales this year.

But who decided festivals should just be for humans?

That's why the hip, dog-loving company Barkbox took action and made a leap in the canine-festival industry.

On July 19, Barkbox hosted its second annual Barkfest on the Williamsburg waterfront in Brooklyn, New York.

The event ran for seven hours and featured tons of pawesome activities for dogs and their two-legged counterparts.

Those included an agility course, dog-friendly fireworks, hot-dog-eating contests, photo booths, raffles, and a selfie-station with celebrity dogs Marnie the Dog and Menswear Dog. Humans got to enjoy food trucks and a beer garden, too. Here are some of the highlights:

Barkfest took place at 50 Kent Ave., on the Williamsburg waterfront in Brooklyn. It was adjacent to the increasingly popular Brooklyn Flea.



Barkbox cofounder Matt Meeker said Barkfest was designed to create "experiences and things you can do together with your dog that also make your dog happy."



Meeker noticed that "outside of taking your dog for a walk, there's just not a lot you can do together as an activity."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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This guy spent 1,000 hours riding Greyhound buses to photograph his 'heroes'

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Greyhound Bus Portraits - 5

“There is nowhere on Earth weirder than the Columbus, Ohio, Greyhound station at three in the morning,” says Ian Willms, a Canadian photographer.

He challenges me to name a place more unusual. I have no refute.

It’d be wise to trust Willms’ knowledge, as he’s spent over 1,000 hours using the bus line that turned 100 last year.

He is quite aware that this is “definitely contrary to what most people would want to do with their time.”

But his transient nature, as he describes it, complements his subject matter, which will be revealed in a photo series, "The Hound," that he's slowly finishing. 

Keep scrolling to see the images Willms has published so far. 

SEE ALSO: This family sold everything they own to spend life traveling the country in an airstream bus

Willms started the project in the winter of 2013. He divides shooting time into blocks, usually three weeks to a month. "I’ve worked on projects where you get a good photo once a week ... With this project, I can find something I’m really into almost every day,” he says.



Photos of strangers he encounters on the bus are a big focus of the series so far. “You meet people who just got out of jail, people who are taking their whole family one state over to get a job. You meet people who are just out of their minds ... But most of the individuals I’ve talked to [have] something a bit heavier behind their reasons for traveling.”



“I pull out this little film camera [an old Nikon] that’s as old as I am and people think that I’m crazy, which fits in just fine on the Greyhound,” says Willms. He found the camera in a thrift store for $7.49 — after he'd been robed of his gear while traveling through Oakland, California, for the project. The point-and-shoot has become pivotal to his aesthete.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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10 of the best hotels in California’s wine country

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Calistoga Ranch As warm summer days fade to crisp autumn nights, dedicated oenophiles may want to make their way to Northern California to experience the peak of wine-crush season.

After touring wineries, tasting the best vintages, and soaking in the fall colors, guests will want to retreat to one of these 10 hotels for a peaceful night’s rest.

SEE ALSO: 11 of the best new hotels in the world

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Farmhouse Inn, Sonoma County

Bordered by grapevines and apple orchards, Sonoma’s Farmhouse Inn features 25 romantic rooms and suites, a Michelin-starred restaurant, and a seasonal heated pool and hot tub.

Family owned by fifth-generation Sonoma County residents, the resort partners with 12 local wineries to offer guests easy access to top-notch facilities. To celebrate the sights and sounds of crush, the Farmhouse Inn has assembled a special three-night stay starting at $1,400. Complimentary amenities include concierge service, a three-course farm breakfast, and a selection of spa products.

(farmhouseinn.com)



Carneros Inn, Napa Valley

Situated on 27 acres of farmland and orchards in the heart of Napa Valley, the Carneros Inn features 86 private guest cottages and suites.

Spacious private suites showcase outdoor fireplaces, soaking tubs, and showers. Amenities include a full-service spa, a fitness center, and a pool facing the vineyards.

Guests can dine at one of three farm-to-table restaurants, each of which features seasonal menus and ingredients sourced locally and from the resort’s on-site gardens. Just in time for fall, the PlumpJack “Wine Crush” package encompasses a two-night stay in a two-bedroom suite, private chef-led cooking classes, private barrel-tasting sessions, tasting tours, and a wine gift box. Rates start at $3,800, based on double occupancy.

(thecarnerosinn.com



Meadowood, St. Helena

Surrounded by 250 acres of hillsides, mountains, and foliage, Meadowood is known for its gorgeous natural setting and classic architecture. Resort amenities include three restaurants (one of which has been awarded three Michelin stars), personal fitness trainers, car service to downtown St. Helena and Yountville, access to the fitness center and hiking trails, and more.

During autumn, guests can take advantage of the resort’s Napa Valley Harvest Travel package. The package starts at $1,000 per night, based on double occupancy, and allows guests to choose a daily wine experience from four nearby wineries: Ma(i)sonry Napa Valley, Hall St. Helena, B Cellars, and Phifer Pavitt Wines. Three resort sommeliers plan wine itineraries for interested guests, make vintner introductions, and offer afternoon wine receptions.

(meadowood.com



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A New Orleans photographer spent 10 years shooting haunting images of the city after Katrina

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Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans ten years ago this week. 

Photographer David Spielman — who's called New Orleans home for four decades — documented the storm and its aftermath. 

His work has been turned into the new book, "The Katrina Decade: Images of an Altered City." 

The pictures, as you'll see from the below excerpt, are haunting.

 

Over 10 years, Spielman drove over 50,000 miles around New Orleans. He shot over 10,000 images with his Leica M6 film camera.



"I think my book is a window into some of the parts of the city that have been overlooked," Spielman tells Tech Insider.



Now closed, the art deco Charity Hospital was a landmark of New Orleans. "People in the community used to call themselves Charity Hospital babies," Spielman says. "That building is one of the casualties of Katrina."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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The 25 hottest under-the-radar startups in America

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New York and Silicon Valley are known as popular startup hubs, but there are other US cities that have become home to cool and successful tech companies too.

We've compiled a list of 25 of the hottest startups in cities across the US, with a focus on companies growing in flyover states. To do so, we spoke with investors and members on the tech scene.

Though our list includes some big names, it also features fledgling startups, some of which you may not have heard of yet.

Bumble is a dating app that prompts girls make the first move.

What it is:Bumble is an app that flips traditional dating upside down by letting women make the first move. (Whitney Wolfe, a Tinder cofounder, created Bumble not long after she left that company.)

Bumble, like Tinder, uses profile swiping to match singles in the same town. But on Bumble women make the first move, and men who receive a match have 24 hours to respond before the match disappears. When same-sex couples get matched on the app, either party can make the first move.

Bumble launched eight months ago, and it's approaching 1 million downloads. The app has over 5 million conversations started by women, over 1 billion swipes, and 15% week-over-week growth.

Where it's from: Austin, Texas

Founders: Whitney Wolfe

Funding: none announced



Conspire wants to help you get introduced to anyone you want to meet.

What it is: If you want to meet someone you don't know via LinkedIn, there's no good way to do it. So two data scientists who met at Stanford, Alex Devkar and Paul McReynolds, founded Conspire to help you get introduced to anyone you want to meet.

Conspire uses your email account as the basis for a game of Six Degrees of Separation. Sign up, and it analyzes your email. Then enter the name of the person you want to search and it finds someone in your contact list to introduce you, examining that person's social-media connections. It may even find multiple people to help introduce you. Then it will recommend the best choice.

Conspire uses a smart algorithm to figure things out like the multiple email addresses of the same person. The founders say it operates at 95% accuracy.

Where it's from: Boulder, Colorado

Founders: Paul McReynolds, Alex Devkar

Funding: $3.5 million from TechStars, Tahoma Ventures



Cotopaxi sells outerwear with a humanitarian twist.

What it is:Cotopaxi is a humanitarian-minded e-commerce company that specializes in outerwear. Its products — like its popular lifestyle backpacks— are made in sweatshop-free environments.

When you buy a product from Cotopaxi, it has a specific cause attached to it. The company wants its customers to feel a connection with the causes they choose to support through their purchases.

"If you buy the Inca backpack, you’re giving one week of tutoring to a child in an orphanage in Bolivia," CEO Davis Smith explained to TechCrunch. "If you buy the Sambaya fleece, you’re giving one cancer treatment to a woman in Senegal. If you buy the Cambodia water bottle, you’re giving six months of clean water to someone in Cambodia."

Where it's from: Salt Lake City, Utah

Founders: CJ Whittaker, Stephan Jacob, Davis Smith

Funding: $9.5 million from Lerer Hippeau Ventures, Greycroft Partners, Brand Foundry Ventures, Forerunner Ventures, Jeff Kearl, Josh James, New Enterprise Associates, Peterson Ventures, Kickstart Seed Fund, SherpaCapital, Tekton Ventures



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The 7 most beautiful religious buildings in the world right now

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Ribbon Chapel by Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP Co. Ltd 04

Every year, the World Architecture Festival creates a shortlist of the most awe-striking buildings on the planet.

From that list, the "building of the year" is determined.  

The 2015 festival features 338 finalists, but we're looking at the seven in the religious category, which is especially noteworthy since last year's big award went to a simple community chapel.  

The festival and awards announcement will take place in November at the luxurious Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore.

From a ribbon-like chapel in Japan to a spectacular outdoor church nestled in the mountains of El Salvador, here are seven sacred spaces that could be 2015's best building of the year. 

 

SEE ALSO: 15 rare photographs of Iran's stunning palaces, mosques, and baths

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Cardedeu by EMC Arquitectura (Lago de Coatepeque, El Salvador)



Light of Life Church by Shinslab Architecture (Gapyeong, South Korea)



Mahabodhi Monastery by Multiply Architects LLP (Lorong Kilat, Singapore)



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6 people who landed the CFO job by age 30

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young entrepreneurs

Landing an executive-level job can take years of dedication and perseverance, especially if that position is in the C-suite.

These six individuals not only made it to the top rungs of their organizations, they managed to land chief financial officer roles at large and rapidly growing companies before they turned 30 years old. 

Whether working for hot tech startups or global fast-food chains, these savvy professionals have conquered the business world faster than the average exec.

While some tech cofounders gave themselves the CFO title, that doesn't discount the massive billion-dollar successes they've achieved in their respective industries by striking the right balance with their ability to raise funds and spend wisely. 

Here's our list of six CFOs who landed the job before their 30th birthday. 

 

SEE ALSO: The 25 highest-paid CFOs

Joshua Kobza became the CFO of Restaurant Brands International at age 28.

He's now only 29 years old, but that hasn't stopped Kobza from grabbing the chief financial officer reigns at Restaurant Brands International, the parent company of Burger King and Tim Hortons. He even helped orchestrate Burger King's purchase of the Canadian coffee and donut chain in 2014. In his role at Burger King, he is responsible for Burger King Worldwide's global finance function, including finance, accounting, and real estate.

He joined Burger King Worldwide after working at SIP Capital, a São Paulo based private investment firm, where he evaluated investments across a number of industries and geographies. Before that he worked in the corporate private equity area of the Blackstone Group in New York City.

In 2015 he continues to serve as the CFO for Restaurant Brands International. 



Eduardo Luiz Saverin became the CFO of Facebook at age 22.

In 2004, Saverin and Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook from their dorm rooms at Harvard University. Saverin immediately took on the role of chief financial officer and business manager for the fledgling social media company. It was his early investment in Facebook that allowed the company to build a hosting platform that would help the social network scale in its early days. 

Eventually Saverin was edged out of the company, but not before collecting an estimated $5.9 billion in Facebook shares. 

Saverin finished his bachelor's degree in economics from Harvard University and went on to invest in Tech in Asia, an online news site; Silvercar, an airport car rental service; and Hopscotch, an Indian online retailer of kidswear. 

 

 



Nolan Watson became the CFO of Silver Wheaton at age 26.

Watson was an early bloomer in the world of finance. The young entrepreneur graduated from the University of British Columbia with a bachelor of commerce degree at age 19 and headed to Deloitte & Touche where he worked in the corporate finance department, performing business valuations and merger and acquisition support services.

After gaining a good level of experience he jumped ship to Silver Wheaton Corp. to serve as controller and as Silver Wheaton's first employee. Within a year Nolan was named as the company's chief financial officer, making him the youngest-ever CFO of a New York Stock Exchange-listed company. 

Within two years into his role Nolan raised more than $1 billion in debt and equity to fund Silver Wheaton's acquisition goals.

Watson eventually left Silver Wheaton and set up a new venture called Sandstorm Gold, a metal-streaming company focused on gold purchase agreements. He currently sits on the board of directors for Bear Creek Mining Corp. and True Gold Mining Inc.

 

 



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The fabulous life of SoundCloud cofounder and CEO Alexander Ljung

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Alex Ljung

SoundCloud founder and CEO Alexander Ljung went from a geeky, music-obsessed teenager to the high-flying CEO of one of Europe's most-recognised startups.

Ljung and cofounder Eric Wahlforss bonded over a shared love of music, and decided to create a platform that was something like Flickr or Wordpress but for sound. It turned out to be a godsend for aspiring musicians, mainstream artists, DJs, and podcasters alike, who have collectively uploaded over 100 million tracks.

It propelled Ljung into the spotlight too. When not working hard at SoundCloud's Berlin office, he can be found in the company of models and celebrities in some of the most beautiful places in the world.

After eight years, however, SoundCloud is going through a rocky patch. Big labels like Sony have pulled their music from the platform, and the company may have to give away big chunks of equity in order to win licensing agreements.

Ljung's relationship with SoundCloud cofounder Eric Wahlforss started when they were both studying at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden. They bonded over a shared love of music — and because they were the only two guys in class with a Mac.

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"I was having this problem where I couldn’t sync my calendar with iCal, the school's calendar feed," Ljung said in an interview with FounderLY. "And I go up to this guy with a Mac laptop and I’m like, hey, I notice you have a Mac. Do you know how to do this? And no joke, he’s sitting there trying to get the same exact same thing to work."

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While the idea for SoundCloud was born in Sweden, the two founders quickly moved the company to startup-friendly Berlin. But according to Ljung's Instagram, that's not where he spends all of his time.

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