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Superman Returns, the new film by Bryan Singer, is the fifth movie to tell the story of a simple young boy from another planet who falls to earth and grows up to be the Man of Steel, helping people and averting disasters that would end the world.

Here is a quick look at the first four films, that were made in the 70s and 80s.

Superman (1978) - The original film sees Christopher Reeve play Superman.

With the planet Krypton facing destruction, scientist Jor-El takes drastic measures to preserve the Kryptonian race - he sends his infant son Kal-El to Earth to become a champion of truth and justice. Kal-El grows up as Clark Kent and eventually learns the truth about his family and realises that he must use his abilities for good. Clark moves to Metropolis where he becomes a mild-mannered reporter for the Daily Planet newspaper, and also becomes his alter-ego, Superman, a defender of law and order. However, deep below Metropolis Lex Luthor is plotting evil. Can Superman thwart his nasty plans and save millions of innocent people?

Superman II (1980) - Christopher Reeve returns - The adventure continues.

Superman saves France by throwing a nuclear bomb deep into space. Unfortunately the bomb explodes, freeing three Kryptonian criminals from captivity. Meanwhile Superman has decided to relinquish his superhero powers to live happily ever after with Lois Lane. As the criminals, led by General Zod, join up with Lex Luthor to take over the world, Clark Kent has to decide whether to try to regain Superman’s powers and face his biggest battle yet.

Superman III (1983) &ndash If the world’s most powerful computer can control even Superman…no one on earth is safe.

Superman has saved the world against villains from Earth and from Krypton, but will he cope when a super-computer, and its programmer, set out to destroy him? In between his attempts to save the world, Clark returns to his old High School and meets an old flame.

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) - Nuclear Power. In the best hands, it is dangerous. In the hands of Lex Luthor, it is pure evil. This is Superman’s greatest battle. And it is for all of us.

In an attempt to take over the world arms market Lex Luthor clones Superman to make Nuclear Man. Luthor hopes Nuclear Man will take on and beat Superman. Thankfully, Superman saves the Statue of Liberty, repulses a volcanic eruption of Mount Etna, and rebuilds the demolished Great Wall of China. And saved the world.

Texas Holdem has become such a popular Game that most tournaments now days are Texas Holdem games, and there are even 2 or 3 television shows dedicated to the game. Texas Holdem is a 5 card poker game, but instead of each layer being dealt 7 cards, the dealer deals 5 cards in the center of the table, these cards are used by all the players to make the best hand possible. To make your hand each player is also dealt 2 cards and the object is to use the cards in your hand and the ones on the table to make the best hand you can.

There are 5 rounds of Texas Hold’em Poker and they are:

The Pre-Flop

The Flop

The turn

The River

The Showdown

During a Texas Holdem game between each round there is a round of betting, and is when players with bad hands may fold.

In the game of Texas Holdem the first round is the pre flop. During this round the big and the small blinds place their bets, the big and small blinds are the first two players to the dealers left. Before the players are allowed to look at their cards the small blind must place a bet of half the table minimum and the next player who is the big blind must place a bet of the table minimum and then the dealer gives each player their hole cards. The hold cards is the name of the 2 cards each player has that are exclusively theirs, these cards guarantee that each player has a chance to make a better hand then the other players, without them all you would have is the 5 communal cards.

In Texas Holdem the next round is the flop. This is when the dealer deals out the first 3 of the 5 communal cards. It is during this round that most players will fold; betting in this round is usually very conservative because 2 more cards are still needed and betting big on the chances that the cards you need are the ones that will appear is taking a big chance with your money, one that can coast you to bust out of the game early.

The third round is called the turn. The turn is when the dealer puts out the 4th communal card. At this point you can get a good idea of your chances of getting a winning hand and now is when the betting starts to heat up, and more people will drop out of the game.

The river is the last of the 5 cards to be turned over by the dealer. At this point all the cards available to make the hands have been put out, this is also the last time to bet before turning over the cards.

The last round of Texas Holdem is the showdown, this is when all players turn over their cards and a winner is declared.You now have all the information you need to start playing Texas Holdem.

If we put aside the black ties, the velvet curtains and the overall exclusive atmosphere, baccarat is one of the simplest casino games around. In addition, baccarat is a beatable game with a low house edge, which makes it one of the best bets you can make! Here you can read about baccarat history and learn how to play the game.

Both the American and European versions of baccarat and the French Chemin de Fer are late developments of the Italian game called baccara, which means zero in Italian. The origins of baccara go back to an old Etruscan myth. According to the myth, a blonde virgin had to toss a nine sided die to decide on her destiny. If the die landed on eight or nine, she would have to fulfill her destiny and become a priest. If the die landed on six or seven, she would be forbidden to participate in any religious activity. If the die landed on any other number, the virgin had to walk into the sea.

The Italian game baccara was popular among French aristocracy during the end of the 15th century. Baccara had evolved to the European version of baccarat, which is still played in European casinos today as well as the French variation of baccarat known as Chemin de Fer, which is mainly played in casinos in France. The American version of the game was introduced to Nevada casinos in the 1950s by Francis Tommy Renzoni, who imported the game from Havana.

Baccarat still carries an aroma of aristocracy and exclusivity. In American casinos, baccarat is played in a separated area of the casino, hidden behind velvet curtains. Baccarat players are usually dressed up and the betting limits are higher comparing to other table games. In order to attract the medium budget players, a lower limit version of baccarat, called mini baccarat, was invented. Mini baccarat is played on a smaller table, inside the casino gambling area with lower betting limits than baccarat.

How to Play Baccarat

Baccarat is played with 3 dealers and up to 12 or 14 players. Baccarat is usually played with 8 standard card decks. Aces valued as one, face cards and ten cards valued as zero, and the rest of the number cards worth their face value. The suit has no meaning. The object of the game is to get as close to 9 as possible.

The play begins by all players, including the dealer, placing their bets either on the player, the banker, or on a tie. Traditionally, the dealer bets on the banker. The dealer can be the house dealer or one of the players. After everyone has placed their bets, the dealer gives two cards to each player and to the banker.

The score of each hand is calculated as the sum of the two cards minus the left digit. For example, if the sum of the two cards is 15, the score would be 5. The decision whether to deal a third card is determined by a set or rules and it is not up to the player or the dealers decision.

If the score of the players hand is 9 or 8, he wins

If the score of the dealers hand is 9 or 8, it is a tie

If a players score is 7 or 6, he can be dealt a third card

If a players score is 5 or less, he has to receive a third card

If a player gets a third card and the score of the dealers hand is 2, 1 or 0, he must draw a third card

If the score of the dealers hand is 3 and the players third card is any value but 8, he must draw a third card

If the score of the dealers hand is 4 and the players third card value is between 2 and 7, he must draw a third card

If the score of the dealers hand is 5 and the players third card value is between 4 and seven, he must draw a third card

If the score of the dealers hand is 6 and the players third card is 6 or 7, he must draw a third card.

If the score of the dealers hand is 7, he cannot draw a third card.

You work hard to earn your money and you want the best values when you spend it. You don’t want the same service you paid for last year to be almost 10% more expensive this year without offering you more for your money. Because of this, you need to look into switching to Dishnetwork for your television service needs. Dishnetwork has over 14 programming packages that are meant to fit everybody’s budget and most people will qualify for free initial equipment and installation. Not only does each package offer tons of programming choices, but every one of Dish Network’s receivers give you tons of convenient features. As your needs or budget changes, you can easily change your package to meet your new circumstances.

If you are currently dissatisfied with your high cable bill and limited selection, you will especially love Dishnetwork’s values. Dishnetwork offers hundreds of channels all in fully digital format for the best picture resolution and sound outside of HDTV format. And, while cable’s land-based cable system limits both the selection of channels and the availability of programming, Dishnetwork is able to provide high-quality service to almost everybody, even if you want high definition programming. Plus, Dishnetwork’s prices have remained fairly stable while cable’s prices have been quickly rising, giving satellite subscribers a feeling of security. As resource intensive technologies like HDTV become more widespread and cable struggles to upgrade its infrastructure to provide access, Dishnetwork will seem like an even better value.

Once you have decided that subscribing to Dishnetwork makes more sense than sticking with your current company, you will get to choose from a variety of programming packages. The America’s Top 60, America’s Top 120 and America’s Top 180 are the most popular standard definition TV packages. With all of these you will get great channels like CNN, Disney, ESPN, and Comedy Central for hours of enjoyment. The 120 and 180 channel packages also include Audio Music channels and SIRIUS Radio so you can enjoy music and talk radio when you don’t feel like watching TV. High definition programming is also at its best with Dishnetwork. With four package options that include up to 29 HD channels and 240 standard definition channels, you will experience the best of HDTV and regular programming. In fact, DishNetwork offers the most HDTV channels out of any company with genres that include movies, sports, news, games, cartoons, art, nature and culture. And if you want more channels than you have with your programming package, you can add extra sports shows, international packages, and special individual channels.

Because you will have so many channels to choose from, you might want the convenience of a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) to make recording shows as easy as clicking a remote control button. Whether you need to record a show because you will be out of your home, or you want to record one channel while watching another show, the Dishnetwork DVR will make it simple to correctly record what you need. And, if you are watching a program live and get interrupted, the DVR will let you either pause or replay your live program. Even if you choose not to get a DVR, Dishnetwork’s electronic program guide and features like browse, favorites lists and bookmarks, will give you easy access to the shows you want to watch.

DishTV offers the best service at the lowest prices, to give you the best value for your money. If you are interested in receiving the most programming and the latest technology, you will want to check out the special offers Dishnetwork is providing to new subscribers. Your search for the best home entertainment has come to an end. Start now.

Gambling in its various forms has been popular for centuries in different cultures all over the entire world. Whether through the national lottery, in horse racing tracks or in casino table games, people are wagering their money hoping to win big time. Although the number of people who go home with life changing winnings is much smaller than the number of people who have left their money in the casinos, race tracks or bingo halls, the popularity of the pastime has not been reduced through the years.

Despite the low odds of stepping out as winners in most popular forms of gambling is a well known fact, even though gambling suffers from a bad reputation and even when it is illegal, gambling is still one of the most popular pastimes in the world. So, why do people gamble? The most obvious answer would be money, but it will not be a full answer. There are many other reasons that drive people to the nearest gambling facility. Here we will try to offer an answer to this disturbing question.

Luck: the irrational believe in luck is engraved in most of us. These unexplained gut feelings that a special day or a certain number is luckier than the others are sends a lot of people to gamble or even gamble on the same numbers over and over again.

Social Purposes: have you ever wonder how can a group of people beat the pants off someone in a poker game and remain best buddies? You can see it in bingo halls, casino bars and friendly poker games: many people see gambling as an opportunity to make new friends or spend time with old friends in addition to the chance of earning additional money.

Entertainment: many people visit casinos and play their favorite casino games simply because they love it and they are having a great time. In Las Vegas casinos for example, you will meet more recreational gamblers who see gambling as part of their vacation activities than professional gamblers who take gambling as a serious source of income.

Excitement: the act of gambling apparently can give you quite an adrenaline rush. Regardless of the money aspect, the anticipation of the outcome of the game while still not knowing whether it would match your bet is what makes all forms of gambling so thrilling and exciting.

Relaxation: as opposed to the accelerated adrenaline rush described by many gamblers, many gamblers find the gambling experience relaxing. When you think about it, what can be more relaxing than ending a busy work week in the comfortable casino atmosphere, playing your favorite game and served free drinks?

Boredom: whether exciting or relaxing, when the daily lives become an unbearable routine, gambling can serve as a way to escape reality.

Money: in addition to all the reasons mentioned above, gambling allegedly provides an opportunity to can earn unbelievable amounts of money within short time and minimum investment. Even if you are aware to the exact mathematical odds of beating each and every gambling game, if you are an optimist by nature, this slightest chance would nevertheless drive you to a casino, a bookie, a lottery terminal or a bingo hall.

Here, I focus on a range of items and features that we use in life without giving them a second thought such as Coca Cola, body muscles and holding ones own breath. Though, most of these notes are not fundamentally necessary, they are such that you can use them for a good laugh, at a drinks party or for picking up women or men.

1) Coca-Cola: Did you know that its original colour was green?

2) Mohammed: Did you know that this is the most used name in the entire world?

3) Geographical Letters: Did you know that the name of each of the continents begins and concludes with the exact same alphabet? Do not believe that? Look up Asia, Europe, Africa, America, Antarctica and the rest.

4) Muscle Strength: Did you know that the strongest muscle in the entire body is that one which we use to lick a popsicle? Your tongue.

5) Credit Cards: In the United States, were you aware that each and every person has at least two credit cards?

6) An Antique Machine: The word for an old machine that was once used for writing letters and other documents is the largest word that one can make if they click only on a single row of their computer’s keyboard: typewriter!

7) Blink: Men wink at women, but research has found out that the average woman blinks nearly two times more than the average man.

Suicide: Even though you might have wondered if it was possible, studies have discovered that it is impossible to kill oneself by simply holding in your breath.

9) Licking: However much you may try, you will never be able to lick your elbows.

10) Sneeze: Try sneezing. People will automatically answer you with a bless you greeting. Have you ever imagined why? Some say that this happens because a sneeze stops the functioning of the heart for a very tiny second.

11) The Blue Sky: Did you know that a pig, no matter how much they try, cannot look up into the sky?

12) Twisting Your Tongue: We have all dabbled with different tongue-twisters in our day. But do you know which is the toughest? Sixth sick sheiks sixth sheeps sick.

13) Ribs: Did you know that you should try not to sneeze too strongly. Why? A very powerful sneeze has the ability to cause a fracture in your ribcage. But, then again, if you try and withhold one, you stand the chance of breaking one of the many blood vessels in your neck or head. This could cause death.

14) Cards: Did you think that the Kings are all just random cards referring to random figures? No. Each one signifies a different king: Diamonds for Julius Caesar, Clubs for Alexander the Great, Spades for David and Hearts for Charlemagne.

15) And finally: Most everyone reading this (Caught You!) are trying to lick their elbows at this exact moment!

Conclusion: Most of these are not scientific facts, but they are hilarious, funny and can be used to lighten up the ambience when a conversation has gone dull. Use any and see your popularity rise up to great heights. Visit .gambling-portal.com for more jokes.

In the new movie Ratatouille, Remy has a problem. As with many who live in France, he has a passion for fine food, and a gift for making it. His keen sense of smell serves him very well as an enthusiastic gourmet, and in his ability to pick just the right combination of ingredients to create magical flavors. And great food is that to him &ndash magic. It has a power that fills him with wonder and awe.

Only problem is, Remy is a rat.

Merde! What’s a rat to do?

His pragmatic father, Django (Brian Dennehy), otherwise unimpressed with Remy’s culinary ambitions, puts his son to work as the family clan’s official rat poison detector. Remy (Patton Oswalt) makes do as best he can, until he is caught pilfering some saffron from a little old lady’s countryside cottage kitchen. The little old lady is not too happy with this, and reacts by spraying her kitchen with shotgun fire.

Chaos ensues, and the rat clan, which had been residing in the attic, is forced to evacuate into the sewers. Remy becomes separated from his family, and eventually finds his way into the heart of Paris. With the help of his imaginary sidekick who has taken the form of his idol, Chef Auguste Gusteau (Brad Garrett), he finds his way into Gusteau’s restaurant.

The restaurant has seen better days. It’s previous owner, Gusteau, died of a broken heart after a vicious review from the powerful food critic Anton Ego (Peter O’Toole) resulted in the loss of one of the restaurant’s 5 stars. The new chef, Skinner (Ian Holm), a pint-sized conniving tyrant with a Napoleon-complex, has not helped it. He is more interested in exploiting Gusteau’s reputation to produce a line of microwavable food products than in restoring the old restaurant’s grandeur.

Remy becomes involved in the restaurant’s fate when he reacts in horror at the sight of the garbage boy, Linguini (Lou Romano), making an inept attempt at spicing up a soup behind the cook’s back. He rescues the soup by adding some choice ingredients of his own, but is discovered. Linguini, realizing that the rat has a talent for cooking that he himself does not possess, takes him in. He and the rat work out a system whereby Remy controls him like a puppeteer, using Linguini’s hair like strings. Thus, a great culinary partnership is born.

Ratatouille is the eighth feature film by Pixar Animation Studios, and will only help to continue to cement the studio’s ever-growing reputation as a creator of technically brilliant and beautiful films that are paired with wonderful storytelling.

Movie-lovers occasionally express the lament that the soul of a movie, the story, often gets sidelined in favor of glitzy, eye-catching computer wizardry. Pixar has proved that you can have it both ways. Its talent for stunning and breathtaking computer imagery has gone hand-in-hand with compelling stories that are packed with heart and moral depth.

Following in this tradition, we are treated to the gorgeous skyline of Paris with its Eiffel Tower, the subtle detail of each scallop and piece of fruit, as well as the great depth of emotion each character shows on their face. The message of believing in yourself, of never giving up your dreams, comes through loud and clear. The importance and strength of family ties, even when those same family members don’t always understand you or your dreams, is also shown.

Foodies will appreciate the respect and reverence given to gourmet cuisine in this film. Throughout the movie, it feels as if the creators are as passionate about great food as Remy is. There is a level of sophistication and knowledge about how a gourmet kitchen works that is impressive, and is an element that will draw grownups to the film along with their kids. And even though those same kids may not quite understand what “sweetbreads” are, it would not surprise me in the least if Ratatouille ends up inspiring another generation of future chefs.

This degree of familiarity with haute cuisine is the result of cooking classes the Ratatouille crew took, as well as their consultation with professional gourmet chefs. Producer Brad Lewis even interned with Thomas Keller, the legendary chef and owner of The French Laundry. It also didn’t hurt that the Sets and Layout Manager, Michael Warch, was a professional chef before working at Pixar and holds a culinary degree.

The sense of authenticity extends into the rhythm of work displayed in Gusteau’s kitchen, which is also filled with some of the characters one might find in Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential. There is the Sous-Chef who had been in prison for some mysterious reason (he keeps changing the story) and the tough-as-nails Colette (Jeanene Garofalo), who teaches the hapless Linguini the down-to-earth gritty realities of working in a busy restaurant kitchen.

There are some last caveats for young ones, even though the movie is rated G. Remy is often running for his life and avoiding various deadly implements. There is also a scene of a rat-poison shop that has a grotesque display of dead rats in its window. Despite all this, my 4-year-old daughter was engaged throughout the whole movie, though she did start to cry at an emotional low-point when Remy & Linguini weren’t getting along.

By the ending credits, the audience was applauding &ndash further evidence of just how special this film was. All in all, this is a grand film fantastique that both adults and young children can enjoy (a rare treat!). You may not be able to take your child to a real gourmet restaurant yet, but you can visit Gusteau’s. Go, see it and enjoy this feast of a movie. Bon app

It is not uncommon for a man to want to have a night out with the boys, maybe play a little poker. It is also not uncommon to have the plans of men thwarted by their wives.

To help with this problem I am telling you the secrets about how to have some harmless fun at home without the wife catching on.

The best way to get rid of the wife so you can have a little “Man Time” is the easiest but most expensive way to do it. For her birthday you get her and one of her friends a trip to a weekend spa place.

Your wife will think you the best hubby ever and will never suspect you are going to throw a poker game in her absence, and the best part of this plan is that when it is over your wife will be so grateful for what you have done she may be more inclined to allow you to go out with the boys more often.

The next way is a little complicated and will only give you 4 or 5 hours of time at best, but it is much less expensive then a trip for 2. It may seem a little childish and yes I also have seen it on TV but a scavenger hunt scam can work.

The trick to the scavenger hunt is that each spot has to mean something. An example would be the first place you ever went on a date as one of the places she needs to go.

The end of the game is the most important make the last stop a restaurant and make sure to be there before she does. A good idea is to try to think of something meaning full in the area of where you live so you do not have far to drive, this will leave you the maximum amount of time to lay poker with your pals.

I have to admit this is not the ideal way to play poker, but getting away with even an hour of poker without her knowing is more excitement than any regular poker game could ever be.

Now that you have a plan to get her out of the house you need to be ready to go. The most important part of this is a large plastic drop cloth. This is so that if anything spills it will be simple to clean up.

Make sure you are ready to go with the table and chairs and make sure they get put back exactly the same as when you took them. You may want to use a digital camera to make sure you remember exactly how everything was before the game, because I promise you that you wife does.

If you send your wife on the trip I do not recommend using a cleaning service right before she comes back. If the house is too clean she will know something funny is going on

The last two tips I have is to make sure that you have a really nice gift around at all times just incase she finds out, and the other is that if your wife and your friends wives are friends do not invite those friends, if one guy gets caught you will all get caught.

Good Luck.

Blackjack is one of the few casino games that are beatable in the long run. It means that by using a basic blackjack strategy you can have an advantage over the casino and eventually step away from the blackjack table as a winner. Here you can find the basic blackjack strategy explained in a simplified manner.

The blackjack strategy is based on the mathematical probabilities of the game and it provides you guidance on the best decisions to make at every possible situation during the game. It takes about an hour to memorize this strategy but it is worth every minute. This does not man you will win every single blackjack game from now on, but with the help of the blackjack strategy, patience and persistence, you can significantly improve your chances of beating the casino in the long run.

Note that some blackjack rules vary from one casino to another. In some casinos, both brick and mortar and internet casinos, blackjack is played with one card deck while in others the blackjack game occupies four decks or more. In addition, in some of the casinos the dealer hits on a soft 17 while in others he is required to stand and doubling after splitting is allowed only in some of the casinos.

Here you can find a basic strategy to a single deck blackjack game where the dealer hits on soft 17. Playing other blackjack variants would require you to make some adjustments for a few borderline occurrences.

First, here is a short introduction to the terms mentioned here:

Hard Hand: two initial cards that do not include an Ace.

Soft Hand: two initial cards that one of them is an Ace

Stand: when a player is not asking to be dealt more cards after the two initial cards.

Hit: when a player calls for an additional card to be dealt

Double: when a player doubles his initial bet after the initial deal, but it requires him to hit only one card.

Split: when a player separates the initial two cards into two individual hands and plays them as 2 hands.

Finally, here is a basic blackjack strategy:

When your initial two card hand sums up to 8 or less: hit

When your hand sums up to 9 and the dealer hand value is between 3 and 6: double if else: hit when your hand sums up to 10 and the dealer hand value is between 2 and 9: double; if else:

When your hand sums up to 11 and the dealer hand value is between 2 and 10: double; if else hit.

When your hand sums up to 13, 14, 15, or 16 and the dealer hand value is between 2 and 6: stand; if else hit.

When your hand sums up to 17: stand.

when your initial two card hand contains Ace 2 or Ace 3 and the dealer has either 5 or 6: double; if else: hit.

When your hand contains Ace 4 or Ace 5 and the dealer has 4, 5 or 6: double; if else: hit.

When your hand contains Ace 6 and the dealer has 3, 4, 5 or 6: double; if else: hit.

When your hand contains Ace 7 and the dealer has 2, 7 or 8: stand; if he has 3, 4, 5 or 6: double; if else: hit.

When your hand contains Ace 8 or Ace 9: stand

When your hand contains a pair of 2s or 3s and the dealer hand value is between 2 and 7: split; if else: hit

When your hand contains a pair of 4s and the dealer has either 4 or 5: split; if else: hit

When your hand contains a pair of 5s and the dealer hand value is between 2 and 9: double; if else: hit

When your hand contains a pair of 6s and the dealer hand value is between 2 and 6: split; if else: hit

When your hand contains a pair of 7s and the dealer hand value is between 2 and 7: split; if else: hit

When your hand contains a pair of 8s: split

When your hand contains a pair of 9s and the dealer hand value is between 2 and 7 and either 8 or 9: split; if else: stand

When your hand contains a pair of 10s: stand

When your hand contains a pair of 8s: split