These are a few poems from a series I’m working on called “Coffee Bums”.

Common Day Warfare

That twat
white-buttoned-business shirt
and a hideous tie
with his child’s face dancing
in an overly confident
future-douche-of-America
grin.

He says, “Watch it asshole!”
as I sit next to
the entrance of the
coffee house I often frequent.

Asshole– spending ten bucks
for a morning routine– eating
scones
and pissing over priced
lattes– he walks out
hits me with the door
a second time
at full force,

“Watch It Fucker!”

I stand up and he turns around
I’m red fuming and I leave my
chair and walk inside
and go up to see my friend
laughing at the counter.

“Did you see him this time, Jack?
Did you get him?”

“Yea, It was a brute, big and chewy–
you know the mucus that comes from
a good cold!”
He coughs into his
sleeve and laughs again.

“Asshole…” I say.
Jack slips me my favorite brand
of saliva free coffee,

and I put my mercenary
five in the tip jar.

In Need of a Beer

Jack had off today
I had to pay for my coffee–
the old lady, wrinkled and smelling of formaldehyde,
gave me the wrong size
cup again.– Fancy sizes
are for over compensating pricks
that find the English language filthy
because of their ignorance to linguistic aesthetics!

They never sat down to ponder the beauty of the word “medium”
(no, it’s not as beautiful as soliloquy, fellatio,
alcoholic elixir, or a can of beer)
but it works and it’s what I ordered in
plain ol’
Standard English.

Old Wrinkly Wench– too bad she didn’t
have better fortune of either staying young and
useful,
or dying earlier because
she forced me
into wasting my cash and my
breath.

I didn’t get my free refill because
I decided
to go to the
bar
instead.

Broken AC

So many students sit around
pretending to be creative–

a new scruffy, but yet well dressed
man sits at a table sketching this girl
across the room as she ignorantly
sips her coffee. His hands, his face
and his paper cup smudge black w/
frustration sweat and charcoal.

three kids are off holding claim
on the couches reading classics
Hemingway, Shakespeare, and one
Jane Austin. All look tired
and they each constantly looking away
as they sip their coffee. A chain of yawns
thinking of papers in stead of plots
and making dinner plans instead of
understanding. They too are covered in
sweat.

There are several poets sitting, one
a girl, sitting silent across the table
all dressed in slightly eccentric colors
and another dressed in a Gothic black
they’re all sweating their asses off drinking
sweltering coffee, with exception of one drinking
an iced latte with caramel (the smart one)
and
then there is I–

documenting our
bullshit starving artists in the
“rich” part of town.
I’m unshaven and slightly scattered
but definitely daily showered.
My hands blue with ink
my face wet with sweat.

I walk up up to the counter
and ask him for just a cup
of iced water.

He’s also sweaty and dragging
only says “yeah, the air will
be back tomorrow”

I say my goodbyes and decide
it’s better to sweat outside
than to die inside

at least out there
the birds, bugs, and bears
will be able
to eat me.

* Dewi magazine, June 2005

The debut opening of Roy Petley’s gallery in London caused an uproar in the West End, with people seen queuing down the street to get in. In fact, that wintry October night saw so many people in the gallery that the fire department responded four times to heat alarms going off in the building.

Roy Petley (photo: Titania Veda)

This dream of an art gallery began many years ago by a boy abandoned to a children’s home. Trapped in a dark and dreary world, even the beatings by his guardians could not curb Roy’s irrepressible spirit. “My escape was painting and drawing, the reality was horrible. I quite liked the fistfights but I didn’t like the beatings,” he confides. Becoming the first ever to receive a scholarship at the children’s home at the tender age of sixteen, Roy left for Brighton University but after his first semester he decided to go to Florence in the arms of a beautiful woman. His thirst for the foundations of art, well-drawn, well-coloured and well-painted works naturally drew him to the Italian masters of old; Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo. Several years later, after living through his work in Italy, he returned to his homeland, England. There, he exhibited on the Green Park railings, a then melting pot of would be artists.

A chance meeting with the Duchess of Kent was the beginning of a lifelong friendship with the British royal family. The late Queen Mother and the Prince of Wales are collectors of his works, the late Queen Mother being particularly fond of his Norfolk landscapes. A whirlwind romance with an adoring public commenced, with sell-out shows following him wherever he went, from London to Barbados, Dublin to Dallas.

To satisfy his love of beautiful sports cars, three Alfa Romeos, engine red Ferraris and an E-type Jaguar once decorated his backyard. He even appeared on Good Morning Texas, flanked between William Shatner who “was on before me trying to promote a video game for Star Wars”, and a piano-playing-pot-bellied-pig who refused to perform. “It wouldn’t play the piano because it was camera shy”, Roy deduced.

Roy’s rags to riches story caught the eye of both the BBC and Sky Television, resulting in documentaries on his life and his art, and forced a change on his outlook on life. “I used to have people lining up to buy my work – but once the BBC did their documentary on me, they ended up banging on my front door trying to buy a paintings, it became a nightmare!” he exclaimed. Once dubbed the Best Dressed Man in London, this sort of major publicity was not in line with Roy’s solitary nature. In the early nineties, he chose tranquillity over fame and moved to a lonely farmhouse in the south-west of France. “I left England to become an unknown, to have a peaceful life”, he said. He quickly applied his energy to rebuilding his new-found home, which was soon to be featured in House & Garden, Homes & Gardens and Interior magazine.

the last of the sun by Roy Petley (courtesy of Petley Fine Art)

An impressionistic painter, he finds inspiration in his surroundings. In the summers, he is often found by local fishermen knee-deep in water, drawing models draped in flowing white dresses and adorned with wide-brimmed hats that Roy is known for collecting, or painting his neighbour’s children licking ice lollipops in his rose garden.

Self-taught, Roy experiments with all mediums, disclosing how he changes “mediums when I want to change my mind-set”. At his leisure, he moves effortlessly from pastel to oil, watercolour to sanguine. He speaks of each medium with equal passion, stressing on the ability to draw well being essential when working with any medium, particularly watercolour – “There is no changing it…there is only one chance”. He continues on saying, “watercolours are my reference for my oil paintings, an oil painting becomes a fuller version of the watercolour on a canvas.” He describes how Degas used to work with charcoal before drawing in the pastel, but prefers himself to draw with colour immediately. He is also is quick to illustrate that “pastel is a dusty medium and after a short period of working with it, I am always happy to return to my natural medium – oil.”

The subjects of Roy’s works are as varied as his mediums, drawing upon inspiration from anything and everything – portraits, still life, cityscapes and landscapes have all felt the touch of his brush in his paintings. “I usually have an idea of what I want to do before I begin, I see the world through my paintbrush and palette – all that remains to do is to recreate the image that I see in my mind.”

Whether it be landscape or still life, light and shadow are the basis of his works. There is a certain light and youthfulness, a grace and joyfulness that emanates from his paintings. He depicts an untouchable innocence that is reminiscent of childhood and days gone by. Although it may seem an old-fashioned and romantic world, this is Roy’s world as it exists today. Each painting draws you in, engages you with its subtle colours and soft lines.

sunlight in the dark canal by Roy Petley (courtesy of Petley Fine Art)

It is said that once you have had a show in Cork Street, you have made it in the art world. Having exhibited in galleries on the street for over a decade, Roy had reached a point in his life where he wanted to give something back. In his youth, Roy himself had approached gallery after gallery, carrying his portfolio, and had been turned away. In later years, the same galleries would beg him to exhibit with them – he wanted to provide artists with the opportunities he never had, with “a gallery they can trust, where artists feel comfortable”, where the open doors and laid back atmosphere would encourage artists – especially the younger ones. In the autumn of 2003, he did just that. “I started up the gallery because I was really fed up with how artists are treated”, he explained.

Petley Fine Art sets itself apart from other galleries because as Roy proudly states, “this is the first time an artist has owned a major gallery promoting work other than his own”. True to his word, Roy has raised the bar for the whole area by filling his gallery with only the finest paintings and sculptures from an international pantheon of artists. “We have famous artists, infamous artists, and also young artists just starting out in their careers – regardless of where they are in their careers, it is their talent that attracts us to them.”

It is this refreshing concoction of artists that gives the gallery its lively character and explains why artists enjoy exhibiting there. Neil Forster, an artist of Petley Fine Art and an established portrait painter whose sitters include The Prince of Wales, speaks highly of the gallery. “I thought this gallery opening in “the” art street of London and offering art with no over-intellectualizing or posing, is so refreshing that it must in time be one of the most visited galleries in London.”

Roy is also quick to point out that a lot of effort has been made to ensure nothing distracts from the paintings. His long-standing motto being, “the art is foremost, the gallery secondary and all emphasis is on the artists”.

Filled with boundless energy and enthusiasm, Roy floods his gallery with the same vitality he fills his paintings. Now with three galleries spread across Europe, Petley Fine Art seems to be going from strength to strength. As for Roy, does he miss the good old days when he was a struggling painter? “Well,” he laughs, saying, “I have artists ringing up at 4 AM telling me their problems with their wives who are jealous of their models. One artist calls up and says can I come see you now? I think, what’s going on here?”

Petley Fine Art
9 Cork St
London
W1S 3LL
+44 207 494 2021
http://www.petleys.co.uk/

Excelente Opção Para Quem Curte Terror Com Fundo de Verdade – Imperdível!

Gênero: Terror
Censura: 14 anos
Duração: 103 min
Direção: Peter Cornwell
Com: Amanda Crew, Elias Koteas, Virginia Madsen, Kyle Gallner, Martin Donovan, Kellan Rhude, D. W. Brown, Ty Wood.
Local de Filmagem: Teulon, Manitoba, Canada e Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Produção: Paul Brooks, Daniel Farrands, Phyllis Laing, Wendy Rhoads, Andrew Trapani
Roteiro: Adam Simon e Tim Metcalfe
Fotografia: Adam Swica
Trilha Sonora: Robert J. Kral
Distribuidora: Imagem Filmes e Lionsgate
Estúdio: Gold Circle Films e Integrated Films & Management
¨

SINOPSE
Baseado em uma história verídica e assustadora, o longa metragem relata o encontro de uma família com as forças obscuras do sobrenatural.

Quando a família Campbell se muda para Connecticut, afim de proporcionar maior conforto ao jovem Matt, interpretado por Kyle Gallner – o garoto de Smallville que interpreta o The Flash -  ["Smallville" como Bart Allen, A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) e Jennifer's Body (2009)] que está submetido a um tratamento alternativo de combate ao câncer, em um hospital na cidade, acabam alugando uma antiga casa, grande e muito bem localizada, por um preço muito abaixo do seu real valor.

A mãe de Matt, Sara Campbell, é interpretada por Virginia Madsen [Wonder Woman (2009),

Passados uns dias, eles descobrem que a casa possui uma história perturbadora: além ter sido uma funerária onde fatos inconcebíveis aconteceram, Jonah, o filho sensitivo do ex-proprietário da casa, tinha a função de mensageiro espiritual, oferecendo um canal para as entidades espirituais que quisessem se comunicar com seu entes vivos.

Jonah a ponte entre os que ficaram e os que foram, está na casa novamente e ele quer se comunicar através de Matt com a nova família que está na casa.

CRÍTICA
Segundo o website original do longa metragem, a história é real. Como muitas outras histórias de espíritos assombrando casas e outros lugares, por todo o planeta, essa parece convincente.

Não são monstros ou demônios. Mas sim almas que de certa forma, estão presas no nosso universo, entre nós os vivos, como resultado de experimentos que mexem com o mundo dos mortos. Quantas histórias já ouvimos de pessoas que se curaram repentinamente após terem tido algum contato com o mundo espiritual? Pois é, essa é mais uma e acho que convence.

O filme prende nossa atenção do começo ao final. Tem algumas pessoas que acham que da metade do filme ao fim, deixa a desejar. Não é o caso, podem ir aos cinemas assistir, pois, sendo real ou não, dá um medo do inferno! É um dos filmes de terror do gênero assombração com espíritos dos últimos 2 anos, que mais chama nossa atenção e que vale a pena assistir!

Só uma dica, não façam a “brincadeira da copo” ou qualquer coisa parecida, pois se der errado, vocês estarão em maus lençóis! De qualquer forma o longa é ótimo, boas atuações, ótima direção e efeitos de primeira.

Vale comentar que no filme não há nada de “brincadeira do copo”, pois já sei que vão haver alguns leitores nervosinhos que vão comentar o que eu disse. O fato é que essa brincadeira é uma maneira de se comunicar com espíritos e, eu pessoalmente, já ouvi falar de pessoas que fizeram e a coisa acabou mal de alguma maneira. Em nenhum momento os personagens fazem a “brincadeira do copo”, mas eles fazem sessões com pessoas com dom da mediunidade. Sendo assim, o ponto principal de uma coisa ou outra, é contatar os espíritos de pessoas mortas, seja através do “copo” ou de uma pessoa com algum dom mediúnico.

bom filme!
roberta vieira
www.hauntinginconnecticut.com
www.myspace.com/hauntinginct

Assista ao trailer abaixo.

*

Leia sobre a história verdadeira!

REAL STORY OF THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT

In 1987, a particularly nightmarish haunting occurred in Southington, Connecticut, to a family that had just moved in to a long empty house on Meriden Avenue.

Soon after settling in, the family discovered a small graveyard in back, an embalming chamber in the basement, and drawers full of creepy corpse photographs: their new house had previously been a Funeral Home dating back to the 1920s.

Almost immediately, the family began to experience paranormal activity – strange sounds, changes in temperature, and the appearance of mysterious figures

As the family’s lives and sanity were pushed to the edge, the mother contacted Ed and Lorraine Warren for help.  Famous demonologists and paranormal investigators, the Warren’s had investigated the famed Amityville Horror case, and were the founders of the New England Society for Psychic Research.

Through their help, the family was able to uncover the terrible secrets lurking in the house and to confront the most shocking evil spirits ever seen in an American haunting.

Excerpts from GLOBAL WARMING IS A MYTH

IS CARBON DI OXIDE THE VILLAIN?

Such terms as carbon credit find a place in newspapers almost daily. I don’t know what is all this about. To me CO₂ sustains life on earth. Has the level of CO₂ in the atmosphere gone up? Has it been proved experimentally?

 Before Industrialization

The whole of America and most of the old world were inhabited by a comparatively small population, a majority of whom depended upon meat and fish. Farming depended entirely on rain water as big dams were unknown. The grasslands of America and Australia didn’t produce food grains. Coal and other fossil fuels were not commercially exploited. In those days we may presume that a proper balance existed between CO₂ and other ingredients of the air like N₂ and O₂ in spite of forest fires, the like of which we witnessed in California recently.

After Industrialization

Commercial exploitation of coal began first followed by oil and natural gas, resulting in increase in the level of CO₂ in the atmosphere. Simultaneously two other developments followed: increase in population (both human and animal) and corresponding growth in food grains production. Big dams were constructed and more and more areas of land were brought under cultivation. Mechanization and the use of artificial fertilizers made leaps and bounds in production of food grains, fruits and other commercial crops. The Prairies of North America became the granary of the world. Compared to grass, food grains and sugar fix a large quantity of CO₂. The major items responsible for such CO₂ fixation are:

1. food grains like wheat, corn, rice, oats, soybean etc
2. underground vegetables like potato, tapioca, beetroot etc
3. fruits like apple, grapes, banana, dates, cherry, pineapple etc
4. sugarcane etc

Experts can calculate the total quantity of CO₂ produced by industry and that absorbed by vegetation as mentioned above and the marine vegetation in order to find out whether the net balance is favoring CO₂ concentration in the air. An easier way would be to experimentally ascertain the percentage of CO₂ in the atmospheric air (being heavier than air CO₂ is available near the surface of the earth). If CO₂ level increases O₂ level should decrease. In my childhood (I am 70+) O₂ level was 20% as mentioned in my text book. Has it changed? An atom of carbon combines with two atoms of oxygen to form CO₂ which is absorbed by the leaves of the plant to form starch. In the process two atoms of oxygen are released into the atmosphere. We may say that each carbon atom burnt ultimately results in the release of two atoms of oxygen, thus resulting in increase in the level of O₂. Level of CO₂ dissolved in the ocean water should also be checked. If this level increases, fishes would die en mass. Has this happened? If the level of CO₂ dissolved in ocean waters decreases, plant life in the ocean cannot produce enough starch by photosynthesis. This will be a hazard for fishes and other marine life.

The volume of animal and hence plant life in the oceans is much more than that on the continents. This is because the area of the oceans is seven times the area of the continents. Also, the oceans are deep. Hence the volume of water is very much more and can contain a large population of marine life. The necessary starch has to come from plant life. So, the total bio mass in the oceans is considerably higher than that in the continent. The carbon di oxideàPlant starchàAnimalsàCarbon di oxide cycle is there in the watery medium, just as in our atmosphere. All the gases, including nitrogen, will be present in dissolved state in the oceans too. Here industrialization has not affected the ‘atmosphere’ of the ocean. This fact has to be recognized in any discussion on Global Warming.

[The percentage of various components of atmospheric air as obtained from the websites is given below:

Nitrogen 78.1

Oxygen 20.9

Argon 0.9

Neon 0.002

Helium 0.0005

Krypton 0.0001

Hydrogen 0.00005

Carbon di oxide 0.035!!!!!!!! (Poor, innocent CO2 has been maligned unnecessarily)

Methane 0.0002

Ozone 0.000004

This would suggest that the percentage of oxygen has slightly increased. If this is true it augers ill, as forest fires may become uncontrollable with increase in the level of oxygen in the coming years. Therefore, this line should be investigated separately by experts. My guess is that with unchecked use of nitrogenous fertilizers, the total bio mass in the earth could have increased. The requisite extra nitrogen must have been drawn from the atmosphere along with CO₂ releasing extra oxygen into the atmosphere as pointed out above.]

The importance of proper scientific study cannot be over emphasized. Mother Nature maintains her balance, whatever her children may do!

Winter is here and the frost is not only biting the nose, but the whole face. Fortunately, with a facial care routine that suits your skin care needs, you can be on your way to healthy, radiant complexion.

Her skin is dry or if you are sensitive:

• bites or burns are products for skin care when used • ¿• Sometimes appears red easily irritated and inflamed • Feels itchy, dry, rough and scaly

Skin care for dry skinSkin:

Regular bath soaps clean well but are highly alkaline and irritating to dry and sensitive skin. Clear glycerin soap and alcohol can dry too. Therefore, as an alternative of soap, dermatologists recommend a soap, sensitive skin cleansing. If your skin is very dry and sensitive, you may need to alternate a washable lotion with a sensitive skin bar. After cleaning, dry skin, a light moisturizer that hypoallergenic, preservative free, multi-purpose –and water. For very dry skin, moisture with petroleum jelly or an oil-based lotion with 20 percent urea. After cleaning of sensitive skin, a thin, hypoallergenic, fragrance-free moisturizer such as Eucerin. To check the compatibility of the product, moisturizer DAB behind the ears to the early days.

Her skin is, if NORMAL:

• • If it is usually soft and flexible, in general, clear / blemish-free • Appears not dry or fat

Skin care forNormal skin:

You're one of those lucky people who can operate a part of your face and still recover, looking fresher than ever. Almost all cleaning products (usually bars bath soap sensitive skin) work for you. If you need a moisturizer – some people with normal skin, no! – Choose a light, hypoallergenic, preservative free, all-purpose, water based moisturizer after washing.

Her skin is fat when:

• Has the pores or blackheads • Appears shiny and feelsfatty

Skin care for oily skin:

Regular bath soap, morning and evening is good for cleansing – your skin to receive the benefits of the drying effect of strongly alkaline bath soaps. If necessary, use an astringent pad at noon. Because your skin is oily by, you have no
Moisturizer. But if you do this, choose one, noncomedogenic (does not cause acne), and oil free or water based-Neutrogena or Aveeno, for example.

Her skin isCOMBINATION if:

• • Are you on the forehead, nose, chin, cheeks and dry around the eyes oily

Skin care for combination skin:

Dermatologists recommend one of two cleansing routines for women with combination skin. You can wash with a mild facial cleanser in the morning and use an alcohol-free astringent on oily areas later in the day. Or wash with soap free cleanser and dry with regular bath soap on oily areas. Treat dry patches asdry skin, then a water or oil free moisturizer all over your face noncomedogenic.

Tips for skin care for every skin type:

No matter how oily skin, dry or sensitive, always clean gently. Do not use warm (hot) with fingers (not cloth). Rinse well. Then Pat with a towel (do not rub) your face dry. Wash your face no more than once or twice a day. After touching the dry skin, moisturizer for the skin while still wet, to ensure thatabsorbed. If the moisturizer to protect the sun's harmful rays, providing an easy application of sunscreen considered.

What A is in English, Alif is in Urdu.

The start, the beginning, the flow of a human culture and civilization all begins with language and words. The assimilation of thoughts and energies in what words and alphabets mean to us humans is passed on from generations of human species. The accumulation of the embedded powers create a magnificent, bewitching, enriching and spell bounding effect when these alphabets and words are woven with threads of emotions, images and feelings from within the soul and transmitted to the medium of air that carries it on its fragile wings.

These Alphabets become even more enchanting when they are sewn by creative human dimensions into the flowers and buds of sweet, melodious poetry resembling the chirping of the carefree birds at dawn.

” He stood appalled, judging himself with the thoroughness of God, while the action of mercy covered his pride like a flame and consumed it. He had never thought himself a great sinner before, but he saw now that his true depravity had been hidden from him lest it cause him despair.  He realized that he was forgiven for sins from the beginning of time, when he had conceived in his own heart the sin of Adam, until the present, when he had denied poor Nelson.  He saw that no sin was too monstrous for him to claim as his own, and since God loved in proportion as He forgave, he felt ready at that instant to enter Paradise.”

-Flannery O’Connor;  The Artificial Nigger

I’ve been reading a book of O’Connor’s short stories lately with varying degrees of interest and enjoyment.  There is no doubt she is a brilliant writer and well-deserving of her place in this country’s literary canon, but nonetheless, her stories make me very sad.  She manages to give birth to characters who exemplify the depravity of man so intensely that it is both exhausting and painful to read their stories.

So earlier this evening I was sitting in the Filling Station, fully prepared to be left saddened yet again by the story, when I came upon those words I just quoted at the end of one story.  “the action of mercy covered his pride like a flame and consumed it.”  How incredibly powerful are those words?  Shouldn’t that very action be taking place in our hearts?  This bears a great deal more thought.

Si con Terence Fisher traté de saltarme los ceremoniales sin mayor éxito, con Bava tres cuartos de lo mismo. Un maestro y un genio que ya estuvo aquí con “La furia de los vikingos” y que volverá, eso sin duda. Esteta del horror mucho antes de Argento, autor y artesano, poseedor de un poderosísima iconografía estética y de un prontuario conceptual perfectamente representado en este irresistible dúo: “La frusta e il corpo” y “Operazione paura”, cumbres de la Italia gótica y tétricas maravillas sobre obsesión, muerte, pasión y amor.

“Come sail your ships around me
And burn your bridges down“

La frusta e il corpo

Año: 1963

País: Italia

91 min.

Fotografía: Ubaldo Terzano

Música: Carlo Rustichelli

Guión: Ernesto Gastaldi, Ugo Guerra, Luciano Martino

Reparto: Daliah Lavi, Christopher Lee, Tony Kendall, Ida Gall

Melodrama ultraterreno, romanticismo desaforado y fetichismo erótico perturbador para una de las obras mayores (y no precisamente más conocidas) de Mario Bava, donde conviven con particular perfección sus obsesiones temáticas y su corpus estético, la imposible belleza pictórica de sus imágenes y su arrebatado universo onírico.

Regreso a los terrenos del horror gótico de “La máscara del demonio”, con esa casi táctil atmosfera de pesadilla, pero con el añadido esencial del color (¡ah, el color!), que potencia una fotografía ya de por si asombrosa, en la que los rostros están constantemente rodeados de negrura profunda en combinación con un cromatismo por completo irreal y que incluye una de las marcas de fábrica de Bava, el personaje que avanza en primer plano mientras la cámara retrocede lentamente y la luz cambia dentro del mismo plano en una ejecución complejísima en lo técnico y fascinante en lo artístico.La bellísima banda sonora Carlo Rustichelli, de inspiración “chopeniana”, y una puesta en escena constantemente audaz, se suman a la densidad de la historia, a su sexualidad mórbida y su perversa mixtura de sadomasoquismo terminal y deseo incendiario explicitado en la mirada de la subyugante actriz israelí Daliah Lavi tras ser azotada y su turbadora manera de (literalmente y sin metáforas) correrse de dolor en una sublimación de lo carnal que no se olvida fácilmente. Dando como resultado una de las más hermosas películas del autor (que ya es decir) con un bloque central apabullante, casi mágico, casi inconcebible, en el que asombra el dominio de Bava sobre el tempo cinematográfico y sobre el espacio fílmico, a los que somete a una renovación (incluso una deconstrucción) que lo aleja de cualquier clasicismo, algo que será uno de los puntales de su estilo, y que le deja mano a mano con el referido Fisher como el mejor director del “fantaterror” europeo.

Christopher Lee despliega su proverbial magnetismo como amante torturado/torturador más allá de la vida y la muerte y la ya mentada Daliah Lavi maravilla como la mejor Barbara Steele, sacando explícitamente el monstruo que lleva dentro en un grandioso final que hace visible la mente escindida de la protagonista al mostrar por primera vez “desde fuera” la verdadera naturaleza del horror que la acecha y que no es otro que ella misma. Naciendo así no de lo fantástico sino de la misma humanidad, el eterno discurso “baviano” para este cuento fantasmagórico de amor y muerte, decadente y suntuoso, en el que lo pavoroso no emana de la truculencia de lo mostrado sino de las entrañas de la propia historia, de la locura que devora todo, incluida la imagen.

“Una promesa es muy facil de hacer, un corazón es tan facil de romper”

The Dream Syndicate, “I have faith”

Operazione paura

Año: 1966

País: Italia

85 min.

Fotografía: Antonio Rinaldi y Mario Bava

Música: Carlo Rustichelli

Guión: Romano Migliorini, Roberto Natale y Mario Bava

Reparto: Giacomo Rossi-Stuart, Erika Blanc, Piero Lulli, Fabienne Dali, Max Lawrence

Pese a su horrible título de “exploit” de James Bond una de las obras mayores del gótico italiano, una manera o un estilo un tanto relegado quizás por la creciente popularidad del “giallo” entre el aficionado pero que resulta una de las formas más genuinas y apasionantes del cine popular italiano con títulos tan mágicos como “El molino de la mujeres de piedra”(1960) de Giorgio Ferroni, “Danza macabra”(1963) e “I lunghi capelli della morte”(1965) del muy reivindicable Antonio Margheriti (en breve lo pasearé por aquí) o trabajos del muy olvidado Camillo Mastrocinque como “La maldición de los Karnstein”(1962) y “Un angelo per Satana”(1966).Bava contrapone paganismo/racionalismo dentro de una historia de maldiciones con toques de leyenda en la que un médico (el elemento cartesiano violentado por la irrupción de lo fantástico/irracional) llegará a un villorrio tan dejado de la mano de Dios que incluso su iglesia está en ruinas. Un pueblo de callejones intrincados predispuestos al misterio que está aterrorizado por la superstición, las muertes inexplicables provocadas por las apariciones de una espectral niña de cabellos rubísimos y vestidito blanco(una idea absolutamente genial en su representación y que fue robada/homenajeada conscientemente por Fellini en su obra maestra  de 1968 “Toby Dammit” su segmento para la ,en conjunto, mediocre serie de adaptaciones de Poe “Historias extraordinarias”) que empuja al suicido a quien la ve gracias a su irresistible poder de sugestión hipnótica y la constante presencia de una mansión, que es cuna del mal. Un lugar maldito y es que esa niña, fue dejada morir, ahorcada accidentalmente en el campanario, sin ayuda y por ello es ahora convocada de tal modo que lo que consume al pueblo no es en realidad el horror sino la culpa, un terror mucho más real paradójicamente corporeizado en lo fantástico. El resultado es una película memorable que supera su pobreza de medios mediante un uso estilizado y sugerente de los decorados (como siempre en Bava los interiores forman auténticos laberintos escenográficos mediante la interposición del mobiliario entre los que la cámara serpentea) y las localizaciones (buscando siempre nocturnos brumosos que azucen la imaginación y conviertan una pared de piedra o un paso medio derruido en lugar de pesadilla donde cualquier cosa es posible), esas callejuelas angostas y sobretodo un cementerio musgoso sacado de alguna ilustración de cuento terrorífico y romántico, pese a que atempera el habitual delirio cromático de raíz lisérgica que es marca de la casa o a que abusa del “zoom” en contadas ocasiones. Desborda tensión y ritmo, ideas geniales llevadas a la cumbre con el momento puramente onírico del protagonista persiguiéndose a si mismo a través de un estancia con dos puertas que se compondrá en angustioso bucle espacio-temporal que demuestra que esa mansión no se encuntra en ningún otro territorio que no sea el del sueño (algo en lo que el auto reincidiría en la estupenda “El diablo se lleva a los muertos” un film realmente valioso pese a su tortuosa distribución y remontajes) y el intransferible sentido de la puesta en escena de Bava, siempre elaboradísimo y de un barroquismo exultante.

Una joya lastrada por cierta mediocridad en sus interpretes (con una Erika Blanc desaprovechada en Unipapel demasiado pequeño) y un final algo anticlimático (el fabuloso clímax en el caserón se resuelve de manera un tanto abrupta), pero elevada por momentos verdaderamente escalofriantes, con las apariciones de la niña de ultratumba al la cabeza (precedidas en ciertos momentos por una pelota que viene rebotando desde ningún lado y que sin duda Kubrick, al igual que Fellini, recordó para “El resplandor”) y en especial el suicidio de la joven posadera, obligada por la visión sobrenatural de la pequeña fallecida a ensartarse en abrazo mortal con una horca. Nuevamente redundar en una (otra) maravillosa banda sonora de Carlo Rustichelli y sobre todo resaltar la construcción de una atmosfera ominosa y fatalista, de la que es imposible escapar.

Holiday Hours

Black Friday 9:00am – 9:00pm

Monday – Saturday 10:00pm – 7:00pm

Sunday 12:00pm – 5:00pm

Em um país que 70% da população se consideram católicos, e 15% evangélicos (Fonte: http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religiões_no_Brasil), e apenas 0,234% se consideram umbandistas, ou seja 397.431 pessoas, é normal que este número se apresente desta forma, pois é notório o constrangimento dos olhares, das conversas pelos cantos quando alguém assume ser de uma religião que além de não ser maioria ainda foi muito denegrida por outras e criado todo um misticismo e lendas ignorantes a respeito da mesma.

Vivemos em um país de tolerância religiosa, mesmo que esta tolerância muitas vezes não possa ser comprovada no dia-a-dia, e devemos aproveitar ao máximo está oportunidade não para tentar arrebanhar ao máximo de seguidores, mas para nos fazermos respeitar e desmistificar a relação da Umbanda com Deus e com a sociedade.

Muitos de nós temos a sensação de que esse número é maior por dois princípios simples: Pessoas que freqüentam a Umbanda na assistência não se sentem umbandistas porque acham que para ser Umbandista tem que ser médium ou pelo menos vestir o branco. O que é um equivoca considerável. A outra razão é que mesmo médiuns, muitas vezes quando indagados falam que são “espíritas” deixando o interlocutor com a sensação de que ele e Kardecista, que é visto com muito mais amenidade na população em geral.

Não reprovo quem não se sente a vontade de expressar verdadeiramente sua religião por vergonha, por delicadeza ou até porque é mais simples o entendimento dos outros. Mas deveríamos pensar: No que isso resulta?

O primeiro resultado prático e que embora eu tenha a nítida impressão que a Umbanda só faz crescer (pelo menos no terreiro que freqüento e adjacências), os estudos demográficos dizem o contrário, e nossos perseguidores usam essa munição para cada vez mais tentar denegrir o que fazemos e o que acreditamos.

O segundo resultado é que não conseguimos criar uma atmosfera capaz de nos identificarmos fora do devaneio popular, porque muitos já ouviram falar da Umbanda, mas nunca conviveram com um umbandista. Na verdade muitos convivem, mas não sabem que aquela pessoa integra, honesta, feliz e com uma luz que é típica daqueles que mantém um relacionamento estreito com Deus freqüenta um terreiro e lá encontra as respostas para sua caminhada espiritual.

Lembre-se: A palavra convence, mas o exemplo arrasta. Sejamos o exemplo do que é ser um Umbandista, mostremo-nos para as pessoas que nos cercam e permitam que eles conheçam nosso culto, nossa crença e nosso caminho não para trazê-los para a Umbanda, isso não nos cabe, mas para que a Umbanda posso se espelhar através de nós e com isso colocá-la no local onde ela merece que é ao lado de toda religião que se mantém firme na busca de uma união maior com Deus.

Não podemos mais dizer que somos católicos não praticantes ou espíritas quando na verdade somos umbandistas praticantes.

Last time I wrote I said that I would look this time at the book ‘Parting Notes’ and the learning I found there. This is a book of letters written through a trance medium, seemingly from those whose lives on earth have previously ended. Some extracts from the letters were printed in the original handwriting used, which was fascinating to see the wide variety of handwriting used.
I’m quite interested myself to see how this blog post goes, for it’s now been quite a few weeks since I finished reading the book. Will I remember the learning? Or will it be like the many books I’ve read and then let slip away from me? I hope this writing will help me recall and cement my insights.
Although I describe this as learning, in many ways it feels more like memory. I already mentioned the film The Sixth Sense. This and other movies and books sometimes just ‘feel right’ to me – as if they are absolute truth which I already knew. So here are the things I ‘remembered’ through reading the book Parting Notes by April Crawford.

• The ‘self’ continues beyond death. This is something I have long felt to be true. My sense of me is so strong, and seems so unrelated to flesh and blood, I have never been able to imagine that it would cease at death. And yet many of the letters in the book describe the fear of being ‘wiped out’. Many seemed compelled to write to save others the fear of approaching death with this belief. When my ex-boyfriend died two years ago, I could picture him after death realizing that his assumption it would be the end was mistaken – I hoped he would be laughing about it. This was the sense of amazement reported.
• Visits to what we call ‘real life’ can be repeated. Some letters described events of only one lifetime, others reported being aware that they had lived many lives. Others talked of the realization of something they had failed to understand or to learn, and having to return until they ‘got it’.
• We choose our own lives in order to gain that learning. Whilst we probably are not aware of every detail of everything that will happen to us, the broad circumstances of our life to come are available to us before we come here. We choose them in order to deepen an aspect of our whole self, which is much larger than what we experience on Earth.
• However difficult our circumstances, or any illness or pain before we die, they cannot continue to hurt us when our life here is ended (unless we let them). Some people described having great resistance and clinging to their old life, which made them miserable. They were gradually able to realize the prisons they were making for themselves and move on to their new lives.
• Our relationships in this life are not a true reflection of our full relationship with others. This was a big realization for me. For instance there was a letter from a son (who had died as a toddler) to his mother. And yet that letter was addressed as most of them were ‘Dear Friend’. This led me to the understanding that our relationships here are coloured by labels such as ‘son’, ’mother’, ’friend’, ’enemy’ – but once these labels disappear you have only equal spirits. This makes me think differently about how I interact with my children, particularly.
• Once someone has died, our main task is to be able to let them go. I once sat with a lady on a train who described to me her daughter’s suicide. I talked about how the daughter would now be at peace, but inside had the strong feeling that in truth the daughter could not progress on her expanded life until her mother was ready to let her go. This feeling was confirmed by a letter which described this very stuckness(in relation to a husband and wife where the husband had died suddenly).
• Dying is actually more like waking up than going to sleep. Our abilities are constrained in this life. We can create the things and situations we want, but not so directly. After death we are not restricted by physical constraints, and so it feels as though we were previously asleep and are now fully awake.

This has turned into a long post, and I’m aware that not everyone will agree with my ideas and thoughts – so please let me know what you think. If you’ve read the book, what did you get from it? Are there other ways you have learned or remembered aspects of the afterlife? Add your thoughts to the comments below.

There are so many different hairstyles for medium length hair that it can be hard to choose. Fashion changes in the blink of an eye. What was hot last year quickly becomes dull and boring. If you’re going crazy trying to figure out what to do with your hair, this article is here to help. Here are some basic tips and information about the best styles for your medium length hair.

“Medium length” usually refers to hair that falls between the chin and the shoulders. Strategies for this length will depend on what kind of hair you have. A style that’s great for a girl with a lot of body to her hair will probably fall flat if you have fine, straight hair.

Layers are one aspect of hairstyles for medium length hair that seems to be consistently popular. They can add body to a naturally straight or straightened style, as well as providing a fun and casual look in all situations. Layers are part of almost every modern hairstyle, providing versatility and pizazz. Wavy hair does well with a layered style as well, although you should remember that the stylist ought to place most of the body in the middle, and thin out the ends to avoid a bottom heavy look.

If you do have curls, you’re probably aware of how untameable they can seem. A bit of styling pomade is the solution here. Combined with the right cut, you can have charming, controlled curls instead of springy flyways. Take care if you want to include layers, as they can cause frizziness if done poorly. Remember to find a stylist who specializes in curly hairstyles for medium length hair, to make sure that you get the best style for your face shape and hair type.

Mosaic is frequently used with water, both indoors and outdoors.

Water features and swimming pools are nearly always decorated with mosaic. Mosaic is both waterproof and durable, which makes it such an ideal medium to use to decorate your water feature or pool. There is also a visual affinity between water and mosaic, which is aesthetically pleasing.

Badec Bros Mosaic has also created a collection of beautiful mosaics to clad the baths of an exclusive lodge in the bushveld. Our creative team also crafted striking mosaics for the basins, showers and bathroom floors for the lodge. The choice of tile types, colours and sizes, as well as, the different sorts of designs is also very versatile.

This vibrant company continues to grow from strength to strength, with trend-setting designs and professional installations. Should you be interested in having Talita Badenhorst design and quote you on a unique mosaic for your home, garden, office or lodge, you can contact her on her e-mail address at talita@badecbros.com  

She will gladly arrange an appointment with you to stun you with her creative ideas.

ODScommerce’s solutions and services are geared towards Small and Medium Businesses by understanding the challenges faced by these businesses and catering to them. By partnering with ODScommerce, clients would experience the following:

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ODScommerce combines a SaaS architecture platform with consulting services to provide a complete Knowledge Process solution for Small to Medium size businesses in sourcing and procurement. Customers may choose to utilize ODScommerce’s complete solution or incorporate a selection of services – such as Spend Analysis, Sourcing Management, or Contract Management – into their sourcing processes.

Each solution adapts to existing business models with procurement /sourcing processes, allowing companies to control the way they acquire goods and services. In as little as 24 hours, the configurable ODScommerce solution can be implemented and fully functional.

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In addition, ODScommerce’s OnDemandservices can be deployed in different ways that provide customers with the level of support they need and the control they desire such as self-serviced, managed and full-service.

Clients could also choose project services where ODScommerce provides professional consulting services for those customers looking to expand on the event services, move into an unexplored areas, or improve upon functionality that already exist in their organizations.

Furthermore, ODScommerce provides a compelling portfolio of Knowledge /Business Process Outsourcing Services that can be counted on to deliver value by a professional team that understands business drivers and what is necessary to bring clients to world class standards to compete in the global environment. These services are available with the ODScommerce solution as individual services or add-ons to the event services.

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It doesn’t matter that you may have had past li(v)es, or many past lives. It does not matter that your aura shows that you are open to the Divine, that angels guide your way, or that you are wise and knowledgeable. It does not matter that you can heal the sick, or speak to the dead. It does not matter that you can see the thread that ties us all together. God talks to everyone. Some of us may see and experience all of these things and more, and others may see and experience none of it. Does that mean that a person or being is held with higher esteem with respect to God? Does it mean they are more special, or that they have been given a gift greater than any other has been given? Some say it does, but does it matter if all we do is try to show others how much better we are? Does it matter if all we do is talk about the glory of all that is good, without caring to share the love that has been bestowed upon us? What purpose is there in knowing if we cannot learn to live the life we speak about? We talk about being One and yet we live our lives as though we are afraid someone will outshine us. We talk about living as One and yet we trust no one. God talks to everyone and yet we are afraid to listen to anyone.

A lo largo de la muy extensa historia de la televisión, ha habido series que han marcado un antes y un después en este noble oficio. Aunque sería imposible hacer un repaso de todas ellas, vamos a intentar echar la vista atrás y rememorar algunas de ellas.

Años 50

Historicamente, los años 50 se consideran como la época del nacimiento de las series tal y como las conocemos hoy. Fue en esta década cuando nació Guiding Light (1952, CBS), la serie de televisión más longueva de la historia (duró hasta 2009). Un año después de ella llegaría otro referente de la televisión, pero esta vez en formato papel, la TV Guide.

Años 60

1963 General Hospital (ABC). El segundo drama más largo de la historia de la televisión, que aún está en emisión en el daytime, y que fue el germen de la también famosa Urgencias.
1966 Star Trek. Una de las primeras series en emitirse por sindicación, pionera en esto de la ciencia ficción y que dio grandes alegrías a las cadenas que la emitieron posteriormente.
1969 Sesame Street (PBS). ¿Quién no conoce esta serie? Un referente indiscutible de la televisión infantil.

Años 70

1976 Charlie’s Angels (ABC). Una de las primeras series en mostrar a las en un rol que normalmente desempeñaban los hombres. Uno de los primeros trabajos de Aaron Spelling.
1978 Dallas (CBS). La serie más vista de la historia a nivel mundial, distribuída a todos los contenientes. Hizo famoso a J.R. y a muchísimas caras conocidas de hoy en día. Si investigáis, igual os lleváis algunas sorpresas.

Años 80

1981 Hill Street Blues (NBC). Un antes y un después en las series policiales, tanto a nivel de argumento como de técnica. Duró sus 146 episodios, y por allí también pasaron muchas caras conocidas.
1985 Golden Girls (NBS). Otro hit de la NBC; que estaba en horas altas, y que por primera vez ponía delante de la cámara a cuatro mujeres de avanzada edad que no dependían de ningún hombre y a que hablaban de todo (casi) sin tapujos.
1987 Married with Children (FOX). En este año nacía la cuarta network, la FOX, y lo hacía con esta famosa comedia como carta de presentación. Sus 11 temporadas atestiguan que fue todo un acierto.
1989 The Simpsons (FOX). A punto de abandoner la década de los 80 nacían Los Simpson, la familia amarilla más famosa del mundo. Su éxito supuso un renacimiento de la animación para adultos.

Años 90

1990 Beverly Hills, 90210 (FOX). Tras atreverse con la animación, a la FOX le dio por los culebrones para adolescentes. De nuevo acertó, ‘Sensación de vivir’ abrió el camino a Melrose Place (1992) y The OC (2003), entre otros.
1993 The X Files (FOX). Y a la FOX ya sólo le quedaba colarse en la ciencia ficción. También fue un acierto que revitalizó un género que desde Star Trek había estado olvidado y que introdujo una de las parejas protagonistas más famosas de la televisión. Además, fue una de las primeras series en tener presencia en internet.
1994 Friends (NBC). La sitcom Americana por excelencia, emitida durante años en la noche del ‘Must See TV’ de los jueves junto a otras grandes comedias como Seinfield, Cheers, Will & Grace, o Fraiser. Su final en 2004 supuso el principio de la decadencia en la que está anclada la NBC.
1997 Stargate SG-1 (Showtime, SciFi) y Buffy the Vampire Slayer (The WB, UPN) siguieron la estela de ‘Expediente X’ y revitalizaron la ciencia ficción en dos canales minoritarios. Stargate tiene el honor de ser la serie de este género más larga de la historia de la televisión, y Buffy se ha convertido con el paso de los años en un referente de la ciencia ficción.
1998 Sex and the City (HBO). Más allá del éxito de audiencia de esta serie, ‘Sexo en NY’ supuso un gran empujón para los canales del cable americano. Por primera vez, cuatro mujeres hablaban sin tapujos de su vida sexual interpretando cuatro estereotipos mayoritariamente masculinos.

Años 2000

2000 CSI (CBS). Con la llegada del nuevo milenio, las networks empezaron una tendencia a la especialización. La CBS eligió los procedimentales y empezó con CSI, una serie que aún hoy continúa en emisión, un gran éxito de audiencia qu supuso un punto de inflexión en la cadena. después llegarían otros, como NCSI o Cold Case (2003).
2004 Con grandes estrenos como Lost (ABC), Desperate Housewives (ABC), House (FOX), The L Word (Showtime), o Veronica Mars (UPN, The CW); 2004 ya es recordado como el año dorado de las series. La gran mayoría de los estrenos de esta camada fueron un éxito, y algunos de ellos aún continúan en emisión.
2005 La influencia del año anterior se pudo notar aún en estrenos como Bones (FOX), Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), How I Meet your Mother (CBS) o Brothers and Sisters (ABC).
2006 Los últimos coletazos de 2004 dieron como resultado el nacimiento de Medium (NBC, CBS), Heroes (NBC), Ugly Betty (ABC) y algunos más. Además, la fusión de The WB y UPN nos invitaba a ser libres, aunque la nueva The CW hiciera aguas desde el mismo día de su nacimiento.
2007 Fue el año en el que vimos nacer el único y relativo éxito de la cadena verde, Gossip Girl (The CW). también en este año tuvo lugar el acontecimiento televisivo más comentado de los últimos años: la huelga de guionistas de USA. Fue la estocada definitiva que destruyó el espíritu de 2004, y del que la industria televisiva americana aún no se ha recuperado.

The Winchester Mystery House was bought by Sarah Winchester, as a normal house, around 1884. She was the widow of William Wirt Winchester, who had been the second president of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company and only son of the company’s owner. When he died, at the age of 44 in 1881, she was grief stricken. Having already lost her only child to marasmus in the 1860s. Believing her family to be cursed she consulted a medium who, it is said, told her that the spirits of the people who had been killed by the winchester rifle were many and they wanted vengeance. The medium told her she had to move west, she originally lived in Connecticutt, buy a house and begin continuous construction on it so that she and the spirits could live in it. She was never to stop building on the house and if she did, she would die. She followed what she had been told, buying the house and beginning work on it immediately. She had an income, from her husband’s death and owning half of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, that gave her the rough equivalent of $22,000 (£13,262) a day. The house was originally an 8 room farmhouse that stood on 162 acres in what is now San Jose, California. Construction work began on the house and continued for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the next 38 years. When Sarah Winchester died in 1922 at the age of 83 work on the house immediately ceased. The house itself is set out in such an odd way that certain doors open onto walls and has staircases that lead nowhere. It is claimed this was ordered by Mrs Winchester so that the spirits would get lost in the house. Staff also needed maps to find their way around. There are around 160 rooms including 40 bedrooms, 10,000 window panes, 7 chimneys, 2 basements, 3 elevators and 2 ballrooms. The number 13 also features heavily in the house. It once reached 7 storeys high but following damage in the 1906 earthquake it is now 4 storeys. The total cost of the building work has been estimated at around $5.5 million ($70 million;  £42,079,285 in 2008) After her death she left the contents of the house to her niece. It reportedly took the removers eight trucks a day for six and a half weeks to empty it. Today it is a tourist attraction, it is said to be haunted, and is open every day except for Christmas. Special tours are held every Friday 13th and Halloween. Thanks for reading.

Um dos Melhores Filmes de Terror dos Últimos Tempos!

Gênero: Terror, Suspense

Censura: 13 anos

Duração: 99 min

Direção: Sam Raimi

Com: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver, Dileep Rao, David Paymer

Local de Filmagem: 20th Century Fox Studios – 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA; California State University Northridge – 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles, California, USA; Tarzana, Los Angeles, California, USA e Union Station – 800 N. Alameda Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Produção: Ghost House Pictures e Sam Raimi

Roteiro: Ivan Raimi e Sam Raimi

Distribuidora: Universal Picture

…

QUEM É QUEM

Christine Brown é interpretada por Alison Lohman - Gamer (2009), Beowulf (2007) e Big Fish (2003).

Clay Dalton é interpretado por Justin Long – He’s Just Not That Into You (2009), Jeepers Creepers (2001), Jeepers Creepers II (2003), Live Free or Die Hard (2007), Funny People (2009) e After.Life (2010).

Jim Jacks é interpretado por David Paymer – Ocean’s Thirteen (2007), Resurrecting the Champ (2007) e In Good Company (2004).

Rham Jas é interpretado por Dileep Rao – Avatar (2009) e Inception (2010).

Sylvia Ganush é interpretada por Lorna Raver – O último trabalho dela, antes desse terror foi Walkout (2006), o restante são séries de TV, interpretando personagens coadjuvantes, nada que marcasse sua participação.

SINOPSE

Christine Brown é uma ambiciosa agente de crédito de um banco em Los Angeles, ela tem um super namorado e um futuro brilhante. Mas em três dias, ela vai para o inferno. Um dia chega ao banco a misteriosa Sra. Ganush implorando pela extensão do financiamento de sua casa própria. Christine nega o pedido para impressionar seu chefe, Sr. Jacks, e acaba sendo amaldiçoada pela velhota. Perseguida por um espírito do mal, ela busca ajuda do médium Rham Jas. Christine fará de tudo para sobreviver, desde sacrifícios até feitiços, mas nada poderá deter essa força maligna, resta esperar e ir para o inferno.

CRÍTICA

Do mesmo produtor de 30 Days of Night (2007), 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (ano indefinido), The Grudge (2004), The Evil Dead (1981 e 2010), Spider-Man 4 (2011), entre outros, DRAG ME TO HELL ou ARRASTA-ME PARA O INFERNO é um dos últimos trabalhos de Sam Raime, que dirigiu, produziu e escreveu esse longa de terror, um dos melhores filmes do gênero dos últimos tempos.

Frequentemente as pessoas são atraídas por imagens, figuras, formas, fotos, cores, etc. Quando se coloca tudo isso em um pôster, peça promocional usada em diversos segmentos comerciais, inclusive o cinematográfico, cria-se uma identidade visual, cuja qual atrai milhares, até mesmo, milhões de pessoas por todo o mundo. No caso da industria cinematográfica, confeccionar pôsteres é uma das inúmeras ações que devem ser feitas para a estréia de um longa metragem, no entanto um pôster mal feito ou mal idealizado pode prejudicar o lançamento de um filme, bem como a conexão do público para com o mesmo.

“Arrasta-me Para o Inferno” chamou a atenção quando lançou o pôster oficial, deixando os aficionados por filmes e terror de cabelos em pé. Realmente o pôster, como mostrado abaixo, é fantástico e ao contrário da maioria dos pôsteres de filmes de qualquer gênero, esse faz jus ao filme.

Não é de hoje que saímos do cinema sussurrando a velha e famosa expressão – “achei que fosse melhor” – tudo porque julgamos o filme pelo pôster, assim como julgamos o livro pela capa, as pessoas pela aparência, etc. Mas no caso desse filme, se você acha ou achou que filme era bom por causa do pôster, acertou!

Na verdade não é bom e sim excelente, faziam anos que eu não assistia a um bom filme de terror, desses que realmente mete um “puta medo do inferno”, com perdão das palavras e que prende agente do começo ao final. Com roteiro convencional e ainda assim atraente, efeitos especiais horripilantes e direção impecável, o filme é imperdível.

A personagem que mais chama atenção e nos deixa apavorados, além de enojados – depois que você assistir vai entender – é uma senhora chamada Sylvia Ganush que é interpretada pela atriz Lorna Raver. Qualquer das inúmeras feições que a atriz faz, nos deixa apavorados, seu personagem mete mais medo do que o personagem fictício ao qual a história é focada.

Ainda em alguns cinemas, ARRASTA-ME PARA O INFERNO é uma ótima opção para os fãs do gênero, além dos sustos garantidos. Vale comentar que a atriz do cartaz não condiz com a atriz do filme, o que uma boa foto não faz! São as mesmas, porém no cartaz ela é selvagem e sexy, ao contrário da imagem passada no filme, de uma mulher frágil e confusa.

bom filme e bom sustos!
roberta vieira

http://www.dragmetohell.co.uk

http://www.dragmetohellmovie.com.au

http://www.dragmetohell.net

ASSISTA AO TRAILER

¨

ASSISTA A OUTROS VÍDEOS

I find myself, unaccountably, with nothing to do for a couple hours today.  This new city life has its innumerable positives, but an aching negative that has weighed on me — the scarcity of quiet time by myself, being.

Of course this is partly my own fault; being silent in thought, meditation and prayer takes a great deal of discipline that I largely still lack.  How many nagging worries would diminish and come back into proper perspective if I would spend more time dwelling before my Father with them and less consulting the opinions of every close friend?

Vinélius di Marco

Acabamos de reler interessante livrinho, de autoria de Dorothy Kerin, originalmente intitulado “The Living touch”, editado em francês com a de­nominação de “Une main me toucha” (“Uma mão me tocou”). Deixem passar o “mamão”, que a mim me “sabe” melhor que a indigesta contração “u’a”, tão em voga hoje em dia…

Professando a religião anglicana, Dorothy Kerin, ao narrar fatos puramente espíritas, preferiu considerá-los milagrosos, pois que obteve cura “diretamente de Deus, de Deus somente”, como se as curas propiciadas pelo Espiritismo tivessem outra origem. Depois de haver peregrinado penosamente pela vasta seara da Medicina, sendo desenganada, pois seu caso era considerado desesperador, diz ela, recorreu ao hipnotismo, a Espíritos benfeitores, à sugestão etc., sem alcançar a cura procurada, vítima que era da tuberculose conseqüente duma pleurisia.

Dorothy assinala haver sua saúde começado a declinar a partir da morte de seu pai. Quatro anos andou às voltas com os médicos e no quinto adoeceu de difteria. Mais tarde, uma pneumonia a encaminhou à pleurisia, que, então, marcou a parte mais acidentada e dolorosa da sua existência. Tuberculosa, sofrendo crises agudas de hemoptise, per­deu as esperanças de sobreviver, quando o último dos vinte e oito médicos lhe disse que era humana­mente impossível salvá-la. Uma peritonite tuberculosa lhe apontava o fim próximo.

Foi quando começou a ter visões estranhas. Pareceu-lhe ver Jesus e formas vestidas de branco, tendo cada uma um lírio na mão. Acreditou ouvir de Jesus: “Dorothy, não poderás vir agora”, isto é, não desencarnarás agora. Sentiu que deslizava no espaço e ouviu uma voz gritar-lhe : “Dorothy! Dorothy! Dorothy!” Então, respondeu: “Estou escutando. Quem é?” Nesse momento, viu-se envolvida em grande luz. Um anjo segurou-lhe a mão, dizendo: “Dorothy, teu sofrimento terminou. Levanta-te e anda!” “Ele passou suas mãos sobre os meus olhos — narra a autora — e eu me encontrei sentada no leito.”

Confessa não ter nenhuma explicação a dar sobre a sua cura instantânea. O Dr. Norman, que a tivera sob os seus cuidados, declarou a um repórter do “Evening News” que já havia perdido a esperança de salvá-la. “Suas enfermidades eram suficientes para matar meia dúzia de pessoas” — ajuntou. Ela apresentava os mais graves sintomas de tuberculose avançada, de diabete e outras complicações. A curva térmica acusava os resultados mais inquietantes, subindo algumas vezes a 105 graus Fahrenheit. Tudo isto foi publicado no citado jornal inglês; em sua edição de 20 de Fevereiro de 1902.

Em face da cura prodigiosa, o referido médico convidou várias sumidades da Medicina a realizarem rigorosos exames na ex-enferma e todos eles concluíram que ela estava curada, mas não podiam explicar como fora possível acontecer isso. “Quinze dias depois — acrescenta Dorothy Kerin — dois especialistas fie fizeram passar pelos Raios X e reconheceram o meu estado de perfeita saúde. O Dr. Murray Leslie recorreu às reações de Von Pirquet e de Calmette, mas ambas foram negativas. A partir desse momento, gozei de uma boa saúde, até o acidente que sofri em Paignton, em Setembro de 1913.”

Como nós sabemos, os fenômenos espíritas podem verificar-se em qualquer ambiente, seja ele católico, protestante, ateu, muçulmano, espírita, etc. O fato de haver a autora consultado “Espíritos benfeitores”, sem resultado, nada significa, porque tal­vez esses Espíritos não estivessem à altura da situação que a eles se apresentava. O fato de serem Espíritos não lhes confere onisciência e onipotência. Mas que ela foi curada através da intervenção espiritual, não há a mais mínima dúvida.

Tanto se tratava de manifestação espírita, que Dorothy Kerin narra, a partir da página 29 da edição francesa de seu livro: “No domingo, 11 de Março, fui despertada do meu sono por uma voz que me chamava: “Dorothy!” Sentei-me na cama e percebi ao pé do meu leito uma claridade maravilhosa, da qual emanava o mais belo rosto de mulher que se possa imaginar. Ela tinha um lírio na mão e veio colocar-se a meu lado, esclarecendo:

— “Dorothy, agora irás fazer o bem. Deus te salvou a vida para te atribuir uma missão importante e privilegiada. Graças às tuas preces e à tua fé, muitas doenças serão curadas. Consola os aflitos e incute a fé nos incrédulos. Conhecerás contratempos, mas superá-los-ás, pois és três vezes abençoada. A graça de Deus te será suficiente, pois Ele não te abandonará jamais.”

E concluiu: “Depois de fazer, com o seu lírio, três vezes, o Sinal da Cruz sobre mim, ela desapareceu. No dia seguinte, quando despertei, o quarto estava ainda impregnado do perfume de lírio.”

Compreende-se sem esforço que Dorothy Kerin era médium, dotada de muita fé em Deus e habituada ao recurso consolador da prece.

“A essa visão sucedeu um período de espera, durante o qual a minha alma aprendeu a se refugiar na paciência. Oh! Como foi difícil permanecer inativa e esperar, enquanto outros seres estavam mergulhando nas trevas espirituais e eu ardia do desejo de participar com eles da alegria dessa saúde e dessa felicidade que recentemente eu obtivera! Enfim, a hora soou e fui convidada a participar de diferentes reuniões e a relatar as minhas experiências.”

Em Outubro de 1912, Dorothy sofreu sério desastre de ônibus, sendo lançada à estrada. Atingida na espinha dorsal, sentia-se desfalecer quando, nesse mesmo momento, foi envolvida por magnífica luz azul e ouviu distintamente uma voz gritar-lhe: “Deus é Amor”. Acrescenta: “Em menos tempo do que estou gastando para dizer estas palavras, fui erguida do chão por mãos invisíveis até à plataforma do auto-ônibus e, toda alegre, escalei depressa os de­graus do veículo. Em seguida, o motorista procurou-me para saber se eu me encontrava gravemente ferida. Pude responder-lhe, com toda a verdade: “Não, e lhe agradeço sinceramente a atenção.” E continuei a viagem sem sentir coisa alguma.”

Muitas provas teve ainda a autora, todas intrinsecamente espíritas. Duma delas, conta: “Pouco tempo depois do acidente no local referido, passava eu de bonde pela ponte Vauxhall, onde o tráfego é intenso, quando, de repente, justamente atrás de mim, pesado caminhão veio atingir em cheio o veículo em que eu me encontrava, pegando-o de lado. Os vidros voaram em estilhaços e eu fui alvo de fragmentos. Mas saí ilesa, sem a menor contusão ou mesmo o menor arranhão.”

Cita o ataque sofrido de um ladrão, do que lhe resultou fratura da base do crânio e ruptura do tímpano do ouvido esquerdo. Teve uma visão de Jesus e salvou-se. Todavia, continuou a sentir dorida a cabeça e a surdez persistia. Pouco depois, era acometida duma crise de apendicite. Ia ser operada quando recebeu de novo a visita do Grande Médico e se sentiu feliz por não precisar mais de operação. Horas antes, a dor que sentia na cabeça se tornara mais intensa e durante toda a noite seu ouvido esquerdo sangrava abundantemente, tornando-se necessária a aplicação constante de tampões de algo­dão. Tornara-se totalmente surda e não ouvia som algum.

Nova visão começara. Ela se sentia como que transportada para fora do quarto, no espaço, cerca­da de legiões de Anjos, segundo sua expressão.

“Um deles se dirigiu a mim, dizendo: “Ainda tens confiança em Jesus?” Respondi afirmativamente e, elevando os olhos, vi um grande círculo formado por Anjos e ao centro dele apareceu Jesus, que me disse: “Fiz muitas obras notáveis, mas eles não creram. Disse-lhes que os tempos chegavam. Então, retornei à Glória a fim de reunir os meus eleitos. E colocarei em meu seio, como cordeiros, aqueles que se mantiverem fiéis. Que a minha vontade seja o teu repouso, e eu te conduzirei.”

“Muitas coisas — continua a autora — que não estou autorizada a divulgar me foram reveladas durante essa visão. Quando ela terminou, reencontrei-me sentada em meu leito. Todas as dores haviam desaparecido e o meu ouvido estava completamente curado. Os meus amigos não haviam saído do quarto e me disseram: “Estás curada, não estás? Nós também sentimos Sua presença”.

“Retirei os tampões do ouvido e, desde esse instante, a hemorragia cessou inteiramente.

“O Dr. George não poderia crer em seus próprios olhos, tanto me achou mudada, e me declarou em perfeita saúde.”

Evidentemente, se os fatos espíritas ocorrem em ambientes não espíritas, as impressões, interpretações e conclusões não podem deixar de trazer consigo os aspectos peculiares aos ambientes em que se verificam. Os católicos, protestantes e talvez outros falem em milagres. Se entendem por milagres os fatos que transcendem às leis naturais, discordamos, dentro da nossa posição simplesmente espírita, pois que tudo quanto sucede é perfeitamente normal e natural. Apenas não são tão comuns quanto ocorrências a que já nos habituamos a conhecer, analisar e qualificar. São tantas as leis naturais que permanecem desconhecidas da Ciência, que mais fácil se torna simplificar as coisas com a denominação de “milagres”.

Os casos citados por Dorothy Kerin, realmente interessantes, mas perfeitamente banais no conhecimento espírita, não foram milagrosos, apesar de ela ter afirmado a presença de Jesus em suas visões. Não negaremos a possibilidade de essa presença se dar, em casos excepcionais, se grande for o merecimento moral daqueles que a afirmam. A familiaridade com a sua igreja, sem dúvida, pode ter propiciado à autora a impressão de que estava cercada de Anjos e que Jesus a visitava com a fre­quência citada no livro. Mas pode também acontecer que ela, em virtude da sua fé e do seu alto espírito de religiosidade, tivesse mesmo sido contemplada com a presença real do Mestre. Tudo isso, porém, é secundário, porque, agora, o que interessa à finalidade deste artigo é deixar claro que todas as visões assinaladas em “Une main me toucha” não foram milagres, mas, simplesmente, manifestações espíritas. Sob este aspecto, o livro é realmente interessante, ainda que, em tese, não ofereça nada diferente do que já consta de milhares de obras e testemunhos espíritas.

Na visão a que nos referimos em último lugar, achavam-se no quarto outras pessoas, mas nenhuma viu Jesus nem os Anjos. Apenas sentiram, segundo disseram, a presença dele. Isto evidencia que Dorothy Kerin teve esse “privilégio” por ser médium e achar-se espiritualmente em condições de devassar o Invisível, tanto mais que a autora, segundo os documentos anexos em apêndice, teve uma vida verdadeiramente cristã e era dotada de grande fé. O testemunho dos médicos e enfermeiras que a assistiram, assim como de outras pessoas idôneas, demonstram de maneira irrefutável, uma vez mais, a espantosa realidade do Espiritismo.

(Reformador de agosto de 1964)
Texto retirado do “PORTAL DO ESPÍRITO)
http://www.espirito.org.br

It occurred to me recently that in my mad dash to build my internet businesses, I had forgotten or let fall by the wayside some of the most important things I used to do ~ namely, daily affirmations and meditations on what I believe in and my vision for my life and my future.

Over the last few days little things would remind me, little nudges from the universe to get back to basics ~ do the things I did to get here in the first place ~ if I want to continue to grow and succeed.

“But, jeezy creezy!” I thought, “I’m already virtually working two jobs, what with spending every spare minute I don’t spend on teaching, grading, class prep, or answering student email on trying to build an internet business with spit and sealing wax! How am I supposed to find time to write out affirmations and meditate?”

Well, maybe not those exact words, but that was the flavor of my reaction every time the idea of spending some time looking within to reduce my stress and fear and tendency to become weary these days came into my mind.

Then yesterday evening I was clearing files off of my laptop, trying to organize and free up some space (’cause I been downloading a LOT of freebies about internet marketing, niche marketing, affiliate marketing, etc. etc. lately), and I found a freebie I had forgotten I had downloaded ~ it was Dr. Joe Vitale’s “experiment” pdf outlining a 30-day experiment employing intentional meditation.

As I skimmed through it, I remembered why I had downloaded it in the first place (though I didn’t remember when!) and thought: “That would be a good idea (if I had the time).” That part in parentheses wasn’t verbalized in my head but you know it was there.

So I tucked the file up at the top of my screen, where I would see it when I had time to try something like that, and I continued working (read: taking two steps forward and one step back, and one step back, and one step back, when something I was doing by tutorial ~ installing wordpress on my website, it was ~ wasn’t working. Because I was tired, I just kept trying to do the thing that wasn’t working over and over and over ~ ever do that?).

Then one of my favorite TV shows, and one of the few that I actually tape (yes, “tape” on my vcr) came on, and I decided to take a break and watch it. The main plot was interesting to me, as usual, but the sub-plot having to do with Joe (whom I love, because he reminds me so much of James ~ my husband) was what really caught my attention. It had to do with meditation and success.

Well, you don’t have to hit me over the head three times, I can tell ya.

Okay, maybe you do. But as they say, the third time’s a charm ~ so thank you CBS, Medium, Joe (and his cranky old ghost of a father) ~ and most of all, thank you universe ~ for the charm (or kick in the pants!).

This morning, I got up determined to reread Dr. Vitale’s instructions for intentional meditation and put them into practice. Of course I got sucked into other stuff the minute I got on the computer, but when I got tired enough to think about taking a break, I decided now would be a good time to start with the intentional meditation. So I burned a copy of another freebie I got somewhere, an audio file of 15 minutes worth of water sounds, wrote down the intention I wanted to meditate on, went upstairs and began.

It’s not as easy as it sounds, meditation ~ but I’m going to keep doing it (I even put it on my google calendar!), and more importantly, I’m going to believe that it’s working, just as I have always believed in my affirmations ~ and we’ll see where we are in 30 days.

Wish me luck ~ and, if you’re interested, subscribe to my rss feed ~ and I’ll keep you posted.