Stephen King has been churning out one bestseller after another since the Nixon Administration, and although he’s now in his 60s, he’s shown no sign of slowing down. He’s written many classics, but also a few stinkers, with most of his career work rating somewhere toward the high end of that range. Picking King’s 10 best books is a tough task, but after having read every book in his arsenal at least once, and in some cases two or three times, I feel up to the task. Here are the Top 10 Stephen King books.
10 Vital New U.S. Military Weapons Systems
Saturday, 28 May 2011 10:01 Published in Science & TechnologyTechnology has altered the modern battlefield and the nature of contemporary combat. While the most essential weapon is still the soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen who risk their lives in battle, in recent years the U.S. military has also added some unique new weapons systems to maintain a lethal edge in the field. Here are 10 weapons utilized by the modern U.S. war fighter that have debuted in recent years.
When some sports fans think of NASCAR, they immediately imagine drivers who bang fenders before wrecking each other and then duking it out on pit road. Those images are all part of the sport's heritage, to be sure, but NASCAR has become the most popular form of motorsports in the United States thanks to some of the most talented drivers in the world and some of the most colorful characters in sports, including some icons who have become household names.
Just as baseball was built by legends such as Ruth, Gehrig, Musial and Mays, NASCAR became a mainstream sport thanks to names like Petty, Pearson, Yarborough, Allison and Earnhardt. Here’s a look at the top 10 drivers in NASCAR history.
Of the 44 presidents in United States history, 31 have served in the military in either the Army, Navy, National Guard or the Reserves. Many future presidents spent their military careers in obscurity, while several others enjoyed far more success on the battlefield than in the Oval Office. Following is a ranking of the 10 most impressive military careers of U.S. presidents. This is highly subjective, so feel free to add your comments and personal choices.
Cockroaches and rats aren’t the only things living in the New York City subways. The tunnels and tracks are alive with weird stories. The earliest subway line opened on Oct. 27, 1904, hauling its first fleet of passengers out of City Hall station. In the century since the debut ride, the system has expanded to more than 800 miles of track snaking through Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens, giving subway stories plenty of time and space in which to bubble, baffle and percolate. Here are five weird stories commonly shared by subway workers.
Blessed are the filmmakers who don't care about recognition, for there's always a good chance they won't get it. If they do, it may come too late — when they're dead, for instance, never a convenient time. They may receive praise from the critics, but not from their peers (i.e., the Oscars), or vice versa; it's always nicer to get both. Perhaps the cruelest recognition is that which doesn't last, which is probably also the most common. Lists like this are intended to right those wrongs. Their inevitable subjectivity raises questions such as, "Shouldn't these be the five most overrated directors?" or "what about these 20 other underrated ones?" Fair questions, both of them, but see if this list doesn't persuade you.
Most people have a basic understanding of metabolism, but they’re a bit vague on the details. For example, did you know that certain lifestyle changes, such as in your diet, could supercharge your metabolism? Simply put, we all have a basic metabolic rate that indicates the time it takes our bodies to naturally burn calories. While this rate varies from person to person, certain foods and activities can increase this rate, helping maintain a healthy weight. Here are the top 5 ways to supercharge your metabolism.
10 Deadliest Creatures in the United States
Friday, 20 May 2011 18:13 Published in Science & TechnologyIt’s all fun and games until someone is killed by a shark. Or a bear. Or any of the other beasts that made it onto this list of the top 10 deadliest creatures in the United States. While fearsome animals such as cougars, or creepy critters like scorpions might seem to merit a place on the list, they were edged out by deadlier creatures. Some, like bears and sharks, are shoo-ins you’d expect on such a list. Others will probably surprise you.
The term “ghost town” probably brings to mind dusty, decaying structures — the remnants of bygone glory years as railroad boomtowns or mining camps. But ghost towns are hardly limited to those old-time settlements, as evidenced by the following communities. Though in some cases these towns are casualties of industrial busts or Mother Nature’s fury, more often than not they fell victim to human folly, from political corruption and lack of corporate responsibility to violence perpetrated against neighbors. Most are still inhabited, but are a mere shadow of their former selves. Here are eight modern ghost towns in the United States.
Compared to other regions of the world, Central America is a relative newcomer in the business of mass tourism. This is not surprising since the region has seen more than its share of violence, civil war, political turmoil and instability. Unfortunately, its long history of negative news has inadvertently created several myths when it comes to travel, which can taint the thoughts of a visitor even before arriving in this beautiful and sometimes overlooked location. Here are five myths about travel in Central America.
