LoupDargent.com

Are Aliens and Demons One and The Same?

2010-07-19T23:44:00.002+01:00

As some of you know already from either having read some of the posts in our good old 'Forward and Share' or visited my UFOs Related Mixx Community Group, that I'm rather interested in everything having to do with UFOs and Aliens (well, anything out of this world, really) so, when I saw what T. O' Donnell, our Guest Writer for today, had sent us, I knew I would definitely be in my element...

During the last ten years, I've read many articles/stories about the theory that demons were actually on this Earth long before the human race took over and that some of the aliens we think are regularly visiting this planet are in fact, those demons (who, apparently, now live in a parallel universe)...

Of course, for some of you, they're only fairy tales and Sci-Fi stories. For some others they're like the Gospel's Truth. For me, they're "What If?" kind of stories, worth looking into, whatever our beliefs...

So, let's look into the "Aliens and Demons" theory...
With T. O' Donnell as our designated guide.

Oh, and, enjoy this "a bit out of the ordinary" trip.

Loup Dargent

PS: While we're at it, there is one related story that hasn't been caught by my Zemanta application yet, but is still definitely worth a read or two. It's called "Patrick Harpur's Daimonic Reality"... It's written by our friend Pamela Grundy of Paranormal Popcorn and is about a book by Patrick Harpur where it is suggested that "paranormal shapeshifting creatures do actually exist, and that they simultaneously inhabit both physical and spiritual realms, shifting back and forth between these realms at will." And those creatures (Daimons) "were not the 'demons' of contemporary Christian lore, but much, much older entities that pagan peoples recognized as being associated with actual locations or natural landmarks".Quite close to the theory of an ancient race that was on Earth long before the Human one, I would say...

Are Aliens

and Demons

One and The Same?

T. O' Donnell

The thing which has confounded UFO watchers is the lack of

concrete evidence for their existence. In this article, we will

compare and contrast the phenomena of UFOs and demonology, in an

attempt to explain this. Here are a few reasons the two

phenomena may be connected:

1. Lack of material evidence.

We have blurry pictures. We have marks on the ground. We have

fantastic eyewitness accounts of strange assaults on human

beings in isolated places.

What we don't have is much in the way of technological

evidence, if we're dealing with space travellers. Nothing like

the crashed remains of a Cessna. UFOlogists say the Government

is keeping these hidden. Given the constant spying scandals that

bedevil Western governments, it seems unlikely they could keep a

lid on such a sensation for very long.

An interesting alternative explanation is that UFOs are the

modern equivalent of fairies, demons, and ghouls. They attack

and sport with mortals who stray into their domain. Thus, they

leave little in the way of physical evidence; marks on the

witnesses bodies and a few scorch marks on the ground!

There is also the phenomenon of 'spirit photographs' versus UFO

photos. Both show vague blobs of light and are taken by

enthusiasts or by accident. There's just enough evidence to

pique one's interest, but nothing definitive. A grand waste of

time. Or a bluff.

2. Psychological effects.

UFO witnesses report odd effect on their psyches; interference

with their perception of time, oppression, physical assault,

sexual assault, psychic assault and dissociation.

This is peculiar behaviour if done by superior, benevolent

beings who have travelled across the galaxy in silver saucers.

It is perfectly consistent with the behaviour of man's oldest

Adversaries.

Investigators should consider whether seeing UFOs is simply the

result of the expectations of people living in a

technologically-obsessed era; they see strange things and

interpret them as machine-generated.

Also, if these phenomena are the work of the Evil One and his

minions, what a clever disguise, in a society obsessed with

science fiction and gadgetry!

3. 'By their fruits shall ye know them'.

Look at the UFO phenomenon from the perspective of the old

Christian adage 'By their fruits shall ye know them'.

The overall effect of the UFO phenomenon is discord, upset,

dissimulation and dissatisfaction. Nothing good or useful has

come of it. Indeed, it is very like the old popularity of

Spiritualism in Victorian times. A 'spirit guide' gives a

nebulous message. The medium is often unstable. Strange

phenomena are produced. It seduces a few needy and vulnerable

people, but nothing like a cancer cure, lasting conversion to

goodness or advanced knowledge comes out of it; just a lot of

verbiage.

Like demonic activity, the intent may be to distract those who

might genuinely find God otherwise.

Consider also the possibility that the Spirit or UFO is the

equivalent of a street bum or corner boy; some creature just

'hanging around' in another dimension or the astral (starry!)

plane. While they may be in another dimension, that does not

necessarily mean they are either wise or benevolent.

Rather, the intention may be to sport with, harass or vampirise

the witness.

I think it would be a very interesting exercise to look at the

reports of UFO witnesses and any follow-up research, in a

pragmatic way; has anything worthy come out of it? It the answer

is no, and in fact people's lives have degraded, then I think we

have our answer.

4. The quality of people involved.

UFOlogy, like the Templars and ancient Egypt, is a sizeable

industry. Many books are churned out each year. Bearded senior

gentlemen announce major revelations. The world turns as it

always does, indifferent.

UFOlogy is very similar to Spiritualism. It's interesting, but

it just ... doesn't ... quite ... satisfy, y'know? The effect is

oddly tiring, after a while. Zendar of the 9th Dimension gives

rather vague messages to humanity. A small clique of needy

people forms around the visionary.

If they're lucky, they retain their wits and their money, and

move on, eventually.

About The Author:

T. O' Donnell is a credit broker

running insurance and merchant account

web sites in London, UK.


UFOs Related - Mixx Community Group

Science Fiction Related - Mixx Community Group

Doctor Who: 'Tooth and Claw' or 'The Origins of Torchwood'

2010-07-10T06:55:00.003+01:00

With the news of Torchwood returning soon(ish) to our TV screens (for more details and info, see the many Zemanta's related links at the end of this post), we thought that, while we're waiting for the Big Event, we might as well do some time travelling of our own and take you back to when (and finding out the reasons why in the process) Torchwood was originally founded...

Oh yes, the Torchwood Institute existed loooooong before the Doctor Who TV Series was even created. Never mind the good old story conveniently spread around about Torchwood being an anagram of Doctor Who and that's what gave the idea of the Torchwood story, etc... It's only a cover up, more or less like the one telling us that Santa Claus doesn't exist. See what I mean?

It's all in the Doctor Who's 'Tooth and Claw' episode (second episode of Series Two, to be precise...) anyway. So, if you haven't watched it yet, now might be a good time to do so.

Plus, it's one of those episodes when Rose Tyler was still the Doctor's companion (aaaah, those were the days)...

NB: All the pictures used in this post (except John Barrowman's one) are from, and the property of, the BBC's official Doctor Who site...

Today's post is filled with opportunities that I couldn't humanely pass even if I wanted to... Not only we have both timely opportunities to refresh our memory about Torchwood's history and populate the almost neglected "It's a Wolf Thing" Category in the process, but we also have the golden opportunity to see our favorite chav, Rose Tyler, once again (and, I don't mean only Billie Piper's pictures either, nope, we have a video-clip with her in it as well)... How's that for value for money?

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

'The Origins of Torchwood'

aka the 'Tooth and Claw' episode

In 'Tooth and Claw', the Tardis is back to its goold old self and, instead of taking The Doctor and Rose to Sheffield 1979 (so that they could see Ian Dury and the Blockheads live in concert), it takes them to Scotland... in 1879.

That's also when Queen Victoria is expected to visit Sir Robert McLeash and his wife at their house, the Torchwood Estate...

But It looks like the Tardis, didn't bring the Time Lord and his companion to that time and place by accident: There have previously been a possible assassinat attempt against the monarch and the Torchwood Estate has been taken over by a cult's members who have some rather sinister plans for Queen Victoria and the British empire...

Some nice little treats

Rose (probably) making the guards' day with her "nakedness"
Rose in a cage (well, it worked for some of us)
Some Kung-Fu fighting during the taking over of the Torchwood Institute
A Were-Wolf and a full moon
A rather interesting and funny joke about the modern British Royal Family

What's on the continuity front

The werewolf's host saw a ‘wolf’ inside Rose (reference to "Bad Wolf" in Season One)
The 10th Doctor called himself James McCrimmon, (the full name of one of his previous companions)
The Time Lord took credit for crashing Skylab in 1979.

The origins of Torchwood

What we learn in the "Tooth and Claw" episode is that Queen Victoria was actually not amused at all with the way The Doctor has been dealing with the events and, seing him as a threat to the British Empire and her world, (she has seen now that Great Britain has enemies beyond imagination and must defend its borders on all sides) she decided to found the Torchwood Institute.

"There shall be an institute, who shall investigate
these occurrences and to fight them. It shall be
christened after the house, the Torchwood Institute
and should the Doctor ever return then he should
beware, because Torchwood will be waiting…"

Talk about royal ingratitude... Wow!

'Tooth and Claw' - a great Doctor Who episode,

written by Russell T. Davies and directed by Euros Lyn.

With David Tennant as "The Tenth Doctor",
Billie Piper as "Rose Tyler"
and Pauline Collins as "Queen Victoria".

Doctor Who Fan Video

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Tech Tags: Doctor Who, Russell T. Davies, Torchwood,
James McCrimmon, werewolf, Tardis, David Tennant,
Billie Piper, Queen Victoria, Sci-Fi Channel, TV Series

Doctor Who and Torchwood Related - Mixx Community Group

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Lawn Games for Good and Inexpensive Summer Family Fun

2010-07-07T16:54:00.002+01:00

In today's post, Rachel Paxton - our Guest Writer for the day, shares with us some tips to help make Summer time a great and fun family time...

I'm quite lucky where I live, because it's not too far from the sea front (5 minutes walking distance) and the local park. So when the kids come visit me, there is always somewhere to go during the summer. But, while it's great to be able to go to the beach or/and the park whenever we want, the kids do tend to get bored very easily and quickly and that's when the unexpected added expenses (extra drinks, ice-cream cones, etc...) that are not always easy to pay for when you are on a very stretched budget (hey, I need to save some money if I want to go that ideal holiday destination suggested in the other post, don't I?) get in the way...

Lawn games look like the solution for me. It involves a bit of shopping, of course, but whatever I'll buy will definitely pay for itself after a few weeks.

Enjoy, and have (an inexpensive) fun this Summer!

Loup Dargent

Lawn Games

for Summer Family Fun

by Rachel Paxton

Summer is a great time to play lawn games outside with your

family. There are many affordable games available to choose

from, and most games are portable so you can take them camping or

to the local park for large gatherings of family and friends.

The last time I went to Walmart I found all of these lawn games

for $20 or less.

Ladder Ball

Ladder Ball has been very popular for the past couple of years.

The game comes with two "ladders" and balls that are attached

together with short nylon ropes. Each rope has a ball on each

end. Each player gets three of these ropes to throw at a ladder.

Points are based on which rung of the ladder the rope wraps

around. This game is fun for all ages. For young children you

will have to let them stand really close to the ladder so they

can hit it, but even adults have a great time playing this game.

Bean Bag Toss

I just picked this bean bag toss game up the other day. It was

only $19 at Walmart. It is the classic bean bag toss game. It

comes with two collapsable platforms that each have a hole in

them to throw bean bags through. This game is also suitable for

children of all ages. Even toddlers will love this game. Our 1

year old loves running up to the platform and dropping the bean

bag through the hole. This game comes with a portable carrying

case. The platforms have removable legs and everything folds up

and fits in the bag so you can take it with you. This game can

also be played in the house. It is great for rainy days!

Horse Shoes

This is the classic game of horse shoes, also $19 at Walmart. It

comes in a portable carrying case so is easy to take along with

you to wherever you want to play it.

Magic Mitts / Rally Ball

This game is a little different but fun. It is only $5 and is two

games in one. It comes with two mitts that have velcro on one

side of them. Each player wears a mitt and you throw a ball back

and forth to each other, using the velcro to catch the ball. The

game also comes with two flat paddles and a rally ball to hit

back and forth to each other.

Croquet

When I was a child, croquet was one of my favorite lawn games.

It was one of the only lawn games that my family played together,

and I always looked forward to when my parents got it out for us

to play. Walmart also has an inexpensive portable version of

this favorite game. This game is great for children that are old

enough to be able to use a mallet to hit a ball on the ground.

The object of the game is to be the first to hit a ball through a

series of wickets that are set into the ground.

Hopefully these lawn game ideas will inspire you to go out and do

something fun with your family this summer. Kids love to spend

time with their parents, and lawn games are a great way to spend

time together and have some fun at the same time.

About The Author:

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of five. For

resources for the Christian family, including parenting, toddler

and preschool activities, homeschooling, family traditions, and

more, visit Christian-Parent.com

Tags : Lawn Games, Ladder Ball, Summer Family Fun, Bean Bag Toss

Facebook Apps: Welcome To Your Own Personalised Holiday Match Maker

2010-07-06T14:08:00.003+01:00

If your Facebook profile was a holiday destination, what would it be?

Of course, you know what your ideal holiday destination is, don't you?

I mean, who knows you better than... well... you?

Plus, you don't need anyone to tell you what you want, do you?

Not only you know what you want, but you also recognise quality when you see it...
After all, you do read LoupDargent.com.

(Hmmm... okay, that last bit might not really help your case, but we/you know what we/you mean.)

But, to come back to the ideal holiday destination topic, have you ever wondered what your Facebook profile would be if it was a holiday destination?

We know that you know what you want it to be, of course, but humour us for a few minutes and let's find out with that nifty Facebook application conveniently called The Holiday Match Maker, okay?

The Holiday Match Maker is a Facebook App from Halifax. It’s one of those rare things, a Facebook application that is genuinely useful and entertaining at the same time.

It’s quite clever too. By analysing the content of your profile, it will ’calculate’ what your ideal holiday destination is, where you should stay, what you should do, what the weather’s like at the moment and how many plastic Eiffel Towers you can buy for a fiver. Now it doesn’t get much more useful than that.

It will also point you in the direction of Halifax Travel Money, something you might find handy when going on holiday (fair enough, it's an App from Halifax after all...).

So, what is your real ideal holiday destination?

Mine is... wait for it....

Nope, not Paris....

Not Southend-on-Sea either...

it's... yes.... Chamonix!

Hold on, there is more....

"Being an adventurous kind of guy, you'll love testing out the slopes and of course enjoy the après-ski! The beautiful mountain landscape will make Chamonix a great destination for your birthday celebrations. The kids will love it too! Why not bring along Christy Guichard?"

Brilliant!

(Just in case you were wondering, Christy is one of my daughters...)

Please, do let us know what your results are...

But, most of all, have fun!

Loup Dargent

Tags : Facebook Apps, Facebook Applications, Holiday Match Maker, Ideal Holiday Destination

Is It a Plane? Is It a Bird? No, It's a (Foam) Polar Bear!

2010-06-29T17:20:00.002+01:00

People who were in Tokyo that day might have wondered if there was an alien invasion going on with all those polar bear shaped figures flying in the sky...

The explanation for those flying figures in the Japanese sky was

that an eco event was being held by ecoideasnet to publicise the

plight of polar bears disappearing from the Arctic because of

global warming.

The flying polar bear shapes were made of plant-derived soap bubbles

filled with environmentally harmless helium gas.

And flower seeds were also sprinkled to contribute to the ecosystem...

There won't be any need to travel to Japan, and back in time, to see this eco event

as, of course, it's all there in the video-clip added to this post.

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

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Tags : Flying Polar Bears, Polar Bears, Global Warming, Ecoideasnet

The One About The CO2 Reducing Cowhorse (Vacheval)

2010-06-26T16:50:00.002+01:00

A TV report from Belgique Television back in the 1960's introduces a strange new animal - the Vacheval. A cross between a horse and a cow, it was reared in an attempt to create a CO2 reducing transport system...

If you've watched the video-clip in (or, at least, read) our "Le CO2eux Soirée Finale - One Mini Cowhorse And Lots Of Mustaches Included" post, you won't be too surprised as Alain du Monde showed us a cowhorse (vacheval) in that episode.

He even went further that just showing us a cowhorse...

He also showed us a mini cowhorse.

The great thing about this previously unseen report footage is that, on top of bringing back this classic Sci-Fi feeling that was provided by the whole CO2eux Soirée show (remember the one with Marina and The Diamonds?), it also gives us some background information about that very chic animal...

Shot in 1963, this is previously unseen report footage from Belgique Television. It tells the story of a strange animal called a Vacheval. Reared on a farm just outside Leuven in Belgium, it was a cross between a cow and a horse and was reared as a new form of CO2 reducing transportation.

Alain du Monde, an eco extraordinaire who worked for Belgique Television at that time, recalls the Vacheval; "The Vacheval were magnifique, they were not only eco but they were chic too, those behind the Vacheval were clearly visionary in recognising the future environmental issues facing man-kind" he says.

You are wishing that you had thought of it first, aren't you?

No one knows whether they actually still exist today. There are rumours that they all now live on a special retreat in the Alps, whilst some say they fled Europe in search of work.

Hopefully, they are not trying to get to the UK... Imagine the BNP's reaction if they did try. Yikes!

Mention "red squirrels" and "grey squirrels" to that so-called political party's supporters and you'll know what I mean. (Ah, come on now! I haven't had a dig at them for ages...)

With little records of their existence, who knows what actually happened to the Vacheval.

So, please, do let us know if you have spotted one of them. We all want to know if they're still around...

Of course, if they're extinct already, we could perhaps create some more...

I mean, hey, that was a bleeding great idea there, wasn't it?

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

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Tags : Alain du Monde, Vacheval, 1960s, Cowhorse

Le CO2eux Soirée Finale - One Mini Cowhorse And Lots Of Mustaches Included

2010-06-25T01:26:00.002+01:00

We're back to the 1960s and, in the grand finale of Le CO2eux Soirée (the show broadcast from inside a bottle), Alain du Monde shows off his super chic dance moves to the sound of Albert 3000's CO2 reducing tunes...

We also learn that cows are not chic at all.

Cowhorses are definitely very chic, though...

Especially if they are mini cowhorses.

No Marina and The Diamonds or Mystery Jets in this final episode,

but it's still weird and fun all the same.

Good news! The robot is still there...

"Le CO2eux Soirée is a four part variety show created to launch Stella Artois’ new lightweight bottle, which contains less glass and therefore produces less CO2 emissions.

The show has been created by creative agency Mother and is supported with press and outdoor activity as well as an on-pack promotion."

More details are available in our "Le CO2eux Soirée - Broadcast From The 1960s and From Inside A Bottle" post.

Episodes two and three are still available to watch through our "Le CO2eux Soirée - The Marina and The Diamonds' Music Video Episode" and "Le CO2eux Soirée - The Mystery Jets Are Dreaming of Another World" posts.

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

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Tags : Alain du Monde, CO2eux Soirée, 1960s, Cows Are Not Chic

Pictures Time: Doctor Who's Vintage Daleks

2010-06-22T08:01:00.004+01:00

While re-visiting the sixties, thanks to the CO2eux Soiree episodes one (Broadcast From The 1960s and From Inside A Bottle), two (The Marina and The Diamonds' Music Video Episode) and three (The Mystery Jets Are Dreaming of Another World), we've made the most of our travelling back in time and managed to get our hands on more Doctor Who related pictures - all black and white pics, like the ones we got for our Tom Baker's Years Part One and Part Two posts. And, not only they are pictures of some of the earliest Time Lords, but they are also pictures of the fearsome and merciless Daleks themselves...

We've even have pictures of that extra Time Lord... The one that, apparently, was not even Gallifrean but just a human being like you and I (if you were born on this planet, that is) and didn't really fit into the Doctor Who continuity thingy.

But the Doctor from the movies still deserved some kind of recognition as, after all, he was played by none other than Peter Cushing from the Hammer Horror movies.

They came in different sizes too?!

No Daleks in the next one, but William Hartnell is in it as the First Doctor.

The following two pictures are not exactly from the sixties...

But, they're still vintage as some Daleks are in them and,
the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) is there as well.

We hope you've enjoyed this little trip down the whovian memory lane as much as we did ourselves.

Stay tuned for more Doctor Who related stuff coming soon...

Loup Dargent

Tags : Doctor Who, Original Daleks, William Hartnell, Peter Cushing, Jon Pertwee

Doctor Who and Torchwood Related - Mixx Community Group

Science Fiction Related - Mixx Community Group

UK: 'Get Him To The Greek' Out In Cinemas On June 23

2010-06-16T20:14:00.003+01:00

"English rock stars don't die..."

"Are you as wild as Russell Brand?"

On this side of the Pond we all know how wild former "Big Brother's Big Mouth" presenter and telephone prank caller extraordinaire, Russell Brand can be and that he is definitely a hard act to follow when it comes to wildness... so, I guess most of us will have to say "nope!".

From what I've read in some of the reviews from the US regarding 'Get Him To The Greek', it looks like our "enfant terrible" has done us proud. Of course, Aldous Snow is the perfect part for Essex born (and practically, give or take quite a few miles, my next door neighbour) Russell Brand as, let's face it, he does look like a Rock Star in real life. It's like he was born to be a Rock Star... or, at least, to play one.

It's a "two for the price of one" kind of post today as, not only we have the movie's UK trailer but...

We also have the first five minutes of the movie!

Get Him To The Greek Opening - watch more funny videos

(By the way, if you like spoilers, there are quite a few good ones about 'Get Him To The Greek' at the Geeks of Doom...)

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

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Aaron Green has 72 hours to get a Rock Star from London to L.A. Pray for him.

Director:

Nicholas Stoller

Writers:

Nicholas Stoller (written by)
Jason Segel (characters)

Cast:

Jonah Hill
Russell Brand
Rose Byrne
Tyler McKinney
Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs

Plus celebs playing themselves like, for example

Pink
Christina Aguilera
Tom Felton

The full cast and crew list can be seen here...

Tags : Russell Brand, Jonah Hill, Nicholas Stoller, Get Him To The Greek

Le CO2eux Soirée - The Mystery Jets Are Dreaming of Another World

2010-06-11T23:58:00.001+01:00

This is the third episode of the show, and 'The Mystery Jets’ give us a preview of their brand new single Dreaming of Another World.

Yep, we're back to the 1960s and in this episode of the show broadcast from inside a bottle and co-hosted by avant-garde, eco-chic personality Alain du Monde (don't laugh, not everyone can have cool names like, for example, Loup Dargent...), we have The Mystery Jets performing their brand new single Dreaming of Another World.

Of course, as the show is all about reducing stuff like CO2 emissions, The Mystery Jets play with reduced instruments, in front of a reduced audience...

Mystery Jets is an English five-piece indie band

The band's members are:

Blaine Harrison
William Rees
Kai Fish
Kapil Trivedi
Henry Harrison

"Le CO2eux Soirée is a four part variety show created to launch Stella Artois’ new lightweight bottle, which contains less glass and therefore produces less CO2 emissions.

The show has been created by creative agency Mother and is supported with press and outdoor activity as well as an on-pack promotion."

More details are available in our "Le CO2eux Soirée - Broadcast From The 1960s and From Inside A Bottle" post.

Episode two is still available to watch through our "Le CO2eux Soirée - The Marina and The Diamonds' Music Video Episode" post

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

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Tags : Mystery Jets, CO2eux Soirée, 1960s, Dreaming of Another World

Exam - The Movie Is Out on Blu-ray and DVD Now

2010-06-07T01:58:00.002+01:00

"After watching this movie, you will think twice before applying to all those jobs that sound too good to be true..."

"How far would you go to win the ultimate job?"

Yep, Exam, the BAFTA nominated movie, is now out on DVD and Blu-ray

If you have seen the movie when it was shown in cinemas, the video-clip will help you refresh your memory... If you haven't seen it, then the video-clip should give you a good idea of what you've missed.

Nominations and Awards

Winner of the Panavision Spirit Award for Independent Cinema at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2010
Nominated for Outstanding Debut by a Writer, Director or Producer at the BAFTA Awards 2010
Nominated for the The Raindance Award at The British Independent Film Awards 2009
Nominated for Best UK Feature at the Raindance Film Festival 2009

The Synopsis

"Eight talented candidates have reached the final stage of selection to join the ranks of a mysterious and powerful corporation. Entering a windowless room, where an armed guard keeps watch, they are given 80 minutes to answer one simple question.

The invigilator outlines three very specific rules that they must obey – and if they don't, they will be disqualified:

They must not speak to the invigilator or the guard.

They must not spoil their papers.

They must not leave the room.

The invigilator starts the clock and leaves.

The candidates turn over their question papers, only to find that they are completely blank.
Tensions rise as the clock counts down to zero, and each candidate must decide how far they are prepared to go to win the ultimate job."

This impressive Brit thriller marked the directorial debut of the increasingly in-demand Hollywood screenwriter Stuart Hazeldine.

Credits and Cast

Directed by Stuart Hazeldine

Writing credits

Story: Simon Garrity

Written by Stuart Hazeldine

Cast

Luke Mably, Adar Beck, Chris Carey, Gemma Chan, Nathalie Cox, John Lloyd Fillingham, Chukwudi Iwuji, Pollyanna McIntosh, Jimi Mistry, Colin Salmon

Original Music by

Stephen Barton

Matthew Cracknell

For more details regarding this movie's credits, cast and crew, please visit IMDb.com.

Okay, that's the popcorn ready, all you need to do now is watch the video-clip...

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

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Tags : Exam - The Movie, Stuart Hazeldine , British Movie, Thriller

Le CO2eux Soirée - The Marina and The Diamonds' Music Video Episode

2010-06-03T05:09:00.003+01:00

This is the second episode of the show and, with this one, we are definitely in for a treat... Not only it features the ‘first ever music video in history’, but this video is actually the Marina and the Diamonds’ hit single I Am Not a Robot's one.Wow!

The very "classic sci-fi" looking (and, of course, in black and white) music video, fits perfectly within the whole show's 1960s television programme atmosphere... It's like travelling back in time, but landing in another dimension (and in a bottle). Brilliant!

For those who don't know yet who Marina and The Diamonds is, she released her first LP, The Family Jewels (679 Recordings) early in 2010.

She comes from a Greek/Welsh background and was born in Abergavenny, and was nominated for the critics' award at this year's BRITS.

Oh, and by the way, the Diamonds in "Marina and The Diamonds" are actually her fans... Nice, isn't it?

"Le CO2eux Soirée is a four part variety show created to launch Stella Artois’ new lightweight bottle, which contains less glass and therefore produces less CO2 emissions.
The show has been created by creative agency Mother and is supported with press and outdoor activity as well as an on-pack promotion."

More details are available in our "Le CO2eux Soirée - Broadcast From The 1960s and From Inside A Bottle" post.

Update: Episode Three is now available to watch through our "The Mystery Jets Are Dreaming of Another World" post

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

PS: RSS Feed Readers: If the video player doesn't appear on the page shown by your RSS Feed Reader Facility, please click on this link...

Tags : Marina and The Diamonds, CO2eux Soirée, 1960s, I Am Not a Robot

Le CO2eux Soirée - Broadcast From The 1960s and From Inside A Bottle

2010-06-03T03:51:00.007+01:00

Alain du Monde and co-host Jeannie present the most carbon efficient television show of the 1960s from inside a bottle.

The video-clip in this post is the first episode of Le CO2eux Soirée, a four part variety show created to launch Stella Artois’ new lightweight bottle, which contains less glass and therefore produces less CO2 emissions.

It's also a variety show with a difference...

A follow-up to last years’ Recyclage de Luxe Show, the CO2eux Soirée is also inspired by 1960s television programmes and is aired ‘live’ from inside the new bottle. Broadcast directly from 1963 (yep, we're travelling back in time with this one.... but it might not look like the past you knew, though), the show features the ‘first ever music video’ - of Marina and the Diamonds’ hit single I Am Not a Robot - alongside a live set from The Mystery Jets, performing their yet to be released single Dreaming of Another World.

"The show has been created by creative agency Mother and is supported with press and outdoor activity as well as an on-pack promotion."

Le CO2eux Soirée is a more intimate version of Stella Artois’ Recyclage de Luxe show, launched last autumn. The show was presented by avant-garde, eco-chic personality Alain du Monde who also co-hosts Le CO2eux Soirée. It featured Florence and the Machine alongside several eccentric guests who shared fascinating tips on how to please Mother Nature - the show’s muse – whilst maintaining a chic lifestyle.

"Stella Artois believes many small green steps help make a big difference. Their new bottles not only contain less glass but are made of 75% recycled glass; their cans are made from 50% recycled aluminium; the corrugated packaging we use for our packs is made out of 100% recycled paper and our cardboard packaging is certified compostable.

Over the coming years, the brand will continue to produce pioneering eco innovations, taking small steps towards improving the environment"

Episode 2 (featuring Marina and The Diamonds) is now available to view in our "Le CO2eux Soirée - The Marina and The Diamonds' Music Video Episode" post.

Update: Episode Three is now available to watch through our "The Mystery Jets Are Dreaming of Another World" post

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

PS: RSS Feed Readers: If the video player doesn't appear on the page shown by your RSS Feed Reader Facility, please click on this link...

Tags : Marina and The Diamonds, CO2eux Soirée, 1960s, Alain du Monde

Terry Venables Made History - With The First Ever Gig On Top Of The O2

2010-05-26T23:34:00.006+01:00

Now, that's the kind of post I like: It's World Cup related and helping some charities in the process...Cool!

Yep, you've read it right: Terry Venables, former football player and England manager, has made history - with the first ever gig on top of The O2.

And, from what we saw and heard in the video, it looks like a pretty good performance. Nice one Tel!

The sky-high performance was to mark the announcement that The Sun's World Cup song "If I Can Dream" is being released as charity single on 31st May.

Terry's voice is not just lifting England's hopes (and helping me do my bit for England); proceeds of his single go to the worthy charities of Help for Heroes and Malaria No More UK.

(You can become a fan on Facebook here: www.facebook.com/thesunfootball.)

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

PS: RSS Feed Readers: If the video player doesn't appear on the page shown by your RSS Feed Reader Facility, please click on this link...

Tags : Terry Venables, South Africa , If I Can Dream, World Cup

May 25th: It's Universal Day of The Jedi and My Grandchild's Birthday!

2010-05-25T03:03:00.004+01:00

How more blessed could a Science Fiction fan feel when his own grandchild actually decides to be born on the Universal Day of The Jedi? Now, that has to be a sign...

As you've probably guessed, we are celebrating both my grandchild's first birthday and the Universal Day of the Jedi in today's post... That explains why, with some help from the FaceInHole.com site, we have now a picture of Riley (that's my grandchild's name, by the way) dressed as a jedi... He does look the part, doesn't he?

Mind you, it seems that Riley has already gone for the jedi look before as we can see from the following picture...

Riley, a jedi in the making?

All together now:

Happy First Birthday, Riley!

Meanwhile, In The Star Wars Universe...

Image via Social Blend

This year, May is definitely the Star Wars fans month as not only we have the yearly Universal Day of The Jedi in it but it's also the Empire Strikes Back 30th birthday.

The Empire Strikes Back was (and is still) the mother of all movie sequels and I did my bit towards celebrating its birthday by submitting a few stories to Mixx.com and some of the related Mixx Community Groups. Here they are for your own perusal:

The above mentioned Community Groups are:

Feel free to have a look... There are loads of good stuff there.

Image via Social Blend

The icing on the cake was when I actually submitted the Universal Day of The Jedi related Round Up podcast episode...

I definitely invite you to listen to it... If you don't, this Universal Day of The Jedi won't be the same.

Happy Universal Day of The Jedi, Everyone!

Have fun...

Loup Dargent

Tags : Star Wars, Universal Day of The Jedi, The Empire Strikes Back, Riley's First Birthday

The One About The Tiny Streaker

2010-05-21T00:18:00.005+01:00

Meet Tiny. He streaks for a living and is looking for people to help him get to the World Cup. He's actually been streaking for years but you probably haven’t seen him.
Until now.

This is probably the best of all those Freeview HD ads that have been running lately in the UK...

I love the one with the big bird on the green screen in the background while the wife is arguing with her husband but the Tiny Streaker one definitely gets the Loup Dargent Award.

Tiny Streaker is... well, yes... a tiny streaker who wants to go to the World Cup but can't really afford it and, as he says himself on his website:

"It’s a long way to South Africa – when you have 6-inch legs."

His original list of potential sponsors included:

Sock Sponsor. (He is English which means he doesn’t ever take his socks off – ask his missus if you don’t believe this.)
Beard Wax Sponsor. (He needs his beard to stay in place so that peeps don’t see his boys!)
Manicure Sponsor. (He is not wearing much else so he might as well have good nails.)
Bean Sponsor. (He just loves beans, that’s all.)

[To be fair, I can relate to the "never taking socks off" business... The weather is rather cold in this part of the world, you know.]

Oh yeah, you can see the little guy in action in this post's video-clip... and don't worry if you're a tad on the prudish side: his beard does conveniently hide his "boys".

Have fun!

Loup Dargent

PS: RSS Feed Readers: If the video player doesn't appear on the page shown by your RSS Feed Reader Facility, please click on this link...

Tags : Tiny Streaker , South Africa , Freeview HD, World Cup

And The Giveaway's Winner is...

2010-04-27T17:05:00.003+01:00

Okay, the time has come to reveal who won our giveaway prize...

Yep, a while ago we ran a giveaway event giving a chance to one of our readers to win a 16 x 20 Rolled Canvas kindly given away by UPrinting.com.

And, today is the day when we announce the lucky winner.

Five... Four... Three... Two... One...

The winner is...

V-A!

Congratulations V-A! I've got your email addy through my IntenseDebate account so I'll pass on the details to UPrinting.com sometimes today.

Also, if you could send us a picture of you next to your prize, that's would be great... You don't have to, but that would help making this contest as friendly as possible (you know, with the personal touch and all that).

Thanks everyone for taking the time to post comments on the Giveaway's page.

Talk soon

Loup Dargent

PS: I'm currently net-less, so I can't be online as much as I would like but I'll be back soon with hopefully more goodies.

Tags : Blogs, Canevas Prints, Giveaway

'The Infidel' - A British Comedy Of Ethnic Proportions

2010-04-09T17:52:00.004+01:00

Meet Mahmud Nasir, loving husband, doting father and something of a “relaxed” Muslim...

Image via Revolver Entertainment

Does the “F” word occasionally pass his lips? It’s hardly worth mentioning.
Does he say his prayers five times a day? Of course! Well, usually…
Does he fast every day of Ramadan? Who’s counting anyway?

He may not be the most observant, but in his heart he is as Muslim as it gets.

My kind of guy, really...

I mean, who can honestly say that they really manage to go through a whole day without dropping the "F" bomb time to time?

And, by the way, those who are using alternative words instead of the good old honest "F" word are actually cheating. We do know what they mean when they say, for example, "flipping heck!" (A rose by any other name is still a rose, you know)...

But after his mother’s death a discovery turns Mahmud’s world upside down. He finds his birth certificate which reveals that not only was he adopted at birth…but he’s Jewish, and his real name is Solly Shimshillewitz!

He must feel like Nick Griffin (the BNP wannabe Führer) finding out that he is not really a proper indigenous British or, even worse, like me discovering that, despite my name, I am actually not a wolf.

As Mahmud tumbles headlong into a full scale identity crisis, the only person he can turn to is Lenny, a drunken Jewish cabbie who agrees to give him lessons in Jewishness, which start with how to dance like Topol. Oy vey.

Ah yes, Topol... The fiddler on the roof dude. A role model for us all.

Three of my favourite comedians are starring in this movie:

Matt Lucas (from 'Little Britain')
Omid Djalili (from ‘The Omid Djalili Show’ and ‘Whoopi’)
Miranda Hart (from 'Miranda')

And, not only it was written by David Baddiel, but Richard Schiff (from 'The West Wing') is also in it... What else does someone who likes a good comedy movie want?

'The Infidel' is now out in cinemas in the UK and should be released to the USA, Australia, New Zealand, France, Benelux, Italy, South Africa, Latin America, Singapore, the Middle East, Portugal and Turkey soon.

The next two videos are clips from the movie...

Enjoy...

Loup Dargent

PS: RSS Feed Readers: If the video players don't appear on the page shown by your RSS Feed Reader Facility, please click on this link...

Tags : The Infidel, Omid Djalili, Matt Lucas, David Baddiel

Giveaway Time: Let Me Bribe/Reward You

2010-03-31T16:44:00.007+01:00

"Turn your most precious moments into masterpieces!
Get that artist’s feel and transform your favorite photos or work into canvas art.
These thick and high-quality canvases are ultra durable and will last a long time."

And, guess what? You could be the lucky one who wins a 16 x 20 Rolled Canvas kindly given away by UPrinting.com to one of our readers... Nice of them, isn't it? Plus, the canvas will be delivered free of charge.

How To Enter

To enter this Giveaway all you need to do is visit UPrinting.com and then come back here and leave a comment about your favorite product and tell us what picture you would like to make a canvas print of if you won...

Extra Entries

You can get extra entries by following this blog on:

Google Friend Connect (2 entries)
Facebook's NetworkedBlogs (2 entries)
MyBlogLog (1 entry)
BlogCatalog (1 entry)

(and by letting us know by leaving a comment here)

Easy, isn't it?

Now, if you subscribe to this blog through email, you also get 2 extra entries and (that's the icing on the cake), if you mention this giveaway on your blog with a link to this post you get 3 extra entries as well as a big thank you from us.

Want more?

You can also get extra entries by following me on

Twitter (1 entry)

YouTube (2 entries)

FriendFeed (2 entries)

BlogEngage (1 entry)

Amplify (1 entry)

Once that's done, let us know here by leaving a comment and your extra entry/entries will be automatically allocated.

Okay, enough of "me, me, me!"... What about "you, you you!"?

Ah, yes... Even so, with the CommentLuv facility, every post of yours should show a link to your latest blog post, you can also leave a comment telling us about your blog or/and your latest post and still get an extra entry that way. See, I didn't forget about "you, you, you!".

By the way, if you are running a Giveaway event as well, you are very welcome to leave a comment about it (and earn another entry that way) with link to it and all...

Unfortunately the Giveaway is only opened to our readers who are US residents (that has to do with the free shipping part) and are 18 or above...

But, we would like those of you who are not US residents to also get something out of this Giveaway event. So you are very welcome to comment about your blogs or/andyour latest posts too... Granted, you won't get an entry to the Giveaway, but, at least, you'll get some link love (and, who knows, maybe even a few extra visitors in the process).

Don't Forget

You can only enter the Giveaway if you've done the first entry (comments have to be a bit more original than "I want to win!" to be considered).
The Comments/Entries have to be posted here only to be considered (that's very important to know if you're reading this post on Magnify or Zimbio).
You will have until Wednesday April 21st at 11:59pm GMT to enter.
The winner will be randomly chosen the next day and notified by DM or PM depending on what sites they're following me on.
I'll also post the winner on this blog through a new post (link to be provided here as soon as it has been published) and I'll also leave a comment about it on this post.
If I don't hear back from the winner within a week, I'll pick another one.

Good luck everyone!

Loup Dargent

Tags : Blogs, Canevas Prints, Giveaway

Football Fiesta - The Heineken Way

2010-03-15T23:51:00.006Z

Girls, Rio Carnival costumes, beer and football. The perfect mix?

What happens when you bring together the beautiful game, amazing costumes from the ultimate football nation – we’re talking Brazil of course – and everyone’s favourite Dutch export?

Whatever you’re imagining, it probably isn’t this…

Hmmm... yes, after watching this video-clip, you might not look at a football match the same way anymore.

Just in case you haven't guessed yet, this Heineken advert is football related and funny...

Perhaps a bit disturbing, but definitely funny.

Apart from the fact that, thanks to this video, I have a golden excuse to make the most of my PicApp account by posting some of their Rio Carnival pictures, there are a few other goodies (early Easter eggs in a way) that come with it.

Not only there are other funny videos from the 'Funny or DIE' site listed at the end of the vid, but you could also win tickets to watch the UEFA Champion's League Final in Brazil.

Now, that's value for money.

Did I mention Brazil?

That means another Rio Carnival picture needs to be posted then...

So, good luck everyone and... enjoy.

Loup Dargent

PS: RSS Feed Readers: If the video player doesn't appear on the page shown by your RSS Feed Reader Facility, please click on this link...

Tags : Heineken Football Fiesta, Brazil, Football, Competition

Michael Moore's 'Capitalism: A Love Story' Is Out On DVD

2010-03-09T18:15:00.002Z

Yep, 'Capitalism' is now out on DVD and we've got one of Michael Moore's emails telling us all about it...

While I've been more than happy to help in a small humble way promoting Michael Moore's movie by sharing his emails with you guys, I haven't been able to actually see it as, sadly, the price of a plane ticket to the USA was a tad too high for my modest and overstretched budget.

But, now that the movie is available on DVD, that's obviously not a problem anymore, I'll be able to watch the movie at last.

Just to refresh your memory (and for our new visitors), here are the related posts we've published around the time the movie was released::

Michael Moore: 'Capitalism' as Comedy and Tragedy Now Playing in NY and L.A.

Free Screenings Tonight of "Capitalism" for the Jobless and Homeless in America's Hardest Hit Cities

'Capitalism' Opens Today at a Theater Near You! ...an invitation from Michael Moore

'Capitalism': More from Michael Moore

Michael Moore's Open Letter to President Obama

And, just in case that was not enough, we've also added the ones published by our good friend and fellow Stumbler and Mixxer, PinkPackrat

Sunday Fun With Michael Moore

Thoughts on Michael Moore and Capitalism

Michael Moore is OK by Me

Okay... If you didn't know who on Earth Michael Moore is and what his movie is about, you must have some idea by now . So, let's The Man Himself tell you more about it and its release on DVD.

Enjoy..

Loup Dargent

Sell! Buy! Rebel!
'Capitalism: A Love Story'
Is Out Today on DVD
(...and what is up with Wal-Mart?)!

Friends,

DVD-Day for "Capitalism: A Love Story" has finally arrived for all you good folks who just couldn't figure out how to fit in a trip to the movie theater between your three part-time jobs -- or simply weren't able to afford the $10 for the small popcorn at your local rip-off cine-mall when my film was released last fall.

What's with you people?! I make these movies for you to see on a big screen, in the dark, with 200 strangers who want to hoot and holler along with you. Those of you who did see it -- thank you!! You helped to make it the 8th-largest grossing documentary of all time (and, as of Sunday morning, "Capitalism" had sold more tickets than Best Picture winner, "The Hurt Locker").

But for those of you who didn't get to the theater, what's your excuse? Didn't want to sit through 20 minutes of TV ads up on the screen before the movie started? Don't like sitting next to people who have 6 important cell calls to make during the film? Feet get stuck to the floor after two hours of people spilling their 164 oz. sodas, thus preventing you from getting up when the film's over? Jeez, what babies!

Well, starting today, you can now OWN your very own DVD (or Blu-ray) copy of my latest action/romance/horror film, "Capitalism: A Love Story" -- and watch it in the comfort of your soon-to-be-foreclosed home! Get it cheap at Amazon, rent or stream it fast at Netflix, or go down to the local Wal-Mart that put your locally-owned mom & pop video store outta business and pick it up for pennies on the dollar. See! Something for everyone!

The fact that Wal-Mart is carrying this movie -- a movie that specifically exposes Wal-Mart's past practice of taking out secret "dead peasant" life insurance policies on its employees and naming itself as the lone beneficiary should the employee meet an "untimely" early death -- well, my friends, need you any further proof that Corporate America is so secure in its position as the ruler of our country, so sure of its infallible power that, yes, they can even sell a movie that attacks them because it poses absolutely no threat to them?

A sane person would think that Wal-Mart would never carry "Capitalism: A Love Story" because it's simply not in their best interests to inform their customers of their shady past. After all, many Wal-Mart stores wouldn't carry "Bowling for Columbine" back in 2003. That was *Kmart* I went after (for selling the ammo to the Columbine killers)! But I guess that was too Mart-y close for Wal-Mart -- so no DVDs were allowed of that film on the shelves of some of the world's biggest retail chain's stores (the movie studio estimated that cost them $2.5 million in sales).

But seven years later, it's a new day in America. The corporate coup is complete. Corporations like Wal-Mart now call all the shots, write all the laws, pay off almost all the congressmen and essentially (along with the other Fortune 500 companies and Wall Street) rule the nation. They've helped to eliminate consumer choice and the free market while convincing you they are all for "free enterprise" and the "U.S.A."
More importantly, they've snuffed out any criticism or opposition. They've even co-opted liberals, like the people who made the wonderful documentary, "Food, Inc." The last half-hour of this movie includes -- I kid you not -- an homage to Wal-Mart as the filmmakers swoon over this kinder, gentler company that has decided to -- bless them! -- put an organic food counter in their stores! Thank you, Wal-Mart! Kumbaya! (And hey, granolaheads, don't forget to flash a smile on the way out of the store at the "greeter" who can't afford to see a doctor.)
Yes, Wal-Mart, by selling "Capitalism," is saying to me: "Go ahead Mike and expose us all you want! Hahahhaha! We're so convinced that the public has either been dumbed down or made numb enough to not give a lick about whatever it is you're saying about us and capitalism. We can sell a million of these and it won't make a damn bit of difference about our ability to rule the world. So knock yourself out, big guy! Hehehehehehe. Go ahead and put your little movie on our shelves. It will never start a revolution."

Or so they think.

But what if they're wrong?

What if they and their brethren -- the banks, the insurance companies, the hedge fund sociopaths -- are too confident we won't fight to get our country back? They think that because they, the richest 1%, now own more financial wealth than 95% of all Americans COMBINED, that they can get away with anything. Perhaps they're right. Perhaps they're not.

I did ask someone at the studio why Wal-Mart was so willing to carry this movie.

"They're no dummies," he told me. "They know who shops in their stores -- working people, blue collar, the people hit hardest by the economy. They know your movie will resonate with them and that only means one thing -- ka-ching, ka-ching at the cash register!"

Happy now? Good. I thought I'd cheer you up on my big day!

Listen, let me cut right to it: I am passionate about this movie. It is not only my most personal film, it is the most vital and necessary film I've made in my 20 years as a filmmaker. Period. I told my crew at the start of this movie, "Let's make this film so brutally honest that NO ONE with any money will ever want to write us a check to make another movie!" And so we set off to make the most dangerous documentary we could.

As gloomy as our situation in the world looks these days, I refuse to give up. If there's even the slightest chance that we can turn this around, then I want to help, I want to be part of the fight along with you.

And I want you to see this movie. Not next week (by then, the health insurance companies will have won). Not next month (by then, the banks will have scuttled any new regulations). I need you to watch it right now and I need you to get as many of your friends and family to watch it as soon as possible -- and then I want you to do something.

That "something" can be found in the 80 new minutes of material and DVD extras I've put on this home video. It's 80 minutes of bold ideas and things we can do to get our country back. No one has seen these extras -- and today will be the first time they're available on the home video of this movie.

Well, that's the pitch. I get nothing $-wise from the sale of these DVDs. I just want you to see this movie because, if you haven't, I think you will not only be "entertained" for 2 hours, you'll be ready to rock-n-roll your way down to the local Citibank and create the nonviolent ruckus they need to see. THIS IS OUR COUNTRY -- not theirs. They have plundered and pillaged long enough. Homes in this country receive foreclosure filings every eight seconds! This must be stopped.

Let my movie be the tool you use to rise up and become the citizens I know you want to be. If not now, when?

Thank you for all your support over all these years. You must know by now that I honestly couldn't make these movies without you.

My absolute gratitude and best wishes for you and yours,

Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com

P.S. To order "Capitalism: A Love Story" from Amazon, click here. You can also add "Capitalism" to your Netflix and Blockbuster queues.

P.P.S. To see just how secure Wal-Mart feels in its place as King of the World, I'll take a spin around to some Wal-Marts this weekend and see if the DVD has been pulled off the shelves. I'll let you know!

Tags: Michael Moore Capitalism Movies

The One About The Nation’s Ultimate Dad Dancer

2010-03-02T17:53:00.004Z

Cool! I actually recognised some of my own moves in this video-clip...

Image via TotallyDadDancing.com

As a Dad, I quickly understood that one of my duties was to embarrass my kids at any opportunity available if I wanted to make the grade... So, showing off my "classy" dance moves in front of their friends was one of my favourite (and one of the most efficient) ways to do so.

Believe it or not, you'll never be a true Dad until you've demonstrated your dance moves in public (and preferably in front of your kids' friends)...

Unless, of course, you're a single/divorced Dad and you want to impress some of your kids' friends' Mums, that is. That's the only acceptable reason for not doing it as, for some unknown and weird reasons, the Mums don't really warm up to that kind of public display. That's also why I've stopped doing my famous dance moves in public since I've got divorced... Just in case, you know.

Of course, your kids will try to stop you doing your dance moves... they might even plead with you or (they can be crafty, when they want) give you the wrong address of where the party they're going takes place so that you don't show up there and make (in their eyes) a fool of yourself.

Don't worry too much about that, they're just jealous... They wish they could dance like you, but haven't got the guts to do it. They also know that they'll have to wait until they're parents themselves to dance like that and get away with it.

But, now, you've got a good reason to carry on dancing your way and even do so with your kids' blessing...

Yep, you could win a prize for you and your family!

There is no way they'll even think of stopping you now...

Here is what the competition's organisers say:

"The winner (that could be you... as long as you live in the Uk) and his family will be sent to spend a week in Jamaica, where the island’s infectious rhythms, music and attitude will hopefully rub off on dad.

He’ll also go into Dance Rehab and be given some individual tuition."

Don't worry too much about the "Dance Rehab" business, it's not as painful as it sounds...

"Kiss FM's Rickie Haywood-Williams will choose a winner from the ten most popular clips. Runners-up will be drawn from a Rasta hat and will receive special ipod Nanos."

Are you the Uk's Ultimate Dad Dancer?

There is only one way to find out: by entering the competiton...

Have fun!

Loup Dargent

PS: RSS Feed Readers: If the video player doesn't appear on the page shown by your RSS Feed Reader Facility, please click on this link...

Tags : Rickie Haywood-Williams, Jamaica, Ultimate Dad Dancer, Competition

The One About England's Football Legends

2010-02-26T00:42:00.002Z

Genuine football legends share how it feels to wear the England shirt

Image via facebook/marsbar

At last a post that my kids will read and won't mind being seen reading...

They're lovely kids, really... but when it's football's World Cup and/or European Cup time, they usually turn all BNP on me, loudly supporting the English team (they're born in England and their mum is British) but not allowing me to make my support to the French team too vocal. Hmmph!

(I'm only joking, they're not that bad.)

The video for today's post is a film where football legends are interviewed in a way that lets us see them as everyday heroes... people who have simply achieved their personal best.

Terry Butcher expresses how it feels to put an England shirt on – that it has the ability to inspire you to realise that you could be making history. His story about wearing the shirt, looking in the mirror before games and feeling a sense of readiness for the challenge of playing is summarised perfectly in his line ‘right, let’s go!”.

Viv Anderson communicates the sense of positivity he felt with the entire country right behind him when he played his first game for England. We also realise how he proudly rose to the occasion of being England’s first black player.

We feel Bert Williams’ sense of self-belief shine through as he explains that putting the England shirt and badge on made him ‘feel on a different planet!’

We begin to appreciate the sense of inspiration Stuart Pearce must have felt when he expresses the feeling of being in the England team for the first time. We also understand the sense of achievement he must have felt being selected for England after all his efforts to get there - it is summarized perfectly in his line ‘it’s not bad for an electrician.’ Most poignantly we realise the scale of the challenge he must have faced in rising to the occasion of walking out against Brazil to a crowd of 92,000 people.

Hope Powell’s sense of positivity is felt as she explains how playing for England felt like being in a fairytale.

And finally, as Martin Peters relates his experiences of being picked for the 1966 England squad we appreciate the personal efforts he must have made to get there and the pressure he must have felt to rise to the occasion of playing for his country in a World Cup final.

Yep, genuine football legends and everyday heroes...

I can see a competition coming on...

Image via facebook/marsbar

Ah, yes... It's for our readers living in the UK, and the winner could be Mars' official reporter at England’s pre South Africa training camp. Not a bad prize, is it?

Tell the competition's organisers why you should go and you could be a winner! Simples.

Oh, and you'll need to click on this link first for more information, of course.

Enjoy the video and good luck to our British readers...

Loup Dargent

PS: RSS Feed Readers: If the video player doesn't appear on the page shown by your RSS Feed Reader Facility, please click on this link...

Tags : Football, South Africa, World Cup 2010, Competition

The Origin Of Giving Valentine's Day Cards

2010-02-13T10:47:00.001Z

Cards, flowers and/or chocolates (maybe even your loved one's last Rolo),

with a bit of History on top... What more could one want or even need?

Especially when this extra information on the Valentine's Day tradition is brought to us by Eric V. Allen himself...

Yep, this is the same Eric who recently gave us "A Note From Saint Valentine - A First Person Tale Of This Wonderful Day". With Guest Writers of that caliber, we can't really go wrong, can we?

So, enjoy and... "Happy Valentine's Day!"

Loup Dargent

The Origin
Of Giving

Valentine's
Day Cards

Eric V. Allen

Traditionally, mid-February was a Roman time to meet and court
prospective mates. The Lupercian lottery (under penalty of
mortal sin), Roman young men did institute the custom of
offering women they admired and wished to court handwritten
greetings of affection on February 14. The cards acquired St.
Valentine's name.

As Christianity spread, so did the Valentine's Day card. The
earliest extant card was sent in 1415 by Charles, duke of
Orleans, to his wife while he was a prisoner in the Tower of
London. It is now in the British Museum.

In the sixteenth century, St. Francis de Sales, bishop of
Geneva, attempted to expunge the custom of cards and reinstate
the lottery of saints' names. He felt that Christians had
become wayward and needed models to emulate. However, this
lottery was less successful and shorter-lived than Pope
Gelasius's. And rather than disappearing, cards proliferated
and became more decorative.

Cupid, the naked cherub armed with arrows dipped in love
potion, beame a popular valentine image. He was associated with
the holiday because in Roman mythology he is the son of Venus,
goddess of love and beauty.

By the seventeenth century, handmade cards were oversized and
elaborate, while store-bought ones were smaller and costly. In
1797, a British publisher issued 'The Young Man's Valentine
Writer', which contained scores of suggested sentimental verses
for the young lover unable to compose his own.

Printers had already begun producing a limited number of cards
with verses and sketches, called "mechanical valentines," and a
reduction in postal rates in the next century ushered in the
less personal but easier practice of mailing valentines. That,
in turn, made it possible for the first time to exchange cards
anonymously, which is taken as the reason for the sudden
appearance of racy verse in an era otherwise prudishly
Victorian.

The burgeoning number of obscene valentines caused several
countries to ban the practice of exchanging cards. In Chicago,
for instance, late in the nineteenth century, the post office
rejected some twenty-five thousand cards on the ground that
they were not fit to be carried through the U.S. mail.

The first American publisher of valentines was printer and
artist Esther Howland. Her elaborate lace cards of the 1870s
cost from five to ten dollars, with some selling for as much as
thirty-five dollars. Since that time, the valentine card
business has flourished. With the exception of Christmas,
Americans exchange more cards on Valentine's Day than at any
other time of the year. Just thinking about it brings memories
of red construction paper, and little boxes of heart candies

About The Author:

Eric Allen is a friend to the rose growers
at www.rosefarm.com, delivering fresh
cut roses direct from the farm, along with
dark chocolate truffles and other gifts
for all occasions.

Tags : Eric V. Allen, Valentine's Day, Cards,

St. Valentine, Orleans, Cupid, Esther Howland

Do You Love Anyone Enough To Give Them Your Last Rolo?

2010-02-11T18:02:00.004Z

Giving someone your last Rolo is the ultimate Little Gesture this Valentine’s.

"Since the iconic brand and pioneers of loving gestures asked ‘Do you love anyone enough to give them your last Rolo?’ it has remained a symbol of love and romance"

Ah, yes... I do remember all those Rolo adverts. Thanks to them, giving our last Rolo to the one you loved was seen as the ultimate sacrifice... and it was far much cheaper than buying a diamond, a meal or some flowers. But, then again, it was your last Rolo... So it was still a tough decision to make. Was the object of your love worth it after all?

Okay, we're definitely into full Valentine's Day mood today, and the current advert from the Rolo Team is even taking us a step further... Yep, we can be romantic and win a prize.

Now, that's what I call a perfect Valentine's Day!

While the competiton itself is for UK residents only, our friends from the other side of the Pond can still benefit from this post as, the idea behind the competition is that Valentine's Day doesn't have to cost a fortune...

"Making Valentine’s Day special doesn’t have to cost the earth, in fact the importance of little gestures has been greatly underestimated in the romance stakes..."

No argument from us here... We definitely agree with that statement.

"That’s why Rolo, the ultimate Little Gesture, is urging the great British public to consider what small gestures they can make this Valentine’s - whether that means breakfast in bed, a romantic meal at home, a kiss and cuddle or giving someone your last Rolo a little gesture speaks volumes!"

There are examples in the video and on the Rolo competition site (link provided in the video), so do take notes... They might come handy if you've forgotten to buy those darn expensive flowers/

"Winners will also receive Rolo chocolates so you can indulge the one you love this Valentine’s with Rolo, the perfect combination of smooth chocolate and chewy caramel in individual bite size cups."

The icing on the cake, in a way...

Of course, for research purposes, I had to go and visit the competiton page. I liked it a lot, but what I liked the most was the statement on the landing page:

"Valentine's day shouldn't be the only day we celebrate love - the Valentine's day spirit can live in every day of the year.
We're not talking about the tacky cards or expensive roses, but those little romantic gestures that mean so much more, like the giving of your Last Rolo."

Yes, I know, I'm getting soft in my old age...

Good luck to our British readers and...

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!

Loup Dargent

PS: RSS Feed Readers: If the video player doesn't appear on the page shown by your RSS Feed Reader Facility, please click on this link...

Tags : do you love anyone enough, Last Rolo, little romantic gestures, Valentine's Day

LoupDargent.com

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