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Walmart has already launched early deals in anticipation of Black Friday — here's what's on sale now and what to expect on November 29

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IP Black Friday Walmart Deals 4x3

Black Friday is coming up quickly, but for some retailers like Walmart, the big holiday sales event has begun early.

Online and offline, Walmart is one of the most popular retailers to shop during Black Friday. This year, you can once again expect great deals on all the products you need for gifting and personal use

The best early Walmart Black Friday 2019 deals:

  1. HP 14 Laptop, $399 (originally $599) [You save $200] 
  2. Apple iPad (6th Gen) 128GB Wi-Fi, $329 (originally $429)[You save $100] 
  3. Apple AirPods with Charging Case, $144 (originally $159) [You save $15] 
  4. Powerbeats3 Wireless Earphones, $119 (originally $200) [You save $81] 
  5. KitchenAid Classic Plus 4.5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer, $199 (originally $279)[You save $80] 
  6. Shark Ion Robot Vacuum Cleaning System, $269 (originally $449)[You save $180] 
  7. Google Home Mini, $25 (originally $49)[You save $24]
  8. Google Smart Light Starter Kit, $29 (originally $55)[You save $26] 

How we selected the best deals at Walmart:

  • We only chose products that meet our high standard of coverage, and that we've either used ourselves or researched carefully.
  • We compared the prices against other retailers like Target and Amazon and only included the deals that are the same or better (not including promotional discounts that come from using certain credit cards).
  • All deals are at least 20% off, with the occasional exception for products that are rarely discounted or provide an outsized value.

Why we selected these particular deals:

walmart black friday deals 10

Apple iPad (6th Gen) 128GB Wi-Fi, $329 (originally $429) [You save $100] Best Buy and Target are also selling this 2018 model, 6th generation iPad, but you'll get the best Black Friday price at Walmart. It may not be the newest iPad, but it's still the best one you can buy because it has nearly all the same features as the more expensive iPad Air — just an older processor. The 6th-gen iPad features a sharp screen, high-end metal design, Apple Pencil support, a Touch ID fingerprint sensor, and a generous 128 GB storage. 

Walmart Black Friday 2019 FAQs:

Is Walmart open on Thanksgiving?

Walmart will be open on Thanksgiving, with stores operating at regular hours. Check your local Walmart store's hours to see what time it opens on Thanksgiving. 

When does Walmart's Black Friday sale start? 

Walmart has already launched its "Early Deals Drops," which you can shop below. We'll be showing you more of all the best deals here as we learn about them.

Last year, Walmart opened its doors at 6 p.m. local time on Thanksgiving (November 22), but online deals on products like LED TVs and laptops began showing up as early as November 8. The bulk of official Black Friday deals went live one day before Thanksgiving. 

What should you buy?

According to shopping experts, the best deals will be on the following products: TVs, smart home devices, gaming consoles, video games, and kitchen appliances. 

Here's where you can find the top brands in each of those categories on Walmart's website: 

Walmart Black Friday deal predictions

Many of the same products go on sale every year, so you can use the following as a cheat sheet to Walmart's deals this year. Note: The information reflects last year's prices. 

Learn more about Black Friday deals and shopping tips: 

Shop the best of Walmart's Early Deal Drops:

Early Black Friday laptop and tablet deals at Walmart



Early Black Friday headphone and speaker deals at Walmart



Early Black Friday kitchen deals at Walmart



Early Black Friday home deals at Walmart



Early Black Friday smart home deals at Walmart



Early Black Friday video game deals at Walmart



See more Black Friday sales and deals




13 celebrities who disappeared in the last 10 years

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frankie muniz nicole richie jamie lynn spears

  • Nicole Scherzinger, Frankie Muniz, and more stars commanded airwaves and TV screens in the 2000s.
  • But over the past decade, they went MIA. It's now a rarity to hear their names mentioned in Hollywood or see them appear in big-name projects.
  • Insider rounded up a list of 13 celebrities who were popular in the aughts, but left the spotlight in the past ten years.
  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

While some celebrities never take a break from their bustling careers, others do just the opposite. Sometimes, even A-listers decide to take a break from the limelight and seemingly retreat back into a life of normalcy. From chart-topping singers, to blockbuster film actors, there's a number of stars who have seemingly disappeared in the last decade.

Here are 13 celebrities who you will undoubtedly remember, but probably haven't seen much of in the past ten years.

Nicole Scherzinger rose to fame as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls.

After the girl group split up in 2010, Scherzinger became noticeably absent from the music scene.

However, she could potentially become a household name again now that she's a judge on Fox's competition series "The Masked Singer" and reportedly reuniting with the Pussycat Dolls for a 2020 reunion tour



Taylor Lautner rose to prominence as the werewolf Jacob Black in the "Twilight" film franchise.

After the final movie's release in 2012, Lautner's film appearances were far and few between.

While he starred in one film, "Abduction," in 2011, and had a main role on season two of Fox's "Scream Queens" in 2016, he didn't keep up the same momentum as his "Twilight" costars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson this decade. 



Miranda Cosgrove was one of the most popular child actors on Nickelodeon in the 2000s.

Cosgrove starred as Megan on "Drake and Josh" from 2004 to 2007. She then went on to land the titular role on "iCarly," which ran from 2007 to 2012. 

While we haven't seen Cosgrove hit the big or small screen in recent years, you may have heard her this decade — she voiced the character Margo in the "Despicable Me" movies. 



Flavor Flav is a reality star and rapper who was popular in the aughts.

The rapper rose to prominence as a member of hip-hop group Public Enemy, but he became a reality TV sensation thanks to "Flavor Of Love," which ran from 2006 to 2008. A year later, Flavor Flav performed at the 2009 VH1 Hip Hop Honors.

While Public Enemy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this decade in 2013, Flavor Flav has otherwise maintained a low profile.



Clay Aiken finished second on "American Idol" in 2003, and went on to be a bigger star than the season two winner.

Aiken went multi-platinum with his debut album, "Measure of a Man," released in October 2003. He continued to release music throughout the 2000s, but largely fell out of the public eye after putting out 2012's "Steadfast," an album of previous recordings and songs only sung in concerts.



Ryan Cabrera's debut single "On The Way Down" was everywhere in 2004.

While he never reached the same level of success in the 2010s as he did in the 2000s, Cabrera does have new music. His latest single, "Inside Your Mind," was released in August 2019.



Frankie Muniz became one of America's favorite child stars after he was cast in the Fox sitcom "Malcolm in the Middle."

Muniz is now happily married and has held down several smaller film gigs since the last episode of "Malcolm in the Middle" aired in 2006.



Leona Lewis became an overnight sensation with her hit 2007 song "Bleeding Love."

While critics and fans loved her debut album, her 2009 follow-up "Echo" didn't have the same viral appeal. 

The British singer is still performing, although her shows mostly take place around the UK. She married Dennis Jauch in 2019.



Susan Boyle captivated audiences when she appeared on "Britain's Got Talent" in 2009.

Other than a brief appearance on "America's Got Talent: The Champions" in February 2019, she has maintained a relatively low profile throughout the decade. 



Bret Michaels became a recognizable pop culture figure thanks to his band Poison and his reality show "Rock of Love."

In the past 10 years, Michaels has been doing what he does best — playing shows for a niche audience comprised of day-one Poison fans. His days on reality television, however, are long over.



Andy Milonakis is best known for creating and starring in MTV's "The Andy Milonakis Show."

After the show was killed in 2007, Milonakis continued making parody videos, but in recent years, it seems as though he's disappeared from the spotlight entirely — although he still has a niche following online. His YouTube channel currently boasts 534K subscribers. 



Jamie Lynn Spears proved she was more than just Britney Spears' younger sister with roles on Nickelodeon shows "All That" and "Zoey 101."

Spears was one of Nickelodeon's standout stars, but her career was put on hiatus when, at the age of 16, she became pregnant with daughter Maddie Briann Aldridge. 

Since welcoming her first child in June 2008, Spears has largely been missing from the public eye, although she did launch a career in country music in 2013.

She'll hopefully be coming back to television in a big way soon, though. Netflix announced in July that Spears was cast as a series regular in the upcoming romance drama series "Sweet Magnolias," based on the novel series by Sherryl Woods.



Nicole Richie rose to fame on the Fox reality TV series, "The Simple Life," alongside childhood best friend Paris Hilton

The reality series was a major hit when it aired from 2003 to 2007, but after the series ended, she became more noticeably removed from the public eye.

She went on to marry Good Charlotte frontman Joel Madden in 2010, whom she shares two children with.

While Richie has appeared as herself on television series like "Empire" and "Lip Sync Battle"this decade, it was her younger sister Sofia Richie who was the bigger household name in the past few years (largely due to her relationship with Scott Disick and her connection to the Kardashian-Jenner family). 



Here's everyone who has been sentenced in the college admissions scandal so far

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Actress Felicity Huffman and husband William H. Macy leave the federal courthouse in Boston

  • Dozens of wealthy people, including actors Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, have been charged in the college admissions scandal
  • Federal prosecutors say parents paid about $25 million to get their students into elite schools like the University of Southern California, Stanford, and Yale as part of the scheme.
  • Federal prosecutors have charged 51 people, some of whom have already pleaded guilty.
  • Here's the full list of people who have been sentenced in the college admissions scandal.
  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Sentencings have begun for the college admissions scandal, in which federal prosecutors say parents paid about $25 million to get their students into elite schools like the University of Southern California, Stanford, and Yale. 

Court documents reviewed by Insider say the scheme involved bribing college athletic coaches to recruit students regardless of their athletic ability, and bribing entrance exam administrators to falsify ACT and SAT answers. Federal prosecutors have charged 51 people.

Prosecutors say the scheme was led by William "Rick" Singer, a so-called college-prep professional who ran a sham charity that was found to be at the center of the scandal. He has pleaded guilty.

Dozens of wealthy people, including actors Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, as well as CEOs, high-profile lawyers, and college coaches were charged as part of the scheme. 

Here's the full list of people who have been sentenced in college admissions scandal.

Former Stanford University sailing coach John Vandemoer was sentenced to one day in prison

Former Stanford University sailing coach John Vandemoer was the first person to be sentenced as part of the college admissions scandal.

He sentenced to one day in prison, with time served. He was also sentenced to two years supervised release and has to pay a $10,000 fine.

Vandemoer was fired from Stanford and pleaded guilty to racketeering charges shortly after being indicted.

Prosecutors alleged in court documents that Vandemoer accepted $610,000 in bribes to facilitate the admissions of students as salinity recruits. Court documents say the funds were put into Stanford's sailing program.

Prosecutors had asked a federal judge in Boston to sentence Vandemoer to 13 months in prison.



Felicity Huffman was sentenced to 14 days in jail

Felicity Huffman was sentenced to 14 days in jail after admitting that she paid $15,000 to have her daughter's SAT answers falsified as part of the scandal.

The "Desperate Housewives" actor pleaded guilty to fraud charges in May. She was the first parent to be sentenced in the scandal.

Along with the 14-day prison sentence, Huffman was fined $30,000 and ordered to do 250 hours of community service. She will be on supervised release for a year.

An affidavit said that Huffman arranged for her eldest daughter, Sophia, to take the SAT at the West Hollywood Test Center, where her answers were later corrected. Huffman then disguised the $15,000 as a charitable donation for disadvantaged young people.

Read more:Felicity Huffman has been sentenced to 14 days in prison for her role in the college-admissions scandal

Court documents said Huffman arranged for her younger daughter, Georgia, to be part of the scheme as well but later decided against it.

"I am ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues, and the educational community," Huffman said in a statement in April after agreeing to plead guilty.

Prosecutors initially recommended four months in prison for Huffman but later lowered that to 30 days.



Parent Devin Slone was sentenced to four months in prison

Devin Sloane, the founder and chief executive of a drinking water and wastewater systems business in Los Angeles, California, was sentenced to four months in prison, 500 hours of community service, 2 years of supervised release, and has to pay a fine of $95,000.

Prosecutors alleged in court documents that Sloane paid Singer $250,000 to have his son admitted to the University of Southern California as a water polo recruit.

According to the affidavit, Sloane bought water polo gear of Amazon to stage a photoshoot with his son for a USC application.

Sloane told Singer that he purchased a ball and a cap off of Amazon for the photoshoot in a June 2017 email, court documents said. Sloane's son did not actually play water polo and his high school did not have a team.

Read more:A high school guidance counselor was among the first to suspect a college admissions scandal after a student claimed to play water polo, despite there being no water polo team at the school

When consulting with a graphic designer, Sloane was advised to take the photos in an indoor pool, court documents said.

Prosecutors alleged that a false athletic profile for Sloane's son called the teen a "perimeter player" who played for the "Italian Junior National Team" and the "LA Water Polo" team.

His son's high school counselor questioned the application because the school did not have a water polo team, according to court documents.

Sloane called the questioning "outrageous," court documents said.

Prosecutors asked a federal judge in Boston to sentence Sloane to one year and one day in prison, along with one year of supervised release, and a fine of $75,000.



Parent Stephen Semprevivo was also sentenced to four months in prison

In September, Stephen Semprevivo, a Los Angeles-based executive at a privately held provider of outsourced sales teams, was sentenced to four months in prison, two years of supervised release, 500 hours of community service, and a fine of $100,000. 

Semprevivo pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud, admitting to paying Singer $400,000 to get his son into Georgetown University as a recruited tennis player.

Read more:An LA executive who paid $400,000 to have his son admitted into Georgetown as a tennis player in the college admissions scandal pleaded guilty in court

According to a criminal complaint filed in March, a portion of the funds went to Georgetown's then-tennis coach Gordon Ernst, who helped facilitate Semprevivo's son's recruitment to the school as a tennis player, despite knowing the teen did not play the sport.

Semprevivo's son, Adam Semprevivo, enrolled in Georgetown in Fall 2016. Adam Semprevivo filed a lawsuit against Georgetown in May, attempting to fight his expulsion.

Read more: A Georgetown student connected to the college admissions scandal has filed a lawsuit to keep the school from expelling him

Prosecutors had asked a judge to sentence Stephen Semprevivo to 18 months in prison, a year of supervised release, and a fine of $95,000.



Parent Gordon Caplan was sentenced to one month in prison

In October, Gordon Caplan, a Connecticut-based lawyer, was sentenced to one month in prison, a year of supervised release, 250 hours of community service, and a fine of $50,000.

Caplan pleaded guilty in April, admitting to paying Singer $75,000 to have his daughter's ACT exam answers changed.

Prosecutors asked the judge to sentence Caplan to eight months in jail, a year of supervised release, and a fine of $40,000. Caplan's lawyer had asked for a two-week sentence.

According to a criminal complaint filed in March, Singer told Caplan that he needed his daughter "to be stupid" when a psychologist evaluated her for learning disabilities in order to earn extra time for her ACT exam.

Read more:A lawyer who was told to make his daughter 'be stupid' to get extra time on the ACT, plans to plead guilty as part of the college admissions scandal

"I also need to tell [your daughter] when she gets tested, to be as, to be stupid, not to be as smart as she is," Singer said, according to court documents. "The goal is to be slow, to be not as bright, all that, so we show discrepancies."

In recorded phone conversations published in the criminal complaint, Caplan shows concern over being caught on multiple occasions.

Caplan was charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.

After agreeing to plead guilty in April, Caplan released a statement in which he said he takes "full and sole responsibility" for his conduct, according to Bloomberg.

"I want to make clear that my daughter, whom I love more than anything in the world, is a high school junior and has not yet applied to college, much less been accepted by any school. She had no knowledge whatsoever about my actions, has been devastated to learn what I did and has been hurt the most by it," Caplan said.

The law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher put Caplan on leave after his indictment. It is unclear what his current standing with the firm is.



Parent Agustin Huneeus Jr. was sentenced to five months in prison

Agustin Huneeus Jr., a Napa Valley vintner, was sentenced to five months in prison, 500 hours of community service, and a $100,000 fine.

Huneeus pleaded guilty in May, admitting to paying $300,000 to have his daughter's SAT score altered and have her designated as a water polo recruit to the University of Southern California. Because of the timing of Huneeus's indictment, his daughter was never admitted to USC.

Prosecutors had asked for a 15-month prison sentence, a year of supervised release, and a $95,000 fine. Huneeus had asked for two months in jail.

According to a criminal complaint, Huneeus worked with Singer on a fraudulent water polo profile for his daughter, and when they couldn't locate a suitable photo of her playing the sport, Singer used someone else. In one call detailed in court documents, Huneeus expressed concern over "this thing blow(ing) up in my face." Singer replied that it "hasn't in 24 years."

Huneeus was one the few parents in the scandal who implicated his daughter, the San Francisco Chronicle reported by informing her about the cheating scheme. Prosecutors said in a sentencing memorandum that Huneeus "embraced the fraud" by including his daughter.

The vintner stepped down as CEO of Huneeus Vinters after he was indicted in March.



Parents Gregory and Marcia Abbott were each sentenced to a month in prison

Gregory Abbott, the founder of food and beverage distributor International Dispensing Corp., and his wife, Marcia, were each sentenced to one month in prison.

They were each fined $45,000 and also must each perform 250 hours of community service. They are reporting to prison separately — Marcia in November, and Gregory in January.

At their sentencing, Marcia and Gregory Abbott apologized for their wrongdoing and said they were trying to help their daughter, who had been diagnosed with Lyme disease.

The New York-based Abbotts pleaded guilty in May to paying Singer $125,000 to improve their daughter's ACT and ACT scores.

Read more:A son of a couple who were indicted in the $25 million college admission scandal defended his parents while smoking a blunt and promoting his mixtape

The scheme involved their daughter going to a test center in late 2018 to take the exams and having a proctor correct her answers after she finished, according to a criminal complaint released by the Department of Justice.

According to court documents, the girl's ACT score jumped from a 23 to 35, and her math and literature SAT score went from mid-600s to a perfect 800 math score and a 710 in literature. 

Prosecutors had initially asked for the Abbotts to both be sentenced to a year and a day in prison, a year of supervised release, and a fine of $55,000. At their sentencing, prosecutors asked for eight months in prison. Their lawyers asked for no time in prison.



Parent Peter Sartorio was sentenced to a year of probation

Peter Jan Sartorio was the first parent charged in the college admissions scandal to avoid jail time. Instead, the packaged food entrepreneur received a year of probation and was ordered to pay a $9,500 fine for paying $15,000 to have his daughter's ACT scores corrected. In addition to the fine, Sartorio was ordered to complete 250 hours of community service.

Sartorio is a Bay Area entrepreneur from Menlo Park, California and is the co-founder of Elena's Food Specialities. According to a criminal complaint filed in March, Sartorio's daughter scored a 27 out of a possible 36 on the ACT with the help of two corrupt protectors enlisted by Rick Singer. The score put Sartorio's daughter in the 86th percentile of test-takers. While that was her first time taking the ACT,  the marks were a noticeable improvement over scores she received on a PSAT test she had taken previously where she landed between the 42nd and 51st percentiles. Prosecutors say Sartorio made three separate cash payments to Singer between June 16 and June 20, 2017, totaling $15,000.

Sartorio was charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. The Menlo Park dad pleaded guilty to the charges in May. Sartorio was the first parent charged in the sweeping college admissions scandal to plead guilty to his charges. 

During Sartorio's sentencing, Assistant US Attorney Kristen Kearney said the food entrepreneur  "shouldn't get a discount just because he isn't as wealthy or as well known as his codefendants,"according to Law360 reporter Chris Villani.

Later in the hearing, Sartori apologized for his actions.

"I recognize what I did was wrong. I offer no excuses, there's no justifications for those actions,"Sartorio said.

The probation sentencing came despite a request from prosecutors for jail time. Prosecutors asked the judge to sentence Sartotio to one month in jail and pay a $9,500 fine, which would have come out to the same jail time requested for actress Felicity Huffman.



Parent Marjorie Klapper was sentenced to three weeks in prison

Marjorie Klapper, a jewelry business owner from Menlo Park, California, was sentenced to three weeks in prison for paying $15,000 to have her son's ACT answers rigged in 2017.

She was also fined $9,500 and ordered to perform 250 hours of community service.

Prosecutors had asked Klapper to be sentenced to four months in prison. Her lawyers had asked for house arrest and a $20,000 fine.

Klapper pleaded guilty to fraud charges in May.

Her son was also one of many told by college admissions scandal ringleader William "Rick" Singer to claim to be racial minorities on applications, The Wall Street Journal reported in May.

Singer reportedly told parents that not having their students lie about their race would put them at a "competitive disadvantage."

Klapper said Singer's team changed her son's race on his applications without her knowledge, according to CBS San Francisco.

At her sentencing, Klapper apologized to her son, saying: "I cast a dark shadow on my family and that is not what I intended,"according to Law360 reporter Chris Villani.



Parent Robert Flaxman was sentenced to one month in prison

Robert Flaxman, a California-based real estate developer was sentenced to one month in prison for paying $75,000 to have his daughter's ACT answers rigged.

He was also ordered to pay a $50,000 fine and perform 250 hours of community service. 

Prosecutors had asked that Flaxman be sentenced to eight months in prison and a $40,000 fine. His lawyers asked for supervised release and community service.

In an indictment filed in March, prosecutors said Flaxman paid $75,000 to have a proctor feed answers to his daughter during her 2016 ACT exam. They said his daughter used the score to get into an undisclosed college. She was suspended for a semester after news of the scheme broke, according to the Associated Press.

Flaxman's lawyers said the school Flaxman's daughter went to was "excellent," but not elite, arguing that his role in the scandal was not about "ego gratification."

"I apologize to the parents and students who worked hard and don't cheat, no matter what," Flaxman said after his sentencing, according to Law360 reporter Chris Villani. "I'm sorry."



Parent Jane Buckingham was sentenced to three weeks in prison.

Jane Buckingham, a Los Angeles, California-based marketing executive, was sentenced to three weeks in prison for paying $50,000 to have a proctor take the ACT exam for her son in 2018.

The CEO of the marketing firm Trendera, who also once wrote a book called "The Modern Girl's Guide to Sticky Situations," was ordered to pay a $40,000 fine.

Prosecutors had asked that she be sentenced to six months in prison. Her lawyers asked for a year of probation, a fine, and community service.

Prosecutors say the proctor who took the ACT for Buckingham's son exam got him a 35 out of 36, ranking in the 96th percentile nationally, the Associated Press reported.

Buckingham has apologized for her role in the scheme, saying she has "absolutely no excuse."

She was the final parent who pleaded guilty to be sentenced by Judge Indira Talwani in the college admissions scandal.



Parent Jeffrey Bizzack was sentenced to 2 months in prison

California businessman Jeffrey Bizzack, of Solana Beach, California, was sentenced to two months in prison for paying Singer $250,000 to have his son admitted into USC as a purported volleyball recruit.

He was also ordered to serve three years on supervised release and pay a $250,000 fine.

Prosecutors had asked Bizzack to be sentenced to nine months in prison and a $75,000 fine.

Bizzack, 59, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud in June.



Parent Toby MacFarlane was sentenced to six months in prison.

Insurance executive Toby MacFarlane, 56, of Del Mar, California, was sentenced to six months in prison after admitting to paying $450,000 to secure his daughter's and son's admissions to USC as purported soccer and basketball recruits.

He was also sentenced to two years of supervised release and ordered to complete 200 hours of community service and pay a $150,000 fine.

MacFarlane pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud in June.

According to an indictment filed in March, MacFarlane tried to pass his son off as a 6-foot-1 basketball player as part of the scheme. His son is 5-foot-five.

Prosecutors had asked for MacFarlane to be sentenced to a year and a day in prison, arguing that he tried the scheme twice.

His lawyer asked for leniency, saying MacFarlane was going through "period of depression and self loathing following his divorce,"according to Law 360 reporter Chris Villani.



Here's a breakdown of the very best ESPN+ originals, including series and films exclusive to the streaming platform

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Best ESPN+ original content 4x3

  • ESPN+ is a new streaming platform that includes exclusive sports video content and in-depth news and analysis. Right now, you can bundle ESPN+ with Disney Plus and Hulu for $12.99 a month. 
  • With an ESPN+ subscription ($5 per month or $50 annually), you can access their award-winning original programming, including '30 for 30,' 'Basketball: A Love Story,' and 'E:60.'
  • The ESPN Original programming catalog spans dozens of series, so we've highlighted some of the best to make it easier for you.
  • See more: everything you need to know about ESPN+ and Disney's new streaming service

 

ESPN+, the sports network's subscription-based streaming platform, offers lots of great content, including both exclusives and stuff that you can find on the website as well as the cable channels. In addition to streaming access to live games spanning NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, PGA golf, and more, ESPN+ offers access to their library of award-winning original films and series — which alone are worth the $5 a month subscription fee.

That said, it can be overwhelming to browse the catalog without an idea of where to start. If you're looking for guidance, keep reading, because we're counting down the best ESPN Original programming.

'30 for 30'

Sign up for ESPN+ here.

It's a little unfair to the "30 for 30" series to put it in a list with other programs; the series, which began back in 2009 as a celebration of ESPN's 30th anniversary, now comprises more than 100 (!) unique, hour-long films chronicling some of the best stories in sports history. (That number doesn't even include the 60-plus "shorts" ranging from seven to 25 minutes in length.)

Obviously, that makes the "30 for 30" moniker something of a misnomer, but it's got many of the best sports documentaries ever made, thanks to sparkling production and interview access to tons of athletic legends from the field to the court and everywhere in between.

There are a few that stand out and deserve consideration for viewing priority, so we've summarized them below. 

'The Two Escobars'

The saga of iconic drug lord Pablo Escobar is well documented, but "The Two Escobars" takes a unique tack, exploring his story in parallel with that of Colombian soccer star Andres Escobar, who was murdered shortly after accidentally scoring an "own goal," which derailed the team in the 1994 World Cup.

'Without Bias'

One of the greatest "what-if" stories in sports surrounds the tragic death of star basketballer Len Bias the night after he was drafted No. 2 by the Boston Celtics in 1986. The film offers insight into Bias' backstory with interviews from players and coaches who reflect on how the talented forward could have changed the shape of the league had he survived. If you enjoy "Without Bias," check out "Benji" as well.

'Youngstown Boys'

The concept of compensation for collegiate athletes has long been a hot-button topic in sports, and recent legislation in California has sparked more conversation on the topic. "Youngstown Boys" follows that string in relation to Ohio State University coach Jim Tressel and star running back Maurice Clarett, exploring how the scandal that led to Tressel's 2011 resignation is reflective of the unjust practices present in the NCAA system.

'Playing for the Mob'

"Playing for the Mob" is one of the most unique and performative 30 for 30 films, with "Goodfellas" star Ray Liotta narrating in character as Henry Hill alongside the real Henry Hill, who appears in the 2014 film posthumously. The film explores the intersection of gambling and sports, using the infamous Boston College fixing scandals of the late 1970s as a jumping-off point. 



'O.J.: Made in America'

Technically, "Made in America" is part of the "30 for 30" initiative, but as it was broken out into its own five-part miniseries, I think it's only fair it gets a dedicated spot here. Directed by Ezra Edelman, the series dives deep into the story of running back O.J. Simpson, who later was found innocent of murdering his ex-wife and her friend following a highly publicized trial.

The series, one of the few holding a coveted 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, runs more than seven hours in its entirety and covers Simpson's story from his emergence as a star at USC through his NFL career and the events which transpired in 1994. It's a more objective and documentarian look than, say, Netflix's "American Crime Story," and has been lauded by fans and critics alike, earning an Academy Award in the process. 

Even if you're well versed in the O.J. story — and, at this point, who isn't? — you'll want to check out "Made in America," which set a new standard for sports documentaries and may well be the cream of the "30 for 30" crop.



'Basketball: A Love Story'

Sign up for ESPN+ here.

ESPN+ isn't great for NBA lovers, as most of the exclusive content is focused on NFL, MLB, college sports, and combat sports, but basketball superfans like myself can still find lots of value in shows like "Basketball: A Love Story." 

The comprehensive series features 10 hour-plus chapters, each broken up into several segments, and explores a wide variety of basketball-related subjects, including iconic moments in the history of the game, analytical segments focusing on things like shooting form or ball-handling acumen, and segments about the culture of basketball — like the inception of the Air Jordan brand or the "one and done" practice of college players going pro after a single season. 

Most of the segments cover well-tread territory, but it's still worth the watch for interviews with so many icons of the game and insight into bygone eras of basketball. Watch it here.



'E:60'

Another great series with a confusing name, "E:60" is sort of ESPN's version of "60 Minutes," an investigative program that does single-episode deep dives into hot-button stories or specific athletes. While each episode varies in length (and none actually approach the 60-minute mark), the show is bolstered by solid work from veteran hosts Bob Ley and Jeremy Schapp. 

Some episodes cover serious topics, like one about NBA prospect Isaiah Austin, who was unable to enter the draft after being diagnosed with Marfan Syndrome. Some offer a more lighthearted vibe, like one discussing the ways NFL players react to finding out about their ratings in the Madden NFL video games. Some episodes are also complemented by written articles on the website with photographs and additional info.



'Becoming'

Sign up for ESPN+ here.

There's not much ESPN+ content aimed at kids, which is something of a surprise, as children are generally good for driving merchandise (and, not to mention, flush with free time for watching TV). In any case, "Becoming" offers young fans an inside look into some of today's biggest stars, chronicling their rise to fame and focusing on the good habits they developed to help get them there. 

The series currently has seven episodes available, each featuring a different athlete, like Lakers forward LeBron James, USA soccer icons Alex Morgan and Tim Howard, and former Yankees pitcher C.C. Sabathia. (Oddly, there are no episodes featuring football players.) The series is a collaborative effort between ESPN and Disney XD, aiming to inspire young athletes to strive for greatness.

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A quick guide to every 'Mandalorian' character you should know

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The Mandalorian Star Wars character guide Disney Plus

  • Disney Plus' new series "The Mandalorian" premiered Tuesday. 
  • The show features a whole new set of characters from the "Star Wars" universe. 
  • The two most central characters so far are unnamed and simply called the Mandalorian and the Client.
  • Keep reading to learn the names of all the other people you should know.
  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

The newest "Star Wars" story has arrived on Disney Plus, and with it comes a whole new cast of interesting characters from around the galaxy. There is the unnamed title character, "The Mandalorian" himself, plus several others played by Carl Weathers, Werner Herzog, and more.

Keep reading for a list of all the major characters on "The Mandalorian" you should know. We'll be updating this list with each new episode as new faces join the protagonist bounty hunter.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for "The Mandalorian" episode one.

The main character in "The Mandalorian" is an unnamed bounty hunter.

Known simply as the Mandalorian, not much was revealed about this guy other than his prowess for fighting and connection to the warriors of the planet called Mandalore. The Mandalorian says he was a "foundling" once, but has now become part of the Mandalorian troop. So far this mystery man hasn't shown his face.

We know underneath is the face of actor Pedro Pascal, best known for his role as Oberyn Martell on "Game of Thrones" and Netflix's "Narcos."



Greef Carga is the man who gets the Mandalorian bounty assignments.

Greef Carga is the name of the man who the Mandalorian delivers his bounty assets to. Carga pays the Mandalorian, and then gives him info about an off-the-books job with a new client who has deep pockets.



The Client is a mysterious man who commissions the Mandalorian for a new bounty hunt.

Similar to the Mandalorian, very little information about the "Client" is given on the first episode.

We know he has access to the rare metal called Beskar, and he wears an Imperial insignia — which means he's still loyal to the fallen Empire. This was made clear thanks to his Stormtrooper bodyguards, too.



Doctor Pershing appears to be working with the Client to try and acquire the Yoda-like baby.

When the Mandalorian gets his new assignment from the Client, a man named Doctor Pershing appears. This doctor seems to greatly prefer that the "asset" (aka the little baby Yoda-like being) is acquired alive.

The Client tells the Mandalorian he'll pay out half of the bounty fee if the asset is killed, as long as the bounty hunter can confirm its death.



Kuill is an Ugnaught (a type of alien species) who helps the Mandalorian.

The Mandalorian follows the Client's information to a new planet, where he's quickly attacked by two Blurrgs. Kuill saves the bounty hunter, and helps him get to the building where the asset is being held. 



IG-11 is a bounty droid who was also commissioned to find the Yoda-like baby.

The Mandalorian encounters the IG-11 droid (voiced by "Thor: Ragnorok" director Taika Waititi) when he arrives to the compound. Together they kill the guards, but the Mandalorian soon learns that this droid's orders are to terminate the asset.

The Mandalorian "kills" IG-11 to protect the baby. It's possible we'll see IG-11 again, since he can theoretically be repaired and restored to working order.



Cara Dune is another outcast fighter we'll meet later on the show.

According to the official "Star Wars" website, Cara Dune is "a war veteran who survived the Galactic Civil War, but now lives as an outcast who finds it difficult to reintegrate into society."

She's a former rebel shock trooper and current mercenary who will eventually meet up with the Mandalorian, as seen in the first trailer.



Mof Gideon will be an antagonist character on "The Mandalorian."

Played by "Breaking Bad" star Giancarlo Esposito, Mof Gideon is another Imperial loyalist.



We'll also see a purple-skinned Twi'lek played by another ex-"Game of Thrones" actor.

Natalia Tena played Osha on HBO's "Game of Thrones," and also starred in the "Harry Potter" movies as Tonks. We haven't yet met her alien character, but the coming episodes should reveal more soon. 

"The Mandalorian" will premiere new episodes every Friday on Disney Plus.



I lived at the top of the second-tallest apartment building in the world for less than $1,400 a month, and I felt like royalty

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View from penthouse 8802 room on 88th floor of Princess Tower, Dubai

  • Dubai's Princess Tower was the tallest apartment building in the world until 2015.
  • With a roof height of 1,286 feet, it is taller than the roof of the Empire State Building.
  • It's so tall that sometimes clouds will form below the upper floors.
  • Despite its lofty height and being in Dubai, rent is surprisingly affordable — you can get a room in an apartment for $1,400 a month or less, with utilities, access to amenities like a pool and gym, and daily cleaning included.
  • For more than a year, I lived near the very top of the building, on the 88th floor.
  • Despite not being fabulously wealthy, it made me feel like royalty.
  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. 

It's possible to live in the sky — even if you're not fabulously wealthy.

One of the tallest steel trees in Dubai's glittering forest of skyscrapers is the Princess Tower. At 1,358 feet, it's the second-tallest tower that's open in Dubai, behind only the world's tallest building, the 2,717-foot Burj Khalifa.

Until 2015, the Princess Tower was the tallest residential building in the world, but its crown was swiped by 432 Park Avenue in New York City.

But unlike 432 Park Avenue — where, as Katie Warren wrote in February, penthouses can cost many millions of dollars— rent for apartments in the Princess Tower are surprisingly affordable: in fact, for 5,000 United Arab Emirates dirhams ($1,362) and under per month, they come in at barely half the monthly median rent in New York City (which is now more than $2,700).

For more than a year, I lived near the very top of the Princess Tower, on the 88th floor (out of 97 above ground).

Here's what it was like to live at such a lofty height on a modest (read: non-six-figure) salary.

The Princess Tower is tall — until 2015 it was the tallest apartment building in the world.

Dubai is known for tall buildings — but even by its standards, the Princess Tower is tall. In fact, from 2012 to 2015, it was the tallest apartment building in the world, recognized as such by the Guinness World Records.



It's even taller than the Empire State Building.

With a roof height of 1,286 feet, the Princess Tower stands more than three basketball hoops (which, of course, are 10 feet high each) higher than the Empire State Building, which has a roof height of 1,250 feet.



Located in the Dubai Marina, the area around it is also the world's tallest residential block.

Six of the world's 10 tallest residential buildings are next to each other in the Dubai Marina. In a way, with so many supertall towers right next to each other, it makes them individually look shorter than they actually are.



Construction wasn't cheap: building costs reportedly exceeded $2 billion.

As reported by Dubai-based Emirates Woman and other outlets, building costs for the Princess Tower exceeded $2 billion — making it one of the most expensive buildings ever built when it opened in 2012.



If the building and neighborhood seem familiar, it's because of a recent 'Star Trek' movie.

Large parts of 2016's "Star Trek: Beyond" were filmed in the Dubai Marina, and the Princess Tower appears in several scenes. As Emirates Woman reported, producer Jeffrey Chernov said the decision was made to film in the Dubai Marina because the architecture already looked like something from a sci-fi film.

"We came searching for the future and we found it in Dubai. It represents the future of what the next frontier would be like in our film," the magazine reported Chernov as saying.  "We wanted to find a very vertical city."



And yet rents are shockingly affordable — at $1,400 a month or less, rooms in many apartments are barely half the median monthly price in New York City.

One reason rents are less expensive than New York, London, Sydney, or Los Angeles is because of the sheer amount of housing stock compared to the population able to afford such places. According to Gulf Business, Dubai's housing market is seriously oversupplied, with construction of a huge number of gigantic new apartment buildings continuing seemingly without end. A report by UBS Global Wealth Management found housing prices in Dubai have tumbled by about 35% since mid-2014.



For 5,000 United Arab Emirates dirhams ($1,361) per month, I got a large furnished room with a private balcony, and all utilities, high-speed internet, and daily maid service included.

Large and bright, my furnished room on the 88th level had a tiled floor, like most Dubai flats (the cool tiles feel refreshing under your feet when you've been out in the sun). The queen-sized bed was soft, and I thought the blue-green colored walls were a nice, vaguely nautical touch.

I did share a bathroom with someone and a kitchen with six people, but seeing as the monthly median rent in New York City is now more than $2,700, and even higher in San Francisco, I thought it was a deal that was almost too good to be true — especially since it's cheaper than even the monthly median rent for the entire US, which is about $1,700.

And some rooms can be even cheaper: for a smaller room without a balcony, my neighbor paid just 4,000 dirhams ($1,089) per month — again with everything included.

 

 



The kitchens were large and bright — which is good since for many of the flats, several people will share.

Including myself, six people lived in the six-bedroom penthouse flat (which had three bathrooms). With so many people, it was a relief to find the kitchen had more than enough space for all of us — and the nearby kitchen balconies (there were two) were popular spots for socializing while taking in the view. Even more incredible, it was cleaned daily by a maid, who usually came in at about 11 a.m.



It was pretty cool to cook and eat with a view of blue water and the famous Palm Jumeirah.

The kitchen had a table, but there was also a separate dining room accessible by walking through the lounge and entryway. The kitchen table was my favorite spot to grab a bite — there were no windows in the dining room, unfortunately.



The views from my room were stunning by day ...

The room (of course) had air conditioning, but I never needed it: being so high up, the air was always a few degrees cooler than at ground level.

With such an utterly jaw-dropping view of the Dubai Marina, the private balcony quickly became a favorite place to sit and read, or simply look down at the city so far below. With so many things to see from my vantage point, it was like a real-life television show.



... And night ...

Another advantage of being so high up: you could even leave the screen door leading to the private balcony open all night and not find the sounds of the city too loud because they were so far down.

It was, simply put, one of the most relaxing places I've ever lived.



... And in the morning, when the fog sometimes rolled in.

I've been to nearly 90 countries, lived in six, and seen countless incredible things I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd ever witness. But I'd never seen anything like when I woke up one March morning, looked out from my balcony, and saw nothing but slowly rolling clouds, and the tops of buildings poking out from them like candles on a cake with vanilla or whipped cream frosting. In that moment, I had no words. It was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen — so amazing, I was late to work that morning.



The upper floors are also a good spot to catch fireworks shows, which happen frequently in Dubai. It's a weird feeling to see fireworks below you.

Free evening entertainment would often be provided in the form of fireworks shows taking place over the water in front of Caesars Bluewaters (the first overseas location of the famed Caesars Palace) and the world's largest Ferris wheel, the Dubai Eye. It was like living in Disneyland — but without the eye-wateringly high admission price.



Despite the views of glimmering, tax-free Dubai, the rooms are usually pretty easy to come by.

Usually, it's as simple as searching the online listings in the real estate/housing sections of websites like Craigslist or local United Arab Emirates-centric site Dubizzle, then under "rooms for rent" seeing what's there (the latter is how I got my room). Then, all you need to do is call or send a WhatsApp message to the landperson to arrange a quick in-person tour to see it for yourself, and if you like it, voila! A couple documents to sign, and you now have a room in the second-tallest apartment building on the planet.



With 97 floors above ground and thousands of residents, there are plenty of amenities. One of them is the sixth-floor outdoor pool area.

The outdoor pool came complete with large plastic chairs not only on the deck, but actually submerged in the water. While they might have made a cool picture for Instagram or social media with a drink in hand, they were not comfortable. At all.



The pool was pretty refreshing on a hot day, which is every day in Dubai.

With temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) for much of the year, it's no surprise pools in Dubai are very, very popular — as anyone who's visited or lived there can attest. But they're not jam-packed at all hours of the day — the Princess Tower's outdoor pool on the sixth floor could be blissfully empty just before its 10 p.m. daily closing time, and also in the late afternoon before many people got off work (most of the building's residents are white-collar professionals).



The outdoor hot tub was also quite relaxing — though it felt weird to soak in a hot tub where the water was colder than the air.

It's not often you can step into a hot tub to cool down — but you can in Dubai. With a super view of skyscrapers all around in a riot of different architectural styles and a few palm trees that sway whenever there's a pleasant sea breeze, it's a feast for the eyes. Still, I spotted plenty of people checking their phones for updates while in the hot tub.

It may be in the Middle East, but in an area full of Western expats, women and men can go to the pool together — and the most common swimsuits people wear at the Princess Tower's pools are bikinis.



Other amenities included a gym, saunas, indoor pool and hot tub, dance/yoga room, table tennis room, indoor playground, event spaces, and multiple game rooms.

There were plenty of other things to do at the Princess Tower. The pool changing rooms have saunas where you can sometimes see people whack each other with branches — something Katie Warren experienced firsthand when she visited a traditional bathhouse during a recent trip to Russia.

The nearby yoga and dance room was usually booked by people doing various things requiring flexibility. The gym on the fifth floor was popular with weight-lifters and treadmill-runners. The game rooms were typically occupied by people engaging in foosball or air hockey competitions. The competition would also get intense in the table tennis room.

Things would be a bit more subdued in the 97th floor event spaces, but in the indoor playground on the sixth floor, young children would be having the time of their lives.

With a huge number of food delivery services in Dubai like Uber Eats, you could theoretically never leave the Princess Tower and still live very comfortably.



The lobby at the main entrance wasn't too shabby, either ...

Not only was the tiled lobby (the tiles were often so polished you could see your reflection in them) very nice, but it was also staffed 24/7 by two concierges (who greeted residents with "ma'am" and "sir" every time someone walked past) and a white-uniformed security guard. The doors also required key card access — though with Dubai being known for an incredibly low crime rate, where you can literally leave your phone on a table at a busy cafe and come back to find no one had touched it, I did wonder why this was necessary.



... Nor was the hallway leading to the elevators.

With 97 floors above ground, it was helpful there were two sets of four elevators: one that went up to the 50th floor, and another "high speed" group of elevators going from the 51st to 97th floors. As I lived on the 88th floor, I used the latter daily. It would still sometimes take several minutes to reach my floor.



My favorite place was the 'sky lounge' on the 97th floor.

Princess Tower residents and their guests had access to a public lounge/relaxation area. Looking like a fancy hotel lobby, it was a fantastic place to read, write, work on your computer, or chat with friends or family in person or on the phone while sitting on the plush couches and taking advantage of the free, high-speed public WiFi.



Needless to say, the views from the lounge were pretty stunning.

Sitting at a small table next to one of the large windows, with the blue waters of the Arabian Gulf and the palm tree-shaped artificial island known as the Palm Jumeirah unfolding below, was incredibly inspiring. It was unlike anything I'd experienced before, and I took full advantage of it — I went up almost every day.



The sunsets were pretty special, too.

It was also an otherwordly experience to take in a sunset from so high up. Standing away from the windows and looking out, so that you couldn't see the ground below at all, made me think I was on a very large, very fancy airplane — or a spaceship.



Being next to the water, it was just a short walk to the beach ...

There are closer beaches, but the key advantage of Marina Beach is it's free. The perfect place for a picnic or dip in the hot tub-warm waters (they're the warmest sea, lake, or river waters I've ever been in, anywhere), it's also fun to people-watch (everyone, from construction workers to Western sunbathers to Emiratis, hangs out here) — and camel-watch. You can often see the humped mammals ambling about, led by men in traditional dress.



... And there are lots of other cool things to do nearby, too. The surrounding Dubai Marina area is quite walkable.

Sure, Dubai is warm, but if the heat starts feeling too oppressive, there are plenty of places along the Marina to duck into. The newness of it all, the sun, people jogging, walking their little dogs, zipping by on rollerskates, waving from the decks of yachts (which you can also rent in the Marina), or walking past and chatting away on their smartphones — and of course the palm trees all along the water — feels a lot like being in Miami or Long Beach.



There was no shortage of activities, with Dubai being Dubai ...

In just a few short years, Dubai has already become a legendary party city. But not everyone who hits the beach clubs, pools, or swanky hotels is looking for that kind of entertainment. There are also plenty of places to just chill and let life slow down a bit.



... Including traditional cultural activities, especially during Ramadan.

Humans have lived in the UAE for thousands of years. One of the best ways to experience its rich culture is to attend a Suhoor during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan — a meal had very late at night or in the early morning before Fajr, the first of the day's five prayers (and after which, during Ramadan, Muslims who are physically able must fast until Iftar in the evening). In Dubai, hotels, restaurants and more are specially decorated to serve as beautiful venues for Suhoors, during which Emiratis, expats and others all come together to share food, culture, and to reflect amid an experience you'll have a hard time replicating anywhere else. In short: if someone invites you to a Suhoor, go.



Of course, living so high up does have drawbacks. The elevators can be frustrating with a bunch of people getting on and off on floors below you.

It may seem like a small thing to complain about, but it's not fun when you're in a hurry and the elevator needs to make 10-20 other stops on the way down — which can happen often in the mornings from Sunday until Thursday (the weekend in the UAE is Friday — the Islamic holy day — and Saturday) before most office hours begin at 9 a.m. and in the evening after they end at 6 p.m. (Dubai lunch breaks are often an hour, hence working more than eight hours per day).



The elevators also didn't provide access to the 'secret' 95th floor. There were rumors celebrities like David Guetta and 50 Cent had penthouses there, but I never saw any sign of them.

There were all kinds of rumors about who lived on the 95th floor. I have no idea where the rumors came from, but thought they might have been fueled by the fact I never saw anyone get on or off on the floor, and you (presumably) had to enter a code in the keypad in all the elevators to gain access to it (which you did not have to do to access the other floors). Still other rumors claimed there were no fancy apartments on the 95th floor at all, but rather was just a maintenance floor.

Either way, the mystery was a lot like the "missing" fifth floor of the Yanggakdo Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea.



Another frustration was the sink design in the bathrooms. Many tears were shed over items that fell into them, never to be seen again.

Razor blades, makeup, contact lenses, jewelry — you name it, it can fall into the sinks, since there's no cover for their pipes. And, seeing as there can be 88 floors (or more) of pipes to fall down, good luck ever seeing whatever fell in again.



While the Princess Tower is one of the world's tallest apartment buildings now, it may not be for much longer. Several taller ones are under construction.

Already surpassed by New York City's 432 Park Avenue, the Princess Tower's rankings are set to further tumble next year, when two more ultra-tall apartments open in the Big Apple. 111 West 57th Street will be 1,428 feet high when it opens — taller even than 432 Park Avenue. But even that will be surpassed by Central Park Tower. As Katie Warren found out when she went on a recent tour, when the 131-floor building opens to residents, it'll stand a lofty 1,549 feet high.

The Princess Tower might not even be the tallest building in its neighborhood for long: once nearby Marina 101 opens, the 1,349-foot building will be the new queen of Dubai's supertall apartments.



But overall, with what you get for the price, the name 'Princess Tower' seems apt. Because you really do feel like royalty — with a view to match.

For the chance to live like a royal for barely half the price of renting in New York City (translation: a rate a young, working professional can actually afford) — not to mention in a place that's tax-free with warm, sunny weather year-round — living in the Princess Tower really does feel like living in a fantasy.

Only this one is very real.

Read more:

YouTube star Logan Paul paid $1 million for a ranch that used to manufacture LSD. Here's a look at the property

The biggest metro areas with the most million-dollar homes in the US

A luxury building on Moscow's 'Golden Mile' is home to Russian businessmen, celebrities, and athletes. I got a look inside, and its 15 residences were totally different from high-end condos I've toured in NYC

The penthouse of NYC's Woolworth Building just got a $31 million price cut. Check out 'The Pinnacle,' which occupies the top 5 floors of the iconic, green-roofed skyscraper

Wealthy millennials want homes that are within walking distance of their social lives, and it's redefining how they're thinking about traditional luxury locations



Hong Kong's protestors are turning college campuses into improvised weapons factories

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Hong Kong protests

  • Protests in Hong Kong against the government in Beijing have dragged on since June, which demonstrators say has forces them into taking a harder line.
  • On campuses across the territory, students and others who have joined the protests have set up workshops to produce makeshift weapons and fortifications.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Under a November full moon, hundreds of young people dressed in black set about turning several of Hong Kong's top universities into fortresses, well stocked with improvised weapons.

At City University, protesters used ping pong tables, potted plants, furniture, sports equipment, and bamboo to form a network of barricades to block roads and fortify the entrances to the student residence complex.

Hundreds of protesters wearing gas masks and helmets tore up piles of paving bricks and ceramic tiles to hurl at police, while others stockpiled dozens of petrol bombs, distributing them to their forward positions.

Small groups sat chatting as they fashioned garden hose and nails into spikes to puncture car tires.

The scene this week was repeated at nearly half a dozen campuses across Hong Kong, where demonstrators say they have been forced into taking a harder line by the government.

NOW READ: Protester is called Hong Kong's 'tank man' for standing between crowd and police aiming guns

SEE ALSO: Hong Kong protesters are calling for massive ATM withdrawals in an economic warning to China

Some protesters have changed their tactics.

Until now, the anti-government protesters have used fast-moving, hit-and-run tactics to "be like water" and avoid arrest in clashes with police.

But now with protesters beginning to wield bows and arrows and occupying improvised breastworks, the tactics threaten to take the pro-democracy campaign to a new level of risk for all sides.

The protesters say their non-violent efforts have been met by brutal police tactics, and their weapons are needed to protect themselves.

Police have shot and wounded at least three protesters.

"It has never been a fair war zone," said 23-year-old Josh, as he watched protesters practice shooting arrows at Baptist University (BU).



Protesters are trying to respond to what they say is increasing police brutality.

"We have nothing, only masks and the police have guns. We're only trying to defend ourselves."

Another protester said he had begun to throw bricks after seeing police attack demonstrators.

"We try every peaceful means but we fail," said Chris, 19, a student from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

"We would probably throw petrol bombs and bricks because we don't want our friends to be injured," he said, breaking into tears as he described police crackdowns.

"I'm willing to die for Hong Kong."

The protesters seem increasingly intent on forcing a showdown, as small raiding parties vandalize shops and block roads, tunnels, and rail lines in widening areas around their campuses.



Students say they are only protecting themselves against a police force that has turned the city into a war zone.

Authorities said protesters had turned the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) into a "weapons factory," prompting a crackdown on Tuesday that left many people injured in fiery clashes.

Students accused police of turning the campus into a war zone and said they have no choice but to defend themselves.

Protesters have fortified parts of the campuses of Polytechnic University and University of Hong Kong (HKU), in addition to CUHK, BU, and City University.



Protesters found to have injured police could face up to life in prison.

For the first time, protesters have been arming themselves with bows and arrows looted from university sports offices. Police said flaming arrows, a signal flare, and even electric saws had been wielded against officers.

On Thursday, police said protesters dropped flower pots and fired several arrows at officers near Polytechnic University. There were no casualties.

Protesters could be jailed for two years for assaulting a police officer, while "wounding with intent" could mean life, police said.

The city education secretary chided university authorities over "riotous acts" on campuses. HKU President Xiang Zhang called on students not to provoke the police into entering the campus.

"If there are any who are planning to do anything with serious consequences, such as actions likely to injure people, I appeal to them NOT to," he said.



China denies interfering and has blamed the West for causing trouble.

Demonstrators are angry about what they see as police brutality and meddling by Beijing in the freedoms guaranteed under a "one country, two systems" formula introduced when the territory returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

China denies interfering and has blamed Western countries for stirring up trouble.

Police deny using excessive force but have unleashed unprecedented amounts of tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, and water cannons.

In a possible preview of tactics to come, police used an armored truck with officers firing less-than-lethal rounds to break up a barricade in the business district on Wednesday.

CUHK had become a "battlefield for criminals and rioters," a police spokesman said.

"Where did all these petrol bombs and weapons come from?" spokesman Tse Chun-chung asked reporters. "We have strong suspicion that the school was used as a weapon factory."



Protesters are using anything they can get their hands on to make weapons, including bricks and plastic bottles.

At City University, the dorm buildings echoed to the sound of protesters pulling up and heaping paving bricks to use as projectiles. They knocked back cases of drinks then filled the bottles with a mixture of oil and petrol.

Protesters with less experience used plastic bottles to practice throwing.

At one point, the operation got more organized as supplies of food, water and medical equipment were carried in.

"There are a lot of petrol bombs," said one 16-year-old school student who felt compelled to join the fray. "It's set to be a good show."

A sense of purposeful anarchy reigned. Some protesters picked up litter, sorting it for recycling, while here and there a couple waded through the crowd, masked and in black, holding hands.

University officials were nowhere to be seen, except for the residence guards who sat at their desks as protesters appropriated everything in reach.



Protests have been going on since June.

Occasionally, lookouts would sound the alarm, sparking a flurry of activity and shouts as black-clad figures crouched behind barricades, umbrellas and homemade shields at the ready.

Some anxious international students scurried past, suitcases in hand. Others took photos.

Volunteer medics set a up a first-aid station in a hall.

"I'm not afraid to get hurt, but I'm afraid of being arrested, because it means a loss of freedom," said 19-year-old student named Thomas, as he strapped on plastic guards on his forearms and shins.

"And freedom is why I'm here."

(Reporting for Reuters by Kate Lamb and Josh Smith; additional reporting by Jessie Pang; writing by Josh Smith; editing by Robert Birsel.)



The 26 most iconic royal fashion moments from the past decade

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kste, meghan, eugenie

Kate Middleton's $530 blue Issa wrap dress was an elegant choice for her official engagement photos with Prince William in 2010. The dress sold out less than 24 hours later.

Source: Insider



The Duchess of Cambridge opted for an Alexander McQueen wedding dress the following year, along with a tiara lent to her by the Queen herself.

Source: Insider



The duke's outfit was also a head-turner. William wore the red tunic of a colonel of the Irish Guards, having been appointed colonel two months before the wedding. He completed the look with the Queen's Golden Jubilee medal.

Source: CBC



However, it wasn't just the bride and groom's outfits that made headlines. Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie wore these extravagant Philip Tracey fascinators to watch the couple tie the knot at Westminster Abbey.



That same year, Beatrice wore another daring fascinator — nicknamed "the satellite dish"— to Zara Phillips' wedding.

Source: Insider



Prince William and Middleton demonstrated their quirky couple style with these cowboy hats during their first royal tour of Canada in 2011.



Queen Elizabeth II wore this feather hat to open the refurbished East Wing of Somerset House that same year.



The color-block suit has become Her Majesty's trademark look over the past few years. She wore this blue Stewart Parvin coat and matching fascinator for a trip to Nottingham as part of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012.



After Middleton and William's first child, Prince George, was born in 2013, the duchess wore a polka dot Jenny Packham dress to greet crowds outside the hospital. The dress was made especially for the duchess, and it has never been available for the public to purchase.



The royal also opted for a Jenny Packham design after the birth of her daughter, Princess Charlotte, in 2015.

Source: Insider



The Line coat from Meghan Markle's engagement photos in 2017 became so popular that the company ended up naming it after her.

Source: Insider



She wore a similar $1,913 Sentaler wrap coat for her first Christmas with the royal family in 2017, accessorizing with a beige fascinator and matching clutch.

Source: Insider



Princes William and Harry looked dashing in matching tuxedos as they attended the "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" premiere in London in 2017.



The Duchess of Sussex's Givenchy wedding dress was compared to one worn by Jennifer Lopez in "The Wedding Planner" because of the similar neckline.

Source: Insider



Prince Harry, meanwhile, matched with his brother and Best Man William in their Blues and Royals frockcoat uniforms.

Source: Time



However, they changed things up for the reception later that evening, with Markle donning a $4,489 Stella McCartney halter-neck dress while Harry wore a tuxedo.

Source: Insider



For her first ever Trooping the Colour parade in 2018, Markle opted for a blush-colored Carolina Herrera dress with a matching Philip Tracey fascinator. The duchess was criticized for wearing an off-the-shoulder design, even though other royal women have done it before.

Source: Insider



Princess Eugenie's royal wedding to Jack Brooksbank followed later that year, and the royal chose a Peter Pilotto and Christoper De Vos dress. She also wore a Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara, which was once owned by the Queen Mother.

Source: Insider



Eugenie decided against wearing a veil so that she could show the scar from the surgery she had at age 12 to correct scoliosis.



Middleton looked like a real-life Disney princess when she paired the Lover's Knot tiara with a mermaid-style ballgown by Alexander McQueen to a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in 2018.



For a palace reception that same year, she paired the same tiara with a sequinned Jenny Packham gown.

Source: Insider



During a visit to Sydney's Bondi Beach in 2018, Harry and Markle proved they're perfectly in-sync when it comes to couple style.



Markle was compared to the late Princess Diana when she paired this bright red $1,395 coat by Sentaler with a purple Babaton by Aritzia dress while pregnant in 2019.

Source: Insider



The duchess wore this button-up dress by Grace Wales Bonner for her first photo call with baby Archie at Windsor Castle.

Source: Insider



Middleton and the Queen coordinated in powder blue floral hats for a visit to Royal Ascot 2019, with the duchess' design by Philip Tracey and Her Majesty's by her senior designer, Angela Kelly.

Source: Insider



Most recently, William and Middleton made royal fashion history with matching traditional outfits in Pakistan. While the duchess opted for a glittering Jenny Packham gown and dupatta scarf, William became the first British royal male to wear a traditional sherwani.

Source: Insider



William also paid tribute to his mother, the late Princess Diana, by wearing the same traditional Chitrali hat she wore in Pakistan. The duchess opted for another traditional headpiece.




7 nannies who work for the rich and powerful share one thing they wish their bosses knew — but would never tell them

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nanny with kids

  • Elite nannies often know the households of the rich and powerful better than the parents themselves.
  • Business Insider asked nannies what they wish their bosses knew — and they had feedback about everything from household security to their job responsibilities. 
  • One nanny was concerned about the pressure the parents' high expectations put on the kids.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

When you hire people to run your household, it's possible that they just might get to know how it works better than you do.

Business Insider interviewed seven elite nannies to find out what they learned about the households of the rich and powerful — but were afraid to tell to their bosses. The nannies had feedback on everything from household security to their job responsibilities. 

Keep reading to learn more about what the households of the rich and powerful are really like.

Note: Business Insider was able to verify each nanny's identity, but we refrained from publishing some of their full names to protect their privacy.

Do you nanny for a wealthy family and have a story to share? Contact the reporter via encrypted messaging app Signal at +1 (646) 768-4725 using a non-work phone, email at trogers@businessinsider.com, or Twitter DM at @TaylorNRogers. (PR pitches by email only, please.)

SEE ALSO: 15 people who became billionaires in 2019 — and 14 who lost their status in the three-comma club

DON'T MISS: 7 nannies who work for the rich and powerful share the worst things they've ever been asked to do on the job

1. "The pay, benefits and perks are amazing; but they can come with a cost to your own personal life."

Elite nannies can make up to $150,000 with full benefits, according to Katie Provinziano, the managing director of Los Angeles staffing agency Westside Nannies — but the costs are steep, too.

Many elite nannies regularly work late into the night and travel with families for weeks on end. As a result, many elite nannies change careers after three to five years, Provinziano told Business Insider.



2. "79% of the little details they think matter when it comes to taking care of the kids absolutely don't."

"Oftentimes nannies know there's the parents' way of doing things, and there's the nanny way of doing things, since we're actually 'boots on the ground' 24/7," one nanny told Business Insider. "A lot of things set in place and a lot of things that fill stackable nanny employee binders are all great in theory but many times they just have no idea."



3. "They are paying me to be their friend and drinking buddy."

One nanny said that the mother asked her to return to the family's hotel suite after dropping the son off for school to pick out the mother's outfit and keep her company. 



4. "Your kids clearly wanted to impress you and were trying their best. You did not have to put so much pressure on them with schoolwork and being the best at everything all the time."

"The oldest was in middle school and the other two in elementary school," another nanny told Business Insider. "I get that you want them to go to an Ivy League school and stay in this circle of extreme wealth, but both the parents and the kids seemed unhappy. There is more to life than money, wealth, and status."



5. "Raise your own kids!"

"Literally just cook and clean yourself," one nanny told Business Insider. "It's not that hard."



6. "I make it look easy, but it's not."

The nanny said they dealt with multiple health emergencies such as tooth eruptions and asthma attacks.

They were also once asked to clean out a rats' nest by themselves, Business Insider previously reported.



7. "They are way too lax with security."

One nanny told Business Insider that the family they worked for never locked the doors to their house or set their alarm, would leave cash and credit cards out, and left their luxury cars unlocked with the keys in the initiation.

"It's almost scary," the nanny said.



The best online deals and sales happening now

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best online sales deals

We rounded up the 10 best sales and deals happening online today, with savings on Adidas sneakers and sportswear, L.L.Bean Boots, toys at Target, 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:

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

1. Save 25% on your order at L.L. Bean

Shop the L.L. Bean sale now

L.L. Bean is kicking off the gift-giving season with a sitewide sale. Now through November 19, you can save 25% on your order by using the promo code "SAVE25" at checkout. You'll find fleece jackets, flannels,  the popular Bean Boots, and other fall and winter staples included in the sale. 



2. Save $500 on a Canon EOS Rebel T7i DSLR camera bundle at Best Buy

Canon EOS Rebel T7i DSLR camera bundle, $699.99 ($1,199.99) [You save $500]

Best Buy has been rolling out early doorbuster Black Friday deals ahead of the shopping holiday, and right now, today's deal is $500 off a Canon EOS Rebel T7i DSLR camera bundle. The kit includes a camera bag, 18-55mm lens, 55-250mm lens, battery, and 32GB micro SD card. This deal is only available until 11:59 p.m. CT, so don't hesitate to take advantage of this deal.



3. Save $100 on your first box of 12 wines at NakedWines.com*

Shop the NakedWines.com sale now.

Founded in 2008, NakedWines.com is a direct-to-consumer startup that invests directly in independent winemakers to bring unique, high-end wine to consumers for reasonable prices. Right now, you can save $100 on your first box of 12 wines by using the promo code "AWIN100" at checkout. Insider Picks reporter Mara Leighton tried the service and was impressed by the quality of "easy drinking" wines and their 100% satisfaction guarantee. Read her full review here.

* This deal features Sponsored Products that have been suggested by Naked Wines and that also meet our editorial criteria in terms of quality and value.



4. Save up to 50% on hundreds of toys at Target

Shop the Target sale now

The holiday season is upon us and many kinds of toys will definitely be on kids' wish lists. To help you save on them, Target is having a huge sale. For a limited time, you can save 50% on hundreds of toys. With options for kids of all ages, the sale includes everything from board games, dollhouses, and action figures to remote-control cars, learning and activity kits, and bikes. 



5. Save 30% on big brands at Backcountry

Shop the Backcountry Big Brands sale now

Backcountry is one of the most dependable places you can go to for all things related to the outdoors. The huge variety of top brands is reason enough to shop there year-round, but the retailer is having a great sale that all adventurers are going to want to take advantage of now. For a limited time, you can save up to 30% on top brands like Patagonia, Arc'teryx, Mammut, and Flylow.



6. Save 30% sitewide at Adidas

Shop the Adidas sale now

As the holiday season nears, Adidas is making it easy to shop for affordable gifts. Now through tomorrow, November 15, you can save 30% on almost everything by using the promo code "GIVEADI" at checkout. You won't see the promo listed anywhere on the site, but the sale includes apparel, outerwear, and popular sneakers like the ZX Torsion (pictured above), Ultraboosts, NMDs, and more.



7. Get $750 worth of travel points when you sign up for the Chase Sapphire Preferred

Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred from our partner The Points Guy.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is a great option if you're new to earning points and miles, as it has a reasonable $95 annual fee. You'll earn 2 points per dollar on all travel and dining purchases and 1 point on everything else, and the card includes some valuable benefits like trip delay coverage and primary car rental insurance.

You can earn 60,000 Chase points with the Chase Sapphire Preferred when you spend $4,000 in the first three months from account opening. That's worth at least $750 toward travel. Read our review to learn more about the card's benefits.

Business Insider may receive a commission from The Points Guy Affiliate Network if you apply for a credit card, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.



8. Save 25% on Gravity Blankets and more

Shop the Gravity Blanket sale now

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. 



9. 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.



10. Save up to $275 on a Bear mattress, plus get two free pillows

Shop the Bear Mattress sale now

Named the best mattress for hot sleepers in our buying guide, Bear Mattresses are designed to keep you cool and comfortable at night. Additionally, the mattresses feature Celliant, a material that converts heat from the body into far infrared — a type of energy that's been proven to help rebuild cells. The technology can help you wake up feeling well-rested and free of aches and pains, plus you won't break a sweat in your sleep. Now through November 30, you can get 25% off your order with promo code "GIFT" at checkout. You'll also receive two free pillows when you purchase a mattress or bundle.



20 countries with the highest teacher salaries compared to the cost of living

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finland teacher

  • Most teachers across the world get paid less than the local average cost of goods and services, according to a new report from UK-based educator job site Teaching Abroad.
  • Teaching Abroad used 106 data sources to find teacher salaries in 100 countries, and then compared it to the per capita GDP (PPP), a measure of the total local cost of goods and services.
  • China and the Ivory Coast pay teachers the highest relative to GDP, and educators in 93% of countries make less than the local per capita GDP.
  • Visit Business Insider's home page for more stories.

Teachers in the US recently spoke out against low pay— and the country's educators aren't alone.

Globally, K-12 teachers make 48% below the local average cost of goods and services, according to a new report from UK-based hiring firm Teaching Abroad.

Teaching Abroad analyzed 106 external sources to find local teacher salaries in 100 countries. It then converted those figures into dollars and compared it to the gross domestic product per capita at purchasing power parity, or GDP (PPP). That measure is used by economists to estimate the total level of goods and services per person produced by a national economy, and provides a good proxy for the overall cost of living in a country.

Ninety-three percent of teachers make below a country's local average price of goods and services, according to the study, meaning even teachers in the best-paying countries still earn less than an average share of the national economy.

Here are 20 countries that pay teachers the best when compared to the cost of living.

SEE ALSO: The 15 worst US states to be a teacher

20. Teachers in Iceland earn salaries 14% lower than the GDP per capita.

Average teacher salary (USD): $47,283

How much less teachers make compared to GDP (PPP): $7,469



19. Teachers in the US earn salaries 14% lower than the GDP per capita.

Average teacher salary (USD): $53,609

How much less teachers make compared to GDP (PPP): $8,908



18. Teachers in Costa Rica earn salaries 13% lower than the GDP per capita.

Average teacher salary (USD): $15,311

How much less teachers make compared to GDP (PPP): $2,336



17. Teachers in France earn salaries 12% lower than the GDP per capita.

Average teacher salary (USD): $39,912

How much less teachers make compared to GDP (PPP): $5,689



16. Teachers in Ecuador earn salaries 11% lower than the GDP per capita.

Average teacher salary (USD): $10,608

How much less teachers make compared to GDP (PPP): $1,257



15. Teachers in Canada earn salaries 10% lower than the GDP per capita.

Average teacher salary (USD): $4,5181

How much less teachers make compared to GDP (PPP): $4,754



14. Teachers in Iraq earn salaries 9% lower than the GDP per capita.

Average teacher salary (USD): $15,325

How much less teachers make compared to GDP (PPP): $1,601



13. Teachers in Australia earn salaries 9% lower than the GDP per capita.

Average teacher salary (USD): $47,564

How much less teachers make compared to GDP (PPP): $4,798



12. Teachers in Spain earn salaries 9% lower than the GDP per capita.

Average teacher salary (USD): $36,730

How much less teachers make compared to GDP (PPP): $3,641



11. Teachers in Vietnam earn salaries 8% lower than the GDP per capita.

Average teacher salary (USD): $6,816

How much less teachers make compared to GDP (PPP): $562



10. Teachers in Finland earn salaries 8% lower than the GDP per capita.

Average teacher salary (USD): $ 42,607

How much less teachers make compared to GDP (PPP): $3,952



9. Teachers in Mexico earn salaries 8% lower than the GDP per capita.

Average teacher salary (USD): $18,922

How much less teachers make compared to GDP (PPP): $ 1,723



8. Teachers in New Zealand earn salaries 7% lower than the GDP per capita.

Average teacher salary (USD): $37,586

How much less teachers make compared to GDP (PPP): $2,680



7. Teachers in South Africa earn salaries 2% lower than the GDP per capita.

Average teacher salary (USD): $13,618

How much less teachers make compared to GDP (PPP): $222



6. Teachers in Turkmenistan earn salaries 0% higher than the GDP per capita.

Average teacher salary (USD): $19,572

How much more teachers make compared to GDP (PPP): $46



5. Teachers in Germany earn salaries 1% higher than the GDP per capita.

Average teacher salary (USD): $53,373

How much more teachers make compared to GDP (PPP): $477



4. Teachers in Switzerland earn salaries 7% higher than the GDP per capita.

Average teacher salary (USD): $69,471

How much more teachers make compared to GDP (PPP): $4,484



3. Teachers in Morocco earn salaries 13% higher than the GDP per capita.

Average teacher salary (USD): $10,092

How much more teachers make compared to GDP (PPP): $1,156



2. Teachers in China earn salaries 44% higher than the GDP per capita.

Average teacher salary (USD): $26,177

How much more teachers make compared to GDP (PPP): $8,057



1. Teachers in Côte d'Ivoire earn salaries 62% higher than the GDP per capita.

Average teacher salary (USD): $6,723

How much more teachers make compared to GDP (PPP): $2,568



I toured an Upper East Side members club for women that costs $3,300 a year, has a strict no-kids policy, and is stocked with $45 CBD gumdrops. Here's a look inside.

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Maison Upper East Side Moms' Club - Kitchen ES Short

  • Maison is a members-only women's club on the Upper East Side designed with mothers in mind.
  • Founded by fashion blogger Ashley Wu, it opened in February 2019 and features a kitchen, workspaces, and a library designed to feel like your best friend's home.
  • Annual membership is $3,300, plus a $275 initiation fee. Maison events include non-toxic manicures, guided meditation, and "lunch-and-learns" on career development and parenting. 
  • I had the chance to tour the space during Open House New York weekend, during which a handful of members-only spaces throughout New York open to the public.
  • I spent one very chic hour at Maison. My tour involved browsing a retail space stocked with things like $45 CBD gummies, and I emerged feeling like, if I had a spare $3,300, a year-long Maison membership would be a good investment in my wellbeing.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more.

Between work, family and home, life can catch up to us.

It definitely caught up to me last month, when I moved to NYC from Washington D.C. I quickly discovered that running around Manhattan searching for my first NYC apartment is not for the faint of heart, so I decided to take a break and tour one of the members-only spaces that opened to the public during Open House New York (OHNY) weekend.

While browsing the OHNY tour options, I stumbled upon Maison, which markets itself as an "Upper East Side private members club where women — especially mothers — can work, relax, learn, and connect." As soon as I read "scalloped leather wall tiles" in the description, I booked.

Founded by style blogger and mom Ashley Wu, Maison opened in February and is located in an immaculate, window-lined space on the second floor of a building overlooking Lexington Avenue and 85th Street.

The majority of members are mothers in their early 30s through 50s from the Upper East Side, Wu told me over the phone, but anyone over the age of 18 can apply. Husbands and significant others are welcome to visit; however, Maison is strictly an adult space. Read: no children.

I don't live on the Upper East Side, but my tour of Maison made me consider moving there just so I can sip cold-brew coffee while gazing out at Lexington Avenue from a soft, terra-cotta-colored couch ahead of a guided meditation class. Here's what Maison is like:

SEE ALSO: Corporate travel is a $300 billion market, and travel search engine KAYAK is trying to break into it with a new platform for business travelers

NOW READ: A network of 28 tiny, one-bed hotels in Amsterdam is being called the most beautifully designed hotel of 2019 — and it consists of a series of converted bridge houses. Take a look inside.

Maison, a members club for women and mothers, is located on the northwest corner of 85th and Lexington Avenue.

The entrance is sandwiched between Metropolitan Commercial Bank and Ramaz Lower School across from Fresh&Co. 86th Street + Lexington is the closest subway stop. The club is located on the second floor above the bank and features workspaces, a kitchen, and a library.

Maison may expand in the future, but for now, Wu told me, it's focusing on its Upper East Side location.



The entrance is marked by a small gold plaque.

"Maison" means "home" in French.

"I needed a place to regain my balance and to reconnect with the part of myself that wasn't a mother, wife, or caregiver,"Wu writes on Maison's website. "I looked around my neighborhood and couldn't find a place that addressed the desires and needs of people like me, so I created one myself."

Wu settled on the name because she wanted the club to feel like your best friend's home. "There's no better feeling than walking into your best friend's apartment and grabbing your own cup of coffee and talking along the way and setting yourself up for lunch," she told me.

This detail separates Maison from more traditional women's coworking spaces like The Wing, she added.



While the street entrance is unassuming, the lobby certainly is not. Walking in, you're treated to a view of scalloped leather wall tiles resembling a mermaid's tail and a gold-accented front desk.

In designing the space, Wu said she wanted it to feel "approachable."

The space is open seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday; on the weekends, it's open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Members come in throughout the day.



From there, the lobby opens up into a kitchen and dining area.

The earth-toned space is refined, airy, and flooded with natural light. Wu considers the space one of the biggest perks of membership.

"The thing I hear a lot from our members is that as soon as they walk in the door, they immediately feel calmer. I think that for New Yorkers, and especially women, mothers, and people who just have completely overscheduled complex lives, knowing that you have a place to go where you immediately feel that sense of calm and peace and a warmth and comfortableness— we don't get that [in] very many other places."



The kitchen is stocked with a mix of complimentary and for-purchase food and beverage options.

General Manager Bay Hirschfeld told me that Maison's selection of beverages and pre-made meals is seasonal and that they place an emphasis on healthy and locally sourced options. Outside food and beverages are not permitted in the club. 



Beverage options included cans of Recess sparkling water infused with hemp extracts and adaptogens and serve-yourself cups of bone broth.



Peach-lavender kombucha and cold-brew coffee were on tap, and the fridges were stocked with bottles of wine and craft beer.



Everything in the space felt thoughtfully appointed. Case in point: these $25 Porter glasses that match the speckled backsplash.



Kitchen seating options include a long black dining table, plush green velvet couch, terra-cotta-colored window seats and this mod swinging chair that I could easily have fallen asleep in while rocking back and forth in the afternoon sun.

While no members were there during my tour, it didn't strike me as a place where people are typing away on their laptops.

Wu confirmed my hunch. The space is "agenda-less," she told me. It's a space that can be whatever you want it to be. You can work, you can relax, you can fall asleep, you can catch up with other women over coffee, or you can take fifteen minutes for yourself after work before heading home.



Around the corner from the kitchen is a bright hallway filled with work and study spaces, including a row of desks overlooking Lexington Avenue.



The hallway leads into the living area and library, where Maison hosts many of its events.

Events are included in membership, and at the moment, fall into three buckets: wellness, education and brand pop-ups.

Wellness offerings in October included a 30-minute guided meditation, a session with an energy healer to "understand your personal cocktail of male and female energies," and 20-minute manicures featuring non-toxic and vegan polishes last month.



Maison posts its calendar of events on a bulletin board at the club and also shares them in its monthly digital newsletter. Members can sign up for events either on the bulletin board or by email.

In October, Maison hosted a handful of lunch-and-learn seminars that covered a range of topics, from "Parenting through the obstacles of childhood" to "Understanding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."



Maison's other spaces include a row of phone booths and this very chic, jewel-toned bathroom.



Now, here's the catch: the price. Annual membership is $3,300, which amounts to $325 per month, plus a $275 one-time initiation fee.

For comparison, The Wing membership is $185 per month. 



As I left Maison, I exited through the lobby, which took me past a mini retail space stocked with luxury goods curated by Wu.

These included $380 cashmere sweaters ($150 for children's sizes) and $70 pain cream.

Wu told me that having a store has always been a dream of hers, and the retail space is a manifestation of that. She said she enjoys curating items for Maison members who are short on time.

"The discovery of new things sort of gets lost in the shuffle of busy lives and 'I don't have time for this or I have time for that,''' Wu told me.



I was feeling quite zen after just an hour at Maison, but had I wanted to be sure that the feeling would last, I could have picked up $45 CBD gumdrops for the road.

So, would I join Maison if I lived closer to it and had $325 per month to spare? Yes.

Because I was there during ONHY, I didn't get a true sense of its atmosphere on a daily basis. Even so, Maison felt like a place where I could go to clear my head, a home away from home where everything is taken care of — no need to cook or clean up clutter.

And Maison knows its audience: the green-and-pink color scheme, the minimalist decor, the plants, the omnipresent focus on wellness— this place is clearly designed for the modern 2019 woman.

For now, coffee shops serve as my "agenda-less" places to regroup and collect my thoughts, but do they resemble the chic Anthropologie home of my dreams? No, no they do not.



Apple is rolling out 3 new health studies, and anyone with an iPhone can participate — here's how to sign up (AAPL)

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Apple watch and Apple iPhone

  • Apple rolled out a new app Thursday called "Research," which allows iPhone users to participate in years-long health studies that track data from their phones.
  • The app is currently promoting three open studies on women's health, heart and movement, and hearing.
  • Apple's first health study, published this week, collected data from users and concluded that Apple Watches can help detect heart problems.
  • Any iPhone user can enroll — the process for signing up is outlined below.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Smartphones and wearable gadgets are capable of gauging an unprecedented amount of health data from users — now, Apple wants to harness that data for medical research.

The new Apple Research app, which rolled out for iPhone users Thursday, lets people sign up to participate in years-long health studies. The studies gauge data ranging from the number of steps a users take to the volume of their headphones and share it with research teams Apple has partnered with.

Apple successfully completed a similar study earlier this year, which tracked data from Apple Watch users. The study was published this week and found that the Apple Watch's sensors are capable of detecting heart problems.

 

The method of recruiting study participants from a huge pool of iPhone users is unprecedented in the medical field, posing its share of unique benefits and challenges. While Apple's previous study was effective in providing detailed biometric data about a range of subjects, it also faced a high dropout rate — 79% of people selected for the study either didn't complete it or dropped out.

Here's how you can download the Research app and sign up to participate in one of Apple's open studies.

SEE ALSO: A hiker says his Apple Watch saved his life by calling 911 after he fell off a cliff

To download the app, go to the app store on an iOS device and search for Apple Research.



Once you open the app, you'll be greeted with an explainer laying out how Apple intends to use your health data as a study participant.



Apple is quick to reassure would-be participants that the studies keep their information confidential, along with other privacy disclaimers.



There are three studies currently open: women's health, heart and movement, and hearing. For this walkthrough, I started the process of enrolling in the hearing study.



The app lays out the expectations for participating in the study. For the hearing study, most of the data is collected passively, along with periodic surveys and hearing tests.



Before enrolling, Apple collects users' signatures consenting to the study, as well as demographic information.



Here are all the data points that the hearing study would collect from a user's phone day to day.



After enrolling, users are presented with a dashboard that assigns them tasks and tracks their progress in the study.

More information about Apple Research can be found on Apple's site.



Here are the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates who have qualified for the November debate

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FILE PHOTO: Senator Bernie Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Kamala Harris (L-R) participate in the 2020 Democratic U.S. presidential debate in Houston, Texas, U.S. September 12, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

  • Ten candidates have qualified for the fifth Democratic primary debate on November 20, which will be hosted by MSNBC and the Washington Post in Atlanta, Georgia. 
  • Candidates needed both 165,000 individual donors and to earn either 3% in four DNC-approved national polls or 5% in two approved early-state polls, leaving some candidates off the stage. 
  • Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke dropped out of the race on November 1 after failing to qualify for the November debate and former HUD Secretary Julian Castro attained zero polls, meaning he'll also miss the stage.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Ten candidates have qualified for the fifth Democratic primary debate on November 20, which will be hosted by MSNBC and the Washington Post in Atlanta, Georgia. 

In order to qualify for the November debate, candidates needed both 165,000 individual donors and to earn either 3% in four DNC-approved national polls or 5% in two approved early-state polls from Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, or Nevada. 

Polls released between September 13 and November 13 — the week before the debate — counted towards qualification. 

So far, ten candidates have met both requirements, according to Politico's Democratic primary poll tracker. 

But the stricter polling requirements leave some mid-tier candidates who easily qualified for the September and October debates at risk of being left off the stage. 

Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke dropped out of the race on November 1 after failing to qualify for the November debate and former HUD Secretary Julian Castro attained zero polls, meaning he'll also miss the stage. Castro recently threatened to drop out of the race altogether if he doesn't raise $800,000 by Halloween.  

SEE ALSO: Here's everyone who's running for president in 2020, and who has quit the race

Sen. Kamala Harris

Read more about Kamala Harris' campaign. 



Sen. Amy Klobuchar

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Andrew Yang

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Sen. Cory Booker

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Tom Steyer

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Mayor Pete Buttigieg

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Sen. Kamala Harris

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Sen. Bernie Sanders

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Sen. Elizabeth Warren

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Former Vice President Joe Biden

Read more about Joe Biden's campaign.

Read more:

Here's who will be onstage for the November Democratic debate hosted by MSNBC and the Washington Post, what time it'll start, and how to watch

If Joe Biden drops out of the 2020 race, Elizabeth Warren would likely be the big winner, not Pete Buttigieg

The Democratic elite is panicked about Joe Biden, but he's far more popular with voters than donors



10 tourist attractions opening in 2020 that we're excited for

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six flags magic mountain

The new year is just a few weeks away, which means it's time to start planning your 2020 vacations — and we have just the thing to help. We've found 10 tourist attractions opening in 2020, from museums and Olympic stadiums to amusement parks.

If you're into art, you could visit Arkansas' Momentary Museum or Hong Kong's M+. If you're a movie and TV junkie, look no further than the Academy Museum in Los Angeles or the "Game of Thrones" studio tour in Belfast.

Keep scrolling to get some more vacation inspiration for the new year.

The Academy Museum, dedicated to all things cinema, will open in Los Angeles during 2020.

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is expected to open after the Oscars, which will be held in February, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The museum, when it opens, will be filled with "photographs, films, screenplays, props, and other historic movie-making accoutrements,"Curbed reported, like the famous ruby slippers from "The Wizard of Oz."



America's first "landscape hotel," the Ambiente Sedona, will open in Sedona, Arizona.

A landscape hotel, according to local news outlet ABC 15, is "a type of accommodation designed to blend in with the surrounding environment and built with a deep respect for the land around it using sustainable and innovative practices."

When the hotel opens, it will have "40 576-square-foot cube-shaped rooms with floor-to-ceiling bronze-tinted windows." The windows are set to reflect the landscape around it, creating a mirror-like effect.

It is slated to open in December 2020, according to its website.



Six Flags Zhejiang is set to open next summer, making it China's first Six Flags amusement park.

Six Flags Zhejiang will be located in Haiyan in the Zhejiang province. A waterpark is also set to open at the site in July.

Beloved grouchy cat Garfield will be the signature character of the Chinese Six Flags parks.

Details of the rides have not yet been released, but if Six Flags is involved, you can assume it'll be epic.



Fans can travel to Westeros once the "Game of Thrones" studio tour opens in the spring.

The amount of time and effort that was put into filming "Game of Thrones" was documented in the post-finale documentary "The Last Watch." It'd be such a waste to let all that hard work be torn down — so it won't be.

A "Game of Thrones" studio tour will open in Belfast, Northern Ireland, next year. The 110,000-square-foot space will have an "interactive exhibition of the show's sets, costumes, weapons and other props,"according to the New York Times

Fans can expect something similar to the "Harry Potter" studio tour outside London.



A new Marvel-themed land, Avengers Campus, is coming to Disneyland in March 2020.

Details about Avengers Campus were announced at Disney's biannual D23 expo in August 2019. The first ride to open will be a Spider-Man-themed ride housed inside the "Worldwide Engineering Brigade" (or W.E.B.).

Other anticipated attractions are an "Ant-Man and the Wasp"-themed restaurant, a ride that will take riders to Wakanda, a live-action show involving Doctor Strange, and much more.

The opening date has not yet been released, but according to Disney Parks Chairman Bob Chapek, it will debut in 2020.



The M+ museum, Hong Kong's "new museum of visual culture," is set to be completed in March 2020.

Once it opens, it will be "focusing on 20th and 21st century art, design and architecture and moving image." The museum is set to be the centerpiece of Hong Kong's revamped cultural district, West Kowloon.

The building will be completed in March 2020, and it will open to visitors nine to 12 months later. The museum will include three theaters, a public roof terrace, 17,000 square feet of space, a library, and multiple restaurants, among other attractions and amenities.



Arkansas' Momentary Museum will open in February.

The Momentary will open on February 22, 2020, in Bentonville, Arkansas. It's a "new contemporary art space satellite to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art." The museum is taking over an abandoned cheese factory.

The space will have art, culinary experiences, festivals, performing arts spaces, and a bar on the top floor.



Legoland New York is set to open in upstate New York on July 4, 2020.

New York's Legoland will be the ninth of its kind, the first in the northeast, and the third in the US.

The park is located in the Hudson Valley city of Goshen, and it will open on July 4. The park takes up 150 acres, and it will have seven distinct "lands" with 50 rides, shows, and attractions.

But if you want to stay in a Lego-themed hotel, you'll have to wait until 2021.



Las Vegas' newest attraction, Area 15, will open just minutes from the Strip next year.

The name comes from the famed Area 51. It happens to be off Interstate 15 in Las Vegas. Area 15 will be an "experiential, retail, and entertainment complex offering live events, immersive activations, and much more,"according to the site.

One of the anchor stores will be Meow Wolf, an art collective that famously turned an abandoned bowling alley into a hidden, magical, neon world. 



The Summer Olympics will be held in Tokyo next year. If Japan follows the lead of other countries, the facilities will become a tourist attraction.

The centerpiece of the 2020 Olympics will be the newly redesigned National Stadium. After the Games, the stadium will be used for "sporting and cultural events." Overall, there will be 42 distinct venues for the Olympics in and around Tokyo.

Plenty of tourists will be visiting Japan to attend the Games, and while it remains to be seen what happens to all of the venues, it'd be a shame if they were left to rot.




We traveled outside Berlin to the secluded spot that Elon Musk has chosen for the first Tesla gigafactory in Europe

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Tesla factory

  • Elon Musk announced on Tuesday that the fourth Tesla factory will be built close to Berlin, Germany.
  • We traveled 65 minutes outside Berlin by train and bus to reach the proposed site in Brandenburg.
  • The industrial area is forested and feels secluded.
  • One worker we spoke to in a nearby office is not happy about the prospect of trees being cleared for Tesla's arrival.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

On Tuesday, Elon Musk announced that he wanted to build another Tesla factory close to Germany's capital, Berlin to develop batteries and continue working on Model Y. The Gigafactory will be the first in Europe and the fourth in the world, joining ones in California, New York, and China. It will be built on the industrial Freienbrink site in Grüneide, Brandenburg, which is only a few miles east of the state border between Berlin and Brandenburg.

Business Insider set off to see what exactly the new site location looks like, what people in the surrounding the village think of the news, and why this location is ideal for the car-manufacturing company.

SEE ALSO: Elon Musk hinted he'll consider a fan's suggestion for a Tesla feature that would automatically save dashcam footage when you honk the horn

After a 45-minute train ride from central Berlin to the closest station and another 20 minutes by bus, we reached the industrial area — otherwise known as the "Güterverkehrszentrum Freienbrink."

From the beginning, it is clear that nothing stands out here, yet the place still feels special. Hardly anyone is on the roads, which are almost exclusively used by trucks. The smell of diesel is in the air, the headquarters of two well-known German food retailers are just around the corner. That's it.



We noticed a Tesla charging station at the closest petrol stop to the industrial site — very promising!

At the offices next door, the news of the company's arrival receives mixed reactions. A long-time employee tells us that there is no question that it is worth supporting a global company like Tesla to create up to 10,000 new jobs in a country that has been struggling economically for the last few months.

But another worker we speak to is upset that several acres of forest space will have to be cleared for the giant factory, which makes him have "no great sympathies."



The plaque at the entrance to the Freienbrink industrial estate, which is part of the sleepy village of the same name, will soon be adorned with the prominent Tesla logo.

For the many thousands of employees of the company that will be commuting here, the surrounding community will still have to create appropriate infrastructure to make the place more accessible. So far, the bus only runs every two hours during the day, with the last one leaving at 5:45 p.m.

At the same time, however, a resident of the area we spoke to hopes that the settlement of the automobile manufacturer could improve exactly that. The many unemployed workers in the region could also benefit from the new location.



For now, there is only a thick forest next to the main road, where Tesla's European factory will be located in the future.

According to Elon Musk, construction is expected to begin in spring 2020 and the finished factory will go into operation at the end of 2021.

Mocking the slow pace at which the heavily-delayed Berlin airport is being built, Musk remarked: "We will definitely work at a faster pace than the airport." But the CEO also has a poor track record on fulfilling his promises, so the completion date could still change.



A local shopkeeper tells us that Tesla is planning on building on 750 acres of forest.

Tesla has already signed off on 450 acres and 300 more will soon follow.

The expansion of the existing Freienbrink transport center next door will create an additional 2,000 jobs, while at other locations in the region up to 8,000 jobs will be added.

The people who work close by see Tesla as an opportunity for Brandenburg to distinguish itself as a good location for business. Brandenburg is in desperate need of companies, especially international companies with strong prospects for the future.



Despite the poor connection with public transport, the location is strategically well-chosen.

The location is not too far from the center of the German capital, Berlin, and is also easily accessible by car. There is also a railway line nearby, and the new airport, which will hopefully be finished soon, is also only 25 minutes away by car.

And if the state of Brandenburg has one thing, it's space for a massive Gigafactory.



A few years ago, BMW was already thinking about building a factory on the very same site.

However, the German company ended up moving to Leipzig instead, a move that was celebrated by local citizens who at the time didn't want BMW to come to their town. Today, fewer people are resisting. According to the residents, this is also due to the fact that politics have changed in the meantime.



POLL: The internet has changed Black Friday forever. Here's how Americans actually plan to shop for the holidays.

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black friday shopping

The holiday shopping season is almost upon us, and consumer sentiment around the national spending spree remains as varied as ever. 

In order to learn more about shopping habits this holiday season, we teamed up with global technology company Morning Consult to survey more than 2,300 American adults about their gift purchasing preferences. This group included individuals across household income brackets, political ideologies, gender, race, and age, to paint a representative portrayal of national shopping strategies and planned spending in 2019. 

Among the many interesting trends we unearthed along the way, one key takeaway is that Cyber Monday is growing in popularity over Black Friday, and that online shopping continues to outpace in-store sales and door busters. 

Check out what else we discovered, below.

SEE ALSO: Everything you need to know about when Black Friday deals and sales start and end in 2019

More than half of respondents plan to spend the same amount of money on gifts this year compared to 2018.



This holiday season, respondents who were left-of-center were 10 percentage points more likely to say they planned to spend less this season than their conservative counterparts.



Among men and women alike, clothing is a top gift purchase this year. For men, personal tech took the top spot, and women have their eye on toys.



The respondents were fairly split on planned spending during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.



A majority of the survey respondents said they prefer to shop on Cyber Monday rather than Black Friday. Still, the wealthier someone was, the more they preferred Cyber Monday.



Actually, with the exception of Gen Z, all demographics expressed they prefer Cyber Monday to Black Friday. The older someone was, the more likely they were to prefer ordering online over fighting the in-store crowds.



Across most household income categories, shoppers plan to participate more in holiday shopping as the weekend goes on. A fraction of hardcore shoppers plan to head out on Thanksgiving, with larger fractions of respondents hitting the mall by Cyber Monday.



Millennials are the most active shoppers during the period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, followed by Gen X.



During the holiday shopping season, we found an uptick in desire to shop online versus in-store compared to consumers' usual preferences.



The 5 coolest features of Motorola's new $1,500 Razr phone

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Motorola Razr official

It's 2019, and the flip phone is making a comeback.

Motorola is reviving its iconic Razr flip phone from the early 2000s with a very modern day twist. Yes, it's still a flip phone like you probably remember. But the new version trades out the original Razr's sleek keypad and tiny screen for a high-resolution touch screen that stretches across the entire device and folds in half. 

It's available for preorder on December 26 through Verizon for $1,500, and is launching in January.

Motorola is the latest smartphone maker to announce a foldable smartphone, following the likes of Samsung and Huawei. However, Motorola's approach to the foldable phone is entirely different than its rivals. Samsung and Huawei are using foldable display technology to expand the size of the phone's screen so that it can function as a tablet when opened and a phone when closed.

But Motorola is instead implementing a more vintage design that brings us back to the flip phone era. It's not trying to give you two devices in one — rather, it's trying to make your smartphone more compact at a time when users crave increasingly larger screens.

The Razr has a 6.2-inch screen, which is around the same size as the iPhone 11's display, and a small 2.7-inch screen on the front for viewing notifications. There's a fingerprint sensor embedded in the thicker portion of the phone near the bottom, and a 16-megapixel main camera. You'll get 128 GB of storage space, and the phone is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 710 processor and includes 6 GB of RAM. 

But none of those features are necessarily what sets Motorola's new Razr apart from other smartphones, including its other foldable rivals. Here's a look at the Razr's standout features. 

SEE ALSO: After more than 2 months with the Apple Card, I've never felt more attached to my iPhone

The Razr's hinge looks like it could feel more natural than that of other foldable phones.

The hinge on the Motorola Razr is placed squarely in the middle of the phone's screen, enabling  it to open up and snap shut like a traditional flip phone.

It's a revival of a form factor that most people are already familiar with, which I imagine would make it much more natural to use. With the Razr, Motorola isn't asking that you get used to a new form factor like Huawei and — rather, it's creating a sense of familiarity.

The hinge also allows both sides of the phone to fold completely flush, and Motorola says it experimented with four versions of the hinge before landing on this one.

And based on how the phone looks, it seems like the crease where the screen folds in half won't be very apparent on the Razr. That may be one area in which the Razr holds an advantage over Samsung's Galaxy Fold, which I felt had a noticeable crease running down its screen. 



Motorola is fully embracing the Razr's nostalgic appeal with a hidden "Retro Razr" mode.

If you really want to feel like you're back in 2005, turn on the Razr's secret "Retro Razr" mode. This mode brings back the look and feel of the old-school Razr's software, replacing the traditional Android user interface with a skin that imitates the Razr's dialer, according to The Verge and CNET, which tried out the feature.

The phone's 6.2-inch screen takes on the appearance of a keypad and vintage flip phone screen, and you'll even need to use the navigation buttons on the keypad portion of the screen to navigate it. But this throwback mode isn't immediately apparent; the option only becomes visible after you edit the Quick Settings menu, which is accessible by swiping down from the top of the screen, and add the "Retro Razr" button. 



You can actually snap it closed to hang up.

The satisfaction that comes with snapping your phone shut to end a conversation has been completely lost in the smartphone age. Motorola is hoping to bring that back with the Razr, which has an optional feature that lets you hang up by closing the phone's lid. You can also turn this feature off to continue the conversation when the device is closed. 

That being said, a couple of journalists who went hands-on with the device have said it's not that easy toclose the phone with one hand. 



The Razr's front screen lets you see the basics without opening your phone.

The Razr's front screen, which Motorola calls the Quick View display, essentially serves as the lock screen. It can display information like the time, notifications, and media playback controls, and you can use it to activate the Google Assistant and authorize mobile payments. It's not necessarily a rare find on smartphones, but the fact that you can check out this glanceable information while the phone is in a more compact form will surely add some convenience. 



The Razr's simplicity is also sure to be one of its best qualities.

The Motorola Razr's nostalgic design certainly gives the phone a more simplistic feel. But it's that combined with the software that makes me believe the new Razr could be an ideal choice for those who value a basic and straightforward experience.

Motorola says the new Razr won't come with any duplicate or unnecessary apps, which has been a common criticism of rival smartphone makers like Samsung and LG. Those companies, however, have made improvements on that front in recent years. 

But beyond that, the Razr was designed to be just a phone and not much more. It's not trying to be two devices in one — its selling point isn't that it can run more apps on screen at once than any other phone. It's simply just a phone, and that's probably part of what makes Motorola's (albeit still expensive) foldable phone cheaper than Samsung's nearly $2,000 Galaxy Fold. 



But that simplicity could also be one of its biggest drawbacks.

Yes, there's a very strong argument for why Motorola's Razr is the most sensible and practical foldable phone designs we've seen yet. It's easy to see the value in the convenience that comes from having a phone that's more portable but also offers a screen that's just as large as that of the average smartphone. 

But at the same time, you could also argue the opposite, that for $1,500 Motorola isn't adding anything new to the experience beyond convenience and nostalgia.  With the Galaxy Fold, as flawed as it was, there was a glimpse of promise in it.

The Galaxy Fold's questionable durability and high price made it impossible to recommend when I tried it back in April. But even after just spending a few days with it, I saw the value in having a device that unfolds like a book to offer a larger screen: It meant I didn't have to carry a a tablet with me during my commute to read a book or watch Netflix on a larger screen. It's an expensive benefit, but one that made me excited about a future in which devices like the Fold weren't quite as pricey.

I don't know if the Razr will have that same effect, but I'm looking forward to finding out for myself. 



Teen daughters decided to 'pre-create' a wedding day so they could dance with their father after he was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer

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Daughters take wedding photos with terminally ill father

  • When Jason Halbert was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, his daughters Kaylee, 18, and Ashlee, 16, told their mother Nicole that they dreamed of having their first wedding dances with him. 
  • The family's Houston community rallied to make the teens' dreams come true, donating everything from wedding dresses to the venue. 
  • Photographer Shalonda Chaddock captured emotional pictures of Jason dancing with his daughters, which have since gone viral. 
  • Nicole told Insider that she hopes the pictures will inspire all families, especially those affected by cancer, to "pre-create" special moments. 
  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

When two Texas teens discovered that their father only had months to live, they decided to "pre-create" a milestone moment with him. 

Kaylee Halbert, 18, and her sister Ashlee, 16, told their mother Nicole that they dreamed of having their first wedding dances with their father Jason, who was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. 

The family's Houston community rallied around them to make the teens' dreams come true, donating everything from the wedding dresses to the pictures, which have since gone viral and touched hearts across the nation. 

Insider talked to the Halbert family and photographer Shalonda Chaddock about the story behind the emotional pictures, which they hope will inspire other families affected by cancer to "pre-create" beautiful memories of their own. 

The Halbert family's world changed forever when Jason, 51, was diagnosed with grade IV glioblastoma multiforme.

Nicole, 41, told Insider that Jason first began showing symptoms in February. His speech slurred, he had trouble swallowing, and suddenly had issues with his balance and vision. 

Doctors discovered a tumor in Jason's brainstem, which was inoperable. They put him on six weeks of radiation therapy, as well as the chemotherapy drug Avastin. 

As Jason was going through treatment, Kaylee asked her mother if he was going to be there for her wedding one day. 

"I told her I hoped so," Nicole recalled. "But if it came to a point where we weren't sure, we'd find a way to make sure he was part of it." 



Doctors discovered cancer cells in Jason's spinal fluid in September. They diagnosed him with leptomeningeal disease.

"We asked what the worst-case prognosis was and what the best-case prognosis was," Nicole recalled. "The doctor said weeks to two to three months." 

"At that moment, the wheels started turning in my head about what I was going to do for my family to make the next couple of months amazing."



After Jason received the terminal diagnosis, Nicole asked her daughters what their "bucket-list wish" was. They said they wanted a wedding dance with their dad.

"I wasn't surprised," Nicole said. "This has been something they've had planned since they were 7." 

Nicole was determined to make her daughters' wish come true but, at first, didn't know how she would pull it off.

"I figured we'd just do it in our living room in one of their high school dance dresses," she said. 

But after Nicole wrote about her daughters' dream on Facebook, the family's community stepped in to help. 

Olde Dobbin Station, located in Montgomery, Texas, allowed the family to use its space for free. A videographer also offered to create videos that Kaylee and Ashlee could watch on their wedding days.

Dozens of women dropped off their wedding dresses, the woman who gave Kaylee and Ashlee their first haircuts did their hair and makeup for the shoot, and Kaylee's first-grade teacher even made their bouquets. 



Jason told Insider that his favorite memory of the day was seeing his daughters in their wedding dresses.

Nicole said she was a "mess of emotions" as she watched Jason and their daughters during the photo shoot. 

"How can you hate something and love something at the same time? Mostly, I felt blessed because this was able to happen," she said. "I knew how important it was for all of them, and I was so glad they were getting this priceless memory. I didn't want to miss a second, and I wanted to sear it into my memory." 

"I was so proud of Jason for fighting through the pain and feeling terrible and making it special for them," she added. "I was so proud of my brave girls. They are too young to know they are losing their dad, but they found the strength to think of this and then do it."



Kaylee told Insider that she'll never forget the moment her father first saw her in the wedding dress.

"It makes me happy that he was able to see that," she said. "Even if it was pre-created." 



And Kaylee couldn't hold back tears as their dance began.

"It was overwhelming more than anything," she said. "I didn't really know what to expect. But I can feel the emotions through our pictures, which is really special." 



Photographer Shalonda Chaddock, who first took photos of the family when Ashlee and Kaylee were just 8 and 10 years old, said it was both the most difficult and the most amazing shoot she has ever done.

"I know this family personally and I have watched these girls grow up," the photographer told Insider. "Having two young daughters myself, I wanted so badly to capture the perfect images for them." 

"But as the tears fell, I realized that these didn't have to be perfect. They just needed them," Chaddock added. 



Nicole said it took everything in her "to choke back the tears" when she first saw the photos.

"It was hard to breathe," she said. "I've looked at them every day since receiving them. I know the girls will have them framed in their homes one day." 

"Kaylee said that Shalonda was 'magic' because of the way she was able to capture all of the emotion," she added.  



But there was also plenty of joy as Kaylee and Ashlee both danced to the song that they had picked out with their father when they were each around 7 years old.

"My favorite memory was being able to talk and dance with him," Ashlee told Insider. "I really liked surprising him with our dresses." 

"I wanted to have this for later," she added. "It's something I knew I wasn't going to be able to get in the future, so it was important to do it now." 



Nicole said that the photos were her family's way of "pre-creating" memories.

"We have to fit a lifetime of events and memories into a few months, so we don't have time to wait on time," she said. "There are things in your life that you know are going to be important — weddings, births, graduations. If you know you won't be here to see them, then celebrate them now. There are no rules saying you can't celebrate early."

"Our wedding day is going to be an important day," Kaylee added. "So to have that moment to remember on the day of our real wedding may be comforting in a way, to know that we were still able to have our dance." 



And Jason said the photo shoot is proof that it's "never too late to start making memories."

"It's another memory that I won't have to miss," he said. "More important, it gives my daughters the memory that they wouldn't otherwise have had." 

"I gained way more than just one dance," Kaylee added. "I created a memory that will last longer than just up until my wedding day. It's a day I'll remember forever." 

"When their wedding days come and we play the video, their minds will go back to this day and they will remember what it felt like to be in dad's arms," Nicole said. "To dance to their song. Jason will know what his girls look like as brides, he will have a vision and a peek into the future. He'll also get to speak at their weddings."



Nicole said she hopes the pictures will inspire every family, especially those who have been affected by cancer, to pre-create their own memories with each other.

"When you are given the diagnosis of a terminal illness, you have two choices," she said. "You can control your time, or you can let the disease control your time." 

"Cancer sucks. It sucks away so much physically, mentally, and emotionally. But we will not let it suck away our joy." 



Next, the family is headed to Durango, Colorado, where they plan to give Jason a white Christmas.

You can donate to the Halbert family's GoFundMe and follow their journey on the Pray for J Facebook page

 



21 unique kitchen gifts from Sur la Table that foodies and bakers will love

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  • With its wide selection of all things cooking, kitchen, and food-related, Sur La Table is a great place to find gifts for the home cook in your life. 
  • We hand-picked 21 gifts from the site that we think anyone will love, whether they're a serious chef, an aspiring one, or someone who'd rather eat than cook. 
  • Looking for more gift ideas? Check out all of Insider Picks' 2019 holiday gift guides.

If you've ever searched for cookware, specialty ingredients, or kitchen gadgets online, you've probably stumbled upon Sur La Table. The retailer offers a variety of kitchen products from legacy brands like Le Creuset and KitchenAid to its own in-house label

Whether they've been cooking for years or are a newbie in the kitchen, Sur La Table has a great selection for cooks of all levels. If you're looking for a nice gift for a foodie in your life this holiday season, Sur La Table has got you covered. 

From cookbooks that help them learn new recipes to professional coffee machines that'll turn them into a barista at home, our gift guide has it all. We combed through the site's huge selection and picked out 21 gifts that we think anyone who loves cooking and eating will love. 

The top 5 best kitchen gifts from Sur La Table:

  1. A cheese board with a built-in wire slicer
  2. A Le Creuset Dutch oven
  3. Egg poachers that brunch fans will appreciate
  4. A classic Santoku knife
  5. A tabletop grill that makes for easy entertaining

Find more food- and kitchen-themed holiday gift guides here: 

Check out all 21 of the best gifts from Sur La Table:

A popcorn maker

Cuisinart Easypop Hot Air Popcorn Maker, $39.95

There's nothing like the buttery taste of freshly popped popcorn to up the ante on movie night. All they have to do is load this easy-to-use popcorn maker with kernels and they'll have a delicious, healthy snack in no time. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Quirky, but practical eyewear

Onion Goggles, $22.95

Make the home cook in your life laugh with this quirky gift that'll actually come in handy when it comes time to chop up some tear-inducing onions. 



The perfect serving pair

Soup and Sandwich Serving Set, $15

Grilled cheese and tomato, turkey club and chicken noodle ... This minimalist serveware duo is the perfect canvas for endless soup and sandwich combinations. 

 



A shucking gadget

Zyliss Oyster Tool, $14.95

This little gadget will make shucking oysters safer and easier than using their bare hands. Throw in some little oyster forks and they have everything they need to enjoy eating them.



A smart cheese board

Slate Cheese Board with Slicer, $35

Putting together a cheese plate is made easier with this thoughtful board. The combination of slate and bamboo makes a nice backdrop for your favorite cheeses, meats, and snacks, plus the built-in wire slicer cuts hard cheese easily.



An informative cocktail shaker

Recipe Cocktail Shaker, $5.99

With seven popular drink recipes printed right on the glass, this cocktail shaker is an essential that'll make taking drink requests at their next party a breeze. 



A quick and easy way to get a chopped salad

Chef'n Saladshears Salad Chopper, $9.95

Chopped salads are delicious, but chopping lettuce is tedious and can wilt the leaves in the process. That is, unless you have this gadget that slices lettuce and veggies quickly. Thanks to the round shape, they can use it on a cutting board or in a bowl to make meal prep a breeze. 

 



A pretty way to show off their dry goods

Glass Canister with Olivewood Lid, $22- $28

Whether it's beans, pasta, rice, or flour, these sleek glass canisters will make even the most simple ingredients look elegant. Plus, the silicone seal locks out air and moisture so everything stays fresh. 



An eco-friendly alternative to plastic bags

Stasher Reusable Storage Bags, set of 3, $39.95

Help them save money and use less plastic with these reusable silicone bags. The temperature-resistant silicone can be used in the freezer and microwave.   



A beloved dutch oven from a heritage brand

Le Creuset Signature Deep Round Dutch Oven, 5.25 quart, $199.96

Enameled cast iron is Le Creuset's specialty— it works well for making everything from braised meats to deep-fried doughnuts. While pricey, people swear by the brand and this versatile Dutch oven in particular. It'll last a lifetime in their kitchen as a vessel for delicious meals and treats. 



A pizza stone

Emile Henry Flame Burgundy Pizza Stone, $44.95

This clay pizza stone gives you the authentic taste of wood-fired pizza from any stovetop, grill, or plain oven. The stone can be heated to high temperatures for a soft, chewy pie surrounded by crispy, crunchy crust. 

 



A cold-brew coffee maker

KitchenAid Cold Brew Coffee Maker, $99.95

Coffee grounds, cold water, and 24 hours are all they need to make a smooth cold brew with this easy-to-use countertop coffee maker. 



A classic pre-seasoned cast iron skillet

Lodge Chef Collection Skillet, $29.95- $39.95

Cast iron skillets are virtually indestructible and they only get better with age (as long as you take care of them properly). Lodge's option is affordable and can be used everywhere, from a kitchen stovetop to an open fire. 



A kitchen towel that lists all different types of pasta

Pasta Red Jacquard Kitchen Towel, $15

A practical and cute addition to any kitchen, this tea towel is covered in illustrations of different pasta shapes. It's not a comprehensive list, but it's a good start. 



Egg poachers that brunch fans will appreciate

Fusion Brands PoachPods, set of 2, $9.95

Making poached eggs may seem complicated, but these easy-to-use pods are anything but. All they have to do is crack an egg into the non-stick pod, drop it in boiling water, and wait a few minutes while the eggs cook. 



A set of electric salt and pepper mills

Cole & Mason Hampstead Electric Salt And Pepper Mills, $55

At the press of a button they can have freshly ground salt and pepper. They can even set their preferred grinding consistency, whether it's coarse or fine, so they have the exact texture they need for any given dish.

 



A pan to make cute mini bundt cakes

Nordic Ware Geo Mini Bundt Pan, $38

Six mini Bundt cake pans in one make for endless baking opportunities. The little cakes make sweet holiday gifts or single-serving desserts. 



A classic Santoku knife

Shun Classic Santoku Knife, $134.95

Constructed using the same method that's traditionally used to create samurai swords, this classic Japanese knife is sharp and durable. It can be used to slice and dice all sorts of things, making it a versatile addition to any knife set. 



A set of rustic coasters

Wood Slice Coasters, set of 4, $19.95

Cut from mango wood, these simple coasters are sure to add a unique touch to their space. 



A cooking class

In-store classes, from $49

If they love learning new skills, take advantage of Sur La Table's affordable cooking classes. Depending on their nearest location, they can find everything from knife skills to pasta making— and prices start at just $49. 

 



A tabletop grill that makes for easy entertaining

Swissmar Fusion Table Grill, $109.99

Whether they're lacking the outdoor space for a grill or would enjoy trying a fun, new way to cook, this tabletop grill makes a great gift. It even comes with six grilling spatulas, so they can invite some friends over and have a fun, interactive dinner party where everyone's involved. 



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



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