Amazing Chinese Art of Watermelon Carvings..
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Top 10 Things Girls Do Wrong When Dating
To girls, dating might be one of the most important things. Some women seem to date more than they sleep. While that probably isn’t true, if you’re a girl or you have a close female friend, you have probably heard her talk about dating or her lack there of. In any case, women date in order to find “the one.” Some give up easily, some don’t. Some women will spend days preparing ahead of time for a set date with a possible fling.
While some women will prepare ahead of time, others won’t prepare at all. No matter how much or how little time you spend preparing yourself for the big night (or day, some men slack off on a nice evening meal,) it’s almost positive that you will make a mistake during some part of the dating process. Whether it’s before, during, or after the date, rest assured that you’ve made a mistake; just don’t dwell on it for too long! Here are the top 10 things us females do wrong, sometimes without knowing.
10. Honesty is the Best Policy
Dating isn’t always the easiest thing to do. Sometimes you think that you know the person you’re on a date with, but maybe something unexpected comes up and you’re completely thrown off by the guy. If this is the case, honesty is the best policy. Women often like to pretend that they are still interested in the guy even though they really aren’t. Telling the truth during the dating stage is very important. Remember, be honest.
9. Date One Guy at a Time
This mistake may not be as common, but I’ve definitely heard my share of girls that have done it. Generally you hear it most from men in the form of bragging. Some girls decide to date multiple guys at the same time. While these guys may not be considered “boyfriends,” dating many guys at once can cause an issue. Try to stick to dates with one guy. Once you realize that he isn’t “the one” or you just aren’t interested in him, you can move on to the next one and wish for better luck.
8. Only Trust Reliable Resources for Advice
If you’re one of those females that has a lot of female friends, it is very likely that you have run into this mistake. Say its Saturday night, you’re at a friend’s house with all of your other girlfriends. The conversation switches to advice about dating and men and without thinking, you probably let your mind soak in all of this “advice” that is thrown around. Hello, mistake! Asking advice from people who know nothing about dating is a very common mistake. Maybe it’s just me, but girls with boyfriends generally aren’t spending a nice Saturday night with a bunch of their girlfriends. If you want dating advice, ask someone who knows about men and relationships. (This excludes ex-boyfriends, and parents!) Photo credit Effloresco
7. Stay Sober
If you’ve been on enough dates, your date has probably invited to take you to a bar or offered to buy you drinks for the night. Though it may not seem like one, this is most definitely a mistake. While it may be nice to have someone else pay your alcohol tab for the night, allowing your date to buy you unlimited drinks is a mistake! As great as it may be, by the end of the night, especially if you don’t know your limits, you might just find yourself drunk. If your date wants to meet at a bar, try to pick a new location. Drinking may be nice, but ending a date drunk and waking up the next day without remembering much isn’t fun.
6. Dress Appropriately
A few days before the date, you and a friend are at the mall shopping. You realize that you have money to spend, so you decide to put it towards an outfit that you think will make you look the best on the day of your date. While clothes may look good on the mannequin, don’t assume that they look good on you. The mistake here is buying the wrong clothes and not trying on what you buy. Though you might think your date will enjoy all of the leg that you are showing off, try to dress “classy” as they put it. Don’t go all out, your date isn’t looking for you to be wearing Cinderella’s dress, but don’t under-dress either. Photo credit ukdavew
5. Be Conversational, but Keep it Interesting
During a date, talking is probably one of the most important yet nerve-racking (for some) things to do. Some women prefer that the guy lead the conversation and ask the questions, some prefer that they lead the conversation, and others want a fine balance between the two. If you’re on a date, keep in mind what you’re talking about. It’s safe to say that your date doesn’t care to hear about your first pet, you’re entire life story, or stories that you and your friends find funny. Sparking boring conversation is a big mistake that girls make while on a date. If the guy asks you a question, answer it and make sure that you don’t find yourself going off on a tangent. Keep it simple and understandable yet interesting.
4. Don’t Jump Ahead
Once you’ve gotten over the bump of the first date, many girls like to pick up the phone and yap about how special and nice this new guy is. Before you know it, and without even realizing it, you’re calling this man your boyfriend. Wrong! Not only is this a bad mistake, it could really ruin the “relationship” that the two of you had made in the course of a day. To put it easily, going on one date and calling a guy your boyfriend is just crazy. It just makes you look clingy and way to into the relationship. You can at least save all of that for when the relationship really starts!
3. Don’t Become Infatuated
Another mistake that many women make is jumping the gun and thinking that a guy automatically likes them. The date is over, you’re feeling the butterflies still, and all you can think about is the “look” that he gave you. You call your best friend and the “OMGs” and “perfects” seem to spew out of your mouth. Mistake! Maybe he just had something in his eye, or maybe he was just being nice and trying to make eye contact with you. No matter what, it’s fatal (not really) to jump the gun and assume that the guy automatically likes you. As much as we all want to believe in the lovey-dovey “love at first sight” thing, it’s very doubtful that a man has his mind made up right after the first date. Don’t assume anything, for you are dating a man, and for the simple reason that you don’t want your hopes to come crashing down. Photo credit elisabethsarah
2. Know Where to Find a Date
A common mistake that girls make is simply looking in the wrong places for men. That’s right, this mistake takes place way before the dating even begins. Really, do you think that you’ll find your dream man at the mall, the grocery store, or the local town festival? I’d say no, but I guess it’s all personal opinion. Though looking in the wrong places are generally the easiest places to find men, try stepping outside of the box (the box being a mile away from your home.)
1.Be Patient
Right before the date is over, maybe he asks, or maybe you offer to give your phone number to him. In your head fireworks are going off, your heart is pounding and you’re excited. Once he has the number and the date has ended, you keep tabs on your phone as if it was your source of oxygen. You wait and wait until your ringtone goes off. Big mistake. Even though he might have asked for your number or accepted it, it doesn’t mean that he is going to call you in an hour, four hours, or even the next day. Don’t expect or even assume that he is going to call you; it’s definitely way too much stress! Fact is most men won’t call when you want them to. Photo credit Missiz Beasley
Top 10 Movies That Changed The World
While most movies are mass-produced entertainment and escapism, there are some that have had a profound impact on culture. Whether intentionally or not, some films have brought social issues to light, affected laws, forwarded ideologies both good and bad, and generally changed the course of history through their impact on society. Here are ten films that, for better or worse, made their mark.
10. Super Size Me
Morgan Spurlock’s debut documentary finds its director undertaking an experiment to see what will happen if he eats only food from McDonald’s for an entire month. Along with this stunt, which results in Spurlock gaining more than twenty pounds and experiencing depression and liver damage, the movie also investigates the ways that fast food is marketed, and the culture of poor nutrition and addiction that the restaurants promote. The film was wildly successful, and immediately helped to re-ignite public concern over the obesity epidemic. Less than six weeks after its release, McDonald’s discontinued the “Super Size” option at all of its locations (though the restaurant would later deny that this move had anything to do with the film), and since then they have made steps to include healthier alternatives on their menu.
9. Rosetta
Although it’s not that well known, this small film from directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne caused quite a stir upon its release in 1999, and won the Palm d’Or at the Cannes film festival. It tells the story of a teenaged girl named Rosetta, who after leaving home to escape her alcoholic mother, tries to find any work she can to survive on her own. The film’s portrayal of the character’s struggle was so realistic and moving that it was able to inspire a new law in Belgium that prohibited employers from paying teenage workers anything less than the minimum wage.
8. 2001: A Space Odyssey
It may be hard to imagine now, but when it was released in 1968, 2001 was one of the most groundbreaking, imaginative, and downright puzzling movies to have ever been made. The film, which in part follows a space mission to Saturn, was praised for its attention to detail and scientific realism, and a number of the technologies it predicted, like flat screen TVs and voice recognition software, have since come to pass. Its influence on later films is immeasurable, but most importantly, it captured the public imagination about the possibilities of space travel, and inspired many of the NASA scientists who would put a man on the moon a year later. With this in mind, it’s little surprise that when they landed on the moon the Apollo 11 astronauts described the scenery as being “exactly like 2001.”
7. Harlan County, USA
Director Barbara Kopple’s documentary Harlan County, USA is unique in that its production may have made just as much of an impact as its eventual release. The film, made over the course of many months in the early seventies, followed 180 coal miners in rural Kentucky on strike for safer working conditions and better pay, and the struggle that ensued when they tried to stand up to the Duke Power Company. The strike was a long and bitter affair, with a number of acts of violence, and it was only after one of the miners was shot dead that some compromise was finally reached. Kopple’s camera was there to document it all, and there’s little doubt that several incidences of violence were averted simply because she and her film crew were present as witnesses. The film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 1976, and its success helped the miners in Harlan County as well as other parts of the country gain the public awareness they needed to secure safer working conditions.
6. JFK
Oliver Stone’s film about the assassination of John F. Kennedy instantly became one of the most controversial films ever made when it premiered in 1991. Before it was even released, critics and historians were attacking its theory about a possible government conspiracy behind the murder of the President, with many saying that Stone played fast and loose with the facts and that the film dishonored Kennedy’s legacy. Stone received countless death threats, and the President of the MPAA even wrote an article comparing the film to Nazi war propaganda. All of this media attention only contributed to the film’s success, and helped to restart the debate over what really happened in Dallas in 1963. As a result, The President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 was signed into law, and the Assassination Records Review Board was formed. The Board collected all of the material and historical records related to the assassination in order to make it available to the public. Since then, this material has been slowly doled out, but all remaining records will not be released until 2017.
5. An Inconvenient Truth
Whether or not you agree with his premise, there’s no denying that former Vice President Al Gore’s film about the possible dangers of global warming became a cultural phenomenon. In addition to being the fourth highest grossing documentary in U.S. history, An Inconvenient Truth is credited with raising awareness of the issue around the world and helping to make climate change a major subject of debate in subsequent political campaigns. In the years since its release, the film has become required viewing for government officials in a number of different European countries, and has even been used—to much controversy–as a part of the science curriculum in some American high schools.
4. The Battle of Algiers
One of the very best films that no one’s ever heard of, 1966’s The Battle of Algiers charts the struggles of the Algerian War of Independence in the 1950s, when revolutionary cells of freedom fighters began a campaign of guerilla warfare against French colonialists. Because of its incendiary content, the film was banned in France for five years after its release, and was condemned by a number of government officials. The 60s were a time of massive de-colonization around the world, and many have claimed that The Battle of Algiers emerged as a kind of manual for how to conduct urban and guerilla warfare, and it has been said that groups like the Black Panthers and the Irish Republican Army implemented some of the tactics used in the film. The movie’s influence was so far reaching that it has since been used as a teaching tool for counterinsurgency teams, and it was even screened at the Pentagon in 2003 as an example of the problems faced by the U.S. military in Iraq.
3. Triumph Of The Will
The prototypical propaganda film, Triumph Of The Will is the prime example of the ways that art can be used for evil purposes. Ostensibly a documentary about the 1934 Nazi Party Congress in Nuremburg, Triumph Of The Will is in actuality a carefully constructed piece of propaganda designed to champion the ideology of Adolf Hitler. It begins with the dictator arriving in the city to fanatical cheering and celebration, and goes on to show a number of speeches by Nazi leaders, parades of SS soldiers, and footage of the many ways that the people of Germany were uniting in support of the Third Reich. The film was not highly promoted outside of Germany, and historical opinions on its impact vary, but it is widely accepted that Triumph of the Will contributed in large part to helping build a cult of personality around Hitler, as well as creating the illusion of unanimous support for his policies. The film’s technical style is as brilliant as its message is sinister, and to this day many recognize its director, Leni Riefenstahl, as one of the preeminent female filmmakers of the twentieth century.
2. The Birth Of A Nation
Still credited as one of the most influential films ever made, director D.W. Griffith’s silent film The Birth of a Nation was first released in 1915. The film’s sweeping narrative follows events surrounding the American Civil War, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, and the formation of the Ku Klux Klan. The film was a huge success, but it immediately came under scrutiny for its historical inaccuracies and blatant racism. It was condemned by a number of organizations, including the NAACP, and several major cities banned its release. In the places it was released, including Boston and Philadelphia, riots often broke out, and at least one white man murdered a black teenager after seeing it. According to one journalist, The Birth of a Nation contributed in large part to the reformation of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s, and it is said that the Klan used the film as a recruiting tool for a number of years. Despite its bigoted ideology, the film is regarded by a number of film scholars as one of the greatest movies ever made due to the number of technical breakthroughs it provided. Not only did it establish that films could be longer than an hour and still hold the audience’s attention, but Griffith’s direction is commonly regarded as having given rise to the “visual language” of modern film, and many of the editing and shooting techniques pioneered in the film are still utilized today.
1. The Thin Blue Line
While the actual impact of some of the films on this list is hard to calculate, there’s no denying that director Errol Morris’ famed documentary The Thin Blue Line actually made a difference, if only in the life of one man. Originally released in 1988, the film tells the story of Randall Dale Adams, a man who was incorrectly sentenced to death for the murder of a Dallas police officer. Using extensive research and a number of stylized reenactments, Morris used his film to illustrate that eyewitness testimonies of the crime were unreliable, and that a number of other witnesses in the trial had committed perjury. As a result of the publicity that surrounded the release of The Thin Blue Line, Adams was eventually given a chance at a retrial, acquitted of the murder charge, and given back his freedom. The film is now regarded as a classic of the documentary genre, and its style of crime scene reenactments was hugely influential on subsequent films and television shows.
Top 10 Strangest Musical Instruments
When most of us think of a musical instrument, we might think of a guitar, a piano or even a set of drums. All normal enough instruments to be sure, but there are stranger musical instruments out there. These strange instruments may not produce a melodious quality we would expect, but certainly they will make you look, if not listen, twice.
10. Nano Guitar
Musical instruments don’t get any smaller than this. Coming in at a whopping 10 micrometers long, this little guitar, created by researchers at Cornell University, is no larger than a human cell. The nano guitar has six strings, each only about one hundred atoms wide, which can be played only by an atomic force microscope. You won’t be hearing any new music groups claiming nano guitar fame, however, as the sound produced by the nano guitar’s silicon strings would be much too slight to be heard by human ears. Also, tuning can be a pain.
9. Sea Organ
This musical instrument, built on the edge of the Adriatic Sea in Zadar, Croatia, is the world’s first sea-powered organ. The wind and waves from the sea play this organ’s diatonic tones endlessly, allowing a visitor to sit inside single chords of sound as they look out into the sea and watch what Alfred Hitchcock called “the most beautiful sunset in the world.” Created by architect Nikola Basic in 2005, this unpredictable musical instrument plays itself into the top 10 strangest musical instruments.
8. The Great Stalacpipe Organ
Created by a mathematical and electronic scientist from the Pentagon in 1954 in the caverns of Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, this organ takes its place as the world’s largest musical instrument at 3 ½ acres in size. Leland W. Sprinkle carefully selected stalactites throughout the Luray caverns which resonated at specific pitches and tones, and attached rubber mallets which would play these stalactites when keys were pressed at the central organ mechanism. An incredibly unique instrument.
7. The Symphonic House
These days a person can live in their musical instrument. The Wege house sits on a beach on Lake Michigan, and serves as both a home to the Wege family and as their favorite instrument. Long strings run throughout the house and can be played by running one’s fingers along any string with a gloved hand. The sound produced by the house is something akin to a very deep, powerful viola or cello. Wind harps also sit outside the house, creating their own tones as they are played by nature itself.
For more information, please visit www.symphonichouse.com
6. The LEGO Harpsichord
If you build it, they will come. Well, maybe not, but they will certainly take note of your strange creation. Created by LEGO enthusiast Henry Lim, the LEGO Harpsichord is built entirely out of LEGOs, with the exception of the wire strings. His project took him two years of planning and building to create an instrument which would hold up to the 325 lbs of tensile pressure exerted on the LEGO blocks by the piano wire strings, but his ultimate triumph, built out of an estimated 100,000 LEGO pieces, stands as unique even among the world’s strangest instruments. Photo credit: pashasha
To see more of Henry Lim’s creations, please visit http://www.henrylim.org/Harpsichord.html. You can also hear the harpsichord.
5. The Fence
Australian Jon Rose has a mission, and that mission involves both breaking down the boundaries that separate people and playing a very unique and unusual musical instrument: a fence. Conceived as a metaphor for the regional boundaries and borders which separate and divide the human race, Jon Rose’s practice of playing fences reached its peak when he played a barbed wire fence with a bow at the New Music Festival in Vitasaari, Finland in 1995. His mission currently has him on a long trek across the Australian outback playing fences and writing about their history.
To learn more about Jon Rose’s mission and music, please visit jonroseweb.com.
4. Didgeridoo
While there are many “one of a kind” musical instruments that belong on this list of the top 10 strangest musical instruments, one instrument that is not completely unique deserves a place among them: the didgeridoo. This Australian wind instrument is believed to be the oldest wind instrument in the world. Each one can play only a single “drone,” however human voices incorporated into it can cerate a variety of musical uses. While the sound that this instrument makes is fairly common (you have heard it if you have ever seen any movie set in the Australian outback), it remains unique as an instrument type.
3. Bazantar
Mark Deutsch took the five-stringed bass to the next level with this stringed instrument. The bazantar is fitted with 29 strings more than its more common sister instrument, which all ring sympathetically when the original 5 strings are played with the bow. The resulting sound is a chorus of strings singing along with the tones of the played bass, beautiful and haunting when either plucked or bowed.
For more on this strange instrument, please visit Mark’s website at www.bazantar.com.
2. The Bowafridgeaphone
This instrument is exactly what it sounds like: an instrument made from parts of a refrigerator. To be more specific, the bowafridgeaphone is made from refrigerator grates, a bundt cake pan, and a salad bowl, among other things. Iner Souster, creator of experimental instruments that have been used by bands such as the Fembots, designed this instrument which creates a very industrial, interesting sound.
For more on Souster’s interesting instruments, please visit inersouster.blogspot.com.
1. The Bubble Organ
Yet another in the series of strange organ instruments, the bubble organ might be the most unexpected. Aaron Wendel created this instrument out of old rain drain pipes, PVC, pieces of old furniture, and even clothespins found around his apartment. Using two balloons as the source of air, the depressed keys create resonating tones in the PVC pipes that combine with the sound of bubbling water to create this organ’s one-of-a-kind sound. Blowing bubbles in your chocolate milk was never this cool.
Honorable Mention
Pencilina
A combination stringed and percussive instrument, this invention created by Bradford Reed is an incredibly complex instrument. Combining the sounds of electric guitars, drums, and bells, Mr. Reed is able to serve as a one man band of sorts, manipulating basic chords and keeping a regular, albeit unusual, beat. The unusual mechanism of the pencilina is comprised of two parallel boards fitted with strings and sliding mechanism that has to be seen and heard to be believed.
Optivideotone
Professor Scott F. Hall of Cogswell Polytechnical College has used modern technology to create a theremin-type instrument which is truly unique. The optivideotone projects video onto a ceiling from stock footage, movies, etc. and simultaneously responds to the light, color, and images it creates with loud tones, buzzes, and howls. Professor Hall can control the images to create his own music. The optivideotone might not create the most beautiful or symphonic music in the world, but it certainly deserves a spot on the strangest instruments list. Here is a music sample.
Top 10 Wine Myths
Urban legends and myths continue to dupe us. Until the Paris tasting in 1976, the myth that France was the only Country that could produce high quality wine lived on in oenophiles minds. Even though you may laugh at the myths below some people are still fooled by them. Let’s try to set the record straight. Here are the top 10 myths about wine.
10. Fruit used to describe wine went into making it.
Unless you are buying a wine made from a fruit other than grapes, it is made from the grape varietal on the label, and not from fruit used to describe it (e.g., black cherry, strawberry, kiwi). It’s comparable to artificial flavors, i.e. they taste similar to whatever is being copied but do not contain the actual ingredient. So when you see, “hints of raspberry, cherry, and vanilla” on the label, the producer is simply describing how the wine tastes similar to these components, they weren’t actually used in the production of the wine. Photo by DeusXFlorida
9. You need a different wine glass for different types of wines.
Again, this is a myth that was debunked a long time ago. You do need a tulip shaped glass or a glass that tappers towards the top to concentrate the aroma toward your nose, but, different shapes to place wine on your tongue in different areas or to aerate the wine faster aren’t necessary. Get yourself a nice set of stemware (Riedel Ouverture Red Wine
8.You can’t age wines sealed with an alternative closure
In fact, the data shows that screw caps, or twist-offs as they are sometimes called, are more consistent at sealing wine than cork. One study, cited in the March 31, 2005 issue of Wine Spectator on pages 59-60, found that screw caps allowed .001 cc’s of oxygen per day on average, versus corks that allowed anywhere from to .1 to .001 cc’s of air to enter a wine bottle. In fact, 7 of the 35 bottles sealed with cork allowed .1 cc’s! That means twist-offs are more consistent and let in less oxygen over time, which would result in longer bottle aging. The cork industry would like to have you believe otherwise, but don’t buy it, screw caps are here to stay and you won’t have a problem letting these wines age. Photo by Keith Chu
7. Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Sherry, and Port are grape varieties.
Thanks to a confusing labeling system from the old world this is a common mistake wine consumers make. Cities in France, Spain, Italy, and Portugal, among others, restrict production of grape varieties in their area. For a winery to receive legal approval and label their wine, it must be made in the manner mandated by the organization that oversees production there. That means Champagne is not a variety of wine, but the place where some sparkling wine is made. Want to make a non-sparkling wine in the Champagne region from say, Cabernet Sauvignon, and write that on the label? You can’t. Same with Bordeaux, which is a blend of different red varietal grapes, Burgundy, which is primarily made from Pinot Noir, and Port, which is made from various red and white grape varieties. More information can be found here [Wikipedia]. by aran but whothehellgivesadamn
6. Pair white wine with fish or chicken and red wine with red meat
Although this is the most common answer to ‘what wine should I pair with what food,’ it is incorrect. The better way to pair food and wine is by anylizing the flavors of the food and the flavors of the wine. For example, if you are grilling fish and decide to season it with a little salt, lemon, and butter, a nice Sauvignon Blanc with citrus notes or a Chardonnay with buttery flavors would work great. If, however, it’s salmon that will be smothered in a blackberry sauce, you would be better suited in choosing a fruity red wine like a Pinot Noir, Merlot, or even a Syrah. The best thing to do is read the description of the wine from the label or a review on a blog and then pair like with like. It’s also helpful to understand that wines with firm tannins work better with salty dishes, or that acidic wines need a dish with a bit of acid, or how spicy food works better with wines with some residual sugar and not a high alcohol level. Just remember there are no hard and fast rules to this. Dr.Vino has been playing with impossible pairings for some time so search out advice if you get stumped, it’s available. Photo by Shannon At Zeer
5. Wine lovers are snobs
Only people that live in Napa or Bordeaux are….no, I kid. Actually, most serious wine lovers are students of it and are quite down to earth. It’s the people that mask their ignorance with arrogance you have to watch out for. True wine lovers are passionate about continuing their wine education, and are willing to share their knowledge and a glass with anyone interested. Photo by Eda Cherry
4. You can discern wine quality by looking at the legs.
You swirl your glass, set it down and notice that a thin, clear layer has stuck to the inside of the glass, and begins to drip down. Sometimes referred to as tears, this is simply a small amount of alcohol and water that adheres to the surface of the glass and as the alcohol evaporates water is left dripping it’s way back in. Why? Water is a primary component in wine, and alcohol evaporates much quicker, so when left on the glass, the alcohol evaporates and the surface tension of the water increases forming drops that gravity takes control of. This is not a measure of the viscosity or the quality of the wine so don’t worry about it. Further reading on this phenomena can be found here [kitchensavy.com] and on Wikipedia. Photo by dkjd
3. Drink Red Wine At Room Temperature, White Wine Chilled
Although this idea isn’t necessarily wrong, it’s interpretation almost always is. Many see this as letting a red wine sit out on the counter so it can come to the current room temperature, and opening white wine right out of the fridge. The real idea behind room temperature for red wine was getting it to around 60 degrees Fahrenheit, the typical temperature of a “room” when this saying was popularized. Many professionals agree, the best way to enjoy wine if you don’t have the luxury of a temperature controlled storage device, is to put your red wines in the fridge for about 5 – 15 minutes before consuming, white wines about 20 – 30 minutes. If you store your wine in the fridge, take the whites out for at least 15 minutes before serving, reds at least 30. Again, it isn’t an exact science, but typically you’re looking for around 60 degrees Fahrenheit on a red, a little below that for a white, and a bit colder for anything that sparkles. Some argue that nuances aren’t observed in white wines that are too cold, which is true. I find that if you chill your wines, over the course of the evening they will warm up and you can observe the development through the night. Professor Bainbridge expands on the subject a bit at the bottom of this op-ed The Red Wines of Summer. Photo by aasmundbo
2. All wines get better with age.
Actually, a very small number of wines have the proper structure to hold up to aging. Most wines are made with the intention that they will be opened within a few years. The small amount of trophy wines that garner the majority of the press are the ones that have been built for longer aging, and most people don’t even buy these wines. So if you’ve been saving that white Zinfandel from 10 years ago because you think it’s getting better, might want to cut your losses now. (Can you say Re-gift?) Photo by elinar
1. Smelling the cork in a restaurant will tell you if the wine is bad.
Top 10 Alter Egos
Human beings are not one-dimensional and sometimes we need another persona to express different facets of our personality. They also make terrific drama! Some are comic; some are terrifying. Some are misguided. There are things that only the alter ego could get away with. In some cases it is hard to distinguish which character is really the alter ego. In no order, we present the top 10 most famous alter egos.
Hannah Montana / Miley Cyrus/Stewart
Young teenagers, or tweenies, as they’ve come to be known need a role model to hang their fantasies on and most parents prefer one that isn’t a pierced, tattoo wearing rock god. Hence, the Disney Hannah Montana show is a hit with all the family. Miley Cyrus plays ordinary schoolgirl, Miley Stewart, who transforms into her alter ego, Hannah Montana, the famous pop star. Only her family and best friends know about her secret double life. Real life Dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, plays Miley’s TV Dad, Robby Ray Stewart. It’s not an old school nuclear family as Robby Ray is a single parent, though a widower and not a divorcee. The franchise has produced a range of merchandise and Hannah Montana: The Movie.
Sasha Fierce / Beyonce
Like Garth Brooks, Beyonce is an immensely successful recording artist. She left Destiny’s Child behind to forge a solo career and branched out into movies. She too wanted to present a different persona to the world and the I Am…Sasha Fierce album came out in 2008. The two-disc album had multi-platinum sales and the single; Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) reached Number 1 on Billboard. Beyonce said that she developed this alter ego on stage. She co-wrote the tracks, a mixture of mainstream pop, sensual ballads, traditional R&B, and 1980s style electro pop. Beyonce wanted to explore her romantic side and her more aggressive side. The record was well received by the critics and the fans.
Chris Gaines / Garth Brooks
Country music star Garth Brooks enjoyed terrific record sales and mainstream success when he decided to take a risk. He could have coasted along but came up instead with the idea of an ‘alternative rock star’ called Chris Gaines. The original intention was to feature this alter ego in a movie and Chris was given a detailed back-story but the project was eventually abandoned. The album, Garth Brooks in…The Life of Chris Gaines came out in 1999 and reached Number 2 in the pop album chart. He also appeared in a mock documentary for the series, Behind the Music. Despite this exposure, the experiment was deemed a failure, as most fans wanted the old Garth Brooks back. Chris Gaines disappeared, never to be seen again.
Dame Edna Everage / Barry Humphries
Australian comedian Barry Humphries created the forerunner of Dame Edna in the late 1950s, perfecting the character in stage revues and one-man shows. Describing herself as a simple suburban housewife, she is instantly recognizable in her homeland, in the UK and in America. Television appearances brought her brand of satire into the mainstream. Everything about Dame Edna is over the top, her lilac hair, incredible dresses and Sydney Opera House spectacles. Her ego knows no bounds and she claims to be a mentor to the famous. The audience is privileged to learn about her intimate family life, which she shares with husband Norm and four grown up children. Best friend Madge would often accompany her on stage, as would a huge bouquet of gladioli.
Ali G / Sacha Baron Cohen
Comedian and actor Sacha Baron Cohen was born in London to an orthodox Jewish family. It is rare to see him as himself and his alter egos, such as Borat and Bruno are controversial. It was Ali G that launched him into stardom. He is a young man from the inner city, immersed in Jamaican culture and way of speaking. In fact, it’s a satire on a certain kind of white man who wants to be black. He is a ridiculous figure of fun but Cohen uses him to ask provoking questions in interviews with authoritative people, such as politicians. The fact that the interviewees are under the impression that they are engaged in a legitimate interview, adds another layer of humor. Victims of his interviews include Donald Trump, Buzz Aldrin, John McCain and Gore Vidal. A feature film, Ali G Indahouse in which Ali G enters Parliament, followed the TV show.
Tony Clifton / Andy Kaufman
Andy Kaufman was no ordinary comedian and he always divided audiences. His brand of surrealism and performance art was hilarious to some and bewildering to others. Audiences never knew what to expect. Sometimes, he would read a book to them or he might launch into a near perfect Elvis impersonation. He took the idea of a cheesy lounge singer and turned it on its head with Tony Clifton. Tony would swear, abuse the audience and forget the lyrics. He was boorish and impossible to like. It was so convincing that many people thought that he was a real person. One of Kaufman’s other alter egos was Foreign Man, which evolved into Latka Gravas, as seen on the Taxi sitcom. One of Kaufman’s demands when he was cast in Taxi was that Tony be given a guest spot on the show, as if Tony was, indeed an actual person. Tony had a tantrum on set and was fired! Kaufman took the idea of an alter ego to a new extreme, blurring reality and fiction.
Ziggy Stardust / David Bowie
The reason for Bowie’s long career, apart from raw talent, is his ability to constantly re-invent himself. His artistry has found expression in a number of alter egos, namely Aladdin Sane, the Thin White Duke, and most famously, Ziggy Stardust. This alien visitor, bearing a message of peace, was the poster boy for androgynous Glam Rock. The Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars album was released in 1972 and Bowie took it out on tour. Soon, the fans were copying the clothes, hair and make up. It was a concept album with a loose narrative, containing the tracks, Starman, Suffragette City, Rock n Roll Suicide, in addition to Ziggy Stardust. Ziggy self-destructs and Bowie retired him, to move on to his next re-incarnation.
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band / The Beatles
It was 1967 and the Summer of Love. The new Beatles album could be heard through every open window. The band had stopped live performances and could take their time in the studio. Paul McCartney had the idea of an alter ego, an opportunity for the most famous musicians in the world to play as a fictitious unit. The leader of the band was introduced as Billy Shears (Ringo Starr) and he provided the vocal for With a Little Help From My Friends. The four band members, each with their mustaches, were photographed in their brightly colored, satin military uniforms. Each album came with cut outs of mustaches, sergeant stripes and badges. The cover, with the cardboard models of famous people, was assembled by the British artist, Peter Blake. The record is considered a classic and produced the songs, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, She’s Leaving Home, and A Day in the Life.
Clark Kent / Superman
There could be an entire list of superheroes but Superman is one of the most iconic. His appeal to fans has never waned since his first appearance in the 1930s. Certain elements have been brought in to modernize him but the familiar features are still there. Clark Kent is the spectacle wearing ‘mild mannered’ reporter for the Daily Planet. When the occasion demands, he changes into his costume in a phone booth and flies to the rescue. It’s a reassuring world, where the bad guys are caught and the citizens are safe under his protective cape. There’s a love interest too in the shape of feisty Lois Lane. His vulnerability to Kryptonite makes us warm to him all the more.
Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde
The Victorians were fascinated by Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella about a dual personality. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was published in 1886 and many stage and film adaptations followed, most notably the 1941 movie starring Spencer Tracy. Stevenson was intrigued by the human psyche and the inner battle between good and evil. One night, a dream gave him the inspiration for the character of Dr. Henry Jekyll, a kind physician who experiments with a potion to isolate evil. On drinking it, he becomes Mr. Edward Hyde, a cruel and violent man who stalks the streets of London at night. The tale influenced many psychological novels and science fiction stories to come.
Top 10 Heists and Robberies
When it comes to the amount of sheer planning, creativity, and outright lunacy that goes into them, few crimes rival the high profile, multi-million dollar heist. And when you consider the colorful characters and criminal masterminds behind these robberies, it’s easy why these crimes continue to be the subject of constant speculation and fascination. Whether the work of teams of highly trained thieves, lowly bank managers, or even a powerful dictator, here are ten of the biggest and most bizarre heists and burglaries in history.
10. The Great Train Robbery
One of the most famed heists in popular culture, The Great Train Robbery was one of the biggest robberies of all time when it was committed in 1963. The heist took place in Buckinghamshire, England, when a mail train transporting millions of pounds was boarded by a team of 15 robbers. The thieves used a fake signal light to stop the train, and after subduing the workers inside the first two carriages, loaded 120 mail bags containing 2.6 million pounds into some cars they had hidden near the tracks. The men all escaped the scene, but 13 of them were quickly captured following an extensive investigation by Scotland Yard. Two of the these men, Ronnie Biggs and Charlie Wilson, would later escape from prison and flee the country. Wilson was caught four years later in Canada, but Biggs famously eluded capture by hiding out in Brazil, and he was only apprehended when he turned himself in to authorities in 2001.
9. The Agricultural Bank of China Robbery
2007’s Agricultural Bank of China Robbery resulted in the theft of 51 million yuan (roughly $7 million U.S.), and it is said to be the biggest robbery in China’s history. The scheme started when the bank’s manager, Ren Xiaofeng, stole 200,000 yuan from the vault. His unlikely plan was to use the money to buy massive amounts of lottery tickets in the hope of winning a cash prize and returning the money before it was reported missing. Amazingly, the plan worked, and Ren made a huge profit off of his gamble even after returning the 200K. After enlisting the help of another manager, Ma Xiangjing, Ren proceeded to steal nearly 33 million yuan a year or so later, and a month after that another 18 million. In both cases, the men spent nearly all the money on lottery tickets, but they were only able to recoup 98,000 yuan, and the missing money was quickly noticed and reported. Ren and Ma were eventually captured, but very little of the stolen money was ever recovered, thanks to the astronomical amounts the duo had spent on lotto tickets.
8. The Great Brinks Robbery
When it was committed in 1950, the $2.7 million Brinks Robbery in Boston, Mass. was the biggest heist in American history. Dubbed “the crime of the century,” the heist was the work of an 11-man gang who used copied keys to gain entry into the Brinks Building. Once inside, they made their way to a room where employees were counting money, and after subduing the armed guards, collected $1.2 million in cash, along with another $1.5 million in checks and securities. The gang’s plan had been to sit on the money for six years, at which point the statute of limitations for armed robbery would have run out, but a police investigation quickly started turning up suspects. After a few of the men were arrested, the criminals started turning on one another, even going so far as to hire hit men and attempt drive-by shootings on suspected snitches. Eventually, though, all eleven of the original robbers were found out and arrested, and many received life sentences in prison.
7. The Gardner Museum Art Heist
In the biggest art heist in history, two men dressed as police officers managed to con their way into the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum in Boston late one night in 1990. Once inside, the men overpowered the few guards on duty, tied them up, and left them in the basement. They then proceeded to steal several pieces of artwork by Rembrandt, Degas, Manet, and Vermeer, along with a few sculptures and historical artifacts. The total haul is now valued at $500 million, but both the thieves and the artwork have yet to be found. A number of possible suspects have been considered, from Boston crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger to the IRA, but no arrests have been made in connection to the case. Enough time has passed that the statute of limitations on the actual heist has passed, leaving the Gardner Museum art heist as one of the most successful and mysterious robberies of all time.
6. The Central Bank Of Iraq Heist
For sheer amount of currency stolen, no robbery compares to the Central Bank Of Iraq heist, which is said to have been perpetrated by none other than Saddam Hussein. The robbery happened just before the U.S. bombing of Iraq in 2003. In the middle of the night, a small group of men led by Hussein’s son, Qusay, went to the Central Bank with tractor-trailers and forcibly withdrew just under 1 billion dollars cash. Nearly $650 million of this was eventually found stashed in the walls of Hussein’s palace by U.S. soldiers. A handwritten note was later discovered linking Saddam and his son to the heist, but just who the other men involved were or what became of the remaining $350 million remains a mystery.
5. The Baker Street Burglary
The Baker Street burglary took place in London in 1971, when a team of well-equipped thieves tunneled into the Baker Street Bank and stole 3 million pounds worth of cash and valuables from safety deposit boxes. The criminals used a combination of metal cutting tools and explosives to tunnel to the vault from a nearby shop, and even had a lookout positioned on a nearby rooftop. Near the end of the heist, a ham radio operator overheard some of the lookout’s radio transmissions and contacted the police, who frantically searched over seven hundred banks within the area in hopes of honing in on the location of the transmission. They were unable to catch the robbers at the time, but nearly two years later a number of men were charged in connection with the robbery, though police believe the true mastermind behind the crime was never captured.
4. The Harry Winston Heist
One of the most downright brazen robberies in recent memory, the Harry Winston Heist went down in 2008 when a group of four men stormed into one of Paris’s most exclusive jewelry stores and made off with $108 million in diamonds. The men were disguised as women and armed with a .357 Magnum and a hand grenade. They quickly herded the employees and customers into a corner and started breaking open display cases, and after filling a suitcase with precious stones, made their escape. No one from this robbery has been arrested, but police suspect that the robbers– whom they’ve nicknamed “The Pink Panthers”– are a part of a larger criminal organization of Yugoslavians that may have been responsible for a number of other high profile jewelry heists. In the meantime, a $1 million dollar reward is still up for grabs for any information leading to the arrest of the thieves.
3. The Knightsbridge Security Deposit Robbery
One of the boldest and most successful robberies of all time, the Knightsbridge Security Deposit heist happened in London in 1987, when career criminal Valerio Viccei and a small group of accomplices armed with guns managed to make off with 60 million pounds in valuables and cash from safe deposit boxes. The thieves got into the vault by pretending to rent a safe deposit box of their own, and once inside they managed to overpower the employees and security guards and start breaking into the boxes. They escaped without incident, but a bit of blood left behind at the scene allowed police to trace the robbery back to Viccei, who was wanted for a huge amount of robberies in his native Italy. Viccei’s accomplices were quickly arrested, but he fled the country and for some time eluded capture. A known playboy and high roller, he was only arrested after he returned to England in an attempt to retrieve his prized Ferrari sports car.
2. The Banco Central Burglary
Considered to be among the biggest bank heists of all time, the Banco Central burglary took place in 2005 in Fortaleza, Brazil. The robbery was the result of painstaking planning by a small gang of burglars who tunneled over 250 feet to the bank’s vault from a nearby property. The robbers used a landscaping business as a front for their operation, an ingenious cover that allowed them to move massive amounts of dirt and rock out of the tunnel without looking suspicious. The tunnel itself was expertly constructed, and was said to have sophisticated lighting and even an air conditioning system. After three months of digging, the thieves finally broke into the vault and made off with over 165 million in Brazilian reals, or $70 million dollars U.S. Since then, police have made a number of arrests in connection with the burglary, and recovered roughly $9 million dollars of the haul, but the majority of the suspects are still at large.
1. The Antwerp Diamond Heist
Antwerp, Belgium is one of the diamond capitals of the world, with 80 percent of the world’s diamonds passing through the city before being sold on the market. A number of heists have taken place there, most recently a still-unsolved $28 million robbery in 2007, but the biggest of them all took place in 2003, when a team of master criminals known as the School of Turin managed to walk away with $100 million in uncut diamonds from the Antwerp Diamond Center vault. For sheer scope, ingenuity, and risk, few robberies will ever measure up to this one. The criminals had been planning the heist for years, and using copied keys and faked security camera footage, they managed to bypass the vault’s multi-million dollar security system, which had been thought to be impenetrable. The thieves escaped without incident, but DNA left at the scene allowed them to be tracked to Italy, where most of the gang has since been captured. The $100 million in diamonds, meanwhile, seems to have disappeared for good.
