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People around the world have embraced the local food movement as a way to support local economies, eat healthier and reduce their carbon footprint. Residents of Naples, Italy, however, are doing just the opposite.
Napolitanos like Antonio Trotta read grocery store labels to avoid eating local fruit and vegetables, meat, even the region’s famed buffalo mozzarella produced in eastern Campania, outside Naples.
The area north of Naples* was once an important agricultural center. But the local mafia, the Camorra, has been dumping waste from European factories and hospitals on the land for decades—an environmental problem compounded nightly when dozens of these illicit waste heaps are set on fire, releasing toxic emissions that waft across pastures grazed by farm animals and coat the crops.
"They are full of heavy metals, dioxins and other carcinogens. What can you do but avoid eating them," says Trotta, a fashion designer and environmental activist, of the local produce.
Italian Senator Ignazio Marino, president of the parliamentary commission on sanitation services, says nearly 10 million tons of waste has been illegally dumped in the region in recent decades.
Once known as "Campania Felix" for its fertile land and "happy" farmers, the area acquired a more macabre nickname, "the triangle of death," in 2004. That year, an article published in the oncology journal The Lancet first examined high cancer mortality rates within an area bounded by three towns near Naples—Nola, Marigliano and Acerra— where Camorra dumping dates back at least to the early 1980s.
In July 2011, a new study published in the journal Cancer Biology & Therapy provided further scientific evidence.A multidisciplinary Italian-American team of researchers led by oncologist Antonio Giordano found higher rates of cancers, cancer deaths and serious birth defects in areas where dumping had occurred.
Giordano, a Naples native who divides his time between his research institutes in Italy and Philadelphia, has taken a personal interest in the problem. In September, he launched a petition signed by hundreds of researchers taking on the mafia’s allies in the political and business worlds and demanding action.
But illicit waste management has proved a lucrative business. According to Interpol and the U.S. Justice Department, the illegal waste business in the wider region, along with other types of transnational trafficking, brings in more profits for organized criminal syndicates today than cocaine and heroin trafficking combined.
"The criminals aren’t afraid because the penalties are so low and the profits so high,” says Michele Buonomo, president of the Campania branch of the Italian environmental group Legambiente. Buonomo says his group has proposed environmental reforms but they’ve gone nowhere in the Italian parliament.
For now, Senator Marino is spearheading a plan to deploy the Italian army alongside Carabinieri and local police to crack down on the nightly fires at illicit landfills. But Marino acknowledges that a cleanup is still a long way off. "Probably, we can quickly stop the fires. I don’t think we can quickly fix the waste problem that’s been accumulating for decades," Marino says. "It must be faced as a nation or it will never be resolved."
*This post has been updated to clarify that the area south of Naples is still an active agricultural center.
SEE ALSO: 10 U.S. Pizza Joints Worth A Road Trip
Who hasn’t dreamed of traveling like royalty, sleeping in some of the world’s most expensive suites, and eating in Michelin-starred restaurants?
The time and money for that kind of trip can be tricky to come by, but it’s always good to be ready just in case the opportunity arises, right? We here at Oyster have been lucky enough to have visited thousands of hotels around the globe and across the states.
The U.S. is known for having high standards when it comes to hotels, and hotels stateside offer some of the most decadent services around. So we’ve put together a list of some of our favorite luxury properties in the States for those planning a luxe trip — and for those who just like to dream. Enjoy!
There are dozens of ultra-luxurious hotels in New York, but The St. Regis is second to none, with a refined atmosphere, extraordinary service that includes butlers on call 24-hours, Clefs d’Or concierges, a signature bath menu, gorgeous guest rooms, a great Fifth Avenue location (the better for shopping), and a stunning Beaux Arts lobby. (Phew! That was a long list.) It won’t come cheap, but the level of luxury offered here is not found in any other hotel in the city.
Our favorite luxe amenity: The packing and unpacking services offered by the guest’s personal butler.
Those who associate the Trump brand with over-the-top (in a bad way) glitz and glamor will be pleasantly surprised by this tasteful luxury hotel. The 339-room Trump International Hotel & Tower is the top luxury hotel in Chicago, with a riverside location near the Magnificent Mile, a Michelin-rated restaurant, a gorgeous indoor pool, a first-rate spa, and excellent service. The huge, refined rooms have limestone bathrooms with soaking tubs and floor-to-ceiling windows (often with phenomenal views).
Our favorite luxe amenity: The custom-stocked minibar set up prior to arrival, based on the guest’s preferences.
The Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek feels like a Tuscan villa — the hotel is pink stucco, the roof is terra cotta, and beautiful fountains, tile mosaics, and trellis plants surround the pool. The property is lavish from top to bottom, with a grand lobby; large, upscale rooms with patios; renowned dining at Mansion Restaurant, and outstanding services such as free car service and concierges. In Dallas, only The Joule, A Luxury Collection Hotel compares.
Our favorite luxe amenity: An outdoor heated sauna near the lovely pool.
With more than 100 million users worldwide on both iOS and Android, Instagram’s success as a mobile platform is clear to see and now with its expanded web presence, there are now more opportunities than ever to show off your photography skills.
However, how many times do you take a photo and use a filter without really thinking about it? For many of us, we just slap on a filter because it just happens to make it look better, but what you mightn’t know is that each filter suits a certain type of image. Knowing which one to use, and what effect it will create, will go a long way towards improving your photos.
Here is our guide showing you what filters are available and when you should be using them. We’ve also provided images to show you exactly what effect they have and the best places to use them.
What it does: Adds more light to your image, but focuses it mostly towards the center. The darker the photo, the more you will notice this effect.
Use When: You want to give your photo a somewhat aged appearance.
What it does: Gives images a nice glow and provides softer lighting on the subject.
Use When: You’re taking close-up shots of people.
What it does: Gives your images an icy look. The slight tint and altered lighting gives these images a colder feel.
Use When: You’re outdoors. It’s particularly effective when you’re taking photos of buildings or monuments.
Naomi Campbell is suing the Daily Telegraph for libel over an article claiming she organised an elephant polo tournament in India.
A spokeswoman for Campbell emphatically denied that the model, who campaigns against animal cruelty, had planned an elephant polo tournament in Jodhpur as stated by the article on 3 November.
The article, headed "Elephant polo at Campbell's party criticised", said celebrity guests at a party thrown by Campbell for her partner, the Russian billionaire Vladimir Doronin, would play the controversial sport in three-a-side teams. The online version of the article has been removed from the Telegraph website.
A spokeswoman for Campbell described the claim as "completely untrue" and said lawyers in London had been instructed to take action.
Campbell formally filed her libel claim against Telegraph Media Group, the publisher of the Daily Telegraph, at the high court on London on 5 December. She has instructed the London law firm Michael Simkins over the article.
Gideon Benaim, a partner of Michael Simkins LLP, said: "We have issued legal proceedings on behalf of Ms Campbell against the Telegraph, who were the original publishers of these allegations. We are instructed to pursue this matter until it is satisfactorily resolved. The allegations caused damage to our client, apart from the widespread repetition of the allegations, there were also protests outside the venue, and Indian government departments who wrote to us.
"However, it seems to me that government authorities and animal welfare groups in India were simply reacting to the untrue claims that had been made. The simple truth is that there was no plan for elephant polo. Ms Campbell did not cancel it because it was never going to happen in the first place. We have as yet no idea where the false claims originated from, perhaps the Telegraph will let us know in due course."
Telegraph Media Group declined to comment.
Campbell fought a marathon legal battle with the Daily Mirror stretching back to 2001, when she won a case for invasion of privacy, breach of confidence and breach of the Data Protection Act after the paper published an article and photographs of her leaving a Narcotics Anonymous meeting.
The court of appeal later overturned that ruling. Then, in 2004, the House of Lords found by a majority of three to two that Campbell's privacy was invaded by the Trinity Mirror-owned paper.
After taking the issue of recovery of success fees by lawyers to the European court of human rights, the Mirror won a unanimous ruling in 2011 that this represented a significant violation of freedom of expression in relation to the Campbell case.
The Daily Mirror was faced with a total bill for £850,000, of which £365,000 represented success fees – although the newspaper reached a settlement on costs for a total of £500,000.
The ECHR said the requirement to pay Campbell's success fees was "disproportionate".
However, the ECHR ruled by six votes to one that there was no breach of the Daily Mirror's freedom of expression in the earlier UK court judgment that the paper had invaded Campbell's privacy.
• To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".
• To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian onTwitterandFacebook.
This article originally appeared on guardian.co.uk
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A girl on a donkey leads a candle-carrying procession past San Miguel de Allende’s shops festooned with piñatas and poinsettias.
When they stop before a Spanish-colonial building and break into song, you realize you’re witnessing the reenactment of Joseph and Mary’s search for shelter that takes place in the days leading up to Christmas.
Check out these unforgettable Christmas destinations >
Whether your winter holiday trip enhances your yuletide nostalgia with traditions, sparkly lights, and nippy air or makes a radical break from it—by, say, taking you to warmer climes or a quiet, far-flung hideaway—breaking the habit of staying home will always reward you with a Christmas you’ll never forget.
With that goal in mind, we’ve rounded up diverse, exceptional places to get you in the spirit of taking off.
Quebec City is one of our favorite historic destinations for the holidays. The narrow cobble-stoned streets and stone architecture of the walled city, founded in 1608 by French explorer Samuel de Champlain, make it as romantic and European as it gets on this side of the pond.
Add to that a proclivity for snowfall and an abundance of top-notch bars and restaurants, and you may wish the New Year could be postponed.
But the appeal of warming up over the holidays is undeniable, too. For the die-hard contrarian, Kaikoura, New Zealand, ought to do the trick. It’s the height of summer there at Christmas, a holiday most often celebrated outdoors with backyard barbecues.
But it’s also a great time to be hiking the rainforest of the Kaikoura mountain range or on the waters of Kaikoura Bay, one of the most biodiverse marine environments on the planet. It’s the summer home of sperm whales, fur seals, dusky dolphins, and pilot whales, and all it takes to commune with them is a boat and a bit of perseverance.
South America has weathered the global recession better than most regions, and it’s not hard to see why. Brazil in particular is peppered with off-the-beaten-track gems that offer a true escape, like the coastal Portuguese colonial town of Paraty, about 140 miles south of Rio.
Its friendly locals, cerulean waters, exceptional beaches, and exotic-bird-filled jungles may make you forget what holiday it is altogether. Like we said: unforgettable.
More from Travel + Leisure:
Why Go:Charleston puts its own spin on the holidays—pecans roasting instead of chestnuts, eggnog spiked with bourbon, and choirs singing spirituals at Drayton Hall plantation.
Where to Stay: The 21-room Wentworth Mansion dresses in subdued Victorian finery for the holidays with magnolia wreaths, old-world Santas, and two grand Christmas trees in the foyer.
Every room has its own fireplace. On your pillow at turndown: chocolate truffles.
Holiday Dinner: At Peninsula Grill, chef Graham Dailey uses a fine selection of glazes and sauces, such as on his grilled peach glazed jumbo shrimp, and gives you the option of sinfully grilled steak and sauce.
Take your pick among blue cheese–balsamic glaze, red pepper béarnaise, foie gras–truffle butter, or brandy-peppercorn sauce.
Why Go: In this otherworldly landscape, daylight is a four-hour affair and the liquid-green aurora borealis illuminates the nighttime sky.
Statues of the 12 Yule Lads (the Icelandic version of Santa Claus) peer out from every corner shop and window.
Where to Stay: For covetable views of the Hallgrímskirkja cathedral and reasonable room rates, check in to the Hótel Leifur Eiríksson.
Holiday Dinner: The seafood restaurant Vid Tjörnina lures locals and visitors alike with its classic Icelandic cuisine. How about fermented shark meat followed by shots of Brennivín (a.k.a. schnapps, or “firewater”)?
Why Go: During winter, the coastal towns in Santa Barbara County combine New England–style comfort and old California elegance with outrageous holiday kitsch.
Where to Stay: In Montecito, the 500-acre San Ysidro Ranch could be a Vermont hunting lodge (rooms have wood-beamed ceilings and stone hearths), except that it’s 20 minutes from world-class surfing at Rincon Beach.
Holiday Dinner: Go super casual at Stacky’s Seaside, which stands out like a grounded trawler.
Fortify yourself with its fish and chips before hitting the Summerland Winery’s tasting room for a wine that shouldn’t work but does: a sparkling Zinfandel.
Dec. 14 (Bloomberg) -- The cost of occupying office space in San Francisco soared the most of any market in the world as technology companies such as Salesforce.com and Mozilla Corp. fueled leasing in the city, according to broker CBRE Group Inc.
Occupancy costs -- rents plus local taxes and service charges -- surged 36.4 percent in downtown San Francisco to $90 a square foot in the year to Sept. 30, Los Angeles-based CBRE said in its semiannual survey of world office markets. That was the biggest jump among 133 areas globally.
Demand from technology-industry tenants is combining with low vacancies and limited new supply to increase rents in areas such as San Francisco and suburban Seattle, which had the fourth-largest rise in occupancy costs, at almost 22 percent. That ran counter to much of the global office market, where a recovery cooled as Europe’s debt crisis deepened, banks made cutbacks and emerging-market growth slowed, according to CBRE.
“The U.S. high-tech sector has matured, with new applications for even traditional businesses,” said Asieh Mansour, CBRE’s San Francisco-based head of research for the Americas. “That’s benefited commercial real estate in San Francisco. This is where tech companies are clustered, and where labor skill sets are located.”
San Francisco’s office vacancy has fallen by almost six percentage points in two years to 9.7 percent as of Sept. 30, with leasing by firms such as Hotwire Inc., OpenTable Inc. and Pinterest in the third quarter, CBRE said.
San Francisco’s office market ranked 26th globally for costs. It was third in the U.S., behind midtown Manhattan, at $114.30 a square foot, and Washington, at $94.51.
Central Hong Kong was the most expensive location in the world at $246.30 a square foot, followed by London’s West End at $219.81 a square foot and Tokyo’s Marunouchi Otemachi at $197.27. Hong Kong also had the biggest decrease in office occupancy costs, with an almost 18 percent decline, as large financial institutions cut expenses, CBRE said.
Twelve of the top 20 most expensive locations for office space were in the Asia-Pacific region, where multinational firms are searching for the best buildings in the priciest areas to situate head offices, Mansour said in a telephone interview.
“Those markets attracted corporate headquarters because of the labor available, and to diversify the risk of their labor pool,” she said.
Jakarta had the second-biggest cost increase after downtown San Francisco, with a 28.7 percent gain to $54 a square foot, according to the brokerage. The San Francisco peninsula -- which includes Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Redwood City -- ranked third, up 28.6 percent to $62 a square foot. It was followed by suburban Seattle, which includes Bellevue, with a 21.8 percent jump to $38 a square foot; and Beijing’s Finance Street, which climbed 19.7 percent to $180 a square foot.
The costs take into account local variances in currency and lease terms, Mansour said.
In San Francisco, Salesforce’s January rental agreement at 50 Fremont St., the city’s biggest leasing deal of 2012, helped spur a third year of occupancy gains, according to CBRE. The company, the largest maker of online customer-management software, took about 400,000 square feet (37,160 square meters) in the South of Market high-rise, at a cost of about $339 million over 18 years, according to a Jan. 6 regulatory filing.
Other technology leases included Mozilla’s deal at Hills Plaza, on the waterfront, an area where rental agreements have been as high as $70 a square foot in the fourth quarter; and Meraki Inc.’s accord for 110,000 square feet in Mission Bay, where recent asking rents were about $60 a square foot, according to CBRE. Mozilla develops the Firefox Web browser, while Meraki makes tools to manage Wi-Fi networks and security.
San Francisco’s gains probably will slow in 2013, as will Asia-Pacific expansion that’s advanced “like gangbusters,” Mansour said. London’s status as a global financial hub should offset austerity measures in the U.K., she said.
“The tech sector is viewed as more favorable and more stable today,” Mansour said of San Francisco. “But growth will slow because there’s already saturation in the market.”
--Editors: Kara Wetzel, Larry Edelman
To contact the reporter on this story: Dan Levy in San Francisco at dlevy13@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Kara Wetzel at kwetzel@bloomberg.net
Trendy cocktails at 35,000 feet help airlines keep passengers happy and bring in more revenue
Airlines have found a way to take the edge off the stress of flying and make a few extra bucks along the way: fancy new cocktails, craft beers and elegant wines.
The drinks advertised in the back of in-flight magazines — or on sleek seatback touchscreens — are starting to resemble those at the hottest nightclubs.
— Virgin America offers "Grandma's Coffee," an iced cappuccino with Jack Daniels whiskey for $9. Its beer selection includes San Francisco-based 21st Amendment and Black Star from Whitefish, Mont. Both cost $7. A Bud Light is $6.
— US Airways has partnered with mixer company Stirrings to sell mojitos and cosmos for $8 each.
— Delta offers the "Sky Breeze," which is vodka, Fresca and a splash of cranberry-apple juice over ice for $7. It also sells small batch bourbon from Woodford Reserve for $7.
Other airlines create drinks to get travelers into the mindset of their destination. United sells a "Trader Vic's Mai Tai" for $9 on flights to and from Hawaii.
"It's simply a matter of finding a way to get people to spend money," says Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst with Hudson Crossing. "They see people spending $12, $14, $15 or more for fancy martinis, cosmopolitans or other beverages on the ground."
Flying isn't what it used to be. Long lines, ever-changing security rules and limited overhead bin space have all made traveling much more stressful. It's no wonder many passengers look for a little escape.
Airlines — which created much of this anxiety — are happy to oblige.
"We wanted to do stuff to surprise people, be a little more different and have fun," says Megan Mosier Ireland, who helps design Delta's drink offerings.
The specialty drinks are part of a larger push to get passengers to pay for a little in-flight luxury. Fliers can now opt for more legroom, Internet access or even shorter security lines, all for an extra fee. Those perks and others — along with baggage fees — now account for nearly 7 percent of U.S. airlines' revenue. That's up from just 2 percent five years ago. The government doesn't require airlines to break out specific data on alcohol sales.
But airlines are clearly doing everything they can to drive liquor sales. And it's not just by putting fancy drinks on the menu.
Want to buy a drink for that lovely lady across the aisle? Virgin America will soon launch a "send a drink" feature. Passengers can use the plane's seatback entertainment system to buy their neighbors a margarita, merlot or maybe a shot of tequila.
When people fly is a significant factor in how much they'll drink, according to GuestLogix, which processes about 90 percent of onboard credit card transactions for North American airlines.
Fliers drink more on Thursdays than any other day of the week, with alcohol sales in the past year averaging $62 per flight, according to GuestLogix. For many consultants, salesmen and other frequent fliers, Thursday marks the end of their week away from home.
"That's when I let loose and wind down," says Oscar Rondon, a road warrior and director of cable network sales systems for WideOrbit. "After a long week, it's a nice reward ... even if it's in a little tiny, plastic cup."
Fliers drink the least on Mondays — average liquor sales per flight are 44 percent below Thursdays.
Time of year and the destination also determine how many bloody marys, vodka tonics and beers are poured.
The week of March 8 — spring break — had the highest overall liquor sales in the last 12 months at nearly $58 a flight. The slowest time of year is right after Christmas and New Year's, when passengers have already had plenty to drink and many are traveling with their families.
Alcohol sales on flights heading to Las Vegas average $99, nearly double the industry average. The trip home isn't as happy; only $49 in liquor is sold per flight.
"Vegas passengers are big drinkers," says Betty Thesky, a flight attendant with a major U.S. airline and author of "Betty in the Sky with a Suitcase: Hilarious Stories of Air Travel by the World's Favorite Flight Attendant." Those are the same folks "who sat in the 'smoking section' back in the day."
___
Scott Mayerowitz can be reached at http://twitter.com/GlobeTrotScott.
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In a wide-ranging interview aired on the talk show "Domenica Live" on his Canale 5 TV network, the 76-year-old billionaire said he was engaged to Francesca Pascale, his 27-year old girlfriend.
"Finally I feel less lonely,"Mr Berlusconi said. "I am engaged to a Neapolitan, it's official.
"She is 27 years old, with very solid values, beautiful on the outside and even more beautiful on the inside.
"She is very close to me, she loves me very much and I feel the same. My daughter Marina appreciates her and loves her very much too."
Mr Berlusconi does not appear to have let his second marriage get in the way of his engagement announcement.
He has five children from two marriages but is yet to reach agreement with Veronica Lario on the terms of their divorce. Recent media reports suggest no agreement has been reached on the settlement. His first wife was Carla Elvira Dall'Oglio, whom he was married to from 1965 to 1985. He married Ms Lario in 1990.
Mr Berlusconi plans to launch his fourth bid to be prime minister in elections expected to be held in February next year unless the current technocrat Prime Minister Mario Monti decides to run for office.
The tycoon also used Sunday's interview to lash out at the Milan trial where he is fighting charges that he paid for sex with an under-age prostitute, the then 17-year-old exotic dancer, Karima El-Mahroug, better known as "Ruby the Heart Stealer."
Mr Berlusconi and she have denied the charges.
Asked about the so-called "bunga bunga" parties, he said: "It was a time when I felt very lonely. I had just got divorced, my sister had died.
"Then someone said: 'Why don't we organise some soirées?' I was tricked."
Describing the Ruby trial as an "incredible machination," he added: "It was an excuse to put in place a giant operation for defamation against me and against the Italian government, including on an international level.
"Politicians get used to all kinds of slights after 20 years in politics. But there is one thing that cries out for vengeance before God and before man. I have been sentenced by a panel of judges in Milan!"
There have been rumours about his latest relationship for months and the couple was photographed together recently while watching Mr Berlusconi's football team, AC Milan.
The romance was confirmed by one of the media tycoon's most vocal supporters, Daniela Santanche, an MP in his People of Freedom (PDL) party, and one Italian newspaper recently described her as Italy's new "first lady."
A former shop assistant, Miss Pascale served as a provincial councillor in Mr Berlusconi's centre-Right PDL party until she stepped down in July.
She was one of the founding members of a Berlusconi support group called "Silvio, we miss you."
"Little by little she worked in my political organisation, then close to me," he said. "She is a great friend of Marina's." Marina, 46, is the oldest daughter of Mr Berlusconi.
Mr Berlusconi's fiancée has said that her life revolves around three things – her family, politics, and him – and is said to be jealous of other women in his inner circle, including Mara Carfagna, a glamour model whom he appointed equal opportunities minister in his last government.
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With a run-time of just under three hours, Peter Jackson does his best to ensure moviegoers get their money’s worth when they pay to see The Hobbit in theaters this weekend.
Even so, after factoring in kids, concessions and rising ticket prices, heading to the movie theater can be a serious hit to your wallet. But we all know there are some new releases so epically awesome, you simply can’t wait to watch them on Netflix in order to save money.
So whether you’re taking the entire family out for a night at the movies, or planning to hit the theaters solo, knowing where to get the best movie ticket deals can help take some of the financial strain off seeing new releases like The Hobbit. As it turns out, Costco may be the key to realizing the greatest savings.
The National Association of Theatre Owners recently reported that the average cost of a movie ticket in the third quarter of 2012 was $7.78, down from a record-high $8.12 the previous quarter. I’ll admit, those prices seem like a steal to me, as my local AMC charges $11.50 for regular admission!
Luckily, we can all turn to warehouse club Costco for a break on ticket prices. This discount retailer accomplishes more than supplying households across the nation with 10-years’ worth of yellow mustard and toilet paper — Costco also sells bulk discount movie tickets (typically in four-packs), which allow shoppers to enjoy a couple bucks off the price of each entry.
Exact deals and quantities vary by location, but Costco usually sells packs of discounted movie tickets for AMC, Regal and Cinemark theaters. When I recently checked online, Costco was selling 10-packs of AMC and Regal tickets, as well as four-packs for Cinemark. Comparing these bulk prices to what theaters in my neighborhood charge for individual tickets, I found the total discount per ticket to be a solid $3.20 for AMC and Regal, but just $1.50 for Cinemark.
Even so, a small deal is better than no deal at all. Sally Treadwell told us she enjoys the modest discount, and having generic movie tickets on hand for her kids also helps make life a bit simpler. “For instance, one daughter’s history class went to see Lincoln, and since I wouldn’t expect her to pay for that out of her allowance (she usually has to pay for her own tickets — that’s what an allowance is for!), I could just hand a ticket over,” she explains.
Plus, when combined with other deals, the discounted Costco tickets are that much sweeter. Treadwell discovered that her family can buy discounted popcorn and drinks by showing an AARP membership card at some theaters. “We haven’t bought popcorn for ages because the price is so ludicrous, but now we’ve found that there are some compensations for being so damn old.”
However, some may wonder whether a discount of $2-$3 per ticket is really worth the Costco membership fee and notoriously crowded parking lots and lines.
Self-proclaimed Costco enthusiast, Joel Gross, admits that even though the prices on Costco tickets have gone up recently, he still sees them as a deal: “It works out to around $8.50 a movie, that I can go see anytime, even opening day. A normal ticket at the theater costs $11.50, so it’s practically a no-brainer.”
However, the key is to make buying discounted movie tickets part of your regular Costco routine. “I just pick up a package or two while I am doing my normal Costco run,” says Gross. “Saving money is almost always worth it, and definitely worth it in this instance.”
Call me spoiled, but if I splurge on a night at the movies, I prefer to go to my local Arclight where I can watch from an oversized chair, with plenty of legroom and a cocktail, if I so choose. However, only the handful of theaters mentioned above actually provide tickets at Costco. Moviegoers may have to compromise on their theaters of choice in order to enjoy the discount.
Additionally, releases in IMAX or 3D, as well as special showings and premieres, will require an additional surcharge. The same is true for New York residents, according to the Costco website.
Of course, beggars can’t be choosers — if you don’t want to pay full price to watch a movie in theaters, don’t expect the full amenities. And if you’re not a Costco member, or prefer a different theater, remember that buying tickets at Costco is just one of the many ways to save money at the movies.
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With so many reputable scholars claiming that fish observation alleviates stress, it’s no surprise that so many psychiatrists, counselors and dentists keep aquariums in their waiting rooms.
In addition to stress reduction, aquariums have been known to calm hyperactive children and reduce adults’ blood pressure, at least temporarily.
A recent study of Alzheimer’s patients at Purdue University even found that patients with aquariums ate significantly more food. So, if you have a great deal of stress or a houseful of hyperactive kids (the two can go hand in hand), an aquarium may be the perfect addition to your home.
When making room in your home for an aquarium, it’s often helpful to use an online self-storage finder to locate storage space for any excess furniture. Although large aquariums take up a great deal of space, they can really improve your home’s decor. Whether you use your aquarium as a room divider, a corner unit or a room’s main attraction, it is sure to change your home’s aesthetic.
Here are some important factors to consider.
Despite all of the studies suggesting that aquariums reduce stress, it’s important to note that they can induce stress as well, especially if you’re in charge of the aquarium’s upkeep. Cycling the tank, performing periodic partial water changes, managing the filtration system, vacuuming the gravel and feeding the fish can be time-consuming and mentally taxing. Of course, if you’re worried that the upkeep may be too much to handle, you can always enlist the services of an aquarium maintenance company.
Generally speaking, freshwater tanks are much better for novice aquarists, as they’re easier to maintain.
Although saltwater fish can be extremely exotic, they cost significantly more than freshwater fish. Also, saltwater fish come with unique challenges; these fish often refuse to eat when they first enter the aquarium, and their tanks require much more upkeep. This being said, once the nitrogen cycle is established, the water quality in saltwater tanks maintains better than the water in freshwater tanks, partly due to the live rock in saltwater tanks.
Depending on the size of your tank and the type of fish you purchase, aquariums can cost anywhere from $50 to thousands. In addition to the tank itself, you will need a filter, air pump, lights, food, as well as pH, ammonia and nitrate testing kits.
All things being equal, saltwater aquariums are more expensive than freshwater aquariums.
An insufficient amount of water: Even if you’re installing a mini-aquarium for a single fish, be sure to have at least a gallon of water in the tank.
Chlorinated water: When placing tap water into a freshwater aquarium, be sure to use a de-chlorinator to remove the chlorine. It’s important to do this during the initial setup and all of the periodic water changes thereafter.
Aquarium placement: On average, you want your water temperature to be between 73 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit. Be sure to keep your home aquarium a safe distance from windows, as sunlight can cause green algae to form in the tank.
Inadequate filtration: Generally speaking, you want your aquarium filter to clean the tank at least three times every hour. It never hurts to over-filter, so when in doubt, opt for an oversized filtration device.
Failure to test the water: Fish tanks’ nitrogen cycles can be rather confusing. As an aquarist, it’s imperative to test the pH, ammonia and nitrogen levels often, especially during the initial setup period. Make sure that all of your levels have been stable for a few days before you add your fish into the tank.
Too many fish: Adding too many fish during the initial stage of home aquarium creation is one of the most common mistakes. By only adding two or three fish at first, you can allow your fish to acclimate to their new surroundings. After the nitrogen cycle has been established, then you can add more fish incrementally. Always be sure to keep your tank size in mind when adding fish.
Fish compatibility: Be sure to choose peaceful fish that require similar water conditions. Always consult a knowledgeable aquarist to ensure that all the fish in your tank are compatible.
Overfeeding: If you have young children, you may have to hide those fish food containers. Although fish do quite well with one feeding session per day, almost all fish can go a few days without being fed. To keep waste levels low, you shouldn’t feed your fish at all when the tank’s nitrate or ammonia levels are high. And when in doubt, underfeed your fish.
Choosing the wrong fish: While shopping around for fish, be sure to avoid fish with wounds, clipped fins, sunken stomachs and cloudy eyes, as these can all be signs of disease.
Generally speaking, you should be wary of aggressive freshwater fish, such as cichlids, oscars and devils.
Danio zebras, neon tetras, serpae tetras and red-eyed tetras are all good initial freshwater fish.
If you decide to install a saltwater aquarium, angelfish, tangs, arowanas, clownfish (think Nemo from “Finding Nemo”) and puffers are excellent choices. Puffers are particularly fun aquarium fish, as they recognize their owners and have extremely bubbly personalities. Puffers’ bodies inflate to three times their body size, and they get particularly animated during feeding time; however, they come with added maintenance, as they require 100-gallon tanks and foods rich in meat, like bloodworms and beef heart.
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John Donegan is a writer at SpareFoot, the online marketplace where you can find and reserve a self-storage unit with comparison shopping tools that show real-time availability and exclusive deals. John lives in Austin, TX and occasionally directs videos for rap artists.
They are two of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the international art world so the rumour mill went into overdrive on Friday after it was revealed that Damien Hirst is to part company with his New York dealer, Larry Gagosian.
After a year in which Hirst had an unprecedented exhibition of his spot paintings at all 11 Gagosian galleries around the world, it was announced that the 17-year working relationship was to come to an abrupt end.
A statement from Hirst and his company Science Ltd said: "Damien Hirst has decided to cease working with Gagosian gallery.
"Damien has had a fantastic and productive working relationship with Gagosian gallery, but after 17 years of representing him Larry Gagosian and Damien have reached an amicable decision to part company.
"White Cube will continue to represent Damien Hirst internationally through their galleries in London, Hong Kong and Sao Paulo."
The Gagosian said in a statement: "It has been a great honour to work with Damien over the last 17 years, culminating with the worldwide showing of the Complete Spot Paintings 1986-2011 at all 11 Gagosian galleries earlier this year. His retrospective at Tate Modern in the summer was the most popular solo show in the history of the museum, drawing close to half a million visitors – an extraordinary achievement. We wish him continued success for the future."
Hirst, whose wealth is estimated at £215m, has not always played by artist-dealer rules; in 2008 – before the financial crash – he bypassed Gagosian and White Cube to sell his art for more than £111m at a one-off sale at Sotheby's.
His 2012 retrospective at Tate Modern this summer was the most visited solo exhibition ever held at the gallery, with 463,087 visitors – ahead of Edward Hopper in 2004 and Paul Gauguin in 2010-11. A few thousand more and it could have beaten the most visited exhibition in the Tate Modern's history – the Matisse-Picasso show in 2002, which had 467,166 visitors.
But his exhibition of new paintings at the White Cube gallery – Two Weeks One Summer – was panned, almost as much as his 2009 paintings show at the Wallace Collection. In May the Guardian's Jonathan Jones wrote: "The last time I saw paintings as deluded as Damien Hirst's latest works, the artist's name was Saif al-Islam Gaddafi."
This article originally appeared on guardian.co.uk
SEE ALSO: How Damien Hirst Turned Making Money Into An Art Form
Chateau d'Yquem will not be producing a 2012 vintage after harvest rain prevented the grapes from reaching the levels of concentration required to make the world's most famous sweet wine.
Pierre Lurton, who runs the celebrated estate behind the Sauternes wine for its main shareholder LVMH, said the decision, which will cost the luxury goods group tens of millions of euros (dollars), had been taken to maintain Yquem's reputation for excellence.
"We tried our best but unfortunately the weather was not with us this year," Lurton told AFP.
"A brand like Yquem has to be prepared to not make a vintage. For the image of one of the world's great white wines and for Yquem's place in history, it was a reasonable decision not to make a wine this year."
Similar decisions were taken in 1952, 1972 and 1992. "It is as if there was a curse on us every 20 years," Lurton added with a smile.
Despite advances in technology, the production of sweet wine in the Sauternes area of southwestern France remains hugely vulnerable to the vagaries of weather.
The sweetness of the wine comes from grapes that have been left on the vines long enough to be affected by noble rot, which bolsters sugar levels and imparts the complex notes of fruit, honey and nuts that make Sauternes the benchmark for dessert wines around the world.
For the rot to develop, producers rely on a combination of autumnal morning mists and mid-day sunshine that occur most but not all years.
"We were cropping some good stuff at the beginning (of the harvest) this year but then we had a lot of rain," Lurton said.
"The quantity was not good and the concentration was not there."
With an average production of 100,000 bottles per year, the decision to cancel output means foregoing around 25 million euros ($33 million) of sales, but Lurton said it had been cleared by LVMH boss Bernard Arnault.
"He takes a view on the excellence and the durability of great brands," Lurton said.
"We don't reason in terms of turnover, we take a long-term view. We may have lost sales this year but we have maintained Yquem's reputation for excellence.
"There will many more great vintages in the future that will allow us to make up for this one."
The 2012 Yquem has been the most high-profile victim of adverse weather conditions that played havoc with wine production across much of France this year.
A combination of spring frosts and hail and harvest rain slashed yields in most areas.
Early tasting reports indicate that quality has been maintained in Burgundy, Champagne and the Rhone but 2012 is tipped to be one of the most disappointing red Bordeaux vintages of recent years.
How to budget
Whether you’re looking ahead to your 30th birthday or are smirking from a place of divine wisdom, check out these 10 things everyone should know by 30—and tell us what you think.
According to a nationwide survey conducted by LearnVest and Chase Blueprint®, only 38% of people have a monthly budget, and fewer than half are aware of what’s available each month for discretionary spending.
This varies little across the gender, age or income groups.
It goes without saying that LearnVest prizes the power of budgeting. After all, a budget isn’t intended to limit you, but free you: Once you know how much you need to set aside for certain goals, you learn how much you have at your disposal to spend on the things you want, the life that will make you happy.
To get started with your budget, check out the LearnVest Money Center, where you can see exactly how much you’re spending and saving each month. For awesome budgeting action on the go, try LearnVest’s new iPhone app.
How to cook (at least one) signature dish
Living off nothing but pasta and canned tuna is all well and good when you’re fresh out of college or still embracing your inner bachelor, but at a certain point, your palate should mature—without your wallet picking up the slack.
We know not everyone is born a culinary wonder, nor wants to become one, but with at least ten cable channels devoted to food, you can pick a culinary idol to emulate and a signature dish or three that will do more than simply sustain you.
Why? Cooking at home is healthier for your waistline and your budget, not to mention for family bonding time. Here are some healthy food ideas for you, and here are all our easy, quick and delicious recipes.
How to write professionally
Sure, you speak and write English, but when occasion calls, can you draft a cover letter, résumé or email that commands attention? Your career could depend on it.
Writing professionally applies not just to official memos to your department head. It also comes in handy when you want to negotiate a bill with customer service, or even write a thank you note. Even in less formal contexts, you’ll be remembered by the emails you send—and they form a permanent, written record of your work.
Here are 10 steps to writing a more professional email, and 7 work email sins to avoid.
How not to part with your hard-earned cash
Sure, your 20s may be the decade of impulse buys, but with age should come fewer occasions for buyer’s remorse.
Here's an easy rule of thumb anyone who's spent three decades on Earth should consider before plunking down a wallet: Ask yourself whether you’ll be glad in a month that you own this purchase. Then think about what else you could do with that money. Would you rather have this thing, or that lump sum?
To help you figure out whether the purchase is the right one for you, LearnVest built The Purchase Appraiser, an interactive tool to help you nip bad spending decisions in the bud once and for all.
How to change a flat tire
Changing a tire in the cold by yourself sounds way less than fun, but this adult skill can save you in a bind, both in terms of money and safety. Read: You don’t have to pay for a tow truck, and you don’t have to sit by a sketchy roadside for hours waiting for AAA. Want to learn how? Check out this video.
How to look up your credit report
Your credit is one of the most fundamental building blocks of your financial life. Solid credit enables you to do everything from getting a mortgage to taking out an auto loan. Good credit also means you’ll be eligible for credit cards with better perks and lower interest rates.
Certainly, a big part of maintaining good credit is paying all your bills on time, but there’s another component people often forget: checking your credit report to make sure there are no errors. Credit reporting agencies screw up surprisingly often, and no one is going to make sure they’re doing right by you, except you.
So, by 30 (really, well before), everyone should know how to check her credit report. And hey, what do you know: LearnVest even has a step-by-step checklist to help you do just that.
How to manage your money... digitally
You shop online, have made the transition to going paperless (after all, seven years of bank statements eat up a lot of filing space!) and, if you're a responsible money manager, by now you ought to have made the leap to knowing where your money goes while you're on the go.
In fact, that's why LearnVest created our new iPhone app. These days apps can help us do everything from save on groceries to organize our desktops, but there's nothing more useful than seeing where every cent you earn or spend goes ... in real time. Of course, this isn't just for people over 30, but we know it's the future, so it's best to get on board now!
How to move on
We mean this in the broadest sense possible, whether it’s moving on after you didn’t get the job you wanted, after learning that the mortgage for the home you loved is way out of your price range, and, okay, sure, getting over old relationships.
The sting of disappointment is no less sharp, whether you’re 13, 30 or 300. But wisdom means having the tools to recognize which battles are fight-able, and when you need to get on with your life. (In other words, don’t keep harassing the hiring manager weeks after you’ve been turned down from a job.)
Healthy approaches to moving on: talking to your friends, doing a little yoga to relax, looking for the new chapter to follow.
Unhealthy approaches: drinking away your pain, taking your credit card to the mall to buy your way out. (Here are 8 top spending triggers to watch out for—and how to thwart them.)
How to strike a balance between work and life
How much time do you spend thinking about how you spend your time?
One of the hottest conversations in America is the perennial one about work-life balance: From moms too busy to take maternity leave to more women than ever burning out in the workplace by age 30. Some experts have argued that the key is less about work-life balance than work-life purpose, or prioritizing what’s important to you and fitting it into a composite of who you are, and what you do with your time.
Whatever this means for you, don’t wait until you’re decades into a career you don’t love, before making changes. Start now, by thinking about what makes you tick, and what your long-term goals are. Not sure where to start? Here are eight of the best ways you can use your time to lead a richer life.
SEE ALSO: The 10 best US cities to become a millionaire >
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Untapped New York is a proud to be a partner of Let’s Go, with our shared vision for off-the-beaten path exploration in your own city and while traveling.
To launch the collaboration, we curated a list of our top “Untapped” places from our home base in New York City.
These are all tried and true urban exploration sites that we’ve gone behind the scenes to cover on Untapped New York.
How many have you been to? What others would you add to the list?
Decommissioned in 2001 after the construction of the Jet Blue terminal, this cathedral to aviation by Eero Saarinen fills you with the pride and optimism the aviation industry had in the 1960s. Preservation efforts have saved it from the wrecking ball and there are proposals to turn the TWA Flight Center into a hotel.
In the concrete jungle that is New York, it’s surprising to see nature in its chaotic, uncontrolled form.
The celebrated High Line still has a section yet to be converted into a park and you can sneak onto it if you know where to enter. Groundbreaking happened earlier this year on this sectio, which will become part of the Hudson Yards development, so see it soon.
On notorious Doyers Street in Chinatown, nicknamed “The Bloody Angle” because the curvilinear street enabled gangs to creep up on each other, you can still visit one of the tunnels which enabled some escapes.
One entrance to the tunnel is in the middle of Doyers Street, near the the trendy bar Apotheke, and takes you out into Confucius Plaza on Bowery.
The tunnel is populated by small businesses, ranging from medicinal shops, employment agencies, travel agencies, law firms and reflexology.
Silvio Berlusconi sought to draw a line under his "bunga bunga" parties when he announced he was engaged to his girlfriend 50 years his junior, who makes him feel "less lonely."
