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Some Regular New York Businessmen Walked The Runway During Fashion Week

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Businessmen walk as models during the Michael Fenici portion of the Nolcha fashion lineup

Most fashion designers hire young, slender models to stomp down the runways in their Fashion Week presentations.

But bespoke menswear designer Michael Fenici wanted to showcase pieces from his latest evening wear collection on the type of men he designed them for, not "22-year-olds with six-packs" from a modeling agency, he told us.

With the help of Nolcha Fashion Week's founder, Fenici found nearly a dozen New York businessmen to sport his hand-made suits at his runway show. They ranged from the CEO of Star Vodka to the founder of wireLawyer.com.

Fenici, who is based in Lebanon, flew to New York three months before the show to meet and measure his models. It took him about three weeks to finish the collection, which included plaid paints, tuxedos, and floppy bow ties.

For guys with no experience on a runway, Fenici's real-life models looked pretty good at his fashion show at Chelsea Piers this week.

Brett David, the maitre d' at new Lower East Side hotspot The General, looked ready for Christmas in red plaid pants and a maroon velvet jacket.



Z100 radio personality Trey Morgan sported one of Fenici's silk bow ties.



Entrepreneur Jonathan Stein, who co-founded VNV Media, looked ready to attend a wedding.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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The Most Powerful People In Hollywood At Every Age

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Bradley Cooper Naomi Watts Quvenzhane wallisAt nine years old, Quvenzhane Wallis is the second-youngest star to receive a Best Actress Nomination for her performance in "Beasts of the Southern Wild."

Meanwhile, at age 85, Emmanuelle Riva is the oldest actress to ever be nominated in the same category for her role in "Amour."

But they aren't the only two who have Hollywood buzzing right now. 

32-year-old father-to-be Channing Tatum starred in three hit films last year, 22-year-old Jennifer Lawrence has become the most desirable woman in the world, and 46-year-old J.J. Abrams will be delivering a new "Star Wars" film (hopefully) by 2015.  

We've gone through 2012's top directors, actors, highest-paid CEOs, and industry insiders to come up with the most influential people in Hollywood of the past year.

From Blue Ivy to Betty White, see who is making heads turn.

AGE 1: Blue Ivy

Daughter of Superstars Beyoncé and Jay-Z

What makes her powerful: We've barely caught any glimpses of the first daughter of Hip Hop, but with two musically inclined parents, Blue has some very big shoes — and vocals — to fill.



AGE 2: Abel Arnett

Son of Amy Poehler and Will Arnett

What makes him powerful: Though Abel's comedy power house parents may have split this year after nine years of marriage, there's no way the two year old didn't get the funny bone from the combination of his parents' comedic genius.



AGE 3: Mason Dash Disick

Son of reality stars Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick

What makes him powerful: Mason just turned three in December, but he's been getting face time on "Keeping up with the Kardashians" for some time. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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Go Inside The Secret Test Kitchen Where McDonald's Invents New Menu Items

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mcdonalds test kitchen

We visited McDonald's global headquarters in Oak Brook, Il., and the company gave us a peek inside its test kitchen.

Tucked within the walls of the Campus Office Building, the Culinary Center seems to be in a peculiar place. It's surrounded by endless cubicles and corporate-folk.

But inside the kitchen, there's serious work being done.

"It's not just chefs playing in the kitchen," said Chef Jessica Foust, a nutrition and culinary manager at the test kitchen.

Every menu item takes years of planning to develop and organize. Different countries, screening, volume — it's quite the effort, she said.

So, what's it look like in there? See for yourself. 

Disclosure: McDonald's provided travel and accommodations for the trip.

Tucked away at the McDonald's C.O.B. — or Campus Office Building — is the test kitchen, where the fast food chain comes up with all sorts of products.



The kitchens are up on the top floor on Big Mac Blvd. Yes, McDonald's names all the "streets" in its global headquarters office building.



Here's what Big Mac Blvd. looks like. Kitchens on the left, cubicles on the right.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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HOUSE OF THE DAY: The Montana Ranch Of Music Producer James Guercio Is Listed For $25 Million

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Montana OW Ranch

Grammy-winning music producer, musician, and songwriter James William Guercio (occasionally credited as Jim Guercio) is selling his Quietus, Montana ranch for $25 million, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The ranch is listed through real estate agency Hall and Hall. It has more than 32,400 acres and includes two equipment-storage sheds, a barn, a cookhouse, and eight solar-powered wells.

The main log home is 2,265 square feet and was originally build in 1892. The ranch was the headquarters of the Kendrick Cattle Company until the 1990s, when Guercio became the sole owner.

It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and is even on the National Register of Historic places.

The ranch, called OW Ranch, is a one-hour drive north of Sheridan, Wyoming and sits on 32,400 acres of deeded property.

Source: Hall & Hall



Guercio originally bought 6,000 acres of the ranch in the early 1990s, and became the sole owner after the previous owner died.

Source: WSJ



The ranch was originally the headquarters of the Kendrick Cattle Company — one of the most famous cattle empires in the late 1800s.

Source: Hall & Hall



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10 Enormous Gold Reserves (GLD)

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england gold vault

Total gold demand in dollar terms increased in 2012, but declined in tonnage.  This is according to the World Gold Council.

The world's central banks were among the biggest customers, buying 534.6 metric tons of gold last year.

And the buying has continued into this year.

The World Gold Council reports that worldwide official gold holdings increased to 31,597 tons in February, up from 31,575.1 tons a month ago.

We pulled the numbers on the 10 biggest official reserves.

Note: CBGA refers to the Central Bank Gold Agreements. The first Agreement (CBGA 1) ran from September 27, 1999 to September 26, 2004.  The second Agreement (CBGA 2) ran from September 27, 2004 to September 26, 2009. The third Agreement (CBGA 3) will run for five years from September 2009.

#10 India

Official gold holdings:
557.7 tonnes

Percent of foreign reserves in gold:
9.9 percent

The Reserve Bank of India is known to buy IMF gold and considers gold to be a safe investment, but rarely comments on its plans to buy gold.

Source: World Gold Council



#9 Netherlands

Official gold holdings:
612.5 tonnes

Percent of foreign reserves in gold:
59.7 percent

Back in 1999, the Netherlands announced under the Central Bank Gold Agreement (CB GA1) that it would sell 300 tonnes of gold during the five years, but only managed to sell 235 tonnes.

Under CBGA2 (2004/2005 –'08/'09) it said it would sell a total of 165 tones (which included the 65 tonnes left over from CBGA1), and it announced no sales under CBGA3 (from 2008/2009 – '13/'14).

Source: World Gold Council



#8 Japan

Official gold holdings:
765.2 tonnes

Percent of foreign reserves in gold:
3.2 percent

Japan's gold reserves were at just 6 tonnes in 1950, and its central bank registered its first serious jump in gold holdings in 1959, with purchases increasing by 169 tonnes from the previous year.

In 2011, the Bank of Japan sold gold to pump ¥20 trillion into the economy to calm investors after the tsunami and nuclear disaster.

Source: World Gold Council



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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EL-ERIAN: It's Time To Book Some Profits

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mohamed el-erian

PIMCO's Mohamed El-Erian has been of the belief that central banks have been distorting asset prices.

Specifically, asset prices have disconnected from their fundamentals.

But he doesn't believe this discrepancy can hold for much longer.

"There are those that believe that high asset prices will pull up the fundamentals, and then everything will go higher," he said in an interview with Daily Ticker's Lauren Lyster.  "And then there are those that say 'Wait a minute. I've seen this move before.  What ends up happening is asset prices come down to the fundamentals, so I'm going to take some risk off the table.  And I'm going to do it gradually.  Because central banks are not gonna exit any time soon.'"

"We would be in the second camp," said El-Erian.

"We think that prices are artificially high, that maintaining them here is going to be hard as central banks become less effective, and that it's time to book some profits.  It's time to wait for better entry points."

But this doesn't mean that he thinks prices will collapse any time soon.

"This is not a 2008 situation," he continued.  "This is not a Lehman moment.  But this is rather that price have gotten way ahead of what policy can deliver."

Watch the whole interview at Yahoo Finance.

SEE ALSO: WALL STREET: Here's Where The Stock Market Is Going In 2013 >

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Celebrities Took Over The Front Row Of NY Fashion Week [Photos]

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Miley Cyrus Trish Cyrus Joanna Coles

Hollywood invaded New York for this season's Fashion Week showcasing designer lines for fall 2013.

Miley Cyrus and Willow Smith sat front row with their moms, Rachel Zoe's latest accessory is her son and Heidi Klum still knows how to work a runway.

See which celebrities attended which runway shows and of course, what they wore.

Christina Ricci went for a crop top for Marc Jacobs' Fall 2013 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.



Not to be outdone, Miley Cyrus showed off her toned tummy next to designer Marc Jacobs while backstage after his show.



A day prior, Cyrus, sitting in between her mother and Cosmopolitan editor Joanna Coles, looked surprised by the Rachel Zoe fashion show.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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The 16 Best Charts Of The Week

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us auto salesThe world is changing, and nowhere is that better illustrated than in a good series of charts.

Luckily, we've seen no shortage of excellent charts this week that amply illustrate the changes underway.

The best charts this week touch on everything from plunging beer consumption to the longest-lasting vehicles on the road.

Now, let's go to the charts.

NYSE margin debt is closing in on all-time highs...with an 85 percent correlation the S&P 500

READ MORE: NYSE Margin Debt Is Creeping Toward All-Time Highs Right Along With The S&P 500 >



GM, Chrysler, and Mercedes vehicles seem to hold up the longest

READ MORE: Everything You Need To Know About The US Auto Market In 10 Slides >



Beer consumption has fallen rapidly in recent years as consumption of wine and spirits rises

READ MORE: Drinkers Are Staging A Great Rotation Out Of Beer >



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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7 Tricks Zoos Use To Get Endangered Animals To Mate

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marvin gaye

Just like humans, animals sometimes need a little romantic help in the "bedroom." For endangered, captive animals, the pressure to perform is even greater as mating is the only way to save species from extinction.

So what's a sexually apprehensive creature to do? Leave it to industrious zoo keepers to come up with some wildly romantic gestures — from the sweet sounds of a classical pianist to the alluring scent of fragrant herbs — to help make the magic happen.

In honor of Valentine's Day, here are seven potentially inspiring stories (ahem), of animals trying to get it on:

1. French pianist plays live

A pair of Galapagos tortoises at the London Zoo were treated to the ethereal tunes of French pianist Richard Glayderman on Feb. 7.

The musician serenaded them with songs from his latest album Romantique, as well as classics like his stirring "Ballade pour Adeline" and a rousing rendition of "Chariots of Fire."

While the intimate event was mostly an admitted plug for his new work, the endangered animals do desperately need to get it on and the zoo was willing to try anything.

Unfortunately, the romantic music was, by all accounts, lost on the amphibians, who only appeared interested when offered carrots by a keeper.



2. Creating a private love nest

The pressure was on earlier this month for giant pandas Yang Guang and Tian Tian when the female, Tian Tian, had but a 36-hour window of optimal fertility.

To encourage the process, keepers at the Edinburgh Zoo opened a "love tunnel" between their separate enclosures and also turned off the Panda Cam to ensure they had their privacy.

While the pair showed encouraging signs of intimacy, including a spirited wrestling match, they have yet to mate.

Officials say they would like for the UK's only pandas to do it naturally, but if necessary, they can use an extended bamboo pole to lift up Tian Tian's tail. Talk about a mood killer.



3. A cuddle surrogate

Cheetahs, being such stunningly fast animals, are fiercely independent, which doesn't help them in the metaphorical sack.

Adding to the pressure, female cheetahs don't go into heat, but rather have to be brought into estrus by a male cheetah.

Those living in zoos and wildlife parks are often particularly skittish and ill-suited for mating because they are likely to have been abandoned by their mothers or just fail to relate well to other cheetahs.

How do zoos warm the loins of the frigid kitties? With dogs, naturally. Several zoos around the country have begun using "companion dogs" to serve as playmates for young cheetahs to provide the cats with socializing guidance.

The cats and dogs are introduced at three months old and grow up together, the dog being the dominant figure in the relationship.

The hope is that over time the cheetahs will relax around their brethren and, one day, welcome male cheetahs with open paws.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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Intimate Moments With Bill And Hillary Clinton [PHOTOS]

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bill and hillary clintonGovernor, U.S. Senator, Secretary of State, President of the United States.

These have all been titles held by Bill or Hillary Clinton, a political power couple who have been in the game for almost 40 years.

And with Hillary Clinton just finishing her time as Secretary of State and likely eyeing a 2016 Presidential run, it doesn't look like the pair are heading into retirement any time soon.

It's been a long road for both, starting with Bill's 1974 congressional run and culminating in his inauguration as President in 1992. After leaving office in 2000, Hillary picked up the political baton and ran — winning the New York Senate race in 2000 and eventually running for President herself in 2008.

Now we look back at some of the more interesting moments in the life of the perennial political power couple. 

The couple burst on to the national stage on Nov. 3, 1991, when Bill announced he was running for President.



Despite a busy campaign schedule, they showed some impressive multi-tasking.



Here they are hitting the campaign trail in New York. Although Clinton won big in southern primaries, it was his victory in New York that helped propel him to the Democratic nomination.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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JORDAN VS. DOMINIQUE: Here's Every Dunk From The Most Famous Battle In Dunk Contest History

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With Michael Jordan turning 50 on Sunday, he has been a big topic of conversation all week.

This week also happens to be the 25th anniversary of what many consider the greatest NBA Slam Dunk contest ever in 1988, when Jordan defeated Dominique Wilkins with a 50 on his final dunk from the free throw line.

Many people felt Wilkins was robbed by the pressure of Jordan's hometown crowd. So on the next few pages we will take a look back at every single dunk by 'Nique and MJ from this contest as presented in GIFs.

The competition started with seven players and each got two dunks in the first round. Jordan scored a 47 out of 50 for this

 

 



Wilkins scored a 49 for this



Jordan closed out the opening round with a 47

 



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20 Signs That You're A Narcissist

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christopher dornerThe ex-LAPD officer who was the most hunted fugitive in California until Tuesday might have been a huge narcissist, according to experts. 

Christopher Dorner, who allegedly killed two civilians and a cop, is presumed dead after a fire ravaged the mountain cabin where he was hiding from police. 

Dorner was likely suffering from a "classic case of malignant narcissistic personality disorder," retired FBI profiler Mary Ellen O'Toole told The Associated Press, pointing to his grandiose belief that he could evade all the police chasing him down.

In Michael Maccoby's book "The Productive Narcissist: The Promise and Peril of Visionary Leadership," he says that many leaders have some element of narcissism.

However, the productive ones have learned to retain an element of their egos, while moderating the negative side effects of narcissism. 

Lawyers may also share those narcissistic traits. 

The over-the-top workaholic tendencies that make lawyers so great at their jobs means they may also be perfectionists, which is a narcissistic trait

We collected a variety of insights from Maccoby's book, Psychology Today, and other sources and compiled them into a diagnostic test.

The more you identify with these characteristics, the more likely you're an egocentric narcissist. 

You enjoy leading others and telling them what to do.

Narcissists typically enjoy leadership positions since they are able to dominate others without explanation and fulfill their need for constant positive reinforcement.

Source:Psychology Today



You are an entertainer.

"A narcissist monk would not be good, but to be Kanye West and a narcissist is fantastic," said University of South Alabama psychologist Peter Jonason, an expert on mating psychology and "the darker side of human nature."

Source:Psychology Today



You are likely young and male.

After 34,653 face-to-face interviews, psychologist Frederick Stinson found that men tend to be more narcissistic than women across their lifespans.

Narcissism is believed to peak during adolescence and decline with age.

Source:Psychology Today



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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The Best Gadget Designs In Tech History (AAPL, GOOG, MSFT, AMZN)

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Dreamcast controller

Sometimes function isn't enough.

With gadgets, we like them to look good too.

Check out the gallery below to see the best examples of gadget design.

With the Kindle Touch, Amazon ditched the e-reader's keyboard and created a sleeker device.



The iPhone made its biggest leap forward in design with the iPhone 4. It was gorgeous. At the time it was thinner than any other smartphone available, plus it was built entirely of metal and glass. No cheap plastic. Apple seems to really like the design because not much has changed since the iPhone 4 was introduced in 2010.



Apple completely redesigned the iPad just a year after its introduction. The iPad 2 was thinner, a lot thinner, than the original and came in two colors. Apple still uses the same design for the iPad two years later.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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The 20 Companies With The Happiest Interns

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Google employees working

Landing a good internship is a strategic way to jumpstart your career.

To help you find the right one, career community site Glassdoor analyzed thousands of intern reviews and published a list of the highest-rated internships.

"This list specifically targets job seekers hoping to get their foot in the door at companies they might like to work at someday, and gives them a snapshot of which companies other interns appreciate working at most," Scott Dobroski, Glassdoor’s community expert, told us.

To qualify, these companies had to have at least 20 intern reviews posted on Glassdoor and currently be hiring interns. 

20. UBS Financial Services

Company Rating: 3.6

What interns think:

Pro: “Interning at UBS is a great opportunity to see how a top tier financial firm operates. If you work in the right WM group, you will learn a lot about the business.” – UBS Financial Services Intern (New York, NY)

Con: “The only downside is the size. It is difficult to network outside of your department or branch.” – UBS Financial Services Intern (New York, NY) 

Source: Glassdoor



19. Accenture

Company Rating: 3.7

What interns think:

Pro: “Working in a team composed of people of different seniority lets you learn from each of them. Clients usually are famous companies from different industries.” – Accenture Intern (Milan, Italy)

Con: “One of the biggest cons would be a lack of official training program from the interns.” – Accenture Analyst Intern (Sydney, Australia)

Source: Glassdoor



18. JPMorgan Chase

Company Rating: 3.7

What interns think:

Pro: “There is a great culture in J P Morgan Chase. People are usually friendly, actually more friendly than I had expected. Willing to teach what they know, even when I was just an intern.” – JPMorgan Chase Intern (Columbus, OH)

Con: “Sometimes the work is not consistent at an intern level so you have to make due with what you have and really reach out.” – JPMorgan Chase Intern (New York, NY)

Source: Glassdoor



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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Time-Lapse Photos Of Sleeping Couples Are Oddly Intimate

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Couples sleeping together time lapseGerman photographer Paul Schneggenburger takes pictures of couples sleeping together throughout the night, and the results are both intimate and eery.

"What happens to lovers while they are sleeping?" Schneggenburger wonders in his artist statement. "Is it a sleeping just next to each other, each on his own, or is there a sharing of certain places or emotions? Is it a nocturnal lovers’ dance, maybe a kind of unaware performed tenderness, or does one turn the back on each other?"

Each picture from "The Sleep of the Beloved" series was shot as black and white, long-time exposures taken over the course of six hours. The room with the bed was in the artist's live-in studio — Schneggenburger would turn on the self-constructed "timer" of the camera and leave while the couples slept.

The project began as his thesis work at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna in 2010, but has since become a long-term project that anyone can take part in.

The photos are currently on display at the Azenberger Gallery in Vienna.

The couples are photographed in a bed set up in Schneggenburger's studio.

Source: Azenberger Gallery



The exposure takes place from midnight to 6 am with Schneggenburger's camera and self-constructed timer.

Source: Azenberger Gallery



The room is lit with candles so that the movements and positions of the couples are exposed on film.

Source: Azenberger Gallery



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New iPhone Weather App Goes Beyond Predicting The Forecast (AAPL)

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haze iphone appEvery few months a new iPhone weather app comes out that's more minimal, more detailed, and supposed to change everything.

Yesterday another one of those apps debuted called Haze.

Haze is a gesture-based weather app that stands out from the pack. We love Haze because it looks great and gets us all the information we want quickly and easily.

Haze pulls its weather data from Weather Trends 360, but goes beyond just predicting the forecast, the app tells you how much sunlight is left in your day, if you need an umbrella or not, and detailed specifics about precipitation. 

Because of it's minimal interface, when first using Haze it's hard to remember which section is which but after playing around with the app for less than five minutes that small problem is solved.

We wish that Haze integrated out favorite weather service, Dark Sky so that we would know exactly how long precipitation will last, but that's not too big of a deal.

Haze is available now for iPhone, it costs $0.99.

Haze is $0.99 in the app store. It came up as the first result in a search. Tap the price to download.



Once everything is downloaded, tap to open.



The first page that appears is a greeting which walks users through how to use the app. Haze can feel a bit complicated at first but after the intro you should have a firm handle on how to use the app.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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Old Photos Of Singapore Before It Became A Gleaming Metropolis

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old singapore

Singapore is one of the richest countries in the world.

The city-state's 5 million people, crammed into an area barely larger than Chicago, generate the 6th-highest GDP in the world.

It has the highest percentage of millionaire households in the world, according to BCG, and is known for its sophisticated investing environment (though some allege it is also a tax haven).

It wasn't always so.

Click here to see old images of Singapore >

For years, Singapore was a sleepy colonial backwater of the British Empire. Even after it became independent, many believed it literally would cease to exist as a functioning community.

Lee Kuan Yew, regarded today as the founder of modern Singapore, had this to say about growing up there:

The population was less than a million and most of Singapore was covered by mangrove swamps, rubber plantations, and secondary forest because rubber had failed, and forests around Mandai/Bukit Timah took its place.

When he took control of the country in the '60s, not very much had changed.

He had to launch a campaign to help Singapore "survive and prosper."

Thanks to images taken by Flickr user Yin Biao Boey, annotated by us with contemporary New York Times reports, we take you back to this uncertain era in the country's history. 

This is Singapore today. It has six of the world's tallest buildings.



And the 30th tallest thing in the world, the Singapore Flyer Ferris wheel.



They host their own auto races.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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The 10 Cheapest Cities In The US

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Harlingen, Texas Not all things are bigger in Texas.

The state is home to three of the cheapest places to live in the U.S., according to the sixth annual cost-of-living index by the Council for Community and Economic Research.

This year, Harlingen, Texas still reigns as the No. 1 most affordable city in the country, with prices for consumer goods that are nearly 19 percent lower than the national average. 

The composite index is based on six areas: housing, utilities, grocery items, transportation, health care, and miscellaneous goods and services. It's representative of most households in the top income quintile, CCER said.

We've rounded up the top 10 cheapest cities, as well as the average costs of basic necessities like housing, utilities, health care and gas. 

10. Ashland, Ohio

Cost of Living Index: 87.6

Based on 307 urban areas; national average is 100

***

Housing: Rent ($538), Mortgage ($777)

Utilities: Phone ($25), Electricity/Energy ($137)

Health: Optometrist ($88), Doctor ($88), Dentist ($93)

Gas: $3.50/gallon

Source: ACCRA Cost of Living Index



9. Pueblo, Colorado

Cost of Living Index: 87.1

Based on 307 urban areas; national average is 100

***

Housing: Rent ($708), Mortgage ($713)

Utilities: Phone ($27), Electricity/Energy ($128)

Health: Optometrist ($77), Doctor ($107), Dentist ($67)

Gas: $3.37/gallon

Source: ACCRA Cost of Living Index



8. Muskogee, Oklahoma

Cost of Living Index:  86.9

Based on 307 urban areas; national average is 100

***

Housing: Rent ($533), Mortgage ($741)

Utilities: Phone ($32), Electricity/Energy ($136)

Health: Optometrist ($75), Doctor ($90), Dentist ($113)

Gas: $3.33/gallon

Source: ACCRA Cost of Living Index



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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I Just Shelled Out $513 To Take The Kids To See 'Annie'...

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annie tomorrow tomorrow photo

I'm not a big theater guy.

Despite being a native New Yorker, the last Broadway show I saw might have been "Beatlemania," back in the 1970s. (Great show!)

But my kids are into the performance thing. They're always staging "plays" and shooting "movies," etc.

So for a few years I have been thinking that someday I should take them to a Broadway show.

Then I sat next to a money manager at a dinner the other night who was raving about the new "Annie."

I had seen the movie "Annie," so I figured I could manage to sit through the play. I knew it would be expensive--one good reason to avoid Broadway is the mind-boggling expense--but I figured "Annie" wouldn't be more expensive than any other show. And I also figured there was relatively low risk that my kids would hate it (an important consideration). My kids had seen the movie of "Annie," and they liked that. And they had only seen the movie about seven times, so I figured they would be at least modestly interested in the play.

(Seven times is only moderate exposure for kid-repeat-viewing in the iPad age. Mine have probably seen "The Two Towers" fifteen times.)

So I decided to take the family to see "Annie."

I cracked open my computer.

The first thing I discovered is that buying tickets for Broadway shows is easier than it used to be. Last time I went to one, we had to go wait in line at the theater. Or Ticketron.



Now you just go to TicketMaster online and search for the show. And you get a calendar with dates.



Once you pick a date, you actually get to pick out your seats!



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The 17 Cities With The Highest Foreclosure Rates In America

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ocala florida

National foreclosures fell 7 percent month-over-month in January and were down 28 percent on the year, according to RealtyTrac's latest foreclosure report. 

This was in large part due to a California legislation called the California Homeowner Bill of Rights that came into effect on January 1.

But large parts of the country continue to see a rise in foreclosure rate. We drew on RealtyTrac's latest foreclosure report to highlight the 17 metros with the highest foreclosure rate.

Note: The metros are ranked by foreclosure rate i.e. 1in every X homes received a foreclosure filing. We picked the 17 metros with the highest foreclosure rate from all the metros measured by RealtyTrac.

Modesto, California

1 in every 415 homes received a foreclosure filing in January 2013

Properties with foreclosure filings:
431

Change from December 2012:
-25.17 percent

Change from January 2012:
-65.71 percent

Source: RealtyTrac



Sarasota-Bradenton-Venice, FL

1 in every 391 homes received a foreclosure filing in January 2013

Properties with foreclosure filings:
1,021

Change from December 2012:
+9.20 percent

Change from January 2012:
-14.77 percent

Source: RealtyTrac



Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Georgia

1 in every 390 homes received a foreclosure filing in January 2013

Properties with foreclosure filings:
5,518

Change from December 2012:
+6.83 percent

Change from January 2012:
-36.18 percent

Source: RealtyTrac



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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