In my opinion, Italy didn't participate in this year event because they are the only country with some common sense. If you pay attention, it's hard to find a music that's actually good... Most of the songs have no meaning and are no good... I mean listen to this "song" from Lithuania:
they got the sixth place with this song... Is this the sixth best song in Europe? I don't think so. In my opinion, the Eurovision has no validity as a singing contest. Only as a "singing" one.
Kudos to Italy; the only real winners of this year contest.
This was an e-mail I got listing several insults historical personalities said. They are classy to say the least.
Here it goes:
When Insults Had Class (no 4-letter words !!)
These glorious insults are from an era when cleverness with words was still valued, before a great portion of the English language got boiled down to 4-letter words, not to mention waving middle fingers. The exchange between Churchill & Lady Astor: She said, 'If you were my husband I'd give you poison,' and he said, 'If you were my wife, I'd drink it.' A member of Parliament to Disraeli: 'Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease.' 'That depends, Sir,' said Disraeli, 'on whether I embrace your policies or your mistress.' 'He had delusions of adequacy.' - Walter Kerr 'He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.' - Winston Churchill 'A modest little person, with much to be modest about.' - Winston Churchill 'I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure.' - Clarence Darrow 'He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary.' - William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway). 'Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?' - Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner) 'Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it.' - Moses Hadas 'He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know.' - Abraham Lincoln 'I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.' - MarkTwain 'He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.' - Oscar Wilde 'I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend.... if you have one.' - George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill 'Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second... if there is one.' - Winston Churchill, in response. 'I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here.' - Stephen Bishop 'He is a self-made man and worships his creator.' - John Bright 'I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial.' - Irvin S. Cobb 'He is not only dull himself, he is the cause of dullness in others.' - Samuel Johnson 'He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up.' - Paul Keating 'There's nothing wrong with you that reincarnation won't cure.' Jack E. Leonard 'He has the attention span of a lightning bolt.' - Robert Redford 'They never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge.' - Thomas Brackett Reed 'In order to avoid being called a flirt, she always yielded easily.' - Charles, Count Talleyrand 'He loves nature in spite of what it did to him.' - Forrest Tucker 'Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?' – Mark Twain 'His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork.' - Mae West 'Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.' - Oscar Wilde 'He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination.' - Andrew Lang (1844-1912) 'He has Van Gogh's ear for music.' - Billy Wilder 'I've had a perfectly wonderful evening But this wasn't it.' - Groucho Marx
That Pepsi ad is absolutely brilliant! Very nice. What would the Portuguese version be? Standing on cans of Super Bock to get a can of Sagres?
-snowfinch
Blasphemy! Why would anyone waste two super bock cans just to get to a can of super bock without gas? Sagres is for the Portuguese what American beer is for the Australians...:D
Though to be honest, it would still be a kid getting them...
Yup. It's plain silly. Why would anyone make her walk four blocks?? :)
really. Sometimes I feel these so called "stars" should get a taste of reality. They're so far out of the common life they toss these ridiculous fits and think they have the right to do so. Maybe spending a week at the hands of some Somali pirates or some obscure African militia would make her reconsider about her priorities in life...
This video is a simulation of the distribution of matter (meaning Galaxies but, if I recall correctly, it only shows Barionic matter in this video) in our Universe. It represents just part of our Universe (roughly a square 2 billion light years wide) and every dot we see is a galaxy (over 10 billion exist in this simulation) It's part of the most comprehensive N-body simulation of our Universe nowadays. For more info and a better resolution video (highly advisable) you can always go to their site http://www.mpa-garching.mpg.de/galform/virgo/millennium/#semi
I saw this clip a long time ago together with another one even more stupid than this one... Sadly I can't find it else I'd share it with you gladly (so you all suffer what I suffered!!).
sorry for the long link but this tool is nothing but amazing... You can view statistics regarding several factors from social to economical and see how the world is faring... Mesmerizing...
Yes precisely. One of my favourite movies of all times (Stalingrad by Joseph Vilsmaier http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108211/) just tells us a brutal story. There's no morale or "hard facts of life" to it. It's just facts. And it's a hell of a movie who disturbs people. The fact is, the best movies are the ones who don't try to tell you how you should guide your life or what is morally right or wrong. I think the authors of those movies are quite arrogant in fact since they are trying to impose their view of the world over yours.
Ok, this time a smaller entry since Monty python didn't turn every word and it's synonyms in one sketch (sadly tough)...
Ok, this week lucky winner:
wherewithal
as in "Rommel understood logistics. He just didn't had the wherewithal to pull it trough."
Couldn't afford
Didn't had the means
didn't had the bling on his wallet
Was just one penny short
lacked the liquidity
lacked the funds
:) Now I can't remember anything else to throw in here... Bummer! Again, please donate your generous contribution so hopefully we'll have the wherewithal to pass the exam (now did you just see what I accomplished?? I managed to use an Allegory! Quite smart of me ay?? And modest too!).
I enjoyed the movie immensely (well not really however, it's a good flick). I think it doesn't shows abandoning a baby like it is easy. I actually think your sentence is quite offensive. Just because she (the author) was a stripper she doesn't has any feelings? She can't be a good mother? She has no emotional attachments?? How can you say that? They are human beings after all and one must never forget that feelings like that can't be brushed aside just like that.
Juno character is supposed to be immature. Remember, she's just a kid after all...
I'm sure it has been done:) Sorry but I just love to vilify groups of people who like to play the "poor souls" part a bit too much. I find it disturbing they tried to antagonize a most excellent book (and quite possibly, a most excellent movie) using their condition as an excuse just because they don't bother to take a closer look at it (no pun intended this time but is is quite obvious they don't know what they are talking about). It happened with the movie "Pan's Labyrinth" (El Labirinto del Fauno - original title) where PTA groups in USA and Australia said "a most unsuitable film for children" or "fairytale of horrors". Anyway, I'll stop ranting now. Just wanted to give a motive on why I did the joke. I don't want to get the fame of an insensitive jerk after all :) Again, no harm intended to anyone and I won't do it again no matter how much I feel like it :p
The new movie from Fernando Meireles (director of "Cidade de Deus"and "The constant gardener", both outstanding movies by the way), is an adaptation from the Nobel prize winner José Saramago's novel. this novel, pictures a society in which everyone goes blind. The book is an excellent read and I'm looking forward for this movie.
Some blind people in America said that this movie pictured blind people like perverts and made a major fuss about it. what I ask is shouldn't they see the movie before criticising it? :D
ps.: If anyone is offended please forgive me for this joke but it was just sooooo easy it seemed a shame not to throw it in here.
Sure that is it. I don't understand the fuss about it. He and McCain differ little in global politics. We won't see the world changed after this. Here are some interesting links regarding his political stands and some insight into his tax-breaking economy. I think this economical analysis contradicts itself but it's a good read nonetheless.
Every day seems like a new nail in McCains coffin. His campaign since the economic meltdown and posterior VP choice Sarah "real America" Palin is one Blunder after the other. I mean does he really want to be president?
Ok mates, after our last class with the text analysis (well, more like placing phrasal verbs in boxes wasn't it?) over the subject of death, I remembered a Monty Python sketch over death. Here, I'll transcribe every word they used (bolding my favourites)to described a late parrot state of mind (he was dead) I placed this in the CPE section cause it's really extra vocabulary so, it could come in handy (let's hope not) but anyway, I'll be throwing more entries regarding other lighter subjects but decided to start things out with a Bang so, in that spirit;
Bite the bullet (ex: he bit the bullet meaning he died probably by a gun related thing.) Deceased Pushing up the daisies demise (ex: he met his demise - meaning he's dead) Passed on is no more ceased to be expired and gone to meet his maker (actually two expressions can be used separately but I prefer them together. It adds more flair to it.) late stiff (means corpse) bereft of life (he's dead) panned down the curtain and joined the choir invisible (again two expressions but they are just so something together :p)
Oh and do please contribute to this post by adding words or expressions you like regarding any subject you find. Vocabulary is like beer. You can never have too much :)
The Book Thieve: It's a great book. A totally deserving best seller which was written by Markus Zusak. It's a story narrated by Death and starts with the sentence, "You are going to die!"... As you can see, it starts with a bang. The story takes place in pre-war/during world war II Germany. It has great historical accuracy and it is very well written immersing you in his (Zusaks) world since page one. I advise you to read it if you haven't already! By the way, I recommend you getting this book in English since some of the dialogues, well, I can't see how anyone can translate them.
Instruments of Night: Thomas H. Cook work of art... this book is so disturbing and gruesome it actually took me some time to digest. As soon as I finished it I knew I had to read it again only I felt like I had to wait a little while because the book was so intense! It's a story about cruelty and a slow spiralling descent into madness and suffering. The author manages to trap you in an ever shrinking world which manages to make you (the reader) start to feel obsessed by whatever the character is obsessing about. Not for the faint of heart, it is nonetheless a literary masterpiece (in my humble opinion). It reminds me of Kafka darkest stories.
This book is fantastic! A must read to everyone. If you think the beginning is boring, wait until you start analysing it in classes... I never knew dying lilies meant so much...
