Tried-and-true ice-cream flavor favorites like vanilla and chocolate have their time and place, neither of which are during the last days of summer. Now’s the time to try the boldest, most unique flavors around, courtesy of the many experimental ice-cream shops popping up throughout the United States. If you’ve ever fantasized about sprinkling cayenne pepper on vanilla or transforming your favorite savory dish into frozen dessert, here are the shops that offer just such experiences.

Nothing matches the childhood joy of building, admiring—then devouring—a holiday gingerbread house. This mouthwatering gift lets you expand that tradition with enough glee for all the children, grandchildren, godchildren, relatives, and lucky friends of all ages.

This unique edible playhouse is handcrafted of 381 lbs. of gourmet gingerbread and 517 lbs. of royal icing by the expert confectioners at Dylan's Candy Bar®. The munchable manor, which stands 6.6 feet high by 5.25 feet wide by 4.1 feet deep, incorporates the best confections from the world's largest candy store in New York City.

With literally thousands of signature gourmet sweets from which to choose, it is both artfully designed and decadently delicious. It includes giant cookies, lollipops, gummies, mints, gumdrops, and (of course) a candy-encrusted roof. There's also a lollipop tree inside, just for good measure. CEO and self-proclaimed Candy Queen Dylan Lauren was inspired as a child when she watched the classic movie Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. With Dylan's Candy Bar locations throughout the nation, she's made all our dreams come true.

Not surprisingly it comes with a $15,000 price tag, but that also includes free diabetes and a lifetime supply of dental issues if you manage to polish it off.

Buy at neimanmarcus.com/store

Lady Gaga and Katy Perry's music have featured in an airline safety demonstration with a difference.

During a demonstration of how to use seat belts and life jackets, cabin crew on-board a Cebu Pacific Airlines flight danced to pop hits California Gurls and Just Dance. The performance was filmed by a passenger who posted the clip on video-sharing website YouTube.

Candice Iyog, vice President of Marketing at Cebu Pacific Airlines, said: "Cebu Pacific has always been known as a fun airline, we wanted to get the message across to our customers that flight safety doesn't have to be boring.

"This was an experiment that we hope to repeat and also a chance to showcase the talent of some of our cabin crew staff."

The performance took place while the plane was at cruising altitude, with the cabin crew giving a normal safety demonstration before take-off.

A spokesman from the UK Civil Aviation Authority said: "Our general approach to safety announcements is that so long as the relevant information is imparted to passengers in an audible, understandable fashion, anything that gets more people to pay attention to this safety critical information is a positive thing as it could save their lives."

Cebu Pacific Airlines is the largest airline in the Philippines and is renowned for its low cost fares and gimmicks that include in-flight games and giveaways.

Besides the meaning of life and the ingredients of hot dogs, many a man has questioned "what exactly do women want?" We're not playing coy here, we know we're complex creatures. And, true, we operate on a different wavelength than men. The best example of our gender difference comes from an article we read last year about why men cheat. The most compelling testimony was from a transgender man who'd undergone hormone therapy during his transition. Thanks to testosterone, the man noticed less of an emotional attachment to sex and more of a physical urge to engage, regardless of consequences. Fascinating.

So, we're different. But, women aren't exactly the great mystery that men often make us out to be.

Respect. Show us through your actions that you respect our opinions, careers, interests, friends, bodies and minds. You don't have to agree with all that we say or do, but try to honor our opinions as valuable contributions. Follow the golden rule and treat us as you would
like to be treated: Be honest, fair, kind, and considerate.

Sex. Yes, we love sex. But, remember that there are four bases to cover in the bedroom, not just one. Try stopping at each base instead of being so focused on the home run—believe us, we'll thank you for it! Likewise, remember small physical touches like massages. One can never, ever, have too many shoulder rubs. And scratching our heads is pretty great, too.

Romance. It's another night on the couch with take-out and TiVo? Just because we're staying in doesn't mean the evening can't be romantic. Light a few candles and see where the night leads. Treat us like your girlfriend, even after we become your wife. Date nights, making out in the car, kissing like when we first started dating—all of the things that made us fall in love with you don't have to stop just because now there are bills to pay, a house to be cleaned, and kids that need to get bathed. Bring home flowers for no reason. We're not talking $100 bouquets of roses here. Even the $10 bouquets from the supermarket are enough to make us smile.

Time. We understand relationships can't be all wine and roses; simply making the time to be with us and treating us like your top priority says "love" more than all the fancy gifts and lovely letters ever could. This includes helping around the house. The realities of a 21st-century relationship are that both partners probably work. If you happen to get home before we do, why not take vacuum the living room or throw in a load of laundry? If you take the garbage out without being asked, chances are you'll be getting a big ole smooch when you come back.

Dinner. Of the homemade variety. You may not be good at cooking and you may not know how to boil water. But greeting us at the door after a long day with fish sticks (or whatever you can wrastle up) makes us swoon, because it shows that you've been thinking about us and our hectic day.

Communication. Women are vocal creatures. We know you love us, but it's nice to hear you say it, too. We can also be insecure. We wish we weren't, but the reality is that we often notice our wobbly thighs and forget about our gorgeous eyes. So let us know when you think we're hot. Tell us we're beautiful. It helps us feel good. Plus, when we feel sexy we're more likely to act sexy. Words of appreciation aren't half-bad either. Tell us you love the lasagna we made. Thank us for driving the kids to school. Notice that we cleaned the bathtub. It doesn't have to be over the top, just let us know that you see the effort we put in, and you're grateful.

Consistency. This doesn't mean be boring and predictable. It means that we know you will (usually, no one is perfect!) give us the love and support we need. Knowing that you're coming at this with the same desires and energy as we are goes a long way to making us feel secure.

Engagement. Of the mental kind, not the "I'm getting married in the morning" kind. You don't have to like everything we like (we might be a little concerned if you do), but showing interest in our passions, be it career-related, a sport or a hobby, goes a long way. Listen when we talk to you. We're not speaking just so we can hear our own voice; we want to connect with you and this is one valuable way we do this. This also means paying attention to the little things. Whether it's the name of your best friend's husband or the fact that you hate Nicolas Cage movies, it's the little things you remember about us that's so endearing.

Humor and Humility. These two tend to go hand in hand. This doesn't mean that you have to crack jokes or entertain us, but just being able to laugh at yourself is enough. Guys who take themselves too seriously bring everyone down.

Challenge. Not the kind that makes a relationship constant work, but the good kind that surprises and motivates us to do, be or achieve what we desire. Studies show that partners who prod each other to meet goals—in other words, don't support lazy or bad habits—are ultimately happier than those who don't hold each other accountable.

It's tempting to assume men only want two things: steak and sex.

Entire days are devoted to perpetuating these kinds of cliches, yet they are humorous for men because we're amused that women assume this false notion is all we want. We're quite complicated creatures, and although probably not as baffling as any space alien from a Candace Bushnell column, men have secret wish lists of emotional needs that you may or may not be meeting.

1. A moratorium on drama. We give you the occasional free pass to freak out about something that seems rather trivial upon next-day, post-caffeine retrospect. This does not mean a free pass to cause a scene in front of our friends or family.

2. Sexy sex. It's not enough to keep our sex lives consistent—both partners have to keep it consistently sexy. If you're not into it, we can pretend not to notice for a few times, but after that, it'll eat away at us and we won't have the guts to ask you what's wrong. Yet. The best thing you can do isn't porn star-inspired or the over-the-top-"yes, yes, yes"-ing; we'll detect that fakery, too. The trick is that, however you do it, you let us know that you really like doing it to us.

3. Romance. Crazy, right? What guy would scoff at you for bringing him a present, a token of affection once in a while, or cooking him a steak and then instead of telling him what you're going to do to him later, you tell him that he's amazing and sweet. Hell, I'm getting a tear in my eye just writing that.

4. Truth. The reason many guys have control-freak issues is because they have a sixth sense about being lied to. (Another reason they have control freak issues is that they're control freaks; learn to spot these guys in advance and avoid like an Ebola outbreak.) Next time your man says, "Who were you with?" give him the excruciating play-by-play, who was there, what the latest gossip on Cindy's crazy ex-husband, which bars you went to, everything except the bathroom breaks. This way, not only does he feel completely assured, he'll never pester you again about what you did.

5. Silence. "Some of us aren't as loquacious as our lady friends might like," admits Tom. "Generally it has nothing to do with you and we're not up for talking about it. "

6. Dinner. One of the reasons you were thrilled to venture into a relationship with us is that we were completely willing to subvert the master-and-servant relationship paradigm. In other words, you don't have to cook for us every night. Nor do you have to pretend to like our bow-tie pasta with Ragu specialty—but a middle ground where you occasionally whip us up our favorite bolognese after an incredibly trying day is like the reverse of us taking you shoe shopping.

7. A sense of humor. Every guy in America has this phrase on his personals profile under the "What I'm looking for" category. Should you dismiss it because, well, you thought The Hangover is funny? No, because what "A sense of humor" really translates to is "Are you relaxed, in the moment, and bantering with me?" If the answer is "often not," we're going to think you're distracted and probably wondering how to extricate yourself from this tedious relationship.

8. A listener. We hear you when you say that men don't open up unless their compadres Jack Daniel's and Jim Beam help them out. When you sense we have just received some upsetting news (which could be everything from a humiliating day at work to Lebron James signing with the Cavs), make it clear you'll listen, but then drop it immediately. We'll come to you with the answers when we're ready to deal with bringing it all up again, which may be never if it turned out to be no biggie.

9. Matrimony. It may not necessarily be the matrimony of your girlhood dreams, but we do want to form a more perfect union with you—permanently. We may be hesitating because we worry that we're making the right choice, that we are meant to be together forever, rather than just proposing to you because we've been together for a couple of years. Maybe we need more time to settle in, but it's not because we are still thinking about other women. We care about you, and that's why we're carefully weighing this decision.

10. An end to game-playing. This is a sort of bookend to the moratorium on drama. Everything thinks it's cute to toy with the boys when you're starting out, calling them back days later and seeming disinterested. In the end, this only has two possible outcomes—we will be put off by your lack of interest and go with a stronger choice or we will pursue you for so long you'll assume we're in a relationship, except we're still figuring out whether all that bird-dogging was worth catching the chick.

Torture is illegal in most countries, as dictated by Geneva Conventions. However, there are sickening forms of torture that are practiced even today or were practiced only a few years ago. And they are listed here below:

1. Sensory Deprivation

Certainly the worst form of torture, depriving one of his/her senses is the most agonizing torture technique. The torturer not only handcuffs the victim, but also blindfolds, plugs his ears and nose to deprive him of 3 out of 5 senses: Seeing, Hearing, Smelling. This has proved to work instantaneously as the poor victim is unable to withstand the loss of his senses.

This technique is used, in one way or the other, in all other techniques.

2. Strappado / Palestinian Hanging

The ‘Palestinian Hanging’ is a vile form of torture in which the victim’s hands are tied behind his back, a tight rope is then passed over a pully and attached to victim’s hands such that the victim hangs over the ground. To further intensify the victim’s suffering, weights are attached.

3. Sleep Deprivation

Another type of torture is sleep deprivation, in which the victim is often made to stand vertically and then whenever he tries to sleep, he is physically harassed, subjected to loud/jarring sounds and bright lights. Sleep is something one has to get in order to remain peaceful and calm. However, when he is not allowed to do so, he will obviously go crazy. This technique is repeated over and over again until the desired results are obtained.

ex-Prime Minister of Israel Menachem Begin described his experience with sleep deprivation as follows:
In the head of the interrogated prisoner, a haze begins to form. His spirit is wearied to death, his legs are unsteady, and he has one sole desire: to sleep… Anyone who has experienced this desire knows that not even hunger and thirst are comparable with it.

4. Subjection to Extreme Heat/Cold

Extreme heat or cold is very unpleasant. When this is done on a victim when he is already tensed and stressed, it becomes a simple way of torturing. Victim is stripped then put inside a cell (or outdoors, depending on climate) and then made to face extreme heat (up to 50 degrees Celsius) or extreme cold (under 0 degrees Celsius). This technique is in use today.

5. Sexual Harassment (Rape/Sodomy)

Having sexual intercourse or oral/anal sex with someone against someone’s will is called sexual assault. Rape and Sodomy are two different things, but they are generally used to imply the same thing.

In this form of torture, the tormented victim is raped. It really does not matter if the victim is male or female (as proved with Abu Ghuraib). Raping leaves the victim psychologically and physically damaged and anguished.

6. Waterboarding

Waterboarding was once included in the ‘Enhanced Interrogation Techniques’ list by CIA, however it is (officially) no longer allowed. Waterboarding involves pinning the victim on his back with head inclined downwards, covering his/her face with a porous cloth (i.e. with tiny holes/passages in it). Water is then poured in great amounts over the victim’s face, inducing the mammalian diving reflex which can cause extreme pain, damage to lungs/brain and even broken bones if the victim tries to free himself.

It is, however, not currently confirmed if waterboarding is in use of the US intelligence agencies as Department of Defense refuses to give a formal statement on this.

7. Lynching

Lynching is a type of torture in which not a single individual but an entire mob takes part in the torturing of a victim. Victim is hanged and then beaten to death. This form of torture was prevalent in the United States during the 1950s-1960s when racial segregation was an issue of national level and victims were mostly African-Americans. However, thanks to the efforts of Martin Luther King, lynching is no longer exercised.

8. Forced Standing

“I stand for 8-10 hours a day,” Donald Rumsfeld wrote in a 2002 interrogation memo. “Why is standing limited to four hours?” Rumsfeld would probably feel a little differently about this if he had to stand in place for 8-10 hours, which can cause ankle swelling, bruising, and excruciating pain.

9. Death By A Thousand Cuts

This absolutely horrible form of torture was prevalent in China as late as 1905. The victim was tortured by cutting/slicing him with the use of a very sharp knife. Torture usually started with the cutting out of the eyes. This was done to blind the victim for the rest of the act so as to increase mental agony. Successive cuts would sever the victim’s ears, nose, lips, fingers, toes and ultimately large parts of flesh. The entire process would take over 3 days.

Cringed, aren’t we? What a sick sick world we live in.