Valentine's Day Massacred | Sex and Intimacy

Women, Love, and Addiction

Valentine?s Day is once again upon us. For most happily paired individuals, February 14 is a day of chocolates, roses, and intimate time with a spouse or partner. However, for some more emotionally vulnerable single individuals, V-Day can feel like a cruel, frustrating, unjust reminder of their loneliness and unhappiness. The greatest sufferers are those who rely on an intimate relationship as their primary means of emotional stability and affect management. And while some men do struggle, SLA (Sex and Love Addiction) issues are more often a challenge faced by women, specifically those women for whom not being partnered can destabilize an already fragile ego state. For these ?love addicted? ladies, the experience of romance, sexuality, and emotional closeness is, at best, a wildly emotional challenge beset with exuberant highs and painful lows. Living in emotionally chaotic, sometimes desperate worlds of emotional need and psychological despair, they fear being alone, being rejected, getting stuck in the ?wrong? relationship, and most of all that they will never find that special someone ? or, worse yet, that they will find the ?perfect partner? and be deemed unworthy.

Women who struggle with relationship and love addiction spend the bulk of their emotional energy hoping, longing, and searching for the perfect partner ? that one person who can make them feel whole. And if they find someone who feels like an imperfect match for that need, they are prepared to meet, ensnare, and cling to the next person. Using wit, flirtatiousness, and outright seductive behavior, these vulnerable women ? often with histories of early sexual abuse and/or attachment disorders ? perpetually hunger for the intensity of a new romantic connection. They base nearly all of their life choices on this all-consuming desire ? what they wear, how much time they spend at the gym, where they live, work, and eat, the car they drive, the pet they own, where they go shopping, etc. Nearly every decision they make is passed through the filter of finding and connecting with their ?other half.?

Making Sure Cupid NEVER LEAVES

Love addicts are hooked on the same basic neurochemical rush as sex addicts, and they are often just as detached from the reality of their situation. Much like sex addicts, who sacrifice time, health, money, self-esteem, and focus in pursuit of a sexual high, love addicts neglect personal interests, exercise, self-care, friends, and sometimes even career and family in favor of ?the relationship.? The dopaminergic, oxytocin-driven neurochemical rush of ?falling in love? is the drug these women use to feel whole, contained, and connected. Romantic intensity is their drug of choice, evoked by fantasy and used compulsively as a way to dissociate from and/or tolerate stressful emotions and underlying issues related to anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, attachment deficits, and trauma.

Like all addicts, love addicted women live in denial about their behavior and its consequences, avoiding responsibility for their troubled relationships by placing the blame for their predicament on the date, lover, partner, or spouse. They try desperately to get these unfortunate individuals to love them the way they want/need to be loved ? regardless of whether the other person is willing or even capable of doing so. And when these empty women are unable to get what they want out of a relationship, they either begin to act out romantically yet again, or they (briefly) avoid relationships altogether in an attempt to remedy the problem. Either way, their unconscious and repetitively problematic approach to love and relationships traps them in a downward spiral of poor relationship choices (based more on need than companionship), further longing, regret, and loss.

Common signs of love addiction include:

• Constantly craving and searching for a romantic relationship
• Using romantic intensity to tolerate difficult experiences or emotions
• Struggling to maintain an intimate relationship once the newness and excitement have worn off
• Mistaking intense sexual experiences and new romantic excitement for love
• Feeling desperate and alone when not in a relationship
• Using sex, seduction, and manipulation (guilt/shame) to hook or hold onto a partner
• When in a relationship, being desperate to please and fearful of the other?s unhappiness
• Giving up important interests, beliefs, or friendships to maximize time in the relationship or to please a romantic partner
• A history of short, failed relationships where sex is the primary bond
• A pattern of inappropriate sexual relationships (i.e., with a boss or a married man)
• When not in a relationship, compulsively using sex and fantasy to fill the loneliness
• Choosing partners who are emotionally unavailable and/or verbally or physically abusive
• Choosing partners who demand a great deal of attention and caretaking but who do not meet, or even try to meet, your emotional or physical needs

While all people may exhibit some of the above signs at least occasionally, especially during our adolescent and young adult experimental years, love addicts demonstrate well-established and consistent patterns involving one or more (usually more) or these behaviors, resulting over time in ongoing and escalating negative life consequences.

Co-Occurring Issues

Many female love addicts who present for treatment arrive with co-occurring disorders that must also be dealt with. In fact, romantic/love addiction is most often recognized only after a woman seeks help for a related condition such as drug/alcohol addiction or an eating disorder. Essentially, a lot of the women who seek help for love addiction only do so after they?ve sought help for substance abuse, an eating disorder, or some other issue and treatment has failed (or they?ve been asked to leave), directly related to their sexual/romantic behaviors. The Ranch, a gender-separate sex and love addiction treatment facility in Tennessee, actually specializes in women who have failed in treatment elsewhere because of their problematic sexual or romantic behaviors. Many such women act out sexually in similar ways to a male sex addict, but they will not seek therapy or treatment for a ?sexual problem? as would a man. Instead, they are much more likely to present in therapy as having ?problems with relationships,? as they view their objectified search as being about ?love? as opposed to sex.

Clinical work with this population can feel like playing a game of Whac-a-mole ? whack the addictive behavior and depression pops up; deal with the eating disorder and the client is off and running in another abusive relationship. One problem pops up, and while you?re busy pounding it down another problem emerges. One sad reality is these women often are seemingly unable to remain sober from drugs and alcohol. In their desperate search for love/sex they set up situations involving partners who use, and they relapse. Or they simply drink or use to alleviate their intolerable feelings of shame and loneliness. When treating such individuals, the problem behaviors (love addiction, sexual acting out, alcoholism, etc.) need to be addressed in treatment prior to or simultaneously with the underlying disorder (depression, anxiety, childhood trauma, etc.). If you don?t deal with both, the client may not heal from either.

Treating Female Love Addicts

The approach to treating love addiction is very much the same as the approach to treating sexual addiction. This should not be surprising since love addicts, like sex addicts, are searching for something outside of themselves ? a person, relationship, or experience (read: object) that will provide them with the emotional and life stability they lack internally. In other words, both sex and love addicts use their highly stimulating sexual and/or romantic experiences as a way to ?fix? themselves and feel emotionally stable.

Typically, recovering love addicts require long-term external reinforcement and support if they wish to permanently change their deeply rooted patterns of behavior. To this end, addiction-focused group therapy is strongly recommended. Generally a treatment specialist works with a group of six to eight women utilizing a structured, high-accountably, cognitive behavioral methodology. This facilitated group setting allows patients to see that their problem is not unique, which helps to reduce the shame, remorse, and guilt associated with sexual and relational acting out. The group format is also ideal for confronting the denial and rationalizations common among love addicts. Such confrontation is powerful not only for the addict being confronted, but also for the women doing the confronting, helping everyone present learn how personal denial and rationalization sustain addiction. Patients are also able to learn what works and what doesn?t based on other members? experience, strength, and hope. Keep in mind that no woman (or man for that matter) will openly and honestly discuss these issues in a mixed mental health or addiction group; the issues and behaviors are just too personal. A heterogeneous group of women who share similar problems with sex, intimacy, and relationships ? with a group focus on those specific issues ? is nearly always required for an effective long-term outcome. Additionally, love addicts should attend 12-step meetings, preferably Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous. Some SLAA meetings are open to anyone who wishes to attend; others are open only to those who identify as a sex or love addict. A few meetings are gender specific, which can be helpful in terms of providing women with a safe, supportive environment.

It is imperative to also keep in mind that female love addicts often struggle with substance abuse and other addictive behaviors. A failure to recognize and address the full spectrum of a woman?s addictive issues can result in her moving from one problem to another without ever achieving full remission of her symptoms. Oftentimes multi-addicted women will strongly benefit from the containment and structure of residential treatment programs designed specifically to anticipate and meet their individual needs.

Robert Weiss LCSW, CSAT-S is the author of three books on sexual addiction and an expert on the juxtaposition of human sexuality, intimacy, and technology. He is Founding Director of The Sexual Recovery Institute and Director of Intimacy and Sexual Disorders Services at The Ranch and Promises Treatment Centers. He also founded the Stimulants and Sexual Disorders Program at Promises, Malibu. Mr. Weiss is a clinical psychotherapist and educator. He has provided sexual addiction treatment training internationally for psychology professionals, addiction treatment centers, and the US military. A media expert for Time, Newsweek, and the New York Times, Mr. Weiss has been featured on CNN, The Today Show, Oprah, and ESPN among many others. Rob can also be found onFacebook at facebook.com/RobWeissMSW and Twitter at @RobWeissMSW.

????Last reviewed: 13 Feb 2013

APA Reference
Weiss LCSW, R. (2013). Valentine?s Day Massacred. Psych Central. Retrieved on February 14, 2013, from http://blogs.psychcentral.com/sex/2013/02/valentines-day-massacred/

?

Source: http://blogs.psychcentral.com/sex/2013/02/valentines-day-massacred/

private practice deion sanders creutzfeldt jakob disease the lone ranger yu darvish mad cow pennsylvania primary

Sen. Rubio Tackles 'Bottlegate,' State of the Union - Politics - CBN ...

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio gave the GOP response to the president's State of the Union address, while Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul spoke out on behalf of the Tea Party.

Both accused the president of continuing to push big government spending and tax increases.

Rubio gave his response in both English and Spanish. He accused the president of hurting, not helping the middle class with deficit spending and tax hikes.

"The idea that more taxes and more government spending is the best way to help hardworking middle class taxpayers -- that's an old idea that's failed every time it's been tried," he said.

Watch more from Sen. Rubio's conversation with David Brody, on The Brody File.

Rubio said America needs an accountable, efficient government that allows small and new businesses to create middle class jobs.

"In order to balance our budget, the choice doesn't have to be either higher taxes or dramatic benefit cuts for those in need," he said. "Instead we should grow our economy so that we create new taxpayers, not new taxes, and so our government can afford to help those who truly cannot help themselves."

Dr. Paul Bonicelli, professor of government and executive vice president of Regent University, shared his analysis of the president's State of the Union address and the GOP response. Click below for his comments.

Rubio added that every problem can't be solved by the government.

"Many are caused by the moral breakdown in our society, and the answer to these challenges lies primarily in our families and our faiths, not our politicians," he said.

One part of Rubio's speech that garnered attention on social media wasn't a policy idea, but his brief sip of water.

As the water break gained notice online, Rubio appeared to have fun with it, sending a photo of the water bottle from his Twitter account.

"I needed water," he told CBN News. "What are you going to do? God has a funny way of reminding us we're human."

Meanwhile, Sen. Paul's response to the president's address proved the Tea Party's ideas are alive and well.

"To begin with, we absolutely must pass a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution!" Paul exclaimed. "The amendment must include strict tax and spending limitations."

"Liberals complain that the budget can't be balanced," he said. "But if you cut just one penny from each dollar we currently spend, the budget would balance within six or seven years."

Paul asserted that the Tea Party will continue to stand against excessive government power.

"We cannot and will not allow any president to act as if he were a king," he said. "We will not let any president use executive orders to impinge on the Second Amendment."

Watch the GOP response, delivered by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.

Watch the Tea Party response, delivered by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.

Source: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/politics/2013/February/Economy-Debt-Focus-of-Response-to-State-of-the-Union/

Pope Benedict janelle monae adele MBTA national signing day Solomon Islands Mary Leakey

Warm Weather Makes It Hard to Think Straight

Can?t ? concentrate? Image: iStock / Suzanne Tucker

• 

  Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way...

  Read More??

Imagine you are on vacation and find yourself running low on a few necessities. You stop by a small convenience store to stock up and are immediately faced with the usual suspects: cramped aisles lined with chips and candy, a ?beer cave? in the back, an oddly placed rack of discount t-shirts?and a lottery showcase behind the counter?a veritable gambler?s paradise. Normally you wouldn?t play; today, however, you?re overcome by the urge to try your luck. But what game do you choose? Do you select among the dozen or so varieties of scratch tickets? Or do you opt for the classic pick-6 lotto?

Your decision may depend on whether you?re vacationing in Juneau, Alaska or Jupiter, Florida?and it all comes down to temperature. Recent research suggests that warm weather impairs our ability to make complex decisions?and even causes us to shy away from making these decisions in the first place.

In the sweltering heat of a Florida summer, choosing between dozens of scratch tickets may seem like an insurmountable task?and one you?d rather not make, given the alternative of a relatively simple pick-6 lotto (just grab a ticket, write down a few numbers, and you?re done).? In the cooler climes of Alaska, on the other hand, your ability to make complex decisions?such as choosing your favorite scratch ticket?should be unaffected.? These differences may have profound effects on your path to instant fortune.? In cooler weather, you are able to weigh your options and choose the best one, no matter how cognitively complex the decision may be; in warmer weather, however, you?re more likely to take the easiest available route?in this case, the pick-6 lotto (which, in Florida, has an approximately 1 in 22,957,480 chance of winning the jackpot).

Although the idea that our decisions are swayed by the temperature of our surroundings may seem far-fetched, consider one simple fact: our brains are organs. And, just like all other organs, these decision-making centers need energy to function. Almost everything we do?whether it is a physical behavior or a mental process?uses the same energy source: glucose. We use glucose as we walk, talk, breathe, and perform other physical functions in our daily lives. We also use glucose when we perform effortful mental functions, such as making decisions, exerting self-control, suppressing emotional responses, and even answering math problems. ?Crucially, glucose?this fundamental source of both physical and mental energy?is a limited resource.

One of the body?s most important tasks is temperature regulation. When the ambient temperature is unusually hot (Florida) or unusually cold (Alaska), we must use energy?in the form of glucose?to maintain a healthy internal temperature; we shiver and sweat, seeking to avoid hypothermia and heat stroke. These two processes?correcting for excessive heat and unwanted cold?are not equally taxing, however; cooling the body down seems to require more energy than warming it up.

Warm temperatures, then, are more likely to deplete our resources?as our bodies work to maintain homeostasis, we use up large amounts of glucose. Because glucose is also used for mental processes, it may be that the physical demands imposed by excessive warmth reduce our capacity for cognitive functioning, thereby adversely affecting our decision-making abilities.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=5d2dbe61882230cc9bf1e75c0416b97e

california earthquake tyson chandler tyson chandler stephen hill draft tracker the pirates band of misfits cleveland browns

HTC One Press Shot Leaks With Windows Phone Inspiration

HTC's latest flagship smartphone will be announced at an event the company is holding on Feb. 19 in New York City. The smartphone was previously known under the code-name M7 and now will apparently be launched officially as the HTC One.

Follow us

A new press shot of the device has leaked online and it shows some interesting elements HTC has borrowed from Windows Phone in its upcoming HTC Sense 5.

EvLeaks, which has a great track record of leaking accurate information, has posted a new picture of the HTC One. In the picture you can clearly see Sense 5's more subdued UI. The bright clock and weather widget that has been on all HTC smartphones has a simpler black and white clock and weather widget. Below that widget is where things start to get interesting. It appears HTC is taking a cue from Windows Phone's Live Tile and grid interface and adding it to the home screen of Sense 5 on the HTC One. The photos below the widget are Facebook pictures, which implies that HTC is adding populated content to its homescreen: very similar to Windows Phone. It should come as no surprise that HTC might take a little inspiration from Windows Phone, as it is also a Windows Phone manufacturer.

Windows Phone Live Tiles is a major feature that Windows Phone and even Windows 8 are known for. They constantly update themselves so whenever you look at your phone/screen you can see the latest information on the tile, with no need of entering an application. HTC Sense 5 could greatly benefit from having this kind of user interface. HTC could even attract potential Windows Phone customers into purchasing the HTC One, since it offers a feature for which many people choose Windows Phones. There are widgets already available on Android that can populate information and have similar looks to Windows Phone, but the way that HTC incorporates Sense into Android could produce a much better experience than standard Android widgets.

?

Source: http://www.mobilenapps.com/articles/7272/20130211/htc-one-press-shot-leaks-windows-phone-inspiration.htm

jack white wiz khalifa 2013 Grammys kelly clarkson school closings Lumineers The Lumineers

How'd Those Fans Get There? A Deeper Dive Into The Facebook NFL Fandom Map

After weeks of us awkwardly guessing who wanted to watch which NFL games, Facebook finally used its terrifying trove of user data and made the map that no one else could. In our original post, we pointed out some of the more surprising fan pockets, but the data deserve a deeper dive.

Cowboys in the South

Although you'd never guess it from the name, the Washington Redskins have something of a racist history. The NFL integrated in 1946, before Major League Baseball. By 1953, every team in the league?aside from the Redskins, that is?had black players. It took nine years for the Redskins to cave on integration. And that was only because the president of the United States made them.

Unsurprisingly, a lot of Southern African-Americans turned on the team. Since the Falcons (1966), Saints (1967), and Dolphins (1970) weren't in the NFL yet, that left just one Southern team to root for: the Dallas Cowboys.

Vikings in Washington and Pasquotank Counties, N.C.

The mascot of Plymouth High School, one of the two high schools in Washington County, is the Vikings. They even use a mirror image of Minnesota's logo. We called the school system and the local paper, but were were informed that anyone who might have known how this came to be has long since retired.

Steelers in western North Carolina, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Ohio

Appalachia, running across 420 counties from southwestern New York to northeastern Mississippi, has a culture that bleeds over and supersedes state borders. Pittsburgh and its 305,704 inhabitants represent the largest city and unofficial capital of the mountainous, rural region.

Steelers in Hawaii

23.3 percent of Hawaiians are at least partially of Pacific Islander descent, by far the highest percentage in the U.S. The Steelers have Troy Polamalu, the NFL's most prominent Pacific Islander, and arguably the second-most prominent Pacific Islander, period, behind Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

Steelers in Eastern North Carolina, South Carolina, and scattered throughout the nation

Shit, sure are a lot of Steeler fans out there. This is because the team may have had the optimal situation for spreading its fanbase across the nation:

1. Massive success: Four Super Bowls in six years from 1974-1979.
2. Immediate economic downturn: Collapse of U.S. Steel led to 17 percent unemployment in the city by 1982.
3. Loss of population: The city went from 520,000 inhabitants in 1970 to 370,000 in 1990, a 29 percent decline.

These rabid Steelers fans had to end up somewhere. While it's difficult to find county-level internal migration data from before 1990, it's possible that a lot of Steelers fans ended up in North and South Carolina due to African-American reverse migration to the South. Many Northern cities have seen this in the past decade.

Bears in Alpine County, Calif., and McCreary County, Ky.

Alpine County is almost all U.S. National Forest land and has no incorporated towns. McCreary County too overlaps National Forest land and also has no incorporated towns. While I can't prove it, I believe that both of these counties are primarily occupied by bears, and these bears have access to Facebook.

Packers in Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, and Alaska

The NFL really has only three northern teams: the Seahawks, the Vikings, and the Packers (the next closest, the Bills, play 120 miles south of Lambeau). But what makes the Seahawks all that northern? On average, Seattle gets just two days a year with a high below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. The Vikings play in a dome. That leaves the Packers as the unofficial team of the frozen North.

Packers in Dixie County, Fla.

Cross City, population 1,800, is the seat of Dixie County. Former Packer and three-time all-pro safety Nick Collins grew up there, and moved back after retirement. They threw him a parade. They love this guy.

Giants/Patriots in Polk Osceola, Charlotte, and Flagler counties, Fla.

For years and years, Florida's been where the old Jews of New York go to die. Since 2000, 20 percent of all people moving out of New York City ended up in Florida. What's overlooked is that New England is also very cold and also sends tons of retirees to the Sunshine State (including Boston sports legend Doug Flutie.) Old people are pretty set in their football-rooting ways, and they're increasingly getting in on Facebook.

Lions in Polk County, Neb.

Polk County is just about 70 miles northwest of University of Nebraska, alma mater of Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, the second overall draft pick in 2010. I'm actually a bit surprised that more of Nebraska didn't break Lions, but the rural parts of the state seem to prefer the famously small-town Packers. Larry the Cable Guy, Nebraska native, is a fan.

Some unanswered questions:

1. Why does Haywood County, N.C. root for the Packers? We called a local sports bar. They had no idea.
2. Why does Pawnee County, Neb., root for the Browns? Do they hate themselves? They did not have a sports bar we could call.
3. Why so many Packers fans in Nebraska?
4. How many people will mention small sample sizes in the comments? Lots?

Earlier: Facebook Data Provide The Most Accurate NFL Fandom Map Ever Created

[Facebook]

Source: http://deadspin.com/5980933/howd-those-fans-get-there-a-deeper-dive-into-the-facebook-nfl-fandom-map

doj dept of justice weather chicago swizz beatz mpaa south carolina debate lauren scruggs

Interest?:Seven Fronts Modern Warfare Series.

Hello everyone. Just to say first off, I am completely Green to Rping, but not to LARPING. This is a scenario that I have been wanting to use during a long series of large scale Paintball and airsoft battles with the local organization here in texas. I was just thinking that it might also make for an interesting story to write with. I wanted see what you all though. It is a bit in depth, and if i decide to launch this, It would encompass a series of sub rp's. I'm Not sure how hard it would be to write a Modern warfare scene in a roleplay setting, but i wanted to gauge interest. Here is the Rundown of events.

First of all, I am not a part of or ever claim to be part of any military service branch or affiliate. I dont have knowledge of real warfare, so consider this story completely fictional and ignorant of what facts or fallacies it might contain...Thank you

The events:

11-7-13, 2200 hours: The relatively small country, The Independent Nation of Badonia, surprised the world by launching a night offensive on the country of Turkey. By 600 hours the next day, Badonian airforces had bombed most major military targets opening the way for Badonian ground forces to move in and occupy the country. However, the Badonians are still dealing with Turkish guerrilla forces.

700 hours: The world further reeled in shock as Russian revolutionaries rose up to fight against the current government. The revolutionaries were surprisingly well supplied indicating foreign support, and their extreme views seem to indicate a connection with the now aggressive Badonians.

11-8-13, 400 hours: Changing strategies, Badonian forces began an invasion of Armenia in the early morning. However, after the invasion of Turkey, Armenia was prepared for an attack.

800 hours: Badonia began massive artillery bombardments against the Armenian front line. Several missile frigates joined a surprisingly dense network of long-range-missile-artillery to provide very accurate strikes against enemy artillery while howitzer cannons continuously pounded the vanguard of the Armenian forces. This indicates that Badonian intelligence and reconnaissance was very effective.

2000 hours: Extremist militants gain control of the Azerbaijan government.

11-9-13, 200 hours: After much fierce combat around the boarder of Armenia, Badonian forces took the advantage of the night to do the unthinkable. Cruise missiles shifted targets from military to civilian destroying many administrative, infrastructural, and economic targets and killing many civilians. While the Armenian military was enraged, the attack nevertheless crippled Armenia's logistics and significantly demoralized many troops.

500 hours: After establishing full control of the Azerbaijan military, the new militants alline themselves with Badonia and attack Armenia from the east.

1700 hours: With the help of Azerbaijan forces, Badonian forces eventually defeated the Armenian central command and began occupation.

Russia called for help. Due to the recent series of events, The United Kingdom requested to form a coalition with America and Russia against Badonia and the Russian Revolutionaries.

1800 hours: Badonia threatened to destroy Iran oil resources with long-range-missiles if Iran did not surrender.

2000 hours: Iran began to take steps to join the coalition. It immediately made provisions for a limited number of US and UK troops to establish positions within its borders.

11-10-13: American Congress officially declares war on Badonia, the Revolutionaries and any of their allies. The UK, the United States, Iran, and Russia officially form a coalition against Badonia, the revolutionaries, and any of their allies.

11-11-13: First United States Marine Division and United Kingdom Royal Marine Division deploy in Northern Iran in preparation to beat back the Badonians from Armenia. Another detachment of Marines from both the USA and UK arrive in Moscow to assist in the defense against the Russian Revolutionaries. Within the hour of arrival, all three forces begin a coordinated defense to the South of Moscow where the Revolutionaries are attacking. Also, US, UK, and Iranian troops have begun to move on the Badonian front line at the border of Armenia. For each front line, two United States Army divisions are en route.

The following is a map that shows the general theater of war (with the absence of Badonia because it is a fictional country. Badonia would be kind of squeezed in between Georgia, Turkey and Armenia and would be close to the size of Armenia):

About Badonia: Badonia (pronounced Buhdonia), first and foremost, is a completely fictional country and though it may be influenced by certain events in history, is not intended to reflect any current country or culture. Badonia is primarily mountainous with beautifully lush forest and valleys. The coast along the Black Sea is quite industrialized with most of the major cities lying along it. During the winter, it the Badonian economy has profited by ski resorts in its beautiful mountains. In this fictional representation of the world, Badonia owns a good majority of the oil resources in the Black Sea giving it a strong economy. Badonia predominantly uses Russian technology and is able to produce nearly all of its military needs by virtue of its strong economy and abundance of natural resources. Why the sudden hostility of such a prosperous nation? That is what the RPing and discussing is for.

There are seven possible fronts: Russia, Badonia, Georgia, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran.

In the above countries besides Russia, Iran, Armenia, and Georgia the conflicts are primarily fought by the native guerrillas as well as US, UK, and Russian special forces. Most combat missions would consist of sabotage and assassination. War has not physically touched Georgia yet, but it is still a great place for RPing between politicians, ambassadors, and spies, or perhaps even the odd black ops.

Of course the major front lines are in Russia (south of Moscow) and at the border of Iran and Badonia. In these fronts, there's the possibility to RP on just about anything.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/kTCj3KTXZfw/viewtopic.php

sacha baron cohen best picture nominees 2012 academy awards 2012 albert nobbs a star is born oscar nominees oscar nominations 2012

Arab and foreign investors put in Dhs58bn in Dubai property sector ...

Sultan Butti Bin Mejrin, Director General of the Land Department, said that Dubai property sector is attracting ever growing number of GCC, Arab and Foreign investors. Total number of investors during the last year reached 18,635. According to Bin Mejrin, GCC nationals played a vital role in the sector by investing a total of Dhs17.7bn in the past year in plots, apartments and villas transactions.

He added that the LD is focusing on achieving property revival and attracting new investments. He noted that foreign investor confidence in Dubai property sector is unlimited. Total of 13,573 foreign investors pumped Dhs36bn in Dubai property sector. Indians take the lead with Dhs9bn worth of investments, while British came second with Dhs5bn. Pakistanis invested Dhs4bn in 2012, Russians spent Dhs2bn while other nationalities' investments accounted for Dhs16bn in the sector last year.

According to the director general, the official statistics documented by Real Estate Research and Data Section of LD's Real Estate Development Department showed that Dubai Property Sector is witnessing overwhelming response from investors. This shows Dubai's ability to fully recover from the impacts of global financial crisis and proves the vitality and resilience of its economy.

Total of 2955 GCC nationals invested in Dubai property sector in 2012, UAE nationals took the lead with Dhs13bn, while Saudi investment totaled to Dhs2bn.

2109 Arab investors invested Dhs5bn in Dubai last year, Jordanians were in the lead followed by the Lebanese, Egyptians and Iraqis.

These figures, according to Bin Mejrin, reflect the growing recovery and rebound in the real estate sector with direct support from the local government who spares no effort in stabilizing the market and enhancing real estate investments as well as boosting investor confidence.

Source: http://www.ameinfo.com/arab-foreign-investors-dhs58bn-dubai-property-329103

gael glen rice jr bars lindzi cox bachelor finale courtney robertson ben flajnik