Why bananas just don’t taste as good as they used to

When the French naturalist Nicolas Baudin first transported the swollen, underground stems of the banana plant - called corms - from Southeast Asia all the way to the Caribbean island of Martinique in the early 19th century, he kicked off a chain of events that would eventually make the banana the most cultivated fruit in the world. From Martinique, a botanist by the name of Jean François Pouyat then took clippings of the plant to nearby Jamaica in 1835. The Asian fruit was a hit in the Americas and Europe, and plantations dedicated to the banana sprung up in Honduras, Costa Rica and across Central America in the subsequent years to the extent that by the early 20th century, bananas were one of the world's top exports.

But smack dab in the middle of the century, a fungal outbreak of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. Cubense broke out, decimating the world's banana plantations. Farmers called it Panama disease. Banana plants died en masse across plantations or rotted within the cargo holds of ships helmed by crews who incorrectly believed they had gotten their haul away in time. Importers quickly refused to even accept shipments of bananas, fearing they might bespoil otherwise sterile loading docks and markets. It took a century of human engineering for the banana to become the world's biggest selling fruit, but only a decade for it to be completely and irrevocably eliminated from commerce.

And yet, didn't you just spot an entire display full of bunches of the fruit in the produce section the other day at the grocery store? Did the barista not ask you if you wanted the banana or blueberry muffin the other morning at your corner cafe? If the banana was seriously stripped from the world, what gives?

It turns out that what we think of as a fairly homogenous fruit, ranging perhaps from green to yellow to brown, is actually one subspecies of more than 1,000. Not all bananas are even yellow. Hawaii is known for its Blue Javas, which are mightily resistant to cold temperatures and said to taste like ice cream. And much of Oceania is home to red bananas, growing wild. But one thing that the majority of banana varieties the world over have in common is the enormous seeds within the fruit. These seeds don't necessarily make every variety wholey inedible, but they certainly make consuming the fruit a labored affair.

What made the banana of Baudin, and later Pouyat, so special was its seedless interior. Instead of a yellow cartridge full of bullets, their banana - called the Gros Michel, of Fat Mike - held a starchy, creamy dream of a fruit within its peel. After the Gros Michels of the world died out, and indeed, the entire world's supply was totally decimated, there was a period ofjockeying for a replacement crop.

But sophisticated European and American consumers, having grown accustomed to the fruit, would hardly be persuaded to now pick the seeds out of the various sub-varieties that farmers attempted to push upon the unsuspecting public. The reputation of the fruit was nearly ruined for good in those initial post-Gros Michel years.

But one man stepped in with a solution to the global banana crisis. William Cavendish, the 6th Duke of Devonshire, had been cultivating a private banana collection in his Chatworth House estate's greenhouse after having received a shipment from Mauritius in 1834. These so-called Cavendish bananas originated on the Indian ocean island, and also had the distinction of being seedless. Cavendish was known to frequently ship these off as exotic gifts to far-flung friends and contacts, with bananas arriving across parts of Africa, Madagascar and, most influentially, the Canary Islands. Portuguese maritime traders encountered Cavendish bananas in the 19th century, and continued their expansion across the Southern Hemisphere, even as the Gros Michel competitor had achieved ubiquitousness at the time.

In 1888, Cavendish bananas were once more imported into England by the London-based importer Edward Fyffe. Finding the fruit to be en vogue, Fyffe and his business partners set up shop first in the Canary Islands, but then in the Caribbean as well, laying the groundwork for a global banana plantation network. Although they began selling Cavendish bananas in 1903 in global port cities, the fruit never really took off until the 1950s, when the Gros Michel market crashed. Fyffe Hudson & Co. was delighted to discover that the fungal outbreak had no effect on their burgeoning crop. Within a decade, the Cavendish banana would become the new global standard.

Cavendish bananas are the crop we see in our mind's eye when we imagine a banana today, but that was hardly the case 100 years ago. Gros Michel bananas were yellow as well, but the peels were heartier and more resistant to bruising. And the fruit within stayed fresh and more flavorful for longer periods, shipped across seas to reach ports hungry for the tropical fruit. By nearly every measure, the Gros Michel was a superior fruit, at least in terms of globalization and capitalism. But the biggest distinction between the today's Cavendish and the Gros Michel was surely the taste, with the earlier mainstay possessing a more pronounced, brighter and fuller flavor.

In fact, if you've ever wondered why artificial banana flavor - like in Runts or Laffy Taffy candies - doesn't taste quite like banana in the way that say, orange candy tastes like oranges, here's something for you to chew on. Artificial banana flavor was a replication of the Gros Michel taste, not of the Cavendish. Artificial banana flavoring draws much of its taste from the inclusion of isoamyl acetate, an organic compound found naturally in all varieties of banana, but in especially high concentrations in the Gros Michel. Cavendish bananas, on the other hand, possess a more complex chemical makeup, with larger numbers of volatile compounds that distract from the flavor of the isoamyl acetate.

You’ve probably been eating fake cinnamon your whole life

You may be carefully following your great-grandmother's apple pie recipe, but there's a chance she'd say it doesn't taste quite right, and for good reason: you're probably using the wrong cinnamon.

In the 1950s, most of the cinnamon Americans consumed was the Saigon variety from Vietnam. Saigon cinnamon - the peeled and ground inner bark of an evergreen tree native to mainland Southeast Asia - has a rich and slightly spicy flavor thanks to high levels of essential oils and a flavonoid called cinnemaldehyde. When the U.S. government imposed a trade embargo on Vietnam beginning in 1964, Saigon cinnamon became almost impossible to import, and spice sellers were forced to find another way to fill American cupboards.

Importers found a cheap substitute in Indonesia - a variety called Korintje. It's a botanical cousin to Saigon cinnamon, but it's much more bitter and doesn't have the same depth of flavor. Unground Saigon cinnamon bark looks like a flaky, dark-hued mulch. The rigid, pale sticks (or "quills") common in an autumn potpourri are Korintje.

Despite the end of the Vietnam trade embargo in 1994, most store-brand cinnamon is a far cry from the real stuff.

Commercially available ground cinnamon - almost always the Indonesian Korintje variety - is often mixed with fillers. Scientists at the Indian Institute of Spices Research used a process called DNA barcoding to test market samples. They found that 70% contained powdered beechnut husk, ground hazelnut or almond shell dust, dyed and aromatized using cinnamaldehyde and marketed as cinnamon.

There may be hope for your family recipes though: Robert Orth, who owns Calicutts Spice Co. in Lemoyne, Pennsylvania, says shoppers are becoming more and more interested in Saigon cinnamon.

"In the past few years, Saigon cinnamon has become really trendy and en vogue," he says. "People are starting to return to those flavors our grandparents were using in their kitchens."

A third cinnamon variety is also gaining popularity in U.S. markets: Ceylon cinnamon, which grows almost exclusively in Sri Lanka.

"Ceylon is the inner bark of the Cinamomum Zeylanicum tree," Most of the crop goes to Europe and Mexico. We haven't developed a taste for it in America until recently. I do carry it in my shop, and many times I get people who've been cooking their entire lives and this is the first time they smell the freshly-ground bark of the cinnamon tree. It has a much mellower taste - a lot sweeter. It's one of those spices that doesn't necessarily pair well with a lot of flavors. It has subtle nuances to it, so you want it to be the star of the dish.

Helen Brohier, a Sri Lanka-based spice seller, says Ceylon cinnamon may be less popular in the U.S. because of its higher price point - up to 10 times more expensive than either the Indonesian or Vietnamese varieties.

Historically, Ceylon was one of the first traded and most popular spices in the world, considered a gift fit for ancient kings. Today, Ceylon is used extensively in Sri Lankan cuisine, and is commonly usedfor medicinal purposes. It contains large amounts of antioxidants and can be used as an anti-inflammatory, and in animal studies, it's been shown to reduce blood pressure.

A baker's best choice is Saigon cinnamon, because the high essential oil content mixes well in batters.

"Anywhere you want that sharp cinnamon flavor - like cinnamon on steroids - use Saigon," It compliments apples, pumpkin, squash - you name it.

If you're springing for the Ceylon, though, let that flavor take center stage.

"Mix a little into your coffee or oatmeal, but don't bring in a lot of other flavors,"  eat it on plain vanilla ice cream. Whatever you use it on, it changes the whole dynamic."

While commercial brands like McCormick & Company do market Saigon and Ceylon cinnamon in their gourmet lines, the best way to be sure you're getting the "real thing" is to find a local spice purveyor who knows the origin of their product.

This year at Thanksgiving, get your hands on some Saigon cinnamon for that apple pie recipe. You'll be telling the truth when you say it's just like the one grandma used to make. And maybe adding Ceylon to your spice cabinet won't make you feel like ancient royalty, but you'll certainly be eating like a king.

What's the point of leaving the tail on shrimp?

I love a good shrimp scampi, or shrimp and grits, or shrimp fradiavolo. But what is the deal with serving these dishes with tail on shrimp? Peel-and-eat shrimp: Sure, leave the tail on. It’s in the name, after all. Fried shrimp: Yeah, the tail forms a little handle to make it easier to eat by hand. Cocktail shrimp: Same deal. But restaurants have to know that most people who ordered shrimp scampi aren’t going to crunch through the tail portion, so why is it even there? 

Yes, this is a minor quibble. If the dish is delicious, I’m probably not going to have my night ruined by a handful of shrimp tails. But so much thought goes into plating food these days that I’m baffled by the presence of these irksome little crustacean bits. Before I can dig in to a forkful of creamy pasta and juicy shrimp, I have to put down my fork and knife, touch the buttery shrimp, pick off the silly shell-tail, and then put it… where, exactly? Unlike mussels-with-frites or peel-and-eat shrimp, I’m rarely given a separate bowl to discard the shrimp tails, which end up collecting like so many transparent toenails at the edge of my plate—hardly an appetizing prospect.

I mean, what is the deal, I ask, why do chefs leave tails on the shrimp if I’m just going to pluck them off? 

“I’m with you in the group that thinks that if it’s a homogeneous dish that’s meant to be spooned or forked all as one bite, it should be tail-off,” he tells me. “Maybe because tail-on shrimp are slightly cheaper than tail off? Maybe because it’s a lazy chef who doesn’t want to go through the tedious effort of shelling and/or tailing shrimp? Maybe the chefs want the presentation to have the tails on?”

Interesting theories, I think, but nothing conclusive. So I keep digging. Maybe it has something to do with locking the flavor inside the shrimp? 

Shrimp shells are quite flavorful and can impart that flavor into the surrounding dish—shrimp stock, the shrimp meat itself—if it’s cooked long enough.  

“However, in a dish like shrimp scampi, the shrimp are cooked for just a couple of minutes, so it’s unlikely the tail imparts any flavor,” he tells me. “It’s just there for presentation reasons; same reason the clams in spaghetti alle vongole are in their shells.”

That’s it? Aesthetics? I do a Google Images search for shrimp pasta. At least a solid half of the recipes show shrimp with tails firmly attached, ready to impede pasta-to-face inhalation. Even Bon Appetit’s shrimp scampi recipe is illustrated with tail-on shrimp.

“To be honest, I think it’s really an aesthetic thing,” Even down to something as pop-culturey as the shrimp emoji—imagine if the shrimp tail wasn’t on the shrimp emoji, you actually probably wouldn’t know what it was. It’s iconic. So unfortunately it’s just there because that’s what we’re used to seeing. ”

The shrimp tails are annoying when I’m trying to eat with a knife and fork. “It doesn’t serve any function and to be perfectly honest, in a pasta dish, I’d prefer it to be gone,” he agrees. (Amen!) “But if you pull the tail off, which is easy to do, and then cook it, it just looks weird. There are these three little… they’re almost like little filaments. It would look like a weird deformed, floppy piece of shrimp. It would just look unappetizing.”

Hmm. Deformed, floppy piece of shrimp vs. ease of eating said piece of shrimp? It turns out the question of pasta dishes with tail-on shrimp is one of pure aesthetics and presentation, not flavor or laziness. That knowledge stirs something almost existential in me: Do I expect a dish at a restaurant to be presented in the way that is easiest for me to eat, or do I mind a bit of artistry? I still think it’s silly to have to touch saucy shrimp to remove their tails before enjoying my dish of pasta, but maybe next time I order the shrimp scampi, I’ll snap a photo first. Then the tails will have served a small purpose. 

People Fall Into 4 Distinct Personality Types

Determining our personality type has come a long way since the fun magazine quizzes that we did in middle school.  

Personality types have officially crossed over into our adult lives and they've become a whole lot more complicated than they used to be. Instead of answering some quick questions to determine who our ideal celeb crush is or which character you are from a popular movie, we now have more intricate tests that reveal much deeper insight into ourselves.

Personality types have taken on a whole new meaning and importance to us as we try to know more about who we are as individuals. We're now trying to understand what makes us the complex humans that we are. 

In fact, personality type analysis has basically become a science of its own. Scientists who study personality believe that it is an ever-changing phenomenon, where people are constantly morphing from certain personality traits to others as they grow older. However, a new study has now determined that there may be four main types that most people fall under. 

Researchers at Northwestern University discovered these four distinct types from data that was gathered from online quizzes taken by people all over the world. The data taken was then applied to what is known as the Big Five basic personality traits. These are the current professional traits used by psychologists who study personality. These five traits are agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and extraversion. After this research was complete, the four main types became apparent.

So what are these four distinct personality types? And which one might you fall under? Here is some more information on the four main personality types people will fall under, based on this study.

1. Average
This is the most common category, hence why it's called average. In regards to the Big Five traits, those falling under this type scored high in extraversion and neuroticism and low in openness. The study also found that women are more likely to make up this type than men.

2. Self-Centered
If you're a male teenager, then you're most likely to be this type. This personality type scores the highest in extraversion, but considerably low in conscientiousness, openness, and agreeableness. According to researchers of the study, most teenage boys constitute this type. The good news is that many people with this type will grow out of it as it was found that the amount of people making up this personality lessens with age.

3. Reserved
This is the most emotionally stable of the four types. These people are not particularly neurotic or open, but they do score low on extraversion. They're also usually conscientious and agreeable individuals.

4. Role Models
This is the fourth personality type and it's not hard to understand why they're called the role models. As high scorers in every Big Five trait with the exception of neuroticism, this is probably the most coveted type. Luckily, it's also pretty attainable as the probability of a person falling under this type will become a greater possibility as you get older.

These people are reliable leaders who are always ready for new ideas. There's also some serious girl power going on with this type. It's much more likely for women to be this personality than it is for men.

Although four main types were revealed in the study, it's important to realize that these four personality types will not apply to everyone. "These statistical learning algorithms do not automatically produce the right answer," 

"What we're describing is the likelihood of being at certain parts of that distribution; we're not saying that everyone is in one of those four categories."

Liability for Impersonating Someone Online

Does the law allow you to impersonate someone online? An American woman in New Jersey found a possible answer to this question. She  was charged with identity theft and faced 18 months in prison for impersonating her ex-boyfriend on Facebook and posting defamatory comments in his name. But what about the law in other countries? Can a person also be legally liable for impersonating someone on social media outside of America? The answer depends on whether: impersonating another person online infringes a legal right of that person, and whether there is a law which makes the impersonator liable for such an infringement.

The Right to Identity
The law gives a person the right to identity, although it is generally protected under the right to privacy. This right is infringed if any part of a person’s identity is used in a way that does not fit with the characteristics of the actual person concerned. A part of a person’s identity is anything that makes that person unique when compared to other people. The parts of a person’s identity that are relevant to their online identity are their name, likeness and life history.

There are two ways that a person’s identity can be infringed. First, is when the person is publicly misrepresented. Second is when part of the person’s identity is used by someone else for personal gain without that person’s permission. Impersonating someone else online can infringe their identity in either or both of these ways.

Civil or Criminal Law
A person can be held liable for infringing another person’s identity in terms of civil law or criminal law. In terms of civil law, a person can sue another person in delict for infringing their identity. However, impersonating someone else online will only be a delict if: it causes harm to that person; they were impersonated intentionally; and a court finds that the impersonation was wrongful because it was against society’s morals. In terms of criminal law, the state can prosecute someone under the crime of crimen injuria for infringing another person’s identity. Impersonating someone else online can be prosecuted in this way if: it damages that person’s reputation; they were impersonated intentionally; and the damage to that person’s reputation is serious.

Legal Consequences
A fake social media account, on a website like Twitter or Facebook, could result in legal action against the impersonator in terms of either civil or criminal law. However, this presupposes that one is able to ascertain the true identity of the impersonator. This is not often easy. The impersonator could face a monetary award in favor of the impersonated person if they are held liable in terms of civil law or criminal punishment if they are held liable in terms of criminal law. There is no reason why someone could not be held liable for impersonating a celebrity or another high profile person online, however a court may find that the impersonation is not wrongful or serious enough if a person is already in the public space.

Bring on the Heat: 11 Dishes Made with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos

The cult-favorite junk food is having a moment at restaurants across the country, firing up burgers, pizza and even ice cream.

1. Hot as Hell at Drill'd Ice Cream Mix masters, Fountain Valley, California

Believe it or not, regular Flamin' Hot Cheetos were actually not spicy enough to stand up to the ice cream at Drill'd. For more heat, the California dessert shop turned to Frito-Lay’s Xxtra Flamin' Hot variety, which it blends into a vanilla ice cream base using a high-speed drilling contraption. The resulting soft serve — finished with a dusting of ground Cheetos — comes out as a pale pink swirl. Don’t be fooled by its charming color: There’s a reason the flavor has been dubbed the Hot as Hell.

2. Hot Cheetos Macaron at Indulge Gourmet Desserts, Tomball, Texas

The rotating flavors at Treney Juarez’s macaron stand mix high with low. Some, like the fig-goat cheese and salted caramel, skew more classically French, while others, such as the recently debuted hot Cheetos and sour apple, are inspired by the Houston pastry chef’s own guilty pleasures. The Flamin’ Hot Cheetos cookie calls for white chocolate ganache blended with crushed puffs and macaron shells colored a bright red to match.

3. Cheesesteak with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos at Lefty’s Famous Cheese Steak Hoagies Grill, Dearborn, Michigan

This twist on Philadelphia’s signature hoagie may not garner support from traditionalists, but should be a hit with the population of eaters who add potato chips to their sandwiches. Created by owner Sam Berry — the restaurant’s namesake lefty — the sandwich boasts all the typical cheesesteak fillings (thin-sliced beef, grilled onions, a mix of white American and Swiss cheeses) with a handful of the curly neon puffs strewn on top for added texture.

4. Cheet-o-lote at Dodgers Stadium, Los Angeles

According to the origin tale, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos were the brainchild of Richard Montanez, a former janitor who took home a defective batch of regular Cheetos and sprinkled them with elote spices. The story comes full circle at Dodgers Stadium, where the Mexican street-food staple — a 2017 mid-season addition promoted to this year’s permanent lineup — is slathered in chipotle-lime mayo and hot Cheetos powder.

5. High Roller at Hopdoddy Burger Bar, Austin

The patty specialists at this Texas-based chain are no strangers to wildly spicy burgers. In 2014, Hopdoddy debuted a fiery ghost-pepper special that was so hot, daredevil diners were required to sign a waiver before eating it. The new limited-edition High Roller may not bring the same level of spice, but it’s certainly no slacker, featuring a taco-seasoned beef patty, pepperoni, mozzarella and Cool Ranch fries sandwiched between two hemp-seed buns. To tie it all together, chefs have created a Flamin’ Hot ketchup that’s as vibrant as the chip itself — and has a spoonful of cookie dough on the side to temper the heat.

6. Mac and Cheetos Pizza at Corner Joint, Lawndale, California

This California pizza joint marries two comfort foods into one and takes the so-extra step of finishing the pie with a hot Cheetos crumble. The pizza starts as any regular one does — with fresh mozzarella on dough — but quickly enters over-the-top territory thanks to a cheesy spread made from penne pasta. It’s baked 'til the crust is charred, then garnished with arugula, spicy ranch dressing and the aforementioned Cheetos topping.

7. Hot Cheetos Mac and Cheese at Mac’d, San Francisco

Beloved by both owners of Mac’d, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos were a no-brainer addition to the topping options at this fast-casual build-your-own mac bar in the Marina. After a few trials involving economy-sized bags of the red stuff, they discovered that spicy Cheetos actually take on a smoky aroma when baked, a perfect complement to the dozen or so mix-ins (bacon, mushrooms, and more) available for taking the gooey bowls to the next level.

8. Flamin’ Hot Burrito at Tu Taco Taco Shop, Chula Vista, California

Burritos usually get a kick from hot sauce. But at San Diego street-food spot Tu Taco Taco, there’s an unexpected ingredient spicing things up: Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Owner Victor Osuna adds pulverized bits of the corn puffs onto a cheese-covered tortilla and wraps it around a regular burrito stuffed with carne asada, cheddar and, in true California style, French fries, to make a handheld meal that’s not for the mild of palate.

9. Hot Cheetos Doughnut at Donut Fantasy, Fresno, California

The menu at Donut Fantasy reads like a list of childhood indulgences — there are doughnuts topped with frosted animal crackers, Fruity Pebbles cereal and, on the savory side, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. The inventive concoction came to owner Nick Hamby when he spotted a bag in the pantry. After considering how delicious sweet-and-spicy chicken can be, he decided to dip a vanilla-white chocolate frosted doughnut in the blazing spirals.

10. Hot Cheeto-rito at The Lowkey Poke Joint, Garden Grove, California

Sushi burritos — a Frankenfood all over Instagram — get another made-for-social-media transformation at The Lowkey Poke Joint. Filled with sushi-grade fish and your choice of vegetables, plus sticky calrose rice, the giant sushi roll gets a colorful crunchy shell of crushed Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

11. Flamin' Hot Cheetos Bagel at The Bagel Nook, Freehold, New Jersey

Creative bagels abound at this family-owned shop, where typical flavors like everything spice and cinnamon-raisin are sold alongside the Cookie Monster and Flamin' Hot. The latter brings the heat in the form of a spicy Cheetos crust, added after the bagels have been proofed, boiled and baked, with ghost-pepper cream cheese. If that sounds too extreme, customers can pair it with a Cool Ranch spread inspired by Doritos, naturally.

Narcissists have thicker, denser, more distinct eyebrows

Narcissists can be tricky to spot, especially if you are in a romantic relationship with one. This tends to be because they rely on using and manipulating others to fulfill their needs and desires, all while blending in like a chameleon.

There are three distinct types of narcissists, and they often behave in specific callous ways. But it can take some time to work out their patterns. Even when they are exposed for what they are, narcissists can still hook in their victims again by promising they will change, and giving out intermittent reinforcement.

But according to a new study, published in the Journal of Personality, you may be able to detect a narcissist by focusing on one particular facial feature, their eyebrows.

Researchers recruited participants to look at the faces of people who were all across the narcissistic spectrum, from a normal level to full blown narcissist,  and it turned out they were pretty good at identifying them.

Strangely, when participants were shown pictures of just the eyebrows, they could correctly identify the narcissists too.

They highlighted femininity, grooming, and distinctiveness when they picked out the narcissists, but results showed it was distinctiveness that was key,  narcissists tended to have darker, thicker, more distinctive eyebrows.

The researchers tested the results again by Photoshopping narcissists' brows onto the faces of non-narcissists, and vice versa, and the eyebrows gave the game away away again.

Eyebrows make our faces more recognisable, and in recent years they have become something of a fashion statement. Narcissists may like to make a statement with their brows so to tantalise potential love interests and make an impression.

As the authors wrote, they might "seek to maintain distinct eyebrows to facilitate others' ability to notice, recognise, and remember them; thereby increasing their likability and reinforcing their overly positive self-views."

It could also simply be because eyebrows give away more social messages than we realise. They are important for our facial expressions, but could also reveal subtle, subconscious information too.

"The ability to identify dark personality traits at zero-acquaintance provides particular value for avoiding exploitation and manipulation," the researchers wrote.

"The increasing incidence of narcissism underscores this value. Fortunately, people can accurately judge others' narcissism based on how they act, what they say, what they wear, and what their faces look like."

Whatever secrets eyebrows hold that mean they may reveal someone's dark personality, they could be reason enough to steer clear.

She Suspiciously Paid For Everything In Cash For Years, Then People Realized Why

1. A Mysterious Woman
Anna Delvey was a woman who everyone in the New York socialite scene used to know. If one were to ask where she came from, it’s unlikely that anyone would get the same answer twice. She appeared in the Soho socialite scene and cunningly placed herself in all the places people wanted to be.

Just from looking at Anna you could tell that she came from money. That was also reflected in the way she acted. She acted like she could do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. That was among one of the reasons why no one realized what she was really up to for years.

2. A Wealthy Heiress
Anna Delvey didn’t have a permanent address. She simply flitted from hotel to hotel, occasionally leaving the country to restart her tourist visa. When Anna moved into a new boutique Soho hotel at 11 Howard Street, she quickly gained a reputation.

According to the people who knew her, she was always in the right place at the right time. She also knew all the right people, which is why the Soho hotel hadn’t even asked her for a credit card. Those people were helping her reach an ambitious goal, but they would ultimately lead to her downfall as well

3. The High Life
Anna Delvey lived the life of a celebrity, handing out $100 tips like it was nothing and always wearing high-end designer clothing. She quickly made friends with the concierge at 11 Howard, a young woman named Neffatari Davis, known as Neff for short.

Neff was intrigued from the moment Anna Delvey walked into the hotel. She was staying for a month, an unusually long time. It was something that only wealthy celebrities did. Each time she came down to the concierge desk, there was a $100 bill waiting for Neff.

4. A Soho Socialite
To Neff Davis, Anna Delvey seemed to fit the perfect profile of a Soho socialite and someone that she should get as close to as possible. Neff was a budding cinematographer and Anna’s connections could only help further her career.

Anna would come down to the desk to ask for recommendations on places to eat or places to go, but it quickly became apparent that Anna already knew the best places to go. She even knew the owners, bartenders and waiters. So why was she getting so close to Neff?

5. A Friend
It quickly dawned on Neff that Anna Delvey wasn’t a guest that needed her information, but rather wanted her time. She wanted a friend at the hotel and that’s exactly what she got. As Anna and Neff grew closer, so did the danger.

“You just sit there and listen, because that’s your concierge life,” Neff later recalled. The interactions weren’t foreign to her, but it was the first time that she stayed friends with a guest outside of work hours. Pretty soon they were going out to restaurants and clubs together.

6. $100 Bills
Anna gained a reputation as one of the most generous guests at the 11 Howard hotel by giving $100 tips. “People would fight to take her packages upstairs,” said Neff. “Fight, because you knew you were getting $100.”

Anna Delvey knew that money spoke louder than words and she was never short of her $100 bills. She paid for everything in cash and exclusively $100 bills. No one knew where her money came from, nor did they ask.

7. Princess On Vacation?
“She gave to everyone,” said Neff. “Uber drivers, $100 cash. Meals — listen. You know how you reach for your credit card? She wouldn’t let me.” Anna Delvey even got a personal trainer/life-coach for the small price of $4,500.

With all the money Anna threw around it was obvious that she was very wealthy, and from her European accent, it was assumed that she was the daughter of a wealthy European family and going to inherit millions. Anna seemed like a princess who was just taking a vacation away from her castle.

8. Celeb Friends
Apart from befriending Neff Davis, Anna Delvey took to organizing and hosting large dinners at Le Coucou, a nearby expensive French restaurant. The events were amazingly star-studded. In attendance were CEOs, artists, athletes and even celebrities.

Anna’s new gal-pal Neff was, of course, invited to attend the dinners. One night she even found herself seated next to Macaulay Culkin, an experience she called described as awkward. “I had so many questions. And he was right there. But they were talking about, like, friend stuff. So I never got the chance to be like, ‘So, you the godfather to Michael Jackson’s kids?’”

9. A Way With People
Anna Delvey had a secret power of persuasion. She knew people and how to get in good with them. On the outside, she looked like a typical girl, in many ways unremarkable. But she had a way with people.

One man who met Anna at Paris Fashion Week described her as a sweet and polite girl who simply introduced herself and then all of a sudden she was just hanging out with his friends and making conversation. That was Anna’s main asset: she was a people person.

10. The Right Places
According to those who knew Anna, “She managed to be in all the sort of right places.” She showed up to a Berlin party on a private jet wearing the fanciest of clothing. No one knew where her wealth came from, though.

“There are so many trust-fund kids running around,” said a marketing director named Saleh who knew Anna. “Everyone is your best friend, and you don’t know a thing about anyone.” But as people would soon find out, Anna was one person you didn’t want to know.

11. Michael Xufu Huang
Anna met Michael Xufu Huang, a highly successful art collector and museum founder, at an art show and the two immediately bonded. So much so that they decided to take a trip to Italy to celebrate the Venice Biennale together.

Anna asked Michael to put the flight and hotel on his credit card, something that he found “a little weird.” She, of course, promised to pay him back. Michael didn’t think much of it at the time, considering that it wasn’t a lot of money for him. But would she ever pay him back?

12. Venice
While in Italy Michael thought it was odd that Anna Delvey paid for everything in cash. It was odd… but still not a red flag that something was amiss. Then the trip came to an end. And when it came time to pay Michael back

She seemingly forgot all about it. This, however, was nothing new to Michael. He was familiar with the super-rich. And when you’re super-rich, you can afford to be forgetful of seemingly minor details. After some time, Michael forgot too.

13. The Birthday Bash
For Anna’s Birthday, she decided to go all out and throw herself a party to remember. She hired a PR firm to organize everything and make sure loads of successful people showed up. She also invited Michael, her super-rich friend.

The party was a success and everything seemingly went well, until afterward. Michael received a message a few days after the party asking for Anna Delvey’s contact information because “she didn’t pay her bill.” And that’s when Michael realized… Anna isn’t who she appeared to be.

14. Origin Theories
Just who was Anna Delvey, and where did she come from? People began to wonder. No one was quite sure, and everyone who knew her had a different story about where they thought she came from and where her wealth came from.

One friend stated that Anna Delvey’s father was a diplomat to Russia and that she had “family money.” Another friend was told that her father was an oil-industry titan. But just who was the real Anna Delvey and what was she up to?

15. Speculations
Another friend was certain that her family was big into antiques in Germany, and that’s where her wealth came from. But unfortunately, all of the theories were wrong. Anna Delvey (if that really was her real name) would surprise everyone in the end.

The speculations didn’t bother Anna. In fact, it was the opposite. The more people wondered who and where she came from, the more intrigue there was surrounding her. And she wasn’t about to let anything get in the way of fulling her ultimate goal.

16. The ADF
Anna Delvey’s goal was to establish an exclusive club featuring art called The Anna Delvey Foundation, or ADF for short. She even hired a creative director, London-based Marc Kremers, to help her with the branding of her new venture. After scouting spots for the new club, she eventually found the perfect location.

Anna decided that she would take on the redevelopment of a location at 281 Park Avenue South. The only catch? She would need to take out millions of dollars in loans. So through her connections, she found someone willing to help her.

17. Empty Promises
Anna’s financial partner, who was helping her to purchase the location, wrote in an email that she needed the loan because “her personal assets, which are quite substantial, are located outside the US, some of them in a trust with UBS outside the US.”

Anna Delvey promised that she had the resources necessary to pay. She also promised not to embarrass the firm in any way — promises that she wouldn’t exactly be able to keep. She continued trying to purchase the location.

18. Martin Shkreli
As financial concerns grew, Anna Delvey started fundraising and inviting wealthier guests to her dinner events. One of the guests she got close to was notorious “pharma bro” Martin Shkreli, the man who came under fire when his company raised the price of a critical medication from $13 to $750. He was later convicted of securities fraud and is currently serving prison time.

“Anna did seem to be a popular ‘woman about town’ who knew everyone,” Shkreli wrote. “Even though I was nationally known, I felt like a computer geek next to her.” Anna also picked up a few tricks from Shkreli, tricks that she would later use for revenge.

19. Unraveling Begins
Anna was very serious about the opening of her supposed foundation. “She was always on the phone with lawyers,” said Neff, who would overhear conversations at the hotel. “They were always toning her down. Like, ‘Anna, you’re trying to make something that’s worth this much be worth that much, and that’s just not how it works.’ ”

Then one night Anna asked Neff out to dinner and when it came time to pay the bill, it was clear that she was having cash issues. She even tried to pay with around 12 credit cards… all of them were declined. That’s when things started unraveling for Anna Delvey.

20. Payment Problems Abound
Not only was Anna Delvey having cash-flow issues, she had a much larger issue on her hands. She still hadn’t paid for her stay at 11 Howard. In fact, they didn’t even have a credit card on file for her.

The hotel had been treating Anna Delvey as a valued guest, being that she was a German heiress and a client of the hotel’s owner (the owner owned the location she was attempting to purchase) so the hotel agreed to accept a wire transfer for payment. But after a month and a half, still no payment had been made.

21. Over Her Head
The hotel’s manager asked Neff to deal with the delicate issue of Anna’s bill, considering that they were close friends after all. Anna owed the hotel around $30,000. Neff still believed that Anna was good for the money and went to talk to her about it.

Anna promised that a wire transfer was on the way from the bank. But what she didn’t reveal to Neff was how much she was in over her head. Things were falling apart for Anna. But then a few days later something amazing happened.

22. No More Games
The hotel received a wire transfer on behalf of Anna Delvey in the amount of $30,000. And suddenly everything was back to normal for the young socialite. Or at least that is what she thought. She was in for a rude awakening.

The hotel still hadn’t received a working credit card number for Anna’s room. With bills racking up daily, the hotel was done playing games. They demanded a valid credit card, and if none would be provided, they threatened to change the code on her room.

23. Rude Awakening
When no credit card was provided, the code to her room was changed, locking her out. Anna Delvey was furious, she couldn’t believe that she was being treated like a commoner. That’s when she pulled out a trick that she learned from Martin Shkreli

She told the hotel managers that she would purchase web domains in all of their names so that they would have to pay her one day to get them. But in the meantime, Anna was off on a vacation to Morocco with her personal trainer (who remained unnamed), and a videographer named Rachel Williams.

24. Morocco
The trip to Morocco was also rife with issues. Anna’s personal trainer got food poisoning and returned to the US early. A few days later, the trainer got a call from a hysterical Anna. According to Anna, her credit card wasn’t going through.

The manager at the hotel was threatening to call the police and have her arrested. So she pleaded with the personal trainer to let her use her credit card and pay her back. That card also didn’t go through. After another card didn’t go through, the hotel conceded that perhaps there was an issue on their end.

25. Kicked Out
When Anna returned to the US, she moved into another hotel. But the same issue occurred again. She couldn’t provide a valid credit card to pay her $11,518 debt, so she was eventually kicked out and her belongings were confiscated. Anna was now on the streets of New York City. Once a socialite, now homeless

Anna did her hotel scheme once more, but only got away with it for a few days before she was kicked out, like at the hotels before. Anna begged her personal trainer to let her spend the night at her place, making vague suicide threats. The trainer didn’t really want her there and had a date over at the time but felt it was an emergency situation.

26. A Friend Scammed
So, just how did Anna Delvey end up paying for that expensive hotel in Morocco? The bill landed on Rachael Williams. After being threatened with jail time she was forced to put $62,000 on her American Express card, more than she makes in a year.

When the trainer found out that her friend had been forced to foot the bill, she was furious. That was the last straw. She realized that she knew nothing about who Anna Delvey really was and that they had been duped.

27. Unwelcome
Anna’s trainer told the alleged German heiress socialite to leave her house. But Anna left her laptop behind, perhaps in an attempt to come back and stay. But the trainer wasn’t about to fall for the childish tactic. She left the computer at the front desk for Anna to collect.

But Anna Delvey didn’t just come to get her computer; she came and she stayed in the lobby, insisting to see her trainer. Even though the trainer was home, she refused to let her up. That’s when things really started to get bad for Anna.

28. An Intervention
Pretty soon there was no hotel in the city that would let her stay, seeing as she didn’t have any money. She even begged one of her lawyers to stay over at his place. He, of course, didn’t agree and didn’t want to bring Anna home to his wife.

The lawyer did, however, get in touch with Anna’s trainer. She also declined to let her stay at her house. But she did invite Anna to what would be an intervention at a nearby restaurant. She and a group of other people Anna owed money to were there.

29. Payback
The group intervention was harsh, and rightfully so. Anna had swindled tens of thousands of dollars out of her so-called friends and colleagues. Anna started crying at one point, saying that she would have enough money to pay everyone back after she gets her lease signed.

That’s when they broke the news to her, the location that she was eyeing for her Anna Delvey Foundation had been rented to someone else. She brushed off the news, stating that it was all “fake news.” Then something drastic happened.

30. The Con
By this point articles were already being published about Anna, calling her a “wannabe socialite.” Anna didn’t take the news very well. She was in tears, claiming that everything everyone was saying about her was a lie.

Anna, however, was head-strong and stuck to her same old story that she had the money and that things had just taken a wrong turn. By the end of the intervention, Rachel wasn’t convinced. The very next day she emailed the New York District Attorney’s Office, she included an article about Anna and the words “I think this woman is a con-artist.” It wasn’t long before Rachel received a call, the person on the other end said, “we think you’re right.”

31. The First Arrest
Anna was soon arrested for her outstanding hotel bills. “WANNABE SOCIALITE BUSTED FOR SKIPPING OUT ON PRICEY HOTEL BILLS,” the newspapers heralded as soon as they caught wind of the story. Anna found herself a lawyer and got out on bail. From there it was back to the usual.

She somehow gathered some funds and took a trip to California where she was arrested again, in Malibu. She was forced to return to New York “to face six counts of grand larceny and attempted grand larceny, in addition to theft of services.”

32. The Truth
Anna was sent to Rikers Island jail without bail this time. She is currently awaiting trial and faces a possible 15 years in prison. And as it turned out, she wasn’t a German heiress after all. Her real name was Anna Sorokin and she was born in Russia in 1991. Her family later moved to Germany in 2007.

And she was certainly no heiress. She came from a working-class family. When they were asked about a trust fund, they reportedly said that it was the first that they ever heard of such a fund. Meaning, it doesn’t exist.

33. The Plea
Even after being caught Anna is still trying her best to sweet talk her way out of paying for her crimes in full. She offered the judge a plea deal of one to three years imprisonment. An offer that was boldly rejected by the presiding judge.

Instead, the judge offered her a counter deal of between three to nine years imprisonment at most. Anna “Delvey” Sorokin turned down the deal, electing to go to trial. Depending on how that turns out, she might regret not taking the offer.

34. No Remorse
According to the judge, Justice Diane Kiesel, Anna has shown “no remorse” for her actions. Kiesel also stated that Anna’s plea offer of one to three years in prison was nothing more than a “slap on the wrist.”

Unfortunately for Anna, it looks like the judges on her case are out for blood as they say. They seem more than willing to throw the entire book at her, as she faces up to 15 years in prison for her crimes.

35. Netflix
Anna is currently awaiting trial and there is going to be a Netflix series made based on her life. One of the judges in the case has said that Anna is more concerned with who will be playing her in the series than her crimes.

“This place is not that bad at all actually,” Anna said in regards to being held at Rikers. “People seem to think it’s horrible, but I see it as like, this sociological experiment.” Even her lawyer said that Anna appears to be doing very well in prison.

36. The Sociological Experiment
According to Anna “Delvey” Sorokin’s lawyer, “She is like a unicorn in there.” She has reportedly made lots of friends in prison and finds the murderers the most fascinating of all the inmates. She takes pleasure in studying the inmates surrounding her.

“This one girl, she’s been stealing other people’s identities. I didn’t realize it was so easy,” Anna said fascinated, which leaves many people wondering if she is enjoying her time behind bars just to learn more tricks of the trade.

37. Park Avenue South
Anna’s dream of founding the Anna Delvey Foundation has understandably fallen through. The space she was planning on using for the foundation at 281 Park Avenue South was leased out in July to a Swedish photography organization called Fotografiska.

Anna still speaks about opening her foundation (named after her alias) which was to be an “arts-focused members club.” And while she does admit that she did some wrong things, she says that it “doesn’t diminish the hundred things” she “did right.”

So just how did she manage to swindle so many people?


38. How She Did It
Experts on Anna’s case believe Anna Sorokin allegedly scammed people and numerous banks and hotels out of around $275,000. She allegedly used falsified documents to acquire loans from banks. Those documents showed that she had millions of dollars in banks in Europe.

She also floated bad checks between banks and took out lines of credit that she had no way of paying back. Perhaps her plan was to pay it all back after her business took off the ground. But that would be wishful thinking.

39. Ingenious
The way that Anna Sorokin was able to fool everyone was quite ingenious. From check-kiting, false documents, loans and through her friends, she was able to live a lavish lifestyle and swindle people out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

That being said, it was almost inevitable that she would get caught. Had her Anna Devley Foundation taken off of the ground and was able to bring in a profit, she might have even gotten away with it all and became the socialite that she appeared to be on the outside.

40. Mail Me
A number of posts have appeared on Anna’s Instagram account since her imprisonment in Rikers Island. Is she Instagramming from prison? Not likely… But the content of the posts is very interesting. It seems that she is loving all the fame and attention.

Anna is encouraging people to write to her while she is behind bars. But don’t plan on visiting her anytime soon. Perhaps the person on the outside that is posting this stuff for Anna is just another Anna “Delvey”… Be careful who you trust.

A Hotel 'Breakfast Bandit' Is on the Loose in Georgia

One of the frequent benefits of staying at a hotel is the free lobby breakfast. Although it may just be a bowl of cereal, croissant, or a waffle from the griddle, it’s a nice perk.

Admit it. We’ve all wondered how easy it would be to wander into a hotel, dine on the free breakfast and then dash before anybody noticed. But one man is actually out doing it, and proving that it's probably a bad idea. Police in Dalton, Georgia, are searching for a man they’re calling the “hotel breakfast bandit,” 

The man has been wandering into chain hotels and stealing things like plastic silverware, shampoo and towels, in addition to the free buffet breakfast.

Earlier this month, the man wandered into a Holiday Inn Express in Dalton. He ate from the free breakfast bar in the lobby and began wandering the hotel halls. He was spotted by security, and after being approached by the general manager of the Holiday Inn, the man said he was “just checking how easy it is to get into hotels and get free stuff." “I think he knew. This hotel is known for its breakfast,” 

A few days later, the man showed up at a Quality Inn. He snuck into one of the hotel rooms as it was being cleaned. The day after that, he wandered into a Super 8 and told the front desk he left his cellphone in his room. They said they would call police if he stayed.

So far, the man has not been spotted at any other hotels in the area.

Pork with Peaches

This is another stir-fry dish that is meant to have lots of sauce to mix in with cooked rice. A stir-fried green vegetable would also go very nicely with this dish, in addition to the rice.

Difficulty: Easy

Hands-on: 15 minutes 

Total: 35 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb. boneless pork cutlets
• 1½ Tbsp. soy sauce
• 4 tsp. cornstarch, divided
• ½ cup orange juice
• 1½ Tbsp. brown sugar
• 2–4 tsp. water, as desired
• 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp. minced ginger
• 2 large peaches, halved, pitted and cut into thin wedges

Directions

• Step 1
  Place pork chops in a bowl and add soy sauce and 3 teaspoons cornstarch. Marinate for 20 minutes.
• Step 2
  In a small bowl, combine orange juice with the brown sugar. Set aside.
• Step 3
  In a separate small bowl, dissolve remaining 1 teaspoon cornstarch with either 2 or 4 teaspoons water, depending on whether you want a thick or thinner sauce. Set aside.
• Step 4
  Heat a wok or medium skillet over medium-high heat until it is nearly smoking. Add 2 tablespoons oil. When oil is hot, add garlic. Stir-fry for 10 seconds. Add pork. Brown briefly, then stir-fry, stirring and tossing for 3 to 4 minutes, until pork turns white and is nearly cooked through. Remove pork from pan. Drain in a colander or on paper towels.
• Step 5
  Add 1 tablespoon oil to the wok or skillet. When oil is hot, add ginger. Stir-fry for 10 seconds, then add peaches. Stir-fry for 1 minute, then add orange juice-brown sugar mixture, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
• Step 6
  Stir the cornstarch and water mixture and add it to the juice, stirring continually to thicken. When the sauce has thickened, add the pork back into the pan. Stir-fry for 1 to 2 more minutes to mix everything together. Serve hot.

Highlander the Raven is now a sim part 1

Amanda Derieux's story after she was attacked by a vampire and turned into a creature of the night.

Amanda takes her stolen treasures and builds her dark mansion in a place called Brindleton Bay, hoping for a new start even though she is still a thief and works as the Oracle which is head of all thieves and outlaws.

Arriving at her mansion after construction she stands outside to admire her new view

The weather is fall and Amanda enjoys the warmth of the fireplace

Feeling restless Amanda decides to play haunting music on the chilling pipe organ

Amanda had no idea that a ghost has decided to move in the mansion during the time of construction, he comes to take a listen to Amanda's playing

What is under the mansion? it is where the creatures of the night lay to rest during the day to those who are not day walkers, Amanda is a day walker so she does not need to use her coffin during the day, but she does keep her coffin close

Do you remember the Jibba Jabber toy?

Jibba Jabber was a doll made by the toy company Ertl in the mid-1990s. The dolls came with various hair colors including red, blue, pink and green. The female version of the doll (called Ms. Jibba Jabber) had a pink body with pink nose and the male version had a black body with yellow nose. The distinguishing property of the Jibba Jabber was the distinct 'choking' or 'strangling' sound (resembling a groan tube) made by the wobbling head when shaken. When Ertl was told about Shaken Baby Syndrome, the company responded, as reported by the US Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, by "placing an insert in Jibba Jabber packaging explaining that while Jibba Jabber is for fun, a lethal form of child abuse involves the shaking of babies. The pamphlet lists seven ways to react positively to a child rather than resorting to violence."

The toy was recommended as an adult stress reliever and gift for corporate executives.

When scratching becomes more than a nervous habit

Many of us have nervous, absent-minded habits we wish we could quit: knuckle cracking, nail biting, hair twirling and the like. These behaviors are usually harmless, we catch ourselves or a friend teases us about it and we stop. But some benign habits can develop into more harmful behaviors.

Excoriation disorder, or skin picking, is repetitive, compulsive picking and scratching at the skin, to the point that it causes serious tissue damage. At its extreme it can lead to skin infections, severe bleeding and even skin grafts and surgery to repair the damage. It may begin as a response to genuine itchiness caused by allergies or other physical conditions (which can be debilitating in their own right), but skin picking is generally considered a mental disorder.

"People who pick at their skin may start years ago because they have blemishes or pimples and they're trying to pick at those. But over time nothing is wrong and they pick at perfectly fine, normal skin," he said. "If you think about it, when you scratch an itch, it's incredibly rewarding on some level. But at some point people with this disorder look in the mirror and say, 'What have I done?

Research focuses on treatment for impulsive and compulsive disorders and addictions, says skin picking could fall under an umbrella of other excessive grooming behaviors, like hair pulling or nail biting. But because of the damage skin picking can cause, for now it's categorized on its own.

While we all indulge our own little embarrassing habits, skin picking is more widespread than we think. Recent studies have estimated that between 1.4 and 5.4 percent of the population could meet the DSM-5 criteria for excoriation disorder. Eventually it may be lumped back in with other behaviors like hair pulling, but for now, it's common enough to warrant its own study.

"Your grandma would probably tell you they're all the same 'nervous habits,'" he said. "But maybe they are somewhat different, and we don't know enough. I'm always amazed that people are amazed by skin picking. It just seems so common and so human."