a m a z i n g :: g r a c e

In light of all of the recent SOPA talk here, I thought this might be of interest

gracerevealed — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:31:43 GMT

Originally posted by kidkai at In light of all of the recent SOPA talk here, I thought this might be of interest

ACTA in a Nutshell –

What is ACTA? ACTA is the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. A new intellectual property enforcement treaty being negotiated by the United States, the European Community, Switzerland, and Japan, with Australia, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Mexico, Jordan, Morocco, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and Canada recently announcing that they will join in as well.

Why should you care about ACTA? Initial reports indicate that the treaty will have a very broad scope and will involve new tools targeting “Internet distribution and information technology.”

What is the goal of ACTA? Reportedly the goal is to create new legal standards of intellectual property enforcement, as well as increased international cooperation, an example of which would be an increase in information sharing between signatory countries’ law enforcement agencies.

Essential ACTA Resources -

Read more about ACTA here: ACTA Fact Sheet
Read the authentic version of the ACTA text as of 15 April 2011, as finalized by participating countries here: ACTA Finalized Text
Follow the history of the treaty’s formation here: ACTA history
Read letters from U.S. Senator Ron Wyden wherein he challenges the constitutionality of ACTA: Letter 1 | Letter 2 | Read the Administration’s Response to Wyden’s First Letter here: Response
Watch a short informative video on ACTA: ACTA Video
Watch a lulzy video on ACTA: Lulzy Video

Say NO to ACTA. It is essential to spread awareness and get the word out on ACTA.

Via Tumblr

This entry was also posted at http://cantarina.dreamwidth.org/131889.html. (comments: )

Edit:
Link to Petition (ty to killzmeded)
https://www.accessnow.org/page/s/just-say-no-to-acta

Also, please remove my name from the top of the auto-generated post script if you repost this. I didn't know it did that.

gracerevealed — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 03:22:04 GMT

PEOPLE

kirsten dunst ll michelle williams ll santi(o)gold
daniel radcliffe ll candice accola ll emma watson
rihanna ll paul wesley ll rafael nadal

MOVIES

fast five ll water for elephants ll hanna ll secretariat ll shame ll harry potter and the deathly hallows pt 2 ll melancholia ll mission impossible 4

TV SHOWS

game of thrones

"A great series should challenge viewers to pay attention, to connect dots and anticipate connections. Thrones manages a superior complexity without ever making you think that you’ve lost the connection to the story. It’s paced with precision and the carefully crafted assemblage of characters unspools at such a rate that you can keep up while keeping tabs on their ever changing moods. It’s difficult to single out the most accomplished parts of Thrones. The ambition is immense, the fantasy world exceptionally well-conceived, the writing and acting elevating the entire series beyond contemporaries like The Borgias and Camelot, and the visual appeal continues to surprise with each episode." --hollywood reporter

friday night lights

"Most series, indeed most dramas, rely on clear objectives, daunting impediments and a satisfying resolution. "Friday Night Lights," like life itself, has none of these. The objectives are uncertain, the impediments nearly metaphysical and no resolutions are in the offing. Without this clarity, there is something ineffably sad and tearful about "FNL," which is why, along with those football highs, it may have the greatest emotional range of any series ever on television. It can be at turns triumphant and heartbreaking, though heartbreaking prevails." --la times

justified

"Justified is a wonderfully immersive slice of life that makes you feel that it's entirely possible that if you have good intentions, even if you mess up, even if you care more than you logically should, the cavalry might ride to your rescue. You might be pulled back into a painful orbit that you tried to escape years ago, but you don't have to stay the same person. You might take a life, but it might be -- yes -- justified. And it may well be your own. If there's a better trio of actors on TV than Olyphant, Goggins and Martindale, or a stronger ensemble overall, you'd be hard-pressed to find it. " --usa today

boardwalk empire ll spartacus: gods of the arena ll american horror story ll suits ll the walking dead

(ANTI)HEROES ll VILLAINS

john snow ll gannicus ll tim riggins ll arya stark ll boyd crowder the white walkers ll enoch thompson ll mags bennett ll tate langdon ll lucretia ll death

COUPLES

dan/blair ll caroline/tyler ll jimmy/angela

daeneryns/drogo ll simon/alisha ll ava/boyd

Icons

{01-04}
{05-08}

{09-12}

{13-16}

{17-20}

{21-24}

++comment if you take
++all comments are love
++don't hotlink
++don't repost on tumblr, i have my own

GOODBYE 2011, HELLO 2012

gracerevealed — Mon, 02 May 2011 03:06:55 GMT

BREAKING NEWS:

OSAMA BIN LADEN IS DEAD.

gracerevealed — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 20:36:19 GMT

hey flist. nothing new really. still have lots of school work, but i made some icons to destress. if there's any skins fans out there (generation 3), then you'll like it. enjoy :)

here @ bijoou

gracerevealed — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 03:51:28 GMT

My Favorites of 2010

Men

tom hardy

barack obama // brad pitt // leonardo dicaprio

michael pitt // johnny depp // ian somerholder

jensen ackles // joseph gordon-levitt // kid cudi // paul wesley

charlie hunnam // rafael nadal

Women

cate blanchett

natalie portman // zoe saldana

serena williams // lady gaga // sandra bullock

angelina jolie // michelle obama // blake lively

TV Shows

spartacus: blood and sand

boardwalk empire

sons of anarchy

the vampire diaries

friday night lights

misfits

Movies

Honorable Mentions

howl the town robin hood

inception

black swan

toy story 3

invictus (2009)

harry potter and the deathly hallows (part 1)

four lions

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

bruno mars // janelle monae

nas & damian marley // sia

hotstreets // kanye west

--inspired by burymyregret and ilovedyoufirst
--please DONT' HOTLINK or REPOST ON TUMBLR
--i FINALLY got one of these things done
--happy new year and enjoy!

gracerevealed — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 07:38:36 GMT

0 0 9 "Goodbye Carlos Moya"

It's not how I dreamt of ending my career.

After a foot injury in early 2009, followed by recurrent hamstring problems, hip issues and peroneal
tendinitis, Carlos Moya called time on his career on November 21st, 2010. Moya, a former French
Open champion, was the first Spanish player in the Open Era to claim the number one ranking.
The Mallorcan retired in London with a ceremony held by the ATP, honoring his achievements and
surrounded by close friends and peers.

0 0 8 "She's Baa-aack"

A flame I thought was extinguished forever, suddenly lit up again.

In January 2010, Justine Henin stormed back into women's professional tennis with a wildcard entry
at the Brisbane International Tournament. Though very close to winning, she was defeated by Kim
Clijsters in the final. Justine's main reason for returning to the WTA has been to win Wimbledon,
the one Slam she has yet to best. Since June, Henin has been injured with a ruptured tendon in her
elbow. The Belgian plans to make her second comeback in January 2011 at the Hopman Cup in
Perth, Australia.

0 0 7 "Lucky Number 13"

Hey, Billie, I got you!

Serena Williams won the Australian Open earlier in the year, making that her 12th career major
title. She had now equaled Billie Jean King on the All-Time list. In July, she would win
Wimbledon and 13th major over-all, by beating Vera Zvonereva 6-3, 6-2. That's the most among
active women and gives Serena sole possession of sixth place on the all-time list.

0 0 6 "Serbia Stands Alone"

It's historic. This is our biggest success as individuals, as a team, as a country.

With a historic win over France, Serbia became the 13th nation to win the Davis Cup since its
inception in 1900. Viktor Troicki was the hero for his country as he thrashed France's Michael
Llodra in the decisive rubber to give the home side their first Davis Cup victory. Serbia only made
their Davis Cup debut in 1995, a fact which did not elude any of the teams' players. Before the
final, several members said that winning the title would be the greatest achievement in the
nation's short sporting history. According to Novak Djokovic, winning the Davis Cup was "the best
moment of my career and probably of my nation. This is like winning the World Cup for us."

0 0 5 "Nothing Is Impossible"

This means that everybody has a chance, to be who you really want to be, and to do everything in your life. This is what’s happened to me.

Francesca Schiavone, at age 29, did the unthinkable by winning the French Open in June 2010.
She became not only the first Italian woman to win the title, but the oldest first-time female
Grand Slam champion in the Open era. Schiavone’s career rode a long plateau before
taking slow rise over the past year. She made the French Open quarterfinals in 2001 but left
most Grand Slam events in the first week. She said she always dreamed of winning the French
Open more than anything else. “Maybe it was far away in the reality,” she said, moving her
hand to her heart, “but, here, never far away.”

0 0 4 "Sweet Sixteen"

“It’s also very special the first Grand Slam as a father...you get the best out of me.”

Last year, Federer sobbed when Rod Laver presented the winners’ trophy to Nadal, having
missed a chance to equal Pete Sampras’ record 14 career majors. But he recovered from
that defeat to claim his first clay court major at the French Open, completing a career Grand
Slam of titles and equaling the Sampras record. After winning at Wimbledon, he added the
2010 title to his wins at Melbourne Park in 2004, 2006 and ’07, becoming only the fifth man
to win four Australian titles. This victory also gave Roger Federer his 16th Grand Slam title,
further deepening his stamp on history.

0 0 3 "Elena's Farewell"

While I look forward to the next chapter of my life, I will miss all of you very much.

Elena Dementieva retired from tennis on October 29th, 2010 after a loss to Francesca Schiavone
at the WTA Championships in Qatar. She left the sport with 16 titles, but none in majors, giving
her the dubious distinction of greatest player to never win a Grand Slam. During the ceremony,
she was joined on the court by the other players in the tournament, including two who didn't have
any scheduled matches for the day. That simple gesture by players in a notoriously unfriendly
sport said more about Elena Dementieva than any hole on her resume possibly could.

0 0 2 "Epic"

Nothing like this will ever happen again. Ever.

At the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, in the Gentlemen's Singles tournament, the American
23rd seed John Isner beat the French qualifier Nicolas Mahut in the longest match in tennis
history, measured both by time and number of games. The match began on Tuesday 22 June
2010 and ended on on Thursday 24 June. After 11 hours, 5 minutes of play over three days, the
final score was 6–4, 3–6, 6–7(7–9), 7–6(7–3) 70–68 (183 games). Former tennis Champion John
McEnroe said, "This is the greatest advertisement for our sport. It makes me proud to be a part
of it. We often don't get the respect we deserve in tennis for the athletic demands it places on
players, but this should push that respect way up." It was, put simply, epic.

Records That Fell

* The "longest official tennis match in history."
* It is the longest Grand Slam match, surpassing the previous record of six hours and 33 minutes at the 2004 French Open (Fabrice Santoro bt Arnaud Clement).
* According to the BBC, the fifth set is the longest ever to have been played in a tennis match.
* It has seen the most number of games ever played in a match, beating the previous highest of 112 (singles) and 122 (doubles).
* It is the longest match at Wimbledon, beating six hours and nine minutes, set in the 2006 men's doubles quarter-finals.
* It has featured the longest set at Wimbledon. The previous longest was 62 games, set in a men's doubles match in 1968.
* It has seen the record number of aces served in a match at Wimbledon, with both players beating Ivo Karlovic's 51 in 2005.

0 0 1 "Career Grand Slam"

It's more than what I dreamt.

On September 13th, 2010, Rafael Nadal won the US Open and became only the 7th man in
history to have won all four majors. This win over Novak Djokovic (6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2), also made
Nadal the first male tennis player to hold three Grand Slam singles titles on three different
surfaces at the same time. On how he played: Rafa was vulnerable and imperfect; he converted
only six of 23 break points, to his opponent's three from four. But, ultimately, Nadal had the greater
reserves of genius on which to call, on the surface that was supposed to be beyond him. Djokovic
put it best and most simply at the end: "Right now he's the best player in the world and he absolutely
deserves this title."

sources:
+++++++++

--obviously this is subjective, so it's cool to disagree
--the layout is totally inspired by ilovedyoufirst
--don't repost on tumblr and don't hotlink
--enjoy!

gracerevealed — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 10:54:39 GMT

This was one of the worst days of my life. I was there, I lived it and I'll never forget. I really don't know what it is about this year that's making me somewhat emotional again. Maybe b/c I'm listening to James Carrington's Ache. Probably not the very best idea given the subject. Anyway, I'm still thanking God: for sparing my cousin's life, for my aunt getting out of that area unscathed, for my dad working in Manhattan and me not having to spend the night in school, for not having to walk over the 59th street bridge (You KNOW i'm terrified of heights), and for all of us getting home safely.

I'll never forget the firefighters (our friends) who were stationed right across the street from our high school, and the 13 that lost their lives that day.

Peace and Love Always,

Jewel

gracerevealed — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:51:17 GMT

My two favorite players in tennis!

Serena Williams

+1

The most important thing anyone needs to know about Serena Williams, aka Aneres (Serena backwards)
is that she is a goddess among mortals. She's 28 years old, currently ranked #1 in both
singles and doubles and has been the HBIC of tennis for the last decade or so...give or take a year.
She's won the most prize money for any female player ever, and is sixth on the All-Time list
(13 Grand Slams and 2 Olympic Gold medals). Despite being outside the top 5, some still consider her to be the undisputed
GOAT (greatest of all time).

2008-2010

+1 +2

The most important stroke in tennis is the serve, and Williams' is the most fearsome in women's history."

Serena wins on court by kicking ass and taking names. That and she has the best serve in women's
tennis, a powerful forehand and a backhand some believe to be the one of the most dangerous
shots in the game. She can hit a BH winner from any position on court. Don't believe me?
Ask Jelena Jankovic. Or just watch the US Open Championship game from 2008. From that match, you will
also quickly learn that Serena is one of the best people to root for, not only
because she's awesome, but because she is incredibly mentally strong. Her unbelievable
'never-say-die' spirit has allowed fans and critics alike to witness some of the most spectacular
come from behind wins in tennis. She is the only player in history to have won 3
Grand Slam singles titles after saving match points.

serena/venus

One of Serena's biggest rivals in the game is Justine Henin. They've met 14 times
throughout their careers with Serena leading their head to head 8-6. Though
Justine is tough, Serena's biggest rival has always been her older sister
Venus. They've met in EIGHT Grand Slam finals with Aneres leading their head
to head 13-10. Their on-court rivalry is made that much more intense given how
close the sisters are in real life.

The idea of two top professionals emerging from the same family to compete against one another is unprecedented, and is a scenario
which has been described as being as improbable as one set of parents
raising Picasso and Monet."

serena/other

Besides being a gifted tennis player, Serena is also a humanitarian.
She has worked with UNICEF, helped to build and maintain a school in Kenya for
young girls, and has raised money for breast cancer research and AIDS awareness
through the Elton John AIDS foundation. She also took part in the
Hit-For-Haiti match, which raised money for victims affected by the devastating earthquake
that took place in Haiti earlier this year. Unlike some of her peers, tennis is not the
entirety of Serena's world. She has also started her own fashion line (first with Puma and
later with Nike), made guest appearances in movies and TV shows and has even done
voice acting for Avatar: The Last Airbender (her favorite show). Her most famous and long-lasting relationship
to date has been with rapper/actor Common.

Rafael Nadal

+1

Rafael Nadal Parera, aka Rafa, the King of Clay, etc., is one of the most--if not THE most exciting
player to watch in all of professional tennis. He is the male counter-part to Serena Williams in
almost every way, possessing unbelievable mental strength, passion, skill and determination. He is currently
ranked #1, is 24 years old (the same as moi), and is 6 feet, 1 inch and 188 pounds of
delicious man.

2009-2010

+1 +2 +3

Rafa is right-handed but plays tennis with his left. This tactic, suggested by
his Uncle and Coach Toni Nadal at age 10, has given him a significant
advantage over his peers. He wins games by being not only pumped and hot,
but by having genius footwork, never giving anything to his opponents,
employing incredible spin on his shots (...science STILL can't figure it out), having
top-notch athleticism, speed, passion, heart and guts. He is currently tied with
Andre Agassi on the All-Time list (with 8 Grand Slams). He also has an
Olympic Singles Gold medal, and has won a record 18 Master's 1000 matches.
Did I mention he's only 24?

The first guys we did were Sampras and Agassi. They were hitting forehands that in general were spinning about 1,800 to 1,900 revolutions per minute. Federer is hitting with an amazing amount of spin, too, right? 2,700 revolutions per minute. Well, we measured one forehand Nadal hit at 4,900. His average was 3,200."

Rafa aged 15-21

+1 +2 +3

Most of Rafa's career has been defined by his long-time rivalry with tennis
legend, Roger Federer. It is thought to be not only the greatest
rivalry tennis has ever seen, but one of the greatest rivalries of any sport.
Roger and Rafa have won 20 of the last 22 Grand Slam titles. They have been
ranked #'s 1 and 2 for five consecutive record-breaking years and, because
tournaments are played according to seedings, have met in SEVENTEEN finals
(including an all-time record 6 Grand Slams).

[This is] sports' greatest rivalry - yes, this recurrent clash outrank[s] Yankees-Red Sox, Celtics-Lakers and even Texas-Oklahoma...."

Rafa was only 15 years old when he won his first ATP title and turned 19
two days before winning his first Grand Slam. He won the French open title on his
first try. Rafa has only lost once at Roland Garros. He also has the longest single-surface winning
streak, and the best winning percentage (.927) on clay in Open Era. Because of Nadal's
domination on this surface, many analysts, such as Pat Cash and Conchita
Martinez, have concluded that he is the greatest clay court player of all time.

modeling

Rafa is sponsored by Nike and has modeled for the company on several
different occasions. Among his many endorsements it is reported that
Nadal wore a $525,000 watch during the 2010 French Open, made specially
for him by the Swiss watchmaker Richard Mille. He was also featured in the Shakira
music video 'Gypsy.' On why she chose Rafa for her video Shakira said: "I thought
that maybe I needed someone I could in some way identify with. And Rafael Nadal
is a person who has been totally committed to his career since he was very young.
Since he was 17, I believe. I've been on the road since I was very,
very young, so that's where the gypsy metaphor comes from."

If you haven't seen this video...watch it.

Rafa is gifted at both football and tennis and at age 12, was told to
make a choice by his father. I'm sure the Nadal family (as well as the fans)
are all grateful he picked tennis, though Rafa can still be seen cheering on his
fellow Spaniards in all of their endeavors, including the 2010 World Cup.

I've been supporting Serena since 1999 and Rafa since 2005. In my opinion, even when they're doing badly, they are still the two best players to root for.

-- you can use the pictures from my spam for whatever
-- DO NOT HOTLINK. DO NOT HOTLINK. DO NOT HOTLINK. RIGHT-CLICK AND SAVE

Icons
[01-03]
[05-08]
[09-12]

--been away on vacation for the past 10 days. came back and got inspired
--poshing put me on to the rank 1 hotness of the spanish national football team. am eternally grateful
--have you gotten your USO tickets? cause i have mine. anyone want to meet up with me and my friends just message me!
---the layout for both spams were inspired by navras_rheya . thanks paul :)
--enjoy

gracerevealed — Tue, 11 May 2010 20:40:23 GMT

--do not hotlink. if you use these images elsewhere...right click and SAVE

While I would be very happy to see Rafa win in Madrid, I am also desperately hoping for a Fedal final. Let's go Roger, let's go!! Vamos Rafa♥♥♥

***************************************************************

In other news, I'm going to see Iron Man 2 tomorrow cause it's $6 Tuesday, BUT... in the mean while, I'm anxiously awaiting the epicness that will be Robin Hood! I've loved this story since childhood and I freakin' adore Cate Blanchett. I have SUCH a huge girl crush on her.

LA X picspam/icons

gracerevealed — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:32:47 GMT

--please credit if you take an icon.
--comments are nice too.
--don't friend me just for my icons. you can find all of my stuff at bijoou. thanks!