IRON MAIDEN

Iron Maiden (one of the greatest heavy metal bands in the world) is coming to Brazil once again for concerts in six Brazilian cities and I will be in Recife to see them on the 3rd of April. My daughter Nycole is going with me for this unique and unforgettable moment in our lives. Here´s a little bit of their biography:
The story of Iron Maiden begins in 1971, when 15 year old Steve Harris, inspired by the likes of Wishbone Ash, Jethro Tull and early Genesis bought a copy Telecaster bass .
Steve had previously harboured visions of one day playing soccer for his beloved West Ham and was actually signed to them on schoolboy forms. However, the talent pool in the Hammer's youth organisation in those days was overflowing and the number of players who actually made it into the professional game were very few. The continuous playing and training regime also meant that that young Harry couldn't join his mates in drinking, watching bands and bullying girls.
After thinking long and hard, he abandoned hopes of a soccer career and built up a strong liking and knowledge of rock music. He taught himself how to play by playing along to his favourite records and jamming with friends. This led to the formation of a band called Influence who then changed their name to Gypsy's Kiss.
The Gypsies made their debut at a talent contest in Poplar, lasting all of six gigs before calling it a day. Steve fired by a burning ambition hooked up with a band called Smiler. The other band members were several years older than him, Steve picked up some valuable experience but still felt stifled. Smiler were a "good time boogie " band and although they
played an early version of "Innocent Exile", they turned down "Burning Ambition" and made it clear that they didn't expect their bass player to leap around the stage and write songs. Steve finally realised that the only way to do what he wanted was to put his own band together and at the end of 1975, Iron Maiden was born. Steve got the name from seeing an Iron Maiden in an old movie of "The Man In The Iron Mask". It was a metal coffin with spikes on the inside and the victims were placed inside it and skewered to death.
What followed was endless music mayhem from the most power packed bands ever to hit the heavy metal scene-Iron Maiden.
I am really looking forward to traveling to Recife to see this great band live. Up the Irons!!!

PETER GABRIEL

In these times of earthquakes, floods, tsunamis and other natural disasters, this song always comes to my mind. It´s a song written and sung by Peter Gabriel, former vocalist of Genesis (he was replaced by Phil Collins), very talented lyricist and a fantastic voice. Here´s the lyrics:

HERE COMES THE FLOOD
When the night shows
The signals grow on radios
All the strange things
They come and go, as early warnings
Stranded starfish have no place to hide
Still waiting for the swollen Easter tide
There's no point in direction we cannot
Even choose a side.
I took the old track
The hollow shoulder, across the waters
On the tall cliffs
They were getting older, sons and daughters
The jaded underworld was riding high
Waves of steel hurled metal at the sky
And as the nail sunk in the cloud, the rain
Was warm and soaked the crowd.
Lord, here comes the flood
Here we'll say goodbye to flesh and blood
If again the seas are silent
In any still alive
It'll be those who gave their island to survive
Drink up, dreamers, you're running dry.
When the flood calls
You have no home, you have no walls
In the thunder crash
You're a thousand minds, within a flash
Don't be afraid to cry at what you see
The actors gone, there's only you and me
If we break before the dawn
They'll use up what we used to be.
Lord, here comes the flood
We'll say goodbye to flesh and blood
If again the seas are silent
In any still alive
It'll be those who gave their island to survive
Drink up, dreamers, you're running dry.

And here´s the vídeo:

THE BIGGEST FAMILY IN THE WORLD

An Indian man may be the most polygamous in the world currently.
Ziona Chana of Mizoram has 39 wives! He made very ‘good use’ of all those wives by fathering 94 children with them. The man might have the biggest family in the world because he currently has 14 daughter-in-laws and 33 grandchildren.
He has housed himself and his family in a 100-room mansion that he has built in his village. He is not satisfied with the near-200 family size. He wants to marry again claiming that he is blessed to have so many women fall for him. The 67-year-old says he plans to travel to the United States where he hopes he would find some future wives.
It is interesting how Chana arranges his wives in relation to where his master bedroom is located. In his mansion younger and more attractive wives are given rooms that are close to Chana’s bedroom. The older wives are given rooms that are at different parts of the mansion.
Chana told the Sun in an interview that, “Today I feel like God’s special child. He’s given me so many people to look after. I consider myself a lucky man to be the husband of 39 women and head of the largest family.”
The family is organised with almost military discipline, with the oldest wife Zathiangi organising her fellow partners to perform household chores such as cleaning, washing and preparing meals.
One evening meal can see them pluck 30 chickens, peel 132lb of potatoes and boil up to 220lb of rice.
Coincidentally, Mr Chana is also head of a sect that allows members to take as many wives as he wants.
He even married ten women in one year, when he was at his most prolific, and enjoys his own double bed while his wives have to make do with communal dormitories.
Rinkmini, one of Mr Chana’s wives who is 35 years old, said: ‘We stay around him as he is the most important person in the house. He is the most handsome person in the village. …
Another of his wives, Huntharnghanki, said the entire family gets along well. The family system is reportedly based on ‘mutual love and respect’ …
One of his sons insisted that Mr Chana, whose grandfather also had many wives, marries the poor women from the village so he can look after them.

Thaindian News – Fewbruary 21, 2011