Archive for October 2010
“New Jersey hard-rockers of worldwide appeal release a new hits collection.”
Posted on: October 31, 2010
Tracks
- 1 Livin’ on a Prayer
- 2 You Give Love a Bad Name
- 3 It’s My Life
- 4 Have a Nice Day
- 5 Wanted Dead or Alive
- 6 Bad Medicine
- 7 We Weren’t Born to Follow
- 8 I’ll Be There for You
- 9 Born to Be My Baby
- 10 Bed of Roses
- 11 Who Says You Can’t Go Home
- 12 Lay Your Hands on Me
- 13 Always
- 14 In These Arms
- 15 What Do You Got
- 16 No Apologies
There’s no shame whatsoever in admitting to having some affection for Bon Jovi. If you’re of a certain age – and the spread’s wide, from teenagers to mums and dads in their 40s and 50s – then there’s every chance that significant moments of your life have occurred around this pop-rocking foursome riding high in the charts. Frankly, those who can’t sling their head back, punch the air and holler along to the chorus of Livin’ on a Prayer are likely unsalvageable from whatever depression they’ve slipped into.
As for the question of whether the group needs another best-of set, bear in mind that their last worldwide compilation of such a style, Crossroads, came out 16 years ago. That’s nearly a generation’s worth of new rock ‘n’ roll that’s up for inclusion here, then. But, perhaps wisely, the majority of these 16 tracks (an expanded double-disc version is available too, should you be worrying that Blaze of Glory has been erased from Bon Jovi history) are taken from the band’s mid-80s to early-90s globe-conquering albums. The fresher fare is yet to fully rub into the leather of rock’s already plenty stained jacket of time, but numbers like It’s My Life, from 2000’s Crush, and Have a Nice Day from the 2005 album of the same name, have clout enough to them to suggest that, eventually, they’ll be just as revered amongst the band’s fanbase as catalogue classics from New Jersey and Slippery When Wet.
Granted, one person’s classic is another’s cut that can’t be abided – but there’s a genuine universal appeal to a great many Bon Jovi tracks that puts them in the same league as U2. Sure, you’ll hate a few tracks when they’ve been playlisted into irrelevance; but time heals, and sure enough today Bon Jovi’s most brilliant firecrackers are enjoying new leases of life. No fewer than 12 of the tracks across these Greatest Hits discs will be available for players of the Rock Band series of video games to download. Frontman Jon Bon Jovi notes, in the accompanying promotional material, that these songs have stood the test of time, and for once the statement is more truth than flog-some-records hyperbole.
As with many greatest hits packages, a couple of new songs are tagged on the end – What Do You Got? is a by-the-book slowie worthy of a few lighters held aloft, and No Apologies is a rollicking barroom jam that’s high on energy if rather rattling of heart. They’re perfectly serviceable, but be fair – this is getting bought for the big-haired 80s hits, and nothing else. And that’s perfectly fine.
Valerie and Shell are very closeWhen Valerie Whittaker found out that her daughter was anorexic she felt bewildered.
She knew nothing about eating disorders – the only person she had heard of with anorexia was the American singer Karen Carpenter.
And although Valerie had a supportive GP who quickly accessed the care needed by 15-year-old Shell, she said she just wanted to talk to another parent, someone who would be able to understand what she was going through.
“You feel a failure that you have not noticed sooner,” she said.
“Her legs looked so thin and I said to my husband ‘how on earth did we miss it? How did we not notice what was happening? But then it was just a rollercoaster of hospital appointments.”
In a bid to help mothers like Valerie, the charity Care for the Family has launched the UK’s first telephone befriending service for parents of children with an eating disorder.
It offers parents one-to-one, ongoing support from trained ‘befrienders’ whose own child has had an eating disorder.
The charity said it was frequently asked for help by parents like Valerie and, as the numbers suffering an eating disorder rise to as many as a quarter of adolescent girls, the service was much needed.
Katharine Hill, at Care for the Family, said having a child with an eating disorder affected the whole family.
“It can place a huge strain on relationships between parents and with siblings,” she said.
“We want parents to know they are not alone.”
Practical advice
Valerie, from Warrington, in Cheshire, who is now a befriender herself, hopes to be able to offer advice to other struggling mothers and fathers.
“The befrienders would have helped me; given me tips to help my daughter eat by making the food look less – tips such as boiled potatoes on a plate look much bigger than mashed, and mashed potatoes in an ice cream scoop look even less.
“When we had a training day for the befrienders they all knew and understood.
“I don’t think people understand if they haven’t been through it – the awkward silences of trying to eat a meal without making an issue about the food.
“It was amazing to hear the lengths people had gone to get their child to eat.”
Ten years on, Shell is fully recovered and pregnant with her first child, but Valerie said the 18 months it had taken her daughter to recover was very bleak, full of hospital appointments and counselling for both Shell and the rest of the family.
Dr Ann York, a child and adolescent psychiatrist based who is based in London , said parental help, such as that offered by the befrienders, could be very beneficial, but warned it must not replace professional counselling.
“It is very common that families feel isolated and confused about what to do and very alone, so talking to someone who understands and has been through it themselves might just be very helpful,” she said.
“The important thing is that this does not hinder them also getting professional help and does not get in the way of the therapy they are having with a service.
“It should be an addition.”
Blackburn 1 – 2 Chelsea
Posted on: October 31, 2010
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By Owen Phillips
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Branislav Ivanovic headed a late winner as league leaders Chelsea came from behind to beat Blackburn Rovers in an exhilarating contest at Ewood Park.
Ivanovic rose to power in a delightful Yuri Zhirkov cross to cruelly deny Rovers with only six minutes remaining.
The hosts dominated the first half and deservedly led when Benjani nodded home El-Hadji Diouf’s teasing cross.
But Nicolas Anelka’s fine finish after a sweeping move drew Chelsea level and Ivanovic’s downward header settled it.
The result – which leaves Sam Allardyce’s men still only one place above the relegation zone – was particularly tough on Rovers, who played with guile and creativity and could have been 3-0 ahead by the time the Blues drew level.
Chelsea started confidently enough early on, zipping the ball around in the midfield and looking every bit a side who had scored 27 goals in their nine league games.
But after surviving a scary moment when Ivanovic got free on the right and his fine cross just eluded Didier Drogba, it was Blackburn who dominated the first half-hour.
And it was not down to the expected aerial bombardment – which Ivanovic was recalled to counter. Rovers, playing in front of their prospective new owners from Indian business group Venky’s simply outplayed and outpassed the leaders before the break.
Brett Emerton had the first sight of goal when he ran through but he did not have the pace to outstrip the visiting defence and was also unable to find Benjani.
Mame Diouf was then denied by an excellent sliding tackle by John Terry, and the same player saw his well-disguised lob just about kept out by the desperate figure of Petr Cech as the big keeper slipped while re-adjusting his feet.
But the chances kept coming and Benjani, making his first Premier League start for Rovers, went close after a powerful run.
El-Hadji Diouf provided the main spark on the left flank with a series of teasing crosses and it was one such cross that led to the opening goal.
The impressive El-Hadji Diouf – scorer of Blackburn’s equaliser in the same fixture last season – curled in an an inviting inswinging centre from the left and Benjani got ahead of Terry to send an excellent header across Cech and into the corner.
It was the first league goal Carlo Ancelotti’s side had conceded in the first half this season and was almost followed by the second moments later.
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El-Hadji Diouf was again the provider as Cech had to stretch every part of his enormous frame to prevent Mame Diouf nodding the ball home.
Chelsea finally started to settle and Michael Essien went close with an improvised, toe-poked effort from edge of the box.
And Anelka, who has scored 11 goals in 15 games against Rovers, drew the Londoners level when Cech’s pin-point punt found Malouda.
His delicious cross-field pass was nodded invitingly back into the path of Anelka, who guided the ball past Paul Robinson first time.
That was the crucial moment in the match and gave Chelsea the platform for a much-improved second half.
Both sides went all out for a winner after the interval but neither team were able to exert any long spells of dominance.
Ashley Cole screwed a shot wide after good work by Malouda and Rovers keeper Robinson made a smart stop from Zhirkov’s well-struck first-time effort.
Mame Diouf was a whisker away from restoring Blackburn’s lead but could not turn home substitute Jason Roberts’s clever flick from Morten-Gamst Pedersen’s dangerous free-kick.
Allardyce determined to improve results
Roberts, whose strength and ability to hold the ball up came to the fore as the second half wore on, should have put Rovers ahead but shot narrowly wide after muscling his way into the box.
At the other end, Blues substitute Daniel Sturridge smashed a vicious, curling effort just wide after a jinking run.
But Ivanovic – who was about to replaced by Paulo Ferreira – leapt to head home the winner from Zhirkov’s wonderful floated cross to secure Chelsea’s first away victory in the league in three matches.
It was particularly cruel on Rovers, whose performance was a fitting tribute to former player Ronnie Clayton who died on Friday and whose contribution was recognised by a minute’s applause before kick-off.
Premier League results
30 Oct 2010 23:59 UK
- Arsenal1-0West HamFT
- Blackburn1-2ChelseaFT
- Everton1-0StokeFT
- Fulham2-0WiganFT
- Man Utd2-0TottenhamFT
- Wolves2-1Man CityFT
Relief officials have begun recovering bodies but many more are still strewn on beachesBad weather is again obstructing efforts to get aid to the survivors of Monday’s tsunami in Indonesia.
Heavy rain and high tides are making it hard for boats to deliver supplies to the isolated Mentawai islands off the west coast of Sumatra.
More than 400 people are confirmed dead, but many bodies have yet to be recovered from coastal areas and more than 300 people are still missing.
The tsunami was triggered by a 7.7-magnitude undersea earthquake.
Disaster-relief officials plan to start dropping aid by air, but reports say there are not enough helicopters to reach many of the devastated areas.
Struggling with devastation
The government has pledged millions of dollars for the relief effort, but aid agencies said people on the islands still urgently need food and shelter.
Meanwhile, an Indonesian government official has told the BBC the earthquake was so close to land that the early warning system in the area did not have a chance to send out an alert before the giant waves broke.
The epicentre was 80km from the Mentawai islands.
The government is now planning to install new earthquake detection equipment, said Kusuma Habir from the foreign ministry.
Disaster official Ade Edward says the 3m (10ft) surge is likely to have carried many of the missing out to sea, or buried them in the sand.
Analysis
There are still many of the aid relief supplies stored here in Sikakap, the capital district of Mentawai, while many other supplies are still stored in Padang, the capital city of the province of West Sumatra.
Transportation is still the biggest obstacle in this process: boats are very limited and aircraft are almost not available
This poses a very significant problem because the aid cannot be transported quick enough from Padang or any other city.
At the same time, the aid that has arrived here in Sikakap cannot be dispersed to worst-affected areas.
As the scale of the tsunami disaster became clear on Thursday, Mr Edward painted a bleak picture of the chances of finding more survivors.
“Of those missing people, we think two-thirds of them are probably dead, either swept out to sea or buried in the sand,” he told the AFP news agency.
“When we flew over the area yesterday, we saw many bodies. Heads and legs were sticking out of the sand; some of them were in the trees.”
He estimated that a further 200 people may have been killed.
Indonesia’s state-run news agency Antara reported that 468 houses had been completely destroyed by the wave.
Village chief Tasmin Saogo told the BBC’s Indonesian service that the islanders had begun to bury their dead.
“In the village of Sadegugung, there aren’t any body bags. In the end, we just lifted them and we buried 95 people today,” he said.
“There are still many bodies lying about, underneath coconut trees and in other places.”
A three-month-old baby was found alive in a ditch
Indonesia is also struggling with the devastation caused by this week’s eruption of Mount Merapi in central Java, which killed more than 30 people.
The volcano erupted again on Friday, sending hot ash down its slopes, but no further casualties have been reported.
Meanwhile, the party of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has been trying to defuse a growing political row over comments made by one of its senior members.
Indonesia’s 32 hours of disaster
- 25 Oct, 0600 local time: Highest alert issued for Mt Merapi eruption; villagers advised to leave.
- 25 Oct, 2142: 7.7 magnitude quake near Mentawai Islands; tsunami watch issued.
- 26 Oct, 1300: First reports of people missing after tsunami
- 26 Oct, 1402: Mt Merapi erupts.
Rival politicians criticised his statement as insensitive, and the party has apologised.
Earlier, Mr Yudhoyono cut short a trip to Vietnam to oversee the rescue effort, flying in a helicopter loaded with food and other basic necessities to the remote and otherwise inaccessible islands.
Indonesian officials said local residents had been given no indication of the coming wave, as a high-tech tsunami warning system installed in the wake of 2004’s giant Indian Ocean tsunami was not working.
The vast Indonesian archipelago sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the world’s most active areas for earthquakes and volcanoes.
More than 1,000 people were killed by an earthquake off Sumatra in September 2009.
In December 2004, a 9.1-magnitude quake off the coast of Aceh triggered a tsunami in the Indian Ocean that killed a quarter of a million people in 13 countries including Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.
Microsoft said it had been an “exceptional” quarter.Microsoft has announced a 51% rise in first-quarter profit, thanks to higher sales of its flagship Windows and Office software.
Net profit for the three months to September came in at $5.4bn (£3.4bn).
Revenues increased by 25% to $16.2bn – a company record for the first quarter.
But Microsoft said that in the same quarter last year it had deferred some revenue from Windows sales. Had it not done so, its net profit would have been only 16% higher in comparison.
“This was an exceptional quarter, combining solid enterprise growth and continued strong consumer demand for Office 2010, Windows 7, and Xbox 360 consoles and games,” said Peter Klein, chief financial officer at Microsoft.
Windows sales rose 66% on a year earlier to $4.8bn, while Office and other business software brought in $5.1bn, a 14% increase on last year.
‘Firing on all cylinders’
Microsoft shares rose 2.8% in after-hours trading.
Its stock has fallen 14% so far this year as investors worry about its ability to adapt to new ways of computing.
Last week, its chief software architect Ray Ozzie unexpectedly resigned, and warned that the company must think “beyond the PC”.
But its latest results were better than analysts had expected.
“Microsoft had a very good quarter,” said Toan Tran, an analyst at Morningstar.
“Windows is still doing well, Office is doing well, and servers and tools are doing well. The big three businesses are firing on all cylinders as the PC upgrade cycle continues.”
Yossi Fadhli World News and Entertainment 