Disney Channel knows how to capitalize on nostalgia.

The broadcasting network has made 99 original movies (DCOMs) since 1997. Now, in honor of the 100th DCOM, which premieres June 24, Disney Channel is going to air all of its original movies, giving you an excellent excuse to re-watch old faves.

While there have been hits and there have been misses, here are the 15 best DCOMs:

(Note: The times below are EST.  Also, the time is the actual day the movie airs, i.e. Monday, June 6 at 12 a.m. is Sunday night/Monday morning.)

15. "Don't Look Under the Bed" (1999)

Airs June 14— 2 a.m.

"Don't Look Under the Bed" was arguably the scariest movie to air on the Disney Channel. It is a tale of a young girl being framed by a boogeyman for pulling pranks around town. Sounds sort of silly, but the fact that the boogeyman dimension existed under her bed and featured terrifying creatures was nightmare-inducing. The movie was even rated TV-PG for its creepy content.

14. "Johnny Tsunami" (1999)

Airs May 31 — 3:35 a.m.

Johnny Kapahala is a young surfer from Hawaii who is forced to move to Vermont when his dad is relocated. Johnny finds snowboarding, but there's familial tension after he sneaks off and flies back to Hawaii to stay with his surf-legend grandfather, Johnny Tsunami, after fighting with his father. A sequel followed in 2007.

13. "Tru Confessions" (2002)

Airs June 6 — 12 a.m.

"Tru Confessions" was the heart-wrenching drama focused on Tru (Clara Bryant), an aspiring filmmaker, who uses her autistic twin brother, Eddie (Shia LaBeouf), as the subject of a documentary. Behind this plot is a family learning how to relate to Eddie, as well as one coping with the cruelty of strangers. Oscar-nominee Mare Winningham plays the twins' mother.

American education catches a lot of flack for falling behind other countries in global rankings, but test scores aren't everything. The truth is, some of the most cutting-edge learning takes place on US soil.

We consulted education experts from Google as well as past assessments from InnoveEdu and Noodle to arrive at a comprehensive list of schools that embody innovation in a variety of forms.

There is the Arizona school where Native American students learn about sustainability and agriculture; the school in Michigan where kids learn about zoology; the New York City school for LGBT youth; and many more.

Together, the schools demonstrate that equations and vocabulary tests, while essential, aren't the only things that matter in schooling. They're a small piece of the much larger pursuit to mold young minds.

Star School. Flagstaff, AZ. The school that's off the grid.

Navajo children make up 99% of the student body at Star School, the first public elementary school in the US to get all of its energy from solar power. 

Students grow their own food in the school's greenhouses, take culinary classes, and develop solutions for the local problem of unclean drinking water, says Mark Sorensen, co-founder and CEO of STAR School. "We believe that our orientation to service projects in the community and using our community's culture as a rich resource in contextualizing learning are what make us successful."

Students also learn the 4 Rs, which come from the Navajo culture: Respect, Relationship, Responsibility, and Reasoning. As a result, Sorensen says the school hasn't had a fist fight in over six years and bullying is rare.

Brightworks School. San Francisco, CA. The school that teaches dangerously.

Launched by visionary Gever Tulley in 2011, Brightworks takes some of the most dangerous things parents tell their kids not to do and makes an entire curriculum out of them. 

Kids in grades K to 12 get dirty, play with fire, take apart home appliances, and complete art projects all in the same day.

"We invite students to be co-authors of their education, embracing and supporting the individual and the unique set of skills and interests that motivate them," Tulley and Justine Macauley, Brightworks' program coordinator, tell Tech Insider in an email. 

The school is housed in an expansive warehouse filled with art, forts, makeshift theaters — all of which are meant to tap into kids' creative side.

"The world needs more people who see the hardest challenges as interesting puzzles and have the creative capacity, skills, and tenacity to make change happen," Tulley and Macauley say. 

e3 Civic High School. San Diego, CA. The school inside a library.

Tucked inside the New San Diego Central Library in downtown San Diego, the charter high school gives lower-income kids access to research facilities, study abroad opportunities, and project-based instruction — all with nearly unlimited resources for satisfying their curiosities.

E³— so named for its mission to engage, educate, and empower — opened three years ago, following a study that found more than half of San Diego's students leave the downtown area to attend high school. City officials saw the exit as a sign the region needed improvement.

The result is a school that lives on the sixth and seventh floors of the local library and embodies its mission through design. E³ is LEED Gold-certified and features movable walls, modular furniture, and a plaza for assemblies and meals. 

While Marvel media includes multiple universes across TV and film, one thing unites them all: the Stan Lee cameo.

Lee is an unrivaled legend in the comics worlds and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics. His creative work began in 1939 and includes hugely recognizable characters like Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, and the X-Men.

The 93-year-old has subtly appeared in all manner of Marvel media. He does films, including both Marvel/Disney collaborations like "Avengers" and "Guardians of the Galaxy" and Marvel/Fox film franchises like "X-Men," as well as the Netflix and ABC television adaptations.

In honor of his cameos in "Captain America: Civil War" and "X-Men: Apocalypse," we've put together all of Lee's Marvel appearances. Keep reading to see if you can remember them all.

Stan Lee's first live-action Marvel cameo was as a hot dog vendor in "X-Men" (2000).

He showed up as a helpless bystander in "Spider-Man" (2002).

A young Matt Murdock saves Stan from walking into traffic in "Daredevil" (2003).

After a decade of experimenting, failing, and learning from those failures, most of us have figured out how to navigate, or avoid, the most common money mistakes by the time we hit 30.

Still, we sometimes let ourselves — and a few money lies — get in the way.

Don't let these 15 lies hold you back.

Mandi Woodruff contributed to an earlier version of this post.

SEE ALSO: 13 things to accomplish with your money before 40

So long as my job pays well, it's OK if I hate it

By age 30, no one should be toiling away at a job that leaves them stressed out and dissatisfied with life. Sometimes you just have to say no, and have the confidence to quit.

Need inspiration? Read about this young woman who turned her back on a lucrative job on Wall Street when years of 14-hour work days made her overweight, burnt out, and miserable.

"I'm a few months into my new job [as an asset manager for a nonprofit] and it's made my life richer. I'm making an effort to breathe, smile, eat healthier and have positive thoughts about my future," she wrote.

"I took a pay cut of about 30% to change positions, but I don't think that I should be applauded for making the choice to accept less pay – I don't view it as a sacrifice."

If I turn a blind eye, somehow my finances will figure themselves out

One of the worst things you can do is to ignore financial red flags when they arise.

Check your bank account, no matter how fearful you are of how low the number might be; don't leave your credit report untouched; and take advantage of work benefits, such as the 401(k) match.

If you're broke, you might as well know it and own it. It's the only way you'll ever truly be able to do something about it.

Banks and bill collectors will get their way no matter what I do

At some time, life may get in the way and you'll find yourself on the wrong side of your bank or, worse, a bill collector.

Stand your ground. Negotiating your way to lower credit rates, car insurance, cable bills, and bank fees is possible, especially if you monitor your accounts dutifully and refuse to take no for an answer.

If you're ever in doubt, think about Kenny Golde, who managed to negotiate $220,000 worth of debt down to $70,000.

Since Emma Watson played Hermione Granger at the age of 10 in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in 2001, she's been intractably associated with the character.

It's not just because she played her in eight movies. Daniel Radcliffe, after all, is doing a good job developing his own quirky persona outside of Harry Potter, and Rupert Grint isn't too associated with Ron Weasley (though that might be because everyone forgets Rupert Grint exists).

But the Emma-Hermione connection remains. While Watson tried to separate herself from the character growing up, she later embraced it after realizing how alike they are.

"At first I was really trying to say, 'I'm not like Hermione. I'm into fashion, and I'm much cooler than she is,'"Watson told Paper magazine. "And then I came to a place of acceptance. Actually, we do have a lot in common. There are obviously differences, but there are a lot of ways that I'm very similar. And I stopped fighting that!"

It's true. Emma Watson and Hermione Granger are remarkably similar. Here are some examples:

Both Hermione Granger and Emma Watson are passionate about social welfare.

In addition to her acting, Watson is known for her humanitarian work. She's a UN Goodwill Ambassador and an outspoken feminist. Whether it's a conversation with Malala Yousefzai or a speech at an international conference, she often talks about the importance of helping women around the world.

In J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels, Hermione Granger doesn't do humanitarian work, but only because the people she's trying to help aren't humans. They're elves. She founds an organization called S.P.E.W. (Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare) at Hogwarts in response to the mistreatment of elves in the wizarding world.

They're both really smart

This one's the most obvious similarity. Hermione Granger is "the brightest witch of her age," and consistently at the top of all of her classes at Hogwarts, able to cast the trickiest spells and brew the most difficult potions.

Watson attended the Dragon School, an elite prep boarding school in Oxford, England, and got straight-As. After filming the Harry Potter series, she went to Worcester College and Brown University. But more importantly, she's talented enough to juggle a demanding acting and modeling career with her humanitarian work.

That drive was actually inspired by Hermione herself.

"I started reading 'Harry Potter' when I was eight — I just really identified with her," Watson said. "I was the girl in school whose hand shot up to answer the questions. I was really eager to learn in an uncool way. In a super uncool way, actually. And then the character of Hermione gave me permission to be who I was."

They both love books

Hermione's read "Hogwarts: A History" approximately a thousand times, along with just about everything else in the school's library.

Emma Watson runs a feminist book club, and she's recommended books over social media and interviews all the time. Her degree from Brown is in English literature.

Someone figured out the best way to declare support for their favorite presidential candidate.

Gene Leeds, a 34-year-old Columbia University student, covered his brand-new, very loud, 200-plus MPH Chevrolet Corvette Z06 with stickers and paint in support of Bernie Sanders. All with just a little help from his college professor and from the Bernie Sanders 2016 campaign.

And it even still looks good.

Check it out.

SEE ALSO: 'Run, Bernie, Run': Trump keeps imploring Bernie Sanders to mount a third-party bid for president

Leeds became inspired to deck the Z06 out after seeing BMW's Art Cars at the 2015 Concorso d’Eleganza.

After taking a Silkscreening class at Columbia University, Leeds decided to use what he learned to decorate the Z06.

Leeds' support was locked on Sanders because he feels that Sanders is the only presidential candidate talking seriously about the vast percentage of children that are born into poverty. Being a father, this issue strikes very close to home for Leeds.

The wealthiest, most successful people bury themselves in books. They commit to self-education long after they've finished college or any formal education.

To help make 2016 a prosperous year, we've highlighted 12 of our favorite personal-finance books — one for each month — from century-old classics to hot new releases.

No guarantees you'll get rich, but it can't hurt to kick off the new year with one of these gems:

SEE ALSO: Tony Robbins, Sallie Krawcheck, and 6 more successful people share their financial goals for 2016

'Think and Grow Rich' by Napoleon Hill

Prompted by legendary businessman Andrew Carnegie, who turned a few nickels and dimes into a fortune, journalist Napoleon Hill researched more than 500 self-made millionaires over 20 years before releasing his 1937 best-seller "Think and Grow Rich."

He boils down the "secret" to building wealth into 13 principles and reveals "major causes of failure" that hold many of us back from getting rich.

There is no mention of "money,""wealth,""finances," or "stocks" within Hill's text. He takes a different approach, focusing on breaking down the psychological barriers that prevent many of us from attaining our own fortunes.

'The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness' by Dave Ramsey

If you're looking for a true financial tune-up, financial guru Dave Ramsey's best-seller will do the trick. Ramsey doesn't shower his readers with quick fixes in "The Total Money Makeover." He provides a bold approach to finance matters and gets to the bottom of money problems: you.

Along the way, he debunks many money myths and attacks the idea of the American Dream.

Several success stories back up Ramsey's simple, no-nonsense approach, including a couple who paid off $110,000 of debt in two years and a family that got into $109,000 of credit-card debt while earning six figures ... and then paid it off in four years.

'Money Guide 2016' by Jonathan Clements

The Wall Street Journal's personal-finance columnist, Jonathan Clements, updates his money guide every year, and the 2016 version is officially out.

"Money Guide 2016" offers concise, easy-to-read chapters on just about every money-related topic out there, from retirement accounts and kiddie tax to student loans and today's real-estate market.

Clements also outlines how to build your personal financial plan in 18 simple steps, critical dos and don'ts for 2016, updated tax information for 2016, and new statistics on the economy, markets, and how Americans are faring financially.

It was the day an investor wrote a personal check for $25,000 to help take my startup Nestio to the next level that the responsibility of being a CEO really hit me.

It was 2011, and we were really just three people and an idea. Here was a father of two young kids, taking money out of what could have been a college fund, and investing it in the growth of our company.

I felt an enormous sense of responsibility to him, to the company, and the team, to not only return that money, but make it grow.

Entrepreneurship entices people for good reason: You get to build something of your own, control your own destiny, and swing for the fences. In fact, more than half of working-age adults around the world believe they have what it takes to start a business, according to a recent report from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor.

I was one of them. But starting a company in my late 20s was nothing like what I expected. The pressure, the tough decisions, the loneliness: Yes, I knew all that was coming … but I didn't know how unrelenting it would be. On the flipside, there have also been many unexpected rewards I never imagined.

Here are three key lessons I've learned since starting Nestio five years ago, which I hope can help other aspiring entrepreneurs or young CEOs in the thick of it:

SEE ALSO: Turning around someone's bad impression of you could be as simple as saying a few sentences

1. Delegating: Love it … but don't be afraid to leave it

When I started my business, alongside my cofounder Mike O'Toole, I did everything from business development to sales, operations, and finance. As we grew from a three-person company to a six-person company to now a 35-person company, I had to let each of these roles go.

Considering I was working 18-hour days, this was a lot harder than I imagined. I loved customer service, for example, but I knew if I didn't delegate, we'd never be able to scale. That really came as a rude awakening at first: To truly lead, you have to give up some of the job functions you love the most.

Of course, there's good reason for that. Consider a recent OfficeMax survey that shows small business owners lose more than four billion hours a year doing routine tasks. As CEO, I've come to realize that my most important jobs — the ones I have to get right — are keeping money in the bank and hiring the right people.

If I succeed at those, then the company has a much greater chance of succeeding, as well. On the flipside, delegating also gives talented, smart people something of their own to lead and champion — a must if you want to keep A players on board.

2. Hiring: It's a moving target … but you can't compromise

When I was job hunting in my younger years, I always thought employers had it easy: picking the best of the bunch from dozens of eager, qualified candidates. Being on the other side of the table, I realize how incredibly hard hiring is — in fact, the odds of finding the right person can feel overwhelming.

That's especially true in tech, of course, where the talent gap is still painfully wide. But I've learned the hard way that it's better to wait for the right candidate than just fill seats. Even though I'm stretched thin and my company is poised to double in size, I'm ultra selective in terms of whom I bring aboard.

We have hiring goals, which are directly correlated to meeting and exceeding revenue and product targets. But despite that, it still doesn't make sense to just put butts in seats. The wrong hire, at the end of the day, only makes everyone's life harder.

But it gets even trickier. Sometimes, the right people for present needs aren't a fit two or three years down the road. Part of the art of hiring is trying to find people who can grow alongside the business. Will they be able to take on new responsibility? Can they lead a team when the time comes? In this sense, hiring right requires not just taking stock of current abilities, but forecasting future ones.

3. Leading: One is definitely the loneliest number

Even though I've surrounded myself with great people, being the boss can be isolating. You have to make unpopular decisions, including letting genuinely good people go: wonderful individuals who, for whatever reason, aren't growing with the business. At the same time, as CEO, you have to resist the urge to share everything with your team. As an inherently extroverted person, I wear my heart on my sleeve, so this has been especially challenging. But sometimes I just have to step back and sit with things to figure out the best course of action.

The irony in all of this, of course, is that you're really not alone in being alone. A full 70% of first-time CEOs report feeling isolated on the job, according to Harvard Business Review. I've found that one of the most effective ways of breaking out is actually to meet up with fellow founders for advice and moral support.

The loneliness seems infinitely more manageable when you realize other people are going through it, too. It also gets easier with time. You learn to walk that fine line between friend and boss. And you find other channels to connect with the people around you.

In fact, that leads me to one the biggest upsides to being CEO. For me, choosing my own destiny has also given me the chance to choose to help others. I'm thrilled to be in a position where I can do what I think is right for people I care about. I also love helping employees work through their goals, both personal and professional.

Like any job, being the CEO has its good days and bad. I've made my share of mistakes and might have handled a few things differently in hindsight. But there are few things as rewarding as building your dream company and giving back to those who helped make it happen.

Samsung’s latest smartphones, which launched in China on Thursday, look a lot like Apple’s iPhone 6 and 6S.

The Galaxy C5 and more expensive C7 model specs include a fingerprint sensor, colors similar to Apple’s popular gold and rose gold finishes, and most importantly, a metal shell with antenna bands that clearly mimics the design found on the iPhone 6 and 6S lineup.

As far as pricing goes, the Galaxy C5 is retailing at $366 for 64 GB storage — compared to $649 for Apple’s iPhone 6 with equivalent storage — while the Galaxy C7 is running $427 for 64 GB, compared to $849 for the same storage in the iPhone 6S.

Imitating Apple’s high-ticketed devices but selling them at a lower price tag through this new line of smartphones could help Samsung regain market share in China, where companies like Xiaomi, Huawei and Apple have eaten into its profits.

For now, Samsung’s C5 and C7 models are only available in China, but they have been certified by the FCC, indicating that the Korean company has ambitions for an American launch.

To take a look at the similarities yourself, see the images below: 

SEE ALSO: Apple is still obsessed with the year 1984

Galaxy 5C

iPhone 6

Galaxy C5

When my husband and I first started the hunt for Atlanta, GA, real estate, I cringed at the tough negotiating he was doing, as did our agent. "You sound like a fast-talking big-city businessman," she said to him in her smooth drawl. But as cringe-worthy as it seemed at the time, he was just engaging in some tried-and-true horse-trading — trying to make a deal that both sides could feel good about.

SEE ALSO: How to buy a home you can afford, in 9 steps

1. Price your house right

There's a difference between the price you want to get (or what you think the house is worth) and what the market will bear. "Pricing is not based on how much a seller needs to net," says Brian Horan, a broker who specializes in Los Angeles, CA, real estate. "Sellers always seem to need a certain amount, but that has nothing to do with the price of tea in China."

Look into neighborhood comps to give yourself a more realistic idea. A savvy real estate agent will also be able to provide a benchmark for asking prices that reflect market valuations.

2. Consider the first offer

"Really pay attention to your first offer," says Chris Leavitt, star of "Million Dollar Listing: Miami." "Because that will probably be your best one."

Leavitt, who once sold a Miami Beach, FL, condo for $34 million, the highest condo sale in Florida history at the time, knows a little something about negotiating. "Your best offers usually come at the beginning, so it would be a mistake to not listen to those offers, regardless of what they are," he says.

3. Think like a salesperson

"All home sellers should establish their BATNA before listing their house for sale," says Patrick Malone, senior partner at The PAR Group. (No, he isn't telling you to become Batman.) 

"BATNA" stands for "best alternative to a negotiated agreement" and serves as a negotiator's fallback option in case there's no deal. Having a BATNA puts you in a stronger negotiation position. Maybe you've decided that if you don't get your bottom line, you'll rent the place and try again later, or maybe you'll renovate and stay. Keeping your BATNA in the back of your mind can help prevent you from agreeing to a bad deal out of desperation.

Apple budgeted $1 million for the staircases of its new San Francisco flagship Apple Store, reports Curbed, using data from BuildZoom.

The data shows that Apple expected to spend $23.6 million building and renovating the store, based on the construction permits it obtained. Nineteen million dollars of that was slated for the exterior of the building.

Those are just ballpark figures — Apple gave these numbers to San Francisco City Hall before construction actually began, so real costs could be higher.

Here's what a half-million-dollar staircase looks like:

SEE ALSO: Apple Stores are getting their biggest makeover in 15 years

And here's the other one:

Apart from the $1 million staircases, the signage on the exterior of the building was budgeted at $82,000 ... but the Apple logo was only $2,000.

Plus, Apple budgeted $50,000 on the support systems for the gigantic video screen in the new store — which is good, because that screen reportedly cost $1.5 million on its own.

Most British people drink tea and eat fish and chips — or at least that's what the rest of the world thinks.

To see which facts really hold true for the majority of the 64 million people who live in the United Kingdom, we used data from the Office for National Statistics, Ipsos MORI, Pew Research, and others.

The UK population has many things in common. We've highlighted the most interesting similarities below. 

61% of Britons have brown hair.

 Source: Ipsos Global Trends

65% of Britons have a favourable view of Americans, 10 percentage points fewer than in 2002.

Source: Pew Research

60% of UK adults drink alcohol at least once a week.

Source: Ipsos MORI

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is one of the most successful business moguls in the world. 

But he wouldn't be there if he didn't embrace "failure" the way he has over the years.

Here's a look at all the different ways Bezos encouraged failure at Amazon — and it will change the way you think about failure too:

Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider through his personal investment company Bezos Expeditions.

SEE ALSO: Amazon bought this old hotel in Seattle and turned it into a homeless shelter

Bezos is a big fan of failure.

It's because he believes failed experiments are a necessary evil to creating successful inventions. He says failure and inventions are "inseparable twins."

"To invent you have to experiment, and if you know in advance that it’s going to work, it’s not an experiment. Most large organizations embrace the idea of invention, but are not willing to suffer the string of failed experiments necessary to get there," Bezos wrote in Amazon's most recent annual shareholder letter.

Source: Amazon

A recent video from the US Naval Institute takes us aboard the USS John C. Stennis with the 9th Carrier Wing to detail the role, functions, and capabilities of every single plane and helicopter on the ship.

The US's 10 operational aircraft carriers each measures nearly 1,100 feet in length, house as many as 6,000 sailors, and support more than 70 aircraft. These are some of the most complex and imposing machines ever made by man.

From providing mobile air superiority and striking ground targets to jamming enemy radar, hunting submarines, or routine logistics support, the Carrier Wing group has a tool for each job.

Get an inside look below at the air power that the US Navy's 9th Carrier Wing can bring to bear on short notice to any location in the world.

SEE ALSO: The US Navy has a new trick up its sleeve, and it could be a game changer

SEE ALSO: 19 photos proving the US's aircraft carriers are the ultimate weapon

F-18s

Four of the eight squadrons and one detachment aboard a carrier wing fly F-18s in either one or two seat varieties.

The plane serves a dual purpose as a "both a fighter and an attack airplane," meaning it can engage enemy aircraft with "all the different types of missiles and weapons systems," as well as hitting all targets on the ground.

"For the attack role, they can shoot almost all weapons in the US inventory," Capt. Rich ‘Snap’ Brophy, the commander of Carrier Air Wing 9, told the US Naval Institute.

E/A-18Gs

Though it looks almost identical to the F-18, the E/A-18G Growler has a totally different role.

"Anytime a radar sets off any type of signal, this airplane is able to pick up that signal, classify it, locate it, and hopefully target it if it needs to," Brophy explains. 

E-2

Brophy describes the E-2 as the "quarterback in the sky." The large propeller-driven plane carries a giant radar on top and shares that information with the entire strike group.

"They help link one warfare commander to the other commanders and really help ensure that the picture is fused across all the various warfare commanders," Brophy said.

As passengers, you blindly place a huge amount of trust in your airline crew to ensure that you're safely hurdled through the air about 35,000 feet up.

So it's a little surprising that there is still so much about the world of commercial aviation that's shrouded in mystery.

To answer all those burning questions we had about flying and the people who ensure we do it safely, we turned to Annette Long, a flight attendant with 13 years of experience.

Below she answers all the questions you've ever wanted to ask a flight attendant.

SEE ALSO: 20 of the most bizarre things flight attendants have seen in their line of duty

DON'T MISS: A flight attendant shares 3 things most people don't know about training school

Do flight attendants eat the airplane food?

"Oh, yeah. All the time. You can just picture the vultures when there's a first-class meal available.

"We get what's left over of the fresh food after the passengers have been fed."

What's the most desirable flight for a flight attendant to work?

"We have a saying: 'One girl's trash is another girl's treasure.'

"When I posted on my Facebook page that I was flying to Beijing, one of my friends wrote, 'Better you than me.' She likes to fly domestic, and there are a lot of my friends who love to fly domestic. They want nothing to do with flying international. And then there are people who only want to fly international.

"Of the international trips, I would say that Beijing and Tokyo from Washington, where I'm based, are probably the primo trips. Because of the high flying time, you're working a lot of time in a short amount of days. In Beijing, you're laid over for 52 hours, so you can go shopping, you can go relax, and you can go get your hair and nails done and your back massaged — whatever you want to do there — and we stay in a really nice hotel. Tokyo is a shorter layover, something like 24 hours, so you fly there about 13 hours, you lay over for 24 hours, and then you fly back home. So it's a three-day trip versus Beijing, which is a four-day trip."

How do those long-haul trips affect you?

"You're pretty beat up by the time you get home. You really are so tired, you can't even type on Facebook, 'I'm home now.' On the day after your trip you close the blinds, you may or may not answer the phone. You definitely won't answer the door. You're definitely going to cancel any plans you have with your friends because you were dumb enough to make them in the first place thinking you would go. But you just kind of come back into yourself and stay home because that's where you need to be.

"When I get home I plan on sleeping in as late as I can. Your time clock gets crazy. But you do the best you can, you sleep when you can."

Growing up on a cattle ranch in Wyoming, I learned to survive by being scrappy enough to make-do and hungry enough to keep moving.

Department stores were big buildings in places 100 miles away, and if a rattlesnake came between me and where I wanted to go, guess who came out on top?

As a kid I learned a lot about mental toughness. When I joined the FBI, I learned even more.

My defensive tactics and firearms training drilled one thing into me: never choke when faced with an obstacle that looks bigger, meaner, or uglier than you.

In other words, always be game-ready so you can have the mental toughness to rebound from disappointments and missed opportunities. Our coaches trained us to have a hardiness for enduring the downside of a situation.

Entrepreneurs, leaders, and business owners have tough situations to face in today’s competitive environment. They need to be ready to meet those challenges with their best mental game.

Here are five evidence-based tips on how to develop a stronger mind:

SEE ALSO: A former Goldman Sachs intern reveals 5 tips for surviving your first stint on Wall Street

1. Set a super-clear goal

Research confirms that the more specific your goal, the better you will perform. General goals are too vague so take the time at the very beginning to think it through so it will become more clear to you.

The goal must be real and important for you to achieve. Do not speculate—that will do nothing but waste your time and valuable energy.

Tips:

• Define your need and really mean it.
• Describe in detail exactly what you want.
• List what you want—it will help you visualize your success.
• Define what will interfere in achieving your goal.
• Determine the starting point.
• Establish a time frame for achieving your goal.
• Break down the tasks necessary for completion.
• Tell others what you plan to do.

2. Learn to be OK with pain

We all know we are most motivated just before a deadline — our pulse quickens and our focus narrows. We can use the same principles of neurobiology to help us be mentally tough when it comes to meeting our goals.

Handling tough negotiations, dealing with competitors, and climbing the corporate ladder are not easy achievements, but if you are pursuing something that holds both value and meaning for you, you will embrace the discomfort that comes from pushing yourself past self-limiting barriers.

Whether it’s physical, psychological, or emotional discomfort, pushing past the pain of exertion will require you to suck it up. Leaders who have mental toughness are able to function when they hit their pain threshold because their minds are trained to ease their way through it.

My defensive tactics coach used to shout out, “No pain, no gain!” It captures the idea that we need to move past the point of comfort to achieve professional excellence.

Tips:

• When you feel you are starting to hit the wall, stay in the moment and concentrate on the task in front of you. When you focus and concentrate on the task, it is easier to see where small steps can be taken to keep you moving through the wall you are facing. If you lose your concentration, all you will see is the wall! Your mind takes over and tells you that the task is impossible, so you crumble and wilt.
• Craft your goals as a target you are moving toward. Athletes are rarely thinking how far they are from the starting line but rather how much closer they are to the finish line.

3. Get competitive

As badly as I hate to admit this, I was passed in a 6K run by a woman pushing a baby carriage. My pride took a real nosedive at that sorry moment, but it prompted a real competitive spirit within me.

I made sure the woman never got more than a few paces ahead of me for the rest of the race. I focused my eyes on her back and kept her pace until we crossed the finish line.

Inch by inch, life’s a cinch; yard by yard, life is hard.

Tips:

1. Identify your competitors.
2. Gage where you stand against them.
3. Pick out one competitor who is slightly ahead of you in terms of talent and skill set.
4. Find the scrappiness to stay up with them, and eventually, move past.
5. Throw your lasso around the next competitor ahead of you and do the same thing.

Much of France has been brought to a standstill this week by protests, some violent, against President Francois Hollande's new labour reforms, which make it easier for employers to hire and fire staff.

Many French people see the reforms as a violation of fundamental worker's rights and the reforms were controversially forced through parliament without a vote.

French people have taken to the streets to protest and blockaded key public services and infrastructure. Their actions have brought them into conflict with police, often provoking violent clashes.

See pictures of the chaos below:

Protests in France first began on March 9 against President Francois Hollande's proposed labour reforms. They have been running on and off across France ever since.

Source: The Guardian

France has some of the most worker-friendly labour laws in the world. A 35-hour work week has been enshrined in law since 2000 and workers are guaranteed a huge amount of job security. Hollande and others argue this harms France's economic competitiveness.

Source: BBC

Hollande's reforms leave the 35-hour work week but as an average, meaning employers can negotiate with staff to work up to 40 hours a week — or even 60 in exceptional circumstances. Companies will also have more discretion​ on pay, hiring, and firing. In short, the balance between workers and employers will shift towards companies.

Air pollution in urban areas is getting worse.

Between 2008 and 2013, global urban air pollution levels rose by 8%. 

Some 80% of all urban areas have air pollution levels above what's considered healthy by the World Health Organization, a new report said Thursday. The rate is even more dismal for cities with more than 100,000 people in low- and middle-income countries: The report found that 98% of those areas had unhealthy air. 

The most harmful pollutant to human health is called PM 2.5, particle matter smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter that's found in soot, smoke, and dust. PM 2.5 is especially dangerous because it can get lodged in the lungs and cause long-term health problems like asthma and chronic lung disease.

PM 2.5 starts to become a major health problem when there is more than 35.5 micrograms (µg) of PM 2.5 per cubic meter of air, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. But the World Health Organizations recommends keeping yearly average PM 2.5 levels three times lower than that.

The most polluted cities on Earth have anywhere between 11 and 20 times that amount — based on the new WHO data from cities that collect it — and you might be surprised which make the top 15 list this year. 

CHECK OUT: 4 surprising ways warmer temperatures will change our food

READ NEXT: Americans are eating less of one fruit, and it could signal a bigger problem in our diets

15. Kanpur, India - 115 µg/m3 of PM 2.5

Kanpur, India has 11 times the annual mean of PM 2.5 that's considered healthy. The pollution is attributed to industrial activity in the area as well as motor vehicles.  

TIE 13. Shijiazhuang, China - 121 µg/m3 of PM 2.5

Shijiazhuang, the largest city in China's Hebei province, owes its high air pollution to industrial activity in the area. It's been so bad, in 2014 a man tried to sue the government over the smog in the city.

TIE 13. Dammam, Saudi Arabia - 121 µg/m3 of PM 2.5

Dammam, a city in Saudi Arabia's eastern province, is the sixth largest city in the country. Its high air pollution stems in part from the oil industry in the area. 

At $1.2 trillion, student-loan debt in the US exceeds car loans and even credit-card debt. But education is an investment for the future, or so the mantra goes. Students routinely pay hefty costs to come away with the diplomas they desire.

With that in mind, Business Insider rounded up some of the most costly degree programs around the world.

The programs span some of the expected categories, like medical degrees and MBAs, to less likely bachelor of arts programs and music degrees.

The prices listed below reference only tuition costs without room and board and other expenses. 

Below are seven of the most expensive programs in the world.

Wharton School — $192,900 Executive MBA

Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania has a two-year executive-education program that runs students $192,900.

Known as one of the top business programs in the world, Wharton grads have an average base salary of $127,280 upon graduating.

Sarah Lawrence — $204,784 Bachelor of Arts

Sarah Lawrence, based in Westchester, New York, costs students $204,784 for four years. 

The liberal arts school has a unique and individualized approach to learning where there are no required courses and examinations mostly don't exist.

Harvey Mudd College — $209,532 Bachelor of Science

Harvey Mudd appears to be one of the most expensive undergraduate program in the US. The Claremont, California-based program runs students $209,532 for four years.

It focuses on science, mathematics, and engineering, and graduates earn an early career average salary of $78,200 and $133,000 mid-career.

KFC is undergoing a makeover — including in areas that most customers will never see.

More than 50 KFC locations across the US have been remodeled as part of a multimillion-dollar brand-revamp effort. In the next three years, 70% of the chain's US locations, or 3,000 restaurants, will look completely different.

The fried-chicken chain began testing aspects of the remodel in 2014, using a revitalization strategy crafted by FRCH Design Worldwide.

Here's what it's like to visit one remodeled location in Louisville, Kentucky — inside, outside, and behind the scenes.

The remodeled location is immediately different than a traditional KFC, with bold white stripes and a roof that resembles a popped top of a bucket of chicken, intended to grab the attention of hungry drivers.

Inside, a light shaped like a bucket immediately grabs your attention — a bucket chandelier of sorts. The light hangs over a large circular table, inspired by Colonel Sanders' first restaurant, where all customers sat around a single table, family style.

The Colonel is everywhere at the remodeled location — especially the back wall, covered in photos of Sanders. Variations on the Sanders-themed red wall will be included in each remodeled location.