Emta Hataaraf

June 4th, 2008

I found this on YouTube. It’s a great song sung by someone who is not known by a huge number of people, although a few of her songs are very familiar to us.

Asmahan was Fareed Al Atrash’s sister, born Amal. She had a beautiful voice and, after finding this video, I see that she was gorgeous as well.

This song is called Emta Hataaraf and it was for the second and last movie she made, Gharam Wa Enteqam. She died in a dramatic car accident (crashed into the Nile) before production ended. Asmahan was only 26 years old.

In the American West

June 3rd, 2008

Richard Avedon was an American photographer who began his career in the 1940s. He is well known for being a successful photographer who worked for high fashion magazines such as Vogue, Life, and Harper’s Bazaar. He was also very interested in portraiture and took many portraits of celebrities in the movie and music industries. He believed that portraits were the best way to look into and discover a person’s soul.

After building a reputation for being a great photographer to the stars, he decided to find other subjects to shoot. Avedon was deeply intrigued by the blue-collar workers of the West in the late 1970s and early 1980s. This resulted in a multi-state trip across the West photographing people in various states of appearances and financial statuses.
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Danish Embassy Car-Bombed

June 2nd, 2008

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri recently called for attacks on Danish targets in response to the publication of caricatures in Danish newspapers depicting the Prophet Muhammad.

[Newsvine - AP]

Oh my God. Are we still dealing with this issue?

WTF. Seriously, have these people run out of reasons to kill people in the name of God? They heard us the first time. They probably won’t do it again. Enough!

We need to stop this right now. Support for terrorist groups have not gone down at all and the proof is that there are still many brainwashed recruits signing up.

We need to promote peaceful Islam. Updating religion books in our schools is a start. Education is the only way to go.

This Blog Supports..

May 25th, 2008

Blockbuster Summer

May 24th, 2008

This is going to be heaven to those that love football and tennis. Every summer we get three Grand Slam tennis tournaments and they are fantastic. However, every other second year we get an even greater treat of the three Grand Slams plus either the FIFA World Cup tournament or the UEFA EURO Championship. But behold this year has five events! They are the three Grand Slams, either the World Cup or EURO, and the Olympics. This highly anticipated combo/combo is like cocaine to me. It’s bad because I almost have no sleep, and good because it just makes me feel so happy.

Roland Garros (French Open) // May 25 - June 8
EURO 2008 // June 7 - 29
The Championship (Wimbledon) // June 23 - July 7
2008 Olympic Games // August 8 - 24
US Open // August 25 - September 7

But sadly I won’t be enjoying the first three as I would have hoped because I’m a @$(%#! $%#)@ ^Y#%. That’s basically it. At the moment, I’m trying be less pissy about it and just get over it and enjoy whatever I can enjoy.

I hope to be regularly writing updates and reviews on the events as they go by so stay tuned, tennis and football fans!

Indiana Jones and the Kindom of the Crystal Skull

May 22nd, 2008

HAVE NO FEAR, THERE BE NO SPOILERS HERE!

First of all, I want to congratulate Manchester United on a fantastic season and hope they will do the same (plus one!) in the next.

OK I just got back from the movie and as a lifelong Indy fan, I approve. I’m so glad that Steven Speilberg and George Lucas continued right where they left off in terms of direction and production of the movie. It looks exactly like the previous three. The action sequences were great, just as was expected. They did use some CGI but thank God they didn’t over-do it like movies today. I was worried that the action sequences wouldn’t look believable for a man of Indy’s age to do, but thankfully I didn’t think they looked out of place for an Indiana Jones movie. The sequences were nice and long, just the way I like them. Oh and there’s something that is so unbelievably gross but amazing (and frightening) to watch. It’s one of the best moments in the movie.

Something I didn’t remember to expect was the totally over the top ending. Speilberg and Lucas are best known for their science fiction masterpieces and unrealistic imagination. They never failed to include some of those elements in the first three movies. Remember the melting faces, the man that was still alive after having his heart ripped out, and the holy grail? So it is unfair for critics to hold that against them.

Last but not least, the characters and the actors who played them were perfect. Harrison Ford did look older obviously but that was because of his grey hair. Once he wore his hat and was his usual active self it was as if he’d only aged five years since the last movie. He still has his undying wit and sense of humor. He just rocks my socks, man. Shia LaBoeuf plays an intuitive sidekick for Indy and he was great as well. Rumors say that Speilberg and Lucas ended the movie so that there would be a possibility that Shia LaBoeuf’s character would be the lead in a spinoff series. Karen Allen plays Marion Ravenwood, the feisty love interest from the first Indiana Jones movie. She was always my favorite of the three love interests so I was glad that she was included in the adventure.

Overall, the movie fits very nicely in the series. I honestly do think that the style in the writing and directing of the movie is exactly the same. Change is one of the things I hate and I’m just so happy that the crew didn’t change a thing.

Bottom line, go see it. Either you will appreciate the quality, or will be a satisfied longtime fan.

P.S. They had a little competition before the movie at the theater I went to and were asking trivia questions and the one that answers correctly wins. There were only two authentic posters as prizes and I wanted one so bad. I won one!

Silence

May 18th, 2008

Silence, defined as the absence of sound. Silence does not exist. Even in a state of complete stillness there is always noise. Even tough yoga practitioners hear the blood pumping through their bodies and the busy motion of their breaths as the pounding of their hearts vibrate their ears.

Our thoughts and worries seem to scream in our heads, talking out loud is actually quieter. Silence does not exist as we know it. Perhaps true silence comes after death. Who knows? It could be fact or fiction.

I know of one fact about silence. Fact: Silence is loud.