The Barron Blog

Friday, 12 February 2010

Movie Review 133: Hot Fuzz
Mood: a-ok

If you can picture "Fatal Weapon", "Die Hard" and "A Fist Full of Dollars", in a quiet English town than you can imagine this story line.
It starts off as a dry English comedy like "Keeping Up Appearances" and "Are You Being Served", then, suddenly, changes into a murder mystery. In the last 20 minutes, the film goes crazy with lots of wild action and parody .
Simon Pegg is both the star and writer of this bizarre spoof. He demonstrated his talented versatility in diverse movies like "Shaun Of The Dead" and "Star Trek".
Most of the critics at rotten tomatoes enjoyed this movie. I did too, but some of the scenes were too repetitious and over the top. It could have been improved with some deft editing. Three Stars.

Posted by qualteam at 9:30 PM EST

Updated: Friday, 12 February 2010 10:01 PM EST

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Sunday, 7 February 2010

Update On Las Vegas And Full Tilt Poker
Mood: a-ok

Believe it or not, the guy is this picture is not made of rubber or metal. He has great robotic moves and I captured one on my Facebook Photo Website. Those pictures are the best that I took in Vegas. Please check them out.
About a week ago, I received my $50 free bonus from Full Tilt. It took over a month to get to me. I also received a $20 bonus for playing over 250 poker games in two weeks. That's OK, but I'm still down a bit on my original deposit. It was lots of fun playing, but I suffered many badbeats and unlucky situations.
However, the only certain thing about luck is that it will change. I'm looking forward to that.

Posted by qualteam at 4:32 PM EST

Updated: Monday, 8 February 2010 9:13 PM EST

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Monday, 1 February 2010

The Full Tilt Poker Bonus

Last week, I started on Full Tilt Poker with a deposit of $200.00. With enough playing, they will match my deposit with a bonus of $200.00. Unfortunately, it could take me a long time to reach that magical mark.
Full Tilt makes it look easy with their promotions: "Each point is worth $.06, so you can earn up to $18 per hundred hands".
You would have play for very high stakes to earn that bonus money in a reasonable amount of time.
Over the week, I've played many "Sit and Goes" from a $2.00 buyin to a $5.00 buyin. With over 80 games under my belt, I've only earned $12.78 in bonus money.
You have to reach the $20.00 mark before they put the bonus money into your Full Tilt account.
My original online stake is a little below break even.
Recently, I've been reading about Chris Ferguson and his phenomenal run of earning $10,000 from a cash stake of $0. He donated all the money to charity.
If playing for poker bonus money appeals to you, make sure you're prepared to play lots of games. It also helps if you play poker well too.
After two years, I'm still learning.

Posted by qualteam at 11:59 PM EST

Updated: Tuesday, 2 February 2010 12:07 AM EST

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Wednesday, 27 January 2010

Movie Review 132: Suddenly Last Summer
Mood: a-ok

While Avatar sets all kinds of records at the box office, it's good to take a look at a "Turner Classic Movie" that emphasizes a terrific story line along with great ensemble acting.
This is the movie, "Suddenly Last Summer" starring Katharine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift. The original play was written by Tennessee Williams who based it on his sister's prefrontal lobotomy in a mental institution.
Both Katharine Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor were nominated for best actress in 1959.
The story moves quickly along until it's thrilling conclusion at the end(Wow!).
All the major principals did some excellent acting in their careers. This is a good film to see them at their best together. Four Stars!!!

Posted by qualteam at 10:42 PM EST

Updated: Wednesday, 27 January 2010 11:01 PM EST

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Thursday, 21 January 2010

A Prayer For Haiti
Mood: sad

While I have given money to reputable charities for Haitian relief efforts, I've also published this prayer on www.prayway.com:
Dear Lord,
"More than anything relief goods and services have to reach those who need them the most. I pray that you will protect those who are carrying food, water and medical supplies to the victims of this tragedy.
I pray that you will end "the aftershocks of earthquakes" that are still terrorizing the Haitian people.
I pray that the looting will end and Haitians will cooperated with the charities and government forces that are trying to help them.
I pray that the "World Bank", "The IMF" and the wealthy nations of the world will put Haiti on the path to economic recovery after this crisis is over".
I'm bless to live in Canada where we sometimes suffer from snowstorms, rainstorms and an occasional tornado. Hurricanes and earthquakes seldom hit us and when they do they are usually mild.
I believe that Christians are not only physical stewards of the earth, but spiritual stewards as well. "To whom much is given will much be required".

Posted by qualteam at 9:24 PM EST

Updated: Monday, 25 January 2010 12:31 PM EST

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Tuesday, 19 January 2010

Dave And Irene's "Cheap" Las Vegas Vacation
Mood: a-ok

The highlight of our vacation was seeing "Jubilee" at Ballys. It was like seeing hundreds of old time musicals rolled into one. The costumes were great, the dancing was great and the singing was terrific. Added to that were incredible special effects like the sinking of the Titanic which you really have to experience to appreciate.
Jubilee has been running for 27 years and I can see why. It was and still is the best that Vegas has to offer.
Part of the background to this show is explained below:

Enjoying Las Vegas includes finding cheap gambling and cheap food. This we found at Terribles, The Sahara and O'Sheas. Terribles has the cheapest buffet in Las Vegas. The Sahara has multiple one dollar specials like blackjack, beer and hotdogs and O'Sheas actually has the cheapest poker tournament with a $45 buyin with no rebuys.
The Fremont Experience downtown includes casinos, free entertainment like Don Maclean's great music video on "American Pie" and cheap souvenirs like four baseball caps for $10.
We had two for one coupons for meals and shows from "Las Vegas Perks". We also had a timesharing room where we could make our own meals at "The Jockey Club".
You can spend big bucks in Las Vegas. Fortunately, we were able to live within our budget by breaking even on the gambling and not paying too much for the food, entertainment and souvenirs.
Hope you have a great time there without going bankrupt.

Posted by qualteam at 12:27 AM EST

Updated: Tuesday, 19 January 2010 1:06 AM EST

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Sunday, 10 January 2010

A Cheap Las Vegas Vacation

From Jan/11/10 to Jan/17/10, I probably won't be writing any blog entries because my wife and I will be in Las Vegas. Hopefully, my websurfing for cheapo entertainment, gambling and food will pay off.
Here the results so far. You can check out these links for cheap or free stuff. First gambling:
Best economical poker tournaments ($25) on the strip: The Tuscany Casino.
Cheapest backjack ($1) on the strip: The Sahara Casino.
Cheapest crap table ($3) with good odds: The Casino Royale.
The best slots are downtown where you get the best odds.
There are many excellent buffets and shows around town and the best way to experience them is with 2 for 1 coupons.
The free attractions are found on this website here.
We've been to Las Vegas before and got many show tickets by participating in "Time Sharing Lectures". This can take up to two or three hours of your time, but the payoff was three free shows. We're not doing that this time.
Hope you benefit from my research.

Posted by qualteam at 9:06 AM EST

Updated: Sunday, 10 January 2010 9:17 AM EST

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Friday, 8 January 2010

Happy Birthday Elvis

I first heard Elvis on the Dorsey show back in 1956. He sang "Tutti Fruiti" and I laughed at the guy's performance. I thought he was a comedy act.
Of course, this was my introduction to Rock and Roll which was called Rhythm and Blues in those days. It took me quite awhile to get into this new sound, because I was a big fan of Pat Boone and Guy Mitchell.
You might describe me as a soft rock kid who viewed Elvis as a hard rock biker. Over the years, however, my appreciation for Elvis grew when he did songs from every genre, including R & B, country, pop and even opera like "Surrender". Exposing yourself to Elvis is simply exposing yourself to great music of any kind.
I even put my favourite rare Elvis recordings on a website. Check it out here.
There has always been a darkside to rock and roll because it unleases subconscious memories. A great song by Wayne Newton called "The Letter" brings home the darkside of rock and roll fame.
Elvis is 75 today who continues to sing young songs in his movies and on records. He changed music more than any person in history. To me and many others he will always be The King.

Posted by qualteam at 10:13 PM EST

Updated: Friday, 8 January 2010 11:11 PM EST

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Monday, 4 January 2010

Niagara Falls: The Festival Of Lights
Mood: a-ok

Before the year ended, we managed to see "The Niagara Falls Festival Of Lights". The Festival's themes ranged from bibical scenes like Noah's Ark above to adventures in Canada's wilderness.
The spectacle is unique in Canada. It was a big thrill for me because it was the first time that I've seen The Festival of Lights.
Please enjoy a YouTube video of the Falls in the dead of winter. Man and nature come together in perfect harmony.

Posted by qualteam at 12:08 AM EST

Updated: Monday, 4 January 2010 12:10 AM EST

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Thursday, 31 December 2009

Top Ten Songs Of The Decade: 2000 To 2009

In a decade marred by great evil from terrorists (e.g. 9/11), the environment (e.g. Katrina) and business (e.g. the recession of 2008 and 2009), it was good to know there was a higher power that we could turn to for protection. That's why "Jesus Take The Wheel" is in top spot.
Individuals, governments and scientists can only do so much to assist mankind's survival. Luckily, there are spiritual stewards over the Earth who can make things go right.
In second place, I selected the hope-filled message of Aselin Debison's "Somewhere Over The Rainbow/Wonderful World".
The others are great songs that I feel will be remembered 30 years and more from now:
Jesus Take The Wheel/Carrie Underwood
Somewhere Over The Rainbow/Wonderful World/Aselin Debison
How Long?/The Eagles
I'm Gonna Getcha Good/Shania Twain
A New Day Has Come/Celine Dion
I Kissed A Girl/Katy Perry
I Dreamed A Dream/Susan Boyle
Bad Day/Daniel Powter
Baby One More Time/Britney Spears
Home/Michael Buble
I also managed to find a list of the decade's top ten worse songs. It was a hoot. I hope you'll have a laugh too.

Posted by qualteam at 2:45 PM EST

Updated: Thursday, 31 December 2009 4:27 PM EST

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