"Life’s stumbles" - A Guest Post by Author R.E. Mullins

Today is another glorious day for LoupDargent.info, or, like a book loving Klingon friend used to say "Today is a good day to read", as R.E. Mullins - the author of "It’s A Wonderful Undead Life" (a vampire/romance novel) has kindly accepted to write a Guest Post for us... 

I'm, of course, very happy about Robin coming here to "talk" about her journey as a writer, but I'm also a bit worried regarding the refreshments situation as I'm not too sure if I should offer her a cup of coffee or a glass of... erm... yep... blood. (Sorry, I'm afraid you will have to read the rest of this post to understand this little joke). 

Don't worry, she doesn't really bite... so keep calm and carry on reading!

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

StarCraft II Heart Of The Swarm - Lackluster Storyline But Multiplayer Still Great

Some StarCraft fans out there are still a little annoyed that Blizzard opted to turn StarCraft II into a trilogy. However you might feel about it, the nice thing about that move by Blizzard is that we’re getting some pretty interesting games. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm delivers an impressive, zerg-themed campaign. It’s certainly far more than just running the same thing as what we got from StarCraft: Wings of Liberty in 2010.

British intelligence 'had role in Lumumba killing'

British intelligence 'had role in Lumumba killing' (via AFP)

A former British intelligence officer claimed that Britain played a role in the assassination of Congolese independence hero Patrice Lumumba, one of her friends has told the British media. Before she died three years ago, Daphne Park -- who was sent as an MI6 officer to the Belgian Congo in 1959 --…

Singer VERONIKA Back For Another Round

After receiving over 2 million hits with her first video release Ain’ Russian Doll, VERONIKA is back. She is currently working on her next video release for her 2013 single CameRA. The video is said to be directed by Yevgeniy Timokhin who has created some stellar videos for music sensations Alexa Luna as well as boy band Kazaky. After taking over the airwaves with Ain’t Russian Doll, CameRA is sure to make a splash when the video is released.

Five Of The Creepiest Asylums

Buildings formerly used as insane asylums are creepy and disturbing for a number of reasons. Even the best of these institutions were often the site of crude medical procedures and inhumane treatment of the inmates. Add to that the fact that most of these facilities have been abandoned with numerous structures, furnishings and medical instruments left on-site and the result can be a very chilling place to visit. The following are five of the creepiest asylums in the world.

Book Tour: 'The Awakening & Other Stories' by Emma Meade

If you love short stories, you'll love today's Book Tour... but, if you love paranormal short stories, then you'll love it even more as, today, the Book Tour stop we're hosting is for 'The Awakening & Other Stories' which is a compilation of paranormal stories written by Emma Meade.

Be scared, be very scared... 
Don't be too scared to read this post though, as you'll find some info about the book and its author below and also have the opportunity to read an except from one of the short stories.

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

YouTube shuts, Google sniffs, Twitter slims in this year's April Fool gags

(via AFP)

YouTube is shutting down, Twitter users have to pay for the use of vowels, and the new Google Nose search engine will bring a whiff of wet dog or daisies right to your computer or smartphone.

Smells fishy? These internet giants went all-out to try and bamboozle their users with April Fool's gags on the most mischievous day of the year.

YouTube, the world's largest video sharing site, revealed it had merely been an eight-year contest to find the best video and would be closing to review all entries. The winner would be announced in 2023.

"We are so close to the end. Tonight at midnight, youtube.com will no longer be accepting entries. After eight amazing years, it is finally time to review everything that has been uploaded to our site and begin the process of selecting a winner," 

said Tim Liston, named as "competition director."

Breaking News: Hens' Chocolate Flavoured Eggs Will Be Available For Consumption By Next Easter!

Yes, you've read it right, by this time next year, we should be able to eat chocolate flavoured eggs that have been laid by hens!

That was the claim made last week at an international farmers convention by Madame Poisson, a French farmer from Brittany.

Apparently, Madame Avril Poisson has been experimenting for years with various ways that would make hens lay flavoured eggs and it seems that the one on producing hens' chocolate flavoured ones is the one that  was eventually successful.

"All you will need to do, is hard boil the eggs like any other eggs and, once they're ready, put them in the fridge. Then, once they're cold enough, you'll just need to take the shell off and you will have succulent eggs with chocolate flavoured whites and yolks. Simple!"

The hens' chocolate eggs, expected to be on the shelves of various supermarkets all over Europe by the end of February 2014, have already been seen as a serious competition to the traditional (and much more expensive) Easter eggs. Funding from the European Union will help with the setting up costs for the needed massive scale production and its running for the first year.

French Far-Right groups have already publicly criticised the idea of having hens' flavoured chocolate eggs and condemned it as "another attempt from the socialist EU to destroy our Christian traditions."

Madame Avril Poisson said that, if the sale of hens' chocolate flavoured eggs is successful, she'll start working on the production of bacon flavoured ones as soon as possible and that she has already received some very encouraging feedback from major supermarkets in the UK regarding that future venture.

Here, at LoupDargent.info, we all think that hens' flavoured eggs are an egg-cellent idea.
But, what do you think? let us know in the comments area.

Thanks in advance.

Loup Dargent

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The Legend Of Excalibur And The Knights Templar

Legends are important to many of the world's people and to society in general. Legends give us powerful and benevolent figures to look up to and deviously intelligent malevolent figures to condemn (or to secretly admire). The trouble with legends, however, are the details. Since many of our oldest legends--the really good ones--have been verbally passed down over centuries, the details and juicy bits get lost in the cacophony of bards. The Legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, or as I like to say, The Legend of Excalibur and the Knights Templar.

As the legend goes, King Arthur is the son of Uther Pendragon and Igraine. He was taken from his father by Merlin who raised him along with Kay. Uther dies and the kingdom was without a king. So, a tournament was held and Arthur, acting as Kay's squire, forgets Kay's sword. He runs to retrieve it, but comes across The Sword in the Stone instead. Not knowing the legend behind the sword, Arthur grabs it and runs back to Kay. Kay notices that it is not his sword, but the famed Excalibur Sword. After much ado, Arthur is made King.

After awhile, Arthur runs into some trouble with his kingdom, and decides to form the Knights of the Round Table to help fight off the Saxons. They succeed but the kingdom falls into disarray, with demoralized citizens and quarrelling knights. So, Merlin tells Arthur to send the Knights out to find the Holy Grail, which could save Camelot. They never bring the Grail back to Camelot, and they apparently all die or go mad...but the Knights Templar continued their Quest for the Holy Grail. Were the Knights of the Round Table and the Knights Templar the same group of knights? If so, this is one of the major places that legend lost the details.

By taking a look at physical evidence in addition to historical evidence, we can get a better idea of the situation. During his life, Uther Pendragon possessed a sword that was famous in battle. The main design on the pommel was a stylized cross. Not the Christian Cross, but a cross of equal lengths like a plus sign. This design can also be found on King Arthur's sword Excalibur and the Templar Knights Sword. Lancelot's dagger also carries this design, though it is much more discreetly shown. 

Is it a coincidence that this design continues to show up on various swords, shields, and helmets throughout medieval history? Is there a possibility that the Knights of the Round Table fostered the Knights Templar whose legend continues on for hundreds of years?

About Today's Contributor:

Lawrence Heller is a freelance journalist who specializes in Medieval History. 

Related Articles:

• Merlin recap-"The Hollow Queen" 
• A Guide to London's Most Beautiful Gothic Interiors 
• Knights Templar alive and kicking - in Estonia at least 
• Estonian Army Ruled by Knights Templar-style Order 
• The end of the Knights Templar, 1314 

Ten Facts You Need To Know About Easter [Infographic]

Let's face it, you probably know already quite a lot about Easter thanks to the net and its main search engines, but this infographic from Smack is providing us with ten more obscure facts that you might have missed... and, as today is Easter Sunday and we desperately needed an Easter related post to mark the day, this egg-cellent infographic (found on the visual.ly site) was like a timely gift from heavens that we decided to share with you guys, with the hope that you'll find something you actually didn't know in it.

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

PS: Happy Easter to all this blog's visitors, readers and supporters!

'Inspiration' - A Guest Post by Author Nicole R. Taylor

Don't worry, I'm not going to go all "The Only Way Is Essex" on you guys, but I must admit I was tempted to start this little introduction with a loud "OMG, guess what?!". I believe it could have been justified though, as, Nicole R. Taylor (the author of 'The Witch Hunter'), is visiting LoupDargent.info once again (must be something in our virtual coffee) and, this time, she is talking about... inspiration.

The inspiration behind a writer's work is always something I'm curious about, so I'm obviously very happy about Nicole's chosen topic...but, I'm also pretty sure somehow that you guys will find Nicole's "talk" about it very interesting (and enjoyable) too.

Happy reading!

Loup Dargent

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Hitting Theaters In Summer 2013

If the term "cowabunga" conjures up images of amphibians rather than surfing, then it is likely you've been bitten by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles bug. After all, those lovable green guys have been around for decade, in every corner of the globe, and we the people just can't seem to let them go. If you need proof, consider the most current revival. That's right, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are scheduled to karate kick and ninja chop into a theater near you this very summer. Read on to learn more: