Articles and Stories

Known for its pristine beaches, relaxed coastal atmosphere and all night parties the island of Majorca is also a mecca for shoppers wanting to spend their holidays indulging in some retail therapy.

A great place to kick start ones shopping expedition is at the island’s capital Palma which offers a wide range of opportunities for both those on a budget as well as high spenders who just have to have the latest designer ware. Set amidst busy squares and varied Majorca Hotels, Palma is best explored by foot and shopaholics can launch their shopping expeditions at the popular Passeig d’es Born, which is the city’s main street. Other well known haunts for shoppers in Palma include Las Ramblas, Carrer Sindicat, Plaza Major, Avenida Jaume III, Carrer Sant Miquel and Passeig per l’Artesania where one can purchase locally made products. Those on a tight holiday schedule can head to one of the many department stores or commercial centres in and around Palma such as Galerias Preciados, C&A, El Corte Ingles, Al Campo, Festival Park and Porto Pi.

While Palma is one of Majorca’s main shopping areas, it is by no means the only place for some all-out shopping. Those finding accommodation in the many hotels in Majorca near such areas as Port d’Alcudia, Port de Pollenca, Arta, Soller and Santanyi will find great shopping opportunities where they can also enjoy the island’s picturesque coastline or breathtaking inland landscapes.

One of the outstanding features of a Majorcan shopping experience are the colourful local markets which can be found throughout the island. While some markets take place on a daily basis, others are held once a week and offer shoppers a chance to put their bargaining and negotiating skills to the test!

Palma is an ideal place to begin a tour of the local market scene and is where one can find the Mercat de l’Olivar which has been around longer than most. Also popular amongst those looking for art and crafts is the outdoor craft market that takes place at the Placa Major three days a week (Saturday, Monday and Friday). As mentioned earlier, the markets in Majorca are spread across various areas and take place on different days of the week. Since tour itineraries may constantly change it is thus a good idea to find out what day of the week markets take place in the area closest to ones Hotels in Majorca. Some of the more popular local markets include the ones held every Sunday at Santa Maria and at Consell and the weekly Wednesday markets at Andratx and Sineu.

When shopping in Majorca one can tend to overlook the island’s fascinating local industries which not only serve as valuable income earners, but also give visitors a chance to purchase indigenous products which have a uniqueness of their own. Some local industries are those that have been passed on from generation to generation such as ceramic and pearl products which make for ideal gifts and trinkets. Other locally made products one can lookout for include clay whistles known as Siurells, leather made goods, pottery and footwear.

This is just a small taste or appetizer as it were of what one can expect in regard to the various shopping areas and markets in Majorca. As with any holiday expedition the best way to truly discover those hidden shopping gems is by exploring the various nooks and crannies in the areas which travellers will find around their Majorca Hotels. So remember when next heading to this magical Spanish island to not only bring ones suntan lotion, camera and guidebook but also more than one credit card because there is shopping a plenty for all ages, tastes and budgets!

 

Tags: shopping in Majorca | shopping in Majorca | Holiday in Majorca | Holiday in Majorca | Hotels in Majorca | Hotels in Majorca | travel tips | travel tips | Majorca | magaluf | magaluf | Palma

If you do a blog search on Google for poker tables you will likely bombarded with blogs about automated poker tables.  At $30,000 a pop these tables are not likely to replace your Saturday night home game poker tables anytime soon, but they are making large in-roads with casinos and cruise ships.
 
The appeal for these poker tables is two fold.  The casinos like them because there is less management involved and no dealer to pay for.  Brian Haveson, CEO of Lightning Poker, notes that, “Running a poker room and managing the dealers is a very daunting task in a big poker room.  Keeping all of those dealers scheduled and moving them around and changing them is a very difficult process, so a lot of them welcome the electronic tables from that standpoint.”
 
Additionally, casinos benefit from the ability to deal faster.  The casinos take a small piece of every hand dealt.  The more hands dealt the more money to be made for the casino.  When you couple decreased cost with higher revenue it is hard to argue against the automated table from a casino perspective. 

While that sounds good in theory what about the players.  It doesn’t matter if new technology has all the bells, whistles and promises of a better tomorrow if people simply choose not to use it. 

We conducted a rather unscientific and ad-hoc poll of players from around the Internet via blog comment and forums.  For the most part people seemed to like the automated table because it was efficient and they were able to get the hang of it rather quickly.  Many from cruise ships said they would prefer a dealer, but an automated table was better than no table. 

Conversely, patrons of local casinos noted that the automated tables were often full and the most difficult to get a seat at. 

Some theories on these observations has included that cruise ship patrons may not live near a casino and therefore not have the chance to participate in a live game, but can play poker on-line which is similar to an automated table.  Casino regulars may supplement or derive all of their income from poker so the ability to play more hands may yield more income. 

When asked what kind of players like automated tables Haveson noted that, “We’ve noticed that it’s more of younger demographic, Internet players who are used to the speed of Internet poker.”

When confronted with the question of automated table dominance Haveson theorized, “I think there is always going to be a place for dealered poker.  I don’t think we’ll ever be more than 50 percent of the tables in poker rooms.” 

Perhaps automated tables are not the complete future of poker tables just another option players can use to enjoy themselves while perfecting their poker skills.

Tags: automated poker tables | automated poker tables | poker tables | poker table | poker table

The Jayhawk is a cross between the blue jay and the sparrow hawk. Jayhawker became synonymous with the people of Kansas and it shows when their fans have a big bird on their Kansas Jayhawks wallet.
The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that collectively represent the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida.
The athletic department is run by the University Athletic Association, a private non-profit organization that was established in 1929. Since 1992, the athletic director of the Gators has been Jeremy Foley.
Orange and blue were officially adopted as the school colors in 1910 from the main colors of the two institutions that had united to form UF in 1903.
The football team, as is the case for all other SEC schools, competes in the higher of two classifications, the Football Bowl Subdivision, which is still frequently referred to by its former designation of Division I-A.
While traditionally being overshadowed by divisional and national basketball powers Tennessee and Georgia, the Lady Gators have made several NCAA Tournament appearances and sent players to the WNBA, such as DeLisha Milton-Jones. The winningest coach at Florida is Carol Ross, who guided the team for 12 seasons but now coaches at her alma mater, Ole Miss.
Andy Lopez took over the program in 1994, one season removed from leading Pepperdine University to its only national championship in the College World Series. In 1996, he coached the Gators to a 50-win season and College World Series bid. By 2000, however,the program had seemingly hit a plateau and Lopez was replaced in order to get the program to the next level.
In its history, Florida has won 27 total team titles, 16 of which are NCAA championships, and 185 individual national championships. Florida is also the only team to hold both major championships at the same time. The Gators basketball team repeated in NCAA Men’s Basketball in the 2005-2006 season and in the 2006-2007 season being the first time since Duke in the early 90′s. In those games, their fans had a Florida wallet and signs.
While not a national powerhouse like the men’s basketball team, the football team has had notable alumni including Gale Sayers, a two time All-American who later enjoyed an injury-shortened yet Hall of Fame career with the Chicago Bears; John Riggins, another Pro Football Hall of Famer with the Washington Redskins; Pro Football Hall of Famer for the Cleveland Browns, Mike McCormack; plus John Hadl, Dana Stubblefield, Bobby Douglass, and Nolan Cromwell.
Kansas has also played an annual game with the Nebraska Cornhuskers since 1905. People bring out all the Jayhawk merchandise they can find when they play this game. That includes things that you wouldn’t normally see like a Kansas belt to socks.
The Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball program is headed by Bruce Pearl. Through his guidance, the men’s program has been revitalized and claimed the 2005–2006 SEC East Title and closed the season with a 22-8 record and a NCAA Tournament berth. The men’s basketball fans are now starting to embrace their team. Their fans are now proudly wearing their orange and having things like a Tennessee Money Clip. They also love their women’s team.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, better known as Virginia Tech, is a public land grant polytechnic university in Blacksburg, Virginia. Although it is a comprehensive university with many departments, the agriculture, engineering, architecture, forestry and veterinary medicine programs from its historical polytechnic core are still considered to be among its strongest.
Virginia Tech’s men’s basketball team has seen a resurgence of fan support since the arrival of coach Seth Greenberg in 2003-04 and its entry into the ACC in 2004-05. The Hokies have begun buying new things to celebrate their team’s recent success. Their fans have a Virginia Tech Belt.

Tags: Kansas Jayhawks Wallet | Kansas Jayhawks Wallet | Tennessee Money Clip | Tennessee Money Clip | Virginia Tech Belt | Virginia Tech Belt | Florida Wallet | Florida Wallet | Kansas Belt | Kansas Belt