Kate Stockinger grew up in the UK and met her now-husband in New York.The couple raised their two daughters in five cities across four continents before deciding to settle in Minnesota.She finds people in her husband's home state welcoming but her kids had trouble settling in.Two truths and a lie. My daughter Freya was 10, it was the first day at her new school in Minnesota, and it was her turn to share: "I've lived in 5 countries and 4 continents; I like cheese; I lived in India when I was 2 years old," she said.The classmates debated between whether the lie was the number of countries or that she'd lived in India until she shouted out that it was the cheese she'd never been a fan.In Minnesota, new kids rarely show up, and when they do, they're usually coming from nearby. My family moved to Minnesota in July, and it's taking time for my two daughters and me to settle down.I grew up in the UK. I met my now-husband Andy during acollege internshipat a private golf club in New York. He had recently moved to the Big Apple from Minnesota.We fell in love, got married, and he soon started getting job placements working at different golf courses around the world. Over the next 10 years, we had two daughters, moved five times, and lived in five cities across four continents. After our time in Egypt, and with our eldest daughter not getting what she needed from her international school, we decided to hang up our expat life and move "home" to Minnesota.We decided that this was where our kids needed to live to get the education we wanted for them. Taking this leap has been our scariest decision. My husband quit his job, and we moved to the US with nothing lined up. We were lucky to have the support of family and friends both in the US and back in the UK.Of course, with all of this change, there have been some high highs and some low lows. The last picture Stockinger's family took in Egypt before moving. Kate Stockinger Culture shock started at TargetStores in the US really do have everything but sometimes there's too much to choose from.Target is somewhere I have to be in the right mood to go, as the variety of chips, yogurt, and out-of-season fruit they have is mind-blowing. In countries we have lived in before, it's always been seasonal and a treat to have berries that were not frozen. Recent trips to Target with my kids can take at least an hour, as my daughters want to peruse every inch of the store,I appreciate that I no longer have to pay crazy amounts of money for skincare or shampoo, but now my daughter has discovered a whole aisle dedicated to kids' skincare and makeup.Kids struggling to fit inThe statement "Minnesota Nice" holds up. Everyone here is so friendly and willing to help. It's a stark and welcome contrast compared to some of the communities where we previously lived.Despite this, my kids have had trouble settling in. Freya has found it hard to fit in with kids at school, as the majority of children in her class have been together since Pre-K.Hearing her tell me that she played on her own during recess has been heartbreaking. When we lived abroad, it was easier, as there were always new kids, and the schools tended to deal with it a little better.Winter is comingIn the past, our vacation visits to Minnesota typically took place in the summer. I have never experienced a proper Minnesotan Winter.In Anna and Elsa's words, my daughters and I are absolutely buzzing to be able to say, "Do you wanna build a snowman?" But my husband, his family, and our friends are waiting for our attitudes to turn when those daylight hours become less, and the damp, wet reality of that snow hits. As I am forever the optimist, I hope to see the positive even when we have to face the dull, dark days.We are proud that our kids started their lives as global citizens and hope to continue their experience by enjoying family vacations once we have our feet firmly on the ground. This is the fastest we have settled into somewhere, proving to ourselves that we are done with expat life and ready to have neighbors in a cul-de-sac.

Siddharth Kashiramka joined Amazon in 2022 as a product manager for AI projects.Looking back, he thought his rsum highlighted his impact but he would not write in the third-person now.And he would stick to one page, the standard recommended rsum length.Siddharth Kashiramka was six years into his post-Masters career when he began considering his next move.He worked as a product manager at Capital One and was previously a consultant at PwC. Some of his colleagues had gone to Amazon, but he didn't want to uproot his life from Virginia to Seattle. Then he was approached to work with artificial intelligence at Amazon no move required.To prepare for his interview, Kashiramka networked with contacts who had made a similar transition and spent a month practicing for interviews, doing mock sessions on a career service platform.After several rounds of interviews, Kashiramka landed a product management role at Amazon in 2022. The role came with about $300,000 in annual compensation, a mix of base salary and stock options.As a hiring manager, Kashiramka said that while rsums are a small part of the overall hiring process, they can still be an important decision-making tool."I remember an instance where there were two equally good candidates for a position. Both of them cleared the final round of interviews, but the offer had to be given to only one," Kashiramka said. "Ultimately, the decision hinged on the candidate with the most polished rsum."Here is the rsum he used to apply to Amazon and other Big Tech companies. It wasn't perfect he told Business Insider he would change three major components.Looking back on the rsum, he said three things work well:1. Talk about impact: He gives a high-level description of past roles, followed by his work and its impact.2. Summarize: "The summary is very unique to me," he said. "You can't copy-paste it to someone else." In the future, he would also add a short section talking about his external mentorship efforts and academic journal contributions, which he has been doing more actively since 2022.3. Show variety: Throughout the rsum, Kashiramka used a range of keywords, including "leveraged," "delivered," "established," and "collaborated." "Unintentionally this also optimizes for the ATS systems as well," he said about the application tracking systems that digitally parse rsums for keywords.What he would changeWhile the rsum got him interviews at Meta, Amazon, and Google, there are still a few things he would change moving forward:1. One page rsum: "I think the rsum should be one page," he said about keeping the document short. "That was a big red flag for me here in this rsum." Kashiramka added that his rsums for PwC and Capital One, where he worked before Amazon, were both one page, and he would return to that length in the future.2. Use first-person voice: Kashiramka said another mistake was writing about himself in the third person because it sounds less personal. "It seems very pompous, to be honest," he said. "I'm like: 'Who am I talking about here?'"3. Attention to detail: "I have made a few grammatical mistakes in this," he said. He recommends using a proofreading tool and getting another set of human eyes on the document.Kashiramka said that while there were grammatical errors, he was careful to be consistent in formatting, such as not using periods anywhere.Kashiramka is a senior product manager at Amazon's office in Crystal City,Virginia. Business Insider has verified his employment history and compensation.

Scambaiting is when the target of a phone or online scam knowingly tries to waste a scammer's time.Scambaiting can frustrate scammers and prevent them from targeting others.A UK company has now designed an AI chatbot that will do it for you."Scambaiting" is when the target of a phone or online scam realizes what's happening and plays along. The goal is to waste as much of the scammer's time as possible.The process is often hilarious and has given rise to a successful genre of online content in which users post their successful attempts to bait scammers.The process, however, can be time-consuming. So a UK company called Virgin Media O2 is offering a solution: an AI grandmother named Daisy.In a video demonstration last week, the company showed how someone could deploy the AI chatbot to waste a scammer's time on their behalf."This state-of-the-art AI Granny's mission is to talk with fraudsters and waste as much of their time as possible with human-like rambling chat to keep them away from real people while highlighting the need for consumers to stay vigilant as the UK faces a fraud epidemic," the company said.The problem is worldwide. Almost 1 in 3 Americans have been the victim of a scam in the past year, with an average loss of $1,600 a person, according to a study from IPX, a financial analysis firm. According to the Federal Trade Commission, consumers reported more than $10 billion in losses last year from online scams.Virgin Media O2 says it decided to create Daisy after conducting research that showed that 71% of Brits wanted to retaliate against scammers but that most of them didn't want to spend the time to do so.So the company partnered with one of the most popular scambaiters on YouTube, Jim Browning, to train the AI chatbot. Browning is known for pretending to be a clueless victim long enough to frustrate scammers. Browning has more than 4.3 million subscribers.Virgin Media O2 told BI in a statement that Daisy "combines various AI models which work together to listen and respond to fraudulent calls instantaneously and is so lifelike it has successfully kept numerous fraudsters on calls for 40 minutes at a time.""Daisy is turning the tables on scammers outsmarting and outmaneuvering them at their own cruel game simply by keeping them on the line," director of fraud at Virgin Media O2, Murray Mackenzie, said. "But crucially, Daisy is also a reminder that no matter how persuasive someone on the other end of the phone may be, they aren't always who you think they are."

Alec Baldwin appeared on the most recent episode of "Saturday Night Live."Baldwin played Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's health secretary nominee.The show also saw Sarah Sherman play Matt Gaetz, Trump's pick for attorney general.It was hardly surprising that the latest episode of "Saturday Night Live" saw the cast debut impressions of President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet nominees.Several of Trump's more controversial picks, including Matt Gaetz as attorney general and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary, have had a lot of people talking this week, and the "SNL" cast didn't miss the opportunity to unpack the situation.The NBC show saw James Austin Johnson's Trump spoof introduce what he called "the most epic cabinet of all time," which he said included "some of the most dynamic, free-thinking, animal-killing, sexually criminal, medically crazy people in the country.""We've got Elon and Matt Gaetz. That's an 'Alien vs. Predator.' We've got Kristi Noem and RFK Jr. They're killing the dogs, they're killing the bears. And Melania will be working remotely from divorce," Johnson said.Sarah Sherman then entered as Gaetz, one of Trump's most surprising selections so far. Gaetz has previously faced sexual misconduct allegations, and his nomination reportedly blind-sided many Republicans.Sherman soon declared that she "had to resign from Congress because the confirmation process comes at the busiest time of year for me.""The holidays?" Johnson asked."Girls' volleyball season," Sherman said, before introducing Alec Baldwin as RFK Jr. a well-known vaccine skeptic and conspiracy theorist.With a rasping voice, Baldwin, who has previously played Trump on the show, said: "I am so honored to be the head of the Health and Human Services Department.""Americans need someone to teach them how to be healthy. Someone like me. A 70-year-old man with movie star looks and a worm in his brain," he went on."Alright, I got to go; I got a dead dolphin in my car. I think I might saw it in half and dump it in Central Park," he said, referencing Kennedy's story about once having dumped a dead bear in Central Park.Elsewhere in the episode, which saw British pop star Charli XCX make her hosting debut, Johnson made light of Trump's increasingly close relationship with Tesla CEO Elon Musk."I can't go back to Mar-a-Lago," he said. "Elon is there, and he will not leave."Trump, Musk, and RFK Jr. appeared together alongside other cabinet picks at UFC 309 on Saturday.The president-elect received a huge ovation from the crowd as he entered Madison Square Garden alongside a beaming Dana White.

Last week, Donald Trump announced the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency, which promises to "dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies." And to run the new cost-cutting department, Trump tapped the businessman he calls the world's "greatest cutter" Elon Musk.If you're looking to take a chainsaw to the federal government, Musk seems perfectly suited to the job. At Twitter, he eliminated a staggering 80% of the staff over 6,000 people. At Tesla, he cut 10% of the workforce, saying the company needed to be "absolutely hardcore about headcount and cost reduction." He also laid off 10% of employees at Space X, insisting his teams need to be scrappy and nimble. Cutting, for Musk, is generally Job No. 1.For the most part, Musk's slash-and-burn tactics have paid off. Twitter usage, according to Musk, is at an all-time high. Tesla's stock is up 28% over the past year. And SpaceX now valued at $250 billion is grabbing rockets out of the sky with giant chopsticks. In the world of business, fewer workers often translate into higher profits.The question is: Can the cost-cutting tactics Musk has employed in the private sector work to corral waste and bloat in the federal government? Musk and his DOGE cochair, the biotech billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy, have said they're looking to hire "super high-IQ small government revolutionaries" to help make $2 trillion in cuts about a third of all federal spending and to slash the federal workforce by as much as 75%. It's a dream that has eluded every Republican administration since Ronald Reagan and it's one that may prove elusive even for Musk, the man now anointed as America's cost-cutter in chief.There's certainly no shortage of waste and inefficiency in the federal government that cries out to be streamlined. In 2019, the Defense Department forked over $22 million for lobster tails. In 2020, the IRS sent $1.4 billion in tax refunds to dead Americans. Millions of square feet in federal buildings sit unoccupied.In theory, a bold, outside figure like Musk could be the very thing needed to downscale an operation as vast and intractable as the federal government. Large organizations need a force of "creative destruction" to change, says Michael Morris, a professor at Columbia Business School. "Things don't go away on their own. You have to have somebody with a willingness to deliberately dismantle things if you're going to have innovation." And when a new figure institutes a massive shock to the system whether at the government or private level "it often backfires," says Morris. "There's often very fierce, active resistance to change."Even if Musk had the right idea for things, it's not so clear he could implement any of them.Andy Wu, associate professor at Harvard Business SchoolAs CEO, Musk has the latitude to push past that resistance and overhaul company culture. But things are going to be different with DOGE. Despite its branding as a "department," the new outfit will operate only in an advisory capacity: Congress holds the ultimate responsibility for authorizing spending and eliminating agencies. Government, by design, is an intensely collaborative process, intended to hammer out the competing needs of different constituencies. Musk, by contrast, is accustomed to ruling by fiat."Musk certainly exercises a great deal of control in his companies that he won't have in the environment of the federal government, where we have checks and balances," says Andy Wu, an associate professor of business administration at Harvard Business School. "Even if Musk had the right idea for things, it's not so clear he could implement any of them."The federal government is infamous for holding on to past practices, even when they no longer make sense. Linda Bilmes, a senior lecturer in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, cites the continued minting of the penny, each of which costs three cents to produce. Last year, in an economy that has largely moved away from cash, the government spent $179 million forging pennies and nickels. Yet past calls to get rid of the penny haven't amounted to one red cent."The danger is if Elon Musk were to somehow think he is the first person who has ever looked at cost cutting in government," says Bilmes. "Many people who know a lot about government have proposed many good ideas. The potential for usefulness would be if he could take some already reasonably good ideas and help them get implemented."The Government Accountability Office and inspectors general have already recommended a variety of potential targets. They aren't always flashy: This year, the GAO recommended agencies use predictive models to schedule maintenance, saying they could save $100 million or more. It also urged the IRS to focus on collecting taxes owed by sole proprietors, which could generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. If the government implemented all 5,480 of its suggestions, the GAO estimated, it would "produce measurable financial benefits" of up to $208 billion.But so far, Musk has seemed more interested in the kind of flashy, small-bore proposals that attract clicks on X. He's taken to resharing what he sees as examples of waste everything from $3 million spent on drug research that involved watching "hamsters fight on steroids" to a $20,000 grant that funded drag shows in Ecuador and crowdsourcing them on the platform. Those sorts of items might generate outrage on Fox News, but eliminating them won't do much to trim the federal government's $6,200,000,000,000 in annual spending.Then there's the politics of budget cutting. The last time Republicans succeeded at slowing government spending, under Ronald Reagan, they made deep cuts to areas of government that proved unpopular including social welfare programs, student loans, and job training. Musk may see plenty of areas he'd like to slash, but a wide range of constituencies will inevitably push back against cuts to programs they consider essential. When it comes to federal spending, one person's waste is another person's bread and butter."People support the idea of improving how the government delivers services," says Joel Friedman, the senior vice president for federal fiscal policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a progressive think tank. "I think people would take a different view if you end up gutting programs they depend on and care about." Efficiency always sounds like a good thing, until it comes for something you love.Beyond the question of where to cut, Musk will face intense scrutiny over why he's targeting certain areas of government. His role at DOGE is rife with the potential for conflicts of interest. SpaceX, for example, has received nearly $20 billion in federal contracts since 2008, and Musk has been sharply critical of the Federal Aviation Administration, viewing it as an obstacle to launching his powerful Starship. And his massive investments in electric vehicles and social media are dependent on all sorts of federal spending and oversight. When it comes to how the government interacts with the marketplace, the world's richest man inherently has a lot of skin in the game. Musk's companies did not respond to requests for comment. But Brian Hughes, a spokesperson for Trump's transition team, says it plans to ensure that those involved with DOGE "are compliant with all legal guidelines related to conflicts of interest."Those concerns also touch on the larger question of what Trump and his allies hope to accomplish by reducing the size of government. Calls for reducing "inefficiency" and "bureaucracy" have long been a euphemism for Republicans eager to reduce or eliminate federal oversight of everything from industrial pollution to airline safety. Less government is not necessarily better government, and there are plenty of federal agencies that remain so understaffed and underfunded, from the IRS to the Veterans Administration, that they're unable to perform even their most basic functions. The GOP's aim of cutting spending, a leading Reagan ally once acknowledged, is to shrink government to the size where conservatives can "drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub." On Friday, Ramaswamy directly linked DOGE to the Reagan-era dream of smaller government, promising that the new agency will finish its work by July 4, 2026 the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.And even when conservatives have succeeded at cutting costs, it's done nothing to slow the pace of government spending. Reagan slashed $22 billion in social welfare programs during his first two years in office savings that were more than offset by his tax cuts and military spending, which nearly tripled the national debt. And in 1981, when a deep recession hit, carving up the safety net left the millions of Americans who were mired in poverty with even fewer resources to get by.It's alsoMusk has acknowledged that Americans will feel "hardship" as a result of the cuts he wants to see implemented. But that doesn't mean he won't be able to juice more performance out of fewer resources, as he did at his own companies. When Musk slashed the workforce at Twitter, critics predicted that the app would collapse without enough staff to maintain it. Two years later, after a few initial glitches, it works much the same as before at a far lower cost. Doubting Musk, even when he seems to be operating at his most extreme, can be a fool's game.Amanda Hoover is a senior correspondent at Business Insider covering the tech industry. She writes about the biggest tech companies and trends.

OpenAI ranks fourth among vendors that IT leaders plan to spend the most with, per a Flexera survey.The report surveyed 800 IT leaders on their priorities for the coming year.OpenAI's valuation hit $157 billion after raising $6.6 billion from major investors.OpenAI ranks fourth among top vendors that IT leaders are currently or planning to spend the most with next year, according to a newly released industry report.Flexera, a software asset management company, released its 2025 IT Priorities Report based on a survey of 800 IT leaders from the US, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia. The survey focused on how IT decision-makers will make priorities for the coming year.Out of the top technology vendors, 37% of the surveyed IT leaders said that they currently or will spend the most with OpenAI next year. The AI research organization came in fourth behind Microsoft, Google, and Amazon Web Services, and it tied with Oracle.This was the first year that OpenAI debuted on the survey list as an option. Survey participants could also pick multiple options.The report said that OpenAI has taken a top four spot because of its ability to work with enterprises and allow employees to build custom AI solutions, which has given the company "a competitive edge in the AI consulting space."The survey also found that 42% of IT leaders said integrating AI would make the biggest difference to their organizations, compared to 26% for reducing security risks and 25% for reducing IT costs.OpenAI has been licensing its ChatGPT enterprise options to Microsoft and the federal government. Microsoft has also made aggressive efforts to integrate AI into its product offerings, such as Microsoft Copilot, many of which are still powered by OpenAI's GPT models.OpenAI was recentlyvalued at $157 billionafter raising $6.6 billion of capital from firms such asThrive Capital, Khosla Ventures, Tiger Global, SoftBank, Nvidia, and Microsoft. Initially founded as a nonprofit research organization focusing on safe AI, the company has been discussing how to transform into a for-profit model over the next two years to appease its investors.

The 73rd annual Miss Universe pageant took place in Mexico City on Saturday.Over 120 women competed for the crown, with multiple countries making a Miss Universe debut.Miss Denmark Victoria Kjr Theilvig won the Miss Universe title.Miss Denmark Victoria Kjr Theilvig has been crowned the new Miss Universe.Theilvig, 21, was named the winner of the 73rd Miss Universe competition on Saturday night in Mexico City. She was crowned by Miss Universe 2023 Sheynnis Palacios, the first woman from Nicaragua to win the title. Theilvig, 21, was named the winner of the 73rd Miss Universe competition on Saturday night. Hector Vivas/Getty Images In second place was Miss Nigeria Chidimma Adetshina, followed by Miss Mexico Mara Fernanda Beltrn Figueroa.Theilvig is the first Miss Denmark to win Miss Universe. It had been 61 years since a contestant from the country had placed in the top five of the competition. Miss Nigeria Chidimma Adetshina placed first runner-up. Hector Vivas/Getty Images During the final round, the top five contestants were all asked the same question: "Miss Universe has inspired generations of women. What is your message to the women watching you right now?""No matter where you come from, no matter your past, you can always choose to turn it into your strengths," Theilvig said in her response. "It will never define who you are. You just gotta keep fighting." Theilvig is the first Miss Denmark to win Miss Universe. Hector Vivas/Getty Images "I stand here today because I want to change, I want to make history, and that's what I'm doing tonight," she added. "So, never give up, always believe in yourself and your dreams, and that is exactly what you're going to do."Theilvig is a dancer and beauty entrepreneur who regularly advocates for mental-health support and animal rights. She aspires to become a lawyer. Miss Denmark 2024 at the National Costume Contest. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Multiple contestants made history at Miss Universe this year.Adetshina, who won first runner-up, is the first Miss Nigeria to place in the top five at Miss Universe.Miss Egypt Logina Salah was the first woman with vitiligo to compete in the pageant, while 40-year-old Miss Malta Beatrice Njoya was the oldest woman to compete in the Miss Universe pageant.

Victoria Kjr Theilvig is the first Miss Denmark to win Miss Universe. Miss Denmark 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe During the pageant, the Miss Universe announcers said that Theilvig was the first Miss Denmark to place in the top five since 1963 and she went on to become the first from her country to win the crown.The 21-year-old pageant queen is a dancer who aspires to become a lawyer. She is also an advocate for mental health and animal rights.Ruby Pouchet was the first Miss Bonaire to compete at Miss Universe in 25 years. Miss Bonaire 2024 Courtesy of Miss Universe Pouchet, a 29-year-old communications specialist and government official, didn't place in the top 30. Marianela Ancheta brought Miss Cuba back to the Miss Universe stage for the first time since 1967. Miss Cuba 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Ancheta made it to the top 30 on Saturday night.The 31-year-old is a model and businesswoman. She is also an advocate for mental-health support. Miss Egypt Logina Salah was the first woman with vitiligo to compete in the pageant. Miss Egypt 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Salah made it to the top 30 during the Miss Universe finals.The 34-year-old is a mother, model, makeup artist, and TV presenter. She is using her current platform to destigmatize vitiligo, a condition that results in the loss of pigment in the skin. Saran Bah was the first Miss Guinea to compete at Miss Universe. Miss Guinea 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Bah, 29, is a master's student pursuing her degree in business administration. She also works for a government nonprofit. Miss Gibraltar Shyanne Mcintosh was the shortest contestant in the pageant's history. Miss Gibraltar 2024 Courtesy of Miss Universe Before Mcintosh won the title of Miss Gibraltar, she told the judges, "I may be small, but I stand tall," Gibraltar Chronicle reported. According to her Instagram, she is around 5-foot-1.The 25-year-old accountant was also the first Miss Gibraltar to walk across the Miss Universe stage in 34 years. Macau was represented in the Miss Universe pageant for the first time, thanks to Cassandra Chiu.Miss Macau 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Chiu placed in the top 30 on Saturday night. The 23-year-old is a dancer, model, and digital creator. At 40, Miss Malta Beatrice Njoya was the oldest woman to compete in the pageant. Miss Malta 2024 Courtesy of Miss Universe Njoya is a single mother of three.She's also a survivor of domestic and sexual abuse and now works with local NGOs to "advocate against all forms of violence against women," according to her Miss Universe bio. Mariyam Saina Naseem was the first Miss Maldives to compete at Miss Universe. Miss Maldives 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Naseem's Miss Universe appearance stirred controversy in her home country.The Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Information, and Arts in the Maldives said the pageant "fundamentally conflicts with the Islamic beliefs, cultural values, and traditions upheld by the Maldivian people," according to Ceylon Today.Miss Somalia Khadija Omar was the first woman to wear a hijab on the Miss Universe stage. Miss Somalia 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Omar, 23, was also the first woman to represent Somalia at the Miss Universe competition. In 2021, she became the first pageant queen to wear a hijab at Miss World. Djulieta Calalb is the first-ever Miss Moldova to compete at Miss Universe. Miss Moldova 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe The 20-year-old organizes fashion events in Moldova and Romania. She is also an advocate for sports development.Davin Prasath became the first Miss Cambodia to place at Miss Universe since her country's debut in 2017. Miss Cambodia 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Prasath made it to the top 30 in the competition. The 33-year-old spends much of her time volunteering and providing community service. Rumina Ivezaj was the first woman from Montenegro to compete in the pageant. Miss Montenegro 2024 Hector Vivas/Getty Images The 19-year-old is an environmental conservation advocate.Chelsea Manalo was the first Filipino of African descent to represent the Philippines on the Miss Universe stage. Miss Philippines 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images The 25-year-old began modeling at the age of 14. She has a degree in tourism management and previously competed at Miss World Philippines 2017, where she reached the top 15. Tea Gjorgievska represented North Macedonia for the country's Miss Universe debut. Miss North Macedonia 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images According to her Miss Universe bio, the 21-year-old's mission is "to inspire a world where every person feels valued and has a voice."Alma Cooper was the first Afro-Latina woman to represent the USA at Miss Universe. Miss USA 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Alma Cooper, 22, is an Army officer and West Point graduate, where she was in the top 5% of her class. She is now a Knight-Hennessy Scholar at Stanford University, pursuing a master's degree in data science. Ava Vahneshan was the first Miss Persia to walk the Miss Universe stage. Miss Persia 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images The 26-year-old is a singer, model, and Chinese medicine specialist. Chidimma Adetshina was the first Miss Nigeria to place in the top five at the pageant. Miss Nigeria 2024 Hector Vivas/Getty Images It wasn't an easy journey for Adetshina to reach the Miss Universe stage. She was originally competing for Miss South Africa 2024 but decided to withdraw from the pageant following social-media attacks regarding her nationality. The Miss Nigeria competition then invited her to compete.The 23-year-old is a law student and athlete who champions "diversity, equity, and inclusion" as part of her Miss Universe platform, according to her bio for the pageant. Emilia Dobreva was the first Miss United Arab Emirates to compete at Miss Universe. Miss UAE 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images The 27-year-old is a mother of three and a successful model. She has walked the runway at New York Fashion Week and appeared on the cover of Harper's Bazaar Vietnam, according to Harper's Bazaar Arabia.Uzbekistan made its first Miss Universe appearance, with Nigina Fakhriddinova representing the country. Miss Uzbekistan 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Fakhriddinova, 25, is a model.

Albania: Franceska RustemMiss Albania 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Franceska Rustem, 19, is one of the youngest contestants featured in this year's Miss Universe competition.Born in Durrs, Albania, she works as a model and television host. She's also outspoken against bullying across her social media platforms. Angola: Nelma FerreiraMiss Angola 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Nelma Ferreira, 26, works in company management and administration.While she describes herself as being committed to volunteering and supporting social causes, Ferreira is particularly passionate about improving gender equality and reducing world hunger.She also leads a project called Kamba, which provides sexual and reproductive education to young women in Angola. Argentina: Magal BenejamMiss Argentina 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Magal Benejam, 29, is a model who's walked in fashion shows, starred in advertisements, and appeared in magazines.She's taken makeup, hairstyling, public speaking, and runway classes to compete in Miss Universe, and describes herself as a perfectionist.Benejam is also a vegetarian and supporter of animal rights. Armenia: Emma AvanesianMiss Armenia 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Emma Avanesian, 32, wears many hats. Now a mother and the founder of a modeling agency, she's previously worked as a singer, dancer, model, fitness instructor, and financier.She dreams of working as an actor and cinematographer on Hollywood films and is passionate about guiding young women to success. Aruba: Anouk EmanMiss Aruba 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Anouk Eman, 32, was close to achieving her dream of becoming an Olympic synchronized swimmer when she suddenly needed spinal surgery to manage severe scoliosis.She told the Miss Universe organization that the 24 iron rods now installed in her back have transformed her into an "iron woman."In her free time, she often volunteers with Red Cross Aruba. Australia: Zoe CreedMiss Australia 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Zoe Creed, 23, holds two jobs: model and owner of an online pilates training service.She's especially passionate about advocating for women's health.Inspired by her experience with endometriosis, she's now outspoken against women's concerns being dismissed and hopes to encourage others to stand up for themselves. The Bahamas: Selvinique WrightMiss Bahamas 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Selvinique Wright, 32, founded her organization, Women's Health Us First, after being diagnosed with uterine fibroids.Through the platform, she aims to raise awareness about the condition and encourage women to take ownership of their health. Bahrain: Shereen AhmedMiss Bahrain 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Shereen Ahmed, 30, was raised by a single mother and has now made it her mission to advocate for others. Her initiative, Hope Bahrain, aims to provide resources to moms in need and uplift their spirits.She works as a journalist, television host, and social-media content creator. Bangladesh: Aniqa Maisha AlamMiss Bangladesh 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Aniqa Maisha Alam, 32, holds many titles: mother, makeup artist, and women's empowerment advocate.She got married seven years ago and welcomed her first child, a son, last year. Belarus: Eleonora KachalovskayaMiss Belarus 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Eleonora Kachalovskaya, 24, is passionate about sports, traveling, and advocating for children and teenagers with special needs.She previously graduated from the Belarusian State University of Culture and Art. Belgium: Kenza AmelootMiss Belgium 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Kenza Ameloot, 22, is a business student and a professional model. But her biggest passions are helping children in need and furthering students' education.In her spare time and on holidays, Ameloot often visits her mother's home country of Rwanda. Belize: Halima HoyMiss Belize 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Halima Hoy, 30, has roots around the world. She was born to a Garifuna mother from Guatemala and a mestizo Muslim father, as she told the Miss Universe organization.As for work, Hoy is a certified personal trainer. She also volunteers with Unicef Belize to raise awareness for children, the elderly, and others vulnerable to non-communicable diseases. Bolivia: Juliana BarrientosMiss Bolivia 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Juliana Barrientos, 27, holds the titles of biochemist and pharmacist. She's worked specifically on in vitro fertilization and is an advocate for women's empowermentHer hobbies include playing piano and speaking multiple languages. Bonaire: Ruby PouchetMiss Bonaire 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Ruby Pouchet, 29, works as a communications specialist and government official. Her biggest passion is protecting the environment, and she believes women can lead the fight for sustainability.Pouchet is the first woman to represent Bonaire in the Miss Universe competition in 25 years. Botswana: Thanolo KeutlwileMiss Botswana 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Thanolo Keutlwile, 28, is a doctor of women's health at the Princess Marina Hospital in Botswana. She previously graduated with degrees in medicine and surgery.Her initiative during the Miss Universe competition is titled Diamond For Development. It highlights how her home country has used diamonds to its advantage and supports the industry's sustainable growth. Brazil: Luana CavalcanteMiss Brazil 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Luana Cavalcante, 25, made history as the first married woman and mother to earn the Miss Universe Brazil title.She works as a model and has one son, whom she hopes will one day be inspired by her Miss Universe journey. British Virgin Islands: Deyounce LowenfieldMiss British Virgin Islands 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Deyounce Lowenfield, 20, is an entrepreneur who recently graduated with a business administration degree.She's practiced yoga to prepare for her appearance in Miss Universe and aims to empower younger generations through her work and platform. Bulgaria: Elena VianMiss Bulgaria 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Elena Vian, 38, previously earned a master's degree in economics from the University of Bordeaux. She's also a mother and designs costumes for various stage performances in her spare time.Vian describes herself as an animal rights activist and regularly shares photos of her travels on social media. Cambodia: Davin PrasathMiss Cambodia 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Davin Prasath, 33, spends much of her time volunteering and providing community service.She's particularly passionate about empowering women and children to overcome poverty and educational barriers. Prasath started her initiative, Voice for Change - Tuk Chet Association, to speak for these groups and make an impact. Cameroon: Noura NjikamMiss Cameroon 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Noura Njikam, 25, has many passions, with art and culture among her top interests.But she's also outspoken online about ending domestic violence and encouraging young people to use their voices and speak out against injustices. Canada: Ashley CallingbullMiss Canada 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Ashley Callingbull, 35, is a member of the Enoch Cree Nation and serves as a First Nations activist within her community. This role has led her to give a speech at Harvard University and receive a United Nations Role Model award.But her skills don't stop there. Callingbull is also a sports television host, model, and actor. Cayman Islands: Raegan RuttyMiss Cayman Islands 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Raegan Rutty, 22, made history in 2020 when she represented the Cayman Islands as a gymnast at the Olympic Games. She began the sport at age 4 and is also a fisherwoman.She's also passionate about ending the stigma surrounding mental health. Chile: Emilia DidesMiss Chile 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Emilia Dides, 25, isn't new to competition. In 2019, she was crowned the winner of a famous Chilean singing contest and is still pursuing her music career.Dides believes that music can greatly promote strong mental health and is eager to share the benefits of music therapy with the world. China: Jia QiMiss China 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Jia Qi, 26, was formerly a sprint athlete, something she began when she joined the National Youth Athletics Team at age 10.Health and fitness are important to Qi, who regularly shares her wellness tips on social media. Colombia: Daniela Toloza RochaMiss Colombia 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Daniela Toloza Rocha, 30, works in senior management and public relations and is also a fashion designer who focuses on inclusive garments.She regularly posts about her outfits on Instagram and dresses in meaningful garments that honor women and her home country. Costa Rica: Elena HidalgoMiss Costa Rica 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Elena Hidalgo, 32, is a mother and model who advocates for gender equality.She's also determined to prove that you can reach any dream you set out to achieve. Hidalgo is doing so herself by studying to earn a degree in nutrition. Cte d'Ivoire: Marie-Emmanuelle DiamalaMiss Cte d'Ivoire 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Marie-Emmanuelle Diamala, 21, is on a mission to change the world for women. After earning a degree in finance, she's now focused on fighting maternal mortality with her Miss Universe initiative.She also promotes peace on Instagram and aims to blend modernity and tradition in her home country. Croatia: Zrinka oriMiss Croatia 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Zrinka ori, 23, is a student at the Zagreb School of Economics and Management. When she's not in class, she works at an IT and distribution company.But ori's true passion is humanitarian aid through her project Cycle of Support, which brings hygiene and menstrual supplies to girls in Tanzania. Cuba: Marianela AnchetaMiss Cuba 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Marianela Ancheta, 31, is the first woman to represent Cuba in the Miss Universe competition since 1967. On Instagram, she said she felt honored to wear the country's sash.Additionally, Ancheta works as a model and a businesswoman and advocates for mental-health support. Curaao: Kimberly de BoerMiss Curaao 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Kimberly de Boer, 19, dreams of working in the art industry. She's currently a graphic design student and wants to study art history in the Netherlands.She's also a painter who uses the craft as a form of artistic expression and mental-health exercise. Cyprus: Katerina DimitriouMiss Cyprus 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Katerina Dimitriou, 29, is bringing her fashion skills to the Miss Universe competition. She began modeling at age 12 and now works as a social-media influencer.On Instagram, Dimitriou often documents her outfits in the various countries she travels to. Czech Republic: Marie DaniMiss Czech Republic 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Marie Dani, 28, describes herself as a "movie and theatre nerd." She also plays basketball and loves trying new food.During the Miss Universe competition, Dani aims to remain true to herself and advocate for individual authenticity throughout industries. Denmark: Victoria Kjr TheilvigMiss Denmark 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Victoria Kjr Theilvig, 21, has accomplished her dance dreams across Europe. Now, she aims to become a lawyer.Additionally, Theilvig regularly advocates for mental-health support, supports animal rights causes, and works as a beauty entrepreneur. Dominican Republic: Celinee SantosMiss Dominican Republic 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Celinee Santos, 24, is now completing an internship at the San Cristbal Court in Santo Domingo after graduating from law school.Sustainability and building a better world are also important to Santos, an advocate for young girls in the Dominican Republic. Democratic Republic of the Congo: Ilda AmaniMiss Democratic Republic of Congo 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Ilda Amani, 26, is from the province of South Kivu. Though her home is in the midst of conflict, Amani aims to promote peace through her career ventures and amplify the voices of Congolese women on the Miss Universe stage.She has a degree in business administration and management. Ecuador: Mara TopiMiss Ecuador 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Mara Topi, 29, is a director and actor who has appeared on shows like "Law and Order" and worked alongside artists such as Daddy Yankee.Her Miss Universe initiative, Mentes Valientes, advocates for mental health and translates to Brave Minds. Egypt: Logina SalahMiss Egypt 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Logina Salah, 34, graduated with a degree in finance. But her accomplishments surpass a single field.She's now a mother, model, TV presenter, makeup artist, and life coach. Salah is also using her current platform to de-stigmatize Vitiligo, a skin condition she has. El Salvador: Florence GarcaMiss El Salvador 2024 Courtesy of Miss Universe Florence Garca, 26, is bilingual and multitalented.Though she's now a philanthropist and entertainment reporter, she's also pursuing a double major in business administration and mass communications. Equatorial Guinea: Diana Angono MouhafoMiss Equatorial Guinea 2024. Courtesy of Miss Universe Diana Angono Mouhafo, 25, is now a model but previously graduated with a degree in commerce and marketing.She also has a 4-year-old son and is studying business administration.

Don Saladino, a personal trainer to celebrities, said he's in the best shape of his life at 47.Saladino strives to challenge himself continually and build muscle. His training regime includes strength and interval training, and hockey.At age 47, the personal trainer Don Saladino is in the best shape of his life."Is my body composition better now than it was when I was in my 20s? Yes," Saladino, whose clients include Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Sebastian Stan, and Anne Hathaway, told Business Insider. "Am I as strong now as I was when I was in my 20s? Yes. Can I do all the things now that I did when I was in my 20s? 100%. No doubt. I feel like my physique gets better and better."Saladino's goal is to keep challenging himself and building muscle (without gaining body fat), and he is calculated with both his nutrition and training to help to achieve it, he said. While his schedule often changes as he juggles working with high-profile clients and managing the online community on his app, he always finds time to train, he said."I enjoy feeling really good and I enjoy my body responding a certain way and looking a certain way," Saladino, who is based in New York, said. "As I get older, it's like the more I put into this, the more I'm going to get out of it."Saladino broke down how he works out and recovers. Don Saladino (center) with Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively. Courtesy of Don Saladino Lifting at least four times a weekSaladino lifts four times a week, split between upper body and lower body movements.For three days, he focuses on powerlifting movements: bench presses, low bar back squats, and snatch grip deadlifts. On day four, he focuses on pushing and pulling movements, such as overhead presses and pull-ups.If he can fit a fifth lifting day into his week, Saladino does accessory movements such as arm exercises and ab interval work.Strength training is well established as the best way to build muscle and bone density, and it aids fat loss.Intervals and steady-state cardioTo improve his cardiovascular fitness, Saladino does tough interval workouts twice a week."It's super short, like four minutes of work, but super intense," Saladino said.He usually sprints on a curved treadmill or track, or uses an air bike, Versaclimber, or ski erg.He also does one steady-state cardio workout, such as jogging or using a stair mill.Research suggests that cardio alongside weightlifting is effective in boosting longevity.Playing hockey for fun Don Saladino (second from left) plays hockey twice a week. Lars Niki/Getty Images Saladino plays hockey twice a week, often at 6:30 a.m., he said.Hockey is a fun group activity as well as a workout to Saladino but he pushes his body a lot harder in his interval workouts, he said. "Playing the game is about scoring, winning, having fun, and intervals are about: you're going at this time for this specific reason," Saladino said. "Sport is amazing for you. It's very healthy, but I think you can limit yourself from training specific energy systems because it's not structured."Research suggests social connection, whether through group sport or sharing a meal with friends, plays an important role in well-being and longevity.Cold plunges and saunas for recoverySaladino is a fan of cold plunges after hockey games as his body often feels a bit "imbalanced" afterward, he said."I just really like how it gets my body to calm down a bit," Saladino said. "It really helps reduce some of the soreness in the hips from playing."Saladino enjoys saunas too, and will often go from there to a cold plunge for two to three minutes. Research suggests that hot and cold therapy can help the body manage stress better, but research on ice baths for aiding recovery and muscle growth is mixed."For someone my age who is in the game right now, it's about, 'How can I rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat?' I come back every day and do the things I love," Saladino said.Saladino also uses Normatec massage boots and has been experimenting with red light therapy for recovery. Although science may not be conclusive about the benefits of such recovery protocols, he doesn't think that's a reason not to try them.Saladino is also conscious of cumulative fatigue and listens to his body when he needs to slow down and destress. "We have to allow our body to recover," he said.

As America's grocery king, Walmart sources a high share of its products from the US.Target, by contrast, relies more on merchandise that is often imported, such as apparel and housewares.The difference puts more of Target's business at risk of being impacted if Trump follows through on his tariff promises.For all their similarities, Walmart and Target have key distinctions that could spell big differences in how each would be affected by rising import costs if Donald Trump follows through with his promised tariffs."Target is actually much more exposed than Walmart because Walmart is grocery-heavy and groceries are predominantly domestic," Jason Miller, supply chain professor at Michigan State University, told Business Insider.As America's grocery king, Walmart US makes nearly 60% of its revenue from the grocery category and only about a quarter of sales from general merchandise.In addition, grocery as a share of sales has been increasing in recent years as the general merchandise share has declined, according to Walmart's annual report.Target, by contrast, relies much more heavily on merchandise that is often imported, such as apparel, housewares, and beauty. Food and beverage sales accounted for less than a quarter of Target's sales last year.TD Cowen retail analyst Oliver Chen told BI that Target's apparel segment presents another potential complication, as fashion is more sensitive to seasonality. That could make it more difficult to pull orders forward ahead of possible tariffs or line up new suppliers in time to still be in style."When you miss apparel timeline, you don't get it back, and Target has more apparel exposure," he said.Beyond its grocery-to-merchandise ratio, Walmart has another key advantage over Target: scale."Walmart is much bigger," Kantar analyst Gina Logan told BI. "And I'm not just talking about sales."They have a much more advanced supply chain," she added. "They have a wider range of suppliers, they have more ability to pivot and predict demand, and can use their automation and forecasting in order to react to this in a much faster, more predictive way than Target."This is not the first time the Spark has found a competitive advantage over the Bullseye in the grocery aisle.When US shoppers began to cut spending back in 2023, prioritizing essentials like groceries in their weekly budgets, sales at Walmart chugged along while Target struggled.Target has since found success by taking a much more Walmart-like stance with price cuts and bargain brands, and its share of grocery sales has increased by 1-2 percentage points per year over the last three years.Logan says tariffs, if announced by the Trump administration, would likely push Target harder into the grocery game, especially with its portfolio of private-label food brands.Target and Walmart both report earnings next week. Walmart declined to comment for this story, citing the quiet period, and Target did not respond to BI's request.The last time the companies' executives discussed tariffs on earnings calls was in 2019, according to data from AlphaSense.At the time, Walmart said it would not raise prices on food impacted by tariffs and would instead look to offset the cost elsewhere."As a guest-focused retailer," Target CEO Brian Cornell said in May 2019, "we're concerned about tariffs because they lead to higher prices on everyday products for American families."He later said in a November call that then-President Trump's tariffs were amounting to $50 million to $60 million in added costs per quarter, adding that "obviously we're all facing the same tariff issues together."But as Target's and Walmart's financials show, not everyone is likely to be impacted by potential tariff increases to the same degree.

Drinking alcohol in moderation was thought to be healthy, but research now suggests there is no safe level.Alcohol harm expert Richard Piper used to drink heavily.His 'dry by default' rule helped him reduce the risks of drinking without going sober.At 52, Richard Piper runs often, feels full of energy, weighs less, and enjoys concerts and holidays more than he did at 42. He puts this down to being what he calls "dry by default."Piper told Business Insider that he drank heavily daily for years. But after becoming the CEO of harm reduction charity Alcohol Change UK in 2017, he realized he needed to address his drinking habits.He joined the growing number of people who are drinking less, particularly Gen Zers and millennials. A survey of US adults carried out by Gallop between 2021 and 2023 found that 62% of respondents aged 18 to 34 drank alcohol, down from 72% between 2001 and 2003. A separate Gallup poll published earlier this year found that 86% of the US adults surveyed thought that alcohol was "very" (33%) or "somewhat" (53%) harmful.Being "dry by default" means Piper will drink on rare occasions rather than most days, for example when non-alcoholic alternative to a beer he likes isn't available. He prefers being dry by default to sober because he doesn't have to follow "permanent lifelong rules," he said, but he can lower his risk of alcohol-related harm."There is no such thing as healthy drinking," Piper said. "But there's more risky drinking, or there's less risky drinking. And the less you drink, the healthier it is." Piper mostly drinks alcohol-free beers, but will have an alcoholic one from time to time. Niall Carson/PA Images via Getty Images Research suggests all drinking is harmful even in moderationSome evidence suggests that moderate drinking could be better for youNow, growing evidence suggests that no amount of alcohol is safe. A 2021 study published in the European Journal of Public Health found that in 2017, light to moderate drinking caused 13.3% of cancers related to alcohol in the European Union. That was defined as two shots of spirits, just under two bottles of beer (20.2 ounces), or a little more than a glass (6.76 ounces) of wine a day.Drinking doesn't only bring health risks. "Alcohol can lead to poor decision-making about getting home safely, about who you talk to, and what you say to them and makes many of us do things that we wouldn't do otherwise," Piper said.You don't have to quit drinking to lower the health risksThe US Department of Health and Human Services recommends adults don't drink, or drink moderately, meaning fewer than one to two drinks a day.Piper said that one to two units of alcohol a week is genuinely low risk for dying from alcohol and alcohol-related issues, in line with Canada's guidelines.People should make sure that the benefits of drinking outweigh the risks, and generally, most people would see benefits from drinking less, he said. Benefits might include losing weight, saving money, sleeping better, easing depression and anxiety, having more energy, and things you can't see, such as lower cancer risks."Basically the less you drink, the better for your health, your mental health, and your well-being," he said, even if you don't give up completely."Make sure you have a really good reason for having a drink," he said. "And it's always good to have a few days off a week. Alcohol should be on the periphery of our lives, not at the center."

Miss Nicaragua Geyssell Garca unveiled a vibrant costume behind a small replica of the Len Cathedral. Miss Nicaragua 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Inspired by the UNESCO World Heritage site, Garca wore cathedral pieces and long peacock feathers on her forearms.When she moved them, you could see her rhinestone-covered leotard with flame detailing, inspired by a mythical phoenix, as announced when she walked onstage.She also wore a round, multicolored headpiece lined with a golden band. It represented Nicaragua's various lakes.Garca, 29, works as a businesswoman in manufacturing and marketing. Miss Venezuela Ileana Marquez Pedroza wore a costume that made her look as though shed emerged from the Amazon rainforest.Miss Venezuela 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images The 28-year-old mother wore a tan, bedazzled bodysuit beneath blue bikini-style pieces across her chest and hips.Behind the sparkling outfit was a backpiece crafted to look like leaves and branches, transforming Pedroza into a mother of nature, peace, and Indigenous children, according to the competition's announcers.To further convey this message, Pedroza had faux parrots attached to her costume's branches and a baby doll in hand. The latter was painted gold and dressed in the same turquoise beads that adorned her outfit. Miss Zimbabwe Sakhile Dube aimed to show the majesty of her nation with an eagle-inspired gown.Miss Zimbabwe 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Sakhile, a 28-year-old fashion designer, stepped onstage in a strapless gown embellished with a yellow eagle face across its bodice. She said on Instagram that she chose the bird to showcase Zimbabwe's natural beauty, strength, and vision.She also wore purple wings that extended past her shoulders to mirror the rainbows and water of Victoria Falls and a skirt that looked like it was made from rocks to honor Great Zimbabwe, the remains of a once-medieval city. Miss India Rhea Singha also wore a bird-inspired costume as an homage to her country's nickname.Miss India 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images India has long been called "Sone ki Chidiya," or the "Golden Bird," in reference to its natural resources and prosperity, according to the show's announcers.So, the 19-year-old embodied that nickname with what appeared to be a heavy outfit that resembled a suit of armor. The costume covered her entire body with metal and featured massive wings that she carried on her back.Singha a model, actor, and social worker also donned a matching gold helmet crafted like a bird's face. She walked slowly across the stage to carry each piece. Miss Kyrgyzstan Maya Turdalieva found inspiration in the snow leopards that grace the Tian Shan mountain range.Miss Kyrgyzstan 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Turdalieva, 26, made a statement onstage in a semi-sheer, gray-hued bodysuit with Swarovski-embellished spots to replicate the fur pattern of the big cats.On Instagram, she said the animals are great representatives of Kyrgyzstan's resilience.Handmade by Kyrgyz artisans, the animal-inspired costume also highlighted the need for wildlife conservation in her home country. She completed the look with a backpiece shaped like a shield and two swords, representing cultural pride and a willingness to defend her home. Miss Serbia Ivana Trisic looked like royalty when she arrived wearing a feather-covered coat and statement crown.Miss Serbia 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Inspired by Serbia's coat of arms, 30-year-old Trisic stunned in gold and velvet. Beneath her textured cape was a golden corset covered in feathers, with two eagle heads emerging from its shoulders. She also wore sparkling chainmail pants, black platform boots, and a crystal belt.Trisic, a law school graduate, aimed to honor Serbia's heritage, unity, and traditions with the outfit. Miss Sri Lanka Melloney Dassanayake donned a sculpture on her back inspired by Sigiriya, a natural formation known as Lion Rock.Miss Sri Lanka 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images The 25-year-old banker and TV host looked tiny compared to the backpiece, which extended above her head and far past her shoulders.She also wore a metal bralette, a green skirt with a copper belt, multicolored scarves hanging from her waistband, and lots of bangles across her arms.For more color, Dassanayake added a pink flower crown and carried a matching bouquet of water lilies, a common flower across Sri Lanka. Miss Netherlands Faith Landman embraced the art of Dutch ceramics with her blue and white costume.Miss Netherlands 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images The bodice and skirt of her white gown were decorated with blue sequins in the shapes of various flowers and a windmill, while her long sleeves were crafted from a fishnet material.The 28-year-old mom also wore a floral headpiece and carried a round, double-sided backpiece behind her.The latter was made to mirror the art and ceramic pieces famously handcrafted in the city of Delft. Miss Trinidad and Tobago Jenelle Thongs brought the coral reefs of her island country to the Miss Universe stage.Miss Trinidad and Tobago 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Thongs, a 32-year-old aspiring author, brightened the stage with her one-piece outfit and massive feathered wings.Both pieces were designed with neon shades of pink, green, and blue, similar to the awe-inspiring colors of marine life.Another feature of her costume was her coral headband, which was covered in seashells, jewels, and small starfish-shaped pieces that matched those decorating her leotard. Miss Spain Michelle Jimnez represented the women of her homeland with a rose-covered gown.Miss Spain 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Jimnez, 21, wore a red velvet leotard with off-the-shoulder sleeves and an attached skirt. The latter two pieces were covered with roses to represent the country's passion, as announced during the contest.Rather than wearing her Miss Spain sash across her chest, the model wrapped it around her wrist and waved it as she walked.Jimnez completed her costume with statement earrings, platform heels, and a red crown. Miss United States Alma Cooper took a style cue from Uncle Sam.Miss United States 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Cooper, a 22-year-old second lieutenant and military intelligence officer in the US Army, stepped onstage wearing a white leotard with red stripes, matching boots, and a star-embellished top hat.She also wore a long-sleeved overcoat that reached the floor. Though it looked purple as cameras flashed, it was the same blue shade as seen on the American flag.The patriotic ensemble wasn't complete without some fireworks. Cooper wore faux rockets across her back that were crafted to appear like they were mid-explosion. Miss Paraguay Naomi Mndez made a costume change as she strutted down the runway.Miss Paraguay 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images The 32-year-old entrepreneur stepped onstage in a white layered dress, gold headpiece, and a rounded structure across her shoulders with white plants attached.But with one spin, she removed the top layer and revealed a golden leotard that looked like armor.It was announced during the contest that her costume was meant to showcase the evolution of Paraguayan women. Miss Peru Tatiana Calmell honored the Incan sun god Inti with her golden two-piece and glimmering accessories.Miss Peru 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images The 30-year-old actor and model glided down the runway in a gold bra, a golden crown, and a matching mid-rise skirt with a long slit down the middle.But the most mesmerizing parts of her outfit were the art panels that extended from her shoulders showcasing sun rays and golden bricks and the sun-shaped piece that rose behind her head. Miss Mexico Mara Fernanda Beltrn Figueroa let her colorful costume do all the talking.Miss Mexico 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images The 24-year-old communications professional, who's now studying to get her master's degree in artificial intelligence, walked onstage with her face covered by a giant green mask.The piece was designed to transform Figueroa into "the daughter of the sun," as was announced during the competition.It featured eight pieces, including a sphere backpiece, a tall hat covered in feathers, and a bejeweled corset over a matching skirt. Miss Indonesia Clara Shafira Krebs embraced the energy of a warrior with a statement shoulder piece and bird-topped staff.Miss Indonesia 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Her outfit consisted of a golden corset, matching shorts, red hip pieces, and a shoulder decoration that resembled wings.And that's not to mention her headband, which mirrored the larger gold tendrils that made her costume stand out.Krebs, a 22-year-old model, was dressed in honor of the herons commonly seen flying around the Indonesian city of Nusantara. Miss Italy Glelany Cavalcante's costume was inspired by the Italian film industry of the 1960s.Miss Italy 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Cavalcante's black-and-white ensemble featured a sparkly bodysuit at its base, while the detachable skirt, designed by Erasmo Fiorentino, looked like reels of film cascading around her, as Miss Italy shared on her Instagram.Her black headpiece read "Cinecitt," where the Italian film industry has its roots. As an additional nod to cinema, she carried a bedazzled clapperboard.Cavalcante is a 30-year-old model, and she is a university student pursuing her degree in communications. The colorful cape on Miss Honduras Stephanie Cam's outfit told a story as she walked down the runway.Miss Honduras 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Cam, a 32-year-old model, content creator, and single mom, paired a black cropped top with a skirt adorned with multicolored beading.She carried a backpiece attached to her arms with fabric that cascaded down to the floor. The cape featured multiple layers of fabric, each painted to depict a different aspect of Honduran culture. Cam dropped the different layers as she walked down the runway, showing off new elements of her home country.A wide-brimmed hat completed her colorful outfit. Miss Guatemala Ana Gabriela Villanueva's leaf-covered backpiece helped transform her into a tree for the contest. Miss Guatemala 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images As announced during the pageant, Villanueva paid homage to Guatemala's rainforest, wearing a semi-sheer, mesh bodysuit designed to resemble bark. It was adorned with sparkly embellishments and tassels to give it dimension, coordinating with a small headpiece.A massive backpiece covered in faux leaves completed the illusion, with the leaves cascading to the floor and floating above Villanueva's head.Villanueva, 22, is both a model and a law student. Miss Costa Rica Elena Hidalgo took inspiration from her country's currency for her costume.Miss Costa Rica 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Hidalgo, 32, walked the costume contest in a long-sleeved, floor-length dress painted to resemble the coln, the Costa Rican currency, as pageant announcers shared while she walked the stage.The dress was adorned with "Banco Central de Costa Rica," and the skirt depicted people picking fruit. Hidalgo carried a basket of fruit to help bring the image to life.Hidalgo is getting her degree in nutrition in between her work as an international model and being a mother. Miss Chile Emilia Dides' outfit celebrated a famous Chilean game show.Miss Chile 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Dides' look was inspired by "Sbado Gigante," a famous game show in Chile, as shared during the live show on Telemundo.Her red, sparkly bodysuit featured daring cutouts and flowed into a train decorated with faces designed to resemble an audience. The ensemble's backpiece mimicked the show's roulette wheel, with different prizes listed in the colorful sections it was divided into.Dides, 25, is a musician who won a singing competition show in Chile in 2019. Miss Cuba Marianela Ancheta's gold look paid tribute to a goddess.Miss Cuba 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images As she shared on Instagram, Ancheta, a 31-year-old businesswoman and model, wore an ensemble inspired by the goddess Oshn, who represents fertility and love.Because yellow and gold are traditionally associated with Oshn, Ancheta wore gold from head to toe. Her bedazzled bodice flowed into a skirt with large cutouts on each side, and a dramatic gold cape flowed behind her.A flower-shaped head and backpiece adorned with sunflowers tied the look together. Miss Dominican Republic Celinee Santos pulled inspiration from the oceans surrounding her home for her sheer costume.Miss Dominican Republic 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images The Dominican Republic is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, and according to the live show, Santos celebrated those bodies of water with her ethereal look.Her coordinating swimsuit set looked like shells, as did her arm cuffs and headpiece, which were covered in sparkly embellishments. Her backpiece formed one big shell overlaid with gossamer fabric.Santos, 24, has a law degree and is in the middle of a law internship. Miss Colombia Daniela Toloza Rocha celebrated the relationship between Mexico and Colombia with her colorful costume.Miss Colombia 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Rocha, a 30-year-old fashion designer and strategist, wore a bejeweled set as the base of her look, which she paired with coordinating leg cuffs and a belly chain.Her feathered headpiece flowed up in tiers above her in different colors, while her reversible armpiece showed a portrait of a woman and a young child reaching toward each other. Miss Denmark Victoria Kjr Theilvig transformed into a Viking goddess in her red and yellow costume.Miss Denmark 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Designed by Neftali Jahaziel Espinoza and Stalyn Nuez, as she shared on her Instagram, Theilvig's bright costume featured a bedazzled, yellow set that appeared to have flames coming out of it.Her feathered backpiece was mostly red, though it featured an inlay of the same gold and red sparkly pattern as her set. Red gloves, a large headpiece, and embellished ankle cuffs completed the powerful ensemble.Theilvig, 21, is a successful competitive dancer who hopes to become a lawyer. Miss Czech Republic Marie Dani turned gingerbread cookies into fashion for her costume.Miss Czech Republic 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Dani, a 28-year-old model, worked with designer David Hanykyr to create her gingerbread-inspired costume, according to her Instagram.Her white strapless ball gown flowed into exaggerated ruffles at the hem, creating the illusion of icing dripping down from a cookie. An assortment of heart-shaped faux cookies sat atop the dress.A white crown completed Dani's festive look. Miss Canada Ashley Callingbull celebrated Indigenous women with her costume.Miss Canada 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Callingbull, 35, is the first Indigenous woman to represent Canada at Miss Universe, and she celebrated her heritage with her costume, as she shared on Instagram.Her purple, tiered ball gown, designed by Patrick Isorena, was made to look like the night sky with subtle sparkles in the fabric. It also featured lights embedded in the dress, glowing as she walked the runway. Miss Bahamas Selvinique Wright honored a festival with her costume.Miss Bahamas 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images As announced during the pageant, Wright's colorful outfit, which featured a massive fish headpiece, was inspired by the Bamahian festival Junkanoo.Her pink bodysuit was adorned with heavy beading, while her tulle skirt mimicked the ocean. She also wore a colorful backpiece that spread around her, making her look like an ocean reef.Wright, 32, is a women's health advocate and the founder of Women's Health Us First. Miss Bolivia Juliana Barrientos looked to the Tobas culture of her country for her costume.Miss Bolivia 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Barrientos, a 27-year-old biochemist and pharmacist, turned herself into an owl in the style of a Tobas dancer for the costume contest, according to her Instagram. Qhapaq an Art designed the look.Her cropped black top was sparkly, while her floor-length skirt was adorned with black beading to make it look like it was covered in white feathers.Barrientos' backpiece was the standout feature of her ensemble, as it was made to look like a massive owl floating above her with wings resting next to her torso. Miss Argentina Magal Benejam's outfit represented different aspects of a jungle.Miss Argentina 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Benejam, a 30-year-old model and animal rights activist, looked to Argentina's jungles for her costume, as announced during the pageant.Her white-and-blue bodysuit was covered in sparkly embellishments, while feathered and bejeweled decorations floated down her arm. The bodysuit nodded to the waterfalls of the jungle while her multicolored, feathered headpiece celebrated the trees.A glittering tucan headpiece completed her vibrant ensemble. Miss Aruba Anouk Eman became the country's national animal, the burrowing owl, for the costume contest.Miss Aruba 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Eman's shining owl headpiece was the center of her look, while her arm pieces featured feather detailing that completed the owl effect. She paired the feathery look with a sparkly set that featured a heart on the bodice. According to Miss Universe, Eman, 32, found athletic success in Iron Man competitions after scoliosis prevented her from following her dreams of synchronized swimming in the Olympics. Miss France Indira Ampiot paid tribute to the symbols of France with her national costume. Miss France 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Ampiot's bedazzled ensemble featured a patriotic cape in the colors of France's flag, which matched the pageant queen's top. She also sported sheer sparkling gloves and a dramatic necklace.According to the 20-year-old's Instagram, her bright-red hat was a tribute to the classic French beret, while the dramatic white feathers referenced the Gallic rooster.Ampiot is from Guadeloupe, an overseas region of France in the Caribbean. In her Miss Universe bio, Ampiot said she's a "fervent ambassador of cultural diversity and the beauty of our French heritage." Miss Ecuador Mara Topi made an entrance with her national costume, which references the historic center of her countrys capital. Miss Ecuador 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Topi's national costume featured the monasteries of San Francisco and Santo Domingo, both of which are in Quito. Ecuador's capital city has Latin America's best-preserved historic center and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.The 30-year-old pageant queen's ensemble featured a sparkling red wrap skirt, which she opened to reveal a vibrant illustration of the country's landscape. Topi balanced the two churches on her shoulders as two white bird figurines flew above them. Her dramatic backpiece, which she revealed onstage, added a floral backdrop lined with red feathers.According to her Miss Universe bio, Topi is a director and actor. She has worked with Daddy Yankee and appeared on "Law & Order." Miss Bulgaria Elena Vian dressed as a rose, her countrys national flower, for the Miss Universe stage but she gave it a fierce twist. Miss Bulgaria 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images According to the Miss Universe announcers, Vian, 38, wanted her national costume to symbolize the "strength and subtle danger" of female beauty.Her ensemble featured a red bralette and shorts that matched her bright-red hair and knee-high red boots. Her gold headpiece and shoulder piece were both adorned with roses. The outfit also featured a gold choker that crept up Vian's neck onstage as she spit out fake blood during her walk.Vian has a master's degree in economics and designs ensembles for live performances, according to her Miss Universe bio. She's also the mother to a 4-year-old girl. Miss Persia Ava Vahneshan glittered in gold as she walked down the Miss Universe stage. Miss Persia 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images According to the Miss Universe announcers, Vahneshan's national costume symbolized "good thoughts, good words, and good deeds." The metallic gold wings on her backpiece represent the Faravahar, a symbol of ancient Persia.Vahneshan, 26, paired the ensemble with a sparkling gold crown that matched her bodice and a voluminous white skirt.According to her Miss Universe bio, the pageant queen is a Persian-Portuguese singer, model, and Chinese medicine specialist. Miss Saint Lucia Skye Faucher brought the Olympics to the Miss Universe stage with her national costume. Miss Saint Lucia 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Faucher's costume is a tribute to Julien Alfred, who won Saint Lucia's first-ever Olympic medal after taking gold in the women's 100-meter final in Paris.The 24-year-old wore a cobalt-blue jumpsuit with white, black, and yellow details, paying homage to Saint Lucia's flag. Faucher also sported a big gold medal around her neck and a backpiece with the iconic Olympic rings.Faucher is a cancer genomics scientist, according to her Miss Universe bio. She also plays volleyball and is a big supporter of women's sports. Miss Myanmar Thet San Andersen spread her gold wings in tribute to the owl. Miss Myanmar 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images According to her Instagram, Andersen, 23, wanted to bring good luck to the Miss Universe stage by dressing as a sparkling gold owl, which is considered a good luck charm in Myanmar that brings "wisdom, prosperity, and clarity.""There's a belief that if an owl flies into a house, it's a positive omen," her caption reads. "The tradition is to honor the owl by pouring water infused with gold and silver on it before setting it free."Andersen is a fashion designer, entrepreneur, and motivational speaker.

"Nobody Wants This" is a Netflix rom-com series starring Kristen Bell and Adam Brody.Bell's character, Joanne, is a podcast host who falls in love with Brody's character, Noah, a rabbi.Here's everything we know about season two.Warning: Spoilers ahead for the season one finale of "Nobody Wants This."Netflix's rom-com series "Nobody Wants This" was a major hitwith viewers when it premiered in September.The series topped Netflix's television list just days after its premiere. Based on its social-media reception, it quickly became apparent that, actually, a lot of us want this. Now, Netflix is delivering with a second season on the way.Created by Erin Foster, the show stars Kristen Bell as Joanne, a woman who hosts a sex and relationships podcast with her sister Morgan (Justine Lupe). She meets Noah, a young rabbi played by Adam Brody, at a party, and they immediately hit it off.The series is charming from the get-go, mostly by virtue of Bell and Brody's easy, ineffable chemistry. And with 20- to 30-minute episodes that go down easy (plus a cliffhanger ending), it's hard to not immediately want more.Here's everything we know about "Nobody Wants This" season two, including when it's hitting Netflix. Kristen Bell and Adam Brody as Joanne and Noah in "Nobody Wants This." Adam Rose/Netflix 'Nobody Wants This' season 2 is officially a goNetflix announced in October that it had renewed "Nobody Wants This" for a second season. Jenni Konner and Bruce Eric Kaplan, both of whom worked on the HBO series "Girls," joined as showrunners and executive producers, and Nora Silver ("Deli Boys") also came on board as an EP.Series creator Erin Foster told IndieWire prior to the renewal that she had already started thinking about season two."We're getting a really positive response," she told IndieWire ahead of the show's premiere. "And so I think the conversations have definitely started to happen about a potential season two.'"Foster added: "The story in season one unfolds really slowly. And so I think if there is a season two I would want to just kind of pick up where we leave off and continue to take it slow, because I don't want us to get too far ahead of ourselves. I mean, I want my show to be on the air as long as possible!" Justine Lupe and Kristen Bell as Morgan and Joanne in "Nobody Wants This." Hopper Stone/Netflix 'Nobody Wants This' season 2 will likely come out in late 2025In November, Bell and Brody told Variety that filming for season two will begin in February 2025."Hopefully they'll have it out by September next year," Brody said.Kristen Bell and Adam Brody will reprise their roles in 'Nobody Wants This' season 2Given that Joanne and Noah's story will continue in season two, both Bell and Brody will be back as well. Foster told The Hollywood Reporter in October that Bell and Lupe had visited the season two writers' room, so Lupe's character Morgan is presumably back as well.Foster also said that Esther, Noah's sister-in-law played by Jackie Tohn, would be a season two regular. From Foster's comments, we'll see Noah's brother Sasha (Timothy Simons) return as well. Kristen Bell and Adam Brody as Joanne and Noah in "Nobody Wants This." Adam Rose/Netflix 'Nobody Wants This' season 1 ends with a big cliffhangerAt the end of season one, Joanne backs away from her relationship with Noah. After realizing that she's not ready to convert to Judaism, she tells him that she doesn't want him to have to choose between her and his life and career. In the end, Noah chooses her putting his prospective head rabbi job at risk.It's a cliffhanger ending that leaves plenty on the table for a second season. Foster told Vulture that season two would potentially dive into the process of converting to Judaism, something that she herself did before marrying her husband."I am used to writing about all the things that are going wrong in my life," she told Vulture. "My manager always says that sometimes when you're succeeding, it feels like you're being beaten to death with your dreams.""Nobody Wants This" is streaming on Netflix.

At 50, Jennie Young started using several dating apps and felt that they were all toxic.The Burned Haystack Dating Method began as an academic project and now has a Facebook group with over 128,000 members.Young, a college professor, has advice for the companies behind dating apps. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Jennie Young is a professor of rhetoric and women/gender studies at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. In February 2023, she started a Facebook group for the Burned Haystack Dating Method.I thought I knew what to expect when I downloaded my first dating app. I was 50, had been divorced for 10 years, and had just gotten out of a long-term relationship. As someone who's generally tuned in to pop culture and social media, I thought I was prepared for what I would encounter. And, in some ways, I was.What I wasn't prepared for was the size or extent of the problem women were facing while looking for love online.There weren't just a few men acting badly whom I could quickly dispatch. It was the magnitude of the toxicity. There were a lot of bad actors, and the behavior wasn't just annoying; it was deeply problematic. It seemed that swiping left didn't make a difference; they'd just show up in my matches again a few days later.My frustration wasn't unique. Articles from 2024 alone included: "It's Not You: Dating Apps are Getting Worse" in The New York Times; "America is Sick of Swiping: Dating Apps are Falling Back to Earth" in The Atlantic; and "Why Gen Z is Ditching Dating Apps" in Time.I went from Match to Bumble to Tinder to Hinge and encountered the same problems ad infinitum. I felt frustrated and quickly realized it was not just me.I developed my own methodAfter a few months, I decided to make it an academic project. I'm a professor of rhetoric and women/gender studies at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.An understanding of rhetoric allows me to quickly parse text and read between the lines to determine what people are revealing without intending to, and a solid grounding in feminism helps me recognize the sometimes subtle flags of sexism and aggression that women encounter frequently on dating apps.The project evolved into a new dating method that I named the Burned Haystack Dating Method. My method encourages daters to filter out time wasters and red flags as soon as possible.As of November 13, there were over 128,000 women/nonbinary people in my private Facebook group and 60,000 followers on Instagram.I chose to share the method on social media because it's free. Accessibility was important to me from the beginning; I didn't want to monetize the information by keeping it behind a paywall, and I didn't want to charge women for consultation or "coaching."A little over a year and a half after creating the method and developing a following, I've learned a few things that I feel would keep daters happier with the apps.Women feel like their preferences are being ignoredHere is a typical scenario I've experienced, and that has been repeated to me on several occasions by women who have spent time online dating: A woman is excited to set up her new dating app profile. She carefully selects her prompts, writes thoughtful responses, and curates her pictures. She sets boundaries around things like age, geography, marital status, political orientation, and lifestyle factors.To me and many of those I've spoken to, the apps appear to honor almost none of this.A woman told me she had specified that she was looking for a 40-to-45-year-old politically liberal nonsmoker within 50 miles of her home. This didn't stop the app she was using from showing her a full line-up of 60-year-old chain smokers from three hours away. So she swiped left, but the next matches were even worse, and eventually, the same men she swiped left on originally reappeared.Other women have mentioned reporting toxic behavior directly to dating apps.Dating app companies are not responsible for fixing the users, nor is that even possible, but there are things I feel they could do better Here are three ideas.Listen to users: Honor the boundaries articulated. If someone swipes left, don't show the same person to them again. If you don't have anyone who meets the said criteria, then simply say that. Leave it up to the individual whether they want to expand their filters or just wait. They're all adults.Do a better job of screening: AI tools can now screen for tone problems such as aggression.Get the bad actors out: When reports are made regarding toxicity, aggression, and deceit even if it just means lying about age or marital status verify and remove the offenders. Users also need to be more vigilant about reporting bad behavior to the apps, as many of the companies will take the necessary steps to remove the profile.These changes won't solve the larger cultural problems women face in the dating market, but implementing them could improve the dating app experience while we continue to address the problems in society.But while it would improve things for daters, it's not likely it would improve things financially for the apps. Last month, Albert Fox Cahn, a journalist, wrote in BI that the apps face a problem when it comes to the popularity contest."It turns out dating apps face a unique barrier to success: The more effective your app is, the less profitable it becomes. People pay to find a partner, and once you find one, the app loses your business," Cahn wrote.In the end, it looks like dating apps and singles face a conflicting definition of success.A representative from Match Group., the parent company of Tinder and Hinge, told BI they have made investments to improve both their automated and manual moderation and review tools."These tools include automatic scans of profiles for red-flag language and images, manual reviews of suspicious profiles, activity, and user generated reports, as well as blocking email addresses, phone numbers and other identifiers," a Match Group. respresentive said.The representative said the company spends $125 million a year on the "trust and safety teams, technology, partnerships, and initiatives and is focused on improving safety across the Match Group portfolio."According to Bumble, the appmatches people who have mutually swiped on each other. The platform is set up so that women make the first move, and they can reply within 24 hours, or the match expires.Bumble said that anyone who experiences harassment is encouraged to use the app's "Block and Report" system. Bumble also said the app is using automated and AI-based technology to identify potential violations before members even report them.

Disney's CFO Hugh Johnston discussed Universal Studios' upcoming theme park, Epic Universe.Johnston said in a call it's "generally beneficial" for Disney when other attractions open in Central Florida.Both Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort are adding new attractions. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Epic Universe's arrival in Central Florida might be good for its direct competitor, Walt Disney World.Disney's Chief Financial Officer Hugh Johnston discussed Universal Orlando Resort's upcoming theme park during Thursday's earnings call. When asked how Epic Universe's May 2025 debut could impact Walt Disney World, Johnston seemed optimistic."The early bookings that we have next summer are actually positive," Johnston said.He said that when other attractions and theme parks open in the area, it's "generally beneficial" for Disney. Cinderella's Castle at Walt Disney World in Florida. Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for Disney Dreamers Academy Dennis Speigel, founder of International Theme Park Services, Inc., told Business Insider that Epic Universe's opening will likely bring more foot traffic to Central Florida, which can benefit the local attractions industry."I think the length of stay for the tourists in Florida is going to increase dramatically," he said. "I think people are going to load another day or a day and a half during their visit because there's more to do."Representatives for Disney and Universal Orlando Resort did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.NBCUniversal first announced Epic Universe in 2019."Our new park represents the single-largest investment Comcast NBCUniversal has made in its theme park business and in Florida overall," Brian L. Roberts, chief executive of Comcast Corporation, said in a press release. "It reflects the tremendous excitement we have for the future of our theme park business and for our entire company's future in Florida." Illustration of Universal Orlando Resort's Epic Universe. Universal Orlando Resort Universal Orlando Resort was the company's oldest park in 1990, followed by Islands of Adventure in 1999 and Volcano Bay in 2017.At Epic Universe, guests will get the opportunity to explore five worlds: Super Nintendo World, The Ministry of Magic from the "Harry Potter" franchise, the Isle of Berk from the "How to Train Your Dragon" franchise, Dark Universe featuring monsters from classic horror films, and Celestial Park.However, Disney shocked fans in August when Experiences Chairman Josh D'Amaro said its parks were also expanding. The announcement came after the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District's board of supervisors approved a $17 billion development deal from Disney two months earlier.Although Disney won't build a separate theme park, the entertainment giant will add new areas to its existing properties. Magic Kingdom will become home to a land dedicated to Disney villains and another based on the "Cars" franchise.Disney's Animal Kingdom will introduce a new land called Pueblo Esperanza, which will have attractions based on the 2021 film "Encanto" and the "Indiana Jones" series.At Disney's Hollywood Studios, guests will explore a new land based on the company's "Monsters, Inc" films. Finally, Disneyland Resort's Avenger's campus will expand and an attraction related to director James Cameron's "Avatar" series will arrive.According to Thursday's earnings report, Disney expects its Experiences segment's operating income to grow 6% to 8% compared to 2024.

Russia enacted a new decree on Wednesday that limits payouts for injured soldiers based on their wounds.Soldiers with less severe wounds now have their $30,000 payout knocked down to $10,000, or even $1,000.Previous foreign estimates found that Russia had to spend 6% of its budget on casualty payouts. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. The Kremlin introduced new restrictions on Wednesday to medical payouts for Russia's wounded troops, swiftly enacting a decree that allows only those with severe injuries to receive a promised $30,000.Previously, Russia had pledged at the start of its war on Ukraine that those wounded in the fighting were to each be given a one-time payout of 3 million rubles, or about $30,000.But Russian leader Vladimir Putin's new instruction on Wednesday reduces that payout to $10,000 for less severe injuries and $1,000 for other cases.The decree was approved by Russia's prime minister, Mikhail Mishustin, who leads the country's parliament, and put into law at 4 p.m. on the same day.By the Kremlin's new guidelines, soldiers will only receive the full $30,000 if they suffer "Section I" injuries, or those that endanger their life or health or may cause significant damage to their organs.These include severe spinal injuries, brain damage, rupturing of genitalia, rib fractures, broken limbs, or damage to organs such as the lungs or kidneys.Less severe injuries that qualify a soldier for $10,000 are listed under "Section II." These are deemed temporary wounds such as minor fractures, concussions, first- and second-degree burns to the eyes, ankle fractures, and gunshot wounds that don't affect organs.Russia still holds to a law signed by Putin in March 2022 that entitles those who die in the war to about 7.4 million rubles, or $75,000, as well as 5 million rubles, or $50,000, to their families.Those wounded and deemed "unfit for duty" are also entitled to another 2.96 million rubles on top of their injury payout.The new decision comes about a week after Russian media reported that authorities had been discussing revising injury compensation.Anna Tsivileva, a Russian deputy defense minister, told reporters on November 5 that doctors and hospitals had said the payouts didn't account for the severity of soldiers' injuries.Meanwhile, mounting casualties from Russia's grinding advance in Ukraine's east have likely ballooned the cost of the payouts to the wounded and the families of those killed. The UK estimated that as many as 1,500 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded on average for every day of October.In July, two Western-based researchers estimated that Russia would have to spend about 2.3 trillion rubles, now worth about $23 billion, in payouts for the dead and wounded. That was about 6% of the country's entire budget for 2024.The Kremlin's press service did not respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider.

Jared Isaacman led the first private space walk during SpaceX'sThe mission broke NASA's Earth orbit record and tested new Starlink communication technology.He talked with BI about the experience, what felt different during his second space mission, and the challenges of living off-world. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Jared Isaacman's second trip to space felt different.The billionaire CEO of the payments company Shift4 made history two months ago when he opened up the hatch on a SpaceX rocketship and stepped into outer space. The moment marked the first-ever private space walk."There's nothing that's separating you from the vacuum of death other than the single-pane visor," Isaacman told Business Insider.That single-pane visor was part of SpaceX's new extravehicular activity spacesuits which Isaacman said "essentially becomes your spaceship that the four-person crew tested out during its nearly five-day Polaris Dawn mission. In the event that anything went wrong, Isaacman and his crew member, SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis, only had about two hours of oxygen reserved."Everything in that environment is trying to kill you," Isaacman said. "The radiation, the lack of a habitable atmosphere, there's debris that's traveling at many times the speed of bullets."The hatch was open for 25 minutes, Isaacman said, during which he and Gillis each spent around eight minutes outside the capsule. The time went by quickly, he said, but they were able to complete a test matrix of three suit mobility demonstrations.Isaacman likened looking out into the unknown darkness in space to traveling overseas in the 1400s, when humans may have feared sailing off the end of the Earth or encountering some kind of mythical sea monster.He said being outside the SpaceX Dragon capsule felt "very different" than looking through its window, with an intensity of light coming off of Earth that "no video can capture.""You have all these extra senses kind of fusing together and you get, I think, more of an appreciation for just how hostile and unwelcoming Space is," Isaacman said.The spacewalk itself, which occurred at altitudes up to 460 miles above the Earth, went as expected. The Polaris Dawn crew carried out around 38 science and research experiments to test the impact of radiation on the human body, contributing to SpaceX's goal to learn more about long-duration human missions to Mars and beyond."The goal was to learn a lot about the mobility of the suit and was also to learn a lot about thermal regulation of the suit, big temperature swings," Isaacman said.The SpaceX mission, Isaacson's second trip to space with the rocket company cofounded by Elon Musk, required flying through risky radiation belts.It surpassed NASA's record for the highest Earth orbit and went further into space than humans have traveled since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The crew also transmitted the first violin performance in space using Starlink technology.In a Netflix docuseries about Isaacman's first SpaceX mission, Inspiration4, his wife describes worrying about what could go wrong. This time around, with Polaris Dawn, those concerns seemed to improve, Isaacman said."I think my family and my wife, specifically, were much more charged up and enthusiastic than they were the first time," he told BI.Isaacman attributed some of that increased ease to a successful first mission.The team prepped extensively for Polaris Dawn, spending hundreds of hours in pressurized suit testing. The SpaceX suits were tested in a vacuum chamber at NASA's Johnson Space Center, which Isaacman said was important to make sure none of the materials would "create a toxic environment or explode." The suits have a flame-resistant outer layer and thermal garment material to regulate temperature. screenshot/Polaris Program Re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, even with the prep and training from SpaceX, remained a point of nervousness. If there is a problematic amount of debris damage to the heat shield or thermal protection systems, there's "no backup plan," Isaacman said.The CEO said that while he and his family recognize the risks, they keep the mindset that it's worth it.He's going back and expects breakthroughs are 'right around the corner'Once he landed back on Earth, Isaacman went through about three days of medical tests before largely resuming business as usual.He's been on the road a lot, visiting facilities and doing debriefs, and estimates he's only slept in his bed four or five times since his journey to space.Isaacman has maintained his role as CEO, which he said helps make his work with St. Jude and SpaceX possible. Isaacman funded both Polaris Dawn and his previous mission with SpaceX. The first mission raised over $240 million for St. Jude and was named Inspire4 in an effort to inspire support for the hospital.His time in space isn't over yet though the Polaris Program is intended to be three missions mapped out over the next six to nine years, Isaacman said. He said he expects more progress on suit development in the second Polaris mission and the third will be the first crewed flight of SpaceX's Starship, the most powerful rocket system ever built that was designed to realize Musk's dreams of settling Mars.Isaacman shares the SpaceX cofounder's view that humans will be multiplanetary and he said the technological means to make it possible are "right around the corner." He anticipates fully reusable Starships becoming a tangible reality within the next decade and launching on a frequent basis, whether it be every week or month. That could lead to all sorts of space-related experimentation including asteroid mining or the establishment of bases on the moon or Mars, Isaacman said.However, the challenges don't end with the formation of an off-world base you have to ensure the astronauts maintaining it stay alive and sane, he said."Actually having a civilization that can be successful and thrive in space is a much different set of problems," Isaacman said.Roughly half the people who go to space get sick, he said. Following the landing, Isaacman said one of his SpaceX crew members experienced a minor case of spaceflight-associated neuromuscular syndrome, which impacts vision. While the symptoms subsided shortly after, he pointed to it as an example of some of the health risks people face when venturing into space.There's also never been surgery or childbirth in space, and the psychological challenges of living away from Earth, Isaacman said."You're gonna be in a bubble or living in a cave, or underground on Mars for the entire time you're there," Isaacman said. "We'll never get better than that. So there's a lot of things that need to be solved."While humans don't have it quite figured out yet, Isaacman sees a future where humans walk on Mars."We just got to proceed with caution and just make sure we get it right," Isaacman said. "And if we do, we stand to learn so much that can change the course of trajectory of humankind."

Amid rising costs, Saudi Arabia is scaling back Neom plans to focus on sports venues.Neom's plans include a stadium for the 2034 World Cup and a winter sports resort.The new city faces financial challenges, leadership changes, and scrutiny over human rights issues. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Saudi Arabia is changing plans for mega-city Neom to cut costs and prioritize building for international sporting events.The Middle Eastern country will focus on completing a 1.5-mile stretch of development, including a stadium expected to host soccer's 2034 World Cup, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the project.Plans for Neom were changed in September and October to integrate the World Cup stadium, a source told the news outlet. Another priority is completing a mountain resort slated to host the Asian Winter Games in 2029.The report comes two days after Neom said, without giving a reason, that its longtime CEO abruptly left the project.Reuters reported that Neom officials close to the ex-CEO might also leave the company soon.Earlier this month, Neom hosted a professional triathlon and men's 33 basketball.Neom did not immediately reply to a request for comment.Scaling back a big visionThe $500 billion mega-project was slated to house 9 million people about the same population as New York City. It includes several regions, including The Line, a proposed 106-mile horizontal structure clad in mirrors.Neom was planned to accommodate some 1.5 million people by 2030, but that number is thought to have been scaled back considerably as costs for the project have ballooned. Estimates for Neom have swelled to as much as $1.5 trillion.The city is a key part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 project that aims to diversify the kingdom's economy away from oil by launching new industries and attracting more tourists.The megacity has faced a series of issues since its inception, including financial problems and construction delays. Last month, a Neom official said that Saudi Arabia is using one-fifth of all the steel produced in the world, a statement Business Insider could not independently verify.Governments and human rights groups have also scrutinized alleged human rights abuses, including of migrant workers building Neom. In July, Saudi Arabia rejected allegations that three men were sentenced to death because theycriticized evictions to make way for the Neom project. It said that the men were connected to two terrorist organizations.

Rachael Ray says she doesn't regret not having kids even though she was "bashed for it" over the years.Instead, the celebrity chef said on her podcast that she prefers the company of her dog.And it's not just her millennials these days are choosing to raise pets over kids. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Rachael Ray, 56, doesn't regret her decision to not have kids.On Tuesday's episode of her podcast, "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead," the celebrity chef and TV host spoke to guest Bob Harper, a celebrity trainer from "The Biggest Loser," about dealing with the societal pressure to have children.When Harper said he chose not to have kids of his own, Ray shared the same sentiment: "Me too. And boy, did I get bashed for it over the decades."Instead of having kids, both Ray and Harper said they preferred raising dogs."They never talk back, they always want to hug you," Ray said, adding that pets bring her "a ray of light.""It's that unconditional love, but it really gets you through dark days. Like for me, if I have the absolute worst day, or I'm sick as a dog as the expression goes the thing that makes me feel best is to go home and literally climb into bed under a blanket with my dog," Ray said.The celebrity chef also spoke about dealing with the death of her dogs, Boo and Isaboo, whom she shared with her husband John Cusimano."They were everything to us, and they both lived a very long life. One was over 13, one was over 15," Ray said, adding that she and her husband then decided to adopt their current dog, Bella.She said she believed that raising an animal can make a person "a better human.""I don't understand folks that are not into having an animal in their lives, because it just makes you happier and better," Ray said. "And you have all this love in your life all the time, no matter what."During a 2009 interview on ABC's "Nightline," as reported by The Wall Street Journal, Ray said she doesn't feel like she's missing out just because she doesn't have kids."I think that I'm 40 years old, and I have an enormous amount of hours that have to be dedicated to work," Ray told ABC journalist Cynthia McFadden, who pressed her about her decision to be child-free. "For me personally, I would need more time to feel like I'd be a good mom to my own child. I feel like a borderline good mom to my dog. So I can't imagine if it was a human baby... I feel like it would be unfair, not only to the child but to the people I work with."The decision to be child-freeA 2021 Pew Research study found that more and more Americans aren't interested in having children.Part of that is due to rising childcare costs: According to Business Insider's estimates, parents could spend at least $25,714 caring for a child this year, up 41.5% from 2016.Instead, more millennials are choosing to raise pets instead of kids, pampering their furry companions with artisan treats, clothes, and even expensive overseas vacations.Even in China, which is experiencing a shrinking population, the urban pet population is expected to surpass the number of toddlers by 2030.A representative for Ray did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours.

The high demand for advanced semiconductors is increasing tensions between the US and China.Production power is key to the conflict, but tensions have shifted to the supply of raw materials.Supply chain and foreign relations experts told BI why the AI race is similar to a new Cold War. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. In the race against the US for global tech supremacy, China has the upper hand in at least one critical area: rare earths.The term refers to a group of 17 elements required to make tech products ranging from semiconductors to industrial magnets and some solar panels the same items embroiled in the US-China trade war.For more than a year, Beijing has slowly been tightening its grip on critical minerals and rare earths.In December, China banned the export of a range of rare earth processing technologies. Last month, China further tightened its grip on the sector. Citing resource protection and national security, Beijing madeNow, there are fears that China could tighten the global rare earths supply chain even more.Here's what you need to know about rare earths, what makes them so valuable, and how they play into the tech war between the US and China.China's rare earth dominanceChina has long dominated the rare earths market due to supply, low labor costs, and lax environmental standards.The country produces 60% of the world's rare earth mineral supply and accounts for 90% of global refined output.The late Deng Xiaoping the Chinese leader who spearheaded the country's economic reforms in 1978 recognized their strategic importance in 1992, saying, "The Middle East has oil, China has rare earths."Under the new regulations introduced last month, China's rare earth resources now belong to the state. Two Canadian-owned rare earth refineries in China are also being acquired by state-owned companies.This is not the first time Beijing has placed restrictions on rare earths. In 2010, China imposed strict rare earth quotas, citing environmental concerns and resource preservation. The move sent prices up sharply and prompted the US, the European Union, and Japan to file a complaint against China for unfair trade practices at the World Trade Organization. China lost the case and lifted exported quotas in 2015.Various countries tried to diversify their rare earth supply chains in the wake of China's quotas in the 2010s, but success has been limited due to the high cost of investment and environmental concerns.There are renewed efforts to boost global production in the face of rising tensions.In 2022, the US Department of Defense awarded $45 million to MP Materials for rare earth oxide processing, and in 2023, it awarded over $288 million to Lynas USA to set up commercial-scale rare earth oxide production facilities.How is China leveraging rare earths?Beijing's moves to control critical minerals and rare earths are part of a toolbox Beijing has developed over the last four years, Rick Waters, the managing director of Eurasia Group's China practice, said at a press briefing.During President Donald Trump's first term, the US and China slapped retaliatory tariffs on each other. However, China has less leverage in a tariff fight because it exports more to the US than it imports, so it came up with another regulatory framework this one involving rare earths that it can use in a trade dispute."They're experimenting with its use, and I think, in a way, they could go further if they perceive they need to," said Waters.Any further tightening of rare earth supplies which are a subset under critical minerals could leave the US vulnerable to supply shocks."China has cornered the market for processing and refining of key critical minerals, leaving the US and our allies and partners vulnerable to supply chain shocks and undermining economic and national security," the White House said in a statement in September.What do the restrictions on rare earths mean for TSMC and Nvidia?China's control over rare earths could weigh heavily in the trade war between Washington and Beijing, with chips in the center of the conflict.Chips are found in everything from computers to cell phones, cars, and defense equipment. Taiwan dominates the market, producing over 60% of the world's chips and over 90% of the most advanced ones.One company Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is responsible for most of the output and is the key supplier to AI chip giant Nvidia, which is in the thick of the tech rivalry.The US has already moved to block the export of advanced chips and chipmaking equipment to China.If the trade tiff escalates such as in the form of higher tariffs China could pull its rare earth card, Oxford Economics wrote in a report published in July."China's dominance in the battery supply chain accords policymakers with leverage to withhold industry-specific inputs from Western manufacturers, which could prove inflationary and economically disruptive," wrote Louise Loo, the lead economist for Greater China at Oxford Economics.This could involve further controls on critical commodity exports, particularly in rare earth minerals, Loo added.As happened with China's rare earth export curbs in 2010, prices are likely to spike if supply is tightened, so any prolonged supply crunch could drive up inflation for end products.The tech Cold WarThe US and China's moves to outmaneuver each other in the tech race have some analysts drawing parallels to the Cold War.Zongyuan Zoe Liu, a senior fellow for China studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, told Business Insider the idea that the US ought to out-compete China and prevent the nation from developing advanced chips plays into a "bigger power competition narrative."She said the tensions are similar, though not identical, to the tensions between the US and Soviet Union that began after the end of World War II.As Bloomberg reported last month, the US is considering limiting export licenses for both Nvidia and AMD chips in an unfolding trade war that has also hit several sensitive industries, including electric vehicles, batteries, and some solar panels.The US imposed similar trade limits, embargoes, and economic sanctions on the Soviet Union, North Korea, China, and North Vietnam during the Cold War."I think the heart of the issue is concern about how China will use AI chips for military applications and surveillance," Chris Tang, a UCLA professor and expert in global supply chain management and the impact of regulatory policies, told BI. "It's a different type of Cold War."Beyond a tense relationship, the dynamics between the US and China are also creating parallel systems, with the US and its allies on one side, and China and its allies on the other, Nick Vyas, the founding director of USC Marshall's Randall R. Kendrick Global Supply Chain Institute, told BI.Vyas said he's concerned the tension could escalate from this new Cold War to a hot one between global powers."When we stop transacting horizontally with each other, that's only creating a larger conflict," Vyas said. "And then with a South China Sea conflict, the geopolitical conflict could turn into a larger conflict, which can lead to a major situation that leads up to a war."Representatives for Nvidia declined to comment for this story. Representatives for AMD and the Bureau of Industry and Security didn't respond to requests for comment from BI.

Trump said on Wednesday that he will nominate Rep. Matt Gaetz to serve as US Attorney General.But there's reason to believe his confirmation will be difficult.Gaetz spearheaded the ouster of Kevin McCarthy and faces an ongoing ethics probe. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday said that he would nominate Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to serve as United States Attorney General.In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that Gaetz would "root out the systemic corruption" at the Department of Justice.Gaetz quickly replied on X: "It will be an honor to serve as President Trump's Attorney General!"Hours after the announcement, House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that Gaetz had already resigned from Congress."I think out of deference to us, he issued his resignation letter, effective immediately, of Congress. That caught us by surprise a little bit," Johnson said, adding that by resigning now Congress may be able to fill Gaetz's seat by January 3.A spokesperson for Gaetz did not respond to a request for comment.The Attorney General is the country's top law enforcement official overseeing the Department of Justice and serving as a key legal advisor to the president.Gaetz's appointment will have to be confirmed by the US Senate, and there are plenty of reasons to believe it will be controversial.In more recent times, Gaetz has drawn backlash from fellow Republicans over his role in spearheading the ousting of Kevin McCarthy from the speakership last year, which led to weeks of chaos in the lower chamber.He is also likely to face renewed questions over sex-trafficking allegations, which arose after the Department of Justice opened an investigation into Gaetz in April 2021. Though the agency ultimately decline to pursue charges, the Florida congressman has continued to face a probe from the House Ethics Committee.A staunch Trump loyalist, Gaetz has been a relatively unusual figure in Washington.He's expressed admiration for Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan, telling NOTUS earlier this year that he hopes "her work continues in the Trump administration." He also supports banning lawmakers from trading stocks and has touted his agreement with Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the issue.

Olivia Nuzzi has withdrawn her protective order request against her ex-fianc Ryan Lizza.Nuzzi accused Lizza of blackmailing her in an October petition.The withdrawal is the latest turn in the dramatic aftermath of Nuzzi's relationship with RFK Jr. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Olivia Nuzzi, the former New York magazine political correspondent who made headlines earlier this year for having a personal relationship with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has withdrawn her request for a protective order against her ex-fianc, fellow journalist Ryan Lizza.In an October petition for a civil protection order, Nuzzi accused Lizza, a Politico reporter, of hacking her devices and stealing information to blackmail her. Nuzzi alleged her former fianc tried to convince her to get back together with him and threatened to destroy her career if she refused. Lizza denied the allegations at the time.Politico shares a parent company with Business Insider.An attorney for Nuzzi confirmed to Business Insider that she withdrew the protective order request.BI didn't immediately view the motion, as court documents related to allegations of domestic abuse can only be accessed in person in the DC courthouse."Ms. Nuzzi has no interest in fighting a public relations battle. For insight into her decision, you can refer to the statements in her motion," Nuzzi's attorney, Ari Wilkenfeld, told BI.In a statement shared with BI, Lizza said: "Olivia shamelessly used litigation with false and defamatory allegations as a public relations strategy.""When required to do so, she refused to defend her claims in court last month. She then sought to hide my response to her claims from the public by seeking to seal the proceedings that she began," he wrote. "Now, on the eve of a hearing at which she knew her lies would be exposed, she has taken the only course available to her and withdrawn her fabricated claims.""Olivia lied to me for almost a year. She lied to her editors. She lied to her readers. She lied to her colleagues. She lied to reporters. And she lied to the judge in this case," Lizza said. "I said I would defend myself against her lies vigorously and successfully and I am fully prepared to do so. But for now, I'm pleased this matter is closed."Nuzzi's withdrawal is the latest turn in the dramatic media story, which began when journalist Oliver Darcy reported in September in his newsletter, Status, that New York Magazine put Nuzzi on leave after learning she engaged in a personal relationship with Kennedy, who she covered as a presidential candidate.Nuzzi said the relationship wasn't physical. A spokesperson for Kennedy previously said he only met her once.Following a third-party investigation into Nuzzi's work, New York magazine said the probe found no inaccuracies or evidence of bias in her reporting. She and the magazine parted ways in October.

Last year, Ellie Furuya got married at a luxury resort in Phuket, Thailand.Furuya says she would do a few things differently if she could go back.She wishes they had fully embraced the local cuisine and planned a post-wedding flower donation. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Ellie Furuya, 32, is a Hong Kong-based influencer, the founder of Rii Swim, a swimwear brand, and a mother. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.After six years of navigating life and love, my now-husband and I finally tied the knot last year in Phuket.I grew up in Hong Kong and was raised in a Japanese family. After graduating from an international high school, I spent time in Tokyo, completed my master's degree in London, and eventually returned home.It was back in Hong Kong that I met my now-husband, Jon.Deciding that I wanted to marry him was easy, but picking where we wanted to hold our wedding was complicated.Jon also comes from a mixed background he was born and raised in Singapore and grew up in Bangkok, New Delhi, and London he's half-Thai and half-English.With friends and family around the world, there wasn't one obvious place to host the wedding. But eventually, we decided that Phuket, in southern Thailand, was the right spot. Jon has roots there, and we knew our guests would appreciate the beaches and culture. Our son, Kenzo, was seven months old at the time.We got married in November at Rosewood Phuket, a five-star resort with views of the Andaman Sea. Looking back, I'd still choose Phuket, but there were certain logistics I'd tackle differently.If I could plan our wedding all over again, here are five things I'd change. It started to rain just as Furuya was about to walk down the aisle. Wasan Chirdchom, (Instagram @runnimages) 1. Prepare for rain, no matter whatWe planned our wedding during the dry season, convinced that we'd be safe from rain. But as anyone who's ever experienced tropical weather can attest, you can never be too sure.On our wedding day, the skies opened up just as I was about to walk down the aisle, transforming our carefully planned outdoor ceremony into a battle against the elements. While we had a glass rain cover for the reception, the aisle itself was not adequately protected, leading to muddy shoes and a slippery situation for my bridal party.2. Commit fully to local cuisineOne of the highlights of any destination wedding is the opportunity to showcase local flavors.Our guests enjoyed the Thai buffet we offered on the first night, but when it came time for the wedding meal, we veered into Mediterranean cuisine. While the food was presented well, it didn't resonate as strongly with our setting or the experiences we wanted to share. If I could do it again, I would prioritize Thai food throughout the entire weekend. The couple's son was pushed down the aisle during the wedding. Wasan Chirdchom, (Instagram @runnimages) 3. Stick to a strict budgetAs our guest list grew from an initial 50 to 139 attendees, so did our budget. Wedding costs can spiral quickly, especially when you're planning a destination event.With guests traveling in from overseas, we planned a party on Friday with a dinner buffet. On Saturday, we opted for a four-course Mediterranean dinner with four hours of free flow.Once extras, including a Thai noodle cart, flowers, fire-spinning entertainers, and the custom wagon we had built for our son, were added in, it added up to around $500 per guest for the two nights.4. Educate guests about the areaMany of our guests were visiting Thailand for the first time, and I realized I hadn't provided enough information about the local culture. After the wedding, I found out that most of my guests stayed on the hotel grounds the entire time, and with a bit more guidance, I could have encouraged them to go out exploring. The wedding was centered on lively parties Furuya regrets not making it more kid-friendly. Wasan Chirdchom, (Instagram @runnimages) 5. Create an inclusive experience for guestsReflecting on the event, I realize I could have done more to make the wedding more kid-friendly. The celebration unintentionally became quite adult-centric, centered on lively parties and plenty of drinks, which may have led guests with small children to leave early.While we did offer babysitting services and guests had access to the resort's kids' playhouse, I would have provided more activities tailored for parents and children. Simple additions like custom coloring books and goodie bags could have created a more inclusive atmosphere for everyone.

Streaming video services are seeing more customers hitting "pause," The Wall Street Journal reports.This means people cancel their subscriptions, only to re-subscribe soon after.I admit to frequently quitting and rejoining Hulu and data shows I'm not alone. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. I have broken up with and gotten back together with Hulu so many times over the years that it would probably make the cast members of "Vanderpump Rules" say we were in a toxic relationship.Once a year or so, I look at all the various subscriptions I'm paying for and, in a fit of budget-consciousness, decide that I must cancel something. Hulu seems to keep ending up with the short stick but then a few months later, there's some show I'm dying to watch, and I keep crawling back.It appears I'm not alone: The Wall Street Journal reported Monday on the rise of the subscription pauser. The Journal examined subscription data from analytics firm Antenna to see the pattern of people quitting Netflix, Apple TV+, Disney+, Hulu, Max, Amazon Prime Video, and others.Here's what it found:The monthly median percentage of premium streaming video subscribers who rejoined the same service they had canceled within the prior year was 34.2% in the first nine months of 2024, up from 29.8% in 2022.The habit of pausing and resuming service means that the industrywide rate of customer defections, which has risen over the past year, is less pronounced than it appears. The average rate of U.S. customer cancellations among premium streaming video services reached 5.2% in August, but after factoring in re-subscribers, the rate of defections was lower at 3.5%.Meanwhile, last month, the Federal Trade Commission finalized a "click to cancel" rule that is supposed to make it easier for customers to cancel online subscriptions. (The rule essentially says if you signed up online, you can't be required to cancel by phone or mail you have to be able to cancel online, too.)In my experience, streamers generally are already compliant with the FTC's rule. Because of that, I doubt it's going to have much effect on whether someone cancels. Instead, streamers might offer discounts, promotions, or bundling with other services to try to keep you for the long term and reduce what they call "churn."As for me, I'm back as a happy Hulu subscriber after I was lured by comedianBrian Jordan Alvarez's demented series of TikToks. In them, he's dancing shirtlessto an audio meme to promote his FX show, "English Teacher," which streams on Hulu. Consider me un-paused.

Starbucks' ex-CEO, Howard Schultz, told Fortune he trusts successor Brian Niccol to revitalize the company.Niccol plans a back-to-basics strategy as the coffee chain faces low sales.Schultz, who served three stints as CEO, said there's no chance he'll reprise his role again. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Brian Niccol knew when he took over in September as the new CEO of Starbucks that the company was facing slumping sales, decreased traffic, and something of an identity crisis.But the recent rollout of his new back-to-basics strategy has earned the support of one man who knows something about steering the beloved coffeehouse brand to success: Howard Schultz.Schultz, the chairman emeritus and former CEO of Starbucks, told Fortune in an interview that he has total faith in Niccol taking the helm of the international coffee chain though he's always available to offer the new CEO advice or guidance.Niccol has big shoes to fill as he steps in for Schultz, who has been described as the "Ray Kroc of his generation" for his role in the coffee giant's rapid expansion. He first became Starbucks' CEO in 1986 before leaving in 2000. He returned to the role during the 2008 financial crisis, departing again in 2017. In 2022, he came out of retirement to serve as interim CEO of the company. During his on-again, off-again tenure, Schultz grew the chain from 11 stores to 35,000 locations worldwide.Niccol's first earnings call, held October 30 for the company's Q4 results, included numbers indicating that Starbucks continues struggling to get customers in the door with traffic declining across all distribution channelsDuring the Q4 call, Niccol laid out his plan to get Starbucks "back to our core identity and consistently deliver a great experience" so "our customers will come back." He said the company will bring back its condiment bar so customers can dress their own coffees, and return to the Sharpie era where baristas hand-wrote customer names on their iconic white and green cups.Though Schultz has twice before left and then returned as CEO of Starbucks, he told Fortune there's no chance he'll reprise his role again.Representatives for Starbucks and the Schultz Family Foundation, of which Howard Schultz is a cofounder, did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

The package could include 60 F-35 fighter jets and 400 Patriot missiles, the FT reported.President-elect Donald Trump has previously said Taiwan should pay the US to defend it.US officials believe China will be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Taiwan may buy a US weapons package worth more than $15 billion to show President-elect Donald Trump it is serious about defending itself against China.According to the Financial Times, the package could include 60 F-35 fighter jets, four Advanced Hawkeyes, 10 retired warships, and 400 Patriot missiles.People familiar with the matter told the publication that Taiwan may also request Lockheed Martin's Aegis Combat System, which uses satellites to detect and destroy missile launches."Taiwan is thinking about a package to show that they are serious," one former Trump administration official told the Financial Times."Assuming they follow through, they will go to the US national security advisor when they are named and present a very aggressive package of American hardware."A senior Taiwanese national security official told the FT that informal discussions have already begun with the president-elect's team.Business Insider could not independently verify the report.In a statement to Reuters, the Taiwanese government denied renewed talks on arms sales with the US."There has been a period of consolidation and discussion between Taiwan and the United States on military needs, but there is no new stage of discussion at this time," it said.US officials believe China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, will be ready to invade by 2027.China would initially seek to target key US military sites in the region in missile attacks, then deploy thousands of drones to surveil and help pinpoint further strikes, experts previously told BI.The stakes are high. In its Global Peace Index 2023, the Institute for Economics and Peace estimated that a Chinese blockade of Taiwan would result in a $2.7 trillion loss in world economic activity in the first year alone, equivalent to a 2.8% decline in global GDP.Bloomberg's modeling, meanwhile, estimates that a total blockade of Taiwan and Western sanctions on China could result in a 5% worldwide GDP decline, with US GDP falling by 3.3% and China's by 8.9%.While Trump has not yet revealed his policy toward Taiwan, he has made comments to suggest Taiwan should pay the US to defend it against China."We're no different than an insurance company," he told Bloomberg in July."Taiwan doesn't give us anything. Taiwan is 9,500 miles away. It's 68 miles away from China. A slight advantage, and China's a massive piece of land, they could just bombard it."They don't even need to I mean, they can literally just send shells. Now they don't want to do that because they don't want to lose all those chip plants."Benjamin Blandin, a researcher at the Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Studies, told BI's Singapore bureau it's unclear what protection Taiwan could receive from the US under Trump even if it were to pay up.Blandin added that it's highly unlikely the US would send troops to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack."China will likely test American reactions by increasing further its gray-zone activities around Taiwan and also against the Philippines," said Sari Arho Havrn, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute think tank. In 2022, Biden vowed to defend Taiwan in case of a Chinese attack. In October, he approved $2 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, including radar systems and three National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile SystemsDespite approving packages to Taiwan worth upward of $21 billion during his first term, Trump has been less explicit in his support.The Trump transition team, the Chinese embassy in London, and the British Office Taipei did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.

Grocery chain Asda is calling workers back to the office three days a week from January.The British retailer says it will improve on-site catering and provide better bathrooms for staff.Asda chair Stuart Rose said remote work doesn't suit the fast pace of the consumer goods industry. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Stuart Rose, chair of grocery store Asda and a veteran of British retail, says the company will improve bathroom facilities and on-site food as it mandates a return to the office for corporate staff.Rose, who has also held leadership roles at major UK retailers Marks & Spencer, Argos, and Topshop, said last week that from January, all Asda corporate staff must be in the office three days a week.After the announcement, Rose said in an interview with The Observer that having too many staff based at home was "not a satisfactory way of working," particularly in a "fast-moving consumer goods industry.""It's not always as efficient with those teams working together in terms of online, in terms of Zoom calls," he told the outlet.Asda said it will "improve the working environment" in its offices as part of the RTO push.That includes "a better catering offer, an on-site Asda Express, a more welcoming atrium, more meeting spaces, quiet-space working pods, upgraded toilets, new chairs and redecoration."A spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider that in November, the grocery chain cut 475 management roles and announced a major restructuring amid slowing sales.Rose has taken on a leading role in Asda's transformation after one of the grocery chain's owners, Mohsin Issa, stepped down from running day-to-day operations in September.In 2021, Issa, along with his brother Zuber and private equity firm TDR Capital, purchased a majority stake in Asda from its previous owner, Walmart.Asda said that its RTO policy, combined with the restructuring and job cuts, would bring the business "in line with our competitors and the wider market, allowing us to build high-performing teams with a collaborative culture and respond to what our business needs the most."Rose is not alone in wanting his employees back in the office. While many bosses are firm advocates for the potential productivity gains of in-person work, some studies have found that hybrid working does not affect productivity.As the pandemic years fade further into the past, more CEOs have been returning to policies similar to those that existed in most corporate environments pre-2020. In recent months, companies like Dell and Amazon have announced that staff must be back in the office five days a week.Asda's chair told The Observer he thinks demand for hybrid work has swung too far in favor of workers."Hybrid working wasn't invented in the pandemic," Rose said. "It has to fit the business's needs."Experts say workers still have some say in the working culture debate. If RTO policies become too strict, top talent will simply leave to find a system that works for them, Ravin Jesuthasan, a respected future-of-work researcher, previously told Business Insider.If the labor market swings back around to favor workers, organizations will be under more pressure to meet their employees on their terms, the author "The Skills-Powered Organization" said.Nick Bloom, a Stanford economist and a leading expert on remote work, previously told BI he believed working from home is "here to stay," citing big steps in technology such as video calls and virtual reality.In a presentation published in September, Bloom shared that surveys in 2021 had shown that, on average, employees regarded the right to work two or three days a week from home as valuable as an 8% pay rise, based on 17,087 responses.

The app's design felt simple and user-friendly. I selected a few interests, including concerts and museums. Pie Social; Gia Yetikyel Downloading and signing up for the app was incredibly straightforward and free.I made an account with my phone number, checked off a few prewritten interests (cafs, concerts, dance parties, museums and galleries, and park hangs), and added a picture of myself. I also had the option to add my Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, city, and bio to my profile.Aside from my profile, the app is split into four other pages: Invites, Your Plans, Friends, and Chats. There was also the option to create an event of my own using the "+" at the bottom of the app. There weren't many event options at first.More event options seemed to appear the more I interacted with the app. Gia Yetikyel The core of Pie is its list of local events created by others (groups or individuals) that users can sign up for.Pie doesn't have its own events. Instead, the app relies on people in the community to create meetups and offers incentives for those who do with the Pie Creator Fund.Event creators can apply to it to receive payment for hosting they're paid based on the number of RSVP responses to their events on the app.A few events were already on my Invites page, including a coding meetup and a silent book club.I could RSVP "Yes," "Maybe," or "No" on Pie, though some events had limited spots and required I leave the app to get a ticket or use an additional RSVP link.Once I said "yes" to an event, it got added to my plans and I could message other attendees.I noticed few events at first, especially for a lively city like Chicago. There was an average of one per day, and if I didn't seem interested in it, I'd have to look at another date for more options.Maybe it was a coincidence, but it seemed that the more I used the app, the more new events popped up. I first attended a field-day event, even though it was a little out of my element.I took the bus up to Waveland Picnic Field in Lakeview. Gia Yetikyel The first event I attended was the Chicago Picnic Club at Waveland Picnic Field, hosted by the social groupLet's Do Fun Things Chicagoand events companyThe Friendwork Collective.The free event was on a sunny Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and included a yoga class, volleyball, and pizza.Let's Do Fun Things is a Chicago-based meetup organization that started this summer and seems to list many events on the Pie app. Its founder, Sam Mahafzah, was a popular name among the attendees.Upon arriving at the grassy field, he greeted me and waved for me to sit among the people talking and eating pizza under the trees. I liked how the event pushed me out of my comfort zone.I don't usually seek out yoga classes or outdoor games, but I had fun at this event. Gia Yetikyel I'm not one for yoga, but I brought a mat and did my best not to collapse while doing a downward-facing dog. After, the event creator broke out a colorful parachute, reminiscent of elementary school gym class, and called people over to grab onto a loop and run in circles.There was something absolutely freeing about screaming the lyrics to Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten" while sitting underneath a parachute with a bunch of strangers. Silly, yes, but thoroughly fun.My social skills were definitely on the stiffer side, but I managed to enjoy myself and exchange Instagram handles with two women before leaving.This didn't feel like the start of some beautiful friendship, and I'm not certain we'll connect later, but it's nice knowing I might see them at future gatherings.A field day isn't the first way I'd think of spending a Saturday, which made me a little anxious, especially with the added element of strangers. But the event allowed me to get out of my comfort zone and Pie made it easier for me to seize that opportunity.Notably, though, no one I spoke to at this meetup mentioned Pie. The second event I attended was a crafting meetup.I had previously attended Chicago Craft Club meetups, but I found out about this one on Pie. Gia Yetikyel The next event I attended was hosted by theChicago Craft Club, which, on its Instagram page, describes itself as "a community for adult creatives of all ages." I was already familiar with the club as I had attended a couple of their events in the past that I'd found on TikTok and liked the vibes overall.For this one, I RSVP'd on the Pie app and through Chicago Craft Club's separate link so I could receive a QR code I could use to get in.This free, two-hour afternoon meetup was hosted at the immersive art experience, the WNDR Museum, in a large room with tables and folding chairs. For those who didn't bring a craft, there was an area with crayons, markers, and paper. I loved the crafting crowd.I had a nice time at the Chicago Craft Club. Gia Yetikyel After writing my name tag, I took a seat at the nearest table, which had four other people already knitting and drawing.The room was lush with positive energy a lot of the crowd was knitting, sharing encouragement and advice about stitches.I opted to doodle with crayons as I got to know my table with the usual small talk that weaved its way from where we grew up to our favorite musicals. As the knitters fell into focus, the rest of us followed in a comfortable silence, sometimes asking a question or telling a funny story.The group told me they'd learned about the Chicago Craft Club and its events from Instagram. Again, no one mentioned Pie.Although I didn't exchange contact information with the group, I departed with the promise of seeing them at the next meetup. Next time, I'll cut out the middleman and skip Pie since the club's events are listed online, and I had to RSVP elsewhere anyway. The third event I attended was a bachata class.I brought my friend to the bachata class. Gia Yetikyel For my third meetup, I looked for a meetup unlike the others, which led me to Salsa on a School Night.Once again, this event was hosted by Let's Do Fun Things Chicago. The beginner-friendly bachata lesson was free with an RSVP, and attendees could bring a friend if they wished.I brought a friend who was down because she'd previously attended similar meetups in Chicago that she found on Instagram. When we arrived at Barcocina Lakeview, I noticed that the back room was predominantly full of men, with a few familiar faces from the field-day event.The first half hour was filled with mingling among the crowd. Once again, event host Mahafzah was there to greet attendees. I asked him how to make friends at events like this, and he immediately introduced us to two other women.During our small talk, one of the women mentioned she used Pie to find events like this the first time I heard the app mentioned in real life. She said she enjoyed using it. The host's extroverted energy made all the difference.The room was filled with people learning the steps to bachata. Gia Yetikyel At around 8:30 p.m., the bachata instructor climbed up on a table and gave step-by-step instructions on dancing. Over the next half hour, to the sounds of the rhythmic music, attendees spun, stepped, and shook their hips to the instructor's guidance.When asked to pair with the opposite gender, I danced with Mahafzah, who cackled in delight as attendees shuffled with each other.Later, when asked, Mahafzah told BI he started as a community organizer using the creator fund but is now a "Creator in Residence" at Pie, meaning he has equity in the company and is "embedded in the team part-time."As Mahafzah went off to create content for the event, it was evident that his keen hosting skills played a large part in its overall success. He greeted nearly every attendee and spent all night introducing strangers to one another. I liked Pie as a concept, but it's not particularly groundbreaking.Andy Dunn's goal with Pie is nice, but I'm not sure the app is as helpful as he'd hoped. Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for Bonobos; Spencer Platt/Getty Images; Rebecca Zisser/Insider Although Pie isn't revolutionary, its goals are noble people in their 20s and 30s crave genuine platonic connections, especially since the pandemic.Pie does a decent job of gathering events for those who don't know where to begin, but it's akin to an application that organizes your subscriptions for you.Unfortunately, I don't believe it's the groundbreaking connection-creator young adults have been looking for. It doesn't eliminate awkward lulls in conversation or uncertainty about potential future hangouts that come with making strangers into friends.The app mostly just highlights the community-building work people are already doing in Chicago, whether it's free yoga classes in the West Loop or crafting sessions at a Logan Square brewery.I found fun events on Pie, but I could've found and attended them without using the app at all after all, that's what just about everyone I spoke to did.Even so, I do think this app has the potential to be a useful tool for making friendships. I'd use Pie again when my social-media algorithms get stale and I want to explore new social circles. If you're new to Chicago, though, it's a decent tool for making the seemingly overwhelming task of building a community that much more attainable.Pie did not respond to a request for comment.

The "Saturday Night Live" post-election episode did not land well with fans of the show or Elon Musk.Fans called Bill Burr, this week's host, racist and sexist after his controversial opening monologue.Musk criticized the show after Dana Carvey did an impression of him. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. The "Saturday Night Live" post-election episode was criticized by people across the political spectrum, including Elon Musk.The show featured a controversial monologue by comedian Bill Burr, and a skit featuring SNL alumnus Dana Carvey doing an impression of Musk.In 2016 and 2020, when Donald Trump and Joe Biden won the presidential races, respectively, Dave Chappelle hosted the first post-election episodes. It's unclear why he wasn't chosen this year, but in recent years he has been criticized for jokes viewed as antisemitic and transphobic. Burr took over this year, and joked that Asian people spread COVID-19 and that women should "whore it up" to become president."Listen, I know a lot of ugly women, feminists I mean, don't want to hear this message. But just tease him a little bit. Make a farmer feel like he's got a shot," Burr advised future female presidential candidates after Kamala Harris lost to Trump last week.Some fans called Burr's jokes racist and sexist.Other defended the jokes, saying that critics were being too sensitive.Later in the monologue, Burr turned his attention to Trump, calling him an "orange bigot" and "lunatic," but those jokes appear to have been overshadowed by his previous comments. Burr is known for being controversial, with his last appearance on SNL in 2020 receiving a similarly mixed response from fans after he made jokes about white women, anti-maskers, and Pride month.Before Burr's monologue, the show opened with the "Saturday Night Live" cast standing together onstage saying that they have always been Trump supporters, in an apparent joke about companies currying favor with the president-elect. Some fans said the joke wasn't funny.Later in the skit, James Austin Johnson, a cast member who usually impersonates Trump, appeared as a "Hot Jacked Trump," while Carvey sent up Musk, who was instrumental to Trump's election campaign.On Sunday, Musk, who has previously hosted the show, replied to three different X users to criticize the show.NBC and Burr's representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

History professor Allan Lichtman said he was doxxed after wrongly predicting the election results.Lichtman, who has accurately predicted nine elections to date, called a Harris win in September.He said he's received death threats and that there were two break-in attempts on his home. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Allan Lichtman, the history professor who correctly predicted nine of the last 11 presidential elections, said he's received death threats after wrongly predicting 2024's results.Lichtman predicted a win for Vice President Kamala Harris over her opponent, former President Donald Trump, in September. "We've faced death threats, doxxing, swatting and intimidation at our doorstep. We will not be bullied. Federal law enforcement is now alerted," he wrote in an X post on Saturday.In a statement to BI, the American University professor said that the threats came through email and social media."There were two attempts to breach our home," Lichtman told BI.Lichtman said that no one had been hurt, adding that the police had responded to the break-in attempts.Representatives for the Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.In a podcast uploaded to his YouTube channel on Friday, Lichtman said he thought the hate mail he was getting from the wrong prediction was "vulgar" and "mindless.""I admit I was wrong. I called a Harris win and she didn't win," he said on the YouTube stream."But I was far, far from the only forecaster to be wrong. Most other models were wrong," Lichtman added.Lichtman's "Keys to the White House" prediction model consists of 13 true-or-false questions. He said in a September interview with The New York Times that eight of the 13 keys were in Harris' favor.In 2016, he correctly predicted that Trump would win the election.The Republican candidate cruised to victory last week, clinching his second term in office with 312 electoral votes against Harris' 226.

President-elect Donald Trump took a phone call with Vladimir Putin on Thursday.Trump also had a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.In July 2023, Trump said he could stop the Ukraine war within 24 hours. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. President-elect Donald Trump told Russian President Vladimir Putin not to escalate the war in Ukraine during a phone call last week, The Washington Post reported on Sunday.The phone call on Thursday marks the first time the pair are known to have spoken since Trump won the election.Trump and Putin talked about resolving the war in Ukraine and achieving peace in Europe during their call, The Post reported, citing several people familiar with the matter.Trump also expressed interest in follow-up conversations to discuss "the resolution of Ukraine's war soon," per The Post.When approached for comment, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign told Reuters that they "do not comment on private calls between President Trump and other world leaders."Representatives for Trump and the Russian foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.Trump's call with Putin took place a day after he spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The president-elect took the call with Zelenskyy on Wednesday, at Mar-a-Lago."We agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our cooperation. Strong and unwavering US leadership is vital for the world and for a just peace," Zelenskyy wrote on X.Trump's big Ukraine war promisesIn July 2023, Trump told Fox News that, if elected, he planned to end the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours."I would tell Zelenskyy, no more. You got to make a deal. I would tell Putin, if you don't make a deal, we're going to give him a lot. We're going to give more than they ever got if we have to," Trump said."I will have the deal done in one day. One day," he added.At the time, both Ukraine and Russia were dismissive of Trump's proposal. Zelenskyy told ABC News that he thought Trump's proposal was a "beautiful" notion but was not grounded on "real-life experience." And Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, said that the war "cannot be solved in one day."That lukewarm response from both countries didn't stop Trump from making more campaign promises about ending the Ukraine war swiftly.In June, Trump said at a campaign rally in Detroit that he would have the Ukraine war "settled prior to taking the White House as president-elect." Trump also criticized Zelenskyy during that rally, calling the Ukrainian leader "maybe the greatest salesman of any politician that's ever lived.""Every time he comes to our country, he walks away with $60 billion," Trump said at the rally."He just left four days ago with $60 billion, and he gets home, and he announces that he needs another $60 billion. It never ends," Trump added.Since Russia's invasion began in February 2022, the US has channeled more than $64 billion in military assistance to Ukraine.

Defense tech startups are anticipating growth under Trump's second term.Palmer Luckey's Anduril and others have recently secured large defense contracts.Elon Musk's ties with Trump and Vance could drive defense acquisition reforms. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Some leaders in the defense tech industry, including Anduril cofounder Palmer Luckey, think that defense tech startups are poised for success during president-elect Donald Trump's second term.Over the last decade, Silicon Valley has made waves in the defense tech industry. Startups like Anduril, which makes autonomous vehicles for military use, have secured multimillion-dollar contracts from the US government. Luckey founded Anduril in 2017 after previously founding virtual reality company Oculus, which he sold to Meta for $2 billion.Last month, Anduril unveiled its new AI-powered Bolt-M drone, which fits in a backpack. Anduril developed the drones as part of $249 million in contracts awarded to the companies Anduril, AeroVironment, and Teledyne FLIR to provide "kamikaze drones" for the Defense Department, according to DefenseScoop, a military news blog.In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Luckey said it is "good to have someone inbound who is deeply aligned with the idea that we need to be spending less on defense while still getting more: that we need to do a better job of procuring the defense tools that protect our country.""Anduril's been around for about eight years now," Luckey said. "We did well under Trump in his first administration, and we did even better under Biden in his administration, and I think we're going to do even better now."Some of the defense tech industry's optimism for Trump's victory lies in SpaceX founder Elon Musk's proximity to the president-elect and his vice president, JD Vance, Forbes reported."The close relationships between Vance, Elon, and the defense VC and startup ecosystem will create a huge opening for real defense acquisition reform and widening of the number of players," Nathan Mintz, CEO of CX2, an electronic warfare company, told the outlet.Luckey told Bloomberg that Musk has "outperformed every reasonable expectation." Luckey said he was initially skeptical of Musk's ability to take on projects at his other ventures like SpaceX and X while "also keeping this administration focused on things like space.""But anyone who has ever bet against Elon has come away crying," Luckey said.Defense tech leaders also say the potential elimination of so-called "cost plus" contracts, which give contractors financial incentives for meeting certain performance measures, could be good for the industry, Forbes reported.Luckey told Bloomberg that cost-plus contracting "reward exactly the wrong things" and that defense product companies should be incentivized to use their own money to "decide what to build, how to build it, and when it's done.""Then they have skin in the game," Luckey said. "When they fail, they lose money. When they succeed, they make money."Luckey, a longtime supporter of Donald Trump, said he was "certain" that Trump would win the election and that his victory did not influence Anduril's planning because it was "already baked in."Luckey added that the defense industry is "one of the few that has actually successfully remained pretty nonpartisan," noting that he is a Republican and Anduril CEO Brian Schimf is a Democrat."The idea that the United States military should have the strongest military in the world and that we should defend our allies around the world it's a pretty non-partisan idea," Luckey told Bloomberg.

Mark Cuban has criticized Donald Trump's tariff proposals.In a Threads post on Friday, he said companies are already bracing for impact.Many economists say the tariffs will be inflationary as costs are passed down to consumers. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Mark Cuban is raising the alarm again on President-elect Donald Trump's tariff proposals.In a Threads post on Friday, Cuban said companies are already bracing for potential tariffs on Chinese imports by shoring up inventory. Cuban wrote that this will inevitably raise consumer prices due to the cost of storing inventory.While he didn't specifically name Trump, Cuban referred to Trump's proposal to put a 60% tariff on Chinese imports, which some economists say will have an inflationary impact on the economy."Right now every company that imports from China is taking all the cash they can muster, and buying up as much as they can and stuffing it in a warehouse, in anticipation of the tariffs creating accelerated demand for imports," he wrote. "That money would have been used for expansion, raises, bonuses, and other operational elements. Because cash is relatively expensive, and it costs money to store inventory, those companies will increase prices as if they had paid the expected higher tariffs."Cuban, who became an unexpected surrogate for Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign earlier this year, has repeatedly criticized Trump's gratuitous use of tariffs in his economic policies."Trump has a new tax cut or tariff for every city he visits. Even when it violates his own signed policies or the law," he wrote in an X post from September.In an interview with Harris, Cuban called Trump "the Grinch that stole Christmas" because the 60% tariff will raise prices on goods like holiday gifts.Cuban added in the Friday Threads post that the tariffs could also push the Chinese government to tell companies to stop buying from the United States altogether.A Trump spokesperson dismissed Cuban's statements. Cuban declined to comment.Many economists say that Trump's tariffs will ultimately hurt consumers' wallets.Economist Paul Krugman said the tariffs could see an "inflationary shock that is bigger than almost anything else you could do through federal policy."An analysis from the nonpartisan Peterson Institute for International Economics said the 60% tariff on Chinese imports could boost inflation by 0.4 percentage points in 2025.Federal Reserve's goal to bring inflation down to 2%.An analysis from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a left-leaning think tank, said that the tariffs will provide a tax cut for the top 5% of US income earners.Some company executives have been vocal about the impacts of the tariff proposals.AutoZone CEO Philip Daniele said on a pre-election earnings call, "If we get tariffs, we will pass those tariff costs back to the consumer."Columbia Sportswear CEO Timothy Boyle told The Washington Post that the company is "set to raise prices" under new tariffs and that it will be "very, very difficult to keep products affordable for Americans."BMW CEO Oliver Zipseoffered a more optimistic view of the tariffs to reporters after the company's Q3 earnings report on Wednesday, saying, "We shouldn't be too nervous about what might happen."He said BMW has an "advantage" over other carmakers because of its large footprint in the United States.

When Omarni Webb decided she wanted to get a master's degree, she was determined not to go into debt.Webb, 29, decided to apply to schools in Sweden, as Ikea was one of her favorite retailers.She enjoyed its safety and affordability, and being able to travel freely. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Omarni Webb. Webb completed a master's degree in marketing in Sweden and later worked as a data analyst. She is currently on a career break. The following has been edited for length and clarity.In 2017, I left NYC and moved to Sweden to pursue a graduate degree in marketing.I had gotten my undergraduate degree in fashion business managementPell Grant.After graduation, I worked in the fashion industry for around a year. But I realized that careerAt the same time, I had always wanted to study marketing. I figured that having a master's degree would give me an edge because I would know how to design clothes and market them.So, I started looking into schools in New York. I looked at ColumbiaTuition at NYU's Stern School of Business, for example, costs over $80,000 a year my kidney couldn't pay for that. I had gotten through college with no debt and wanted to do the same for my master's degree. I realized I needed to find another option.I decided to start looking elsewhereMy favorite retailers have always been Dollar Tree, Burlington, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, and Ikea. I love knickknacks and how Ikea manages to create organized chaos.My love for Ikea inspired me to look up colleges in Sweden, the country where the furniture brand was founded. In the span of two weeks, I researched all of the requirements, sent everything in and that was that.A few of the parameters that I set limited my options. The classes needed to be taught in English, and I was only interested in one-year programs because I didn't have enough funds to sustain myself for two years. The options I found were Mlardalen University and Stockholm University.I got into Mlardalen University in Vsters, a city an hour and a half away from Stockholm. I remember screaming with joy when I got in.It honestly didn't hit me that I was in Sweden until I was on a shuttle bus heading to the school. Growing up in Brooklyn, as the oldest of seven siblings, it was a breath of fresh air to live on my own for the first time in my life. I didn't feel scared, and I could adapt to the new environment.I could travel often in SwedenBefore moving to Sweden, I had only traveled outside the US once to visit London. But while I was living in Europe, I traveled at least once every two months to countries like Germany, Estonia, Denmark, and Finland. I could catch a flight with a friend and go somewhere for two or three days before we flew back for classes. Webb enjoyed being able to travel easily, including a trip to Paris, while studying in Sweden. Omarni Webb I loved the safety of living in Sweden. It was a complete change from living in New York, where I constantly had to be aware and look over my shoulder.I never worried about walking outside in the early hours. I remember walking home from a friend's party in the dark, lateLiving in Sweden can be expensiveI remember wanting to see a Marvel movie in the theaters, but a regular ticket was almost $30, so I opted out.Eating out was expensive, too. But I loved buying groceries because I could survive off $10 a week, which would get me rice, cheese, eggs, and meat.Although entertainment and eating out were expensive, everything else was affordable. I lived in a single-room dorm, which cost around $6,000 a year, and my degree added up to around $9,000.After completing my degree in 2018, I wanted to stay in Sweden. The work environment there seemed pretty chill compared to the US, where I was only likely to get a few weeks of paid time off.I also experienced Swedish summers where the sun hardly set, and it was absolutely incredible. I thrived in that time because I love the sun. Even during winter, when the days were short, I could adapt.But finding a job in Sweden was really hard, so I unfortunately had to return to the US.I went to Sweden to study marketing. However, during my studies, I decided to pivot my career into data analytics, which is the field I'm in now.The experience also gave me an opportunity to makeDo you have a story about studying abroad that you want to share? Get in touch with the reporter, Erin: eliam@businessinsider.com.

2024-11-10T12:04:01Z Read in app Angle down iconAn icon in the shape of an angle pointing down. An F-35B Lightning II aircraft departs the flight deck of the JS Kaga. Dane Wiedmann This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Japan's aircraft carrier JS Kaga completed sea trials off the California coast Friday.The light aircraft carrier was refitted with a flight deck to carry F-35B stealth fighters.The destroyer-turned-flattop is the first carrier to be operated by Japan since World War II. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Japan's destroyer-turned-aircraft carrier just completed sea trials off the coast of California on Friday, the country's navy said.The JS Kaga was refitted with a flight deck that allowed crews "to conduct fixed-wing aircraft operations," the US Defense Department said in a statement last month.The Kaga is the first aircraft carrier to be operated by the Japanese navy since World War II as the country overhauls its maritime forces amid tensions in the Indo-Pacific. Central to the light carrier's power is the short take-off and landing version of the F-35 stealth fighter. JS KagaThe Japanese destroyer JS Kaga sails off the coast of Southern California. US Marine Corps Photo by Cpl. Daniel Childs The JS Kaga is an Izumo-class multi-functional destroyer initially designed to accommodate up to 28 military helicopters.The vessel measures just over 800 feet and weighs 24,000 tons far smaller than modern flattops like the Nimitz-class carriers, which measure more than 1,092 feet with a full-load displacement of over 100,000 long tons.Named after a former province of Japan, the converted light aircraft carrier shares the same name as the aircraft carrier that launched the planes in the 1941 surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Destroyer-turned-flattopAircraft fly above the flight deck of the JS Kaga. Darin Russell In 2018, then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that the ship would be refitted to accommodate and launch F-35B Lightning II aircraft.Converting the ship to accommodate fighter jets goes against post-war Japan's pacifist beliefs, so its navy designated the Kaga as a "multi-purpose destroyer" rather than an aircraft carrier. Nonetheless, the Kaga is not expected to be deployed like a traditional carrier."Given its history, it's significant that Japan has come this far, and they have the capability now that looks like an aircraft carrier once it's reconfigured," Jeffrey Hornung, a political scientist specializing in Japanese security and foreign policy, told Time in 2019.He added: "But, then again, they're not [aircraft carriers]. They don't have any of the infrastructure for it to be deployed as such. They don't have the strike capability. They don't have any sort of intention to go further than what it is right now." First landing on the JS KagaAn F-35B takes off from the flight deck of the Japanese destroyer JS Kaga. Darin Russell/DVIDS The Japanese destroyer's refitting process was completed in April this year. Last month, the Kaga began sea trials in the eastern Pacific Ocean off the coast of California near San Diego.On October 21, the US took a major step by landing an F-35B on the flight deck of the newly converted vessel."The trials will pave the way for increased interoperability with our allies," the Defense Department's F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office told Newsweek in a statement last month. Lockheed's F-35B Lightning IIA catapult officer aboard the JS Kaga signals to the pilot of an F-35B. Dane Wiedmann/DVIDS American defense contractor Lockheed Martin manufactures the fifth-generationLockheed anticipates a per-share profit of $26.65 for 2024, raising its forecast range above the previous $26.10 to $26.60 range, Reuters reported in late October.However, Lockheed's F-35 program was plagued by payment headwinds brought on by the government contracting process, causing the company's shares to slide 5% despite the higher forecast. Flight testsAn F-35B lands on the illuminated flight deck of the JS Kaga during a night flight test. Dane Wiedmann During the three-week trials, Japanese, US, and UK defense forces flew at night and in other conditions "to collect the data necessary for ship-based operation of F-35B on IZUMO-class vessels," according to a statement from Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force.The US Marine Corps also deployed a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter to the Kaga to deliver a specialized cleaning and repair system intended to restore friction on the flight deck aboard the vessel. Growing tension with ChinaA landing signal officer watches as an F-35B lands on the flight deck of the JS Kaga. Dane Wiedmann/DVIDS The sea trials were comprised of personnel from the US Navy and Marine Corps and the UK Royal Air Force and Navy, as well as contractors Lockheed Martin, British Aerospace, and Northrop Grumman.On November 8, the Japanese navy wrote in a post on X that the sea trials "reaffirmed" the "strong ties between Japan and the US.""We remain committed to working together for a #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific and deepening ties with allied navies," the navy added.Japan and the US have been engaging in joint military operations in response to growing hostility from China as it continues its military buildup and increasing aggression in the East and South China Seas.In September, Japan accused China of sailing into its territorial waters just days after a Chinese spy plane violated Japanese airspace, to which China said the ship's passage was legal and that the two incidents weren't linked. Close iconTwo crossed lines that form an 'X'. 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Lita Talisman has traveled to all 50 US states in her RV.She says life on the road can be made easier by being flexible and trusting your instincts.She also recommends that first-time RVers set aside some savings for emergencies. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Many Americans embraced "work from anywhere" policies during the COVID-19 pandemic, trading permanent residences for homes on wheels.By 2022, around 3.1 million people in the US were living in vans, a 63% increase from 2020, Yahoo Finance reported.Travel content creator Lita Talisman, 31, and her husband, Dylan Regan, 30, were among those who made the switch.In 2021, while they were still living in a Washington, DC, suburb, Regan turned to Talisman one morning and asked, "Why don't we make a van and move into it?"And just like that, the duo decided to move out of their current home once the lease ended.While the decision to travel and move into a van came easily, building the van to fit their needs took them an entire summer."For the first few months, we were just working really hard on weekends and some weeknights on converting the van," Talisman told Business Insider. "We were working on the van every free second we had."Finally, by October 2021, after transforming the van to their liking, they set off on their adventure.The couple initially planned to travel for just one year, but that journey extended into three years of van life. They only recently moved back to their parents' home in Washington, DC.If you're considering joining the van-life community or plan on remodeling your van for life on the road, Talisman has a few tried and tested tips to help you have a smooth experience.Here are her six tips for first-time van travelers.

2024-11-10T12:14:02Z Read in app Angle down iconAn icon in the shape of an angle pointing down. There are bigger mountains out West, but New England has some quaint places to ski. Kyle Tunis/Shutterstock This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? I've been skiing and snowboarding in the northeast region of North America for decades.Vermont is known for its skiing in Stowe, but I prefer Saskadena Six and Bolton Valley.Plattekill is close to New York City, making it possible for city folk to hit the slopes. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. For me, a perfect winter day is when I can only see one or two lines cut through deep powder on a ski run. It's a sign that I'm one of the few people enjoying the mountain that day.However, snow sports seem to get more popular every year, and these days are few and far between especially where I live on the East Coast, since the mountains are already smaller than out West.Often, Northeast skiing can be like running a gauntlet, with other skiers and snowboarders on the slopes serving as obstacles.Luckily, after decades of skiing and snowboarding all around the region, I've found a few mountains and resorts that are still mostly quiet. Saskadena Six is a Vermont gem. You don't have to fight crowds in Stowe to ski in Vermont. Woodstock Inn & Resort Saskadena Six, a ski area in the middle of Vermont's Green Mountains, doesn't have the same name recognition as other destinations in the state. Its terrain is also a little different than the impressive slopes throughout the Northeast Kingdom (northern Vermont) and Stowe. I've found that all of this helps to keep crowds small. However, Saskadena Six isn't some baby mountain either. It has impressive terrain down the middle and a few fun runs that wind through wooded trails. The nearby town of Woodstock is quaint and charming and it doesn't have many large hotel properties bringing in huge crowds of tourists. Farther north in Vermont is the Bolton Valley ski area. Vermont has some stunning mountains. Digitaldepth/Shutterstock The biggest crowds run off to ski the Mad River Valley or snowboard Stowe's and Smuggler's slopes leaving Bolton Valley for those in the know. Its 71 trails are spread out across 5,000 acres. Although it's located about 30 minutes from the University of Vermont, I've found that college kids tend to sleep late, leaving early morning runs nearly empty. Bolton Valley is also one of the few Vermont mountains that offers night skiing and chairlifts that run in the dark. As such, many students and other regulars skip day skiing altogether, which helps divide the crowds. Some may not realize mountains like Plattekill are a short drive from NYC.Plattekill is my favorite place to ski in the Catskills. Kyle Tunis/Shutterstock On winter weekend mornings in New York City, the streets fill up with skiers and snowboarders waiting to board the buses to the Catskills. It's only about two hours from the city, so the region's mountains can see hourlong waits at the base. But just 30 minutes from the popular Hunter, Windham, and Bellayre mountains is the Plattekill Mountain ski area. Everything about the place is quieter, including its small lodge and few lifts. Given that it only has two beginner trails, novice skiers also tend to keep away. If you're willing to cross the border, Mont Sutton is a quaint Canadian resort.I think it's fun to head up to Canada for a day of skiing. meunierd/Shutterstock Although many New Yorkers and New Englanders will head to Canada for big-name resorts like Mont-Tremblant, they should also consider the mountains in the Eastern Townships region of Quebec. Mont Sutton, in particular, has smaller crowds. Its extensive glade runs guarantee some quiet in the forests, even on busier days, and the nine chairlifts spread riders across its 60 skiable trails. The nearest border crossing through Vermont is often quiet, and the drive from there is only about 20 minutes making it possible for American visitors to ski Sutton for the day.Sutton also has three excellent neighboring ski mountains, which helps to thin out the crowds at each resort. U.S.Close iconTwo crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.

BI has spoken with entrepreneurs who make money buying and reselling items on sites like eBay.Top resellers tend to focus on a specific category, like clothing, sneakers, or electronics.They use data to inform their purchases and stay up-to-date on market trends. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Business Insider has spoken with a handful of individuals who have had so much success reselling items as a side hustle that they quit their day jobs to do it full-time.One particularly successful reseller, Richard S. who prefers not to share his last name for privacy reasons, is planning to retire before 40, thanks to the eBay store he started curating after losing his job in 2008.While the startup costs are low another full-time clothing reseller, Kendall VanGilder, told BI how she got started with no money upfront and anyone can get involved, there's a strategy behind sourcing profitable products."You can't just list garbage, for lack of a better term, and expect a great result," said Richard S.He, VanGilder, and Val Zapata, who has sold millions in sneakers and streetwear via live shows on Whatnot, shared their top sourcing strategies. BI verified each individual's revenue claims by looking at screenshots of their seller dashboards.1. Niche downRather than selling a variety of items, each successful reseller BI has spoken with sells within a specific category and it tends to be a category they're already familiar with.VanGilder has worked in retail most of her career, including spending five years at Lululemon, and uses that to her advantage. Reselling clothing "was a natural move for me because I have the ability to be able to pick up on brands that are good just by fabric or feel of it," said the owner of Style Secondhand.Zapata leaned into sneakers, as she'd been collecting them with her dad since she was a teen. She now has a 6,000-square-foot warehouse to house all of her inventory. Val Zapata turned her sneaker-collecting hobby into a seven-figure business. Courtesy of Val Zapata Richard S. has found it helpful to niche down within his niche.His general strategy is to buy "the staples," brands like Nike, Lululemon, and Ralph Lauren that people wear daily. Within those big brands, however, he's learned that certain items do better than others.For example, he figured out that while a regular Nike Dri-FIT shirt might sell for $10 to $20, one with a Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal logo might go for $30 to $70, or even up to $100 if it's the same style one of them wore in a recent tennis tournament.With Ralph Lauren items, he's looking for something specific, like a polo with a big pony logo and "Germany" spelled out on the front, he said. 2. Lean on data and pay attention to market trendsTake the guessing out of what will sell and figure out exactly what customers want using the data available to you.Richard S. advises looking at what is selling well by browsing the "sold items" section of your category on eBay for 30 minutes a day.Sourcing items based on data will help you avoid the common mistake of buying what you personally like and assuming other people will as well. In the reselling business, "it doesn't matter what I think is cool," he said. "It matters what the customer thinks is cool." Richard S. inside his vintage clothing store, The Spot, in Coral Springs, Florida. Courtesy of Richard S. VanGilder uses eBay to learn about new brands in her space. For example, she searches a broad apparel category, like "women's pants," and filters by items that have already sold for $50 and above. Browsing the results helps her discover higher-end brands that she'll then try to hunt down the next time she's shopping."There have been so many times when I've done research on a brand that I'd never heard of, and then I will go to a thrift store and find it," she said. "It was probably there all along, but now that I'm bringing it into focus in my mind, I'm seeing it."Zapata says she stays up-to-date on what's popular in the shoe world by attending events, paying attention to what people are wearing, and observing what her favorite sellers are buying and avoiding.3. Consistency winsThe combination of assessing the market, experimenting with various listings, and general experience will set you up to find "home run items," said Richard S. "If you go out there with the most amount of information and you give yourself the most amount of opportunities you will run into more of these home run items."He's not seeking these rare items on a day-to-day basis, he noted: "When people hear these conversations, they think you just magically find all these $100 or $500 or $1,000 items. You do find them. But the bulk of the items that you find are going to be more of the everyday value and common items that are in high demand. They are out there, but you have to touch a lot of items and you have to give yourself a lot of opportunity to be able to find them."

I always wanted my daughter to go to college and graduate without any student loan debt.When it was time for her to go to school, we didn't have enough money for her tuition.I bought a storage unit business, and it became so successful that it has paid for her full tuition. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Storing other people's shot glass collections is not what I dreamed about doing when I was a little girl. I didn't visualize myself shoveling out storage units full of cat toys, abandoned tires, chainsaw parts, and cheese graters. But when it came time to pay for my kid's college tuition, all ideas were on the table.When our daughter, Lauren, was born, my husband Gary and I started saving for her higher education. We tucked away as much as possible, hoping it would be enough. But college costs were rising fast.Relying on savings alone to pay for college also presented another problem. Even if we managed to stockpile our dollars, theoretically, we'd blow all of them on tuition when the time came. Semester by semester, we'd slowly deplete our account. In the best-case scenario, we'd end up with a zero balance. Worst case scenario, we'd end up in debt. Neither option sounded good.I realize that the whole point of a college savings account is to have it available for tuition and expenses. Still, I fantasized about paying for Lauren's college and somehow keeping that account intact. There had to be a way to leverage those funds, and as entrepreneurs, my husband and I started looking for options.That's when we looked into the storage business to help pay for her college tuition.Time was running out, and we tried to look at alternativesDuring Lauren's toddler years, it felt like we had plenty of time to develop a plan. But by the time she started middle school, panic set in. Media outlets dished up stories about debilitating student loan debt debt that prevented people from getting married, buying homes, and having children. That debt also came with extra jobs or sleepless nights full of worry. I didn't want that for myself, and I especially didn't want it for our daughter.At our most desperate, my husband, Gary, suggested that our daughter consider a career in plumbing."Why don't we skip college and buy a plumbing truck instead," Gary said. Lauren's nails had little daisies painted, and her hairstyle must have taken hours. She has a fashion sense I haven't seen shared by many plumbers. "It could be your high school graduation present," Gary said.But Lauren dreamed of getting a university education and becoming a filmmaker.During a family brainstorming session, we decided to investigate the mini-storage industry. It seemed like a business that could generate revenue without requiring our full-time attention. However, we soon learned that these businesses are difficult to acquire.We bought a fixer-upper mini storage businessAfter a long search, we spotted an ad for a fixer-upper mini storage business and decided to make an offer in 2020. We paid $325,000 for the company, and a month later, the business was ours. For the down payment, we used the savings we'd set aside for college. All the income the business generated would go right back into that account.When we took possession, half the units were vacant or full of abandoned junk. All the units were priced under market. Many of the customers hadn't paid rent in months, and some of the rental contracts were missing. One customer was in jail, and another had died. We had some clean-up to do.My husband and I repaired holes in walls, replaced rotted fascia boards, and upgraded missing lock mechanisms. We cleaned messes and started advertising. Business improved within a remarkably short time, and our facility was at full capacity within a year.Since then, we've had a few setbacks. When some of the units were robbed, we had to deal with the aftermath. We discovered a homeless person sleeping in our facility. Once, a drug dealer tried to use the mini storage as a place to conduct business. Our building still needs a paint job, and we have plans to upgrade security and aesthetics.Our plan workedFour years later, we earned enough to pay for all of our daughter's education expenses.With only three semesters to go until Lauren graduates, I feel certain we'll achieve our goal of getting her through college debt-free. And when she's out of school, we'll still have the money we started with plus appreciation and a money-producing asset.As a kid, I never thought I'd end up storing other people's stuff, but I did plan on having a creative, interesting life. And if life takes another unexpected turn, maybe our college graduate can use the mini storage to house a plumbing truck.