Bartice

Parents will do anything for their kids, but would you take on loans just to fund preschool? Business Insider takes a look inside the crazy trend sweeping New York. 

There are few places where parents spend as much as New Yorkers do to educate kids who are barely on solid foods yet. 

Childcare in New York City costs upwards of $13,000 a year (the highest in the country) and private pre-K classes can run more than $30,000 a year.

For parents who can't afford the private route, public programs aren't necessarily an alternative. In 2011, more than 28,000 applicants vied for just 19,800 pre-K slots in the city's public schools, according to the New York Times. 

Related: An Ivy League Education Can Be Surprisingly Cheap

A controversial new initiative by City Council Speaker and mayoral candidate Christine Quinn could help to change that.
Quinn is rolling out a pilot program that would offer low-interest loans to middle-class families with young kids for daycare, the New York Post's Beth Defalco reports.

The loans will be doled out by Neighborhood Trust Financial Partners, a local credit union that already offers a wealth of free financial services to city residents. For program's first year, 40 6-percent interest loans will be up for grabs for families with children between 2 and 4 years old.

In order to qualify, families must earn between $80,000 and $200,000 per year, have a 620 minimum credit score, and sign up for a free financial counseling appointment with Neighborhood Trust. 

Click through to learn more!

78-year old German-born Paul Brockmann of Lomita, California first laid eyes on his schoolmate Margot at a dance. He remembers seeing her spin in the pretty dress she was wearing and they soon bonded over their love of dancing. Shortly after becoming a couple, he began gifting dresses to her. He says, “Margot is the love of my life and has remained so to this very day. I followed her to the United States and was disowned by my own family for doing so back in the 50’s. We first lived in the Midwest and with time traveled West and settled in Los Angeles, California. The dress collection grew as I searched far and wide at estate sales, department stores, yard sales and antique shows. Always looking to buy more dresses for Margot, everywhere and anywhere I went.”

Over a span of 56 years, the collection grew to over 55,000 dresses and they eventually found it necessary to rent a warehouse in Gardena to house them. Up until recently, they kept the massive collection a secret from everyone. However, on August 24th they threw the doors open to the public who could purchase the vintage dresses they have been passionate about all these years. In early August, LA Weekly featured the couple and shared more details of their unique love story. You can check out photos of the beautiful collection at the 55 Thousand Dresses website or at their Facebook page.

photo 1 by Star Forman, image 2 via 55 Thousand Dresses

Thanks Baby Doe!

by Irene Chidinma Nwoye

Harlem is slated to receive two new towers that will be the neighborhood’s tallest.

The 650,000 square-foot-tall twin residential towers will rise at 1800 Park Avenue, between East 124^th and East 125^th streets, across the Metro-North station, according to the New York Post.

Developer Ian Bruce Eichner of Continuum Cos bought the site for $65 million and plans to include about 380 market-rate apartments and 120 affordable units.

 

 

Number 272 Manhattan Avenue on the corner of West 111th Street is one of the grandest prewar buildings in South Harlem but has been abandoned for several years now.  All that has now changed as of last week since sidewalk sheds went up recently at the 57-unit residential apartments directly facing Morningside Park.  DOB permits show that a gut renovation is at hand but it is unclear if this building will be primarily rentals or a condo conversion.  This location is one of the best in South Harlem since it is right by the FDB retail corridor, a couple of blocks away from Central Park and is in close proximity to all major subway stops.  With that said, the developer should do very well when all finishes up.

London, UK – based architecture firm Boscolo Ltd recently redesigned a 1920′s cottage style detached home situated in Woodford Green.

More Images

Sponsored by MightyDeals - Amazing Deals for Web Professionals.

AMC, the channel that recently announced its Breaking Bad spinoff Better Call Saul, has now revealed that it is developing a companion series for The Walking Dead. Comic creator Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, and Dave Alpert will be executive producers for the spinoff series, which is set to launch sometime in 2015.

“Building on the success of the most popular show on television for adults 18-49 is literally a no-brainer,” said Charlie Collier, AMC’s president and general manager. “We look forward to working with Robert, Gale and Dave again as we develop an entirely new story and cast of characters. It’s a big world and we can’t wait to give fans another unforgettable view of the zombie apocalypse.”

image via AMC

via The Hollywood Reporter

House on Holdridge, Minneapolis. Murphy & Co. Design.

The other day I hopped on the 7 Train to Long Island City, Queens, to check out the just opened Hunters Point South Waterfront Park, designed by Thomas Balsley Associates and WEISS/MANFREDI. The park is one of the first components of the larger Hunters Point South development, which will include affordable housing, schools, and a future extension of the park. Here is a slideshow from my visit.

via

 

A monkey bundled up in a little green coat and warm pants hops around the snow in this cute video.

video via Svetlana Akishina

via Viral Viral Videos

Ten Tasks to Help You Live Like a Rich Person

Are you living like a wealthy person or like a broke person? Regardless of what's in your bank account, bestselling author Tom Corley says there are things you can do to live like a millionaire. Corley's family went from being multi-millionaires to being poor overnight and although he was just nine at the time the experience had a profound impact on him. He spent five years studying the daily activities of hundreds of wealthy people and hundreds of those in poverty to discover the major differences in daily habits between the two groups. These are ten of the 149 activities highlighted in his book "Rich Habits: Daily Success Habits of Wealthy Individuals." He says these are the daily tasks that separate the "haves" from the "have nots."

Visit The Bargainist for more.

Thanks Mike (from Spain)

 

I find it interesting the height difference in the pictures.

Thanks Mike (from Spain)

 

It’s going to take a major WTF answer to top Miss South Carolina 2007 and Miss Utah 2013, and Joanlia Lising almost did it during the 2013 Miss Philippines USA two weekends ago. Joanlia was asked which one of the 5 senses is her favorite and her brain crashed at least twice when she dribbled out this answer:

“Thank you for that wonderful question. If I had to pick out of 5 senses, I’d pick seeing, because seeing is the best sense that we can ever see. Because seeing is believing into what you see is perfect. And out of all those senses, seeing would be wonderful, because thank you, that’ll be it.”

I am 99% sure those are the lyrics of a Taylor Swift song.

If you only had the sense of sight, that clip wouldn’t be as cringe-worthy. She should’ve said that out of all the 5 senses, she wishes she didn’t have the sense of hearing, so she wouldn’t have to hear that stupid ass question.

I know pageant girls train for shit like this (I think), but in her defense, talking in real-time to other humans is really hard. She almost sounds like me anytime someone asks me a non-yes or no question. From now on, whenever I spit out some word salad, I’m going to take a tip from Joanlia Lising by ending my answer with, “Because thank you, that’ll be it.”

via HuffPo

Matt McGloin of Cosmic Book News is reporting that actor Bryan Cranston has been cast as supervillain Lex Luthor in the upcoming Man of Steel sequel. He writes, “Bryan Cranston has been cast as Lex Luthor in what is said to be at least a six “appearance” deal…and may be as high as ten.” The sequel will also star Ben Affleck as Batman and Henry Cavill as Superman and opens in theaters on July 17, 2015.

image via IMDB

Thanks Will Viharo!

There's a reason why so many people love kettlebell training - after all, who doesn't want a total-body resistance and cardio workout that only takes half an hour? And even more surprising, an American Council on Exercise (ACE) study recently found that the average person can burn 400 calories in just 20 minutes with a kettlebell. That's an amazing 20 calories a minute, or the equivalent of running a six-minute mile!

What makes the workout so effective, especially when compared with traditional weights like barbells or dumbbells? "You're moving in different planes of movement," says Laura Wilson, director of programming for KettleWorX. "Instead of just going up and down, you're going to move side to side and in and out, so it's much more functional. It's like you move in real life: kettlebells simulate that movement, unlike a dumbbell."

As a result, Laura says, you end up using more of your stabilizer muscles than traditional weight training, which translates into an increased calorie burn and a killer workout for your core. All this makes kettlebell training not only great for weight loss but also for improving fitness level: an ACE study found that eight weeks of kettlebell training two times a week improved aerobic capacity by almost 14 percent and abdominal strength by 70 percent in the participants. "You're recruiting so many more muscles than you would with traditional training," Laura explains.

If you're ready to jump on the kettlebell train, don't just grab a weight and start swinging. Proper form is essential for ensuring you stay injury-free when performing kettlebell exercises. Start with light kettlebells, and visit a certified kettlebell trainer (check your gym to see if classes are offered) to learn the right way to train - then check out all of our kettlebell exercises here!

 

Is it possible to love Victoria Beckham any more than we already do? It turns out, it is. The singer-turned-fashion-designer recently showed off her charming personality during an interview by T, The New York Times Style Magazine, where she talked about her life with David and her funny reason for not smiling in candid photos. Keep reading to find out what we learned from Victoria Beckham's interview with T magazine.

• She's honest about David doing the cooking at home: "He's really good. He decided to go to culinary school [during his days alone in LA]."
• She wants her kids to have normal parties: "We have what I consider to be normal birthday parties," she said. "I've been to parties in LA that are mind-blowing. I mean, quite literally mind-blowing. People get cellphones in the party bag, that sort of thing. Fabulous, fabulous parties. Ours aren't like that. They are normal kids' parties. We'll have a bouncy castle, a face painter."
• She is OK with her age: "I don't want to be made to look like I'm 25. I'm 39. I don't have any issues with my age."
• She compliment's David's style: "He might sometimes ask advice if he's going to be late - 'What should I wear?' - but generally speaking, he has a really good sense of what works on him. I think he looks great whatever he does. He literally always looks really, really good."
• She has a funny reason for never smiling in photos: "When you're in a position to be paparazzi-ed just walking down the street, you'd look a little daft if you were smiling all the time."

Thanks sg

 

Mike: Michelle, who are you and what do you do?

Michelle: I'm 26, a senior corporate tax accountant, and I live in Rockland County in N.Y.

Mike: How much do you earn, and what are your benefits like?

Michelle: At my current position, I earn $75,000 a year base. No bonus, but at the end of the year, we're given stock options based on our performance evaluation, and what the board of directors authorizes. We have health, dental, vision insurance, tuition reimbursement (50 percent of four classes per year), and a company matched 401(k) plan. They'll match half of the first 5 percent you contribute. I just accepted an offer for a new job though—I'll be making $78,000 there, with a target bonus of $7,800. Health, dental, and vision are all included. I'll have a 401(k) with a 50 percent match of the first 8 percent I contribute, and the tuition reimbursement for a grad degree is $15,000/year.

Read the rest at The Billfold.

The post This Accountant Earns $75,000 A Year appeared first on The Awl.

The Dino Pet - A Self Sustaining Night Light

Designed by Yonder Biology (“The DNA Art Company”), the Dino Pet is a dinosaur-shaped habitat for a species of bioluminescent marine algae that photosynthesizes during the day and glows at night. “Dino” is actually a play on words, as the actual organisms contained inside the dinosaur-shaped model are called dinoflagellates and are known for their ability to glow when physically agitated (shaken). You might have already seen them in action as they live on various shorelines that cause the waves to glow at night. The organisms can live for 1-3 months but can potentially live indefinitely if the algae are supplied with the proper food and right amount of sunlight. I have a feelings these are going to be very popular but they aren’t ready for sale yet. The Dino Pet is currently funding on Kickstarter.

source