• Just because a smartphone is made by a big company like Google doesn't mean it's the obvious choice. 
• For the last few years, a smaller smartphone maker called OnePlus has been making phones that easily compete with the likes of Google, Apple, and Samsung.
• At the end of 2019, and for most of 2020, you'd be better off with the OnePlus 7T than the Pixel 4 if you value screen size, performance, design, camera versatility, battery life, and value itself. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

OnePlus makes premium smartphones that easily competes with some of the big names in the business like Apple, Samsung, and Google.

And yet, OnePlus phones cost a few hundreds less than the competition. 

Take the $600 OnePlus 7T, for example. It's $200 less than the Google Pixel 4, and it sports better specs, an extra camera, and a bigger screen.

You'd imagine the OnePlus 7T would come with some kind of compromise, but you'd be hard-pressed to fault it. It doesn't have wireless charging, but you tell me if that's worth an extra $200.

Check out the eight reasons why you should buy the OnePlus 7T instead of the Pixel 4:

SEE ALSO: There are 7 key reasons you should buy Samsung's $900 Galaxy S10 instead of the cheaper Google Pixel 4

With its narrow bezels and water drop notch, the OnePlus 7T looks like a newer and more modern smartphone. It looks sleeker than the Pixel 4, overall.

The OnePlus 7T outperforms the Pixel 4 — and almost every Android smartphone, for that matter — while sporting a lower price tag. OnePlus phones have always felt faster than the competition, but this one also has a slightly faster chip than the Pixel 4, which makes the OnePlus 7T unbeatable in everyday performance.

The OnePlus 7T starts with 128 GB of storage for $600. The Pixel 4 starts with 64 GB of storage for $800.

The OnePlus 7T has better battery life, and it comes with a 30W charger that's significantly faster than the 18W charger that comes with the Pixel 4.

The OnePlus 7T has a triple-lens camera system, including a regular camera, zoomed lens, and an ultra-wide lens. The Pixel 4 only has a regular camera and a zoomed lens. Google seriously missed the boat by not including the ultra-wide.

The Pixel 4's radar-assisted facial recognition is pretty great, but the OnePlus 7T's in-display fingerprint sensor in the fastest and most accurate among any smartphone unlocking method I've tried.

For those who prefer bigger screens, the $600 OnePlus 7T has a 6.55-inch screen, while the Pixel 4 XL, which costs $900, has a 6.3-inch screen.

Overall, the $600 OnePlus 7T offers significantly better value than the Pixel 4 without much compromise. The only thing you'd be missing out on by going with the OnePlus 7T is wireless charging.

• Big tech giants have their eyes on the $3.5 trillion US healthcare industry. 
• As healthcare costs keep rising for Americans, tech companies are betting they can have a part in fixing the broken pieces of the industry. 
• Already, lawmakers and the public are raising concerns about tech giants' role in healthcare. In November, news that Google had been working with a large health system and had access to millions of patients' data brought into question whether consumers are comfortable putting health information in the hands of big tech companies. 
• Here's how tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon are building out their healthcare strategies. 
• Visit BI Prime for more stories.

The $3.5 trillion healthcare industry is ripe for disruption. 

Healthcare costs are rising for consumers, and numerous players all wanting control over the dollars flowing in and out. From the perspective of the fast-moving technology industry, change is slow going, leaving entrepreneurs and companies alike thinking, "There has to be an easier way." 

Tech powerhouses like Google, Amazon and Microsoft are increasingly focused on expanding in US healthcare. They've pursued strategies like selling software and computing services, offering hardware, and even shown some signs that they'll get into the business of providing healthcare.

They're not alone in going after the inefficient healthcare system. America's largest retailers like Walmart and CVS Health are also bulking up their healthcare strategies in a bid to win over patients with more convenient care and ideally lower prices. 

But already, tech giants' moves into healthcare have been a source of controversy. On Monday, details around Google's work with massive health system Ascension came to light, calling into question how patient data was handled. The backlash against the project from the public, lawmakers and government agencies, raises the issue of whether consumers will feel comfortable with tech companies having a hand in their health information. 

Here's how tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon are building out their healthcare strategies, drawing from their respective tech industry expertise and often focusing on fixing healthcare starting with their own employees. 

Read more: Companies like Walmart, CVS, and Amazon are beefing up their healthcare strategies. Here are their plans to upend the $3.5 trillion industry.

Amazon

Amazon in 2018 sent shockwaves through the healthcare industry when it said it was acquiring online pharmacy PillPack. PillPack mails prescriptions to people who take multiple medications, packaging them together based on dose. The company has pharmacies around the country that send out medications by mail.

In addition to PillPack, Amazon is building out services for its employees. In September, Amazon revealed its new health clinic program, Amazon Care. Through the program, which is still in the pilot stage, Amazon employees in the Seattle area can get virtual visits with doctors and in-home care that includes delivery of prescription medicines. The company has also acquired a digital health startup called Health Navigator, which will join Amazon Care, CNBC reported in October.

Read more: Amazon just launched a health clinic pilot program. It's the latest sign the company wants to upend US healthcare.

Over the past year, PillPack has started to give hints of where it's business is heading with the support of Amazon. CNBC reported in May that a group of health insurers approached PillPack about providing its services to their customers, though no agreement has yet been reached.

Read more:We just got the first look at how Amazon's $750 million acquisition of PillPack could upend the US healthcare system

Google

Over the past year, Google has gotten deeper into healthcare, hiring Dr. David Feinberg to head up the Google Health division.

A big Google health project is now drawing scrutiny. Google teamed up with the health system Ascension on "Project Nightingale," in which the hospital operator is using Google as its cloud provider and also working with the tech giant to build out tools the health system can use.

Business Insider reported Monday that by 2020, records on 50 million Ascension patients will be on Google's cloud network. About 150 Google employees are able to access the data, according to documents seen by Business Insider.

The project drew concern from those inside the company, lawmakers, and the US Department of Health and Human Services, about how the data is being handled. Google and Ascension said that the relationship follows health privacy laws.

More broadly, Feinberg's team is now responsible for coordinating health initiatives across Google, ranging from the company's search engine and map products, to its Android smartphone operating system, to more futuristic offerings in areas like artificial intelligence.

In his speech at a conference in October, Feinberg said that one of his first main goals for the team will be to oversee how health-related searches come up, and work to improve that with the Google Search team. According to documents reviewed by Business Insider, it appears the team has been building a Patient Search tool to help medical providers sift through patient information. 

Read more: We just got our first look at what Google's grand plans are for healthcare after it brought in a top doctor to lead its health team

Google Health is just one aspect of parent company Alphabet's healthcare strategy. Within Google, Google Cloud is working to ink cloud contracts with healthcare systems. Mayo Clinic in September signed Google as its cloud and AI partner.

There's also Verily, the life sciences arm of Alphabet, as well as Calico, its life-extension spinoff. Verily has its hands in projects spanning robotics to blood-sugar-tracking devices to work on addiction treatment. The company has also made investments in healthcare through its venture funds GV and Capital G as well as through Alphabet itself. 

Google in November also reached a $2.1 billion deal to acquire Fitbit.The brand, best known for its fitness watches, also has a big business selling a health platform that combines coaching and fitness tracking to employers and health plans.

Beyond working with existing products, Feinberg's oversight includes the health team at Google AI, hardware components, and DeepMind Health. Both Google AI and DeepMind have pursued projects that analyze medical images like eye scans and scans of breast cancer cells, with the hope of aiding medical professionals in diagnosing and treating patients.

Apple

Apple has slowly but surely moved its way into healthcare, in particular through its hardware including the Apple Watch. The watch can track heart rate and look for abnormal heart rhythms, and its most recent iteration also included an update for menstrual cycle tracking. 

Apple's phones are also pre-loaded with a Health app, collecting fitness and health data users opt to share with the device. The health app also has the ability to collect personal health record information and sync up with some hospitals. The app tracks things like vaccination records, lab results, and allergies. 

The company has been going deep on heart health, hiring cardiologists and in 2018 getting the Food and Drug Administration's approval for its heart-monitoring technology, giving it the ability to alert wearers of irregular heart rates.  

Researchers are also increasingly using data from the watch and other Apple devices in studies.

Apple's also been working with insurers like Aetna and UnitedHealthcare. In the case of Aetna, the program is wagering that an app and an Apple Watch can keep its members healthier. Medicare Advantage upstart Devoted Health is covering the watch as a benefit. 

Apple also operates clinics for its employees, called AC Wellness Networks, which are run independently from Apple but are exclusively for its employees. 

Read more: Apple is going after a project Google abandoned — easy access to your complete medical records

Microsoft

Microsoft has historically had trouble cracking into the healthcare business. Most notably, Microsoft built its health-records tool called HealthVault, but it also ultimately didn't work and was wound down. 

Now, the company's health strategy lies in its ability to provide cloud services to healthcare companies as well as software. 

That's taken shape in the form of high-profile partnerships with the likes of companies like Walgreens, Novartis, Humana, and West Coast-based health system Providence St. Joseph Health.

In addition to providing cloud services, Microsoft also commits to working with its partners on projects. For instance, with Walgreens, it plans to test out health offerings, including 12 pilot "digital health corners" in stores. Those are in the process of being executed, Peter Lee, the corporate vice president of Microsoft Healthcare told Business Insider at the HLTH conference in Las Vegas.

"It feels like we're really well organized right now," Lee said.

Read more: Microsoft just forged a key alliance with the Swiss pharma giant Novartis to win a bigger piece of an $11 billion market

Facebook

Facebook, the social network giant, is looking to intersect with the healthcare market via monitoring tools and leveraging its communities to put out the call for blood donations. 

Facebook' health plays are led by its head of healthcare research Dr. Freddy Abnousi, a cardiologist.

In October, the company unveiled a tool called "Preventive Health" that's aimed at prompting users to get check-ups and providing options where they can go get appointments and see what tests they might need to take, like to check on cholesterol levels. Facebook said the information provided on the tool is only accessible to a select team at Facebook and won't be shared with third parties like health insurers.

Even so, Facebook's health ambitions come with a major layer of skepticism based on the company's track record of data sharing with advertisers and other third parties. 

"No one's going to tell Facebook about their diabetes or STDs,"New York University marketing professor Scott Galloway said in December.

Read more: Facebook just expanded its blood-donation tool to the entire US

Uber

Ride-hailing company Uber is betting that it can turn its healthcare ambitions into a key business, using its Uber Health unit as a new way to get into smaller, rural markets across the country.

Uber Health works with health plans to provide rides to doctor offices for patients who might otherwise have a hard time going in. In 2018, the company hired Dan Trigub from its competitor Lyft to head the team.

Uber Health works with health plans to manage the transportation needs of their members, particularly elderly Americans in Medicare plans — the federal health-insurance program for seniors — and those on Medicaid plans serving low-income Americans. Drivers are assigned rides that are treated the same as commercial trips. 

The health-transportation market is massive — LogistiCare, a transportation broker that Uber is working with, facilitates more than 60 million trips a year— and Uber is one of a number of players in the space that includes Lyft as well.

Because of the arrangements with health plans that want to coordinate travel for their members, Uber is able to move into more rural markets. 

"When we think about our aging population, they tend to live away from big cities and in those rural markets," Trigub told Business Insider in an October interview on the sidelines of the CB Insights Future of Health conference in New York.

Read more: We talked to a top Uber exec about how the ride-hailing giant is betting on healthcare to reach a new set of customers

Lyft

Like Uber, Lyft is drawing from its expertise in transportation as it builds its health business. 

"You're seeing every tech company get into healthcare. It's a sixth of our GDP. So it's kind of hard to ignore it as, as a market," Megan Callahan, vice president of healthcare at Lyft, told Business Insider.

Callahan joined Lyft in November 2018 after serving as the chief strategy officer at Change Healthcare, a spin-out of McKesson.

Starting in 2016, Lyft has been working with health plans, health systems, and transportation brokers to manage their members transportation needs. The company now works with Medicaid plans in six states, tapping into what Callahan characterized as a little over half of the $6 billion non-emergency medical transportation market. 

Callahan told Business Insider that the team is a "fast-growing part of Lyft Business," the enterprise businesses associated with the ride-sharing company.

Callahan said that the company has larger partnerships compared to Uber's health division. Neither Lyft nor Uber breaks out its ride volume related to health.

*This slide was updated to remove a reference to ride volumes at Lyft and Uber, after Lyft clarified that it doesn't have insight into how many rides Uber provides.

• Harry Styles will be pulling double duty at "Saturday Night Live" this weekend.
• "Pulling double duty" means being both the musical performer and the host — a big responsibility.
• But they're far from the only musicians who have done it before. In 45 seasons, a total of 33 musicians have both hosted and performed — and some have done it more than once.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

"Saturday Night Live" recently returned for its 45th season and announced a few upcoming hosts and performers for this year. Among them are musicians Chance the Rapper and Harry Styles— both of whom will host and perform as the episode's musical guests.

From Paul Simon to Dolly Parton to MC Hammer, here are all 33 musicians who've taken a crack at comedy in Studio 8H.

Paul Simon has been both host and musical guest four times over the years.

The first time he appeared on the show was October 18, 1975 — the second episode ever of "SNL." He brought in multiple musical friends to help, including Art Garfunkel, Randy Newman, and Phoebe Snow.

The "Graceland" singer returned the following season, on November 20, 1976. This time, he brought along George Harrison, and the two sang a memorable rendition of "Here Comes the Sun."

The next two times he hosted were on May 10, 1986 during season 11, and December 19, 1987, in season 13.

In total, Simon has had "four hosting stints, nine musical guest appearances, and six cameos,"according to Vulture.

Desi Arnaz was 58 years old when he hosted and performed on the episode that aired February 21, 1976.

Arnaz invited his son, Desi Arnaz, Jr., onstage to sing "Cuban Pete" and "Babalu." His son was just 23 years old at the time.

Ray Charles was both host and musical guest during the season three episode that aired on November 12, 1977.

Charles sang more than the now-typical two songs during this episode. He performed "I Can See Clearly Now,""What'd I Say,""Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" and a medley of "I Got a Woman,""I Believe to My Soul,""Them That Got," and "Hit the Road Jack".

According to "SNL" lore, Frank Zappa's hosting performance on October 21, 1978, led to him getting banned from Studio 8H forever.

Zappa had already been the musical guest prior to his season four appearance, in which he took over hosting duties as well. He sang three songs: "Dancin' Fool,""The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing," and an instrumental version of the unreleased song "Rollo."

According to Mental Floss, the rock star"lazily read from the cue cards and reminded viewers that he wasn't really trying." Former "SNL" star Don Novello even called Zappa's show "one of the worst ever."

Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry appeared as a solo act on February 14, 1981, while also hosting.

Harry hosted an episode during the ill-fated sixth season, which was helmed by Dick Ebersol, instead of creator Lorne Michaels.

She hosted the episode five months before her first solo album, "KooKoo" would be released. Harry sang "Love TKO" and "Come Back Jonee."

Olivia Newton-John did double duty on May 22, 1982, successfully reprising her character from "Grease" and singing her hit song, "Physical."

Arguably, Newton-John could equally be considered a musician and an actress, which distinguishes her from her predecessors on this list.

The Australian songstress sang "Physical,""Make a Move on Me," and "Landslide."

Lily Tomlin hosted as herself, while her male alter-ego Pervis Hawkins was the musical guest on January 22, 1983, during season eight.

In a musical performance that would never fly today, Tomlin sang as Pervis Hawkins, a black R&B singer that's clearly modeled after black musicians like Luther Vandross and Marvin Gaye.

A few months later, on May 7, 1983, Stevie Wonder would also take over the hosting and performing gig.

Recently, Wonder made it publicly known that he'd return to the "SNL" stage once again if he could be the musical guest for Eddie Murphy's upcoming episode in December— the first time either will have been at Studio 8H in decades.

"He's a superstar. If he wants me to, I will do it,"Wonder told TooFab.

During his appearance, Wonder appeared alongside Murphy, who frequently impersonated him on the show. The two sang "My Cherie Amour" during the sketch. He also sang "Overjoyed" and "Go Home."

Willie Nelson joined the double-duty club on February 21, 1987, during season 12.

The legendary stoner sang his songs "Blue Eyes" and "Partners After All," and also performed a duet with cast-member Victoria Jackson.

During season 14, Dolly Parton hosted and performed on April 15, 1989.

Just a few months before she'd appear in "Steel Magnolias," the country icon dropped by Studio 8H to host an episode and to perform "Why'd You Come in Here Lookin' Like That," and "White Limozeen."

In season 16, Sting hosted the January 19, 1991, episode without the rest of his Police band members

Prior to this episode, Sting had appeared as solely the musical guest in a 1987 episode. This time, he took on the hosting gig as well, and performed "All This Time,""Mad About You" and a cover of the Jimi Hendrix Experience song, "Purple Haze."

He'd return to host an episode in 1997, with Veruca Salt as the musical guest.

MC Hammer became the first rapper to host and perform on December 7, 1991, during season 17.

The flamboyant rapper sang his smash hit "2 Legit 2 Quit,""This Is the Way We Roll," and his song recorded for "The Addams Family" movie, "Addams Groove." Christina Ricci and Jimmy Workman, who played Wednesday and Pugsley Addams respectively, were on hand to introduce it in character.

Garth Brooks has pulled double duty twice, though during his second episode, he performed as rock alter ego Chris Gaines.

Brooks' first episode during season 23 on February 28, 1998, went by as a pretty run-of-the-mill episode, and he sang "Two Piña Coladas."

When he returned two seasons later on November 13, 1999, Brooks hosted the show as himself, but performed as his alt-rock alter ago, Chris Gaines. He performed a song from Gaines' album, "The Life of Chris Gaines," called "Way of the Girl."

Britney Spears has also taken on this responsibility twice: once in season 25 and once in season 27.

While Spears might not seem like the most obvious choice for sketch comedy, she certainly held her own during both episodes she hosted. During her May 13, 2000, episode she was part of the sketch in which Rachel Dratch and Jimmy Fallon's "Boston Teens" made their first appearance. She also sang "Oops!... I Did It Again," and "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know."

When she returned on February 2, 2002, she earned laughs in the "Inside Barbie's Dreamhouse" sketch alongside Amy Poehler. Her first performance, "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman," was introduced by then-boyfriend, Justin Timberlake. She also sang "Boys."

And that's not at all — Jennifer Lopez became the first Hispanic person to pull double duty in 2001. She returned nine years later.

Lopez made her first appearance on the show on February 10, 2001, during season 26. According to the New York Daily News, Lopez was the first Hispanic person to host and perform.

During her monologue, she brought her famous Versace Grammys dress out of retirement. She also sang "Love Don't Cost a Thing" and "Play."

After a nine-year hiatus, she made an "SNL" comeback on February 27, 2010, during season 35, singing "Until It Beats No More" and "Starting Over."

Not to be outdone, Justin Timberlake has pulled this feat off three times — he's essentially a cast member at this point.

Besides his appearance with 'NSync, Timberlake made his "SNL" debut on October 11, 2003, during season 29. This episode saw the beginnings of the epic Justin Timberlake/Jimmy Fallon friendship, and it marked the debut of "The Barry Gibb Talk Show," which remains a staple of Timberlake's appearances on the show. He also sang "Rock Your Body,""Señorita," and "Cry Me a River."

Three years later, in season 32 on December 16, 2006, Timberlake returned — and this time, won an Emmy for his troubles. The digital short, "D--- in a Box," went viral after the uncensored version was posted on YouTube. Besides that classic, he also performed "My Love" and "What Goes Around... Comes Around."

Timberlake made it a threepeat on March 9, 2013, during season 38. Besides his third stint as a musical guest/host, it was also his fifth time hosting overall, with other members of "The Five-Timers Club" appearing during his monologue, including Tom Hanks, Martin Short, Chevy Chase, and Candice Bergen. Timberlake performed "Mirrors" and his collaboration with Jay-Z, "Suit & Tie," during which the rapper appeared on stage.

Janet Jackson made her hosting debut on April 10, 2004, in season 29.

Though she had performed as the musical guest before, Jackson showed off her comedic chops as the host in 2004. During her episode, she reprised her role from the '70s sitcom "Good Times," alongside former "SNL" cast member Tracy Morgan.

She sang "All Nite (Don't Stop)" and "Strawberry Bounce."

Queen Latifah added her name to the list on October 9, 2004, during the show's 30th season.

The rapper and actress was there promoting her 2004 film "Taxi," which co-starred "SNL" alum Jimmy Fallon, and her album "The Dana Owens Album," which was released the week prior.

She performed "The Same Love That Made Me Laugh" and "Hard Times."

Just a few years after Ludacris proved he could act in the "Fast and Furious" franchise, he stopped by "SNL" on November 18, 2006, during season 32.

Ludacris took his talents to Studio 8H right after his album "Release Therapy" debuted in September. The rapper performed "Money Maker" and "Runaway Love," during which Mary J. Blige appeared as well.

Taylor Swift brought music into her monologue with "The Monologue Song" on November 7, 2009, in season 35.

Swift used her opportunity as a host to make jokes about what she was best known for in 2009: singing songs about her boyfriends and getting interrupted by Kanye West at the VMAs a few months prior.

Besides her monologue song, she also performed "You Belong With Me" and "Untouchable."

Perhaps surprisingly, Elton John's turn at double duty on April 2, 2011, during season 36, was just his second time ever on the show in an official capacity. The first time was during a 1982 episode as a musical guest.

After 29 years away from 30 Rock, John made a triumphant return to the "SNL" stage in 2011. His episode attracted some big names, including cameos from Jake Gyllenhaal, Tom Hanks, Michael Caine, and Carmelo Anthony.

The legendary singer performed alongside Leon Russell for two songs, "Hey Ahab" and "Monkey Suit." He also sang an encore performance of "The Bitch Is Back."

Fellow iconic musician Mick Jagger tried his hand at hosting for the season 37 finale on May 19, 2012.

Like Elton John before him, Jagger's presence at "SNL" brought in some big names: Jon Hamm, Steve Martin, the Foo Fighters, Arcade Fire, and Jeff Beck.

His was a music-heavy episode. The Rolling Stones front-man performed "The Last Time" with Arcade Fire, a medley of "19th Nervous Breakdown" and "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)" with the Foo Fighters, and "Tea Party" alongside Jeff Beck.

As it was Kristen Wiig's last episode, Arcade Fire also performed a medley of "She's a Rainbow" and "Ruby Tuesday" to honor the longtime cast member.

Bruno Mars asked if he "could be like Timberlake" on October 20, 2012, during season 38.

Mars had appeared as the musical guest two years prior, but this marked the first time he took on hosting duties as well — and like many musicians, Mars chose to do a musical monologue.

He also performed "Locked Out of Heaven" and "Young Girls."

That same season, Justin Bieber also pulled double duty on February 9, 2013.

Bieber appeared on the show a few weeks after he released "Believe Acoustic," and he subsequently performed acoustic versions of "As Long As You Love Me" and "Nothing Like Us."

Miley Cyrus hosted during two distinct eras of her career. Once during "Bangerz," when she was rocking space buns and twerking all the time, and once during the "Dead Petz" era when she was only wearing plastic jewelry and neon colors.

Cyrus' first appearance on the show was during season 39, on October 5, 2013 — just over a month after her controversial appearance at the VMAs, which earned her backlash for twerking up against Robin Thicke. Of course, she poked fun at the outrage during the show's cold open.

She went on to perform "Wrecking Ball" and an acoustic version of "We Can't Stop."

Cyrus returned to "SNL" on October 3, 2015, for the season premiere of 41, with a radically different look. This time, she sang "Karen Don't Be Sad" and "The Twinkle Song," which brought her to tears.

Lady Gaga took on both roles during the November 16, 2013, episode of season 39.

The native New Yorker's brought out R. Kelly for the performance of their song, "Do What U Want." (She has since apologized for working with him.) She also sang "Gypsy" from "Artpop."

Drake is yet another rapper who has performed both duties at "SNL."

His first "SNL" hosting gig came during season 39 (a season heavy on double-duty hosts) on January 18, 2014. He performed a medley of his hits "Started from the Bottom" and "Trophies," and he sang his duet with Jhene Aiko, "From Time."

Drake returned for season 41 on May 14, 2016. Chris Rock made a surprise appearance to introduce Drake's first performance, "One Dance." He also sang "Hype"— but the highlight of his episode was his sketch, "Drake's Beef," which poked fun at Drake's feud with Meek Mill.

Blake Shelton called himself the "Justin Bieber of country music" when he hosted on January 24, 2015, during season 40.

Two years before he'd earn the title of People's Sexiest Man Alive, Shelton called himself"a little troublemakin' cutie" during his monologue.

The country star also sang "Neon Light" and "Boys 'Round Here."

Ariana Grande went back to her theater kid roots during her March 12, 2016, episode.

The singer also poked fun at her Nickelodeon roots alongside fellow Nick alum Kenan Thompson — and had a pretty cute interaction with future ex Pete Davidson— during her monologue.

Besides her musical monologue, she also sang "Dangerous Woman" and "Be Alright."

Donald Glover hosted and performed as Childish Gambino on May 5, 2018.

During his monologue, he reminisced on his failed "SNL" audition and confused at least a few people by ending it with the customary "Childish Gambino is here!"

As his rapper alter ego, he performed "This Is America" and "Saturday," which were introduced by Daniel Kaluuya and Zoë Kravitz, respectively.

After performing the year prior, Halsey took on hosting duties as well on February 9, 2019, in season 44.

Halsey gave a shout-out to her home state of New Jersey and praised the female comedians that came before her on the show during her short and sweet monologue.

For her performances, she sang "Without Me" and "Eastside."

Chance the Rapper hosted and performed on the October 26 episode of season 45.

Chance was previously a musical guest in 2016 and host in 2017, but he took on both responsibilities during this episode.

Though plenty of people were talking about Jason Momoa's surprise appearance, the rapper held his own during the episode.

Charmingly, he introduced himself in the third person before his first performance, "Zanies and Fools." He also got this summer's star, Megan Thee Stallion, to make an appearance during his performance of their song "Handsome."

Harry Styles revealed on Twitter that he will be hosting and performing on November 16.

The "Lights Up" singer has performed four times on "SNL," once as a solo act and three times as part of One Direction — though he's always appeared in sketches, even when he was just a musical guest.

• Read more:
• WHERE ARE THEY NOW: All 152 cast members in 'Saturday Night Live' history
• 14 celebrities who got rejected by 'Saturday Night Live' and went on to become famous in their own right
• 11 things you probably never knew about 'Saturday Night Live'
• 10 celebrities who were fired from 'Saturday Night Live' and went on to become stars

• For fans of astrology, there's now a mobile app that applies the study of the stars to stock investments. 
• MSCHF, a Brooklyn-based creative label, created an app called Bull & Moon that suggests an investment portfolio of six stocks based on astrological compatibility. 
• Bull & Moon simply asks for your name, birthday, and investment experience.
• From there, it will pair you with companies by using their founding dates as birthdays to determine the stocks with astrological signs that are most compatible with your own. 
• Here's what it was like to discover my investment portfolio match made in the heavens. 
• Read more stories on the Business Insider homepage.

There are countless established strategies for both the enterprising and passive investor. 

With the advent of robo-advisers, it's easier than ever for investors to set their portfolios on autopilot. Aspiring day-traders and options connoisseurs have found a haven in commission-free Robinhood. 

Now, a group of Brooklyn-based developers are pushing the bounds of investment strategy and establishing a new frontier: portfolio construction based on astrological compatibility.  

Bull & Moon, an app developed by MSCHF, pairs users with stock picks based on their astrological sign, which is determined by your date of birth. The app then uses companies' founding dates as birthdays to find stocks with astrological signs that are most compatible with your own. 

MSCHF is a creative label that releases monthly product drops. One of the studio's most viral was its October launch of "Jesus Shoes" that supposedly contained holy water from the Jordan River in the soles of the sneakers. 

Markets Insider spoke with Daniel Greenberg, the head of commerce at MSCHF — the studio and developer behind Bull & Moon. 

According to Greenberg, the origins of the app can be traced back to when he saw a coworker dipping french fries in a milkshake, an unusual yet common combination. He said the occurrence motivated him and his team to continue  exploring the intersection of sectors of the market that aren't typically associated with each other. 

Greenberg and his team also noticed the proliferation of both astrology apps and financial technology platforms, leading them to the idea of matching people with stocks based on astrological compatibility. 

In a white paper published by MSCHF, the studio said it tested a portfolio of six stocks recommended by its algorithm during the third quarter. The test portfolio returned 7.47% compared to the meager 1.7% gain in the S&P 500. 

It's important to note that Bull & Moon's database of companies was rather limited during this trial. Greenberg said it included about 500 stocks at the time because MSCHF has been manually adding new stocks every day. The database now has several thousand stocks, Greenberg said. 

MSCHF acknowledged the limited samples size of its test, but said it "considers the current level of uncertainty to be acceptable, particularly in light of the magnitude of difference we observed between these two portfolios." 

Here's what it was like discovering the stock investments I'm most compatible with, according to the powers of astrology: 

The first page you see upon opening the app bestows a bit of wisdom underlying the unexplored field of astrological investment strategy.

It then tells you exactly what the app can do for you. Wouldn't it be great if all apps did that?

On the last screen before moving on to complete your profile, Bull & Moon promises to provide your portfolio match made in the stars.

You're then asked to input some basic information so an algorithm can determine your astrological sign, and thus, pair you with some stocks you'll hopefully get along with.

After inputting my information, the app quickly identified that I'm a Gemini.

When I clicked the "see matches" button, it returned the six stocks I'd be most compatible with and additional information about each company.

In addition to Nasdaq and International Paper, my recommended portfolio includes Excelon, Nike, Public Storage, and Jefferies Financial Group. 

Here's the year-to-date performance for each of the companies in my suggested portfolio: 

• Nike: 20.72%
• Nasdaq: 25.6%
• International Paper: 14.5%
• Excelon: (-1.7%)
• Public Storage: 3.34%
• Jefferies Financial Group: 18.4%
• Average: 13.47%, compared to the S&P 500's 20% gain

According to Greenberg, the app uses an astrology application programming interface (API) to determine the compatibility rating, which is scored out of 100. 

As seen in the pictures above, there are two tabs on the top of the screen titled "Best" and "Random."

Your suggested portfolio can be found on the "Best" tab by swiping left and right, while the "Random" tab cycles you through a seemingly endless list of stocks with their respective compatibility ratings. 

By scrolling down a bit, users can stumble upon some data on the stocks they've just been matched with.

A supplementary factor that's grounded in just a bit more of technical financial analysis is provided in the form of an average analyst rating. 

According to the app, the analyst rating is scored out of 100 and based on earnings prospects, valuations, and fluctuations in the company's share price. It also provides an average price target from analysts covering the stock. 

Greenberg said this information is pulled into the app through another API. 

Bull & Moon includes data from six analysts covering the Nasdaq, resulting in an average price target of $107.33. According to Bloomberg data, 18 analysts cover Nasdaq and the average price target is $105.11. 

For International Paper, the app includes data from three analysts, bringing its average price target to $40.50. As of Tuesday, 15 analysts covered International Paper with an average price target of $46.23, according to Bloomberg data. 

Once you've gone through the app once, the interface is pretty straight forward. A small yellow icon in the top of left of the screen will bring you to the page seen below, which describes the trials and triumphs of "investing as a Gemini."

While I currently don't invest to avoid a conflict of interest with my profession as a financial journalist, I have traded and owned stocks in the past. 

The Bull & Moon app says as a Gemini investor I have "two different personalities in one and you will never be sure which one you should trust." I'm not sure I feel that way, but let's continue anyway. 

The description of investing as a Gemini carries on to say: "Their investment style is sociable, communicative and fun, with a tendency to suddenly get serious, thoughtful and restless. They are fascinated with the market and are extremely curious, with a constant feeling there is not enough time to invest in everything they want to."

It's unclear how this description was created, but I can admit that I do indeed identify with some of the traits mentioned above. However, I would use almost none of them to describe how I would invest, if I did invest. 

MSCHF, the studio behind Bull & Moon, communicates with its customers over text message. A representative from MSCHF shared this text with Markets Insider:

According to the message above, a devoted MSCHF fan dumped $100,000 into the portfolio recommended by the Bull & Moon algorithm. 

A representative from the studio said in an email to Markets Insider, "Who knows if they really did it ... but this is the text we got." 

Greenberg estimated that at least a few hundred people have texted MSCHF saying they invested in the stocks suggested by Bull & Moon. 

• McDonald's board voted to fire CEO Steve Easterbrook on November 1 over a relationship he had with an employee.
• Major corporations tend to have policies on disclosing romantic relationships and forbidding relationships between direct supervisors and their employees.
• If a policy is violated and a boss has a romantic relationship with a subordinate, it can result in the termination of an executive, as in the cases of Lincoln Center's former president Jed Bernstein and Intel's former CEO Brian Krzanich.
• Despite the risks, workplace relationships happen — in government, in media, in private companies, and in public companies too. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

McDonald's board voted to fire CEO Steve Easterbrook on November 1 over a relationship he had with an employee.

Easterbrook "violated company policy and demonstrated poor judgment involving a recent consensual relationship with an employee," a McDonald's press release stated.

Major corporations tend to have policies on disclosing romantic relationships and forbidding relationships between direct supervisors and their employees. If a policy is violated and a boss has a romantic relationship with a subordinate, it can result in the termination of an executive, as in the case of Lincoln Center's former president Jed Bernstein, Intel's former CEO Brian Krzanich, and now McDonald's former CEO Easterbrook.

Despite the risks, office romances happen. Sometimes, they result in long relationships for powerful couples, as in the cases of Michelle and Barack Obama who met early in their careers at law firm Sidley Austin LLP and Bill and Melinda Gates at Microsoft.

Other times, the power dynamics of office relationships are problematic, with relationships being or becoming coercive.

Here's a rundown of the most famous and infamous workplace relationships.

McDonald's — Steve Easterbrook & employee

On November 1, the McDonald's board voted to fire CEO Steve Easterbrook over his consensual relationship with an employee.

Easterbrook "violated company policy and demonstrated poor judgment involving a recent consensual relationship with an employee," McDonald's press release stated in the announcement that he had "separated from the Company."

Source: Business Insider

Theranos — Elizabeth Holmes and Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani

Disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes dated former company president and COO Sunny Balwani. The relationship was kept under wraps. 

"She was lying to her board about this romantic relationship that she was having with the number two of the company, who by the way, was also about 20 years older," Wall Street reporter John Carreyrou, who authored the book "Bad Blood" exposing Theranos, told Business Insider.

Both Holmes and Balwani were charged with fraud in 2018. Holmes is now married to William Evans, the heir to Evans Hotel Group.

Sources: Business Insider, Business Insider, SEC

Bendix Corporation — William Agee & Mary Cunningham

In 2018, The New York Times categorized William Agee and Mary Cunningham's relationship as "arguably the first sex scandal in corporate America."

Mary Cunningham joined auto parts manufacturer Bendix in 1979 as CEO William Agee's executive assistant. She was then promoted to vice president of strategic planning. During her time at Bendix, Cunningham has to manage rumors that she was having a relationship with her boss. She left in the company in 1980. By 1982, the couple had married. 

Cunningham has always maintained that her and Agee's romantic relationship only began after she left the company, which she reiterated in her 2018 New York Times profile titled "Before There Was #MeToo, There Was Mary Cunningham." 

"This interview isn't easy ... I'm reliving experiences from 1980 that never should've happened," Cunningham said at the end of her profile.

Sources: New York Times, New York Times

News Corporation — Rupert & Wendi Deng Murdoch

Rupert Murdoch acquired Star TV in Asia in 1993. Wendi Deng was a junior executive at Star TV in 1997 when she met Murdoch. Before marrying Murdoch in 1999, she quit her post, according to The Wall Street Journal. The Post reported that Deng maintained a non-official role at News Corporation at the beginning of her marriage. The couple separated in 2013. 

"I never really quit work," Deng told Vogue in 2016. She has invested in Uber, Snap, and Warby Parker.

Source: Business Insider, Wall Street Journal, Vogue

The Sunday Times — Harold Evans & Tina Brown

Tina Brown began contributing to the Sunday Times as a reporter after graduating from Oxford in 1974. There she met editor Harold Evans, and the two began an affair. Brown subsequently left the publication, and the couple was married in 1981. Brown went on to become the editor of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, and the founding editor of The Daily Beast. 

Sources: Encyclopedia Britannica, The Guardian, The New York Times

White House — Bill Clinton & Monica Lewinsky

Monica Lewinsky began as a White House intern in 1995. President Bill Clinton began an affair with her that year — it continued for two years, and came to light nationally in 1998.

In Lewinsky's essay "#MeToo and Me" in "Vanity Fair's Women on Women," Lewinsky writes about how the #MeToo movement has shaped her understanding of the affair.

"I—we—owe a huge debt of gratitude to the #MeToo and Time's Up heroines. They are speaking volumes against the pernicious conspiracies of silence that have long protected powerful men when it comes to sexual assault, sexual harassment, and abuse of power," Lewinsky wrote. 

"In 2014, in an essay for Vanity Fair, I wrote that following: 'Sure, my boss took advantage of me, but I will always remain firm on this point: it was a consensual relationship. Any 'abuse' came in the aftermath, when I was made a scapegoat in order to protect his powerful position.' I now see how problematic it was that the two of us even got to a place where there was a question of consent. Instead, the road that lead there was littered with inappropriate abuse of authority, station, and privilege," Lewinsky wrote. 

Source: TIME, Vanity Fair's Women on Women, Vox

Priceline — Darren Huston & employee

Darren Huston resigned as CEO of Priceline, now Booking Holdings Inc., in 2016 when a company investigation found that he was having an affair with an employee. The employee was not under his direct supervision, according to CNBC and Fortune. Huston received no severance, according ot MarketWatch.

Source: CNBC, Fortune, MarketWatch.

NASA — William Oefelein & Lisa Nowak

Astronauts William Oefelein and Lisa Nowak worked together at NASA. They met while training in the space shuttle program in 1996, and had an affair from 2004 to 2006, according to TIME.

In 2007, Nowak drove from Houston to Orlando to confront Ofelein's new girlfriend, Air Force captain Colleen Shipman. Nowak brought various weapons — including a BB gun and a steel mallet — to her planned confrontation, and brought diapers with her on her road trip to elimate the need for pit stops, according to TIME.

Nowak attacked Shipman with pepper spray; Nowak was ultimately arrested by police, and through a plea deal was able to avoid jail time and instead serve one year of probation, according to TIME. 

Both Oefelein and Nowak were fired from NASA after the incident.

Sources: TIME, Reuters

Lycée La Providence — Emmanuel Macron and Brigitte Macron

Brigitte was Macron's high school teacher in Amiens when he was 15-years-old. The future French president married his former teacher in 2007. 

Source: Business Insider

Mayor's Office, City of Detroit — Kwame Kilpatrick & Christine Beatty

Former Mayor of Detroit Kwame Kilpatrick had an affair with his chief of staff, Christine Beatty. The Detroit Free Press won a Pulitzer Prize for obtaining and exposing thousands of text messages between Kilpatrick and Beatty in 2008. 

He served as mayor from 2001 until 2008. According to The New York Times, Kilpatrick resigned in 2008 "after he lied under oath during a police whistle-blower lawsuit and approved an $8.4 million settlement to try to cover it up."

Kilpatrick is currently serving a 28-year jail sentence as part of a larger corruption scandal. In March 2013, he was convicted on charges of extortion and racketeering, according to The New York Times.

Sources: New York Times, The Pulitzer Prizes

Capitol Hill — Newt & Callista Gingrich

Newt Gingrich served as minority whip — an elected assistant to their party's floor leader — in the 101, 102, and 103rd congresses (from 1989 to 1995). In 1993, he met Callisa Bisek, who was a staffer of Representative Steve Gunderson. The couple started a six year affair, while Gingrich was still married, Bisek admitted under oath in 1999. They married in 2000. 

Source: Forbes, Salon, Chicago Tribune, The New Yorker

Lincoln Center — Jed Bernstein & employee

Jed Bernstein resigned as President or Lincoln Center, home of the Metropolitan Opera, in 2016 after an anonymous complaint exposed his relationship with a subordinate. The relationship was consensual, according to The New York Times, and Bernstein promoted the employee twice. 

"Mr. Bernstein had violated Lincoln Center human resources policy by not disclosing a personal relationship with an employee," Lincoln Center explained in a prepared statement to The New York Times.

Source: New York Times

Intel — Brian Krzanich & employee

Intel CEO Brian Krzanich resigned in 2018 over a a relationship with an employee. Though the relationship was in the past and consensual, Intel found that violated the company's non-fraternization policy.

Sources: New York Times, Intel

Microsoft — Bill & Melinda Gates

In 1987, Melinda Gates graduated from Duke University with her MBA, joined Microsoft as a product manager, and met her future husband, Microsoft CEO Bill Gates. Bill asked Melinda out, and they married in 1994. 

Melinda remained an employee of Microsoft throughout their dating, engagement, and the beginning of their marriage. She left the company in 1996 to "focus on her philanthropic work and family," according to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation website.

Source: Business Insider, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 

Carl Icahn & Gail Golden

Carl Icahn married his "longtime assistant" Gail Golden in 1999 after separating from his first wife, according to Forbes and New York Magazine. 

Sources: Forbes, New York Magazine

Sidley Austin LLP — Barack & Michelle Obama

Michelle joined law firm Sidley Austin LLP in 1988. By 1989, she was a junior associate assigned to mentor a new summer associate: Barack Obama. Michelle was not Barack's boss, and Barack asked Michelle out. They began dating, and when Barack was given a full-time offer as the end of his internship, he declined and told his boss Newton Minow, "I'm taking Michelle with me ... we're going to get married," or so Minow recalled to TIME. Michelle subsequently left the firm. The pair married in 1992.

Sources: Business Insider, Wall Street Journal, Quartz, TIME

• You don't have to spend a ton of money to give unique or useful gifts.
• Amazon has plenty of great stocking stuffers for less than $20 that friends or family will love to receive, and most of them also come with convenient two-day shipping.
• Below, find 46 options under $20 that we've handpicked for you from the labyrinth that is Amazon.
• You can find all of our 2019 holiday gift guides here.

Unless you won the lottery or lost a bet, not everyone in your life is expecting a brand new car from you for the holidays.

And for the many instances in which it's better to give a small gift, most of us would love to give something that's both inexpensive and impactful — more than just a token space filler in a stocking. For that, you'll probably have the best luck on Amazon. It's home to a ton of great, affordable products people actually want, and you get the added perks of easy, fast shipping and prices that are nearly always the lowest on the internet. 

The trade-off is that you need to be willing to invest the time, eye strain, and concentration wrinkles necessary for going through 30+ pages of product results. To save you the time, we curated a few of our all-time favorites and other great products from a wide range of interests below.  

If you're looking for something even more budget-friendly, we also have 30+ stocking stuffers you can get for under $10 here. 

The best stocking stuffers you can find on Amazon for under $20:

A mini, functional waffle maker that takes up minimal countertop space

Dash Mini Waffle Maker, $14.99

This small but mighty waffle maker takes up minimal counter and storage space, is easy to clean, and is perfect for when you're craving just one or two waffles and don't want to make a whole spread. 

A protective cover for their AirPods case

PodSkinz AirPods Case Protective Silicone Cover, $6.95

Apple AirPods: They're incredibly convenient, but also incredibly easy to lose and scratch up. A silicone cover is a cheap and attractive way to protect their charging case that protects their beloved earbuds.

A pair of $10 headphones with over 30,000 5-star reviews

Panasonic ErgoFit In-Ear Headphones, $8.98

These $10 in-ear headphones are sort of like finding cheap diamonds in the rough. They have over 30,000 5-star reviews on Amazon and are one of few cheap tech products with universal praise. The best features include: noise isolation, good sound, and staying put.  

A $6 wash and stain bar that can revive even the most hopeless clothes

The Laundress Wash & Stain Bar, $5.38

This $6 bar is one of the first things we ever featured on Insider Picks. With a little bit of water, the mix of vegetable soap, borax, and essential oils removes the dirt and grime from clothes extremely well. VP of Commerce Breton Fischetti called it the "best thing [he'd] done" for his dress shirts. 

A quirky loose-tea infuser shaped like the Loch Ness Monster

Loch Ness Monster Tea Infusers, Set of 2, $9.90

Make their tea time more fun with these cute loose tea infusers that look like a swimming Loch Ness Monster. 

A small but mighty car mount for devices

TechMatte MagGrip Air Vent Holder, $6.99

The TechMatte car mount is another under-$10 diamond in the rough with over 9,500 reviews on Amazon. Its strong neodymium magnets allow it to be both compact and secure. 

A little electric milk frother for homemade treats

Handheld Electric Milk Frother, $7.91

This handheld electric milk frother makes it easy for them to treat themselves to something extra special more often. It's easy to use and clean, and does a reliable job with everything from coffee to matcha drinks. 

A five-year journal that tracks their answers to the same questions

One Question a Day: A Five-Year Journal, $14.98

Reusable stainless steel straws

SipWell Extra Long Stainless Steel Drinking Straws, Set of 4, $4.89

Most of us feel at least a little guilty using plastic straws given how bad they are for the environment. Reusable stainless steel straws that come with their own cleaning brush are a thoughtful (and impactful) gift most people will use often. If they're especially eco-friendly, check out other plastic replacements for spot-on gift ideas.

A little fan to deal with their unpredictable office temperatures

Fred & Friends Little Big USB Fan, $20

Office dwellers know how unpredictable temperatures can get. To save them when their office transitions from an ice box to a desert, gift them this little portable fan. It's small, portable, and plugs into any USB for a quick, cold breeze. 

A trio of chai tea that made it onto Oprah's Favorite Things list

Vahdam Rose Tea, $17.99

Vahdam Teas was featured on Oprah's Favorite Things in 2019, and if it's good enough for her, it's good enough for your giftee. We've actually tried some of Vahdam's teas and were particularly impressed by its beautiful packaging.

Relaxing and detoxifying bath salts

Herbivore Botanicals Dead Sea Bath Salts, $18

Everyone deserves some relaxation, which is why these calming bath salts make such a great gift. Inside there's vanilla, ylang ylang essential oil, and Himalayan pink salt crystals, which together help soothe the body. 

A cult-favorite clay mask

Aztec Secret Clay Mask, $9.99

The Aztec Clay Mask is one of those cult-favorite skin-care products that's been plucked from obscurity and gone straight to the limelight of YouTube testimonials with over 4 million views. You can read a full review here, but suffice it to say the mask is very effective at cleaning the gunk out of pores and clearing up skin.

Cable clips that keep cords in place

Shintop Cable Clips, $5.69

Bargain computer glasses that remove strain from computer glare

Anti-Eyestrain Computer Glasses, $10

These $10 computer glasses are a fraction of what you'll find at competitors, but they do the job of reducing eye strain. They're reportedly 40% blue-light-blocking, and they come in a standard tortoiseshell pattern that works on pretty much everyone. They're also lightweight enough to feel like wearing nothing. We count them as one of the best things we've ever bought on Amazon for less than $25. 

Socks modeled after famous paintings

Chalier Famous Painting Socks, 4-5 Pairs, $9.99

Unique, informal, and more convenient than most of us even realize — socks are a great gift, especially if they can add some personality. 

A cult-favorite hair styling gel

American Crew Fiber, $10.27

As some reviews note, American Crew Fiber is a common recommendation for thick, curly hair. The cream thickens, texturizes, and adds fullness to hair without looking shiny or spiky. 

A warm Carhartt hat

Carhartt Men's Acrylic Watch Hat, $15.79

Grab a warm, comfortable hat from a trusted outdoors brand for less than $15 and in 30+ colors. 

The perfect spatula

GIR Silicone Spatula, $12.95

This is the kitchen hero product of many Insider Picks writers and editors for good reason. It's the result of a Kickstarter campaign aimed at making the perfect silicone spatula. Among other upgrades like a fiberglass core that keeps the handle cool, its most important feature is that it's made from a single piece of non-toxic, BPA-free silicone that prevents the top from becoming dislodged or hiding any unhygienic bits of food and ingredients.

A cult-favorite lip balm with SPF 25 and over 1,000 reviews

Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm SPF 25, $8

They'll thank you for this cult-favorite lip balm with SPF during the winter months when the multi-pack from CVS isn't cutting it. 

A wifi smart plug that lets them turn devices off remotely

Jeeo Smart Wi-Fi Plug, $11.99

Give them the gift of never needing to spend another night wondering if they turned off their heater or hair straightener before leaving the house. This smart WiFi plug works with Amazon Alexa, Google Home Assistant, and IFTTT. They can use voice commands, create schedules for lights and appliances, and turn things on and off when they're leaving home or nearby.  

The best hair mask you can buy for damaged hair

Argan Oil Hair Mask, $12.95

This super hydrating hair mask is made specifically to treat severely damaged and dry hair — and it's good at its job. We named it the best hair mask you can buy for damaged hair, and it has an Amazon Choice recommendation due to high ratings and over 3,000 five-star reviews. 

An extra-long charging cable, which is the closest you'll get to gifting never-ending convenience

Anker 10 ft Lightning Cable, $17.99

Organic bath bombs full of essential oil aromatherapy blends

Bath Bomb Gift Set, $13.99

For less than $15, you can grab six vegan bath bombs blended with natural essential oils that range from peppermint to sweet orange to eucalyptus and more. 

A water bottle that lets them naturally infuse water with fruit

Great Gear Fruit Infuser Water Bottle, $12.95

Turns out water tastes much better when it's naturally flavored with fruits and herbs. This is a nice way to do that naturally, minus all the sugar and additives of other drinks. 

A famous hot sauce made from peppers grown in over 30 community gardens in the Bronx

Small Axe Peppers NYC Hot Sauce, Set of 3, $19.99

This all-natural, tangy hot sauce is best known for its part in the popular Youtube series "Hot Ones." It's made from serrano peppers grown in over 30 community gardens throughout the Bronx. 

An extremely fun board game that made Kickstarter history

Exploding Kittens Card Game, $19.99

Exploding Kittens is basically a highly strategic version of Russian roulette with a cat theme. It was the most-backed project in Kickstarter history, and this version is family-friendly. 

A duo of Mario Badescu's beloved facial mists

Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Rosewater & Facial Spray with Green Tea Duo, $14

Mario Badescu makes some of the most universally loved and affordable skin care products out there, and these facial sprays are the most recognizable. The Green Tea Spray hydrates, tones, and rejuvenates the skin. The Rosewater Spray is the real cult-favorite, and makes the skin look dewy and "glowy." 

Ever-functional Popsocket Grips for their phone

Popsockets: Collapsible Grip, $9.99

Popsocket Grips look gimmicky, but they're a legitimately helpful tool. They make it easier to hold a phone without straining your fingers, and it makes your phone feel more secure — like you're not going to twitch and accidentally throw it into the ocean. Even naysayers have been convinced. 

An adorable eye mask for some beauty sleep

Plush Rabbit Eye Mask, $16.99

Improving their sleep is a gift in itself. This eye mask will help them get some shut-eye, plus the bunny ears and plush fabric make it super cute and cozy.

Teeth-whitening charcoal powder with 13,000+ 5-star reviews

Active Wow Charcoal Teeth Whitening Powder, $19.89

This charcoal teeth whitening powder was the bestselling teeth whitener on Amazon for a long time. It has over 13,000 five-star reviews, and it whitens teeth naturally without the harsher peroxides that can be irritating for sensitive teeth. 

Ina Garten's newest cookbooks for her devotees

"Cook Like a Pro: Recipes and Tips for Home Cooks" by Ina Garten, $18.40

If they host or entertain frequently, chances are they've used an Ina Garten recipe before. Known for her elegant but laid-back style, Ina's new cookbook is full of the tips and tricks that bring a professional touch to simple, home-cooked dishes.

A popular reusable bag that folds up to the size of an envelope

Baggu Reusable Shopping Bag, $12

Baggu has a good reputation for its durable, super convenient, reusable bags. They're made from 100% rip-stop nylon so they're not likely to break, can carry up to 50 lbs, and fold up to the size of an envelope for easy storage. Plus, they come in a lot of colors and patterns. 

A wine aerator that doesn't take up a ton of space

Vinetto Wine Aerator, $9.99

Wine drinkers will almost certainly enjoy the benefits of this inexpensive tool that can improve the taste of even the cheapest bottle. All they need to do is pop the gadget into the top of the bottle and pour themselves a glass, then they can put the cork or a bottle stop back in to preserve it.

A set of more than a dozen Korean sheet masks

Dermal Korea Collagen Sheet Masks, Pack of 16, $9.99

The gift of 16 Korean sheet masks means at least 16 nights of relaxation. 

A pack of sticky notes to keep them on track

Knock Knock "To Accomplish" Sticky Notes, $11.93

For the friend who likes to keep it really organized, help them stay on track with this thoughtful set of sticky notes. With categories like "To Ponder", "To Remember", and "To Buy", they can keep track of everything they need to accomplish in the near future. 

A fruity hand cream that’ll look great on their counter

TonyMoly Peach Hand Cream, $12

This rich hand cream is made with shea butter and peach extract to moisturize seriously dry skin. We love the refreshing, light peach scent and the adorable container, which looks just like a peach. 

Pencils they won't be able to stop drumming on their desk

Suck UK Drumstick Pencils, $9.45

These clever pencils are an easy stocking stuffer for budding and experienced drummers alike.

A Pikachu backpack for some Pokemon on the go

Pokemon Pikachu Backpack with Puff Pocket, $19.99

This bag is just as great for young kids as it is for the adults whose fondest childhood memories consist of trading Pokemon cards. Who doesn't love Pikachu?

Reusable lunch bags that they’ll actually want to use

Diweiya Reusable Snack Bags, $11.99

Plastic bags are an unnecessary expense when you could just have reusable ones. Their environmentally-conscious and frugal sides will thank you for these sandwich and snack bags, which are dishwasher safe and BPA free. They'll save a ton of money and plastic waste by using these, plus the colorful patterns are much more fun than clear plastic. 

A cute and practical phone holder

Dinosaur Silicone Phone Holder, $9.99

This endearing little dino isn't just a piece of decor, it can actually can hold their phone. It comes in over ten colors, so you can find one in their favorite color.

Cute lid lifts that let steam escape so their pots never boil over

Tovolo Farm Animal Pot Lid Lift, Set of 3, $7

A wireless charger

Yootech Wireless Charger, $13.99

This ultra-slim wireless charger makes charging easy at home or in the office. The company says it should work with most phone cases on, and the led light will turn off to keep your room dark while charging at night.

A 3-in-1 avocado slicer that makes bowls of guacamole easier and faster

OXO Good Grips Avocado Slicer, $9.99

The Avocado Slicer looks gimmicky, but it's really useful in real life. It has a plastic blade to halve the avocado safely, a pit remover, and a slicer to cut the avocado into perfect slices with one motion. 

A fun family game

Watch Ya Mouth, $15.99

Watch Ya Mouth is easily one of the most fun games to have come out in recent years, and it's especially great when playing with the family on a holiday morning. 

Smart LED light bulbs they can control with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant

Aukora WiFi Smart Light Bulb, $14.99

Smart light bulbs usually fetch a far higher price since they often operate through an expensive hub, but these under-$20 options work without one. They're compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant and have 16 million colors available. 

Looking for more gift ideas? We've got you covered.

• Our master list of every gift guide you'll ever need
• 50 creative gift ideas under $25
• 50 thoughtful gift ideas under $50
• 76 clever gift ideas under $100
• 28 unique stocking stuffers they'll actually use
• 26 affordable tech gifts under $25
• 51 thoughtful gifts for her, all under $50
• 65 cool gifts for him on Amazon

• Throughout the 2010s, Disney added a lot of new rides and lands to each of its theme parks.
• Popular recent additions include Toy Story Land and Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.
• Epcot expanded its ride list in 2016 with "Frozen Ever After."
• The Shanghai Disneyland park opened in 2016.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more.

Throughout the 2010s, Disney parks underwent some extreme makeovers and had some exciting new additions. 

From California's Disneyland and Florida's Disney World to the Disney parks in Paris, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, here are all of the new attractions that popped up over the past decade, plus some of the parks' plans for the 2020s.

Toy Story Land now exists in several Disney parks and it first opened in 2010.

Although the first "Toy Story" movie was released in 1995, the flick didn't get a park until 2010 when Toy Story Playland opened at Disneyland Paris.

Hong Kong Disneyland opened its own version of the park in 2011, and both Shanghai Disneyland and Disney World opened a Toy Story Land in mid-2018. 

The Disney World version is the most recent iteration and is located in the Hollywood Studios theme park.

It features several rides including the shooting-game ride "Toy Story Mania!," the "Slinky Dog Dash" coaster, and the "Alien Swirling Saucers," which are not unlike the famous spinning teacups in Disneyland.

Guests got to be part of Ariel's world when a "Little Mermaid" ride opened in 2011.

"The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure"opened in Disneyland's California Adventure in 2011 and in Fantasyland at Disney World in 2012.

The ride takes guests in seashell cars through Ariel's journey to find love with Prince Eric. It features animatronics of the characters singing classic songs from the film.

California Adventure's "Goofy's Sky School" replaced an older roller coaster in 2011.

The Goofy-themed roller coaster opened at Disneyland's California Adventure in 2011.

It was a remodel of the previous roller coaster attraction called "Mulholland Madness," which was named after the iconic Los Angeles street Mulholland Drive.

Hong Kong Disneyland added the "Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars" in 2012.

This roller coaster is exclusive to the Hong Kong theme park but somewhat resembles the "Big Thunder Mountain Railroad" in Disneyland and Disney World and the "Grizzly River Run" in California Adventure. 

The "Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars" ride can be found in Hong Kong Disneyland's Grizzly Gulch area, a $468 million expansion to the park that was inspired by landscapes like Yellowstone National Park, according to CNN.

In 2012, Cars Land opened in Disneyland's California Adventure theme park.

Cars Land, based on the Disney Pixar "Cars" movie, opened in June 2012 and is modeled to look like the fictional Radiator Springs of the film.

It contains three rides, two of which are spinning ones called "Mater's Junkyard Jamboree" and "Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters."

The land is also home to the "Radiator Springs Racers" ride, where guests go on cars that rocket around a racecourse at high speeds.

"Enchanted Tales With Belle" opened in Disney World in 2012.

The attraction called "Enchanted Tales With Belle" opened in Fantasyland in Disney World in 2012. It features a Belle character actor re-telling her journey from villager to princess.

As guests wait in line to enter the attraction, they get to walk through Belle's home, which features tons of cute details and items from her life.

Disneyland Paris added a "Ratatouille" ride in 2014.

The "Ratatouille" movie takes place in France, so it makes sense that the French Disneyland wanted to pay homage to the film.

In 2014, the park opened"Ratatouille: L'Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy." Roughly translated, it's "Remy's Totally Zany Adventure."

Guests get in cars shaped like rats to journey through Remy's adventures with video clips of the characters played on screens.

The ride is set to come to Disney World's Epcot around 2021, per the Miami Herald. 

The "Seven Dwarfs Mine Train" opened in Disney World in 2014.

Located in Disney World's Fantasyland, this "Snow White"-themed roller coaster travels both inside and outside, giving guests a cool view of the park.

It features animatronics of the dwarves and a realistic tipping feature of the train cars that will make riders feel like they're really in mining carts.

In 2016, this ride was also added to the Shanghai Disneyland park.

Epcot expanded its ride list in 2016 with "Frozen Ever After."

"Frozen" was such a hit for Disney in 2013 that it wasn't long before the theme parks wanted to capitalize on the fervor.

In 2016, "Frozen Ever After" opened in Disney World's Epcot theme park. The ride is a boat that takes you through Arendelle where animatronic figures of the popular movie characters talk to you and re-enact major scenes and songs.

A version of the ride is currently being built in Hong Kong Disneyland for a 2021 opening.

Shanghai Disneyland opened in 2016.

Shanghai Disneyland includes many of the same rides as the other parks, but it also has some exclusive ones.

These include a water ride called "Voyage to the Crystal Grotto" that takes guests through the main castle, a new one called "Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure," and a roller coaster called "TRON Lightcycle Power Run."

In 2017, The World of Avatar opened in Animal Kingdom.

Animal Kingdom, one of the lands in Disney World, has housed Pandora: The World of Avatar since May of 2017.

According to Fox News, construction on Pandora began in 2013 with an estimated cost of around $400 million. 

The themed area is based on the James Cameron movie "Avatar" and houses two rides: The 3-D flight-simulation ride "Flight of Passage" and the "Na'vi River Journey," which features the glowing plants and creatures from the movie on digital screens and via animatronics.

California's classic "Tower of Terror" was replaced by a high-flying drop ride in 2017.

California Adventure's elevator-drop ride "The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror" was remodeled into a "Guardians of the Galaxy"-themed ride in 2017.

Called "Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout!," it's still a drop ride, but it now contains videos and branding from the Marvel movie.

In 2018, California Adventure added Pixar Pier.

Disneyland doesn't have a Toy Story Land, but California Adventure didunveil Pixar Pier in 2018 and it includes a couple of "Toy Story" rides and attractions from other Pixar movies. 

Rides include "Toy Story Midway Mania!" and "Jessie's Critter Carousel," a "Toy Story"-themed carousel that replaced the "Little Mermaid"-themed one in April 2019. 

Also new to Pixar Pier is a re-branded Ferris wheel ride called "Pixar Pal-A-Round," which is the same as the previous iteration but with fresh imagery and designs.

Additionally an "Incredibles"-themed ride replaced the "California Screamin'" roller coaster in June 2018 to coincide with the release of "Incredibles 2."

It's one of Disney's fastest roller coasters, according to USA Today, and it also takes riders upside down. 

Pixar Pier is also home to a lift-and-spin ride based on "Inside Out." It's called the "Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind" and it opened in June 2019.

Hong Kong Disneyland added an "Ant-Man and the Wasp" ride in 2019.

"Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle!"opened in March 2019 and took the place of the "Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters."It is still an interactive shooting-game ride, but with an updated Marvel theme.

Paul Rudd, who plays Ant-Man in the films, attended the grand opening.

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge came to Disneyland and Disney World in 2019.

Both of the US Disney parks added a "Star Wars"-themed section this year. It's located near Frontierland in Disneyland and in Hollywood Studios at Disney World.

So far the land contains only one ride: "Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run," a simulation ride that lets guests fly the Millennium Falcon. 

Per Travel + Leisure, another ride called "Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance" is in the works,  and it will take guests on a 15-minute journey through an epic "Star Wars" battle.

Read More:

• Disneyland's hidden Starbucks sells special cups, treats, and villain-themed drinks. Here's what it's like inside.
• 10 of the biggest ways Disney parks around the world are different
• 12 of the most Instagrammable walls in Disney World

• New services are splitting pricey collectibles into tradable shares, allowing investors to eke returns out of cars, watches and even Japanese whisky.
• One service, Rally, began by splitting classic cars into 2,000 shares. It now offers shares of classic books, alcoholic beverages and sports memorabilia.
• Masterworks sells the chance to "invest in blue-chip artwork," according to its website. The service's current listing is an 1881 painting by Claude Monet.
• Visit the Business Insider homepage for more stories.

Investors have used stocks, bonds, options, and futures to grow their net worth for decades. A slew of new services is looking to add art, cars, wine, and books to that list of tradable assets.

Rally and Masterworks are two that split collectible assets into shares and sell them to traders. If the value of the asset changes, the shares' value changes in kind. Through the aforementioned firms, everyday investors can participate in trades once reserved for the wealthy.

The business relies on the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, a 2012 law that opened the door for companies to issue securities through crowdfunding instead of a major exchange. The offerings are regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, and both Rally and Masterworks work in partnership with brokerages reviewed by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

Here are 10 items sold or scheduled for sale through Rally and Masterworks, from a 1955 Porsche to a 2000 Banksy.

2002 Acura NSX-T

Current market cap: $110,000

Share price: $55

Last sale price: $128,800 on March 9

Offering status: Trading window in review

Provider: Rally

'Mona Lisa' by Banksy

Current market cap: $1,039,000

Share price: $20 ($1,000 minimum investment)

Last sale price: $938,000 on June 25

Offering status: Sold out

Provider: Masterworks

1910 Ty Cobb baseball card

Current market cap: $39,000

Share price: $39

Last sale price: $37,776 on December 15

Offering status: Tradable

Provider: Rally

Rolex GMT Master II 'Pepsi Jubilee'

Current market cap: $17,800

Share price: $8.90

Last sale price: $18,199 on August 13

Offering status: Funded, in lockup

Provider: Rally

1971 Muhammad Ali 'Fight of the Century' contract

Current market cap: $31,000

Share price: $15.50

Last sale price (for comparable asset): $24,000 on May 12

Offering status: Initial offering to come

Provider: Rally

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First Edition)

Current market cap: $72,000

Share price: $24

Last sale price: $101,562.50 on July 19

Offering status: Initial offering on November 15

Provider: Rally

'Coup de vent' by Claude Monet

Current market cap: $6,863,500

Share price: $20 ($25,000 minimum investment)

Last sale price: $6,075,720 on July 19

Offering status: Available

Provider: Masterworks

Suntory Hibiki 35-Year-Old Arita Edition whisky

Current market cap: $38,500

Share price: $19.25

Last sale price: $39,999 on August 26

Offering status: Initial offering to come

Provider: Rally

1955 Porsche 356 Speedster

Current market cap: $492,000

Share price: $246

Last sale price (for comparable asset): $479,000 on August 1

Offering status: Trading window in review

Provider: Rally

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak A-Series 'Jumbo'

Current market cap: $64,000

Share price: $32

Last sale price: $57,500 on October 29

Offering status: Initial offering to come

Provider: Rally

Now read more markets coverage from Markets Insider and Business Insider:

The IPO market is in a slump. Here's what a lawyer, venture capitalist, and startup CEO think about the funding environment.

Former Fed Chair Alan Greenspan says there's 'no point' for central banks to pivot to digital currency

Hedge fund firm Two Sigma just started selling a risk analysis tool, and it shows how secretive quants are now looking to make money sharing their tech

• Insider spoke to a New York City-based interior designer to see which holiday-decor items she would buy from Walmart right now. 
• One of her top seasonal picks is a pink-colored artificial tree that is 6 feet tall. 
• She also suggested a few other items including a giant pre-lit wreath, gold-rimmed cocktail glasses, and blue twinkle lights.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

'Tis the season to decorate for the holidays — and Walmart has a lot of affordable decor options to choose from.

To help narrow down the options, Insider spoke to New York City-based interior designer Megan Hopp to find out some of the best seasonal items to pick up at Walmart.  

Here are the holiday decorations an interior designer would buy at Walmart right now. 

A set of silver bristle-brush trees can make your home sparkle.

Hopp said she especially recommends using these to decorate for Hanukkah, Christmas, or in homes that celebrate both holidays. 

"These will look great paired together on a table or bookshelf,  or distributed throughout your home," she said.

Silver Tree Table-Top Christmas Decoration, Set of Six, $14

Deck the halls with a set of vintage-looking holiday ornaments.

Hopp told Insider that a set of vintage-inspired holiday ornaments is "as classic as they come." 

"The simple ball shape will have your tree looking extra crisp with a variety of colors and sparkle throughout," she added. 

Shiny Vintage Glass Ball Ornaments, Set of 12, $27.49

Hang your stockings with care using these gold hooks.

According to Hopp, stockings should be the focal point of a space without being too ornate or thematic. To achieve that look, she recommends these gold hooks because "they have a chic silhouette and simple elegance" about them.

Gold Stocking Holder, Set of Four, $13.99

This luxurious stocking comes in colors like green, ivory, and red.

Hopp said she loves decorating with stockings for the holidays, but she particularly likes these quilted velvet ones because of their "striking richness and texture" and luxurious-looking fabric.

Hand Quilted Velvet Stocking, $26.61

You can go big with this 4-foot wreath that comes with built-in lights.

When it comes to holiday wreaths, Hopp said you should go big or go home.

"In the case of a wreath, bigger is better," she told Insider. "An oversized wreath above your fireplace or dining table will create an instant showstopper focal point in the room, and take your holiday home decor to the next level."

48-inch Wreath with LED lights, $303.99

This set of cocktail glasses will add glitz and glam to your upcoming holiday party.

All holiday cocktails deserve a special glass since they can help visually elevate any drink, Hopp told Insider. 

Her pick is these gold-rimmed or silver-rimmed glass cups that offer an "extra dose of glitz" while still having a classic style. 

Better Homes & Gardens Metallic Rim Glasses, Set of Four, $14

You can spruce up your sofa with pillows that offer the right amount of holiday style without going overboard.

When it comes to home decor that is suited for the holidays, Hopp said she always tells her clients that anything too obvious (like a cushion featuring Santa Claus' face) will leave you with more of a theme rather than an ambiance or a feeling. 

She told Insider she suggests these red plaid pillows because "they have just enough holiday style while still fitting in right at home with your year-round decor."

Better Homes & Gardens Holiday Plaid Decorative Pillow, $12.87

This simple menorah combines gold-colored candle holders and white marble.

"This menorah is luxe with its marble stone base and striking sleek silhouette," Hopp said.

She told Insider her favorite part is the pairing of the gold and stone because it "makes for a beautiful standalone piece that's flexible to fit with a variety of home decor schemes."

Gold Menorah Candle Holder on Marble Base, $75.42

This small plate features a classic holiday design.

Made from fine ivory china, this plate earned top marks from Hopp because it's a "classic nod to Christmases past with its delicate and nostalgic border." 

"These plates will look great on their own, or paired with your everyday dishes to transform them into a holiday place setting," she said.

Lenox Holiday Butter Player, $14.99

Decorate with a pink tree instead of a green one for a whimsical twist.

"I still love an alternatively colored tree and this full pink tree is the absolute perfect shade of pink for those looking to have a rosy holiday," Hopp told Insider.

6-foot Pink Artificial Christmas Full Fir Tree, $84.99

This colorful candle smells like a candy cane.

Hopp told Insider that design is not just about what you see, but also what you smell — and she loves this festive-looking tin candle that has two wicks. 

"Who wouldn't want to small a candy cane? Not only a striking scent but this candle also comes in a beautiful modern jar designed to look like the candy," she added.

Voluspa Crushed Candy Cane Candle, $36

You can celebrate with a strand of blue twinkle lights.

Hopp said one of her biggest holiday-decorating faux pas is hanging outdoor lights inside, but this blue twinkle light set is an exception to the rule.

"Traditional holiday lights can be clunky and sloppy when used on the inside," she noted. "However, these blue twinkly lights will add a very delicate twinkle to your Hanukkah decor."

Blue Twinkle Light Set, $16.99 

This crystal-cut dessert stand will elevate your holiday treats.

Hopp told Insider this cake plate is perfect for displaying your favorite holiday treats.

"A special treat deserves a special plate, and this crystal-cut cake plate and dome is certainly that," she said. "The intricate design and crystal material make this cake plate perfect for any holiday."

Godinger Dublin Footed Cake Dome Plate, $81.22

Read More:

• Interior designers reveal the 12 biggest mistakes people make when decorating a bedroom
• 14 things an interior designer would buy at Dollar Tree right now
• We had interior designers critique 10 famous apartments from shows like 'Friends' and 'Gossip Girl'

• Bill Taylor and George Kent, two of the most significant witnesses against President Donald Trump, are testifying in the first public impeachment hearings on Wednesday.
• Taylor is Trump's chief envoy in Ukraine, and Kent is the deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs.
• Both men vividly detailed Trump's efforts to strong-arm Ukraine into delivering political dirt while holding up military aid and a White House meeting.
• We'll be covering the hearings live here.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The House of Representatives launched public hearings Wednesday into whether President Donald Trump should be impeached.

At the center of the impeachment inquiry are Trump's communications with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his repeated efforts to pressure Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son for corruption ahead of the 2020 election.

Trump also asked Zelensky to investigate a bogus conspiracy theory suggesting it was Ukraine, not Russia, that interfered in the 2016 election and that it did so to benefit Hillary Clinton's campaign.

The first two witnesses testifying this week are Bill Taylor and George Kent. Taylor is Trump's chief envoy in Ukraine, and Kent is the deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs.

You can watch the hearing below:

SEE ALSO: Everything you need to know about Trump's impeachment process: what's happened, who the players are, and what comes next

Taylor reveals new information, says his staff was told Trump 'cares more about the investigations of Biden, which Giuliani was pushing for'

Tweet Embed:
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1194646339142987776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
This, from William Taylor's prepared remarks, is new: pic.twitter.com/ZM4P2vknV6

Taylor highlights his 'astonishment' at Giuliani's 'alarming' shadow campaign in Ukraine

Taylor discussed his discovery that US policy in Ukraine seemed to consist of two channels, "one regular, and one highly irregular."

The irregular channel, he said, included Giuliani, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, US ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland, outgoing Energy Secretary Rick Perry, and the US's former Special Representative to Ukraine Kurt Volker.

He recounted his reaction when he found out that the White House meeting and security aid were conditioned on Zelensky delivering Trump the investigations he wanted.

"By mid-July it was becoming clear to me that the meeting President Zelensky wanted was conditioned on the investigations of Burisma and alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 US elections. It was also clear that this condition was driven by the irregular policy channel I had come to understand was guided by Mr. Giuliani," Taylor said.

"I and others sat in astonishment," Taylor said. "Ukrainians were fighting Russians and counted on not only the training and weapons, but also the assurance of US support."

He added: "In an instant, I realized that one of the key pillars of our strong support for Ukraine was threatened. The irregular policy channel was running contrary to the goals of long-standing US policy."

Taylor: Former US ambassador Masha Yovanovitch 'has been treated poorly' and was 'caught in a web of political machinations in Kiev and Washington'

Taylor began his opening statement by underscoring that it is in the US's interest to stop Russia's aggression toward Ukraine.

He also directly pointed to facts surrounding Trump's decision to withhold security assistance. He called the freeze "crazy" when he found out about it in September and said he believes the same now.

Taylor also strongly defended Yovanovitch and her record. He said Yovanovitch "has been treated poorly" as the result of being "caught in a web of political machinations in Kiev and Washington."

Kent slammed Rudy Giuliani for working with 'corrupt Ukrainians' and 'infecting' US policy in Ukraine

Kent opened by emphasizing his long record as a nonpartisan foreign service officer who served under both Republican and Democratic administrations.

He went on to say it was "unfortunate" to watch Americans, including those allied with "corrupt" interests in Ukraine, "launch attacks on public servants advancing US interests in Ukraine."

This was a reference to Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, who is accused of carrying out a smear campaign to engineer the removal of Marie Yovanovitch, the US's ambassador to Ukraine who was abruptly removed from her position in Ukraine.

Kent and others have testified that Yovanovitch was recalled based on false allegations and conspiracy theories pushed by Giuliani, who was furious Yovanovitch would not help him pressure Ukraine for dirt on the Bidens.

"In mid-August, it became clear to me that Giuliani's efforts to gin up politically motivated investigations were now infecting US engagement with Ukraine, leveraging President Zelensky's desire for a White House meeting," Kent said.

He added: The US should not "push other countries to engage in selective politically motivated prosecutions against opponents of those in power, because that undermines the rule of law."

GOP Rep. Devin Nunes: 'This is a carefully orchestrated media smear campaign'

Republican Rep. Devin Nunes, the ranking member on the committee, set the tone for the GOP by immediately calling Democrats corrupt and accusing the media of carrying out a "carefully orchestrated smear campaign" against the president.

Nunes said the investigation is a "horrifically one-sided process," and that Democrats conducted secret depositions. He did not mention that Republicans on the committees conducting the inquiry were allowed to attend.

He also lobbed attacks on the whistleblower whose complaint sparked the impeachment investigation. That individual, Nunes said, "is alleged to have had a bias against President Trump."

He was referring to the intelligence community inspector general's finding that the whistleblower is a registered Democrat.

Nunes did not touch on the fact that the majority of the whistleblower's complaint about Trump's July 25 phone call with Ukraine's president has been corroborated by a White House summary of call, Trump's own public statements, statements made by the acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, and a cascade of witness testimony.

"This spectacle is doing great damage to our country," Nunes said of the impeachment inquiry. "It is nothing more than an impeachment process in search of a crime."

Adam Schiff: 'The facts in the present inquiry are not seriously contested'

Rep. Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and the Democrat leading the impeachment inquiry, made a lengthy opening statement laying out the timeline of Trump's pressure campaign in Ukraine.

The goal of the investigation, Schiff said, is to determine whether Trump "sought to exploit" Ukraine's vulnerability and "sought to condition official acts," like military aid and a White House meeting, on Ukraine giving him political dirt on the Bidens.

If Trump did either, Schiff added, Congress needs to investigate "whether such an abuse of his power is compatible with the office of the presidency."

"The matter is as simple and as terrible as that," Schiff said. "Our answers to these questions will affect not only the future of this presidency, but the future of the presidency itself."

The California Democrat also suggested that Trump's order for witnesses not to cooperate with the inquiry constitutes additional grounds for impeachment related to obstructing Congress.

What Taylor and Kent testified to behind closed doors

Taylor and Kent are expected to vividly detail Trump's efforts to strong-arm Ukraine into delivering political dirt while holding up vital military aid and a White House meeting.

Taylor and Kent will also attest to the shadow foreign policy campaign that Giuliani, Sondland, Volker, and others spearheaded.

Kent has testified that Giuliani's efforts on Trump's behalf were not part of US foreign policy but instead a personal mission to get the president the dirt he wanted on Biden.

Taylor, meanwhile, directly confirmed a quid pro quo and said he learned that Sondland conveyed to a top Ukrainian official that Zelensky would not get the military aid or a White House meeting until he announced the politically motivated investigations that Trump demanded.

What's happened in the impeachment inquiry so far

Several government officials, including Taylor and Kent, have already testified to Congress behind closed doors, and their revelations paint a damaging portrait of a concerted effort across the administration to leverage US foreign policy to pressure Ukraine into acceding to Trump's demands.

They also outlined the lengths White House officials went to in order to conceal records of a July 25 phone call between Trump and Zelensky.

Witnesses have testified that Trump's allies — particularly Giuliani, Sondland, Volker, Mulvaney, and Perry — were part of an effort to condition security assistance to Ukraine and a White House meeting on Zelensky publicly announcing the investigations Trump wanted.

The president's defenders say he did nothing wrong and that this is a normal part of how diplomacy and foreign policy are conducted.

But national security veterans, legal scholars, and at times Trump's own officials who have testified have suggested his actions open him up to a variety of potential charges including abuse of power, bribery, extortion, misappropriation of taxpayer funds, and soliciting foreign interference in the upcoming election.

• Read more of Insider's impeachment coverage:
• Think Trump will get impeached? Gambling sites say the odds are in your favor
• Trump could be impeached, removed from office, and still win re-election in 2020
• Over half of the House of Representatives support the impeachment inquiry against Trump — see all of them here
• Everything you need to know about Trump's impeachment process: what's happened, who the players are, and what comes next

• A number of tourist destinations saw their popularity decrease in the past 10 years.
• Reasons for their drop-off can include economic woes, disasters, and political conflict.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Some spots will never be unpopular with tourists. 

You can count among such places the Grand Canyon, Times Square, the Eiffel Tower, and the Great Wall of China. Other places lost their attraction with tourists years ago, such as San Francisco's Sutro Baths or Reno, Nevada, which had a brief heyday starting in the 1930s.

Then there are other tourist attractions that were popular just a decade ago or even less but, for a variety of reasons, are simply no longer drawing the tourists they once did.

In some cases, tourist hotspots lose their luster because economics, with the surging cost of a visit keeping many travelers away. In other cases you have the woes of civil or military upheaval warding off would-be tourists. Disasters both manmade and natural have also curtailed visits to certain areas, while others have more intangible explanations.

Read on for seven tourist destinations that became less popular over the last decade.

The Times Square Toys R Us was gone even before the iconic retail chain shut down wholesale.

Though New York City's Times Square itself will always be a draw, the once beloved flagship Toys R Us store there closed down in 2015, unable to pay the rent for a 100,000-square-foot store despite attractions like an indoor Ferris wheel and life-size Barbie house.

Then, just three years later in 2018, the company announced that all Toys R Us stores would be following suit, and an emblem of childhood disappeared entirely.

The pyramids at Giza are often 'deserted' since annual tourism to Egypt cratered in the second half of the 2010s.

At their peak in 2010, Egypt drew some 14.7 million visitors annually, with many flocking to Giza to see the famous pyramids. By 2016, in the wake of revolts and revolution, followed by a coup and military takeover, tourism had fallen to an estimated 5.35 million visitors.

According to a writer from Al Jazeera, "exploring the site of the pyramids is like walking on the moon: It's deserted, forlorn and uninhabited. The Great Sphinx, stoic-faced and imposing, and the three looming pyramids surrounding it, are often empty and quiet."

Malta's once famous Azure Window collapsed in early 2017, eliminating the main reason tourists visited the area of the Maltese island of Goza.

For centuries, a natural arch towered more than 90 feet above the sea that crashed with vigor against the cliffs of the Maltese island of Goza. Then, in March 2017, the Azure Window, known as Tieqa tad-Dwejra in the local tongue, collapsed into Dwejra Bay during a powerful storm.

The disappearance of the once-famous arch left the stretch of coast with little claim to fame, though the archway is preserved in countless photos and videos, as well as an episode of HBO's hit series "Game of Thrones,"according to Time.

Dubai's The World islands are largely abandoned, and many are sinking back into the sea.

The World islands are an archipelago off the coast of Dubai composed of 300 islands resembling a world map.

Construction on the project, which began in 2003, involved dredging some 320 million cubic meters of sand.

Celebrities such as Richard Branson and Karl Lagerfeld did publicity for the project, and the resort-like islands looked to be another success story for the oil-rich United Arab Emirates.

Flash-forward to the present day, and only one of the planned 300 islands has been finished and opened to the public. According to one Guardian journalist, some reports state the islands are sinking back into the sea. The sole island currently open is themed after the nation of Lebanon.

Paris' once famous 'love lock' bridge, Pont des Arts, is now a regular bridge again after city officials removed 90,000 pounds of padlocks.

On June 1, 2015, Parisian city officials removed nearly a million padlocks from the bridge Pont des Arts, which spans the Seine river. The locks were putting a strain on the bridge, and one railing had even collapsed under the weight of the padlocks in 2014.

While still a functional walkway used by thousands of people daily, the bridge is no longer a destination for starstruck lovers who wish to leave a tangible testament to their love.

When Revel opened in 2012, it was the tallest building in Atlantic City. When it closed two years later, it was the shortest-lived casino in city history.

Revel, a casino and resort with nearly 1,100 rooms, more than a dozen restaurants, and a $2.4 billion price tag, looked like it was going to revitalize struggling Atlantic City.

Instead, after opening in April 2012 with a series of star-studded events and major fanfare, the casino immediately began losing money.

Within the same year, its finances were described as "dire" by State Senate President Steve Sweeney, according to Press of Atlantic City. And by September of 2014, both the Revel hotel and casino closed down.

International tourism to the US in general is slowing down in recent years, while other countries are enjoying significant increases in visitors.

In the year 2018, America saw a 2% increase in annual visitors from outside the nation, which might at first seem positive. But according to Forbes, it was a paltry increase compared to years past, and especially weak when contrasted with the growth of tourism in other regions.

Europe and Asia saw tourism increase by about 6% in 2018, while in the Middle East international tourism was up about 10%.

• Fourteen different songs have hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this year.
• "Thank U, Next" by Ariana Grande took the first top spot of the year. "Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi currently holds the title.
• Lil Nas X's"Old Town Road" charted at No. 1 for a historic 19 weeks.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

The Billboard Hot 100 is roundly recognized as the music industry's most reliable measure of song popularity. To score a No. 1 on the chart is a major accomplishment; to debut at No. 1 is even more rare.

This year has been especially interesting. After Selena Gomez's comeback ballad "Lose You To Love Me" surged to No. 1 in November, 2019 became the year with the most female artists to top the Hot 100 this decade.

Moreover, thanks to smash hits like Ariana Grande's "7 Rings" and Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road"— both of which dominated radio play and streaming numbers for an unprecedented stretch of weeks — only 14 songs have claimed the chart's top spot so far this year. They're listed in chronological order below.

"Thank U, Next" by Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande's 2018 single "Thank U, Next" continued its Billboard Hot 100 reign into the first week of 2019. It had already been No. 1 for six weeks, and the seventh was its last on top of the chart.

"Without Me" by Halsey

Halsey's"Without Me" took the No. 1 spot for two nonconsecutive weeks in 2019. It dethroned "Thank U, Next" for the second week of the year, and after briefly dropping to No. 2, it returned to the top of the chart the following week.

"Sunflower" by Post Malone and Swae Lee

"Sunflower," a 2018 single from the soundtrack of "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," was No. 1 on the chart for the third week of 2019.

"7 Rings" by Ariana Grande

"7 Rings" reigned on the chart for eight nonconsecutive weeks. After debuting at No. 1, it remained in the top spot for five weeks. After two weeks at No. 2, it returned to No. 1 for three more weeks.

"Shallow" by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper

"Shallow," the lead single from the soundtrack of "A Star is Born," peaked at No. 1 for one week in March following its win for best original song at the 2019 Oscars.

"Sucker" by the Jonas Brothers

"Sucker" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent one week on top.

"Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X

After spending just five weeks on the chart, Lil Nas X's unlikely hit "Old Town Road" surged 15 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 for its first week at No. 1 in April.

"Old Town Road (Remix)" by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus

After Lil Nas X added Billy Ray Cyrus to his remix of "Old Town Road," the new version displaced the original at No. 1. It went on to rule the chart for a record-breaking 19 weeks, the first song in history to do so.

"Bad Guy" by Billie Eilish

"Bad Guy" ended the historic reign of "Old Town Road" after spending nine weeks at No. 2 on the chart. It held the top spot for one week.

"Señorita" by Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello

"Señorita"climbed to No. 1 for one week after spending some time at No. 2. It became Shawn Mendes' first No. 1 song and Camila Cabello's second.

"Truth Hurts" by Lizzo

"Truth Hurts" spent seven nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 on the chart. It rose to the top spot in August, two years after its release, after Lizzo performed the song at the MTV Video Music Awards.

After six weeks at No. 1 and briefly losing the top spot, it reclaimed the title for one week— tying the record for a rap song by a female artist on the Billboard Hot 100.

"Highest in the Room" by Travis Scott

Travis Scott's"Highest in the Room" debuted at No. 1 and spent one week at the top of the chart.

"Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi

"Someone You Loved" hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in late October after performing well on international charts. After it was briefly unseated for one week, it returned to the top spot for the week of November 16.

"Lose You to Love Me" by Selena Gomez

"Lose You to Love Me" debuted at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 after Selena Gomez released the ballad midweek, which is unusual for an artist that's looking for chart success. Following its first full week of data tracking, however, it surged to the top spot and became Gomez's first-ever No. 1 hit.

• Read more:
• The most overrated songs this year, ranked by popularity
• The 52 best music videos of 2019 so far, ranked
• There are only 33 songs in history that have been certified diamond — here they all are
• Ariana Grande's 20 most popular songs on the chart, ranked

• McDonald's is testing a new Beyond Meat"PLT" plant-based burger.
• The burger is only available at 28 McDonald's locations in southern Ontario, Canada.
• I tried the burger, and found it wasn't as special as I had hoped.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Burger King has the Impossible Whopper. Dunkin' has the Beyond Sausage breakfast sandwich. Taco Bell, White Castle, Qdoba, and others have their own offerings, too.

And now, McDonald's has joined the plant-based craze taking over fast food.

Select McDonald's locations in Canada are now test-driving the "PLT" burger— that is, "plant, lettuce, and tomato"— using a Beyond Meat plant-based patty instead of traditional beef. The sandwiches, which debuted in late September, are available at 28 McDonald's restaurants in southern Ontario.

I happen to live in London, Ontario, home of many of the franchises offering the PLT. I recently decided to try the burger for myself, being an avid McDonald's eater and burger enthusiast. 

Although McDonald's is heavily promoting the burger, I found it to be a big disappointment. Read on to see what it was like.

SEE ALSO: I compared the meatless Beyond Burger with a beef burger from Shake Shack — and I know which burger I'd rather eat

DON'T MISS: It requires 22 ingredients for the Beyond Burger to replicate the taste and texture of a classic hamburger — here's what they are

McDonald's recently debuted its PLT burger at 28 locations in Ontario, Canada, including the one I visited in the city of London.

Everywhere I turned, I saw signs promoting the burger.

Given the hype, my expectations were high. The burger is made with a pea-based patty from Beyond Meat, and is topped with cheese, tomato, lettuce, onion, pickles, a mayo-based sauce, ketchup, mustard, and the quarter-pounder bun.

Sitting at $6.49 in Canadian dollars (or $4.93 in US dollars), it's comparable price-wise to most of the other burgers on the menu.

Although the burgers are plant-based, it's important to note they're not vegan — not only do they come with cheese and a mayo-based sauce, they're cooked on the same grill as meat-based menu items.

While the classic McDonald's meal features a burger and a side of fries, I ordered poutine — a Canadian staple.

The first thing I noticed was that the burger was extremely saucy. Before I had even taken my first bite, I had made a mess on my tray. Simply attempting to take the burger out of its box left me with ketchup, mustard, and mayo dripping onto my fingers and hands.

In fact, there were so many toppings I could hardly discern the taste of the patty.

Once I got past the sauce, it tasted pretty much like what you'd expect a vegan patty to taste like. Sampling a bare bite, I was able to really taste the savory flavor in the patty. It felt like eating protein, but definitely not a beef burger.

The patty itself tasted somewhat burnt, and the flavor was considerably muted compared to a beef burger. Similar to other plant-based burgers, the vegetable toppings made the burger feel heartier, although the taste of protein seemed more prominent in this patty.

Ultimately, the PLT is a run-of-the-mill plant-based burger. It's great to have on the menu, and it will likely attract some curious customers who might not otherwise eat at McDonald's. But considering that McDonald's is late to the game, it wasn't as special as I would have hoped.

• Kohl's is known for its perks that help customers save money.
• The department store offers many ways to save, from "Kohl's Cash" to a store credit card.
• We consulted a Kohl's shopping expert and deal finder who shops there at least twice a week, along with several blogs and online reviews, to figure out the best way to save when shopping at Kohl's. Here's what we found.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Kohl's has a loyal following, especially in the Midwest. 

The department store chain operates 1,100 stores across the country and is notable for its wide selection of merchandise, carrying everything from clothing to kitchen appliances.

Kohl's offers its customers multiple ways to save money, from coupons and "Kohl's Cash" to free shipping and price matching. Some deals are better-known than others, but we consulted a shopping expert in addition to online blogs and articles to find the best ways to save money when shopping at Kohl's, including savings hacks that most people don't know about.

Michelle Streeter is a Wisconsin-based deal finder who runs a blog called Midwest Coupon Clippers that she created in 2011. The blog has an associated Facebook page that covers Kohl's deals exclusively and it has over 54,000 likes.

A self-described avid Kohl's shopper who shops in the store and online at least twice a week, Streeter told us the best ways to save money when shopping at Kohl's. We also consulted several other shopping blogs and online reviews to find 15 shopping hacks for saving the most money at Kohl's.

Here's what we found:

SEE ALSO: We shopped at Kohl's and JCPenney, and both had real issues. Here's why I'd rather shop at Kohl's anyway.

SEE ALSO: Kohl's will open stores for Black Friday on Thanksgiving Day once again

1. You can combine — or stack — coupons and promo codes

There are various categories of discounts options at Kohl's, which include sitewide discount codes, discounts or coupons for a specific item or department, free shipping codes, and reward codes like Kohl's Cash.

Streeter said that one of the best ways for customers to save at Kohl's is to combine — or "stack"— up to four coupons per purchase to get the best value.

2. You can get $10 Kohl's Cash without spending $50

Streeter said that as long as your purchase is within $2 of the amount required to get Kohl's Cash, you will still qualify for it.

"Please note your total must be AFTER discounts and before tax or shipping charges," Streeter said. "So go ahead, spend $48.01 and earn that $10 Kohl's Cash!"

According to the online shopping blog Penny Pinching Mom, you can also combine receipts from different trips within a promotional period to get Kohl's Cash if your individual purchases do not hit the required number in one trip.

3. Expired Kohl's Cash can be still be used in some cases

If you have the physical voucher of your expired Kohl's Cash, you can still likely use it in stores if it has been expired for fewer than 10 days. 

Streeter said that if the cashier doesn't accept it, you can tell them to call corporate, and they'll likely say it is fine. 

"I have done this on numerous occasions even since they started to say they no longer will accept expired Kohl's Cash," she said.

4. Sometimes it pays to shop late at night or early in the morning

Kohl's occasionally runs night owl and early bird specials, where prices can be up to 25% lower than the average sale prices, Streeter said. These sales will usually run on Fridays until the store closes from 3 p.m. local time and on Saturdays from store opening until to 1 p.m. local time, Streeter said.

"Hot Tip: If you shop online, these hours will be extended," Streeter added. "I live in the Midwest (central time) so during Early Bird Sales I am able to shop online until 3pm CT."

Shopping blog Retail Me Not mentioned the time-bound discounts in a blog post and wrote "This event happens several times per month, too, so make sure you're watching for when these discounts happen."

5. You can retroactively get sales discounts if you miss it the first time

"As long as it is within 14 days of your purchase and the price dropped, just head to the Kohl's Service Desk for a price adjustment," said Streeter.

She added that this price-drop feature also includes competitors' prices as well. 

6. Kohl's will match competitors' prices if they are lower

If you find the same item for cheaper in another physical store, Kohl's will match that price if you can provide a print copy of an advertisement for the identical item. 

Kohl's stores will also match online prices from Kohls.com.

7. Shopping online can sometimes save you even more money

Kohl's sometimes runs online-only coupon codes, Streeter said. Additionally, discount shopping periods are often extended for online shoppers, giving customers a bigger window to save.

8. When it comes to Black Friday, online shopping is your best bet

Kohl's is starting its Black Friday sales at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day this year.

But according to shopping website The Krazy Coupon Lady, all the Kohl's Black Friday deals and doorbusters are generally available online, sometimes even earlier than in stores.

"Since you can earn Kohl's Cash in-store and online, there's absolutely no reason to go in," the website reads. "Unless you like crowds, chaos and not being the first one to the deals."

9. If you're a veteran, utilize military Mondays

Kohl's offers a 15% in-store discount for active and former military personnel, veterans, and their families every Monday. To be eligible, you must bring a valid military or veteran ID. 

10. And for customers over 60, Wednesday is the best day to shop.

Kohl's offers a 15% discount in stores every Wednesday to customers over 60 years old.

"Even better, you are able to stack these discounts with other department-specific saving coupons," said Streeter of the military and above-60 discounts.

11. Shipping can always be free, if you do it right

If you order items in stores at a kiosk or connect to the store's WiFi through the Kohl's app, you can get free shipping on your order.

"PLUS when you are connected to their WIFI [sic] through the Kohl's App sometimes a random percentage-off or $5 code will pop up to use!" Streeter said.

12. Use the Kohl's app to save more money in the store

The Kohl's app is designed to keep track of discount codes, gift cards, and Kohl's Cash. 

If you are shopping in the store and you can't find the right size, you can order the item through the app in the correct size and get free shipping.

Streeter says another great perk of the app is the ability to get notifications that include "Secret Sales" and "Mystery Offers."

13. Get the Kohl's credit card for even more savings

Streeter said that Kohl's credit card holders can get up to 30% off sitewide about 12 times a year. Any sale larger than that will include free shipping. 

Additionally, Kohl's credit card holders who spend $600 a year become "Most Valued Customers," which means they are eligible for offers like a birthday gift and free shipping events.

"If you shop at Kohl's often, their credit card may be for you," read a blog post on shopping blog Retail Me Not. "You'll get 20% off your first purchase right off the bat, and then you get a new coupon at least once a month for 15% to 30% off your purchase."

14. For non-Kohl's-credit-card holders, watch out for mystery savings

Streeter said that on the last day of a 30% off sale, customers on the store's email list will usually receive a "Mystery Savings Code," which is generally a 40%, 30%, or 20% off sitewide code.

15. Join the Kohl's reward program

The Yes2You rewards program lets customers earn one point for every dollar spent. Members also get a $5 reward for every 100 points earned and are eligible for a special birthday gift and events where they can earn bonus points.

"PLUS, several times a year [you can] earn double or triple rewards points," Streeter said. "Remember too that Yes2You rewards are earned on all purchase[s] like Kohl's Cash!"

• In June, Apple unveiled a new version of its Mac Pro computer that starts at $6,000.
• The new Mac Pro features an innovative, ambitious design that enables owners to replace components as they wish.
• The entire outer casing can be easily lifted, exposing the computer's costly innards.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

For the first time in six years, Apple is updating its wildly popular, wildly expensive Mac Pro line.

The new Mac Pro starts at a cool $6,000. It's a redesign from the previous "trashcan" model that Apple power users have been working with since June 2013, and this time it's modular. The massive handles on the top of the computer lift out of the body and spin, enabling owners to lift off the entire outer case — thus exposing the expensive, powerful innards.

In fact, the Mac Pro's unusual design caused Apple fans to immediately point out that it looks more like a cheese grater than a computer. Regardless, it's a major update to a computer that Apple power users swear by, and it's scheduled to arrive this December.

Here's everything we know so far about Apple's new Mac Pro:

SEE ALSO: The new Mac Pro is Apple's attempt to erase a design blunder that took it 6 years to fix

The 2019 Mac Pro is a major redesign.

The previous Mac Pro model looked like a small, futuristic trashcan — or maybe more like a jet turbine turned on its side?

Either way, it looked way different from this new iteration. (It's a bit of a throwback to an older Mac Pro.)

The new Mac Pro looks more like a classic desktop computer, albeit with a stainless-steel frame protruding from the top and bottom.

Its case is essentially a large, removable cover — by lifting the top handles and twisting them, you can remove the entire case in one fell swoop.

The new Mac Pro is modular, meaning its internals are easily swapped out for new, different hardware.

The design of the Mac Pro is intentionally built around utility.

"The space frame provides 360-degree access to the interior, as well as multiple mounting points for a variety of different components," Apple's former chief design officer, Jony Ive, said of the Mac Pro in the video introducing it.

Moreover, the logic board (read: motherboard) is extremely customizable — you can scale up or down on RAM, processing, storage, and everything else.

The new Mac Pro's specs are intended for professional work, not casual web browsing.

As if the "Pro" naming convention weren't direct enough, Ive drove the point home in the introductory video.

"We have created a new, high-performance Mac for our professional users," Ive said. "It's designed and engineered to enable a wide range of uses and virtually unlimited possibilities for customization."

In one example, the Mac Pro is seen as the driving force in a music production setting. In another, it's used for pro-quality video editing.

In short, Apple's $6,000 computer wasn't built for casual computing — it's intended for use in professional production settings, like music studios and film-editing suites.

It's got some beefy internals at the starting price, and can be scaled up to the extreme.

The package right out of the box is pretty powerful: an eight-core Intel Xeon processor, 32 GB of RAM, an AMD Radeon 580X graphics card, and a 256 GB solid-state drive.

Those internals can be scaled up dramatically, to a 28-core CPU, 1.4 terabytes (1,400 GB) of RAM, multiple GPUs, and 4 terabytes of storage.

Given that the base Mac Pro starts at $6,000, we expect the maxed-out version to cost substantially more — but Apple isn't saying how much just yet.

A new Mac Pro display is also scheduled to arrive this December, and it costs $5,000 unto itself.

That's right: $5,000 alone for the new "Pro Display XDR" for the Mac Pro.

Admittedly, it's a very capable display. Here are the specs, straight from those horse's mouth:

• 32-inch Retina 6K display
• P3 wide and 10-bit color
• 1,600 nits of peak brightness
• 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio
• "Superwide" viewing angle

If you're the type of person who knows what all of that means, you might also be the type of person in the market for this monitor.

But there's one catch ...

The display doesn't come with a stand — that costs $1,000 extra.

The stand above costs $1,000 by itself. Without it, the $5,000 Mac Pro display that Apple is selling does not stand up on its own.

Which is all to say one thing: The Mac Pro Display XDR actually costs $6,000, because the display requires a stand for use.

Additionally, a magnetic mounting kit (the "VESA Mount Adapter") costs $200.

You can get the Mac Pro with wheels, so it can be rolled around wherever you need it to go.

That's right: You can get wheels put on the bottom of the new Mac Pro, thus enabling the whole thing to be rolled around.

It's another nod to the utilitarian focus of the Mac Pro, right alongside the easily unlocked body (using the knob seen above, on the right).

Apple says the Mac Pro will go on sale this December. Check out the full unveiling of the new Mac Pro here:

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• I'm a die-hard fast food fan, from burgers to chicken sandwiches and everything in between. I also love Tex-Mex and Mexican food and have been known to indulge in a taco or two a week.
• Then how, you may ask, is it possible that I've never once been to Taco Bell? I asked myself the same question and decided to try out the fast-food chain for myself.
• The chicken quesadilla proved to be the standout item, along with the famous Crunchwrap Supreme. I also found the Mountain Dew Baja Blast to be the perfect complement to my meat-and-carb-filled bounty.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

I am a self-proclaimed fast food and Mexican food lover who's never been to Taco Bell. Yes, you read that correctly.

It's not that I've never been tempted to try out the California-based chain — its cheese-filled burritos have proven an irresistible siren call to many friends in the late-night hours. I, however, have never tried it.

Finally, after 22 years of narrowly avoiding the fast-food establishment, I decided to give it a try and order some of the chain's most iconic menu items for the very first time. 

For my first trip to the Bell, I ordered a few staples — a Burrito Supreme, a Crunchwrap Supreme, a chicken quesadilla, a Doritos Locos Tacos, and a side of guacamole and chips. I also ordered the famous Mountain Dew Baja Blast drink and picked up a few packets of mild and hot sauce

I was impressed by the ease with which I was able to order, and everything came out on par with what I expected, or even better. The chicken quesadilla came out on top as my new favorite fast-food menu item. However, the chips and guacamole belong in the penalty box. 

Here's what it was like to go to Taco Bell for the very first time.

SEE ALSO: I tried to order everything on Taco Bell's secret menu, and it was a total disaster

First, I set out on my quest with a clear vision of Taco Bell in my head. The closest Taco Bell was approximately an 8-minute walk from my building, so I zipped up my puffer coat and headed out.

When I arrived, I realized I was at a Taco Bell Cantina, which offers an expanded menu and can be found in urban locations across the country. Many of them serve alcohol, shareable appetizers, and offer a more restaurant-like experience.

Despite being at a "Cantina," I decided to stick with classic Taco Bell menu items you can order in any location. Right away, I was prompted to start ordering at one of the handy mobile kiosks inside.

I found the mobile kiosk easy to use. The handy top navigation bar was a great way to order exactly what I wanted.

I also had the option to order from the cashier and read off of one of the restaurant's screen menus.

In the end, I selected a variety of menu items. My total for four full-size menu items, chips, guacamole, and a large fountain drink came to $23.13 with tax. It was expensive, but I got enough food to feed at least three or four people.

The location I visited displayed order names on a screen mounted on the wall. This made it easy to see how far along my order was and when it was ready.

Seven minutes after placing my order, I was back out in the freezing temperatures of New York City, fighting to keep my food warm and my hands from going completely numb while holding the comically large cup of Baja Blast.

I unloaded my haul of fast food and checked out what I had brought back. Everything looked — and smelled — delicious.

The first item I decided to try was the Baja Blast. Right away, I was taken aback by the carbonation assault on my tongue. It tasted vaguely of Sprite, but more sour and artificial. It did make a nice palate cleanser between bites of fast food.

Next up, I bit into Taco Bell's Burrito Supreme. It comes with seasoned beef, onions, tomatoes, cheese, beans, reduced-fat sour cream, red sauce, and lettuce.

The first thing I thought when I bit into the tortilla-wrapped goodness was that it was mushy. However, the texture didn't completely ruin it for me.

I enjoyed the red sauce and thought that the sour cream added a tangy freshness to the otherwise heavy burrito. The tomatoes were decent. The lettuce, however, completely disappeared into the mush.

Up next, I tried the chicken quesadilla. Somehow, I had added sour cream to the quesadilla in the midst of my ordering — however, I definitely wasn't complaining. It added a whole new level of creaminess, balancing out the delightful crispiness of the tortilla.

The chicken quesadilla blew my mind. It was the spiciest item that I tried without adding any hot sauce, but I thought it had the perfect amount of kick. The chicken was perfectly shredded, and warm jalapeno sauce and sour cream oozed out of the tortilla's folds in the most delicious way imaginable.

I was very excited to try the Crunchwrap Supreme next. Probably one of Taco Bell's most famous menu items, the Crunchwrap Supreme combines a hard taco with a soft outer shell, all the while stuffed to the brim with beef, cheese sauce, tomatoes, lettuce, and sour cream.

They don't call it "supreme" for nothing. My first thought after biting into the large folds of the flat burrito-taco hybrid was that it would make the perfect on-the-go meal. The folded tortilla kept the delicious fillings together, and I found the crunchy inner layer delectable.

By this time, a slight fast-food headache was setting in. I switched to the guacamole and chips, hoping for a lighter option.

The chips were a hard pass. They were bland, somewhat stale, and definitely didn't measure up to restaurant-style chips. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I had somewhat higher hopes. The guacamole was watery and a little fake-tasting. A side of guacamole and chips at Taco Bell only costs $1.89, and it tastes like it.

After a few sips of Baja Blast to cleanse my palate from the taste of stale chips and watery guacamole, I made my way over to the Doritos Locos Tacos. It looked nothing like the advertisement, but I was nevertheless excited to taste the iconic Taco Bell item.

This taco is famous for a reason. I love Doritos and I love tacos so, of course, I was going to love this. However, while I love the cheesy crunch of the chip, Doritos do not make sustainable taco shells. Before I could even take a full bite, the taco had fallen apart. The cheesy, finger-licking goodness made up for it, though.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by my first trip to Taco Bell. I didn't have to wait long, and almost everything I ordered met or exceeded my expectations. I would definitely return to Taco Bell again — and order sour cream on my chicken quesadilla.

• Venice, Italy, is facing its annual flooding season. Water levels peaked at 4 feet, 3 inches (1.27 meters) on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. 
• It's high-water season in Venice, meaning that heavy rains and high tides cause the lower parts of the city, including the tourist area of St. Mark's Square, to flood. 
• Many hotels carry rain boots for tourists as preparation during high-water season, which usually lasts from autumn through early spring.
• City officials also put up wooden catwalks so people can still get across Venice without walking through the floods.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

High-water season is back in Venice, Italy, where tourists and Venetians donned rubber boots and walked on catwalks to avoid being soaked in the historical city's flooded streets on Tuesday.

Venice's tide forecast office told the Associated Press that water levels peaked at 4 feet, 3 inches (1.27 meters) on Tuesday morning, but the tides were expected to rise overnight.

The city's high water season usually lasts from autumn through early spring. Flooding is most likely to affect the lowest parts of the city, including the tourist area of St. Mark's Square.

When the city floods, water invades homes, businesses, cafes and more. On Tuesday, nursery schools were closed by officials as a precaution.

Forecasts in the region suggest that rain is expected to continue for the next several days, which could mean more floods for the city.

In the meantime, Venice officials have erected wooden catwalks in severely flooded areas to provide safety for people trying to get from place to place.

Here are photos of Tuesday's flooding, and how residents and tourists alike faced the high tides.

Residents and tourists donned rain boots and carried umbrellas as they walked through the city on catwalks raised on high stilts.

The sea level around Venice has risen by a little more than 10 inches since 1870. At the same time, the land has continued to sink at a rate of 2 to 3 millimeters per year. 

Source: Associated Press

The phenomenon of high water, locally known as "acqua alta," happens annually in Venice, most often in late autumn through early spring.

Source: Associated Press

Water levels peaked at 4 feet, 3 inches (1.27 meters) in some parts of the city on Tuesday morning.

Source: Associated Press

Many hotels provide disposable rain boots to tourists so they can still enjoy the city.

Source: Associated Press

Venice authorities warn people of rising water with a siren that sounds across the city.

Source: Associated Press

St. Mark's Square was closed to the public while the area faced flooding on Tuesday.

When it's dry, the square is a gathering ground for pigeons, who feast on scraps from tourists. 

Source: Associated Press

Despite St. Mark's Square being closed, some people braved the flood waters to get across the city in places without raised catwalks.

Source: Associated Press

Ducal Palace, a tourist hotspot just off St. Mark's Square, remained open "despite exceptional tide." It urged visitors to use rickety raised walkways to reach it.

Source: Associated Press

Tourists visit Venice year-round, even during the "acqua alta" floods.

Source: Associated Press

And Venice is used to the flooding. Many businesses continue their day-to-day activities despite the water.

Source: Associated Press

But the saltwater that's been flooding Venice is eroding the foundations of buildings across the historical city.

Source: Associated Press

Forecasters said more water is expected overnight on Tuesday. In 2018, 75% of the city was under water because of the annual floods.

Source: Associated Press, Insider

The highest "acqua alta" Venice has ever recorded was in November 1966, when floods hit 6 feet, 4 inches (1.94 meters).

Source: Associated Press

Venice has been trying to stop the flooding for more than a decade with a $6.5 billion infrastructure project that has been plagued with scandal and criticism.

Source: Business Insider

The infrastructure plan, called Mose, includes creating a series of underwater barriers that would prevent flooding when the tide hits 43 inches.

In 2014, Venice's former mayor Giorgio Orsoni was arrested following a corruption scandal over the development of the project. The project is intended to act as a barrier to prevent high waters from encroaching on the city, Corruption and bribery have caused the project to stall out. 

Source: Insider

• A California couple's wedding photos have gone viral after they celebrated their marriage by having a "first toke" together. 
• A blogger who goes by Coral Reefer and her husband Mio lit up their custom "Mr and Mrs" bongs for some smoke-filled wedding pictures taken by photographer Rachel Artime. 
• Coral told Insider that cannabis played a major part in her wedding day, even appearing in her bouquet. 
• The couple also had an RV where a "professional budtender" was on hand to help guests who wanted to light up or take a bong hit. 
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

From the bouquet and party favors, to the officiant and bride's entrance song, just about every element of one California couple's wedding incorporated cannabis. 

And when it was time to take their wedding photos, cannabis blogger Coral Reefer (her chosen name, which includes a marijuana pun) and her husband Mio knew they didn't want to go the traditional route. Instead, the couple celebrated their new union by having a "first toke" together, lighting up custom "Mr and Mrs" bongs for some smoke-filled wedding pictures taken by photographer Rachel Artime. 

Insider learned the story behind the viral photos from the Santa Cruz wedding.

A cannabis blogger who goes by the name Coral Reefer and her husband Mio first met in kindergarten and were best friends for years before they moved to different schools.

They had mutual friends throughout junior high and high school, but it wasn't until 2015 that Coral and Mio actually reconnected. 

Mio had invented a cannabis product and his partners reached out to Coral about promoting it on her popular YouTube channel, which has more than 100,000 subscribers. 

"I was much more interested in getting some alone time with Mio," she told Insider. "We announced our relationship in January 2016. Both of our families were overjoyed to hear that we had reconnected and fallen in love." 

Mio proposed to Coral on a beach in Davenport, California, in October 2018.

Coral said Mio had insisted that they spend the day searching for sea glass, one of her favorite activities. 

"While I was looking in tide pools, he got down on one knee and pulled out the ring," she recalled. "He called over to me that he had 'found the best one!' and I rushed over to see what sea glass had washed up." 

"Instead I found the perfect solitaire diamond ring in a ring box, with Mio asking me to be his wife." 

Coral and Mio always knew that cannabis was going to play a big part in their wedding day.

Coral said she had been writing about cannabis for 10 years when she realized that there was a "severe lack of positive cannabis representation for women." So, she decided to start her own YouTube series — which she dubbed "Stoney Sunday"— in 2010. 

"I spoke for cannabis enthusiasts and patients who felt afraid to use their own voice, and I asked questions about cannabis news, laws, and research," she said.

While she now works as an independent glass artist, Coral said cannabis still plays a huge part in her and Mio's life. 

"My husband has used cannabis medicinally for years and years, and I've also found so much relief from PTSD symptoms by medicating with cannabis," she said. "I couldn't imagine the stress or celebration of our wedding without toking how we were most comfortable." 

"We've taken smoking photos on nearly all of our trips and biggest and best days together so far, how could we skip our wedding day?" 

Coral and Mio found photographer Rachel Artime on Instagram and thought her "moody and expressive style" would fit in perfectly with their cannabis wedding.

"I knew I wanted to book her right away," Coral said. "Literally less than a month after we got engaged, and before we even had our venue, we booked Rachel and set up our engagement photo shoot." 

About halfway through that first shoot, the couple asked Artime if they could light up a few joints for some of their engagement photos. 

"Those photos became some of my favorite from the day, and sealed the deal on the notion of taking time for weedy wedding photos," Coral said.

When Coral found out that Mio had ordered custom "Mr and Mrs" bongs, she knew she wanted to incorporate them into their wedding photos as well.

The couple decided to use their new handmade RooR bongs during their "first look" moment. 

"We wanted the elegance and aesthetic to be cohesive with the rest of our wedding plans, and Rachel was onboard with our vision," Coral said. 

"I always say that your wedding photo is about you and your love story," Artime told Insider. "So I am team for anything! I loved the uniqueness Coral and Mio brought to wedding photos. Wedding photos can get repetitive, I loved the new twist!"

The "first toke" photos were Coral's "absolute favorite moment" from the entire day.

After posing with their bongs for a few shots, Coral and Mio lit up. 

"The smoke made the photos look moody, romantic, and slightly haunting," Artime said. "I was very into it. But I only had one chance to get the shot!"

Coral said the moment was extra special because it was the first time she and Mio saw each other on their wedding day.

"We typically spend mornings getting ready together, and I just missed him so desperately that day with all the hustle and bustle of getting ready for a wedding," she said. "I was so eager to get back to him, and so excited to show him my wedding dress — it had been a hard secret to keep!" 

"Rachel scouted a great location for our 'first look' moment," she added. "The serenity of being surrounded by trees while we had a few moments together before the ceremony began was priceless." 

Coral said cannabis was a part of the wedding from start to finish. It even appeared in her bouquet and Mio's boutonniere.

"My bouquet had fresh cut nugs and leaves of Kush Cake and Grape Ape tucked into roses, and Mio's boutonniere was a big fresh cutting of the Kush Cake," Coral said.

"Our guests kept telling my husband how great he smells!" 

The couple also had a parked RV that their wedding guests could step into if they wanted a "bong hit, toke from the pipe, or a dab of cannabis concentrate" during the day.

Coral said there was even a "professional budtender" in the RV to answer any questions that the guests might have had. 

"We wanted our industry friends to be comfortable celebrating how they know we usually do, and we still wanted it to be welcoming for first-timers, like a former law enforcement family member and even a grandparent or two!" she added. 

Coral even walked down the aisle to a "cannabis-infused love song."

She made her entrance to an acoustic version of "Bowl for Two," by the Expendables. 

Coral and Mio also selected comedian Ngaio Bealum, a "cannabis community celebrity," as their officiant.

"He joked about losing the rings at the altar and only finding weed in his pockets," she said. "Our guests loved it!"

Coral and Mio's wedding photos have since gone viral, racking up tens of thousands of views as well as headlines across the globe.

"I'm so happy so many people are getting joy from our wedding photos!" Coral said. "It's surprising, but I think people are getting a kick out of our photos because it's something they've wanted to do too!" 

"People around the world have celebrated with cannabis for generations and generations, but we've been led to think it's something to be ashamed of," she added. "We didn't have to roll a joint so there was no glass as evidence. We got to enjoy our wedding day exactly how we wanted — and I think a lot of people are celebrating that with us."

Artime believes the photos have also gone viral because they break with the usual tradition and structure of a wedding.

"I think the shock of seeing a bong at a wedding caught people's attention," she said. "My goal as a photographer is for each couple to feel captured and seen, and for viewers to feel the couple's personality." 

"I hope in 50 years, when they look back at my photos, they think 'Yup, that's us! That's what our love feels like."'

Coral said seeing people's positive reactions to her and Mio's wedding photos "really means so much to us."

"I'm so glad the conversation around cannabis worldwide can be positive," she said. "And even a bit romantic."

• Read more:
• 2 brides lifted a 253-pound barbell together after exchanging vows to celebrate their marriage
• A couple used a bird of prey as the ring bearer for their adults-only castle wedding, and the photos are going viral
• A couple got married in the middle of the California wildfires, and their photographer calls it the 'new normal for wine country'
• A bride and groom ordered $450 of Domino's pizza for their wedding meal because they 'couldn't decide on food'

We rounded up the 11 best sales and deals happening online today, with savings on Adidas sneakers and sportswear, Casper pillows, Dyson stick vacuums, Ecovacs robot vacuums, and more.

Deals in this story are subject to change throughout the day. The prices listed reflect the deal at the time of publication. For even more deals and savings across the web, check out Business Insider Coupons.

The best sales and deals happening today at a glance:

• Save 25% on almost everything at Adidas
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• Save $200 on Dyson Cyclone V10 Vacuums at Best Buy
• Save up to 25% on Ecovacs Deebot Robot Vacuums and get a free Echo Dot

SEE ALSO: The best mattresses you can buy

DON'T MISS: I got my teeth straightened through an online service called Candid for under $2,000 — here’s how it works

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While having a good mattress is key to getting a good night of sleep, pillows are equally important and Casper is having a sale on its comfortable pillows. Now through November 15, you can save 20% on two or more pillows by using the promo code "FLUFF" at checkout. 

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Now through November 17, you can save up to 40% on thousands of items at Nordstrom. The sale includes great deals on clothing, shoes, accessories, and a lot more for the entire family. To help you shop the sale, we rounded up the 53 best deals during the Nordstrom Fall Sale now. 

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Dash Rapid Egg Cooker, $14.99 (Originally $19.99) [You save $5]

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Best Buy has been rolling out early doorbuster Black Friday deals ahead of the shopping holiday, and right now, today's deal is on Dyson vacuums. Until 11:59 p.m. CT today, you can save $200 on the Cyclone V10 stick vacuums.

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Having a robot vacuum is the most efficient way to keep your home tidy in between thorough cleanings. As an Amazon Deal of the Day, you can save 25% on the Ecovacs Deebot 771S and 601 Robotic Vacuums and get a free Echo Dot (3rd generation). Each device has Wi-Fi connectivity, motion-sensing technology, and can be controlled by Alexa or the Ecovacs app on your smartphone. 

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Weighted blankets are becoming an increasingly popular method for reducing stress and getting a good night of sleep — and the popular Gravity Blanket is on sale now. For a limited time, you can save 25% sitewide with the promo code "HOLIDAY2019" at checkout. In addition to the original Gravity Blanket, the sale also includes travel blankets, weighted sleep masks, aromatherapy pillows, and more. 

10. Save 20% on OXO Smart Seal containers and glass bakeware

Shop the OXO sale now. 

Thanksgiving is a few weeks away, and if you're planning on preparing a big feast, you're going to need lots of containers to prepare food and store all those leftovers. Now through December 8, you can save 20% on all OXO Smart Seal containers and glass bakeware automatically. Instead of struggling with the mismatched containers and lids in your cabinet, this is a good opportunity to save on new high-quality containers.

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• Notion is an enterprise software startup that offers an "all-in-one workplace" to help you keep your work management tools, like Slack and Google Docs, organized.
• With over a million users, the company has garnered some buzz in Silicon Valley's investor scene, so much so that VCs were showing up at the company's former office asking to invest.
• Notion has since moved into a new office space, and to avoid any unexpected visitors, the company decided to keep its address hidden from Google Maps.
• We paid a visit to Notion's "hidden" new office in San Francisco's Mission District, where employees take their shoes off before entering, walk around in socks on heated floors, and drink Kombucha on tap in a high-ceilinged building that was once a garage.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

What do you do when your startup has drummed up so much buzz that VCs come literally knocking on your door clamoring to invest? Don't tell Google your new address when you move into a new office.

Silicon Valley investors have aggressively sought after Notion, an enterprise software startup that offers an "all-in-one workplace" to help you keep your work management tools, like Slack and Google Docs, organized.

Why the hullabaloo? With over a million users, including Hearst Media, and being the go-to platform for thousands of startups, Notion has lofty goals for its product to become "as ubiquitous as Microsoft Office," CEO Ivan Zhao told Business Insider in an interview earlier this year.

VCs apparently picked up on the hype and started showing up at the company's former office location inquiring about investing. So when the software company moved to a new building four months ago, Notion kept its address on the down-low.

Notion's new office is in the same neighborhood it's been all along: the city's Mission District. And the workspace has all of the fixings of a Silicon Valley startup competing for the region's tech talent with out-of-the-box office perks.

Employees take their shoes off when they come into work, walk around in socks on heated floors, and drink Kombucha on tap in a century-old garage-turned-office, complete with exposed brick walls and natural light.

Zhao said he had a lot of say in how the space was going to look and feel. "If we're going to make software for other people, it should feel more chill," Zhao told Business Insider.

Take a look inside.

SEE ALSO: Inside Gusto's brand-new San Francisco headquarters, where employees work on living room furniture and take off their shoes at the door

Notion's office sits in San Francisco's Mission District, a historically Latinx part of town where trendy retailers and apartments housing tech workers have flocked in recent years.

But the neighborhood hasn't gained as much notability for housing tech offices — that reputation belongs mostly to downtown and the city's SoMa district, just north of the Mission District.

Notion, however, is one of the Mission's long-time office tenants.

About four months ago, CEO Ivan Zhao moved his 25-strong team from another Mission office to this new, "secret" location wedged among residences along a tree-lined street.

Zhao himself moved to the neighborhood seven years ago, he said, and his goal for the company has always been to stay in the community.

"It just feels more cozy," Zhao told Business Insider. He said he's able to walk to work.

Apart from the company's unique neighborhood of choice, Notion's workspace has all the fixings of a Silicon Valley startup vying for the best of the region's tech talent with non-traditional office perks.

Strict dress codes are waived, and employees take their shoes off when they enter. Zhao said he grew up in a household with a no-shoes policy.

Most Notion employees wandered around in socks, with some opting for slippers of some kind.

Either way, the floors are outfitted with radiant heating to keep workers' feet toasty.

And foot cushions were placed beneath most desks for workers to prop their feet on.

Employees work at desks grouped together in rows against one wall.

A couple of office mascots keep them company.

The nature of the building takes the open floor concept to the next level.

The structure used to be a garage, with part of it serving as an apartment to a family with five kids and two dogs.

The former garage's high ceilings and natural lighting make for a modern, cozy vibe.

A communal dining area of picnic-style tables sits behind the rows of desks so workers can eat together.

But another, perhaps more enticing, lunchtime option is venturing out into the Mission's signature burrito scene.

"I know all the burrito spots," Zhao said. "I think that everybody in the company knows all the burrito spots."

And of course, there's Kombucha on tap.

The company's former Mission location is where they had some venture capitalists showing up wanting to invest.

The company politely declined time and time again, though Zhao told Business Insider in a previous interview in early 2019 that he isn't "anti-VC."

Source: Business Insider

Notion accepted an undisclosed amount of venture capital in a seed round and has been profitable for over a year now.

Source: Business Insider and TechCrunch

And this summer, Notion announced that it was raising $10 million in a new funding round with an $800 million valuation.

Source: Business Insider

The extra capital was used to close out convertible notes, a form of short-term debt financing, that were given to early investors.

Source: Business Insider

The company is also still focused on maintaining a small team. Despite the low headcount, however, Zhao said this new office space is not quite big enough for company operations.

So he and his team are already on the lookout for a new office location in, unsurprisingly, the Mission.

"You walk by and there are still truly neighborhood people," Zhao said.