Some of the most famous African paintings are:

1. The Inevitable

This is one of the finest creations by African Artist Ibrahim El Salahi. Salahi has infused thoughts of modernism along with the Sudanese traditions to make an art form, which has a universal appeal.

This painting is more or less a depiction of the time he spent in prison. The nine sections in this painting represent the different phases of his incarceration, and it also symbolizes the civil upheaval and strife that devastated Sudan after the collapse of British rule. Arab and Coptic motifs have been extensively used to give a feel of distorted faces. Arms and fists depict an uprising against injustice.

Though the painting is in a monochrome format (Black and White), yet the lack of color is not felt. With absolute no-negative space, this piece of art is bold, sharp, progressive and well composed. It is a visual treat.

2. Semekazi

Willie Bester has tried to touch-base an important theme in his creation named Semakazi. Bester is a yet another progressive thinker who has tried to depict the condition of migrant workers in South Africa. The art work outlines the fact that during those times, none of the migrant workers received a pension or a secure and respectable retirement, once their tenure was over.

This painting is a collage of images depicting various aspects of his life. At the centre, there is Semekazi’s bed which has been shown in the form of a prison, in which he has been captivated. In the foreground, there is a bible which has been connected to the bed by a chain. The illustration symbolizes that during those times, African nations were run on Christian beliefs. To the left of the bed, there is an image of a family which clearly states that Willie always aspired to lead a family life.

3. Sida

Sida is a world renowned creation by an African artist named Cheri Samba. Like most of his creations, Cheri has tried to address one of the most vital aspects i.e. the political scenario of the African continent. In this painting, he has shown that the elite class of African continent is carrying out a procession. The painting has a subtle hint of sexuality which has always been an important element of Cheri’s paintings. African women in semi-clad state are throwing away their lingerie, and such a depiction brings forth the occurrence of a kind of sexual oppression, which people may have been facing during those times. Quite a bold member of Cheri’s paintings, Sida also features textual content which highlights his innate aggressive nature. The painting represents a strong sense of depth and an eye for composition and color as the painting has a ‘perspective’ look and feel.

4. Healing of Abiku children

This intricate piece of work has been created by the world renowned Nigerian painter who works under the pseudonym of Twins Seven Seven. It is influenced by the Yoruba mythology and culture to a large extent. Twins Seven Seven has included human figures along with one of the most revered Yoruba gods, with magical powers to cure people. The painting depicts a village scene where kids from far flung places have been brought to get cured. In this painting, one by one, each kid is getting cured with the help of solutions prepared by the healer. The brown hues and circular lines highlight the orthodox nature of the artist and his strong belief in the traditions of his civilization. Most importantly, this painting depicts the strong inclination of people to associate to the Yoruba gods for respite to their problems.

5. Women

‘Women’ is an extension of Nicholas Nana Yaw Kowalski’s personal attitude towards life. This oil painting is dazzling, dramatic, thought provoking and quirky. His works has always been woven around themes such as god and family. Perhaps he has a strong belief in the sanctity of the two parts of man’s life.

‘Women’ has influences of modernism with the soul of traditional African style of painting. The color palette and strokes depict an influence of traditional African painting style. However, the geometric designs and sharp contours symbolize a progressive thought process. Through the painting, the artist has reasoned out a view point where he feels that people can stay together yet have their distinct tastes/ likings, and lead a happy life. He believes there is absolutely no need to part away and live a ‘Nuclear Family’ life.

Of late, he has created some of the most amazing pieces of work.

6. To listen to reason

Mary Ogembo, from Kenya is a famous painter and has been working for quite some years. Being a woman, she is always inclined to work on themes related to women. She has carved a niche for herself for depicting the beauty of African women through oil paintings. In fact, Mary Ogembo has mostly depicted the life of African women, their struggles and their duties through her creations.

In this painting, the green color in the background symbolizes growth and development. The brown hues in the painting depict the calmness and stability. Orange hues depict signs of vitality. The girl, standing in the foreground with her eyes closed has ornaments around her neck. She even has ornaments on her hands and this clearly represents signs of prosperity. To put it short, Mary has showcased the spirit of African women in this painting.

7. Disagreement

Disagreement is yet another stupendous creation of Kenya’s one of the most illustrated artist Martin Kamuyu. Martin Kamuyu started painting at a very young age and he did that in free time. After finishing his daily chores, he would often paint and then ornament his paintings with plant leaves, charcoal and even egg yolk. Later on, Martin developed his distinct style as he began to represent issues from lives of people in his paintings. Martin has always adhered to themes pertaining to education, culture and lives.

In Disagreement, Martin Kamuyu has tried to depict the chaos in a common man’s mind when he seems to be caught in his own thoughts. Shades of white and red represent passion and purity as two different aspects that seem to exert pressure on the subject. As a result of which, the subject appears to be in a state of dilemma.

8. In Market

In ‘In Market’, Jeff Wambugu has wonderfully captured a busy market street scene. There is a wooden cart in the foreground. A woman is carrying fruits on her back. Another woman in the background looks warily at the woman with fruits. The green and brown hues in the foreground represent strife for stability, for a better income and the dark blue hues in the back ground depict static past.

Like the rest of contemporaries of his time, Jeff Wambugu has always tried to capture the essence of a common man’s life in his paintings. Being a keen observer, Jeff Wambugu has used his observations as key elements to depict the seemingly mundane activities of life. ‘Slice of Life’ themes such as market scenes, roadside shops, Paper boy etc have been meticulously depicted by this artist. Perhaps, the other common element of his creations is the optimistic approach towards life.

9. Dusk

Dusk represents the rural life of Africa. In this painting, Shine Tani has depicted a mother carrying her child and a water container, while at the same time, she is herding the cattle. The artist has tried to showcase the hardships of rural African women and their spirit to endure and go on for the purpose of living. There is a prominence of blue and mauve color which represents the color ambience during dusk.

Shine Tani had a tough upbringing. Since he belonged to a poor family, he was mostly involved in earning bread for the family. Whatever he learnt or grasped about art was through his elder siblings. To support his family, Shine Tani kept switching between menial jobs and even resorted to street begging. It was during one of his daily ordeals that he realized his talent and thereon, he got involved into it. Most of his paintings depict his experiences of his struggle in life.

10. Woman in Kitenge

The specialty or uniqueness of this painting is the usage of bright colors with distinct layering. The strokes are strong and prominent. ‘Woman in Kitenge’ depicts a woman in deep thought and wonder. She seems to be preoccupied with thoughts related to daily chores and the members of her family. The most striking feature of the painting is the eyes of the woman. The woman’s eyes showcase a feeling of wonder. Despite the fact that strong strokes have been used, there is softness in the woman’s face.

Jimnah Kimani is a prominent painter from the African continent. His paintings have been based on human figures and their lives. By using bright colors and strong strokes, Jimnah Kimani has depicted the different emotions in an ordinary man’s life and how these emotions tempt him to take certain actions. Due to his offbeat representation of life, his works have always been popular across the planet.

10. Seattle Supersonics

The team from the land of grunge, Boeing and Microsoft, the Supersonics frequently dominated the Western Conference. But it is not the same in Emerald City any more. Since it folded in 2008, the franchise moved to Oklahoma City, being rechristened the Oklahoma City Thunders. But hey, Seattle just has so much more character than Oklahoma City. They might have something good going with Durant and Green in Oklahoma, but they are no Kemp and Payton! For someone used to the ‘Supersonics’ single, there is no way he could listen to something else. Who else can match the voice of Kevin Calabro? And the Supersonics’ rivalry with the Trail Blazers will be missed the most. Who can forget the “I-5?” Supersonics’ fans can take heart, though. The all time rivalry record ended at 98-94 in favor of the Emerald City.

9. Brooklyn Dodgers

Remember Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire?” Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn’s got a winning team…You got that right! The Brooklyn Dodgers, one of the most successful MLB team, dominated the NL Pennant for much of the 40s and the 50s. It finally won the World Series in 1955, before moving to Los Angeles. The Dodgers featured in the first ever major-league baseball game to be televised on August 26, 1939. For the record, the Dodgers thrashed Cincinnati 6-1 in Ebbets Field. Any Dodgers fan would regale you with the exploits of Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella and Joe Black. “Wait ’til next year!” was the slogan that half of Brooklyn chanted daily to cheer the Boys in Blue. Who can forget the Dodgers-Giants rivalry that had the entire nation glued to the television and radio? How can you forget the ninth-inning home run by Bobby Thompson that broke the hearts of the Dodgers fans? When both the clubs moved to the West Coast in 1957, the rivalry was re-ignited between Los Angeles and San Francisco. But in all fairness, it could not match the excitement generated by the teams in the East Coast.

8. Houston Oilers

There is the Tennessee Titans and then there is a football club in Houston. But nothing can quite match the nostalgia and excitement aroused by the Oilers. You just can’t see the highlights of Earl Campbell and Warren Moon without wishing those uniforms were still around. The Oilers dominated the AFL Eastern Division Championships in the 60s. Lou Rymkus, Wally Lemm and Frank Ivy led the Oilers to their dominance in the Championship. Famous Oilers included Hall of Famers George Blanda, Ken Houston and Earl Campbell. The Oilers moved to Nashville in 1997 and became the Tennessee Titans in 1999. Every Oilers fan fondly remembers the heroics of their team in the 70s and 80s. None summed it better than Mike Jones in his hit single “Houston Oiler.” I’m a Houston Oiler, I’m a Houston Oiler became an anthem of every Texan after the move.

7. New York Cosmos

The team that had Pele in its ranks. What? You mean Pele, the legend? THE Pele? New York Cosmos was a famous soccer team based in the Big Apple from 1971-1984. And it was the strongest and the most well known soccer club in the US. The team jersey was designed by Ralph Lauren himself. The Cosmos won the Eastern Division Soccer Bowl in ’77, ’78, ‘80, ’82 and ’83. Apart from Pele, greats like Beckenbauer, Carlos Alberto and Neeskens donned the Cosmos jersey in the late 70s. The signing of Pele was a high point in the short history of the Cosmos. Well past his prime, Pele gave the club the much needed international exposure. On October 1, 1977, Pele pulled down the curtains on his decorated career in front of a capacity crowd at the Giants Stadium. In the widely televise match, Pele played each half wearing the Cosmos and the Santos colors, respectively. Partly owned by the Warner Bros, the Cosmos became the hottest ticket in the city. The regular attendees of the Cosmos’ games looked like a Who’s Who list in the entertainment business. Robert Redford, Mick Jagger, Barbara Streisand and Steven Spielberg were some of the A-listers who had the Giants Stadium in their “to visit” list every time Cosmos played. The famous Studio 54 in midtown Manhattan was frequented by the Cosmos players in the club’s heydays.

6. Hartford Whalers

Quick quiz – Name arguably the best hockey song ever? You’ve guessed it – “Brass Bonanza,” the theme song of the former Hartford Whalers, as made famous in the NHL 94 on Sega Genesis. Although the Whalers are no more, the Bonanza lives on! If you are someone looking for a new campaign to soup up your hockey team’s image, you have the Bonanza for inspiration. It has been more than a decade since Hartford has last seen a pro team. Formerly known as the New England Whalers, the Hartford Whalers played in the NHL during 1979-97. In 1997, the Whalers moved to Raleigh, where they were rechristened the Carolina Hurricanes. The Whalers were the NHL Division Champions in 1987 and made the playoffs 8 times between 1980 and 1992. Paul Coffey, Ron Francis, Gordie Howe, Bobbie Hull, and David Keon were famous Whalers inducted to the Hall of Fame. On April 13, 1997, the Whalers played their last game in Hartford, defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning, 2–1. Team Captain Kevin Dineen, who had returned to Hartford after a brief stint in Philadelphia, scored the final goal in Whaler history. The move to Raleigh did some good finally, with the Hurricanes winning their first Stanley Cup in 2006.

5. Wimbledon FC

How can a club, rich in history and tradition in the English football scene, fall from grace the way Wimbledon FC did? Your guess is as good as mine. It isn’t everyday that you see a team that defeated the mighty Liverpool in 1988 to win the FA Cup shut shop a decade and a half later. Dave Beasant, Wimbledon’s goalie sadly looks back on the glorious days, saying, “We collected the trophy, ran around the pitch, all the stuff we’d seen everyone else do on TV in previous years. We were living that dream. But when we got into the dressing room, we were knackered.” Beasant himself played a decisive role in Wimbledon’s triumph, having saved a penalty from John Aldridge in the final. A team that had the likes of Joe Kinnear, Egil Olsen and Dick Graham on its rolls in its heydays gave new meaning to the term “electric atmosphere” at Selhurst Park. Its exit from top flight football was hastened by a string of poor performances and entering into administration. The aftermath – Wimbledon never won another major trophy. For the record, Beasant now coaches at the Glenn Hoddle academy in Spain.

4. Chester City FC

The Chester City FC was one of the many football clubs in the UK that folded up owing to the pressures of financial mismanagement and below-par performances. For the fans, March 10, 2010 was a fateful day in the club’s checkered history. For a club that played home to some great talents like Ian Rush and Kevin Ratcliffe, it was a sad day. Chester had battled financial trouble before and nearly went out of business in the 1998/99 season, when the club was for a time locked out of the grounds and was unable to gain access to any facilities. After being promoted to the football league in the 2003/04 season, the club’s performances went from bad to worse. Chester’s proud 125 year history in English football came to an abrupt end in 2010. Many clubs have gone into oblivion and never returned, while others have fought to regain their reputation. It couldn’t have been worse for Chester. It has ceased to exist as a club and all that remains are memories of the good times provided by the Likes of Rush, Lee Dixon and Terry Owen.

3. Scarborough FC

Scarborough FC was one of the oldest English football clubs, established in 1879, before winding up in 2007, with debts of more than £2.5 million. You might be tempted to think that top flight footballers get ten times more in yearly wages. Not, if you were a Boro supporter. You might also blame the local council having turned its back on the club’s survival plans. The result – liquidation and curtains on the club’s proud 128 year history! For a club that won the FA Trophy thrice in the 70s, the fall from grace was too much too handle for many fans. Who can forget the atmosphere in the McCain Stadium, where thousands of fans from the North of England braved the Yorkshire weather to cheer the exploits of Steve Richards, Tommy Mooney, Gareth Williams, Martin Russell, and Neil Warnock?

2. Kansas City Knights

Kansas City Knights was an American Basketball Association minor league team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The team was established in 2000 and wound up during the 2004/05 season. In the 2001/02 season, the Knights posted the league best 35-5 record under head coach Kevin Pritchard. Soon after winning the title, problems started within the franchise’s management and the team took a year off to reorganize. It took part in the 2003/04 and the 2004/05 season before suspending operations in 2006. The team was scheduled to move to a new arena, but plans have remained in a limbo and nothing substantial had emerged since. The ABA, however, announced that the team would resurface under new management, but for the fans starved of the Knights’ exploits, the only thing they can hope for is hope itself of seeing their team come out of the wilderness.

1. Chicago Stags

Before the Bulls, there were the Stags. The Chicago Stags were an NBA team that was founded in 1946 and folded in 1950. When the Stags folded, their star, Bob Cousy, was drafted by the Boston Celtics. Despite their short existence in top flight basketball, they made their way to the BAA finals, only to lose to the Philadelphia Warriors. While they were never a powerhouse, the Stags compiled an impressive four-year record of 145-92; that 0.612 winning percentage translates to a 50-32 record in an 82-game schedule of today. In addition, while only playing in one championship series in four years, the Stags were in the playoffs every season. After 1948, the Stags’ performance took a nosedive and, coupled with financial mismanagement, led to the end of the team as it existed. The Chicago Bulls wore replicas of the ’46 Stags uniform as a tribute to their illustrious predecessors and to celebrate the 60^th anniversary of the Stags establishment.



These attorneys have proven themselves with excellent track records in the defense of white collar crimes, complicated litigation cases, challenging Federal and State laws and service to their communities. Criminal defense is a tough and complicated area of law to practice. It takes drive, determination and an unfaltering desire to win, to successfully practice criminal defense law. Each one of these attorneys has fought for their clients and shown time and again that they are tenacious and tireless defenders of their client’s right to a fair trial and successful judgment.

Let’s face it, the majority of the population is filled with people who should be spending time in jail. Or who’re completely innocent of the crimes they’ve been accused of, though those cases are boring and full of ‘do the right thing’ feel good moments. So for the purpose of this article, we’ll assume that EVERYONE is guilty (even if you’re not). It’s called discrimination, I don’t know what type. Look it up. You may be able to sue me for it. Anyway, when you eventually find yourself in need of a defense lawyer, why not choose from the cream of the crop. These are the top 10 badass defense lawyers for 2010.

10. Charles Lembcke

of the Charles B. Lembcke, PA firm in Jacksonville, FL. This is the second year in a row that Lembcke has found a place on the The United States Lawyer Rankings Top 10 List. Lembcke is pretty popular in terms of white collar crimes as well as complex civil litigation cases in federal and state courts. If you aren’t sure what white collar crime is, then think Martha Stuart crimes versus Larry the Cable Guy crimes. Admitted to the Florida Bar in 1971, he received his degree in law from the University of Florida. Mr. Lembcke served in the United States Attorney’s Office in Jacksonville, FL from 1974-1977 and began his private practice in 1977. He started his law office in 2003 and his firm specializes in litigation. Some of their more notable cases dealt with things like McDonald’s Monopoly games, fraud in a Jacksonville beverage company, cocaine trafficking, healthcare fraud, and etc. All of which their clients came out on top.

9.  Robert L. Ullman

a partner at Nutter, McClennan & Fish in Boston, MA specializes in government investigations and white collar defense and litigation. He received his Law Degree from Harvard and apparently, the expensive education paid off because this is the fifth year that Ullman has been featured on the top 10 list. Something to brag about when he goes back for his high-school reunion at least. After ten years with the Justice Department in 1994 he was appointed as Senior Litigation Counsel by Attorney General Janet Reno. He was named among the top 100 Massachusetts Super Lawyers from 2004-2009 (which again gives him mucho bragging rights). Mr. Ullman is a Fellow of the American College of Trail Lawyers, and he also serves on the Nutter Executive Committee.

8. Lawernce Lustberg

of the firm Gibbons Law in Newark, NJ is the Director of the John J. Gibbons Fellowship in Public Interest and Constitutional Law. He is also the Chair of the Criminal Defense Department. He received his Law Degree cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1983. From 1985-1990 he served as an Assistant Public Defender for the District of New Jersey. He is currently an Adjunct Assistant Law Professor at Rutgers University Law School and Seton Hall University Law School. Mr. Lustberg was named one of the Top 100 Super Lawyers in New Jersey for Criminal Defense: White Collar in 2010. He is a Fellow in the American Bar Association. His practice specializations are appellate practice and criminal defense.

7. Jeffery D. Coleman

a partner in the Litigation Department of Jenner & Block in Chicago, IL has been practicing law for 35 years. He received his Law Degree from Stanford Law School in 1973, and was accepted into the Illinois State Bar in 1975. His specialties include civil and criminal litigation and he has represented private citizens and large law firms in a variety of cases involving fraud, class action suits, grand jury investigations, and criminal cases at both the state and federal courts. Currently Mr. Coleman is a member of the team of lawyers in his firm that are representing prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. He is also very involved with many pro bono cases and defending indigent persons. Recently he represented the Governor of Illinois in a voting litigation procedure. He was named one of the Best Lawyers in America for the years 2006-2010, and has several honors for his pro-bono service and has been named an Illinois Super Lawyer since 2005.

6. Thomas Pollack

of the firm Irell & Manella, Los Angeles, CA, received his Law Degree in 1968 from the New York University of Law. He is also a member of the California and New York State Bars. He is a former acting Federal Public Defender for the Central District of California. Mr. Pollack has defended many high profile white collar defendants against the IRS, SEC and FTC. His cases have included successful rulings in a jury trial in defense of a CEO of a motion picture studio on tax evasion and defense from insider trading charges by an agent of a real estate company. Mr. Pollacks’ areas of expertise include white collar crimes, securities litigation and civil and criminal litigation. For the past ten years he has been named a Best Lawyer in America and was included on the Super Lawyers list for Southern California in 2010 by the Los Angels Magazine.

5. James Brosnahan

is a Senior Partner of the Morrison & Foester Law Firm in San Francisco, CA and has been practicing law for over 50 years. He received his Law Degree in 1959 from Harvard’s Law School. He is a member of the Arizona and California State Bar Associations. He uses his experience to receive successful rulings in defense of charges that include competition and antitrust laws, employment laws, product liability, complex commercial litigation and high profile white collar criminal cases. To date he has had over 140 successful verdicts. Mr. Brosnahan has been honored with such accolades as his induction in 2006 into the California’s Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame and in the same year was named by the National Law Journal as one of America’s most influential trial lawyers. Chambers USA has named him a leading lawyer since its inception. Mr. Brosnahan has been included in The Best Lawyers of America list for over 20 years. He’s been involved in many high profile cases, which include the successful defense of the Altera Corportaion, defense of 3M in Breast Implant litigation, the Iran-Contra hearings, defense of John Walker Lindh for terrorism charges and USA vs Elias Psinakis for Interstate transportation of explosives.

4. Stephen L. Braga

a partner of the Ropes & Gray Law Firm in Washington, DC specializes in the areas of civil and criminal litigation cases, which include antitrust, government enforcement, securities enforcement, securities litigation and white collar crime. He received his Law Degree magna cum laude in 1981 from Georgetown University Law Center where he serves as an adjunct professor teaching legal ethics, civil litigation and evidence. Mr. Braga is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. His many honors and awards include the Gideon Champion of Justice Award from the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, The Best Lawyers in Washington, Washington D.C. Super Lawyer and the Top Ten Criminal Defense Lawyers. He is a member of the Washington D.C. Bar Association.

3. Stephen C. Cowen

is a partner of the King & Spalding Special Matters and Government Investigations Practice in Atlanta, GA. He received his Law Degree cum laude from Harvard in 1972. He is a member of the State Bar Associations of Florida, Georgia and the District of Columbia. Mr. Cowen served in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia from 1976-1979. He spent 1979-1982 as a prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida in Tampa. After this he spent three years with the Atlanta US Attorney’s Office as the First Assistant and Chief of the Criminal Division and in 1986 was the court appointed US Attorney General of Atlanta. His areas of expertise include white collar crimes, internal corporate investigations, development of compliance plans, civil litigation and federal securities fraud. The current edition of The Best Lawyers in America and Chambers USA include him as a leading attorney. He has presented to the SEC, Department of Justice and the HHS Office of the Inspector General findings of internal investigations for several of his clients.

2. Eliot Lauer

partner and co-chair of the Litigation Group at Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle in New York, NY specializes in the practice areas of commercial litigation and arbitration, commodities, criminal defense and government investigations, intellectual property litigation, internal investigation, international arbitration, professional liability and securities litigation. He has successfully defended his clients against charges of mail and wire fraud, tax fraud, commodities fraud, market manipulation, product liability and other complex litigation in white collar crime. Mr. Lauer is a member of the New York State and District of Columbia Bar Associations as well as the American Bar Association, Federal Bar Council and The Association of the Bar of New York City. He has presented the findings of many investigations for his clients to such entities as the SEC, Department of Justice, National Association of Securities Dealers and other agencies. He is well versed in domestic and international arbitration and mediation representation. Mr. Lauer is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbard.

1. Carol Elder Bruce

And finally, the badass to end all badassess, Carol Elder Bruce. A partner at the Bracewell & Guiliani International Law Firm in Washington, DC, Ms. Bruce specializes in the defense of white collar criminal cases and complex litigations. She has successfully defended her private and corporate clients in cases involving criminal grand jury investigations and congressional investigations. Ms. Bruce received her Law Degree from the Law School at Georgetown University in 1974. She is a member of Bar Association of the Columbia District. As the only woman named in the 2010 edition of the United State’s Lawyer Rankings for the Nation’s Top Criminal Defense Lawyer, Ms. Bruce has several accolades to her name. She is a Fellow in American College of Trial Lawyers, in 2010 she was elected Fellow to the Litigation Counsel of America, she was named a star of National White Collar in Crime Litigation and the star of Columbia District White Collar in Crime Litigation. She was also named in the 2009 Ethisphere Institute’s as one of the best attorneys in Corporate Compliance. For five years, Ms. Bruce has been included in the United State’s Layer Rankings for the Nation’s Top Criminal Defense Lawyers. She was also named the Nation’s Top Commercial Litigation Lawyer from 2006 to 2009. Ms. Bruce has received numerous awards for her achievements which include the 2007 Beacon of Justice Award, The Fredrick Douglas Human Rights Award, The Belva Ann Lockwood Award and in October of 2009 she received the Jacob Burns Award for Extraordinary Service. Ms. Bruce has also received a Martin-Hubble AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating. These awards and honors are just a few of the examples of why Carol Elder Bruce has earned the number one slot for The Top 10 Most Amazing Lawyers of 2010. In the end, she’s sort of like Kate Beckinsale from Underworld, except without all the leather since the angsty vampire look goes against some lawyer code.

10. Charles “Chuck” Feeney

American businessman and billionaire Charles “Chuck” Feeney became mind-bogglingly wealthy as one of the founding partners of the chain of duty-free shops whose discounted goods entice last-minute shoppers in airports and hotels around the world. Feeney is the antithesis of flashy movers and shakers like Ted Turner and Richard Branson — he lives simply, keeps a very low profile, and avoids most public appearances and media coverage. Still, by most estimates, Feeney ranks among the most generous of major philanthropists. Over the last several decades, he has given away nearly $5 billion to foundations, universities, hospitals, and non-profit groups around the globe. What’s even more impressive – and most unusual – is that Feeney typically goes out of his way to ensure that his gifts remain anonymous. For example, to avoid U.S. government disclosure rules, he incorporated his private foundation in Bermuda and claims no tax deductions for his charitable donations. Some observers say that in terms of charitable donations as a percentage of one’s overall net worth, Feeney may someday be recognized as the most altruistic philanthropist in American history.

9. Thomas Cannon

Virginia resident Thomas Cannon didn’t consider himself to be a religious man, but at the age of 47, he took on a charitable mission that he described to friends as a “one-man ministry.” The postal worker began distributing small grants, most totaling $1000, to foundations, nonprofit organizations, charity groups, and individuals whose work he admired or whose circumstances he wanted to help improve. Over the course of his lifetime, Cannon has distributed nearly $200,000 in his own funds, most of which he and his wife Princetta amassed by living frugally on his salary, which was never more than $30,0000. Later, when Princetta was struck with terminal cancer, well-wishers from across the United States returned the favor and pitched in to buy the Cannons a more comfortable home. Though Princetta succumbed to the disease soon afterward, Thomas continued to focus on his charitable work until his death in 2005.

8. Ted Turner

Few people have moderate opinions on bold and outspoken Georgia-based billionaire Ted Turner – he tends to inspire either intense admiration or loathing. The media magnate has ownership stakes in CNN, WTBS, and the Atlanta Braves, and has amassed more American real estate than any other private individual. But before you dismiss Turner as nothing more than a brazen capitalist, it’s also important to note that his charitable donations and work on behalf of environmental conservation causes have catapulted him into the rarefied ranks of the world’s top philanthropists. In 1998, Turner sparked a firestorm of media interest when he pledged $1 billon of his then $3 billion fortune to the United Nations, a then-unprecedented act of philanthropic largesse. Since then, Turner has also made sizable donations to an array of environmental causes and organizations designed to assist the development of third-world countries.

7. Larry Stewart

In the late 1970s, Kansas City resident Larry Stewart suffered a devastating string of bad career luck when he was fired twice in two years. What’s more, both the terminations occurred right before Christmas, adding insult to injury. After the second incident, a sympathetic waitress tried to cheer up the down-on-his-luck Stewart with a gift of a free meal. Surprised by how much the kind gesture cheered him up, Stewart began to show the same kindness demonstrated to him to others he encountered. In his first such act, he gave a carhop a large tip. Soon afterwards, Stewart upped the ante and began handing out money to people he saw on the street, a tradition he would carry on under the anonymous moniker “Secret Santa” for nearly three decades. Just before Stewart succumbed to esophageal cancer in 2007, he revealed his story to local media outlets. Since then, Secret Santa clubs have sprung up around the nation that are dedicated to carrying on Stewart’s tradition of generosity.

6. Warren Buffett

The so-called “Oracle of Omaha” is widely recognized as one of the world’s savviest and most successful businessmen. Warren Buffett has advised presidents and various other heads of state on all things business-related, and he’s widely regarded as one of the world’s most skillful investors. Still, even with a personal fortune that is estimated to be more than $60 billion, ranking second only to Microsoft founder Bill Gates on the list of the wealthiest Americans, Buffett remains humble and chooses to stick to a relatively modest lifestyle. His philanthropic efforts are fueled in part by his belief that families should not pass significant wealth to their heirs, as the offspring of these wealthy dynasties tend to be unproductive and complacent, rather than contributing fully to society. In 2006, Buffett made a public pledge to give away his personal fortune, with the bulk of the money going to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Buffet promptly followed up on his pledge by signing over ownership of stock worth more than $30 billion, which experts consider to be single largest donation ever recorded.

5. George Soros

Though often a lightning rod for controversy, Hungarian-born business man and currency speculator George Soros has emerged as one of the most significant figures in the global philanthropic landscape in recent years. Through years of savvy investments and currency swaps, Soros amassed a personal fortune estimated to be worth more than $13 billon – including a one-day take of more than $1 billion in the controversial “Black Wednesday” currency crisis that nearly brought some of England’s most prominent financial institutions to their knees. From the get-go, George Soros’ charitable donations have been somewhat political in tone, as with the millions of dollars he funneled to groups involved in the transition of Hungary to capitalism, in fomenting Georgia’s “Rose Revolution,” and, more recently, to the defeat of George W. Bush’s 2004 presidential campaign. In recent years, Soros’ charitable donations have focused on issues such as developing technological infrastructure in poor nations and helping to eradicate poverty in Africa and elsewhere. As of 2007, Time magazine estimated that Soros’ foundation had donated more than $6 billion.

4. Bill Gates

The company he helped to create — software giant Microsoft — has often come under fire for allegedly engaging in non-competitive business practices, and as far as spokespeople go, he’s kind of awkward, to put it mildly. But no matter what else you can say about Bill Gates, one thing is incontestable – the richest man in America has emerged as perhaps the single most important figure in global philanthropy in recent years. Founded in 1994, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation now has an endowment of more than $33 billion, and analysts say that its record-breaking donations in fields such as the treatment and eradication of malaria, tuberculosis, and AIDS have made a significant difference in the lives of many of the world’s poorest populations. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has a mandate to donate at least 5% of its assets each year, which amounts to more than $1.5 billion a year based on current funding levels.

3. Paul Newman

Actor Paul Newman amassed a significant personal fortune over the course of his career in the movies, turning his boyish good lucks and photogenic charm into plum roles in classic films such as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Hustler, and Cool Hand Luke. Although he had always dabbled in philanthropy, it wasn’t until 1982 that Newman took a more serious approach to charity, forming the brand “Newman’s Own” with the intention of donating all of the profits garnered by the company to good causes. With an initial focus on salad dressing, the company soon had products for sale on virtually every aisle in the typical American grocery store, with offerings ranging from pasta sauce to dog food. In 1993, the company created a subsidiary called Newman’s Own Organics which applied the same model to the then virtually unheard of realm of organic foods. Over the course of the existence of the Newman’s Own brand, nearly $300 million has been generated for charity.

2. Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey began her career as a local newscaster and has created a multibillion-dollar media powerhouse the likes of which have never been seen. Along the way, she accumulated a personal fortune estimated to be in the $2 billion range, making her the richest African American in history. Since the beginning, Oprah has been generous with her earnings, making sizable charitable donations since her syndicated daytime talk show was first brought to the national market. She has given millions of dollars to charitable causes around the globe, including donations of more than $50 million to create a girls’ school in South Africa. In addition to her own charitable work, the media magnate founded Oprah’s Angel Network in 1998 with the aim of encouraging people everywhere to engage in philanthropic and charitable acts to the best of their financial ability.

1. Slacktavists, Armchair Philanthropists, and….You

Although the massive one-time donations made by wealthy philanthropists often get the most media coverage, experts say that real social change can only be effected when everybody gets in on the act. That’s why nonprofit organizations and other groups are trying to make it as simple as possible for average people to get involved in philanthropy. Case in point: after a series of devastating earthquakes hit Haiti in January 2010, millions of cell phone users donated to relief efforts by sending a text message to a special number set up by the Red Cross. Most of the donations were only $10 each, but in the end, more than $22 million was collected, proving once and for all exactly how true the old adage about strength in numbers really is.

10. Giant Stone Spheres of Costa Rica

Hundreds of stone spheres have been found scattered in the Diquis Delta of Costa Rica, ranging from a few centimeters to 6 feet in diameter and weighing 16 tons. The spheres are near perfect in shape. Stratigraphy is the only available dating method for these stones, and most of them are no longer in situ, so guesses to their age range from 200 BCE all the way to 1500 CE.

United Fruit Company is responsible for the sphere’s discovery in the 1930s, as they stumbled upon many of them with their bulldozers clearing a location for a banana plantation. Many of the spheres have been damaged by both the heavy equipment, and from sticks of dynamite used to break apart the rocks.

The stones are clouded with mystery. Some theories suggest the Indigenous people had means of softening stones with a magic potion, making the stone’s creation possible. Others are convinced they come from the lost city of Atlantis. Still, some believe the spheres are a creation of nature, without any hand of man in their creation at all.

9. Easter Island Moai

The Moai statues of Easter Island are monolithic human statues carved around 1300 BCE, each weighing around or over 50 tons. Half of the statues are clustered together at the main Moai quarry, while hundreds of others were transported and set around the island’s perimeter.

This feat depicts remarkable creativity and sophistication of the Easter Island people, as some statues are as tall as 33 feet, and others weighing 86 tons.

Oral traditions tell of various individuals with the ability to command the statues to walk at their will with the use of divine power. Many modern attempts to move the Maoi in an upright position, walking them, have failed, due to instability and difficulty navigating rougher terrain. The most successful attempt was moving using sled runners atop log rollers, taking only 25 men two minutes to move a ten-ton replica 150 feet.

8. The Great Pyramid of Giza

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only surviving of seven cited wonders of the ancient world, and still baffle and impress scholars worldwide. Every ten years or so, the mystery of The Great Pyramid’s construction is allegedly solved, with another engineer or Egyptologist coming to the media with his or her own theory or hypothesis, but as no clear written record exists, these are additionally speculative.

Theories abound from massive slave labor, use of ramps and sleds, kites, the use of harmonics or manipulation of the Earth’s magnetic field, or even alien intervention. The current theory exciting the media is perhaps they were built with ramps spiraling from the inside out, as opposed to the outside in. Evidence of this internal ramp does exist, depicted by a diagram of the pyramid found by the French in a high-tech survey of the pyramids conducted in the 1980s.

7. Stonehenge

A giant prehistoric monument, erected between 3000-2200 BCE, Stonehenge has been a subject of mystery and legend for thousands of years. Folklore suggests they were built by the devil from stones purchased from an Irish woman, and according to Old English Arthurian legend, magician Merlin had the stones removed from Ireland and reconstructed it near Amesbury.

Know one knows exactly the purpose of Stonehenge, but speculations have been made with suggestions as a celestial calendar, burial monument or gateway between life and death, or a ritual place of healing. Because the creators of Stonehenge had no written documentation, knowing the exact function is impossible. The stones were constructed symmetrically, with their axis of symmetry aligned perfectly with the summer and winter solstices.

The bluestones involved in Stonehenge are not indigenous, with the closest natural location being from Wales, transportation for the bluestones from Wales to Amesbury has presented scholars with the mystery of their transportation. Several methods have been tried; proving advanced feats of engineering and that even with an incredibly organized tribe, moving the multiple stones through the densely wooded landscape would have come with tremendous difficulty. One geologist, Aubrey Burl, suggests instead the bluestones were carried to near Amesbury with the help of glacial activity.

6. Nazca Lines

This collection of geoglyphs created with agreement of most scholars by the Nazca culture in Peru date as early as 200 BCE. These shallow sculptures were made with removal of the red pebbles abundant in the Nazca desert revealing the white ground below.

Different geometric designs, with the largest between 650-900 feet across, depict animals, insects, humans, and geometric shapes. While essentially easy to construct using simple tools, the curiosity of the Nazca lines is the large pictures as a whole are only viewable from the sky. Even considering flight was not an option, they must have been created using a very sophisticated sense of mathematical knowledge with very careful planning, as seen by the exactness in the images from above.

Alternative theorists suggest flight may have been possible for the Ancients, either by means of hot air balloon, or advanced technological flight machines. Erik Von Daniken, author of Finger Prints of the Gods, use the Nazca lines as evidence for ancient astronauts.

5. Japanese Under Water Pyramid

Beginning In March of 1995 with excavations continuing to this date, divers off the coast of Okinawa have discovered several structures resembling pyramids, roads, and some semblance of an ancient city.
The most notable of these stone structures is a rectangular ziggurat type structure 90 ft high and 600 ft wide. Smaller pyramids were located nearby. As the area of under water land was last at the surface before it was submerged at end of the most recent ice age, these structures could date to 8000 BCE, 5,000 years older than the oldest recorded pyramid in Egypt.

Many scientists, however, believe natural processes of erosion and splitting rocks could have created the pyramid, and underwater road-like structures created by natural phenomena are not uncommon. While natural erosion is a possibility, examples of natural erosion and rock splitting in the conspicuous sharp nature of these underwater pyramids have not been seen elsewhere in underwater geology.

4. Coral Castle

Coral Castle’s construction commenced in 1920 by Latvian American immigrant Edward Leedskalnin in Florida City, FL. Leedskalnin spent 28 years working on Coral Castle, alone and exclusively at night, not allowing anyone to watch him work.

The castle is constructed completely from oolitic limestone blocks each weighing several tons. The castle is not fastened together using any mortar, simply using the weight of the limestone alone as means to keep the structure together. When a few teenagers reported as being eyewitness, they claimed to witness Leedskalnin levitate the blocks, floating them like balloons.

Leedskalnin asserted he knew the secrets of the pyramids, but never disclosed what these were. He did however, have beliefs contradictory to contemporary science, and believed all matter was made up of magnets and he “rediscovered the laws of weight, measurement, and leverage,” which involved a relationship between celestial alignments and the Earth. Additionally theories include using harmonics as means to move the 30-ton blocks, as scientists and Tibetan monks alike have played with sound as a means for anti gravity.

3. The Sphinx

The Sphinx, partnered alongside The Great Pyramids of Giza, has been a target of mystery for many years. It is commonly supposed among some archaeologists and Egyptologists the Sphinx dates back to the reign of Pharaoh Khafre, circa 2500 BCE.

In the early 90s, however, geological evidence surfaced that dates The Sphinx much earlier than previously speculated. The crux of this evidence revolves around erosion. Erosion by means of water, and that by means of wind and sand, has two very different looking results. The evidence of erosion on The Sphinx points directly to that of water. Not only that, but as some conservative Egyptologists suggest flooding of the Nile as possibility for this water erosion, the heaviest signs come from the top of the body, suggesting heavy rainfall, not the bottom. This evidence possibly dates the Sphinx much earlier than commonly supposed, at 5000-6000 BCE.

Additionally, the head of The Sphinx is disproportionally smaller than the rest of the body, which lead to assumptions that the head was more recently carved from the original structure, possibly in the epoch of original dating at 4500 years ago.

2. Puma Punku and Tiahuanaco

The means of construction at Puma Punku is an engineering anomaly that is not even comprehendible by modern scholars. Presumed current knowledge of the Tiahuanaco culture alludes to no writing system or familiarity with the wheel, the architectural accomplishments at Puma Punku are incredible. The largest of the megalithic stones used in construction is 131 metric tons, and made from red sandstone. The nearest quarry for red sandstone is 10 km away from the archaeological site, and the stones would need to be carried up a steep incline.

The stones are cut with extreme precision to lock together like pieces of a puzzle. Sophisticated knowledge of geometry is exhibited in this construction, as well as advanced masonry. These stones are so meticulously cut they suggest technology of mass production, and they fit together so perfectly even a razor blade cannot fit in between them.

One carved stone at Puma Punku has a perfectly straight line, with drilled, equidistant holes, an impossible feat with copper or stone tools.
Archaeologists argue about the dating of Puma Punku, with claims ranging from to mere 440 CE to more outlandishly 15,000 years old. One thing is for certain, modern engineers still find construction of Puma Punku impossible today, even with the use of our modern day technology and engineering tools.

1. Göbekli Tepe Temple in Turkey

Beginning excavation in 1994, Turkish and German archaeologists are currently uncovering what is now the oldest megalithic monument. Only 5% of this site has currently been excavated, and Archaeologist’s predict it could take another 50 years. So far, it has been dated through the radiocarbon method at 11,000 BCE, predating the pyramids and Stonehenge by over 6,000 years. The pillars of the round stone structure are carved with reliefs of animals including vultures, foxes, lions, gazelles, reptiles, and waterfowl, suggesting the surrounding location of the temple upon construction was far more of a lush landscape than the current conditions of modern day turkey.

This discovery puts a definite spin on the way we view human history, the development of civilization, and the origin of religious practice. It has previously been conceived that man practiced religious ritual post-agriculture, yet bones found at this site clearly suggest a pre-agriculture hunter-gatherer society. Some archaeologists speculate this site, mostly due to its geographic coordinates, as the location of Eden; if not the Biblical Garden itself, than it marks the location to where man made his transition from hunting and gathering to farming, the suggested allegory of the Eden story.

The biggest part of the mystery of Göbekli, however, is that man systematically and deliberately buried the site in around 8000BCE, creating the artificial hills the site was uncovered under.

10. Saqqara Bird

In 1898 a small bird like figure, known as the Saqqara Bird, was discovered during the excavation Saqqara, Egypt’s Pa-di-lmen tomb. Upon discovery it was hardly considered noteworthy and thrown in a box labeled “wooden bird.” The artifact is dated at 200 BCE.

After the invention of flight in 1903, many years later the bird was rediscovered by an specialist on ancient artifacts, Dr Khalil Messiha. Messiha discerned its characteristics similar of modern airplanes, namely “push-gliders,” with hints of advanced aerodynamics.

The debate is whether or not the Saqqara bird is in fact zoomorphic or potential evidence that the ancients conceived and or exercised modern flight. The idea is supported by additional “flying machines,” also possibly zoomorphic, found in South America dating at 500-800 BCE showing similar aerodynamic qualities

9. Tecaxic-Calixtlahuaca Head

This terra cotta head, originally part of a full statue, was found in 1933in the Toluca Valley among pre-Colombian grave goods. The curiosity the head presents is that it is clearly roman in style and antithetical to the design of popular Mesoamerican artifacts in that epoch.

Thermoluminescence testing of the Tecaxic-Calixtlahuaca head dates it to around 9th century BCE ranging between 13th century CE. Based on the bear and hairstyle of the head, it’s official placement is of Roman origin 2nd century CE.

The artifact is exciting and unusual because it suggests trans-oceanic contact to the New World far before originally speculated, although no other references of this Roman contact to the New World exist in the historical tradition of that area.

8. The Dropa Stones

The Dropa Stones surfaced in 1938 during an archaeological expedition between China and Tibet. Over 700 of these stones, more like disks, were found and carbon dated at approximately 12,000 years old. The disks are 9 inches in diameter, with a spiraling groove from the perfectly round ¾ inch center.

With further investigation the “groove” was identified as a series of almost microscopic writing in the form of characters and hieroglyphics. They sat un-deciphered until 1962, when Dr. Tsum Um Nui claimed to have decoded the writing to tell the tale of our planets first encounter with extra-terrestrials. The story on the stones depicts a crash landing of an alien spacecraft, a fearful encounter with the tribal Hams, and that the two eventually made peace.

Because of the small size of the characters, and at 12,000 years old have gone through considerable wear, the accuracy of this translation is up for debate. The isolated people of that region, interestingly, called the Hams, have unusual small frames, yellowish skin, large heads, and blue eyes a-typical of other people in the area.

7. The Coso Artifact

On February 13, 1961, three gift shop owners searching for geodes in California found an artifact which seemed strangely out of place. Inside a mineral, taking around 500,000 years to form naturally incased perfectly circular porcelain like material with a metal shaft in the center, appearing curiously like a spark plug.

Theories of how the spark plug ended up in the decidedly old lump of clay range from evidence of possibility of advanced Ancient Civilization, a mere natural accident, or something dropped by time travelers from the future. The artifact is, however, unquestionably a spark plug and of very mysterious origin.

6. Fuente Magna

 

Fuente Magna is an elaborately engraved chestnut libation bowl casually found in Bolivia by a country peasant. The artifact was originally considered unimportant until investigations were conducted in 2000. Unusual per its location, the writing on the bowl is unmistakably from the Old World.

Deemed “The Rosetta Stone of the Americas,” the two texts featured on Fuenta Magna are Sumerian Cuneiform and a Semetic text, and alludes to a transitional era in writing from symbol to text. This dates the bowl to 3500 BCE, Sumerian origin. The bowl itself is also follows trends of Mesopotamian artifacts.

The mystery is how the bowl came to be found in Bolivia, and when it came to be at its final resting place. The most popular theory is one of trans-oceanic contact taking place thousands of years before previously conceived.

5. Baghdad Battery

The Baghdad battery, surfacing around 1936 near Iraq, is the title of a series of artifacts of Mesopotamian origin. These artifacts are 5 inch jars including a copper cylinder housing an iron rod.

The presence of iron and copper in conjunction creates an electrochemical couple, and when an electrolyte is added to the mix creates voltage. The addition of any citrus juice or vinegar, for example, will produce an electric charge. Their use is unclear, but commonly associated with electroplating jewelry.

The pots are dated from anywhere between 250 BCE and 224 CE, predating the accepted invention of the electrochemical cell by Alessandro Volta in 1800 by over a thousand years.

4. Kingoodie Hammer

Earning its name from its discovery in 1844 at the Kingoodie Quarry of Scotland, an iron nail (also with what appears to be a wooden handle) is found fixed within a Sandstone block from the Mesozoic Era.

It is, however, highly unlikely for an iron nail to survive oxidation for 400 million years, and no theories are currently suggested for how this anomaly has come to past. Equally puzzling, however, is how this iron nail and wooden hammer found its way so solidly entrenched in a piece of sandstone hundreds of millions of years old.

3. Voynich Manuscript

The Voynich manuscript publicly surfaced in 1912 when it walked into the shop of a Polish-American bookseller, Wilfred Voynich. Around 240 pages of vellum sheets, the Voynich manuscript consists of large illustrations that depict knowledge of botany, astronomy, anatomy, and pharmaceutical sciences, partnered with a completely untranslatable writing. Famous British and American master code breakers of WWII, as well as world-renowned cryptologists still cannot decipher one word of the mysterious script.

The book is dated circa 15th century, and its authorship is also debatable. Guesses range from 13th century polymath and Franciscan friar Roger Bacon to a young Leonardo Di Vinci.

If it were authored by Roger Bacon in the mid 1200’s, there is some exciting evidence of knowledge beyond its years, namely astronomical charts which show galaxies as viewed through telescope and illustrations of live cells as viewed through microscope, both inventions with their first recorded appearance in the 1600s.

2. Mitchell-Hedges Skull

The Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull is the most famous of a collection of crystal skulls discovered between the 1920s-1960s in Mesoamerica, supposedly pre-Columbian in origin with suggested dating at 3,600 years old. The skull is a replica of a human skull made of transparent quartz that was allegedly found by Anna Mitchell-Hedges, daughter of explorer F.A. Mitchell Hedges, under a collapsed Mayan Temple.

While it is highly speculated that this story is truly how the crystal skull was found, mysteries are still abound. When examined by two specialists, art restoration expert Frank Dorland and Hewlett-Packard’s crystal lab, it was confirmed that the skull had been carved from a single piece of quartz rock crystal and carved against the natural grain of the crystal’s axis, something which would be very difficult today even with modern tools and technology. Even with sophisticated tools, crystal cut against the natural axis shatters indefinitely, and Silicone Valley deemed these crystal skulls as physically and technically impossible.

1. Piri Reis Map

In 1513, Ottoman-Turkish cartographer Piri Reis compiled a map of the world on Gazelle skin. According to the cartographer, Piri Reis, he used twenty different maps as reference points to complete his map, ranging from those of Columbus to some of which may have been used in the epoch of Alexander the Great. Despite controversies, the map is generally celebrated for it’s accurate illustration of the South American coastline.

Exciting to mystery lovers, however, is the land mass connected to the South American coast, which many people speculate is a depiction of Antarctica without ice. The large hump is what is believed to be Antarctica’s Queen Maude Land, and the dip next door is the Weddell Sea. Up for interpretation are also various waterways, which seem to match what might be lurking under the ice. The theory here is that an ancient civilization, possibly Atlantis, had survived there and created a map that may have been available in the Library of Alexandria.

10. Ardad: Demon who leads travelers astray

If you have ever taken a vacation and had trouble finding your hotel, car, map, anxiety medication, or the rest of your family, you’ve probably had an encounter or two with Ardad, the demon who leads travelers astray. Ardad is not that powerful of a demon, which is why his job is seducing a behavior that most mortals have no trouble doing on their own. He most often possesses men into being adamantly against asking for directions, and responsible for GPS malfunction in major cities.

9. Agares: Earthquakes, Foul Language, and Destroying Dignity

It’s 9 am and you are walking into your business meeting with a fresh cup of coffee from the break room. The room is still bustling with the conversations of your peers, which you would engage in if you hadn’t just started last week and were still acquainting yourself with folks around the office. You sit down, and just as the fervor of communication dies down to near silent, you spill hot coffee all over your new suit and yell out a loud and audible #*$@! You look up and are met with dead silence, and disgust in the eyes of your new workmates at your lack of professionalism. You want nothing more than to run right out of the room, but your feet are frozen to the floor. Fortunately, you can tell them all you are battling with the demon Agares and that should make it all okay.

Agares is a grand duke of Hell and presides over 31 legions of demons. He particularly enjoys destroying dignities, teaching foul language, and makes those who run stand still. Agares also can cause earthquakes, surprising that with such power he took the time to ruin your morning meeting and your chances of upward mobility.

8. Astaroth: Vanity, Laziness, and Rationalization

After waking up at 11:30, to lazy to walk to the kitchen for a bowl of cereal, you flip open the laptop at your bedside and order breakfast for delivery on Grubhub. Awaiting delivery, you proceed to watch Grey’s Anatomy on Hulu, only to be disturbed by the delivery of your Chinese food. As you continue to watch the doctors of Seattle Grace for the next seven hours grazing at your General Tsao’s chicken, you can’t help but imagine if you were on staff there, you would definitely be labeled as Dr. McHottiepants, and verify it to yourself by a giving a long and loving glance to the compact mirror by your bedside. When six o’clock rolls around and the day is over, you tell yourself that was a perfectly appropriate way to spend your day, since you’ve been working so hard lately and barely get a chance to rest. You wake up the next day and do the same thing, only this time with Dexter.

If you’ve found yourself in this situation before, you are most likely being plagued by the demon Astaroth, who provokes laziness, vanity, and rationalization. He does, however, give power over serpents, which is good news for the slovenly owners of boa constrictors. Best remedy to an Astaroth infection is a solid helping of prayer to his arch nemesis St Bartholomew, who will teach how not to succumb to Astaroth’s temptations.

7. Ose: Insanity

You have real particular problem if the night demon Ose possesses you, in that you will truly believe you are a King, Pope, or creature. Most people would label this sort of behavior as insanity, which is exactly what Ose plans to keep his cover. Others just believe the game, which is exactly why Ose seems to have a pretty strong hold on many political figures and probably some of your former bosses.

Ose is a president of Hell and rules thirty legions of demons. If you do have a problem with this demon you most likely don’t know it, as he even transforms the thoughts of inflicted mortals to believe they are the shape he chooses, but I would say it is a pretty good bet if you are a ferret using the Internet.

6. Sitri: Makes Men and women reveal themselves naked, making a mockery of them

Sitri makes men and women reveal themselves naked, and mockingly reveals the secrets of women. Sitri’s presence is found lurking in most fraternities and sorority houses around America, and his power is particularly strong in Daytona Beach around Spring Break, especially if Girls Gone Wild is in town. For those who commonly make a public mockery of himself or herself when inebriation is involved, or every girl who has taken a walk of shame after an embarrassing one night stand, it may be comforting to know you have someone to blame besides your own poor life choices.

In The Lesser Key of Solomon, he is a great prince of Hell, reigning over 60 legions of demons. A good remedy for Sitri’s possession is leaving the house wearing plenty of layers and abstaining from alcohol.

5. Pruflas: Discord, Quarrels, and Falsehood

You are in one of those relationships. You know, the one where you are absolutely so passionately in love but no one can spend even five minutes with the two of you because you fight incessantly over everything. First it was deciding where to eat lunch, then it was deciding where to put the cello when you two moved in together, you eat to fast, they talk too loud, you spend too much time with your friends, they leave food in the sink. The petty quarrels and disharmony are never ending. Everyone tells you that the two of you need to break up, which you just cannot understand because you love them so much, even if he or she may sometimes inch you towards committing homicide. The truth is, your relationship needs a good old-fashioned exorcism.

Pruflas, as told by the demonology of Johann Weyer in Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, is a Duke of Hell with 26 legions of demons under his rule. He promotes discord, quarrels, and falsehood. Bear in mind, the infidelities and lies cannot be blamed on either party, its Pruflas’ fault.

4. Beezelbub: Gluttony

You know you are battling Beezelbub when after your third trip up to the all you can eat buffet, returning to a table of full friends with an equally full plate of food, you can’t help but think about how great it will be to go get a triple banana split with whipped cream and nuts when your finished feasting on your macaroni and cheese covered chicken leg. After all of this, you probably still don’t realize why it’s impossible for you to lose weight. Pregnancy is possible, but more likely is the presence of the patron demon of gluttony feasting on your soul.
And you should be flattered. Beezelbub is a big deal demon. In fact, he is one of the three most prominent and powerful of the fallen angels, next to only Satan and Leviathan, and made strong showing during the Salem witch trials. But, when he’s not causing jealous murders and enticing war, he’s making you eat more Cheetos with your Denny’s Grand Slam.

3. Asmodeus: Demon of Lust

The new bartender at the place across from your office is starting to look pretty sexy, and it isn’t just the alcohol. You find yourself tipping this bartender extra cash with a wink and a seductive smile, hoping for a chance to really do a number on them in the bathroom. The problem is, you are married, or at least involved. Images of the bartender scantily clad plague your entire afternoons, and sometimes leaking into the evening with strange fantasies of you, the bartender, and a collection of Russian nesting dolls. These strange sexual desires and your near demise by the overpowering nature of your own lust is easily pinned on Asmodeus, the patron demon of that lethal sin.

Keep your pants on, however, for those who fall for the seduction of Asmodeus spend eternity banished to the second level of hell. He is King of hell and responsible for Lust of the seven deadly sins, his power strongest in November. He can easily be shooed away by the smell generated from placing a fish’s heart and liver on burning cinders, as proven in the Book of Tobit.

2. Verrine: Impatience

On the way to your car, which is annoyingly parked a block away, you are accosted by some environmentalist trying to convince you to save the whales, but as you have no time for the salvation of aquatic animals and less patience for whiny do-gooders, you grab the pamphlet which is practically shoved into your throat and make a point to rip it up right in front of the irritating activist and openly littering. Once you are in your car you are lambasted with an unwelcome turn of an elderly gentleman in front of your car. After much honking, which is only making the confused grandpa who is probably dealing with the beginnings of senility go slower, you cross into the lane of opposite traffic to make a point of passing him, your middle finger out the window screaming about how there needs to be a maximum driving age to prevent assholes like him from getting in your way. Finally parked, and almost to your destination, you stop for a latte at the Starbucks nearby. Huge mistake. You wait over five minutes for your latte, which you specifically ordered at 172 degrees with no foam, receiving a beverage, which is clearly 168 degrees and topped with a foam mountain. Livid, you throw your drink at the barista, who is still in training, and remove two dollars from the tip jar exclaiming that people like them do not deserve the charity of others.

Everyone you’ve seen today might already suspect you are inflicted with a demonic presence, and its name is Verrine, responsible for impatience. Verrine is a prince of thrones, and is listed in the first hierarchy of demons as explained by Sebastien Michaelis in Admirable History, with a demon classification apparently shared with him by the demon Berith during an exorcism on a nun. Praying to St Dominic may help you rid this Demon; of course it would probably help if everyone around you weren’t an idiot.

1. Lucifer: All that is Evil

As far as the seven deadly sins are concerned, Lucifer is responsible for pride in mortals. This sin comes from Lucifer’s own pride resulting in his downfall from Heaven. Lucifer loved himself above anything, and without ignorance as an excuse. Ranked highest of angels, with his seat in Heaven next to God, God allowed him power over earth. When God left his seat, however, Lucifer sat himself on the heavenly throne. This outlandish display of Lucifer’s pride started a war among Angels, and when Michael finally succeeded in banishing Lucifer from heaven he was cast down to Earth and called Satan. The angels that followed him in the fall became the demons currently causing all the afflictions of human nature, with Lucifer as the reigning King.

Mere plebeians need not to worry too much about Lucifer’s strong hold on Earth, as he targets more prominent figures to be victims of his direct company. Historically his presence has been seen in the prideful tyrannical rulers of Rome, but some could make arguments that his charisma is making resurgence in more recent world leaders.

10. Dyeing Easter Eggs

Today, kids around the world observe Easter by decorating eggs. The most common approach involves dipping hard-boiled chicken eggs into bowls of dye that have been created using a mixture of food coloring and vinegar. Although eggs have long been associated with springtime and fertility, the practice of decorating eggs to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a somewhat puzzling association. Scholars and theologians have offered different takes on the issue. It is said that in medieval times, it was common to observe Easter by giving eggs to one’s servants and household staff. In aristocratic households, these gifted eggs were often decorated with designs rendered in gold leaf. Another explanation comes from the Greek Orthodox tradition, where eggs that are exchanged as gifts are dyed a deep crimson shade to represent the blood of Christ. Others believe that the tradition has its roots in the pagan appreciation of the cycle of life and the remarkably colorful bird eggs that can often be spotted in nests at this time of year.

9. Peeps

Many Easter traditions celebrate the wonders of the natural world, but the traditional exchange of Peeps – a marshmallow confection made in shapes such as chicks and bunnies in bright pastel shades – seems to be more of a celebration of human ingenuity. These so-bad-they’re-good treats are decidedly unnatural – and unnaturally delicious. Dating from 1958, when each confection was handmade in a painstaking 27-hour process, Peeps are manufactured by Bethlehem, Pennsylvania-based Just Born, Inc., which also makes other popular sweet treats such as Hot Tamales, Just Born Jelly Beans, Mike and Ike, and Teenee Beanee gourmet jelly beans. Although Peeps have long been an Easter tradition, the company has recently begun to expand its product offerings, creating Peeps with Halloween and Christmas themes, as well as several new flavor and color varieties. Today, the Just Born facility manufactures more than 1 billion Peeps each year. If you’re interested in taking your love for this Easter delicacy to the next level, check the Internet for Peeps-based art and recipe ideas.

8. The Seder Feast

Seder is the Jewish feast that marks the beginning of Passover, a religious celebration that honors the ancient Israelites’ escape from involuntary servitude in Egypt. In addition to a ritual retelling of the story of the escape from Egypt, the typical Seder feast involves several specific elements that are key to the religious observance. These include drinking four cups of wine, consuming matzos, and passing around a plate of symbolic food items, some of which guests are asked to eat. Maror and chazeret are bitter herbs that evoke the harsh conditions of the Jews’ enslavement. Charoset is a sugary paste that represents the mortar that Jews used in the construction of storehouses and other buildings in ancient Egypt. Karpas is an herb or root vegetable dipped into salt water, which represents the tears of the enslaved Jews. Beitzah is a hard-boiled egg that is a symbol of mourning, while the Z’roa is a roasted piece of meat – usually lamb, goat, or chicken – that represents the Pesach, or sacrifice, offered by enslaved Jews in the temple in Jerusalem and is not typically eaten during the Seder meal. In some areas, Seder traditions are evolving – it was recently reported that a growing number of believers are including a piece of an orange on the Seder plate to symbolize the fruitfulness that comes from the inclusion of marginalized groups.

7. Easter Bonnets

Since ancient times, Christian believers have been gearing up for Easter celebrations by buying or making new clothes. References to this practice have been found in texts dating back to the earliest Easter celebrations, and even a casual glance at newspaper advertisements in the weeks leading up to Easter is enough to reveal that the tradition of putting together a new outfit for Easter is still alive and well today. But in tough economic times, such as the Great Depression that swept the United States in the 1930s, the luxury of an entire outfit for Easter was too much for many families to be able to afford. For some, buying a new hat temporarily replaced the tradition of purchasing or making a new outfit. For others, the practice of embellishing or decorating a hat one already owned for Easter became popular. It is this kind of embellished hat that popular songwriter Irving Berlin immortalized in his 1933 hit, “Easter Parade.” In some countries, the Easter bonnet also serves as a makeshift Easter basket, holding the treats and toys left overnight by the Easter Bunny.

6. Chametz traditions

Although the Seder feast is an important part of the Passover tradition, the ritual cleansing of chametz is another key facet of Passover observance among Jewish believers. According to tradition, when the Israelite slaves were freed from servitude by the proclamation of the Pharaoh, they had to leave the country so quickly that they could not wait for their bread to rise. For that reason, Passover is known as the “Festival of Unleavened Bread” and no leavened bread – or chametz – is consumed during the celebration. Instead, matza, which is flat, cracker-like unleavened bread, is used and plays a central role in several Passover rituals. In preparation for Passover, Jewish families go through several ritual phases of finding and discarding all the foodstuffs in their home that could be classified as chametz. Many Observant families and businesses undertake a thorough bout of spring cleaning to rid the premises of any hint of chametz-containing substances or particles, and some own complete sets of dishes and serving implements for use during Passover that have never come into contact with leavened bread.

5. Easter Baskets

For kids in many countries, there’s nothing like waking up on Easter morning and jumping out of bed to sift through the goodies that have been packed in your very own Easter basket. According to the National Confectioners’ Association, more than 90 million Easter baskets are distributed each year in the United States alone. Chocolates, jelly beans, and other assorted candies are the most popular basket filler, although non-food toys and trinkets have been gaining popularity in recent years, as well. Although there is some debate over the origins of the Easter basket tradition, many scholars believe that it may have originally come from depictions of the ancient pagan goddess of spring, Eostre, who was often depicted carrying a basket of eggs.

4. Recounting the Exodus

The festival of Passover commemorates the period when the ancient Israelites escaped from slavery in Egypt and returned to their homeland. Although there are a number of food-related traditions that are observed during Passover, perhaps the most important part of the celebration is the ritual retelling of the Exodus story. In the Torah’s Book of Exodus, Jews are exhorted to tell their progeny about the enslavement and escape of the ancient Israelites. The act of recounting this story in a ceremony known as Magid forms a key component of the Seder feast, and it is told from a special text known as the Haggadah. The ceremony is meant to be interactive and inclusive, and includes questions and answers, special blessings, discussions, and songs. The story is usually told in both Hebrew and the native language of the majority of the guests attending the feast, according to tradition.

3. Matzo

According to tradition, the ancient Israelites who escaped from servitude in Egypt were forced to leave quickly, and thus were unable to undertake extensive preparations for the long trip home. Among other things, this meant that they could not wait to bake bread according to the usual procedure, which includes a lengthy period during which the dough rises. What they wound up with instead was unleavened bread, or matzo. To commemorate the escape, Passover is known as the “Festival of Unleavened Bread.” Matzo – also known as matza, matzah, matze, and matsah – is the unleavened, flat, cracker-like bread that has come to be most strongly associated with Passover. There are many different varieties of matzo, including a chocolate-covered version that is popular among children, but most Observant Jews select only certain types of matzo for use during the Passover Seder feast. The most popular matzo for Passover is known as shmura matzo; shmura translates literally as ‘guarded’ and refers to the fact that the ingredients used to make the bread have been watched carefully throughout the entire manufacturing process to avoid any fermentation.

2. The Easter Egg Hunt

Like so many other Easter traditions, the Easter egg hunt – now a staple of Easter celebrations in many countries – developed out of a mish-mash of different cultural traditions around the world. Much as the process of egg dyeing mimics the brightly colored bird eggs that are a hallmark of springtime, the Easter egg hunt takes its cues from the natural world, as well, where doting mother birds often carefully tuck their precious eggs away in an attempt to befuddle predators. Some experts point to other holiday hide-and-seek games as possible influences for the Easter egg hunt, including the hiding of a particular Christmas tree ornament or the hiding of the last piece of matzo at Passover celebrations. In earlier times, parents often hid Easter treats in bonnets or grassy “nests” and then set their children loose to find them.

1. The Easter Bunny

Whether you think he’s cute or creepy, the Easter bunny is perhaps the single most important feature of modern Eastern celebrations. However, it wasn’t always that way – according to historians, the Easter bunny is a symbol that only entered popular culture about 300 years ago. The tradition is said to have originated in Germany and then spread around the world as German settlers emigrated. The Osterhase, as the German Easter bunny was known, would reward well-behaved children by laying brightly colored eggs in their hidden bonnets, baskets, or nests. Today, whether you celebrate Easter by chowing down on his chocolate effigy or by trekking to the local mall to sit for portraits with his costumed counterpart, the Easter bunny continues to loom large over modern Easter celebrations.

Ok, so it is true that Queen Elizabeth and the House of Windsor are of German ancestry. Originally, the currently reigning British Royal family was known as the House of Saxe-Coberg and Gotha. King George V (Elizabeth’s grandfather) changed the family name to Windsor in 1917, in line with anti-German sentiments of the time (apparently many English sounding names were considered, including Winters, but the King eventually settled on the name of his favourite residence – Windsor Castle). George V was himself at least one quarter German, his grandfather being Albert of Saxe-Coberg and Gotha, the beloved prince consort of Queen Victoria, from whom the family name is inherited. Of course, there had been German blood in the family much longer than the marriage to Prince Albert. Queen Victoria (George V’s Grandmother) was descended from a long line of German monarchs. In fact, she and Albert were first cousins. Little was done to dilute the gene pool of the Royals in the ensuing generations, keeping the family almost exclusively German. George V might have been born to a Danish mother but he went on to marry a Princess from the Kingdom of Wurttemberg in Germany. Their son, George VI (father of Queen Elizabeth), could therefore be considered to be three quarters German, one quarter Danish. At least he did have the foresight to marry an English girl, or mostly English at least. His wife, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (later known as the Queen Mother), was born of a Scottish noble, himself half English, and his English wife.

And Queen Liz herself? Well, all of this is pretty confusing but it basically means that she is three eighths English, three eighths German, one eighth Scottish and one eighth Danish (or there about). This does mean that she is as German as she is English, but she doesn’t have a particularly strong German accent so I think we can forgive her that.

In fact, all things considered, the Queen is pretty English, especially when compared to the many others that have taken the throne. British history has been a long list of foreign Kings and interlopers. Even before the accession of the house of Saxe-Coberg kings of England could rarely be considered English. Set against her predecessors, Queen Elizabeth stands out as one of the most English monarchs of all time.

Iron Age Britain

You have to go back a long time to find a truly English monarch, back to the very different landscape of England before the Roman invasion of Britain. In iron age Britain there was no such thing as the English monarchy, however. The country was divided into tribal communities, each ruled by separate, but very English, native chieftains. But even as the armies of Rome were amassing on the shores of the English Channel, Southern England had already been overtaken by another foreign power – the Belgae. The Belgae were settlers from Belgium. They had been forced out of their homeland by the Romans and begun establishing kingdoms along the South coast of England. Often forgotten by historians, they are evidence that England has been invaded and ruled by foreign powers since time immemorial.

Following the Belgae came the Romans and later the Jutes, Angles, and Saxons – Germanic tribes from which much of the current populous of England are descended. These Germans took advantage of the chaos of post-Roman England, dividing it into a jigsaw of new realms.

Danelaw

By the end of the first century AD there were two Englands; in the West, the Saxon kingdom of Wessex and in the North and East, the Danelaw – ruled by Viking invaders from Scandinavia. The Kings of Wessex, while often considered to be English, were the descendents of Saxons invaders. They fought many wars against the Danes but were unable to unite the realm. It would take the mighty Danish king Sweyn Forkbeard and his son Cnut to do that. Forkbeard was named King of all England in 1013 after forcing the King of Wessex, Ethelred the Unready, into exile. When his son Cnut came to power he ruled over a great North Sea empire. He secured the English throne by having the exiled Ethelred killed and taking his wife. Unfortunately for the Danes, the plan did not work. By taking Emma of Normandy as his wife he also took Ethelred’s son as his step-son, allowing the throne to pass right back to the house of Wessex. However, this was not such a victory for the purity of the royal bloodlines as it seems. Emma of Normandy was not English or French but Danish, making the new King of England, Edward the Confessor – patron saint of kings and, for a time, patron saint of England – half Danish.

1066

According to popular history, 1066 is the year in which England was successfully invaded by the French. Actually, the Normans weren’t so much French as they were French-speaking Danes. William the Conqueror (or Guillaume le Batard) was a descendant of the Viking conquerors of Normandy. Defending the English crown was Harold Godwinson (nephew of Edward the Confessor) whose great-grandfather was, you guessed it, Danish. William and his descendants ruled England for the next hundred years.

The Plantagenets

With the fall of the Norman dynasty the rule of England passed to the Plantagenets, a French dynasty that retained the crown for three centuries. The majority of the Plantagenets ruled from their territories in France and, over the years, gained many more.

Many of England’s most famous monarchs were French Plantagenets, including the hump-backed Richard III and Richard the Lionheart. It is thought that the Lionheart thought so little of his English kingdom that he never even visited, preferring to fight for new French territories.

The Tudors

The Tudor dynasty followed the Plantagenets, beginning with Henry VII, the son of a Welsh nobleman and a Plantagenet lady. He also took a Plantagenet as his wife (the daughter of the late Plantagenet king Edward IV) making his son, the infamous misogynist Henry VIII, part French and part Welsh.

Henry VIII’s eldest daughter was half Spanish (born to Catherine of Argon) – the aptly named Bloody Mary. Her reign was as bloody as it was short. His second daughter, Elizabeth I, however was particularly English. In fact, Elizabeth I was one of the most English monarchs ever to take the throne. The daughter of Anne Boleyn she was almost entirely English, with only a little French and a pinch of Welsh blood from her father’s side of the family.

Inspired by her half-sister Mary (a half Spanish queen who married a Spaniard), Elizabeth went one step further and declared that she was ‘married to England’. Due to the biological impossibility of her becoming pregnant to a landmass, however, she died without heir, allowing the crown to fall once again into the hands of a foreign power – those troublesome Scots.

The Stuarts

While many angry and deluded Scotsmen mistakenly believe that the union between England and Scotland came about through the English invasion of Scotland, it was actually the King of Scotland who took control of the English crown. In reality, however, James I was actually half English, only one quarter Scottish and one quarter French. His son, Charles I, was half Danish and married Henrietta Maria of France. This made the following two kings of England, the brothers Charles II and James II, only one sixteenth Scottish, one eighth English, one quarter Danish but mostly French. They were also raised in France after going into exile during the English civil war.

Of course things got even more complicated when England was invaded once again (on the invitation of parliament) during the Glorious Revolution. This time the country would be ruled by a King and Queen each in their own right – Queen Mary (the daughter of James II and half English on her mother’s side), and King William III, Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic (who was Dutch by birth but also half German and of distant French ancestry).

At this point it was decided to just scrap the whole ‘Scottish king’ idea and start from scratch, by getting in some well-dressed Germans. Go figure.

The House of Hanover

That’s right, we were so confused about who should rule England that we invited the Germans to come over and sort it out for us. George I, George II, George III, George IV and William IV were all of pure German blood, saving anybody the trouble of trying to work out how English they were – they weren’t. Eventually Queen Victoria was born of this line, marrying her cousin Albert and taking his name to form the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Windsor) to which our beloved Queen Elizabeth II was born.

How did the Germans get their hands on the English crown? Well, it had more to do with religion than royal bloodlines. In 1701 the British Parliament passed the Act of Settlement. This controversial piece of legislation stated that no member of the catholic faith could take the throne of England. Thanks to the Act of Union, 1707, the thrones of England and Scotland would also be permanently joined at the hip. Unfortunately, while the ruling monarchs, William and Mary, were ardent protestants none of their children survived beyond infancy. This meant we had to look a little further to find a legitimate, protestant heir to the throne, eventually settling on Duchess Sophia of Hanover (the granddaughter of James I) and her heirs. The Duchess Sofia did not live to take the throne but her son George Louis did. Over fifty of his distant relatives had stronger claims on the throne but he was the only non-catholic. Over the next several hundred years the sons of George I would marry an endless string of German princesses, helping to secure their power over an equally endless string of central German provinces. Had German tradition allowed for women to inherit their fathers’ titles, Queen Victoria would have added the Kingdom of Hanover (one of the largest kingdoms in Germany at the time) to her many dominions. But don’t go thinking that the German connection stops there. Although Victoria did not inherit her family’s Hanoverian lands, her descendants continued to inter-marry with the Germans until the First World War.

So, with all comparisons made, how English is the Queen of England? Well, she could be more English, but then few other English monarchs have been, and if she were, we would have one less reason to make fun of her. She certainly isn’t German, as many of critics maintain. She may be descended from a long line of German monarchs, but then those monarchs have ruled England for so long that they have become an integral part of England. Yes, she has German ancestry, but then England is populated by the ancestors of German Anglo-Saxon settlers. She is also part Danish, but then half of England was once ruled by the Danes and as many as several thousand Vikings may have settled there. She is also part Scottish, but then she is the Queen of Scotland too. All in all, she is as English as anybody could expect. Her husband, on the other hand, is part Greek, part Danish and part – you guessed it – German!

How English is the future King of England, Prince Charles? He’s one sixteenth Scottish, two sixteenths Greek, three sixteenths Danish, 7 sixteenths German and a pitiful three sixteenths English. But then it’s not the purity of his blood that really matters.

People will generally do anything to make a buck, but when it goes towards helping your fellow man, the crazy things we do just might be justified. Here is the Top 10 oddest, but sometimes effective means money has been made for causes worthy of it.

10. Bras/Panties/Underwear for Charity

Relatively common in media-centric cities is the practice of auctioning off one’s unmentionables so that the sale money can go towards philanthropy. Celebrities such as Lost’s Evangeline Lilly have done this, and while most people who donate don’t disclose whether they’ve actually worn the auctioned item, there are undoubtedly many people who would pay a healthy sum just to hold a pair of panties that Evangeline Lilly even touched.

9. Joe the Plumber’s “Secure Our Dream”

Anyone who paid attention to the 2008 American presidential elections knows who Joe Wurzelbacher, AKA “Joe the Plumber” is, but some may not know that this convenient pal of John McCain has started his own charity since the election ended. What some also don’t know is exactly what Joe the Plumber’s “Secure Our Dream” actually does, and as Joe told the Toledo Blade the purpose of his charity was “for all sorts of charities and causes for fellow Americans,” Joe may not know, either. The Secure Our Dream website at secureourdream.org is filled with opportunities to read on Joe’s public appearances, understand some of his political views, and buy his newest book. Still not too much mention of what his charity does, though.

8. ISPCA Dog Sledding

The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has decided to take a slightly uncouth approach to raising money for its pro-animal cause: allowing dogs to be whipped and run to the point of exhaustion in the freezing Norway weather by hosting a 60km dog sledding race scheduled to take place in 2010. The Alliance of Animal Rights as well as several online animal rights groups have responded in near outrage to the race while those who defend the ISCPA’s stance point out that dog sledding does not constitute animal abuse. Animalperson.com may’ve had the best opinion on the situation when one of their representatives stated “If you want to help huskies, and I assume the Irish SPCA does, adopt one from a shelter, give him a loving home and plenty of stimulation and opportunities to exercise. Using a dog for your own gain–or to raise money for other dogs–is bizarre conceptually.”

7. Welfare Group Disabled and Sexuality

Why just rouse the spirits of the physically disabled when you can rouse…other things. The Swedish-based Welfare Group Disabled and Sexuality, also known as FAB in Swedish, arranges services such as “erotic massage” for the physically disabled for the around 65 Swedish dollars. FAB became noteworthy in 2006 when they decided to expand their services by providing full intercourse. The Swedish government doesn’t just allow this charity to exist, the majority of FABS funding comes from a Swedish government grant in addition to charity donations.

Even FAB’s critics are hard-pressed to find an argument against this form of prostitution, as psychologist Peter Wehrli told a Swiss online publication “I have nothing against prostitution as long as it is between two consenting adults.”

6. Eddie’s Kids

As stated on eddiekids.org, Eddie’s Kids is a “charitable trust that gives kids the opportunity to connect with their families and take part in something as exciting as live sports events.” Through ticket and cash donations, Eddie’s Kids is able to reward academically and civically responsible children with a single remarkable night at fantastic sporting event, sometimes the sporting event of their choice. What’s so bizarre about this?

The founder of Eddie’s Kids, Eddie Wedelstedt, is also one of the top producers of pornography films in the US.

For obvious reasons, there isn’t too much mentioned about Wedelstedt’s occupation on his website, but Wedelstedt and his company Goalie Entertainment were indicted in 2005 on obscenity charges and tax evasion. However, no charges of fraud were ever placed against the Eddie’s Kids charity and it is still endorsed by both athletes and Colorado law enforcement.

5. Business Executives for National Security

This couldn’t possibly be a way subtle way of soliciting the American top 5% for military and intelligence dollars. “BENS members use their business experience to drive our agenda, deliver our message to decision makers, and make certain that the changes we propose are put into practice. BENS has only one special interest: to help make America safe and secure.”

It’s hard not to consider BENS a special interest group given the basis of some of their events. Some of the BENS-sponsored events include dinners with senators and other politicians as well as tours of prominent government locales, such as the Department of Homeland Security’s headquarters. BENS unquestionably provides a valuable service to national security as they’ve been associated with disaster assistance, prevention of cyber crime, and helping wounded Iraq/Afghanistan veterans transition to civilian life. Why not petition the wealthy for the money; they can donate more, and there is no human venture more expensive than war.

4. Marijuana Policy Project Foundation

If there was ever a charity that you WOULDN’T want to claim on your taxes, this would probably be the one. The MPP is a well-funded though non-profit organization that among many things, seeks to provide the public facts about marijuana rather than PSA-propagated myths, lobbying for legislation protecting the right to use medicinal marijuana, and “lobbying Congress to reduce the White House drug czar’s budget for his deceptive ad campaigns.”

The MPP is possibly the best-known of all the charities on this list, as celebrities such as Montel Williams, Kurt Loder, Michelle Phillips, and John Stossel have publically supported and funded MPP’s cause. The Marijuana Policy Project Foundation also stays rather active, having led the charge to decriminalize marijuana in Nevada on at least three different occasions through 2002 and 2008, with another planned petition in 2010.

One wagers that MPP has a very interesting lab research team.

3. The Naked Clowns

The dress code of these multiple sclerosis research fundraisers has been very lax; the hosts have taken to wearing birthday suits. With a goal of raising $1,000,000 for donation to the cause of finding a cure for MS, the Naked Clowns have been performing across America from 2008-2009, and for each member of the Naked Clowns troupe, the disease of multiple sclerosis hits home because of one common link: their beloved role model.

Throughout the 1960’s and 1980’s Judy Finelli established herself as a masterful juggler and performer, making appearances everywhere from Carnegie Hall to Sesame Street. In 1984, Judy Finelli founded the prominent San Francisco School for Circus Arts, which is currently one of the best schools for aspiring young circus performers besides Ringling Brother’s own “Clown College”. Ms. Finelli was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1989, and by 2004 she became quadriplegic. The 2008 graduates of the Clown Conservatory formed the Naked Clowns, jovially intent on donating 100% of the proceeds from their performances and the Naked Clowns calendar to the Judy Finelli Fund.

Despite the attire of the Naked Clowns during their performances, the shows themselves are completely harmless and enjoyable for all ages. The Naked Clowns take great efforts to ensure that neither their calendars nor their performances contain any instances of real nudity, and the shows are of a nature one would find in any circus or clown street show. Overall, the Naked Clowns seem to have mixed their inherent need of expression with marketing, the result being a virtuous cause to put an end to one of the world’s worst diseases.

Recently, the Naked Clowns began “the Naked Dream” program, which every month will award a cash grant to a single MS-afflicted child that wishes to pursue any given dream. This enterprise seems to be expanding quite a bit, as the Naked Clowns appear to have a booked performance calendar through 2009 and have even performed in New York’s Time Square.

Bizarre, but brilliant.

2. The Institute of Noetic Sciences

I wasn’t quite sure what ‘Noetic Sciences’ meant when I heard of it, either. The IONS motto is “Advancing the science of consciousness and human experience,” which at first sounds somewhat legitimate, until one takes a closer look at a line in their mission statement which states: “IONS explores phenomena that do not necessarily fit conventional scientific models, while maintaining a commitment to scientific rigor.” That’s a little broad, no?

The Institute of Noetic Sciences is located in Southern California, and if their general setup is any indication, they’ve been successful in raising money thus far. The IONS headquarters has an area that is used as a retreat, and also grants tours to people interested in seeing the compound. They also hold events where instructors teach some very useful things, such as meditation, how to participate in global philanthropy, and yoga for pregnant women. However, some of the classes offered by IONS would definitely qualify as odd, such as teaching people to understand the thoughts and behaviors of extraterrestrials, and one class called “The Mystery School”. What the Mystery School is was not readily available; obviously it wouldn’t be a mystery then. IONS website, located at http://www.noetic.org/, has no shortage of information and even “psi games” where you can literally put your psychic skills to the test.

IONS also runs the publication Shift Magazine, which further aids IONS enthusiasts in exploring the three principles of which IONS is founded upon: investigating consciousness and Healing, emerging world views, and extended human capacities. At first glance, IONS may seem like a cult, but the sincerity of the organization and its desire to find the “gray area” in our black and white world makes IONS quite an interesting an advantageous charity.

Unfortunately, The Institute of Noetic Sciences may not have as much substance as it does style; it was rated with a “one-star” on charitynavigator.org.

1. The Chilean Charity Prostitute

This 2007 event was as strange as it sounds, was absolutely real, and I can’t make any jokes about it that haven’t been made already. High class Chilean escort Maria Carolina, poised to donate to the cause of handicapped children, claimed she would accept 27 hours worth of sex for which she’d donate the proceeds. “”I am going to contribute with my work to a purpose that touches me deeply,” as she was quoted from an online publication that later described her as “spreading her message.”

Is that what the kids are calling it now?

Reuters reported that while the campaign organizer initially refused to be a part of Ms. Carolina’s auction in any way or accept the money, he later said that his organization did not encourage “immoral” activity, but they would accept Ms. Carolina’s money. Smart man.

Ms. Carolina proceeded to auction her 27 hour love-fest in media outlets and the internet, especially her own website of http://mariacarolina.com, to which there were many respondents but one person quickly won the auction with a bid of $4,000. Ms. Carolina soon defended her position when she told Reuters “”There are people who are going to be donating money that’s a lot more questionable than mine, the only thing I did was publicize it.”

Before you think it was a scam, it wasn’t. Ms. Carolina donated every cent of her day’s work to the Teleton charity, which heartily thanked her. In addition to becoming an internet celebrity due to her efforts, she also brought attention to the charity to which she was donating to. While Ms. Carolina has not auctioned off her services for charity since 2007, she continues to operate out of Chile and through her website.

Ms. Carolina’s fundraising technique was unsavory to say the least, but she remained honest and raised a great deal of money for a worthy cause doing the thing she was best at. To that end, Ms. Carolina’s charity may’ve been bizarre, but Ms. Carolina herself did quite the amazing deed that few others are willing to do. Ms. Carolina is the living “prostitute with a heart of gold” through making Chilean handicapped children (and one lucky Chilean man) smile.

Toast to to Maria Carolina, the woman that gave the gift that keeps on giving.

Hope.

Not sure. Anyway, this is not one of those lists.

Rather, let’s consider how they did, not why. Some threw it all away for a roll in the hay, others were luckier. While some careers crashed to bits on the rocks of infidelity, others marched on unscathed. We’ll cover that. But our key focus is who scored biggest in the bargain from a strictly superficial perspective. In other words, who landed the hottest political paramour?

10. Rielle Hunter (John Edwards) — USA

Senator John Edwards had emerged from the 2004 United States Presidential Election a defeated Vice Presidential nominee, but an energized, grass roots-riding liberal populist with sights set on the top job. However, his candidacy would be derailed during the 2008 primaries when an affair with Rielle Hunter, campaign videographer, was confirmed. Hidden paternity of a son born-out-of-wedlock, a cancer-stricken wife who finally had enough, a sex-tape claimed by many owners…this tryst continues to have legs.

9. Ashley Alexandra Dupre (Elliott Spitzer) — USA

Elliott Spitzer paved the way to the New York Governor’s mansion as the tough as nails District Attorney who took down the Gambino crime family and took no quarter from white collar criminals on Wall Street. Unfortunately, Mr. Spitzer’s legal zeal didn’t extend to the world’s first — and in the State of New York, illegal – profession of prostitution. Campaign funds had been spent on $1,000 an hour call girl Ashley Alexandra Dupre. Mr. Spitzer resigned from the Governorship, entered couples therapy with his wife, and launched a speaking and writing career to clear his name. Much to the dismay of music critics everywhere, Ms. Dupre decided to bare her soul by launching a singing career.

8. Donna Rice (Gary Hart) — USA

Gary Hart set sail for a three-hour tour aboard the “Monkey Business” with Donna Rice taped to his lap, effectively torpedoing his chances of becoming the next US President. Really, what more needs to be said?

7. Mirthala Salinas (Antonio Villaraigosa) — USA

Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor of Los Angeles California, had an affair in 2007 with political reporter Mirthala Salinas. It led to his wife filing for divorce (for the second time in 10 years, the first prompted by infidelity as well). In 2009, Mr. Villaraigosa began dating news anchor Lu Parker, who had glowingly reported on the mayor’s political future, just as Miss Salinas before her. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, huh, Mr. Mayor?

6. Christine Keeler (John Profumo) – Great Britain

Back in the early 1960s, Britons had largely rebuilt from the devastation of World War II, but now lived under the duress of the Cold War. John Profumo, Secretary of State for War, had an honorable war record and had risen through the ranks of Britain’s Conservative Party. His career was going swimmingly, until his affair with Christine Keeler, that is. Turns out, Ms. Keeler was also having an affair with a senior naval attaché at the Soviet embassy. Once he was found out, Mr. Profumo compounded his error by lying to the House of Commons about the nature of their relationship. He resigned, and for a time cleaned toilets for a charity organization. Ms. Keeler faded into obscurity (which is decidedly better than scrubbing loos).

5. Tai Collins (Chuck Robb) — USA

Chuck Robb was a popular Senator of Virginia when the story broke in 1991 that he had had an affair with Miss USA Virginia Tai Collins in the 1980s. Ms. Collins confirmed the reports, while Mr. Robb countered that they had only shared a bottle of champagne followed by a nude massage. Re-elected to the US Senate, then an appointment to the Iraq Intelligence Commission, Mr. Robb’s career seemingly failed to suffer. We’ll score this one a Happy Ending.

4. Carla Bruni (Nicolas Sarkozy) — France

Like his Continental political cohort Silvio Berlusconi, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has had his share of romance, and not only of the matrimonial kind. Only in France can we consider Carla Bruni, Mr. Sarkozy’s wife, to be his paramour. Meeting one month after Mr. Sarkozy divorced his second wife, and two years into the marriage, Mr. Sarkozy and Ms. Bruni are both rumored to be having affairs, yet cheating on their respective lovers with each other. Vive la France!

3. Mary Pinchot Meyer (John F. Kennedy) — USA

A mover and shaker in the progressive movement and part of Washington high society, Mary Pinchot Meyer was a walking companion of Jackie Kennedy in their Georgetown neighborhood. Later, after Ms. Meyer’s divorce and the Kennedys move to the White House, she reportedly became a different sort of companion to Jackie’s husband John. Eleven months after Kennedy’s assassination, Ms. Meyer was murdered. Some say it was the CIA. Perhaps, but more importantly for our purposes, she could sure where the hell out of a turtleneck sweater.

2. Alina Kabaeva (Vladimir Putin) — Russia

In early 2008, the Moscow Korrespondent reported a torrid affair between Russian gold medal rhythm gymnast Alina Kabaeva and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Within months, the paper was closed following Kremlin pressure. Known for her, um, extreme flexibility, Ms. Kabaeva had been reportedly appointed to the United Russia ticket after Mr. Putin had requested the pro-Kremlin party go for a “sexier” image. She is now a lawmaker in the Russian Duma. Her position on Freedom of the Press legislation has not been reported.

1. Noemi Letizia (Silvio Berlusconi) — Italy

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has a longstanding reputation as a female conqueror or philanderer and cad, depending on one’s perspective. Mr. Berlusconi cranked it up a notch when his attendance at Noemi Letizia’s 18th birthday party was leaked. Berlusconi’s wife took this as an opportunity to end the marriage, exclaiming she “cannot remain with a man who consorts with minors.” It didn’t help matters that Mr. Berlusconi had been conspicuously absent from his own sons’ 18th birthday parties. Miss Letizia reportedly calls Mr. Berlsconi papi (“Daddy”). How very sweet.

0. Marilyn Monroe (John F. Kennedy) — USA

“Happy Birthday…Mister President” — with those four breathless words, the very hushed illicit affair between the most beautiful woman in the world, and the most powerful man, raised eyebrows across the United States. By many accounts, Mr. Kennedy had already moved on to Mary Pinchot Meyer (see above), perhaps a less seductive, but decidedly less demonstrative and therefore less dangerous, concubine. Mr. Kennedy’s rejection of Ms. Monroe reportedly ramped up her addictions and neuroses, ending in her early demise.

But not before cementing her place as the Hottest Political Paramour of all time.

10. Proximity to Hawaii

Hawaii is the number one vacation destination for US residents. It’s surprising how many people actually forget that it’s a part of the US when they vacation there, as it seems like another world entirely. Hawaii is often labeled as paradise, and with white sand beaches, natural local vegetation and animal life, and geography worth exploring, it’s hard to argue with that. What’s nice about the West Coast is that it’s just a short airplane ride over to Hawaii. Leave from Los Angeles Airport or maybe San Francisco and you will be whisked away to another world in mere hours. If someone on the East Coast wanted to visit Hawaii, not only would it be more expensive, but the trip would take virtually a whole day with all the flight layovers in several cities. To take a plane from Boston to Hawaii would require plane changes in Chicago, Denver, possibly Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. That’s a potential for four stoppages in travel. Leave from the West Coast however, and you’ll fly direct, maybe with one layover depending on where you leave from. Europe may be an incredible draw for people on the East Coast, but if you want to go to paradise, you’re more fortunate to live on the West Coast. Just hop on a morning flight and you’ll be surfing and snorkeling by noon.

9. San Diego

San Diego is billed as the “perfect place to live” in America. Think of everything that has been detailed in this list and add a little bit more charm and prestige and you will have an idea of how cool San Diego is. Perfect temperatures, warm and friendly people, music festivals and artisans galore, professional sports teams, modern buildings, clean streets, beautiful sunsets, great beaches, and more make San Diego a city that must be experienced. The East Coast has some amazing cities, no question about it, but there’s something slightly more majestic and enthralling about San Diego in particular that makes it the ideal city to live in. You will be stunned at its beauty, impressed by its cleanliness and friendly people, and just how relaxed and tranquil it seems, particularly for a large city. New York has that “wow factor” that you expect from a large city, but everybody there is in a hurry and the city itself is not very clean at all. San Diego is truly unique in the US, and should be experienced as soon as possible.

8. Modern Cities

San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Seattle, and Portland are all major cities on the West Coast, but there’s one major difference between them and cities like Boston and New York; they’re new. Boston and New York and Philadelphia all take pride in the fact that they’ve been around for hundreds of years, but along with that comes wear and tear, depreciation, and lack of structural integrity. Plus, many of them are hideous to behold. The West Coast is fortunate enough to be formed much later than the east, and thus, its cities are newer. Being formed later in time makes them new, cleaner, and more modern as technology and architecture has improved. Many of these cities and buildings look like something out of a science fictions movie and give new meaning to the term “modern”. While history and red brick buildings are great sometimes, there’s nothing more thrilling than walking down a city street on the West Coast and admiring the contemporary angles and materials used to create the corporate headquarters and residential towers.

7. In ‘N Out Burger and Jamba Juice

Ever heard of In ‘N Out Burger (a.k.a. In ‘N Out)? It’s only the best fast food you will ever taste! With no freezers, microwaves, or heat lamps on company grounds (any of them), In ‘N Out is not only the best tasting fast food, but it’s also the healthiest. Can McDonald’s or Burger King say that? I didn’t think so. In ‘N Out also gives you combinations unheard of at other fast food chains. Not to mention, they peel, cut, and bake their own French fries on site! And they’re awesome! Seriously, what other chain would even consider doing that? If you’ve been there enough, you already know about their “secret” language for ordering food. “Animal” means a mustard burger with the usual fixings and extra sauce; “Protein” is a burger wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun; “Well done” means cook my fries until they are extra crispy and delicious; and the famous “Flying Dutchman” corresponds to a double beef burger with double cheese and nothing else. You need to go to this place if you’ve never been, and the catch is, they’re native to the West Coast. So if you want to try it out, head west. The perfect addition to any In ‘N Out meal, or just a healthy alternative, is Jamba Juice. Created at California Polytechnic State University, Jamba Juice is the best smoothie you will ever taste. 5 servings of real fruit in each smoothie ensures a healthy snack, and the Vita Boost shot you can add in gives you protein and energy built right into your drink. They’re thick and frosty and if you get a large enough one, you won’t even need a meal to go with it. Jamba Juice is so good that it’s made it to the East Coast, but there’s only one of them. Times Square in New York City houses the only Jamba Juice in the east, but go to California, and they’re everywhere. Drink up.

6. Entertainment Capital of the World

In a lot of ways, Hollywood runs America, and parts of the rest of the world. Actors and movies have the ability to captivate audiences of millions of people who will tune in or purchase a movie just to see other people walk around and talk. If you think about it, that’s a pretty powerful phenomena. Now, consider that the music industry builds its entire business plan on people listening to music. Jam sessions, concerts, and festivals galore bring hundreds of bands and artists to the spotlight and thousands of people will come out to see these people play and sing. Where does all this happen, you ask? Well, it happens on the West Coast of course! Hollywood takes care of the movies, television shows, and plays that people go see, the music industry puts on dozens of festivals like “Coachella” each year which bring bands and fans together, and Seattle, WA is one of the places where outstanding bands and performers consistently perform and get discovered. None of this could ever occur on the East Coast, and it’s something that makes the West Coast inherently unique. Only the West Coast is the Entertainment capital of the world.

5. Silicon Valley

Google, Microsoft, Apple, Yahoo!, eBay, Intel, Nvidia, and SanDisk; these are just a handful of the hundreds of technology companies that make their headquarters in the San Fernando Valley, California. Nicknamed for the electronics and microchips produced there, this technology hub of the US sees hundreds of companies work every day to provide America and the rest of the world with top quality electronics and gadgets. Most people carry a cell phone and have at least one computer in their home, and they have Silicon Valley to thank for that. Every day technology changes and advances, and what better place to experience those innovations than the technology capital of the country? Each of these companies chose to make their homes in California and on the West Coast. Why? Because there’s more space, more opportunity, and a less stressful environment to work in. Who wouldn’t want to be in Silicon Valley? After all, as the saying goes, “When in doubt, Google it”, and in Silicon Valley, you can Google it directly.

4. Sunsets

Sunsets show off some of the most majestic natural beauty in the world. The sheer variety and intensity of color that accompanies them are a sight to behold, and when viewed from that one perfect spot, they are breathtaking. On the East Coast, it’s all about the sunrises, which are beautiful themselves. But there’s something about a sunset that is different. Sunsets are magical, peaceful, relaxing, romantic, and exciting all at once. Watching the sun go down over a mountain range or sitting on a beach as it slips below the horizon is just a supernatural feeling. Seeing as the sun rises in the east, it makes sense that better sunrises would occur there, but the sun sets in the west upon the completion of another day. It promises hope for another tomorrow, and kicks off any nightlife you may want to enjoy. They also make for some awesome photos if done correctly. West Coast sunsets trump East Coast sunrises any day of the week.

3. Laid Back Attitude

Hustle and bustle, people hurrying to get everywhere, and “go-go-go” attitudes are the norm in East Coast cities and towns. Even more relaxed towns in New England and the south have this mentality engrained into them. From a young age one sees people hurrying to get everywhere, procrastinating until the last possible second before brazenly rushing out the door to get to their next appointment, or even just to make that last movie of the night. The corporate world runs on how fast something can get done, and how quickly someone can turn around and do something else. Not on the West Coast. People there aren’t so concerned with deadlines, rush hour, or what it takes to climb to the top of the corporate ladder. The west is less cutthroat than the east, and it shows in the culture. Have a big project to present at the end of the week? Don’t stress out, it’ll get done. West Coasters are also into the “Wellness” movement which includes everything from Yoga and Pilates to kickboxing and spa treatments. It is this type of behavior that not only fosters a productive environment, but an enjoyable and relaxed one as well. This is something the East Coast certainly cannot say, as most of the people there suffer from heart attacks and high blood pressure from all the stress they acquire each day. And that’s just no fun.

2. Weather

Serving as almost three quarters of the West Coast itself, California dominates the landscape and much of what people associate the west with. What’s one of the major attractions of California? Weather entices millions of visitors each year, and as the climate is always mild and sunny, there is never a bad time to visit. Low humidity makes the higher temperatures enjoyable, and it is not uncommon to see people consistently outdoors 10-12 months out of the year. Surfing and other water sports are possible thanks to this mild climate as well. Although much of the West Coast sits on fault lines and earthquakes plague the region, I’ll take an earthquake over a hurricane any day of the week. Moving north, Oregon is known for its natural beauty and national parks, while Washington boasts some of the nicest coastal settings, harbors, and forests in the country. Add the natural beauty of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, and the West Coast offers just as much nature as the east. Beautiful temperatures and natural scenery make the West Coast appealing to anybody who wishes to experience a mild climate without the hazards of the east. If you can’t make it to the Caribbean or some place in the Mediterranean climate, California weather is as close to paradise as you can get.

1. Beaches, Bikinis, and Body Surfing

Huntington Beach, Long Beach, Ocean Shores, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Rockaway Beach; need I go on? Look at a map of the West Coast and about every quarter of an inch you will see a beach of some sort. Like the sunshine and warm temperatures? If so, you belong on the West Coast, which has the greatest and most enjoyable selection of beaches in the entire continental US. Sunshine, sand, surfing, swimming, and all those other “s” words that are associated with going to the beach can be enjoyed on the West Coast far easier than its eastern counterpart. What else do you is there at the beach? Women in bikinis, that’s what. Often referred to as the state for “beautiful people”, California natives and tourists support this viewpoint when they go to the beach. There is no doubt that California, Oregon, and Washington flaunt better beach bodies than those on the East Coast, even in southern states, like Florida, that are famous for their beaches. The West Coast beaches are just better all-around. They’re cleaner, bigger, less congested, and more fun, and who doesn’t love some fun in the sun with plenty of great scenery to look at?

**BONUS – Arnold Schwarzenegger (a.k.a. “The Terminator”) is the Governor of California. It doesn’t get more badass than that