Tuesday, March 18, 2014

on being Omar

hello there

oh yes, i quite agree. recently here there have been far, far too many posts on the filthy, dirty, socially unacceptable vice of smoking. time to move on, then, to the entirely healthy, clean, problem-free and socially embraced vice of gambling. and why not.

in general, why not would be that i am not much of a gambler at all. well, not in the financial, betting sense. i can't say i am entirely against it, allowing of course for the fact that it's not at all pleasant that some people ruin their own and others lives with their "addiction" to it.

but enough of any effort at a serious social comment. check the name of this place out.



yes, Casino Abbas. how smart is that? the plural is a bonus; for it makes it seem that Bjorn and the considerably less talented three in the band own it individually rather than just as a collective. or is it Bennie that was the talented one?

i am not sure that Abba, or any Swedish pop band, actually owns this casino. i am pretty sure they would have made a reference to it on the news or something.



if you are thinking that the chap on the wall, apparently encouraging the 'players' or gamblers inside, looks somewhat familiar, that is because he does. as the wise ones of you will have clocked by adding that picture to the title of this post will know, that is no less a chap that Omar Sharif beautifying the wall. 

this place just gets better, kids. a deliberate reference to them that did that Waterloo song and the actual Omar Sharif.  i am sure i have made this reference in the not too distant past, but it warrants it - this is one of the coolest things i have ever seen or heard of since someone did that amazing thing where they mixed in the theme to the original (better) Battlestar Galactica with InterGalactic by the Beastie Boys.

Omar Sharif is, of course, known worldwide due to a passing reference to him in either an episode or the film version of The Likely Lads. in it, the one who is not Rodney Bewes went off on one at the one who is Rodney Bewes about how "Omar Sharif wouldn't be bloody Omar Sharif if he was in Gateshead". which of course is nonsense - if Mr and Mrs Sharif had their baby in Gateshead instead of Egypt (or wherever) and named him Omar, then he would indeed still have been Omar Sharif. credit to Rodney Bewes for keeping his cool in the face of the anti-Rodney Bewes, i say. 

many know Omar Sharif due to his awesome, feared and internationally respected crack squadron of Bridge players. Bridge is some sort of game you play with cards, i think. actually, i always thought that Omar was a Canasta man, but internet says in was Bridge. 




oh yeah, he did all them films too. there was that one with that guy and that other guy, the one with the camels in it. i think he was in another one that also had the same guy from that film with that other guy as the main guy, also set in a similar time frame but from the other side from the guys they played in that film. and he got to be Che Guevara too in another one.

mostly, though, his film work is remembered for his portrayal of Genghis Khan, the film which served as the inspiration for the heavy metal classic Warriors Of Genghis Khan by Bad News.

looking at that, Omar Sharif has had a pretty cool life, has he not? done some ace films, gets paid to go around on cruise ships and that in return for shuffling some cards and gets to endorse casinos that have a passing reference to Swedish culture and society. he, of course, will say that being referenced by Rodney Bewes was a particular highlight of his career, but that's probably because he is modest and unassuming.

i particularly like how in this next picture everyone who is not Omar Sharif has been blurred out as a consequence of being trivial, secondary and presumably never mentioned in any sort of context in an artistic statement what featured Rodney Bewes.



i rather think i would like to go to this place, you know. not really to gamble as such, but it would be nice to meet Mr Sharif, as he seems like a top bloke. yes, there have been one or two incidents of him possibly hitting people a bit, but they probably upset him. i think i would just really like to say "you have done some incredible things, sir, it is an honour to meet you". if i could get a picture with him then that would be nice.

failing that, meeting any of the primary or lesser members of Abba there would be OK. indeed, any of them ladies, blurred or otherwise, would also be quite nice.

erm, gamble responsibly, winners know when to quit. that sort of thing, but if you are looking to me for good, sound advice on how to live your life you may, during the quieter moments of the evening, rather wish to get the phone book out and have another look around.



be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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