Growing up, who didn’t want a teacher as sexy as Cameron Diaz guiding them through seventh grade? While many young guys love the thought of a teacher-student fantasy, a new study suggests that having a female teacher is not so hot after all. We’ve already discovered that schools aren’t built for boys, and now research from the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics finds that female teachers grade male students more strictly than they do female students. They tend to give boys worse marks than they deserve and are harder on them. The study took 1,200 British students aged 12 and 13 and asked them to place bets on how they’d do in an exam. The girls placed bigger bets when they knew that a male teacher was grading them, but they scored lower in that scenario. Meanwhile, the boys bet lower amounts when they knew a female was grading them, but they also scored lower when marked by the opposite sex. Overall, both types of teachers were more lenient with grading their own sexes. And you thought sexism only existed in the workplace.
Click here to check out John Romaniello's fitness website.Over the last two installments of this series, I have shared some basic and intermediate training protocols with you. In the first part, we discussed high- and low-rep training. Both are good protocols that work well in traditional split routines. In part two, we discussed full-body workouts in general, and, more specifically, touched on two of the best: High-intensity training (HIT) and hypertrophy specific training (HST).Today, I am giving you two of the big boys. These are two relatively new but highly effective programming methods, each written by a top-tier strength coach. The systems you’re going to read about here fly in the face of traditional models.
Escalating Density Training
EDT is a training protocol developed by Charles Staley sometime around 2002. Since then, it’s taken off tremendously. As the name implies, EDT factors in training density -- the amount of work you do in a given time frame. Staley looked at training and muscle growth in a whole new way, at least relative to how much a person works out. While we generally look at mainly load (weight) and volume (sets x reps), Staley looked at density -- that is, the total amount of work completed within a specific time frame. In each successive workout, you aim to achieve more work in that same time period. Escalating density, get it? This was progressive overload in a whole new way. Here’s a bit of insight into how EDT is performed.The EDT Procedure
Each workout consists of two 20-minute time frames separated by a short (5-10 minute) rest period. In each time frame, you’ll perform two exercises, for a total of four exercises per workout.In each time frame, the two exercises are performed in alternating fashion, back and forth, until the time frame has elapsed.After warming up the first two exercises, select a load that approximates a 10-12 RM for each exercise. Ideally, the weight used for each exercise should be equally difficult.When it comes to determining sets, reps and rest intervals, most people will find it most effective to do higher repetition (but not maximal effort) sets and shorter rests at the beginning, and then gradually progress to fewer reps per set and longer rests as fatigue accumulates. You might begin by performing sets of 6 with very short (15-30 second) rests. As you begin to fatigue, you’ll increase your rest intervals as you drop down to sets of 4, then 2, and as the 20-minute time limit approaches, you might crank out a few singles in an effort to accomplish as many repetitions as possible in 20 minutes.Pro tip: Do not perform early sets to failure, or even near failure. My recommended starting point is to do half of what you think is possible (like 5 reps with a 10 RM weight) at the beginning of the time frame. As the time limit approaches, however, you’ll find yourself working at or near failure as you attempt to break your rep record.Progression: Each time you repeat the workout, your objective is to perform more total repetitions in the same time frame. Apply the 20/5 rule: As soon as you can increase the total number of reps by 20% or more, start the next workout with 5% more weight and start over.And that’s essentially it. No preordained numbers of sets, reps or rest periods. It’s entirely up to you. Your job is only to complete the 20-minute work period and then improve on it the next time around.While I am not sure I'd go so far as to say Staley completely revolutionized training, I can say with certainty that he gave us a revolutionary training method. EDT was different than anything else when it first emerged, and I've used it myself and with a lot of my clients for rapid muscle growth. The workouts are quick, easily quantifiable in terms of progress and have something that I always try to incorporate into my programs: a built-in, intuitive method of progression.For advanced trainees, and anyone trying to put on some mass, I love EDT as an option.
It’s been five years since Yvonne Strahovski first appeared as the sexy spy Sarah Walker on NBC’s cult favorite Chuck, and after its bittersweet finale earlier this year, the sparkling Aussie export is ready to move on. She'll appear in next fall’s highly anticipated Seth Rogen comedy My Mother’s Curse, but first we get to see a new side of her in a racy SoBe ad campaign in the new Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition that features the self-described tomboy covered in nothing more than a bucket’s worth of paint. Here, she discusses moving on from Chuck, what it’s like having a complete stranger use your body as a canvas, and why men should never, ever shave their chest hair. Congratulations on Chuck. Are you sad that it’s over, or excited to move on?The end was very bittersweet, but I think we’re all excited to move on. There were a lot of tears on the last day of shooting, and I think I was the most pathetic one, although Zach [Levi] was in close contention with me. But it is exciting to move on. It finished at the right time. I think five years is a great run, especially in this day and age when you see so many shows go up and survive less than six episodes. Given that we were always on the bubble, it’s a great victory shared amongst the cast, crew and fans -- especially the fans, because they were the ones that got us there. Talk to me about My Mother’s Curse, your upcoming comedy with Seth Rogen and Barbra Streisand. It was really exciting! I auditioned for that and got it, and it was great working with Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen. I feel lucky that I got to work with some of the big legends in town. What was it like working with Seth Rogen?His laugh is the greatest thing ever. It’s so unique! He was very chill, and the dynamic between Barbra and Seth was great. I’m excited to see what they’re like on-screen. It’s a very cool combo.Why do you think so many Australians have found success in Hollywood?I think most of us come from a training background, so we studied it, and we have a real sense of the art of it, and most of us are trained to do an American accent, which is something you definitely need. I think, especially for males, they tend to be quite rugged and scruffy, and I think the industry here likes that kind of energy for their leading men.Let’s talk about the photoshoot you did with SoBe that appears in the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.SoBe approached us, and I was immediately interested because I’m a fan of their zero-calorie drinks, and I knew about Ashley Greene’s campaign, and I loved those photographs. I had never done anything like this before, so it was the body painting aspect that got me interested in the first place. RELATED VIDEO: 3 Things You Didn't Know About Yvonne Strahovski Was it awkward having a complete stranger paint your naked body?It was a little. I woke up at midnight; that was my call time. And I had a body paint artist, Rodrigo from Costa Rica, who was kind enough to bring his mother along to try and make me feel more comfortable about the fact that I had a straight male body paint artist, and she didn’t speak any English, so that was pretty funny. You sort of get used to it after that many hours. You sort of think, "Who cares?" and it looks so real you feel covered anyway. I really love the ways the photos turned out.How did your parents react?They were really cool, actually! They thought it was a great idea, and they really loved the photos.Yvonne Strahovski tells us what she looks for in guys, next...
This article was originally published on Business Insider.You don't have to be a genius to come up with the best ideas that get startups off the ground and drive companies like Google and Apple. In fact, anyone can learn how to generate more big ideas. In the book The Idea Hunter: How To Find The Best Ideas And Make Them Happen, Boston College Carroll School of Management dean Andy Boynton and Bill Fischer, professor at Switzerland's IMD business school, examine the world's most successful thinkers and companies. They found that "habits and behaviors are more important than sheer brain power -- that it's not the brightest who perform the best, but it's people who have figured out how to really prosper in an idea-rich society," Fischer said in an interview with Inc. We've highlighted some of the best takeaways from the book.
She’s hot. She’s cute. And she just so happens to be of another race. These days, dating someone outside of your own culture is hardly taboo, particularly if you live in a major city. But potential family issues aside, interracial dating can provide its own set of minefields, particularly when it comes to the pickup.
Don’t use her race as a pickup line
As a minority, I’ve encountered my fair share of men who think the easiest way into my pants is to use my ethnicity as a pickup line. The numerous times men have resorted to racial stereotypes to pick me up are endless. The problem is while these men may have good intentions, their execution is poor. They forget to take into account that women of other races are people too -- people who don’t necessarily walk around thinking about their ethnicity or nationality all day. If you’re white, do you think about your ethnicity on a regular basis? Do you think about how Italian or Irish or French you are? Chances are no, because there’s more to your life than just your ethnic makeup.Don’t assume you know what her race is
As an added twist, no one really seems to know what I am. Guys try to discern what my ethnic makeup is, and my friends even take bets on what he’s going to guess. Usually it’s some form of Latina, often Mexican or Puerto Rican, but sometimes men branch out to Columbian or Chilean.Alas, I’m none of the above. I’m Indian.But that doesn’t stop white men from walking up to me in bars and saying “Hola!” or “Como esta?” Failing to relate to me as a person, they immediately use race as a cheap tactic to start up a conversation. One man even went so far as to say I’m sassy because of all that Latin blood running through me. I am sassy, but being Latina has nothing to do with it.Famed sex blogger and Chinese-American Lena Chen relates. “I wasn't even out of high school when men started telling me ‘Konichiwa, beautiful’ on the street.” Some men have even used more primitive methods such as “Hey, Korea!” or “You Thai?”Don’t act as though she’s not American, Canadian, Australian...
Not all of these men are uneducated, dumb or otherwise ignorant. Everyone from lawyers, businessmen, police officers, and artists have asked me where I'm from, seemingly perplexed when I respond “New Jersey,” as if that couldn’t possibly be the right answer. “No, where are you really from?” they ask again. When I once told a man I was Indian, he responded by saying, “You’re not all Ganesh and stuff.”He was right. Funnily enough, I didn’t have eight arms or walk around in a sari. I was raised in New Jersey. I pepper my sentences with “like” and “omigod.” I have a predilection for classic rock, going to the shore and dive bars. My life is not a Bollywood movie. In fact, I don’t even watch Bollywood movies. I am more likely to be found joining every other red-blooded American singing “Don’t Stop Believing” at a bar than dancing to Bhangra music. For all intents and purposes, I am as American as anyone else. Yes, I am of Indian heritage and proud of it, but that’s hardly all there is to me. It’s one facet of my being.Chen agrees. “If you heard my voice without knowing what I looked like, you'd probably assume that I was a white, teenage valley girl. My idea of fashion is a leather jacket over skinny jeans, not a kimono or Sailor Moon outfit.”
We've already talked about getting rid of bad company, and the need to repair toxic friendships or get out of them. The flip side of that is also true: Surrounding yourself with good friends is a great way to become a Better Man. Having positive people in your life can help you in many ways, and it's important to understand how these friendships work. Don't misunderstand -- we're not suggesting that you “use” your friends as a means to an end or for the way they benefit you. However, a good friendship can be like an alliance, with both parties getting support and resources to be their best, along with the good feelings and good times. Read on as we explain the power of good friends.
Goal achievement
We've talked in the past about toxic friends who may want you to spend time with them instead of working on things that matter to you. One reason, which few people will admit to, is that people often get jealous when those close to them achieve great success. Toxic friends don't want to get left behind, so they try to hold you back with them. A good friend can do the opposite, and together you can each achieve success in things that matter to you. Focus on friends who are able to be genuinely happy for you, and share their joy when things go right for them.Healthy competition
We said in the toxic friends article that people are generally the average of their friends in interests, happiness and even income. That doesn't mean you're stuck in place, just that you should surround yourself with good friends who better themselves. As we get better, some of our friends can try to hold us back, but positive friends can actually cheer you on. Use your friends’ successes as motivation; help them achieve their goals and hit their milestones to motivate you. And when they hit a big success, and you feel that little flash of jealousy, use it. Be jealous of what they have, and use that energy in a positive way to go out and get yours. Look at the good things they have and promise yourself you'll achieve the same -- it's only a negative emotion if you don't take any action, and instead sit and seethe.Accountability
If you've ever struggled to keep a commitment to yourself, accountability can help. Making your commitment known to other people gives you more incentive to stay true to your goals. People use accountability to stay on track all the time. From joining a weight-loss program to attending AA meetings, having other people aware of your goal makes it harder for you to blow off your promise. You can use a good friend as a one-man support group. Share your goal with your friend, and ask him to help you keep on track. If you've ever had a friend you work out with, you know how much this helps. If he doesn't have the same goal you do, you can still share. This could be as simple as getting together once a week for a coffee, and telling him about your progress. Having somebody you respect and who cares about helping you stay on track will keep you focused and encouraged when times get tough. And don't forget to reciprocate -- your friend likely has a goal he'd appreciate your help with too.Discover new things
If you have friends who are curious about the world, you'll have the chance to benefit from their expertise. New music, great books and cool restaurants are great referrals you can expect from friends, and if your friends have good taste, this is basically a steady flow of cool new things into your life. And as great as things to consume are, good friends can also give you much more meaningful gifts, like experiences and values. The opportunity to try something new can be the key to getting you out of a rut and giving you anything from a great story to a new hobby. When friends invite you to something outside your comfort zone, jump at the chance. And learn about your friends' values. If you surround yourself with people of integrity, learning about the standards they hold themselves to can make you a Better Man. Learn what your good friends hold important -- from styles of cuisine to the way they treat others, it's all stuff you can use.iron sharpens iron
A good group of friends is one of the most important things a man can have. Countless studies on happiness have shown that meaningful relationships with others are vital to our well-being. And while it's fine to have a wide group of friends you enjoy being around, it's also important to have a core group of people you relate to on a deeper level. Your positive friends can open your eyes to the world around you, help you on your path and challenge you to live your best life. And you can enrich their life in the same way, so your friendship gives both of you more out of life. So start forging mutually beneficial relationships with your good friends today.
People have attributed a lot of metaphorical significance to zombies since George Romero released his second undead movie, Dawn of the Dead, in 1978. In that movie, the zombies hung around the places they used to lumber through in life, specifically an awesome mall with a fully stocked gun store outside of Pittsburgh. The suggestion there was that these people were already “zombies” before they were dead, but, presumably, with a little more interest in the food court Sbarro (then again, maybe not). Where zombie metaphors aren’t obvious, people tend to use the undead horde as stand-ins for whatever group they currently don’t like. Hate the Tea Party? Zombies. Christian conservatives? Zombies. War protesters? Zombies. Those be-dreadlocked mouthbreathers in a drum circle inside Zuccotti Park? Zombies. Zombies, though, at their best are a natural disaster: a Hurricane Katrina, Haitian earthquake or Japanese tsunami. They are a worldwide extinction-level threat that forces the living characters to be stripped down to what they really are. Watching these plots unfold, you have to ask yourself how you’d handle a similar situation. Are you a leader or a follower? Are you strong or are you weak? Are you a man or are you a member of the indie-folk rock band Modest Mouse? There’s not much call for banjo and ukulele players in the zombie apocalypse is what I’m saying. Pick up a few survival skills, Isaac Brock, if you know what’s good for you.
Zombies, Metaphors And Masculinity
That’s when metaphor gets turned on its head. Where zombies might be used to represent aspects of our culture, the actual survivors represent us as individuals. On AMC’s The Walking Dead, we are presented with two alpha male characters who are vying for group leadership: Rick Grimes and Shane Walsh. One of those guys is the perfect leader: not only can he keep his people alive in a world filled with zombies, but he can actually find a way to make that world a safer, more livable place. The other one is Rick Grimes. I think this speaks to a larger issue with men in the real world. Specifically, how society expects the modern man to be a sweaty, weak-kneed manchild who is overly concerned with ruffling the feathers of people who have no business being covered in feathers in the first place. A mangina who knows in his sensitive, bleeding heart that violence doesn’t solve anything and killing the bad guy, be it serial killer, murdering terrorist or genocidal evil dictator, makes you just as bad as he is. War, man, what is it good for? It would be awesome if that stuff were true, but it’s make believe. Sometimes the bad guys don’t stop being bad until they’re dead. Violence can and has solved lots of problems, and war, I’m sad to say, can serve a purpose -- like freeing an entire society, ending slavery or stopping a holocaust. And if you haven’t ruffled somebody’s feathers with something you’ve said, then you’ve never really said anything worthwhile in your life. Rick Grimes, played by English actor Andrew Lincoln, is supposed to be the hero of The Walking Dead, but why? Because he’s a decent, sensitive man? Every decision Rick makes ends up with another member of their group injured or dead. Here come some spoilers: Merle, Carl, Otis, Sophia, Amy, Jim, Ed, and Jacqui have all died or nearly died as a direct result of actions Rick has taken in the show. Meanwhile, Shane, played by Jon Bernthal, is the guy the show wants you to think is too unstable and violent. But he’s the reason every single character alive on the show is still alive. That includes Rick’s harpy wife, his slackjawed kid and even Rick himself. Shane actually kills Otis so that he can get away from a group of zombies to save Rick’s kid, who got shot in the chest in the first place (by Otis, no less) because Rick was an idiot. The thing, of course, is that it’s a zombie show. People are going to be eaten once in a while, or you don’t have much of a show. Without hordes of cannibalistic zombies, gruesome kills and constant paranoid danger at every turn, you just have a show about a bunch of whiny, insipid white people sitting around on a farm, killing time between pharmacy trips by complaining about one other and shooting cans/logs as target practice. And, I mean, nobody wants that. The problem, I think, is the writers’ societal conditioning. The way they were raised in this man-hating era is causing problems within the story. There’s no question that if there were really a zombie apocalypse (like the one I’ve been planning and preparing for my entire adult life), a Shane will keep you alive and a Rick will have a zombie picking pieces of you out of its teeth. Why should it take an apocalyptic scenario for a man with actual balls to have value? Why should cowardice and conformity be accepted as virtues? Why would a guy who wants to calmly discuss the barn full of hungry zombies as if it’s some sort of zoning problem be a better leader than the guy who wants to kill them all immediately? I guess we’ll have to keep watching The Walking Dead to find out, but right now I’m not convinced.
Is Voyeurism Wrong?
Doc Chaves,I’m a 38-year-old guy with a very, very hot younger girl across my building courtyard who has a habit of leaving the blinds open and walking around naked. I’ve been watching her more and more and noticing it’s getting to the point where I know her schedule and routine. I’m starting to feel guilty, like I’m doing something wrong.- Anonymous There’s about two million guys reading this who are wondering where you live, and that’s a mild estimate. I hate to think of myself as the right-and-wrong police, so let's dissect what you’re experiencing. You masturbate. Fantastic. It’s a healthy, normative activity with a plethora of health, immune and psychological benefits for most. You fantasize. Excellent. Most people who fantasize have imaginative and creative sexual expressions and outlets. You enjoy voyeurism. That's great. Show me a guy who doesn’t get visually excited, whether it's by their partner, erotica, a fetishistic expression, an exotic dancer, or just about anything we can pin our eyeballs on. For the most part, we’re all voyeurs to a certain extent. My only concern is that she’s not a willing participant, and we can’t assume she’s into being watched or is an exhibitionist. Maybe the blinds are open for sunlight and she walks around naked because she’s drying off after a shower. Who knows? The judge may not buy a “She does it every night at 7 p.m.” or a “It’s her fault for leaving the blinds open” defense if the legal system ever got introduced to your situation. My guess is the guilt may be surrounded with this aspect of non-consent. Do you feel the same guilt when you see consensual nudity (exotic dancing, porn, a nude beach, etc.)? The guilt could also be associated with experiencing arousal and its resulting shame. Take a good look at what the roots of your guilt are and see if there are ways to express this arousal in more consenting and equally arousing manners. That may help with the guilty feelings. Check out our article on voyeurism and exhibitionism for more insight and information on consensuality.How Much Does Insecurity Affect Men's Sex Lives?
I’ve read a few times about girls having body-image issues and how it affects them in bed. Does this happen to guys? It’s weird -- I don’t really care about my body, except when I’m about to have sex or am having it. Then it’s a big deal for me.-Anonymous One of the least-discussed aspects of male sexuality is how our negative body image impacts our sexual psyche. I remember being in graduate school and working in clinics where we’d discuss eating disorders, and it seemed mostly contextualized as a female issue. It’s also male issue. The same goes for body-image struggles; they are both human issues. Nod your head, gentlemen, if you ever had thoughts or feelings of shame, judgment or criticism about your body before or during sex. Just about every guy has experienced it. Some look down and reminisce about their washboard abs from college, only to see a current stomach that looks more like a bowl of jello jiggling. Others get down on their penis for it’s extreme small or large size, girth and/or shape, no matter how much lifetime work their penis puts in for arousal, erection and sexy time. Some worry about their chicken legs, acne scars, lack of muscle definition, level of attractiveness, hair loss, stamina, and… Wait a minute -- that was all about me. How narcissistic. You get the idea and surely have your own individual negative body-image thoughts if you’re being honest with yourself. It’s possible you don’t care as much about your body when clothed because, well, you’re clothed. It’s a socially accepted way for us to hide, deflect and avoid facing the discomfort and fears associated with our appearance. I wonder how you feel about going to the beach, swimming or changing in front of others? It may not be entirely about performance anxiety with having sex but more accurately associated with discomfort or erotophobic responses toward self-nudity or being viewed nude. As many suggest, facing and talking about fears is a good start in managing or overcoming them. Some body-image difficulties affect more people than others, and some are fixed (penis size) while others can be altered or improved. Self-help anxiety and body-image books are a great start and help many people. A therapist can also help you work on these anxieties.I know a number of swingers and nudists who I look up to. They walk around comfortable in their own skin, not because they look perfect by society’s standards but because they feel perfect according to their own standards. A nice mindset to strive for.
As winter continues its icy grip on our roads and our social lives, we're taking a look at some of the snow riders that’ll leave you praying for more -- more snow and more money, that is. Rear-wheel-driven supercars and hot hatches are all well and good, but when the snow hits the fan they’re about as useful as flip-flops on a black run. Enter these all-weather, all-wheel drive vehicles that’ll satisfy your attention-seeking needs in the white hell, without the numbing inevitability of a hapless accident and the ensuing public humiliation caused by the little runt who caught it on camera and posted it on YouTube.Editor's note: This was originally published on our UK site, and thus includes British pricing, but since winter's in full force on our shores, we thought it was worth a second run.
There is little doubt that taking time to enjoy a decent breakfast is one of the hallmarks of a healthy, civilized life.Unfortunately for many of us in the West, increasingly hectic schedules mean that breakfast has become the forgotten meal, relegated to little more than a snatched cup of coffee gulped before leaving the house or a piece of toast snaffled down on the way to the bus stop.I believe this is a grave error on our part and deprives us of one of the most enjoyable and necessary meals of the day. Thankfully, on my travels, I have found that breakfast still holds a dear place in the hearts of many people in many countries around the world, not least because earning a crust still often involves hard physical labor and the expenditure of many calories.Even if my daily activities require little more effort than is required to ride public transport from one tourist site to the next, I always make sure to indulge in a local breakfast as often as I can. I usually find them to be the most delicious and memorable meals of my visit to a new country.Below are five of the very best breakfasts I have enjoyed in my journeys around the world.
The Full Irish Breakfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Although every part of the United Kingdom has its own version of the enormous fried breakfast, none of them really compare to the ones I found during my time in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Here, the usual suspects of bacon, eggs, sausages, fried bread, mushrooms, and beans were complemented by the addition of the Irish trio of white pudding (made with pork meat, fat and oatmeal), potato cakes and thick soda bread “farls.” It takes considerable girding of the loins to finish a “full Irish,” but it’s definitely worth the effort and means that you don’t have to spend any more money on food till at least the following day.Roti Canai, Penang, Malaysia
The street food in Malaysia is, in my opinion, the very best in the world. I found this to be particularly true at breakfast, when I would visit street stalls to purchase roti canai for my morning meal. This dish of flaky griddled flatbread served with a thin savory dal is a reflection of the huge Indian population on the Malay Peninsula, and is both cheap and incredibly nutritious. It is one of the dishes I remember most fondly when I think of my travels.Sinangag, Manila, Philippines
Long before I married a Filipina and acquired a constantly hungry group of Filipino relatives, I had already decided that the Philippines was one of my favorite places to eat on Earth. The breakfasts I enjoyed in Manila went a long way toward helping me reach that decision. One of the main staples of the Filipino morning meal is sinangag, a combination of leftover rice fried with cloves of garlic and served with meat, fish or fried eggs. It’s simple and delicious, and the very mention of it is enough to bring a tear to any Filipino’s eye.Jianbing, Beijing, China
By the time I reached Beijing, I had been on the road for about four months and had already eaten hundreds of meals. My jaded palate perked up immediately when I was introduced to one of the Chinese capital’s finest breakfast street-food offerings. Jianbing is similar to a French crepe and is sold by vendors all over the city. The batter for the pancake is ladled onto a hot plate and then filled with savory items like egg, fried dough, chicken, and hoisin sauce, before being wrapped up into a portable parcel. They are a simple yet incredibly addictive way to satisfy the morning munchies.Idli Sambar, India
Given my heritage, it is unsurprising that India makes an appearance on this list. However, my favorite breakfast in India comes not from my own family homeland of West Bengal but from the Southern part of the country in states like Kerala. Idli are small cakes made from ground rice and fermented black lentils. The cakes are steamed and served with chutney or a vegetable stew called sambar. If curry for breakfast sounds odd, you’ll just have to trust me. It’s actually proof that God exists.
Most guys know more about what’s under the hood of a car than they do about what's under the hood of a clitoris. We’re woefully “ill-cliterate,” which is a shame when you consider that the clitoris -- with more than 18 parts, twice as many nerve endings as the penis, and the enviable ability to produce multiple orgasms -- is the indisputable powerhouse of the female orgasm. Fortunately, when pleasuring a woman, there are multiple methods for multiple orgasms, so in the spirit of resourcefulness, here are some sexual survival tips for making it happen.
Avoid Freud
Forget everything you learned in Psychology 101. Sigmund Freud made a name for himself demonizing the clitoris and formulating a truly kooky view of women’s sexuality. Freud got the idea into his head that the clitoris was an immature source of sexual pleasure, a mere launching pad for the more mature vaginal orgasm, which, of course, could only be produced via genital intercourse. At the end of his life, Freud acknowledged his incomplete understanding of female sexuality and said, “If you want to know more about femininity, you must interrogate your own experience, or turn to the poets, or else wait until science can give you more profound and more coherent information.” Or, for today’s modern guy, just turn to the woman in bed next to you and deploy some basic cliteracy.Ladies first
When it comes to satisfying a woman, a little old-fashioned chivalry goes a long way. Lest you think the importance of such courtesy is over-exaggerated, direct your attention to Lorena Bobbitt who, when questioned by police as to why she cut off her husband’s penis, responded, “He always has an orgasm and doesn’t wait for me. It’s unfair.” Need one say more? The simple fact is that the male orgasm typically comes easy. Masters and Johnson dubbed it “ejaculatory inevitability” and the late Dr. Alfred C. Kinsey declared that 75% of men ejaculate within two minutes. Is it any surprise, then, that researchers from the University of Chicago declared in the 1994 Sex in America Survey that men reach orgasm during intercourse far more consistently than women do, and that three-quarters of men, but less than a third of women, always have orgasms? This means that more than two out of three women on average are consistently denied their climax -- good reason to start hiding the cutlery. Studies such as those by Kinsey and Masters & Johnson have concluded that, among women whose partners spent 21 minutes or longer on foreplay, only 7.7% failed to reach orgasm consistently. That’s a shift of tectonic proportions, from two out of three women not being able to reach climax to 9 out of 10 achieving satisfaction, all due to a matter of minutes. So take the path of the true gentleman: Postpone your pleasure. As Sir Thomas Wyatt wrote, “Patience shall be my song.”Think outside the box
Rare is the man who boasts in the locker room, “I made love to her as subtly and lightly as a feather” or, “I grazed her vulva as with the delicate wings of a butterfly.” Yet such language would be appropriate, since the inner two-thirds of the vagina are substantially less sensitive than the outer third. So think outside the box (pun definitely intended), but know that the clitoris is extremely sensitive to physical sensation and needs to be properly prepped for serious stimulation. Avoid her genitals and go easy on the breasts for a good 10 to 15 minutes. Let's get to some of the best methods for multiple orgasms...
The recession threw American men into free fall, completely altering their career trajectories, household roles and expectations for the future. But they don’t have it so bad. It’s much worse in the eurozone countries, and Greece has sustained the heaviest damages of them all. I’m a Greek man living in Athens, and I think that what we’ve experienced could teach everyone a thing or two about crisis 101. There is a lot we used to take for granted that is suddenly no longer possible -- careers, for example. Americans pursue higher education in order to acquire the knowledge and certification needed to obtain a well-paid job. The reality, as unemployment numbers can attest, is that many of you are not finding jobs in large supply, even after spending thousands on a degree. But think of this: Greece, a much smaller country with roughly the same population as New York City, has to carry a much heavier burden. Officially, 1,000,000 are unemployed, and 4,500,000 are economically inactive, meaning they are neither working nor looking for a job. That is roughly half the total population of the country. Having been born and raised in the capital of Greece, I am facing this crisis situation after four years of working in the private sector. I always thought that by the time I was 30 I would have built a proper foundation for my career. You enter the workforce; you start with little and build up from there, hoping to make a name for yourself. But now many major companies are as broke as we are, as was the company I worked for, an otherwise pretty successful publishing house. Most corporations, due to the crisis, immediately downsized, trying to cover past losses. If you don’t get fired, you will probably be forced to quit, since there is no compensation money left. More and more keep working without having been paid for months, some for a whole year. They do it anyway, because finding a new job is even more difficult. I decided to quit, because working somewhere with no future just did not make sense.Base wage in Greece was around $900 per month until recently. The crisis chopped that down to $750 per month -- and you’re lucky if you actually get it. I wake up every day thinking of the money I owe the state, the extra taxes that are forced on me and are paid automatically through my electricity bill. Living costs have skyrocketed, from basic house utilities to provisions. Gas prices keep going up. Owning a car -- or at least being able to afford to drive it -- is considered a privilege. But the crisis does make all other modes of transportation feel like hell. Strike is a word that easily becomes part of your everyday life. Today there might be a subway strike; tomorrow the taxis won’t be on the streets. I won’t know unless I check a pretty smart website that actually puts all strikes into one simple calendar. Excursions, small escape trips during the weekends and drives by the beach, are a thing of the past. Try explaining that a date. Going out? It still costs $10 for a drink in most places, but now everyone wants to find the places with the cheapest drinks possible, because every euro counts. Unfortunately, enjoyment is something I have not experienced in a long time, because no matter what, bitterness and talks about another friend who just got sacked happen every other minute. This broad-based depression brings a sense of defeat among men here, but also anger. We’re no longer able to make it on our own. It makes you feel incompetent. This anger comes from the fact that most of us have to pay for the government’s mistakes of bad managing and numerous misspent funds. There are basically two options right now for us. The first is to narrow expectations of getting promoted, shut up and keep working, even if that means earning less when the emergency contribution taxes from the state keep asking for more. Hopefully the government will find a solution. Option number two is to jump away from the ship before it sinks; the iceberg has already hit us. Even if you’ve never thought of immigrating, it is now a definite possibility. Look for opportunities elsewhere, maybe gain another university degree or just start over in a different country. Many of my friends have already relocated to London and Amsterdam, but they’re still a long way from stability. Australia and Canada keep coming up in every conversation, but few have the means (and guts) to actually go to the other side of the world. I am hoping to do so. People facing the same problems in the States might find it an extreme step, but it’s a step forward, nonetheless. Hard times mean that you have to make the best out of what you have, even if that means having to endure living with much less money or starting from scratch in a different continent. But you do it anyway, because your future is everything.
While the financial planning of Greece, Italy and Spain can be criticized, there’s no questioning the sense behind the diets of their populations. A new study has discovered that following a Mediterranean diet is not only good for your heart but is also good for your brain. Researchers from Columbia University and the University of Miami found that the cuisine of countries like Greece, Italy and Spain leads to less blood-vessel brain damage than does the American diet, which typically involves plenty of saturated fats, red meats and refined grains. The researchers asked 966 people to fill out a questionnaire on their diet and then sorted participants based on what closest resembled the Mediterranean diet, which includes a bigger focus on fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and olive oil, and a lighter focus on red meats, refined sugar and wheat. Then they gave the participants an MRI and found that people with the highest ratio of monounsaturated fats to saturated fats had the lowest amount of blood-vessel damage. In case you thought food only affected your physical health and appearance, now you know just how severely it affects the mind, too.
There's about as many types of drinking songs as there are reasons to have a drink. Some celebrate a job well done and a drink deserved, while others revel in drunk disorderliness or bemoan a hangover. It's all about intoxication, either in the sense of getting a rush or of getting poisoned.In the process of "researching" this list for you, it soon became clear that, just like there are tons of drinking songs, there are tons of terrible drinking euphemisms, like "imbibe," "quaff" and "tipple." Ugh.In finding these very best drinking songs, we didn't discriminate by alcohol content or drinking context. The only thing that mattered was that they told the truth. When folks get drunk, sh*t can either get real fun, real sad or just real messy.
Have you ever wondered why the tables at Katsuya Hollywood are consistently unavailable between the hours of 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.? Or why it seems like Ghost Bar at The Palms is always filled to capacity? Take a minute to consider the hottest nightclubs and most exclusive restaurants in your own city, the ones that tend to shun the common visitor; these venues build their reputations by utilizing elitist bouncers and the symbolic velvet rope to heavily restrict entry. In reality, this has nothing to do with bad luck or bad timing, but is simply designed to create a balanced male-to-female ratio and to maintain enough space in the club to move around without getting a drink spilled on you every five minutes. If you are fortunate enough to be “in the know,” you can take advantage of this limitation, but no one is just going to hand you a freebie or put your name on the VIP list out of the goodness of their heart. In order to get comped you will need to get your hands dirty, take the initiative and build key connections. Here are a few simple techniques on how to get comped:
Ask the concierge
When you begin to research a trip, reach out to a couple of hotel concierges before you book any travel arrangements. Prepare a list of potential spots to check out and run a few ideas by them. This will help you for two reasons: First, they will share their honest opinion of your selections and, second, they will give you an impression of whether or not they can hook you up. Test the waters and see if they happen to have an inside track at the club that always has a line out the door or the restaurant that never answers its phone. Remember, it’s their job is to make your trip more enjoyable. Just make sure to tip them once you arrive -- that's one of the unwritten rules in the "how to get comped" game.Become a regular
The best way to make yourself known to the bouncers and bartenders at any given scene is to become a regular, but don’t be the creepy guy that lingers in the darkest corner of the bar and gawks at every girl who passes by. Instead, be the life of the party and bring a lively crowd with you every time you show up. Shake hands with the doormen and make small talk on your way inside. Get bottle service and splash some cash around every once in a while to grab the attention of the promoters who run the place. They will appreciate the good energy you bring to the venue and be more than happy to comp you. Learn how to get comped by getting creative...
There's about as many types of drinking songs as there are reasons to have a drink. Some celebrate a job well done and a drink deserved, while others revel in drunk disorderliness or bemoan a well-earned hangover. It's all about intoxication, either in the sense of getting a rush, or of getting poisoned.In the process of "researching" this list for you, it soon became clear that, just like there are tons of drinking songs, there are tons of terrible drinking euphemisms, like imbibe, quaff and tipple. Ugh.In finding these very best drinking songs, we didn't discriminate by alcohol content or drinking context. The only thing that mattered was that they told the truth. When folks get drunk, sh*t can either get real fun, real sad, or just real messy.
10. Kris Kristofferson, "Sunday Morning Comin' Down"
Though Johnny Cash made this tragic song famous (even winning it the CMA's Song of the Year award in 1970) and Willie Nelson also recently recorded it, the best version is by Kris Kristofferson, the man who wrote the song. Perhaps best known these days for being in the Blade movies, this ex-helicopter pilot and janitor wrote some classic country songs, such as "Me and Bobby McGee," and this great ode to the sad comedown after a night of drunken debauchery.Drinking lyric:"And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad, so I had one more for dessert."9. Wynonie Harris, "Quiet Whiskey"
The fantastically named Wynonie Harris cut some excellent jump blues songs in the late 1940s and early ‘50s. These swinging tracks full of double entendres may predate the official birth of rock ‘n roll, but they already embody all of its best qualities: shouty vocals, a dynamic sound, and an elastic rhythm section just made for wild dancing. All combined with lyrics about unhinged behavior, such as this tale of what happens after opening the first bottle of whiskey (more are bound to follow, and the cops are soon to come).Drinking lyric:"Whiskey, whiskey on the shelf, you were so quiet there all by yourself, things were fine 'til they took you down"8. The Champs, "Tequila"
Some of the best drinking songs work so well because you don't actually have to be lucid enough to remember, or even know, the lyrics. "Louie Louie" is perhaps the best-known example, a favorite of slurring mouths around the globe, but "La Cucaracha" or this nigh-instrumental blast of fun by the Champs is even easier to bawl out late at night. See also: raucous singalongs; shouting neighbors; tragic limbo accidents.Drinking lyric:"TEQUILA!"7. Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, "Gimme That Wine"
Vocal jazz may have a stuffy and even cheesy image, but just imagine those classy cocktail joints loosened up after closing time: fingers snapping left and right, the floor sticky with spilled daiquiris and the air clogged with skinny cigarette smoke. A cappella wizards Lambert, Hendricks & Ross here team up with a band for a silly original not that far from the rowdy stylings of Wynonie at no. 9. We dare you not to crack a smile, the whole things rhymes too!Drinking lyric:"Unhand that bottle!"
If it smells like malware, behaves like malware, then it might be... Software from Google? The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Google has been secretly tracking iPhone and desktop Safari users' browsing habits. The search giant allegedly installed cookies via code in ads on popular sites. The trick is something you'd expect from a shady mafia-run web casino, not the world's favorite search engine. The sites with the stealthy codes aren't so rare either. In any given day, it's likely you've visited one: youtube.com, nytimes.com, urbandictionary.com, merriam-webster.com, and aol.com (if you're browsing like it's 1999).After issuing a statement to the WSJ defending the practice, Google immediately stopped running the service from its servers. That's a funny way to react after a firm "Sir, I doth protest.""Of course I didn't stab him, your honor," says the man, putting all his kitchen knives in a garbage bag.These practices reveal that the company might not have as much respect for your privacy, even as it tries to paint a marketing-friendly portrait with Dutch-master accuracy. Expect Google to again find itself in front of the suspicious and angry gaze of worldwide privacy groups.This issue won't disappear quietly either. The FTC may have a hefty bill for Google soon, as the company had pledged not to "misrepresent" its privacy practices to consumers, and it doesn't get much more covert than this. With a fine of $16,000 per violation a day, that's slightly more than the 25 cents per click it makes on most ads. Unless Google lobbies mathematics to change its ways, that's gonna smart.
Send a case to this place
Here’s a great made-in-wine-country solution to pesky TSA rules limiting us to three ounces of liquid carry-ons. Sonoma County Tourism Bureau and Alaska Airlines will fly a case of wine home for you at no extra charge as part of a new Wine Flights promotion through June 9. The promo includes accommodation, vineyard tours and restaurant packages, all searchable here.Safe lodging bets include Bodega Bay Lodge on the California coast and Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, with its Michelin-starred restaurant and access to Sonoma Golf Club’s private 177-acre, 18-hole course.Sleep in an ice hotel
Even before the finale of the Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championships, which is happening from March 15-17 in Québec City, there's still a killer reason to get away to this winter-sports wonderland. LG Canada’s Snowboard Jamboree festival, from February 20-26, is being held this year alongside the FIS World Cup events for snowboard cross, halfpipe, parallel giant slalom, and big air. So it’s a two-fer: You can watch world-class competitions at Stoneham Mountain Resort just outside the city, and then attend parties at Stoneham, Université Laval and the très chic urban-style Fashion Jam.Hotel PUR has boutique-y accommodations steps from the fortified Old City. Or try Hotel de Glace, an ice hotel 10 minutes from downtown. Yes, that’s right. It’s a hotel made of ice, and its "Ultimate Getaway" package includes a room at Four Points by Sheraton Québec (in case you chicken out and beg for a regular, toasty-warm bed), dinner, breakfast, and more, from $549 per person per night.Cruise with NFL legends
The Super Bowl may be over, but the “theme cruise” version is taking bookings. Hall-of-famer Don Shula, the winningest coach in the history of the Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Colts; Super Bowl MVP runningback Larry Csonka and others will headline Crystal Cruises’ 16-night “NFL Legends Transatlantic Crossing,” which departs May 8th from New York for Dover, England.Slow-paced transatlantic cruising is a bit of snore-fest if you’re 20-something, but this is an unusually port-intensive itinerary with visits to Newport, Boston, St. John’s (Newfoundland), and the Icelandic, Danish and Norwegian coasts. In service and décor it’s a bit like stepping onto a floating Ritz-Carlton, with the bargain of all-inclusive meals and some alcohol. Early-bird fares until February 28th start at $5,055 per person.Party till dawn in NYC
We have a couple of new hotels to shout out this week. OUT NYC is New York’s first “gay and straight-friendly urban resort,” and it has two opening specials. The first is 15% off rooms with breakfast, for a package starting at $160 per night for two. The second is free admission and a couple of drinks at the hotel’s 14,000 square-foot cabaret-style XL Nightclub, with a room, breakfast and free Wi-Fi starting at $219 per night for double occupancy.Mellow out in the desert
Meanwhile, The Saguaro Palm Springs, which opened earlier this month (and is a cousin to Scottsdale’s equally hip Saguaro), offers to redo our home in “desert cool” à la Peter Stamberg and Paul Aferiat, design visionaries behind the hotels’ bright pastel palette and mod furnishings. This package, which includes dinner at Tinto restaurant and a home-decorating consultation, starts at $7,259 (hey, maybe someone out there can afford it).Luxury Night At the Museum
Here’s the filthy rich version of Night at the Museum, with the creepy bonus of a candlelit dinner amid portraits of cannibalistic mythological creatures by Spanish Old Masters. Hotel Villa Magna’s new "Prado Package" consists of two nights in a Royal Suite at the Paseo de la Castellana hotel (on Madrid’s version of Fifth Avenue). Plus, you’re whisked to the Museo del Prado for a VIP guided tour of works by Goya, Velazquez and El Greco, followed by a private meal in the museum with white-glove service and live chamber music. Daily breakfast, chauffeured airport transfers and more round out the 11,000-euro per night deal.
OK, I am hip to the greening of America and the world. My sister’s boyfriend is one of the world’s experts (he works at Harvard in partnership with NASA measuring gamma rays from satellites) on the long-term effects of global warming. He’s shown me pictures of Harvard Yard under water in the not-too-distant future. I get that we have a problem. It’s just the way we go about trying to solve it, or even think about it, that is outrageously insane IMO. Larry David drives a Prius. The fact that his now ex-wife bought it for him and he holds onto it for some sick reason is not my point. He says its because he’s committed to the environment. That’s my point. For the complete story, "Business Outrage of the Week: Current Electric Cars Suck (Fossil Fuel)," click here.
The Bond girls are aiming to impress in Skyfall. Naomie Harris has been coming to grips with 007’s iconic Walther PPK as part of her training for the new movie. “I started off terrified by the sound of a gun,” Harris told Total Film magazine, “let alone having any idea of how to hold one, but now I really enjoy it.” Taking a break from filming, Harris and fellow Skyfall siren Bérénice Marlohe hit the red carpet for the British film industry’s key awards event, the BAFTAs. And while they did a grand job of keeping the Bond side up as part of the franchise’s 50th anniversary, they did let slip a few secrets. “I’m trying to do all my own stunts,” Harris told reporters. “I’ve done them all so far. In a couple of weeks we’ve got another big stunt thing, so I don’t know if I can do all of them. But I’m trying to!” She’s also denying that her character, Eve, a fellow agent who aids 007, has an iconic surname that will resonate with Bond fans. “I don’t know where the Moneypenny rumor started!” she explained to Empire magazine. “Moneypenny is an office-bound character -- Eve is a field agent.” Meanwhile, model Marlohe, who plays the enigmatic Séverine, has been teasing a different sort of action, one that’s essential to any Bond flick worth its Beluga. “I certainly hope I’ll kiss Daniel Craig,” she revealed to Total Film. “I will have Sam [Mendes] change everything if not!” Skyfall opens in North America in November.
I want to share something with all of you, and it’s something personal.About 14 years ago, I moved to Los Angeles from San Diego. I had a pretty bad stretch in my life before I moved to L.A. I basically lost a business and had to start a brand new business from scratch. And at that point in my life, I was used to having access to the good life. Living in a place by the beach, having nice cars. I felt like I used to “be somebody” and suddenly I became a shell of my former self.That experience really affected me as a man, and ultimately it made me feel like less of one.When I moved, I was hit with a lot of reality. The first reality was that there's a ton of beautiful women here, and I wanted to meet them all. The second reality was that I was broke, and that reality sucked even harder.I remember meeting this incredibly hot girl -- I mean she was hot. I saw her staring at some magazines, and I walked over to her, flirted with her, we exchanged numbers, we walked to the parking lot, she got into a BMW with after-market wheels, and I got into a Grand Cherokee that was late on payments. I remember thinking to myself, “Man, this woman's got a Bimmer? I've got to be somebody to date her.”I wanted to take her out to dinner, but that would be breaking one of my biggest dating rules: Always live within your means, and the woman will appreciate you as a man no matter what. And if she doesn’t, forget her.So I broke my own rule and took her out to dinner, charged it and had a little room left on the credit card. We went out for this great meal, and we had a blast. A couple days later, she actually called me and wanted to do it again, and I thought to myself, “I can't do it again. I can't afford another dinner like this for at least another month! I'm starting a new business, I don't have much money anymore, and I certainly can't blow another $100 on a meal!”I didn't know what to do, so I blew her off. I felt insignificant and insecure, so I didn’t see her again.About six months later, I ran into her. I was at a coffee shop getting a cup of tea, and she was behind me in line. I turned around and I said, “Whoa, hey, how are you?” She said that she was great, and we started talking -- the chemistry was obviously still there.Then she asked what she had probably been wanting to ask for six months: “Why didn't you call me back? I wanted to hang with you again.”At that point, I was starting to do better. My business was growing a little bit, and I was starting to feel better about myself and my identity as a man. I looked at her point blank, and I said, “I didn't call you back because I was broke. I took you out to this great meal because I wanted to impress you, which is really not what I'm about. I love taking women out for a great meal, but only when I can afford it, and let me tell you something, I could not afford that meal! I had just moved to Los Angeles, and I was starting a new business when I met you. I thought that I would need to do those things to romance you, and I wasn’t sure that I could keep it up.”What happened next was that she gave me one of the greatest life lessons ever, something that I've been teaching men ever since. She looked directly in my eyes and said, “I could care less about the dinner. It was our conversations, the chemistry we had. I just wanted to hang with you because we could have gone anywhere. We could have taken a walk. Why didn't you tell me the situation you were in? I would have totally respected it. I've been there before in my life. I know what that's like.”
At some point, you’re inevitably going to be the guy who has to go and get the wine. Whether it’s for a dinner party your girlfriend is throwing, an office event or an anniversary dinner, there’s a strategy that will get you the most bang for your buck.Here, gentlemen, are some basic wine-buying strategies for a handful of circumstances. Obviously, when you’re just grabbing a bottle on your way home from work to have with dinner, very few rules apply -- it’s all about what you like. But when presented with these situations, you don’t want to go in blind. Here’s what you need to know.
When you need to buy wine in bulk
Whether you’re planning an office party or a big get-together at home, your best bet is to buy wine by the case, since cases often come with a discount. The key is finding wine that is affordable, readily available and widely popular. Visit your local wine merchant and ask if you can sample the wine beforehand so you are aware of what you are about to serve. Keep in mind that in a large group of diverse personalities and tastes, it’s nearly impossible to please everyone. Buying both a red and a white wine is one way to help avoid massive disappointment. Crowd-Pleasing Whites by the CaseAn Italian Pinot Grigio is a great example of a “go-to” white wine option. The goal is to find something simple and tasty that everyone can enjoy, so it’s a good crowd-pleaser, even if an inexpensive Pinot Grigio can sometimes lack character. Regions to look out for are Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Trentino-Alto Adige. Alternatively, a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is another successful entertainer. Consistent, affordable and known for refreshing flavors of pink grapefruit, melon and lime, these white wines are widely appreciated. Crowd-Pleasing Reds by the CasePortuguese Douro is an unfussy and inexpensive option, mostly because the region is still relatively unknown. This dry red is bursting with aromas of pepper, raspberries and chocolate, and could easily become the talk of the night.American Pinot Noir is one of the more consistent varieties coming out of the U.S. today. This light red wine maintains aromas of cherries, blackberries and cinnamon spice with smooth tannins that create a gentle mouthfeel.The Argentinean national celebrity Malbec is highly drinkable and very popular with its plush, velvety texture and notes of sweet red fruit, spices and vanilla. It’s a great wine to drink on its own or to pair with food, and, like its Portuguese friend, it’s priced modestly.When you need to pick a rare or unforgettable wine off a menu
Some moments call for unforgettable wines. When you want to impress your date at a high-end restaurant with an exceptional bottle that you’ll both remember, pick something that will be as smooth and as rare as you hope she finds you. Wine lists can seem daunting and complicated, so this would be a good time to request a sommelier. Advice is of the essence when choosing a specific wine that will fit the bill for your evening of pleasure and luxury. Unforgettable Wine on the Menu: Pinot Noir from BurgundySome of the more complex and legendary Pinot Noirs come from the Burgundy region of France. There’s an abundant range of styles from Burgundy, thanks to a Napoleonic hierarchical system that allows an individual to own a single row of vines in a given vineyard. Variety means that price is often not the only determinant of quality. It’s important to consider details such as producer, vintage and even which village the wine is from. Pinot Noir is one of the most delicate grape varieties. It needs careful attention and can easily fall apart. But when treated correctly, a Burgundy Pinot Noir can be one of the greatest wine experiences of your life.Unforgettable Wine on the Menu: Savagnin from JuraJura is France’s smallest wine region and undoubtedly the most complicated. Full of unusual flavors, its wines are not for everyone.Known for its Savagnin grape variety, Jura produces a distinct wine known as “Vin Jaune.” This wine goes through conventional fermentation but is then placed into old barrels and stored in a damp environment where a layer of yeast forms at the top of the must. Slow oxidation takes place, resulting in a golden-colored wine that has flavors of walnuts, curry, ginger, and browning apples.These are delicious when paired with food, but be cautious when first experimenting with Savagnin. Like a good Burgundy, the producer can make all the difference.
There’s a myth that on leap years a woman can propose to a man, rather than the traditional way. In case you've misplaced your calendar, February 29th is in two Wednesdays’ time. So, let’s say your sweetheart is readying that proposal. While it’s normal for a man to pop the question with a diamond engagement ring, that isn’t going to work the other way around. Instead, why not a wedding watch?Even if it’s not for proposing, I’ve heard of women giving their husbands watches in the ceremony instead of a wedding ring. The key in either case is to pick a watch that’s going to last a lifetime -- presumably you’re hoping that the marriage will, too -- and that can be worn on special occasions but is also veratile. Finally, it should reflect the emotional meaning of your union. Here’s are 10 wedding watches that fit that bill.
Apple today revealed its newest OS X release, dubbed “Mountain Lion.” Apple’s latest name is consistent with its tradition of big cat names. We were rooting for “Freakishly Large P*ssy,” but maybe there was a trademark conflict that prevented Cupertino from going that way. There is no other explanation. Features-wise, OS X 10.8 takes more cues from iOS, changing the name of iChat to “Messages,” moving the notes from Mail.app into a separate app, and the desktop OS even gets a pretty awesome-looking Notification Center. It’s already possible to do FaceTime calls from OS X, and being able to send iMessage texts to an iPhone is a welcome addition. iCloud integration is everywhere in 10.8. Apple is giving its apps, and apps sold through the Mac App Store, the ability to save to iCloud or use the local disk, in a simplified scheme that will finally make its cloud storage features look less like a clumsy version of Dropbox. There’s no Siri, though. Whether Apple’s saving that for later is anyone’s guess. Twitter integration is everywhere in Mountain Lion, so expect a lot more complaints about work to litter the tweet world come summer, when the new cat rears its fuzzy head.One other interesting addition is that Apple is adding Game Center, a Steam-cloudish gaming platform, to OS X. While the prospect of Mac gaming blowing up is a funny one -- and I’m a Mac user -- this will let people on OS X play against iPad or iPhone users. Apple knows that social gaming is huge, so this is more about competing with Facebook than it is trying to make the Mac into an XBox, or eat the few crumbs the shrinking PC gaming world has left.In its private demos of Mountain Lion’s, Apple made it clear that the similarities to iOS are just for consistency of experience -- it’s not planning on merging the desktop and mobile operating systems into one. With the iPhone being many people’s first Apple experience, the company wants to make their transition to a Mac as seamless as possible, while maintaining the strengths of a distinct desktop OS. This is in sharp contrast to Microsoft’s approach with Windows 8, which unifies the mobile and desktop OSes into the one Metro interface. Even at this stage, MS is already being forced to clunkily re-integrate some desktop components, so it seems Apple’s two-tiered approach might be, ironically, less confusing for end users while making OS X the more open to customization of the two. The platform wars done heated up.
Time is money, but apparently that’s not a healthy way of thinking about it. According to research from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, people are more impatient and feel less enjoyment in their leisure activities when they put a price on their time. In a series of experiments, the users were asked to listen to music and surf the web. Afterward, they were pressed to think about their time in terms of money, and it lessened their enjoyment of the fun time. The lone difference was when the subjects were paid on their leisure time after putting a price on it. In those cases, the participants experienced more enjoyment. In the end, it looks like Mom wins. Years of incessant scolding us with things like “Can’t you be doing anything better with your time?” has instilled a fear that if we’re not being productive then we’re wasting time. The important thing here is that free time is your time to relax. If you allow the money focus to seep into fun time and holidays, then it takes away from pleasure.