Blog Posts by CNBC

By Daniel Bukszpan, CNBC.com

Banned Luxury Goods

In November 2011, West Hollywood, Calif., became the first city in the U.S. to ban the sale of clothing made of animal fur. The ban goes into effect in 2013 , and animal rights activists are hopeful that it will lead other cities to adopt similar measures and, ultimately, end the practice of using animal fur entirely.

See the Full Slideshow: Banned Luxury Goods

If history is any indication, even an all-out nationwide ban on animal fur is unlikely to squelch demand. Rather, the likelihood is that it would simply create a black market for such items. After all, many luxury goods have existed for centuries and enjoyed widespread popularity despite official bans, and stiff penalties and long prison sentences for those found trafficking in or purchasing such goods. Clothing with animal fur has always had an image of luxury and sophistication for those who wear it, and banning it would likely do little to change that.


What are some in-demand

World's Best Places to Live

The world's biggest and most important cities aren't often the best places in which to live. High levels of crime, traffic congestion, and long commutes can worsen the quality of life. So which are the best cities to live in the world?

We've put together a list of the world's 15 best cities, according to human resources consulting firm Mercer's 2011 quality of living survey. The annual report looks at living conditions in 221 cities worldwide and ranks them against New York as a base city in 10 categories such as economy, socio-cultural environment, politics, education, and the health sector.

See the Slideshow: World's Best Places to Live

This year the survey also identified cities with the highest personal safety rankings based on crime levels, law enforcement, international relations, and stability.

Cities in some of the world's biggest economies, including the U.S., Japan, and Britain, missed the cut. So, which cities made the list?


Vienna, Austria1. Vienna,

By Paul Toscano, CNBC.com

America's Unbeaten Food Challenges

For many people, the word eating challenge evokes the iconic scene in the movie "The Great Outdoors,"when John Candy tackles "The Old 96er" to the chagrin of his digestive tract. More recently, the Travel Channel's "Man vs. Food" show has popularized eating challenges, which have increasingly become a strategy for restaurants across the country to make a name for themselves, draw in new customers, and simply have fun.

For those testing their fortitude through eating challenges, clearing a plate of outrageously large or spicy meals will often win them a T-shirt, their photo on the wall, and dinner on the house. There are some challenges, however, that push the limits of consumption and no individual has yet to cross the proverbial finish line.

So, which eating challenges remain undefeated? See the full slideshow.


'That Burger' Challenge
Restaurant: That Bar
Location: Danville, California

A massive, undefeated burger

By Christina Cheddar Berk, CNBC.com

Thanksgiving Prices on the Rise

Please pass the peas - and the wallet - Thanksgiving dinner will cost quite a bit more this year.

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation's survey, turkey dinner and all the fixings will cost about $49.20, or about 13 percent more than it did last year.

That's the biggest increase in years. Blame the recent boom in crop and livestock prices, which pushed up the cost of nearly every item on the Thanksgiving shopping list.

Prices for commodities have risen due to poor weather, which shrank the size of U.S. crops, and retailers are being more aggressive about passing those costs along to consumers.

Click ahead to see how the costs break down per item. All costs are based on the prices collected by 141 volunteer shoppers in 35 states, who are asked by the AFBF to hunt for the least expensive prices, but not take advantage of promotional coupons or other purchase deals.

More from CNBC:

The Cost of

By Constance Parten, CNBC.com

2012's Most Anticipated Rides

If you love theme park rides, especially roller coasters, get your travel bags packed, because 2012 looks to be a blockbuster year for thrill seekers in North America. From one of the tallest and fastest roller coasters in the world, to what is being dubbed as America's first "winged" coaster, the offerings on tap are some of the most exciting in recent years.

See the full list of the Most Anticipated Theme Park Rides of 2012.


LeviathanLeviathan
Canada's Wonderland
Toronto

One of the biggest and tallest roller coasters in the world, Leviathan will dominate the park's landscape. Leviathan is Wonderland's 16th coaster.




Opening: May 2012
Ride Manufacturer: Bollinger & Mabillard
Track Length: 5,486 feet
Lift Height: 306 feet
Angle of Descent: 80 degrees
First Drop Speed: 92 mph Ride
Duration: 3 minutes, 28 seconds
Total Investment: $28 million


Wild EagleWild Eagle
Dollywood Pigeon
Forge, Tenn.

Wild Eagle, which is being dubbed the

By Daniel Bukszpan, CNBC.com

May-December Celebrity Divorces

On Nov. 17, 2011, after six years of marriage, celebrity couple Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher filed for divorce . The pair had made headlines when they first emerged as a couple, and very few of those headlines ran without pointing out the 16-year age difference between the two of them.

The age gap between Moore and Kutcher made their union a classic May-December romance, and the list of celebrities who have engaged in such unions is long. Almost as long, however, is the list of such couples who couldn't keep their marriages together. Divorces lawyers have full coffers thanks to the dissolution of such May-December celebrity unions, particularly when there was no pre-nuptial agreement in place.

What are some notable May-December celebrity divorces?


Ashton & DemiDemi Moore & Ashton Kutcher

When actors Demi Moore and Bruce Willis divorced in 2000 after 13 years of marriage, people were shocked. The only thing more shocking was when it

By Kirsten Chang, CNBC.com

Gifts-of-the-Month Clubs

The holidays are a great time to show your loved ones how much you care, but why limit these sentiments to once a year? Instead, you can send them love all year round by purchasing gift-of-the-month specials from retailers such as J. Crew and Jacques Torres.

To join these clubs, there is no secret password or embarrassing initiation process, but be warned: You may have to splurge a little.

Full slideshow: Best Year-round Gifts


Shoe of the MonthShoe of the Month

Company: J. Crew
Price: $1,800 (one year)

For the chic city dwellers addicted to fine footwear, J. Crew's secretive Shoe of the Month Club is guaranteed to deliver stylish new thrills each month. With a choice of heels, flats, or a combination of both, recipients will enjoy products specially selected by the store's in-house designers.



Chocolate of the MonthChocolate of the Month

Company: Jacques Torres
Price: $145 (three months); $284 (six months); $540 (12 months)

Indulge in a brand new batch of

By Christina Cheddar Berk, CNBC.com

What do shoes say about the economy? Perhaps a lot.

Christian LouboutinIn the 1920s, low-heeled flapper shoes gave way to high-heel pumps and platforms during the Great Depression.

In the 1970s oil crisis, platforms came back en vogue as the low-heeled sandals of the late 1960s were cast aside.

In the 1990s, the low, thick heels of the "grunge" period were replaced by "Sex and the City"-inspired stilettos just as the dot-com bubble burst.

"Usually, in an economic downturn, heels go up and stay up - as consumers turn to a more flamboyant fashions as a means of fantasy and escape," says Trevor Davis, a consumer product expert with International Business Machines' Global Business Services unit, in a press release.

IBM conducted a study of social media posts and is predicting that women's heel heights, which are currently in nosebleed territory, are poised to come back down to Earth.

Perhaps the shift signals a change in the economic outlook, or maybe it's a sign of