Wednesday, June 25, 2014

10 Things Successful People Never Do Again

We all make mistakes but the people who thrive from their mistakes are the successful ones.

Dr. Henry Cloud Click Here to read.

Source: success.com




Monday, June 23, 2014

10 Georgia Waterfalls Worthy Of A Walk In The Woods

The beauty of Georgia’s waterfalls can lure even the not-so-outdoorsy types off the beaten path and into picture-perfect wilds.
  • Anna Ruby Falls

    Anna Ruby Falls is one of four popular waterfalls located in the Forest near Helen, Georgia.
The beauty of Georgia’s waterfalls can lure even the not-so-outdoorsy types off the beaten path and into picture-perfect wilds.
  • Amicalola Falls

    Amicalola, which is Cherokee for “tumbling waters,” boasts seven cascades at Amicalola Falls State Park. At 729 feet, it is the tallest waterfall in the state. Located in the Northeast Georgia Mountains north of Dawsonville, the park and falls are a perfect family destination for the adventure set. Plan to spend the day hiking the trails near the waterfalls, ranging from short journeys to an eight-mile approach trail that will lead you to Springer Mountain, the southern end of the Appalachian Trail. When you're ready to rest, options range from camping, to a more hotel-style mountain-top lodge, to the Len Foote Hike Inn, Georgia's only backcountry lodge, reachable by a 5-mile hike.
  • Tallulah Falls

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    Tallulah Gorge State Park is a series of six falls cascade through the 1,000-foot-deep Tallulah Gorge. Snap a photo of your view from the suspension bridge swaying 80 feet above the gorge floor.
  • Toccoa Falls

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    An easily accessible pathway leads to Toccoa Falls, a 186-foot, free-falling waterfall on the campus of Toccoa Falls College. 
  • Anna Ruby Falls

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    Anna Ruby Falls, formed by Curtis and York creeks, are local favorites in Helen. Hike the easy-to-moderate half-mile trail from the parking lot to the foot of the falls, and you just might agree.
  • Panther Creek Falls and Angel Falls

    Angel Falls Trail in Rabun offers two waterfall gems. Hike about a half-mile to view Panther Creek Falls and then continue on, passing by rhododendron, mountain laurel and American holly, to Angel Falls.
  • Holcomb Creek Falls and Ammons Falls

    Holcomb Creek Falls in Clayton is yet another hike that rewards your effort with double waterfalls. First, find the 120-foot drop of Holcomb Creek Falls and then continue to the viewing deck at the foot of Ammons Falls. 
  • Raven Cliff Falls

    To see Raven Cliff Falls, near Helen, is about a five-mile round-trip hike. Savor the beautiful views of Dodd Creek as you make your way to the 90-foot drop of the main attraction.
  • Minnehaha Falls

    The 100-foot, stair-stepping falls of Minnehaha Falls in Tallulah Falls inspire many a photo op, particularly in spring when the surrounding forest puts on a display of blooms. 
  • DeSoto Falls

    DeSoto Falls, near Cleveland, is named after the Spanish explorer Hernando Desoto, who traveled through the region in the 16th century. It's located in the Chattahoochee National Forest. 
  • Helton Creek Falls

    If you’re visiting Vogel State Park, make a pit stop at Helton Creek Falls, to see these family-friendly falls. In the summer, wear your swimsuits and splash around in the pool at the bottom of the falls.

 Source: exploregeorgia.org

11 Common Words You're Probably Mispronouncing

Amanda Green
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Image credit: 
Thinkstock
Ever feel embarrassed when you don't know how to say a word? Don't be. Even the most fluent English speakers—and, ahem, political figures—stumble. Besides, pronunciations change over time. See if you've been mispronouncing these common words.

1. Seuss

Pen names don't always make things easier. Theodore Geisel's college buddy Alexander Liang made a rhyme to teach you the right way to pronounce it:
"You’re wrong as the deuce/And you shouldn’t rejoice/
If you’re calling him Seuss/He pronounces it Soice" (or Zoice).

2. Kibosh

Let's put the kibosh, pronounced "KY-bosh," on saying this word like "kuh-BOSH."

3. Celtic

An initial hard (k) sound is the standard, but linguists say the (s) sound emerged as far back as the 17th century. Still, you'll sound ridiculous (but correct!) if you bring that hard (k) to a Boston Celtics basketball game.

4. Comptroller

This word sounds just like "controller." If you're tempted to pronounce that silent (pt), please comptroll yourself!

5. Cache

Maybe it's because it's one letter short of "cachet." Maybe it's just more fun to mispronounce. This words sounds just like "cash."

6. Chicanery

This word meaning "deception by trickery" is aptly tricky to pronounce. The beginning (ch) sound is "sh," as in "Chicago." The French pronounce the word "shih-connery," which makes it easy to remember the definition. However, Americans love a long (a) and tend to pronounce it "shih-cane-a-ree." Choose your own adventure.

7. Banal

You'll be the butt of the joke if you pronounce this "BAY-nul." It's "buh-NAHL."

8. Affluent

If pronouncing it "a-FLU-ent" is wrong, some people don't want to be right. The stress on this word is supposed to be on the first syllable—"AFF-lu-ent." But stressing the second syllable became so mainstream that dictionaries started validating the pronunciation in the 1980s.

9. Forbade

Pronunciation quirks and mistakes happen when people try to read and speak by the rules. Too bad the English language doesn't always make sense. The past tense of "forbid" was originally supposed to be spelled and pronounced "for-bad." But then people started spelling it "forbade" and rhyming it with "made." Now linguists say the word sounds archaic any way you say it. Most people use "forbid" as a past or present-tense verb.

10. Boatswain

Okay, so maybe this word's not that commonly used. But now that you know it's pronounced "bo-sun," you might find more reasons to work it into conversation.

11. Niche

When this word was borrowed from French in the 17th century, it was quickly Anglicized to rhyme with "itch." But in the 20th century, more people embraced a true French pronunciation and decided to pronounce it "neesh." Both are correct.

Source: mentalfloss.com

11 Unbelievable Items From The Sears Catalog

Published from 1888 to 1993, the Sears catalog featured everything from sewing machines, clothes, and sporting goods to cars, houses, and livestock. The Sears catalog is a great chronicle of our country’s history, as told through everyday items sold to ordinary people. But, looking back, many of its pages were far from ordinary.

Here are some of the most memorable things the Sears catalog had to offer. (You can browse a selection of almost 100 years of Sears catalogs on Ancestry.com)

Patent medicines were common until the early 20th century. These dubious elixirs claimed to cure whatever ailed you, when in fact most of them did nothing. Some may have “worked,” thanks to harmful ingredients like opium and arsenic. The Spring 1898 catalog shown here offers a sampling of remedies that may make you shudder — either with fear or laughter. Brown’s Vegetable Cure for Female Weakness claims to rid women of everything from ordinary menstrual cramps and back pain to bizarre symptoms such as “a dread of some impending evil” and “sparks before the eyes.” Curtis’ Consumption Cure guaranteed it could eradicate tuberculosis, a promise it almost certainly couldn’t keep.

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Vegetable pills and mysterious compounds weren’t the only strange remedies making the rounds at the turn of the century. Electricity was frequently advertised a cure-all, too. This page from the Fall 1902 catalog advertises the Heidelberg Electric Belt, which sent electrical currents through men’s groin areas to cure a”weak or deranged nervous system” and double “sexual force and power.”


Historians and costumers use the Sears catalog to find out what the average person during an era would wear. The Fall 1900 catalog paints a lovely picture of early-20th-century women strolling through town in plush capes trimmed with bear fur and beads.


In addition to impossibly small-waisted maternity dresses, the Fall 1911 catalog also offered other maternity supplies because of “the reluctance of many to consult a physician until forced to do so by approaching birth.” Rubber sheets, a breast binder, olive oil, and antiseptic soap are just a few of the items included, along with a reminder that they are not a replacement for a doctor.


This practical catalog wasn’t all clothes and quack medicines, however. For a long time, you could buy cars through the mail from Sears. In this Fall 1909 ad, the Sears Motor Buggy boasts speeds of up to 25 miles per hour and operation so simple even a child could do it. The price was $395, or just over $10,000 in today’s dollars.
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Until the early 1940's, you could even buy a mail-order house from Sears. The do-it-yourself kit came with everything you needed to build a Sears home, including instructions. Many of these homes are still standing today. This Fall 1932 ad shows a few of the models available for about $1,700, which would be roughly $29,000 today.


With your Sears car parked in the driveway of your Sears home, you could also order some Sears chickens to turn the backyard into a productive farm. The 1947 Spring catalog had baby chicks ready to order.


If hunting in the woods was more your style, Sears also sold a wide variety of rifles, as this Fall 1950 catalog shows. Though guns-by-mail sounds like a thing of the distant past, the catalog sold them well into 1970s.


Speaking of the ’70's, we all know it was a time of questionable fashion. But this outfit from the Fall 1973 catalog is particularly eye-catching, with its contrasting colors and patterns, ruffles, and wide-leg pants in a plaid that many of us might recognize from an old rec room sofa.


When the VCR first came on the scene, there had never been a technology quite like it. That may explain the $1,125 price tag in the Fall 1981 catalog for a machine roughly the size of a small suitcase. In today’s dollars, that would be over $2,800.


Cell phones used to be bigger and more expensive, too. This “small, lightweight” cell phone from the Fall 1991 catalog weighs almost two pounds. Add in the battery, and it goes up to nearly eight pounds. It cost more than $900, or $1,500 after inflation.

Then again, if the catalog were still being published today, people 20 years from now would surely balk at the price and features of an iPhone.

Source:  ancestry.com

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Pearls Of Wisdom

Look back to where you have been...For a clue to where you are going.

Worry enough to anticipate trouble...But not so much as to bring it about.

Melt the icy fingers of fear...With the sunshine of hope.

Step by gentle step...You can overcome the greatest sorrow.

The sweetest grapes...Are picked from the vineyard of friendship.

Gossip is like a river...It can always be traced back to its source.

An insecure person...Will soak up flattery like a sponge.

Save the life of a helpless animal...And you have done the work of God.

A mirror is only as good...As the reflection in it.

Find something you truly believe in...And everything else will have meaning as well.

Your Old Toys Might Fetch You A Windfall

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It’s hard to part with mementos from your childhood, which is why your old baseball cards, comic books, and action figures are all collecting dust in your attic. And while you’ve likely been hoarding your junk for nostalgic purposes, there’s a better reason to dig them out: they might make you some easy money.

The stuff you grew up playing with is more valuable than you think—even if it’s been used. As serious collectors know, almost anything retro could potentially explode with interest and value, which is why you’re bound to have a hot commodity hidden in a cardboard box upstairs.

1985 Nintendo NES Systems (Boxed) and Games

If you still have your old NES system or games, you could be sitting on a small fortune. Videogame collector Pat Contri, who runs the popular website ThePunkEffect.com, says that a “Test Market” original of the console with all pieces intact in its original box will sell for $250-$500, while the “Action Set,” which you probably got for Christmas in 1986 and featured Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt cartridges, goes for $100-$250.

Contri was once offered $35,000 for pair of super-rare Nintendo cartridges, but didn't take the bait. Why? Just this month, GameInformer.com reported that an auction on eBay for the gray version of the cartridge alone—an inferior copy to Contri’s—reached a final bid of $99,902. Woah.

Resale Options: Given the astronomical prices that Contri turned down for his two cartridges, there’s a market for almost anything NES-related these days, let alone the big stuff. eBay has an extremely active secondary market for NES stuff, but if your item doesn’t sell, you could find yourself in the middle of a major, private bidding war, too.

Double-Struck Quarters (Any Year)

As of 2012, mints like the ones in Denver and Philadelphia have produced 9.1 billion units, including many defective coins. One in particular could turn your average change jar into a fancy dinner out—or maybe more.

Double-struck quarters—created when the “dye striker,” which forms a single side of a coin, comes down on that same side twice—could net you anywhere from $25 to $350 a pop depending on their scarcity, says Dennis Nye, owner of the Vault, a coin and collectibles store in upstate New York. Dimes, nickels, and pennies are in the realm of the quarter in terms of desirability among coin collectors.

Resale Options: The rarer the type of coin, the higher the price if it’s double-struck, Nye says. Most quarters go for $25 on average, but be ready to sell them for half of that if they aren’t of the scarce variety. eBay has a pretty active marketplace for coin collectors, but you can find countless coin dealers and private collectors on Google. At the very least, you’ll make a sizable profit on the original $0.25 value.

1984 Generation 1 Transformers Megatron (Loose/Complete or Mint in Box)

In 1984, Hasbro launched its brand-new “G1” Transformers line, featuring alien robots like Optimus Prime and Megatron. “It showed up and became very popular, very fast,” says pop-culture appraiser Simeon Lipman, a regular on PBS’ Antiques Roadshow. “That early stuff is really hard to find.”

Let’s say you find a complete Megatron in your parents’ basement. Right now on eBay, you can pick up one loose for $150-$200. If it’s still in the box, you’re looking at anywhere from $250-$800. And if you were to have a boxed version professionally graded, you could anticipate something in the thousands, if not more.

Resale Options: Shoot for a middle-ground on eBay or Craigslist, not a highball number like most guys do when they go on Pawn Stars. The best-case scenario is that you just doubled or tripled what the item originally cost.

1984 Zartan (version one): Mint in Box or Loose with ‘schizophrenic’ or ‘corrected’ file card

In 1984, G.I. Joe figures were also a huge business for Hasbro. The third series of the action figure line came out that year, including version-one of evil “master of disguise” Zartan. Though that version featured a short-lived card that called Zartan “schizophrenic,” the corrected figure is actually less common since it was on market for less time, say Kevin Watts and Brian Kaufman, longtime G.I. Joe collectors. Regardless, either version will garner a nice payday.

“The packaged G.I. Joe stuff from the ’80s has escalated in value tremendously,” says Lipman. “It wasn’t like Star Wars, where there were people holding onto the packages; I don’t think [G.I. Joe fans] were thinking that far ahead.” Hence, their incredible rarity. Mint-in-box versions of Zartan, Lipman says, will easily fetch “several hundred dollars.” Kauffman quotes a high-grade/sealed version price at as much as $1,500-$2,000 (with the “schizo” card) and $2,000-$3,000 (with the “corrected” card). Damn.

Resale Options: The market for the version-one Zartan is always competitive on eBay or wherever there are G.I. Joe collectors buying and selling items.

1988 ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ No. 300

The Amazing Spider-Man’s anniversary issue No. 300 may be one of the most iconic covers in comics history— a black background caked with a wall of red 300s, split by a latticework of white-on-grey webbing, with Spider-Man swinging through the center in his new black-and-white suit. The issue’s story is no less awesome than its cover design, in that it’s the first full appearance of über-popular Spider-Man archenemy, Venom.

Vincent Zurzolo, COO of Metropolis Comics and Collectibles in Manhattan, says that a raw, ungraded copy of No. 300 should sell for about $165. A solid near-mint copy could earn you $225, says Zurzolo. Right now, there’s an almost-perfect copy sitting on eBay, going for just shy of $3,000. Get the picture?

Resale Options: Like any staple-bound periodical, comic books start wearing down as soon as you buy and handle them, so you should wrap up No. 300 immediately. eBay and Craigslist have a decent secondary market for comics, but make sure to have it professionally graded first. If you take your raw copy to a comic-book store, get ready to sell it for 40-60 percent less than the $165 value quoted above.

1988 Kenner Starting Lineup Utah Jazz Figures (Loose or Mint in Box)

Kenner released 24-figure “all star” athlete cases nationally in 1988, as well as 12-figure regional ones. One of the regional-only issues was the Utah Jazz, not the most popular NBA team at the time. The Jazz set included four players: Karl Malone (four per case), John Stockton (three), Thurl Bailey (three), and Mark Eaton (two). These four figures are the creme de la creme of the basketball series.

According to Joe Curcio, the Starting Lineup expert at KennerCollector.com, any loose figure from the set will nab you about $50. The figure’s boxes at the time also included a special Starting Lineup basketball card. If you happen to have the loose figure plus the card, add $25-35 to the total. Mint-in-box copies sell for $200-$300 each—and if you get, say, the Stockton or Malone graded at the industry standard AFA 85, it’ll net you $300-$500 apiece. The “Mailman” just keeps on delivering.

Resale Options: Try selling your loose figures on eBay for $50. If you kept the card, you can net even more money. Your best options for resale would be on eBay, to a private collector in the Utah market or a Jazz fan.

1989 Fleer Bill Ripken Whiteout/White Scribble

In 1989, Fleer Company put out its annual baseball release, including one forgettable player’s card that made the set infamous.

Card No. 616 features Orioles rookie Bill Ripken, the brother of superstar Cal Jr. Everything looks normal about the card, except for what’s written on Ripken’s bat knob: “F#$k Face.” Despite Fleer quickly producing “corrected” versions, the card started a feeding frenzy.

If you were to find the error card today, it’s worth $25, according to Beckett Sports Card Monthly. But Ripken-error expert Jon Pederson— who runs the most exhaustive catalog of the card on the web, BillRipken.com— says that the real money is in the two most scarce corrected versions, commonly referred to as the “Whiteout” (the obscenity is completely blocked by a white oval) and “White Scribble” (the obscenity is mostly obscured by a white airbrushing technique).

Resale Options: If you find either version, carefully put the card into a sleeve (thin plastic) and top-loaded (thicker plastic). No promises here, but every single copy on eBay seems to sell immediately, so you’ll be in the money in no time.

1990 Pro Set Football Final Update Dexter Manley ‘Substance Abuse’ Card

Modern collectors know this popular set for its horrendous copy editing—it’s rife with spelling errors and image flubs—but one ultra-rare variation actually wasn’t the editor’s fault.

On Washington Redskins defensive end Dexter Manley’s card, the bio lists he was reinstated after “violating the league’s substance-abuse policy.” (Pro Set quickly deleted the sentence in later versions of the card.) According to Brian Cataquet, proprietor of BCB Auctions, there are maybe 60 copies of the card in existence, and mint ones go for about $500 each. That card might be the best thing the Redskins have done in years.

Resale Options: Given the hot card’s extreme scarcity—greatly increased by the overproduction of the 1990 Pro Set series and the fact that it wasn’t available in traditional packs— you can easily sell a raw or graded version on eBay. The ending bid might actually be way more than $500.

1996 December edition of Sports Illustrated for Kids

Many kids who grew up in the 1990s were first exposed to sports journalism in Sports Illustrated for Kids. Though this issue features the New York Knicks’ Larry Johnson on the cover, it’s the sheet of cards inside the magazine that counts: Dead-center on the nine-card “plate” page is young golfing sensation Tiger Woods. It would be his first-ever sports card—acknowledged by many collectors as his true rookie card.

Scott Smith, who sells autographed magazines, bought 10 original copies for 25 cents apiece and flipped them to a private collector for $20,000 during the peak of Woods’ popularity. Not a bad return-on-investment.

Resale Options: Of course, if you try to sell one of these SI for Kids issues on eBay for $20,000, “you’re smoking crack,” Smith says. Chalk that up to the softening of the initial Woods hysteria. But you can likely sell the magazine as is on eBay for $500-$1,500, or you can talk to a collectibles expert about removing the cards. There's certainly a market for mint versions of the Woods on eBay.

1985 Garbage Pail Kids Complete Series 1 Set and Singles

In 1985, Topps produced a card line poking fun at the mega-popular Cabbage Patch Kids dolls. The Garbage Pail Kids featured pictures of children vomiting, getting zapped by lightning, and drinking booze. (For obvious reasons, some parents weren’t too keen on the set.)

If you have the 82-card version of the Series 1 set, whose backs all have a “matte” or untouched finish, you’re looking at a $450-$500 price tag. If you happen to have a set of cards with a glossy finish on the back (a printing error), make that $750-$1,000 for a full set.

Resale Options: Just 5 to 6 years ago, you could buy a full matte set for $100, says Matt Oldweiler, who runs Garbage Pail Kid hub GeePeeKay.com. So it’s increased in value by nearly five times in a relatively short period of time. Plus, Topps just released a reboot of Series 1 last week, so the buzz will help. But non-sports cards are definitely a niche area of interest in the collectibles world, so you’d probably have the best chance of selling to a private collector—Oldweiler isn’t the only GPK-obsessed guy on the web—or via eBay.
Source: Menshealth.com


Monday, June 2, 2014

12 Reasons You Really Belong In The 1940's

Ever feel out of place in this modern world? Maybe you wish your friends would just call you on the phone instead of texting. Or perhaps you’re more comfortable in a suit and tie or an elegant dress than jeans and a T-shirt. Does talk of gluten-free diets and juice cleanses make you long for the days of meat and potatoes? If so, you might have been born too late!

Here are 12 reasons you may really belong in the 1940's:

1. You Love Comic Books.

The 1940's were the Golden Age of Comics. In fact, the superheroes featured in today’s blockbuster movies are products of this era. Superman, Batman, Captain America, and Wonder Woman are just a few of the iconic superheroes created during this period that catapulted comics into mainstream popularity.

2. You’re A Sci-Fi Buff.

Science fiction was also at the height of its popularity and relevance in the 1940's. Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, and Ray Bradbury all wrote works that science-fiction aficionados have enjoyed for decades.

3. You Look Great In Hats.

By the 1950's, men and women were starting to sour on hats. But in the 1940's, you weren’t fully dressed unless you had a hat on. Fedoras were standard for men, while women wore everything from modest pillboxes to wide-brimmed, decorated hats.

4. You’re A Lady Who Loves Gloves.

Gloves were a fashion staple for women of the 1940's. From practical gloves to match your everyday outfits to glamorous opera gloves that went past the elbow, ladies of the ’40's knew how to cover their hands in style.

5. You’re A Smoker.

Smoking was at its peak during the 1940's, since it was no longer considered unladylike for women to smoke, and servicemen who were issued cigarettes during World War II brought the habit home with them. While plenty of Americans still smoked in the 1950's, studies began surfacing about the harmful effects of smoking and cigarettes started to decline in popularity.

6. You’re An Avid Gardener.

Victory gardens were a way that those on the home front contributed to the war effort. Whether it was an apartment building rooftop, backyard, or even a vacant lot, patches of available dirt everywhere were planted with fruit and vegetables.

7. You Love Musicals.

The modern musical hit its high note in the 1940's. Show tunes were a regular part of the radio hit parade. Before this period, most musicals were just a scattered collection of songs and dance numbers. However, starting in the 1940's, the musical sequences furthered character development. Oklahoma, Kiss Me Kate, South Pacific, and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes all came from this fruitful period.

8. You’re Crazy About Crime Dramas.

Film noir had its heyday in the 1940's. This type of crime drama focused on a cynical main character — usually a detective — who was in over his head. The Maltese Falcon and The Postman Always Rings Twice are two classic examples of the genre.

9. You’re Into Abstract Art.

During the 1940's, New York overtook Paris as the art capital of the world. Art was shifting toward a more abstract style. This era was the apex of abstract impressionism, personified by important artists like Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Piet Mondrian.

10. You Love Sardines.

Sardines were at their most popular in the 1940's. Meat and fish were heavily rationed, and this relatively inexpensive, preserved fish could keep for long periods. The sardine population started declining, and by the 1950's, the industry had collapsed. Of course, sardines are available today but there are no longer any canneries in the U.S. and they’re no longer a staple of the American diet.

11. You Like To Swing.

Big band swing music was the most popular music in America during the 1940's. Jazz was considered serious, while swing was a light and dance-worthy distraction from the heaviness of wartime. Large orchestras, band leaders, and a rotating group of soloists favored a rhythm-heavy sound that would eventually lead to the traditional pop music that was a precursor to rock and roll.

12. You Prefer To Travel By Train.

The 1940's were the glory years of luxury rail travel. Railroads were trying to hang on to passengers, who were being lured away by the convenience of automobiles. Fancy dining cars, on-board barbershops, and fully stocked bars were just some of the glamorous features that luxury passenger cars had to offer.

Source: Ancestry.com