Incredible:

• God is just majestic. We had worship in devotions this morning, and the songs just blessed my heart. There's so much that young people can do, even if it's as though everyone has expectations of them. This was the song that opened the set, and it just moved me powerfully:


Lyrics here. The guy who's in this video looks like Kurt Cobain, no? An added bonus.

• How I've had just enough energy for the things I need to do, and not more, but, more importantly, not less. I've had sporadic sleep since the beginning of the semester, and with uni starting up this past week as well, it's been pretty intense, with the prospect of more to come later on.
• God has just had His hand on my relationships, and I've really seen healing and His work on them.
• Classes have started at uni, and although I was dog-tired when I came home the two nights, I really learned a lot in the lectures and I look forward to the assignments (even though I'm almost beyond 50% sure I'll regret this feeling later on as deadlines creep up on me... that said, I do know what I want to write on for my dissertation, which is a blessed relief. All that remains then is for the topic to be approved).

Not-so-incredible:

• Not being able to blog kind of drives me nutty with the various different things I mean to write about, but which I forget to do. So yes. Not so great.
• The lack of sleep. It's constant, and on some days, I have no idea where the energy I have comes from. It could only be God. Which then makes this point not really not-so-incredible... but oh well.

So all things considered, not a bad week, even if I did get blown off by a friend I had expected to meet up with. It was a nice evening though, just hanging out.

I'm listening to John Mayer right now. Ahh, love.

By all accounts, even Democrats thought Sarah Palin did a kick ass job last night. The big difference between Obama and Palin: no one was talking and laughing about his speech last week. This one will be talked about and laughed about. The Democrats have got to put more humor in their communications, otherwise they are goners.

What do you think is the reason?
- Promotions?
- Gambling streak inherent in so many countries all over the world?
- Outstanding betting opportunities than regular casinos?
- Security and integrity of gambling sits?

The idea of online casinos was tried out in 1996 and today there are thousands of trusted online casino websites which profit from players revenues (and do not forget that these online casinos are played all over the world!). Online casinos have many advantages over regular ones.

One of these advantages is of course language. That means you do not have to be English guru. Actually… FORGET ABOUT LANGUAGES AT ALL: most of online casinos are multilingual.

Also, take into consideration that various currencies are accepted by Online Casinos. Well, that makes it real to play together people from different countries. It will never happen in regular casinos, you know. Moreover, there are many ways for players to deposit amounts, not only cash as it is in regular casinos.

Do not forget that in online casinos real money are used, not chips or points… whatever it is called. I think it is a kind of psychological fact to move people towards online casinos.

In regular casinos there are so many employers offering you free drinks. I think you can imagine how it affects your excitement… It usually affects so much that players can leave their clothes there… When players go to online casino, they are not forced to drink so much:), so they save their money and got an added health!

I am sure there are many women and men who would like to try themselves in a new profitable business, like online gambling sphere. Have you ever thought about it? What if you get your own online casino or online poker?

It is not expensive at all. Moreover: if you calculate your expenses you will be able to see that operating your own online gambling business results much more profitable than working for a “good and kind Uncle Bob”! One of the most popular in a gambling sphere payment systems, Neteller, reported $4,18 million a day gambling money processed in the fourth quarter of 2005! And this amount keeps increasing almost every month. According to eCOGRA (e-Commerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance) report dated January 2007, the average player spends around $60-70 per session, the average session duration is around 2 hours. If you got 1000 players playing on your casino or poker website you can earn more than $60,000! Not so bad, right?

I do have to mention the incredible chicken wings we ate before going to the show - I was bragging to Adam right now, he's so jealous. They were absolutely incredible though, it was like sex in my mouth. The only downside is that I didn't bring any for lunch today.

We got in some great chug time in the bathrooms before entering the Bowl seeing they don't allow glass bottles - what a bunch of suckers. Overall the show was great, wouldn't expect anything any different Nohemi and I were a little disappointed they didn't play too many old songs from OK Computer or Kid A. I only had my camera phone for pictures and the lights were so incredibly bright on the stage everything just blurred. It's definitely something that has to be experienced in person. Not to mention who else has a recycled polyester t-shirt? Well we do suckas!

After the show they were handing out the standard propaganda and this caught my eye

Some sweet artists playing at that next month.

I can't wait to see what's next.

عنوان اثر : هالک شگفت انگیز

کارگردان : لوئیس لوتریر

نویسنده داستان و فیلمنامه : زاک پن

بازیگران : ادوارد نورتن – لیو تایلر – تیم راس – ویلیام هارت

ژانر : اکشن – فانتزی – جلوه های ویژه – هیجانی

محصول آمریکا 2008

خلاصه داستان :

بروس بنر( ادوارد نورتن ) دانشمندی است که بر روی پروژه استفاده از اشعه گاما برای درمان سربازان کار می کند . یکی از همکاران وی بتی روس ( لیو تایلر) است ، که با وی رابطه عشقی نیز دارد و پدر بتی  ژنرال تادئوس راس ( ویلیام هارت ) که بر این پروژه نظارت می کند . بروس بنر این آزمایش را به روی خودش تست می کند و تبدیل به هیولایی سبز رنگ با قدرتی مافوق تصور می شود . وی آزمایشگاه را ویران میکند و به بتی و پدرش نیز صدماتی وارد می کند . تمام این بخش داستان در تیتراژ ابتدایی در فیلم نشان داده شد . اما بروس پس از این اتفاقات به کشور برزیل می رود و مدتی طولانی برای کنترل خشم خود و اینکه اجازه ندهد تا این تغییر ظاهر برای وی اتفاق بیفتد در آنجا اقامت می کند . وی در یک کارخانه ساخت نوشیدنی مشغول به کار می شود و پس مدتی کار در آنجا ، در حالی که مشغول تعمیر قسمتی از کارخانه بود ، دستش می برد و خونش وارد یکی از نوشیدنی ها می شود و این نوشیدنی وارد آمریکا می شود و پس از اتفاقی که برای شخصی که این نوشیدنی را مصرف کرده می افتد ، نظامیان به حضور بروس در کشور برزیل پی می برند و عملیاتی را برای دستگیری بروس ترتیب می دهند . امیل بلانسکی ( تیم راس ) که یک روس بزرگ شده انگلیس است به این گروه نظامی برای ترتیب عملیات می پیوندد . در مدتی که بروس در برزیل زندگی می کند با شخصی به نام آقای بلو یا آبی برای معالجه خود ارتباط دارد . بروس پس از حمله نظامیان به سمت آمریکا و وطنش فراری می شود و بتی را دوباره آنجا ملاقات می کند . حال بروس به کمک بتی در تلاش برای معالجه است و ....

نقد فیلم :

در سال 2003 نمونه ای دیگر از این فیلم را با کارگردانی آنگ لی و با بازی اریک بانا در نقش بروس و جنیفر کانلی در نقش بتی ، دیدیم . در مقایسه این اثر با فیلمی که امسال  به نمایش در آمده ، تفاوت موقعیت دراماتیک را به وضوح می بینیم . در فیلمی که آنگ لی کارگردانی کرد موقعیت دراماتیک قوی تری وجود داشت . اما در فیلم تازه اکران شده هالک شگفت انگیز کارگردان قصد ایجاد این موقعیت دراماتیک و به طور کل درام را با استفاده از بازیگران قدرتمندی نظیر ادوارد نورتن و تیم راس را داشت و نمی توان ژانر درام را کنار نام این اثر اضافه کرد . فقط یک اکشن بود با روایتی ساده مثل فانتزی های دیگری که در این زمینه در سینمای هالیوود ساخته می شود . هیجان بی وقفه در فیلم و بهره از ریتم تند ، زمان فیلم را هدایت می کند .

بلانسکی ،روسی الاصل ، ولی در انگلستان بزرگ شده است . تن انسان را به لرزه در می آورد . چنین انسانی دنیا را زیر و رو میکند . قدرت و رسیدن به آن را تنها معنایی است که با آن آشناست و سیاست آن را می پروراند تا امثال بلانسکی جهان را نابود کنند . به نوپای  خیز برداشته ی  به قدرت رحم نمی کند و آن را از پا در می آورد .  زیرک ، مکار، خودخواه و غیر قابل پیش بینی صفات غیر قابل انکاراوست . افکار پلیدی دارد که از دنیا مخروبه ای بیش نمی سازد . قدرت احساسش را سرکوب می کند و تنها یک هدف برایش باقی می گذارد ، ویرانگری . ذاتی که آماده شکل گیری در قالبی شیطانی است تا عشق را سرکوب کند و تا می تواند بتازد و در دنیا جولان دهد . از دنیای منفی درونش لذت می برد و دنیای برونش را به تباهی می کشاند . به طوری که گرمترین سلاح حریف او نمی شود و تنها به هدفش می اندیشد .

انسان نیز چهره عوض می کند . از دشمنش هم حمایت می کند . گاه دشمن ، گاه دوست . فلسفه ی دورویی انسان چیست ؟؟ که تا زندگی جریان دارد از عادات بشر حذف نمی شود . با خودمان می جنگیم . جنگی درونی که پایانش متلاشی نمودن نسل هاست . جاه طلبی به معنای واقعی اش وجود انسان را در برگرفته و رهایش نمی کند . رسیدن به نقطه ای که خود به خود جهان هستی نیست می شود و چرخه ی  خلقش تکامل می یابد .

انسان ها نابود شده تا بشر به چنین علمی دست یافته و دانشمندانی که برای کشف کوچکترین مساله خود را بازیچه آزمایشات مرگباری کرده اند . هیچکدام بی هدف نبوده است . خواه هدفی منفی داشته یا مثبت . اما افکار پلید و خودخواهی ذاتی ماست که نقش دستاورد ها را مخرب می کند .

کارگردان این فیلم لوییس لوتریر که فیلم ترانسپورتر 2 هم از آثار گذسته وی محسوب می شود داستان را به روایت اکشن ترسیم می کند و سومین کارش را به پرداخت اثری فانتزی اختصاص می دهد . از عشق و عواطف میان بروس و بتی برای ارتباط با تماشاگر استفاده می کند  .  تاکید بر روی این عواطف و این ارتباط عمیق حسی اکثرا در این نوع فیلم ها به نسبتی استفاده می شود . هر چند که این فیلم با عمق این احساسات فاصله دارد.

در کل هالک شگفت انگیز را می توان فیلمی خوب از نگاه فیلم های اکشن قلمداد کرد .

نویسنده : احمد مستوفی

این نقد قبلا در سایت http://www.movieland.ir سرزمین سینما منتشر شده است

Paula on The Truth About Exfoliants:

The bottom line is that for most skin types exfoliation is a good thing. No question about it. Dead skin cells make your skin feel rough, and if you are over the age of 20 (given the number of adults who have sun damage, clogged pores and dry skin), you would most likely benefit from exfoliation. There are two types of exfoliates : mechanical (or manual) exfoliation, and alphahydroxy acids and betahydroxy acids. The former you have to manually move around your face. They are pretty much '80s-style exfoliates. I think that form of exfoliation is dated, and I don't think there is anything in a scrub that can't be replaced by a washcloth. What does make a difference is a well-formulated betahydroxy or alphahydroxy product. There aren't many of them around because they are tricky to make and there is a risk of irritation. But much of the objective research out there suggests that exfoliation is good for most skin types.

So as a rule of thumb, AHA's (which are glycolic acid, lactic acid, malic acid, citric acid, and tartaric acid) are for aging, sun damaged skin.  BHA or Saylicylic Acid is better for blemish prone, oily or combinaton skin.

Cleansers that contain AHA's or BHA are generally not ideal because they are quickly washed off the skin and the skin needs to be able to absorb these acids to be effective.  The best form of AHA's or BHA's would be in the form of a moisturizer, treatment, or a masque/peel where it is allowed to penetrate the skin. 

Paula's Choice is offering 10% off all her AHA and BHA exfoliants through the month of August at her website:  Paula'sChoice.com.

Side effects can include irritation, redness and itching, and increased sensitivity to the sun.  So while using any of these treatments you should take precautions by using a good sunscreen and avoiding prolonged sun exposure.

HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Zimbabwe's inflation rate has soared in the past three months and is now at 11.2 million percent, the highest in the world, according to the country's Central Statistical Office.

Zimbabwe's inflation rate has soared to a world high.

Official figures dated Monday show inflation has surged from the rate of 2.2 million percent recorded in May, despite the government's price controls.

The country's finance minister confirmed the new figure in an interview but said the rising inflation rate was not confined to Zimbabwe alone.

"While our case has been aggravated by the illegal sanctions imposed by the Western powers, rising food prices are a world phenomenon because of the use of bio-fuel," said Samuel Mumbengegwi. "But we will continue to fight inflation by making sure that prices charged are realistic."

Analysts have said the Zimbabwean government's official inflation rate figures are conservative. Last week, one of Zimbabwe's leading banks, Kingdom Bank, said the country's inflation rate was now more than 20 million percent.

The locally-owned bank predicted tougher times ahead for Zimbabwe in the absence of donor support and foreign investment in an economy that has been in freefall for almost a decade.

Once considered the breadbasket of Africa, Zimbabwe has been in the throes of an economic meltdown ever since the country embarked on a chaotic land reform program that has decimated commercial agriculture.

Analysts say the crisis has worsened following President Robert Mugabe's disputed reelection in the June 27 presidential run-off. His challenger Morgan Tsvangirai boycotted the race over widespread allegations of violence and voter intimidation.

The economic crisis has destroyed Zimbabwe's currency and made it difficult for Zimbabweans to buy basic commodities, electricity, fuel, and medicines. Many Zimbabweans have left the country amid rising unemployment and deepening poverty.

Last week a summit in South Africa of regional African leaders failed to persuade Zimbabwe's political parties to agree to form a government of national unity, which observers view as the best way to end Zimbabwe's record recession

(Click for maxi-view)

Here's the end result:

Via LuTerceiro

¿ me lo pusiste fácil? ¿o fui yo?

[...] Éste es todo mi pasado - continúo-. Me tranquiliza poder contártelo. Empezar una relación sin secretos significa...
- Que la relación será libre de crear los suyos  propios - finalizó él.

I cannot believe this! A preacher tries to calmly explain how he, like everyone else, wants to take measures reducing emissions. This as long as they don't negatively affect his poor community.

All of a sudden, when he politely finishes, a senator snaps back (I mean, interrupted) rudely.

Via Press Democrat

In the Dent de Crolles region in France, shepard Christian Raymond, 23, was rescued from a cliff from which he had been hanging by his fingers. he had called the emergency rescue operator on his cell phone earlier in the day and managed to make another call from the cliff by pressing "redial" with his nose against the phone, which had fallen down the mountain with him but had landed right beside him. The Edge, March 25, 1999

A mistake on a national Pick 7 ticket was worth $1.6 million to a bettor who selected the wrong number on Breeder' Cup Day. The 51-year-old engineer who bought the winning ticket said he punched 11 instead of 1 for his selection in the seventh race. "I liked the one and 11 horses in the sixth race, and I liked the No.1 in the seventh," the bettor said. "But when I punched out my ticket for the seventh, I hit one and 11- the same numbers I had in the sixth - by mistake. The 11 turned out to be Arcangues, the unknown French horse who won the Classic at odds of 133 to 1." It was the largest in Breeders' Cup history. He had three other tickets with six winners, too, and collected a total of $1,152,317 after taxes.                           -Oops

Check this one out: Seaman Roy Dikkers during WWII was sealed in a compartment when a German torpedo struck his tanker, he was freed by a second torpedo explosion. Racing on deck, he found the sea around the floundering vessel ablaze with oil fires. He never had to make the fateful decision whether to stay with the sinking ship or risk the fiery sea. A third torpedo blew him far from the scene, beyond the oil slick. Landing near a floating raft, he crawled aboard and was found by a Norweigan freighter three days later.

• Randy Halvorson was one of 14 employees to share a $3.4 million jackpot in 1988. The Iowa resident then won $7.2 million with his brother in 1990.
• In Wisconsin, Donald Smith of Amherst has won the state's Supercash game three times. Each time he won $250,000. The odds of winning the Supercash game just one time are nearly one in a million.
• Joseph P. Crowley won $3 million in the Ohio lottery in 1987. Six years later, he retired to Boca Raton, Florida and played the Florida lotto on Christmas Day of 1993. He won $20 million. -The Good Luck Book

Looking for info on the biggest wave ever, this is what I found on WikiAnswers:

Cortez Bank, Mike Parsons officially surfed the biggest wave ever on January 5, 2008, photographed surfing a wave that the Billabong XXL judged to be 70+ feet, which should put him in the Guinness Book of World Records.

• I came across this article showing a collection of families from around the world with their food supply for one week. It is interesting and sad at the same time.

PS: Wow, that Mexican family drinks a lot of Coke!

• I bought a new bottle of dishwashing liquid on my last visit to the grocery store. After I got home, I noticed this new label:

  

  Okay, my question is, how do you know if it's working? I guess I'll just have to take their word for it unless you have an electron microscope. At least I sleep better at night knowing that all my unseen food residue is being eliminated.