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Javea Winter Escape To Andorra
Javea Winter Escape To Andorra
Andorra is a tiny country nestled in the scenic vistas of the Pyrenees mountains squeezed between Spain and France. With an average elevation of 2000 meters, it's easy to see why Andorra is home to the largest winter sports area in Southern Europe encompassing over 300 km of ski slopes throughout.
The Grandvalira is Andorra's biggest ski area and covers two of its seven provinces. It was founded in 2003 when the two oldest resorts, Pas de la Casa and Soldeu-El Tarter, joined forces. Over the past twelve years the resort has upgraded the ski-lift network to now move over 100,000 skiers per hour making waiting in lift lines a thing of the past! With slopes for all skill levels, award winning ski and snow boarding schools, amazingaprès-ski options, it's perfect for those who enjoy both on and off piste fun! For the true adrenaline junkies can hit the fresh powder off-piste with heli-skiing. And for the kiddos there is even igloo construction and archery activities available.
Not a Skier? No problem!
Obviously the main attraction in this winter wonderland is skiing and snowboarding. But that doesn't mean you can't have fun if you aren't a skier. Like shopping? Andorra is the low cost shopping capital of the EU. You'll find clothes, electronics, and alcohols are on average 15%-20% lower than in neighboring Spain and France. Christmas shopping anyone?!?
Enjoy a little pampering session? Andorra La Vella is home to the largest spa in Europe. TheCaldeuspa complex is a beautiful feat of futuristic architecture over 80 meters high, making it the tallest building in Andorra. Mineral rich thermal mountain springs feeds the manmade lagoons, geysers, and baths covering 6000m2 over 18 floors. There are indoor / outdoor pools, saunas, steam rooms, cold rooms, waterbeds, and jacuzzis galore! With floors and areas divided into children allowed and child-free, you're sure to find the perfect combination of fun and relaxation. Entry prices start at €28.
Take a tour of Casa de la Vall to catch a glimpse of the true Andorra. The tour is only 30 minutes long and best of all it's free! Walk through the history of the legislative and parliament rooms and check out the beautiful furnishings and great views over the valley.
There are tons of gorgeous hikes throughout Andorra. Explore theMadriu-Perafita-Claror Valley, the only UNESCO site in Andorra.You can also find tubing inGrau Roig. In case you aren't familiar this involves sliding down snow covered hills in specially made intertubes and is fun for the whole family. You can enjoy the mountainous forests on snow machines, in snow shoes, or even enjoy a mushing experience.
Getting There
By Car
Traveling by car from Javea to Andorra la Vella will take you 567 km and about 6 hours and 15 minutes along the AP-7. It's a lovely drive up the coast to Tarragona and then heading due north up through the mountains to Andorra La Vella. The tolls and petrol will run about €100 each way more or less. (Petrol costs based on an Audi A4, which is what we drove.)Directions
Bus / Train Combo
You can also take thetrainfrom Xeraco to Valencia and then onto Barcelona. From Barcelona there is anAndorra Directbus that runs non-stop from 6:15am to 11:45 pm. The bus takes three hours and all are fitted with reclining seats and flat screens. The fares run €29.50 one-way and €49.50 return.
Useful Links
Andorra Tourist Information -http://visitandorra.com/en/
Google Maps Driving Directions –click here
Grandvalira -http://www.grandvalira.com/en
Renfe Combo Bus / Train tickets -http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/tarifas/combinadotrenbus.html
Andorra Direct bus -http://www.andorradirectbus.es/en/
Caldea Spa -http://www.caldea.com/es


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La vita è una combinazione di magia e pasta
Federico Fellini perfectly summed up the Italian condition when he said, 'Life is made of magic and pasta.' And it's not a cliché that Italians eat pasta every day. They really do. A recent study showed that Italians eat 28kg per person per year. Divide that by 80g, the normal portion size, and you get 350. I guess the two weeks when they are not eating it is when they are on holiday, or that you have to take into account that children eat less.

subset: commoncrawl


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Game Design: Strategy of Social Interaction
I want to highlight a couple games based around their inclusion of social (or social-like) interactions, and their impact on the game. The first is Harvest Moon, for the Super Nintendo. The second is Persona 3, for the Playstation 2. I'll admit it's been long enough since I played Harvest Moon that I could have a lot of details wrong — I'm working from memory and the Wikipedia article.
For the purpose of this entry, we're going to define "social interactions" as investing game resources in non-player characters without receiving an immediate, in-game benefit. The NPCs can be picky about player choices or not, that doesn't really matter. In some cases, there's a need to discern the invisible (or obvious) desires of the NPC and appease them. That may or may not be relevant.
In Harvest Moon, your solitary action is farming. It's the whole focus of the game, and you can't get a good score in the end if you don't farm. Farming gives you money and resources to continue farming. The act of farming makes farming possible. In Persona 3, your solitary actions include attending school and battling through the dungeon Tartarus. You have a party of NPCs, but they provide an immediate, tangible benefit.
Both games utilize time as a resource, and the proper management of that time is one of the skills required to play the game well. This plays an important role in deciding how to invest time, because social interactions consume this resource, making certain other in-game actions difficult or impossible.
In Harvest Moon, you have the option of going into town, wooing, and eventually marrying one of the girls. It takes an investment of time, money resources, and either guesswork or luck to gain a wife, not to mention the resources you have to invest in upgrading your house. A wife imposes restrictions on your solitary action, farming, but provides a significant endgame reward (higher score).
In Persona 3, you have the option of spending time with social contacts (friends and people you meet) or studying and increasing your various interaction stats. As you invest time in social contacts, you unlock new levels of abilities that you in turn use to advance in one of your solitary actions, battling through Tartarus. The investment of time in social interactions has an attached benefit, even if it takes time to pay off.
Choosing social interaction in Harvest Moon imposes restrictions on gameplay, and rewards the player at the end for increasing the challenge. It reinforces the long-term benefits of choosing social interaction of solitude. You must choose one of the five girls to marry — you can only choose one of them, and time is a factor.
Refusing social interaction in Persona 3 imposes restrictions on gameplay, as it would seem their primary purpose is to facilitate the main game (by powering up the player): the fight to reach the end of the dungeon. It is possible to complete every Social Link in the game, if they're done in the correct order. It's a solvable puzzle.
I would argue that support for social interaction in Harvest Moon is greater than in Persona 3, despite the greater complexity of the latter. It is more rewarding to accept the social responsibility in Harvest Moon because its benefits are less tangible. Social interaction in Harvest Moon supports deeper strategy, whereas in Persona 3, it represents a solvable puzzle. ("In what order do you complete the Social Links?")


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162: Multiple Personality Disorders
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Multiple Personality Disorders
Our self-contradictions become more obvious as gaming matures and absorbs more people into the fold. The ubiquity of intolerant language and belligerent behavior raises troubling questions about what truly lies behind the mask of online identity.
Good read...reminds me of Sacha Baron Cohen's (Borat, Ali G) thesis from Cambridge.
The basic gist of his idea was that homophobia and racism are cultural activities. Someone makes a gay joke in the room, then others become comfortable with it and do the same. A slow mob mentality develops so that when you're criticizing homophobic behavior you're criticizing a group, not the conduct itself. That's basically the whole theme of the Borat movies but you can see it in action everywhere. Even though Cohen may have proved how quickly you can remove the public masks we wear, I think the article might be right that the only way to resist it is to form a counter-group.
Good article for food for thought.
@ Jeffries
It could be the other way around, that people come in with all kinds of expectations about online gaming. And maybe unfortunately, male high schoolers attitudes are predominant in the gaming community and with this kind of prevalence, it influences other peoples' attitudes within the gaming community into behaving this way, therefore turning it into a vicious cycle. Of course, I can't really back-up this claim since it's so hard to get a clear demographic picture of the gaming community. But you get my logic.
For me the "anarchy" that rages online is proof that authority is underated, heavily moderated sites are just plain better in every sense.
Is it true that for "years, the gaming community has sought to expand and diversify, to transform its pastime from a "fringe" activity into mainstream entertainment?"
I think it's true for game developers. Making gaming less of a fringe activity is very important for the people who want to make money from their work. More acceptability is more units sold. Even if a game dev is a bigoted person, the second he opens up the hatred to the audience, a marketing rep would have him out the door before you could say "lawsuit."
It's the "tribe" of game players who are throwing around the epithets. They don't see a benefit in n00bs filling up the slots on their squad. Do they?
The thing is, people resist change, no matter what that change entails. Gamers are still living in a very 80's incarnation of their industry. Back then, the truth was, 99% of gamers were the "young, white, heterosexual males". However, with recent advents in our industry, we're seeing exploding new demographics including other races, women, and even homosexuals. And so as gamers we resist the change. Its not that this particular demographic hates all the others, its just that its so used to a time in which the only time they dealt with another demographic was in a very sterotypical setting.
For instance, lets take a male gamer in the early 90s, and name him Fred. The only time Fred ever has to associate with females within the context of gaming is when he comes across a girl playing Barbie games, or Disney princess games. Because the truth is, 10, 15 years ago, those were the games that females played. Very rarely did women play Doom, or any other game that may be considered "hardcore".
I've always been of the belief that stereotypes exist for a reason. People wouldn't stereotype if there hadnt been some point at which that stereotype was true. However, the problem is, stereotypes change and/or cease to exist, and as we've already established, people resist change.
Young, white, heterosexual males don't necessarily hate those of other demographics, its just that we're so relatively unfamiliar with interacting with them in our pasttime that we don't know any better than to go by the stereotypes. Does that excuse it? Absolutely not.
Simply enough, watch south park episode 1-8 damien or 3-13 hooked on monkey phonics, thats how juveniles work and as long as you are marketing to juveniles, the rest of civilization will be avoiding it like the plague. maybe instead of outright banning the offensive twits, potentially costing you revenue, just herd the jerks away from the people offended by foul language (that file complaints alot). so perhaps in an mmorpg, there may be a jerk server you send people to instead of banning them. on a fps, you gear the matchmaker so the thin skins wont be matched with jerks.
Yes, but then you're doing what you've just condemned: catering to the juveniles. It sends more of a message when you can go to an audience and say, "We ban offensive people from our game" than to say, "We still let offensive people play our game, but we do our best to try to keep them away from you."
To really understand this, I think you have to take a step out of games and look at the common demographic that is being represented in video games: white, male adolescents. Anybody who plays XBLA or any other online game can attest that these are at least the most vocal, if not the most common demographic, and it's generally these people who are throwing around racial and sexual epithets.
This same demographic is often seen saying similar things outside of games and Internet forums. Listen in to a group of young men speaking and you're likely to hear "gay" and "fag" being used not only as insults, but as substitutes for words like "lame" and "asshole". The fact that these words have sexual connotations may not even be a concern to these individuals -- instead, it's often just a generic term with the same power and amibiguity as "shit" or "fuck".
On the other hand, the sexual meanings of these words may be no mistake either. As a white male myself, and once an adolescent, I can attest to masculinity being a major part of growing up. No different than a pack of dogs, every male wishes to be the alpha male and any who isn't looks up to that individual. Being weak or otherwise different from the alpha male is seen as inferior and therefore shunned from the social group.
Why the hatred towards homosexuals then? It's not that homosexuals are somehow weak, but to a male population whose mind is preoccuppied with the opposite sex, a man who is not enamored by women is seen as different, strange, perhaps even damaged. I was treated no differently than a homosexual -- often accussed of being gay -- not because I had an interest in men, but because I hadn't yet developed an interest in women. As with any group trying to establish an identity, failing to identify with that groups' principles excludes you from the group.
So why the angst towards women? Myself, I find it hard to understand, but I was also brought up in a family that lived and preached male/female equality; though I was still exposed to such prejudices from outside. I think part of the problem is similar to above: women are not men and that makes them inferior in mens' eyes. This is no different of an argument than that a cat doesn't roll over, play fetch, and otherwise make a very good dog; a woman isn't suppossed to be a man, so it's a non sequiter to argue that she doesn't make a very good man.
The other problem may be one of mens' interest in women and how that's marketed. There's no denying that men look at women and think about having sex with them; likewise, women will do the same with men (so I'm told by many a woman). However, there seems to be an attitude in marketing (video games, TV shows, advertisements, and music videos are just some examples) that women are sexual objects for a man's gratification. It's hard to explain why female characters in video games are unrealistically shaped (no woman with 44"/DD breasts has a 28" waist and weighs 110 lbs. without serious health problems) and dressed in a manner rarely suitable for the beach let alone sword-fighting, without admitting that games are specifically being designed to sell based on sex. And judging by the success of games like Grand Theft Auto IV, it's hard to deny that males are enjoying the sex that's being sold to them.
So are epithets against women, homosexuals, and other races a problem of anonymity, or do they already exist? I would argue that, despite society taking a stance of "tolerance" in public, the people themselves still hold all of the same prejudices personally and when taking into an anonymous or semi-private group setting, the old tennets come out in spades. The fact that we see certain biases so prevelantly in video games is not because gamers hold those biases, but because the major demographic of gamers holds those biases independently of being gamers -- the gamers are instead a smaller section of a much larger demographic who all tend to have those same biases.
To the women, homosexuals, and every dehumanized race out there, my apologies for my countrymen. It's a shame that so many people in my demographic feel the need to certify their own superiority by denying the worth of everyone around them. Rest assured that some of us still understand that differences aren't necessarily a case of better vs. worse and that, despite having some of these impulses within us, we have the better judgement to look past them and see each other as human beings and not as outsiders or sex toys.
As an advocate of free speech, I can't say I agree with any of these methods, especially since they all rely in the notion of something being "offensive". While it's fair to say that you find something offensive, is something objectively offensive? Are there things that should not be said, thought, or believed? The labelling, denunciation, and expulsion of people with differing beliefs and view points is a slipperly slope that's best avoided.
That said, I also agree that people shouldn't be exposed to things they find offensive just so that they can do something completely unrelated, e.g. listening to a bigotted racist while playing WoW. This is where mechanisms like muting and ignoring are quite useful. True, it's annoying, distracting, and time-consuming to be constantly ignoring people, but it gives people the ability to control what they see and hear without giving them control over what others may do or say.
However, I'm willing to concede that there are lines which are quite clearly laid out by society. While I don't think it's fair to say that every "dirty word" should be eliminated (as nearly every member of every society uses these words on a regular basis), it's fair to say that discussions of things purely for the purpose of offending someone is reprehensible. Some amount of moderation is absolutely needed in any public forum, if only to maintain some minimum level of order. But I caution that such controls need to be based on the meanings and reasoning behind insults and slang rather than the particular words used. A man should be allowed to speak of an asshole, as long as he's not being one.
This rings particularly true to me, having been of the same ilk. Throughout my adolescence and even through my first 3 years of high school I fielded accusations of being gay, not necessarily because I had not yet developed an interest in women, because I had. But simply because I didn't pursue my interest with a bestial vigor. Being from a small, rural town where being the "alpha male" is even more pronounced when you throw macho pursuits like hunting and fast cars into the mix (I actually was accused of being gay because I drove a Mercedes in high school, it was an old, beaten-up, hand-me down from an older sibling, but nonetheless I was attacked for my brand of car).
I was always a very reserved person, I still am, so it took a lot for me to get close to anyone, and even then, growing up, it had always been other boys who were my friends. So getting close to a female then is an even more unknown territory and therefore even harder for me. I just was never able to easily summon up the courage to approach a girl, whereas most guys walk up to them with a bravado that almost screams, "Want to have sex with me right now?"
I would like to think that a degree of societal acceptance has simply made words like "gay" and "fag" become placeholders for "lame" and "asshole" as you said, and that most people who use these epithets don't actually mean what they say. However growing up and living in a place where there was a significant deal of homophobia going on, I know that so often is the case that these words are NOT thrown blindly, and are said with every bit the sexual slur they are behind them.
EDIT: I somewhat agree with your stances on free speech, but free speech for its own sake doesn't help anything. If someone is in WoW trade chat being an asshole, using racial slurs and the like, I believe they should be banned for it (at least if they're doing it repeatedly). At bare minimum warned on a first offense, with subsequent offenses being punished more severely. I'll never understand why some people are assholes just for the sake of being an asshole. And when someone does that there are punishments that should be invoked. The right of free speech is not equivalent to the right to be an asshole. I believe that there are some things that just SHOULDN'T be allowed to be said in a public arena. Allowing totally free speech for the simple sake of free speech itself empowers the assholes to do whatever they want, offend whoever they want with only a "if you don't like it, ignore me" as justification.
I think you are making one critical flaw in your arguement. You assume that unintelligence, trolling, racism, and misogyny are confined to the areas of video gamers.
This isn't a problem with video gamers, it's a problem with the internet as a whole and the Anonymous figure that it gives us. There are almost always zero social reprecussions for acting like an asshole online, which is why we do it. Not only that, but acting like an asshole often causes some pretty hilarious situations, which is probably the biggest reason why people troll other people online.
Video games and the internet are tightly weaved together, much more so than a large majority of hobbies are to the internet. Therefore, it's not suprising to see so many gamers act like dickheads online. It's not that gamers are more inherently prone to acting like assholes, it's that their hobby is often tied to an area where they can get away with acting like assholes.
You then wrongly assume that the counter-attack on the feminist bloggers was out of an inherent defense of mysogony and fat-hating. The only reason why gamers got worked up about it is because many of us have become crouched in a defense position due to long years of stupid and illogical attacks from the mainstream media. Gamers weren't defending misogyny (well some of them might have), but they were defending the game because it's a video game. And it's not as if the feminist bloggers were acting much better behaved, actively attacking video gamers, calling names, and calling anyone who presented a logical counter a troll.
In the end, you draw incorrect conclusions about online trolling and the video game community. It's not a problem with video games, it's a problem with being anonymous online. Also, to an extent, it's a problem with young people who have always acted like dumbshits, whom have a particular attraction for video games.
It all has to do with the Alpha Male syndrome. We want to be the biggest, baddest mother fucker on the planet. And in order to maintain that persona, you can't ever be wrong. So in order to defend yourself from being "wrong" you just begin slinging mud and name calling and such until the actual argument is forgotten and its a dick-waving contest at this point (similar to US politics, lol).
The beauty is, we have the anonymity of the internet, so that when we begin all this mudslinging and such, there are no repercussions. So we are free to do whatever we want in order to maintain that Alpha Male image.
Free speech is not a license to attack. It is a license to speak your thoughts freely. I think someone calling a person names is no longer an expression of ideas but an attack on an individual and therefor not protected by freedom of speech. Stating something like "I hate fags. or Girls are terrible gamers." are expressions of a person's opinion. Saying "Join a different game fag. or Quit trying to be a gamer bitch." is attacking. There is a big difference.
However I appreciated the statement I read in one of the posts that said censoring in any fashion is a slippery slope. I agree. Peer pressure and public humiliation could be quite affective though.
How about the game companies, Microsoft, and Sony getting behind a movement to mark offenders. If a person gets a specified number of complaints, a tag could be added to their account that shows up in all games. The tag could specify the offense they have been accused of. The would need to be accused multiple times from multiple people. Complaints could be sent in using standard items so the tags could be easily applied. Things like "Racist Comments", "Homophobic Attacks", "Sexist Remarks", etc... I know those are not great terms but hopefully you get the idea. The tags should not be nice to have associated with you. Not only would this be visually embarrassing but other gamers could setup filters so that they did not have to play with anyone that has these tags. Similar to blocking a specific person but instead you block someone with tags you don't want to deal with.
The tags could be temporary too. That way a person could have a second or third chance. However if they get the same tag two or three times it becomes permanent or they have it for a very long time.
Hasving played a few online FPS's as well as MMORPG's one of the things I have realized is that the majority of the playersd tend to be 11-14. Of course tjhey are going to act juvenile...they ARE juvenile. How bout having a verified adults only server on some of these that was us big kids dont have to deal with the silliness of catering to the wee ones...Ive seen the same thing on both SWG and CoH/V and as a result Ive been tempted to go to Conan since its mature rated/adults only.
i don't think a group is necessary and in fact it probably ends up creating an oppositional perspective with the same level of social fervor and blind ignorance.
by my nature i am antagonistic, this will typically put me at odds with the swell of the masses, which is good since this natural reaction buys me time to think through how i actually feel and to express myself accordingly. what does this mean in online games? that if i'm on voice chat i end up making fun of people that say the phrase, "that's gay", rather than actually playing the game.
I think it's rediculous how people throw around those words so casually. I mean, you know it was commonplace back then, but the world is changed. It's terrible that high school kids and others have to resort to tongues like that to prove a point or humiliate someone.
Oh, and on the subject of n00b:
I'm a n00b. Always have been, always will. I like to LEARN to play games. Don't expect me to sit around and skirt the game because I don't know how to play it.
Personally, I've always thought there are two kinds: newb and n00b. A newb is a new player who is learning the ropes and doesn't yet have the experience most have. A n00b is a jackass and a tool who makes stupid mistakes with no effort to learn.
I've come to the realization that communication via internet forums, and live chat over Xbox Live is the modern day equivalent of bathroom graffiti.
As serveral people said, I think that it is more the fact that speaking of Internet is anonymous, that makes people act like they do. The gaming community is by no means more offensive than other communities on the internet. I've read a lot of trolling and hate speech about politics, any sort of entertainement, etc...
the other problem with the gaming community is that it is partially composed of male teenagers, who had grown up in a familial and social environnement where they could do pretty much anything they want. Plus, they were never told by their parents or their teachers what can't be done in society and why they shouldn't do it.
For exemple of such kind of behaviour, I was once on a deathmatch server, where a player was asking if a spectator could be kicked to make room for other people. I said that the spectator might want to stay just to watch the game. And the player said about me to one of his friends "Laisse tomber, c'est juste un con", which is a very offensive way to say "Never mind, this guy is just stupid".
I think that some of the problems of hate in the gaming community partially come from the fact that a lot of players are teenagers, and even without the "Alpha male" aspect, etc... (because the authors of those hate speechs are not always handsome teenagers that want to be the baddest motherfuckers on the planet, as someone said), in their mind, they are the most important thing in the world, so everything else is s**t.
I'm a young white heterosexual male, but I don't feel the need to call people gay or fags. Maybe because people explained to me that being a woman, homosexual, or having a different skin colour is just being an other human being, just different. Maybe because people tried to explain to me that all the human beings or the planet are equals.
Calling someone racial slurs or insinuating they fuck several species of animal is not about being young, white, or male.
It is entirely a function of forbidden fruit. Fuck, shit, crap, these words are common online, and lack the naughty aspect they once held. But the still-reviled avenues of racism, sexism, and homophobia?
I would wager 10-to-1 most people who are so inclined toward this behavior are entirely fine people in normal life. But if you tell someone they can't, in most cases they will. It has nothing to do with hidden racism.
i believe its the "troll" that feels any hate speech,racism,or sexism they express to other gamers online bears no serious negative repercussions on them such as in reality calling a woman a "whore",a person of another ethnic race some racist slur,a man or woman of another religion something that could offend their beliefs,or even higher authority say their employer some kind hateful word like a "fucker" or something else could serious backlash and cause resent towards them
they can also feel as though all eyes are on them and they are receiving some sort of attention,that may come from thier lives that they feel is void of any attention and through any manner they must obtain it,and they sum up that maybe angering someone else may cause them to even pitch of a small amount of their time to maybe argue or tell of the other making the troll feel as though they are being acknowledged
if you can just ignore them dont fuel the ignorent fire of a attention hungering brat
So is that what I have to look forward to?
The whole problem is the anonymity of the Internet. Anonymity breeds assholes, as the great Penny Arcade comic (which I can't find right now) illustrates. Anonymity is what allows people to share their deepest, darkest secrets through a Confession. It's what people find so appealing in making prank calls; the fact that you can say things you would never say in a public/formal setting, and no one can find you out.
There needs to be a way to make communities like Xbox Live similar to a public setting where people would think twice before making a bigoted, discriminatory statement. Somehow, being the "troll" or the "badass" of these communities has become "cool". If there were a way to change that general opinion, most of these problems would be controlled.
How would people go about doing that? No idea. People's ideas on what is and what isn't acceptable change so quickly it's hard to keep up. Just last year I'm pretty sure you couldn't hear "shit" on any TV program rated TV-MA or under. Now, it seems like I'm hearing it much more often.
Maybe the problem is with defining it as "hate speech" - a ridiculous Americanism to start with.
I was called a fag, a girl, a retard, too in school. You know the difference between me and most other people though - I didn't take it personally, because EVERYONE was a a fag, a girl, a retard, to these people.
When people say "n*gger", "b*tch", "c*nt", "fag", "f*ckhead", "retard", "girl", "noob" - it doesn't matter it means all the same thing.
It's an insult, plain and simple. There's no hate. There's no homophobia or racism or sexism or what other concepts your pissant psychology thinks is there...
It's just a plain insult, designed to make you react in a certain way.
Considering most people get upset by those terms, consider those people successful.
My experience with US public servers is one... best left for the profanity filter. Aussie servers tend to have this mateship and comradely feeling, the communities know eachother well and are there to have a good time. Granted there are a few servers that are shitholes, however servers are usually hosted by peoples ISP's down here and an admin/moderator is only an email away. Undesirables are faced with a choice we call FIFO
NOTE: There is also a standard rule on Australian Servers:
Keyword excessive. :D
I liked this idea, until I realized that for trolls this becomes an achievment award.
"Check it out! I got Racially Intolerant tatooed on my avatar's forehead AND Sexist Comments! If I get Homophobic Language I'll complete the set!"
I think the article makes an important point in that it's not only our own fun and enjoyment that's at stake here, but the public perception of our entire demographic (the gamer subculture). Most of us have found ways to deal with trolls online because we encounter them all the time--we ignore them, chastise them or try to have them banned. The real trouble is that the thoughtful, more socially acceptable aspects of gamer culture tend to be drowned out by loud trolls screeching hate-filled epithets at everyone who is new or different. No wonder we can't get people to respect our hobby and stop thinking of it as the main agent of society's destruction.
Just because they don't mean it as a racial slur doesn't mean it isn't one though. Clerks 2 is funny enough, but "Porch Monkey" is still considered a racial slur. Its not about what you mean, its about what you say. And, just like you, I didn't take it personally either. I gave them a courteous smile and went about my day. We're not talking about the effects these statements have on people we're talking about the mere fact that these statements exist and why?
Why does someone feel the need to be as belligerent as possible, especially online. Anonymity is the main reason because, as I stated previously, its all about being the Alpha. The biggest, baddest (most looked-up-to) MFer. And part of attaining that role is putting other people below you, but moreso, as I said, its about never being wrong. And if it looks like someone is about to prove you wrong, you just start spouting off the most insulting crap, because if you can't destroy them logically, destroy them socially. However, in society, using such words as "nigger" and "fag" is extremely frowned upon (usually) and there are consequences, whether they be in the form of legal punishment or societal punishment. Now we get to the anonymity of the internet. If you're anonymous, they can't find you, and if they can't find you, they can't punish you. And so now we're free to use whatever means necessary and/or whatever words necessary to throw others to the ground and climb to the top.
It doesn't matter if they're racially or sexually charged words, and it doesn't matter if the person saying them means them as a racial or sexual slur. The fact is they're said, and they're said with malice, perhaps not the same malice as the word implies, but with malice nonetheless.
P.S. Gains: I was thinking the exact same thing, but you put it into words. Anyone who's using such language probably doesn't care, as long as they can still play the game. They'll just play with others who use the same language and have all the more fun because of it. Banning, unfortunately, seems the only thing to even remotely work.
Also, I forgot to mention that I didn't censor myself above because even if I shove an * in it, you still know what I'm saying and the word doesn't change. So what's the point of trying desperately to look politically correct?
I agree with this. I think the reason people say 'fag' or 'gay' or whatever is because all other swears have been overused to the point that they have lost all meaning. If someone tells you to 'fuck off' or calls you a 'motherfucker' it means nothing to you because you have heard the terms used thousands of times in movies, music and tv. If you really want to insult someone, you want to shock them. Notice Yahtzee's reviews didn't contain the word (and excuse me) 'cunt' until later ones? I watched a few episodes of Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares a while back and didn't hear the C-bomb dropped until one of the very last episodes.
So since it means nothing to call someone 'shit', 'asshole', 'motherfucker' or any of the most common ones, in order to hurt and shock, people resort to cultural incensitivities.
'Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar'. In my opinion (and in this context, that is online gaming) an insult is just an insult.
All true. But the main issue at stake here is that so many gamers feel the need "to hurt and shock" others in the first place. Sure, we all dealt with this crap in school, but I'd like to think that as adults we've learned a little more emotional maturity. And it would be easy to blame all the hate-speak on 14-year-old idiots, but we all know that there are plenty of trolls in their 20s and 30s (and even older) who are likely acting like complete grown-ups in their day-to-day lives (at least, I hope). What is it about gaming culture that brings out the worst in these people? Whether or not their behavior can be justified, it's dragging down the medium we love.
Most games have mute for voice communication but only a very few have allowed me to mute someone's text chat.
When it comes this kind of behavior, I detest it, so I actively seek out servers that do not put up with it, period. If a game does not support ways to let me filter out that behavior, I do not play that game and will even return it for a refund. Some of this is finding like minded people who want to have fun with others, rather than at the expense of others, and the other part of it is the responsibility of those making the games.
I'd like to propose an alternate theory:
While I think this theory seems sound in and of itself, I don't think it applies well to the gaming community as a whole. The hobby is moving towards the mainstream, not away from it. For individual games (like Fallout), it could apply; but WOW and Halo are some of the most popular games out there, and also known to have two of the worst griefer/troll populations. When it comes to particular games, the atmosphere the game encourages might have a more major impact than obscurity on the percentage of its fans that are jackasses.
This is what it looks like to me.
A certain amorphous minority of people discover an anonymous venue for expressing either their own deeply-held hatred, or for saying emptily hateful things that they couldn't get away with in the real world. Such people tend to be loud. Everybody else follows along because that's what the rest of them seem to be doing.
Politeness can be spread in the same way, though it's harder, because politeness is quiet and harder to notice. The faster a community grows, the more likely it is that enough newcomers will miss the point and proceed to be jerkoffs, tipping it back in the other direction.
I was a picked-on nerd as a kid, called "fag", etc. Probably has something to do with why I don't treat other people that way. Or maybe I'm just a reasonably nice person with at least half a brain. It bums me out that most of my fellow nerds failed to make the connection. Do unto others, yeah? But nah.. the persecuted geeks, when they finally find somewhere to feel safe, just wanna turn it around and persecute someone else, to be on the other side of it, to feel cool and powerful, to be a macho asshole. When I was a kid, at first I romanticized my nerdy D&D/video games niche. I thought "cool, I wanna hang out with people like me.. we're probably all a bunch of smart, sensitive, esoteric motherfuckers!" Man, was I wrong.
Of course, I guess it's not all dorks anymore.. the "frat boy" types all have Xboxes now.. but I think the uh, "cycle of nerd abuse" accounts for a lot of it. (nothing against frat boys, necessarily. I'm sure there's plenty of nice fraternal fellas out there.. I'm just referring to the stereotypical "kick-sand-in-the-nerd's-face-at-the-beach" kind of macho bully thing.. uh, yeah, I'll shut up now) -anyway, my point is that, mostly, we (nerdy/insecure/picked on white kids) do it to ourselves, and if we're as smart as we think we are, we should freakin' get civilized already.
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The specialist international beekeeping organisation
Beekeepers are sometimes prevented from making good livelihoods from bees because of barriers beyond their control. These barriers may be lack of access to good places to locate hives, barriers to market access, or incompatible farming or land-use practices. For example:
Challenging these underlying barriers is an important part of our work.


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* TSX up 172.72 points, or 1.21 percent, at 14,457.72
* All of 10 main index sectors advance
* Valeant jumps 6.2 percent after raising outlook
TORONTO, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index rose 1.2 percent on Thursday as positive U.S. data reinforced the Federal Reserve's confidence in the economy and the energy sector climbed with the price of U.S. crude oil.
Latest labor-market figures showed strength in the U.S. economy, with the number of jobless claims falling last week and job cuts declining for a second straight month in December.
Minutes from a recent policy meeting indicated that Fed members debated how to communicate plans to eventually begin raising interest rates later this year.
The Toronto equity market rebounded for a second straight session, following sharp selloffs on concerns about a global crude supply glut that took down oil prices.
"It's an oversold bounce," said Robert McWhirter, president and portfolio manager at Selective Asset Management.
"I'm significantly underweight energy-related stocks. It's a high-risk trade, in my view," he added. "Oil is going to take its own sweet time to come back."
The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index closed up 172.72 points, or 1.21 percent, at 14,457.72. All 10 main sectors on the index were higher.
Financials advanced 0.6 percent, with Bank of Nova Scotia rising 0.8 percent to C$64.18 and Toronto Dominion Bank gaining 0.6 percent to C$53.23.
Shares of energy producers climbed 1.6 percent, helped by higher U.S. crude oil prices. Canadian Natural Resources Ltd was up 2.9 percent to C$33.10 and Suncor Energy Inc added 2 percent to C$35.98.
In corporate news, Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc raised its 2015 guidance for adjusted profit more than expected as the drugmaker sees growth from existing products and a stream of small acquisitions. The stock jumped 6.2 percent to C$182.28. (Editing by James Dalgleish)
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


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Desert Combat
|Desert Combat
|Basic Information
|Trauma Studios
|Battlefield 1942
|First-person Shooter
|Digital Download
|Microsoft Windows, macOS and GNU/Linux
|Retail Features
|Technical Information
|Battlefield 1942
Final (0.8) (not by Trauma Studios)
|International Release Date(s)
|Microsoft Windows, macOS and GNU/Linux
October 17, 2004
|Awards | Changelog | Cheats | Codes
Codex | Compatibility | Covers | Credits | DLC | Help
Localization | Manifest | Modding | Patches | Ratings
Reviews | Screenshots | Soundtrack
Videos | Walkthrough
GOG | In-Game | Origin | PlayStation Trophies | Retro
Steam | Xbox Live
Desert Combat is a mod for the first-person shooter (FPS) computer game Battlefield 1942, created by Frank Delise, Brian Holinka and Tim Brophy. Desert Combat features many new weapons and new Conquest and Capture the Flag Maps. Desert Combat is set in Iraq during the first Gulf War. It acquired popularity since the 2003 invasion of Iraq by Coalition forces and has been featured on many media websites.[1][2]
Trauma Studios[edit | edit source]
On September 1, 2004, Digital Illusions CE (DICE) bought Trauma Studios, the developers of the Desert Combat Battlefield 1942 mod to help work on Battlefield 2.
Shortly before the release of Battlefield 2, DICE announced that the company has "decided to discontinue the New York office, Trauma Studios". DICE will no longer pay $200,000 in outstanding funds from the original deal.[3]
Notable modifications[edit | edit source]
There have also been secondary mods for Desert Combat, such as Desert Combat Extended, Desert Combat Realism, and Desert Combat Final, which modify gameplay and add new content such as additional armies and features. When Trauma Studios was purchased by DICE, some of the Desert Combat team chose not to join DICE and continued on to make Desert Combat Final, an update to Desert Combat. It was released on October 16, 2004 though it was not an official release by Trauma Studios or by the Desert Combat team.[4]
Awards[edit | edit source]
- FilePlanet's Best New Mod of 2004 for Desert Combat Final[4]
- FilePlanet's Best Mod of 2003[5]
- GameSpy's 2003 PC Modification of the Year[6]
- FilePlanet's Best New Mod for 2002[7]
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Morris, Chris (2003-03-25). "War games see spike". CNN. http://money.cnn.com/2003/03/25/commentary/game_over/column_gaming/index.htm. Retrieved 2007-02-02.
- ↑ Ly, Phuong (2003-04-07). "In Wartime, Teens Go Back to Their Quarters". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A43712-2003Apr6. Retrieved 2007-02-02.
- ↑ GameSpot on Trauma closure
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Desert Combat official website. Retrieved on 2007-02-02
- ↑ File Planet weekly 30 December 2003. Retrieved on 2007-02-02
- ↑ Game Spy's Game of the year 2003. Retrieved on 2007-02-02
- ↑ FilePlanet's Poll for Best New Mod of 2002. Retrieved on 2007-02-02
External Links[edit | edit source]
- Desert Combat home page on the Internet Archive
- Desert Combat FAQ on the Internet Archive
- IGN interviews Desert Combat founders


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The Inspiration Behind The Bracelet
Life is Amazing. You get to choose how you want to live and you can write your own story. Choose your Life Motto be: I am a Kind-Hearted person to everyone. I have a Fierce Mind that has heartfelt and powerful intensity and is always creating. I am a Brave Spirit that can conquer any challenge or obstacle, that can reach every goal or vision by not giving in to fear, but believing in your Kind Heart and Fierce Mind.
Bracelet Details
Inspire Me Bracelets are made with all natural gemstones with a beautiful stainless steel engraved bar. All of our bracelets are available in 4 sizes (X-Small, Small, Medium, Large). Inspire Me Bracelets are stretch bracelets made with a double banded elastic for a comfortable fit.
Inspire Me Bracelets are made with high grade 403 nickel and lead free stainless steel to insure the bracelet will not tarnish, change color, or rust. All of our bracelets are hand made with love and make the perfect gift for everyone!


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OZY on the Daily Grind
It's what you do every day. OZY tells you how the world is doing it.
The Price of a Tomato
Sometimes work is about the fight for basic rights. A small, marginalized group of tomato pickers has changed the way corporate behemoths do business, and their strategy could well take off. Lost in the frenzy of hipster foodie-ism are the 1.4 million people who pick and pack produce in America's fields. They're vulnerable to all kinds of abuse, including outright slavery, and typically earn a pittance. But happily, if slowly, this is changing, mostly because of a tomato-picker organization in a tiny town in southwest Florida. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers has about 4,500 members, many of whom don't speak English. But in recent years, the coalition has forced corporate megaliths like McDonald's, Burger King and Whole Foods to change how they do business. So far, some 11 companies have joined its Fair Food Program. It provides basic protections that Florida tomato pickers have never had, including a minimum wage and mechanisms to report and investigate abuse.
Networking With a Blue Hue
And from farm workers to engineers to plumbers — everyone needs a network. In the social media–hungry world, it's never long after someone identifies a gap in the market that an entrepreneur comes up with a whiz-bang way to fill it. Consider social networking, for example. One group in particular has historically been left out in the digital cold: blue-collar workers. There's a gap worth filling, and the answer is taking shape in the form of WorkHands, a kind of LinkedIn for skilled-trade workers.
Millennials' Workplace Pushback
There are far too many stereotypes out there about Gen Y and what they want. One of those could be misinforming employers — badly. While millennials, or Gen Y, may be known as the tech-infused generation, a recent study found that the majority of them crave more in-person collaboration with colleagues and less of what the current workplace paradigm serves up: a culture of emailing, texting and telecommuting. Organizations think millennials want to do everything remotely, but the truth is they're more relational and use technology to enhance their connection with family, friends and colleagues.
An Angel in the Workplace
In order to get anywhere, you need someone on the lookout for you. For OZY's CEO, that's not a mentor — that's an angel in the workplace. Everyone will give you the usual good advice: do things you love, have a plan, invest in talent, find a mentor. But if you really want to move forward, you need something better than a mentor. Mentors help you when you ask for it. But an angel is someone who is always thinking of you and is super-proactive, always going above and beyond. Angels offer critiques, and are honest in a way that friends and family aren't. Probably most important, they make critical introductions. And they're always thinking about you and your future — even when you may not realize it.
- OZY Editors, OZY AuthorContact OZY Editors


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Witching Neo Traditional Tattoos By Yonmar
Written byJenTheRipper
Come to the dark side of neo traditional - here you'll find cool tattoos.
Belgian tattoo artist Yonmar creates enticing neo traditional tattoos of witches, vampires and other demonic creatures.
Young tattoo artist Yonmar is working at La Main Bleue, a tattoo studio specialized in neo traditional art, in St Ghislain, Belgium. Her designs are detailed, full of fancy details, but also often esoteric. Indeed, Yonmar's tattoos will rejoice the fans of dark arts. Her neo traditional ladies are occult priestess, witches, demons and vampires... In general, her tattoos are haunted with sensuality, blasphemy and Victorian elegance.
If you love your tattoos dark and troubling, follow Yonmar on Facebook and Instagram...


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The Cincinnati Bengals defense was a major let down last season across the board. They lost their first round selection William Jackson III to a pectoral injury and overall underperformed. They ranked among the worst in opponents points per game and allowed too many yards through the air. They did not address the secondary until the sixth round in the draft but did add depth up front. Drafting both Jordan Willis and Carl Lawson at the defensive end position.
The defense overall needs to step up. The defensive front looks solid even more so after drafting the players stated above. However, with both Pat Sims and Michael Johnson on the other side of 30 now how much do they have in the tank? The Bengals will lean on these two heavily the two rookies how to go about business and mentor them, as well as seeing a ton of snaps.
The linebackers are solid and only look to get better. Vontaze Burfict will be able to play a full 16 games this year, barring any injury. He missed the first four weeks last season because of a suspension. He is the captain of that defense and obviously a leader in the locker room. If he can stay away from playing dirty, he could have a huge season. Kevin Minter and Rey Vincent will probably split snaps at the beginning of the season at least at the middle linebacker position until one of them solidifies the position.
Lastly the secondary. This will cause the Bengals to lose more games than they would like. Obviously, William Jackson has yet to touch the field, but it also does not help that both Dre Kirkpatrick and Adam Jones have seemed to lose a step or two over the past couple seasons. Jones is now on the decline and Kirkpatrick is not far behind him. On top of that, the safeties leave a lot to be desired. With an aging secondary, I still question why John Ross at the ninth overall pick when there were bigger holes on the defense.
Overall, the defense will have its bright spots, but also weakness'. The front seven will be good; however, the backend will cause problems. Maybe the Cincinnati Bengals can find a way to make it all mesh but I would not expect it.
Editor's Note: this article can also be seen in our upcoming NFL Preview Edition.


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Pramodhya Umayangani is a charming girl who is friendly towards everyone at the Horizon Lanka Academy. Already, at the young age of 12, she has won a few medals for her outstanding performances in karate tournaments. Last year Pramodhya went to Kerala, India where she finished second among the competitors from five different nations, earning her a silver medal. This year she was invited to a karate championship in Mumbai , but was unable to take part due to the expenses required.
Pramodhya is the second daughter of three siblings. Her family lives in Mahawilachchiya where wild elephants are regular visitors to their farm. Each time they wander onto the farm they destroy the young coconut plants. Recent droughts caused her father to abandon the farmland and become a daily laborer in the city. Her mother Yamuna still finds time to tend to the farm even while looking after her one-year and half old baby boy.
Pramodhya is a talented dancer, equally strong in both traditional and free style dancing. Each time when Horizon Lanka organizes a farewell party for a foreign volunteer Pramodhya does her best performance, while her mother Yamuna looks after costumes and refreshments for the audience. Pramodhya also attends a traditional dancing class held three days each week at her house. They have a very good dancing team which performs in peraheras (cultural processions) festivals and other public events taking place in the village.
This Karate Kid is a regular student at Horizon Lanka. She is an intelligent and dedicated student that excels in her computers, English and dancing studies. She can be found working happily with her peers. She is an asset to Horizon Lanka as her family is extremely dedicated to Horizon and its mission.
Even with her all extracurricular activities, Pramodhya still records high marks in her public school term tests. She dreams of becoming a gymnastics teacher.
"I love dancing, martial arts and gymnastic so that I could keep my body fit and healthy," says an excited Pramodhya. It would be great if you can help her realizing her dream.


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Before we had children we decided that we would call our own and our children's genitals by their proper name. I didn't grow up ever saying 'vulva' or 'vagina' it was called a 'minnie' in our house. A "minnie'? What is that? It meant that going to the doctors, having smear tests, anything that was wrong I felt incredibly uncomfortable talking about. With anyone. If it was mentioned outside of our house it was in hushed tones of "down there". Why?
I won't lie, it took a while before I became fully able to say the correct words without feeling like giggling or saying it in a funny voice but having children really helped. Now, hearing pet names for genitals just sounds wrong.
We should be able to go to the doctors and feel comfortable enough to say there is something wrong with our genitals in the same way we might say we have a sore back.
We don't give pet names to other body parts. An arm is an arm or a foot a foot. A vulva should be a vulva and a penis a penis.
Children need to be given these words without shame or laughter so that they can use them as part of their vocabulary. Alongside this we need to teach them that these are 'private parts' and that there are 'ok touches' and 'not ok touches'. We recently bought a book called 'Let's Talk about Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families and Friends' by Robie H. Harris and this covers this issue at an age appropriate level (the book says 4-7 but our 2 year old worked through it). If a child is ever in a situation where their body is being touched in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable or in the awful circumstance that they are sexually assaulted, they need to be able to tell someone. They need the words there to begin with.
I firmly believe we owe it to our children to give them ownership of their bodies and that starts with the correct vocabulary of all their body parts.
Our children's generation need to be the ones to counteract the taboo, to be able to say the correct names of their genitals and know what is and isn't ok to be touched by strangers, family or friends. We, as parents, can start this by teaching our children the correct vocabulary for these body parts and in doing so, break any stigma attached.


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Several unheralded Nigerian players enjoyed unexpectedly successful years in 2017, both at club and international level.
In this feature, KweséESPN profiles five starlets who have defied expectations over the last 12 months.
Ola Aina has enjoyed a breakthrough 2017 after previously struggling to make a mark at Chelsea.
A willingness to switch his international allegiance from England to Nigeria led to his maiden Super Eagles cap in October.
The full-back has gone on to make three appearances for the West African giants so far, and looks primed for a spot at the World Cup next summer.
At club level, Aina dropped a division to the Championship, joining Hull City on loan, and he has proven to be one of the most consistent performers for the Tigers, thriving in various wide roles on either flank.
The coming year promises to be huge for the 21-year-old, who was shortlisted by KweséESPN as an African star to watch in 2018.
Henry Onyekuru has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the last 18 months, taking the Jupiler League by storm in his debut campaign and ending it with 22 goals for Eupen.
Despite being linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain, he ultimately opted for Everton, joining the Toffees for £7 million before subsequently being loaned out to Anderlecht.
He'd netted nine goals for the Belgian giants - despite occasionally being employed as a left wing-back - before
His brilliant displays led to a bidding war among Europe's leading clubs, with reports indicating he underwent a medical at Paris Saint-Germain before signing for Everton for a fee of £7million.
Onyekuru also made his Nigeria debut, but injury now leaves his World Cup prospects hanging by a thread.
Samuel Kalu: For close to three decades, Nigerian youngsters have consistently used the Belgium league as a launching pad to greater things.
The previously unknown Samuel Kalu became the latest starlet to walk this familiar path when he moved from Slovak team AS Trencin to Gent in January, joining a club with a huge Nigerian presence.
The exciting winger quickly settled into his new team, scoring a total of seven goals from 32 league appearances in 2017.
Despite receiving a red card in the last league game of the year against Anderlecht, more should be expected from the 20-year-old in the coming year.
Could he capitalise on Onyekuru's injury and muscle his way into the Nigeria squad for the trip to Russia?
Orji Okwonkwo graduated from Bologna's reserves to the first team at the start of the year, and has steadily emerged as a key component during the ongoing Serie A season.
The skilful and energetic forward, who is often deployed on the wings, was a member of the Golden Eaglets' U-17 World Cup-winning class of 2015, where his qualities drew parallels with Victor Obinna.
The attacker has scored three goals from a total of 18 Serie A appearances in 2017, and is tipped to do much bigger things in the years to come.
Francis Uzoho: Deportivo La Coruna continued their longstanding association with African goalkeepers when they signed Uzoho from the Aspire Academy in 2016.
The 19-year-old has made giant strides in his attempt to follow in the footsteps of Jacques Songo'o and Peter Rufai at the Spanish club, making his professional debut in the current season.
The breakthrough year got even better for the talented goalkeeper when he was handed his international debut for Nigeria against Argentina in an international friendly in Krasnodar.
His confident display as the Super Eagles came back from 2-0 down to win 4-2, has prompted speculation that the youngster could even be the Super Eagles' first choice at the World Cup.


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Klemen Becan frees Water World 9a at Osp in Slovenia
At the Ospo cave in Slovenia Klemen Becan has freed Water World 9a.
Last Saturday Klemen Bečan freed his "big project" in the immense cave at Osp, Slovenia. Bolted by him almost two years ago, the route takes a striking line up the lefthand side of the cave for almost 50m and is split into two distinct sections; 30 intense moves lead to a good rest, followed by another 30 easier metres of "super nice climbing on stalactites, 8b."
The first redpoint came about after "lots of attempts, often alone in the cave, trying to figure out the moves by myself for hours." Apart from the difficulties linked to this "3D climbing" has he defines it, Bečan also had to deal with another incognita: how to reach the base of the route, seeing that with the winter rains the cave had filled up with water. After an initial approach (and belay) with a kayak Bečan eventually settled for a Tyrolean traverse and on Saturday he finally freed the line on this third attempt that day. Graded 9a, it is currently the hardest route in this splendid cave that hosts a dozen routes from 8a upwards. The name of the line? Water world. Obviously.
TOPO: Climbing at Osp, Slovenia


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Facebook Bets Big on 'Live' Content With $50M for Celebs, Media Biz
Facebook may have more than a billion eyeballs on it, but CEO Mark Zuckerberg wants to keep them there. That's why his social media empire invested $50 million in Facebook Live content, announcing that the likes of Kevin Hart, Gordon Ramsay, Deepak Chopra and NFL quarterback Russell Wilson will appear in streaming videos.
"Facebook Inc. has inked contracts with nearly 140 media companies and celebrities to create videos for its nascent live-streaming service," reads a Wall Street Journal article updated on Wednesday, "as the social network positions itself to cash in on a lucrative advertising market it has yet to tap — and keep its 1.65 billion monthly users engaged. The company has agreed to make payments to video creators totaling more than $50 million, according to a document reviewed by The Wall Street Journal."
WSJ's Steven Perlberg and Deepa Seetharaman write that the $50 million comes before Facebook solidifies a sustainable way to compensate content creators like media companies CNN, the New York Times, Vox Media, Tastemade, Mashable and the Huffington Post. Sharing ad revenue is one possibility, they say.
At least one critic tells Target Marketing that publishers and, by extension, marketers who advertise with them, should take a wait-and-see approach to placing content on Facebook.
John Strabley, VP and strategy director at Quaero, emailed Target Marketing these thoughts about publishers partnering with Facebook on content: Facebook-referred site visitors are "low-quality," single-digit percentages of site traffic and "snackable" content seekers. So they represent an opportunity cost, he says. While partnering with Facebook on articles may extend reach, it will also cannibalize revenue, Strabley writes.
"Eliciting a clickthrough on Facebook is hard enough," he says, "so how is giving them the full article on Facebook going to solve that problem? Part of the challenge with driving scale in traffic from Facebook is that the platform itself is engaging. Users are more interested in catching up on the latest from friends and celebrities they follow that anything else seems to be an intrusion and a disruption."
Celebrities, Strabley says.
Zuckerberg may have been listening. He displayed the Facebook Live product for users on June 14 with whom? Comedian Jerry Seinfeld.
The Facebook CEO's first townhall Q&A already had nearly 10 million views by early afternoon on Wednesday.
"[Zuckerberg] answered questions from around the world about artificial intelligence, virtual reality, live video, entrepreneurship and more," reads Facebook's announcement. "Comedian Jerry Seinfeld dropped by to ask Mark a few questions of his own."
Zuckerberg's fans got a notification when his video went live, as is the case for all followers. [Author's note: For instance, I'll get a notification when my friends use Facebook Live.]
In Facebook's Q1 earnings call in April, (opens as a PDF) Zuckerberg says the next five years will be the "golden age of online video." He says video is actually helping consumers shift screens to mobile devices.
"There are billions and billions of videos that are viewed every day on Facebook," Zuckerberg says. "Live is a very small part of it. The reason why we give this proportion of attention to it is because we're trying to help push forward new formats that are not just about consuming content but are really about interacting. So Live, 360 Video, and there will be others in the future. I do think multiple products and companies can succeed in building these things. I also think that there are go going to be a lot more interactive forms of video than just Live and 360 like we're talking about now. And I think this extends not just to video but for all of the different types of media and audiences that we're serving."


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LSC is proud to announce the release of a new range of Ethernet / DMX512 converters. As fixtures and shows consume more and more universes, the trend has been to move to Ethernet to enable large amounts of data to be moved around. However at the end of the line the benefits of DMX512 and the number of products that use it make it a universal standard. The NEXUS range of converters enable users to seamlessly mix the most popular communications standards in the lighting industry today.
LSC is proud to announce the release of the new Redback Wallmount range previewed at PLASA this year. Redesigned from the ground up, the sight of a crisp colour touch screen immediately gives the user the notion that this is no ordinary device - and that notion would be right.
LSC's Clarity lighting and Media controller was the console of choice for Lighting Programmer Joris Vandamme for the Flemish Day celebrations held earlier this year in the main market square in the heart of Brussels.
LSC Lighting Systems' UK distributor White Light has recently supplied Neg Earth with a number of the new e24V3 touring dimmer systems.
Latvia, last week saw the opening of their national lighting festival 'Staro Riga 2010 , during which the capital city Riga, is transformed into a spectacular display of 'Light Art'.
Peter Stubbs, well known Australian Lighting Designer and Creative Producer, has recently invested in LSC Clarity as his console of choice. Travelling extensively throughout Australia and Asia, Peter required a powerful lighting control system that could travel well and keep within his aircraft baggage allowance.
Legendary Belgian band Front 242 recently headlined the Blackfield Festival in Gelsenkirchen, Germany as part of their current European tour. LD Kris Noerens chose Clarity as his console of choice for this gig and for good reason.
After a long wait we are pleased to advise that the Mac version of Clarity is finally shipping.


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The recent Google Local Update (aka Pigeon) was very disruptive. Although as I wrote at the time and reiterate, only when we actually look at measurable results can we both understand its actual impact and perhaps understand more of what was happening and what changes Google has made.
There were two main parts to the update as expressed by Google:
– Local search results that are tied more closely to traditional web search ranking signals.
– The new algorithm improves their distance and location ranking parameters.
My tea leave translation of that?
– We are moving the algos that dictated page and location prominence closer together. We are integrating brand preferences and entity rank into our main algo and using more of that as a common ranking process across both the web and local results.
-We are better able to ascertain location in both mobile and desktop environments and have, for the most part drawn smaller radius around the presumed location of the searcher from which to draw the local search results.
From where I sit, the first part of this change has been happening for a while and as David noted at SEL was largely seen first with the Hummingbird roll out.
It also appears to me that the improvements to their distance and location ranking parameters and the attendant redrawing of the local boundaries, at least on the desktop, is actually causing the more dramatic shifts in measurable desktop results.
Barbara Oliver & Co Jewelry (and others that I have looked at as well) was strongly impacted by that second change. The search radius, which had previously expanded to include the shopping suburbs of Buffalo (Williamsville, Amherst etc) had once again contracted to just include the city of Buffalo proper. You can see this when you do a search like Jewelry Buffalo. Google had effectively reduced the diameter of the search radius from 12 to 6 miles
The impact of the reduction in local Pack visibility for Barbara is obvious in Google's My Business Insights with reduced impressions:
But Barbara Oliver has always done well organically and the loss of the Pack results still have left many of her organic results above the pack on that same search. So what happened there?
When we compare the last 9 days (since the update) to the previous 9 days and drill into her primary geography we see a somewhat different, more positive story about her website traffic. Obviously data is limited and it is still early but the net affect was upward.
Even more positive though was the increases she saw in neighborhoods surrounding Buffalo:
This last bit of improvement shown in the analytics at the more granular levels of suburbs and neighborhoods is interesting. As the users move more and more to mobile search not only has there been a decline in city level searches (i.e. jewelry buffalo) but the searches will be occurring with Google having a much better handle on the actual users real location rather than a very approximate desktop location.
As I drove up to Buffalo last week, I did an experiment where I requested a non geo modified search query (self storage) that returned mobile Map Packs and I did so about every 5 minutes as I approached Buffalo from the rural south towns.
Initially the iPhone Google app returned results within 7 mile distance of me, this dropped to 5 miles and then as the density of storage companies increased closer to urban Buffalo the stated distance from me dropped to 3 miles. (It is interesting that the iPhone app actually states the distance as part of the results when using voice search.)
When I added the modifier "nearby" the distance dropped to 2 miles. And about every 5-10 minutes, as I headed down the road, Google returned different search results within those increasingly restrictive radii. Upon arrival to the suburbs, I voice searched for "Jewelers" and the distance noted was 5 miles. The search for "DUI lawyers" (Google must think I am a reprobate) was 7 miles and did in fact return a pack local result unlike the desktop search.
This real world testing of searching via mobile as you move through an urban landscape is something that MozCast or Whitespark can not begin to measure using their tools. To a large extent we are forced to drive blind on what is really happening across the broad range of devices & locations that searchers are using.
The bottom line in all of this? Searcher behavior is changing and Google is changing right along with it. The problem that we have is that we don't really have the tools to fully understand some of these changes and really measure their impacts on the local business.
So far though, at least in the case of Barbara, while she did give up some important pack results she has seem some modest gains in web traffic. Let's hope that the (as yet unmeasurable) impact on her business is neutral.Pigeon - An Anecdotal Impact Report by Mike Blumenthal


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IEC System of Conformity Assessment Schemes
for Electrotechnical Equipment and Components
About IECEE
CB Scheme
What is the IECEE CB Scheme?
Operated by the IEC System of Conformity Assessment Schemes for Electrotechical Equipment and Components (IECEE), the IECEE CB Scheme is an international system for mutual acceptance of test reports and certificates dealing with the safety of electrical and electronic components, equipment and products.
It is a multilateral agreement among participating countries and certification organizations, which aims to facilitate trade by promoting harmonization of national standards with International Standards and cooperation among accepted National Certification Bodies (NCBs) worldwide. By achieving this, it brings product manufacturers a step closer to the ideal concept of "one product, one test, one mark, where applicable'.
Why is it important?
- Safety: manufacturers/suppliers must ensure that their products comply with relevant safety standards, while government regulations are generally intended to protect populations from potential risks associated with products.
- Quality: buyers/wholesalers want to ensure the quality of products purchased and unhindered market access. Interoperability: product manufacturers and end users want to be sure their products work and can interact with other products, services and installations.
- Consistency: manufacturers/suppliers want to be sure their marketed products comply with the sample assessed.
Who benefits from it?
- Governments: are able to reduce trade barriers caused by different certification criteria of countries. Countries can better meet their obligations as stated in the World Trade Organization's Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade.
- Industry: can reduce delays and costs of multiple testing since a product can be certified once by a single National Certification Body (NCB) which can be accepted by others worldwide, usually without the need for further product assessment. Markets can be expanded and product to market time reduced.
- End users: ultimately anyone using a product which has been tested and certified using the IECEE CB Scheme has the assurance that the goods purchased will perform to expectations and are reasonably safe when used as intended.
Originally, this Scheme was operated by the CEE (former European "International Commission for Conformity Testing of Electrical Equipment"). It was integrated into IEC in 1985.
More information
For more information about how the IECEE CB Scheme works, see the IECEE brochure:
IECEE. Taking Conformity Assessment Further


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Wilkerson Company
Management Accounting for Multinational Companies
Solution to the Wilkerson Case
Igor Baranov
Executive Summary
Taking into account the difference among product and high proportion of overheads, Wilkersonshould abandon its existing cost system and move to activity-based costing. The profitability analysisindicates that the company earns healthy margins on pumps and valves. However, the margin of flow controllers at actual usage of capacity is negative. Wilkerson should consider action targeted atcost reduction (changes in flow controllers design or in their production and delivery process) orraising the price of flow controllers for customers. Since flow controllers are customized, thecompany can set different prices for different customers (groups of customers) based on the actualamount of resources spent (e.g. implement activity-based pricing).
Wilkerson has to estimate the profitability of its products in order to make long-term product mixdecisions. These decisions should be based on estimation of product costs and might includedecisions to continue / stop production of a particular product, pricing decisions, and decisionsconcerning product and process design, including customer relations.
Information about direct labor and material costs as well as overhead costs is available. Overheadsare recorded by five cost pools (machining, setup labor, receiving and production control,engineering, and packaging and shipment). We assume that the current month is typical in terms of (a) capacity utilization, and (b) cost of resources.
Competitive situation
The competitive situation varies for Wilkerson's products. Pump and flow controllers are on theopposite sides of the spectrum. Pumps are commodity products, produced in high volumes for amarket with severe price competition. Flow controllers, on the contrary, are customized products,sold in a less competitive market with inelastic demand at the current price range. The third product,valves, is standard, produced and shipped in large lots. Wilkerson is a quality leader, but thisleadership may soon be contested by several competitors. Although they are able to match Wilkerson's quality, there are no signs of price competition yet. Nevertheless, in the long-runWilkerson should be prepared to compete on price. Existing (pumps) and potential (valves) pricecompetition pushes Wilkerson to analyze its overhead costs, since no reserves of cost cutting are leftin its supply chain (both customer and suppliers agreed to just-in-time delivery).
Existing cost system
Currently Wilkerson implements volume-based full costing. Direct materials and labor costs arebased on standard prices of materials and labor rates. Indirect cost (overhead) is allocated to costobjects (products) in proportion to direct labor cost at the rate of 300%.Two factors demonstrate that volume-based costing may produce inadequate estimates of the unitcost:
* Overheads are quite high (300% to direct labor cost).
* Products vary in terms of consumption of indirect resources. Pumps and valves are standardproducts, whereas flow controllers are customized, so we should expect higher unit cost for thelatter. Existing volume-based costing with one-stage indirect cost allocation (from aggregated cost pool to products) doesn't allow differentiating indirect cost among products in accordance with their demand on indirect resources. Currently overheads are allocated to products inproportion to direct labor costs, although they don't relate to direct labor technologically.
Option I: Direct costing and Contribution analysis
Direct costing and contribution analysis are adequate for short-term decision making (e.g. accept orreject an additional order when only those costs that would change if a particular option is taken arerelevant). In the long-run under price competition, however, the company...
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(BPT) - More than five million Americans are impacted by heart valve disease each year. Of those, 1.5 million suffer from aortic stenosis, which occurs when the aortic valve does not open properly and affects how oxygen-rich blood leaves the heart with each beat. This increases pressure within the heart and causes it to weaken.
Aortic stenosis (AS) is one of the most common and serious valve disease problems that can impact individuals of all ages, affecting health and limiting daily activities. (American Heart Association)
If you've recently been diagnosed with symptomatic severe AS or you're wondering if it could be an issue for you or a loved one, here are five questions to consider:
1. What are the symptoms of severe aortic stenosis?
Symptoms of AS include, but may not be limited to:
- Chest pain
- Feeling dizzy or light-headed
- Difficulty walking short distances
- Trouble breathing or feeling out of breath
- Rapid, fluttering heartbeat
Each of these symptoms is a sign of the progression of this heart valve disease and should not be ignored. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor right away. Many of these symptoms may be associated with other heart conditions.
If you are looking for a specialist in your area, check out: https://www.medtronic.com/us-en/patients/treatments-therapies/transcatheter-aortic-valve-replacement/find-tavr-physician.html.
2. What can I do to find the right treatment option for me?
Nearly half of heart valve patients (49 percent) from a recent Heart-Valve-Surgery.com survey reported a quick return to active living as a key factor in their treatment decision. By taking charge of your health and learning more about aortic stenosis, you're already on the right track.
In the survey, most (90 percent) heart valve patients were influenced by conversations with their doctor when making a treatment decision. This was more than any other factor, including conducting their own online research (55 percent) and conversations with family or friends (28 percent). To find the right treatment option, talk with your doctor. Start a conversation around what treatments are available and learn which options are right for you to help you get back to your favorite activities sooner rather than later.
3. Am I a candidate for a less invasive procedure?
In addition to traditional surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR), you may want to ask if you could be a candidate for a less invasive treatment option, such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).
FDA-approved minimally invasive procedures, like TAVR, may require less time in the hospital with faster procedure times, and may result in an overall quicker recovery. According to the HVS survey, 98 percent of patients who received TAVR reported being satisfied with TAVR as a treatment option.
Like any medical procedure, undergoing a heart valve procedure such as TAVR or SAVR is not without risk. Risks may vary with patient characteristics such as age, sex, severity of illness, comorbidities and family history. Some risks may be severe (death, stroke, or serious bleeding).
Talk with your doctor about the risks and benefits to determine if TAVR is an option for you.
4. What advice do heart valve patients have for others seeking treatment?
Understanding all the steps around the diagnosis, treatment and recovery process for heart valve disease can be overwhelming. However, the right information can help empower you to feel confident in your treatment decision. Recent research from HVS found that more than 1 in 3 (36 percent) of heart valve patients wished they had talked to other patients or an online support group, or asked more questions at their doctor's appointments (37 percent). There is a wealth of educational resources available to patients. Today, more than 300,000 patients and caregivers belong to the online support group provided by HVS.
5. How will treating my heart valve disease impact my life?
Recent research from HVS found that 4 in 5 patients (82 percent) who received heart valve surgery reported being able to exercise as a top benefit post-treatment, while nearly half (47 percent) said their heart valve procedure allowed them to spend more time with family and friends.
To learn more about heart valve disease, available treatment options and to identify a center near you, visit https://www.medtronic.com/us-en/patients/treatments-therapies/transcatheter-aortic-valve-replacement/find-tavr-physician.html.
Heart-Valve-Surgery.com (HVS) and Medtronic collaborated to launch the Active Living Awareness Initiative, providing resources, support and educational materials for heart valve patients.


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Sipping an avocado smoothie at Tiabi Coffee & Waffle on Maryland Parkway, Fawn Douglas discusses ongoing damage to the petroglyphs in unprotected Gold Butte. Wearing a T-shirt that reads "Made in Native America," the 30-something artist and activist says she is disgusted that people are using the ancient art for target practice, and makes it a point to take Native youth to the area to expose them to the importance of preservation.
Douglas lives and celebrates her heritage in her daily life and art. Now living in the retro-hip Paradise Palms neighborhood, she grew up in the Downtown colony of the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe, and stays connected by mentoring Native youth in activism and culture, whether it's starting a tribal arts and recreation program or advocating to change Columbus Day.
Having just earned her B.A. from UNLV, Douglas heads this summer to the international artist residency Arquetopia in Mexico, where she'll learn pigment making from natural materials. Her art is Native American contemporary, but the pigments will help in her quest to revive the tribal tradition of basket making. She recently visited her family's heirlooms at Overton's Lost City Museum.
The two-time Little Miss Paiute and tribal council alum has been doing Native dance since childhood and helped organize the Native American Student Association's powwow coming up at UNLV on January 9. We spoke with Douglas, who in addition to connecting past with present, strives to make Natives more visible in contemporary society.
What motivated you to visit your family's artifacts at the Lost City Museum? Personal research. I'd been wanting to learn how to make baskets. My people are known for it. There are no members of the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe that currently do it, and this is something I will not be able to learn in school. I viewed my great-grandmother Topsy Swains' collection and her mother's baskets.
How did the artifacts arrive at the museum? Various ways. One of the smaller baskets made by Topsy Swain was purchased by Dr. William S. Park in 1935. It was acquired by Iola and R.F. Perkins after his death in 1946. It was then acquired by the State of Nevada from R.F. Perkins in 1973.
What was it like to see them? It took me back to a simple time. I loved [Topsy]; she was the sweetest lady. I guess there is a part of my culture I long for. I don't want that to go away. I want to bring it back to the youth. It's important to be reminded what makes you special, different. We are a small tribe. Our culture is special and we are significant to this region.
Why did the basket-making tradition disappear among Las Vegas Paiutes? I have relatives that still do it from Moapa Paiute Tribe. Willows for making the baskets grow along the river there. The willows don't grow here. Maybe that has something to do with it. My uncle Estes lives in Arizona. I asked him last year about making baskets, and he told me his wife Hopper makes them. I can learn from her. I am hoping to visit soon. There's a certain time when the willows are grown.
How would you describe Downtown's Paiute colony? Chill. I haven't lived there since I was a kid. I go back frequently, though, to visit family and do events at our multi-purpose [center]. It looks the same, feels the same. I like how it's all families that live in three cul-de-sacs that make up the colony. You can walk up or down the hill and everyone is connected. That togetherness is something I can appreciate now, but took for granted growing up there.
What are common misconceptions about Native people? That we are a thing of the past, don't exist anymore. A lot of people don't know we're here. In the schools, Native American people are talked about in a past tense.
What have you learned from mentoring youth about celebrating their heritage? Supporting youth and pushing for them to be proud of their heritage is important. It's what makes them special. That identity is so important to them. They are the strongest voices against being called "redskins," among other racist terms. They are supportive over environmental protection and are actually the strength behind me. I wouldn't have stepped up without the strength of their voices.
What will you be learning at Arquetopia? I want to learn about the techniques for creating natural pigments from Oaxaca and apply it. There are Paiute techniques for making different colors from desert flowers and roots. I am so fascinated how other cultures produce their colors. We might have many similarities as indigenous peoples'. I look forward to learning what that is.
UNLV Native American Student Association Social Powow January 9, 6-10 p.m., free. Student Union Ballroom, [email protected]


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Last year a few of our students discovered Line Rider — a computer game in which they could draw paths and a little sledder guy slides down and up. It's a fantastic application of tangent lines (and therefore calculus with perhaps some vectors and physics), because in the version that I saw them doing last year they would simulate a curve by drawing lots of straight lines, as in this 83-second video:
It looks like Line Rider has gotten all fancy now (or maybe the artists are just more experienced) and you can draw curvy lines for the little guy to slide on. This inspired the following 30-second McDonald's commercial:
Because calculus is so important, Line Rider has also been released for phones (Mobile in August and, according to a news release this past week, the iPhone and iPod Touch this month). No need to be without it ever!
Have you ever noticed how mathematicians count pretty much everything as applied mathematics? Yeah, I know, looking at the world through math-colored glasses!
Tags: calculus, line rider, tangent lines


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Ideas for Creating an Elegant Room
Elegance, like beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For one person sparkling crystal chandeliers and sumptuous fabrics might be a major elegance indicator. For another, natural fabrics and minimal furnishings are the epitome of casual elegance. Whichever the case, there are basic characteristics that define elegance in general terms that we can agree upon. Find out how to bring just the right balance of elegance into your home while staying true to your personal style.
Create a Comfortable Flow
This one is fairly straightforward. The placement of furniture in your home should allow people to move easily from area to area. Too much furniture will limit traffic flow and create a claustrophobic feeling for guests and family.
In small rooms less is more. In large open rooms carve out separate furniture groupings to create intimate areas for friends and family to mingle, read, watch TV or relax. The key to elegant furniture placement is creating a comfortable living space that doesn't look too rigid or cluttered.
Include a Variety of Lighting
Every elegant room needs a combination of natural, ambient, task and accent lighting. During the day filter in natural light from the sun. At night provide overall illumination (ambient) to recreate daytime light levels. Include targeted lighting (task) for reading, dining, cooking and game playing. Incorporate mood lighting (accent) to add drama to the proceedings.
The best sources of ambient light are chandeliers, ceiling fixtures, track lighting, wall sconces and recessed cans. Task lights include pendant lights, under cabinet fixtures, desk and floor lamps. Accent lighting can be anything from sconces, picture lights to candles--any light that is used to highlight objects or create a specific mood.
Go Easy on the Glitz
Every elegant room deserves a little bling. Just don't go overboard with sparkle and shine. Instead of using too many crystals, sequins and rhinestones incorporate surfaces that reflect natural light such as mirrors, glass tile or wallpaper with a subtle metallic sheen.
Alternatively, you can use accessories for smaller bursts of glitz. Create an elegant display featuring a silver bar tray with a set of crystal decanters or an edited collection of silver frames filled with family photos.
Create a Sophisticated Color Palette
Working with a neutral color palette is a safe option to create a sense of elegance in any room. Be careful to avoid the monotony of a purely monochromatic room by injecting pops of color. Use shades one up or down on the paint color chip to create depth. For instance, go with a lighter colors on the upper half of your walls and one shade darker on the lower half. This is a surefire way to create contrast with elegant, neutral colors.
Consider gray as your go to color to add an air of sophistication. Or, opt for the classic combination of black and white for the ultimate in elegance. You can bring touches of a complementary third or fourth color with the inclusion of pillows, artwork and rugs.
Minimize Clutter
I can't emphasize this enough. Nothing spoils the effect of an elegant space more than household clutter. That means those stacks of newspapers and magazines, remote controls, paperwork, toiletries or anything that disrupts the aesthetic of your room. A simple solution is to make a place for everything and put everything in its place.
Baskets, bins and storage cabinets are great places to store away daily clutter. Stylish magazine holders help clear off the tops of tables and counters. Place toiletries and beauty products in decorative containers to simplify your morning routine and give the bathroom an elegant appearance. Pick up after yourself when changing clothes, placing dirty items in the laundry hamper. Hang and properly store clothes to wear another day.
Select Meaningful Accessories
Don't purchase accessories just because they are trendy. These items should be meaningful additions to your elegant home decor and not just a mish-mash of things to fill a void. Accessories should be a reflection of your personality and a source of pleasant memories. Whether it is a vase filled with freshly cut flowers from your garden, treasures from travels or a special work of art; choose items that you love and will enjoy sharing with others.
So, what are you waiting for? Reward yourself by creating an elegant home environment.
The Basics of an Elegant Dining Room
© 2013 Linda Chechar
Start a Conversation!
An elegantly-written hub! Shortly, I am going to move into a rented apartment with my husband and I decided to use your helpful tips. Way to go!
Thanks for SHARING. Useful, Awesome & Interesting. Voted up, pinned & shared
Great tips! I enjoyed looking over these ideas.
Thanks for these lovely tips, Linda. I agree overly glitzy rooms don't look very elegant. I, for one, certainly prefer simplicity with just tiny hints of glitz. Rated up and awesome :)
I like the idea of a gray decor with splashes of color and glitz here and there. I like what you say about buying pieces you like, and not just trendy things to fill a space. Very helpful! Thanks!
Everytime I read one of your hubs I think I need to do something with some of the rooms in my house. I guess I am so busy writing, painting, reading, cooking, sewing and numerous other things...However I still want to paint and now you stir up the ruffles of decorating. Great hub. Voting up and pinning.....
Some great tips! Clutter is always my problem and that undoes elegant fast, doesn't it?
Great decorating tips, Linda. I like the idea of having "bling" as light reflected of shiny materials. Love that one idea for a clutter free room,too. Shared! and voted useful!


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When we're looking at some photos, we can't help but to have a dirty mind. This is because the pictures were taken in awkward angle. Well, here are 56 of them to test your mind. What is that crocodile doing? Why is the girl in the wedding dress closing her eyes? What is the woman in the café doing to the statue? Is that really a cat's tail?
What do you see on the design of the back of an iPhone? And yes, what are those two objects on a tree? Check the rest on the video.
Don't forget to share this video with your family and friends on Facebook.


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100 years ago, our Blessed Mother entrusted three shepherd children with an important message of penance, sacrifice and prayer for the conversion of sinners and of the world. Dan and Melissa speak with author, Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle to unveil how this message is still relevant today.
Topics/Questions covered in the show:


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The Danish V.O. of Prince Hans in Disney's "Frozen" - - - - Currently: Raoul in "The Phantom of the Opera" @ Det Ny Teater, Copenhagen, Denmark - - - - - Core Soloist in "Best of... Rock Musicals" @ Eventim Apollo (May 12) - - - - - Later this year: Cover Krolock in "Dance of the Vampires" @ Det Ny Teater, Copenhagen, Denmark.
|Accents & Dialects:
(* = native)
|American-Standard, Danish*, Indian, RP, Russian, Scandinavian, Swedish
(* = Native/Fluent)
|Danish*, English, Swedish
|Music & Dance:
(* = highly skilled)
|A Cappella, Ballet, Beatboxing (vocal percussion), Cabaret Singing, Choral Singing, Contemporary Singing, Country Singing, Dramatic tenor*, Human Beatbox, Jazz Dancing, Jazz Singing, Lyric tenor*, Piano, Rock Singing*, Singing (general)*, Street Jazz, Swing Singing*, Tap, Tenor*, Tenor Baritone*
|Actor-Singer, Comedy, Dubbing, Musical Comedy, Musical Theatre, Professional Singer, Singer-Professional, Voice Over
(* = highly skilled)
|Badminton, Boxing, Football*, Golf, Rollerblading, RollerSkating, Running, Squash, Table Tennis, Tennis
|Vehicle Licences:
|Car Driving Licence
|Other Skills:
|Improvisation, Military Training/Experience, Translating, Translator
The Danish National School of Performing Arts - Musical Theatre 2005-2008
- 3 year program in acting, singing and dancing.
Acting for Camera
- European Film College, Ebeltoft, Denmark
Acting for Camera
- Carmohn Studios, Copenhagen, Denmark