William Shakespeare only wrote 37 plays, many of them comedies and histories. When I set out to compile a list of his greatest villains, I thought that I would probably be struggling to make a Top 10, how wrong can you be? I soon found it impossible to limit the list to 10 and even with a Top 20 there are other characters who seem equally deserving who just didn’t make it.

What constitutes a villain? — You could probably write a whole thesis on that one. I’m going to adopt a rather loose working definition – villains are people who do bad stuff. Certainly some people will be surprised and affronted to find Hamlet and Caliban on the list. I make no apologies, they do bad stuff – they’re in.

Villainy is represented here in many guises from the immature callousness of Richard II to the calculated machinations of Iago and Edmund. There are would-be seducers intent on assailing virtuous young maidens, tyrannical monarchs and more than one evil queen. Families seem to bring out the worst in people and there are malevolent sisters, brothers, stepbrothers, stepfathers and stepmothers all vying for position on this Shakespearean “most wanted” list.

So here, and in order of increasing nastiness, are Shakespeare’s bad boys (and girls)…

20. Don John (Much Ado About Nothing) — The “Bastard Prince”, brother to Don Pedro. Don John is one of the few examples of a real villain in Shakespeare’s comedies. A sour man, he tries to thwart the wedding of Hero and Claudio out of a spirit of sheer perversity. Villainous quote: “I cannot be said to be a flattering honest man, it must not be denied but I am a plain-dealing villain.”

19. Richard II (Richard II) – King of England from 1377 to 1399. Shakespeare paints a picture of an impetuous young man, self-centred and self opinionated. He orders executions, banishes those who disagree with him and imposes unfair fines and taxes. Richard’s bad behaviour is the result of too much power being in the hands of an immature child rather than being the result of malevolent calculation. Villainous quote: (Richard on his god-given right to rule) “Not all the water in the rough rude sea can wash the balm off from an anointed king.”

18. Angelo (Measure for Measure) — left in charge of Vienna, Angelo enforces archaic laws including one demanding the death penalty for getting a woman pregnant outside of marriage. He appears pious and self-righteous but soon shows himself to be a total hypocrite when he tries to bribe a young novice, Isabella, to sleep with him in return for her brother’s life. Villainous quote: (Isabella, on Angelo’s abuse of his new-found power) “O! it is excellent to have a giant’s strength; but it is tyrannous to use it like a giant.”

17. Caliban (The Tempest) — Son of the witch Sycorax, a half-human monster and slave to Prospero. Another one that will probably get some people’s hackles up, Caliban is more often portrayed as a victim than a villain. However, don’t forget that he attempted to rape Miranda and willingly plots Prospero’s death with Stefano and Trinculo (who should probably also be on the hit list if space permitted). Villainous quote: (cursing Miranda and Prospero) “As wicked dew as e’er my mother brush’d with raven’s feather from unwholesome fen, drop on you both! a south-west blow on ye, and blister you all o’er!”

16. Hamlet (Hamlet) – Prince of Denmark. Although Hamlet is ostensibly the tragic hero of the play, let’s not forget that he does some pretty dastardly things which qualify him for inclusion on this list: he sends his friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, off to almost certain death, kills Polonius and spends much of the play plotting to kill Claudius. Villainous quote: (on stabbing Polonius) “How now! A rat? Dead, for a ducat, dead!”

15. Iachimo (Cymbeline) — a dishonest and lecherous sleaze. Iachimo enters into a pact to prove that Imogen can be seduced. When he fails in his seduction attempt, he resorts to theft and trickery to dishonour the lady. Along with Angelo, one of Shakespeare’s great lounge lizard would-be seducers. Interestingly, at the end of the play Iachimo remains unpunished. Villainous quote: “If you buy ladies’ flesh at a million a dram, you cannot preserve it from tainting.”

14. Claudius (Hamlet) – Hamlet’s stepfather, responsible for killing Hamlet’s father. He tries to send Hamlet off to almost certain death, when that fails he conspires with Laertes to poison hamlet with a poisoned sword. Villainous quote: “What if this cursed hand were thicker than itself with brother’s blood – Is there not rain enough in the sweet heavens to wash it white as snow?”

13. Cassius (Julius Caesar) — leader of the conspirators against Julius Caesar who persuades Brutus to join the plot. Cassius seems to be motivated by a combination of ambition and political ideology. He eventually meets his end on the battlefield committing suicide after witnessing the death of his best friend Titinius. Villainous quote: (Julius Caesar describing Cassius) “Yon Cassius hath a lean and hungry look. He thinks too much. Such men are dangerous.”

12. Shylock (The Merchant of Venice) — a Jewish moneylender in Venice. Opinion is divided as to what extent Shylock is a villain or a victim. He certainly get some pretty shabby treatment at the hands of the Christians but his insistence on wanting a pound of Antonio’s flesh makes it hard to see him in a totally sympathetic light. Though Shylock seems to dominate this play, he only appears in four scenes. Villainous quote: “The villainy you teach me I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction.”

11. Lady Macbeth (Macbeth) – Macbeths wife. Lady M’s ambitions for her husband result in her persuading him to stab not only Duncan but also his pages. Haunted by the murders, she eventually kills herself (offstage). Villainous quote: “Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it.”

10. Macbeth (Macbeth) — begins the play as Thane of Glamis, but quickly murders his way to the top and becomes King of Scotland. However, his reign is short lived and he is soon beheaded in battle by Macduff. Critics argue over who is most villainous, Macbeth who commits the bloody acts, or his wife who goads himon. Villainous quote: “Stars, hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires.”

9. Cornwall (King Lear) — husband of Regan and a thoroughly nasty piece of work. Cornwall is a small role and is often overshadowed by some of the showier villains in the play. But don’t overlook him, he’s a ruthless torturer and deserves his place on the list. He eventually dies from a wound inflicted by one of his own servants during his torturing of Gloucester. Villainous quote: (on gouging out Gloucester’s eyes) ”Out, vile jelly! Where is thy lustre now?”

8. Richard III (Richard III ) — King of England for two years from 1483 to his death at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. Shakespeare’s prototypical villain who begins to play with a long monologue explaining his villainous motivations to the audience. Richard will stop at nothing on his quest for the throne and relishes the chaos and carnage that he causes along the way. Richard III is the second longest play in the whole of the Shakespeare canon, only Hamlet is longer. Villainous quote: (on courting Lady Anne) “Was ever woman in this humour woo’d? Was ever woman in this humour won? I’ll have her; – but I will not keep her long.”

7. Tamora (Titus Andronicus) — Queen of the Goths, brought to Rome as a captive by Titus. Though in some ways it is tempting to see Tamora as the archetypal wicked Queen, you have to remember that she has had some pretty rough treatment at the hands of the Romans. In one of the most bizarre scenes in Shakespeare, she eats her own two sons baked in a pie by Titus before he subsequently stabs her. Villainous quote: “I’ll find a day to massacre them all, and raze their faction and their family.”

6. Regan (King Lear) – Lear’s middle daughter and definitely suffering from middle child syndrome. Regan is the more openly sadistic of the two sisters, positively relishing her husband’s blinding of Gloucester. Widowed after her husband Cornwall dies from a wound inflicted by a servant, she pursues the affections of her sister’s lover, Edmund. She is eventually poisoned by her sister. eventually dies from poison administered by her sister. Villainous quote: (after helping to blind the Duke of Gloucester) “Go, thrust him out at gates, and let him smell his way to Dover.”

5. Goneril (King Lear) — Lear’s eldest daughter, she receives a third of his kingdom but can’t cope with her father and his rowdy entourage. Married to a weak husband, she publicly flaunts her affair with Edmund. She eventually stabs herself (offstage) after confessing to poisoning her sister. Villainous quote: (Albany, speaking of his wife) “O Goneril! You are not worth the dust which the rude wind blows in your face. I fear your disposition: That nature, which contemns its origin, cannot be border’d certain in itself.”

4. The Queen (Cymbeline) — Cymbeline’s wife and Imogen’s stepmother. Here’s a good prototype for an evil stepmother, she tries unsuccessfully to poison both Imogen and Cymbeline. Even though she is never given a name, the Queen is a substantial villainous role. Villainous quote: (Dr Cornelius, who has been asked to prepare deadly poisons by the queen who says she only wants to poison animals to see what happens!) “I do not like her. She doth think she has strange ling’ring poisons. I do know her spirit, and will not trust one of her malice with a drug of such damn’d nature.”

3. Edmund (King Lear) — Gloucester’s illegitimate son. He concocts a plot to have his half brother banished and has affairs with two of Lear’s daughters playing them off against each other for his own ends. Edmund is not without his redeeming qualities and at the end of the play, after he has been mortally wounded, he repents his evil deeds — however, it is all to no avail, no one’s life is saved by revelations and many directors nowadays cut his repentance speech completely. Villainous quote: “Now, gods, stand up for bastards!”

2. Aaron (Titus Andronicus) — Tamora’s Moorish lover brought by Titus as a captive to Rome. One of Shakespeare’s darkest villains who is responsible for many of the atrocities and murders in this very bloody play. When he is finally captured he gloats over his villainous deeds. Shakespeare only gives Aaron one redeeming quality, his devotion to his baby son. Villainous quote: “I have done a thousand dreadful things as willingly as one would kill a fly; And nothing grieves me heartily indeed, but that I cannot do ten thousand more.”

1. Iago (Othello) – Othello’s lieutenant and the man who engineers his downfall by persuading Othello that his wife is having an affair. Iago is an arch manipulator who is responsible directly or indirectly for all the deaths in the play. Interestingly, Iago is one of the few major villains who does not die at the end of the play. Villainous quote: “But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at. I am not what I am.”

The most useful book of essays I’ve ever read about fiction dates from 1927 and refers to works by such authors as Dostoyevsky, Melville, Thomas Hardy, and D. H. Lawrence. The good news: even if you haven’t read a single work by those authors, you’ll still find Aspects of the Novel engrossing, relevant, and helpful in your own work. I promise — whether you’re writing commercial sci-fi mysteries or literary character studies.

E. M. Forster, novelist and frequent beneficiary (or victim, depending on your point of view) of Merchant-Ivory film adaptations, gave a series of lectures at Cambridge in 1927, which were then published as Aspects of the Novel. The book’s chapters are “The Story,” “People,” “The Plot,” “Fantasy,” “Prophecy,” and “Pattern and Rhythm.” That’s it. These are Forster’s topics, and he covers them in few words: the book totals only about 175 pages.

Can Forster, a novelist from another era, say anything you haven’t heard before, especially when he covers a subject as complex as story in a mere seventeen pages? I defy you to find a more concise explanation of the difference between story and plot than this:

“The king died and then the queen died” is a story. “The king died, and then the queen died of grief” is a plot.

Of course, Forster elaborates on his point, but that’s not a bad start, is it? Even if your fiction is loaded with story, it may be in need of plot, as Forster defines it. A lot of the unpublished fiction I read is loaded with story but in need of plot–even if that’s the case in only one scene or in only one paragraph. This book will help you understand how to change that. (Hint: it has a lot to do with the word why.)

You may look at the list of chapters and think, What the $%*# is prophecy? Two pages in, you’ll begin to understand. I can’t do it justice, but it’s a quality Forster sees in the truly great novelists, and not in the truly good ones. It’s about creating characters who are both real and part of something greater than themselves. Our author makes no secret of his opinions on who fits into which category, but I’ll let you find those opinions out for yourself. Whether your favorites are his favorites isn’t the point, anyway. The point is that his insights can help you bring your own writing closer to that transcendent level.

Forster uses examples from wide-ranging works to make his points, from War and Peace and Wuthering Heights to — well, to some obscure novels from his own period that none of us have heard of or will hear of again. But it doesn’t matter: he provides the perfect examples from each book to bolster his arguments and explain his points. And he might just inspire you to go out and peruse a few classics: after finishing Aspects of the Novel, I finally decided to read War and Peace (let’s just say he likes that one).

He begins the book by emphatically refusing to discuss fiction in chronological order, or within the context of “influences and schools,” stuff he considers “pseudo-scholarship.” Instead, he presents the following image:

Time, all the way through, is to be our enemy. We are to visualize the… novelists not as floating down that stream which bears all its sons away unless they are careful, but as seated together in a room, a circular room… all writing their novels simultaneously.

Who wouldn’t want to be a fly on the wall and hear the conversation in that room? And he further draws us into that room by providing a series of couplets: pairs of excerpts from (at first) unidentified novels, which he compares and then contrasts, perfectly illuminating the subtle but profound ways two writers can be both the same and different.

Forster begins with the most basic and necessary element, story, gradually takes us to the more esoteric and subjective topics of the fantastical and the prophetic in fiction, and rounds out his discussion back at the fundamentals: pattern and rhythm. His thoughts on each are opinionated, witty, and still very much relevant almost a century later. Which may help explain why Forster’s own novels are still so popular and relevant a century after their own publication.

Fancy dress parties have been around since for centuries and were particularly popular in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries. Italy is particularly well known for contributing to the popularity of such costume parties. There, the masquerade ball reached frenzied proportions. By the time Queen Victoria took the throne much of Europe, especially England, had lost its appetite for masquerade but still had a keen interest in these parties. The Queen’s interest in literature, poetry and history had a tremendous impact on the themes for parties throughout her long reign.

During a time when Europeans entertained often and lavishly, fancy dress parties were often called upon to break up the monotony of what might have been another otherwise boring social event. Almost any notable figure in history and literature was likely to spur the imaginations of party guests. While characters from literature, especially the Shakespearean plays, remained popular choices for fancy dress parties throughout much of the century; a quest for increasingly unique and creative costumes began to appear.

These parties were concentrated among those who could afford to devote the time and money to such lavish events; however that didn’t mean that a few peasants didn’t make their way onto the guest list. Throughout most of the 19th century there remained a keen interest in the less fortunate as the subject for possible fancy dress costumes. This interest was more likely than not spurred by the fact that peasant style costumes gave ladies the opportunity to step outside their normally rather strict social codes. While it would have been unthinkable to appear dressed in a ensemble that allowed too much cleavage or the ankles to show at any other event; much could be forgiven when inspired by fancy dress parties.

Concepts and ideas were also likely to appear in the form of costumes to be worn. Seasons and holidays were popular choices. Creativity allowed ladies to makeover costumes used for prior occasions to suit their whimsy for an upcoming party. With just the addition of a few trimmings, an otherwise ordinary gown could be transformed into a representation of anything the lady wished.

Today fancy dress parties are not as popular as they were during the height of the Victorian era. The opportunity to dress as your favorite historical character, or any character for that matter, has unfortunately often been relegated to Halloween. Should you have an upcoming event to celebrate, or just want an excuse to get some friends together, why not consider throwing a good old fashioned fancy dress party? Chances are you have just the right ensemble in the back of your closet that can be reworked with a few embellishments to form the perfect costume.

Neither conference championship game was very exciting, as New England trounced Pittsburgh and Atlanta dismantled Green Bay. All football fans are hoping the Super Bowl will prove to be more of a nail biter.

What would really be nice is to have a contest much like those to set up the conference championship matchups, when the Packers beat the Cowboys on a last second field goal and the Steelers edged the Chiefs when a fourth quarter two point conversion was nullified. The Super Bowl will not likely be as exciting as either of those penultimate games before the championships.

When it comes to superior penultimate occurrences, one only needs to look at the world of music. Some of the best rock albums ever recorded have their outstanding track as the second to last song, a phenomenon known as the penultimate track.

Stylusmagazine.com listed “Going To California” from Led Zeppelin IV and “Don’t Stop Me Now” from Queen’s Jazz album. Both songs are the standouts on their respective records, far superior to the final tracks.

In Issue 79 of Big Takeover magazine, columnist Jeff Kelson discusses a rather comprehensive list of what he terms penultimate tracks, second to last songs that are much better than the one that follows. Among the tracks he mentions are “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” by The Smiths from The Queen Is Dead and “Eton Rifles” by the Jam from Setting Sons. Two others listed are “Behind Blue Eyes” by the Who from Who’s Next and “The Needle and the Damage Done” from Neil Young’s Harvest.

Although he failed to make Kelson’s column, Elton John could actually appear twice on any discussion about penultimate tracks. The standout track on Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player is the second to last song, “Honky Cat.” The follow up album Caribou featured its biggest hit, “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me,” as the second to last tune.

Here are eleven other penultimate songs, along with the artists and the album they come from.

Peaceful Easy Feeling by the Eagles

This timeless love ballad is the second to last song from the band’s self-titled debut, which also featured “Take It Easy” and “Witchy Woman.”

Ballad of Dwight Frye by Alice Cooper

Love It To Death was the breakthrough album as “I’m Eighteen” hit the Top Ten, but the best of the ten songs is the ninth.

How Lovely All It Was by the Old 97s

This second to last song from the alternative country band’s from The Grand Theater Volume II recalls the music the Eagles made on their first few records.

Death At One’s Elbow by The Smiths

The group’s last album, Strangeways Here We Come, is a collection of British rock highlighted by its penultimate song that has Morrissey pleading, “Oh Glenn, don’t come to the house tonight.”

Suit of Lights by Elvis Costello

King of America indicated a more acoustic direction for Costello, and his Attractions appeared only on the album’s second to last song.

Crackerbox Palace by George Harrison

The Beatles guitarist did his most accessible work on 33 & 1/3, on which the penultimate song was also the biggest hit.

Dress Me Up As a Robber by Paul McCartney

The Stevie Wonder collaboration “Ebony and Ivory” closes Tug of War, but the track preceding it has long been considered the best on the record.

Oh Brother by Frank Turner

This poignant tribute from Tape Deck Heart shows the British alt rocker at his finest lyrically.

Gone For Good by the Shins

This title would have been perfect for the closing song on Chutes Too Narrow, but James Mercer and his band placed one after it.

Death and Night and Blood by the Stranglers

Black and White featured a dark side and a white side, so a song with such a morbid trifecta would obviously appear on the black side.

Pretty Girls by Joe Jackson

The debut album Look Sharp is comprised of eleven catchy tunes, but the best of the bunch is track ten.

Today Christmas stamps are sold by many countries during the holiday season and are used to add a little color and cheer to Christmas cards and letters. But how did this tradition start?

In December 1898, Canada issued a 2-cent stamp celebrating the introduction of imperial penny postage and inscribed with the words “XMAS 1898.” This stamp is usually regarded as the world’s first Christmas stamp, but it wasn’t actually released to celebrate the holidays. Instead, as legend goes, Postmaster William Mulock suggested to Queen Victoria that the stamp should be released in November “to honor the Prince” (meaning the Prince of Wales). But when the queen showed obvious displeasure with the idea and asked which prince he was referring to, Mulock quickly answered, “Why, the Prince of Peace, ma’am”. So when the stamp was issued in December, it bore not only the image of a world map, but also the words “XMAS 1898” at the bottom of the stamp.

It wasn’t until nearly 40 years later that another country issued a Christmas stamp. This time the country was Austria. In 1937, it issued two stamps billed as “Christmas Greeting Stamps,” but neither had a Christmas theme. One showed a zodiac sign and the other one depicted a rose. Brazil was next in line, issuing four semi-postal stamps in 1939, and Hungary followed suit with a semi-postal stamp in 1941. Semi-postal stamps are ones that are sold above the stamp’s value to raise money for a specific cause.

So it wasn’t until 1943 that Hungary issued the first Christmas-themed stamp that was sold specifically as a holiday stamp. Now many nations of the world issue postage stamps with a Christmas theme that are intended for use on seasonal mail.

The first Christmas stamp issued by the United States came was a 4-cent stamp issued in 1962. The green and red stamp featured a wreath, two candles, and the words “Christmas 1962”. The postal service anticipated a huge demand for the new stamp and ordered 350 million printed, the largest number ever produced up until that time for a special stamp. But it wasn’t enough. When the initial supply quickly ran out the Bureau of Engraving and Printing began working around the clock to print more. By the end of the season, one billion of the first Christmas stamps were printed and distributed.

Bulgaria is a small country situated in Eastern Europe. Like many other countries of the world, Bulgaria also has a national flower. The national flower of Bulgaria is the rose, which is also known as the ‘Queen of Flowers’.

Roses have a special significance in Bulgaria. They have been grown in the country since the last several centuries. One can find roses grown in large numbers in Rose Valley, which is situated south of Balkan Mountains. The climate of the region is quite suitable for the production of roses. It has just the right amount of cloudiness, rainfall and humidity for the cultivation of roses. The region looks very beautiful and is filled with the fragrance of roses in May when the flowers blossom.

According to legend, the first roses were brought to Thrace by the returning soldiers of Alexander Macedon’s Garrison. Scientists believe that roses were first planted in this region during the period when the town was established. The town was founded by the Turks and the flower was brought to the place by a Turkish judge from Tunisia. Later on, this area proved to be more suitable for the production of roses than Tunisia.

Bulgaria is now the largest producer and supplier of rose oil in the world. According to some sources, Bulgaria accounts for about 80% of the world’s rose oil production. Rose oil production was started in the country more than three hundred years ago. Bulgaria’s rose oil is of very high quality and is thus, used by making perfumes, jams and chocolates worldwide. The high quality of Bulgaria’s rose oil is due to the high quality of the roses from Rose Valley. Because of its high price, the oil is now called “the liquid gold of Bulgaria”.

Moreover, the Rose Festival is held in Bulgaria every year in the first weekend of June. It is dedicated to the beauty and fragrance of roses grown. The Rose Festival was first celebrated in 1903. There are different events in the festival but three main events are more popular than the others. These include the crowning of the Rose Queen, the parade in the streets and the harvesting ritual. It is now a very popular festival attracting tourists and guests throughout the world.

Thus, although roses are popular worldwide for their beauty and fragrance, they have a lot of significance especially in Bulgaria. It is the national flower of this particular country. Moreover, rose production is an important part of the country’s economy as well as its culture.

Paca is their formal name, however, the Paca has many other names too, depending on their regional location. In Belize the Paca is most often referred to as the Gibnut. Interestingly though, Belize has yet another name for the Paca: the ‘Queen’s Rat’ or the ‘Royal Rat of Belize.’ The name Queen’s Rat or Royal Rat of Belize is not anything against Her Majesty, the name was derived when she was served this highly prized delicatessen on one of her trips to Belize.

There are two species of Paca: the Mountain Paca and the Lowland Paca. Both of these two species can be found throughout the rainforests, lowlands, swaps and along the river banks of Central and South America. Both of these species of the Pacas are found from Southern Mexico southward to Northern Argentina and even on the Island of Trinidad.

Prized as game, Pacas are widely hunted in Belize. High in calories, the meat from the Paca was so prized that, according to ancient legend, only the Mayan kings could raise and eat them. Mayan servants were punished severely if they were caught eating a Paca. Even today the Paca’s meat can fetch a good price and is still a luxury. However, due to their rapid reproduction, Pacas may soon be raised commercially.

Due to hunting and their high price as meat, the Paca have been susceptible to poaching. Though the Paca is still quite plentiful as a whole, some areas, for currently unknown reasons, have seen decreases in the Paca populations with the Mountain Paca being the primary one at risk.

Both the Mountain Paca and the Lowland Paca have a diet consisting mostly of fruit. However the Pacas are known to have slightly varying diets depending on their location and time of year. Other foods Pacas are known to eat include roots, seeds, leaves, buds, and flowers. Being raised in the wild versus in captivity is also an important factor in the diet of a Paca. In the wild Pacas are only herbivores, semi-conversely, Pacas in captivity, are omnivorous as they are also known to eat fish, raw meat, lizards and insects.

If you are ever in Belize be sure and try this delicious delicatessen: the Queen’s Rat. Gibnut meat is white and does not taste like pork, nor like rabbit, nor like chicken. Gibnut meat has it’s very own unique flavor: it tastes like gibnut! Eating a delicious meal of gibnut stew with Belizean rice and beans is sure to be a memorable cultural experience that you will have for the remainder of your life.

Not many people know this but there are thousands of stun devices on the market today with as many as 100 different manufacturers. You don’t see a lot of them marketed in this country because quite frankly they are junk. Yes that’s a fact. There’s a lot of junk out there. So the first thing is when you see a stun tool on a website marketed in the United States even though it is probably made in China or Taiwan it has passed the scrutiny of an importer. That alone tells you that it’s more reliable than most stun devices.

And when it comes to stun guns, reliability is something that you should consider. But even more important than reliability powerful stun guns should be your prime consideration.

Stun devices are the second most popular of all self-defense products in the world today. There aren’t very many law enforcement officers for example that don’t carry some kind of stun device.

When it comes to your personal security and your own self-defense or the self-defense of loved ones stun weapons offer a nonlethal alternative to deadly force. They use high voltage and low amperage to disable an assailant for 5 to 10 minutes. The other popular stun device called a taser uses relatively low-voltage and high amperage to create a stronger disabling effect.

80 years ago when stun devices were first invented a 10,000 volt product was sufficient to move cattle along. But nowadays it seems an average voltage of the stun product is in the 3,000,000 to 4,000,000 volt range.

We have assembled five of the most powerful stun guns for your consideration.

1. First is a King Cobra that comes in at a whopping 5.8 million volts. It is 6 inches long-just enough space to fit in the palm your hand. It is totally rechargeable saving you money on battery costs. It has a four year warranty.

2. Next is the Enforcer at 5,000,000 volts. It is only 4 1/2 inches long and just under 5 ounces which makes it light enough to carry in your pocket or your purse.

3. The pretender stun gun is one of the most popular stun devices in the world. It is 4 1/2 million volts in a package that looks exactly like a camera cell phone which gives you the added advantage of surprise for an assailant. It has a lifetime warranty and two levels of safety built-in to prevent accidental discharge.

4. The runt stun gun is a rechargeable 4.5 million volt device with a lifetime warranty. It is so small it can be mistaken for a mobile device when worn on your belt.

5. And the multifunction stun gun is the most versatile the stun gun in the world. It is also 4.5 million volts and has a super bright flashlight, red emergency flashing lights, alarm and a popular disable pin wrist strap.

If you are looking for powerful stun guns one of these five has your name all over it.

Unlike honey, Royal Jelly is not collected by the honey bees from flowers. It is a creamy white substance specially created by worker bees to feed the queen bee throughout her larval and adult life. The worker bees mix honey and bee pollen with enzymes in the glands of their throats to produce the jelly, an extraordinary and only food source for the queen bees and also often called “milk of bees” by many people.

Royal Jelly, an expensive item on the shelf, is increasingly becoming more and more popular as a beauty bee product. Precious and rare, and treasured as a beauty secret of royalty, Royal Jelly nourishes the body on the inside and revitalizes it on the outside as well. More and more girls are coming to understand what this stuff is as its benefits are extensively associated with healthier skin and hair and more youthful appearance. It is not only used in dietary supplements, but also as additions to skin lotions, creams and cosmetics. European women also have used it for its beauty benefits for centuries. Rich in estradiol, a major estrogen functioning as the primary female sex hormone, this natural substance is commonly known to be effective in treating women who have problems with their menstruation such as abnormal cycle, pain, discomfort, and fatigue.

Hailed “one of nature’s best kept secrets” by Royden Brown, author of the Bee Hive Product Bible (Avery, 1993), Royal Jelly contains an extraordinarily high concentration of vitamins B5, B6, and amino acids and is believed to be a potent antioxidant a special rejuvenating substance that promotes tissue growth, muscle and cell regeneration. It is taken as a health and energy tonic and remedy for a host of ailments such as:

1) Poor digestion

2) Stomach ulcers

3) High cholesterol

4) Insomnia

5) Menopausal symptoms

6) Fatigue

7) Colds and flu

8) Stress reactions

I found at the supermarket a drink called “Royal Jelly Honey”, which was basically honey mixed with the “bee jelly”. So far, I have already bought two bottles from the shop. My husband likes it a lot and will always ask me to mix him a glass of icy Royal Jelly honey drink whenever he has a sore throat. It tastes a bit sour and unusual when you first drink it but subsequently I think it really tastes great, especially that it was mixed with chilled water, very refreshing! Besides mineral, amino acid, and vitamins, this special jelly also contains 10-hydroxy decenoic acid which gives the sour taste. This acid can inhibit the bacterial growth and has the function of anti-cancer.

As the “milk of bees” is ultra sour and has a bitter taste and a strong odour, it is normally sold in capsule form for easy and convenient consumption. I have been advised that for best health results, the most ideal time to take this health supplement is in the morning when your stomach is empty.

Source: www.benefits-of-honey.com/royal-jelly.html