Italy

Photo by Adrianna AdarmeOne of my greatest near-summer memories was when — mere days away from college graduation — a big group of us piled into our cars and headed to the Dan River. We rented inner tubes and spent the entire day in the sun, lazily floating down the river with a stocked cooler. What I would give to be back there with this rhubarb margarita in hand — it’d be pure heaven! This cocktail is the perfect mix of spring meets summer. Rhubarb is still at the markets (lucky us!), and it’s an awesome time to incorporate it into an ice-cold, sparkling cocktail. This margarita skates the line perfectly between spicy, sweet and tart. I’m a bit of a wuss when it comes to things tasting too liquor-y, so feel free to bump up the booze according to your liking. Spicy Rhubarb Margaritas Makes 4-6 margaritas  Rhubarb Syrup: 3 stalks rhubarb, roughly chopped 1 1/2 cups water 1 1/2 cups sugar Margarita: 12 fluid ounces tequila 2 fluid ounces Cointreau 8 fluid ounces fresh lime juice 10 fluid ounces reserved rhubarb syrup 1 fresh jalapeño, stems removed and roughly chopped Sparkling water Glass Rim: 2 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons Maldon sea salt Combine the rhubarb, water and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the sugar dissolves, the fruit softens, the liquid has thickened slightly and the hue is a pretty pink, 15 or so minutes. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl. Run the syrup through the strainer, giving the rhubarb a gentle press with the back of a spoon to extract more syrup. (Note: the cooked rhubarb is pretty tasty on toast. Save it for later or discard.) In a pitcher, combine the tequila, Cointreau, lime juice and rhubarb syrup. Give the mixture a taste and adjust the alcohol content accordingly. Add the jalapeño and transfer the margarita mixture to the refrigerator. Check the mixture every 15-20 minutes and do a taste test. I was happy with the spice level at the 30-minute mark. If you’re making this in advance, you could add the jalapeño just before serving, or alternatively you could remove the sliced jalapeño (by running the mixture through a sieve) and transferring it back to the fridge. Mix together the salt and sugar on a small plate. Run a lime around the edge of the glasses to moisten; dip the rims in the salt and sugar mixture. Add a few ice cubes to each glass and divide the margarita mixture between the glasses. Top each margarita with a splash of sparkling water. Garnish with a few slices of jalapeño and/or rhubarb. All photos by Adrianna Adarme. Adrianna Adarme is a recipe blogger and content producer living in Los Angeles. She writes the blog A Cozy Kitchen, where she shares comforting, easy, everyday recipes from her kitchen.

Holy Ghost! The Observatory Santa Ana, California May 19, 2013 It was a dance party on Sunday when Holy Ghost! performed at The Observatory. Their electronic dance beats swept through the floor and had everyone on their toes. Continue reading at FILTERmagazine.com

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LONDON -- Dividend income accounts for around two-thirds of total returns, the actual rate of return taking into account both capital and income appreciation. Given that share prices are often volatile and unpredictable, the potential for plump dividends can give shareholders much-needed peace of mind for decent returns. I am currently looking at the dividend prospects of Direct Line Insurance Group  and assessing whether the company is an appetizing pick for income investors. How does Direct Line Insurance Group's dividend history stack up?  2009201020112012 FY Dividend Per Share - - - 8p DPS Growth - - - - Dividend Cover - - - 2.7x Source: Digital Look. Direct Line was listed on the London Stock Exchange in October, after Royal Bank of Scotland Group divested a 34.7% slice of the insurer. And the bank has since cut its stake by a further 15.3% in recent months. Direct Line thus cannot provide investors with a meaty track record with which to gauge future dividend potential. What are Direct Line Insurance Group's dividends expected to do?  20132014 FY Dividend Per Share 12.6p 14p DPS Growth 57.5% 11.1% Dividend Cover 1.5x 1.7x Dividend Yield 6% 6.7% Source: Digital Look. Still, an encouraging long-term earnings outlook is expected to underpin surging dividend growth, at least over the medium term, even though coverage is predicted to dip below the safety benchmark of two times projected earnings. City forecasters anticipate earnings per share to dip 14% this year, before rebounding 25% higher in 2014. The company announced in this month's interims that operating profit from continued operations rose 32.9% in quarter one to 107.5 million pounds, while its combined operating ratio fell to 98% from 104.5% in the corresponding 2011 quarter. However, gross written premiums slipped 4.5% to just over 1 billion pounds, illustrating rising competition across its key markets. However, Direct Line has its fingers in many pies, with significant exposure to the home and motor insurance markets and rising activity in other areas such as pet and travel insurance. This gives the firm tremendous flexibility and removes the reliance upon one sole market, while an ongoing commitment to competitive pricing is also helping it effectively lock horns with its rivals. How does Direct Line Insurance Group's dividend prospects rate against the competition?  Prospective Dividend YieldProspective P/E Ratio Non-life Insurance 4.7% 10.7 FTSE 250 3% 18.9 Source: Digital Look. Direct Line was recently trading on a P/E multiple of 11.4 for 2013, representing decent value compared with its FTSE 250 counterparts, although it does trade at a slight premium to its fellow non-life insurers. Still, the company offers a dividend yield some way north of that of its sector peers, and double that of the yield of Britain's 250 largest-quoted entities. In my opinion, Direct Line is a promising stock market pick for those seeking heady dividend growth. Combined with its diversified operations at home, the firm is also making solid headway in the international markets of Germany and Italy, while its cost-stripping programme should also boost profits moving forwards. I believe the insurer is well placed to enjoy solid earnings growth and thus healthy dividend prospects. The inside track to growth elsewhereIf you already hold shares in Direct Line Insurance Group and are looking to significantly boost your investment returns elsewhere, check out this special Fool report, which outlines the steps you might wish to take if you are hoping to become seriously rich from other shares. Our "Ten Steps to Making a Million in the Market" report highlights how fast-growth small-caps and beaten-down bargains are all fertile candidates to produce ten-fold returns. Click here NOW to enjoy this exclusive "wealth report" -- it's 100% free and comes with no obligation.

Mom-of-three Denise Richards was spotted with her daughters Sam, 9, Lola, 7, and Eloise, 23 months at horse back riding lessons in Los Angeles, Calif. on Sunday (May 19). The following day, the girls were seen with their 4-year-old twin brothers Max and Bob at gymnastics class in Agoura Hills. Joined by papa Charlie Sheen’s bodyguard, the kids were seen piling into the vehicle after class. On Saturday, Denise stepped out with her daughters at Corolle’s Adopt-A-Doll event at The Grove. Our hats go off to Denise! In addition to being single mom to her three kids, the actress, 42, is temporarily caring for her ex-husband’s sons. Charlie’s third ex-wife, Brooke Mueller, 35, checked herself into rehab on May 3 for “prescription drug abuse,” the same day sons Bob and Max were removed from her home by the L.A. County of Department of Children and Family Services due to an “unsafe environment.” Rather than staying with Charlie, the twins were place with Denise, who has looked after the boys before. “You just figure it out because you don’t have a choice. You have these children depending on you,” Denise recently told Us of how she manages. “You prioritize. I had children because I want to be a parent, and I want to be there for them. I think my biggest challenge is [that] their different activities sometimes overlap,” she added, noting that she tries to attend everything. “I have a good schedule going. You just manage.” As for her relationship with her bad boy ex, Denise says they get along swimmingly. “My situation with Charlie is that we’ve gotten along for quite some time now, and it’s so much better,” she said. “There are a lot of feelings and emotions there, but at the end of the day, our daughters benefit from us getting along, and [I do], too.” “I don’t want to have an unhealthy relationship with him, something toxic with a lot of animosity,” she added. “Life’s too short for that. We actually enjoy hanging out, and we enjoy being with the kids.” View Slideshow »» View All Photos »»

Amazon tends to be a bit focused on the United States because, well, it's a US company. But they're expanding the reach of both the Amazon Appstore (which now works in almost 200 countries) and the Kindle itself. A press release this morning announced that the Kindle Fire HD is now available for pre-order in more than 170 countries, in both the standard 7" model and the premium 8.9". Hardware will begin shipping out to customers on Thursday, June 13th. To say that they're a bit late is an understatement - the 7" tablet has been available in the US since September of last year, with releases in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Japan before the end of 2012. Done With This Post? You Might Also Like These:Amazon Announces Best-Selling Kindle Fire 'Sold Out' Ahead Of September 6th Press Conference Users Will Be Able To Opt Out Of Kindle Fire/HD Ads For A One-Time Fee Of $15 [Deal Alert] Gameloft Offering 6 Games For $0.99 Each In The Amazon Appstore, Most For The Kindle Fire Deal Alert: $50 Off Any Kindle Fire HD 8.9 Model For Amazon Prime Student Members Amazon Kindle Fire HD 7" And 8.9" Pre-Orders Open In Over 170 Countries, Ships Out June 13th was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

Riccardo Tisci cast what he calls his gang - a group of people including Carine Roitfeld that are "very faithful to my style, and faithful as human beings" - in Givenchy's Fall 2013 campaign. The black and white photos, shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott and styled by Roitfeld, also feature Amanda Seyfried, models Mariano Ontañon and Dalianah Arekion, Spanish actor Quim Gutiérrez, and Roitfeld's daughter, Julia. "I think it is a moment of history for me in fashion for my own gang," Tisci said in a statement, adding that in the campaign, "there is a gypsy feeling because it is the inspiration of the collection. Again, the reality of someone like Carine with her daughter showing real love or Quim with Amanda is very special to me. All of them, including the models, are real gypsies in their own life. They are never in one place. They travel the world." A look inside Tisci's world, here in the gallery. Photo courtesy of Givenchy

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One World Trade Center, the Burj Khalifa and the Eiffel Tower - all made out of toothpicks!!