Huawei Technologies is one of the world's largest makers of high-speed wireless telecom equipment. The Chinese company is also at the center of an American political storm.

Earlier this month, the House Intelligence Committee issued a report warning U.S. companies to avoid doing business with Huawei and another top Chinese tech firm,  ZTE.

Today a White House report said  that there's no evidence that Huawei has actually spied on any of its customers, but warned that its gear is vulnerable to hackers.

U.S. officials are concerned that Huawei is a Trojan horse for the Chinese government. They think that the Chinese government can order Huawei to let it spy on its  U.S. customers  or even to shut down the telecom system if it decides to conduct "cyber war."

Huawei officials claim that its just another international company trying to earn more U.S. business. But the company is secretive, with ties to the Chinese military and a mysterious founder.

Huawei also has a long, nasty history with Cisco, an American competitor. In 2003, the company was found to have copied Cisco's technology. Motorola also had similar complaints with Huawei. Cisco CEO John Chambers said last April that Huawei is the company he fears most.

"60 Minutes" was given a rare inside peek at Huawei offices in China and the U.S.

Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei is as elusive as his company

At the center of the controversy is Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei. He rarely speaks publicly.

He was a major in the Chinese army specializing in telecom research. When he retired, he founded Huawei with a few thousand dollars savings and no help from Chinese government, the official story goes. But U.S. officials don't believe that. They say Huawei's 25-year rise to the top was heavily funded by the government.

Huawei's Chinese headquarters are like the "Google" of China

Huawei's headquarters is a beautiful, modern campus in Shenzhen.

Huawei, a private company, says it is "employee-owned."

One of the things that has U.S. officials so nervous is how secretive the company is about its management structure. Even when a Huawei executive was questioned by Congress as part of this ongoing probe, he wouldn't reveal much about that.

Look but don't talk

"60 Minutes" was given a tour of the Chinese headquarters but was not allowed to talk to anyone there.

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Religion, health, political views — many of our beliefs and behaviors today are based on what our parents taught us as kids.

Unfortunately, when it comes to personal finance, studies have shown parents could do a much better job of educating their children.

So if you think you may have missed out on a couple of pointers from Mom and Dad, here are 10 important lessons about saving money that they may have forgotten to teach you.

1. Pay yourself first.

If you’re like many people, when you get your paycheck, you pay your bills, maybe do a little shopping or go out for the weekend, then find there’s just not enough money left over to put in a savings account.

The phrase “pay yourself first” is one of the most important concepts in personal finance because it solves this problem — when you’re paid, treat yourself like your most important creditor and funnel money into your savings accounts before spending money on anything else, including bills.

You will make your savings goals the top priority, reaching them faster while still meeting your other financial obligations.

Source: Go Banking Rates

2. Spend less than you earn.

It seems obvious, but spending less than what you earn is actually a problem for many Americans, especially within our credit-driven society.

It can be hard to refrain from buying things on impulse, or rationalizing big purchases because they can go on a credit card.

However, spending less than you earn is the only way to stay out of debt and save money.

Source: Go Banking Rates

3. Understand the difference between "want" and "need."

There is a big difference between the things we want and the things we need, though sometimes it’s hard to separate the two.

The things we truly need are the basic necessities in modern life: Food, shelter, clothing, transportation and communication (like a phone).

Once all these necessities are fulfilled, all else is considered a want — even if that want is so strong, it feels more like a need.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t buy the things you want, but properly identifying the difference between a want and a need will help you prioritize spending and stick to a budget that will eliminate excessive wants and put more money toward needs.

Source: Go Banking Rates

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The NFL's Week 7 begins tonight and it will likely present the season's most daunting challenge for fantasy owners.

Six teams will be off this week: Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, San Diego Chargers.

Several marquee players at every fantasy position have been swallowed up by those byes.

We've done our best to identify the players on your bench and other bye week replacements that deserve a start this week, and the guys we believe you should have tempered expectations for.

The advice is based on standard 10-team leagues.

START: Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts Quarterback vs. CLE

Well, things didn't exactly pan out for Luck last week against the Jets. He threw for 280 yards and two interceptions. The Browns will give Luck a great chance to bounce back, though, giving up the most throwing touchdowns (15) in the league.

Season Total: 118/221, 1,488 yards, 7 TDs, 7 INTs

17 carries, 103 yards, 1 TD

SIT: Matt Schaub, Houston Texans Quarterback vs. BAL

Don't let Schaub's reputation fool you, he's been thoroughly underwhelming so far this season. Schaub hasn't eclipsed 300 yards this season and has three games with one touchdown or fewer.  He squares off against the Ravens secondary this week, that has given up four pass touchdowns all year.

Season Total (5 gms.): 117/185, 1,394 yards, 8 TDs, 4 INTs

START: Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans Running Back at BUF

After terrorizing fantasy owners for the majority of the season's early stages and remaining firmly planted on most team's benches, the performances and matchup are finally there to feel good enough about starting Johnson this week.

Season Total: 92 carries, 301 yards

19 catches, 109 yards

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Before you even think about complaining about your cushy, office job, check out what some people do to make a living.

Host Mike Rowe from the Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs joins horse castraters, skull cleaners, and other workers who "overcome fear, danger and sometimes stench and overall ickiness to accomplish their daily tasks."

We've compiled the dirtiest ones.

Warning: Please don't read this while eating.

Pig slop processors are the guys who take unconsumed food from a buffet restaurant, put it in a giant processor, then recook it for pig food.

Horse castrators have the unfortunate job of removing the animal's testicles to make them calmer, more stable horses. This involves grabbing their testicles, making an incision, then removing the parts with "the emasculator."

Sheep castrators actually pull the animals' testicles out with their teeth, because it's the best device for gripping, since sheep's testicles are extremely "slippery." The procedure is done to prevent the breeding of sheep "not suitable for mating."

This is done while the sheep is fully awake.

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There are 30 bridges in Paris that cross over the River Seine; they carry cars, trains, cyclists, and pedestrians from the Left Bank to the Right.

Some are very pretty, but they are all somewhat boring. To make getting around the city more fun, French design firm Atelier Zündel Cristea came up with a rather original idea: an inflatable bridge, equipped with enormous trampolines.

The concept was submitted in response to a call for ideas to bring happiness and fun into more architecture. There are obvious reasons it could not be built: It could pop, people could fly off into the water, and it would be an insurance nightmare.

But while no one expects this ever to be built, it is a fun idea, and one that took third place in an Archtriumph competition.

The Pont Neuf, opened in 1607, is currently the nicest way to cross the Seine.

The inflatable bridge would be made of inflatable modules 30 meters in diameter, with trampolines.

It would be located near the Bir-Hakeim Bridge, by the Eiffel Tower.

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When it comes to luxury accommodations, the most expensive hotel rooms in America can be found in the scenic west.

Hotel booking website Luxury-Hotels.com just released a list of the 20 most expensive American hotel rooms, which range in price from $767 per night to a mind-boggling $2,279 per night.

Some of the luxury amenities that were offered included complimentary wine and a free mountain bike to use upon arrival.

#20 Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur, California looks out on stunning views of the California coastline and costs an average of $767 a night.

Methodology: Rankings are based on the average rate for the most affordable double room calculated for the period spanning June to September 2012 from hotels’ websites or drawn from the leading hotel-booking sites. Only hotels offering a minimum of 10 rooms were considered.

Source: Luxury-Hotels

#19 The Lodge at Pebble Beach in California has a gorgeous golf course right on the ocean, and costs $811 per night.

Methodology: Rankings are based on the average rate for the most affordable double room calculated for the period spanning June to September 2012 from hotels’ websites or drawn from the leading hotel-booking sites. Only hotels offering a minimum of 10 rooms were considered.

Source: Luxury-Hotels

#18 Beach Village at the Del in San Diego, California has spectacular ocean views, and costs $813 a night.

Methodology: Rankings are based on the average rate for the most affordable double room calculated for the period spanning June to September 2012 from hotels’ websites or drawn from the leading hotel-booking sites. Only hotels offering a minimum of 10 rooms were considered.

Source: Luxury-Hotels

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Weimar Germany after World War One went through one of the worst hyperinflations in history, unleashing untold horrors on the German people and their economy.

Memories of Weimar still haunt the eurozone today. The European Central Bank, widely considered to be the only institution with the firepower to stem the euro crisis, is somewhat restrained by the legacy of the German Bundesbank.

The Bundesbank – established in 1957 (well after Weimar) – for years before joining the euro was extremely conservative in expanding the money supply because of what happened during the Weimar years. And 90 years later, Germans are reminded of the perils of the printing press, whether or not the comparison is truly apt.

Adam Fergusson authored a book on the subject, entitled When Money Dies – and many consider it to be the definitive work on the Weimar hyperinflation.

It used to be out of print and a bit hard to find, but now you can find it in its entirety online.

We summarized the key elements of Fergusson's book.

The inflation's roots were in World War One, which Germany financed with outsized budget deficits

Germany hoped that it would quickly win the war and reap bounty from the nations it conquered, which – to the government – justified the use of the printing press to fund it:

It may have been true — there is no reason to doubt it — that a short, sharp war and a speedy victory in 1914 had been both hoped for and expected. Together with the prospect of eventual war indemnities extorted from the Entente, this would possibly have justified taking temporary liberties, even outrageous ones, with the known laws of finance...that was indeed how it did begin: in part the natural result of having a self- willed Army itching for war and a Federal Parliament which, though with limited power over the country's constituent states, still had to find the money to pay for it.

During the war, the German government used extensive propaganda to hide the inflation from the population

The German government appealed to patriotism to fund the conflict, using slogans like "I gave gold for iron," and "Invest in War Loan."

Furthermore, it censored information heavily:

Every German stock exchange was closed for the duration, so that the effect of Reichsbank policies on stocks and shares was unknown. Further, foreign exchange rates were not published, and only those in contact with neutral markets such as Amsterdam or Zurich could guess what was going on...Only when the war was over, with the veil of censorship lifted but the Allied blockade continuing, did it become clear to all with eyes to read that Germany had already met an economic disaster nearly as shattering as her military one.

However, the growing economic hardship during the war caused many German soldiers to desert

A German newspaper ascribed Germany's loss of the war partly to the fact that men were abandoning the front to return home and support their families:

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Ethiopia is one of the oldest civilizations in existence but it has been a symbol for poverty, hunger and human struggle in modern times.

The Lelt Foundation, a non-profit helping impoverished Ethiopian families and vulnerable youth pull themselves out of poverty, shared with us some dramatic photos of what daily life is like in the capital Addis Ababa.

While some parts of the city show signs of economic development with glossy high-rises and construction sites of condominiums, most of Addis Ababa is in wretched condition.

The Lelt Foundation is currently competing with other charities for votes in Cultivate Wine's competition "The Give," which awards a $50,000 grant to the most popular organization.

Goats for sale, Addis Ababa

The Lelt Foundation is currently competing with other charities for votes in Cultivate Wine's competition "The Give"

Shacks and condos, side by side

The Lelt Foundation is currently competing with other charities for votes in Cultivate Wine's competition "The Give"

Mt Rushmore meets Africa, Bole Road, Addis Ababa

The Lelt Foundation is currently competing with other charities for votes in Cultivate Wine's competition "The Give"

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Morgan Freeman

Bill Maher

Chelsea Handler

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The Cape Cod home of Jim E. Feldt, the former executive vice president of Toys R Us, is hitting the auction block Nov. 28. Known as "Idlewild," it had been listed for $12.5 million, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The home, in the town of Cotuit, is a 8,000-square-foot residence with four bedrooms and seven bathrooms.

The property spans eight acres.

Welcome to Pinquickset Cove Circle.

The home was built in 2008.

The listing touts the home's 18 rare chandeliers.

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What makes a chief marketing officer successful: Is it internal importance within a company, or external influence in the public domain?

Appinions, a company that tracks individuals' influence in both traditional and social media, believes it's the latter, and has compiled a list of the most influential CMOs in the world, topped by execs at companies like Apple and Ford. When these people talk, the world not only listens but reacts.

"I presented these findings at the ANA [Association of National Advertisers] Conference and there was [nearly] a coup," co-founder and CEO Larry Levy told Business Insider. "Some CMOs from big companies were there who didn't make the list, and they were so pissed. Like, these guys are very competitive when it comes to these things."

Appinions, which recently raised $3 million in funding, digests 100 million opinions from 5 million English-speaking sources (from blogs to Twitter to New York Times articles to speech transcripts to any other written word that appears on the Internet). Unlike Klout, this doesn't just measure frequency of mentions, but rather opinions, context, and the impact it had on a surrounding audience. Was it reblogged and re-tweeted, in other words?

The algorithms were developed by Professor Claire Cardie at Cornell, and rigged so that The Wall Street Journal holds more weight than Joe Shmo's blog, for instance.

The research was compiled in conjunction with Forbes, which asked Appinions to look at CMOs at the 100 most important companies in the world (as determined by the publication). Of course the list isn't perfect. While it measures outside influence, it can't quantify how CMOs quietly influence the world around it based on internal strategy within a company.

Who do you think should have made the list?

29. Marc Pritchard

Global brand-building officer at Procter & Gamble

Pritchard wields P&G's $9.3 billion marketing budget. Recent successes include its Olympics "Thank You, Mom" campaign.

28. Michael Zuna

CMO at Aflac

Zuna joined Aflac in 2009 after stints at agencies Saatchi & Saatchi and Arnold Worldwide. Zuna is known for making quick gametime decisions. In fact, he booted comedian Gilbert Gottfried, the former voice of the Aflac duck, when he Tweeted offensive jokes about the Japanese tsunami the day of the disaster.

27. Mary Szela

VP pharmaceutical operations at Abbott Laboratories

Szela began her career as a nurse before transitioning to the business side of health care. She was named "One to Watch" in Pharmaceutical Executive magazine.

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AOL's problem is it largely depends on two declining sources of traffic, people who use AOL to get online and Web-based AOL.com email users.

The numbers seem to show declines in Web-based email aren't worth fighting.  Teens don't like to use email and older adults check their email in apps on their phones.

Across the entire Internet, Web-based email was up a mere 1% in September 2012 over September 2011. AOL Mail is down 8%. Yahoo Mail is down 16%. Hotmail is down 18%.

But there is one piece of evidence that shows good Web-based email design can still attract new users, if only from other services. 

That evidence: Google's widely-lauded Web-based email product, Gmail, is up 14% year-over-year.

And so, in an effort to recapture some of that audience, AOL has released a new Web-based email app.

It's called Alto. 

It's not a Web-based email provider. There are no @alto.com email addresses yet.

Alto is an inbox-replacement for your current email address. You can read your Gmail and Yahoo Mail there. You can also import Facebook and Twitter content.

If Alto works, it could solve one of AOL's biggest problems: attracting new users on the Web.

So, does it work? We spent an afternoon with it and would love to show you around the product.

Alto works with AOL mail, Gmail, Yahoo mail, and iCloud. The first step is picking which one you use.

After a tiny amount of set-up (connecting Facebook and Google), it's time to check out the Alto inbox…

…here it is!

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When economists forecast the future, they have to consider one key variable: people.

Using charts and info from Pew, the Census, and a Ph.D presentation put together by Elise Barrella & Sara Beck of Georgia Tech, we've found some interesting facts about what America will look like in a few decades.

The general trends: More Latino, older, and unfortunately, fatter.

These evolving demographic dynamics will have consequences on the economy, which we also address in this feature.

The Census says our population will jump another 100 million in just a few decades

Source: Census

How is that possible? The short answer is immigration

Immigrants will be coming into the U.S. at an increasing rate

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More people in history live in cities than ever before in our planets history.

Urbanization rates have increased dramatically in the last decade, according to a new report by the U.N. Settlements Program, UN-Habitat.

But the way people are urbanizing are changing. People aren't flocking to Europe and the United States as they did a century ago . A new class of cities is on the rise, and millions of people migrating to these new hubs throughout the developing world.

Business Insider analyzed the population growth from 1990 to the 2025 estimates for just under 600 of the world's most populous cities.

31. Xiamen, China

1990 Population: 639,000

2010 Population: 2,207,000

2025 Population: 3,112,000

Growth from 1990 to 2025: 387.0%

Source: State of the World's Cities 2012/2013

30. Niamey, Niger

1990 Population: 432,000

2010 Population: 1,048,000

2025 Population: 2,105,000

Growth from 1990 to 2025: 387.3%

Source: State of the World's Cities 2012/2013

29. Nanyang, Henan province, China

1990 Population: 228,000

2010 Population: 867,000

2025 Population: 1,135,000

Growth from 1990 to 2025: 397.8%

Source: State of the World's Cities 2012/2013

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With a yacht like this, there's no need ever to come ashore. The huge 'Reverie' has room for 24 guests, plus a crew of 27.

Spread throughout the six decks are a pizza parlor, conference room, beauty salon, steam room, massage room, and large gym.

So it's no surprise that Ocean Independence has put the Italian-made yacht on sale for a whopping $55 million.

Built in 2000, it still looks good today.

It's an especially long yacht: From bow to stern, it measures an impressive 230 feet.

It's tall as well: there are six decks.

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Air Force One, the call sign of whichever Air Force plane the President of the United States is flying on, has long been known for the security and comfort it provides its famous cargo.

But everything changed with Sept. 11, 2001. The crew realized the plane had weaknesses. It lacked features that would have let President George W. Bush address the nation.

The Presidential Airlift Group (PAG), in charge of Air Force One, stepped up its game, and managed to take Bush to Baghdad on a top-secret mission in the dark of night to serve Thanksgiving dinner to troops in 2003.

The National Geographic Channel took a behind-the-scenes look at the Flying White House in "Onboard Air Force One," an in-depth look at the PAG, the cavernous hangar at Andrews Air Force Base (AFB) that Air Force One calls home, and everything the aircraft has to offer the president and his trusted advisers. 

The security starts in this massive hangar at Andrews AFB, where Air Force One and its twin stay

There are two so if one malfunctions another is available to sweep the President off to where he needs to be

Parts are repaired or replaced as soon as they show the slightest wear and tear

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Every man needs a suit, every businessman needs a tailored suit.

And that especially goes for Wall Streeters.

But in tough times like these, Wall Streeters have to be mindful of what they're wearing. Audacious colors must be integrated subtly, says Brian Mazza of Windsor Custom, the secret suit shop underneath Mazza's swank Chelsea sports bar. Stand out enough to look good but don't be loud. This ain't Gordon Gekko's Wall Street.

We swung by Mazza's shop where he makes custom suits for everyone from bankers to celebrities to Ryan Lochte to get a few tips on how to dress like a baller in finance.

First thing's first — go somewhere where you actually enjoy the experience of shopping.

Windsor Custom gives guys an incentive to go shopping. 

"We're trying to help the man out," Mazza says. "Have a beer, have something to eat, and get knowledge from Ryan on how to look better and be more confident."

Get measured, you'll be surprised at what you find out about yourself.

Windsor Custom co-founder Ryan Grayson said much of the stuff you buy off the rack doesn't take into account that for 70 percent of people, one arm is a quarter inch longer than the other. 

Times are tough, so as a business person, when you're getting fitted, think toned down.

"A lot of people now don't to go so dressy on Wall Street anymore, because, you know, times are tough," Mazza said. "Say you're doing extremely well, you don't want to come off that way."

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In 1973, a skinny island in the East River was renamed Roosevelt Island in honor of the 32nd President of the U.S.

The same year, plans for a memorial for the late president, to be located on the tip of the island, were also announced. But after completing the design for the park, architect Louis I. Kahn died unexpectedly and years of financial hardship for the city sent the project to the back burner.

But on Wednesday, Oct. 24, the memorial, called the FDR Four Freedoms Park, will officially open to the public. The plans were revived in 2005, and in 2010, philanthropist and Alphawood Foundation chairman Fred Eychaner donated $10 million towards the project.

The park, on the southern tip of the 2-mile-long island, will be accessible by subway, the Roosevelt Island tram (pictured), bus, and car. Ferry and water taxi service will eventually be added.

It's the only memorial dedicated to FDR in his home state, and the last work of Louis I. Kahn, an iconic architect.

The park celebrates the "Four Freedoms" advocated by FDR: Freedom of Speech and Expression, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear.

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Photos from the Tumblr "Cats That Look Like Pinup Girls" have been making the rounds on the internet, appearing everywhere from HuffPost to BuzzFeed (which dubs it "everything you've ever wanted in a Tumblr.")

Click here to see the photos >

But it turns out that the meme is actually an ad.

Every single photo actually links back to Hurly Burly, an Australian clothing, costume, and "kustom kulture" store.

This isn't the only meme that really serves as promotional material.

Earlier this week, we interviewed Nightmares Fear Factory's social media and marketing strategist Vee Popat, the brains behind the "Scared Bros at a Haunted House" photos that have gone viral for two years in a row. (If you haven't seen the photos yet, you're seriously missing out).

Promotional or not, the juxtaposition of 1940's pinups with confused kittens is hilarious.

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Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, an architect firm with offices here in New York, has proposed a futuristic-looking halo to be suspended between two buildings over Grand Central Station as part of an initiative to bring the travel hub back to its past glory, according to The Wall Street Journal.   

SOM's proposal was of a handful of plans submitted to transform Grand Central. WXY Architecture and Foster + Partners also submitted ideas.

The Department of City Planning wants to rezone the area around Grand Central, including parts of Park and Madison Avenues, to allow for new office towers and to create pedestrian space, the WSJ reported.

The redesign would help funnel pedestrian traffic and add a bit more glitz and glam to the structure.

The most striking thing about the halo is it would move up and down between the two new office buildings to give visitors views of the city from different heights.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill's Sky Walk halo design is the flashiest of all the proposed plans.

The halo would give visitors a view of the city from different heights, similar to the London Eye, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The firm told The Wall Street Journal that the proposal was "technically feasible" but the bigger challenge would be to "ensure that the government and owners of potential new office towers could work together. "

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