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The crisis and chaos engulfing the Middle East and Ukraine is evidence of US imperial decline, as Washington learns the harsh lesson that no empire lasts forever. In the wake of the Vietnam War – the end of which was marked by news footage of US personnel and a select few Vietnamese collaborators being evacuated from the roof of the US Embassy in Saigon in 1975 – the United States entered a prolonged period of decline when it came to its ability to embark on major military operations. For all the massive destructive power in its arsenal, the Vietnamese had … Continue reading →

Whether it’s called a hurricane, a typhoon, or a tropical cyclone, this is one dangerous but awesome kamikaze (Japanese for “divine wind“). While tornadoes have stronger winds than a hurricane, they are relatively small and don’t last long. Hurricanes can be up to half the size of the contiguous United States, and they maintain their peak intensity for days at a time. Besides flooding rains, they also bring the sea ashore with them, battering the land with a surge of up to 6 meters (20 ft) high, topped with waves of up to 15 meters (50 ft) tall. Everybody in … Continue reading →

The subject of this article is to help you prepare yourselves for an emergency…any emergency, in whatever scope.  Many of you are already doing this; however, you may pick up a few useful tips.  You may also have some to contribute in the comments section.  I wish to be the facilitator of a discussion in this article.  I wish very much for you to participate in it.  Trust me, I will be taking notes.  As I mentioned in my last articles, it is very important to share information and I rely on you, the readership, as well. First things first: … Continue reading →

It boasts a luxurious array of swimming pools, theaters, gyms, restaurants, custom apartments and its own helicopter service. But at the same time, it can apparently withstand a nuclear blast, chemical agents, earthquakes, tsunamis – and virtually any other disaster or attack. These photos show an opulent, invitation-only underground survival bunker, which is being dubbed the world’s ‘ultimate doomsday escape’. The five-star Vivos Europa One shelter, in the German village of Rothenstein, was unveiled by Vivos founder and CEO, Robert Vicinio, on Friday. It portrays a planned survival complex that is comparable to a billionaire’s mansion or mega-yacht – but much … Continue reading →

The Washington Post has published a guest article by a California teacher arguing that American high school students shouldn’t read Shakespeare because he’s a dead, white man. Dana Dusbiber, who teaches English in Sacramento, says she avoids Hamlet and all the rest because her minority students shouldn’t be expected to study a “a long-dead, British guy” (Dusbiber herself is white). And while Shakespeare is widely regarded as the premier writer of the English language, able to timelessly portray themes central to the human experience, Dusbiber says he only is regarded that way because “some white people” ordained it and he can easily be replaced. “Why … Continue reading →

A lot of people see their hair as a reflection of their identity so it isn’t surprising that the global hair care products market is worth over $80 billion. What might surprise you is how much your hair can reveal about your health. Medical researchers from around the world have been just as fascinated with hair as some of the world’s top stylists. Trichology, the branch of dermatology that focuses on the study of the health of hair, has existed for more than 100 years. However, scientists are the professionals who have uncovered what hair really tells us about our … Continue reading →

When the English clergyman Thomas Fuller used the word unfriended in a letter dating from 1659, we can be pretty sure he wasn’t talking about his Facebook page. Instead, Fuller used the word to mean something like “estranged” or “fallen out,” a straightforward literal meaning that has long since “fallen out” of the language. It’s to be expected that the words we use will change and develop over time as they begin to be used in original and innovative new contexts. But in some instances, these developments can lead to words gaining new meanings entirely different from their original implications—and … Continue reading →

Do you have what it takes to scheme your way to the top with the brutal force of Frank Underwood in House of Cards? Now a 15-minute test could help you find out by measuring your dark, Machiavellian qualities against other personality traits. The test provides 100 simple statements such as ‘I would be quite bored by a visit to an art gallery’ and ‘I feel reasonably satisfied with myself overall.’ Take the test below or click here You then have to rate how much you agree with each statement from a scale of ‘strongly disagree’ to ‘strongly agree’. Along … Continue reading →

The time is 360 BC, the dawn of Western civilization. Athens, the cradle of democracy, is the epicenter of the ancient world. In his dialogues of Timaeus and Critias, Plato introduces a tale of an advanced prehistoric civilization, which since has captivated the imagination of every generation that followed. This was the story of Atlantis, an idyllic island paradise of skillful navigators who often crossed the Atlantic to explore. Atlantis, according to Plato, was ultimately lost to the sea. Its memory, though, was not soon forgotten. For two millennia, people unsuccessfully kept on searching for the legendary island, making Atlantis … Continue reading →

Riyadh’s increasingly destructive war in Yemen has sparked overripe discussion in Western capitals about Iran’s use of “proxies” to subvert otherwise “legitimate” Middle Eastern governments. Driving such discussion is a self-serving narrative, promoted by Israel as well as by Saudi Arabia, about Tehran’s purported quest to “destabilize” and, ultimately, “take over” the region. Assessments of this sort have, of course, been invoked to justify — and elicit Western support for — Saudi intervention in Yemen. More broadly, the Israeli-Saudi narrative about Iranian ambitions is framed to prevent the United States from concluding a nuclear deal with Tehran — or, failing that, to … Continue reading →

In an interview with ET Now, Jim Rogers, commodity expert, shares his views on the currency market. Edited excerpts: ET Now: What is your sense on the US dollar versus most currencies? Where do you see the currency market headed towards? Jim Rogers: I own the US dollar. It is my largest single currency. I do not have any confidence in the US dollar as a sound currency. It is one of the most flawed currencies in the world. US is the largest debtor nation in world history and it is getting even worse. I own it because there is … Continue reading →

When a leading Oxford academic suggested that using “thru” or “lite” wasn’t a grave wrongdoing, there were reportedly “gasps of shock” from the audience at the Hay Festival last year. Simon Horbin, an English professor at Magdalen College, had touched upon one theme that along with grammar, punctuation, the weather and tea, seems to fire up many in Britain today. Indeed, the comments at the bottom of the article revealed polarised points of view. “So long as our education system is inhabited by people such as this so called ‘professor’ then our education system will remain a shambles.” “When making … Continue reading →

First of all, let me just say that I do not intend to resign on account of what I am about to say. Or issue a grovelling apology, or cry in the loos. So if you’re a touchy ‘feminazi’ with the sense of humour of a Ryvita, or just one of those weird people who like getting in a massive lather about things, save your spittle. If, that is, you have any left. Because you did it, ladies. You got your man. Sir Tim Hunt, 72, Nobel Prize winner, one of Britain’s top scientists last night resigned. No doubt it … Continue reading →

As time goes on and more and more of our personal information finds its way onto the internet, our chances of falling prey to cyber criminals increases dramatically. All of these “connected” devices that we’ve introduced into our lives, have the potential to make those lives easier, but they can just as easily make our lives a living hell in ways that previous generations could have never imagined. But don’t let the threat of cyber criminals scare you away from modern technology. In a sense, the threat of having your identity stolen has always been there, it’s just that the … Continue reading →

The clock has struck midnight. The dream is over. Back at the G7 summit, barely a day and 20 miles from here, I was treated like a prince. I was one of the chosen 3,000 journalists who were primped, pampered, fed and burped, given free T-shirts, gallons of goulash, buckets of booze, and all the cheesy footage of world leaders we could swallow. We lay back on our branded beanbags and were tickled silly by the gentle fist of the G7 PR machine. But not any more. The beanbag has burst. “Step out of the vehicle and show me your … Continue reading →