Thursday, January 15, 2009

Ten signs Your date is a keeper and not a psycho

10 signs your date’s a keeper
Recently I read this fascinating article on evil that reminded me of an ex-boyfriend. The article highlighted what it called the Psychopath Checklist—a list of personality traits that criminal psychiatrists use to help determine whether someone could be a hard-core psychopath capable of committing repeated evil and violent crimes. Guess which traits psychopaths share: Glibness, extreme charm, feelings of high self-worth, pathological lying, being prone to boredom and emotional unavailability.

Ahem! All these adjectives reminded me a lot of a recent ex-boyfriend, who was an adorably charismatic, fun, active, cocky guy—but in the end, turned out to be a lying cheater. The lesson to be learned: The most important trait to look for in a partner is not sexiness, not an entertaining personality—but (ahem!) good, strong character values. What all this comes down to is: There’s a difference between romance and intimacy. Romance is about personality, and intimacy is about character. Romance is about the lure of surface chemistry, charm—your socialised self playing with somebody else’s socialised self. It’s superficial stuff and not necessarily long-lasting. Intimacy is about connecting soul-to-soul, character-to-character —sharing your real self with someone else’s real self —and that’s what’s necessary for a solid, long-lasting relationship. Basically, romance is all that flashy immediate-gratification stuff — like yummy expensive candlelight dinners, luxurious bubble baths — but when the last bubble pops, who is that person lying totally naked next to you in a plain porcelain tub? The latter is the authentic person — the one without all the fake, fancy fanfare — the one who will be there for you in ordinary times and bad times, not just in romantic times. That is, if his or her character is up for it. And how do you figure out if a prospective mate’s character is up for it? Answer the following questions honestly, and you’ll save yourself a lot of time by avoiding the wrong partner.
Is your date kind, respectful and appropriately generous to waiters/waitresses, bus drivers, sales clerks, etc.?
Has he or she confessed to any immoral behavior: Cheating, stealing, lying, inappropriate aggression? If so, how much reflection on this and desire to change has this person shown since then?
Does the person you’re dating have any addictions: Drinking, gambling, shopping? Does he or she want to change—and is he or she working to make change happen?
Does he or she have a lot of lasting friendships or hardly any?
Does your date always tell stories about bad dynamics he or she experiences with other people? Or does he or she seem to get along easily, even swimmingly, with others?
Does he or she comment on news stories with a sense of empathy and awareness, or is the person low on expressing compassion for all that is going on in this world?
Have you witnessed your date doing small acts of kindness (leaving a very big tip for no apparent reason, helping someone with his or her shopping bags)?
Does this person donate time, money and energy to good causes or charities?
Does your date value self-growth—and show this by being open to hearing your grievances, accepting responsibility for problems when merited, and sharing with you how much he or she values learning lessons in life?
Does he or she truly value open communication and know how to listen? When you’re upset or need nurturing, does this person deal with the problem at the speed of life or shut down/stonewall/attack/condescend? A relationship will survive not based on how well you get along but by how well you don’t get along. A couple is only as strong as how well the two individuals can deal with their weakest moments together. Now that you know these 10 key criteria, you can focus on dating people with true keeper potential—those who, if you invest in them, will pay you back with a lifetime of rock-solid love.

Of the Bad Boy Prince Harry's antics

January 2002 Age 17
After tabloid revelations, Clarence House admits Harry has been caught drinking while under age and has tried cannabis. Remedial action: a visit to a rehabilitation clinic, Featherstone Lodge, South London, to see the effects of indulgence. Palace apology
2003 Age 18
Clarence House denies Argentinian and British press reports that Harry has been sent home early from a gap year working holiday on a polo ranch, allegedly for drinking in local bars: "He spent the vast majority of his time at the ranch ... and went out infrequently"
August 2004 Age 19
Achieves grade B in Art A Level and D in Geography after four years at Eton, a performance later questioned at employment tribunal by his former teacher Sarah Forsyth, suing the school unsuccessfully for unfair dismissal. She said she helped him with coursework. Harry's grades held to be all his own work
October 2004 Age 20
Fracas outside London nightclub, where Harry had spent some of the evening. While leaving at 3.15am, he becomes involved in a scuffle with paparazzi photographers, shouting at them: "Why don't you just leave me alone?" Cameraman suffers cut lip
January 2005 Age 20.
Prince pictured with a home-made Swastika on arm, apparently dressed as a German Afrika Korps trooper, while at a friend's fancy dress party. Another Palace apology
March 2007 Age 22
Falls in the gutter outside another London nightclub

Prince Harry creates furore

In mess halls and parade squares across the country, Prince Harry's comments were being chewed over yesterday. As they pondered the media furore, some insisted his comments pointed to a wider problem of racism in the armed forces, but others were quick to come to his defence, claiming his critics had little or no understanding of army life.
However, no one with first-hand experience of the British military seemed remotely surprised that the 24-year-old, who is third in line to the throne, had chosen the term Paki to describe a fellow soldier.
Nabs, who spent 11 years in the British army, described the interest in Prince Harry's comments as "pure nonsense".
"When I joined the army my first nickname was 'Private foreign bollocks', and it was a relief when people started calling me that because I knew that it meant I had been accepted," said the 38-year-old British Muslim, whose family originate from Oman.
"It is the sort of thing that is said with good humour among friends and in that context it is something that we can all take it. What counts in the army is that you are good at your job. If you are then you will get a bit of banter but you will also get respect. If you are not any good people will pick on whatever they can, whether that is that you are ginger or Irish or a woman."
Nabs, who did not want to reveal his full identity, said he agreed with Patrick Mercer, the former Tory frontbench spokesman, who stood down after claiming that being called a "black bastard" was part and parcel of life in the armed forces for ethnic minorities.
"I have been called a 'spear chucker' and a black this or that but it didn't worry me in the slightest because it is just a bit of banter that you give and take ... What people should be more concerned about is those people in the army who don't say anything to your face but are seriously racist behind your back. It is when you find yourself getting all the crappy assignments or failing tests that you know you have passed that racism becomes a much more serious problem."
But another Muslim who served in the army, Nassir Khan, dismissed the idea that calling someone a "Paki" had anything to do with banter. "This is an incredibly insulting term, it's the sort of thing people from the National Front or Combat 18 say before attacking Asian families and I don't understand why, just because he is third in line to the throne and in the army, we are supposed to accept it."
Khan, who served in the army from 1988 to 1999 before being forced to retire through injury, said he was regularly subjected to verbal and physical attacks because of his background.
"When I took the oath of allegiance the man said to me, here's the king's shilling for a cup of tea and a chapati, and although that might sound humorous it was just the start of the racism I experienced." He added that he had received death threats and had been physically attacked because of his background.
"I was told by other soldiers when I was serving in the 1991 Gulf war that I was on the wrong side and to watch my back because they would shoot me if they got a chance.
"I got death threats through the post saying if I returned to work I would be killed and I was also badly beaten up by two Paras. None of this was banter - it was pure racism, and when someone like Prince Harry is caught describing someone he works with as a Paki it convinces me nothing much has changed."
Khan, who says his family has an association with the British army dating back to the first world war, sued the MoD for race discrimination and received an out of court settlement in 2000.
"I have children who are now talking about wanting to join, but after my experience there is no way I would let then sign up to an institution that accepts that level of racism or tries to dismiss what Prince Harry says as banter."
Other soldiers were more sympathetic towards the prince, claiming people outside the army often failed to understand what life in the forces was like.
James Moulton, a former officer who served in Iraq with the Irish Guards and now works as a security risk adviser in Geneva, said: "It appears to have been borderline banter which went slightly over the mark. I'm in no way saying racism is acceptable but we have to remember he didn't say it in public. It was said to another soldier whom he knew very well and as far as we know it was not found offensive by that person or anyone else around at the time."
Moulton, 33, said it was important to see the remark in context.
"People put up with nicknames and the like in the army - from Irish soldiers being called Paddy to the Welsh being called Taffy - and it is often in the context of fairly intense experiences and perhaps the banter sometimes reaches a level that would not be acceptable outside. But I can honestly say that the black and Asian soldiers I knew did not suffer because of their race or religion or whatever - you have to remember that when people join the army everyone of the same rank is seen as equal ... that is the bottom line."
Another ex-army officer also said that the whole thing had been blown out of proportion, although he said the phrase used by the prince was offensive.
"Paki is a very, very rarely used term as far as I am concerned. It was naive of him to say what he said, and to film it, but it is difficult to extrapolate out of that that there is institutional racism in the army. I never used that language about any of my soldiers, I would never be that crass. Soldiers call each other manky bastard and things like that all the time, but not Paki, that's an unusual mistake."
A senior NCO said he was sure the prince had not meant what he said in a derogatory manner. "I'm not sticking up for him - I am coming from the soldiers' angle here. The boys' reaction is the papers are making a lot out of not a lot.
"I think Harry was very naive but that sort of thing should be kept within the army circle, though I am not saying that racism should be tolerated or that bullying should be in the army. You can tell by the tone of voice that he is not being racist. It's just like somebody calling him ginger. It's exactly the same. It wasn't meant to be racist. It wasn't nice but it wasn't meant to be offensive. That's just the way soldiers are."
He added: "I might call somebody a bent bastard and the guy might be a homosexual but I don't mean it like that. It depends how it is said. If I went up to him and jabbed him in the chest and said "you are a fucking bent bastard" then it would be using the term badly, but if I want to go up to someone and say "come on you bent bastard, get a move on" then that's quite a different thing."
He said all the serving soldiers he had spoken to believed the reaction to the prince's remarks had been way over the top.
"Within the armed forces, because we are dealing with a lot emotionally - seeing your friends killed, people losing body parts - we take things more lightly and you can handle a bit of flak about where you come from or what colour you are. The guy that Harry called a Paki wasn't crying or moaning about it. You don't know if he gave him much stick back and called him a posh ginger twat."

Rob Gauntlett,the Young Adventurer still inspires

Rob Gauntlett's life was cut short at the age of 21 during a mountain expedition in France last weekend, but the young Briton is being remembered as a legend by his colleagues and friends.
Rob Gauntlett, who finished a 26,000-mile journey between the earth's poles last year, died last weekend.
"Every time I wake up, or do something that [takes] me a long time, or messed up my body, I think of Rob and say, 'Oh come on, this is nothing,' " Diego Gonzalez Joven told CNN. "He could have probably walked around the moon 20 times solo and he would have had the same impact on everyone. ...
"He has done so much more than many people have done in many lifetimes."
Gauntlett became the youngest Briton to summit Mount Everest -- the world's highest peak -- in 2006, just days after his 19th birthday. He accomplished that feat along with James Hooper, his friend and former classmate.
Gauntlett died in a climbing accident along with fellow mountaineer James Atkinson in the French Alps, the British Foreign Office confirmed Sunday. Both were 21.
Their bodies were found by another group of climbers on Saturday in the Mont Blanc area, according to British media reports. It is unclear exactly how they died.
Hooper was on the same expedition in the French Alps, but told the British media he decided not to take the same route because he "didn't like the look of the weather."
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Gonzalez, 26, trekked through sandstorms and dodged traffic with Gauntlett and James Hooper during part of their 26,000-mile journey from one of Earth's magnetic poles to the other.
National Geographic Adventure magazine awarded Gauntlett and Hooper the 2008 Adventurers of the Year award for that feat, in which they used only skis, sleds, sails and bicycles. The magazine described the pole-to-pole expedition, which began in March 2007 and ended in April 2008, as "the most madcap adventure we saw all year."
Fellow British adventurer Ben Saunders posted the news of Gauntlett's death on his blog, which prompted several responses.
"I met Rob at a charity event in London late last year and was struck by how personable and self-effacing he was," wrote Saunders, who holds the record for the longest solo Arctic journey by a Briton, according to his Web site. "His passing has come as a huge shock."
"Rob did a talk at my school not too long ago and I can't believe he's now gone," wrote Jessica Strickson.
"I live at the school Rob went to as my dad is a teacher here and Rob is known as a legend around the place," according to a post by a person identified only as James.
"An inspiration," he wrote.
Gonzalez said during the seven months he spent with the two British adventurers on their journey to the South Pole, Gauntlett was "the pack leader" who rose at the crack of dawn and had everything organized before the rest of the team woke.
He recalled a bicycle trek through the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, during a sandstorm:
"The sand would hit you so hard on your cheek, you would have to cycle with one eye open," Gonzalez said. "[Rob] would never never stop. It was such a rush. We would camp and he would be the first one up. He would set up the table, have breakfast ready, everything.
"You would hear the pots and pans making sounds and that was pretty much the alarm."
Gauntlett would always handle the massive amount of paperwork required when the team crossed international borders, Gonzalez recalled.
"One time I remember we crossed [into] El Salvador from Guatamala. He had a gastrointestinal infection. ... He was pale and sweaty and but he kept cycling," Gonzalez said. "Everyone would tell him, 'You should take a break.' "
Gonzalez spoke to CNN from Mexico City, where he just finished a bicycle trip from Austin, Texas, with his blind roommate. His next adventure is a 600-mile swim from Veracruz, Mexico, to Key West, Florida.
Asked if Gauntlett's death gave him any pause, Gonzalez said he took more inspiration from the way Gauntlett lived his life.
"By just listening to him ... he would say, 'Man, I hope I can make an impact on this world' ... and I guess that God has decided there are some some tougher mountains in heaven and he took him to try them out."

Legendary quotes from Movie Casablanca

Mr. Leuchtag: Come sit down. Have a brandy with us. Mrs. Leuchtag: To celebrate our leaving for America tomorrow. Carl: Oh, thank you very much. I thought you would ask me, so I brought the good brandy. And - a third glass! Mrs. Leuchtag: At last the day is came! Mr. Leuchtag: Mareichtag and I are speaking nothing but English now. Mrs. Leuchtag: So we should feel at home when we get to America. Carl: Very nice idea, mm-hmm. Mr. Leuchtag: [toasting] To America! Mrs. Leuchtag: To America! Carl: To America! Mr. Leuchtag: Liebchen - sweetnessheart, what watch? Mrs. Leuchtag: Ten watch. Mr. Leuchtag: Such much? Carl: Hm. You will get along beautiful in America, mm-hmm.
[denying an official of the German National Bank entrance to the casino] Rick: Your cash is good at the bar. Banker: What? Do you know who I am? Rick: I do. You're lucky the *bar's* open to you.
Woman: What makes saloonkeepers so snobbish? Banker: Perhaps if you told him I ran the second largest banking house in Amsterdam. Carl: Second largest? That wouldn't impress Rick. The leading banker in Amsterdam is now the pastry chef in our kitchen. Banker: We have something to look forward to.
Ugarte: Heh, you know, watching you just now with the Deutsche Bank, one would think you've been doing this all your life. Rick: Oh, what makes you think I haven't? Ugarte: Oh, n-n-n-nothing, but when you first came to Casablanca, I thought... Rick: You thought what? Ugarte: Hm, what right do I have to think, huh?
Ugarte: You know, Rick, I have many a friend in Casablanca, but somehow, just because you despise me, you are the only one I trust.
Berger: We read five times that you were killed, in five different places. Victor Laszlo: As you can see, it was true every single time.
Captain Renault: Carl, see that Major Strasser gets a good table, one close to the ladies. Carl: I have already given him the best, knowing he is German and would take it anyway.
Captain Renault: In 1935, you ran guns to Ethiopia. In 1936, you fought in Spain, on the Loyalist side. Rick: I got well paid for it on both occasions. Captain Renault: The *winning* side would have paid you *much better*.
Captain Renault: Rick, there are many exit visas sold in this café, but we know that *you've* never sold one. That is the reason we permit you to remain open. Rick: Oh? I thought it was because I let you win at roulette. Captain Renault: That is *another* reason.
Annina: Monsieur Rick, what kind of a man is Captain Renault? Rick: Oh, he's just like any other man, only more so.
Ilsa: Play it once, Sam. For old times' sake. Sam: [lying] I don't know what you mean, Miss Ilsa. Ilsa: Play it, Sam. Play "As Time Goes By." Sam: [lying] Oh, I can't remember it, Miss Ilsa. I'm a little rusty on it. Ilsa: I'll hum it for you. Da-dy-da-dy-da-dum, da-dy-da-dee-da-dum... [Sam begins playing] Ilsa: Sing it, Sam. Sam: [singing] You must remember this / A kiss is still a kiss / A sigh is just a sigh / The fundamental things apply / As time goes by. / And when two lovers woo, / They still say, "I love you" / On that you can rely / No matter what the future brings-... Rick: [rushing up] Sam, I thought I told you never to play-... [Sees Ilsa. Sam closes the piano and rolls it away]
Ilsa: I wasn't sure you were the same. Let's see, the last time we met... Rick: Was La Belle Aurore. Ilsa: How nice, you remembered. But of course, that was the day the Germans marched into Paris. Rick: Not an easy day to forget. Ilsa: No. Rick: I remember every detail. The Germans wore gray, you wore blue.
Rick: Tell me, who was it you left me for? Was it Laszlo, or were there others in between? Or - aren't you the kind that tells?
Ilsa: Rick, I have to talk to you. Rick: [Rick is drunk] Uh-huh. I saved my first drink to have with you. Here. [passes her a drink] Ilsa: No. No, Rick, not tonight. Rick: *Especially* tonight. Ilsa: Please... [he pours a drink] Rick: Why did you have to come to Casablanca? There are other places. Ilsa: I wouldn't have come if I'd known that you were here. Believe me Rick, it's true I didn't know... Rick: It's funny about your voice, how it hasn't changed. I can still hear it. "Richard, dear, I'll go with you anyplace. We'll get on a train together and never stop - " Ilsa: Don't, Rick! I can understand how you feel. Rick: [scoffs] You understand how I feel. How long was it we had, honey? Ilsa: [on the verge of tears] I didn't count the days. Rick: Well, I did. Every one of 'em. Mostly I remember the last one. The wild finish. A guy standing on a station platform in the rain with a comical look in his face because his insides have been kicked out. Ilsa: Can I tell you a story, Rick? Rick: Has it got a wild finish? Ilsa: I don't know the finish yet. Rick: Well, go on. Tell it - maybe one will come to you as you go along. Ilsa: It's about a girl who had just come to Paris from her home in Oslo. At the house of some friends, she met a man about whom she'd heard her whole life. A very great and courageous man. He opened up for her a whole beautiful world full of knowledge and thoughts and ideals. Everything she knew or ever became was because of him. And she looked up to him and worshiped him... with a feeling she supposed was love. Rick: [bitterly] Yes, it's very pretty. I heard a story once - as a matter of fact, I've heard a lot of stories in my time. They went along with the sound of a tinny piano playing in the parlor downstairs. "Mister, I met a man once when I was a kid," it always began. [laughs] Rick: Well, I guess neither one of our stories is very funny. Tell me, who was it you left me for? Was it Lazlo, or were there others in between or... aren't you the kind that tells? [Ilsa tearfully and silently leaves. Rick's face falls in his hands sadly, knowing that he's said all the wrong things]
Captain Renault: [to Ilsa] I was informed that you were the most beautiful woman ever to visit Casablanca. That was a *gross* understatement. Ilsa: [genuinely pleased] You're very kind.
Senor Ferrari: As the leader of all illegal activities in Casablanca, I am an influential and respected man.
Rick: Don't you sometimes wonder if it's worth all this? I mean what you're fighting for. Victor Laszlo: You might as well question why we breathe. If we stop breathing, we'll die. If we stop fighting our enemies, the world will die. Rick: Well, what of it? It'll be out of its misery. Victor Laszlo: You know how you sound, Mr. Blaine? Like a man who's trying to convince himself of something he doesn't believe in his heart.
[about Rick] Major Strasser: You give him credit for too much cleverness. My impression was that he's just another blundering American. Captain Renault: We musn't underestimate "American blundering". I was with them when they "blundered" into Berlin in 1918.
Ilsa: A franc for your thoughts. Rick: In America they'd bring only a penny, and, huh, I guess that's about all they're worth. Ilsa: Well, I'm willing to be overcharged. Tell me. Rick: Well, I was wondering... Ilsa: Yes? Rick: Why I'm so lucky. Why I should find you waiting for me to come along. Ilsa: Why there is no other man in my life? Rick: Uh-huh. Ilsa: That's easy: there was. And he's dead.
Major Strasser: Are you one of those people who cannot imagine the Germans in their beloved Paris? Rick: It's not particularly my beloved Paris. Heinz: Can you imagine us in London? Rick: When you get there, ask me! Captain Renault: Hmmh! Diplomatist! Major Strasser: How about New York? Rick: Well there are certain sections of New York, Major, that I wouldn't advise you to try to invade.
[Rick and Renault discussing Victor Laszlo's chances of escaping Casablanca] Captain Renault: This is the end of the chase. Rick: Twenty thousand francs says it isn't. Captain Renault: Is that a serious offer? Rick: I just paid out twenty. I'd like to get it back. Captain Renault: Make it ten. I'm only a poor corrupt official.
[Ugarte sells exit visas] Ugarte: You despise me, don't you? Rick: If I gave you any thought I probably would.
Ilsa: I can't fight it anymore. I ran away from you once. I can't do it again. Oh, I don't know what's right any longer. You have to think for both of us. For all of us. Rick: All right, I will. Here's looking at you, kid. Ilsa: [smiles] I wish I didn't love you so much.
Ugarte: Rick, think of all the poor devils who can't meet Renault's price. I get it for them for half. Is that so... parasitic? Rick: I don't mind a parasite. I object to a cut-rate one.
Yvonne: Where were you last night? Rick: That's so long ago, I don't remember. Yvonne: Will I see you tonight? Rick: I never make plans that far ahead.
[Annina is contemplating Renault's offer of exit visas for sex] Annina: Oh, monsieur, you are a man. If someone loved you very much, so that your happiness was the only thing that she wanted in the world, but she did a bad thing to make certain of it, could you forgive her? Rick: Nobody ever loved me that much. Annina: And he never knew, and the girl kept this bad thing locked in her heart? That would be all right, wouldn't it? Rick: You want my advice? Annina: Oh, yes, please. Rick: Go back to Bulgaria.
Captain Renault: How extravagant you are, throwing away women like that. Some day they may be scarce.
Captain Renault: Hello Rick. Rick: Hello Louis. Captain Renault: How extravagant you are, throwing away women like that. Someday they may be scarce. You know, now I think I shall pay a call on Yvonne. Maybe get her on the rebound. Hmm? Rick: When it comes to women, you're a true democrat.
Captain Renault: What in heaven's name brought you to Casablanca? Rick: My health. I came to Casablanca for the waters. Captain Renault: The waters? What waters? We're in the desert. Rick: I was misinformed.
Rick: I stick my neck out for *nobody*!
Major Strasser: What is your nationality? Rick: I'm a drunkard. Captain Renault: That makes Rick a citizen of the world. [all laugh]
Victor Laszlo: I know a good deal more about you than you suspect. I know, for instance, that you're in love with a woman. It is perhaps a strange circumstance that we both should be in love with the same woman. The first evening I came to this café, I knew there was something between you and Ilsa. Since no one is to blame, I - I demand no explanation. I ask only one thing. You won't give me the letters of transit: all right, but I want my wife to be safe. I ask you as a favor, to use the letters to take her away from Casablanca. Rick: You love her that much? Victor Laszlo: Apparently you think of me only as the leader of a cause. Well, I'm also a human being. Yes, I love her that much.
Rick: I'm the only cause I'm interested in.
Rick: I'm sorry for asking. I forgot we said no questions. Ilsa: Well, only one answer can take care of all our questions. [She approaches his lips for a kiss]
Rick: [to Ilsa] I wouldn't bring up Paris if I were you, it's poor salesmanship.
Captain Renault: Ricky, I'm going to miss you. Apparently you're the only one in Casablanca with less scruples than I.
[Of Victor Laszlo, who wants to escape from Casablanca] Captain Renault: No matter how clever he is, he still needs an exit visa... or I should say two? Rick: Why two? Captain Renault: He is traveling with a lady. Rick: He'll take one. Captain Renault: I think not. I have seen the lady.
Captain Renault: My dear Ricky, you overestimate the influence of the Gestapo. I don't interfere with them and they don't interfere with me. In Casablanca I am master of my fate! I am... Police Officer: Major Strasser is here, sir! Rick: You were saying? Captain Renault: Excuse me.
Rick: I congratulate you. Victor Laszlo: What for? Rick: Your work. Victor Laszlo: I try. Rick: We *all* "try"; *You* succeed!
Rick: You know what I want to hear. Sam: [lying] No, I don't. Rick: You played it for her, you can play it for me! Sam: [lying] Well, I don't think I can remember... Rick: If she can stand it, I can! Play it!
Captain Renault: We are very honored tonight, Rick. Major Strasser is one of the reasons the Third Reich enjoys the reputation it has today. Major Heinrich Strasser: You repeat *Third* Reich as though you expected there to be others! Captain Renault: Well, personally, Major, I will take what comes.
Rick: Who are you really, and what were you before? What did you do and what did you think, huh? Ilsa: We said no questions. Rick: ...Here's looking at you, kid.
Major Strasser: We have a complete dossier on you: Richard Blaine, American, age 37. Cannot return to his country. The reason is a little vague. We also know what you did in Paris, Mr. Blaine, and also we know why you left Paris. [hands the dossier to Rick] Major Strasser: Don't worry, we are not going to broadcast it. Rick: [reading] Are my eyes really brown?
Rick: [looking over his own dossier which has been shown to him by Major Strasser] Are my eyes really brown?
Rick: I'm on their blacklist - their roll of honor!
Captain Renault: [after Rick pulls a gun on him] Have you lost your mind? Rick: I have. Sit down! Captain Renault: Put that gun down! Rick: I don't want to shoot you, but I will if you take one more step! Captain Renault: [With amusement] Under the circumstances I will sit down.
Senor Ferrari: Might as well be frank, monsieur. It would take a miracle to get you out of Casablanca, and the Germans have outlawed miracles.
[after observing the gambling tables at Rick's] Customer: Are you sure this place is honest? Carl: Honest? As honest as the day is long!
[as he goes to hand Renault a bribe] Jan Brandel: Captain Renault... may I? Captain Renault: Oh no! Not here please! Come to my office tomorrow morning. We'll do everything businesslike. Jan Brandel: We'll be there at six! Captain Renault: I'll be there at ten.
Rick: How can you close me up? On what grounds? Captain Renault: I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here! [a croupier hands Renault a pile of money] Croupier: Your winnings, sir. Captain Renault: [sotto voce] Oh, thank you very much. [aloud] Captain Renault: Everybody out at once!
Rick: Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine.
Ilsa: I love you so much. I hate war so much.
Ilsa: [laughs ironically] With the whole world crumbling, we pick this time to fall in love. Rick: Yeah, it's pretty bad timing. Where were you, say, ten years ago? Ilsa: [trying to be cheerful] Ten years ago? Well, let's see... [remembers, smiles] Ilsa: Oh, yes, I was having a brace put on my teeth. Where were you? Rick: Looking for a job.
Ilsa: Kiss me. Kiss me as if it were the last time.
Rick: And remember, this gun is pointed right at your heart. Captain Renault: That is my *least* vulnerable spot.
Captain Renault: Major Strasser has been shot. Round up the usual suspects.
[last lines] Rick: Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Rick: Last night we said a great many things. You said I was to do the thinking for both of us. Well, I've done a lot of it since then, and it all adds up to one thing: you're getting on that plane with Victor where you belong. Ilsa: But, Richard, no, I... I... Rick: Now, you've got to listen to me! You have any idea what you'd have to look forward to if you stayed here? Nine chances out of ten, we'd both wind up in a concentration camp. Isn't that true, Louie? Captain Renault: I'm afraid Major Strasser would insist. Ilsa: You're saying this only to make me go. Rick: I'm saying it because it's true. Inside of us, we both know you belong with Victor. You're part of his work, the thing that keeps him going. If that plane leaves the ground and you're not with him, you'll regret it. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life. Ilsa: But what about us? Rick: We'll always have Paris. We didn't have, we, we lost it until you came to Casablanca. We got it back last night. Ilsa: When I said I would never leave you. Rick: And you never will. But I've got a job to do, too. Where I'm going, you can't follow. What I've got to do, you can't be any part of. Ilsa, I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you'll understand that. Now, now... Here's looking at you kid.
Captain Renault: Realizing the importance of the case, my men are rounding up twice the usual number of suspects.
Captain Renault: Oh no, Emil, please. A bottle of your best champagne, and put it on my bill. Emil: Very well, sir. Victor Laszlo: Captain, please... Captain Renault: Oh, please, monsieur. It is a little game we play. They put it on the bill, I tear up the bill. It is very convenient.
Victor Laszlo: Welcome back to the fight. This time I know our side will win.
Victor Laszlo: Everything is in order. Rick: All except one thing. There's something you should know before you leave. Victor Laszlo: Mr. Blaine, I don't ask you to explain anything. Rick: I'm going to anyway because it may make a difference to you later on. You said you knew about Ilsa and me. Victor Laszlo: Yes. Rick: What you didn't know was that she was at my place last night when you were. She came there for the letters of transit. Isn't that true, Ilsa? Ilsa: Yes. Rick: She tried everything to get them and nothing worked. She did her best to convince me she was still in love with me but that was over long ago. For your sake she pretended it wasn't and I let her pretend. Victor Laszlo: I understand. Rick: Here it is. [hands Lazlo the letters of transit] Victor Laszlo: Thanks. I appreciate it. Welcome back to the fight. This time I know our side will win. [airplane engines start] Victor Laszlo: Are you ready, Ilsa? Ilsa: Yes, I'm ready. Good-bye Rick. God bless you. Rick: You better hurry. You'll miss that plane.
Ilsa: Who is Rick? Captain Renault: Mamoiselle, you are in Rick's! And Rick is... Ilsa: Who is he? Captain Renault: Well, Rick is the kind of man that... well, if I were a woman, and I were not around, I should be in love with Rick. But what a fool I am talking to a beautiful woman about another man.
Rick: How long was it we had, honey? Ilsa: I didn't count the days. Rick: Well, I did. Every one of them. Mostly, I remember the last one, the wild finish. A guy standing on a station platform in the rain, with a comical look on his face, because his insides have been kicked out.
Ilsa: Thank you for the coffee, monsieur. I shall miss that when I leave Casablanca. Senor Ferrari: It was gracious of you to share it with me.
[Ugarte gives letter of transit to Rick for safe keeping] Ugarte: Rick, I hope you're more impressed with me, now? Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll share my luck with your roulette wheel. [Starts to walk away] Rick: [stands up; Ugarte stops] Just a moment. I heard a rumor those two German couriers were carrying letter of transit. Ugarte: Huh? Oh, huh, I heard that rumor too. Poor devils. Rick: [sternly] You're right, Ugarte. I *am* a little more impressed with you. [Rick exits casino]
Captain Renault: [seeing a uniformed French officer talking non-stop to an Italian officer] If he ever gets a *word* in, it'll be a major Italian *victory*.
Captain Renault: By the way, last night you evinced an interest in Señor Ugarte. Victor Laszlo: Yes. Captain Renault: I believe you have a message for him? Victor Laszlo: Nothing important, but may I speak to him now? Major Heinrich Strasser: You would find the conversation a trifle one-sided. Señor Ugarte is dead. Ilsa: Oh. Captain Renault: I am making out the report now. We haven't quite decided yet whether he committed suicide or died trying to escape.
Rick: I don't like disturbances in my place. [to the German officer] Rick: Either lay off politics, or get out.
Ilsa: I wish I didn't love you so much.
Captain Renault: I was informed you were the most beautiful woman ever to visit Casablanca. That was a gross understatement.
Rick: You'll excuse me, gentlemen. Your business is politics, mine is running a saloon.
Captain Renault: I've often speculated why you don't return to America. Did you abscond with the church funds? Run off with a senator's wife? I like to think you killed a man. It's the Romantic in me. Rick: It was a combination of all three.
Rick: [getting drunk] First they take Ugarte and then she walks in. Well, I guess that's the way it goes... one out and one in.
Ugarte: Too bad about those two German couriers, wasn't it? Rick: They got a lucky break. Yesterday they were just two German clerks. Today they're the "Honored Dead". Ugarte: You are a very cynical person, Rick, if you'll forgive me for saying so. Rick: [shortly] I forgive you.
Sam: Boss, ain't you going to bed? Rick: Not right now. Sam: Ain't you planning on going to bed in the near future? Rick: No. Sam: You ever going to bed? Rick: No! Sam: Well, I ain't sleepy either.
Yvonne: [Yvonne is drunk] Give me another. Rick: Sascha, she's had enough. Yvonne: Don't listen to him, Sascha. Fill it up! Sascha: Yvonne, I loff you, but he pays me.
Ugarte: Well, Rick, after tonight, I'll be through with the whole business and I am leaving finally this Casablanca. Rick: Who did you bribe for your visa? Renault or yourself? Ugarte: Myself. I found myself much more reasonable.
Rick: If it's December 1941 in Casablanca, what time is it in New York? Sam: What? My watch stopped. Rick: I'd bet they're asleep in New York. I'd bet they're asleep all over America.
[first lines] Narrator: With the coming of the Second World War, many eyes in imprisoned Europe turned hopefully, or desperately, toward the freedom of the Americas. Lisbon became the great embarkation point. But, not everybody could get to Lisbon directly, and so a tortuous, roundabout refugee trail sprang up - Paris to Marseilles... across the Mediterranean to Oran... then by train, or auto, or foot across the rim of Africa, to Casablanca in French Morocco. Here, the fortunate ones through money, or influence, or luck, might obtain exit visas and scurry to Lisbon; and from Lisbon, to the New World. But the others wait in Casablanca... and wait... and wait... and wait. French officer: To all officers - two German couriers carrying important official documents murdered on train from Oran. Murderer and possible accomplices headed for Casablanca. Round up all suspicious characters and search them for stolen documents. Important.
Captain Renault: [to Rick regarding Ilsa] She was asking about you earlier in a way that made me very jealous...
Rick: Why did you come back? To tell me why you ran out on me at the railway station? Ilsa: ...Yes. Rick: Well, you can tell me now. I'm reasonably sober.
[Rick has just allowed Jan and Annina Brandel to win at roulette in order to get money for their exit visas] Sascha: [kissing Rick on both cheeks] You have done a beautiful thing! Rick: [embarrassed] Get outta here, you crazy Russian!
Ilsa: [in her goodbye letter] Richard, I cannot go with you or ever see you again. You must not ask why. Just believe that I love you. Go, my darling, and God bless you. Ilsa.
[Rick has been on a long drinking binge] Emil: [serving Rick another drink] *You* are becoming your *own* best *customer*! Captain Renault: [surprized] Why Ricky, I'm *pleased* with you- *Now* you're beginning to live like a *Frenchman*!

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Paris has slept with couple of men

Socialite Paris Hilton has let slip the number of men she's slept with!

Socialite Paris Hilton has let slip the number of men she's slept with!Paris Hilton, star of the infamous leaked sex tape One Night In Paris, has revealed the magic number of men she has slept with. "I've only done it with a couple of people. People make up stories, but mostly I just kiss," she told Glamour magazine. "I think it's important to play hard to get. Nobody wants the fake Prada bag; they want the brand new bag that no one can get and is the most expensive. If you give it up to a guy he won't respect you; he'll want you much more if he can't have you."


Saturday, November 29, 2008

siena miller,another hollywood break-up











Tom Meinelt-Jackson Lee/Splash News
Hookup and Breakup Rumors: Sienna & Getty 'Cooling Off'?
Posted Nov. 3, 2008

Has a recent pair of romantic getaways caused Sienna Miller and Balthazar Getty to want to get away from each other? The London Daily Mail claims the shirts-optional squeezes, who were photographed sharing a lingering lip-lock in New York last week and groping each other in Italy the week before, are going through a rough patch. Among the purported problems plaguing their bad PR-generating dalliance: Getty's failure to file for divorce from wife Rosetta, the mother of his four children, and Miller's love of the nightlife, which doesn't jibe with the actor's lower-key life. "Sienna is back in London to give them both some cooling-off time," a source alleges to the paper. "They are still together at the moment, but she has said things aren't good. There have been some pretty unpleasant rows, largely over Balthazar's reluctance to commit." The paparazzi-suing starlet is supposedly "devastated" over the turn of events. "She knows she's been branded a marriage wrecker, but she swears it isn't the case," defends the confidant. "She says the marriage was over when she and Balthazar met and that he was ready to move on. He promised her the Earth, but he hasn't kept to any of his promises and has made no moves as far as a divorce is concerned." Sienna, adds the snitch, "is totally paranoid he is going to go back to his family. She feels very let down by Balthazar." (Something tells us she's not the only one.) The actress has also been "missing her party lifestyle," blabs the insider. "She has come back to have some fun and forget about Balthazar for a while."

©Lee Roth/Roth Stock/Retna Ltd.
Holly Madison puckers up to Criss Angel at his "Believe" premiere in Las Vegas on Oct. 31. (©Retna Ltd.)

Sharing an octogenarian with his two other girlfriends probably does a number on one's self-esteem, which might explain why "Girls Next Door" blonde Holly Madison, 28, has quickly rebounded from Hugh Hefner with ooky illusionist Criss Angel, who last year hypnotized romanced the A-list likes of Cameron Diaz. The Playmate and the mind freaker, who were first linked back in September, puckered up for the cameras on Friday in Las Vegas for the premiere of Angel's critically gutted Cirque du Soleil production, "Believe." "This is one of the most special evenings for me in my life, and I cannot think of a more beautiful person, a more special person, inside and out, than Holly to spend it with," Angel enthused to People, before classily adding to "Extra," "You want the exclusive? We're good friends and we love spending time with each other. ... Friends with benefits, yeah!" As for her seven-year relationship with the Playboy icon, Madison says, "I want to be with somebody I can have more of a future with eventually. Hef and I can't get married and have kids. ... So, it was fun while it lasted, but it wasn't right for my old age. I got too old for Hef."

©Retna Digital
Salma and Francois-Henri hit Madonna's Malawi benefit in New York earlier this year. (©Retna Ltd.)

They're no longer engaged, but Salma Hayek and Francois-Henri Pinault still appeared to be feeling the amour as they took in a weekend soccer game in his hometown of Rennes, France. "They were very together," an eyewitness tells People. "They talked a lot during the match and exchanged tender looks. ... They seemed very much in synch with each other." The actress and the moneybags mogul, who are parents to 1-year-old cutie-pie Valentina, called it quits in July, but they've recently been spotted spending quality time together in Los Angeles and Paris, leading to reconciliation speculation.

©Sara De Boer/Retna Ltd.
Terri Seymour and Simon Cowell attend the "American Idol" Season 7 grand finale in Los Angeles last May. (©Retna Ltd.)

Simon Cowell may be experiencing the exact same emotional response to being dumped by raspy-voiced "Extra" reporter Terri Seymour as he did to the end of Sanjaya's reign of coiffure terror on "American Idol," namely, relief. "Simon has basically been waiting for Terri to announce the relationship is over for months," a pal tells the London Daily Mail. "She has been a weight around his neck for a long time, but the problem was that his mother absolutely adored Terri and thought the world of her, so Simon was in a bit of a rut. ... Simon is hugely relieved. He said, 'Thank God' when he heard Terri had gone public with the split." While Cowell, 49, may not be upset about their parting of ways after six years of togetherness, his mom sure is. "Everyone in our family loves her. She's like part of the family and always will be. At the end of the day, Simon doesn't want a family, and I think that's got a lot to do with it," Mama Cowell shares with the London Sunday Mirror, before chiming in to the Mail, "The split was really based on the fact that she wanted a baby and to get married." Simon's rep confirmed that rug rats were a sticking point, telling People, "In the past, Terri has said that she wants kids but that just isn't Simon." And despite rumblings linking Seymour, 34, to -- ewww -- Stephen Dorff, the mouthpiece insists, "Nobody else is involved, certainly not on Simon's side." Meanwhile, it turns out Terri may have received a lovely parting gift for losing the game of love with the "Idol" dream-crusher. The Mirror says he bought her a house in Los Angeles.