Artist Draws 8,628 Self-Portraits Under the Influence of Love and Other Drugs

<p><div id="gallery-658"><div id="blog_slideshow_previous_next"><div><img alt="Normal Face" src="http://www.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/gallery/self-portrait-series-resized/Normal-face.jpg" title="Normal Face" /></div></div><br /><div><p>This self-portrait by Bryan Lewis Saunders shows his "normal face," but the other 8,000-plus images he's created over the past 16 years go into some pretty strange territory.</p></div><br /><div><img alt="Drugs: Psilocybin Mushrooms" src="http://www.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/gallery/self-portrait-series-resized/Drugs-1-Psilocybin-Mushrooms.jpg" title="Drugs: Psilocybin Mushrooms" /></div><br /><div><p> </p><h2>Drugs: Psilocybin Mushrooms</h2><p> </p><p>"I wanted to see how drugs changed my self-perception," Saunders said. "So I drew myself under the influence of a wide variety of them."</p></div><br /><div><img alt="Drugs: Bath Salts" src="http://www.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/gallery/self-portrait-series-resized/Drugs-2-Bath-Salts.jpg" title="Drugs: Bath Salts" /></div><br /><div><p> </p><h2>Drugs: Bath Salts</h2><p> </p><p>A self-portrait of Saunders after taking <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bath_salts_(drug)">bath salts</a>.</p></div><br /><div><img alt="Third Ear Experiment 2" src="http://www.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/gallery/self-portrait-series-resized/Third-Ear-Experiment-2.jpg" title="Third Ear Experiment 2" /></div><br /><div><p> </p><h2>Third Ear Experiment, No. 2</h2><p> </p><p>Another self-portrait from the Third Ear Experiment series.</p></div><br /><div><img alt="Third Ear Experiment 1" src="http://www.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/gallery/self-portrait-series-resized/Third-Ear-Experiment-1.jpg" title="Third Ear Experiment 1" /></div><br /><div><p> </p><h2>Third Ear Experiment, No. 1</h2><p> </p><p>"For 28 days I blocked up my external ears and attached a copper funnel to my mouth in an effort to connect my Eustachian tubes to my pineal gland by physically rerouting the way in which sound entered my body," Saunders said of the Third Ear Experiment series.</p></div><br /><div><img alt="I'm All Out Of Hair I'm So Lost Without You 1" src="http://www.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/gallery/self-portrait-series-resized/Im-All-Out-Of-Hair-Im-So-Lost-Without-You-1.jpg" title="I'm All Out Of Hair I'm So Lost Without You 1" /></div><br /><div><p> </p><h2>I'm All Out Of Hair, I'm So Lost Without You, No. 1</h2><p> </p><p>"I shaved my body hair and used it in my self-portraits to make e-cards letting people know how much I missed them." Saunders said.</p></div><br /><div><img alt="I'm All Out Of Hair I'm So Lost Without You" src="http://www.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/gallery/self-portrait-series-resized/Im-All-Out-Of-Hair-Im-So-Lost-Without-You-2.jpg" title="I'm All Out Of Hair I'm So Lost Without You" /></div><br /><div><p> </p><h2>I'm All Out Of Hair, I'm So Lost Without You, No. 2</h2><p> </p><p>Another body-hair-inspired piece.</p></div><br /><div><img alt="Died: Great Aunt" src="http://www.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/gallery/self-portrait-series-resized/Died-Great-Aunt-2.jpg" title="Died: Great Aunt" /></div><br /><div><p> </p><h2>Died: Great Aunt</h2><p> </p><p>Saunders describes his Died series as capturing "the difference between when a stranger or family member dies." This image was inspired by the death of his great aunt.</p></div><br /><div><img alt="Died: Neighbor" src="http://www.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/gallery/self-portrait-series-resized/Died-Neighbor-1.jpg" title="Died: Neighbor" /></div><br /><div><p> </p><h2>Died: Neighbor</h2><p> </p><p>Another self-portrait in theDied series, this time inspired by a deceased neighbor.</p></div><br /><div><img alt="Naked Yoga: Casa Setu Bandha Sarvangasana" src="http://www.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/gallery/self-portrait-series-resized/Naked-Yoga-1-Casa-Setu-Bandha-Sarvangasana.jpg" title="Naked Yoga: Casa Setu Bandha Sarvangasana" /></div><br /><div><p> </p><h2>Naked Yoga: Casa Setu Bandha Sarvangasana</h2><p> </p><p>"I tried to do yoga and was using art as an incentive, but I think I waited too late in life to start," Saunders said of his Naked Yoga series.</p></div><br /><div><img alt="Imperfect Face 1" src="http://www.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/gallery/self-portrait-series-resized/Imperfect-Face-1.jpg" title="Imperfect Face 1" /></div><br /><div><p> </p><h2>My Drawings Aren't Messed Up, It's the Symmetry of My Face, No. 1</h2><p> </p><p>"Using the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_ratio">golden ratio</a> and other ideas from geometry, I was trying to locate the precise imperfections of my face," Saunders said.</p></div><br /><div><img alt="Imperfect Face 2" src="http://www.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/gallery/self-portrait-series-resized/Imperfect-Face-2.jpg" title="Imperfect Face 2" /></div><br /><div><p> </p><h2>My Drawings Aren't Messed Up, It's the Symmetry of My Face, No. 2</h2><p> </p><p>Another self-portrait Saunders did based on the proportions of his face.</p></div><br /><div><img alt="Facing Fear: Heights" src="http://www.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/gallery/self-portrait-series-resized/Facing-Fear-2-heights.jpg" title="Facing Fear: Heights" /></div><br /><div><p> </p><h2>Facing Fear: Heights</h2><p> </p><p>"I wanted to use art to overcome some of my fears, so I drew myself while facing them," Saunders said of the portraits he did about confronting his fears. "A sort of 'exposure therapy.'"</p></div><br /><div><img alt="Facing Fears: Trains" src="http://www.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/gallery/self-portrait-series-resized/Facing-Fears-1-trains.jpg" title="Facing Fears: Trains" /></div><br /><div><p> </p><h2>Facing Fear: Trains</h2><p> </p><p>Saunders facing his fear of trains.</p></div><br /><div><img alt="Popular Toys 1" src="http://www.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/gallery/self-portrait-series-resized/Popular-Toys-1.jpg" title="Popular Toys 1" /></div><br /><div><p> </p><h2>Popular Toys, No. 1</h2><p> </p><p>"From time to time I use art to revitalize myself," said Saunders of his Popular Toys series, in which he uses iconic playthings "to help bring out my inner child." This one is the artist as Mr. Potato Head.</p></div><br /><div><img alt="Popular Toys 2" src="http://www.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/gallery/self-portrait-series-resized/Popular-Toys-2.jpg" title="Popular Toys 2" /></div><br /><div><p> </p><h2>Popular Toys, No. 2</h2><p> </p><p>This image in the Popular Toys series depicts a My Little Pony toy.</p></div><br /><div><img alt="Psycho-Anatomy 1" src="http://www.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/gallery/self-portrait-series-resized/Psycho-Anatomie-1.jpg" title="Psycho-Anatomy 1" /></div><br /><div><p> </p><h2>Psycho-Anatomy, No. 1</h2><p> </p><p>"Finding and connecting the similarities between different organs in the body," Saunders said of hisPsycho-Anatomy series. This image depicts the digestive system.</p></div><br /><div><img alt="Psycho-Anatomy 2" src="http://www.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/gallery/self-portrait-series-resized/Psycho-Anatomie-2.jpg" title="Psycho-Anatomy 2" /></div><br /><div><p> </p><h2>Psycho-Anatomy, No. 2</h2><p> </p><p>This image in Saunders' Psycho-Anatomy series depicts the brain.</p></div><br /><div><img alt="Quitting Smoking 1" src="http://www.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/gallery/self-portrait-series-resized/Quitting-Smoking-1.jpg" title="Quitting Smoking 1" /></div><br /><div><p> </p><h2>Quitting Smoking, No. 1</h2><p> </p><p>"I wanted to see how quitting smoking changed my self-perception," Saunders said of the Quitting Smoking series. "I think I lasted a month before I started again."</p></div><br /><div><img alt="Quitting Smoking 2" src="http://www.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/gallery/self-portrait-series-resized/Quitting-Smoking-2.jpg" title="Quitting Smoking 2" /></div><br /><div><p> </p><h2>Quitting Smoking, No. 2</h2><p> </p><p>Another self-portrait from the Quitting Smoking series.</p></div><br /><div><img alt="Sensation: Ear Nibbles" src="http://www.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/gallery/self-portrait-series-resized/Sensation-1-Ear-Nibbles.jpg" title="Sensation: Ear Nibbles" /></div><br /><div><p> </p><h2>Sensation Drawings: Ear Nibbles</h2><p> </p><p>"[This is] A project I did with my girlfriend to see how different and similar we felt the same physical sensations in or on our bodies," Saunders said of his Sensation Drawings series.</p></div><br /><div><img alt="Sensation: Tummy Caresses" src="http://www.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/gallery/self-portrait-series-resized/Sensation-2-Tummy-Caresses.jpg" title="Sensation: Tummy Caresses" /></div><br /><div><p> </p><h2>Sensation Drawings: Tummy Caresses</h2><p> </p><p>A self-portrait from Saunders' Sensation Drawings series based on the feeling of a stomach caress.</p></div><br /><div id="blog_slideshow_previous_next"><div>View as gallery</div></div></div><p> </p><p>As of this moment, Bryan Lewis Saunders has drawn 8,628 self-portraits. By the end of the day, he’ll have completed 8,629. And although he’s recently become known as the guy who draws under the influence of drugs, his creations have been inspired by everything from death to body hair over the years.</p><p>“All day every day, images and feelings of the world come into me and it’s inescapable,” said Saunders in an e-mail to Wired. “So I thought if I did a self-portrait every day for the rest of my life, with no rules, the world and I could be more linked to my nervous system. And I could die knowing that I tried to experience as much as possible while I was alive.”</p><p>Saunders, a 43-year-old Virginia native who currently lives in Tennessee, comes off looking like the art world’s Louis C.K. in his wildly diverse images. He began his self-portrait experiment on March 30, 1995, after an art-history class discussion about the prevalence of artists who put themselves into images of the world around them. He didn’t entirely agree with that tack, so he flipped the concept on its head. (See his “normal face” self-portrait, which is the first image in the gallery above.)</p><p><span id="more-118648"> </span></p><p>Over the years, he’s created self-portraits based on love, the loss of family members and neighbors, his attempts at quitting smoking and the time he shaved off his body hair. And even though he’s not a “brony,” he once drew inspiration from My Little Pony. In the process, the amazingly prolific artist has opened a weird little window into life in modern America.</p><p>For the series based on his experiments with recreational and prescription drugs, he took everything from cocaine and Abilify to cough syrup and computer duster, then drew while under the influence. The resulting self-portraits range from intricately beautiful (psychedelic mushrooms) to insanely brutal (bath salts).</p><p>He’s undertaken other strange adventures as well, using the unusual experiences to generate unique imagery. “For 28 days I blocked up my external ears and attached a copper funnel to my mouth in an effort to connect my Eustachian tubes to my pineal gland by physically rerouting the way in which sound entered my body,” he said of his Third Ear Experiment.</p><div>“Only a severe stroke or coma could stop me from completing the self-portrait-a-day work.”</div><p>To date, Saunders has filled stacks of sketchbooks with his drawings — some days he does as many as nine of them. For the first decade of the project, the self-portraits were his primary artistic outlet. (In addition to drawing, Saunders now also does spoken word and performance art, and collaborates with musicians).</p><p>He doesn’t have any plans to stop cranking out the creative images. “Only a severe stroke or coma could stop me from completing the self-portrait-a-day work,” Saunders said.</p><p>Even though he’s had offers over the years to show his self-portraits at galleries, he’s been wary to hand them all over for fear of losing his life’s work. (He once had an entire exhibition stolen and had another sculpture vandalized during a show.) However, a collection of his drug-influenced self-portraits will be on display early next year at La Maison Rouge in Paris.</p></p>

Artist Draws 8,628 Self-Portraits Under the Influence of Love and Other Drugs

This self-portrait by Bryan Lewis Saunders shows his "normal face," but the other 8,000-plus images he's created over the past...

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Addiction Books For relaxation When 50 Shades of Grey doesn’t cut it.

<p><h3></h3><div></div><div class="post-body entry-content" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; background-color: #ffffff;"><div><img alt="" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaMINW9XWdZWMdNG5AJ0iWzxgsvy1qXdTc63NuSmgrVl3x22kcjWnTB3PyJ_Pkg9uZSATWMClWyx6jEsWHpcNvba8trTJwU4Mlc5zvlwCtcAX49Gw_1SURd2eN4nJ3-6Sm_RtG1tKiUVLN/s400/reading+on+beach+03.jpg" width="400" /></div><br /><br />The Science of Addiction: From Neurobiology to Treatment <br /><br />Carlton K. Erickson<br />312 pages <br />Publisher: W. W. Norton and Company (2007)<br /><br />Amazon Overview: Neuroscience is clarifying the causes of compulsive alcohol and drug use––while also shedding light on what addiction is, what it is not, and how it can best be treated––in exciting and innovative ways. Current neurobiological research complements and enhances the approaches to addiction traditionally taken in social work and psychology. However, this important research is generally not presented in a forthright, jargon-free way that clearly illustrates its relevance to addiction professionals. In The Science of Addiction, Carlton K. Erickson presents a comprehensive overview of the roles that brain function and genetics play in addiction.<br /><br /><br />The Addiction Solution: Unraveling the Mysteries of Addiction through Cutting-Edge Brain Science<br /><br />David Kipper and Steven Whitney<br />304 pages<br />Publisher: Rodale Books (2010)<br /><br />For decades addiction has been viewed and treated as a social and behavioral illness, afflicting people of “weak” character and “bad” moral fiber. However, recent breakthroughs in genetic technology have enabled doctors, for the first time, to correctly diagnose the disease and prove that addiction is an inherited, neuro-chemical disease originating in brain chemistry, determined by genetics, and triggered by stress. In their groundbreaking Addiction Breakthrough, David Kipper, MD, and Steven Whitney distill these exciting findings into a guide for the millions of adults who want to be free from the cycle of addiction, and for their loved ones who want to better understand it and to help.<br /><br /><br />In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction<br /><br />Gabor Maté<br />520 pages <br />Publisher: North Atlantic Books (2010) <br /><br />Based on Gabor Maté’s two decades of experience as a medical doctor and his groundbreaking work with the severely addicted on Vancouver’s skid row, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts radically reenvisions this much misunderstood field by taking a holistic approach. Dr. Maté presents addiction not as a discrete phenomenon confined to an unfortunate or weak-willed few, but as a continuum that runs throughout (and perhaps underpins) our society; not a medical "condition" distinct from the lives it affects, rather the result of a complex interplay among personal history, emotional, and neurological development, brain chemistry, and the drugs (and behaviors) of addiction. Simplifying a wide array of brain and addiction research findings from around the globe, the book avoids glib self-help remedies, instead promoting a thorough and compassionate self-understanding as the first key to healing and wellness. <br /><br /><br />Memoirs of an Addicted Brain: A Neuroscientist Examines his Former Life on Drugs <br /><br />Marc Lewis<br />336 pages <br />Publisher: PublicAffairs (2012)<br /><br />Marc Lewis’s relationship with drugs began in a New England boarding school where, as a bullied and homesick fifteen-year-old, he made brief escapes from reality by way of cough medicine, alcohol, and marijuana. In Berkeley, California, in its hippie heyday, he found methamphetamine and LSD and heroin. He sniffed nitrous oxide in Malaysia and frequented Calcutta’s opium dens. Ultimately, though, his journey took him where it takes most addicts: into a life of addiction, desperation, deception, and crime. But unlike most addicts, Lewis recovered and became a developmental psychologist and researcher in neuroscience. In Memoirs of an Addicted Brain, he applies his professional expertise to a study of his former self, using the story of his own journey through addiction to tell the universal story of addictions of every kind.<br /><br /><br />The Chemical Carousel: What Science Tells Us About Beating Addiction<br /><br />Dirk Hanson<br />472 pages <br />Publisher: BookSurge (2009)<br /><br />A book for anyone concerned with the care and healing of addiction, substance abuse, and the latest advances in the area of addiction science. In The Chemical Carousel, science writer Hanson takes the reader on a voyage through the heady world of addiction science, from the lab to the clinic to the junky on the street. Hanson explains the workings of common neurotransmitters and documents the direct effect drugs and alcohol produce on the reward pathways of the brain. He shows how scientists and treatment professionals have finally given us an answer to the perennial question about addiction: Why can't those people just say no?<br /><br /><br />An Anatomy of Addiction: Sigmund Freud, William Halsted, and the Miracle Drug, Cocaine<br /><br />Howard Markel<br />336 pages <br />Publisher: Vintage (2012)<br /><br />Acclaimed medical historian Howard Markel traces the careers of two brilliant young doctors--Sigmund Freud, neurologist, and William Halsted, surgeon--showing how their powerful addictions to cocaine shaped their enormous contributions to psychology and medicine. When Freud and Halsted began their experiments with cocaine in the 1880s, neither they, nor their colleagues, had any idea of the drug's potential to dominate and endanger their lives. An Anatomy of Addiction tells the tragic and heroic story of each man, accidentally struck down in his prime by an insidious malady: tragic because of the time, relationships, and health cocaine forced each to squander; heroic in the intense battle each man waged to overcome his affliction.<br /><br /><br />How to Change Your Drinking: a Harm Reduction Guide to Alcohol<br /><br />Kenneth Anderson<br />86 pages <br />Publisher: CreateSpace (2010)<br /><br />This book is the first comprehensive compilation of harm reduction strategies aimed specifically at people who drink alcohol. Whether your goal is safer drinking, reduced drinking, or quitting alcohol altogether, this is the book for you. It contains a large and detailed selection of harm reduction tools and strategies which you can choose from to build your own individualized alcohol harm reduction program. There are many practical exercises to help people change their behaviors, including risk-ranking worksheets, drinking charts, goal choice worksheets, and many more. There are also innumerable practical tips from folks who "have been there" and have turned their drinking habits around for the better. <br /><br /><br />Rethinking Substance Abuse: What the Science Shows, and What We Should Do about It<br /><br />William R. Miller and Kathleen M. Carroll<br />320 pages <br />Publisher: Guilford Press (2010) <br /><br />While knowledge on substance abuse and addictions is expanding rapidly, clinical practice still lags behind. This state-of-the-art book brings together leading experts to describe what treatment and prevention would look like if it were based on the best science available. The volume incorporates developmental, neurobiological, genetic, behavioral, and social–environmental perspectives. Tightly edited chapters summarize current thinking on the nature and causes of alcohol and other drug problems; discuss what works at the individual, family, and societal levels; and offer robust principles for developing more effective treatments and services.<br /><br /><h3>Writers On The Edge: 22 Writers Speak About Addiction and Dependency</h3>Diana Raab and James Brown<br />204 pages<br />Publisher: Modern History Press (2012)<br /><br />Writers On The Edge offers a range of essays, memoirs and poetry written by major contemporary authors who bring fresh insight into the dark world of addiction, from drugs and alcohol, to sex, gambling and food. Editors Diana M. Raab and James Brown have assembled an array of talented and courageous writers who share their stories with heartbreaking honesty as they share their obsessions as well as the awe-inspiring power of hope and redemption. Frederick & Steven Barthelme, Kera Bolonik, Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, Maud Casey, Anna David, Denise Duhamel, B.H. Fairchild, Ruth Fowler, David Huddle Perie Longo, Gregory Orr, Victoria Patterson, Molly Peacock, Scott Russell Sanders, Stephen Jay Schwartz, Linda Gray Sexton, Sue William Silverman, Chase Twichell, and Rachel Yoder<br /><br /><br /></div></p>

Addiction Books For relaxation When 50 Shades of Grey doesn’t cut it.

The Science of Addiction: From Neurobiology to Treatment  Carlton K. Erickson 312 pages  Publisher: W. W. Norton and Company (2007) Amazon O...

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WHEN YOUR HIGHER POWER FAILS YOU

<p>It happens every time. Without fail. Without exception. I bet it's happened to you also. Just think about it. How often has your god failed you? Every single time. Every single time I have turned a human being into a god, or turned something man-made into an idol, or placed my trust, expectation, hope, and confidence in anything else but the one true God, my god has failed me. Some people are slow learners. I am one of them. I have made the same mistake countless times. And every single time, that's right, you've got it. It happens every time. Maybe I should be more careful when I place my trust, expectation, hope, and confidence in a human being. Maybe I should be more choosy with the human I choose. Not so. No matter the human, the same outcome will arise. My god will fail me. I did it again recently. I made the same mistake. But my mistake wasn't the human I chose. My mistake was the choice I made to pick a human. And guess what happened? You guessed it. My god failed me. But how can this happen, time and again? Easily. First, it happens when I fail to remember when I need not to forget. Never, ever, place what belongs to God in heaven in the hands of a human. My love and trust, my loyalty and faithfulness, my belief and confidence, my hope and expectation, must be placed in the Lord first and foremost, above all and everyone else - whether it be someone or something else, or whether it be myself. Second, it happens not because I forget, but because I don't realize and recognize what I have done. Hard habits sometimes die slowly, don't they? And slow habits die hard. It has been a hard lesson for me, and I have to be vigilant to ensure I don't unconsciously do what I have so often done. So what is the outcome of this all? My gods fail me. Every human I have ever made into a god, every person or thing I have ever turned into an idol, the result has always been the same. My false gods have failed me, hurt me, let me down, forsaken me, abandoned me, rejected me, broken me, fallen short, messed up, and a zillion other things. Seriously? Yes. Will the real God please stand up?</p>

WHEN YOUR HIGHER POWER FAILS YOU

It happens every time. Without fail. Without exception. I bet it's happened to you also. Just think about it. How often has your god fai...

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Researchers completing a new study on alcohol consumption have discovered that college-age students who binge drink are happier than those who don't.

<p><p id="yui_3_5_1_21_1345507711715_348"> </p><p id="yui_3_5_1_21_1345507711715_343">Those who engaged in binge drinking tend to belong to so-called high-status groups: wealthy, white, male and active in fraternity life. And those who did not belong to the high-status groups could achieve similar levels of social acceptance through the act of binge drinking. In fact, the study results suggest that students engaged in the heavy drinking practice to elevate their social status amongst peers rather than to alleviate depression or anxiety.</p><p id="yui_3_5_1_21_1345507711715_349">"The present study offers another insight into the nature of a seemingly intractable social problem," the study released on Monday reads. "It is our hope that by drawing attention to the important social motivations underlying binge drinking, institutional administrators and public health professionals will be able to design and implement programs for students that take into account the full range of reasons that students binge drink."</p><p id="yui_3_5_1_21_1345507711715_350">The Washington Post reports that the study's co-author and Colgate University associate professor Carolyn Hsu presented some of the findings during the American Sociological Association gathering in Denver last week.</p><p id="yui_3_5_1_21_1345507711715_351">Interestingly, the study results compiled from surveying 1,600 college students also continues to support past evidence suggesting that binge drinking leads to a number of problems affecting the mind and body, including alcoholism, violence, poor grades and risky sexual behavior.</p><p>"I would guess it has to do with feeling like you belong and whether or not you're doing what a 'real' college student does," Hsu told LiveScience. "It seems to be more about certain groups getting to define what that looks like."</p><p>Binge drinking was defined as consuming more than four drinks in one occasion for women and more than five drinks for men. Sixty-four percent of respondents said they had engaged in the practice, compared with 36 percent who said they had not.</p><p id="yui_3_5_1_21_1345507711715_374">Those statistics differ from similar evidence gathered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC's statistics measure binge drinking in the same quantity but limit the consumption period to two hours or fewer. Its results also found that the majority of binge drinkers (70 percent) were over the age of 26. The CDC has also found that 90 percent of alcohol consumed by people under the age of 21 is done in the form of binge drinking, compared with 75 percent among all U.S. adults.</p></p>

Researchers completing a new study on alcohol consumption have discovered that college-age students who binge drink are happier than those who don't.

  Those who engaged in binge drinking tend to belong to so-called high-status groups: wealthy, white, male and active in fraternity life. An...

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The Five Keys to Mindful Communication

<p>The first key of mindful communication, according to Chapman (2012), is having amindful presence. This means having an open mind, awake body and a tender heart. When you have a mindful presence, you give up expectations, stories about yourself and others, and acting on emotions.</p><p>You are fully in the present moment; your communication isn’t focused on the “me” and what the “me” needs, but the we.</p><p>Mindful listening is the second key to mindful communication. Mindful listening is about encouraging the other person. This means looking through the masks and pretense and seeing the value in the person and the strengths he or she possesses. It’s looking past the human frailties and flaws that we all have to see the authentic person and the truth in what that person is attempting to say.</p><p>Mindful speech, the third key, is about gentleness. Speaking gently means being effective in what you say. It’s about speaking in a way that you can be hard. To be gentle with our speech means being aware of when our own insecurities and fears are aroused to the point we are acting out of fear rather than acceptance.</p><p>Practicing self-compassion for our fear, envy, jealousy and self-doubts is more effective than focusing on others as being a threat or attempting to change them. When you use gentle speech, you are communicating acceptance to the other person and saying what is true, not an interpretation or an exaggeration or a minimization.</p><p>The key to mindful relationships is unconditional friendliness. Unconditional friendliness means accepting the ebb and flow of relationships. Sometimes you meet new friends, sometimes friends move on, sometimes there is joy and sometimes there is pain. Sometimes you’ll feel lonely, sometimes you’ll feel cherished and connected, and then you’ll feel lonely again.</p><p>Unconditional friendliness means that your acceptance of others is not dependent on them staying with you or agreeing with you. You don’t cling to relationships to avoid loss.</p><p>Mindful responsiveness is like playfulness.  Playfulness is the openness that you can have when you let go of preconceived ideas and strategies. It’s like creating something new. Imagine two skilled dancers who alternatively lead each other in creating a new dance in every interaction, never doing the same complete dance over and over. They respond in the moment to the message sent by the other. There are no rules or expectations and yet they both bring skillful behavior.</p><p>Mindful communication requires practice. If you choose to practice the keys, you might choose to focus on one at a time. Being willing to regulate your emotions is a prerequisite to mindful communication and mindfulness of your emotions is necessary for emotion regulation.</p><p>Mindfulness is a core skill for the emotionally sensitive.</p><p> </p><p>References</p><p><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=dreawarrreco-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=1590309413" frameborder="0"></iframe></p><p>Chapman, Susan Gillis. The Five Keys to Mindful Communication:  Using Deep Listening and Mindful Speech to Strengthen Relationships, Heal Conflicts and Acceomplish Your Goals. Boston: Shambhala, 2012.</p>

The Five Keys to Mindful Communication

The first key of mindful communication, according to Chapman (2012), is having amindful presence. This means having an open mind, awake body...

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ADDICTION charity Focus12 has received a huge financial boost after a codumentary about Russell Brand was shown last night.

<p><p>The documentary Russell Brand: Addiction to Recovery resulted in an immediate boost in donations and inspired the managing director of Bury St Edmunds based Chevington Finance and Leasing to offer the charity £106,000 over three years.</p><div><p>Russell Brand attended Focus12, the Bury St Edmunds abstinence-based alcohol and drug rehabilitation centre, in 2003 and is now a patron of the charity, describing it as ‘a really excellent example of a small cost effective rehab that can help people change in dramatic ways’.</p><p>Chip Somers, Focus12’s chief executive, said: “Russell’s documentary and his work this year to raise the profile of abstinence based recovery has got people talking about addiction in a different way, and made them realise that there is a viable alternative to simply giving up on addicts, or parking them on methadone.</p><p>“We are blown away by the generosity of Chevington — this financial support will make a huge difference to us as a charity and will certainly mean we can continue to stay open and help those who need us for longer. Raising funds for a recovery charity has never been harder than it is at present, every day is literally a struggle to keep afloat and we are very grateful.”</p><p>Clive Morris, Managing Director of Chevington Finance and Leasing said: “My wife and I were incredibly touched by last night’s documentary, which inspired us to endorse the local treatment centre Focus12, and we have today agreed funding assistance for the charity of £106,000 over the next 4 years.</p><p>“We believe that as a successful, responsible and reliable company we have a duty to help local charities survive this recession and the work that Chip Somers and his team do is fantastic and we fully endorse their abstinence based programme and have seen what a difference it makes to people’s lives.”</p></div></p>

ADDICTION charity Focus12 has received a huge financial boost after a codumentary about Russell Brand was shown last night.

The documentary Russell Brand: Addiction to Recovery resulted in an immediate boost in donations and inspired the managing director of Bury ...

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London's secret music venue and their livestream act

<div><h3></h3></div><div id="15745"><img alt="boiler-room-ch1.jpg" height="413" src="http://www.coolhunting.com/assets_c/2012/08/boiler-room-ch1-thumb-800x533-45065.jpg" width="620" /><p>With an invite-only door policy and super secret location, <a href="http://boilerroom.tv/" target="_blank">Boiler Room</a> is London's most exclusive music venue. But elitism isn't the premise for its clandestine nature—in fact, anyone with an Internet connection can easily join in the fun. Using a simple webcam, the crew behind Boiler Room livestreams each set for the world to see free of charge, and each month more than a million viewers tune in to see performances by artists like James Blake, The xx, Roots Manuva, Neon Indian, Juan Maclean and more.</p><img alt="boiler-room-ch2.jpg" height="413" src="http://www.coolhunting.com/assets_c/2012/08/boiler-room-ch2-thumb-800x533-45066.jpg" width="620" /><p>We recently chilled out to the smooth sounds of Brooklyn's <a href="http://howtodresswell.com/" target="_blank">How To Dress Well</a> before rocking out to revered musician <a href="http://boilerroom.tv/matthew-dear-40-min-mix/" target="_blank">Matthew Dear</a>, who brought down the house with an intense 40-minute DJ set. Keep an eye out for our interview with Dear, but for now you can get a little more insight into the underground music scene's most talked about livestream show by checking out our interview with assistant musical programmer and Boiler Room host Nic Tasker.</p><img alt="boiler-room-ch3.jpg" height="413" src="http://www.coolhunting.com/assets_c/2012/08/boiler-room-ch3-thumb-800x533-45067.jpg" width="620" /><h5>How important is it for Boiler Room to remain secret, at least in its location?</h5><p>That is quite an important aspect of it, purely because it means when you do shows you don't get a lot of groupies, pretty much everyone in the room is either a friend of ours or one of the artist's. It helps to create a more relaxed atmosphere for the artist and I think they feel less pressure. They're also just able to chill out and be themselves more rather than having people being like, "Hi can I get your autograph?" If the artists are relaxed usually you get the best music.</p><h5>It seems like there is more interaction among the crowd than at a typical venue, is that intentional?</h5><p>It's definitely a social place. All the people that come down, most of them we know and they're all our friends. So they come down, hang, have a drink and just chill out, basically. From our very set-up, we do it with a webcam, we're not a highly professional organization but I think that's kind of the charm of it. The main thing is people come down with the right attitude.</p><img alt="boiler-room-ch4.jpg" height="413" src="http://www.coolhunting.com/assets_c/2012/08/boiler-room-ch4-thumb-800x533-45068.jpg" width="620" /><h5>How much of the show is prescribed?</h5><p>I guess that depends on the artist. We never say anything. Literally, whatever they want to do—we're kind of the platform for them to do whatever they want, so if Matthew Dear wants to come and play an hour of noise with no beats, he can do that. That's fine with us, and I think that's why artists like coming to play for us. We're not like a club where you have to make people dance, we don't give a shit if people dance. It's nice if they do and it makes it more fun, but some nights you just get people appreciating the music, which is equally fun.</p><img alt="boiler-room-ch5.jpg" height="413" src="http://www.coolhunting.com/assets_c/2012/08/boiler-room-ch5-thumb-800x533-45069.jpg" width="620" /><h5>Is there a particular kind of artist you guys look for and ask to come perform?</h5><p>No, not particularly, it's just whatever we're feeling. Thristian [Boiler Room's co-founder] has the main say on musical direction, but it's a massive team effort. In London there's five of us, New York there's two, LA there's one and Berlin there's two.</p><h5>Tonight you had different set-ups for each artist, do you tailor their positioning in the room to their style?</h5><p>It definitely depends on the act and what kind of music they do. With live bands we found what works nicely is having them opposite each other because it's like they're in rehearsal, like they're just jamming. Which is again trying to give them that chilled out feel that they're just at home jamming and there happens to be a camera there. For some of our shows we've had over 100,000 viewers. When you think of those numbers it's quite scary, but when you're in the room and it's all friends it creates that vibe that people don't mind. You can imagine if you had all those people in front of you it would be a very different situation.</p><img alt="boiler-room-ch7.jpg" height="413" src="http://www.coolhunting.com/assets_c/2012/08/boiler-room-ch7-thumb-800x533-45072.jpg" width="620" /><h5>Have you ever thought of Boiler Room as an East London version of Soul Train?</h5><p>It's never crossed my mind like that, but I can see why you think that. I like to think of us as the new music broadcaster, kind of the new MTV, but obviously we operate in the underground scene mainly. But I like to think that what we do is as revolutionary as what they were doing. We're always growing into something new.</p><img alt="boiler-room-ch6.jpg" height="413" src="http://www.coolhunting.com/assets_c/2012/08/boiler-room-ch6-thumb-800x533-45070.jpg" width="620" /><h5>What's up next for Boiler Room?</h5><p>We have had visual people in doing 3D mapping, and that's something we're looking forward to progressing—doing more with the visuals. We've got the upstairs as well, we're starting to do breakfast shows with some high profile DJs, we're going to be doing that regularly. Each will have an individual format. The next step is progressing the US shows, we're alternating weekly between New York and LA, so the next step is to take Boiler Room to America</p></div>

London's secret music venue and their livestream act

With an invite-only door policy and super secret location,  Boiler Room  is London's most exclusive music venue. But elitism isn't t...

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Breaking Free of the Co-dependency Trap presents a groundbreaking developmental road map to guide readers away from their co-dependent behaviors and toward a life of wholeness and fulfillment.

<p>Breaking Free of the Co-dependency Trap presents a groundbreaking developmental road map to guide readers away from their co-dependent behaviors and toward a life of wholeness and fulfillment.UK Citizens<iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=cosdelcri-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=1577316142&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe></p><p>This is the book that offers a different perspective on codependency and is strongly recommended by Dream Warrior Recovery as part of a solution based recovery. This bestselling book, now in a revised edition, radically challenges the prevailing medical definition of co-dependency as a permanent, progressive, and incurable addiction. Rather, the authors identify it as the result of developmental traumas that interfered with the infant-parent bonding relationship during the first year of life.US Citizens<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=dreawarrreco-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=1577316142" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe></p><p>Drawing on decades of clinical experience, Barry and Janae Weinhold correlate the developmental causes of co-dependency with relationship problems later in life, such as establishing and maintaining boundaries, clinging and dependent behaviors, people pleasing, and difficulty achieving success in the world. Then they focus on healing co-dependency, providing compelling case histories and practical activities to help readers heal early trauma and transform themselves and their primary relationships.</p>

Breaking Free of the Co-dependency Trap presents a groundbreaking developmental road map to guide readers away from their co-dependent behaviors and toward a life of wholeness and fulfillment.

Breaking Free of the Co-dependency Trap presents a groundbreaking developmental road map to guide readers away from their co-dependent behav...

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Vintage Ads Most Disturbing Household Products

<p><h1 id="articleTitle"> </h1><br /><img alt="" src="http://i.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/article/8/9/7/140897.jpg?v=1" /><div id="persistent-share"><div id="pshare-container"><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">All of the following ads are real and unaltered, so don't blame us. We weren't there when they were made, and in some cases the entire insane thought process that went into creating them has been lost to history. Maybe they made perfect sense at the time?</span></div></div></div><p>Maybe. But it's really hard to see how even our parents and grandparents didn't get nightmares from ...</p><h2>#13. Three-Legged Dingo Boots</h2><p><img alt="" height="445" src="http://i.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/article/8/9/2/140892.jpg?v=1" width="336" /><a href="http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/celebrities-ads-1970s#ad25fiwshgsima7n" target="c">vintageadbrowser.com</a></p><p>The Message:</p><p>Here are some boots that you should buy, because famous people wear them. Three of them.</p><p>The Horror:</p><p>Wait, what?</p><p>Yes, amazingly, the fact that this ad stars a pre-murder O.J. Simpson is the second-creepiest thing about it. And you can squint and try to read the text all you want -- it makes no reference whatsoever to the fact that their spokesperson has three legs. There's no cute slogan like "Boots so comfortable, you'll wish you had another foot!" Nope. It's like some guy in the art department just said, "Eh, I don't like how you can't really see the chair, let's just add another leg to fill that space."</p><p>We know what you're thinking: "Cracked, this is obviously a subtle 'big dick' joke. 'Third leg?' Get it?" But, no, it turns out this was a whole campaign they did with various celebrities, some of whom are women:</p><p><img alt="" height="388" src="http://i.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/article/8/9/3/140893.jpg?v=1" width="286" /><a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/MS-DINGO-DINGO-LEATHER-BOOTS-VINTAGE-AD-1978-/350128943995" target="c">eBay</a><br />Like, uh ... this famous lady right here.</p><p>But O.J. seems to be the most frequent star of the "Third Leg" campaign, which apparently lasted for years. Note how his afro shrinks as he gets more comfortable with his new appendage:</p><p><img alt="" height="566" src="http://i.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/article/8/9/4/140894.jpg?v=1" width="412" /><br />The picture in that third ad would have been perfect for the cover of his book.</p><p>Please don't blame us for the inevitable nightmare in which O.J. is running after you, in the dark, those three boots pounding down the pavement after you with a noise like a wounded horse.</p><h2>#12. Lord West Suits Will Impress Your 7-Year-Old Date</h2><p><img alt="" height="454" src="http://i.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/article/8/9/0/140890_v1.jpg" width="324" /><a href="http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/clothes-ads-1960s/3#ad083dohrlmkd67o" target="c">vintageadbrowser.com</a><br />"I like my women like I like my code names: 007."</p><p>The Message:</p><p>Women of all ages dig men in tuxedos!</p><p>The Horror:</p><p>According to the text, this dinner suit is for "sophisticated traditionalists," a euphemism we weren't previously aware of for "child molesters." Because there's no other way to interpret this picture. That's not tenderness on their faces. That's hunger. If you told us that they're a father and daughter, that would only make it creepier.</p><p>And it turns out that this is only the worst example in a whole series of ads associating little girls with selling tuxedos.</p><p><img alt="" height="353" src="http://i.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/article/8/9/1/140891.jpg?v=1" width="494" /><a href="http://www.ebay.com/sch/sis.html?_nkw=1967%20The%20Look%20is%20Lord%20West%20and%20the%20lady%20approves%20Ad&_itemId=380179681544" target="c">eBay</a><br />The style is best described as Godfather meets Lolita.</p><p>Can you imagine the pitch meeting that led to this campaign? Picture Don Draper from Mad Men standing before his clients, selling them on this idea:</p><p>"Class. Elegance. Making out with little girls. These are the values your company represents."</p><p>"Did ... did you say 'making out with little girls,' Don?"</p><p>"Yes," replied Don with perfect confidence.</p><p>"OK, just making sure."</p><p>Sitting at the end of the table, Peggy looks at Don and smiles. He did it again.</p><h2>#11. Man in Tuxedo Carefully Considers Naked Child</h2><p><img alt="" height="529" src="http://i.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/article/8/8/8/140888.jpg?v=1" width="345" /><a href="http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/adaccess_BH0802/" target="c">library.duke.edu</a><br />"Told you it was bigger. Now pay up."</p><p>The Message:</p><p>Regular soap sinks in the bathtub, causing children to take longer in washing themselves and their fathers to get angry and spank them. Prevent child abuse by buying Ivory Soap -- it floats.</p><p>The Horror:</p><p>OK, they're clearly just fucking with us at this point. Remove the text and the message becomes clear: "In the old days, child predators used to dress way better than they do now." But let's put the pedophilia overtones aside for the moment and examine the text.</p><p>Was the elaborate scenario described under the picture (involving childhoods ruined by non-floating soap) really such a common problem in the '20s, or was this based on the painful personal experiences of whoever commissioned this ad? We're betting on the latter option. Note that the father's body language doesn't say "I'm going to spank you" -- he's clearly pondering which part of the kid's body to break first.</p><p><img alt="" height="195" src="http://i.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/article/8/8/9/140889.jpg?v=1" width="193" /><br />"Maybe the 28th trimester isn't too late for an abortion."</p><h2>#10. "Are You Sure I'll Still Be a Virgin?"</h2><p><img alt="" height="477" src="http://i.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/article/8/9/6/140896.jpg?v=1" width="351" /><a href="http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2009/07/12/marketing-the-tampon-will-i-still-be-a-virgin/" target="c">thesocietypages.org</a><br />"If you didn't think band camp counted, I don't see why you'd think this would."</p><p>The Message:</p><p>Don't worry, teens, you can use Tampax tampons without losing your virginity.</p><p>The Horror:</p><p>Be honest: How many of you looked at this picture and immediately recognized it as a Tampax ad? And how many looked at it and thought it depicted a teenage girl being sexually propositioned? It's not just us, is it?</p><p>This ad would have looked 90 percent less sordid if both people involved were clearly visible. Instead, the second teenager is for some reason sitting on the floor of the porch with her back to us, so we can't see how young, or scared, she is. But, of course, all of that is purely from our own depraved imagination. The real ad is simply about two teenagers debating whether or not inserting a tampon counts as sex.</p><h2>#9. Escaped Convicts Love Revell Authentic Model Kits</h2><p><img alt="" height="450" src="http://i.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/article/8/8/2/140882_v1.jpg" width="336" /><a href="http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/military-ads-1960s/10#adjp4c5c2lyr9ceu" target="c">vintageadbrowser.com</a><br />"Is this the new plan, boss?"<br />"I've spent all day plotting against Superman; this is 'Lex Time'."</p><p>The Message:</p><p>Hey kids! Check out these sweet model kits!</p><p>The Horror:</p><p>There's only one possible scenario in which this picture could have come to exist: The photographers were getting ready to shoot this ad when they realized that the boy who was supposed to be holding up the models in the picture never showed up for work. Panicking, the man from the ad agency looked around the studio.</p><p>"Dmitri, can you come here for a second?" he said to the guy who fixes the lighting. "Stand here and hold this model. Yes, that's great. You'll play the boy in this ad."</p><p>"But sir," said the photographer, "Dmitri was just released from jail. In fact, he's still wearing the prison jumpsuit."</p><p>"No, no, he's perfect. Look at him. Look at that childlike innocence in his face."</p><p><img alt="" height="289" src="http://i.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/article/8/8/3/140883_v2.jpg" width="196" /><br />"Could you open the top button maybe, show a little chest hair?"</p><p>"Perfect."</p><h2>#8. Our Competitors = Surgical Ass Torture</h2><p><img alt="" height="521" src="http://i.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/article/8/9/5/140895.jpg?v=1" width="395" /><a href="http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/medicine-ads-1930s/3" target="c">vintageadbrowser.com</a><br />"Don't worry, sir, the gloves are just to establish atmosphere."</p><p>The Message:</p><p>Using cheap toilet paper can lead to medical complications.</p><p>The Horror:</p><p>... which in turn can lead to rubber-gloved hands inserting clamps in your anus. Better play it safe and go with Scott Tissues.</p><p>This attempt to traumatize customers into buying their product with threats of anal torture was part of a whole marketing campaign created during the Great Depression in which Scott Tissues' slogan went from "Wipe your butt with us" to "Wipe your butt with us, or die in a world of asshole pain."</p><p>Of course, it was all bullshit: There's no such thing as "toilet tissue illness," it was just a thing they made up to convince people to keep buying tissues at a time when they were lucky enough if they had a toilet.</p><h2>#7. "Before You Scold Me, Mom ... Maybe You'd Better Light Up a Marlboro"</h2><p><img alt="" height="481" src="http://i.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/article/8/7/4/140874_v1.jpg" width="183" /><a href="http://www.deceptology.com/2011/02/10-deceptive-baby-advertisements.html" target="c">deceptology.com</a></p><p>The Message:</p><p>Before you beat your baby for stealing your favorite hat, have a cigarette and relax yourself. Then beat the baby.</p><p>The Horror:</p><p>How many times did this months-old child have to be punched before it learned to pick up the Marlboros and offer them to mommy to calm her down? If that's not the saddest thing you've imagined all week, you're dead inside. This is actually one in a series of ads from the '50s, back when Marlboro was targeting mommies instead of rugged cowboys. Sometimes the babies actually seem to be guilting their moms into smoking more.</p><p><img alt="" src="http://i.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/article/8/7/2/140872.jpg?v=1" /><a href="http://tobacco.stanford.edu/tobacco_main/images.php?token2=fm_st142.php&token1=fm_img4318.php&theme_file=fm_mt016.php&theme_name=Infants%20&%20Children&subtheme_name=Babies" target="c">tobacco.stanford.edu</a><br />"You turned me into an addict when I was a fetus, now deal with it."</p><p>Oddly enough, the version of this ad aimed at fathers doesn't involve scolding, but a pompous baby in a basket defending daddy's rather feminine cigarette tastes (note the reference to "beauty tips" at the bottom).</p><p style="margin: 20px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: Georgia, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.625em;"><img alt="" height="363" src="http://i.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/article/8/7/3/140873_v1.jpg" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit;" width="140" /><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://tobacco.stanford.edu/tobacco_main/images.php?token2=fm_st142.php&token1=fm_img4318.php&theme_file=fm_mt016.php&theme_name=Infants%20&%20Children&subtheme_name=Babies" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-size: 10px; font-family: inherit; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none; color: #145e9d;" target="c">tobacco.stanford.edu</a></span><br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This is the kind of debate babies have all the time.</span></p><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br /><br /><br /></span></p>

Vintage Ads Most Disturbing Household Products

  All of the following ads are real and unaltered, so don't blame us. We weren't there when they were made, and in some cases the en...

Read more »

Brad Pitt is reportedly utilising his free time to plan his wedding with Angelina Jolie.

<p><br /><img align="left" alt="Brad Pitt busy planning wedding" class="bor-pad-ab" src="http://zns.india.com/upload/2012/8/5/pitt301.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d9d9d9; padding: 4px; margin: 0px 8px 0px 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;" /></p><table style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;" align="right"><tbody><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">The 48-year-old has taken charge of preparations for the wedding that is expected to take place end of September. He has flown in a team of builders to renovate the home he shares with Jolie in southern France.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">"Angelina isn`t so bothered about when they tie the knot, it`s Brad who is piling on the pressure," a website has quoted a source as saying.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">"He wants the main house to be finished when the event takes place, even though the close friends and relatives who are invited aren`t the types to care. He wants everything to be absolutely perfect," the source added.</span></p>

Brad Pitt is reportedly utilising his free time to plan his wedding with Angelina Jolie.

The 48-year-old has taken charge of preparations for the wedding that is expected to take place end of September. He has flown in a team of ...

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yellow jacket stun gun case for iphone

<p><p><img alt="" height="570" src="http://www.designboom.com/weblog/images/images_2/andy/yellow_jacket/yellow_jacket01.jpg" width="818" /><br /><br />yellow jacket is a case that transforms the iPhone 4 & 4S into that 650,000-volt stun gun you've always needed.<br /><br /><br /><br /><iframe width="818" height="460" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/44116436?portrait=0" frameborder="0"></iframe></p><p><br /><br />scheduled to hit the US market in fall 2012 the case is advertised as being able to <br />easily stop an aggressive male attacker, and ready for use in less than two seconds. <br />its designer seth froom, a former military policeman came up with the product after <br />being robbed in his home at gunpoint.<br /><br />what is the demand for such a hostile product you might ask? well, yellow jacket <br />has managed to receive over 100,000 USD worth of backing on the crowd-funding <br />website indiegogo which means that there must be quite a few people out there <br />who feel the need to transform their phone into a weapon.<br /><br /><img alt="" height="356" src="http://www.designboom.com/weblog/images/images_2/andy/yellow_jacket/yellow_jacket03.jpg" width="818" /><br />detail of the stun gun nodes <br /><br />the iPhone's designers could never have conceived half of the the weird and wonderful accessories <br />that have been designed for use with the iPhone since its launch, but even in the name of self defense <br />a stun gun seems a bit much, doesn't it?</p></p>

yellow jacket stun gun case for iphone

yellow jacket is a case that transforms the iPhone 4 & 4S into that 650,000-volt stun gun you've always needed. scheduled to hit the...

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Now You Can Buy a $250,000 Nail Polish

<p style="margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1.45em; color: #363636; background-color: #ffffff;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-277604" height="369" src="http://cdn.fashionista.com/uploads/2012/08/bottle-150x369.jpg?9d7bd4" style="margin: 0px 20px 15px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: #cccccc; max-width: 100%; float: left;" title="bottle" width="150" />Remember that time when everyone got all freaked out about thatsnakeskin pedicure that cost $300? Well, get ready to completely lose it, because we just got a press release for the “most expensive nail polish in the world.”</p><p>That title was previously held by Models Own, which produced a $130,000 bottle (featuring a 24-carat gold, diamond-encrusted lid) back in 2010. However, the self-professed “king of black diamonds,” Azature, has doubled that figure. A bottle of black nail polish containing a whopping 267 carats of black diamonds in the actual polish will go for $250,000. Yikes. You won’t be able to just walk into Duane Reade and buy this sucker, however–only one bottle of the stuff will be produced.</p><p>For those of us who can’t afford a quarter of a million dollars for a manicure, Azature is offering a $25 version (see, now doesn’t $25 nail polish sound downright cheap in comparison?) containing one measly black diamond. You’ll be able to pick it up in LA at Fred Segal starting this month.</p>

Now You Can Buy a $250,000 Nail Polish

Remember that time when everyone got all freaked out about thatsnakeskin pedicure that cost $300? Well, get ready to completely lose it, bec...

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Estepona Town Hall sacks 176 municipal workers

<p>The news was given on Wednesday by the Councillor for Personnel, Pilar Fernández-Figares Estepona Town Hall has sacked 176 municipal workers. The PP Councillor for Personnel, Pilar Fernández-Figares, announced on Wednesday that the 176 workers are victims of the ERE Employment Regulation which the Town Hall put forward in June. The workers will be compensated with 2.5 million € and they will be given their ‘finiquito payments of 408,000 € between them. Pilar Fernández-Figares said one they were sacked the Town Hall will start to work on a new ‘training program for the reinsertion of the sacked workers’.</p>

Estepona Town Hall sacks 176 municipal workers

The news was given on Wednesday by the Councillor for Personnel, Pilar Fernández-Figares Estepona Town Hall has sacked 176 municipal workers...

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BMW to sell luxury cars for less online

<p><div><h1><img alt="The BMW i3 concept car at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show in January." src="http://cmsimg.detnews.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C3&Date=20120729&Category=AUTO0104&ArtNo=207290302&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0&BMW-sell-luxury-cars-less-online" /></h1></div><div id="article-bodytext"><div id="ody-mainphoto"><div></div><h6>The BMW i3 concept car at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show in January. (John T. Greilick / Detroit News)</h6></div><div><div id="artpagination"><div><div><div><p>BMW will sell cars over the Web for the first time as the world's largest maker of luxury vehicles seeks an inexpensive way to reach more buyers to recoup spending on its electric models.</p><p>A direct online sales platform for BMW's new I sub-brand will be unique in an industry where, outside of small-scale experiments, competitors leave Internet orders for cars to dealers. BMW's range of strategies for the models, including a roaming sales force backing a limited showroom network, reflects the challenge carmakers face as low-emission vehicles trickle into dealerships to sluggish demand after years of development.</p><p>"There is considerable risk in BMW's approach of promoting the I brand so prominently," said Stefan Bratzel, director of the Center of Automotive Management at the University of Applied Science in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany. "There is the image risk, if they don't succeed as quickly as expected, and then there's the main risk of costs, which can only be countered with high deliveries."</p><p>BMW opened the I models' first showroom Tuesday in London, although only prototype cars and informational materials will be displayed at first because the vehicles themselves won't go on sale before next year. BMW is spending about $3 billion developing the i3 battery-powered city car and i8 plug-in hybrid supercar, according to an estimate by Frost & Sullivan. Industry sales of electric cars last year, at 43,000 vehicles, were only 57 percent of the 75,000 deliveries predicted by Sarwant Singh, a London-based automotive partner at the consulting company.</p><h3>Starting prices posted</h3><p>The four-seat i3, scheduled to reach the market in late 2013, will be priced at about 40,000 euros ($48,500), Bratzel estimated. That compares with a 23,850-euro starting price ($29,388) in Germany for the 1-Series, the cheapest BMW-brand car. The i8, targeted for sale in 2014, will cost more than 100,000 euros ($123,221), according to Ian Robertson, BMW's sales chief.</p><p>Details of how I-model buyers, the website and dealerships will interact are "still in the planning process" and will be communicated later, Linda Croissant, a spokeswoman at Munich- based BMW, said last week. Sales will be focused on the world's major urban areas, she said.</p><p>The online sales option is aimed at a generation of drivers used to making daily purchases over the Internet, and will be an extension of the car configuration that most automakers offer customers to view models with desired options such as interior colors, seat materials and roof styles.</p><h3>Test drives not an option</h3><p>The Internet platform may take a while to catch on because "many customers will still want to go somewhere to look at and drive the vehicle before buying," said Ian Fletcher, an auto analyst in London at research company IHS Global Insight.</p><p>"With new technologies, there may be even greater skepticism about buying a car over the Internet, as in many cases you'll have to win the confidence of customers that it works and there is support for them," Fletcher said in an email.</p><p>The setup may help BMW reduce expenses: Internet sales require less than half the cost of distributing through a dealership, according to Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer of the Center Automotive Research at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany. That allows online car prices to be 5 percent to 7 percent less than showroom tags.</p><p>Still, BMW sees standard dealerships as "the backbone of what we are doing in the interface with the customer" for the I models, Robertson said in June at a press presentation at the sub-brand's Park Lane showroom in London.</p><h3>Dealer selection criteria</h3><p>Outlets will be restricted to dealers with high BMW-brand sales volume who have floor space as well as capacity to work with I models' powering technology and carbon-fiber body material, Robertson said. The carmaker has chosen 45 of its approximately 200 dealers in Germany to sell the i3 and i8, a ratio that will probably be similar elsewhere, he said.</p><p>Dealers will be designated as agents for the I models, which provides an "advantage" by keeping the vehicles on the carmaker's books, the association of BMW distributors in Germany said in an email.</p><p>Electric vehicles' disadvantages versus conventional cars include costly battery packs, limited ranges and the time needed to recharge. Consumer reception to models like the Nissan Motor Co.'s Leaf and General Motors Co.'s Chevrolet Volt has been tepid.</p><p>"Currently available electric cars have a limited market success because they are a big compromise," said Arndt Ellinghorst, a London-based analyst at Credit Suisse AG. "Customers are not willing to compromise and spend a lot of money."</p><h3>Carbon fiber bodies lighter</h3><p>BMW Chief Executive Officer Norbert Reithofer started Project I at the end of 2007 as tighter emissions regulations threatened the viability of sporty sedans. BMW chose to create all-new vehicles that use expensive carbon fiber for a lighter body to make up for the weight of the battery system.</p><p>The approach contrasts with a decision by Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz Cars division to convert existing models, such as the van-like B-Class or two-seat Smart, to electric power.</p><p>To make its electric vehicles more attractive, Stuttgart, Germany-based Daimler's Smart brand offers to lease the battery separately from the car. The automaker has a target of selling more than 10,000 of the models next year, with a starting price of 18,910 euros plus monthly battery rental at 65 euros.</p><p>The I models' new technology poses risks for BMW, "but they have no choice if they want to keep their premium and image as an innovation leader," Ellinghorst said.</p><p>The i3 and i8 will probably be among BMW's lowest-selling models through 2024, alongside the existing Z4 roadster, according to IHS estimates. In 2014, the first full year of production, BMW will probably deliver 31,380 i3s, compared with 564,760 of the best-selling 3-Series model and 18,101 Z4s, a study by the research company shows.</p><p>BMW's stance is that the models should produce earnings from the start, sales chief Robertson said.</p><p>"We clearly, as a company, go into any product launch with the view of making profit, which is no different with the I brand," Robertson said. "This is a car line just as every other car line, and we intend to make profit from Day 1."</p></div></div></div></div></div></div><span style="font-size: small; line-height: 13px; text-align: left;"><br /><br /><br /></span></p>

BMW to sell luxury cars for less online

The BMW i3 concept car at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show in January. (John T. Greilick / Detroit News) BMW will sell cars over the Web for the f...

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True guilt is guilt at the obligation one owes to oneself to be oneself. False guilt is guilt felt at not being what other people feel one ought to be or assume that one is. Moderate feelings of guilt are beneficial because they encourage the individual to do the right thing

<p>The Scottish psychologist R.D. Laing once said: True guilt is guilt at the obligation one owes to oneself to be oneself. False guilt is guilt felt at not being what other people feel one ought to be or assume that one is. Moderate feelings of guilt are beneficial because they encourage the individual to do the right thing. If nobody felt guilty about anything it would likely lead to a fearful world and it could even threaten the survival of the human species. There is also a more negative form of guilt which is excessive and harmful. This refers to a situation where the individual carries a sense of guilt around with them most of the time. The reasons for why the individual may become a victim of excessive guilt include: They have a poor self image. It can be a sign of mental health difficulties. Some people fall into negative thinking and this tends to include guilt. The individual has been a victim of physical or sexual abuse. Unhealthy relationships can leave people with feelings of guilt. Excessive stress. Alcohol or drug abuse.</p>

True guilt is guilt at the obligation one owes to oneself to be oneself. False guilt is guilt felt at not being what other people feel one ought to be or assume that one is. Moderate feelings of guilt are beneficial because they encourage the individual to do the right thing

The Scottish psychologist R.D. Laing once said: True guilt is guilt at the obligation one owes to oneself to be oneself. False guilt is gui...

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A million Britons live with the hell of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

<p>Nadine Stewart was convinced she was going to die. Just ten minutes after setting off for a pop concert with her sister, she felt a tingling sensation in her arms and pain in her chest.</p><p>‘I knew I was having a heart attack,’ says Nadine, 41, a customer services adviser from Morecambe, Lancashire. ‘I begged my sister to take me to A&E: I ran in and screamed that I was having a heart attack.</p><p>‘They put me on a monitor and my heart was fine — what I had suffered was a panic attack. I have no idea to this day what caused it, but it terrified the life out of me.’ </p><div><img alt="Nadine Stewart has to do everything nine times or fears her husband will die" height="565" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/25/article-2178978-13FDCCA8000005DC-228_634x565.jpg" width="634" /><p>Nadine Stewart has to do everything nine times or fears her husband will die</p></div><p>But worse was to come. ‘Afterwards, I developed a fear that if I didn’t do something nine times, something terrible would happen to me, my husband Paul or a member of my family.’ says Nadine. </p><p>‘If I made a drink I had to stir it nine times. If I locked the door I had to check it nine times and if I used a cloth to wipe a surface I’d have to wipe it nine times. I don’t know why it was nine. I realised I was being utterly irrational. But every time I tried to curb it — such as only stirring my drink three times — I’d begin to panic.'</p><div> ‘If I didn’t do these things nine times, I’d imagine Paul and me veering off the motorway in our car and see his injured face in the aftermath.’</div><p>Nadine had Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), recognised by the World Health Organisation as one of the top ten most disabling disorders in terms of its effect on quality of life. </p><p>Last month both the British actress Emily Blunt and the MP Charles Walker revealed they suffered from it, with Walker admitting he had to do everything in multiples of four — and felt the need to wash his hands hundreds of times a day. </p><div> Who knew?<br />Surveys estimate that fewer than<br />10 per cent of those suffering OCD are currently receiving treatment.</div><p>They are not alone. Around a million people in the UK are thought to be undergoing treatment for OCD, the majority of them women. Women are twice as likely as men to develop anxiety disorders such as OCD — and high-achieving perfectionists are particularly at risk. </p><p>‘There are two parts to OCD, the obsession and the compulsion,’ explains Joel Rose, of charity OCD Action. ‘The obsession is a thought that pops into your head, about harm coming to someone you love or you causing harm to someone.'</p><p>‘Everyone has these thoughts but most of us ignore them and get on with our lives. Someone with OCD will develop a compulsive ritual as a reaction to them. It can be continually washing their hands or something invisible like repeating the same phrase over and over in their heads.'</p><p>‘The time spent on these compulsions lengthens with time. A severe OCD sufferer might spend six or seven hours a day washing their hands in the hope nothing terrible happens to their children.’</p><p>The cause of the condition is not known, though a stressful event in someone’s life may trigger an underlying problem. </p><p>Nadine has never pinpointed the root of her troubles — though they began in the year she started a new job, moved house and got engaged. ‘I had no reason to feel anxious,’ she said, ‘though I suppose there was a lot of change.</p><p>‘I became scared of choking to death so I stopped eating and lost three stone in less than three months. I couldn’t leave the house without Paul, and even then it would take me three hours to pluck up the courage.’</p><p>Someone who can empathise with Nadine is Jeni Scott, 31, who’s had OCD for three years. <br />It began when her father had a heart attack and her mother was diagnosed with cancer, soon after Jeni left university. </p><p>‘I became obsessed with doing things in order,’ says Jeni, a tutor from Newport, Wales. ‘I started making lists but it had everything on it such as “get up, have shower, make a cup of tea” and if I didn’t stick to it I would punish myself by denying myself a treat.</p><div><img alt="Actress Emily Blunt, star of Five Year Engagement, has revealed she suffers from OCD" height="1060" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/25/article-2178978-139B6B4A000005DC-908_306x1060.jpg" width="306" /><p>Actress Emily Blunt, star of Five Year Engagement, has revealed she suffers from OCD</p></div><p>‘I developed a phobia of being in the rain in the wrong clothes and had to take a backpack with spare bra, pants, coat, shoes and umbrella everywhere with me. I’d carry antibacterial gel in my bag and use it every ten minutes. I’ve still no idea why I did it, I just found it helped me.’ </p><p>Aisha Faisal, from Reading, Berkshire, also suffers from OCD — and it’s getting worse. ‘I developed it in my teens when my mother fell ill and I had to clean the house,’ the 26-year-old says. ‘Now I’m obsessed with everything being super-clean. I wash my hands 14 or 15 times a day, I shower for an hour at a time and wash the shower head and bath thoroughly before I step in. </p><p>‘If someone touches me, I cringe. My neighbour touched my scarf to tell me it was pretty and I had to have a shower and put all my clothes in the wash.’ Aisha, who has three children under four, admits her obsession extended to giving birth. </p><p>‘Each time I had Caesarean sections — the thought of having a natural birth makes me feel physically sick.’ She made the surgeons assure her everything had been scrubbed thoroughly before each operation. Understandably, her OCD worries the rest of her family. ‘My husband Ali finds it very hard to see me like this. I won’t let him touch me when he comes in from work: he has to shower and put on clean clothes before he can hug me.'</p><p>‘With three young children, being clean is impossible and I bathe them twice a day in the winter and sometimes four times a day in the summer if they’re hot and sticky.’</p><p>As a result of her obsession her own hands are red raw and she suffers from eczema. ‘I have been to the GP but it’s very difficult to treat. I know I must do something soon, because my eldest daughter, who is four, is picking up on my behaviour and I feel very guilty about that.'</p><p>‘The other day she came in from the garden and said she was dirty so needed to get out of her clothes and I washed her and cleaned her thoroughly. My husband can’t believe our electricity bill because the washing machine is on constantly.’</p><p>While Aisha is still in the grip of OCD, Jeni and Nadine have overcome the condition. According to the NHS, the two recognised forms of treatment are Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), which helped Jeni, and anti-depressants. </p><p>But Nadine used another therapy called The Linden Method — a two-day workshop costs £995 — when she reached her lowest point early last year.</p><p>‘I was unable to work, leave the house or answer the phone,’ she says. ‘My vision became blurry, my hands would spasm and I’d get pains like rheumatism. I began to think: “What’s the point in living?” yet I was too scared to kill myself.’</p><p>The Linden Method — which has also helped OCD sufferers Jemma and Jodie Kidd — works by convincing the sufferer’s sub-conscious that they are safe. </p><p>‘I’m a different person,’ says Nadine. ‘I can leave the house, I’m applying for jobs, taking up hobbies and it’s transformed my relationship with Paul. </p><p>‘He says it’s like having a wife in a wheelchair who can walk again. Except I feel I can not only walk, I can fly.’</p><p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; text-align: left;"><br /><br /><br /></span></p>

A million Britons live with the hell of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Nadine Stewart was convinced she was going to die. Just ten minutes after setting off for a pop concert with her sister, she felt a tingling...

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Hungarian prosecutors have taken into custody the Nazi-era war crimes suspect Ladislaus Csizsik-Csatary, 97, who reportedly helped organizing the 1944 deportation of 15,700 Jews to Auschwitz.

<p>He worked as a police commander in a Slovakian ghetto, at the helm of a brutal regime in the city of Kosice, where 140 people were allegedly driven to suicide to escape his torture in 1941-45.</p><p>Csizsik-Csatary fled to Canada under a new identity after being sentenced to death in absentia in 1948. He spent almost half a century in Canada, selling works of art. But his true identity was revealed in 1997 and he went on the run again, where he managed to evade capture for fifteen more years.</p><p>In April 2012, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, a human rights organization, listed Csizsik-Csatary as the most wanted war crimes suspect.</p><p>He was eventually tracked down by journalists from the British tabloid ‘The Sun’, who collaborated their efforts with the Wiesenthal Centre. Csizsik-Csatary opened the door in his socks and underpants. Once asked if he could justify his past, he stammered, ‘No, no. Go away’, and slammed the door in the face of the correspondents. </p><p>The tabloid raised publicity of the case on Sunday, passing the information on to the city’s prosecution office. The following day saw Jewish students staging protests outside Csizsik-Csatary’s apartment block, demanding his detention. The suspect is currently under house arrest, and his passport was confiscated.</p><p>"It was important for us to cooperate so that it gets wide media coverage, more than we can ever achieve," Efraim Zuroff, the head of the Wiesenthal Centre, told AFP. He added that he had hoped “the coverage would increase the pressure on the courts and public opinion in Hungary, as well as the world at large."</p><p>However, French Nazi-hunter Serge Klarsfeld doubts any legal action will be taken “with this conservative government” in Hungary. He added that the only reason Csizsik-Csatary would be at the top of the list is because so few Nazi war criminals remain.   </p><p>"In my opinion he did not have major responsibilities, he must have been a stooge," Klarsfeld told AFP, "Thirty years ago, he would have been 3,500th on the list."</p><div><img alt="AFP Photo/Attila Kisbenedek" src="http://www.rt.com/files/news/hungary-nazi-war-criminal-arrest-452/ladislaus-csizsik-csatary-998.jpg" /><br />AFP Photo/Attila Kisbenedek</div><div><img alt="AFP Photo/Attila Kisbenedek" src="http://www.rt.com/files/news/hungary-nazi-war-criminal-arrest-452/afp-kisbenedek-833.jpg" /><br />AFP Photo/Attila Kisbenedek</div><div><img alt="Activists and sympathizers of the European Union of Jewish Students stand with their hands taped to each other′s in front of Laszlo Csatary′s hideaway building, only few kilometers from his home in Budapest on July 16, 2012 (AFP Photo/Attila Kisbenedek)" src="http://www.rt.com/files/news/hungary-nazi-war-criminal-arrest-452/afp-kisbenedek.jpg" /><br />Activists and sympathizers of the European Union of Jewish Students stand with their hands taped to each other's in front of Laszlo Csatary's hideaway building, only few kilometers from his home in Budapest on July 16, 2012 (AFP Photo/Attila Kisbenedek)</div><div><img alt="Photo taken on July 16, 2012 shows the balcony of Dr Csatary L., alias Ladislaus Csizsik-Csatary, on the last floor of a Budapest building. (AFP Photo/Attila Kisbenedek)" src="http://www.rt.com/files/news/hungary-nazi-war-criminal-arrest-452/july-shows-balcony-csatary.jpg" /><br />Photo taken on July 16, 2012 shows the balcony of Dr Csatary L., alias Ladislaus Csizsik-Csatary, on the last floor of a Budapest building. (AFP Photo/Attila Kisbenedek)</div><div><img alt="Participants of a demonstration called by the European Union of Jewish Students try to open the door of Laszlo Csatary′s hideaway building, only a few kilometers from his home in Budapest on July 16, 2012 (AFP Photo/Attila Kisbenedek)" src="http://www.rt.com/files/news/hungary-nazi-war-criminal-arrest-452/called-union-jewish-students.jpg" /><br />Participants of a demonstration called by the European Union of Jewish Students try to open the door of Laszlo Csatary's hideaway building, only a few kilometers from his home in Budapest on July 16, 2012 (AFP Photo/Attila Kisbenedek)</div>

Hungarian prosecutors have taken into custody the Nazi-era war crimes suspect Ladislaus Csizsik-Csatary, 97, who reportedly helped organizing the 1944 deportation of 15,700 Jews to Auschwitz.

He worked as a police commander in a Slovakian ghetto, at the helm of a brutal regime in the city of Kosice, where 140 people were allegedly...

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HANGING OUT WITH FRIENDS TODAY

<div id=":ul" class="ii gt adP adO" style="font-size: 13px; margin: 5px 15px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; position: relative; z-index: 2; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; background-color: #ffffff;"><div id=":uk"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><br /><div><div style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td style="margin: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; padding: 0cm;" valign="top"><div style="text-align: center; background-color: #f5f5f5; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </div><div style="text-align: center; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Grabbing a cup of coffee</span></strong></div><table style="width: 100%;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 1.5pt; width: 839px;" width="100%"><table style="width: 100%;" border="0" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0.75pt; width: 831px;" width="99%" valign="top"><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Description: Description: CF576CE06B56479DB8C5A48E42CA3BA9@HomeLT" height="287" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=3b30568af3&view=att&th=13896e30557b3bf5&attid=0.1&disp=emb&zw&atsh=1" width="479" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">  </div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Dining out at your favourite restaurant</span></strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Description: Description: 6903A9CEDEC24FE2BF0AD08A8938A39D@HomeLT" height="360" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=3b30568af3&view=att&th=13896e30557b3bf5&attid=0.2&disp=emb&zw&atsh=1" width="480" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Spending some time at the museum</span></strong></div><div style="text-align: center;">  <img alt="Description: Description: 810C23D4F768471C975BAA3637C7E2F9@HomeLT" height="473" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=3b30568af3&view=att&th=13896e30557b3bf5&attid=0.3&disp=emb&zw&atsh=1" width="480" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Meeting at a popular fast food centre</span></strong> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Description: Description: 654B37223ED04EBEB25DD4F27DB38B76@HomeLT" height="600" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=3b30568af3&view=att&th=13896e30557b3bf5&attid=0.4&disp=emb&zw&atsh=1" width="450" />   </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Relaxing at the beach</span></strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Description: Description: 3662D65E36084FE3B1DFB412B2301360@HomeLT" height="318" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=3b30568af3&view=att&th=13896e30557b3bf5&attid=0.5&disp=emb&zw&atsh=1" width="480" />   </div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Going to a game</span></strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Description: Description: 86E35EEDDDD8402D90B4DE9C978CB4BF@HomeLT" height="263" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=3b30568af3&view=att&th=13896e30557b3bf5&attid=0.6&disp=emb&zw&atsh=1" width="479" /> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;">   <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Going out on a date</span></strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Description: Description: E2E7E88F4CF34955A4CAA39B6C207ED2@HomeLT" height="360" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=3b30568af3&view=att&th=13896e30557b3bf5&attid=0.7&disp=emb&zw&atsh=1" width="480" />   </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Taking a drive around town</span></strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Description: Description: A68911474C964512942A7E70D8E5B158@HomeLT" height="600" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=3b30568af3&view=att&th=13896e30557b3bf5&attid=0.8&disp=emb&zw&atsh=1" width="449" /></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 1.5pt; width: 839px;" width="100%"><table style="width: 100%;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0cm; width: 835px;" width="100%"> </td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0cm;" valign="bottom"> </td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><strong><span style="color: red; font-size: 24pt;">I am thankful I belong to another generation  !!!!</span></strong></div><div style="text-align: center; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </div><div style="text-align: center; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;" lang="EN">“It’s become appallingly clear that our Technology has surpassed our Humanity” -- </span><strong>Albert Einstein</strong></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div></div>

HANGING OUT WITH FRIENDS TODAY

  Grabbing a cup of coffee    Dining out at your favourite restaurant   Spending some time at the museum      Meeting at a popular fast food...

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Tattoos are permanent reminders of temporary feelings

<div></div><div id="article-wrapper"><div id="main-content-picture"><img alt="Tattoo" height="276" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/7/13/1342183532373/Tattoo-008.jpg" width="460" /><div>'It's wisest to pick someone whom you cannot break up with or divorce.' Photograph: Gary Powell/Getty Images</div></div><div id="article-body-blocks"><p>Tattoos are permanent reminders of temporary feelings – at least if you believe the report in Thursday's Daily Mail, which looked at "embarrassing" <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2172158/What-inking-The-embarrassing-matching-tattoos-brand-couples-life.html">matching couple tattoos</a> – designs that complement or complete each other across two, romantically involved bodies.</p><p>Yet there are millions of people who feel no embarrassment about the tattoos they share with their friends, lovers and even exes. Moreover, as with most perceived "new trends" in tattooing, this practice is one with a history far older than the current generation; it's a phenomenon that provides both an insight into human beings' fundamental relationships with their own bodies and the bodies and lives of those close to them.</p><p> </p><p>Tattoos have been used as markers of association for probably as long as human beings have walked the earth, to mark tribal affiliations, regimental membership in the military, membership of fraternal orders such as the masons or US college Greek letter groups, and to signify gang membership.</p><p>The most common of these types of affiliative tattoos, though, is marking an attachment to a loved one. There's an old adage in tattooed circles that suggests getting your lover's name tattooed on you is a sure kiss of death for that relationship, and it's an old gag too: Norman Rockwell's famous 1944 Saturday Evening Post cover painting, <a href="http://www.needlesandsins.com/2009/12/the-story-behind-rockwells-the-tattooist.html">The Tattooist</a>, shows a salty sailor in the tattooist's chair, having yet another name added to an arm already full of the crossed-out names of past paramours. Even earlier, a cartoon in Punch from 1916 <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/22672/22672-h/22672-h.htm">shows</a> a "fickle young thing" – a well-turned-out young woman, as it happens – revisiting her tattooist to seek an amendment to the ornamental crest tattoo on her arm as she has, euphemistically, "exchanged into another regiment".</p><p> </p><p>None of this seems to have affected the long-standing popularity of having names or symbols tattooed to commemorate couples' love and bond. Magazines in the 1920s reported the latest fad for newlyweds was getting matching <a href="http://bit.ly/OB869M">tattooed wedding rings</a>; preserved tattooed skins in the Wellcome Collection from the late 19th century <a href="http://bit.ly/NsxIEB">feature names and portraits of lovers</a>; studies of tattoos in the American navy in the 18th century reveal a large percentage of seamen of the period <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/986875">bore tattoos of the names of women</a>; even Christian pilgrims in the 16th century were recorded to have <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Who-Are-You-Indentification-Surveillance/dp/1890951722">borne the names of their wives</a> on their skins, as tokens or identificatory marks; and records attest to romantic tattooing even in ancient Rome – St Basil the Great (329-380) is said to have condemned the tattooing of a lover's name that he observed on someone's hand. While I'd certainly never advocate getting a permanent mark of your relationship too hastily, it does seem that the instinct to inscribe a permanent token transcends the ages. Caveat amator.</p><p> </p><p>Single tattoos that span multiple bodies appear to be a more recent phenomenon, however. In 1977, New York-based tattoo artist <a href="http://www.spiderwebbusa.com/art/">Spider Webb</a> undertook what was probably the first conceptual art project to use tattooing, in a piece called <a href="http://www.spiderwebbusa.com/books/x/">X-1000</a>, in which he tattooed single, small Xs on to 999 individuals, and, as a culmination, one large X on the final, 1,000th skin, conceived as one contiguous work. This tattoo, potentially spanning thousands of miles at any one time, was, Webb said, "the largest tattoo ever done at any point in history". In 2000, as the culmination to a performance art project begun in 1998 designed to highlight the horrific lives and plights of the homeless and hungry in Mexico City, Santiago Sierra produced his piece <a href="http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/sierra-160-cm-line-tattooed-on-4-people-el-gallo-arte-contemporaneo-salamanca-spain-t11852">160cm Line Tattooed on Four People</a>, a single black line tattooed across the backs of prostitutes in exchange for wraps of heroin, as a symbol of their desperation, interdependence, and utter powerlessness. Sierra would later remark: "You could make this tattooed line a kilometre long, using thousands and thousands of willing people." In 2003, author Shelley Jackson famously <a href="http://ineradicablestain.com/skin.html">published</a> her short story Skin on the bodies of 2095, one tattooed word per person. These tattoos bring together strangers in common cause.</p><p> </p><p>My favourite set of matching tattoos, though, are probably the ongoing collection of work worn by <a href="http://meditationsinatrament.com/2008/08/06/caleb-and-jordan-kilby/">twins</a> Caleb and Jordan Kilby, tattooed with matching work by influential and extraordinarily talented New York-based artist Thomas Hooper. If you must get matching tattoos with someone, it's wisest to pick someone whom you cannot break up with or divorce, and to get the work carried out by a tattoo artist who will produce a piece of work that will stand the test of time on its own terms.</p></div></div>

Tattoos are permanent reminders of temporary feelings

'It's wisest to pick someone whom you cannot break up with or divorce.' Photograph: Gary Powell/Getty Images Tattoos are permane...

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Latvian company creates leather bound Ferrari

<div id="storyimg"><br /><img alt="Motors News" height="344" src="http://www.joe.ie/uploads/story/26830/26830-xlarge.jpg" width="608" /></div><div id="story-bc"></div><div id="sub"><div id="subcol1"><div id="storyinfo"><div id="storydate"></div></div><div id="storycontent0"><div id="story-part-0"><p>We're familiar with seeing tight leather on smoking hot women, and weird old men, but it's a first for us seeing a leather bound Ferrari F430.</p><p>There seems to be a lot of fuss over this leather bound Ferrari F430 in the UK with both The Sun and The Daily Mail reporting about it recently.</p><p>However, this isn’t a new car by any means as US motoring blog Jalopnikreported on the F430 way back in August last year. It’s a pretty cool, albeit manky, car so we thought we’d show you anyway.</p><p>It’s the work of a Latvian custom car company called Dartz who hit the headlines in 2009 when they created a $1.5 million ruby red SUV with whale foreskin-covered seats. Yes, foreskin…</p><p>Anyway, some high roller with more cash then sense decided it would be a great idea to cover his €170,000 Ferrari in dark leather.</p><p>The owner of Dartz, Leonard Yankelovich, said: "One of our very rich customers from the Cote d'Azur wanted a leather exterior and knew we could deliver.</p><p>"It took three of my staff 16 working days to apply the leather and finish. He was more than happy when he picked it up."</p><p>He won’t be too happy when he scratches it though.</p><p><img alt="" height="225" src="http://www.joe.ie/uploads/story/26830/leather2.jpg" width="400" /></p><p>Is this the most expensive way to ruin a Ferrari?</p></div></div></div></div>

Latvian company creates leather bound Ferrari

We're familiar with seeing tight leather on smoking hot women, and weird old men, but it's a first for us seeing a leather bound Fer...

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The best insights in my report didn’t emerge in my office, during conference calls, or at meetings. They somehow appeared in the bathroom.

<p>Not too long ago, as I was putting the final touches on a client presentation, I stumbled across a surprising observation. The best insights in my report didn’t emerge in my office, during conference calls, or at meetings. They somehow appeared in the bathroom.</p><p>Research on the nature of creativity suggests my experience isn’t all that unique. Often, the most effective way of solving a difficult problem is simply walking away. The moment we allow ourselves to disengage from the individual pieces of a puzzle is the moment a solution appears. It’s why Albert Einstein regularly went sailing and why Charles Darwin planned his day around a countryside stroll. Thomas Edison simply napped.</p><p>In many ways, problem solvers are like artists. Taking a few steps back provides painters with a fresh perspective on their subject, lending them a new angle for approaching their work. Problem solving follows a similar recipe, but it’s not always the physical distance that we need. It’s psychological distance; mental space for new insights to bloom.</p><p>In a world where finding solutions makes up the crux of a typical workday, we are all artists. Cognitive artists. And to deliver our best work, we need revitalizing breaks. Distancing ourselves from our work grants us a broader view, activating a global perspective that precedes breakthrough.</p><p>So, why the bathroom?</p><p>If you’re like most office employees, access to sailboats, the countryside and a relaxing couch is in short supply. A walk to the bathroom is one of the few opportunities you have for disengaging, letting go of trivial details and refocusing on the bigger picture--even Steve Jobs recognized the bathroom's potential, insisting that Pixar only build two in its studios, to provide employees with maximum enforced mixing. Neurologically, it is during these moments away from your desk the right hemisphere of your brain comes to life, making you more appreciative of the forest and less sensitive to the trees.</p><p>While most of us give little thought to our workplace bathroom, there’s good reason to believe it can have an impact on the quality of the work we produce -- especially in organizations that rely on creativity and problem solving to stand out. Over the past decade, studies have shown that both our thoughts and behaviors are heavily influenced by our surroundings, in ways we often fail to recognize.</p><p>A few examples:</p><ul><li>The sound of classical music makes consumers spend more money</li><li>The smell of cookies makes shoppers more likely to help a stranger</li><li>The sight of red hurts intellectual performance but improves physical performance</li></ul><p>Psychological findings like these are now commonplace, pointing to one irrefutable fact: Our environment shapes our thinking in powerful ways.</p><p>Which brings up some intriguing questions: How can we make the most of our time away from our desks? Is there a way of designing bathrooms to make them more inspiring? And what can organizations do to maximize the insights its employees get out of each bathroom visit?</p><p>Recent research on the science of creativity provides some helpful suggestions.</p><p>Rethink Muzak</p><p>One of the ways we become more creative is by exposing our minds to a broad variety of stimuli. The wider the selection of information you mentally digest--whether it be foreign movies, experimental novels or exotic travel--the more remote associations you’ll have in your arsenal. Or, in laymen’s terms, the more creative you’ll be.</p><p>Hearing unusual music primes us to think different--inspiring ideas, emotions and experiences that increase the associations active in our brain.</p><p>Surprise The Senses</p><p> Another creativity nugget: We tend to find more insightful solutions to a problem when we're in a good mood. One method experimentally proven for improving people’s moods is enjoyable scents. Positive scents don’t just make us feel better--they lead us to set higher goals for ourselves and experience a greater sense of self-efficacy.</p><p>Now, if you’re like most people, the restroom isn’t the first place that comes to mind when you think of positive scents, and partly that’s because of how hard custodians work to mask negative smells, leaving most bathrooms feeling like an assault on the senses. But in our case, that’s a good thing. It means the bar for surprising people with positive scents is that much more accessible. A few opportunities for enhancing the scent of a workplace bathroom: unusual soaps, exotic candles, and the hallway outside a bathroom, boosting people’s mood before and after a visit.</p><p>Encourage Mental Stimulation</p><p>Part of what makes bathroom visits a boon to creativity is that they represent one of the few times during the workday when our physiological attention is directed inward, mimicking the psychological experience of insight. But it’s not just inward attention that’s needed--it’s inward attention in the context of fresh ideas.</p><p>Think about the last time you saw graffiti in the bathroom. Chances are, not only did you read it, you probably thought about the person who wrote it, perhaps wondering what (the hell) was going through their mind. We can’t help but think about the things we see, but we can choose what we look at. Providing a diet of mentally stimulating material in workplace bathrooms can be done in a number of ways: posting unusual artwork, leaving out thought provoking magazines or using digital picture frames to keep the imagery fresh. The key is for the material to be stimulating and indirectly related to work you do.</p><p>Once upon a time, going to the bathroom was a distraction. Something that kept us from work; an unfortunate bodily shortcoming that compromised efficiency. But that world doesn’t exist anymore. Today, our economy is powered by an engine of insight. Creativity in the workplace isn’t a “nice to have”—it’s what keeps companies in business. Which is why it’s ironic that most office bathrooms offer a bleak and unwelcoming environment. One that discourages insight and implicitly chides us to get back to our desks.</p><p>There’s just one problem. Creativity doesn’t work that way.</p><p>And if the science has taught us anything about the creative process it’s this: Finding unexpected solutions often requires an unexpected approach. Why not start in the bathroom? </p>

The best insights in my report didn’t emerge in my office, during conference calls, or at meetings. They somehow appeared in the bathroom.

Not too long ago, as I was putting the final touches on a client presentation, I stumbled across a surprising observation. The best insights...

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Mobile operator O2 hit by nationwide network failure that left users unable to make calls or text

<p>The O2 mobile phone network crashed tonight leaving thousands of customers across the country cut off. Users were left stranded, unable to make or receive calls or send texts, as the firm - which has 23 million customers in the UK - said it did not know when the problem would be fixed. Some customers also had no internet access. O2, Britain's second-largest mobile phone operator, admitted it was unclear exactly how many people had been affected. It said ‘thousands’ may be experiencing problems. The problems began this afternoon for some mobile users, the network said. O2 are urging customers to check their Twitter and Facebook feeds for updates - but the company’s webpage which displays live information about network coverage crashed. A spokeswoman said the problem was not 'location-specific'. ‘The problem is an issue within part of our core network that is preventing some mobile phones from successfully connecting,' she said. ‘The problem is not location-specific. All possible resources across our and our suppliers’ engineering teams are being deployed to restore service as soon as possible.’ Thousands of angry customers took to Twitter to complain. BBC television presenter Huw Edwards (@huwbbc), tweeted: ‘6 hours of non-service and counting, simply not good enough, O2.’ One Twitter user, Kelly Jones (@kelly-92), tweeted: ‘Having a phone that hardly works usually is annoying, but this whole no signal on o2 all afternoon is beyond irritating.’</p>

Mobile operator O2 hit by nationwide network failure that left users unable to make calls or text

The O2 mobile phone network crashed tonight leaving thousands of customers across the country cut off. Users were left stranded, unable to ...

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