Blue diamond-shaped sign used to designate hiking trails in provincial parks in Ontario, Canada. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When you go hiking you want to be prepared for any situation especially if it is a path that takes days to do. For me the best hiking is when you take more than one day to do the path but in those cases you need to be prepared.

I love to go walking for days but when I do so there is some stuff that I have to take.

When you go for a long walk you should take plenty of water, a small cooking pot, a bit of canned food and rice or pasta, a tent, waterproofs, and good boots.

The best hiking is when you go days to the wilderness, that way you fully appreciate nature and you feel completely free. If you take everything you need you won’t have a problem but before you go always take a look at the forecast to make sure you don’t get in any storm.

For me one of the most important things when I go hiking is the boots, they have to be good and they can’t fall apart when I’m hiking. Imagine that your boots get ruined in the middle of nowhere, that’s a big problem because I can assure you that you can’t go a long way in the wilderness without boots.

When you get boots you should always invest in quality and real quality isn’t easy to find. By real quality I mean lowa renegade that are the best in the market.

Hiking is my life and it’s where I get most of the pleasure nowadays but if you do love hiking like I do you should always be prepared with the right tools, utensils, and clothing for pleasurable and happy trips.

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The screen at an old Drive-In Movie Theater on Route 66 near Sapulpa, Oklahoma. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As a child of the 90s, I never hung out around the drive in theatre. If my friends and I wanted to see a movie, we would head to the local multiplex, showing all the latest Hollywood offerings in a comfortable environment.

So what is it about the decline of the drive in cinema that tugs at my heartstrings?

Nostalgia

Maybe it’s because so many of the movies of my youth feature drive in movie theatres. To my mind the drive in movie theatre is true Americana: it symbolises our country in the same way that only baseball and apple pie can. Would Grease be the same without Danny’s lament at the drive in, with the images on the screen behind him?

The Rise…

It’s baffling to discover that following the war there were over 4000 drive-in cinemas across the states. Teenagers of my parents and grandparents generation would hang out there on the weekends: in the privacy of your own car you don’t have to worry about the guy sitting behind you talking constantly, or the couple in front putting on a public display of affection. Your only real worry would be the auto glass steaming up and disrupting your view.

…And the Fall

Now there are under 400 drive-in cinemas left. Pop culture theorists have given a number of reasons for this, from the increase in land prices to the adoption of daylight savings time. The theory that makes most sense to me is the unreliability of drive-in theatres: if it started to rain, the show would be cancelled.

People were happy to make do: until all-weather multiplexes started appearing, and people could buy colour televisions and VCRs to watch movies at home. Then, heading out to a show that may or may not be cancelled due to inclement weather just didn’t seem like such a bright idea.

Uncertain Future

Current advances in technology mean even more bad news; most drive-ins still use 35mm film, while Hollywood is making a move towards digital. In a few years, it’s unlikely that 35mm prints will still be used, and if the remaining drive-ins don’t have access to the latest hits, the small amount of business they are getting may fade away entirely.

Revival?

Perhaps I’m not the only one who’s feeling a bit bummed by the decline of the drive in cinema. Over the past ten years there has been a rise in guerrilla drive-ins, from the vacant lots of California to the non-profit community funded Hull’s Drive-in Virginia. During the 1990s, a number of drive-ins added extra screens and 40 more opened across America, so it’s not all bad news.

It’s unclear what the future of the drive in is: but one thing’s for sure. Even if technology does make them obsolete, they’ll hold a place in the heart of generations of Americans for years to come.

Catherine Halsey writes for a digital marketing agency on a range of topics. This article links back to http://www.safelite.com/.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Many times simple is better and one of those times is when it comes to furniture. Fancy furniture isn’t durable and is expensive, many people opt for fancy furniture but reality is that with something more affordable and stronger like log furniture you can be better served.

For me there’s no discussion when it comes to taste, some people like more modern furniture as others like rustic, in the end it should be up to your own taste.

If you like rustic furniture then you are like me, I do like the looks of log furniture and I also enjoy it because it’s stronger and lasts longer.

If you are decorating your home in a rustic way then I know about a furniture source that you should take a look into. The source can be found at log furniture and is an online shop that has the best quality for the most affordable prices.

The thing about rustic furniture is that is always in fashion, there will always be a place for rustic furniture. Another point going for rustic furniture is that most people do enjoy a rustic look.

For me rustic decoration is a pretty good bet and you should consider it seriously because of all the advantages you get when you decorate in rustic style.

Teeth have played an integral part in evolution and studying them has helped palaeontologists to discover all sorts of fantastic things about life on Earth.

Mammals are unique because they have different types of teeth for different jobs, whereas fish and reptiles share spear like or spiked teeth.

But which are the animals with the biggest teeth in the world? Read on to find out:

The Alligator

The sight of an Alligator snapping it’s teeth would terrify the best of us, but this reptile only comes in at number ten on our list.

Alligators have up to eighty teeth in their mouths at any one time, but worn teeth are constantly replenished, which means they can use up to three thousand teeth during their lifetime.

The Lion

Number nine on the list, lions have teeth that are perfectly suited to their environment. Their longest teeth can be up to 9 cm and a Lion’s bite has a power of around 1000 lbs per square inch, meaning that once you’ve been pinned by one of these magnificent creatures you will not be getting unpinned!

The Megaladon

This extinct creature made number eight with teeth measuring as much as 18cm. Magaladon’s were giant sharks living in the Cenezoic age. In fact these animals were named after their impressive jaws as Megaladon means ‘giant tooth’.

The Sperm Whale

These giant water mammals reached number seven on the list thanks to their huge molars. Sperm Whale teeth only protrude from the lower jaw and can grow up to 18 cm. A large tooth can weight as much as a kilo.

The Sabre Toothed Tiger

At number six on the list, this extinct mammals 23cm long teeth are certainly impressive. This creature had the largest teeth of any of the prehistoric mammals and it’s eponymous giant canines have made Sabre Toothed Tigers one of the most studied prehistoric animals.

The Warthog

Unusually, the warthog’s 23cm teeth are not generally used for eating but are more likely to be employed in carrying a kill or establishing dominance. This vicious creature made number five on the list.

The T Rex

Our number four, The Tyrannosaurus Rex, is the most famous of all the dinosaurs thanks in part to its terrifying teeth. It’s curved banana shaped teeth could reach lengths of 24 cm and were the T Rex’s most powerful weapon.

The Walrus

Even the T Rex’s teeth pale in comparison to our third place animal. Walrus teeth can grow to over 100cm and are the largest canines of any animal living or dead. Walrus’ use their teeth as a weapon and a tool as they are employed to establish dominance and to help them climb from the water onto the ice.

The African Elephant

This majestic creature is our number two with teeth that are 3 metres long. African elephant tusks weight up to 9 kg and grow 18 inches every year. Incredibly in many African elephant reserves staff clean the creatures’ mighty tusks with toothbrushes. That would be a job that even the most highly qualified endodontist would baulk at!

The Mastodon

This prehistoric predecessor to the elephant is our number one with teeth measuring nearly four and a half metres long. George Langford Senior discovered the largest Mastadon tooth yet in the early 1900′s, but it’s not known whether an even larger one could be discovered.

This post was brought to you by http://www.smilecliniq.com/

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Looking for your next night out with a difference? Bored of the same old clubs, pub and tunes? If you’re a fan of bass driven music, small and quirky venues and a thumping night out, then Bristol might just be your own personal Mecca. A night out in the self-proclaimed trip-hop and drum’n’bass capital of Britain could open your eyes to a world of urban happenings right within the heart of sleepy South West England. So what is it that makes Bristol so great?

The Bristol Sound

This small but powerful metropolis of musical genres has generated some of the most ground-breaking advances in the UK music scene, and has been producing talent such as Massive Attack and Portishead since the late Eighties. Melding USA-inspired hip hop themes with a very British melancholic twist, the Bristol Sound created at the turn of the century has had a lasting impact on music. With cult albums such as Massive Attack’s ‘Blue Lines’ the sound was dubbed ‘trip-hop’ and has diversified, seeping back into bass music and urban culture.

Drum’n’bass also has its roots in the urban dissidence of Bristol’s streets, as has grime, UK hip-hop and garage. World famous guerrilla artist Banksy learnt the ropes here and his burgeoning talent follows a tradition in Bristol of music and graffiti art intertwined to form an atmosphere of youth culture and creativity. Bristolians have painted, mixed and recorded their way to some pretty big sounds over the last twenty years, and fuelled by a scene still going from strength to strength in dubstep, dnb, grime and hip-hop; expect this to continue for a long time to come.

An Evolving Current

The history of Bristol contributes to its in-your-face bass culture status in the modern day. The historical multi-culturalism of the city has bequeathed it rich veins of ska, reggae, dub and world music to mine, alongside a healthy dose of rebellious political unrest. Whilst Bristol’s history of riots and slave-profiteering don’t always make for a happy tale, the influence of diverse and often politically active minority populations has proved to be a very good thing for the making of music and the formation of urban subcultures.

Bristol, like Manchester and London can truly lay claim to an iconic and definitive ‘scene’ for music lovers. Its young ravers can boast of their own heroes and follow suit by picking up tools of the street art adorning walls everywhere with colourful and intricate statements, or try their first tentative hand on a pair of second-hand decks. When they do they will be joining a progressive and evolving current of Bristolian sound, which continues to hold its own against the heavy-weight artists and genres revered all over the UK in urban youth culture.

This article was written by Banksy t shirts enthusiast and emerging Bristol artist Kim Yau.

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1. Michael Jackson – Died: June 25, 2009 (Age 50) – Overdose

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Jackson is worth $170 million even in death and has assured that his children will be financially secure for the rest of their lives. The hugely popular singer (in the years prior to his death) had struggled with publicity and turning around his public image but since his demise his earnings have rocketed. The singer had a film released documenting the preparations for his final tour and he had a greatest hits album released shortly after his passing. Much of the other money comes from royalties and his publishing company Mijac.

2. Elvis Presley – Died: August 16, 1977 (Age 42) – Heart Attack

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Elvis, when at the height of his career was the original man of Rock and Roll. His fame was on the scale of the likes of The Beatles. Upon his death he has since made around $55 million and continues to make money even today, almost half a century after his passing. Most of his earnings come from Graceland admission and merchandising, as well as the Cirque du Soliel show that is now staged in Las Vegas. There are also royalties to his songs and films works too.

3. Marilyn Monroe – Died August 5, 1962 (Age 36) – Overdose

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Marilyn Monroe is the ultimate fallen angel – and one of Hollywood’s saddest stories of loss. Being only 36 upon her passing, one would expect her earnings in death to have been limited – and yet the mystery surrounding her persona has kept the interest alive (she’s made upards of $27 million since death). Since death she has also co-starred in perfume advertisements and even in films (thanks to modern technology). It is suggested the next stop for her image is a line of “Marilyn Monroe Cafes” which take you back to the old vintage times.

4. Charles Schulz – Died: February 12, 200 (Age 77) Colon Cancer

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Charles Schulz, the animator and cartoonist responsible for Snoopy – was estimated to have made $25 million since his death in 2000. The characters he created of course all have merchandising agreements on them and this where a lot of that money has emerged from.

5. John Lennon – Died: December 8, 1980 (Age 40) Murdered

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John Lennon was of course, one ¼ of the famous band The Beatles and after his untimely death in 1980 in New York the World went into shock. It is obvious where his huge “after death” fortune has come from, with credentials under his belt like “World’s biggest Boy Band” but Lennon’s $12 million is also contributed too by the Cirque du Soliel in Las Vegas (who created a show using The Beatles songs). He can also thank iTunes for his high number – as since they started selling The Beatles, over 1.6 million albums were sold in the UK alone.

Thanks to http://bingo.ladbrokes.com/ who put together this post.

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La Cienaga or ‘The Swamp’ is Lucrecia Martel’s directorial debut starring Graciela Borges and Mercedes Morán.

The film tells the story of two families who co-exist in a rundown country estate during an Argentinean heat wave. Mecha (Borges) heads up one of the families and Mecha’s cousin Tali (Morán) represents the other clan. It

is not long before the overcrowded, and sometimes suffocating domestic situation erupts laying bare underlying tensions.

This is a powerful and hypnotic film which at times has an unconventional narrative and camera work. The film appears to represent the decline of Argentina’s decadent bourgeoisie.

City of God

City of God, directed by Fernando Meirelles, has received worldwide acclaim since its release. A sometimes brutal and sometimes beautiful film, 10 years on from its release it still packs a considerable punch. Starring Alexandre Rodrigues, Jonathan Haagensen, Douglas Silva, and Seu Jorge, the film tells of life in the slums of Rio De Janerio. In particular it follows the lives of two boys who take different paths. This film is made all the more poignant by the fact that some of the characters are based on real people, with many of the cast drawn from non professional actors who lived in and experienced life in the type of favelas where the film is set.

Amores Perros

Amores Perros is one of the first films of its kind which tell multiple stories which are interlinked. It is brilliantly directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and is rich on character and atmosphere. Enhanced by skilful acting, heavyweights such as Gael García Bernal lend the film a serious hot blooded Latin American feel in its tale of love, money and revenge.

With Emilio Echevarría, Goya Toledo, and Álvaro Guerrero turning in star performances, each of the tales reflect on the theme of loyalty. They display man’s inhumanity, as well as the cruelty humans inflict on animals.

Pan’s Labyrinth

Pan’s Labyrinth, directed by Mexico’s Guillermo del Toro, is certainly one film the viewer will not forget in a hurry. Set in Spain in 1944 it tells the mesmerising tale of a little girl named Ofelia who is the stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer. The stepfather’s job is to seek out and torture rebels in a remote village. To escape her stepfather’s abuse and the horror of watching her mother die, Ofelia escapes into a fantasy world where she may be the lost princess of the underworld.

Starring Ivana Baquero, and Sergi Lopez, this is a captivating film, which managed the rare feat of receiving both critical and public acclaim.

Waste Land

Waste Land is an inspiring and deeply moving social documentary directed by Lucy Walker, João Jardim and Karen Harley. It follows the artist Vik Muniz, who creates art out of recycled material, in his travels to Jardim Gramacho, a landfill outside Rio, which is reputed to be one of the largest in the world. An entire sub economy, based on extraction, sorting and trading of recyclable materials has built up around Jardim Gramacho – and the people who do this work are the focus of the documentary.

Known as the ‘catadores’, or garbage pickers, Muniz attempts to improve their lives via his art. He ends up staying for two years and this incredible documentary not only focuses on his story, but also the lives of the ‘catadores’ themselves and the remarkable journey they all undertake.

The author is a huge fan of South America and has blogged extensively on all aspects of this amazing continent from his experiences on Brazil holidays to the best of South America’s culture.

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Pablo Picasso 1962 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Pablo Picasso is, without doubt, one of the most important practitioners in the history of art. His experiments in form and perspective opened up painting and sculpture to what we now recognisably call modern art. His radical shift in representation – such as painting figures from several perspectives on a two-dimensional canvas – helped move painting away from traditional representation into subjective, abstract and expressionist forms. Without his work, there would be no Francis Bacon, Henry Moore or David Hockney. But what were the influences that informed Picasso’s work?

Symbolism

In the formative years of his career, Picasso was influenced by Symbolist painters such as Henri Toulouse-Lautre, who sought to express a subjective view of the world. Such symbolist painters were themselves indebted to the work of Paul Gauguin.

Abstract

His blue period, the somber shades inspired by the suicide of a friend, betrays the influence of Vincent Van Gogh who, like Picasso, had helped shift art towards abstraction and expressionist responses to the world.

Cubism

In the early part of the twentieth century Picasso was greatly influenced by African tribal masks, having seen an exhibition of them put on in France. This influence is seen in works that also mark the start of his Cubist period, such as ‘Les Demoiselles d’Avignon’.

Influences

This painting of five female figures shows Picasso’s experiments in perspective and the breaking down of forms into constituent parts that are then reassembled. Developed in association with George Braque, Cubism combined ideas present in the work of artists such as Henri Rousseau and Paul Cézanne. Picasso’s Cubist style developed as he adapted influences from both classical and contemporary sources, from El Greco to Modigliani. He would go on to paint many key works – not only for his career but the development of modern painting – in this style, notably ‘Femme en Pleurs’ and ‘Guernica’ which commemorated the German bombing of the town of the same name during the Spanish Civil War.

Later Life

In his later years Picasso engaged in a dialogue with some of the Old Masters of painting, and elements of the work of luminaries including Diego Velazquez, Jean-Auguste Dominique Ingres and Francisco Goya can be detected. He also had a lasting artistic dialogue with Henri Matisse, often producing paintings that were direct interpretations of specific works by Matisse, such as ‘Large Nude in a Red Armchair’, which was painted in response to Matisse’s ‘Odalisque with a Tambourine’.

For those who adore the work of Picasso and are keen to see his work, the Tate Travels Picasso art tour is the perfect holiday.  The Ultimate Travel Company have teamed up with The Tate to bring a schedule of art and culture tours across the world.  Full details of the Picasso trip can be found here.

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History of the University Boat Race

Exhausted crews at the finish of the 2002 Boat Race. Cambridge at the left. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The first boat race between Cambridge and Oxford University took place in 1829 when two school friends made a challenge. Charles Wordsworth (nephew of poet William Wordsworth) of Christchurch College, Oxford and Charles Merrivale of St. John’s, Cambridge set the date for the 10th June at Henley on Thames. In this landmark boat race Oxford won easily and the winning boat can still be seen at the River and Rowing Museum. The second race was held a few years later in London, where the event has been hosted ever since. It was only in 1856 that the University Boat Race became an annual event with the exemption of the two World Wars.

The University Boat Race Course

The University Boat Race course spans a distance of 374 km, starting in Putney and winding through Hammersmith and Barnes in an S shape. A coin is tossed to decide which team takes which side of the river, according to weather conditions and the bends of the course.

The April 2012 University Boat Race

The 158th University Boat Race had its fair share of excitement and drama. A British man protesting against elitism and privilege managed to stop both of the teams mid race by swimming in front of both boats. The disturbance caused a 31 minute delay after which the two crews restarted. After the restart the two boats clashed, causing Oxford crewmember Dr. Hanno Wienhausen to lose his oar. This meant that effectively Oxford only had seven oarsmen for the remainder of the University Boat Race, giving Cambridge a major advantage and a win of four and a half lengths.

Penny Munroe is an avid writer in London events and news. Article range from the latest celebrity Thames wedding  to Olympic Games developments.

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Wooden children’s toys have always been a popular and traditional method of play, with modern innovations making these eco-friendly products to ensure they remain a key part of a child’s playtime.

Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles

The undisputed number one children’s toy is undoubtedly the wooden jigsaw puzzle. Available in many forms, a wooden jigsaw puzzle provides your child with endless hours of fun and enjoyment, as well as giving parents a unique and unrivalled interaction and learning opportunity with their child.

The very best modern wooden jigsaw puzzles are naturally made, and colourfully painted with eco-friendly paints to ensure a great experience for the child, as well as being non-damaging in terms of the environment.

Whether it is a wooden jigsaw puzzle of a cow, car, or house, there is something for everyone – you can even do it once the child has gone to bed!

The Best Of The Rest

Aside from wooden jigsaw puzzles, there are a number of other excellent gift ideas for children which will keep them entertained on their birthday and for months, perhaps even years, beyond.

• · Rubber skipping rope – skipping ropes are one of the best loved child’s activities, made eco-friendly with rubber from organically grown trees
• · Pirate bookends – Handmade and naturally painted product which will prove a great help along with a colourful addition to any bedroom!
• · Vehicles – There are many examples of toy vehicles made from recycled plastic or sustainably grown wood, which child doesn’t like pushing cars around?
• · Soft toys – Organic cotton or wool soft toys are growing in popularity, with gifts even available to help new born children establish good sleeping habits
• · Solar Power – There are a wide range of solar powered gifts available which will always intrigue a child. From a windmill to a car, help your child learn early science with a gift they will keep forever.
• · Wormery – Introduce your child to early recycling, and their own worm colony to look after with this quirky and fun gift idea.
• · Recycled pencil case – Help your child keep all of their school stationary in one place with a uniquely designed pencil case, produced from recycled cartons.
• · Pull along toy – A pull along dog or caterpillar can be a great friend to any child!
• · Shape sorters – Get your child co-ordinated from an early age with a colourful wooden shape sorter which will develop motor skills, recognition and memory from an early age.

The number of timeless birthday gifts for children goes on and on, keep your child busy for hours on end with one of your fantastic gift ideas!

Utterly Eco is a company that provides sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives to the things we buy every day. Among the traditional children’s gifts, wooden jigsaw puzzles continue to be popular even today.

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