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Does anybody know of a yoked, pleated skirt pattern with panels? I have some pretty funny cotton with happy faces wearing bandanas. Obviously it's not age-appropriate for a 40-something year old high school teacher, but I just love the colors and happiness of it. So I thought I could use it as the inside panels of box pleats on a yoked skirt. I tried googling that description but didn't come up with much. Does anyone know of such a skirt pattern off the top of their head?
Like this? Out-of-print, but you could probably get it on Ebay or Etsy (and in fact McCalls are selling it direct on that link). -- Edited on 8/12/13 5:11 PM --
A few ideas - some of them have godets rather than box pleats though.
Burda 7300
Burda 8118
New Look 6944
New Look 6079
Simmplicity 4188
Wellington, New Zealand
This person has instructions, instead of a pattern, so nothing to buy... Could be worth a try!
perfect pleated skirt
Not a pattern, but I recently ran across a tutorial for a box-pleated apron using contrast fabrics. It might be helpful!
------~Gem in the prairie
If you can get a hold of this Burda Magazinr, there is a really cute double inverted pleat skirt in it.
Sorry I'm late to this party, but I found a tutorial on how to add contrasting box pleats to a pattern. So if you have the yoked skirt, you can add your own. I love the idea of a wild print, hidden in a demure skirt!
BurdaStyle tutorial
Good luck, and I can't wait to see the finished skirt!
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November 27, 2015
A company linked to contaminated spinach says its organic spinach is not the source of deadly E. coli.
Natural Selection Foods says federal and state health inspectors confirmed that through manufacturing codes from packages of spinach
that infected patients turned over. All the codes came from non-organic spinach.
Natural Selection is the world's largest producer of organic produce. It packages both organic and conventionally grown spinach in separate areas.
With more cases of E. coli reported, River Ranch Fresh Foods has expanded its recall of spring mixes containing spinach that were sold under the labels Hy-Vee, Fresh N' Easy, and Farmers Market. All contain spinach purchased from Natural Selection.
At least 109 people in 19 states have been sickened. A death in Wisconsin has been linked to the spinach, and another is being investigated, that of an Ohio girl who was almost two.
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Physical Shape Needed for Knee Replacement Surgery Video
Dr. O'Connor explains whether women should defer their knee replacement surgery until they get into better shape.
Read the full transcript
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A.J. Allmendinger will soon be back where he belongs: Driving again for Roger Penske, but this time in an IZOD IndyCar.
One of the brightest racing talents of the region for more than a decade, Allmendinger, 31, of Hollister, suffered what for many would have been a fatal career disaster when he failed a random drug test last June, forcing his departure from Penske Racing's NASCAR team barely six months after getting hired.
Last week, after completion of a NASCAR recovery program and reinstatement of his racing license, Penske asked Allmendinger to test drive an IndyCar Monday and Tuesday at ...


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Heralded as one of the most talented wildlife artists in the country, Tim Wolfe stands among the most recognized sculptors in the industry today. Tim's remarkable understanding and knowledge of both animal and human anatomy, combined with an extraordinary artistic talent has led him to international recognition for his sculpture. His artworks now reside in thousands of private collections throughout the world. The ability to recreate the very spirit of nature's creatures in his artworks is only one of Tim's many gifts. Each Tim Wolfe Desktop Statue is hand craved and carefully antiqued by artisans trained by Tim Wolfe using his own finishing process. Tims Collection is the perfect gift for the Student, Parent, Alum, Employee or Fan alike. Alabaster Stone and Resin. 8.5 Inches wide. Hand Painted Bronze Patina Finish. Collectable Numbered Edition. Officially Licensed.
Product 7/25
This product was added to our catalog on Tuesday 24 September, 2013.


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Paul Giamatti poses at TIFF. Larry Busacca Getty Images
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TORONTO - Paul Giamatti isn't the only actor to have several films at the Toronto International Film Festival, but he may be the only one to have two premieres in one night.
At 6 p.m. Friday the actor was to premiere 12 Years a Slave, the Steve McQueen-directed true story of Solomon Northup, a free black man kidnapped in 1841 and sold into slavery in the South. Hours later he hits the red carpet for Parkland, a historical drama weaving together the true stories of a variety of characters intricately involved in the aftermath of the JFK assassination.
The nuance of ...


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Check out the new materials added to Triton Library's collection for 2012! The link below will give you a month by month update on all the new titles we have available within the collection. Some titles will also have featured book reviews! You will also find an Excel spreadsheet with a listing of all new titles broken down by subject.
New books for 2012
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top 10 hollywood actresses with sexiest lips
top 10 hollywood actresses with sexiest lips
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of about
top 10 hollywood actresses with sexiest lips
Top 10 Sexiest Aussie Female Lips
By: Groshan Fabiola |
Arts & Entertainment
Have you ever heard about one scientific formula that calculates standards of perfect lips? Baileys Lip Attractiveness Software, which was developed by Lipologist, Dr. Kendra Schmid, can rate lips based on a 10-point attractiveness scale. It analyzes some major factors including lips proportions, size, fullness, texture, color and shape. This year, ten sexiest female lips worldwide are honored according to the software including Natalie Bassingthwaighte with 9.38 points and followed by Kate Ritchie, Megan Gale, Elle McPherson, Miranda Kerr, Bec Hewitt, Jackie O, Sophie Monk, Kylie Minogue and Erica Heynatz. Now, let take a look at and enjoy images of their lips.
read more
Transformers 3 - Top 10 Actresses to Replace Megan Fox
By: Sarah Skovachez |
Paramount Pictures announced not to sign contracts with Megan Fox in "Transformers 3". Meanwhile, this sexy and leading atress said it was her own decision. No one can confirm Paramount or Megan Fox is a liar but the absence of this sexiest Hollywood actress in "Transformers 3" is true. And now, Transformers' fans are wondering who is young and attractive enough to replace Megan Fox and stars with Shia LaBeouf in this new version.
read more
Top 10 famous non-American actresses in Hollywood
By: Steve Brown |
Hollywood is the home of movie studios and movie stars where a lot of blockbusters are introduced every year. It can be seen that Hollywood critics seem to be strict to non-American actors and actresses, but their names still become well-known for the glamorous beauty as well as impressive talent. Here is the list of the most famous non-American actresses in Hollywood. Kate Beckinsale and Kate Winslet have made a considerable impression on viewers with the successful main characters. Besides that, Penelope Cruz owns beautiful voice while Charlize Theron has a top modeling appearance. Let's discover other famous names as follows.
read more
Top 10 Valuable Actresses 2010
By: Lee Dobbins |
Big names including Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Aniston, Sarah Jessica Parker, Angelina Jolie, etc have become so popular in the entertainment industry, in particular, and in the movie industry, in general. Forbes, the US-based business magazine, has recently launched the poll for most valuable actresses of 2010. The term "valuable" indicates not only their desirable beauty, successful movie career, but their high earnings. actresses earn for the studios in return for their multimillion-dollar salaries? We crunched the numbers using salaries, box-office earnings and film budgets. In addition to high remuneration from the movies, Hollywood's actresses get incomes from their movie ticket sales. It means that well-known actresses earn for the ticket sale studios in order to take their multimillion-dollar salaries. Below is the list of most valuable actresses 2010 made by Forbes, let's have an in-depth look and get to know about Hollywood actresses' average profit number for their each movi
read more
Top 10 Excellent Actresses Under 30
By: Phillips Crook |
LoveFilm, an Europe's largest firm offering movies and television programs over the Internet, releases a list of talented young actresses in Hollywood every year. The rank is based on several criteria such as evaluation of the experts, commercial success and voting from its customers. Best acting in both mainstream and independent films such as "Adventureland", "Welcome to the Rileys" and series "Twilight", Kristen Stewart has a really spectacular leap from No. 8 in the ranking last year and wins the throne of Anne Hathaway this year. Let's discover who are among top ten excellent actresses gaining fame and outstanding talent under the age of 30.
read more
Top Earning Actresses in Hollywood 2011
By: Phillips Crook |
It is said that Hollywood is a male's town where the men earn a lot more than the women. However, every year, the list of top-earning actresses in Hollywood 2011 will demonstrate that Hollywood female actresses are not inferior to male actors. Landing at the top of the list are Angelina Jolie and Sarah Jessica Parker, who each earned an estimated $30 million from May 2010 and May 2011.
read more
Top Ten Powerful Actresses 2011
By: Michael Hudgen |
This year, top ten powerful actresses are honored including Natalie Portman, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Aniston, Sandra Bullock, Kristen Stewart, Reese Witherspoon, Julia Roberts, Jessica Parker, Cameron Diaz and Katherine Heigl. These talented actresses starred in the movie that earned dozens and even hundreds of millions of dollars like "Salt" with $300 million on a budget of $110 million, "No Strings Attached" with $150 million on an estimated budget of $25 million and "The Bounty Hunter" with $136 million on an estimated budget of $40 million.
read more
Top Action Movie Actresses
By: Neil Karen |
They are beautiful and talented actresses casting action movies- a film genre where in the story is largely told through physical actions. With big kicks and powerful punches, our action movie actresses witness all the world that women can do everything if they want.
read more
Most famous actresses cum models on Hollywood
By: Lee Dobbins |
Cameron Diaz, Halle Barry, Charlize Theron, Milla Jovovich and Freida Pinto are the best-known actresses on Hollywood. However, few people know that they started their career as the models for top modeling brands.
read more
10 sexiest scenes of heroines on movies
By: Groshan Fabiola |
The female roles in action films are more and more increasing in the world's modern movies. It's probably said that women have witnessed their divine not only by brilliant beauty but by great talent as well. While the tendency in recent films has become sexier, movie-watchers really want to see female actresses in both power and sexy roles. Therefore, female-centered action movies have got a great deal of profit and audiences. Those heroines are the famous celebrities on screen who get admired not only by their irresistible sexiness but also by excellent acting capability with eye-catching action scenes. Let's take a thorough look at top 10 sexy scenes of heroines on movies.
read more
Beautiful Actresses of French Showbiz
By: JENNIFER QUINN |
France is not only famous for Seine river and romantic love songs but it is also one of the biggest cinematic centers of Europe as well as the world over. In fact, French showbiz is never inferior to Hollywood with beautiful, sexy and talented actresses. The French beauties like Jeanne Moreauoften walk alone on the streets of Paris. Brigitte Bardot sometimes pose themselves on the beach to have stunning pictures. And then obviously, they appear to be much more attractive than their counterparts in American cinema. Famous French film maker, Jean-Luc Godard, once declared just a gun and a beautiful girl can make a compelling film. But he needs no gun if in the star list has one of the sexy beauties below.
read more
Bollywood Actresses Over The Years
By: Kevin Fernandez |
Despite the male dominated film industry, actresses found a space of their own in the industry with their fine talent. Beginning from Zubeida , the lead actress in Alam Ara (1931) - the first movie to be released with a sound track - many versatile actresses have given life to many characters and have made those roles evergreen.
read more
Talk in Sexiest Way With Lip Phone
By: base110919 |
There's no way better than talking to someone in a sexiest way. That is the impression that a lip phone leaves to anyone who will use it. Telephone is part of every home. And having a unique and stylish phone can be a brilliant idea to décor your home. Lip phone is just one of unique styles of telephone. This literally looks like a pair of lips with perfect curves. This is not just a good home decoration. This phone are made out of advance technology thus able to provide good sound quality
read more
Get Luscious and Fuller Lips with Lip Plumper
By: Editor123 |
Voluptuous pouts accentuate the charm and sensuousness of a woman. However, neither all are blessed with those Hollywood class pouts nor all are willing to opt for the painful surgical option to get those adorable pouts.
read more
Most Famous Young Actors and Actresses in Hollywood
By: Michael Hudgen |
News and society
Robert Pattinson, Dakota Fanning, Emma Roberts, Daniel Radcliff, Kristen Stewart and Emma Watson and so on are considered as the most famous young actors and actress in Hollywood thanks to their contribution in the movie industry. Let's have a look at them though photos as following:
read more
You might also like
Taylor Swift Shines in her Short-sleeved Gucci Gown on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Grammy Awards
Kelly Clarkson Shares Her Thoughts of Being Called Fat All the Time
Cristiano Ronaldo's hairstyle 2013: A look at CR7's different haircuts
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SNBC Case Manager
Rymo Cortado serves as SNBC's Case Manager. He was born and raised in San Francisco and is the proud father of three boys. He graduated from John O'Connell High School, which was once located in the Sunset District at what is now Sunset Elementary. Rymo has been working closely with at-risk youth since 2002. Rymo's day-to-day duties include mentoring youth at A.P. Giannini Middle School; he works closely with school administration to support at-risk students. In addition to handling juvenile justice matters and facilitating conflict mediation, Rymo conducts a weekly boys group and one-on-one mentoring sessions with students. Rymo is passionate about hip hop and the arts and is an accomplished musician.


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New year, new exception. The last one was BF4 in December, but i am actually reviewing a game i have played! Don't hold it against me, but there simply is a lot to say about Elder Scrolls Online and i do have this blog space. Besides, if i don't get to break or bend the rules a bit from time to time, where would the fun be! In essence this might actually not really be a review as such, strictly speaking you see, but more my current experience of playing the game. No exceptions needed after all!
Developer: ZeniMax Online Studios
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Release Date: April 2014
Platforms: PC (Xbox One and PS4 to follow in June)
So Elder Scrolls Online then. Mannander reviewed the last installment in the Elder Scrolls franchise, Skyrim, back in early 2012, after having not-played it. And his opening line was a strong one:
In all likelihood, the green-lighting process for The Elder Scrolls V was a very short meeting. They only needed to look at the progressive increase in sales between each sequel to validate the potential for yet another instalment. It's no secret that publishers like money just as much as the next guy.
The exact same thing could be said for Elder Scrolls Online, the first MMO in the franchise developed by ZeniMax Online studios. After the huge success of previous titles, in particular Skyrim, it made sense to greenlight an MMO. Clearly the audience was there and as World of Warcraft has shown, there was an interest in MMOs, even monthly subscription based ones.
So has ESO, as it's come to be known, succeeded? Has the game delivered a worthy installment in the Elder Scrolls franchise and have ZeniMax Online created a potential rival to World of Warcraft? These questions are actually not as easy and straightforward to answer as may seem. I will try to give my thoughts on each of the elements of the game, in an attempt to find answers to these questions.
Is this an Elder Scrolls game?
The first question and probably the easiest question to answer. Yes, i truly believe it is. From the moment you create a character and are dropped into the open sequence of the world, the game feels like an Elder Scrolls game. Everything you come to expect from the franchise is there. Story driven quests, great VO (including Michael Gambon and many other amazing actors), fantastic character development and a great element of exploration (including searchings crates, sacks, urns etc.) – the game literally is full of great content that all helps tell another chapter of Tamriel. It is not surprising to find some weak areas, considering the scope of the game as a whole (and also the VO can be a bit hit and miss), but the game provides a lot more depth than many other MMOs did at launch. And lets not forget it just launched, it did does not benefit from 10 years worth of content like World of Warcraft right now.
As with Skyrim, quests usually have a deeper meaning, a story and always some VO attached to them. The player gets to meet new characters and while not all are as well developed as those characters linked to the main story, they all have something to say. Rarely do you have to go out and just kill stuff or go on a random delivery quest, and if you do, there is a reason for it, and that reason makes sense. Questing feels interesting in ESO and quests are a main way of peeling back layer after layer of the story.
And story is what Elder Scrolls has always been really good at. ESO is, thankfully, no different. There is the main story of course, involving the mysterious Prophet. There are also 2 other main story threads linked to the fighters and mage guild, which have chapters as the player progresses and levels up (every player can do all quests, these are not linked to classes). But more than that each new region has it's own storyline, which the player can discover and participate in. From dealing with a plague that threatens a village to preventing an all out war between allies, the player's actions are comparatively small, but add up over time. This makes it believable how one person can achieve so much, and it also makes the game addictive as there is almost always a "oh i wonder what happens next" moment.
The story at times is also quite mature and, like players of Skyrim might be familiar with, is not afraid to shy away from more controversial story elements such as slavery and racism. On several occasions you can make decisions along the way that are based on your views on these issues, either helping people or, at times, condemning them to death. You can even try to teach some characters a lesson and hope that in the future they will be behave better.
As you make your way through the world, learning about the areas, learning about current events and getting sucked into the main story, you also continue to grow your character. A very familiar level up and skill based system is in place, so anyone who has played an Elder Scroll game before will feel right at home. Similar racial traits and benefits as in previous games apply as well. Unlike previous games though you do choose an arch type when creating a character. This is more in line with traditional RPGs and MMOs and not something that was enforced as much in Skyrim for example, but it does make sense in an MMO environment to ensure players can fulfil certain roles in a group, at least to some degree. There is still a lot of flexibility to develop the character over time and plenty of skills to chose from to create a unique set of abilities though, so even hardcore fans should be alright with this approach.
Combat is based on some of these abilities and skills, again heading more into a traditional MMO space, again probably in order to sync up a group and provide synergy and co-op capability. It is up to the player which skills to learn but you can only ever have 5 active in a hot bar (plus an "ultimate" ability). It's a mix and match of abilities that suit the players style and ideas, and abilities can be used from several trees (though realistically, to get the most out of each "class", it's best to focus on 1 or 2 skill trees, rather than spread skill points too thinly across too many skills).
Crafting on the other hand is very much in line with Skyrim. The usual crafting professions can all be picked up and there is a good amount of depth and usability for each one. Raw materials are gathered, items gained through quests or explorations can be de-constructed, traits can be researched and new items can be crafted, imbued and improved – it's all there and it's deep and meaningful. A good variety of skill points also tempt players to invest in crafting rather than combat skills and at least early on in the game that can be a tricky choice.
To round all this up the game presentation is very good as well. On a top end PC the visuals look stunning in places, and audio and visual effects are very good indeed. As mentioned VO is probably among the best in any game and the music, as always, is simply stunning. Carrying many of the familiar themes from previous games, the orchestral soundtrack is a perfect fit to the world. Animations range from truly horrible to very good indeed – depending on the context and character. Main characters and player characters are generally animated quite well, while some of the weirder creatures seem to slip and slide a lot.
All in all the entire game is a great package and for the initial purchasing price it offers a great installment in the Elder Scrolls Franchise. I like to think of it as a Skyrim on steroids, as it potentially holds more content and it certainly has a much bigger area. So as a game, as a single player game, ESO certainly is worth playing. But is it a good MMO. Is it worth investing 10 USD/Euro every month to keep playing it?
Is ESO a good MMO and can it rival World of Warcraft?
This is much more of a subjective question, but my gut feeling is: no.
I have played the game for about 3 weeks and i am well on my way to reach the current max level. In all this time i grouped once to clear one of the tougher dungeons. While the dungeon clearing itself was not necessarily a bad experience (and the game certainly has some interesting concepts with regards to group dungeons), it was also not really a pleasurable experience and it felt more like a chore than something fun to do.
I have not seen any higher end content or any PvP content, so i can't actually comment on either of these, but i know for a fact that i will not bother doing another group dungeon again (the only exception being if i was forced to by the main story, towards the end).
And there is a very simple reason for it, and it's almost painful to say it: it's too cumbersome to find a group quickly. Over the last 10 years World of Warcraft has shown us a transformation. At launch people sat in cities and used public channels to find groups for dungeons. After finally finding the right people at least 2 had to run to the dungeon to summon the rest. It was tedious. Blizzard, over time, responded. Nowadays you open the "Looking For Group" tab, press a button and 5 minutes later you will be ready to join a group which has all the right classes. You press another button and you are transported inside the dungeon.
In short: the game has become a lot more user friendly, as has the interface. Elder Scrolls online feels like the developers never once looked at World of Warcraft, of simply failed to understand why the game works and is so popular. Elder Scrolls Online has taken us back in time about 8 years and made it harder to get into some aspects of the game, to enjoy certain aspects of the game. And it does not stop with the grouping tools.
The entire user interface in Elder Scrolls Online is horribly designed and extremely cumbersome. It feels like you are wrestling with it, as you try to do what you want to do. As far as i can tell it's also not customizable. Trying to do any kind of social interaction becomes a chore, even just typing in guild or party chat involves several clicks and button presses. Navigating the group, guild and PvP pages in the interface is a tedious experience, to the point where i just don't want to do it. It feels slow, sluggish and unresponsive. Some elements, like the PvP tab, also lack proper explanation and guidance.
But i think the worst of the lot is the entire trade and banking system.
You see, there is no Auction House as such. A feature which has been a core staple in MMOs for some years now, pioneered by World of Warcraft, is not present in ESO, a game which is heavily focused on crafting and actually provides a meaningful use for crafting (unlike large parts of World of Warcraft, where many crafting aspects feel utterly useless). Apart from using general chat as a trade channel (something i have not seen since the early EQ days), the only option to realistically trade is to join a guild and utilize the guild trade.
Guilds have an internal auction house. Guild members can list up to 30 items for sale and browse items listed by other members. Considering any player can join up to 5 guilds, this is in theory a decent idea. But it very much depends on the success of a guild. If you have 500 members or more, you might get a decent selection of items to chose from, and you might get some competition, regulating price. But if your guild is rubbish, or you chose to be part of a smaller friends guild, chances are you won't have much choice or much of a market, and spamming general chat will be one of your main ways of selling things.
Of course you can join several guilds, but you never see an entire listing of all guilds. You manually have to switch between listings for each guild. To make things even more cumbersome there is no way to specifically search for a specific item (i.e. "Iron Ingot") – you can only narrow down searches based on crafting materials, but that still can leave you with pages of listed items.
My character was part of 2 guilds and i have seen items listed in one guild about 500% cheaper than in the other guild. The current ESO system almost certainly will prevent the development of a proper market system where prices don't fluctuate and you almost always have a guaranteed buyer. Instead the system caters to those who play the market, buying items cheap in one guild and selling at increased prices in another guild. Other players will never find out, as they won't see price differences unless they happen to be in the same guilds. It is a shockingly bad design and how it ever made it into the final game i have no idea.
To top it all up, all these services are run through the banker NPC and there is no way to "go back" in the menu flow – the only way to switch between services on the same NPC is to exit and start from scratch by interacting with the banker again.
Speaking of banker, expect to spend a lot of time in banks and sorting through your inventory. In order to work better in an online environment, as well as create balance (and a bit of a money sink), EOS has introduced a bag slot limit to your character and your bank. Skyrim, by comparison had a weight limit on the character and realistically speaking no limit in various chests in your own house. You could store everything and you only had to worry about weight when out adventuring. In EOS you start with 50 (or 60?) slots in each bank and character. And that fills up very very quickly. Since the crafting is as evolved and deep as Skyrim, you can expect to collect a lot of flowers, cooking ingredients, potions, runes (for enchanting) and before you know it you are knee deep in wurmcult blood and about to loot an awesome new weapon, only to find out your inventory is full and you need 10 min to sort through what you can actually throw out.
Inventory has not gotten better since Skyrim. You can sort in categories, but it's still just a massive list, and the user can not sort in any specific way. Again World of Warcraft says hello, where players can organize their own bags and will know exactly where they can find what they want. Expect to literally spend hours organizing your belongings, offloading from bags to bank and throwing stuff out you don't need anymore. It's not fun.
Skyrim (and other Elder Scrolls game before it), never were the most user-friendly games ever made, and their inventory and interface has always been lacking. But ESO made some changes in order to fit it into an online environment and create money and time sinks, and that's only made it worse. Instead of finding clever solutions like player housing (which other MMOs have done successfully, as has Skyrim), they opted for a bank space. Instead of delivering a similarly powerful bank space as World of Warcraft, they created a far inferior experience which is frustrating and time consuming. Instead of delivering an amazing Auction House experience across a mega-server, they delivered guild based trading only. The list goes on, but essentially what it boils down to is this: ESO, as an MMO, simply is not very good. It could be forgiven a lot of it's flaws as a one-off-payment single player game, but as a MMO with monthly subscription it simply does not compare with what else is on offer.
If ZeniMax Online would have actually analyzed what made World of Warcraft such a big hit, how and why it has changed over the last 8 years and learned some lessons from that, the game could be an outstanding MMO experience and it could truly challenge WoW – it certainly has a lot going for it.
ESO seems to punish players for wanting to use the very aspects which make the game an MMO, the social aspectts. Communication, trading and grouping is made harder for no other reason that bad design. It's been done better by several games in the last 10 years and ZeniMax Online has no excuse. This cannot be blamed on a rocky start (and it has been a bit rocky), these issues are fundamental design flaws. The fact that there is no auction house, the fact that the interface to find a group is horribly convoluted and the fact that you can't search for specific items in the guild store, are all designed features and functions. Skyrim was not perfect. Inventory management, HUD and UI and even the skill tree system were all a bit bloated and hard to access, but they rarely ever really got in the way of adventuring. When you have to run to the bank every 45 min to do inventory management, when THINKING about inventory management is the first thing you do before heading out to adventure, then you know the game systems are actually getting in the way of game fun.
I wish there was an offline single player mode, as it would actually keep me playing and probably buying potential expansions. As it is i won't pay 10 Euro a month to keep playing, i prefer to just boot up Skyrim again.
Ultimately it will come to high end game content to a large degree. If the game holds enough interest and challenge for those who reach maximum level then it could hold a decent amount of people. But with accessibility being extremely poor and another WoW expansion scheduled for later this year and Wildstar lurking around the corner, i fear that ESO will struggle to maintain a viable user base beyond 2014. And this could end up in a downward spiral. Fewer users will mean fewer guilds and fewer members in each guild. This in turn will make grouping and in particular trading harder – which will only alienate even more people.
I would be very surprised if the game has more than 100k paying subscribers by the end of the year and I feel this game will go free to play before the end of next year.
If that happens, i'll happily pick it up again and pay for new content and expansion packs.
Elder Scrolls MMO Score: 5.5/10 (score of the game as is)
Elder Scrolls Game Score: 8.5/10 (if this was just a single player game in the franchise)


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- Filed Under
Tipton pet cemetery owner Steve Johnson buries about 35 horses each year, giving animals the dignified end their owners desperately want, his attorney says.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says the expired horses are "solid waste" and has fined Johnson's Pet Memories $10,000 for not sending the animals to a landfill.
Johnson is appealing the fine to the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission. The group meets next week. ...


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Super Bowl - Page 3
NJ, Weather Addressed at Media Day [AUDIO]
Ever since New Jersey landed the job as co-host of Super Bowl XLVIII, folks in the Garden State have been concerned about the unpredictable weather and the amount of attention New Jersey would receive compared to New York. At Media Day in Newark on Tuesday, players and coaches sacked both topics.
'Sobriety Blitz' Targets Super Bowl Drunks [AUDIO]
What Will You Spend on Super Bowl Prep? [AUDIO]
Broncos, Seahawks Arrive in Chilly NJ
Shawn & Sue's Poll of the Day – Vote Now!
Super Bowl 48's Biggest Question Mark: Weather [SERIES/AUDIO]
This week, we are taking a look at Super Bowl 48′s impact on New Jersey as part of a special five-day series. In part four today, we search for answers for the biggest question surrounding the event.


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Barnes & Noble has risked a lot on Nook, and it's not panning out. In fact, it's hard to see how they can stem the fall of the retail giant.
Barnes & Noble Faces Steep Challenge as Holiday Nook Sales Decline – Leslie Kaufman
The results, covering a period that ended Dec. 29, are a sobering development for the nation's largest bookstore chain. The declines occurred during what is supposed to be peak buying season. And the Nook unit's sagging fortunes came despite a 13 percent increase in sales of digital content, suggesting that it is the tepid demand for Nook devices that is dragging down the unit's performance.
Barnes & Noble has invested heavily in developing a tablet that can compete with offerings from media giants like Google, Apple and Amazon.com. Last April, in announcing a $300 million investment in Nook by Microsoft, the chief executive of Barnes & Noble's chief executive, William J. Lynch, said the company wanted "to solidify our position as a leader in the exploding market for digital content in the consumer and education segments."
A few months after that, the bookseller began breaking out the financial results of the Nook division, In October it completed its strategic partnership with Microsoft by creating Nook Media, a subsidiary and a signal that it was ready to ride its digital business into the future.
But while Barnes & Noble's most recent Nooks have won critical praise, they have failed to gain significant traction with consumers.
Other companies do not break out sales of their digital tablets, but Amazonhas been saying sales of its Kindle Fire were strong. Analysts say Apple's iPads also appear to be doing well.
"The problem is not whether or not the Nook is good," said James L. McQuivey, a media analyst for Forrester Research. "What matters is whether you are locked into a Kindle library or an iTunes library or a Nook library. In the end, who holds the content that you value?"
For an increasing number of consumers, he said, the answer is not Barnes & Noble.
Though the company's stock was down only slightly — falling 2 percent to $14.22 — the reaction in the financial world was unsparing. Analysts stopped short of saying that this was a do-or-die moment for the Nook Media division, but they acknowledged that options for a strong digital future were narrowing.
In a note to clients, S&P Capital IQ said, "We think this portends greater market share losses for the Nook over the medium term" and downgraded its recommendation on Barnes & Noble stock from hold to sell. Barclays said in a note that the Nook's precipitous decline was "quite concerning" and "below even our modest expectations."
Last month, Barnes & Noble announced that Pearson, the British education and publishing conglomerate, was taking a 5 percent stake in Nook for $89.5 million. Analysts said that cash investment was welcome and the partnership with Pearson, a major publisher of educational textbooks, might herald a strategy to move toward dominating an education niche market. Still, that would be a significantly smaller business.
My bet: Barnes & Noble will have to bail, even if Microsoft decides to increase its investment in the technology. (I doubt that Microsoft is ready to invest more heavily in a company building on Android technology, at least not until Ballmer leaves, and they bring in a new CEO who gives up on Windows.)
The Nook HD is based on the Android Ice Cream Sandwich platform and has a roughly equivalent hardware and software platform as the Kindle Fire HD. It's slightly cheaper – like $30 – but Kindle has first mover advantage and huge capital resources. And any comparison to an iPad makes Nook look like something from a few years ago.
Maybe Texas Instruments – who make the chipset in Nooks – wants to get back into retail products? Not likely. However, Intel has been making motions to shake up their business model with the collapse of the netbook market, and the decline of PC/Windows sales, and with a market cap of over $100B they might have the money to take a run. But would they have to buy Barnes & Noble to do so? I wouldn't buy that side of things.
Google's another player who might want to play with Nook, but not Barnes & Noble, per se. But it would be interesting if Google decided to go retail with their own gear, as well as do something different in bookstore retail. Imagine, for example, if bookstores were reconfigured to be like gigantic Redbox machines, where you could type in any of millions of books, ten thousand of which are actually in the machine, and are delivered on the spot into your hands. All others delivered next day to your home. One percent of the staff costs. But I have no reason to believe Google is tending in this direction.
A 2013 prediction: Barnes & Noble with sell, spin out or shut down the Nook business. Pearson might be a fallback, with Nook becoming a niche educational tool.


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- 50% angora, 30% rayon, 10% nylon, 5% lambswool, 5% metallic
- Center back to hem: 27" (69 cm)
- Contrast lurex and rayon
- Imported
- Model is 5'9" and is wearing a US size S
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Here's a sneaky sneak of what I've gathered:
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
The One with the SNEAK of the 1400th Post Giveaway
Here's a sneaky sneak of what I've gathered:
11 comments:
- Allison Taylor said...
what the?! Is that twine???! :(
I'm so entering into your giveaway.
- November 27, 2012 at 6:08 PM
- Lora Oliver said...
I love the effect on this image. You could frame it. Congrats on 1400 posts!!! That is an incredible accomplishment.
- November 27, 2012 at 6:51 PM
- Michelle said...
PaigeBooks are the best thing ever. The bestest gift for little girls who like to write stories. That is all.
- November 27, 2012 at 10:51 PM
- Cassandra King said...
What a cool effect on the photos!
And yay for Paige Books. They are always so gorgeous. :)
- November 28, 2012 at 12:46 AM
- Mandy said...
I was waiting for you next blog anniversary giveaway! I love your recent layouts! I am definitely scraplifting some of them.
- November 28, 2012 at 12:54 AM
- Julie Tucker-Wolek said...
Ohhhhhhhhh goodies!!! Can't wait!! Congrats on almost 1400!!!
- November 28, 2012 at 3:38 AM
- curlyqmosaics said...
I just wanted to stop by to say that all of your new layouts are beyond spectacular! I pinned every single one! :)
Fox is such a darling little guy, and that sweet Jane...she is absolutely beautiful! You and your husband have been truly blessed with those little sweethearts! :)
- November 28, 2012 at 5:31 AM
- Mary Ann Jenkins said...
Woo-hoo! 1400 posts is so very cool :)
- November 28, 2012 at 8:29 AM
- Nicole said...
Oh yay, I want a Paige book ;)
- November 28, 2012 at 3:53 PM
- jbonomo said...
Congratulations! Don't know how you do it with two little babies, your blog and all the companies you represent and not to forget all the lovely projects you post. you go girl!
- November 29, 2012 at 12:34 AM
- sandee said...
I had to look that up,13 so I learned something new today!13 lol That's some serious bogging! 13 Scared yet? 13 lol waving hi from the hills of North Carolina :)13
- November 29, 2012 at 4:20 PM


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|Koko had a mixture of chandeliers, Kartell chairs and purple
|Yes, that is a horse with a lamp shade on it's head.
Cool, right?
|Nick waiting for me, with his cocktail. He is a
good man :)
|The black surround is all quartz with white
quartz background.
|Sunday night cocktail hour photo.
|My favourite martini, Lychee. Yum. It was better than
birthday cake.
|Amazing curved, black, white and mirrored tiled partition
to hide the bathroom sinks.
|Opus hotel's foyer had odd shaped, wicker sculptures next to
contemporary pillars. I like the ambient lights
cut out of the top.
|Wire art "dividers" with minimal furniture grouping.
|Overall view in the hotel's foyer. Sexy mood, right?
|Another minimal, modern furniture grouping.
|Elevator wall was covered in a cork veneer.
|Purple back painted glass elevator. Time to
end the night.
And now back to work ...sigh...vacations always makes reality seem so much harder...don't they?


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Puys which test series is closest in terms of difficulty level of CMAT ?
@hell_fire said:there is a number in a format abcabc, where a,b and c are the digits of the number. what is the least number of prime numbers is it certainly divisible by??A)1B)2C)3D)cant't say
Marketing is the flagship course of IMTG and undoubtedly its strength.Simsree is ahead of IMTG only in terms of ROI but if we compare other parameters like brand value, profile and companies visiting, IMTG would easily be rated ahead of SIMSREE. Morever IMTG is ranked 18th in PG rankings and SIMSREE 69th. Although these rankings are perception based but still give a broad comparison between the two colleges.
@Harmeet89 said:Oh ! Sorry, I meant that last time there was uploading of photo and sign. I guess no one faced any problem till last time.This time everyone has either login problems or the photo-signature problem. Could there be some technical fault from their side ? Can you edit the details after filling the form so that we could upload a fresh photo and sign ?
@Harmeet89 said:Did they ask you to re-upload the photo or signature ? Did they display any error page ? If you remember, last time we just had to fill the form and print he admit card. There was no uploading of the photo and sign. We had to separately paste the photo on the admit card.
@Harmeet89 said:I hope you have maintained the photo size and signature size as specified by them before uploading.
@satyamsingh said:@IIM-A2013 I faced no problem while registering. It seems the issue is with their side only cz sum are able to register in 1st or second go but many are not. Keep trying or change the browser. Hope it helps.


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|Basic Information
|Biotope classification
|Habitat preferences and distribution
|Species composition
|Substratum Loss
(View Benchmark)
|Removal of the substratum would result in removal of the community and its associated species, therefore an intolerance of high has been recorded. Most of the species in the biotope, including the sea urchins would probably recover within less than 5 years (see additional information below).
(View Benchmark)
|Smothering by 5 cm of sediment will prevent feeding and reduce growth and reproduction, interfere with respiration and potentially cause localized anoxia, and interfere with larval settlement. Tall erect species, e.g. Nemertesia antennina, may survive due to their size, while some hydroids may survive as dormant stages. But encrusting sponge species and ascidians are likely to be damaged or killed by smothering, while vertical surfaces and overhangs will provide refuges from the effects of the factor.
Echinus esculentus is slow moving and unlikely to escape smothering by 5cm of sediment but even if immobilized is unlikely to starve within a month. But juveniles and small individuals may be adversely affected. Large specimens of Alcyonium digitatum may be up to 20cm tall and probably unaffected but the smaller colonies more typical of this biotope may be smothered, impairing respiration, and hence adversely affected (see MarLIN reviews). Encrusting corallines and encrusting bryozoans are unlikely to be affected since they were reported to survive being overgrown by other species and hence smothering (Gordon, 1972; Sebens, 1985; Todd & Turner, 1988)Overall, smothering may result in loss of small or juvenile urchins, potentially resulting in a reduction in the grazing intensity. Therefore, an intolerance of intermediate has been recorded. Recoverability is probably high (see additional information below).
|Increase in suspended sediment
(View Benchmark)
|Suspension feeding organisms may be adversely affected by increases in suspended sediment, due to clogging of their feeding apparatus. Animal dominated communities develop preferentially on steep surfaces and under overhangs, e.g. bryozoan larvae preferentially settle under overhangs, presumably to avoid smothering and siltation (Ryland, 1977; Hartnoll, 1983). Wendt (1998) noted that Bugula neritina grew faster on downward facing surfaces than upward facing surfaces, presumably due to siltation and reduced feeding efficiency on upward facing surfaces. But where water flow is sufficient to prevent siltation, Bugula turbinata may colonize upward facing surfaces (Hiscock & Mitchell, 1980). Large massive sponges tend to favour fast flowing waters that are free of silt while encrusting species can tolerate more turbid conditions, (e.g. Halichondria panicea), although the response to suspended sediment loads varies with species (Morton & Miller, 1968; Moore, 1977). The tolerance of ascidians to suspended sediment varies with species, e.g. Clavelina lepadiformis and Morchellium argus are probably relatively tolerant (see species reviews) whereas Aplidium pallidum and Botrylloides leachi may be more sensitive.
Moore (1977) suggested that Echinus esculentus was unaffected by turbid conditions. Similarly, Comely & Ansell (1988) recorded this species in the presence of suspended material up to 5-6 mg/l. Echinoderm pedicellariae keep the test clear of settling larvae, spores and presumably sediment particles. Similarly Alcyonium digitatum has been shown to be tolerant of high levels of suspended sediment. Hill et al. (1997) demonstrated that Alcyonium digitatum sloughed off settled particles with a large amount of mucus, although mucus production incurs an energetic cost.This biotope occurs in moderately wave exposed to wave exposed sites with weak to very weak tidal streams. Where water flow is adequate to prevent excessive siltation, an increase in suspended sediment at the benchmark level is likely to reduce feeding efficiency and hence growth and reproduction in suspension feeders, which may be important for species with several generations per year (e.g. Bugula spp. or Nemertesia spp. In areas of weak water flow and increased depth (reduced effects of wave action), an increase in suspended sediment will increase siltation to the detriment of several members of the community, especially the hydroids and bryozoans. Therefore, an overall intolerance of low has been recorded to represent the additional energetic costs associated with increased suspended sediment (e.g. mucus production), although Echinus esculentus, Alcyonium digitatum and encrusting corallines are unlikely to be adversely affected. Recovery is likely to be rapid (see additional information below).
|Decrease in suspended sediment
(View Benchmark)
|A decrease in suspended sediment may decrease food availability to suspension feeders within the biotope for the duration of the benchmark (one month) but otherwise not adversely affect the biotope. Therefore, not sensitive has been recorded.
(View Benchmark)
|Encrusting algae, sea urchins, bryozoans, sponges, soft corals, and hydroids are probably highly intolerant of desiccation. However, this biotope is circalittoral, occurring below 5-10m depth (most records between 10-30m depth) and unlikely to be exposed to the air and desiccation.
|Increase in emergence regime
(View Benchmark)
|An increase in tidal emergence is unlikely to affect circalittoral habitats, except that the influence of wave action may be increased (see water flow rate below).
|Decrease in emergence regime
(View Benchmark)
|A decrease in tidal emergence is unlikely to affect circalittoral habitats, except that the influence of wave action may be decreased (see water flow rate below).
|Increase in water flow rate
(View Benchmark)
|This biotope was recorded from weak to very weak tidal streams (Connor et al., 1997a; JNCC, 1999). Water movement is essential for suspension feeders such as hydroids, bryozoans, sponges, amphipods and ascidians to supply adequate food, remove metabolic waste products, prevent accumulation of sediment (siltation) and disperse larvae or medusae. Most hydroids utilize a narrow range of water flow rates for effective feeding, and feeding efficiency decreases at high water flow rates (Gili & Hughes, 1995). Similarly, water flow rates affect filter feeding efficiency in bryozoans, the preferred ranges depending on species. An increase in water flow from weak to strong (see benchmark) is likely to adversely affect some members of the community due to drag. For example, species tolerant of strong water flow, e.g. Tubularia indivisa, Halichondria panicea, Alcyonium digitatum and Flustra foliacea may increase in abundance, while species that are less tolerant of strong water flow, e.g. Nemertesia spp., Caryophyllia smithii, Ophiothrix fragilis and Ascidia mentula may be excluded (see Hiscock, 1983). In addition, very strong water flow may interfere with larval settlement and recruitment.
Echinus esculentus occurred in kelp beds on the west coast of Scotland in currents of about 1 knot. Outside the beds specimens were occasionally seen being rolled by the current (Comely & Ansell 1988), which may have been up to 2.6 knots. Urchins are removed from the stipe of kelps by wave and current action and are also displaced by storm action. However, Echinus esculentus also occurs in strong tidal streams (e.g. £MIR.Lhyp.TPk£) and even in shallow areas where wave action is extremely strong such as Rockall (Laffoley & Hiscock, 1988). But in the above examples the sea urchins occurred in developed macroalgal communities. Jones & Kain (1967) demonstrated that monthly removal of Echinus esculentus allowed a macroalgal community to develop within two to three years. Experimental removal significantly reduced the density of the sea urchin in the experimental area, and Jones & Kain (1967) concluded that the lower limit of the kelp beds on Port Erin breakwater were controlled by sea urchin grazing intensity. Therefore, any factor that reduces the density of the sea urchin population will reduce grazing intensity. An increase in water flow from weak to strong (see benchmark) is unlikely to result in removal of the Echinus esculentus population. But an increase in water flow may reduce the abundance of Echinus esculentus and reduce grazing intensity. Sebens (1985) demonstrated that the experimental addition of sea urchins to vertical rock faces removed the epifaunal community back to bare rock and encrusting corallines but on their subsequent removal the epifaunal community had partly recovered within a year.
Overall, a reduction in grazing intensity, together with an increase food supply due to increased water flow, is likely to result an increase in the abundance of suspension feeders and other epifauna and major changes in the community leading to loss of the biotope as described. Therefore, an intolerance of high has been recorded. Loss of several intolerant species is likely to reduce species richness in the short term, while subsequent development of a faunal turf communities will increase species richness in the long term. The biotope may become replaced by epifaunal turf communities characteristic of strong water flow e.g. £CR.Bug£ or £MCR.Flu£. Recovery is likely to be high (see additional information below).
|Decrease in water flow rate
(View Benchmark)
|This biotope occurs in areas of weak to very weak tidal streams. While wave induced water movement is probably of more importance in theses sites, a further reduction in water flow is unlikely.
|Increase in temperature
(View Benchmark)
|Most species within the biotope are recorded to the north or south of the British Isles and are unlikely to be adversely affected by long term increases in temperature at the benchmark level. For example, the hydroid Abietinaria abietina occur from the Arctic south to Madeira, the sponge Pachymatisma johnstonia occurs south to Spain, and Alcyonium digitatum occur from Norway to Portugal. Growth rates were reported to increase with temperature in several bryozoans species but zooid size decreased, possibly due to increased metabolic costs at higher temperature (Menon, 1972; Ryland, 1976; Hunter & Hughes, 1994). Temperature is also a critical factor stimulating or inhibiting reproduction in hydroids, most of which have an optimum temperature range for reproduction (Gili & Hughes, 1995). The bottle-brush hydroid Thuiaria thuja may occur in northern records of this biotope, and is thought to be susceptible to climate change, probably retreating further north in response to long term increases in temperature.
Echinus esculentus is recorded from the north and south of the British Isles, experiencing for example temperatures between 0 -18 °C in the Limfjord, Denmark (Ursin 1960), and is unlikely to be affected by long term changes in temperature at the benchmark level. But Bishop (1985) noted that prolonged exposure to 19 ° C disturbed gametogenesis and suggested that Echinus esculentus could not tolerate high temperatures for prolonged periods due to increased respiration rate and resultant metabolic stress. Therefore, Echinus esculentus may be intolerant of short term acute increases in temperature.Overall, an intolerance of intermediate has been recorded to represent the potential effects of short term temperature shock on Echinus esculentus. The biotope has only been recorded from northern areas suggesting that a long term increase in temperature may cause a retreat northwards. Recoverability is likely to be high (see additional information below).
|Decrease in temperature
(View Benchmark)
|Most of the hydroid and bryozoan species within the biotope are recorded to the north or south of the British Isles and are unlikely to be adversely affected by long term increases in temperature at the benchmark level. Temperature is a critical factor stimulating or inhibiting reproduction in hydroids, most of which have an optimum temperature range for reproduction (Gili & Hughes, 1995). Sebens (1986) reported that growth rates of most species were higher in the warmer months, except in Alcyonium spp. and Spirorbis spp. which showed little seasonal differences.
Echinus esculentus is recorded from the north and south of the British Isles, experiencing for example temperatures between 0 -18 °C in the Limfjord, Denmark (Ursin 1960), and is unlikely that this species will be adversely affected by a long term temperature change in British waters. Similarly, Alcyonium digitatum occurs from Iceland in the North, to Portugal and was also reported to be apparently unaffected by the severe winter of 1962-1963 (Crisp, 1964).Therefore, a decrease in temperature at the benchmark level is unlikely to adversely affect the biotope but an intolerance of low has been recorded to represent the effects on growth rates.
|Increase in turbidity
(View Benchmark)
|The only species likely to be affected by a reduction in light intensity due to increased turbidity are the encrusting algae. But encrusting coralline algae are amongst the deepest water species of macroalgae occurring in the circalittoral, at great depths, and a light levels as low as 0.05 -0.001% of surface incident light (Lüning, 1990). A reduction in light intensity may reduce their growth rates, especially in the deepest examples of the biotope. However, their extremely slow growth rates mean that the corallines will probably not be adversely affected for the duration of the benchmark. Therefore, not sensitive has been recorded.
|Decrease in turbidity
(View Benchmark)
|A decrease in turbidity, and hence increased light, will increase the growth rates of macroalgae within the biotope (e.g. Delesseria sanguinea) especially in shallower examples of the biotope. This may allow macroalgae to increase in abundance, depending on grazing intensity. However, this biotope is characterized by grazing, so that although periodic escapes of macroalgae may be favoured , the biotope will probably not be significantly changed.
|Increase in wave exposure
(View Benchmark)
|This biotope was recorded from wave exposed to moderately exposed habitats, with a few examples from very wave exposed habitats (JNCC, 1999). Many of the epifaunal species in the biotope are likely to tolerate an increase in wave exposure from moderately exposed to very exposed, for example, Alcyonium digitatum, Bugula species, the sponges Halichondria panicea and the hydroid Kirchenpaueria pinnata. However, less flexible or weaker hydroids and bryozoans may be removed, e.g. Nemertesia antennina and Nemertesia ramosa. Increased wave action at the benchmark level in the shallow extent of the biotope may decrease sea urchin and starfish predation, allowing larger, massive species (e.g. sponges, Alcyonium digitatum, anemones and ascidians) to increase in dominance, becoming a different successional community (see Sebens, 1985). For example, the similar biotope £IR.AlcByH£ occurs in wave exposed conditions in the infralittoral (less deep) and is dominated by Alcyonium digitatum.
Echinus esculentus may be removed form kelp stipes by the action of currents and wave action or the effects of storms. Increase wave action is likely to depress the upper extent of shallow sublittoral populations. But Echinus esculentus occurred in significant numbers as shallow as 15m below low water level in the most wave exposed location in the British Isles at Rockall (Keith Hiscock pers comm.).Hence, it is likely that some species within the biotope, especially delicate hydroids may be lost, and the community structure change in favour of more massive species. Therefore, a proportion of the biotope is likely to be lost or changed (especially in shallow examples) and an intolerance of intermediate has been recorded. Recoverability is likely to be high (see additional information below).
|Decrease in wave exposure
(View Benchmark)
|This biotope is found in moderately wave exposed to wave exposed habitats with a few records from sheltered or very wave sheltered habitats. However, species adapted to strong water movement may be reduced in abundance or lost e.g. Flustra foliacea and Pachymatisma johnstonia, while species more tolerant of sheltered conditions may increase in abundance e.g. Ascidia mentula (see Hiscock, 1983) and hydroids. But wave sheltered conditions are likely to encourage sea urchin grazing, which may reduce the abundance of epifaunal species including hydroids and bryozoans yet further, to leave only bare rock or encrusting coralline. However, given the grazed nature of the biotope, little significant difference in the biotope is likely to occur, so that not sensitive has been recorded.
(View Benchmark)
|Hydroids, bryozoans, sponges, sea urchins and ascidians are unlikely to be intolerant of noise or vibration at the benchmark level. Mobile fish or decapod species may be temporarily scared away from the areas but few if any adverse effects on the biotope are likely to result.
|Visual Presence
(View Benchmark)
|Many of the species within the biotope probably respond to light levels, detecting shade and shadow to avoid predators, and day length in their behavioural or reproduction. However, their visual acuity is probably very limited and they are unlikely to be intolerant of visual disturbance at the benchmark level.
|Abrasion & physical disturbance
(View Benchmark)
|Erect epifaunal species, e.g. soft corals, bryozoans and hydroids are thought to be especially intolerant of physical disturbance, and epifaunal assemblages show reduced biomass and abundance in areas impacted by fishing (e.g. trawls and dredges). For detail see MarLIN reviews e.g. £CR.Bug£, £MCR.Flu£ or £MCR.ModT£. But, in this biotope, the epifaunal and algal crusts probably experiences greater levels of physical disturbance in the form of grazing, and are either tolerant (e.g. encrusting corallines) or rapidly recolonize available space (e.g. hydroids and tubeworms). However, urchins themselves may be sensitive.
Abrasion by lobster pots, anchor chains, or mobile fishing gear will probably result in displacement, loss of spines and some damage to tests of adult Echinus esculentus. Species with fragile tests, such as Echinus esculentus and Echinocardium cordatum were reported to suffer badly as a result of impact with a passing scallop dredges (Bradshaw et al., 2000; Hall-Spencer & Moore, 2000a). Adults can repair non-lethal damage to the test and spines can be re-grown but most dredge impact is likely to be lethal. Therefore, physical abrasion due to a passing anchor or dredge is likely to kill or remove a proportion of the sea urchin population. Any activity that significantly reduces the sea urchin population and hence grazing intensity it likely to result in major changes in the community. Therefore, an intolerance of high has been recorded. Recoverability is likely to be very high as sea urchins are likely to migrate into the area before any significant growth of epifauna can occur (see additional information below).
(View Benchmark)
|Echinus esculentus is probably regularly displaced to deeper water by storms. Displaced specimens are able to move up the shore after displacement (Lewis & Nichols 1979b). Large erect epifaunal species, e.g. Alcyonium digitatum and hydroids can not reattach if removed and would be lost. Encrusting species such as encrusting corallines would probably be killed if removed although removal is unlikely. Mobile scavengers and epifauna, e.g. crabs and brittlestars will probably survive displacement and return to suitable substrata. Overall, any activity that significantly reduces the sea urchin population and hence grazing intensity it likely to result in major changes in the community. Therefore, an intolerance of high has been recorded. But displacement of the sea urchins is likely to be temporary as they are likely to return to the biotope quickly, so that little long term effect on the biotope is likely and a recoverability of very high has been recorded.
|Synthetic compound contamination
(View Benchmark)
|Tri-butyl tin (TBT) has a marked effect on numerous marine organisms (Bryan & Gibbs, 1991). The encrusting bryozoan Schizoporella errata suffered 50% mortality when exposed for 63 days to 100ng/l TBT. Bryan & Gibbs (1991) reported that virtually no hydroids were present on hard bottom communities in TBT contaminated sites and suggested that some hydroids were intolerant of TBT levels between 100 and 500 ng/l. Copepod and mysid crustaceans were particularly intolerant of TBT while crabs were more resistant (Bryan & Gibbs, 1991), although recent evidence suggests some endocrine disruption in crabs. The adverse effect of TBT on reproduction in Nucella lapillus and other neogastropods is well known (see review), and similar effects on reproduction may occur in other gastropod molluscs, including nudibranchs.
Rees et al. (2001) reported that the abundance of epifauna had increased in the Crouch estuary in the five years since TBT was banned from use on small vessels. Rees et al. (2001) suggested that TBT inhibited settlement in ascidian larvae. This report suggested that epifaunal species (including bryozoans, hydroids and ascidians) may be at least inhibited by the presence of TBT.
Smith (1968) reported large numbers of dead Echinus esculentus at between 5.5 and 14.5 m depth in the vicinity of Sennen, presumably due to a combination of wave exposure and heavy spraying of dispersants in that area after Torrey Canyon oil spill (Smith, 1968). Smith (1968) also demonstrated that 0.5 -1ppm of the detergent BP1002 resulted in developmental abnormalities in echinopluteus larvae of Echinus esculentus. Echinus esculentus populations in the vicinity of an oil terminal in A Coruna Bay, Spain, showed developmental abnormalities in the skeleton. The tissues contained high levels of aliphatic hydrocarbons, naphthalenes, pesticides and heavy metals (Zn, Hg, Cd, Pb, and Cu) (Gomez & Miguez-Rodriguez 1999).
Bryozoans are common members of the fouling community, and amongst those organisms most resistant to antifouling measures, such as copper containing anti-fouling paints (Soule & Soule, 1979; Holt et al., 1995). But Hoare & Hiscock (1974) suggested that Polyzoa (Bryozoa) were amongst the most intolerant species to acidified halogenated effluents in Amlwch Bay, Anglesey and reported that Crisia spp. and Cellaria sp. did not occur less than 600m from the effluent source and noted that Bugula flabellata did not occur within the bay.
The species richness of hydroid communities decreases with increasing pollution (Boero, 1984; Gili & Hughes, 1995). However, Stebbing (1981) reported that Cu, Cd, and tributyl tin fluoride affected growth regulators in Laomedea (as Campanularia) flexuosa resulting in increased growth.Alcyonium digitatum at a depth of 16m in the locality of Sennen Cove (Pedu-men-du, Cornwall) died resulting from the offshore spread and toxic effect of detergents e.g. BP 1002 sprayed along the shoreline to disperse oil from the Torrey Canyon tanker spill (Smith, 1986). Possible sub-lethal effects of exposure to synthetic chemicals, may result in a change in morphology, growth rate or disruption of reproductive cycle.
Therefore, hydroids crustaceans, gastropods, and ascidians are probably intolerant of TBT contamination while sea urchins and bryozoans are probably intolerant of chemical pollution. Therefore an intolerance of high has been recorded, albeit at low confidence. A recoverability of high has been recorded (see additional information below).
|Heavy metal contamination
(View Benchmark)
|Various heavy metals have been show to have sublethal effects on growth in the few hydroids studied experimentally (Stebbing, 1981; Bryan, 1984; Ringelband, 2001). Bryozoans are common members of the fouling community and amongst those organisms most resistant to antifouling measures, such as copper containing anti-fouling paints. Bryozoans were also shown to bioaccumulate heavy metals to a certain extent (Soule & Soule, 1979; Holt et al., 1995). Heavy metals caused reproductive anomalies in the starfish Asterias rubens (Besten, et al., 1989, 1991). Gastropod molluscs have been reported to relatively tolerant of heavy metals while a wide range of sublethal and lethal effects have been observed in larval and adult crustaceans (Bryan, 1984).
Little is known about the effects of heavy metals on echinoderms. Bryan (1984) reported that early work had shown that echinoderm larvae were intolerant of heavy metals. Kinne (1984) reported developmental disturbances in Echinus esculentus exposed to waters containing 25 µg / l of copper (Cu). Sea-urchins, especially the eggs and larvae, are used for toxicity testing and environmental monitoring (reviewed by Dinnel et al. 1988). Echinus esculentus populations in the vicinity of an oil terminal in A Coruna Bay, Spain, contained high levels of aliphatic hydrocarbons, naphthalenes, pesticides and heavy metals (Zn, Hg, Cd, Pb, and Cu) and showed developmental abnormalities in the skeleton (Gomez & Miguez-Rodriguez 1999). Therefore, sea urchins may be intolerant of heavy metal contamination.Bryozoans and hydroids may only manifest sublethal effects due to heavy metal contamination. But Echinus esculentus and its larvae are probably highly intolerant. Loss of sea urchin grazing is likely to result in major changes in the community and a biotope intolerance of high has been recorded. Recoverability is likely to be high (see additional information below).
|Hydrocarbon contamination
(View Benchmark)
|Circalittoral communities are likely to be protected from the direct effects of oil spills by their depth. However, the biotope may be exposed to emulsified oil treated with dispersants, especially in areas of turbulence, or may be exposed to water soluble fractions of oils, PAHs or oil adsorbed onto particulates. Invertebrates groups vary in their sensitivities, e.g.:
|Radionuclide contamination
(View Benchmark)
|No information found
|Changes in nutrient levels
(View Benchmark)
|An increase in nutrient levels from e.g. sewage sludge, sewage effluent or riverine flooding, may result in an increase in inorganic and organic suspended particulates (see above), increased turbidity (see above) and increased phytoplankton productivity. An increase in nutrient levels may stimulate macroalgal growth, competing with the faunal crusts especially in its shallower examples, although increased turbidity due to phytoplankton abundance may offset the effect of nutrient enrichment (Hartnoll, 1998) while increased macroalgal growth may benefit sea urchins. Moderate nutrient enrichment may increase the food available to the community in the form of phytoplankton, zooplankton or organic particulates.
Sea urchins are unlikely to be directly affected since Lawrence (1975) reported that sea urchins had persisted over 13 years on barren grounds near sewage outfalls, presumably feeding on dissolved organic material, detritus, plankton and microalgae, although individuals died at an early age. Comely & Ansell (1988) also suggested that Echinus esculentus could absorb dissolved organic material. However, eutrophication may result in indirect effects such as deoxygenation (see below) or algal blooms.
Whilst the biotope is unlikely to be directly affected by algal blooms, the biotope may be adversely affected by toxins from toxic algae that accumulate in zooplankton, or smothered by dead 'bloom' algae and deoxygenation resulting from their subsequent decay (see below). For example, death of a bloom of the phytoplankton Gyrodinium aureolum in Mounts Bay, Penzance in 1978 produced a layer of brown slime on the sea bottom. This resulted in the death of invertebrates, including Echinus esculentus and Marthasterias glacialis, while sessile bryozoans, sponges and Alcyonium spp. appeared moribund, presumably due to anoxia caused by the decay of the dead dinoflagellates (Griffiths et al. 1979). A bloom of the toxic flagellate Chrysochromulina polypedis in the Skagerrak resulted in death or damage of numerous benthic animals, depending on depth. The red algae Delesseria sanguinea lost pigmentation, and ascidians exhibited high mortalities even at 17m depth, while in shallow water all dominant species (including Ciona intestinalis, Halichondria panicea and Asterias rubens) were killed. The toxic effects of the algal bloom resulted in a marked change in the community structure (Lundälv, 1990).The potential toxic effects of the algal blooms and the siltation and anoxia caused by death of an algal bloom may result in loss of several members of the community, especially sea urchins, and an intolerance of high has been recorded. Recoverability is likely to be high (see additional information below).
|Increase in salinity
(View Benchmark)
|This is a circalittoral biotope, occurring in fully saline conditions and unlikely to experience increased salinity.
|Decrease in salinity
(View Benchmark)
|The majority of species within the biotope are only found in full salinity.
Echinoderms are generally unable to tolerate low salinity (stenohaline) and possess no osmoregulatory organ (Boolootian, 1966). At low salinity urchins gain weight, and the epidermis loses its pigment as patches are destroyed; prolonged exposure is fatal. Echinoderm larvae have a narrow range of salinity tolerance and develop abnormally and die if exposed to reduced or increased salinity. While Stickle & Diehl (1987) noted that local adaptation can occur, echinoderms are generally considered to be intolerant to reduced salinity. For example, Lawrence (1996) reported that sudden river discharge in 1977, killed Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis in Newfoundland and Labrador fjords and at one locality 60-75% of the population was killed to a depth of 12-15m.
Ryland (1970) stated that, with a few exceptions, the Gymnolaemata Bryozoa were fairly stenohaline and restricted to full salinity (ca 35 psu) and noted that reduced salinities result in an impoverished bryozoan fauna. Similarly, the majority of hydroids are subtidal and, although some brackish water species exist (Gili & Hughes, 1995), they are probably intolerant of prolonged decreases in salinity. Similarly, most sponges are subtidal and probably intolerant of reduced salinity. Halichondria panicea occurs in damp areas of the intertidal but probably only experiences short periods of reduced salinity due to rainfall.Gessner & Schramm (1971) summarized the effects of salinity changes on marine algae and noted that most sublittoral red algae cannot withstand salinities below 15 psu. The maerl forming coralline algae, Phymatolithon calcareum and Lithothamnion corallioides are found only in fully saline waters (between 30-40 psu) and the growth of some maerl species is impaired below 24 psu. However, other species such as Lithophyllum incrustans are intertidal and tolerate fluctuating salinities.
Overall, the majority of the species in the community are likely to be intolerant of a reduction in salinity, resulting in loss of many species within the community. Loss of or marked reduction in the sea urchin population will probably result in major changes in the community. Therefore, an intolerance of high has been recorded. Recoverability is likely to be high (see additional information below).
|Changes in oxygenation
(View Benchmark)
|Sagasti et al. (2000) reported that epifauna communities, including dominant species such as the bryozoans were unaffected by periods of moderate hypoxia (ca 0.35 -1.4 ml/l) and short periods of hypoxia (<0.35 ml/l) in the York River, Chesapeake Bay, although bryozoans were more abundant in the area with generally higher oxygen. However, estuarine species are likely to be better adapted to periodic changes in oxygenation.
Diaz & Rosenberg (1995) reported that the abundance of crustaceans and echinoderms decreased in hypoxic conditions. Echinoderms are probably intolerant of hypoxia (see reviews). For example, death of a bloom of the phytoplankton Gyrodinium aureolum in Mounts Bay, Penzance in 1978 produced a layer of brown slime on the sea bottom. This resulted in the death of invertebrates, including Echinus esculentus and Marthasterias glacialis, while sessile bryozoans, sponges and Alcyonium spp. appeared moribund, presumably due to anoxia caused by the decay of the dead dinoflagellates (Griffiths et al. 1979). Mobile fauna are also likely to begin to leave the habitat once the oxygen fall below ca 2.8 mg/l (Diaz & Rosenberg, 1995).This biotope occurs in moderate water movement (see water flow and wave exposure) and is unlikely to experience low oxygen levels, except due to algal blooms (see nutrients), smothering or decrease wave action. Therefore, hypoxia at the benchmark level will probably result in the loss of a proportion of both sessile and mobile species, and a decrease in species richness. Loss of or marked reduction in the sea urchin population will have a significant effect on the community and an intolerance of high has been recorded. Recoverability is likely to be rapid (see additional information below).
|Introduction of microbial pathogens/parasites
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|Alcyonium digitatum acts as the host for the endoparasitic species Enalcyonium forbesi and Enalcyonium rubicundum (Stock, 1988). Parasitization may reduce the viability of a colony but not to the extent of killing them but no further evidence was found to substantiate this suggestion. Sebens (1985, 1986) noted that Lithothamnion species were susceptible to boring polychaetes, which increased their susceptibility to grazing damage. But the result susceptibility was probably one and important factor in the competitive equilibrium between Lithothamnion and Phymatolithon species. The sea urchin Echinus esculentus has been reported to suffer mass mortalities due to 'bald urchin disease' (see review), although not in the British Isles. Populations of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis have also been reported to undergo large fluctuations in numbers, with increased numbers forming swarms that denude areas, followed by mass mortalities due to disease. Diseases in sea urchins may be an important natural controlling factor in sea urchin population dynamics. Periodic fluctuations in sea urchin populations will probably affect succession, and the dominant epifaunal (see Sebens, 1985; Hartnoll, 1998). A decrease in sea urchin grazing due to disease induced mass mortality may allow epifaunal succession to proceed to more epifaunal turfs and massive growth forms, e.g. ascidians, sponges and anemones. Therefore, although no mass mortalities of sea urchins in British waters have been observed or attributed to disease, disease could potentially result in major changes in the community and an intolerance of high has been recorded, albeit with very low confidence. Recoverability is likely to be high (see additional information below).
|Introduction of non-native species
(View Benchmark)
|No information found.
(View Benchmark)
|Echinus esculentus is the key functional species within this biotope. Collecting of Echinus esculentus for the curio trade was studied by Nichols (1984). He concluded that the majority of divers collected only large specimens that are seen quickly and often missed individuals covered by seaweed or under rocks, especially if small. As a result, a significant proportion of the population remains. He suggested that exploited populations should not be allowed to fall below 0.2 individuals per square metre. But in this heavily grazed biotope, any reduction in grazing pressure may significantly affect the community, probably allowing increased escapes of erect epifauna, and possibly macroalgae in shallow examples of the biotope. Therefore, an intolerance of intermediate has been recorded. Recoverability is likely to be high (see additional information below).
In the absence of sea urchin grazing the community will probably develop into a faunal turf community, following a similar successional sequence to that demonstrated by Sebens (1985). But Sebens (1986) demonstrated that addition of sea urchins removed the majority of species, leaving only bare rock and encrusting algae within 2-3months. Therefore, biotope recovery is likely to be rapid once sea urchin abundance returns to prior levels after disturbance.Echinus esculentus produces long-lived planktonic larvae with high dispersal potential. Settlement is thought to occur in autumn and winter (Comely & Ansell, 1988). But recruitment is sporadic or variable depending on locality, e.g. Millport populations showed annual recruitment, whereas few recruits were found in Plymouth populations during Nichols studies between 1980-1981 (Nichols, 1984). Lewis & Nichols (1979) found that adults were able to colonize an artificial reef in small numbers within 3 months and the population steadily grew over the following year. Bishop & Earll (1984) suggested that the population of Echinus esculentus at St Abbs had a high density and recruited regularly whereas the Skomer population was sparse, ageing and had probably not successfully recruited larvae in the previous 6 years. But Echinus esculentus is a widespread, mobile species so that recovery is probably improved by migration from neighbouring areas.
Overall, most of the species within the biotope could probably recolonize bare rock, and regain significant cover within 5 years, with the exception of sponges and anemones. Loss of sea urchins would allow faunal turf communities to develop, however, on their return the biotope would probably be recognizable within 2-3 months. Sea urchin recruitment is sporadic and dependant on location but populations would probably recover within 5 years, except in locations isolated by geography or hydrography.
This review can be cited as follows:
Tyler-Walters, H. 2002. Faunal and algal crusts, Echinus esculentus, sparse Alcyonium digitatum and grazing-tolerant fauna on moderately exposed circalittoral rock. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 29/11/2015]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/habitatbenchmarks.php?habitatid=337&code=2004>
Faunal and algal crusts, Echinus esculentus, sparse Alcyonium digitatum and grazing-tolerant fauna on moderately exposed circalittoral rock
Faunal and algal crusts, Echinus esculentus, sparse Alcyonium digitatum and grazing-tolerant fauna on moderately exposed circalittoral rock


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A rescue worker helps a child outside the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013, after gunmen threw grenades and opened fire during an attack that left multiple dead and dozens wounded. A witness to the attacks on the upscale shopping mall says that gunmen told Muslims to stand up and leave and that non-Muslims would be targeted. (AP Photo/Riccardo Gangale)
- Filed Under
Helicopters circling overhead, Kenya's military launched a major operation Sunday at an upscale Nairobi mall and said it had rescued "most" of the hostages being held captive by al-Qaida-linked militants during a two-day standoff that killed at least 68 people and injured 175.
The military assault began shortly before sundown, with one helicopter skimming very close to the roof of the shopping complex as a loud explosion rang out, far larger than any previous grenade blast or gunfire volley.
Kenyan police said on Twitter that security forces had launched a "MAJOR" assault to end the ...


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Black History Month weekly brown bag lecture series
Noon to 1 p.m.
Vanderslice Hall reception room
This week's brown bag lunch speaker series features "Turbulence, Perspective & Opportunity: An Investor's Guide," a presentation by David Jackson, CFP, CMFC. Jackson has been a certified financial planner practitioner and financial advisor for Waddell & Reed for more than 16 years. Jackson has been featured on local and national media outlets seeking his financial expertise and is a regular contributor for NBC Action News's "Call for Action." Jackson has hosted a financial radio talk show and is a frequent contributor to the Kansas City Call, providing financial tips in the column, "Financial Matters."
ArtSounds presents "Absence and Presence"
7:30 p.m.
Epperson AuditoriumVanderslice Hall4415 Warwick Blvd.
Using keepsake objects as a gateway to relationships, "Absence and Presence" explores the existence or non-presence of a thing as a means for communication about the human condition. The absence and presence of a thing will initiate, interrupt, and alter video and audio in a performance environment that is augmented by audience interaction.
The performance is a collaboration by David Steele Overholt, tyler galloway, and Andrew Seager Cole.
Free and open to the public.


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The Daily Donkey 11: Ready and Waiting for Treats
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Wednesday Farm Photo: It Was a Good Morning
The Daily Donkey 11: Ready and Waiting for Treats
3 comments:
Aw I hope Daisy and Bert are okay and home soon :)ReplyDelete
What happened to the post about Bert & Daisy's Big Adventure? when I tried to read about it, it said the page didn't exist! - did you take it down? Just askin' 'cuz I didn't get to see it yesterday.ReplyDelete
glad to know they are doing well though!
I picked up Miss. Priss yesterday. Dropped of Juicy this AM. Neither will be happy about their spayings. But, we will be glad for no babies.ReplyDelete
January 2013 update: Hi! I know word verification is a big pain, but it's the only way I can stop the ridiculous number of anonymous spam comments I get every day. I don't want to require commenters to be registered Blogger or Open ID users because I know many of you aren't. Thanks so much for your understanding!
Hi! Thanks for visiting Farmgirl Fare and taking the time to write. While I'm not always able to reply to every comment, I receive and enjoy reading them all.
Your feedback is greatly appreciated, and I especially love hearing about your experiences with my recipes. Comments on older posts are always welcome!
Please note that I moderate comments, so if I'm away from the computer it may be a while before yours appears.
I try my best to answer all questions, though sometimes it takes me a few days. And sometimes, I'm sorry to say, they fall through the cracks, and for that I sincerely apologize.
If you're waiting for a reply to your comment and have a Blogger profile (it's free to create one) you can check the NOTIFY ME box that is below and receive all follow up comments to just this specific post via email.
I look forward to hearing from you and hope you enjoy your e-visits to our farm!


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Exceptional, July - December 2014
Hilton Worldwide
Redefining hospitality
Chris Nassetta, President and CEO of Hilton Worldwide, and Howard Roth, EY's Global Real Estate Leader, discuss how Millennials are changing the face of the hotel sector and why technology is the way forward.
Greater disposable income, low-cost airlines and mobile booking sites have made travel accessible to more people than ever before. Combine this with increasingly tech-savvy and knowledgeable customers, and accommodation providers are racing for innovative ways to enhance the customer experience.
In light of this, and drawing on knowledge from a combined 60 years in the real estate and hotel industries, Chris Nassetta and Howard Roth discuss current trends, challenges and predictions for the future.
What trends are you currently seeing in the hotel and hospitality industry?
Nassetta: I think there are many trends that are positively affecting the business. Today, travel and tourism is the biggest industry in the world. It makes up 9% of global GDP and it's also the largest employer; 1 in 11 jobs in the world is in this industry.
There's an expectation over the next 10 years that 75 million new jobs are going to be created. In the past 20 years, the middle-class population has doubled, and over the next 20 years, it's expected to double again.
Tourist arrivals over the past 20 years have also doubled and are expected to double again in the same period. If you look at the hotel business just in the US, there are 15.7 hotel rooms for every 1,000 people.
If you look at many of the other regions, and particularly the emerging markets, there is less than one hotel room per 1,000 people. That means there is huge potential for growth.
Roth: Broadly, hospitality has been on the upswing. There are more capital flows coming from east to west, with growing middle classes, a more affluent Millennial generation and demand for faster, more customized service.
There are a lot of accommodation providers moving toward a "lifestyle" or boutique style of accommodation to cater for changing demographics. Over the next 5 to 10 years, we will see mobile continuing to be a hot platform, as well as social media and digital innovations as tools to engage customers and build loyalty.
We also see many companies deploying analytics tools to gain insight into consumer preferences. By using this information to create differentiated experiences, they hope to motivate customers to visit more frequently, stay longer and spend more.
Sustainability remains at the forefront of many customers' accommodation considerations and should be important for hoteliers, too.
What were the main challenges for Hilton in moving from a private to a public company?
Nassetta: When I joined Hilton, from an organizational point of view, it was very dysfunctional. The performance of the company was mediocre at best. I recognized that there was immense potential, but that it was not in any way being optimized.
We immediately focused on a plan to address all of the issues identified as part of the underwriting thesis. It started and continues as a cultural revolution.
That meant rebuilding the organization and getting people aligned around core principles, our vision, mission, values and a set of key strategic priorities that would guide everything that we did. It involved gaining intense alignment of the organization, optimizing the performance of the enterprise, continuing to strengthen and expand the portfolio of brands, and expanding our footprint with a focus on international growth.
In the six years since the acquisition, we have become the fastest-growing major lodging company in the world, with growth in rooms at 37%. We have the largest pipeline in our history, with nearly 200,000 rooms, and more new rooms under construction than anyone else in the industry. Most importantly, we've received a great reception upon our return to the public markets and are feeling very positive.
Roth: We have seen a lot of hotel companies go public. Recent hotel IPOs in the US have largely been driven by major private equity players.
Several years of steady revenue growth and limited additions to supply have enhanced investor confidence, particularly where a dynamic growth story like Hilton's exists for the future. Other large private owners have clearly taken notice, and we see this hotel IPO trend continuing for large portfolio owners with appropriate economics and growth stories.
How is the industry changing as the customer base shifts to the so-called Millennials?
Nassetta: That is a great question and a very important one. I would say we're like everyone else in the business in that we are thinking about shifting demographics but want to continue to appeal to a broader set of customers across all age cohorts.
Each of our brands is designed to cater to customers across different price points and travel needs. There is no one brand that is our Millennial brand, or Generation Y brand — every one of our brands needs to appeal to a broad audience base.
We have not yet launched a lifestyle or boutique brand, but we are in the process of developing something in that space. Proportionally, that brand will probably draw more Millennials, but if we do it right, it will be like our other brands in having a fairly broad appeal.
Roth: There are a number of accommodation providers now tweaking their offerings for the Gen Y customer. Predicted to be the core customer within the hospitality and travel industries over the next 5 to 10 years as they enter into their peak earning, spending and travel years, this demographic will benefit the majority of airlines, hotels and travel companies.
Learn more:
Visit our real estate, hospitality and construction pages to download recent reports.
Follow @EY_RealEstate on Twitter


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Thursday, May 31, 2012
A Sense of Scale
Of those favourites, the small 'rock garden' types such as G. cinereum and G. argenteum are the most difficult to place.To look their best they need lots of sunlight, and they can easily be overwhelmed by any larger plants surrounding them, and it was this in mind that several years ago I came up with the idea of making a trough large enough to hold a collection of the small Geraniums.
This is the Geranium trough newly minted.
I filled the bottom with crocks and rubble.
I added some gravel and placed rocks.
This is how it looked when it was first planted.
This is how it looks today, now moved to an even sunnier location.
Geranium x lindavicum 'Apple Blossom'.
Geranium argenteum.
Geranium cinereum 'Alice'.
I've also been able to grow the smaller Geraniums in the ground at the edge of a gravel pathway, here Geranium sessiliflorum ( with the dark brown foliage) self-seeds around and seems to thrive in the inhospitable location.
Geranium sessiliflorum.
6 comments:
- danger garden said...
I love it! I'm not always a fan of this style of planting, it can go a little too far over to the "precious" side of things, but yours is very nice!
- June 1, 2012 at 8:12 AM
- Barry Parker said...
Hi Loree,
Well they are a little precious, I must admit. But they are all tough as nails and seem to sail through the coldest of winters.
- June 1, 2012 at 10:23 AM
- LHawthorn said...
Your geranium trough looks super, what a great way to grow the more difficult smaller types. I went through a mad love affair with geraniums several years ago, lost so many that I'm down to a few reliables - phaeum, sanguineum, sylvaticum cultivars. Anything new that you consider a 'must have'?
- June 1, 2012 at 10:44 AM
- Barry Parker said...
Hi Laura,
The only "new" geranium that I'm on the lookout for is 'Crystal Lake'. I keep seeing pictures of it, but so far it seems to be unavailable in these parts.
But the old reliables are great, I wouldn't be without G. sylvaticum 'Amy Doncaster' and 'Sirak'. "Nimbus' is a great plant for filling holes in the border.
- June 1, 2012 at 1:45 PM
- James Missier said...
What a lovely collection of geraniums - looking good in the rock garden concept.
I had seen geraniums in my place & found that the leaves are fragrant.
(but rare flowers though - guess they don't do so well in the tropics)
- June 5, 2012 at 6:22 PM
- Elke said...
Catherine Bush dropped off a very healthy 'Elke' that she found at Fiesta. I'm hoping she'll thrive.
- June 11, 2012 at 9:09 AM


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PHOTOS: Craziest classified ads ever!
Published On: Oct 11 2010 03:26:42 PM EDT Updated On: Jun 09 2011 09:44:48 AM EDT
Who would ever imagine that the classified section of the newspaper is actually funnier than the comics? Take a look at these classic classifieds and find out for yourself.
The views expressed are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the Terms Of Service and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms.blog comments powered by Disqus


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vashtie for WAD magazine
Vashtie for WAD Magazine. New York, NY (2011)
Over the past month I've been working on an exciting collaboration with the French Magazine WAD (We Are Different) and NYC friends Dee & Ricky. It's taken us all over the city and involved an exciting cast of characters. Vashtie, who's pictured above, is a downtown girl and style mavin with everything from music videos to a Jordan shoe with her name on it. Though the issues hasn't hit news stands yet I wanted to give you a quick sneak peak. Stay tuned as I'll be posting more work from the project soon!