IT'S ALREADY 40 YEARS WITHOUT THE BEATLES

It's 40 years ago already,since April 10th 1970, when Paul McCartney made official Beatles' breakup in a press note which announced that the four members of the biggest group in history would never play again. As John Lennon said a bit later, the dream had ended. Actually, the group had stopped working a few months before, when they finished recording the album "Abbey Road". The four beatles were busy working on their personal projects, but nobody dared to anounce their split up. "I didn't leave The Beatles. The Beatles left The Beatles, but nobody wants to be the one who says the party's over", said McCartney in the group's autobiography "Anthology".

Video "YESTERDAY":

"YESTERDAY" lyrics:

Yesterday, All my troubles seemed so far away,

Now it looks as though they're here to stay,

Oh, I believe in yesterday.

Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be,

There's a shadow hanging over me,

Oh, yesterday came suddenly.

Why she Had to go I don't know, she wouldn't say.

I said, Something wrong, now I long for yesterday.

Yesterday, Love was such an easy game to play,

Now I need a place to hide away,

Oh, I believe in yesterday.

Why she Had to go I don't know, she wouldn't say.

I said, Something wrong, now I long for yesterday.

Yesterday, Love was such an easy game to play,

Now I need a place to hide away,

Oh, I believe in yesterday.

Mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm.

EYJAFJALLAJÖKULL: THE ICELANDIC VOLCANO WHICH HAS BROUGHT EUROPE'S SKIES TO A STANDSTILL

[From Telegraph.co.uk]

The power and wrath of Eyjafjallajökull came into dramatic clarity this weekend as the clouds parted for the first time since the glacier-topped volcano threw world air travel into turmoil.
Fresh eruptions thrust new torrents of molten rock through the shattered ice sheets in the mountain crater, spewing a towering wall of ash, dust and steam high into the air.

The power of the blasts has carried the ash – a potent threat to plane engines – even further upwards into the North Atlantic jet-stream that passes over the island near one of the world's busiest flight paths.
It is a rare combination and it was clear that for now at least Eyjafjallajökull was not easing up. Icelandic volcanologists told The Sunday Telegraph that it was impossible to predict how long the eruptions would continue or whether an even more violent neighbouring volcano might follow suit – as it has in the past.
Iceland,Europe's youngest country, sits atop the Mid-Atlantic Ridge fault line between two great shifting tectonic plates and the primal landscape of glacial valleys, snowy volcanoes and bubbling geysers is still being shaped by these explosive forces deep below the surface.

Indeed, when the first fissure opened a few weeks ago, creating scenic lava flows down the mountain, Iceland briefly gained its latest tourist attraction.
But the display of natural force that has unfolded in recent days has brought misery to millions of stranded passengers, raised concerns about the economic impact of a protracted disruption of international travel and forced hundreds of locals to evacuate their homes.

"This is not even a major eruption, so it is startling to see the impact it has had," said Matthew Jones, a British glacier expert who monitors volcanic activity at the Icelandic meteorological office.
Eyjafjallajökull is indeed not one of the biggest or most volatile of Iceland's 22 active volcanoes. But the precedents suggest that Britain and its European neighbours could face the fall-out for weeks or months to come.
Hidden from the our view by the mushroom of volcanic debris lies an even greater threat, the much larger crater of nearby Katla – named for its ferocity after a powerful witch in an ancient Icelandic saga.

Eyjafjallajökull has only erupted three times since the Vikings settled the island in the ninth century, most recently nearly two centuries ago when it blew intermittently for 14 months in the early 1820s– an alarming enough prospect for air traffic across the Atlantic.
And each occasion, it has been followed within months or a year or so by a major eruption at Katla. That volcano has also blown another 20 or so times in its own right, on average once every 60 to 80 years – so another is long overdue as it last exploded in 1918.
That eruption dwarfed what the world has seen from Eyjafjallajökull in recent days, producing about 10 times as much molten rock and throwing ash an estimated 60,000 ft into the sky.
Mr Jones said there is no evidence so far of ground rumblings beneath Katla – the usual harbinger of an eruption. "But we do know from past ash layers that are embedded together that the two volcanoes seem to be interconnected in the timings of previous explosions," he said.
Magnus Tomi Gudmundsson, a geophysicist at the University of Iceland and expert on volcanic ice eruptions, said activity had intensified at the volcano on Friday. As winds have cleared visibility, a team of scientists hope to fly over the crater this weekend to assess how much ice has melted.
"We really don't have any means to determine how long this eruption might last or whether it would erupt again," he told The Sunday Telegraph.
"There's an increased likelihood we'll see a Katla eruption in the coming months or year or two, but there's no way that's certain." The eruptions have wreaked havoc for the farmers who raise sheep, cattle and horses on the pastures around the volcano. Lava is not the danger here, but rather the floods set off as the molten rock melts the glacier that fills the crater.
Locals received automated text message and phone calls instructing them to evacuate three times – once because of the initial explosion and twice because of floods. And on the south-east side, properties remain shrouded in dust and there are fears for the welfare of animals that ingest the glass-like shards of ash.
Thorkell Eiriksson and Anna Runolfsdottir have watched the drama unfold from their farmhouse, the nearest property to Eyjafjallajökull, where they live with their two young children.
"The lava from the eruption in March just looked like a pretty little candle twinkling in the distance," said Mr Eiriksson. "But when we felt the earthquakes last week, we knew this one was very different. It's just surreal to sit here and watch the plumes of ash up there and think of the chaos this is causing around the world."
Video report:

"EVERYBODY HURTS" 2010 IN AID OF HAITI, THE VIDEO

"Everybody hurts-2010", the charity single in aid of Haiti has become the best selling single this century with more than 200.000 copies sold from its release date on February, 8th.
[Singing: Leona Lewis, Rod Stewart, Mika, Robbie Williams, Bon Jovi, Take That, Susan Boyle, Mariah Carey, James Blunt... among many others]
Look for the other versions of this song and other charity songs on previous posts Songs in aid of Haiti (1 & 2) on this blog under post HelpìngHaiti.

Watch the official video with behind the scenes footage from the recording:

IT'S CARNIVAL TIME

Photos from London's Notting Hill Carnival held every August.

Carnival is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnival typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, masque and public street party. People often dress up or masquerade during the celebrations, which mark an overturning of daily life.
Carnival is a festival traditionally held in Roman Catholic and, to a lesser extent, Eastern Orthodox societies. Protestant areas usually do not have carnival celebrations or have modified traditions, such as the Danish Carnival or other Shrove Tuesday events. The Brazilian Carnaval is one of the best-known celebrations today, but many cities and regions worldwide celebrate with large, popular, and days-long events. These include the Carnevale of Venice and the Carnevale of Viareggio, Italy, the German Rhineland carnivals, centering on the Cologne carnival; the carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands; in Andalucia & Galicia (Spain) Carnival of Cádiz and in Ourense ; the carnival of Cape Verde; of Torres Vedras, Portugal; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Rijeka, Croatia; Barranquilla, Colombia; Dominican Republic; Haiti; Jamaica; the Carnaval and the Llamadas in Montevideo, Uruguay and Trinidad and Tobago Carnival. In the United States, the famous Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama, date back to French and Spanish colonial times.

In Britain, the season immediately before Lent was called Shrovetide. It was a time for confessing sins (shriving) with fewer festivities than the Continental Carnivals. Shrove Tuesday is celebrated as Pancake Day, but apart from the serving of pancakes and occasional pancake races and football matches, little else of the Lent-related Shrovetide survived the English Reformation. One of the few, if not the only, Shrovetide carnivals in the UK takes places in Cowes and East Cowes on the Isle of Wight. This is the first carnival of the year on the island, and is the start of a long and busy carnival calendar.
The traditional English carnivals take place later in the year, such as the West Country Carnival in November, associated with Guy Fawkes Night. African-Caribbean communities organise and participate in Caribbean Carnivals (Caribbean style carnivals) throughout the UK. The best known of these is the annual Notting Hill Carnival, attracting up to 1.5 million people from Britain and around the world, making it the largest street festival in Europe. The carnival began in 1964 as a small procession of Trinidadians in memory of festivals in their home country. It is held in August. Leeds West Indian Carnival is Europe's oldest West Indian carnival and now attracts around 130,000 people. Other carnivals include the Leicester Caribbean Carnival and the Birmingham International Carnival. Luton Carnival, begun 1976, is in May. St Pauls carnival, an African Caribbean Carnival usually takes place on the first Saturday of July in Bristol.

Video "CARNIVAL GIRL", TEXAS with Notting Hill after the party:

Video "CARNIVAL GIRL", Texas+Kardinal Offishal live on TV:

"CARNIVAL GIRL"
TEXAS (featuring Kardinal Offishall) 2003
See me in the morning light, a photograph of pure delight.
Yeah, but I left too soon. (I don’t see you girl, ya know)
There were some good times we had, and there were some that weren’t so bad.
Oh, just feel it now, lets feel it now.
RAP (1): Yoh, yo, I remember what we used to do
blink up and dream a living with a notion view
I’ll give you the sun, the stars and the blue sky too.
So come on a leasing want to pleasing you.
Remember when we used to link up with the crew
Suzanne, Suzette and Tanya too.
You’re the one on me side from the out yard view
it’s just a party now, yo, I believe in you, I ain’t leaving you.
CHORUS: OOH, COME ON LET’S GET DOWN TONIGHT,
COME ON LET’S GET DOWN TONIGHT,
JOIN THE CARNIVAL OF LOVE,
OOH, WELL YOU SING IT NOW, TAKE IT NOW,
JOIN THE CARNIVAL OF LOVE. (Come on join in the carnival of love, yeah)
I watch the laughter in your eyes, I see the wrinkles change in size
yeah, time has left you now.
Lovers may have tried to be, everything that’s strange in me
oh, much deeper now, (Much deeper) much deeper now.
RAP (2):, Yo, I used to love it when we used to play,
it used to be like a weekend everyday,
three times a night, right in everyway,
body to body make you scream and say, physically dance.
You’re not easy, take it easy,
only girl, we are love, but man, we got hope,
and you stay on my mind,
so lets go to the carnival, girl. Let me bring you to life.
CHORUS (X 2)
Push it now, push it now. (I believe in you). Stop me now. (X 4)
(I believe in you, I ain’t leaving you)
CHORUS (X 2)
REPEAT RAP 1

SONGS IN AID OF HAITI (2): THE ORIGINAL VERSIONS.

Photo: Haiti's Presidential Palace after the earthquake (above), before (below), a symbol of the country's complete and total destruction.

Here are the original versions of the songs which now have been re-recorded to raise funds for the Haiti's earthquake victims. The "EVERYBODY HURTS" 2010 Haiti-version has become the best-selling single this century with more than 200.000 copies sold since it was released on February, 8th.

Video of original song "I'LL STAND BY YOU" by The Pretenders live:

Audio of the same song+lyrics:

Video of original song "EVERYBODY HURTS" by REM (subtitled English & Spanish):

Video The Corrs unplugged live version of the same song:

1 MONTH LATER: SONGS IN AID OF HAITI (1)

The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake. Its epicentre was near the town of Léogâne, approximately 25 km (16 miles) west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks measuring 4.5 or greater had been recorded. An estimated three million people were affected by the quake; Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive stated on 3 February 2010 that 200,000 people had been identified as dead and and estimated that 300,000 injured had been treated. Bellerive also estimated that 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings had collapsed or were severely damaged.
The earthquake caused major damage to Port-au-Prince, Jacmel and other settlements in the region. Many notable landmark buildings were significantly damaged or destroyed, including the Presidential Palace, the National Assembly building, the Port-au-Prince Cathedral, and the main jail.

Many countries responded to appeals for humanitarian aid, pledging funds and dispatching rescue and medical teams, engineers and support personnel.

Artists have also contributed with telethons and rerecording classic songs to help raise funds, here we collect some of these efforts:

- Shakira does a cover of The Pretender's classic "I'LL STAND BY YOU":

- Several artists cover REM's classic hit "EVERYBODY HURTS";

FEBRUARY, 2nd: GROUNDHOG DAY

Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated on February 2. It is held in the United States and Canada. According to folklore, if a groundhog emerging from its burrow on this day fails to see its shadow, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter will soon end. If on the other hand, the groundhog sees its shadow, the groundhog will supposedly retreat into its burrow, and winter will continue for six more weeks. The holiday, which began as a Pennsylvania German custom in southeastern and central Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19th centuries, has its origins in ancient European weather lore, wherein a badger or sacred bear is the prognosticator as opposed to a groundhog. The holiday also bears some similarities to the medieval Catholic holiday of Candlemas. It also bears similarities to the Pagan festival of Imbolc, the seasonal turning point of the Celtic calendar, which is celebrated on February 1 and also involves weather prognostication.

Modern customs of the holiday involve celebrations where early morning festivals are held to watch the groundhog emerging from its burrow. In southeastern Pennsylvania, Groundhog Lodges (Grundsow Lodges) celebrate the holiday with fersommlinge, social events in which food is served, speeches are made, and one or more g'spiel (plays or skits) are performed for entertainment. The Pennsylvania German dialect is the only language spoken at the event, and those who speak English pay a penalty, usually in the form of a nickel, dime or quarter, per word spoken, put into a bowl in the center of the table. The largest Groundhog Day celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where crowds as high as 40,000 have gathered to celebrate the holiday since at least 1886.

Historical origins.

In Scotland the tradition may also derive from an English poem:
As the light grows longer

The cold grows stronger

If Candlemas be fair and bright

Winter will have another flight

If Candlemas be cloud and rain

Winter will be gone and not come again

A farmer should on Candlemas day

Have half his corn and half his hay

On Candlemas day if thorns hang a drop

You can be sure of a good pea crop.

This tradition also stems from similar beliefs associated with Candlemas Day and Groundhog Day. Candlemas, also known as the Purification of the Virgin or the Presentation.

In western countries in the Northern Hemisphere the official first day of Spring is almost seven weeks (46–48 days) after Groundhog Day, on March 20 or March 21. About 1,000 years ago, before the adoption of the Gregorian calendar when the date of the equinox drifted in the Julian calendar, the spring equinox fell on March 16 instead. This is exactly six weeks after February 2.

Video: