| New Game Puts Geography on the Map
One of the most popular videogames on the Internet right now is about as low-tech as a high-school social studies quiz. The free game, Traveler IQ Challenge, has become an unlikely hit by getting players to locate Kinshasa, Moscow and other cities and attractions by clicking on a crude, two-dimensional world map, and scoring them based on the speed and accuracy of their responses. Created as a marketing gimmick in June by TravelPod, a travel Web site owned by Expedia, Traveler IQ now has more than four million people a month who play it on sites across the Internet, including Facebook's popular social network. Traveler IQ is part of a wave of what's known in the industry as "casual" games -- low budget, easy-to-play titles like card games and puzzles -- that lack the visual flare of slick new products for the Xbox 360 and other game consoles.
Davidson Calendar: Jan. 11-25
Custom Candleholders: Make custom candleholders on a cool winter day. For all ages. No reservations are required. 10 a.m.-noon Jan. 12, Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art, 1200 Forrest Park Drive; free; 356-8000. Songwriter Session: Steve Leslie with Jim Ferguson: noon Jan. 12, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, 222 Fifth Ave. S.; $17.95, $15.95 ages 55+, $9.95 ages 6-17, free ages 5-under; 416-2096. Big Band Music Appreciation Swing Dance Society Dance: Lessons at 7:30 p.m., dancing to DJ music 8:30-11 p.m. All ages welcome. No partner or experience needed. Wear casual clothing and shoes that will not damage the hardwood floor. For more information, contact Naomi Craig at 615-227-1854. 7:30 p.m. Jan. 12, Eastwood Christian Church, 1601 Eastland Ave.; $5; 227-2285.
How to navigate the cellphone maze
TIP to consumers: all cell companies have customer service and then there's customer retention services. If you are not happy with your rates,fees, service and seem to be going nowhere with the agent. Request the number for customer retentions who have the authority to give you a better rate/deal. Take the time to review your cell phone bills monthly and call if you have complaints over charges. It's worth the trouble. .
The corrosion in tax evasion
And it is getting worse. Tax evasion is usually confronted in two ways: audits and harsh sanctions. But as the rising tide of tax evasion suggests, these mechanisms only amount to a game of cat and mouse -- and the mice, it seems, are winning. As tax evasion becomes more pervasive, whole networks that help hide incomes have appeared, making it far less likely that those who break the law are punished. Moreover, because more people are evading taxes, tax administrations are under increasing pressure to become more lenient or to accept bribes. One strategy for weakening ties among potential evaders is to introduce various conflicts of interest. For example, value-added tax (VAT) is designed to encourage firms to procure invoices for their inputs in order to reduce their own tax outlays.
Special foods easier to find
When Table opened at Ballantyne Village about two years ago, executive chef Gene Briggs already had a menu featuring such items as sweet onion and bacon chowder, a wild striped bass dish, and flourless chocolate truffle cake. "If you call us two or three days ahead of time, we can bake cheesecakes," said Briggs, who is familiar with gluten-free needs because of a relative with celiac disease. That's not to say there's no need for improvements, followers of the diet say. Some point out it would be easier if grocers had separate sections of gluten-free items, rather than scattering them all over the store. And while a 2006 federal law on labeling requires manufacturers to state whether wheat or gluten is included in products, there's no federal standard on what gluten-free means.
|
