Difference Between Pool and Snooker

The difference between pool and snooker stems from the time at which they were created and played. Both were devised in the nineteenth century, Billiards being the first. Snooker was a strategy oriented spin off from billiards and pool became a version of snooker. Both forms separated from their parent sport due to the need for simplicity.

Billiards simply had too many rules, so they toned it down to snooker. It was played with much frequency at off-track horse racing betting places. It was originally called "Pocket billiards", later informally known as pool, due to the 'pooling' of all the gamblers' money. Both do possess the same motive; use the cue tip of the cue stick to move the cue ball within the confines of the table to put relative balls into respective pockets.

Difference Between Pool and Snooker

Pool Snooker
Games Played
Both tables allow versions of cue games to be played.
The 8-ball and 9-ball remain the most popular pool games played to date. They are the successors of the straight pool and far more popular than 7-ball, which is considered too short. Other versions include:
One Pocket, where balls are supposed to be pocketed into specified pockets.

Rotation Pool, or 61, is similar to 9-ball with a little more complexity in potting balls with balls only being pocketed numerically.

Chicago, which is similar to rotation, is more oriented towards betting and gambling. They have object balls and red balls. You need to pot object balls in order, in a guided compliance with potting red balls. Versions other than the original snooker are rarely played, but do exist -
Life Pool, where there used to be pools of money bet on the game and considered as the original branch off towards the pool side.

Six-red snooker includes only 6 red balls.

Sinuca Brasileira contains only one red ball instead of the regular fifteen, and has different rules.Russian Pyramid; variations of the game include the Moscow pyramid and the Petersburg pyramid.
Balls
They may seem of the same size from afar, but they are not.
Standard ball size is 2¼". Coin-op tables require a slightly larger cue ball. The balls vary between America and England. Americans use larger balls (2⅛"), while the British prefer smaller (2 and a sixteenth inch) balls.
Cues
Another misconception for someone who hasn't played both is that both games use the same cues. Someone who has, will immediately know the difference.
They are 57" to 58" in length and are either 1 piece or 2 piece.
Tip diameter is 11 to 14 mm.
Holding ends are often covered with a linen wrap. Length is anywhere between 57" to 63".
Tip diameter is around 10 mm, much smaller than a pool cue.
They are widely made of ash and have no covering on their holding ends.
Table
The size of the tables are evidently different, with snooker played on the larger surface.
Regulation tables are 3.5 feet by 7 feet, tournament tables are 4.5 feet to 9 feet.
Table height is generally the same as that of an American table. Tournament rules require the table to be 6 feet by 12 feet, much larger than the pool table. Common tables do come in a variety of sizes, matched to fit a given space if there is a size restriction.
Table height of a British snooker table is generally 2" taller than an American table.
Playing Surface
Surfaces are traditionally green, but time changed that for better looking tables.
Pool tables are small and do not go well with extra-smooth surfaces. The pool table surfaces provide a bit more friction than a snooker table. Snooker tables are huge and the game rules require the ball to be controlled as precisely as possible. The surfaces are very smooth to provide the least bit of friction so the balls can travel the distances on the table. The advantage to snooker is that the material used can be wool or nylon threading for a smooth surface. These materials may be super-costly, but they last for a long time (almost 5 years).
Table Pockets
Both tables use different styles of pockets.
Pool tables use cushioned linings that dive into the pockets at a steep angle. The kind of shot required to pocket a ball is made a little tougher this way. Snooker tables use cushions that flow into the pockets in a curved manner. The mouth of the hole is made wider this way, making the exact angle at which you can pocket a ball different from a game of pool.
Additional Accessories
A distinguishing point between both is the use of added equipment for improved shots, mainly in snooker.
Pool does not have any noteworthy accessories different from snooker. Standard equipment includes the chalk for the cue tip. Snooker requires the use of extension arms on the table. This is due to the size of the table and the difficulty of shots. The common accessories used are the spider and the ball marker.

The Mindset
All the rules, all the game styles evolve from the difference in thinking amongst humans. Snooker will always be considered as the game for strategies, a game meant to be played slowly. Pool, on the other hand, is a fast paced and short lived, meant as a break between placing horse bets.

So there you have it. The next time you set out to play either pool or snooker and wonder how the other game is played, now you know the basics to start off. Note that, pool is easier than snooker due to all the mentioned differences, so you should be more patient for it if you ever think of playing snooker.

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Hunger Games - Cease and Desist to Harry Potter Alliance Charity

In what Hollywood deems an important issue, Lionsgate has issued a cease-and-desist letter to a Harry Potter charity that is "piggybacking" off the "Hunger Games" name.
In a move that could only happen in Hollywood – even as the world appears to be crumbling down around us all – Lionsgate’s senior vice president for business affairs and litigation, Liat Cohen, has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Harry Potter Alliance’s Image Better Project because the group is running a charity campaign titled "Hunger is Not a Game." Cohen asserts that the group is "piggybacking off" the marketing for the Hunger Games movie marketing. Cohen further noted that his group was bothered by the "distortion" of the title of the new film.

With all the hype and marketing surrounding the movie, it is perhaps understandable that Lionsgate would want to ensure their "brand," if you will. But, again, it’s all a bunch of Hollywood silliness when it really is considered carefully. The letter from Cohen notes, "This is causing damage to Lionsgate and our marketing efforts. We have the ability to take down your sites as a violation of our trademark and other intellectual property laws. We hope that will not be necessary as this is too serious a subject."

What is a serious subject is the devaluation of the U.S. dollar, high unemployment, the U.S. federal debt and a pending war with Iran. The tiff between fat, greedy Hollywood execs is simply the type of thing that the sheep-like people of America like to pay attention to. But, we digress. In someone’s view, this stuff actually is important. More power to them. It remains to be seen if the Potter group’s charity will comply with the letter.

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Hunger Games Literary Tourism Kicks Into High Gear

The concept of "literary tourism" is not a new one. People read books or watch movies, enchanted by the scenery and ethos presented to them by the written word or on the big screen, and they simply must see such places for themselves. It’s happened for years in Mississippi, where tourists frequently flock to tour the homes of famous writers like William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams and Shelby Foote, among others. It also happened after the book and movie "The Help" scored big on the bestsellers list and at the box office and in the Pacific Northwest, where the "Twilight" films were filmed.

Now, the Hunger Games is the latest book/movie combo to spur literary tourism, as those who have read the book or seen the movie flock to North Carolina to engage in an adventure worthy of that story. Tammy Hopkins, co-founder of The Hunger Games Fan Tours in Brevard, noted, "We call this fandemonium. These are the super fans. They want to see the film locations, but they also want to experience what their favorite character experiences in the movie."

The state of North Carolina has also developed an entire travel itinerary based on the now-famous movie, marking various points of interest from the movie throughout the state. Included are notes on where actors ate in Asheville and offers tips on fun things to do in Pisgah National Forest. Noted Hopkins of the Hunger Games mania, "Everybody I know has read the book. We’re getting lots of calls from grandmas and grandpas whose grandkids turned them on to the book."

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The Hunger Games won four major MTV Movie Awards

As most people would have expected, The Hunger Games brought home the most major trophies from the MTV Movie Awards. Although, some of the other huge franchises had strong showings as well. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 took home the golden popcorn statues for Best Cast and Best Hero, while Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 took home the award for Movie of the Year and Best Kiss between Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.

But with Harry Potter finished and Twilight set for its final installment, The Hunger Games is clearly the fan favorite at the moment. The first episode of what is believed to be a four-film series based on Suzanne Collins' best-selling trilogy brought home the third highest gross for a weekend opening in movie history. And Jennifer Lawrence, as central character Katniss Everdeen, holds the record as the highest grossing film heroine of all-time.

Unlike the rest of the top 200 action films of all time, The Hunger Games features a female character as the hero in the first movie - and throughout the dark series. 

In addition to strong performances from the films noted above, other notable awards went to Johnny Depp, with the MTV Generation Award and Jennifer Aniston, with the Best On-screen Dirtbag Award. Aniston brought home the tongue-in-cheek award for her surprising performance in Horrible Bosses as a dirty-talking, sex-crazed dentist.

Russell Brand hosted the awards show for MTV, landing solid jokes at the expense of Michael Fassbender, for his full-frontal nudity, as well as Kim Kardashian, for being Kim Kardashian.

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Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

From time to time, stories sound remarkable on paper, making you turn the page like it’s the only thing you remember to do, sucking you in like a vortex of astonishment and complete addiction to such words of beauty. Such words may not make sense when seen or heard, in fact may not be entertaining, but frustrating by how far off they can be. Remarkably, 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' has made a monumental accomplishment, as the most disappointing movie based on a best seller in the year 2010. It takes quite a lot of different factors to make a good movie, such as acting and plot, but clearly someone picked up the wrong manual. Honestly, if anybody has ever read the actual book (thank you Rick Riordan) you’ll find quite impressive story. Contradictory to such a marvelous tale, the story on the big screen was almost as disappointing as finding a penny and later not being able to take it off your finger because of the gum on it. In fact, the information presented on the big screen doesn’t answer questions, but only raises more as newcomers to the series try to follow poorly described complex situations.

In the beginning of the movie you’ll find two men on top of what appears to be an enormous building, later discovered to be the Empire State building. These two men are later exposed to be Zeus (Sean Bean) and Poseidon (Kevin McKidd), ancient Gods in a modern world. And as you try to understand the concept of such things happening since it was told that when the Christian God came along all the Greek Gods died, they give you small and confusing bits of information. To wrap up all of what they say on that roof top before gargantuan silver letters are suddenly in the sky and telling you the title of the movie: Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) is Poseidon’s son, Zeus’ lightning bolt was stolen and he thinks Percy took it, the Gods are not to take power from one another, and they hint at a possible war.

This is all that you learn before you are taken to the bottom of a pool where a boy (Percy) is sitting underwater quite comfortably. After a minute of waiting, the boy goes up to the surface to meet up with his seemingly disabled friend, Grover (Brandon T. Jackson), and they chat about how long he can hold his breath underwater (about ten minutes). Then, they go on a class field trip where Percy, the dyslexic and ADHD teen, looks at a statue and can suddenly read ancient Greek. Now, before you’re probably confused, but don’t worry because in about three minutes his teacher brings him to another room and bursts out as a monster. Surely this can’t be possible.

But wait, there’s more! It’s not freaky enough that his teacher (who is apparently an ancient Greek monster called a fury) tries to kill him, his other teacher (who is as immobilized as Grover) bursts in with Grover and fights off the fury. The fury/teacher bursts out of the window and his non-fury teacher talks to him in a strict tone and hands him a pen, telling him that it will protect him. Okay, let’s stop right there. Now so far, the movie seems like something any dreamy teen or drunkard could accomplish creating. But the fun never dies with this movie, for you’re not even halfway done. Soon Percy is taken on a wild ride with Grover and his mother (Catherine Keener) when they go on the adventure of taking Percy to Camp Half-Blood. By this time, Percy knows that he is the son of Poseidon. On the journey there, a Minotaur comes out from nowhere and attacks the car. When the car is upside-down, after he takes off his pants, we find that Grover is not a disabled teenage boy just trying to make it along, he’s a fit Satyr (half man-half goat creature). Naturally, untrained, inexperienced, and unfocused Percy Jackson slays the Minotaur (who somehow bursts into dust and takes Percy’s mother with him).

It turns out that Percy is not the only offspring of a God and mortal hooking up, there’s a whole camp dedicated to the children (how charitable). There Percy meets his new friends Luke (Jake Abel) and Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario). Oh and Grover just happens to mention that the dyslexia is so he can read Ancient Greek and the ADHD is his "fighter’s energy", who knew right? He also sees his "disabled" teacher, who is actually Cheiron (Pierce Brosnan), a centaur. After a game of extreme capture the flag, Percy is contacted by Hades (Steve Coogan), who took his mother because everybody thinks he took Zeus’ bolt and he wants it for his own doings.

Percy doesn’t have the bolt. So what would any other totally average demigod son-of-Poseidon teenage boy do but go on a quest? Of course he’s accompanied by Grover and Annabeth, with help from Luke. And what is this quest really about? Getting pearls so they can go to the Underworld without the bolt to try to convince the most heartless man in existence to give him his mother back with nothing in return. Clearly somebody took something out of their cabinet, drank it, wandered into their living room, picked up a random book, and wrote the script for 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief'; because that is the only plausible reason that such a promising movie can fall so flat. Likewise, if the plot doesn’t have you running out of the theater, the appearance of the film will.

The dialog of the characters is fine, sometimes emotionless enough to make a clown cry, but always easy to understand. Like when Percy saw his mother get taken away, he shouldn’t be fine, he should be crying like someone stole his mom. The images shown are informative, not always connective to the story. Showing me the statue of Perseus and telling me that Percy was named after him wasn’t quite interesting, perhaps a clue that he’d be killing Medusa, but nothing I’d brag about at the dinner table. Graphics were a little distracting, and about the quality of a high school students’ project (especially that chunky hydra). Transitions of the different placing were awkward like a rollercoaster that only goes forward and back. The tone of the story was rushed, the story moving so fast and confusing that you might need a baggie by your side if you’re to get through such a tragic movie. The lighting was fine, but then again even a monkey can screw in a light bulb. Music seemed original, but about as complicated as a 100-piece puzzle. As a result as a less than mediocre setting, the actors had to be the light that pulls you into the bug zapper.

Okay honestly, Logan Lerman was quite a piece of eye-candy, like a delicious cherry red candy apple surrounded by those disgusting off-brand candies that you wouldn’t even want to donate to the food shelf. I quite enjoyed seeing him, if only he had acting skills. A good summer in a play with good directors could probably fix it. It’d have to be intense work, I suggest Winnie-the-Pooh. Alexandra Daddario I cannot grant such words. Sure, she’s beautiful like a model, but she can’t emote. She’s like a walking mannequin as she converses with Percy by the poolside in Vegas. As she was running from Medusa I questioned if she was distracted by the fact that her hair is brown and Annabeth is blonde. On the other hand, Brandon T. Jackson was emotional, but most of the time the same two emotions. Grover was either scared or determined, all day, everyday. The rest of the cast I don’t care to mention because they aren’t around enough to even bother with how much work they needed. It’s all about the main three, how predictable. Not even Harry Potter excluded that much (Malfoy, Dumbledore, Snape, Dobby, etc.). Yet there’s still an air about this movie that screams… Five dollar bin.

If you need a cheap laugh and an easy way to kill an hour, you could watch 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief'. Or, a much more entertaining idea, you could go read the book. It might take more time, but at least you won’t have to see the most horrifying sight ever… a hydra made completely of janitor power. Which raises the question, if the hydra had five heads (represented by the five janitors) when the new heads grow back, do you have more janitors? But I digress. To answer the question that was probably the reason you read this article, yes you should go watch this movie. To pay for Logan’s acting lessons.
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/percy-jackson-and-the-olympians-the-lightning-thief.html

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