All posts tagged: Charm

Mouse: P.I. For Hire Review: A Competent Shooter Oozing With Cartoon Charm

Mouse: P.I. For Hire Review: A Competent Shooter Oozing With Cartoon Charm

Published by skeptic

Like any foolishly hopeful gamer, I sat in the darkness of my home, booting up a game I prayed would shine bright enough to live up to its promise. A black-and-white shooter set in a city full of mice? A classic cartoon animation style? A gumshoe noir plot? The idiosyncrasies stacked like Jenga blocks, and one faulty element could send the whole tower tumbling. But isn’t that always the way in Gamer Town, where promising pitches are a dime a dozen, and few successfully pull off their daring dreams. Mouse: P.I. For Hire, the long-awaited indie first-person shooter spawned from a post on X, is finally coming out on Thursday after years of trailers and teasers, and at a modest $30 price to boot. Though its creators from Polish studio Fumi Games insist that the game’s look is more broadly inspired by the 1930s “rubber hose” style of animation popularized by Betty Boop and Fleischer cartoons, it’s not hard to see visual similarities with Steamboat Willie, the black-and-white character that preceded Mickey Mouse. A lot …

Macron’s India charm offensive: Can defence deals draw Delhi closer to Europe? – The Debate

Macron’s India charm offensive: Can defence deals draw Delhi closer to Europe? – The Debate

Published by Sam Flores

There’s trade deals, there’s partnerships and then there’s fighter jets. French President Emmanuel Macron is in Mumbai to put the finishing touches on a €30 billion sale of 114 Rafale jets. This third batch comes as France struggles to convince European neighbours to either buy its warplanes, build one together or – at the very least – get NATO allies to de-risk from relying on US-made F-35s.  On the Indian side, there’s scrutiny over how Rafale sales have gone so far, both with cost and in combat. Then there’s the question of how much Delhi weens itself off historic supplier Russia. And what goes for military hardware goes for oil imports, what with US pressure to stop buying discounted crude from Moscow. On that score, what to make of fast-tracked trade deals with Washington and the European Union? How much strategic autonomy can both India and France afford in a realigning world? Produced by Charles Wente, Aline Bottin, Daniel Whittington and Ilayda Habip Source link

‘The most quietly romantic town we have ever visited’ – the enduring charm of Chiavenna, Italy | Italy holidays

‘The most quietly romantic town we have ever visited’ – the enduring charm of Chiavenna, Italy | Italy holidays

Published by Sam Flores

The ancient settlement of Chiavenna, in Lombardy, near Italy’s border with Switzerland, was once well known among travellers. “Lovely Chiavenna … mountain peaks, huge boulders, with rippling miniature torrents and lovely young flowers … and grassy heights with rich Spanish chestnuts,” wrote George Eliot in 1860. Eliot wasn’t the only writer to rhapsodise about this charming town. Edith Wharton described it as “fantastically picturesque … an exuberance of rococo”. For Mary Shelley it was “paradise … glowing in rich and sunny vegetation”, while Goethe described it as “like a dream”. For those pioneering travellers, gentle, sunlit Chiavenna marked their arrival in Italy, having crossed the Splügen Pass, one of the earliest transalpine routes connecting northern Europe to the south. Today, few tourists bother with Chiavenna, heading instead to the better-known Como that lies 60 miles (100km) to the south. They are missing a treat. Intrigued by the praise once heaped upon this mysterious town, with a picture-perfect location at the foot of the snow-flecked Alps, I decided to spend a week here with my husband. Surrounded by thick …

Turkey as it used to be: the beach resort of Akyaka retains its ramshackle charm | Turkey holidays

Turkey as it used to be: the beach resort of Akyaka retains its ramshackle charm | Turkey holidays

Published by Sam Flores

My favourite memory of Akyaka? The second evening of our most recent visit: the beach floodlit by the last embers of a flaming sunset, the mountains that stand sentry around the town softening into deep purple hues. Before our eyes, all was transformed: sunloungers stacked away, waiters whisking back and forth with tables, menus and small rechargeable lamps. A little further along, in one of the bar areas on the beach, a trio of Turkish women, their hair in shades of pepper and smoke, sat with their toes in the sand, happily knitting. I recalled other beaches in Turkey, where oligarchs and influencers preen and pose, and thought – yes, this is exactly where I want to be. Akyaka – a small town, huddled on the eastern end of blue-washed Gökova Bay – is an old friend of mine. Thirty years ago, working as a holiday rep, I visited on a weekly basis, popping in to see the handful of clients who were staying at simple pansiyons (small B&Bs) in the town. Back then … well, actually, …

Japan and China charm South Korea’s president amid growing tensions

Japan and China charm South Korea’s president amid growing tensions

Published by Sam Flores

SEOUL — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is finding himself the center of attention in the region: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi this week invited him to join an impromptu drum jam session to K-pop songs. Last week, it was Chinese leader Xi Jinping who was — uncharacteristically — all smiles as Lee took selfies of them on the Chinese cellphone Xi gave him last year. Source link

The Art Of Being Everyone’s Favorite Person: 3 Simple Habits Of People With Undeniable Charm

The Art Of Being Everyone’s Favorite Person: 3 Simple Habits Of People With Undeniable Charm

Published by Jenni Sidey

We are drawn to charming people by their magical sparkle. This ability is no magic.  An undeniable charm can be cultivated with practice, focus, and no need for any hocus pocus. Everyone’s favorite person in the crowd has spent time with themselves while working on themselves to be true enough to themselves so others can’t help but be captivated by their irresistible personality. The art of being everyone’s favorite person: 3 simple habits of people with undeniable charm 1. They don’t perform — they just exist as they are Inside Creative House via Shutterstock Executive soul coach Carolyn Hidalgo knows undeniable charm comes from being aligned with your most authentic self. Showing up fully as yourself exudes self-worth. A simple habit to get there is to stop taking what others say personally. Let them think what they want without getting offended, even if you don’t agree or like it. Focus on what you care about, what you choose to think, and honor yourself by stepping into who you really are naturally with your own truth …

A guide to Heritage Valley, filled with charm and great Mexican food

A guide to Heritage Valley, filled with charm and great Mexican food

Published by Sam Flores

Ask a random Angeleno to find Piru, Fillmore or Santa Paula on a California map and odds are they’ll shrug and give up. Blame it on location, location, location. Collectively known as the Heritage Valley, these small towns hidden on the stretch of Highway 126 are often ignored and bypassed by L.A. travelers bound for Ojai or Ventura. But if you take the time to stop in this rural oasis, you’ll find miles of citrus groves, heaps of history and truly tasty Mexican food. Yes, there are more tractors than Tesla Superchargers in this region — that’s part of the draw. This, you realize, is what Southern California looked like before suburbia moved in. Heritage Valley was previously known as Santa Clara River Valley, which is what the locals still call it. In 1998, a committee was assembled to help bring in tourists, and the new, jazzier label was coined. It was an improvement over an earlier, clunkier nickname, Santa Clara River Valley Heritage Trail, which sounded more like a hiking path. It wasn’t the …