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Coyote Hill Adds New Children's Home
The doors of Coyote Hill's Petersheim Home are now open. On May 1, Coyote Hill Christian Children's Home held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark...
It was an hour before midnight on Arlene Drive when two young men found a car with the keys in the ignition and decided to drive it away.
"Do you see the police?" one of them asked his accomplice.
"If we even think we see the police, we'll ditch it and run," he responded.
What the thieves didn't realize is that they tripped a silent alarm when they opened the doors. A hidden camera mounted on the dashboard was recording everything they did and said inside the car.
Columbia Police Detective Steve Brown replayed the grainy black-and-white video on a small portable DVD player, which showed the suspects searching the compartments and picked up the sound of persistent dinging that indicated a door was open.
The driver put the transmission in gear and turned the wheel, and the audio recorder picked up a clicking sound.
"He's using his turn signals," Brown explained. "What a great car thief."
A GPS device monitored their movement and short time later, the engine stopped, turned off by remote control via satellite from the back at the police station.
At the same time, squad cars with flashing lights converged on the scene, and the thieves realized their mistake.
"This is a bait car!" one of them yelled.
The two juveniles caught in the act Aug. 26 were among 15 cases in which people have taken the "bait" and been arrested for auto theft or stealing from vehicles since the Columbia Police Department started its bait car program in January. Their cases are pending in juvenile court.
The program Brown administers also is used as a deterrent: by getting the word out about the bait car program, police hope to make potential criminals reconsider committing the crime in the first place.
They can also use the audio and video as leads for a suspect who might have broken into the bait car, stolen one of the "props" left inside, and then moved on to other cars.
The program was established due to a sharp increase in Columbia auto thefts in 2006-up to 225 that year from a previous annual average of 185.
Police Captain Brad Nelson said stolen vehicles in Columbia were primarily used for transportation, meaning the thief stole the car and then abandoned it somewhere closer to his destination.
There could be multiple reasons for the rise in auto theft last year, including a population increase that attracts a higher number of criminals, Nelson said. But to get an indication of the bait car program's effectiveness, Nelson compares data from the first 10 months of last year to the first 10 months of this year.
Last year, as of Nov. 1, there had been 190 thefts. This year, during the same period, there have been 124. That's a reduction of 35 percent.
In 2006, when the auto-theft rate was still on the rise, Nelson was searching for deterrents. He found baitcar.com. The Web site is run by IMPACT, a police auto-theft investigative team in British Columbia. Sgt. Gord Elias, media relations officer for IMPACT, said the site was intended for the public, police officers looking for auto-theft deterrents and for the criminals themselves. "We want auto thieves to see how foolish they look," he said.
Nelson has hooked on the program and to pay for the system, he raised $28,000 in donations from local businesses. The 11 donors included State Farm, Shelter Insurance, The Insurance Group, Perry Chevrolet, Joe Machens Dealerships and Wal-Mart.
About $15,000 of the donated money was used for the equipment needed to outfit the bait cars, and about $7,500 was spent on training, installation and modifications to cars. The department spent $320 for a bait car billboard near the intersection of Stadium Boulevard and Old Highway 63, and spent $800 for bait car bumper stickers.
Nelson declined to say how many bait cars the Columbia Police Department uses.
The program may need extra funding later for maintenance of the cars or for more publicity, Nelson said. He doesn't plan on making it a yearly budget item, because funding the program with donations has worked so far.
Brown said although the program is useful for the apprehension of criminals, "we're interested in the deterrent factor as our primary objective."
"I like to catch the bad guys, but that's not what it's about," he said. "The longer I'm on this job, the more I get the prevention aspect of it […] I interview offenders, and they'll tell me they know about [the bait car program] and in some cases they've been hesitant. They've either moved on or didn't do something because they knew it was out there."
His goal, Brown said, was to "get apprehension up in order to get prevention up."
They put up posters promoting the bait car program in the police department booking room, as well as in the Boone County jail and the University of Missouri Police Department booking room.
The publicity is common for bait car programs, so it's not so surprising that several of the videos on baitcar.com actually contain conversations where the criminals talk about bait cars. In one called "Dumb & Dumber Get Pinched," posted by the Integrated Municipal Provincial Auto Crime Team of British Columbia, the conversation goes like this:
Passenger: "You know what would be funny? If this was a bait car. They have them in Kelowna now, eh, you know that? […] Seriously, you think we got a bait car? Wouldn't it be crazy if they … threw it up on baitcar.com? We can look at ourselves getting' pinched?"
The driver: "I don't think it is. It's like too teenager'd out. If you know what I mean. It is too teenager'd out."
About three minutes later, they do, indeed, get pinched.
The point of the bait car is that it looks like every other car that's around it.
"I try to have the cars in general fit the environment that I put them in," said Brown. "I don't want them to stand out."
Brown said he spends time walking around downtown, looking at the cars. He sees valuables in cars and cars left unlocked:
"Two days ago, I saw a car still running with the keys in the ignition."
Though the owner of the car probably only intended to leave the car for a moment, Brown said, it could still present an opportunity for auto theft. "The influence to stop auto theft predominantly lies with the citizen," Brown said.
When deciding where to plant the bait cars, Brown said he doesn't just look at the level of crime in a neighborhood. "Just because an area has an increased level of crime doesn't mean there's an increased risk of auto theft." Instead, he will look at auto theft rates in a certain environment, and then look for "environments that are similar. What kind of opportunity does that [environment] represent?" said Brown. "I pay a little more attention to places that look like they might be victimized."
Nelson said he doesn't believe that defendants could argue they were victims of entrapment. The point of the bait car is to look just like the cars around it.
"Entrapment is the police or government enticing you to commit a crime that you had no intention of committing were it not for enticement or encouragement from the police or government," he wrote in an e-mail. "No one makes suspects pick our bait cars to steal out of the thousands of vehicles that are available in Columbia; they (the suspects) were just so inclined."
While the future of the program depends on funding, the police would like to see it expand. "Crime does not cease," Nelson said, "there's always someone out there willing to steal a car."


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By Sean Dietrich
A crowded restaurant. I'm eating breakfast with my mother and sister. The newest addition to our family is here, too. My niece. She's a toddler with reddish hair and the face of a renaissance cherub. Right now, she's in a highchair, eating crayons, pooping her britches. She's a happy little thing.
The waitress comes to take our order, but we're not ready. We just got here, and we've got a lot of talking to do. "Three coffees, please," Mama says. It's been so long since we ate breakfast together, I almost forgot how to do it. But it all comes back to me. Mama looks better than she's ever looked. She's five-foot-one. All my life, she was five-foot-two, but age has claimed an inch. She's tough. She started waiting tables at twelve. During her twenties my father paid for her school by crawling on iron buildings. He worked double shifts; she studied all night to earn her degree. My father put her through hell, then he left this world unannounced. She worked whatever jobs she could find. I remember wandering into Chick-fil-A to see Mama behind the counter. I had just gotten off work. She handed me two sandwiches wrapped in foil, and a double-order of fries. "You're looking scrawny," she said—that's what mothers say. I reached for my wallet.
"No," she said. "This meal's on the house." Then, I saw her dig money from her purse and place dollars into the register. My sister is sitting beside my mother. She is magnificent. She's a living rendition of my mother's high-school senior portrait. I remember when Sarah was born. I can still remember holding the gangly baby. I remember her sticky cheeks. I remember when she ate crayons. I remember when she sat in the dugout at my Little League games. I remember when she stood beside me at my father's funeral, holding my hand, saying, "What's gonna happen to us?" I remember sleeping on the floor beside her bed, every night for years. I did it because she was afraid to be alone. She'd wake up after a bad dream and squeeze me until I choked. Later in life, I remember the three of us, cramming into an old Nissan at three in the morning. We were delivering newspapers to the sleeping world. It was decent money, but hard on the body. I remember my sister saying once: "I hate this stupid job, Mama! Why do you hafta throw a paper so early?" My mother smiled and said: "Someday, life isn't gonna be this hard. I promise. And one morning, you'll wake up and say, 'Look, Mama. We made it. I can't believe it, but we made it.'" We must've thrown seventeen million papers in our day. Anyway, I have my share of memories. The memory of being at the county courthouse on lunch break, watching my sister become a married woman. I remember Mama was there. I remember we were crying. I remember a lot. These are my women. We grew up together. We learned how to be human together. We made mistakes together. Too many mistakes. But we tried hard, and we loved harder. I've been calling one of these women "Mama" for as long as I've been breathing. The other has called me her "brudder" for almost that long.
My mother holds my niece in her lap. She uses a high-pitched voice when she wipes crayon bits from my niece's little mouth. You've never seen a more tender sight in all your life. Look, Mama. We made it. I can't believe it, but we made it.

subset: commoncrawl


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Line Islands, Republic of Kiribati
Budget DVD Sale
Caroline Island lies 596 nautical miles south of the equator. It is about 125 miles east of Vostok, 125 miles northeast of Flint, 420 miles southeast of Starbuck, 640 miles west of Hivaoa, Marquesas, and 450 miles north and a little west of Papeete, Tahiti.
It is a long, slender atoll, shaped like the bone point of a southeastern Polynesian trolling hook. It measures about five and three-quarters miles north and south, tapering from a width of a little over a mile at the southern end; about thirteen miles in circumference. Two dozen islets surround a shallow lagoon, into which there is no passage through the connecting reef which will admit more than a ship's boat.
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The islets are 15 to 20 feet high to the top of the highest land. Most of them are covered with groves of coconut palms and the remnants of low forest trees, 12 to 15 feet high, tree heliotrope, pandanus. Cordia, Morinda, with here and there a taller Calophyllum or Pisonia tree.
The reef does not dry at low water. The sea breaks heavily on the weather side. The reef is said to extend about a mile off the southwest and southeast points, although not so shown on charts. There is no anchorage. Landing can be made through a narrow break in the reef off the northwest point of the southern islet. At high water a ship's boat can reach shore; at low water one must wade 1,400 feet across the reef in knee-deep water.
The climate is warm but pleasant, with equable temperature. There may be sudden showers, especially at night. Water may be had by digging, there having been two wells on the southern islet and one on Nake Islet in 1883. The southeast trade wind blows during much of the year, varied by winds from the north and east. In 1878 a hurricane destroyed most of the coconut palms.
Sea and migratory birds are numerous. The only land mammals are reddish-brown rats. Fish are abundant both about the reef and in the lagoon. There must have been Polynesian inhabitants on Caroline Island some time prior to its discovery, for graves, containing adzes, and native temple platforms have been found, especially on the two northern islets. A drawing of the largest marae, located on the west side of Nake Islet, made by George W. Robertson, of Liverpool, was published in the National Academy of Sciences' report of the 1883 eclipse expedition.
In 1821 it was seen by Captain Thornton of the English whaler Supply, for whom it has been called Thornton Island. Other early names were Hirst's, Clark's and Independence Island. Lieutenant Hiram Paulding, who visited the island October 10, 1825, in the U.S. schooner Dolphin, gives an interesting account. Captain Stavers landed in 1828, leaving some hogs, of which there was no later trace.
One of the most extensive accounts of Caroline Island is that given by Frederick Debell Bennett, in his "Narrative of a whaling voyage around the globe," vol. 1, pages 365-378, 1840. This account has been reprinted in the Paradise of the Pacific magazine for November, 1939. Bennett landed April 23, 1835.
Between 1865 and 1872 Messrs. Brown and Brothers planted coconuts on Caroline Island. On July 9, 1868, the British flag was hoisted by Commander George Nares, of H.M.S. Reindeer. He reported 27 persons living in the settlement on the southern islet, raising stock, pigs, and poultry; salting fish; and planting coconuts and extracting coconut oil. In 1870 Lieutenant Chauviniere, of the French transport Somme, described it as a low lagoon island, similar to those in the Tuamotu group.
In 1872, the island was leased by Queen Victoria to Houlder Brothers and Company, of London. They dug some little amount of guano. In 1881 their manager, John T. Arundel, took over the lease himself, planting numerous coconut palms. In 1883 he employed four men, one woman and two children on the island. During these years ships were moored to a buoy, anchored 120 yards off the reef in 90 fathoms of water. There was evidence of several wrecks on the reef.
On May 6, 1883, a total eclipse of the sun was visible from Caroline Island. It was observed by a party of American astronomers, headed by Edward S. Holden, and two British observers. They were transported from Callao, Peru, to the island on the U.S.S. Hartford, arriving April 21, 1883. A French expedition also observed this eclipse. A map of the island was made by Lieutenant E.F. Qualtrough, U.S.N., and natural history specimens were collected by Dr. W.S. Dixon, both of the U.S.S. Hartford. Insects were collected by Dr. Palisa of the French expedition. The position of the observation spot was determined to be almost exactly 10 degrees south and 150 degrees 14 minutes, 24 seconds west.
The island was leased to S.R. Maxwell and Company. In 1926, the inhabitants numbered 10. In 1936 there were two Tahitians and their families living on the island.


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Lawn Chair Balloon Duo Set to Take Flight
(NEW YORK) -- An Oregon gas station owner and his Iraqi co-pilot will take off Saturday in two lawn chairs tethered to 350 balloons.
Kent Couch and Fareed Lafta will lift off from Couch's Shell station in Bend, Ore., at 10 a.m. PST. The daredevil pair say they hope to clear at least 400 miles, which would mean a landing somewhere near southwestern Montana Sunday morning.
Eight hundred pounds of ballast, red Kool-Aid in barrels, will be on board with the men. They'll also be equipped with a GPS, a satellite phone and parachutes.
When it comes time to land, Couch and Lafta will use a Red Ryder BB rifle to shoot out enough balloons to help them have a smooth landing.
The pair also plans to embark on another flight together in the fall, this time in Iraq.
The lawn chair balloonists are using the flight as an opportunity to raise awareness for Iraqi orphans, Couch said on his website.
In 2008, Couch gained national attention when he floated 235 miles from Oregon to Idaho in a solo flight.
He described the appeal of floating through the sky on a lawn chair to ABC News' Diane Sawyer in 2007.
"It was serene, just like you're on top of a cloud laying there," Couch said. "It was just like being on ice, nice and smooth."
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio


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MSE Advising
Each student is assigned an academic faculty advisor in August. You will receive notification of your academic advisor and instructions on registration before New Student Orientation.
If the student chooses the thesis option, the student's thesis advisor may provide additional guidance on course selection, and will supervise the student's thesis research. The Academic Advisor will provide students assistance with finding a thesis mentor and must approve of every student's CPG each semester.


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Valve opens developer community
Half-Life 2 developer gathers modders, mappers, and modelers for "how-tos" and online discussion.
The tight bond between avid underground game developers and modders has gotten a bit cozier thanks to Valve. The Half-Life 2 publisher has opened up a Web site devoted to establishing a community among gamers with an interest in tweaking the company's ever-popular Source code. The page is a wiki, allowing users to add and edit content on the site.
The Valve Developer Community is a community-run destination for modders to lend advice, search articles, and get information pertaining to working with Half-Life and Half-Life 2 code. Visitors to the site will find links to a number of sites with tutorials in the fields of modeling, programming, mapping, and more.
Since the original Half-Life came out in 1998, hackers have been working with the game's engine, spawning spin-offs, including the wildly popular Counter-Strike.
Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email firstname.lastname@example.com


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Our Communities Sustain Us
Our communities sustain us and as such we actively give back and invest in their well being. Stewardship is a bedrock of our culture, and both our company and our employees strongly believe in donating their time, talents, and treasure to enrich lives and leave a lasting legacy.
Just Cycling for Refugees
We're very proud of our efforts to provide life changing, long-term support for those in need.
Middle Eastern refugees fleeing to Europe include thousands of unaccompanied children lacking basic humanitarian aid and facing an uncertain future. Moved by their plight, Netherlands-based Endre Szabo, VP and Area Director for Partner Markets Europe, brought his Brown-Forman colleagues together to make a difference.
"In 2015, I initiated a GoFundMe campaign to help in any way possible and sent it out to my Brown-Forman family. We raised $10,000 within days and Brown-Forman matched our donation. The money went towards 24/7 medical tents for refugees. Our Greek colleagues, led by Ileana Louloudaki, extended our efforts by collecting socks for refugees arriving on Greek islands.
I started thinking about doing something more lasting than this one-time donation.
In 2016, I collaborated with No More Walking and organized Just Cycling, a bike ride dedicated to unaccompanied refugee minors. Seventeen cyclists, all Brown-Forman employees or family members, rode from Amsterdam to London and back. We raised €25,000 for Metadrasi, a Greek non-profit for child refugees. Our donation helped fund a ground-breaking program to move five children from Greek refugee camps to Portugal, where they could restart their lives. The funds support all their expenses for a year, helping them find safety, education, and opportunity.
We've now expanded from Just Cycling to include Just Running, where participants can opt to run various races across Europe instead of cycling. Our 2017 events raised €50,000, with around 80 Brown-Forman employees from our main European offices taking part. Funds raised will help resettle eight more child refugees."
Our long history and deep roots in Louisville, Kentucky make our hometown city our main focus, although we make community investments across our global locations, especially where we have a production presence.
As a major local employer for more than a century, Louisville remains at the center of our philanthropic efforts. On a global scale, 20 of our production and regional offices have a Civic Engagement Committee that decides how to best allocate our budgets to community needs and our priority impact areas. We're especially active in Lynchburg, Tennessee, where Jack Daniel's whiskey is made, and in Amatitán, Mexico, where our Casa Herradura tequila distillery is located.
Total monetary contributions
$2.9MHealthy and Sustainable Living
$3.9MBasic Living Standards
$4.0MIntellectual and Cultural Living
In order to better understand the scale and breadth of the difference Brown-Forman makes, in 2015 we commissioned University of Louisville Emeritus Professor of Economics Paul Coomes to conduct an economic impact analysis. The study focused on the annual impact of Brown-Forman jobs on the Louisville region and the business generated by our local operations. Dr. Coomes organized data by two types of Brown-Forman jobs — distillery (including headquarters operations) and cooperage (wood barrel manufacturing) employment — as each requires different skills and training and a unique set of goods and services.
$340MWages and salaries
$34MTax revenues to Kentucky state and local government


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About Kevin Cryan
My name is Kevin Cryan. I was born and raised in Ireland, which, at the age of 20, I left to work in the UK. I have spent most of my working in senior administrative posts with a prestigious car manufacturer.
I'm married with two daughters, Helen and Theresa, and one son, Stephen. As one other the daughters had the gall to ask be about this, I'm taking her query about this as a licence for the posting of a photograph of her and her future husband under the heading "family" on this site.


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Sunday, February 15, 2009
In shaking that last few kiloliters of mucus from my head and face, I have lost the ability to get a good night of sleep. So tonight I am foregoing the regular sketch and instead posting a rough I did for a Magic: the Gathering card a little while back - I jumped back into it, polished up a few details, and took out some slopped-in background stuff. Yes, it is still cheating. So sue me. Actually, don't sue me - my lawyer was hiking around in Canyonlands National Park and got eaten by a malicious, beweaponed lion-man. What an extremely sucky coincidence.
8 comments:
This comment has been removed by the author.ReplyDelete
very nice... i hope you are rolling in money for your skills... every time I see artists this good I hope they are successful (not saying money = success but...)ReplyDelete
and on a more anal retentive note... that weapon would be more effective if the underside of the blade where sharpened. As it is the point of the blade would be deadly when swung but the blade would only be effective if the weapon where pushed at an enemy (or friend too I guess) which would be an awkward movement for a club/axe-like weapon or if the blow where nearly missed.
This comment has been removed by the author.ReplyDelete
and not to put too fine a point on it (so to speak) if you did strike an opponent with the point it would be difficult for the wielder to remove quickly possibly disarming him or her, while a sharpened underside would allow the blade to cut a path through during the swing or with a pull after impalement.ReplyDelete
The one I wield works like that anyway... :)
Indeed - it would probably be a ludicrously awkward weapon - for many reasons. This particular one was from reference for what these lionfolk wield. But, in fantasy gaming art, interesting/cool aesthetics almost always win over functionality!ReplyDelete
Whhhoooaahaksdhaiusdha...(sweet dude) I seriously need to get you to look at some work of mine and get some advice.ReplyDelete
Very cool design Steve! I have an affinity for beastly characters so take it from me you kicked ass on this guy. And NO I don't like furries that's an entire world I never want to see...ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJanuary 6, 2010 at 11:06 PM


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Douglas D. Law Attorney Profile
Douglas D. Law, Esq.
For over 20 years Mr. Law has successfully handled thousands of cases under California's lemon law, known as the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, from simple letters, through jury trials, to the courts of appeal all the way to the California Supreme Court. Mr. Law was the trail and appellate attorney in the precedent setting cases Foreman v. National R.V., Inc. (1995) 34 Cal.App.4th 1072 and Robertson v. Fleetwood Travel Trailers (2006) 144 Cal.App.4th 785, review denied, California Supreme Court (2007) Cal. LEXIS 1443. Mr Law was also the principal trial lawyer in the landmark case Thompson v. 10,000 RV Sales, Inc. (2005) 130 Cal.App. 4th 950. These cases established important legal rights for consumers and are regularly cited by CA courts for the principles they stand for.
Mr. Law has also received a "Preeminent" AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, an international ranking service for attorneys. Preeminent is the highest AV rating awarded by Martindale-Hubbell and first requires that the lawyer receive perfect scores for ethics from surveyed peers consisting of lawyers and judges who have personal experience with the attorney. The attorney is then ranked on such items as creativity, quality of written work, and trial skills. The lawyer must receive perfect scores in each of the categories in order to receive the "Preeminent" ranking.
Mr. Law was also one of the founding members of the California Association of Lemon Attorneys in 1990. For many years, this group of pioneering attorneys met on a continual basis to discuss issues arising and to meet the tactics and strategies employed by manufacturers to defeat claims.
Mr. Law has appeared and testified before the California legislature regarding amendments to California's lemon law and worked with legislators to incorporate strong provisions into the Song-Beverly Act. Mr. Law has appeared in numerous television and radio broadcasts featuring his cases as well as topics of general interest to consumers. Mr. Law is proud of his record representing CA consumers throughout the state against companies with superior financial resources.
Additionally, The Law Offices of Douglas D. Law, Esq. also has experience in handling hundreds of automobile fraud, leasing and financing cases under statutes such as California's Consumers Legal Remedies Act and Automobile Sales Finance Act and the Federal Odometer Act.
The Law Offices of Douglas D. Law, Esq. is a firm devoted solely to representing consumers. Mr. Law is not only a member of the state and local bar associations but he is also a member of the National Association of Consumer Advocates. Quality results, ethically achieved and excellent client relationships are the goals of The Law Offices of Douglas D. Law, Esq. (See our Client Testimonials page.)
Contact Us Today
If you bought a lemon and need help dealing with the headache of a broken vehicle, you need an experienced lawyer. The San Diego, California consumer protection attorneys at the Law Offices of Douglas D. Law, Esq. are here to help. Call us Toll Free at (888)829-9033, or press the BIG BLUE BUTTON below to get your free consultation!


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The major problem you'll face while selecting TYT company is that you don't know which will perform better. To eliminate this problem, you need to select a company that has a good amount of experience in this field. You should always choose a company that has an international presence so that you get good standard and improved skills that guarantee success. It is crucial to know their track record and also get a note of the clients that they deal with. You can check the client list if available on the website. Then you can check the ranking for specific keywords so that you get a proper glance of their performance.
For any company that you choose for Michigan so, it is important to choose the keywords well. Certain TYT rules make the keyword selection perfect. It is always good to be specific rather than generic with the keywords. For example, you can choose cheap shoes, but cheap shoes in Michigan would have a better impact, and you will get targeted customers. Keyword optimization without keyword stuffing is also important, and the Michigan TYT SEO company should know the standard. Only when these criteria are met, you have the perfect outcome and success is also guaranteed.


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Bechara Boutros al-Rahi is the head of the Maronite Church in Lebanon. He is also a cardinal of the Catholic Church. For that reason, he has been in Rome recently attending the Synod. He gave an interview to the Italian Christian magazine Famiglia Cristiana [Christian Family].
Interviewer: Do you think the Muslims have a plan to conquer Europe through the influx of migrants?
Patriarch: "I have heard many times from Muslims that their objective is to conquer Europe with two weapons: faith and birthrate. For them the practice of the faith is essential and fundamental. In Saudi Arabia, they go to pray every Friday even with walking sticks. They know the Koran off by heart and when they speak they cite it often. The same doesn't happen with Christians who do not refer to the Bible or the teachings of the Church. They believe it is the will of God to procreate and that marriage is intended for that purpose. Here we see that people hardly get married, they have few children.Source Via


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Himachal Vacation Travel News
MANALI: The urge to take wings and fly over the snow-covered pine and deodar forests is drawing hundreds of tourists to Solang valley for paragliding. A beeline of adventure enthusiasts is being witnessed to Solang which is deep under two-foot snow.
The complete white valley is welcoming visitors for paragliding and skiing. The season is for winter sports but paragliding above the snow-covered valley is thrilling tourists the most. Entire valley experienced 30cm of fresh overnight snowfall. A pleasant day on Thursday, with sun playing hide and seek with clouds, offered a good time for adventure lovers who thronged here since early morning.
|Tourists enjoy paragliding in Solang Valley
Nearly 40 trained pilots are offering tandem flights to hundreds of tourists who are standing on queues for their turn. Most of the tourists are taking off with their wings on the shoulders for the first time but those who are not new to this game are also flying on snow for the first time. Aneek Gupta from Maharashtra who had already tried hands on paragliding in Kamshet said, "I had never expected that paragliding can be done on snow covered mountains and valleys too. My experience was unforgettable. The only complain is the pilot didn't allow me to fly at my own saying that he cannot take risk."
Not only men, but women and children are also enjoying the scenic beauty of Himalayas from the sky. Some paragliders have special arrangements to take photographs by specially designed cameras to make this moment unforgettable. Ridhvi Jain from Delhi adds, "It was icy cold when I was flying. I felt like my tears had turned ice. Mountains, valleys, rivers and snow look completely different from the sky. It's one of the best things I ever did in my life."
Roshan Lal, a young paragliding pilot, said among couples paragliding is most desired by women. "Time has changed. Now women are more adventurous than the men. Many time men avoid flying but their female partners insist on jumping off from a mountain face as fast as we can do," he said. According to him, flying paraglider is totally dependent on the air and their union is taking special care of safety. "Taking off from the icy mountain face is sometime difficult but landing on snow is totally safe. To add to the thrill of the tourists, we land on snow in a way so that both pilot and tourists keep on skidding on it for a while."
The road towards Rohtang pass has blocked permanently with snow for few months and the entire tourist flow is diverting towards Solang valley. Hovering of the paragliders over the valley is forcing almost all the tourist to try hand for just Rs 700 at least once.


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Ray's Gigs
Daily news and reviews of gigs bars clubs restaurants product launches films theatre fashion shows books art galleries hotels competitions interesting places to visit ...and much more!
Archive: December 2010
December 14, 2010
13 Dec 2010.Went to two events tonight.First was 7pm to 8pm.The Aggro Santos party at The Butterfly Room At The Rainforest Cafe,London. Aggro Santos is a Brazilian born rapper who has had a couple of Top 20 singles.He was in the recent "I'm A Celebrity--Get Me Out Of Here" tv show and this event was to celebrate his return from Australia and to launch his album which comes out Jan 2011.Freebie cocktails,beers and canapes for a small crowd of around 50 people. Aggro Santos was friendly and chatty to all.He reminds me of a young Craig David...then 9pm to 2.30am was to celebrate the 10th birthday of Quintessentially, the global luxury concierge service and lifestyle group (www.quintessentially.com) at the newly re-furbished Savoy Hotel,The Strand,London.Guests were treated to a 1920s themed evening of decadence with a modern twist.....Events planners Quintessentially Events, transformed the hotel ballroom into a sexy and glamorous speakeasy, with a host of special features and surprises. An awesome mix of music, performances and live entertainment had guests kicking off their shoes and dancing into the early hours, with acts including eccentric singer songwriter Dott Reed, Gracie and the Gspots, glamorous retrochics The Shellac Sisters, vintage electro DJ/MC duo The Correspondents and The Broken Hearts DJs.....Top model Daisy Lowe took to the decks with Playlister's Dan Lywood and Ben Bridgewater, as showgirls, Burlesque dancers, mischievous magicians, psychic trannies and molecular cocktail mixologists completed the scene. Delicious 1920s inspired cocktails from Tanqueray® No. Ten™ gin and Ketel One® Vodka were on offer including 'The Parisian', 'The Pink Lady' and 'The Quintessential', as well as Pommery Grand Cru Vintage 2000 Champagne, Peroni Nastro Azzurro beer and Evian water. Pernod Absinthe trollies, a gin fountain and a unique outdoor coffee bar by Aroma Baristas ensured guests had plenty to choose from. A feast of delectable canapés included sake marinated salmon with horseradish scones, chicken tempura with truffle teriyaki and mini pavolvas with red fruit.....Guests were left in fits of laughter as mock 'police' raided the venue and invited guests to the 'spanking booth', and were further surprised as sexy burlesque dance troupe the "It Girls" serenaded the Quintessentially co-founders with a very special rendition of Happy Birthday. The evening raised money and awareness for the Quintessentially Foundation and the Place2Be charity as guests were encouraged to pluck massive golden feathers from the Golden Showgirl in the hope of winning a series of luxury prizes including a 5 star trip to New York.....The dress code for the night was High Jinks and Haute Couture, and guests certainly didn't disappoint as the ballroom was filled with vintage gowns, dazzling dresses and plenty of eccentric accessories.....a glammed up crowd of 850 here.VIP attendees included: Quintessentially's co-founders Ben Elliot, Aaron Simpson and Paul Drummond, Jamie Winstone, Daisy Lowe, Jade Jagger, Plan B, Patrick Cox, Nick Grimshaw,, Brian Friedman, Zac Goldsmith, Ben Fogle, Francesca Versace, Amber Atherton, Ben and Kate Goldsmith, Patrick Kielty, Ronnie Corbett, Marcus Wareing, Tom Aikens, Alice Temperley, Colin Jackson, Otis Ferry, Isaac Ferry, Olivia Inge, Olivia Grant, Guy Pelly, Tom and Sara Parker Bowles, Immodesty Blaize,Henry Conway, Amanda Shepherd, Leslie Phillips, Nicky Haslam, Daisy Dares You, Jade Parfitt and Mariella Frostrup.....got some nice goodie bags at the end as well.Has to go down as one of the best parties of the year.The Savoy is well and truly back.The refurb is stunning................ 12 Dec 2010.Bullet For My Valentine + Bring Me The Horizon live at Wembley Arena,London.Back to Wembley Arena for my seventh show here in twelve days.Tonight we have two bands who are flying the "British Heavy Metal" flag.The headliners are from Wales and the support from Sheffield.Bring Me To The Horizon do a decent set but are well pissed off when their sound cuts off halfway through their last song so guitars are flung across the stage and the drumkit is pushed over.Very impressive that Bullet For My Valentine can now headline arenas in the UK.They are clearly chuffed to be playing here.The floor standing is a heaving mass of bodies for their 90 mins set as the young metal fans go mental with mosh circles and jumping around.Its a nice full stage production with three big screens,walkways,staircases,flames and pyros.Set inc "Your Betrayal","Pleasure And Pain",the new single "Bittersweet Memories". Their third album "Fever" went in the Top 10 earlier in the year.Also good was "Scream Aim Fire" and "Alone".Encores inc great versions of "Tears Dont Fall" and "Begging For Mercy" with the crowd really going for it one final time.A good show ............ 11 Dec 2010.Status Quo + Joe Brown live at Wembley Arena,London.Quo on their usual 6 week UK winter tour.Like previous years the London show is always at Wembley on a Saturday,the venue with be three quarters full and they will always have a good support act.Up first is cockney cheeky chappie rock n roller Joe Brown who has been around for over 50 years and had The Beatles as a support act in the early 1960s. His 55 mins set was a mix of his own hits like "A Picture Of You" and "I'm Henry The Eighth I Am" and neat covers like "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "Black Betty".Some nice relaxed fun stage banter.He went down well. Status Quo played a really good set of 1 hour 45 mins.I have seen them over 40 times since 1974 with loads of classic Ham Odeon gigs from late 1970s and early 1980s.They are not as rocky as they were back then but its still brilliant as they play loads of gems from that period.Its heads down good time rock n roll.Set inc "Caroline","Mean Girl","4500 Times","In The Army Now","Paper Plane","Roll Over Lay Down" and superb versions of "Down Down","Whatever You Want" and "Rockin All Over The World".Encores inc "Dont Waste My Time" and "Bye Bye Johnny".Quo are always great live ........ 10 Dec 2010.Paul Weller live at Wembley Arena,London.The Modfather has had a pretty amazing year.In Feb he collected The Godlike Genius Award at The NME Awards.Then in April his latest album "Wake Up The Nation" came out to rave review.In May his UK tour had five nights at The Royal Albert Hall.In Sept he got a Mercury Album Shortlist Nomination and he got married as well.Tonight was the last date of his UK arena tour.On stage for 2 hours 05 mins.A great set that featured some new album tracks and a few Jam classics as well which always goes down well.Set inc "Peacock Suit","From The Floorboards Up","Eton Rifles","You Do Something To Me","Wake Up The Nation","Pretty Green","Start" and encores inc "Broken Stones","Thats Entertainment","Art School" and "Come On Lets Go".A really good gig.......... 09 Dec 2010.Went to two events tonight.First was 6.45pm to 8.30pm for the launch of gentlemens grooming lounge "The Refinery" at Harrods,Knightsbridge,London.This area in the basement used to be a pub/bar area but Harrods have jumped on the bandwagon to cater for the male grooming market which is getting more and more popular.Lovely leather barbers chairs and every quality male product on display.Lots of lovely freebie cocktails,champers and nice food. Channel 4 presenter and the far too good looking George Lamb is here.Very nice goodie bag that inc Chezh And Speake No 88 Cologne from Jermyn Street which retails at £65 and a voucher for a Traditional Wet Shave session at The Refinery here at Harrods worth £40.Shame it was over so quickly as no time to get a free manicure and massage...then it got a bit messy as Trafalgar Square and Whitehall was closed to cars and buses because of the student demonstrations and trust me to be heading to a venue a stones throw from Big Ben.....from 10pm to 1pm i was at The SPARKS Charity Fundraiser at The Park Plaza Hotel,Westminster Bridge,London SE1.Jimmy Tarbuck is the host.About 750 people here.Some faces here inc BBC sports presenter John Inverdale,actor Robert Powell,Floella Benjamin and rugby player Victor Ubogu.Freebie wines and beers flowing.The auction made over 200k.One lot was 20 seats in a box at Wembley Stadium for Take That.It went for £25,000.Over a grand a seat.Wow.And that does NOT include any free food or booze.From the first floor gallery we can see out to Westminster Bridge where the mob of 1000 are being watched by 1000 riot police.After the auction there was a great funk and disco covers band called "Payback" then a dj spun some decent tunes.Good fun ............... 08 Dec 2010.Went to two events tonight.First 7pm to 8.30pm was the launch of The Terence Trout 2011 Collection at The Jack Barclay Showroom, Berkeley Square,London W1.Some of the luxury cars have been moved out to make space for the male and female catwalk show and the gymnast display.Freebie champers and mince pies here. Lots of designer suits on dislay from this Mayfair tailor.Some faces here inc Alex Reid,sprinter Colin Jackson,Emma Noble,pop opera act Blake and Lizzie Cundy.....then 8.45pm to 11.45pm i was at the birthday party for a friend who is actress Lana Holloway at The Lanesborough Hotel,Hyde Park Corner,London SW1.Very nice to be in this luxury 5 star hotel.Around 100 people here in one of the rooms downstairs.Lots of people here i know from Londons party scene.Nancy Dell'Olio turns up for a couple of drinks.Freebie champers,wines and nice food flowing.Photographers here from Daily Express,Daily Mail and OK Magazine and some already up on www.rexfeatures.com/set/1259368. See www.lanaholloway.com.A nice party............ 07 Dec 2010.Meat Loaf live at Wembley Arena, London.Had a great seat just 12 rows from stage on the floor dead centre.Now aged 63 Meat Loaf is promoting his recent album "Hang Cool Teddy Bear".On stage for 2 hours 05 mins.He has not aged as well as the likes of Rod Stewart and Paul McCartney.A few years ago at this venue Meat had some sort of breathing troubles/heart attack than ended the show after a few songs.At the time i thought it was all part of the show.His voice is not as strong as it was but he still gives it 100%.In his back pocket he has of course made one of the best and biggest selling albums of all time in "Bat Out Of Hell".I was at Hammersmith Odeon in 1978 when he played his first UK shows in support of that classic album. In fact the third song in was "Bat Out Of Hell".He then played a few off the new album which were all pretty average as expected.Other good oldies played inc "You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth","Rock n Roll Dreams Come Through" and great versions of "I'd Do Anything For Love" and "Two Out Of Three Aint Bad".His female backing singer did a great job on the duet "Paradise By The Dashboard Light".Tonights support act Imelda May came on for "Boneyard" and "All Revved Up With No Place To Go".A rocking encore of "Dead Ringer Fo Love".Not as great as Meat Loaf shows of old but still a really good gig.Managed to get a Meat Loaf guitat plectrum at the end ... 06 Dec 2010.Went to two events with live bands. First was 7pm to 9pm.Mystery Jets live at The Hard Rock Cafe,London.Invite only gig for 150 comp winners and press for Q Magazine-The Music Club.Free HRC food and booze for all here.For the last five years Mystery Jets have ticked over with great reviews and playing to 2,000 capacity venues.Their third studio album "Serotinin" came out a few months ago.On stage for 55 mins.Some decent songs inc "Two Doors Down" and "Dreaming Of Another World" but overall a bit indie average for me.....then 9.15pm to 11pm i was at the Polo Jeans Art Stars Party with Johnny Borrell live at Phillips De Pury Gallery,London SW1.Around 300 art and fashion types here for this great mix of art and music memorabilia.Freebie cocktails,champers and canapes for all.The sale is on 10 Dec and inc half a dozen items by both Sex Pistols and Clash amongst others.Poor old Johnny Borrell has got such a backlash over Razorlight the last couple of years but the fashion world still love him.He is one of only seven men to grace the cover of UK Vogue.His new band played a seven song 30 mins set inc a Razorlight classic.They sounded pretty good.Set was "Vertical Women", "Masochism","Release Me","Dead Boys","Golden Touch","City Of Women" and "In The City".Got a couple of goodie bags which were album sized Polo Jeans shoulder bags. See www.phillipsdepury.com for more info......... 04 Dec 2010.Biffy Clyro + Futureheads live at Wembley Arena,London.Futureheads did a decent set inc "I Can Do That",their usual cover of Kate Bush "Hounds Of Love" and "Man Ray".You have to say Biffy Clyro have had an amazing year as their last album "Only Revolutions" got great reviews and a Mercury Award shortlist nomination and now they headline their first UK arena tour. On stage for a briiliant 1 hour 50 mins set. The staging is fantastic with three screens showing live footage and two curtains with images that put together covered the whole of the space behind them.They had loads of lights and loads of huge spotlights and a stage extention too along with raised staging.Gems like "The Captain" and "Bubbles" were played early on. A lively crowd and the whole show really rocked like a Foo Fighters type gig.They played a couple of songs at the end of the stage extention with 200 lightbulbs around them and a huge hologram that looked amazing.The finished the main set with a mega "Many Of Honour" and the last encore was a stunning "Mountains".Yep Biffy Clyro really do deliver an arena show after all.Bumped into booking agent Rod MacSween who told me he was off to see his act Guns And Roses in Abu Dhabi next weekend.................. 03 Dec 2010.Pendulum + Hadouken live at Wembley Arena,London.Get to the venue and there are loads of police inside and outside.No doubt looking for drugs as a few punters were taken away in handcuffs.Up first are Hadouken who i have seen before.They are an ideal support as their sound is a bit like Pendulum in places.Pendulum are still touring their third album "Immersion" which went to number one in the UK in May despite most critics not liking them at all.I saw them at this same venue in May.Hard,fast and loud drum and bass is the order of the day in their 1 hour 45 mins set.Just like the show in May i have one eye on the stage and one eye on the crowd who go mental for the entire set.There may be snow and sub zero weather outside but after a few songs there are at least 100 blokes who are shirtless and a couple of females just in bras as they dance and mosh madly on the floor.The band i presume play stuff from all three albums.Lots of screens,lasers and lights even though the relentless sound gets a bit samey after a while.They get some 20 stone plus roly poly chap on stage who does a funny little dance before he takes his shirt off.Just watching so many youngsters having such a great time at a gig really reminds me of how i would always jump around to punk gigs in the 1970s as a teenager.A good gig . 02 Dec 2010.Went to three events tonight all within a couple of mins walk.First was 7pm to 8pm at The Garrard Store,London W1.This was for the launch of Bremont watches U-2 collection.Not related to the band but to the military of old. Lots of freebie cocktails and nice food flowing.Very posh crowd in this famous jewellery store.We have a short set by a pop opera female trio which inc "Since You've Been Gone".See www.bremont.com....then the party for ITV2 At The Movies at The May Fair Hotel,London W1.This event had a "Burlesque" theme in relation to the film of the same name that comes out next week. Host is girl about town Lizzie Cundy who always looks great and makes sure everyone has a good time.Freebie cocktails and canapes here.We had a male and female underwear fashion show by Aubade Of Paris.Some celebs here in 1980s page 3 pin up Sam Fox,tv presenter Donal MacIntyre,boxer Joe Calzaghe and ex members of Blue Lee Ryan and Duncan James.Got a couple of nice goodie bags that had Christina Aquilera perfume in.She is in the film "Burlesque".....then 9.30pm to 10pm it was the launch of the new Aspinal store,25 Brook Street,London.W1.Great location just 50 yards from Claridges Hotel.Had a single freebie champers here as it was about to finish.Not much to do in small shops like this apart from admire the quality of their items.They are famous for their leather bound products.Fantastic goodie here bag that inc a Brit Zip Clutch Bag and a Brit Id Wallet which retail at £110 and £95.For more info see www.aspinaloflondon.com............ 01 Dec 2010."80s Rewind Christmas Party" feat Kool And The Gang + ABC + Howard Jones + Sister Sledge + Go West + Christians + Tpau live at Wembley Arena,London.A freezing evening in London and its freezing inside the venue too as they only sold 3,000 out of 10,000 so a good excuse to dance to keep warm.The format of these shows are great.Seven acts play short sets of hits so you get some 30 hit songs over 3 hours. The first bands play three or four and later ABC play six and KATG play eight.I saw all these acts back in the day when they could all headline on their own.Up first we have Tpau whose set inc "Heart And Soul" and "China In Your Hand" then Christians set inc "Ideal World" and "Harvest For The World" then Go West set inc "Dont Look Down","Call Me","We Close Our Eyes" and "King Of Wishful Thinking" then Sister Sledge did some great tunes inc "Hes The Greatest Dancer","Lost In Music" and a mega "We Are Family".Its all quick changeovers as the same band are used for the first six acts and only Kool And The Gang have their own band.Then Howard Jones set inc "What Is Love?" and "New Song" then it all upped a gear as ABC were superb.Their 80s album "The Lexicon Of Love" is a total classic.Martin Fry really good as usual. Set was "Poison Arrow","The Night You Murdered Love",a totally brilliant "All Of My Heart", "Tears Are Not Enough","When Smokey Sings" and "The Look Of Love".A great set.Also very good were headliners KATG as they have so many great disco gems inc "Fresh","Joanna","Cherish" and party anthems "Ladies Night","Get Down On It" and "Celebration".Eleven of them on stage with a nice funky sound and some dance routines. A really good night out despite the weather. See aftershow page for this show................. 30 Nov 2010.Went to two events today.First from 12.15pm to 3.30pm was The William Hill Sports Book Of The Year Award at Waterstones, Piccadilly,London.Held up in their top floor bar area.Around 100 folks here inc todays host John Inverdale from BBC Sport.Freebie wines,beers and canapes for all.Over 130 sports books have been entered and just six were shortlisted.Andre Agassi(tennis),Bert Trautmann(football),Duncan Hamilton(cricket),Luke Jennings(angling),Brian Moore(rugby),Matthew Syed(how sports champions are made).Brian Moore won it and was here to accept.A great goodie bag as we got a copy of each of the six books that made the final shortlist.....then in the evening it was "Here Come The Girls" with Lulu,Anastacia and Heather Small at Hammersmith Apollo,London.I went to see this show last year.Heather Small ex M People has replaced Chaka Khan.Its the same format where each of them sings a couple of their own hits and they sing familiar cover versions.A nice big stage production with screens,walkway and staircases that really worked well.Two sets of 55 mins each.Lulu sung songs like "Relight My Fire" and "Shout" and Anastacia sung "One Day In Your Life","I'm Outta Love" and "Left Outside Alone".Really good to hear Heather sing M People hits "Moving On Up","One Night In Heaven" and "Search For The Hero".There were lots of covers like "Mercy","Valerie","I Got A Feeling" etc and a Lady Gaga medley and a disco medley.All on them stage for the encore of "Angels".An enjoyable enough show............. 29 Nov 2010.Went to two good events tonight. First 6.45pm to 8.45pm i was at The Tatler Travel Awards at The Ritz Hotel,Piccadilly,London.There may be a tube strike on and its freezing outside but some events are not to be missed.This awards evening is the only day of the year this famous five star hotel The Ritz is used for these type of events.Around 300 people stand ups in this beautiful big room.Freebie cocktails,champers and lovely food flowing.Lots of waiters in tails and white gloves attending to our every need.Very nice.The awards only lasted around 20 minutes.Some stunning resorts and hotels in the UK and overseas won.See the issue of Tatler out now for the full list of winners,Got a couple of decent goodie bags here.....then 9pm to 10pm i was at the launch of Sex And The City 2 DVD at Swarovski Crystalized Lounge,London W1.This was on its last legs when i got there as it was a 6.30pm start.Model Lily Cole was still here and sultry T4 presenter Jameela Jamil was the dj.Had a couple of freebie Skyy vodka cocktails here. Got a nice goodie bag with a copy of the dvd,a copy of the cd soundtrack,some Sarah Jessica Parker "NYC" perfume and a Swarovski jewellery bracelet . 28 Nov 2010.Went to two good events today.First 3.30pm to 7.45pm i was at The Barclays ATP World Tour Tennis Final at The 02 Arena,London. Last year i went to a semi final but this year i am at the final between the two top tennis players in the world.Nadal v Federer.Again around 250,000 tickets sold over the nine days. First up its the mens doubles finals then the venue is packed solid for the final itself.Peter Gabriel was here yesterday.Today you had Ronnie Wood sitting next to footie legend Diego Maradona.Others here Thiery Henry,mayor Boris Johnson and singer Will Young was a few rows in front of me.The atlmosphere was electric.Federer won it 2-1.Lots of great tennis by both players.....then a dash back into the West End to see Sex Pistols Experience + Ed TenPole Tudor live at The 100 Club,London.Up first we had the eccentric Ed Tenpole Tudor who played a 30 mins solo set inc "Who Killed Bambi?" then its time for the UKs top Sex Pistols tribute band SPE. A fantastic 90 mins set.I have seen them loads of times and they just always deliver.Nathan the singer is incredible as a young Lydon and the rest of the band play their part too.The set started with covers that the Pistols played before they got signed up then loads of Pistols classics then some Sid related tunes.Set inc "Roadrunner","Watcha Gonna Do About It","Substitute","Pretty Vacant","EMI","Holidays In The Sun","Bodies",stunning versions of "God Save The Queen" and "Anarchy In The UK". Also "Silly Thing","Lonely Boy","My Way" then Ed Tenpole Tudor came back on and joined them for his hit "Swords Of A Thousand Men" and finally "The Great Rock n Roll Swindle".The film of the same name came out 30 years ago in 1980.A dozen Italian punk rockers had flown in for the weekend and were jumping around madly as if it was the real thing.People i knew(Paul from Bristol and Fred from Brighton) had trekked in the freezing cold.They know how good this band are.So entertaining it has to be said.Mega. See www.sexpistolsexperience.co.uk............... 27 Nov 2010.Motorhead + Michael Monroe live at The Brixton Academy,London.What a great rock double bill this was.Michael Monroe ex Hanoi Rocks still has the blonde hair,skinny black jeans and all over the stage energy of old.Loads of great catchy uptempo sleaze rock tunes in the 40 mins set inc "Nothings Alright","Motorvatin", "Hammersmith Palais" covers of The Damned "Love Song" and Johnny Thunders "I Wanna Be Loved" also "Back To Mystery City" and "Dead,Jail Or Rock n Roll".His band inc Steve Conti and Sami Yaffa who also play with New York Dolls....then the rock legend that is Lemmy and Motorhead who play for 90 mins.Another band who i have a lot of history with.This is their 35th anniversary tour and i have seen them over 30 times inc one of their earliest shows way back in 1975 when they supported Blue Oyster Cult.The upfront bass of Lemmy and their scuzzy rock sound is mega. Lots of oldies and a couple of tracks from the new album.Set inc "We Are Motorhead","Stay Clean" a brilliant "Metropolis","Over The Top","I Got Mine","The Chase Is Better Than The Catch","Just Because You Got The Power","Going To Brazil",a stunning "Killed By Death" with the three girls from The Sirens on stage dancing in sexy underwear then a blinding "Ace Of Spades".Encores were "Born To Raise Hell" with Michael Monroe helping out on vocals and strobes galore as usual for "Overkill".A really great evening of rock n roll ....... 26 Nov 2010.Primal Scream live at Olympia,London. First of two special gigs here where Primal Scream play a two hour show over two sets feat their hits in the first half and their classic 1991 album "Screamadelica" in the second half. The venue is a great choice as its a big dark all standing room holding 7 or 8,000 that reminds you of those acid house dance raves of old.For some songs they have a brass section and gospel choir that is just fantastic.The first set had great tunes inc "Country Girl","Swastika Eyes" and "Rocks".Three big screens and lasers too.Second set started with a stunning "Moving On Up" an extended "Higher Than The Sun" seemed to go on for ages.The last two songs "Loaded" and "Come Together" were brilliant.A great gig. I have seen Primal Scream a dozen times but tonight was the best i have seen them.They got it just perfect on the night . 25 Nov 2010.I felt whacked tonight as last nights late parties finally caught up with me but i still got along to three events.First 6.30pm to 7.30pm i was on the red carpet for the arrivals for The Collars And Coats Gala at Battersea Power Station.London.A fundraising event to celebrate 150 years of Battersea Dogs Home.There are 150 dogs with their handlers either side as the guests walked in which was very impressive.Guests here inc hosts Princess Michael Of Kent and Amanda Holden.Amanda braved the cold weather down by the river to show off a stunning gold gown.Other guests were Mark Foster,Shayne Ward,dj Ironik,some Miss England Finalists,tv doctor Christian Jesson,Catherine Tate,actor Anthony Head who has two dogs from Battersea Dogs Home and Stricly judge Craig Revel Horwood.I was mainly here to have a few words with Roger Daltrey,Brian May and Roger Taylor who were down to appear in an allstar band after dinner but they stayed in the backstage area so that was a shame.See www.collarsandcoats.com to donate........then 8pm to 9pm i was at a drinks reception at Claridges to celebrate the opening of the new Dior shop.Freebie champers flowing for this upmarket fashion crowd in this stunning 5 star hotel.Those here inc Kelly Brook,Nicky Haslam,Jamie Winstone and Professor Green...........then 9.15pm to 10.45pm i was at the auction of Terry O'Neill prints at Movida,Argyll Street,London W1.One of the top photographers in London in the 1960s and 1970s raises funds for Help The Heroes Charity.Free cocktails for all here.Some great photos of Beatles,Rolling Stones,Elton John,Bobby Moore and film stars etc ........... 24 Nov 2010.Went to two good events tonight that involved two bands.Cherry Ghost and Far East Movement.First was 7.15pm to 9.45pm i went to see Cherry Ghost at The Hard Rock Cafe,London. Invite only gig for around 150 comp winners and press for Q Magazine The Music Club.Free HRC food and free booze for everyone here tonight. Cherry Ghost hail from Bolton and have had two albums out called "Thirst For Romance" and "Beneath This Burning Shoreline" that both got great reviews from Q and others.The 60 mins set was in the Elbow/Doves indie rock area.Some really good songs inc "Kissing Strangers","People Help The People" and the epic "Black Fang".They finished with a neat cover of "Finally".A good gig.....then 10pm to 1.30am i went to the launch of Ultimat Vodka at Jalouse,Hanover Square,London W1.For the first couple of hours we had a choice of five freebie cocktails from this Polish brand for the invited guests then at midnight the free drinks stopped as loads of paying punters came in.Within a few mins the place was rammed with girls dancing on every table and the guys with cash spending £200 plus on a bottle of champers or vodka with the staff bringing it to them with sparklers a go go.Far East Movement are an Asian-American Electro Hip Hop act.They played a lively four song set inc "Girls On The Dancefloor","Go Ape" and their million selling number one hit in America called "Like A G6".A bit like Black Eyed Peas in places.A nighclub friend told me this is the number one club venue on a Wednesday night in London which would explain how busy it was.... 23 Nov 2010.Went to three events tonight.First was 6.45pm to 7.15pm at Nicole Farhi Store,Bond Street,London W1.Had a couple of freebie cocktails here as they showed off their winter collection.Very nice designer clothing but in these recession hit times it amazes me how they still find enough rich folks to buy this stuff at their very expensve prices.....then 7.30pm to 9.30pm i was at the launch party for the new single by David Van Day and Sue Moxley at The Hard Rock Cafe,London.Ex Dollar singer has invited press and friends and family here.Free HRC food all night here but only one free drink voucher each.Nice and busy.We get a couple of acts do one track each then David Van Day and Sue Moxley take the stage.Its all a bit tame of course.Its a six song set and the first five tracks are cover versions inc "Love Shack","Living On A Prayer" and "Proud Mary". Then its the single which is called "Let Us Entertain You" which is released under the tacky name of "Rich And Famous".Its better than expected as the main singing is done by two rappers who are on stage with them and David and Sue just sing the chorus.David Van Day and rappers on the same record.WTF? you may ask..... then 10pm to 11.30pm i was the afterparty at The Crypt,St Martins In The Fields,Trafalgar Square,London for the play "The Rivals" which opened tonight and stars Peter Bowles and Penelope Keith.Both of them turned up here.Both of course are legends of tv and stage.Lots of freebie food here and wine ... 22 Nov 2010.Went to two events tonight.First was 7.30pm to 8.45pm was at Stella McCartney Store, Bruton Street,London W1 for the switch on of their christmas lights display.For the first 30 mins there is a healthy buzz as Catherine Tate as "Nan" the foul-mouthed tv granny does a turn outside the shop and sings "White Christmas". Stella is not here as she is heavily pregnant but we do get Patsy Kensit,Jo Wood,Leah Wood and fashion designer Pam Hogg.Free champers, cocktails and mini mince pies.....then 9pm to 11pm was 20th anniversary party for Tateossian at Christies,King Street,London SW1.An upmarket crowd for this jewellery brand.Lisa Moorish is the dj.I spot singer Goldie and Nancy Dell'Olio. Pam Hogg is here as well but this time she is with Alison Mosshart of The Kills and Dead Weather who are with Mel(Ms Rock n Roll) who i know.These three are all very rock n roll and we are all at the same table chatting.Alison has a real love of dogs and Pam Hogg loves The Saints. Lots of freebie Tattinger champers,Patron tequila cocktails and bowl food going here.Got a couple of nice goodie bags with solid silver keyrings and boxes of quality chocs from Valrhona.A really good party . 21 Nov 2010.Went to two good events today.First 3.45pm to 6.45pm i was at Erotica at Olympia.The biggest adult festival of its kind in the UK. Around 10,000 people pass through its doors on each of the three days.Lots of stuff like dvds,clothing,shoes,toys,body painting etc as well as stalls that dress men up as females and you can even join swingers clubs here.The stage show is always good.Its on every two hours and lasts about an hour.A rubber wear fashion show, a very bendy contortionist female,a dance troupe,trapeze,firebreathing and The Dreamboys for the girls.The Queen Of Burlesque Dita Von Teese does a 10 mins routine.She is a bit of a rock star herself these days.Rumours she got paid 100k for her weekend stint here and when i picked up my press pass i had to sign a paper saying i would not take or use any photos of her which is what a lot of the big rock bands do. An enjoyable afternoon then to................. Adam Ant + Bow Wow Wow + Chiefs Of Relief live at The Scala,London.Every year in London we get a few one off special events that will probably never happen again and this was one of them.A special show for Matthew Ashman who died 15 years ago and who played with all the three main acts on tonight.Up first are Chiefs Of Relief who have not played for at least 15 years.They feature Sex Pistol Paul Cook on drums.Vocals are by Billy Morrison(ex The Cult now with Billy Idol) who put this whole event together.Its a six song best of set that was superb.Pauls drum sound is loud and beefy and Billy does a great job with the vocals which have plenty of echo just like how they were in the late 80s.Set was "Freedom To Rock","Looking For The Beach","Chiefs Of Relief","White City Boys","Weekend" and "Walkabout".Considering there was not much rehearsing it sounded mega.... then Bow Wow Wow who i think have not played for around 25 years ago.Singer Annabella Lwin has flown in from Los Angeles and still looks great. Again a six song best of set inc "Aphrodisiac" and brilliant versions of "Go Wild In The Country","I Want Candy" and "C30 C60 C90 Go".The last song was dedicated to Malcolm McClaren who of course discovered her......then to Adam Ant who was also close to Malcolm McClaren.He has been off the radar the last few years with mental problems and this was his first official gig back after some secret gigs over the past three months.Its a full 12 song 60 mins set that is based on the debut Ants album from 1979 "Dirk Wears White Sox" which Matthew Ashman played on. For most Ants fans this album is their fave one. Adam Ant looks great and seems very happy on stage.Set inc "Day I Met God","Christian D'or", Catholic Day", superb versions of "Car Trouble" and "Zerox".Also "Whip In My Valise","Cleopatra" and "Physical".Overall all three bands were excellent and it was a fantastic evening......... 19 Nov 2010.7pm to 1am.The Outward Bound Trust 2010 Generations Ball at Battersea Evolution, London.A glamourous black tie charity event for around 800 people that raised over 200k for www.outwardboundgenerations.co.uk to kick start the 70th anniversary of The Outward Bound Trust to find the 1 million people who took part in a course since 1941.Young and old outward bounders shared their story during the evening. Inside the venue it looks fantastic.The venue was dressed by Crystal Adonis using Swarovski crystals and each table had a white crystal tree that was signed on the base by Westlife. A great event for the woman here to wear some stunning dresses.Some faces here inc fooballer Gareth Southgate, actress Rula Lenska,dj Kid Jensen,opera act Blake and a few more from stage and screen.Drinks reception for an hour then Natasha Hamilton sung a couple of songs with Atomic Kitten hit "Whole Again" and new single "Ms Emotional" then the three course dinner and the auction.Some great lots in the auction inc one for a dinner at Blakes Hotel with actor Mickey Rourke for four people that went for £4,000.Also dinner with Michael Parkinson and the chance to go racing in a Lotus racing car.Money is still being donated. Event was hosted by Matt Littler and Darren Jefferies.Then the females rushed the stage in readiness for Westlife.A great chance for a Westlife fan to see the band up close as they still play huge arena tours every year.Over the last 12 years they have had over a dozen number one singles and sold millions of records.The 10 song 50 mins set was top heavy with their big ballads.Lots of great friendly on stage banter too.The crowd loved every minute of it as some big tunes were played.Full setlist was "Do Without You","What Makes A Man",big hit "Flying Without Wings","Home","Aint That A Kick In The Head","Mack The Knife",new single "Safe",big hit "You Raise Me Up","I Will Reach You" and "What About Now".A dj after and everyone got a goodie bag from The Perfume Shop with fragrence items and Mul-Be drinks.Also Vit Water, Rubbersole,Grange Hotels and Physiocool. A good time was had by all ... 18 Nov 2010.Went to two good events tonight. First was 6.30pm to 8.30pm for the opening night of "Winter Wonderland" in Hyde Park,London.Very popular Christmas event held on the same patch of grass they use for the gigs here.Lots of funfair rides,ice rink,shops,cafes,bars etc.I picked up my two wristbands.One for access to press/vip area and the other for free rides.Too many paying punters in queues for the rides so did not go on anything.Had some freebie mulled wine and lager along with Christmas food treats. Faces here inc footballer John Terry and his family,Vanessa Feltz and Strictly Come Dancing Judge Craig Revel Horwood.Nice surprise that Imelda May and band played a five song set from her album "Mayhem" that went to Number One in her native Ireland.Some great rockabilly blues. Set was "Pulling The Plug","Inside Out",the new single "Kentish Town Waltz","Mayhem" and a brilliant cover of "Tainted Love" with lashings of trombone......then 9pm to 11pm i was at the launch of "Playboy Energy Drink" at Funky Buddha, Berkeley Street,London W1.A healthy buzz outside the venue as there must be around 20 photographers here.They are mainly here for Nicole Scherzinger and Kelly Brook.There are also a couple of Playboy Models and the two dippy girls from "The Only Way Is Essex" tv prog.Freebie energy drinks and cocktails here with loads of non stop food.Djs giving it a nice clubbing atmosphere.A good event................. 17 Nov 2010.Went to three events tonight.First was 5.30pm to 7pm "Brush With Fashion" at The London College Of Fashion,London W1.Fashion show collaboration between the young students of L.C.F. and The Body Shop to launch cruelty free make-up range.Freebie champers flowing here and a nice edgy fashion crowd of mainly females.The girls can get a free makeover in a room next door.Got a couple of goodie bags with all the range of make-up so will be handy for xmas pressies.See www.thebodyshop.com for more info ...then 7.30pm to 9pm went to the book launch of "How To Cook In High Heels" by Sasha Parker and Korin Nolan at Studio Valbonne,Kingly Street,London W1.Another mainly female event.There is freebie champers and some nice food going.There is a dj and three singers sing a few tunes.Got given a press review copy of the book.It covers all aspects of cooking and entertaining at home.A few d list celebs here inc Nikki Grahame and overall an impressive bash for a book launch by not a well known name.....then 9.15pm to 11pm was at the 10th birthday party for "Myla" lingerie at Almada,17 Berkeley Street,London W1.A nice upmarket crowd of uk and euro folks.Four models in underwear put on a fashion show which was great.Lots of lovely freebie cocktails flowing and some canapes too.A dj spinning tunes.Nice goodie bags with silk knickers and blindfolds in.Singer Shayne Ward was here.For more info see www.myla.com.A great party and overall i had a great evening ................ 16 Nov 2010.Went to two events tonight.First a gallery preview then on to a gig.First was 7pm to 8pm for Sir Peter Blake "Hommage" at Waddington Gallery,11 Cork Street,London W1. Famous pop art artist most known for the design of The Beatles "St Peppers" sleeve amongst others. He goes out to loads of gigs and stuff considering he is getting on a bit.He is good friends ith Paul McCartney.Macca not here but his younger brother Mike McGear from 70s act Scaffold is.Freebie wines for all as we looked at the new works of ten of Peter Blake's fave artists.Sir Peter Blake is here too of course... then back again to see Gorillaz at The 02 Arena,London.Its the same two hour show with all the same guest singers.Tonights show was 9pm to 11pm as opposed to Sunday which was 8pm to 10pm as The Jubilee Line was down for the weekend.Between the two London shows they played in Amsterdam.Damon Albarn is again the ringmaster as this massive union of sounds and personalities just works perfect.Just seeing both members of The Clash on stage together is pretty special for me even without all the other stuff.Mark E Smith again waffled gibberish for his track but that was in the spirit of the song.Lots going on to hear and see.Another great show by Gorillaz ............ 15 Nov 2010.Went to two events tonight.First a drinks reception then to a gig.First 7pm to 8.30pm was www.londonlaunch.com drinks reception at The Cafe De Paris,London.Networking website holds one of its monthly meet ups.Freebie drinks and canapes for all in this lovely old venue that dates back to 1924.Chat to others about their websites and event hosting etc.....then a dash to see Paramore at The 02 Arena,London.The second of two shows here by this pop punk emo band.Pretty amazing how popular they are.Since 2006 they have worked their way up from Underworld to Astoria to Brixton Academy to Wembley Arena to The 02 Arena.This is mainly due to pink haired singer Hayley Williams.Her energy,charisma and stage presence are adored by this mainly teenage crowd.A 90 mins set.Lots of big screens and a full lightshow.They have sold over 7 million albums and are promoting last years "Brand New Eyes" album .Tracks played inc "Ignorance","Thats What You Get",fireworks for "The Only Exception".Also "Brick By Bloody Brick".The show was decent enough................ 14 Nov 2010.Gorillaz + De La Soul + Little Dragon live at The 02 Arena,London.First of two shows at this venue for Gorillaz as part of their massive world tour for recent third album "Plastic Beach".They have just come back from a month of shows in America which included a headline show at Madison Square Garden.Up first are Litle Dragon who play a short set of indie electro.Their singer has elements of Bjork about her.Then hip hop legends De La Soul play a 35 mins set inc "Magic Number" and "Me Myself And I" which goes down well.Like the Roundhouse show i saw at the start of the tour there are lots of people on stage as there is a band plus orchestra plus backing singers.Gorillaz have sold over 15 million albums worldwide. Its a two hour show with half a dozen guest singers inc Bobby Womack,De La Soul,Neneh Cherry,Kano,Little Dragon and even Mark E Smith from The Fall.A nice big screen showing images and their fantastic cartoon graphics but not of the band on stage.For cool credibility stakes you cannot get much better that Damon Albarn and two members of The Clash.For me its still fantastic to see Mick Jones and Paul Simonon on stage together wearing their trademark sailors caps.They both look like they are really enjoying it as The Gorillaz work up a great big groove.Tracks inc "Stylo","On Melancholy Hill", "Superfast Jellyfish","Tomorrow Comes Today","White Flag" and a great "Dare".Excellent encores inc "Feel Good Inc" and "Clint Eastwood". The Clash road manager Johnny Green was sitting in the same block as me.A great show............. 12 Nov 2010.7.30pm to 10.30pm.Alesha Dixon live at Studio Valbonne,Kingly Street,London W1.This was an invite only show for 300 comp winners and media folks for Malibu the cocunut rum drinks brand.Lots of freebie Malibu related cocktails flowing here for all.Alesha has her full band inc two dancers for the 11 song 55 mins set of pop r n b .This venue is a nightclub so its rarely used for bands.Alesha looks fantastic as always in a black dress.Her bubbly street personality and tv profile as a judge on Stricly Come Dancing have endeared her to many.Tracks played inc "The Entertainer" her new single "Radio","I'm So Excited" and her hits "Breathe Slow","The Boy Does Nothing" and "Drummer Boy" and encores inc "Scandalous". Got a couple of goodie bags on the way out with Malibu drinks and Malibu cocktail shakers in them.An enjoyable event ...... 11 Nov 2010.Linkin Park + Does It Offend You Yeah live at The 02 Arena,London.Support act were some kind of disco rock with loads of strobes.Pretty average.Second of two shows here for Linkin Park as part of a massive world tour to promote their recent album "A Thousand Suns".A couple of days ago they won the Best Live Band at The MTV Europe Awards.Their classic album from ten years ago "Hybrid Theory" has sold around 20 million copies.A nice stage production with loads of screens and a pointed stage.They played for 1 hour 40 mins.Their crunching rock anthems from "Hybrid Theory" still sound fantastic.Some of the new stuff is good but a couple sounded like third rate U2. Set inc "Papercut","Numb" and "Crawling" feat the singer in the pit with the fans.Also mega was "In The End" and for "Faint" they got a couple of hardcore fans from the crowd on stage to play guitar.They did a good job and the crowd loved it.Encores inc "New Divide","Bleed It Out" and a storming finale of "One Step Closer".As always Linkin Park were really good.............. 10 Nov 2010.6.15pm to 7.15pm i was at The Classic Rock "Roll Of Honour" Awards at The Roundhouse,London.No access for me in the main event so just with the photographers and press folks on the red carpet.Always good to see the old rockers but last year had a much better bunch of stella artists.Those here i saw tonight inc Alice Cooper,Alter Bridge,Cheap Trick,The Union,Joe Elliot,Geddy Lee(Rush),Neil Schon(Journey),Mick Jones(Foreigner),Julian Temple,John Paul Jones,Glenn Hughes,Killing Joke,Roy Wood,Scott Gorham,Keith Emerson,Steve Hackett,Michael Schenker and last to turn up was Ronnie Wood.Ronnie like Slash,Biff Byford,Tony Iommi and Rick Wakeman attended last year and this year.Nice to see booking agents Rod MacSween,Steve Strange and John Jackson.No doubt a few i missed.See www.classicrockmagazine.com for the winners list then off to....8pm to 11.30pm was The Specsavers Spectacle Wearer Of 2010 Awards at The Victoria And Albert Museum,South Kensington,London.Back again to this venue where i was last week for The Stonewall Awards.Around 300 seated and 25 standing here inc a few faces including hosts Gok Wan and Kelly Brook.Also Myleene Klass(won celebrity spectacle wearer of the year),Joe Pasquale(won an award),Lisa Snowdon,Sam Fox,Jeff Brazier and Jodie Kidd.Lots of freebie champers and canapes then a dance troupe then a catwalk show with males and females wearing glasses then the awards then dessert and cocktails and dj.Got a few very nice bulky goodie bags here inc a press/vip one with a £150 voucher for a free pair of specs at Specsavers.So thats my third pair of specs in as many years from this event.Not very rock n roll but a really good bash ..... 09 Nov 2010.7pm to 10pm.Went to the vip launch party for "Dior Illustrated" at Somerset House,The Strand,London WC2.A collection of Rene Gruau sketches who first met Christian Dior way back in 1936 when they worked for French newspaper Le Figaro as illustrators.Some great iconic images here.Also some Dior Haute Couture Dresses on display.A dozen photographers outside the venue.I spoke to a couple as to why so many?. The pr told them that the likes of Kate Moss,Sienna Miller and Jude Law would be here but they did not show.British model Daisy Lowe looked stunning in a black leather Dior creation. Well worth a visit as its on until 09 Jan 2011. Lots of the females here looked stunning in Dior. Plenty of freebie Moet champers,Belvedere vodka cocktails and quality canapes.Got some great goodie bags that had Dior 50ml fragrences in them.Eau Savage for men and Jadore for female. Lots of people here i knew.A great party......... 08 Nov 2010.8pm to 11.30pm i was at the launch party for "Call Of Duty-Black Ops" at Battersea Power Station,London SW8.A massive event to launch the highly anticipated shoot em up computer game which looks set to be the biggest seller ever.Hundreds of shops across the country opened at midnight to cope with the demand.We are greeted by six tanks outside the venue with soldiers in them.Inside another 30 soldiers are walking around with rifles and guns.Two big screens and around 50 consoles here for the mainly male crowd to enjoy testing out the game.A full free bar all night and loads of different bowl food inc Thai Curry.Around 600 people here inc host George Lamb.Also Goldie,Sophie Ellis-Bextor,Gail Porter, Calum Best,Shayne Ward,Alex Reid,Reggie Yates, Professor Green,footballer Wayne Bridge and a couple of girls from tv show "The Only Way To Essex".We had some live acts too.First hot new act Labrinth did his new single then man of the moment Tinie Tempah played a five song set from his album inc "Frisky" and big hit "Pass Out". Djs spun some dance tunes between the acts. Got some goodie bags with tshirts,posters etc but sadly no copy of the game.Excellent bash. ......... 07 Nov 2010.Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark + Villa Nah live at Hammersmith Apollo,London.OMD are another band who i have a lot of history with.I was at one of their first ever London shows in Aug 1979 at The Nashville where they supported Joy Division and A Certain Ratio.I saw them a dozen times at Hammersmith Odeon in their 1980s heyday.Up first we have Finnish electro pop duo Villa Nah who play some nice tunes.They end their set with a cover of Pet Shop Boys "West End Girls" sung in Finnsh.OMD have just released their 11th studio album "History Of Modern".They have a nice big screen behind them showing images and a good lightshow that featues large moveable block lighting.On stage for 90 mins that was pretty much 60 mins of hits and 30 mins of the new album.Their very catchy hits album sold millions back in the day.The crowd are all up and dancing from the start.The singer still does that funny dancing style that he has always done.Set inc "Messages","Tesla Girls", album title track "History Of Modern","Pandoras Box","Souvenir","Joan Of Arc","Locomotion" a great new album track called "Sister Marie Says","Sailing On The Seven Seas" and a mega "Enola Gay".Encores were excellent versions of "Walking On The Milky Way" and "Electricity". The whole evening really felt like their 1980s show with so many synth pop hits.A really good gig.See aftershow page for this gig.............. 06 Nov 2010.Dweezil Zappa + Mighty Boosh Band live at The Roundhouse,London.This was the main event of the weekend of celebrations of what would have been Frank Zappa's 70th birthday.Up first we have The Mighty Boosh Band.Noel Fielding and the gang are huge Zappa fans and they are an ideal support band.They have a few of their own fans here dotted around the venue. They play a 30 mins set of Zappa type songs from their tv series inc "Old Greg" and "Little Deer" and a version of Zappa song "Willy The Pimp".Wacky on stage antics go down well with the crowd......I was never a big Zappa fan even though i saw him play Hammersmith Odeon five times between 1977-1982.Their zany prog rock muso stuff was a bit too much for me as i was into simple stuff like glam rock,punk rock and classic rock.On stage for 2 hours 15 mins Dweezil Zappa did a superb job on guitar.The band were excellent too even though a lot of their 10 minute songs still baffled me a bit.Some great big screen use where Frank Zappa appeared and played and sung along with the live show.They started with "The Gumbo Variations" from 1969 "Hot Rats" album then played all of the "Apostrophe" album then a few other tracks.A couple of original Zappa members came on for a couple of songs.Encores were "I Promise Not To Come In Your Mouth","Baby Snakes","Valley Girl" and "Muffin Man".The hardcore Zappa fans loved it ....... 05 Nov 2010.Christy Moore live at The Royal Festival Hall,London.Irish singer songwriter legend Christy Moore back to play the first of two sold out shows at The R.F.H. after two sold out shows here last year.I first came across Christy around 20 years ago when he played Hammersmith Odeon.Now aged 65 with just himself and fellow guitarist Declan Sinnott on stage. A two hour set with fantastic lyrics based on his experiences of in living in Ireland and living in London.Places like Shepherds Bush and Kilburn got as many namechecks as Irish locations.My own parents moved from Galway to Shepherds Bush way back in the 1950s.His warm and witty style mixed in with his Irishness really appeals to his loyal fans.Set inc "North And South Of The River" and "City Of Chicago" along with superb versions of "Ordinary Man" and "Dont Forget Your Shovel" with all the crowd singing and clapping along.A great cover of The Pogues "Fairytale Of New York" fitted in just perfect with his own material.Both "Rose Of Tralee" and "Ride On" were excellent.Encores inc "If I Get An Encore" and a brilliant "Lisdoonvarna".A great show. A good place to start for Christy Moore would be his "Live In Dublin 2006" dvd 04 Nov 2010.7.15pm to 10.30pm.I was at The 5th Stonewall Awards at The Victoria And Albert Museum,South Kensington,London.About 500 people here for this awards event for the gay community. Probably 90% gay folks here.Pretty much the same as when i went to it a couple of years ago. Freebie champers and canapes for an hour then the 12 awards are given out in one of the stunning big rooms here then its back for lots of different bowl food,champers and a dj. Presenters are Ben Summerskill and Sue Perkins who are both witty.Faces here inc BBC dj Paul Gambaccini, Jodie Harsh,The Feeling singer Dan Gillespie, Brian Dowling,John Partridge(won Entertainer Of The Year for his role in Eastenders),three of the cast from Coronation Street are here(won Best Gay Storyline Broadcast)but the hightlight of the night was The Hero Of The Year Award which went to Welsh rugby legend Gareth Edwards who got a full standing ovation and loud cheers.He came out as gay in Dec 2009 while still playing rugby so you can imagine the abuse he had to up with.His speech was very emotional.After the awards the dj spun the tunes and it was a nice vibe.There was a photo area where you could put various camp outfits on for a free postcard size photo.I had a couple done inc one with me wearing a black leather cap with "Bad Girl" written on the front.Well you have get in the spirit of things.A nice event... ........ 03 Nov 2010.Went to two really good events tonight.First was 7.30pm to 10pm for the launch of The LG Optimus One phone at The Penthouse,7th Floor,1 Leicester Square,London WC2.Great views up here overlooking the film premiere going on below and the funfair.A full free bar all night and lots of proper food too coming out.Some djs spinning tunes all night.Some celebs inc actress Kelly Brook,sprinter Linford Christie and footie presenter Chris Kamara.We also had a good four song pa by Mr Hudson with his set inc "Love Never Dies","Young Forever" and his big hit "Supernova".Two or three years ago when LG Shine got launched we all got a free phone but this time its names in a hat to win one of three but the draw is held back at their office and not on the night.Got an average goodie bag on way out.A great party with all the boxes ticked.....then 10.15pm to 11.15pm i was at The Tatler Little Black Book launch at Tramp,Jermyn Street,London SW1.This annual bash is for this glossy magazines Top 200(100 of each sex)list of eligible posh young singletons.An upmarket crowd as usual in this legendary club.We got a surprise showing by Katie Price who certainly does not figure in the list.Lots of free booze and food going but only had a glass of water here as fully watered and fed at the previous bash.Only stayed an hour here as the tube strike was still on.The party was in full swing when i left.Got a couple of average goodie bags here.The 200 list is in the Dec 2010 issue of Tatler that is in the shops now.................. 02 Nov 2010.Mary J Blige + Lemar live at The 02 Arena,London.Get inside the venue and notice that the upstairs Level 4 is all closed off due to lack of ticket sales however its a lively crowd who make up for the empty space with lots of dancing for both acts.Up first we have Lemar who has ticked over nicely since coming 3rd in BBCs Fame Academy in 2002.Lots of the crowd know his songs so he is an ideal support act.He had a "Hits" album out earlier this year.His 45 mins set inc "Dance With U","Its Not That Easy","If There's Any Justice","Weight Of The World" and "The Way Love Goes"....then its "The Queen Of R n B" Mary J Blige whose eight albums have sold over 40 million copies and has picked up nine grammys along the way.She looks every inch the superstar in a tight fitting shiny black catsuit.On stage for 1 hour 40 mins.Mary is promoting recent album "Stronger With Each Tear".She has a stunning powerful and emotive voice and can dance pretty good too. Set inc "You Remind Me","Real Love","Love Is All We Need", and later on three tracks that were superb "I'm Going Down","Take Me As I Am" and "No More Drama" with her voice at full tilt. Encores inc "Just Fine" and "Be Without You". The crowd loved it and it was a good show........ 01 Nov 2010.Alice Cooper live at The Roundhouse,London.Last night was so good i simply had to go back and see it again.The buzz in the VIP was pretty tame compared to last night but Alice Cooper/KISS producer Bob Ezrin is here again and remembers me from last night.It gets even more surreal as my seat is right next to him in second row of the circle.Every few mins i keep thinking this very normal looking old guy next to me produced KISS "Destroyer" which is one of my fave albums of all time.It gets better as Bob really gets into the show singing,clapping and cheering along like a proud dad watching his son. Its the same fantastic show as yesterday.Alice Cooper is everything a perfect frontman should be.The band do a cracking job as well.Every song seems to have some theatrics going on whether its Alice reaching a gruesome end or masked goulies and monsters running amok.The anthems mix in well with lesser known tracks and the show from start to finish is a rocktastic visual feast .... 31 Oct 2010.Alice Cooper + Zodiac Mindwarp And The Love Reaction + Jim Rose Circus live at The Roundhouse,London.First of two Halloween shows here for Alice.Lots of folks have dressed up. Things start great.We pick up passes and head to the VIP bar left of stage.We are the first ones there as its only 7.20pm.We are met by legendary pr Alan Edwards who asks "do you want to say hello to Alice?".We wander backstage and say some small talk with Alice.We get a nice surprise as with Alice is legendary producer Bob Ezrin who has produced loads of acts as well as loads of Alice Cooper albums.He produced KISS classic "Destroyer" so i grill him for a few mins about that album.All this before the show has even started.Amazing.Then back to watch the support acts from the VIP bar viewing area.We get half a dozen freakshow acts but there are no screens so unless you are near the stage the effect is lost.Zodiac Mindwarp And The Love Reaction play a 40 mins set.Its a good chance for them to make a good impression on a big crowd but they blow it by being too messy.Nice to hear "High Priest Of Love" and "Prime Mover" again but they should have been better.Other folks in the VIP bar near us inc Noel Fielding,Martin Kemp(Spandau Ballet) and Sophie Ellis Bextor.There are also four girls with snakes for us to stroke.We take up our front row circle seats.Alice Cooper as usual is amazing.An 85 mins show full of great songs and theatrics.Alice Cooper dies by four different methods.How is this for a mega first three songs "Schools Out","No More Mr Nice Guy" and "I'm Eighteen".Hard to keep up that quality but visually a superb show to watch.Alice Cooper is such a perfect entertainer while on stage. Other songs played inc "Wicked Young Man","Go To Hell", mega versions of "Poison" and "Only Woman Bleed".Also "Vengence Is Mine","Dirty Diamonds" and a briliant "Billion Dollar Babies".Also "I Love The Dead","Feed My Frankenstein" and a brillliant "Under My Wheels".Great encores of "Elected" and another run through "Schools Out".Alice Cooper is always fantastic live. Alice Cooper has an excellent new dvd out now called "Live At Hammersmith 2009".See aftershow page for this gig ............ 30 Oct 2010.I went to two very different events tonight but both were equally very good.First 7.30pm to 9.15pm was Elton John Aids Foundation Winter Ball on the site of the new American Embassy,Nine Elms,London SW8.Location kept secret until the last minute.Amazing the venue is right next to the big Post Office building where i worked in the 1990s for five years.Its a plot of warehouses and Jean Paul Gaultier has designed the opulent interior.I was supposed to just stay on the press carpet watching everyone go in but got into the main drinks reception.Around 700 people have paid £300 and upwards to be here.Very glam with black ties and women in nice dresses.Had a few freebie Grey Goose Vodka Cocktails and some canapes.Its all done out very nicely.Some celebs here inc James Blunt,Graham Norton,Elizabeth Hurley,Bond girl actress Gemma Arterton,Sir Ben Kingsley,David Furnish,Stephen Fry and Jean Paul Gaultier.Elton John stays hiding backstage.Had to move on when the guests sat down for a 3 course meal and a 45 mins set after dinner by Elton John.......then a dash over to West London 10.15pm to 1.15am to see Night Of Treason + Dirty Love live at The Kings Head,Acton,London W3.This was a punk rock charity event for QPR In The Community so all monies to a good cause.Its also the day when each year my old band mates from my 1980s band Gun Control try to all meet up.As we have all spread out normally there is three or four of us but tonight for the first time in over 10 years all five of us have made it.Its fantastic.Type in Gun Control in the band search on this site to see our gigs played.We all agreed we would reform for a 30th anniversary show at this event next year.There is loads of other old faces here i know.The venue is buzzing too.About 150 people packed into this sweaty pub.Some punk rockers dressed in Halloween outfits and raffle prizes too.Dirty Love play a good set with female vocals.The dj plays great punk and ska anthems.Night Of Treason are a great punk band mixing catchy original tracks from their "Gentleman And Hooligans" EP along with some punk covers.Its like they are playing all my punk vinyl record collection.Some Clash gems with some Sex Pistols,Ramones,999 etc in their 60 mins set.Everyone is dancing around and there is as much beer all over the floors as there is put in peoples mouth.Everyone had a great time here. Check out www.myspace.com/nightoftreason......... 29 Oct 2010.Robert Plant And The Band Of Joy live at The Roundhouse,London.Led Zep legend plays Day 2 of the BBC Electric Proms.Day 1 was Elton John and Day 3 is Neil Diamond.This is the third time i have seen RP in the last two months. Get a nice view by mixing desk.Seasick Steve is watching nearby.On stage for 1 hour 45 mins set. His crackihg band just sound fantastic.A mixture of country,gospel,blues,cajun with instruments used inc mandolin,banjo,steel guitar etc.More lights than usual as the highlights of this show can be seen on BBC2 on Sat 06 Nov.Some reworked Zep classics are thrown in as usual.Robert Plants voice is just great.Some 60 members of the London Oriana Choir came on for the final two songs of the night.Set inc "House Of Cards", "Please Read The Letter","Tangerine","Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down","Monkey","Houses Of The Holy",the new single "You Cant Buy My Love" and "Gallows Pole". Encores were "Harms Swift Way","Rock n Roll","12 Gates To The City" and a beautiful "I Bid You Goodnight".Another quality show from the Led Zep legend . 28 Oct 2010.First 7pm to 7.45pm i popped into a preview of Adam Whiteheads photos of Kate Moss as used for Bryan Ferrys new album "Olympia" at The Phillips De Pury Gallery,Howick Place,Victoria,London SW1.Very tame event tonight as the main launch for this was a couple of days ago when Bryan Ferry played a short set here and there was free booze and celebs.Tonight is soft drinks only and hardly worth going to.... then to Psychedelic Furs live at The Kentish Town Forum,London.I was really looking forward to seeing them again as part of their ten date European Tour.I saw the Furs loads of times in their 1980s heyday.This is their first London show since that fantastic Shepherds Bush Empire gig in 2005.The show was 90 mins over two sets of 45 mins each.The first set was their 1981 classic album "Talk Talk Talk" in track order then a greatest hits set after the short interval.For
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The UK's #1 Gig-Goer
In November 2008 the BBC confirmed me as the UK's number one gig-goer. The jacket was a gig-going prize from Q Magazine a few years ago. I do not wear it outside of the house let alone out to gigs!
Over 5,500 gigs now seen by me since 1973 covering all genres. I still go to over 100 gigs a year.
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