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Qatar is sometimes called the “Olympic paradise” in the world. In this Arab country you can feel the Olympic atmosphere: many children competing in athletics, tennis, football, volleyball, basketball, karate, gymnastics and judo. Cylist fable Eddy Merckx said, “Qatar as a country pushes for sport. No other country in the world is doing what Qatar is doing for sport - especially for kids. As a child, sport is a sizable school of life. It shows you that unprejudiced talent is not enough - you also have to work very hard. If you’re a lawyer, you quit a lawyer for life. As a sportsman or sportswomen, you have to originate every season at the beginning again. It’s hard to become the best, but it’s even more difficult to finish the best year after year.” Certainly, Qatar - it is about the size of Hawaii- has one of the best sporting systems outside of the industrialized world.

The Arab athlete Saif Saaeef Shaheen won the gold medal in the 3,000m steeplechase at the 2003 World Athletics Championships in Paris, France. There were celebrations for Qatar, after he won the gold medal. Saif Saaeef Shaheen wrote history for Qatar becoming the first Qatari to fetch a world championship in the Olympic sport.

Qatar well-behaved for the 2007 Handball World Championship. It was the third time that Qatar had estimable for a World Cup. Under the direction of Ekrem Jaganjac, Qatar`s national coach, the Qatari team defeated Australia 36-22. “In Qatar, there are no outstanding players, but there are many eager young ones, and I concentrate all my work on them”, said Jaganjac, who was a member of the enlarged Yugoslav team for the Summer Olympics in 1972.

Doha was scheduled to host the FIFA World Youth Championship in 1995.

Ahmed Ibraheem was the first runner to characterize Qatar at an Olympic track event when he competed in the 10,000 metres and 5,000 metres at the Games of the XXIV Olympiad in Seoul (South Korea) in 1988.

The Qatari football team finished sixth at the Olympic Games in Barcelona (Spain) . In the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Football Tournament 16 men`s teams competed in four rounds (preliminaries, quarter-finals, semi-finals, finals) . Under the vivid leadership Mubarak Nooralla, Qatar defeated Egypt (African champion) 1-0 in the first round. Qatar represented Asia in the quarters finals, but was eliminated by Poland, one of the best teams of Europe. The Olympic players were Ahmed Khalil Saleh, Hamad Al-Atteya, Rashid Shami Suwaid, Zamel Essa Al-Kuwari, A-Nasser Ali Al-Obaidly, Waleef Bukhit Maayof, Mubarak Nooralla, Juman Salem Johar, Mahmoud Yaseen Souf, Fahad Mohd Al-Kuwari, Adel Mulla Al-Mulla, Mohd Al Mohannadi and A-Aziz Hassan Jaloof.

Doha -the country`s capital and largest city- is one of the most unique sporting cities in the world. It has many sports facilities.The Khalifa International Stadium is the nation`s largest stadium. It is one of the most lovely and new stadiums in the world. Doha is also the home of the Hamad Aquatic Centre.

This Asian country organized the 1999 Handball World Junior Championship. There were 17 teams: Denmark, Sweden, Egypt, France, Yugoslavia, Spain, Russia, Greece, Tunisia, Portugal, Croatia, Qatar, Brazil, Israel, Norway, Hungary and recent Zealand.

Doha hosted the Asian Games in December 2006. The opening ceremony on 1 December was held at the Khalifa International Stadium before a crowd of more than 50,000. At the 2006 Asian Games, Sheik Mohammed Bin Hamad Al -Thani, a Qatari horseman, did the honors of carrying the Olympic flame and lighting the torch. A picture number of 45 countries and territories participated in the event. The Olympic village was home to 10,500 sportspeople.The competitive programme included 39 sport events: archery, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, bodybuilding, bowling, kayak, chess, cycling, diving, equestrian, fencing, football, golf, gymnastics, handball, field hockey, judo, kabaddi, karate, rowing, rugby, sailing, sepaktakraw, shooting, softball, squash, swimming, synchronized swimming, table tennis, triathlon, tennis, volleyball, beach volleyball, water polo, weightlifting, wushu and wrestling. These Asian Games will be remembered for its beneficial organization and hospitality. The success of the Asian Games was result of the combined efforts of the Qatari government and the organizing committee (Doha Asian Games Organizing Committee) . The Asian Games are the second largest international sporting event after the Summer Olympic Games.

The Qatari athlete Musa Obaid Amer finished fourth in the 3,000m steeplechase at the Olympic Games in Athens, the capital city of Greece.

Qatar won the second dwelling at the 1981 FIFA World Youth Cup in Sydney (Australia) . Qatar`s qualification for the finals was one of the greatest surprises.

Talal Mansoor made history at the 1994 Asian Games by winning three gold medals (100m, 200m and 4×400m relay) .

The Asian Cup, the continent`s top football tournament, was held in Qatar in 1988.

Doha is officially bidding for the 2016 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. As chairman of the Doha advise Committee, Hassan Ali Bin Ali said: “A lot has already changed in Qatar and in particular Doha, in the last 50 years. If we were granted the opportunity to stage the Olympics and Paralympics in 2016, it would not only allow us to further build the city’s infrastructure but also to spend the power of calm sporting competition to produce opinion, hope and change that could unite the entire plot with the rest of the world. Hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Doha would bring the Olympic flame to the Arabic-speaking world for the first time, extending the Olympic ideals to millions of modern hearts and minds”.

Andres Sebastian Soria Quintana is one of the most talented footballers from Qatar. He came to Doha from Uruguay as a footballer professional and got Qatari nationality impartial in the time for the 2006 Asian Games. He was born on November 8, 1983 in Paysandu, Uruguay (South America) . He is symbol of multiethnic Qatar.

Said Asaad is one of the greatest weightlifters in Qatari sports history. He won a bronze medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Australia. Like Mohammed Sulaiman (track and field), Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (shooting), Jaber Salem (weightlifting), Talal Mansoor (athletics), he is one of the country`s most respected personages.

Qatar is the home of the ASPIRE Academy for Sports Excellence. It is one of the world`s leading elite sports institutions.The Academy has four departments: Sports, QESA (Quality Management,Education and Social Affairs), IT (Information Technology) and Administration. These centers provide accommodations, coaching training facilities, Olympic studies and medical care for students from Qatar and the Third World. The Academy also participates in international sports exchanges and has signed official sports exchange agreements with Third World countries. This center is one of the most sparkling sports installations in the world. Andreas Bleicher, Sports director at ASPIRE, said: “We have always looked to region ASPIRE as an international academy whose necessary focus in sports in Qatar. A major section of our reach has been to evaluate talent at on early stage and glance to bring out the best in our young sportspeople. This intense, local focus has been matched by a global process of talent identification”.

The Qatari team won four gold, five silver and eight bronze medals during the Asian Games held in South Korea in 2002.

Mohammed Sulaiman became the first Qatari sportspeople to earn an Olympic medal at the Olympic Games in 1992 in Barcelona, Spain. His achievement was greeted with tickled celebrations in the country. He also participated in athletics in the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta (USA) . He was one of the best Arab and international runners of the 20th century.

Qatar was one of the 160 countries who participated at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Republic of Korea. It participated in one sport: track and field. Some of the athletes were: Saad Mubarak (4×100m relay ), Talal Mansoor (100m), Faraj Marzouq (4×100m relay), Ismael Mohammed (800m), Mohammed Ahmed (1,500m), Ahmed Ibraheem (10,000m and 5,000m) and Rashid Marzouq (110m hurdles) .

Mubarak Hassan Shami, one of athletics greatest performers, won a silver medal in the marathon at the IAAF World Championship in Japan in 2007.

The Qatari delegation competed in the 2007 Arab Games held in Cairo (Egypt), and won 14 gold, 13 silver and 13 bronze medals.

The Qatar Sports Club is considered one of the most stunning and unusual clubs in the world.

From 2000 to 2007, a sizable number of notorious athletes visited Qatar. They included: Diego Armando Maradona (football), Haile Gebrselassie (track and field) and Nadia Comaneci (gymnastics) .

The Qatari athlete Ibraheem Ismael was finalist in the 400m at the 1992 Olympics.

The Doha IAAF World neat Tour 2007 was the largest sports even in Qatar after the Doha Asian Games in 2006 and the FIFA World Youth Championship in 1995.

Khalfan Ibrahim Khalfan Al Khalfan is one of the most honourable athletes at explain. In 2006, he was named Football Player of the Year by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) . He was born on February 18, 1988 in Doha.

Hassan Ali Bin Ali (chairman of the Doha insist Committee) is an ardent supporter of the Olympic ideal and work hard on the promotion of the Olympic movement in Qatar.

The World Table Tennis Championship took state from March 1st to 7th 2004 in Qatar.

Qatar made its Olympic debut at the Games of the XXIII Olympiad in Los Angeles (California,USA) in 1984. It edifying 27 sportspeople in three sports: athletics, football and shooting.

The Qatari basketball team, with star players such as Hashim Zaidan Zaidan, Seleem Abdulla, Daoud Mousa Daoud and Erfan Ali Saeed, beat out the mighty South Korea team to accept bronze medal in the 23rd Asian Championship that were held in Doha.

The situation of Qatar won 6 medals at the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing (China), which counted with the participation of 6,122 athletes from 37 countries. Overall, Qatar ranked eight, after the People`s Republic of China, South Korea, Japan, North Korea, Iran, Pakistan and Indonesia.

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orderly Bowl XL was the 40th shapely Bowl. The game was played on February 5, 2006 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, following the regular football season of 2005. The American Football Conference (AFC) champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers, defeated the National Football Conference (NFC) champions, the Seattle Seahawks, 21-10. Although the Seahawks won the turnover battle, 2-1, and outgained the Steelers by 57 yards, Pittsburgh won on the strength of three huge plays converted for touchdowns. The Seahawks were plagued by controversial penalties, dropped balls, dreadful clock management, and a game-ending interception on a drive deep into Steelers’ territory. This was the Steelers fifth well-organized Bowl come by, and with this victory the Steelers join the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers for the most tidy Bowl wins by a team.

The upcoming 2006 NFL season will be the 87th season of the National Football League. This season is scheduled to originate on September 7 and the opening kickoff game will feature the Miami Dolphins playing the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at 8:30 pm Eastern time (ET) . The regular series of games commence on Sunday, September 10, with the Indianapolis Colts playing the novel York Giants in modern York. Then on Monday Night, September 11, there will be a doubleheader: the Minnesota Vikings at the Washington Redskins at 7 pm ET, followed by the San Diego Chargers at the Oakland Raiders at 10:15 pm ET.

Three games are scheduled to be played on Thanksgiving Day. In addition to the musty annual Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys home games during that day (who will host the Miami Dolphins at 12:30 pm ET and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 4:15 pm ET, respectively), the Denver Broncos will move to face the Kansas City Chiefs at 8 pm ET.

The season will effect on novel Year’s Eve, December 31. neat Bowl XLI, the smart Bowl championship game for the 2006 season, will be held on February 4, 2007 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Lakes, Florida, and the post-season will enact with the Pro Bowl in Hawaii.

Based on the NFL’s scheduling formula, the intraconference and interconference matchups for 2006 will be:

Intraconference
AFC East v AFC South
AFC North v AFC West
NFC East v NFC South
NFC North v NFC West

Interconference
AFC East v NFC North
AFC North v NFC South
AFC South v NFC East
AFC West v NFC West

2006 will be the first year that the NFL will spend a “flexible-scheduling” system for the last seven weeks of the regular season. The system is designed so that the league has the flexibility in selecting games to air on Sunday night that will feature the fresh hottest, streaking teams. This system’s vital purpose is to prevent games featuring losing teams from airing during primetime tedious in the season, while at the same time allowing surprise, playoff-potential teams a chance to play at night. During the previous 2005 season, a December 19 Monday Night game featured the 4-9 Baltimore Ravens versus the 3-10 Green Bay Packers, while hot, streaking teams such as the Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Jacksonville Jaguars had itsy-bitsy or no primetime games.

Because Christmas Eve (December 24) falls on a Sunday during the 2006 season, the flexible-scheduling will actually occur in seven of the last eight weeks. Instead of a Sunday night game on Christmas Eve, two games will be held on Monday, Christmas Day: The Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas at 5 pm ET, and the unusual York Jets at Miami at 8:30 pm ET. Therefore, the first true test of the recent flexible scheduling will near with the 2007 season, with the final seven weeks scheduled to launch on November 18 of that year.

Under the flexible-scheduling system, all Sunday games in the affected weeks will have the originate time of 1pm ET/10am PT, except those played in the Pacific or Mountain Time zones who will have a originate time of 4 pm ET/1pm PT (or 4:15 PM ET/1:15 PM PT if it is a doubleheader weekend) . On the Tuesday 12 days before the games, the league will depart one game to the primetime slot, and possibly go one or more 1 pm slotted games to the 4 pm slots. During the last week of the season, the league could re-schedule games as leisurely as six days before the contests so that all of the television networks will be able to broadcast a game that has playoff implications.

The 2006 NFL football season is positive to be plump of unusual records, surprising stories, and astonishing sports gambling action.

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Download Chicago Online. Movie Title: Chicago Average customer review: Chicago is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download Chicago

As a musical theater purist, I was concerned that a movie musical with 3 of Hollywoods A list stars would be a hinderance rather than a help in the “revival” of the genre. I must say that I was blown away by the sheer genius and excellence of the film.
Catherine Zeta-Jones’ Velma was equal to, if not better than Bebe Neuwerth’s ( Brodway revival). Her beautiful voice and masterful dance skill is worthy of the great white way. A Tony may have been a more appropriate award as opposed to her much deserved Oscar. Although Rene Zellwegers voice was a little shaky in the begining she brought out a tough side in Roxy that was not there in neither the original nor the revival stage versions. Then my biggest fear, Richard Gere as Billy Flinn, was in a word perfect. You can’t ask for a better fit, and what a shocker to see that wonderful tapdance!
With great costumes,Fosse-like choreography, expert lighting and singing (by many broadway veterans in the chours as extras) this dark comedy shines. Also with great cameos and supporting performances by the great Chita Rivera ( original broadway cast),John C. Reily (oscar nominated),Lucy Liu, and Christine Baranski this film shines as one of the greatest ever made, not just as a musical, but as a film. Rob Marshall’s directorial debut deserves all of it’s accolades…and all that jazz.

It is the 1920s in Chicago and we enter this musical film through a saucy nightclub to see Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones) performing a duo act of All that Jazz on her own. Only later is it revealed what happened to her sister who was supposed to be the second half of the act. Next we meet Roxie Hart (Renée Zellweger) who is a naive girl with big dreams of stardom who goes to the slammer for killing her lover. From the moment she enters and we see a brief flash of her imagining herself on stage, we are aware that this film is half reality and half Roxie’s dream. Ambitious Roxie has to find a way to get herself out of prison and onto the stage. To do this she creates an innocent persona that is designed by her smooth talking lawyer Billy Flynn (Richard Gere) for the media to bring the public to her support. With his help and the sassy matron of the women’s prison ‘Mama’ Morton (Queen Larifah) Roxie eclipses Velma Kelly’s prison girl fame. Her matronly values and repentant attitude have the public enthralled and the jury in tears. But with her newfound celebrity Roxie’s head is sent spinning again with plans of musical fame. However, it becomes increasingly obvious that her popularity will be dreadfully short lived if she doesn`t craft a way to remain in the spotlight. Teetering on the brink of superstar celebrity and death row, Roxie will have to give the performance of her life if she wants to save her neck. Filled with beautifully choreographed catchy musical numbers and a pleasing sweep of fast dramatic action, there is never a dull moment in this film. It’s a triumphantly enjoyable thing to watch.

The greatest reason for this film’s success is due to the stunning ensemble of actors many of whom (with the exception of Queen Larifah) we aren’t familiar with hearing sing. The cast all excel in both in their musical numbers and acting performances. Catherine Zeta-Jones looks stunning and is fun in her catty diva role. Renée Zellweger is perfect for her part of the innocent, but still determined and quietly vicious, Roxie who will stop at nothing to become a star. Like in the striking film Nurse Betty, Zellweger’s character again confuses reality with her dreams and her subtle facial shifts and movement meaningfully represent her psychological conflict. Most surprisingly, Richard Gere delivers a fantastic performance as the slimy lawyer proving that this actor can really do comedy well. Then there are notable performances in minor roles that leave an impact such as Queen Latifah`s sultry money-hungry matron, Christine Baranski as the hilarious news reporter Mary Sunshine, John C Reilly as Roxie’s neglected but still loving husband Amos Hart and Lucy Liu as the vicious ball-busting heiress Kitty.

Those familiar with the famous stage show of Chicago will not be disappointed because this film maintains its focus on the musical and dance numbers as the centerpiece. In fact, the meaning of Roxie’s psychological confusion between reality and fantasy is wonderfully accentuated by the film’s ability to quickly cut between the drab, harsh reality and the glamorous, jazzy corners of Roxie’s imagination. The director Rob Marshall excellently filmed all the dance numbers to focus on particular moves as well as capture the full action of the performances for the fullest effect. This movie is a fine example of how a musical film can succeed where its pertinent counterpart (as both films focus on a female on death row) Dancer in the Dark failed. The musical numbers all take a vital role in both accentuating plot detail and enjoyably moving the film along. Likewise, the story does not take itself too seriously preferring to revel in the fantastic music and thrilling story rather than focus on any specific moral meaning. That isn’t to say that this film isn’t emotionally engaging. It excels in its ability to entertain you as well as draw you into an exciting story of fame, glamour and death.

Download Il Postino Online. Movie Title: Il Postino Average customer review: Il Postino is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download Il Postino

I absolutely adore this film, a touching story of the relationship between an timid but passionate postal carrier and the Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda. As Neruda and his poetry instruct the mailman in the ways of love, a courtship blossoms that has all the humor and bittersweet missteps of the real thing. Director Radford uses a light touch to illuminate the unusual relationship between the exiled poet and an ordinary man. Massimo Troisi as Mario (the postman) turns in a fine performance that should not be missed; his characterization of a clueless man desperately in love with both words and a woman cannot be forgotten. Likewise, Philippe Noiret as Neruda provides a memorable portrait of a man who can forget the power of his words.

I can’t help comparing “Il Postino” to “Life is Beautiful”, also an Italian film that relies on initial humor to set up the pain found in the human heart. “Il Postino” is more subtle, however, and more realistic. Still, those who enjoyed “Life is Beautiful” should also like “Il Postino.”

I recommend this film highly. You don’t need to know anything about Neruda to enjoy it; all you need to be is human.

Il Postino is a wonderful and heartwarming adaptation of Antonio Skarmenta’s novel, El cartero de Neruda, which is not likely to disappoint audiences who are prepared to watch a foreign film with sub-titles. The movie is certainly not a tear-jerker, but any viewer will find themselves becoming emotionally attached to its characters and highly affected by the fate which befalls them.

The film, directed by Michael Radford, is the story of a humble Italian postman who is greatly changed by the famous Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda for whom he works for in a small Italian village. As the audience, we observe their acqaintanceship as it changes and eventually develops into a true and unforgettable friendship. Without a doubt, some audiences will find Il Postino tedious because of the simple plot and the lack of sex and violence. Nevertheless, it is an an emotional and powerful movie that I highly recommend because of its strong character portrayal. In my opinion, Il Postino is truly successful because of its wonderful acting by Massimo Troisi, who accurately portrays the innocent postman as well as Philippe Noiret, who is a very endearing and astonishing Pablo Neruda.

In addition to the acting, the Italian landscape is a breathtaking and integral part of Il Postino. Radford effectively incorporates the beautiful mountains and seascape as the story’s background. It is a refreshing decision by Radford which only adds to the poetry which Noiret recites periodically throughout the film.

I am certainly the type of person who prefers the book to the movie, but in this particular case, I feel that the movie surpasses the Skarmenta’s novel by far. I recommend this movie to anyone who is tired of movies with gratuitous sex and violence as well as hackneyed forumlas. The sub-titles are by no means a hinderance to the film and I guarentee by its end that you will be fascinated by the Italian language.

Download The Rocky Horror Picture Show Online. Movie Title: The Rocky Horror Picture Show Average customer review: The Rocky Horror Picture Show is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download The Rocky Horror Picture Show

If one were to ask a film critic what they consider to be the greatest movie ever made, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” would most likely not be a popular answer. If you look at this madcap rock ‘n’ roll musical from a purely cinematic point of view, it’s easy to understand why: an amateurish attempt at a story, less than stellar performances, virtually nonexistent production values, and some of the cheapest special effects ever captured on film (even for the year 1975). When caught up in technicalities and a longing for mainstream purity, then one would have a perfectly good argument for “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” being one of the worst movies ever made.

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But if one were to ask a fan of the film why they love it so much, I guarantee you that their reason has nothing to do with production values or mainstream desirability. Quite the opposite–it’s a film that’s shunned by most audiences. This hasn’t stopped it from becoming one of the most successful cult films ever made, grossing to date over $100 million (this is over a thirty year period, mind you; it’s initial release was a disaster). This is because “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is not just a motion picture. It’s a pure social and cultural experience, one that has liberated numerous people labeled by society as “misfits” or “outcasts” with its message of, “Don’t dream it, be it.”

It’s also a ritual that warrants midnight gatherings on Fridays and Saturdays dressed as one of the film’s characters. The fun is enhanced through the use of props (such as rice, water pistols, and toilet paper, all of which are used on cue) as well as by the act of shouting vulgar lines back to the screen. This trend of audience participation has remained a staple in “Rocky Horror”’s successful history and only adds to its appeal. Can you imagine how uninteresting it would be to view this film in the privacy of your own home?

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Above all else, it’s an opportunity to have fun, allowing for (and often encouraging) the release of the party animal within us all. Only at a “Rocky Horror” showing would no one blink when seeing an audience decked out in fishnet stockings, glittering corsets, and pasty makeup plastered on their faces. Everyone is uninhibited and no one cares what others may think. What a great excuse for a year round Halloween party.

“Rocky Horror” is also about the music, with some of the most classic songs ever recorded, including the show stopping “Sweet Transvestite,” the delightfully sappy “Dammit Janet,” and “The Time Warp,” the film’s signature song (which prompts the audience to get up and dance along with it). In fact, I’d go so far as to say that the very fabric of the film’s greatness depends on the music. And why not? The oddball mix of science fiction, horror, sex, and comedy just aren’t enough; all that can be seen in plenty of other cult films. Give us something more, something that would leave a lasting impression on the ones who took the time to see what this movie was all about. Through music, “Rocky Horror” does that, and does that well.

Of all the performances in this film, Tim Curry as the transvestite mad scientist Dr. Frank N. Furter is the most memorable. His decadence and sexual overdrive hits us like a ton of bricks and never lets up. (And who really wants it to?) In the tradition of Frankenstein’s Monster (who has just come out of the closet), Frank actually creates a muscle man named Rocky for the sole purpose of “relieving his tension.” The Middle American, wholesome young couple Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon) couldn’t be more out of place in the world Frank lives in, which makes the situation they’re in all the more entertaining. Things only get weirder when you throw in a houseful of servants with quirks of their own, such as hunchbacked butler, a voyeuristic maid, and a tap dancing groupie. Top that off with the film’s sinfully twisted story about the night that Brad and Janet spend in Frank’s castle, and you have all the ingredients for a cult classic.

Like such offbeat films as “Forbidden Zone” and “Pink Flamingos,” “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is a film that is experienced, not seen. From its humble beginnings as a London stage play to the creation (and initial failure) of the movie we all know today, “Rocky Horror” has given story creator and Riff Raff portrayer Richard O’Brien a godlike status among fans. The film is pure camp from start to finish: fun, cheesy, and entertaining. Whether you’ve seen it 1,000 times (some have actually seen it more than that) or are seeing it for the first time (which would label you as a “virgin”), it remains to this day a very unique piece of celluloid history.

Well, what are you waiting for? Pop in the DVD. Don your garter belt, spiked heels, and party hat. Get your water pistols, newspapers, and lighters. And above all else, let’s do the Time Warp again!

Well, here you have it, people. The greatest cult phenomenon of all time, a film that will shock you and surprise you, a film you will never forget as long as you live - “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”.

When this silver screen classic was released in 1975 after being performed onstage in London and New York, it was a big flop. However, the film slowly gained popularity when some local New York movie theaters started showing it at mdinight, and the reaction was wild. Audiences brought their own props, they came to the theaters dressed as their favorite characters, and even made up their own dialogue for the film and shout it at the screen.

Now, 30 years later, you can experience this timeless filmon dvd. Digitally remastered by the good people at Fox, you can now experience it all over again. Some people may call this film tacky and even offensive, but don’t judge a book by its cover until you look athese features:

See! The huge stars in this film before they were famous. Susan Sarandon (as Janet), Barry Bostwick (as Brad), Meatloaf (as Eddie) and, of course, Tim Curry (as transvestite Dr. Frank - N -Furter) lead the pack of a talented bunch of actors in this inspired combination of comedy, musical and science - fiction.

Hear! The classic songs that are mong the best in musical history. Get ready to do dance “Time Warp”, bop to Meatloaf’s “Hot Patootie” and be “touch - a, touch - a, touched” by the sweet romantacism of “Dammit! Janet”.

And last but not least, gawk at the outrageous taboos that were still unheard of in movies from 1975, including homosexuality, lesbianism, tranvestism, nudity, violence and sex. Best not to watch it with kids under 12.

This dvd also comes with intriguing special features. You can watch the film in two different versions, the U.S. and U.K. version (the U.K. version has an alternate ending), audio commentary by cast members Richard O’Brien (who wrote the play) and Patricia Quinn (who played Magenta, the sister of O’Brien’s sinister Riff Raff). You can also watch the film with the audience participation. It’s as if you were in the theater! PLus, there’s much more.

Basically, what I’m saying is to pick up this dvd. I’m sure that anyone with even the slightest bit of good taste will enjoy this film classic.

Stream Australia Online. Movie Title: Australia Average customer review: Australia is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download Australia

I love Howard Hawks’ films…Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday, Red River, and Rio Bravo are amazing pieces of entertainment. As I was watching Australia, the new Baz Luhrmann movie with Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman, I kept thinking…man, Baz must really love Hawks’ movies, too.

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As evidenced by the films above, the mismatched couple who fight and fight until they realize they’re perfect for each other (see Much Ado About Nothing, Taming of the Shrew, and Moonlighting as other examples of the form) and the group of underestimated misfits who come together to fight evil are two big elements used again and again by Hawks. Throw in a bit of John Ford’s The Searchers and its hard look at racism leading to inhuman deeds and mix well and you have…Australia.

The problem modern audiences may have with Luhrmann’s new movie is it’s very, very earnest. This is straight ahead epic storytelling with its heart on its sleeve and hat and boots with never a wink to the crowd in the theater to say “ain’t these people quaint”. You either buy in or you don’t. If you do, like I did, you’re in for a hell of a ride.

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This, I feel, is the flip-side to The Dark Knight. Good and evil are trapped in something akin to a battle and an embrace in Nolan’s Gotham City. You root for Batman, but he does stuff that is on the wrong side of freedom and civil rights. The Joker is pure crazy, but he’s the most mesmerizing character in the film. In Australia, there are good guys and bad guys and you are either really good or twirl your mustache evil. The main villain actually may be a bit too two-dimensional in that aspect, but it didn’t hurt my overall enjoyment.

Why? Well, epic melodrama is hard to pull off…I’m talking about the real stuff here. The recent BBC production of Bleak House is a great example. There are very good and very, very bad people in that story, but the acting is so fantastic you rarely if ever catch yourself rolling your eyes (like whenever I’ve watched Smallville…see: bad epic melodrama). Kidman and Jackman sell their characters…the displaced Englishwoman and the rough-hewn “Drover”. They are thrown together just to, initially it seems, thwart a nasty cattle baron from monopolizing the beef industry in the country. But the other big story, the main one in fact, centers around Australia’s “lost generation”. These were Aboriginal children who were fathered by white men who didn’t claim them. They were taken by the government, the mothers had no rights, and handed over to the church to be taught to “act white” and then work in the servant class. Nullah, played by the fantastic child actor Brandon Walters, is one of these “creamies” who has been hidden on the ranch now owned by Lady Sarah Ashley (Kidman). Lady Ashley discovers what is going on, is horrified by the law, and works to keep him hidden as well. Why the Drover cares so much about Nullah becomes clear later in the film (no, it’s not what you think…that would be too easy) and Jackman’s experience with stage and musical work does him proud here. He can do earnest better than almost any actor alive when he needs to and his later use of the f-word (the only curse I can remember from the entire film) hits so hard, in just the right emotional moment, that it kills. Russell Crowe was originally cast as the Drover but backed out. If Crowe had done the film, and I have liked him in other things…the Napoleon-era British navy film that I can’t remember the name of right now, it would not have worked. Crowe never loses that bit of edge and the Drover, at one point, really has to fully break down and become completely vulnerable. Jackman shines at that point.

Anyway…a warning, the movie is long 2 hours and 40something minutes, but I didn’t realize that until I had left the theater. I saw it alone…I was out of town at a pediatrics meeting…and that’s a good thing. I didn’t have to hide from Holly the few times the movie hit me a bit too hard and do that cough-throat clearing thing we dudes do to cover up a stray tear.

I was looking forward to seeing this movie when it was release late last year given all the hype, and was not dissappointed!

Director, Baz Luhman, has served up a slab of nostalgia ala Australian style with all those beautiful elements we love from films of the 40’s and 50’s, breathtaking, sweeping landscapes, gorgeous costumes and two fine actors in Kidman and Jackman who get the essence of the film. It nostalgia in every sense of the word, in every frame. The acting style reminds us of Bogart, Grant, Bacall and Dunne. The story is epic in every way and just lovely. I loved the salute to “The Wizard of Oz”a really nice touch!

Of course we all know how it’s going to end. Watching Australia was like eating a box of Quality Street chocolates. Sure I know what I’m getting, but I still love it.

For those of you who want to spend a few hours (and I mean a few; it’s almost 3 hours) being completely entertained then thisis the movie for you. I only wished they had inserted an interval on it’s theatrical release and made the whole event at the movies a real nostalgic experience.

I can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t like this movie, unless you just aren’t up for a feel good picture. I want to see more movies being made like this!!!! Well done to all!!!

Product: Hewlett-Packard NW156UA#ABA List Price: $699.00 Average customer review: Amazon Price: Too low to display Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price Add to cart to see low price@ Availability: In Stock Usually ships in 24 Hours Free Shipping Available

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Great specs and performance for the price. System is very responsive and I haven’t had a hiccup yet. Only thing missing for me would be an integrated webcam and dedicated graphics memory but you get what you pay for and those features usually cost extra.

I do a lot of writing, email, and a little video work. This machine is perfect. There’s a wide screen, so that I can see two pages when working on a book page layout. It’s very fast compared with my old Pentium 4 laptop. The biggest question to ask is what you want out of your laptop. If you want high end fast gaming, this is not your PC. If you want quick word processing, email, facebook, etc… this one’s incredible. I got this on sale at Staple’s this week for $349, which is a crazy low price and I’m thrilled. As the earlier reviewer noted, MS Office is not included. I really don’t know of any computers where it’s included. There is a 60 day trial of Office 2007. If you want office, pick up the home and student edition at the same time you buy the computer for around $79-$99.

Things in the computer world move fast. A year or so ago, this laptop would have rated at the top of the rankings for speed, memory, HD Size, etc. Now, it’s lower in the rankings. So what? It’s still a very fast computer at an incredible price and will serve my needs well over the coming 3-5 years.

Hope this helps

Bought this from one of the “office supply” stores at about the price the CQ60-410 is going for elsewhere, was actually cheaper than the 410 in this store.

Screen is very nice. For the keyboard, the 10 key is very cramped, I think I would have preferred it just not be there and a bit of a wider normal keyboard, although the keyboard spacing does seem fine other than the 10 key.

The processor is the very capable T4200 (Core Duo), which is great for something at this price point, as netbooks and many other “value” notebooks are shipping with either the Atom or Celeron single core chips.

A lot of trialware, as I suspect most laptops have: Trail of office, trail of Norton, pre-installed Compaq branded Microsoft Bing toolbars, etc.

This laptop does qualify for a free upgrade to Windows 7 and uses the Windows Home Premium version of Vista. Hopefully the Windows 7 disc won’t come with all of the trialware.

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Product: Porter-Cable 9977 List Price: $375.39 Average customer review: Amazon Price: Too low to display Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price Add to cart to see low price@ Availability: In Stock Usually ships in 24 Hours Free Shipping Available

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I purchased this hammer drill after the death of my Black & Decker 18v Firestorm. Initially, I had considered similar products from Matika and DeWalt, wanting the additional capability of the hammer action, with the smaller bulk of the 14.4v battery. The Porter Cable GTF comes in fairly robust case, complete with a diagnostic charger, stabilizing handle, 2 batteries, driver bit and different size (S,M,L) adjustable hand grip inserts. I found the drill some what hefty, with it’s balance just forward of the hand grip; which is the only reason I did not give it 5 stars.

Power
Offering 420 in-lbs of torque (50 in-lbs more than the Matika and 20 in-lbs more than the Dewalt 14.4v hammer drills) it has plenty of power and will easily snap the head off a 4″ deck screw driven into a railway sleeper. The high/low settings will give you 450-1400rpm, and in hammer action 18500bpm. Battery life was excellent, allowing me to do several hours of deck work before swapping batteries. The charging unit can recharge your dead battery in approx. 1hr, it will also analyze the condition of your battery for optimal performance.

Handling
As mentioned before, I felt this was heavy drill. It does not balance as well as the Dewalt or Matika, which is probably why it feels heavier, though it certainly not unmanageable; much smaller than the enormous 18v Craftsman drill, that thing is a whopper. However, because of it’s forward weight, using the hammer action vertically is really easy. There is also the option of swapping out the hand grip inserts, which helped reduce fatuige on the hands and wrists. Ergonomically speaking, fine. The stabilizer handle screws into either the left or right side of the drill which is a tremendous help when using the hammer action. Either way you are still going to develop your biceps - just make sure you use both hands.

Controls
The forward/reverse button is directly above the trigger control, as per usual. The motor has the high/low switch located on top of the motor housing. It would have been nice to have an extra third gear, like the DeWalt - but not essential. The clutch collar has variable torque setting’s (22) with the drill and hammer action located next to each other. The battery is removed by way of a red button on the bottom flange of the grip. Depressing this button, the battery easily slides off. The battery is securely held in place buy this same locking button.

Chuck
All steel 1/2″ ratcheting chuck lock and spindle lock. The one thing I like over the Dewalt, is the fact the jaws will easily grip a small 1/16″ or 3/32″ drill bit. The DeWalts chuck jaws cannot clamp on small bits such as these, because of the gap where the jaws meet.

Quality/Overall
The drill is well built and solid feeling. Fit and finish are excellent, there are one or two tiny (hair width) gaps where the metal gear housing meets the plastic body, otherwise fine. It feels like it was built twice as strong as in needs to be. I did forget to mention it has two metal clips to store your driver bits. Costing…$…less than the DeWalt or Matika, it’s worth every penny. For home owners just wanting to drive screws and occasional home maintenance, there are much better less costly alternatives. However, if you are looking for a true, solid work horse for frequent heavy usage and occasional defense against bumps-in-the-night, I highly recommend it.

I am a full-time carpenter.

This is a professional quality drill/driver, with metal gears, heavy-duty trigger switch, ratcheting chuck with carbide teeth. It has heft and although some might complain about its weight, anything that generates over 400 in. lbs. of torque and doesn’t fall apart after 40 hrs. of hard use HAS to weigh something, right?

I read an April 2005 review on ‘premium’ vs. ‘homeowner’ grade cordless drills and was interested to see that in nearly every photo of a disemboweled premium drill, said premium drill was the Porter-Cable. It’s built to last.

Here’s what to watch out for:

1) If you charge the batteries, then don’t use them for a few days, your amp hours will be far lower than if you charge the batteries and use them the same day. I don’t get quite as much run time out of the batteries as I would like, but I am doing mean things to my drill, like running a 3/4″ x 16″ masonry bit in hammer/drill mode and leaning into the poor little drill, driving 1/2″ x 12″ lag screws into pressure-treated wood, drilling holes through 20 oz. copper and tin in -5˚ weather….and so on. When used for what I imagine is a more appropriate application, like driving sheetrock screws into sheetrock, the batteries last long enough for me to wonder when they’ll die so I can take five.

2) The HIGH/LOW switch. Works great, but one day I somehow left it in between settings: i.e., in the middle, not on HIGH or LOW, and the drill made a horrendous racket and would not drive anything to save its life. Convinced the drill was completely shot, I began hunting for the case so I could take it back to Home Depot and give them puppy dog eyes. At some point I noticed that the switch was not engaged in either range, flicked it to LOW and all was right with my world again.

3) Despite the all-metal chuck with carbide jaws, things still fall out of it ocassionally. This and the less-than-an-18v battery time warrants fours stars instead of five. Yes, I really crank on the chuck when tightening a bit. For a 14.4 volt drill that I bought new at Home Depot for $100, I’d give it five stars with no caveats. (Home Depot was discontinuing the line and I got lucky).

A few +s you might not know about:

The drill has an automatic brake, so when you take your finger off the switch the chuck comes to a complete stop. The onboard bit storage is not a gimmick and gets constant use (I usually have a #3 Phillips and square drive bits onboard and a #2 Phillips in the chuck, covering 95% of all driving applications). The charger is a diagnostic, ’smart-charger,’ which means it knows to NOT charge when the battery is too cold, too hot, or just plain worn out (haven’t seen that yet). And, unlike cheaper drills, there is more heavy-weight copper in this tool than a jug of pennies.

Note: Treat yourself to a DeWalt, Ryobi, Sears–whatever– quick-release 1/4″ bit chuck. You chuck it in the drill and leave it in. Then, use the drill bits, Phillips drivers, etc. that have the notched speed shank and changing bits is lightning-fast–much faster than ratcheting the drill’s chuck. I have the DeWalt (because it’s bright yellow and I can find it if I drop it, not because it’s a DeWalt) and it’s been great.

That’s about it. This drill has enough torque to sprain your wrist, snap heads off stainless steel deck screws, drive 1.5″ spade bits through mahogany, and push big masonry bits into concrete (although using said bits in hammer mode really drained the power, and fast). It won’t replace my 1/2″ Milwaukee corded drill completely but the Porter Cable is what I reach for 90% of the time. If $ is no object, get the Milwaukee Lok-Tor 18v; it has received top reviews from several trade magazines and will drill more holes on a charge than the Porter-Cable, being 18 volts vs. 14.4. If its chuck is the same as on my corded Milwaukee it holds like a pit bull on a mailman.

UPDATE: I have used the drill a few times and I could not be happier. I like this drill so much that when it came time to by a reciprocating saw I went with a PC (See my other reviews). OK…I have not even used the drill yet but opening reaction is great. I ordered mine off of amazon.com because I couldn’t find a better price, only one hardware store in the Twin Cities area had the drill in stock and wanted $25 more than amazon.com. So saving $25 off of cost, do not have to drive 25 miles to store, do not have to pay tax and get free shipping, only down fall is the 10 day wait.

Case

Case seems sturdy with metal case latches, not cheap molded plastic. Storage for extra bits and manual slot is a definate plus. All batteries, side handle, charger and of course drill fit very well. Problem with the case is the extra “grip to fit” (GTF) plates do not fit in the bit storage compartment.

Ergonomics

My drill came with the large GTF insert, that was changed quickly. I have small hands so the small insert is very nice for myself. GTF is great because a friend of mine with pretty large hands found the large insert to be helpful so this drill is not a one size fits one its a many sizes fits many. Switching from forward to reverse is a snap, a bit clip on either side of the drill along with the side bar that secures tightly to either side too. Balance is a little forward moving but that is good for drilling and with the hammer drill option what do you really expect. The battery removal is not as easy for this drill compared to many other brands. The battery slides horizontally into position with a smaller release button. This is good for the fact if you do hit the release button the battery will not fall directly to the floor and you will have a chance to catch it as it slides back.

Construction

Seems sturdy, chuck is well constructed. Not made of cheap metal and plastic. Compared to other brands on the same caliber like bosch the PC seems like a tank, not weight but construction. Feels more solid.

Rep

Reputation of great PC tools for about 100 years. I almost purchased the Bosch 14.4 but my brother-in-law owns a 12v PC and loves it, swears by it so I went wih PC. Also, Bosch 14.4 doesn’t have Hammer drill option or sidebar, you would have to go up to the 18v tank and shell out more money.

Power

I have wrenched on a couple bolts to much and snapped the head clear off. I recently have been building a deck and my drill has performed great. I feel the battery holds up pretty well.

Product: Hewlett-Packard CP1215 List Price: $382.00 Average customer review: Amazon Price: Too low to display Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price Add to cart to see low price@ Availability: In Stock Usually ships in 24 Hours Free Shipping Available

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PROS: low price, prints sharp and clean, quiet printing.

CONS: won’t handle all paper stock. Warm-up time is 1-2 minutes.

I bought this printer to replace my 14 year old Hp LJ 4MP. I assumed the CP1215 would be capable of doing the same things my old one did and more in color.

My immediate need was to print out baby shower invites. The card stock was within the limits of HP’s recommendations, no thicker than a 4×6 card. The printer would print 1 invite, then error out with “misprint”. After 20 minutes of making sure I removed all the tabs and protectors that HP ships with and making sure this model supported 4×6 card stock, I found a way to get the rest of my stock printed. I had to press the resume button, causing it to reinitialize the warm-up sequence and then print. Took 30 minutes to do 30 invites.

This printer seems fine to print every day stuff. But if you print specialty paper, size and type, be aware it might not handle the paper well.

I ordered the printer from Amazon; shipped and rec’d in good time and condition. Directions to setup simple and straight forward.

Thought I was done. Started back to work, printed some docs with some color diagrams. Particularly the imagery was blury, almost as if they had shadows. Uhg, open and read manual; no help. Call HP customer support; now to their credit, “Bob” was helpful and patient. Patient because he explained my printer needed calibrating; 3 times worth. Then download and install latest firmware; oh, and calibrate 2 more times. Each calibrations cycle seemed to last 2 or 3 minutes; but I wasn’t timing it. Printed off some test pages, good, problem solved or so I thought.

Next came this “spooler subsystem app” error. Uhg, what is this; google find out it’s a .dll problem; going to require regedit. Ah no, I’m going to take a short cut and restore xp to yesterday setting so I can get back to work. Nope, that won’t do it. Mind you, I can’t print off the directions either. [..]

Follow the instructions, reinstall printer. What do you know, it works again. Folks it just shouldn’t be this hard. I thought I was going to alleviate these problems by buying HP? Maybe next time.

So I’ve printed 100 pages or so now and for the money, I’m satisfied with the results. Would I recommend to a friend, reluctantly…

I bought this printer about a year ago to print labels for our home business. All our inkjet printed labels were fading too fast to sell our product. We got the laser printer and now our labels look great and professional. I’ve had no problems. I have printed labels, party invitations, pictures, etc. on label paper, cardstock and regular paper. Everything looks great and professional. Very easy to use printer. Also, I am still using the original toner cartridges that came with it. I just ordered a new black cartridge but I probably won’t have to replace it for another week or two. The color cartridges are still at 50% so they will last a while longer. I’m very happy with this printer.

Product: Fluke 289 List Price: $544.95 Average customer review: Amazon Price: Too low to display Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price Add to cart to see low price@ Availability: In Stock Usually ships in 24 Hours Free Shipping Available

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Awesome meter if you want to sample at rates as fast as 1 sample per second (but that’s the limit at the low end). With an optional current probe you can read amps as well. It comes with a thermocouple to measure temp. The software is pretty good and you can dump the data to a csv file. It has reports and they are ok. My R61E thinkpad laptop will not read the cd’s but I faked it out by mapping it to another DVD on another pc on my network and installed it from there. Worked fine. The only thing that’s missing (of course) is power measurements. For that you gotta cough up a whole lot more moola to get the vector multiplier function (IxV) found in the 43B power quality meter. I’m sure itching for one of those too but the bucks are holding me back right now. The 289 sips batteries and has no capability to be powered from 120vac though it can run about a week straight on the 6 AA batteries that powers it. Snag a 44 pack of double A’s from a retailer on the cheap and your set for a while. I wish the 43B could sip batteries but it’s only good for 4-6 hrs on batteries. I guess the 43B sucks the heavy juice to do all the great stuff it does. I’ve worked as an industrial electrician for 10 years and a power systems electrical engineer for the past 27 years (professional engineering registration in CA and WA states)(yep I’m a gray hair) and I’ve worked in a variety of industrial, electronic and power environments and have used a pile of electrical test equipment. All in all I’m very happy I bought this meter and after having it now for about 4 weeks I must say I’d run out and buy it again tomorrow in a heartbeat. So you know, I’m not employed by Fluke and do not own any of their stock. They just did this right and I’m giving them the kudos they deserve for this great product.