5 Memorable Bullies From The Big Screen

Every good story requires a hero and a villain. Even the ancient Greek plays had both and who won in the end decided whether the story was a comedy or a tragedy. This basic formula exists today and is also seen in most movies. Many movie villains are truly evil, Hannibal Lecter is one example, but many are simply bullies, and some are actually both. Here, in no particular order, are five antagonists who memorably fit the mold of a bully.

Essential Ways To Dress Like A Celebrity

How often do we open a glossy magazine, read a newspaper, or see a celebrity on our television sets, and then sit and enviously think that we would love to look like they do.  A celebrity-esque appearance is not something that you should consider as unobtainable, however, despite it seeming to be extremely difficult to do so.

Just what can you do to get the superstar appearance that you are looking for?

Book Tour: 'Catalyst' (WWII Spy Thriller)

Today's Book Tour is taking us back in time!

Yep, 'Catalyst' is a spy thriller novel set during World War 2, and, as my Grand Father was in the French Resistance during that war, that makes this particular Book Tour hosting very special to me...

Feel free to find out more about the book itself and Paul Byers. There is an excerpt from the novel available as well as bits of info about it and its author and a very informative guest post written by Paul Byers himself.

(Of course, and as usual, you're also more than welcome to make use of our virtual tea and coffee area.)

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

Top Five CIA Movies

When it comes to the entertainment industry, there is something appealing about a secretive spy organization that is tasked with the responsibility of gaining intelligence and keeping the US safe. That's why CIA movies have been so popular over the years and have lead to some classic movie scenes and stories. Here are five of the top CIA movies of all time.

Top 5 Bestselling Novels Of All Time

When it comes to the top bestselling novels of all time, the British have the edge with three out of the five novels selling 100 million copies or more. It's clear from looking over the list what the public loves: big sprawling stories with large casts of characters, fantasy and whodunits. Read on for descriptions of the books that still outsell even J.K. Rowling and Dan Brown today.

Tomb Raider Review " An Awesome Reboot Version"

It seems like the gaming world is going through a season dominated by “reboot” instalments of various popular franchises. The latest game to be “rebooted” is no other than Tomb Raider which introduced the world to Lara Croft, a female hard as nail protagonist. Critics of the game might argue that Lara is nothing but a gender equivalent of Indiana Jones or the male protagonist from uncharted series, but the truth is, over the years she has developed a distinctive personality of her own. The latest instalment in the series follows the very first exploits of the young heroine, chronicling her transformation from a ship wreck victim to the fearless and death defying iconic figure, we’ve all come to know.

4 Ways The Probation Industry Exploits Their Customers For Cash

Probation often seems like a good thing when compared to jail time, but what most people don’t understand is that there are typically very high fines and additional fees that you have to pay if you cannot pay the initial fine immediately. You will need to use a probation loan company to pay your probation, but this puts you in a personal debtor’s prison that can be difficult to escape. These are four ways that the probation industry exploits its customers.

Bond On A Budget

James Bond 007. He’s the greatest movie hero of all time: a fighter, a lover, a raconteur, a sportsman, a connoisseur of the finer things in life, and a style icon. Women want to be with him, men want to be him, and villains want to watch him die in ludicrous fashion. And he does it all on Her Majesty’s Service, which means the taxpayer foots the bill.

All of Bond’s: Martinis,  crashes and explosions, damage to government property and no doubt many paternity suits will probably add up, over the course of the fifty-odd years he’s been saving the world on our behalf, to Britain’s annual GDP. We might like to imagine ourselves living his life, but few of us could actually afford it even if the opportunity presented itself.

But for those of us who will always toss their hat onto the stand from a distance when they walk into a room, make a point of flirting with the boss’s secretary, or wish sometimes their car had an ejector seat when their passenger is irksome, it is possible to experience the defining parts of Bond’s lifestyle on a budget. Here are a few ideas:

Book Tour: 'Saving Mars' by Cidney Swanson

It looks like we're going to have to extend our virtual coffee and tea area (and perhaps add a few extra tables and chairs while we're at it) as we are hosting another book tour today (yep, that's two in one day, I know). We believe you guys will also love this one as it's for a  Sci-Fi novel: 'Saving Mars' by Cidney Swanson.

Of course, like in every book tour we're hosting, there are bits of info about the book and its author, but in this one there is also a guest post written by Cidney especially for LoupDargent.info, and it's about... yes... that's right... Science Fiction! Cool, isn't it?

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

Book Tour: Time Killer [Giveaway Included]

Once again, LoupDargent.info is hosting a Book Tour for the day, cool! 

This time, it's for 'Time Killer' by Todd M. Thiede... and it's a detective story. Yeaaah! We do love a good detective stories here at LDi. They do help make our little grey cells work and all, don't they? 

Today's Book Tour should please most of you (as long as you like books and detective stories, of course) as, not only we learn a bit more about the book and its author, but it also includes a Guest Post by Todd M. Thiede himself and, (yes, that's right!) a Giveaway giving  our readers the chance to win an autographed copy of Time Killer, by Todd Thiede AND one $10 Amazon gift card as first price. Not too shabby, is it?

All you have to do to participate to the Giveaway is go to the end of this post and follow the easy instructions there... Worth the effort, surely?

(Oh, and yes, the virtual tea and coffee area is opened as usual.)

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

How Music Unites: Examples Of How Music Influences Social Change

Music is a universal way of connecting people. If you put the right sound with the right beat you have yourself a hit - but it seems that the musicians that created this work do not stop at an auditory influence. Some have gone on to change the world using not just their tunes but also their talent of bringing a crowd together for a common purpose. Usually that purpose is dancing or rocking out but occasionally it can create a real social change. Here we will look at some of the most powerful ways that songwriters and bands have used their fame.

Discover The World Of Alan Partridge

This summer will see the return of one of British broadcasting’s most beloved and admired figures, the man known to potentially billions of people thanks to the World Wide Web as Alan Partridge. Following the success of his Mid-Morning Matters show on the North Norfolk Digital station, and the release of his highly-regarded autobiography, movie producers have finally seen the potential of Partridge and given him the big screen debut that fans have been calling for for years.

Having begun his stellar career on hospital radio, Alan moved swiftly on to the heady heights of BBC radio, where his unambiguous talent was discovered and nurtured, leading to his now legendary chat-show. A series of unfortunate incidents led to his downfall however, and he spent several months in the entertainment wilderness before mounting his successful counter-attack, first with a well-regarded show called Skirmish on cable channel UK Conquest, and then his triumphant return to local Norfolk radio.

Partridge’s erudite delivery, easy charm and piercing interview techniques have earned him a loyal fanbase the world over. His connections to the county of Norfolk, where he was born and raised and continues to live, are well-known. If you’d like to get to know the real Alan, the man behind the fame, here are some must-visit spots:

Is Interactive Literature And Film A Serious Possibility For The Future?

We all know that feeling that we wished the final pages of a book would be somewhat different, or that your favorite character should have been treated differently. The idea of allowing the reader or the viewer to take an active part in deciding the course of action in a novel or a movie is pretty old, but in spite of amazing new technologies it seems that serious artistic mediums are not very keen on it and readers and viewers are not that interested. Is this only because the technologies are not yet immersive enough and what is the difference between participating in an interactive video game and being able to choose between multiple plot lines in a movie?

Wasteland 2 - Sequel To The Original Post-apocalyptic Game

The original Wasteland would always have the distinction of being the pioneer of post-apocalyptic genre of gaming. Some people unknowingly credit Bethesda’s Fallout series to have kick started the genre, but in actuality, Wasteland was the game that started it all. Now, we have a sequel to the genre spawning game titled Wasteland 2, emerging after a hiatus of 25 years! At the development helm are inXile Entertainment and Obsidian Entertainment and the game (much to the dismay of console owners) would be a PC exclusive. Another distinguishing feature of the game is that it’s being funded by the general public. This method of financing is termed as a “kick starter”, so it stands to reason that expectations are running high even before the release of the game, which is scheduled somewhere in the late half of 2013.

The Most Awesome Science Fiction Machines

Science fiction plays on the gray area between scientific possibility and impossibility, often describing technologies and machines that could exist in the future, or that only slightly bend our current rules about what’s possible.  Science fiction authors have also been responsible for imagining some of the coolest gadgets, and these are just plain fun.

Here are some of the most iconic machines and devices to come out of science fiction.

6 Tricks That Impostors Use To Deceive People

The idea of impostors sounds like the type of thing that you only encounter in movies or fiction. But real-life impostors happen far more than you'd think. Whether their intention is a straightforward one of defrauding people out of money or a much murkier psychological one in which they worm their ways into people's lives using a false identity for no real identifiable material gain, all impostors are experts at reading and manipulating people.

There are generally two types of impostor. One type simply pretends to be a kind of person they are not. For example, there have been several cases of adults passing as teenagers and enrolling in high schools. The other type of impostor actually pretends to be a specific person. This may be a person who was missing for many years and returns to the family left behind. 

Read on to learn about some of the tricks of the impostor trade.

Why London Or A Similar City Would Make The Perfect Bond Villain's Lair

Any self-respecting evil genius needs a suitably imposing lair. What would Blofeld have been without his hollowed-out volcano, Scaramanga without his Pacific island or Stromberg without his underwater palace? It’s a little-known fact that a Bond villain with a sub-par lair runs a very real risk of humiliation at the annual Union of Super villains Christmas get-together.

The trouble is that most lairs are somewhat inaccessible. A remote Himalayan fortress might give you the privacy needed to conduct nefarious schemes, but popping to the shops for milk can often be a nightmare. Modern Super villains need a place that combines the convenience of 21st century urban living with the traditional requirements of a sinister hideout and London could just be the ideal choice.

When Will The Apocalypse Happen?

Ok, so the Mayans may have been wrong, the world didn’t end in 2012! But, it could still happen.  Where will you be when the apocalypse comes?  Holed up safely in your underground zombie and nuclear proof shelter, with enough supplies to last you for a year or running screaming along the High Street with a bag filled with tins of food, trying to find the nearest place to hide out?  For most of us, it’s probably the latter, although we don’t want to admit to being so unprepared!  We don’t know if or when the apocalypse will happen, or even how, but there are ways that you can ensure you’re prepared for any disaster like applying for cash loans and getting shopping for supplies today!

Licensed To Thrill - Following 007 Around The World

The James Bond franchise is one of cinema’s most long-running and enduringly popular series of films. There are many reasons why they appeal to people (mainly men admittedly): the girls, the gadgets, the cars, the villains and their nefarious plots, the witty one-liners. And one other key component – the exotic locations. Put yourself in the shoes of the world’s most famous spy and visit some of the scenes of his most explosive exploits.

I Can Haz Moneyz Too? How LOLcats Are Actually An Industry

Let’s Start With The Basics… What Is A Meme? 
In its simplest form, a meme is an idea, phrase, image, or element passed around from one person to another. Given the rapid speed in which people share information on the Internet, many memes live, breath and eventually die on social network sites and online media outlets. And it’s pronounced meam—and rhymes with cream, seam and theme.