Sunday, November 11, 2018

10 Parts In The Rich History of Prostitution

The world’s oldest profession (or so they say), prostitution is as old as it is provocative. It’s safe to say that prostitution has been around as long as civilization itself.

It has almost always come with the territory of debauchery, sex, violence, drug and alcohol use, and wild times; the pleasures of the flesh, it seems, are inseparable.

Contrary to popular belief in many places throughout the world, especially the United States, prostitution is in fact a legal enterprise.

Prostitution has a rich history (double entendre fully intended), and a lot of money has been made selling the world’s alleged oldest product: sex.

Prostitution actually offers its clients a lot more than just sex, as is noted by some: It offers a variety of types of sexual experiences otherwise not available, such as the ability to live out fetishes and to experience kinks otherwise unavailable with traditional partners, the ability to have sex in secret without the risk of a full-fledged affair, the ability to cut to the chase and not spend valuable time that a real relationship often demands.

In fact, prostitution certainly has its merits, especially if done how it is in many countries: safe, regulated, and medically assisted.

Often, you’ll hear that more people are for the legalization of prostitution than against it. Moral questions aside, prostitution has been with us a long time and will be around for a long time to come.

Here are ten parts in the long, rich history of prostitution.

1. Prostitution Today

Prostitution Today

Prostitution is currently legal (fully or partially) in the following countries: Argentina, Austria, Armenia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, El Salvador, Finland, France, Greece, Guatemala, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, Senegal, Slovakia, Switzerland, Turkey, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Panama, Paraguay, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, Venezuela, and in some areas within the United States, like Nevada.

Prostitution today is largely split by country, with the act being legal in a number of European countries and New Zealand, while others have quasi-legal prostitution, and then there are still places where it’s totally illegal.

As the famed comedian George Carlin once pointed out, it is odd that prostitution is illegal in many parts of the world today: Selling is legal, and sex is legal—so why isn’t selling sex legal?

You’d figure this kind of mind-numbing paradox would dawn on us as being as silly as it is without us needing a comedian to point it out, but sadly, it doesn’t.

There is one dark part of the modern sex trade which is unfortunately all too alive and well: human trafficking, which is a very real, very global problem.

The United Nations says about human trafficking, “Trafficking in persons is a serious crime and a grave violation of human rights. Every year, thousands of men, women and children fall into the hands of traffickers, in their own countries and abroad. Almost every country in the world is affected by trafficking, whether as a country of origin, transit or destination for victims.”

Some have argued that the legalization of prostitution is the best cure to combat human trafficking, for those countries of the world, like the United States, where prostitution is illegal.

There is an aggressive chasm between two factions of ideology: those who are emphatically and strongly against prostitution and those who think it’s better, safer, and more reasonable to not drive the practice underground by criminalizing it.

Websites like Backpage and Craigslist may find themselves under considerably more scrutiny than they already do for having to police sex trafficking and prostitution.

There are also those who have argued that legalization opens the door for further trafficking; some believe that it would just simply make it easier for predators to get their hands on children and other vulnerable individuals and kidnap them, selling them to the sex trade.

The debate is currently a hot one. One thing that is for certain is that prostitution isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and we as a world would be wise to come up with a way to deal with this fact in such a way that maximizes safety and minimizes unacceptable predatory practices.

2. The Dark Side Of Selling Sex

Selling Sex

Prostitution, as we’ve seen with the rise of the modern killer, has placed women in extremely vulnerable positions when it comes to selling sex.

There has been a marriage, since Jack the Ripper, between sexual violence and serial killers on the one hand and prostitution on the other.

Prostitutes are often targets of serial killers and the violently sexual in places where the practice is illegal and driven underground.

Prostitutes are harder to trace and track; they hang out in an underworld where people don’t talk to the authorities, and they may not have healthy relationships with friends and family memebers who might report them missing to the police or put up missing persons signs.

Robert Yates and Gary Ridgeway were two serial killers from Washington state whose entire careers of bloodthirsty murder were almost solely predicated upon the killing of prostitutes, much like Jack the Ripper had done.

In the 1970s and 1980s in England, Peter Sutcliffe , a former gravedigger in his youth, would become a Jack the Ripper copycat, some believe, in killing prostitutes in the Yorkshire area with knives and hammers.

This is why pimps have careers: because prostitutes need protection, at least perceptively.

The National Institute of Justice in the United States paints a grim picture of the marriage of prostitution and murder, stating the following: Researchers have studied homicides of street prostitutes to see if crimes involving one victim (single homicide) differed from those involving two or more victims murdered by the same perpetrator (serial homicides).

A 2001 study found that serial murderers:

  • Were almost always motivated by sex.
  • Were more sexually aggressive.
  • Had deviant sexual interests and active sexual fantasies.
  • More frequently planned their activities, such as moving victims to a preselected area or taking clothing from the victim’s body.
  • Engaged in rituals and body mutilation.


This study has helped law enforcement officials identify suspects and conduct more efficient investigations.

The profile of the victims was similar in both types of homicides. Most victims were:

  • In their late 20s to early 30s.
  • African American (60 percent).
  • Working in high-crime areas.
  • Abused both “on the job” and in their personal lives.
  • Involved in prostitution to support a drug habit.


It’s a dark underworld that prostitutes are often forced to work in, and as previously mentioned, drugs, alcohol, crime, and violence often come with the territory.

3. Western Women

Western Women

While brothels and prostitution are currently illegal almost everywhere in the United States, it wasn’t always that way.

Once upon a time, it was a very socially acceptable practice and extremely common, especially as settlers pushed further westward into America.

The road was hard, as North America is a vast, formidable continent with varying terrains, and travelers would need places to relax and find entertainment.

The Wild West provided a fertile breeding ground for prostitution to thrive unhindered by rigid law enforcement and strict, puritanical ideologies.

Brothels didn’t just serve their clients sex but also alcohol in large quantities, heroin, opium, and other opiates.

Drugs were considered a part of the full Western brothel experience. As many people were just passing through town in search of bigger and better things, chasing dreams out west, many of these establishments also served as hotels as well, offering a room, a woman, and all the alcohol and drugs one could ask for.

Western brothels were dens of vice. No wonder there were so many shoot-outs and train robberies.

Often called “parlor houses,” many of these establishments featured a full, open room, a bar, and anywhere between six and 12 prostitutes who a man could choose from during his stay.

Some of these women commanded up to $1,000, which was a lot of money in the mid- to late 1800s.

Bourbon, liquor, wine, and cigars were often consumed, just like the scenes we see in Western movies. Brothels were a thriving business in the Wild West.

4. Victorian Vice

Victorian Vice

Victorian England, in its heyday of steam engines and imperialism, isn’t exactly something we think of as synonymous with prostitution and rampant sex, but it absolutely was.

Just like the Middle Ages in Europe, which gave birth to the Enlightenment era, Victorian England was a brothel owner’s paradise. In fact, prostitution was the highest pay a woman could earn in the day.

There are a ton of juicy facts about Victorian-era prostitution that can be found here, but here are some of the notable ones: There were apparently 80,000 prostitutes living in London alone in the late 1800s.

Yet again, brothels were a booming business, and while we tend to think of it as something hush-hush, it was actually legal.

We should note here that Jack the Ripper had no trouble finding, at the very least, his “canonical five” victims among prostitutes and killing them out in the open, unobstructed.

Exotic perfumes and dimly lit alleyways were the sights and smells of Victorian London, and Jack the Ripper would show our modern world that prostitution had a dark side: the fact that prostitutes are very susceptible to predators.

In modern times, where equality is a prominent feature of our secular belief system, we’ve noted now that prostitutes are human beings who deserve basic human rights, something that’s relatively absent in the literature of antiquity except for by assumption.

History didn’t cry over dead prostitutes, and it’s a testament to our expansive modern moral fiber that many of us do.

5. The Middle Ages

The Middle Ages

Contrary to popular belief, the Middle Ages weren’t a particularly sex-prohibitive time.

While the dominant ideology of the day in Europe was definitely Christianity, along with its ideas of modesty and virtue, medieval Europe saw sex as many others see it, as a natural part of life.

Without it, the ancestors of medieval Europe wouldn’t be here, after all, and there are many of them.

Brothels were as much a part of medieval life as they were in places like Greece and Rome.

What started out as a relatively rare practice, mainly because prostitution is almost exclusively a feature of city life and early medieval Europe was largely rural, later became a booming trade yet again, with women selling their bodies to the highest bidder.

The church, meanwhile, took a strange, and rather understanding, stance: They held that men needed to satisfy their urges and that the “good women” of their cities needed to be protected from such men, so they viewed prostitution as largely a lesser evil than the rest.

It almost became a necessary evil, in their eyes. It would later actually be prescribed by medieval culture to cure many ailments that were thought to be caused by pent-up sexual tension.

The church would eventually come to not only accept and turn a blind eye to the practice but to actually endorse it.

Prostitution was pervasive throughout medieval Europe, and sex was just as much everywhere as it was in former times, except the literature.

Medieval people did it just as much as their ancient counterparts did, and our contemporaries do.

They just didn’t talk about it nearly as much, and when they did, they referred to it gently with phrases like “to pluck a rose.”

6. The Prostitute Empress

The Prostitute Empress

All this talk about the obviously lavish and overdone Roman sex life brings us to another startling figure in the history of prostitution: Valeria Messalina.

Valeria Messalina was a woman of Roman nobility and the third wife to the Emperor Claudius. She would later become the mother of Britannicus, the step-brother of Nero, who would poison Britannicus in a move that earned him the throne.

She was as scandalous as any politician of the day; she made some serious political moves and certainly pissed a few people off.

But she was also the empress who eventually became a prostitute—at least for a night, according to some sources.

Some sources also suggest that Messalina was also a prostitute in her spare time, though this may be gossip and should be taken with a grain of salt.

It has also been claimed that a sex competition took place between Messalina and Scylla, a local famous prostitute whom Messalina was envious of.

Messalina apparently had a very large sexual appetite and used it to consolidate power in a time of political strife.

Her and the most famous prostitute in Rome would go head-to-head to see who could have sex with the most people in one single night.

And Messalina actually won, apparently, according to Pliny the Elder, by sleeping with a full 25 more people than the top prostitute of the day.

7. Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome

What happened in ancient Greece definitely didn’t stay in ancient Greece. Rome was the mightiest empire of the ancient world, and it borrowed heavily from ancient Greece, so much so that the two cultures were extremely similar; they were practically intertwined for much of Roman history.

There was a festival called Floralia, which was basically the Roman version of Mardi Gras, where people would pour out into the city and throw down.

There was dancing, music, and pretty much everything you’d expect from a modern rave festival, including prostitution, of course.

Prostitutes were not only plentiful, but they were free to walk around and practice their trade in the open, especially at such festivals. These festivals were a deeply engrained part of Roman culture.

Brothels were a regular part of higher-class Roman life. They housed their women and saw their clients with as much freedom and luxury as any other business of the day, having legal support and social acceptability from about 200 BC to AD 250, which is a long time, for an empire.

In Pompeii, the famous city inundated by volcanic rock, sexuality, brothels, prostitution, drinking, and sex orgies were not only happening but were common.

Brothels were commonly located near residential areas of those who moved among the upper echelons of society.

Pompeii was much like other cities of ancient Rome, in that sex was everywhere—from forks, knives, and bowls decorated with nude people doing lude acts to phallic statues to paintings and drawings of explicit sexual content. Rome didn’t fear sex; she actively embraced it.

Roman society valued active pleasure, as in the seeking and taking of pleasure, rather than passive pleasure, e.g. pleasure by happenstance or, more simply, “the absence of pain.”

This is part of what made Rome ripe for, and rife with, sexual debauchery and deviance. It was a den of sex that culminated in some of the largest orgies in history, with Emperor Caligula commanding massive sex parties on barges custom-built for such scandalous affairs.

8. Ancient Greece

Ancient Greece

Ancient Athens was a major trade hub of the known world of the day, from the Archaic Period a all the way up until the Classical Period, the time of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, on the tail-end of Athenian democracy.

Prostitution provided a means of entertainment for long-traveled and weathered traders who had been out on the open seas.

Athens was, to be blunt about it, a den of prostitution and lively festivities, parties that wouldn’t really be matched in Western culture until the rise of the Roman Empire.

Ancient Athens, known for its philosophical stoicism and wisdom, was really just one giant party.

The sex trade was a booming hit in Athens, and both the tact and etiquette were something that became a bit of an art to the Athenian women who practiced it.

Women even wore shoes with the words “follow me” written in Greek on the bottom so that they’d track those words behind them in the sand as an advertising gimmick to attract paying customers.

Considering that most ancient Athenian men didn’t marry until age 30, their sex lives must have been built and predicated upon prostitutes as a way to have no-strings-attached sex that wouldn’t tie them down for life.

The Athenian brothels were as various as the customs of any major international trade hub, and many of the slaves captured in conquests would end up being the exotic women found in these locations.

This, however, wasn’t the only type of prostitution of the day. There were the common streetwalkers, conducting business in back allies and the bustling streets of Athens. These women were (appropriately) known as pornai.

There were also the hetaerae , the more intellectual and intelligent free-woman breed of prostitutes in the city.

These women were strong, artful intellectuals who were sometimes even literate and had some amount of social and political power and prestige.

They were basically the ancient equivalent of the modern escort and would escort men to large gatherings and drinking parties.

Like today, the ancient Greeks had their very own version of the sugar daddy, with many prostitutes being live-in concubines and escorts, the favorites of which were shared among friends.

9. The Code Of Hammurabi

Code Of Hammurabi

Dating back to the reign of Hammurabi (1792–1750 BC) is one of the oldest sets of laws on Earth: Hammurabi’s Code, or the Code of Hammurabi.

The Code of Hammurabi dealt with a lot of different topics, such as economics and commerce, civil and criminal laws like theft, laws regarding the official marriages of the day, and, of course, prostitution.

Covering prostitution, the Code of Hammurabi says: If a “sister of a god,” or a prostitute, receive a gift from her father, and a deed in which it has been explicitly stated that she may dispose of it as she pleases, and give her complete disposition thereof: if then her father die, then she may leave her property to whomsoever she pleases. Her brothers can raise no claim thereto.

This line is especially telling, in that it reinforces the notion that the first major metropolitan city with thriving brothels was the ancient city of Babylon.

10. Brothels In Babylon

Brothels In Babylon

What would the world be without prostitutes and the laws to govern them? Probably quite sexually frustrated, to say the least.

While it’s possible that prostitution has been around since the dawn of time, coming along with the tribes of hunter-gatherers as soon as man could first trade his piece of the communal meat for a piece of personal sex, real documentation of prostitution hails back to the famous city of Babylon in ancient Sumer.

According to Herodotus, who much of our beliefs about history come from, Babylon may have had temples set up for prostitution in the name of the gods.

Religion and prostitution have long been intertwined, and a practice known as “cult prostitution” is even mentioned in the Christian Bible.

It all had to start somewhere, and Babylon is probably the first major hub of sex for sale.

While we tend to think of prostitution as sex for money only, it theoretically can happen where sex is exchanged for any number of goods or services, and in the case of ancient Babylon, it was most likely given in exchange for perceived religious and spiritual purity. This general idea isn’t actually so rare through history.

During the Middle Ages in Europe, prostitution was actually seen as necessary for a virtuous, holy life.

source: listverse

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

8 Haunted Place in New Zealand And Australia

From jail cells so scary it’s criminal, to shopping arcades where people shopped ‘til they dropped, we reveal the spine-tingling destinations to take your Halloween adventure to the next level.

1. Manly Quarantine Station, NSW
1N Head Scenic Drive, Manly, Sydney

8 Haunted Place in New Zealand And Australia

This quarantine zone is said to be one of the world’s most haunted places. That’s no surprise, considering over 500 people perished here during its 150-year history as an isolation site for patients infected with Spanish influenza, cholera, and other deadly diseases.

Today, this Sydney hotspot operates as a hotel and heritage centre – with a ghost tour, of course.

Visitors have reported seeing spectres who talk to them, plus strange smells of potato and lemon, and the clattering of pots and pans. Productive ghosts, by the sounds of it!

2. Old Melbourne Gaol, VIC
377 Russell St, Melbourne

8 Haunted Place in New Zealand And Australia

Over 130 convicts were hung at this eerie Melbourne prison, including Australia’s most infamous outlaw, Ned Kelly.

Today, the bluestone building hosts history tours and school programs, and is available for functions, where you’ll often find staff dressing up as prisoners, watchmen, and police sergeants.

Visitors have reported cold spots and strange noises during their tours, although there hasn’t been any sighting of a legendary armour-suited man yet!

3. Princess Theatre, VIC
163 Spring St, Melbourne

8 Haunted Place in New Zealand And Australia

This majestic theatre is haunted by Melbourne’s most famous ghost, Frederick Federici, a celebrated opera singer in the 1800s.

During his final performance in 1888, Frederick descended off stage through a trap-door and died of a heart attack.

His cast members were left spooked after they recalled seeing him (or his ghost) join them on stage afterwards for applause time.

A real-life phantom of the opera, Frederick continues to reprise his role – his strong presence is felt during cast rehearsals to this day.

4. Carlile House
96A Richmond Rd, Grey Lynn, Auckland

8 Haunted Place in New Zealand And Australia

Originally a dormitory for orphans, this Gothic-style building engulfed in flames in 1912, when a candle caught fire on a curtain and spread through the rooms of the sleeping children.

Today the abandoned building remains a foreboding monument along Richmond Road.

Passersby and curious intruders have reported hearing children screaming behind the walls, and tiny eyes peering through the decaying stained-glass windows. Enter at your own risk!

5. Erskine College
31 Avon St, Island Bay, Wellington

8 Haunted Place in New Zealand And Australia

Die-hard Peter Jackson fans will recognise this former Catholic girls’ boarding school as the location for his 1996 horror-comedy film ‘The Frighteners’, which starred Michael J. Fox.

Visitors have come across unexplained sounds and mysterious blood stains on the chapels, as well as apparitions coming from the walls, which some suspect to be the old Mother Superior who governed the school.

Built in 1905, the college stands today as an abandoned ruin of broken glass and metallic rust. So, maybe get a Tetanus shot before you visit!

6. Couldrey House
22 Schischka Road, Waiwera, Auckland

8 Haunted Place in New Zealand And Australia

If pale, misty-looking ghosts that float outside this Victorian-Edwardian house doesn’t scare you, maybe the bedroom of creepy-eyed dolls will.

Visitors have reported hearing children’s laughter and seeing shadows loitering at the top of the stairs.

Not much is known about the mysterious spirits that haunt this 18th century homestead, but it is said that this property once belonged to an eccentric sea captain, a wealthy widow, and an Army major and his artist wife.

7. Adelaide Arcade, SA
112-118 Grenfell St, Adelaide

8 Haunted Place in New Zealand And Australia

Australia’s oldest shopping arcade boasts a ghost in the form of caretaker Francis Cluney, or “friendly Francis,” as he is fondly called by arcade managers.

The father-of-five met his end in 1887 when he fell into an electrical generator while investigating a flickering light.

Many of the arcade’s businesses are still convinced that Francis watches over them, especially when electrical repairs are performed in this heritage building.

8. Old Adelaide Gaol, SA
18 Gaol Road, Thebarton, Adelaide

8 Haunted Place in New Zealand And Australia

If you want to take your scare-factor up a notch, look no further than this award-winning Adelaidean prison. Their ‘Paranormal Lock-in’ tour traps visitors at the gaol overnight as they embark on a next-level hunting expedition using state-of-the-art ghost detection equipment.

What else can you expect from a team that call themselves “paranormal field investigators”? Before capital punishment was abolished in 1976, Adelaide was known as “the hanging state,” with 44 convicts executed at this jail.

Today, visitors have reported creepy sensations of being touched, scratched, and pushed. Definitely not a tour for the faint-hearted!

source: uber

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

10 Richest MMA Fighters in the World 2018

If you’re an MMA fan, have you ever wondered how much your favorite fighters make, and who’s on the list of the richest? Who are the richest MMA fighters in the world?

We’ve put together this ultimate list of the 10 richest MMA fighters in the world and how much they’re currently worth. These numbers have come straight from Forbes and Celebrity Net Worth.

Here are the top 10 richest MMA fighters in the world:

1. Conor McGregor
Net Worth: $85 Million

10 Richest MMA Fighters in the World 2018

Conor McGregor is an Irish professional MMA fighter in the UFC. He’s also one of the most notorious fighters in the MMA, and has become an incredible sensation over the past couple of years.

Funnily enough, the majority of McGregor’s net worth hasn’t come from his MMA fights. It’s actually come from recently making his boxing debut against the one and only Floyd Mayweather.

Conor McGregor is the richest MMA fighter in the world, with an estimated net worth of $85 million.

2. Rorian Gracie
Net Worth: $50 Million

10 Richest MMA Fighters in the World 2018

Rorion Gracie is a Brazilian-American Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Grand Master, writer, publisher, producer, lecturer, and the co-founder of the UFC.

He is one of the few people in the world to hold a 9th degree red belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and is known for introducing Gracie/Brazilian Jiu-jitsu to the world.

Rorian Gracie is one of the richest MMA fighters in the world, with a net worth of $50 million.

3. Georges St. Pierre
Net Worth: $25 Million

10 Richest MMA Fighters in the World 2018

Georges St-Pierre is a Canadian mixed martial artist, and a three-time former Welterweight Champion of the UFC. Many consider him to be one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time.

Georges St. Pierre made the list of richest MMA fighters in the world with a net worth of $25 million.

4. BJ Penn
Net Worth: $22 Million

10 Richest MMA Fighters in the World 2018

Jay Dee Penn is an American professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner.

Penn has previously won both the Lightweight and Welterweight UFC Championships. Only two other fighters in history have won titles in multiple weight classes.

BJ Penn’s net worth in 2018 is $22 million.

5. Brock Lesnar
Net Worth: $22 Million

10 Richest MMA Fighters in the World 2018

Brock Edward Lesnar is an American professional wrestler and former professional mixed martial artist, and professional American football player.

Lesnar is the former UFC Heavyweight Champion; however he currently wrestles in the WWE. With a net worth of $22 million, he’s proven to be one of the most successful and richest MMA fighters worldwide.

6. Anderson Silva
Net Worth: $18 Million

10 Richest MMA Fighters in the World 2018

Anderson Silva is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and former UFC Middleweight Champion. Silva holds the longest title streak in UFC history with 16 consecutive wins and 10 title defenses.

Anderson Silva is one of the richest MMA fighters in the world with an estimated net worth of $18 million.

7. Fedor Emelianenko
Net Worth: $18 Million

10 Richest MMA Fighters in the World 2018

Fedor Emelianenko is a Russian heavyweight mixed martial artist, sambist, and judoka. He currently competes in the Bellator MMA Championships.

Emelianenko has earned numerous MMA accolades over the years, including the following:
  • Submission/Beatdown of the Year (2008)
  • Knockout of the Year (2009)
  • Heavyweight of the Year
  • Fighter of the Year
  • Fight of the Decade (2000’s)

Fedor Emelianenko’s net worth in 2018 is estimated to be $18 million.

8. Wanderlei Silva
Net Worth: $18 Million

10 Richest MMA Fighters in the World 2018

Wanderlei Silva is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who has competed in Japan’s Pride Fighting Championships and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Silva holds the record for the most wins, knockouts, title defenses, and longest winning streak in PRIDE history. He fought in the Middleweight division.

Wanderlei Silva’s net worth is estimated to be $18 million, making him the 8th richest MMA fighter in the world.

9. Randy Couture
Net Worth: $17 Million

10 Richest MMA Fighters in the World 2018

Randy Couture is an American actor, retired United States Army Sergeant, and former mixed martial artist.

Couture fought in the UFC, and won 6 championship titles. As we mentioned earlier in the article; only 3 fighters have ever won titles in multiple weight classes. Randy is one of them, and the other two are Conor McGregor and BJ Penn.

Randy Couture’s net worth is estimated to be $17 million.

10. Tito Ortiz
Net Worth: $15 Million

10 Richest MMA Fighters in the World 2018

Jacob Christopher “Tito” Ortiz is an American retired mixed martial artist. He was a very popular sensation with the UFC crowd, and some of his fights were the most watched of all time on Pay-Per-View.

Tito Ortiz is the former Light-Heavyweight Champion of the UFC, and has a net worth of $15 million. He is one of the richest MMA fighters in the world.

Semoga memberi manfaat.

READ MORE: Great Athletes Who Never Won The Big Title

source: wealthygorilla

Monday, February 26, 2018

10 Most Creepy Coincidences of All Time

As humans, freak occurrences happen. Usually the logical side of the brain takes over and casts them into the ‘Nah’ folder. These stories, however, will make you think twice about cosmic oddities being only mere happenstance.

1. Tom and John Write Together, Tom and John Die Together

10 Most Creepy Coincidences of All Time

We credit Thomas Jefferson with the brilliance that is the Declaration of Independence. But like most works of profound influence, there is usually more than one hand at work. John Adams was a close editor and confidant of Jefferson’s, and each would have similar things in common as well.

They died on the same day on July 4, 1826, exactly 50 years after the signing of America’s best document. Odd? You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

2. A Photographic Coincidence

10 Most Creepy Coincidences of All Time

Couple Nick and Aimee Wheeler married 20 years after Nick’s family took this photo. Remarkably, Aimee is pictured a mere 10 feet away in the background. They didn’t know each other. Nick and Aimee were wed on the same beach two decades later.

3. Twin Crash

10 Most Creepy Coincidences of All Time

In 1994, two sisters took fateful drives to deliver presents to each other on Christmas Eve. Lorraine and Levinia collided on the way, ending both their lives tragically and freakishly. They lived in separate towns, and had the last name ‘Christmas.’

4. First and Last Soldiers Buried in Vexing Locations

10 Most Creepy Coincidences of All Time

Private John Parr was the first British soldier to die in World War I on August 21, 1914. In one of the bloodiest wars in history, almost a million English lives would be lost.

The last British soldier to die was George Edwin Ellison, 30, in 1918. Unplanned and infinitely bizarre, both soldiers were buried in the same cemetery, 15 feet away, with both graves facing each other.

5. Two Tales, Two Unsinkable Ships, Two Icebergs

10 Most Creepy Coincidences of All Time

In 1898, English author Morgan Robertson wrote a novella titled “Futility.” It was about the world’s largest passenger ship, Titan, striking an iceberg and sinking in the cold North Atlantic.

Both happened in April. Both sank 400 miles from Newfoundland. Both were described as unsinkable. Both had maximum occupancies of 3,000 passengers. And both had upwards of 2,000 souls drown in the icy waters.

6. The Curious Story of Edwin Booth

10 Most Creepy Coincidences of All Time

John Wilkes Booth and Abraham Lincoln had an eerie connection even before the most infamous assassination in American history.

The brother of Booth, Edwin Booth, was waiting for a train in 1864. A man whom Edwin never knew tripped above the tracks and nearly fell into an oncoming train in Jersey City, but was pulled to safety by Edwin. That man was Lincoln’s son, Robert Lincoln.

7. The Weirdest Thing to Ever Happen

10 Most Creepy Coincidences of All Time

Two 17-year-old brothers were struck and killed by the same taxi driver carrying the same passenger at the same intersection, exactly one year apart. Levin and Erskine Ebbin met their fatal demise in Bermuda in 1974 and 1975.

8. Mark Twain’s Cosmic Revelation

10 Most Creepy Coincidences of All Time

The day Halley’s Comet appeared in 1835 was the same day Mark Twain was born. Twain, one of history’s most celebrated writers, said this a year before he died: “It is coming again next year and I expect to go with it… Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.”

In 1910, he passed. One day later, Halley’s Comet brushed past Earth yet again.

9. James Dean’s Little Bastard

10 Most Creepy Coincidences of All Time

In 1955, James Dean would own a Porsche Spyder, one of only 90 in the world. The vehicle would kill him in a fiery crash, but the “Little Bastard,” as he dubbed it, would live out its name in infamy.

The Porsche was basically an agent of Satan:
  • The man who bought “Little Bastard” after Dean’s death, George Barris, would restore it; while mechanics were unloading it, the engine fell out and broke both of an engineer’s legs.
  • The parts were later sold to Troy McHenry and William Eschrid, two physicians and racing nerds who would face the wrath of “Little Bastard” during a contest at the Pomona Fairgrounds; both installed parts from the Porsche, and McHenry’s vehicle smashed into a tree, killing him instantly; Eschrid’s car flipped and he sustained life-threatening injuries.
  • Barris, still owning a lion’s share of the parts, reluctantly sold two of its tires to a boy; a short time later both tires blew out and the boy would die.
  • What was left of “Little Bastard” was sold to the California Highway Patrol; within two days, the garage hosting the car burnt to the ground and every vehicle within was destroyed, except for “Little Bastard.”
  • Auctioned to an exhibit, the Porsche crushed a teen’s hip when it fell from the display.
  • Through all this, a young man tried to steal the steering wheel and he gashed his arm significantly.
  • In 1960, “Little Bastard” mysteriously disassembled and broke into 11 pieces, rendering it useless for good.

George Barris said he had “bad feelings” about the Porsche Spyder when he first saw it.

10. Same Heart

10 Most Creepy Coincidences of All Time

In 1975, British twins John and Arthur Mowforth perished in eerie circumstances. “What happened to one usually happened to the other,” their sister said.

On May 22, 1975, both experienced “severe chest pains” and died at precisely the same moment in hospitals 100 miles apart. -craveonline

READ MORE: The Most Amazing Coincidences In Human History

Friday, December 22, 2017

10 Most Beautiful Beaches In The World

What makes up a great beach all depends on the traveler. Some prefer wide, open beaches with throngs of things to do and people to watch, while others prefer deserted shorelines with calm waters.

This is the 10 Most Beautiful Beaches In The World.

1. Navagio Beach, Greece

10 Most Beautiful Beaches In The World

This beach started as a ship wreck that has always being suspected of smuggling contraband cigarettes. It is also known as the smugglers’ cove which is the most famous beach in Greece. It can only be accessed by boat. The boat shipwrecked in 1980 when it hit rocks due to bad weather.

If you plan on going there, make sure to carry your necessities as you won’t find any facilities there.

Also, remember to carry a sun umbrella as the heat that radiates from the white cliffs is unbearable, and there is no shade on this beach.

2. Half Moon Bay, Jamaica

10 Most Beautiful Beaches In The World

Enjoy activities like horseback riding, snorkeling or just relax on the crystal clear water beach.

Jamaica is known for its reggae culture, and you can be sure to enjoy the culture on the beach from the many hotels and resorts that hold reggae concerts.

The beach is always quiet and peaceful in the evenings, and you can get away from the town’s hustle and bustle and just relax.

3. Myrtos Beach, Kefalonia

10 Most Beautiful Beaches In The World

This beach is considered as one of the most famous beaches in Greece. It is surrounded by majestic green cliffs, and its floor is made of tiny white pebbles.

The sea waters change color from dark blue to electric blue and turquoise, and the views that Myrtos beach offers are always mesmerizing each day.

This beach can easily be reached via a private boat, or by road with a motorbike or public means. Here you will experience the most romantic sunset.

4. Morro de Sao Paulo, Brazil

10 Most Beautiful Beaches In The World

This beach is packed with numerous numbers of restaurants, shops and, small agencies. One remarkable thing is that no cars are allowed on this part of the island. The only mode of transport is wheelbarrows which ferry tourists’ luggage.

There are two ways you can access this island: you can take a 2-hour Catamaran but if you tend to get sea sick avoid this option and for the second one where you take a 40 min calm boat ride, 1.5 hours air conditioned bus ride followed by a 12min speed boat ride.

Once you get off the boat, you will have to pay a tourist tax of $4. Plan to visit this beach during the summer months when the temperatures are warm and the beach is filled with party goers.

While on their beaches, enjoy diving, banana boating, snorkeling, surfing or visit the light house for amazing views.

5. Grace Bay, Providenciales Island

10 Most Beautiful Beaches In The World

You will find most of Providenciales resorts and hotel around this beach. Nearly all the luxurious hotels are found here. It also houses banks and gift shops. The unfortunate thing about Providenciales is that they don’t have public transport.

If you want to get to the beach, you will have to either use a bike, walk, hire a rental vehicle or go by taxi.

The beauty of Grace Bay is that it is pretty easy to navigate and is smaller in size so, you can easily walk. Just remember that the sun can be quite intense.

6. Omaha Beach in Normandy, France

10 Most Beautiful Beaches In The World

This is the arena where the final defining moments of the Second World War played out. Located across the English Channel, it is from here that the Allied forces were able to dislodge the German army from France.

The best way to get the significance of the events that took place here is to take a guided tour, even without being a war buff, a trip to the American Cemetery and Memorial is a somber experience that brings into sharp focus the sacrifices made for us to have the world we have today.

7. White Haven Beach, Australia

10 Most Beautiful Beaches In The World

The startling white sand of Whitehaven Beach in Australia is 98% white silica. This, however, is not the only reason why this pristine stretch of beach should be top of any tourist list.

It is part of the Great Barrier Reef and can be accessed by helicopter, seaplane or boat with each trip offering unique views.

As part of a protected park, the beauty of the place can be enjoyed from the comfort of an organized cruise ship trip.

Other activities include snorkeling off the reef with its rich marine life, traveling in a high-speed catamaran or going on a guided hike on Hill Inlet.

8. Tulum Beach in Mexico

10 Most Beautiful Beaches In The World

This beach is like a giant aquarium offering excellent snorkeling opportunities. Its other attractions include the well preserved Mayan ruins on a 45foot cliff overlooking the sea and the fabulous beaches where you can laze and soak in the sun.

For the adventurous, their explorer appetite will be whetted by exploring the caves and caverns in Sac Actun.

With plenty of good quality hotels that offer both local and international cuisine, tourists are spoilt for choice. There are also cultural and themed tours to educate and entertain visitors.

For those interested in wildlife, Tulum Monkey Sanctuary and Dolphineris Tulum are just some of the places to visit.

9. Aharen Beach on Tokashiki Island, Japan

10 Most Beautiful Beaches In The World

It’s a place of beauty with its sparkling white sand. The water is so clear that you will have no spotting the blue and black schools of fish that abound here.

It does not end there as tourists can explore the wild nature of the island which includes amazing grottoes.

One can also take a kayak to sea under an experienced guide. There are also other sparsely islands nearby that can be explored after a boat ride.

10. Ko Phi Phi Don Island

10 Most Beautiful Beaches In The World

It’s the largest in the Ko Phi Phi archipelago and the only one with permanent residents in the group of Phi Phi islands.

It is part of Thailand but to get to it; one has to take a 90-minute ferry ride from the mainland or the island of Phuket.

For some time the island has acted as a magnet for tourists. From its natural beauty, this limestone island offers various activities such as snorkeling and scuba diving for those who wish to explore its excellent marine life.

Other physical activities include cliff climbing. For the more laid back, relaxing on the beach and sampling the local delicacies as well as shopping in the numerous tourist shops will make your trip worthwhile. -ggp

READ MORE: 15 Most Expensive Houses in the World

Monday, December 18, 2017

15 Most Expensive Houses in the World

Ever dreamt of having your very own salon, bowling alley, or high-tech swimming pool in the comforts of your home? Well, on this list, you’ll see the world’s most luxurious and expensive homes built only for the royalty and the ultra rich.

1. Buckingham Palace ($1.55B)

15 Most Expensive Houses in the World

The most expensive house in the world is none other than Buckingham Palace, the residence of Queen Elizabeth II.

This palace built in 1703, has a total of 775 rooms, 52 bedrooms, 78 bathrooms, 19 state rooms, and 280 rooms for the offices and staff rooms — a massive structure built only for royalty!

2. Antilla, Mumbai, India ($1B)

15 Most Expensive Houses in the World

Mukesh Ambani, one of the richest businessmen in India put up his own skyscraper, which he paid $1 billion to construct.

This house has a “health floor”, six levels of underground parking, and multiple helipads. It’s so massive that it requires a staff of 600 to keep the home in top shape.

3. Villa Leopolda, Villefranche-sur-mer, France ($750M)

15 Most Expensive Houses in the World

This home, named after King Leopold II of Belgium, is known as the most expensive and biggest French villa on earth.

It is built on a 20-acre land and provides a breathtaking view of the Mediterranean Sea.

4. Kensington Palace Gardens, London, U.K. ($222M)

15 Most Expensive Houses in the World

This luxurious home is owned by Tamara, the daughter of Formula One billionaire Bernie Ecclestone.

The amazing features of the house include amenities such as a bowling alley, nightclub and even a bathtub made of Amazonian crystals.

5. One Hyde Park, London, U.K. ($221M)

15 Most Expensive Houses in the World

One Hyde Park is known to be one of the most extravagant and costly apartments. It has leisure facilities such as an abundance of relaxation rooms, exercise studios, and entertainment rooms.

6. Ellison Estate, Woodside, California ($200M)

15 Most Expensive Houses in the World

Named after its billionaire owner and Oracle founder Larry Ellison, this estate is Japanese-inspired with its very own man-made lake and facilities such as a bath house and a tea house. The property has ten buildings in total.

7. Broken O Ranch, Augusta ($132.5M)

15 Most Expensive Houses in the World

The worth of this multi-million dollar house is just an estimate because its actual price is protected by state laws.

However, its features include an abundance of horse stables and land area big enough to cater to an aggregate of 4,500 cattle.

8. Blossom Estate, Palm Beach, Florida ($130M)

15 Most Expensive Houses in the World

This extravagant estate owned by Ken Griffins is definitely the perfect home to relax and rejuvenate. It has a tennis court and, of course, its very own dock.

9. Xanadu 2.0, Seattle, Washington ($120.5M)

15 Most Expensive Houses in the World

This high-end home equipped with advanced technology is owned by the richest man in the world Bill Gates. This massive cabin was constructed over a span of 7 years.

It has amenities such as a 2,500 square-foot gym and a 60-foot indoor swimming pool.

10. Mountain Home Road, Woodside, California ($117.5M)

15 Most Expensive Houses in the World

Owned by Masayoshi Son, this $117.5 estate can even be considered a small community with its very own building for retreats, a detached library, and of course, a swimming pool and tennis court.

11. Further Lane de Menil, East Hampton, N.Y. ($103M)

15 Most Expensive Houses in the World

Further Lane de Menil is a 40-acre property bought by billionaire Ron Baron from Adelaide de Menil and Edmund Carpenter.

12. Silicon Valley Mansion, Los Altos Hills, California ($100M)

15 Most Expensive Houses in the World

Russian billionaire Yuri Milner, who has a net worth of $1B, bought a $100M home in the US. It has both an inside and outside pool and a tennis pavilion.

Despite making one of the biggest purchases for a single home in America, this tycoon’s primary residence is still in Moscow with his wife and daughters.

13. Maison de L’Amitie, Palm Beach, Fla. ($95M)

15 Most Expensive Houses in the World

Worth a total of $94M, this oceanfront property boasts of not only a colossal ballroom but also a conservatory. This luxurious palm estate was originally owned by Donald Trump but then was bought by a Russian tycoon for a total of $95M.

14. Promised Land, Montecito, California ($88M)

15 Most Expensive Houses in the World

This 42-acre property is owned by none other than the Queen of Media, Oprah Winfrey. Not only does the Promised Land in Montecito have its very own man-made lake, it also has both an indoor and outdoor theater.

15. 15 Central Park West, New York, N.Y. ($45M)

15 Most Expensive Houses in the World

This multi-million penthouse owned by hedge fund manager Daniel Loeb is known to be one of the most exclusive and lavish addresses in New York.

What makes it stand out is that this ultra luxurious building is also the home of some of today’s elite billionaires. -rr

READ MORE: 10 Bizarre Restaurants Around the World