1. Facebook’s Facial Recognition Feature
   One of Facebook’s creepiest additions is the facial recognition feature, which suggests tags to friends in your photo albums through facial recognition technology. Although the facial recognition feature does come in handy when you’re tagging friends in your 200-picture albums, the technology and incorporation of the program is concerning. In fact, Facebook launched the facial recognition feature in December 2010 without notifying users.

2. Facebook’s Places Feature
   Facebook’s Places feature may take the cake for the creepiest feature of all time. Places allows users to check-in on Facebook to local bars, restaurants, coffee shops or wherever they go, using the GPS on their mobile device. The idea is to let your friends know your exact location in case you want to meet up, but the feature also comes with a heap of security concerns, as well. Even if check-ins only appear on your friends’ news feeds, that doesn’t mean you aren’t at risk for uninvited guests.

3. Facebook’s Breakup Notifier App
   Facebook’s Breakup Notifier has taken creepiness to a whole new level. No longer will you need to stalk your love interest’s profile because now you can get updates of their relationship status through e-mail. As if it wasn’t hard enough to change your status from "in a relationship" to "single" after a bad breakup, now users will have the joy of answering to eager date requests via Facebook.

4. The Twitter Creepy App
   The Twitter Creepy app is just that – creepy! Similar to Facebook’s Places feature, Creepy allows users to track a person’s location on a map by typing in their Twitter or Flicker ID. If you’ve made a post that includes geocoded data of any sort, you’ll be traceable. So, unless you don’t mind everyone and their mom knowing your exact location, I’d watch what geocoded data you post on Twitter.

5. Facebook’s Poke Feature
   It doesn’t get much creepier than receiving a poke from a stranger, even if they are your Facebook friend! The poke feature has been around for years, allowing users to poke their crush or start poke wars with their friends. Sure, it’s pretty harmless in nature, but virtual poking can definitely go too far and reach harassment levels quickly.

6. Facebook News Feed
   Facebook’s news feed interface has truly raised the level of creepiness to an all-time high. Since 2006, Facebook users have been able to post their daily activities, political rants and professions of love for all of their friends to see. This streaming news feed also tells you when there has been a profile change, birthday notification, post to a friend’s wall and much more. The news feed feature has become a staple of Facebook, but that doesn’t make it any less creepy that you know exactly where your friends were last night, what they last posted on someone’s wall or that they just got out of the shower.

7. Facebook Quizzes
   Facebook’s quizzes may seem harmless in the grand scheme of things, but these questionnaires could be divulging more personal information than you intended. Facebook quizzes can give developers access to your personal contact information, which could be used against you. Even though changing your Facebook privacy settings may help with this problem, your best defense is to avoid the quizzes altogether.

8. Photo Sharing
   If it weren’t for the photo sharing features on social networking sites, most people probably wouldn’t even bother getting an account. Photo sharing is what makes Facebook, MySpace and Twitter so enjoyable to users. However, this amusing feature has also caused a boatload of problems for relationships, careers, self esteem and overall productiveness. Social media photos have also put users in danger of being stalked and harassed because it puts your face, locations and information out in the open for all to see.

9. Facebook Groups
   Facebook groups are another seemingly harmless feature, but these sometimes exclusive groups can be very concerning. The Facebook feature started years ago with innocent groups like "I love Dogs" and "#1 Yankees Fan," but have expanded to more serious groups with a distinct purpose. In recent years, pro-anorexia and bulimia groups have made their way onto the social networking site, using clever names and effective marketing tactics. This is just one example of several creepy Facebook groups that seem to slip through the cracks.

10. Video Sharing
    Video sharing features, such as MySpace’s Weird Stuff Video Charts, are some of the creepiest and most exploitive video-sharing forums online. Both Facebook and MySpace have a video sharing feature that lets users upload videos to share with friends or the whole online community. Even though the networking sites monitor video content, plenty of inappropriate and controversial videos find their way online.

1. Ft. William, Scotland: The Harry Potter universe has been an unstoppable cultural juggernaut since the first book hit shelves in 1997, and the arrival of the film series in 2001 only added to the public fervor. There are loads of tourist destinations tied to the movies — Platform 9 3/4 at King’s Cross Station remains a favorite — but your best bet for a great experience is to head to Fort William, Scotland, and board the Jacobite steam train. The round trip runs more than 80 miles through the countryside that was used to illustrate Harry’s annual journey to Hogwarts. so you get your blast of movie-fan nostalgia along with a scenic ride and lengthy trip.
   
2. Kauai, Hawaii: That so many movies gravitate toward Hawaii isn’t a surprise, given the gorgeous beaches and jungles that can easily sub for any tropical or faraway location on film. Any trip to the islands will yield hundreds of film locations, but for sheer iconic value, you can’t beat the island of Kauai, which was used for the opening exteriors of Raiders of the Lost Ark, where Indiana Jones travels to find the golden statue. The island was also home to the bulk of filming for Jurassic Park, which makes it a gold mine for Spielberg fans.
   
   Meet the Brachiosaur
   Jurassic Park at MOVIECLIPS.com
3. Timberline Lodge, Mount Hood, Oregon: There isn’t much in northern Oregon. The Timberline Lodge, on Mount Hood, is closest to the small city of Government Camp. But the lodge is a mecca for horror fans (and others) because its exterior was used to portray the Overlook Hotel in Stanley Kubrick’s classic The Shining. Visitors should be warned that the lodge isn’t the real (that is, fictional) hotel: there’s no giant hedge maze in which to run from a homicidal maniac, and the interiors seen in the film were all shot on a set in England. Still, for sheer size and beauty, it’s worth a visit. But just to be on the safe side, stay out of room 237.
   
4. Downtown Chicago: Chicago: good sights, good music, and enough food to give you a heart attack (twice). The city’s been home to a number of film shoots over the years, but a pair of comedies takes the cake for movie buffs looking to make a pilgrimage to the Windy City. For starters, there’s The Blues Brothers, shot in and around Chicago, from Wrigley Field to the 95th Street bridge to the South Shore Cultural Center, the outside of which posed on film as the Palace Hotel Ballroom. Then there’s Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, which treated Chicago like a giant playground as it bounced between museums and restaurants. You can catch a Cubs game and relive the vicarious thrill of watching Ferris ditch gym class, or you can go to the Art Institute of Chicago and trip out on some Seurat. Or, if you’re up for it, you can hijack a parade. Your call.
   
5. Philadelphia: Sure, it was once the nation’s capital, and it’s heralded as a birthplace of modern democracy. But more important than that: Rocky trained here! The steps leading up to the Philadelphia Museum of Art became national icons when Sylvester Stallone jogged up them triumphantly in Rocky, and the bronze statue of Rocky that was placed at the top of the steps for use in Rocky III is still around, just moved to the bottom. If Rocky isn’t your thing, you can cruise around the locations used in The Sixth Sense, as long as you don’t wear red.
   
6. Seattle: You know you like Sleepless in Seattle. You know you do. It is pointless to pretend otherwise. A trip to Seattle will let you roam the same rainy streets once trod by Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. True, the film’s climax takes place in New York, but give Seattle some love. The city’s been home to dozens of other films, as well. Cameron Crowe’s Gen-X-ish Singles shot all over town, and the apartment building that figures in the story is always worth a visit. The Pike Place Market is another classic landmark that’s appeared in several films.
   
7. Vienna: No one needs convincing of Vienna’s place in world culture or history (major player in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, birthplace of Schubert, home of Falco). But the Austrian city has also seen its fair share of film productions, with The Third Man among the most cherished. The 1949 film starring Joseph Cotton and Orson Welles is a fantastic film and a classic of film noir, and since the story is set in Vienna, much of the action takes place against the backdrop of real places. True, it’s not like the movie is the excuse you needed to see Vienna — it’s a stunning city — but it’s always fun to explore landmark locations like this one and know that someone like Welles walked the same roads.
   
8. Tunisia: Located on the northern coast of Africa, Tunisia has seen a variety of rulers in the past that have contributed to its eclectic cultural heritage, from the Romans to Spain and France. But the desert locations will be instantly familiar to anyone who’s seen the original Star Wars (in other words, everyone): the region doubled for the desert planet of Tatooine at the beginning of the film. Buildings in Matmata were used for Luke Skywalker’s home, where he spent his days whining and fixing things and whining, and a variety of dunes and canyons were used for the Jawa locations. Interestingly, the canyon where R2-D2 was captured was used again by another George Lucas production starring Harrison Ford, Raiders of the Lost Ark, for the scene in which Indy threatens to destroy the ark with a bazooka.
   
9. Santa Barbara: Santa Barbara is an easy drive up the coast from Los Angeles, and though it’s only a couple hours away from the heart of the city, it might as well be a different world. The performing arts venues and tourist attractions have always brought in travelers, but the wine culture of the region got a big boost from the 2004 comedy Sideways, which is set in the area’s wineries and restaurants. The movie’s scenes play out in real places, too, like The Hitching Post II, a local steakhouse. The film’s success actually led to a spike in wine country tourism, though that’s settled a bit now, making a trip to the region much more manageable for oenophiles or Paul Giamatti groupies.
   
   Miles on Wine
   Sideways at MOVIECLIPS.com
10. The Phi Phi Islands: Danny Boyle’s 2000 film The Beach is a Gen-X reworking of Lord of the Flies, with techno music and militant pot farmers filling in for a wrecked airplane and murderous children. The tale revolves around a supposedly hidden paradise that’s almost impossible for tourists to reach, and the filmmakers brought the location to life on the Phi Phi Islands in Thailand. Shot on the island of Koh Phi Phi, the film makes a believable case for these islands as a paradise on Earth, albeit one that requires some work to get to. The island is less developed than those around it, and even the popularity of the film hasn’t done much to change the island, which is a good thing. Sometimes, it’s OK to preserve things just the way they are.
    
    Night Swimming
    The Beach at MOVIECLIPS.com

1. Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life, Steve Martin: Steve Martin seemed to walk away from live performances at the height of his popularity, but as his book details, it’s because his fame brought him all the things he never wanted. Devoted to doing progressive comedy that eschewed traditional set-ups and avoided typical punch lines altogether, Martin’s act became so huge that he was selling out stadiums and feeling stifled by the crowd’s demands. He quit stand-up in 1981 and devoted his time to writing, film work, and other pursuits. His autobiography is a fantastic companion piece to his early comedy albums, and he speaks honestly (if briefly) about his desire to do something different and the frustrations he felt trying to carve out a place for himself. Martin’s departure from comedy 30 years ago makes this book a welcome discussion of the stuff that got him started.
2. Superstud: Or How I Became a 24-Year-Old Virgin, Paul Feig: Paul Feig took the terrors of puberty and mined them for comedy and heartache with Freaks and Geeks, and he went on to write a pair of memoirs detailing his awkward youth. Kick Me: Adventures in Adolescence will feel familiar to fans of Freaks, since many of Feig’s actual experiences (dodgeball, bad dates, etc.) were turned into stories on the show. But Superstud is a cut above, as Feig details his conservative upbringing and the ways it played havoc with his hormones and his abortive attempts to get a girlfriend in high school, college, and beyond. It’s a hilarious, painful, poignant memoir about a guy trying to figure himself out, and Feig doesn’t shy away from stories that paint him in an unflattering light. One chapter is composed of excerpts from his personal diary from 1981; another deals with his attempts to contort himself into a position that would enable a method of self-pleasure that’s definitely impossible. A great, honest read.
3. Bossypants, Tina Fey: The cover art for Tina Fey’s Bossypants is definitely creepy, but it’s got a purpose: Fey has had to make her way to the top of a highly competitive field dominated by men while also juggling things men don’t have to think about (breastfeeding, the gender gap in the wordplace, etc.). Her memoir hit shelves in spring 2011, with 30 Rock closing in on the end of its fifth season. Fey’s got an amazing comedy career to draw on for her autobiography, including time at Chicago’s Second City and a decade at Saturday Night Live, where she was a writer (as well as the first female head writer in the show’s history) and performer as well as a "Weekend Update" anchor. She’s consistently funny, and her book follows her journey and digs into the eye-opening details of motherhood and professional scheduling.
4. I Shouldn’t Even Be Doing This: And Other Things That Strike Me as Funny, Bob Newhart: This is how big Bob Newhart is: In 1960, he released a pair of comedy albums — The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart and The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back — that at one point occupied the top two spots on the Billboard charts at the same time. No one had ever done that before, and it wouldn’t happen again until Guns N’ Roses put out the Use Your Illusion albums in 1991. He’s been a legend for so long it’s easy to take his place in the comedy pantheon for granted, but his autobiography is a welcome reminder of how gifted he is and how much he’s done over the past 50-plus years. The book is a great mix of facts and observations that showcase his dry, straight-faced sense of humor, and it’s also full of wonderful insight into the origin of some of Newhart’s best-known sketches and bits.
5. One More Time, Carol Burnett: One of the great things about Carol Burnett’s memoir is the hilarious and heartbreaking detail she brings to stories of her own childhood, including living with an unbalanced grandmother during the Depression. Comics in Burnett’s era, especially female ones, were far less focused on confessional comedy, so her autobiography adds an amazing layer to her already storied persona. It’s not a completely dark book, though: she’s still a funny and talented writer, and she mixes the good with the bad as she lays out the steps that took her from aspiring performer to host of one of the most popular variety/sketch shows of all time. It’s an amazing story.
6. Sleepwalk with Me: and Other Painfully True Stories, Mike Birbiglia: Mike Birbiglia started out as a traditional stand-up comedian before transitioning into more long-form, confessional stories that mixed humor with autobiography. He later turned those stories into albums like My Secret Public Journal Live and the one-man show Sleepwalk With Me, a funny look at his sleep disorders. (He once jumped out a hotel window while sleepwalking.) His autobiographical book takes some of his stage material and fleshes out it, and he talks about his childhood misadventures, life as a road comic, and the weirdness of being a minor celebrity. The book is equal parts material and process, and the stories provide a nice backdrop for the performer people see on stage.
7. American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot, Craig Ferguson: Craig Ferguson went largely ignored during the latest round of late-night wars, which is just the latest indication that not nearly enough people are aware of how funny Ferguson can be. As the host of CBS’ The Late Late Show, he’s taken the format in bold new directions; in 2010, he won a Peabody Award for a 2009 episode devoted entirely to guest Archbishop Desmond Tutu and a frank discussion of apartheid. He’s never without a sense of humor, but he’s also always willing to talk to his audience about the darker parts of his own life, like his younger battles with alcoholism. His memoir, American on Purpose, traces his life from Scotland to the U.S. as he bounces from one career to the next and succumbs to his own worst vices. The story sees him gain TV success in the states and eventually earn his citizenship. A truly wonderful read from a gifted humorist.
8. Zombie Spaceship Wasteland, Patton Oswalt: Comedian Patton Oswalt has, against his better wishes and stated desires to the contrary, grown up a lot in recent years. His comedy is still mostly observational, but where it once focused on the absurdities of life, it’s now more concerned with the trials of modern fatherhood and what it means to live in a world as crazy as ours can be. Zombie Spaceship Wasteland is an essay collection that mostly deals with Oswalt’s formative years and experiences, beginning with the change that took him over as a child when he started reading books with a real desire to find good art. The title refers to the way young storytellers lean toward one of three basic worlds in which to set their tales — worlds of zombies, aliens, or empty wastes — and Oswalt uses his pet theory to discuss his own comedic journey with skill. Definitely one to read for fans of modern alternative comedy.
9. Dear Mrs. Fitzsimmons: Tales of Redemption from an Irish Mailbox, Greg Fitzsimmons: Greg Fitzsimmons’ central premise — an inherent distrust of authority — makes for a great connective tissue in his autobiography, which reproduces a variety of letters, notes, and warnings he received growing up. He uses those notes, and his own writing, to tell his story of growing up in a highly dysfunctional family. He’s one of the few comics who isn’t afraid to go into detail or offer lengthy explanations of his background, which gives the book the weight and emotional heft of a real memoir and not a quickie cash-in. He’s quick to make fun of the traditions and rituals that define his heritage — the boom of Saint Patrick’s Day babies born around Christmas are summed up as "the result of drunken unprotected make-up sex after a slap fight at the Blarney Stone that day" — but he’s also possessed of a real sense of pride in where he came from. The book’s as honest as it is entertaining.
10. Last Words: A Memoir, George Carlin: George Carlin’s autobiography was published posthumously, which makes it feel like a bonus parting gift from one of the comedic masters of the 20th century. He uses the book to tell the story of his life in full, or at least as full as can be boiled down to a simple narrative, and he also goes deep on the psychology of comedy and what he’s learned about everything from audience dynamics to joke construction. The book’s proof of the many reasons that a good autiobiography from an artist will always emotionally outstrip one by an athlete: while the latter are paid to forget who they are and perform physical feats of strength and coordination, the former are trained to always look inward and use their own experiences as material. Carlin’s career often focused on the power of words (dialogue in that clip extremely NSFW, by the way), and his life story makes for a fantastic memorial.

1. Maine Lobster Festival: Serving over twenty thousand pounds of lobster over the course of five days, Maine’s Lobster Festival is one of the premier food festivals in the world. Located in the small coastal town of Rockland, the Maine Lobster Festival celebrates Maine’s biggest export by boiling it alive and eating it — delicious. Thousands of volunteers work for the eleven months before the festival preparing for the upcoming activities. The festival includes a big parade, several cooking contests, the Sea Goddess Pageant, road races, arts and crafts, lobster crate races, and of course lots and lots of lobster.
2. Cayman Cookout: Offering a glorious escape from harsh winter temperatures, the Cayman Cookout is a must-see destination for any food lover. Presented by award winning chef Eric Ripert, the festival features local dishes such as fresh ceviche and international favorites like fine chocolate and gourmet truffles. Each day of the festival offers something new and exciting to the guests. One day, swim with and feed the Southern Stingrays of Stingray City and the North Sound, and then enjoy Chef Eric’s boat-prepared ceviche. The next day, enjoy freshly baked pastries and brews from award winning chefs all over the world. As if the Cayman Islands weren’t an enticing enough vacation destination, the Cayman Cookout adds even more allure.
3. Arcata Bay Oyster Festival: More than seventy percent of the oysters consumed in the state of California are cultivated in Arcata Bay on California’s northwest coast. It is here that the internationally known oyster festival takes place every June. Celebrating the local chefs of Humboldt County, the Arcata Bay Oyster Festival features vendors from the most popular restaurants in town. Preparing oysters roasted, fried, barbecued, raw, and more, the chefs display their creativity and zeal for the slimy delicacies. Vying for the coveted title of "Best Oyster of the Festival," each year chefs push the boundaries of traditional oyster flavor and preparation.
4. Festival Gourmet International: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico’s reputation as a gastronomic Mecca owes much thanks to the Festival Gourmet International, a food festival celebrated in November every year. Promoting a different atmosphere than most other food festivals throughout the world, Festival Gourmet International is run on a non-competitive format. The festival boasts a dynamic combination of master chefs famous throughout the world and new chefs, wishing to display their immense talent. The festival works to blend Mexican traditions, wine tasting, parties, dinners, and cooking workshops over the course of ten luxurious days in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Featuring over twenty international celebrity chefs, all of the proceeds from the event go to local charities in Puerto Vallarta.
5. The World Gourmet Summit: Beginning in the end of April, The World Gourmet Summit (WGS) in Singapore offers five days of all things food. The WGS will feature traditional Chinese dishes, celebrity dinners, culinary master-classes, wine tastings, and gourmet cooking workshops in various national cuisines. The World Gourmet Summit is one of the most well known and highly regarded food festivals in the world. Featuring internationally acclaimed chefs and rare epicurean wines, The WGS is any foodies dream expedition.
6. The Good Food and Wine Show: As one of the largest food celebrations in the world, The Good Food and Wine Show is a culinary showcase that spans three cities in South Africa (Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg) over a period of several months. With numerous Chef-in-Action theatres, featuring world renowned celebrity chefs, this festival offers a great learning experience for any food enthusiast or culinary wannabe. Celebrating delicacies special to South Africa, The Good Food and Wine Show highlights the finest of the South African coffee industry in the National Barista Championships. The festival also offers several other food competitions and classes, including a cocktail competition, wine tasting, and organic food forums.
7. Moritz Gourmet Festival: Set in a winter oasis among clear skies and crystalline cold, St. Moritz, Switzerland has been a vacationing destination for centuries. This five-day long festival features celebrity guest chefs from around the world who fly in to create original dishes with top chefs from St. Moritz’s leading hotels. Opening with a five-course gourmet meal and the Grand Gourmet Opening Cocktail at the Carlton Hotel, this festival boasts nonstop entertainment and culinary delight. The Chocolate Cult, one of the highlight events of the festival, showcases personalized chocolate delicacies using local chili, pepper, saffron, and honey. Guests can also get in on the action, creating their own personalized chocolate under the supervision of the master chocolatier in Zurich. The experience at St. Moritz is truly unique and a dream escape for any culinary fanatic.
8. Aspen Food and Wine Classic: Taking place in Aspen, CO, every summer, the Food and Wine Classic is one of the most notorious food festivals in the world. Made hugely well known by the popular reality television series Top Chef, the Classic offers a weekend full of gourmet cooking demonstrations and samplings prepared by some of the top names in the business. Featuring lessons from dozens of world renowned chefs, wine tastings, and cooking competitions, this event sells out every year. A portion of the proceeds from the ticket sales for the event is donated to the Grow for Good campaign sponsored by Food and Wine Magazine. Grow for Good is a nationwide initiative that supports local farms and encourages sustainable agriculture.
9. Hokitika’s Wildfood Festival: A culinary extravaganza not for the weak at heart, this New Zealand event is filled with fun and excitement. Set in a destination on its own, the festival’s landscape includes scenic mountains, glaciers, rivers, rainforest, and wildlife. Celebrating the unique wilderness of New Zealand’s Southern Island, The Hokitika Wildfood Festival features exotic dishes like wasp larvae ice cream and barbequed Huhu grubs. This event has been happening for over two decades and hosts up to twenty three thousand guests from around the world each year. Wandering dancers, mimes, bands, and comedians, allow for no shortage in entertainment. With radical wild food innovations, visitors to the festival should expect to step out of their culinary comfort zone and try unique dishes including possum, earthworms, sweetbreads, and much more.
10. Terra Madre and Salone del Gusto: These two events take place in Turin, Italy and are more than just festivals for food. Representing and celebrating the Slow Food Movement, Terra Madre and Salone del Gusto are two mega food events that happen each year. The Slow Food Movement is a global grassroots organization devoted to linking the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment. Terra Madre showcases food producers, farmers, educators, and cooks from around the world. This four day festival focuses on workshops, meetings, and lectures, discussing eating locally and practicing sustainable agriculture. The Salone del Gusto festival focuses more on experiencing the slow food ideologies in practice. This event is an international food and wine extravaganza with thousands of wines and dishes cooked with the slow food technique. Individuals visiting either of these festivals will leave with empowering knowledge about slow food practices and beliefs.
11. The International White Truffle Festival: The white truffle has a rich history in Italy and throughout the world. Found most famously in the countryside of the Italian city of Alba, Italian white truffles are highly esteemed in the culinary world. The International White Truffle Festival in Italy is typically held between September and December each year. This festival celebrates all aspects of the glorious tuber. Famous chefs from all over the world incorporate white truffle elements into their masterpieces, giving their dishes added elegance and flavor. However, because white truffles have such a pungent taste and are so rare, they are used sparingly in the culinary world. The Italian festival celebrates the existence of this culinary gem with events dedicated to the white truffle. Auctions take place each year, selling the truffles for thousands of dollars apiece. Any gastronomist should seek this festival to enrich their culinary repertoire.
12. Kona Coffee Cultural Festival: Visitors from all over the world gather alongside island locals on the beaches of Hawaii for this festival of arts, food, and drinks to celebrate all things coffee. Since the early eighteen hundreds coffee has been cultivated in the Kona Districts of the Big Island of Hawaii. Kona Coffee is now one of the most highly regarded and expensive coffee blends in the world. This coffee festival generally lasts just under two weeks in the beginning of November. The festival boasts a variety of events, including pageants, tours, workshops, lectures, parades, tastings, competitions, dinners, art exhibits, and live entertainment. Hosting almost twenty thousand visitors each year, people from all over the world flock to the Island for its spectacular beauty, rich history, and outstanding caffeinated brews.
13. International Mango Festival: While there are several mango festivals that take place throughout the world, the International Mango Festival in India is one of the largest. The festival exhibits more than five hundred different varieties of mangoes grown throughout India, celebrating the unique color, smell and taste particular to the Indian mango. While mangoes are traditionally eaten raw in India, the festival showcases various recipes from notable Indian chefs. Involving all things mango, the festival’s events include a mango eating competition, mango slogan writing, mango carving, and mango quizzes. If you’re not a huge mango fan then this is certainly a festival you can skip. For those who relish the small succulent fruits, visit the International Mango Festival to taste one-of-a-kind mango jams, pickles, fruit juices, and more.
14. Iceland Food and Fun Festival: Focused on celebrating fresh Icelandic ingredients, the Food and Fun Festival in Iceland attracts crowds from all over the world. Taking place in the dead of Reykjavik’s frosty winter each year, this food festival is a unique and unforgettable experience. For the first four days of the festival, visiting chefs from other countries are paired with local host restaurants to prepare some of their signature dishes for the public. On the final day of festivities, the visiting chefs compete for the title of "Chef of the Year". During this competition, the chefs are given one hour to shop in the local markets and purchase only fresh Icelandic ingredients and then three hours to prepare a winning three course Icelandic meal. The results of this competition are then served as the final meal of the festival. Competitive zeal and culinary excellence make Iceland’s Food and Fun Festival hard to miss.
15. Memphis in May Barbecue Festival: Bringing something unique to the table each year, the Memphis in May Barbeque Festival sets its culinary theme around a different country each year. While the festival lasts the entire month of May, one week each year is devoted to showcasing the local foods and entertainment of the country being honored that year. The goal of this international celebration is to educate local students in Tennessee on the different cultures and customs of the world. This BBQ celebration draws crowds from all over the world, hosting just under one hundred thousand visitors a year. With endless food competitions, food related activities, music, and more, Memphis in May is an event to behold for any food lover. The festival also hosts The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, which is one of the most popular barbecue contests in the country, and the Sunset Symphony, which is a night of classical music.

1. Mel Gibson: Mel Gibson has been in the tabloids for years now for losing his cool and letting his insanity run rampant. The at-one-time A-list actor is the craziest star out there (even post Charlie Sheen), with his numerous anti-Semitic rants, racist outbursts, and violent threats. In a recording that surfaced in 2010, Gibson purportedly berates his ex stating, "you’re an embarrassment to me, you look like a pig in heat, and if you get raped–" (we’re stopping the quote there). Sounding completely insane, Gibson’s remarks were insensitive on too many levels to list. But we can say calling a woman a pig and telling her that "it will be [her] fault if she is raped" means you’ve fallen off the deep end.
2. 50 Cent: This one takes the cake for stupidity. Since the advent of Twitter, the internet has been a goldmine of terrible and inappropriate quotes from a-list celebrities. No one’s Twitter has been more horribly amazing than rapper 50 Cent’s. Mere hours after the recent tsunami devastated Japan, rapper 50 Cent tweeted, "Look this is very serious people I had to evacuate all my hoe’s from LA, Hawaii and Japan. I had to do it. Lol." Well, lol Mr. 50 Cent. We feel uncomfortable even sarcastically mocking your insensitive joke. It’s important to take things lightly in order to stay sane in a world so wrought with uncertainty; however, joking about a natural disaster that has completely devastated an entire country is probably not the best route to levity. And what’s worse, this tweet was "retweeted" by 100 people. Yikes.
3. Gilbert Gottfried: Known for his obnoxious voice, comedian Gilbert Gottfried is no newcomer to statements that are "too soon". At the Comedy Central roast of Hugh Hefner in 2001 (only three weeks after 9/11), Gottfried joked, "I have to leave early tonight. I have to fly out to L.A. I couldn’t get a direct flight, I have to make a stop at the Empire State Building." The crowd was stunned. Comedy Central had considered postponing the roast because it was too soon after the tragic event at the World Trade Center. But, Gilbert Gottfried went for it — and sank for it.
4. Gilbert Gottfried: Yes, again. Gottfried again made light of a very serious and devastating situation mere days after it occurred. Only days after the earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan, the comedian tweeted, "Japan is really advanced. They don’t go to the beach. The beach comes to them." As if the insensitivity and idiocy of this statement weren’t enough, Gottfried made nine more tweets making light (if you can even put it that way) of the deadly disaster. The comedian lost his job as the voice of the Aflac duck for his insanely insensitive remarks. The insurance company states that Japan is one their top customers. Aflac donated over one million dollars the International Red Cross for recovery efforts in Japan.
5. Kenneth Cole: Twitter strikes again. Famous designer Kenneth Cole offended pretty much everyone with his Tweet in response to the political uprising in Egypt. When thousands of civilians in Cairo bravely came together to protest their corrupt dictator, classy designer Cole insinuated that his clothes sparked the excitement. He wrote (and sent out to the entire world), "millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available." While dark humor is sometimes the most successful kind, it must be done with some restraint and class. There are now numerous novelty twitter accounts dedicated to Kenneth Cole’s insensitive remark.
6. Rush Limbaugh: it seems that many famous Americans just can’t seem to keep their mouths shut when an earthquake devastates another country. Conservative political commentator, Rush Limbaugh, stated on his radio show after the earthquake in Haiti, "We’ve already donated to Haiti. It’s called the U.S. income tax." His comment was outrageously insensitive and crude and that seemingly suggests that we do not need to help with relief effort in Haiti. Limbaugh received widespread criticism for his remarks. White House Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs, commented, "I don’t know how anybody could sit where [Limbaugh] does, having enjoyed the success that he has, and not feel some measure of sorrow for what has happened in Haiti." Limbaugh made other comments throughout this same radio segment stating that President Obama will "use" the Haiti disaster to his political advantage. Ill-informed and narrow minded comments can be expected from some people, but should not be tolerated from individuals who claim to be experts and who influence public opinion.
7. Alec Sulkin: As a writer for the hit show Family Guy, Alec Sulkin is no newcomer to insulting and offensive material. But it gives him no excuse for his recent remarks about the disaster in Japan on his Twitter account. Just one day after the earthquake devastated Japan, Sulkin tweeted, "If you wanna feel better about this earthquake in Japan, google ‘Pearl Harbor death toll.’" Many were shocked by the insensitive remark and Sulkin later apologized. He wrote, "yesterday death toll = 200. Today = 10 thousand. I am sorry for my insensitive tweet. It’s gone." While this tweet seems sincere, we wonder when celebrities are going to learn to censor their idiocy from their social media accounts.
8. Jerry Seinfeld: Actor and comedian, Jerry Seinfeld has said plenty of inappropriate things in his day. That’s what comedians do. They find the most ironic and insensitive thing they could possibly say and beat it to the ground with a hilarious nonchalance attitude. The trick to this type of humor is knowing when to use it. Comedians seem to struggle on this front. Jerry Seinfeld has attended autism benefits for several years. In 2009, to an audience at an autism benefit, Seinfeld stated, "having a girlfriend is like playing whiffle ball. Being married is the war in Iraq." While this may be a funny sentiment, it is certainly a bad place to bring it up. Let’s just hope that there were not too many military spouses in the audience desperately worried about the fate of their loved one overseas.
9. Kanye West: It should come as no surprise that artist Kanye West makes this list. The singer never seems to make the tabloids for delivering a well thought out and intelligent remark. In February of 2011, West tweeted (editing out all foul language), "an abortion can cost a ballin’ [person] up to 50gs maybe a 100 –  Gold diggin’ [women] getting pregnant on purpose." Just great. Stupid enough with his use of racial slurs and derogatory terms, Kanye has also managed make light of a very serious and difficult circumstance for any woman. While Kanye claims that his comment was all in good fun, women’s rights groups around the country were outraged with the comments. His tweet was followed with the hatch tag "#STRAPUP". I guess we can applaud Kanye for at least trying to promote safe sex. Maybe.
10. Kristen Stewart: Twilight star Kristen Stewart has been rejecting her stardom ever since anyone starting caring who she was. The young celebrity has been very vocal about how she dislikes the media attention the vampire saga has gained her. As if it’s not annoying enough to hear rich and famous celebrities complain about being rich and famous, Stewart has taken it to another level. Stewart discussed in a magazine interview the annoyances of the paparazzi stating, "what you don’t see are the cameras shoved in my face and the bizarre intrusive questions being asked, or the people falling over themselves, screaming and taunting to get a reaction. The photos are so… I feel like I’m looking at someone being raped." Rape victims’ advocacy groups were appalled by the comparison and were infuriated with her. To Stewart’s credit, however, she did instantly apologize for the statement, admitting that she used a poor choice of words.
11. Kate Moss: As a world renowned fashion model and icon since the young age of sixteen, Kate Moss is now most well known for her striking looks, fashion sense, and controversial lifestyle. During a time when fashion modeling praised tall and curvaceous figures like Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell, Moss was the front runner for the "heroin chic" appearance in modeling. Regularly criticized for her weight and thin appearance, Moss was (and is) endlessly questioned about her eating habits. In an interview with Women’s Wear Daily, Kate Moss claims that the phrase, "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" one of the many mottos that she lives by. Well, if this is the way that Moss denies having an eating disorder then it’s hard to fault people for questioning her. Seemingly endorsing anorexia, Moss took a lot of flak for her thin-litist comment. Making this statement in a publication that focuses on healthy ideals for women was less than sensitive of the star. In our opinion, a healthy and balanced diet is far better than keeping the weight off with a steady course of booze and nicotine.

1. 2010 Butler Bulldogs (Reached National Championship Game): If you don’t count the 1990 UNLV Runnin’ Rebels as a mid-major, then the Bulldogs hold the distinction of being furthest-advancing mid-major. Led by a proficient trio of Gordon Hayward, Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard and wunderkind 33-year-old coach Brad Stevens, they upset No. 1 seed Syracuse, No. 2 seed Kansas State and defending national runner-up Michigan State en route to their matchup against college basketball Goliath Duke. In what proved to be one of the most dramatic national championship games in tourney history, Duke outlasted the hometown team 61-59 in Indianapolis. The game culminated with Hayward’s desperation heave as time expired that almost won the game for the underdogs.
2. 2006 George Mason Patriots (Reached Final Four): Here’s a team that truly used the tournament to catapult itself onto the national scene. George Mason, a school named after a "Father of the Bill of Rights" that opened its doors as a branch of the University Virginia in 1957, had never been ranked in basketball before the 2005-06 season. In one fell swoop, it was a national media darling, unexpectedly reaching the Final Four after beating four lofty opponents, including No. 2 seed Tennessee and No. 1 seed UConn in an enthralling overtime Washington DC Regional final. The dream ended in the national semifinal as eventual national champion Florida routed the Patriots — there was certainly no shame in losing to a team with Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer. George Mason was just the second No. 11 seed ever to reach the Final Four.
3. 1999 Gonzaga Bulldogs (Reached Elite Eight): The poster child of successful mid-major programs, Gonzaga has appeared in the tournament an impressive 13 consecutive years. But its most successful effort during that run didn’t occur under the leadership of Dan Dickau or Adam Morrison or coach Mark Few — it occurred when Richie Frahm was anchoring the 1999 Dan Monson-coached squad. The slipper fit nicely as the Zags knocked off No. 7 seed Minnesota, No. 2 seed Stanford and No. 6 seed Florida on Casey Calvary’s game-winning tip-in with 4.4 seconds remaining. In the regional final against eventual national champion UConn, Quentin Hall’s three with 35 seconds left cut the lead to one, but the Zags eventually lost 67-62. If they had pulled that upset, it’s quite possible they would have been Butler before Butler.
4. 2004 Saint Joseph’s Hawks (Reached Elite Eight): Entering the 2004 tournament, it was hard for many critics to fathom that an Atlantic 10 team, representing a school of fewer than 4,000 students, was deserving of a No. 1 seed. The Hawks, led by a potent backcourt consisting of Naismith College Player of the Year Jameer Nelson and Delonte West, completed the regular season 27-0 and suffered their first loss in the A-10 tournament. Their second and final loss came in the East Rutherford Regional final in a thriller against Oklahoma State, in which John Lucas III sunk the game-winning 18-footer along with the Final Four dreams of the Hawks. Nelson and West proceeded to enjoy good NBA careers, and the Hawks have appeared in the tournament only once since their departure.
5. 2008 Davidson Wildcats (Reached Elite Eight): Stephen Curry, son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry, memorably carried the Wildcats on his back to the cusp of the Final Four using many of the same skills his father once flashed on the court. Averaging 25.9 points per game and making more than four out of 10 threes per game during the regular season, Curry continued his magnificent play in the tournament. In the first round against Gonzaga, he scored 40 points — 30 in second half to lead the comeback — while hitting eight of 10 threes. Against No. 2 seed Georgetown, he rebounded from an unproductive first half in which he score just five points, scoring 25 in the second half. In the Sweet Sixteen versus No. 3 seed Wisconsin, he overcame the Badgers usually stingy defense to score 33 points in a convincing win. His 25 points in the Midwest Regional final, however, weren’t enough to upset eventual national champion Kansas — the Wildcats lost 59-57 in a game that came down to the wire. Davidson, a school of fewer than 2,000 students, also proved that size doesn’t always matter come tourney time.
6. 2000 Tulsa Golden Hurricane (Reached Elite Eight): Tulsa has achieved quite a bit of success over the last three decades under coaches Nolan Richardson, Tubby Smith and Bill Self. In Self’s final and career-launching season, the 32-5 Golden Hurricane reached the program’s first Elite Eight, notably defeating No. 2 seed Cincinnati in the second round, which had spent much of the season ranked No. 1 in the polls. Despite losing Naismith College Player of the Year Kenyon Martin due to a broken leg prior to the tournament, the Bearcats featured talented freshmen guards DerMarr Johnson and Kenny Satterfield and senior forward Pete Mickeal. In the South Regional final, Tulsa was eliminated by North Carolina in a close-fought 59-55 battle. Tulsa exhibited true team play during the 1999-00 season — five players averaged more than 10 points per game and one other, Tony Heard, averaged 9.7 points per game.
7. 2001 Temple Owls (Reached Elite Eight): Given its rich basketball tradition, it’s arguable as to whether Temple should be classified as a mid-major. Hall of Fame coach John Chaney ensured the Owls were a perennial tournament team, and 2001 might have been his best work. As a member of the A-10 conference, the 24-13 Owls weren’t expected to do much entering mid-March, but they defied expectations. As an 11 seed, they were one of the lowest seeds to reach the Elite Eight, culminating a run that included wins over No. 6 seed Texas and No. 3 seed Florida, the previous year’s national runner-up. Temple hung close with defending national champion and top-seeded Michigan State, but the Spartans’ talent, highlighted by underclassmen Jason Richardson and Zach Randolph, was too difficult to overcome.
8. 2002 Kent State Golden Flashes (Reached Elite Eight): Under coach Stan Heath, the 30-6 Golden Flashes set MAC records in overall wins and conference wins, and reached the NCAA tournament for just the third time in their history. Riding an 18-game winning streak, they proceeded to defeat No. 7 seed Oklahoma State, SEC champion and No. 2 seed Alabama by 13 points and No. 3 seed Pittsburgh in a 78-73 overtime win. Eventual national runner-up Indiana ended their season and 21-game winning streak. Interesting and often forgotten fact: Kent State’s leading scorers for the season were guard Trevor Huffman and none other than Antonio Gates, forward and future NFL All-Pro tight end.
9. 1999 Temple Owls (Reached Elite Eight): Overshadowed by Gonzaga’s Cinderella run, the 1999 Owls, led by Pepe Sanchez, Lamont Barnes, Mark Karcher and Rasheed Brokenborough, quietly fought their way to the Elite Eight where they fell to No. 1 seed and national title-favorite Duke. Up until that point, their path was a bit more favorable than those of other memorable mid-majors — they beat No. 11 seed Kent State in the first round and No. 10 seed Purdue in the Sweet Sixteen, the latter of which was attempting to make its own Cinderella run as a low seed. The Owls’ most impressive victory came in the second round when it defeated Pete Mickeal, Melvin Levett, Kenyon Martin and the rest of the No. 3-seeded Cincinnati Bearcats 64-54. Much to his chagrin, the 1999 NCAA tournament was John Chaney’s last, but he went out with a bang.
10. 2004 Xavier Musketeers (Reached Elite Eight): Xavier, too, didn’t receive the attention it deserved for its deep run into March because of the accomplishments of its A-10 foe Saint Joe’s. The Musketeers, A-10 tournament champions, defeated the Hawks by 20 points in the A-10 tournament quarterfinals, handing them their first loss of the season. With star guards Lionel Chalmers and Romain Sato, Xavier carried the momentum all the way to the Elite Eight, beating No. 2 seed Mississippi State and No. 3 seed Texas in the process. The Atlanta Regional final versus Duke was a nerve-racking contest featuring 11 ties, 12 lead changes, and a margin between the teams that never exceeded six points, but freshman Luol Deng’s play down the stretch eventually propelled Duke to yet another Final Four — Xavier would return to the Elite Eight in 2008. Of course, it should be noted that, like Temple, you can debate whether or not Xavier should be considered a mid-major given its history of success, hence its placement on this list. Some might consider a few of the aforementioned teams "high majors," but that grey area could inspire an entirely different article.

1. The Blind Beggar — London, England: The mystique of The Blind Beggar attracts patrons from all over the world. Built in 1894, it’s best remembered as the sight of the murder of The Richardson Gang’s George Cornell by Ronnie Kray, one of the Kray Twins. Fittingly, just prior to the ordeal, the barmaid changed the record in the jukebox to "The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore" by The Walker Brothers. After the incident, the record eerily repeated "anymore." Not a fan of spooky London gangland history? You may be comforted to know the bar sits where the Salvation Army was founded — certainly a more positive fact.
2. OJ’s Restaurant and Beach Bar — Crab Hill Beach, Antigua: Unlike a few bars on this list, OJ’s isn’t trendy. Instead, it allows the views of the gleaming Crabb Hill beach and Montserrat’s active volcano to serve as its main attractions. Inside, it’s adorned with local artwork, artifacts and driftwood, encapsulating that calm and relaxed Caribbean feel. It’s a great place to unwind with a beer and/or cocktail and forget about the minutiae of everyday life.
3. Rex Hotel’s Rooftop Garden — Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: Four decades ago, it served as the spot for U.S. GIs, officers and journalists to hang out amid the Vietnam War. The qualities appreciated by previous generations remain today — it features picturesque scenery, boasting beautiful greenery and overlooking Ho Chi Minh City. It’s open 24 hours and serves a delicious array of cocktails, so you never have to leave. According to a tally by its website, Newsweek named it "One of the Best Bars Of South East Asia" and American Travel Writer Patricia Shultz listed it as one of "1,000 places to see before you die."
4. Vertigo — Bangkok, Thailand: Another must-visit rooftop bar in Southeast Asia, Vertigo sits atop the Banyan Tree hotel, 61 floors above street level. Patrons enjoy breathtaking views of Bangkok’s cityscape as they sip on uniquely crafted cocktails and dine on savory seafood and steaks. If you’re afraid of heights, weather weary or don’t like dressing up before going out, you may have a better time elsewhere. It’s an experience in itself and not exactly a hole-in-the-wall type of place.
5. Harry’s Bar — Venice, Italy: A who’s who of celebrities have frequented Harry’s Bar, including Alfred Hitchcock, Woody Allen, Orson Welles, Charlie Chaplin, Truman Capote and Barbara Hutton. Founder Giuseppe Cipriani credited its creation to Bostonian Harry Pickering, who gave Cipriani 30,000 Lira as a gift for loaning him 10,000 Lira after he had a falling out with his aunt. Most locals, however, simply recognize the bar as the home of the Bellini and Carpaccio.
6. Harry’s New York Bar — Paris, France: Paris’s Harry’s Bar features equally famous clientele. This one isn’t related to the one in Venice — the best bars in the world aren’t franchised — but it’s just as popular, attracting patrons such as Jack Dempsey, Knute Rockne, Ernest Hemingway, Humphrey Bogart and Rita Hayworth. Acquired in 1911 by former American jockey Tod Sloan, the former bistro was transformed into New York Bar to serve American expatriates who desired the occasional comfort of home. Twelve years later, Harry MacElhone, its barman, purchased the place and renamed it Harry’s New York Bar, and the rest is Parisian-American history.
7. White Horse Tavern — New York, New York: Since 1673, White Horse Tavern has served a diverse group of patrons, including the new Colony’s General Assembly, Criminal Court and City Council, and Jack Kerouac and Norman Mailer — not bad for an establishment once owned by a pirate. The meticulously preserved colonial house has been owned by just six people, and oozes of American history. In recent years, it has evolved into more of a place for dining, but remains conducive to mingling.
8. Mary McBride’s — Chushenden, Northern Ireland: Mary McBride’s proves that size doesn’t matter. At one time it was considered the smallest pub in the world, but its mere closet size only adds to its folksiness. The founder, Mary McBride, who wasn’t a drinker herself, added to the atmosphere by dispensing Chushenden gossip. The bar’s biggest draw to outsiders, however, has always been its breathtaking view of the Antrim coast.
9. The Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel — 1 Beach Road, Singapore: Occupying two levels of the 124-year-old colonial-style Raffles Hotel, The Long Bar serves "almost every alcoholic and non-alcoholic concoction imaginable," including the Singapore Sling, which consists of gin, Benedictine, Cherry Heering and Sarawak pineapple juice. The tasty drink was created in 1915 by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon and has been altered by other Singaporean bartenders through time, even those who’ve worked at The Long Bar. Regardless of how it has been tweaked, it’s something you’ve got to try at least once.
10. Vesuvio — San Francisco, California: Perhaps this list has been a little America-centric, but we’d be remiss not to mention Vesuvio. A staple of San Francisco culture, the bar was frequented by the stars of the Beat Generation, including Dylan Thomas, Neal Cassady and Jack Kerouac, the latter of whom is permanently remembered with Jack Kerouac Alley — he knew his great American bars. Naturally, beautiful art is in residence and patrons can absorb it while sipping eco-friendly cocktails.

Degree Outlook: Those who pursue this degree usually find employment as the head of a variety of different company projects, such as the construction of residential, commercial, and industrial buildings, roads, bridges, and hospitals and schools. This industry is expected to see much advancement in career opportunities within the next few years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact, jobs for project managers are predicted to increase by 17 percent during the next decade, creating 94,800 employment opportunities, the Bureau states. This industry will grow at a faster rate than the average for most occupations because the need for employees to oversee the high-level of construction activity that will occur in the following years will also increase respectively. Project managers held about 551,000 jobs in 2008, the majority of which were self-employed, according to the Bureau’s most recent statistics. On average, project managers earn between $60,650 and $107,140.

Degree Outlook: While a master’s degree is typically required to acquire high-salaried positions such as an assistant or associate administrator, department head, or chief executive officer at a surgical or general hospital, bachelor’s degree holders usually find employment in the same locations but have a slightly lower ranking. They usually work as medical and health services managers, administrative assistants or assistant department heads in large hospitals, for example. While the healthcare profession in general is expected to see a lot of advancement within the next few years, job prospects for healthcare managers are predicted to have a great outlook as well, especially for those who have exceptionally strong business skills, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Bureau states that career opportunities for medical and health services managers is expected to increase 16 percent during the next decade, creating 45,400 new jobs. Medical and health services managers held about 283,500 jobs in 2008, according to the Bureau’s most recent statistics. The majority worked in hospitals. Hospitals will continue to be the highest employer, the Bureau states. Though salary varies depending on location and place of employment, on average, healthcare managers earned between $62,170 and $104,120 in 2008.

Degree Outlook: While a doctorate or master’s degree is usually required for independent practice aspsychologists, bachelor’s degree holders still have many other options when trying to gain employment. Because graduates are adept with human behavior and mental processes, they tend to find jobs as educators, scientific researchers, health professionals, or consultants for businesses and other large corporations. Due to the growing amount of mental illness and behavioral issues among people and the increasing amount of healthcare problems associated with unhealthy lifestyle choice such as smoking and alcoholism, there will be plenty of positions available for psychologist in the coming years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact, the Bureau predicts a 12 percent job growth during the next decade, creating 19,700 new jobs. Bachelor’s degree holders will find more opportunities as school psychologists and industrial-organizational psychologists. Psychologist can earn anywhere from $48,700 to $82,800, according to the Bureau.

Degree Outlook: A career as a paralegal is a very fulfilling choice for those who do not have the time or are not ready to make the commitment as a lawyer. While paralegals are employed to assist attorneys with several cases and transactions via reading and writing court documents, paralegals are now taking on more complex responsibilities,including those that are usually accomplished by lawyers. For example, many paralegals are responsible for presenting case studies, providing legal advice and setting legal fees, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment opportunities for paralegals will continue to steadily increase within the next couple of years, according to the Bureau. Paralegals and legal assistants are expected to see a 28 percent job growth throughout the 2008-18 decade, adding 74,100 new jobs to the market, the Bureau states. Most opportunities will reside in private firms, yet the Bureau notes jobs will become more available as organizations hire paralegals to complete minor legal transactions at a cheaper price. While salary varies depending on employer and place of employment paralegals earn on average earn $46,120, according to the Bureau.

Degree Outlook: While some argue that a liberal studies degree is too general and that it makes job searches difficult, that is untrue. In fact, gradates have a broad-base of knowledge, which enables them to find employment at a variety of different industries and organizations. While additional training and education may be required to pursue careers in some of these fields, liberal art studies graduates typically find careers in communications, advertising, marketing and teaching. Most also use their degrees as a foundation to go back to school and become lawyers. Since career options are theoretically endless, it’s impossible to pinpoint the exact job outlook for liberal art graduates. But market research analyst positions are expected to grow by 28 percent, creating 70,100 new jobs within the next decade, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Communications and public relation jobs are expected to grow by 24 percent, providing 66,200 new jobs. And jobs in urban and regional planning are expected to grow by 19 percent and establish 7,300 new openings.

Yale as long prided itself on its selective admissions policies, and has thus reigned supreme in its collections of exclusive societies, awards, and future career opportunities.  However, while the traditional schools and its degree programs have remain unchanged over the years, the school has managed to evolve along with the rest of the world and jumped onto the online education bandwagon, much to its benefit.  Most traditional schools like Yale that have begun to offer online degrees have managed to boost their enrollment due to the expansive distance learning communities.  Even more than that, students now have the opportunity to earn a degree from Yale by taking classes through their computers.  I’m sure the original founders of Yale never foresaw this moment occurring hundreds of years ago, but Yale has proved to the education community that it is able to advance with the times, and is not simply a stoic rock in Connecticut. 

Many outsiders of the online education industry picture online degrees more like the “diploma mill” scandal, and are unaware that schools such as Yale offer online degrees as well.  However, this is far from true, and Yale is a standing contradiction to this idea.  University of Phoenix is not the only school out there (although their ads would make you think so), but in fact there are dozens of online colleges, which increase yearly.  Regardless of previous notions of online education, it has developed into a lucrative industry that has enraptured much of the nation.  The inclusion of schools such as Yale should prove to most outsiders that this is not merely a passing trend, but a new alternative for students around the world. 

Most state schools offer programs in botany for undergraduate studies, encouraging a deeper foray into the biology realm of science in order to better equip students for the study of plant development.  California and Texas are two states which have large public state schools that offer advanced degrees in botany, better preparing students for a future career in research.  Learning at a large state school may seem intimidating, but is important for a career in the sciences because it allows students to work in an environment that has many research opportunities as well as world-class laboratories.  Furthermore, these larger schools have the potential to breed larger programs in the field of botany in the coming years. 

While the University of Texas at Austin does not offer a Ph.D. program specifically in botany, it offers the equivalent through its plant biology program.  This program offers students the opportunity to earn a degree within a school that has an international reputation for its teaching of plant sciences and allows students to be taught by a myriad of faculty who are experienced in different realms of the plant world.  Similarly, the University of California – Berkeley, offers a Ph.D. degree in plant biology, which emphasizes a study of plants at the biochemical, cellular, or molecular level, as well as stresses a deeper understanding of plant genetics.

While the botany graduate degree is one which is difficult for many students to place, and typically involves an overarching degree in microbiology or a similar field, the possibilities in the botany world are nearly endless.  New discoveries are made every year in regards to new species of plants, indicating that we have only tapped the surface in our understanding of the plant world.  Advanced degrees in this realm of science helps all of us in the science expand the knowledge to ordinary people around the world, knowledge that can be vastly beneficial in fields from health to genetics.  While botany is still a degree that is slowly coming to fruition in its ability to retain its own area of study, botanists around the world can tell you that it is an important degree for the advancement of a very specified niche of science.  Therefore, the need for even more graduate programs in botany around the country has increased in recent years solely so schools can produce students who graduate with the specific knowledge of plant evolution and life. 
 

1. 
   Hugh Grant: This British actor received scholarships for two different schools. First, the Latymer Upper School where he participated in academic competition and sports including cricket, rugby, and football. Then, he received the Galsworthy scholarship to New College, Oxford. Grant studied English literature at Oxford and graduated with Upper Second-Class Honours.
2. 
   Madonna: Madonna’s dance skills have served her from early on. At Rochester Adams High School, she was a straight-A student and a member of the cheerleading squad. She was awarded a dance scholarship to the University of Michigan, where she was taught ballet by Chris Flynn.
3. 
   Denzel Washington: Denzel Washington studied drama and journalism at Fordham University, earning a BA in 1977. While at Fordham, he enrolled in the Lincoln Center campus to study acting, and received a scholarship to attend the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. Denzel and his wife Pauletta now have the Pauletta and Denzel Washington Family Gifted Scholars Program in Neuroscience at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, which offers awards to students in the field of neuroscience.
4. 
   Jeri Ryan: Jeri Ryan graduated high school in 1986 as a National Merit Scholar, and received a scholarship to attend Northwest University. At Northwestern, she was a member of Alpha Phi. Jeri also participated in pageants, winning Miss Illinois and 3rd runner up at the Miss America Pageant. She received a BA in Theatre from Northwestern in 1990.
5. 
   Alicia Keys: Alicia Keys attended the Professional Performing Arts School in Manhattan, where she graduated as valedictorian. She received a scholarship to Columbia University in New York. Now, Alicia has donated to Frum tha Ground Up, an organization that offers scholarships to students from Jacksonville, New Orleans, Atlanta, and Harlem in New York City.
6. 
   Sharon Stone: Growing up, Sharon Stone loved to read, and was awarded a scholarship to Edinboro University in Pennsylvania when she was just 15 yeas old. There, she studied creative writing and fine arts. Sharon is also a well known MENSA member.
7. 
   Thandie Newton: Thandie Newton says that she likes learning and did well in school. At 11, she earned a scholarship to go to the Arts Educational School, a performing arts boarding school in Tring, Herfordshire. Later, she studied anthropology at Cambridge University.
8. 
   Tom Cruise: Tom Cruise’s early life was tough, and he ended up in eight elementary schools and three high schools. He graduated from Glen Ridge High School in New Jersey, where he played as a linebacker on the football team. At one point, he attended a Franciscan seminary in Cincinnati on a church scholarship, studying priesthood for a year.
9. 
   Kristin Chenoweth: Kristin Chenoweth earned a full scholarship to study voice at Oklahoma City University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in musical theater. Later, she earned a master’s degree in opera performance. She also finished runner-up in the Miss Oklahoma pageant.
10. 
    Elizabeth Shue: While studying at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, Elizabeth Shue took on modeling and ad gigs, but was still able to complete her studies. She earned a scholarship to study political science at Harvard University and appeared in TV and movie projects including Adventures in Babysitting.