10 Painfully Obvious Truths Everyone Forgets Too Soon!

“The truth does not cease to exist when it is ignored.”

You know how you can hear something a hundred times in a hundred different ways before it finally gets through to you?  The ten truths listed below fall firmly into that category – life lessons that many of us likely learned years ago, and have been reminded of ever since, but for whatever reason, haven’t fully grasped.

This, my friends, is my attempt at helping all of us, myself included, “get it” and “remember it” once and for all…

1.  THE AVERAGE HUMAN LIFE IS RELATIVELY SHORT.

We know deep down that life is short, and that death will happen to all of us eventually, and yet we are infinitely surprised when it happens to someone we know.  It’s like walking up a flight of stairs with a distracted mind, and misjudging the final step.  You expected there to be one more stair than there is, and so you find yourself off balance for a moment, before your mind shifts back to the present moment and how the world really is.

LIVE your life TODAY!  Don’t ignore death, but don’t be afraid of it either.  Be afraid of a life you never lived because you were too afraid to take action.  Death is not the greatest loss in life.  The greatest loss is what dies inside you while you’re still alive.  Be bold.  Be courageous.  Be scared to death, and then take the next step anyway.

2.  YOU WILL ONLY EVER LIVE THE LIFE YOU CREATE FOR YOURSELF.

Your life is yours alone.  Others can try to persuade you, but they can’t decide for you.  They can walk with you, but not in your shoes.  So make sure the path youdecide to walk aligns with your own intuition and desires, and don’t be scared to switch paths or pave a new one when it makes sense.

Remember, it’s always better to be at the bottom of the ladder you want to climb than the top of the one you don’t.  Be productive and patient.  And realize that patience is not about waiting, but the ability to keep a good attitude while working hard for what you believe in.  This is your life, and it is made up entirely of your choices.  May your actions speak louder than your words.  May your life preach louder than your lips.  May your success be your noise in the end.

And if life only teaches you one thing, let it be that taking a passionate leap is always worth it.  Even if you have no idea where you’re going to land, be brave enough to step up to the edge of the unknown, and listen to your heart.  (Angel and I discuss this in more detail in the “Passion and Growth” chapter of 1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently.)

3.  BEING BUSY DOES NOT MEAN BEING PRODUCTIVE.

Busyness isn’t a virtue, nor is it something to respect.  Though we all have seasons of crazy schedules, very few of us have a legitimate need to be busy ALL the time.  We simply don’t know how to live within our means, prioritize properly, and say no when we should.

Being busy rarely equates to productivity these days.  Just take a quick look around.  Busy people outnumber productive people by a wide margin.  Busy people are rushing all over the place, and running late half of the time.  They’re heading to work, conferences, meetings, social engagements, etc.  They barely have enough free time for family get-togethers and they rarely get enough sleep.  Yet, emails are shooting out of their smart phones like machine gun bullets, and their day planners are jammed to the brim with obligations.  Their busy schedule gives them an elevated sense of importance.  But it’s all an illusion.  They’re like hamsters running on a wheel.

Though being busy can make us feel more alive than anything else for a moment, the sensation is not sustainable long term.  We will inevitably, whether tomorrow or on our deathbed, come to wish that we spent less time in the buzz of busyness and more time actually living a purposeful life.

4.  SOME KIND OF FAILURE ALWAYS OCCURS BEFORE SUCCESS.

Most mistakes are unavoidable.  Learn to forgive yourself.  It’s not a problem to make them.  It’s only a problem if you never learn from them.

If you’re too afraid of failure, you can’t possibly do what needs to be done to be successful.  The solution to this problem is making friends with failure.  You want to know the difference between a master and a beginner?  The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.  Behind every great piece of art is a thousand failed attempts to make it, but these attempts are simply never shown to us.

Bottom line:  Just because it’s not happening now, doesn’t mean it never will.  Sometimes things have to go very wrong before they can be right.  (Read The Success Principles.)

5.  THINKING AND DOING ARE TWO VERY DIFFERENT THINGS.

Success never comes to look for you while you wait around thinking about it.

You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.  Knowledge is basically useless without action.  Good things don’t come to those who wait; they come to those who work on meaningful goals.  Ask yourself what’s really important and then have the courage to build your life around your answer.

And remember, if you wait until you feel 100% ready to begin, you’ll likely be waiting the rest of your life.

6.  YOU DON’T HAVE TO WAIT FOR AN APOLOGY TO FORGIVE.

Life gets much easier when you learn to accept all the apologies you never got.  The key is to be thankful for every experience – positive or negative.  It’s taking a step back and saying, “Thank you for the lesson.”  It’s realizing that grudges from the past are a perfect waste of today’s happiness, and that holding one is like letting unwanted company live rent free in your head.

Forgiveness is a promise – one you want to keep.  When you forgive someone you are making a promise not to hold the unchangeable past against your present self.  It has nothing to do with freeing a criminal of his or her crime, and everything to do with freeing yourself of the burden of being an eternal victim.

7.  SOME PEOPLE ARE SIMPLY THE WRONG MATCH FOR YOU.

You will only ever be as great as the people you surround yourself with, so be brave enough to let go of those who keep bringing you down.  You shouldn’t force connections with people who constantly make you feel less than amazing.

If someone makes you feel uncomfortable and insecure every time you’re with them, for whatever reason, they’re probably not close friend material.  If they make you feel like you can’t be yourself, or if they make you “less than” in any way, don’t pursue a connection with them.  If you feel emotionally drained after hanging out with them or get a small hit of anxiety when you are reminded of them, listen to your intuition.  There are so many “right people” for you, who energize you and inspire you to be your best self.  It makes no sense to force it with people who are the wrong match for you.

8.  IT’S NOT OTHER PEOPLE’S JOB TO LOVE YOU; IT’S YOURS.

It’s important to be nice to others, but it’s even more important to be nice to yourself.  You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.  So make sure you don’t start seeing yourself through the eyes of those who don’t value you.  Know your worth, even if they don’t.

Today, let someone love you just the way you are – as flawed as you might be, as unattractive as you sometimes feel, and as incomplete as you think you are.  Yes, let someone love you despite all of this, and let that someone be YOU.  (ReadLove Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It.)

9.  WHAT YOU OWN IS NOT WHO YOU ARE.

Stuff really is just stuff, and it has absolutely no bearing on who you are as a person.  Most of us can make do with much less than we think we need.  That’s a valuable reminder, especially in a hugely consumer-driven culture that focuses more on material things than meaningful connections and experiences.

You have to create your own culture.  Don’t watch TV, don’t read every fashion magazine, and don’t consume too much of the evening news.  Find the strength to fill your time with meaningful experiences.  The space and time you are occupying at this very moment is LIFE, and if you’re worrying about Kim Kardashian or Lebron James or some other famous face, then you are disempowered.  You’re giving your life away to marketing and media trickery, which is created by big companies to ultimately motivate you to want to dress a certain way, look a certain way, and be a certain way.  This is tragic, this kind of thinking.  It’s all just Hollywood brainwashing.  What is real is YOU and your friends and your family, your loves, your highs, your hopes, your plans, your fears, etc.

Too often we’re told that we’re not important, we’re just peripheral to what is.  “Get a degree, get a job, get a car, get a house, and keep on getting.”  And it’s sad, because someday you’ll wake up and realize you’ve been tricked.  And all you’ll want then is to reclaim your mind by getting it out of the hands of the brainwashers who want to turn you into a drone that buys everything that isn’t needed to impress everyone that isn’t important.

10.  EVERYTHING CHANGES, EVERY SECOND.

Embrace change and realize it happens for a reason.  It won’t always be obvious at first, but in the end it will be worth it.

What you have today may become what you had by tomorrow.  You never know.  Things change, often spontaneously.  People and circumstances come and go.  Life doesn’t stop for anybody.  It moves rapidly and rushes from calm to chaos in a matter of seconds, and happens like this to people every day.  It’s likely happening to someone nearby right now.

Sometimes the shortest split second in time changes the direction of our lives.  A seemingly innocuous decision rattles our whole world like a meteorite striking Earth.  Entire lives have been swiveled and flipped upside down, for better or worse, on the strength of an unpredictable event.  And these events are always happening.

However good or bad a situation is now, it will change.  That’s the one thing you can count on.  So when life is good, enjoy it.  Don’t go looking for something better every second.  Happiness never comes to those who don’t appreciate what they have while they have it.

YOUR TURN…

What else would you add to this list?  What important life lessons do you often forget?  Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.

First Chikungunya Contracted in U.S.

A Florida man becomes the first US resident who has not recently traveled outside the country to be diagnosed with an infection from the mosquito-borne virus.

Aedes aegypti, one of the mosquito vectors of the Chikungunya virusWIKIMEDIA, JAMES GATHANY, PHIL, CDCThe US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported yesterday (July 17) on the first locally acquired case of chikungunya virus in the United States. A Florida man who had not partaken in any recent international travel was diagnosed with the painful infection.

The virus was first documented in the Western Hemisphere seven months ago, when infections began popping up on the Caribbean island of St. Martin. Since then, more than 100,000 suspected cases have been recorded 17 countries of the Caribbean and South America, according to the CDC. A couple hundred cases of chikungunya have emerged in the U.S., but always in association with overseas travel. “[T]he newly reported case represents the first time that mosquitoes in the continental United States are thought to have spread the virus to a non-traveler,” a CDC press release read. 

Chikungunya is rarely fatal, but the virus can cause severe joint pain, and there is no specific treatment for infection. Along with the Florida Department of Health, the federal agency is currently investigating how the Florida man contracted the virus, and will continue to monitor for additional U.S. cases. “The arrival of chikungunya virus, first in the tropical Americas and now in the United States, underscores the risks posed by this and other exotic pathogens,” Roger Nasci, chief of CDC’s Arboviral Diseases Branch, said in the release. “This emphasizes the importance of CDC’s health security initiatives designed to maintain effective surveillance networks, diagnostic laboratories and mosquito control programs both in the United States and around the world.”

Amazing Facts About Africa!

Africa is such a unique continent and over the decades there have been a lot of untruths, stereotypes and misconceptions about this beautiful continent.
It is surprising to learn that these stereotypes and misconceptions did not only come from outside the continent but also from its inhabitants.
Below is a list of some amazing things most people do not know about Africa. It includes the Good, the Bad and the Ugly things:

1.Africa has 54 Countries and one "non-self governing territory", which is
Western Sahara.

2.Only two countries were not colonised by foreign powers in Africa, they are Ethiopia (Abbysynia) and Liberia.

3.Africa, before colonial rule, comprised of up to 10,000 different states and autonomous groups with distinct languages and customs.

4.Over 25% of all the languages in the world are spoken in Africa alone.

5. With a population of over 1.1 billion people or 16% of the world's population, it is the second most populous continent.

6.The Second Congo War (1998-2003) is the deadliest conflict in the world since World War 2. It killed more than 5.4 Million people.
It involved more than eight other African countries on opposing sides. It is also known as "Africa's First World War".

7. Almost 90% of all worldwide malaria infection cases occur in Africa which also accounts for about 24% of all child deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa.

8. Africa is the second largest continent in the world with over 30 million square kilometres.

9.The largest country in Africa is Algeria. It is approximately the size of Western Europe.

10. The great Sahara Desert is bigger than Continental U.S.A. It is the largest desert in the world.

11. Africa is the world's hottest continent and has deserts and drylands covering about 60% of the land surface area e.g Kalahari, Sahara, Libya, Namib Deserts e.t.c.

12. It is the world's second driest continent. Australia is the first.

13.Africa has the world's largest natural reserves of precious minerals e.g It has 90% of the world's Platinum, over 40% of the Gold and more than 60% of the Cobalt.

14. There are more than 1 million Chinese citizens living in Africa and more are coming in every day. Angola alone has a population of more than 350,000 Chinese.

15. Lake Victoria is the second largest fresh water lake in the world and the largest lake in Africa. It is a major source of the River Nile.

16. Lake Malawi has more fish species than any other fresh water system on Earth.

17. The Nile River has has a total lenght of 6,650 kilometres. The longest river in the world.

18. More than 85% of the world's Elephants and more than 99% of the remaining Lions on Earth are on the African continent.

19. The largest wildlife migration on Earth happens on the Serengeti (in Tanzania) with more than 1.2 million Wildebeests marching behind 750,000 Zebras as they cross this amazing landscape. It is an awesome sight to behold.

20. Over 25% of the world's bird species live in Africa.

21. Close to the airport in Dakar (Senegal) is a massive sculpted statue, "The African Rennaisance Monument". It stands 49m tall on top of a 100m high hill. It is the tallest statue in Africa, and most of the world.

22. There are more Pyramids in Sudan than in Egypt. Sudan has 223 Pyramids which is double the number in Egypt but the Pyramids of Egypt are generally bigger in size than those in Sudan.

23. The name "Africa" was originally used by ancient Greeks and Romans for only the Northern region of the Continent. Africa in Latin means "sunny" and the word "Aphrike" in Greek means "without cold".

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Why Men Behave Better When Around Beautiful Women

In case you are wondering why some men behave nicely when women are around them and behave anyhow when they are alone or with friends, a study has revealed why this is so.
The study shows that men put in their best behaviour when attractive or beautiful ladies are close by, and that the number of kind acts showed by men relates with how attractive a female is.
The study, carried out by Dr. Wendy Iredale of Sheffield Hallam University and Mark Van Vugt of the VU University in Amsterdam and the University of Oxford, further shows that the extent of kind and selfless acts by men corresponds with the attractiveness of women who are around.
The study, published in the British Journal of Psychology, also found out that the behaviour of women remains the same, regardless of who was around.
In the first part of the research, 65 men and 65 women, with an average age of 21, anonymously played a cooperation game where they could donate money to a group fund via a computer programme. The donations were selfless acts.
The two groups comprising 65 persons each were placed under observation by two physically attractive observers, who were either of the same sex or opposite sex. Men were found to do more significant good deeds when observed by the opposite sex than when observed by men, while the number of good deeds made by women did not change, regardless of who observed.
For the second experiment, groups of males were formed and were asked to make a number of public donations. Their donation increased when observed by an attractive female, where they were found to actively compete with one another. However, when observed by a male, donations did not increase.
Iredale said, “The research shows that good deeds among men increase when presented with an opportunity to be joined together. Theoretically, this suggests that a good deed is the human equivalent of the peacock’s tail. Practically, this research shows how societies can encourage selfless acts.”
In an interaction with our correspondent, a 31-year-old civil servant, Olanrewaju Felix, described the study as a true reflection of his personal experience. “From my personal experience, the study is true because I have observed that when female friends, colleagues or even visitors are around, I tend to behave well and be less dramatic. It is more so when the lady is within the age range of someone I can befriend.
“I can’t really explain it but that is just the truth, and I think it is common among men. In fact, my friends tell me that my voice changes on the phone when I am talking to a lady, but I have settled it in my mind that I can’t change it because I believe it is my nature.”
It seems like a common testimony among men in their late teens upwards to behave in a more refined manner and do certain positive things they may naturally not do if there were no women around, especially the sexy and attractive ones.
Seun Ibigbami, a student in his mid 20s, told our correspondent that the best time for him to ask for money from his brother is when he had female friends or colleagues around him.
“I have learnt that if I need to get anything from my brother, I need to ask him when there is at least a female around him. It works faster because I think he seeks to impress the women, whereas, if he is with a man, nothing changes.
“In fact, he feels free to talk to me if the person is a man because he believes it is man to man, which gives me an impression that his nice disposition in the presence of women is actually to impress.”
However, a consultant psychologist, Prof. Makanju Ayobami, said men tend to do that because they become more self-conscious and put on their best behaviour or effort in order to make a good impression on the attractive or beautiful person around.
“It is the same reason why we all want to look good when we are going out than when we are inside.
“And that is why there are certain things we do at home that we cannot do in the presence of visitors. This could be because of the familiarity and maybe taking them for granted.”
Ayobami argued that it could even be more with women than men but that it occurs in both males and females.
Another psychiatrist, Dr. Kehinde Ayenibiowo, said a man would not need to behave in the best way he could in the presence of a woman if there is no ulterior motive.
She added that, in spite of the need for rational beings to behave well to get the best from every relationship or situation, it is when the man hopes to get something from the woman, either at the moment or later in the future, that he could seek to impress her specially.
“It depends on the motive. If you do not want to create impressions, why do you want to behave well when a woman is around? It is because such men have ulterior motives, especially if they are expecting something from her.
“Why don’t such men behave well in the presence of their mother, no matter how beautiful she is? So, there must be a reason. Moreover, it also depends on the relationship between the man and the woman. If there is no established relationship, since we are moved by first impression, an average person wants people to think well of him or her.
“Human beings are rational beings, especially men, who are not moved by intuition, but by rationality, so, when they hide what is bad and only show what is good, they want to be accepted, and for the likelihood of what they hope to get from her now or later,” she explained.
Ayenibiowo further questioned why men who try to impress women by their behaviour do not act likewise in the presence of their wives at home. She said they behave well in such special occasions knowing that they cannot get their best if they do not behave themselves.
“If a man is very rich, he doesn’t need to create impression because he knows that he is already accepted, unless he is after a particular woman. They are also aware that people believe women flock after rich men in this part of the world,” she added.

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Top 10 Music Producers In Nigeria (2014)

1. DonJazzy:
Producer, song writer, recording
artiste….the list is endless. Apart from his days as boss and producer for the defunct MoHits record label which housed one of Nigeria’s greatest talents Dbanj, and resulted in the creation of Oliver Twist, one of the biggest tunes out of Africa yet, the ace producer has also produced massive hits including Dorobucci (currently taking Nigeria by storm), Surulere another hit track, Wande Coal’s The Kick, almost half of Tiwa Savage’s debut album including chart topper Eminado. It is no wonder he is referred to as an enigma. DonJazzy has also worked with other
big acts including Kanye West & Jay-Z, Darey,
Naeto C, amongst others. It is no wonder he gets our No1 slot.

2. Shizzi:
This young man has proven that he’s here to stay. He was behind Wizkid’s Love My Baby, Davido’s Damiduro and Harry Songz’ Taiye Kehinde. Signed under the HKN Gang, 2013 saw him churn out two massive hits; Skelewu and Gobe for the OBO himself, Davido. He was also the producer of Wande Coal’s highly controversial Baby Face and Go Low. Remember Maye Hunta’s Ekaette? Shizzi produced that too. This year he co-produced
Davido’s Tchelete featuring Mafikizolo currently getting massive airplay as well as MultiChoice Africa’s Rise Up featuring Davido, Tiwa- Savage, Sarkodie, Diamond, Mzytikal and Lola Rae. Shizzi has worked with Sasha, Harrysong, OD Woods, Naeto C, Sauce Kid, Wande Coal, Wizkid, D’Prince, May D, etc.

3. Sarz:
His talent is evident in the songs he has so far produced. Jaiye Jaiye, one of my favorite jams from last year was produced by none other than Sarz. Reminisce’s street hop Kako bi Chicken and Ghetto by Shank and Beat of Life (samba) ft Wizkid are among his list of works. Not to forget the chart topping Jor Oh by Jah Bless which became a street anthem back then. Worthy to note, he also produced almost all the tracks in Eldee’s Undeniable album, Goldie’s Don’t Touch, DaGrin’s Kondo as well as YQ’s I Like Girls. Even more recently, he produced Tosin Martins’ TGM, Reminisce’s Fantasi and Eleniyan ft Wizkid.

4. D- Tunes:
After producing hits like Iyanya’s Kukere, Your waist, Flavour, Sexy Mama, etc as well as Sean Tizzle’s Sho Lee, it is not surprising he won producer of the year at the headies awards last year. This producer with a penchant for making hit tracks is the producer behind Sean Tizzle’s The Journey album which has been getting rave reviews so far. He has also worked with other artistes the like of Yemi Alade, Efa, Mbryo, Faze, Ruggedman, 9ice, TuFace, Tony Totch, Reminisce, Dammy Krane, Flossick and so on.

5. Del B:
Incredibly talented, his list of songs alone is enough to acknowledge his talent. Responsible for Dbanj’s Why Me, Jebele by Kween, KCee’s Limpopo, an undeniable jam as well as Wizkid’s On Top Your Matter, Del B also produced Oko mi by Waje, Seyi Shay’s Irawo, Baby Mo by Tiwa Savage, Kcee’s Give It 2 Me featuring Flavour, General Pype’s Its Ok and another monster single Shake by Flavour. Orezi’s trending hit track, You Garrit was produced by none other than Del B.

6. Masterkraftz:
Kicking off his professional career with Kennis Music, Masterkraft is no doubt one of the most diverse producers in town. From gospel to soul to RnB and Jazz, he has has shown he’s on his game which is why the caliber of artiste he has worked with is not surprising. Banky W, Phyno, Flavor, Jaywon, Sammie Okposo, Timaya, Lynx, Bracket, Capital F.E.M.I, J. Martins and Sound Sultan are just some out of a long list. His hit tracks include; Fine lady by Lynxx, Flavour’s Kwarika (Remix) ft Fally Ipupa, Girl by Bracket ft Wizkid, Chinny Baby by Flavour and even more recently, Timaya’s. Ukwu, CDQ’s Ogini ftRuntown, Iyanya’s Away, Nana by Bracket as well as Banky W’s Jasi all of which are still getting massive airplay.

7. Pheelz:
In-house producer for Olamide, Pheelz’ production of Baddest Guy Ever Liveth which contains tracks such as Durosoke, Anifowoshe, Rayban Abacha, Eleda Mi, Baddo Love, Turn Up among other countless hits is enough to take the young man seriously. Away from Olamide, he has worked with other artistes the likes of Vector in Popular & Mo Eazy. Though still young, Pheelz definitely has a lot to offer.

8. Selebobo:
I’m sure he needs no introduction. Yemi Alade’s Johnny intro is enough to know who he is. Not just a producer, Selebobo is also a song writer, artist, dancer, artiste, and sound engineer. Currently signed to the Ubi Franklin, Iyanya owned TripleMG, he is responsible for not only Yemi Alade’s hit track Johnny, but also Flavour’s Ada Ada and Balance for Me by Dipp. Oroma Baby, Yoyo as well as Angelina and Say Yeah from the TripleMG group album were all produced by Selebobo.

9. Cohbams Asuquo:
This list would not be complete without the inclusion of this incredibly talented producer extraordinaire. Known for his ability to create classic and timeless music, it is no wonder artistes seeking to make career changing songs run to him. Apart from playing a huge part in Asa’s highly acclaimed international album ASA, he has worked with other highly rated artistes including 2face Idibia, Banky W, Yinka Davies, MI, Omawunmi, Darey Art Alade, Styl Plus, Bez, Rooftop Mc’s, Charly Boy, Djinee and many more. Apart from producing hot tracks like Strong Ting, If You Ask Me , Kedike, Banky W’s Yes/ No, Praiz Rich and Famous his highly anticipated first official single titled Ordinary People was released on the 1st of January this year and it didn’t fail to impress. Recently, he produced Dbanj’s Cocoa na Chocolate and Mo’ Chedda’s Destinambarri.

10. Wizzy Pro:
Thanks to his collaboration with Skales, Patoranking and Runtown on his single Emergency, Wizzy Pro has been rising steadily. However, away from that, his production of trending hit tracks like Patoranking’s Girlie
O’ (both original and remix ft Tiwa Savage), Phyno’s O Set ft P-Square, Successful by Runtown, Phyno & Runtown’s Anama-Achi Vers- Achi as well as Tonite by Patoranking ft Faze is enough to show he’s taking the music business seriously .

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The 10 Most Expensive Alcoholic Drinks

See pictures after the list!
#10 Vieille Bon Secours Ale – $1200
As we’ll soon see, the domain of ultra-expensive alcohol is dominated by liquor, but that doesn’t mean beer can’t hold a spot down. Vieille Bon Secours is an artisanal belgian beer produced by la Brasserie Caulier, a family brewery based in Péruwelz, Belgium. Don’t worry, for $1200 you get a lot more than a bottle. Each $1200 order of Vieille Bon Secours guarantees you 12 litres of the world’s greatest beer to your doorstep. Since opening in 1995 they’ve produced several yields of beer, but the most valuable is the one that’s been aged for 10 years. The beer has an 8% alcohol content and has a taste flavoured with toffee and anise.

9 The Winston Cocktail – $14,000
For $14,000 you don’t get a casket of rare beer or a bottle of aged scotch; you get a single cocktail. That’s right, a single cocktail can set you back $14,000 if you have the abundance of means and lack of sense to actually order it. Master bartender Salvatore Calabrese can take the credit for crafting the expensive – but almost surely delicious – cocktail. To mix ‘The Winston’, take 60ml of Cognac Croizet 1858 Cuvee Leonie, part Grand Marnier Quintessence, part Chartreuse Viellissement Exceptionellement Prolongé, with just a hint of Angostura Bitters. Elegant, refined, overpriced; it has all the ingredients of a drink for executives.

8 Legacy by Angostura – $25,000
Although the world is full of expensive drinks, it’s rare that they’re expensive for political reasons. Legacy by Angostura is one such drink. The rum mixture was crafted specifically to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Trinidad and Tobago’s independence. Only 20 decanters of the rum – composed of a mixture of several rums all aged for at least 17 years – were ever put up for sale. Each rum comes in a case and crystal decanter that was designed specifically by Asprey’s of London, the company that designs jewelry for none other than Prince Charles. For $25,000 a pop, you might as well make sure you’re in Trinidad and Tobago before you’re going to crack it open.

7 Château d’Yquem – $130,000
Château d’Yquem is a wine producer in the Bordeaux region of France that’s been crafting wine for 300 years. In 1711, a vineyard was established in the area that would survive several generations of owners and operators. They continue to produce a multitude of wines – including Château d’Yquem and Ygrec – but their most prestigious wine is a batch from 1811. The 1811 Château d’Yquem is one of very few wines to have been given a perfect 100 by wine critic Robert Parker, who sampled it in 1999 and described it as ‘drinking liquified crème brûlée’. High praise. Should you ever eancounter a bottle of this increasingly rare white vintage, expect to shell out a hefty $130,000.

6 Penfolds Ampoule – $170,000
If you aren’t interested in Château d’Yquem and prefer a fine red wine to a white wine, then look no further than Penfolds Ampoule, the most expensive red wine on the market. For only $170,000 you too can sample the best red wine money can buy! The glass blown ampoule holds enough of the Penfolds Block 42 Kalimna Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 vintage for one glass, proving once and for all that if you throw several keywords at people all at once you can override their common sense. Only 12 have ever been produced, and it comes with a wooden piece case designed by furniture craftsman Andrew Bartlett.

5 Armand de Brignac Midas – $215,000
Some drinks are expensive for their rarity, and others for the size of the bottle. Armand de Brignac Midas captures the best of both worlds. The champagne comes in a 30 litre bottle that is brightly, and rather awkwardly, painted gold. The bottle looks like it was designed by a 14-year-old Flavor Flav, and is a sure fire way to make that table of tracksuit-wearing aspiring rappers thoroughly jealous. After all, nothing screams class like ordering a bottle of distilled sugar that costs a quarter of a million dollars and has to be carried to the table by several staff members like a funeral dirge to the last shred of respect your grandfather has for you. He fought in the war for this?

4 Dalmore 62 – $215,000
Like Penfolds Ampoule, only 12 bottles of Dalmore 62 were ever produced. Unlike Penfolds Ampoule, it actually holds enough liquor for several drinks and not just one. The most recent transaction involving the vintage came from an anonymous man who purchased one of the bottles at Changai airport in Singapore, which brings us to the question of why such an exceedingly rare drink was being sold at an airport? Whatever the case, that transaction made the Dalmore 62 the world’s most expensive whiskey – not scotch, since it wasn’t produced in Scotland – a title that it will probably hold for the foreseeable future.

3 Diva Vodka – $1,000,000
You may be mistaken in assuming that a brand of vodka named ‘Diva Vodka’ would cost $24 and taste like expired nail polish remover; I know I was. Surprisingly someone, somewhere, gave the green light to this gaudy experiment. The vodka is triple filtered, first through ice and then through Nordic birch charcoal, and finally through sand containing precious gems. Because if there’s one thing that makes alcohol better, it’s knowing that at some point it came into contact with a shiny stone. The real cost of the bottles comes from the packaging though; there are Swarovski crystals stacked up in the middle of the bottle that can be taken out and used as a garnishment for your drink. You couldn’t make this up if you tried.

2 Henri IV Dudognon Heritage Cognac Grande Champagne – $2,000,000
The Henri IV Dudognon Heritage Cognac Grande Champagne doesn’t care what you think, maggot. The Henri IV Dudognon Heritage Cognac Grande Champagne has more elaborate words in its name than any other alcohol. It’s a cognac for a king, which we kind of alluded to by naming it after Henri IV. The Henri IV Dudognon Heritage Cognac Grande Champagne has been aged for 100 years.

1 Tequila Ley .925 – $3,500,000
Crafted by the same minds behind the Henry IV Dugonon Heritage Cognac Grande Champagne, the Tequila Ley .925 is a tequila that has a unique production process, in the sense that it’s been distilled specifically for terrible people. Like the Henry IV (…), the Tequila Ley .925 is in a bottle that contains 6,400 diamonds, which add to the which add to the taste of the tequila through…some kind of process. Look, there’s diamonds all over the bottle. Just buy it, don’t be so cheap. The bottle was unveiled in Mexico City in front of a crowd who applauded when it was revealed. Remarkably no one is really sure just how it tastes, considering that no one – at least to the public’s knowledge – has purchased it. The company behind Tequila Ley .925 must really be banking on the old adage ‘build it, and they will come’. For humanity’s sake, we hope they’re wrong.

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Latest FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking (2014)

For the first time in two decades, Germany are top of the FIFA/COCA-COLA World Rankings, thanks to their victory in Brazil. They are followed by Argentina and the Netherlands in second and third respectively. Nigeria came in at 34th position. World Cup hosts, Brazil, and former champions, Spain, are 7th and 8th respectively.
In the CAF rankings, Algeria are at the top, followed by Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria in 2nd and 3rd places, respectively.
Below are the top 100 teams in the world!
1 Germany
2 Argentina
3 Netherlands
4 Colombia
5 Belgium
6 Uruguay
7 Brazil
8 Spain
9 Switzerland
10 France
11 Portugal
12 Chile
13 Greece
14 Italy
15 USA
16 Costa Rica
17 Croatia
18 Mexico
19 Bosnia and Herzegovina
20 England
21 Ecuador
22 Ukraine
23 Russia
24 Algeria
25 Côte d’Ivoire
26 Denmark
27 Scotland
28 Romania
29 Sweden
30 Venezuela
31 Serbia
32 Turkey
33 Panama
34 Nigeria
35 Czech Republic
36 Egypt
37 Slovenia
38 Hungary
38 Ghana
40 Honduras
41 Armenia
42 Tunisia
43 Austria
44 Wales
45 Japan
46 Slovakia
47 Iceland
48 Paraguay
49 Iran
50 Montenegro
51 Guinea
52 Uzbekistan
53 Norway
53 Cameroon
55 Finland
56 Korea Republic
57 Jordan
58 Burkina Faso
59 Peru
60 Mali
61 Poland
62 Senegal
63 Libya
64 Sierra Leone
65 United Arab Emirates
66 South Africa
67 Albania
67 Israel
69 Oman
70 Republic of Ireland
71 Bolivia
72 Bulgaria
73 Azerbaijan
74 FYR Macedonia
75 Cape Verde Islands
76 Australia
77 Zambia
78 Saudi Arabia
79 Morocco
79 Angola
81 Belarus
82 Congo
83 Jamaica
84 Trinidad and Tobago
85 Palestine
86 Qatar
87 Uganda
88 Togo
89 Northern Ireland
89 Iraq
91 Benin
92 Estonia
93 Gabon
94 China PR
95 Kenya
96 Congo DR
97 Georgia
98 Zimbabwe
99 Botswana
100 Niger

Calculation of points for a single match
P = M x I x T x C

M: points for Match result
Teams gain 3 points for a victory, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for a defeat. In a penalty shoot-out, the winning team gains 2 points and the losing team gains 1 point.

I: Importance of match
Friendly match (including small competitions): I = 1.0
FIFA World Cup™qualifier or confederation-level qualifier: I = 2.5
Confederation-level final competition or FIFA Confederations Cup: I = 3.0
FIFA World Cup™final competition: I = 4.0

T: strength of opposing Team
The strength of the opponents is based on the formula: 200-the ranking position of the opponents.As an exception to this formula, the team at the top of the ranking is always assigned the value 200 and the teams ranked 150thand below are assigned a minimum value of 50. The ranking position is taken from the opponents’ranking in the most recently published FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking.

C: strength of Confederation
When calculating matches between teams from different confederations, the mean value of the confederations to which the two competing teams belong is used. The strength of a confederation is calculated on the basis of the number of victories by that confederation at the last three FIFA World Cup™competitions (see following page). Their values are as follows:
UEFA/CONMEBOL 1.00
CONCACAF 0.88
AFC/CAF 0.86
OFC 0.85

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