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Soldier's Room Has Stayed Untouched For Almost 100 Years As A Beautiful Tribute

Hubert Rochereau was a Second Lieutenant for the French Army during World War 1. He left home for war and his parents left his room alone so it would be the way he left it upon his return. Hubert was killed from wounds inflicted in battle in Belgium on April 26, 1918. His parents were obviously devastated and sold the home in 1936 with a special clause in the deed.

The soldier’s bedroom must remain exactly the way it was for 500 years. So far, it’s been almost an entire century and the bedroom has been left exactly as it was the day Second Lieutenant Hubert left for war. The bedroom is still full of all of his possessions. His military jackets have holes from moths and have been tattered over the years. His desk is still covered with his military paperwork and personal pictures. There’s even an untouched gun collection.


The current owner of the home has done some research and has found that there is no legal basis binding him to keeping the room that way. He does respect the history and memory of this veteran and plans to keep the room the same. There have been 2 previous owners who have felt the same way and have kept the room perfectly intact.

World's Most Expensive Paintings (14 pics)

$119,400,000 for Jasper Johns’ Flag, 1954.
Two years after serving during the Korean War, Jasper Johns dreamt that he painted a picture of an American flag. The next morning he awoke to begin work on what would become one of his most seminal works — also, his most expensive painting to date.

$141,500,000 for Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s Bal du moulin de la Galette, 1876.
This painting by Pierre-Auguste Renoir first made its debut in 1877 at the Impressionist exhibition in Paris. Today, it stands as a perfect example of the dreamy snapshot aesthetic of the Impressionist style.
$144,700,000 for Francis Bacon’s Three Studies of Lucian Freud, 1969.
The relationship between artists Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud’s was one of friendly rivalry. Both artists worked tirelessly to develop a painting style that is as deeply psychological as it is moody.
$149,400,000 for Vincent Van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet, 1890.
During Van Gogh’s final months, the artist had been committed to care of Dr. Paul Gachet in Auvers-sur-Oise, France. It was there that Vincent Van Gogh produced several of the most important and revered works of his career, including this portrait of Dr. Gachet which he described to his sister as, “Sad but gentle, yet clear and intelligent, that is how many portraits ought to be done.”
$158,500,000 for Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, 1907.
It took Gustav Klimt three years to complete this portrait of his wealthy friend and patron, Adele Bloch-Bauer. After the Nazis annexed Austria in 1938, the painting traded several hands until it was finally returned to Bloch-Bauer’s heir in 2006. Today, the painting is on display at the Neue Galerie in New York City.
$179,400,000 for Pablo Picasso’s Les Femmes d’Alger, 1955.
Picasso once said, “No one has ever looked at Matisse’s painting more carefully than I.” Following the death of his longtime friend and rival, Picasso began a series of works, including this masterpiece, that were inspired by the curvaceous women Matisse had developed his painting style around.
$180,000,000 for Rembrandt’s Pendant portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit, 1634.
Painted for their wedding in 1634, these two newlyweds have always hung together since their creation, despite existing as two independent portraits. Now that’s eternal love.
$200,000,000 for Jackson Pollock’s Number 17A, 1948.
Number 17A was made during a prolific period of Pollock’s career known as the “drip period,” a time in which many of the artist’s most iconic works were produced.
$272,000,000 for Paul Cézanne’s The Card Players, 1893.
The Card Players comes from a series of paintings that depict Provençal peasants enjoying a smoke, drinking, and playing card games. Commenting on the quiet stillness in this picture, some critics have even described these paintings as “human still lifes.”
$300,000,000 for Paul Gauguin’s When Will You Marry?, 1892.
In 1891, Paul Gauguin travelled to Tahiti to escape the hectic lifestyle of modern Europe. What he discovered was the warm tones seen in When Will You Marry?, and an indigenous population that continued to inspire the artist for the duration of his career.
$119,900,000 for Edvard Munch’s The Scream, 1893
Edvard Munch’s The Scream is easily one of the most recognizable paintings in modern art. It’s no surprise that this expensive painting has been the target of multiple art heists over the years.
$127,500,000 for Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, 1506-1513.
For hundreds of years, nobody was quite sure who had made this painting. It wasn’t until 2005, when a group of art conservationists specializing in old masters could confirm that this painting was a work by the master himself, Leonardo da Vinci.
$186,000,000 for Mark Rothko’s No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red), 1951.
No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red) exemplifies the vast color fields and grand stature of work that Mark Rothko is known for. Its rejection of traditional subject matter plays into the sentiment of a generation of artists left hollowed and damaged following World War II.
$300,000,000 for Willem de Kooning’s Interchange, 1955.
Willem de Kooning has become synonymous with a post–World War II art movement known as Abstract Expressionism. As the world attempted to put itself together after the war, so did artists like de Kooning, who felt disillusioned and damaged by the events that transpired. De Kooning’s work expresses the ugly reality of that new world.

7 Surprising Benefits Of Leasing A Car

We all have a dream car that we presume we can’t afford. We settle for the “sensible choice” that will get us from A to B and won’t break the bank.

But what if you could drive a car without worrying about the overall cost? What if you could drive a car for a year without having to commit to it any longer? What if you could just borrow a car and then give it back?

Car leasing is an increasingly popular way for motorists to drive without having to purchase the vehicle. It gives you the freedom to drive a car without any strings attached. If you’re considering buying a new car, here are seven surprising benefits of leasing a car that might change your mind.

You avoid damaging depreciation costs

One of the biggest problems motorists face when buying a brand new car is that these cars lose their value very quickly, and by the time you’re ready to sell and move on, your car is worth much less than you bought it for.

If you lease a car, you will never have this problem and you do not have to worry about the car’s resale value. This makes car leasing an attractive option to those who want to change their car frequently without losing any of the cost.

Low monthly payments

If you choose to lease a car rather than buy it, your monthly payments will be lower as you are only renting the car. This means that you can spend the money you save elsewhere–on holidays or those oh-so-expensive shoes you’ve been coveting. Also, if you only use your car for work, it may be more beneficial for you to lease a car rather than own one, and then spend the money you save on having fun on the weekend.

You can drive the car of your dreams

As you aren’t paying to purchase the whole car, you are much more likely to be able to afford the car of your dreams. If you’ve always fancied a particular car but never had the money to buy one, this could be the perfect time to do it. You know that sexy convertible city car you’ve always wanted? Lease it now and your dream will become reality.

Road tax is included

When you lease a car, road tax is included for the duration of your contract! This means you don’t have to worry about making sure it is up to date yourself. Remember to check with your car leasing provider first, as some companies only include road tax for the first year.

There’s no need to sell your vehicle—just give it back!

Let’s face it, there’s nothing fun about selling your car. You have to spend time fixing any small issues, taking flattering photographs, uploading them to online car sites, negotiating with time-wasters, and using up your precious free time meeting potential buyers. A lot of hassle, right? Well, if you lease your car, you can simply hand it back once your contract is over. Most companies will even come and collect the car from you so you don’t even have to leave the house—perfect!

You can show off

Yes that’s right, with car leasing you can show off your brand new stylish car to your friends, family, and co-workers—which is what everyone really wants, isn’t it?

Having an impressive car could do wonders for your business, especially if you are self-employed and want to look successful. You know that ridiculously expensive flashy car that would impress your clients and seal the deal? Lease it and no one will be the wiser.

You can add maintenance packages

Car leasing companies such as Stoneacre Leasing will offer you a choice of maintenance packages for the duration of your contract. A full maintenance package will give you peace of mind and will cover servicing, repair costs, and extra tires. This means that no matter what happens, you will not be faced with any surprising repair costs!

Car leasing is an easy, hassle-free way to obtain a personal car on a budget. If you’ve not thought about leasing a car before, give it a try—you’ll never go back!

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10 Things Koreans Discover When Visiting America

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Although we live in an age of increasing globalization, there are certain cultural differences that persist across borders—it’s what makes traveling and exploring the world so interesting. Every year, millions of people visit America for business or recreation. In an average year, this group includes over 1 million Koreans! What do they find most intriguing or even slightly odd about America? Read on to discover 10 things that take Koreans by surprise when they visit the US.

1. Everyone says “thank you” for every little thing.

Especially in larger cities, Americans tend to use the phrase “thank you!’ on a frequent basis. For example, when a clerk hands over change at the store, the customer gives thanks. This isn’t the Korean way. It’s not that Koreans are impolite—far from it! It’s just that Korean cities tend to be even more densely populated than their US equivalents, and everything moves at a faster pace.

2. The buildings are so much shorter than those in Korea.

Most people in Korea live in high-rise apartments, reflecting the fact that space is at a premium. Of course there are very densely-populated areas in America and more rural spots in Korea, but as a rule, Koreans are more accustomed to living and working in buildings that are much taller than those in the average American town.

3. The portions seem huge.

America has an international reputation for serving large portions of food at restaurants and diners. Koreans, like many foreign visitors, are frequently surprised to discover how much value the typical American meal offers.

4. Students spend far fewer hours in school compared with Korean youngsters.

It isn’t uncommon for students to spend several hours more in school each day in Korea, compared with those in the American education system. In addition, students often attend after-school activities, like sports and or programs for learning additional languages.

5. American employees work fewer hours.

Americans work long hours—no doubt about it. However, Korea is notable for its “work hard, play hard” culture. On average, Koreans work 10–15% more hours per week than Americans. There is also a more ingrained culture of post-work socialization.

6. In America, cross-generational friendships and relationships between employees and managers are more common.

In general, Koreans consider it appropriate to stick to friends of one’s own age rather than those of other generations. Traditionally, there is a great sense of respect towards elders and those in higher-up positions at work. While a typical American employee may be on first-name terms with their line managers and may even consider them a friend, a Korean worker would refer to this person by their title instead.

7. The rules for showing cleavage are different.

Although too much cleavage is frowned upon in America, it is quite acceptable for women to show some in most social settings (within the realms of good taste and decency, of course). However, this would not be appropriate in Korea.

8. Tattoos and piercings are more common and acceptable in America.

Tattoos and piercings can be seen across most parts of the US, and are perceived as a means of self-expression. Koreans, however, are less likely to get inked or to wear body jewelry. This stems from a deeply-ingrained cultural difference. Traditionally, American culture has been more pro-individualism, whereas Korean culture has historically valued conformity and group harmony.

9. People say “Bless You!” when someone sneezes.

There is no equivalent of ‘Bless You!’ in Korea. In general, if someone sneezes, it isn’t considered a big deal.

10. Tipping is expected in America.

When eating out in an American restaurant, standard etiquette demands that you tip the wait staff 15–20%, depending on the quality of service received. This is novelty for Korean visitors—tipping is not a regular or expected phenomenon in their home country.

So if you ever find yourself talking to a Korean visitor, don’t be surprised if you discover some cultural differences! As long as everyone remains respectful of this diversity, such differences can only make the world a more fascinating place in which to live.

Featured photo credit: Unsplash/Pixabay via pixabay.com

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15 Free Resources To Get You More Organized In 2016

So, it’s 2016 and you’re ready to get your life organized, once and for all. The question is how? There’s only so much that you can manually manage all by yourself, and trying to take on too much can cause you to get stuck in the never-ending cycle of “busy work” that keeps you from working on the things that really move the needle.

If you’ve been really struggling to hold it all together lately, perhaps it’s time to take advantage of some of the following productivity resources and tools that are freely available to use online. They can help automate some of your most tedious tasks, speed up your progress, and keep track of everything while you’re at it.

1. Google Drive

Google Drive is the ultimate cloud-based platform for storing, managing, sharing, and collaborating on files. You can create documents, spreadsheets, slides, forms, and drawings directly in Google Drive while keeping them neatly organized in folders to be edited anytime you want. All changes are synced right across your account.

As a Google product, Google Drive is integrated with other popular Google products like Gmail and Google Photos. If you work in teams, files and folders can be shared so that everyone who has access to them can see and make updates in real-time so that everyone has the most updated version of the file.

2. Evernote

Similar to Google Drive, Evernote is a cloud-based platform designed for creating and storing all sorts of different files. It’s generally viewed as an advanced note-taking tool that allows you to organize your notes into notebooks with optional tags for even more precise categorization.

Evernote also has an incredibly useful web clipper tool, which is a browser extension you can use to easily save whole web pages, small sections, or just the URL as a bookmark to your account. Any notes that you create and manage can also be shared and managed by other Evernote users who are invited to do so.

3. IFTTT

There’s a good chance that you use a lot of apps and tools already—both for personal and professional reasons. IFTTT (If This Then That) is an incredibly helpful tool that can connect one app to another, giving you the opportunity to set a specific “trigger” between them that automatically generates a specific action. These are called “recipes.”

For example, if you use Evernote a lot, you could create a recipe that automatically uploads any new note that has a tag attached to it to your Google Drive account. This saves you the time and energy from having to do it manually. IFTTT works with lots of different apps, and the recipe variations that are possible to create are virtually endless.

4. Any.do

The old fashioned “To-Do” list using pen and paper often ends up being more of a hindrance than a help at the end of the day. To help you succeed at actually crossing more things off your list, Any.do allows you to categorize list items according to work or personal goals while offering you small rewards for completing them.

You get four types of lists to build (Today, Tomorrow, Upcoming, and Someday) to help you plan ahead, and you can manage your list from the desktop web or any mobile device with the Any.do app. Any items you add or cross off are synced across your account so you always have the most updated list wherever you go.

5. Cal

Cal is Any.do’s stylish calendar app that integrates with your to-do lists. It gives you a weekly calendar view of your list items so that you can see exactly when you need to complete each item. You can also use it to manage events and appointments according to date and time.

Simply tap a day to see all the list items for that day. When you tap an item, it will automatically open up the Any.do app so that you can make edits to the item or cross it off your list.

6. Pocket

Ever come across a really great article or video in one of your social feeds, but don’t have time to check it out at the moment? Pocket makes it easy for you to save it for later with just a simple click of your mouse or tap to your smartphone screen.

Save links from your web browser, Facebook, Twitter, email, Flipboard and all your other favorite places where you love to browse content. When you’ve got some spare time to check them out, just open up your Pocket feed on your computer or mobile device to see a clean and organized list of everything you’ve saved.

7. Digg Reader

Instead of visiting every one of your favorite blogs one by one, an easier way to stay updated on recent posts is by subscribing to their RSS feeds using a feed reader. Digg Reader is a popular choice that lets you add as many as RSS feeds as you want so that you can stay on top of new post headlines almost as soon as they’re posted.

When you read a post that you really like, you can “digg” it to give it a personal thumbs up, or use the save button to save it for later. Folders also make it easy to categorize your RSS feed subscriptions so that you can organize blogs according to subject, like news, health, sports, technology, and so on.

8. Asana

It’s easy enough to collaborate on files by using Google Drive or Evernote, but when you have several teammates who need to work more closely on big projects and all the tasks that come with it, a platform with more advanced features is often necessary to keep everything organized and running smoothly. Asana is a team collaboration tool that gives every user their own dashboard so that they can work together with their teammates to assign tasks, track progress, have conversations, receive notifications, store files, and so much more.

It’s free for teams of up to 15 people with unlimited usage for tasks, projects, conversations, and file attachments. Besides the convenience of having a central place to store and share all your project files, the added benefit of being able to interact and chat about each task directly within the platform itself will help take your team’s productivity to a whole new level.

9. Doodle

Doodle can help you take the headache out of coordinating a time to meet with friends or colleagues. Instead of getting on the phone multiple times or having to send text messages and emails back and forth, you can use Doodle to send out a schedule poll with a few suggested dates and times to meet so that recipients can choose the ones that work best for them.

When the poll reveals an optimal date and time that works for everyone, you can close the poll and confirm it with everyone. It saves you a ton of time and energy by only requiring two emails to be sent, and it can even be integrated with other popular calendar apps like Google Calendar, Exchange, Outlook, and others.

10. LastPass

Most of us have too many passwords to keep track of these days, and ideally, you should have a different one made of a complex combination of characters per login for strong security. LastPass is a free password management tool that stores all of your passwords away safely in a vault so that you can organize them and quickly perform a search to find the one you need at any time.

LastPass also comes in the form of an extension for popular web browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.) so that you can easily save passwords as you’re browsing and have your passwords automatically filled in the fields for you anytime you visit a specific login page. Password access and automatic app fill is also available on mobile devices when you use the LastPass app.

11. Mint

No matter how financially stable or unstable a person may be, managing budgets is a good idea for everyone. From the makers of some of the most popular financial software, Mint is the ultimate money management and budget creation tool that safely and securely connects to your bank account to track every transaction.

You can automatically generate budgets tailored to your needs, set up alerts for unusual account charges, get a free credit score, see a bird’s eye view of your overall financial life, and even get tips on how to improve your finances. Mint breaks everything down for you using easy-to-read reports and graphs so that you always know exactly how you’re spending and saving.

12. Camcard

Business cards are often more of a nuisance than anything else—especially when you collect a lot of them through networking and friends. Camcard is a free app that allows you to scan, manage, and sync your entire collection of business cards so that you can avoid having to store and shuffle through loads of physical versions.

The contact information from each individual card can be quickly and accurately stored to your mobile device so you can instantly contact them by tapping a button. You can also organize all of your cards by adding notes, setting up reminders, and attaching tags to them so that it’s always easy to find and contact the individual you have in mind.

13. Momento

Keeping a journal is a great way to keep track of events and memories so you can reflect on them in the future. To bring it up to speed in today’s mobile tech-driven world, Momento is a smart journal that you can install on your mobile device as an app that helps you privately capture your daily activities, thoughts, ideas, photos, videos, and location check-ins with the opportunity to combine them with the stuff you share on social networks.

Whether you decide to use Momento for professional or personal journaling (or both) is completely up to you. The app gives you an organized timeline of journal entries, which can be expanded on to see stories for each day. You can also see everything in a monthly calendar view and categorize your entries by adding tags to them in order to keep them organized and searchable.

14. Trello

There’s only so much you can do with a regular to-do list and a calendar when you’ve got multiple projects going on. Trello is a tool that helps you and your team members (if you have a team to collaborate with) keep track of every single detail of each project task in a visual organization system.

You can create a board and then add lists that contain drag-and-drop cards for storing all your information (including photos and attachments) about a specific task. The app is designed to be used for both professional and personal projects that take a lot of planning, collaborating, and multiple task completion. Like Asana, Trello also allows users to have conversations on items and receive notifications so that everyone stays up to date with the latest information.

15. Way of Life

Much of your success comes from the little habits you persistently stick with doing over a period of time. Way of Life is a free app that helps you develop good habits with reminders that you can set up on specific days to help you stay on track. You can even use it to keep track of bad habits.

Once you spend a few days tracking the good habits you’ve stuck with and the bad habits you’ve avoided, you’ll be able to see pie charts and bar charts with trend lines over a specific period to give you a glimpse of your progress. As you keep using the app day after day, you’ll be able to spot both positive and negative trends through the chart data so that you can figure out what’s working and what’s not.

Remember that just signing up for one of these free resources doesn’t guarantee that all your organization and productivity problems will instantly be solved. You have to actually use them to do the necessary work. Try picking one to start with and commit to using it every day.

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Quick And Easy Way To Make Stuffed Peppers

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Are you in need of a recipe that’s easy to accomplish, healthy, and delicious? Stuffed peppers are the way to go! Bell Peppers (or capsicums) have been proven to not only be delicious, but beneficial for one’s health as well. The peppers come in four different colors, green, yellow, orange, and red, which changes as the peppers become more ripe. As the most commonly use bell pepper, green bell peppers have a pretty plain and slightly bitter taste and are used in a variety of recipes. Yellow peppers have more of a sweet taste. Orange bell peppers also have a bit of a sweet taste, but aren’t as sweet as yellow peppers. Red bell peppers, the most ripe of the delicious quartet, are known to be the juiciest and sweetest of the peppers. As the most ripe, red peppers contain the most nutrients, including Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Additionally, red peppers contain lycopene, which is a carotenoid that lowers the risk of various cancers.

empty bell peppers

The peppers have been known to help your eye sight, burn calories, boost immune system, be healthy for the heart, cure anemia, regulate blood pressure, lower bad cholesterol, prevention hypertension, as well as be anti-flammatory and one of many anti-cancer foods. With such a healthy base, the best part of making delicious stuffed peppers is choosing what goes on the inside. This recipe is very versatile in that it can enjoyed by meat lovers as well as vegetarians or vegans.

Check out this easy stuffed peppers recipe below:

ingredients

Ingredients

4 large bell peppers (any colors will do)

3/4 cup dry quinoa or 1 roll of ground turkey

15 oz. can of black beans

1 cup of corn (frozen/thawed)

2/3 cup salsa

2 green onions

2 tbsp. nutritional yeast

1 1/2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. smoked paprika

Additional tools: cutting board, knife, strainer, mixing bowl, mixing spoon, baking pan, frying pan OR pot.

Instructions

Cook quinoa or ground turkey as instructed on packaging. Pre-heat the oven to 400. Dice green onions and add to mixing bowl. Open can of black beans and pour into strainer, rinse thoroughly. Pour black beans and thawed corn into mixing bowl. Add above measurements of salsa, seasoning, and nutritional yeast and mix thoroughly. Slice each bell pepper in half, vertically, making a total of 8 halves. Place each halve on baking sheet. Spoon mixture into each half. Disperse mixture until completely gone.

Optional: Add a few sprinkles of your favorite shredded cheese to the top of each stuffed pepper.

Vegan alternative: Add sprinkles of cheese alternative brands, such as Go Veggie!, which can be found in your local Kroger.

Place pan of stuffed peppers into the oven for about 20 minutes, so that the cheese can melt and the peppers can get a little softer. Once removed from oven, let cool then add a dollop of sour cream to each pepper. A great vegan alternative is Tofutti, which can be found in your local Kroger.

stuffed peppers

Featured photo credit: Martin Turzak via shutterstock.com

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